Cameron D. James's Blog, page 23

Buy Guys by RP Andrews

Hi gang!

As you probably know, I often feature new books by hot authors, and today I’m excited to share this excerpt and giveaway for the new erotic book, Buy Guys by RP Andrews.

Blurb:

Pete, a young, gay handsome drifter, is convinced by his roommate Blaze to join him and leave dreary Jersey for sunny, sex-drenched Fort Lauderdale. Their mission is simple: make a free and easy living as male prostitutes on the escort site, Buy Guys. For a while things seem to go their way, but as Pete falls deeper in love with Blaze, he is drawn into a much more sinister scheme that eventually threatens to destroy them both.

Excerpt:

It was just after seven in the morning when Pete got back to the house from his graveyard shift sweeping the factory floor at Brewers Screw and Fastener Company. After making himself a cup of coffee, Pete tiptoed into Blaze’s room and took a seat in the corner, quietly staring at his roommate asleep in all his naked glory, his smooth, melon butt jutting out from under the covers. Pete knew Bruno had been there tonight. The big brute was allergic to latex and the box of lamb skin condoms Blaze used when he fucked him was still on the bed stand.

It had been three months since Pete saw Blaze’s ad for a roommate – “masculine gay preferred” – on Craig’s List, and for Pete the timing couldn’t have been better. They hit it off over coffee at Starbucks, Blaze, the tall, slim, smooth, clean-shaven dirty blond, Pete, short, burly, bearded, dark and furry just about everywhere. Though they were both total tops, Pete felt an immediate attraction to his new surfer boy buddy and was happy when Blaze suggested that three-ways might be fun and set one up that same night with an old fuck buddy of his. Pete never let on the real fun for him was watching Blaze in action.

When he was sixteen, Pete’s crazy dad, who had beaten him up since he was a kid, suffocated his pill-popping mother with a Walmart plastic bag in a drunken rage and was now rotting for the rest of his life in Trenton State Prison. No foster home for him, Pete hitched rides with truckers he blew for food till he got to San Francisco where, grabbing a room off Harrison, South of Market, he worked the window at Blow Buddies, played bouncer at the Lone Star Saloon, was a sometime-escort to rich old fucks on the hills, and drifted in and out of a meth habit—twice. The last time he slammed was that weekend in Seattle. After what happened there, he stopped cold turkey and swore to himself that he would never touch the stuff again.

Then last August, out of the blue he heard from his father’s brother, twice-divorced Uncle Walt, who lived in Lyndhurst, New Jersey in a small clapboard house not far from where Pete had grown up. Seems Walt, a three-pack-a-day man, was dying of lung cancer and wanted Pete to come back and take care of him, wipe his ass, change his piss-stained sheets, and feed him like a baby, and for that, Pete would get the old man’s house, a fifty-thousand-dollar life insurance payout, and his 2004 Ford Bronco.

Sweet.

Only, after Walt kicked, Pete learned the house had a reverse mortgage on it and the bank owned it now, and the insurance policy was as real as his last trick on meth back in San Francisco.

At least the Bronco worked.

At Walt’s funeral, Pete ran into one of his old Garfield High chums, a security guard at Brewer’s who got him the job, and a week after that, just as he was being kicked out of his uncle’s house, along came Blaze’s ad.

Pete had been sitting in Blaze’s room for about twenty minutes when the dirty blond woke up. It was time to tell him the bad news.

“The fuckin’ rumor’s true.”

“Whatya mean?” said Blaze, turning over to show off his morning woody. Pete had seen it dozens of times before, but it was still, well, pretty. A nice seven inches, cut. Just like his.

“The rumor about Walmart buying up the factory to build a supercenter. They posted the notice at the time clock. The place is shutting up the end of the month, which means Friday.”

Blaze rolled out of bed and walked over to the bathroom a few yards away to take his overdue piss. “Well, then, it’s time,” he yelled as he relieved himself, “I mean, that is, if you wanna come with me.”

“Come with you where?” said Pete, still sitting in the corner of Blaze’s room.

Blaze walked back in. “To warm, sunny Lauderdale where we can play whores for hire.” He grabbed his silver and gold ID bracelet with his initials, BET for Blaze Eliot Talbot, from on top of his dresser and put it on his left wrist. “The place is loaded with lonely old retired gay guys with dough who’ll just eat us up.”

“You’re— You’re nuts—no, delusional,” said Pete, thinking this was all a joke.

“Hey, I checked it out on the web,” replied Blaze, scratching his pubes. “There’s even a site and a phone app called Buy Guys where we can sell what we got.”

“But, I—I don’t know…”

“You told me you fucked guys for money back in SF, didn’t you?”

“Yeah…”

“And I had a guy keep me in Manhattan for almost five years.”

“Till you said he kicked you out on the street for some younger blond bimbo.”

“His fuckin’ loss. Hope the shits get AIDS,” said Blaze, grabbing his Samsung from the bed stand.

“So we were both pay boys, so?”

“So, we both know nothing makes the cock harder than a stack of twenties on the bureau. Or keys to his Lexus.”

Then he moved in closer and stared at Pete, straight on.

“Listen, I was meaning to talk to you about this for a while, but now your little setback is the kick in the ass we both need to make it happen. You think I wanna keep fuckin’ Lardass forever just to save a few bucks on the rent?”

