Wild Child Released in New HOT BOX Sizzling Summer Thriller Set!

If you haven't yet read Wild Child, "the book that wouldn't die," here's a rare chance to grab it for only 99 cents along with seven novels written by other indie authors.  A real bargain.  The eight-book set be offered at this price only for a limited time.  The HOT BOX is available on Amazon USA, Amazon UK, B&N (Nook), Apple iBooks, Smashwords, FlipKart (India) and will soon be available on Kobo.

In addition to Wild Child, the set includes the following novels:

Steven Bannister - Fade to Black

John Paul Davis - The Cortes Enigma

C R Hiatt - Sanctioned Kill

David Leadbeater - The Razor's Edge

Andy Lucas - Race Amazon

Karen Perkins - Dead Reckoning

C K Raggio - Heron Park

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Download 7 of My eBooks to Your E-Reader, Smartphone, Tablet, or PC/Mac ABSOLUTELY FREE!

(Warning:  These stories are highly addictive and subsequent books in the series are NOT free)

Lust, Money & Murder, Book 1
International Thriller

Amazon USA - Amazon UK - Apple iBooks - B&N Nook  - Google Play - Kobo - Smashwords

Passion, Power & Sin, Book 1
International Thriller

Amazon USA - Amazon UK - Apple iBooks - B&N Nook  - Google Play - Kobo - Smashwords  

The Drive-By Wife, Book 1
Romantic Thriller

Amazon USA - Amazon UK - Apple iBooks - B&N Nook  - Google Play - Kobo - Smashwords

Baby Talk, Book 1
Psychological Horror

Amazon USA - Amazon UK - Apple iBooks - B&N Nook  - Google Play - Kobo - Smashwords

Secrets of the Elusive Lover, Book 1
Romantic Comedy

Amazon USA - Amazon UK - Apple iBooks - B&N Nook  - Google Play - Kobo - Smashwords

The Mysterious Disappearance of Kurt Kramer, Book 1
Paranormal Romance

 Amazon USA - Amazon UK - Apple iBooks - B&N Nook  - Google Play - Kobo - Smashwords

 The Wrong Side of the Tracks, Book 1
Young Adult Adventure/Thriller

Amazon USA - Amazon UK - Apple iBooks - B&N Nook  - Google Play - Kobo - Smashwords

Is the Amazon KDP Select Program Dead? A Fresh Case Study

I have a friend named Farsheed Ferdowsi, and he’s a good writer.

A damn good writer.

Last weekend, he used three of his “free days” in the Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing Select program to try and boost the sales of his international thriller, Mushroom in the Sand.

In advance of this, he spent a lot of time preparing.  He fine-tuned his genres/categories so that the book, if downloaded in large numbers, would be listed on as many of the Amazon subgenre bestseller lists as possible.  Meanwhile, he placed ads in BookBub and Freebooksy to appear during those three days to maximize exposure. 

The book went free at 12:01 a.m on Friday, October 18th.  To help him out, I tweeted the news that the book was free several times to my 60,000 Twitter followers.

The downloads took off like a rocket.  By Friday night, the book was already #1 in several categories, and continued to climb in others.

Over the weekend, the novel had over 25,000 downloads!

Here is a summary of its bestseller list performance in Kindle Store eBooks:

#1 in Mystery, Thriller & Suspense > Thrillers – all weekend

#1 in Mystery, Thriller & Suspense > Thrillers > Conspiracies – all weekend

#1 in Mystery, Thriller & Suspense > Thrillers > Military - all weekend

#1 in Mystery, Thriller & Suspense > Thrillers > Espionage – all weekend

#1 in Mystery, Thriller & Suspense > Thrillers > Terrorism – all weekend

With performance like this, I don’t have to tell you that Farsheed was excited to see what would happen on Monday morning when the book went back to paid status.

Well, the novel has now been back on the paid list for three days, and has sold a grand total of...are you sitting down?

14 copies.

That’s right, 14 copies!  At $5.95, the royalty payments will amount to about $60.  This doesn’t begin to even cover the costs of the two ads he placed.

Now, before you start thinking, “Maybe it’s not a very good book” or “maybe the subject matter is boring” etc. let me stop you right there.   This is a novel about what would happen if Iran actually develops a functional nuclear weapon. You can’t get much more timely subject matter than that. The story is fast-paced and extremely well-researched.   Readers of spy novels and thrillers love it.  The book has earned 50 reviews on Amazon, averaging 4.7 stars.  I know for a fact that Farsheed has never bought reviews or even exchanged reviews with other authors—every one of those 50 reviews is legitimate, from ordinary readers. 

