Tuesday, May 31, 2011

On Feedback, Reviews and Support

As you all know, I released my first venture into the world of ebooks a little over a month ago. This book contained the first ten chapters of my web novel, a web novel I am actively looking to convert into ebook format from now on. I made the conscious effort to keep the book free, because absolutely none of it was previously unreleased material. Every single chapter included had already appeared on the website, absolutely free of charge, therefore, I didn't see a reason to charge someone for something they could, in theory, get for free somewhere else.

(I will state for the purposes of clarification that I am in fact charging .99 for the ebook on Kindle, but this is because I have included extra content - no, it's still nothing new to the web audience, being character bios and a town history page, but coupled with the content of the book, it helps to set the stage and I view it's worth the buck).

Download statistics were, as they probably are with any free ebook, absolutely astronomical in the first few days. I amassed 300 just in the first week alone, through very little effort of my own. Sure, I put links on my FB and Twitter pages, but other than that, there were few avenues I could really pursue for pimping purposes. I was very encouraged by such a strong reception that I made what I now realize was a mistake - I assumed that every single download represented another new fan.

The mistake in my logic is simple: just because a person downloads a free book does not mean they immediately rush to their favorite ereading device to devour it. It doesn't mean they will ever do that, really, because it's not unheard of for people to hoard free ebooks, without any real intention of ever getting around to them all. Okay, maybe that's not fair to assume. Maybe they really do intend to get around to them all, but given that they downloaded so bloody many of them, it will take a good few years just to sift through the pile. This means that while my book may have been downloaded hundreds of times, by hundreds of people, this does not guarantee that any of them have actually read it...or that those that have read it have actually enjoyed it.

This is where reviews come in handy. I'll be brutally honest (no reason to put up a brave face around you guys, after all). I've made one sale on Kindle. Just one, and probably to a personal friend or family member, because I highly doubt enough random strangers know who I am to purchase my first ebook out of the clear blue sky. I've made a whopping .35 off this whole endeavor so far - which is still more than I put into it, so I guess I am still making a profit of sorts, but that is not the point. The point is, I am not making much of a profit off this. I am not really in it to make a profit, though I can't lie and say it wouldn't be ace to eventually earn enough royalties to be fairly comfortable in my decision to be a writer. But again, that is not the point.

The very belated point to this is...I am not receiving a profit off this. I am not getting much of anything out of this, aside from the pride in seeing my name as the author of an ebook. I have no idea if those that have downloaded the book have liked it, or have even read it. This is where a review would really, really come in handy. Yet, I only have one of those at this point, from Gayla, who was kind enough to give me 4 stars on Goodreads. Thank you, Gayla. You rock my socks.

If just one percent of the people who have downloaded the book would leave a review, good or bad, I would have a much better idea of how this idea is shaping up for me. I am not asking for an epic, three-page love letter to me and the book (though I wouldn't stop you if you wanted to leave one...) A few lines would do just fine, as long as they were honest and civil. If you don't like the book, feel free to tell me so - and please, please tell me why. Tell me what you disliked about it. Tell me what I could have done as the author to improve your reading experience. Tell me what you would have liked to see instead. Tell me all of these things - in a review (I can take it!) or in a private email, if you'd rather go that route. By the same token, if you enjoyed it, say so!

Independent authors tend to have a bad reputation in the more hoity-toity circles. We're viewed as inferior, because we don't have that banner of being traditionally published. Sadly, this reputation isn't always very fair to those independent authors who work their asses off both on writing and promotion...but it is still there. This is why I think it is so important to support those indie writers that you really enjoy. Leave a review for them. Shoot them an email. Don't make them have to go on their blogs, get down on their hands and knees and literally beg a word (any word) out of you, as I've just done. So many get discouraged by the lack of response, whether it's indicative of any issues with their work at all. If it is at all within your power to do so, stop this from happening. It will not take more than ten minutes of your time to click a star on the ratings chart and jot down a few thoughts on the book. It does not have to be a rigorous, time consuming activity at all - most authors, myself included, would be happy with just a few lines.

