The second book in the FRUGALITY Trilogy - The Bird That Nobody Sees - has just received a review that makes the entire writing of it worthwhile. To celebrate, I have bought myself a bottle of wine that cost £9.99 - albeit reduced to £4.99.
Here is the review that has enhanced my beleagured palate...
The Review of all Reviews!!!
Showing posts with label Indie Author. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Indie Author. Show all posts
Thursday, 27 September 2012
Tuesday, 3 April 2012
An Indie Author States His Case...
I first heard the term 'indie' associated with music - bands that couldn't, or didn't want to, get signed up to record labels and decided to go it their own way. And I admired them. I didn't particularly like the music too much but I admired them all the same. I used to play in a band in my late teens - Sparkling Rain we were called - Buddy Holly meets Bob Dylan meets The Housemartins - never quite worked out... Keyboard player was great, the drummer was fantastic and me, well, perhaps I just didn't have the belief I needed in myself to 'go indie'. That was a long time ago though. I'm now 42 - secret of life and all that.
I've always had a thing for the underdog and I've no idea where that came from. Perhaps being a Dagenham & Redbridge fan leaves me pre-disposed to such a trait. And I guess I've gravitated unknowingly (or perhaps sub-consciously) to books and films that re-assert that desire I have to see the small smite the mighty - or give it a good go anyway. Films like Harvey, novels like The Grapes of Wrath and the music of people like Jonathan Richman, Todd Snider, Billy Bragg and The Band have confirmed to me that I am not alone in believing that everybody deserves a chance to have their desires fulfilled. With another side of my persona being at times self-destructive it may be difficult for you to believe that I am actually an entirely peaceful lad! All these battles go in in my head you see. But over the last few years I've learned that writing helps me to make sense of all that goes on within and around me. Wonderful! Now where's that publisher? Where's that agent? Where's that adoring public???
I'll tell you where - at the end of a long line of hoops, commerce, heartbreak and wonder. Exactly the same line that my little band were faced with. We jacked it in (getting an electric shock off the mic stand and spending two days on an elderly ward when you're 20 can make you think twice about your choice of career - particularly when you should be down the pub watching World Cup '90)
But like I said earlier. I'm 42 now and I'm not giving up for anybody. So I published Tollesbury Time Forever on Kindle in January. It's received 58 five star reviews in the UK and has been wonderfully received in the US. I published the novel I wrote when I was 22, A Cleansing of Souls, in February and people have been saying some lovely things about that too. And I'm 67,000 words into my next novel, The Bird That Nobody Sees.
So to all the agents and publishers who have whizzed off a compliment slip to me saying thanks but no thanks or just were too busy to reply - I understand, I do. We're in a different business it seems. Yours is a financial enterprise. Mine well, it's about trying to make my dreams come true. But that's okay. Would I love a publishing contract? Bloody right I would! Would I like to have an agent represent me? Absolutely! Will I let the fact that I don't have either stop me? Nope. Not on your big fat nelly!
So, yeah, I'm what is termed an 'indie author'. I wonder when I check my sales reports every day (a billion times a day!) if that last sale is going to be the last sale. I check out the forums and the twitters and the Goodreads. I try not to get too high about the highs and too low about the lows (as the great John Still - Dagenham & Redbridge manager - advises) and I try to keep on writing.
Finally, if anyone ever asks you what an Indie Author is, give them this:
Definition - "somebody who loves to write and nevers give up."
An Indie Author, that's a fine thing to be...
Tolllesbury Time Forever - Amazon UK
Tollesbury Time Forever - Amazon US
I've always had a thing for the underdog and I've no idea where that came from. Perhaps being a Dagenham & Redbridge fan leaves me pre-disposed to such a trait. And I guess I've gravitated unknowingly (or perhaps sub-consciously) to books and films that re-assert that desire I have to see the small smite the mighty - or give it a good go anyway. Films like Harvey, novels like The Grapes of Wrath and the music of people like Jonathan Richman, Todd Snider, Billy Bragg and The Band have confirmed to me that I am not alone in believing that everybody deserves a chance to have their desires fulfilled. With another side of my persona being at times self-destructive it may be difficult for you to believe that I am actually an entirely peaceful lad! All these battles go in in my head you see. But over the last few years I've learned that writing helps me to make sense of all that goes on within and around me. Wonderful! Now where's that publisher? Where's that agent? Where's that adoring public???
I'll tell you where - at the end of a long line of hoops, commerce, heartbreak and wonder. Exactly the same line that my little band were faced with. We jacked it in (getting an electric shock off the mic stand and spending two days on an elderly ward when you're 20 can make you think twice about your choice of career - particularly when you should be down the pub watching World Cup '90)
But like I said earlier. I'm 42 now and I'm not giving up for anybody. So I published Tollesbury Time Forever on Kindle in January. It's received 58 five star reviews in the UK and has been wonderfully received in the US. I published the novel I wrote when I was 22, A Cleansing of Souls, in February and people have been saying some lovely things about that too. And I'm 67,000 words into my next novel, The Bird That Nobody Sees.
