David Mark Brown's Blog, page 6

Amazon Does it Again (Why Can’t Anyone Else?)

Posted in eBook revolution

I soiled myself this afternoon, just a little. And it wasn’t from the pizza I left out overnight (again). The afore stated befoulment happened after skimming an email I received from Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP).

I always read these emails close enough to see if for some magical reason Amazon has selected me to be the next instant rags-to-riches self-pubbed author. (I have delusions, okay?) This time, I quickly realized the email was about the Kindle Countdown Deals I learned of this morning (from another blog I follow).

The Kindle Countdown Deals Go Beyond Cute

I hadn’t looked too closely into the “countdown deals,” instead dismissing it as another nifty Amazon strategy to suck authors and publishers into exclusivity with KDP (via KDP Select). I decided a year ago that KDP wasn’t really for me. The benefit of being able to easily “pulse” scheduled promotions of my titles didn’t override my desire to spread my content far and wide.

I don’t like to be tied down. One committed relationship in my life is enough. I’m a child of Generation X, dagnabbit. The man’s constantly trying to get me down, and I don’t even know who the man is! (Oh, it’s Amazon, that’s right.)

Anyway, so back to the reason I had to bidet my backside. On the surface, the Countdown Deal allows the author/publisher to run a promotion on Amazon which displays an actual countdown timer revealing when the promotional deal will expire.

Clever, right? Now the first thing to catch the reader’s eye will be an inanimate salesperson tapping the reader’s shoulder and saying, “This deal is for a limited time only! Get it now, or forever regret your lack of fortitude, you gutless wonder! Don’t shop around! Buy, buy, buy!”

While clever, this is by no means enough to drag me back to KDP Select and its exclusive demands. Then I read the next bullet point in the email I received:

Retain a 70% royalty rate – You will earn royalties based on your regular royalty rate and the promotional price. As a result, if you are using the 70% royalty option, you’ll earn 70% even if the price is below $2.99.

What the crap!? Did I read that right? I mean, son of a–[deep breaths]–

You had me at, ‘$$$.’

Okay, maybe you didn’t have the same response I did. But let me explain the significance of this. I am currently running a week long promo on my novel, De Novo Syndrome. The regular price of $2.99 (at 70% royalty) has been lowered to $0.99 (30% royalty) for the duration of the promo. That means every copy I sell this week will net me around $0.30 instead of $2 at the normal price and royalty or $0.70 a copy at the promotional price with 70% royalty.

With the help of mailing lists such as Bookbub, Book Gorilla, Pixel of Ink and Kindle Books and Tips I have already sold hundreds of copies at the lower price and royalty. Now lets do some math (oh can it, all you Bachelor of Arts people). Five hundred copies at $0.30 a copy is $150.00 (I did that in my head, by the way.) This is enough to pay off about 3/4 of my promo expenses.

Five hundred copies at $0.70 a copy is $350.00 (enough to cover my expenses and then some).

I got a B.A. in Elementary Education, so these big numbers sometimes elude me. But I’m pretty sure $350 is over 2x more than $150. And as a commercial novelist, I’m in the business of making more money rather than less (at least until I can afford to look down my nose at others).

Now imagine I sell 2,000 copies of De Novo Syndrome during the week of the promo. This number isn’t ridiculous. That’s almost an extra $1000 when receiving the higher 70% royalty.

Bottom Line

Yes, KDP Select, you’ve regained my attention. Since around 90% of my sales come from Amazon anyway, it is tempting to ditch that 10% in order to flirt with the Kindle Countdown Deals and their extra 40% royalties.

On top of the extra royalties, Amazon will also provide an easy means for customers to browse all the current Countdown Deals available. (I’m assuming this will include the ability to search the deals by the time they have remaining, which will certainly lead to more discoverability and a final surge of sales right as the clock expires.)

After breathing into my dirty Homer-Simpson-Slipper and regathering myself. They only question still stuck in my head was, “Why can’t anyone else do this?” Barnes and Noble, Kobo Books, iBooks, I’m looking at you. Amazon continues to prove they deserve to be the best by being the best. While my ideals tell me to invite all the kids to my party, I can’t feed my box wine habit with ideals.

