May The Farce Be With You!

I'm sure that title has already been used before, but it's incredibly appropriate to my work. As most of you know, not only was Douglas Adams' Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy a major influence on my work, but the original Star Wars trilogy figured heavily into it as well. So it was with mixed emotions that I attended the latest movie, The Force Awakens. Oh, by the way, this will be a SPOILER-FREE review.

There was, to be true, a LOT of hype surrounding this return to the Star Wars universe. So many factors figured into the release - the new owners, Disney, had paid $4 billion to buy Lucasfilm and the future rights to all the franchise movie and even more lucrative merchandising (and, actually, a whole lot more - it includes Indiana Jones for instance!) To be fair, I think George Lucas got a fair price. There aren't many movie makers who can make such a deal and become billionaires overnight. In addition to that, J.J. Abrams would be directing the first film - there are haters and lovers of his work. I'm happy to report there was nary a lens flare in The Force Awakens. I think I can reveal that as a non-spoiler. Indeed, it wasn't spoiled by lens flares! There was also the big event of getting many of the original trilogy stars involved reprising their roles set many years after the events in Return of the Jedi.

There was so much to be excited about. Truth be told, I was interested to see what these stars brought back to the screen. I admired there contributions in the original trilogy. I'd watched there careers rise and fall, although I don't think Harrison Ford's ever fell, to be honest. I wasn't disappointed with their return - they all did fantastic jobs with their roles and I enjoyed seeing them again.

The new stars were similarly very adept and convincing in their roles. While I had heard some grumbling about the new stars, including people complaining they didn't know how to act, I didn't find that to be the case. Having been both in front and behind the screen (I won't go into that now), I can tell a bit about the job their doing, and they did superb work.

The look and feel of the movie were as promised - real sets, minimal digital effects as had clogged the "Episodes Which Shall Not Be Named!" (Thought I'd mix a little Harry Potter in there for good measure. I'm nothing if not abysmally non-linear.) I think the directing was good. The script itself had some nice bits in it.

So with all that wonderful stuff going for it, why did I not leave the theater shouting at the top of my lungs how great the movie was? Everything about The Force Awakens was executed competently, yet I felt as if something was missing that should have been there. I believe the root cause of this disparity has to do with the requirements this movie had to meet - and there were too many of them!

It had to marry the original trilogy with the new cast and story. This meant weaving in bits of the old story that everyone knew and delivering a new quest for the newer characters to embark upon. So, it wasn't exactly a new set of movies on its own, which Episode 1-3 didn't have to worry about carrying on. Not that I was thrilled with Episodes 1-3, they were the result of a man who no longer had the invigorating vision and enthusiasm of his youth and was too in love with technology and his desire to paint a grand picture. But this isn't a criticism of George Lucas' second Star Wars trilogy - there isn't enough room in my blog for such a treatise.

The Force Awakens had to deliver for both the old fans and the new fans. The bulk of this strategy meant compromise in so many ways with the story and bringing characters back in regardless of if they'd be meaningful to the overall story. Look, I love the nostalgic feel of bringing the old characters back, especially with all the original actors. But, I feel their inclusion wound up putting too many central characters in the film. Was there another way to do it? That's the clincher, I'm not sure there was.

The new story line had to be put in place as well. We got the new elements of darkness and light baselined very well in the movie. At the heart of it, though, it was too light. There needed to be more about the new characters and how they got where they were and what led them to change and start their road to redemption or damnation. Was there another way to do it? Yes, but not in the running time you need to create this new story while also including elements of the old. In short, there just wasn't enough time allotted to do this story justice.

That, for me at least, explains why I wasn't as thrilled with the movie. It was the actors, it wasn't the execution, it wasn't the direction and it wasn't even the screenplay itself. The main problem was, it simply had too many things to do and, I'll be darned if they didn't manage to cram them all in. But to me, it felt a little crowded and not as clean as I'd like.

Who do I blame? Actually, I blame us, the fans. We demand a certain due when it comes to characters we love, and there was really no way to pull this off without including a welcome return to the old characters while also introducing the new ones. After all, the original franchise was never really written with the intention of bringing the old stars back to reprise their roles. It was written to be a trilogy with a beginning, middle and end. This new trilogy, if I can actually call it that since I'm certain there will be quite a few more than just three additional films, has started off a bit crowded, but I have hopes it will streamline into something new and more dynamic. I am cautiously optimistic.

