Mark Henrikson's Blog, page 3
September 3, 2013
August was a fun ride
It has been a while since I posted on here. Sorry about that, but life gets crazy from time to time.
August sure was an emotional rollercoaster ride for me. Book 3 in the Origins series came out on the first and somewhat underperformed my expectations. It’s not as if I envisioned every person who had ever read the first two books was sitting on their Kindle at midnight waiting to buy it. Who do I think I am JK Rowling? Still, during the first few weeks I pictured readers wrapping up their other reads and getting into it at some point but that really didn’t seem to happen and that had me pretty bummed.
Then August 17 struck – oh what a day. I still do not know what website or blog mentioned book 1, (I did quite a few Yahoo and Google searches but didn’t find anything), but something definitely happened and the effect was big. I mean BIG, like all three books cracked the top 1,000 on all of Amazon big!
Then, as fortune would have it, I had a well-publicized promotion of book 2 on sale for $0.99. The timing could not have been better to work in concert with the mystery boost for book 1. Put them together and my wife got to see a very happy Mark the last half of August. Especially considering Amazon holds the 1,000 eBook sales during a given month as a very substantial milestone for indie authors.
Pardon me as I beat my chest for a minute [I waved past that on my way to 1,750 last month and I am currently surfing Groupon to hire a skywriter to let everyone know how excited I am about it]. Okay I’m back.
One last bit of happy news in the Henrikson household during August was that my older brother Jeff, the one I credited with creating the back story for Hastelloy, finally released his first novel “Do the Gods Hear Our Prayers”. It is in the fantasy realm of things along the lines of Game of Thrones rather than Sci-fi or historical fiction. If that is your thing, I encourage you to give it a read. I did and it certainly has my full endorsement.
August sure was an emotional rollercoaster ride for me. Book 3 in the Origins series came out on the first and somewhat underperformed my expectations. It’s not as if I envisioned every person who had ever read the first two books was sitting on their Kindle at midnight waiting to buy it. Who do I think I am JK Rowling? Still, during the first few weeks I pictured readers wrapping up their other reads and getting into it at some point but that really didn’t seem to happen and that had me pretty bummed.
Then August 17 struck – oh what a day. I still do not know what website or blog mentioned book 1, (I did quite a few Yahoo and Google searches but didn’t find anything), but something definitely happened and the effect was big. I mean BIG, like all three books cracked the top 1,000 on all of Amazon big!
Then, as fortune would have it, I had a well-publicized promotion of book 2 on sale for $0.99. The timing could not have been better to work in concert with the mystery boost for book 1. Put them together and my wife got to see a very happy Mark the last half of August. Especially considering Amazon holds the 1,000 eBook sales during a given month as a very substantial milestone for indie authors.
Pardon me as I beat my chest for a minute [I waved past that on my way to 1,750 last month and I am currently surfing Groupon to hire a skywriter to let everyone know how excited I am about it]. Okay I’m back.
One last bit of happy news in the Henrikson household during August was that my older brother Jeff, the one I credited with creating the back story for Hastelloy, finally released his first novel “Do the Gods Hear Our Prayers”. It is in the fantasy realm of things along the lines of Game of Thrones rather than Sci-fi or historical fiction. If that is your thing, I encourage you to give it a read. I did and it certainly has my full endorsement.
July 31, 2013
Origins: Reformation Now Available
Put on a pot of coffee. The deed is done. About five minutes ago I pushed the almighty “Publish” button on Amazon that will bring book three in the Origins series out of the shadows and into the light for hopefully all to enjoy.
If my early readers are any indication, you fans are in for some late, page turning nights. Download it early and often. Tell a friend, throw a party, get a tattoo of Hastelloy and the crew. Whatever floats your boat so long as you have fun with it. I know I certainly did writing the third installment.
http://www.amazon.com/Origins-Reforma...
If my early readers are any indication, you fans are in for some late, page turning nights. Download it early and often. Tell a friend, throw a party, get a tattoo of Hastelloy and the crew. Whatever floats your boat so long as you have fun with it. I know I certainly did writing the third installment.
http://www.amazon.com/Origins-Reforma...
July 15, 2013
Book 3 Comes out August 1st
Not much longer to wait. On August first Reformation, book 3 in the Origins series, will be released.
Ahead of that I have had to undertake possibly the most difficult part of writing a book: composing the back cover description. Summing 350 pages into three or four short, punchy paragraphs is incredibly hard. Here is what I came up with and I would love to have some feedback (good or bad)
Book 3 in the Origins series
“When darkness comes keep an eye on the light, no matter how far away it seems.” These wise words are put to the ultimate test as time moves forward into the Middle Ages for the Lazarus crew.
Hastelloy recalls for his therapist mankind’s fall from the Golden Age of Rome into a darkness that humanity was powerless to escape for a thousand years. Evils both alien and human, near and far conspire against his best intentions. Meanwhile Dr. Holmes is forced to question if humanity would still be mired in the dark without Hastelloy’s help, or was the cure worse than the disease?
Light and dark suddenly blend into shades of gray when NSA agent Mark finally comes face to face with Hastelloy in the present. Right and wrong are indistinguishable as these two men strive to progress their vision of the greater good, leaving Dr. Holmes to judge the merits of each man’s case.
