Stephen Drivick's Blog, page 6
August 9, 2014
It's Indiesummer!
Libiro.com (the indie only bookstore) is throwing an event for August they call Indiesummer. There's going to be some great sales.
Speaking of sales, you can pick up EPUB or PDF copies (or both :)) of Sometimes We Ran Vol 1 and 2 for only 99c through 8/24.
Check it out here: http://tinyurl.com/pb3d7gv
Stay cool, and have a great Indiesummer. Hope it leads to a great Indiefall and Indiewinter. :)
Speaking of sales, you can pick up EPUB or PDF copies (or both :)) of Sometimes We Ran Vol 1 and 2 for only 99c through 8/24.
Check it out here: http://tinyurl.com/pb3d7gv
Stay cool, and have a great Indiesummer. Hope it leads to a great Indiefall and Indiewinter. :)
July 25, 2014
Virtual Book Fair
Remember those book fairs from your school days? Well, it's like that except it's more ...virtual.:)
http://www.virtualebookfair.com/
Come check out all the indie author action! Yours truly will be there as well.
http://www.virtualebookfair.com/
Come check out all the indie author action! Yours truly will be there as well.
July 13, 2014
Hot Summer Wheels Car Show 2014
Boy, was it hot.
It was so hot my shoes started to melt. So hot the flavored ice guy made about a million dollars. So hot, camels were needed to ferry people from the parking lot to the show field. if it hadn't been for a fellow car club member setting up a tent and a fan-water mist device, I might have melted into a flesh-colored pile of goo right there in my folding car show chair.
Warmth aside, it was a pretty fun day. It was a charity show for a local Boy Scout troop and they did a great job setting up the show. No trophy this time, but it allowed me to get my sleeping beauty Firebird (pictured) out of the garage.
But boy, was it hot.
Did I mention how hot it was?:)
More photos at my Facebook site: http://tinyurl.com/lqo6ncq
July 3, 2014
In the Semifinals!
Sometimes We Ran Volumes 1 & 2 are semifinalists for the Kindle Book Review, 2014 Kindle Book Awards.
I have to be honest. I put both books in the contest a few months ago, and then promptly forgot about it. Then an email showed up and told me both books had made it through the first round review and were semifinalists. Both books - couldn't believe it.
It may not be a big deal, and contests get a mixed reaction among authors but I'm celebrating it anyway.
There's also money involved ($500, Wow!) so it's serious. It almost feels like gambling.:)
The review is taking place now, and they will announce the winners in September. Wish my little zombie novels luck.
I'll probably forget about it, though.:)
June 28, 2014
New Sales Channels
Draft2Digital is expanding their sales channels again. Sometimes We Ran Volume 1 & 2 are now available on Scribd and Page Foundry.
Now for the links:
Sometimes We Ran
Scribd: http://www.scribd.com/book/230611071/...
Page Foundry: http://www.inktera.com/store/title/c0...
Sometimes We Ran 2
Scribd: http://www.scribd.com/book/230610900/...
Page Foundry: http://www.inktera.com/store/title/d9...
Both sites look really cool and easy to use. Scribd is like a "Youtube" for books where you pay a fee (monthly) and get to read all you want. I think Page Foundry uploads books to other sites as well, so I may show up in other places.
I would like to welcome my new fans on both these sites, and thanks Draft2Digital.
Now for the links:
Sometimes We Ran
Scribd: http://www.scribd.com/book/230611071/...
Page Foundry: http://www.inktera.com/store/title/c0...
Sometimes We Ran 2
Scribd: http://www.scribd.com/book/230610900/...
Page Foundry: http://www.inktera.com/store/title/d9...
Both sites look really cool and easy to use. Scribd is like a "Youtube" for books where you pay a fee (monthly) and get to read all you want. I think Page Foundry uploads books to other sites as well, so I may show up in other places.
I would like to welcome my new fans on both these sites, and thanks Draft2Digital.
June 25, 2014
Sometimes We Ran 2 - 50 Copies Sold!
Sometimes We Ran 2: Community hit a small milestone today - 50 copies sold. The sale came from Kobo. It was a nice surprise. I haven't heard from the Kobomaniacs in a while.:)
At this point, Sometimes We Ran 2 is not selling quite as fast as Volume 1, but that's okay. I still think of this thing as a marathon not a sprint. One day my little zombie stories might be best sellers. Till then, I'll just have to work harder at getting the word out. Hello, Facebook and Twitter.:)
Thanks, zombie fans. See you at 100 copies sold.
I hope.
