Keith Robinson's Blog, page 20
June 26, 2012
Price change for Kindle and Nook ebooks
A dozen things are buzzing around in my head at the moment, so bear with me as I organize them.
I have four books in the Island of Fog series with the fifth due out in August. I fully intend a sixth book early 2013. And that, I think, will round off the series for now. That's not to say I'll never write a seventh, just that I don't have plans for one at the moment. But how on earth do I sell these books I keep writing?
Will increasing my ebook price from 99 cents to $2.99 help or hinder sales?
As time goes on, the publishing world shifts and readers shift with it. It wasn't long ago that everyone started lowering their novel price to $0.99 here in the USA, which is dirt cheap for the amount of work that goes into writing it! This was "guaranteed to get your book in front of readers" because there were/are so many websites who list "books for under a buck" and so on. But the trend is shifting again. Now it seems that $0.99 is too cheap; it devalues the novel. Also, if the book is too cheap, readers might buy it without really thinking, then realize it's the wrong genre and trash it in a review simply because it's not what they expected. Yes, that happens. If a book is priced a little higher, in theory only readers who really want that kind of book will buy it. And readers who really want that kind of book are probably the sort of readers an author wants.
So I altered my Kindle/Nook books last month. Previously they were $0.99 for Book 1 and $4.99 each for Books 2-4 (the idea being that those who loved the first one will happily fork out for the others). Now my books are $2.99 for Book 1 and $3.99 each for Books 2-4.
Has this made a difference? I feared that sales would drop with a price increase but so far there's been no change whatsoever. Sales continue to trickle though. This is good. And since I sell more of Book 1 than the others, I'm making more profit than before.
Does printed book distribution matter if 95% of sales are electronic?
Another shift has been in the number of electronic sales versus the number of printed sales. A couple of years ago, virtually all my sales were printed editions, so I used Lightning Source who provided the best possible distribution. This meant I got my books into Barnes & Noble and other bookstores. But guess what? None of that matters if I don't sell any copies in bookstores! Since about 95% of the books I sell these days are electronic (Kindle and Nook), I'm planning to change my printer back to CreateSpace. Their distribution isn't as good but, aside from selling copies personally, most printed sales come through Amazon anyway. And Amazon own CreateSpace, so it follows that CreateSpace is the best choice for Amazon distribution!
Will joining a writers' collective help to promote books?
And yet another shift is my personal need to be in control of everything. Well, that won't change; I'll always want to be in control of everything. But I don't have to try and reinvent the wheel in everything I do. A few weeks ago I was invited to join a "collective" of authors, editors, designers, and so on, with a view to helping each other get our books out there. I already have a sort of unofficial collective, more a circle of author buddies, but an "official collective" might be even better. Marketing is my downfall. I hate marketing. Other than this blog, Facebook and Twitter, I do absolutely nothing to promote my books. Many authors do book tours and interviews and all kinds of online things, and I need to do more of that myself. Maybe joining a collective will give me a much-needed kick up the backside.
Do traditional publishers look for bestselling indie authors?
Which brings me to the most important shift of all. The stories about traditional publishers on the decline might be true in part, but it seems the biggest change these days is the way they prowl the self-published waters looking for the next bestselling author. The problem is that (generally speaking) a traditional publisher won't take on a new author. Instead they work with established authors OR they look at self-published "indie" authors who are Making It Big. Those who sell 40,000 copies, for example, are ripe for the picking; the publisher assumes (correctly) that the author is very good at marketing and has a huge following, and is therefore less of a business risk than someone who is only capable of selling a handful. What publisher wants to take on an author who has no idea how to sell his own book? These days, self-published authors are virtually putting themselves on display and showing their marketing prowess -- or lack thereof -- and if you can't sell your own self-published book, then why would you be any better with a traditional publisher behind you?
