Kevin Hardman's Blog, page 19
October 9, 2013
New Book Release: Warden (Book 2: Lure of the Lamia)
Hot on the heels of Extraction (which was just published two weeks ago), I'm happy to finally be able to say that Warden (Book 2: Lure of the Lamia) - the second book in my Warden series - has finally been released.
This release actually comes a little later than I intended, but you know what they say about the best laid schemes of mice and men. I had originally anticipated publishing Warden 2 no later than the end of September, but with Extraction being released around that time period maybe it's better that I wasn't able to maintain the initial schedule.
Regardless, I am happy that the book is now available and hopefully readers of the series will thoroughly enjoy it. As always, I think my artist, Isikol, did a great job with the cover. He really has a knack for incorporating not just the major elements but also minor details.
On my part, I like to think that I'm continuing to write interesting stories with engaging characters. When I start writing a book, the characters typically feel like old friends that I'm finally having a chance to catch up with after an extended amount of time apart. It's fun to learn what they've been up to and what they've been doing with themselves in the interim. That's why, from my aspect, it usually feels like the story tells itself: the characters let me know what's going, rather than vice versa. In other words, I'm little more than a secretary taking dictation.
Be that as it may, it's always great to insert that last period and bring a story to a close. However, as often happens when it comes to publishing a book, I'm both frightened and elated to a certain extent. I'm thrilled to have a finished product, but at the same time I'm a little afraid of sending my baby out into the big, bad world. Still, as with actual children, at some point you have to push them out of the nest. I'm just keeping my fingers crossed that my little birdie here can - if not soar - at least be able to glide gently to a safe landing.
This release actually comes a little later than I intended, but you know what they say about the best laid schemes of mice and men. I had originally anticipated publishing Warden 2 no later than the end of September, but with Extraction being released around that time period maybe it's better that I wasn't able to maintain the initial schedule.
Regardless, I am happy that the book is now available and hopefully readers of the series will thoroughly enjoy it. As always, I think my artist, Isikol, did a great job with the cover. He really has a knack for incorporating not just the major elements but also minor details.
On my part, I like to think that I'm continuing to write interesting stories with engaging characters. When I start writing a book, the characters typically feel like old friends that I'm finally having a chance to catch up with after an extended amount of time apart. It's fun to learn what they've been up to and what they've been doing with themselves in the interim. That's why, from my aspect, it usually feels like the story tells itself: the characters let me know what's going, rather than vice versa. In other words, I'm little more than a secretary taking dictation.
Be that as it may, it's always great to insert that last period and bring a story to a close. However, as often happens when it comes to publishing a book, I'm both frightened and elated to a certain extent. I'm thrilled to have a finished product, but at the same time I'm a little afraid of sending my baby out into the big, bad world. Still, as with actual children, at some point you have to push them out of the nest. I'm just keeping my fingers crossed that my little birdie here can - if not soar - at least be able to glide gently to a safe landing.
September 27, 2013
Do You Squidoo?
Before I turned to writing books, I spent some time trying to earn passive/residual income from other writing activities. While the terms are often used interchangeably (I do it myself), there is a slight difference between passive income and residual income.
Passive income can be viewed as income a person earns without actively being involved in its generation. A good example would be corporate dividends: you made an initial investment that consisted of buying stock in a company. After that, you don't have to do anything in order to receive your regular dividend check.
Residual income, on the other hand, refers to some up-front endeavor or work which continues to produce income after the initial labor is complete. Writing a book, for example. As long as the book keeps selling, the author can continue to receive royalties.
In my case, I knew of several online sites that offered revenue-sharing for writers willing post content on said sites. One of those sites was Squidoo.com, and I eventually posted close to 40 articles there. I never earned a great deal of money there (I think the most I ever got was something like $40 one month), but it was fun and there was the potential for my earnings to increase down the road. Plus, my work was going to be out there earning something forever. But it turns out that "forever" wasn't as long as I thought it was.
A few months back, I received an email from Squidoo saying that one of my lenses was going to be unpublished because it violated Squidoo's terms of service. ("Lenses" is what they call articles on Squidoo.) Mind you, they didn't tell me what I did wrong (much less how to fix it) - just that I was in violation. (Oh yeah, they did give me a long laundry list of violations I might possibly have committed, but nothing definitive.)
So basically, I was expected to go through my article, make a bunch of random changes, then submit it again for review. There was another issue, though: even had I done that, there was no way to resubmit what I'd written! I tried writing emailing Squidoo to get more info - what the problem was, how to fix it, how to submit it again for review - but never got a response.
In essence, without more info, I didn't know how to fix the problem. And then I received another email from Squidoo (although in actuality it was essentially the same email, with only one change) saying that a second lens was being locked - again for reasons unknown. And then it happened to a third lens. Then a fourth. Long story short, I looked today, and roughly one-third of my content on Squidoo is locked and unpublished.
