Benjamin Jones's Blog, page 6
February 24, 2011
Frustration/Excitement Cocktail
Guess who's back....
I write this post with a mixture of frustration and excitement in me and I don't know which one I have more of. I'm beginning to get very frustrated with the progress (or seeming lack of) that I've tended to be making recently. I know and completely understand that it takes the average writer a LONG time to make it (assuming they even do) so I'm all prepared for that but, at the same time, I look at my book sales which have been sluggish (at best) lately and I'm thinking "Damn, why isn't anyone taking a chance on this series?" I've put so much effort and energy and time into making it the best thing I can but I can't get ANYONE to take a chance on it.
I think more of my frustration comes from my family, friends and co-workers than anything. I can count on one hand how many people out of those three groups have actually put their money where their mouth is and actually purchased the book. When I send out an email to everyone letting them know that the paperback book was now available for HUB Volumes 1 and 2 I got one response back - ONE measly response. So I'm like what the f**k?!?!
*exhales*
Transitioning from frustration to excitement, I KNOW that my time is coming, be it with or without the support of family, friends and co-workers. My work continues on making volume 3 better than volumes 1 and 2 and I still have the drive/hunger to keep doing this - it's never going to change. I have the Underground Horror Fest 2 coming up (moved from March 5th to March 12th) and that is going to be a KEY date for me and this series this year. There I will be able to connect with my core audience and hopefully sell all the books that I have available in paperback and be able to make some new fans and connections with people.
In the meantime, my plans after HUB Volume 3 is complete and before starting on HUB Volume 4, I'm going to work on getting my romance novel, Head Above Water, completed and out there. I know that the romance genre is a much bigger market with a wider audience than horror so I'm going to attempt to get myself out as a brand through that avenue as well. This summer I will be putting out both the ebook and paperback versions of Head Above Water so be on the look out for that.
I'm excited about the prospects for Head Above Water and also about the HUB series. I know in my heart that both are good (and the reviews for HUB dictate that others think it was worthwhile instead) and that's the fuel that keeps me going. I try to look at it like baseball - even the best baseball players in the world fail 7 times out of 10.
HUB Volume 1 and 2 available in ebook and now in PAPERBACK at www.whatishub.net
I write this post with a mixture of frustration and excitement in me and I don't know which one I have more of. I'm beginning to get very frustrated with the progress (or seeming lack of) that I've tended to be making recently. I know and completely understand that it takes the average writer a LONG time to make it (assuming they even do) so I'm all prepared for that but, at the same time, I look at my book sales which have been sluggish (at best) lately and I'm thinking "Damn, why isn't anyone taking a chance on this series?" I've put so much effort and energy and time into making it the best thing I can but I can't get ANYONE to take a chance on it.
I think more of my frustration comes from my family, friends and co-workers than anything. I can count on one hand how many people out of those three groups have actually put their money where their mouth is and actually purchased the book. When I send out an email to everyone letting them know that the paperback book was now available for HUB Volumes 1 and 2 I got one response back - ONE measly response. So I'm like what the f**k?!?!
*exhales*
Transitioning from frustration to excitement, I KNOW that my time is coming, be it with or without the support of family, friends and co-workers. My work continues on making volume 3 better than volumes 1 and 2 and I still have the drive/hunger to keep doing this - it's never going to change. I have the Underground Horror Fest 2 coming up (moved from March 5th to March 12th) and that is going to be a KEY date for me and this series this year. There I will be able to connect with my core audience and hopefully sell all the books that I have available in paperback and be able to make some new fans and connections with people.
In the meantime, my plans after HUB Volume 3 is complete and before starting on HUB Volume 4, I'm going to work on getting my romance novel, Head Above Water, completed and out there. I know that the romance genre is a much bigger market with a wider audience than horror so I'm going to attempt to get myself out as a brand through that avenue as well. This summer I will be putting out both the ebook and paperback versions of Head Above Water so be on the look out for that.
I'm excited about the prospects for Head Above Water and also about the HUB series. I know in my heart that both are good (and the reviews for HUB dictate that others think it was worthwhile instead) and that's the fuel that keeps me going. I try to look at it like baseball - even the best baseball players in the world fail 7 times out of 10.
HUB Volume 1 and 2 available in ebook and now in PAPERBACK at www.whatishub.net
February 20, 2011
February 20, 2011
Afternoon everyone.
Let's see, what's going on with me? Sold my first paperback book the other day (granted, it was to my boss but $10 is $10) so that made me feel good. In the meantime I'm still promoting/plugging the books heavy on Facebook and Twitter and I'm getting a lot of hits to my site (www.whatishub.net) but hasn't translated into any sales yet. No worries, though - I know they're coming.