This is all very generalized, but these are the sorts of dilemmas indie authors are facing. The only way to get around it is to NOT self-publish and therefore hide your complete inability to sell. But then, you see, a publisher won't be interested in you because you're an unknown with no track record... Arrrghhh!
There's another problem I see for myself that I'll go into separately. Look for that in my next post, entitled "Ideas to reboot the Island of Fog series." This doesn't simply mean to boost sales -- it literally means rebooting the series... but not in the way you might imagine. It's got me quite excited thinking about it! More soon.
June 12, 2012
Letters and artwork from fifth-grade students
In the past few years I've come to know Brian Clopper, an author as well as a teacher of fifth-grade students at Jones Dairy Elementary School in Wake Forest, North Carolina. I'll call him Mr. Clopper since his students may be reading this post! Anyway, this is the third year running that Mr. Clopper has read Island of Fog to his class, and once again his students have written letters and come up with some fantastic artwork, all bundled together in a single package that I received about a month ago.
I've enjoyed going through the letters and studying the artwork. These students are talented! And they have great taste, since they seem to like my books. :-)
I spent some time trying to figure out how best to display some of the artwork on this website, but in the end I decided there are too many to scan and it wouldn't be fair to select just a few. So I'll just say a big THANK YOU for the insightful scenes from the story and the imaginative characterizations of Hal and his friends. It's pretty amazing to have a class dedicating their time to my books and writing letters to ask questions.
And those questions are the main focus of this post. I've been asked some of these questions before, but the majority are fresh and new to me. I'm always happy to answer whatever I can, so here goes...
How many shapeshifters are there in total?
There are eight as Island of Fog begins, but later nine when Thomas joins the ranks. There would have been another, but the Osbornes left the shapeshifter program early on, and their son or daughter (who would have been a troll shapeshifter) was never born. Of course, this is just one generation of shapeshifters. Miss Simone is one herself; she was one of twelve classmates, ten of whom made it through the program as you'll find out in later books. That means there are two others whose fates have been brushed over so far. I often wonder what happened to them...
Is there a shapeshifter ruler?
If there's any such thing, it's Miss Simone. She's the Shapeshifter Project Leader and pretty much runs her village at the same time. She took over the job from Old Professor Bart, as you'll read at the beginning of Lake of Spirits during a flashback scene.
Why do shapeshifters have to be the same age?
Think about it logically. It's not like a group of same-age children are chosen to be shapeshifters. Rather, a group of couples are chosen to give birth to shapeshifters. Since the babies are conceived under laboratory conditions as part of the Shapeshifter Program, it stands to reason the children would be born around the same time nine months later -- thereby making them the same age when they grow up.
Why did you make Miss Simone a mermaid?
She was a mermaid from the very first moment she walked onto the pages. In fact, she was a mermaid before that. I loved the idea of her diving off the cliff and vanishing beneath the sea. I also loved the idea of her being strangely enchanting.
Why does Miss Simone come from another dimension?
Actually she comes from our world, just as Hal does. But, like Hal, she ended up in another dimension where she stayed to live.
Why does Miss Simone have midget goblins?
*Wince* Why does she have goblin friends, do you mean? The goblins are grumpy but extremely loyal and trustworthy, not to mention hardworking and trustworthy.
Why are the goblins nice?
I wouldn't say they're nice, but they are on the side of the good guys. They're just dependable types, that's all. They're rude and grumpy but don't have any evil bones in their bodies.
How could Emily talk to the sea monster?
Emily is a naga, which is a snake-human hybrid. The naga come in three different forms -- the first without arms and best suited for underwater dwelling, the second with arms and best suited for life on land, and a third that we haven't met yet; this third form will show up in Book Six when our friends go into the hills. I don't think this third form of naga is very friendly.
Why was Fenton afraid to show his power to the others?
He was ashamed. Hal was too, at first, when he had a rash on his arm. Abigail was the first to really show her powers, but even she was nervous about it. Fenton, being the class bully, was particularly afraid of being thought of as a freak.
