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The Cult of Me (My first novel) • Page 2

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  • meme 25 Jul 2012 16:32:48 15,459 posts
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    I actually can't work out how Amazon do their sales rankings - I actually believe it might be hourly, as at one point I sold a single copy of my book and it leapt to number 3 in the short story category.

    Incidentally, I don't know if you've enrolled in the KDP Select thing where you get promo days for free? My advice is - don't bother with the free days. The vast majority of the free sales are never even downloaded, let alone read - there's a huge amount of people who click on everything that's free for a given day. I read one guy boasting that he now had a quarter of a million books on his Amazon account, all free purchases, almost all of them never read.

    It doesn't lead to increased exposure, reviews or sales - mostly because the sales for free books don't count for proper rankings, so as soon as the free day is over your book vanishes into the 200,000+ rank, so there's no momentum from it.

    The one thing it is useful for is driving sequels - if you write a second book then put the first one up for free, it can drive sales for the second one. But for a single book, it ultimately does nothing.

    GHOSTBUSTERS

  • TechnoHippy 25 Jul 2012 20:06:02 14,256 posts
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    I have enrolled in KDP Select, but mainly for the potential rental income. I'm not planning on any free days as the moment. I will start work on the sequel later in the year (roll on November), although I doubt it will be ready for release until next year. I'll look into some cross promotion then.

    The Cult of Me [ Blog ] [ e-book ] [ An Odd Quartet ]

  • MrTomFTW Moderator 25 Jul 2012 20:10:28 31,290 posts
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    I read the thread title as "The Cunt of Me". I don't know if I'm disappointed or not.

    Anyway, good luck!

    Follow me on Twitter: @MrTom
    Voted by the community "Best mod" 2011 and 2012.

  • Deckard1 25 Jul 2012 20:21:40 18,099 posts
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    Read this earlier today. Was pretty good. A few sentences just seemed to trail off and not end towards the middle though, kind of like you'd lost concentration and just wrote whatever came in to your head. The bit with the flying tyrannosaurus rex was pretty good, but did he really have to start talking at the end though? I thought he was better left as a mysterious character and it didn't really make much sense that he fell in love with Sarah just after he'd destroyed Liverpool. And what was with the hardcore pornography on the second last page?

    Still 5/10, will read again.
  • TechnoHippy 25 Jul 2012 20:23:10 14,256 posts
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    A dinosaur is its own reward. Talking or otherwise.

    The Cult of Me [ Blog ] [ e-book ] [ An Odd Quartet ]

  • TechnoHippy 26 Jul 2012 19:00:58 14,256 posts
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    Finally - a US sale :-)

    The Cult of Me [ Blog ] [ e-book ] [ An Odd Quartet ]

  • Syrette 26 Jul 2012 19:32:00 38,362 posts
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    @TechnoHippy

    Your sig needs tweaking mate

    XBL: rolemodel86 PSN: Syrette86

  • RichieTenenbaum 26 Jul 2012 19:36:22 1,621 posts
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    Is it worth doing this then?

    I'm thinking of putting my WriMo up.
  • meme 26 Jul 2012 19:42:38 15,459 posts
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    Worth doing if you've honed and properly edited it to a decent state like TH has, preferably by a professional. Too many first-drafts about on Amazon, especially with NaNos. December is going to be a horrible time to be a full-time independent author.

    GHOSTBUSTERS

  • TechnoHippy 26 Jul 2012 20:17:25 14,256 posts
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    @Syrette

    Thanks - I didn't realise there was a character limit :-)

    @RichieTenenbaum

    Since the first draft I've done several rewrites and proof reads, thankfully I had help. As for sales I am far from being able to quit my day job. However I'm an unknown author so I'm hoping things will improve as I get more well known.

    But it is also very satisfying to see people buy your book :-)

    Edited by TechnoHippy at 20:20:37 26-07-2012

    The Cult of Me [ Blog ] [ e-book ] [ An Odd Quartet ]

  • boo 26 Jul 2012 20:39:58 10,777 posts
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    Well done, that man!

    I thoroughly enjoyed reading it as it appeared during the NaNoWriMo process, so have been quite happy to stump up for an e-version.

    I'll have to get you to sign my iPad if I ever see you at a GeekMeet.

    Have also put up a reveiw on Amazon - should be up in the next day or so.

    All the best with it!

    Just Another Lego Blog

  • boo 26 Jul 2012 20:41:21 10,777 posts
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    Also...

    \o/ for the Eurogamer writing group namecheck on the dedication page!

    Just Another Lego Blog

  • orpheus 26 Jul 2012 21:02:44 779 posts
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    meme wrote:
    Worth doing if you've honed and properly edited it to a decent state like TH has, preferably by a professional. Too many first-drafts about on Amazon, especially with NaNos. December is going to be a horrible time to be a full-time independent author.
    No offence intended to the OP, but from a quick glance at the first couple of pages, there are multiple tense-changes and at least one spelling omission.

