tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5682226422264604262024-03-13T08:16:32.494-07:00Wood on WordsUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger109125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-568222642226460426.post-80500612464736674712019-05-23T09:16:00.001-07:002019-05-23T09:16:22.940-07:00The Writing LifeIt happens...<br />
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-L-g2JMBxShI/XObHRROKeuI/AAAAAAAAC6g/hgG5VJpFeCwyl0lfor_CKi7uGtES8n8WwCLcBGAs/s1600/Publisher%2BBotched.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="393" data-original-width="600" height="209" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-L-g2JMBxShI/XObHRROKeuI/AAAAAAAAC6g/hgG5VJpFeCwyl0lfor_CKi7uGtES8n8WwCLcBGAs/s320/Publisher%2BBotched.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-568222642226460426.post-75596564863393301452018-12-13T15:02:00.001-08:002018-12-13T15:02:53.667-08:00Book Review- Sea of Greed by Clive Cussler and Graham Brown<div style="text-align: right;">
<a href="https://amzn.to/2QOeJ3I" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://amzn.to/2QOeJ3I" border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="341" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-c6enSbKdIOg/XBLjtKF2JbI/AAAAAAAAC0s/eOoGyAFkx-4lSQ0-H28sKrn-7IU3AujsgCLcBGAs/s320/sea%2Bof%2Bgreed.jpg" width="218" /></a>“A Cussler novel is like a ride on a roller coaster: it's no
secret where things will start, where they<strong> </strong>will end, or what's going to
happen along the way, but the ride is thrilling nonetheless.”</div>
<br />
<br />
<strong><a href="https://www.nyjournalofbooks.com/book-review/sea-greed" target="_blank">Check out the full review at New York Journal of Books... </a></strong>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-568222642226460426.post-55994400931647205682018-12-10T11:24:00.001-08:002018-12-10T11:24:45.446-08:00Book Review: Kill the Queen by Jennifer Estep<i>Jennifer Estep’s engaging style and a perfect balance of action and intrigue make this a strong first </i><a href="https://amzn.to/2UEdfbk" target="_blank"><i></i></a><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pEf7p9Xt1bM/XA68vZjWpFI/AAAAAAAAC0c/hb6aw2ZLHQUWccmheSZdpFDfr-IVsXmwgCLcBGAs/s1600/kt1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="324" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pEf7p9Xt1bM/XA68vZjWpFI/AAAAAAAAC0c/hb6aw2ZLHQUWccmheSZdpFDfr-IVsXmwgCLcBGAs/s320/kt1.jpg" width="207" /></a></i></div>
<i>installment of a promising new fantasy series.</i><br />
<br />
“The day of the royal massacre started out like any other.” And with that hook, so begins Kill the Queen, the first installment of Jennifer Estep’s Crown of Shards series...<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.nyjournalofbooks.com/book-review/kill-queen" target="_blank"><b>Read the full review at New York Journal of Books </b></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-568222642226460426.post-4995748262691973142018-10-08T11:58:00.001-07:002018-10-08T11:58:05.285-07:00The Book of Bones Part 17- Final Episode (For real this time!)<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/asAHa3mls_E" width="480"></iframe>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-568222642226460426.post-35154168174649077502018-10-08T11:57:00.001-07:002018-10-08T11:57:18.889-07:00The Book of Bones Part 16<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/MEoV-vzacEE" width="480"></iframe>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-568222642226460426.post-24085734546351668072018-10-04T11:03:00.001-07:002018-10-04T11:03:08.675-07:00The Book of Bones Part 15<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/C71KbM4T7qs" width="480"></iframe>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-568222642226460426.post-55780438565785659372018-09-13T09:13:00.001-07:002018-09-13T09:13:42.674-07:00Review: Shadow Tyrants by Clive Cussler and Boyd Morrison<a href="https://amzn.to/2xcywxI" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://amzn.to/2xcywxI" border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="324" height="200" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-f7IsKtSwS9k/W5qML9dFrVI/AAAAAAAACxs/2MnPsdqmFn8yLFX6KNktgkftZiEUA168wCLcBGAs/s200/shadow.jpg" width="129" /></a>Boyd Morrison and Clive Cussler are back with <a href="https://amzn.to/2xcywxI" target="_blank"><em>Shadow Tyrants</em></a>,
the 13th book in the Oregon Files series. The series follows the
exploits of Juan Cabrillo and his crew, who work under the moniker of
“The Corporation,” and draws its name from Cabrillo’s ship, <em>The Oregon</em>.<br />
<br />
Shadow Tyrants begins in typical Cussler fashion, with a prologue set
in the past that lays the groundwork for the conflict that drives the
story...<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.nyjournalofbooks.com/book-review/shadow-tyrants" target="_blank">Read the full review at New York Journal of Books. </a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-568222642226460426.post-91910457529748399112018-08-17T11:17:00.001-07:002018-08-17T12:17:29.096-07:0057- 2017 Earnings Breakdown and Analysis<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><a href="https://www.podomatic.com/podcasts/woodonwords/episodes/2018-08-17T12_09_27-07_00" target="_blank">Click Here to Listen to the Podcast Episode</a></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
Here's the breakdown by vendor and source of my 2017 publishing income along with comparisons to 2016:<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Share of Gross Income by Vendor</b></div>
<b>2017</b><br />
Kindle: 73.8%<br />
Nook: 5.3%<br />
Kobo: 5:7%<br />
Audible: 5.6%<br />
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_AjcAZde0vw/W3cK74QGOSI/AAAAAAAACws/nQEt9yRL_xIxWDZylgxaxMHpijZQpHFhgCLcBGAs/s1600/Screenshot%2B2018-08-17%2B11.31.16.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="804" data-original-width="1522" height="210" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_AjcAZde0vw/W3cK74QGOSI/AAAAAAAACws/nQEt9yRL_xIxWDZylgxaxMHpijZQpHFhgCLcBGAs/s400/Screenshot%2B2018-08-17%2B11.31.16.png" width="400" /></a></div>
iBooks: 4.8%<br />
Print: 2.3%<br />
Google: 1.4%<br />
Other vendors: 0.1%<br />
Translations: 0.1%<br />
Trad pub: 0.8%<br />
<br />
<b>2016</b><br />
Kindle: 77.7%<br />
Nook: 6.2%<br />
Kobo: 5.4%<br />
Audible: 4.4%<br />
iBooks: 3.7%<br />
Print: 2.0%<br />
Google: 0.4%<br />
Other vendors: 0.1%<br />
Translations: 0.1%<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Income Increase/Decrease from 2017</b></div>
<br />
<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="width: 139px;"><tbody>
<tr height="20" style="height: 15.0pt;"><td class="xl66" height="20" style="height: 15.0pt; width: 65pt;" width="87">Google
Play</td>
<td class="xl67" style="width: 39pt;" width="52">223%</td>
</tr>
<tr height="20" style="height: 15.0pt;">
<td class="xl66" height="20" style="height: 15.0pt;">Translations</td>
<td class="xl67">39%</td>
</tr>
<tr height="20" style="height: 15.0pt;">
