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Why Make an Audio Book?

June 4, 2016

audio books listener
Audio Books Are In.

I’m pleased to announce that during the few extra minutes I’ve gained by cutting back a bit on writing, I’ve been considering producing audio versions of my books, and my first novel, REICHOLD STREET, is my logical first choice.

What’s taken me so long? Good question.

Well, it all began more than 50 years ago…

When I was a junior in high school back in the halcyon days of 1965, I was flush with cash from my summer job of pumping gas, washing windshields, stocking racks and fixing flats at the Jefferson-Lakewood Sunoco (check your oil today, sir?).

Once you get over your surprise at a gas station that actually provided service, I can tell you I was eager to spend my whole $1.40-an-hour paycheck (15 whole cents over minimum wage) on two things … my girlfriend (now my wife) and music.

45-rpm vinyl records were still my preference, followed by 8-track tapes and then cassettes. I never thought about CD’s, because CD’s wouldn’t be invented for another 17 years, and streaming was still somewhere you caught fish.

While I admit I did own a pair of bell-bottom pants and one tie-dyed shirt bright enough to be seen from space, my style at the time (much like today) tended more toward Polo shirts and jeans.

What can I say? It’s comfortable.

And my musical affectation in ’65 was definitely early rock and blues, with a little Motown thrown in (also much like today).

Classic stuff, like Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs (Wooly Bully), The McCoys (Hang on Sloopy), the Supremes (Back in My Arms Again), the Four Tops (I Can’t Help Myself), Lovin’ Spoonful (Do You Believe in Magic), the Beach Boys (California Girls), and the little-known at that time Detroit rocker Bob Seger (Heavy Music).

There was also the newer stuff coming out of the UK, like the Beatles (Ticket to Ride), the Animals (We Gotta Get Out of This Place), the Kinks (Tired of Waiting for You), the Yardbirds (Heart Full of Soul), the Dave Clark Five (I Like It Like That), and my personal favorite, the Rolling Stones (Satisfaction).

If you were a young man with gas-pumping money burning a hole in your bell-bottoms (after you transferred it from the crummy blue uniform you wore at work) you eventually bought these records.

They had powerful lyrics. Songs to play in your car, if you were lucky enough to have a car radio that played tapes; songs to dance to or sing along with. Great rock and roll.

Unfortunately, the only one I ever got to see perform live was Bob Seger* … only because he hadn’t made it big anywhere yet, and was struggling through the local rock scene.

Years passed. I made my way through college, grateful for a draft deferment while Vietnam was getting hot, and then spent years working in advertising agencies, writing things once in a while, telling myself I was going to hit it big in some creative endeavor someday.

More years passed. I got married, had three sons, sold a short story or two, and worked every day. Gained weight. My eldest son got married and I discovered Seger has a home down the street from his in-laws (but I’ve never met him again).

Fast forward to 2008.

I retired (early). That was a good thing, actually. I left GM in April and by the end of the year the company that was once the largest corporation in the world went bankrupt (although I don’t think my leaving had anything to do with it).

With nothing else to do, I thought I’d try my hand again at writing fiction. Why not? It was something I’d always wanted to try. I’d sold a few stories in those 30 years, after all. After a rocky start looking for an agent and publisher, I discovered indie-publishing … but I’ve already told you about that.

Then it occurred to me (I don’t know why it took so long) … many people don’t actually read anymore … they prefer to listen. So, I thought I should check out Amazon’s audio platform, ACX, because it makes sense. It certainly seemed likely I could make extra money selling audio versions of my books, too.

I looked up ACX once … then promptly forgot about it. Not sure why. Getting old, I guess.

Now, after some prompting from my wife and son (the youngest one with the recording studio), I’ve decided to go ahead and record the stories myself. When that’s done, I’ll probably go back to ACX to upload them to Amazon.

So, what was the music stuff above all about?

Life is funny, isn’t it? Actually, everything I just told you was true, and the music I listed was the music of the time in which REICHOLD STREET was set … but it had little to do with my decision to make audio books.

You took the time to read it though … which means you might be interested in an audio book version … for which I thank you.

Unless, of course, you were just here listening to the music links like I did … which is a very real possibility.

———-
*That isn’t entirely true. I almost forgot taking my soon-to-be wife and sister-in-law in 1969 to see Herman’s Hermits at the Elmwood Casino in Windsor.

**********

My books have all garnered some terrific reviews, and you can see the ones I have available by using the Amazon link below. My latest, BLOOD LAKE, was just published. Look for it. You might like it.

You’re invited to visit my web site, BROKEN GLASS, or
like my Book of Face page. You can find me on Goodreads, or follow
some of my shorter ramblings on The Twitter.

**********

Comments posted below will be read, greatly appreciated and perhaps even answered.

Tags:audio books, award-winning author, book marketing, storytelling
Posted in Award-Winning Fiction, Market Your Book, Storytelling | 6 Comments »

Secrets to Writing a Best-Seller

April 14, 2016

Author Stephen King in Bridgton, Maine. Stephen King in Bridgton, Maine (picture © Rolling Stone).

If you’ve read my blog for any length of time, you know one of my favorite authors is Stephen King.

Not that I enjoy all of his work. I readily admit I don’t.

However, he did write some of my favorite stories. Among them: Shawshank Redemption, The Body (you may remember it better as the movie Stand by Me), The Green Mile, and The Shining.

Whether you like his stories or not, this much is absolutely true.

The man knows how to tell a story.

