Pick a Cover

Sometime a while back, I decided to do a cover for Blink of an I.  At that time I hadn't even decided to go ahead with its publication.  I was just bored - either that or avoiding work I was supposed to be doing - and created a cover.  It took a long time and was a lot of work, but I was generally pleased with the outcome.

Now that Blink is approaching its publication day, I needed to readdress that cover.  And I had another idea for a much simpler cover for Blink.  Then I played around a bit with the original cover.  Thus, I can't decide which one I like best.  (Or rather which one will sell better because it really doesn't matter which one I like best.)  Soooo...  I'm putting it out there in the world.  Help me decide which cover Blink of an I goes live with next month.

Without further ado, here are the selections.  (Click on any one of them to make them larger.  The gray parts are actually static like on an old TV.  And the original cover ones are composed of smaller pictures of things.)

A.

Original Cover, fat font

B.

Original Cover, thinner font

C.

D.

E.

F.

Leave a comment with your choice.  If you have a choice and a suggestion, that would be awesome, too.  I'll tell you which ones I like best later.

Everyone who comments with a choice and/or suggestion will be entered to win something.  I haven't decided what yet.  A book?  An advanced copy of this?  A gift card?  What would you like to win? And no, you don't have to pick the cover I ultimately choose to be eligible.  Especially since I'll be announcing a winner way before I reveal the winning cover.

(Yes, the one has the author name off center.  I don't like it there either.  If I pick it, I'll fix that.)

Cheaters and Liars and Scammers

Not a happy subject for a Monday morning, but I'd like to take a moment to address something I heard about this weekend.  People are out there cheating and lying and scamming their ways onto the bestseller lists at Amazon.  Apparently, there are 'services' that guarantee they'll have hundreds of people 'read' your book in Kindle Unlimited (for one low price, of course).  This shoots your book up the bestseller lists, which presumably gets you more sales.  This also gets you paid for page reads in KU.  But they aren't actually reading the books.  And those people who buy the books based on their list number are getting kind of pissed because they got scammed into buying a less-than-stellar book.

David Gaughran, author of Let's Get Digital (the self-publishing bible in my opinion), talked all about it on his blog, and FB, and through his Twitter page.  He also gives ways you can combat this crap, if you're motivated.

Personally, I'm too tired and sad to mount a battle against this.  As if there weren't enough hurdles to making sales in this business anyway, here's another one. 

Now, I'm not going to sit here and tell you I haven't been tempted to do some pretty unethical things to get sales.  Tempted, yes.  Like I'm always tempted to eat watermelon.  But like eating watermelon, the aftereffects of being unethical are BAD.  Karmically bad.  Metaphysically bad.  Soul cramps, if you will.  So, I don't do it.  I won't do it. I will never pay someone to commit fraud to give me a leg up.  Make book on that.

If I never sell another book because I refuse to be unethical and an asshole, so be it.  At least I'll be able to live with myself and sleep at night.  (Or if I'm not sleeping, it's not because I have soul cramps.)

Anyway, I guess there will always be people who have no problem being unethical.  Cheaters and liars and scammers.  If you're a reader, be on the lookout for books that come out of nowhere to land on the bestseller lists.  I guess there's a way to tell what the book's previous ranking was before it hit #1 (the Movers and Shakers lists?), and if you see a book suddenly jump from the hundred thousands to the single digits, be wary.

Meanwhile, I'll be sitting over here writing quality books without any scammy crap to get in your way.  I don't load unrelated back matter for more page reads.  I don't spam.  I don't pay people to read my books or to review my books.  I don't use services to give me a leg up.  I just write books that I hope readers will enjoy.

On a happier end note, Sleeping Ugly is moving right along.  Just under 3K written yesterday which left me at 19699 words so far.  I hope to have this first draft done by the end of the month.  Totally doable, if I don't fall off the wagon.

Oh, and before I forget, there's a Goodreads Giveaway starting this morning and running through the 31st.  One winner will receive a paperback copy of Up Wish Creek for their very own.  

Why Publish in Print?