After Sydney kicked Blaze out of his Upper West Side condo, Blaze, who grew up in Totowa, decided to come back to his roots and grabbed a job as a driver and catch-all man for Bruno and his Forest Rest Funeral Home in upscale Fair Lawn. Married with three kids, Bruno took a liking to his dirty blond assistant, gave him a place to live in the lower apartment of the two-family house in Garfield he inherited from his mother, and took half off the rent if Blaze would fuck his fat, furry ass whenever Bruno felt like it.

“Let me show you what I’m fuckin’ talkin’ about,” said Blaze, pulling up the Buy Guys app on his phone and handing it over to Pete, who began flipping through profile after profile of the young, hung, and beautiful.

“And we’re gonna compete against all these pretty boys?” said Pete, laughing.

“Take your fuckin’ clothes off and come over here,” instructed Blaze with a dare in his voice as he walked over to his dresser with the large mirror. Blaze was two years younger than Pete, twenty-five versus twenty-seven, but Pete felt he was always the one who needed somebody to show him the way. Right then, that somebody was Blaze.

“Now, did you ever see two hotter dudes in your life?” laughed Blaze. Both their dicks were getting hard.

Pete smirked back at the two of them in the mirror.

“And we got a gimmick the rest of those little boys ain’t got,” said Blaze. “We can bill ourselves as a team. The dynamic duo!”

About RP Andrews

RP Andrews spent most of his life in New York City as a public relations executive before relocating to Fort Lauderdale in 2002, where he enjoyed a brief second career teaching writing at a local university.

All his works of erotic gay fiction and non-fiction are available at amazon.com and barnesandnoble.com and selected publisher websites.

His first work of erotic gay fiction, a collection of edgy short stories called Basic Butch, was originally published by San Francisco-based GLBT Publishers in 2008. Basic Butch features characters who go down life paths that, in the end, they wish they had never explored.

His latest works of serious gay fiction include:

The Czar of Wilton Drive, the story of Jonathan Antonucci, a twenty-one-year-old, barely-out-the-closet gay man from suburban New York who overnight finds himself a multimillionaire, thanks to a bequest by his late gay uncle. Uncle Charlie has unexpectedly died of a heart attack, leaving him the sole owner of several of the most successful bars in Wilton Manors, Fort Lauderdale’s gay ghetto, making Jonathan the Czar of Wilton Drive.

Flying down to Lauderdale to claim his bequest, Jon encounters Uncle Charlie’s dubious friends and business associates, and is immediately submerged in Lauderdale’s scene of unbridled sex and heavy drugs. He also discovers his great uncle’s memoirs which reveal truths not only about Jon’s own past but also what may have really happened to his uncle. In the end, Jon is torn between avenging Uncle Charlie’s death or loving the man responsible for it. From Kokoro Press.

Not In it For The Love, set at the turn of the new millennium. Josh, a young street-smart Florida drifter is snatched from his dead-end existence as a male hustler in a cheap Key Largo motel by Bishop, a Wall Street power broker who sets him up as his trophy boy in Manhattan society.

There, Josh, after leading a promiscuous lifestyle within New York City’s gay sub-culture, meets Hylan, a young, bi-racial, down-on-his luck, wheelchair-bound musician who awakens in Josh what love can be between two men. But their chance at happiness and the lives of those around them are forever changed by 9/11. From Totally Bound Press.

Buy Guys, his latest novella to be published by Wilde City Press in early 2016, is the story of Blaze and Pete, two young, handsome drifters with nothing and nothing to lose. Blaze convinces Pete, who is falling in love with him, to leave dreary New Jersey and lead free and easy lives as male prostitutes in sunny Fort Lauderdale, posting their profile on the male escort site, Buy Guys. Blaze, however, soon pulls Pete into a much larger, more dangerous scheme, a scheme that eventually threatens to destroy them both.

RP Andrews’ daily social commentary blog on gay life in America has been running since 2010 at str8gayconfessions.com, and a second edition collection of these commentaries is available as an e-book on amazon.com. Confessions of a Str8Gay Man is RP Andrews’ unvarnished, unorthodox views of Modern Gay America which are often counter to today’s political correct gay media.

In addition, there is Furry Man’s Journal, his erotic memoirs as a hirsute gay man as told through his experiences with the dozen iconic men in his life.

For more info, visit rpandrewsgayfiction.com on your laptop; or gay-erotic-fiction.com on your tablet or smartphone.

Giveaway

$10.00 gift card to your favourite eBook retailer!

Click here to visit Rafflecopter and enter the giveaway!

Imminent Pricing Changes

I am announcing that prices of all Cameron D. James titles will be increasing in price almost immediately.

This was a difficult decision. I have been advised by several people in the industry — including other authors and a former vendor site — that while $0.99 is a “fair price” for a short story, it is actually below industry standard and, in the long run, does more harm than good.

Years ago, at the start of the ebook boom, there were a ton of stories at $0.99, and a lot of the craptastic ones were free. The free price sticker got a bad rap — if it’s free, there’s gotta be a reason. Recently, Amazon has made it much more difficult to post a book for free (there’s still a way to do it, but they discourage it). Thus, the craptastic free books are now craptastic $0.99 books. Consequently, all of the quality books priced at $0.99 have a stigma attached to them, including half my backlist.