<td class="xl66" height="20" style="height: 15.0pt;">Apple</td>
<td class="xl67">27%</td>
</tr>
<tr height="20" style="height: 15.0pt;">
<td class="xl66" height="20" style="height: 15.0pt;">Audible</td>
<td class="xl67">21%<span id="goog_1923592660"></span><span id="goog_1923592661"></span></td>
</tr>
<tr height="20" style="height: 15.0pt;">
<td class="xl66" height="20" style="height: 15.0pt;">Paperback</td>
<td class="xl67">14%</td>
</tr>
<tr height="20" style="height: 15.0pt;">
<td class="xl66" height="20" style="height: 15.0pt;">Other</td>
<td class="xl67">13%</td>
</tr>
<tr height="20" style="height: 15.0pt;">
<td class="xl64" height="20" style="height: 15.0pt;">Kobo</td>
<td class="xl65">-1%</td>
</tr>
<tr height="20" style="height: 15.0pt;">
<td class="xl64" height="20" style="height: 15.0pt;">Kindle</td>
<td class="xl65">-8%</td>
</tr>
<tr height="20" style="height: 15.0pt;">
<td class="xl64" height="20" style="height: 15.0pt;">Nook</td>
<td class="xl65">-17%</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HkRUa5DepkE/W3cLyyiFL4I/AAAAAAAACw0/aZhMDzPX_y0CgIVGOph7fqTqEbJoGaVGwCEwYBhgL/s1600/Screenshot%2B2018-08-17%2B11.54.35.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="694" data-original-width="1136" height="243" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HkRUa5DepkE/W3cLyyiFL4I/AAAAAAAACw0/aZhMDzPX_y0CgIVGOph7fqTqEbJoGaVGwCEwYBhgL/s400/Screenshot%2B2018-08-17%2B11.54.35.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<b>Observations</b><br />
-Kindle decrease is primarily attributed to the amount of time and effort invested in Kindle Worlds. Those books sold well, but brought in much less per-unit sold than books I published myself. Also, most were underpriced, in my opinion.<br />
<br />
-I was pleased to see income from iBooks (Apple) increase.<br />
<br />
-Audible increase is primarily due to sales of audiobook bundles as well as terrific sales of Primordial.<br />
<br />
-I'm not sure why paperback income increased, but I'm not complaining.<br />
<br />
-Google Play increased significantly. This is mostly due to the fact that I didn't have my full catalog in GP in 2016, but I do think their market share is growing.<br />
<br />
-Nook income fell, which is not surprising to me.<br />
<br />
-Income from translations and from "other" channels (Scribd, Tolino, Overdrive...) increased, but the income from those channels are so small that the changes aren't statistically significant.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b>Looking Back at Last Year's Musings</b></div>
<br />
<i>Last year:</i><b> </b><i>Several of my author friends tell me they are doing very well on
iBooks. I'd like to increase my sales and visibility in that store</i>.<br />
<br />
Mission accomplished! 27% increase in gross income and a modest increase in market share.<br />
<br />
<i>LY: I'm curious to see whether or not the lending program Kobo is beta testing will have an impact on sales.<br />
</i><br />
<br />
Not yet. At this time it's only available to a couple of countries.<br />
<br />
<i>LY:Rumors are circulating that Audible plans to roll out an audiobook lending service, which will also be interesting to watch.</i><br />
<br />
<br />
As far as I'm aware, this is still limited to the romance genre and authors have been unhappy with the compensation.<br />
<br />
<br />
<i>With the launch of the Dane Maddock Kindle World, I expect Kindle
income to continue to rise in proportion to the other vendors.</i><br />
<br />
<br />
In terms of units sold, this did happen, but not in terms of income.<br />
<br />
<i>-I am strongly considering going exclusive with Createspace, as the
paltry sales through Ingram mean the annual listing fees for all books
in my catalog aren't worthwhile.</i><br />
<br />
I did cancel a number of titles with Lightning Source, but I have been experimenting with Ingram Spark. Rumors are circulating that CreateSpace will be going out of business. We'll see what happens.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Looking Ahead</b></div>
-I expect Google, iBooks, and Audible to continue to grow.<br />
<br />
-Not sure what to expect from Kindle. I'm still in the process of republishing the Kindle Worlds books. I'm hopeful they'll perform better now that I can control the advertising.<br />
<br />
-I'm interested in seeing what happens with CreateSpace. I will probably experiment with KDP print because you can run AMS ads for print books published with them.<br />
<br />
-Indie-published translations have not been worthwhile so far. This year, a single advance on one translated book earned four times as much as I made from my entire catalog of translated works in 2017. I might cancel my translations once the contract terms expire and see if I can sell rights to foreign language publishers.<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-568222642226460426.post-3021406199892814552018-08-12T13:50:00.001-07:002018-08-12T13:50:07.068-07:00The Book of Bones Part 14<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ESHo8ObeQo0" width="480"></iframe>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-568222642226460426.post-88059641166491478812018-08-12T13:08:00.002-07:002018-08-12T13:08:37.586-07:00Review: Murder in an English Village by Jessica EllicottI picked up the audiobook version of <a href="https://amzn.to/2vDpREC" target="_blank"><i>Murder in an English Village </i></a>on a whim. (I think Audible might have had it on sale but I can't remember). It's not my usual fare, but I enjoy the occasional mystery novel, I like history, and I love British mystery shows like <i>Foyle's War</i>, <i>Hinterland</i>, and <i>Broadchurch</i>, so I thought I'd give it a go. I was not disappointed.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://amzn.to/2vDpREC" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://amzn.to/2vDpREC" border="0" data-original-height="346" data-original-width="230" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Dt_GZgy1dZ0/W3CTkoXC43I/AAAAAAAACwc/0NjCNhjez4IysutzRJoqBc8dOjPkziCiACLcBGAs/s320/murder.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>
<br />
When two old school friends reunite in post-World War I England, their investigation into a young woman's disappearance leads to murder. Their search uncovers a variety of secrets, some dating back to the war years.<br />
<br />
The pacing is slow and steady, but seemed about right for this type of story. The characters are interesting and the mystery intriguing with just enough twists and surprises to keep the pages turning. Like any good mystery, there were several times I was fairly certain I knew who the killer was (and I was wrong every time.) When I neared the end of the book, I was particularly proud of having figured out that one particular person was no good, but then it turned out that I'd only figured out a tiny fraction of the real story. The conclusion wrapped everything up in a satisfying way that didn't leave any loose threads.<br />
<br />
