S.L. Rowland's Blog, page 6

Free Ebook- Vestiges: Portal to the Apocalypse

Thank you for taking the time to check out my book. Vestiges was the first novel I ever wrote. Long before I ever thought becoming a full-time author was a reality, I sat in a basement on a mountaintop in East Tennessee and wrote the first draft of what was then called Land of the Dogs. That book is nothing like the novel you are about to read, and for that, I am thankful.

Just like the undead that roam the pages of this story, Vestiges refused to die. I wrote several novels after that one. I even had some success, but the idea for this story just stuck with me. My writing had improved so much from when I first penned it that I wanted to take another shot at doing it right. I wanted to make it the story that I saw in my head. Authors are often advised to not go back to their older work. Always forward, never backward. But I’m stubborn and I don’t listen, so I reworked Land of the Dogs into Vestiges.
I added in some elements to the story to make it fit my brand, making it feel more like Resident Evil than the desolate wasteland that it was. The story got better, but it lost a big part of what made it special to me. So I went back and reworked it again. This is Vestiges: Portal to the Apocalypse, and this is what I always dreamed it would be.

When you’re finished, please leave a review. That’s the best way for authors to gauge if a book deserves an audiobook or a sequel. This is a complete story, but if you want to see more of Theo, Isabelle, Hope, and the others, then make your voice heard. I’ll be listening.



Download your free copy today!

Ace Comiccon Midwest

I’m excited to announce that I will be having a booth at the Ace Comiccon Midwest in Chicago from October 11-13th. There is an awesome guest list and this will be my first time having a booth at a convention.

https://www.acecomiccon.com/sl-rowland.html

I’ll have signed paperbacks, art prints, stickers, and possibly shirts. I can’t wait to meet some of you awesome people and see what Chicago is all about. If you’re going to be there, drop a comment or send me a message if you want me to bring anything in particular.

More Artwork!

Chod and Pressley the Death Knight

I’m loving all this custom artwork, thanks in part to my generous Patreon supporters.

Sentenced to Troll 2- Audio

Hold on to your loincloths! This one is a hell of a ride.

Berserker Rage Commission

I had this beautiful piece of Chod going into a Berserker Rage commissioned for Patreon and now I’m happy to share it with the rest of the world. It’s amazing seeing him imagined in a different style than the covers. The background is top notch as well, showing some of the magical plants of the troll forest. I can’t wait to get more of these done.

What do you think? Which characters would you like to see next? Personally, I’m looking forward to Taryn and Gord in his skull armor.

Sentenced to Troll Paperbacks available on Amazon

Click the link below to find them on Amazon. I will also be offering signed paperbacks through Patreon in July. I may even do a deal where if you support $50 for the month, you get both Series.

Sentenced to Troll Paperbacks Coming Soon

I’ve ordered proof copies to make sure everything looks nice. If everything checks out, they should be available for sale on Amazon next week. Signed paperbacks will be available on Patreon in July.

What does a 3-star review mean to an author?

3-star reviews. In theory, they mean that a story is good. You liked it, maybe it had some issues, but overall it was an enjoyable story. On sites like Goodreads, this is exactly what it means. Their rating system is as follows:

1 star. “didn’t like it”

2 stars. “it was ok”

3 stars “liked it”

4 stars “really liked it”

5 stars “it was amazing” 

It’s pretty straightforward and easy to interpret. Unfortunately, Amazon doesn’t play by the same rules. A 3-star review on Amazon can bury your favorite author’s works, hurting both ranking and sales. Take a look at what fellow authors Blaise Corvin and Cory Gaffner have to say on the subject.

How book reviews on Amazon work

L,DR, 3-star reviews on Amazon = bad. 
Don’t believe me?  Look at “critical reviews” on Amazon.  They begin at 3 stars.

—————–

I was just reminded today that every other person in the world isn’t intimately familiar with the Amazon-machine.

Whoops.

I’ve decided to make this blog post as something I (or others) can link in the future as a quick FYI to folks who may not understand the back-end reality of reviews on Amazon.  Some readers review books for years without ever knowing this stuff.  Many reviewers have in their minds how reviews /should/ work, while in reality what they are doing may be hurting their favorite authors.  If so, it’s an honest mistake.

