The Fine Art of Getting People to do What You Want.

Face it, we all have a silly and sometimes evil agenda. If you don't, you are lying to yourself or have nothing to do. So what is it you want? Do you want to live on the beach somewhere, have a super cool car or travel the world? Do you want to live in the middle of the woods and never see a human again, or be on TV so everyone knows your name? We all want something out of life and as writers and readers a big part of our world is about books.

So this Christmas I found as I am sure you did as well a ton of Tweets and messages from authors encouraging and downright nagging everyone to buy or download their book. I do not have a problem with authors pushing their work and I think more need to learn how to treat their art like a business if it is to go anywhere.

But when is enough, enough?

A business that markets all the time, forces and nags will end up getting ignored or pissing people off or both. So how do we Indie authors learn how to push in a gentle way? What is the line from being annoying to being smart?

First I want to be the first to admit that I have also pushed to hard, forced myself on others thinking that was the only way to sell books. But I learned that it is not about what you are saying and more about who you are.

I used to work in sales at Golds Gym, they are high pressure and will do whatever it takes to close a sale. I was taught how to sell and the one thing that stuck with me was the saying: "People buy from who they like."

I was 3rd in the country for sales in Golds because I put aside the high pressure and made friends. If I thought the client could not afford the membership I would tell them to pass and save their money and eat better. They would look at me in shock not expecting to be told not to buy, and even my boss did not like my style as I let a lot of clients walk without buying. But I made up for it by closing everyone else. Why? Because they liked me and trusted me to tell them the truth even if it was not to buy.

I do this same thing with my books. I was at a Costco signing and a lady was asking me about my books and I could tell from the other stuff she was reading that she would not like my books. She was going to buy them and I took then from her hand and said, "You know, you will not like these books, they are a little scary for what you read."

She thanked me and left without buying.

I saved her from being angry with me and saved myself from a bad review. Your book is not for everyone, it is not the best book on earth and it is not going to be a movie. There, feel better? Find out who your reader is and market to them, and I mean be a friend to them.

Social Media is a great way to make friends, but if you use it like a new way to spam everyone you meet it will hurt you in the end. I did send out a few tweets and a Facebook thing on my books over the weekend but I tried to offset that with talking and other things to bury the book push.

And yet I saw some authors tweeting their book and pushing it out like every hour. Even book bloggers were like STOP, and they LOVE books!

But even without really pushing hard this last weekend my sales on amazon went up in a bug way. I think I sold over 1000 eBooks and doubled my books sales in just two days. My ranking went up into the top 300 and made it to #4 in the Hard-Boiled Thriller category. How did this happen?

It was not because I nagged readers or sent out emails. I spent about four hours the week before Christmas tagging on Amazon. Yes, tagging.

I figured more people were going to look on Amazon and if I was seen more I would sell more. It worked in a big way and I did not have to bother all my friends. And did I just be selfish and tag my book? Nah... I also tagged other authors books that I thought would help them out. I do not know how it works with everyone else but Amazon and the tagging system is amazing. You can link your book and yourself with other books. So I took the time and every day I tag on amazon, it is part of my job, part of being seen.

Is not what you do over a weekend but what you do day in and day out. I think I have been tagging for the last two years and I will keep doing it as long as it is an option on Amazon. The one reason B&N does not sell as many books is they do not have this tagging system, it is hard to find other books and authors you might like because they are not set up to sell. But that is another post.

This is a long term thing, you are in business, do what it takes day after day to make it as a writer. and next year you can have a good time watching the other authors stressing over sales and watch yours go up as you sip eggnog. I hope this helps and I know readers, bloggers and the rest of us will be happier as well.

I wish you all a happy new year and please GO BUY MY BOOK NOW!!!!!!!!!!! Lol
Just kidding, Have a good one, be happy and keep writing.

Aaron






Author Aaron Patterson: Blog: The Worst Book Ever.

Bloggers and Book Reviews: Guest Post by "The Bookish Brunette"

Hey everyone! I’m Ashley, I run a book review blog called The Bookish Brunette but I’m here today on The Worst Book Ever (dude, being an author and all- maybe you should change the title of your blog... Just a thought) because Aaron asked me to write a little post from a book blogger’s point of view on the things TO-DO and the things you NOT to-do do when talking to a blogger about your book. Now remember, the things I’m about to tell you are just MY opinion- other blogger’s may completely disagree!

I’m a big fan of lists, so that’s how I’m going to attack this thing! The “TO-DO” list, being the acceptable and preferable way of handling things. And the “DO NOT- (UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES) DO” list, being the things that will more than likely make me say NO to reviewing your book.

Let’s START with the positive:

“TO-DO”
(the acceptable)

1. 

Book bloggers not only have our blogs to maintain, events to host, books to read, review and promote... We also have LIVES. Families, birthdays, holidays, bedtimes, dinner to make... You get the point.
 

When sending a review request, help us out- it will make our lives a little easier if you just send us the info we need:

• In the subject line of the email put:  Review Request: (Title of your book)
• Title, Publication details (date... etc)
• SUMMARY of your book

It’d be AWESOME if you included links to your:

• Website
• Twitter
• Amazon
• Goodreads (or similar)

 

2. 

READ MY REVIEW POLICY. You’d assume this is a given right? WRONG. There are always clear indicators when my review policy has been ignored... For example, when I get a request asking me if I only read zombie books. Uh... Really? I mean... REALLY???

3.  

