The Protector cover

Here it is, courtesy of Streetlight Graphics, the cover for The Protector.

2012 Goals

I probably should've posted this 4 weeks ago, but better late than never, right? For those wondering about those Kindle sales from my last post, don't worry, it'll be posted this week. But until then, my goal for this year is to get 3 books released. The Protector is a definite, the cover's being worked on now, and is being edited. It will definitely be out by March. The Crew will most likely be the 2nd one. At the rate I'm writing, The Crew should be done writing by mid-March, at which point it can be edited and the cover done. I'm shooting for July-August release. The 3rd book will most likely by The Woods. It was actually supposed to be next after The Protector, but writing The Crew has been going so smoothly that it's gone past it. Even so, I'd like to release one book of The Evil Series each year, so if The Woods got released later in the year, that would be accomplished. I'm shooting for a October-November release for that. I'm typically not the fastest writer, as I tend to edit as I go, if there's no hiccups it's possible I could get a 4th book out...maybe. No guarantees on that though.

My other goal, as it is for every writer, is to get more sales. My sales for Barnes and Noble, after a good start, have been horrible. Somehow, I need to find a way to reach those readers. Similarly, I need to increase sales at Amazon. At times they're OK, at times they're slow. I haven't got that one breakout book yet that catapults me, maybe this year it'll happen. You can never predict how a book will connect with people though so we'll see.

2011 numbers part 1

At the end of the year I look back and tally up all the numbers from each platform and see how each book did. So far, everything's totaled, except for the Kindle sales....which make up a large majority of my sales. Nevertheless, I figured I'd share the rankings of the books across the other platforms (Nook, Smashwords, Mobipocket) I get the reports each month but looking at them all together, it's not what I thought it would've been. Here are the rankings excluding Amazon:

1) Escape
2) Bounty Hunter
3) The Assassin
4) Deadlock
5) A Soul Worth Taking
6) Day of the Assassin

I found several interesting tidbits from this. First, Escape has always sold the best on Mobipocket, but I didn't realize it was selling the best on Nook as well. Second, sales on Nook started off well from Jan. through Mar. but fell off a cliff after that. I'm not sure what happened but they've never picked up after that either. Part of it may be that I've found it very challenging marketing to Nook owners. Somehow, I've got to get those numbers to pick up. My next post will be with the Kindle sales in which I fully expect The Assassin to take over the top spot. Stay tuned.

Website

Just wanted to let everyone know that I am working on changing the website a little bit. The current website is a little bland and boring so I wanted to spruce it up a little. So far, I've added a direct Twitter feed to the main page as well as uncluttering the front page. I've changed a couple sections already. I'll be taking down the short story on there and listing all my books along with links to where to buy them (Amazon, BN, etc.). I'm also adding a Future Works section to keep everyone informed on what's in the pipeline. This page will have the titles, along with what the story's about, word count, percentage to completion, and what status the book's currently in (editing, writing, etc.). I think that'll be a cool feature to follow. I've also added a review/interview section for people to see what interviews I've given and some of the reviews I've received. I've also put in a Connect With Me area where people can find me on Twitter, Facebook, Blog, and Email. Hopefully these changes will make the site better. Any ideas or suggestions feel free to drop me a line.

Deadlock FREE

One of my books, Deadlock, will be free on Amazon from Dec. 14 to Dec. 18.  This is part of a new program Amazon is offering in which Deadlock will be exclusive to them for the next 90 days. So if you're interested in the book and have a Nook, or something else, you'll have to wait. Judging from the sales of Deadlock on non Kindles...there aren't many of you out there! I'm hoping this will help sales for the other books and give me a little jump. Please tell all your Kindle owning friends!

The Protector release

Well, it's looking like The Protector will finally be released in February. It's been pushed back several times now, and though I never said why, it was because of a lack of financial resources. The money just wasn't there to publish it and promote it the right way. But it's looking like that will change in January, so February is looking good to go.

Help

This post is all about asking for the help of you readers who enjoy my work. Any help you can give in getting the word out about my books is extremely appreciated. Whether you "like" my new facebook page, put out twitter messages, write reviews, send e-mails to friends...I'm grateful for it all. So if you like my books and feel like helping an author out...please tell your friends and family if you think they might enjoy my stuff. I struggle with getting the word out because I'm not great at self promotion...I just don't enjoy tootin' my own horn.

Here's what you could do if you're interested:
1) Write reviews on Amazon & Barnes and Noble (most helpful)
2) "like" my new facebook page
3) follow me on twitter
4) tweet or share on facebook about my books
5) tell your friends and family
6) mention my books in online forums

Thanks if you help!

Hope you all had a good Thanksgiving!