Kevin Domenic's Blog: Thoughts I Think About Things I've Thought About
October 21, 2012
The Need to Create
Picture this, if you will.
A teenage Jim walks into the kitchen one morning carrying a stuffed frog. He proceeds to dance the frog around while singing a song in a silly voice, pretending that the frog is putting on a show for his mother. And when he finishes, he looks at his mother and says, "I'm going to dedicate my life to doing this."
What do you think she said? How did she react?
Now put yourself in that position. However, change the dancing frog to whatever your passion may be. Playing guitar, writing books, dancing, acting, painting, wrestling - whatever you enjoy doing. You enter a room of family and friends and proceed to perform your chosen interest. For the sake of this example, let's say you've written a short story and you want to read it to them. When you're finished, you say to them, "I'm going to dedicate my life to doing this."
What do you think they'd say? How would they react?
Perhaps they'll cheer you on. Perhaps they'll throw their full support behind your dream. I've been lucky enough to have some supporters of my own goals. But from my experience, there may be others who don't have as much faith in you. There may be skepticism. Criticism. Flat-out discouragement. After all: "It's nearly impossible to break into that field." And: "You'll have to fight against all the competition out there. Professional competition." Or the cliche response: "You'll never make any money doing that."
Or worse yet, as someone close to me once said, "You'll never get published."
How would you react to that? What would you do?
Let's say, for the sake of argument, that Jim's mother says something like that in response to his dancing frog routine. And Jim listens. Instead of pursuing a career as a puppeteer, Jim decides to start a business career, and years later, he gets a high-level executive job. The pay is good. The benefits are good. Life is good. But Jim is miserable. He's stuck in a corporate suit promoting someone else's product and contributing nothing of his own interests and creations to society. And worse yet, the world has been deprived of a piece of entertainment history that would've captivated the hearts of children and adults for decades to come.
The world has been deprived of The Muppets.
Now, as a disclaimer, let me just say that I have no idea how Jim Henson first told his parents of his interest in being a puppeteer nor do I know how they reacted. I used the above scenario as an example to illustrate the potential consequences of allowing naysayers to stop us from pursuing our goal.
I realize the fact that for every one person deemed a commercial success, there are thousands, tens of thousands, and even millions who fail to reach that level. I get that. I don't expect to be a millionaire author (though I'm not opposed to it!) and I'm not counting on it. But that doesn't mean I'm going to give up doing what I love. It doesn't mean I'm going to abandon all hope and get a job I don't want just because it's a rough road. I only get to live once, and I'll be damned if I'm going to find myself lying on my deathbed one day going, "What if I'd just tried harder?"
I can tell you this: I can't imagine a scenario where I'd be lying on my deathbed saying, "I wish I'd spent more time at the office."
But let me make it clear: If working in the business environment is your thing, more power to you. If that's what makes you happy, if that's what fulfills your need to contribute something of yourself to the world, and if that's what you truly have a passion for, then pursue that path and never look back. The things I say about the business world and the "corporate suit" apply to me and only me. It's not my thing, and I won't be motivated to do something when my heart isn't in it.
So how about the rest of you? What do you have to contribute to the world that is you and only you? Do you like to sing? Tell stories? Have you come up with an invention? Do you have a talent for sculpting things out of glass? Stone? Do you love a sport? Are you passionate about government and leadership?
Whatever it is, whatever your dreams, whatever your passions, I urge you: Do NOT let anyone or anything stop you from pursuing them. Even with zero support from others, if you feel the overpowering and relentless need to create, go out there and do it. Everyone must choose their own path in life. We can't let others dictate our roles in the world or what contributions we can or cannot make to society. Every piece of the puzzle is important. Everyone from carpenters to comedians have their place, and each serves a purpose whether it be to put a roof over someone's head or put joy into their heart. It will be tough; I'm not saying that it won't. It will require dedication, sacrifice, struggle, heartache, perseverance, and above all else, passion. But if the need to create is there, the rest will come so long as you don't allow anyone or anything to stand in your way.
If Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird had allowed anyone to dissuade them from self-publishing their comic book (originally a parody of Marvel Comic's The New Mutants), the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles may have never existed. If NBC told Jerry Seinfeld that a show with no character development or "moral moments" wouldn't succeed, the hit sitcom Seinfeld may have never existed.
