Paul Winters's Blog

Author Paul Winters, through World Castle Publications, has found a new way to carve a niche in the ever-competitive book sales arena by offering those with eReaders the chance to sample 75% of his thriller novel absolutely free.

 

Charlotte, NC – February 18, 2014 – When it comes to competing for book sales, one needs to really think outside of the box. For those traditionally published via one of the smaller houses, they are fighting the battle on two fronts:

 

First of all, there are the big publishers. And, the big houses have the marketing power. They command the shelf space in the book stores. They get the recommendations on Amazon and Barnes & Noble. They pair their authors with more famous names to get recognition. How in the world can one compete with that?

 

On the other end of the spectrum, the eBook trend has created a plethora of self-published authors. Their works (some wonderful and some pure drivel) are available through many of the same outlets and they too are vying for attention. They offer free books and excessively discounted pricing. How in the world does one compete with that?

 

Paul Winters seems have found an answer by trying a very unique approach. His psychological thriller novel, Deepest Doors, was released September 2013 through World Castle Publications, LLC. Despite some very positive reviews, sales have been modest. So, Paul took a somewhat different approach. Instead of discounting or offering the book for free, he twisted the rules for eBook “sampling”. Amazon and iTunes allow readers to download a small sample of a book to try it before purchasing. In most cases, that is limited to 20%. However, Paul has convinced his publisher to allow a 75% sample download. “The logic there is simple,” Paul explains, “any good thriller hits that point where the reader simply can’t put it down. Give them a chance to try most of it free and they will hit that point. If they want to see how the story ends, they complete the purchase to get the last pages.” That sounds simple enough.

 

How is the new approach working? Only time will tell. The initial results look positive. The site where the book is available has gone from a handful of page views per day to almost 1000 per day during this period; all from a change in sampling percentage and a wave of announcements in social media. Those who download will decide if it works. If it is truly, as one New York Times bestselling author called it, ‘unputdownable’, then sales will certainly follow the sampling period.

 

Because Amazon and iTunes limit the percentage downloaded, one must utilize a third party, called Smashwords, to try the full sample. The download is available at http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/353105 or http://www.DeepestDoors.com.

Try 75% Free

Buy The Book

In the novel, Deepest Doors, James McBride becomes embroiled in political chaos in Azerbaijan, fights for his life in and around his hometown of New York City and eventually flees to the Indian Ocean coast of Kenya.  This all happens on his journey to discover who he really is and how he acquired certain very unusual abilities.

After their final battle, James and Sarah flee the United States.  In an attempt to avoid detection, they traveled mainly with cash and took a variety of routes on a long trek that ended on the shores of Mombasa, Kenya.

Mombasa is the second-largest city in Kenya, with a population over one million people.  It is a center of coastal tourism in Kenya.  The Nyali, Bamburi, and Shanzu beaches are located north of the city while one finds the Shelly, Tiwi, and Diani beaches further south. Several luxury hotels exist on these beaches, but more affordable accommodations can be found further out.

Mombasa Island itself is not a main attraction, although many people visit the Old Town and Fort Jesus.   It is there that James and Sarah discuss what he had learned during his last encounter with Dr. Glover.  “They spent the day wandering the streets of Mombasa, spending a significant amount of time in the old town where they came upon the areas’ main tourist attraction. Fort Jesus was built by Portuguese in the 16th century. Now a museum, five American dollars was the entrance fee for each.

Moving through the sections, viewing relics from the history of the city, near a special display from a Portuguese ship named Santo Antonio de Tanna which sank off the coast in 1698, James finally opened his soul to Sarah, telling the history he had gleaned from the last fleeting moments of contact with Dr. Max Glover.”

For a limited time, we are allowing those with eReaders to sample the first 75% of Deepest Doors absolutely free.  Only pay if you can’t put it down.  The link for this offer is: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/353105

Buy The Book

Buy The Book

In the novel, Deepest Doors, James McBride becomes embroiled in political chaos in Azerbaijan, fights for his life in and around his hometown of New York City and eventually flees to the Indian Ocean coast of Kenya.  This all happens on his journey to discover who he really is and how he acquired certain very unusual abilities.

