Donald J. Bingle February 2020 Newsletter |
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February is a big promo month for the re-released version of my first novel, Forced Conversion. On the 8th, BookBub ran a featured sale price promo in Australia, Canada, India, and the United Kingdom, where I dropped the price on Amazon/Kindle, BN.com/Nook, and Kobo from its usual $4.99 to just 99 cents or local currency equivalent. As I write this, Forced Conversion is the #1 Bestseller in Military Science Fiction in Canada! While the BookBub feature doesn't include the U.S. and other countries (their four country "international" feature is much easier to get than a United States feature deal), I decided to treat the whole world equally by dropping the price in the U.S., EU, Japan, and elsewhere. (I've gotten sales in Germany and even the Maldives.) I'll promote the U.S. sale with a Fussy Librarian bargain book ad in a week or so. Here are (most of) the links so you can grab a copy and/or SHARE the link with your friends or through your social media postings. (By the way, "likes" are nice, but "Shares" and "Retweets" or their equivalent are the only way an author actually gets broader reach of their message.) Amazon/Kindle in United States BN/Nook Kobo Amazon/Kindle in U.K. Amazon/Kindle in Canada Amazon/Kindle in Australia Amazon/Kindle in Japan Amazon/Kindle in India Amazon/Kindle in Germany Kobo in Germany |
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| | JUDGING A BOOK BY ITS COVER AND ITS CONTENT Everybody makes judgments all the time, based on all sorts of factors: past experience; recommendations; advertising; reviews; prejudice; personal taste; upbringing; peer pressure; and on and on and on. Independent authors need to make sure they put their best foot forward when trying to attract attention, make sales, engage and satisfy readers, get reviews, and repeat. When you think about it, it's a lot like looking for alien life on other planets. There's a lot of very specific things that have to be just so for life as we know it to develop. Not too hot, not too cold. Certain chemicals. Sufficient energy. Something to protect nascent life from destruction by wandering asteroids and killing cosmic radiation. Similarly, authors not only have to have a solid plot, engaging characters, well-paced narrative, compelling plot, and satisfying conclusion, but they have to have a beginning that grabs the reader's interest, a cover that gets him or her to pick up the book, back cover or website copy that gives away enough to intrigue the reader without spoiling the tale, reviews that don't scare the reader away, and quality control in the text and editing of the book that don't detract from the reading experience. If even one thing is wrong, it can turn off a potential reader, make an actual reader stop reading, convince a reader not to review (or leave a bad review), or, worst of all, create bad word of mouth to friends, acquaintances, social media contacts, or the world at large that the book is not worth the price or the time it takes to read it. The problem is, that all of the things a writer needs to do to have a great book, great sales, great fans, and great reviews are things that have to be learned. Guess what? When you learn things you generally get better at them. That means that before you learn them, you don't do a very good job at doing those things. Consequently, that means that you are more likely to write bad books (with stilted dialogue, clunky plots, cardboard characters, and awkward narrative) before you write good books. You are more likely to produce bad cover copy, design crappy covers, skimp on proofing and editing, and do various other stupid things before you write good books, with great copy, spiffy covers, and great reviews. There's not much I can do to help you write the million or so words you need to improve your writing (assuming you listen to comments and actually work at improving rather than just spewing out words) or improve your formatting skills or your taste in book covers, etc. I can simply encourage you and pass on a few tips and links as they come up. But, what I can do is caution you from rushing out with bad product (stories that are still in first draft, that haven't been set aside, then reviewed and revised, that haven't been spell-checked and copy-edited, that haven't been submitted to other writers for comment and constructive criticism, that haven't been revised based on the foregoing, that haven't been formatted properly and put into an attractive format with a nice-looking cover). Remember, just because you can self-publish in an instant doesn't mean that you should. I've made plenty of mistakes in my writing, publishing, and marketing career that make me cringe. Try to do better than me. Aloha. Donald J. Bingle Writer on Demand TM ABOUT THOSE NIFTY COVER ARRAYS ABOVE One thing that can make life as an Indie Author a bit easier is that other authors are willing to share tips and experience. You've probably noticed that many authors promoting their work have these nifty arrays of their cover on electronic devices and in paperback. That's something that a lot of cover artists will do for you (at no extra charge) if you think to ask for it. But, if you don't think to ask or made your own cover, you can still get a cover array for free. I use DIY Book Design. You just pick whether you want a single or combo shot, pick the arrangement you like, and upload a copy of your cover (and, for certain arrangements, a copy of the spine) and in a flash you have a file with your cover in an attractive, professional looking array. I think you can even have your own, special background behind the array, but I prefer the plain white, clean look so as to not detract from the cover. No, I don't get a kickback from them. Just one of those things that authors can share with one another. Pass it forward. Aloha, Don | | |
