Vincent Zandri's Blog, page 18
April 5, 2011
Responsible Publishing, Big Breakout Book!
A lot of my peeps have been chiming in asking me what it feels like to be selling a whole bunch of Kindle E-Books these days on Amazon. Like thousands, per day. No kidding. That ain't no typo. Not bad numbers for a former construction worker. Go figure! (Me, shaking my head in disbelief, but also looking up to the heavens with gratitude!)
But the truth is, I'm not entirely sure how to feel about it. Currently I'm the number 4 overall bestselling Kindle and have been as high as number 3. Two of the three authors above me are propped up by major motion pictures (Hope I get a move produced one day!). Since the middle of March I have moved around 31,000 units of The Innocent, and Godchild, it's sequel is about to enter into the Top 100 books also.
But back to how I feel about it.
I feel great, naturally. Who wouldn't feel great. It's cool to be popular. I thought there might be some talk about the pricing, but the sale price of a buck is only temporary and my other books, like The Remains, that are priced at the normal $2.99 are selling in the low hundreds. Even the $9.00 Moonlight Falls has gained something like 200% in the rankings and is holding steady, if not slowly gaining more ground, which tells me a lot of my fans are willing to pay an extra few dollars for my brand of "quality" thriller and mystery (Thank you!!!).
So, the question still persists: How do I feel?
... Grab the rest of the scoop at The Vincent Zandri Vox
http://vincentzandri.blogspot.com/201...
The Innocent
But the truth is, I'm not entirely sure how to feel about it. Currently I'm the number 4 overall bestselling Kindle and have been as high as number 3. Two of the three authors above me are propped up by major motion pictures (Hope I get a move produced one day!). Since the middle of March I have moved around 31,000 units of The Innocent, and Godchild, it's sequel is about to enter into the Top 100 books also.
But back to how I feel about it.
I feel great, naturally. Who wouldn't feel great. It's cool to be popular. I thought there might be some talk about the pricing, but the sale price of a buck is only temporary and my other books, like The Remains, that are priced at the normal $2.99 are selling in the low hundreds. Even the $9.00 Moonlight Falls has gained something like 200% in the rankings and is holding steady, if not slowly gaining more ground, which tells me a lot of my fans are willing to pay an extra few dollars for my brand of "quality" thriller and mystery (Thank you!!!).
So, the question still persists: How do I feel?
... Grab the rest of the scoop at The Vincent Zandri Vox
http://vincentzandri.blogspot.com/201...
The Innocent
April 2, 2011
G-Zone's Giovanni Gelati, Unleashed!
I spend up to two months in Italy per year, but I rarely eat gelato. It upsets my stomach. However, there is a sweet alternative to Italy's ice cream, and that's Gelati.
Giovanni Gelati, that is.
Anything but vanilla flavored, this man who hails from New Jersey has not only become one of my most ardent supporters, he's also become a very good friend (even if we have yet to meet one another in person). He runs a great blog for writers and readers called, well, Gelati's Scoop (go figure!) and a popular daytime blog talk radio program coined, The G-Zone. Obviously Giovanni knows no limit to his tongue-and-cheek media titles. A tall, strapping, good looking dude, he's the kind of guy you can sit down with over cappuccino to discuss the Ancient Greek tragic mythology inherent in German author Max Frisch's, Homo Faber, and then soon after switch to beer while trashing the New York Football Giants backfield ("Yo, Vin let's hit a strip club!"/ "Right on G-dude, we gotta empty out a cash machine first!") . Exactly the type of dynamic person I am lucky enough to meet on special occasion and whose friendship will last me a lifetime.
But enough of my yacking....Gelati, it gives me great pleasure to unleash your wisdom upon the reading public:
For the rest of the scoop, head on over to he Vincent Zandri Vox:
http://vincentzandri.blogspot.com/201...
The Remains
Giovanni Gelati, that is.
Anything but vanilla flavored, this man who hails from New Jersey has not only become one of my most ardent supporters, he's also become a very good friend (even if we have yet to meet one another in person). He runs a great blog for writers and readers called, well, Gelati's Scoop (go figure!) and a popular daytime blog talk radio program coined, The G-Zone. Obviously Giovanni knows no limit to his tongue-and-cheek media titles. A tall, strapping, good looking dude, he's the kind of guy you can sit down with over cappuccino to discuss the Ancient Greek tragic mythology inherent in German author Max Frisch's, Homo Faber, and then soon after switch to beer while trashing the New York Football Giants backfield ("Yo, Vin let's hit a strip club!"/ "Right on G-dude, we gotta empty out a cash machine first!") . Exactly the type of dynamic person I am lucky enough to meet on special occasion and whose friendship will last me a lifetime.