At this point, Sometimes We Ran 2 is not selling quite as fast as Volume 1, but that's okay. I still think of this thing as a marathon not a sprint. One day my little zombie stories might be best sellers. Till then, I'll just have to work harder at getting the word out. Hello, Facebook and Twitter.:)
Thanks, zombie fans. See you at 100 copies sold.
I hope.
June 19, 2014
Random Thoughts
"Dear Amtrak Residency Applicant,
On behalf of Amtrak, I’d like to thank you for submitting your application. The response from the literary community has been absolutely tremendous and we are very grateful to have had the opportunity to read so many heartfelt applications. We had over 16,100 applications and had the difficult challenge to select only 115 semi-finalists. The quality of applications was high, which made our decisions even tougher. We evaluated each applicant based on the quality and completeness of their application package, as well as the extensiveness of their social community and ability to reach online audiences with content.
After carefully reviewing all the applicant packages, I regret to inform you that your package was not selected to move forward in this year’s residency selection process."
Well, the Amtrack thing didn't come through. This is the nice email they sent informing me of the bad news. At least they didn't complain about the format, spelling, or grammar on my application.:)
---------------------------------------
Got a one star review for Sometimes We Ran in the NOOK bookstore. Like Amtrack, there was no mention of bad spelling or grammar. The one star doesn't make me too mad. I'm just glad someone is actually reading it on their NOOK!:)
On behalf of Amtrak, I’d like to thank you for submitting your application. The response from the literary community has been absolutely tremendous and we are very grateful to have had the opportunity to read so many heartfelt applications. We had over 16,100 applications and had the difficult challenge to select only 115 semi-finalists. The quality of applications was high, which made our decisions even tougher. We evaluated each applicant based on the quality and completeness of their application package, as well as the extensiveness of their social community and ability to reach online audiences with content.
After carefully reviewing all the applicant packages, I regret to inform you that your package was not selected to move forward in this year’s residency selection process."
Well, the Amtrack thing didn't come through. This is the nice email they sent informing me of the bad news. At least they didn't complain about the format, spelling, or grammar on my application.:)
---------------------------------------
Got a one star review for Sometimes We Ran in the NOOK bookstore. Like Amtrack, there was no mention of bad spelling or grammar. The one star doesn't make me too mad. I'm just glad someone is actually reading it on their NOOK!:)
June 17, 2014
Yes ...I Did Write a Book.
"You wrote a zombie book?"
"Yes ...I did."
"Really?"
"Yes ...Really."
"Seriously?" (snicker)
"Yes ...seriously"
"So, I guess it's about dead people walking around eating brains, and big-chested women killing everything with chainsaws while wearing leather thongs. huh?" (lol)
"Well ...no actually it's about regular people trying to survive after an apocalypse. No chainsaw weapons in my book."
"Well ...I may pick it up, but I'm not a zombie person."
The conversation above may be a little embellished, (Okay, it's all made up.) but lately it seems like discussions about my books seem to slant in two directions. Either they don't believe I wrote anything at all, or they think it's a story where zombies get cut in half and women suddenly forget to wear any underwear when they hunt the undead.
Even though my novels are about zombies, I take it seriously and play it straight. In my world, zombies are just another (fun and creepy)way to destroy the world. I put my characters in danger, but I try not to go crazy with chainsaws and such. And the women will usually fight the undead in tasteful blouses and jeans. :)
So the next time someone asks you if you wrote a zombie (or werewolf, vampire, unicorn adventure, elves vs. trolls) book, you say yes.
Seriously.
"Yes ...I did."
"Really?"
"Yes ...Really."
"Seriously?" (snicker)
"Yes ...seriously"
"So, I guess it's about dead people walking around eating brains, and big-chested women killing everything with chainsaws while wearing leather thongs. huh?" (lol)
"Well ...no actually it's about regular people trying to survive after an apocalypse. No chainsaw weapons in my book."
"Well ...I may pick it up, but I'm not a zombie person."
The conversation above may be a little embellished, (Okay, it's all made up.) but lately it seems like discussions about my books seem to slant in two directions. Either they don't believe I wrote anything at all, or they think it's a story where zombies get cut in half and women suddenly forget to wear any underwear when they hunt the undead.
Even though my novels are about zombies, I take it seriously and play it straight. In my world, zombies are just another (fun and creepy)way to destroy the world. I put my characters in danger, but I try not to go crazy with chainsaws and such. And the women will usually fight the undead in tasteful blouses and jeans. :)
So the next time someone asks you if you wrote a zombie (or werewolf, vampire, unicorn adventure, elves vs. trolls) book, you say yes.
