Neil D. Ostroff's Blog, page 2

June 8, 2016

Nice new reviews!

Got a couple of nice new reviews for DROP OUT and IMAGINATION from some awesome readers! Thanks for taking both books to the #1 bestseller spot on Amazon!


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DROP OUT - http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005FX0K7U


5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful story.
By paula on June 7, 2016
Format: Kindle Edition|Verified Purchase


I loved this book. Makes you stop and think. Not take for granted the life we have. Bad things happen to good people, but we must carry on. With kindness peace and love. I will be reading more from this author.


5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
By Patricia Romano on May 16, 2016
Format: Kindle Edition|Verified Purchase


Different, engaging, and worth the read!




5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
By Amazon Customer on April 25, 2016
Format: Kindle Edition|Verified Purchase


Surprising self-reflection colorful details and language.


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IMAGINATION - http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ATFC3JM


5.0 out of 5 stars Before you go
By bobbie ventura on April 27, 2016
Format: Kindle Edition|Verified Purchase


What if your life was only someone else's imagination? What would you do, think, say. I wasn't sure I would like this book but once I started reading I couldn't stop reading. I recommend this book to those of us that like to think what if and outside the box,


5.0 out of 5 stars WHO AM I
By Robert Gale on April 22, 2016
Format: Kindle Edition|Verified Purchase


Very well written.
You won't want to put me down


5.0 out of 5 stars Imagine...
By Linda on April 14, 2016
Format: Kindle Edition|Verified Purchase


This is THE most imaginative book I have ever read: a world within a world, within a world, etc. It certainly gives a new perspective on imagination. Good read.


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To learn more about me, my books, and my writer’s journey please check out my blog: ALWAYS WRITING. Thank you.
http://www.neilostroff.blogspot.com
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Published on June 08, 2016 11:36 Tags: books, fiction-books, literary-fiction-books, romance-novel

June 3, 2016

Judging success?

Neglecting to market my books and myself has always been my weakness. While I love the process of writing (creating new characters, worlds, and plots) the arduous task of promoting my work can seem dauntless at times. After writing consistently for 25+ years, I recently made the conscious, and I must say extremely difficult decision, to take a break from it all. I have gone thirteen months without publishing an original book and as of right now, two months have passed without me writing an original paragraph. It’s a horrific truth to admit!

That’s not to say there haven’t been some exciting moments in the past weeks. My last two major promotional campaigns brought four of my books to the Amazon #1 spot in their genres, and several hit #1 in their sub-genres. I write dystopian, sci-fi, paranormal, action thrillers, and literary fiction… so I am quite pleased with the results. I have a wide-ranging audience and have received enough 5-star reviews to believe that I possess some talent beyond the mediocre. For this, I am proud and thankful.

But how does one judge success? What were my original goals when I set out in my early teens to be a writer? At what point do I proclaim I have achieved “IT!”? My entire twenties, thirties, and half of my 40’s, were spent plugging away at my keyboard 30 – 50 hours a week; week after week after week. I lost friends, missed out on good times, neglected my family, all to achieve what I believe is my purpose in life. To write stories that effect change in a reader’s perspective on the world.

Contrary to the way this post comes across, it is not my farewell message to the world of imagination. This post is not a resignation letter that I have exhausted my creativity and said all I need to say. Rather, it is an airing of dirty laundry of sorts. The guilt of not writing has weighed heavily and for a few months I feared I had lost focus on my purpose as a human being. Life, especially as enriched as mine has become in recent months, can change your perspective of what’s really important; happiness vs. purpose vs. self-fulfillment?

When I finished my last book, AS IT IS IN HEAVEN, I took my own advice I had written and concentrated on doing what makes me most happy; mainly gardening, fishing, landscaping, and hiking. After time, I realized that what my happiness boils down to is the process and ability to take these life experiences and create something from nothing… to write about them in fiction form. And as soon as I publish this post I will be starting a new novel.

To learn more about me, my books, and my writer’s journey please check out my blog: ALWAYS WRITING. Thank you.
http://www.neilostroff.blogspot.com
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Published on June 03, 2016 12:18 Tags: books, fiction-books, literary-fiction-books, romance-novel

April 29, 2016

Reviews… what do they mean?

The free promotion for my book, IMAGINATION is long over and now, as I had hoped, reviews are starting to roll in. This got me thinking as I read people’s opinions of my story… what do reviews really mean?

If you’re trying to do marketing on major sites such as Bookbub or Booksends, reviews mean you must have a minimum of them to even be considered for an ad spot, and the majority better add up to four stars or more. Logic being, higher reviews helps weed out books not quite up to par. Seems fair, right?

What if I ask twenty of my friends to buy my book and leave reviews? (Better yet, I buy it for them! At $0.99, it’s a bargain for twenty fresh, glowing 5-star reviews). Or maybe, if I’m a college student, I’ll ask my class, or my dorm, or maybe everyone I work with, etc. You get the point. Reviews are like plastic flowers, they may look pretty displayed on the mantle, but they have no true substance.

