My gang at Top Suspense have a great discussion going on our blog starting today about the craft of writing suspense novels. We call it Inside Top Suspense. Check it out and join the conversation with 12 of the best mystery and suspense writers working today!
Monday, June 20, 2011
Friday, June 17, 2011
Kickstart Your Life
My cousin and SciFi author, Stuart Jaffe, told me about Kickstarter, a company that uses crowd sourcing to raise money for all kinds of creative projects.
People are invited to fund projects at whatever level they choose. The project creator retains complete ownership and control and all profits. Contributors are rewarded with the satisfaction of having helped fund a worthy project and with other bonuses crafted by the project creator.
Among the projects funded to date are a documentary film, How To Start A Revolution, HexBright, an open source light, and a book titled Oneironautics - A Field Guide To Lucid Dreaming (a subject that plays a central role in my book The Dead Man).
Publisher's Weekly reports that Kickstarter has become the #3 U.S. publisher of graphic novels. And another company, Unbound is doing the same thing, only focusing exclusively on publishing books.
Self-publishing isn't free. Authors have to finance cover art, formatting, editing, copyediting and marketing. And success is far from assured. Companies like Kickstarter and Unbound are a welcome resource, even though they can't guarantee a project will be funded. Indie authors may even try developing their own crowd sourcing model, using social media.
Bottom line, if you want to write and publish, kickstart your life!
People are invited to fund projects at whatever level they choose. The project creator retains complete ownership and control and all profits. Contributors are rewarded with the satisfaction of having helped fund a worthy project and with other bonuses crafted by the project creator.
Among the projects funded to date are a documentary film, How To Start A Revolution, HexBright, an open source light, and a book titled Oneironautics - A Field Guide To Lucid Dreaming (a subject that plays a central role in my book The Dead Man).
Publisher's Weekly reports that Kickstarter has become the #3 U.S. publisher of graphic novels. And another company, Unbound is doing the same thing, only focusing exclusively on publishing books.
Self-publishing isn't free. Authors have to finance cover art, formatting, editing, copyediting and marketing. And success is far from assured. Companies like Kickstarter and Unbound are a welcome resource, even though they can't guarantee a project will be funded. Indie authors may even try developing their own crowd sourcing model, using social media.
Bottom line, if you want to write and publish, kickstart your life!
Thursday, June 16, 2011
SHAKEN: STORIES OF JAPAN
Another Rave for Motion To Kill
Jamie Anastasiow is a high school English teacher. I don't know about you, but when I was in high school, getting a rave review from my English teacher was no easy task. Jamie is a prolific reader, blogger and reviewer who doesn't hand out A's on every paper. So, I'm thrilled that she's thrilled with Motion To Kill!
In her rave review, she says something that no one else has ever said about my writing that I can't help but comment about.
"There is no author to compare Joel Goldman to because this really was so unique and as far as one could get from a stereotypical thriller in any sub genre."
Though every author is influenced by writers they respect, we all strive to create a unique voice. Jamie's comment is among the highest praise a writer can get and I'm grateful for it. Thanks, Jamie!
In her rave review, she says something that no one else has ever said about my writing that I can't help but comment about.
"There is no author to compare Joel Goldman to because this really was so unique and as far as one could get from a stereotypical thriller in any sub genre."
Though every author is influenced by writers they respect, we all strive to create a unique voice. Jamie's comment is among the highest praise a writer can get and I'm grateful for it. Thanks, Jamie!
Amazon's Invisible Hand - Part II
A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about Amazon's Sunshine Deals program and the impact it was having on Amazon's bestseller lists. The immediate impact of Amazon's deep discounting of 600 select books was a huge spike in sales for those titles. No surprise.
Now comes evidence that the effect was short-lived and that, by the second week of the promotion, the impact of the discount had worn off. Read about it in Mike Shatzkin's excellent report. Relying on analysis by ace number cruncher Dan Lubart, he points out that brand name authors (i.e., bestselling authors published by the Big 6) may have a competitive advantage in the long run over lesser-known authors who rely on low price. More important, this data suggests that ebooks priced below $3 may not be competing for the same buyers as those priced above $5.
Self-published authors, including mid-list authors moving to self-publishing, who sell their books at the $2.99 price point and below can still prosper. But we'll have to understand our market. Self-publishing has leveled the playing field in some respects but it doesn't mean all ebook sellers are playing the same game.
Now comes evidence that the effect was short-lived and that, by the second week of the promotion, the impact of the discount had worn off. Read about it in Mike Shatzkin's excellent report. Relying on analysis by ace number cruncher Dan Lubart, he points out that brand name authors (i.e., bestselling authors published by the Big 6) may have a competitive advantage in the long run over lesser-known authors who rely on low price. More important, this data suggests that ebooks priced below $3 may not be competing for the same buyers as those priced above $5.
Self-published authors, including mid-list authors moving to self-publishing, who sell their books at the $2.99 price point and below can still prosper. But we'll have to understand our market. Self-publishing has leveled the playing field in some respects but it doesn't mean all ebook sellers are playing the same game.
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
MOTION TO KILL Has Launched!
MOTION TO KILL HAS LAUNCHED!!
Electrifying! – Publisher’s Weekly
Michael Connelly recommends Motion To Kill!
Joel Goldman is the real deal! – John Lescroart, Bestselling author of the Dismas Hardy thriller series.
When two of his partners are killed, corruption, sex and murder fill trial lawyer Lou Mason’s docket as he tracks the killer. Will Lou be the next victim? Find out in Motion To Kill!
Wow! There's nothing better than publishing one of my novels! Every time I say or write that, someone will ask what about selling your novels? Isn't that better? Well, I'd be lying if I didn't admit that selling my books makes me feel terrific. And, with your help, I'm going to feel really terrific.
But there is no experience quite like breathing life into characters readers care about and won't soon forget and taking them to a place that I imagine, keeping them up late at night, turning the pages as they hold their breath worrying and wondering what will happen next.
See! It's not all about me! It's about both of us, reader and writer. We've made a deal with one another. You buy a ticket on this thrill ride and I make you want to go again the moment you get off. Just like at Disney World! That's what I call a win-win!
Everyone remembers the first time they did something that changed their life. Motion To Kill was my first book. When it was published in 2002, my life changed. I became an author.
Self-publishing Motion To Kill as an ebook is going to change my life again because now I'm an author who can take my books straight to my readers and decide what I want to write and publish.
Stick with me over the months and years to come and we'll have a great time. And don't forget to buy the book because you can't take the ride if you don't have a ticket!
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
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