Greg Hamerton's Blog, page 5

Top Ten Fantasy on Kindle; and what it means to Fantasy Writers

If you're looking for the best fantasy novels for the Amazon Kindle a good place to start is the Amazon Kindle Fantasy Bestseller lists. These rankings are fast-moving, but today shows:

1. A Dance with Dragons (Ice & Fire: Book 5) George R.R. Martin, $14.99

2. A Game of Thrones (Ice & Fire: Book 1) George R.R. Martin, $8.99

3. A Storm of Swords (Ice & Fire: Book 3) George R.R. Martin, $8.99

4. A Clash of Kings (Ice & Fire: Book 2) George R.R. Martin, $8.99

5. A Feast for Crows (Ice & Fire: Book 4) George R.R. Martin, $8.99

7. A Game of Thrones (4-Book Bundle) George R.R. Martin, $29.99

6. Wicked (Celestra Series Book 4) Addison Moore, $2.99

8. Taming Fire (The Dragonprince Trilogy) Aaron Pogue, $0.99

9. The Kinshield Legacy (The Kinshield Saga) K.C. May, $0.99

10. Wizard's First Rule (The Sword of Truth) Terry Goodkind, $2.99

So Kindle fantasy is totally dominated by George R.R. Martin's Song of Ice and Fire series. This demonstrates the massive marketing power of the TV tie-in. If you didn't know, HBO has just run the acclaimed first season of Game of Thrones on TV worldwide, with a second season planned for 2012. All his books are priced high, AND Book 4 and 5 are rated mediocre by readers. Yet 3 starred $14.99 Book 5 is currently the bestseller. What's the gist of the story? It's epic fantasy in an invented world. Gritty adult themes, with violence, vulgarity, and intrigue, but essentially, it's all about a political power struggle between families.

#6 is Addison Moore's young adult paranormal romance series, fairly priced at $2.99 for +-200 pages, rated above 4 stars by readers. She's been a self-publishing powerhouse since March 23, releasing a short book every two months. This seems to have built momentum. When you consider that all her books combined don't yet equal the wordcount of one George R.R. Martin book, she's getting paid more for her words and has less chance of being fatigued or fatiguing her readers by developing rambling 1000 page epic books that go nowhere. Clever lady. Great to see an indie right up there. I hope the magic of the bestseller lists lasts for her.

#8 is Aaron Pogue's high fantasy coming-of-age about a young boy who has a tough life as a beggar and gets a chance to learn wizardry, but is framed for murder and then hunted. At +-330 pages it's really cheap at $0.99, with a poorly designed cover that doesn't make it jump out of the list, but the writing is rated above 4 stars, so readers like it. It's another indie list-breaker, demonstrating the guerrilla strategy of rock-bottom pricing available to new authors going through Kindle Direct Publishing.

#9 is KC May's heroic fantasy about a kingless kingdom in decline. At $0.99 for +- 400 pages, this is really really cheap considering the length (my feeling is a fair price would be at least $3.99). This book started life six years ago at Archebooks with an awful cover but is now self-published with a professional cover (good move KC, outsourced to the designer who does Daniel Arenson's books). It's rated above 4 stars by readers. What's it about? A ruffian of a hero solves the puzzle of the talisman and will be the next King of the realm, unless he can find a replacement. A number of people are trying to track down this future king, each with their own agenda. Sounds traditional but interesting. If you pop over to her website there's a sample that will engage you with a cheeky, light-hearted writing style. It would be my choice from the top 10 right now. At $0.99 you hardly have to think about the purchase.

At #10, Terry Goodkind offers the equivalent of 770 pages for $2.99, a heroic fantasy in an invented world. Primarily about a quintessential orphaned 'hero' and his intensely moral female counterpart who attempt to save the world from ruin. An enjoyable classic that begins well with a good magic system and some cracking combat, becomes a bit tiresome, moralistic and unbelievable later in the series. Selling better than I'd expect, may be due to the low price. It has the most brilliant title: Wizard's First Rule … it's automatically intriguing. You want to know what the rule is, and if you have any interest in magic (i.e. all fantasy readers) you have to buy the book to find out.