So… free ain’t no good, and neither is $0.99.  So… $1.99? According to Smashwords, over years of analyzing data, $1.99 is a dead zone for ebook pricing.

The new price of ebooks for Cameron D. James will start at $2.99.

Why that number? There’s a few reasons:

$2.99 is the industry standard for erotica short stories, so this puts me in line with nearly everyone else.
Since this is part of my livelihood, money still talks. Amazon pays out double the royalty percentage on books priced $2.99 to $9.99.

I’m having an awesome December, one of the highest-selling months I’ve ever had on Amazon! Yet, I’m making pennies. I have another pen name that’s sold a few copies this month so far, and the royalties from that pen name have already surpassed my best-selling month ever for Cameron D. James.

As I’ve mentioned in a previous blog post, Google Play does wonky stuff with pricing by adding random discounts, and then Amazon price-matches. (If you read that post, I say that I don’t have a real problem with Google Play, but my opinion has now changed.) So, while earning 35% royalties on a $0.99 ebook ain’t too terrible (so, about $0.35), because of Google Play, Amazon has lowered the price and consequently lowered my royalty — I’m making about $0.15 or $0.20 per ebook download. As a result, I’ve also decided to remove all my books from Google Play.

So… this change alters the royalty payout from $0.20 for a $0.99 short story, to $2.10 on a $2.99 short story. Selling one short story at the new price equates to more than ten sales at the old price. So if sales numbers go down, my royalties should still go up.

This change is happening very soon.

I’ve just updated the price at Smashwords, because it can take a week or two for the price to filter through to their affiliates (Kobo, Barnes and Noble, etc). Toward the end of the month, between Christmas and New Year’s, I will be updating the prices on Amazon, All Romance eBooks, and Excitica.

So, if you have been thinking of purchasing one of my books, do it now while the prices are still low! Click here to visit my website and find out where to get your copies of all my ebooks.

I hope you’ll stick around to see what’s coming, because I’ve got a swelteringly hot year of erotica coming up.

And if you still want killer deals, make sure that you sign up for my newsletter, if you haven’t done so already. Newsletter subscribers always get coupons for deep discounts on new releases and will occasionally get coupons for free downloads. Click here to sign up now.

Thank you for your understanding, and I hope to melt your ereader soon.

;-)

Black Friday Erotica Deals

Today is Black Friday and all the stores have the hottest deals — so why shouldn’t we do the same for erotica?

I’ve teamed up with Sandra Claire, a colleague of mine who I’m currently co-authoring a few novellas with (the first of which should be released next month), to offer you four FREE erotica ebooks, and four more erotica ebooks at 50% off!

All of these deals and coupons expire on November 30th, so download your copies now!  For Smashwords, you’ll need the coupon code at the bottom of each post.  For Amazon, the items should be free on the website, so no coupon code is required.

Here ya go!

 

Bathhouse Nights

Cameron D. James

In the bathhouse, anything is possible, especially at night when all the studs come out to play.

For cheerleader Daniel, his dream-come-true is a football jock named Justin, but no one in the bathhouse measures up, no matter how hard he tries to play pretend.

Justin is straight, of course. Aren’t they all? There’s no reason for Daniel to expect he’ll score with him…until the night he spots him in the hot tub.

Click here to get this ebook FREE on Smashwords!

Coupon code is DC77W

Forced Submission

Sandra Claire

Matty would never have expected Scott, the university jock and his lifelong bully, to look at him with lust. For all of high school, Scott tormented Matty mercilessly, doubling his efforts as soon as Matty came out as gay. Tonight, however, as Matty is studying alone in the quietest part of the library, he is confronted by Scott, and it’s clear the jock doesn’t have a beating in mind. As Scott issues commands which bring to life Matty’s wildest sexual fantasies, he can’t figure out if the jock is really gay, or just horny. The only thing he does know is he’s eager to submit to whatever this muscular stud has in mind.

WARNING: This 4,300-word short story contains an explicit sex scene between a twink and his jock bully that will get you hot and bothered, and is intended for mature adults only.

Click here to get this ebook FREE on Amazon!

No coupon code is required – it should show up as a free book.

Forced Entry

Sandra Claire

Dylan is down on his luck and resorting to petty theft to make ends meet. But when he breaks into the house of a gay dom, he gets a surprise he never saw coming. Nick, the dom, is furious with Dylan’s attempt to rob him of his valuables and is determined to teach this young man a lesson and discipline him for his mistakes. But when Dylan gets strapped to a table and Nick breaks out the floggers, Dylan is no longer scared, he’s turned on.

WARNING: This 6,400-word short story contains an explicit BDSM sex scene between two men that will get you hot and bothered, and is intended for mature adults only.

Click here to get this ebook FREE on Amazon!

No coupon code is required – it should show up as a free book.

Submitting to my Black Master

Sandra Claire

It’s Adam’s first day in prison and he’s terrified. His uncle warned him what to expect, that someone might take advantage of a pretty-boy like him, but that going along with it could get him protection. But no matter how much he’s prepared himself for this moment, he’s quaking in fear when he sees his cellmate—Tyrone—a tall, muscle-bound, dominating black man who has a thing for skinny white guys like him. When the cells are locked and the lights go out, just as Adam thinks his cellmate might leave him alone, Tyrone clamps his hand over Adam’s mouth and whispers in his ear, “Don’t scream, white boy.” Yet, despite his fear, Adam can’t get over how turned on he is as he realizes he has no choice but to submit to his black master.

