tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19688180325600205882024-03-13T17:05:33.765+00:00The Official Blog of Iain Rob WrightOfficial Blog of Iain Rob Wright, bestselling author of Horror & SuspenseIain Rob Wrighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14840984365803973410noreply@blogger.comBlogger139125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1968818032560020588.post-1499763667206114802015-10-21T12:18:00.000+01:002015-10-21T12:18:59.633+01:00This blog has moved to www.iainrobwright.com<div style="text-align: center;">
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<b>THIS BLOG HAS A NEW HOME.</b><br /></h2>
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You can visit it here: <a href="http://www.iainrobwright.com/blog/">http://www.iainrobwright.com/blog/</a></h2>
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Iain Rob Wrighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14840984365803973410noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1968818032560020588.post-51117785277013189602015-09-01T09:32:00.005+01:002015-09-01T09:42:34.817+01:00The Gates is finally on sale. This is a novel that I put a lot of time and effort into, and at 100k words long, it's got plenty to get your teeth into. Lots of characters, locations, and horror. Check out the description below:<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fi8YYUeUp1g/VeViXBbyK4I/AAAAAAAAAdo/to9goOzmUxs/s1600/The-Gates---High-Resolution---Thumbnail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fi8YYUeUp1g/VeViXBbyK4I/AAAAAAAAAdo/to9goOzmUxs/s320/The-Gates---High-Resolution---Thumbnail.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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A world ending thrill ride of epic proportions. With so many characters and so many twists, it's like the horror equivalent of Game of Thrones.</h2>
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<b style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Iain Rob Wright is sick and twisted. - David Moody, author of the Autumn series.</b><span style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"> </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">What will you do when the world ends? That’s a question that needs answering quickly when the gates to Hell open up all over Earth. Taking place across the globe is an apocalypse like no other, and humanity will find itself at war against a smart and merciless foe. Follow the struggles to survive with several characters as things go from bad to worse. Humanity is dwindling. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Guy Granger is a Coast Guard captain in search of his kids. Mina Magar is a photojournalist taking pictures of horror she could never have imagined. Rick Bastion is a fading pop star with his head in a bottle and no hope for his future. Tony Cross is a soldier stuck on the Iraq-Syria border, but fighting insurgents is no longer a priority as a new threat emerges. Follow them all as they fight to stay alive. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">When the gates open, all Hell will break loose! </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>Get it on Amazon from the links below:</b></span><br />
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US - <a href="http://www.iainrobwright.com/TheGatesUSA">http://www.iainrobwright.com/TheGatesUSA</a><br />
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UK - <a href="http://www.iainrobwright.com/TheGatesUK">http://www.iainrobwright.com/TheGatesUK</a><br />
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CA - <a href="http://www.amazon.ca/Gates-Apocalyptic-Horror-Novel-ebook/dp/B014LB61Z6">http://www.amazon.ca/Gates-Apocalyptic-Horror-Novel-ebook/dp/B014LB61Z6</a>Iain Rob Wrighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14840984365803973410noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1968818032560020588.post-73155468199248032982015-05-12T16:10:00.001+01:002015-05-13T22:04:18.415+01:00"The Gates" Prologue (Work in Progress)...<div class="p1">
Elizabeth Creasy froze.</div>
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The mother duck and her fluffy grey ducklings marched single file in front of her, crossing from the hedges on one side of the road to the embankment on the other. When the mother duck noticed Elizabeth standing nearby with her Springer Spaniel, Fenton, she nervously picked up speed. Her brood, in turn, also picked up speed. Within a few hurried moments, the feathery advance was finished and both the mother and her babies had disappeared into the deep grass of the embankment.<br />
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Elizabeth took a huge breath of fresh air and grinned. “What a wonderful day,” she informed Fenton, who merely stood by her side, ready to get going again.</div>
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It was indeed a wonderful day. Two years retired and she was yet to get bored with her lack of responsibilities. Her walks across the fields and woods next to her home were always exhilarating. After years of working in an office, she had forgotten the benefits of so much fresh air. She felt younger each passing year, not older, and at sixty-seven she was as able-bodied as when she was forty — loving life more than she had at twenty. Of course it would’ve been all the better if her beloved , Dennis, had still been with her. A heart attack at fifty-eight had taken him while he was driving his bus route. The crash had injured nobody, but Elizabeth had been left a heart-broken widow. Oh, how she would have enjoyed retirement with Dennis.</div>
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Since Elizabeth had retired and acquired herself a canine companion in Fenton, she had seen the value in enjoying what was left of her life. Dennis had loved her, and she him, so there was no reason to mourn the wonderful life they had spent together. She now looked upon her past fondly and allowed it to fuel her smile for the rest of the day.</div>
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Up ahead, Elizabeth saw the little knoll she enjoyed climbing. A year ago the act of hiking up the small hill had assaulted her knees, but now she often made it up in a brisk and sprightly fashion. From atop the modest incline, she could usually see right across the rolling fields and farmland all the way to the village of Crapstone.</div>
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“Come on, Fenton, up we go!”</div>
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Always obedient, Fenton started up the hill at a pace matching his owner’s. Together they trampled the thick, green grass and headed for the top. The backdrop to the hike was one of natural beauty: birds chirping, trees swaying, and sunshine so warm it seemed to have hands, massaging her shoulders. It was a perfect day.</div>
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She started singing. “<i>All things bright and beautiful…”</i></div>
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At the top of the hill, Fenton barked. Unlike him.</div>
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Elizabeth leaned down and patted her companion on the head. “Okay, Fenton, settle down.”<br />
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Fenton barked again.</div>
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“Now, now, Fenton. Settle down.”</div>
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Fenton shuffled from paw to paw; floppy black ears twitching. Elizabeth was just about to scold him when she saw what had got him so worked up.</div>
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“Hmm, that wasn’t there yesterday, was it?”</div>
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The smooth black stone was about the size of a football and completely out of place up there on the hill. There were no other rocks or boulders and certainly none that were jet-black. The stone would have resembled a bowling ball if not for the fine grey veins running all along its surface. The closer Elizabeth got to it, though, the less smooth and black it appeared — like how a television picture degraded when you went right up to the screen.</div>
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Fenton began to tug on his lead, almost yanked it free of her grasp. She gave the lead a yank and brought the dog back to her side, ignoring the throaty growl coming from him. “Heel, Fenton.”<br />
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Elizabeth reached out a hand to the stone, without knowing why other than something inside of her seemed to require it of her. Her fingertips were just about to touch the veiny grey surface of the strange rock when Fenton bit her hand.</div>
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She recoiled and dropped the lead, which led to her dog sprinting away, full pelt, down the hill.</div>
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“Fenton!” she bellowed after him. “Fenton!”</div>
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No way to catch up with a speeding dog; she would just have to hope that he came to his senses and returned on his own. But why had Fenton bitten her? He was such a good dog, a gentle dog.<br />
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Her hand throbbed, a purplish-blue blotch where one of Fenton’s long canines had crushed her skin against bone. It already hurt to touch and was beginning to throb mercilessly. The throbbing was so bad that it seemed to travel all the way to her head, and resounded in her ribcage.<br />
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She turned and glanced back down at the strange stone.</div>
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The throbbing inside her body was not caused by the bite on her hand, Elizabeth realised. It was coming from the strange black stone in front of her. As she knelt closer she saw that the delicate grey veins had begun vibrating, almost pulsing, as something seemed to bubble and flow beneath the surface.</div>
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Elizabeth couldn’t help herself but to reach out again.</div>
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Her fingertips moved slowly through the vibrating air, partly because she was afraid, but partly because she was excited. There was something about this strange stone that spoke to her, aroused her love for beauty and nature. However this thing had arrived at the top of the hill, it was a hidden treasure. A hidden treasure that she alone had discovered — like the mother duck and her babies. You never could predict what nature would show you. That was what had made her feel so young again these last few years: she had surrounded herself with the innocent, natural beauty of the earth.</div>
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Elizabeth’s fingertips pressed down against the strange black stone and she was surprised to find that the surface was ice cold, despite the warm sun beating down on it. </div>
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It felt like running her hand down the inside of a fridge.</div>
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Then something seized Elizabeth. </div>
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She tried to pull her hand away but was unable to move. Her fingertips were glued to the cold black surface of the stone. Starting to burn. Her eyes went wide and her mouth dropped open as something took a hold on her mind and showed her the most incredible things — so incredible that she felt the images sear themselves onto her soul and boil the blood in her veins. She saw horror, suffering, and torture of the worst kind. And she saw an army of monstrous creatures beyond her understanding. </div>
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She saw Hell.</div>
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The images in her mind were so wondrous and terrifying that her eyeballs melted inside her skull and her heart burst like a pinpricked balloon. She remained standing for some time, mind trapped in agony, soul burning in flames. When her sixty-seven year old body finally fell down, it was no more than a husk.</div>
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In the distance, Fenton chased a deer.</div>
Iain Rob Wrighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14840984365803973410noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1968818032560020588.post-22793922360827802122015-04-20T11:49:00.001+01:002015-04-24T09:03:22.170+01:00The business of writing...<div style="text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">I was recently asked to participate in a project being run by TheLadders where they are reaching out to
writers and asking them what advice they would give for new graduates
attempting to break into the field. TheLadders are a <a href="https://www.theladders.com/careers/search">career resource</a> for
professionals across all vocations and at at any stage of their careers. You should check them out. <a href="http://www.theladders.com/" target="_blank">www.theladders.com</a>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">So here is my advice:</span></div>
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Most authors nowadays understand that things are different to how they used to be. Being a storyteller is no longer like being a rockstar. It isn't about crossing your fingers and hoping for a big break - a big break that brings millions of dollars and power lunches in New York and book signings in London. It's about good business. No more literary rock stars, just businessmen and women.<br />
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Are things better now? I think so. There is still the odd rockstar out there, like James Patterson, Lee Child, J K Rowling, and the rest. Like Paul McCartney and Madonna, these writers will remain rich and successful until they eventually die out. And rightly so, for these people were the hard workers of the previous generation. But once they are gone, things will carry on without them. In their place is a new and improved free market where anyone can sink or swim. Everyone gets handed the same pair of speedos and it's up to them to keep themselves in shape and stay afloat. There are no more sharks in the water, deciding who lives and who dies, but the water has become chock-full of swimmers fighting for room. The weakest swimmers are going to drown.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dlxffyjHfk0/VTTVJef_BaI/AAAAAAAAAbw/fiQ_m14a4lM/s1600/imgres.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dlxffyjHfk0/VTTVJef_BaI/AAAAAAAAAbw/fiQ_m14a4lM/s1600/imgres.jpg" height="198" width="320" /></a>Business is hard. Doesn't matter whether you are selling sandwiches or writing books. Most businesses fail. Now that writing has become a free enterprise, most writers will unfortunately fail. But that's always been true. The positive changes we have seen recently mean that at least now more writers will SUCCEED, and that is why today is a better time than ever to be an aspiring writer.<br />
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Now that writing is a business, the only person in control of whether or not you fail or succeed is you. Your books are your products and you need to sell them. You will do this in the same way as any other business sells its wares. Common sense and entrepreneurialism.<br />
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<b>0. Understand that writing is a craft</b><br />
Before we start, I just want to make one thing very clear. You can't just decide one day to be a writer; no more than you can just sit at a piano and decide you want to become your generation's Beethoven. Writing is a passion and an innate skill, but it is also a craft and a trade that needs to be learned. An author should be well read, not just in their chosen genre but in the study of writing itself. Fill your bookshelf with texts on plotting, grammar, novel-writing, description, and anything else that a writer needs to know. Understand that writing a book takes as much education as it does innate talent. Learn the purpose of a sentence before you start tossing them around like some sort of word-hooker.<br />
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It would also serve you well to learn as much as you can about Word Processors, Photoshop, website design, eCommerce, accounting, blogging, twitter, newsletters, and anything else that the business of writing will entail. The more you know, the better. Always learn whatever you can.<br />
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<b>1. Start small, grow big</b><br />
Now that the self-publishing environment is bedded in, there is little chance of a becoming a 1 book millionaire. Instead, your first book is likely to make you peanuts, but that's okay. It's really okay. Every new business starts small. The first step is only to get a hook in the mountain; after that you can start climbing and planting flags. Write your first book and make it the very best you can - spend as long as you can on it. If you are serious about making writing your living, then use some of your savings to hire a good editor and purchase some professional artwork. You may balk at spending $1000 on what seems like a self-indulgent hobby, but remember that you are trying to start a business here. Most businesses lose money in year 1 (and 2 and 3). It's an investment and you need to spend money to make money. Your intention is to make that money back with interest.<br />
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Once you get that first book published on Amazon, itunes, or some place else, sit back for a moment and enjoy the excitement, but then get back to work. Like any business, you now need feedback on your product. Offer free copies for review, give it away for nothing on Amazon in a promotion, swap with another writer and help each other. Don't be overly proud by demanding that people must pay for your hard and valuable work, because that will be your downfall. As a new business, your sole goal at this point is to get your brand in front of people. When a new chocolate company starts up, what do they do? They give away free samples at the supermarket to get their milky goodness in people's mouths. You need to do the same. Fill people's mouths with your milky goodness. Get those reviews coming in, good or bad. Take note of what they are saying and accept them as market research. Your ending sucked? Well, remember that for you next product (or book 1 version 2). Listen, improve, and pay attention to your customers. Once you get some reviews racking up, you may be able to approach larger book review sites or promoters like Bookbub. Everything you do should be geared towards disseminating your book into the world. At the same time, you also need to be working on book 2.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-a8sKqjBypeo/VTTVsQrm8xI/AAAAAAAAAcA/R1Ap6I-4PNc/s1600/images-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-a8sKqjBypeo/VTTVsQrm8xI/AAAAAAAAAcA/R1Ap6I-4PNc/s1600/images-1.jpg" /></a><b>2. Develop your brand.</b><br />
Make your name synonymous with your genre. When people say Stephen King they think horror. You now need to start living and breathing your genre. Tweet about your favourite films and books, try to get interviewed by websites that cover your genre. Join Facebook groups that enjoy the kind of books your write. Get yourself embedded in the culture of the people you are selling to.<br />
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Build yourself a website, nothing fancy, but let people know you're around to stay. Make sure that if people google your name they find you. When people visit your website you have control over the information they see about you, so don't undersell yourself. You may be small, but never admit to that. You may lack confidence at this point, but never let it show. You are the Boss, the greatest writer in the whole frikkin' world and anyone who has discovered you is damn lucky. If you visit a website looking for a new sofa and are met with a bunch of childish nonsense and amateur web design, you will look elsewhere, right? So even with 1 book and no sales, your website needs to make it seem like you are rubbing shoulders with Anne Rice and Thomas Harris on a daily basis. If you want to compete with bestselling authors, your brand needs to be as good as theirs. Copy their layouts and designs if you have to. See what a professional website should look like and make yours the same. Established authors may look at you like some impudent upstart, but fuck them. This is business. Let all the big name authors know that you're coming for them!<br />
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Your brand should always be a key focus from now on and will continue to evolve as you do so as a writer. Create a reusable font for your name so that all your books share a familiar style. Apply the designs to your website, too. Pick a colour and make it your own (mine is purple). Work out a catchphrase for your promotional material (mine is: Fear on every page). Get yourself signed up to every single social media site in existence, old and new. You can always unsubscribe to the ones that suck later.<br />
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Find the fans that enjoy your work and be good to them. They are your family now and will be with you for a long time. Give them freebies whenever you can or even meet up with them if you are a social butterfly. Your cheerleaders will always be the first to review your books, point out typos, inform you of opportunities, and they are the most important asset your business has. You have attracted fans and now you need to maintain brand loyalty by never letting them down (the hardest part of the job). Don't be a schmuck. Don't make everything about you. Share the work of other aspiring writers. Show an interest in the lives of your fans. Post about things other than your work and share what you know. Give a piece of yourself to those supporting you and be a nice guy. ALWAYS BE A NICE GUY. Or gal.<br />
