How to leave a book review.

The GOOD, The BAD and the UGLY!
If you are a writer, a book review is a big deal and if you are a reader and want to leave a review it can be a daunting task. What do you say, how do you say what you want?

First off I want to talk about bad reviews. I have talked to the old school authors and it was a rare thing to get a bad review as most people who left a review was because they liked the book. But with shows like American Idol, the public thinks that what they think matters.

I say this with a bit of a evil grin as in the end most opinion's are not worth thinking about as it may burn brain cells. But, now we have a problem and online more and more bad reviews are popping up as being mean and speaking your mind is glamorized. If you are mean and cruel it must mean you are cool, yet I bet you not one mean reviewer would tell the author to their face the same thing.

So if you want to leave a bad review, remember, this is a person, be nice and talk about the book and the good and the bad, what you liked and didn't like and keep the personal comments out. Pretend that this is your mother, or best friend, how would you talk to them? Would you say "You suck and should go hang yourself?" Some reviews are this bad, and very personal. Remember, writing is Art, if you do not like it, that is on you, some other person may love the book. If you hate a painting do you blast the painter? No, you may just "Not get it" or may just not be for you.

Good Reviews:

You read a book and liked it, what do you do?
First, leave a review. To combat the bad review crazy people, it is even more important for you to give the gift of a good review if you liked the book.

But what is a review for?

It is to let people know if they should buy the book. Do you think other people would like it and what would they like about it?

Leaving a review is not you endorsing the book, it is telling people what you liked and even what you did not like.

Don't worry about how long it is. You can just say, "Great book for Teens and I loved the story." you do not need to write a long review, if you want, go for it but even a one liner helps for other readers as they read to make a choice.

I had a blogger who is very wise read my book and she did not like it, but she saw that it was just not for her, she liked my writing and knew of other people that would love it. So now she knows who to recommend the book too. See, it is not about if you loved or hated it, who do you know that would like the book? I have read books that were not for me but I would pass them to someone who i knew would like that style or whatever.

This is what a review is for. Who will like the book? Teens, Women, men? Think about who is the perfect reader and try to lead your review to speak to them.

I know being honest is a good thing but do not be honest and mean. We have so much hate and piss poor people in this world that spreading it around more is just lame...yes, #Lame. Hashtag that!

Hate a book? Leave a NICE review that is HELPFUL and not just proof that you need more lovin. If you love the book, leave a HELPFUL review and make sure you take the time to do it, every review helps even the bad ones if they are done in a spirit of kindness.

I hope this helps and get out there and read, and share. Reading is a wonderful thing. Have a great day and if you do not agree with me... leave me a comment and practice being nice and say how messed up in the head I am! =)

P.S. I forgot to mention, don't leave a UPDATE review. "I am reading your books and so far I love/hate is, I will leave more as I read..." And leave 3 stars based on how far you are in the book. Really? Come on... read the book! And on that note, if you do not finish the book, don't leave a review, you did not finish. And if that means it sucked, well what if the ending made up for the suck? But you do not know cuz you did not read the whole book. Again...#Lame

Author Aaron Patterson: Blog: The Worst Book Ever.

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.

New eBooks/Audio Books for Christmas!

Christmas is just a few days away and we (StoneHouse Ink) have a ton of new stuff that is out just in time to load your new Nook or Kindle. Some of the things we are doing have never been done before and as the leader in cutting edge eBook content we are pleased to give you all the heads up on what is coming to the eBook world!

First lets talk about what StoneHouse did before anyone else, as in EVER! About a year and a half ago we released out first "Digital Short" which is a eBook only short story. After a year on the market we had 6 or so up and Avon and some other big publishers made the news with... you you guessed it, eBook only short stories. I did not think this was such a big and cool idea, just made sense. So now that we were the first I did not want our next big breaking eBook titles to go unnoticed.

We call them UNCUT editions. These eBooks are like what in movies you get with Blu-Ray, or the Extended cut movies. We thought it would be cool to have a behind the scenes look into a novel. So with Vincent Zandri's Moonlight Falls and Aaron Patterson's Sweet Dreams we unleashed on the world the first...yes the very first of their kind, eBook only UNCUT editions!

