Andrew Cormier's Blog

COMING TOMORROW:

The Essential Guide to Emotional Balance

“Sort of a mix of Tolle, Easwaren and Dyer. Great inspiration. It faithfully encapsulated these great authors in 1 compelling book on how we can live our lives.” – 5 Stars Customer Review, Amazon

“One of the best books I've read this year, thrilling and captivating, 5 stars!!” – Customer Review, Amazon

“A needed book for our times” – 4 Stars – Customer Review, Amazon

“I don't have time to sit and pick apart verbose self help manuals, this book gets right to the point. If you're busy and stressed, like everyone out there, this is for you!” – 4 Stars, Customer Review, Barnes & Noble

GET IT HERE:

B&N:
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-e...

SMASHWORDS:
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view...

AMAZON: http://www.amazon.com/Essential-Guide...

CreateSpace Store (paperback): https://www.createspace.com/6081355

Hi all,

The pre-order date for The Essential Guide to Emotional Balance is now set. It is due for release on March 7th. 2016.

DESCRIPTION:
The Essential Guide to Emotional Balance is a convenient, pocket-sized guide designed as a “quick hit” for today’s busy person. It is intended to supplement your existing belief system, whatever it may be. You will find little, if anything in it that contradicts any religious notions.

This guide tackles the topics of stress, anger, worry, depression, fear, and more! It also contains a section to help with guided meditation based on the author’s many years of experience.

This quintessential book is a fast, easy read that you can take anywhere and begin to implement at any moment throughout your day. The suggestions contained within can be instantly used to help you get control of your life, manage your emotions, and live much happier and with greater purpose. Best of all, you won’t spend hundreds of hours trudging through a dull, wordy manual to get there.

These aren’t just myths: take it from the author: “I use these tips daily. They really do WORK! I felt compelled to share my secrets with everyone because they’ve been so helpful in my daily life. Stress used to keep me up late at night, tossing and turning, and it felt like a gorilla was sitting on my chest. I’m happy to say that with these suggestions, I’ve removed that gorilla. He’s back in his cage! I feel so much more relaxed and happier now than ever before. I wrote this with the goal to help you to also find new ways to use the power of your own mind to have a better, more productive life!”

I have a 2nd edition of The Great Deceiver now available. It has undergone some editing and has a bit of new content. I'm excited about these changes, and hoping it generates more sales.

I'm pretty busy lately doing other projects, kicking ideas around, and trying to get a big-time publishing house to take me on.

I have never considered myself an "indie writer." To me, that implies a half-assed attempt to craft a serious piece of work. Now that publishing is available to anyone, I see so much garbage that isn't worth even reading 10 pages of. I'm sure some people feel that way about my work too.

Yet many people cannot execute a concept from start to finish. Continuity and realism is a major factor when I look at novels. I can't stand when characters are doing things that make no sense from their perspective.

Those are just some recent thoughts.

Hi all,

I have some news to provide. First, the Great Deceiver has been revised as a 2nd Edition. There are massive improvements. They include: making the novel flow better in the first few chapters since it started too slow, some new scenes, and additional editing throughout the novel.

The subtitle is also updated. It now reads: "The Ascension of the Devil's Protege"

The cover is slightly modified as well.

I hope you all enjoy it.

To celebrate, it is on Kindle Countdown Feb 15th-22nd at a discounted price! Get it while you can.

http://www.amazon.com/Great-Deceiver-...

FREE TODAY: Shamblers the zombie apocalypse – free ebook on Kindle

Shamblers will be FREE on Kindle today. Get this free ebook now!

Betrayed by his best friend and left to die at the hands of zombies, Nick Steiner has a vendetta to settle: if he can stay alive.

Being shot by Marcus Gray has given Nick sufficient reason to want revenge; for that alone Marcus deserves to die. Yet Marcus didn’t just shoot Nick: he stole Nick’s woman as well.

Nick has vowed to kill everyone and everything in his way until he gets his girl back and makes Marcus pay.

NOTE: This novel contains depictions of extreme violence, adult language, sexual references and situations, and other miscellaneous terms that may be racial and ethnically derogatory. If you are easily offended it is advised you think twice before purchasing it. The author wants to make it known that any offensive language and situations that are contained within have been put there solely in the interest of story-telling.