Why wasn't Emily's dog, Wrangler, affected by the virus?
Because he's a dog. Animals aren't affected, although there was some evidence of mutated strains of the virus carrying across to animals in the early days. But for the most part, only humans were affected.
How did Wrangler not drown in the sea?
Again, because he's a dog. Ever heard of the doggy paddle? ;-)
Who did you mean the sea serpent to be?
The sea serpent is simply that -- a sea serpent. It's not a shapeshifter and never was, although I did at one point entertain the idea of having Miss Simone as the sea serpent, which would make some sense if you think of the way she jumped off the cliff and disappeared. But ultimately that wouldn't have worked; she couldn't spend all her time in the water circling the island. She has work to do!
What is your favorite book of the series?
That's a difficult question. After I received good feedback for Island of Fog, I wrote the second, Labyrinth of Fire, and was immediately worried that it wouldn't be received as well. But readers seemed to like it even more. So for a while it became my favorite book. When I wrote the third, I really enjoyed where it was going and was proud when I finished it. Then I worried again. Maybe it wasn't any good! But again, it was received well, although overall I think the general opinion was that Labyrinth of Fire was best because of its action, Island of Fog was second, and Mountain of Whispers third. This opinion varies, though, because some readers prefer mystery over adventure. Then I wrote Lake of Spirits, and this immediately became the favorite for most. (Some didn't like the cliffhanger ending.) I'm hoping that the fifth book, Roads of Madness, will at least be received as well as some of the others. I guess I'll find out!
Who is your favorite character?
Probably Abigail, but I do have a liking for Darcy as well. And I enjoy writing Robbie's scenes because he's such a doofus most of the time. You'll notice, though, that he can become quite the hero in later books -- and then go right back to being a doofus.
What other creatures are you thinking of doing?
They're all pretty much covered for now, in that all the creatures I want to write about are already assigned to characters in the series. The only other creature I'd like to meet is a troll, but I might work one in somewhere.
If there was another character, what would his or her name be, and what would he or she turn into?
Nothing is springing to mind as I write this, and I don't remember having any hankerings for other creatures at any other time, so I guess I'm pretty happy with the current selection.
If you were a hybrid, what would you like to be?
I have to admit an ogre would be pretty useful. Animals such as dragons and centaurs would be too weird, but an ogre is at least human-shaped, and who couldn't do with that extra strength sometimes?
Why are the parents not creatures as well?
Because they're just ordinary people. It's only their children, who were, um, altered in a laboratory before birth, that are shapeshifters.
Why does the raft have a window in it?
It's a front door off a house and I just thought it would be neat to see through it while paddling. Of course, it would work better if the window was partly submerged, and if the water wasn't so murky.
What happened to the people Out There? Where did the idea and symptoms of the virus come from?
I thought a virus apocalypse would be better for my series than something like a nuclear war or natural disaster. I didn't want the world itself to be flattened or uninhabitable; I just wanted most people out of the way! The symptoms of the virus were just one idea of many. Actually, although Miss Simone loosely calls it a virus, in reality a virus can't survive for long without a host, and that's why it transpires that the virus is in fact -- well, that would be giving it away. You'll find out more as the series progresses. :-)
When is Book Five coming out?
Roads of Madness will be available August 2012.
How many books are in the series?
Currently there are four, with a fifth coming out in August, and a sixth planned for early 2013. So it's planned as a six-book series at the moment, maybe more if I choose. Beyond that, I do have ideas for spin-off novels based around Miss Simone's world but which don't include Hal and his friends.
Were there any scenes you wanted to use but didn't?