I got my first ever 1-star review for one of my books (out of hundreds of reviews for my eleven published novels) and the very same day I got a 5-star for the very same book. One reviewer said it was unreadable while the other said it was incredibly well-written and he/she couldn’t put it down. Who should I believe? These readers are not my friends, but total strangers. Another example is my book DROP OUT which has 60+ reviews, all from complete and total strangers. 92% are four or more stars with the large majority being 5-star. Nearly everyone who reads DROP OUT is affected by it and many people write me personally, yet, there it is at the bottom, a single, solitary, lonesome, 2-star review.

Everyone in the world has their own personal likes and dislikes for books. It is the same with movies, and sports teams, and food. (I hate sushi!). Does my review of the awful sushi I had at a restaurant mean that restaurant serves awful food? No! It is a matter of personal opinion. With stories, each one will affect a reader differently because each reader relates and identifies to different things in life!

So, when that first 1-star review comes in and smacks your brain leaving you wondering how this person couldn’t have liked the story you’ve poured your heart and soul into, remember… not everyone likes everything all the time! It is what makes us unique as individuals.

To learn more about me, my books, and my writer’s journey please check out my blog: ALWAYS WRITING. Thank you.

http://www.neilostroff.blogspot.com
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Published on April 29, 2016 09:22 Tags: books, fiction-books, literary-fiction-books, romance-novel

April 12, 2016

Blow your mind freebie!

When I first began writing IMAGINATION, I envisioned a book which would propel readers beyond the norm and into realms where the utterly unbelievable was possible. I wanted to blow their minds! Fascinated by the physical and psychological endurance experienced by POW’s during times of war, I knew prolonged periods of isolation and injury invoked defense mechanisms of the mind. Part of this defense is to escape inside one’s own thoughts and memories. Tiniest details of imaginary worlds become crystal clear. Immersion becomes so deep, the lines separating reality and imagination blur. I pondered, “what if the people and relationships inside this created existence don’t know they are composed of thought?”. A story was born. Enjoy your free copy today!

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ATFC3JM
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Published on April 12, 2016 09:18 Tags: books, fiction-books, literary-fiction-books, romance-novel

March 30, 2016

The day has arrived!

After weeks of planning and coordinating efforts, today is the day my books and myself are being promoted on more than twenty of the top ereader websites in the U.S. with a total subscription base of 3.5 million opt-in readers. Just a few of the biggies are :

http://ereadernewstoday.com/book-of-t...

bit.ly/21TrCnu

http://readingdeals.com/deals/drop-ou...

BargainBooksy.com

https://choosybookworm.com/todays-deals/

Thanks all. Will be updating Amazon rankings throughout the day. To learn more about me, my books, and my writer’s journey please check out my blog: ALWAYS WRITING. Thank you.

http://www.neilostroff.blogspot.com
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Published on March 30, 2016 08:19 Tags: books, fiction-books, literary-fiction-books, romance-novel

February 25, 2016

Promo Blitz Begins!

Today, THE END TIME ( http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00K08TEYA ) is being featured on multiple books sites with an audience reach of over two million readers. Needless to say, I am very psyched! Here is a list of sites on which I am being featured. All have a low Alexa ranking and are proven to generate ebook sales.

Ereader News Today
Free Kindle Books and Tips blog
RiffleBargain Booksy
Fussy Librarian
Choosey Bookworm
Booksends

Please check out my blog as I will be posting results of this promotional blitz. Because of the huge potential readership, I am also offering the first book in my 3-book sci/fantasy series SILENT INVASION ( http://www.amazon.com/dp/B006ZQTWPW ) for FREE for the next few days! Here is your chance to explore worlds beyond our own and take a journey to the far reaches of your imagination! Enjoy!

To learn more about me, my books, and my writer’s journey please check out my blog: ALWAYS WRITING. Thank you.

http://www.neilostroff.blogspot.com
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Published on February 25, 2016 12:17 Tags: books, fiction-books, literary-fiction-books, romance-novel

February 23, 2016

It begins!

Today begins my multi-book, months-long promotion blitz. My dystopian, sci-fi THE END TIME is being featured on FKBT, ( http://fkbt.com/2016/02/23/the-end-time/ ) which has an opt-in newsletter of over 80,000 subscribers, not including its Facebook and Twitter reach. Also, want to remind readers that the first book in my YA sci-fi/fantasy trilogy, SILENT INVASION ( http://www.amazon.com/dp/B006ZQTWPW ) is FREE for a few days. A little added bonus for those who are interested in my work and would like to sample. Thanks all.
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Published on February 23, 2016 12:09 Tags: books, fiction-books, literary-fiction-books, romance-novel

February 22, 2016

Let your imagination fly!

Out of my eleven published books, one of my favorites to write has also been my worst seller; IMAGINATION ( http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ATFC3JM ). I wrote the book a few years ago, during the most creative point in my writing career when I pumped out three full manuscripts in less than a year. As an experienced, decades-long writer, I knew that fresh manuscripts must be seasoned and then re-read several months later with a fresh perspective.

With the other two novels, I did just that and let them sit and stew for a long period of time before re-reading and then having them published. But with IMAGINATION, the concept was so exciting and original I just couldn’t wait to let it loose upon the world. I hurried through the cover design and didn’t bother my beta readers with a copy. And this lack of respect for the maturation process showed in a sub-par release. Certainly, not up to my standards today.