You know, I wish I had the answer.  I still publish in print, despite the fact that I haven't sold a print copy of a book in over a year.  In fact, the print copy of Natural Causes should be available soon - good lord willin' and the crick don't rise.  (And the reason it's months after the ebook release is exactly the fact that I haven't sold many print books and it ain't cheap getting these without anything to show for the expense.)

I guess part of the reason why I publish in hardcopy is because I like print books.  I especially like holding a print copy of my books in my hands.  I like petting them and smelling them and thumbing through them.  It's a thing.

Another part of it is that I read somewhere that having a print copy available - even if buyers choose ebooks instead - adds legitimacy to the book.  :shrug: I'm not sure if that's true, but I do know that with sales off the way they are, I'm willing to try. 

Another part of it that offering free copies of print books is supposed to help with sales and reviews.  Sometimes yes, sometimes no.  If they actually read the book and want to read more of my stuff, they can find all the books in the back of either print of ecopies of my books.  And if they actually read the book they received free, they could possibly write a review.  (Umm, except for that one gal who got a copy free through Goodreads and put it up for sale almost immediately as a New, Signed copy.  Good luck unloading that, lady.)

In truth, I'm not sure what having paper copies of my books actually does for me.  Other than the expense of copies and shipping, it doesn't hurt to try.  Who knows, maybe the wiser heads are right and they really do help.  Either way, I have physical proof I wrote books for after I'm dead, right? 

What do you think? 

And, if you want a copy of the version of Blood Flow with the original cover say "pick me" in the comments.  I'll draw a name or two at the end of the week.  

Happy New Year

First things first, we have a couple winners to announce here.  Deb Salisbury won a paperback of whichever one of my books she wants.  Fran won a postcard and a PDF copy of whichever one of my present or future releases she wants.  Both Deb and Fran need to contact me via email at besanderson at gmail dot com and let me know what their preference is.

The Goodreads giveaway for BloodFlow ended last night and I'm just waiting for the winner's info to arrive in my inbox.  The Goodreads giveaway for Wish in One Hand is through the end of today, so click the link and enter for a chance to win one paperback copy of that with the new and improved cover.  Plus I'm chucking in a bookmark and a postcard, cuz that's how I roll.

Okay, so with that out of the way, I suppose I should look back or look forward or something.  New Years Day is for stuff like that, right?  Except thinking about it last night, I realized that other than swapping out a new calendar and spreadsheet, not much will change.  Last year, I made the big change to self-publishing.  This year will be more of the same.  Fingers crossed that it's even better than it was.

And that's really what New Years means to me.  A hope for better things.  Even after a year that was pretty darned good - all things considered - I would hope for a 'continuing better things'.  Otherwise, it's backsliding or stagnation.  And who wants that?

So, my hope for you all is a wonderful New Year filled with special surprises - happy things and things that make you glow.  A year overflowing with better things.

And I'll be doing a look-back kind of post on Sunday over at The Writing Spectacle for more personal things and Monday at Outside the Box for professional things.  I hope you'll stop by.

Sales Goal Giveaway

Sitting here this morning trying to figure out how to word this giveaway so people don't get the wrong impression...

1000 Books Giveaway?  Umm, not giving away 1000 books. No way, no how.
1K Giveaway? Umm, not giving away 1K of anything. 
Sales Goal Giveaway.  May not be exciting sounding but at least it's accurate. 

I reached a sales goal I didn't know I would have at the beginning of the year.  As of this morning, people paid for 1000 of my books - in one form or another. 

795 ebooks
183 KU books
22 hardcopy books

And so I thought a giveaway would be a good idea.  Soooo, comment on this post before the end of the year (11:59pm CST on 12/31/15 - which is the end of my year) and you'll be entered to win a hardcopy of any one of my books - if you live in the US.  If you're outside the US and I draw your name, you'll win a PDF copy of any one of my books and I'll mail you a postcard from that book. 

That's about as equitable as I can make it.  I lurve all my fans worldwide, but shipping rates are killer for non-US bound packages. And Amazon won't let me buy ebooks for other countries.

So come celebrate with me.  Leave a comment.  Tell your friends.  Have friends leave a comment. 

Goodreads Contest, Etc.