If Jim Henson had spent his life working with puppets and was never a commercial success, do you think he'd wish he had gotten the corporate job? I don't know the answer for sure, but I have to ask myself this: Is it better to fail doing something you love or succeed doing something you hate?
I don't know if I'll ever be a "commercial" success. But then again, I don't know that I need to be. Of course, like most writers, I'd love to be able to pay my bills with my writing alone - and I'm going to continue to work toward that goal. But writing is what makes me happy regardless of whether or not I'm the next J.K. Rowling. It satisfies that endless need to create, that overflowing fountain of imagination that just cannot be contained within the confines of my own head. I do this because I love it, because it's fulfilling, and because it's the unique thing that I have to contribute to the world. My imagination, my emotions, my characters, my stories - they are what I have to give that no one else can. And that mere fact provides a sense of completion and fulfillment that a corporate suit can never give me.
Maybe the business world works for some people. If it does, that's great. But not me. I'll forever drift amongst the stars within my own imagination, and it's a place I never want to leave. I may never be a J.K. Rowling or Robert Jordan, and I'm OK with that. That's not to say that it wouldn't be cool to walk into Toys R' Us and see a section of Fourth Dimension action figures, but as long as I can continue to share my work with you and explore the distant corners of the galaxies in my head, I'll be happy.
After all, I'd rather fail doing something I love than succeed doing something I hate.
Tear down the walls. Follow your dreams.
"Life's like a movie. Write your own ending." - Kermit the Frog
God bless,
Kevin
A teenage Jim walks into the kitchen one morning carrying a stuffed frog. He proceeds to dance the frog around while singing a song in a silly voice, pretending that the frog is putting on a show for his mother. And when he finishes, he looks at his mother and says, "I'm going to dedicate my life to doing this."
What do you think she said? How did she react?
Now put yourself in that position. However, change the dancing frog to whatever your passion may be. Playing guitar, writing books, dancing, acting, painting, wrestling - whatever you enjoy doing. You enter a room of family and friends and proceed to perform your chosen interest. For the sake of this example, let's say you've written a short story and you want to read it to them. When you're finished, you say to them, "I'm going to dedicate my life to doing this."
What do you think they'd say? How would they react?
Perhaps they'll cheer you on. Perhaps they'll throw their full support behind your dream. I've been lucky enough to have some supporters of my own goals. But from my experience, there may be others who don't have as much faith in you. There may be skepticism. Criticism. Flat-out discouragement. After all: "It's nearly impossible to break into that field." And: "You'll have to fight against all the competition out there. Professional competition." Or the cliche response: "You'll never make any money doing that."
Or worse yet, as someone close to me once said, "You'll never get published."
How would you react to that? What would you do?
Let's say, for the sake of argument, that Jim's mother says something like that in response to his dancing frog routine. And Jim listens. Instead of pursuing a career as a puppeteer, Jim decides to start a business career, and years later, he gets a high-level executive job. The pay is good. The benefits are good. Life is good. But Jim is miserable. He's stuck in a corporate suit promoting someone else's product and contributing nothing of his own interests and creations to society. And worse yet, the world has been deprived of a piece of entertainment history that would've captivated the hearts of children and adults for decades to come.
The world has been deprived of The Muppets.
Now, as a disclaimer, let me just say that I have no idea how Jim Henson first told his parents of his interest in being a puppeteer nor do I know how they reacted. I used the above scenario as an example to illustrate the potential consequences of allowing naysayers to stop us from pursuing our goal.
I realize the fact that for every one person deemed a commercial success, there are thousands, tens of thousands, and even millions who fail to reach that level. I get that. I don't expect to be a millionaire author (though I'm not opposed to it!) and I'm not counting on it. But that doesn't mean I'm going to give up doing what I love. It doesn't mean I'm going to abandon all hope and get a job I don't want just because it's a rough road. I only get to live once, and I'll be damned if I'm going to find myself lying on my deathbed one day going, "What if I'd just tried harder?"
I can tell you this: I can't imagine a scenario where I'd be lying on my deathbed saying, "I wish I'd spent more time at the office."
But let me make it clear: If working in the business environment is your thing, more power to you. If that's what makes you happy, if that's what fulfills your need to contribute something of yourself to the world, and if that's what you truly have a passion for, then pursue that path and never look back. The things I say about the business world and the "corporate suit" apply to me and only me. It's not my thing, and I won't be motivated to do something when my heart isn't in it.