Yes! There are plenty of scenes I cut from the books, especially Island of Fog, which went through many revisions and might have been an entirely different book if I had chosen. For one thing, it started out as Island of Mist with twelve children, two of whom were twins. I decided that twelve children was spreading my characterizations too thin; it was hard enough with eight. The original draft started out way too slow. There was a good scene where Hal hid in the back of his dad's pickup and snuck Out There when his dad went to meet some other shapeshifter families; you have to understand that everything was quite a bit different in that early draft, and there were numerous shapeshifter programs going on at once across the country. There was no virus, and the mist across the island was magical and simply hid the island from view by making people instantly forget it was there. There was a man in charge of the project, known as Mr. Mist. And the children escaped the island, too. Remember the crates in the lighthouse where Emily found the smart clothes? In the original draft of the book, there was a tunnel under those crates -- leading under the sea to the mainland. But ultimately, all those ideas took the book in the wrong direction. In the end I needed a world Out There that was no more, with life in Miss Simone's world being the only viable option.
How tall is the lighthouse?
High enough to poke out of the top of the fog!
What kind of creature is Fenton?
He's a bit of a mystery, and although Hal at first thinks of him as a gargoyle because of the way he clings to walls and spits water, later Fenton turns out to be a massive monster so rare that it has no name in Miss Simone's world. There's really just four of them, including Fenton. At the end of Mountain of Whispers, Hal and his friends run through a number of humorous names to call his kind, but Miss Simone opts for ouroboros, which is the name of a mythical creature thought to be so long it can circle the world. But frankly, none of Hal's friends like the name, so Fenton is still "that unnamed creature."
Who is stronger, Hal or Robbie?
Ooh, good question! Maybe I should make them get angry at each other and pitch them into battle!
Why didn't Fenton change back after he went through the portal?
Because he was new to shapeshifting and he couldn't seem to control it properly.
Why was Miss Simone affected by the virus?
Miss Simone is older than Hal and his friends. Young shapeshifters have very strong immune systems, but as they get older, their immune system weakens. So Miss Simone had some immunity from the virus, but not as much as the children. And remember when she shifted to her mermaid form? She instantly felt a little better, because transforming encourages healing.
How much time per day do you write?
When I decide to write, I set aside at least a couple of hours. It takes me fifteen minutes just to get back into the groove, so I don't subscribe to the notion that writers "should write every day even if it's only for five minutes." I need at least a couple of hours if I can get it. On Monday I spent pretty much all day at it. On Tuesday I did nothing. On Wednesday I wrote all day again. So it's case of grabbing the time when I can, but I tend to plan ahead so I know when it's worth getting started.
Why did you start writing?
Because it was the only way to get the words onto paper? But seriously, I like writing and always have. There's no valid reason other than that. It's certainly not for the money!
How did you come up with the idea for the series?
I don't remember. Like many ideas, the germ of a plot just popped into my head and marinated in brain juice for a few months.
Do you ever talk to some of your fans?
Yes, often! Whenever someone contacts me to say they liked the books, I talk to them (usually by email). Sometimes I meet readers in my local town. I met one recently who couldn't say enough good things about my books, and it was fab. That person made my day. And sometimes I get lots of great letters and sketches from super-smart fifth-grade students in Mr. Clopper's class, and you won't believe how great that feels. Whenever I think "not enough people are reading my books, I might as well give up," I always think of those who HAVE read the books and had nice things to say. Then I'm inspired to write more.
Thank you once again, Mr. Clopper, for giving my books some air-time in your class. :-)
Check out Brian Clopper's website and learn about his own excellent fantasy novels.
June 8, 2012
Summer Reading Kick-off - winner of Island of Fog series
This post is to announce the winner of the Island of Fog series, which was offered as a door prize as part of the Summer Reading Kick-off in Rock Spring. Last Saturday, visitors to the kick-off event added their names to a lucky draw. We extended the draw so that others could have a chance, and today a winner was chosen from the goldfish bowl.
And the lucky winner is... Meloeny Carter!
So congratulations, Meloeny, and I hope you enjoy the series. And don't forget that EVERYBODY has a chance to win Book 5 of the series, Roads of Madness, due out in August. All you have to do is "LIKE" the Island of Fog Series on Facebook and leave a brief comment here:
http://www.facebook.com/islandoffog/posts/10151768320725262
(And when I say "LIKE" I mean the big fat button at top right, not just the individual post.)
