Andrew Gates's Blog, page 5

New Positive Review for Apex Predator

Apex Predator has been out for two and a half years now, but despite all the time that has passed, it recently received its strongest review yet from Hall of Fame Top 100 Amazon Reviewer, Grady Harp.

In his review, Harp gave the book 5 stars out of 5 and writes, “Gates’s ability to engage the senses is one of the many reasons his novels work so well. In simply opening his book with the following, all the perceptions of the central character become immediately embedded, and remain to the end of this rather short novel.”

As this was my first (and so far only) novel in the horror genre, I was unsure how it would be received. Compared to my other books, which certainly have horror elements, this is my only book intended to be a “true” horror story all the way through. If Harp’s review is any indication, I successfully pulled it off!

Harp goes on to conclude the review with, “Proving that he has mastered horror tales as well as his highly regarded science fiction fantasies, Andrew Gates continues to garner attention and praise for his imaginative ideas – and polished prose. This is an exceptional novel, once started it magnetizes attention to the end.”

In a sign that high-profile reviews do lead to sales, I have witnessed a distinct and noticeable uptick in sales of Apex Predator since the publishing of this review. It is currently my #1 selling book, which has not happened with this book before – with the exception of when it was initially released.

Historically, I have focused a majority of my marketing efforts on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and some could say this blog, on firstly the Color of Water and Sky series and secondly the Pirates of Vexa Prime series (the latter of which only seems to have buyers buying the first book and not following through to books two and three). Given the apparent interest garnered by Harp’s positive review, I will consider focusing more of my marketing efforts on Apex Predator now.

On the note of my YouTube channel, I would like to add some more content to that channel to promote my books. I would love to hear from any of my readers as to what kind of content you’d like to see more of on the channel. Historically, book trailers have gotten the most views. The channel also includes reviews, commentary from people involved in the books’ production, interviews, as well as silly sketches. Let me know in the comment section or at thecolorofwaterandsky@gmail.com what you would like to see more of on YouTube!

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New Book Rough Draft Complete!

After months of writing, I have finished the rough draft of my medieval fantasy novel. Coming in around half the length of Iris, the story is a good length for a non-intimidating first entry into what is envisioned as a four-part series. I love this length! I think it is a good size for the book. Typically first entries tend to be a bit shorter than other books in the series to create a less-intimidating impression on a potential reader. Historically, I have not abided by this rule. For example, Iris is the longest book in my Color of Water and Sky series, despite being the first book.

The book is in the ballpark of 80,000 words. Interestingly, this was not my initial idea. When I first proposed to book to the consultants I am working with, I proposed 60,000 words. The feedback I received was that a 80,000-word story is far more palatable and popular in the medieval fantasy genre. Therefore, I extended it. After writing Iris, which was around 160,000 words, I had no problem writing a longer story. For me, it’s the shorter stories that I have trouble with anyway, so this was feedback I found easy to implement.

That brings me to my next subject; the consultants I am working with. If you are a regular reader of this blog, you may remember that I am working with a company called Copy Write Consultants that helps writers enter the “traditional publishing” route. Thus far my impression of the company remains fair. When working with them, the feedback I get is always strong, useful, insightful, easy to understand, and worthwhile. However, I have been displeased by the abysmal pace at which they respond to emails. If I hear back within two weeks, I consider that a fast response from these people. The good news is, I have not necessarily been in a rush. After all, I only just finished my draft this week. However, if I was more pressed for time, I could see this slow response rate being extremely frustrating.

For people who may not typically enjoy medieval fantasy because of all the magic, spells, curses, and rules that typically come with the genre, this is the medieval fantasy book for you! Personally, my least favorite thing about medieval fantasy is the magic. I find it is often confusing and can create deus ex machina situations. That is why this story has no magic in it at all. Instead, it relies heavily on romance, action, political intrigue, and culture. It is my hope that this unique exclusion of what is typically a common genre trope will help my book stand out from others in the genre and will hopefully pull in readers who would not typically read this type of story.

Now that the draft is written, my current step is to edit the manuscript and continue working on my submission materials with the help of Christopher from Copy Write Consultants. After I make a round or two on the manuscript, I hope to once again bring in a group of beta readers and outside editors to help me. I did this more often during the early Color of Water and Sky books, but I gradually cut down on this process over time as I honed my editing and formatting skills (I basically realized I could do it all myself). But given that I want to take the traditional publishing route, it seems sensible to bring in outside help once again for this process. The more eyes looking at this manuscript, the better.

While I will definitely hire some professional eyes who are trained in editing, I will also look to random everyday readers as well. If you are interested in reading an early draft of my 80,000-word medieval fantasy novel, there could be an opportunity for you! Please reach out to thecolorofwaterandsky@gmail.com and you may have a chance to assist me in my editing process (and get a chance to read the story before anyone else)!

