Evan Pickering's Blog, page 13

A Pure, Unexpected Joy.

There are a hell of a lot of feelings out there.

Publishing a book has a way of eliciting many, many of those feelings. Excitement, anxiety, trepidation, hope, raw fear, doubt.

After the book is in a place where you finally say: “I think that’s it. I think it’s ready.”

Then comes the magic. You set it free to roam the scavenged wastes that is the world of E-publishing. Its rifle, your plot. Its ammo, your character depth. It’s food and water supply, your cover, blurb and marketing skills.

It must fight to try and become king of the wastelands.

Credit: maciejkuciara

Or not. But y’know, it sounds cool to say.

I was so nervous when it was going live. I didn’t know how I would feel. But something happens to you, the author, when it is published. There is this joy. At least, there is for me. Getting to reach out to people, getting to connect with old acquaintances and close friends and family and strangers over this labor of love you’ve created, this creation that is born of your mind and gives wonder and excitement (hopefully) to those who read it. . . Well, it’s just an awesome feeling.

Every day, I wake up, and it feels like Christmas. I rush over to my computer, turn on the dashboard and see how the book is doing. How many KU pages have been read? How many books have been bought? A lot? A little? None at all?

I get excited not because I made two dollars when someone clicked a button to buy my story. I get excited because My baby is out there, and people are reading it. People I know, people I don’t know.

Some will hate it, some will love it, some will tear it apart, some will sing its praises, some won’t finish it, and some will simply say meh, s’aright.

And it’s all awesome. I love it all. It’s so much fun. I’ve worked so hard on this book for so long. I just want to see it all. I want to see the hate and the love and the indifference because it is all a part of the experience.

Now all I have to do is write the next book. Deep Breaths.

-Evan Pickering

Two Weeks of being Published on KDP Select

I’ve pored over various articles of various successful Indie authors proclaiming the benefits of either going KDP Select or publishing on multiple platforms.

I’ve come to a serious, important conclusion:

No one knows what the hell is going on.

Admittedly, many by their own admission. I read a great blog post by Hugh Howey on his forays with exclusivity. He, like many, can see the benefits of going KDP select and going multiple-platform.

Alternatively, Joanna Penn, who I had the pleasure of talking to face to face at Thrillerfest 2015, wrote a great article claiming that if you are making a series, multiple-platform is the way to go. It’s sound logic; the greater visibility you have for book one, the more potential sales there are for later books.

Problem is, I’m not sure we have a great idea for which approach actually grants greater visibility. It seems to vary from a case to case basis.

For me, I’ve been very happy with KDP Select thus far. I’ve made almost as much money on Kindle Unlimited Book Lends as I have with selling the book itself. And I’m sure it helps tremendously in raising my Amazon rankings and getting it out there.

A bit shy of two weeks of results: (published book on Jan. 14th.)

I’ve been pretty happy with consistent book sales day-to-day. I’ve been extremely happy with my KENP page reads. (yesterday was my most, 3600 pages read in one day!)

If someone buys my book, I make about $2.10. If someone reads it cover-to-cover on KENP, I make $1.35. That’s not bad at all for being “free”.

As of right now, I’m ranked #144 in the Dystopian category on amazon, and #229 in Post-apocalyptic. I’m pretty tickled with that for being two weeks in.

I wonder what my numbers would look like if I had not opted for KDP select. It’s impossible to know, really. Though I’d have to be selling a decent amount of books on Kobo/Smashwords/ the rest of ’em. But am I sacrificing long term visibility?

Who knows. I’m just happy the book is doing pretty well thus far. Better than I expected for my first two weeks, anyway. Booya.

 

-Evan Pickering

Snowed In With No More Time

There’s just never enough time.

On monday, my life becomes crazy again. So naturally, I’m trying to shoe-horn way too much into two days, while trying to ‘relax’.

But I can only spend so many hours a day marketing and formatting Hood for Print-on-Demand.

A man has his limits.

This should be by all rights a fun, relaxing blizzardy day. I suppose the only person stopping that from happening is me. There’s just too much I need to do. Too much I want to get done, too many things within my control.

Being an Indie Author is awesome; you control every element of your writing, of your production, you are the executor of your own grand designs.

But it also is just so, so much to do.

First off, I need to get started on the next book in the American Rebirth Series. Number one way to better your career-WRITE MORE BOOKS. I also need to continue my marketing campaign, and I need to put in hours for my other job, and I need to shovel the driveway (damn you Jonas!)

Blah Blah Blah.

One thing I try to remember, which I usually do a terrible job of remembering, is to set some reasonable expectations for my day. Or at least just demarcate what is doable for one human in one snowed in apartment.