Thankfully, I still have time (I think) to do something with all of the now-unpublished content I have on Squidoo, thereby bringing us to the crux of the matter (and the reason for this post):
To the extent that it is appropriate, I will probably bring some of my Squidoo content here to my blog. The rest I will probably migrate over to another revenue-sharing site like Hubpages.com or InfoBarrel.com .
Of course, I'm not the only person this has happened to. There seems to be an endless parade of folks having the same issues at Squidoo (not knowing what the problem is with their content, not knowing how to fix it, and so on). I believe I read somewhere that Squidoo is doing all this in response to changes in Google's algorithms, but there has to some means by which they can be more responsive. There needs to be method to this madness.
In retrospect, there are a lot of lessons to be learned here - particularly about how quickly favorable things can turn against you with respect to your writing. But it's important to persevere, and for me - at this time - that means saving the content on Squidoo that I labored hard and long over.
Passive income can be viewed as income a person earns without actively being involved in its generation. A good example would be corporate dividends: you made an initial investment that consisted of buying stock in a company. After that, you don't have to do anything in order to receive your regular dividend check.
Residual income, on the other hand, refers to some up-front endeavor or work which continues to produce income after the initial labor is complete. Writing a book, for example. As long as the book keeps selling, the author can continue to receive royalties.
In my case, I knew of several online sites that offered revenue-sharing for writers willing post content on said sites. One of those sites was Squidoo.com, and I eventually posted close to 40 articles there. I never earned a great deal of money there (I think the most I ever got was something like $40 one month), but it was fun and there was the potential for my earnings to increase down the road. Plus, my work was going to be out there earning something forever. But it turns out that "forever" wasn't as long as I thought it was.
A few months back, I received an email from Squidoo saying that one of my lenses was going to be unpublished because it violated Squidoo's terms of service. ("Lenses" is what they call articles on Squidoo.) Mind you, they didn't tell me what I did wrong (much less how to fix it) - just that I was in violation. (Oh yeah, they did give me a long laundry list of violations I might possibly have committed, but nothing definitive.)
So basically, I was expected to go through my article, make a bunch of random changes, then submit it again for review. There was another issue, though: even had I done that, there was no way to resubmit what I'd written! I tried writing emailing Squidoo to get more info - what the problem was, how to fix it, how to submit it again for review - but never got a response.
In essence, without more info, I didn't know how to fix the problem. And then I received another email from Squidoo (although in actuality it was essentially the same email, with only one change) saying that a second lens was being locked - again for reasons unknown. And then it happened to a third lens. Then a fourth. Long story short, I looked today, and roughly one-third of my content on Squidoo is locked and unpublished.
Thankfully, I still have time (I think) to do something with all of the now-unpublished content I have on Squidoo, thereby bringing us to the crux of the matter (and the reason for this post):
To the extent that it is appropriate, I will probably bring some of my Squidoo content here to my blog. The rest I will probably migrate over to another revenue-sharing site like Hubpages.com or InfoBarrel.com .
Of course, I'm not the only person this has happened to. There seems to be an endless parade of folks having the same issues at Squidoo (not knowing what the problem is with their content, not knowing how to fix it, and so on). I believe I read somewhere that Squidoo is doing all this in response to changes in Google's algorithms, but there has to some means by which they can be more responsive. There needs to be method to this madness.
In retrospect, there are a lot of lessons to be learned here - particularly about how quickly favorable things can turn against you with respect to your writing. But it's important to persevere, and for me - at this time - that means saving the content on Squidoo that I labored hard and long over.
September 23, 2013
Book Release: Extraction (A Kid Sensation Story)
I'm pretty excited about finally publishing the latest Kid Sensation adventure,
Extraction
, which is a short story (although technically - based on word count and length - I think it actually fits the definition of a novelette).
As with the first two novels, the cover art was done by Isikol.
The story itself is kind of a holdover - something hinted at in the second book, Mutation . However, rather than fold it into the action taking place in Kid Sensation #3 (the third book), my gut instinct was to make it a stand-alone adventure (which I hope fans of the series will appreciate).
As with the second book in the series, I once again failed miserably in terms of announcing a publication date, doing a cover release, and so on. Frankly speaking, it's probably my process that prevents me from taking any of the aforementioned actions.
I typically don't even begin thinking about a cover until I've finished the manuscript. In fact, the first time I turn my mind to what should be on the cover is usually when I'm reaching out to my artist, Isikol, to say that I've finished a new book and would like to commission some cover art.
Moreover, since Isikol also does the typography for me, I usually have to spend a little time trying to come up with a descriptive blurb for the back of the book before he finishes. (If I haven't mentioned it before, I usually do both an ebook and a print version of my books.)
