Monday again and time to look back at the weekend and also to look forward to what the week has in store. Friday was fairly uneventful. I spent time on THE EAGLE’S COVENANT, getting the file ready for POD on amazon. I finished that on Saturday, but now have to wait for my boy, Terry to finish the book jacket. I sent him one design but changed my mind about that the following day. I came up with a second attempt which I thought was more relevant to the story, and which Terry thought was better too. Once that’s in the bag, I’ll send it to Pete at Acclaimed Books, and he will put it up on Amazon. The Kindle version will follow, but not until I have finished the conversion (html codes again!).
Yesterday, Sunday I preached at the small church at Pilar de la Horadada. Their Pastor, Eddie Martens was away at a conference and had asked me to stand in for him. I’ve done that before, so I can’t be that bad, can I? Otherwise he would never ask me back! After the service Pat and I went to a Chinese restaurant in Pilar with friends from the church. One of them gave me the money for a copy of my latest novel, THE BOY FROM BERLIN. I’ll be taking it to him next Sunday. After the meal I made it back home in time to watch the Carling cup final on TV. Poor Cardiff, but what a game!
This morning, Monday I spent a couple of hours in the garden trimming the conifers and cypress along the back wall. Hard work for a man of my age, but at least I’m still capable.
My Kindle book, NORTH SLOPE is going free on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Hopefully it will encourage sales once the free promotion is over. All I have to do now is promote it on the web and see what happens. I’ll get on with that on Wednesday (or maybe tomorrow!). Wish me luck.
About me, my books and whatever else comes into my mind.
Monday 27 February 2012
Thursday 23 February 2012
Best Laid Plans
Nothing goes according to plan as they say. Me and Pat went ten pin bowling as planned with the church group. Got kitted out (well, a pair of bowling shoes) and was all set to knock ‘em dead when my hip gave me a severe warning just as I was bowling my third bowl. So, I had to retire hurt. Fortunately one of the church members, Marcia was on hand to take my slot because there hadn’t been a place for her. It was a laugh anyway, and watching the different postures when people bowl is amusement in itself: no-one has control of their body shape when they hurl that bowling ball down the alley.
So, that was one plan that went awry. The second one was the planned agreement with Moston Author Promotions (MAP). We were almost on the point of signing up to an agreement for MAP to promote my Kindle novel, ROSELLI’S GOLD. As a result of the success of A COVERT WAR on the Kindle promotion, it was soon realised that any promotion of RG would only muddy the waters of the contract. So MAP decided to pull out before an agreement was reached. However, it was suggested on our AB.c forum that MAP take on the job of promoting PASSAGE TO REDEMPTION, which has done well on the Kindle promotion. This is the novel that about twenty of us around the world wrote about three years ago. It deals with global warming and the Mayan prophecy that the world will end this year. The topicality of the book gives MAP a chance to push it big and hopefully achieve far more sales than we would have otherwise done so. I expect to be signing the agreement on behalf of the other contributors, collectively known as THE CREW sometime later this week. Should be fun.
So, that was one plan that went awry. The second one was the planned agreement with Moston Author Promotions (MAP). We were almost on the point of signing up to an agreement for MAP to promote my Kindle novel, ROSELLI’S GOLD. As a result of the success of A COVERT WAR on the Kindle promotion, it was soon realised that any promotion of RG would only muddy the waters of the contract. So MAP decided to pull out before an agreement was reached. However, it was suggested on our AB.c forum that MAP take on the job of promoting PASSAGE TO REDEMPTION, which has done well on the Kindle promotion. This is the novel that about twenty of us around the world wrote about three years ago. It deals with global warming and the Mayan prophecy that the world will end this year. The topicality of the book gives MAP a chance to push it big and hopefully achieve far more sales than we would have otherwise done so. I expect to be signing the agreement on behalf of the other contributors, collectively known as THE CREW sometime later this week. Should be fun.
Monday 20 February 2012
Cold Hands, warm heart
Life is settling down again. The excitement levels reached recently about the results for my book on Kindle have now subsided and I’m back to doing little jobs around the house and garden. Today it was the turn of the pool. Trouble with having a swimming pool is you have to clean it, and putting your hands in freezing water to connect the vacuum hose isn’t funny. I know, serves me right for having a pool, but when you live in sunny Spain, it’s a must. Some people prefer golf to swimming, and spend a great deal of time (and money) on the golf courses. Not being a golfer I don’t have that problem. But we were over at Allende Golf Course on Friday having lunch with two friends of ours from church. They spend their winters out here playing golf about three times a week. It’s a great way of keeping fit for people who are pushing on a bit. Our friends are both in their sixties, but look good for it. Perhaps I should have taken up golf years ago.