Voice Actor of Edna Krabapple Dies

Posted in Uncategorized

Marcia Wallace died on October 26th at the age of 70. May she rest in peace. The Simpsons plan on retiring the character of Edna Krabapple, the only woman to have danced with the “devil in the blue shorts and survived.”

The Gospel According to Mal

Posted in Sustainable Storytelling

Malcolm Reynolds may very well be the most good-natured, and pure-hearted antihero ever to be imagined. He joins such bad boy favorites as Han Solo and the Duke boys on the pedestal of our hearts. (Mal owe much to the forerunner of the genre, Northwest Smith. But that’s for another post.)

Unlike Bo and Luke Duke, Malcolm Reynolds is driven to dark places of rumination through trauma, failure and vast disappointment. With the help of those few who Mal trusts, he emerges an immovable man built on a bedrock of beliefs. Those beliefs form his worldview. That worldview is the focus of this post.

I invite all those who sympathize with the cause of the Independents to read, ponder and debate.

Introducing Captain Malcolm Reynolds

Raised on a ranch on a world called Shadow by a mother figure and a few dozen ranch hands, little is known about Malcolm before his stint in the resistance. After unification, his ready association with the defeated Browncoats pushes Mal to the fringe of the civilized universe, otherwise known as the core planets. There he purchases a Firefly class space ship which he names Serenity. And the stage is set.

His second in command, Zoe Washburn, is a fellow Browncoat with which Mal shares many harrowing adventures and narrow scrapes, both during the Unification War and after. Captain Malcolm also crosses paths with a couple other associates from his sergeant days, including Tracey Smith and Monty.

A libertarian at heart, Mal’s incessant need for freedom from tyranny drives him into circles filled with the immoral, the scurrilous and the psychotic where his unflinching pirate’s code continually runs amok of the locals.

Herein lies the fun.

Malcolm’s God

Captain Reynolds’ worldview is anchored by the theistic belief in a singular, personal and infinite God. This belief reveals itself most vividly in episode 1 during a brief flashback of the battle over Serenity Valley. Hopelessly optimistic and driven by a sense of spiritual destiny, Sergeant Reynolds of the Independents is shown kissing his cross for luck. He also explains to a fellow soldier, “We are just too pretty for God to let us die.” (~Ep. 1, Serenity.)

Mal fights Alliance forces heroically while waiting for reinforcements. Of course, instead of sending reinforcements, the Independents give up the fight at a critical juncture. The result is rapid unification of the ‘verse by the Alliance.

After the devastating loss at Serenity Valley Reynolds is portrayed as openly hostile to God and his representatives on more than one occasion. Speaking to Shepherd Book he says, “If I’m your mission, you best give it up. You’re welcome on my boat. God ain’t.”

In the episode, Safe, religious hill folk warn Mal from “thwarting God’s will.” Reynolds responds, “Y’all see the man hangin’ out of the spaceship with the really big gun?…Man’s lookin’ to kill some folk. So really it’s his will y’all should worry about thwarting.”

While some may see this shift as a transition from Theism to Atheism, I do not agree. The rest of the tenets of Reynolds’ worldview (as will be discussed) ally closely with theism. Reynolds’ open hostility toward religion portrays him as being angry at God, and thus serves as a sign of his belief rather than unbelief.

All things considered, Malcolm Reynolds comes across as a theist with a grudge against God (and religion). He is unwilling to cast off his beliefs altogether. But by his estimation, God has some serious explaining to do.

Any and all efforts made by religious folk to do the explaining on God’s behalf (since the defeat at Serenity Valley) have only galvanized Reynolds’ anger further. This explains his aversion to Shepherd Book as further illustrated in Safe. Book: “Folks like a man of God.” Mal: “No, they don’t. Men of God make everyone feel guilty and judged.”

Malcolm’s Reality, Humanity and Ethics

The other main tenets of worldview are the perspectives on reality, humanity, evil and ethics. These can become intertwined and difficult to handle independently from each other, so I’ll lump them together.

