Mike Sherer's Blog
May 15, 2021
From The North Rim 45
If any of the new readers want to catch up, the newsletter is archived on the Flatlanders site: Flatlanders – science fiction novel (wordpress.com)
My thriller/suspense novella ‘Clans’
is now live on VitalTek’s platform Readict.
Here is my pitch for it:
A young female elementary teacher is in a tavern celebrating the end of the school year with three other teachers when she notices a man she has never seen before watching her. When she goes home that night she is attacked and nearly murdered on her doorstep. Her attacker delivers a cryptic message just before killing her. Which is just before he is killed by the strange man who had been watching her in the bar. Who then flees after saving her life. The police detective investigating the case tells her the name of the dead man who attacked her and where he was from. That knowledge, plus the words the man uttered just before dying, sends her from her home in Cincinnati, Ohio, off to the mountains of Appalachia to learn how she is involved in such lethal events. Once there, she becomes embroiled in a brutal fight not only for her life, but for the very soul of the violent world she has been drawn into.
It is currently listed in the new and trending category, but I don’t know how long it will stay there. You can search for it by title. It is a short free read of about 23,000 words.
Here is how their platform works. You download their free app for a smart phone or a Google device, then go to their website – Readict Novel – and join for free. They claim to have over a million users, and there are hundreds of books to choose from. At the moment most of the selections are romances, but, as evidenced by ‘Clans’, which is definitely not a romance, their range is expanding. You select the book you want to read from your phone or tablet and it’s free. It’s all free. The app is free and their service is free and the books are free to read. The only catch is you have to watch commercials (which run about 15-30 seconds) or take a 2-question survey. How it works is you read a chapter, watch a short commercial, then read the next chapter. With all their services free, the site makes its money from ad sales.
This novella has been sitting on my virtual shelf for years gathering virtual dust. That is why I was willing to risk it on a new concept. If nothing comes of it, no big deal. That is also why I don’t self-publish. Even if you don’t publish something right away, there is always the chance an opportunity might come up later. If you’ve already self-published, then that opportunity is lost. Most publishers do not want reprints – they want first rights.
I read ‘Clans’ on my tablet from their site to see what it looked like. There were 5 or 6 instances where a line was duplicated in a separate paragraph. I informed them of this error, and they responded they would correct it. I’ll give them a week or two, then I’ll read it again to see if they have taken care of the problem. In the meanwhile, as soon as I finish what I’m reading I’ll select a book from their site to read. It’s important to support whoever is publishing you. Also, I’m curious as to what kind of books my novella is competing with.
From The Bookshelf of goodread’s Indie Authors At The Round Table
Malvern – Kindle edition by Baam, Nick. Literature & Fiction Kindle eBooks @ Amazon.com
m.sherer@yahoo.com
Flatlanders
May 7, 2021
From The North Rim 47
If any of the new readers want to catch up, the newsletter is archived on the Flatlanders site: Flatlanders – science fiction novel (wordpress.com)
I mentioned writers having so many opportunities nowadays. I was referring to get published, not necessarily to get paid. That’s a whole other story. Right now I’m interested in getting as much of my stuff out there that I can. The money will come later. So I have availed myself of yet another opportunity. I’ve been reading that episodic fiction is the future. It’s also the past. In the past, many books were published in installments in newspapers and periodicals, such as The Saturday Evening Post.
This style of publishing is coming into vogue once again. Segments of stories that are formatted to be easily accessed by phone and quickly read in short chunks. In an earlier newsletter I wrote about one such endeavor I had posted a novella to – ‘Clans’, on Readict. After having read my novella on their platform in order to see how it looked, I chose another to read. Wanted to check out the competition. As I said before, the selection is mostly romances, so it took a while to settle on one. I was pleasantly surprised by ‘Minute Zero – Stronghold’, by Chris Jayne. It is very well written, an exciting adventure filled with fascinating characters. It is the first book of a series. Many authors use this marketing strategy – offer the first book in a series for free in the hopes to hook the reader into buying the following books. Which I probably will, at some point. The Readict site is a good place to check out new authors. If you don’t like their story, merely quit reading. You’ve lost nothing but time. If you do like it, the first book is free. It’s up to you if you want to purchase additional books.
