Bryan Koepke's Blog: http://bryankoepke.com/blog, page 4

Progress Report on Book 2 in the Reece Culver Thriller Series - SABOTAGE

Book 2 in the series will be named SABOTAGE and is on schedule to be released some time in 2015. As of today I've written 105,920 words in the current draft of the novel and the story is shaping up very well.

In this next book in the series Reece and his buddy Haisley Averton travel to Scotland in search of brown trout and as usual end up finding more than they were looking for.

This book is shaping up as an international thriller with setting locations in Scotland, London, the Colorado Mountains, and the Caribbean.

For a limited time you can get BryanKoepke's ★★★★★ Thriller VENGEANCE

GET Your Ebook ON SALE now for ONLY $3.49! 




What Readers are saying:
5.0 out of 5 stars Strong mystery, strong suspense, March 22, 2014

5.0 out of 5 stars Fast Pace Location-Based Action, March 29, 2014
5.0 out of 5 stars An Impressive Debut Novel by a writer of depth.  April 6, 2014
5.0 out of 5 stars Fast-Paced Thriller, April 6, 2014
5.0 out of 5 stars A must read if you like Suspense!, April 11, 2014
4.0 out of 5 stars Very good debut novel, April 18, 2014
5.0 out of 5 stars Bryan Koepke knows how to weave together a great story line which dispenses just enough information/action in each ..., April 28, 2014
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Amazon's KDP Select - 1 Day Free Promotion - Two Days Later Looking Back

Eventually all Indie Published Authors consider signing up for Amazon's KDP Select.  I took the plunge about a month back.  It was after reading a few chapters of the ebook "Lets Get Visible - Get noticed and sell more books" by author David Gaughran.  Last weekend I paid my $29.00 and set up a one day book tweeting campaign for Wednesday April 30th.  I set up the KDP Select Dashboard for my novel VENGEANCE to offer it for free that same day.

What were the results?  I've heard the program works best when you send out your FREE BOOK announcement to everyone and God a month ahead of time.  I did my sending out only 3 days ahead of time and only submitted my free link to 5 sites on the Web.  I did pay for the book tweeting service and got some help from some of my followers on Twitter and Facebook.


As of 5:12 pm MST on 5/1/14 this is where the ebook version of my novel Vengeance stood.



As I write this in the evening a couple of days after the Free Day my book is sitting here on Amazon:
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #8,929 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)#63 in Books > Mystery, Thriller & Suspense > Mystery >  Private Investigators #98 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Mystery, Thriller & Suspense > Mystery >  Private Investigators
What kind of books are sitting at #63 in the Books > Mystery, Thriller & Suspense > Mystery > Private Investigators are of Amazon you ask?

In this spot of Best Sellers in Private Investigator Mysteries you'll find several Sue Grafton Novels, Stuart Woods, Robert B. Parker, and Michael Prescott.  Not too shabby of company for an author who just published his debut Thriller about 6 weeks ago.  

Of course the success may have to do with the constant / daily marketing effort I've been putting in since late February, or it could have to do with luck.  The longer I spend rubbing elbows with fellow authors ranging from an Edgar Award Winner, to some as of yet unpublished pals I realize that the success of a novel is 20% writing, 40% marketing, and 40% luck.

Regardless of how many books I sell it's pretty cool to have my book sitting in an area of Best Sellers with authors whose work I read cover to cover some years back while studying the art of the Mystery Thriller Novel.  

Do KDP Select Free Days work?

At 4:30 p.m. this afternoon I took a look at where my debut Thriller VENGEANCE was on Amazon.


At that time I was # 2 in Private Investigators and #6 in the Crime Category.  I've since moved to #2 in both Categories and around 138 in the overall ranks for the Kindle Store Free books.

If you'd like to snatch a Free Copy of the VENGEANCE ebook you still have about 4 hours left.

www.amazon.com/author/bryankoepke

VENGEANCE - FREE FOR ONE DAY ONLY - "★★★★★ Strong mystery, strong suspense"

For one Day only you can download a FREE copy of my Debut Thriller VENGEANCE at www.amazon.com/author/bryankoepke


 "★★★★★ Strong mystery, strong suspense" 



Get your FREE copy of my Novel today and tell your friends.