Rough analysis: I'd say this shows that in fantasy, readers want a good series or continuing world. Nothing weird or wacky, just stories that fit well into the fantasy genre. And ignoring those authors who have the benefit of a sales team led by Sean Bean, it shows that Kindle fantasy readers care more about what the story is, than the length of it, maybe because the size isn't immediately obvious. In the end, what matters is a good tale.

But fame and a good marketing team can cast a glamour on some books and induce people to buy the same thing for three times the price.

Win the new fantasy series for your Kindle!

Get both books in The Tale of the Lifesong fantasy series by Greg Hamerton in time for Christmas.

Enter the competition and you could win the digital version of The Riddler's Gift and Second Sight!

The digital version is designed for your Kindle, iPad, iPhone, tablet, or PC. Simply join my mailing list and you'll be entered in the draw. I'll also email you the Extended Cut of both books in the Tale of the Lifesong fantasy series with a 5% discount voucher.

The competition closes 15th December at 12h00. You can enter from anywhere in the world.

One entry per person, random draw, one winner.

Win signed fantasy books!

Get the first and second book in The Tale of the Lifesong fantasy series in time for Christmas. In print. For free!

You could win signed copies of this growing fantasy story by giving it a thumbs up on Facebook. Simply click LIKE on the pages for The Riddler's Gift and Second Sight, then write a word or two on the wall so I can count you in.

The competition closes on the 30th November 2011.

You can enter from anywhere in the world.

It's a random draw from the wall, with one winner.

Go on, it's as easy as raising your thumb! Twice!

Win a signed fantasy book!

Get the first book in The Tale of the Lifesong fantasy series sent to your friend in the UK in time for Christmas.

By entering the competition you could win a free signed copy of The Riddler's Gift for a friend! Simply join my mailing list and you'll be entered in the draw. You'll also get the Extended Cut of both books in the Tale of the Lifesong fantasy series with a 5% discount voucher.

The competition closes 15th December 2011 at 12h00. You can enter from anywhere in the world, but due to international postage costs, the friend you nominate to receive the book must be in the UK.

One entry per person, random draw, one winner.

Writing fantasy in the digital age

How does an epic fantasy come into being? What is it like writing fantasy? And how have things changed in the digital age? I recently chatted with South African speculative fiction writer Cristy Zinn about such things. You can check the original interview out on cristyzinn.com. Aside from the blog, where she writes about her experiences as a growing writer, the website includes a small collection of her novels and stories, free to download.

Thanks to Cristy for some stimulating questions about the art of fantasy writing in the digital age.

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Tell us a little about your Lifesong series, w here did the idea originate?

Some music has an overwhelming beauty; I'll hear it and it changes me. I wanted to understand what that beauty was, and why it is important to our spirits. So Tabitha discovers the Lifesong, and begins to explore the mystery of the essence of music, and the world around her begins to change. I set this in a classic fantasy realm, divided on a familiar dark vs light struggle, but Tabitha's magic will reveal much much more.

What is the basic premise of each book?

I know this probably breaks some sort of Writing School Law, but I didn't have one, other than that I wanted to immerse myself in the magic of this altered world I could sense was there. I'm not a moralising author, I don't construct the book to make some great point or instruct my readers in How They Ought To Live Their Lives. I wrote to explore the beauty of music, and to paint with words and to coax a world of visions to life. I'm basically optimistic about human nature so my fantasy, although having dark shadows, will always have an uplifting message, but beyond that there is no obvious premise. I like readers to discover their own insights by observing the interaction of the characters and the magic.

Which of your characters was your favorite to write and why?

Zarost, the Riddler, because he will always find the humour in a situation, and he allows me to observe a scene upside-down. He reminds me of my father – when he answered my questions about the world, he was always wise, but I often couldn't tell if he was pulling my leg or being serious.

What is it about Fantasy that fascinates you enough to want to write it?

Some part of me still believes that we are all capable of being magicians, and that the secret is just out of reach of our daytime consciousness. This kind of thinking doesn't survive in the cold hard light of logic and reason, but I'm fascinated by the idea of magic, the kind where consciousness affects reality. I think about it a lot, I really enjoy reading about it; I love writing it.

Once you have an idea how do you go about putting it to paper? What is your writing process like?

