I did not intend to blog over Christmas. After all, with all the shops closed, the snow falling and everyone at home what could possibly happen?
Well, Arrival could hit 800 downloads and a brief appearance on the Smashwords most downloaded anthologies list. It was at #8 when I checked so you'd need to scroll down to see it, but that is a nice Christmas present. This is completely unexpected, and a very pleasant surprise. It is getting to the point where I am tempted to do a trailer for my free ebook.
On the other hand this does give me some grounds to approach my publisher about moving the release of the Kindle edition of Fire Season up. I have no idea whether or not a commercial product will be as successful, but the ebook does seem to have moved rather fast.
I hope you had a Merry Christmas and, if I don't update before then, have a Happy New Year!
Tuesday, 28 December 2010
Friday, 24 December 2010
A Christmas round-up
SInce it's Christmas Eve, I thought I'd add a few notes on how the year has gone so far. After all, mince pies and sherry are a great help to reminincing.
I started with a manuscript, and ended it with a book. In between, a quick summary of the year shows that things were eventful. The first book deal occurred in April, then the manuscript was released in June. After a few months of negotiation with various publishing houses I went with a small games publisher who released it in December.
The main problem with the launch was the snow, which no one could have expected. Sicne the books were stuck in a snow drift, with the publisher, printer and distributor snowed in, they weren't available on shelves. To recover this, I sent out author copies for review in early December but I only had a limited number. One bright spot was the launch reviews; to be honest, they've been better than I hoped or expected for a first novel.
Arrival, a short story I tweeted, pulled over 6,000 readers on various channels. It's now up on Smashwords as a free e-book, and has gained over 500 downloads and ten times that reading online. Post Christmas it should show up in the Premium Catalog - that's Kobo, Barnes and Noble and a few others - which might draw even more readers.
Next year looks promising. Now the publisher and distributor have their copies things should start to move. I know they are talking to bookstores, so we will have to see if central distribution can be arranged. Other events going on:
All in all, the new year is going to be an interesting time.
Merry Christmas!
I started with a manuscript, and ended it with a book. In between, a quick summary of the year shows that things were eventful. The first book deal occurred in April, then the manuscript was released in June. After a few months of negotiation with various publishing houses I went with a small games publisher who released it in December.
The main problem with the launch was the snow, which no one could have expected. Sicne the books were stuck in a snow drift, with the publisher, printer and distributor snowed in, they weren't available on shelves. To recover this, I sent out author copies for review in early December but I only had a limited number. One bright spot was the launch reviews; to be honest, they've been better than I hoped or expected for a first novel.
Arrival, a short story I tweeted, pulled over 6,000 readers on various channels. It's now up on Smashwords as a free e-book, and has gained over 500 downloads and ten times that reading online. Post Christmas it should show up in the Premium Catalog - that's Kobo, Barnes and Noble and a few others - which might draw even more readers.
Next year looks promising. Now the publisher and distributor have their copies things should start to move. I know they are talking to bookstores, so we will have to see if central distribution can be arranged. Other events going on:
- A presence at Salute 2011
- More reviews coming out
- Magazine and genre coverage
- Bookstore and Library events being arranged
All in all, the new year is going to be an interesting time.
Merry Christmas!
A quick update on Arrival.
Going by what other bloggers had said, I was expecting maybe ten downloads a day. Short stories from unknown authors with little promotion apparently go unnoticed. Instead Arrival (uploaded on 14th December, went into directories on 19th) reached 500 downloads last night and is still going. That's not including anyone who read it on Goodreads or viewed it online.
My round-up for the year will go live later today, but that news makes a very nice early Christmas present.
My round-up for the year will go live later today, but that news makes a very nice early Christmas present.
Tuesday, 14 December 2010
Arrival - a Free short story
Back between August and November I released a short story, linked to Fire Season, through tweets and regular blog updates. It proved rather popular, drawing over 6,000 followers on its various channels. So, since it's coming up for Christmas, with the help of the publisher it is now available as a free download on Smashwords in most ebook formats.