In short, my thinking simply isn't advanced enough yet to contemplate doing all the things that established authors do. (Just to show what a Neanderthal I am, I was putzing around trying to wait for the book to show up as "published" on Amazon when the first sale came through. Apparently, books become available to readers before Amazon even lets authors know that the publication process is complete. I'm also racing like the dickens trying to get it up on other publishing platforms.) Regardless, I'm glad to have this one out there and hopefully readers will enjoy it.
In other news, with this baby now put to bed, Isikol can focus on the cover for the Warden sequel. As I previously posted, the text for that one is already done; depending on when the cover art gets finished (and I don't plan to rush my artist, no matter how quickly I'd like it done), it will probably get published in a week or so. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that readers will feel that it was worth the wait.
As with the first two novels, the cover art was done by Isikol.
The story itself is kind of a holdover - something hinted at in the second book, Mutation . However, rather than fold it into the action taking place in Kid Sensation #3 (the third book), my gut instinct was to make it a stand-alone adventure (which I hope fans of the series will appreciate).
As with the second book in the series, I once again failed miserably in terms of announcing a publication date, doing a cover release, and so on. Frankly speaking, it's probably my process that prevents me from taking any of the aforementioned actions.
I typically don't even begin thinking about a cover until I've finished the manuscript. In fact, the first time I turn my mind to what should be on the cover is usually when I'm reaching out to my artist, Isikol, to say that I've finished a new book and would like to commission some cover art.
Moreover, since Isikol also does the typography for me, I usually have to spend a little time trying to come up with a descriptive blurb for the back of the book before he finishes. (If I haven't mentioned it before, I usually do both an ebook and a print version of my books.)
In short, my thinking simply isn't advanced enough yet to contemplate doing all the things that established authors do. (Just to show what a Neanderthal I am, I was putzing around trying to wait for the book to show up as "published" on Amazon when the first sale came through. Apparently, books become available to readers before Amazon even lets authors know that the publication process is complete. I'm also racing like the dickens trying to get it up on other publishing platforms.) Regardless, I'm glad to have this one out there and hopefully readers will enjoy it.
In other news, with this baby now put to bed, Isikol can focus on the cover for the Warden sequel. As I previously posted, the text for that one is already done; depending on when the cover art gets finished (and I don't plan to rush my artist, no matter how quickly I'd like it done), it will probably get published in a week or so. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that readers will feel that it was worth the wait.
September 13, 2013
The Shape of Things to Come
I was very excited to get a message tonight from someone asking about the sequel to
Warden
. While it hasn't been selling as well as my Kid Sensation series, the book has been a steady performer and appears to have a growing fan base.I had originally intended to have the next book in the series published in August, but that schedule got mangled like an innocent bystander in a Stephen King novel. However, I'm happy to report that the sequel is actually finished. I got it back from my editor last week and have just gone over it again myself. I'll probably review it one final time this weekend, so by Monday it should be ready in terms of text.
In terms of cover, however, my artist (the great Isikol), is currently at work on the cover for a new Kid Sensation short story that I recently completed. Once that is done, I hope to have him turn his hand to Warden #2. With any luck, the publication schedule looks something like this:
Kid Sensation short story - probably in the next week or soWarden #2 - by the end of the month
(FYI: the actual title of the sequel is Warden (Book 2: Lure of the Lamia). As I did in the first book, I tried to take some supernatural creatures that don't get a lot of air and let them run amok. The truth of the matter is that there are a lot of fantastic legendary creatures out there, and it's a lot of fun to write about them.)
Beyond those two, I'm a little unsure of where to go next in terms of writing. I've got another Kid Sensation novel in mind, so that is likely to take the next spot in the queue (and of course I've been thinking about some other Warden books), but I also have some ideas for other novels and series. The questions is, at one point do I start sliding those in?
Right now, I'm just kind of oscillating - going back and forth between writing Warden and Kid Sensation. Thankfully, I've still got ideas for the major characters in those, but I've also got some stories I'm thinking about for other characters in those books. For instance, several people have mentioned wanting to know about the character Mouse from the Kid Sensation series. Oddly enough, I have have Mouse's story pretty much outlined in my head; it's just a matter of putting it to paper.
Anyway, for those interested, the shape of my future writing schedule will probably be as follows:
Kid Sensation #3Warden #3Kid Sensation #4Warden #4Mouse novel (from Kid Sensation series)
Other books will probably include a dystopian series, a paranormal series, and whatever else comes to mind. Hopefully any fans of my work will stick around for the full ride.
