Bryan Koepke's Blog: http://bryankoepke.com/blog, page 3
September 16, 2014
An Author shares a malady with his leading character
As an author I spend large amounts of time in a quiet setting working on my novels while writing the Reece Culver Thriller series. You'd think this would be relaxing and enjoyable, and make for good writing. Most of the time it does, but over the course of the past two years I've developed a condition related to hearing loss called Tinnitus.
In my next book of the Reece Culver Thriller series, SABOTAGE, Reece suffers from Tinnitus or as many know it ringing in the ears. In his case the condition is a result of blow that he took to the left side of his head in book one VENGEANCE.
During the past couple of years I've studied this condition and learned a great deal about it. One place I've spent time reading and educating myself is on the American Tinnitus Association website.
In my next book of the Reece Culver Thriller series, SABOTAGE, Reece suffers from Tinnitus or as many know it ringing in the ears. In his case the condition is a result of blow that he took to the left side of his head in book one VENGEANCE.
During the past couple of years I've studied this condition and learned a great deal about it. One place I've spent time reading and educating myself is on the American Tinnitus Association website.
August 19, 2014
Draft One of the Next Book in the Reece Culver Series - SABOTAGE
It took 5 months to complete the first draft of SABOTAGE. Now I'm reading, editing, and rewriting the book with the goal of completing this novel sometime in 2015. It took me 22 months to complete the first book in the series, VENGEANCE, and if you havn't seen it you can find my book on Amazon, Barnes & Noble Nook, Swashwords, and many more sites. The price remains a low $3.99 for the ebook or $14.99 in full sized paperback. So far I've received 23 reader reviews up on Amazon.
In Sabotage Reece and Haisly are on a fishing vacation in Scotland when they cross paths with a hired assassin. Stay tuned for more updates on this new book in the Reece Culver Thriller series.
In Sabotage Reece and Haisly are on a fishing vacation in Scotland when they cross paths with a hired assassin. Stay tuned for more updates on this new book in the Reece Culver Thriller series.
August 17, 2014
Only Ten Days left until the End of the Contest to Invent the Drink Named Vengeance
Now is your chance to Enter the Contest to Invent the Drink Named Vengeance.
The Grand Prize Winner will get their name and winning recipe written into a scene in the next book of the Reece Culver Thriller Series. Book 2, SABOTAGE, will be published in 2015.
Author Bryan Koepke is hard at working writing and editing this next book in the series.
Enter the contest for a chance to win tons of free prizes: The Drink Named Vengeance Contest
Contest ends August 30, 2014.
The Grand Prize Winner will get their name and winning recipe written into a scene in the next book of the Reece Culver Thriller Series. Book 2, SABOTAGE, will be published in 2015.
Author Bryan Koepke is hard at working writing and editing this next book in the series.
Enter the contest for a chance to win tons of free prizes: The Drink Named Vengeance Contest
Contest ends August 30, 2014.
Only Six left until the End of the Contest to Invent the Drink Named Vengeance
Now is your chance to Enter the Contest to Invent the Drink Named Vengeance.
The Grand Prize Winner will get their name and winning recipe written into a scene in the next book of the Reece Culver Thriller Series. Book 2, SABOTAGE, will be published in 2015.
Author Bryan Koepke is hard at working writing and editing this next book in the series.
Enter the contest for a chance to win tons of free prizes: The Drink Named Vengeance Contest
Contest ends Friday August 22, 2014.
The Grand Prize Winner will get their name and winning recipe written into a scene in the next book of the Reece Culver Thriller Series. Book 2, SABOTAGE, will be published in 2015.
Author Bryan Koepke is hard at working writing and editing this next book in the series.
Enter the contest for a chance to win tons of free prizes: The Drink Named Vengeance Contest
Contest ends Friday August 22, 2014.
June 17, 2014
Bryan Koepke's Debut Thriller VENGEANCE gets its 16th Review.
