Struggling author based in the UK needs YOUR help!
 

Hi all,

I am a struggling author based in the UK hoping to reach out further afield.
I have over the recent months had a few FREE kindle promos, and done quite well in the US with number of downloads - yet have never come close to breaking into that market. For example, it's such a rarity for me to gain a review that when I do, I call for a National Holiday!

Does anyone have any ideas (experiences) of how to make an impact into the US market?

Also, please take a quick look at my album with book covers in, and, if possible, offer comments (good or bad) about style/quality/interest/etc . . .

Finally, may I ask how many of you really read FREE kindle downloads, or like me, do you still prefer a good old-fashioned paperback?!

All the best,

Paul

Hi, i quite regularly reed the free kindle books as some of the new up and coming authors have some excellent ideas and new twists.

if the stories are half as good as the covers then i bet they are great.

as far as breaking the market i cant really help there but wish you all the best, just stick with it.

do you have any out in paperback form, my kindle is sadly no more??

all the best

mike

Thanks
 

Hi TeddyFreddy,

Thanks for the reply. Good to know that you've actually read the FREE kindles.

Yes, I do have 4 paperbacks out (www.paulcavebooks.com) and 5 kindles. I do 'okay' in the UK, and usually get positive reviews/feedback. But nothing Stateside (or fairly negative comments).

Thanks for the positive comments about the covers - I was beginning to think they're too retro looking. I'm a big fan of 80s horror fiction -- early Koontz, King, McCammon -- and was maybe trying too hard to emulate their style..?

Paul :-)

They do look retro, but who doesn't love anything retro..... i think unfortunately this falls under the catch 22 situation where you will never please everyone, i like retro so very appealing to me whereas someone who doesn't like retro will just turn there face away.
there is allot of detail in some of the illustrations you have used which is always a good point, to me an author that puts allot into the cover also does with their writing.

i think maybe some proactive advertising may help you. there are allot of american users on this site, maybe post up a paragraph of your work on here for people to read and gain there op-pinons... its worth a shot maybe..

I love the illustrations, don't think you need to change them at all. As for E vs. Paper, I personally have never read an e-book in my life. I have a love for the way a paper book feels and smells, its just comforting.

I have been posting chapters weekly on this site for a while (my post is a few below yours). Im not sure that you will get to much help as for opinions on your writing here, I cant seem to draw an opinion to save my life. Ive never written before, this is my first attempt and I was really hoping to get a couple of opinions to see if it was anything worth pursuing, then I finished the book and have yet to get any feedback, lol. Guess that's how it goes, I plan on posting the entire book chapter by chapter until its all out there.

That said, I would love to read a sample of your work, the covers are awesome and I am pretty intrigued. You should definitely post a couple paragraphs.

Well there goes that idea then, i thought from a horror forum you may have got a fair whack of help...... gotta be worth trying, i would read and rate anyway.

Teddy, I would appreciate a read through and maybe some insight. Ive posted 8 chapters I think. A lot of reads, but zero replies.

Im hoping to read some of Jacobs work. If I like it, Ill try to hunt out some paper versions. I love to add to my collection.

beat you to it lol, have already started reading. so far i like the fact that you just jumped straight into the action. will keep you updated.

Thanks for the help Jake and Freddy.

Freddy, I still think your idea to post a passage or two is really good. I will try to dig something out with an instant impact -- but try and keep it short and sweet.

Jake, I'll have a read through later and see if I can offer any pointers. Maybe try a short piece of work - with a bit of prose first, then dialogue? So we can see both styles. Have you previously tried a 'test run' with KDP - kindle direct publishing..? It might be worth considering. You could upload part of your novel - call it a novella (Part I) or something similar, and do a free promo. Get some real feedback. Price it at $0.99 or £0.99 after promo. After 90 days you can always unpublish. Then re-release the book in its entirety when it's completed at a later date.

RANDOM question to you both: favorite horror novel?

Paul :-)

Short passage from Dead Until Dawn
 

Chapter One


Mexico

The night sky held nothing but an inky blackness. No stars, no moon, clouds, nothing. Had someone thrown a blanket over the small town the resultant darkness would not have been so totally complete, or so it seemed. Waves broke against the nearby shore, a rumble of distant thunder, which grew in amplitude, only to break and then peter out disappointingly. Yellow, murky streetlights did not possess sufficient power to reach the few hundred yards to shore. Instead, they fell short, leaving shadows to fill in where they failed.
In stark contrast to the surrounding gloom the town buzzed with energy and life. Markets that would have been exuberant in the daytime were now decorated to the point of the magnificent. Colours exploded in kaleidoscopic brightness, banners fluttered in the night breeze like multicoloured-winged bats, fireworks lit the black canvas of sky, momentarily burning holes there, with explosions of red, green, white-phosphorous, and a dizzying rainbow of other colours.
Music played out from radios that were all tuned to the same frequency. And the strings of violins and guitarron, punctuated occasionally by the sharp blast of trumpets, bathed the townsfolk in a layer of song and delight.
Considering he was almost a head taller than most, Josh Sawyer walked among the revellers mostly unnoticed. He wore simple shorts and T-shirt; the breeze that blew in from the coast was cool and gentle, and a pleasant relief from the heat. His feet kicked up dust as he went.
The town of Chamela - West Mexico, was the last place one would expect to find this young fugitive. Not necessarily due to Josh himself, but rather, his cohort. Almost as tall as Josh, his companion walked at his side, the gentle wind blowing dark wisps of hair about her face.
Josh reached up to brush them aside. “You sure this is a good idea?”
Her face broke into a mischievous smile. “Don’t worry, Josh. I’ll be back before you know it.”
He stopped. Turned to face his companion. His heart fluttered for a moment, like it always did, and always would do, when his eyes fell upon her beautiful face.
“I don’t like this. Not one bit,” he said, his face serious and somewhat worried-looking.
Anna Privalova just laughed. “Relax. Nothing’s going to happen. I promise.”
She pushed herself onto her tiptoes and kissed him on his furrowed brow.
Josh sighed in resignation. “Promise?”
Anna grinned in a flash of bright enamel. “Promise.”
Josh groaned in discomfort.
Anna’s bright-white smile simply widened. “You worry too much.”
Josh nodded in subconscious agreement. “You promised things would remain boring – at least for a little while.” It was a statement. Not a question.
An explosion of white light burst silently behind him. Anna’s brown eyes absorbed the light for a moment before they turned suddenly white themselves. Feral. The resultant boom of the firework sounded, which masked the guttural laugh that followed. Anna laughed again, squeezed Josh’s hands, and then slipped away, into the night, instantly absorbed by the multitude of people.
Josh stood alone for a moment. Then he turned away from the gathering, unwilling to put faces to the happy voices he could hear, not wanting to remember any individual, someone young or old, yet more importantly, unable to stand the thought that some of those faces would never again smile, laugh, or even exist, once daylight had come.
With what felt like the weight of the entire ocean crashing against his back, Josh walked away from the festivities. Alone in the knowledge that the woman he loved, the woman he had willingly brought here, would soon extinguish the life force of some of those that lived here.