Kickstarter for Fiction

 We’ve all heard the numbers. Over 7 1/2 million books on Amazon. Over 3,500 new titles added every day.

The gurus tell us we can beat the odds and become a bestselling author. All you have to do is pay them hundreds or thousands of dollars. And they will make it happen.

Hundreds or thousands of dollars? For one book? But, hey, it’s only money and they guarantee that your book will hit some bestseller chart (usually obscure) on Amazon.

The questions I ask are:

• A bestseller for how long?
• Will I earn back my investment?
• Can I duplicate the results on my own?

The odds are you won’t earn back your investment any time soon. Nor will you be able to duplicate the results on your own. Because if you did, the guru just lost a potential future customer and maybe created a rival. And that’s bad for business.

As for how long your book will be on the bestseller list — does it matter?

No, I don’t think it does. Because a bestselling book that ends up losing you money is simply a loss. No matter how many copies you sell.

Think about this: aside from Patterson, Rowling, or King, name me a bestselling author from 20 or 30 years ago. Fame is indeed fleeting.

And if you can name one, that’s only one writer among many, many tens of thousands. That’s something to think about.

Bestselling fantasy author Brandon Sanderson blew the lid off Kickstarter setting an all time record of over $41 million in pledges for his latest campaign. All I can say is that it got my attention. (If being a bestselling author was so great, why was he doing a Kickstarter?)

I took Dean Wesley Smith’s free Kickstarter workshop and took a long look at whether or not Kickstarter was a viable platform for me.

And that’s a valid question to ask about any platform. Is it valid for me?

Let’s face facts. Amazon is glutted. The odds of anyone finding your book are pretty doggone remote.

Most people don’t look beyond page 1 or 2 of the search results. If your book isn’t showing up there, for all intents and purposes — it doesn’t exist.

Couple the above with the fact that a search returns more sponsored ads and Amazon promos than search results — so there’s even less chance for someone finding your book on a search. Even if your keywords are perfect.

To put all of our auctorial eggs in the Amazon basket is, in my opinion, just plain stupid. I didn’t always think so. But years of minuscule sales have convinced me otherwise. There’s just too much competition, no matter what category you put your book in.

Practically speaking we independent authors are also independent publishing houses. Which means, whether we like it or not, we are businesses. Our job is to sell our books. Does it make sense to try to sell your wares in an overcrowded marketplace?

If you were selling apples, would it make sense for you to go to the same place where everyone else was selling apples?

Might you not get better results adopting a different sales plan?

Why do you think these gurus are teaching courses and selling their services? It’s easy money compared to selling books.

Remember: the people who got rich in the California Gold Rush weren’t the prospectors. It was the people selling stuff to the prospectors.

In my tooling around on the Kickstarter site, I was surprised at the number of authors who are in fact funding their projects. Sure there are a lot that don’t fund — but there are a lot that do.

I’ve supported a half-dozen projects and gotten loads of goodies in addition to the items I pledged for. Plus I found myself a couple new authors I want to follow. I’d say that was a win-win situation. Win for the author and a win for me, the reader.

I just finished writing the 9th Pierce Mostyn Paranormal Investigation. I’m going to use it to test the Kickstarter waters.

If I’m successful, I plan on doing more Kickstarters and will hopefully build an audience there, plus earn some cash along the way to fund my business. Others are doing so. Why can’t I?

And remember: Dean Wesley Smith has a FREE workshop to help you get started on developing a successful Kickstarter campaign. He’s run many successful campaigns. 

Get the workshop here: https://wmg-publishing-workshops-and-lectures.teachable.com/p/kickstarter

If you are a fiction writer and haven’t gotten any traction on Amazon, perhaps Kickstarter is a place you need to consider as an option.

My thought is this: if there are too many cooks in the kitchen — find another kitchen.

Comments are always welcome. And until next time, keep thinking outside the Amazon box.

CW Hawes is a playwright, award-winning poet, and a fictioneer, with a bestselling novel. He’s also an armchair philosopher, political theorist, social commentator, and traveler. He loves a good cup of tea and agrees that everything’s better with pizza.