I recently learned of another such platform where you can read books on your phone – Kindle Vella.
Kindle Vella logo – Google Search
The program is still in beta. But they are collecting material for the launch, which might yet be several months. I have set up an account there, and submitted the first 2 installments of my novella ‘The Dead Sister’. Here is the pitch: “You lose all track of time when you’re dead. What you don’t lose is the rage.” The spirit of a young woman lures her sister to the scene of the crime to find out what happened to her. I have arranged for it to be posted in 6 installments. I’ll let you know how it goes.
From the bookshelf of goodread’s Indie Authors at the Round Table
m.sherer@yahoo.com
Flatlanders
April 30, 2021
From The North Rim 46
If any of the new readers want to catch up, the newsletter is archived on the Flatlanders site: Flatlanders – science fiction novel (wordpress.com)
I don’t know what it is with publishers lately. Maybe it’s the relief of all the inoculations being done in our country giving us an upper hand against the pandemic. But I have been getting the most polite rejection letters. Like this one from the Hungry Ghost:
Dear Mike,
Thank you very much for sending your work to The Hungry Ghost Project. We sincerely enjoyed reading ‘The Sweater’ but regret that it isn’t quite right for our first issue. That said, we adored the tender tone of this piece and thought the old woman’s understated reaction to the return of her son was masterful.
When you have ‘The Sweater’ published, please let us know so we can congratulate you and share it on our social media. We also hope you will consider submitting to The Hungry Ghost Project in the future.
In the meantime, take care, and thank you again for your support.
Warm wishes,
Leonie
Definitely not a form letter. He even critiqued it, something most editors just don’t have the time or inclination to do. I will definitely keep them in mind for future submissions.
Also, I have the website I am dedicating to my new novel, ‘Flatlanders’, up. Check it out:
Flatlanders – science fiction novel (wordpress.com)
As you can see, I have begun pestering agents. I am accessing them through Query Tracker.
QueryTracker | Find literary agents and publishers with our free database
It is an indispensable tool for connecting not only with agents but also publishers. I am starting out seeking representation. I will make an honest effort this time. I believe my book ‘Flatlanders’ is good enough to attract one. Also, I feel I have enough of a record by now – 3 published novels, 5 (soon to be 6) published novellas, and 24 published short stories – to attract one. If nothing comes of it, then I will proceed in securing a publisher myself. But I would really like to have an agent.
Query Tracker is great for this. It’s free, to start with. It allows you to narrow your search by putting in parameters. I searched for agents interested in science fiction. It maintains a database of who you have contacted and who you have yet to. It links you to their agency website, where you can learn the particulars of how to submit to them. Each agency has their own way of doing this. Some by email, some by online form. A real time and labor saver.
This is an exciting time to be a writer. So many opportunities.
From the bookshelf of goodread’s Indie Authors at the Round Table
Amazon.com: Icarus and the Wing Builder eBook: Case, Robert William, Hummel, Benjamin: Books
Flatlanders
April 23, 2021
From The North Rim 45
If any of the new readers want to catch up, the newsletter is archived on the Flatlanders site: Flatlanders – science fiction novel (wordpress.com)
My thriller/suspense novella ‘Clans’
is now live on VitalTek’s platform Readict.
Here is my pitch for it:
A young female elementary teacher is in a tavern celebrating the end of the school year with three other teachers when she notices a man she has never seen before watching her. When she goes home that night she is attacked and nearly murdered on her doorstep. Her attacker delivers a cryptic message just before killing her. Which is just before he is killed by the strange man who had been watching her in the bar. Who then flees after saving her life. The police detective investigating the case tells her the name of the dead man who attacked her and where he was from. That knowledge, plus the words the man uttered just before dying, sends her from her home in Cincinnati, Ohio, off to the mountains of Appalachia to learn how she is involved in such lethal events. Once there, she becomes embroiled in a brutal fight not only for her life, but for the very soul of the violent world she has been drawn into.
