Rich Samuels's Blog, page 10
March 20, 2014
Short Story Ebook Published: Now What?
As of today, my ebook-only short story Why Do You Think They Call It a Ghost Town is available on Amazon sites worldwide (including the US, UK and Canada). It's already available from other popular ebook retailers, as well.While this short story helps me to establish a slightly larger presence as a writer - one of my prime objectives as I continue to work toward completion of my second novel, I'm still considering how I might promote this work.
This short story is simply entertainment - it doesn't pretend to be anything else. While "My Life at the Bottom of the Food Chain" addresses aspects of bullying, and the second book in the series will address self-image issues, Ghost Town places Alexander in a real-life ghost town of Bodie, California for a creepy little adventure. It developed out of visits my nephew and I made to Bodie a couple of years ago.
Here are a few questions I'm pondering:
How can I promote short, light entertainment?How can I encourage readers to port reviews for a short, light entertainment? Since my primary audience are likely to be middle-grade readers (extending to about thirteen or so), how can I reach that age group effectively - and, will they be interested in this sort of short fiction?Should I consider a fully illustrated physical edition of this book, perhaps offered in time for Halloween? It might prove to be a major undertaking, but could be an attractive platform for this particular story.Meanwhile, I continue work on my second novel, obsessively check my Amazon and Bookbaby stats, experiment with promotional tools, and contemplate my path forward as a writer.
As always, your feedback is welcome and encouraged.
Follow me on Twitter, @rickflix
March 6, 2014
Short Story Eyeballs
I'm still waiting for Why Do You Thing They Call it a Ghost Town? to turn up on Amazon - though BookBaby's stats show that it should be showing up any moment now. In the meantime, I remain puzzled as to how to effectively promote a short story. While there are extensive resources online to help an author promote a novel or non-fiction book (resources I haven't yet learned how to use too effectively, by the way), I haven't yet discovered a strategy to raise awareness of my short story.
Of course, this short story doesn't have the same "heft" as "My Life at the Bottom of the Food Chain." The novel is about Alexander's wildly outlandish fears of bullying, while Ghost Town is, really, a simple tall tale about Alexander's experience in a wild west ghost town. While I think it's fun, (though I'm still waiting for reviews - insert serious-face emoticon here), I'm really not sure how to encourage readers to purchase a short story. To be perfectly honest, I've rarely purchased a short story online.
Actually, selling the short story was never the primary objective. Since the follow up to "Food Chain" has taken longer than anticipated, I wanted to make certain I maintained some level of creative output as I build my presence as an author. I also saw the idea of creating a series of "Alexander's Shorts" as a good way of cross promoting the "franchise." Ideally, I'd like to be publishing a new story every couple of months, and a new book every year. To reach that goal, I need to find a way to build awareness and readership.
Alexander needs eyeballs.
Remember, you can follow me @rickflix
Of course, this short story doesn't have the same "heft" as "My Life at the Bottom of the Food Chain." The novel is about Alexander's wildly outlandish fears of bullying, while Ghost Town is, really, a simple tall tale about Alexander's experience in a wild west ghost town. While I think it's fun, (though I'm still waiting for reviews - insert serious-face emoticon here), I'm really not sure how to encourage readers to purchase a short story. To be perfectly honest, I've rarely purchased a short story online.
Actually, selling the short story was never the primary objective. Since the follow up to "Food Chain" has taken longer than anticipated, I wanted to make certain I maintained some level of creative output as I build my presence as an author. I also saw the idea of creating a series of "Alexander's Shorts" as a good way of cross promoting the "franchise." Ideally, I'd like to be publishing a new story every couple of months, and a new book every year. To reach that goal, I need to find a way to build awareness and readership.
Alexander needs eyeballs.
Remember, you can follow me @rickflix
February 28, 2014
Short Story Rising
As I write this, "Why Do You Think They Call it a Ghost Town?" is rolling out across all of the tradtional e-book sites. This is the second publication I've released online, and the first short story I've distributed.
I handled "book" (it's only 35 pages or so) differently than my novel. I designed the book. The cover, with the exception of the "Alexander" icon was my design, and I created the e-pub file without professional involvement. With "My Life at the Bottom of the Food Chain," I submitted the manuscript to BookBaby (for the ebook) and Createspace (for the paperback), paid for design services, and simply reviewed the finished product. In this case, I was hands-on, beginning to end.
The process was a bit tricky at first, but the learning curve was pretty shallow, thanks to some good written and YouTube tutorials. My first attempt at submitting to BookBaby wasn't successful, due to some illegally named photos, but that was an easy fix, and I was able to make the fixes right away and send them back for final approval.
