Fat Rich Dog (from dog pound, to riches, to the great unknown)

Gil saved a little puppy named Jake, a golden retriever, from death in the dog pound. Gil once belonged to a cult of circumcision artists in his homeland of Manila, Philippines. A genius, an artist of the flesh, Gil transforms Jake into a walking, talking biped through surgery, gene therapy and mechanical prosthetics.

Jake's time with Gil is both painful and rewarding, a time of growing awareness and physical pain, leading to an unusual journey of self discovery. From dark alleys, to riches, to the great unknown - there are lessons to be learned in this dog-man's transformation.

HOW TO FEEL MISERABLE AS A WRITER

Found on Amazon KDP Support Forums:

HOW TO FEEL MISERABLE AS A WRITER

1. Constantly compare yourself to other writers

2. Show your family your book and expect them to cheer you on

3. Base the success of your entire career on one book

4. Stick with what you know

5. Undervalue your expertise

6. Let money dictate what you write

7. Bow to social pressures

8. Write books that only your family would love

9. Write only what the publisher asks

10. Set unachievable or overwhelming goals to be accomplished by tomorrow


(Modified from a post on artists)

Steve Jobs [remember him?] philosophy

Steve Jobs quote about life:

“Life can be much broader once you discover one simple fact and that is everything around you that you call life was made up by people who were no smarter than you.
The minute that you understand that you can poke life and actually, if you push in, something will pop out the other side – you can change it. You can mold it. That’s maybe the most important thing.”

Caroline Barnard-Smith VS John Locke

Screaming into the Virtual Wind

Caroline Barnard-Smith, Dark Fantasy Writer, makes a good point on the John Locke method of selling a million ebooks. It comes down to this: why do you write?

Do you write for art or money? Ideally, the money follows the art. Caroline quotes John Locke, “my books may not be great literature, but they certainly don’t suck… I no longer have to prove my books are as good as theirs [traditional publishers]”

Hummm...

Promote Your Books and eBooks

Join the blog and use comment to post your books blurb and link!

Marketing Tips for New Writers

 From the Kindle Publishing Support Forums:

Marketing tips for new authors
Posted: Nov 9, 2011 3:46 PM
Click to reply to this thread Reply

I thought it might help to start a thread for new authors, so they can learn from our mistakes and successes. I do not pretend to know all the answers, but I can explain a few things that might help. The following will look like a huge ad, but I am offering you inexpensive alternatives that I use and recommend. I have written 21 books, so I have a little experience to share.

1. Name recognition is important. Promote using the name you have chosen to write under. The more people see your name, the more they will remember it.

2. Build a website. I use Google Sites because they are free and professional looking. Example of a Google Site: www.firstchapterproject.com

3. Read everything you can find on book promotion. There are tons of free articles and blogs on the web. Set aside a day or two just to educate yourself.

4. Ask yourself if your book is really one that appeals to mass market readers. If not, set your sales goal accordingly so you are not disappointed. Trust me, this is not the path to easy riches - it takes hard work.

5. Most don't like it when I say this, but do not swap books with other authors in exchange for reviews, pay for reviews or ask people to "like" your book who have not read it. Note: if you have 167 likes and no sales, what does it tell the readers? Don't ask friends and family for reviews. Be honest and wait for real reviews, which are far more gratifying.

Reviews are for readers, not writers.

6. Work hard on your book blurb (description). If it is flat, boring, too long, gives too much away or has errors, readers won't buy. -- How to Write a Book Blurb that Sells (And Other Ebook Marketing Advice)
http://amzn.com/B005SY5SZ0 $.99

7. Find an editor fast. You may think your book is perfect, but it is better to make sure. I have seen authors receive as many as 10 bad reviews for typos that could have easily been avoided. Bad reviews are hard, if not impossible, to overcome. Try Frankie - inexpensive editing http://frankiesfreelanceediting.blogspot.com

8.Don't fall into the formatting pit. Formatting does not require a 4 year degree. A word.doc works just fine and in most cases, better. but if you are overwhelmed or too busy - Formatting - www.eformatters.com (my daughter)

9. Face it - you are not going to retire on just one book. Keep writing. A series is your best choice and will keep readers coming back for more. I have only heard of one author who's made a million on only one book, and it was traditionally published with mass marketing behind it.