So to all the agents and publishers who have whizzed off a compliment slip to me saying thanks but no thanks or just were too busy to reply - I understand, I do. We're in a different business it seems. Yours is a financial enterprise. Mine well, it's about trying to make my dreams come true. But that's okay. Would I love a publishing contract? Bloody right I would! Would I like to have an agent represent me? Absolutely! Will I let the fact that I don't have either stop me? Nope. Not on your big fat nelly!
So, yeah, I'm what is termed an 'indie author'. I wonder when I check my sales reports every day (a billion times a day!) if that last sale is going to be the last sale. I check out the forums and the twitters and the Goodreads. I try not to get too high about the highs and too low about the lows (as the great John Still - Dagenham & Redbridge manager - advises) and I try to keep on writing.
Finally, if anyone ever asks you what an Indie Author is, give them this:
Definition - "somebody who loves to write and nevers give up."
An Indie Author, that's a fine thing to be...
Tolllesbury Time Forever - Amazon UK
Tollesbury Time Forever - Amazon US
Thursday, 22 March 2012
My KDP experience so far...Blog 2
Blog Post 2
The Sales Reports
The KDP Community Forum
KDP Customer Service
Summary
The Sales Reports
Ah! The blessing and the curse that is the sales report! Can you imagine? Every time someone downloads your book the numbers change in front of you! It might not seem much but it quickly becomes more addictive, frustrating, doom-laden and ecstacy inducing than most things this side of the law. But you have to press that F5 key to see any changes. Believe me, you are soon hanging on every hour without a sale thinking - "that's it - nobody else is going to buy my book" before BLAM another one is downloaded! And you can't help but hope it is the start of something big and magical. When you realise it's not it smacks you right the other way. Then you begin to suspect that there is a problem with the reporting mechanisms, urged on by others in the desperation forum threads. You email KDP (more of that later!) and before you know it another sale comes in. But did it come in because they fixed something or was there really just that massive gap between sales. It's an absolute mind-f**k my friends! But once you have access to these figures, imagine not having access?? Then you realise that actually, despite the frustration and the downtimes that thrill of watching those little numbers increase is worth all the standing on the bedroom window ledge...
Positives:
- you get exact sales figures daily and royalty figures weekly and monthly
- you can work out some form of correlation between promotion and sales
- you get exact sales figures daily and royalty figures weekly and monthly
- you can lose sight of the fact that this is a long game, not a quick win game
- you will need a new F5 key at some stage
Being new to all this I naturally assumed that forums would be full of helpful, like-minded individuals all enamoured with this wonderful Indie Publishing revolution. The Amazon Forums (or the Zoo as many refer to them) soon made me realise differently. Within a few days of publication I happened to mention that I had got some nice reviews. I was instantly accused of paying for them, having members of my family write them who hadn't read the book and basically scamming the system. I responded in a sadly typical sarcastic fashion and had my post deleted by Amazon along with a warning. Wow, I thought. Nobody told me about this. And I haven't been back there since. So when I saw KDP had there own forum I was very pleased. Again, naively perhaps, I thought this would be new, excited authors all in this together, a new era, a bright new thing. Now generally the comments are not as nasty or as malicious as some of those at The Zoo but you still have to be careful. It's a bit like an old pub where you get your regulars, your crotchety old codgers in the corner, your groups of happy-go-lucky chaps and one or two people that shouldn't be allowed out of their own houses. But overall there is some very good advice given. So be polite, don't brag, don't promote and try and be as helpful to others as possible. Just make sure you wear a heavy coat and don't spill anybody's pint!
Positives:
- KDP Forum offers excellent advice for the beginner and the experienced
- you don't feel quite so alone when things aren't going too well
- more or less any query you have has already been answered on one of the threads
- far better than the Amazon forums
- finding the helpful threads amongst the arguments can be a little difficult at first
- easy to isolate yourself if you're not careful
Let me start by saying I think Amazon completely underestimated the uptake for KDP. That may be one of the reasons why their customer service is so, well, varied in its response. I have used them maybe four times, the first three times I got a standard email of acknowledgement stating the problem would be resolved within two days. And it was. Excellent. At the beginning of March though I had an issue whereby 3 sales were placed in the Free Price Match column (indicating that my book was free on another site and Amazon had made my book free in response and 3 people had downloaded it.) This clearly was wrong as my book has never been available anywhere else. I queried this immediately and the matter is still to be resolved. I have had six emails stating they are working on it, two that it has been resolved and one stating it is being looked at right now. So, to be honest, the jury is still out. They have an incredibly complex job and 3 misplaced sales is perhaps not top of their agenda. Still, they offer a service and should therefore be able to provide it.
