Free Books for Summer 2022

May 20,2022 / By Chelsea Rutherford / No Comment

Five different authors are hosting book giveaways this month. That’s five new books ready for your digital bookshelf, folks! If you’re looking for something new for your summer reading list, take a look at the May giveaways from these Tellwell authors, all of whom are offering their e-book for free thanks to BookFunnel.

If you like YA Historical Fiction…

Look for Enemy’s Keeper, the first book in the Forbidden Ties YA series by Kyrie Wang.

In a 5/5 star review, Reader’s Favorite said, “A swirling mix of political intrigue, vivid action sequences, and lighthearted romance makes Forbidden Ties a delight for medieval fiction lovers. Author Kyrie Wang’s tale of two people from opposing factions finding themselves forced to work together under extraordinary circumstances is captivating from start to finish.”

Download Enemy’s Keeper

The orphaned. The outcast. In a country torn by rebellion, they will rise as heroes.

1075 A.D. England Nine years after the Norman Conquest

Orphaned during a rebellion against William the Conqueror, Heather’s life is just settling down when her childhood sweetheart disappears to save the son of a murdered Norman knight.

This quarrelsome son, Matthew, is determined to destroy the English rebels who decimated his household. Heather stays out of it—until she is accidentally entangled with a young rebel leader named Toby.

As she is whisked off through the forests of medieval England, inhabited by a dangerous but misunderstood tribal society, Heather is forced to take a side. Her decisions will put into peril everything she holds dear.

Learn more at kyriewang.com.

If you’re into philosophy, sociology, and current affairs…

Do not miss your chance to download a copy of Jeff Watson’s new book, Dying to Live: The Cost of Finding Purpose in the “Post-Outcomes” Modern World.

Drawing on insights from his childhood, military service, and central position within the bleeding-edge technologies of our time, author Jeff Watson seeks not to tell you what or how to think, but to challenge you to introspectively analyze your life to better understand why you think, believe, say, and do what you do.

Download Dying to Live

Immensely thought provoking:

“This is a very well written book that challenges us to consider our beliefs and bias and our perspectives that we have; either consciously or unconsciously. It provided an opportunity for me to re examine that which I believe to be true and view power/authority constructs from a different perspective. Eyes wide open! Very thought provoking which left me ready to introspectively analyze my life to better understand why I think, believe, say and do what I do. Highly recommend!” – Amazon Reader Review

Learn more at evergreaterpineapple.com.

Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson publishes a children’s book with Tellwell

Apr 14,2022 / By Chelsea Rutherford / No Comment

It’s been a big month for media mentions and publicity for quite a few Tellwell authors, including Lamar Jackson, QB for the Baltimore Ravens! We’re happy to share these recent features and interviews with you, as well as a few outstanding reviews. Oh, and did we mention that four Tellwell authors will be at the LA Times Festival of Books? That’s right! Check out the events section to find out who.

Ravens QB Lamar Jackson Writes Children’s Book

Lamar Jackson published his new children’s book I Dream, You Dream, Let Us Dream! Jackson achieved his dream of becoming an NFL quarterback, and he wants to inspire other young kids to aim high and dream big.

You can learn more through his recent feature on CBS Baltimore. And be sure to take a look at this great interview from Raven Country FanNation!

Meet the Team

What Tellwell’s General Manager Pamela Pasco loves most about working in publishing

Mar 18,2022 / By Chelsea Rutherford / No Comment

Authors, we will never grow tired of helping you succeed!
– Pamela Pasco, Tellwell General Manager

Pam, can you tell us about your professional experience and your role at Tellwell.

I have been working in the publishing industry for nearly 15 years now. I started as a book formatter and my responsibilities never stopped growing.

I joined Tellwell in 2018 as a general manager in the Philippines to manage finance, operations, and human resources. Building a cohesive team and a work environment that is shaped around the company’s core values are a few of my responsibilities. It is my goal as the GM to make sure that as we deliver excellent Customer Satisfaction, and that employees also feel supported and taken care of.

What does a typical week look like for you?

Team coordination, meetings, strategizing, problem-solving, and of course fun and excitement as I drive team performance.

What do you enjoy most about your role at Tellwell?

I enjoy reaping the rewards of my hard work – finding the best people in the industry, working with them, and keeping them happy and motivated.

