Showing posts with label free. Show all posts
Showing posts with label free. Show all posts

Friday, February 11, 2022

Marketing Wall Drug / Happenings In The Outhouse 11-Feb-2022

The dreaded M word: marketing.

Nearly all writers that I know HATE to self-promote their own books--yours truly included.  They want nothing more than to sit in front of their computer and plunk words down onto the page.  Going on book tours or lining up interviews makes them uncomfortable and are seemingly a complete waste of time because it doesn't seem to coincide with a sudden spike in book sales.

If you go anywhere within a few hundred (or more) miles of the Badlands in South Dakota, you will see billboards galore about a place called Wall Drug.  I have been through the Badlands and the Black Hills area a handful of times in my life, and truth be told I have never visited the store Wall Drug.

But I remember the signs.

Even still to this day.

When it comes to writers, the axiom of keep publishing, keep putting more and more stuff out there in the world, seems to be the most valuable advice when it comes to marketing.  Are there other pieces of advice to market your works?  Of course.  But the best overall is to keep writing.

The more inventory you have, the better your chances of gaining someone's attention.  When I finish reading a book and crave something different, I go through my list of ebooks to discover an author I had bought their book long ago or something in my mind reminds me to check out their books.

Remember, slow and steady wins the race.  Look at the most recent theatrical or television or streaming adaptations of books to come out in the last handful of years.  The majority are from books written a few decades ago.

With that being said, if you like serial killer thrillers, be sure to check out the first in my Central Division series: Beholder's Eye.  It is free.


Here again is the link to all ebook retailers for this book.

Lastly, on my current work-in-progress, I have finished with the third part (out of four) and my current word count is around 89,000 words.  Hoping to be done with this and move on to the next project by early summer.

Friday, February 19, 2021

Writers Of The Future Workshop (Free!) / Happenings In The Outhouse 19-Feb-2021

What if I told you there was an online writing workshop that was taught by three bestselling authors that was available for anyone who wants to learn how to improve your writing and storytelling skills?

These workshops can be done at your own time, and teaches everything from coming up with story ideas and plotting your stories to narration and writing at your own pace--and a lot more!

How much would you pay for this?

Believe it or not, the cost is free.


The workshop is taught by bestselling science fiction/fantasy authors: Orson Scott Card, David Farland, and Tim Powers.  There are articles, practical lessons, and videos that accompany each of the workshop lessons.

I recently completed this workshop and I found the lessons valuable beyond measure.

The best part, this workshop is for writers of all levels.

Tuesday, November 10, 2020

Beholder's Eye is (finally) free in the Amazon Kindle store!

Yes, you heard it right!  I was finally able to get Beholder's Eye, the first novel in the Central Division thriller series free in the Amazon Kindle store.

Here is a link to the store: Beholder's Eye.




Friday, August 28, 2020

My gift to you / Happenings In The Outhouse 28-Aug-2020

I have a gift for you.  I told you about it a few weeks ago.  It's the first novel in the Central Division thriller series: Beholder's Eye.


 As you may notice, it is still not free on Amazon.  I would appreciate it if you would let them know this book is free on other ebook platforms, from Barnes and Noble Nook to Google Books and others.  Here's the link on my website, which has all of the ebook platforms it is on.

Friday, August 14, 2020

Beholder's Eye is free / Happenings In The Outhouse 14-Aug-2020



Beholder's Eye, the first novel in the Central Division thriller series, is free.  Permafree, to be exact.  Click on this link to my website, to view your favorite ebook retailer--please note, as of this writing, it is not free on Amazon but if you click on the link of the Amazon page to advise them of the lower price (and where) it won't take them long to make it free.

I will expand more on this in the upcoming weeks on the strategy behind this move.

Friday, August 7, 2020

This pandemic will pass / Happenings In The Outhouse 07-Aug-2020



This week is week number 20 of me working from home.  Hard to believe.  Yet at the same time I'm blessed to have an employer who has the capability of so many of its employees to work from home.  Not all businesses have that luxury.  Some have remained open, like grocery stores, hardware stores, auto mechanics, carpenters, restaurants (as limited as their capacity is) and so many more, to serve customers who need them.

Frankly, all businesses are essential.  All workers, no matter the business, are essential.  If you don't think an artist is essential (I use the term artist to capture a wide range from those who create physical art to authors and actors/actresses and anyone who creates something from nothing), when was the last time you were entertained?  Who entertained you?  Even professional athletes are essential for those who enjoy their craft.

Let me tell you again: EVERYONE is essential.

No matter your circumstances, don't let the media get you down.  Watch what you listen to as far as media is concerned.  Life isn't that bad.  Get a new mindset.  Look around.  Talk to people.  Read a good book.  Watch a movie.

In these past twenty weeks, my family has grown much closer.  My youngest knows my daily schedule, my breaks and lunches, and plans for those times.  Our supper time has been earlier simply because I'm already home.

