Some E-Book Sales Statistics

So, I was putting together some figures the other day for tallying up a "total e-book sales" number (because it was being asked for). And as I'm big on stats as it is, I decided I'd post a few. Since we've only been through three full months this year, I'm ignoring my 2014 sales.

Heroes Die Young was released in 2008.

Friends in Deed and Seeker were both released in 2010.
Dead or Alive, The Cure, and my first Triple-Shot (Dead Man's Forge) were all released in 2011.
Death Brings Victory and my second Triple-Shot (Temptation) were released in 2012.
My third Triple-Shot (Downtrodden) was released in 2013.

Total sales across all of my titles (again, only through 2013) is 645 since Heroes Die Young was released. A rather piddly sum, I know, but that's life. All of that in mind, I've had the following sales per title per year (for convenience, I've also included total sales per year.

	HDY	FID	DBV	DOA
2008	95
2009	33
2010	9	28
2011	27	15		13
2012	50	22	35	47
2013	14	5	13	2

	DMF	TEMPT	DT	Seeker	Cure
2008
2009
2010				10
2011	6			38	15
2012	22	8		27	42
2013	16	15	10	13	15

	Total
2008	95
2009	33
2010	47
2011	114
2012	253
2013	103

So, I hesitate to start making conclusions based on these stats, since it's been proven over and over that sometimes blind luck can cause sales. And looking through the numbers, there doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason to sales leading to more sales (of later books in the series, etc.). However, even with all of that in mind, at least one thing seems to stick out.

Generating new material for publication can generally help sales. I had three releases in 2011, and saw a marked increase. I followed that up with two more releases in 2012. With those five new titles, my sales in 2012 were five times higher than in 2010. Granted, in  2013, I had no major releases (other than the third Triple-Shot), so my sales dropped off last year. So, not only is it necessary to continue to produce new material, but it's also important to continue to do so on a regular pace. This is something I struggle with, myself, and need to work on. Hopefully this can help motivate me...

SFFS: A Fifth Snippet From Escape

Welcome back, everyone! For those who haven't kept up with my latest releases in the past several months, Escape is a brand new novella I have out (a collaboration with Lyndon Perry), the first in a young adult steampunk alternate history series. In fact, I posted up the first except just last week. It's been a while since I've written anything outside of the Aston universe, so I'm excited to see how my fans react to this new title. And now that it's finally out over at Amazon and Barnes and Noble, you can pick it up today (of course, you can also get a paperback too). Be sure to check out all of the wonderful authors on the Science Fiction Fantasy Saturday blogroll. And now, here's a snippet from Escape:

Twenty pairs of eyes were locked on the paper as she waved it back and forth. She stuffed it back into her apron and wiped her hands. “What are you all doing gawking like street urchins at a candy shop window? Bow your heads!” One of the church volunteers offered a brief prayer while most of us fidgeted in our seats.

After the ‘amen’ we all dug in. Well, except for me. I was too preoccupied with that letter! I caught Sadie’s eye from across the room and she gave me an encouraging nod.

Not to worry, I do plan on coming back to post another snippet from this one next week. But why wait? Pick up a copy of Escape using the links above!

Weekly Goals - April 9, 2014

Trying to get back into a rhythm...we'll see how it goes. I've also taken over administrative duties for the  SFFS blog (which I've been posting to for some time), because I'm a glutton for punishment. Here's the latest recap on the writing side:

 

1. Write 1,300 words on Resurrection - Nothing completed
2. Write 1,000 words on the new short story - About 500 words completed.

 

Progress toward my monthly goals for April:

1. Complete the first draft of "Reciprocity" (the new short story, estimated 2,000 words) - 500 words completed.
2. Edit the final version of "Just Rewards" - Not started.
3. Write 3,000 words on Resurrection - Not started.

 

Now for this week's goals:

1. Edit the final version of "Just Rewards"

2. Write 1,000 words on "Reciprocity"

Next week, I'll recap my weekly goals and report my results.

SFFS: A Fourth Snippet From Escape

Welcome back, everyone! For those who haven't kept up with my latest releases in the past several months, Escape is a brand new novella I have out (a collaboration with Lyndon Perry), the first in a young adult steampunk alternate history series. In fact, I posted up the first except just last week. It's been a while since I've written anything outside of the Aston universe, so I'm excited to see how my fans react to this new title. And now that it's finally out over at Amazon and Barnes and Noble, you can pick it up today (of course, you can also get a paperback too). Be sure to check out all of the wonderful authors on the Science Fiction Fantasy Saturday blogroll. I've skipped ahead a bit, and the boys have joined the girls in the orphanage's dining area. And now, here's a snippet from Escape:

“Abraham,” called the headmistress, “you’re late. That’s one demerit for you and kitchen duty for the boys.”

We found our places in silence as Abe scowled at us, looking for someone to blame. His eyes narrowed when he focused on me. “Max McCannor held us up, Mrs. Tittlesworth.”

“Oh?” she said, eyebrows arched. “How unfortunate. I may have to hold on to this letter for another week.” The headmistress produced an envelope from her apron pocket and held it above the gathered crowd, taunting me with all the malice I’d expected from her.

Not to worry, I do plan on coming back to post another snippet from this one next week. But why wait? Pick up a copy of Escape using the links above!