What do you enjoy doing outside of work?

Aside from family time, I enjoy challenging myself with physical activities like trekking, rock climbing, and running. They help me think clearly and make me feel much more alive.

Book Giveaways

February book giveaways from Tellwell!

Feb 18,2022 / By Chelsea Rutherford / No Comment

Five different Tellwell authors are offering their books for free until the end of February, folks! That’s five unique titles for your digital bookshelf. You have until February 28, so don’t waste any more time. Let’s get to it!

For lovers of personal development books . . .

Shelter from Our Secrets, Silence & Shame by Rebecca L. Brown, MSW, RSW

Readers’ Favorite gave Shelter from Our Secrets, Silence & Shame 5 stars and said, “In her crisp narrative, you learn what separates people who manage to face their dark struggles and how it has shaped them to become a stronger and better version of themselves over those who chose to let their secrets and shame define them. Having mental and emotional strength does not entail having some special genetic trait. There is no hocus pocus here. As a clinical social worker who went through her own struggles, Brown understands the importance of setting realistic expectations and the willingness to embrace the story of who you are with all your heart.” Download your free copy of Shelter from Our Secrets, Silence & Shame by Rebecca L. Brown.

The Art of Self-Supervision: Studying the link between self-reflection and self-care by Laurie Ponsford-Hill

In a 4-star review, IndieReader said, “The Art of Self-Supervision by Laurie Ponsford-Hill offers valuable insights for art therapists – or anyone – experiencing career exhaustion and burn-out, though the depth of detail and clinical approach may make it a tedious read for casual fans of self-help books.” Download your free copy of The Art of Self-Supervision by Laurie Ponsford-Hill.

Author of the Month

Self-Publishing lessons for 2022 with Author of the Month Serena Holmes

Jan 14,2022 / By Chelsea Rutherford / No Comment

For me, just getting the book published was a success. Would I love to sell a million copies, too? Of course! But that wasn’t my goal going into it. I wanted to help as many people as possible.
Serena Holmes, author, The Accidental Entrepreneur

2022, here we are! How are you all doing? Rested and energized for a new year, we hope. However, if you’re more so in the mind state of, What? A new year! Where do I begin? What do I focus on? know that you aren’t alone. Take a breath. You’re doing your best.

One of the best ways to get out of a funk is to take a page of advice from someone who’s been in a similar situation and managed to work their way out of it. Take Serena Holmes, for example. Serena is the author of The Accidental Entrepreneur: Turning Tragedy into Triumph to Embrace my Destiny in Entrepreneurship. Serena doesn’t just offer advice and inspiration for growing entrepreneurs based on her success and accomplishments, she gives readers a look at what it took to get there, including the hardships she faced growing up.

In a 4/5 star review from IndieReader, C. S. Holmes said, “THE ACCIDENTAL ENTREPRENEUR by Serena Holmes is an introspective, hopeful self-help tome offering detailed facts and figures regarding one woman’s journey towards creating a self-sufficient, self-actualized life.” If you’re looking for a book to inspire and motivate you, this is it! Moreover, when we asked Serena if we could feature her as Tellwell’s January Author of the Month, she agreed to not only answer our questions, but to share the lessons she learned from self-publishing, so that other authors could benefit. Find out about her self-publishing tips and how she’s used media mentions and online marketing to build a following of over 14 thousand on social media!

Serena, tell us a bit about yourself.

Where do I begin? I just celebrated my fortieth birthday. I am a proud mama to a gorgeous two-year-old girl named Sienna, and a happy wife. I became a mom pretty late in life, since I was focused on my career throughout most of my twenties and thirties.

I have had my own brand-experience agency called Tigris Events for the past eighteen years, and also obtained my real estate license this past year. Before COVID, I loved to travel but am fortunate to have a family cottage to get away to when I have some downtime.

Get your copy of *The Accidental Entrepreneur* on Amazon, Indigo, or Barnes and Noble!

What inspired you to write The Accidental Entrepreneur?

Running your own business can be a lot like riding a roller coaster. There are plenty of ups, downs, and learning curves, especially since you have to figure out most things for yourself. I had a lot of crazy things happen throughout my childhood that I believe helped give me the foundation to be successful as an entrepreneur. Between those experiences and those I gained during my time as a business owner, I felt compelled to write and publish a book about it to help others on the same path.