While I won't go see it again in the theaters, I will definitely be watching The Force Awakens again when it comes out on DVD. I think I might like it better the second time around. Honestly, I did enjoy the film, just not as much as I'd expected. It is still awesome to see, so don't let my review stop you from checking it out.

Regards,
Artemus

Entering Limbo

I admit, I felt that particular leg of my foundation in writing shaking quite a bit since the loss of the Director of Publishing who had championed me to my publisher. Loss as in no longer working there, not because she had passed. I now begin the strange journey of transition from being a published writer to being, well, something else.

I felt the loss more acutely when the Director of Publishing left. She was the creative spark that directed the fiction side of the business. Without her, all the fiction titles and authors have floundered a bit. My excitement to join the publishing company had more to do with access to real marketing and publishing expertise than it did with the "reputation" of being a professionally published author. Just when my book came out, my champion disappeared and so did the push that was supposed to come with my debut novel.

Still, I can say I've sold about as many books in my first year as an average book by any author this year. many authors have sold less and a few have sold more. I've gained experience in web site design (to a degree), seen some very well done cover designs and book layouts (enough to know I need someone else to do them), and a splash of insight into book marketing. It has been a great learning experience, but I'm now at a point where I can't exactly take advantage of that experience and move forward. Limbo has its drawbacks.



My options from here forth are to find another publisher or create my own publishing company. Actually, the third option is simply to go back to self publishing which is just a step down from creating my own publishing company. I honestly had another publisher lined up, but things have changed for them since our last chat a few months ago and they're no longer an option for the foreseeable future. It may be best to go it alone, take on all the pieces of self publishing and simply get the thing done on my own. The advantages are that I'll have complete control over every aspect of the books' life and marketing. The disadvantages are essentially the same - all of those bits and pieces will take time I simply haven't had in my schedule to take over.

What I didn't have before is access to people who controlled every aspect of building a professional quality book. With the contacts I have now, I feel confident I can arrange those pieces and get them into place. The marketing contact I found is probably the biggest key. Still, the production of this book series at this point is a vanity project of sorts now. That's the reality of the situation. Have people commented that they loved the book? Absolutely! For fans of that genre, it's really spot on. The question of how to reach my target audience that I haven't met yet without spending a ton of money is the real conundrum. I suppose it's the same problem most self published authors face - how to reach their audience and not go broke in the process.

In the mean time, The Adventures of Reztap and Mishaps and Mayhem are still available for sale, and I still get paid royalties for them. It's actually unclear at the moment if I'll be pulling them from Chart House Press or leaving them there. All signs seem to point to the publisher wanting to relinquish control as soon as possible. What files and data I'll receive in the process in unclear. Even book two is in a basically completed stage, just waiting on me to get the cash together to push for the marketing reviews of The Adventures of Reztap and, possibly, Mishaps and Mayhem as well.

New job, bills stack up and the cost for getting review copies sent out seems further and further away every day. I'm taking a deep breath and pushing forward. I want to get those reviews online before March 2016. I'd like to get book two reviewed shortly thereafter and published some time in 2016, hopefully by the summer. I just don't want links to point to a book that's no longer there! Hence, limbo.

Wish me luck and keep on reading!

Regards,
Artemus

The Art of Elevating Minor Characters - Arrow

I recently abandoned my in depth study of all things job related and sat down to enjoy something I'd been putting off for a long time - watching Arrow. Specifically, the first seven episodes (I would've watched more, but sleep called my name and I answered.) I gotta hand it to CW - they really know how to make a superhero show exciting, regardless of the elevation of that character in the DC comic universe. I think they've risen to the challenge of putting DC on the front lines of entertainment akin to Marvel's dominance in the movie realm. As I watched the show, I realized a few key points to take away from their successful formula.

The Flawed Hero - Oliver Queen is flawed. He starts out as a flawed brat and undergoes a physical and mental transformation to become a flawed hero. He's pretty good at putting bad guys away, but everything else around him is literally spinning into a whirlwind of crap. He doesn't have all the answers. His solutions aren't perfect, but they're the best he can come up with given his circumstances.

Romantic Entanglements Should Always Be Screwed Up - The CW really went out of their way to through Oliver Queen into an exquisite mess. The lost love, the cheated girlfriend, the broken heart, the best friend dating your girl behind your back (okay, while you were presumed dead), and then, unlucky in love, falling for a dangerous criminal who has a vigilante heart just like his? Wow! Nicely crafted!

