THE MAGNIFICENT 7 INTERVIEW EVENT
FEATURING AUTHORS: Jeremy Robinson, Ryne Douglas Pearson, Larry Enright, Russell Blake, John Betcher, Rick Chesler, and Douglas Dorow
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PART FOUR
2/22/12 - 2/29/12
Read all of the below and then take the quiz for a chance to win free eBooks from the authors.
EVERYONE WHO SUBMITS WILL GET AN EBOOK COPY OF EITHER THE SOLOMON KEY OR PROGENY!
Click here for all the details and to see which books the winner gets to choose from.
You have until PART FIVE goes up to get me the answers to PART FOUR.
In case you missed... Part One, Part Two, Part Three
EVERYONE WHO SUBMITS WILL GET AN EBOOK COPY OF EITHER THE SOLOMON KEY OR PROGENY!
Click here for all the details and to see which books the winner gets to choose from.
You have until PART FIVE goes up to get me the answers to PART FOUR.
In case you missed... Part One, Part Two, Part Three
And now, picking up where we left of last week... PART FOUR
NOTE: Authors are listed in order of their fans' participation via the poll at the bottom of the page. You can move your author up by getting involved (Russell Blake moves up two positions)!
Rick Chesler
If you were to go down in history for writing a book that dealt with a predominant issue that changed the world to some degree, what subject would you write on?
I enjoy writing on environmental topics, so if I can be remembered in small small way for that, I'd be happy. Have you discovered a niche with the Tara Shore novels that you plan to be in for a long time, or would you like to jump into some other genres at some point? I do plan to continue the Tara Shores series, but I am also working on some other things. I doubt I will ever stray too far from the thriller / suspense / action-adventure genres though. If you could write a historical fiction piece that is set in any place or time, where and when would it be? Any particular period fascinate you? I think every period in history has unique lessons and interesting things going on, but I don't have any particular attachment to any one time or era. So it's December 20th, you're John Cusack, you have a ticket onto the Ark. It closes its doors in three hours. With the coming cataclysm, you may not have WiFi for your Kindle... What books are you making sure you have with you through the apocalypse? Survival how-to guides! Lol. Everyone I ask that question to always seems to find a way to not answer it! Anyway, thanks so much for taking the time to be with us! It's been fun! This concludes Rick's time here in the Mag 7 Event, which will be down to 6 next week. But we're saying goodbye to Rick in a special way. An exclusive interview featuring his upcoming novel, SOLAR ISLAND! Click HERE to go to it! Ryne Douglas Pearson
Would you ever make a cameo appearance in one of your screenplays? A little Ryne walking down the street with this girlfriend when a giant fat man hits the concrete in front of him...?
Oh God, no. Movies are a visual medium. I'd do better as a scarecrow on a farm. What was that guy's name? The one that exploded on the sidewalk in Donzerly? What was it like writing that scene... a scene I'll never forget (except his name:) Horace J. Mitchell. Man, I loved writing that scene. It was like some twisted, voyeuristic writing binge. I so love that scene. Have I mentioned how much I love that scene? I remember tweeting you right after I read that part to my wife! Any other scenes you've written come close to that one? Nothing completely like that. Closest might be a scene from Top Ten where the bad guy uses a metal bowl, rats, and a blow torch to...um...do evil upon another character. That sounds pretty disturbing... I got John's philosophy behind his pricing system, what are your thoughts when it comes to setting the price for your book? What has been the magic figure for you? I'm not sure there is a magic figure. For me, I think the sweet spot lies somewhere between $3.99 and $5.99. Kind of where old paperback prices used to be when I was young. That earns the equivalent royalty to a hardcover in many traditional publishing contracts, so it's a good deal for reader and author when it comes to eBooks. It seems like most indie authors have way more success selling their books through Amazon than Barnes and Noble, etc. Which is why many of us don't mind going Select. Do you find that to be the case with your sales, too? The biggest reason for using the Select option was the choices Amazon offers. Sales at Amazon have far outnumbered the other outlets, but my books did sell there. However, B&N has issues with search functionality, categorizing, etc... iBooks has been a sort of walled garden to get into without going through another distributor, with the 'you need a Mac' requirement for direct upload. It is nice to see that Apple is adding some new functionality (pre-orders, etc...), but that Mac-only thing is silly, and really unnecessary. Bottom line, Amazon is making it easier for authors to be successful, and I appreciate that. To Be Continued Next Week Larry Enright
Tell us about your music. Seems you can play!