I particularly enjoyed the dialogue. The characters' vocabularies, idioms, and manners of speaking were appropriate to the time, place, and their respective social classes. In one of my favorite lines, one of the characters bemoans her friend's cooking skills, thinking that, "What had been done to the sausage was a bigger shame than the fate of the pigs that had provided it." I could almost see the Dowager Countess from Downton Abbey making such an observation.<br />
<br />
The narration by Barbara Rosenblat is solid and her performance added to my enjoyment of the story.<br />
<br />
Murder in an English Village is an engrossing tale certain to please cozy mystery fans.<br />
<br />
This is the first book in the<i> Beryl and Edwina Mysterie</i>s series, with the second book,<i> <a href="https://amzn.to/2M8Z9hv" target="_blank">Murder Flies the Coop</a></i>, coming out next month. Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-568222642226460426.post-38202688720090447802018-08-06T13:01:00.001-07:002018-08-06T13:01:46.565-07:0056- The World Does Not Owe Us a Living Wage for Our Art<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://www.podomatic.com/podcasts/woodonwords/episodes/2018-08-06T12_59_35-07_00" target="_blank"><b>Listen to the companion podcast</b></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
Recently, a post has been making the rounds on social media in which the author of said post complains about people who tell struggling creatives that they should move into another field. The author sets up a very specific scenario:<br />
<br />
-An artist is struggling financially, and is apparently complaining to others about it.<br />
- Someone not only suggests that the artist should have gone into a another field, but in the author's scenario, this imaginary person specifies "tech or something useful."<br />
-The author then leaps to the conclusion that this imaginary advice-giver therefore believes that artists are "drains on society and unworthy of life" and should be forced to go without art for thirty days.<br />
<br />
Obviously, even with the very specific word choices in this imagined scenario, it's quite a leap to equate "you should have chosen a field in which you can support yourself" with "you are unworthy of life" but my issues stem more from the various contexts to which this post has been applied, and the commentary added to it by various creatives. So, I thought I'd share some thoughts related to this issue and some of the arguments I've seen it elicit.<br />
<br />
<b>I don't buy the scenario as it is presented.</b><br />
I have never experienced or witnessed a scenario like the one the author has concocted. When I first became a full-time author, a couple of people close to me asked privately, and out of genuine concern if I was able to get by on my income, and I was able to reply with a resounding "yes." I made the choice not to work in the arts on a full-time basis until my earnings from my write had consistently exceeded my "day job" income for several months. On rare occasion, when a creative has publicly complained about his/her inability to earn a living, and has blamed it on society, I've seen someone make a snarky comment about the arts as a valid career path. I've never seen anyone say that someone is "unworthy of life" because they pursued the arts as a career path.<br />
<br />
<b>No one wants to hear us complain that we can't make a living in our chosen field.</b><br />
When somebody complains about not being able to make a living in their chosen artistic endeavor, my first thought isn't, "This is society's fault!" My initial reaction is to feel sympathy. I've been broke. I've had books flop. it's a terrible feeling. I also feel a little sad, because I know that all the sympathy in the world won't improve that person's financial position. But quickly my thoughts turn to all the people who <i>are </i>making a living in that person's particular niche, and wonder what separates them from the person doing the complaining. If someone is complaining that their indie mystery novels aren't selling, I don't wonder why nobody reads anymore. I wonder what Jana DeLeon is doing that this author isn't. Finally, I begin to wonder what steps, if any, this person is taking to earn a living, since art isn't getting the job done. In any event, it never improves my opinion of someone for them to complain that not enough people want to buy their art.<br />
<br />
<b>Art for art's sake is great, but if you expect to earn a living, you're subject to market forces.</b><br />
Understand, I'm not talking about people who make their living in one field, and pursue their art on the side. I'm addressing people who expect to receive sufficient recompense for their art to maintain a minimum standard of living. As soon as we put our art up for sale, we must accept the fact that the <i>economic </i>value of our work is determined by how many people want to buy it and how much they are willing to pay for it. When it comes to commercial viability, intrinsic value doesn't matter. Artistic merit doesn't matter <i>(Dan Brown, anyone?)</i> except to the degree that it adds the work's commercial appeal. How hard we worked on it doesn't matter. When it comes to earning a living, the only thing that matters is whether or not we've created a product that enough consumers wish to purchase.<br />
<br />
<b>Just because you aren't selling doesn't necessarily mean you aren't talented or that your art is of low quality.</b><br />
As noted above, it's about economics. Maybe your work takes a long time to produce, and there aren't enough buyers out there willing or able to pay the per-unit cost required for you to make a living. Maybe your work is niche, cutting-edge, mold-breaking, challenging. Its intrinsic value might be great but its very nature limits the size of your potential audience. It's your choice to work in that narrow commercial space. Society didn't force you into it.<br />
<br />
<b>Not all of the things we love to do are viable career paths, no matter how good we are at them.</b><br />
My grandparents loved to make apple butter. They did it old school: outdoors over an open fire in a big cast iron pot. It tasted amazing! They started out making it for themselves and our family, but word soon got around in the community, and people started buying it. My uncle even sold it out of his barbershop. It was a nice validation for them, but they didn't try to make a career out of it. The did it because they loved it, appreciated the praise and the extra income, but they earned their living another way, and they never complained that society just didn't appreciate home-made apple butter anymore.<br />
<br />
Sadly, this is also reality for many artists. Regardless of the branch of the arts, most of us won't earn a living in our chosen field for a variety of reasons. That doesn't mean some of us won't make it, but the odds are stacked against us. This isn't a secret, as the many "starving artist" jokes, memes, and public rants can attest. We all know it's tough out there. That leaves us with a choice: have an alternative means of earning an income while we pursue the arts, or not. Either way, we bear the full responsibility for that choice.<br />
