Reviews are personal

Touching again on the subject of unpaid reviews from unknown readers, I would like to point out just how personal taste is reflected in each review. I’m not going to mention the 23 – five star reviews I’ve gotten for DROP OUT, http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005FX0K7U but mention quotes from the two worst reviews I’ve received. Why focus on the worst? Because they are perfect examples of opinion and preference.

The first quote is from a 2-star review; the full review can be read on Amazon.com. The reader states; “I am not sure how I came to buy this book but when I started reading it I was almost bowled over. This man can REALLY write: his first section in which the protagonist is caught in the September 11 collapse of the twin towers was so gripping I could hardly breathe.” Sounds good right? Sure does to me. But then the remainder of the review goes on to trash the end of the book saying; “But that someone with such writing talent should write such garbage is beyond me.” Which is fine. Like I said, each reader is entitled to their own opinion.

The second review I’m mentioning is a 3-star posted just the other day. This reader had the exact opposite opinion; “Found this novella a bit top heavy with the details of 9/11 which kicks off the story.” But then goes on to say; “I liked the rest of the story and would have enjoyed it more if the beginning wasn't quite so drawn out.” So, who is right? Who’s opinion should I trust and believe? The beginning is great and the end blows? Or the end is great and the beginning blows? The answer is they are both right.

What I’ve learned about people and humanity in general is that everyone has their own personal tastes, choices, likes, and dislikes. What one reader loves another may hate and vice versa. What is most important in the grand scheme of the universe is that the book gets written and the story gets told. Don’t let any single reader’s aversion to your work affect your work. True, I have numerous 5-star reviews for my ten books on Amazon and Goodreads to inflate my ego, but sometimes I believe the worst reviews are the most helpful because they make me realize that no matter what I write some will love it and some will hate it. It’s all part of being a writer and expressing yourself through language. I don’t let it influence my work.

The future!

          I’ve been contemplating the future of the author in today’s high technology society. What will become of us and the books we write? Will the paperback go the way of the compact disk and disappear forever? Will publishing houses dissolve into nonexistence the way most record labels have? Will a paperback book become a rare object of antique art? I don’t know. But one thing I do know is that there will always be a segment of humanity that has stories to tell.

          What is uncertain is what medium will distribute and sell those stories? Something we can all agree upon is that ebooks will replace traditional books to a large degree. People will carry libraries of their favorites in nearly weightless ereaders the size of a sheet of paper or less. We all know how easy it is to pirate a book and place it for free all over the internet. So, how will an author make money?

          As I see it, the traditional book industry of buying through a bookstore will soon become ancient history. An author will become writer, publisher, and marketer of their works (a lot of us already are). There will be no middleman between author and reader which opens a whole new world of getting the author noticed. Blogs and websites will allow fans direct access to their favorites which will generate a much closer bond between storyteller and reader.

          I see a new kind of literary relationship evolving in which the populous will decide what they want to read by their own selection and not just books pre-approved, stripped down, and ground out from the corporate publishing paper mill. I find it exciting to think that any one of my fans can literally reach out electronically and ask me a question or just send a little note. I can read it and respond on a personal level as if we’d known each other for years. It is this inter-connectivity that will sell books in the future.

That being said, I have two exciting new collections of my books that are now available through Amazon. Please check them out and get a whole summer’s worth of wild, scif-fi and suspense thrillers for one low price.  

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00KY57LY4 

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00L0K5FWW

And to sweeten the opportunity for a great read my latest sci-fi book is free right now until Saturday!

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00K08TEYA

I know, I know, it’s a lot of info, but there’s a lot of exciting things happening in the world of indie publishing.

It's here! It's available now!

Get ready! My new four-book omnibus is here! Get a summer's worth of reading for one low price.

Though the official launch date isn't until Sunday, you can get your copy now!

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00KY57LY4

Coming soon my five-book sci-fi/fantasy bonanza omnibus. Look for it end of June.

# Special thanks to Rich Meyer for his hard work at putting this set together . He did it all on his own sweat and dime. Please check out his books and services. He's the best!

Still up there in rank

So it's day three of my Ereader News Today feature and DROP OUT is still in the 5,000-6,000 rank, though I don't know how much longer sales can sustain that number. I also got a new four star review for THE END time on Amazon. Seems readers want more from the ending, but that's good because it is the first book in a series and it leaves the reader wanting more.

4.0 out of 5 stars Nice story, original dystopian plot June 11, 2014

By Jim Lion

Format:Kindle Edition|Verified Purchase

 

I like this one a lot, and only felt a little disappointed by the fast pace of the ending, which is normally a good thing, but in this one there were so many revelations in the last 50 pages or so that I feel they could have been spaced out a more for better effect. Still, I read this one quickly, and enjoyed every minute.

Ereader News Today feature results as of right now. Was hoping to break the top 1,000 but still not bad out of 12.5 million books Amazon has for sale at the moment.

HAPPY!

So happy that Ereader News Today is featuring DROP OUT as a bargain book today. The book has affected and continues to affect readers from all over the world. Please click the link below and check it out. It just may change your life.

http://ereadernewstoday.com/more-bargain-and-free-books-for-6-10-14/6744773/

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 and Amazon bestseller.

www.amazon.com/dp/B005FX0K7U

Good things come…

Nobody said it was going to be easy making a living as a writer. Nobody said it was always going to be fun. Nobody promised me that after spending twenty-plus years holed up in my office writing novels that anyone would ever read them. Nobody promised me anything would ever come of my writing, and yet I still do it.

          Day after day, year after year, I sit in front of this keyboard and tap out characters and worlds. I’ve been to other planets, experienced other dimensions, felt unimaginable loss, murdered strangers, loved promiscuously, hated enemies; I’ve done just about everything I’ve always wanted to do without ever leaving this room. And yet, nobody ever promised me that anything would ever come of this hobby.

          Did I ever think of giving up? If you’re a real writer than the answer is of course, most certainly not! It’s not even possible to stop. Telling a writer to give up the craft is like telling a person with the most cataclysmic bout of diarrhea to stop pooping (thank you Stephen King for that analogy). There is no giving up and there is no stopping an artist with the drive to create.

         If the digital revolution had never happened and I never had made a dime off my books would I still be spending hour after hour day after day in front of my keyboard? Writing is a habit I can’t stop and I don’t know any other way to live my life. For more than two decades I have not given up and have not stopped writing and as a result in the last two years I’ve sold thousands of copies in five countries.  Sample and free promo copies have been downloaded more than 45,000 times.

         And the topper… my book DROP OUT is going to be featured as a bargain book on Ereader News Today, tomorrow June 10^th! It is on sale right now for just $0.99! Grab a copy today! It will affect you. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005FX0K7U

          Funny thing is, none of this would have ever happen if I had just taken the easy route and given up. Never! Nobody ever promised me this would be easy.

It’s Free!!!

I'm experimenting with the only book I have enrolled in KDP select. So, for the next forty eight hours THE END TIME is free on Amazon! (In the near future there is a device that can show you how and when you will die.)  Read it and enjoy the adventure!

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00K08TEYA

Just received notice that DROP OUT will be featured in ereader news today on June 10th. This is the fourth time this year the site has featured the book. Each time the book briefly hit the Amazon bestseller list. I am very excited.


http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005FX0K7U