I started self-publishing in 2004, and it took me a long, long time to figure out what most authors already knew: you don't market to friends and family. For one, they're often not your target cyberpunk-loving audience. Second, if they do buy your book, it will be because they either love you or genuinely enjoy your work. Either way, it's a limited audience, and your efforts (and money) are...
I can think of no more pressing reason to purchase Vise Manor other than the fact that you have money and I want it. Now, I don't want all of your money. In fact, I want very little of it. I want "the lowest amount of money that Amazon will allow me to sell a Kindle book without giving it away for free" from you.
I guess the real answer to this question is as soon as possible. For a typical novel, I only spend three or four months writing the first draft. The rest is, as I've said before, just work. As soon as I start rewrites, I start pining to write something fresh and new, something I've never seen before. But I have to be strong. One story after the other. This is the way.
After independently publishing NINE books since 2004, I'm still updating the way I put out books. Here is my current process, pared down to the bare essentials.
As a writer, I reserve the right to complain about the titling of books. In fact, there are a lot of things I am entitled to complain about, and I will, at length, until there is no more space left on the internet.
For the first three years of his life, my son has enjoyed classic books like Goodnight Moon, The Pout-Pout Fish, and The Going to Bed Book. More recently, I've been trying to expose him to more mature books like The Ghost on Saturday Night, My Teacher Fried My Brains, and of course, the absolute best children's book in history, Sideways Stories From Wayside School by Louis Sachar. I can usually...
It's that wonderful time of year again when millions of Americans wash their hands, put on their masks, and sit down at their computers to shop during work hours. And while there are many deals to take advantage of today, none are as earth-shattering, bang-for-your-buck, undeniable ROI, shatter your worldview, or mutually beneficial as a purchase of one or many of the Vinestead Anthology books...
In the midst of one of the most nightmarish years in my lifetime, I am releasing a new book. If I were a patient man, I would have waited, maybe a year or two (or four, depending), before interrupting stories of disease, racism, and autocracies with silly ads for a sillier book. But I'm not a patient man. And no matter how bad it gets out there, I will still be here, at my desk, writing stories...
I independently published my first book in 2004, and since then, I've tried all sorts of services and gimmicks to turn them into best sellers. BookBub, email lists, Facebook ads, Twitter ads, Goodreads ads (when they were still a thing), and after sixteen years, I can tell you that the only ad channel that ever produced meaningful results was Amazon Advertising. And that's why, for the launch of...
A couple months ago, I set a goal to line up 50 advance reviewers for my newest book, Brigham Plaza. So far, I've only been able to secure 30, which means I've got some spots open for anyone who loves cyberpunk and science fiction and wants to get a free advance review copy of the book (plus some swag*).
Write, publish, and market books long enough, and you'll find yourself doing all sorts of crazy stuff to show people how much you appreciate their support. That's how I found myself in the backyard one day recording yet another video in a failed web series I called Daniel Says Thanks. I remember...
He was a cool dude and had great taste in books. You wouldn't have known it by looking at him, but Obama loved the Science Fiction. If he were still President, he would shut down the government until Hybrid Mechanics is released.