For those of you who don't follow me elsewhere, I had a Goodreads contest start this morning for a paperback copy of BloodFlow.  It's so pretty in paperback form.  All shiny and new.  Well, not shiny, since it has a matte cover.  But it's definitely pet-able. 

452 pages of thrillery goodness.  Signed by me.  Natch.  And although the contest doesn't say so, it'll have a postcard and a bookmark along with it.  (Not mentioned because I didn't have those in hand when I set up the contest.  But I have them now.  Yay.) 

The postcards are basically the cover on one side with the blurb on the other and plenty of space if you want to send it to someone.  The bookmarks highlight all four of my books this time.  Basically, the image is the same as my FB Page header:

With contact info on the back. 

Anyway, that's about it today.  Oh, wait, I did get In Deep Wish to the Awesome Wonderful Editor last night.  So, I've got that going for me.

Thanks for stopping by.  If you're interested in receiving a postcard or a bookmark, say so in the comments and I'll do some kind of drawing.  I'll send out five.  If I get less than five comments, everyone wins.  More than five, I'll draw names out of a hat or something. 

Have a great day!  Me, I'm going to take the day off.  Read something, maybe.  Veg in front of the TV.  I'll still be around the computer, but no workie for me.  (Okay, probably some marketing because I can't help it.) 

Goodreads Listing and a Contest

It's the little things that kill.

The Goodreads listing for Bloodflow is now live.  Go forth, if you are so inclined, and Want to Read it.  Feel free to share it.  In fact, if you share the link to its Goodreads listing somewhere (your blog, your FB page, Twitter, etc.) and then come back here to put the link to your share in the comments, I'll enter you for a $10 Amazon giftcard drawing.  I'll pick the winner for this drawing on the day I announce the book is live at Amazon - at which time I will begin another drawing.  Cuz what the hell, right?

So, what do you think of the cover?  Does it say thriller with political, medical, and technological elements?  God, I hope so, because I'm running with that sucker.  How do you like the tagline - It's the little things that kill? 

In case you missed it, here's the blurb:

Prove you’re an American! Join your elected officials and get implanted today!
The highest levels of the government believe Project Hermes is the best way to control America’s immigration problem. A simple microchip carrying a citizen’s information will allow officials to sort out who belongs—and who doesn’t. Harmless.
Unless the chip carries more than just information.
Agent Miranda Kruz of the Terrorism Task Force has reason to believe something is very wrong with Project Hermes. People are dying and the clues all point to a microchip implant. But Randi’s superiors don’t want anything or anyone interfering with their pet project. They’re threatening her job, her loved ones, and her life to keep her from revealing their secret. With the help of medical examiner, Vic Hammond, and electronics engineer, Jack Davis, Randi has to uncover the truth and make it public before anyone else is targeted for death.
Locating the madmen behind these executions will be hard enough—stopping them might just be impossible.

I hope you all are as excited about this book as I am.  =o)

Trying Stuff and a CONTEST!

Hubs and I were talking the other day about ways to sell more books.  I've hit a slump, you see, and we were brainstorming different ways to boost things without breaking the bank.  What I learned from that discussion is that there are things I am unwilling to do and things we are unwilling to do to accomplish the goal of selling more books.

For instance, I have mentioned before my fear in crowds. So that flat cuts out writing conferences, book signings, etc.  I mean, it would be kind of hard to accomplish anything if I went to those things and spent the entire time hiding in a corner, trying not to barf.

I read the other day that one way to boost sales is to put in an ad or get an interview with the local paper.  Here we run afoul of our overriding need for anonymity.  Sure, it would be easy enough to locate me should someone have a sufficient motivation, but I really don't want to make it any easier.  We moved out to the back of beyond so we could be out of the public eye.  :shrug:

So, what's a hermit to do?

Basically, I'm doing it.  I'm writing books, I'm getting my name out there online where I can without being too annoying, and I'm placing the ads I can afford to place.  (When they let me.  ENT turned me down this time around.  I'll try again next month.)

