Nominate Disruption by Design on Kindle Scout

Nominate Disruption by Design on Kindle Scout

Kindle Scout Campaign

My forthcoming new novel, Disruption by Design has been up on Kindle Scout since November 10th. To date, I’ve had 1336 page views, though Amazon doesn’t report how many nominations the book has. It did manage to hit the Hot and Trending list for seven hours in its first couple of days live. I’m hoping it makes it back there near the end of its month on December 10th.

Disruption by Design is Book 2 in the Having it All series, about professional 30-something women in Vancouver struggling to balance the challenge and fulfillment of their career with their search for love, family and home. It follows Bruce and Alexa, the best friends of Simon and Kate from Reconcilable Differences. – p.s. Eventually most of the key characters in Reconcilable Differences will get their own story (yes, I already know what happens, more or less!)

 

Cover of Disruption by Design by M A Clarke Scott author

What is the price of sacrifice, when love is the prize?

Alexa is a gifted architect. She grew up watching her mother pay a heavy price for love, at the loss of her freedom, her creativity and her identity – a price Alexa swore she would never pay. She spent her youth helping her working mom take care of their home, her sick father and her six younger siblings. Now nothing will stand in the way of her success.

Bruce has success in spades. He lives a life of leisure after selling his software company for millions. But money can’t buy the thing he desires most, and was deprived of as a child when his mother left him and his three older brothers in the care if his bullying dad- the love and nurturing of a woman, a comfortable home and a family of his own.

 

 

Although behind the scenes analysis of Kindle Scout results in few conclusions (see my 2016 Kindle Scout campaign analysis here), it’s generally held to be important to Amazon that a healthy percentage of your page views and nominations come in from external links. This round, I’m not doing so well, with only sixty out of those 1336 that could be attributable to my own marketing efforts, a mere four percent. You can help bump up this percentage!

Click here to check it out and if you like it, please Nominate it. And then share the link with other avid readers, too.

My impression is that, like every other tool and strategy available to independent authors, Kindle Scout has changed very rapidly in the last couple of years. Not one thing in this industry sits static very long, which is why authors and publishers need to continue to be light-of-foot and constantly monitoring and learning. Although not universally true, it seems to me more experienced, not-first-time authors are using Kindle Scout as a launching platform, in order to get more visibility for books they plan to release themselves in the near future. As I am.

It’s not that Amazon doesn’t still pick up the occasional book out of the enourmous public slush pile that Kindle Scout nominees represent. (For those not familiar, a “slush pile” is that huge pile of mostly unsolicited manuscripts most traditional publishers and agents have to dig and weed through to find that one jewel of a book that excites them enough to represent it.) But those odds never were very good. Whether traditional or new-age, it’s pretty hard to predict what next book which capture the public’s imagination.

Rejection Letter Peanuts cartoon

 

Click here to check it out and if you like it, please Nominate it. And then share the link with other avid readers, too.

Thank you!

 

 

Other places you can follow me

Booksprout LogoBy the way, I’ve discovered a fantastic new book platform. It’s another great way for readers and authors to find each other. It helps authors get Advance Reader Copies out to hungry readers in exchange for reviews. You can now hear about my new releases and deals in the Booksprout app.

Follow me in the Booksprout app!

Just download it, search for “M A Clarke Scott” and click follow! (Hint: In addition to my planned new release, I have another special offer coming up soon. See if you can find it!) Get the free Booksprout app →

Don’t forget Instagram

When not diligently editing the manuscript for Disruption by Design, I mostly hang out on Instagram these days if I’m spending time on social media. I guess I just like the visuals there, and the quick text-like bites of commentary, as well as the generally positive environment (unlike some platforms these days.) If you want to see all the photos I’ve posted (yes, there are some of my cats and what I’ve been cooking or eating) including travel and events and books, follow me here!

My One-Bag European Capsule Wardrobe

Travelling Light

As you may know, I love to travel. This summer I spent just over three weeks in Europe with my family, sightseeing and visiting friends. Early on, we decided we were going to travel light, and take one carry-on size suitcase each. No checked bags allowed.

Before I left, I spent more time than I ever had planning and preparing my wardrobe to ensure this was both possible and successful. I consulted stylish and well-travelled friends, and I researched others’ capsule wardrobes on Pinterest, creating a board full of inspiration and ideas. Check it out here if you want to see what others have done, and what kind of looks I favour (Hint: I’m not a formal dresser.) (Scroll down past the men with beards to see what I mean)

I tried to use as many pieces from my existing wardrobe as possible. The idea wasn’t to spend a fortune to make this work. Once I got going, however, I found there were a few key pieces that I needed to acquire. In the end these included: a new pair of stretchy skinny jeans, two scarves, a thigh-length cotton cardigan, two summer sundresses, a sleeveless cotton shirt, new sneakers and new sandals. I got most pieces on sale however, so it wasn’t a huge outlay of cash. I also love the pieces and continue to use them now that I’m home.

