Book Loving Kiwis discussion

Super Duty by Daniel K. Munroe has been randomly selected as the BLK author group member book for February.

Sign up below if you will be reading this book.

Participating:
Angie
Sweetp-1

Currently $2.99 (US) through Amazon Kindle.

This unemployed professor, writer, tutor and any job 'cos no one'll give me one, doesn't have any money. I'll try to see if my library will buy it. Right now they are buying very few ebooks and only buying non-fiction ebooks.

Play the 'but it's by a NZ author' card. They might feel guilty then!

This book was released in paperback c2007 but is now out of print. I am surprised to see that, besides the required legal deposit copies at National & Turnbull Libraries, there only two other NZ libraries with a copy of this title - Auckland & Otago Universities - NOT ONE PUBLIC LIBRARY!! So you wonder why it wasn't marketed to them at the time of publication.

Most Public Libraries' ebook collections are obtained through Overdrive subscription. Wheelers are the other main school/public library ebook providers, but they don't have this title in ebook either, and none of them can loan what is only available as Kindle.

I guess that's what happens when authors limit their options, and this will no doubt spark the back and forward debate that it's not the author it's the publisher ....

My pet hobby-horse since I am currently doing an open access online course through West Virginia Uni but can't rent the text ebook. There are 40,000 international students registered, but only those resident in the USA are able to access the ebook version of the text because of imposed DRM on it. The author blames the publisher, the publisher blames the author and I question the wisdom of the provider of the international course!
All feels quite archaic in the 21st century. Thank you for listening to my grumble.

Hi All,

Firstly, please let me say that I'm thrilled my book 'Super Duty' has been randomly selected as Author Group Member book for February.

And let me add that I completely understand the frustration of not being able to easily access my book.

By way of a bit of history - as many of you know, it is nigh on impossible to secure a publishing deal with any sort of major publisher. In fact, every NZ agent of note refused to even take me on, despite one of them reading the first half, and very much enjoying it ... although his comments led me to believe he generally reads more high-brow stuff and he was unexpectedly enjoying getting his hands dirty reading my yarn. He even planned to finish it on the beach over that summer.

Anyway, a fledgingly NZ publisher with hopes to publish in small numbers to pre-paid orders gave the book a shot, but he found his business model difficult to sustain - plus he had another child on the way. But during that brief period, 'Super Duty' picked up a couple of great reviews from readers - one an American who had forked out US$50 to buy including postage to his USA home.

At NZ$39.95 NZ libraries were hesitant and wouldn't buy in a copy based on just one request from a member.

Nowadays, I've got it on Kindle and I am about to launch via Smashwords to broaden the eBook appeal, but my mother falling very ill and now being permanently hospitalised, plus a massive 'day job' workload has delayed my writing/marketing efforts.

If too many people struggle with the purchase price during this February activity, I'll investigate dropping the price a little within what Kindle will allow.

On the story itself, I wanted to write an exciting romp, an action movie for the written page so to speak, a throw-away, airport read that would thoroughly entertain ... but definitely not something that would be mistaken for 'literature'!

Oh, and I wanted a 'hero' who was limited to what most people could achieve under the circumstances, albeit with a few select skills, but not a superman. Someone most of us could relate to.

You can see a few more reviews at http://askdavid.com/reviews/book/thri...

Readers have asked for a sequel, which I am working on as time permits (darned day job) plus I am working on another thriller as well.

I hope you enjoy 'Super Duty'.

Kind regards,

Daniel K Munroe

P.S. You probably already know this ... but if you don't have a Kindle, you can download the free Kindle reading app for PC, iPad, iPhone, etc from the Amazon Kindle site.

Ok I'm in. I have purchased the kindle copy. :)

Daniel, how could you, a Kiwi, dare to say that you didn't want to write a literary novel! You sinner!

You realise don't you that all the grants, writer's perks like residencies etc. go only to the 'real' 'literahary' writers? Especially if they've been through Vic Uni's Creative Writing course as started by Bill Manhire.

Writers of pop fic like the much published and well respected (outside NZ) writers of romance and SF and fantasy never get a look in or much mention!

Im about 20% through :) It's a fun read, enjoying it!

I finished last night and wrote a review. I gave it 2 stars which is "It was Ok" which seems a bit stingy but I think this was probably a case of "not really my thing" rather than anything actually being "wrong" with it.

Daniel's own description " exciting romp, an action movie for the written page so to speak, a throw-away, airport read" is spot on. Once the action started, it was pretty much non stop right to the last page with some great unexpected twists and lots and lots of car chases and shoot ups.

I don't know how you go about submitting a book for screenplays but in my mind this would make an awesome action movie. If anyone has watched any of Jason Statham's movies then this is almost like a novel equivalent. I do enjoy this type of movie (a lot!) but it's not really my first choice as far as novel genres go. That being said I did finish and thought the writing was very solid, good dialogue and great pacing with respect to the action and maintaining the suspense. I also appreciated the ending, in that it wasn't just all the bad guys who didn't make it.

I am cringing writing this but it did feel as though the target audience is probably male. I could feel my eyes glazing over at the multiple descriptions of all those flash cars - haha ;)

All in all a fun read. If you're into action novels this won't disappoint.

P.d.r. wrote: "Daniel, how could you, a Kiwi, dare to say that you didn't want to write a literary novel! You sinner!

You realise don't you that all the grants, writer's perks like residencies etc. go only to t..."

I see your point. I think what I meant to say is that I don't really feel I have anything important to say within my writing - other than perhaps a few sideways glances at the human condition - so therefore I see myself as merely trying to entertain. To my mind, the grants should go to the artists ... but then maybe I need to look for the 'art' within my writing ... and I could certainly do with some paid-for writing time! Anyway, I really appreciate your insight! Regards, DKM