<br />
<b>Society is not responsible for our economic and career choices.</b><br />
If I choose to pursue a career in the arts without a backup plan or a second source of income, and I can't make a living, that's my decision and thus my responsibility. If my partner wants to support me while I pursue creative endeavors, that's our business. If I choose a specific branch of the arts that offers very little possibility of reasonable economic return, that's my choice. If I quit my job to pursue my dream, and I don't make it, that's oneme. If I'm not as good as I think I am at my chosen art form, that's not society's fault either. (Watch a few American Idol auditions or read certain self-published books to see what I mean.)<br />
<br />
<b>Just because someone doesn't want to support you financially doesn't mean they think the arts are worthless.</b><br />
Don't get me wrong. I'm sure there are some people out there who do think the arts are of little or no value (and they're wrong) but I don't believe that's very large cohort. There are people out there who don't think the government should take their money away and give it to artists. (I'm not taking a stand on that one. Just sharing what a lot of people have said to me.) There are people out there who are also struggling financially, but don't choose to blame it on society, and don't understand why artists and creatives get to pass the buck in that regard. There are people out there who are experiencing the consequences of their own career path missteps and have no patience for creatives who appear to be unwilling to accept the consequences of their own choices.<br />
<br />
<b>The arts aren't going away just because some of us can't make a living.</b><br />
If I crash and burn and have to go back to my day job, plenty of other authors will fill that niche. If all the artists who can't make a living stop creating, the others who <i>are</i> making a living will keep creating, and new creatives will throw their hats in the ring. Yes, it would suck. The world would miss out on a lot of great art (and a ton of mediocre and bad art) but the arts would survive. Conflating the struggles of some artists with the disappearance of all art from the face of the planet only serves to make people respect creative types less. It makes us appear irrational and not tethered to reality.<br />
<br />
<b>Publicly complaining that we can't make a living in our chosen creative endeavor only hurts us. </b><br />
<i>"Eat at Joe's. Nobody else does!"</i><br />
<i>"New on DVD! The movie no one wanted to see in the theatre!"</i><br />
<i>"Buy the book that hasn't sold a single copy!"</i><br />
Did you find any of these pitches enticing?<br />
If an author publicly reveals that no one is buying her books, human nature is not to assume that this person is an undiscovered genius who is a victim of society's devaluation of the arts. Instead, it's more likely that people will assume the author isn't selling because her books aren't as good as those of her contemporaries. It's a shame that the arts (in general) don't promise as much economic certainty as some other fields. It sucks that many incredibly talented people produce great art but can't earn a living, while a mediocre pulp writer like me is doing okay. But that's reality. All the complaining in the world won't change it. Bemoaning the way society devalues the arts won't change it (or else it would have happened long ago. The starving artist thing has been around forever.) I'd argue that such public displays only further the stereotype of the arts as a poor career choice, and make us individually look like failures.<br />
<br />
<b>What does this mean for indie authors, or was this just a rant with no useful application?</b><br />
Honestly, this is mostly just me sharing my reactions but here are a few thoughts for indie authors:<br />
<br />
-Go in with your eyes wide open. Understand the realities of the indie space. Do your research. Know what's selling in your genre. Know what's working in terms of marketing. Be prepared.<br />
-Have a stable economic situation. Maybe you or your partner have a reliable income. Maybe you indie pub "on the side" until you can live off of your earnings. Have money set aside for production and marketing. Don't put yourself in a position where worry over how you're going to pay the bills impedes your ability to write.<br />
-Know that you are ultimately responsible for every decision you make, every strategy you try, every dollar you spend.<br />
-Always keep learning and growing.<br />
-If your books aren't selling, don't throw a pity party and don't blame it on society's lack of appreciation of literature, or Amazon's bullying ways, or the advantages enjoyed by trad-pubs. Even if some or all of those things are true, it won't change your reality, and the couple of sympathy book sales you might make won't balance out how bad it makes you look.<br />
-Find a safe space to vent. Maybe it's a private Facebook group of authors. Maybe it's a circle of trusted friends. Maybe it's your dog. Absolutely share your struggles and let others support you, but don't do it in a place where you're going to look bad in front of readers.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-568222642226460426.post-35935912082205804892018-07-23T14:07:00.001-07:002018-08-05T14:27:13.631-07:00Review- Apocalypse Nyx by Kameron Hurley<a href="https://amzn.to/2LD1Yq9" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://amzn.to/2LD1Yq9" border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="323" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bI5-zJQKW50/W1ZDVh6YMZI/AAAAAAAACvg/iJhMykoP9IwHm179YFgW_spDs_l4FZjhgCLcBGAs/s200/nyx.jpg" width="128" /></a>A former government assassin battles to survive in an apocalyptic world
ravaged by war and infested with giant bugs in Apocalypse Nyx. Kameron
Hurley has crafted a memorable anti-hero and set her loose to wreak
havoc in a nightmarish world...<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.nyjournalofbooks.com/book-review/apocalypse-nyx" target="_blank"><b>Click here to read the full review on New York Journal of Books </b></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-568222642226460426.post-27053451780930066152018-07-12T11:01:00.001-07:002018-07-12T11:01:52.352-07:00The Book of Bones Part 13<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/AGrUaQ-FlKc" width="480"></iframe>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-568222642226460426.post-42717288099221062022018-07-10T12:58:00.000-07:002018-07-10T12:58:07.265-07:00Review- Hope Never Dies: An Obama-Biden Mystery by Andrew T. Shaffer<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="328" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pIZ5gmvRORE/W0UPHzY-pVI/AAAAAAAACu4/Whj9Ehp8g5sVm-LdKjXZL5tjO5ancN4_gCLcBGAs/s200/hope.jpg" width="130" /></div>