What could be Better than Borrowing a Highly Rated Debut Thriller to read for Free?

Do you like to read? 

I'll bet you like to save your hard earned dollars too. 

So then, I'm guessing you're a member of Amazon Prime because all of the shipping costs you save during the Holidays. 

Did you know you can borrow my debut thriller novel, VENGEANCE, for free here:http://www.amazon.com/Bryan-Koepke/e/B00J79IXCC/

Comparing the plot of a Novel to an Artist's Canvas.

I was talking to a friend the other day about how to devise the plot of a novel.  Afterward I gave some thought to the topic and came up with the analogy that it's much like an artist painting with oils.  The plot is comprised of layers and just as an artist uses layers to build a scene on the canvas, an author uses layers of subplots to build a story.

Each time I set out to write a new novel I start from an idea I've carried around in my brain for months or years.  During the actual writing I jot down notes and ideas, and start a list to capture the details of my characters lives.  One of the toughest parts of crafting a novel is keeping the details straight both in your mind and on the page.  There is software available to help, but I have yet to use these tools. I, like many others before me, prefer to write the way the Masters did, except for the added help of a computer rather than a typewriter.





The bulk of what I write is made up as I go, but eventually I begin putting together a rough outline.  The purpose for the outline is more for brainstorming the story and plot than anything else.  I find that the more I write the less I need notes.  It's only when I'm working long hours on my day job like I have been since the beginning of 2014 that I find it necessary to fall back on the help of an outline.  

If I had the perfect life I'd wake up, take a walk on a beach or through a forest formulating my thoughts, and then I'd return to my writer's office and sit down at my computer to begin a new day of storytelling.  Only in my dreams.  

Instead my routine starts with a shower, breakfast, and a thirty to forty-five minute commute to work five days a week.  I write the bulk of my work on weekend mornings.  If I'm lucky I get a day or two in during the week early in the morning before the day job that still pays me more than my writing.  

The cool thing about the human brain is that it's always in motion.  Sending signals to our muscles, storing thoughts, making memories, or dreaming dreams.  For writers the brain spends some time working out where the plot and characters will lead to next.  When I first began writing I'd write down every thought I had worried that I might forget one.  These days I think up something and let it churn, so to speak, in my mind for days or weeks.  When the time is right It will come to me and find its way into the pages of the novel.  

It seems that as we humans take up new skills and find our passions.  Sometimes rediscovering the things we loved in our youth we form new pathways within our brains.  The more we use these new skills the easier the tasks become.  The mind is an amazing machine.

The Selection Process in the Search for the winning VENGEANCE Book Cover Design

Cover Number One


This was a neat start but the car reminded me of Stephen King's Christine.  Also in the cover the car is front and center, and in the book Reece's GTO is precious to him, but not the main part of the story.


Cover Number Two


This was the least favorite of these first two.  I didn't like the cowboy hat, although in the book Reece does have a Stetson.  Also it reminded me of something I've seen in a TV show.  A friend of mine at work said it reminded him of Justified.  That's on my list of to watch programs, but I'll have to wait until it comes out on Netflix.

Cover Number Three

This cover came about as the first of the second batch by my cover designers at DAMONZA.  It's cool and has Reece up in the clouds flying an airplane, but it looked too much like the cover for an Alfred Hitchcock movie or something.  When you see the next cover. The one I went with you'll understand why.  Of course you really need to read the book to understand why the last cover won.  
Cover Number Four - The Winner

This is the cover that I used.  I like the 3-D bullet holes, the simplicity, and the pattern of blood.  If you look quickly at the left side it almost looks like a man.  Also there's a lot going on subconsciously that pulls you into the book.  
Now that you know a little about the selection process for my debut Thriller Novel perhaps you should head over to my Official Author's site and find out a little more about the book.
Take Care, See you next time.
Bryan

See what people are saying about Bryan Koepke's Debut Thriller Novel - VENGEANCE.