Tomorrow marks the 3 month anniversary since Bryan Koepke's debut thriller VENGEANCE was published by Writers Cabin Press, Ltd. In this short time the book had gotten 16 reviews on Amazon averaging 4.6 STARs with 11 readers giving it a full 5 STARs.
On June 15th Carolyn Otto gave Vengeance 4 STARs and this to say:
The author developed an interesting plot. The characters were well created and your interest was held through out the book.
On June 11th an Amazon Customer gave the book 4 STARs and said this:
I enjoyed this book.... It had a few twists and turns that kept me guessing... The characters were well developed and it held my attention….
On May 23rd TwinMomKK gave Vengeance 5 STARs and said:
I loved this book! As the characters were being introduced, the action was already underway and escalated to the last page. I look forward to more books from this author, especially the next in this series.
Another 5 STAR reviewer said:
Never a dull moment from begining to end. I highly recommend this book. Great characters and an intriguing plot. Great effort for a first novel, I look forward to many more.
In a recent interview with the author The Writers Cabin learned that Koepke is 278 pages into the writing of the next book in the Reece Culver Thriller series, and aiming to complete and release the book sometime in 2015. He was tight lipped about book 2 in the series, but did divulge that this novel would take the reader to at least one international location.
Reece Culver's sometimes partner Haisley Averton makes an appearance too.
If you've been holding out on your purchase of this great new Thriller now's the time to get your copy of VENGEANCE.
It's available on Amazon or on Koepke's website.
On June 15th Carolyn Otto gave Vengeance 4 STARs and this to say:
The author developed an interesting plot. The characters were well created and your interest was held through out the book.
On June 11th an Amazon Customer gave the book 4 STARs and said this:
I enjoyed this book.... It had a few twists and turns that kept me guessing... The characters were well developed and it held my attention….
On May 23rd TwinMomKK gave Vengeance 5 STARs and said:
I loved this book! As the characters were being introduced, the action was already underway and escalated to the last page. I look forward to more books from this author, especially the next in this series.
Another 5 STAR reviewer said:
Never a dull moment from begining to end. I highly recommend this book. Great characters and an intriguing plot. Great effort for a first novel, I look forward to many more.
In a recent interview with the author The Writers Cabin learned that Koepke is 278 pages into the writing of the next book in the Reece Culver Thriller series, and aiming to complete and release the book sometime in 2015. He was tight lipped about book 2 in the series, but did divulge that this novel would take the reader to at least one international location.
Reece Culver's sometimes partner Haisley Averton makes an appearance too.
If you've been holding out on your purchase of this great new Thriller now's the time to get your copy of VENGEANCE.
It's available on Amazon or on Koepke's website.
June 4, 2014
The Value of Using Amazon's KDP Select Free Days
The Value of Using Amazon's KDP Select Free Days
All newly self-published authors seek to sell as many books as they can, and gain as much publicity as is possible during their first year.
I published my debut novel Vengeance by founding my own Micro-Publishing company Writers Cabin Press, Ltd. Utilizing this company I researched the best way to publish my first book and ultimately ended up utilizing both of Amazon's Book Publishing Platforms - Kindle Direct Publishing & CreateSpace.
I am by no means an expert on how or why to publish your work. At the time these two platforms seemed to provide the best method and quality of books. After investing in a professionally designed book cover and a well formatted manuscript the trigger was pulled and out came two versions of my debut novel. These are a 6" X 9" Trade Sized Paperback & an eBook.
Over the course of the past several months I began looking at KDP Select free days. On April 30th 2014 my book Vengeance was free for 1 day. During that day I gave away 2,400 copies of the book. I had invested a total of $29.00 to do a twitter day with a vendor, and put the word out to 10 or more websites, my Facebook page, and here on my Blog that my book was free for one day.