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| | DON'T MAKE A BAD FIRST IMPRESSION AS A WRITER There's a furniture store not far from my house. I hiss at it every time I pass it and I will never, never buy anything from that company for the rest of my life, no matter how great their prices or clever their advertising. Why? Well about fifteen years ago (yes, I know, I can hold a grudge) I decided that I wanted to get one of those coffee tables with a top that raises up and moves toward the couch, so I could pay bills and eat dinner and generally make good use of the coffee table while I watched TV. They also have handy storage areas under the liftable top, which is also nice. I'm the kind of guy who doesn't really shop much--once I know what I want to buy, I go out and find it and, if the price is right, I'm an easy sale. So Linda and I went to this nearby furniture store, which was jam-packed with furniture displays, haphazardly arranged all around the giant showroom with knick-knacks, lamps, and miscellaneous tables tucked in between the irregularly shaped living room arrangements. No helpful clerks came around, but we looked at the various coffee tables until we found a couple we liked, checked the prices, then spent a bit of time picking the one we liked best. Matching end tables were available, too, but we weren't sure whether we wanted those or not. Still no clerk. Went searching for a clerk, waited around while he dealt with other customers, made a call, and pushed some paper, then finally got his attention. Showed him what we wanted and that we were ready to PURCHASE A PRODUCT from him with no sales effort on his part. After much too long while he consulted his catalogs, he informed us that our chosen coffee table had been discontinued and could no longer be ordered, but that we could buy the floor sample if we wanted. We inspected the condition of the floor sample and said we were willing to purchase it, but he said he couldn't sell it to us unless we also bought the end tables because they couldn't have end tables for sale without a coffee table to match them (this statement was belied by the fact they had end tables all over the store that were not parts of matching sets). Since we were on the fence about the end tables, we inspected them and said we would also PURCHASE ADDITIONAL PRODUCT from him, but, since they were floor samples with a bit of wear, we wanted a discount. He agreed to an acceptable discount and we headed back to the desk so he could ring us up, indicating that because he was selling a floor sample he needed approval from his District Manager. Not somebody in the store; somebody who coordinated sales at multiple stores. So we cooled our heels while he put in a phone call, sent a page, and waited for a call back. Linda shopped and found a few knick-knacks which we also decided to buy. After a much too long wait, the clerk got back to us and said the sale was approved and I asked how soon the items could be delivered. Today? Tomorrow? Later this week? "Oh, no," said the clerk. We would need to pay for the furniture and then leave it at the store (to be further bumped, poked, kicked, and potentially damaged) for six weeks while they ordered and received new furniture to replace the display because they couldn't afford to have any empty space in their showroom. "Let me get this straight," I said, my voice increasing in volume as I continued. "You want me to pay for furniture, BUT YOU REFUSE TO LET ME HAVE MY FURNITURE because you want me to leave it in your showroom for six weeks (where it can be damaged) so you can show it to other buyers, so that when they want to buy it, you can REFUSE TO SELL IT to them because it has been discontinued and you have already sold the floor sample. In essence, you are refusing to deliver furniture we've purchased so you can refuse to sell it to other unsuspecting potential purchasers. We dropped our gathered knick-knacks on the floor and left. We will never go back and we will always hiss when we go by, and then tell everyone who hears us hiss why. (By the way, we bought a fine alternative coffee table and end tables from a company that was literally going out of business that same day, because I would rather have no recourse against a bankrupt company if there was a later problem with the furniture then ever deal with the nationally-known brand store that made such a bad impression on us.) Think no one will ever remember you self- published a book that was crappy? Maybe. There are books I've hated so much, I not only won't ever buy a book from that author again, I won't buy a book from anyone who blurbed that book. Why? I can't trust them or their taste or judgment. Yeah, I can hold a grudge. Aloha, Don | | |