Be professional, now I only say this because that’s what you’re SUPPOSED to say. In my opinion, I like a more personal approach- because I’m about as unprofessional as they come. I know right? Is it that obvious? I’m not a fan of formalities, as I happen to be a very personable kinda chick.

4. 

Have LINKS posted on your website (to Goodreads, Amazon, B&N... ANYWHERE your books can be viewed or purchased! And make sure they are updated regularly!) You’d be surprised how many authors don’t do this... Some don’t even HAVE websites. If that’s the case I can’t even begin to assist you!

5. 

Spellcheck is your friend. I’m a HORRIFIC speller... that little squiggly red line is my BFF. If my seven year old can articulate a better email than you, then you’re chances of me accepting your book for review aren’t very good. I look at it like this: If your review request email is badly written, I can’t imagine trying to get through an entire book.

6. 

If you want your book reviewed within a certain time frame, ASK. Let me know, or it just goes to the back of a very long line... My review queue is CRAZY- I do my best, but I guarantee nothing!

7.  

Watch what you say on Twitter... or on ANY social network AND who you say it to. I’m totally not even being sarcastic either. This is VERY important. There are certain authors that I REFUSE to read because of things I’ve seen posted from them on Twitter. Yeah... their book may be the best thing since the freaking Internet- guess I’ll never know.
 

If you KNOW me at all or have ever witnessed one of my Twitter conversations *giggles* then you know I’m not exactly the picture of freaking “nice, sweet, chaste, ethical or modest” Right? But, I’m also not trying to sell books... so do with that what you will!

•    •    •    •    •    •    •    •    •    •    •    •

 

Now... FOR ME, if the following things occur the chances are VERY slim that I will review your book:

“DO NOT-DO”
(the unacceptable)

1. 

When you are requesting a review or even “casually” bringing up your novel to me, DON’T say to me “I know you’ll love my book.”
 

Seriously. This totally freaking irritates me! HOW do you know I’ll love your book? Name me 5 books that I LOVED, that somehow relate to your genre of writing. If you’ve looked at my blog and researched ME enough to KNOW that I’d love your book- then you should be able to tell me.  

2. 

DON’T address an email, “Dear Blogger”. I get that you’re busy. Hey... ME TOO! But again, if you’ve taken the time to GLANCE at my blog- my NAME is at the bottom of EACH and EVERY post. I’m not even picky, I’ll take ,Bookish Brunette’ and of course I’m ever partial to ‘Zombie Queen’ *grin*. But addressing me as ‘Book Blogger’ tells me several things:

• You didn’t even LOOK at ONE post on my blog. If you don’t care, then neither do I.
• You surely can’t know anything about what types of books I may enjoy.
• That ‘Book Bloggers’ are all interchangeable to you. If you’ve worked with any of us, then you know this is in fact, very much NOT the case.

3. 

If I say no to your request once, and you feel you MUST ask again... Fine. But, I’m PROBABLY going to say no again. DON’T get mad, WHY would you WANT me to review something I don’t think I would like? Do you really want me to give you a negative review? I HATE writing bad reviews. Seriously.

4. 

DO NOT SEND ME THIS:

Hi,

My  book is called “****”. It’s Science Fiction. I would love for you to review it on your blog.

Thank you,

****

WHAT??? I can’t tell you how many of these I get. Um... No. I’m sorry, I don’t have time to hunt down a description and decide whether or not I want to review it or not. Not because I think I’m ‘so important’ but because I’m busy.

SEND ME LINKS, or give me ALL THE INFO that I’ll need to know about you and your book in your email! (refer to #1 on the “To-Do” list)

5. 

Dude... DON’T insult me or my blog. I once had someone tell me that my blog was “too pink” but they’d still like me to review their book. Really? No thank you- me and my PINK, stiletto rated blog of AWESOMENESS have better things to do.

6. 

DO NOT assume that I’m going to review your book. ASK ME. I absolutely can’t stand when I get a “request” that says, “When will your review be posted?”
 

How about, “Never. Is never good for you?” because when you just assume that I have the time or that I WANT to read your book, I’m going to be a tad irritated.

7. 

DO NOT ask me to review your book on Twitter. This irritates me. I’m sorry, and this may make me a horrid human being... Well, so be it. Go to my blog and shoot me an email, it takes five minutes total. There are a few reasons for this, and I’ll name them for you:

• I keep all my review requests in a special folder in my email, so I’m able to refer back to it and contact the author. Over Twitter, I have no such email... and chances are your request has thus gotten lost.
• When you ask me over my Twitter feed, I have a real issue saying NO if I have no interest in reading your book. Hey, it happens. If you write historical war fiction, chances are I totally don’t want to read it at all. Not saying the writing isn’t amazing, but guess what? It’s not something I’m into. And honestly, do you want me tweeting to 2,500 people that your book holds no interest to me? Yeah, neither do I. Just don’t do it.
• The exception to the ‘NEVER’ ask over Twitter rule, is if I’ve already shown interest in reading your book (ex: it’s on my Goodreads wishlist or something similar). Then, and only then is it acceptable to assault my twitter feed.
  

Hopefully this will help... someone. And honestly, if I seemed harsh or hateful- I totally didn’t mean to. I’m just an honest and often times sarcastic type of chick (comes in handy with the whole review thing and all) Thanks for having me on Aaron!! Wicked thrilled my opinion is soooo sacred to you!

~Ashley~
The Bookish Brunette

Twitter
Facebook
Goodreads


Author Aaron Patterson: Blog: The Worst Book Ever.

The Kindle Fire vs. The Nook Color Tablet

The Nook Tablet kicks the Fire out of Amazon!