Here's a shot of where my book was at 5:12 pm the day after the KDP Select Free Day. Sales for that one day were way up too, and the effect continued for the next several weeks. I made a few rookie mistakes in May. One was changing my price. I should have left it alone until the end of the month.
The second was doing the Free Day on the last day of the month.
Ultimately my book got to #4 in the Free Books listed in Kindle Store>Mystery, Thriller & Suspense>Mystery>Private Investigators. The remainder of the month it was in various spots from #49 to #89 in the top 100 paid books for this same category.
What do free days do for sales? My single free day boosted my May sales to a height I had not previously seen although the book had only been released for six weeks at this point.
It is my belief that KDP Select has a risk / reward benefit synonymous with the quality of the writing, formatting, and cover of the book being sold for free.
Today June 4, 2014 is the eve of my second experiment with KDP Select. My goal is to gain publicity for my book Vengeance, and to build my brand. My secondary goal is to sell books. This time around Vengeance will be free for a total of 2 days. (June 5th - 6th). If you've been holding out for a copy now's your chance.
All I ask is if you do get one for free do me the favor of reading my book and writing a review on either Goodreads or Amazon.
If you've self published and have a story to tell about doing KDP Select Free Days please comment.
All newly self-published authors seek to sell as many books as they can, and gain as much publicity as is possible during their first year.
I published my debut novel Vengeance by founding my own Micro-Publishing company Writers Cabin Press, Ltd. Utilizing this company I researched the best way to publish my first book and ultimately ended up utilizing both of Amazon's Book Publishing Platforms - Kindle Direct Publishing & CreateSpace.
I am by no means an expert on how or why to publish your work. At the time these two platforms seemed to provide the best method and quality of books. After investing in a professionally designed book cover and a well formatted manuscript the trigger was pulled and out came two versions of my debut novel. These are a 6" X 9" Trade Sized Paperback & an eBook.
Over the course of the past several months I began looking at KDP Select free days. On April 30th 2014 my book Vengeance was free for 1 day. During that day I gave away 2,400 copies of the book. I had invested a total of $29.00 to do a twitter day with a vendor, and put the word out to 10 or more websites, my Facebook page, and here on my Blog that my book was free for one day.
Here's a shot of where my book was at 5:12 pm the day after the KDP Select Free Day. Sales for that one day were way up too, and the effect continued for the next several weeks. I made a few rookie mistakes in May. One was changing my price. I should have left it alone until the end of the month.
The second was doing the Free Day on the last day of the month.
Ultimately my book got to #4 in the Free Books listed in Kindle Store>Mystery, Thriller & Suspense>Mystery>Private Investigators. The remainder of the month it was in various spots from #49 to #89 in the top 100 paid books for this same category.
What do free days do for sales? My single free day boosted my May sales to a height I had not previously seen although the book had only been released for six weeks at this point.
It is my belief that KDP Select has a risk / reward benefit synonymous with the quality of the writing, formatting, and cover of the book being sold for free.
Today June 4, 2014 is the eve of my second experiment with KDP Select. My goal is to gain publicity for my book Vengeance, and to build my brand. My secondary goal is to sell books. This time around Vengeance will be free for a total of 2 days. (June 5th - 6th). If you've been holding out for a copy now's your chance.
All I ask is if you do get one for free do me the favor of reading my book and writing a review on either Goodreads or Amazon.
If you've self published and have a story to tell about doing KDP Select Free Days please comment.
June 2, 2014
Writing books is like making Chili
In my book Vengeance the reader learns that Reece Culver was an Aerospace Engineer for a fictitious company named Caulder Space Systems before taking a leave of absence to solve the mystery of his father’s cold case murder.
The next book in the Reece Culver Thriller series, book 2 - Sabotage, which I’m writing now opens in the country of Scotland. Reece and his sometimes partner Haisley Averton have gone there with the intent of catching trophy trout on Loch Awe.