<a href="https://amzn.to/2L6YE2I" target="_blank"><b>Hope Never Dies: An Obama-Biden Mystery</b></a><a href="https://amzn.to/2L6YE2I" target="_blank"><b></b></a><br />
<br />
Joe Biden is unhappy. Since leaving office, he spends his time doing
projects around the house, adding inches to the spare tire around his
midriff, and missing his best friend. At least, he thought they were
best friends. Eight years and now Barack doesn’t even call. Meanwhile
Barack Obama is busy partying on yachts with celebrities, tooling around
in his aftermarket upgraded Escalade<b>...</b><br />
<br />
<b><a href="https://www.nyjournalofbooks.com/book-review/hope-never-dies" target="_blank">Check out the full review on New York Journal of Books </a></b>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-568222642226460426.post-84118712556476655552018-07-09T11:45:00.001-07:002018-07-09T11:45:46.721-07:00The Book of Bones Part 12<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/sZVQFv3UGmQ" width="480"></iframe>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-568222642226460426.post-71957030803671685992018-06-29T12:38:00.001-07:002018-06-29T12:38:43.588-07:00Audiobook review: Screening Stephen King by Simon Brown<b>Screening Stephen King</b>:
Adaptation and the Horror Genre in Film and Television<br />
Written by Simon Brown, narrated by Peter Lerman.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://amzn.to/2KjL4Nn" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://amzn.to/2KjL4Nn" border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="500" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hw9NiU-oCz8/WzaKWR-_dVI/AAAAAAAACug/vDBWLI3RfDs-CeN7hUGEXcKoQsukhR5ewCLcBGAs/s320/Screening%2BSK.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<i><a href="https://amzn.to/2KjL4Nn" target="_blank">Screening Stephen King</a> </i>is an analysis of Stephen King's works with an eye toward how they have been adapted for the screen. As a fan of Stephen King and an author who is curious about how novels and short stories are adapted for other forms of media, when this book showed up on <a href="https://audiobookboom.com/" target="_blank">AudiobookBoom</a> I decided to give it a shot.<br />
<br />
The author's approach is academic in nature, and very analytical. I didn't care for the first two chapters. They read like a grad student's report, and there were moments I felt the author had broken out the thesaurus a few too many times. A couple chapters in, though, the writing smoothed out. I woudln't go so far as to call the style engaging, but it was accessible and didn't detract from my enjoyment of the subject matter. The narrator does a solid job with what he is given, but there is only so much life that can be breathed into a book written in this particular style.<br />
<br />
The parts I found most interesting regarded the subject of branding. Whether or not to present a particular adaptation as horror or another genre. At what point did Stephen King himself become a "brand" and in which instances was a particular film promoted more as a Stephen King project and not promoted on the merits of the story?<br />
<br />
This book isn't for everyone. Even a Stephen King enthusiast will need to have an interest in the business side of the industry to really enjoy the book. I think the ideal reader/listener is a Stephen King fan who is interested in screenwriting, the process of adapting longer works to the screen, and marketing. <a href="https://amzn.to/2KjL4Nn" target="_blank">If it sounds like your thing, check it out! </a><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-568222642226460426.post-17017927974476080062018-06-11T14:35:00.001-07:002018-06-11T14:35:57.451-07:00The Book of Bones Part 11<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/PiwAsnmWqFg" width="480"></iframe>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-568222642226460426.post-58970634716810993962018-06-11T12:29:00.001-07:002018-06-11T12:29:47.217-07:00Book review: King of Ashes by Raymond E. FeistMany fantasy readers cut their teeth on Raymond Feist’s early works. The Riftwar Saga is considered <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;">
<a href="https://amzn.to/2MhuNWp" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://amzn.to/2MhuNWp" border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="318" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mJGT7sZu8rc/Wx7NKf4GV5I/AAAAAAAACt8/yIJTZ4c0GtUbCecPwzlFsq0IJt3mlPpMwCLcBGAs/s200/king%2Bof%2Bashes.jpg" width="126" /></a></div>
a classic, and The Serpentwar Saga is another favorite. Over time, some readers drifted away as the neverending story of Midkemia played out over seven sagas, a few stand-alone titles, and even a video game tie-in novel. Five years after putting a wrap on the Midkemia stories, Raymond Feist is back with a new series set in a brand new universe...<br />
<br />
<br />
<b><a href="https://www.nyjournalofbooks.com/book-review/king-ashes" target="_blank">Check out the full review at New York Journal of Books.</a></b>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-568222642226460426.post-73426471234122245132018-05-11T15:16:00.000-07:002018-05-11T16:49:27.608-07:0055- My Kindle Nightmare<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.podomatic.com/podcasts/woodonwords/episodes/2018-05-11T15_00_44-07_00" target="_blank"><b>Listen to the podcast episode</b></a></div>
<br />
<i><b>[Edit- by the time I had this episode ready to publish, I received a notice that my account has been reinstated. Now I just need to get the few books out of KDP Select before something else bad happens.]</b></i><br />
<br />
Well, it happened. Like many other authors recently, my KDP account has been suspended and threatened with termination due to "illicit borrowing activity." All of my books, and all of those by the authors whom I publish (I run Gryphonwood/Adrenaline Press) have been removed from the Kindle store. Not just the ten books that were enrolled in Kindle Unlimited, but also the other 100+ titles that were not, nor have ever been in the KDP Select/Kindle Unlimited program.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>A few things to know:</b></div>
<ul>
<li>I've been publishing in KDP since fairly close to the day they opened their doors.</li>
<li>My Dane Maddock series has been licensed for Kindle Worlds.</li>
<li>I've always had a good relationship with Amazon and KDP.</li>
<li>The books and series that have allowed me to have a successful full-time career have always been "wide." I've never made use of KU, much less click farms or other scammy services, for income or rankings boosts. I hit the USAT list without buying my way into a boxed set. I'm not a scammer. Never have been.</li>
<li>Very few Gryphonwood titles (and no Adrenaline titles) are enrolled in KU. Only a handful, and of those, only a few were earning more than a few hundred page reads per month.</li>
<li>Kindle Unlimited represents a tiny fraction of our gross revenue- less than 1%. It's something we've done with a few authors and titles either as an experiment or because we thought it would be a good fit for the genre.</li>