You may be wondering why I am even talking about this as I think both are lame, not the device but both B&N and amazon for even coming out with a half sized tablet. They are in a war with the eReader not Tablets, but we did another post on that subject.

So as Christmas looms closer I need to think about not just what I use a tablet for but what others might use them for. And if you want to use it for social media and maybe work a little, watch a movie or whatever the smaller ones will work fine.

I tend to go with Amazon just because they have the BEST eReader on the market with the Kindle, but in this case the clear winner in B&N with their new Nook Tablet.

Here is why:

Lighter
*More memory, much more! 8 vs. 16! In this case bigger IS better!
*Android platform, it is proven not buggy like this new thing Amazon is doing.
*Unlimited content both on the web and B&N. You can even root it and get Amazon stuff and just put it on the SD card.
*SD card... I mean YEAH! You can upload content to the micro SD card and you are golden.
*Longer battery life
*Word and Microsoft office, so you can work.
*Store stuff on the device. Most of the Fire stuff you have to put on the cloud, on the Nook you can use the apps and save them to the device so if you have no internet you are not dead in the water.
*Faster load times and just faster all around.


In all the Nook Tablet is way better... the only thing that is lame is the name. I mean how cool is the FIRE? So cool and hip, the Nook color? What is that? It is like color, like I can color in it? It needs a new name but if you can get past the old lady name you will be happy with your half tablet.

I know I talk in slang and am not all professional but I am real... so deal =)

Ltr


Author Aaron Patterson: Blog: The Worst Book Ever.

How Much Should An eBook cost? Part #3

How Much Should An eBook cost? Part #3

Wow, this topic always brings out heated discussion and sometimes the guns come out, held sideways and the bloodbath begins. Good thing I am safe behind my laptop and not in a large room filled with authors and publishers.

eBook pricing, it is a big deal. China is fighting it now as they talk with Amazon about selling eBooks in their country. We know what the Big 6 think, keep em high as eBooks will one day replace print books and all their income goes the way of a Kindle.

"If you price your eBook low you say that you as an author or your writing is not worth anything but a cup of bad coffee."

As we talked about in the first post this is not true. Your worth as an author in the eBook world is what you make per month not per book sold. This is different in the print world as each book has to be printed, shipped sold and so on. So each sale must hold a value and in the big bookstores most all books are priced the same. Publishers do not have that control in eBook land. In print they can beat up the Indie all day lone with print pricing, but not in E. The tables have turned my friends.

"But if all the eBooks are priced low we will not make any money and it will ruin the book market."

Nope. This again is what "Publishers" say as yes it will ruin their market unless they adapt. itunes makes a ton of money, authors make a ton of money if they control their books. It is not bad for anyone except the big publishers. We also have looked at the way we all buy in the US. It is a low price high volume deal... we are always looking for the next best deal.

"The market will get overrun with .99 books and flood the system. How will we know what is a good book?"

Good question. The gatekeepers were the big publishers and they could only handle so many books a year and they missed a lot of great books as they are not a perfect system. The book market has always had more books in it on a to reader to sold ratio. About 1% of all books published ever really sell, so that has not changed it is just that now with the aid of social media we know if a book, movie, restaurant or play is good about twenty minutes after it comes out. The masses are so much faster about weeding out the junk so in a way we are amazing gatekeepers. We can spread something good or bad in seconds when in the past it could take a long time for a crappy book to get shut down.

"But if I price my book low the literary crowd will not think of me as a ligit author."

Hmmm... who cares? They buy a few books compared to how many the masses buy. Market to the people not a small group. I understand if you do a lot of speaking like Anthony Doerr. He make a great living speaking and holding classes and has a high priced eBook. Now do I think he could make a ton more at a lower price and reach more people? Yes... now for him I would go at about 5 bucks and maybe do a special month at 1.99, but I am not on his marketing team and he does really well as he build his name from the inside out. All the big names can get away with more, but some day it will not stand as the people decide that no matter who you are they will not pay over a set price. Just like coffee... we will pay so much.

Again, I want to say, find your sweet spot. The place where your book sells the most copies and you make the most money and reach the most people. If you have to give up some money to reach more fans, do it. It will pay off.

"But if I sell my eBook at a low price they will not pay more for my other books."

Not true. I have sold my books at .99-2.99 for a few years. My new book came out and I have it at 4.77 ant it is selling just as well as my 2.99 books. They like it and if it is in a series you have some play with price point. You build more value as they get to know your writing style and so on... if they love your work they will pay more and not feel like they are getting ripped off.

If you have more questions or think of a good reason to have a high priced eBook let me know in a comment and I will see if I can address it.

Cheers

Author Aaron Patterson: Blog: The Worst Book Ever.

How Much Should An eBook cost? Part #2

How Much Should An eBook cost? Part #2

eBooks are a big thing and will in time replace print books. I do not say this cuz I hate books or bookstores, I say it cuz it is the truth. You notice how I use slang here on this blog? It is cuz it drives some of you literary types nuts... hee hee, I got to have some fun or I will go crazy!

Sorry, that was a bit of a rabbit trail. Now to the main event.

In the last post we looked at pricing for fiction, and saw how it is not the money per book but the monthly income. This will change how you look at eBooks, how you market and plan your marketing.

So to re-cap, it is about volume and fans. Your worth as a writer is not in the per unit sale but the monthly income. And if you want to really get picky, your worth is in what you sell in a year and ten years from now. I plan to be around for a long time and what I do is what we call the "Long Look."

The Sweet Spot.

