Evan Bond's Blog, page 14

Jólabókaflóð

For some, Christmas is a wonderful time of year filled with joy and warmth. For others, it's a time of stress. Finding the right gift for someone you might only see a couple times of year can be challenging. But does it have to be? Should we search for hours at large retail stores for that perfect gift which may end up returned after Christmas? Isn't there a better way? 

The country of Iceland seems to have a cool tradition which could easily solve that problem. Today, I learned about something called Jólabókaflóð. Essentially, it's an Icelandic tradition where people give each other books on Christmas Eve. That night, the books are read while drinking hot chocolate or a special Christmas ale. I don't know about you but I think I just found my new favorite holiday tradition. 

Jólabókaflóð gets its origins from World War II where books were common gifts to give, as paper was one of the only commodities not being rationed for war time. Every year since 1944, the people of Iceland receive a bulletin featuring many books. They use this bulletin to order books for one another. Amazing, right? 

Instead of buying random kitchen appliances or shirts that might not fit for extended family members, I think it would be neat to start buying books. The tradition I would love to start would be each member of the family buys a book, from their favorite local bookstore of course, and gifts it to someone else. From there, it can be handled like a Yankee Swap (Chinese gift exchange, White Elephant, or whatever you want to call it). At the end of the night, everyone has a book they should read at least one chapter of that night. It would be a great way to explore new authors and get into a better habit of reading. 

Let's join Iceland in reading more books during this holiday season. Who else is thinking about following the Jólabókaflóð tradition? Are you thinking about making your own? Let me know what your plans are in the comments below! And, as always, thanks for reading! 



P.S. You could always gift your family one of my books 

Save the Internet

You are able to read this right now because of the free and open internet we enjoy. In fact, the internet allows me to realize my dream and get my work out there for the world to see. You're only able to read it because of the open internet. Imagine if that were gone? How many of your favorite artists would cease to create? Without a platform in which to share their work, how could they? Millions of dreamers across this country would lose that dream. And many of you who support them and enjoy their content would lose out. 

This is exactly the thing the current chairman of the FCC, Ajit Pai, is trying to create. Listen, there have been a lot of articles floating around stating the "government has no business regulating the internet." Unfortunately, these articles are taking advantage of people who don't understand what the FCC actually did to protect the internet. 

In 2015, the FCC passed a regulation known as Title II. This gave the FCC the power to keep companies such as AT&T, Verizon, and Comcast from throttling, blocking, or interfering with web traffic. What does that mean? Well, it means these corporations would not be allowed to slow down internet speeds, forcing you to pay more for higher connections. It also means they would not have the right to block content they did not agree with. The FCC is not "controlling" the internet the way they see fit. They are making sure it's being distributed fairly. In fact, they're stopping private companies from controlling it. 

Pai is suggesting we hand control of the internet over to private companies and allow them to decide how to police it. That would be like allowing your neighbors the ability to arrest the people on their block. Would that power get abused? Maybe not. Maybe they would only arrest those who are actually breaking the law. But what happens when someone does something they just don't like? Maybe they don't like their new neighbors. Maybe they don't like the candidate you plan to vote for. Maybe they don't like the kind of car they drive. How long before they abuse that power? And with no consequences, what would it matter? 

Right now, there's law to protect the internet and us from being taken advantage of. The only thing keeping us safe from losing the internet as we know it is Net Neutrality. Taking it away could also mean higher prices for the internet you already use. Imagine having to purchase your internet much like you would cable or a car. Would you just like the basic internet? You're able to browse a few selected websites and have access to email, only $29.99! Want to connect with friends and family? Get our social media package. Comes with access to Facebook, Twitter, and basic access to the web. Only $39.99! Want to watch videos and stream content? You need the entertainment package. Access to Youtube, Netflix, and more. Only $59.99! And with this bundle you get up to 55GB of data! What a great deal! *Access to data sold separate* 

I think you get the point. We shouldn't have to pay more for the content we want to see online. We should have all access to it. Small businesses generate revenue and traffic from their online presence everyday. Artists create their work and use the web to distribute and advertise their art. Students use it to study. Families use it to connect. News outlets use it to inform. The internet is a much more powerful tool than many realize. 