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<b>3. Grow</b><br />
Once you have built your platform and started your brand, you need to grow. That chocolate company has gotten people hooked on its candy bar, but now it needs to release a new product to keep the business flowing and growing. A healthy business is a growing business. Never stand still. You need to write a second book. You can write a sequel, or something completely new - doesn't matter. What does matter is that you use what you learned from book 1. Address any concerns raised in your bad reviews or via feedback. Remember the mistakes your editor picked up in book 1 and try to avoid them. Do everything you can to make book 2 better and yourself a better writer. Then, when book 2 is done, sink all of your profits from book 1 into hiring an editor again and getting more artwork. It may feel like a lot of work for no reward, but remember that you are growing. You now have 2 books instead of 1.<br />
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When book 2 is released, let all of your followers know. Don't shove it in people's faces, but make it easy to find. You can even run a promotion on the first book to promote the second (make sure you link to the 2nd book at the end of the 1st). You can give away your new book for free, just to get some momentum going, or you can sit back and wait. There's not a massive amount you can do at this point, because you are still in the growing phase of your business. What you really need to do is write book 3.<br />
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You now have a healthy platform established and hopefully a trickle of sales coming through. Hopefully you also get periodic reviews appearing on their own and maybe even a nice email or two coming from a fan. Once this is happening, your business is organic. It's breathing on its own. People are talking about it, Amazon is ranking and promoting it, google is linking to it. A total stranger could fall upon your book and buy it. You don't have a massive presence yet, but you exist. The best thing you can do now is create more products to sell to your existing customer base and to increase your odds of attracting new business. Every new reader is a building block in your empire.<br />
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You should also look towards expanding your existing products to as many platforms as you can. Do you have audiobook, paperback, and ebook versions all available? If not, then get it done. Maximise your income streams for every title, because this is the time where you either sink or swim.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Rvzp-u0WpbI/VTTWkhmd5uI/AAAAAAAAAcM/oPUe22fvEHE/s1600/images-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Rvzp-u0WpbI/VTTWkhmd5uI/AAAAAAAAAcM/oPUe22fvEHE/s1600/images-2.jpg" height="320" width="198" /></a><b>4. Be the business</b><br />
Hopefully, when you have 3 or 4 books out, you'll be earning enough money to cover the cost of editing and releasing your next book while also leaving you a small profit. Keep writing new books while looking for ways to promote your catalogue of existing products. Promote 'yourself' wherever possible rather than a single book. Direct people to your website whenever you can. Sign them up to your newsletter (Mailchimp). Offer a book or two cheaply or even permanently free to keep on dragging in new customers. Keep momentum going in anyway you can. Now that your have some experience, do some blog posts and share what you know. Start selling signed copies of your paperbacks to fans. Contact some of your role models and see if they reply. Start acting like you're a successful writer, because you are. Writing a book is hard, and you now have several, so in that you are already a success. Well done. You are making money from your books. Well done. People are enjoying your books. Well done. (If people are not enjoying your books at this point, then maybe it's time to face harsh facts).<br />
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This is your life now, you should take what you are earning and scale it up to the point where you can quit whatever other jobs you have and write fulltime. Do you have 5 books earning you half of what you need? Then you know you probably need to write 5 or 6 more to go fulltime. Maybe you need to write 20. At least now you should have some idea. That's your business plan. Write as many books as it takes to be a fulltime writer. Once you achieve that, it's all gravy.<br />
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<b>5. Go with the flow</b><br />
In the four years I have been doing this, things have changed a dozen times. I have been up and down and sideways. Now that writing is an enterprise, it is extremely volatile. Successful businesses can and do go bankrupt. You can make it big one minute and lose it all the next. The only way to curb the risks is by forever being on the cusp of the industry's waves. Always pay attention to what is going on now and what appears likely to happen next. Never let anything take you by surprise. Always plan for the worst and always look for ways to climb above your rivals. If you see an opportunity, take it. Have an idea that no one else has thought of? Then put it into play. In business, it is innovators who last longest.<br />
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<br />Iain Rob Wrighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14840984365803973410noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1968818032560020588.post-61360833725213993512015-04-13T12:09:00.000+01:002015-04-13T16:38:38.261+01:00Createspace, Kindle, and formatting tips...Hi Wrighters:<br />
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I've been noticing that I am not the only one who finds ebook formatting and paperback formatting via Createspace to be a headache, so I thought I would post a guide of what I know. There's a lot here, so perhaps you will want to scan through and find what you need. Cover artwork guide is at the end.<br />
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Learning all of the professional tips, tricks, and functions required to properly format ebooks and paperbacks has taken me a long time; I'm talking years. Over the last 4 years, my ebooks and paperbacks have slowly evolved as I have discovered the intricacies of Word, InDesign, Photoshop, Scrivener, Calibre, and all the other programs required to DIY things properly. Below I will try to outline how I create my paperbacks and ebooks, and hopefully save you some legwork that I had to put in to learn all this stuff.<br />
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<b>Document size, margin, etc.</b><br />
Nowadays I write my manuscripts using Scrivener (but that is a whole other kettle of Twinkies) but I finish up in Word because it syncs better with Amazon's systems (I also use InDesign for paperbacks, but that's not necessary). When I start a manuscript, I set everything up as if it were for my paperback and later make a few changes to create the ebook file. My paperbacks are in 6x9 and 5x8 formats. I now use exclusively 5x8 as a preference, and I would advise picking a size for all your books and sticking to it as you can then set up templates and use them every time.<br />
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Now, here is my page setup for both 5x8 and 6x9:<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-T2gvRaNplOY/VSt9DS0Wp7I/AAAAAAAAAZE/8pI0GzByNPY/s1600/Untitled.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-T2gvRaNplOY/VSt9DS0Wp7I/AAAAAAAAAZE/8pI0GzByNPY/s1600/Untitled.jpg" height="640" width="504" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Page setup with mirror margins</td></tr>
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It is also important to change the page size to match what your paperback trim size will be. Sizes for 5x8 and 6x9 below:</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wA--btwswJg/VSuAL7z68MI/AAAAAAAAAZc/riYa29aPSww/s1600/6x9%2Bpage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wA--btwswJg/VSuAL7z68MI/AAAAAAAAAZc/riYa29aPSww/s1600/6x9%2Bpage.jpg" height="221" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">6x9 document size</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Gprkw8fJS9Y/VSuACjM-wvI/AAAAAAAAAZU/MwEcWxRCUN4/s1600/5x8%2Bpage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Gprkw8fJS9Y/VSuACjM-wvI/AAAAAAAAAZU/MwEcWxRCUN4/s1600/5x8%2Bpage.jpg" height="205" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
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You will now have a document that will perfectly fit the trim size for either a 6x9 or 5x8 paperback. Now you need to look at the text.</div>
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<b>Set up Style Sheets</b></div>
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Setting up style sheets is the mark of a professional and a God send to those who understand their value. If you apply styles to your document then you can make wholesale changes quickly. If you decide you want to increase the size of your chapter headings from 14pt to 16pt, you can change it via the style sheet rather than by highlighting and changing each chapter heading individually. Here's how it's done:</div>
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I like to start by deleting all of the default styles and then creating my own. For simplicity's sake I have created just 2 now as an example: Text and Titles.</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dre-bTh6gsE/VSuB4Pcy9HI/AAAAAAAAAZk/JavdA5D_zcc/s1600/Styles.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dre-bTh6gsE/VSuB4Pcy9HI/AAAAAAAAAZk/JavdA5D_zcc/s1600/Styles.jpg" height="148" width="640" /></a></div>
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With the exception of the chapter titles, I will be using the Text style for pretty much all of my document. When I start typing, I make sure that the Text style is active (just click on it). You can apply it to existing text by highlighting the paragraphs you want and then clicking the "Text" style. This will change all selected text to the parameters within your style. Here is an example of my "Text" style and you can make changes by right-clicking on the style and choosing "modify":</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XlRtmVM_ano/VSuDcNrGvkI/AAAAAAAAAZw/b-zCh9rnAOA/s1600/Style%2BText.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XlRtmVM_ano/VSuDcNrGvkI/AAAAAAAAAZw/b-zCh9rnAOA/s1600/Style%2BText.jpg" height="609" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From here you can change font size, colour, justification, etc.</td></tr>
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For my paperbacks, I like to use Georgia 9.5pt, but it's up to you. I also use Full Justification and I would suggest you do the same. You can also mess with the kerning and hyphenation, but I won't go into that here (I will link to a video that does).</div>
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At the bottom of the MODIFY STYLE window is a button that reads "FORMAT". If you click that, you get a dropdown box. Select "Paragraph" to get this window:</div>
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There are a couple of very important functions within this window. The first is "First Line Indent" under the "special" section. Amateurs may use tab spaces to start new paragraphs, but this can cause all kinds of formatting problems and headaches. It also means that if you want to change the indent size, you will have to select every single tab space. By setting First Line you will make every paragraph under that selected style begin with an identical indent. You will ideally set it anywhere between 2.5cm and 5cm. This will increase readability for both paperback and ebook editions (Kindles do not like manual tabs).</div>
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The second option is "Line Spacing". There are several things you can set this to, but I choose 1.5 lines. This makes the space between the lines of text nicely spaced for the page and not too clunked together. It won't affect the ebook edition so much.</div>
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For your chapters, you will want to highlight every heading and then click the "Titles" style sheet, or if you're on a new document, then you just click the box before writing each chapter heading. There is a really useful tool within style sheets when creating chapter headings. Here it is:</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-OfO4twvgkNU/VSuGwS-YcOI/AAAAAAAAAaI/flmVqX-PxqM/s1600/Chapter%2Bstyle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-OfO4twvgkNU/VSuGwS-YcOI/AAAAAAAAAaI/flmVqX-PxqM/s1600/Chapter%2Bstyle.jpg" height="313" width="400" /></a></div>
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You can see that I have selected "Centered", which will automatically centre all chapter headings. At the bottom I have added spacing Before and After. Many people, when creating headings, will add paragraph breaks by tapping ENTER before and after the title. That way is shoddy. This spacing option, however, allows you to set the space before and after the heading so that all match. Then, later, if you want to alter the chapter heading spacing, you can do it uniformly from the style sheet. You could have a hundred chapter headings and you can alter their position all at once from this one window. No more manually having to add paragraph breaks to every single title. Just click the style sheet once. Easy peasy.</div>
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You can create more style sheets that you can apply to things such as Front Matter (Copyright page, About the Author, etc), scene breaks (the 3 little stars that separate scenes), and anything else you want to group together for easy editing).</div>
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<b>Dividing your manuscript into "sections"</b></div>
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Now that you're a professional, you need to get into the habit of ending chapters with "Section Breaks" instead of page breaks or any other method you may have been using to start a new chapter and a new page. From now on, whenever you finish a chapter or create a title page etc, add a section break like this.</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-RF4D8M9jY5Q/VSuIlmRQwVI/AAAAAAAAAaU/c4edN-lwAW8/s1600/sECTION%2BBREAKS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-RF4D8M9jY5Q/VSuIlmRQwVI/AAAAAAAAAaU/c4edN-lwAW8/s1600/sECTION%2BBREAKS.jpg" height="400" width="377" /></a></div>
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From the PAGE LAYOUT tab on the ribbon, select the "Breaks" dropdown and then hit "Odd Page" (you see it falls under the heading "Section Breaks"). This will start a new page on an odd number (right side). This will make all of your chapters begin on the right like a professional novel. This may even cause the left page to be blank, but it is how things are done traditionally. All new chapters will begin on a new odd page. If you want to cut down page count, feel free to choose "next page" instead so that there are no blank pages. You should also start a new section before and after anything like a Copyright page, Title Page, etc. The important thing is that you add a section break and not a page break. You will see why later.</div>
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<b>Add page numbers properly</b></div>
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Ever torn your hair out because page numbers are a nightmare to get right? It should be easier now that you have divided your manuscript into sections. </div>
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Now, select the page with your first chapter heading and double click the bottom of the page to bring up the footer. The ribbon should change to the DESIGN tab.</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-g288mt3ve80/VSuLS3F64mI/AAAAAAAAAak/Sv2s347R_b4/s1600/Page%2Bnumbers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-g288mt3ve80/VSuLS3F64mI/AAAAAAAAAak/Sv2s347R_b4/s1600/Page%2Bnumbers.jpg" height="116" width="640" /></a></div>
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Click the drop down menu for "Page Number" and select your preference. I prefer bottom and centred. For the first chapter only, DESELECT the button "Link to Previous". You want your page numbers to start on this page and not link back to previous pages (Which will be your title page and copyright page, etc). Also select all three options on the right, Different First Page, Different Odd and Even page, and Show Document Text.</div>
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Now, hopefully, you have page numbers starting at no 1. Go ahead and delete the page number on the chapter page. Because you selected "Different First Page" you should hopefully still have page numbers at the bottom of the following pages, but not any of the chapter pages now (they should all be linked together). Each section should begin with a chapter heading on the first page (First page of each new section), so by deleting the page number from the first chapter page (First page of the section) you should have succeeded only in deleting all page numbers from title pages (And also copyright pages etc as these should be single page sections if you did as I suggested). The only pages with numbering should be the full text pages. Just like a real book, right?</div>
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Now, go though the document looking for anomalies. If you find that the page numbers restart at any point. Right-click the page number itself, select "Format..." and get this:</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9ZGGeoHXr_4/VSuNJxSbwEI/AAAAAAAAAaw/NKMvlq63SnA/s1600/Page%2Bnumbering.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9ZGGeoHXr_4/VSuNJxSbwEI/AAAAAAAAAaw/NKMvlq63SnA/s1600/Page%2Bnumbering.jpg" height="320" width="294" /></a></div>
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See where it says "Start at: 1"? Change it to "Continue from previous section." That should link the pages together and keep the numbering consistent. It's still a finicky process, so you will need top get to grips with it yourselves. Just make sure that all chapter pages, or front and back matter (copyright and title pages, etc) are without page numbers.</div>
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<b>Do the exact same thing with headers</b></div>
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Double-click the top edge of the page and open up the headers. Pick an odd page that isn't the first page of a section (so the first odd page AFTER a chapter heading) and add your book title. On the first even page (the page immediately following the chapter heading page), add your name. Like the page numbering, this should add your headers to all pages except your chapters and front/back matter pages. If you get any unwanted headers, try checking in the design ribbon to see if "Link to Previous" is or is not selected. Make sure you choose "Different First Page" and "Different Odd and Even Page" too as this allows you to delete chapter headings and then alternate between your author name on one side and the book title on the other. This is the most fiddly part of formatting your manuscript for paperbacks, so it may take some time until you get it down perfectly.</div>
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With these skills, you should have more control over the final presentation of your paperback book. Save your Word document as a pdf and you are set to go. If you want to get fancy, you might want to put the first letter of each paragraph in bold and increase the size to 14pt. It's as close as I know how to get to a drop cap without using InDesign.</div>
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<b>Ebook specifics</b></div>
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Once you have you paperback pdf, also save your Word document as a separate file to be used for your ebook. There are a few changes you need to make for your file to suit a Kindle reader. The first is that you should increase the font size to 11 or 12 as the 9.5 your selected for your paperback will appear very small on an ereader. Also, going into your "Text" style sheet (so easy, right?) and change from Full Justification to Left Justification. This will allow the text to flow better on an ereader. You may also wish to change the font to TIMES NEW ROMAN or one of the other fonts that Kindle natively supports.</div>
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<b>Clickable Table of Contents</b></div>
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Next, you want to add a linkable Table of Contents. It's easy.</div>
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Go to the final page of the document and start a new section. Then select the REFERENCES TAB and activate the Table of Contents drop down. Select "Custom" to get this menu:</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-MnC4msu5WMI/VSuRwt6BuJI/AAAAAAAAAa4/L53YoUz2UFQ/s1600/TOC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-MnC4msu5WMI/VSuRwt6BuJI/AAAAAAAAAa4/L53YoUz2UFQ/s1600/TOC.jpg" height="488" width="640" /></a></div>
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Deselect "Show page numbers" and select "Use hyperlinks..." Then press okay, and <i>Voila!</i></div>
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For safety, you may want to click the space before the table of contents and go on INSERT on the ribbon and insert a bookmark named TOC. This will ensure the Kindle reader can locate the contents page from the "Go To..." options. Also insert a bookmark right on the first page named "start".</div>
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<b>Front Matter</b></div>