It is a judgment that may never happen as an ancient threat is unearthed by a team of archeologists working at the tomb of China’s first emperor. This time even Hastelloy and his crew may not be able to save humanity; by themselves at least.
Ahead of that I have had to undertake possibly the most difficult part of writing a book: composing the back cover description. Summing 350 pages into three or four short, punchy paragraphs is incredibly hard. Here is what I came up with and I would love to have some feedback (good or bad)
Book 3 in the Origins series
“When darkness comes keep an eye on the light, no matter how far away it seems.” These wise words are put to the ultimate test as time moves forward into the Middle Ages for the Lazarus crew.
Hastelloy recalls for his therapist mankind’s fall from the Golden Age of Rome into a darkness that humanity was powerless to escape for a thousand years. Evils both alien and human, near and far conspire against his best intentions. Meanwhile Dr. Holmes is forced to question if humanity would still be mired in the dark without Hastelloy’s help, or was the cure worse than the disease?
Light and dark suddenly blend into shades of gray when NSA agent Mark finally comes face to face with Hastelloy in the present. Right and wrong are indistinguishable as these two men strive to progress their vision of the greater good, leaving Dr. Holmes to judge the merits of each man’s case.
It is a judgment that may never happen as an ancient threat is unearthed by a team of archeologists working at the tomb of China’s first emperor. This time even Hastelloy and his crew may not be able to save humanity; by themselves at least.
June 23, 2013
Sample Chapter from Origins Book 3
With just a little over a month to go until the release of Origins: Reformation, I though I would give the followers of this blog another sneak peek. Enjoy
DR. JEFFREY HOLMES found himself alone inside Henderson Home Psychiatric facility during the dark hours of early morning. The prior evening his brother Mark called to inform him that his new patient, Hastelloy, presented a serious threat to his safety.
Jeffrey trusted his brother’s judgment implicitly. What’s more, he knew Mark worked for the government in some sort of security capacity that required a high level clearance. Still, Jeffrey couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off. He had spent two whole days with the patient over the last week and was quite certain he had an accurate measure of the man. The only thing dangerous about Hastelloy, that he could tell, was the man’s intellect and rapier wit.
Hastelloy’s delusion of being an immortal alien trapped on this planet while fighting to prevent the evil species Alpha from conquering the planet was only harmful to himself, not those around him.
Against his better judgment, Jeffrey followed his brother’s instructions. He phoned his wife to take the kids to a hotel for a few days and then spent the night on his couch in the office. Mark assured him adequate protection was already here. Henderson Home was the safest place for him to stay.
The stabbing pain in Jeffrey’s back from laying on the overly plush couch all night let him know that the added safety did come at a price. Unable to fall back asleep because of his stiff back, Dr. Holmes sat up and rose to his feet.
He still wore his navy-blue dress shirt and khaki slacks from the day before, but his tie lay unknotted on the coffee table in front of him. He bent at the waist and arched his spine upward and drew a rapid fire popping of his joints moving back into proper alignment.
Jeffrey felt his mouth run dry so he stepped out into the hallway in search of a water fountain; closing the office door behind him. The long, dark corridor with doors on either side every fifteen feet had a haunting silence about it. The deep red lighting cast upon the white industrial tiled hallway by the illuminated exit signs on either side did nothing to alleviate his anxiety. It took very little imagination to picture himself just outside the gates of hell waiting for the devil to arrive and pass judgment over him.
Dr. Holmes forced his childish fear of the dark aside and headed toward the cafeteria water fountain at the far end of the hall. Midway down the corridor he saw a shape step out of the shadows. As the figure stepped under the dimly lit exit sign overhead, a devilish hue brought Hastelloy’s features to light and Jeffrey felt a gush of ice water flood his veins.
Hastelloy said nothing. The man simply paced toward Dr. Holmes as if on a casual evening stroll. Jeffrey found himself instinctively stepping backwards from the patient approaching with an air of indifference.
Just when Jeffrey was about to call for Terry, or whatever orderly was on duty this time of night, a door slammed open from behind Dr. Holmes. He about wet himself as he whirled around to see the culprit and found it was his brother Mark. This wasn’t the lighthearted brother he knew and loved. There was a primal anger in him that Jeffrey had not seen in his brother since the last time he tried to ride Mark’s bicycle without permission when they were toddlers.
Mark pulled a gun out from behind his back, aimed a two-handed grip at Hastelloy, and silently stalked his way toward Dr. Holmes; never letting his aim waiver. Hastelloy’s only response was to quietly raise his palms up to shoulder height in surrender.
When Mark reached Jeffrey’s side, he motioned with his head back toward the office door. Slow and in step like ballroom dancers, the two floated ever closer to the closed door. At the same time Hastelloy paced forward, still with hands raised, to maintain the same threatening proximity to Jeffrey and his brother.
Jeffrey nervously fumbled around with the door handle until finally it turned allowing the door to open and reveal the familiar confines of his private chambers. Mark stepped through the doorway first and Jeffrey moved to follow but was held back. Jeffrey glanced behind to find Hastelloy his shoulders with an iron grip. Jeffrey faced forward once more to enlist the help of his brother but jumped backwards at the sight of a snarling rabid dog lunging for his throat.