You may cheer and scream if you like =)

You can now see some cool editing notes, deleted scenes and author interviews. This is just the start as I am sure other publishers will come out with their own, but remember this post and how you got to see the first ones!

The next cool new stuff is our new audio books from StoneHouse Audio. We have two live right now and more in production. Now we are not messing around, all the narrators are award winners and have been at the game a long time so this is not something done in some basement in Caldwell. These are top of the line audio books by some of the best voices in the business.

The first one to release is Vincent Zandri's Scream Catcher and the next one is K.C. Neal's Pyxis. If you have not downloaded these to your Kindle or fire or whatever you have...well I may have to send out my boyz to bust some kneecaps!

So you got some UNCUT eBooks, some audio action...what more is there?

Uh... how about a new genre? You up for it? Okay, we have our first offshoot from Steampunk. It is called Reeferpunk. What is that you ask? Well, this is one kick-butt-non-stop-crazy-cool-book! David Mark Brown started this genre and we are honored to have him hanging with us. Here is a brief into to Reeferpunk:

The Austin Job
With the world embroiled in the Great War, power-hungry forces threaten to tear apart the state of Texas in a secret plot to rule the resource that will fuel the future. In The Austin Job, James Starr, bronc rider turned politician, stumbles into a high stakes game of power and lies that he must master before it masters him.

Exploding with double-fisted, cheek-puckering action, including the world's fist parkour stunt horse, The Austin Job dares you to cinch your saddle to a bolt of Lone Star lightning and hold on for dear life.

In this second book of his Reeferpunk series, Author David Mark Brown invites the reader into a world illuminated by human torches and moonlight towers, an underground Austin inhabited by machine and monster alike, where what you don't know can get you killed--or just really, really messed up.

Not cool enough for ya? How about some Robin Parrish...

This book Corridor is a YA novel and the first YA for Robin. He is an amazing author that we are trying to pull away from the big boys. Here is the cover... it will be up on amazon and B&N by the end of the year so keep your keen eye out.

And if all this is not enough to make you salivate, what, you didn't get a Kindle for Christmas? #Lame. Well, here is a chance to win a free Kindle Fire hosted by Allan Leverone. Click Here to enter to win a Kindle Fire!

Okay, I am out of breath... so check out all the cool stuff and please share with your peeps and spread the love... Have a great Christmas and a happy and safe new year!












Author Aaron Patterson: Blog: The Worst Book Ever.

So what is up with Amazon Kindle Select?

The Kindle Select mess and #lameness to follow!

Warning...this is a rant, so I may not be the nice little author you know and love... oh wait, you all know me...never mind, carry on =)

I must be getting old or something, or maybe the rantings of well meaning writers just gets under my skin. Not that normal stupid people make me feel all warm and fuzzy, but is it me or does everyone think that they are so important as to think that we really matter in the game the big boys are playing???

Yes, as you can gather, I am in a MOOD.

So here is the deal: KDP Lending program, good or bad? IMO it is good if you know how to use it.

1. Use it with your special titles. Doubles, UNCUT books and books that do not sell well on other sites.
2. Stop the madness!!! Amazon would have taken over the book market long ago if they had the stones to do it... but I talk to them once a month or so and they are like a sleeping giant that thinks they are small and are just figuring out that they are small, but that they live in a ant world. Amazon is playing a game. Putting publishing imprints in place for the future, buying up authors to one day crush the publishing world. They could do it tomorrow but they don't realize how much power they really have. So, you can be "In The Family" or fight what IS coming.

What do I mean by this?

I mean, all Amazon wants is to make money. And to do that they have to keep authors and readers happy so they walk a thin line. They are not going to shoot themselves in the foot and piss off all the indie authors as they make bank on them. BUT they will kill B&N soon just like Borders and a new book monster will have to rise up to give them a fight.

Through all this we authors can still sell and sell well building a fan-base the whole time. But to make it sound like they are a big ol mean online bully is just writers getting all fussy cuz they want to whine about something. I know... I am harsh...

The other thing that makes me hot under the ugly sweater is authors that think the Big 6 care about little kidz reading! Oh and Amazon is just a money hungry so in so. You really thing the publishers care if a poor kid gets a book for Christmas? Really?