GET IT HERE:

http://www.amazon.com/Shamblers-zombi...

CUSTOMER AND EDITORIAL REVIEWS:

“Read it in one sitting! A Very entertaining read.” – Customer Review, Amazon

“Compared to all the other zombie literature this has to be one of the best ones I’ve read.”

-Customer Review, Amazon

“A really great story. Read it without stopping.”

- Customer Review, Amazon

“Nice twist at the end. I very much enjoyed this gritty, treacherous, unflinching view of the zompoc. I think you will too.”

- Customer Review, Amazon

“This was a never ending thrill ride from start to finish. The details and characters draw you in right away and I felt like I was right there…I was actually holding my breath in places, and loved the twist at the end!” – Customer Review, Goodreads

 “I highly recommended you to check this one out.” – World of Diversity Fiction

 

new cover

The post FREE TODAY: Shamblers the zombie apocalypse by Andrew Cormier – free ebook on Kindle appeared first on Andrew Cormier - Author - Official Website.

Here's a little peeve I have. I felt like a post was in order to address it:

One of my marketing strategies is to reach out to reviewers in person to request a review. I usually will send a friendly message to them and I often offer them a free book. I know of countless authors who do the same.

The exchange of a free book is a trade off for some possible publicity. Granted, there is no guarantee the reviewer will actually like the book: it happens on occasion.

So imagine my surprise recently when I get a notice from Goodreads saying: some users have flagged your messages. They then go on to tell me (basically)- you can't do that. It's against our policies and it isn't a good marketing strategy, etc. We recommend doing other things.

Well, I'm always one to speak my mind. If I have a problem with something, you hear it direct, uncensored, with no BS.

Here is my response: that "bad marketing strategy" worked for 50 Shades of Gray. It was promoted via Goodreads with almost no budget, and largely due to popular reviewers posting about it. Most "real" book reviewers: professionals who make a living doing so, thought it was trash. Therefore, if that trash can be successful through Goodreads campaigning and reviewing, there is no reason that my novels can't.

I think Goodreads is just adamant about enforcing their policies, and I get that. I have a tendency to ignore policies and pave my own way. That is the path to success - hard work and never giving up.

However, I don't need some stuffy Admin telling me how to market my books. I've been at this for quite a long time. I know what works, and frankly, bad publicity is honestly the best kind. That's why I don't mind posting an opinionated rant about things like this. Furthermore, more than half of my reviews have come from doing EXACTLY what I was told not to. Consequently, whoever decided to post that lousy advice to me can cram it.

All of that aside, I will state that I found it really odd that some of these "popular reviewers", meaning the top rated Goodreads Reviewers, went through the effort of flagging my friendly, brief messages. Was that really necessary? Were you bothered that much by a simple request, and even the goodwill offer of a free (and professionally done) book?

To those self righteous people: get off your high horses. Just because you can write a book review doesn't mean you have any real talent other than offering your opinion, which anyone can do.
It is much harder to write a novel than to critique one. It's even more difficult to market it when you have no budget.

Of course, I may be in the wrong by ignoring an absurd policy. You definitely have the right to flag messages (though I confess I didn't know we could do that on here until I got the email). Yet, instead of acting like a self-centered troll and flagging messages that have done little to nothing to offend you, and were literally asking for your support, next time a reply with a simple "no thank you" would be sufficient.

And, to anyone who is now offended by my blunt and callous response to this issue, to that I say: too bad, so sad for you. No trolls shall get in the way of my success. I sold my soul long ago to be a writer. I've sacrificed more than most people will ever realize. I'm not about to let a little bitty flagging stop me now.

Shamblers is on sale for 50% off – Ebook Deal – For today, Shamblers will be featured on Ereader News Today (ENT). It is now 50% off and only $1.99 – Get this great book now while it is cheap! You can see below what a great eBook deal this is! This zombie novel is on sale for half off. This could be the best eBook deal you’ll ever find.

Get it on Kindle here:

http://www.amazon.com/Shamblers-zombie-apocalypse-Andrew-Cormier-ebook/dp/B00LT4OACU

 

You can view some stats on the book below, some are a bit outdated, but you can checkout the number of great reviews and reader feedback.

 

The post Shamblers on sale for 50% off – Ebook Deal appeared first on Andrew Cormier - Author - Official Website.