10. There is only one sure way to sell books - write one that readers will recommend to other readers. Unfortunately, no one will find your book if you don't tell them and that's where the hard work comes in. Prepare for six months to a year before becoming profitable.

I know there are others on this board who can add to my advice. Hopefully we will hear from them on this thread.

Marti's Author page -- http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B003XSYENA

Climbing that High Mountian All Alone - the Indie Authors

From the Kindle Publisher Support Forum:

"Naughtybutnice,
Indies have every right to be proud. Here's an earlier thread I wrote on this subject:


I'm proud of you...
Posted: Nov 6, 2011 5:02 AM Reply

For all Indie writers, especially novelists,
I know that most of you are avid readers with favorite authors, be they literary, sci-fi, fantasy, mystery or an eclectic mix. Go pick up one of those books now and check out the "acknowledgements". In most cases, you will find a lengthy list of team members that made that book a success: agents, researchers, editors, publicists and "supporters"...all with skin-in-the-game, rooting for the book. Oh, and money. Lots and lots of money.

But that's not you, is it? Most of you have produced one or more original, entertaining and well-written books all by yourself. Maybe you paid an editor or someone to help design a cover, but it was all your emotional and financial investment, your guiding hand. It still came down to you to say, "Okay. I'm ready to publish." And then you became the whole marketing department, too. Gradually, thank God, you actually began to sell some books.

And the traditional publishers and their fans came running to congratulate you on this solitary miracle, right? WRONG. They came at you throwing eggs, bad reviews and negative blog posts. Right here on Kindle they started a forum thread titled "How to Avoid Indie Authors".

You know what? Screw them. I know what you have achieved. You have climbed a very tall, forbidding mountain all by yourselves...AND I AM SO PROUD OF YOU.
Lioness"

Bizarro Lit | Cracked.com

Bizarro Lit | Cracked.com

Transcendental Bizarro Sci Fi Fiction

Bizarro Definition
I'm playing around again with sub-genre classifications of Bizarro fiction. Bizarro is defined quite well by Lee Thomas in the following quote:
"Bizarro is literature of the weird. This isn’t the same thing as experimental fiction, which is weird in its structure and sometimes unreadable. In Bizarro, it’s the characters, plot, setting, or premise that is weird. Bizarro is linked to absurdism and surrealism, but being fun to read is more important than any particular theory or philosophy." - Lee Thomas Bizarro Fiction: Literature of the Weird

Transcendental Bizarro
Transcendental Bizarro is not so concerned with gore and grossness for it's own sake. The movie equivalent of Transcendental Bizarro literature would be a David Lynch movie. I am a big fan of David Lynch. In my opinion, his movies are filled with suggestions of a higher reality beyond the material realm. This theme runs through most of his work and is easy to see once you grok the stylistic techniques he uses.

The list of ebooks on the Beam's Doorway website are now classified as the sub-genre Transcendental Bizarro.

BizarroCon 2011

BizarroCon 2011

Dangerous Dan's Book Blog: The Bizarro Ray Bradbury - My Interview with Tony Rauch

Dangerous Dan's Book Blog: The Bizarro Ray Bradbury - My Interview with Tony Rauch

Beam's Doorway, Horror, Science Fiction and Fantasy eBooks for Kindle, plus wallpaper for smartphone, ipad, tablets and netbooks

Beam's Doorway, Horror, Science Fiction and Fantasy eBooks for Kindle, plus wallpaper for smartphone, ipad, tablets and netbooks

Special Selection of Science Fiction eBooks for the Kindle

Special Selection of Science Fiction eBooks for the Kindle

The Green Water Blog: What Lady Gaga Taught Me about Fiction Writing

The Green Water Blog: What Lady Gaga Taught Me about Fiction Writing

Atom Malfunction

Atom Malfunction

Samuel is a dishwasher at Gordo's Tacos. He builds a homemade spaceship in his carport using a fringe-matrix-capacitor motor bought from his somewhat shady workmate, Jose.

The spaceship works but Sam ends up crashing on a pleasant Caribbean style beach on a planet three parsecs from earth. Strangely, he finds Jose's decapitated body on the beach and Sam is mistakenly arrested for murder.