In terms of cover, however, my artist (the great Isikol), is currently at work on the cover for a new Kid Sensation short story that I recently completed. Once that is done, I hope to have him turn his hand to Warden #2. With any luck, the publication schedule looks something like this:
Kid Sensation short story - probably in the next week or soWarden #2 - by the end of the month
(FYI: the actual title of the sequel is Warden (Book 2: Lure of the Lamia). As I did in the first book, I tried to take some supernatural creatures that don't get a lot of air and let them run amok. The truth of the matter is that there are a lot of fantastic legendary creatures out there, and it's a lot of fun to write about them.)
Beyond those two, I'm a little unsure of where to go next in terms of writing. I've got another Kid Sensation novel in mind, so that is likely to take the next spot in the queue (and of course I've been thinking about some other Warden books), but I also have some ideas for other novels and series. The questions is, at one point do I start sliding those in?
Right now, I'm just kind of oscillating - going back and forth between writing Warden and Kid Sensation. Thankfully, I've still got ideas for the major characters in those, but I've also got some stories I'm thinking about for other characters in those books. For instance, several people have mentioned wanting to know about the character Mouse from the Kid Sensation series. Oddly enough, I have have Mouse's story pretty much outlined in my head; it's just a matter of putting it to paper.
Anyway, for those interested, the shape of my future writing schedule will probably be as follows:
Kid Sensation #3Warden #3Kid Sensation #4Warden #4Mouse novel (from Kid Sensation series)
Other books will probably include a dystopian series, a paranormal series, and whatever else comes to mind. Hopefully any fans of my work will stick around for the full ride.
September 1, 2013
Labor Day Weekend and Lessons Learned
After a somewhat slow July, I was blessed to have an absolutely tremendous August, with over 3500 ebook sales. The numbers received an obvious boost from the release of
Mutation
, and - needless to say - I'm over the moon about the results and thrilled that readers seem to be enjoying my work.
Of course, my journey as an author is only just getting started in earnest, but I couldn't help reflecting back on the path I've taken thus far. With that in mind, I thought it might be worth sharing some of the things that I feel were helpful to me on a number of levels in terms of my writing:
Find inspiration wherever you can - especially in the little things
Before I published Sensation , I would occasionally get this nagging thought that I shouldn't be wasting so much time writing. To a certain extent, it seemed like a healthy, creative outlet for which I merely had grandiose dreams, so doubts about how successful I could be in this endeavor would sometimes flit through my brain.
Anyway, I was getting ready for the day job one morning, with the doubts and nagging thoughts pecking away at my resolve to have a writing career, when I heard these words:
"There are people who find their own path. Chart their own course. Who never stop moving forward, and never, ever back down. Entrepreneurs; journeymen; mavericks; and pioneers who believe the American Dream doesn't just happen--it's something you have to work for."
I'd had the television on a morning news program while I was getting dressed, and what I'd heard was from an ad for this Southwest Airlines commercial:
I know it sounds hokey, but those words resonated with me. I'm not saying it was like Robert the Bruce getting motivated to drive the English out of Scotland by watching a spider build a web, but I felt inspired. I must have rewound that commercial and watched it twenty times in a row (I'm not even sure if I paid attention to the rest of it). I left for work that morning with a completely different mindset.
Basically, I think you have to find inspiration wherever you can (yes, even in a commercial) and use it as a driving force in your work, regardless of whether that work is writing or something else.
Treat writing like a business
Back when I was in college, there was a restaurant not far from campus that purportedly had some of the best food in town (for student budgets). However, they never seemed to have consistent operating hours. Regardless of the posted opening/closing time, the owners just seemed to open their doors whenever the mood hit them - and they'd close in the same fashion. For example, if the cable went out in the restaurant so that they couldn't watch TV in the back office, they might close so that they wouldn't miss The Price is Right or something like that. Obviously not a great way to do business.
Likewise, if you are intent on becoming successful as an author, I think you have to treat writing like a business, with yourself as CEO. (In fact, that are many successful writers who say that this is a must.) You want to produce a quality product that the general public will want to buy. At the same time, you need to be writing regularly and consistently. I don't know that you need to write every single day, but you should probably be typing something 5 or 6 days per week. (Taking a day off every week is probably a good way to recharge your batteries and stay fresh.)
There's more than one yellow brick road to Oz
Everyone has their own definition of success and their own means of getting there. There are lots of successful writers who willingly share what they feel is the secret of their winning ways, and I'm grateful for that. Occasionally, however, the advice of one author may conflict with that of another. In my book, it doesn't mean that either of them is wrong; truth be told there is more than one path to success in this business. I think it's worthwhile to see what a number of successful authors did and then cherry-pick the ideas, strategies and tactics that make the most sense to you.
In short, there's not just one yellow brick road to Oz; there's a million of them. You just have to find the one that works for you - and it may be a road that hasn't been laid yet.
