David R. Michael's Blog, page 31
March 25, 2011
Now Available – "A Fine Mess"
"A Fine Mess" – A new science fiction short story by David Michael!Kenneth is the best gatherer among the survivors. Only a few can gather Strings, the floating, Frayed remnants of what was once the edible vegetation of the world. Which is why there are a lot fewer people now than Kenneth remembers when he was younger. He might be only ten, but even Kenneth knows that if you can't catch Strings, you can't eat. And if you can't eat, you starve and you die… (2300-word short story)
"A Fine Mess" Edition
Price
Kindle edition (Amazon)
$.99
Nook edition (Barnes & Noble)
$.99
Ebook (Smashwords)
$.99
Related Posts:
Now Available – "Insanity"Now Available – "Curtain Call"Now Available – THE DOOR TO THE SKY
March 24, 2011
THE GIRL WHO RAN WITH HORSES given 5 Stars at Juniper Grove!
Jaidis Shaw at Juniper Grove gives The Girl Who Ran With Horses 5 stars!The Girl Who Ran With Horses is a book not only about coming to terms with normal teenage insecurities but about accepting who you are, even if that means you can talk to horses…
…The Girl Who Runs With Horses is a delightful young adult book and one that I will gladly allow my daughter to read. Well, after she learns to read of course
Read the whole review here…
Related Posts:
THE SUMMONING FIRE Gets 4 Stars from Juniper GroveTHE GIRL WHO RAN WITH HORSES Gets 4.5 Stars from MotherLodeTHE GIRL WHO RAN WITH HORSES Gets 5 Stars from Book Babe!
If a Million Indies Self-Publish a Million Really Bad Novels…
…no one is going to force you to read them.
Just sayin'.
Fortunately, this also holds true for thousands of not-indie publishers not-self-publishing hundreds of thousands of mediocre books every year.
So we can all breathe easier.
-David
Related Posts:
I Have Big Plans for 2011Why I Choose to be an Indie AuthorWriting First, Then Publishing
March 23, 2011
Sprint! Sprint! Sprint!
Promote! Promote! Promote!
Social network!
Tour blogs!
Change your price!
Oops! Change your price back!
Change your cover!
Fix your blurb!
I found a typo!
Sell! Sell! Sell!
Echo! Echo! Echo!
If you're not already selling 1000 books a month, you suck!
You have to sell more than 1000 books a month, you loser!
Write novels! Short stories don't sell! Even when they do!
No one will pay more than .99 for an ebook! Even if they do!
Amanda Hocking! Amanda Hocking! Amanda Hocking!
JAK! JAK! JAK!
Series! Series! Series!
Genre! Genre! Genre!
Don't cross genres! Unless it works!
~ ~ ~
I find most of the indie author forums a bit … well … exhausting.
-David
Related Posts:
A Story in "Zombiepalooza"It's Simple MathShort Story Ebook Economics
March 22, 2011
How to Bake Bacon
Heat oven to 350 degrees (F).
Arrange bacon flat on the bottom of a cookie sheet. I can usually fit about 1 lb of thick sliced bacon on my large cookie sheet.
Bake on middle rack for 30-35 minutes.
When it's done, I use a spatula to scoop the hot bacon out of the rendered fat and into a bowl lined with a paper towel.
Makes wonderfully "flat" slices of bacon. Perfect for sandwiches.
Mostly, though, this way is a lot less work, and a lot less messy, than frying bacon in a skillet.
Enjoy!
-David
Related Posts:
The Puppets Take a BathI Haven't Given Up on MyselfThe Perfect Hiding Place (1 of 2)
Truth Be Told…
…I don't need to think about pricing and sales every day.
And so I shouldn't. It's not healthy.
What should I think about every day? Here are a few candidates:
How to be a better writer.
How to be a better husband/father/blah/blah/sentimental.
Did I already list how to be a better writer?
And, soon, I should be spending more time (though not every day) thinking about what I'm going to write after GoSH1 (which I hope to have finished before taxes are due). GoSH2 is the obvious choice, but I think I'll need a short break before I continue the series. Gunwitch2, maybe. I'll be editing Gunwitch soon, and trying to come up with a cover concept, so Gunwitch2 might be easy to work in. The other possibility that has come to mind is another Hell on Earth novel, to keep The Summoning Fire company. I have no idea what another HoE novel would even look like, though.
-David
Related Posts:
Online Discussions About Indie Publishing I Now AvoidLearn to Edit Your Own WorkDoubling Down
March 21, 2011
I blame Daylight Savings Time. It sucks. Messing with m...
I blame Daylight Savings Time. It sucks. Messing with me twice a year. By the time I'm adjusted to Springing Forward, here comes the sucker punch of Falling Back.
But I'll survive.
Someday I'll learn to duck. Or to roll with the punches a bit better.
-David
Related Posts:
December Is Not a MonthZzz-DamnLearn to Edit Your Own Work
Writing Progress Report
Writing progress report for the week starting Monday, March 14, 2011.