So how about the rest of you? What do you have to contribute to the world that is you and only you? Do you like to sing? Tell stories? Have you come up with an invention? Do you have a talent for sculpting things out of glass? Stone? Do you love a sport? Are you passionate about government and leadership?
Whatever it is, whatever your dreams, whatever your passions, I urge you: Do NOT let anyone or anything stop you from pursuing them. Even with zero support from others, if you feel the overpowering and relentless need to create, go out there and do it. Everyone must choose their own path in life. We can't let others dictate our roles in the world or what contributions we can or cannot make to society. Every piece of the puzzle is important. Everyone from carpenters to comedians have their place, and each serves a purpose whether it be to put a roof over someone's head or put joy into their heart. It will be tough; I'm not saying that it won't. It will require dedication, sacrifice, struggle, heartache, perseverance, and above all else, passion. But if the need to create is there, the rest will come so long as you don't allow anyone or anything to stand in your way.
If Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird had allowed anyone to dissuade them from self-publishing their comic book (originally a parody of Marvel Comic's The New Mutants), the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles may have never existed. If NBC told Jerry Seinfeld that a show with no character development or "moral moments" wouldn't succeed, the hit sitcom Seinfeld may have never existed.
If Jim Henson had spent his life working with puppets and was never a commercial success, do you think he'd wish he had gotten the corporate job? I don't know the answer for sure, but I have to ask myself this: Is it better to fail doing something you love or succeed doing something you hate?
I don't know if I'll ever be a "commercial" success. But then again, I don't know that I need to be. Of course, like most writers, I'd love to be able to pay my bills with my writing alone - and I'm going to continue to work toward that goal. But writing is what makes me happy regardless of whether or not I'm the next J.K. Rowling. It satisfies that endless need to create, that overflowing fountain of imagination that just cannot be contained within the confines of my own head. I do this because I love it, because it's fulfilling, and because it's the unique thing that I have to contribute to the world. My imagination, my emotions, my characters, my stories - they are what I have to give that no one else can. And that mere fact provides a sense of completion and fulfillment that a corporate suit can never give me.
Maybe the business world works for some people. If it does, that's great. But not me. I'll forever drift amongst the stars within my own imagination, and it's a place I never want to leave. I may never be a J.K. Rowling or Robert Jordan, and I'm OK with that. That's not to say that it wouldn't be cool to walk into Toys R' Us and see a section of Fourth Dimension action figures, but as long as I can continue to share my work with you and explore the distant corners of the galaxies in my head, I'll be happy.
After all, I'd rather fail doing something I love than succeed doing something I hate.
Tear down the walls. Follow your dreams.
"Life's like a movie. Write your own ending." - Kermit the Frog
God bless,
Kevin
February 18, 2012
Wrestling the Voices
Been having trouble writing lately.
I'm working on a project that I hope will turn into a web-based series of free short stories from The Fourth Dimension universe. Much has happened to Arus since we last saw him, and when Volume IV rolls around, a number of years will have passed. So I wanted to give readers a chance to learn a bit about what he's thus far encountered during his time as a soldier for the Aeden Alliance.
The problem I'm facing is that I am getting far too picky with my sentences. I'm just agonizing over every single word. With each sentence I write, I stare and reread it over and over, picking out useless words, tangled phrases, and repetitive language. As a result, I'll sit at the computer for an hour and type three sentences.
I'm no expert on the English language. For example, I don't know if "English" in that last sentence is supposed to be capitalized or not. If you asked me to identify a dangling participle or to conjugate a verb, I'd have no clue what you're talking about. I didn't major in English or Journalism in college, and I wasn't a straight-A student in grade school. So I don't have any formal training to tell me what is right and what is wrong when writing a book. I just write what feels right.
These days, twenty minutes at my computer goes something like this: Write a sentence, delete it, write half of a new one, delete that, write another one, reword it, reword it again, reword one more time, delete it, check facebook, delete the whole paragraph, get a soda, and start again.