Level Up the Intrigue and Twists - Family betrayals, secret assassinations, Russian mob ties, and all things in between, around, above and below! It's a delicate balance and intricate dance to include all the elements and keep everything straight. I'd be lying if I didn't say I was looking forward to catching up.

So, why do I think all these things are so great? Obviously, the viewing public likes them or Arrow wouldn't be in it's fourth season. But that's not near the key reason why I'm so entertained. No, it is because, unwittingly, I've woven the same elements in The Chronicles of Reztap! Let's break it down, shall we?

The Flawed Hero - it would be hard for anyone to argue the Tar Reztap doesn't start out seriously flawed. He does change throughout the series, of course, but he still manages to screw things up even with the best of intentions. It wouldn't be funny if bad things didn't keep happening, but I can't just put him in constant peril without some reward for the reader. Tar and his crew of misfits all change and progress, some for better, some for worse.

Romantic Entanglements Should Always Be Screwed Up - Sure, you see Tar going through some confusing times with Princess Slurk in The Adventures of Reztap, and there is more messed up fun in the prequel Mishaps and Mayhem. While it isn't out yet, and I'm sorry for the delay, you'll find things get messy for other members of the Namreg crew.

Level Up the Intrigue and Twists - I'm going to break this to you as gently as possible - there are things woven throughout the entire book series that you will miss out on if you don't read every book from prequel to finish. I have six books planned (not including the all important prequel) and I'm in this for the long haul. There are loose ends, dangling plot lines and other narrative devices meant to keep the reader coming back for more. I'm not totally a doof, though. Each book has its own beginning, middle and end, but there are elements in every book that tie-in to future events. There are really no wasted characters or events, although I'll admit there will likely be no future impact on the story lines as a result of a night with a bottle of Lobotomy Slammer.

In short, I enjoy when writers take the same approach to storytelling that I do. I can only hope I get a fraction of the readers in comparison to the watchers of Arrow. It's a good show and I'm looking forward to catching up a little more on Netflix.

Regards,
Artemus

Ant-Man Review: Dang it, People - Lighten Up!

This is why it's so hard to write things nowadays. Everyone is SO critical about things but they're also SO off the mark! One critic says Marvel's Ant-Man is a poor hero movie, another says it has too much humor, another says it doesn't have enough humor, and so on and so forth. I'm frankly a bit shocked...until I remember "Oh yeah! These guys have to produce articles that are click-bait worthy!" Thus, I produced my own click-bait worthy title that will have people wondering what it's all about. I have more pluses than minuses about Ant-Man and I'll share them with you for the small price of a click! Oh wait, you're already here. How about the small price of a scroll down?

I'm going to attempt a spoiler free review, but please don't hate me if I miss the mark. What did I like about Ant-Man? I'm a big Paul Rudd fan and I think he did a fine job playing the hero part mostly straight. I think he's a great actor and he brought the heart to this film with his portrayal of Scott Lang. The fact that he was also one of the writers on this film gives me great hope for the next appearance of Ant-Man if he's involved in the writing there as well.

Michael Douglas nails his part. I'm a bigger fan of his every time I see him on film. Simply phenomenal! The special effects, make-up, whatever they did at the beginning of the film was perfect as well - very believable. Special effects technology is growing by leaps and bounds. The heroic scenes and other special effects were top notch and right on the whole way through. Well done.

The second tier actors nailed they're parts well too. Scott Lang's team of misfits was a joy to observe and experience. I'm really hoping they're back for the next installment of the movie.

I normally love Evangeline Lilly. I thought she was awesome in The Hobbit and, while I haven't watched Lost, I heard she was great in that television series as well. In Ant-Man, she had some good moments and then some moments I felt she was just dialing it in. It may have been how the part was written. I'm not sure, but I hope she does better (or is better written) in the next installment. Maybe it was just her shorter hair - I love long haired brunettes and she's a particularly attractive woman. The short hair threw me off immediately, but I like to think I got used to it by the end of the movie.

Main bad guy...eh. I liked Corey Stoll in his first appearances in the film but as he descended into being the real bad guy, I found the performance less convincing. There are some parts that maybe could've been written better and this was probably one of them. Secondary bad guy was done well though but then he didn't have much dialogue.