Monthly Goals - April 2014

Sorry for the  lack of weekly updates. The past couple of weeks have been a bit rough on the personal side. Things should slowly get back to normal soon...

For those who missed it back in January, I set up the writing goals I aim to accomplish in 2014. Right after writing that post, I then read Dean Wesley Smith's post about how to be successful at your writing goals.

One of those suggestions was to report in to someone, whether you miss your goals or accomplish them. So, I to report it to you, my loyal fans, bringing back my old habit of weekly goal-setting and reporting. In addition, I've decided that a set of monthly goals would also be good to do (since they'd end up being more "grand scheme" and would be easier to tie into the annual goals).

So, another month has gone by, and it's time to recap my results from my March goals.

1. Publish the print version of Seeker - Completed.
2. Complete the first draft of a new short story (estimated 2,000 words) - Title and plot completed
3. Edit the final version of "Just Rewards" - Not Completed
4. Write 3,000 words on Resurrection - 1700 words completed

Sadly, I hardly accomplished anything this month. Hopefully April is better.

Here are my goals for April:

1. Complete the first draft of "Reciprocity" (the new short story, estimated 2,000 words)
2. Edit the final version of "Just Rewards"
3. Write 3,000 words on Resurrection

As always, I'll report my final results on the first of next month. In the meantime, check out my weekly goals postings to see how I'm progressing.

Here's to everyone striving to accomplish their writing goals for 2014!

SFFS: A Third Snippet from Escape

Welcome back, everyone! For those who haven't kept up with my latest releases in the past several months, Escape is a brand new novella I have out (a collaboration with Lyndon Perry), the first in a young adult steampunk alternate history series. In fact, I posted up the first except just last week. It's been a while since I've written anything outside of the Aston universe, so I'm excited to see how my fans react to this new title. And now that it's finally out over at Amazon and Barnes and Noble, you can pick it up today (of course, you can also get a paperback too). Be sure to check out all of the wonderful authors on the Science Fiction Fantasy Saturday blogroll. And now, here's a snippet from Escape:

Abe finished his morning inspection, then returned and stopped in front of my bed. “Whatcha have there, Max?” He extended his hand toward my pocket, waiting for me to produce its contents.

“None of your business, Abe, and you know it.”

Abraham Tate wasn’t really a bully, but sometimes power went to his head. That didn’t sit well, what with him being nosey and all. Plus, he seemed to think our lives were all like a plot in one of those penny dreadfuls he was always reading.

The boy next to me snickered. “It’s a picture of his daddy.” Tommy Jacobson. Now he was a bully.

Not to worry, I do plan on coming back to post another snippet from this one next week. But why wait? Pick up a copy of Escape using the links above!

Writing Processes

I got tagged by fellow author and my favorite cover artist T. K. Toppin to participate in this blog hop about writing processes and what it takes to shape and produce a book. And now, on to the questions...

What am I working on?
Currently, I'm working on the fourth Aston West in-the-series novel, tentatively entitled Resurrection. But life wouldn't be all that exciting if I didn't have my hand in a dozen other projects at the same time. So, I'm also working on several new short stories to put into my next Aston West Triple-Shot. And on top of that, I've been working toward completion of another Aston West novella, Fallen. Outside of my series work, I've been teaming up with Lyndon Perry toward the completion of two more books in a series of novellas featuring orphan Max McCannor (with the first, Escape, just published). And I've been toying around with the idea of some other non-sci-fi titles. Busy busy!
 
How does my work differ from others of its genre?
I often hear from folks who tell me they don't ordinarily enjoy science fiction, but they love my stories. I imagine that has to do with the focus on characters and not on the science. Additionally, I think my lead character Aston is not what your first choice for a hero would be. He doesn't fit the stereotype of the (as my favorite label from the "Firefly" series indicates) "big d*** hero" like most in the genre do. He's the everyman who just happens to get into more than his fair share of tricky situations, and I think that  resonates with more than a few readers who like to think that they, too, could be in the same boat.
 
How does your writing process work?
It varies, depending on what I'm working on. For longer works like novellas and novels, I usually develop a plot outline first (at least with my Aston West series, since most of my major characters have already been developed...for stuff outside of the series, I have to put together some character sheets beforehand). Sometimes I start directly with the plot outline. Other times, I start with index cards. Either way, I come up with a multitude of scenes I need to have happen in the story, and in a rough sequence. That's not to say that the process won't diverge from the plan along the way, but I always like to have a good idea of where I'm going so that I don't get lost in the jungle that is the writing process. Once I have the game plan, I just start writing, referencing back to my plot outline as needed.

For my short stories, I usually come up with the same type of scene list/plot outline, but it usually only takes up a single sheet of notebook paper. Then, the writing begins.

After the first draft is done, I wait a while and then get right back into editing over and over until I pull the trigger on publication.
 
And now it's time to tag someone else, so my co-author in the Max McCannor series Lyndon Perry, you're up!