As one comment in the last post said, some sweet spots are different from others. Each book is different. Some sell well at 2.99 and some at 4.99, it is up to you to test the market. The other thing to consider is that the market is changing all the time. It used to be that a book at .99 would sell a ton but now not so much. Some even have worse sales numbers at the .99 price point. Why is that?

Well, because people look at things different. Maybe all the self-published books are priced low so the reader thinks if a book is low it will suck. We need to keep testing and find out where the market is and what it is doing.

Now what about non-fiction?

Non- fiction is so different and does not sell as well as fiction. Most books that are non-fiction are sold at an event or by hand by the author. Also NF eBooks have a different fan-base. They are going to be the last to change over to E.

But as we see with textbooks they are making the switch right now, soon all schools will use them, students will buy expansion packs to get the latest update but not have to buy the new book.

So how do you price a NF eBook?

Again, testing. But as a whole 5.99-9.99. You are not talking volume with NF so you need to look at it different. Even with some fiction if you have a small fan-base you might look at pricing it higher to get the most out of each sale. I have one author that has all her books at 9.99 because it is a narrow book. She does well at the higher price cuz not everyone will like what she writes.

If you write a book on how to sell a house, you might price it at 7.99. Look at all the other main stream books with your subject matter and try to under cut them, but look at apples to apples. If other books on selling houses are in the 9.99 range do the same but price it like 8.97. Not to much lower but just enough to get you noticed.

One more thing you can try is a blog tour. They are not done as much with NF but that is just why you should do one. Finding bloggers that review NF might be hard but you will be getting in front of the right readers. Look into sites that talk or blog about your subject and work with them. NF is also a good eBook to sell on your own website or blog as again your readers are not as many and you will want to save their email and contact info.

Ask for reviews.

NF most of the time is information and helps people. Ask people that have read to leave a review. This will help sales and add value to your book so the reader feels good about forking over more money for your eBook.

Tag yourself to other books and authors that sell similar eBooks. This goes for any eBook or book on Amazon. Learn how to tag and use the tool Amazon gives you. If you want to learn about tagging I have a post on it, just click HERE.

In the next and final post on eBook pricing I will look at all the literary arguments against low eBook pricing. From the you are worth more side to the you will ruin the market side. It is all just a different way of saying "I'm Scared of Change!" But let us look and ponder the bad side of eBooks.

Again, remember. You want to reach the most people(fans) and get the highest return (Money) out of each sale. The SWEET SPOT is there, it is up to you to find where it is. It is not what people are willing to pay but what they WILL pay.

Cheers



Author Aaron Patterson: Blog: The Worst Book Ever.

How Much Should An eBook Cost? Part #1

How Much Should An eBook Cost? Part #1

This is a big topic in the writing world. Most readers are open to paying a higher price if it is a well known author, but who does not want a cheap eBook?

I will take a short amount of time over a few posts to talk about eBook pricing in the fiction world and also in the non-fiction world.

First, we need to look at how we SHOULD look at eBooks and price/value. To think of a paperback as a per unit price/value is fine. But to take your value as an author with a per unit price for an eBook, is just silly.

The Big 6 want us to believe that price=quality. But the low priced books, (Indie or not) have shown that this is not the case. Price=Price. I say that if you have a high priced eBook you are greedy and a mean person, or maybe just hate puppies and little children. This is the truth of the matter, if you are a big publisher and have high priced eBooks you are ripping off the readers.

The Big 6 say we have low quality and I say they are greedy. eBooks are cheap, they do not cost a lot to put online and take little to maintain or manage. Where is the cost? Anyway... I could go on and on about this and we will explore it later. What should an eBook cost? As a Indie what should you price yours at and is there a better way of doing things?

Here is what you want.

Highest number of units sold:

Highest return:

If one has to give way to the other, you are doing it wrong. In the eBook world it is monthly return, not a per unit price. Look at how much you make per book per month. Not what you make per sale.

It is all about Volume baby!

So you want to price your eBook at the highest price, and still reach the most people. With some books this is 9.99 and with others it is .99.

If you reach 1000 people a month at 2.99 but can make more money at 4.99 and only reach 500 people, drop it back to 2.99. It is not about the money, (that will come later,) it is about building fans. So, if your reach more people every month, and your numbers stay the same or go up, you are in a good price per person rate.

Now if you have a book that is dropping in numbers,(Ranking or number of copies sold each month) mess with the numbers until you can stop the bleeding. The goal is to keep your book sales and numbers up.

I will give you an example. One of my books I priced at 8.99. I sold about 200 copies a month. I dropped it down to 2.99 and now sell 400-600 a month, I do not make that much more, if any, but I reach more people. Now, I have tried to sell this title at .99 and at that price, still only sell 600 or less. So I found my sweet spot, 2.99 reaches the most people and makes me the most money. I would make a little more at 8.99 but would have to give up the people.

Again, remember that to figure out your value as a writer with eBooks, it is not about the price of the book, but the monthly income. If Stephen King sold 100k eBooks at 14.99 the big publishers see that as a win. But if he would do it the way I am telling you here, he could sell 1 million eBooks at a lower price and make more money and reach more people. There is no loser except for the big publisher.

For any of you out there that still think I am giving away all my value as an author, that I am short selling my work, well... I say, are you full time? Do you want a good monthly income or do you want to sell a few books at a higher price to keep your pride intact? After all, that is what this is... pride, you want to think that you are WORTH a good high per book price, so will you let your own pride stand in the way of your own success? Because once you EARN the right, you like SK and other bestsellers can get a higher price as the fans will pay it.

