Cary Caffrey's Blog, page 6
June 28, 2013
BAT OUT OF HELL: Freelancer. SciFiFanSat!
Posting from my WiPTHE GIRLS FROM ALCYONE: Freelancer
The Girls From Alcyone is the continuing story of two very special young women who find themselves at the heart of a conflict spanning more than forty worlds.
THIS WEEK: I'm skipping way ahead. Here, Sigrid finds herself back on board the Ōmi Maru, and in pursuit of the fleeing Merchantman. The Ōmi Maru is an unarmed freighter. With no weapons or torpedoes on board they need to find something else to launch at their enemy.
Of course they choose Sigrid.
Sigrid zipped up the pressure suit; every light blinked green. She had pressure; she had air. She also had a plan."Help me with this, Chief."Together, they slid the freshly stolen joy-rocket on a skid toward the cargo airlock. This one seemed a particular nasty piece of engineering. The hybrid rocket motor had clearly been salvaged from a thruster pylon from a much larger vessel. Two meters wide and five long, it took up much of the space in the hold. A simple acceleration couch had been laser welded onto its fairing; her only controls were a throttle lever and a kill switch.
Once launched, she knew it would have one basic maneuver—straight ahead.Oh, and don't forget to check out snippets from other SFFS authors here: scififansat.blogspot.ca! SciFi Fantasy Saturday is a web-ring of fab SciFi & Fantasy writers and posters. All are welcome to join and participate. In fact, join and participate! Ten sentences every Saturday is all it takes.
Cheers, Cary!
June 23, 2013
GREEN SHIFT COVER REVEAL
To celebrate the cover reveal for Greenshift, the e-book will be temporarily 99 cents at Amazon!
A tale set within the world of Ambasadora.
Mari's rare eye color makes her a pariah within Upper Caste society, which is why she prefers plants to people...except David, the former Armadan captain who shuttles scientists around on a refurbished pleasure cruiser.
But someone else is interested in Mari and her distinctive look--an obsessed psychopath who tortures and murders women for pleasure.
When the killer chooses Mari as his next victim, the soldier inside David comes alive, but it is Mari who must fight for her own life and prove she isn't as fragile as the flowers she nurtures.
Greenshift by Heidi Ruby Miller
Cover Art by Bradley Sharp
Foreword by Dana Marton
Space Opera/Science Fiction Romance paperback coming from Dog Star Books in August 2013
A tale set within the world of Ambasadora.
Mari's rare eye color makes her a pariah within Upper Caste society, which is why she prefers plants to people...except David, the former Armadan captain who shuttles scientists around on a refurbished pleasure cruiser.
But someone else is interested in Mari and her distinctive look--an obsessed psychopath who tortures and murders women for pleasure.
When the killer chooses Mari as his next victim, the soldier inside David comes alive, but it is Mari who must fight for her own life and prove she isn't as fragile as the flowers she nurtures.
Greenshift by Heidi Ruby Miller
Cover Art by Bradley Sharp
Foreword by Dana Marton
Space Opera/Science Fiction Romance paperback coming from Dog Star Books in August 2013
June 21, 2013
A PROPOSAL: Week Five of Merchantman/Freelancer. SciFiFanSat!
Posting from my WiPTHE GIRLS FROM ALCYONE: Freelancer
The Girls From Alcyone is the continuing story of two very special young women who find themselves at the heart of a conflict spanning more than forty worlds.
LAST WEEK: Sigrid shared a drink with the trader, Corbin Price. This week, the Merchantman offers something to Sigrid: a job that will make use of her unique talents.
"There is a man arriving at the station tomorrow - he has stolen from us. I want to see that he is hurt in return."Hurt.Sigrid considered the simple command, and inferred the meaning behind it. All her life she had been trained as a mercenary, as a soldier, and yes, an assassin; she had taken lives and done so without hesitation. But that had been her choice, her duty. Until this moment she hadn't truly appreciated how it would feel to have someone ask her to kill another. What was it the mercenaries said? For coin and contract?
Oh, and don't forget to check out snippets from other SFFS authors here: scififansat.blogspot.ca! SciFi Fantasy Saturday is a web-ring of fab SciFi & Fantasy writers and posters. All are welcome to join and participate. In fact, join and participate!
Cheers, Cary!
June 19, 2013
SELL YOUR BOOK! Luck Factor and "The List."
One of the best things that happened to me after I published The Girls from Alcyone was getting to meet all sorts of new writers. Those of us who attempt to write love talking with other writers - for the simple reason we're the only ones willing to put up with each other.