    I realise an awful lot of work goes into writing one of these and in no way do I want to denigrate the author's achievement, but to consider this 'honed and properly edited' is incredibly misleading. If I'd come across this in the store, I would (and did) instantly assume the rest of the novel was equally unprofessional = no sale.

    By giving other writers here the impression that this is 'good enough', you're contributing to the 'too many first drafts' problem that (rightly) annoys you so much. The first few pages here scream 'amateur', and when that happens, it doesn't matter how good the book is - no-one will get far enough in to find out.

    @ OP - again, no offence intended (though it probably doesn't seem like it, damn internet). I'm sure it's a good book, but I highly recommend hiring a professional editor to give it a going over if you want it to sell to more than just your mates.

    Edited by orpheus at 21:03:32 26-07-2012
  • meme 26 Jul 2012 21:13:26 15,459 posts
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    Well, to be fair, I haven't actually read the finished book yet - it's still sat in my wishlist waiting on my credit card to be paid off, so my wording was a little off. I was commenting on the effort, in that I know TH did actually put a lot of effort into rewriting and editing, and even paid for some professional advice. Too many people don't even have an editing stage, and believe just "writing" is how you create a finished book. Hence why December is a freaking awful time for other writers, as speed-written first-drafts from NaNoWriMo are passed off as complete books, etc etc.

    Of course, the advantage of epublishing is that you can usually fix errors (day one patch, arf) or unpublish and rework it if you catch things soon enough.

    GHOSTBUSTERS

  • Metalfish 26 Jul 2012 21:28:48 8,282 posts
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    Aye. I'll admit I'm one of the people who looked it over. Only half of it tbh, and only the once over of that. Hopefully I got most of the tense mix ups, but I tend to miss early mistakes for some reason. Especially ones in works I've seen some of before.

    Basically, hate on me if you find mistakes in the first half.
  • orpheus 26 Jul 2012 21:42:22 779 posts
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    meme wrote:
    Well, to be fair, I haven't actually read the finished book yet - it's still sat in my wishlist waiting on my credit card to be paid off, so my wording was a little off. I was commenting on the effort, in that I know TH did actually put a lot of effort into rewriting and editing, and even paid for some professional advice. Too many people don't even have an editing stage, and believe just "writing" is how you create a finished book. Hence why December is a freaking awful time for other writers, as speed-written first-drafts from NaNoWriMo are passed off as complete books, etc etc.

    Of course, the advantage of epublishing is that you can usually fix errors (day one patch, arf) or unpublish and rework it if you catch things soon enough.

    Heh, I see - fair enough then. And as I said, I don't mean to denigrate the OP's effort - writing a novel is a labour of love, and I doubt I could do it.

    Though, if he actually paid for 'professional' advice, I'd have to say that it was a waste of money as they've evidently not pointed out tense problems or other issues with the text itself - in fact I'd say he was ripped off. If I sent back edited copy in that state I'd not only be ashamed, but would probably never be offered any other work again.

    EDIT: @Metalfish - didn't realise it was a member who'd proofed it, please don't take my comments as a personal attack. If you only looked at it once or twice, fair enough - though I sincerely hope you're not the one that charged him.

    Agreed on the editing stage, of course, but I have to say I think NanoWriMo is an absolute abortion of an idea. I realise that won't make me popular with the EG members who've done it, but as you say, all that happens is that each December self-pub sites are bombarded with execrable drafts from every chump with a laptop. The very few who actually write something worthwhile are knocked into obscurity by the millions of other dross novels that come out of NaNo, and the whole process does nothing but devalue existing professional writers, because it creates the impression that 'anyone can do it' - which is manifestly not the case.

    Edited by orpheus at 21:43:35 26-07-2012

    Edited by orpheus at 21:44:22 26-07-2012
  • INSOMANiAC 26 Jul 2012 21:44:24 3,070 posts
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    Good stuff, keep trying to write a book myself but the plot and theme just wont come to me so fair play for doing it. I'm 'well jel' as the mongs of today say.

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  • meme 26 Jul 2012 21:54:16 15,459 posts
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    Well, it depends on what sort of advice it was. If it was overarching critique on the story they probably wouldn't line-edit or even attempt to fix any grammar mistakes (as they wouldn't be paid for doing so). But yeah, despite actually doing it myself, I do agree with you about NaNo (and have said as much in the past). The EG lot are pretty solid though, most of us did it for the fun of it. I did consider editing mine up into a publishable state, but I've scrapped it completely because it was bollocks and couldn't be saved. :D

    I think one of the biggest problems with things like NaNo is false impressions from family and friends - I blogged my NaNo as I went, and had a fair few family members read along and tell me it was good. It wasn't, though. It was turgid, cliche, illogical, genre-fiction nonsense. However I did learn that I cannot speedwrite for the life of me, so something good came out of it.