There was an interesting, and somewhat remarkable headline in the Daily Mail on Saturday. It was a reference to Hitler having a love-child: true or not? The title of my latest novel, THE BOY FROM BERLIN provides a connection between that headline and my story. All I need to do is capitalise on the claim that Hitler did more than just wipe out millions of people. Trouble is; how do I go about that? I did contact a literary editor and the journalist who penned the story. Perhaps something will come of that, but I’m not holding my breath.
I’m beginning to think about the next of my hardbacks to put on Amazon as a paperback and Kindle. It looks like it will be THE EAGLE’S COVENANT. I’m giving a great deal of thought to the design of the book jacket which my son Terry will produce for me. He’s done three so far and each one has been brilliant. I think it’s a truism that an eye catching book jacket goes a long way to selling a book. Mustn’t say too much or else my boy will be claiming a share of the royalties.
We’re going ten pin bowling this afternoon with our church. It’s always a laugh. The days are gone when I could run and hurl a bowling ball down the lane (runway?) because of my hip. Now I walk to the throwing point, bowl the ball and watch a handful of pins fall down. No strikes, no spares. Oh my oh my, how the days of my youth remind me of what used to be. Never mind, God is good to me and Pat and we still have our health and (I nearly said strength) our faculties. I’ll let you know how I got on later.
There was an interesting, and somewhat remarkable headline in the Daily Mail on Saturday. It was a reference to Hitler having a love-child: true or not? The title of my latest novel, THE BOY FROM BERLIN provides a connection between that headline and my story. All I need to do is capitalise on the claim that Hitler did more than just wipe out millions of people. Trouble is; how do I go about that? I did contact a literary editor and the journalist who penned the story. Perhaps something will come of that, but I’m not holding my breath.
I’m beginning to think about the next of my hardbacks to put on Amazon as a paperback and Kindle. It looks like it will be THE EAGLE’S COVENANT. I’m giving a great deal of thought to the design of the book jacket which my son Terry will produce for me. He’s done three so far and each one has been brilliant. I think it’s a truism that an eye catching book jacket goes a long way to selling a book. Mustn’t say too much or else my boy will be claiming a share of the royalties.
We’re going ten pin bowling this afternoon with our church. It’s always a laugh. The days are gone when I could run and hurl a bowling ball down the lane (runway?) because of my hip. Now I walk to the throwing point, bowl the ball and watch a handful of pins fall down. No strikes, no spares. Oh my oh my, how the days of my youth remind me of what used to be. Never mind, God is good to me and Pat and we still have our health and (I nearly said strength) our faculties. I’ll let you know how I got on later.
Thursday 16 February 2012
Cold Nose & Writer's Block
Where do the days go? Seems like only yesterday I was writing Thursday’s blog. Mind you, looking at the last blog opening, I think I must have written it on Saturday. Anyway, yesterday I had four tyres fitted at the garage. By the time the job was complete, I was frozen. The ‘office’ where I sat and read my paper simply brought a glow to the end of my nose instead of keeping me warm. This is Spain, by the way, and here on the Costa Blanca we have been very lucky with the weather compared to the rest of the country. Pat went out Saturday, so I was ‘home alone’. Didn’t get much computer time in because I had a football match to watch on TV and a dog that needed walking. Yesterday I toyed with my latest manuscript. I think my problem is that I’m suffering from a big dose of writer’s block and the fact that my study isn’t very warm. I can get a portable gas heater in here, but then my wife worries that I am going to suffocate. So I stick with the electric heater and soldier on.
Had a phone call yesterday from a Spaniard calling himself Manuel. He spoke no English and wanted to know about the house: how big, how many rooms etc. We were getting on fine until the connection was cut. Whether or not he was getting fed up with listening to me rattle on in my version of Spanish, I’ve no idea. All I can hope is that he will either come round to the gate or call again.
I received an invoice today for the copy of THE BOY FROM BERLIN that I asked them to send to Kelvin Mackenzie of the Daily Mail. They’ve done their bit, now all I can hope is that Kelvin receives the book and enjoys it enough to tell me so. Might help with my promotion. Talking of which; I have some websites that I can contact to announce my e-book promotions. I have put NORTH SLOPE on the Kindle Select programme, and will be launching the promotion for the first three days of March and contacting those websites in plenty of time. Wish me luck.
Had a phone call yesterday from a Spaniard calling himself Manuel. He spoke no English and wanted to know about the house: how big, how many rooms etc. We were getting on fine until the connection was cut. Whether or not he was getting fed up with listening to me rattle on in my version of Spanish, I’ve no idea. All I can hope is that he will either come round to the gate or call again.