If you enjoyed this post, please consider buying me a cup of tea. Thanks! PayPal.me/CWHawes

Not Alone

 This past Friday morning, I was checking Author Central for new reviews and was surprised to see the most complementary review by Mark Scott Piper:

Great Characters, a Complex Plot, and Plenty of Surprises

But Jesus Never Wept is the third book in CW Hawes’s Justinia Wright Private Investigator Mysteries series. You don’t need to have read the first two to understand the characters and their steady and unsteady relationships. This one is a good read all on its own.

The title implies the focus of the novel may be about exploring the basic tenants of Christianity, but it’s not. Yes, there is an ongoing dialogue between the characters about whether Jesus ever existed in physical form, but this issue doesn’t carry the novel. In fact, the question of faith works more as a metaphor for examining and trying to understand what’s real and what’s not with the gory crimes and relentless criminals the characters must face. Like life, there are always questions here. And not all of them are answered by the end of the book.

The plot is at once intriguing and complex, and Hawes seamlessly mixes the basic murder investigation with an unexpected profusion of other themes and references including, the basics of the Christian religion, family dynamics, love relationships, high-end online prostitution, and the wrath and violence of the Yakuza crime syndicate. Not an easy task, but Hawes pulls it off with aplomb. And by telling the tale from Harry Wright’s point of view, Hawes provides some humor, even occasional sarcasm to the narrative. A nice touch, especially given the gruesome murders and constant threats from powerful enemies.

Hawes’s characters are memorable but never “average.” Justinia, Harry, Bea, and Cal all have their quirks and unique abilities. The relationships between all four have been established before in the series, and we can assume they develop further in this one. Even the minor characters and victims prove to be much more complex than they seem. I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the bone-chilling weather in Minnesota. Dealing with the ice, snow, and painfully low temperatures colors the action and the attitude of the characters in the book.

The descriptions of the weather also help pull the reader into the novel, even those of us who’ve never been to Minnesota. That’s also true of the detailed descriptions of the many meals Justinia, Harry, and Bea share. Harry is a gourmet cook, and you’ll often feel the compelling desire to sit down with them and get a taste or two of his latest culinary delight.

Jesus Never Wept is a good read, and the skill and insights of Hawes turn the standard murder mystery plot into something more—and something better. Highly recommended.

Mr. Piper is a fellow author. I don’t know him, even though we do follow each other on Twitter.

I will say this: I was completely blown away by his review.

But Jesus Never Wept is one of my favorites in the Justinia Wright series. So to discover someone who appreciates the metaphors I put in the book was a delight. I’m not sure that my feet touched the floor all day.

Over the course of the 8 years I’ve been an independent author-publisher, I’ve seen a significant number of writers come and go.

I suspect most leave writing because they don’t strike it rich or get many, if any, accolades. A significant number of writers complain about the lack of support from family and friends in particular.

All I can say is — I hear you.

The arts are tough rows to hoe. As the song says, “One is the loneliest number”. 

Being any type of artist is usually a lonely affair.

If the only reason you, my fellow writers, are writing is to get money or accolades, then you are probably going to meet with disappointment.

The median income for all published authors, according to a 2018 survey by Authors Guild, was $6,080.

The median income for all published authors based solely on book-related activities was $3100.

I’ll tell you right now, I’d give my eye teeth to earn $3100 in royalties for one year. Nevertheless, to put that into perspective, that is 2 months rent and change.

As for support and accolades, I’d probably die from a heart attack if one of my family members or one of my friends told me they’d read a book of mine and liked it. They’d be much more likely to tell me what was wrong with it.

Yes, one is the loneliest number.

But we aren’t truly alone. Every one of us who puts pen to paper and then sends those books and stories out into the world — has an audience.

Our audience may be small.

It may be large.

Doesn’t matter.

What matters is that we do have an audience.

Sometimes we simply need to be patient and diligent so we can find each other.

I don’t know Mr. Piper. But I do hope to get to know him in the coming days, months, and years.

One may be the loneliest number. But the loneliness ends with two.

Comments are always welcome. And until next time, happy reading!

CW Hawes is a playwright, award-winning poet, and a fictioneer, with a bestselling novel. He’s also an armchair philosopher, political theorist, social commentator, and traveler. He loves a good cup of tea and agrees that everything’s better with pizza.

