Smashwords N' stuff
Well, it's been an interesting few months to say the least. I had several different writing projects on the go, but life got in the way, as it often does. Unfortunately, the second book in my dark fantasy series is only just passed the first draft stage. I had hoped to be done editing it by now. At this point, it looks like it might be a few more months before I can afford to pay a professional to do the job. Until then, I'll be busy doing my own edits and working on various short stories.
My origin story for the Natsuko Masamura character from my novels is in the process of undergoing its third retooling. "White Plum Princess" will be the second of five planned free short story supplements to the Eons series. If the hurricane currently tearing through my personal life subsides soon, I may just have the story up on the smashwords site in a couple of weeks.
Speaking of smashwords, they've got an annual week long promotion called "Read an ebook week" where authors discount or give away their books. As I'm willing to try any avenue to reach more readership, I've put my debut novel "The Purging" on the list of free titles this week. Here's the link:
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view...
While sifting through some of the offerings on smashwords, some questions popped into my head. First and foremost, what is up with the amount of erotica? It seems as though every second book or short story published on that site is sexual in nature. Let me be clear, I have no moral objections to erotic fiction, people can read and write whatever they like. It's the sheer volume that blows my hair back, combined with the prices attached to them. Do people actually pay 2.99 for a 5000 word story about butt play? And if they do, do these same people buy their smut 20 stories at a time?
The state of some people's pitch is a little shocking as well. Just this morning I've read through a couple dozen that were horrific messes. If your pitch has glaring mistakes in it, people aren't going to give your work a second glance. My English is not Shakespearean in sophistication. As I've stated on my blog previously, my own work is not devoid of mistakes. So if I'm spotting twelve major grammar errors in a one paragraph pitch, that's a really bad sign.
I'm all for amateurs being able to put their thoughts and stories out there. Everybody has a right to participate, but not everyone should be slapping a 5 dollar price tag on what is clearly not professional work. My novel is normally 99 cents. I think it's a fair price. I firmly believe in the strength of my story and characters, but I didn't get it edited by a pro. Taking into consideration the recent public outcry on Goodreads for vigilantism against authors who didn't pay for editing, I may just make it free from here on out.
While I do think my book is worth the buck, being branded as, "a greedy pig, churning out whatever half baked shit they can muster in an attempt to fool the reading public out of their hard earned money" doesn't suit me. (that quote is from one of the many 'what's wrong with self publishing' threads that have been popping up lately.) I'm not here to fool anyone or steal anything. I thought that between myself, my sisters, my mother and my two best friends, the editing would be sufficient. That was an error in judgement on my part. As I alluded to above, the sequel is going to go through a much more rigorous process, up to and including a professional set of eyes. That being said, if anyone who reads this knows of a good editor who works in dark fantasy/horror, or is willing to be a beta reader, send me a PM and let me know.
On a related note, the book in question has been entered into the ABNA contest for this year. I've got everything crossed. With a little luck, maybe it'll make it passed the first round of eliminations. You never know though, the first round is judged solely on a 300 word pitch. That's why I was so fixated on other people's pitches this morning. I spent way too many hours obsessing over my own. There are so many elements to the plot, it was daunting to try and sum it up in such a short space. What I settled on was this:
Humanity has long believed that it was the highest order of life on Earth, the pinnacle of evolution. We were wrong. There are others who covet the crown, and they aren't pleased with what we've done to the planet. Pollution and overpopulation have left our world crippled and spiraling towards utter destruction.
To many among the preternatural species, mankind is a disease that must be remedied if anyone is to survive the next step. Kagan, tyrant of the vampire cabal and his ally the mongrel father Ahmu, have raised an army. Fueled by hate and a mysterious stimulant simply known as "juice", they will cut a swath through human civilization.
The cabal is not without enemies, however. There are allies among the others, those who will strive for the betterment of all. An ancient empress and her most loyal general will lead the charge to save us all.
Humanity itself is not totally defenseless. The Angelista Corporation has been expecting this day for quite some time. Preparations have just been completed for the most advanced weapons system ever devised by man. All they need now is the right candidate, and they just found one. But will their invention be enough to protect them from a fanatical cult of elemental channels?
It's an adrenaline soaked thrill ride through a world of overwhelming darkness. Alliances will be struck, millennia old feuds will be reignited, and blood will be spilled in all corners of the globe. The end is nigh, The Purging War has begun.