We new authors, the Indie people have to build a fan base first, after that we can do more as we will have the fans to carry it all... and we will talk about will they pay more once they are used to the low price later...


Author Aaron Patterson: Blog: The Worst Book Ever.

The Idaho Book Extravaganza! This Weekend!

This is a post all about the Idaho Book Extravaganza this Friday and Saturday. Why post about this event? I will tell ya. First, it will change your life if you are a writer. Just ask many authors that attended last year.

You will learn about eBooks, marketing, publishing, agents and all sorts of other stuff that is relevant. So many book shows or writing conferences are so outdated that is is sad, no really, I cried at the last one that only had one class on social media and nothing about eBooks.

If you can make it please do yourself a favor and come. We will have Vincent Zandri, Estevan Vega, and some other amazing authors. Want to talk to an agent? We will have them, and it might surprise you what they have to say about the publishing world.

“Attending the Idaho Book Extravaganza was a life-changing experience for me. I heard about the event on the news, and the next day prepared a package of materials to take with me. I had been trying to get some of the big name publishers to view my CD and workbook for over fifteen years. The good news is that within four months had a newly packaged CD, and will be releasing my first book in the fall.
– Yvonne Rousseau, author Beyond Myself: Reclaiming Your Life After Sexual Abuse

I will link the details but here it is just for fun:

To Register click HERE

I hope to see you here.

Author Aaron Patterson: Blog: The Worst Book Ever.

The Devil in the White City: Review and thoughts

There are a few books I find myself talking about. It is a must, a need and this is one of them. The title rocks, the cover rocks and the book... yeah, rocks!

I am not into historical fiction, I tend to go for thrillers and such. So this took me by surprise. It is full of some way cool history and written like a novel. If you like thrillers but like some meat as well you will love this novel. I plan to read Erik Larson's other books and I would tell you to do the same.

I really want to have a good reputation about what books I tell you all about. I want them to be amazing so after you read you feel like I gave you good advice and not just hacked out something lame to fill a blog.

If you have read this book, tell me what you thought...

About The Book

Bringing Chicago circa 1893 to vivid life, Erik Larson's spellbinding bestseller intertwines the true tale of two men--the brilliant architect behind the legendary 1893 World's Fair, striving to secure America's place in the world; and the cunning serial killer who used the fair to lure his victims to their death. Combining meticulous research with nail-biting storytelling, Erik Larson has crafted a narrative with all the wonder of newly discovered history and the thrills of the best fiction.

"As absorbing a piece of popular history as one will ever hope to find." --San Francisco Chronicle

Reviews

The New York Times
“A dynamic, enveloping book. . . . Relentlessly fuses history and entertainment to give this nonfiction book the dramtic effect of a novel. . . . It doesn't hurt that this truth is stranger than fiction.”

Esquire
“So good, you find yourself asking how you could not know this already.”

USA Today
“Another successful exploration of American history. . . . Larson skillfully balances the grisly details with the far-reaching implications of the World's Fair.”

Chicago Tribune
“Engrossing . . . exceedingly well documented . . . utterly fascinating.”

Entertainmnet Weekly
“Paints a dazzling picture of the Gilded Age and prefigure the American century to come.”

Chicago Sun-Times
“A wonderfully unexpected book. . . . Larson is a historian . . . with a novelist's soul.”

People
“In a style that is suspenseful as well as entertaining, Larson shows us how both our highest aspirations and our most loathsome urges figured in the creation of the modern world.”

The Boston Globe
“Embedded . . . [with] treasures of description and anecdote. . . . Larson has crafted a work of excellence, not just suspenseful but historically informative in the best bedtime-story way. An ultra-satisfying read.”

The Denver Post
"Enthralling narratives that fully transport the reader into the past. An unqualified success."

About Erik Larson

Erik Larson, author of the international bestseller ISAAC'S STORM, was nominated for a National Book Award for THE DEVIL IN THE WHITE CITY. He is a former features writer for The Wall Street Journal and Time magazine, where he is still a contributing writer. His magazine stories have appeared in The New Yorker, The Atlantic Monthly, Harper's and other publications.

Larson has taught non-fiction writing at San Francisco State, the Johns Hopkins Writing Seminars, and the University of Oregon, and has spoken to audiences from coast to coast. He lives in Seattle with his wife, three daughters, a dwarf hamster, a Chinese fighting fish, and a golden retriever named Molly.


Author Aaron Patterson: Blog: The Worst Book Ever.

And the winner of the New Kindle is...

The last 30 days I ran a promotion where readers or anyone really could re-post a link and be entered to win a Free Kindle. I wanted to do something where we the public did not have to buy something. It seems that so many FREE things require buying or giving up email addresses or cutting yourself or some such nonsense.

But this was a simple contest, I did not make any money and all it took was a re-tweet or a share on Facebook. Everyone was really great about, in fact it went so well I do believe I will do more contests like this one. So if you did not win, don't have a sad face, you will get more chances in the future.

Okay, okay, enough stalling, you want to know who the winner is!

Her name is Kammie Lisonbee. And funny enough she met me at a book signing in Park City and ended up getting a copy of Airel. I asked her a few questions and she was good enough to humor me with some answers. So here in my interview with the winner of the Free Kindle Contest.

Interview:

How did you hear about Airel?

I met Aaron at Swiss Days in Utah. He talked to me for five minutes telling me all about the book. I was really hesitant about buying the book at first, but decided to go for it. I LOVED IT! I even have it signed by Aaron himself.

What was your favorite part or scene in Airel?

