Book 5 of post-apoc tale Soulless now live!

[Jason]

Still reeling from what the Messenger has done to him, Chris Kodiak swears vengeance and goes on the offensive. But who is the hunter and who is the hunted?

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00QJNJ8D2

"I ignored my toddler’s cries for milk for several minutes so I could finish reading the latest entry." - Kristen Pham, Author Interview: Jason Robbins
http://kristenpham.com/2013/06/17/aut...

[Mellie]

Is it an excerpt? The Amazon link says its only 22 pages?

[Jason]

A.W. wrote: "Is it an excerpt? The Amazon link says its only 22 pages?"

Nope, it's a short fiction serial, hence the 99 cent price tag. The full story, once all books are released, will be the length of a full novel.

[Tom]

A.W. wrote: "Is it an excerpt? The Amazon link says its only 22 pages?"

A.W., I checked out all of the books a little earlier today. It seems like Jason has split up a pretty decent novel(la) into 5 parts, all of which are also pretty decent, judging from the reviews. It calls to mind the tactic employed by Hugh Howey with Wool, except each of Howey's installments is significantly longer (and the first one is free).

I would have gone with a serial format (releasing a new chunk every couple weeks or every month) rather than 5 separate books, though, since .99 is a bit much to ask for so few pages.

[Jason]

Thomas wrote: "A.W. wrote: "Is it an excerpt? The Amazon link says its only 22 pages?"

A.W., I checked out all of the books a little earlier today. It seems like Jason has split up a pretty decent novel(la) into..."

Hi Thomas,

This is in serial format. I have been releasing a new chunk every few weeks. I just released book 5 today, but it's not the last in the series. I'd say there will be around five more before the ending is reached.

Thanks, Jason

[Mellie]

I wouldn't call 10-20 pages a novella (which is defined as 20,000 to 40,000 words). It seems more like episodic short stories to me. At that length you will need 20-30 "episodes" to make one full length novel, but hey, not my "book".

[Jason]

A.W. wrote: "I wouldn't call 10-20 pages a novella (which is defined as 20,000 to 40,000 words). It seems more like episodic short stories to me. At that length you will need 20-30 "episodes" to make one full l..."

I don't recall saying it was a "novella." No need to get snippy, chief. If you think the "books" are too short for the price, that's valuable consumer information for me. Perhaps I'll reconsider my format.

Thanks, Jason

[Tom]

Jason wrote: "I don't recall saying it was a "novella.""

That's my bad, Jason. She was referring to my original post when I said it looked like you had a novella on hand (the entirety of the 10 or so episodes you plan on releasing) and that your strategy was to divide the story into these segments and sell them individually.

It's not a criticism, just an explanation for her benefit of why they were each a considerably shorter length than what is typically expected of a novella.

And when I suggested a serial, I meant a serial like these ones, wherein the customer pays a price for the whole book and receives it in small installments (either because the book is still being produced, or to make it easier to ingest each morsel rather than sitting down to one huge meal).

Instead of buying each installment separately as is your current model, they'd pay maybe $3 and get it all from one source over a period of time (their Kindles should automatically update with each new posting to the story, so they don't need to look you up again).

[Jason]

Thomas wrote: "Jason wrote: "I don't recall saying it was a "novella.""

That's my bad, Jason. She was referring to my original post when I said it looked like you had a novella on hand (the entirety of the 10 or..."


That's a good idea. I have no idea how to set that up on Amazon tho. I'm on Amazon KDP, which doesn't seem to offer too many intricate release options like that. It doesn't even let you price anything below 99 cents.

In all honesty, sales have been a problem, despite the positive reviews. I was wondering if it was the length that was deterring purchases, and I guess it probably is. I may have to pull the series and release them as larger installments or just release the whole story in one shot.

What do you think?

[Tom]

There's a great group here on Goodreads that will help with anything related to Amazon. There's a whole thread on successfully getting your work listed "permafree" (a free first book is a good incentive for enticing new readers into buying a whole series), and they can probably also help with getting the serial setup working for you.

Honestly, a lot of readers may be deterred by the price tag for the number of pages offered, especially since that's a recurring cost. If you plan on publishing ten of these segments, that means you're pricing your whole ebook at $10. That's a price that a damn good established author might charge, though I know quite a few wish they could set their ebook listings lower (it's the publishers who bump it up for higher royalties).

If you can, I'd go with the true serial option at a lower overall price. Failing that, a complete book (also at a lower price, say $2.99) is the next best way to go. The only reason Hugh Howey (the author I mentioned before) went with his segmented approach is because Wool began as only a short story, and he was forced to expand the world and its characters due to reader demands.

[Jason]

Thomas wrote: "There's a great group here on Goodreads that will help with anything related to Amazon. There's a whole thread on successfully getting your work listed "permafree" (a free first book is a good ince..."

I appreciate the advice, Tom. I think I'm just going to combine the five current releases into one "novelette" and then release the rest of the story as a second.

I'll post here again when the bigger book is available.

Thanks again!

Jason

[Jason]

Hey guys, thanks for all the good advice! I took it, and have now included all 5 current Soulless books in 1, so much more content for the price (still just 99 cents.)

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00OFHPG7Q

Thanks again, Jason Robbins

"I ignored my toddler’s cries for milk for several minutes so I could finish reading the latest entry." - Kristen Pham, Author Interview: Jason Robbins

http://kristenpham.com/2013/06/17/aut...

"Fantastic Dystopian mind trip. Robbins does something very difficult in fiction; making you sympathize with a terrible person. This is because his voice is so unique and sincere, no matter how much of a bastard he is. In the vein of Tony Soprano and Walter White, we relish his antics to the very end..."

-Joseph in Portland,ME