So what’s happening in the wonderful world of writing, Mr Barrett?
Ah, well, I’m glad you asked. The answer is: quite a lot. So far this month, I’ve lowered the prices of all six books of The Dead Trilogy and The Third Rule trilogy to 99 pence each. But it’s for this month only (February).
And then they go back to their normal prices, prices that I feel the books are actually worth – okay, probably less than they’re worth, but all that the fickle e-book market will tolerate. And the prices will stay there. I’m pretty sure that I won’t be doing any more giveaways and anymore price-reductions. And that’s not because I’m as tight as a camel’s arse in a sandstorm; it’s because of the commitment you need in order to fully promote the venture. I haven’t got the time, frankly.
I choose either to write or promote. I don’t believe I can effectively do both. So I choose to write. See this blog about it.
And in other news, I have recently finished stitching the three books of The Third Rule together to make a single book called… wait for it… The Third Rule: The Complete Story. You may recall the reasons why I sold the story as three books in the first place, because its length suggested three normal-sized books would be the better way for people to read it. I’ve been saddened however by a few reviews on Amazon that, although they find the story interesting, disagree with buying the story in instalments. That’s a rather simplistic view, and one many others didn’t share.
But now, people who would like to read the story, have a choice: bite-sized chunks or one epic. I’m incredibly pleased by the cover artwork, again provided by Steve Birch.
So what else is new? Well, I have taken delivery of The Dead Trilogy in paperback form. It’s been a very long wait, but let me tell you how happy I am to finally hold these virtual books in their physical form at last. Dead was written in ’97. That’s sixteen years!
They are being checked just now to make sure the content is as typo-free as can be, and then they’ll be for sale.
Dead paperbacks
Wow, I sound like my whole being is centred around money. Well, that’s not so. Let me tell you a secret. I’m not particularly interested in being a millionaire. If I had the choice of being a millionaire or writing books, I’d choose to write books. And let’s face it, the chances of me ever being/doing both are fairly slim. I will never make back the money I have spent on the paperbacks. And if I’m being honest, and why not be – it’s my blog, I may as well be honest, I did it for selfish reasons: to hold them, and look at them on my bookshelf. There, I’ve admitted it.
In other news, I’ve also just taken delivery of The Dead Trilogy covers framed. It looks great on the wall of The Writing Pad. Self-indulgent nonsense, I grant you. But I spend so much time and expend so much energy writing, that I figure I should see something physical for my efforts. A treat, from me to me.
Dead poster
And lastly, for this entry, a short update on the new book. Angel was its working title, short for one of the characters: Angel666. Well, I’m fairly certain that this book’s title will be Black by Rose. It sounds quite mysterious, don’t you think?
I anticipate the story being quite long (admit it, you’re surprised!), and Black by Rose then will become the first book in the new series. No ‘official’ name for the series yet, though I have ‘Domino’ floating around inside my mind.
In a real frenzy earlier in the week, I managed to type over eighteen thousand words in a little under four days. That’s some going for me, and by the end I was exhausted. So much so, that for the next two days (that’s actually today and yesterday), I was unable to begin editing as I’d hoped. Headaches and lethargy were to blame. Hope I can make a start soon.
Black by Rose is the first new book I’ve written for eight years. And the first draft has taken two months, which again, is some going considering I didn’t even have a story idea until early December.
And that’s about all I can think of sharing with you right now. Maybe more a little later.
Take care.