    If you want to see a critique place where you have to be bulletproof, check out the Amazon KDP forums. The regulars are (mostly) professional authors (as in, trying to make a proper career of it), but several times a day you have new people drop in and go "READ MY BOOK". Maybe 75% of them are flatly told "Unpublish and go and edit" by almost everyone. Of course, that leads to a cycle of some other people saying they're bullies and they should be encouraging and so forth, etc etc. But at the moment it's a horrible free-for-all with no gatekeeping at all (though, encouragingly, Amazon are starting to heavily clamp down on stuff like scraped content, at least eliminating the scammers and plagiarists).

    ...

    Anyway, this is derailing TH's thread now, so I shall stop my rantings. :D

    GHOSTBUSTERS

  • Lukus 26 Jul 2012 22:00:36 18,710 posts
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    Aww, I enjoyed what I read of the weird snowy train with freaks on it story. Does that make me a simpleton?

    Paintings & Photographs

  • INSOMANiAC 26 Jul 2012 22:02:24 3,070 posts
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    I bought your book although to be hinest, I may never read it. Still, always happy to support an EG'er who's actually doing something with their life.

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  • meme 26 Jul 2012 22:04:35 15,459 posts
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    Lukus wrote:
    Aww, I enjoyed what I read of the weird snowy train with freaks on it story. Does that make me a simpleton?
    It was good until they got off the train. After that I couldn't speedwrite -and- plan so it ended up a mess. It's not entirely dead, though. Parts of it have been sabotaged (unrecognisably) for a novella I'll be working my way through an editing pass over the next month or so.

    GHOSTBUSTERS

  • Lukus 26 Jul 2012 22:11:37 18,710 posts
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    Cool, I only read the first few posts you made, so never got off the train.

    Paintings & Photographs

  • Metalfish 27 Jul 2012 00:08:00 8,282 posts
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    Hah, no, I don't charge EG'ers for read-throughs. If I did I'd have to be more brutal than I'm comfortable being on a lazy Sunday afternoon. I save that stuff for the classroom.
  • mal 27 Jul 2012 00:27:39 20,521 posts
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    Ah, I wondered if the weird snowy train turned into 'Tunnels' in Meme's collection. I enjoyed that story, even if the ending confused me slightly.

    Edited by mal at 00:28:33 27-07-2012

    Cubby didn't know how to turn off sigs!

  • TechnoHippy 27 Jul 2012 07:11:37 14,256 posts
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    I too am a fan of the train and would love to see more.

    Any mistakes in my book are completely my own and if people are kind enough to point them out to me I will happily correct them. In an ideal world I would love to have access to an editor, a publicist and agent would be nice as well :-) Unfortunately at the moment I can't afford these services so have to manage with own skills (and tenses do seem to be my personal nemesis) and from the generous support of friends and other writers. Support that has been invaluable and provided improvements to my work.

    Of course if and when circumstances permit I will invest in professional support in addition to the support I already enjoy.

    As for the NaNo, I personally think it is a great thing, it prompted me to actually put something together. I agree that people shouldn't throw something together in November and then publish it as soon as it is done. A first draft, or second, third fourth or whatever is unlikely to be ready.

    Anyway, thanks for taking a look and thanks to those who have purchased a copy.For me writing is an evolving process, I think what I have done is pretty good, but naturally I'm looking to improve myself for the next one.

    Edited by TechnoHippy at 07:12:40 27-07-2012

    The Cult of Me [ Blog ] [ e-book ] [ An Odd Quartet ]

  • TechnoHippy 28 Jul 2012 09:26:12 14,256 posts
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    I've written a post about trying to spread the word on my blog:

    http://thecultofme.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/spreading-word.html

    I'm also looking for link exchanges with other writers, I know we have a few on here, so if you're interested just let me know.

    The Cult of Me [ Blog ] [ e-book ] [ An Odd Quartet ]

  • INSOMANiAC 29 Jul 2012 13:19:40 3,070 posts
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    its still stuck in my basket with a payment problem I'll sort it out when I get home

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  • TechnoHippy 29 Jul 2012 13:41:13 14,256 posts
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    Cool, I've had some flyers printed so I shall be tramping round the local shops tomorrow to see if I can get any displayed. Every bit of promotion helps :-)

    Which reminds me I haven't bought meme's book yet, I shall remedy that now.

    The Cult of Me [ Blog ] [ e-book ] [ An Odd Quartet ]

  • TechnoHippy 30 Jul 2012 14:29:10 14,256 posts
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    I've posted in my blog about my day's shameless self promotion. The local libraries proved very helpful.

    http://thecultofme.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/pounding-streets.html

    Edited by TechnoHippy at 14:29:25 30-07-2012

    The Cult of Me [ Blog ] [ e-book ] [ An Odd Quartet ]

  • TechnoHippy 2 Aug 2012 15:33:05 14,256 posts
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    I've now added a new short story to the blog: http://thecultofme.blogspot.co.uk/p/my-final-confession.html

    It's written in a style similar to the novel, so hopefully it will tempt a few more people :-)

    The Cult of Me [ Blog ] [ e-book ] [ An Odd Quartet ]

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