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My Front Matter is in this order for ebooks: Book Summary, Dedication, Quotes, and then start the book. It's harder to skip to the meat of a book with an ereader, so don't put hurdles in people's way. Also, if your book is short, you don't want a big portion of Amazon's preview option to be taken up with dedications. I add a book summary (basically the same as my KDP product description) on page 1 because often people will download a book and not get around to reading it until some time later. By then they may have forgotten what your book was about and why they downloaded it. With some readers hoarding more books then they can read nowadays, it will help them if they open your book and are immediately met with a summary to remind them why they wanted your book in the first place.</div>
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<b>Back Matter</b></div>
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I end my book in this order: Plea from the Author, More books by the Author, About the Author, Copyright.</div>
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You may be asking what my "Plea from the Author" is? Well, it's a chance for me to thank the reader for buying my book and reaching the finish, and also to kindly ask for a review. Here is the exact page at the end of all my books:</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lCf8pDJ45U0/VSuU0fQ-IiI/AAAAAAAAAbE/geyUnR9IcBY/s1600/Plea.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lCf8pDJ45U0/VSuU0fQ-IiI/AAAAAAAAAbE/geyUnR9IcBY/s1600/Plea.jpg" height="640" width="449" /></a></div>
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I get a lot of reviews. Maybe this is part of the reason why. It's also nice to end each book by letting the reader know how important they are to me.</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pM1fc3rCnQ0/VSuVRMC-BII/AAAAAAAAAbM/Z26NKcq33PM/s1600/More%2Bbooks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pM1fc3rCnQ0/VSuVRMC-BII/AAAAAAAAAbM/Z26NKcq33PM/s1600/More%2Bbooks.jpg" height="640" width="449" /></a></div>
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Make sure that you add a link to your other books. To entice people, I add a one sentence summary for each of my books along with links to both the US and UK (my biggest markets). To add a hyperlink, just highlight the word you want to act as a link and right-click. Select the hyperlink options and follow the prompts.</div>
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Also make sure your "About the Author" page has a link to your website or to your newsletter.</div>
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<b>Copyright Page</b></div>
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Here is my simple copyright page. Feel free to use it.</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MB3Tt-d64Dk/VSuWKpzQxBI/AAAAAAAAAbY/9qbU_xCOvbc/s1600/Copyright.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MB3Tt-d64Dk/VSuWKpzQxBI/AAAAAAAAAbY/9qbU_xCOvbc/s1600/Copyright.jpg" height="400" width="352" /></a></div>
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Finally, save your file as "Web Page, filtered". This will create a simple html file that is perfect for uploading to KDP or making into an ebook file. </div>
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<b>Covers</b></div>
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So that should get you sorted for the book's interior. But I hear a lot of your shouting that the real problem with getting a paperback created (mainly via Createspace) is getting the cover right. Well, fortunately, someone else has done the hard work for me here. Visit www.Bookow.com and enter your book's details into the calculator (trim size and pdf word count - make sure you put the file's word count and not your own page number count). The service will spit out a Photoshop template to the exact dimensions you need. All you need to do is overlay your cover within the guidelines and then flatten and save as a pdf.</div>
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Here's the link: <a href="http://www.bookow.com/resources.php#cs-cover-template-generator">www.bookow.com/resources.php#cs-cover-template-generator</a></div>
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<b>Drop Caps, Kerning and Spacing</b></div>
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To go even more advanced, get yourself a copy of Adobe InDesign and check out Hugh Howie's awesome guide (with downloadable templates). Here's the link: <a href="http://www.hughhowey.com/turning-your-manuscript-into-a-paperback/" target="_blank">www.hughhowey.com/turning-your-manuscript-into-a-paperback</a></div>
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<b>Make your own ebook</b></div>
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If you want to create your own mobi, epubs, and other files to give out as freebies etc, then I suggest you download Calibre and learn how to use it. It is free and available here: <a href="http://calibre-ebook.com/">http://calibre-ebook.com/</a></div>
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Anyway, that was the longest blog post of my life, but I really hope it helps. :-)</div>
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Iain Rob Wrighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14840984365803973410noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1968818032560020588.post-77249749524542015812015-03-27T14:18:00.003+00:002015-03-27T18:28:40.535+00:00Tips for the aspiring writer...When it comes to fiction, there are no hard and fast rules, only choices. However, informed choices are better than ignorant ones. Below are a few tips and observations that I personally find useful. Perhaps you will too.<br />
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<b>1.The first draft is shit. - Ernest Hemmingway</b><br />
One of the hardest things, and probably THE hardest for an aspiring writer, is getting that first draft finished - a rough, yet completed story. What used to hold me back in the early days was constantly going back to what I had written and re-editing it. It was lack of confidence in my own work that caused me to do this and I now know that the best way to get a book out is to just go for it. When writing the first draft, create a brief chapter-by-chapter guideline so you know where you are going, then just write the damn thing. Don't stop or go back for anything until you have written that final word. Let the story write itself so that it comes into being as an entity instead of merely an idea. Once you have the 1st draft you can then focus on the boring bit - the editing. As soon as you finish the 1st draft, start the 2nd by adding to the story, characters, etc, as well as deleting anything unnecessary and addressing any concerns you had while writing the 1st draft. Then, when you have done that, edit a 3rd time for mistakes and errors. Then pass it on to your proof readers or editor and move onto something else. A couple weeks later, go back and make the changes you get back from your readers/editor and search one last time for any mistakes. In my opinion, this is the minimum required to publish a decent book. 4 drafts including at least 1 other set of eyes.<br />
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<b>"Get through a draft as quickly as possible. Hard to know the shape of the thing until you have a draft. Literally, when I wrote the last page of my first draft of Lincoln’s Melancholy I thought, Oh, shit, now I get the shape of this. But I had wasted years, literally years, writing and re-writing the first third to first half. The old writer’s rule applies: Have the courage to write badly." – Joshua Wolf Shenk</b><br />
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<b>2. Use action instead of speech tags.</b><br />
- "Get away!" the boy shouted." - Is not as good as:<br />
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- The boy threw his arms out and growled. "Get away." -<br />
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You can use action to let the reader know who is speaking and, in doing so, you remove the need for 'he said, she said'. You also empower the dialogue by describing the speaker's actions in relation to what they are saying. It is far more economical to say:<br />
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"I can't stand this." Sarah ground her teeth. "It's too much."<br />
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Than to say:<br />
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"I can't stand this," Sarah said while grinding her teeth. "It's too much."<br />
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Both of the above are fine, but shorter is better and more impactful.<br />
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<b>3.She said, he said, is fine.</b><br />
Be consistent and pick either "Said Michael" or "Michael said." Either way is fine but don't chop and change unnecessarily. Also stick to simple tags like "he said" as much as possible as they are invisible to the reader. It is better to describe emotion through action than by adding an adverb to the end of your speech tag. For example:<br />
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"Goddamn it!" Mike said angrily.<br />
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Is sloppier than saying.<br />
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Mike stamped his foot. "Goddamn it."<br />
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In the second example, Mike's anger is visible though him stamping his foot. This is describing to the reader (showing) instead of telling (Mike said angrily). "Show don't tell" is one of those rules everyone harps on about and this is an example of it.<br />
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<b>4.Don't use jargon</b><br />
If your character is a doctor then he may say the word "influenza", but if he is not, he will just say "flu". Don't use jargon unless necessary. Readers get annoyed with big words when something less showy will do. Don't refer to an elephant as a pachyderm unless your protagonist is named Attenborough.<br />
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<b>5.Read a lot</b><br />
I actually know an author who says he never reads. That is insane to me because I am constantly learning to write better by reading other people's work. It would be like a carpenter trying to make a cabinet without having ever seen one. The more you read (especially within your chosen genre) the wider your understanding and skill will become. Reading is the practise and training that writers do to get better and it will serve them better than any English degree. Degrees are for editors. Imagination is for writers.<br />
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<b>6. Use killer words</b><br />
Killer words are words that do the duty of several (and so kill words by reducing sentence length). Words like little, big, small, fast, large, hard, soft, are all single-meaning words (i.e. they don't qualify themselves with detail). There are no specifics to the word small and little, but there is a difference between words like minute, petite, minuscule, microscopic, meager, paltry, trifling, petty, miniature. These words mean "small" but they also qualify HOW and in WHAT WAY the thing is small. Take the following sentences and how their meanings are more concise and different with killer words.<br />
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Original sentence: "The little, dark brown dog barked in a high-pitched tone."<br />
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Killer word version: "The chocolate poodle yapped."<br />
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"Chocolate" replaces "Dark brown" (and thus kills 1 word) and "yapped" replaces "barked in a high-pitched tone" (and thus kills 4 or 5 words). The meanings of the two sentences are the same but the Killer words make things far more precise and evocative. You could even change the entire scene by changing the killer words.<br />
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Killer word version two: "The grimy spaniel howled."<br />
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Both of these killer version could be said to describe the original sentence, but they are very different. That's because the words used were precise.<br />
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Let's try another sentence.<br />
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Original Sentence: "The large bird of prey flew over to the roof and landed on the edge of the chimney."<br />
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Killer words: "The kestrel swooped down and perched on the chimney."<br />
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Killer words version 2: "The barn owl plummeted and struck the chimney."<br />
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Totally different images right? But both were just more precise variations of the original sentence. This proves that the original sentence is left open to interpretation and thus harder for the reader to imagine in firm detail.<br />
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Look at your sentences and see if there are specific words that will both increase detail and decrease sentence length. These are killer words. Instead of saying "very big" you can say "huge, monolithic, gigantic." Instead of saying "blue-green", be specific and say turquoise. "Rusty truck" is better than "old car", and instead of saying "The bright light shone off the beautiful diamonds in all directions," say "The exquisite diamonds shimmered." You get the idea I hope.<br />
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<b>7. Show characters through their actions</b><br />
Instead of saying "Margaret was a very moody person", you could show that through action. For example:<br />
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Margaret rolled her eyes and huffed. The washing up needed doing, but she flung her coffee mug in the sink and stomped out of the kitchen instead. When she reached the living room, she dumped herself down on the sofa and shouted at her husband to change the channel. He didn't argue and did so immediately.<br />
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Do you see?<br />
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<b>8. Transform your characters</b><br />
With your main character especially, the reader wants to see some kind of change. If your main character is a coward then end the story with him having proven himself brave - and have them do it as a result of the plot forcing him to make this change. You should outline the changes you want to see in your characters before you even write the first word.<br />
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<b>Anyway, I'm not a particularly good teacher and there are too many rules to go over in one post, but below are a few links I found with even more tips for writing good! The biggest tip I can really give an aspiring author is to make like Jon Snow and realise you know nothing. Always be open to improving and always learn from others.</b><br />
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<b>1.<a href="http://www.writingforward.com/writing-tips/42-fiction-writing-tips-for-novelists">http://www.writingforward.com/writing-tips/42-fiction-writing-tips-for-novelists</a></b><br />
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<b>2.<a href="http://www.iuniverse.com/ExpertAdvice/20WritingTipsfrom12FictionAuthors.aspx">http://www.iuniverse.com/ExpertAdvice/20WritingTipsfrom12FictionAuthors.aspx</a></b><br />
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<b>3.<a href="http://writeitsideways.com/101-of-the-best-fiction-writing-tips-part-i/">http://writeitsideways.com/101-of-the-best-fiction-writing-tips-part-i/</a></b><br />
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<b>4.<a href="http://www.theguardian.com/books/2010/feb/20/ten-rules-for-writing-fiction-part-one">http://www.theguardian.com/books/2010/feb/20/ten-rules-for-writing-fiction-part-one</a></b><br />
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<b>5.<a href="http://www.advancedfictionwriting.com/articles/writing-the-perfect-scene/">http://www.advancedfictionwriting.com/articles/writing-the-perfect-scene/</a></b><br />
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Anyway, I just wanted to post this before I take a short break. Since Kindle Unlimited struck and rocked the boat, I have been working no-stop since New Years. I am going to take off the next 2 weeks and perhaps a 3rd, but I won't everyone to know how much I love them and how much I love being able to do what I do. I have so many things I am excited about and I can't wait to give my readers more books.<br />
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Happy Festivus everybody.Iain Rob Wrighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14840984365803973410noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1968818032560020588.post-55697744211580809642015-03-21T19:42:00.003+00:002015-03-22T09:55:06.368+00:00Kdp Product Description Guide...<b>It's been a while since I offered anything helpful, so I thought I would briefly mention my method of creating product descriptions for my books, and hopefully pass on a few tips.</b><br />
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Below is the product description for my novel, Ravage. (Click the picture to visit the full size page.)<br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Ravage-Apocalyptic-Iain-Rob-Wright-ebook/dp/B00D3MSDSS/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qNoxOB46gtM/VQ2zYzn-zOI/AAAAAAAAAYg/7KTY_rWvYug/s1600/Untitled.png" height="142" width="640" /></a></div>
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You will notice that my product description makes use of both <b>bold </b>and <i>italics</i>. A vast number of KDP authors make no use of text formatting within their product descriptions and end up with bland, featureless pages. The reason for this is because adding formatted text requires the use of basic HTML tags, and If it isn't easy, most don't do it.<br />
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But if you make the effort, you can really do a lot to make your page stand out from your peers. Using HTML tags can give you a real step up in the professional appearance stakes.<br />
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Now, I will try to be really simple with these instructions as I'm not the most technically minded, but in a nutshell this is how you put a word in bold.<br />
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In your product description (on the KDP title editing page) add the following tag <b> before a word to start bold and end it with </b>. That's it. Just use <b> <b>to start bold and</b> </b> to end it.<br />
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For example. The words in bold are the <b><b>ones between the tags.</b></b><br />
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Doing italics is exactly the same, but with an 'i' instead of 'b'. The words in italics are the <i><i>ones between the tags.</i></i><br />
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If you do this you can do titles, subtitles, separate the blurb from the endorsements,etc, and basically employ the things that marketers do often by using text formatting for advertisements.<br />
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Now, in regards to Createspace (for your paperbacks) you need to be even more technical because it will not accept manual paragraph breaks, which means it leaves you with a messy block of text with no returns or breaks (I'm sure you've noticed). To remedy this you can do the following within Createspace or Author Central.<br />
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A line break (like pressing ENTER once) can be achieved by using <br><br />
Whereas a paragraph break (like pressing ENTER TWICE) can be achieved by using <p><br />
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See?<br />
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Below is the full html product description that I have used for Ravage on Createspace. Compare it to my Amazon product description (for the paperback) to see how it came out:<br />
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<b>***NEW 2015 EDITION***</b><br />
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<i>There's a nasty bug going around...</i> <br><br />
Nick Adams is an unremarkable man. The only good things in his life are his supportive wife, Deana, and his son, James. They are the only reason he continues to toil at his demoralising job as manager of a small phone shop. He feels in his bones that he is meant for something better, but better never seems to come around. Today, the only thing that has come around is a single, solitary customer, and it doesn't look like the man came to buy anything. In fact, he looks quite unwell.<br />
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It won't be long before Nick's entire life is turned upside down, sending him on a frantic journey through a ravaged world that will ultimately lead him 500 feet upwards to a hilltop amusement park. Is it the last safe place on Earth? Or are the monsters at the top of the hill even worse than the ones below?<br />
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<i>Welcome to Ripley Heights, where the fun never starts...</i><br />
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<b>Iain Rob Wright reinvents the zombie apocalypse while remaining faithful to its traditions. A book sure to please fans of both George Romero and 28 Days later, Ravage is the first book in a unique and terrifying apocalypse.</b><br />
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<b>PRAISE FOR THE AUTHOR</b> <br><br />
"Iain Rob Wright scares the hell out of me." J A Konrath, author of Origins and Afraid <br><br />
"A Master of the genre." Matt Shaw, author of the Black Cover books <br><br />
"Cuddle up to this novel and it might rip your throat out. A fun, thrilling read!" David T. Wilbanks - Co-author of Dead Earth: The Vengeance Road <br><br />
