Chapter Five

I wrapped up chapter five today, which was a good feeling. So far this is coming together more smoothly than the first novel. The chapters are more “book” length — although what that means is evolving in the eBook era.

So I’m 55 pages in and the beta readers are getting their first chapters tonight. But I couldn’t tell you yet how many pages it will have at the end. Hopefully more than 120, because the most common complaint about book one is that it ended too soon.

But I’m not the kind of writer to overstay my welcome when I’m telling a story. The worst mistake we can make is to bore you, just so we can say we reached a magical number of pages that qualifies us as a “real” author.

Furloughs

The economy may be recovering, but I work in an industry — publishing — that is struggling with the transition to the Internet. This is the third or fourth year in a row we have had furloughs during the first quarter.

In the past I hadn’t filed for unemployment, even though the company encouraged it. But we are a one income household these days and every bit helps. So I filed online and let me tell you, it is a bit depressing.

The only good thing about furloughs is the time off and the fact that you’re prohibited from working … unlike the rest of the year when it feels 24\7 at times.

So there will be lots of naps this week, some long walks with the dog, and hopefully, some progress on the new novel

Kairos

Came up a little short on becoming a finalist for the Kairos Prize for Spiritually Uplifting Screenplays. Can’t say I’m surprised — the screenplay didn’t have all of the improvements I made to the story when I wrote the novel. I’ll go back and do a revision before the 2013 contest and give it another go!

Pricing the next novel (poll)

As a first-time author, the goal of “Signs and Wonders” was to build an audience. So I’ve given away thousands and thousands of free copies, as well as sold 1,450 copies.

Most of those sales have been at 99 cents, for which authors get a 35 cent royalty from Amazon. So you can do the math and see this book hasn’t exactly been a get-rich-quick scheme. Again, that wasn’t the point — it was to find readers who will come back year after year to read new novels.

I’d like to price the sequel to “Signs and Wonders” at $2.99 at least, in order to get the 70 percent royalty rate that kicks in at that price. Future novels will not be free on a regular basis, like S&W. I’d like to eventually take an annual vacation, something that hasn’t been possible since my wife started nursing school and our household income got cut in half.

But the question is what are YOU are willing to pay for the next novel?(Assume it will be longer, probably somewhere between 175 and 225 pages.) Be honest. It won’t help me if you answer the poll to make me feel good, but then don’t buy the next book because you don’t feel it’s worth that price.

Kairos Prize semifinalist!

Signs and Wonders has its origins as a screenplay, which today has been named a semifinalist for the Kairos Prize for Spiritually Uplifting Screenplays. (FYI: If you go the website, you’ll see the screenplay listed under my real name. The novel is published under my pen name.)

This is the biggest competition (by far) for screenplays about faith. There’s very generous prizes for the three finalists, a trip to Los Angeles for a black-tie ceremony, and the chance to meet a bunch of people who can turn your screenplay into a film.

Who knows what will happen, but being named a semifinalist allows me to dream of the possibilities for the next few weeks

Facebook and engaging with readers

Facebook has been a wonderful tool for authors, giving us ways to connect with readers that were impossible a decade ago.

Happy New Year!

What, it’s January Fourth?

Exclusive to Amazon

About two weeks ago I decided to make Signs and Wonders exclusive to the Kindle for a few months.

While there’s something to be said about not putting all your eggs in one basket, Barnes & Noble, Apple and other retailers have not generated many sales over the past five months — perhaps a dozen, all told. Kindle and the paperback, combined, are 1,300+.

The big advantage to being exclusive with Amazon is they give you five days out of every 90 where you can schedule free promotions. I offered one this past Monday, which generated 3,000 free downloads, and have since sold 150 copies in the past 2 1/2 days. I also get paid if you check the book out through Amazon’s Kindle lending library, which is available now to their Amazon Prime customers.

If you don’t have a Kindle, the paperback is still available, through Amazon. It’s priced at $3.99 and arrives in just a few days.

That’s what Christmas is all about

And the angel said unto them:

Fear not, for behold, I bring unto you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

For unto you this day is born in the City of Bethlehem, a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.

And this shall be a sign unto you. You shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.

And suddenly there was with the angel, a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God, and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on Earth peace, good will toward men.”

That’s what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown.

Weekly sales update

Yes, this may be the season where people grow frantic and spend way too much time in shopping malls and not enough time remembering the reason we have this season in the first place … but they’re still finding time to buy Kindle books. And that’s a very good thing.