Like George RR Martin, I'm a gardener as opposed to an architect. I find it hard to plan the future of people I don't yet know (my characters). So I plant a seed, and nurture it, and explore. The whole series is a discovery, and that keeps me excited. When I started writing I had the luxury of a few years of 10-hour writing days, 5 days a week. Even so, I averaged about 2000 words a day, with some days lost to puzzled moments picking at plotknots. More recently I had to change to stolen hours 5-7am or during a commute. This requires much more dedication to block out the world and get into the story. It's easier for me now because the years of full-time writing have developed the ability to flick the switch … it's a kind of magic . In the beginning, writing full-length fiction in this 'stolen moment' fashion might have simply been too hard.

Has writing always been a natural inclination for you?

I suppose so, but I never considered it as a career, because it was never really presented as a viable career path when I was at school. Now I know why! Any responsible teacher cannot encourage you to do this as a sensible way of supporting yourself. It isn't a job, it's a calling, or an art.

What advice would you give to young/new Fantasy and Science-Fiction authors in South Africa?

Set your life up so that you can afford to write without earning any money from it. The commercial success of your writing needs to be an independent bonus. From what I can see, it takes a very long time to develop a writing career. The lack of money will do your head in after a few years. Find a second string to your bow, something that you like doing that earns money now, focus on that first then slowly introduce a wedge of writing time into your working life. Yeah, I know it's good advice I didn't follow – I was so consumed by the wonder of writing that I just leapt in and wrote fantasy full time for years. Deliciously defiant financial suicide.

You are one of those modern writers who have embraced the digital publishing industry. Was this an easy transition for you?

You play to your strengths – I've got an IT degree. A website/blog is a useful place to display my books and to offer readers a glimpse 'behind the scenes', but I don't think it's vital for selling books and it's easy to be fooled into blogging instead of writing. I don't think blogging (by fiction writers) generates enough new readers to justify the time spent on it, unless you're unusually talented at blogging. People don't buy direct from the author anyway, they buy from bookstores, amazon and online retailers. But digital is good news – with ebooks, everyone can get into the marketplace, thanks to systems like CreateSpace (offers some useful services), Kindle Direct and Smashwords. Digital publishing is much much easier than print publishing, and it is a different marketplace where an author's online presence can have a impact.

Do you think the digital publishing revolution has changed the way writers approach a story?

I can't comment on writers in general, but I don't think I will try to write in a different way because the story will be digital – readers still need a good story, which needs the same basic ingredients to work. But my approach to a new story has changed slightly – what I think works now is to write the first few chapters as a novella that goes out as a free ebook to get readers excited about the idea of the series / fall in love with the characters, and then you can sell the main story/series. So what used to be one book now needs a bit of restructuring to be a powerful short launch book and then the real story thereafter. The other thing that has changed is that I can try a totally whacky idea out, if I want to, and self-publish that digitally without any concern about the 'commercial publishers' turning their nose up at it. So digital is driving innovation. I think we'll see more imaginative writing being produced. It's a great time to be a writer.

Last Argument of Kings by Joe Abercrombie

Whatever it was that Mr A withheld in the second part of his dark heroic fantasy trilogy, he brings it back with tripled texterity. The magic is back! I was left a bit puzzled at the end of book 2, Before They Are Hanged, wondering if I had misjudged book 1, The First Law – was it really that good?
*****

Yes, it was! Logen is spectacular. What Mr A achieves here is worth emulating – he makes me care about this barbarian despite the awkward fact that even Logen can't deny – he is a killer. I don't like killers. Nobody does. But we really care about this guy. How does he do that? It seems that part of the art is withholding the truth about Logen's past, giving us glimpses that worsen through the tale, but never enough to overbalance the empathy that develops as we endure hardships with Logen. The crux of it is that Logen is trying to be better than he was. It's enlightening to learn how much one can forgive a man when is honestly trying. This only makes the horror of what he is and does more intense.

The humour is back: "Jezal sat in a haze of awkwardness, in a dreamlike silence, startling from time to time like a sick rabbit as a powdered footman blindsided him with vegetables." I giggled myself to tears. My fellow commuters looked on like sheep eyeing a naked farmer. He's gone mad – is he dangerous?

The characters all develop and (finally) assert their will: West comes into his power, Jezal too, despite the clear sense that all the lead characters are being carried along in events greater than themselves, they also begin to take command of their little patch, which is greatly satisfying to read. And this goes some way to explaining what was going on in terms of character development in book 2 – nothing.

