New Embarrassed Free
Today, May 24, 2012, I have republished both editions of Willowtree, the paperback and for Kindle. I was quite embarrassed to find out recently that the files I submitted for publishing were not the correct ones. I submitted drafts that had not received final editing. Consequently, all previous printings contain numerous mistakes in phrasing, spelling and punctuation. It was my mistake, and I am deeply embarrassed and sorry that this occurred. The problem was with my naming of files. I must look seriously at my system of naming files, since I employ so many of various formats in the production process.
I wish to thank those readers who did not notice many errors, or who were kind-hearted and did not slam me with deserved nasty notes. I greatly appreciate those who nicely told me of the many erors they found.
Saturday, May 26, 2012 is my birthday, and Willowtree, the latest edition, will be free. I'm glad I got this problem fixed before turning 69, and my brain further deteriorates. Anyone who has a copy and wants to download a clean copy may do so. I intend to make all formats available for free on Smashwords after June 1st. Anyone can then get the free coupon code and info on my site.
Again, I wish to thank my faithful readers and apologize for my mistake.
Sunday, May 6,2012.
I am writing this in New Orleans, a very favorite place with many fabulous memories which include the obvious - Mardi Gras, French Quarter, great food, universities, history, voodoo, the super dome, golf, above ground cemeteries, music everywhere, especially blues and zydeco, and great restaurants which is where the great food is. Are there more obvious things in New Orleans than anywhere else?
I am here because of cold winters in New England that are too cold for my son. After college, he came here for the comfort of snowless ground and high humidity air, with the occasional hurricane. We visit often because we love our son, grandkids, and the city.
Nine-fifteen am.
After being awake since six-thirty, alternately dozing and dealing with persistent automatic thoughts, I sneaked out through the door in the bedroom. I had learned to use deliberate and quick motions to minimize the noise and time required to unlock three deadbolts and pull open a door swollen by constant high humidity, slip out, close it, and walk briskly away believing I did not wake anyone. All this to have the simple pleasure of walking alone in this wondrous place. I juked my way down the concrete path, ducking lush vegetation invading its airspace, to the street corner.
It was partly cloudy and bearably humid. An unnecessary walk in the Garden District is a favorite activity of mine when I'm in Nola. I would probably get a coffee and a newspaper, but could do without both. I wanted to see the buildings, the trees, the people.
Approaching St. Charles Avenue I spotted a street car, several joggers, people walking dogs and riding bikes along the tracks. Walking slowly, admiring some huge, and all old and unique homes for five blocks, I eventually came to the corner of Napoleon Avenue. There a man was standing on the curb next to several stacks of the Sunday Times-Picayune, hoping to sell them all to folks stopped for the traffic light or walking past. I picked up a copy and tipped him a buck, then wondered if that was expected or common practice.
Continuing up the street I saw about a dozen people in front of a neat brick building which was St. George's Church. Some walked in and others came out of the open door carrying white plastic bags. These were not worshipers, but I assumed were needy folks collecting a weekly bag of food.
Two blocks further I got the coffee because I couldn't resist the warm sugared beignets. Not the Cafe Du Monde, but just as yummy.
Walking down Milan (mylan) Street (pronunciation in New Orleans is another story) I suddenly heard the sound of rain hitting rooftops and the canopy formed by treetops and wide spreading branches. Looking up I saw the dark sky meet the blue a couple of blocks north. Within a few minutes, after turning the corner on Prytania Street the sprinkles caught up with me. I got hardly wet at all, only when in spaces where two trees were not close enough to provide cover. I waited outside a CVS store during a downpour and nodded to a couple I had seen earlier at the beginning of my walk carrying folded umbrellas. Now, each lowered the vinyl barrier from above their heads, shook water off and refolded it. They each had a white plastic bag from St. George's Church.