I do play acoustic guitar and perform occasionally. Here's a couple Youtube videos of me from the past couple years. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lZjhV7FUZ0Q and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yxGOkyyGork I also have a music FaceBook page: https://www.facebook.com/MiracleMopMusic where a lot of my stuff is collected in one place. I've been playing since about 1964 and have a Martin D-35 from 1975. I did the background music for the audio version of A King in A Court of Fools and have done several videos where I play in the background of an old movie or a tractor dance (yes, I actually did over-dub one of those I found out on the Internet.) So when are you going on tour? Larry Enright and the.... Band. Has a good ring to it! Have you thought of doing an indie album through Amazon? People keep telling me to make a CD, I should. Is there any particular period of history that fascinates you, besides the one you write about in the Ryan series? One that you would maybe someday set a new series in? I am a huge Dungeons and Dragons fan, though I haven't played the game in many years, and have always love that ill-defined time period of chivalry and magic. I would like to do something again with that. Ooh, Larry Enright does Krull? Or Ladyhawke? Something like that? Have you ever seen Tom Hanks' first movie, Monsters and Mazes? With your familiarity in the Dungeons & Dragons world, would you ever consider doing something like that? I actually have that movie on VHS. I did write two novels (unpublished) that involve fantasy - Forestwalker and Windshaper Chronicles. I'll revisit them someday. To be continued... John Betcher
I notice that your prices are on the higher end of most indie authors. Can you explain your pricing philosophy? The pros and cons of a 6.99 eBook and a .99 cent eBook?
Well . . . you don't ask any hard questions, do you? Pricing of ebooks is as hotly debated as presidential politics. When I published my first novels in 2010, I set my books prices at $8.99. I chose that price because it was a buck or so less than "name brand" authors. I was satisfied with the results of that pricing until spring of 2011. At that time I could see my sales suffering, and I suspected price was at least part of the problem. So I experimented. I tried 99 cents, $2.99, and $4.99 for various books for relatively short periods. Sales did not increase enough to justify reducing my price. I finally decided I'd go to $6.99, hoping for a reasonable return on book sales royalties, while still reaching my market. That price point worked as well as any for me . . . and has been phenomenally successful lately. Why does $6.99 work for me? I'm not sure. Readers may perceive more value in a book with a higher price tag? Authors who successfully, and profitably, sell their books at 99 cents would likely disagree with my pricing approach. And they probably have good reasons for their opinions as well. To be honest, I don't think authors will be reasonably compensated for their work at a 99 cent price point. So I have a philosophical aversion to racing to the bottom of the price list. I do believe 99 cent pricing and even free books have their place in promotions, etc. I just don't see it as a sustainable price that authors want our readers to expect. Yeah, I started out at 2.99 and then went to .99 just hoping to build an audience. But eventually sales died. So I tried 2.99 again and nothing happened. So I went back to .99 and moved a few... But ever since I had my Select promo for The Solomon Key, my sales (though light years away from yours) have picked up at 2.99. I set Progeny to 3.99 and that's been moving a little, too. My original logic was: who wouldn't give a book a chance for .99? But then it became clear that there were so many .99 books to choose from, why would they choose mine? I figure that most .99 books end up in the back of the Kindle and will forever take back seat to the higher priced books people have bought. Sure, it may help sales ranking, but outside of promotional use, I can't see .99 books being read all that much. If someone is going to spend 6.99 on a book, they're going to read it. At least that's what I'm thinking now. Anyway (sorry), how long do you go with a method or strategy before you abandon it for another idea? I try to evaluate results of various strategies on a case by case basis. There is no set time frame. Although KDP Select Free Book Promos are working very well right now, I have no confidence that the same will be true a month from now. I'll be monitoring the experiences of other writers. If anyone wants to do a KDP Select Free Promo, I recommend they do it sooner rather than later. Other than the Select days, what have you found works the best in terms of selling your books? Anything that you rely on more than anything else? I'd have to say social media in general, and Twitter & FaceBook in particular, have been my best marketing friends. But then, that's where I spend most of my marketing efforts. The old fisherman will tell you that if you fish with the same bait all the time, that's what the fish will be biting on. So I can't say there's not a better approach out there. I use Twitter mainly to support other authors with retweets. But the comparatively few tweets I do post on my own behalf seem to get picked up and RT'd quite well. My first year or so as an author, I blogged quite a bit about my experiences. I don't know whether blogging got me any sales; but that wasn't the blog's purpose anyway. Everything I learned during that time is still available and online at selfpublishingcentral.blogspot.com. Check it out. It will save you making some of the same mistakes I did. Keep watching what others are doing and see if their successful approaches can be adapted to your own marketing strategy. Publishing is still an industry in upheaval. Look for new ideas every day. More next week!