<li>None of our books have ever been rank-stripped for alleged illicit activity.</li>
<li>We've had no suspicious spikes in page reads. </li>
<li>To promote our KU titles, I've used AMS ads, Bookbub sponsored CPC ads, and mentions on social media and websites.</li>
<li>The couple of titles had much in the way of page reads still have had only modest reads and rankings and the daily borrows have been fairly consistent. No cause for alarm that I can see.</li>
</ul>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>What happened:</b></div>
<br />
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April 8, 2018- First warning from KDP. </div>
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<span style="mso-no-proof: yes;"></span></div>
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-eEubdWodgsY/WvYL-aRu-ZI/AAAAAAAACsk/vZcu3_8wWWYA1jIQQspHeWsHpHTDSCBQACLcBGAs/s1600/kdp1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="361" data-original-width="1124" height="205" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-eEubdWodgsY/WvYL-aRu-ZI/AAAAAAAACsk/vZcu3_8wWWYA1jIQQspHeWsHpHTDSCBQACLcBGAs/s640/kdp1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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I was horrified. I'd heard on and off for a long time about this happening to other authors, but we'd dropped a book into KU here and there with no problems. I immediately replied, expressed my desire to comply with terms of
service, and asked for guidance. KDP refused to provide details. (I was not
concerned about the loss in borrows. As noted above, our presence in and income from KU is small.)</div>
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<br /></div>
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7TrBtwT94WU/WvYMFMUrtVI/AAAAAAAACso/NIod9rwDyqszddDCc771lx8c3zzmiTAXACLcBGAs/s1600/kdp2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="669" data-original-width="1155" height="370" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7TrBtwT94WU/WvYMFMUrtVI/AAAAAAAACso/NIod9rwDyqszddDCc771lx8c3zzmiTAXACLcBGAs/s640/kdp2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="mso-no-proof: yes;">Not a helpful reply. I especially like the "we cannot offer details" bit. Yes, you can. You choose not to. Not the same thing. </span></div>
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<span style="mso-no-proof: yes;">If I had it to do over, I'd have pulled every book out of KU right then, but I heard through the grapevine that a large number of seemingly legitimate indies had received the exact same notice as I had, and had their page reads reduced. I figured some click farm had gotten wonky, hit a bunch of us, and that it would be okay. (Yes, I'm an idiot.)</span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
May 10, 2018- Notice from KDP that my account had been suspended. The
notice also required a tacit admission of guilt (requiring me to affirm that I
have discontinued use of any marketing services that might have caused illicit
activity.)</div>
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<span style="mso-no-proof: yes;"><br /></span></div>
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Rc-vxxfQU5Y/WvYMMMDwJII/AAAAAAAACss/ga8J9AYUbcMlOuilUbQvKlg33EJQZf2eQCLcBGAs/s1600/kdp3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="407" data-original-width="1600" height="162" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Rc-vxxfQU5Y/WvYMMMDwJII/AAAAAAAACss/ga8J9AYUbcMlOuilUbQvKlg33EJQZf2eQCLcBGAs/s640/kdp3.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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I replied as soon as I received the email (evening of 5/10.) The
following morning, concerned that I might not have phrased my reply in a way
that satisfied them, I replied again:</div>
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<br /></div>
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9wnjDLtK3gg/WvYMU5s99mI/AAAAAAAACs4/SXtiMNzptRcHK2utVJCrAfKfk0JAGjMfQCLcBGAs/s1600/kdp4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="548" data-original-width="910" height="385" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9wnjDLtK3gg/WvYMU5s99mI/AAAAAAAACs4/SXtiMNzptRcHK2utVJCrAfKfk0JAGjMfQCLcBGAs/s640/kdp4.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="mso-no-proof: yes;">I received no reply. </span>Within three hours of that email, all of our books had disappeared from
the Kindle store. </div>
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I followed up with Executive Customer Relations. The person on other end was friendly, confirmed that they had received my responses, and promised to have her team review the case. Fingers crossed.</div>
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<br /></div>
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<b>What is going on?</b></div>
<br />
<ul>
<li>I'm not the only one affected. Numerous legitimate authors have had the same thing happen to them. </li>
<li>I've heard the story of one author who received the warning, sent back the requested reply, and still had her account terminated.</li>
<li>KDP is aware of this situation but isn't correcting the problem. I had a conversation with someone highly placed in the KDP chain at ThrillerFest a few years ago and discussed this very issue, which was only then getting some notice. He assured me that they had systems in place to deal with this and that the authors whose accounts were unfairly terminated would be reinstated. </li>
<li>The Alliance of Independent Authors has reached out to KDP about this same situation, and have received (thus far) only a vague assurance that KDP will "look into it." We'll see.</li>
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<br />
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<b>Why is this happening? </b></div>
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<ul>
<li>The most plausible theory is that the click farms hired by KU scammers also hit other legitimate titles, so as to make it harder for their clients' books to be spotted. This would, of course, be utterly beyond the control of legitimate authors. We have no idea who is clicking on our books and no way of stopping them.</li>
<li>Another theory is that the automated process by which KDP identifies "illegitimate" borrows is unreliable.</li>
<li>Some have speculated that scammy authors, or authors with an agenda, might intentionally target authors against whom they have a grudge, or who they see as rivals, in an attempt to harm their business. I'm skeptical about this one but in a world where someone trademarks a single adjective and tries to shut everyone else down, who knows?</li>
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<b>Some of my frustrations with the way KDP handles these situations:</b></div>
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<ul>
<li>The automated elements of the system, combined
with KDP Content Review employees operating from what appears to be a set of
scripted steps, and using copy/pasted, boilerplate responses, removes any