Dr. Holmes sat up on his couch with a start. He looked around the room to find himself alone in his office breathing heavy from the intensity of his dream. Jeffrey had tossed and turned all night with anxiety about spending the night away from his wife and kids. He must have finally relaxed enough to fall asleep.
Faint rays of orange and red light were peeking through the tall narrow window in the middle of the far wall to let him know dawn was approaching. Jeffrey finished rubbing the last remnants of sleep out of his eyes on the way to his desk. He opened a drawer and pulled out a fresh tie and affixed it around his neck. At least one part of his wardrobe would be fresh for the day; perhaps no one would even notice the wrinkly mess that was the rest of his ensemble.
A knock at the door was soon followed by the welcome sight of his secretary, Tara, entering with a piping hot cup of coffee in her hands.
“Morning boss, nice tie,” Tara said with a set of raised eyebrows.
Dang it.
Tara was not one to let such things slide by without comment. “I saw your car in the lot when I pulled in and thought I would bring you a cup of coffee to celebrate you finally beating me into the office for once. Now that I see you cheated and stayed here overnight, I’m not sure you deserve it.”
Jeffrey took the cup of joe and loosened his back by flexing from side to side. “After spending a night on that thing I deserve this and a medal.”
Dr. Holmes was not about to divulge the true reason he slept on the couch. Tara seemed particularly fond and trusting of Hastelloy’s seemingly gentle nature; she might accuse Jeffrey of being the crazy one. Yet he didn’t feel like making up an excuse, so he just dove right into his day before Tara had a chance to inquire further. “I’d like to have another session with Hastelloy this morning. Can you please have Terry escort him to my office as soon as possible?”
Jeffrey knew his brother instructed him, in no uncertain terms, to keep his distance from Hastelloy until Mark arrived. Still, he felt an undeniable compulsion, a necessity to understand what was going on. Maybe it was just curiosity, or perhaps an instinct to help or protect his patient. If the man truly was ill, then he needed an advocate. If he was indeed dangerous, then Mark would arrive in due time to handle things.
“You sure you don’t want to freshen up a bit before receiving visitors this morning?” Tara asked while glancing up at Jeffrey’s mangled bed-head hair.
Dang it.
DR. JEFFREY HOLMES found himself alone inside Henderson Home Psychiatric facility during the dark hours of early morning. The prior evening his brother Mark called to inform him that his new patient, Hastelloy, presented a serious threat to his safety.
Jeffrey trusted his brother’s judgment implicitly. What’s more, he knew Mark worked for the government in some sort of security capacity that required a high level clearance. Still, Jeffrey couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off. He had spent two whole days with the patient over the last week and was quite certain he had an accurate measure of the man. The only thing dangerous about Hastelloy, that he could tell, was the man’s intellect and rapier wit.
Hastelloy’s delusion of being an immortal alien trapped on this planet while fighting to prevent the evil species Alpha from conquering the planet was only harmful to himself, not those around him.
Against his better judgment, Jeffrey followed his brother’s instructions. He phoned his wife to take the kids to a hotel for a few days and then spent the night on his couch in the office. Mark assured him adequate protection was already here. Henderson Home was the safest place for him to stay.
The stabbing pain in Jeffrey’s back from laying on the overly plush couch all night let him know that the added safety did come at a price. Unable to fall back asleep because of his stiff back, Dr. Holmes sat up and rose to his feet.
He still wore his navy-blue dress shirt and khaki slacks from the day before, but his tie lay unknotted on the coffee table in front of him. He bent at the waist and arched his spine upward and drew a rapid fire popping of his joints moving back into proper alignment.
Jeffrey felt his mouth run dry so he stepped out into the hallway in search of a water fountain; closing the office door behind him. The long, dark corridor with doors on either side every fifteen feet had a haunting silence about it. The deep red lighting cast upon the white industrial tiled hallway by the illuminated exit signs on either side did nothing to alleviate his anxiety. It took very little imagination to picture himself just outside the gates of hell waiting for the devil to arrive and pass judgment over him.
Dr. Holmes forced his childish fear of the dark aside and headed toward the cafeteria water fountain at the far end of the hall. Midway down the corridor he saw a shape step out of the shadows. As the figure stepped under the dimly lit exit sign overhead, a devilish hue brought Hastelloy’s features to light and Jeffrey felt a gush of ice water flood his veins.
Hastelloy said nothing. The man simply paced toward Dr. Holmes as if on a casual evening stroll. Jeffrey found himself instinctively stepping backwards from the patient approaching with an air of indifference.
Just when Jeffrey was about to call for Terry, or whatever orderly was on duty this time of night, a door slammed open from behind Dr. Holmes. He about wet himself as he whirled around to see the culprit and found it was his brother Mark. This wasn’t the lighthearted brother he knew and loved. There was a primal anger in him that Jeffrey had not seen in his brother since the last time he tried to ride Mark’s bicycle without permission when they were toddlers.