One thing that would help are reviews.  Of course, I said something about reviews on Twitter and got my first one-star*.  Might've just been coincidence.  Correlation is not causation.  :shrug: 

Another thing I thought might help is I changed the cover for Wish in One Hand.  Something about the image of Jo was driving me nuts, but I wasn't sure if I could fix it and I did not want to go back to the original artist.  Then as I was trying to take a nap, I figured out how to do fix her.  I'm still waiting for Amazon to put the new image on the sales page, but here it is:

 And here's the old cover:

You can't see the lamp anymore, but you also can't see the weird way she's standing.  :shrug:  Maybe that's just me.  I also think this is more in line with other covers in the genre.  Again, might be just me. 

Anyway, I'm doing what I can.  I think.  I always feel like I could be doing more.

Now, because I have it on good authority that giving books away helps with sales and reviews, I'm putting this out there for all of you.  Leave a comment here, on the FB status update with this post, or retweet the tweet from this status update, and get entered to receive a copy of the limited print run of Wish in One Hand with the original cover.  I'll be changing the print cover today sometime, but I have stock of the first print run here.   I'll even sign it and put in some swag.  Pass it around.

The entries will be tabulated next Monday.  I'll draw one winner from them and announce the winner on Wednesday the 30th.

*My first one star review was for Dying Embers and she says the book just wasn't for her. She didn't like the writing, she hated Jace, and she didn't finish the book.  Okee doke.  I knew going in not everyone would like what I write, and I'm totally cool with it.  So, I guess this means I've 'made it' and I'm a real boy now.  Err, girl.  Err, writer person. ;o)

Monday Stuff and a Series Recommendation

Hey all!

It's Monday and I'm guessing since I didn't put a line in here about who won the contest, I haven't had enough coffee to think properly yet.  I'll draw a name shortly and post it at the bottom of this post as an ETA (Edited To Add).  Thanks to all y'all who signed up for my newsletter.  I expect to have a maiden flight around the first of May - when I'll have a better idea of a release date for Accidental Death.  You'll hear it there first, so sign up now.

Speaking of Accidental Death, I'm in edit mode.  In fact, I'm taking a break from the laborious, but oh-so necessary task of finding every instance of the word 'just', determining whether it is necessary where it is, and replacing it or deleting it when it isn't.  I should've done that before I sent it to the editor, but I forgot.  Derp.

Of course, being in edit mode means I'm out of interesting things to say about me, so you get to hear about another series I think deserves some attention. 

Way back when, and don't ask me to go look it up now, I won a contest for the first four books in Debra Webb's Faces of Evil series.  She sent them to me signed and I loved every one of them.  That was about the time that her publisher decided they'd published enough of those, thank you very much, and Ms. Webb was on her own to finish out the series.  Well, she did it.  And I bought every single one of the rest of the series in paperback.  They do look so lovely on my shelves all cuddled up next to each other.

They're about this disgraced FBI profiler who goes back to her hometown and gets embroiled in a serial murder.  Meanwhile, the serial killer who made her look like shit with the FBI is still stalking her, and he has evil minions willing to kill for him, and... OMG, the tension over the course of the series is delicious.  Add in the fact that her old boyfriend is the chief of police and he still loves her, but there's all this tension, and yes, folks, we have a winner!

Now, I don't know why the publisher decided to stop publishing this series.  It irritated the crap out of me as a reader because I wanted... no, I NEEDED to know what happened, dammit.  Thank goodness, Ms. Webb decided to help her readers out and find a way to publish the rest.  Hallelujah!  Now the series is finished and I got the HEA I was after, plus the justice I desire, and some good old-fashioned suspense along the way.  Totally yummy.

So, if you're looking for a series with a few ongoing plot lines and story ARCs - like one big long book, only not as heavy - check out The Faces of Evil.  I had to wait for each book to come out, but lucky you, they're all out now, so no waiting. (I hate waiting, but this series was worth it.)

ETA:  Okay, I'm up and even if the coffee isn't quite enough yet this morning, I drew a name.  The winner is Deb Salisbury!  Shoot me an email, Deb, and let me know how you want it signed (to you, to someone else, etc.), and give me your address.  I'll get that out in the mail sometime this week.  Congratulations!