Unknown to earth, a human colony already exists on this planet, SCB1, where very odd things are going on. There is much more than a murder charge for Sam to deal with on this world that suffers from a severe reality handicap.

~ One bad atom can spoil the whole bunch ~

Writer Beware™ Blogs!: Book Marketing Methods That Don't Work

Writer Beware™ Blogs!: Book Marketing Methods That Don't Work

Excerpt from upcoming ebook "Atom Malfunction"

New! excerpt from Atom Malfunction by Stephen Beam

 ...a wise old rabbit sitting in a dark leather chair, scribbling in a notebook. I am reclining on a dark leather couch. The rabbit is my psychiatrist. He strokes his chin's whiskers and is so very serious. I am frightened at his attitude. He is projecting a grave concern over my mental health.

“How long have you felt this way?” The rabbit asks.

“What do you mean? Like what?

“Like you have an uncanny ability to reason out a complete hypothesis starting with so little information, so few facts. You have invented a complete history of a nameless planet that you've lived on barely a day. I think you're nuts.”

“Nuts? That's a very unprofessional attitude to take with your patient!” I'm so angry with the rabbit  I'm about to pop a vein. How dare this rodent speak to me this way.

“You arrogant human, always so superior, so knowing. You don't know shit. You want unprofessional? I'll show you unprofessional.” The rabbit reaches into his big oak desk and pulls a gun from the top drawer. It is a Walther P38. Nice piece.

I jump from the couch and head for the window and crash through the glass, falling two stories to the street below. I hear shots ringing out and waste no time finding a safe spot from flying bullets. I'm under a dumpster among the anonymous, unhealthy looking debris, sticky and gooey, clinging to my clothes. Now, I have no clothes. I'm naked, bathed in filth. I feel the invisible bacteria crawling over my flesh, entering every open cavity of my body. This can't be good. This can't be good.

The Magic Price Point for eBooks. What is your Imagination Worth?

This blog is my laboratory. I experiment with selling eBooks for the Kindle. Why do people buy what they buy and for what reason?

I love to write novellas. They have a minimum of 17500 words. I plan them so there are three chapters - a beginning , a middle and an end. A very simple format. I  use creative techniques similar to my visual art creation process; a combination of stream of  consciousness with deliberate and controlled choices to induce the unexpected. Possibly the most important element for me is that the plot must grow organically from the moral choices of the characters. These eBooks are my product, unique because can be created only by me, bearing the mark of my personality.

I experiment with marketing these unique ebooks. When I say unique, every eBook is unique because their creator is unique. An author that writes from the heart is selling his vision to another, inviting that reader to enter the author's mind and explore. As authors we are inviting people into our minds.

Why would anyone even want to enter that author's mind, much less pay for the experience? There must be something the reader desires to experience and they believe their choice of authors can provide satisfaction for that desire.

Your ebook must scratch a reader's itch. It must do it so well that the reader will part with their hard earned money to enter into the author's mind and get their itch scratched. How much is that worth? A buck? A thousand bucks? Even Stephen King or Dean Koontz can't sell a reader one of their books for a thousand bucks. It isn't worth it. It simply isn't worth it.

So, what is your baby worth? What is the child of your imagination worth? Are you so wrapped up and enamored by your own mind you overprice your creation? On the opposite end of things, are you undervaluing your ebook, you're confidence shaken by lack of sales?

First, create an eBook worthy of your personal vision. Ask yourself, what would you pay to enter an author's mind to satifsy a desire? That decision depends on how much expendable money you have versus the value you place on that experience plus how much trust you have in the author to deliver that experience.

If I didn't know me - and I hardly do anyway - what would I give to enter my own mind? Two cents? A buck? Would I avoid that experience at all cost? Would I gladly pay millions for the experience to enter the heavenly halls of  Stephen Beam's glorious imagination of  revelatory constructions? My answer is in the price of my eBooks. Two dollars and ninety nine cents. Cheap at twice the price.

Post Your eBooks Link Here

Published any interesting eBooks lately? Reply to this thread with links to your eBooks.


Join eBookOsphere and add a link to your ebook in the comments section of this thread. All genres welcome. I don't know if it will help you but it couldn't hurt. I often tweet this section which is sent to Facebook as well.