Seriously.
May 26, 2014
FBody Gathering 18
I spent the weekend at one of the longest running car shows in the south - F-Body Gathering 18. F-Body was the internal designation used by General Motors to describe the 1967-2002 Camaro/Firebird. This was my sixteenth appearance.
It has been described as a party with a car show attached. Hundreds of Camaro/Firebird lovers show up at a Marriott hotel in Marietta, GA, park their cars, and have fun. It's a great weekend of fast cars and good friends.
One of the highlights of the weekend is staying up late hanging out with other car lovers in the parking lot. I used to be able to hang around until one or two in the morning, but now that I'm older I hit the hotel room by about midnight. Those Marriott beds are so comfortable.
Because my car is only a lowly V6 coupe, I don't have all that much in common with the go-fast crowd. Some of the other cars can probably double or triple my 200 horsepower. It's okay. I like my little V6, and it's a Gathering veteran. It has been to ten shows.
All in all, a great weekend. Lots of fun, great cars, and talking to friends. Not to mention I signed three copies of my book, Sometimes We Ran, for a couple of readers and my car won an award in the V6 class.:)
May 22, 2014
Sometimes We Ran: A Story from the Zombie Apocalypse - One Year Later
It's hard to believe, but Sometimes We Ran has been in publication for one year.
One year ago, I was sitting at my computer gathering files and pushing buttons to get my creation on Amazon. Many questions went through my mind: Is what I wrote any good? Will people throw down their Kindles in disgust? Is my cover okay? Why is Amazon taking so long?
After sending all the files to the mighty 'Zon and answering all the questions, I was published. Twelve hours later, Sometimes We Ran was for sale.
I was at a car show when it went live on Amazon. I sat in my hotel room, and checked my sales for the first time. To my surprise, two sales had already shown up. A sense of relief washed over me. Even if I never sold another book, at least I sold one. :)
In the coming days, Sometimes We Ran would be sent to Barnes & Noble, Kobo, and Apple. DriveThruFiction.com would get a copy as well. Then the promotion train started, and a new author entered the world.
Writing Sometimes We Ran was a rewarding experience. I learned many things in the late nights creating my story. It led to another zombie novel, Sometimes We Ran 2: Community, and my current work in progress, Sometimes We Ran 3: Rescue. I think it may lead to two more novels to complete the story of my characters.
The best part of all this is the fans. People actually bought the book, and said they liked what they read. Meeting and interacting with fans is pretty cool.:)
Sometimes We Ran is not a best- seller,(yet - fingers crossed) but that's okay. In time, it may sell a few more copies. I don't think that was the goal. Just getting the story out was what I wanted to do, and one year ago it happened.
And to all the people who took a chance on my first work ...Thank you, Zombie fans!:)
========================================
To celebrate, Sometimes We Ran: A Story from the Zombie Apocalypse will be 99 cents until Monday 5/26/14.
One year ago, I was sitting at my computer gathering files and pushing buttons to get my creation on Amazon. Many questions went through my mind: Is what I wrote any good? Will people throw down their Kindles in disgust? Is my cover okay? Why is Amazon taking so long?
After sending all the files to the mighty 'Zon and answering all the questions, I was published. Twelve hours later, Sometimes We Ran was for sale.
I was at a car show when it went live on Amazon. I sat in my hotel room, and checked my sales for the first time. To my surprise, two sales had already shown up. A sense of relief washed over me. Even if I never sold another book, at least I sold one. :)
In the coming days, Sometimes We Ran would be sent to Barnes & Noble, Kobo, and Apple. DriveThruFiction.com would get a copy as well. Then the promotion train started, and a new author entered the world.
Writing Sometimes We Ran was a rewarding experience. I learned many things in the late nights creating my story. It led to another zombie novel, Sometimes We Ran 2: Community, and my current work in progress, Sometimes We Ran 3: Rescue. I think it may lead to two more novels to complete the story of my characters.
The best part of all this is the fans. People actually bought the book, and said they liked what they read. Meeting and interacting with fans is pretty cool.:)
Sometimes We Ran is not a best- seller,(yet - fingers crossed) but that's okay. In time, it may sell a few more copies. I don't think that was the goal. Just getting the story out was what I wanted to do, and one year ago it happened.
And to all the people who took a chance on my first work ...Thank you, Zombie fans!:)
========================================
To celebrate, Sometimes We Ran: A Story from the Zombie Apocalypse will be 99 cents until Monday 5/26/14.