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Jeremy Robinson
Tell us about the whole QR element to your books. Do you think that using that kind of marketing technology has helped you?
Hard to say if it has helped or not. So far its just been on the hard cover of THRESHOLD. It’s on the mass market paperback, too, but that just came out today. It’s also a new technology, which has gained a lot of ground in the U.S. since the hardcover came out. Certainly hasn’t hurt, though! Having access to the book trailer and an interview with me right from the bookstore is a pretty cool thing. And book trailers... I LOVE book trailers, and if I see one that would make me want to spend 20 bucks to see the movie, then I'm definitely spending 5 bucks to get the ebook. Since you use them a lot (the one for Second World is awesome), can you talk a little about their effectiveness? Here’s the thing would book trailers—they’re not incredibly effective for book marketing, even for big name authors, but I love making them. I’ve looked at a lot of them and most get just over 1000 views. My highest is probably around 4000 views. The trailer for SECONDWORLD is by far my best and has seen some nice early traction, so maybe it will help, but in general book buyers aren’t scanning Youtube for trailers to watch. To be viewed, the trailer has to be embedded on a webpage or blog with high traffic. Mine are seen mostly through my website, so I’m mostly just teasing people who would likely buy my books anyway. 
Since you have a lot more at stake in your writing than most of us - since it's your career - what do you depend on the most in order to sell those books and pay your bills? What one strategy is the most important (other than actually writing the books)?
Write. A lot. Part of my 2011 strategy was to pump out books in multiple genres, under multiple names and build an audience. It worked and in 2012 I’m cutting back. I’m releasing just six books instead of twenty something. 2011 was the acceleration of my career and 2012 will be a little closer to a calm cruise…says the guy pitching a comic book series on top of those six books. But I plan to slow things down this year. For the five minutes a day that you aren't writing, what do you like doing? What are your hobbies? Gaming. My preference is PC multiplayer games. Right now I’m playing Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3. My name is Callsign: King if you want to be killed by an author. Heh. I also watch a good amount of movies and spend more than average time with my three kids. Part of the benefit of working at home. What has been the best part of this whole writing experience for you? Hearing from readers. I write, mostly in a vacuum, spending the majority of every work day alone in my man cave. And the point of all that time alone is connecting with the people that read the books. So hearing from someone who has spent 8 hours inside my brain and enjoyed the experience is quite rewarding. Just out of curiosity, of all your books, which has your favorite cover? Another tough question!! I’ve done the majority of my covers myself. Hold on, I’m going to look. I’m back! THRESHOLD, CALLSIGN: DEEP BLUE and CALLSIGN: KING – UNDERWORLD are all close contenders, but I think my new favorite is actually SECONDWORLD. It perfectly captures the feel of the novel and is incredibly eye-catching. And I can say all that without looking like an egotistical jerk because it’s one of the few I didn’t do myself. To be continued with Jeremy's last piece, a special interview featuring his upcoming novel, Second World. Stay tuned! Douglas Dorow
In The Ninth District, you included the tunnel systems in your homestate... Any similar elements that will be featured in the sequel?
Minnesota is the "Land of 10,000 Lakes" and the sequel takes place around the lake country when Jack and his family are on summer vacation at the lake cabin. It will be swimming, fishing and suspense. I want to save those questions for your special upcoming release interview, so I'll try to refrain myself... If you could have one person's blurb on your books, whose would it be? Only one person? There are so many thriller authors I like to read and would like to have blurb my book. But, if I have to pick one I think I would pick the one that some readers have compared my thriller THE NINTH DISTRICT to... Michael Connelly. I'd love to have him blurb my book because I like his books and he has a huge readership who I would love to introduce to my book. ... To Be Continued Russell Blake
Is writing for you a sort of therapy in the sense that it provides a means for you to get things off your chest? I know a few of my novels were like that. Until I had what was going on in my head down on paper and available, I was almost obsessed with them. Once they were out, I could kind of wash my hands of the subject matter and move on. Do you experience anything similar when you write?