I was extremely flattered when writers started to ask me questions about writing and publishing. And when my book started to take off, I was even more flattered to have people ask how I'd managed to sell it.
My first answer is always, luck. I know I got lucky.
If you've been on Amazon then you've seen that thing on every page where it says, "People who bought this item also bought..." (let's call it the List for simplicity) Well, when my book first started to take off I noticed the book at the top of the list was a best seller. In a few days, there were two best sellers, then three and then four on the list. I started following those books and saw my book was at the top of their lists as well.
The significance of this is pretty clear. And This is why I know I got lucky.The more best sellers you have on your list, the more readers you've got seeing your title. My book was selling because people were seeing it. A lot of people. Were they seeing my book because of the other books on my list, or were those books selling because people were seeing their titles on my list? I think it's a bit of both. It's the 'chicken and the egg' factor.
I tell everyone about this phenomena. I think it's important to understand how Amazon works if you expect to exploit the workings of that giant-mega site. And it is a giant. Amazon still claims 90% of the eBook market.
So, yes, I admit to a huge amount of luck. On the other hand, I know I made an effort to use this list and these best sellers to my advantage. At least, I know I did what I could to get those specific books on my 'List.' Here's what I did:
Before publishing, I took a long hard look at the independent books that were having success in my target market of Science-Fiction Adventure. My specific target market was readers who wanted books featuring female heroins, guns and adventure, with a bit of space opera thrown in. I specifically researched best selling independent titles that fit that criteria.
I looked at everything from the quality of their writing, their covers, their titles, the authors' websites, how many books they were selling, their blogs and their twitter strategies.
When I released The Girls from Alcyone, I had those books squarely in my sights. I wanted the readers of those books to be my readers too. I did my best to understand what those authors were doing right, and where I thought they failed or missed opportunities.
These books had several things in common. They were in their top 100, and they featured original covers and compelling titles. It was for that reason I decided to invest in a unique and original cover (no stock photos!). The books I mentioned didn't do that, so neither would I.
And, I put a lot of thought into my title. Which leads me to the other question I get asked by writers (all the time!): Why are their books not selling?
My first answer always focuses on the cover - it's the first thing readers see. I won't go into covers here (I wrote a HUGE post on that already, so if you're interested, go check it out on Kathryn Hogan's site).
The second thing that catches my eye is their title.
I think titles are hugely important and drastically underrated. And, after the cover, the title is where I see most writers fail (as marketers, not writers).
Writers have a tendency to create titles based on some aspect of the book; a theme, a place, or an event. This approach makes perfect sense - from a writing perspective. But it has absolutely nothing to do with marketing, and it has nothing to do with creating a compelling moment - the moment where the reader first reads the title and thinks, hey, I want to know more about that! That's "The Hook." This is marketing at it's most basic: creating an emotional response with a potential reader. Ask yourself, does your title have a hook?
Your book might be about a guy named Trent, but calling the book "Trent" won't do you any favours. It's not going to sell your book. Especially if the cover features yet another stock photo of a shirtless underwear model showing off his six pack. *ducks* Sorry, I wasn't talking about your cover. I was talking about the other cover with the model with the six...well, you get my point.
This exact same example came up in a conversation with a writer (okay, I changed the title to protect the innocent). After I told him what I thought, the writer said, "I'm not sacrificing the integrity of my book to change the title just so it might sell."
I think he missed the point. It doesn't matter what he thinks about the title - he's not the one buying the book! If I thought I could attract twenty-thousand more readers by changing my title I'd do it in a heart-beat. I want people to read my book. I write the content. I'll let the wizards in marketing worry about the title.
This example is especially true in Science-Fiction. Science-Fiction is all about creating new worlds. This makes titles even more of a challenge, not less. Your book might be about a new world called Rangathragar or Broomsplendor, or who-knows, but using that as your book title is going to leave most readers out in the cold. Why? Because, WTF is Rangathragar?
"But, my book is about 'Rangathragar,'" you might say. "It's the perfect title."
Well, from a thematic point of view, you're bang on. From a marketing point of view, you're missing the point! On its own, out of context, it means absolutely nothing. It's not going to sell your book. You can't expect readers to have an emotional connection with a title that's meaningless to them.
Imagine if 'Lord of The Rings' had been called 'Sauron.' Or worse, 'Rings.' Sauron means nothing if you haven't read the book, and rings - well, rings could mean anything. Both choices amount to zero emotional response. That's all I'm trying to say. Did you know that 'Alien' was originally called 'Star Beast?' Blech. Sometimes writers are the last people who should be choosing titles.