They are successful with their fishing, but while in the country Reece finds significantly more than he was looking for. Some of the things he finds are good, and much of what he discovers is bad. But, if you read the first book you know it wouldn’t be a Reece Culver Thriller unless he had to deal with some unsavory characters. It's what he seems to be attracted to, among other things.
As I've been researching book 2 in the series I’ve been reading up on the country of Scotland. A place I intend to visit in the near future. I’ve learned from my mother that I myself have a small smattering of Scottish blood within my veins.
The book opens near the town of Tarbert in the southwestern region of the country. Reece and Haisley are guests at the home of two of the main characters in the story. Reece and his friend go fishing on Loch Awe and on the way back run into trouble.
The third book in the series is underway as well. I completed about 2/3’s of the first draft last fall before picking book 2 back up and pressing on with it. In the third book Reece goes back to work at his old job as an Aerospace Engineer and there at work he discovers that things are not what they appear to be.
I’m being vague about the plots of both books 2 and 3 at this point because they are both early in my development process. Writing, like many things, takes time and thought. In some ways it’s like making a good batch of chili. The ingredients, words in this case, are put into a large pan, or in my case written on a computer. Time is given for them to simmer and age. Additional ingredients are added as the batch, or book ages. Each time the lid is taken off the cook tastes the chill. With a book each time the author finishes a draft he, or his beta readers give the book a read. The author then decides whether it's done or needs more ingredients, or time to simmer.
The other parts of my life including my day job give the recipe for my novels time to simmer. This is something I battle with constantly wishing I had more time to write, but for now having a job is a necessity. All writers dream of the day when the sale of their books will provide enough income to replace their day job, and when that day comes they will have a new full-time job as a novelist.
The next book in the Reece Culver Thriller series, book 2 - Sabotage, which I’m writing now opens in the country of Scotland. Reece and his sometimes partner Haisley Averton have gone there with the intent of catching trophy trout on Loch Awe.
They are successful with their fishing, but while in the country Reece finds significantly more than he was looking for. Some of the things he finds are good, and much of what he discovers is bad. But, if you read the first book you know it wouldn’t be a Reece Culver Thriller unless he had to deal with some unsavory characters. It's what he seems to be attracted to, among other things.
As I've been researching book 2 in the series I’ve been reading up on the country of Scotland. A place I intend to visit in the near future. I’ve learned from my mother that I myself have a small smattering of Scottish blood within my veins.
The book opens near the town of Tarbert in the southwestern region of the country. Reece and Haisley are guests at the home of two of the main characters in the story. Reece and his friend go fishing on Loch Awe and on the way back run into trouble.
The third book in the series is underway as well. I completed about 2/3’s of the first draft last fall before picking book 2 back up and pressing on with it. In the third book Reece goes back to work at his old job as an Aerospace Engineer and there at work he discovers that things are not what they appear to be.
I’m being vague about the plots of both books 2 and 3 at this point because they are both early in my development process. Writing, like many things, takes time and thought. In some ways it’s like making a good batch of chili. The ingredients, words in this case, are put into a large pan, or in my case written on a computer. Time is given for them to simmer and age. Additional ingredients are added as the batch, or book ages. Each time the lid is taken off the cook tastes the chill. With a book each time the author finishes a draft he, or his beta readers give the book a read. The author then decides whether it's done or needs more ingredients, or time to simmer.
The other parts of my life including my day job give the recipe for my novels time to simmer. This is something I battle with constantly wishing I had more time to write, but for now having a job is a necessity. All writers dream of the day when the sale of their books will provide enough income to replace their day job, and when that day comes they will have a new full-time job as a novelist.
June 1, 2014
One technique I use to write faster
Read any good Thriller novel and you'll find that the plot consists of two or more subplots. Many novels get to a point where the protagonist and antagonist are trading scenes back and forth as the action mounts. One technique I use is to plot out scenes within the manuscript with a short paragraph stating the gist of what happens within that scene or chapter.
