Mark Yoshimoto Nemcoff's Blog, page 34

Go Forth and Kick Some Ass Hits 3 Amazon Bestseller Lists on First Day

Hey, not bad, right? I especially like that it hit #50 for all Amazon books, not just ebooks, in the category of "Creativity". This morning it was #32. I'm stoked, and top 10 on any bestseller list on Amazon is pretty cool so thank you all who bought the book. I hope you're digging it.

And for the rest of you… what are you waiting for?

Get Motivated! "Go Forth and Kick Some Ass" is out!

"Life is tough and this book reminds you of that, but it also reminds you that YOU are tougher than anything life can throw at you. Mark has taken years of experience and boiled it down to an inspiring, humorous and dead on serious look at what you need to do to be successful in life. It isn't as difficult as you might believe."

- C.C. CHAPMAN – New Media trailblazer and bestselling author of "Content Rules"

Over the last few years, because of the things I've created and done, people have emailed me and contacted me with their questions about the stuff they are creating. Mostly, what folks ask are questions pertaining to how to keep motivated and how to keep the ball rolling once you've started on a project. Creatives know there's a wonderful feeling when you embark on the journey of taking the creative ideas from your head and try to put them on paper or record them or in some way try to form them into something tangible to share with other people. But oftentimes that journey is fraught with many obstacles, some which have the ability to stop you dead in your tracks and render your dreams into dust.

Some of you know I've been doing some sermons, er… conversations on how to get motivated and, more importantly, how to stay motivated. GO FORTH AND KICK SOME ASS is a book for anyone who has suffered, as have I in the past, with the crippling self-doubt that comes from feeling like your life is stuck in a rut.

If you've followed my stuff over the years you know I put my heart and soul into everything I do and the surprising opportunities, both large and small, that have come my way are the result of my philosophy to NEVER EVER, EVER GIVE UP, EVER.

How you get to that point requires arming yourself with the right mental tools. GO FORTH AND KICK SOME ASS will give you a battle plan to keep your ambitions moving forward. Is it corny to say this book can change your life? Perhaps. But I can tell you that every idea and exercise I detail in the book has changed mine.

Go Forth and Kick Some Ass (Be the Hero of Your Own Life Story) – Kindle Edition

Go Forth and Kick Some Ass (Be the Hero of Your Own Life Story) - Nook Edition

No Kindle? No Worries: Convert My eBooks to your eReader with Calibre

I've had a few folks ask me if my books would soon be available for other eBook readers like the Kobo or the Sony. Unfortunately, neither offer the ease of getting books to market for the indie publisher that Amazon or Barnes and Noble do for the Kindle and the Nook.

However, fret no more! Rich Dubya sent me this video for CALIBRE, a free eBook format converter for Mac, PC and Linux that will convert Amazon AZW files to epub files that you can read on your Kobo, Sony, etc. Or you can read them in iBooks on your iPhone, iPad or Touch.

No longer must you suffer the tyranny of not being able to read my eBooks on your beloved eBook reader! Download a copy of Calibre and check it out. Calibre also offers you a way to manage your eBook library and a built-in reader to read your ebooks from your computer screen.

Flattered by Rich Dubya's Speech

I wasn't expecting this and was pretty blown away by it. Rich Dubya, a.k.a. The Nintendo Freak, who stalks the comment threads, was the winner of the kinda half-baked Sony eReader Contest and he surprised me with this gem. It's obvious he put some time and effort into this very flattering and amusing acceptance speech. I especially love, as John Singleton pointed out on Facebook, that he's holding a severed arm as a stand-in for a trophy. Thank you Rich, the restraining order is in the mail. LOL.

Diary of a Madman – Now available for Kindle and Nook

Diary of a Madman for the Kindle and Diary of a Madman for the Nook are available starting today!

DIARY OF A MADMAN is a splatterpunk symphony of hardcore violence and sex wrapped in a tight-as-nails noir narrative about loss of self. Told in a casual first person style, DIARY OF A MADMAN details one man's fixation with infamous serial killers such as John Wayne Gacy, Harv "The Hammer" Carignan, The Genessee River Killer and Andrew Cunanan and his obsession with catching the serial murderer known as the "Interstate Slasher". During the day, he hides behind his bland persona as a salesman but outside of the office politics he is very serious about his "hobby". However, as he kills more victims his world begins to unravel around him and what he finds on his murder and sex-fueled journey will shock you right to the very last page.

WARNING: EXTREME GRAPHIC VIOLENCE AND SEXUAL CONTENT.