Reynolds’ reality is both tangible and mystical. His views on reality are best illustrated by his attitudes toward his old Browncoat buddy, Tracey Smith. Smith is a cutup who never quite gets his life on track after the war. During the war Mal explains to him that, “Everybody dies, Tracey. Someone’s carrying a bullet for you right now, doesn’t even know it. The trick is, die of old age before it finds you.”

Later in the episode, The Message, Mal ends up shooting Tracey to protect his crew. While dying, Tracey accuses Malcolm of murdering him. Mal picks up the theme from before, “No, son. You murdered yourself. I just carried the bullet a while.”

The bullet and the harsh realities of Malcolm’s life are very tangible, yet the method of delivery of those realities can sometimes be quite mystical. Mal is able to embrace both. In another episode Zoe expresses her unease over a mission. “She [Patience] still has the advantage over us.” Mal responds, “Everyone always does. That’s what makes us special.”

While reality is final, Malcolm Reynolds never completely surrenders himself to the dictates of his reality.

When it comes to humanity and ethics, Malcolm believes in a universe where rules and civility become more important the further one removes oneself from civilization. (This sentiment is best stated by Simon Tam, yet it can be extrapolated to the captain of the Serenity as well.)

The Reevers represent what happens when humankind crosses the line and “forgets what it’s like to be human.” This sort of inhumanity is shown as the antithesis to Captain Reynolds’ worldview throughout the series. Thus the Reevers are shown to be evil. But Evil, with a capital ‘E’ is reserved for the folk that created the Reevers. (I don’t want to give too much away for the uninitiated.)

During the episode, Out of Gas, another ship’s crew attempts to double-cross Mal. They succeed in shooting him, but fail to commandeer the Serenity. Malcolm gains the upper hand. As the defeated captain leave the Serenity he shrugs and says, “You would have done the same (meaning tried to kill the other captain and take everything).” Malcolm responds, “We can already see that I haven’t. Now get the hell off my ship.”

In true libertarian form, Reynolds believes the enforcement of civil rules should remain at a familial and communal level (not with the Alliance). For the Captain, that means Serenity and crew. Throughout the series, loyalty to crew/family is held up as the epitome and climax of humanity. (Jane almost learns this lesson the hard way.)

The Bottom Line

In the end, Mal’s decisions are based first on the needs of his family/crew and then second on the needs of the needy, the weak and the oppressed. Good and Evil are very real, but Mal is beholden to no single system of ethics that attempts to define such terms. His decisions are based on human need in the moment rather than religious tenets. As long as God remains under the control of human religion, Malcolm Reynolds will have no part of him.

Malcolm Reynolds is above all else a family man. And when everything else comes apart in life, isn’t family what we need the most? As the Browncoats always say, “When you can’t run anymore, you crawl. When you can’t crawl, when you can’t do that…you find someone to carry you.”

Writing Novels for Niche Audiences (Browncoats)

Posted in Sustainable Storytelling

It isn’t a new concept. I’ve been reading posts about it for the last year. These posts usually say things like, “Learn to identify and leverage niche audiences in your novel.” What does that mean?

Well, if you’ve written a novel about an individual who overcomes an alien abduction and goes on to become a champion marathoner before saving the human race when the aliens invade, you would not only market your book to lovers of science fiction, but also to survivors of alien abduction and to people who enjoy running marathons.

Writing a Book for Millions of Readers is Bad

It turns out, writing a book for millions of readers is a bad idea nowadays. Writing a book for the 12,863 individuals who claim to have been abducted by aliens in the last 5 years is a much better one. Now that the modern marvel known as the internet (not the inner netting of men’s swimming trunks) allows writers to market to such specific clumps of people via Facebook, etc., it makes much more sense to narrow the target audience.

Being the proactive individual I am, I asked myself, “Self, if it is good to identify niche audiences within my novel after I’ve written it, wouldn’t it be better to write my novel with specific niche audiences in mind from the beginning?”

After mixing a drink and watching the Simpsons, myself finally responded, “Yes. I believe so.”