As an independent author, let me tell you first hand - your opinions matter. Don't let timidity or lack of time to give a thorough review stop you from leaving some thoughts. Often, independent authors are far more accessible than their big-name counterparts, and to let you in on a little secret, we love discussing our books! Get a dialogue going if you're more comfortable talking privately and more one-on-one. Contact the author and let them know what you thought of their book, good or bad. Trust me, we can take it...well, most of us can, anyway.

It all boils down to this: authors write to be read. Of course, we also write to write, because the story claws at the very fabric of our beings until we unleash it upon the world...but when we do unleash it, we really do enjoy hearing the thoughts of our audience. So don't be shy about it, please. Leave reviews. Write emails. Let people know what you think - you might just make the author's day.

Monday, May 23, 2011

Book Review: Breakfast Anytime, by Christopher M. Thompson

Book: Breakfast Anytime
Author: Christopher M. Thompson
Genre: Poetry
Description: A selection of poetry covering a variety of topics which range from heartbreak to humor, love to loss, redemption, remembrance, and rebellion. Purposely presented without definitive grouping of the poems, Breakfast Anytime" is designed to make the selection a literary and emotional buffet.
Source: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/44331
Price: $1.99 USD

Review: This collection of poems runs the gamut from passion between a couple, a parent grieving their child growing up too fast, scorned lovers and more. My favorites included the title poem "Breakfast Anytime", an acrostic which tells an interesting story; "Amazement", a sweet poem told from an ill child's perspective, and "The Cure for a Broken Heart", a cute piece about a young woman seeking a doctor's advice on how to get past a break up.

I recommend this collection for poetry enthusiasts, as well as those that enjoy lyrical imagery. Very well done.

Rating: ****/*****

Rating Guidelines:
* = Didn't like it at all.
** = It was okay.
*** = I liked it.
**** = I really liked it.
***** = The best book evah (I don't give many of these, obviously)

Saturday, May 21, 2011

Getting to Know...Christopher M. Thompson

This is a reciprocal interview with author Christopher Michael Thompson, whose Smashwords title Breakfast Anytime can be found here: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/44331

1. Christopher, thank you for joining us.Tell us about your Smashwords title, Breakfast Anytime.

When I was a kid, one of my fondest memories was always going out for breakfast when visiting my grandparents. They (and I, imitating them), would always order the same dish - chipped beef and gravy on toast. My grandmother was the first to cross over and her loss affected me greatly. Grandpa carried on in her stead though, taking the grand-kids out for that Sunday breakfast when we came to visit. When he passed, so did the breakfasts.

One day, taking my own kids for a treat, we stopped in at this little out-of-the-way diner and sat at a table. Typical diner visit except I swore that I saw my grandparents in glimpses and half-sights within the diner - that old feeling of strangers looking familiar. Trying to shake it off, I busied myself with the menu, anxious not to cry in front of the kids, but two things on the menu made that impossible. Chipped beef and gravy on toast and the words "Breakfast Anytime". As odd as it may sound, those two words brought a joke by the comedian Steven Wright to mind where he quipped "The menu said 'Breakfast Anytime', so I ordered french toast during the Renaissance." I didn't laugh, but rather looked at the people around me and, just as in the poem, asked the waitress for chipped beef on toast with my grandparents. The poem was born on the back of a kid's menu while we waited for our food, our poor waitress Lois unknowingly drawn into the story as if she had always belonged there.

When it came time for my poetry to be compiled into a book, I looked at all of the poems and Breakfast Anytime had always struck a chord with people, it - above all others - cited as their favorite and so, in both honor of the poem's popularity and my grandparents' memory, "Breakfast Anytime" became the lead and titular poem of the pack.

The other poems have done the same for people, some finding joy in the humorous poems, others the voice that they lacked during heartbreak. Just like the title reads with subtitle appended, my dream is for this book to be one to go to at any time day or night for both fond memories and for catharsis.

I want my readers to be able to enjoy "Breakfast Anytime."