I loved when Michael came back for Airel and saved her. Even though it was against everything he was taught to do. When there was people there telling him to fail, he fought for the one he believed in, for the one he loved. What can I say I'm a sucker for the love in every story.

Do you like paper books or are you thinking this Kindle will replace some of them?

I love books all books, any books. I think the Kindle will totally give a new perspective of books for me; however I know I will still buy some paper books. I like to have them in my possession as weird as that sounds. I borrow books and if I like them I still go buy them, if I loved them enough. Although I’m sure it will slow down my buying some.

As a reader what do you think of bookstores closing?

I think it's super sad. Books give us knowledge. They are great sources to all ages. We learn from them, they give us imagination, teach us. I don't think that a Kindle or a Nook should ever fully replace books. There is just something about a book that won’t ever be able to be replaced.

Would you recommend Airel to your friends?

I would Definitely Recommend Airel to my friends. In fact I already have. I posted to my Facebook and Blog! I lent to my sister so we will see how she feels about it. The story outline is very close to home for me, and I loved every second of it!

End of interview.

There you have it... I want to thank everyone for posting and being so good about this contest. Gratz to Kammie and I hope you enjoy your new Kindle!



Author Aaron Patterson: Blog: The Worst Book Ever.

Book Review: The Dante Club by Matthew Pearl

I don't review books much as it takes time and I read a ton and it seems a little unfair to review one book when I have thousands under my reading belt. But, and this is my big but. There are some books that you just HAVE to talk about. I have a few that I recommend all the time. One is "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson, I will review this one some other time, and the one I am going to talk about today.

THE DANTE CLUB

Here is what the book is about:

1865 Boston, a small group of literary geniuses puts the finishing touches on America’s first translation of The Divine Comedy and prepares to unveil the remarkable visions of Dante to the New World. The powerful old guard of Harvard College wants to keep Dante out—believing that the infiltration of such foreign superstitions onto our bookshelves would prove as corrupting as the foreign immigrants invading Boston harbor. The members of the Dante Club—poets and Harvard professors Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Dr. Oliver Wendell Holmes, James Russell Lowell and publisher J. T. Fields —endure the intimidation of their fellow Boston Brahmins for a sacred literary cause, an endeavor that has sustained Longfellow in the hellish aftermath of his wife’s tragic death by fire.

But the plans of the Dante Club come to a screeching halt when a series of murders erupts through Boston and Cambridge. Only the members of the Dante Club realize that the style and form of the killings are stolen directly from Dante’s Inferno and its singular account of Hell’s punishments. With the police baffled, lives endangered and Dante’s literary future at stake, the Dante Club must shed its sheltered literary existence and find a way to stop the killer.

The brunt of the burden falls to Dr. Oliver Wendell Holmes, whose unique literacy in both poetry and medicine continues to pull him into the center of the struggle. An outcast policeman, Nicholas Rey, the first and only black member of the Boston police department, places his future on the line after discovering the secrets of the Dante Club. Together, they find the key to the murders where they least expect it: closer than they could have imagined.

Here is my take:

I loved this book. It was so well thought out, planned and kept me guessing. Not only that but it made me want to read Dante. I like books that spur me on to read more, other works and so on. I got to learn some history, read about the old school world of publishing and follow a killer that I found creepy and scary cool.

It is hard to review as there is so much to say, so let me just leave it at this. You must buy, rent, download, steal, or murder someone and take their copy if you need too. Just do it and read this book, it is well worth it and an amazing work.

I hope this helps as the weather gets colder, and you find you have more time in front of the fire sipping on a glass of wine. Take a ride back in time and read The Dante Club.

Cheers


Author Aaron Patterson: Blog: The Worst Book Ever.

Amazon, a hit and a miss! The New Kindle win and the crash and burn of the Kindle Fire Tablet

So unless you live under a rock you saw Amazon has some new family members. New Kindle touch and some at a great price. This news is great, something for everyone. Granted if you get the lower priced one you may have to put up with some adds but hey... only 79 bucks!

B&N beat them to the punch on the touch screen Nook and so it was only a matter of time that Amazon jumped in. The surprise to me is the follow-the-big-bookstore-off-the-cliff move with the Amazon Fire.

This is their tablet. If you remember the Color Nook, a sub-par tablet aimed to compete with the iPad. And for anyone with said iPad it was a sorry joke. Smaller screen and so many other things that I will not list them here as I want a short post not a new book.

So after watching B&N leave the eBook race to fight in the tablet wars I was shocked that Amazon followed into this same losing war right behind B&N. Now I get they want to offer the same kind of things as B&N but why put out something lame just because your competition did?

The Kindle touch was a good move, B&N came out with one they came out with three (two but three different versions). B&N comes out with a lame tablet and you... do what? Come out with a lame one as well? Come on Amazon, I love you but get with the program. Why buy this tablet unless I get the same amount of APPs and screen size? Why would I jump the Apple ship for this? Not the price, yeah you are going to kill B&N and if that is your plan good job, but in the long run you just gave Apple more time to be the king of the table market.

Amazon should have waited and come out with this same tablet with the same screen size as the iPad and priced the same as it is now and we would all look the other way on the APP thing as the price would make it worth it. Amazon and Android will get there in that department so it would be a huge win.

As to the other thing no one will talk about is color eInk. We know it can be done and we want it. Yeah the touch is cool for our eReaders but we want a eInk screen full color. Whoever comes out with this first will own, flat out kill everyone else. Why are Amazon and B&N not putting their R&D into this instead of trying to split their forces and fight Apple. Win the eBook war and the tablet war will be a small town along the path to the celestial city.