"One of the BEST horror books I have read in YEARS!" - Eric S. Brown, author of Last Stand in a Dead Land <br><br />
"Iain Rob Wright brings true excitement to the horror genre, with wholly original stories and characters to route for." - Ryan C Thomas, author of Hissers, Rating's Game, and Origin of Pain<br />
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I hope you can use this to help glam up your own product descriptions. While you're at it, you may want to make note of these following strategies.<br />
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<b>Create questions; give no answers.</b><br />
Your plot summary should address the main questions you raise in Act One. A murdered woman. A mysterious stranger with a red mask. A plane crash minutes after takeoff. Stuff like that. Make the reader want to pick up your book to get answers, but never give those answers away in the description. So none of this: A woman murdered for stealing from her husband's father. Man in red mask takes payment to execute her. Random technical fault in fuel line crashes plan upon takeoff. Questions, not answers.<br />
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<b>Bullet points can help sell your book's unique selling points.</b><br />
In my ebook descriptions you will see that I employ bullet points in bold. These are really useful for shouting the reasons people should buy your book. If you have won an award than say -By the Award winning author of... If your book has a twist ending you can put -A Twist Ending. If your book is a mammoth tome of 500k words then you could mention that so people know what they are getting for their money. There are no hard and fast rules, but imagine the reader is about to click onto another page and you have three lines to get their attention. What would you shout at them?<br />
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<b>Editorial</b><br />
My description for Ravage ends with:<br />
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<b>Iain Rob Wright reinvents the zombie apocalypse while remaining faithful to its traditions. A book sure to please fans of both George Romero and 28 Days later, Ravage is the first book in a unique and terrifying apocalypse.</b><br />
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Now you may cringe at the thought of talking about yourself in the 3rd person, but if you were with a big publisher they would do this for you in magazines, book pages, etc. An editorial blurb gives the impression of authority. It subliminally makes people think they are being told something forcefully and authoritatively, and it will make them want to yield. When a friend recommends a film to you, you feel obliged to watch it, right? The editorial blurb works the same way. The readers are being given a knowledgeable opinion and will subliminally be inclined to listen. So, instead of cringing, think of what you would love a a big magazine to say about your book in an ideal world - and then write it about yourself in anonymous 3rd person. Big time authors have this stuff made up for them all the time, so we need to do the same. Big yourself up in 3rd person, go on, do it!<br />
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<a 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pH9X/ANE043cKU2tV7cFbU8pRUmW8wyqy9nqIGte7lV06koevrlxtQhSCoAKHUHKAY86inX30JGZzMoj5LafanSJjTpqetMUcVKbMXDenz2x3aGQe46aHpRGcpdMX9Z9MtDaAkAAQAIA8BXqkLO7Q6gLbVmSetL1BzNNdhRRXKBHa5XpKCdhSibc9YppNlqEmJUUv6t4/RXarFlbUheiiitDqCiiigAooooAKKKTfeCEqWowEgk+VAClR99iqUKyJ7bnzQfZHes/JH01WsR4kuisJbSEJKkgqCSoiQSdxE6Tt3U4sbUt5hOaVFSlqGqpTMk6ag6e6onqKKG+EQ/ELhW8DnzuqTAykgJ11SlI0iIJzb1DG2VzEtNiVEiVAxJMmQe4pg+FS+LXC9SCkFsqKhBGU/JUFRMmY7iRTHAH0NKS86T2syR75TH0U4yajZcW1E9/gNSVttrUgKcC8oCZEiNCdyDG/SoV/eQmMphQ6ZgTt3Dwq44teMc1pwOpKmsxCAZKpGgEeNVQtqKtflk5j3ncgT8arSnJq2OEn9khiNigIygmcoVJ9wJHv2iOnuqKRaGEnKUjoogkE/UOp9wNWfDkJTbHPKS2okTqCY0GuhkGI8aYYVbBw5l9kZtJ9mQdtNOoEbQTSjOrv6BSqxu0yoJWooCQJBXlEiRoQN+m475rmB2QWHZCioBKk5FQep29w+irTfkNoBbaSSqUryaEAAlUEUlw8khCiEBK/ZWDpJAEZSJ00EjoTWb1m4tkZ8NkXimD8tKlJWQgagK1MEaga9DEn3d1cwlxwFKnCUpcgpPTs65tdSR2vfPvqx39up1AbUkAKMKIOwjpoNZiuu2Yy5SElGWJOmUj2TpAAHhULVuNSJztckfh+JKfWRCckwR3iDJTInTSfKqxid8vmLbUkJEkGU6kA9kqJ1J8fjNOWbhSXzy1ApRMqjVcnXMme15RNJYlcqUVBQG5Jjx0EA9pMRt4VvCFS/saRjTFuHsYFq7BJ5K4kd35w93XwrR2klQBGoPWsddO4iQJg/wDeNRVs4Q4rLRSxcexICVdUeB70/VVzhfJOroqTyL6m27zSqWgOle6KjFGShFfQTRRRTLCiuUU6GdooopCCiiigAooooA8uuBIKlEADckwB7zVQusbFy5lbKilCwI0gwoArVrKhBgDbr3Qrx1cKVkYQdFdpz9HZIPgTPvjwqPwixKQYkK5maZMZQdATHXT6+lTqSSiN8IlwwDmzCcyyfoj6hXHXUgA/OUAAI1JO479zXhxWWE9DpvrsSY93f400uWuYBmUUEBR/R0IB8T1nyrjSvsy7FMTtEqWJMBQykEwFDYJ23BObv0ioRlAQOQ42HQNACQk6amDodZ0nw85PCmyc6HFKJJCkqB7xAJ1jMCJ00p3iWHofEKEqHyhp2oGh6x7q0UsfxkWnTplbQhpIWkNhBMQNSfGVqHZBBmR3V7baGuhUlZygnbKDqEqiQIPaUQNE1JW2CSQoLcAg7zIO2s+Gmkad9enrBoOKU/cA5vaQSE5u4GCIEAaDfrNa7kfovNHFWaHGS2g9lWZSVHYHTQCdSYJT4VGYC+2klHNIkgIkb/KIM+zChB79KsAuLZacgcbKdJAUBMCNfo+Apo/gzS2yhsJUN0ajsZjqd5KdtKiM1TUrJUl0x2L1tSk5FJOY65T2jAkgjyA8dqcWbqMvY21IT17zHeNZnxquPcLOCOUoDrvolXck6qO2+lerexu0lGgJSISCoaJBnz12nu8KW3BriQOMWuGWlDgMwdtCOo8D3UxxR0aoUlRBSQCn2gpWgAHjB7/GmBQGcpfcCJMnKTJjUCfmzGmu2+tRGJ8UAkFpMKCpzHeIII8N9tqUNJuXHIo6bvge2FihK8ripMkxsvOmNcwOxJO+1Nk4sw1yyBmWlSwqN8qp9onc7Gq3d3inFFSzJJJ8zvFIZTE9K61p3+zN1D1khfYopSl8slDaiYRpoCZjbvmmRKlq6qUfMk05wrC3LheRpMnqeg8VHYVpnDnCjVtC1dt4fLOw/RH31bpdDclElMFQsW7Qd9sITm98dfEU9oorMxCiiimI5RRRQM7RRRSEFFFFABXRXKieIrwpQG0qyrdOUECco6qPcNhPeoUDRA3d2S444D2itKkCd0JOUdOozeZHfS7BIBAkwCRr0HZj7wai7RQS3kVCuXlBBE+yrtCB3gyDHSNYFSTCiSAkD2u0dolRMR1JAFc2pyTI9c4KUCR20qyJHjEz7j5+GtGHIPamNzlnuEAbj/yaZYe8og9gpGcpBImZIHvEaQSOlK4o1kbC0LKIOYg9oHUE6H7tKhqniJrmh4u3abOdZASn2M0QjaQk76xt5VEXvFqRIZQpZHXp+8ioZu0cullTjzehg5joCYgJTp7veKm7nAglpeZwlKUkpSkBAHiqPa860whF/m7ZdRj+zKze4/cOEy4Uj5qdAO/x+JqMKT8fpq6HA7ZLjZ+QcwPMUQCUxtPmfKlbV1hOTlNhbgCiQnKTI03O/uHQ1utWKX4o0zX0iqM4K6ohKQCo9P8AvtSa7V1pUCQofNPd7qvbt89rCEoygqkmZCe5Ohg7TTL8Jq/KBSAsJTn78oUZGmu2o8NKUdWT+kJTk/oqPr70f3xcT3nff69a4/evT21rmOpMwdfpmrWq3tHoT2mcpJykwAdzoTuQPDSvV9gjb5zc1MjTTSEp02MnznWnvRvlV/ge4vCmrWtQlRJ2Ekz7vqpZjCnViUtrOoGiFHfyq/2uHMMSpDbaVDUKXKtBE5dZ/wDdIYtd3mvLfOgJISlKQADlMEyT/wC/CnHXi+gWqn0QFhwhcHVTQSAd3TlGWDuN/Gn1hhOHsybi5S8ofJTOX9nVXxpheOEZhcXSlElQKASqCNjuEkHbaq8t3fTetFyVyzRrTjW0RCG21oTIAhKQI79+lXAVglbjhaiWWidy2n/dFKSInFIdUUUVBmFFFFMDlFFFAztFFFIQUUUUAAqg4/dZnuZsA6UkT8lIMA93aSr+1V8dWEpKjsASfITWX2qS6txZ2V+U8EknWfA7Ee/uofRcfSy2Ck51q7PaCVT3hXWSddQdPCk3Wy0sHN+TI0SfkkSRHXx8q82aAUhE5VoJAJ38Qodd+u+/Wk7lwrSW3ciUpEhQ9lZBjSdoOpG+3SuTHkyS5E2bwEBIUDB1KSdTIgKMaSdusVWn7rmOHU5N4zRI6jNtJ7xvUjib5AUtAy9rlrTG+kxAmDOxB286aPNMr0KoJgZ/k9lJnLroCY92tdOnFLk2jFIcB1DS1clDbnsKAGZeWNDr3jfN40HFrh0uJChBABBAAAOh9oyPpp5hmGOOBDiVFpWUoWpIGoB7hsqCNa69gyJUl1QOshWUcw6aSToU9NPOlnC+ewuNlbuHXYBW4pWSANcwHntXXHjmyoWUyQpRV2e1G8jUDXap22wJtedAdV7cBKUwEmJlSSdB08q8pwRJCiJS6jQmQUlQG2UjYiDpMTWm5HorOJF3GLvKMkheUFJ7KSNdO7Xz605RbSzJVzFFojKTCm4O4nVQ8B3UuxhUFAJKBGdC+maAoQojyKSammC2W0rUEZlQF5SJPM0OcRuCfrNRKaSqJMpJdEdhWEqBPbEJhWRWU7jQk6958xS1224jKS1nCV9rKSrszMQSQOh6ezvUja3KG1luDlAnMRBSJiFiJjoFVF4ji6WieUr2jIg66AglW4IPQz016RknOUuiLk2IYperkdooBKxBgiFJ0ie0JEeZ06UzvMbeIgmCNFGBELAlJEd4+unFpfuvLAZRnXuUhMpzZcsqBECRrM9/fUtbcCuLIU+4hM+0EJk/E6ecVvGKXaNEkuyhOKJMk0sxhrqzCG1qJ7kn91bBh2A27A/JtJB+cdT8TUjV5BueGXYVwPcLILoDaJ1zHtR1gCtQSkAADQAQPcK7RSbsiUmwoooqSQooopgcooooGdooopCCiiigCP4gXFs73lBA1jU6ffVHwVa9TqFexCuqQJjpEHzGbarlxOByIJ3WnTviTH0Gq9ZsqzKCSkySSI7KsvZVO5BkjXWZ8KjUlxQ/o8s5XCQvRZGigY0VsI6pO8mYJI6V3EElSS2vKpMghc5YI1E9Ae7oaePMJgEpGkR2oKDGmo6dO7bSk37cpaUhSkZMsHP2QJn5Wx+FYZq7JT5Kk5zW1pCzmSSkTulRExmjQxPftXt7DwhTiSRlMhKj3p3mNt6k3G0rYyJEGCUqVlIMKEa7TlkawTFNsJsPyS86JhQJCjHZjNt3GQZBGoFdOfFm2RHs4spLp1UEk6AkiJAHTwHjUgxiCCFFalgSgGFyZjQpkRoZ7PdUZi7SYQrMQtSZIjQAaJSI1mBEnuqJCjV4Jl4plptMyEOONPJOdRzQBmATISqAdATvpAkUou8DepcUQSAoKy5tNAREHQfKEHp0FVRDyhsSO/WvZWtZAJUo9BqT5UbZOBZmMUCBl5vaHsLmUhMjskffvFR97ikyJSSCoAgEggneTv17op5hHBVw7BXDST872v7P74q32HBVq3GZJcPes6fAaUsYoX4ooeGWl1dr7BUehWTCQPzlfdVm/FJm3RmeS9cuH5LSVRPjl18yfKrs02EgJSAkDYAQPor3Tvwlz8KOq2v1oKGWEWrZ2SDCvNW8++q1iNjfNGXA/wDpAqI+IMVroooUqBTr6MeseJbpogh1R/NX2gfeDVvwPjxCyE3CQ2T8sez5g6p+mpTiDhVm5GYDI70UOvgobefSs8vrcW7vLWCUEgrRsoRPyo17wRoRFVaZf4zNgQoEAggg6ggyD7iN67Wa8OcSJtnEoDil26uixBa8e4jvitKBkSNR0NQ1Rm40FFFFIkKKKKYHKKKKBnaKKKQgooooGQHF0kMAHUvfGEK8NunnUMhxK1BTgKCjtSjTfTUDee4dyh0qRx9ZVdNpTByIKoncqPfGhAFIIYSnIopICYGp1TJMzrqNR8AfGsdVq6E30O0vpIkFJzGJGoPw99eG1gylQBHTWZT1+GxrzcWaZkaHdSU6Zx4jv8d6Qv7pptAC1lGb2dTIkRIGsDwrmST4RHH0KGyQ2FqQmCUkAaRJ6Du6aba1GLYALbhSHSChKkpO6iNJ6dnKN/nHzYnG08uM6isZoI2KpCUnfaNYNMb7Ecr6khYCAsGRr0EkRvtXVDTl9msYSI7Gnip5Z18N+mkCegpgkUrdO5lEgQCTA7vCpzgrCua9mUJQ3Cj4q+SPv8q6f1ibOSjG2SvD/B4KQu5G4kIBiP0j91W3DcNZaUOW2lPiBr8d6XpRn2hXO5ts856spS5Y8NFBorQ6QooooAKKK8uOBIKlEBI3JMAe80AeqgOLuHk3TeYaOoBynv8AzT9x6U4HE9pmCecnXYwcp9yoikOJOIUssgtLbUtaglPaBid1QDOlNWUrTMmDSs2UAzMQN57q0j0fYuVtm3X7bQ7M9U939E6fCs+ucwcUc2Y5pKhI1JmdhGtT3CjShcNuoWVKzQsQYg6HMo6azpuSRVy6NZ8o1KiiiszAKKKKYHKKKKBnaDSTj4G2ppstwneoc6MpaqXQ4cfHTWmXPecWpti3dfUgBSw3HZCpyzJG8H4UpUx6MnsuLPI6OWgV5tuAfUulD8pck6T3J0yjKw+6funSxZvqW0lCF5YCm1DMSlUmFSCNPCntql91xxtuzfW61AdQAmUTqnNKoMgeNbBwhY5LnElfPuQf/wAWz/zV54VsAi+xRce2818OQ2frUa0loxl2dm1Ex5NpiCm3CiwezIKkz2SElOhzazpVSuuGcSdZ9aWw6pkp5gc0y5TrmAnQHfavojgF0vWVwoaldxdR5uKA+6mOMWC2OG1suiHG7PIoTMEJg6jeqjpxj0iowS6Pn3E+Db5gth62cRzVhtuQO0s7JEE6mm+O8MXVmEm6YW0FzlzRrG8QfEV9I8P5cTw/DXzBLTiHD+m0Ftq/a1ql+kN9N1ibqVAKbtWg2ARI5i4Ws+QyjyNVJ0rCclFWzKLTg69cY9ZRbOKYyqVzBEZUzmO/SD8KtfAGE3arYrt7J11KlE55ShJjSElahmiNYrS+Ev5rH9VuPrdqXwwOuYJbfg5YS4GWimI1CcudAJ0CiApOuxPShpPsJRUlTMzubtxpxLD9u83cKICGiAS4SYHLUDlVrpM6V7XcvNvNsuWj6XnJLbRAlwAScpzRpHU1LcScZIvcRw5g2r7DzF62Vc4JEBRiAASTJAM7aVo/EWDc26sLhI7Vu8qT+Y40tJ/ayfTUbUTJfxoGXJfuitTYsLkuISFKR2JSlWYJJ7XUpV8DSjQvFJCk4ddFJEg9jUHb5VWXH+Jk2WMPhTbjgcs2oDacxCkuO5Z10HaOtKeiPiC6uDcMXfL/AIOhgICExGdK5CjOp7I+mqxRphEqi7h1tSE3Fq9b8wkILgTCiBJAyk6xrSYurhaFLtrN59CSocxOUJJSYVqTOhHdRxrjlw+/clxTfLsX3EsICYJWQEpK1Tr7W0Vb/RED+BTmMnM/J7zmVNLFCwVmaepYy4Uvs2z2VaQQiElGUiUlOsmd50OtRvEltfNALvWHAF9lAcADYVBJypSTJESCfGtU9CfEtxdNutPlBTbtMBvKmDCg4O1rqYQnuqv8WPu4jdPsXKk+r2twpKEpSQonLAKl5tgD0FNpDaSVlAtOFMTeaYWzarW2kEtLSBqFGZ1PhppSTvBeJtuJcctHMy1wMwBzKMmN+uta16GOInnHXLFRQWbZqG4SQrReUZyTrpr50jjvF1wviBnDzk5CH21JhPanlBWqp71HpT4KM4PC16hwNGzf5jzZJSrKSchGYpBPsjMBGh1GtPbDCLlLyGDaXHObKXSwCIyT7USBqe8kg1vN9hrisStnwn8k2w8hRkaKWpopEbmcpqBY/nI5+oo+0NJwTFiil3L1w0M9xZXDLcgFxeXKkqIAmFE7kU8p56Ur69LymHEZcOJal3J8vMCE5s2naAEwd6Z1MlRlNJdBRRRSIOUUUUDGNFFFc5wIKd8HO5MXtT0W282fgFD/AHaaUkS4h1l9nLzGVlSQsHKZSUkKjXY1cHTNdKSjNNms8UXos2FvAxnfZzf0ltNH9kVJrQlkPu98rV/RQlP1JrGOKsavsQY9Xe5DSMyVZm8xMpkjc7TB8qkL3jPEnWltKTahK0FBUM8gKBBIE761vnH07t6HpP8AoVeP4FSue1meVPjmJpzjWILuOHHHnYK3LPOqBAlSZMDpVG4cxe8sbb1RgMLalXacCs3b1MwYrn4YvTYfg8i35PJDOcBWfLETExMUZx9Deh6Wv0Fun1W4a+S2/wBkd2ZCFH6Sao2Hulznuq1U486pR/pKSPgABUjgGK3VhzU2oZUh1QUeaFSCEhOmU7aTTTD7XIjKTJJUpRG0rUVGPDXSs5yTic+rqRlBJMufCX81j+q3H1u1EcL4W9hOHN3zNyt5pxDS1Wqkdj8oUzkIJKSJPaA16g1F2WLXjNkbBsW5YKHG8ygrOEuFROkxIzH4CnHDnEd9YMpt2wzcsoEIDpKVJEzGYSFDuEaDStM4+nQtaHpc/SNh7an8LfygOpvmkBUalKpJSfNIPkatDeKfw1dsYnkpdT3ntKSv4dj41juN4zfXbrDzimm/V3EutMpCigrSd3FGCdNPCTSjmOX671u8/g6XUNqaCAFZVJUZOYzO8fCjOPob0PSW42/wyv8AVG/tHKeeiT+W4n7rb/dcqDddefuFXNzyw4ptLYS2DASkqVMqMyc30UYZeXNm+87ahlXPDYWHQrTl5gCkpPXN9FF8hksrI3GLUuPYqhPtG5WU/pJykfSIq7+iAk4KSRBzPyO45lVV7NpeZ1x0p5jzinF5Jygq6JnWNKVwfE720ZVbMC3U0pTipcCsw5hJOxgxJihNWOMlbFf/AI873f8AorX6nqZj+W4l+tq+pNJ8Mm5w7N6pyV8xDaF80K3azwU5T1znTwpa0ZXneddKeY84XF5ZygmBCZ1gRQ3wKUk0THo2SBi1xA3tUz4/lDvVaxU/3XDT/HNa/wBQP/PKpG0ubi2uFXFryipbfLUl2YgKzAgpO/SmLzD67s36i16zzUuAAHJ2G+WEnXNqNffTTVDU1Rrd7ibicRtrcEctxh5ahGuZCmgmD09o1AMfzkc/UUfaGqs9xBiKrlq6KbULaQ42lPbghwoJJ137Aj3mkE4rfi9N8PVuapkNFELy5QcwMzM608kVmh76UcQuzcqYdQsYektL5gZJGYEGFO7JGaO/ekaMbx6/vGF276bZLbkBRRnzQFBXZkxOlcAqJGc2n0dooopGZyiiigYxooornOBBSLZecWpFvbuvqQAV5MvZzTE5iN4NLVZPRD/KsQ/qfqVV6cU3ybaMFOVMp6Lpal8pLDqn8yklgRnCkiVTrGg13pe5ZvGkKcdsLhDaRKlnJCQNyYVOlO8B/nI5+sP/AGSasHphxC/QlaGG5slMK57mQKKdSDBKhGkdDFbLTidK/jwKjYm4fQHLazfeaJIS4nKAqCQYlQOhBHlSRvHOb6v6u761McjTPqnPMzljLrvWmejsptcHsQR7YR8X3J+tdV/G7LJxTaORo4wde8pC0n6MtG1Er40CuqtL4b4bdeQSfqVrTSxvVvqUi1t3XnECXEJACkax2woiDI2rYF4m5+Fk22b8kbRbpTA9tLraQZ32UdKguHmQniDEoEZmGFH3wBP0UbUQ+NAoFuq5cccabsn1ONEB1AyygqEpmVQZGulcw999/Obe0fdDaihzLlGRY3ScyhqPCtG4M/wtjH6bH2VSuAYN6u9iBAhDzodT/SaSFfthXxFG1EPjQMjwq5du/wCRW7lxAGYphKUk9FKWQJ8KcOl9hxCLy2ctyswhSilSVHuC0kifA1bvRlLXDgcb7K+VcLzD5wU7B8SMqfhUNxHxzaXWEBlTxXdlts6trH5YFJnNlCQZnXajbiHx4IaOvuFwNMsOPuFJWUNxISCASSogbkCuPKu0Aqdw+6QlIlSsoVA6nsqJ+FS/AH+FzP8Amh+0RV8sbi4F5d84RapS0WVEACcqubr1A7O+1NRVFxgmjJ7O/cfzGzt3blKYClN5YBIBA7REmD0rtxdvMjNc2dww3IHMWkFIJ2zFJOUeJ0q0+hlTZXiZZILZvFFBG0R08KmX3XFYZe/hEBIi5AzAD8kM4b265YjrtTxQ9tFAYffdzG2tHrhCVFJWjLlzDcCSJikHsTW2sMu27rdwcoQyYzLzkhOUg5dSD1q4+iRwW2BtOr+UpSv7TuQfdUX6TLWMcwdyPbcCf7DiT/z0YoNtEG9fPIdQw5ZvpfcktNHLKwJKikg5dADua9C6uC6WBZXBfCQstdmQgmAqc0ROlalxFgnNu7C5A7Vu6uT+Y40pJ/ayfTUPaj+6N79RR9oaMUG2ilOKu0gqcw67SlOpOUKgDcwkknypG3xTnKSi0bXcuKTmyNwMo2lZVARrprG1algmKOOYjfsLVLbKbctiBpzEuFWvXVIrNcC4zssKvcUQ625ncu1EctAIyiSBuOqlaUYoNtHi8cubfKbyzdt0KISHCpC0gnQBRQTlnpNO6tHDb3r2BuKfKnA6h/VZk5cyynU7QIjugRtVH4fdKrVhSjJLaZPkKUlRE4pdEhRRRUmZyiiigYxooornOAKsnoh/lWIf1P1Kqt13CcTurN15y15KucEZw6FaZJAjKes1pptJ8m+hNRlbHuE2DzfEZW4y4ltb7xQ4pJCVy0PZPXY1I+mi/wAQAUzbNqVart1c1SWs0GTPa+T2RNRV5xXiLrrLqk2oUwVKSAFwSpJQZ7XcaVvuNMSdbW2pFplWkpOi9iIPyq2zj6de9p+l/vMHSbO0aU6GQ0u3VJjtFopUEake0RH3Uy4os/41wt3/AEyD5ozD6jWfcR45f3qG23Tbtht1DoKAqSpE5QZVtJnyFOr7izEXVsrUm1BZcK0wF6koUgg9raFT5CjOPo9/T9L+tlX4cQvKcgsVgqjSS82QJ2mATHgaj8DP90GIfq7H1VWzx9inzLQ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" width="320" /></a>You will also note that in this 3rd person blurb, I qualify my title to those who will enjoy it. People like to have things spelled out to them because it reduces risk. If a reader hasn't read your work before then there is risk involved in them buying your book. Reduce that risk by telling them what to expect. If you have written a book that will appeal to fans of Hellraiser, then state that outright so that fans of Hellraiser will know that they will be taking a smaller risk by buying your work. You can also compare your work to other authors. Don't be afraid to say, "Fans of Stephen King will love..." If a reader buys your book and feels duped, they can always refund it easily, but as long as you pick a writer that epitomises the type of books you strive to create, then using them as an anchor for your product description is just fine.<br />
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<br />
<b>Keywords</b><br />
I have spoken before about adding subtitles to you work so that you can increase the number of hittable words. E.g. "Ravage: An Apocalyptic Horror Novel" adds the searchable keywords of "Apocalyptic", "Horror", and "Novel" to Amazon's algorithms, but you can add even more keywords in your product description (especially your 3rd person blub). My blurb for Ravage above adds keywords such as "George Romero", "28 Days Later", "apocalypse", "zombie", and of course my own name (more places it appears the more Google will trust it) . Now when people search for "28 Days Later" they may just find my book, Ravage as well (and I know they will be zombie fans so they come ready qualified). Think about the type of keywords you would like to latch onto (saying "Fans of Stephen King will enjoy..." will add your book to Stephen King's search results for example) and add them to your product page somehow. Anyway, you get the idea. There are so many ebooks now that discoverability is the key to everything. Do everything you can to get your books coming up in people's search results. Then let your writing do the rest. :-) <br />
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Good luck Wrighters.<br />
<br />Iain Rob Wrighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14840984365803973410noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1968818032560020588.post-46445648137486276372015-02-28T10:07:00.000+00:002015-02-28T22:08:30.886+00:00The Lightning Weaver by Bryan W. Alaspa...Available<b> March 3rd</b> by Bryan W. Alaspa, THE LIGHTNING WEAVER. Preorder now!<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3leAEUoIewE/VPGSyiH74hI/AAAAAAAAAYE/hFvVEbv7woo/s1600/11028899_10153096519537429_151424652_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3leAEUoIewE/VPGSyiH74hI/AAAAAAAAAYE/hFvVEbv7woo/s1600/11028899_10153096519537429_151424652_o.jpg" height="400" width="258" /></a></div>
Katie Albright is a normal teenage girl, except for one thing: she can manipulate electricity. All Katie wants is to have a boyfriend, go to school, and have a normal life. What she’s just found out, however, is that she’s part of an ancient race of people called Elementals and that she’s one of the most powerful Elementals in the world. Her mother has been hiding secrets from her and now that the mysterious Christopher Farraday has arrived, he has a story going back centuries. A story about conflict and fear and a terrifying man known by the nickname of Mr. Apples.<br />
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Katie has to go on the run with this mysterious man. She has to learn how to control her abilities. She has to learn fast because Mr. Apples is coming for her. She has to learn because war is coming and it’s a war that could destroy all of humanity.<br />
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Book one in the four-part Elementals Series: The Lightning Weaver is a thrilling adventure about power and who should wield it.<br />
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From the author of Young Adult stories, Sapphire, and, The Myth of White Butterflies, comes the latest hair-raising adventure that will keep you on the edge of your seat!<br />
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Kindle edition:<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Lightning-Weaver-Elementals-Part-One-ebook/dp/B00TKOCEYM/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1424880953&sr=8-6&keywords=Alaspa" target="_blank"> http://www.amazon.com/Lightning-Weaver-Elementals-Part-One-ebook/dp/B00TKOCEYM/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1424880953&sr=8-6&keywords=Alaspa</a><br />
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Print edition: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Lightning-Weaver-Elementals-Part-One/dp/1508480702/ref=sr_1_18?ie=UTF8&qid=1424882596&sr=8-18&keywords=Alaspa">http://www.amazon.com/Lightning-Weaver-Elementals-Part-One/dp/1508480702/ref=sr_1_18?ie=UTF8&qid=1424882596&sr=8-18&keywords=Alaspa</a><br />
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Print edition CreateSpace: <a href="https://www.createspace.com/5317426">https://www.createspace.com/5317426</a>Iain Rob Wrighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14840984365803973410noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1968818032560020588.post-80654438085645795352015-02-17T10:13:00.001+00:002015-02-17T10:13:18.255+00:00Typos and Grammar GremlinsHi everyone:<br />
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While I might not speak for all authors on this, if you spot a spelling error, typo, etc, in one of my books, then feel free to tell me. In fact, I welcome it. Some readers of mine have stated in the past that they did not want to offend me by pointing out errors, but I just want to state that that is poppycock. It takes effort to inform me of typos, I know, so I in no way expect it, but I also know that some people enjoy spotting keyboard farts, and it is to those people I now speak.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lPWRXJlEuSQ/VOMULsbFuaI/AAAAAAAAAX0/LEejXrciwWg/s1600/images.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lPWRXJlEuSQ/VOMULsbFuaI/AAAAAAAAAX0/LEejXrciwWg/s1600/images.jpg" /></a>In my early days, I could not afford nor risk large sums of money on editing services, so I paid hobbyist editors who were either looking for experience or enjoyed helping authors out for a bit of pocket money. These people helped my books reach an 'okay' state. My more recent books like Soft Target and the Picture Frame have been edited by professionals (I'm talking editors who charge over a thousand dollars per book). I have no problem paying full price for an editor, as I want my books to be as close to perfect as I can make them.<br />
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However, even using a top-class editor, typos and odd errors still make it into the final draft. When my editor sends me changes, I retool and rewrite things, and in doing so, I often leave more typos in the final draft that gets published. It is really frustrating, and getting rid of every tiny error sometimes feels like an impossible task. So, if you are reading one of my books and spot an error, feel free to tell me (if you want to). I will be very grateful and will make the correction immediately. As an Indie writer, I do not have the luxury of an eighteen-month production schedule per book that includes a dozen editing passes. I just have you guys. :-)<br />
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So snipe away, if you feel so inclined. I won't take it personally.<br />
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FYI: It can be a pain to point out errors on a Kindle reading device, but you can let me know about typos by quoting the erroneous word along with the the word before and after it. For example:<br />
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"The cate sat on the mat."<br />
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Just send me: "The cate sat" and I will be able to search and find the error in my manuscript.<br />
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Cheers, gangsters.Iain Rob Wrighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14840984365803973410noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1968818032560020588.post-44701958741771498732015-02-10T10:30:00.000+00:002015-02-10T10:30:39.445+00:00A Bad Review finally got to me...Many will have heard me speak fondly of bad reviews in the past. I have learned a great deal from them regarding my flaws and weaknesses. I have improved my work in certain areas as a direct result of comments made in negative reviews. There are, however, two types of bad reviews. There are those which seek to back up their assertions with evidence (constructive criticism) and there are those which are the vitriolic ramblings of an angry, spiteful person. Today I read a review from the latter and felt inclined to break my usual rule of not responding to reviews. Below is the review I received on Amazon, followed by my reply. I hope it teaches the lesson that a bad review should make no assumptions. It should stick only to the facts and relate only to the book itself. Just because someone has read one of my books, does not mean they know a single thing about me. I write characters with views of their own. If one of my protagonists collects stamps, that does not mean that I do. The truth is that I would never make my own views entirely obvious through my work, because then I am not creating fiction, I am writing propaganda.<br />