The launch into the story world was expertly planned, and the conclusion was dazzling with a hell of a lot happening. The middle seemed, by comparison, to go nowhere. I was beginning to think that it may be better to take a story in a surprising direction in book 2 or simply eliminate the book altogether – if the plot goes up up and away and comes down with a crunch, we probably don't need much of the bit in between. But there seems to be a lesson for the characters and this reader in the rambling arc of the middle book – nothing seems to work out the way we want it to. We're all left feeling disappointed, which sets us up for the finale. I might have set the series aside, but I'm very glad I didn't.

Bayaz is the best wizard I have ever read of. In the Last Argument of Kings Mr A passes on a revelation about what the wizard was actually doing and the book suddenly came alive! Bayaz is cunning, terrifying, manipulative and untrustworthy, arrogant, too wise, inhumanly inspired, and his magic is more in politics than in spells, yet he doesn't shy away from destroying someone if he needs to. He is masterfully crafted, and this series is worth studying just for Bayaz alone. He is to be feared.

As the real battle begins in the North, Logen is in his element and the tension around him is incredible. The way the hard men fear and hate him, yet respect him gives you a hint of what he is capable of, yet you aren't shown the truth of it until you really need Logen to reveal his dark nature, and then there's this complicated resolution to events where Logen doesn't ever really save the day (but we want him to).

To write like this is a great achievement, in my opinion. Such despicable people, yet we care about their fortunes and want them to do right, in the end. It would be so easy to slip up in the telling, to lose the reader in a moment of revulsion and never regain the interest in the character. Mr A comes very close sometimes, so expect a bloody tale. But then the barbarian gets philosophical, and I'm speechless with respect for Logen (and his creator, back there in the shadows):

"You can have enemies you never really meet, Logen had plenty. You can kill men you don't know, he'd done it often. But you can't truly hate a man without loving him first, and there's always a trace of that love left over."

Five stars. Now sneak over to Joe Abercrombie's website and watch what he's up to. I know I'm going to. I just hope Bayaz doesn't (ever) notice me.

Before They Are Hanged by Joe Abercrombie

This is the second book in The First Law fantasy trilogy. The Dogman leads us into the sequel with a strong voice, and seems to have taken over from Logen Ninefingers as the issuer of pithy barbarian proverbs and gritty wit. The story runs fast in the style of the trilogy, where there are no heroes, just survivors, or rather people with a strong determination to not die.

Abercrombie's strength is his characterisation, and he delivers incisive insights into the nature of his ruffians and rogues which carry the story with wry humour. If you don't think too hard about it, the tale is a lot of fun, particularly for those who enjoy watching a good fight.

The first cracks in a potentially great fantasy series appear in the plotting. The questers go on a seemingly endless journey to 'find' the talisman for the wizard, but it becomes obvious that the wizard can't be trusted and will use the power for his own ends. At this point I'm asking myself "What is Logen's motivation to risk almost certain death and hardship?" The assassin Ferro Maljinn has even less motivation. She was hunted by the invincible Eaters at first, but they seem to have abandoned the chase entirely. She's been told she will get her revenge, but she's not that stupid to believe the wizard. None of them would repeatedly risk their life without being shown exactly what the quest was about. Maybe there were better motivations devised for the characters but they weren't obvious.

The conceited soldier Jezal gets some of the arrogance kicked out of him and so becomes more interesting, but he still lacks a compelling motivation for following the quest and any real ambition we can empathise with. Glokta, the crippled torturer, survives in a world of politics and subterfuge only by being clever. We feel his vulnerability, but I'm not rooting for him anymore, because he doesn't seem to have any ambition beyond survival.

There are bright instances of great descriptive writing: sharp, clean and evocative. But on the whole the crassness of the characters and the pointlessness of the quests, battles and political intrigue create a world that can become tiresome. The story lacks the magic of the first and leaves me thinking that the 'delightfully twisted and evil' review quote on the cover might be appropriate. It's still a good fantasy due to the arc from the first book and my hopes for the third, but the trail between them is bloody.