Scott's family was well done. I enjoyed the interaction and the tension. Scott's secondary team had some great comedic moments, but also some nice heroic moments as well. Other parts in this film which wove it into the larger story were done well and I like where they're going with it. Both "extras" in the end credits were worthwhile and I'll enjoy seeing these expanded as well in the larger marvel universe.

Overall, I thought the film was a greater small hero adventure with a focus on family and redemption. I found the rare moments of profanity humorous, but wondered if maybe they could've taken them out as this film was clearly targeted at a much younger audience. But then, that's probably just my profanity meter going off - I always think less is better.

It was a lighter film with less ominous tone and consequences than the bigger Marvel tent pole films, but I believe that was exactly what was needed. It was the right balance for this film and would've felt out of place in the other entries (Guardians of the Galaxy not included). I definitely recommend the film with the small caution to extremely young children because of comic book violence and language. Today's 13-year old can handle it, so I'm certain it's appropriate for them.

Regards,
Artemus

Reviews Revisited - Is Buying Reviews The Only Way To Get Them?

It's been a month since my last post on reviews and how I'm trying to get them. I thought it was prime time to update those of you who follow my blog on what I've found and where I stand at the moment. I've had a tepid response on Choosy Bookworm, a little better response on the giveaways of the prequel and find myself at a crossroads about the book review scene.

As you may recall, I signed up with Choosy Bookworm's offer a free eBook and possibly get a review service. In the month five weeks that have transpired, I received eight emails from interested reviewers, five of whom actually returned an email to get the free eBook. One of those four was a relative and the other a friend. That puts That puts me well short of the 50+ emails I should have theoretically received from interested parties. To be fair, it's only been a month. Science fiction books take a while to get a response, even among those who troll the Choosy Bookworm web site looking to get free eBooks. Of the five who responded, a month later, I've yet to see a review - even by my friend or relative. It's disheartening, to say the least. I'm hoping this kind of experience I've had informs other writers looking to garner reviews for their masterpieces. It's not an easy road, fellow scribes.

Jumping to my next adventure in reviews - book 0, the prequel. I recently gave away 35 copies of that eBook (Mishaps and Mayhem) to attendees of Comicpalooza who signed up for it. I sent them each instructions on the review process in hopes they might drop a kind word on Amazon about their experience. Of those 35, I haven't heard a word or seen a review, but that was literally only a week ago. I'm still hopeful that volume will produce some results.

Three reviews HAVE posted to Amazon for Mishaps and Mayhem, though! Two were from the free eBook giveaway during the launch week of The Adventures of Reztap and another was from an actual customer - someone who bought the paperback Mishaps and Mayhem (and The Adventures of Reztap) from me at AggieCon. An incredibly large number of free eBooks were given away that first week of March, so I'm hopeful there may be more reviews coming from that initial giveaway launch and possibly from the Comicpalooza giveaway.

Let's look at the timing for a moment. From the initial launch of Mishaps and Mayhem, it took nearly two months to garner three reviews, two of which were generated from the free giveaway (but were not given in "exchange" for a review, so there did not need to be a disclaimer for it in any of the reviews.) I'm not saying the free giveaway was worth it from the Amazon point of view - I personally know all three of the reviewers and they're definitely being kind to post a review. It was not from the altruistic reactions of strangers that I received any reviews at all. So, is it too soon to expect reviews from others for both books? Perhaps.

That brings me to another realization. Given the way my publishing process has worked in the past, giving away ARCs (Advanced Reading Copies) may be an important part of the marketing strategy I've been unable to capitalize on. The editor back and forth between me and my editor often happened just days before the book actually launched. A completely edited copy would've only been available at most a day or two before the book went live. That's hardly enough time to send out ARCs with any expectation of a review posting close to when the book launches.

This may precipitate the delay of book two, if that's even possible. I may be locked into it launching this month regardless, and I hardly have time to modify that agreement with other things happening right now. I'm due to make an appearance at ApolloCon at the end of June and it will be one of my last marketing opportunities this year to give book two a push at a live event. I'll have better luck making that happen with book three.