WARNING: This 4,700-word short story contains an explicit sex scene between a dominating black man and a skinny white guy that will get you hot and bothered, and is intended for mature adults only.

Click here to get this ebook FREE on Amazon!

No coupon code is required – it should show up as a free book.

Go-Go Boys of Club 21: The Complete Series

Cameron D. James

Club 21 is known across New York City for having the hottest go-go boys. They groove to the beat, fuel fantasies, and leave you begging for more.

Liam is one of those premiere go-go boys, but even though he’s living the life he’s dreamed about, he feels something is missing. And he might have found that something when he gets into a whirlwind romance with a former porn star.

Lance is the newest go-go boy. He took the job because he’s infatuated with Liam and hoping for a chance to get to know him better, but only gets a broken heart as he watches Liam chase some guy he barely knows. As Lance pushes to get closer to Liam, he only pushes him further away.

As the beat goes on and the tempo changes, will Lance be able to win the man of his dreams? Or will Liam forever go off in search of new excitement?

Originally released as five separate stories, this volume at last collect the Go-Go Boys of Club 21 into one hot volume.

Click here to get this ebook for 50% off on Smashwords!

Coupon code is EF64F

Men In The Hot Room: The Complete Series

Cameron D. James

A wall of heat rolls through the hot room and sweat beads on Simon’s hard nipples. He contorts his body in all the right ways, intent on seducing his instructor, Brad. And Brad, a man twice Simon’s age, is unable to resist, no matter what the consequences might be. This simple act of seduction soon leads to weeks of scorching hot sex as Men In The Hot Room raises the mercury.

Originally released as separate stories, the bestselling Men In The Hot Room series is now available in one delicious book. Follow the steamy encounters of Simon and Brad that begin in Go Deep, continue with a hot threesome in Go Deeper, and reach a light BDSM climax in Going All The Way.

This collection will have you gasping for breath and reaching for a cold glass of water…or some tissues.

BONUS FEATURE:

Bump and Grind, the start of the Go-Go Boys of Club 21, featuring the exploits of horny young men in New York City’s coolest gay club.

Click here to get this ebook for 50% off at Smashwords!

Coupon code is FT37G

Forced to Take It

Sandra Claire

Christian is horny and lonely in a largely-heterosexual Texas town. He goes to the bar every Friday night and takes a risk by hitting on hot guys—sometimes he goes home with someone, but the night usually ends in disappointment. Tonight, he’s feeling extra-desperate and decides to hit on Randall, a straight and very intimidating rancher. Christian thinks the night is over when Randall rejects him, but when Christian goes out for a smoke, Randall corners him and backs him into the alley…brutally giving him the very thing he’s been searching for.

WARNING: This 4,200-word short story contains an explicit sex scene between a young man and a burly rancher that will get you hot and bothered, and is intended for mature adults only.

Click here to get this ebook for 50% off at Smashwords!

Coupon code is JB29U

Forced in Public

Sandra Claire

When Kyle gets horny in the middle of a long flight from Canada to Australia—while stuck sitting between two hot, straight men—he can do nothing except try to hide his erection and focus on the vacation ahead of him. But then the straight guy next to him pulls out a gay magazine. With almost all the passengers fast asleep, Kyle decides to go for it and flirt with the straight guy—something timid, shy Kyle would never normally do, but maybe if the guy was interested, they could do something when they landed in Sydney. The straight guy can’t wait that long. He grabs Kyle and forces him to suck him off in the middle of the flight. The guy seated on the other side of Kyle, who had been fast asleep, wakes to the sounds of a blowjob—and suddenly Kyle, a man who never takes risks, is joining the Mile High Club.

WARNING: This 4,200-word short story contains an explicit oral sex scene between a young man and two older men that will get you hot and bothered, and is intended for mature adults only.

Click here to get this ebook for 50% off at Smashwords!

Coupon code is YS67F

Thanks-Giving Back Blog Hop

My colleage, Lisabet Sarai (who I co-blog with on the Oh Get A Grip! blog), is involved with the Coming Together altruistic erotica group — and for Thanksgiving week, they’re doing a Thanks-Giving Back Blog Hop!

There are prizes and giveaways along the Blog Hop, including a grand prize of a $40 gift certificate!

Check out the blog hop — already mid-way though — at the following sites (please note some blog posts may not be up yet):

Sunday 22 November

http://lisabetsarai.blogspot.com/2015/11/sunday-snog-for-good-mm-201.html

http://leighwantsfood.blogspot.com/2015/11/coming-together-giving-back-hop.html

Monday 23 November

http://lisabetsarai.blogspot.com/2015/11/giving-it-away.html

http://delilahnight.com/2015/11/23/giving-back-blog-hop/

http://paidbytheweird.blogspot.com/2015/11/coming-together-thanksgiving-giving-back.html

http://wp.me/p1EqZm-Vt 

Tuesday 24 November

http://lisabetsarai.blogspot.com/2015/11/funny-brutal-tender.html

Wednesday 25 November

http://lisabetsarai.blogspot.com/2015/11/erotic-visions-for-brave.html

Thursday 26 November

http://lisabetsarai.blogspot.com/2015/11/bloody-good-erotica.html

http://annabetherotica.com/

Friday 27 November

http://lisabetsarai.blogspot.com/2015/11/release-day-for-another-coming-together.html

Saturday 28 November

http://lisabetsarai.blogspot.com/2015/11/where-no-man-has-gone-before.html

Lying for Fun and Profit – Oh Get A Grip!