Before They Are Hanged: The First Law: Book Two

Wormworld – an exceptional new fantasy saga

Being an indie artist is tough, especially when combining a new fantasy saga with detailed illustration to create a graphic novel. While researching the background for my recent review of the indie science fiction graphic novel Genecy, I encountered Daniel Lieske's Wormworld saga … and fell entirely down the rabbit hole.

I'm not going to spoil the story by reviewing it here … I'd recommend you visit wormworldsaga.com and let it speak for itself.

The art reminds me of the Brothers Hildebrandt's early fantasy art, but done with a dazzling control of light, a refreshing sense of wonderment and a special magic that reveals the power of the digital display.

Five cheers to Daniel Lieske! He's been very brave to completely embrace the concept of FREE ONLINE distribution (follow the links, you'll get the story) and he is relying on the kindness of the human spirit to fund his project via fan donations on his website via Paypal (or pricey signed prints). For the next 13 days he's trying to raise funds to make the App, in the hope that will fund his dream of creating full-time. If anyone deserves a break, it's this guy and his young hero, Jonas. Go on, see the story on his website, pledge something and make this fantasy come alive!

 

 

Making your own light-sabre might not cut it

I received a copy of Genecy from the author, Gerald Cooper. It's a new science fiction graphic novel. I don't ordinarily review indie comics; I tend to study mainstream fantasy novels and analyse the strengths and weaknesses of a story from a writer's point of view. I'm interested in stories that ignite awe or can teach me something about storytelling. I make an exception in this case because this publication highlights just how hard it is to get a new science fiction story off the ground if you do it on your own.

The story presents itself as hard action space fantasy. A feared and militaristic nation has oppressed the galaxy. They are in search of an ancient powerful artefact, but a broken soul seeking revenge finds it first. All good stock material for a violent retribution comic, which speaks to a young-and-restless part of the market.

The story gets up and running fast with a prison escape, but it is tripped up by passive voice writing ['forces are traded between vicious warriors'], errors in fact ['we were too heavy to make the atmosphere' beside a ship clearly off the surface - the atmosphere begins at the surface of a planet] and unclear writing with mixed metaphors and spelling errors [grievous, not greivous]. When there are so few words in print, there's no excuse for poor proofreading.

At one point, the hero Kaizaxx is overwhelmed by the magical influence of the key he was given, and when he recovers from his temporary insanity he sees the mythical Dome of Ragnirok but the text suggests he 'bears witness to a site' (meaning provides evidence for a place) instead of 'witnesses a sight' (meaning he saw something). The demon calls him a yokesack (a bag draped over the necks of two oxen?) when meaning yolksack. Unfortunate errors, easily corrected.

Concerning the writing style, the impartial narrative voice of the author distances us from the story. For instance, it is written 'he then ponders on what happened to these warriors' instead of 'what happened to these warriors?' as a thought bubble.

In places the colourist does a brilliant job (the explosion of the escape ship, and whenever muted tones are used) but in places the colours are overdone and garish (mostly when neon pink, mauve and red are used, as in the cover). The characters have a digitised unreality in places, in others are drawn really well, creating an uneven reading experience. The main character's face seems to change beyond the limits of expressional shifts. Occasional poor typography, particularly near the beginning, adds to the jumbled impression that suggests the artwork has come from different sources and styles, a collaborative production built up over time.

These are basic storytelling and art direction errors that underline a classic mistake of self-publishing. Because the budget is limited, no money is spent on an independent editor, so story and artwork that could be improved is included. By doing so, the self-publisher limits the impact of the end-product and makes it even harder to sell and to continue with the series. But the self-published / indie author often works in a vacuum where there is no access to professional critiques or guidance, or they simply won't accept hard criticism because it's in the nature of independent thinkers to 'publish it myself anyway, and show the critics they are wrong'. It's that defiant streak that gives self-publishers the determination and perseverance required to get the publication into the market, despite the many obstacles or indeed, their relevance.

Genecy #1 is the start of a series. If it doesn't really blow everyone's socks off, the whole series is doomed. You have to put your best work up front. I get the impression that this could have been a lot more, but it can't be a commercial success in its present form. Make no mistake, these guys are dedicated to their craft and have tried really hard, it's just that the final product lacks the commercial polish that a publisher would bring to it, which is a pity.