I've seen some amazing and downright unlikely review jumps for brand new books from unknown authors - case in point The Sigil Blade by Jeff Wilson. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure it's a fine novel, but it has 32 reviews already and it's been out for just over five weeks. New author, five weeks, and 32 reviews. So many reviews and sales that it's now being promoted by Amazon. Given my own experience, I have to wonder how this book got those reviews so fast. Some of the reviews are dated the day the book came out. I'm a fast reader, but it's highly unlikely I'd be able to whip through a 400-page book and retain enough of the story to make a fair review of the book AND write it the same day. Does this mean advance copies went out to readers or was there some purchasing behind the scenes going on for reviews? In just the first few pages, I noted there was probably no editor for the book, given credence by some of the less than stellar reviews of the book. However, there were many five star reviews that came in essentially the day the book was published. I don't want to knock the author - I haven't read the entire book. I do want to commend him on his understanding of the Amazon marketing engine. Get enough positive reviews up as quickly as possible and Amazon quite literally does the selling for you. Did he pay for reviews? I honestly can't tell. I do think he has a loyal following of friends and family that put the majority of the reviews into place sucking in additional buyers - this propelled the book to a status that had others buying it simply because it appeared popular. A self-propelling perpetual sales engine if you will. However, my understanding is that it will not get the same lump of readers to buy the sequel if this one isn't written well. It's a way to sell one book, but not to sell a book series, IMHO.

So it comes to this - what's a budding writer to do? I'm still keen to wait another month and see what transpires. Maybe I'll even have my sales figures from my publisher by then and be able to cross-reference my marketing attempts to see what pays off. I haven't given up hope of getting some reviews for The Adventures of Reztap yet. But if it hasn't blossomed by then, I may have to go the way of The Sigil Blade...

Explore and Review!

Artemus

Beaten and Broken!

So dramatic. I do admit to being beaten and broken (nearly) when it comes to getting reviews. I haven't given up entirely, but the tradition routes have offered little in the way of fruit. My request for reviews have, in a sense, been almost completely fruitless!

FAIR WARNING: This blog post gets a bit analytical...you've been warned...in triplicate!

Try as I might, the simple request for reviews from family, friends, old co-workers, fellow writers and even the mailman have come up practically empty. I did manage to get one friend, who I haven't ever met in person, to write a review for Mishaps after he downloaded a copy of it and read it during the free Amazon giveaway period. He rated it a 4, which I value highly as a well reasoned review accompanying the rating.

Is Mishaps and Mayhem any good? I've actually gotten raves about it in person - one enthusiastic reader laughed out loud while reading it during a convention as I chatted with someone else. They liked it so much, they bought Adventures as well! This was a fellow author. If I can make a fellow author laugh, it must be at least passably decent writing. Of the other comments I've had about that book, they've loved it. To be fair, I actually wrote the prequel AFTER writing book one and two, so I had a really good handle on my characters, writing style and insight from the editing process on Adventures - it was, in short, the third book I'd written, so it should be pretty good, right?

Onto Adventures of Reztap! Is it any good? My editor, publisher and another friend (who read the first edition) thought it was a great laugh and good fun! I'll have to find out if my author friend liked it as much, hopefully at the upcoming Comicpalooza here in Houston. I will be attending the convention and displaying and selling my wares at a booth rented by Triscelle Publishing - they were so impressed with the books they offered to give me shelf space to sell Mishaps and Mayhem and Adventures alongside their own books. I feel incredibly honored that they have shared that space and their time and effort to help me get a leg up. I wasn't able to get a booth at Comicpalooza this year, so that's my only way of getting exposure. Very nice people at Triscelle Publishing! (They offered after several hours of interaction and upon a reading of one of my books - I did NOT ask. This was a gracious gift, not a negotiation after I requested anything - so please don't pester them, but do buy their books!)

But, what does that have to do with reviews? The author who loves my book hasn't written a review, and I know she loves it! What's a writer to do? I've met the system halfway. Amazon does allow for free copies to be given away in exchange for an honest review (provided the reviewer include the following disclaimer "I was given a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review" in their review.) Easy as pie, right?

Consider Mishaps and Mayhem was free for five days, downloaded countless times (I really don't know how many times - only my publisher does and they haven't told me yet - but it was in the top 7,000 free Kindle downloads by the end), and I personally requested a group of friends to download it (for FREE) and please review it - and I got ONE review! So, no, not easy at all. Luckily (I hope), I found a service that will post my free offer to prospective reviewers with the implied agreement they will post an honest review in exchange for the free eBook. Enter Choosy Bookworm! Don't applaud just yet, the service to post my book offer isn't free, but I'm at a desperate point for some reviews. You can't pay for reviews (according to Amazon's term of service), which this does not do. I'm paying an advertising fee to get my "book offer" in front of "mostly" reliable reviewers. The reviewers themselves get no money - they only get a free eBook.

