Author Newsletter
Sign up for email updates for new releases and promotions.
Social Bookmarks
-
Current projects for the week
September 12, 2011
Uncategorized - Type up notes. In other words, typing, typing, and more typing. I've got 2,000 words done today on various first drafts. Other projects include a wikispaces wiki for The Docks series, waiting nervously for several more reviews of The Docks and Fire Season, revamping the look of this blog (again) since I've got Conflict of Interest out......and the more exciting news that Conflict of Interest is going onto Amazon in the next twenty-four hours.It's going to be a busy week.Read More
-
SampleSunday – Conflict of Interest Ch1
September 11, 2011
SampleSunday, Smashwords - I wasn't going to do Sample Sunday today, but since Conflict of Interest just got approved for distribution, and will be hitting Barnes & Noble, Amazon and more shortly, I thought I'd put up a link to a sample to celebrate. If you want the whole book now, it is available in all formats from Smashwords.Today's SampleSunday is the complete Chapter One of Conflict of Interest, available from the website for CoI.Read here: Chapter One: Conflict of InterestThere are a couple of Tweets going round, so please Retweet them if you like the sample: Mugging an armed robber isn't bright. Conflict of Interest: bit.ly/qzhbkX #samplesunday #ebookorHis robbery went as planned - until Harry was mugged. Conflict of Interest Ch.1: bit.ly/qzhbkX #Sample Sunday #action #ebook Pls RTRead More
-
Print costs and decisions
September 9, 2011
Uncategorized - Putting the Docks into print will cost £200. That covers the cover artwork rights, ISBN, layout, formatting, proof copies, revisions and then a base twenty copies to get the distribution chain moving. This would be POD, producing a 96 page mass-market paperback. It also gives it a shelf price of £4.99, even after distribution, P&P, author royalty and production, which createspace and lulu can't match.The problem is that right now, I don't have that spare. I can either publish two new ebooks, or put The Docks into print. The print audience is larger, and reaches people that don't own e-readers. It gives me access to bookshops, and to a wider set of reviewers. On the other hand, the best way to promote a book online is to release another book. It's not just the sales of the new booksRead More
-
Current projects
September 8, 2011
Uncategorized - I've just been formatting some non-fiction for another penname, so I haven't updated the blog in a while.Regarding my fiction writing, I've got a possible Docks novellas in the works, along with a Christmas short story and some notes for other possible pieces. Yes, I have written what happens when he finally ends up in court over the incidents in the Docks, after the end of Conflict of Interest. No, I am not spoiling it.More to the point a short story set in Brooke's Vale turned into an idea for a reasonable sequel to Fire Season. I'm still at the note-taking stage, so it might not go anywhere, but so far it seems to be coming together nicely.Read More
-
Conflict of Interest – Sample Sunday
September 4, 2011
SampleSunday -
Work can be murder...
A new job, a fresh start, and things are looking up for Harry. Maybe going straight isn't so hard.
He didn't expect to stumble over a job aimed at his new employer, for the kind of money a crook could retire on. It should be simple enough: tell the police, let them arrest the criminals, claim a reward. Sorted.
Except Harry's not a snitch - and it's being organised by his mate...
Conflict of Interest is a crime novella (30,000 words) and the sequel to The Docks. Currently it is available at $0.99.
Here's a short exerpt from the first chapter for Sample Sunday:Climbing out of the small window was harder than climbing in had been, but then I had the cash box under my fleece. Watching carefully through the small gap, I checked the alley was empty as best
Read More -
Conflict of Interest & Amazon
September 1, 2011
Uncategorized -
Amazon say they will take at least 3 days to fix The Docks listing. In the meantime I am losing traffic from various features, which is frustrating (and costly) but can't be helped.
On a bright note, so far I have two issues reported with Conflict Of Interest, both in the HTML version only, and both purely stylistic. If the .mobi and .epub versions are correct, which they seem to be, I may leave this to get to distribution faster.
You can see them for yourself at Smashwords
The only other complaint was that on the page for The Docks at the end I hadn't added any nice reviews...
UPDATE: 20:30 and it looks like the Docks listing for Amazon.com is back up:
The Docks on Amazon.com The only problem is that as a UK resident I can't see the price on Amazon.com. Fingers crossed there are noRead More -
Conflict of Interest – Sneak Preview
August 31, 2011
Uncategorized -
There is now a trial version of Conflict of Interest working its way through Smashwords.
This version still has one proofing pass to complete, but is up so we can identify formatting errors, anything that would prevent it going to distribution (which takes three days), get the ISBN assigned, the listing and tags ready and so on. The aim is to get the final version live this weekend.
For anyone looking for a preview, here's the link.
Conflict of Interest on SmashwordsThis is a draft, but if you can't wait and buy this version to find out what happens, don't worry. If you pick up the draft, once the final version is up you can download a copy of it from Smashwords free of charge.Read More -
Amazon again.
August 31, 2011
Uncategorized -
I will apologise in advance for the tone of this entry, but I am tired, annoyed and lacking sleep.
I was up until 2:48 am last night trying to get this fixed, then up again at six a.m. to call their US office. The operator saw the issue and escalated it, which does not explain why the broken page is still live or the two contacts today who didn't believe the page is broken because they hadn't read the ticket. This is no longer even vaguely funny.
Recovery plan:
1) Add a link to "The Docks" website in the comment section of any feature.
2) Don't launch Conflict of Interest on Amazon Kindle: it will just annoy more readers when they can't get The Docks.
3) Keep chasing Amazon.
4) Suggest to the publisher they get Fire Season onto a different format.
Finally: If it's not fixed by the end ofRead More -
An Amazon update
August 31, 2011
Amazon -
A breakdown of last night: Amazon don't think there is anything wrong with the listing. So far their support people have all taken one look and escalated it, only for me to get a email back from the technical team this morning that the listing is "fine". My thoughts were unprintable.
Not shown as an ebook, not in the Kindle store, and you can't purchase it. That's not fine.
I phoned Amazon.com (£2 a minute - ouch). They could see the response, and the still-broken product page. The support operator was very helpful and is escalating it along with a note that the first response was wrong.
Unfortunately it will still be broken when the book is featured on 1st September, because the department that should have fixed it yesterday is closed. Republishing won't fix it because the problem isRead More -
Good news and bad…
August 30, 2011
Amazon -
The good news is that I got another review for "The Docks", a good four stars courtesy of the Gathering Leaves blog
"I definitely recommend The Docks for a fast, entertaining read!"
Gathering Leaves (full review)
My new author website is up: http://www.vhfolland.com/, leaving only Fire Season's site to be reskinned, and I have a lot of promotion set up for September, including a sequel to The Docks.
The bad news is really bad: There's a problem with the Amazon.com listing for The Docks and it can't currently be purchased from there. I have flagged this up with Amazon and am waiting to hear back.
Meanwhile, if you would like to get a copy, please use:
SmashwordsAmazon.co.ukUpdate (9.30pm): I raised this with Amazon at 16:00, who responded and unfortunately made the problem worse. They areRead More