Books by American author Stephen Edwin King (born 9/21/47) … have sold more than 350 million copies. As a perennial member of the top-10 bestseller lists, he knows a lot about writing popular books.

With all his success, he’s still a big supporter of beginning authors. His amazing book, On Writing, is required reading on many author’s writing shelves, my own included.

You don’t have to be a fan of horror stories to recognize the worth of his advice to countless authors on their own path to publication.

As I get ready for the Rochester Writer’s Spring Conference next week, where I hope to glean a lot of new information about this daily affliction I have called writing fiction, I thought it would be a good time to pass on a bit more of Mr. King’s advice.

Eight Best-Seller Secrets
Besides his well-known writing admonition (that every writer should follow): “The road to Hell is paved with adverbs” … here are eight of Stephen King’s tips for writing a novel that wannabe writers (and, more importantly, their readers) will love …

Use small words

2. Tell your own truth. You can make up stories about anything you like, but your characters and plot have to ring true to your ear. No one is all bad or all good. Even super-baddie Darth Vader achieved redemption in the end.

3. Mix up the paragraph length. It’s boring to look at a page and see uniform blocks of words. Make some of the paragraphs one sentence long.

4. Think of your perfect reader and write only for them. Write a story that person would like and ignore what the rest of the world thinks. No one writes a book everyone likes, but with this method does your marketing for you. If you write solidly for one reader, everyone who’s like them will love your books.

5. Read, read, read. I can never say that enough. Read every time you’re waiting somewhere … when you’re sitting in the doctor’s office … when you’re trying to fall asleep. Immerse your brain in words all day long. The variety will give your own work more depth.

6. Write one word at a time. This may be the most famous piece of advice King has given on writing. How do you write a novel as long as The Stand? One word at a time. Just sit down and do it. Don’t think about writing hundreds of thousands of words. Aim for the next word, and then the next one.

7. Write every single day. It really does get easier the more you do it. You’ll have days when it takes hours to hit your word count and days when it takes no time at all, but set an appointment with yourself and sit down to write every single day, without fail.

8. Find something you love about your work. Yes, writing what’s popular will sell more books, but you’ve got to find some middle ground between what will sell and what you love. Being an author is hard enough. There’s no sense making it even harder by writing something you hate.

Of course, if zombie love stories with skinhead motorcycle gangs in Scotland during an alien invasion in the Middle Ages is something you love, all I can do is wish you luck.

**********

My books have all garnered some terrific reviews, and you can see the ones I have available by using the Amazon link below. My latest, BLOOD LAKE, will be out this summer. Look for it. I’ll look for you at the writing conference.

You’re invited to visit my web site, BROKEN GLASS, or
like my Book of Face page. You can find me on Goodreads, or follow
some of my shorter ramblings on The Twitter.

Tags:award-winning writing, Rochester Writer's Conference, storytelling
Posted in Award-Winning Fiction, Book Promotion, Market Your Book, Storytelling | 4 Comments »

Should Indie Authors Survey Their Readers?

February 8, 2016

Surveyor
Surveys Can Point Out Better Ways to Go.

Taking a page out of business school (please, bear with me, I like to think the effort to get that MBA years ago was good for something), in my post last week, in addition to a “teaser” from my next book, I included a link to a brief, 5-question survey.

Why? More to the point, why would I use this blog to recommend it to you as an idea?

Well, there are compelling reasons to survey your readers … and the best one is exactly what you might think … to find out where you are.

Understand the Magic
If you’re an indie writer, I’m sure you already know the uphill battle you face to attract readers. One of the best ways to attract them is to write spectacular books.

Another way starts when you use your author platform to discover what they like about you (or, better yet, what they dislike).

Then do something about it.

Author Platform?
You may not have a separate blog started about your writing, but you should at least have a web site. There are numerous good web-site builders, like Site Builder, Web Site Builder, or the one I use … iPage.

There are others, to be sure, but whichever one you choose, make sure you include a way to talk to your readers. Knowing what keeps those readers coming back is one of the secrets to success.

Customer Satisfaction
Satisfied readers are those who don’t have any outstanding negative issues with you. That’s usually because (1) you either write really good stories, or (2) you give them a chance to find out who you are.

Not just as a writer, but as a person.

Your communication needs to let them know what you’re all about. Don’t constantly scream “buy my book” at them. Oh, you can say it, of course. Just don’t let it be the sole reason you say anything.

Let them find out who you really are.

Like admitting you really didn’t watch much of the Super Bowl this past weekend … just looked at the highlights so you could converse with your friends that did.

Oh … and sympathetic listening is essential.

Why the Survey?
The magic that happens when readers start talking about your work and referring it to others is called loyalty. But it must be earned.

You wouldn’t rely on mere “gut feelings” to make important business decisions, would you? You need to base your decisions on objective information. Hence the survey.

If you’re trying to interest someone with your writing (whether it’s a blog like this or a novel), how you go about it is a business decision.

Make it wisely.

So, What Did I Learn?
Unfortunately, only a small portion of readers (a little more than 1%) took the time to visit (and take) the survey but, from those who did, I got some interesting feedback. Most think this blog meets their needs. That, in itself is nice to know.

Things were pretty evenly divided between “leave it alone” – “add more podcasts” and “add more writing samples.” I can work on that without changing too much.

However, in my opinion, the most significant response was to the question about trust. One hundred percent of the answers I received said they trust the information they find here.

All I can say to that is … thanks. I’ll try to keep on earning it.

jan2016 survey