The Amazon Game. How to push your eBook into top position.

PDonnell@epublishingconsortium.com
reply-toPDonnell@epublishingconsortium.com
toPDonnell@epublishingconsortium.com
dateTue, Oct 11, 2011 at 6:50 AM
subjectTest results & assistance needed
mailed-byepublishingconsortium.com
hide details 6:50 AM (1 hour ago)
Hi Everyone,
As promised,  here are the results from my recent book testing.  Something significant was learned.  We can now purposefully place one of our books in the top sales position on Amazon. 
There is a lot of speculation about what will occur at that point.  Once a book hits that level of visibility, then what?  Will that visibility springboard the book into a higher sales bracket? 
Also,  what programmed triggers will kick in at that point to include the 'now popular' book into the daily mailings, better placement, etc?
The downside?  This is accomplished through giving 'gift' copies of the book being promoted.  (Which means the eAuthor purchasing copies of their book to give as gifts as a self regulated out-of-pocket expense.)
I spent $25 on gifting one title and raised it from position 342,242 to 4,131 with only 18 sales.  ($18 of the $25 was redeemed on that day.)  Of course I get 35% back and also placed the gift purchases through the ePC special amazon link for credit as well.
In my estimation, targeting a specific day to release the gift copies and spending between $100 to $500 will push the book to the highest position.  (Yes, that is a lot of money to use as a marketing/promotional budget.)  The important question is the ROI when the book is at that level.
So, to continue the test, I need to ask for your assistance.
The ePC site is compiling a database of people willing to receive free 'gift' copies of books being promoted.
Here is the 'blurb' on it:
-----
Many authors distribute promotional copies of their ebooks. ----- Sign up to receive these free ebooks when available. ----- - Send us an email at: FreeKindleBooks@epublishingconsortium.com ----- Include the following: ----- - 1. Your Name (first & last) ----- - 2. Your Amazon account email address. ----- - 3. The city/state/country you are in. ----- - Please note, email address must be connected to your Amazon account. Email address will not be shared. They will only be used for the purpose of providing free "gift" book copies from authors in their book promotion efforts.
-----
The ePC needs help getting the word out and getting volunteers to register for receiving free promotional (gift) copies.  Members of the ePC will be able to have their books given as gifts to these volunteers.

The target objective is 1,000 people willing to receive free gift copies.
Can you please get the word out on all related internet areas where you post/blog? 
After a significant amount have signed up, I will run the test again to see the number of sales / # 1 placement position.  Of course, those results will be shared as well.  I really want to measure what happens after that placement is reached.   
Thanks again for all of your help.  Feel free to respond with any questions.
Patrick

New Sci Fi eBook for the Kindle - Galaxy Riff

Galaxy Riff

by Stephen Beam

The Homeland Universe has been thoroughly explored. Humans comfortably populate many worlds. Celeste, a hotshot speedglobe pilot,  takes on tough assignments but her favorite is a routine pickup and delivery to Panopsha, a fringe planet  where her friend Sam has a chicken farm... except they're not really chickens and they don't really lay eggs.

An eruption from the neighboring forbidden universe enters Homeland space, disrupting reality and threatening to destroy Panopsha. Humanity rallies to save itself from being engulfed in chaos. Is it too late?

A new science fiction adventure formatted for Kindle eBooks 

The Author's Responsibility To Readers

When a reader parts with their hard earned money to buy one of my books, I feel this is an act of trust. The reader, in essence, is handing me their mind for the duration of the read, trusting me to put something in it worth the money they spent. I respect this. My job is to manipulate the reader's imagination to take their mind to unexpected, scary, funny, beautiful and bizarre places.

I write stories that organically evolve out of the character's moral choices and  the odd circumstances they find themselves in. I want to put fun with depth inside your mind, something you can get only from reading as opposed to all other forms of media. If you love the unique, try the book selection from Beam's Doorway.

End of Space - Science Fiction Technologies Inspire New Novella

The novella, End of Space , that received a 4 out of 5 star review on Amazon, is giving birth to a new novella based on the space travelling technology first introduced in that Kindle eBook.