"Dear Diary, Today I slit the throat of a man named Carl Bishop…"

What do you do when you can't stop yourself from killing those who you believe are the scum of society? When the inside information you're receiving about your victims is coming from a mysterious source seemingly inside of law enforcement? But more importantly, how do you know if you've gone insane?

PRAISE FOR DIARY OF A MADMAN

Wonderfully Delicious – A Window Into the Darkness.

The author/narrator truly captures the deviancy of a serial killer's mind, heart and soul. The author paints an authentic profile of a killer. It appears the author has done a commendable job on his research. As a professor of child psychology, with a strong interest in violent behavior disorders, I enjoyed peering inside the mind (while fictional) of a serial killer. Thank you, Mark.

-JamesPh.D.

…His precise knowledge of human physiology lends an almost Tom-Clancy-like second-by-second suspense to the actual description of this murderous efficiency, which is very very chiling (Nemcoff must have some medical traiing)… this book was an unexpected guilty pleasure, and I found myself checking my earbuds to make sure no one was overhearing his wickedly delicious narrative.

-stacy_a_lbc

I have to say the first chapter threw me for a loop. The detail of the murders and the language were a bit unsettling. After the second chapter… I have become addicted to the book. The description, from the point of view of a killer, is definitely colorful, insightful and entertaining. I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys a beautifully written thriller.

-BOLESE

WOW! Truly twisted and unavoidably addicting.

-Fergibaby

The Five W's (Kickstart Creativity Toolkit #1)

Before you begin a narrative project such as a novel or short story you should really know what it is you're going to write. Sure, it's easy to have a great idea for a scene or a conversation that sparks the genesis for that great tale you want to tell but the trap a lot of writers fall into is not being able to answer the question of "What Happens Next?"

Writing any kind of narrative, especially a novel is often a test of will and endurance. Nobody wants to start and fail so I believe you give yourself the best chance to succeed in your quest if you know as much about your Five W's before diving in.

THE FIVE W's

Who, what, when, where and most importantly… Why?

WHO

Who is your protagonist?

Who does your protagonist care about most?

Who is this story about?

Who stands in their way?

Who do they meet while trying to overcome the obstacles in their path?

Who holds the answers to the questions?

Who does not want the truth revealed?

Who benefits from any good or bad deeds?

Who benefits from any actions?

Who will win in the end?

WHAT

What does your protagonist's normal life look like?

What do they normally do?

What is their normal routine?

What are they afraid of?

What are their faults?

What happens that permanently alters the trajectory of your protagonist's life? What do they plan to do about it?

What is holding them back?

What makes them decide to take on a life-altering journey?

What is the first thing they do on this journey?

What will they do the first time misfortune strikes?

What is the antagonist capable of?

What will they discover that will change everything their journey was all about? What is the worst thing that could happen?

What will cause your protagonist to face their worst fear?

What will they do to overcome this worst-case scenario?

What does success entail?

What will they do when they reach their goal?

What will happen if they fail?

What will they do if they ultimately succeed/fail?

What does it all ultimately mean?

WHEN

When does your protagonist's normal life take place?

When does the inciting incident happen to forever alter this normal life?

When does your protagonist decide to take action?

When do they leave on their journey?

When do they have their first encounter outside of their comfort zone?

When do things get difficult enough that your protagonist really questions their journey?

When does the event happen that alters everything this journey was about?

When is the worst time that the worst-case scenario could happen?

When does your protagonist feel that things couldn't be any worse?

When does your protagonist spring into action to ultimately reach their goal?

WHERE

Where does your protagonist call home?

Where are the boundaries of your protagonist's comfort zone?

Where physically, emotionally or spiritually does your protagonist have to go to leave on their journey?

Where will that journey take them?

Where do they most fear to go?

Where could the worst possible thing that could happen, happen?

Where will your protagonist make his or her final stand?

WHY

Why does your protagonist have to leave their comfort zone and undertake this journey?

Why can't they go it alone?

Why should the reader care about the protagonist's journey?

Why does the worst-case scenario happen?

Why does your protagonist have to succeed?

Why will it take every resource at his or her disposal?

Why is it important that he or she succeeds or fails in the end?

 

I may have missed a few… please feel to post any of the other Five W's you think are important in the comments!

 

Kickstart Creativity on May 1

I decided that I was going to commence the actual writing of the Diary of a Madman sequel on May 1 and figured it would be cool if maybe 5/1 could be the day some of you procrastinating creatives kickstarted a project of your own be it a book, song, album, painting, whatever. No matter if you draw, write, code… whatever secret sauce your creative juices flow as… let's all get motivated to begin a new project on May 1.