If you enjoyed this post, please consider buying me a cup of tea. Thanks! PayPal.me/CWHawes

Odds & Ends

Today’s post is a bit of a salmagundi. A collection of diverse snippets. A smorgasbord of thoughts. Enjoy!

Eulogy in Black and White

If you haven’t already pre-ordered your copy, do so. Eulogy in Black and White by Caleb Pirtle III is a terrific read. Perhaps the best I’ve read so far this year. Get it on Amazon.

Podcast Appearance

Tomorrow, Wednesday, May 18th, at 1pm CT, I’ll be on the BookWorld podcast with authors CJ Peterson and Michael Scott Clifton. We’ll be talking about mysteries. Here’s the link to the Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/bookworldtge/

 

And here’s the link to CJ’s YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCoZXLhhlqpThV7dV7uNSlXw/featured

Going Wide

In preparation to my eventual leaving of the Amazon ecosystem, all of my books will be out of Kindle Unlimited by the end of June. Most of them already are.

I’ll be uploading the books to Draft2Digital for distribution to a host of vendors and eventually to the Smashwords store.

The first book I’ve uploaded to D2D is Festival of Death. I’ve done a minor text cleanup, and reformatted the book using Atticus. Here’s the new Books2Read link: https://books2read.com/u/mYaJPm

The Justinia Wright Private Investigator Omnibus is also live at a variety of sites. Here’s the Books2Read link: https://books2read.com/u/mdN55w

The Mind Game

Have you ever visited Great Sand Dunes National Park? If not, you really need to go. It is so very neat.

Here’s a pic from the park’s website:

Back in the 1960s when I was in Junior High, my parents, brother, and I visited the park on our way to Wyoming.

The day was hot, and my parents weren’t feeling well. However, my brother and I were going to climb the highest dune and promptly set off.

Unfortunately, halfway to the top, my parents called us back. They were afraid they wouldn’t be able to rescue us should something happen. Never mind, there were probably at least a hundred other people in our area climbing the dunes. Plenty of people to conduct a rescue, should one be needed.

A few years ago, my brother went back and climbed that highest dune. Good for him.

I probably never will make it back. But I don’t really need to. Because I see myself standing on top of that dune, waving to everyone below. And it feels really good.

Comments are always welcome. And until next time, happy reading!

CW Hawes is a playwright, award-winning poet, and a fictioneer, with a bestselling novel. He’s also an armchair philosopher, political theorist, social commentator, and traveler. He loves a good cup of tea and agrees that everything’s better with pizza.

If you enjoyed this post, please consider buying me a cup of tea. Thanks! PayPal.me/CWHawes

Eulogy in Black and White

 

I met Caleb Pirtle III on social media. And I’m glad I did. He is a wonderfully encouraging and supportive person. A valuable mentor. 

He’s also an incredibly talented writer, who has been writing almost his entire life. His fiction has provided me with hours of wonderful entertainment.

He also happens to be the prime mover behind The Underground Authors. That intrepid band of writers who love writing, write fabulous fiction, and want to share their stories with a wider audience.

Storytellers are entertainers. No different from a singer, or a comedian, or the busker playing his guitar on the street corner to make a buck.

Last year, to share their stories, The Underground Authors put together an anthology of their short fiction: Beyond the Sea: Stories from The Underground.

This year, The Underground Authors took on a more ambitious project: a multi-author crime series set in the fictional town of Magnolia Bluff, Texas.

Nine authors. Nine novels. Nine pictures of life and death in a picturesque small town nestled in the Texas Hill Country.

The first book, Death Wears a Crimson Hat, by yours truly, was released last month.

This month Caleb Pirtle releases Eulogy in Black and White, Book 2 in the Magnolia Bluff Crime Chronicles series. And what a wonderful book it is!

Caleb is a marvelous storyteller. Even though you know you’re reading a book, you’d swear it was real life.

He has a way of painting scenes and people that come off the page and surround you, wherever you are.

Eulogy in Black and White is a fine example of Caleb Pirtle’s artistry. A book you will not want to end, because he won’t want to leave the world he’s created for you.

Here’s a bit about the book:

Eulogy in Black and White is about murder and revenge. It’s also about life and death. It’s about what the dead know, that we, the living, don’t: how precious life is. It’s also about what’s just and unjust.