Mark pulled a gun out from behind his back, aimed a two-handed grip at Hastelloy, and silently stalked his way toward Dr. Holmes; never letting his aim waiver. Hastelloy’s only response was to quietly raise his palms up to shoulder height in surrender.
When Mark reached Jeffrey’s side, he motioned with his head back toward the office door. Slow and in step like ballroom dancers, the two floated ever closer to the closed door. At the same time Hastelloy paced forward, still with hands raised, to maintain the same threatening proximity to Jeffrey and his brother.
Jeffrey nervously fumbled around with the door handle until finally it turned allowing the door to open and reveal the familiar confines of his private chambers. Mark stepped through the doorway first and Jeffrey moved to follow but was held back. Jeffrey glanced behind to find Hastelloy his shoulders with an iron grip. Jeffrey faced forward once more to enlist the help of his brother but jumped backwards at the sight of a snarling rabid dog lunging for his throat.
Dr. Holmes sat up on his couch with a start. He looked around the room to find himself alone in his office breathing heavy from the intensity of his dream. Jeffrey had tossed and turned all night with anxiety about spending the night away from his wife and kids. He must have finally relaxed enough to fall asleep.
Faint rays of orange and red light were peeking through the tall narrow window in the middle of the far wall to let him know dawn was approaching. Jeffrey finished rubbing the last remnants of sleep out of his eyes on the way to his desk. He opened a drawer and pulled out a fresh tie and affixed it around his neck. At least one part of his wardrobe would be fresh for the day; perhaps no one would even notice the wrinkly mess that was the rest of his ensemble.
A knock at the door was soon followed by the welcome sight of his secretary, Tara, entering with a piping hot cup of coffee in her hands.
“Morning boss, nice tie,” Tara said with a set of raised eyebrows.
Dang it.
Tara was not one to let such things slide by without comment. “I saw your car in the lot when I pulled in and thought I would bring you a cup of coffee to celebrate you finally beating me into the office for once. Now that I see you cheated and stayed here overnight, I’m not sure you deserve it.”
Jeffrey took the cup of joe and loosened his back by flexing from side to side. “After spending a night on that thing I deserve this and a medal.”
Dr. Holmes was not about to divulge the true reason he slept on the couch. Tara seemed particularly fond and trusting of Hastelloy’s seemingly gentle nature; she might accuse Jeffrey of being the crazy one. Yet he didn’t feel like making up an excuse, so he just dove right into his day before Tara had a chance to inquire further. “I’d like to have another session with Hastelloy this morning. Can you please have Terry escort him to my office as soon as possible?”
Jeffrey knew his brother instructed him, in no uncertain terms, to keep his distance from Hastelloy until Mark arrived. Still, he felt an undeniable compulsion, a necessity to understand what was going on. Maybe it was just curiosity, or perhaps an instinct to help or protect his patient. If the man truly was ill, then he needed an advocate. If he was indeed dangerous, then Mark would arrive in due time to handle things.
“You sure you don’t want to freshen up a bit before receiving visitors this morning?” Tara asked while glancing up at Jeffrey’s mangled bed-head hair.
Dang it.
June 17, 2013
Get Empowered
I have a confession to make. I have been cheating on my Origins novel series by spending a decent chunk of my free time this year training for a triathlon, which I ran this last Sunday on Father’s Day. I bring this up not to brag, though I am very proud that I did it, but more as a public service announcement.
At the risk of sounding like a self-help guru, stepping out of your comfort zone to do something you think is impossible is VERY empowering; life altering even. In recent years there have been numerous friends of mine whose lives have basically come crashing down around them: divorce, death of a child, death of a parent or friend, recent empty nesters, terminal illness diagnosis, obesity, and so on. Each of these resulted in very real bouts of depression for these friends of mine until they made the powerful choice to get their mind off of things and challenge themselves.
For some it was training for a 5K run/walk. Others it was a half or full marathon (lots of people just walk them you know). I am an avid runner so for me, after my father passed away, it was training for a triathlon. In the beginning I could not swim more than 50 feet and had not ridden a bike in over 15 years. I had no business thinking in 4 months time I could swim 500 meters, ride 21 miles and run 5 miles all back to back.
I didn’t win of course, but it’s not about taking first place, or even last place. It’s about the process. It’s about dealing with situations that are beyond your control by doing something you can control. You can go and prove to yourself that the impossible is possible. Every bit of anger, frustration, or sadness you have buried inside can come out in those training walks or runs or rides.
If you want to really be inspired, watch a YouTube video showing the end of an IronMan race. Skip the professionals finishing in 8 or 9 hours and watch the people crossing the line just before midnight, when the course closes. See the elation of finishing a task previously deemed impossible and the affect it has on everyday people like you and me (have some tissues handy).
That’s it; climbing down off my soapbox now - only to sign up for the next triathlon though, because last Sunday was one of the greatest days of my life.
At the risk of sounding like a self-help guru, stepping out of your comfort zone to do something you think is impossible is VERY empowering; life altering even. In recent years there have been numerous friends of mine whose lives have basically come crashing down around them: divorce, death of a child, death of a parent or friend, recent empty nesters, terminal illness diagnosis, obesity, and so on. Each of these resulted in very real bouts of depression for these friends of mine until they made the powerful choice to get their mind off of things and challenge themselves.