What was it like opening up about the vulnerable parts of your journey as an entrepreneur, and why did you feel they were important to include in your book?

Opening up in this way was extremely nerve-wracking. I was worried about upsetting some people, but in no way was I trying to do that. The experiences were what they were, and for those that I included in the book, I felt it was important to add context for readers and detail the kinds of lessons that were learned along the way.

Tellwell Authors Share Their Success Stories

Dec 16,2021 / By Chelsea Rutherford / No Comment

From editorial reviews to features in the news, these authors have a lot to celebrate! Congratulations, everyone. We love to see your success.

Grandfather’s Key by Amanda Dauvin

In a recent interview, Amanda Dauvin offers a look at her life before she became a published author, public speaker, teacher, and mother. Much like in her children’s book, Grandfather’s Key, she shows us that the smallest things often have the power to make the biggest impact.

Click below to watch the 4 minute interview.

Author of the Month

Shane Mutlow’s new book has a message for Veterans with PTSD: Don’t be afraid to reach out

Nov 20,2021 / By Chelsea Rutherford / No Comment

In 1994, Shane Mutlow, a corporal in the Canadian Armed Forces, deployed to Rwanda in the wake of the Rwandan Genocide, the most horrific genocide since World War II. At just 24 years old and in the span of 6 months, Shane was “labelled ‘whereabouts unknown’ twice and held against his will while on a major operation by Rwandan government officials.” Every day he went out into the jungle unsure if he would come back alive.

In his new book, One Foot Over the Edge: A Canadian Soldier’s Personal Account of The Rwandan Genocide, Shane recounts the contributions that Canadian soldiers made, to show a side of Canadian history that had yet to be told. Beyond that, he opens up about his experience of living with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. It’s his hope that he can help others with PTSD find resources and feel less alone, and create a better understanding of what soldiers and their families go through when they return home from being deployed overseas.

Since publishing One Foot Over the Edge this past August, Shane has become an Amazon Best Seller in three different categories: #1 in Rwandan History, #2 in Military and Spies Biographies and Novels, and #2 in Military Biographies. He’s been featured by the Ottawa Citizen, and he recently hosted a successful book launch. There’s more! The screenplay of One Foot Over the Edge won Best Unproduced Script at the Toronto International Women’s Film Festival. It’s also in the running for two more international film festivals. Read on to learn more about Shane and his new book, and discover a few of the lessons he’s learned as a self-published author.

Please tell us a bit about yourself.

I am a veteran of the Canadian Armed Forces who, in 1994, was deployed to Rwanda, Africa, on a United Nations Mission to help provide humanitarian aide to the people who survived the genocide, and to bring stability back to their country. I have three children—two boys (Nicolas, Zachary), one girl (Madison)—and my beautiful wife (Justine). I currently live in Pembroke, ON.

Your story is twenty years in the making. What inspired you to write One Foot Over the Edge?

The main reason I chose to write my story: my family. They have provided me the strength and courage to take it on and I want to show them that I will never give up; I will always keep fighting.

Book Giveaways

A true crime book to keep you on the edge of your seat!

Oct 26,2021 / By Chelsea Rutherford / No Comment

The true story of one of Canada’s most notorious serial killers, told by someone who was closest to him.

The days are getting shorter, darkness is setting in, and it’s the perfect time for a true crime story. This particular tale involves a young man, handsome and quiet. By day, he works on cars and trains as a body builder. By night, he scales apartment buildings and sneaks into women’s rooms, giving them a terrifying and tragic end to their lives. It was years before the police caught him. And it was Peter Perry who helped stop him.

The Bedroom Strangler (real name: Russell Maurice Johnson) is one of the most notorious serial killers that Canada has ever seen. He committed his crimes throughout the 1970s in London and Guelph, Ontario. Peter Perry was there for it all as one of his closest friends and fellow body builder. Forty years later, Peter recounts this true story of evil in Origen.

Lucky you: Peter is giving away ORIGEN: A True Story of Evil for free until November 17.