On days like today when I've been away from my manuscript for longer than I'd like, in this case since last Monday morning, I start by reading what I had written in the proceeding chapters first. This reacquaints me with the story and usually does a very good job of pulling me in, and getting me writing.
When I'm in the mode to write I can easily switch back and forth between characters and sub plots without loosing track of the details. On days when I've been away from the story, like today, I find that if I jump scenes and stay in the head of one character I can cover a lot of ground and crank out some good work.
Today's choice was a character in Book 2 of the Reece Culver Series name Julian. I won't say more than his name because I don't want to spoil the story. I will say this guy plays a major roll in the book and he learns to hate Reece Culver.
During today's writing session I was able to crank out a total of 3,235 words in just about 2.5 hours.
When do I usually use this technique you ask? Most often it comes in handy when I'm in the second half of the book.
I generally don't outline the book until I'm 100 or more pages into the first draft. Since I work a full-time job I find as I write the use of a rough outline comes in handy to jot down plot ideas, and also to help me layer in what I want to write in each scene or chapter of the manuscript.
On days like today when I've been away from my manuscript for longer than I'd like, in this case since last Monday morning, I start by reading what I had written in the proceeding chapters first. This reacquaints me with the story and usually does a very good job of pulling me in, and getting me writing.
When I'm in the mode to write I can easily switch back and forth between characters and sub plots without loosing track of the details. On days when I've been away from the story, like today, I find that if I jump scenes and stay in the head of one character I can cover a lot of ground and crank out some good work.
Today's choice was a character in Book 2 of the Reece Culver Series name Julian. I won't say more than his name because I don't want to spoil the story. I will say this guy plays a major roll in the book and he learns to hate Reece Culver.
During today's writing session I was able to crank out a total of 3,235 words in just about 2.5 hours.
When do I usually use this technique you ask? Most often it comes in handy when I'm in the second half of the book.
I generally don't outline the book until I'm 100 or more pages into the first draft. Since I work a full-time job I find as I write the use of a rough outline comes in handy to jot down plot ideas, and also to help me layer in what I want to write in each scene or chapter of the manuscript.
May 26, 2014
Goodreads Contest to Win 1 of 10 Free Paperback copies of VENGEANCE Completed
On May 22nd, 2014 ten lucky readers were randomly chosen by the staff at Goodreads to win one of ten free copies of my debut Thriller VENGEANCE.
Just a little while ago I ordered each of the ten copies through AMAZON and had them mailed out to the winners.
A total of 1,979 Contestants entered to win a free copy of my book.
The winners are from the following countries:
2 from Portugal
1 from Brazil
2 from the USA
1 from the Philippines
2 from Australia
1 from Canada
1 from Poland
My Thanks to everyone who entered the Contest.
www.amazon.com/author/bryankoepke
If you'd like to purchase a copy of the book you can find the two different formats here: AMAZON
Just a little while ago I ordered each of the ten copies through AMAZON and had them mailed out to the winners.
A total of 1,979 Contestants entered to win a free copy of my book.
The winners are from the following countries:
2 from Portugal
1 from Brazil
2 from the USA
1 from the Philippines
2 from Australia
1 from Canada
1 from Poland
My Thanks to everyone who entered the Contest.
www.amazon.com/author/bryankoepkeIf you'd like to purchase a copy of the book you can find the two different formats here: AMAZON
May 21, 2014
Earning money as a Published Author.
I just got an e-mail from Amazon saying that they'll be paying me for my March sales. It's official - I'm a published author earning money from the sale of my first novel. Considering this is the 3rd book I've written since June of 2010 it's understandable how excited I am to finally start getting monthly checks for something I love doing. Next goal - to sell over 1,457 books a month, every month. Goal # 2 might take a while, but I've got my fingers and toes crossed.
If anyone is interested in checking out my novel here's the link: Vengeance
If anyone is interested in checking out my novel here's the link: Vengeance