For some it was training for a 5K run/walk. Others it was a half or full marathon (lots of people just walk them you know). I am an avid runner so for me, after my father passed away, it was training for a triathlon. In the beginning I could not swim more than 50 feet and had not ridden a bike in over 15 years. I had no business thinking in 4 months time I could swim 500 meters, ride 21 miles and run 5 miles all back to back.
I didn’t win of course, but it’s not about taking first place, or even last place. It’s about the process. It’s about dealing with situations that are beyond your control by doing something you can control. You can go and prove to yourself that the impossible is possible. Every bit of anger, frustration, or sadness you have buried inside can come out in those training walks or runs or rides.
If you want to really be inspired, watch a YouTube video showing the end of an IronMan race. Skip the professionals finishing in 8 or 9 hours and watch the people crossing the line just before midnight, when the course closes. See the elation of finishing a task previously deemed impossible and the affect it has on everyday people like you and me (have some tissues handy).
That’s it; climbing down off my soapbox now - only to sign up for the next triathlon though, because last Sunday was one of the greatest days of my life.
May 28, 2013
Marketing Does Work
Bucket list item #9: See one of my novels next to marquee author on a best seller list – CHECK (Right there next to Stephen King’s “11/22/63” as of today).
I handed Origins book 3 off to my peer review crew and have taken most of May doing anything other than writing or thinking about the book. Get some space and come back at it with fresh ideas is the thinking here. So what have I been doing with myself? Marketing; specifically book 1.
Earlier this month sales had dropped back quite a bit to the point both books were flirting with falling out of the top 100,000. As of today book 1 is in the top 1,500 and #1 in Alternate History fiction list. Seeing my book sitting next to a Stephen King novel just floored me this morning.
So what did I do you ask? Four things with varying degrees of success:
1) Offered book 1 as a free download for a few days.
Result – total dud. I notified all the usual sites but no one picked it up so only 500ish downloads which is not diddly squat. No sales bounce after; no nothing. I think freebie’s only work once and I already used mine earlier with great results, just not this time around.
2) Paid for an email distribution to the Amazon top Science Fiction reviewers requesting they give it a read. The thinking here was a lot of them have blogs, websites, and email distribution lists to reach a lot of readers. About 25 responded favorably, but that was just last week so none have had time to get to it yet; they get requests all the time apparently so most have a pretty big backlog.
Result – still waiting to see, but I can’t really see a downside here other than the $100 I paid for the email distribution.
3) Partnered with Ereader News Today. The deal here is I agree to reduce the price of the book temporarily to $0.99. They advertise it on their site, Twitter, Facebook and to their email distribution list. In return, I pay them 25% of the royalties from Amazon for books purchased through their portal
Result – HUGE! Sales jumped from 5 per day to 200 overnight which rocketed book 1 to #1 on the best seller list to reside right next to Mr. King’s fine work. It will probably only work once or twice a year to do this, but I cannot understate this. The benefit was HUGE and only costs me money if it works since I pay a porting of the profits. HUGE!
4) Keep book 1 priced at $0.99
Result – Pretty darn effective. There is a stigma that $0.99 books are no good. The exception to this rule is first books in a series and ones with a lot of high star ratings. Fortunately for me, book 1 meets both criteria so the price will remain $0.99 until Book 3 comes out in August. It is the gateway to the rest of the series and I want as many people panting for book 3 as possible so when it comes out it jumps the charts and gets noticed rather than languishing in the background.
That’s the plan anyway. Another week and it is back at it working on book 3 and all this marketing stuff that drives me nuts can get lost for a while.
I handed Origins book 3 off to my peer review crew and have taken most of May doing anything other than writing or thinking about the book. Get some space and come back at it with fresh ideas is the thinking here. So what have I been doing with myself? Marketing; specifically book 1.
Earlier this month sales had dropped back quite a bit to the point both books were flirting with falling out of the top 100,000. As of today book 1 is in the top 1,500 and #1 in Alternate History fiction list. Seeing my book sitting next to a Stephen King novel just floored me this morning.
So what did I do you ask? Four things with varying degrees of success:
1) Offered book 1 as a free download for a few days.
Result – total dud. I notified all the usual sites but no one picked it up so only 500ish downloads which is not diddly squat. No sales bounce after; no nothing. I think freebie’s only work once and I already used mine earlier with great results, just not this time around.
2) Paid for an email distribution to the Amazon top Science Fiction reviewers requesting they give it a read. The thinking here was a lot of them have blogs, websites, and email distribution lists to reach a lot of readers. About 25 responded favorably, but that was just last week so none have had time to get to it yet; they get requests all the time apparently so most have a pretty big backlog.
Result – still waiting to see, but I can’t really see a downside here other than the $100 I paid for the email distribution.
3) Partnered with Ereader News Today. The deal here is I agree to reduce the price of the book temporarily to $0.99. They advertise it on their site, Twitter, Facebook and to their email distribution list. In return, I pay them 25% of the royalties from Amazon for books purchased through their portal
Result – HUGE! Sales jumped from 5 per day to 200 overnight which rocketed book 1 to #1 on the best seller list to reside right next to Mr. King’s fine work. It will probably only work once or twice a year to do this, but I cannot understate this. The benefit was HUGE and only costs me money if it works since I pay a porting of the profits. HUGE!
