For Readers (and Authors, too)
This blog is for anyone that reads my books, as well as for anyone else who is self-publishing, thinking about self-publishing, or just curious about what it’s like to be an author during rapidly changing times. Whenever you visit here, I hope you’ll share your own comments and thoughts. If you’d like to know whenever I post a new entry, please type your email address into the box in the right-hand column and check the appropriate box (and the newsletter one, too, while you’re at it).
Ch. 3: You Want Fries with those Pies? That’ll be Another 10,000 Bitcoins
Start at the Prologue and First Chapter here
It made no difference now where Frank was. At home, on the train, or in the tiny office on the perimeter of First Manhattan’s anonymous IT cube farm where he was sitting now. If he was awake – and sometimes even when he was asleep – he was completely immersed in the blockchain. Day by day, he probed deeper into its origins, its evolution, and, most importantly, the ways in which it was being manipulated with fraudulent intent.
But digging deeper didn’t make some aspects of the blockchain any more comprehensible. Frank had long been aware that an almost religious fervor possessed many blockchain proponents. As he spent more time on the Reddit pages where the most zealous blockchain advocates hung out, Frank decided some were simply possessed. read more…
Ch. 2: What Were You Expecting?
“Start at the Prologue and First Chapter here
“So, you’re going to say yes, right?”
Marla, Frank’s daughter, was pushing him hard.
“Well, I’m not sure. I don’t know in detail how blockchain design is developing. And I’d have to travel back and forth to New York City every week.”
“For $600,000 you can’t spend a few hours a week on a train or plane? And those options could end up being worth millions.”
“Sure. But what would I use the money for? I don’t spend everything I make now.”
He had her there. Other than a new and faster laptop, Marla couldn’t think of anything her father would be likely to buy. It certainly wouldn’t be new clothes. read more…
The Blockchain Affair: Prologue and Chapter One
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to read a book as its written? Or better yet, be able to make suggestions as the book takes shape and see your ideas help shape the result? Well, here’s your chance. If you’re already a Friend of Frank, or want to become one, that’s what you’re invited to do. As the book takes shape, I’ll ask for your advice, and answer any questions you may have. I’ll also give you the inside scoop about how and why each chapter is written as it is. Sound interesting? Great, because I’ve just posted the Prologue and First Chapter below. read more…
Cracking the BookBub Nut (Finally!)
I expect that just about every author knows about BookBub, the 90,000 pound gorilla of daily discounted book emails. There are over a hundred on-line advertising platforms that can offer an author from 10,000 to a few hundred thousand daily subscribers across all genres. But BookBub dwarfs them all – and perhaps all of the combined – with its more than 7.5 million subscribers.
Equally importantly, instead of including dozens of books every day in each of its genre emails, it includes. The result is that in my genre (thrillers), an author BookBub accepts can expect an average of 3,000 downloads of a book priced at $.99 (and over 30,000 if it’s priced at free), and many more over the days that follow, due to the way Amazon’s algorithm works, and the fact that at least some readers will go on to read other books by the same author. And while BookBub is not cheap ($863 in the case of the fee I just paid), the downloads alone on the day of the sale should cover the cost.
So what’s wrong with this picture? read more…
Welcome to the World of Frank, Part 1: Meet Thor
Mea culpa: I’ve been shamefully quiet on the blogging front. It’s high time I reformed, and in penance, I’ve decided to start a series of short pieces about Frank Adversego that will reveal further details about your favorite (quasi? anti-? sort of?) hero. And where better to start than by sharing the origin story of Thor, Frank’s enigmatic, armored companion in the last two books. read more…
How to Actually Sell Books Through Advertising
Over the last ten years, literally hundreds of services have sprung up that send daily newsletters featuring discount and free ebooks to subscribers. The king of them all is BookBub, with millions of subscribers. Unfortunately, unless you’ve written a real best seller, it’s almost impossible to get them to accept your book (and if they do, it will set you back as much as $1000 for that one-shot ad). The good news is that out of all the rest, there is a very small handful of services that can help you sell lots of books. The key is to figure out which they are, and what type of promo to run. Read on, and I’ll share what I’ve learned through running hundreds of ads over the past two years with scores of these services. read more…
Frank Will Ride Again
So, The Turing Test has been out now for over two months. What have I been up to since then? Mostly, trying to figure out how to market the books I’ve already written with better success than I have to date. What I haven’t been doing is writing book five. Happily, I decided this weekend it’s time to check back in to see what Frank’s been up to since we saw him last.
Free Mystery/Thriller Downloads for Readers (and a great partner for authors)
The book promotion landscape is vast, confusing and opaque. Worse, almost no service providers provide any metrics to inform an Indie author whether the provider’s service will produce books, or simply transfer promotional dollars from the author’s pocket to the service providers (in most cases, it’s the latter). Given that sad truth, I’m pleased to see that MyBookCave continues to innovate and impress (more on which below). One of their new services – free to authors (!) as well as readers – is a group promotion involving books by multiple authors (11 in the current case, including one of mine).
In this service, readers can ask to have as many of the included books delivered to them for free, and the authors and MyBookCave together promote the heck out of the list. When the dust settles, lots of readers have lots of free books, the participating authors have lots more readers, and MyBookCave has added lots more readers on its subscription list. Good for all concerned, wouldn’t you say? If you’d like to request some of those books right now, here’s the link. And (ahem) don’t miss that fascinating book in the second row called The Turing Test. read more…
First Reviews of The Turing Test Are In
My latest book, The Turing Test is out, and the first reviews are in. Here are a few samples from the reviews (all five star) posted at Amazon so far:
Beyond any shadow of doubt, ‘The Turing Test’ is a worthy addition to the Frank Adversego series and more than satisfied my every expectation … For me, ‘The Turing Test’ is a stealthier creature. It packs its punches in a different but equally effective manner, delivering a terrific tension and suspense that ebbs and flows throughout a lengthy narrative peppered with twists, turns and shocking surprises … read more…
Frank Rides Again: The Turing Test is Available!
Releasing a new book is always a big deal for an author, no matter how many times it happens. this is the fourth time around for me, and I think The Turing Test, a Tale of Artificial Intelligence and Malevolence, is my best book so far. Happily, my much-esteemed beta readers all agree.
Long time Friends of Frank will also be happy to learn that, unlike the plots of the three preceding books, this one isn’t likely to come true. That is, for awhile. read more…
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