Assaph Mehr's Blog, page 49

How to Optimise your Amazon Page for Conversions

I’ve mentioned before the importance of setting readers’ expectations as part of my article on how I review books. This is a companion article for indie publishers and authors, about what you can do to make sure that your book hits the right target audience, for best reception.

First for foremost, it should be absolutely clear that no book is ever for every reader. Don’t believe me? Just pick a book you cherish, and go to Amazon to read all the 1-star reviews. 40,000 people...

Matthew Wansford (of The Order of the White Boar, by Alex Marchant)

Dear readers, tonight with me is boy of twelve years, a merchant’s son who always dreamt of being a knight. His chance came in the summer of 1482, when he joined Richard, Duke of Gloucester – the future King Richard III.

He’s here to tell us about his life at court and the deadly games of the Wars of the Roses.

Tell us a little about where you grew up. What was it like there?

I was born, and lived all my life until last summer, in my father’s house on Stonegate, one of the...

Series Review: Lindsey Davis’ Falco

This is the series that started it all (for me). I always loved ancient Rome (since I first read Asterix), and detective stories. This was the perfect combination. I came across it almost by accident, picking up a battered copy of book 4 (Iron hand of Mars) at a used books stall. I then went back to read the rest of the series from the start, carried on reading such authors as Steven Saylor and Ruth Downie, and was even prompted to start writing my own Roman-era inspired fantasy-detective st...

Elisheva Miller (of Songs of Earth, by Eugene W. Cundiff)

Dear readers, tonight with me is young woman, a Teller’s apprentice, from the lost colony on Luna.

When the vast and ancient machines that bring rains to the Dust of Luna fail, she – together with a band of fellow travelers – must face a long journey into the forsaken ruins of the Mongers’ abandoned cities, seeking a way to ensure a happy ending for her people.

She is here to tell us about life in the distant future.

Tell us a little about where you grew up. What was it like there?

I...

Breaking the International Author barrier

In another step towards international fame and fortune, I am proud to announce that Murder In Absentia is now available in Russian!

Due to the tireless efforts of a Russian business partner, the novel has been translated, edited, and formatted to fit the Russian ebook market, with a language that should feel native to and flowing native speakers.

The title is Убит заочно (pronounced: ubit zaochno), which is the comparable term. If you ever wondered what ‘togas, daggers, and magic’...

Katrisha (of Order & Entropy web-series, by K. Quistorff)

Dear readers, tonight with us is an a young mage from the distant occidental land of Avrale –  one of the smaller, more secluded nations of the former Empire.

She’s here to give us a unique view of life on her world.

Could you tell us your name?  Seems someone forgot to include it.

Oh, sorry about that.  Probably just Mercu being clever.  He likes to make opportunities for me to introduce myself.  I am Katrisha, daughter of the moonlight and the winter frost, mage of Avrale, an...

Book Review: The One, by Eric L Klein

It is with great pleasure that I got to read and review this debut novel. I had some input into it at an early draft, and I’m glad to see it evolve into a highly-polished book.

In short, this is a near-future, solar-system adventure-story in the style of golden-age science fiction. It reminded me very much of the SciFi I grew up on, by such giants as Heinlien, Asimov, and Clarke. The book also gives a gentle nod to them, with many (many!) bits of homage and pop-culture Easter eggs to g...

Tyir (of The Thousand Scars, by Michael R. Baker)

Dear readers, it took us a while, but we were able to secure a meeting with the legendary necromancer Tyir of Irene. We sit in the chambers of the Jaal of Valare himself, where Tyir called a servant over to bring us iced milk sweetened with honey.

He’s here to tell us about the dark and disturbing forces that shaped him to the necromancer he is today.

Tell us a little about where you grew up. What was it like there?

Hah! What was it like there? Do you really want to know? It was a shi...

How Do You Get Paid?

I have the bestest fans. A dear soul has sent me an invaluable resource of Roman Republican coinage. Not actual coins, duh, but an online collection of images of Mid-to-Late Republic coins – Rutgers University Badian Collection.

The collection covers roughly 280 to 31 BCE, and is comprised of about 1,200 coins. Each entry is detailed and tagged, making it easy to search specific elements and images, and to explore themes. This makes it very exciting for anyone trying to bring up Roma...

BJ Armstrong (of The One: A Cruise Through the Solar System, by Eric Klein)

Dear readers, tonight with us is a young man, on his way back from an interplanetary cruise. This journey came as a bit of a shock to this unassuming systems engineer — to say nothing about what actually happened aboard ship.

He’s here to tells about his solar-system wide cruise.

Tell us a little about growing up in the Big Apple. What was it like there?

Well, everyone knows what it is like under the dome, I mean they film the tridees there all the time. Actually, it is a bit fu...