Benjamin Sobieck's Blog, page 47

Free E-book Alert

I'd explain it all right here, but it'd be easier if you just clicked here for details about how to get free e-books from eight great authors (spoiler alert: one of them is me).

4 Reasons I Had a Great Day

1) Amazon Ranking

Maynard Soloman Proves Santa Claus is Real had a nice day on Amazon. It started around #450,000 and jumped up to #30,000. This may have been because Maynard sent gifts to the people on his "nice" list. Details are on his facebook page.

2) Great Maynard Review

Speaking of the Ol' Badger, Maynard Soloman Proves Santa Claus is Real received a nice review from Regina Hott over at Hott Books. She said, "I'm not sure when I laughed so hard." That made me happy. Click here to read the review.

3) Matthew C Funk Chooses Wine Into Water

In the world of crime flash fiction, few names cast as large a shadow as Matthew C Funk. His writing is beyond brilliant. It's scary good. He's the kind of writer who you read and say, "I give up." Good thing I didn't. He picked my flash fiction piece, Wine Into Water, for his best online read for the week. Click here to read his review.

4) New Stupid Criminal Story Up at Fingerprints

It's been a while since a new story was up at Fingerprints. That's OK. Fingerprints publishes crime flash non-fiction. You can't make this stuff up. John Hansen's The Criminal Did WHAT!? will put a smile on your face. Click here to read it.

The Internet is the Writer's Worst Enemy

Found this on Google Plus from crime author John Hansen. It's true.

Being a successful writer is 3% talent, 7% hard work, 11% luck, and 79% not being distracted by the Internet.

Get a Xmas Surprise from Maynard

Crusty detective Maynard Soloman just left this cryptic message on his facebook page:

"I ain't all bad. On Christmas Eve, I'm gonna put on my Santa hat and give all you flannel mouths something nice. Maybe not 'can of sardines' nice, but something just as good. Keep your peepers tuned."

Click here to "like" his page to find out what he has in store.

Read My "Wine Into Water" Flash Fiction Piece

The Flash Fiction Offensive published my crime flash fiction piece, Wine Into Water. Here's the first part:

20 Years Ago.

It was shouting "faggot" on the school bus. Bolting off with me at my stop. Stalking me home. Twisting my bones on the sidewalk. Kicking me black. Saying, "This is a test." Smelling of cigarettes and cologne. Locking hands over my mouth.

It was my welcome. My lesson. My seed.

Not now.

15 Years Ago.

It was spitting on me in the hallway. Stealing my lunch. Crafting lies. Pointing fingers. Leaving threats. Obsessing with what it would do to me.

It was my catalyst. My soil. My water.

Not now.

10 Years Ago.

It was holding her down. Laughing when I told that I saw. Consuming innocence. Ruining as it'd been ruined. Blaming the victim. Pounding its chest. Bragging about the whore it'd just made.

It was my reason. My testament. My sprout.

Not now.

Click here to read the rest, when the protag kills this bastard.

Video: The Glamorous Life of an Author

Haybales of drugs, hordes of lustful groupies, toppled tour buses and suitcases of cash are just another day in the life of an author, right? Yeah, right. Author Chris White gives us a sneak peak into an average day in his glamorous life.

Maynard Soloman Takes Number Two

No, not that number two. His rock solid innards have a hard enough time doing that thing. I'm talking about Amazon's War on Drugs category.

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Click here to see what all the fuss is about with Maynard Soloman Solves the War on Drugs.

What is Amazon's KDP Select Program?

Got this e-mail (below) today from Amazon. Looks like they're trying to accomplish three things:

1) Get authors to be exclusive with Amazon (I think this is short-sighted, I wouldn't sign an exclusive agreement with anyone)

2) Boost participation in a Lending Library that pays based on how often a title is borrowed.

3) Take out competitors' share of authors using 1) and 2)

Because of 1), my eligible titles won't be participating. It serves me better to have my titles available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Sony, Apple, Smashwords, Diesel, XinXii and all the other e-book retailers - including my own website. This agreement would limit me to only Amazon. Sure, it has the lion's share of the market, but why stop there? Aim for the entire market, not just the biggest piece.

And even though that exclusivity only lasts at a minimum 90 days, unless I plan to make a killing off 2), I'm really not gaining anything. Those are 90 days I'm not selling e-books at my full potential. My e-books are already approved for lending on the Kindle. Why take a step backward?

Still, I do find 2) interesting. If there wasn't 1), I'd probably jump on it. What do you think, readers and authors?

Here's the e-mail itself:

Hello from KDP!

We're excited to introduce KDP Select - a new option dedicated to KDP authors and publishers worldwide, featuring a fund of $500,000 in December 2011 and at least $6 million in total for 2012!  KDP Select gives you a new way to earn royalties, reach a broader audience, and use a new set of promotional tools. 

Here's how KDP Select works:

When you make any of your titles exclusive to the Kindle Store for at least 90 days, those with US rights will automatically be included in the Kindle Owners' Lending Library and can earn a share of a monthly fund.  The monthly fund for December 2011 is $500,000 and will total at least $6 million in 2012.  If you haven't checked it out already, the Kindle Owners' Lending Library is a collection of books that eligible US Amazon Prime members can borrow for free once a month with no due dates.