I almost called my own book 'Alcyone.' Why not? It makes sense. But, I knew it was meaningless if you weren't familiar with the context of the book. For the title to be effective I had to give the reader context. Thus, I chose 'The Girls from Alcyone.' This gives a much stronger hint to what the book is about. It means something. Put in context with the cover - two girls, armed and standing alone on an alien world - creates a far more compelling picture than 'Alcyone' ever could. The weapons speak to the fact that it's an adventure as well. Sure it's pulpy. The book is pulpy. I'm pulpy! It all has to work together.
Why did I choose those elements? Because I had a specific target market in mind. As I mentioned earlier, I was aiming directly at readers who wanted books featuring female heroins, guns and adventure, with a bit of space opera thrown in. I wanted the title and cover to hit all those marks.
What does your cover and title say about your book, and who does it appeal to?
Lastly, when considering a title, make sure you do a search of that title! I'm amazed this doesn't occur to more writers. If you do a search of your title and four, six, twelve other books come up, well, perhaps you might want to rethink using it. It doesn't matter if it fits perfectly. If there are already two hundred and fourteen other books out there called 'Bloodletting' (honestly, I lost count) then perhaps throwing your book into this confusing mix isn't in your best interest.
Is your book not selling? Maybe consider a new cover. And, yes, maybe even consider a new title. What's the worst that can happen? Nothing. But - you might find your book finally finding an audience.
Let me know what you think. But more than that, let me know what you think about your book's title and cover!
Oh, and hands off Rangathragar! I'll be using that. Just not as a title.
I was extremely flattered when writers started to ask me questions about writing and publishing. And when my book started to take off, I was even more flattered to have people ask how I'd managed to sell it.
My first answer is always, luck. I know I got lucky.
If you've been on Amazon then you've seen that thing on every page where it says, "People who bought this item also bought..." (let's call it the List for simplicity) Well, when my book first started to take off I noticed the book at the top of the list was a best seller. In a few days, there were two best sellers, then three and then four on the list. I started following those books and saw my book was at the top of their lists as well.
The significance of this is pretty clear. And This is why I know I got lucky.The more best sellers you have on your list, the more readers you've got seeing your title. My book was selling because people were seeing it. A lot of people. Were they seeing my book because of the other books on my list, or were those books selling because people were seeing their titles on my list? I think it's a bit of both. It's the 'chicken and the egg' factor.
I tell everyone about this phenomena. I think it's important to understand how Amazon works if you expect to exploit the workings of that giant-mega site. And it is a giant. Amazon still claims 90% of the eBook market.
So, yes, I admit to a huge amount of luck. On the other hand, I know I made an effort to use this list and these best sellers to my advantage. At least, I know I did what I could to get those specific books on my 'List.' Here's what I did:
Before publishing, I took a long hard look at the independent books that were having success in my target market of Science-Fiction Adventure. My specific target market was readers who wanted books featuring female heroins, guns and adventure, with a bit of space opera thrown in. I specifically researched best selling independent titles that fit that criteria.
I looked at everything from the quality of their writing, their covers, their titles, the authors' websites, how many books they were selling, their blogs and their twitter strategies.
When I released The Girls from Alcyone, I had those books squarely in my sights. I wanted the readers of those books to be my readers too. I did my best to understand what those authors were doing right, and where I thought they failed or missed opportunities.
These books had several things in common. They were in their top 100, and they featured original covers and compelling titles. It was for that reason I decided to invest in a unique and original cover (no stock photos!). The books I mentioned didn't do that, so neither would I.
And, I put a lot of thought into my title. Which leads me to the other question I get asked by writers (all the time!): Why are their books not selling?
My first answer always focuses on the cover - it's the first thing readers see. I won't go into covers here (I wrote a HUGE post on that already, so if you're interested, go check it out on Kathryn Hogan's site).
The second thing that catches my eye is their title.
I think titles are hugely important and drastically underrated. And, after the cover, the title is where I see most writers fail (as marketers, not writers).
Writers have a tendency to create titles based on some aspect of the book; a theme, a place, or an event. This approach makes perfect sense - from a writing perspective. But it has absolutely nothing to do with marketing, and it has nothing to do with creating a compelling moment - the moment where the reader first reads the title and thinks, hey, I want to know more about that! That's "The Hook." This is marketing at it's most basic: creating an emotional response with a potential reader. Ask yourself, does your title have a hook?
Your book might be about a guy named Trent, but calling the book "Trent" won't do you any favours. It's not going to sell your book. Especially if the cover features yet another stock photo of a shirtless underwear model showing off his six pack. *ducks* Sorry, I wasn't talking about your cover. I was talking about the other cover with the model with the six...well, you get my point.
