Patrick Todoroff's Blog, page 17
February 10, 2015
No free rides on the Amazon?
Trying to offer the first portions of the Eshu International novels Running Black and Shift Tense for Free at Amazon. (The Shift Tense serialization doesn’t work as intended, so Red Flags, Soldier Dreams and Angels would be unpublished, then rolled into one complete volume.)
However, I can’t work around KDP’s minimum .99 pricing. It seems Amazon no longer lets you offer books at no cost. (why should they, I guess)
So should I…
1. Price them at .99, then use the Amazon Free Book Promotion as often as possible?
2. Leave everything as is.
3. Bin the Free Excerpt idea. Just release Shift Tense as a complete novel and move on.
Any thoughts or experiences on this? Thanks.
***
By the way, Under Strange Stars is still on schedule for late March.
CLAR1TY WARS 2
Post-Modern Jukebox
Have an amazing way of re-working songs I otherwise loathe or dismiss.
February 6, 2015
Sozo offer
If anyone would like a free e-copy of ‘Sozo’, leave a comment here and I’ll send it along. I’ll give away 10 copies to seriously interested persons. It’s a quick read under 5K words. I’d like to get feedback and Amazon/Goodreads reviews if possible. Let me know. Thanks much.
February 3, 2015
Hollow-point Voodoo
Is the title of the chapter I’m currently working on. Heh.
I don’t have to write – I get to write.
January 28, 2015
Christian Fiction’s Bad Rap
Another excellent article by author Dave Alderman.
My thoughts? KEEP PRAYING. KEEP WRITING.
Originally posted on David N. Alderman:
Last Tuesday I posted about how some Christians stray away from any type of entertainment that doesn’t fulfill their idea of good Christian morals and ethics. Today I’m going to talk about my perspective of the state of Christian fiction in today’s society.
I’ve noticed a lack of exciting and/or realistic Christian fiction in today’s market and the impact it is having on the attitude of readers (both Christian and non-Christian) venturing out to give Christian fiction a chance. This is the main reason why I created the Crossover Alliance (soon to be a publishing company) and the genre, Edgy Christian Speculative Fiction, under which I contain my Black Earth series. It is Christian fiction, but it contains elements and themes – violence, sexual themes, unhappy endings, cursing, magic, other worlds, aliens, rape, etc – missing from much of today’s typical Christian fiction.
Now, to start off, I’m not…
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January 18, 2015
Question to other authors
[image error]Are you Amazon exclusive? Or do you find other venues like Smashwords and B&N viable?
With my first books, Amazon sales out-paced those two 100-1. Easily. From Shift Tense then on I concentrated on Amazon, and opted for electronic/Kindle format over print.
However, I’m considering multiple venues for my next project and was hoping for feedback.
Thanks much and take care.
Patrick T.
January 17, 2015
Coming Soon
UNDER STRANGE STARS
The next installment in The Clar1ty Wars series.
Coming Q1, 2015.
Cover art by Michal Oracz
January 16, 2015
Wrestling with the GARQ
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The Great Amazon Review Quandary, that is
There are three facets to my confusion, a sort of Trinity of Interconnected Perplexities: the need to Market, blatant Review Inflation, and a reluctance to come off as ‘that guy’.
Of course I want to get my work in front of potential readers, but I’m just one special snowflake in a huge flipping blizzard, and I simply don’t have to the funds to hire a PR firm, or the time and inclination to incessantly pump the Social Media well.
Then, between sock puppets, paid-for-reviews, and shill-and-gush marketing, Amazon review numbers may have gone through the roof but their credibility has plummeted. I mean, how does John/Jane Doe’s 50 Shades of Western Zombie Romance Vampire Apocalypse get twice, thrice the reviews of masters like Gibson, King, Rothfuss, Tolkien, Peake, Cronin, et alia? It don’t mean a thing if it ain’t got that (authentic) swing.
(Side Note: I worry for western civilization when I hear people are cashing in on Dino Porn It’s rumored those two ladies paid their way through college with their writing. Good for them, I guess, but big ‘WTF?’.)
As an Indie author I get that marketing is in my hands, but the last thing I want is to be the turd in the pool in every room, chat, forum, thread, FB/Tumblr/Pintrest/Twitter feed always pimping my books.
MybookMybookDiscountcodeLatestfivestarreviewMybookMynextbookIdeaforbookseriesMybookMybook…
Not everyone is interested in genre fiction. Buying or reading one of my books doesn’t then obligate the reader to be my Publicity Squirrel. I want to contribute to any community I’m a part of, be it physical or online, not just take. Sure, I ask folks to read and review my stuff, but it’s rude to presume or guilt them. I figure what I really need to do is write things worth reviewing.
So there it is. I’m open to feed back, recommendations and suggestions.
P.S. Book Announcement coming tomorrow.
Take Care,
Patrick T.
January 12, 2015
Sozo at Crossover Alliance
The short fiction piece “Sozo” is currently featured at The Crossover Alliance. Many thanks to Mr. Alderman for the opportunity and gathering the like-minded. Only.99, “Sozo” is a quick read for your Kindle, and all proceeds from Dec/Jan sales will be donated to The Wounded Warrior Project. Thanks much.
December 27, 2014
“Sozo” release day
The short story “Sozo” is now available at Amazon for Kindle, IPad, or whatever your flavor of eReader. Set in a fictional near-future, it is a redemptive story focused on a combat vet who faces hard choices instead of easy answers. A hair under 5K words, it’s only .99. All the proceeds for Dec/Jan will be donated to The Wounded Warrior Project.
Thank you and happy new year.
- p.a.t.
ps. if you enjoy it, please tell a friend and/or fire off a quick review. Much appreciated.
