Aaron Polson's Blog, page 21
September 1, 2011
The August "Big Experiment" Report
My August ebook sales eclipsed my previous record by at least 52 books*, powered by a strong showing from We are the Monsters after the price increased from free to $0.99. As I said before, I won't be retiring soon on these numbers, but I sold 227 books* in August. In the past ten days, I've sold more than the entire month of July. No complaints, really--I've been selling 10-15 books a day for the past week and a half.
Granted, most of my sales were for $0.99 books. Much has been said about this lowly price point, so I won't rehash. What I've learned so far:
A Feast of Flesh sold 14 copies (burning up the charts, baby), at $0.99 while These Darkened Streets sold 6 at $1.99
at that rate, A Feast of Flesh earned $0.70 more; I've lowered These Darkened Streets to $0.99 in September to see what happens
I write in a genre which doesn't sell as well as Thrillers, Mysteries, Romance, and Erotica
Most of my books are story collections, which, in general, don't sell all that well, either
but seven different ebooks sold in double figures
I'm still happy with every dime I make selling ebooks
What I plan to do in September:
experiment with price a bit more: raise The House Eaters to $2.99 and see what happens by the end of the month
release a novella for $0.99
repackage Black Medicine Thunder as Sons of Chaos Book 1 (since book 2, The Desert Dead, is coming to Red Penny Papers in October--squee!)
prepare for October, which I hope can be a good month (um, Halloween)
That's the report as I see it.
Thanks for reading.
*I'm not sure how many copies of We are the Monsters were "paid" until I receive my monthly report; my estimate is low
Granted, most of my sales were for $0.99 books. Much has been said about this lowly price point, so I won't rehash. What I've learned so far:
A Feast of Flesh sold 14 copies (burning up the charts, baby), at $0.99 while These Darkened Streets sold 6 at $1.99
at that rate, A Feast of Flesh earned $0.70 more; I've lowered These Darkened Streets to $0.99 in September to see what happens
I write in a genre which doesn't sell as well as Thrillers, Mysteries, Romance, and Erotica
Most of my books are story collections, which, in general, don't sell all that well, either
but seven different ebooks sold in double figures
I'm still happy with every dime I make selling ebooks
What I plan to do in September:
experiment with price a bit more: raise The House Eaters to $2.99 and see what happens by the end of the month
release a novella for $0.99
repackage Black Medicine Thunder as Sons of Chaos Book 1 (since book 2, The Desert Dead, is coming to Red Penny Papers in October--squee!)
prepare for October, which I hope can be a good month (um, Halloween)
That's the report as I see it.
Thanks for reading.
*I'm not sure how many copies of We are the Monsters were "paid" until I receive my monthly report; my estimate is low
August 31, 2011
WIP Wednesday: The Reason for my Mad, Mad Summer
I spent the summer in feverish home improvement because, yes, we're having another baby.
No, we don't know the gender (nor do we find out--few surprises hold so much joy in our world).
Yes, I'm excited and scared and happy and nervous and...
You fill in the blank.
End of line.
No, we don't know the gender (nor do we find out--few surprises hold so much joy in our world).
Yes, I'm excited and scared and happy and nervous and...
You fill in the blank.
End of line.
August 30, 2011
Wanted: Personal Assistant
Well, not really, because I would have to pay and/or feed and clothe him/her.
But I need some organization in my writing life.
I hit 40K on The House, my as-yet-untitled WIP and would like to finish sometime in September. I'm editing a novella about a boy and his monster (a flesh-consuming, not-quite-vampire). I have ideas in place (and a few words) for a sci-fi noir. Have I mentioned the new ending and revisions to Borrowed Saints? What about the Halloween ghost story I'd like to have done and released in October? The story seed for a mutant anthology now open for submissions?
Ack!
Not to mention my life is going to change--drastically--in December.
More soon.
Promise.
But I need some organization in my writing life.
I hit 40K on The House, my as-yet-untitled WIP and would like to finish sometime in September. I'm editing a novella about a boy and his monster (a flesh-consuming, not-quite-vampire). I have ideas in place (and a few words) for a sci-fi noir. Have I mentioned the new ending and revisions to Borrowed Saints? What about the Halloween ghost story I'd like to have done and released in October? The story seed for a mutant anthology now open for submissions?