In End of Space, Fringe Traveler Inc owner Garrett discovered a way to travel to the end of space by merely standing still, cancelling all rotational movement on micro and macro levels, using the entire universe as a storage capacitor for the energy drained from the vehicle. This works. The cosmic traveler leaves space behind and enters an unimaginable area where perfection and absolutes exist in the eternal now. The problem is, this area is not meant for three dimensional mortals.

This idea of space travel  is giving birth to a new novella that takes place hundreds of years in the future after Garrett made his amazing discovery. In this new age, fringe travel has been made practical, it can be modulated and controlled. The Universe has been completely explored and mapped because traveling from galaxy to galaxy is as easy as stepping into the next room. But, now a new problem emerges...

Read End of Space and get prepared for more mind bending adventure and reality twisting fun in the upcoming novel based on the new fringe technology.

eBooks for the Kindle - science fiction, horror, bizarro, stream of consciousness - unique literary works

eBooks for the Kindle - science fiction, horror, bizarro, stream of consciousness - unique literary works

Monster in the Tree

Monster in the Tree

In the deep, dark forest, no one can hear you scream [sorry, just had to rip off the original Alien movie ad blurb]

Christine is the single mother of twins, Zach and Naomi. They live in the little town of Trinity, bordering the Pacific ocean and the Redwood Empire. Trinity has stories about a monster living in a giant redwood tree. The family decides to have a hiking adventure and search for what might be a sasquatch.

 Strange things begin happening the day before the hike. The day of the hike things turn even stranger. Deep in the forest, Christine and the twins end up battling forces of cosmic proportions. In the forest, nothing is as it seems...

End of Space

End of Space receives a 4 star review!

Here is the review from Amazon:

Weird Science, September 9, 2011

Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)

This review is from: End of Space (Kindle Edition)

End of Space is a short story about a factory owner on the verge of bankruptcy. With nothing to lose, the owner, Garret, enlists an employee, Ray, to help build a vehicle that can travel to the end of space.

The novella reminds me of the movie Contact, where the goal is a historic scientific achievement to be attained after a long, and arduous journey. Likewise, End of Space takes a long build up for the journey, but it is well worth the wait.

The author spends a good deal of time and energy describing what the end of space would look and feel like. it is a metaphysical realm of knowledge, wonder, and perfection. To me, the end of space is a different dimension than the one we occupy in.

Alas, with the end of space explored, the story quickly wraps up in an unexpected twist, but ultimately a logical ending.

eBooks for the Kindle - science fiction, horror, bizarro, stream of consciousness - unique literary works

eBooks for the Kindle - science fiction, horror, bizarro, stream of consciousness - unique literary works

Please visit the mothership, the source, the spark that originated at the morphing of the internet into the World Wide Web - Beam's Doorway. An ancient archaeological website, patched up and re-released to the world as having always been relevant. It's depths are difficult to mine. Try it.

New Science Fiction eBook: End of Space

End of Space

Fringe Traveler Incorporated is a small, decaying factory on the verge of bankruptcy. They make sensory deprivation tanks, a once trendy fad fast fading into obscurity. The owner, Garrett, discovers his hidden genius and builds a vehicle that can journey to the end of space - traveling faster and farther than anything before - by being absolutely motionless.

What exists beyond space? This novella blends hard science fiction with cosmological, spiritual and philosophical speculation, questioning the very nature of reality in a  search for ultimate answers.

eBookOsphere: Hiding Darkly - eBook for Kindle

eBookOsphere: Hiding Darkly - eBook for Kindle: "Hiding Darkly A first person narrative told by a lost soul that doesn't know who, where or what he is, a creature obsessed with escaping ..."

eBookOsphere: The Teddy Bear Singularity

eBookOsphere: The Teddy Bear Singularity: "The Teddy Bear Singularity Nica works at home, lovingly repairing teddy bears. Retiring for the night, she is awakened, along with every o..."

science fiction ebook: Hallucinations eBook for Kindle

eBookOsphere: Hallucinations eBook for Kindle: HALLUCINATIONS  - Gilbert lives in small desert town. For most residents, the days pass tediously. Fortunately, Gilbert has brain damage and..."

science fiction ebook: Channeler

eBookOsphere: Channeler: CHANNELER  - Sarah and Dave own a quaint bookshop in the small mountain town of Boulderdale in the redwood forest of the Santa Cruz mountain..."

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0053CPDKM/r

The Branding of a Style...