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| | Take a look at LIGHTWAVE: CLOCKER, Book 1 in the Folding Space Science Fiction Series by AM Scott. This six book series about folding space is authored by a former U.S. Air Force space operations officer. Amazon readers have given it 33 reviews, with an average 4.7 rating. | | |
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| | Sign up for Michelle Medhat's newsletter and get copy of her spy thriller, OPERATION SNOWDROP. MI6 operative, Matthew Kinley, has dedicated his life to his country. But now his government has asked for a level of commitment that even he struggles to grasp. As a double agent, his duty is to walk the thin line between loyalty and betrayal. Kinley is thrown into a world of grey. | | |
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Keep scrolling. Lots more content below. Check out these StoryOriginApp promotions. Just click on the box and scan the titles, then click through to Look Inside, check out the ratings, and maybe get a book. |
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| | If your taste runs toward Mafia romance and psychological thrillers, check out Brutal & Raw, Book 1 of the Beneventi Family series by Sonya Jesus. My whole life, I've been running, living just under the radar. The day I arrived on the East Coast, looking for a new start, I found an end instead. One careless night landed me in the hands of a dark mafia boss, who wanted nothing more than to render me a number—to eviscerate my identity with his brutal mind game. 327. That’s what he called me. Now, I'm the girl who escaped. The one with the power to destroy his organization. And he's relentlessly searching for Lyla Vaughn all over the country, spilling the blood of innocents and losing his control. But he's not going to find me. Because that's not my name. Rated 4.5, with 36 reviews. Happy Valentine's Day I'm not really one for manufactured holidays, but all writers out there know that they couldn't really do what they do without the support of their spouse or significant other, so this is just a shout-out to Linda, who puts up with my taking time to write and even more time to market and even much, much more time to fix all of the computer and formatting and updating and other issues. Original TSR Gaming Art A number of people who get this newsletter know me from back in the days when I was a role-playing gamer, playing classic RPGA tournaments at GenCon and Origins and smaller conventions, many of which had art and/or charity auctions. If you, like us, collected some original art from TSR artists (not just big full color paintings, but black and white art for interiors or even sketches and studies on onion skin paper, or original pages for comics run in Dragon or Polyhedron), and are looking to sell, please contact me. I know an interested buyer. | | |
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| | Ratfish is a classic tale of sex, violence, and mutated animal parts in a blender. Free through February 14, only 99 cents afterwards (free for KU subscribers). Dr. Dunwiddy's not a mad scientist, but he is an angry one. His daughter is a cripple, her wannabe boyfriend is a stalker, and he has been forced to conduct his genetic experiments in a cinder block lab on a backwater Caribbean island because of stringent laws on stem cell research in the United States.
Chico's just like any other local Caribbean Community College student, stalking the legless girl of his dreams from the cover of the jungle as she maneuvers her wheel-chair down the dirt road toward the homestead where her geneticist dad experiments with various animals with the power of regeneration.
Marinda has dreams like any other college girl. She dreams her father wasn't so over-protective. She dreams she had a normal social life. She dreams her dad wouldn't track blood into their pristine, clean home when he comes back from working in the lab. She dreams of having sex in the tub with a hunky college guy who treats her with respect. And she dreams she could walk again.
Tony is the big man on campus, even if he is a big fish in a very small, brackish pond with plenty of scum. He does whatever he pleases, whoever he pleases. He loves sex, violence, himself, and anything he can't have. If only his henchman and lackeys weren't so stupid, he would rule this island.
The Ratfish didn't ask to be here. But now that they are, they intend to spawn and mutate and kill and eat and spawn and multiply and chow down on the local population until they are the only local population. Then, they'll either turn on each other or conquer the world.
Sounds like a bitchin' weekend. | | |
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I'm also participating in a few promotions in connection with Ratfish, a Schlock Zone Drive-In Novella by Buck Hanno. What can I say? I think Buck is a funny guy. He thinks so, too. |
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Full disclosure: Various links in my newsletter or on my website may include Amazon Affiliate coding, which gets me a small referral fee (at no cost to you) if you purchase after clicking through. |
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