50% OFF – Sept 9th – Ebook Deal

50% OFF Shamblers: the zombie apocalypse on Kindle. For Tuesday, Sept 9th, it will be just $1.99. This is a cheap eBook offer and a great discount eBook deal. If you don’t act now, you won’t get this zombie apocalypse eBook for half price on Amazon!

“I highly recommended you to check this one out.” – World of Diversity Fiction

“Read it in one sitting! A Very entertaining read.” – Customer Review, Amazon

“Compared to all the other zombie literature this has to be one of the best ones I’ve read.”

-Customer Review, Amazon

“A really great story. Read it without stopping.”

- Customer Review, Amazon

“Nice twist at the end. I very much enjoyed this gritty, treacherous, unflinching view of the zompoc. I think you will too.” – Customer Review, Amazon

http://www.amazon.com/Shamblers-zombie-apocalypse-Andrew-Cormier-ebook/dp/B00LT4OACU

Betrayed by his best friend and left to die at the hands of zombies, Nick Steiner has a vendetta to settle: if he can stay alive.

Being shot by Marcus Gray has given Nick sufficient reason to want revenge; for that alone Marcus deserves to die. Yet Marcus didn’t just shoot Nick: he stole Nick’s woman as well.

Nick has vowed to kill everyone and everything in his way until he gets his girl back and makes Marcus pay.

 

The post 50% OFF – Sept 9th – Ebook Deal appeared first on Andrew Cormier - Author - Official Website.

Andrew Cormier – August Book Sales – Exciting August

Hi readers, subscribers and fans!

First off, thanks to all of you for making my August an exciting one! This month has really been impactful for me. I had a few, solid book promotions for Shamblers since its Mid-July release, and it is getting a lot of ratings and reviews. Some are good, some are not so good. That is to be expected.

I have counted up the total number of sales and free downloads I’ve had this month. My figures accounted for every Amazon venue, the paperbacks I have sold personally, and the paperbacks that have sold online.

For August, the total number of my books that readers have acquired equals 1,725.  In specific, Shamblers: the zombie apocalypse has sold in 5 continents: North and South America, Europe, Asia, and Australia. It has had at least one sale in over 10 different countries. I hope I am on my way to become an international sensation. That would be a really huge change, and I’m sure it would bring new challenges as well. With this nice leap forward, I think it is only pertinent to thank my readers who’ve referred me to other people, and to thank anyone nice enough to post an online review. I also wanted to thank the promotional sites I’ve subscribed to that have helped promote my free eBook days on Kindle. Facebook and Twitter have each been huge for free book promotions.

This August I have also noticed a curious trend develop:  people either really LOVE Shamblers, or otherwise they HATE it. You can see the trend in the image below:

From what I have gathered (based upon Amazon and Goodreads ratings, reviews, and statistics), there isn’t a lot of middle ground. I think this may be a result of the excessive swearing: it tends to turn-off some female readers. The characters were designed to survive zombies: it doesn’t make them nice people. Even the hero is a bit of an anti-hero. Some readers have complained that it makes it hard to warm up to him, but I designed him that way for a reason.

I didn’t want to put a traditional hero into Shamblers. I wanted the villain to be someone that everyone would hate. Indeed, that has turned out to be exactly the case. Readers have been reacting to Marcus exactly the way I had planned. Many readers have complained that Marcus is sexist and racist. They also mention how he is egotistical, and backstabbing (among other things). I expected this to happen. It is not without consequence, however. I now have a concern that my villain has worked too well: I made Marcus to realistic and cruel: some readers have seen his crude, uncensored dialogue and are, understandably, shocked by it. I expected that a few really extreme word choices would cause a stir.

I should offer some sort of apology to those readers, but I won’t. I’m a writer. No matter what I do, people criticize it. I hate censorship and I think it is one of the biggest problems our society faces today. Everyone is way too sensitive.

Another interesting trend I have spotted this August is that, in general, female readers have really taken a shine to Shamblers! I hadn’t expected this. Female readers are actually responsible for the bulk of my 4 and 5 STAR reviews! To that, I say THANK YOU, WOMEN. I knew that you could handle the profanity, violence, and some sexually-objectified female characters. I knew that guys would eat up this kind of stuff, but I was really unsure about the reaction I’d receive from the ladies. I’m glad it has been very encouraging.

