About Elle Lothlorien

A “military brat,” Elle Lothlorien was born in Germany and spent her childhood in such far-flung places as Puerto Rico, Charleston, S.C., Italy, and Washington D.C. Sadly, the only language she ever became semi-fluent in is English. Elle’s first two self-published romantic comedies, THE FROG PRINCE and SLEEPING BEAUTY went on to become Amazon bestsellers. She is considered a “reluctant expert” on the business of electronic, independent publishing (also called “indie-publishing”), and frequently writes and speaks on the topic. Elle lives in Denver, Colorado. She keeps two dachshunds around the house to provide comic relief. Find out more about her and her books by going to her website, or by following her on Facebook and Twitter.

THING 3. Prostitute Your Book: The Art and Science of a Becoming a Successful Free Book Pimp on Amazon

March 14, 2013 | Elle Lothlorien | 7

My subconscious purses her lips and mouths the word ‘‘ho.’ I ignore her. –Anastasia Steele in Fifty Shades of Grey (E.L. James) I don’t know how to answer your comment about feeling like a whore. I know that’s not what you’ve written, but it’s …

Readin’ o’ the Green: the Anatomy of a Free Book Promotion

March 14, 2013 | Elle Lothlorien | 7

Welcome! This is an informal blog that will chronicle a book promotion for my novel The Frog Prince taking place March 14 and 15, 2013. If you haven’t done so already, I encourage you to read my blog “THING 3. Prostitute Your …

THING 2. Successful Seduction and the Naked Truth: Rethink Cover Design for a Small, Small World

January 24, 2013 | Elle Lothlorien | 6

“There’s something about you, Anastasia, that calls to me on some deep level I don’t understand. It’s a siren’s call. I can’t resist you.” –Christian Grey in Fifty Shades of Grey (E.L. James) “I’m Eve in the Garden of Eden, and …

My Online Date with the Almighty Amazon Algorithm (Part 3 of 3): Beauty Is Only Thumb(nail)-Deep

January 21, 2013 | Elle Lothlorien | 1

“An amateur book cover announces itself from across the room, there’s no mistaking it.” –Joel Friedlander, “Book Covers: Why Simple Works Better,” Nov 3, 2011 “DO choose pictures that show your face close up. Your potential dates shouldn’t have to squint at …

THING 1. Balls, Cookies and Getting Lucky: Ask the Right Questions About Self-Publication

January 7, 2013 | Elle Lothlorien | 11

“A man can hope, Anastasia, dream even, and sometimes his dreams come true.” ―Christian Grey, Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James “I don’t subscribe to luck or chance, Miss Steele. The harder I work, the more luck I seem to have.” …

Strip the Market Bare and Whip It: Ten Things Authors Must Do To Survive 2013

January 1, 2013 | Elle Lothlorien | 5

“Come, I want to show you my playroom.” … Taking a deep breath, I walk in. And it feels like I’ve time-traveled back to the sixteenth century and the Spanish Inquisition. ― E.L. James, Fifty Shades of Grey “There’s a very fine line …

My Online Date with the Almighty Amazon Algorithm (Part 2): Don’t Be Ugly By Accident

December 21, 2012 | Elle Lothlorien | 0

“You’re not supposed to find the [Amazon] sales rankings informative or helpful. You’re supposed to find them interesting.“ -Brent Sampson, “Navigating the Amazon Sales Ranking,” WebProNews, June 15, 2006 “…a hot woman receives roughly 4x the messages an average-looking woman …

Hang Up Your Pimp Costume, Kids: Why Free Book Promos on Amazon Don’t Work Like They Used To (No Matter How You Spin the Numbers)

September 19, 2012 | Elle Lothlorien | 15

[Before diving in and reading this post, I highly recommend that you read this excellent piece on Forbes.com today by David Vinjamuri: “Hard Numbers For Successful Free Book Sampling On Amazon.”] There I was on Facebook one day this …

My Online Date Using the Almighty Amazon Algorithm (Part 1): Say Hello To My Ugly Friend

September 10, 2012 | Elle Lothlorien | 2

“If someone doesn’t think you’re hot, the next best thing for them to think is that you’re ugly.” –Christian Rudder, “The Mathematics Of Beauty,“ OkTrends, January 10th, 2011 “The gist of it is this: if you price at $.99, you must …

When You Wish Upon a Star, You Get the Pointy End (Part 4): Author-Reader Contact Case Study #2

July 4, 2012 | Elle Lothlorien | 8

(If you have not read Part 1 and Part 2, I urge you to do so before you continue reading.) The case study I want to share with you this time is that of “Michelle” (the pseudonym she used …

When You Wish Upon a Star, You Get the Pointy End (Part 3): Author-Reader Contact Case Study #1

June 11, 2012 | Elle Lothlorien | 8

To recap from Part 2 of “When You Wish Upon A Star, You Get the Pointy End: The Dos and Don’ts of Responding to Negative Reviews“: You are not responding to negative reader reviews in order to get the reader to …

When You Wish Upon a Star, You Get the Pointy End (Part 2): The Dos and Don’ts of Responding to Negative Reviews

June 7, 2012 | Elle Lothlorien | 33

You are an author. You discover a new one-star reader review on Amazon for one of your books, and you read it, eager to find out why the reader was so dissatisfied with your novel. One thing’s for sure, …

When You Wish Upon a Star, You Get the Pointy End (Part 1): Why Authors Should ALWAYS Respond To Negative Reviews

May 18, 2012 | Elle Lothlorien |

By the time the manager of the New York City Grand Hyatt found me, I was hyperventilating with rage. “I just want to warn you,” I said through gritted teeth, “that I’m really pissed, and I’m probably going to end up …

Getting E-Book Readers to Dumpster-Dive (It’s a Good Thing)

April 24, 2012 | Elle Lothlorien | 14

“Eww! Ugh, God!” “Yuck!” No, these are not the two latest reviews of my novels. Rather, this is an exchange between Gil (Steve Martin) and Karen (Mary Steenburgen) Buckman from the 1989 movie Parenthood. The pair is standing in the alley …

1	The Great Gatsby \| F. Scott Fitzgerald
	Simon & Schuster \| $4.99
2	The Hit \| David Baldacci
	Hachette \| $8.99
3	Dead Ever After \| Charlaine Harris
	Penguin \| $12.99