There was a time when I just sat down, wrote the story, and then went over it again later to edit in/out words, sentences, grammar, or punctuation as necessary. I need to get back to that, because lately I've been wrestling with OCD and the nagging voice in the back of my head that's whispering, "You know you're going to change that sentence. Why move on to the next scene when you know you're going to change this one? Better to fix it now so you won't have to come back." I spend too much time rewriting and rewriting what I rewrote (and, admittedly, checking websites because my brain has the attention span of ... well, something with a really short attention span).
I guess the point I'm trying make is: New content is on the way, but I ask for your patience and understanding while I wrestle the voices in my head.
God bless,
Kevin
I'm working on a project that I hope will turn into a web-based series of free short stories from The Fourth Dimension universe. Much has happened to Arus since we last saw him, and when Volume IV rolls around, a number of years will have passed. So I wanted to give readers a chance to learn a bit about what he's thus far encountered during his time as a soldier for the Aeden Alliance.
The problem I'm facing is that I am getting far too picky with my sentences. I'm just agonizing over every single word. With each sentence I write, I stare and reread it over and over, picking out useless words, tangled phrases, and repetitive language. As a result, I'll sit at the computer for an hour and type three sentences.
I'm no expert on the English language. For example, I don't know if "English" in that last sentence is supposed to be capitalized or not. If you asked me to identify a dangling participle or to conjugate a verb, I'd have no clue what you're talking about. I didn't major in English or Journalism in college, and I wasn't a straight-A student in grade school. So I don't have any formal training to tell me what is right and what is wrong when writing a book. I just write what feels right.
These days, twenty minutes at my computer goes something like this: Write a sentence, delete it, write half of a new one, delete that, write another one, reword it, reword it again, reword one more time, delete it, check facebook, delete the whole paragraph, get a soda, and start again.
There was a time when I just sat down, wrote the story, and then went over it again later to edit in/out words, sentences, grammar, or punctuation as necessary. I need to get back to that, because lately I've been wrestling with OCD and the nagging voice in the back of my head that's whispering, "You know you're going to change that sentence. Why move on to the next scene when you know you're going to change this one? Better to fix it now so you won't have to come back." I spend too much time rewriting and rewriting what I rewrote (and, admittedly, checking websites because my brain has the attention span of ... well, something with a really short attention span).
I guess the point I'm trying make is: New content is on the way, but I ask for your patience and understanding while I wrestle the voices in my head.
God bless,
Kevin
November 7, 2011
Building Blocks Released!!
Greetings,
I must first apologize for not having updated in a while. Building Blocks was nearing completion and I wanted to spend as much free time as I could with cover creation and editing. A special thanks goes to Crimsanity Creations for the awesome cover shot. The whole image holds several symbolic meanings for me personally as well as Herbert, the protagonist of Building Blocks. Readers can check out more art from Crimsanity Creations over at deviantArt.com!
Also, because it is a Christian book, I wanted to take the time necessary to make sure that everything I wrote matched up with Biblical teachings as I certainly don't want to lead anyone in the wrong direction.
But it's done now, and Building Blocks is available for your reading pleasure on Amazon.com, Smashwords.com, and Feedbooks.com! Please note that this book is meant to be free for everyone, but Amazon.com's minimum list price is $0.99. So I highly encourage you to download the book for free from Smashwords.com or Feedbooks.com! Links are listed below.
I am aware that a Christian novel will not be everyone's cup of tea. That's OK - I didn't write this with expectations of literary market domination. But the most common question I get asked when people find out I'm a Born Again Christian is, "If God exists, why does he allow bad things to happen to innocent people?" There's no easy answer for that question, but the short answer is this: Anyone who thinks that God is a magic genie who will grant our every wish is mistaken. God allows bad things to happen because doing otherwise would mean controlling us in one way or another. Controlling our decisions, controlling our actions, controlling our voices, our feet, our hands, or our thoughts. If God were to step in and stop a man from killing his neighbor, He'd be forced to momentarily take away the free will that He gave to humanity in the first place.
Obviously there's far more to it than just that, but that's what Building Blocks is about. It's about a young man named Herbert who has thus far struggled through a miserable life and can't help but wonder why a just and loving God would let so many terrible things happen to him.
I'm offering this book for free forever because I didn't write this book for money or book sales. I wrote it because I wanted to try to provide a better understanding of who God is and why He does the things he does. I hope to be able to get Amazon.com to drop the price down to $0.00 once the book becomes available on Barnesandnoble.com (they have a price-match policy). But until then, my best suggestion is to simply download the book in your preferred ereader format from Smashwords.com. And as always, please please please leave a review!