I first posted this on my Facebook profile and the response was really great. By the end of the day the Kickstart Creativity 5/1 group was a dozen strong with several of us starting novels, one person choosing to write a short story and one so far working on a new album.

So won't you join us? I don't envision any rules or milestones–this isn't NaNoWriMo with a deadline of finishing a 50k word book in a month. In fact, I probably won't finish the first draft of the Diary of a Madman sequel until mid-June at the earliest. The point of the group was for us to all to keep each other motivated because we all know that starting a project is much easier than keeping one going once the initial euphoria fades and the reality of the difficult road ahead becomes more apparent.

So if you want to Kickstart your own creative project on 5/1 with a group of supportive creative friends, hit me up on Facebook and I'll include you into the group.

Results Don't Come Without Work

RESULTS DON'T COME WITHOUT WORK – CLICK TO LISTEN NOW

Looking for new stories for a new book I'm working on, a discussion on how to what it takes to make shit happen, the great MYN 99 cent ebook sale and we finally give away the sony ebook reader!

I'm dropping the price of THE DOOMSDAY CLUB, BADLANDS and the Parsec-Award winning NUMBER ONE WITH A BULLET to a measly 99 CENTS! Three fantastic Mark Yoshimoto Nemcoff page-turning thrillers for about the cost of a cup of coffee.

Plus vent your Boss-killing fantasies. Submit a story to HOW I WOULD KILL MY BOSS

$3 off THE ALL PRO by Scott Sigler with Coupon|Discount Code "ALOHA"

NFL football lockout got you down? Well get your ass in the game with THE ALL PRO, the gripping new GFL novel from New York Times Bestselling author SCOTT SIGLER!

GET $3 OFF EACH BOOK YOU ORDER WITH SCOTT SIGLER COUPON CODE "ALOHA"

CLICK HERE TO ORDER

THE GALACTIC FOOTBALL LEAGUE SERIES: Set in a lethal pro football league 700 years in the future, this galaxy-spanning story combines the intense gridiron action of "Any Given Sunday" with the space-opera style of "Star Wars" and the criminal underworld of "The Godfather."

Aliens and humans alike play positions based on physiology, creating receivers that jump 25 feet into the air, linemen that bench-press 1,200 pounds, and linebackers that literally want to eat you. Organized crime runs every franchise, games are fixed and rival players are assassinated.

Follow the story of Quentin Barnes, a 19-year-old quarterback prodigy that has been raised all his life to hate those aliens. Quentin must deal with his racism and learn to lead, or he'll wind up just another stat in the column marked "killed on the field."

STAR WARS" meets "THE BLIND SIDE" meets "THE GODFATHER."

THE ALL-PRO is the third book in the Galactic Football League series, following on THE ROOKIE and THE STARTER. Seven centuries into the future, aliens and humans compete for the greatest prize in the universe: the Galaxy Bowl trophy. Quarterback Quentin Barnes enters his third season at the helm of the Ionath Krakens. He's re-shaped the team in his image, and the time for excuses is over — it's win, or be replaced. Quentin's championship quest carries he and his teammates across the galaxy in a brutal twelve-game season fraught with injury and death. But he faces more than just on-field challenges. As he enters a free-agent year, several franchises vie for his services. Will he play for a new team, or will he remain with his beloved Krakens. And then there's the slight distraction that someone, somewhere, is trying to assassinate him – and he doesn't know why.

The Great MYN 99 Cent Kindle eBook Sale

99 CENTS? HAVE I LOST MY FREAKIN' MIND?

Maybe. But for 2 WEEKS ONLY you can get three of my novels for Kindle for less than a buck! I'm dropping the price of THE DOOMSDAY CLUB, BADLANDS and the Parsec-Award winning NUMBER ONE WITH A BULLET to a measly 99 CENTS!

Three fantastic Mark Yoshimoto Nemcoff page-turning thrillers for about the cost of a cup of coffee. How can you beat that?

But you only have 2 weeks from today, after that they'll go back up to $2.99.

Seriously though. 99 cents?

There was a very interesting article on CNET called "The Rise of the 99 Cent Ebook" that caught my eye recently and it really made me think that regardless of what myself or other creators may think, we are all part of this global electronic marketplace that has migrated to a 99 cent sweet spot. The same thing has happened to apps. Call it market adjustment but I think the 99 cent sweet spot is here to stay and with me always keen on trying a marketing experiment, I've decided to drop the price of these three fine books to see what the difference in sales volume is at this price point.

So buy the books (and tell your friends) and help support the cause and keep more great books coming.