The main thing I'm concerned with right now is getting everything together for the Underground Horror Fest 2 on March 12th in Tulsa, OK. Should be upwards of 1000 horror fans there and, since that's my fan base, I should (hopefully) be able to move all the books I have and make a lot of new fans. I just put in an order for 100 bookmarks to give away as well as a table top stand (thinking about getting some posters as well to give away) so things should be very nice. I plan on taking LOTS of pictures while I'm there so be sure to check back here for those when they're posted.
Reminder that you can win an autographed copy of HUB Volume 1 & 2 on www.whatishub.net. Getting a lot of entries so make sure you enter today for your chance to win. Also, just added something new to my site where visitors can ask me questions and I will pick a few each week and answer them on my site. So, if you have a question for me, run to www.whatishub.net and ask away.
HUB Volume 3 is coming along. For all you fans of Michael out there, expect some really exciting and unexpected things featuring him in Volume 3. I'll let you know this, volume 3 is called the Tipping Point for a reason and will lead up to a very excitng (and probably longer) volume 4 next year.
Okay - more later.....
Let's see, what's going on with me? Sold my first paperback book the other day (granted, it was to my boss but $10 is $10) so that made me feel good. In the meantime I'm still promoting/plugging the books heavy on Facebook and Twitter and I'm getting a lot of hits to my site (www.whatishub.net) but hasn't translated into any sales yet. No worries, though - I know they're coming.
The main thing I'm concerned with right now is getting everything together for the Underground Horror Fest 2 on March 12th in Tulsa, OK. Should be upwards of 1000 horror fans there and, since that's my fan base, I should (hopefully) be able to move all the books I have and make a lot of new fans. I just put in an order for 100 bookmarks to give away as well as a table top stand (thinking about getting some posters as well to give away) so things should be very nice. I plan on taking LOTS of pictures while I'm there so be sure to check back here for those when they're posted.
Reminder that you can win an autographed copy of HUB Volume 1 & 2 on www.whatishub.net. Getting a lot of entries so make sure you enter today for your chance to win. Also, just added something new to my site where visitors can ask me questions and I will pick a few each week and answer them on my site. So, if you have a question for me, run to www.whatishub.net and ask away.
HUB Volume 3 is coming along. For all you fans of Michael out there, expect some really exciting and unexpected things featuring him in Volume 3. I'll let you know this, volume 3 is called the Tipping Point for a reason and will lead up to a very excitng (and probably longer) volume 4 next year.
Okay - more later.....
February 15, 2011
February 15, 2011
Hello everyone and welcome back. Hope you all had a great Valentine's Day.
Valentine's Day started off a little "off" for me. I had gotten my wife a box of Dolce & Gabbana Light Blue perfume (or what I thought was perfume) but, as her happy and lovely face began spraying it on, it was quickly realized that I had actually gotten the MENS fragrance by mistake. But, I was able to return the bottle and my wife ended up getting the correct thing by the time we went out for dinner that night so all's well that ends well.
Another great thing that happened on Valentine's Day was that I PICKED UP MY FIRST PRINTED UP COPIES OF H.U.B. VOLUME 1 AND 2! I wish you all could've seen the look on my face and felt how I felt when I looked at those books, seeing my picture on the back of them, and realizing that these books are MY books - I wrote them! I'm sure some of you who have books available in paperback have felt that feeling before - man, it sure is glorious! When I picked them up I was given a tour of the printing facility and it was really cool to actually see how they put the books together and all that good stuff.
Autographed paperback copies of H.U.B. Volume 1 and 2 are available for purchase at http://www.whatishub.net/hub-online-s... for only $10.00 which INCLUDES shipping. You can also enter the contest on the site to win yourself a FREE autographed copy (visit http://www.whatishub.net/contests.html to enter). Tell all your friends. Contest ends at 11:59 PM on March 14th!
Tonight I plan to continue work on H.U.B. Volume 3 so that I can keep hitting you guys with the dope vampire fiction.
More later. Back to looking at myself on the back cover of my book....
Valentine's Day started off a little "off" for me. I had gotten my wife a box of Dolce & Gabbana Light Blue perfume (or what I thought was perfume) but, as her happy and lovely face began spraying it on, it was quickly realized that I had actually gotten the MENS fragrance by mistake. But, I was able to return the bottle and my wife ended up getting the correct thing by the time we went out for dinner that night so all's well that ends well.