As an author who has a fair amount of experience in publishing, I can only come to one conclusion about all this, which is pretty obvious.  I personally don’t think it’s worth giving Amazon exclusivity and removing a book from B&N, iTunes, Kobo, Smashwords, Google Play, Sony, Flipkart, and all the other ebook retail sites (which is required) to be included in this program.

What do you think?

Audiobook Version of Lust, Money Murder 1, 2, & 3 to be Released in December!

The production of Lust, Money & Murder 1, 2 & 3 as an audiobook is quickly moving along.  The target release date is December 20th, 2013.  Sue Sharp, an experienced L.A.-based voice professional is narrting the book.  To listen to the prologue, click on the PLAY button to next to the book cover image at the bottom of the post.

Sue Sharp holds a Bachelor of Music Degree from California State University Fullerton.  For the past 25 years she has worked in the area as a professional singer, musical theatre director, voice teacher and voiceover artist.  Sue’s voice can be heard on projects ranging from commercials and audiobooks to children’s music CDs.  Sue lives in Los Angeles with her husband Thom, in their “almost” empty nest.

Lust, Money & Murder and The Mysterious Disappearance of Kurt Kramer Both Featured on Apple's iBooks BREAKOUT BOOKS Section

My Free Books Are Now Available on the Fastr Speed Reading App for iPad & iPhone

I'm pleased to announce today that all my free books are now available on the Fastr speed reading app for iPads and iPhones.  Fastr is an ebook reader with tools to improve your reading performance and make you a more efficient reader. Fastr Pro is the most downloaded educational app in Spain, France, Italy, UK and 12 other countries and reached TOP10 apps in Education category in 57 countries in July, 2013.  Click here to see the app on the iTunes store.

How to Download & Read Free Ebooks on Your Smartphone, Tablet, PC or Mac

You don't need a dedicated ereading device like a Kindle or a Nook to read ebooks.  You can read them on smartphones and tablets, as well as desktop PCs or Macs.  All the companies that sell ebooks make this very easy and convenient as follows:

If you have an iPhone (also applies to iPads and iPods):

If you have an iPhone or iPad or iPod, the simpliest way to read ebooks is to download them to your device directly from the Apple iBookstore (via iTunes).  You can search for books and download them onto your phone with one click.  One of my thrillers, Lust, Money & Murder, Book 1, is currently a free iBook (if you are reading this on your Apple device right now you can just click on the links in the previous sentence).  Once you have the book you can read it with iBooks (also free).  

You can also read ebooks on Apple devices using a number of free ereading apps.  There are good apps from Amazon (Kindle books), B&N (Nook books), Kobo, and other ebook retailers.  However, doing it this way requires having another account in addition to your iTunes account.

If you have an Android Phone or Windows Phone (also applies to iPhones and iPads): 

On your smartphone, go to the store where you download apps and get a free ebook reader app, such as free Kindle for Android app. You do this the same way you would download any other app.  Once you have the app on your device, all you need to do is go to the Amazon store (it's usually easier with a computer) and then "buy" the book. Of course you must have an account at the store from where you downloaded the free ereader app to do this.  Non USA/UK readers tell me that Kobo is a good place to get ebooks for non-Apple devices, as in addition to credit cards, they accept PayPal.

If the book you want is currently free on Amazon (or Kobo), like my thriller (Lust, Money & Murder, Book 1) the price will be listed as 0.00.  When you "purchase" the book, it will automatically be downloaded to your smartphone, tablet or whatever device you select at that moment. 

For tablets and smartphones, it's that simple.  I have an iPhone, and I often prefer reading ebooks on it over my dedicated Kindle reading device.  I always have my phone with me, and sometimes in tight places (for example on the London Tube at rush hour!) there is very little elbow room, even for a Kindle. The iPhone is handy and quick to pull out of my pocket and start reading.

For Your Desktop PC or Mac:

Many people are suprised to find that they enjoy reading ebooks on desktop PCs or Macs...after they have installed a good ereading app.  This is because such apps provide an attractive, comfortable reading space on your screen, and many also include many useful features, such being able to click on a word to immediately see its definition.  Most of the major companies that sell dedicated ereading devices (Amazon, B&N, Kobo, etc.) also provide free ereading apps for PCs & Macs.  Simply search the web for "free ereading app for (your preferred store)" and you'll find the links.

Also, Smashwords, an ebook reseller and distributor, has a good onscreen reader that allows you to read any book you buy right on your screen.  They also accept PayPal, which is convenient for non-USA/UK customers.

Once you're set up to read ebooks on whatever device you have, there are thousands of free ebooks you can download to your device, including many of the classics.

Enjoy!