Any thoughts or comments, good or bad are appreciated. Have an excellent day internet peeps. :)
My origin story for the Natsuko Masamura character from my novels is in the process of undergoing its third retooling. "White Plum Princess" will be the second of five planned free short story supplements to the Eons series. If the hurricane currently tearing through my personal life subsides soon, I may just have the story up on the smashwords site in a couple of weeks.
Speaking of smashwords, they've got an annual week long promotion called "Read an ebook week" where authors discount or give away their books. As I'm willing to try any avenue to reach more readership, I've put my debut novel "The Purging" on the list of free titles this week. Here's the link:
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view...
While sifting through some of the offerings on smashwords, some questions popped into my head. First and foremost, what is up with the amount of erotica? It seems as though every second book or short story published on that site is sexual in nature. Let me be clear, I have no moral objections to erotic fiction, people can read and write whatever they like. It's the sheer volume that blows my hair back, combined with the prices attached to them. Do people actually pay 2.99 for a 5000 word story about butt play? And if they do, do these same people buy their smut 20 stories at a time?
The state of some people's pitch is a little shocking as well. Just this morning I've read through a couple dozen that were horrific messes. If your pitch has glaring mistakes in it, people aren't going to give your work a second glance. My English is not Shakespearean in sophistication. As I've stated on my blog previously, my own work is not devoid of mistakes. So if I'm spotting twelve major grammar errors in a one paragraph pitch, that's a really bad sign.
I'm all for amateurs being able to put their thoughts and stories out there. Everybody has a right to participate, but not everyone should be slapping a 5 dollar price tag on what is clearly not professional work. My novel is normally 99 cents. I think it's a fair price. I firmly believe in the strength of my story and characters, but I didn't get it edited by a pro. Taking into consideration the recent public outcry on Goodreads for vigilantism against authors who didn't pay for editing, I may just make it free from here on out.
While I do think my book is worth the buck, being branded as, "a greedy pig, churning out whatever half baked shit they can muster in an attempt to fool the reading public out of their hard earned money" doesn't suit me. (that quote is from one of the many 'what's wrong with self publishing' threads that have been popping up lately.) I'm not here to fool anyone or steal anything. I thought that between myself, my sisters, my mother and my two best friends, the editing would be sufficient. That was an error in judgement on my part. As I alluded to above, the sequel is going to go through a much more rigorous process, up to and including a professional set of eyes. That being said, if anyone who reads this knows of a good editor who works in dark fantasy/horror, or is willing to be a beta reader, send me a PM and let me know.
On a related note, the book in question has been entered into the ABNA contest for this year. I've got everything crossed. With a little luck, maybe it'll make it passed the first round of eliminations. You never know though, the first round is judged solely on a 300 word pitch. That's why I was so fixated on other people's pitches this morning. I spent way too many hours obsessing over my own. There are so many elements to the plot, it was daunting to try and sum it up in such a short space. What I settled on was this:
Humanity has long believed that it was the highest order of life on Earth, the pinnacle of evolution. We were wrong. There are others who covet the crown, and they aren't pleased with what we've done to the planet. Pollution and overpopulation have left our world crippled and spiraling towards utter destruction.
To many among the preternatural species, mankind is a disease that must be remedied if anyone is to survive the next step. Kagan, tyrant of the vampire cabal and his ally the mongrel father Ahmu, have raised an army. Fueled by hate and a mysterious stimulant simply known as "juice", they will cut a swath through human civilization.
The cabal is not without enemies, however. There are allies among the others, those who will strive for the betterment of all. An ancient empress and her most loyal general will lead the charge to save us all.
Humanity itself is not totally defenseless. The Angelista Corporation has been expecting this day for quite some time. Preparations have just been completed for the most advanced weapons system ever devised by man. All they need now is the right candidate, and they just found one. But will their invention be enough to protect them from a fanatical cult of elemental channels?
It's an adrenaline soaked thrill ride through a world of overwhelming darkness. Alliances will be struck, millennia old feuds will be reignited, and blood will be spilled in all corners of the globe. The end is nigh, The Purging War has begun.
Any thoughts or comments, good or bad are appreciated. Have an excellent day internet peeps. :)
No comments have been added yet.