After the editing, I will then send my draft and materials to the curated list of agents that Christopher will help find for me. From there, it is the luck of the draw. With my materials and story polished, I just need to hope someone reads and enjoys my writing. Wish me luck!

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Have I Lost my Optimism?

I have long been an optimist. When things seem troubling, I would always say, “It will get better!” I’ve been that way for years. In fact, it has long been something I considered my defining characteristic.

I have a distinct memory in 2019 when I was running my last marathon. In the last few miles, there was a period where I struggled. I bounced between fast-walking and running. Some observers noticed me and asked if I needed help and I returned with a smile and enthusiasm, “I’ll get there!” I believed it too. I would get there. It was just a brief period of difficulty, but sure enough, I rallied and finished the race, just as I knew I would.

In 2017, I was in talks with author MD Cooper and we were planning to do a collaborative project together that would have been very lucrative. I believed in this project. In fact, I was offered a promotion at work and I considered not taking the promotion because I knew that this collaboration would be released and I wanted to focus more on my upcoming success as a writer. Ultimately, I chose to take the promotion instead, even while knowing that the collaboration would be coming out. And I am SO GLAD I took the promotion because, as you probably know if you read this blog, the project was delayed, then delayed, then delayed, until it ultimately fizzled up and fell apart. What started as a big, lucrative collaborative project with a big-named author turned into a book about pirates that doesn’t sell very well.

At the time in 2017, I had a lot of hope. Even as the project got delayed the first few times, I remember telling people that, “Once I make more money from writing than I do from my day-job, I’ll switch which one is my primary job and which one is my secondary job! It will be great!” And I believed it too. I was so sure that this would happen.

But it didn’t.

Between 2017 and now, I tried a lot of things to get it to happen, even without MD Cooper’s assistance. I had stories featured in short story collections (including two collections that shared MD Cooper’s name, despite those ultimately being weirdly-defined and hard to nail down as a genre). I also tried marketing on YouTube and released my first audio-book, both of which have not been successful. I still maintain the belief that, if the collaboration with MD Cooper had happened, I would be in a much better place as an author than I am now.

The coronavirus lockdown didn’t help with my momentum or my optimism. After a brief panic-inspired “bull-run” on eBooks that sent my sales skyrocketing for a short time, ultimately sales fizzled out as consumer spending decreased. I wasn’t able to go to book fairs (which I was planning on!) and I felt overall gloomy.

Here’s what happened next in this order:
– I lost my primary job at a running store.
– I struggled in my secondary job at a local lifestyle magazine, which was hurt heavily by the coronavirus lockdown.
– I lost another job at a running-related magazine/website.
– I had to completely re-plan and compromise on my wedding.
– I had some medical issues which prevented me from running/working out as much (one of my favorite things to do).
– I was offered an office job that didn’t align with my interests and I felt like I was settling for something I didn’t want.
– Got married and travelled (This one was good!)
– I took the “settling” job and I’ve been there ever since.
– I released the aforementioned audiobook. It did not sell. I have not seen even $1 from it yet to this day.

Apart from my FANTASTIC wedding and honeymoon, that’s a lot of negative back-to-back and that list is just the last year, not even counting everything that happened before that. I’ve been beaten down constantly and repeatedly since 2017 to the point where now, when I look back at it, I feel foolish to believe that I ever actually thought I could write and publish books full-time. I now feel like this sense of lost optimism has found its way into other aspects of my life. I, who was once such a forward-thinking positive person, now feel like everything I do is wrong and that the “way out” is far too difficult to pursue.

I feel like I am never going to move away. I feel like I am never going to get the job I enjoy. I feel like I am never going to get a house. I feel like I will never be a writer.

As a result, my momentum and drive has fallen hard. I write maybe once a week anymore and only for less than an hour or so at a time. I recently hired a company to help me with publishing. I really hope that this company helps turn things around because I need this to work for more than just for my writing career; I need this to work because I just need SOMETHING to go right for me.

Today, other people seem to believe in me more than I believe in myself. At least I have the support of other people, but it’s hard to hear, “Your books are really good!” when the numbers don’t show the same. In fact, it almost makes those words hurt more. It makes me feel like, if I have good product, then I’m the reason that product is not selling.

I don’t know what the answer is. All I know is that I don’t feel like the optimist I used to. Hopefully it’s just a passing thing, but only time will tell.

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Finding a Publisher is Hard – That’s Why I’m Going to Try “Copy Write Consultants”

Finding a publisher is hard. I’ve been trying for months. But after reading some material online, I realize that I’ve been going about it all wrong! Finding an agent or a publisher is not like applying to a job. What I’ve discovered is that quality is far more important than quantity. Unlike applying to a hundred jobs with a generic resume and seeing what offer I get, the strategy with finding an agent or publisher seems to be more like submitting to just a select few publishers but making sure that the submitted content is absolutely what they are looking for.