I didn't try to edit or proofread, however, and hired the good folks at http://thebookscrubber.com to maintain professional standards. Needless to say, the only obvious typo I've seen so far is on the copyright page, which wasn't submitted for proofreading (word to the wise - proofread Everything!). I'll likely do this again for future short stories; I won't likely attempt this for a novel. There's too much to track, and my attention span won't allow a precise job to that extent! As I said in my previous blog, I'm waiting with anticipation to see how my short story - in particular, a short story for middle grade readers - will fare in e-book form. I'm also curious to see if it does effectively cross-promote "My Life at the Bottom of the Food Chain," which is, to paraphrase from the comic book world, Alexander's origin story.
The standard description, by the way - the short description that appears on the sales sites - doesn't mention the book directly. Though "Why Do You Think They Call it a Ghost Town" features characters from the novel, it's designed to be a standalone story. My hope is that readers will be entertained enough to check out the book, which is mentioned on the final page.
I apologize for the cliche, but "The Adventure Continues."
I handled "book" (it's only 35 pages or so) differently than my novel. I designed the book. The cover, with the exception of the "Alexander" icon was my design, and I created the e-pub file without professional involvement. With "My Life at the Bottom of the Food Chain," I submitted the manuscript to BookBaby (for the ebook) and Createspace (for the paperback), paid for design services, and simply reviewed the finished product. In this case, I was hands-on, beginning to end.
The process was a bit tricky at first, but the learning curve was pretty shallow, thanks to some good written and YouTube tutorials. My first attempt at submitting to BookBaby wasn't successful, due to some illegally named photos, but that was an easy fix, and I was able to make the fixes right away and send them back for final approval.
I didn't try to edit or proofread, however, and hired the good folks at http://thebookscrubber.com to maintain professional standards. Needless to say, the only obvious typo I've seen so far is on the copyright page, which wasn't submitted for proofreading (word to the wise - proofread Everything!). I'll likely do this again for future short stories; I won't likely attempt this for a novel. There's too much to track, and my attention span won't allow a precise job to that extent! As I said in my previous blog, I'm waiting with anticipation to see how my short story - in particular, a short story for middle grade readers - will fare in e-book form. I'm also curious to see if it does effectively cross-promote "My Life at the Bottom of the Food Chain," which is, to paraphrase from the comic book world, Alexander's origin story.
The standard description, by the way - the short description that appears on the sales sites - doesn't mention the book directly. Though "Why Do You Think They Call it a Ghost Town" features characters from the novel, it's designed to be a standalone story. My hope is that readers will be entertained enough to check out the book, which is mentioned on the final page.
I apologize for the cliche, but "The Adventure Continues."
February 23, 2014
New Ebook Short: Why Do You Think They Call it a Ghost Town?
I've just started the process of releasing Why Do You Think They Call it a Ghost Town?, a standalone short story featuring Alexander, the protagonist in "My Life at the Bottom of the Food Chain." In this story, Alexander visits the real-life ghost town of Bodie, California. At first, he thinks the trip is going to be one big bore - after all, who wants to look at a bunch of old buildings? Then, he makes some unusual new friends.It will be launching shortly on all the usual sites for just $.99 [until then, I'm making a copy of the story available free to those who join the "Food Chain" Facebook Page and request it. If you see this notice on my blog, it's still available!].
I'm very curious to see if or how this sells - short stories do well on Amazon, but this story in particular is designed primarily for middle grade readers - and I'm not certain if that age group accesses electronic short stories. It's a fun experiment. I'll be looking forward to seeing how it goes - and what you think!I'm still working on the second book in the "My Life at the Bottom of the Food Chain," and plan to offer several other stories in the "Alexander's Short" series. As always, I'm interested in your thoughts, feedback (and reviews!).
February 21, 2014
Everyone is a Mystery
One of the motivating factors in resuming my everyday blogging schedule was a moment last week when I realized how much information I've had the opportunity to absorb in just a few days.
I'm working on a documentary project that will bring me aboard tall ships in the Port of Los Angeles, so I've been learning about the different types of sailing ships.
I'm creating a documentary about high school students in the regional Science Bowl competition. I can't say I've learned much about science (they compete at a level far above my science knowledge!), but I've had the opportunity to learn more about L.A.'s diverse cultures. In particular, I learned about President Coolidge and the Armenian Orphan Rug. The rug was handcrafted nearly one hundred years ago by 1,400 orphans of the Armenian genocide as a thank you to the United States for its help in relocating thousands of orphans to what is now Lebanon. To this day, the rug remains hidden in White House storage, a victim of political sensitivities between Turkey and the United States.
