R.W. Ridley's Blog, page 20

Book Six will be released….

Many of you have asked when Book Six will be out.  Some of you haven’t.  And, one of you actually wants to know what the point is of this series.  Given that information, many of you will be happy to know I’m ready to give a release date, and at least one of you won’t care.  

I have still got some work ahead of me, but if I commit myself here and now on this blog, I’ll get it done.  Over the next 21 days, I am going to nail down the final draft with all the parts in place.  Then the following 14 days will be editing and fine-tuning, and then I will submit for publication and receive review copies approximately 7 days later.  Assuming those are pristine, I will start sending out pre-release copies.  Seven days after that first batch goes out, i will make the book available for Amazon via Kindle and then print.  So, if you’re keeping score at home, that’s 21+14+7+7 = 49.  The puts us somewhere around the first of June. There’s a chance I will flip things around and release the Kindle version first, but I’ll still stick to the time frame because I usually send paperbacks out to advance readers to get their feedback before I publish. 

Let’s call it June 3. 

I will still continue to post chapters of The Tree Readers on Wattpad.  Those pages were completed a few years ago, and it doesn’t require a lot of time posting them.  When Book Six is up and running, I will do my best to complete The Tree Readers and release it for Kindle. 

That is all.  I’ll be in my cave writing if you need me.  I may poke my head out to post mock ups of the cover for feedback. 

Wattpad and me

So, I’m doing this Wattpad thing, and I’m not sure what to make of it at this point.  While I’m writing Book Six of the Oz Chronicles, I am posting completed chapters of another book in progress, The Tree Readers, on Wattpad two times a day.  To date, I have about 79,000 words written, and each chapter is about 1,000 words long. It’s a book I started about two years ago, and I work on it in between other projects.  It’s actually a very special book to me because I started it while my mother was ill, and I would send her chapters that my sister would read to her.  Apparently, she enjoyed the story.  It’s a little difficult getting back into with a lot of enthusiasm knowing she won’t be able read the finished product.

That aside, Wattpad is a foreign concept to me, and I’m not sure what will come of it.  I’m not expecting much because I am a stranger in a strange land.  I’m about 30 years older than the typical Wattpadian from what I can tell, and after reading the forums, I discovered that it’s common practice for writers to “vote” for their own work.  I’ve been doing it, but it feels a little self-indulgent.

There’s no danger in me becoming a bright shining star on Wattpad because The Tree Readers is about 800,000 reads behind the top science fiction story.  If you are so inclined, and you want to see what The Tree Readers is all about, I encourage you to join Wattpad and read along.

And yes, Book Six is coming!

Why I need another author to sell a lot of books

Buy Wool because it’s good for Oz.

I am hoping that Hugh Howey sells millions of copies of his book Wool. In fact, millions may not be enough.  I’d like to see him get into the Harry Potter-sphere of selling books.  I say all this having only read three chapters of the book.  I can happily report that so far he demonstrates a lot of talent, and I’m enjoying the story.  But, that’s not why I want him to succeed.  I want him to succeed because it will be good for me.  It will be good for every indie author out there.

Howey first self-published Wool as a short story on Kindle in 2011.  Very quickly his fan base grew, and people started demanding more.  He complied and turned the short story into a full length post-apocalyptic novel.  In two years, he’s made foreign rights deals, sold the film rights, and signed an unprecedented publishing partnership with Simon & Schuster.

Other indie authors have come close to this type of success, but unlike the others, Howey has chosen to merge the world of the indie author with that of the traditional publishing industry.  He will hold onto his digital rights, both foreign and domestic, and Simon & Schuster will share in the domestic print rights. In other words, he’s changed the way a traditional publisher does business, and they did it to accommodate a self-published author with an established brand.

I may be rooting for this particular book because like my Oz Chronicles it is a post-apocalyptic story, but there is more to it, as well.  Unlike those other authors who have gotten huge deals, Howey’s appeal appears to be centered on his writing talent.  Without naming those other titles that have reached pop culture status, I can comfortably say they were poorly written.  Fans of those books have even told me the writing was abhorrent.  When pressed on why they enjoyed the books, they didn’t really know why.  They just did.  These books seemed to become popular because someone decided they should be popular.  Still, their success was important to me, too.  It’s just that I’m of the mind that eventually someone will notice that the emperor is naked, and time will not be kind to these books.  Howey fans, on the other hand, readily say they enjoy Wool because the writing is exceptional.  In fact, they may get angry if anyone would suggest otherwise.  Good writing is a formula for lasting success, and that is truly the kind of success we indie authors should be supporting.