The little storm left as suddenly as it had appeared. I resumed my sight-seeing, scrutinizing the architecture of the Garden District, which is an awesome mosaic of mansions and bungalows, fit closely together with no two pieces being the same. The buildings are painted in more colors than any paint store has color chips, purples and pinks included. Of course there are black and gold houses, more numerous since the Saints won the Super Bowl. Many other homes of fans simply have a 4 foot high fleur de lis painted on the wall or door. I saw several of those on my short walk home.
Big tree roots have cracked and lifted sections of concrete sidewalk and now puddles and small ponds exist in the low spots. They will not dry up nor drain quickly with the humidity and moist soil.
I completed my jagged loop, arriving at the big yellow house in bright sunshine, and was quickly inside before anyone missed me.
IS YOUR AVATAR YOU?
I frequent many book and author websites. I think many authors should quickly change their photo or avatar.
Sometimes the author photo makes me think that I would not buy or read anything written by that guy. Other times I think I would consider buying anything he (usually she) is selling. Most lie somewhere in between.
I just wonder if a guy using a picture of himself in a torn tee shirt standing outside the door of a restroom at a bus terminal is someone who could write anything I'd enjoy. Maybe he writes great stuff, but I'll never know. I won't click through because of the poor mug shot. The photo does not need to show the person as exteremely handsome or beautiful; simply ordinary, sane, and having the eyes visible will do.
Okay, you saw my ID photo, and wonder who am I to talk. Well, it's a fairly good
likeness of the recent me. That's all it is. It's not an ad for a movie, cosmetics, or a new medication.
All I am saying is that maybe there are other readers like me who pass by the goofy, or generic avatar, only to click on one that looks like someone who could at least sign his/her name. Maybe I'm wrong and more folks will click on the one with the tonsils showing.
Maybe I'll experiment and replace my ordinary head-and-shoulders shot with the picture from that Halloween party in college. The one that friends claim is me.
KINDLE SELECT YES OR NO?
The work and antipation, and finally the big Friday The 13th Kindle Free Promotion is
over. 13 mystery authors got together for this Kindle Select e-book giveaway. A
conservative estimate is nearly, and possibly more than 200,000 of our freebies were
downloaded on Friday and Saturday. As a new and unknown author, my book,
Willowtree had 8,596 downloads in the two days. I was fortunate to tag along with the
group of better known writers with many books and fans. This will be a huge benefit to me in visibility and future sales.
One direct beneficial outcome of giving Willowtree as a freebie is it's appearance on
Amazon's Top 100 Lists. I watched it rise from nowhere on Friday morning to #4 on the Free Contemporary Fiction List by Saturday evening. Also to #8 on the Free Mystery and Thriller List, and #20 in the Free Kindle Store. Of course, I was only on the lists while my book was being offered free. I assume the lists generated a lot of the downloads, since bargain book hunters check these lists often.
Why give away so many books? First, without the free promotion, most of those
thousands of e-book readers would not even know about my book. Second, the exposure from being on the Kindle lists and from all of the articles mentioning our promotion is free advertising. And, I am already seeing e-mails, Tweets, and other posts in groups, blogs, and on Facebook mentioning my book. I expect some reviews will be coming. Also, in this program authors will receive royalties when the books are borrowed from the new owners.
So, I think giving Amazon exclusivity to distribute Willowtree for 90 days and offering it
free for 5 of them will turn out to be quite beneficial for me in terms of exposure, future sales, and confidence. Whether I continue in the program, is to be decided. I have no problem with the program, and Amazon is still my number one means of distribution. There are however, advantages to being with other channels, like Smashwords.
I wish to thank the other dozen writers who pulled me with them in the 13/13/13
experience. It was the bright idea of Stacy Juba, a tireless worker and beautiful person, who happens to have written a bunch of great books in various genres. The others who unselfishly contributed much time and effort are: Debra Lee, Keri Knutson, Maryann Miller, Timothy Hallinon, Bill Shepard, Jean Henry Mead, R J McDonnell, Joanna Slan, Gerrie Ferris Finger, Alina Adams, and Bonnie Hill. All are accomplished authors and their work deserves a look. I hope soon to have links to these fine writers on my "Recommendations" page.