BEAM'S DOORWAY

Beam's Doorway has been on the internet since the internet transformed into the world wide web and went commercial. Yes, there was a time when the internet frowned on any commercialism. And that was but a few years ago! Now, that's about all the internet is and I love it. Now everyone has a chance to be an entrepreneur on a shoestring budget.

Beam's Doorway is my brand. When you see the alien logo above you should anticipate a mind bending experience with the intent of suggesting a greater reality than the one we see.

“ Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.”

"The high mission of any art is, by its illusions, to foreshadow a higher universe reality, to crystallize the emotions of time into the thought of eternity."

The Teddy Bear Singularity

The Teddy Bear Singularity

Nica works at home, lovingly repairing teddy bears. Retiring for the night, she is awakened, along with every other resident in Crestville, by a loud cracking noise that shakes every cabin in town. The next day, paranormal investigators already know of the incident and begin questioning the townsfolk.

Nica's friend Nellie had insomnia the other night and saw an object falling from the sky, landing nearby in the woods. After speaking with the investigators, the two friends hike into the forest to uncover the mystery. A horror ensues that no one could have imagined and otherworldly forces invoke a most unlikely savior.

I Finally Know My Genre! Bizarro Fiction!

Hallucinations, Channeler and Hiding Darkly are more than Horror blended with  Sci-Fi, they are in the new genre of Bizarro. Wikipedia gives this genre a great description below:

"Bizarro fiction is a contemporary literary genre, which often utilizes elements of absurdism, satire, and the grotesque, along with pop-surrealism and genre fiction staples, in order to create subversive works that are as weird and entertaining as possible. The term was adopted in 2005 by the independent publishing companies Eraserhead Press, Raw Dog Screaming Press, and Afterbirth Books. Much of its community revolves around Eraserhead Press, which is based in Portland, Oregon, and has hosted the BizarroCon yearly since 2008."

Hiding Darkly - eBook for Kindle

Hiding Darkly 

A first person narrative told by a lost soul that doesn't know who, where or what he is, a creature obsessed with escaping from chaos - the world eating monster that grows more threatening by the hour.

The surreal pilgrimage begins on a walk through a decaying town, then across desert sand and finally into the bowels of the earth. This  refugee from reality is either a victim of an otherworldly conspiracy or something much darker and much closer to home. 

Hallucinations eBook for Kindle

Hallucinations

Gilbert lives in small desert town. For most residents, the days pass tediously. Fortunately, Gilbert has brain damage and hallucinates a fascinating menagerie of otherworldly creatures - he is his own biological entertainment system. That's all well and good for Gilbert but when events occur that cause his visions to enter into the real world, the nightmare begins.

Lizard men, phantoms from space, transexoids, bat-like flying testicles, the desert landscape morphing into canned Spam...the world has never ended this way before.

Channeler

CHANNELER

Sarah and  Dave own a quaint bookshop in the small mountain town of Boulderdale in the redwood forest of the Santa Cruz mountains.

One dark, stormy day, a strange man asks Sarah if he can post an ad for his metaphysical channeling session to be held here in town. Soon after, the couple's world is  Invaded by insane energies and bizarre creatures. This interdimensional fallout heralds the arrival of the ancient ones, a race of diseased machines with a digital gateway into our world.

The deep, dark secret of eBook promotion

Is there a deep, dark secret to eBook promotion? Are their authors that have discovered  an effective trick to eBook promotion that brings this task into the realm of economic reality and still leaves you time for writing and living?

I don't know if there is a secret trick. There is a popular thread on the Kindle Publishing Forum called "What Mioves Kindle books off the shelf?" The originator of the thread kindly condensed this huge thread to ten main points. This is probably as close to the Holy Grail of eBook promotion as it gets.

1) Write a book description that reads like a short story. Something that the reader can’t wait to get more of. And make sure it has no typos. (Quality editing becomes quite a theme on the thread, despite the loose attitudes we have taken to the editing of the actual posts.)

2) Price your book right. If no one has ever heard of you, your best bet is to go for 99 cents. Don’t give the reader a reason to say no to your book. If you’ve got a book out at 99 cents and have earned yourself some readers you can go higher, but try to stick between 2.99 and 3.99

3) Participate in every kindle related forum you can find. (and yet try to ignore the ones that are specifically for authors or you will only meet more authors instead of more readers.)