Otherwise, I’ll end up like I am now. Stressed out, not feeling any satisfaction for anything I get done.

So this is my diary for today. My typographical catharsis. Brain cleanse.

DEAR EVAN,

RELAX. EVERYTHING IS FINE. YOU’RE DOING GREAT. YOU’RE GOING TO KEEP FURTHERING THE BOOK’S SUCCESS. TAKE A DEEP BREATH. ENJOY ALL THIS. THERE’S ONLY ONE JONAS TODAY.

CONFUSINGLY,

EVAN

 

A Moment of Reflection.

Dan, my brother, and Myself (right) circa 2008ish

Part of the many things one must undertake when being an indie author is writing about yourself.

It’s always a weird task. By nature, you need to be self-promoting. But I think many writers feel a natural humility, a self-effacing tendency that says there are so many more better than me. But, people don’t want to hear about other people when they’re looking at your book. They want to know about you.

So, this is what I came up with for my Amazon “about the author” page:

Like so many of you, I am a man obsessed with stories.

From the earliest parts of my youth that I can remember, I yearned for imaginary worlds. I created stories and lived them out in my own footsteps, found myself engrossed in fantasy novels, mystery novels, roleplaying games, television shows, perhaps most of all, history.

The world, to me, was a great story, filled with endless billions of stories, alive and dead, real and imagined. I did not seek to know them all; but only to be enthralled with as many as I could possibly come by.

So when I was 18, and I first attempted creative writing, it suddenly made sense to me that everything else I had been pursuing fell woefully short of something deeper in me. Now, all I want is what many writers want; to share their own stories, to evoke feeling and inspiration and motivation in others.

After all, so many who have come before have done the same for me. I look only to continue the tradition. In my own way.

I’ve been a professional poker player for eight years. I’ve backpacked europe, I’ve biked alone across the northeastern US by myself when I was eighteen. I grew up living on a boat half the year every year. I’ve hung out in grimy side streets and in sprawling mansions and empty parking lots. I’ve read a lot of books, played a lot of video games, I’ve grown up and I’ve stayed young and no matter what I learn and whatever I believe life is in this moment, I’m still searching. I think I always will be.

-Evan Pickering

You like me! You really like me!

Post-Apoc blogging at it’s finest.

From the Wastes...

I was just recently notified by S.C. Flynn that I have been nominated for the One Lovely Blog Award.  Imagine my surprise!  Thank you, Mr. Flynn!  This month marks my one year anniversary of this blog.  I’m not even sure that what I’m doing could be considered as real blogging.  I’ve never learned how to do it properly, I just created a WordPress Blog and started writing about stuff I like.  I still really have no idea what I’m doing.

I believe it is at this point where I need to tell you a few tidbits about myself…

I grew up on a dairy farm in western Montana, a child of the 70’s/80’s.  Mornings started at four a.m. and the day ended around nine p.m..  I hated pretty much every moment of it.  I found that reading offered a much-needed escape from the shoveling of manure.
I joined the U.S. Army, expecting…

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HOOD is live on Amazon Kindle!

I can hardly believe this day has come!

Surreal is not a strong enough word. More like unfathomable.

Hood, Book 1 of the American Rebirth series

There she is. In all her glory. It’s taken me a long time and it’s been a lot of hard work, but the book is live on Amazon.

I don’t even know what I’m feeling. Pride, Joy, Anxiety, Hope, the desire to start editing again, lol.

Most of all, I knew it was time to put it out when I could read it (after so, so many edits) and feel happy, satisfied, excited with what I had put down on the page.

It’s easy now to think I need to do more, I need to keep working on it, blah blah blah. Yes, I’m sure I could work at it even more. I’m sure i’ll do some tidying up on it from time to time. But the bottom line is:

I’m proud of it. I love it. It fills me with joy.

So, it was time. And now its here. Now comes the simple task of marketing it (lol).

For all of you who have been waiting for it. . .

Ta-daaaaa

–Evan Pickering

 

 

It’s Finally Done.

For all of you friends, loved ones, and strangers who have shown enthusiasm for my book, I say to you:

Carrier has arrived. Battlecruiser operational. Hell, It’s about time.

After what feels like an eternity, Hood, Book 1 of the American Rebirth Series is just about ready to launch.

At this point, all that’s left is making some decisions for publishing rights, and procedural stuff like writing a blurb, etc etc.

I’m excited. I’m nervous. I feel a compulsion to edit more.

But at some point, you got to set it free. Trust in your own hard work. Embrace the end.