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<b>THE REVIEW</b><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">First of all, I LOVED Origin, the first book in this mini-series, however, I literally could NOT finish past the 44% part of the story. Why? Let me list the issues which ruined this story line. First of all, it was mainly written by Mr. Wright, not Mr. Konrath (J.A. mentions it in his prelude) and almost immediately, we are confronted (that's what it seemed to me, an in your face confrontation with Wright's political values) with a jarring discussion about Andy gladly letting Sun whip him by taking on her surname along with his. If Mr. Wright believes in the furthering of male feminization, then more power to him; i didn't buy the follow up story to have some British twit shove his political/societal views on me; i bought this follow up to continue reading a GREAT STORY about the aftermath of little bubs and what they were up to. Secondly, what the heck? What was the idea behind the British lout, Jerry and the two men in black showing up minutes later and allowing them to keep Jerry if they promise to keep a watch on him. Really? Terrible; simple terrible. The one scene in the book where I had to say 'enough is enough' was when Lucas stated that he was both Jesus and the Devil. So now not only is WRIGHT lecturing us instead of entertaining us, but he's also insulting those of us of faith by...well you get the idea. Very insulting experience and if i had read other Konrath books, i would immediately put him in my DO NOT BUY list. However, his stories, and ONLY his stories are great entertainment. Lessons to be learned; firstly, NEVER BUY ANYTHING FROM MR. WRIGHT. Secondly, never buy anything that's a collaboration with J.A. Konrath that INCLUDES WRIGHT. Thirdly, only buy stories with Konrath as the only author. The one collaborative work that was successful was draculas. Hopefully I can someday reclaim the time i wasted with this garbage.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"><b>MY REPLY</b></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">Hi Robert. Just FYI - the 2 points you are most irate about - namely Andy taking his wife's surname and Lucas being both Jesus and the Devil - were Joe's ideas, not mine (not that I had any problem with them). Considering your comments, that is quite ironic, no? In hindsight, it makes your comments seem rather rash and judgemental, and entirely incorrect. If you would like to see my original story (and then judge my entire personalty and belief structures based on a short work of fiction), then it is included at the back of the book as an added extra. This was alluded to in the foreword (by Joe) and would have allowed you to check your assumptions (which you would then have seen as incorrect). In my original draft, Sun takes Andy's name in the traditional way and Lucas does not mention 'Jesus' at any point. Those changes were made by Joe (which I, again, totally endorse). You can blame me for whatever you want regarding the original draft of the book (which comes after the first version in the ebook copy) as Joe had no involvement with it other than offering me a short brief. The version you read was actually a very even 50/50 split between Joe and myself, and he changed a great deal, as he had creative control over his universe (I was writing a book using his copyrighted characters after all). I do not usually comment on reviews, as I am grateful to any reader, whether they enjoyed the book or not. I do however feel that this review was unfair and bordering on xenophobia. I am no 'British Twit' and my love for America is equal to my love for my own country. I would never seek to lecture anybody on either shore. I would ask you to bear in mind that authors are people, too, and when they read rash and spiteful reviews (NEVER BUY ANYTHING FROM MR WRIGHT. Seriously?) it is hurtful. Not only that, but when you urge people not to purchase my books, then you are trying to damage my potential to feed my wife and son. You seem so intent on traditional family roles (My wife took my surname by the way, you'll be glad to hear), so please allow me to earn a living and support my family. I'm sorry you did not enjoy the book, truly, but please try not to be so unkind. We all have to live in this world together! All the best, Iain Rob Wright</span>Iain Rob Wrighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14840984365803973410noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1968818032560020588.post-77324452217507312012015-01-27T14:36:00.004+00:002015-01-27T14:37:43.173+00:00New marketplace for Draft2Digital<div style="color: #584c3f; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">
<b>Draft2Digital</b> have added a large German platform to their quest to compete with KDP as an alternative for self-publishers. This is in addition to their existing platforms of <b>Apple</b>, <b>B&N</b> (Nook), <b>KOBO</b>, <b>Page Foundry</b>, and <b>Scribd</b></div>
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I have recently added <b>Savage</b> to D2D and will also be adding <b>Sea Sick </b>and <b>Ravage</b> next month. When all 3 titles are set up and available on all sites, I will start to record data and share it so that others can see my results. My hope is that the revenue I make via D2D is enough to cover the loss of these books being removed from KDP Select and Kindle Unlimited. As much as I love Amazon, it would be a healthier marketplace all round if we sold our books in as many places as possible. I intend to test the waters with these three books, and will decide the fate of my others after I have enough data to see clearly the best decision. </div>
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Below is the press release from D2D concerning their new partner, Tolino:</div>
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'Starting today, you’ll be able to make all of your books available through Tolino.</div>
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You may not have heard of Tolino but trust us: Once we tell you a little about them, you’ll be putting on party hats and throwing streamers along with us.</div>
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Tolino is a cooperative of five German tech and media companies who teamed up to create a response to Amazon’s Kindle in their home country. They offer their own proprietary ebook readers that tie into a shared infrastructure.</div>
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But don’t worry if you don’t <em>sprechen sie deutsch</em>. The German ebook market is the third-largest English language ebook market in the world. And recent reports suggest that Tolino has as much as 42% of it. In addition, Tolino has recently made moves into other European countries as well. Through partnerships with Belgian, Italian, and Dutch booksellers, Tolino now has a significant footprint in central Europe.</div>
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When you combine this set of new digital stores with our global territorial pricing, Draft2Digital is making it as easy for you to break into the European market as we’ve made it for you to manage your North American sales.</div>
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We’ll provide monthly sales reports from Tolino and pay the same royalties you’ve come to expect from our other digital stores. If you’re interested in adding your published books to Tolino, you can opt-in next time you visit Draft2Digital. With any new books, just opt into Tolino like any other store.</div>
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As always, feel free to contact <a href="http://email.draft2digital.com/c/ZD0wZDhlJmk9MjAxNTAxMjcxNDI0MDMuMTg5NTUuOTUwNzglNDBkMmQtam9iczImaD1mOTMwMTdhMTlmYThjNzQxMmY4MDA0MDkxYzUwNjFlNCZsPWh0dHBzJTNBJTJGJTJGd3d3LmRyYWZ0MmRpZ2l0YWwuY29tJTJGc3VwcG9ydCUyRiZyPWlhaW4ucm9iZXJ0LndyaWdodCU0MGhvdG1haWwuY28udWsmdD1hbm5vdW5jZW1lbnQ" style="color: #31c7e4; text-decoration: none;">Customer Support</a> if you have any questions. Thank you for using Draft2Digital and, until next time, <em>auf wiedersehen</em>!'</div>
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You can check out D2D (which is a pleasure to use btw) here:<a href="https://www.draft2digital.com/">https://www.draft2digital.com</a></div>
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Iain Rob Wrighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14840984365803973410noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1968818032560020588.post-551594442382127712015-01-21T14:43:00.001+00:002015-01-21T15:18:07.175+00:00First Bookbub of 2015 & a note on piracyFor those writers who like to know the results of others (especially concerning Bookbub). My most recent freebie promotion (the Picture Frame) has shifted over 30k free downloads in 3 days thanks to Bookbub. To compare, my last freebie promotion (without Bookbub) shifted about 3k downloads; so Bookbub has given me 10x as many downloads (for $150 outlay) and sent the book to no 1 in it's respective genre and into the top 50 for all books on Amazon (Got to 20 in UK). Hopefully a large portion of these 30k downloads will result in new readers who will buy my other books. It usually does. The Picture Frame has also had about a dozen reviews already and will probably get many more considering the book has gone to 30k Kindles.<br />
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I know some authors don't like giving their books away for free, but I always have done and it has never hurt me. The hardest part of selling books is getting someone to read your work and a freebie is the best way to make someone take a risk on you.<br />
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On the same token, writers should stop worrying so much about piracy. Newsflash. You will not stop it. Why will you succeed where Sony Pictures, Britney Spears, and Stephen King have failed? Piratebay is down, but already it is being ressurected on other servers. The UK government have blocked EZTV; there are already mirror links to get round it. Piracy will always exist. It always has. The forged paintings of the Renaissance were piracy. The dodgy VHS tapes on the market were piracy and that was 30 years ago. Don't be so arrogant to think that your strongly worded emails or threats will make any dent in illegal sharing. It won't.<br />
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Don't waste your time worrying about piracy. It is a quantifiable section of the market that is neither growing or shrinking. It is just there and always will be - it is the wastage that we deal with in the same way as a supermarket writes-off broken eggs. The money being spent on books exists outside of this piracy segment and that is where you need to focus your attention. Focus on those who are happy to spend their money on legitimate work. Also, don't take it personally. The more well-known I have become, the more my books are pirated. J K Rowling is probably more pirated than anyone but she still managed to make over £200 million and become a celebrity. If you'e a good writer, your books will get pirated and purchased in a correlated measure. More sales-more piracy. Less sales-less piracy. Just ignore it and accept that it is linked to your fate as a writer but in no way affecting of it. YOU CANNOT STOP PIRACY. You will not stop it. In fact, piracy may even help you.<br />
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A pirate steals one of your books and loves it. Maybe he steals ten books a year but every now and then pays for one or two (maybe when he's on holiday away from his computer). If he likes you then he may spend that small amount of cash he is happy to spend on you. Maybe a pirate steals your book and loves it, tells his non-piratey friends (yargh!) how great it was, who then go and buy your books on their Kindles. Maybe a pirate steals your book and loves it. Feeling guilty he at least leaves a glowing review. Two people read that review and buy that book. That pirate has just recovered the loss you made on him plus added a profit. A pirate steals your book and loves it. He goes online and buys a signed copy of the paperback from you.<br />
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Pirates are people (pretty ordinary people to be honest), and the aim of this game is to get people reading your books in whatever ways you can. Piracy is actually helping you, not hurting you. There is no money being taken away from you by pirates, because they are not spending anything anyway. But they are becoming aware of your work and, like a virus they may spread that awareness on to others. The baseline for a pirate is that you get no money from them. That is the same for any writer and doesn't get worse. You don't lose money (you have no physical stock) but you don't gain anything, The best case scenario is all the things I listed above. So for every pirate who steals your book, there is a chance you may get a net positive result in some way at some point. There are no risks with a pirated copy, but there are potential gains.<br />
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The proof for me will be in the pudding. I have just given away 30k copies of my newest novel FOR FREE! What kind of a businessman am I? But I can almost guarantee that my sales will now go up for as long as a 3-month period. I have moved up the ranks, got a bunch of new people reading my work and am getting reviews up the wazoo. This business is about finding readers, not gouging customers. If I ever release a sequel to the Picture Frame I have over 30k people who have read book 1. If only a 20th of those people buy a copy of the new book, I am quids in.<br />
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As a final note, if you have ever pirated one of my books, I forgive you. :-)Iain Rob Wrighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14840984365803973410noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1968818032560020588.post-71308379481065545162014-12-24T14:44:00.001+00:002015-01-04T15:19:35.904+00:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
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Have a fantastic Christmas everyone!</div>
Iain Rob Wrighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14840984365803973410noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1968818032560020588.post-12455312540649790572014-12-21T13:23:00.005+00:002014-12-21T13:23:46.510+00:00Merry Christmas and Sorry for all the bickering...My wife, Sally, says I should post something nice. She says that, although I have a duty to state my opinion and my fears about current issues in the publishing world, the reason I found success in the first place was because I am a nice guy. Whether or not that is true, I have always maintained the philosophy that nobody likes a complainer. In the past I have followed the mantra of "If you can't post something positive, don't post anything at all."<br />
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So I apologise for the vitriolic, acrimonious statements I have been making as of late. I have been duty-bound to speak out against certain things I disagree with and to inform people of certain facts, but ultimately the only thing I have any control over is my work and my fans. I don't want to alienate the latter by being a moody goose all the time. So in the new year, I will concentrate on writing, come what may. The future scares me for many reasons, but perhaps I have had things too easy. If I have to work hard to maintain my career, then I suppose I am in the same boat as everyone else in the world. Being successful is hard and perhaps I am just now learning that.<br />
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Ignoring all the negatives, 2014 was one of the best years of my life. I had a son, Jack, who is a massive pain in the arse, but who I love dearly. Sally doesn't work for the time being, and is at home with me and Jack, which is wonderful. I love being a father and that is part of the reason I now fear so much for the future. I want to give Jack everything.<br />
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I have also made many new fans this year (which I won't name for fear of missing anyone), and if one thing makes me feel truly blessed it is them. The love and support I get daily from my fans is unbelievable and really helps motivate me to keep on going. If it all ends tomorrow, I will consider myself a success if only for the friends and fans who have enjoyed my work up until now.<br />
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I have also made many new colleagues, who again I will not mention, but it has been fun meeting and working with new authors, editors, and artists. I work with some really great people.<br />
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Next year I will be writing a sequel to Soft Target, a horror series called The Gates, and a low-fantasy series not yet named. I will also be releasing several shorter works, which the current sales-model on Amazon requires me to do. Rather than reduce the input of my longer work, however, I intend to work harder and longer to get these shorter works out in addition to my longer works. A is for Antichrist was just the first of a 26-part series and I will also write more novellas based around Redlake.<br />
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Anyway, I just want to end the year by giving you all a Merry Christmas and a huge I love you. I will see you all in the New Year. :-)Iain Rob Wrighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14840984365803973410noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1968818032560020588.post-11785836066306552572014-12-11T11:35:00.000+00:002014-12-11T11:35:30.742+00:00Interview with Australia's Horror Maestro, Aaron Warwick Dries...<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Today I interview Australia's top Horror writer, Aaron Warwick Dries. He wrote a crazy awesome book called House of Sighs. You should all grab a copy from the link at the bottom of the page.</b></div>
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<b>Tell us a bit about
yourself, Aaron.<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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A little about myself… (*strokes chin*). Well, I’ve got the
whole Bruce Wayne (sans fortune) /Batman (sans crime fighting) thing going on
when it comes to my professional life. By day I work in the Aged and Disability
sector, a frontline job, doing the nitty gritty. And by night I write these
nasty little horror novels … in the dark. These dual paths rarely cross, and
for the sanity of all involved, I think I’d like it to stay that way. I’m also an
avid traveller (when I can afford it); I burn really easy in the sun (of which
I have no choice); my first pet was a fish named Flipper (who committed suicide
by leaping from his bowl); I’m the eldest of three boys (and I don’t let the
other two forget it); and I spend way too much time wasting time (no excuses —
or at least that’s what I tell myself). <o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Could you tell us
what work you currently have available?<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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At the moment I’ve got three novels, a novella and a couple
of short stories floating around on shelves across the world. My first novel is
the award-winning <i>HOUSE OF SIGHS</i>, which
is about a mentally disturbed bus driver who takes her passengers home with her
to meet the family who drove her to insanity – grisly stuff, indeed. My second
novel is <i>THE FALLEN BOYS</i>, a twisted
psychological horror novel about a father’s journey to find out why his young
son committed suicide, leading him from Australia’s sunlit streets to a
rat-infested basement in the U.S. My third novel is <i>A PLACE FOR SINNERS</i>. And to find out what that beast is about, feel
free to read on!<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Tell us about your
latest release.<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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The latest is <i>A PLACE
FOR SINNERS</i>. It’s my great big backpacking book – a kind of evil Lonely
Planet guide. Among other things, it’s about a young deaf woman trying to
outrun her personal demons, running all the way to a scenic beach in Thailand,
only to be confronted with … something … so much worse than her past. Ominous,
enough? Basically it’s balls-to-the-wall horror, extreme, full-on, and
absolutely merciless. I wanted to write a book that took the reader beyond
blackness. It actually hurt to write the ending, but I had to go there. Sometimes,
there are no choices. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>For someone
unfamiliar with your work, how would you describe your writing?<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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I write as truthfully as I possibly can. Character always
comes first with me. The only thing that doesn’t really register on my radar is
mercy, which I guess is why a lot of people describe my work as brutal.
Stylistically, I’m interested in the contrast between beautiful language,
syntax, and rhythms vs. brutal, abrupt carnage. My words exist in that
juxtaposition. There are some kind readers and reviewers out there who have
described my writing as a mix of Thomas Harris meets Jack Ketchum, or William
Peter Blatty meets Richard Laymon. I’m humbled by the comparisons as I’m a huge
fan of all of the above authors, but I just write what comes out of my head.