4) Make hay with good news. When you get a great review, or reach a new best seller list or anything else that gives you bragging rights, let the world know.

5) Blog. Blog your success, blog your progress, blog your friends and do blog tours.

6) Get early readers who can tell you if you are ready to publish yet.

7) Get a good editor who will take your book from good to professional

8) Get a great cover. People will judge your book by it.

9) Get your tail in gear (marketing is a ton of work.)

10) And be patient.

If anyone wants to tell us their deep dark secret technique of eBook promotion, we're all ears and eyes.

Here is my web page promo on my ancient website, Beam's Doorway.

Changed Comment Settings

Hopefully the new setting will allow you to promote your Horror, Sci-fi, cross-genre, fantasy and thriller eBooks for the Kindle more effectively. Join this blog so you can post your promotional blurbs and links in the comment section, which should now be more prominently displayed.

Think I'll give it a wack...

About the Author of Hallucinations, Channeler and Hiding Darkly

Stephen Beam is a native Californian. For many years he was a video game artist, starting out freelancing, then later employed full time at Interplay Entertainment. He created game art as diverse as Nintendo's Mario Brothers to realistic Star Trek worlds. He moved on to work as a graphic artist and web designer, creating games and presentations for various government services such as the Long Beach MWD and many VA hospitals around the country. He is now writing eBooks for the Kindle Store and creating experimental digital art.

Looking at visual art and the written word as the same creative experience - using texture, color and composition to create emotion, these eBooks are unexpected and unique, horror mixed with humor with a touch of science fiction, blended with an original attitude. If, after reading one of these books you remark,"What the hell did I just read?" then own them all, dear reader.

Beam's Doorway

The Invitation to All Genre eBook Authors

No, The Invitation isn't a new book I'm promoting. It is a little poke in your side if you write eBooks for Amazon's Kindle to come and post your eBook's information and Kindle Store link in the comment section. Promote your book here and tweet the page. I don't know how much good it will do but I don't see how it can hurt.

And if you have discovered an unconventional and effective way to publicize your book, share the knowledge with us. Someone suggested Craig's List. I wonder how well that would work? Think I'll go try it out...

Hiding Darkly

New and unusual horror eBook: Hiding Darkly

Writing "Hiding Darkly" was a challenge I set for myself. I wanted to write a first person narrative. The unusual and challenging aspect is that the main character doesn't know who he is, where he is or what he is. This novella fits into the horror/sci-fi genre but doesn't quite fit into my strict definition of  the synthetic reality subcategory, unless we believe the viewpoint of the narrator, if we don't, then we have discovered the second level of meaning in this book

It is the story of a lost soul obsessed with  hiding from the encroaching chaos that approaches from the horizon. He is apparently suffering from some mental problem and the reader must determine what is real and what isn't based on the character's narrative. His pilgrimage begins as he wanders out of town, across a desert and into a cave that becomes his safe hiding place - only it isn't safe. This is where he confronts his demons.

If you know someone suffering from Alzheimer's disease, give this book a read. Take notice of the book's dedication page.

Beam's Doorway

Just a quick post to invite you to my website, Beam's Doorway. It is now ancient in internet years, and has become the repository of every internet experiment I have ever done. There is layer upon layer of  material if you care to explore this internet archaeological dig. I am now using it to promote "Hallucinations" and "Channeler" my  weird, strange, reality bending horror novels in the Kindle Store. I love creating the stories but promoting them is, well, a bit of a pain. Exactly how do you get someone to part with their 99 cents? It is an odd kind of selling. You don't want to be a spammer but you must somehow promote the work or it is a waste.

Speaking of spam, Spam is very important in my eBook "Hallucinations." I even have a disclaimer at the front of the book:
 [TECHNICAL NOTE: Spork is a food product made from finely ground pork and chemical preservatives, formed into a solid block, and then packaged in gelatin. It is unique in flavor and texture, and very delicious by many people's standards. The name "Spork ", as you may have guessed, is merely an alias for a real food product that exists in this reality and is guarded by trademarks. Spork is important to this story.]