The List

The final capsule included only fifteen pieces (yes, 15!) not counting shoes and necessities. These included:

M A Clarke Scott Author capsule wardrobe jeans and jean jacket5 Bottoms, 6 Tops, 2 Dresses &2 Layers:

Skinny jeans

Black leggings

Thin ecru chinos

Black dress shorts (worn only once)

White t-shirt

Grey striped t-shirt

Blue t-shirt

Black camisole

Sleeveless floral blouse

Sleeveless tunic length shirt

Long-sleeve white t-shirt

Red, white and blue mini-print floral sleeveless sundress

Blue with white floral pattern sleeveless sundress

Black and white striped cotton cardigan

Jean jacket

Shoes:

White Keds

White sandals

Red ballet flats

 

Necessities

Pyjamas

7 pair undies

Toiletries

 

 

 

Accessories:

Light grey scarf with white polka dots

Mixed blue, red, white, yellow abstract large scarf

Navy cotton belt

Sunglasses

Handbag (blue and tan)

Tote (blue)

Mini-umbrella (pink & white)

Swimsuit (never used)

 

Sample Photos

M A Clarke Scott Author Capsule wardrobe Jean Jacket with Scarf

M A Clarke Scott Author Capsule wardrobe cardigan with leggings

M A Clarke Scott Author Capsule wardrobe Chinos with cardigan and t-shirt

M A Clarke Scott Author Capsule wardrobe blouse with jean jacket

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

M A Clarke Scott Author Capsule wardrobe blouse with shorts

M A Clarke Scott Author Capsule wardrobe sleeveless blouse and leggingsM A Clarke Scott Author Capsule wardrobe t-shirt, cardigan, scarf and leggingsM A Clarke Scott Author Capsule wardrobe sundress and cardigan

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As you can see from the photos, typical outfits included:

jeans, t-shirt with jean jacket and scarf – Keds

sundress with jacket and scarf – sandals or flats

leggings and shirt with cardigan – Keds

chinos with blouse – Keds

 

M A Clarke Scott Author Capsule wardrobe sleeveless blouse and chinos

M A Clarke Scott Author Capsule wardrobe blouse with leggings

M A Clarke Scott Author Capsule wardrobe leggings with cardigan and t-shirt

M A Clarke Scott Author Capsule wardrobe sundress with scarf

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Most importantly, I always knew what to put together to make an ensemble because it was preplanned. I had something both comfortable and appropriate for every occasion, from travel to museum days, to walking to dinners out. I had to go all day without a change of clothes, most days, and transitioned to restaurants without a problem. I had to do a small laundry wash only twice in over three weeks. And I rarely wore exactly the same combination twice, so I was never bored with my choices.

“Your dress is lovely, Madame.”

 

M A Clarke Scott Author Capsule wardrobe Jean Jacket with Sundress & Scarf

One of the smartest pieces of advice given to me beforehand by a well-seasoned traveller friend (Thanks Natasha. Mwah!) was that, however casually we dress here on the West Coast of Canada, with our yoga gear, shorts and fleece, this simply wouldn’t cut it in the cosmopolitan cities of London and Paris. Instead, she suggested sundresses for warm summer days.

I took this advice (thus the new purchases) and these were some of my favourite ensembles. With sandals or flats, optional sweater or jacket, and a scarf in my bag in case I got chilly, I felt like the best-dressed tourist around. I was cooler than I would have been in shorts (after all, there’s not much under a sundress and you can catch a breeze by the River Seine. Even better, I felt more like a stylish local than a tourist when dressed like this. I even got stopped by a well-dressed woman while touring the Ste. Chapelle cathedral on the Ile-de-la-Cite in Paris, to have my lovely floral sundress complimented (en Francais, bien sur.) Trust me when I say that this was an unprecedented event in my life.

 

Stylish and Practical

M A Clarke Scott Author Capsule wardrobe pink umbrella, leggings with cardigan and t-shirt

A second recommendation was to skip the rain jacket in favour of a super-light, compact umbrella in a light summer colour. I chose a pale pink-and-white flowered one from The Umbrella Shop in Vancouver, cheerful, affordable, durable and guaranteed for life. This I could carry on iffy days and whip out for a shower, then tuck away. It also doubled as a parasol when caught standing in line in the hot sun at the Louvre museum.

Everything did indeed fit into one bag, including shoes and toiletries. The ease of movement, speed and convenience of not having to wait around for checked baggage was a pure delight. (Cue visual: flight attendant striding jauntily across the airport concourse with scarf flying behind, and the attendant big grin of a sophisticated world traveller.) Aside from our main overseas flight, we took a short flight across the English Channel, as well as two long-distance train rides and numerous Tube, Metro and city bus rides to and fro. There were also elevators and staircases, doorways and foyers that were breezed through painlessly. I highly recommend taking this extra effort to prepare for travelling light. I’m obviously a convert and will never again over-pack and suffer from too much baggage and wardrobe indecision while travelling.

 

Have You Tried This?

I hope you enjoyed this recap of my travelling capsule wardrobe experiment. If you’ve ever packed a capsule wardrobe for a trip, comment below and tell me how it went. Do you have any tricks or tips to share?

 

Kindle Scout Campaign

By the way, since returning home, I’ve been hard at work completing my forthcoming new novel, Disruption by Design. It’s spending the next month on Kindle Scout. Click here to check it out and if you like it, please Nominate it. And then share the link with other avid readers, too.

Thank you!