It’s working thus far. I hope. In essence, I like to think of myself as the
‘other kind of horror guy’. I’m never on-trend. I don’t give a shit about
what’s popular. I write about what scares me, so it’s always personal. Honesty
is everything — and I can’t expect a reader to hand over their hard-earned cash
unless I give them a part of myself. Otherwise, what’s the point? In essence,
my books are my own emotional vivisections. So come on over and see what’s on
the slab. Chances are it ain’t pretty. But at least it’ll be raw, which not a
lot of modern popular fiction is brave enough to be anymore.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>What else do you have
in the pipeline?<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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I’m about half-way through my new novel, titled <i>LADY GUILOTINE</i>. (I think) it will be the
first in a projected trilogy. This one though … it’s different for me. It’s my
first endeavour into supernatural horror, only it’s grounded in a reality I’ve
already established, tonally, in my other works. I’m pouring all of my heart,
soul, and secrets into this one. It’s the book I’ve always wanted to write, but
wasn’t quite brave enough to put myself through the ordeal. Writing doesn’t
come easy for me. Confronting my own past, my own losses, well, that’s even
harder. It’s bleak. It’s painful. And I can’t wait for the world to experience
it. It’s set in a nursing home and I know what they’re like. I know what they
are like, deeply. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>What writers have had
the most influence on your own writing?<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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Like pretty much all writers, I write because I read. And
there were a handful of wordsmiths who made me who I am today. I proudly stand
on their shoulders. People like Robert Bloch (<i>Psycho 2</i> is my favourite), Richard Matheson (whose <i>The Incredible Shrinking Man</i> blew me
away), Daphne Du Maurier (<i>Rebecca</i>),
Stephen King (so many great titles, but the one that really shook me up was <i>Gerald’s Game</i>), James Herbert (<i>The Fog</i> taught me about just how much
reading can physically hurt…) and Clive Barker (whose <i>Imajica</i> I’m convinced is the greatest novel ever written). These
were the authors who influenced me at the time I really needed influencing. But
was it not for R.L. Stine, I wouldn’t have even got into reading in the first
place. Looking back, I owe a lot to that man. I’m quite proud to say that.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>What was the last
thing you read?</b><o:p></o:p></div>
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I’m one of those people who will read a couple of books at any
given time. At the moment I’m re-reading Mick Garris’s <i>Development Hell</i> in preparation for his latest, <i>Salome</i>. I’m halfway through a play
called <i>Veronica’s Room</i> by Ira Levin,
which is absolutely diabolical. And I’m almost done with (fellow Australian)
John Safran’s non-fiction piece, <i>Murder
In Mississippi</i> — and that one’s got me on the edge of my seat. I’ll
probably finish it up tonight. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>Anything else you’d
like to tell us about?<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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I write, direct, shoot, edit (the whole shebang) all of my
book trailers, too. I worked in Video Production and television before evolving
into my current role as a novelist. This is just one of my many creative
outlets (I also paint and I’m an illustrator). I couldn’t have predicted the
reception they’ve been gifted with, and with a lot of authors telling me I’ve
set some kind of benchmark as to how they should be done. I find that
incredibly humbling. I’m a huge movie fan, and cinema has influenced my writing
as much as any of the above authors. And I think it shows in my fiction. HOUSE
OF SIGHS is the kind of thing Peckinpah would’ve made; THE FALLEN BOYS is like
a techno Lucio Fulci film, or as sweaty and anarchistic as William Friedkin;
and A PLACE FOR SINNERS is David Lynch meets John Boorman. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Check out Aaron's book trailers below:</div>
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<b>A Place for Sinners:</b> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-olJdOZqxho&list=UUzQCzOybh6-HPDcyH6kH8cQ">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-olJdOZqxho&list=UUzQCzOybh6-HPDcyH6kH8cQ</a><o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>The Fallen Boys:</b> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PXAWo0JvZTo&list=UUzQCzOybh6-HPDcyH6kH8cQ&index=3">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PXAWo0JvZTo&list=UUzQCzOybh6-HPDcyH6kH8cQ&index=3</a><o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>House of Sighs:</b> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ogZtwRjRDE&list=UUzQCzOybh6-HPDcyH6kH8cQ&index=4">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ogZtwRjRDE&list=UUzQCzOybh6-HPDcyH6kH8cQ&index=4</a></div>
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Check out Aaron's official website for the latest news: <a href="http://www.aarondries.com/%20Connect%20with%20him%20on%20Twitter%20here:%20https://twitter.com/AaronDries" target="_blank">http://www.aarondries.com/</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.aarondries.com/%20Connect%20with%20him%20on%20Twitter%20here:%20https://twitter.com/AaronDries" target="_blank"><o:p></o:p></a></div>
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<span style="color: black;">Connect with him on Twitter here:</span> <a href="https://twitter.com/AaronDries">https://twitter.com/AaronDries</a></div>
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<a href="https://www.samhainpublishing.com/author/1658/aaron-dries">https://www.samhainpublishing.com/author/1658/aaron-dries</a><o:p></o:p></div>
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Get his books here:<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Aaron-Dries/e/B008GXNU64/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1">http://www.amazon.com/Aaron-Dries/e/B008GXNU64/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1</a><o:p></o:p></div>
Iain Rob Wrighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14840984365803973410noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1968818032560020588.post-14184468533247386012014-12-10T17:02:00.005+00:002014-12-10T17:02:45.853+00:00My conversation with Amazon concerning Kindle Unlimited...I just got off the phone with two people at the Amazon KDP UK office and overall I am disappointed. Not because the two people I spoke to didn't care (I'm certain they did). Not because I feel as though my voice wasn't heard (I know it was), but because I came away knowing nothing I didn't know before.<br />
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The only thing I can say about the Kindle Unlimited situation is wait and see (which is what i would have said before). One of two things is true.<br />
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1) Amazon are trying to shift sales to a model that better suits them and we will all find that conditions worsen as a result, but have no choice but to accept it as Amazon now have enough control to do as they please. This happened with the ACX royalty reduction in the Summer, but they would never get away with doing the same with KDP (as they have competition from other vendors) so they have sought a more subtle way of redirecting profit to themselves.<br />
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Or 2) Amazon created Kindle Unlimited with the best of intentions and what we are seeing right now is mere teething troubles. Things may very well be tweaked and improved soon to a point where we embrace and love the service. After my phone call with Amazon, I can genuinely say I am 50/50 on what I believe. They convinced me that Amazon is looking at unhappy authors and thinking of ways to make them happy again, but thinking about it doesn't mean anything will come to fruition.<br />
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I was told that there has been as much positive feedback about KU as there has been negative. I struggle to believe that based on what I have seen, read, and heard, but perhaps that's the truth. Perhaps we are the unlucky few who have been hurt. Maybe we just need to get with the new system and try to succeed all over again within the new framework. If that is the reality of things, then I am going to get to work climbing back to the top where I was before. Changing the game does not mean any of us are out of the game. Perhaps what we have just been through was a golden era and things are destined to settle at a lower standard of prosperity. If so, then I will quit whining and start trying to learn to play the new game and make what money there is to be made.<br />
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I wish I could tell you that Amazon assured me things would get better, but they did not. They gave me hope that Amazon is taking things seriously and will be looking at making the KU platform the best it can be, but authors may not factor into the outcome as much as profit or value to customers. I truly do not know. There is every chance that the Amazon boffins come up with a brilliant solution. We will have to see. I am sorry I have no answers.<br />
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My advice is to wait until January. Amazon will not change anything over the holidays. If things get better, then the end of January is my estimation as when they will. Wait with me and then decide. We must decide amongst ourselves what is best to do. While we have to look after our own interests, we have more power as a collective. If things are still bad in the new year, then I would ask you to seriously consider taking your books to other platforms and working against Amazon until things improve. It may hurt us in the short term, but if we do not think about the long term also and act accordingly, then we are willing lambs to the slaughter. If Amazon truly cares about authors, now is the time to show them. If we are still leaking our livelihoods away come February 2015 then I would feel safe in saying that our fears about Amazon caring only about profit are true (and perhaps obvious). We then must fight not for ourselves, but for each another. We deserve to make a living at something we are good at and that people are willing to pay for. Make sure Amazon hear your voices. If you are unhappy, complain now! If your earnings are dropping, let Amazon know now! If a new platform comes out to challenge Amazon, support it! Don't sit back and hope for the best. Get fighting. Make the effort to keep things fair. Fight for your fellow authors and yourselves.<br />
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I love Amazon, I truly do. They have had my loyalty for 4 years now, but I do not owe them my life. If they are unwilling to treat me fairly, then my loyalty will go to whoever will (maybe that's not the definition of loyalty in that case, but you get my point).<br />
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Think hard and think carefully about what you will do in the new year. When you decide, I will be ready to stand shoulder to shoulder with you, brother and sister. I'll always be here to fight for you.<br />
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Iain Rob Wright, December 2014Iain Rob Wrighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14840984365803973410noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1968818032560020588.post-55833474999203308852014-12-03T10:38:00.003+00:002014-12-03T10:39:10.408+00:00Slasher: the Escape of Richard Heinz...available now!My latest novella, Slasher, is now available to download on Amazon Kindle. Get it here:<br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Slasher-Richard-Iain-Rob-Wright-ebook/dp/B00QGZDS9S/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1417600148&sr=1-1&keywords=slasher+rob+wright" target="_blank"><b>United Kingdom</b></a><br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Slasher-Richard-Iain-Rob-Wright-ebook/dp/B00QGZDS9S/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1417602914&sr=8-2&keywords=richard+heinz" target="_blank">United States</a></b><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>SLASHER</b></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">When convicted killer and certified psychopath, Richard Heinz, escapes from a secure mental hospital, his re-capture falls on the shoulders of MCU agents Dr Jessica Bennett and Howard Hopkins. Entering a dark wood on a rainy night, they must try to understand and anticipate the mind of the sick killer before it's too late. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Richard Heinz is out for a reason, and he’s just taken a hostage. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">IF YOU GO INTO THE WOODS TONIGHT, YOU’RE SURE OF A BIG SURPRISE… </span><br />
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<br />Iain Rob Wrighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14840984365803973410noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1968818032560020588.post-52759582039756633932014-11-19T12:20:00.002+00:002014-11-19T12:20:25.617+00:00I've been selfish, arrogant, and maybe even wrong...I've recently done something I always strive not to do...I've been selfish. And I've also been arrogant. I recently posted my reservations about Kindle Unlimited and instead of looking into the matter properly and trying to make a balanced argument, I assumed that how I felt was correct and that everyone else would feel the same way. Turns out that not everybody does feel the same. In the last 48 hours I have heard differing opinions and would like to amend my previous statement. While for the most part my opinion is the same, I have become aware of some things that I would like to address. Again, feel free to rip me apart if I'm talking rubbish.<br />
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The first thing I would like to say about my previous post is that I in no way intended to lump short story writers in with 'scammers', I realise that when I wrote the article (in an emotional state) I didn't look at the situation from all sides and I ended up making it seem like I see short stories as somehow unworthy. I do not. Short stories are as valid as any novel and I do not wish to see their earning potential taken away. However, I do maintain that they hold less intrinsic value than a novel. Now, many people will shout at me now, saying things like: 'I've read some short stories far better than some novels I've read. Short stories are a valid art form. I work just as hard on my short stories as any novel.' These arguments are all subjective. Quality is not part of the argument I am making here. If a short story or novel is good or bad will be determined by reviews, word-of-mouth, sales ranking etc; therefore the argument here needs to be about what the fundamental differences between novels and short stories are. One is short and one is long. Both are the same medium that provide the same type of entertainment. But one is short and one is long. Let's assume that all short stories and all novels are perfect masterpieces with ultimate enjoyment factor. The short story entertains a person fully for one hour. The novel entertains a person for 10 hours. Which is worth more? To make an analogy: a starter is just as delicious as the main meal but costs less. Why? Because it is smaller. It isn't worse quality--it is just as delicious--but it is smaller. The amount you pay for a starter is less than the main meal (in most cases) for no other reason that there is less of it. Taking quality out of the equation and thinking only about what the two types of writing fundamentally are, a short story is just as enjoyable as a novel, but there is less of it. Thus, it is worth less.<br />
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One of the problems I have with Kindle Unlimited can be explained thus: My novel 'Ravage' is 100k words long. It counts as one title in Kindle Unlimited. If I were to cut Ravage up into ten chunks of 10k words and release them all separately, I would have ten eligible title entries in Kindle Unlimited. Who does this help? My readers wouldn't benefit from a choppy, cut-up novel. I wouldn't enjoy having to slice up all my work into segments, knowing that the power of my stories would be diluted. Other authors don't benefit as me doing that would force them to do the same to their novels.<br />
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Furthermore, the current system forces authors to write for an economic framework instead of for their fans. One of the beauties of Kindle was it allowed authors to write whatever the hell they wanted and find an audience for it. This was one of the benefits over traditional publishing which ignored anything that wasn't part of their normal gamut (mainly autobiographies and whatever is 'hot' during that 15 minutes). Authors are now being nudged to write short, serialised work, not because they or readers want it, but because that is the best way for them to make money. I fear it will lead to a very stunted catalogue of titles. I'm an avid reader too and I don't like to read short works. I want long novels, but the number of these is in danger of reducing.<br />
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My next point is that most short stories are priced at 99c. Most novels are above $2.99. The authors and readers have already decided that there is a difference in value (if not then why are novels and short stories not priced identically on the open market?). If the novel is worth more on the open market, then why is it valued equally to a novel when sold within Kindle Unlimited?<br />
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Again, taking quality out of it, I take on average 3 months to write a full length novel (working 30 hour weeks), whereas a short story might only take me 3 days. My writing is the same quality for both, but one took a great deal more manhours to complete--which makes it intrinsically more valuable. I expect a higher compensation for the novel because it required much longer to create. I would have to pay a decorator more to paint my entire house than just one room, because it requires more manpower. Doesn't mean his painting of that one room was any different to when he did the entire house, he just did more of it.<br />
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Now, these are just my opinions, and if I suddenly find out that even 60% of people disagree with me, I will shut up. I embrace whatever suits the majority, even if I am not a part of it. If I suddenly find out that Kindle Unlimited suits 90% of authors than I will no longer complain. The reason I am complaining now is because I feel it is hurting the majority. Now, I have had people tell me that I am just whining and that Amazon can do whatever it wants. If I don't like it then just leave, sell my books elsewhere. Of course Amazon can do whatever they want. Doesn't mean we have to embrace bad decisions, though. Look what happened with Microsoft when they launched the Xbox One. It had all kinds of features that people hated (always online, DRM, no pre-owned sales, mandatory Kinect use). Now, Microsoft could have gone: 'we're a free company, we'll do whatever we want. You don't like it, buy a Playstation (many did)'. No, they did a complete 180 on many of the things consumers didn't like. People complaining changed the product. Amazon can do whatever it wants, but it's up to us if we let them succeed. We always look at Amazon and say 'well, they have all the power,' but they do not. We have all the power as consumers, authors, and suppliers. We helped grow Amazon because we decided we like to use them. If tomorrow we all stopped using Amazon, the company would go away. We have the right to complain and our opinions do matter.<br />
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I don't feel like Amazon owes me a living or that I am entitled to anything, but when I have worked hard for 4 years to play by the rules and give readers what they want, do I not have the right to feel aggrieved when everything changes on a whim? I hate to complain, because I am so lucky to do what I do. I feel lucky and that I have no right to whine, but then I look at my son and my wife and I want more. I want to be as successful as I can be. I don't want to just sit back and let money be taken out of my pocket. I want a great life for my son and wife and that is what I am fighting for. If that makes me come of as entitled then I am sorry. I'm just trying to do my best for the people I care about.<br />
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Anyway, my point is, I am not against short stories. I value them and understand their worth. I just feel that authors do a job like anyone else and their compensation should be equal to their work. I have written 13 full length novels, but suddenly the market has shifted out of my favour to benefit shorter works. If that is what people want (and feel free to tell me) then so be it, but if readers still want full length novels, then why am I being penalised for giving them what they want?<br />
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Overall, Kindle Unlimited frightens me because of what it represents. For the last few years, Amazon has been conditioning us to demand fair pay for our work and to charge whatever we think it is worth. The pricing decisions have belonged to the author. Inside Kindle Unlimited, Amazon is deciding at the end of each month how much they think our work is worth. One month they decide to put 3million into the pot that values our work (all placed into a homogeneous lump) at $1 a title. The next it may put 10million into the pot and value our work at $3 a title. Why should Amazon ever be in a position where it tells us what our work is worth? Wasn't that the problem with the old publishing industry? The old system of sales was fair, because good books rose to the top via reviews, rankings, etc. A good book could charge more and people would pay it because reviews and word of mouth said it was worth the money. A good short story could charge more, too, if it was noteworthy. This new system lumps everything together and takes away individual success. It doesn't matter how good a book is, it will make the same as a 20 page leaflet that's been cut and pasted from Wikipedia. A bestseller, no matter the length is destined to earn $1.33 a download. Why? Because Amazon are decided that that is how much they want to pay. It also means none of us have any idea what we are earning each month, which makes it harder to manage our lives.<br />
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Now, my hope is that Amazon have launched KU with the best of intention. They may be aware of these issue and already working on them. They may still care a great deal about the welfare of authors and these problems will be corrected. We will just have to wait and see. But if Kindle Unlimited continues to get worse, then we all need to think seriously about what we are supporting here. Our livelihoods depend on it.<br />
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I have seen many suggestions from people far smarter to me on how to fix things and I just hope Amazon is paying attention. I have seen a payment tier suggested that would account for title length. I have heard calls for Amazon 'curators' to get rid of spam. Someone said a short story should count as one entry in KU whereas a novel should count as 2. I do not know which answer would suit the most amount of people. What I would like to see myself is a royalty commitment from Amazon (ideally a minimum $2 per download, although I would probably accept $1.50 if I had assurances it would go no lower). We need to know what we are earning month to month. Currently all we have been sure of is that the royalty amount will drop each month, and that is what has happened. What id that continues. What if we suddenly find KU paying the same rates Spotify pays for music downloads (0.006c). Would any author reading this be happy with that?Iain Rob Wrighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14840984365803973410noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1968818032560020588.post-25339049586824565432014-11-17T13:13:00.002+00:002014-11-17T13:28:25.972+00:00My letter to KDP executives concerning Kindle Unlimited...<div style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">
For the first time since becoming a full-time writer, I have begun to see my sales drop below previous years (basically my sales are now going down year by year instead of up). This shouldn't happen as I have more books out and more fans. I am keeping my part of the deal by regularly releasing new books that people enjoy, so my earnings really should not be going down (they should, in a perfect world, go up). The slump began for me with the advent of Kindle Unlimited. My books were automatically entered into this 'Netflix for books' scheme and I at first had no problem with it as I trust Amazon a great deal and have always been treated fairly by them. However, in the last 3 months I have watched the average royalty drop from over $2 to $1.33. If the trend continues then my full-length novels will soon be making me less than a $1 per sale (I then lose even more money on the exchange rate which is very poor once Amazon's bank take their cut). Rather than do nothing, I have forwarded my concerns to a contact I have on the KDP UK team. The letter is below and hopefully it will get taken seriously as I feel confident that I am speaking on behalf on many many panicking authors.</div>
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Please leave your comments below so that I have evidence that my concerns are representative of others (I know my contact checks my blog and will see your comments).</div>
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Hi "my contact at Amazon":</div>
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I’m really disappointed and let down by Amazon. About 50% of my traditional sales (which make me roughly £2 a sale) have migrated to Kindle Unlimited (which last month made me 80p per sale). Amazon is steering the business in its own favour and trying to create a 'Spotify for books'. Incidentally, Spotify artists make roughly 0.0006 per listen (should we be preparing to expect the same type of renumeration). The last three months I am 30% down on last year, which is crazy considering I have more books available, more fans, more platforms (ACX etc). I should be growing, not shrinking. Prior to Kindle Unlimited, I was beating last year’s figures every single month without fail (which should be the case as I continue releasing books and growing my fanbase). Now I am going backwards, earning less and less despite releasing new work.</div>
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The main problem with the Kindle Unlimited program is that it is penalising authors who write decent, novel-length work. I know a few a authors who write nothing but shorts and are benefitting because they are are getting $1.33 for titles they sell at 99c! This doesn’t seem sustainable to me. Amazon obviously want the price point to be between $2.99 and $9.99 (as they apply the 70% royalty rate to this range), so why are they making Kindle Unlimited more appealing to authors who write cheap, short books while penalising those such as myself who take a long time writing decent books with professional artwork and editing. Amazon is incentivising the wrong section of it’s author-base. It is endorsing cheap, throwaway fiction. Authors who write and release books at $2.99 “Which is what Amazon want) expect a royalty of $2, but as their sales are being eaten up by KU, they are receiving only $1.33. It is even worse for authors, such as myself, who were selling well at $3.99 and higher.</div>