Another great thing that happened on Valentine's Day was that I PICKED UP MY FIRST PRINTED UP COPIES OF H.U.B. VOLUME 1 AND 2! I wish you all could've seen the look on my face and felt how I felt when I looked at those books, seeing my picture on the back of them, and realizing that these books are MY books - I wrote them! I'm sure some of you who have books available in paperback have felt that feeling before - man, it sure is glorious! When I picked them up I was given a tour of the printing facility and it was really cool to actually see how they put the books together and all that good stuff.
Autographed paperback copies of H.U.B. Volume 1 and 2 are available for purchase at http://www.whatishub.net/hub-online-s... for only $10.00 which INCLUDES shipping. You can also enter the contest on the site to win yourself a FREE autographed copy (visit http://www.whatishub.net/contests.html to enter). Tell all your friends. Contest ends at 11:59 PM on March 14th!
Tonight I plan to continue work on H.U.B. Volume 3 so that I can keep hitting you guys with the dope vampire fiction.
More later. Back to looking at myself on the back cover of my book....
February 11, 2011
February 11, 2011
Back from hiatus - was on a cruise and, now that I have my land legs back, I'm ready to get back on my bloggin' thing.
While on my cruise to Cozumel and Progresso I had anticipated being able to get some writing done in my free time but, alas, I had underestimated just how much drinking I was going to be doing so I only got about 2 paragraphs of writing done on HUB Volume 3 so I have a LOT to catch up on now that I'm back home. Though I didn't get a lot on paper I did get a lot of "mental writing" done, especially for a chapter that's new to the 2nd draft of HUB 3. It's gonna be a real surprise to all who have read the first two chapters.
I was supposed to go pick up my printed up copies of HUB Volume 1 and 2 today but my contact isn't going to be in the office today so it has to be delayed until Monday. I technically could pick them up today but I prefer to deal with the person I've been dealing with from the start. Plus he's going to give me a tour of the printing facility when I pick up my books and I'm looking forward to that.
Had a Facebook message from my cousin's boyfriend telling me that he liked HUB Volume 1 and was looking forward to reading Volume 2 and that made me feel real good because I didn't even know that he had even read it. So, shout out to Dale Nabors! Much appreciated!
Underground Horror Fest 2 is less than a month away and I'm trying to get everything situated right in my mind. I need to get some shirts printed up so that my wife and I will be able to sport those (gonna make hers a little low cut in the hopes that she will draw a crowd to the booth - yes it's shameless, I know!).
Did have 2 booksales from my UK Kindle shoppers - thanks a ton! Visit www.whatishub.net for your copy (and also for links to purchase on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Smashwords, etc...)
Peace....
While on my cruise to Cozumel and Progresso I had anticipated being able to get some writing done in my free time but, alas, I had underestimated just how much drinking I was going to be doing so I only got about 2 paragraphs of writing done on HUB Volume 3 so I have a LOT to catch up on now that I'm back home. Though I didn't get a lot on paper I did get a lot of "mental writing" done, especially for a chapter that's new to the 2nd draft of HUB 3. It's gonna be a real surprise to all who have read the first two chapters.
I was supposed to go pick up my printed up copies of HUB Volume 1 and 2 today but my contact isn't going to be in the office today so it has to be delayed until Monday. I technically could pick them up today but I prefer to deal with the person I've been dealing with from the start. Plus he's going to give me a tour of the printing facility when I pick up my books and I'm looking forward to that.
Had a Facebook message from my cousin's boyfriend telling me that he liked HUB Volume 1 and was looking forward to reading Volume 2 and that made me feel real good because I didn't even know that he had even read it. So, shout out to Dale Nabors! Much appreciated!
Underground Horror Fest 2 is less than a month away and I'm trying to get everything situated right in my mind. I need to get some shirts printed up so that my wife and I will be able to sport those (gonna make hers a little low cut in the hopes that she will draw a crowd to the booth - yes it's shameless, I know!).
Did have 2 booksales from my UK Kindle shoppers - thanks a ton! Visit www.whatishub.net for your copy (and also for links to purchase on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Smashwords, etc...)
Peace....
February 3, 2011
Review for Dawn of the Shadow by Peter Kelly
I first became aware of author Peter Kelly through Twitter. I followed him and he sent me a message telling me that I was his 150th follower and, due to that, he offered me a free copy of his book Dawn of the Shadow and who am I to turn down a free book.
Dawn of the Shadow is a superhero origin story which immediately piqued my interest because, me being a 7 year old in a 33 year old's body, I love!
So, about the book. It opens with a prologue set 50 trillion years ago with an ongoing war between two races called Sumerians and Cromanuts. Fast forward 50 trillion years to present day Philadelphia and our main protagonist, a 21 year old college student named Pete, is riding bikes in the woods with some of his buddies and it's on this ride that Pete's life, and those who know him, change forever. For the sake of not spoiling the story, Pete stumbles upon, quite literally, an underground "bunker" where he accidentally flips a switch and undergoes some "changes". Of course I'm leaving out some things but those things are best left for the reader to find out on their own.
