Day: March 4, 2014

Book Brief: The Spark

The SparkThe Spark
by John Kenny
Genre of this Book: Action Adventure/Thriller
Word count: 98,500

Searching for the truth is the most dangerous thing firefighter Donny Robertson will ever do.

The blaze in the old factory has left Donny physically and mentally scarred. And Fitz was dead, nothing was going to change that. But everyone is eager to put that tragedy behind them – there were no traces of arson and no signs of foul play.

Donny needs to regain his confidence and earn the trust of his crew and colleagues. It doesn’t help that he’s convinced the fire was no accident. Is it the set of curious coincidences, or is it simply Donny’s inability to let go of the man who had been his friend and mentor? And where was the line between loyalty and obsession? Was it worth losing his job, his home and his relationship?

As pieces of the puzzle begin to fit together, evidence and people start to disappear. By the time Donny realizes he’s over his head in a world of corporate intrigue and murder for hire, it’s too late. He’s become a loose end and someone is cleaning up. Framed for the murder of his last remaining lead, Donny realizes his only chance is to find and confront the person pulling the strings. It’s a desperate plan and it will cost him everything he has left.

The Spark is a fast paced, intelligent thriller that gives an insider’s view of life in the fire department.

This book is available from Amazon or Barnes & Noble. Continue reading “Book Brief: The Spark”

Coat-Tailing Your Book to a Bestseller

get a rideAs we scramble to find new ways to reach readers we discover that there are things that work and things that don’t work. I’ve tried everything from handing out business cards to kindle-carrying travelers at an airport to running ads on Craigslist. And I’ve done all the regular things too – interviews, promotional sales, blogging, etc. Just as there are things that do and don’t work there are also things we probably should or shouldn’t do. One of the things that’s been done in various different forms is coat-tailing. Coat-tailing is the process of attaching your book to another book that is selling well. In the interest of determining where the grey areas are I’m going to describe various forms of coat-tailing and ask for your input on whether it’s ethical or not to coat-tail.

Here are the types that I’m familiar with: Continue reading “Coat-Tailing Your Book to a Bestseller”

New Resource: Glossary for Authors

industry lingoDon’t you hate it when someone uses terminology you just don’t understand? How about that time someone said to you: “Man, today I ran my MS through the meatgrinder and when I uploaded it to KDP I changed my mind about SW and decided to go Select. I was thinking about going with LS for POD but went with CS instead. I’m going to hop on over to IU and read the tutorial about making a ToC, then I’m going to grab my MOBI and sideload it.”

Allrighty then.

As part of our continued effort to provide authors of all levels with helpful resources, without further ado, here is a Glossary for Authors. We will continue to add to it as we come across more terms, and we know we will. Continue reading “New Resource: Glossary for Authors”

How to Hire an Editor, Part 1: Know What You Need

file000349823764Recently, we asked if you had any questions. The answers, in order, are: yes, but only if the light bulb wants to change; it depends on the phase of the moon; wait until Rich Meyer finishes feeding his cats; we’ll never reveal the secret gruel recipe; because it’s there; and yes, Chris James looks even more handsome in person than he does on the Internet.

Meanwhile, commenter Wendy asked, “Where do I start looking for a good reasonable editor? I know those two words don’t usually go together but I will need an editor soon and don’t have a lot of money to do it with. I know I can’t edit my own work because of the brain auto filling. Need fresh eyes. Any suggestions?” Continue reading “How to Hire an Editor, Part 1: Know What You Need”