Make your own luck
A while back I had dinner with one of the senior people at my office, and we got to talking about what makes a successful career, and how it's not always about who's the smartest or most talented. In hearing about some of his experiences, it seemed to me that sometimes his success came as a result of catching a lucky break, and I said as much. He laughed an agreed, saying, "Sometimes you get lucky. And sometimes, you make your own luck ."
Those last five words really caught fire in my brain, because I felt like I knew exactly what he was talking about. To me, there are occasionally doors that open a crack - opportunities that present themselves for a limited time - and you need to have positioned yourself to take advantage of them.
By way of example, I know of a company (we'll call this one Little Co.) that put in a bid for a big project and got selected for a second round of interviews with the corporation (let's say Hug Corp.) soliciting proposals. When the Little Co. came in for their interview, with Huge Corp., they said, "We don't want to sit around and talk about our proposal. Instead, we'd like to spend that time working for you, showing you what we can do and the quality of our product. Then, when we finish, you can decide." Huge Corp. agreed, and - as you might have guessed, Little Co. ended up with the work - despite the fact that they were not as established or well-known as some of the other bidders. They made their own luck - and so can you.
Greatness awaits
Finally, for those of you doubting yourselves, I ask, "Who are you not to be great?"
Of course, my journey as an author is only just getting started in earnest, but I couldn't help reflecting back on the path I've taken thus far. With that in mind, I thought it might be worth sharing some of the things that I feel were helpful to me on a number of levels in terms of my writing:
Find inspiration wherever you can - especially in the little things
Before I published Sensation , I would occasionally get this nagging thought that I shouldn't be wasting so much time writing. To a certain extent, it seemed like a healthy, creative outlet for which I merely had grandiose dreams, so doubts about how successful I could be in this endeavor would sometimes flit through my brain.
Anyway, I was getting ready for the day job one morning, with the doubts and nagging thoughts pecking away at my resolve to have a writing career, when I heard these words:
"There are people who find their own path. Chart their own course. Who never stop moving forward, and never, ever back down. Entrepreneurs; journeymen; mavericks; and pioneers who believe the American Dream doesn't just happen--it's something you have to work for."
I'd had the television on a morning news program while I was getting dressed, and what I'd heard was from an ad for this Southwest Airlines commercial:
I know it sounds hokey, but those words resonated with me. I'm not saying it was like Robert the Bruce getting motivated to drive the English out of Scotland by watching a spider build a web, but I felt inspired. I must have rewound that commercial and watched it twenty times in a row (I'm not even sure if I paid attention to the rest of it). I left for work that morning with a completely different mindset.
Basically, I think you have to find inspiration wherever you can (yes, even in a commercial) and use it as a driving force in your work, regardless of whether that work is writing or something else.
Treat writing like a business
Back when I was in college, there was a restaurant not far from campus that purportedly had some of the best food in town (for student budgets). However, they never seemed to have consistent operating hours. Regardless of the posted opening/closing time, the owners just seemed to open their doors whenever the mood hit them - and they'd close in the same fashion. For example, if the cable went out in the restaurant so that they couldn't watch TV in the back office, they might close so that they wouldn't miss The Price is Right or something like that. Obviously not a great way to do business.
Likewise, if you are intent on becoming successful as an author, I think you have to treat writing like a business, with yourself as CEO. (In fact, that are many successful writers who say that this is a must.) You want to produce a quality product that the general public will want to buy. At the same time, you need to be writing regularly and consistently. I don't know that you need to write every single day, but you should probably be typing something 5 or 6 days per week. (Taking a day off every week is probably a good way to recharge your batteries and stay fresh.)
There's more than one yellow brick road to Oz
Everyone has their own definition of success and their own means of getting there. There are lots of successful writers who willingly share what they feel is the secret of their winning ways, and I'm grateful for that. Occasionally, however, the advice of one author may conflict with that of another. In my book, it doesn't mean that either of them is wrong; truth be told there is more than one path to success in this business. I think it's worthwhile to see what a number of successful authors did and then cherry-pick the ideas, strategies and tactics that make the most sense to you.
In short, there's not just one yellow brick road to Oz; there's a million of them. You just have to find the one that works for you - and it may be a road that hasn't been laid yet.
Make your own luck
A while back I had dinner with one of the senior people at my office, and we got to talking about what makes a successful career, and how it's not always about who's the smartest or most talented. In hearing about some of his experiences, it seemed to me that sometimes his success came as a result of catching a lucky break, and I said as much. He laughed an agreed, saying, "Sometimes you get lucky. And sometimes, you make your own luck ."
Those last five words really caught fire in my brain, because I felt like I knew exactly what he was talking about. To me, there are occasionally doors that open a crack - opportunities that present themselves for a limited time - and you need to have positioned yourself to take advantage of them.