But enough of my yacking....Gelati, it gives me great pleasure to unleash your wisdom upon the reading public:
For the rest of the scoop, head on over to he Vincent Zandri Vox:
http://vincentzandri.blogspot.com/201...
The Remains
March 31, 2011
Meet The Blisterz!!
Writers, even the famous or infamous ones, haven't always stuck to just writing. Hemingway had his fish and mounted buffalo heads. Faulkner had his farm. Mailer had his movies. Zeltserman's got his karate. And I've got my punk rock. More specifically, I've got the drums that I play in an upstate New York punk outfit called, The Blisterz.
Consider us a side project, or consider us a way to blow off steam, or don't consider us at all. But there's something deeply satisfying about heading out to band practice after a hard day's night of writing. And besides, playing in band makes me feel young, even if half the bands we often share a stage with are young enough to be our kids!
But the song I present for you below is the first single lifted from our new album, "Rebels Without Applause," which is a line taken from the guitarist's own song, which in a real way demonstrates his own skill at wordplay.
Sometimes I like to imagine my characters listening to The Blisterz...
Get the rest of the rockin' scoop here:
http://vincentzandri.blogspot.com/201...
Consider us a side project, or consider us a way to blow off steam, or don't consider us at all. But there's something deeply satisfying about heading out to band practice after a hard day's night of writing. And besides, playing in band makes me feel young, even if half the bands we often share a stage with are young enough to be our kids!
But the song I present for you below is the first single lifted from our new album, "Rebels Without Applause," which is a line taken from the guitarist's own song, which in a real way demonstrates his own skill at wordplay.
Sometimes I like to imagine my characters listening to The Blisterz...
Get the rest of the rockin' scoop here:
http://vincentzandri.blogspot.com/201...
March 29, 2011
The Z Lord of Noir: Boston's Dave Zeltserman
Our last names both start with Z making David Zeltserman and I blood brothers in some native cultures far away from here. But geography alone wouldn't keep me from calling this exceptional talent my bro. He's also my brother at StoneGate Ink where he's just signed a deal for two books plus a special edition combo with yours truly. THE INNOCENT/DYING MEMORIES, should hit the cyber shelves soon. He's also a hero of sorts. I've been following his stuff for a long time now, and like my other heros Crumley and Parker, his terse style has somehow made it into my own work. There's nothing Dave hasn't achieved or will achieve in the world of hard-boiled fiction, and his pedigree reflects that success. He's won a Shamus Award, and an Ellery Queen Choice Award. His 'The Caretaker of Lorne Field" was shortlisted by ALA for best Books of 2010, and even NPR called his "Small Crimes" one of the best 5 crime novels of 2008. There's more but this intro is verging on going longer than Dave's piece.
So with that, I give you Dave Zeltserman:
....For the rest of the scoop head to The Vincent Zandri Vox....
http://vincentzandri.blogspot.com/201...
So with that, I give you Dave Zeltserman:
....For the rest of the scoop head to The Vincent Zandri Vox....
http://vincentzandri.blogspot.com/201...
March 27, 2011
Noir Legend in the Making: Heath Lowrance
I might not be the most religious or spiritual guy on the planet, and chances are, on any given Sunday you won't find me occupying a church pew. Fact is you're more likely to find me tipping a cold one in some dark juke joint with friends after my writing day is over. But every now and then I meet someone who has an almost spiritual affect on me. A spiritual affect so profound that it can alter the course of my life. Noted noir author and critic, Heath Lowrance, is one of those special people. It also turns out, he's one of those buds I'd be tipping one with in the dark bar, if only we lived in within close proximity of one another. What did Hemingway once say? "I'm going to be read by the low brows and praised by the high brows!" Heath is one of the rare individuals who can go mano e mano with the highbrows and fit in comfortably with the lows. So am I, I should hope...
...Get the rest of the scoop at The Vincent Zandri Vox
http://vincentzandri.blogspot.com/201...
...Get the rest of the scoop at The Vincent Zandri Vox
http://vincentzandri.blogspot.com/201...
March 25, 2011
Why I still Publish Traditionally!
No I don't live under a rock.
I'm well aware that the "in thing" these days is to self-publish. Jeeze, remember the golden olden days (like 6 months ago...), when an author who even muttered the words "self-published" was considered the worst kind of vain vermin, especially to MFA in Writing School types and college poetry professors?