At the end of July I'll write out the names of those who have liked and commented, drop them in a box, and draw one out the old-fashioned way. This draw is not limited to the local area, so feel free to enter even if you live in in Outer Mongolia. And you'll have the choice of an electronic version, a printed book, or both.
There will be other chances to win one or more of my books over the next month or so, so stay tuned.
After a brief hiatus -- not a single post in May! -- suddenly I have a bunch of things I want to post about. Next up: A whole bunch of letters and sketches from 5th Grade students!
April 25, 2012
The power of a printed book
In the last year, the majority of my sales have been Kindle and Nook e-books. But sometimes I'm reminded of the power of printed books.
Recently, Heather Sutherlin emailed me to say:
"I enjoyed your book, Island of Fog, very much and would love to review it on my blog, kidsgottawrite.blogspot.com. I would love to have you guest post, if you are willing, on a topic for young writers or parents/teachers of young writers."
Of course I was willing, so I wrote something and Heather blogged about it here. After that I sent Heather the whole set, and when she received the box, she emailed me to say:
Keith! I got your package this week!!!! It was kind of funny and a moment I wish I had recorded so that I could share it with all of my writer friends who self-publish. I had been telling my kids they should read your books and my son will only read books about dragons right now (he's Asperger's and more a little obsessive about things). Well, when he saw me open that box and pull out the books he turned to me with complete annoyance and said, "Why didn't you tell me they had dragons?!" And my daughter said, "Hey, look! Here's one about a mermaid."
It made me realize how very important our covers are, even when we want to tell ourselves they aren't, and also seeing them hold the actual books was really fabulous. You just can't entirely replace the power of a printed book in a kid's hands.
So, thanks a million for the books! We are devouring them here and my daughter is reading as fast as she can to get to that mermaid tale. ;)
Which is why I'll always have printed editions of ALL my books available even though the majority of sales might be Kindle or Nook e-books. Plus, it's far more satisfying to hold a printed edition than stare at an image on a screen.
That said, e-books are far easier to put together. They're completely free to publish, and you don't have to worry about such things as the resolution of the cover, obtaining a suitably large image, making sure it's CMYK for Lightning Source's pre-flight requirements, getting the spine size exactly right, choosing between white and cream paper stock, paying and waiting for proof copies, forking out for a shipment of stock copies, packaging them up when someone buys a copy... With an e-book, there's some formatting to do of course, but the process is far, far quicker. And if I need to make a change to the text, I just re-upload the file and the book is updated within 24 hours. Easy.
But still.
There will always be a place for printed editions, and in my opinion, authors who "don't bother" having that alternative are just slamming the door in a lot of readers' faces. Not everyone likes reading books on Kindle and Nook. I don't either; with my website design business, I stare at the screen enough throughout the day without adding to it.
What about you? Do you prefer electronic, print, or either?
April 19, 2012
Author Keith Robinson's Fantasy Novels Make Front Page With Chickamauga Library Book Signing
You'll have to excuse the pompous title of this post -- I just couldn't help getting into newspaper journalist mode after seeing myself plastered across the front page of the Walker County Messenger. Hehe.
That's me BELOW the story about the convicted murderer, just so we're clear.
I'm sitting with my trusty lighthouse prop which never fails to fascinate passersby (even if they're not interested in the books). It only cost me $10. And there are real shells on the table as well. Daughter Lily arranged them.
Matt Ledger, the reporter, did a great job writing up the story. The only thing I would want to change is the word "superheroes." My characters do transform into creatures, but they're not superheroes and they don't have superpowers -- although I suppose ordinary folk might think of our young shapeshifters as pretty extraordinary, so maybe "superheroes" isn't too far from the truth!
Anyway, read all about it below...