First things first, the book was a pageturner - I was able to finish it in about 4 hours as I was always wanting to know what was going to happen next. Major plus right there! If you're a fan of comic books then this book will be something that you'll want to read and I anticipate that, since this is the origin or "dawn" of the Shadow that their will be more adventures to come for him, which I am looking forward to. There are some things that I didn't see coming (which is another plus) and the author is clearly passionate about and is a fan of the genre. Not only is this a story about a young man becoming a hero and fighting a villain he is also fighting the darkness within him (a la Spider-Man 3 though I am not listing that as a knock) which provides for some of the most interesting parts of the book.
The book is not without it's flaws, though. Before writing this review I looked at some of the other reviews that people had posted for it on Amazon.com and I found that I have the same problems as they did with the book. The book is clearly not a draft that is print ready as it is filled with a lot of errors that took me out of the story sometimes. For example, one of the main characters, our antagonist actually, is named Bocchio. There are a couple of times in this book where this character's name is misspelled - sometimes as Bocchip and sometimes as Boccchio. There are awkward sentences and phrases (which I assume are there to minimize the cursing - for example "jerk" for ass) scattered here and there which break up the smoothness of the story. One of the main characters uses the word "Hecko" to answer the phone and I can not for the life of me tell you why that is. At first I thought it was a typo when I first read it but it happens, at a minimum, three or four times again in the story. Also, it's a story where the main characters are all in their 20's (or older) but there's one point where one of them is told that a file is "restricted" and one of the characters has no idea what that word means - I found that quite odd since this character is in college.
This is a very solid effort by Peter Kelly but some of the exgood ideas in the book are burdened down by the unnecessary errors that permeate through the book which reads more like a first draft than anything else. With a little bit of editing/proof reading this has the potential to be a very promising series.
Dawn of the Shadow is a superhero origin story which immediately piqued my interest because, me being a 7 year old in a 33 year old's body, I love!
So, about the book. It opens with a prologue set 50 trillion years ago with an ongoing war between two races called Sumerians and Cromanuts. Fast forward 50 trillion years to present day Philadelphia and our main protagonist, a 21 year old college student named Pete, is riding bikes in the woods with some of his buddies and it's on this ride that Pete's life, and those who know him, change forever. For the sake of not spoiling the story, Pete stumbles upon, quite literally, an underground "bunker" where he accidentally flips a switch and undergoes some "changes". Of course I'm leaving out some things but those things are best left for the reader to find out on their own.
First things first, the book was a pageturner - I was able to finish it in about 4 hours as I was always wanting to know what was going to happen next. Major plus right there! If you're a fan of comic books then this book will be something that you'll want to read and I anticipate that, since this is the origin or "dawn" of the Shadow that their will be more adventures to come for him, which I am looking forward to. There are some things that I didn't see coming (which is another plus) and the author is clearly passionate about and is a fan of the genre. Not only is this a story about a young man becoming a hero and fighting a villain he is also fighting the darkness within him (a la Spider-Man 3 though I am not listing that as a knock) which provides for some of the most interesting parts of the book.
The book is not without it's flaws, though. Before writing this review I looked at some of the other reviews that people had posted for it on Amazon.com and I found that I have the same problems as they did with the book. The book is clearly not a draft that is print ready as it is filled with a lot of errors that took me out of the story sometimes. For example, one of the main characters, our antagonist actually, is named Bocchio. There are a couple of times in this book where this character's name is misspelled - sometimes as Bocchip and sometimes as Boccchio. There are awkward sentences and phrases (which I assume are there to minimize the cursing - for example "jerk" for ass) scattered here and there which break up the smoothness of the story. One of the main characters uses the word "Hecko" to answer the phone and I can not for the life of me tell you why that is. At first I thought it was a typo when I first read it but it happens, at a minimum, three or four times again in the story. Also, it's a story where the main characters are all in their 20's (or older) but there's one point where one of them is told that a file is "restricted" and one of the characters has no idea what that word means - I found that quite odd since this character is in college.
This is a very solid effort by Peter Kelly but some of the exgood ideas in the book are burdened down by the unnecessary errors that permeate through the book which reads more like a first draft than anything else. With a little bit of editing/proof reading this has the potential to be a very promising series.
February 1, 2011
February 1, 2011
I'll start with the two words of the day and they are SNOWED IN! Woke up this morning to get ready to go to work only to see the streets covered in snow and ice - not cool. Looks like it will be the same way tomorrow as well. Oh well.
