Want a free science fiction/political thriller short story? Interested in reading an upcoming science fiction/political thriller novel? Then I’ve got great news for you!
This summer, I’m going to release Evolution’s Hand Book 1: Executive Action. I’ve even got a cover for it:
I have an ISBN, too. How cool is that?
To celebrate the launch, I wrote a short story in the same universe as the book. If you act now, you can get a copy of the short story for free! It’s called Code Blue, and you can get it by clicking on this link.
Or this button:
All you need to do is give me your e-mail address! I should probably be more clear and say a “No Financial Cost of Acquisition” short story, but that doesn’t have quite the ring as “free!”
I know this is an anime site, and I know that I have another site dedicated to my writing. To keep on topic, I promise not to inundate you with posts like this. But The Dawn of the Witch took a break this week, I’m about to announce the release date for Executive Action, and I thought some of you might be interested.
If you are, then I look forward to you joining the mailing list. I’d love for you to be a reader from the very beginning of Evolution’s Hand. It’s going to be a heck of a ride!
Oh cool! You write too! May the muses be with you! Also, I don’t suppose you’re also doing the New York Midnight flash fiction contest in the next couple of weeks? I’m totally getting nervous about it but I’ve heard it’s a pretty decent way to test your short story power + getting feedback.
((This totally sounds like an ad but I swear I’m not working for them. I used to work in marketing and sometimes I can’t shake the style lol…))
Thanks!
I’m afraid I’m not participating in the New York Midnight flash fiction contest. And I don’t think you sounded like an ad at all! You sounded like you were excited about it. Made me want to try it!
My schedule has dashed my hopes, though!
Ahw thanks! Maybe another time if you’re interested! Best of luck with your book coming out today!
Yay, congrats on getting the book finished to the degree that you even have an ISBN code. I’ve hung out on writing forums and can tell you that main obstacle to finishing a book is not actually writing the thing and getting lost in eternal planning and/or editing and/or re-writing.
You’re self-publishing? (I can’t find any imprint logo on the cover.) You’ll have print copies? (I find self-publishing daunting: how do you distribute stuff? Marketing is all up to yourself. It’s… scary. So hats-off to you.)
Even now, I’m fighting the urge to revise or tweak the manuscript. But I remember why I didn’t finish manuscripts before! I’m wise to that attack. Though I am struggling to find the right amount of editing so the final product is presentable but not proof-read ten times.
I put the draft through 3 edits. Then I paid for two professional proof read edits. _Then_ I went through it once more with ProWritingAid. And guess what? When I was getting it ready for Draft2Digital, I randomly checked a page and found a typo!
Argh.
Yes, I’m going to try self publishing. I’ll offer print copies through Amazon. And yes, the marketing stuff is terrifying. Building an e-mail list, trying to master marketing copy, trying to figure out how to make an ad deliver maximum value — that’s all stuff I’m not good at. Plus, the very idea of self-promotion is alarming all by itself! So we’ll see how it ends up.
On the other hand, I’ve heard from folks who are traditionally-published who had to do their own marketing. Seems like depending on the publisher, if you’re not an A-List writer, they don’t invest a lot in marketing. So at least I’m reaping the benefits the most if my self-published book takes off!
Fingers crossed!
Every typo you find is one less in the book. I find them frequently in published stuff. No biggie. (I’ve from people that they’re sometimes introduced during the typesetting stage.)
Depends on what “reaping the benefits” means. Financially, you’re almost certainly better off with a publisher. You (usually) get an advance you get to keep even if the book doesn’t make enough (I’ve heard, I think, that many books don’t – and beyond that most don’t make a profit; they’re all financed by the few hits who sell really well), and you have far fewer expenses. The main advantage of self-publishing are, IMO, that you don’t have to bother with the lengthy and frustrating submission process, and that you stay in total control of the process (for example, no covers assigned, no content requests, no publishing rights sold).
That said, I’m no expert and you should take anything I say with a pinch of salt (I doubt a grain’s enough). I’m no expert; never wanted to publish myself – all I know comes from hanging out with people who do, and even then my knowledge’s probably outdated now; after I stopped hanging out on writing boards, e-books became much more of a factor and bookshops lost relative importance to the internet. (It’s far harder these days to even order indie books over bookshops – bookshops often don’t bother, because they’re far easier to order online privately or so I was told by one local bookshop [which is very much not and American bookshop, so the market might be different once again]). The more I talk, the more wonder if a pinch of salt is enough. I’m not forcing you to buy a saltmine?
In any case, between the two of us, when it comes to marketing I’m more likely to ask you for advice than to give one. It’s absolutely not my forte.
I wish you all the best with your books (trilogy?). For what it’s worth: I really like the cover. It’d catch my attention in a bookshop (it’s good, in that respect, that the colour-scheme and some of the art carries over onto the spine).
Now now. There’s no need to apologize. If someone approached you asking for your honest opinion on their work? No problem. If someone approached you to push their work without reviewing their work… Hmm… Ok. But anyway hey. Its your time. Feel free to do as you wish here. I’m good with whatever you do here.
Thanks! I’ll try to stay on topic out of courtesy, and I’m glad to hear that this post didn’t across the wrong way.