Well, the world has changed and more than one self-published author, Amanda Hocking among them, have gone from absolute nobodies to multi-millionaires within a period of about a year. Having sold more than a million of her paranormal thrillers on Kindle and E-Book, Amanda just signed a deal worth two mill at St. Martin's Press. Big news in New York City, not to mention a watershed event of Tsunami proportions.
But wait a minute...hold the phone. Didn't I just point out that the cool thing to do these days is to self-publish? And why would a writer who is already making a million bucks decide to upset the "program" if you will, and make switch to a traditional major publisher?
In a word: TIME...
For the rest of the scoop, head to the "Vox":
http://vincentzandri.blogspot.com/201...
I'm well aware that the "in thing" these days is to self-publish. Jeeze, remember the golden olden days (like 6 months ago...), when an author who even muttered the words "self-published" was considered the worst kind of vain vermin, especially to MFA in Writing School types and college poetry professors?
Well, the world has changed and more than one self-published author, Amanda Hocking among them, have gone from absolute nobodies to multi-millionaires within a period of about a year. Having sold more than a million of her paranormal thrillers on Kindle and E-Book, Amanda just signed a deal worth two mill at St. Martin's Press. Big news in New York City, not to mention a watershed event of Tsunami proportions.
But wait a minute...hold the phone. Didn't I just point out that the cool thing to do these days is to self-publish? And why would a writer who is already making a million bucks decide to upset the "program" if you will, and make switch to a traditional major publisher?
In a word: TIME...
For the rest of the scoop, head to the "Vox":
http://vincentzandri.blogspot.com/201...
March 19, 2011
Kindle Bestsellers: It's All About Pricing, Pricing, Pricing
Seems like everyone is playing with pricing these days when it comes to E-Book sales. The eternal question being, what's the optimum price for an E-Book, in particular a Kindle book, where myself and my publisher StoneHouseInk/StoneGateInk make the majority of our dough-ray-me (sp?).
Most of my in-print books are priced at $2.99, which I believe is a fair cost or, if you will, a fair trade with consumers (readers). You give me just short of three bucks and I give you a novel I made up all by myself. One of my books is a combo special edition with bestseller Aaron Patterson (Sweet Dreams/The Remains), and that's priced at $4.99 which is also a bargain 'cause you're getting two novels for less than 6 bucks. I'm not sure you can get a Big Mac, fries, large Coke, and chocolate shake for that price these days. Finally, another one of my novels, Moonlight Falls, is priced at 8.99, which I believe is too much for an E-Book. Why too much? I believe that part of the attraction of E-Books should be their price. A lot of middlemen are bypassed by publishing digitally and those cost saving should naturally be passed on to consumer...
Get the rest of the scoop at The Vincent Zandri Vox:http://vincentzandri.blogspot.com/201...
Most of my in-print books are priced at $2.99, which I believe is a fair cost or, if you will, a fair trade with consumers (readers). You give me just short of three bucks and I give you a novel I made up all by myself. One of my books is a combo special edition with bestseller Aaron Patterson (Sweet Dreams/The Remains), and that's priced at $4.99 which is also a bargain 'cause you're getting two novels for less than 6 bucks. I'm not sure you can get a Big Mac, fries, large Coke, and chocolate shake for that price these days. Finally, another one of my novels, Moonlight Falls, is priced at 8.99, which I believe is too much for an E-Book. Why too much? I believe that part of the attraction of E-Books should be their price. A lot of middlemen are bypassed by publishing digitally and those cost saving should naturally be passed on to consumer...
Get the rest of the scoop at The Vincent Zandri Vox:http://vincentzandri.blogspot.com/201...
March 14, 2011
GUEST POST: Writer, Traveler, Seeker, Deborah Prozenzale
I haven't known Deborah Provenzale for very long. In fact, I don't really know her at all, having only spent some fun time with her and some mutual buds at The Boise Book Expo this past Fall. What I do know is that she is an intelligent, if not uber-intelligent, young woman who writes beautiful stories as much as she subscribes to La Dolce Vita, as is only fitting for a woman who loves Italy as much as I do...and that's a lot. Not only is she the author of the forthcoming novel, Enigma, and an explorer, but this Fall she will travel to China in hopes of teaching English as a second language. In preparation for this adventure she is learning Mandarin.
Wow.
