Archive for February, 2011

Social Media and Marketing

Posted: February 28, 2011 in General
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It is the advent of social media that has allowed the indie writing scene to take off – being able to spread the word to a huge audience is a boon that not long ago was never available. Being able to find – and talk with – potential fans all over the world is what made has allowed some authors to really make a success of their writing.

Of course at times it can seem to big, but that is part of the uniqueness of the internet.

I’m slowly getting myself set up out there.

I have been on twitter for some time – as @mistandshadows – but have now started to branch out.

I now have a public facebook page and a facebook author page. (I also have a private one for family and close friends, but this is for general public use.)

And I am also on goodreads, which I really need to get back to updating. I am slowly going through my rather large collection and adding to it.

So if you use any of those services come and say hi.

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Reviews and Giveaway Progress

Posted: February 27, 2011 in fantasy, General, Tears of the Mountain, winter wolves
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Late last night, just before I was about to head to bed, I got my second review for Tears of the Mountain – and my first 5-star review. Needless to say I was pretty stoked as I hadn’t been expecting it at all, and the person who wrote it isn’t someone I know. They read it and liked it, a lot. Its got me pumped now to go crazy with the writing – knowing you aren’t a complete hack and someone liked your stories enough to post such a glowing report really does help out the confidence.

And now onto the progress of the Winter Wolves giveaway.

It initially started very slow – just six were taken up in the fist 2 days. And then yesterday it took off, with 58 people purchasing it through the coupons in total now. It seems it got picked up on a website that advertises free books and this pushed a fair bit of traffic my way. Too date I haven’t gotten any reviews, but a couple of people have said they will write one.

Hopefully, with a week and a half still to go, it will help generate a number of reviews and even a sale or two.

Supporting My Sister Through Winter Wolves

Posted: February 25, 2011 in winter wolves
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My sister is currently working overseas in a third world country that, for security reasons, can’t be named. It isn’t the worst around but still isn’t exactly safe – the school she works at requires armed guards 24/7. The work she does is entirely voluntary and all the support she gets has to come from home in the form of donations and pledges.

As a poor starving writer there is not much I can do to help, until now.

I have decided that all the profits from my new novel, Winter Wolves, will go towards supporting her and the school she works at.

Currently I am offering it on Smashwords for free, by using the coupon VC42F, for the next two weeks. This is in an effort to garner reviews and hopefully help spread the word.

If people are interested in buying a copy, it can be purchased for $0.99 on Amazon or Smashwords. Given the way royalties work on the two places, Smashwords is better value – one sale there produces twice the profit it does on Amazon.

Winter Wolves Finished

Posted: February 19, 2011 in fantasy, winter wolves, writing update
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Early this morning I got to the end of the rewrite and polishing of Winter Wolves and typed ‘The End.’

Its been a long while since I started it but now it has reached its conclusion. Well, more or less. There is still work to be done; proof reading, cover design and above all formatting for both Smashwords and Amazon. Hopefully that will not take too long and people can have a rad of it.

Already working on what to do next. I have the half finished novel He Stands Between, as well as two novellas, Hammer of the Skies and Dawn of Wolves that need finishing, plus another currently secret project. Maybe I’ll just flip a coin to see which gets priority.

And at some stage I need to work on updating parts of the website.

Progress Report

Posted: February 16, 2011 in winter wolves, writing update
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I’m making good progress on the editing of Winter Wolves, having done thirteen of the twenty one chapter so far.

That is the easy part.

After finishing the rewriting I did some brainstorming, trying to nut out a few problems I was having with the plot as it sat. The brainstorming worked well, as I figured out a way to fix the problems not only to my satisfaction, but to tie it in with a short story I’ve written as well. The major issue with the new ideas is that it is going to take some major rewriting in the second half of the book – maybe even whole chapters will need to be done. That all lies ahead still.

But at the current rate I am still looking at the end of the month to have it done and up available for download around the place.

Indie Inspiration

Posted: February 11, 2011 in General
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For those who hang around the indie writing scene, the name Amanda Hocking is one you’ll come across sooner or later – more than likely sooner.

A year ago she was an unknown – today she is one of the biggest names on the indie scene, with over half a million copies of her books sold, and is attracting attention even from the mainstream. She recently did a TV interview, which shows how far her star has risen.

She also was interviewed by USAToday;

It is an unbelievable story – and one that is inspiring to those just starting out on the indie road.

Can we replicate her success? That is doubtful, but at the least it shows us that there are opportunities out there, if we work hard – and have a little luck.

Winter Wolves: Starting the Final Edit/Polish

Posted: February 10, 2011 in fantasy, winter wolves, writing update
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I’ve finished writing Winter Wolves. Its been a long time in the coming, but it is done finally.

Now comes the next phase – the editing and polishing. It is going to need it. Some concepts and ideas changed during the writing and so I’m going to have to go back through it and fix any inconstancies that may have caused, as well as fleshing out various spots that need some more detail. The largest amount of work needs to happen in the last one third, while the first one third is almost ready to go.

The aim is to have it up and out by the end of the month. Sooner if I can manage it.

January Report

Posted: February 2, 2011 in fantasy, Tears of the Mountain, The Oncoming Storm, winter wolves, writing update
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January has come and gone – yes already. One twelfth of the year has already flown by.

Writing wise it was a decent month. Notable points are;

130K words written – mostly rewriting old drafts but still that is progress.
70K done on rewrite of Winter Wolves novel.
10.5K done of rewrite of Dawn of Wolves novella.
Tears of the Mountain published on Smashwords/Amazon.
Halfway into the rewrite of He Stands Between.
Various notes and ideas done for other stories.

Hope I can keep up the pace for February.
Aims for February are finishing off Winter Wolves and hopefully Dawn of the Wolves, plus a short story or two. And trying to market Tears of the Mountain better.