So, what does Spam have to do with the desert, hallucinations and reality distortion? Gotta spend $0.99 to find out. There. Did I spam you?

This is an Email I received from a reader:

"I went to your Shelfari site and found out about your two books. I read Hallucinations on my Kindle and am now nearing the end of Channelers. The former had me laughing at times, which is rare for me. Very interesting writing. You have quite an imagination. It's hard to put down your books, so I am going through them very quickly. Do you have any more?"

Synthetic Reality Horror

I am trying to coin a term for a sub-genre of horror that I believe doesn't quite fit into other sub-genres of horror. I could call it surreal horror, and that might be okay, but isn't quite accurate. I think of David Lynch's movie "Eraserhead". This is the movie that made me a permanent David Lynch fan and serves as an inspiration for my endeavors at writing eBooks for the Kindle Store. "Eraserhead" is the crowning glory of all offbeat movies. Nothing can match it for pure strangeness of mood, but it is more surreal than what I have in mind for my sub-genre. There is another factor I am including besides surrealism.

Surreal doesn't imply manufactured - manufactured reality that exists alongside "real" reality. A "Matrix""/Inception" type reality, where everything we might believe real is questionable. Another good movie example is the disturbing, reality twisting movie "Jacob's Ladder". A good book example is Phillip K. Dick's "We Can Remember It for You Wholesale" that was made into the movie "Total Recall".

To experience my vision of this horror sub-genre please visit Amazon's Kindle store and download the free sample of my e-Book called "Hallucinations". If you are curious to read the entire book it is cheap - 99 cents. This is the sub-genre of horror I am coining  "synthetic reality" horror. It is surreal but it contains manufactured or synthetic reality that begs the question:  is it real or not?

I am in the process of discovering authors who share this vision. I look forward to reading and recommending their eBooks. Please comment and leave links to your synthetic reality ebooks on  eBookOsphere Blog.

Thanks,
Stephen Beam

Independent Horror Authors Publishing On Kindle

I would love if some indie horror writers that publish to the Kindle store would post comments and links to their works on this new blog. I believe strongly in the this emerging trend of self publishing. It throws wide the doors to discovering new talent, even genius, that would otherwise be hidden.

To help in your quest for recognition as an author I have found this Blog that lists reviewers. It can help save you  time in your search for these services. This list contains only those that do not charge for reviews. Yeah! Free and Freedom. I love it. http://www.simon-royle.com/indie-reviewers/

I am looking for unique, strange, weird, synthetic reality type horror that strives for an original literary style. Post your book's sales blurb and link to your Kindle book. The Kindle format is what I use so that is what I'm looking for right now. My time is limited,  I'm working on a novella at present, but if I see common ground in my artistic vision and yours I'll read and try to review it - as time allows.

The popularity of eBooks

Physical bookstores are disappearing. This doesn't make me happy, but as technology evolves the market shifts. We are moving rapidly to a digital world. I love to visit quaint used bookstores. I love the musty smell of aging paperbacks, the cozy atmosphere, the rare finds, the nicked and sometimes poorly painted shelves holding all those treasures.

We watched as music stores disappeared. Music stores switched from vinyl LPs to plastic CDs, but that didn't help because music moved to the cloud and the trend shifted to downloading songs. Annoying dial-up gave way to a maturing broadband market and this changed web surfing and our buying habits. Physical bookstores are vanishing from your neighborhood and buying virtual books, or ebooks are definitely the trend. Why house bulky books at home when you can carry a library of thousands in the palm of your hand?

I've read that book sales have diminished somewhat, and I am speaking of physical books, but this doesn't mean people have not stopped reading, they are actually reading more! EBooks are popular and becoming more popular all the time. Kindles are very popular. Amazon sells tons of them as as the price for Kindles drops they will be increasingly popular.

These circumstances make it possible for a new phenomenon to appear, the indie author and publisher. No longer waiting for the next rejection slip to come in the mail, the new author writes and publishes books without need for a large book publisher's blessing. The talented and not so talented stand on equal footing and the readers have more choices and often discover great authors that would have remained hidden if big publishing companies remaind in control.

I love the digital revolution, despite the loss of physical stores. Many physical bookstores will remain and fill that need to browse and hold leather and paper, but the digital revolution in literature offers increasing choices and opportunities for readers and authors.