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Here is an example of the problem.</div>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/bestsellers/digital-text/8624129011/ref=pd_zg_hrsr_kstore_1_4_last">http://www.amazon.com/gp/bestsellers/digital-text/8624129011/ref=pd_zg_hrsr_kstore_1_4_last</a></div>
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This person has spammed Amazon with hundreds of 20-page leaflets (check the samples and you’ll see they barely even qualify as that) under several pen names. He is benefitting more by doing this than I am by taking my time and releasing good work and growing a readership (I’m being penalised for being a professional). This is crazy. How can Amazon give money to people doing this at the expense of its loyal authors who have supported the platform for years.</div>
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My earnings have plummeted since KU came out and I have seen droves of authors saying the same (the only exception is the prolific short story writers). Many have decided to pull their books already from Select after watching the royalty slowly dwindle from $2.20 to the latest low of $1.33. I am considering doing the same. I have been exclusive to Amazon for 4 years, but I am for the first time considering taking my work to other platforms as the benefits to being a member of Select are no longer existent. I’m really upset that my livelihood, after having worked so hard, is starting to dwindle away in favour of those looking to make a quick buck. I have been a massive advocate of KDP and have steered dozens of authors in your direction, but I feel suddenly that Amazon doesn’t care less about me.</div>
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Rather than just complain, I would at least like to say something constructive. I believe Amazon needs to do 1 of 2 things. Either commit to a $2 payout per borrow via KU, or introduce a minimum word count of 20,000 words (although I would prefer to see it at 40,000). This would immediately eliminate these ‘spam titles’ and ensure that the royalty pot is shared only with deserving authors. The pot is going to dilute even further with the introduction of the foreign platforms, so I dread to think how low the royalty will go. If authors have any sense they will remove their books as this entire scheme seems designed to help Amazon at the expense of the authors who have helped it build the superiority it currently has.</div>
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Iain Rob Wrighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14840984365803973410noreply@blogger.com32tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1968818032560020588.post-52600721374666018512014-11-15T11:32:00.004+00:002014-11-15T11:32:48.206+00:00The Second CaptiveMy good friend Maggie James has released her latest novel at only 99p/99c. She's a great writer so grab a copy while you can. Here is the description:<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jmLBBJwOMUg/VGc5TpXWPYI/AAAAAAAAAWQ/4dQqcrXEhSI/s1600/_3615401.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jmLBBJwOMUg/VGc5TpXWPYI/AAAAAAAAAWQ/4dQqcrXEhSI/s1600/_3615401.jpg" /></a>"Stockholm syndrome: the psychological tendency of a hostage to bond with his or her captor.<br />
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What happens when you love the man you should hate?<br />
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Beth Sutton is eighteen years old when Dominic Perdue abducts her. Held prisoner in a basement, she’s dependent upon him for food, clothes, her very existence. As the months pass, her hatred towards him changes to compassion. Beth never allows herself to forget, however, that her captor has killed another woman. She has evidence to prove it, not to mention Dominic’s own admission of murder.<br />
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Then Beth escapes…<br />
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And discovers Dominic Perdue is not a man who lets go easily. Meanwhile, despite being reunited with her family, she spirals into self-destructive behaviour. Release from her prison isn’t enough, it seems. Can Beth also break free from the clutches of Stockholm syndrome?<br />
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A study of emotional dependency, The Second Captive examines how love can assume strange guises."<br />
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You can buy the book here: <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Second-Captive-Maggie-James-ebook/dp/B00PFQ65SA?tag=smarturl-gb-21" target="_blank">UK</a> <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Second-Captive-Maggie-James-ebook/dp/B00PFQ65SA/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1416051077&sr=8-2&keywords=the+second+captive" target="_blank">US</a><br />
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You can visit Maggie's Official Website at: <a href="http://www.maggiejamesfiction.com/">www.maggiejamesfiction.com</a><br />
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Iain Rob Wrighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14840984365803973410noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1968818032560020588.post-78094017530425778492014-11-12T13:42:00.001+00:002014-11-12T14:28:53.135+00:00Adventures in Cardiff with Matt ShawI'd never been to Cardiff before, I'm embarrassed to say, and when Matt Shaw originally invited me to attend the Comic Con there with him, my first instinct was to decline. I was aware that book signings tended to cost more than they made back and that even the most popular author usually spent a lot of time sitting around wishing that more people read (unfortunately we book lovers are the few). However, Matt suggested it would be fun and I appreciated him asking me, so I went against my gut feeling and said yes. I'm glad I did.<br />
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Cardiff was a great city with plenty to do (and eat). The train station leaves a little to be desired but oh well. My great adventure out of the house began badly and got worse. My wife, Sally, dropped me off at the train station in Redditch and I immediately ran off without getting my bag out of the boot. I had to come back and face her mocking laughter. When I finally approached the platform with my bag in hand, I made eye-contact with a bald headed ruffian. I gave him a look that showed him I was all business and then thought nothing of it. Ten minutes later, I heard someone anxiously worrying how to get to Cardiff. The conductor tried to explain the necessary routes, but then I turned around and said, "I'm going to Cardiff." I was surprised to see that the anxious traveller was none other than the bald headed ruffian. His little face lit up at the realisation that he could now just tag along and follow me to his destination. He thanked me profusely and I told him our intended route. When we switched trains, he came and sat opposite me over a table. It was then that he informed me that he had been let out of Redditch's prison that very day for drug dealing. I was travelling with Heisenberg!<br />
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As it turned out, the ex-convict was an addict, but a decent human being when not on the chronic, having worked as a missionary for the last few years until falling off the wagon several months before. We spoke at length and actually had a lot in common. He borrowed my phone and made half-a-dozen calls (including one to a methadone clinic) and he bought me a cup of tea to say thanks (there is no better way to win my favour than to give me tea). For the next two days I would receive random calls from gruff-sounding gentlemen asking 'who's this', but never mind. I was glad to have met my new friend, Dillon, on the cross-country train to Cardiff.<br />
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Then I arrived in Cardiff, ready to kick ass and eat crumpets (I was all out of crumpets). Matt informed me he was waiting in the North car park, but the problem was that I had been unceremoniously expelled into the southern courtyard. What were we to do? With our great adventure quickly turning into an unspeakable nightmare, Matt and I were forced to act. Matt came running for me immediately, determined to reach me before it was too late. I went to a nearby pub and took a piss. Five minutes later, Matt and I turned a corner and saw each other in the distance. We came together like two long-separated lovers finally reuniting. "Alright?" Matt said. "Yeah," said I.<br />
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Then we were on our way, taking half-an-hour-to find our way across one single road to our hotel. We checked in, ignoring the judging looks that Giuseppe gave us, and went upstairs to our suite...My God, the Humanity!<br />
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Inside the womb of Hell was like stepping into an anti-tardis. I felt the walls closing in on me like a tightening sphincter. What I was met with chilled my very bones. The curtains were woven with human flesh. Flaked, congealing bio matter clung to the fabric like an after party for a Porn Awards Ceremony. The carpet was sticky. My mattress had a huge, gaping hole in it. The toilet was built INSIDE the shower. The beds were smaller than WW1 cot beds and there was a fuming honey badger in the corner (that's a lie). Still, Matt had paid and invited me. I knew that I should be polite and not say anything about the condition of the room. The polite thing to do would be to say nothing.<br />
<br />
"This is the worst hotel room I've ever been in," I shouted. "It stinks!" I exclaimed. "This is disgusting!" Immediately I took out my phone and began recording so that I could later inform my wife of the abject horror I was being subjected to. Matt stood aside patiently while I conducted my expose. Then we unpacked.<br />
<br />
At the arena (which was gloriously close to the hotel), Matt and I encountered a massive queue of traders wanting to get in. Not wanting to wait, Matt decided to go to the front of the queue and talk to one of the security guards. I never found out what he said to the man, but we were immediately let in without having to join the queue and were treated like VIPS the rest of the weekend. All of the staff knew us and would have our High-Vis jackets waiting for us each time we arrived. <br />
<br />
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PDciVbnsd38/VGNjeBP0JFI/AAAAAAAAAVs/s-wc1ppPLGI/s1600/1901356_720154604728258_2810136667266700680_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PDciVbnsd38/VGNjeBP0JFI/AAAAAAAAAVs/s-wc1ppPLGI/s320/1901356_720154604728258_2810136667266700680_n.jpg" width="240" /></a>We went inside with our books (which Matt had been holding for me the last 3 weeks). I had brought with me a promotional t-shirt, hoodie, and 1500 vouchers for my books. Matt had brought posters for each of us, a banner for both of us, and a price list for my books. He commented that everything I had brought benefited only me, whereas everything he brought was for the both of us. He was right. It was a shitty thing to do. :-(<br />
<br />
My guilt weighing heavy on my heart, I soldiered on. I directed Matt where to put my posters and had a look around while he got to work setting up our display. Unfortunately, we had been provided with titanium plated backing boards. We went through hordes of drawing pins which bent in fear at the very sight of the board. We eventually got all of my posters up on the wall but were forced to give up when it came to Matt's posters. At least my side of the table looked okay. Phew!<br />
<br />
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-uIQTmiFzj7k/VGNiukUQAtI/AAAAAAAAAVk/mdH5T1N9Joo/s1600/image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-uIQTmiFzj7k/VGNiukUQAtI/AAAAAAAAAVk/mdH5T1N9Joo/s320/image.jpg" width="320" /></a>Finished for the time being, we went into town to have dinner. We found a TGIs and started chatting. I asked Matt what it was like being 40. He informed me he was 34. Slowly we bonded and started chatting about all kinds of things, including the rudest, most aggressive waitress ever (she really didn't like me for some reason). When the food came, I managed to finish before Matt had even laid his napkin out on his lap. That's just how I roll. When the bill was brought by a second waitress (perhaps the first could bear to look upon me no longer) I said I would pay it. "How sweet," she remarked. Matt then went into length about how we were on a date - a story which the waitress wholeheartedly believed. I told him to shut up, not because I have any problem with being viewed as gay, but because I would like to think that if I were, I could do better than Matt Shaw.<br />
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Then we were off to the cinema. After Matt's satnav failed, I tried using my phone, only I set it to pedestrian mode which tried to lead us sideways across the highway. When we finally made it across the water we parked in a multi-storey which was on the wrong side of the highway. We got straight back in the car but it still charged us £2 anyway! The outrage. By the time we arrived, the heavens had opened in fury and we were both soaking wet.<br />
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After a shaky five minutes where I became irate by the venue's lack of salt n vinegar Pringles, we went and bought some popcorn and cokes. Matt had a hot dog. I paid for it all, wanting to be a good guest. The movie was Interstellar. The girl next to me had brought her own grapes. I won't repeat what Matt called her.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hscca0Y-kkA/VGNhL-5rqcI/AAAAAAAAAVM/P4vbkwfI2Nc/s1600/56067050.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="//4.bp.blogspot.com/-hscca0Y-kkA/VGNhL-5rqcI/AAAAAAAAAVM/P4vbkwfI2Nc/s1600/56067050.jpg" /></a>The first 90 minutes of the film were great. When Casey Afflick turned up, I started to worry, When Matt Damon came on screen at the two hour mark, I had a feeling of dread. During the final hour, when Matthew Mcongahoheyowooia started saying things like "I need to use love to navigate the 5th dimension. They are us communicating through gravity and crossing space and time..." I threw up in my lap. Matt and I looked at each other with expressions of mutual condolence. We had both been the victims of some strange cinematic prank.<br />
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After the movie it was late, so we went back to the room. Aside from the smell, we dared not touch the spunky curtains and so we were left with a light-bathed room. It was also unbearable hot, but with the window open the entire sound of Cardiff made its way inside. At one point an ambulance flew past our room. I got to sleep about 4am. At 5am I woke up for a wee. When I flushed the chain, I thought an earthquake was occurring; the entire floor shook. It was Satan's own flusher. Until 8am I slept soundly and, if Matt Shaw is to be believed, snored like a banshee. At that point we staggered across the road like zombies, bypassed the queue, and went inside. Immediately I rushed off to get a cup of tea, only to be told to come back later. I went back later, only to be told to come back in a bit. I came back in a bit, only to be told to wait a while. I waited a while only to be told that their machine was broken. Dejected I returned to Matt who had managed to fix his half of the display through the clever use of velcro stickers (purchased from Rymans, no rubbish). As Matt and I sat in silence, waiting for the unwashed public to be let inside, the young entrepreneurial couple beside us started having a tiff, so we watched that until 9 0 clock when business kicked off. Things were quiet, so I continued my quest to obtain a cup of tea. I found a vendor willing to serve me at the far side of the room. I returned to Matt triumphant.<br />
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At 10.30 I finally sold some books. Then some more. Then a fan came up to buy a signed paperback for his wife. During this time, Matt sat in silence, slowly wilting like the entertainment value in a Matthew Mcongahoheyowooia movie. Then he could take it no longer and went to have a look around. Two minutes later someone came and bought a Matt Shaw novel. Matt had missed his first sale, but luckily I was there to make it for him. Then it all kicked off. For the next few hours, Matt and I sold lots of books and spoke to lots of readers, There was an incident involving a fellow author turning up in a mask, but that's a story for another day, as too is the story concerning a guy dressed as Spiderman having his picture with us despite having no clue who we were.. All in all, it was a good time where Matt and I felt really good about ourselves. I could tell, most of all, it meant a lot to Matt to see people showing an interest in his work. I was glad, because I'd felt really sorry for him during that first 90 minutes where it looked like things were going to go badly for him.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LWj7vjqREOE/VGNhlvKMWJI/AAAAAAAAAVU/GYaHB3Fw970/s1600/top-20-popular-funny-memes-1-600x584.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="310" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LWj7vjqREOE/VGNhlvKMWJI/AAAAAAAAAVU/GYaHB3Fw970/s320/top-20-popular-funny-memes-1-600x584.jpg" width="320" /></a>After the busy period ended, Matt went shopping. He splurged an obscene amount of money on a Freddie Kruegar/Robert Englund hat, and then immediately regretted it as he knew his wife would kill him (he also tried to convince me that Freddie wears a black and red sweater, whereas any true horror aficionado knows it is red and green). He also bought Wolverine's claw, but stopped himself from buying a Willy Wonka bar and golden ticket. So I went and bought that for him, to say thanks for inviting me. He seemed to appreciate it and we had a little bro moment. By the end of the day we were in good cheer, yet knackered. We went and ate at a ChimiChangas which was lovely. Matt only managed half of his meal, so I ate that as well. Because that's how I roll. Then we went back to our room (which was beginning to feel like home) and showed each other funny youtube videos till 12.30 at night. Kevin Spacey is awesome at impressions!<br />
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-q9gdTAOuPvQ/VGNl_g1vhQI/AAAAAAAAAWA/2n_neN8ImNU/s1600/20141111_172835_Burst01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-q9gdTAOuPvQ/VGNl_g1vhQI/AAAAAAAAAWA/2n_neN8ImNU/s200/20141111_172835_Burst01.jpg" width="150" /></a>The next day was slower but we still sold books. I instructed Matt to lower my pricing board and he did as he was told. We made friends with the young couple on the neighbouring stand and Matt immediately started making Welsh jokes at their expense. They were a lovely couple and it was nice meeting them. They were selling Pop! Vinyl figures which were simply everywhere! Before close of day, and after much discussion about topics such as Altered Beast, Labyrinth, and the Goonies, I noted that Matt had spent a fortune on himself yet had bought nothing for his wife. I, myself had bought Sally a Hershel figure (her favourite TWD character) and a TWD board game). Matt saw my point and ran to buy his wife a Frozen Olaf figurine.<br />
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Then it was all over. I waited while Matt took my remaining books back to his car and then waited for him to come back and get me. He drove me to the train station and then told me he "had had a really good time and a lot of fun," to which I replied "You're very welcome."<br />
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I journeyed home with 400 hundred passengers crammed inside a train the size of a Pringles tube, eventually making it back to my home town of Redditch at 9.30. I was met by my wife, Sally, who gave me a big hug and asked me all about it. And so I told her.<br />
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I really enjoyed my weekend with Matt. He's a funny guy and I trust him, which is rare for me. Likely I will do another function with him at some point in the future, but being away from my family is hard, so I can't say when that will be. I see me working with Matt more closely as a friend now rather than a simple colleague. He and I have already discussed the possibility of writing a book together and that will likely happen when our schedules allow. It should be good.<br />
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Thank you for Cardiff for having me and thank you to those who bought a book from me. It made me feel like a bigshot! And thank you to Matt Shaw for pulling me out of my shell and giving me an experience I won't forget.<br />
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Iain Rob Wrighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14840984365803973410noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1968818032560020588.post-8062079308454207012014-11-11T14:23:00.002+00:002014-11-11T14:24:57.740+00:00Signed Books Now Available...<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-uv-VNHC-j9M/VGIbxItG_KI/AAAAAAAAAU4/q_iGMSZmPsY/s1600/The-Picture-Frame---Review-Copy---Update.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-uv-VNHC-j9M/VGIbxItG_KI/AAAAAAAAAU4/q_iGMSZmPsY/s200/The-Picture-Frame---Review-Copy---Update.jpg" width="125" /></a>After doing Cardiff Comic Con I am left with a limited supply of signed books. I have set up a store front of Facebook (along with a new author's page). If this becomes popular then I will continue to stock my paperbacks in order to sign and send them.<br />
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You can visit the new store front here: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/authoriainrobwright?sk=app_251458316228">https://www.facebook.com/authoriainrobwright?sk=app_251458316228</a><br />
<br />
I'm sure you've also noticed that THE PICTURE FRAME is also now available to buy (paperback coming soon). You can grab a kindle copy here: <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Picture-Frame-Horror-Novel-ebook/dp/B00PFTJ0TS/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1415715310&sr=1-1&keywords=the+picture+frame+iain+rob+wright" target="_blank">UK</a> <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Picture-Frame-Horror-Novel-ebook/dp/B00PFTJ0TS/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1415715352&sr=1-1&keywords=The+picture+frame+iain+rob+wright" target="_blank">US</a><br />
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<br />
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZcGF5iNwaJQ/VGIbhvZgCvI/AAAAAAAAAUw/b77y1gJTWW8/s1600/B1_8J6dIMAAcfs3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZcGF5iNwaJQ/VGIbhvZgCvI/AAAAAAAAAUw/b77y1gJTWW8/s320/B1_8J6dIMAAcfs3.jpg" width="240" /></a>Cardiff Comic Con was a lot of fun and it was great meeting fans and strangers alike. I have already gained a few new readers and it was great spending time with Matt Shaw (who's a lot kinder and sensitive in real life than he is online) as well as meeting other authors such as Steve Lockley and Graeme Reynolds. I may do more Cons in the future but will have to weigh up the financial costs and time away from my family. All being well I would like to do more.<br />
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As always, it's been a great year and another 12 months where I have got to live my dream, make money, and be at home with my family. That's down to you, the people buying my books, so once again, thank you from the bottom of my heart,Iain Rob Wrighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14840984365803973410noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1968818032560020588.post-4538828235625550542014-10-24T11:16:00.003+01:002014-10-24T11:23:46.113+01:00Jeff Carlson, bestselling author and pretty swell guy...When I first published The Final Winter, I had no one on my facebook and no one to turn to for advice. I was a naive loner just hoping for the best, and I felt like I had no right to try and call myself an author. During that time I was writing some book reviews, and one novel I reviewed was <b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Plague-Year-Jeff-Carlson/dp/044101514X" target="_blank">Plague Year</a></b> by Jeff Carlson. It's an awesome apocalyptic novel (1st in a trilogy) about a nanovirus that destroys all biological matter (people) below 10,000 feet. It is unique and a shit load of fun. I suggest you all read it.<br />
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When Jeff saw my review he contacted me to say thanks. He found out I was an author and offered to let me post on his blog. He also sent me signed copies of the Plague Year trilogy. It was overwhelming to have a bigshot New York Times Bestselling author give me the time of day. It's because Jeff was such a nice guy that I forged ahead with my own career. He made my struggle to become an author enjoyable and worth it. If my first encounter with another author had been negative, then I might have shied away and decided that the whole thing wasn't for me. Jeff's kindness is part of why I am here today writing books and making a living. I owe him for that.<br />
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So it gives me great pleasure to do for Jeff what he originally did for me almost 4 years ago. I am giving him my blog. Authors and readers alike should be interested, for Jeff has a successful career in traditional publishing as well as the new self-publishing revolution. He is a true hybrid author that knows what it's like on both sides of the fence. Here's what he had to say. <br />
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Oh, and before we get started, you can check out Jeff''s books at his website:<b> <a href="http://www.jverse.com/">http://www.jverse.com/</a></b></div>
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<b><br /></b></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mUEZ3Bjab1o/VEompIcnV9I/AAAAAAAAAUg/dgg2NhMyDWg/s1600/carlson_color_hirez.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mUEZ3Bjab1o/VEompIcnV9I/AAAAAAAAAUg/dgg2NhMyDWg/s1600/carlson_color_hirez.jpg" height="320" width="228" /></a><b>Hi, Jeff, tell us
about yourself.<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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Well, my official bio is fun because I’m not a formal guy,
so I hope the humor bleeds through even my corporate thumbnail… <br />
<br />
“Jeff Carlson was born on the day of the first manned moon landing and narrowly
escaped being named Apollo, Armstrong, or Rocket. His father worked for
NASA Ames at the time. His granddad on his mother’s side was a sci fi fan
whose library included autographed copies of Isaac Asimov’s <em><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Foundation</span></em> trilogy. Both men
were strong, early influences — and in the high tech 21st Century, it’s easy to
stand with one foot in reality and the other in thriller novels.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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How’s zat?<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><br />
Could you tell us what work you currently have available?<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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Straight from the biography again! <br />
<br />
Jeff is the international bestselling author of <i>Plague Year, <em><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Interrupt</span></em></i>,
and <em><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">The Frozen Sky</span></em>, hailed by
Publishers Weekly as “Pulse pounding.”<br />
<br />
That’s only time PW had something nice to say about me, ha ha, so I cling to
it. My other PW review was for <i>Plague Year</i>, which was trashed by a
frustrated Author with a capital A. <i>Plague Year </i>was my first novel. I didn’t realize it at the time, but PW
reviews aren’t necessarily written by people who like the kind of book they’re
reviewing. <br />
<br />
This unnamed genius was moonlighting for PW because she hoped to parlay her
byline with the famous magazine into opening doors at New York agencies and
publishers for her profound literature.