This exact same example came up in a conversation with a writer (okay, I changed the title to protect the innocent). After I told him what I thought, the writer said, "I'm not sacrificing the integrity of my book to change the title just so it might sell."
I think he missed the point. It doesn't matter what he thinks about the title - he's not the one buying the book! If I thought I could attract twenty-thousand more readers by changing my title I'd do it in a heart-beat. I want people to read my book. I write the content. I'll let the wizards in marketing worry about the title.
This example is especially true in Science-Fiction. Science-Fiction is all about creating new worlds. This makes titles even more of a challenge, not less. Your book might be about a new world called Rangathragar or Broomsplendor, or who-knows, but using that as your book title is going to leave most readers out in the cold. Why? Because, WTF is Rangathragar?
"But, my book is about 'Rangathragar,'" you might say. "It's the perfect title."
Well, from a thematic point of view, you're bang on. From a marketing point of view, you're missing the point! On its own, out of context, it means absolutely nothing. It's not going to sell your book. You can't expect readers to have an emotional connection with a title that's meaningless to them.
Imagine if 'Lord of The Rings' had been called 'Sauron.' Or worse, 'Rings.' Sauron means nothing if you haven't read the book, and rings - well, rings could mean anything. Both choices amount to zero emotional response. That's all I'm trying to say. Did you know that 'Alien' was originally called 'Star Beast?' Blech. Sometimes writers are the last people who should be choosing titles.
I almost called my own book 'Alcyone.' Why not? It makes sense. But, I knew it was meaningless if you weren't familiar with the context of the book. For the title to be effective I had to give the reader context. Thus, I chose 'The Girls from Alcyone.' This gives a much stronger hint to what the book is about. It means something. Put in context with the cover - two girls, armed and standing alone on an alien world - creates a far more compelling picture than 'Alcyone' ever could. The weapons speak to the fact that it's an adventure as well. Sure it's pulpy. The book is pulpy. I'm pulpy! It all has to work together.
Why did I choose those elements? Because I had a specific target market in mind. As I mentioned earlier, I was aiming directly at readers who wanted books featuring female heroins, guns and adventure, with a bit of space opera thrown in. I wanted the title and cover to hit all those marks.
What does your cover and title say about your book, and who does it appeal to?
Lastly, when considering a title, make sure you do a search of that title! I'm amazed this doesn't occur to more writers. If you do a search of your title and four, six, twelve other books come up, well, perhaps you might want to rethink using it. It doesn't matter if it fits perfectly. If there are already two hundred and fourteen other books out there called 'Bloodletting' (honestly, I lost count) then perhaps throwing your book into this confusing mix isn't in your best interest.
Is your book not selling? Maybe consider a new cover. And, yes, maybe even consider a new title. What's the worst that can happen? Nothing. But - you might find your book finally finding an audience.
Let me know what you think. But more than that, let me know what you think about your book's title and cover!
Oh, and hands off Rangathragar! I'll be using that. Just not as a title.
June 17, 2013
BOOK: Alone in the Crowd by Patrick Stutzman
Thank you so much for participating in the blog tour for my third book!
ALONE IN THE CROWD by PATRICK STUTZMAN
Available on 15 June 2013 on Amazon
Cover Art by Tomomi Ink
Alone No More?
Earth has finally sent a colony to the moon where Anna has been stranded, bringing with it hope of rescue. Although some are not quick to trust her, others welcome her with open arms, and she finds an unlikely friendship in a young colonist named Jason.
As Anna teaches the settlers to survive, the looming threat of the aliens' return casts a dark, foreboding shadow over the colony. Can she earn the colonists' trust and prepare them in time for first contact?
LINKSVisit the author’s website at The Worlds of Patrick Stutzman
See what other works are available from the author at Amazon’s Patrick Stutzman page
Visit the cover artist’s website at Tomomi Ink
ALONE IN THE CROWD by PATRICK STUTZMAN
Available on 15 June 2013 on Amazon
Cover Art by Tomomi Ink
Alone No More?
Earth has finally sent a colony to the moon where Anna has been stranded, bringing with it hope of rescue. Although some are not quick to trust her, others welcome her with open arms, and she finds an unlikely friendship in a young colonist named Jason.
As Anna teaches the settlers to survive, the looming threat of the aliens' return casts a dark, foreboding shadow over the colony. Can she earn the colonists' trust and prepare them in time for first contact?
LINKSVisit the author’s website at The Worlds of Patrick Stutzman
See what other works are available from the author at Amazon’s Patrick Stutzman page
Visit the cover artist’s website at Tomomi Ink
June 14, 2013
Odd Drinks With Dangerous Men. Week Four of Merchantman: SciFiFanSat!