All they want is money, to sell you a book to make a dollar... the only difference between Amazon and the Big 6 is Amazon will pay you!!! Yeah I said it! They pay their authors and know how to sell a crap load of books! The publishers do not, they are out of touch, lost in the land of print and sucking their thumbs cuz eBooks messed up all the money they were making!

So what should you do?

first, stop looking for the bad news. Look at the new whatever it is... and do your research and try something new instead of running with the masses into a wall.

Next, stop thinking of yourself beyond what you are. Do you really think that your eBook and your huge sales is going to bother Amazon or anyone else? We are all small fish, not worth most readers time, so stop making it out like you and your book sales are going to go under cuz Amazon wants you to sell only on their site. Really... so you sell so many on B&N? I don't...so what does it matter... you don't hear in the news when B&N has "Exclusive" titles... they do! did you know that? They have eBooks (James Patterson) that you can only get on B&N.

Now let us all take a breath... suck in some air and realize that all of this is about the money. Publishers want to make it, Amazon and B&N want to make it and yes you little author want to make it... if you don't call me and I will make it for you and you can just write cuz you believe in the art.

Amazon is trying new things... that is why they do so well, they are not afraid to try something new and fail. If this lending thing does not work they will try something else. I know they were talking about giving 80% to authors that wanted to just sell on Amazon and decided to try this lending thing instead. So try it, if you make more money, great. if not, oh well, it is not forever... you are not selling your soul. I look at it as advertizing, what if the one or two books I put in the program lend really good and I can use the extra promotion to boost my other sales... you never know. And you will never know if you do not try.

This is just the start, soon B&N will want you to just sell a book on their site, and new programs will hit the market. Think about how it may help or hurt you, and don't worry about the world falling around you... you may not live to see it so lighten up.

and a note to the high brow authors that think NOT selling and getting awards is a mark of success... you will die alone with 5 readers who thing you are a god... but what good will it do the world? If you do not connect with the people you missed your mark. Books are written to be read, the mark of success is to reach as many people as you can and to leave them better off. What grand thing do you do if you do nothing because you are scared to act? I could care less if I get an award... the reader who emails me and says they loved my book is my reward. If you do not sell, don't turn it around and make out like it is cuz you don't want too... or maybe it is that you have lost touch with the people... but don't look down on the author that puts his or her heart on the line and jump in the big pond.

End Rant!


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.

Guest Post: Paul Bishop: WHY PULP?

WHY PULP?

PAUL BISHOP (AKA: JACK TUNNEY)

Far too much of today’s fiction output is bloated filler designed to turn books into 700 page doorstops under the false assumption more is better. If you’re like me, you don’t have the time or patience to plow through 700 pages to read a story better served in 300 pages – or less.

The writers who work on the pulp magazines from back in the day understood this. Their audience wanted stripped down yarn filled with action, twists and turns, all with the point of providing reader satisfaction.

Hero pulps from the ‘30s and ‘40s, such as The Shadow, Doc Savage, and The Avenger, pull major collector’s prices today. To a lesser extent so do the weird menace and aviation pulps. Western pulps can still be had for bargain prices as can many of the romance and sports pulps.

The best of the sports pulps, Fight Card Magazine, however, demands the same high collector’s prices as the popular hero pulps. The stories in Fight Card Magazine were a definite cut above the stories in the multitude of other sports pulps. The most collectible issue of Fight Stories Magazine contain two-fisted tales of Sailor Steve Costigan written by the creator of Conan, Robert E. Howard.

It was Howard’s boxing tales along with many others from Fight Stories magazines that are among my pulp favorites. They have long held sway in my imagination, yet there was no modern home for their novelette length – until now.

The advent of e-publishing has not only provided a viable publishing platform for the 25,000 word novelette, but also a way to reach specific niche audiences hungry for these types of tales.

The Fight Card series, created by myself and prolific writer Mel Odom, is inspired by the boxing tales from the best of the sports pulps. Told in the straightforward, hard-driving, two-fisted pulp style, the yarns we spin under the Fight Card banner are designed to be read in one or two sittings while still providing major bang and satisfaction for your reading dollars.

Published under the unifying pseudonym Jack Tunney, the first two Fight Card books have just debuted across all e-book platforms. Felony Fists (written by myself) and The Cutman (written by Mel Odom), take different approaches to their boxing tales.