2. Which poem contained in the book is your personal favorite?

Well, obviously, Breakfast Anytime is right up there, but I would have to say that "Pinocchio Triumphant" would have to be my favorite. It was written in the voice of a character that I have been developing and writing for for nearly 25 years. The intenet was still young when I wrote this and I was using the anonymity of IRC chat to develop Aerin's 'voice', character-wise by pretending to be a more human version of her.

I have always been sensitive to women, but grew even more so as I looked out at the internet through the eyes of one. As a man, I could hold serious and meaningful conversations at the drop of a hat in IRC, but as a woman it was like diving into a pool of sharks after being severely lacerated first.. Often, the chat programs would crash from the "a/s/l" and "wanna cyber?" private messages and as my ire grew, so too did 'hers' and I watched my fingers fly as "Pinocchio Triumphant spilled out of absolutely nowhere, Aerin screaming for decency among the indecent.

Times, I am glad to say, seem to have changed since then, but the poem has grown beyond just a rant about online chat but to a whole new level, a friend of mine - tired of being treated like an object - getting the stanza bout ripping at her doll's features permanently fused to her skin in a tattoo as a personal mantra not to allow anyone to tear her down.

It was Aerin's first poem of many and, as such, holds a special place in my heart.

3. In your experience, what is the greatest difference in writing poetry and fiction? Which do you prefer writing, and why?

The greatest difference, for me, has been the moment of inspiration, really. Sometimes, when I am feeling something, I will feel a call to put it into verse instead of prose. Or vice-versa. Some of my poems have even been born WITHIN a narrative, the character themselves waxing poetic like the characters from Grease talking normally and then bursting into song. That really makes it tough for me to distinguish which is easier as it is the emotion - and not my mind - which shapes my words.

It may sound pretentious, and pardon me if it does, but I see my writing as an artist sees a culture or painting. The art lets the artist know when it is finished, not the other way around.

As for my personal preference, I like the narrative writing as it allows me to write longer stories. A poem, unless it is an epic like some of the great classics, goes on for only a page or two before it is "finished".

4. The poem 'Amazement', contained in your book, particularly touched me. Can you let us in on what inspired that poem?

I took a job at a school district in Arizona where one of my co-workers was pregnant and having a harder time than most as early tests had shown a birth defect in the baby. He had what they nicknamed a "frog's heart", two chambers instead of four, and his birth itself was a delicate matter and very trying for the parents because they got to see him for only a few minutes before he was rushed from the delivery room to an operating room to have a shunt installed. Things were very touch and go for a while after that with more operations and waiting to pass an 'all clear' point where his survival odds looked stronger.

I wrote this poem shortly after his birth as she blogged the news on her Carepages site. even without hearing her voice, you could read the worry in her words and my simple "My thoughts are with you. Hope things turn out well." note became "Amazement", the original note being deleted with just the poem remaining. I didn't do it for fame, to show off, and certainly not for any other selfish reason, but to give the baby an uplifting voice during troubling times.

I have kept tabs on him even after moving away, and I am happy to say that he is still alive and well, a little physically scarred from repeated surguries, but as normal and active a child as any mother could hope for.

I am glad that it touched you as well.

5. Where can readers find your work, and you, online?

My work, for the moment, is only on Smashwords (https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/chaophim), but I am taking it to CreateSpace to have print-on-demand capabilities. I can be found on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/Christopher.Thompson72), my blog (http://chaophim.blogspot.com/), and a couple of Play-by-Post role playing games where I participate in collaborative storytelling. Come November 1st and April 1st, I will definitely found on the NaNoWrimo and Script Frenzy sites respectively. I have links AND countdown clocks to those events on my blog at the bottom.

Thank you very much for taking the time to interview me and I hope that I have answered the questions to your satisfaction.

Saturday, May 14, 2011

At a crossroads...

As the title of this post would suggest, I am facing a fork in the road. As everyone knows (mainly, because I won’t shut the hell up about it!), I have recently released the first ten chapters of my web serial Independence Day as an ebook. I’ve done a lot of thinking about this, and I feel as though this is where I need to be. This is where I need to market my material. This is what I want to do.