More indirectly, through my interaction with documentary subjects and crew, I've gained knowledge about fine wine, as well as hacking a conventional oven to properly bake a pizza [it involves breaking the safety lock that kicks in during the self-cleaning process, so that the pizza can be super-heated - be forewarned - it's a safety lock!]. I've heard the works of Chinese and Armenian composers placed by vastly talented teenage musicians and young scientists (there's a fascinating correlation there).
I suppose the richness and variety of all of this information seems exciting. What we experience everyday could either be seen as trivia - or as small pieces of a larger puzzle. We can either devalue information as random, or understand it as clues to individual lives and experiences.
In the midst of writing a novel, perhaps I'm hyper-aware of the clues we all offer to our our individual personalities just by sharing information.
Social interaction suddenly becomes much more fascinating if everyone is a mystery...
February 20, 2014
#Blogging Everyday Works Best
Throughout the month of January, I challenged myself to write a blog a day, everyday. It wasn't easy, but I somehow made it through. My readership and reach through all my social media was way up, and I felt that the experiment was a great success. When I reached the end of the month, I breathed a sigh of relief. It's not easy keeping up the pace. I decided that I'd slow down a bit, and commit myself to a resumption of a regular blogging schedule - though certainly not every day.
I'm having way too much fun
lately - I need to share more!
It's a funny thing, though. While I've managed to post a couple of blogs in the last couple of weeks, I find that this occasional schedule somehow feels inadequate. There's been a great deal going on in my life lately, but without the post-every-day urgency, I haven't taken the time to share most of it. somehow, I feel guilty about it.
The "eternal" social media question, or course, is Why? Why take the time to post and promote content? After all, with work, my ongoing writing projects, and everyday responsibilities, I don't exactly have an abundance of free time.
The most shared blog entries that I offered in January related to my experience and opinions as a writer and author of my current book. I don't tend to follow the "Top Ten" model, or posts that try to draw readers with overblown hype ("The Greatest Secret They'll Never Tell You"). I enjoy sharing my experiences, and learning from others. In fact, my book - my entire re-dedication as a writer - came about as a direct result of observing certain creative YouTubers who share their own creative process.
I'm going to resume an (almost) everyday schedule because it gives me the opportunity to share my own creative process - hopefully encouraging others in the process - and allows readers to get to know me as a writer.
And writers write everyday - blogging everyday doesn't allow me to procrastinate!
I'm having way too much funlately - I need to share more!
It's a funny thing, though. While I've managed to post a couple of blogs in the last couple of weeks, I find that this occasional schedule somehow feels inadequate. There's been a great deal going on in my life lately, but without the post-every-day urgency, I haven't taken the time to share most of it. somehow, I feel guilty about it.
The "eternal" social media question, or course, is Why? Why take the time to post and promote content? After all, with work, my ongoing writing projects, and everyday responsibilities, I don't exactly have an abundance of free time.
The most shared blog entries that I offered in January related to my experience and opinions as a writer and author of my current book. I don't tend to follow the "Top Ten" model, or posts that try to draw readers with overblown hype ("The Greatest Secret They'll Never Tell You"). I enjoy sharing my experiences, and learning from others. In fact, my book - my entire re-dedication as a writer - came about as a direct result of observing certain creative YouTubers who share their own creative process.
I'm going to resume an (almost) everyday schedule because it gives me the opportunity to share my own creative process - hopefully encouraging others in the process - and allows readers to get to know me as a writer.
And writers write everyday - blogging everyday doesn't allow me to procrastinate!
February 11, 2014
Why Did I Write a Novel about Bullying?
The U.S. Department of Health & Human Services' website StopBullying.gov defines bullying as "unwanted, aggressive behavior among school aged children that involves a real or perceived power imbalance." Bullying has been linked to a long list of suicides and school shootings, and can be responsible for failing grades, drug abuse and criminal activity. The potential negative impact is widely understood, and there's been a growing campaign to fight bullying both in America and worldwide.With all of that coverage, and countless previous novels on the subject, why should I tackle bullying in "My Life at the Bottom of the Food Chain"? The answer relates to the fact that no kid would wish to simply define themselves as a bullying victim.
Down in the trenches, in the everyday life of most students, definitions, worst-case scenarios and dire consequences aren't on the mind of most kids enduring bullying.
As a boy, I remember seeing countless educational films in junior high school about life as a teenager, telling me about all the things that were happening/about to my emotions and my relationships to the people and world around me. I kept waiting for the stars to align and some sort of puberty checklist to appear.
