D.L.’s Comments (group member since Dec 01, 2014)

D.L.’s comments from the Sci-Fi, fantasy and speculative Indie Authors Review group.

I've used the free version of Wordpress for years. It's easy to use and suits my purpose. I have three sites:
Author - https://dlmorrese.wordpress.com/
Publisher - https://fuzzyandroid.wordpress.com/
Nonfiction reviews and such - https://philosophylaboratory.wordpres...

I'm working on the first draft of The Brane of the Space Pirates, the eighth book I intend to publish myself. It's the third and final of my Brane Child trilogy. I have about 88,000 words down so far and two chapters left to draft before I begin revision (which is my favorite part of the process). I'm also finalizing the cover, thinking I should probably redesign my blog and consider marketing what I've published already. I'm also making notes for my next book. Sometimes, all of this just feels too much like work. :-)

Found this list of Amazon keywords. Don't know if it'll help anyone.
https://kdp.amazon.com/help?topicId=A...

I went through considerable disappointment after my first two novels, naively thinking they were so different, so enjoyable, they'd immediately get noticed. They weren't. I reedited, redid covers, begged bloggers for reviews, offered freebies...tweaked whatever I could, all with little result. I believe Christina is right. You simply have to carry on creating the best stories you can and get them out there. I read somewhere that you need ten books available before you even begin to attract much interest. I'm sure that's not some kind of rule, and no doubt it varies a lot by genre and a host of other things, but I figure I'll put off doing much in the way of 'marketing' until I do. (My seventh will be released next month.)

Robert wrote: "The newest "things" are not always the best ideas, just people trying to make a name for themselves. Look at the flip side, you got 1000 years of music to choose from and a 100 years of film to loo..."

Good point, that. Still, there is something to be said for anticipating the next new book from a favorite author and so on.

I wonder if it's more the other way around. I think it was, for me. Pop music was first. There are some new musical groups I like enough to buy their albums, but it's not stuff you'll hear on a radio. Then it was TV, and my viewing declined to the point now where I maybe watch a few hours a year, if that. I stopped going to movies because nothing being produced caught my interest. Books were next, and I came to the conclusion that those that became bestsellers were unlikely to appeal to me. That's probably what finally prompted me to write. I couldn't find much entertainment I liked, so I decided to make my own.

I really don't pay much attention to sales. I suppose I should and maybe even do some marketing, but I don't want to start viewing my writing hobby as some kind of (shudder) job. I just checked Amazon, however, and it looks like I've sold 10 this month there, and if I'm reading the report right, I gave away 5 freebies on Smashwords (where I have most of them available for 'name your own price'). I think that's about average for me.

I think lack of notice is a problem for all indie writers. I don't know of a way to change that.

Hmm... I had the same 'look inside' problem with the paperback edition of the book I recently updated. I'm not overly concerned. I figure people that order it will get the revised edition. I'm sure Amazon will fix the problem eventually.

I've also noticed this. I updated one of my books with a new cover and a revised "also by this author" page because I'll have a new book coming out soon and this was the first of this planned trilogy. Whereas Amazon is showing the new cover on the landing page, the 'look inside" feature still shows the old cover and text.

Incomparable, in my opinion. Definitely inspirational. Refreshingly different. There is nothing quite like a Discworld book. Some, like the illustrated edition of The Last Hero that Richard mentions above, are works of art.

I feel like I’ve lost a close friend, a favorite teacher, a beloved uncle, someone who was always there for me when I needed him. And yet we never met.

The next new Terry Pratchett story will be the last. The Discworld is ending. This saddens me more than I can say. But his books will endure. They are sitting on my shelves now, waiting to be revisited. I look forward to returning to the Disc. Perhaps I’ll notice something I missed the first few times I was there or recall something I had forgotten. There will be no new stories of Discworld, but the old ones are timeless.

I've added mine... Making them all free for the asking.

- Brane Child https://www.smashwords.com/books/view...

- An Android Dog's Tale https://www.smashwords.com/books/view...

- The Warden Threat https://www.smashwords.com/books/view...

- The Warden War https://www.smashwords.com/books/view...

- Amy's Pendant https://www.smashwords.com/books/view...

- Disturbing Clockwork https://www.smashwords.com/books/view...

Thanks, K. I hope you like it. I was trying to merge science fiction and fantasy in one story while still maintaining the distinction.

Ah, I THINK I found it and I did know about these. You can only select two. I checked one of my books. It has it as:
FICTION > Fantasy > Epic
FICTION > Science Fiction > General

It's better than just calling it science fiction, but doesn't drill down much.

Thanks!

Thanks, Christina. I'll have to look for them. I assume you can tailor them from KDP.

Christina wrote: "In a way, there is. On certain categories like fantasy and scifi, there are check boxes for character types and themes. But again, it's all going to come down to who is actively looking for these combos"

Are those on Amazon? I don't think I've ever noticed them. I have seen subsets of science fiction and fantasy (such as steampunk, adventure, and general), but I didn't know it went deeper than that. I probably missed it.

I recently read a book that was a Wild West/fantasy/steampunk/detective/adventure (Alloy of Law by Brandon Sanderson). I think it was marketed as fantasy, which is both true and insufficient. There really should be something like a checklist in which you can mark all the boxes that apply. :-)

I don't let CreateSpace format my Kindle books, just the paperbacks. I upload a different Word file directly to KDP for the Kindle books. It uses smaller font for chapter titles and less white space.