I’d be lying if I denied being just a wee-bit jealous of Howey’s success.  He went from my ranks to Stephen King’s contemporary in two years (contract-wise).  My lead balloon rise is now eight years in the making.  Not only have I been turned down by dozens of publishers via my agent, I believe I’ve been turned down by Simon & Schuster three times (It all becomes a blur of ego-stomping rejection at some point, so it may have been another publisher of equal status).   It seems every time a new editor spots my manuscript in a trashcan they give us a call.  It’s exciting every time we get a request for information and feedback, and it sucks even more when they pass.  I feel worse for my agent than me.  The poor guy has never made a dime off of me, yet he’s still hanging in there.

But, my sad story is exactly why I need Hugh Howey to succeed in a big, big way.  If he does well enough, the next time Simon & Schuster calls they may do so with a greater willingness to take a chance on the Oz Chronicles.  And if not Simon & Schuster, one of the other publishing houses my rethink their risk assessment and take a chance on Oz.

So, for the most selfish of reasons, I’m asking you to support Hugh Howey.  Buy Wool.  Read it.  Spread the word.  You’re more than welcome to throw in a word or two about the Oz Chronicles as well.  After all, my agent needs to eat.

The Takers Facebook Ad

I’m getting things in gear to prepare for Book 6 of the Oz Chronicles to come out.  It’s still some time off, but it’s in the best interest of the entire series to build some buzz about all the books before I release Book 6.  I will do the free Kindle downloads like usual, but I’m also considering doing a Facebook Ad.  I’ve done them in the past, and I’ve had modest success with them. 

Here’s the problem.  I have to come up with a catchy headline and then ad copy that is no more than 80 characters.  It’s really, really, really tough coming up with an effective ad with those parameters.  So hard in fact, that I’m looking for some input from you, the readers of The Oz Chronicles.  Any and all suggestions are welcome.  In fact, I’ll send you a free signed copy of Book 6 when it’s published if I use your idea.  Feel free to comment away here or on Facebook.  

Bigfoot, Screaming Goats & the Ketchum Paper

I’m afraid only Bigfoot fans and diehard skeptics will understand this video.   I cut together comments made by Dr. Ketchum with comments made by David Winters (bonafide geneticist).  The screaming goat perfectly encapsulates my frustration.

This is what I imagine a debate about the Ketchum paper might sound like.

Han Solo weighs in on Matilda pic

“It’s not wise to upset a Wookiee.”

A song for the frustrated Bigfooters

I’ve purposely not commented on Dr. K’s newly released DNA paper because I’m waiting for those with bonafide chops in the study of such things as genetics and other science-e endeavors to weigh in with conclusive opinions. The behavior of some of the individuals publicly involved in the study is leading me down a very cynical path.  To be frank, I don’t like what I’m seeing and it leads me to believe that something less than honorable is afoot.  Let’s call that a suspicion not a indictment.  Suffice it to say, I’m keeping up with the drips and tiny bits of information coming out, and if I feel I need to comment, I will.

For now, here’s an original song by Youtuber mctrmt that sums up how I feel.  I give you Wake Up Matilda.

A Powerful anti-bullying video

I can’t remember who brought this video to my attention, but it has stuck with me since I saw it. Frankly, this is what Youtube was made for, to get messages like this out there. I’m drawn to the topic of bullying since in essence that is what my Oz Chronicles books are about (a bully dealing with the the hell he created).

Speaking of Oz – Book Six is coming. I promise. I’m on it. The closer I get to completion the less time I’ll have to post Lou’s diary entries, so it’s a good thing… no really, it is.

I’ve also got to do a better job of posting on this blog. I’ll be posting more and more over the next weeks and months, They may be short and useless posts, but hey, aren’t those the best blog posts?

A Youtube video that will make you go GULP!

What the hell are these things?  Is this guy punking us?  Are they our alien overlords?

Book Six of the Oz Chronicles – More Sample Pages

I’m calling this chapter two, but it’s not really.  I’m still in the piecing together stage, but for better or worse, here are more pages from Book Six of the Oz Chronicles.