K. Morris's Blog, page 796
December 28, 2013
The Face Of Bigotry
This morning I popped into my local Whetherspoons pub for breakfast. As I sat tucking into my fry up the words of a fellow customer reached me.
“I don’t go into Croydon because of the blacks”.
The man then proceeded to regail his fellow patrons with his views on race relations which where reminiscent of those expounded by the late Enoch Powell in his “Rivers Of Blood” speech delivered on 20 April 1968, http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/3643823/Enoch-Powells-Rivers-of-Blood-speech.html. The speech derived it’s title from Powell’s statement
“As I look ahead, I am filled with foreboding; like
the Roman, I seem to see “the River Tiber foaming with much blood.”
I am white and my first girlfriend was of West Indian origin but born in the UK which makes her as British as I am. It is not the colour of a person’s skin but what lies within which renders them human. The colour of one’s skin is a mere accident of birth and to imply (as my fellow pub goer did) that an entire section of the population ought to be avoided due to the colour of their skin is monstrous. I was sorely tempted to walk across and express my displeasure to the speaker, however this would have served no purpose other than making me feel better and could have resulted in a blazing argument. Such an argument would have benefited no one so I held my tongue.
One of the strengths of the area in which I live is that people of many races live together in harmony. People are just that, people. Skin colour is surface deep, it is the heart which beats within that matters.
Kindle Discount Deals – Do They Work?
Amazon’s KDP Select programme, https://kdp.amazon.com/select, offers authors the ability to promote their books free for upto 5 days in any 90 day period. Free promotions do, in my experience work. As a consequence of the free promotion of my story Samantha it received a respectable number of downloads together with 4 4 star reviews. Encouraged by the success of Samantha I determined to try out Amazon’s recently launched Kindle Discount Deals which, as the name suggests allows authors to offer their work at a reduced price. I offered my collection of short stories, An Act Of Mercy And Other Stories at the reduced price of 99 cents on amazon.com from 18-24 December. However, to my disappointment not a single copy of An Act Of Mercy did I sell.
What lessons (if any) do I draw from the above? Readers are more likely to download books which are free than those which are discounted unless you happen to be a household name or your book has attracted a number of 4 or 5 star reviews. I will consider using Kindle Discount Deals again. I will, however enrol Samantha or Sting In The Tail as both have attracted 4 star reviews.
I don’t claim to be an expert on the workings of KDP Select and other authors will, I am sure have different stories to tell (no pun intended)! As regards Kindle Discount Deals and other aspects of the KDP Select programme. As always I would be interested to hear the experiences of others.
For my Amazon Author’s Page please visit http://www.amazon.co.uk/K.-Morris/e/B00CEECWHY/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0
December 27, 2013
The Return
I have just returned from spending Christmas on my country estate in Oxfordshire. It was wonderful to see the old place with it’s rolling acres and a tear ran down my cheek as the faithful old butler Soames struggled, bent double under the weight of my luggage but that is, after all what servants are for …
In point of fact I spent a pleasant week with my mum and her partner in the city of my birth, Liverpool. There are, alas no rolling acres, just a small back garden in which my guide dog, Trigger soon made himself at home. On Christmas day we all, as is customary exchanged gifts. Even Trigger and my mum’s black Labrador, Lilley received presents. Not content with his own gift Trigger took it upon himself to eat a box of chocolates which had been left under the Christmas tree as a present for my mum. Not satisfied with the chocolates he enjoyed a tasty desert of … scented candle! Fortunately Trigger suffered no ill effects and he is, as I write sleeping at my feet.
Well I am now back in London and my mum’s dog, Lilley can breathe a sigh of relief as there is no hungry monster lurking in the shadows waiting to deprive her of her dinner!
December 19, 2013
Happy Christmas!
This will be my last post for a week or so as I will be spending the festive season with family. You don’t get rid of me that easily and I will be back, before the new year like the proverbial bad penny so you have been warned! To all my readers, have a truly wonderful Christmas and look after yourselves. Very best wishes to you all. Kevin PS; my collection of short stories, An Act Of Mercy remains discounted, on amazon.com until 24 December. Amazon advise that it was discounted since 18 December, however due to me living in the UK I was unable to see this when viewing my book on amazon.com.
December 18, 2013
Out Of Small Acorns Great Oaks Grow
This evening I am meeting friends for a drink and the first round will be on me as I am rich! Well not quite but I have just received notification of my first payment from Amazon (a grand total of £8.86) which covers sales of my e-books in the Amazon Kindle store. Not quite enough to retire to that island in the sun, but out of small acorns great oaks grow. Many thanks to all those who have purchased my books.
Kevin
Problem With Kindle Countdown Deal Or So It Seems
On 18 December my Kindle Countdown Deal on An Act Of Mercy was scheduled to start. As of 19 December my collection of short stories still appears on amazon.com at $3.54 rather than the reduced price of 99 cents which I set for the duration of the promotion (18-24 December). I have contacted the god Amazon to ascertain what has gone awry but as of now they have not responded. Please accept my apologies if you have visited amazon.com looking to download An Act of Mercy at it’s reduced price. I will update you once I have received a response from Amazon.
Yours in perplexity
Kevin
Oh To Be In England But Which England?
Many thanks to Cupitonians (http://cupitonians.wordpress.com/) for drawing this amusing post to my attention, http://intrepidmisadventurer.com/the-department-of-tweed-and-trilbies/#.UrIAaOIXKrh. Now I’m off to my gentleman’s club, in Pal Mal where I will sit, in tweed jacket, drinking whisky while being served by my man, Jeeves, (after having read the above post you will understand what I mean)!
December 17, 2013
Why Sell Your Books From Your Own Website?
Reblogged from Savvy Writers & e-Books online:
In a former blog post: Successful Book Selling - the Non-Traditional Way we mentioned that authors could sell books from their own website - which resulted in lots of questions how this could be installed and successful managed.
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Great Benefits for Authors
Take advantage of these three fantastic benefits of selling your books from your own webpage:
I have considered selling books direct from my website and should, perhaps give this some further thought. A useful and interesting post.
Castles
She smiled, awhile I tarried there, fashioned castles out of air. She laughed, set my heart aflame, tis love, or my overactive brain.
I think of her but who is she? A bird encaged longing to be free? Is she content in her cage? Or does she beat the bars with rage? Do I put my thoughts on her? Building castles in the air? Who am I? who is she? Both are struggling to be free.