4) Keep book 1 priced at $0.99
Result – Pretty darn effective. There is a stigma that $0.99 books are no good. The exception to this rule is first books in a series and ones with a lot of high star ratings. Fortunately for me, book 1 meets both criteria so the price will remain $0.99 until Book 3 comes out in August. It is the gateway to the rest of the series and I want as many people panting for book 3 as possible so when it comes out it jumps the charts and gets noticed rather than languishing in the background.
That’s the plan anyway. Another week and it is back at it working on book 3 and all this marketing stuff that drives me nuts can get lost for a while.
April 30, 2013
Question About Style
I am going to try something a little different this week and throw a discussion topic out for comment.
I have received some critical comments on the first 2 books in the Origins series about ‘modern’ language used by aliens and humans in the past that rehash discussions/debates I had with quite a few people before publication. The question is: Specific to science fiction and historical fiction, is it acceptable to use modern phrasing for aliens and humans in the past? (I’m talking mild stuff like calling someone a dick as an insult, not someone walking up to another saying ‘sup homie, what it is yo’)
My position is YES it is acceptable. Technically aliens are talking in their own language so they are actually saying ep-op-orc-ahah with some squeaks and whistles thrown in. The reader is reading the author’s translation, and the author making that translation into common language for the reader is not only acceptable, but preferable by most.
(On a related topic, I also took some flak for aliens equating having balls with being brave/manly. My thought here is that’s a very basic concept in nature and all animals. Dogs mount each other to show dominance. All pack animals (primates, jungle cats, etc.) yield to the Alpha in the group and let him have the females. The peacock who displays the largest spread of tail feathers gets the females. I might be wrong, but I took this reference to be pretty universal in nature and have no problem envisioning alien races attributing similar masculine value to their reproductive organs. I digress though, so back to the question at hand).
If you are writing about Victorian England, then the speech patterns of the characters would be filled with herin, thereof, thou shalt, and so on. Have you tried reading Pride and Prejudice or War and Peace lately? They are fine novels, but the language turns today’s readers off. The same with Shakespeare, much of his work are masterpieces yet few actually read it outside of school assignments because of the language, which is period accurate.
Again, I contend that the author translating the period language into more modern phrasing (again, within reason) for the benefit of the reader’s enjoyment is acceptable. What are your thoughts on the topic?
I have received some critical comments on the first 2 books in the Origins series about ‘modern’ language used by aliens and humans in the past that rehash discussions/debates I had with quite a few people before publication. The question is: Specific to science fiction and historical fiction, is it acceptable to use modern phrasing for aliens and humans in the past? (I’m talking mild stuff like calling someone a dick as an insult, not someone walking up to another saying ‘sup homie, what it is yo’)
My position is YES it is acceptable. Technically aliens are talking in their own language so they are actually saying ep-op-orc-ahah with some squeaks and whistles thrown in. The reader is reading the author’s translation, and the author making that translation into common language for the reader is not only acceptable, but preferable by most.
(On a related topic, I also took some flak for aliens equating having balls with being brave/manly. My thought here is that’s a very basic concept in nature and all animals. Dogs mount each other to show dominance. All pack animals (primates, jungle cats, etc.) yield to the Alpha in the group and let him have the females. The peacock who displays the largest spread of tail feathers gets the females. I might be wrong, but I took this reference to be pretty universal in nature and have no problem envisioning alien races attributing similar masculine value to their reproductive organs. I digress though, so back to the question at hand).
If you are writing about Victorian England, then the speech patterns of the characters would be filled with herin, thereof, thou shalt, and so on. Have you tried reading Pride and Prejudice or War and Peace lately? They are fine novels, but the language turns today’s readers off. The same with Shakespeare, much of his work are masterpieces yet few actually read it outside of school assignments because of the language, which is period accurate.
Again, I contend that the author translating the period language into more modern phrasing (again, within reason) for the benefit of the reader’s enjoyment is acceptable. What are your thoughts on the topic?
April 22, 2013
Origins: Reformation (Book 3) update
I recently received progress reports of my kids from school so I figure it is time to issue my own progress report on book 3 in the Origins series.
I finished the first draft near the end of February and have been diligently plowing through the second draft which in my opinion is the toughest part of the whole process. Piecing the story lines together so they are consistent, complement each other’s themes, and don’t lose the reader while transitioning from different character points of view and stories in the past and present is no joke.
Fortunately it is coming together really well, much easier than the first two books for me. It kind of gives me some confidence that I might just be getting the hang of this writing thing finally. There is still quite a bit of work to do, but peer reviewing will get rolling next month. Then more story editing, line editing, cover design, formatting, marketing . . .
Bottom line:
1) Reformation is the definitive title.
2) August will definitely be the release date for Book 3.
3) It’s going to be pretty special when it finally is released.