We don't want a small tablet, we want a low cost iPad or something like it. We don't want a touch eReader, we want Color eInk on the cool non-glare screen.

You hit a double with the New Kindles but struck out with the Fire...
Author Aaron Patterson: Blog: The Worst Book Ever.

I am giving away a FREE KINDLE!

Who wants to win a FREE KINDLE? No joke... Free. How you might be asking with your eyes full of glee!?

Step One: RE-Post this message to your blog, Facebook profile or RE-Tweet.

Step Two: Go to the Airel Facebook Fan-page, and "like" the page as well as post your link on the wall. Everyone who does this, will be automatically entered to win a free Kindle. The prize will be drawn at random and I will post the winner on the 15th of October.

If you want to say something nice about me or the book I will give you a online hug! Now that is worth almost more! Thanks everyone and I can't wait to see who wins!

Good luck all and happy posting!

Here is the link to Airel on Amazon.com

Author Aaron Patterson: Blog: The Worst Book Ever.

The Luck Factor

As a publisher, author, and blogger I read study and look for new publishing news and information. What I try to do is planned and I am always testing things to see if I can do more to better our sales and our reach.

Sometimes this can be overwhelming and frustrating, as it is a never-ending process. As soon as I learn something new, it is buried under the next great thing. Like most things in the social media world, things are in a constant state of flux. How are we to keep up and bend? Can we ever master the art of meeting people and building a brand we can be proud of? Is skill even a factor? Can we learn or is it all just a mess of SEO and dumb luck?

The answer is both. I look at these authors that hit the top ten list and have no social media presence and when I hear hear them talk they have no clue to how they made it... it is this fluke, some sort of funny joke the gods have dropped on us just to mess with our minds. How is it that some do so well with little or no planning?

Everything I do is planned and tested, thought about and so on. But what about luck? It seems that every author that "Makes It" has this fun little luck thing going on. They try something and it just works, others follow and it does not seem to have the same results. I admit, I have this luck, some of it, but not all of it. I try something new in tweeting or promoting and it works most of the time.

This may sound great to you but to me it is a huge pain. I don't want to be a part of something that I can't duplicate or control. I want to be able to copy what works and spread it across to all our authors, but can it be done?

No, you can't teach luck, it just is...

Does that mean you have to have the Luck Factor? Nope, it just means that study, hard work, and doing the right mix of promotion and magic will still work. We can figure out what to do to be successful, but some will make it faster because of the LF.

I guess what I am saying is that if you have some luck, do not try to teach it to others as it will not work for them as it does you. But teach the things that will work even without the little dash of luck, because it is or is not... can we control it or force it to happen to us? I don't know, but I think no.

I believe everything can be done through hard work. But it does not hurt to have a little luck. If you have it, be glad but don't boast, if you don't, stop trying to get it or rub against someone who has it, work hard and we can all enjoy the fruits of our labor.

Author Aaron Patterson: Blog: The Worst Book Ever.

The Real Me

We all have this mask we wear, the one for the public, Facebook, Twitter and so on. I have tried this last year to let that fall away and be more open and honest with who I really am and because of that I have lost some friends and gained others.

What does it mean to be real? Well... something like this.

Dream and take time for yourself, life is short.

Forget most of what people tell you and go with your gut.

Friends will never leave you but will always tell you the truth even if it hurts.

Money will never make you happy.

If you never try anything you will never fail or succeed.

You are not your job.

Sometimes the right thing is the wrong thing.

We are all not as cool as we think we are.

Being a nerd is not all that bad.

I like coffee, and books, and sometimes I need to be left alone.

Going out on the town every weekend gets boring.

Even the people you trust will let you down, cut them some slack.

Trust first and doubt later.

Most stories have three sides, your side, my side and the truth.

Sometimes I hate myself.

I do things I don't want to do because it is right and do things I don't want to do because I can't help myself.

My worst enemy is me.

Forgive me for being a jerk, I don't mean it but am stupid... a lot!

I am happy even when I am sad.

One day I hope to be a good writer, but in the meantime join me in my journey.

Never regret.

Learn something from everyone you meet, even if it is what not do do.

Most people that fail in life are scared.

Sometimes just getting out of bed is enough.

It is never as bad as you imagine it will be.

Cut yourself some slack.

I wish I was a better man.

People will hate you if you fail and hate you if you succeed.

And last of all... You Are Enough!

Cheers!



Author Aaron Patterson: Blog: The Worst Book Ever.

Risky Business: Guest post by J.E. Fishman

I met J.E. in New York at Thriller Fest. He let me butt in on a conversation and I found that he was up to date on the publishing world and was doing things that most authors were scared to do. He is the model for DIY publishing as he has done his research and looks and feels like a New York Press. Great cover, editing and distribution. Take note as this is just the beginning and I am sure we will all see more of this amazing author.

Risky Business

Life is risky. We fall ill, we trust too much, we have business or career setbacks. One accident, one wrong word to our boss, giving in to a single temptation…boom! All of a sudden we’re fighting for our lives or watching our bank account empty or our spouse walk out the door. No wonder we avoid additional risk when possible or lay off our risk on others when we can persuade them to take it.

Writing is risky. From deep within us we conjure images and characters and stories, then lay them out for the world to judge. No wonder books like The Courage to Write by Ralph Keyes become perennial bestsellers. Some people find writing so risky that they can’t get past the blank page.