By way of example, I know of a company (we'll call this one Little Co.) that put in a bid for a big project and got selected for a second round of interviews with the corporation (let's say Hug Corp.) soliciting proposals. When the Little Co. came in for their interview, with Huge Corp., they said, "We don't want to sit around and talk about our proposal. Instead, we'd like to spend that time working for you, showing you what we can do and the quality of our product. Then, when we finish, you can decide." Huge Corp. agreed, and - as you might have guessed, Little Co. ended up with the work - despite the fact that they were not as established or well-known as some of the other bidders. They made their own luck - and so can you.
Greatness awaits
Finally, for those of you doubting yourselves, I ask, "Who are you not to be great?"
August 20, 2013
Mutation Progress
Here's one you don't see every day (at least mooks like me don't) - the two books in my Kid Sensation series are ranked #1 and #2 in one of their categories:
Best Sellers in Superhero Fantasy eBooksTop 100 PaidTop 100 Free 1.
Mutation: A Kid Sensation Novel (Kid...by Kevin HardmanSensation: A Superhero Novelby Kevin HardmanNeedless to say, Amazon has been - and continues to be - a big part of my success. At the same time, however, I'm attempting to establish a foothold on other platforms: Barnes & Noble, Kobo, etc. (Trying to avoid putting all my eggs in one basket, so to speak.) Truth be told, though, I'm struggling to find ways to market to those with Nook and Kobo e-readers. Most of the powerful promotional tools seem geared towards the Kindle (and you can't blame them for that), but I'm still so new to all this stuff that I'm probably overlooking something.
Best Sellers in Superhero Fantasy eBooksTop 100 PaidTop 100 Free 1.
Mutation: A Kid Sensation Novel (Kid...by Kevin HardmanSensation: A Superhero Novelby Kevin HardmanNeedless to say, Amazon has been - and continues to be - a big part of my success. At the same time, however, I'm attempting to establish a foothold on other platforms: Barnes & Noble, Kobo, etc. (Trying to avoid putting all my eggs in one basket, so to speak.) Truth be told, though, I'm struggling to find ways to market to those with Nook and Kobo e-readers. Most of the powerful promotional tools seem geared towards the Kindle (and you can't blame them for that), but I'm still so new to all this stuff that I'm probably overlooking something.August 14, 2013
Praying that Lightning Strikes Twice (and Then Some)
I mention all the time about how limited my knowledge of self-publishing is, so I'm still prone to making rookie mistakes. One of the things I've neglected to do until fairly recently was work more on selling print copies of my books.
I know that there are many who eschew print altogether (and make a very good living focusing only on ebooks), but for me it's another market to sell to. Public libraries, brick-and-mortar bookstores, etc. They're all out there - numbering in the hundreds of thousands - and since it costs practically nothing to do print versions, why not?
That said, getting into physical libraries and bookstores can sometimes require a little more legwork. Independent bookstores may only work with you on a consignment basis, and - other than those located near you - the large chains may only be interested if they can get your book through one of their distributors/wholesalers such as Ingram. (For libraries, this would primarily be Baker & Taylor.) Moreover, outside of something like Creatspace's Expanded Distribution, you really need your own ISBN number.
Bearing all that in mind (and the fact that I was getting double-digit sales of print copies on Createspace), I decided a few weeks back to sign up with Lightning Source, which is a division of Ingram. Lightning Source offers print-on-demand services, and through them my books are available via Ingram, Baker & Taylor, and others. Granted they are more expensive than CS's Expanded Distribution (and the set-up is more complicated), but I have more control in terms of setting the discount for wholesalers (20%-55%), as opposed to the automatic 60% at CS. (Not to mention the fact that CS won't make your book available to libraries/universities if you use your own ISBN.)
Thankfully, things appear to be working out in that I recently checked my Lightning Source account and saw that I had my first order. With any luck, it will be the first of many.
I know that there are many who eschew print altogether (and make a very good living focusing only on ebooks), but for me it's another market to sell to. Public libraries, brick-and-mortar bookstores, etc. They're all out there - numbering in the hundreds of thousands - and since it costs practically nothing to do print versions, why not?
That said, getting into physical libraries and bookstores can sometimes require a little more legwork. Independent bookstores may only work with you on a consignment basis, and - other than those located near you - the large chains may only be interested if they can get your book through one of their distributors/wholesalers such as Ingram. (For libraries, this would primarily be Baker & Taylor.) Moreover, outside of something like Creatspace's Expanded Distribution, you really need your own ISBN number.
Bearing all that in mind (and the fact that I was getting double-digit sales of print copies on Createspace), I decided a few weeks back to sign up with Lightning Source, which is a division of Ingram. Lightning Source offers print-on-demand services, and through them my books are available via Ingram, Baker & Taylor, and others. Granted they are more expensive than CS's Expanded Distribution (and the set-up is more complicated), but I have more control in terms of setting the discount for wholesalers (20%-55%), as opposed to the automatic 60% at CS. (Not to mention the fact that CS won't make your book available to libraries/universities if you use your own ISBN.)