After their final battle, James and Sarah flee the United States.  In an attempt to avoid detection, they traveled mainly with cash and took a variety of routes on a long trek that ended on the shores of Mombasa, Kenya.

Mombasa is the second-largest city in Kenya, with a population over one million people.  It is a center of coastal tourism in Kenya.  The Nyali, Bamburi, and Shanzu beaches are located north of the city while one finds the Shelly, Tiwi, and Diani beaches further south. Several luxury hotels exist on these beaches, but more affordable accommodations can be found further out.

Mombasa Island itself is not a main attraction, although many people visit the Old Town and Fort Jesus.   It is there that James and Sarah discuss what he had learned during his last encounter with Dr. Glover.  “They spent the day wandering the streets of Mombasa, spending a significant amount of time in the old town where they came upon the areas’ main tourist attraction. Fort Jesus was built by Portuguese in the 16th century. Now a museum, five American dollars was the entrance fee for each.

Moving through the sections, viewing relics from the history of the city, near a special display from a Portuguese ship named Santo Antonio de Tanna which sank off the coast in 1698, James finally opened his soul to Sarah, telling the history he had gleaned from the last fleeting moments of contact with Dr. Max Glover.”

For a limited time, we are allowing those with eReaders to sample the first 75% of Deepest Doors absolutely free.  Only pay if you can’t put it down.  The link for this offer is: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/353105

Buy The Book

Buy The Book

In the novel, Deepest Doors, James McBride becomes embroiled in political chaos in Azerbaijan, fights for his life in and around his hometown of New York City and eventually flees to the Indian Ocean coast of Kenya.  This all happens on his journey to discover who he really is and how he acquired certain very unusual abilities.

After their final battle, James and Sarah flee the United States.  On the way to their final destination, they stop in Monte Carlo where James uses his unique abilities to secure additional funds at the roulette wheels of one of Monte Carlo’s many high end casinos.

Monte Carlo which literally means “Mount Charles” is situated at the base of the Maritime Alps along the French Riviera. Founded in 1866, Monte Carlo’s name is of Italian origin in honor of the then-reigning prince, Charles III of Monaco.  It exists as a little more than speck of land on a Mediterranean view map, sitting directly between France and Italy.

Near the western end of the quarter is the world-famous Place du Casino, the gambling center where James and Sarah found temporary refuge and secured enough hard cash to escape their pursuers without the need of credit cards which could be easily traced.  “The Monte Carlo Grand Hotel and Resort was situated near the sea, where the salty smells of the Mediterranean wafted softly over the harbor and nearby shops. Boat slips were filled with some of the largest and most opulent of private yachts in this rich man’s playground. They found a cozy roulette wheel where a masculine and pasty female croupier with straight black hair and slightly tinted rectangular glasses greeted them while accepting their bet. There were four others at the table, all with different colored chips.”

With their winnings, James and Sarah could finally disappear completely.

Buy The Book

Buy The Book

In the novel, Deepest Doors, James McBride becomes embroiled in political chaos in Azerbaijan, fights for his life in and around his hometown of New York City and eventually flees to the Indian Ocean coast of Kenya.  This all happens on his journey to discover who he really is and how he acquired certain very unusual abilities.

The final battle with James and Sarah’s pursuers takes place in a quiet suburban neighborhood in Stamford, Connecticut, home to their newfound fellow fugitive, Bob Eaton.  It is there where they figure out who their pursuers really are, what they are after, and find a way to defeat them by getting them to defeat themselves.

Stamford is a city in Fairfield County, Connecticut.  Stamford is home to four Fortune 500 Companies, nine Fortune 1000 Companies, as well as numerous divisions of large corporations. This gives Stamford the largest financial district in New York Metro outside New York City itself and one of the largest concentrations of corporations in the nation.  With a population of 123,868 people and 25 constituent neighborhoods, Stamford is the fourth largest community in Connecticut.