Moving on..., I have seen a tremendous (for me, anyway) uptick in ebook sales of HUB Volume 1 and 2 for the Nook and Kindle and I am so happy about that. I can only hope that the trend continues and more people continue to take a chance on my work and grow to love it as much as I love to write it.
Speaking of sales, the other day I got an email from Amazon that my first royalty paymnet was going to be deposited in my account yesterday (and it was). My first thought was HOLY SHIT! I JUST GOT MY FIRST ROYALTY CHECK!!! I can't describe that feeling. It made everything "real" to me, if that makes sense. I had just gotten paid for something that I had created and it felt SO GOOD! First thing I did was run and tell my wife, who immediately asked for half the check but that's neither here nor there. Granted, the check wasn't that big - just big enough to buy me a nice bottle of Moscato - but the fact that I had one at all was great. So, today I look through my emails and I come across one from Barnes & Noble and, what do you know, I have ANOTHER deposit getting ready to be made into my account from sales on the NOOK. Another HOLY SHIT! moment. Again, check isn't going to break the bank but it does lift my spirits and make me write that much harder.
Right now, at this very moment while writing this blog, I'm sitting at my desk in my "office" with my notebook and favorite pen working on the second draft of HUB Volume 3: The Tipping Point. Volume 3 continues on the momentum from Volume 2 and contiues to up the ante of the series. Can't wait until it's finished so I can unleash it on the world on 9.10.11! Trying to do some really big things with this volume, including a collectors edition which will include some artwork with it so stay tuned for that.
Will be placing my order to get 100 copies of HUB Volume 1 and 2 Collection to sell on my website and, more importantly, have available to sell at the Underground Horror Fest 2 on March 5th in Tulsa, OK. This festival is going to be a MAJOR jumping off point for me and this series and I know that it's going to be great! Be on the lookout for links to purchase the paperback version of HUB Volume 1 and 2 on www.whatishub.net in the near future. While I'm thinking about it, big shoutout and thank you to Chris Leepow for designing the cover and getting the book printed up for me.
That's it for now. Thanks for stopping by and I will have more later! Go Packers!
Moving on..., I have seen a tremendous (for me, anyway) uptick in ebook sales of HUB Volume 1 and 2 for the Nook and Kindle and I am so happy about that. I can only hope that the trend continues and more people continue to take a chance on my work and grow to love it as much as I love to write it.
Speaking of sales, the other day I got an email from Amazon that my first royalty paymnet was going to be deposited in my account yesterday (and it was). My first thought was HOLY SHIT! I JUST GOT MY FIRST ROYALTY CHECK!!! I can't describe that feeling. It made everything "real" to me, if that makes sense. I had just gotten paid for something that I had created and it felt SO GOOD! First thing I did was run and tell my wife, who immediately asked for half the check but that's neither here nor there. Granted, the check wasn't that big - just big enough to buy me a nice bottle of Moscato - but the fact that I had one at all was great. So, today I look through my emails and I come across one from Barnes & Noble and, what do you know, I have ANOTHER deposit getting ready to be made into my account from sales on the NOOK. Another HOLY SHIT! moment. Again, check isn't going to break the bank but it does lift my spirits and make me write that much harder.
Right now, at this very moment while writing this blog, I'm sitting at my desk in my "office" with my notebook and favorite pen working on the second draft of HUB Volume 3: The Tipping Point. Volume 3 continues on the momentum from Volume 2 and contiues to up the ante of the series. Can't wait until it's finished so I can unleash it on the world on 9.10.11! Trying to do some really big things with this volume, including a collectors edition which will include some artwork with it so stay tuned for that.
Will be placing my order to get 100 copies of HUB Volume 1 and 2 Collection to sell on my website and, more importantly, have available to sell at the Underground Horror Fest 2 on March 5th in Tulsa, OK. This festival is going to be a MAJOR jumping off point for me and this series and I know that it's going to be great! Be on the lookout for links to purchase the paperback version of HUB Volume 1 and 2 on www.whatishub.net in the near future. While I'm thinking about it, big shoutout and thank you to Chris Leepow for designing the cover and getting the book printed up for me.
That's it for now. Thanks for stopping by and I will have more later! Go Packers!
January 27, 2011
January 27, 2011
Welcome back!
Where to begin.... The majority of my time is spent working on the second draft of H.U.B. Volume 3: The Tipping Point whether it be during my lunch hour at work or working on it while watching TV at home.
Haven't received any query responses from agents in a while and I don't know if that's a good or bad thing per se.
My head feels like CRAP right now - think I'm coming down with some kind of head cold or something. Not sure what that's about because I felt fine this morning but, oh well, what can you do?