So I’m happy to announce the book should be live very, very soon. Probably within the next few days.

Thank you all for your support and well-wishes.

 Love,

Evan Pickering

 

Ten Things I Learned About Publishing in 2015

Worth reading if you are even a casual writer. Must-read if you strive to be a writer in any form.

ELIZABETH HUNTER

  1. This business moves too fast for anyone to predict.

This is why I don’t predict. I only tell you a few things I’ve learned this year. You can find my posts from 2011, 2012, and 2013 at the links. (I didn’t do 2014, long story.)

A lot of people consider me an early self-publisher, and I only started doing this in 2011. That’s four years ago, guys! I’m a baby at this. And yet… I’m not. Things that are common knowledge for me are still new for authors who spent all or most of their time under the traditional system. So I know a lot, but I’m still learning, too. And you have to keep learning. Nothing is static in publishing anymore. Advice that was written in stone two years ago is inapplicable today. Keep on your toes. Keep learning. At the same time…

2. My…

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Excerpt #4 HOOD American Rebirth Book 1

Well, I’m almost home.

I don’t think I’ll have it published by the end of this month like I’d hoped. I’ll probably have edits done, but I’ll still need to do Kindle formatting along with everything else that goes into getting it as polished as I’d like. If it all goes well I should have it out by January.

I can live with that. I’m varying between anxious and excited about being on the home stretch. I don’t think it will feel real until I’m staring at it on Amazon.

It’s been joyous, exciting, painful, growth-inducing, and humbling writing and re-writing this book. I’m glad to say some early version readers have had some very positive things to say about it. Any writer will tell you, that means the world and beyond.

My goal has always been to make an entertaining, enjoyable, page turning story. I think I’ve come a long way to doing that. For all you reading this, I hope you give my story a shot when it’s done.

And with that, here’s the excerpt. Fittingly, I’m ending with the beginning–it’s the opening to the book. Enjoy!

–Evan Pickering

The iron sights of Hood’s AK-47 lined up perfectly between each other, trained on the dark-haired man in the muted blue of predawn light. Hood’s heart picked up speed, his chest rising and falling with hasty breaths. The Kaiser knows we’re here. The purposefulness of the man’s search was proof enough. A lone wastelander would’ve kept his distance from their camp. How many more are coming? The image of a host of the Kaiser’s soldiers waiting in the dark mountain woods set his mind ablaze. Focus. The man hustled to the next tree and crouched down behind it, leaning over to peer around the mossy bark towards the campfire up the hill. No one else followed behind him. Maybe he’s just a scout.

The man’s chest rose and fell quickly as he closed his eyes, pistol in hand. He switched hands on his pistol as he wiped his palms on his pants. He doesn’t want this. He’s just like you. The thought surged into his mind unabated. Hood tried to cast it out, focusing on keeping his aim true. Just turn around and go back, Hood pleaded. He had a perfect shot from his flanking position up in the tree, but his finger stayed still on the trigger.

If you don’t shoot him, he will kill someone you love.

Hood chewed on the salty pull string of his well-worn hoodie, breathing in deeply and holding the air in his lungs as he squeezed the trigger on his rifle nearly to the firing point, keeping the sights steady.

It’s a Long, Long Road

Man, that kills me every time.

Writing, like in life, you’ve got to be able to laugh at yourself–Not take everything so seriously. As writers, we usually take our writing pretty damn seriously. It means all that and a bag of chips and salsa to us.

But at the end of the day, we do it because we love it. Because it’s fun to create. Because we were the kids that loved to play pretend in the backyard. Because we love storytelling, we love stories, we love new worlds and experiences, and we want to share our own with the world.

Me, I know I’m obsessed with storytelling. Reading books, watching movies, playing video games, writing stories. Maybe too much so :)

It’s a long, long road. With writing and with life. You’ve got to be able to enjoy the process. If find myself recently  (both in writing and life)getting so caught up in the goal that I’m not enjoying the process.

New Cover!

I’ve been fixated on finally publishing my novel. I keep saying “after this edit, it will be done!” But I’m still learning, I’m still improving. I know the work I’m doing in the editing process is making it a more complete, better story. I have to honor that. I told myself I’d have this thing published by the end of the year.

It was my new years resolution, if I remember correctly.

I hope to be able to do that. But if I can’t, to hell with the resolution. I’d rather tell my story right then hit an arbitrary deadline. After all, I’m working for myself.

It’s fun in a sick way, working on editing a book. There will be a day when I look back on this experience with this book fondly.

So take a deep breath, wherever you are in your life or in your writing, accept there’s a long road to be traveled yet. Enjoy it.

-Evan Pickering