That only left the question, which niche audience should I write for? This answer was easy. Of course I should write for a passionate niche I’m passionately a part of. And who gets more passionate than Browncoats? No one, that’s who. (Well, maybe animal rights activists. Those guys are nuts.)

So, with this in mind, I set out to write my most recent novel, First Relic. I styled the two main characters as geeky Browncoats who spend much of their time in a massively multiplayer online role playing game (MMORPG) they created based on the Firefly universe. One of the characters even swears in Chinese phrases taken from the Firefly television show.

I had a blast with it. Benji (the swearing guy) ended up being one of my all time favorite characters. While the book isn’t fanfiction, nor is it specifically about Firefly or even outer space, I believe Browncoats will enjoy it as a quality science-fiction thriller as well as for all the Firefly references.

The book just released last week, and this sort of word of mouth marketing usually takes a year to bear fruit. I’ve already begun my efforts to let the Browncoat community know the book exists. In time, they will decide if it passes the high standards of the Independents. (If you want to read First Relic and throw in your two cents, follow the link.)

Welcoming the Newest Arrival: First Relic

Posted in DMB Files

Strap in and pop a dramamine. The ride continues with the introduction of my newest series, Relic Hunters. First in the series, the aptly titled First Relic, continues with familiar characters from the DMB Files…but with a twist. (You’ll have to read it to find out!)

I’m describing the two series as parallel. Book #1 of either series serves as an ideal starting spot. Knowledge of one series is not required to enjoy the other, but reading both will provide a fuller understanding. And if that hasn’t made your blood boil, I’ll soon be publishing season one of The Green Ones (a dystopian serial) which will weave it’s way back and forth through both of the other series. The Green Ones will also serve as on on ramp capable of being enjoyed in isolation from the rest of the DMB universe.

Mine is a truly dizzying intellect. (Or so they say.) I can’t help it. Before I know what has happened, I discover a new angle into the universe of my own creating (and named thusly) and follow it into a new series of books.

I don’t plan on stopping the madness anytime soon (probably for as long as sales continue to climb). Next on the docket I hope to stumble into something along the lines of the Young DMB Files (for middle grades), or a redneck, comedy spin off based from the DMB Files. At the same time, I’ll be trying to complete a new novel in each of the existing series every year. (I think I can, I think I can.)

Buy my Book!

If you’re ready to plunge deeper down the rabbit hole, check out First Relic at Kobo Books, or Barnes and Noble, or click on the image below for Amazon.

And as always, enjoy the show!

Kobo Writing Life Adds Free Tracking

Posted in eBook revolution

I’m beside myself with nerdy glee. One of my largest requests for Kobo’s self-publishing platform, Writing Life, has been fulfilled. Now self-pubbers can track their free “sales” or downloads.

Why is this so important? Well, it reveals a mountain of reading and consuming trends inside the loyal kobo using world.

For example:

It turns out that I’ve “sold” 37,566 free downloads in the last year. This is a significant number that far outstrips my free downloads on Amazon. You heard me. I had more downloads of my book, Fistful of Reefer, on Kobo over the last year than Amazon. This tells me that the small fish in a big pond philosophy has some teeth when it comes to Kobo. I was able to get Fistful on top 100 free list on Kobo several months ago (it is currently listed at #100). At the time it was ridiculously hard to find free ebooks on Kobo outside of that list. Now it is possible to find some via category if you have a kobo device (but not via their website).

Why am I happy almost 40,000 people downloaded my product for free?

I’m glad you asked. I have no way of knowing how many of these people have read the book. Kobo used to have a star rating feature. I had received almost 300 star ratings before they nuked the feature. So at least 300 people read the book. Beyond that? But there is another number that means more. For roughly every 125 free downloads, I’ve sold 1 book for cold, hard cash.

Assuming that some of those free downloads haven’t been read yet (and will eventually result in readers returning to buy), my free to profit-product ratio should improve.

I have three titles available for free on Kobo currently and 12 titles listed between $0.99 and $3.99. So free downloads are resulting in cash transactions and will continue to do so.