Easter Weekend Contest

Hey all!  Well, today is the official start of Easter weekend, and I thought I'd run a contest.  Everyone who is signed up for my newsletter by Monday when I wake up and check my mail will be entered, and one lucky winner will get a paperback copy of Dying Embers for their very own.  I'll even sign it and throw in a signed postcard and signed bookmark. 

You can sign up for the newsletter by going to the tab on this blog that says Newsletter Sign Up Form.  Easy peasy.  I won't spam you.  I won't even bother you that much.  I'll just send out newsletters when I have a publication date to announce or a cover to reveal or a contest I'd like to run just for newsletter readers.  So, figure no more than once a month or every other month.  And you get exclusive news and junk. 

So, if you're interested, go up there, fill out the form and I'll pick a name Monday morning.  I'll announce the winner here, on my FB page, and Twitter (since the page feeds to Twitter anyway).  Then you get a book. (Which I'll probably send Priority Mail because it's not that much more and it's way less hassle.)

Sorry, this contest has to be open to US residents only.  Due to a control-freak issue at the USPS, the last book I sent to Canada was a pain (seriously, dude, you couldn't tell from the city, state, zip what the freakin' countries were?), and the overseas charges would break this little struggling artist's bank account.  It's not that I don't love my readers from abroad, but I'm working on a shoestring budget.  Maybe someday when I'm rich and famous, I can have international contests with hardcopy books, too. 

Tell you what... I'll do another contest for international readers down the road a piece where you can win an ecopy of the book and I'll mail you a signed postcard or a bookmark.  How's that sound?

Anyway, like I said, sign up using the link up there and good luck to you all!

-B.E. Sanderson

And the Winner Is

First off, thank you all for entering.  And thank you all for following the blogs.  I really appreciate your being here.

As of contest close, there were 88 entries in the contest.  I took each entry, plugged it into an excel spreadsheet, then scrambled them up a little by sorting on the entry reason in Z-A order and the name in Z-A order.  Then I used Random.org to give me a number that would correspond with a cell in the spreadsheet.

The number was 47.

Which meant the winner is NATALIE MURPHY (aka Natalie Murphy-Nicholas).

Congratulations, Natalie!  Please send me your address and let me know what kind of kringle you want. 

For everyone else, remember to check back here from time to time as I'll be holding other contests along the way. 

Thanks again everyone who entered by following the blog.  :HUGS:

Today's The Last Day

Okay, folks, today's the last day to enter the contest and get a chance of winning a Danish kringle pastry!  Tell your friends!  Cuz who doesn't want a ooey gooey, buttery rich, breakfast treat? 

And hey, you get the added benefit of following this blog - where you'll find out upcoming news from my publishing journey, learn neat facts about evil people, and just generally have some fun.  (I hope.) 

As for publishing news, I got the edit notes from my editor. One step closer to publication!  For those of you who've been patiently following me all these years, you'll finally get a chance to read one of my stories!  You have no idea how excited I am to be able to share this with you. 

Just for kicks, and because I love the fact that you're here with me, anyone who comments on today's post before midnight tonight (central time) gets an extra entry in the contest. 

Best of luck to all of you!

Last, remember there will be contests in the future, so it pays to follow.  You could be a winner, but only if you're in the game.  ;o)

Thank you, thank you.

Thank you to all my new followers and all my old ones.  I really do appreciate you guys. So much so that I decided to add another wrinkle to the contest.

Anyone who already follows me and brings a new follower, gets an extra entry for you both.  So, have your friends follow me, and then send me an email - it's accessible through my Who I Am widget on the right - telling me who your follower friend is.  Also, so very easy-peasy.

And the winner still gets a drop-shipped (2 day) Danish kringle pastry.  They're really yummy, folks, and perfect for family gatherings.  All buttery and gooey in the center with icing on the top.  Seriously, would I mention them in a book if I wasn't addicted to their goodness.

If you're unable to eat a Danish kringle pastry for some reason, and you do win, we'll figure out another prize.  No big deal.  I know a lot of people are watching their waists (I'm watching mine expand LOL), and some people are gluten-free or sugar-free or whatever.  Hey, I'm flexible.