Thankfully, things appear to be working out in that I recently checked my Lightning Source account and saw that I had my first order. With any luck, it will be the first of many.
August 4, 2013
Book Release - Mutation (Kid Sensation #2)
I am proud to say that
Mutation: A Kid Sensation Novel
(the sequel to Sensation) has finally been released!
The cover art was again done by Isikol, whose work on the first novel in the series was simply spectacular.
Needless to say, I'm happy to finally have the book out there. Fans of Sensation have been very vocal in their request for a sequel, so hopefully they will enjoy this next adventure of Kid Sensation.
Of course, I probably should have done a better job of getting the word out about the sequel: done a cover release, announced a release date well in advance, etc. In all honesty, though, I'm just so new to all this (self-publishing, that is) that it well probably be a while before I get my sea legs under me and figure out enough of the ins and outs that I don't look like a total idiot every time I do something.
To be frank, though, I'm really a simple-minded fella, so I'm nervous about having lot of a pomp and circumstance surrounding a book release, and then having readers consider it to be the literary equivalent of the Johnny Depp Lone Ranger movie. Thus, I've kept the fanfare to a minimum.
In other news, Sensation and Warden are finally out of KDP Select. I think Select was great at one point and a powerful tool in an indie publisher's arsenal, but it seems to have lost a lot of its pop. Maybe Amazon will tweak it in some way to bring back it's sex appeal, but it feels like the train has left the station for good. That being the case, I have loaded my work up to numerous sites - B&N, Smashwords, etc. - and am already starting to get sales (which I pray will steadily increase).
Finally, I'm still trying to wrap up the Warden sequel and get it to my editor, but have found my efforts derailed of late because of numerous factors. But, as with Mutation, I'm leery of announcing a release date at this juncture (especially since I haven't even put it in my editor's hands yet). All I can say is "soon."
*And on a side note, a lot of authors have stated the need for a mail list to announce book releases to readers, so if you are interested in being informed of such (and that is all I plan to use it for) please click on the link in the upper right corner of my blog. Thanks!
The cover art was again done by Isikol, whose work on the first novel in the series was simply spectacular.
Needless to say, I'm happy to finally have the book out there. Fans of Sensation have been very vocal in their request for a sequel, so hopefully they will enjoy this next adventure of Kid Sensation.
Of course, I probably should have done a better job of getting the word out about the sequel: done a cover release, announced a release date well in advance, etc. In all honesty, though, I'm just so new to all this (self-publishing, that is) that it well probably be a while before I get my sea legs under me and figure out enough of the ins and outs that I don't look like a total idiot every time I do something.
To be frank, though, I'm really a simple-minded fella, so I'm nervous about having lot of a pomp and circumstance surrounding a book release, and then having readers consider it to be the literary equivalent of the Johnny Depp Lone Ranger movie. Thus, I've kept the fanfare to a minimum.
In other news, Sensation and Warden are finally out of KDP Select. I think Select was great at one point and a powerful tool in an indie publisher's arsenal, but it seems to have lost a lot of its pop. Maybe Amazon will tweak it in some way to bring back it's sex appeal, but it feels like the train has left the station for good. That being the case, I have loaded my work up to numerous sites - B&N, Smashwords, etc. - and am already starting to get sales (which I pray will steadily increase).
Finally, I'm still trying to wrap up the Warden sequel and get it to my editor, but have found my efforts derailed of late because of numerous factors. But, as with Mutation, I'm leery of announcing a release date at this juncture (especially since I haven't even put it in my editor's hands yet). All I can say is "soon."
*And on a side note, a lot of authors have stated the need for a mail list to announce book releases to readers, so if you are interested in being informed of such (and that is all I plan to use it for) please click on the link in the upper right corner of my blog. Thanks!
July 31, 2013
KDP Select, We Hardly Knew Ye...
In a previous blog (which you can find
here
), I mentioned some of the reasons I was thinking of leaving the KDP Select program. Now, with both
Sensation
and Warden coming off the Select this week, I have been putting in a little time preparing to launch them on other publishing platforms. Between that, having jury duty, and some other issues this week, I've fallen a little behind schedule on finishing the Warden sequel, which I had originally anticipated completing a few days ago. Thankfully, my editor is being extremely patient with me, and I hope to dot that final "i" and cross the last "t" soon. The Sensation sequel is - from all appearances - just days away from being released as I deal with a few final concerns, and I will, of course, announce it here first.
(FYI: For those interested, I am now compiling a mail list of those who'd like to be informed whenever I release a new novel. The link for the subscription is in the upper right of this blog.)