I finished the first draft near the end of February and have been diligently plowing through the second draft which in my opinion is the toughest part of the whole process. Piecing the story lines together so they are consistent, complement each other’s themes, and don’t lose the reader while transitioning from different character points of view and stories in the past and present is no joke.
Fortunately it is coming together really well, much easier than the first two books for me. It kind of gives me some confidence that I might just be getting the hang of this writing thing finally. There is still quite a bit of work to do, but peer reviewing will get rolling next month. Then more story editing, line editing, cover design, formatting, marketing . . .
Bottom line:
1) Reformation is the definitive title.
2) August will definitely be the release date for Book 3.
3) It’s going to be pretty special when it finally is released.
April 15, 2013
Writing Process – Publishing
Let me tell you a true story about two authors: myself and Author N, who published her first novel about the same time I did.
I spent the better part of a year crafting query letters, plot synopses, two page outlines, ten page outlines, and on and on. It seemed like every literary agent or publishing house had their very own format and requirements. I did everything short of giving them a reach around to get published, and what did I get for all my efforts? NOTHING. Half I never heard from, the other half graced me with a form letter response. Out of hundreds (seriously – hundreds), I only got one real response where the agent liked the concept but was getting out of the business. Out of options I self published on Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing (for digital) and CreateSpace (for paperback).
Author N had fortune smile upon her with a small publishing house taking her on, no advance in case you are wondering. Another advantage author N had over me was her book fell into the very popular YA fiction category where mine is more of a niche fit in Sci-Fi. Who do you think is doing better?
I am and by a very wide margin too. Surprise! Now why is that, and before you even think it, author N wrote a fine book so it certainly wasn’t about quality?
Going the indie route I was able to price my book low ($2.99 digital; $9.99 paperback @ 300 pages). Author N had the exorbitant pricing pushed down to her from the publisher ($7.99 digital; $17.95 paperback @ 150 pages). Given the competition out there, it is flat out impossible for a new author to get noticed with those prices.
I also had the flexibility to offer the book for free using Amazon’s KDP 5 day promo. This got the book noticed by thousands of readers so word of mouth/blog could go to work, and it did. Sales took off after that without me lifting a finger toward self promotion. Author N has been busting her tail lining up and attending author signings where 1 or 2 books will get sold over a 4 hour timeframe. Wait, doesn’t the publisher line all that up you ask? Nope, not unless you are an A list author, the rest are left to fend for themselves. Author N even had to find and pay for her own cover artist. I am so very glad that small publisher is earning their keep, aren’t you?
All the small presses want you to think going indie is somehow less relevant than getting published through them. Five years ago they would have been correct, self pubing back then was called vanity press for a reason. In today’s reality though, the small ‘relevant’ publishers do nothing for you except hold your pricing and distribution options in a choke hold long enough to milk the pity sales you will make to your friends and family (come on. You know that is what your first 100 sales really are).
Author N’s publisher pays her about $1.50 per paperback book and pockets the remaining $15.00 for doing almost nothing. She wrote it, she is selling it and only gets $1.50 per sale. That is flat out robbery plain and simple. (digital breakdown is: Author N = $0.90; Amazon = $2.40; Publisher = $4.69. My take home is about $6.00 for paperback and $2.10. per digital download at a much lower price point.
If you are a first time author, you are straight up crazy to publish through any other means than self publishing on Kindle Direct or Smashwords. They pay 70% royalties for the most part and leave you with complete control over your intellectual property. Oh yes, and your book can get out there in a matter of weeks with royalties paid every month rather than waiting 12-18 months for the publisher to get their act together and then only pay you twice a year.
The publishing world has experienced nothing short of an apocalyptic change in the last 5 years with the widespread use of eReaders. The power is now in the hands of the authors, be sure you keep it and publish indie unless you are getting one big fat advance that has at least a 1 with five zero’s behind it. That would at least ensure the publisher had incentive to go out and do something to promote your sales rather than stand on your shoulders while you do all the work and they keep the proceeds.
There you have it folks. Soup to nuts on turning an idea for a novel into one. Now stop reading about it and get to it. There is a wonderful story floating around in your head just waiting to come out for the world to enjoy.
I spent the better part of a year crafting query letters, plot synopses, two page outlines, ten page outlines, and on and on. It seemed like every literary agent or publishing house had their very own format and requirements. I did everything short of giving them a reach around to get published, and what did I get for all my efforts? NOTHING. Half I never heard from, the other half graced me with a form letter response. Out of hundreds (seriously – hundreds), I only got one real response where the agent liked the concept but was getting out of the business. Out of options I self published on Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing (for digital) and CreateSpace (for paperback).
Author N had fortune smile upon her with a small publishing house taking her on, no advance in case you are wondering. Another advantage author N had over me was her book fell into the very popular YA fiction category where mine is more of a niche fit in Sci-Fi. Who do you think is doing better?
I am and by a very wide margin too. Surprise! Now why is that, and before you even think it, author N wrote a fine book so it certainly wasn’t about quality?
Going the indie route I was able to price my book low ($2.99 digital; $9.99 paperback @ 300 pages). Author N had the exorbitant pricing pushed down to her from the publisher ($7.99 digital; $17.95 paperback @ 150 pages). Given the competition out there, it is flat out impossible for a new author to get noticed with those prices.