I’m over at the Oh Get A Grip! blog again — this fortnight’s topic is deceit!

For my post, I talk about some of the deceit that goes into the job of being an author, especially of erotica.  (There’s less deceit in other genres, I believe.)  Don’t worry, I haven’t been lying to you all this time!  There’s just some low-level deceit that is part of the job, that you can’t really be an author without deceit in certain areas.

To find out what I mean, click here to visit my post on the Oh Get A Grip! blog.

Seven Perspectives on Author Branding — Sex For Money Post #14

Sex For Money is a semi-regular blog series about my experiences in writing, publishing, and marketing gay erotica and M/M erotic romance.  All of this information is from my own experience, so your experience may differ.  It’s hoped that sharing this information might be helpful to new and aspiring erotica and erotic romance authors, as I see a lot of questions and a lot of misinformation out there.  To read more Sex For Money posts, click here.

 

As you have have noticed here on the good ol’ blog, I’m now part of the Oh Get A Grip! blog, in which ten erotic authors tell it like it is.  The topics each fortnight cover pretty much every area of life possible, only sometimes returning to the actual topics of writing and self-publishing.

This past fortnight, the topic was “branding,” which could be taken multiple ways — the author brand, marks on your skin, or whatever way branding speaks to the author.

Most of the contributors spoke about the author brand, which is an important consideration for the erotic author (or authors of any genre, for that matter).

Here are links to the author branding posts:

“Building a Brand” by Lisabet Sarai
“The Author Brand” by Cameron D. James
“Vogue” by C. Sanchez-Garcia
“Learn from the Master” by Lexi Wood (Giselle Renard)
“‘His kiss branded her'” by Suz deMello
“Brand X” by Daddy X
“Hard to be Hip” by Jean Roberta

 

DRM and DMCA and Preventing Piracy – Sex For Money Post #13

Sex For Money is a semi-regular blog series about my experiences in writing, publishing, and marketing gay erotica and M/M erotic romance.  All of this information is from my own experience, so your experience may differ.  It’s hoped that sharing this information might be helpful to new and aspiring erotica and erotic romance authors, as I see a lot of questions and a lot of misinformation out there.  To read more Sex For Money posts, click here.

Piracy is, unfortunately, a common crime in our modern world.  Why pay for something when you can get it for free?  I doubt any of us are truly innocent — I’ve downloaded my share of music over the years, as well as a TV show that I couldn’t wait to be released on DVD.

Ebook piracy happens.  Some people will buy your book and then post it publicly somewhere so that others can download it for free.  Other times, piracy hasn’t occurred, but it appears your book has been pirated, but it’s a ruse for other purposes.

So what is an author to do?  Mostly nothing.  You’re honestly not losing much, if anything, in sales.

Stick with me — I’ll explain.

Let’s start with the basic habits of the reader.  Some readers will always buy the books they read.  Others will only read it if they can get it for free.  These are largely two separate groups of people.  Someone who always buys books is unlikely to scour the internet for the free copy they can illegally download.  Conversely, someone who only downloads pirated books is unlikely to read your book if they have to pay for it.

Last time I searched for free copies of my books — and I did that search maybe two years ago — I found my first novel, Autumn Fire, and my first short story, Go Deep, on torrent sites, as part of larger m/m ebook bundled downloads.  I didn’t put up much of a fight about it because I realized that if someone is going to download an illegal bundle of m/m ebooks, then they’re likely looking for whatever they can get for free — they’re unlikely to say, “Hey, that one specific title I wanted to read isn’t here.  I better go buy it.”  Rather, they’d just move on to something else for free.  I also realized that readers who usually purchase ebooks are unlikely to go in search of an illegal download to save three or four dollars.  Did I lose some sales?  Possibly, but I don’t think I lost many.

Now, let’s move on to the other scenario.  There are sites all over the internet that appear to have your ebook for illegal download.  Ninety percent of the time, they don’t actually have it.  Instead, they’ve posted your cover and blurb and claim to offer it as a free download — but before the reader can do so, they need to enter a credit card number “for verification purposes.”  They’ll then find out the book isn’t there and these scammers now have their credit card info.  Some of these sites instead package viruses into the download — so the reader doesn’t get the book, they get a virus.

That scenario is a little more insidious.  However, since they don’t have your book, you’re not losing sales on them.  If anything, your readers might be angry at the website for conning them.  But on the other hand, a smart reader can see there’s something wrong about the whole set-up.

So what can an author do to prevent all this?

As authors, we’re told that enabling DRM — Digital Rights Management — on our titles helps prevent piracy.  It’s a little bit of code that’s added to your ebook to prevent it from being shared.  What we’re not told as authors is that DRM is largely ineffective and a real pain in the ass.