Writing Project
Words
Monday
GoSH1
2249
Tuesday
GoSH1
Edited "Evanescent".
2525
Wednesday
GoSH1
Edited "Insanity".
Line edited "Insanity".
2516
Thursday
Created base ebook document for "Insanity".
Created "Insanity" ebook document for KDP, Smashwords, & PubIt.
Friday
GoSH1
Edited "A Fine Mess".
1300
Saturday
Sunday
Total
8590
Marketing/Submission
Monday
Announced Door Sky at 4CL, G&M, KB, MR, NB.
Updated blog and FB to show new books.
Tuesday
Sent "Evanescent" to first readers.
Wednesday
Thursday
Uploaded "Insanity" to KDP, PubIt, & Smashwords.
Friday
Posted book trailer video for Door Sky to G&M and FB.
Saturday
Announced "Insanity" at 4CL, F&M, FB, KB, MR, NB.
Sunday
Reading List
The Bed of Procrustes: Philosophical and Practical Aphorisms by Nassim Nicholas Taleb.
Steampunk Prime edited by Mike Ashley.
Related Posts:
Now Available – "Insanity"Now Available – THE DOOR TO THE SKYDemon Candy – Now Available!
March 20, 2011
You Might be Pricing Your Ebooks at $.99 for the Wrong Reason(s)
On the KindleBoards, the conversation about ebook price never ends. A large subset of that conversation is about the $.99 price point, especially for novels.
I do respect a few Right Reasons for pricing a novel ebook at $.99. Among them "I'm a discount publisher selling cheap books at the lowest possible price" and "My book is on sale for a week or two". This post/rant is not about those reasons.
That said, here is my collection of Wrong Reasons for pricing your novel ebook at $.99, complete with why I think the reasons are wrong.
Wrong Reason #1. I'm an obscure author.
Obscure author, schmobscure author.
In a bookstore with over 10,000 books–or on Amazon with *MILLIONS*–if you aren't King, Grisham, Rowling, or Brown YOU ARE OBSCURE. And until you are one of those group of rarified people, YOU WILL NEVER NOT BE OBSCURE.
There will *always* be more people who have never heard of you than have tried your book–or even run their eyes over the spine of your book wedged between the other books on the shelves.
No one knows who you are (or who I am). Even if you sold 10,000 copies of your book last week (and I wish had), the typical shopper doesn't know you (or me) from the guy browsing the next aisle. What's more, ask them what authors they *do* know, forbid them the four I mentioned above, and they're probably reduced to a handful of genre authors they are familiar with–and that the person in the next aisle probably has never heard of.
Any pricing argument based on "I'm an obscure author" is silly. Period.
Wrong Reason #2. I won't pay more than $.99 for an ebook.
OK. Don't.
But keep in mind this important fact: You are not your market. Or even, in this case, a valid sample of the overall ebook market. Because people do pay more for ebooks. Every day.
While "I wouldn't pay that much for an ebook" is a perfectly valid personal reason for pricing your ebook low, it is a less than perfect business reason.
People *will* pay more than $.99 for an ebook. If you choose to charge a low rate, all you're doing is leaving money on the table. That's it.
Wrong Reason #3. All ebooks will be .99 cents in the future.
If you think the price of all ebooks is going to be $.99 in the future … so what?
I don't think the future of ebooks is all $.99 all the time, but if you do, I have to ask: Is there an advantage to getting ahead of the curve? Special "Early Discount Pricer" badges, maybe, or some cool benefit that I've managed not to spot?
Because, right now, all ebooks are *not* $.99. *Most* ebooks are not $.99.
So, by "striking early" and camping on this predicted price point, all you're doing is losing money while you wait for the future to arrive.
Why would you punish yourself by arriving early to the craptastic-price-party? Seems like it would make more sense to price higher while you still can.
~ ~ ~
That's my current collection. I'm always on the lookout, though. Or, if you want, please feel free to give me your Wrong Reason for pricing a novel ebook at $.99.
-David
Related Posts:
It's Simple MathYeah, What Dean SaidWhat I Need are … Readers
March 19, 2011
Short Story Ebook Tip
If you want your short story ebook sample to be useful, move the bulk of the "front matter" from the front of the ebook, to the back.
For "Curtain Call", I used my standard ebook arrangement:Title Page
Copyright Notice
Story
About the Author
Other Back Matter
Unfortunately, that means the sample only includes the first paragraph of the story. Oops.
So, for "Insanity", and for all future short story ebooks, I am using this arrangement:Title Page
Story
Copyright Notice
About the Author
Other Back Matter
With this arrangement, the sample includes 2 full "Kindle pages" of story (~500 words). Much better.
With novels or collections, this isn't as big a deal. With short stories, though, if you want the sample to be more than just a paragraph or two, you have to "front load" the ebook.
-David
Related Posts:
Now Available – "Insanity"Now Available – "Curtain Call"Short Story Ebook Covers