Positives:
- good initial response to queries
- seems to be manned by real people
- they have a vested interested in making the system work
- variable response times
- passed from one department to the other
- don't always get back to you within the time-frame they set
KDP is a wonderful invention which provides a fantastic opportunity to authors to get their work out to a paying audience. There are no quality controls to speak of and maybe that's for the best. To my mind to share your words with another is a basic human right that has been eroded over the years by agents and publishers who value money above all else. I'd be wrong therefore to claim foul when I see some of the things that are published via KDP.
I can see KDP changing over the next year or so, particularly in regard to the Free Promotions which so clearly propel some books into the charts which may not otherwise have been there - coupled with the indifferent financial figures released by Amazon recently.
For me the positives outweigh the negatives in all areas.
Now where has that pesky F5 key run off to again...
So thank you for reading my early experiences of KDP. And guess what? You now have the chance to have a direct impact on any future updates! Yes, just by clicking on the link below! (of course it's a link to my novel - you've got to try haven't you?!)
Tolllesbury Time Forever - Amazon UK
Tollesbury Time Forever - Amazon US
Cheers fine people!!
Tuesday, 6 March 2012
A Review of A Pauper's Shroud by Leon Steelgrave
A Pauper's Shroud follows a police investigation into the murder of an eight year old girl in Inverness, Scotland, focusing primarily on the three officers involved in the case: a newly promoted female Detective Inspector, an 'old school' Detective Sergeant and a new recruit to CID prone to panic attacks.
I must begin by saying that I am not used to reading detective/murder novels so this was quite a first for me. I saw an interview with the author on a blog and thought he came across as such an interesting chap I would check out his work!
The author has gone to great lengths in providing the details of how the police force in Inverness conduct murder investigations. There is almost a documentary feel to some of the scenes which is a testament to the depth of knowledge the author has on the subject which adds greatly to the sense of realism of the novel. The main characters, and indeed the more minor ones, are very well drawn and certainly reveal very human flaws regardless of their profession, rank or background.
With regard to the writing itself, the descriptions of various locations is very impressive, whether it be Loch Ness, the local dives, the grounds of an abandoned hospital or the various rooms and offices of the Police Station. These detailed descriptions along with the three-dimensional characters certainly draw the reader into the novel and go a long way to explaining its appeal.
In terms of the plot, I won't be giving anything away in this review. Suffice to say the strands are cleverly woven together to produce an ending that, in keeping with the raw realism of the rest of the novel, is satisfying.
So any negatives? These are of course purely my personal opinion and must be understood in the context of my not having been drawn to reading detective/police novels before. I found the pace very good to begin with in terms of getting to know the characters, the background story, the area etc but this pace did not really change throughout the whole novel. There was no quickening towards the final denouement hence when the killer is revealed it is done in quite a matter of fact way. I have mentioned several times how realistic the novel appears to be so perhaps the ending is very much part of that realism and should not be seen in a less than positive light. Detective work, by all accounts, is not as exciting as it appears in films or on the telly, and this fact is mentioned at times by some of the characters. My only other minor criticism would be that at times the reader is told how characters feel about society, each other, their jobs etc rather than shown by way of a scene or a piece of dialogue - when these scenes/dialogues do occur they are sometimes backed up by clarification in the narrative that does sometimes feel a little clunky and didactic.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. I was very much impressed by both its structure and the care the author has taken in presenting a thoroughly realistic world in which to set his story. The characters are believable and do not at any time fall into caricature.
I highly recommend this novel to readers of this genre.
You can download the novel from Amazon here:
UK Amazon - A Pauper's Shroud
US Amazon - A Pauper's Shroud
I must begin by saying that I am not used to reading detective/murder novels so this was quite a first for me. I saw an interview with the author on a blog and thought he came across as such an interesting chap I would check out his work!
The author has gone to great lengths in providing the details of how the police force in Inverness conduct murder investigations. There is almost a documentary feel to some of the scenes which is a testament to the depth of knowledge the author has on the subject which adds greatly to the sense of realism of the novel. The main characters, and indeed the more minor ones, are very well drawn and certainly reveal very human flaws regardless of their profession, rank or background.
With regard to the writing itself, the descriptions of various locations is very impressive, whether it be Loch Ness, the local dives, the grounds of an abandoned hospital or the various rooms and offices of the Police Station. These detailed descriptions along with the three-dimensional characters certainly draw the reader into the novel and go a long way to explaining its appeal.
In terms of the plot, I won't be giving anything away in this review. Suffice to say the strands are cleverly woven together to produce an ending that, in keeping with the raw realism of the rest of the novel, is satisfying.