SFFS: A Second Snippet From ESCAPE

Welcome back, everyone! For those who haven't kept up with my latest releases in the past several months, Escape is a brand new novella I have out (a collaboration with Lyndon Perry), the first in a young adult steampunk alternate history series. In fact, I posted up the first except just last week. It's been a while since I've written anything outside of the Aston universe, so I'm excited to see how my fans react to this new title. And now that it's finally out over at Amazon and Barnes and Noble, you can pick it up today (of course, you can also get a paperback too). Be sure to check out all of the wonderful authors on the Science Fiction Fantasy Saturday blogroll. And now, here's a snippet from Escape:

The younger boys all scurried to attention, satisfying Abe’s ‘Army’ illusions. I carefully tucked my personal treasure back into my pocket, and rose from my thin, fraying mattress.

Abe strolled down between the rows of equally outdated beds, gazing upon the troops. We were a motley bunch if you ever saw one. Everyone stood around in our dirty, hole-ridden hand-me-down rags donated by mining town children we often heard stories about from out west. I’d long since grown out of the clothes my grandmother had handmade for me almost a decade ago. Those shirts and slacks had supposedly been stuffed in a closet, waiting to be brought out once one of the younger boys grew into them. ‘Waste not, want not,’ the orphanage staff would always tell us. But since there had been plenty of younger kids come through the orphanage and I’d never seen my clothes reappear, I figured they’d sold them and pocketed the money.

People tell me I shouldn’t be so pessimistic.

Not to worry, I do plan on coming back to post another snippet from this one next week. But why wait? Pick up a copy of Escape using the links above!

Weekly Goals - March 19, 2014

The big goose egg this week (although I did come up with a title for my new short story). Here's the latest recap:

 

1. Write 1,300 words on Resurrection - Nothing completed
2. Write 1,000 words on the new short story - Nothing completed, other than the title "Reciprocity"

 

Progress toward my monthly goals for March:

1. Publish the print version of Seeker - Cover art finished.
2. Complete the first draft of a new short story (estimated 2,000 words) - Came up with a title
3. Edit the final version of "Just Rewards" - Not started
4. Write 3,000 words on Resurrection - Completed around 1700 words

 

Now for this week's goals:

1. Write 1,300 words on Resurrection

2. Write 1,000 words on "Reciprocity"

Next week, I'll recap my weekly goals and report my results.

SFFS: A Snippet From "Escape"

It's been quite a while since I've posted a snippet (and if I'd remembered, I might have posted one earlier this month). Welcome back, everyone! For those who haven't kept up with my latest releases in the past several months, Escape is a brand new novella I have out (a collaboration with Lyndon Perry), the first in a young adult steampunk alternate history series. It's been a while since I've written anything outside of the Aston universe, so I'm excited to see how my fans react to this new title. And now that it's finally out over at Amazon and Barnes and Noble, you can pick it up today (of course, you can also get a paperback too). Be sure to check out all of the wonderful authors on the Science Fiction Fantasy Saturday blogroll. And now, here's a snippet from Escape:

Being alone in this world sucks, and don’t let anyone tell you different. It’s horrible as a little kid, and even worse as a teenager.

As I sat and stared at the small picture in my hand, one I’d kept in my jacket pocket for almost nine years now, my mind raced to California. I wished for maybe the thousandth time that I could just make my dad instantly appear by my bed and stand beside me like he was in the photograph.

But that was the way of fairy tales, and not the nightmare I lived on a daily basis.

“Meal time, ladies,” one of the older boys, Abe, called out. He always acted as if we were in the military rather than the orphanage we all lived in, The New York Charitable Orphanage for Wayward Boys and Girls. I wouldn’t say we called this place home, because I still had far better memories of a home, two homes in fact.

Unfortunately, fate had dealt me an ugly hand of cards, twice in a row, even worse than the ones Abe dealt us during our illegal poker games after lights were out for the night.

Not to worry, I do plan on coming back to post another snippet from this one next week. But why wait? Pick up a copy of Escape using the links above!

Weekly Goals - March 12, 2014

Still in a bit of a slump. Here's the latest recap:

 

1. Write 1,000 words on Resurrection - Completed just over 900 this week
2. Write 1,000 words on the new short story - Nothing completed

 

Progress toward my monthly goals for March:

1. Publish the print version of Seeker - Cover art finished.
2. Complete the first draft of a new short story (estimated 2,000 words) - Not started
3. Edit the final version of "Just Rewards" - Not started
4. Write 3,000 words on Resurrection - Completed around 1700 words

 

Now for this week's goals:

1. Write 1,300 words on Resurrection

2. Write 1,000 words on the new short story

Next week, I'll recap my weekly goals and report my results.

Weekly Goals - March 5, 2014

Well, another week with very little accomplished. Hopefully sometime soon, I'll be able to break out of the slump again. Here's the latest recap:

 

1. Write 1,000 words on Resurrection - Completed just under 800 this week
2. Write 1,000 words on the new short story - Nothing completed

 

Progress toward my monthly goals for March:

1. Publish the print version of Seeker - Waiting on final cover art
2. Complete the first draft of a new short story (estimated 2,000 words) - Not started
3. Edit the final version of "Just Rewards" - Not started
4. Write 3,000 words on Resurrection - Completed around 800 words

 

Now for this week's goals:

1. Write 1,000 words on Resurrection

2. Write 1,000 words on the new short story

Next week, I'll recap my weekly goals and report my results.

Monthly Goals - March 2014

For those who missed it back in January, I set up the writing goals I aim to accomplish in 2014. Right after writing that post, I then read Dean Wesley Smith's post about how to be successful at your writing goals.