In short, while I’ve made some discoveries along the way, I realize I still have a lot to learn. That is why I just agreed to work with a group called Copy Write Consultants. This company researches agents and publishers that would support my work, as well as edit my submission documents to fit what these agents are looking for.

Sounds good to me! This is exactly what I need help with!

The purpose of this blog post is two-fold. Not only is it to provide you all with an update of what is going on in my writing/publishing life, but I also intend to follow-up afterwards with a review of my experience with Copy Write Consultants. In researching them online, I found very few reviews even on their social media pages. Therefore, I want to at least help someone else in my position by putting up a public review of Copy Write Consultants online for someone to read after I’m done with their services.

I am optimistic and their website has some solid testimonials from authors whose names I later researched and looked up their books. Plus, I figure any help is useful when I am entering this experience with so little knowledge. All in all, I believe that working with this company will be a worthy investment.

Curious how it goes? Me too! Check back on this blog later on where I will share my experience with Copy Write Consultants and you can read my review all about them.

In the meantime, don’t forget to visit my library of self-published books on Amazon and support authors like me!

Until next time!

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The Reason for my Digital Absence

Worry not! I am still writing!

If you follow this blog regularly, you may wonder why I have taken a longer-than-normal absence. The reason for this absence is not because I haven’t been working on anything, but rather because I am trying to get my work traditionally published and I have intentionally chosen not to write too much about it.

Historically I have always self-published my books. However, I am currently working on a new project that I hope to publish the old-fashioned way. Because of this, I wanted to wait until more details were confirmed before reporting on what I have been up to.

While I am still searching for a publisher, I am happy to report that I am working on a medieval fantasy story. I do have a name picked out, but I want to wait until the book gets picked up before sharing details of the title. This medieval fantasy story is over halfway complete and will bounce between two parallel stories with two different protagonists.

The story has been fun to write. In particular, it is exciting to delve into a different genre. Not only is the medieval fantasy a new genre for me to write in, but there are heavy elements of YA and romance, both different sub-genres for me to work in.

The story has the potential (and intention) to be the first in a series where each book would be set in a different country. Writing a series is a lot of fun, particularly for the world-building components. World-building was certainly one of my favorite parts of writing the Color of Water and Sky series. I hope that this book gets picked up so that I can spread not only this story, but its potential sequels as well. It would be great to see this turn into a series!

I don’t know when I’ll be able to share much more, but know that right now I am working hard on this exciting medieval fantasy story. If/when I am ready to share more, you can be sure I will share it here on my blog!

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Radio Interview + My Start on Instagram

As mentioned in my previous post, I was on the radio! Since my brief radio appearance, I managed to obtain an mp3 of my segment of the show. I added subtitles and put it up on YouTube. You can now find my interview on YouTube for your listening pleasure.

You can find the YouTube video here:

In addition to my fun new YouTube video, I have also joined Instagram in an attempt to grow my followers and reach new audiences. I know NOTHING about Instagram and have solicited the help of my wife to help me figure out this daunting and complicated website.

Apparently Instagram holds the key to ultimate internet networking. Or so I’ve been repeatedly told.

You can find my Instagram page HERE or by searching for “thewritingrunner”.

Hopefully these two new endeavors will help me reach new audiences. I definitely need it since this month’s sales numbers have been abysmal. Here’s to hoping things turn around!

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Andrew Gates’s Brief Radio Appearance

Author Andrew Gates was on the radio! The big event happened on December 6th on UK radio. During my brief moment live on the air, I discussed my book, Iris, and the Color of Water and Sky series as a whole.

The entire radio appearance came together rather quickly. I found out about the available spot only a few days before I went on and only learned that I was confirmed to be on the air one day prior. While it came together quickly, I was happy and excited to be on the air and to inform listeners about my book.

Because I learned about it so quickly, I did not have time to promote the event on this blog. Rather, I made several posts about it on Twitter and Facebook to spread the news. That was the best I felt I could do with such short notice.

The host of the show, Ron, informed me that previous authors have seen an uptick in sales after going on the radio. Unfortunately, the time slot I got was for 11:15 pm in England. Being that it was 11:15 pm on a Sunday, I don’t expect a lot of people were staying up listening. Therefore, I did not notice any discernable peak in sales as a result of my radio stint. I assume these “other writers” must have had superior time-slots.

The good news is that the host, Ron, as well as the producer, were happy with my radio interview and said it went rather well. As a result, I have been invited to come back onto the show again in February. Hopefully I can get a better slot when I return in February and more people will hear my interview.

In the meantime, I am trying to get the interview in an mp3 file that I can share. I hope to have something sharable uploaded to YouTube on Wednesday. If all goes well, I will have a link available to listen to the interview at that time. Stay tuned!