We need to save the internet as it is today. Keep Net Neutrality laws in place. Let's keep Pai and his lobbyists' hands off of the internet that we know and love. This weird, funny, loving, awful, wonderful, and passionate place where we can all thrive and explore. Call your congress representatives, send them an email, sign online petitions, even share this blog. Do anything! The FCC votes on this Dec. 12th. We can't allow Pai to win! 

Click HERE to sign the online petition. 

Click HERE to email your member of congress. 

Click HERE, HERE, and HERE to learn more about Net Neutrality. 

Leaving a Review

It's been a while since my last blog update, I know. This month has been rather busy with Thanksgiving, the anniversary with my wife, and NaNoWriMo. But I thought I'd take a step away for a moment to inform you about something you can do which would help me and all of your favorite indie authors.

Reviewing an author's work is the best way to show them your support. It doesn't even have to be a long, well thought out review. Just a few words and a nice star rating does the trick. And trust me, it really makes an author's day! This is especially true of indie authors, like myself. Our market is highly competitive and reviews help bump our books higher and get a better chance to be seen by others. A good review can make all the difference for someone considering a purchase. 

If you've read any of my books, please consider leaving me a review. I would really appreciate it! I'll even leave some links below. Thanks for everything that you do! :)


                                                                                  Amazon
                                                                           Barnes & Noble
​                                                                               Goodreads

Alternate Ending

Let me start by saying there will be spoilers in this post for my latest book, Getaway. So, if you haven't read it yet, go ahead and read it and then come back here. Go ahead, I'll wait.......done? That was fast! I guess you know the ending now, huh? What did you think? Good? I thought so! 

Well, the book could have ended differently. Not dramatically, mind you, but perhaps a little less ambiguous. You see, I debated between two styles for the ending. There's, of course, the one you read and the one in my head. I'm going to detail the alternate ending here for you now. Remember, spoilers! (In case you somehow forgot you hadn't read Getaway yet)

With the family dead, minus Samantha and Wesley, the two siblings decided to travel towards town together. Wesley was reluctant because it seemed Samantha had murdered their father for the death of Tyler. Despite this, he was forced to work with her. So far, this is all the same. But here's where they start to differ. In the alternate version they would have stopped to make camp and Wesley reaches for something, revealing a cut on his upper arm. 

Samantha notices this cut in both versions but I had played with the idea of Samantha acting on it. She decides to take first watch and let's Wesley fall asleep. As the fire slowly dies, Samantha takes her knife and kills her brother. From there, she marches into town with blood on her hands and is soon arrested for the murders at the cabin. 

Now, don't get me wrong, that doesn't mean she was the one who committed the murders in the book. It was just an idea for how to end it. Everything else would have been the same. Was Wesley the killer? Or was the scrape from his kayak accident? Did Tyler do it? Was he really sick? The answer to that died with him. And did the mother really commit suicide or was it one last kill? I've left all of that up to you to determine. In fact, I would love to hear your theories. Let me know what you think in the comments below! 

Do It Yourself

Here's the thing, self-publishing a book is hard work. If you're looking to make a quick and easy dollar, don't do it. It takes time to write a book, more time to edit, and even more time formatting. I can't tell you how many countless hours I've spent doing all three. But the book is never finished. Once the book is published, us indie authors have more work ahead of us with advertising and trying to get reviews and so on. Then, we write another book and the process starts all over again.

So, what's my point? Well, recently, I was informed of a local publishing company and decided to take a look. I thought, if they accepted one of my manuscripts it could help cut down on some of the time editing, formatting, and advertising and allow me to spend more time writing. When I looked up the company, however, I learned they were one of my least favorite types of publishing companies. So, here's my PSA below about why I dislike self-publishing companies.....

Personally, I use Kindle Direct Publishing and Smashwords.com. These are great because it allows me to maximize the platforms in which my books are published. KDP gets me on the Kindle, obviously, and Smashwords pretty much takes care of everything else. Yes, both companies take a percentage of my sales for their profit, which is understandable. What's not understandable is these self-publishing companies charging upwards of $800 for the same damn thing. 