One of those suggestions was to report in to someone, whether you miss your goals or accomplish them. So, I to report it to you, my loyal fans, bringing back my old habit of weekly goal-setting and reporting. In addition, I've decided that a set of monthly goals would also be good to do (since they'd end up being more "grand scheme" and would be easier to tie into the annual goals).

So, another month has gone by, and it's time to recap my results from my February goals.

1. Complete the final draft of Fallen - Completed
2. Complete the first draft of a new short story (estimated 2,000 words) - Completed "Just Rewards" with around 2,700 words)
3. Write 5,000 words on Resurrection - Not completed, only 1,800 words
4. Generate a new plot for another new short story - Completed
5. Create a print version of Seeker - Completed

Sadly, didn't get as much done as I would have liked. But Seeker should be out in paperback fairly soon, so hopefully folks will check it out. Motivation has been in the toilet this month, for various reasons, so I guess I should be glad that I accomplished as much as I did. But still, I'd like to get farther along.

Here are my goals for March:

1. Publish the print version of Seeker
2. Complete the first draft of a new short story (estimated 2,000 words)
3. Edit the final version of "Just Rewards"
4. Write 3,000 words on Resurrection

As always, I'll report my final results on the first of next month. In the meantime, check out my weekly goals postings to see how I'm progressing.

Here's to everyone striving to accomplish their writing goals for 2014!

Weekly Goals - February 26, 2014

Well, seven more days since I recapped my weekly goals. Here's the latest recap:

 

1. Write 2,000 words on Resurrection - Completed just under 400 this week

Progress toward my monthly goals for February:

1. Complete the final draft of Fallen - Completed
2. Complete the first draft of "Just Rewards" (estimated 2,000 words) - Completed, with around 2,700 words
3. Write 5,000 words on Resurrection - Still in work, with around 1,800 words
4. Generate a new plot for another new short story - Completed
5. Create a print version of Seeker - Completed (just waiting on cover art)

 
Now for this week's goals:

1. Write 1,000 words on Resurrection

2. Write 1,000 words on the new short story

Next week, I'll recap my weekly goals and report my results. And with the end of the month coming up soon, it will be time to produce a new set of goals for March this weekend.

ConDFW Recap

Well, I've returned from my annual pilgrimage to Dallas for ConDFW...

Had a great time, with just the right mix of panels and dealer table time. This year seemed especially productive in the sales department, with more sales this year than all of the other years I've attended. I also sold out of two of my books, which is also a first for me. It seemed to me like the traffic flowing through the dealer's room had increased, but others seemed to think it was down.

I was a bit disappointed that I wasn't able to sell some of my friends' books, as I used to be able to do that in my sleep. It may be that I just need to practice the elevator speech for those titles.

Panels were good (although I'm not sure how I didn't get tossed on the panel about writing sequels...), and met a couple of new (to me) writers through the process, both of whom are published with some of the larger houses. Decided to go and check out their work on my Nook, so I'll report back once I'm finished...

 

All in all, I had a great time and looking forward to next year.

Weekly Goals - February 19, 2014

Well, another seven days since I recapped my weekly goals, and decided to move on to some goals that could be completed before the end of the month. Here's the latest recap:

 

1. Write 1,500 words on Resurrection - Completed only 500 this week
2. Finish the first draft of "Just Rewards" - Completed

3. Generate a new plot for another new short story (added goal) - Completed
4. Create a print version of Seeker (added goal) - Completed

Progress toward my monthly goals for February:

1. Complete the final draft of Fallen - Completed
2. Complete the first draft of "Just Rewards" (estimated 2,000 words) - Completed, with around 2,700 words
3. Write 5,000 words on Resurrection - Still in work, with just over 1,500 words
4. Generate a new plot for another new short story - Completed
5. Create a print version of Seeker - Not started

 
And now for this week's goals:

1. Write 2,000 words on Resurrection

Next week, I'll recap my weekly goals and report my results. The end of the month is coming up soon as well, so stay tuned for that as well.

Weekly Goals - February 12, 2014

Well, another seven days since I recapped my weekly goals, so here's the latest recap:

 

1. Write 1,500 words on Resurrection - Not started

2. Complete a final edit on Fallen - Completed

3. Finish the first draft of "Just Rewards" - Closer, but still fell short

Progress toward my monthly goals for February:

1. Complete the final draft of Fallen - Completed
2. Complete the first draft of "Just Rewards" (estimated 2,000 words) - Still in work,  around 2,000 words
3. Write 5,000 words on Resurrection - Just over 1000 words
4. Generate a new plot for another new short story - Not started
5. Create a print version of Seeker - Not started

 
And now for this week's goals:

1. Write 1,500 words on Resurrection

2. Finish the first draft of "Just Rewards"

Next week, I'll recap my weekly goals and report my results.

Weekly Goals - February 5, 2014

Well, another seven days since I recapped my weekly goals, so here's the latest recap:

 

1. Write 1,000 words on Resurrection - Completed 1000 words

2. Complete a final edit on Fallen - Not started

3. Write 1,500 words on "Just Rewards" - Fell short with only about 1100 words

Progress toward my monthly goals for February:

1. Complete the final draft of Fallen - Not started
2. Complete the first draft of "Just Rewards" (estimated 2,000 words) - Still in work,  around 1650 words
3. Write 5,000 words on Resurrection - Just over 1000 words
4. Generate a new plot for another new short story - Not started
5. Create a print version of Seeker - Not started

 
And now for this week's goals:

1. Write 1,500 words on Resurrection

2. Complete a final edit on Fallen

3. Finish the first draft of "Just Rewards"

Next week, I'll recap my weekly goals and report my results.