Unfortunately, Kobo still hasn’t relaunched any sort of review outlet, so my free downloads aren’t leading to reviews and/or ratings. This is the second major value in giving stuff away for free. Platform development and word of mouth.

Kobo is getting there slowly

Kobo is still behind Amazon, but they are making progress. I still like Writing Life better than Kindle Direct Publishing. Now that I can track free sales, I have another huge arrow in my quiver.

But Kobo’s web store is still a mess. There are no reviews, no ratings, no rankings. One of my books isn’t even searchable currently. None of my free titles show up in their prospective categories. But I have no idea what percentage of sales Kobo makes via their website (as opposed to their devices and app).

From within a kobo device (I love my Kobo Mini) things are better. The top 100 free list is still alive. And from the app on my iPad, Fistful of Reefer shows up #6 on the free list still (for some happy reason).

Bottom line

It helps me as an author to know that I’ve had 109 free downloads so far in October. This knowledge helps me be patient because I know people are reading my stuff (or will be whenever they get to the bottom of their freebie list). Since I have confidence many of those readers will really love what they read, I know these free downloads will eventually lead to greater sales. As I continue to grow my backlist, this will also grow sales. The goal of a living wage is still in the distance, but I can see it getting closer.

I’m currently hoping to get one of my other shorts onto this free list in order to enjoy another boost. Keep your fingers crossed. (Maybe I’ll even get picked up for one of Kobo’s curated lists.)

 

My New Favorite Writing Music

Posted in Uncategorized

 

Celldweller! I love these guys. They cover everything from soundtrack to DJ to electronic to drum and bass. Nothing says “I can kill you with my mind” like this stuff.

Vin Diesel’s Cunning Revives Riddick

Posted in Uncategorized

Next to Firefly and it’s spacefaring crew, Riddick has long been the science fiction character I’ve most wanted to see resurrected. That dream has come to pass thanks to a clever play by Vin Diesel himself. The Hollywood Reporter revealed on September 4th that Vin Diesel managed to swap Riddick rights for his cameo appearance in Tokyo Drift back in 2006.

Pitch Black, released in 2000, enthralled me instantly. I absolutely loved the character of Riddick and couldn’t believe there weren’t reams of books or comics or something. This first Riddick movie did well enough for The Chronicles of Riddick to come along in 2004 and queer the deal. The larger budget follow-up only managed $16 million in profit. That would have been enough of a flop to kill the character if Diesel hadn’t acquired it.

Now the actor has staked his pocketbook (and then some) on the third entry into the life and times of Riddick.

Simply titled, Riddick, the movie purports to return to the simpler equation that made Pitch Black so great–bad ass antihero with eye implants fighting scary things that go bump in the night. (I’ll be running out to see it as soon as I can squirrel away enough happy points with my wife.)

This happy resurrection of Riddick got me thinking.

Thinking is a highly volatile practice for me personally, and I try not to engage in it more often than fortnightly. After dismissing the legion of ideas that sprang to mind involving serpent bunnies trained in telekinesis and sent forth to do my bidding, I landed on two separate thoughts that continue to linger.

1.) Why hasn’t Nathan Fillion been able to wrangle 20th Century Fox into some sort of similar arrangement for Firefly? (Many browncoats have proposed conspiracy theories around this matter for years, me included.)

2.) How do I convince Vin Diesel to let me write additional, authorized stories within the Riddick universe? So far the screen plays from the first two movies have been transformed into novels. I’m sure this is happening for the third movie as well. But beyond that, there is an unlimited horizon out there to play around in. After all, Vin is going to need ideas for his next film. Why not let me jump start the process with a series of heart-stopping, gut-yanking stories that give all those Riddick fans out there something to tide them over between movies. (Not to mention the mind-boggling depth I’ll bring the characters.)

Riddick fan fiction anyone?

I figure the first step for me should be to create the most brilliant piece of fan fiction ever written. Then all I have to do is grab the hearts and minds of a few hundred thousand Riddick fans and turn the head of Vin. What do you think? Who wants to read an all new tale involving Richard B. Riddick? (Oh, if anyone out there knows Mr. Diesel, or has a direct Hollywood connection, let me know.)