April 11, 2012
How NOT to promote your self-published novel
I went along to a book signing at the local library yesterday and, as is usually the case with book signings, only sold a few. Was it worth it? Well, the alternative was not bothering at all, but then I would have sold none. Sometimes one sale, or even just a chat, will lead to more sales later, as was the case at another event a couple of years ago when I happened to pass a copy of Island of Fog to a representative of Barnes & Noble Booksellers, which led to my books being available on the shelves in the local store.
So yes, it was worth it -- not for the individual sales themselves, but for the networking. But this got me thinking about how there's a fine line between networking and... well, wasting time. I actually enjoyed the visit to the library yesterday, and I was interviewed by a newspaper reporter, but I've been to book signings in the past that were literally a complete waste of time and, worse, aggravating. I once met an author so determined to sell his book that he came over and waved it in my face and told me -- TOLD me -- that I'd enjoy it, never mind the fact that it was a genre I have zero interest in. I can't imagine how many customers shuffled away with a copy of his book.
Anyway, all this got me thinking (again) about ways to promote my novels, and equally important, ways NOT to promote them:
Don't push too hard. If you're sitting at a table and a potential customer comes over, you can often get a sense of whether they want to talk to you about your books or just look for themselves. If you do end up talking to the customer, don't try and persuade him/her to buy a copy, and certainly don't be misleading about the content. If the customer likes romance, don't try and suggest your fantasy novel will be a good fit because it happens to contain a bit of romance as well. Don't try and sell the customer on a genre they aren't normally into. Selling books is nice, but what's even nicer is if the customer goes home, reads and enjoys the book, and recommends it to others. Most of the time you'll hear nothing back from the customer, but you never know -- they could be blogging or facebooking or tweeting about your book; the question is, are they saying nice things about it? Or are they complaining about how you "pressured them into buying a piece of junk"? If you somehow mislead a murder-mystery reader into reading a horror novel on the basis that it contains romance, the reader might toss it aside and call it junk simply because it's in the wrong genre. It could be the best novel ever written, a literary masterpiece, but if a reader doesn't like fantasy then it's going to seem like junk -- and the message others will hear is "this author writes junk." Gentle-selling to two avid fantasy fans is far better in the long run than force-selling to twenty vehement anti-fantasy readers.
Don't swap books with an author of another genre. When you share a book signing with other authors, the chances are they're selling something entirely different to your own unless the event is themed. You may be eager to put your book in their hands so they can promote it on their blog, but they're just as eager to put their book in yours. You both smile and say, "Sure, I'll read this and blog about it," but will you really? Will the other author? And if your books are in a different genre, what use would it be anyway? If your books and blog are all about fantasy, why would you suddenly promote a chick-lit romance on your blog? Would your fantasy readers be interested? No. So avoid the time it takes to "swap reviews" unless you're swapping with someone in the same genre and you're both genuinely interested in reading and promoting each other's books. Also, don't feel obliged to buy another author's book just because he bought yours.
Don't spend too much time selling to individuals. This is advice I need to heed myself. You might spend 5-10 minutes talking to someone about your book in the hope they'll be interested enough to buy it. And for what? One more notch on your sales records, and a few extra dollars? It seems crazy when you consider that the same amount of time could be spent preparing a media blast and sending it out to newspapers, or participating in a blog interview, therefore reaching hundreds or thousands of readers at once. I find it too easy to get sucked into one-on-one sales, and I forget the bigger picture. At the library yesterday, I was interviewed by the Walker County Messenger and was told an article would go out later this week. I'll keep my eyes peeled for it. I don't know how many sales I'll generate from that (if any at all), but it should in theory "reach the masses." Also, today I completed a 750-word article that will be going out on a "recommended reads" blog on April 13th. Now THAT's worth spending 30 minutes on.
Anyway, just a few thoughts. I'll post links to both above-mentioned articles when they become available.