Now to get back to work on my Book Two, Stinger Maguire. I hear the best way to push Book One is to have a Two, then a Three, then...
13 free e-books by 13 authors on Friday the 13th of April.A dozen authors and I have joined together for a huge promo event for our Kindle Select books. We are offering e-books free on Friday, April 13. You will probably run into some of our ads or articles on the web or in a newspaper from now until the 13th.We are mystery and romance writers, some of which have been published by Dutton, Dell, Avon, MIra, and St Martin's. I am pleased and honored to be included with them for this event. Kindlers can download all 13 if they wish. Mark your calendars and bookmark the link. Tell your friends. Several books will also be free on the 14th, in case anyone be celebrating other events on Friday.The link to an Amazon page listing all the books is: http://amzn.to/GUnuf1I have offered "Willowtree" free on previous occasions and have had over a thousand downloads, a lot for me, but not for better known writers. So, this will be some good exposure. I hope folks will take advantage of this offer to find some new authors they like. Like, Stacy Juba, a very talented and versatile writer. She has written adult mysteries and romance novels, as well as young adult and children's books. Stacy has spearheaded this 13-13 promotion. We other 12 admire both her writing and promotional skills.
13 free books.This is no April Fools joke.Good luck on April 1, and especially on the 13th.
I am incorporating my real life interactions with javelinas in the new Bruce DelReno mystery. I found a piece I wrote to my Mom two years ago, which explained my experience with the pests since she had never seen any.
THE JAVALINA (have-a-leena)STORY.
For a time after we moved to Arizona, we were always on the lookout for wildlife that we didn't see in New England. You know, coyotes, roadrunners, lizards, bald eagles, scorpions, armadillos, rattle snakes, and of course, javalinas. We have seen, through the years, all of these animals; even mule deer, gray fox, quail, buzzards, king snakes, jackrabbits, and Canadians [for Mom's benefit, an inside joke]. We are still thrilled when we see a family of quail. Or a mule deer, or even a coyote. We were always excited to see javalina on the golf course or in the street.
Javalinas are not boars or related to pigs. They are peccarys, but they still stink. They usually don't bother people; just look at you and ignore you. But, if provoked will defend themselves and their young. A man in Sedona was attacked this month. Recently a gang of them have visited our property often in their nightly rounds. We planted pansies in several large pots placed along the walk to the front door. We found the plants pulled up, eaten and dirt all over the walk. We replanted. Same story. After a couple of weeks we planted portulaca, small succulents with rose-like blossoms that do well in the summer heat. Same story. Boy, the javalina really like the portulaca blossoms, stems and roots. We planted again. I know, insanity, expecting a different result.
This time we were up at 10 PM when they arrived. Lights on and shouting finally scared them off. Next night we left windows open so our dog, Ceile could hear and smell them. They arrived at midnight. Not after the flowers though. In the back yard eating birdseed off the ground under the bird feeder. This was time for Tiger Woods/Nolan Ryan action. We got a bunch of golf balls and started throwing at the critters. This happened twice at midnight, and once at two AM. We're sure they set their clocks for when we're not expecting them. Dratted varmits. We only hit two with golfballs, but the balls landing in the area scattered them. Usually 2 or 3 were at the birdseed. Turn on the light, shout, they turn and look at you. Throw a ball, they scatter about 20 feet behind the bush, then walk back looking at you. We put cayenne pepper around the flower pots. Also mothballs in and around the pots. We installed a motion detector to turn lights on. We got a power squirt gun. Put a little amonia in the water and squirt the damn things. They don't like that, but I didn't get close enough for the stream to reach very often.
One night there were 6 adults (40 to 75 lbs) and two little babies the size of a cat in the front yard. They were gone before we could throw the third golfball. Two nights in a row now....no intrusion.