Of course, if anyone understands/learns how reviews actually work and still choose to follow their own, lonesome dove-esque, me-against-the-world, this-is-how-it-should-be SOP, then that’s on them.

—————–

For this post, I’ve decided to borrow the words of another GameLit author, Cory Gaffner (author of Killdozer).  His Amazon page can be found here:  https://www.amazon.com/Cory-Gaffner/e/B077XNSLX3

Before I share his words, as a reminder, one of the very best ways a reader can show appreciation for a book they’ve enjoyed (other than having bought it) is to leave a review.  Honestly, even bad reviews can help other readers make educated purchases on books, but of course, good reviews will help a book reach more people.  Good reviews on Amazon also spin up the Amazon algorithm to push the system to share a book with more potential readers.

Throwing all subtlety out the window, I’ll just bluntly say that if you like my books, please leave reviews on everything I write. : )  Reviews are the lifeblood of every author’s career.

Anyway, on to what Cory said:

3-star Reviewers:
Be aware that a 3-star review is counted as a NEGATIVE on Amazon. If you DISLIKED my book, leave it a 3-star.
Here is how the rating system on Amazon actually works. This is my job, trust me on this one:

If you liked the book and will read the next one, then leave me a 5-star.
If you liked this book, but would not read the next one, then leave me a 4-star.
If you disliked this book and would not read the next one, then leave me a 3-star.
If you really hated it, then leave me a 2-star.
If you want my family to starve to death, and for me personally to die in a fire, then leave me a 1-star.

That’s how the Amazon rating system ACTUALLY works. If you have been leaving 3-star reviews for books you like, then you have been fucking over the author. Keep in mind if you aren’t accompanying the star-rating with a written review then you didn’t actually leave a review, and you can disregard what I said. Only written reviews are counted.

So there you have it, folks.  This is the reality of Amazon reviews, as known by every author making a living writing fiction, but especially indies.  Traditionally published authors can rely on blogs and other published reviews to help mitigate bad reviews on Amazon, but indies rarely have this sort of cushion.

That said, please remember to review the work of traditionally published authors you enjoy too.  As the world grows more digital and more readers embrace e-books, online reviews become increasingly important.

Sentenced to Troll 2 available now!

Big, blue, and ugly. Who says a troll can’t be the hero?

Chad’s thirty-day sentence may be over, but his trolling has just begun. Forsaking his old ways, he fully embraces a future as Chod, the hero of the forest trolls.

But life in Isle of Mythos isn’t easy for the barbarian summoner. Chod has angered more than one felon on his quest to save his people from extinction, and they’ve sworn vengeance. With a target on his back, Chod is about to find out how difficult the world can be for a hero that looks like a monster.

Free and $.99 LitRPG/Gamelit Starter Library Extravaganza!

Hey guys and gals! I’ve partnered up with some really awesome LitRPG and Gamelit authors to bring you an amazing deal on 15 first in series books that are either free or priced at $.99 for the next three days, April 18th-21st. And for you audiobook lovers, if you pick up the ebook at a discount, then you can get the audio for around $7.

My very own, Pangea Online is available for $.99

Check it out here!

Void Legion- Terry C. Simpson: Free

Oblivion- Jaeger Mitchells: Free

Dragon Seed- James Osiris Baldwin: Free

The Feedback Loop Boxset- Harmon Cooper: $.99

The Barrow King- C.M. Carney: $.99

Accidental Thief- Jamie Davis: $.99

Arcane Kingdom Online- Jakob Tanner: $.99

Pangea Online: Death and Axes- S.L. Rowland: $.99

Ruins of Majesta- Taj Mccoy El: $.99

Puatera Online Box Set- Dawn Chapmen: Free

Endless Online- M.H. Johnson: $.99

Deck of Souls- Bonnie L. Price: $.99

Party Hard- David Petrie: $.99

World Tree Online- E.A. Hooper: $.99

Somnia Online- K.T. Hanna: $.99

So many amazing books that it’s hard to choose just one. So don’t, pick them all up today!

Note: Most of these are only on sale in the US and UK.