It is currently listed in the new and trending category, but I don’t know how long it will stay there. You can search for it by title. It is a short free read of about 23,000 words.
Here is how their platform works. You download their free app for a smart phone or a Google device, then go to their website – Readict Novel – and join for free. They claim to have over a million users, and there are hundreds of books to choose from. At the moment most of the selections are romances, but, as evidenced by ‘Clans’, which is definitely not a romance, their range is expanding. You select the book you want to read from your phone or tablet and it’s free. It’s all free. The app is free and their service is free and the books are free to read. The only catch is you have to watch commercials (which run about 15-30 seconds) or take a 2-question survey. How it works is you read a chapter, watch a short commercial, then read the next chapter. With all their services free, the site makes its money from ad sales.
This novella has been sitting on my virtual shelf for years gathering virtual dust. That is why I was willing to risk it on a new concept. If nothing comes of it, no big deal. That is also why I don’t self-publish. Even if you don’t publish something right away, there is always the chance an opportunity might come up later. If you’ve already self-published, then that opportunity is lost. Most publishers do not want reprints – they want first rights.
I read ‘Clans’ on my tablet from their site to see what it looked like. There were 5 or 6 instances where a line was duplicated in a separate paragraph. I informed them of this error, and they responded they would correct it. I’ll give them a week or two, then I’ll read it again to see if they have taken care of the problem. In the meanwhile, as soon as I finish what I’m reading I’ll select a book from their site to read. It’s important to support whoever is publishing you. Also, I’m curious as to what kind of books my novella is competing with.
From The Bookshelf of goodread’s Indie Authors At The Round Table
Malvern – Kindle edition by Baam, Nick. Literature & Fiction Kindle eBooks @ Amazon.com
m.sherer@yahoo.com
Flatlanders
April 22, 2021
From The North Rim 1
In case you are wondering about the name. I lived in Mason, Ohio, when I created my first web site. There were no site editors back then. I did it by hand, using BASIC. It was time-consuming, but more fun. Anyway, Mason is in the Greater Cincinnati area, about 25 miles to the north. The city is just north of circle freeway 275. To the west I-75 runs north, while to the east I-71 also runs north. The city sits in a little pocket with Interstates on 3 sides. Since Mason is on the northernmost stretch of 275, I considered that the North Rim. Hence the name.
Back then I put out a monthly edition of a mag I printed out and distributed around town. Publishing online wasn’t so easy back then. I serialized a novel I had written, some humor, and displayed some graphics I created. I did this for a year, and got little response for my trouble. So I quit. Today it is so much easier publishing online.
About me, briefly. I’ve had a screenplay produced and released direct to DVD – Hamal_18. It is now available on Amazon Prime. I’ve had 4 novels published – 1 MG, Shadytown (INtense Publications), and 3 adult, A Cold Dish (JWK Fiction), Under A Raging Moon (World Castle Publishing), and Souls of Nod (Breaking Rules Publishing). I’ve had 3 novellas published (1 online - Dummy's Dummies, Terror House Magazine), and 2 included in print anthologies – No Way At All & Midnight Feedings (Bards and Sages Publishing, as part of their Society of Misfit Stories (my stories are included in Vol. 1 & Vol. 3)). I’ve also had 24 short stories published. Lately I've been trying installment publishing online. Clans is posted on Readict, and The Dead Sister will appear on Kindle Vellum when it goes live. For fun, I post a travel blog under the name American Locations on my writer site – https://mikesherer.org I also put out a weekly newsletter. Drop me a line if you want to join - m.sherer@yahoo.com
I’ll keep this short as it’s only an introduction. Happy reading.
Mike Sherer
m.sherer@yahoo.com
Flatlanders