Anyway, thanks for following, and I look forward to seeing you all in the comments.  I hope you enjoy my new Serial Wednesdays and True Crime Fridays.  If not, tell me what you'd like to see here while we're all waiting for my release days.

-B.E.

It's a Contest!

First, thank you all for being here!

Second, here's the dealy-bob.  Since I'm making my foray into self-publishing after the start of 2015, I'd like you all to be following me when the event happens, so you get the most updated information the fastest.  So, to that end, I'm having a contest.  The prize for this contest is a kringle from O & H Danish Bakery in Racine, WI.  What's a kringle, you say?  Well, since I'm launching the book currently known as Dying Embers first, I'll let this unedited snippet from it explain:

Dawn was breaking over Lake Michigan by the time they reached Racine.  Still too early to make any headway with their investigation, the two weary travelers rented a car and trolled the city looking for the first real meal either of them had eaten in almost twenty-four hours.

“An associate sent me the best pastry I ever ate, and if I remember correctly, it was made here in Racine.  Look for any place advertising something called a kringle.”

Ben cast a sideways glance at her.  “As in Kris?  This isn’t one of those Christmas towns is it?”

She laughed, and she liked the sound.  The last man who’d made her laugh that hard…  Well, she couldn’t remember one, it’d been so long.  “Not as far as I know.  It’s some kind of Danish delicacy.  Just trust me, and keep your eyes peeled.”

Not another block went by before he pulled the car into a parking space along the road.  “Mademoiselle asks and she receives.”  He pointed one well muscled hand toward the sign above them.

“Perfect.  You won’t regret this.”

“We’ll see about that.”

After sitting down with a couple large slices of the buttery, gooey treat, they ate in companionable silence punctuated only by the groan from them both when they finished too soon.

“Well?”

“You were right.  Those things are incredible.”  He patted his stomach.  “Good thing I don’t live around here.  I’d ruin my girlish figure.”

She couldn’t imagine him ever having a girlish figure.  Not exactly the expanding waistlines of many men his age, he still had enough meat on his bones to keep from blowing away in the wind.  Broad and well-proportioned was more like it, and exactly what Jace would’ve enjoyed getting to know, if this wasn’t business.

And here's a picture of what I consider a slice of heaven, if you need more encouragement:

So, for your opportunity to eat like Jace and Ben, all you have to do is follow this blog.  Here's how it'll go down:

1) If you followed this blog before I woke up the morning this posted (follow early, follow often), you already have two entries.
2) If you also followed The Writing Spectacle before this post went live, you have another two entries.
3) Anyone who follows this blog from this point until the end of the contest, gets another entry.
4) Anyone who follows The Writing Spectacle from this point until the end of the contest, gets another entry.
5) If you comment on this blog post, you get an additional two entries. (For those people who don't use Blogger, comment here and then go ahead and 'follow' anyway.  Even if you never see it through Blogger, it can't hurt anything.)
6) Look for an additional chance to gain entries sometime between now and the end of the contest.
7) The contest ends when I get online in the morning on December 1st, 2014.  Anyone who is following my blog at that time gets to be in this contest, and will have an advantage over new followers in the next contest.  (Dates and prizes for that to be determined - depending on how this contest goes.)

Easy, right?  Cool.  Get following.

And stay tuned because I'll be doing other cool things (I hope - I'm tragically un-cool) in the weeks and months to come.

Thanks again for stopping by.  I look forward to seeing you around.

I am not affiliated with O & H Danish Bakery in any way, so don't bug those folks about this contest.  They won't have a clue. They have no idea who I am and I've never even been to Racine, WI.  I just love kringles and the best ones I ever ate came from this place. Like Jace, I used to have an associate who would send these out.  I really miss doing business with those people.

The kringle prize is available to continental U.S. residents only.  (I can't afford the extra shipping on these suckers yet.  Maybe after I sell some books.) And you should probably have a non-P.O. Box address - because these glorious circles of goodness need to stay fresh and who knows how often you check your P.O. Box.  If you only have a P.O. Box, we'll work something out.

If your name is drawn and you're not in the continental U.S., I'll find an alternate prize - like a gift card or something - to award you.  We'll work it out somehow so you get a prize and I don't have to break the piggy-bank open.