I've been to China and getting around for 20 odd days was hard enough. I can't imagine what it will be like to teach there. But I'm sure Deborah will do just fine. She will flourish, become more beautiful, and no doubt discover subject matter for some more great stories and novels. Like me, she has a lust for adventure, travel, and writing stories that provide as much fuel for the wandering soul as they do entertainment for her readers. Such individuals, while difficult to maintain long lasting relationships with (Ha, had to get that in, didn't I?), are not concerned with moving from point A to point B just for the sheer hell of it, but are searching for that all illusive "meaning of life."
For all of our sakes, let's hope that Deborah "the eternal seeker" Provenzale never finds it.
Deborah, the podium is yours:...
.... Grab the post at The Vincent Zandri Vox: http://vincentzandri.blogspot.com/201...
The Remains
Wow.
I've been to China and getting around for 20 odd days was hard enough. I can't imagine what it will be like to teach there. But I'm sure Deborah will do just fine. She will flourish, become more beautiful, and no doubt discover subject matter for some more great stories and novels. Like me, she has a lust for adventure, travel, and writing stories that provide as much fuel for the wandering soul as they do entertainment for her readers. Such individuals, while difficult to maintain long lasting relationships with (Ha, had to get that in, didn't I?), are not concerned with moving from point A to point B just for the sheer hell of it, but are searching for that all illusive "meaning of life."
For all of our sakes, let's hope that Deborah "the eternal seeker" Provenzale never finds it.
Deborah, the podium is yours:...
.... Grab the post at The Vincent Zandri Vox: http://vincentzandri.blogspot.com/201...
The Remains
March 12, 2011
REAL TIME BLOG: Departure Observations
I rarely spend less than two weeks in Europe when I travel there. More often, I spend about a month at a time. In this case, three countries and five cities in 9 days, two of them travel. Not including daily jogs, I logged in probably 100 miles over cobblestone pavement leaving the bottoms of my feet feeling and looking like raw hamburger.
But it's worth it. Europe, especially, Italy, is always worth it...
Get the rest of the scoop here at The Vincent Zandri Vox:
http://vincentzandri.blogspot.com/201...
The Innocent
But it's worth it. Europe, especially, Italy, is always worth it...
Get the rest of the scoop here at The Vincent Zandri Vox:
http://vincentzandri.blogspot.com/201...
The Innocent
March 7, 2011
Real Time Blog: Venice "Carnival!"
I haven't been to Venice in 23 years.
The first time I was there, I was 23. That means I haven't been to Europe's most famous, most romantic, most sinking, most decaying, most don't-pinch-me-or-I'll-wake-up paradise in a life time.
I wrote one of my most anthologized and translated short stories not long after my first visit to Venice. It was called, Portrait. It was about getting lost but finding love within the canals. Now, all these years later, with 5 novels behind me including The Remains and Godchild, I'm finding that Venice, although a maze, isn't nearly as confusing or intimidating as it was all those ears ago. I guess maturity and has it's advantages. So does grace under pressure.
This is the time of Carnival and it seems as though the entirety of Italy has descended upon the ancient city. People of all ages, wearing costumes and gowns and masks make for a mysterious if not dangerous experience. Even if it is all in good fun.
Tossed into the sea of people are women in ball gowns topped with white wigs, faces painted with white powder. Men wear black, shin-length, capes, and those triangular caps that the great lover Casanova wore. Some wear evil masks of grossly long noses, while other people...young, college age, silly people...dress up in bunny costumes...
....Get the rest of the scoop at The Vincent Zandri Vox:
http://vincentzandri.blogspot.com/201...
The Remains
The first time I was there, I was 23. That means I haven't been to Europe's most famous, most romantic, most sinking, most decaying, most don't-pinch-me-or-I'll-wake-up paradise in a life time.
I wrote one of my most anthologized and translated short stories not long after my first visit to Venice. It was called, Portrait. It was about getting lost but finding love within the canals. Now, all these years later, with 5 novels behind me including The Remains and Godchild, I'm finding that Venice, although a maze, isn't nearly as confusing or intimidating as it was all those ears ago. I guess maturity and has it's advantages. So does grace under pressure.
This is the time of Carnival and it seems as though the entirety of Italy has descended upon the ancient city. People of all ages, wearing costumes and gowns and masks make for a mysterious if not dangerous experience. Even if it is all in good fun.
Tossed into the sea of people are women in ball gowns topped with white wigs, faces painted with white powder. Men wear black, shin-length, capes, and those triangular caps that the great lover Casanova wore. Some wear evil masks of grossly long noses, while other people...young, college age, silly people...dress up in bunny costumes...
....Get the rest of the scoop at The Vincent Zandri Vox:
http://vincentzandri.blogspot.com/201...
The Remains