Monthly Goals - February 2014

For those who missed it back in January, I set up the writing goals I aim to accomplish in 2014. Right after writing that post, I then read Dean Wesley Smith's post about how to be successful at your writing goals.

One of those suggestions was to report in to someone, whether you miss your goals or accomplish them. So, I to report it to you, my loyal fans, bringing back my old habit of weekly goal-setting and reporting. In addition, I've decided that a set of monthly goals would also be good to do (since they'd end up being more "grand scheme" and would be easier to tie into the annual goals).


So, another month has gone by, and it's time to recap my results from my January goals.

1. Complete the final draft of Fallen - Not completed. First draft and first edit only.
2. Complete the first draft of a new short story (estimated 2,000 words) - Not completed. Only 500 words.
3. Write 4,000 words on Resurrection - Completed with 4,050 words.
4. (added goal) Format paperback version of Friends in Deed. - Completed

Sadly, didn't get as much done as I would have liked. But for those who didn't already notice, Friends in Deed is now out once again for Kindle users (Nook users should be seeing it shortly). I do need to find better ways to shield myself from things like TV and Facebook, because that seems to be what keeps me from writing more often than not.

Here are my goals for February:

1. Complete the final draft of Fallen
2. Complete the first draft of a new short story (estimated 2,000 words)
3. Write 5,000 words on Resurrection
4. Generate a new plot for another new short story.
5. Create a print version of Seeker


As always, I'll report my final results on the first of next month. In the meantime, check out my weekly goals postings to see how I'm progressing.

Here's to everyone striving to accomplish their writing goals for 2014!

Weekly Goals - January 29, 2014

Well, another week since I recapped my January goals, so here's the latest weekly recap:

 

1. Write 1,800 words on Resurrection - Completed with 1850 words

2. Complete a final edit on Fallen - Not completed.

3. Write 2,000 words on the new short story. - Only completed about 500 words. Renamed story "Just Rewards"

Progress toward my monthly goals for January:

1. Complete the final draft of Fallen - First edit completed

2. Complete the first draft of a new short story (estimated 2,000 words) - 500 words so far.
3. Write 4,000 words on Resurrection - Completed with just over 4,000 words
4. (added goal) Format paperback version of Friends in Deed. - Completed

 
And now for this week's goals:

1. Write 1,000 words on Resurrection

2. Complete a final edit on Fallen

3. Write 1,500 words on "Just Rewards"

Next week, I'll recap my weekly goals and report my results. Be sure to stay tuned in the next few days for my January recap and setting up new goals for February.

Getting Aston West News on Facebook

As I'm sure you're all aware, I do have a facebook fan page for everything Aston West Universe-related. But of course, Facebook is out to make money, so they continually change things to make it so people promoting on their service have to shell out advertising money. Needless to say, I don't earn enough in royalties to make that happen, so I'm here to show you a way to make sure you're always in-the-know about the latest Aston West news on Facebook.

First, you'll need to add my page to an Interest List. Go to my page, and click the small gear. Select the "Add to Interest Lists" option.

 

If you're like me, and haven't bothered creating an interest list before, you'll need to create a new one ("New List"). If you're already experienced with these, just add me to one of your existing lists.

 

If you're creating a new list, go ahead and just select "Next" from here.

Name your list under "List Name" and set your privacy settings. Then click "Done" and you are...

 

From your news feed, you should be able to scroll down to the bottom of the LH side and see all of your Interest Lists. Select your new one, and you can read all of my latest news (and any other pages you want to add to the list).

Hopefully this should help you keep up with all of the latest news that's fit to print for the Aston West Universe (and any other pages you'd like to follow). Enjoy, and good reading!

Posts on Pricing

Finished reading Kristine Kathryn Rusch's posts on pricing (parts 1 and 2) this morning, and decided to take a look at my own plan for pricing in light of that information. Certainly, I've been guilty of giving my books away for free, like I've been doing with Seeker for the last 6-7 months. But has that helped as much as I would have liked? Certainly, when I first started the giveaway, numbers were good (such as the 407 copies it gave away in the first month) and it seemed to boost up sales of my other titles. But as time went on, the number of free copies dwindled, and carry-over to the other titles shrank. So, perhaps there's something to the information that Rusch conveys in her posts...

One of the other bits from those posts is the idea of pricing your titles so low that people start wondering what's wrong with them (with the added bonus of not being differentiated from all the other low-priced material out there). I've done that same thing, all in the name of increasing sales. For example, I've been pricing my novels at $2.99 and anything shorter at $0.99. But honestly, it hasn't really helped all that terribly much (except for some reason, people flock to The Cure on Barnes and Noble when I drop the price to $0.99). So, perhaps there's something to be said for higher prices. Personally, I hate paying $6 or more for an e-book, but I've found that I still do it for a book that I want to read (I still don't find myself trying an author for that much without a recommendation or a really convincing sample). So, maybe everyone else out there is the same way, and I've been doing it wrong all this time.