judicious evaluation from the situation. Anyone could review my (lengthy)
account history and see that we’re not really a KU publisher and that KU is not
a meaningful part of our revenue stream.</li>
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<span style="font-family: "symbol"; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>My livelihood is being threatened while obvious
scammers, boxed set stuffers, and keyword stuffers are overlooked, even after
indie watchdogs call them to KDP’s attention.</div>
</li>
<li>Authors have no control over what a click farm
might do. What is to stop them from targeting a few legitimate books in order
to mask the borrows of scam authors?</li>
<li>KDP’s refusal to disclose any information about
the source of alleged “illicit” borrows.</li>
<li>KDP’s insistence that the account holder provide
what amounts to a confession of wrongdoing in order to have one’s account
reinstated.</li>
<li>Is KDP’s system for identifying illicit borrows
reliable? How can we know?</li>
</ul>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Should authors remain in KDP Select/Kindle Unlimited?</b></div>
<ul>
<li>If my account is restored, I'm getting the hell out of KU. No question about that. I can't risk my livelihood due to flawed and inconsistent enforcement of terms of service. </li>
<li>On the other hand, I know LOTS of authors who are all-in or partially in with KU, are doing great, and have never had a single problem. Hopefully they'll keep on kicking ass and never have to deal with that.</li>
<li>In some genres, KU is king. It will be difficult to succeed without it.</li>
<li>If you do choose to go with Kindle Unlimited, and do get a warning like the one I received, I'd advise getting out like a naked Jon Lovitz on viagra was chasing you.</li>
</ul>
<br />
That's it for now. I'll provide updates as the situation progresses. Please send good vibes my way!<br />
<ul>
</ul>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-568222642226460426.post-1475175831035969912018-05-03T11:01:00.001-07:002018-05-03T11:01:52.503-07:00Book of Bones Part 10<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/18KGH-57R_k" width="480"></iframe>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-568222642226460426.post-52837989968315883232018-04-26T23:14:00.002-07:002018-04-26T23:14:56.648-07:0054- Hitting the USA Today Bestseller List!<b><a href="https://www.podomatic.com/podcasts/woodonwords/episodes/2018-04-26T23_12_12-07_00" target="_blank">Listen to the companion podcast episode</a> </b><br />
<br />
<a href="http://nicholaserik.com/promo-sites/" target="_blank"><b>Great list and analysis of recommended promo sites (by Nicholas Erik) </b></a><br />
<br />
I am beyond excited to announce that I have finally hit the USA Today bestseller list! My book, <br />
LOCH, came in at #114 for the week ending 4/22. (Good thing they don't cut it off at 100, huh?) When my friend Joanna Penn hit the USAT list, she did a helpful writeup of the strategies she used to get there so I thought I'd do the same.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wRqNPHK_6HA/WuE7zMgDoDI/AAAAAAAACrc/8EWof1pvGXUcbQL2cQF4_sI46HfMrPXNgCPcBGAYYCw/s1600/Screenshot%2B2018-04-25%2B13.30.50.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="509" data-original-width="590" height="276" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wRqNPHK_6HA/WuE7zMgDoDI/AAAAAAAACrc/8EWof1pvGXUcbQL2cQF4_sI46HfMrPXNgCPcBGAYYCw/s320/Screenshot%2B2018-04-25%2B13.30.50.png" width="320" /></a>I started by lining up a Bookbub ad. I was fortunate to get one on a Wednesday, early enough in the week to have the long tail sales count toward the USAT list, but not so early as to be overwhelmed by the Big 5 new releases that come out on Tuesdays.<br />
<br />
USA Today's rankings cover a Monday-Sunday period, so my promo efforts ran throughout the week, beginning on Monday 4/16.<br />
<br />
In order to be considered for the USAT list, a book must have at least 500 US sales with a store other than Amazon, so I targeted iBooks with one dedicated ad and one tweet. <br />
<br />
The book I promoted was discounted (from $3.99) to $0.99. I had never done a promo on this particular title, so it was the first time that subscribers to the various lists were seeing it on sale.<br />
<br />
I didn't really expect to hit the list. My intent was simply to stack a few promos and have a nice week of sales. I threw in the iBooks-specific ad simply because it's a good practice. Once I saw how well my Bookbub promo performed, I knew I had a chance. I could have done more/better things had I planned ahead and believed I had a chance.<br />
<br />
<b>THE CAMPAIGN</b><br />
<br />
<b>Sunday:</b><br />
Lowered the price to 99 cents on all ebook platforms. I really should have done this on Saturday since certain distributors (*cough* Nook *cough) can be slow about updating prices, but I had a brain cramp.<br />
<br />
<b>Monday:</b><br />
EReader News Today promo: $40<br />
Bookbub CPC ad (iBooks US only) $99.99<br />
AMS Ad (ran throughout the week) $13.77<br />
Shared on Twitter<br />
<br />
<b>Tuesday:</b><br />
Bargain Booksy Promo: $55<br />
Book Adrenaline Promo: $10<br />
Emailed a segment of my mailing list.<br />
<br />
<b>Wednesday:</b><br />
Bookbub Sponsored Ad: $740 <br />
Manybooks Promo $29<br />
<br />
<b>Thursday:</b><br />
Emailed the bulk of my mailing list<br />
iBooks-specific tweet<br />
Posted on my Facebook author page<br />
<br />
<b>Friday:</b><br />
Kindle Nation Daily "Fire eBook Of The Day" Promo $99.99<br />
<br />
<b>Saturday: </b><br />
Booksends Promo: $40<br />
Bookbub CPC ad (all major US vendors targeted) $200.93<br />
Facebook Ad $99.84<br />
Posted in a Kindle discount group on Facebook<br />
<br />
<b>Sunday:</b><br />
Facebook Ad continued<br />
"Last chance" tweet<br />
"Last chance" post on my personal FB page <br />
Posted in a readers' group on Facebook<br />
<br />
<b>SALES</b><br />
<br />
<b>Monday</b><br />
Kindle: 201<br />
D2D: 8<br />
<br />
<b>Tuesday</b><br />
Kindle: 152<br />
D2D: 18<br />
<b>Wednesday</b><br />
Kindle: 3,606<br />
D2D: 1,069<br />
<br />
<b>Thursday</b><br />
Kindle: 475<br />
D2D: 301<br />
<br />
<b>Friday</b><br />
Kindle: 172<br />
D2D: 95<br />
<br />
<b>Saturday</b><br />
Kindle: 194<br />
D2D: 71<br />
<br />
<b>Sunday</b><br />
Kindle: 140<br />
D2D: 60<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Week: </b><br />
Kindle: 4,940 (US 4,206)<br />
D2D: 1,622<br />
<br />
<b>INVESTMENT/RETURN</b><br />
Ads: 1428.52<br />
Revenue: 2330.58<br />
(Excluding Google Play and increased sales on other titles in the series.)Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-568222642226460426.post-45886788963224611042018-04-01T13:41:00.001-07:002018-04-01T13:41:31.477-07:00Book of Bones Part 9<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/JogUntryDcw" width="480"></iframe>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-568222642226460426.post-57636745275892794272018-04-01T11:54:00.001-07:002018-04-01T11:54:27.046-07:00Book Review- Ready Player One<div style="text-align: left;">