As for me, I am going to take some time off from writing. Building Blocks was a new experience for me; it took me out of my comfort zone of fantasy fiction and third-person storytelling and challenged my writing abilities to grow in a different direction--a direction I had not before explored. I don't regret it for a moment; I'm glad to have had the opportunity to try something new. But as a result, I find myself a bit burned out. So I'm going to take the rest of the year to relax and recharge.
But plans for next year are already coming together. First and foremost, work on Volume IV of The Fourth Dimension will commence. Alongside that, I am planning to write short stories from the Fourth Dimension universe detailing Arus' journeys through the stars as a soldier of the Aeden Alliance. If all goes well, these tales will be released in "Episodes" on The Fourth Dimension Official Website for free.
I have a lot of work ahead of me, and I'm excited and anxious to get started. Unfortunately, my mind is fried at the moment, so I'm going to enjoy the holidays as Arus and his friends adventure their way through the corners of my mind. But rest assured, there is much much more to come.
The story of The Fourth Dimension has only just begun.
God bless,
Kevin
Building Blocks on Smashwords
Building Blocks on Feedbooks
I must first apologize for not having updated in a while. Building Blocks was nearing completion and I wanted to spend as much free time as I could with cover creation and editing. A special thanks goes to Crimsanity Creations for the awesome cover shot. The whole image holds several symbolic meanings for me personally as well as Herbert, the protagonist of Building Blocks. Readers can check out more art from Crimsanity Creations over at deviantArt.com!
Also, because it is a Christian book, I wanted to take the time necessary to make sure that everything I wrote matched up with Biblical teachings as I certainly don't want to lead anyone in the wrong direction.
But it's done now, and Building Blocks is available for your reading pleasure on Amazon.com, Smashwords.com, and Feedbooks.com! Please note that this book is meant to be free for everyone, but Amazon.com's minimum list price is $0.99. So I highly encourage you to download the book for free from Smashwords.com or Feedbooks.com! Links are listed below.
I am aware that a Christian novel will not be everyone's cup of tea. That's OK - I didn't write this with expectations of literary market domination. But the most common question I get asked when people find out I'm a Born Again Christian is, "If God exists, why does he allow bad things to happen to innocent people?" There's no easy answer for that question, but the short answer is this: Anyone who thinks that God is a magic genie who will grant our every wish is mistaken. God allows bad things to happen because doing otherwise would mean controlling us in one way or another. Controlling our decisions, controlling our actions, controlling our voices, our feet, our hands, or our thoughts. If God were to step in and stop a man from killing his neighbor, He'd be forced to momentarily take away the free will that He gave to humanity in the first place.
Obviously there's far more to it than just that, but that's what Building Blocks is about. It's about a young man named Herbert who has thus far struggled through a miserable life and can't help but wonder why a just and loving God would let so many terrible things happen to him.
I'm offering this book for free forever because I didn't write this book for money or book sales. I wrote it because I wanted to try to provide a better understanding of who God is and why He does the things he does. I hope to be able to get Amazon.com to drop the price down to $0.00 once the book becomes available on Barnesandnoble.com (they have a price-match policy). But until then, my best suggestion is to simply download the book in your preferred ereader format from Smashwords.com. And as always, please please please leave a review!
As for me, I am going to take some time off from writing. Building Blocks was a new experience for me; it took me out of my comfort zone of fantasy fiction and third-person storytelling and challenged my writing abilities to grow in a different direction--a direction I had not before explored. I don't regret it for a moment; I'm glad to have had the opportunity to try something new. But as a result, I find myself a bit burned out. So I'm going to take the rest of the year to relax and recharge.
But plans for next year are already coming together. First and foremost, work on Volume IV of The Fourth Dimension will commence. Alongside that, I am planning to write short stories from the Fourth Dimension universe detailing Arus' journeys through the stars as a soldier of the Aeden Alliance. If all goes well, these tales will be released in "Episodes" on The Fourth Dimension Official Website for free.
I have a lot of work ahead of me, and I'm excited and anxious to get started. Unfortunately, my mind is fried at the moment, so I'm going to enjoy the holidays as Arus and his friends adventure their way through the corners of my mind. But rest assured, there is much much more to come.