So, taking Rusch's comments into consideration, I've decided to increase the prices on most of my work, to see if there's something to the "price means value" concept. For my novel-length work, I've increased the price to $2.99 for my entire backlist, and $5.99 for my newest novel. I still don't see anyone paying more than $0.99 for a three-pack of short stories, so I've kept the Triple-Shots where they were.

For the time being, I haven't updated the prices of my print books. I want to try out her statements about bookstores now being able to stock POD books first. If that's true, then I'll need to go out and pound the pavement this year. But feel free to try that out for my titles as well, the next time you're in a Barnes and Noble or independent bookstore.

And I'll check back in a few months to see whether this pricing change has made a difference or not.

Weekly Goals - January 22, 2014

Well, another week since I recapped my January goals, so here's the latest weekly recap:

 

1. Write 1,800 words on Resurrection - 0 words this week

2. Complete a first edit on Fallen - Completed

3. Format paperback version of Friends in Deed. - Completed

Progress toward my monthly goals for January:

1. Complete the final draft of Fallen - First edit completed

2. Complete the first draft of a new short story (estimated 2,000 words) - In Progress
3. Write 4,000 words on Resurrection - 2,200 words out of 4,000
4. (added goal) Format paperback version of Friends in Deed. - Completed

 
And now for this week's goals:

1. Write 1,800 words on Resurrection

2. Complete a final edit on Fallen

3. Write 2,000 words on the new short story.

Next week, I'll recap my weekly goals and report my results.

Weekly Goals - January 15, 2014

Well, another week since I recapped my January goals, so here's the latest weekly recap:

 

1. Generate a plot for a new short story - Completed

2. Write 2,000 words on Resurrection - Completed with 2,200 words

3. Complete a first edit on Fallen - In work, but not completed.

Progress toward my monthly goals for January:

1. Complete the final draft of Fallen - First draft completed

2. Complete the first draft of a new short story (estimated 2,000 words) - In Progress
3. Write 4,000 words on Resurrection - 2,200 words out of 4,000

And now for this week's goals:

1. Write 1,800 words on Resurrection

2. Complete a first edit on Fallen

3. Format paperback version of Friends in Deed. (Adding this to my January goals)

Next week, I'll recap my weekly goals and report my results.

Weekly Goals - January 8, 2014

Well, it's been a week since I set up my weekly and monthly goals for January, so time to recap the progress I made this week.

 

1. Complete the first draft of Fallen (estimated 4,000 words) - Completed, although it was closer  to 3,000 words.
2. Generate a plot for a new short story - Tried over several evenings to come up with something, but never had any luck. Not completed.
 

Progress toward my monthly goals for January:

1. Complete the final draft of Fallen - First draft completed

2. Complete the first draft of a new short story (estimated 2,000 words) - In Progress
3. Write 4,000 words on Resurrection - Not yet started

And now for this week's goals:

1. Generate a plot for a new short story

2. Write 2,000 words on Resurrection

3. Complete a first edit on Fallen

Next week, I'll recap my weekly goals and report my results.

The Break, Revisited

Well, now that it's back-to-work time, it's also time to recap how I did against my plans for the break. To recap:

1. Complete the first draft of my new Aston novella Fallen. Completed!
2. Complete edits on my re-write of Friends in Deed. Completed!

Always good to meet my goals, and hoping I can keep that up for the rest of the year...

Monthly and Weekly Goals

So, with my previous post, I set up the writing goals I aim to accomplish in 2014. Right after writing that post, I then read Dean Wesley Smith's post about how to be successful at your writing goals. Timely.

One of those suggestions was to report in to someone, whether you miss your goals or accomplish them. So, I've decided that I need to report it to you, my loyal fans, and to bring back my old habit of weekly goal-setting and reporting. In addition, I've decided that a set of monthly goals would also be good to do (since they'd end up being more "grand scheme" and would be easier to tie into the annual goals).

So, since we're on the first of the year, here are my goals for January:

1. Complete the final draft of Fallen
2. Complete the first draft of a new short story (estimated 2,000 words)
3. Write 4,000 words on Resurrection

And now for the weekly goals:

1. Complete the first draft of Fallen (estimated 4,000 words)
2. Generate a plot for a new short story

Next week, I'll recap my weekly goals (and of course, my monthly goals will be covered February 1) and report my results.

Here's to everyone setting their writing goals for 2014 and striving to accomplish them!

Writing Goals for 2014

Well, since it's the last day of the year, it's time to start putting together a list of the writing goals I'd like to accomplish in 2014. Of course, I also need to start getting back into the habit of reviewing these goals regularly, something I used to do with at least moderate success...

So, here goes:

1. Finish and publish my new Aston novella Fallen.

My novella Seeker has done quite well in the free download department, and it seems to help boost sales of my other novels. I haven't decided whether or not to make this one free or not (leaning toward a 99-cent download, and just keep Seeker as my one freebie), but I still like this story. Hopefully the fact that I'm racing through to finish the first draft by the end of this week won't cause me issues in the editing department later.

2. Finish and publish my new Aston novel Resurrection.

Those who've read Friends in Deed and Death Brings Victory know that a lot has happened in the Aston West universe (and if you haven't read them yet, get moving!). Building off of the events in my non-Aston  novel The Cure, you can likely guess what's going to happen, but part of the fun is finding out how the story transpires.