Not really. I'm more soup to nuts. Get an idea, flesh it out, write the damned thing. Although my bestselling non-fiction animal biography An Angel With Fur was as you describe. It was definitely therapy, and while it was the hardest thing I've ever written, it did in fact help me bring closure to the death of my beloved pet and partner in crime. But when I write fiction, I'm pretty straightforward. Oh boy, Angel with Fur sounds sad... Not sure I can handle that. Marley and Me messed me up for days! Do you have a new partner in crime yet? It's sad, but also uplifting. Like most things, it takes the bitter to appreciate the sweet. I've got three dogs, all of whom I adore, and none of whom are anything like Lobo. He was truly one in ten million, which is what makes the story poignant. I can't get past the introduction page without choking up, truthfully, so I know what you mean about emotional turbulence, however some things are worth it. It's gotten universally rave reviews, and is really a love story combined with a coming of age book more than anything. Might want to skim the first few pages and see what you think - I guarantee it is a unique read. But he was a unique spirit. 
Yeah, I'll have to check it out. Does the eBook come with tissues? So I guess it's safe to assume that of all your books, this one is the most special to you, right?
I think the most special to me will be the one that sells a million copies. After that one, Angel will have the number two spot. It was the toughest book I've ever written, by far, as well as my favorite as an achievement. Hey, maybe the public will discover it, and it will be the one to go platinum! Wouldn't that be nice... Haha, yeah that would be nice. What would you say is the most important book you've written and why? Important? Hmmm. I would have to say The Delphi Chronicle trilogy, because it so convincingly posits a scenario that explains the last 40 years of American policy on drugs and war. Now, understand, and I take great pains to explain that Delphi is fiction, but it's fiction that is eerily close to reality. Some have theorized that it isn't fiction at all, but all I can say to that is that readers should investigate anything they think smacks of the truth, and see what they find when they start turning over rocks. That's from a content standpoint. From a style standpoint, I think King of Swords is my watershed book, important because it perfectly embodies a style I've been working on for a while. It's a synthesis of everything I know about writing a taut, racing, gritty thriller that shocks and surprises at every turn, and has a voice that's completely unique.You know, I just realized that my new one, The Voynich Cypher, may well be my most "important," because it is the most likely to go big. That really narrows it down for you, huh? To be continued, but first, to let you know, as of now, Russell's first book of the Delphi trilogy is free in the Kindle store. AND NOW... The Questions posed by the Part Three participants (get your questions in for part 5!)
Question 1 (from Barry): HAVE YOU EVER WRITTEN YOURSELF INTO A CORNER AND HAD TO CHANGE DIRECTION IN YOUR NOVEL? Rick:I have a loose outline before I start writing, so that gives me some direction. Most of the time I know what needs to happen in order to make it to the next 'stepping stone' of my outline, but on occasion I will decide part way through that what I've written for the last section isn't going to work with what's coming up, and will go back and change it. It's less a matter of being "trapped into a corner," though, and more like walking back to that last fork in the road and this time taking the right one instead of the left one. If worst comes to absolute worst and you don't know how to proceed, you should just jump ahead to the next section where you do know what will happen, and start writing that. Once I start writing a first draft (which means I've already got an outline and a back cover style description of the whole book, and usually a working title), I don't allow myself more than 1 or 2 days of being "stuck." It's game on once I start that first draft and I am going to get to the end. Russell: Sure. On the ones where I didn't plot in advance with extreme detail, which are most of them. That's the book's way of telling you that it needs to move somewhere else, and is part of the process. I find that if I go for a hike, or sleep on it, I'll come up with an innovative solution that ultimately improves the story. I don't try to fight the story, or its flow. And I'm very sensitive to changing virtually anything as I go along. On my new one, soon to be released, The Voynich Cypher, I probably did that at least two or three times, and the final half of the book really in now way resembles my original three paragraph outline, nor do the characters' actions, or even the geography I chose. It all had to change, dictated by the story. On my current WIP, Revenge of the Assassin, I've changed it once already, and am only a bit over the halfway point. I suspect it might take another completely unexpected turn before it's done. I'm sort of used to it. Resigned, really. Come to think of it, Fatal Exchange's ending changed three times. The current ending is an alternate to my original choice, which was written as a replacement for the very first ending. All part of the process. Or I'm insane. There's