I finally got around to reading (<a href="https://www.audible.com/pd/Sci-Fi-Fantasy/Ready-Player-One-Audiobook/B005FRGT44?" target="_blank">listening to the audiobook version</a><span style="color: #0000ee;"><u> </u></span>of)<a href="https://amzn.to/2IhELEr" target="_blank"> <i>Ready Player One</i> by Ernest </a></div>
<a href="https://amzn.to/2IhELEr" target="_blank">Cline</a>. I wasn't expecting much, but wanted to see what all the hype was about. It turned out to be a fun read.<br />
<br />
In a future world where society is in decline, people spend most of their time in the OASIS, a virtual reality world that offers endless entertainment and educational opportunities. There are elements of RPG, and heavy doses of geek culture and 1980s nostalgia. Imagine Sheldon Cooper created a version of Caprica's "V-World" and you won't be far off the mark.The creator of the OASIS left a scavenger hunt embedded within his massive virtual universe. The first to complete it will inherit massive wealth and gain control of the OASIS.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://amzn.to/2IhELEr" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://www.amazon.com/Ready-Player-One-Ernest-Cline-ebook/dp/B004J4WKUQ/" border="0" data-original-height="499" data-original-width="324" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5oNVydDRfY0/WsEpeACophI/AAAAAAAACqk/YQFmAAdQYAgbpXejTkeEMCkOCp7hN4VegCLcBGAs/s320/RPO.jpg" width="207" /></a>The book proceeds in typical YA fashion: underprivileged, outcast youth living in dystopia escapes into the OASIS. Eventually, with the help of a diverse cast of characters, he finds himself on the hunt for the prize, facing off against dangers within the OASIS and without, driven by the big, bad corporate entity that threatens to claim the virtual world and focus on maximizing revenue, thus squeezing out people like Wade (or Parcival, as he is known in the OASIS.) The plot plays out much like you would expect if you read a lot of YA literature.<br />
<br />
The story is rife with nerd/geek and 1980s pop culture references: video games, board games, television, movies, music... I'm not much of a gamer, and there are many aspects of geek culture that don't interest me, but I still enjoyed the many references, and the allusions to things that aren't in my nerd wheelhouse didn't leave me feeling disconnected. In some sections, particularly in one early chapter, the story bogs down as Cline engages in some massive info-dumps. I can understand why some people gave up on the book at this stage (it's really that bad in a couple places) but I stuck with it and I'm glad I did. <br />
<br />
The story poses a few questions that, as a former English teacher, I think would have made for interesting classroom discussion:<br />
-Are virtual-world (online) friendships less "real" because the people haven't met in real life, or are they more real because they are primarily "mental" connections, our judgment unclouded by things like race, sexual orientation, or physical appearance, which tend to color our judgment (no pun intended)?<br />
-Do the negatives of a virtual world outweigh the positives?<br />
-Will the continued development of technology, and our many options for entertainment distract us from caring for the real world or even engaging in it?<br />
<br />
There's nothing deep or profound here, and some of the diverse aspects of certain characters are treated as afterthoughts. ("Oh, by the way, now that the story is almost over, I should let you know my actual gender, race, and sexual orientation, and then we'll pretty much forget I mentioned it.") Some critics have accused Cline of writing a wish-fulfillment story. Maybe it's true, but that's a criticism that could be leveled against many, many books. I've read plenty of other criticisms, which you can find via a simple web search if you're so inclined.<br />
<br />
Overall, <a href="https://amzn.to/2IhELEr" target="_blank"><i>Ready Player One</i></a> is a "by the numbers," yet entertaining novel. Wil Wheaton's narration of the audiobook is solid. This was the first of his narrations I've listened to, and he's very good. I'll definitely give<a href="https://amzn.to/2H0JVVT" target="_blank"> Cline's next book, <i>Armada</i>, </a>a try.<br />
<br />
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-568222642226460426.post-77805296362858370582018-03-31T13:43:00.000-07:002018-04-01T13:44:17.650-07:00The Book of Bones Part 8<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ucpLAZon9Qg" width="480"></iframe>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-568222642226460426.post-67819576610759758652018-03-28T12:18:00.000-07:002018-03-28T12:18:32.664-07:0053- Conventions and Author Networking with Alan Baxter<a href="https://www.podomatic.com/podcasts/woodonwords/episodes/2018-03-28T12_02_34-07_00" target="_blank">Listen to the companion podcast episode</a><br />
<div style="text-align: right;">
<br /></div>
<a href="https://www.books2read.com/u/4EDv9O" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://www.books2read.com/u/4EDv9O" border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="720" height="200" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-eW7Ug6rutgQ/WrvopMtv2FI/AAAAAAAACqI/nxN8VUp5SxgolYHbrmU60hpcg9E2-sdFwCLcBGAs/s200/Hidden%2BCity%2Bebook%2Bcover%2Bsm.jpg" width="133" /></a><b>Publishing News:</b><br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.hypable.com/amazon-stripping-rankings-from-romance-erotica-books-fosta-bill/" target="_blank">The Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act leads to rank-stripping of Amazon titles</a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.cjr.org/business_of_news/newsprint_tariff_canada_layoffs.php" target="_blank">Will tariffs lead to publishing industry cutbacks? </a><br />
<br />
<b>Interview</b><br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.books2read.com/u/4EDv9O" target="_blank">Hidden City </a><br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="https://amzn.to/2DZug6d" target="_blank">Write the Fight Right</a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.alanbaxteronline.com/" target="_blank">Alan Baxter Website</a><br />
<a href="https://amzn.to/2DZug6d" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="https://amzn.to/2DZug6d" border="0" data-original-height="346" data-original-width="230" height="200" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vG-vjne1Okw/WrvpVcUqSJI/AAAAAAAACqQ/3qEDipkHmRIx1tAWfyo4sap1GOJILUthwCLcBGAs/s200/fight.jpg" width="132" /></a><br />
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Alan-Baxter/e/B002BOBQFQ/" target="_blank">Alan's Amazon Page</a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://twitter.com/AlanBaxter" target="_blank">Alan on Twitter</a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.audible.com/author/Alan-Baxter/B002BOBQFQ?" target="_blank">Alan on Audible</a><br />
<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0