I received an invoice today for the copy of THE BOY FROM BERLIN that I asked them to send to Kelvin Mackenzie of the Daily Mail. They’ve done their bit, now all I can hope is that Kelvin receives the book and enjoys it enough to tell me so. Might help with my promotion. Talking of which; I have some websites that I can contact to announce my e-book promotions. I have put NORTH SLOPE on the Kindle Select programme, and will be launching the promotion for the first three days of March and contacting those websites in plenty of time. Wish me luck.
Monday 13 February 2012
The Great Escape
Picked up the car last Friday after its servicing to be told by the mechanic that my rear, left tyre was damaged. It had a split on the tread and a wire had broken through the sidewall. I remember doing it just a few days before. I was driving round a roundabout (all the way round) when another car rocketed on to the patch I wanted. I moved over and hit the kerb. Didn’t think too much of it at the time, but it was obviously the moment the damage was done. The following day Pat and I went to Murcia. Bombing down the motorway (obeying the speed limit of course), completely unaware that my tyre could have exploded at any time. I know I have God’s hand on me, and He was certainly keeping an eye on me and Pat.
I’m still smiling about the results of the promotion on Kindle for my book. I’ve asked Pete of Acclaimed Books to put NORTH SLOPE on for me. The promotion will begin on March 1st, and I must make sure I push this over the web as much as I can. There’s a sense of excitement at AB.c because of the spectacular results two of our other writers are experiencing. And as a bonus, the novel PASSAGE TO REDEMPTION which I worked on with about twenty writers from around the globe has suddenly lifted off. It reached No.1 in the Science Thriller category while it was on the five day promotion. The trickle effect sales reached something like 600. Bearing in mind it had sold about thirty copies since its publication two years ago, that’s an enormous jump. As they say in the States: Way to go!
I’m still smiling about the results of the promotion on Kindle for my book. I’ve asked Pete of Acclaimed Books to put NORTH SLOPE on for me. The promotion will begin on March 1st, and I must make sure I push this over the web as much as I can. There’s a sense of excitement at AB.c because of the spectacular results two of our other writers are experiencing. And as a bonus, the novel PASSAGE TO REDEMPTION which I worked on with about twenty writers from around the globe has suddenly lifted off. It reached No.1 in the Science Thriller category while it was on the five day promotion. The trickle effect sales reached something like 600. Bearing in mind it had sold about thirty copies since its publication two years ago, that’s an enormous jump. As they say in the States: Way to go!
Thursday 9 February 2012
Back To Basics
Back to some kind of normality this week. The excitement of seeing my book climb on Kindle Select has now died away. However, I have arranged to have NORTH SLOPE put on KS and to be promoted at the beginning of next month. During the week I arranged for a copy of THE BOY FROM BERLIN to be sent to Kelvin Mackenzie of the Daily Mail. This was not for him to review, but simply as a gift. It was as the result of a short article he published in his Saturday column about a top author. I contacted Kelvin and asked if he would like a copy of my latest novel. He agreed. Hopefully he will enjoy it and give up on the ‘top’ authors when he finds them a little bit tedious.
For the following few days from my last blog entry I have taken my wife shopping. She bought me more clothes than she bought for herself! Snooker Tuesday afternoon. Hammered my snooker partner. We’ve been playing every week for about five years and are both pretty evenly matched, so it always makes for a good afternoon. Wednesday I was able to work on a sermon I’m preparing for a small church along the Costa Blanca. During the evening I went to my own church followed by a football match on TV (FA cup). This morning Pat and I attended our house group and spent the afternoon at the Condominium in Murcia. She left me sitting on a bench while she trawled around one of the shops, and I spent that time going over another piece of action for my latest manuscript. I committed it to memory hoping I wouldn’t forget the little intricate details of how I plan to scam a bank. It is now faithfully recorded on my digital recorder. I told my wife that I ought to carry the device around with me so that I can record any little spark of brilliance that comes into my head, and that I can use in my book. Tomorrow the car goes in for a 60000 kms service, which means traipsing around Torrevieja killing time. The market beckons and no doubt Pat will drag me round there. Perhaps tomorrow afternoon I’ll get something down on paper for my book. Who knows? More later.