April 9, 2012
Book signing at Chickamauga Library on April 10th
The title says it all, but just to elaborate, come on down to the Chickamauga Public Library between 4-7pm on April 10th and get signed copies of my Island of Fog books at just $10.00 each. Or, if you haven't started reading them yet, buy all four books for $35.00 -- a bargain!
Details about the event:
Chickamauga Public Library
April 8-14 is National Library Week. To celebrate, we will be hosting an Open House of Local Authors on Tuesday, April 10th from 4-7 p.m. Ten local authors will be on hand to sell, sign, and discuss their books. Come out and see what great talent we have here in our local area. Already scheduled to attend are:Margie Lennon -- Snowball's Sheepdog AdventuresRachel Burson -- Aalayah's New HopeKim Laird Dozier -- Author of 10 books including The Forgetful Princess and My Little ButterflyKeith Robinson -- Author of 4 books in the Island of Fog seriesKaye Steadman -- My Name's Not VerlyMary Agnes Fine and Lamar Fine -- Co-Authors of 4 books including the Yesterday's Series and I RememberReita Mills -- Author of three books including Don't Dump the Teacher, Santa's Ups and Downs, and Melody meets the BlobbosWilma Pickel -- Ridge ViewE. Raymond Evans -- Author of numerous books on historical and archeological topics
Hope to see you there!
April 2, 2012
Roads of Madness on Twitter and Facebook
It's time I got more involved with Twitter, and I'm going to try an experiment just for the heck of it. Later this week I'll be posting on Twitter a passage from the forthcoming Fog Book 5, Roads of Madness -- tweeted a few sentences at a time! This passage will ONLY be available on Twitter for now, so if you haven't already done so, make sure to follow me now.
And for Facebook users, I'll be doing a similar thing there too, only with a different passage from the book. Again, make sure you like me on Facebook to make sure you don't miss out.
So that's TWO passages from the new book available sometime this week. Stay tuned!
March 21, 2012
Do you like cliffhangers in novels?
I received a comment the other day (see Island of Fog Book 5: Roads of Madness on March 12) that made me ponder and cogitate. Shannon said:
"When I finished the last [book] I was so angry at the ending, and myself for reading it so quickly. Now I have the next book to look forward to."
This is similar to two other comments I've received about Lake of Spirits. Now, according to feedback, the general consensus is that Lake of Spirits is the favorite in the series so far; everybody seems to love the Jolie character. So should I be worried about "Oh, you absolute rotter!" comments when the book ends on a cliffhanger? Does such a cliffhanger spoil it for you?
My wife mentioned that a cliffhanger like that is not a problem when the next book is due 6-8 months later. And she knows I'm going to follow through and get it done. Hopefully readers will have learned by now that I won't keep them waiting for too long; Island of Fog was first published in April 2009, and the next (the fifth in the series) is due around August 2012, so that will total five books in 40 months, an average of a book every 8 months -- exactly as I said above. Can't I be excused for having a cliffhanger? It's really no different than a TV show ending on a dramatic note; The Walking Dead just finished and is due back later in the year -- and sure, it's frustrating having to wait, but if everything had ended all squared away and with no hint of what's coming, then would we be so eager for the new season?
All that said, I don't do cliffhangers for the sake of cliffhangers. The first three books in the Fog series are a trilogy, which of course means three parts of one arcing story. Island of Fog is open-ended, while Labyrinth of Fire ends with a cliffhanger. The third, Mountain of Whispers, rounds off the story and could have completed the entire series. But I wanted more, so I added an Author's Note in which I said that future books in the series would be standalone stories. I meant it at the time... but then I disregarded my own words and wrote Book 4, Lake of Spirits, with the biggest cliffhanger yet! The reason for that was not to create "false excitement" but simply because I suddenly saw a new trilogy opening up. And yes, this means that after Book 5, Roads of Madness, I'm committed to writing Book 6.
Beyond Book 6? I honestly don't know.
