Book Two

As I start up the big hill on the roller coaster of writing a first draft, I am filled with that initial excitement (it's my favorite part of the process) but also have a sense of trepidation about what I've come across as an idea. Will it be good? It's what I'm sure anyone in a creative situation faces, but for me it's probably a little more so, because I prefer to start with an idea and develop it as I go. In the NaNoWriMo world, someone who writes this way is called a "pantser": one who writes by the seat of their pants. I will, as I did for Latent Image, come out the other end much like you might on that final approach to the station on that coaster...exhilarated, heart pumping, a little bumped around, and glad you didn't die along the way.

On a more businessy note, I managed to sell (for money this time) 40 more copies of LI on Amazon! Yay! It's number 45 on Ghost Fiction, which is awesome. Thanks to everyone.

Talk to you later...I'm about to fly down that first hill...

TH

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As of this moment, I have "sold" three hundred and fourteen copies of the novel.  Two hundred and sixty-six here in the U.S., forty-four in the U.K, and four in Germany.  The free weekend promotion of my book, in my mind, has been a success.  Will this translate into actual sales?  That remains to be seen.  But I see it merely as one more step closer to what I want to achieve.  And that isn't necessarily the point.

You see, what it really means is that people will read what I've written.  And that, at this point, is more reward than any royalties.  Being able to share what I have done with other people, even strangers--especially strangers--is the ultimate reward.  Will all three hundred and fourteen people read it?  Maybe.  Maybe not.  Some may have simply downloaded it purely because it was free and in a free best-seller category (it moved up to #6 and #21 in Ghost Fiction and Contemporary Fantasy, respectively) and may never even look at it.  Some may start it and never finish.  And that's okay.

Because some people, however few, will read it.  And out of those, some will not like it.  And that's okay too.  I may not be their cup of tea.

But out of those people, say a hundred--maybe more, maybe less (probably less)--will read it and like it.  Maybe even love it.

Yes, that's the reward that satisfies me.  Do I want to sell a million copies? Sure.  But a million readers satisfied with what I've created, well...that's worth more than all the royalties in the world.

TH

Print Edition and The Next Pot

Well, it's been four days since the novel hit Amazon.  In case you stumbled through here by accident on your way to shop for cheese slicers, here is the link to the Kindle Edition.  Of course, right now, that's the only edition available.  I'm currently working on getting a print edition together via Createspace, which will provide me a POD (Print on Demand) paperback version that I can list on Amazon as well.

But.

I truly believe the future of books is the Kindle.  Just as iPod revolutionized how we consume music, the Kindle (which seems to be the device that's winning the e-book war) will change how we read.  It's already happened to me:  I wasn't sure I would like reading on a Kindle, but once I got one (the cheapest $79 version), I have to say I'm hooked.  It's light, it's easy on the eyes (literally), and I can carry around a whole library in a small package.  Just like the catalog of music on my iPhone.  The word revolutionary gets way overused these days when people discuss new technology, but I think Kindle certainly fits that description.

So why the print edition?  Maybe because I still have a little nostalgia for that nice soft newsprint of a paperback.  Maybe I just want to be able to sign the cover sheet for someone who will appreciate it.   Or maybe it will seem more real to me somehow.  I still haven't accepted the fact that I'm a published author. I suppose most of the big corporate publishers would say that I'm not, but there is my book, side by side the virtual "shelf" with John Grisham, Stephen King, Michael Connolly, and even J.K. Rowling!  (And, unfortunately, Stephanie Meyer, but I digress.)

Anyway, that's the next step for Latent Image.  I've sold, as of this date, 12 copies, and had one person borrow it through Amazon Prime.  If I can sustain that speed, at 4 copies a day, that's 120 copies a month.  Which I hope, one day, sooner rather than later, turn into 1200 copies a month.  We shall see.

Of course, I am anxious to get back onto the blank page.  Not only because I have this "revolutionary" avenue to share what I write, but also because I simply miss the act of writing.

I participated in National Novel Writers Month (NaNoWriMo) in November to write the rough draft of Latent Image, and I had the most exhilarating time with it.  It was a scary ride to put fifty thousand words down on paper (or computer screen) in 30 days.  And I loved it for two reasons:  because I always wanted to do it, and I did it.  The second one was the best part.

So, as Stephen King once said in my favorite novel of his, Misery, "You should find a pot and get it boiling."  And so I will be starting the next book in the next week or two.

Hopefully, it will thrill me as much as the last one did.

Sickness

I've been sick since last Saturday. Just a virus, but a pretty nasty one. It put off my plans for the past week (I was only scheduled to work one day) for finishing the first edit of the book. Going to hit it today, though, since my white blood cells seem to be finally winning.

Be back soon; hopefully, with some progress!

Tom

The Blog Is Up!

I am in the process of building this blog to share information about my upcoming novel, Latent Image.  As of this writing, I have about 60 pages of manuscript left to edit, and then it will just be a final passthrough, and then it will be time for publishing!  I am going to use the Kindle Direct Publishing program, which will allow anyone to purchase the book in Kindle form exclusively for 90 days!  Plus if you're a member of Amazon Prime, you'll be able to get it free through their lending program, and I still will benefit from it!
At the current pace I'm working, I think the book will hit Amazon by January 15th.  That's my goal, anyway.

I'll keep posting as I have more information to pass along!

Thanks!
Tom