For many who work in New York City, Stamford is a hometown that affords them a respite away from the city.  It is reasonably close to New York and has multiple means of conveniently getting to the city.  Train is one of the more popular methods, with frequent trips departing from the Stamford Metro Train Station.  Median home values in Stamford start at around half a million dollars.

Other than business and residential area, Stamford is home to numerous public parks, golf courses, ice rinks and even a public beach.

Buy The Book

Buy The Book

In the novel, Deepest Doors, James McBride becomes embroiled in political chaos in Azerbaijan, fights for his life in and around his hometown of New York City and eventually flees to the Indian Ocean coast of Kenya.  This all happens on his journey to discover who he really is and how he acquired certain very unusual abilities.

The final battle with James and Sarah’s pursuers takes place in a quiet suburban neighborhood in Stamford, Connecticut, home to their newfound fellow fugitive, Bob Eaton.  It is there where they figure out who their pursuers really are, what they are after, and find a way to defeat them by getting them to defeat themselves.

Stamford is a city in Fairfield County, Connecticut.  Stamford is home to four Fortune 500 Companies, nine Fortune 1000 Companies, as well as numerous divisions of large corporations. This gives Stamford the largest financial district in New York Metro outside New York City itself and one of the largest concentrations of corporations in the nation.  With a population of 123,868 people and 25 constituent neighborhoods, Stamford is the fourth largest community in Connecticut.

For many who work in New York City, Stamford is a hometown that affords them a respite away from the city.  It is reasonably close to New York and has multiple means of conveniently getting to the city.  Train is one of the more popular methods, with frequent trips departing from the Stamford Metro Train Station.  Median home values in Stamford start at around half a million dollars.

Other than business and residential area, Stamford is home to numerous public parks, golf courses, ice rinks and even a public beach.

Buy The Book

Buy The Book

In the novel, Deepest Doors, James McBride becomes embroiled in political chaos in Azerbaijan, fights for his life in and around his hometown of New York City and eventually flees to the Indian Ocean coast of Kenya.  This all happens on his journey to discover who he really is and how he acquired certain very unusual abilities.

James makes his home in New York City but, as he eventually learns after his chance encounter with Sarah Plummer, he actually had spent most of his life in the nearby city of Newark, New Jersey (though he had no memory of this).

To many people, Newark is little more than a stopping point on the way to New York City, and not one where most would want to spend any length of time.  It is actually a much more interesting place.  Founded in 1666, Newark is headquarters to numerous corporations, such as Prudential Financial and PSEG. It is also home to several universities, such as Rutgers–Newark (including its Law School), the New Jersey Institute of Technology, and Seton Hall University’s Law School.  Newark is New Jersey’s largest and second-most racially diverse city.  It is the financial, commercial, and transportation nucleus of the Garden State.

Broad and Market Streets, prominently part of the story as James explores the familiar yet unfamiliar home, are also known as Newark’s “Four Corners” and is an intersection that has been known as one of the busiest in the United States. The crossroads for the city’s major north-south and east-west arteries, the intersection was used by the early settlers and was home to the community well. These two streets were the focal point of planning in 1666 when the community officially was laid out.

James and his friends traveled that area, as the attempted to learn more about James’ nebulous past; “They reached the end of Clinton, it teed at Broad Street, one of the busiest thoroughfares of Newark. James stood there a moment, Sarah looking down the street to the left and Bob to the right.”

Buy The Book

Buy The Book

In the novel, Deepest Doors, James McBride becomes embroiled in political chaos in Azerbaijan, fights for his life in and around his hometown of New York City and eventually flees to the Indian Ocean coast of Kenya.  This all happens on his journey to discover who he really is and how he acquired certain very unusual abilities.

James makes his home in New York City but, as he soon realizes after his chance encounter with Sarah Plummer, he is little more than an itinerant resident.  On his journey to figure out who he really is, he follows Sarah like a foreign tourist to some of the key tourist attractions of the city; with a key one being the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum.

The Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum is a military and maritime history museum with a collection of museum ships in New York City. It is located at Pier 86 at 46th Street on the West Side of Manhattan.  In addition to the USS Intrepid, the location also has the submarine USS Growler, a Concorde supersonic passenger plane and a Lockheed A-12 reconnaissance plane.  It’s most recent exhibit is the space shuttle Enterprise, the prototype NASA orbiter that paved the way for the space shuttle program.

“Inside the Intrepid’s cavernous hanger deck, James moved from exhibit to exhibit, reading each placard and studying the items displayed. They had already visited the submarine Growler and the Concorde (on loan from British Airways), all part of a museum where the building was also the cornerstone exhibit.”

By bringing James to this location, she began the path of unraveling the mysteries of his past.  James began to understand that his past lack of fascination with such locations was not natural and that, clearly, something deeper was at work within the recesses of his mind.

Buy The Book

In the novel, Deepest Doors, James McBride becomes embroiled in political chaos in Azerbaijan, fights for his life in and around his hometown of New York City and eventually flees to the Indian Ocean coast of Kenya.  This all happens on his journey to discover who he really is and how he acquired certain very unusual abilities.

Buy The Book

James makes his home in New York City but, as he soon realizes after his chance encounter with Sarah Plummer, he is little more than an itinerant resident.  The most exciting sights of the city are places he had never visited.  On his journey to figure out who he really is, he follows Sarah like a foreign tourist to some of the key tourist attractions of the city; with a key one being the Guggenheim Museum.

“The Guggenheim Museum, located on a section of Fifth Avenue known as Museum Mile, had been repeatedly called one of the most unique buildings in New York City. Designed by Frank Lloyd Wright with more than a little acrimony among the major stakeholders, the museum has been described as shaped roughly like a teacup, though Sarah said it looked more like an apple being peeled. James and Sarah made their way up the spiraling ramp, watching children with parents laughing and passing them. The galleries were divided like the membranes of a grapefruit, with self-contained yet interdependent sections. The open rotunda allowed the array of visitors the pleasure of being able to see several bays of work on different levels simultaneously.”

James had declared himself a resident of the city, though this was one location he had never visited.  “James wandered with mouth open, staring at the displays like a kid on his first trip to a toy store. Sarah acted as a tour guide, offering commentaries that she seemed to have memorized. This was one of her favorite places to visit.”

By bringing James to this location, she began the path of unraveling the mysteries of his past.

Buy The Book

Buy The Book

In the novel, Deepest Doors, James McBride becomes embroiled in political chaos in Azerbaijan, fights for his life in and around his hometown of New York City and eventually flees to the Indian Ocean coast of Kenya.  This all happens on his journey to discover who he really is and how he acquired certain very unusual abilities.  Along the way he finds love which begins with a chance collision (literally, it was a collision) in Central Park.

The eventual love interest of James McBride was a free-spirited, adventurous woman named Sarah Plummer.  She loved Central Park and had developed intense workouts utilizing inline skates; much to the chagrin of the other pedestrians and the ‘skate patrol’.  Following her path one day, while trying to break her personal best time, she crashes directly into James McBride, setting in motion the events that would eventually free him from the dark grip of Dr. Max Glover and his bizarre past.

Central Park is often considered an oasis in a large cement world that encompasses New York City.  Brimming with trees and ponds, James enjoyed the occasional walks through the park on the way to and from his office, particularly when the weather was pleasant.  “The evening breeze was calming and pleasant, helping him relax from a very focused and mentally demanding day. He walked faster as the entrance to Central Park came into view. With the temperature actually warmer than during his morning walk, he saw no reason for the crowds and smells of the subway. With briefcase in hand, his polished black wingtips clipped along the ground with a cheery bounce. The city seemed a happy place. Shops, offices, little restaurants, delis, a melting pot of humanity all passed by in a relative blur.”

From War Memorials to sculptures to playgrounds, there are plenty of things to both see and do within the confines of the park.  The Central Park Conservancy, founded in 1980 by a group of dedicated civic and philanthropic leaders, has established an ‘Official’ website for the park with a wealth of information, calendar of events and rules.

Buy The Book