I should be placing the order for the printed up copies of HUB Volume 1 and 2 early next week and I'm excited about that. I can't imagine how I'm going to feel when I get those 100 books and to be able to feel the weight of it in my hands and see my picture on the back and know that this is MY book. I know that it's going to be amazing. I'm hoping that the paperbacks will open up more doors for me as not everyone is on the e-book bandwagon yet. I can't really blame them - if I had the choice I would want paperback as well.
Words of wisdom to my fellow writers out there - don't ever let a lack of sales or a negative review lead you to believe that you don't have talent because you do. Everything isn't for everybody and it only takes one person to recognize your talent and that one person can completely change your life. I remember getting my first review for HUB and it made me so happy because it reinforced to me that I wasn't putting all this hard work into this project in vain. I know it's going to grow and I know that people are going to love it.
KEEP THE FAITH!
Where to begin.... The majority of my time is spent working on the second draft of H.U.B. Volume 3: The Tipping Point whether it be during my lunch hour at work or working on it while watching TV at home.
Haven't received any query responses from agents in a while and I don't know if that's a good or bad thing per se.
My head feels like CRAP right now - think I'm coming down with some kind of head cold or something. Not sure what that's about because I felt fine this morning but, oh well, what can you do?
I should be placing the order for the printed up copies of HUB Volume 1 and 2 early next week and I'm excited about that. I can't imagine how I'm going to feel when I get those 100 books and to be able to feel the weight of it in my hands and see my picture on the back and know that this is MY book. I know that it's going to be amazing. I'm hoping that the paperbacks will open up more doors for me as not everyone is on the e-book bandwagon yet. I can't really blame them - if I had the choice I would want paperback as well.
Words of wisdom to my fellow writers out there - don't ever let a lack of sales or a negative review lead you to believe that you don't have talent because you do. Everything isn't for everybody and it only takes one person to recognize your talent and that one person can completely change your life. I remember getting my first review for HUB and it made me so happy because it reinforced to me that I wasn't putting all this hard work into this project in vain. I know it's going to grow and I know that people are going to love it.
KEEP THE FAITH!
January 26, 2011
January 25, 2011
Morning/afternoon all and thanks for stopping by once again!
Have seen a nice uptick in sales so far this month, especially on the Amazon Kindle. Have had 9 sales this month so far with 6 days left to go and that's pretty big for me. Get your copy of HUB Volume 1 & 2 Collection on the Amazon Kindle by visiting http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00492CQ9S
You can also visit Smashwords and get your copy by clicking http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/...
Okay, now that the promotion is out of the way, steadily working to get copies of HUB Volume 1 and 2 printed up in time for the Underground Horror Fest 2 on March 5th. I'm confident that everything will work out. The person that I'm going to be dealing with is a good fellow by the name of Chris Leepow who is also the designer of the cover for the e-book version of HUB Volume 2: Blowback. If all goes as planned I will FINALLY have printed up copies for sale within the next month and that is very exciting to me.
HUB Volume 3 is now officially on the second draft. Identified what new chapters I wanted to add and where I want to put them and now, starting today at lunch, I will start the re-writing process to get it up to par and make it bigger and better than the previous two volumes.
Haven't had a lot of query responses lately from the agents I submitted query letters to which leaves a lot of emails and letters to be responded to. I know that the response from some of them was that the volumes seemed too short but, maybe if I was to combine 3 volumes at a time, they would be more inclined to represent it; something to think about.
More later. By the way, be sure to visit www.whatishub.net! You know you want to!!
Have seen a nice uptick in sales so far this month, especially on the Amazon Kindle. Have had 9 sales this month so far with 6 days left to go and that's pretty big for me. Get your copy of HUB Volume 1 & 2 Collection on the Amazon Kindle by visiting http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00492CQ9S
You can also visit Smashwords and get your copy by clicking http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/...
Okay, now that the promotion is out of the way, steadily working to get copies of HUB Volume 1 and 2 printed up in time for the Underground Horror Fest 2 on March 5th. I'm confident that everything will work out. The person that I'm going to be dealing with is a good fellow by the name of Chris Leepow who is also the designer of the cover for the e-book version of HUB Volume 2: Blowback. If all goes as planned I will FINALLY have printed up copies for sale within the next month and that is very exciting to me.
HUB Volume 3 is now officially on the second draft. Identified what new chapters I wanted to add and where I want to put them and now, starting today at lunch, I will start the re-writing process to get it up to par and make it bigger and better than the previous two volumes.
Haven't had a lot of query responses lately from the agents I submitted query letters to which leaves a lot of emails and letters to be responded to. I know that the response from some of them was that the volumes seemed too short but, maybe if I was to combine 3 volumes at a time, they would be more inclined to represent it; something to think about.