The production does show promise for the individual creatives though. There are some moments of great mood. The artwork is particularly good at conveying moments of scale, odd perspective, and brooding macabre spaces. It also includes some wonderful lighting effects and glowing mists. The layout of chapter two is great, with visual appeal and variation making it interesting.

The rendering of the god Raknirok and his voice is great, as are certain pieces like ancient warriors emerging from the inscribed walls. The story reaches a climax of artistic cohesion near the end, then … ends. That's it. The character has been presented to the world, but without a clear idea of what his new incarnation wants (and if the original character even exists anymore) I'm not motivated to continue the story.

That highlights the problem of the indie graphic novelist. One issue alone is such a big creation, involving a writer, penciller, colourist and designer, and printing in full colour is expensive, especially in a short run. Hence it's only available from a POD website. For the team to get anywhere, the story has to really SELL.

It puts immense pressure on the writer's story-telling ability, to get it all done in a few short pages. As such, Cooper does a good job of presenting a troubled character in a mythic playing field, but he needs to develop his writing more with the help of an editor before committing money to get artists involved. The premise of a tortured slave seeking vengeance on his merciless oppressors failed to connect with me, because the enemy seemed to be the whole human-like race (the Grunnon), which suggests an adventure in genocide.

The team, as Invision Comics, are trying to collect money on the creative funding site kickstarter.com to produce Issue #2, but Genecy can only only ride on the momentum of the readership generated in Issue #1. I'd suggest they polish that until it shines then reissue it for free to build a fanbase. After a few hundred thousand downloads, produce Issue #2 for the iPad to the clamouring fans. Eventually, the project might break even and some galactic credits might roll back to the creators.

Which just goes to show, it's a long long journey to release a successful science fiction story, particularly in the graphic novel format. Genecy is a brave attempt to blast a new legend into being, but it 'won't reach the atmosphere' until the ship is engineered to reach the stars.

How much editing is too much?

I've read some beautiful fantasy stories written in strange ways. I think that if the story is great, readers care less about odd grammar and minor typos.

Surely it's important have a clear voice, but how long should one spend chasing the lost apostrophes in a 650 page epic fantasy novel? Sometimes you need a stray one to fix a wasnt.

It's possible to become obsessed with making the perfect product, but the premise and style will make or break a fantasy book (see Great ideas sell fantasy books). I've spent months editing a manuscript, used a professional editor and a second proofreader and still ended up with typos. Typos in my own books drive me nuts, yet no readers have commented on them (yet! Go on, there's one over there… but you won't find it in the ebook any more).

When I worked on The Riddler's Gift and Second Sight, I became obsessed with editing because there was a traditional print run involved, so there was no opportunity to change the words after publication. In the brand new world of fantasy ebooks, it makes sense to limit the editing to a good final draft and put it into the market to see if the story itself is attractive enough to justify professional copy-editing.

If it starts selling in significant numbers (thousands), the story earns the budget for some obsessing to make a second edition. For self-published or small independent publications, that may well be the point where it gets snapped up by a large commercial publisher anyway. As errors are discovered, the corrections can be incorporated into updates. This strategy of releasing improved editions is quite normal in non-fiction, but is a fairly new idea for novels.

The flaw in this kind of thinking is that as a writer, I can't release a new fantasy novel in the first place until it's as good as I can make it. You will always get my best work because I care too much about the story to let it go to the ball in dirty clothes. But as the price of digital content falls, there is ever greater pressure to leave an inch or two of the ballroom floor unpolished.

What keeps the floor shining is the fact that as more readers and authors switch to digital, the advantage lies with books of high quality: it's the only way to stand out in a market absolutely flooded with content. Your book has to be exceptional, which means applying higher editorial standards than ever before. High-quality ebooks are produced most efficiently by writers who don't need editing in the first place.

I think editing fiction as a discrete job will become obsolete as the industry of agents, publishers, distributors and bookstores collapses around a simple business model: Authors – Amazon – Readers. In this chain, the readers will set the standards. Exceed their expectations for a given price, and you can shoot straight to the top. Due to low prices, exceptional ebooks have the potential to be supersellers. The average ebook contains something like middle-grade English and more than a few typos. Writing significantly above that standard will lift you out of the masses, so edit until you really believe your story is perfect.

May the best writer win.