So any negatives? These are of course purely my personal opinion and must be understood in the context of my not having been drawn to reading detective/police novels before. I found the pace very good to begin with in terms of getting to know the characters, the background story, the area etc but this pace did not really change throughout the whole novel. There was no quickening towards the final denouement hence when the killer is revealed it is done in quite a matter of fact way. I have mentioned several times how realistic the novel appears to be so perhaps the ending is very much part of that realism and should not be seen in a less than positive light. Detective work, by all accounts, is not as exciting as it appears in films or on the telly, and this fact is mentioned at times by some of the characters. My only other minor criticism would be that at times the reader is told how characters feel about society, each other, their jobs etc rather than shown by way of a scene or a piece of dialogue - when these scenes/dialogues do occur they are sometimes backed up by clarification in the narrative that does sometimes feel a little clunky and didactic.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. I was very much impressed by both its structure and the care the author has taken in presenting a thoroughly realistic world in which to set his story. The characters are believable and do not at any time fall into caricature.
I highly recommend this novel to readers of this genre.
You can download the novel from Amazon here:
UK Amazon - A Pauper's Shroud
US Amazon - A Pauper's Shroud
Thursday, 1 March 2012
A Review of Tales From The Longcroft Estate by Darren Sant
A Review of Darren Sant's Tales From The Longcroft Estate:
Tales From The Longcroft Estate consists of three tales: A Good Day, Community Spirit and Rowan's Folly.
A Good Day is the first of these tales and starts wonderfully with a description of a seagull swooping down into the estate - a very clever device, almost like a camera being lowered down from above. The story is about man on the estate who is heavily into his drugs and thinks only of the next high and how he is going to get the money to attain it. And his favourite song is The Car Alarm Blues - brilliant! He is not a bad man, just likes his 'skag.' And when he stumbles across a situation he has to make a choice with wide-ranging consequences. A great short story about a complex character that really sets up the other two tales.
Community Spirit tells of a week in the life of a single mother who recently moved to the estate. The use of language is harsh and smart - the word 'slammed' being used twice in the same paragraph to describe a woman being thrown against a wall and a door shut moments later by the offender. People and objects are not so dissimilar it seems. The main protagonist is being pursued by a loan shark and she feels entirely alone in her plight despite there being posters around for a Neighbourhood Watch Scheme and 'curtain-twitchers' everywhere. This tale has a lovely uplifting twist at the end.
Rowan's Folly is the longest of the tales and goes deeper into the characters of the wider estate. There are several interweaving threads to this tale and there is some beautiful writing here. This is a really cleverly written story that is extremely visual. The writing is tight and the characters eminently believable. And the final line is fantastic.
In summary, Tales From The Longcroft Estate is a collection that gives an insightful snapshot into the lives of people who struggle each day to get through. It is inventive and witty and has a wonderful combination of original description, great dialogue and an overwhelming feeling of empathy for the characters. I can't recommend this collection highly enough.
Tales From The Longcroft Estate is published by Byker Books and is available on Kindle here - TALES FROM THE LONGCROFT ESTATE
Tales From The Longcroft Estate consists of three tales: A Good Day, Community Spirit and Rowan's Folly.
A Good Day is the first of these tales and starts wonderfully with a description of a seagull swooping down into the estate - a very clever device, almost like a camera being lowered down from above. The story is about man on the estate who is heavily into his drugs and thinks only of the next high and how he is going to get the money to attain it. And his favourite song is The Car Alarm Blues - brilliant! He is not a bad man, just likes his 'skag.' And when he stumbles across a situation he has to make a choice with wide-ranging consequences. A great short story about a complex character that really sets up the other two tales.
Community Spirit tells of a week in the life of a single mother who recently moved to the estate. The use of language is harsh and smart - the word 'slammed' being used twice in the same paragraph to describe a woman being thrown against a wall and a door shut moments later by the offender. People and objects are not so dissimilar it seems. The main protagonist is being pursued by a loan shark and she feels entirely alone in her plight despite there being posters around for a Neighbourhood Watch Scheme and 'curtain-twitchers' everywhere. This tale has a lovely uplifting twist at the end.
Rowan's Folly is the longest of the tales and goes deeper into the characters of the wider estate. There are several interweaving threads to this tale and there is some beautiful writing here. This is a really cleverly written story that is extremely visual. The writing is tight and the characters eminently believable. And the final line is fantastic.
In summary, Tales From The Longcroft Estate is a collection that gives an insightful snapshot into the lives of people who struggle each day to get through. It is inventive and witty and has a wonderful combination of original description, great dialogue and an overwhelming feeling of empathy for the characters. I can't recommend this collection highly enough.
Tales From The Longcroft Estate is published by Byker Books and is available on Kindle here - TALES FROM THE LONGCROFT ESTATE
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