Ack!
Not to mention my life is going to change--drastically--in December.
More soon.
Promise.
August 29, 2011
The Power of Anonymous
Traditional wisdom dictates a writer shouldn't respond to reviews, positive or negative. I agree, however, we now live and work in a world of instant reviews from a wide array of unqualified sources. I'm not suggesting the "reviewer" who left the following "review" of The Bottom Feeders (the free edition, FYI) at Barnes & Nobel was unqualified:
Total BS
Remember when I wrote a post about all reviews being equal on the internet? Well, I rescind part of my statement. Anonymous reviews are more equal than others.
(By the way, Anon, you forgot the apostrophe before the second 's' on the possessive "schoolers"; just saying you might want to pay more attention in ELA class. I haven't even mentioned comma use...but that would just be snarky.)
Total BS
Each story was crap, the mere idea this is thought of horror is a joke, and frankly free or not it's a horrid read. The plot of each story is crude and the endings are rushed leaving you feel like you just read a middle schoolers ELA story.
Gee, thanks anonymous. Oh, I'm sorry, Anonymous. It is your proper name.Remember when I wrote a post about all reviews being equal on the internet? Well, I rescind part of my statement. Anonymous reviews are more equal than others.
(By the way, Anon, you forgot the apostrophe before the second 's' on the possessive "schoolers"; just saying you might want to pay more attention in ELA class. I haven't even mentioned comma use...but that would just be snarky.)
August 26, 2011
Five Question Friday: James Everington
Five questions with James Everington:What is the hardest part of being a writer?It's all quite easy apart from the damn words...
What is on the floor of your bedroom?My lazy cat, normally.
What is your favorite kind of cheese?A proper Cropwell Bishop Stilton
If you couldn't write, how would you spend the time you now use for writing? Bitching about writers, probably.
What is your perfect Sunday?
Coffee & fry up
Write for the length of time it takes to play She Hangs Brightly by Mazzy Star, Giant Steps by The Boo Radleys, and Highway 61 by Bob Dylan
Coffee and sit outside reading good book
Start cooking curry from scratch
Drink nice Bitter for majority of lengthy curry cooking and eating process
Zzzzz.
Find James Everington online:
Blog: http://www.jameseverington.blogspot.com/Amazon US: http://www.amazon.com/The-Other-Room/dp/B004Z1CUN0/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1304533999&sr=8-2Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Other-Room/dp/B004Z1CUN0/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1304533999&sr=8-2Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/69127
August 24, 2011
WIP Wednesday: Wednesday, Bloody Wednesday
I quizzed my students about horror yesterday as a lead in to our study of Beowulf. I asked them to list, and rank-order, the top five elements they expect to see in a horror movie or read in a story.
The answers were telling--and somewhat funny: sex, darkness, dark scenery, fornication, death, nudity, scary music, stupidity... One group even mentioned "creepy-ass-mofos".
Okay...
All but one group included blood as the first item on their list. This speaks to the kind of movies they're used to watching, doesn't it? Would their be no Saw XVII without blood? Can there be a true horror story without blood?
I think so. Some of the best horror doesn't even play in the realm of blood. My "not-quite-haunted house" WIP doesn't have (much) blood, and I've been scaring my own pants off for weeks.
We'll see how readers feel later this year.
August 22, 2011
Give Fred a Day Off, He Comes Back with Vengeance
Fred, the moniker I've given my subconscious/muse, was stumped with my "not exactly a haunted house" book. I gave him the day off last week and wrote a little on a science fiction/future noir story I've been kicking around.
And then Fred came back from vacation, sipping a piña colada and wearing a vintage "I Survived the Orient Express"* t-shirt. His little imaginary head was filled to the brim with ideas for the house story (heretofore only known as "the house book").
He suggested several titles, too, some with "smoke" in them, others with "fog". The house, it seems, plays with those inside, toying with their memories.
Especially memories which elicit fear, sadness, or outright paranoia.
So... The House of Smoke and Fog?
Maybe.
It sounds a bit too much like The House of Sand and Fog, a much different story altogether.
Suggestions?
