Update on Tactics and a Chance to Interact

First off the promised updates. KDP Select, after five days or so, has netted me a whopping three borrows. Not so impressive, but I'm also not doing anything to try and promote those particular titles (outside of this blog). The books in question aren't screaming up the bestseller charts either, but they're still mid-list at the moment. In case you missed my prior post, the books I'm talking about are New Beginnings and The Colony, the first two books in my Vitalis futuristic science fiction series. They're also the only books in the series, at this point, but I've work in progress that will rectify that situation early next year.

Another update is on Wanted and Dark Earth, both free books on Amazon that have managed to "sell" well over 30,000 copies between the two of them. Sure, a lot of people just grab the free stuff and read it at their leisure. Sometimes they even expect a pretty lousy story. I don't have a problem with that, especially when I get reviews and emails from people telling me they didn't expect much and they had their socks blown off by my book(s). Then they proceed to buy the next book(s) in the series. It's been happening and, to be honest, it's been a great thing for me. Ice Princess, the sequel to Wanted, has risen to a peak of being on two top 20 lists and one top 40 list at the same time. I think it's a bit lower right now, but I believe it'll pop back up there soon enough. Likewise the two books in my Dark Earth series (The Lost Girls and Voices) are doing pretty darn good. Not quite Ice Princess caliber, but they've outsold themselves compared to prior months – even when taking those prior months and adding them all together! I'd call that a win.

So my fellow writers, write books in a series. If people like one, they'll want to know more about the characters and the environment and they'll read others – whether one is free or not. Amanda Hocking, for example, prices the first book in each of her series at $.99. I've been doing that too, but I don't have quite the same reach as she does (I'm trying though). Or, in the case of Wanted and Dark Earth, I give the first book away to let people decide if they like me on my dime, not theirs.

If you're interested in checking out any of these books, especially the free ones, just click on the covers displayed on the right.

Interaction? Yes, here's a chance for anybody who's followed my space fantasy series, Voidhawk. The first couple of books were heavily influenced by reader feedback. Changes were made and different elements put in because of this. I'm now working on the 4th book in the series, which chronicles the adventures of Bekka, the confused half-elven navigator / sorceress; Logan, the priest cursed to become a werewolf on planets with a moon, and Bailynn, the woman trapped in the body of a girl that was magically twisted and forced to become a weapon for the elves. Their on a personal mission to help Bekka seek out a better understanding of not only her own whimsical sorcery, but also her very identity. They've landed on a planet where she thinks she can get some answers – the problem is the planet has two moons, the smaller of which is full every night.

My intent? There will be some conflict and new creatures. I've also been exposed to FAR too many faeries thanks to my young daughter's interest in that topic, so I'm planning some faeries as well (and don't worry, these won't be the Disney kind). I'm thinking about finally breaking into the subject of dragons, but I really want to wait and spring something that dangerous later down the road. The point behind this is I'm welcoming any ideas or suggestions that people would like to see. I can't guarantee any of them will make it into the book, but if it does I'll be sure to let you know!

To learn more about Jason Halstead, visit his website to learn about him, his books, sign up for his newsletter, or check out some free samples of his books at http://www.booksbyjason.com.