It never did, and I kept wondering why I wasn't suffering all of the emotional turmoil I was promised. Did I somehow miss it? Was it still to come? I was mystified.
I was aware of the word "bully," but I never connected it with any situation in middle school. It seemed to be something that belonged to younger kids. In my mind, admitting to bullying meant admitting that I couldn't handle a particular situation. Conflicts with other kids didn't call for a special title that would make one person a victim, and the other a victimizer - or a bully and a bullied kid.
Like Alexander, I imagined everyday conflicts to be the firing rounds in an all-out war. Some kids became enemies and threats to my very existence on the basis of a simple argument.
"My Life at the Bottom of the Food Chain" is, in fact, an attempt to capture that unique moment in time - fairly common, I think - when a thirteen year old thinks he's got the world figured out - and then discovers that he's totally wrong. Thankfully, I wasn't quite as overwhelmed as Alexander, a boy who lives in a constant state of fear and readiness for disaster.
Fear rules his entire world, and he sees others simply as friends and allies, or enemies to be resisted or even fought. He thinks he's being bullied, but soon discovers that he's the bully.
"My Life at the Bottom of the Food Chain" isn't about simply about a boy being dominated by a bully; it's about a boy being ruled by fear.
February 4, 2014
Finding Patterns
Currently, I'm writing the second book in the series that began with "My Life at the Bottom of the Food Chain." I've been working on it for quite a while now, and I'm at the point where I'm very happy with many of the elements in the story - characters, incidents, and even sub-plots and the general theme.
Now, I'm creating patterns of behavior - not simply why Alexander would act or react in a certain way, but why he would at that particular moment in time.
I recall, when I was about Alexander's age, coming back to school from a particular weekend early in seventh grade and discovering that several kids had gotten in trouble - with parents, police or even store-owners - on that same weekend (including myself, but I'll save that for a future story!). Adults would say that it's kids "going through a phase." Even then, I was fascinated with the coincidence of so many of us going through similar drama at the same time.
At that time, of course, I couldn't see the bigger picture: how each kid responded to the experience. For an almost infinite combination of factors, some kids might learn from their mistakes, other kids might be emboldened by the excitement and move on to other risky behavior, while others might be utterly unmoved by the minor bump in the road.
The second book, which finds Alexander reacting to the humiliation of being the unwanted star of a viral video, is all about patterns - of friendship, family and finding some sense of who we are. I'm both moving the character ahead, but keeping him consistent - and, hopefully, making it all believable and entertaining.
Alexander may grow and learn, but at the same time, his personality is already in place.
There's a quote, ascribed to St. Francis Xavier, that summarizes it well:
Give me a child until he is seven, and I will give you the man.
You can follow me on Twitter at @rickflix
Now, I'm creating patterns of behavior - not simply why Alexander would act or react in a certain way, but why he would at that particular moment in time.
I recall, when I was about Alexander's age, coming back to school from a particular weekend early in seventh grade and discovering that several kids had gotten in trouble - with parents, police or even store-owners - on that same weekend (including myself, but I'll save that for a future story!). Adults would say that it's kids "going through a phase." Even then, I was fascinated with the coincidence of so many of us going through similar drama at the same time. At that time, of course, I couldn't see the bigger picture: how each kid responded to the experience. For an almost infinite combination of factors, some kids might learn from their mistakes, other kids might be emboldened by the excitement and move on to other risky behavior, while others might be utterly unmoved by the minor bump in the road.
The second book, which finds Alexander reacting to the humiliation of being the unwanted star of a viral video, is all about patterns - of friendship, family and finding some sense of who we are. I'm both moving the character ahead, but keeping him consistent - and, hopefully, making it all believable and entertaining.
Alexander may grow and learn, but at the same time, his personality is already in place.
There's a quote, ascribed to St. Francis Xavier, that summarizes it well:
Give me a child until he is seven, and I will give you the man.
You can follow me on Twitter at @rickflix
January 31, 2014
Free Short Story, Coming Soon! [Blogging Every Day #31]
[31]On this, the final day of my self-imposed "Blogging Every Day" challenge, I'm taking the opportunity to announce "Alexander's Shorts," an occasional series of standalone short stories featuring characters from "My Life at the Bottom of the Food Chain." The first story will soon be available for a limited time free in ebook and PDF only.
This time, I've sent Alexander to the real-life ghost town of Bodie, California, for an unusual encounter with some new friends.
If you haven't read "Food Chain," that's okay - you can enjoy Why do you think they call it a ghost town? on its own.