More later. By the way, be sure to visit www.whatishub.net! You know you want to!!
January 5, 2011
Interview with Amanda aka Moonlight from Vampires.com
I recently chatted with Benjamin Jones, the author of the new series Humanity's Ultimate Battle (H.U.B.), on Horror Fest, his vampire loves (and hates), his writing and much more. Check it out and let us know what you think in a comment below.
Can you tell us a little about yourself?
I am 33 years old husband to one and father of two girls. I'm also an avid Red Sox and Celtics fan. Being a writer is something that I've always wanted to do and I feel that I have a lot to tell the world - I just have to get the people to listen. I've been seriously writing for about 15 years now.
Can you tell us about your book H.U.B.?
Humanity's Ultimate Battle (H.U.B.) is an epic series set in a world where vampires have "come out" to humans and are attempting to live peacefully amongst them (some of them are, anyway). There's a mutual distrust between the humans and vampires going on, which is to be expected, and, at the same time, a rogue group of vampires is attempting to draw both sides into war as they feel that vampires should be the top of the food chain.
How does H.U.B. differ from other novels about vampires?
How H.U.B. differs is that the world of vampires, and how they interact with humans, is more "real world" based. You get to see different sides to vampires and humans that you don't get with other novels: you see the vampires that want to be peaceful and just live their lives; you see the politics of both humans and vampires; you see the humans that act just as monstrous as the vampires, etc... Taken from a real world aspect, you could look at the vampires in H.U.B. as illegal immigrants and you get to see how they live, how they're treated, their fears, etc...
Where did you get the idea for H.U.B.?
The idea from H.U.B. started off as a joke really. One day at work I was eating lunch with a co-worker and his wife and the topic of a certain set of books/movies that involve glittery vampires came up and we were discussing all the things we disliked about it (how they were slated towards young girls with all the romance crap) and we started talking about how it would be if we were to write our own story about vampires and take it back to the classic days when vampires were to be feared, not loved. From that moment on the idea took off and has been rolling along ever since.
What got you interested in writing about vampires?
I've always been a sucker for horror movies/books as some of my earliest memories was my mother taking me to see Cujo and Evil Dead at a very young age which probably warped my mind a little bit. Vampires (and zombies to great degree) have always been a fascination of mine.
Ok, here’s a question I ask all folks I interview: I’ve noticed that most of the authors I follow on Twitter talk about the music they’re currently writing to. What kind of setting/atmosphere do you find most conducive to your writing?
Music is my second love and I do my best writing when listening. Actually, now that I think about it, I don't write without my iPod being on. I find that my best writing comes from listening to some hip hop music. My writing necessities are my iPod, a pen and some paper (and occasionally a drink of some sorts). LOL As long as I have some music nothing else really matters.
If vampires were discovered to exist today, do you think our society would accept them or try to destroy them?
Definitely destroy. As detailed in my series, I think there would be a small percentage of the population that would want to embrace them but the majority would be too afraid of them to do that.
Who’s your favorite fictitious vampire (other than your own)?
I would have to say Blade, though the third movie sucked ass!
What is your favorite vampire book/movie/show?
30 Days of Night as I felt it was more "realistic" to how I perceive vampires to be. The vampires in 30 Days of Night were bad ass and blood hungry and that's a lethal combination.
Tell our readers why they should check out your book - in 3 words: (bwahaha)
It's f**king awesome! LOL
And finally, what other projects are you currently working on? Any goodies we should watch out for?
I'm currently working on the second draft of H.U.B. Volume 3: The Tipping Point which I have slated for 9.10.11 release date. I'm also editing a romance novel entitled Head Above Water that will be out sometime this year as well. Also, I will be working on a collaboration project with fellow author Tiffanie Minnis (author of ~D.I.V.A.~ Domestically Involved in Violent Affairs) that I'm hoping will be ready by the 4th quarter of this year.
For fans in the area, I will have a booth at the Underground Horror Fest 2 in Tulsa, Oklahoma on March 5th (the first of many festivals that I'm hoping to hit this year) so come out and show some support!
Can you tell us a little about yourself?
I am 33 years old husband to one and father of two girls. I'm also an avid Red Sox and Celtics fan. Being a writer is something that I've always wanted to do and I feel that I have a lot to tell the world - I just have to get the people to listen. I've been seriously writing for about 15 years now.
Can you tell us about your book H.U.B.?
Humanity's Ultimate Battle (H.U.B.) is an epic series set in a world where vampires have "come out" to humans and are attempting to live peacefully amongst them (some of them are, anyway). There's a mutual distrust between the humans and vampires going on, which is to be expected, and, at the same time, a rogue group of vampires is attempting to draw both sides into war as they feel that vampires should be the top of the food chain.