Interested in a free eBook of The Adventures of Reztap? Check out the page at Choosy Bookworm and sign up!

So, I still haven't gone down the "disreputable road" of paying for reviews. Are other authors paying to get reviews? I checked out the top twenty or so best selling Amazon science fiction eBooks. The range of reviews rank from 2 to literally over 10,000! None have "zero" reviews. The ones with few reviews appear to have a built-in audience - these are writers who have already gathered a large number of fans/readers, so the reviews may not mean that much in relation to sales. The only correlation I saw for sales was no one had "no" reviews. Did anyone pay for them, though? Not that I could tell. I'm also not an expert at culling through reams of data looking for patterns. I'd give you a detailed analysis of my research methods, but that would be painfully boring. Suffice it to say, I see some value in having a few reviews. I don't necessarily need 10,000!

With no built-in fan base, I'm starting from scratch. I didn't see any debut authors in the top twenty list. That may be something to hope for a few books down the line or maybe even with another series after I've built up a solid foundation of readers and fans. I'm SOOOO jumping the gun that I'll actually build a foundation of fans, but I'm trying to be optimistic here! I'm hoping I see good sales after another book or two comes out. I have to prime the pump beforehand with advance copies to get reviews on Amazon as SOON as book two comes out.

I think that's about all the analytics you're going to get from me tonight. Happy reviewing!

Regards,
Artemus

If You Liked It, Then You Should Have Put a Review On It!

My apologies to Beyonce, but she does have a point especially in these days of books being ranked on Amazon by reviews they get. There are a lot of controversies regarding positive reviews, negative reviews and purchasing reviews. But when you're a brand new writer trying to make an impact on Amazon, what are you supposed to do?

Positive reviews on Amazon are amazing when it comes to how Amazon markets your book. You get bumped up on "what buyers looked at" type of link lists and pages. People who go to your page and see it has been reviewed dozens or hundreds of times are more likely to consider taking a chance on your book. Amazon has built a culture among authors of encouraging them to get reviews or risk being dropped into the bottom ranks of obscurity, rarely ever getting a chance to get seen by random book shoppers. Interestingly enough, there are some shoppers who immediately ignore 4 and 5 star reviews because they they have been purchased or are somehow fraudulent otherwise. The problem with this tactic is that some of those reviews are honest and once you get into 3 star territory, that is where people who don't like the book or possibly competitors will say how bad a book is to purposefully give it "bad press". Truth be told, no one pays for 3 star reviews. My personal feeling is this applies more to consumer products as opposed to books, but you can still run into an ex-significant other who may want to cream your book for the sheer joyful malice of the act.

Negative reviews are an interesting concept. Sure, an avalanche of bad reviews may keep you from getting a product, but Amazon is infamously lax in weeding out unscrupulous reviews by competitors. Just like the recent Indiana Pizzeria controversy, there can be a flood of bad things to say about the place by people who've never been there if they have an agenda to press. Alternatively, that same location has gotten a ridiculous amount of donations to support it - "they'll never have to sell pizzas again" type of support. Like the Yelp review site, it's incredibly hard to get rid of bad reviews whether deserved or not. Unfortunately, without some kind of review process, it's impossible to manage these reviews for their consistency and truthfulness.

Enter the purchased reviews! These are specifically against the Amazon terms of agreement. You cannot "pay" someone for a review. Amazon is even going to court against some of these purchase review sites. These sites have conflicting language about how they go about getting these reviews posted. Some of it states the "reviewer" will not have to actually buy the product to write the review. Other language says to send the reviewer an empty box, so they can still be a "verified buyer". In other words, these sites are using Amazon's rules and tactics against them to get around the intention of the rules. Amazon is so big, it's nearly impossible for them to sift through the billions of reviews on their site to find the ones that may be bogus. They can't review every purchase and confirm a product was actually sent or an empty box. In short, while Amazon may fight these sites in court, it's unlikely they'll be able to stop the bogus reviews from coming in from other providers. The really crazy thing? This doesn't mean the products or books purchasing these reviews are bad; they're just trying to work the system like others already have, including the larger companies that post their own bogus reviews via pseudofake accounts without ever going to an outside provider. If the big businesses are doing it, why can't the smaller businesses and independent authors?