You'll also now have access to a new set of promotional tools, starting with the option to promote your KDP Select-enrolled titles for FREE for up to 5 days every 90 days.
 
How your share of the monthly fund is calculated:

Your share of the monthly fund is based on your enrolled titles' share of the total number of borrows across all participating KDP titles in the Kindle Owners' Lending Library.  For example, if total borrows of all participating KDP titles are 100,000 in December and your book was borrowed 1,500 times, you will earn $7,500 in additional royalties from KDP Select in December.  Enrolled titles will remain available for sale to any customer in the Kindle Store and you will continue to earn your regular royalties on those sales.

What this means to you:

KDP Select gives you access to a whole new source of royalties and readers- you not only benefit from a new way of making money, but you also get the chance to reach even more readers by getting your book in front of a growing number of US Amazon Prime customers: readers and future fans of your books that you may have not had a chance to reach before! Additionally, the ability to offer your book for free will help expand your worldwide reader base.

How to enroll:

KDP Select is available for titles participating in both the 70% and 35% royalty options.  You can immediately start by enrolling a single title, your whole catalog, or anything in between. 

If you're interested in enrolling a title that's already uploaded, simply click "Enroll" next to the book in your Bookshelf. To enroll multiple titles that are already uploaded, select the boxes next to any number of titles, then click "Actions" and choose "Enroll these books in KDP Select." The titles you choose will be enrolled immediately.

If you're interested in enrolling a new title, simply check the "Enroll this book in KDP Select" box while submitting details about your book and proceed to publish the book as you normally would. For new titles, enrollment takes effect once the book is available for sale on our website.

Thanks again for choosing KDP to publish your work.

Regards,

Kindle Direct Publishing

Review: "Dark Mind" by Jennifer Chase

There's a rather blunt saying in my family that has served me well through the years. "Listen to people to who know what the hell they're talking about." In other words, authenticity gets you the best results.

Need medical advice? Ask a doctor. Car making a funny noise? Ask a mechanic. Want a competent, intelligent crime novel? Seek out an author with a background in criminology.

Jennifer Chase is just that author. She has the real-world degrees to back up her writing. I instantly became a fan after reading some of her posts over on CrimeSpace. She picks apart everything from traits of psychopaths to knowing when a crime scene is staged. I should be paying to read this stuff. She's a classroom unto herself.

When it comes to writing fiction, it's a sure bet Chase's background shines through. Dark Mind, the latest novel in her Emily Stone series, again demonstrates why Chase stands out in the crowded field of crime authors.

Dark Mind follows cops-turned-vigilantes Emily Stone and maybe-more-than-a-friend Rick to Hawaii. The novel explodes with action right from the start. Emily and Rick rescue an abducted girl from a disgusting lodge in the forest. In the process, they kick the crap out of some pedophiles.

Note to author Chase: As a reader, that is a satisfying way to start a novel. A child is saved from the hell of sex slavery and the bad guys get their faces kicked to a dent.

(Actually, Emily restrains herself from kicking one of the pedos in the face. Most crime authors would've had her do it. It shows the care Chase puts into her Emily character.)

Emily and Rick then have to deal with the other menace on the island: the lackadaisical police force. The two sides butt heads as it becomes apparent the abductions didn't end at that lodge.

The action is constant, yet Chase still weaves her criminology background into the tempo. You could write a police training manual off Emily's thoughts and choices alone. I felt like I learned something from Dark Mind, something I can't say about a lot of novels.

However, these bonuses come at a trade-off. The novel needed a keen edit to tighten things up. Many sentences stretched into paragraphs, which slowed down that great action. Redundant descriptions stopped my eye, and again distracted from the action. "Unknown stranger" would be an example.

The dialogue seemed melodramatic at times. For example, prior to rescuing the girl from the lodge, either Rick or Emily (I forget which one off the top of my head) turns to the other and says, "Let's bring Cassie Thompson home...safely." It's a made-for-TV line that doesn't serve well a novel aiming for authenticity.

On that note, passive sentence structures leaned on adverbs to move them along. Yeah, yeah, call me the wet blanket, but these are things that I noticed as an author. Readers aren't as inclined to pick up on them.

What they will notice is a gripping story that starts with action, continues with action and ends with action. Readers won't get bored with Dark Mind. They'll finish it in a couple of days like I did.

Give Dark Mind a shot. It's the third in the Emily Stone series, but I had no problem jumping into it.

Now if you'll excuse me, I need to apply some of what I learned from Emily Stone.

Maynard Soloman Burns Up the Amazon Charts

Maynard Soloman Solves the War on Drugs continues to find success in Amazon's War on Drugs category. It's been in the top 100 in that category for some time, but #12 is the highest it's been.

This makes me happy but a little confused. I've not been pushing this title as hard as the most recent installment in the series, Maynard Soloman Proves Santa Claus is Real. I'm not complaining, I just don't know how readers are finding Drugs.

Anyway, I'll toast to this development. Cheers, Maynard. Have a can of bean dip, you old codger. You deserve it.