3. Publish another Triple-Shot.

I currently have three triple-shots out there, and the well has currently run dry in terms of new short stories (not in ideas for stories, just in stories completed). So I'll need to kick my butt in gear and finish at least three new ones this year to even have a shot at this goal.

   

4. Finish the next two novellas in the Max McCannor series.

Lyndon Perry and I have published the first in this series, Escape. The goal is to at least finish (although we're hoping to have them published) the next two by the end of 2014. Although I don't normally like to set goals that depend on other people (such as not setting a goal for sales of any of my books), I think this is something we can get done.

All in all, it's going to be a busy year. Thanks to everyone who's purchased a copy of one (or all) of my books, and I'm looking forward to bringing you even more great stories in the near future.

Author Tag!

I was tagged by my friend Angie Lofthouse for this post, so here goes:

What am I working on?

I just finished a rewrite of Friends in Deed, in order to release it after my contract with Champagne Books is completed. I'm still planning on finishing up the first draft of my new novella Fallen by the end of next week. Then it'll be time to finish my next Aston novel.

How does my work differ from others in its genre?

Many people indicate that they don't normally enjoy sci-fi, but they love my work. If I was to hazard a guess, I'd imagine that's because my stories usually focus more on the interpersonal relationships between Aston and others, and less on the scientific aspects of Aston's universe. That, and I tend to write stories with high levels of action and dialogue, compared to a lot of sci-fi that's heavy into narrative.

Why do I write what I do?

I love to tell a good story. So far, I seem to be accomplishing that.

How does your writing process work?

It varies based on what I'm writing. Most of the time with novels (and novellas), I plot a general outline that covers scenes I'd like to include. I write the first draft using that outline, adjusting as necessary or when I see something that I need to add or remove. Then I edit several times before shipping it off to beta readers for review. Another edit or two, and I have the final product.

For short stories, I'll often write a one-page briefing for the story, covering such things as characters, locations and themes I want to cover. Then, I write the draft and edit as needed.

Whether I write longhand or go strictly on the computer depends on my mood at the time, as well as the availability of a laptop or netbook.

Plans for the Break

So, it's been a while since I've put together a "goals" post, but with two weeks of time off coming up, it's time to put something out for what I want to accomplish. So, here goes:

1. Complete the first draft of my new Aston novella Fallen.
2. Complete edits on my re-write of Friends in Deed.

In other news, just a reminder to be sure and pick up a copy of my latest releases:

Sales Update - December 2013

It's been around six months since my most recent sales update in June, and I have a few updated numbers. So, here goes:

Heroes Die Young has sold a total of 442 sales (print and e-book total), which means 16 copies have sold since June (for a total of just over 2 copies a month over the past six months). This compares to 9 copies sold in the November 2012 - June 2013 range, so sales are a bit up. The five-year anniversary for this one was in September, so we're now dropping below the average of 100 copies per year.

Friends in Deed has sold a total of 100 copies (print and e-book total), which means that 4 copies have sold since June (for a total of around 1 copy every four months). This compares to around 2 copies during the previous reporting period. This January marks the four-year anniversary of this one, so the average is around 25 copies per year. As such, I've decided to go ahead and let my contract with Champagne expire on this one come January. Still working out what to do with it after that, sp we'll see what happens.

I've decided to keep Seeker on the free giveaway list, so have stopped recording paid sales. On average, I seem to give away about 150-200 copies each month. Hopefully that leads to a few paid sales on the other titles.

Dead or Alive is still sitting at 83 copies, as I haven't received a reporting of sales since the last update. So, as such, the book is still running about 2-4 copies a month at last count.

The Cure has now sold 93 total copies (print and e-book total), so 10 copies have sold since my past update, compared to 16 copies during the previous update. This book has been out over 2 years (the anniversary was in July), so again I'm seeing a little over 40 copies per year.

Death Brings Victory was released two years ago this coming March, and 60 total copies have sold, meaning 12 copies have sold since the last update, compared to 11 copies during the previous update. This puts it on track with most of my other novels, at just over 40 copies per year. It will be interesting to see, depending on what I choose to do with the previous book in the series, how sales will be impacted.

   

I now have three Triple-Shot collections out, with the first having been released in November 2011, the second in July 2012, and the third in September 2013. 77 copies have sold, so 37 copies sold since my last update (versus 12 copies from the previous update). Breaking this down, 44 total copies of the first have sold, 23 of the second, and 10 of the third.

Now for the analysis of this latest period:

Things seems to have stabilized, and not in a good place. Since my latest update (June), I've sold 79 books compared to 63 books during the previous update for an average of just over 10 books per month.
And so I have a statistic when people ask (and quite often they do), the latest "total sales" number now stands at 855 copies (note: this does not count past sales of Seeker...).

And if we put together the last twelve months of sales, I see the following (not counting Seeker, nor DOA, which hasn't had enough records provided):

HDY: 25
FID: 6
DBV: 23
Cure: 26
Triple-Shots: 49

Not to bad, I suppose, to have 129 paid sales in a year...not good, but could be worse...