The obvious answer is - it is dishonest. The disturbing realization is - you the consumer and the honest product providers are getting hosed by a system designed to be taken advantage of, even if it is "against Amazon policies". So, here's my challenge to you consumers and readers out there. Post reviews of the products you use and the books you read! isn't hard and is only a little time consuming, but by doing this you will reduce the demand for the fraudulent review providers. If you've bought and used the product on Amazon, post a review of the product and the company you purchased it from! Viva la revolution and all that jazz.

It is incredibly hard to get a review of your book (and even your product) from your trues readers/consumers. I know, I've tried. I realize I've sold many books, some even given away for free. I have one review for one of my two books. It's been a whole month. I've personally asked people buying from me IN PERSON to review the books. Nada. I have a single review from a friend who downloaded a free copy from Amazon during the free promo period. Don't get excited - I asked 15 friends. With that kind of response, you may be able to see why authors and companies resort to purchasing reviews. I've had people literally gush about how much they enjoyed my book...in person. Those same people will not write a review for it. I'm in a quandry. I know it's a good book, but I can't get reviews to save my life. It really is a head scratcher.

I would be totally jazzed if you bought The Adventures of Reztap and/or the prequel short story book Mishaps and Mayhem - A Primer for The Adventures of Reztap AND WROTE A REVIEW! However, I would be equally happy if you looked at the last things you purchased from Amazon and did your due diligence and wrote a short review of that product and/or company you purchased it from. Get out there and make Amazon reviews a truer reflection of the consumer experience! If you don't, you're going to continue to read purchased reviews and possibly experience a negative result from trusting them.

So what's it going to be America, United Kingdom, Australia and India? I hope you step in and make this baby your own! I'll let you know if I see any results on my end in about a month or so.

Keep on reviewing!

Regards,
Artemus

First reviews are in (GoodReads)

Two winners of the paperback giveaway from the GoodReads web site submitted reviews of The Adventures of Reztap. Overall, the book receives an average 4.5 out of 5 stars. Really, not too bad if I do say so myself. Of course, it's only two reviews, so I'm not patting myself on the back too hard just yet. Add the positive reviews from the two authors I got blurbs from, and the verbal reviews I've gotten from other readers and MAYBE I give myself a little pat.

To see the GoodReads reviews for yourself, click here: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15705663-the-adventures-of-reztap

I will say that does validate the book giveaway - book reviews are a decent return on investment, regardless of if they are positive or negative. I will definitely do it again for the sequel. I may even do it again for the first book.

I would ask anyone who has purchased the book, either hardcopy or eBook, please return to the web site you bought it from and leave a book review. I'm looking for honest impressions, be they positive or negative. Let others know whether or not you feel it was worth your time and money.

Thank you for your support,
Artemus

So Far, So Little

I'll admit, this is a very short test. Would it be more effective if it went longer? I don't think so. Luckily, both Twitter and Facebook give you the ability to see if things are retweeted or shared. You can't force someone to share or retweet; you can only ask nicely...which I did! Not much came of it.

So, from what I can gather so far, there is a very small amount of traction to be gained by exposing my followers of 300 or so people to a sale (or just an announcement of the book itself). Lessons learned? Price really isn't that much of a driving factor when it comes to getting the message out about your book or product - at least, not in a single day. Still to come in the product market testing - book reviews (and how many readers actually follow), blog "ads" (via bloggerdise.com - giveaways, interviews, excerpts - that type of thing), and the impact of multiple books in a series will also be considered. Of course, I have to write the sequels before I can consider that last one.

To market or to write, that is the question! In the short term, I will be doing a little more marketing research, but that will definitely wane by August, when I will put myself fully into the writing of the next book.

Before I close, the jury is still out on whether the book giveaway on Good Reads has been a win for the marketing column, or just a sunk cost. It may prove dividends in the long run, when more books come out and that may help build more word of mouth. I can certainly see where a single book may not garner as much attention as a series (Twilight, Hunger Games, Harry Potter seem to prove the long term marketing strategy works very well there.) I have found there are other similar book reader sites (Shelfari and Library Thing) which I will be checking out this weekend.

Happy Marketing! (yes, oxymoron, I know.)
Artemus

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Having a book giveaway today (6/15/12) thru Wednesday (6/20/12) - enter the giveaway at the Goodreads web site (http://www.goodreads.com/) - here is a widget to enter that contest that hopefully works!

Goodreads Book Giveaway

The Adventures of Reztap

by Artemus Withers

Giveaway ends June 20, 2012.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter to win