always that possibility... John: No. LOL. But seriously, my characters tend to lead me through the story. I know where they're headed; but they show me how to get there. So I follow them. Kinda weird, huh? Larry: Not precisely. The plot line comes in the actualization of the idea for the story. As I put characters into a position to play things out, they may react differently than I had at first imagined, and scenes may play out differently than first conceived. That's what happens when I develop the characters. But the overall story does not change, only the plot that takes you from one end of it to the other. Doug: I don't think I've written myself into a corner, but new ideas have come to me during the writing process that I wanted to incorporate so I've had to go back, fit it in, rewrite and reorder or delete scenes. http://www.weebly.com/weebly/main.php# I try to have a high level plot/ scene outline done before I start which helps me in getting started and writing the story, but it also leaves room for new ideas that come as I get into the details that I hope make the story better. Ryne:I can't recall ever doing that exactly, but something similar happened when I was near finishing my novel Simple Simon, which became the Bruce Willis film Mercury Rising. I had gotten Art (the main character) and Simon (an autistic savant who breaks a government super code) to a place where they were cornered by Keiko (the baddie...I mean baaaaaaaadie) a the top of what was then the Sears Tower. Art was shot and Keiko was closing in, and there was no way out.I'm screwed, I thought.So what happened? I knew that Art would never give up. He'd make the most difficult decision of his life in order to save Simon. And that's what I had him do. Sometimes painting yourself into a corner with your characters allows you to really imagine how they would approach a situation, and that's what happened here. Jeremy:Never into a corner. I either know exactly where I'm going and stay on course or have no idea where I'm going so the story just evolves. The closest thing I get to changing direction is when I decide, at random, to kill someone. I do it occasionally and it comes as a surprise to me AND the reader. I actually got a review complaining about how I shouldn't kill established characters...but most people like the surprise. Means no one is safe. And it effects the story because I then have to figure out how to move forward minus a character. |
QUIZ TIME!!!
Write out the answers to the questions in the contact form and send them to me. All answers can be found in either the interview or my website (either on front page or in the menu tab... they're easy). Remember, this is for a guaranteed copy of one of my eBooks and a chance to win 8 other ebooks, mostly of your choosing. I'm also looking for suggestions for part four questions, so if you have a specific question you'd like asked, include it!
The Quiz1. Which book does Russell Blake consider to be his most important?
2. Douglas Dorow's sequel to THE NINTH DISTRICT takes place where? 3. Jeremy Robinson's new trailer is for what book? 4. What was Larry Enright's favorite children's book? 5. Who recommends that Indie authors should use their Select days sooner rather than later? 6. Ryne Douglas Pearson's THE DONZERLY LIGHT featured a scene that he LOVED writing. What was the character's name in that scene? 7. Rick Chesler's upcoming release is called what? 8. Would you spend .99 to buy an ebook of this whole event? 9. Would you like to see future events like this one featuring more authors? 10. What question would you like asked in the next part? |
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WHAT"S AT STAKE?
1. A Kindle* gift copy of either PROGENY or THE SOLOMON KEY - your choice (you get for submitting)
AND
2. A Kindle gift copy of a Ryne Douglas Pearson novel - winner's choice
AND
3. A Kindle gift copy of Doug Dorow's, THE NINTH DISTRICT
AND
4. A Kindle copy of one of John Betcher's books - winner's choice
AND
5. A Smashwords coupon from Russell Blake for his DELPHI CHRONICLE Trilogy (all three novels)
AND
6. And an epub or mobi copy of one of Jeremy Robinson's novels - the winner's choice**
* If the winner does not have a Kindle, he/she will be encouraged to download the free Kindle app to their computer or phone or other reading device. If this cannot be accomplished, alternative prizes will be given, though at this time, there have yet to be any decisions made as to what those prizes will be.
** Excludes INSTINCT, PULSE, and THRESHOLD
1. A Kindle* gift copy of either PROGENY or THE SOLOMON KEY - your choice (you get for submitting)
AND
2. A Kindle gift copy of a Ryne Douglas Pearson novel - winner's choice
AND
3. A Kindle gift copy of Doug Dorow's, THE NINTH DISTRICT
AND
4. A Kindle copy of one of John Betcher's books - winner's choice
AND
5. A Smashwords coupon from Russell Blake for his DELPHI CHRONICLE Trilogy (all three novels)
AND
6. And an epub or mobi copy of one of Jeremy Robinson's novels - the winner's choice**
* If the winner does not have a Kindle, he/she will be encouraged to download the free Kindle app to their computer or phone or other reading device. If this cannot be accomplished, alternative prizes will be given, though at this time, there have yet to be any decisions made as to what those prizes will be.
** Excludes INSTINCT, PULSE, and THRESHOLD