Anyway, what do YOU think of cliffhangers in the Fog series? What do you think of cliffhangers in general? Does the end of Lake of Spirits make you mad, or is it just because you enjoyed it so much you didn't want it to end? Or both? Does the availability of the next book make a difference to the way you feel about it?
Your answers might help me decide how I end Roads of Madness. The story will continue in Book 6 no matter what, but I'm willing to take into account opinions about whether individual novels should be more "complete" in themselves, or if cliffhangers are okay.
By the way, I'm now at the end of Chapter 8. Considering I started on February 15th, I've written quite a bit more than my original goal of one chapter per week. Who knows, maybe it'll be ready to roll earlier than planned...
March 9, 2012
Island of Fog Book 5: Roads of Madness
It's been over a month since I last posted, and I have no excuses for being so lax. It's a funny thing, but I've just had nothing to say. What kind of writer has nothing to say?
Anyway, in the last couple of days I finally decided on a title for the next book in the Island of Fog series. With that in mind, I went ahead and created the cover too. I've said before that having a title and a cover to glance at as I'm writing kind of gives me direction and focus, and sometimes an aspect of the cover will work its way into the book. More on this in a moment.
So (fanfare please) allow me to introduce Book 5, Roads of Madness, due out late-summer this year.

I've already written five chapters. In case you haven't guessed, the cover depicts one of the survivors of the deadly "virus" that struck Hal's world. Those who are caught up on the series will know what caused the so-called virus in the first place, and the title of this new installment will make perfect sense. Up until now I've only hinted at the effects of the worldwide pandemic that has left the world deserted and overgrown. Remember in Island of Fog when Hal and his friends reached the top of the lighthouse and looked out across the bay to the deserted city on the mainland? Well, Roads of Madness will take you right into the heart of that city, where disfigured, half-crazed "scrags" are running around in gangs.
There are varying degrees of craziness associated with these survivors. In Island of Fog, Miss Simone explains that when the "virus" struck, many were driven mad with pain and grief, and some became carriers of a mutated strain, thus beginning the spread of a real virus from person to person. Basically, the world was left in a big old mess. These days, as you'll discover in Roads of Madness, people are either surviving alongside the military in shelters above and below ground, or they're stubbornly clinging to private life in their own homes by keeping doors and windows sealed, and wearing bio-suits when they go out. Or there are a rare few who are totally immune. Everyone else is eking a sorry life on the rat-infested streets.
Yikes, how depressing!
The cover art depicts a scarred survivor. She's looking at you and calculating how long you'll live after she tears your throat out. Stay away.
In Roads of Madness, Hal and a few of his friends have to make it through an abandoned, rotten and dangerous world to reach their destination -- their familiar old island. I'm looking forward to returning there myself. But it's not going to be the safe haven you might expect. Those who read Mountain of Whispers will know that the soldiers were sent home and the hole closed for good. Does this mean the soldiers and scientists shuffled meekly back to their military bunker? Of course not. The island is now a hive of activity. UFO and conspiracy fans will know all about Area 51, a top-secret base in the deserts of Nevada. Well, Hal's island is far more exciting than boring old UFOs because it boasts a portal to another dimension -- or at least it did. Hal knows there are two other such portals to Miss Simone's world, but the soldiers don't. At least, not yet...
Of course, this is a moot point since the phoenix rebirth in Lake of Spirits closed all the holes anyway! But Hal and his friends are hopeful that one remains open. Otherwise they might be stranded forever.
So that's the basic premise, but as usual I have a number of surprises along the way. The biggest challenge for the children is that the phoenix rebirth not only rebooted Miss Simone's world and wiped out all the magic, but left the shapeshifters unable to transform. A book about shapeshifters who can't shapeshift is a contradiction in terms, a little like a writer who can't think of anything to write about. But despite the bleak tone, there will be plenty of adventure and tension, and I feel fairly certain that Hal and his friends will get their shapeshifting abilities back.
Eventually.