I am strongly considering doing away with Independence Day as a web serial and continuing the story in ebook form only. This, of course, would mean there would not be chapter by chapter updates anymore, and that the website would no longer be accessible. I understand there are a few who might question my decision on this, but I am trying to look ahead. This is a story I long intended to try and publish, and the more I learn about traditional publishing, the more I question whether or not I have a snowball’s chance in hell. Also, as many of you are aware, I’ve had my issues with the current state of web fiction for some time. Perhaps this is not where my story belongs – perhaps this is never where my story belonged. Perhaps I just need to cut my losses on the whole idea of webfic and move forward.

I will admit, I am about 75% sold on the idea…but I’m still interested in input. How do you all feel about this? What would you do in my shoes? I will state now, on the record, that I do intend to charge for subsequent volumes of the ebook, after giving them all a thorough edit (I have my list of things to rework already!) However, I am not doing this for the sole reason of making money because quite frankly, I don’t need the money. I have a stable life and any money made would only be extra cash…a dividend, if you will. This decision is not motivated by money – it is motivated by my desire to give this story the platform I have always felt it deserved.

Again, though, I’m open to other views. Does anyone have any thoughts on this? Any angles I might not have looked at? Any concerns about the transition from webfic to ebook? Comment and let me know. Let’s talk about this, and let’s see if we can make the best decision for this book together.

Monday, May 9, 2011

Quality or Quantity?

My name is Bex, and I am the world's slowest writer.

It didn't used to be this way. I used to crank out 4 chapters a night, back when I was 16 and had little else to do. Granted, these chapters weren't nearly as polished as something I could come up with now, but they were good enough at the time.

Even when I first started Independence Day (<--- link goes to the ebook! Clicky, clicky download, my pretties!), I was doing fairly well with writing. It took me roughly a week to finish a chapter, and I was able to write 20 in the first year alone. And then...well, I guess you could say life happened.

I met a man, we had what some would probably call a whirlwind courtship, I married him, we settled into domestic life and...I quit writing. Not quit as in, "I am never writing again, evah!" Quit as in, "Oh, write? Why would I wanna do something silly like that when I could fuck around on Facebook instead?"

Yeah.

I used to be one of those that had an impressive little backlog of material. I was about six chapters ahead of the viewing audience, but when the aforementioned life began to happen, I quickly used it all up. I became what I always hated: a person that writes and updates as they go along. There's no set schedule anymore. I update when I have something to slap up there. Maybe it'll be a week from the last one, maybe it'll be a month - but it'll come. Patience, grasshopper.

This, obviously, got me to thinking. I suppose if I really wanted to, I could start hitting it again with the writing. I could force myself to start writing Nano-style (not giving a shit if it was any good or not) and have a bunch more chapters for my overwhelmingly vocal (HA!) audience to enjoy. But...I've seen stories that do have that. I've also seen how quality falls by the wayside. I've seen "your" in place of "you're", I've seen implausible, unrealistic storylines - hell, I've even seen subtle plagiarism, though I honestly found it more flattering than anything else. Boo yah.

It's not my scene. I'm not saying I'm immune to silly grammatical mistakes, but I refuse to fall for the other two. I won't have a scene that doesn't advance the story in some way. I won't put anything on the website that would compromise the integrity of the story thus far. I won't, no matter how tempting it might get, go ripping anyone else off, just to have a dramatic moment of my own. I am better than that. I can wait, and since I'm not really dealing with a screaming, rabid throng of readers up my ass, presumably they can too. To me, it's the only thing I can do. I won't sell out, and I won't give anyone that is reading anything less than my absolute best.

I think I'm making the right decision. There are probably some who would disagree, but they're the very same ones that missed the clear distinction between "its" and "it's" in grade 2, so their opinions don't amount to much, really. I will continue this story when the words come. I will finish this story when I can come up with an ending to do it justice. Until then? I'll brush up on my grammar, ignore the imbeciles and live my life. I think it's all I can do, you?