The story of The Fourth Dimension has only just begun.
God bless,
Kevin
Building Blocks on Smashwords
Building Blocks on Feedbooks
May 7, 2011
Record breaking month and $0.99
From my official website, Searching for Heroes:
Had a record breaking sales month in April! Hundreds of readers downloaded Key to the Stars, Alliance of Serpents, and Eye of the Tornado. On top of that, there were a good number of downloads for Retail Ramblings. That kind of surprised me because I haven't promoted it quite as much.
So, from the depths of my heart, thank you so much for your interest in The Fourth Dimension! I hope you'll continue to enjoy the series as new volumes are released going forward. My only request is that you leave your reviews of each book on respective websites from which they were purchased. For those of us in the indie writing universe, your reviews help us greatly in trying to reach more readers.
A good deal of last months success comes from my $0.99 price point. There's been a bit of debate regarding ebook pricing, so I figured I'd weigh in with my opinion. Please understand, this is my opinion.
First and foremost, an indie writer has the right to price his or her work at whatever amount they deem fit so long as it is within the limits of the distributor's guidelines. I say that because I noted someone recently stating that we should have more respect for all the hard work, long nights, and countless hours that went into our projects by charging more than $0.99 for the finished product. And for that person, that might be true.
What is overlooked here is the goal of the writer. Right now, my goal is to attract readers. I just want people to enjoy my books. I want to get my name out there. I want to get readers' opinions, feedback, comments, and suggestons. I'll worry about money later. The ebook market blesses us with such precise control over our works; we can change the price whenever we want. And I do eventually hope to be able to make a living from my writing. It's unlikely that I'll be able to do that at a $0.99 price point. But for now, I'm not focused on income. I'm focused on spreading the word and sharing my books.
Other people may have different motives. I've heard some readers say that they usually pass right over $0.99 books because they don't expect them to be well-written works of quality literature. I can understand that point; given the choice between Energizer or Shop-n-Save batteries, I'll go for the Energizer even though it's more expensive. Our society has trained us to automatically feel as though a higher price means a better product. So I can see that perspective.
But I've done a lot of price shifting of my books. They've been $0.99, $2.99, $4.99, and $9.99. $2.99 saw some sales. $4.99 and $9.99 saw next to nothing. $0.99 has brought me my best month of sales ten times over.
So I'll be sticking with $0.99 for now.
My fellow authors may agree. They may disagree. It doesn't matter. Each of them needs to do what they feel meets their needs the best; that's why it's so great that we have the flexibility of pricing that we do.
That's just how I see it, anyway.
God bless,
Kevin
Had a record breaking sales month in April! Hundreds of readers downloaded Key to the Stars, Alliance of Serpents, and Eye of the Tornado. On top of that, there were a good number of downloads for Retail Ramblings. That kind of surprised me because I haven't promoted it quite as much.
So, from the depths of my heart, thank you so much for your interest in The Fourth Dimension! I hope you'll continue to enjoy the series as new volumes are released going forward. My only request is that you leave your reviews of each book on respective websites from which they were purchased. For those of us in the indie writing universe, your reviews help us greatly in trying to reach more readers.
A good deal of last months success comes from my $0.99 price point. There's been a bit of debate regarding ebook pricing, so I figured I'd weigh in with my opinion. Please understand, this is my opinion.
First and foremost, an indie writer has the right to price his or her work at whatever amount they deem fit so long as it is within the limits of the distributor's guidelines. I say that because I noted someone recently stating that we should have more respect for all the hard work, long nights, and countless hours that went into our projects by charging more than $0.99 for the finished product. And for that person, that might be true.
What is overlooked here is the goal of the writer. Right now, my goal is to attract readers. I just want people to enjoy my books. I want to get my name out there. I want to get readers' opinions, feedback, comments, and suggestons. I'll worry about money later. The ebook market blesses us with such precise control over our works; we can change the price whenever we want. And I do eventually hope to be able to make a living from my writing. It's unlikely that I'll be able to do that at a $0.99 price point. But for now, I'm not focused on income. I'm focused on spreading the word and sharing my books.