Needless to say, I'm both excited and nervous about publishing elsewhere. I've been blessed to find tremendous support on Amazon, but I've also been stiff-arming a good portion of the market because of my participation in Select. I'm hoping that readers elsewhere will give me the same warm fuzzy I've been experiencing on Kindle, but there are no guarantees.
It's unfortunate that Select isn't the same juggernaut that it used to be, but that's just my experience. There are many others who still swear by it, and I can't say that they're absolutely wrong. I just feel that the current cons of Select outweigh the pros - not to mention the fact that I'm trying to extend my reach as an author as far as possible. This has become particularly important to me as - throughout July - I've noticed sales dropping significantly. For instance, Sensation sold over 1200 copies in June, but will come in at less than 700 for July (unless there's a massive surge today). I've heard that sales generally drop in summer (especially in July), but I can't help thinking that having my books in places like Barnes & Noble and Smashwords (assuming I can get through the SW meatgrinder) would help ease the pain.
Basically, I embarking into a new journey here, but hopefully my efforts will eventually pay big dividends. With any luck, I'll get a few sales early on to give me encouragement - and convince me that leaving Select was the right decision. And if it doesn't work out, I could always come crawling back to Select on my hands and knees, begging like Take That:
Whatever I said,
Whatever I did, I didn't mean it
I just want you back for good...
(FYI: For those interested, I am now compiling a mail list of those who'd like to be informed whenever I release a new novel. The link for the subscription is in the upper right of this blog.)
Needless to say, I'm both excited and nervous about publishing elsewhere. I've been blessed to find tremendous support on Amazon, but I've also been stiff-arming a good portion of the market because of my participation in Select. I'm hoping that readers elsewhere will give me the same warm fuzzy I've been experiencing on Kindle, but there are no guarantees.
It's unfortunate that Select isn't the same juggernaut that it used to be, but that's just my experience. There are many others who still swear by it, and I can't say that they're absolutely wrong. I just feel that the current cons of Select outweigh the pros - not to mention the fact that I'm trying to extend my reach as an author as far as possible. This has become particularly important to me as - throughout July - I've noticed sales dropping significantly. For instance, Sensation sold over 1200 copies in June, but will come in at less than 700 for July (unless there's a massive surge today). I've heard that sales generally drop in summer (especially in July), but I can't help thinking that having my books in places like Barnes & Noble and Smashwords (assuming I can get through the SW meatgrinder) would help ease the pain.
Basically, I embarking into a new journey here, but hopefully my efforts will eventually pay big dividends. With any luck, I'll get a few sales early on to give me encouragement - and convince me that leaving Select was the right decision. And if it doesn't work out, I could always come crawling back to Select on my hands and knees, begging like Take That:
Whatever I said,
Whatever I did, I didn't mean it
I just want you back for good...
July 22, 2013
The Sensation Sequel
I've obviously been neglecting my blog this month, but not without reason. I've been hard at work putting the finishing touches on the sequel to
Sensation
. Part of the problem is that every time I re-read the thing, I keep seeing additional items that I want to tweak. (My editor would probably be horrified to know that, since she proofed what was purportedly the final draft a few weeks back.) I plan to read it for [hopefully] the final time over the next day or so.
My cover artist, Isikol, is also hard at work producing another awesome cover. He did a fantastic job on the first book, so I'm hoping that lightning will strike twice in that regard.
As to a release date, I don't have anything specific in mind yet. Basically, it will be as soon as I can get all of the essential elements in place - with any luck, some time in the next week or two. But the announcement of it will probably be something as simple as a short blurb on this blog and a tweet. (I'm a terrible planner; anything more complicated than that and I'll probably screw it up.)
In other news, I'm also working on the next book in my Warden series. The plan, for now, is to alternate between the two series - writing a book for one, then the other - as well as maybe penning a few other novels that have been eating away at my brain recently. Hopefully it will all work out, but right now this entire self-publishing venture feels like one giant experiment. Wish me luck!
My cover artist, Isikol, is also hard at work producing another awesome cover. He did a fantastic job on the first book, so I'm hoping that lightning will strike twice in that regard.
As to a release date, I don't have anything specific in mind yet. Basically, it will be as soon as I can get all of the essential elements in place - with any luck, some time in the next week or two. But the announcement of it will probably be something as simple as a short blurb on this blog and a tweet. (I'm a terrible planner; anything more complicated than that and I'll probably screw it up.)
In other news, I'm also working on the next book in my Warden series. The plan, for now, is to alternate between the two series - writing a book for one, then the other - as well as maybe penning a few other novels that have been eating away at my brain recently. Hopefully it will all work out, but right now this entire self-publishing venture feels like one giant experiment. Wish me luck!