Get your copy of ORIGEN

Author of the Month

Friends with a serial killer: Peter Perry’s terrifying true story is your next favourite true-crime thriller

Oct 18,2021 / By Chelsea Rutherford / No Comment

October Author of the Month, Peter Perry, offers unique advice for new authors, as well as a FREE COPY of his new book.

What do you know about pure evil, the kind that makes you fear for you life? Peter Perry can tell you all about it. He lived in London, Ontario, during the killing spree of one of Canada’s most notorious serial killers, the Bedroom Strangler. It was a terrifying time there between 1974 and 1978. Russell Maurice Johnson, a.k.a. the Bedroom Strangler, was scaling apartment buildings, sometimes up to fifteen floors, and sneaking into women’s rooms at night to assault them and take their lives.

This is truly what nightmares are made of, and Peter Perry was there for it all. Peter and Johnson would lift weights together at Vic Tanny’s Health Club, a place where, unbeknownst to Peter, Russell selected most of his victims. Co-authored with Geoff Hart and Kathleen Sumpton, ORIGEN: A True Story of Evil, takes us through the rise and fall of one of Canada’s most notorious serial killers, told by someone who was closest to him.

We caught up with Peter to find out how things are going with his book since it launched earlier this year, and he had lots to share with us! Among other unique marketing activities, Peter and Geoff are in the process of pitching the screenplay of Origen to Netflix and Amazon. We wish them the best of luck!

You can get a free copy of Origen between October 27 and November 17!

That’s right, everyone, Peter has teamed up with other talented true crime and thriller authors to offer a round-up of some of the best new terrifying reads. Starting October 27, you can download a free e-book copy of Origen. Not just a free chapter, the whole book! Just click here and select the book cover for Origen to download your copy. You have until November 17!

Peter Perry, author of *Origen: A True Story of Evil*

Tips & Tricks Uncategorized

How to track your success on social media

Sep 17,2021 / By Chelsea Rutherford / No Comment

It’s hard to know if you’re “doing” social media right. I mean, yes, you post unique content, you respond to comments, and you regularly engage with other accounts in your niche by liking their posts or leaving comments in relevant threads. But is it working?? By working, we’re referring to people liking your posts, following your page, clicking your links and/or visiting your website.

To know if you really are using social media to benefit your brand as an author, you can track your success using your social media insights. That is, if you’ve signed up for a professional profile like the Facebook Business Page or Instagram Creator Account, which offer you tons of added benefits for building your brand. Once you’ve created your Facebook Page or Instagram Creator Account, experiment with posting for a couple weeks and then venture into the world of your social media insights.

Find your Insights on Facebook:

And on Instagram:

Alright, now take a look at three key ways to measure your success on social media using your social media insights!

Follower Count

Having a high follower count makes a good first impression, but if it isn’t growing week-over-week you need to change up your strategy. A steady increase in followers means your account is reaching more people organically as well as getting new people’s attention.

If your follower growth rate is only increasing by 1% a month, re-evaluate your content strategy.

Content Interactions

Tracking your content interactions, i.e. how many likes, comments or saves your post and stories get is important. It lets you monitor just how interested your audience is in the content you are creating.

Your social media analytics will show your overall interactions as well as the interactions for each post.

Here’s what industry standards tell us:

Less than 1% = low engagement rate
Between 1% and 3.5% = average/good engagement rate
Between 3.5% and 6% = high engagement rate
Above 6% = very high engagement rate

How can you get from 1% to 3.5% or higher? We share a few tips for updating your social media content strategy below.

Author Archives: Chelsea Rutherford

If you like YA Historical Fiction…

If you’re into philosophy, sociology, and current affairs…

Ravens QB Lamar Jackson Writes Children’s Book

For lovers of personal development books . . .

Shelter from Our Secrets, Silence & Shame by Rebecca L. Brown, MSW, RSW

The Art of Self-Supervision: Studying the link between self-reflection and self-care by Laurie Ponsford-Hill

Grandfather’s Key by Amanda Dauvin

The true story of one of Canada’s most notorious serial killers, told by someone who was closest to him.

Lucky you: Peter is giving away ORIGEN: A True Story of Evil for free until November 17.

October Author of the Month, Peter Perry, offers unique advice for new authors, as well as a FREE COPY of his new book.

You can get a free copy of Origen between October 27 and November 17!

Follower Count

Content Interactions