Friday, October 24, 2014

Great review!!



Nice new review for DROP OUT. The book is really affecting lives!

Read what Kindle Nation Daily called "the sleeper hit of the year" what Kindle Fire Department called, "riveting, touching, and deeply heartwarming, a book that will stay with you forever"; an Indie Book of the Day winner in 2012.


5.0 out of 5 stars An extraordinary, moving story of loss and rebirth., October 23, 2014
By 
Pete Barber (Lake Lure, NC) - See all my reviews
Verified Purchase (What's this?)
This review is from: Drop Out (Kindle Edition)

This novel was a real roller-coaster ride. Opening at the moment on 9/11 when the planes hit the twin towers, the author takes us inside those buildings, and the action sequence, the fear and chaos and emotions had me turning pages well past my bedtime. The loss suffered by the main character during that terrible day plunges him and us into a desperate unforgiving dip from which he can only be rescued by a second disaster (natural this time). I don't want to put any spoilers in, but I highly recommend that you read this story--it will move you and also renew your faith in human resilience.

Monday, October 20, 2014

Results!!



A few days have passed since my Kindle Books and Tips promotion for DROP OUT http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005FX0K7U  has finished and I must say the results weren’t that bad. Though I have said in the past that I don’t believe paid promotion on websites has a return on investment and are good for exposure purposes only, this one seems to have paid out.

DROP OUT sold several dozen more copies on that day than it usually does so I must attribute that to the sponsorship. With so many writers and book sites on the internet, readers are being bombarded by suggestions, and with the explosion of the indie movement there are an infinite number of titles to choose. To find a reasonably priced promotional opportunity that actually got me results is like finding a tiny diamond in a desert of sand.

Of course, good secrets don’t last long when there is a worldwide audience at your fingertips and I’m guessing that the more exposure the site gets the more competition to get in; hence, the prices may rise. I will say I am a bit disappointed in one of my other ‘go to’ sites for visible results; Ereader News Today. They went from a commission based advertising platform to charging a flat rate. Instead of being selective in their titles, now anyone can purchase. I did extremely well advertising with ENT before the format change and even got DROP OUT below the 500 rank in the entire Kindle store for a few days. Now, they don’t even have an open spot for months.

All in all, I may change my opinion on the paid advertising websites front and put a little money in more advertising. There are still a few sites out there that are more interested in highlighting quality books over the quantity of authors willing to pay to see their books on websites. At least for the moment, Kindle Books and Tips appear to be one of them.

Thursday, October 16, 2014

Promotion!!



Wanted to announce that DROP OUT is being featured today on Kindle Books and Tips!  What would you do if you knew your life was ending? http://wp.me/p2b82w-69U Please check it out. Much appreciated.

Monday, October 6, 2014

Winter writing



Woke up this morning to the first frost of the year. It’s winter writing time. I always look forward to the cold and snow and the isolation they bring. Though I do enjoy the sun, swimming, and warmth of summer it is not my best season for being creative. I found there’s nothing more stimulating than punching out a story while a snowstorm rages outside.

Winter is also the time when I do my best and most prolific marketing and promotion of my books. It’s always hard to spend hours plugging descriptions and links onto writer sites when it’s a balmy eighty degrees, but seeing frost on the window keeps me focused. My best sellers, DROP OUT, DEGENERATES, and FROSTPROOF were all written during the winter months. There’s just something about the grayness of the season that makes me more colorful on the page.

So, as I sit here writing this, wrapped in a sweat suit, sweatshirt, and blanket, I can’t help but wonder what creativity this winter season will bring. My latest novella AS IT IS IN HEAVEN is nearly complete and I have four months coming of chilly isolation to fill. Will I write a thriller, science fiction novel, or another literary? I guess I’ll have to see what the muse offers.