Felony Fists has a crime twist with L.A.P.D. detective /boxer Patrick “Felony” Flynn facing down Solomon King, a brutal heavyweight contender owned by mobster Mickey Cohen. Flynn’s mandate – put King on the canvas and stop Cohen from taking over the L.A. fight rackets.

The Cutman is an adventure yarn. Merchant Marine Mickey Flynn, Pat’s older brother, is in the ring in Havana battling the human killing machine Simbari. The fate of Mickey’s ship and her crew hanging in the balance.

Next month, Split Decision by Eric Beetner – a noir tale to stand with the best of the Gold Medal originals – will be Fight Card’s main event.

In the following months more top notch tales from top notch storytellers with an affinity for fisticuffs and pulp-style writing, along with more tales from myself and Mel Odom, will be climbing into the ring.

If you enjoy two-fisted, straightforward, timeless storytelling give Felony Fists or The Cutman or both a try, and let us know what you think.

FIGHT CARD: FELONY FISTS

JACK TUNNEY

Los Angeles 1954

Patrick “Felony” Flynn has been fighting all his life. Learning the “sweet science” from Father Tim the fighting priest at St. Vincent’s, the Chicago orphanage where Pat and his older brother Mickey were raised, Pat has battled his way around the world – first with the Navy and now with the Los Angeles Police Department.

Legendary LAPD chief William Parker is on a rampage to clean up both the department and the city. His elite crew of detectives known as The Hat Squad is his blunt instrument – dedicated, honest, and fearless. Promotion from patrol to detective is Pat’s goal, but he also yearns to be one of the elite.

And his fists are going to give him the chance.

Gangster Mickey Cohen runs LA’s rackets, and murderous heavyweight Solomon King is Cohen’s key to taking over the fight game. Chief Parker wants Patrick “Felony” Flynn to stop him – a tall order for middleweight ship’s champion with no professional record.

Leading with his chin, and with his partner, LA’s first black detective Tombstone Jones, covering his back, Patrick Flynn and his Felony Fists are about to fight for his future, the future of the department, and the future of Los Angeles.

FIGHT CARD: THE CUTMAN

JACK TUNNEY

Havana, Cuba. 1954.

Mickey Flynn is an ex-Korean War vet turned merchant marine. He was born in the ghettos of Chicago and raised in an orphanage with his younger brother, Patrick. He was one of several young men who received an education from the nuns at St. Vincent’s.

But he was also taught the "sweet science" by Father Tim, a Golden Gloves boxer and retired police officer who only knew one way to bring a troubled boy to manhood. Father Tim worked with his young charges, taught them how to jab and punch and throw a hook that seemed to come out of nowhere. When the young men left St. Vincent's (Our Lady of the Glass Jaw), they were changed, fit and ready to take on the troubles the encountered around the world, no matter where they found them.

Now Mick's in Havana, working on WIDE BERTHA, his ship. After surviving a fierce storm at sea, the last thing Mick and the crew need to do is get crossways with the Italian organized crime flooding Havana, but it doesn't take much to put him in the cross hairs of a vengeful mob boss working for Lucky Luciano.

Unable to get free of bad luck and unfortunate circumstance, Mick ends up in the ring in an illegal boxing match fighting a human killing machine.


About Paul:
A novelist and screenwriter, Paul Bishop also has a distinguished career with the Los Angeles Police Department, where he has twice been honored as Detective Of The Year. With over thirty years experience investigating Sex Crimes, Paul brings a gritty realism to his writing along with a healthy dollop of hard earned gallows humor.

As a nationally recognized interrogator, Paul appears regularly as one of two principal interrogators on the hit ABC reality series Take The Money And Run . . .

His novels include Hot Pursuit, Deep Water, Penalty Shot, and four novels in his L.A.P.D. Detective Fey Croaker series: Kill Me Again, Grave Sins, Tequila Mockingbird, and Chalk Whispers. He has also published two short story collections, Pattern Of Behavior and Running Wylde, as well as writing scripts for episodic television and feature films.

Check out Paul's blog HERE
And friend him on Facebook
And as you tweet follow Paul on Twitter



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.