If I were unscrupulous and wanted to buy your book and then distribute it illegally (or even if I was an honest person that just doesn’t like the hassle of DRM), I can “crack” it in seconds.  A quick Google search of “how to crack DRM” brings up immediate results that even a not-too-capable tech person like me can follow.  To someone who’s determined to share your book illegally, DRM means nothing.  (And I see I can crack DRM using Calibre, a program I already have on my computer.)

For the honest person, DRM can be a real pain in the ass.  Some of the books I read have DRM on them — and now that I’ve got the process down, it’s not too huge of a hassle, but the first couple times, I was like, “Oh, fuck!”  After purchasing the book, I downloaded it, then had to download a DRM management program, then had to create an account, then had to unlock the ebook in that program, then I had to sync my ereader with that program, then copy the file over.  What should have taken about ten seconds instead took about ten minutes.  (In hindsight, if I had downloaded directly to my Kobo, it might’ve avoided all those steps.  However, I prefer to side-load via my laptop.)  This whole process left a sour taste in my mouth and made me feel like I couldn’t be trusted as a reader.

So, whether or not to enable DRM is completely up to you as the author.  DRM can add the feeling of security, but keep in mind it’s just a feeling.  It doesn’t actually secure your ebook.

Let’s say that someone has uploaded your ebook and is either offering it as a free download or even charging money for it.  Or, let’s say that a site claims to offer it for free but you know it’s one of those scam sites.  Can you do anything?

Yup.

If you want to invest the time in doing so, you can send the site a DMCA notice.  (DMCA stands for Digital Millennium Copyright Act.)  To do this, do a search for “DMCA notice template” and you’ll find free samples of takedown notices.  Plunk in your information and send it to the email address attached to the website.  They are legally obligated to take your book (or if they don’t have your book, take the cover image and blurb) off their website.  From what I’ve seen when people have tried this, the website complies, even if it’s a scam site run be people who don’t care about theft.

So what happens if they don’t comply?  Your next step is to report this infringement to Google.  Do a web search for “report copyright infringement to Google” and you’ll find the proper links.  While this may not remove the site from the internet, it will be removed from Google search results.

But there’s one last thing to keep in mind.  Remember I found Autumn Fire and Go Deep listed on a torrent site?  As far as I know DMCA notices are ineffective for torrent sites.  Here’s why: Normally, when a site has your book illegally, it’s on their servers and they can just delete the files.  Torrent sites are different — torrent sites don’t actually have your book files.  Instead, these sites connect individual users who have the files.  So, while my books were listed on a torrent site, they weren’t on the site’s servers, they were instead on some random person’s hard drive.  I didn’t bother sending the torrent site a DMCA notice as they don’t actually have my books, rather, they’re facilitating the connection between two people who want to share my books.  While a torrent site may choose to block the transmission of certain files, all it takes is for someone to change the file name to work around such a block.

Does piracy suck.  You bet your ass.  Is there something you can do about it?  Yes.  Is it worth your time?  That’s totally up to you and your answer might vary based on the individual situation.  For myself, I don’t worry too much about piracy, but then, I’m not exactly raking in the cash.  I’ve maybe lost a few dollars over the years.  Personally, my time is worth more than that.  But I totally get if someone feels personally violated that their book has been pirated, or if their book is being used to scam someone out of their credit card number.  I felt violated the first time it happened.  But after about the fifth or sixth time I found it, I just stopped caring.  I don’t even Google my book titles or name anymore to find out what’s happening because I just simply don’t care — because for every site you successfully have your book removed from, another site has just uploaded your info.  It’s a never-ending game that takes away valuable writing time.  Instead of worrying about a few lost dollars due to piracy, I’d rather work on creating a new work that will bring in ten times more than what I’ve lost.

Cover Reveal — Uniform: A Man In Uniform MM Bundle

Hi blog-readers!

As you know, from time to time, you’ll see me promo other books here on the good ol’ blog — that’s because I’ve signed up with a couple blog tour programs.  This allows me to feature some of the hottest new books out there that might interest people like you.

Check this one out!  Today’s post is a cover reveal of the new m/m book, Uniform: A Man in Uniform MM Bundle!

Meet the men in uniform. These are everyday men who put on a uniform and become our heroes. Through good times and bad, they are there to save the day, sacrificing more than most of us can imagine as they put their lives on hold in service to us.

Love doesn’t wait until life is calm, and sometimes it’s the pressure of the job that throws two men together. Under stress and demand, they find solace in each other, forming bonds that can’t be ignored.

Follow our heroes as they fight not only for what is right and just, but also for their hearts and the men they love.

Uniform: A Man in Uniform MM Bundle releases on November 30th!

And check out this hot excerpt from “Hand to Hand (Wet Seal #1)” by HL Holston and Eleanor Bruce:

Is this the day I’m going to die? Gavin Rathman couldn’t get that question out of his head as he dove behind a large rock, gunfire erupting all around him. As he contemplated his upcoming demise, he saw Ensign Noah Hudson running toward him. He gestured for his teammate to hide with him behind the relative safety of the big rock he was currently behind. Gavin finally breathed a sigh of relief — Hudson was a terror with his HK MP5N gun.

“You alright, Doc?”

Gavin gave a thumbs up sign, and looked briefly over Noah’s shoulder asking, “Where’s Hawkeye?”