Fingers are crossed; but cayenne and mothballs are in place. Golfballs, lights and squirt gun are by the door.
KDP Select:
I enrolled the e-book version of Willowtree in Amazon’s KDP Select on March 1 for 90
days. That means I had to remove it from other sites it is offered for sale. There are pros and cons of doing this, which is why I studied other authors views and experiences with KDP Select before deciding on this 90 day experiment.
For those who do not know what it is, KDP Select is, briefly, a program for Kindle Prime members to get many e-books from the kindle library free, or at reduced cost. It also allows members to borrow books from others. A pool of funds from the program is split monthly among participating authors with sales.
Since my book is in the not-best-seller catagory, I am using this as a publicity campaign, getting the title at least visible to the thousands of Prime members. Prime members can get it free right now.
Smashwords:
I had to remove Willowtree from Smashwords because of the exclusivity of KDP Select, one of the cons. I love Smashwords, and have actually sold more e-books there than at Amazon. Perhaps the biggest reason for Amazon requiring the book be their exclusive, is the competition from Smashwords. Smash is not taking it lying down, they have recently announced that their books will be listed at Baker and Taylor, which is a big step forward.
That allows their e-books to be available through blio, an e-reading app packed with
many new computers and devices. Also e-books will find their way into libraries much easier through B&T.
Smashwords is also holding a “Read An E-book Week(3/11-3/17).” Authors may enroll
their books, discounted, for some good exposure and possible sales.
I love Smashwords and, barring stupendous results in KDP Select, will return to the fold.
Was There A Book Signing?
My book signing last week was bitter sweet.
A success, thanks to Hooked On Books and Larry, the store owner, and to dear old friends and some new friends who ventured in.
A disappointment, only by the lack of support by the local print media. There are two
local papers that print two editions each in Cottonwood and Sedona. My press release, sans photo, appeared in only one of the four. All information was submitted as they requested and before their deadlines. I know other writers and artists who have experienced similar indifference. I realize there are limitations to acceptance, available space, and other factors, so a paper cannot print every submission they receive. However, there are not a great number of local authors, and very few with recent publications or events. I regard this as a slight to the literary community of our town, more than simply a decision to ignore me.
I frequent our town’s library; it is always very busy, filled with readers. I hope they are not denied learning of future books or accomplishments of their neighbors because newspaper space was taken up by “more important” things..
Pretty excited about my first book signing. How excited? Well, I got the name and address of the bookstore wrong in my press releases.
The bookstore has moved several times in the past few years, the last time only next door. I hadn't realized the name change because the signs say only "Books." There are still phone listings under the old name.
So, there may not be a problem since the new store is next to the old one, and has no name. The "Books" sign is huge. Maybe somebody will find it, I did.
The owner has made large posters announcing my appearance for which I am very grateful. Thanks also to the local newspapers for printing announcements and my press release.
Now to make the cookies and punch. And hopefully remember my own name.
As an author, I read Jeffrey Trachtenberg's article, "E-Book Prices Get Slashed,"(Wall Street Journal, 1/23/12) with much interest.
I am aware of and have used the strategy of pricing a book for 99 cents. Indeed, many of us authors and publishers have also offered a book for free. Obviously, the reason is to spread the word to spur future sales, or as George Pelecanos says, bring "them into the tent." He also says "It's a gamble." I don't think so. It's a business decision. Most readers who will buy it for 99 cents would not buy it at $12.99. There is no lost revenue as the amount those purchasers would have paid over the 99 cents can be looked at as an advertising cost. And the 17 cent royalty is better than no sale.
The article states Pelecanos never was a big seller. Me either, but I predict the article will generate many thousands of sales. It is about e-book pricing, but is also an effective advertisement for his new book, "What It Was." Good for George, but oh, if someone or newspaper would only notice my book is temporarily available for only 99 cents.
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