For the following few days from my last blog entry I have taken my wife shopping. She bought me more clothes than she bought for herself! Snooker Tuesday afternoon. Hammered my snooker partner. We’ve been playing every week for about five years and are both pretty evenly matched, so it always makes for a good afternoon. Wednesday I was able to work on a sermon I’m preparing for a small church along the Costa Blanca. During the evening I went to my own church followed by a football match on TV (FA cup). This morning Pat and I attended our house group and spent the afternoon at the Condominium in Murcia. She left me sitting on a bench while she trawled around one of the shops, and I spent that time going over another piece of action for my latest manuscript. I committed it to memory hoping I wouldn’t forget the little intricate details of how I plan to scam a bank. It is now faithfully recorded on my digital recorder. I told my wife that I ought to carry the device around with me so that I can record any little spark of brilliance that comes into my head, and that I can use in my book. Tomorrow the car goes in for a 60000 kms service, which means traipsing around Torrevieja killing time. The market beckons and no doubt Pat will drag me round there. Perhaps tomorrow afternoon I’ll get something down on paper for my book. Who knows? More later.
Monday 6 February 2012
The Aftermath
I thought it would help my readers if I tried to explain once again for those who might have missed it, a little of the way in which we work at Acclaimed Books (AB.c). AB.c is a group of writers, six in all, who have been brought together by Peter Lihou (Rachel’s Shoe, Causeway). AB.c was Pete's idea and he takes it on himself to provide access to Amazon and other outlets for our novels published as Print on Demand paperbacks or as eBooks and Kindle. For this Pete does not take a penny; everything we earn in royalties is paid directly to us with no costs or charges other than those imposed by Amazon. As a result of this arrangement, Pete has access to the sales figures as 'Acclaimed Books', which means he can see the 'real time' figures because he is the denoted publisher. Pete always provides his members with an accurate statement every two months and pays the royalties as soon as he receives them from Amazon. The group has been together now for almost two years and we have all benefitted from it and have a good working relationship. Anyone who wishes to learn more about our group can log on to the website at www.acclaimendbooks.com. Hope you'll pop in and see us sometime.
Last week was a blast for me simply because of the excitement of watching my book actually rise up in the rankings as a result of being part of the KDP Select promotion. It has finished now and A COVERT WAR is slipping down to the place it usually occupies; somewhere near the bottom. But I’m not too worried because it has shown me that there is a way of getting my work noticed. Pete has already told me of the extra sales I had shortly after the promotion finished. I may try again with NORTH SLOPE, but not until AB.c has examined all the results of the various promotions we have asked Pete to do. It’s entirely possible that there are good days and bad days for promotions. Meanwhile my book remains on the Amazon library list for another eighty or so days. Each loan is paid.
Meanwhile my other outlet, the promotion and marketing of ROSELLI’S GOLD by Moston Author Promotions (MAP) is taking shape and nearing completion. Hopefully I’ll be signing an agreement with MAP towards the end of this month, and then wait and see what develops.
Last week was a blast for me simply because of the excitement of watching my book actually rise up in the rankings as a result of being part of the KDP Select promotion. It has finished now and A COVERT WAR is slipping down to the place it usually occupies; somewhere near the bottom. But I’m not too worried because it has shown me that there is a way of getting my work noticed. Pete has already told me of the extra sales I had shortly after the promotion finished. I may try again with NORTH SLOPE, but not until AB.c has examined all the results of the various promotions we have asked Pete to do. It’s entirely possible that there are good days and bad days for promotions. Meanwhile my book remains on the Amazon library list for another eighty or so days. Each loan is paid.
Meanwhile my other outlet, the promotion and marketing of ROSELLI’S GOLD by Moston Author Promotions (MAP) is taking shape and nearing completion. Hopefully I’ll be signing an agreement with MAP towards the end of this month, and then wait and see what develops.
Thursday 2 February 2012
Happy days
I’ve had my head in the clouds over the last few days. I asked Pete of Acclaimed Books to put my eBook A COVERT WAR into the KDP Select programme and let it go free for five days. Basically, the idea is that you place your book with the Amazon library for 90 days, and you are allowed a promotion of five days where you can offer free, unpaid downloads of your book. My book reached No.3 in the Spy Thriller category and No. 294 in the ‘sales’ figures. I get nothing for any of this, but the knock-on effect could be helpful to my subsequent borrowing figures for which I do get paid. Now that the promotion is almost over, the book is dropping away, but this is expected to happen according to the type of results I’ve seen published on the Kindle forum. Some of the writers who have tried this scheme (it began in December 2011) have had some startling results. The only people who can borrow or download these books are those who are members of Amazon Prime. Consequently they will search among the high rankers and the freebie downloads looking for a book they can either get for nothing or borrow for a small fee. I’ve had a big smile on my face for most of the week simply because I have enjoyed some kind of elevation for me and my work. Hopefully these people who have downloaded A COVERT WAR will want to read more of my books and end up paying for them. I’ll keep an eye on my results and post them here if I can.
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