Alas, I still have a novella and a novel to complete. As you may have already seen, I do have a collaboration effort novella that should have a few sales as well. And although I won't be counting sales of the collection my short story "Ever Dark" is in, I'm hopeful that this will lead to sales of my other titles as well.

Thanks for stopping by!

New Novella - ESCAPE

Just in time for your Christmas shopping...I have a new novella (a collaboration effort with Lyndon Perry) available in print. Although this isn't an Aston title, it's a great story (the start of a series) that we've put together.

Max McCannor and his friends all suffer under the cruelty of their orphanage headmaster. Finally reaching a breaking point and spurred on by the hope of finding his long-lost father, Max convinces the others to flee their captors and head west. But the headmaster has much to lose, and hires one of his former orphans to track the children down and return them to the orphanage before they ESCAPE for good.

A Thorn in my Side

Although it hasn't been the only reason for a lack of writing production, my last several weeks (and to be honest, the last 14 months) have been plagued with kidney stones. In particular for these last few weeks, a staghorn calcium oxylate stone in my right kidney, measuring 11mm (or for those of us on this side of the globe, just under a half-inch) about two weeks ago. Below is what one looks like (although mine isn't quite this size, if I'm reading the measurement correctly) for those who've never been privy to the fun and joy they bring.

Needless to say, it won't be coming out on its own at this size, so surgery is coming up next week to break it up with a laser that takes the scenic route up to my kidney. Of course, it would have to be a laser blaster, for a sci-fi writer...

Sadly, this is not my first experience with these buggers, although they have varied in size (sometimes, they've actually made the long journey down themselves), location, and the method of removal over the past 14 years/10+ surgeries. Sometimes, the doctors use ultrasound waves from the outside...which is far less sci-fi-esque than befits my writer lineage (and in one case, left me looking like my back had gone fifteen rounds with Mike Tyson).

And in the last 13 months, I've had to go in for three of these surgical removals...as my urologist remarks, I'm a "stone-forming machine." Let's hope this is the last one, but after 14 years, I'm not too optimistic. I've read Paul's letters from the Bible which discuss the thorn in his side which God never seems to answer prayers about removing...and honestly, I've thought for the longest time that maybe he suffered from kidney stones as well...

In the meantime, be sure to check out the new Raygun Chronicles collection that my story "Ever Dark" is appearing in. It's always a joy to know that my work is lumped together with some of the more famous sci-fi authors out there.

And of course, stay tuned for a brand new novella series that Lyndon Perry and I have been collaborating on...should be releasing in the next week or two, just in time for Christmas! Although this isn't an Aston novella (which I'm also working on finishing one of those), it's a great new series that I've had a lot of fun in  creating with Lyndon, and have really loved the characters and storyline.

And if nothing else, at least my writing should be really entertaining while under the influence of post-surgery medications...

A Brief Update - November 12, 2013

Since it's been about a month since I updated my site (sorry, loyal SFFS fans), figured I'd give a brief update on how things are going on all the latest projects...

Escape, my collaboration project with Lyndon Perry is nearly finished. Final chapter is in place, and editing is nearly completed. Cover art is getting the final polishes, and we're hoping to get it out for public consumption in the next few weeks. This is a departure from my usual Aston West universe material, with a steampunk/historical fiction bent. More info as the release date gets closer (and hopefully I'll get to post up some cover art before long)...

Sadly, most of my other work has been stalled out for one reason or another, with little to no progress. Still...

Fallen is about three-quarters of the way through the first draft. This one is another Aston West novella, along the same vein of Seeker and features Aston crash-landing on a planet where the natives mistake him for one of their gods. What could go wrong with that? Don't worry, Aston can always find a way. My hope is that I'll have it out early (maybe in the first quarter) next year.

Resurrection (although I'm contemplating a title change) is still only about half through the first draft. Aston meets up with some old friends, yet again...but with a little kick to keep things interesting. My plan with this one is to take the storyline from Friends in Deed and Death Brings Victory, and carry the ball across the goal line. With all the other projects (and life getting in the way), things have been extremely slow on this front. Still, hopefully I'll have it out sometime next year.

The only other item on my plate is one that I can't yet talk about...but I'm a bit excited about it, and hope that it boosts some sales...which I'll need to provide numbers for again before long.

SFFS: Another Snippet From "Bait and Switch"

Welcome back, everyone! If you haven't already heard, my latest Aston West Triple-Shot is now out and available for purchase (for only 99 cents). Again, you've already seen snippets from "Downtrodden" in the past, so I'll continue on from my previous snippet of "Bait and Switch". And of course, if you like this snippet, head on over to my Collections page to check out this latest Triple-Shot. And be sure to check out all of the wonderful authors on the Science Fiction Fantasy Saturday blogroll.

“Audio only,” she alerted me.

Nothing but silence filled the compartment. I’d had enough of whatever this was. “I don’t know you, but I’m leaving.”

Finally, a high-pitched female voice responded. “No, please. I need help.”

“What seems to be the problem?”

“I don’t know. I think it’s something mechanical. It just quit all of the sudden, and won’t get going again.”

Aston and those damsels in distress...a wicked combination that doesn't usually end well. So, that's all for this week, and I'll try to bring out the continued installment next week. But why wait, when you can pick upt the entire Triple-Shot #3 (and the other two installments of three stories if you haven't already) over on my Collections page?