*The Orient Express was the bad-ass roller coaster at Worlds of Fun, a Kansas City amusement park, when I was a boy. It's gone now, but the memory remains.
And then Fred came back from vacation, sipping a piña colada and wearing a vintage "I Survived the Orient Express"* t-shirt. His little imaginary head was filled to the brim with ideas for the house story (heretofore only known as "the house book").
He suggested several titles, too, some with "smoke" in them, others with "fog". The house, it seems, plays with those inside, toying with their memories.
Especially memories which elicit fear, sadness, or outright paranoia.
So... The House of Smoke and Fog?
Maybe.
It sounds a bit too much like The House of Sand and Fog, a much different story altogether.
Suggestions?
*The Orient Express was the bad-ass roller coaster at Worlds of Fun, a Kansas City amusement park, when I was a boy. It's gone now, but the memory remains.
August 19, 2011
Five Question Friday: Kim Jewell
Today's Five Question Friday with Kim JewellWhat do you think makes a good story? To me, a story needs to be entertaining. I want to like the characters (good or bad) and lose myself in the plot line. Reading (as well as TV and movies) is an escape for me - I want to go on a journey or an adventure, be taken away from regular life. If I end up having to look up words or slog through unnecessary descriptions that take away from the story, I don't enjoy it.
Why are manhole covers round? Simple - beer bellies!
What is the last book you read? I just finished the Suzanne Collins trilogy, for the second time. (I like reading YA material to research for my own writing.)
What is on the floor of your bedroom? Aside from the usual (bed, dressers, TV stand...), there are three dog beds. One small one for our Cocker Spaniel, two large ones for our Great Danes.
If you could be a superhero, what would you want your superpowers to be? This one's easy - I hate traffic, so I'd want the ability to fly! Funny though, my Justice Series books are about teenage who come into superhero powers. So far none of them can fly - yet - though one of the teens has a pilot's license. (Not exactly what I meant by wanting to fly...)
Links to my books: Invisible Justice Amazon (US)
Amazon (UK)
Smashwords
Barnes & Noble
Brute Justice Amazon (US)
Amazon (UK)
Smashwords Barnes & Noble
Misery's Fire Amazon (US) Amazon (UK) Smashwords Barnes & Noble
Kim Jewell's blog: www.kimjewell.wordpress.com Follow Kim Jewell on Twitter: @kimjewell
August 18, 2011
August 17, 2011
WIP Wednesday: Second Lives
I wrote a little piece called "To Put Away Childish Things" a few years ago. It appeared in Kaleidotrope before the 'zine went digital, so I have a dead tree copy lying around somewhere. It's a strange little tale, but one which a reviewer mentioned seeing a novel based on the story's characters...
Well, I'm writing it. A novella, at least, one which I'm calling Skin Jobs (for now). But I'm starting where the story leaves us...
"That's him?" Tag called over his shoulder. "That's Santiago?"
The portly man stopped his climb and dabbed his forehead with a rag. "Yes. Hanging from the—"
"Cross."
"Huh?" The fat man's face twisted.
"It looks like a cross," Tag said. "Somebody's crucified the poor old bastard." Tag started down the debris pile, his heavy synth boots crunching and cracking over loose scrap. His coat, long in the hem, flapped like black wings as his slow descent became a run.
Tag Deeken is a sort of detective. Think Future Noir.
What about the weird house story, Aaron? It's still there, incubating. Fred told me he needs some time to work on it.
Have a lovely day.
Well, I'm writing it. A novella, at least, one which I'm calling Skin Jobs (for now). But I'm starting where the story leaves us...
"That's him?" Tag called over his shoulder. "That's Santiago?"
The portly man stopped his climb and dabbed his forehead with a rag. "Yes. Hanging from the—"
"Cross."
"Huh?" The fat man's face twisted.
"It looks like a cross," Tag said. "Somebody's crucified the poor old bastard." Tag started down the debris pile, his heavy synth boots crunching and cracking over loose scrap. His coat, long in the hem, flapped like black wings as his slow descent became a run.
Tag Deeken is a sort of detective. Think Future Noir.
What about the weird house story, Aaron? It's still there, incubating. Fred told me he needs some time to work on it.
Have a lovely day.