I'll be announcing the short story here, on Facebook and on Twitter. You can also sign up for the mailing list, to be alerted as soon as it's available.
In the meantime, here's a video from a trip I made to Bodie with my nephew Greg:
January 30, 2014
More Than A Job [Blogging Every Day #30]
[30]
Andy Gunton (@andymooseman) recently shared a blog post he discovered, "Are you ready for the death of the job?" at the website for John Williams' book, "Screw Work, Let's Play." I haven't read the book, but the concept in this blog entry is worth considering.
Williams suggests that as we moved from an agrarian to an industrial economy, we're moving into an individual entrepreneurial economy - and can expect changes as profound as those during the industrial revolution. We will cease working for others, and work only for ourselves.
Williams claims that "People earning their living from a job will be in the minority in as little as six years' time." While I believe that timeline is unrealistic, the concept itself holds a great deal of merit.
Entrepreneurs don't need to ask for more. They
have to get it themselves.
(Courtesy The British Library)
For the most educated in the world, connected through technology to potential consumers worldwide, the possibilities are, in theory, almost endless. Online niche marketing gives us the ability to sell a product, perform a service, or offer a work of art to precisely those who would enjoy what we have to offer.
In theory.
As Andy pointed out in a Facebook discussion on this topic, "Part of the problem Rich is that it requires a different mind set to what we've been brought up & taught to expect. I don't think the schools of today are catching up fast enough either & not sure they ever will."
If you've ever spoken to a successful entrepreneur, it's clear that entrepreneurship is a specific state of mind, and a very particular attitude. It requires the ability to persevere through hardship and rejection, and a spirit that allows creative thinking. Even with all of those qualities, success is never guaranteed. If you're risk-averse, entrepreneurship is not attractive.
The concept, though, fascinates me. I'm self-employed, but my book - a tangible product - is my most direct attempt at developing the skills and knowledge necessary to reach a specific niche audience. One aspect of entrepreneurship hasn't changed. I have a good product, and I know the audience is out there. But they don't know I'm here. My task as an entrepreneur is to discover creative, cost effective methods to reach those audiences worldwide.
Understanding how to reach and sell to niche markets is a rapidly developing skillset that, in time, will allow many more people to be successfully self-employed. Even in the Western World, however, it may take a generation or two for those skills to become ingrained in the workforce.
The opportunity will be met. As some field workers moved into the factory, and some factory workers moved into the office, some office workers will eventually move back home.
Andy Gunton (@andymooseman) recently shared a blog post he discovered, "Are you ready for the death of the job?" at the website for John Williams' book, "Screw Work, Let's Play." I haven't read the book, but the concept in this blog entry is worth considering.
Williams suggests that as we moved from an agrarian to an industrial economy, we're moving into an individual entrepreneurial economy - and can expect changes as profound as those during the industrial revolution. We will cease working for others, and work only for ourselves.
Williams claims that "People earning their living from a job will be in the minority in as little as six years' time." While I believe that timeline is unrealistic, the concept itself holds a great deal of merit.
Entrepreneurs don't need to ask for more. Theyhave to get it themselves.
(Courtesy The British Library)
For the most educated in the world, connected through technology to potential consumers worldwide, the possibilities are, in theory, almost endless. Online niche marketing gives us the ability to sell a product, perform a service, or offer a work of art to precisely those who would enjoy what we have to offer.
In theory.
As Andy pointed out in a Facebook discussion on this topic, "Part of the problem Rich is that it requires a different mind set to what we've been brought up & taught to expect. I don't think the schools of today are catching up fast enough either & not sure they ever will."
If you've ever spoken to a successful entrepreneur, it's clear that entrepreneurship is a specific state of mind, and a very particular attitude. It requires the ability to persevere through hardship and rejection, and a spirit that allows creative thinking. Even with all of those qualities, success is never guaranteed. If you're risk-averse, entrepreneurship is not attractive.
The concept, though, fascinates me. I'm self-employed, but my book - a tangible product - is my most direct attempt at developing the skills and knowledge necessary to reach a specific niche audience. One aspect of entrepreneurship hasn't changed. I have a good product, and I know the audience is out there. But they don't know I'm here. My task as an entrepreneur is to discover creative, cost effective methods to reach those audiences worldwide.
Understanding how to reach and sell to niche markets is a rapidly developing skillset that, in time, will allow many more people to be successfully self-employed. Even in the Western World, however, it may take a generation or two for those skills to become ingrained in the workforce.
The opportunity will be met. As some field workers moved into the factory, and some factory workers moved into the office, some office workers will eventually move back home.