It's been just 21 days since Koepke's Debut Thriller was published.

Here are some recent 5 - STAR reviews for the new Thriller.

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HOW TO PUBLISH YOUR BOOK

A Continuing Series - Check back often for new content.

As of 2014 there are at least two ways to publish your book.  

Today, authors seeking to publish their work have many options. In this article, we focus on the two most prevalent forms. Traditionally Published and Self-published.
Traditional publishingIn traditional publishing, the author completes their manuscript, writes a query letter, and begins sending out the query to literary agents.  Sounds easy doesn't it?  It's not. While there are many websites available that provide guidance about how to write a good query, the process can be nerve-racking.  Two good sites to look at for list of agents by genre and advice on your query letter are:  Agent Query and Query Tracker.
The most difficult part of this scenario is attracting the interest of an agent.  The websitemental_floss put together an interesting list of rejection letters from famous authors who later went to write highly read works. The list includes Stephen King, George Orwell, Gertrude Stein, and many more.
If you succeed in attracting the attention of these gatekeepers, the agents, who often comment that they are more likely to reject a query than accept one, you will be asked to send a sample of your work.  You'll send your precious words to them and enter into a state of mental anxiety while you wait for their response. It may or may not come.  To be fair to the agents this is no fault of theirs.  They are busy people trying to make a living and to do this they need to work with the author's that, in their opinion, show the most promise of selling large quantities of books.  
If you're lucky enough to receive a response back you will most likely be asked to edit your work.  The agent at this point is investing his or her time into you.  It is in there best interest to make your work marketable and as good as it can be.  They are after all going to earn a minimum of 15% of every dollar your work earns once they sign you on.  The editing phase can take a year or more and once you've completed everything they've asked for there is no guarantee that they'll be able to find a publishing house willing to buy and publish your work.
Some publishing houses accept queries without an agent.  These include Kensington Publishing Corp., The Permanent Press, and Academy Chicago Publishers.  Most publishing experts agree that representation by an agent is more than worth the 15% commission due to their expertise in editing, contracts, etc.  
Once the publishing house decides to publish the book they buy the rights from the author and pay him or her an advance against future royalties.  For a debut author this usually runs in the neighborhood of 8-12%, unless you're famous or are writing about something highly controversial, then it will be higher.
The best part of this type of deal is that the publishing house will get behind your book and market it.  You'll be assigned a publicist, you'll go on book tours, and you'll have the resources of the publisher working to sell your books.  Some authors get a deal like this and their book bombs.  The industry is very subjective.  The downside is that you'll loose rights to the book, and will no longer be in the drivers seat with regard to how your book is presented for sale.  Additionally publishers have in the past five years or so offered less and less help marketing authors works.  That said this is still the dream of most authors.  Having a traditionally published book gives you the best shot of making the NYT Bestsellers list.


Self-publishingAn author who makes the decision to self-publish becomes his or her own publisher. They format their work on their own using Amazon, or other site templates, or hire a service such asBookbaby, Lulu, or Amazon Createspace to do it for them for a fee.  Most of the bigger formatting services also offer additional services such as book cover design, proofreading, and editing.  I suggest you do some shopping and choose the service that best suits your budget.  If you're going try to save money don't choose to do it on your book cover design.  A quick look at the paperback and Kindle book covers on Amazon orSmashwords will let you know what you're up against as far as competition.
The best part of self-publishing is that in a relatively short span of time you can be holding a real paperback copy of your book in your hands.  You are an entrepreneur when you self-publish.  The easiest part of the process is writing the book.  The toughest is putting on your business hat and learning how to market your work. 

If you've written a great book it will, if properly marketed, eventually sell copies.  The more marketing you do the greater your sales should eventually be, but one thing to remember is that readers like agents are subjective.  Just because you think your novel is fabulous doesn't mean they will.  The best way to sell your books is to write more.