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Why Kangblabla! Makes the Perfect Christmas Gift

Books can be a tough gift to give people.

Liking a genre is not enough to mean that person will like any given book in that genre. If someone likes romance, for instance, there are thousands of romance books to pick from. You have to know what it is specifically that person likes about each book and why. And even if you get that much right, a lengthy series can prove to be a waste if the person receiving the gift turns out not to like the series. It is safer to go with a single book, but how do you find a single standalone book when so many modern books are designed as a series these days?

Enter: Kangblabla!

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First of all, I want to clarify that this is not for everyone, but so long as this person fits the general mold, you should be alright. Kangblabla! offers the type of raunchy comedy found in TV shows like Family Guy or It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, set in a futuristic Star Trek-esque setting. If this sounds a lot like Futurama or Rick and Morty, then you’re right on the money. Basically if you know someone who A) reads books and, B) likes programs like Futurama, then it’s a pretty safe bet that they will enjoy Kangblabla!

Do you have that person in mind? Perfect. That’s all you need.

Here is why I think Kangblabla! makes a great gift.

It’s cheap! Coming in at $6.99, it is an easy last-minute side gift or stocking stuffer. The price easily undercuts most other books on the market.It’s visually fun! Part of giving a gift is presenting the item and its packaging. The colorful and silly visuals on the cover art make it a fun and exciting gift to receive and will have people talking.It’s a quick read! Instead of risking it with a lengthy series that they may or may not read, this book is a quick 159 pages in length.Multiple stories means something for everyone! The book, Kangblabla!, is a collection of five silly science-fiction stories and each story is written in a very different style, pace and tone. Therefore if one story is not quite for them, they are bound to like another!

So what do you say? A simple $6.99 purchase could prove to be your wisest gift this season.

Click HERE to purchase Kangblabla!

Andrew Gates – No New Releases for Rest of 2020

In past years, I strove to release new content around the holidays. It’s a big time for people looking for something to read while not working and also a time when many receive E-Readers as gifts. For that reason, I have often taken advantage of of the increased exposure to Kindle that happens on Christmas day and the days following by releasing something new. You may remember, for example, that last year I released Apex Predator in time for the holidays.

Christmas still holds the record for the single biggest day of Kindle Unlimited page reads I have ever had.

This year, however, I have nothing coming out around this time. In fact, I am done with writing for now. With four books released in 2019 (Battle Planet, Seas of the Red Star, The Daltus Conspiracy and Apex Predator), and then two books released in 2020 (Return to Red One and Atlantia), plus my first audiobook (Descent), I feel a bit worn out.

That’s not to say there aren’t going to be more books. There sure are! I have ideas for projects that I may or may not work out including one rather lengthy medieval fantasy series, a sequel/prequel to Battle Planet, and a follow-up to my comedy book, Kangblabla!, that I would call Another Intergalactic Adventure (all I’ve planned out is the title so far). All or none of these ideas might see the light of day. I cannot promise anything. For now, I am only minorly outlining things and have not put a concerted effort into any of the aforementioned possible new books.

But like I said, eventually I will have a clearer direction of my next step and the future. But for now, this is the first time I can remember where I have no definitive next project either in the works or that I intend to work on next.

I am fully aware that the best way to sell old books is to release new books. This is something that I have noticed whenever I come out with something new. But for now, I will just have to rely on my now-rather-extensive library to sell itself. I am also hoping to increase traffic to my YouTube channel in hopes that attention on YouTube will drive traffic to my books.

In the meantime, if you are a fan of The Color of Water and Sky or other books by me, you can take the time to catch up on some of my other books you have not yet read. They’re all good!

Descent Audiobook Preview now on YouTube

A preview for the Descent audiobook is now up on YouTube. The preview is divided into two parts. The first part includes all of Chapter One and the second part includes the beginning of Chapter Two. Since the second chapter is over 40 minutes long, I decided only to include the first few minutes.

Descent tells the harrowing tale of one girl’s journey to an artificial city deep within the Atlantic to flee a global war that threatens to destroy the planet’s surface.

These two videos add to my ever-expanding collection on The Color of Water and Sky YouTube channel. It is exciting to see the channel grow with more and more videos over the years. The channel is now up to 16 videos and features a wide variety of content: book trailers, book reviews, book commercials, behind-the-scenes commentary, silly videos, and now audiobook samples.

This new audiobook preview is intended to be a way to introduce new readers to the product, not as a substitute for purchasing the book. That is why I am only releasing the first 13 minutes of the story on YouTube. To hear the rest of the story, listeners will have to visit a number of other sources.

You can find the FULL story at any of the links below:

Amazon: https://tinyurl.com/yydk65sf

iTunes: https://tinyurl.com/y5s2gxdo

Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/y2m5tfc3