Books are like children and when one underachieves it makes all the other work feel like failure. I was beginning to see IMAGINATION as a lump of coal among a string of pearls. I just wasn’t satisfied with the result.

Putting the book out of my mind for a few years, I wrote two more manuscripts, let them mature, and then had them published with great success. All the while, IMAGINATION sat on the virtual bookshelf with barely a download. It was very disconcerting.

After having spent the last year perfecting my author platform and being promoted on some of the most trafficked reader sites in the world, I finally had the guile to spend serious time getting IMAGINATION into shape. Now, months later and just weeks before my massive world-wide publicity blitz, I proudly announce the re-publication of the mind-blowing, thought-provoking, completely original, suspense thriller, IMAGINATION. Totally re-written, edited by the best in the biz., and with a new, original cover.

Please take a minute to download a copy or read for FREE through Kindle Unlimited. ( http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ATFC3JM ) You will not be disappointed! Thank you very much!

To learn more about me, my books, and my writer’s journey please check out my blog: ALWAYS WRITING. Thank you.
http://www.neilostroff.blogspot.com
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Published on February 22, 2016 11:09 Tags: books, fiction-books, literary-fiction-books, romance-novel

February 8, 2016

World-wide Audience!

It used to be that if you talked up a dozen or two readers about your books in a day you’d consider that a success. Scheduled book store signings would possibly bring in a few dozen more, if you were lucky. Boy, times sure have changed.

I am lucky enough to have secured not just one, but two Book of the Day sponsorship spots for two different books (DROP OUT – http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005FX0K7U on March 30th and THE END TIME –http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00K08TEYA on February 25th) on Ereader News Today, one of the premier ereader sites in the U.S. That itself will expose these books to more than 500,000 readers. This is simply mind-boggling!

But, I didn’t stop there. I wanted more readers! Seeing the gold at the end of my rainbow, I quickly booked promotions on these sites—**WRITERS – this is a powerhouse list with low Alexa stats: Free Kindle Books and Tips, Riffle, Fussy Librarian, Bargain Booksy, KND, Digital Book Today, Booksends, Ereader Café, Ebook Stage) Doing so, has increased my exposure on those days to more than a million readers! Can you imagine? If twenty years ago I were to tell my family and friends that more than a million people will see my covers and possibly read my blurbs, it would be cause for serious celebration and perhaps even an impromptu party.

The last time Ereader News Today feature DROP OUT it shot straight to #1 in several genres and got below 500 in the entire paid Amazon store. You can understand my anticipation as these, Book of the Day dates edge ever closer.

And that’s not all! Knowing the intense exposure I will be receiving, I have spent days rewriting my descriptions and setting up my Amazon pages to optimum professionalism. I have also schedule concurrent free promotions for SILENT INVASION on the day THE END TIME is scheduled, and AS IT IS IN HEAVEN for when DROP OUT is scheduled. This will give readers a chance to sample other of my books in the same genre and I will hopefully gain life-long fans.

So to quote Eminen, “you only got shot do not miss your chance to blow” I’ve been given two and I am not going to waste them.

To learn more about me, my books, and my writer’s journey please check out my blog: ALWAYS WRITING. Thank you.
http://www.neilostroff.blogspot.com
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Published on February 08, 2016 13:34 Tags: books, fiction-books, literary-fiction-books, romance-novel

January 31, 2016

Hello again!

Hello everyone! It’s been a while since I posted and I apologize to my followers and readers for my absence. It has not been without merit. Though I have lost a percentage of my followers by not posting, I believe the end result will justify my reasons.

I have spent the last months feverishly rewriting my book descriptions and several of my books. I am in the process of updating a few new covers, too. This is in anticipation of a major promotional blitz.

I am lucky enough to have scored not one, but two coveted Book of the Day spots on Ereader News Today, second only to Bookbub in exposure for the ereader market. The first spot is for THE END TIME ( http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00K08TEYA ). That will be on Feb. 25th. The second spot is for DROP OUT ( http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005FX0K7U ) on March 30th. In addition to the ENT promotion, I am also being featured on these sites on the same days. Free Kindle Books & Tips, Riffle, Fussy Librarian, Bargain Booksy, Kindle Nation Daily, and Digital Book Today.

Using only ENT has taken my books to the #1 spot in their genres and I am hoping to hit #1 in multiple genres this time. For now, I am focusing all my energies on tweaking my available books in the hopes of many cross-over sales. I am also hoping the exposure may bring about a contract or two from a big publisher or media studio. One never knows.

For now, I am continuing to prepare for the blitz and I am also outlining a new book in the process. I will continue to keep this blog updated on my current writer status, and will detail the results and follow-up from the blitz. Goodbye for now, and never stop writing.

To learn more about me, my books, and my writer’s journey please check out my blog: ALWAYS WRITING. Thank you.

http://www.neilostroff.blogspot.com
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Published on January 31, 2016 13:27 Tags: books, fiction-books, literary-fiction-books, romance-novel