Publishing is risky. All that effort and money and time expended up front, then the book put out into a crowded and noisy world where it’s just as likely to get swamped as it is to get noticed. No wonder publishers and independent authors so often cut corners on their way to the marketplace.

We know all these things are risky, but here’s something we rarely acknowledge: Every time potential book readers consider whether to buy your book, they, too, are weighing risk. Not just the risk of wasting their money, but also the risk of wasting their time, which is usually far more important.

People can judge a picture’s value at a glance, judge the quality of a garment at a touch, the taste of a meal perhaps by a single bite, but it can take hours of immersion in a book before we know whether it was worthy of our time.

Thus, before we commit to purchasing a book (or even reading one we acquired for nothing), we look for signals as to its riskiness. Do we know the author’s previous work? Are there reviews? What does the jacket tell us? How do the first few pages read?

When I decided to publish independently — and to do so via Verbitrage, the authors’ consortium that I founded — I realized I had to find ways to tell readers that their risk would be minimal. Here’s what I did:

1. I wrote the best book that I could and solicited feedback from a group of readers to make it better.
2. The manuscript I chose to publish, Primacy, fit into a popular genre — in this case, thrillers.
3. I signed up a professional editor with a stellar reputation.
4. I found a distributor that would offer my book not only through select websites but also through the book trade.
5. I committed to offset printing the physical books, a process that still yields a higher quality product than print-on-demand technology does.
6. I hired two of the best designers in the business for the jacket and interior.
7. Finally, I engaged a world-class publicity firm that could help me get media attention.

These things were all risky because they cost me money, time and other considerations. But they lower the risk my customers must take. The jacket grabs their attention in the familiar way of major commercial fiction. The story engages them and doesn’t let go. The book — if they’ve bought the physical version, not the ebook — feels substantial in their hands and looks like a book should look in all the subtle ways. And they’ve likely found it through a reputable bookseller rather than in some far-off corner of the blogosphere.

Will it work as a business proposition — this allocation of risk away from the book’s purchaser and onto myself? It might not; it’s a risk, after all. But early signs are encouraging.

Primacy has received good notices from Publishers Weekly and Kirkus, the latter listing it in mid-August as one of five “Top Books to Pre-Order This Week.” Barnes & Noble decided to carry it. Before publication date, I received word that some wholesale warehouses had gone quickly out of stock and re-ordered. Most important, the book will appear on tables and face-outs at 185 Hudson News airport stores this fall.

By now maybe you’re wondering about the subject matter. Kirkus succinctly described Primacy this way: “In Fishman’s eco-thriller, a voluble primate threatens to bring down the animal-testing industry.” Yeah, it’s a thriller about a talking ape. Sound familiar?

I didn’t have Planet of the Apes in mind when I wrote Primacy, but that doesn’t mean I won’t benefit from the glow of the film’s success. That would be a break I couldn’t have anticipated, but as the saying goes, you gotta be in it to win it.

With the movie’s success, buying and reading Primacy may seem to strangers like even less of a risk than it would have otherwise. That should be fine with them and it sure is fine with me. As Louis Pasteur said, “Chance favors only the prepared mind.”


About the Author
J.E. Fishman’s first novel, the mystery Cadaver Blues, was serialized on The Nervous Breakdown in 2010. He is author of Primacy: A Thriller, available wherever books are sold. When he isn’t writing fiction or blogging, Fishman — a former Doubleday editor, literary agent, and ghostwriter — works as an entrepreneur, dividing his time between Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania, and New York City. Follow him on Twitter (JEFISHMAN) or Google+ (J.E. Fishman) or find him at Verbitrage (www.Verbitrage.com/jefishman).

If you want to buy PRIMACY you can get it here: Amazon and B&N.

Author Aaron Patterson: Blog: The Worst Book Ever.

To DRM or not to DRM that is the question. Or is it?

I get asked all the time about DRM and is having your work out in eBook form safe? Will someone copy and steal it and ... and... and what?

Is it really a question anymore? Do we really think that protecting our work is even worth the effort?

I will start off with a question of my own, this goes to you the author. Are you important enough to steal from?

See, the DRM question all leads to this thought. If you are Stephen King yeah I might take some extra steps and maybe put the DRM on my eBooks. But are you Stephen King? And if you are, don't you make enough to not have to worry about it?

Many authors have tested this theory and all came to the same answer. The more people that read your book the more you make. Even if it is stolen you will still get new fans as maybe the next book they but cuz they got a virus from the site where they stole your first book from. Maybe they have friends and the thief talks all about how great you are. In all it is one more person that knows who you are.

Now I am not for stealing but I am not going to stop it by myself. Might as well not worry about it and move on. J.A. Konrath put one book up for free one month and gave the Word doc away so it could be stolen and his sales went up 60%.

What is easier? Cutting the spine on a print book and scanning it in, or trying to get the thing off of a Kindle or Nook?

Is it worth the time and virus you might get to steal it when you can buy it for about 4 bucks or less? Sometimes it is just easier to buy the dang thing. Besides they were never going to buy your book anyway. People who steal are going to steal, just be glad you got another fan if they like your book.

What about free books? If you gave away 100k free books and half of them became fans you would make a good living. How is this different? Yeah, it is wrong but in the end you got your work in the hands of a person.

So, it will not hurt sales
It will not hurt your growth
It will not hurt anyone really... so what was the question again?

Oh, that's right, you are so in demand that everyone is stealing you book! I forgot... lol

I hope this help you sleep a little better at night. I am going to go steal your book now... cuz I'm cool like that! =)

Author Aaron Patterson: Blog: The Worst Book Ever.