Welcome to another edition of SciFi Fantasy Saturday - our little web-ring of fab SciFi & Fantasy writers and posters. Check out snippets from other SFFS authors here: scififansat.blogspot.ca.Posting from my WiP
THE GIRLS FROM ALCYONE: MERCHANTMAN
(a novelette from the world of Alcyone)
The Girls From Alcyone is the continuing story of two very special girls who find themselves at the heart of a conflict spanning more than forty worlds.
LAST WEEK Sigrid was introduced to Corbin Price, the merchant trader. Some readers seemed concerned that Sigrid might share a drink with the fellow. I can't imagine anything remotely close to that happening. Let's find out.
read part one here
read part two here
read part three here
Part Three of Merchantman:
Corbin Price snapped two pudgy fingers and signalled over a server. The rail-thin girl, no older than fifteen, leaned over, her flimsy garment giving the trader a generous view of her wan flesh, much to his delight. Sigrid felt her fists clenching her nails digging into the palms of her hand. Corbin Price retrieved one of the little glasses from her tray. "A little lubricant to smooth negotiations?"With all eyes on her, Sigrid realized she was to take one, perhaps as part of some social ritual. The contents registered as tequila; the black worm seemed an odd thing, but her database confirmed that this was done. After a cautious sniff, she downed the shot and wiped her mouth on her sleeve. Her eyes never wavered from the fat trader across the table.
If you're curious to read more, I've posted the entire rough draft of Merchantman here (notice the link up top!). I'm also happy to email you a Kindle copy.
Cheers,
Cary!
June 15, 2012
Free Weekend for The Girls From Alcyone
I wanted to pop by and let everyone know that I'll be running a FREE WEEKEND this weekend on Amazon. On June 16th and 17th, I'll be giving away Kindle copies of The Girls From Alcyone.
So if you don't already have a copy, now's your chance to pick up this SciFi Best Seller for free!
Go grab a copy! Here's the link:
http://www.amazon.com/The-Girls-From-...
So if you don't already have a copy, now's your chance to pick up this SciFi Best Seller for free!
Go grab a copy! Here's the link:
http://www.amazon.com/The-Girls-From-...
January 2, 2012
2012: Here we go!
It’s been just over a month since the publication of The Girls From Alcyone, and I couldn’t be happier. Sales are continuing to exceed my expectations. We hit #10 on iTunes Best Seller list for Science Fiction & Fantasy in Canada, and sales on Amazon keep getting stronger. Plus, your responses have been wonderful!
I’m finally able to extract myself from that project and shift my attention where it needs to be: on TGfA II. I’m tentatively calling it The Gilded Age, but expect that to change. I never seem to get titles right until I’m deep into the book.
I can’t wait to share with you what’s coming. But, of course, I can’t say a thing, and I won’t. Expect details to start trickling out near the end of January.
What I can say is, this is just the beginning. Stay tuned!The Girls From Alcyone
I’m finally able to extract myself from that project and shift my attention where it needs to be: on TGfA II. I’m tentatively calling it The Gilded Age, but expect that to change. I never seem to get titles right until I’m deep into the book.
I can’t wait to share with you what’s coming. But, of course, I can’t say a thing, and I won’t. Expect details to start trickling out near the end of January.
What I can say is, this is just the beginning. Stay tuned!The Girls From Alcyone
December 21, 2011
Thanks!
Last week I was pretty darn excited to let you know that my book was on the iTunes 'New & Notable' List.
Well, I'm even more excited(er) to let you know that we made it all the way onto the the iTunes 'Top Paid' list for Sci-Fi & Fantasy. We climbed up to #116 this morning.
Woot!
I owe a really big thank-you to those of you who took the time to stop by and give the 'Girls' the nice ratings & reviews (on Amazon, Smashwords, iTunes, here - everywhere!). You've been a huge help, and I really appreciate it.
http://itunes.apple.com/ca/artist/car...
Well, I'm even more excited(er) to let you know that we made it all the way onto the the iTunes 'Top Paid' list for Sci-Fi & Fantasy. We climbed up to #116 this morning.
Woot!
I owe a really big thank-you to those of you who took the time to stop by and give the 'Girls' the nice ratings & reviews (on Amazon, Smashwords, iTunes, here - everywhere!). You've been a huge help, and I really appreciate it.
http://itunes.apple.com/ca/artist/car...
December 20, 2011
iTunes Top Paid
I'm very happy to announce that The Girls From Alcyone has made it to the iTunes 'Top Paid' list for Science-Fiction and Fantasy.
Go Girls!
Go Girls!