Other people may have different motives. I've heard some readers say that they usually pass right over $0.99 books because they don't expect them to be well-written works of quality literature. I can understand that point; given the choice between Energizer or Shop-n-Save batteries, I'll go for the Energizer even though it's more expensive. Our society has trained us to automatically feel as though a higher price means a better product. So I can see that perspective.
But I've done a lot of price shifting of my books. They've been $0.99, $2.99, $4.99, and $9.99. $2.99 saw some sales. $4.99 and $9.99 saw next to nothing. $0.99 has brought me my best month of sales ten times over.
So I'll be sticking with $0.99 for now.
My fellow authors may agree. They may disagree. It doesn't matter. Each of them needs to do what they feel meets their needs the best; that's why it's so great that we have the flexibility of pricing that we do.
That's just how I see it, anyway.
God bless,
Kevin
April 18, 2011
Key to the Stars: FREE!
For a limited time, you can get Key to the Stars for FREE on Smashwords! No coupons, no memberships, no strings attached!
Details can be found here: http://kevindomenic.blogspot.com/2011...
Details can be found here: http://kevindomenic.blogspot.com/2011...
Author Interview: Jerry Hanel
I recently had a chance to interview Jerry Hanel, author of Death Has A Name. Check it out here!
Interview with Jerry Hanel
Interview with Jerry Hanel
April 2, 2011
Interviewed by Jerry Hanel
Jerry Hanel, author of Death Has A Name, recently interviewed me for his website. Check it out here!
Jerry's Writing Corner
Jerry's Writing Corner
March 30, 2011
Webpages, Indie Groups, and All That Jazz
Spent every night for the past week setting up new blogs and seeking out other indie authors to connect with. I now have an official author homepage at http://kevindomenic.blogspot.com - from there, all my other sites and groups are linked on the sidebar.
Also joined a pretty cool group on facebook called Indie Authors Unite. There are a lot of great people there, so if you're a writer looking for a place to socialize with others who share your passion, feel free to join!
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?sk=g...
Also, in a bit of exciting news, I'm being interviewed by Jerry Hanel, author of Death Has A Name for his website. I'll post a link here as soon as the interview is up!
And I'm back to work on polishing my NaNoWriMo book from last November. Hoping to have it completed and published to amazon and smashwords by the end of summer.
I think that's about it. Hope everyone is doing well!
God bless,
Kevin
Also joined a pretty cool group on facebook called Indie Authors Unite. There are a lot of great people there, so if you're a writer looking for a place to socialize with others who share your passion, feel free to join!
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?sk=g...
Also, in a bit of exciting news, I'm being interviewed by Jerry Hanel, author of Death Has A Name for his website. I'll post a link here as soon as the interview is up!
And I'm back to work on polishing my NaNoWriMo book from last November. Hoping to have it completed and published to amazon and smashwords by the end of summer.
I think that's about it. Hope everyone is doing well!
God bless,
Kevin
January 8, 2011
After Christmas Blues
Hey everyone. Been a while since I posted, I know.
Had a pretty lame Christmas this year. Kinda sucks because December is usually the one time of year when I can really be joyful without letting the weight of the world crush me. But the world won the battle this time. Family health problems, brothers who refuse to acknowledge the existence of myself, mother, and sister, and a blizzard that trapped me in the northeast US for an extra week and cost my fiance her job.
And that was just the last two weeks of December.
But whatever, life goes on. It's January of 2011 now, and I am already anxious for next Christmas if for no other reason than to try to erase the memory of this one. lol
Been trying to continue reading Robert Jordan's Crossroads of Twilight out of sheer stubborn refusal to give up on a series I have put so much time into. But it just does NOT keep my attention. To much introspective thought, too much scenery, too much pointless ramble. And while I can appreciate the fact that he introduces lots of new characters all the time to try to keep things fresh, I've lost track of who most of the extras are - especially the extras from each military faction. I can't tell Perrin's followers from Matt's and I don't know who was or is a member of the Whitecoats anymore. Bah.
Anyway, trying to start the new year off on a positive note, I decided to make all my ebooks free until February to try to get some attention. Prolly won't work, but I can't seem to figure out how to get people interested otherwise. I would be inclined to think that my work just sucks and that's why no one is interested, but I barely get anyone downloading samples. So I figure I'm just a small fish in a big pond. Or lake. Or ocean. Take your pick.