I also had the flexibility to offer the book for free using Amazon’s KDP 5 day promo. This got the book noticed by thousands of readers so word of mouth/blog could go to work, and it did. Sales took off after that without me lifting a finger toward self promotion. Author N has been busting her tail lining up and attending author signings where 1 or 2 books will get sold over a 4 hour timeframe. Wait, doesn’t the publisher line all that up you ask? Nope, not unless you are an A list author, the rest are left to fend for themselves. Author N even had to find and pay for her own cover artist. I am so very glad that small publisher is earning their keep, aren’t you?
All the small presses want you to think going indie is somehow less relevant than getting published through them. Five years ago they would have been correct, self pubing back then was called vanity press for a reason. In today’s reality though, the small ‘relevant’ publishers do nothing for you except hold your pricing and distribution options in a choke hold long enough to milk the pity sales you will make to your friends and family (come on. You know that is what your first 100 sales really are).
Author N’s publisher pays her about $1.50 per paperback book and pockets the remaining $15.00 for doing almost nothing. She wrote it, she is selling it and only gets $1.50 per sale. That is flat out robbery plain and simple. (digital breakdown is: Author N = $0.90; Amazon = $2.40; Publisher = $4.69. My take home is about $6.00 for paperback and $2.10. per digital download at a much lower price point.
If you are a first time author, you are straight up crazy to publish through any other means than self publishing on Kindle Direct or Smashwords. They pay 70% royalties for the most part and leave you with complete control over your intellectual property. Oh yes, and your book can get out there in a matter of weeks with royalties paid every month rather than waiting 12-18 months for the publisher to get their act together and then only pay you twice a year.
The publishing world has experienced nothing short of an apocalyptic change in the last 5 years with the widespread use of eReaders. The power is now in the hands of the authors, be sure you keep it and publish indie unless you are getting one big fat advance that has at least a 1 with five zero’s behind it. That would at least ensure the publisher had incentive to go out and do something to promote your sales rather than stand on your shoulders while you do all the work and they keep the proceeds.
There you have it folks. Soup to nuts on turning an idea for a novel into one. Now stop reading about it and get to it. There is a wonderful story floating around in your head just waiting to come out for the world to enjoy.
April 8, 2013
Writing Process – Line Editing
I’m not going to lie to you, line editing a book really sucks. It takes a special kind of person with an exquisite eye for detail and knowledge of the English language to do it well. It is especially hard for the author to line edit their own work since they have just spent the last six months to a year pouring over and over and over the manuscript until they can almost recite it word for word. You are not changing much of anything on this pass, just spelling, grammar, commas, missing quotes . . .
If at all possible outsource this. It will save several months of your time and will result in a cleaner product. Seriously, if you are going to spend any money on your novel, put it into line editing first. My first novel, Origins, I published what I would have sworn up and down was an error free manuscript, but most definitely was not. The second edition came out with over 100 edit corrections both big and small. Over 120,000 words that is not awful, but it was noticeable and a lot of otherwise glowing reader reviews reflected it.
I was truly amazed at how open readers were to feeding errors they found back to the author. I suppose most readers have learned to treat indie books like Opensource software. They use the relatively inexpensive product, realize there will be bugs and then report any found back to the author for correction.
Other readers are not so accommodating. They will eviscerate your work just because of a few double words, tense confusion or missing commas while paying almost no attention to the actual story. It may seem petty, but it is a legitimate gripe. They are paying for it after all. Unfortunately some people just don’t comprehend that indie authors don’t have thousands of dollars dedicated to line editing like the marquee authors out there. That’s why their stuff is $9.99 for a digital download rather than a buck or two like the rest of us.
Take it from someone who has been there. It is really tough to work off those 1 and 2 star reviews posted based on the poor line editing job done. Do yourself a favor and have a professional line edit your work if your budget at all allows it.
Next up: Publishing
If at all possible outsource this. It will save several months of your time and will result in a cleaner product. Seriously, if you are going to spend any money on your novel, put it into line editing first. My first novel, Origins, I published what I would have sworn up and down was an error free manuscript, but most definitely was not. The second edition came out with over 100 edit corrections both big and small. Over 120,000 words that is not awful, but it was noticeable and a lot of otherwise glowing reader reviews reflected it.
I was truly amazed at how open readers were to feeding errors they found back to the author. I suppose most readers have learned to treat indie books like Opensource software. They use the relatively inexpensive product, realize there will be bugs and then report any found back to the author for correction.
Other readers are not so accommodating. They will eviscerate your work just because of a few double words, tense confusion or missing commas while paying almost no attention to the actual story. It may seem petty, but it is a legitimate gripe. They are paying for it after all. Unfortunately some people just don’t comprehend that indie authors don’t have thousands of dollars dedicated to line editing like the marquee authors out there. That’s why their stuff is $9.99 for a digital download rather than a buck or two like the rest of us.
Take it from someone who has been there. It is really tough to work off those 1 and 2 star reviews posted based on the poor line editing job done. Do yourself a favor and have a professional line edit your work if your budget at all allows it.
Next up: Publishing