While the debate of masks and vaccines and pandemics and politics rages on, I'm putting my head down and working.  At my job as well as my writing.  The new thriller is coming along nicely and I'll give further updates as the weeks and months go by, as I near closer to it being finished.

Because this one I will finish.

And publish.

Then, it's on to the next book.

Happy and productive days are ahead.

So I strongly urge you to clear your mind, ignore the petty differences on social media, and be the best you can be to one another.  The world needs a better you.

Do it today.

Friday, June 8, 2018

Want some free stories to read? / Happenings In The Outhouse 08-June-2018


I have recently added a "Free Stories" link to my website.

If you wish to read two quick short stories--both are part of my If Walls Could Talk short story collection--click on this link and enjoy.

The stories are titled: "The Things They Collected" and "Martian Union".

Enjoy the free read!

Friday, October 30, 2015

Five free stories / Happenings In The Outhouse 30-Oct-2015

From now through November 2nd, 2015, I have a Halloween-special promotion for five of my short stories--they are FREE.  These are only available through Amazon, and for those of you who have Amazon Kindle Unlimited, you can pick these up through that program as well.

All of these stories are part of the If Walls Could Talk short story collection.  There are a few others in the collection, but these five are longer and are available separately.

The first is I Zone. 

  
"An outbreak in the northwoods of Minnesota threatens the livelihood of its residents.  But when NICK CHASE and his best friends SHAWN and MANDY go out for the annual deer hunting season, they discover the horrific truth behind those infected."
 
The second is Mischief Is My Middle Name.
 

"Fed up with an abusive, controlling marriage, ERIN KEMP gives her daughter TINA the one gift she’s been asking for—and frees herself in the process."
The third is Night People.


"ABBY STONE hates working the nightshift. She hates it even more that she has to work alongside her abusive ex-husband TROY. But she soon develops a growing affection for one of her co-workers. There’s only one problem. THOMAS FREDERICK, who goes by the colorful name of MR. SPOOKY, works exclusively at night."

The fourth is Reach's Roaches.


"KYLE REACH has a family secret. A strange disease that fatally strikes the males in the family by their mid-twenties. His wife CHARISSA prays the disease skips Kyle, for she doesn’t want to spend the better part of her life a widow. She doesn’t want to raise her unborn son by herself either.  But there is something more to the Reach women, Kyle’s mother and grandmother, than just surviving widows."

And last, but certainly not least, is The 13th Hole.


"ADAM DOLE has no choice but to face his fears. In high school, he killed accidentally killed someone with a golf ball from the 13th hole. He told no one. Another man paid for his crime.   Now, he has to win a golf tournament on the same golf course. However, the house that lies beyond the dreaded 13th hole may hold secrets.   Including the secret of his innocence."
All five of these short stories are FREE for the Halloween season.  Please be sure to pick them up while you can.
 

Friday, July 25, 2014

Happenings In The Outhouse 25-July-2014 / my next "short" project

I took a slight detour with the sequel to Beholder's Eye, as I am working on a "short" project.

Over the years I have a number of short stories in my arsenal, and I decided at this point to publish a collection of them.

Now, what I've decided to experiment with is the whole "first free" thing.  So, with this short story colleciton, I've published one of the stories and have put it up for free on other publishing sites, like Kobo and Smashwords.  Here's the cover:


The Things They Collected, short story, in the Amazon Kindle store.

Now, here's the kicker.  I don't want you to buy it.  Seriously.  It's only $.99 (because I can't list it as free on Amazon), but in all other places it's free.  If you really, really want to buy it and give me money, I don't complain.  However, what I'd like you to do is tell Amazon about the free price elsewhere.

In the next week or so, I hope to have the short story collection finalized and formatted.  In the meantime, I have a link to sign up on my website in the short story--I also have a previous post, so please take the time to sign up if you are so inclined.

Once this is complete, I'll head back to Straight Razor.

Friday, July 18, 2014

Happenings In The Outhouse 18-July-2014 / Experimenting with free

I know, I know, a few months ago I discredited the whole "have a book free" or "have your first book in a series free" thing . . . and now I'm experimenting with it.

Call me a hypocrite if you want--okay I will then.

Actually, I want to see if it really works.

Currently, my novelette Guest Of Honor is available for free in the Amazon Kindle Store.  It's available on other platforms too, like Smashwords, Barnes and Noble, the iBooks store, and Kobo, also for free.

So far, as of today's date, I've sold over 100 free ebooks of Guest of Honor.  I'll let you know how well it translates into sales of the non-free books.

I'm working diligently on the sequel to Beholder's Eye.  I currently have over 8,000 words written.

I'm also putting together a short story collection, which will hopefully be ready to go by the end of the month.  My plan is to also have a "free" short story as a teaser, which will lead to the collection.

Lots of free stuff in the works.

Yes, I'm a hypocrite.

If you have any successes with offering "free" works, please share it in the comments.