I also don't know how to let people know that they're free without sounding like a spammer. How do you advertise something without advertising it? *shrug*
Well, if you don't like ads, click away now. Cause here comes mine! :)
Have a safe and happy new year, everyone!
--------------
Now through February 1, 2011, you can get each of my four e-books for FREE on Smashwords! All you need is a Smashwords account (It's FREE!) and the following coupon codes!
For the three volumes of my fantasy series entitled The Fourth Dimension, you'll need these codes.
Key to the Stars: Coupon Code - BF98D
Alliance of Serpents: Coupon Code - RV44M
Eye of the Tornado: Coupon Code - KR27C
For the e-book version of Retail Ramblings, including more than ten BRAND NEW stories, you'll need this code.
Retail Ramblings: Coupon Code - KU75X
Thanks for your interest and have a great 2011!
Had a pretty lame Christmas this year. Kinda sucks because December is usually the one time of year when I can really be joyful without letting the weight of the world crush me. But the world won the battle this time. Family health problems, brothers who refuse to acknowledge the existence of myself, mother, and sister, and a blizzard that trapped me in the northeast US for an extra week and cost my fiance her job.
And that was just the last two weeks of December.
But whatever, life goes on. It's January of 2011 now, and I am already anxious for next Christmas if for no other reason than to try to erase the memory of this one. lol
Been trying to continue reading Robert Jordan's Crossroads of Twilight out of sheer stubborn refusal to give up on a series I have put so much time into. But it just does NOT keep my attention. To much introspective thought, too much scenery, too much pointless ramble. And while I can appreciate the fact that he introduces lots of new characters all the time to try to keep things fresh, I've lost track of who most of the extras are - especially the extras from each military faction. I can't tell Perrin's followers from Matt's and I don't know who was or is a member of the Whitecoats anymore. Bah.
Anyway, trying to start the new year off on a positive note, I decided to make all my ebooks free until February to try to get some attention. Prolly won't work, but I can't seem to figure out how to get people interested otherwise. I would be inclined to think that my work just sucks and that's why no one is interested, but I barely get anyone downloading samples. So I figure I'm just a small fish in a big pond. Or lake. Or ocean. Take your pick.
I also don't know how to let people know that they're free without sounding like a spammer. How do you advertise something without advertising it? *shrug*
Well, if you don't like ads, click away now. Cause here comes mine! :)
Have a safe and happy new year, everyone!
--------------
Now through February 1, 2011, you can get each of my four e-books for FREE on Smashwords! All you need is a Smashwords account (It's FREE!) and the following coupon codes!
For the three volumes of my fantasy series entitled The Fourth Dimension, you'll need these codes.
Key to the Stars: Coupon Code - BF98D
Alliance of Serpents: Coupon Code - RV44M
Eye of the Tornado: Coupon Code - KR27C
For the e-book version of Retail Ramblings, including more than ten BRAND NEW stories, you'll need this code.
Retail Ramblings: Coupon Code - KU75X
Thanks for your interest and have a great 2011!
November 26, 2010
Black Friday E-book Sale! :)
Now through November 28th, 2010, you can get each of my three e-books for just $1.00 on Smashwords! All you need is a Smashwords account (It's FREE!) and the following coupon codes!
For the first two volumes of my fantasy series entitled The Fourth Dimension, you'll need these codes.
Key to the Stars: Coupon Code - UV63M
Alliance of Serpents: Coupon Code - TK75S
For the e-book version of Retail Ramblings, including more than ten BRAND NEW stories, you'll need this code.
Retail Ramblings: Coupon Code - SB62X
Thanks for your interest and have a great holiday season!
For the first two volumes of my fantasy series entitled The Fourth Dimension, you'll need these codes.
Key to the Stars: Coupon Code - UV63M
Alliance of Serpents: Coupon Code - TK75S
For the e-book version of Retail Ramblings, including more than ten BRAND NEW stories, you'll need this code.
Retail Ramblings: Coupon Code - SB62X
Thanks for your interest and have a great holiday season!
Thoughts I Think About Things I've Thought About
I'm sure that, to many people, my ramblings here will seem like just another schmoe on the interent who's trying to get people to pay attention to him.
I guess, in some ways, that's pretty accurate.
But ...more
I guess, in some ways, that's pretty accurate.
But ...more
- Kevin Domenic's profile
- 15 followers