She slammed <i>Plague Year </i>for
being a post-apocalyptic genre novel full of sex and violence, which, to be
fair, is an apt description. I like
blowing things up. Helicopters. Space shuttles. Cities.
Blow ‘em up! Aha ha ha. And if that’s not your cup of tea, no problem,
although I have to admit the pan still bothers me. By any stretch, <i>Plague Year </i>was a commercial success. Readers embraced it. But she went out of her way to publicly sneer
at the book.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Have I had too much coffee again today? Hee hee.<br />
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To actually answer your question: <i>Plague Year </i>is a trilogy. <i>Interrupt
</i>is an epic disaster novel and a stand-alone. I also have a short story collection called <i>Long Eyes</i>, and I’m in the process of sequels
to <i>The Frozen Sky</i>, which will become
another trilogy.<br />
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<b>Tell us about your
latest release and why people should buy it.<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<i>Betrayed </i>is the
second book in the <i>Frozen Sky </i>series.
If I were pitching it as a movie, I’d say:
“This story is <i>Pitch Black </i>meets <i>The Thing </i>with a strong female lead.” By that I mean it’s a high-concept sci fi
thriller with a smart, brave heroine.
No, she doesn’t pack a giant machine gun like Ellen Ripley. Yes, she’s capable and resilient.<br />
<br />
Also, my aliens aren’t mindless killers.
It’s true they’ll rip your face off and eat it if you let ‘em. By the same token, they’ll become your
fiercest defenders if you prove yourself worthy.<br />
<br />
<i>The Frozen Sky </i>is a metaphor for the
icy crust of Jupiter’s sixth moon, Europa.
Beneath the surface, the ice is ten to twenty kilometers thick. In my story, it’s riddled with catacombs and
volcanos and nasty blind eight-armed creatures who’ve never imagined a universe
beyond the ice. Not until the human race
comes knocking. The books are set 100
years in the future, so we have cool armored suits and mecha and AI, but we
also have all of our usual weaknesses.
We’re divided. We argue. We lie and cheat.<br />
<br />
When the competing Earth crews meet the savage alien tribes… well, let’s just
say it’s a glorious mess. Ambushes. Ice quakes.
Monsters and robots and cyber warfare, oh my. Even a dash of romance. I’ve never had so much fun in my life.<br />
<br />
<b><br />
For someone unfamiliar with your work, how would you describe your writing?<br />
</b><br />
I hope I could say my writing style is compact and evocative. Oh yeah, and my plots are freaking
brilliant! Aha ha ha ha. I don’t write <i>Star Trek</i>-level sci fi with goofy-looking people in rubber ears
or simplistic plots neatly wrapped up in an hour. My goal is to bring the readers deeper than
that. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><br />
What else do you have in the pipeline?<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Currently I’m busy with <i>Frozen
Sky 3</i>. After that, I’m on the hook
for a few short stories. After that,
another big present-day thriller. There
are always nine or twelve concepts baking in my brain. You know how it is: More ideas than time. Staying on task is half the battle. Don’t let yourself be distracted. Stay focused on the book at hand.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><br />
What writers have had the most influence on your own writing?<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Some of these names may surprise you. Frank Baum. James Michener. Jean M. Auel. Stephen King. John Irving. Wendy Pini. John Varley.
Joe Haldeman.<br />
<br />
Pini of course was the driving force behind the graphic novels of <i>ElfQuest</i>, which were more than pure fantasy
adventure. She gave her characters
heart, even the bad guys like the trolls and Winnowill. Great stuff.<br />
<br />
Michener and Irving wrote real-world stories about the human condition,
Michener on a wide scale, while Irving’s focus has been more personal and close
to home. Auel’s <i>Clan of the Cave Bear </i>series reads like alternate history on par
with Michener’s epic tomes… and Baum, I’m sure, was smoking wheelbarrow-loads
of opium while meandering through his diverse, wacky landscapes of <i>Oz.</i> <br />
<br />
Especially the early King novels such as <i>The
Stand</i>, <i>Roadwork</i>, and <i>The Long Walk </i>made visceral impressions
on me as a kid. Varley and Haldeman are
gifted sci fi writers who brought dry, hard-eyed realism to some of my favorite
adventures like <i>Millennium</i>, <i>Steel Beach</i>, <i>The Forever War</i>, <i>Tool of the
Trade</i>,<i> </i>and the <i>Worlds </i>trilogy.<br />
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br />
<!--[endif]--><b><o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>What was the last book
you read?<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>Rot & Ruin </i>by
Jonathan Mayberry, which was recommended by a friend. It’s a YA novel, so I thought some of the
story twists were predictable and most of the boy-girl dynamic was unnaturally
restrained — I mean the fifteen-year-old hero was absolutely <i>duh </i>when it came to speaking to the mega
hot, feisty, freckled heroine; just kiss her, you fool! — but otherwise the
characters were awesome and Mayberry introduced several very cool new ideas
about zombies, which isn’t easy to do.
The subgenre is such a well-travelled road. I was impressed that he came up with fresh details
about how the living dead might operate.<br />
<br />
“Fresh!” That’s a zombie joke!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><br />
How do you feel about the recent changes in the publishing industry,
specifically the rise of the ‘indie author’ and the opportunities now available
for traditionally published authors who opt to go it alone?<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Oh, man. Trick
question. Got, like, two hours? <br />
<br />
I followed the so-called traditional path in writing. When I was fourteen, I cranked out a million-word
rip-off of <i>The Stand </i>starring a
spunky bunch of teens straight out of <i>Red
Dawn. </i>The book was awful but it had soul. Years later, I got serious, took some English
Lit classes, and began writing short stories.
It is really, really hard to squeeze a whole plot and at least a hint of
character development into the space of thirty pages, especially if you’re also
explaining vampire dogs or cutting edge weapons tech. Each story was also a new chance to experiment
with pacing, voice, and POV. <br />
<br />
Eventually I started selling short stories to small press publications, then to
semi-pro and full-on professional magazines with glossy ads and decent pay
rates. Next I wrote <i>Plague Year</i>. I found an
agent. Penguin grabbed the book after a small
bidding war. From penning the first
sentence of the rough draft to publication day, nearly three years passed. I think a few insanely determined people
still become writers in this fashion even now after the e-revolution.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Late in 2010, I self-re-e-published the original short story
of “<a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Frozen-Sky-Novel-ebook/dp/B009GLM5LG/" target="_blank">The Frozen Sky</a>,” which had appeared in the <i>Writers of the Future 23 </i>anthology.
My 99c electronic reprint sold 40,000 copies.<br />
<br />
I’d always wanted to develop this concept into a full-fledged novel. The setting is literally as large as Europa,
which is a lot of room for new storylines, new characters, surprises and
reversals. My experience was in the
traditional world, but I had been gabberflasted by the success of re-releasing
the short story on Kindle, Nook, and iTunes.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Late in 2012, I self-published <i>The</i> <i>Frozen Sky: The
Novel. </i>To date, it’s found 37,000 readers. For a hard sf novel, that’s a hefty number,
much bigger than a non-big name writer would expect to reach through a Big 5
publisher in New York. Japanese rights to
the novel sold to Tokyo Sogensha, and I hope its ongoing popularity will lead
to more interest overseas and in Hollywood.
Let’s face it. <i>The Frozen Sky </i>is a cool idea, and far
better executed than <i>Europa Report</i>. (Also, my book came first. It’s smarter and
sexier than <i>Europa Report </i>and offers
non-cliché twists and turns.) <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As for the many different forms of publishing in our brave
new e-world, these days I’m dancing on all sides of the fence. Traditional publishing was good to me, and I
would readily accept the right deal.
Meanwhile, <i>Interrupt </i>was
published by 47North, one of the new Amazon imprints stocked with topnotch
editors and publicists who were stolen from New York and set free of their
corporate restraints. These people are
wild-eyed e-pirates on the photon’s edge of the future, dude! <br />
<br />
Collaborating with the teams at 47North was fantastic. <i>Interrupt</i>
did very, very well. It isn’t accurate
to say 47North is a traditional publisher because their focus is Kindle, but
the process from first draft to final proofs was similar and I’m proud of being
a triple hybrid now — a Big 5 author, a Seattle cabal revolutionary, and a self-published
writer.<i><o:p></o:p></i></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>
Anything else you’d like to tell us about?<br />
<br />
</b>Tinfoil hats! Wireless microscopic retinal
displays! Genetically-enhanced NSA chem
trace molecular compounds in canned banana cream pie filling and hot dogs! Watch out!
They’re following us everywhere!
Even in the shower! <br />
<br />
But we don’t have time to get into that now…
;)<br />
<br />
Jeff<br />
<br />
<br />
Again, you can visit Jeff's website at: <a href="http://www.jverse.com/"><b>http://www.jverse.com/</b></a><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
You can purchase The Frozen sky here: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Frozen-Sky-Novel-ebook/dp/B009GLM5LG/"><b>http://www.amazon.com/The-Frozen-Sky-Novel-ebook/dp/B009GLM5LG/</b></a><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<o:p></o:p></div>
Iain Rob Wrighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14840984365803973410noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1968818032560020588.post-4380057765305342052014-10-06T12:11:00.004+01:002014-10-06T12:11:51.772+01:00KDP feedback wanted...Hi guys:<br />
<br />
I now have an avenue to pass on feedback to a UK KDP executive. But feedback from one person is just an opinion. It would be great to have a consensus of opinion as that will hold more weight. In the comments below, please leave any questions you would like me to pose to this KDP executive and I will pass them all on at the end of the month. I won't be doing this regularly, as I do not want to inundate the poor woman with emails, but perhaps twice a year I will check in with you all and pass on your questions.<br />
<br />
So, to repeat, this is an opportunity to get your feedback to a KDP executive. If you have something you would like to say, say it in the comments below before the end of the month.<br />
<br />
P.S. Matt Shaw is a bastard.<br />
<br />
Thanks,<br />
<br />
Iain Iain Rob Wrighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14840984365803973410noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1968818032560020588.post-56037093752969781132014-10-02T12:52:00.002+01:002014-10-02T13:43:41.410+01:00My meeting with ACX, Audible, and KDP...<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.acx.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://blog.bibliocrunch.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/ACX-Logo-High-Res.png" height="208" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
So, yesterday I attended a luncheon meeting in Whitehall, along with Matt Shaw, the UK's current number 1 horror writer (and 23rd worldwide). It turns out that Matt is a funny guy in person and a lot taller than I am. Free wine was provided which Matt drank copiously before staggering out of the pub and telling me that he "never drinks."<br />
<br />
At the meeting were several other authors (mostly from other fields such as erotica, historical thrillers, literary fiction, et al). Excitingly, there were also several Amazon executives from various departments, notably ACX, Audible, and KDP. I was fortunate enough to speak with most of them and had a chance to fire some questions at them.<br />
<br />
I will briefly go over the issues I raised and provide a summary of the responses I was given. I will say, right now, that I didn't get anything concrete, as the main focus of ACX is still pretty fluid in terms of directions. It seems like Amazon are letting it grow organically rather than strategising and pushing it in a forced direction. This is not dissimilar to KDP during it's infancy. It was very much under the radar at first, before gearing up substantially into what it is today. I got a similar feeling that ACX is destined to do the same, and as such will only improve and grow from what is already an exciting platform. Here are some of the questions I asked.<br />
<br />
<b>1.Why did ACX recently lower the royalty rates?</b><br />
The reply to this question was somewhat defensive, and the answer I eventually got was that the initial royalty rates were designed to generate interest and were never sustainable in the long term. It was stressed that ACX and KDP are entirely different platforms (and companies) and that a change in one does not signal a change in the other, so there is no need to fear that the 70% KDP royalty rate is likely to change. I suggested that the disappointing news of a royalty drop was put to authors rather patronisingly (Matt Shaw shrank back in his chair at this point), and I was asked what <i>would </i>be the best way to give bad news without upsetting people, which I thought was a fair point. The overall point that I gleaned from this question was that the current rate is not going to change for the foreseeable future so we will have to get used to it. I don't personally agree that ACX warrants 60% of profits and it would be nice to be shown a breakdown of how they arrived at that figure (i.e. costs incurred by ACX etc). Still, it's their ballgame and no one is forced to sign up. Sometimes, we lose sight of that and forget that no one is entitled to anything. The only power we have is to go wherever the terms and conditions are best, and currently that is ACX.<br />
<br />
<b>2.Why is a 7 year contract term required to use ACX?</b><br />
I asked why this appearingly arbitrary number was chosen as the contract term, seeing as ACX is essentially a distributor and not needing to recoup any major upfront costs. I was told that 7 years is industry-standard and in line with other publishing contracts. I felt this was a little contradictory as ACX is not like other publishers. Other publishers cover costs of audiobook production and provide advances, whereas ACX does not. I'm not sure if there is any flexibility on ACX's stance on length of contract, but I did stress that if they want authors to commit to such a long period of time, then ACX should sweeten the pot with things such as promotional tools etc. Which leads me onto...<br />
<br />
<b>3.Can we have promotional tools to help bolster flagging sales?</b><br />
I explained that ebook sale numbers on KDP are constantly fluctuating and that the most entrepreneurial authors are able to influence their levels of success by shrewd and frequent use of the promotional tools given to them by KDP (such as Countdown Deals, freebies etc). I explained that my own ACX titles tend to start off very well before dipping to a much lower level of sales (a level where they sadly remain for the most part). I then have very limited means to create future spikes in sales during that long 7 year contract period. I explained that there would be no point in an author caring much about pushing their ACX titles after that initial sales spike as there is little means for them to affect things; this hurts ACX as much as the author as it leads to stagnant older titles. By providing promotional tools, ACX can ensure that authors retain a continuing interest in their backlist titles - as they do with KDP titles currently - and can boost flagging sales by running regular promotions and stoking renewed audience interest. <br />
<br />
I am happy to report that this discussion went down very well and was something the ACX/Audible execs were very happy to consider. Interestingly, I was told that if I had an active promotion of my own running (a paid advert for example), that I should email ACX support and let them know about it as they would be happy to feature my titles simultaneously to maximise returns. They also stated that if an audiobook sells well enough, they might be willing to issue more freebie codes (like the 25 given out upon initial publication). To do this, an author/narrator should email support. The gist of this is that ACX seemed very open to working with authors on an ad hoc basis, so if you want their support with a promotion you are doing, then let them know. They will help if they are able.<br />
<br />
<b>4.Why is reporting two days behind and so primitive (in relation to KDP)?</b><br />
Reporting is 48 hours behind due to the coordination required between separate companies (including one not associated with Amazon at all). ACX has to receive sales data from Audible, Amazon, and Apple, before it can pass those figures onto us. It was expressed that reporting was a key improvement area for ACX and eventually they would like to have a dynamic dashboard similar to KDP, or at the very least Createspace. I would expect improvements to come incrementally like they do in KDP and I have every confidence that the website, reporting, and feedback from ACX will steadily improve. I also stated that it's nigh on impossible to know how much one is earning in realtime as the royalty tariffs are so confusing. I was told that ACX are currently trying to work out what is the best way to pay authors per sale and that it will likely change at some point. The utopia would be that one day a dashboard exists for Createspace, KDP, and ACX all in one, where authors can manage their entire business and link products together into cohesive promotion campaigns. That won't happen tomorrow, but it sounds like an awfully nice idea.<br />
<br />
<b>5.Can we do bundle deals with ebooks, paperbacks, al a "Match Book"?</b><br />
It was expressed to me that there are complications regarding this, as audio rights are separate to digital and paperback rights. It wasn't rejected as an idea, and there are already occasional offers for customers to purchase discounted audiobook for ebooks they have purchased in the past. I imagine that if bundling products together becomes workable, it will happen at some point in the future.<br />
<br />
<b>6.Can we have variable royalty share terms?</b><br />
I put forward an idea for a 25% royalty share (instead of 50%) and part payment (instead of full). I would be happy to give my narrator a 25% royalty of sales and pay him $1000 up front (instead of his usual $2000 fee). Currently I am giving him 50% royalties with no fee payable. This idea was received well and will be reported up the line of command. ACX seemed to be very interested in flexibility as it is a good way to increase the amount of authors using the service.<br />
<br />
<b>7.Can we change artwork after publication?</b><br />
I can't currently find a way to do this, but I was told that I should be able to and that if I have a problem just contact support who will do it manually. Again it's good that ACX support are willing to help with issues on a one to one basis.<br />
<br />
<b>8.Can we apply the ACX structure to translators for foreign editions?</b><br />
I was told speculatively that their are already mumblings within Amazon concerning ways for self-publishers to exploit foreign rights. It may not happen tomorrow, but I would expect Amazon's next publishing venture to be aimed at getting translators and authors together. Apparently, Amazon has been assembling a small stable of translators within their businesses, but the the exec who spoke to me said it hadn't been stated from above exactly why. Interesting indeed.<br />
<br />
---<br />
<br />
Those were the main points I discussed. What I will say is that the Amazon execs were all young and passionate about helping authors. I left feeling excited and comforted that Amazon's goals are in line with my own. We often worry about Amazon pulling the rug out from under us, but I did not get that impression at all. The KDP UK exec was only 3 weeks into the job but she gave me the impression that authors and other content providers are regarded very highly by Amazon and a key part of their future strategies.<br />
<br />
ACX is currently a win win in my opinion; a no brainer. It is the best way to exploit your audio rights and is likely to get even better. From personal experience I can say that the income is not unsubstantial. It is not currently as lucrative as KDP but it far exceeds my paperback sales. I believe audiobooks are a growth area and I got the overall impression from the luncheon meeting that ACX and Audible will be ramping up soon and that sales and exposure for audio titles will increase, maybe even rocket. <br />
<br />
It is a fun experience working with narrators and hearing your book in audio. My own colleagues, Chris Barnes, and the wonderful Nigel Patterson, are both great to work with, and highly recommended. Give them your work and you won't be disappointed.<br />
<br />
You can sign up to ACX here: <a href="http://www.acx.com/">www.acx.com</a>. I could post a guide to using the site, but it really is quite straight forward once you get into it. So throw yourself in.<br />
<br />
Incidentally, my own audiobooks are something I am very proud of and you can get them all here (with more coming soon): <a href="http://www.audible.co.uk/search/ref=a_listener__c1_1_1_1_a/279-8502953-6847420?searchAuthor=Iain+Rob+Wright" target="_blank">UK</a> <a href="https://mobile.audible.com/search.htm?type=search&cache=1&keywords=iain+rob+wright" target="_blank">US</a>Iain Rob Wrighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14840984365803973410noreply@blogger.com0