Graham Huston should have died in Afghanistan. He didn’t. His friend, Harley, did. Harley was from Magnolia Bluff, the town where someone dies every May 23rd.

And Huston, as if by Fate, has the chance to unravel the mystery of the murders plaguing Magnolia Bluff. His chance to earn redemption for the bullet that killed Harley instead of himself.

Caleb Pirtle knows how to write a powerful novel, and this is one heck of a powerful novel. It’s one heck of a whodunit, with things twisting and turning right up to the end. 

You will love it. I know you will. It’s on preorder at Amazon. Reserve yourself a copy today!

I rarely read a book more than once. But I’ve read Eulogy in Black and White twice already. And will without a doubt read it again, and most likely yet again.

And you can read it, too. Starting Friday, May 20.

Comments are always welcome. And until next time, happy reading!

CW Hawes is a playwright, award-winning poet, and a fictioneer, with a bestselling novel. He’s also an armchair philosopher, political theorist, social commentator, and traveler. He loves a good cup of tea and agrees that everything’s better with pizza.

If you enjoyed this post, please consider buying me a cup of tea. Thanks! PayPal.me/CWHawes

The Game’s the Thing

 The Wordle craze has highlighted the fact that we all love games. Be they word games, boardgames, or computer games — we love a good challenge.

From Scrabble, Clue, and Monopoly to Bananagrams, Hang Man, Battleship, and Catan to Warhammer 40,000 and Dungeons and Dragons to Minecraft, Super Mario, and Civilization — the game’s the thing.

If this is the case, and it is, then why isn’t the classic murder mystery more popular?

If genres such as LitRPG and Gamebooks have strong niche followings, what happened to the original literary puzzle game — the murder mystery?

It’s clear that the murder mystery’s star began to wane in the 1950s, being supplanted by the thriller. The question I ask is, why? We love games. And the murder mystery is at heart a game.

The murder mystery is a contest between the writer and the reader. The writer lays down the challenge: whodunit? Who killed Mr. Body? The reader must then find the clues and solve the murder before the detective’s big reveal at the end.

In addition, though, to being a puzzle, the best murder mysteries are also stupendously good stories. And who doesn’t like a good story? Where would campfires or the office party be without them?

Rex Stout’s Nero Wolfe novels are challenging mysteries, but even more they are entertaining reads. It’s like getting 2 of the price of 1!

Or take Caleb Pirtle’s Boom Town Saga. The books are magnificently crafted historical novels with atmosphere you can feel and characters you can touch. When you close the book, there’s a sadness within you that you’re leaving Eudora’s and Doc’s world. They are also doggone challenging murder mysteries. In other words, a good game.

Or what about Richard Schwindt’s Death in Sioux Lookout trilogy? Superbly introspective tales with a magnificent sense of place. And a doggone good puzzle to solve in each book.

Joe Congel, with the Razzman, gives you a good detective yarn filled with characters you can touch and feel. A satisfyingly entertaining story and a brain-challenging puzzle. In one enjoyable package. What’s not to like?

Yet the mystery story gets passed over. For some reason, readers prefer violence to order, chaos to reason. They’d rather run virtual races to escape death, then try to restore order to a world violated and torn apart by murder.

When I was a working stiff, my job was stressful enough as it was. I certainly didn’t want my reading to be stressful as well. Perhaps that’s why I liked the closed world of the murder mystery and the chance to restore order to chaos and to quash those feelings of fear, instead of promoting them.

If you like games, and who doesn’t, then give the classic murder mystery a try. It’s the original literary game. If you like Wordle, you’ll love a good mystery.

The classic murder mystery: a game disguised as a book.

You can try my own brain teasers, the Justinia Wright Private Investigator Mysteries and Death Wears a Crimson Hat, because the game is afoot!

Comments are always welcome. And until next time, happy reading!

CW Hawes is a playwright, award-winning poet, and a fictioneer, with a bestselling novel. He’s also an armchair philosopher, political theorist, social commentator, and traveler. He loves a good cup of tea and agrees that everything’s better with pizza.

If you enjoyed this post, please consider buying me a cup of tea. Thanks! PayPal.me/CWHawes