How does H.U.B. differ from other novels about vampires?
How H.U.B. differs is that the world of vampires, and how they interact with humans, is more "real world" based. You get to see different sides to vampires and humans that you don't get with other novels: you see the vampires that want to be peaceful and just live their lives; you see the politics of both humans and vampires; you see the humans that act just as monstrous as the vampires, etc... Taken from a real world aspect, you could look at the vampires in H.U.B. as illegal immigrants and you get to see how they live, how they're treated, their fears, etc...
Where did you get the idea for H.U.B.?
The idea from H.U.B. started off as a joke really. One day at work I was eating lunch with a co-worker and his wife and the topic of a certain set of books/movies that involve glittery vampires came up and we were discussing all the things we disliked about it (how they were slated towards young girls with all the romance crap) and we started talking about how it would be if we were to write our own story about vampires and take it back to the classic days when vampires were to be feared, not loved. From that moment on the idea took off and has been rolling along ever since.
What got you interested in writing about vampires?
I've always been a sucker for horror movies/books as some of my earliest memories was my mother taking me to see Cujo and Evil Dead at a very young age which probably warped my mind a little bit. Vampires (and zombies to great degree) have always been a fascination of mine.
Ok, here’s a question I ask all folks I interview: I’ve noticed that most of the authors I follow on Twitter talk about the music they’re currently writing to. What kind of setting/atmosphere do you find most conducive to your writing?
Music is my second love and I do my best writing when listening. Actually, now that I think about it, I don't write without my iPod being on. I find that my best writing comes from listening to some hip hop music. My writing necessities are my iPod, a pen and some paper (and occasionally a drink of some sorts). LOL As long as I have some music nothing else really matters.
If vampires were discovered to exist today, do you think our society would accept them or try to destroy them?
Definitely destroy. As detailed in my series, I think there would be a small percentage of the population that would want to embrace them but the majority would be too afraid of them to do that.
Who’s your favorite fictitious vampire (other than your own)?
I would have to say Blade, though the third movie sucked ass!
What is your favorite vampire book/movie/show?
30 Days of Night as I felt it was more "realistic" to how I perceive vampires to be. The vampires in 30 Days of Night were bad ass and blood hungry and that's a lethal combination.
Tell our readers why they should check out your book - in 3 words: (bwahaha)
It's f**king awesome! LOL
And finally, what other projects are you currently working on? Any goodies we should watch out for?
I'm currently working on the second draft of H.U.B. Volume 3: The Tipping Point which I have slated for 9.10.11 release date. I'm also editing a romance novel entitled Head Above Water that will be out sometime this year as well. Also, I will be working on a collaboration project with fellow author Tiffanie Minnis (author of ~D.I.V.A.~ Domestically Involved in Violent Affairs) that I'm hoping will be ready by the 4th quarter of this year.
For fans in the area, I will have a booth at the Underground Horror Fest 2 in Tulsa, Oklahoma on March 5th (the first of many festivals that I'm hoping to hit this year) so come out and show some support!
January 4, 2011
Social Media and Writing
How has social media (Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc...) impacted your writing?
To me social media, Twitter & Facebook especially, have proved to be invaluable sources of not only getting the word out/advertising for my book but also, and probably most importantly, friendship with authors & fans as well as providing me the chance to link up with authors out there such as myself who are new to the game and trying to make a name for ourselves.
If it wasn't for Twitter I would have never met Tiffanie Minnis and I probably wouldn't be where I'm at today with H.U.B. and this blog. Through meeting her I became of a member (and now a co-manager) of The Writers Movement and it has led to SO MANY great things already with a ton more coming down the pipe.
I love being able to interact with my fans on a real time basis on Twitter and Facebook and, through my website and blog, being able to cross promote with other authors and help each other.
So, what are your thoughts on social media and writing? Let me know!
To me social media, Twitter & Facebook especially, have proved to be invaluable sources of not only getting the word out/advertising for my book but also, and probably most importantly, friendship with authors & fans as well as providing me the chance to link up with authors out there such as myself who are new to the game and trying to make a name for ourselves.
If it wasn't for Twitter I would have never met Tiffanie Minnis and I probably wouldn't be where I'm at today with H.U.B. and this blog. Through meeting her I became of a member (and now a co-manager) of The Writers Movement and it has led to SO MANY great things already with a ton more coming down the pipe.
I love being able to interact with my fans on a real time basis on Twitter and Facebook and, through my website and blog, being able to cross promote with other authors and help each other.
So, what are your thoughts on social media and writing? Let me know!