Official DMB Day, August 3rd, 2013

Posted in Sustainable StorytellingUncategorized

DMB in his writing garb outside of his vacation home.

The less informed among you may not be aware that this Saturday is DMB Day. It’s an international holiday (celebrated both in Nampa, ID and Surinam). Nampa festivities marking the celebration will include the downtown farmers’ market, the closing of the library, the opening of grocery stores and shops all over town!

People Idaho-wide will celebrate the event with such traditional activities as walking, eating and abstaining from showers. As if that weren’t enough! There will also be a book signing and reading in downtown Nampa (Down Nampa Town, or DNT as I like to call it).

Don’t miss the Nampa book signing event this Saturday!

Saturday (Aug. 3rd), 9:30am to 2:00pm, I will be in front of Pearson’s Twice Sold Tales in downtown Nampa selling and signing books and ebooks. If you are local to the area you won’t want to miss the specially themed farmers’ market that will be selling vegetables to celebrate the event.

A signed book or (ebook voucher) will get you half off a slice of pizza at Messenger’s Pizza where I will be doing a noontime reading!! This whole event has gone legit! (I’m even giving out candy!)

Those who aren’t local to Nampa, don’t fret! (post a review!)

For all you non-local schmucks clamoring to participate in DMB Day 2013, you have options. Always anxious to service my fans, I have made it possible for anyone anywhere in the world to get a signed and personalized ebook. Just click here and follow the instructions.

It is also considered traditional on DMB Day to post reviews of anything you have read by DMB. Click here to jump to my author page on Amazon and post away to your heart’s content. I would especially love some reviews on all my Lost DMB Files.

On that note…

I think I’ll put on some Dave Matthews Band, pour me a sweet tea and write another global sensation of a book in celebration of my freakish talent. Happy DMB Day!

 

Kobo Store Changes: Update!

Posted in eBook revolution

[image error]Here’s a brief update for those of you interested in Kobo (and who wouldn’t be?).

I heard back from an individual within author relations about the current changes going on at the Kobo Book Store. It turns out the version of the book store I have been seeing is a beta roll-out that only 25% of users are currently seeing. I logged out and refreshed and sure enough, the older (and better) version reappeared!

I was reassured that the changes were in progress and that the final product will be much better than the old interface. So far I have noticed that some of the curated lists are beginning to return in the form of visual book-cover-sliders. Plus, I’ve seen a slider for “Hidden Gems,” which appears to be a new curated list (and something tantalizing for writers such as myself, even though all the hidden gems on the list currently appear to be with major publishers).

Reading between the lines of the email communication with said Kobo representative, I came away with my suspicions confirmed that the reviews and star ratings have been nixed due to Amazon’s buyout of Goodreads. I suppose all the realists saw that one coming.

Here is the relevant quote from the email response, “I believe we are working toward creating our own system for leaving reviews, instead of relying on an outside source.” I read this as, “Amazon blew-up our outside source, so now we figure it smart to develop our own.”

I’m hoping this does NOT mean my nearly-300 star ratings for Fistful of Reefer will disappear, but I’m assuming they will since some of them were from Goodreads.

Bottom Line

So the big question remaining in my mind is, what will the new store do to market free books? Will they encourage more writers to upload them by making them easier for readers to find? Or will they begin to discourage free much like Amazon has begun to do in recent months? (Even after Amazon changed their affiliate rules to discourage spreading the word on free ebooks, they are still lightyears ahead of Kobo on free ebook visibility).

Along with that, will Kobo’s Writing Life (self-publishing) platform improve its options for indies by allowing us to select the many categories they currently have blocked? (I sure would like to go back to a top #10 ranking in Men’s Adventure rather than a #368 in Westerns.) Or will their incessant need to be in control/curate everything be their downfall when it comes to courting the ever-expanding (and increasingly dominent) crowd of indie authors? Tune in next time to continue this mind-boggling adventure!