Arrival is set a few years before Fire Season, covering the arrival of one of Brooke's Vale's more unique residents.
Arrival is set a few years before Fire Season, covering the arrival of one of Brooke's Vale's more unique residents.
Arrival
Ebook Price: Free! 1560 words.
Type: Fiction
Author: V.H. Folland
Released: December 14, 2010
A short story about the arrival of one of Brooke's Vale's more unusual residents.
A prequel, set several years before Fire Season, this was originally released through Twitter.
*Click here to Download Free*
Thursday, 9 December 2010
Amazon hijinks & £3 a book?
I was rather surprised this morning to find that a seller, book depository, had started advertising my book at about £3. I contacted my publisher to see if this was a promotion, and found out a few things.
There is apparently some hilarity going on at my publishers. Due to the snow, they currently know where every copy of the book is, and have for the last three days. Certain sellers who do not have copies have been advertising it for the last three days.
On the other hand, Book Depository's offer is legitimate. More importantly the sale rate to the distributor is fixed, so it doesn't affect my royalty or the publisher's margins.
So, for anyone looking for a stocking filling for Christmas, please consider my book. After all, that is £2.97 for something you can guarantee they don't have, and that's getting 4 and 5 star reviews. Oddly enough, it is more expensive on their own page (£5.99), so to get the discount buy through Amazon.
I don't know how long that offer will stay live for, so if you're after it get it here!
There is apparently some hilarity going on at my publishers. Due to the snow, they currently know where every copy of the book is, and have for the last three days. Certain sellers who do not have copies have been advertising it for the last three days.
On the other hand, Book Depository's offer is legitimate. More importantly the sale rate to the distributor is fixed, so it doesn't affect my royalty or the publisher's margins.
So, for anyone looking for a stocking filling for Christmas, please consider my book. After all, that is £2.97 for something you can guarantee they don't have, and that's getting 4 and 5 star reviews. Oddly enough, it is more expensive on their own page (£5.99), so to get the discount buy through Amazon.
I don't know how long that offer will stay live for, so if you're after it get it here!
Tuesday, 7 December 2010
And they are here!
My books arrived in the post this morning, and were waiting for me when I got back from work. I think the packet survived about 5 minutes from the time I got indoors, that being how long it took me to get the scissors.
So, now I am holding my book. The first copies I've actually seen. My impressions?
It's bigger than I thought, at 352 pages. The cover is a matt laminate, and the artwork has come out well. Overall it has the slightly old fashioned style I wanted for the book, but will definitely stand out on shelves which is important. The page is nice, and the font, although larger than usual for a mass market paperback, is nicely readable.
To celebrate, there is another goodreads giveaway going on - this time for three of my author copies.
So, now I am holding my book. The first copies I've actually seen. My impressions?
It's bigger than I thought, at 352 pages. The cover is a matt laminate, and the artwork has come out well. Overall it has the slightly old fashioned style I wanted for the book, but will definitely stand out on shelves which is important. The page is nice, and the font, although larger than usual for a mass market paperback, is nicely readable.
To celebrate, there is another goodreads giveaway going on - this time for three of my author copies.
Wednesday, 1 December 2010
A book released - into a snow drift...
My book was officially released today, on the day that snow blanketed parts of the UK. My publisher is currently snowed in, as am I, and my books are not likely to reach the distributor due to snow delays. On the other hand while the book mght not get to stores, not many customers are either.
In better news, Fire Season has received another 4 star review on Goodreads, from a reviewer who said it's not her usual choice of book.
"...the ending had me, literally, sitting on the edge of my seat!" Ruth, Goodreads (Full review)
In better news, Fire Season has received another 4 star review on Goodreads, from a reviewer who said it's not her usual choice of book.
"...the ending had me, literally, sitting on the edge of my seat!" Ruth, Goodreads (Full review)
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