Look, if you prefer to go through these companies, that's fine, I'm not judging you. If it works for you, then great. But personally, I believe many of these companies are taking advantage of a market that a lot of indie authors aren't fully familiar with. Here's how many of them work:​You submit your manuscript and pay (from $300-$800 in many cases) and they take care of the publishing and distributions to major platforms such as Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Apple.You're still responsible for formatting and editing your own bookOnce submitted, they convert your book to the proper formats for distribution. .Mobi for Kindle, Epub for B&N, etc. You're then responsible for the advertising of your own bookThink of it this way, you go to a five star restaurant that's kind of high in price. You show up, with your own bags of food, are seated, and then prepare you own meal. Then you fork over $50 a person and head home. Make any sense? Not really, no. You're still required to do most of the work and had to pay premium prices. Granted, they did provide a place for you to cook and eat. 

In this way, these companies at least provide a service for which to keep everything in one organized place. One platform for all of your platforms. I'm sure this can be helpful but the price tag is too high for the service. They're majorly profiting off of your hard work and I think it's wrong. Yes, self-publishing can be a lot of work but it's also fun, challenging, and you learn a lot  along the way. 

If you're looking into the option of self-publishing, try and stay away from these companies. Trust me, they promise a lot and make it sound wonderful and simple but the truth is, doing it yourself can be too. And, you have the added bonus of not putting yourself deeply in debt before your book is even put on the digital shelves. Save that $800 for advertising! 

Also, if you are looking for the option of self-publishing and don't know where to start, leave me a comment, send me and email, or DM me on social media and I can give you some tips. I might not be the expert but I've been doing it for a while now and I'm always learning. I'd be happy to teach you a few tricks. Maybe I'll do a blog post in the future outlining how to self-publish. Thanks for reading, everyone! 

Release Day

In case you haven't heard, my horror novella was released today. You can get your copy from your favorite e reader platform. You will enjoy reading this book as much as I enjoyed writing it. If you've never read one of my books before, this is a great place to start. Pick up your copy today and don't forget to leave a review! 

Limited Time Offers Inside

Hello there, readers. Things have been pretty busy for me lately and I haven't been updating my blog as often as I would like. But, I think I have some exciting news that should make up for it. For a limited time only, there are a couple of ways to receive one of my eBooks for FREE!  
The first way is to join my monthly newsletter. After signing up, I will send you an email asking which book you would prefer and in what format. It's that simple! Sign up now to get your book! 
The second way is to become a patron over on Patreon. For as little as $1, you could support me and my growing writing career. With your patronage, I will be able to submit my books to higher marketing platforms, hire editors, and keep the quality book covers coming! If you're interested in becoming a patron, head over to Patreon.com/EvanBond. There are some great rewards as well. 
Yes, if you do both, you will be eligible for TWO free books! I know, it's crazy! Which ever option you choose, thank you for your support in just reading my books and keeping up with my blogs. It means a lot to me! Thank you! 

Last Call

Tomorrow night is the virtual launch party for my new horror novella, Getaway. If you haven't RSVP'd yet, today is the last day to be entered for a chance to win the grand prize. It consists of autographed paperback novels of To the Wolves, Sins of the Mother, and Death Can Wait. It will also contain a flash drive with all my books in e-format, and a short story never before published. Good luck and see you tomorrow night! 
Click here to RSVP! 

Coming Soon

My horror novella, Getaway, comes out this Friday. Don't miss out! You can pre-order your copy today! Find it on your favorite e-reader device. If you're a fan of horror, you're going to love this book. 

Stand With Las Vegas

I was scrolling through my social media feeds this morning and I saw so many people sharing their condolences with the victims of this tragic and senseless act of hatred and violence. Many people stated they wished they could offer support and help. 
Now through October 31st, any book sales I make, 100% will be donated to the victims families who tragically lost their lives. Please, buy a book and help make a difference. Remember, any amount helps! We need to fight back these hateful attacks by coming together and helping in any way we can. Let's make a difference! 
My thoughts and prayers go out to the people of Las Vegas and all those impacted by this cowardice act of violence. The community, the country, the people, and the world stand with you! ​