Lastly, this August has been a learning experience for dealing with criticism. I have had my share of it before, and I’m sure I’ll still get it. Yet this month is the first time I’ve had to deal with what I will dub “unfair criticism.” I have had reviews outright LIE about stuff! I truly can’t believe it! I can deal with a little exaggeration, but to tell a blatant lie is very un-George-Washington-like.

Here is a paraphrased example: “all the characters [in Shamblers] are racist and sexist.”

I responded to this person and I pointed out that ONLY the villain displays any sort of racist tendencies. No one else in the novel uses any derogatory slurs. In fact, the other characters actually respond to derogatory comments as we would expect in real life: with disgust and annoyance. As for sexism, there is an important point to remember: the story is told from Nick’s perspective. Yes, maybe he is a bit sexist. Maybe he likes to objectify women. Maybe he likes to admire women. I won’t fault him for that. The female characters certainly aren’t sexist (at least not in my view). I actually think they’re strong and courageous women. That is how I tried to portray them.

Of course, this reader didn’t want to hear any sort of explanation.

Another thing I have realized this August is that I can’t please everyone. I have found that what some people love, others hate. One example is “the plot twist” or “narration shift.” I have heard that it was the crucial point in the story. I have also heard it was “unbelievable” or “weak.”  The same holds true for the ending: people liked it, loved it, or thought it was just okay, or outright didn’t like it.

You can’t please everyone.  I wrote the book that I enjoyed writing, and I did it in less than a month. I’d like to see critics pull that off. Of, wait….they can’t. J

Thus, August is over and in the books. I look forward to an awesome September and hope for great things to come!

 

 

 

 

 

The post Andrew Cormier – August Book Sales – Exciting August appeared first on Andrew Cormier - Author - Official Website.

 

Amazon linking Goodreads to Ebook purchases

Here is an interesting premise: Amazon now appears to link to some of its ratings and reviews from Goodreads. I just noticed that I had a number of ratings suddenly for Shamblers: the zombie apocalypse. These ratings correspond to what Goodreads users have said or rated about my book. They are, in fact, almost a mirror image.

For many authors and readers, this may sound really cool. Indeed, it appears that way for myself. If you view the image below, you’ll  see the results of my newest novel, Shamblers:

In my case, this is very useful. I clearly notice a positive trend, where it shows how my book is rating favorably overall. There are a few unfavorable ratings, but that is always to be expected. I should be rejoicing for this new ratings system change in Amazon. Yet, I have given this some careful thought. I have come to realize that this ratings change in Amazon’s linking to Goodreads is not without faults.

Here are my concerns. I feel that other Indie Authors and even consumers should share them:

1. There are a lot of trolls on Goodreads. These are people who just ‘get off’ on giving poor ratings. They haven’t read a book, and may or may not know anything about the author. They just live pathetic, miserable lives and one of their few satisfactions is disrupting the lives of others. The internet lurks with all kinds of anonymous people who do this with just about any product you can imagine.

2. There are a lot of hacky authors on Goodreads (and also on Amazon). I know for a fact that some of them will go in and rate other competitor’s books low to try to improve their own ratings. I have heard horror stories about this happening. Goodreads has no real system to police this.

3. Goodreads currently lets you rate a book without any sort of verification that you actually ever read it. This is the biggest problem with Amazon linking ratings to Goodreads. This just isn’t right, especially where there are products to be sold and consumers rely upon ratings for their decisions.

How valid are these concerns?

I honestly doubt that many people will abuse this system. I am sure the vast majority of people have better things to do. As a writer, though, I work hard on my books, and I worry about this sort of thing. I am personally convinced that the only 1 STAR review I have is from someone who did not finish my book.

I suppose it wasn’t for them. That’s okay. In truth, the funniest part of that terrible rating and review is that Shamblers has a disclaimer that basically says “watch out for the violence, ***, incredible use of profanity, and some characters that may use racial slurs.” I put this disclaimer there for a reason. Oddly enough, this random person ignored my disclaimer based on another Goodreads user’s feedback. They bought Shamblers anyway, even knowing it was outside the realm of what they enjoyed or read.

Their lousy review then complained about the very things I had warned of.

This naturally annoyed me. I expect many other authors will find new annoyances with Amazon’s changes as well.

 

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