“Hawk is up there.” Noah pointed to the craggy rocks high above their heads where their team sniper was perched to pick off enemy insurgents. The guy had to be half bird; he could sit for hours crouched at a vantage point so high that would make most people’s head’s spin. Hawkeye got his nickname when he first joined the teams because he loved Marvel comics, most especially the character he was named after, the legendary archer and assassin.

“What about Bender and the Lieutenant?” Gavin asked.

Noah’s smirk was almost dangerous. “Bender’s setting charges. You know how he likes his little toys. And Jack’s keeping the natives off our backs.”

“When’s the helo coming in?” Gavin looked to the sky, willing the chopper to come into view. They were seriously outnumbered here.

Noah looked at his watch. “Five minutes. Then we’re all bugging the fuck out of here, Doc. Cultural mission with tribal elders aborted. And a personal note for the CIA: The natives here are not friendly, nor open to monetary bribes from us filthy infidels.”

“Fucking spooks and their secret agendas.” Gavin turned his head and spat. Goddamn dust and sand.

Their mission had been idiotic from the get-go. They were left short one operator when Johnson blew out his knee on a training mission before they’d left San Diego for Kabul. He was going to be out of commission for months, maybe forever, if the surgery didn’t correct his injury. They’d made do without him; they were SEALS, that’s what they did: improvise and adapt.

Everything would have been fine if the CIA hadn’t shown up with their brilliant idea to offer a fifty thousand dollar bribe to the leader of a small band of Taliban fighters to turn on his brothers-in-arms. However, Gavin and his team followed orders, no matter how stupid and treacherous they were. So, if the CIA said go make nice with the terrorists with a bag of cash; then, SEAL Team One made nice with a bunch of Al Qaeda terrorists.

Gavin heard a soft pop to his far left and looked over to see one of the head of one of the locals who’d been trying to kill them for the last fifteen minutes explode.

Hawkeye to the rescue.

“I just wish Jack had let me shoot their leader. I had the perfect shot.”

A voice came out of nowhere, “Always the diplomat, Hudson.”

If it weren’t for his training, Gavin would have jumped. The Lieutenant certainly lived up to his nickname of “Ghost.” The man could infiltrate any location with a stealthy silence that even impressed other SEALs; Noah and Gavin never heard or saw him coming.

He watched as Lieutenant Jackson Blackwater hunkered down next to Noah’s left side, his dark good looks a throwback to his Native American ancestors. Gavin found it hard to believe the man was thirty-six as he looked ten years younger.

While they waited for their helicopter to arrive, Noah responded to their team leader’s remark. “I didn’t see you trying to talk your way out of the situation either, Jack. With all the flash bangs you were throwing, sir.”

As Jack opened his mouth to reply, all hell broke loose. Looking back, all Gavin could remember was the color red.

Blood red and Jack screaming in pain.

Interview with Max Vos

Greetings, blog-readers!

Today, I’m thrilled to have Max Vos as my guest!  Max is an author of gay erotica and gay erotic romance books — and his newest, My Hero: The Olympian, is out today!

Let’s jump into this interview…

Tell us about My Hero: The Olympian.

My Hero: The Olympian is a continuance of the story of My Hero. The two main characters, Johnny Milloway and Rich Miller, move on from just dating to being partners, learning more about each other and evolving into mature men, while dodging the pitfalls of being gay and star athletes.

Do we need to read My Hero before My Hero: The Olympian? What can those who did read My Hero look forward to seeing in the sequel?

No, you don’t have to read My Hero to enjoy this book but it would help. There’s a lot of history that makes it a better story.

If you had read the first book, then you’ll see these two move ahead as a couple, maturing as they grow and evolve together.

What inspired or motivated you to write the My Hero series?

I never intended to make this a series. I wrote the first one after having watched the summer Olympics and it was the start of football season. The story pretty much wrote itself. The next one took more time. It’s a much larger book also. There was a lot more of their story to tell and readers really wanted more.

Can we hope to see a third entry in the series?

Oh hell no. This one nearly killed me.

Hehehe… :)

What was the hardest or most difficult scene to write?

The epilogue.

What’s the most difficult part of writing a sex scene?

Keeping up with whose leg or arm belongs to who.

What’s your favorite part about writing a sex scene?

Sex scenes for me are pretty easy, they seem to flow for me.

What kind of research went into this book?

A lot of research went into this book. Places, times and diving techniques as well as training for Olympic athletes took a lot of time.

Describe your writing routine.

I wake up, have coffee, check email and then I start. I write best early in the morning and typically write four to five hours a day.

What made you decide to write this genre?

It’s what I know.

Where do you like to write? Home? Coffee shop? Subway ride to work?

I typically write best when I am home. No distractions.

Somewhere else? I have written next to the sea, which was nice. Not sure I could do it all the time.

What was your most favorite scene to write?

There is one particular character in this book that I love. Any scene she is in makes me happy.

What’s your most favorite book you’ve read? Why?

So many… I still think To Kill a Mockingbird is still one of my all-time favorite reads.

What’s your most favorite book you’ve written? Why?

The V Unit. I wrote it on a dare/challenge. I swore I’d never write a vampire book, and then did. There are a lot of characters in that book that are so different.

What drew you to this genre?

When I first retired I was looking for something to read, something to help take up some of all this time I suddenly had. I also wanted something that had gay characters in it. I was, once again dared… by the same person, to start writing. I’d complained about what rubbish there was out there.

Why did you decide to self-publish?

I decided to become an Indie author when I was totally screwed by a publisher.

How did you feel when you heard a publisher wants your book?

Ecstatic. Thrilled.

(I guess that was before you got screwed…?)

Are you writing anything now? Can you tell us about it?

I am. I’m about halfway through another book. The two main characters each have PTSD for completely different reasons. It’s a book about learning and moving on.

Do you have any upcoming releases?

My Hero recently came out on audio, which is fantastic. The V Unit will be coming out in January on audio and then of course, My Hero: The Olympian will be out on the 15th of this month.

Of the covers you have for your works, which one is your favorite?

Going Home. I think it is one of the most beautiful covers I’ve ever seen. I use only one cover artist who seems to be able to nail every time.

Can you describe the editing process? Was it difficult?

The editing process is the most difficult and important part of self-publishing. Once I’m done with the manuscript, I send it to a select few beta readers who tear it apart and then I get to put it back together. That’s all before I send it off to a professional editor. Before a book is released, I’ve gone over it at least five times, often a lot more.

Do you like music while you write? Or do you prefer total silence?

First thing in the morning, I’m listening to the news and then music.

Which of your characters is your favorite? Why?

I think Johnny Milloway is my favorite at the moment. He goes for what he wants and once he makes up his mind, it is done.

Which of your characters was the hardest to write? Why?

Sam Stone was the hardest I think. (P.O.W.) He goes through a lot physically and mentally.

Do you have any advice for writers who want to try this genre?

Stay away from the drama.

Which of your characters would you like to meet in person? What would you say or do with that character?

Sarge from P.O.W. He’s just so damned hot!

Thanks for stopping by, Max!  If any folks would like to learn more about Max, click here to visit his website.

And, blog-readers, don’t forget to stop on by Amazon and pick up your copy of My Hero: The Olympian, which releases today!

New Publisher: NineStar Press

Greetings blog-followers!

From time to time, you might have noticed I’ll feature other authors and their books, well, today is a little different — there’s a brand new publisher on the scene and I’ve been asked to share their launch with you!  Today we’re going to find out about NineStar Press!

Though I’m not published by NineStar Press, I’m eager to share this with you because I feel that a thriving ebook industry can only be accomplished when we, as a community, work together, rather than competing.  So, while I personally will continue to self-publish, I am thrilled by the opportunity to share this post about the launch of NineStar Press!  (And if you’re an author looking to pitch your book somewhere, NineStar Press has their submission guidelines here.)

Fans of quality LGBTQA fiction have been anticipating the launch of brand-new publisher NineStar Press. Following the company’s “soft launch” in July, they’re ready to launch fully on November 23rd, 2015.

NineStar Press was created to meet the reading needs of people across the LGBTQA spectrum. The company was formed when founder Lisa Cox, who has years of experience both as an author and editor of LGBTQA fiction, noticed a gap in the market that wasn’t being filled. Though many publishing houses are focused on straight and male/male fiction and romance, Lisa saw that few were offering high-quality, professionally edited and formatted books outside of those markets.

Though NineStar Press will offer plenty of gay fiction and romance, it is also committed to publishing books featuring lesbian, bisexual, trans*, queer, and asexual characters. It will release only the best, most engaging LGBTQA stories that you’ll want to read again and again.

What Can You Expect From NineStar Press?

 Already, the publisher has a battery of books waiting to be pre-ordered by LGBTQA readers. The stories run the gamut of genres, lengths, and sexualities, from short male/male erotica to fantasy with a lesbian protagonist to contemporary romantic suspense.

Defiant Loyalties by Elizabeth Wilde is one of the novels to be released. It follows the story of Jack Preston, whose life is thrown into a dangerous game of lies and espionage, when an assassination attempt is made on his oppressive father’s life. He finds solace in an unlikely place—in the man who was tasked with killing his father. The heat level is high on this erotic romance…and the tension higher. Check it out at NineStar Press now.

Fans of fantasy fiction will also find much to love about Brooke Radley’s Nightshade. It centers on a young mage named Eleanor, who has to infiltrate a thieves’ guild to find the source of a drug that’s ravaging her city. But once she’s reached the inner circle of the Nightshade Brotherhood, she’s drawn to a beautiful and elusive thief called Cassandra. Can she risk betraying Cassandra to do what needs to be done for the good of her city?

Noted erotica and erotic romance writer Elizabeth Coldwell brings two initial short erotic pieces to the line-up with the seasonal Happy Christmas, Sir, about a sub who wants to please his Dom, and Trickster, about a bounty hunter who’s drawn to his handsome target.

Fans of seasonal romances and erotic stories will find a lot to choose from, too. Check out the site to see offerings from male romance writer Olley White, erotic romance writer Gillian St. Kevern, and lesbian novella writer Lucy Carey.

There are too many to list here, so check out www.ninestarpress.com to see what else is on offer.

No matter what your taste or interest is, NineStar Press has all the top-quality, well-written, hard-to-put-down LGBTQA fiction you could desire.

NineStar Press launches on November 23rd, 2015. If you’re a fan of LGBTQA fiction, go to www.ninestarpress.com to see the full catalogue today.