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.

Ive been back and forth on using kindle. I like the idea of releasing part of it and getting a feel for it. I might need to try that.

As for Horror novel, I love gore. Im a B movie fan and I like my horror to turn your stomach. I love "The Hellbound Heart". Clive Barkers CenoBites have always intrigued me. Other than that, I do most of my reading in the head so I really enjoy short story compilations.

Aside from basic horror, I got completely lost in the world of "The Dark Tower" Series from Stephen King. I have read those seven books three times all the way through.

oooooo tricky question... i do love works by stephen king ESPECIALLY the old skool the shining. and misery.

Dr. Sleep was a great sequel to The Shining. I was worried it would be terrible.

Jacob, the bit you posted was fun, I enjoyed it. Is it in paper form anywhere? Whats the book called?

i forgot about the cenobites.... they make me shiver a little lol

Nice one Jake. I loved all the early King stuff: The Stand, Salem's Lot, IT, Misery, The Talisman (co-written with Peter Straub). Am just about to order Cell -- read it years ago, but fancy a reread due to the movie release soon!

Jake, I have 4 paperbacks available www.paulcavebooks.com
The links are to amazon.co.uk -- but I have a few reviews in UK.
I'll likely add links to US if I eventually have any reviews to show. ;-)
The books are also available via amazon.com - but I don't have
any say in pricing . . .

Ditto Freddy! Love King's early stuff. Have you read any Robert Mccammon? Swan Song, The Wolf's Hour, Gone South, Stinger. He's an excellent writer - all out of print now, but worth hunting down on amazon, ebay and such. :-)

I haven't, i will have a look up on the old google and see what i think. thanks for the recommendations

I loved Cell. Im always intrigued by new takes on the Zombie genre. I own a whole bookcase of zombie books. Im praying that they do justice to it in movie form. There is one scene I have been dying to see play out on screen for years. The one where they drive the rig into the middle of the field of sleeping zombies and blow them up. That could be splendid on screen if they do it right. But I had high hopes for a couple of scenes in World War Z that they either completely left out or ruined.

Now a days people just want vampires. (sigh)
There are many of us though that enjoy science fiction.

Thanks for the advice Anglewitch. Am guessing my next novel Space Werewolves Vs Zombies from Mars will be an absolute winner then! (Yay ...)

sounds good to me, i only read hard copy, mobile devices and monitors hurt my eyes when reading lots of text.

My dad has to sit in front of a computer all day. He is a truck dispature and I am telling you one thing he is ready to quit.

Sample from Cold Light of Day
 

A dark festering reality could be found here. A collection of rundown storefronts had become the rotten façade of this place. It was a far cry from the more prosperous commercial enterprises to be found further up town, towards the main part of the city.
Which was surprising considering that sex was the main commodity on sale both here and there. Only difference being – here, there was no attempt at hiding the immorality of such a transaction.
Girls stood around in small gatherings, faces drawn and hollowed-out by years of abuse. Drugs had taken their freedom, totally, a dependency for the needle, and a lifetime of neglect, both spiritually and physically, had robbed them of life. The girls looked more like the undead than a group of twenty somethings.
Jonus had come to the right place then.
Lust for carnal pleasures had not brought him here, however. He had had his fix of that earlier. Now, he was here looking for something else entirely - the pleasures of the mortal soul.
By now he should have been bathing in the blood of his mortal nemesis – the hateful Anna. She was what had originally driven him here, to Chicago. Driven him with a demented single-mindedness that was not unfamiliar to the patrons that inhabited this dreadful place.
It was revenge that fuelled his need though, not the dirty barrel of a hypodermic needle. Anna had betrayed him, a long time ago. When they had ridden the night together, taking the souls of men at their pleasure.
She had stolen something from him. Something he was here to get back.
One of the women approached Jonus, pulling him away from his thoughts. She was tall, emaciated, and stumbled on weak limbs. One of the living dead, Jonus had no use of such a thing. He simply waved her away, before stepping towards another solitary figure.
The girl was slightly younger than the rest. And her features had not, as yet, fallen foul to the ravages of drug abuse. Maybe, thought Jonus, something other than the need to get high had brought this girl here.
Once he neared her – his mind began to tune into some of her thoughts. She was nervous, this being only her second week on the streets. Jonus probed deeper. A young man came to mind, full of false bravado and bluster, her partner, a school dropout with only a low double-digit IQ, and a quick temper to match. The crying of a baby filled Jonus’s head with a deafening wail. The next picture to flash before his eyes was the hothead leaving with a single bag packed and an undisclosed destination in mind.
Jonus looked down at the girl before him. What made her different to all the rest? Hope. That was it. She was here trying to make a better life for herself and her young child.
Jonus almost laughed out loud at the absurdity of that. What did she really hope to achieve? Would a knight in shining armour take her from these dark streets? And in doing so, save her and her bastard child from a life of misery and ruin?
Maybe.
Anything was possible.
Only thing was, this girl had now chanced upon Jonus. And he wasn’t the type for happy endings. No, he hadn’t come here looking for redemption. Quite the opposite, he was here to feed the forbidden hunger that coursed throughout his veins. Jonus reached out, using one of his bony fingers to tilt her head up slightly.
She tried to smile, bending her lips more into a crooked grimace. He was a paying customer after all. And at least nicer looking than most. Her heart beat a little faster. Maybe it wouldn’t be quite as bad this time. Not like the first time. That had been not only been physically painful but also agonising to her soul.
Jonus read all these thoughts and concerns in curious silence. Silly little bug didn’t know anything. What did she know about pain and suffering? He felt anger then. How dare this pathetic bug before him have any self-pity.
He took her hand, smiling slightly, pulling her away from the main body of prostitutes gathered there.
He would take her somewhere quieter.
And dark.
And there, he would show her what suffering was.
What real pain the human soul could endure.

Short passage from Something of the Night
 

A draught of foul air ran dirty fingers through the woman’s hair. She shivered. It wasn’t the icy chill that made her body tremble either. She pulled the tattered jacket tighter around her shoulders in an attempt to comfort herself. Once, the jacket had been a bright blue fleece, but now the garment was little more than a black patchwork of rags and frayed material. Just a few stitches and years of dirt held her clothing together.
She shivered again. Had she heard the jingle-jangle of iron?
Wait.
Yes.
There it was again, iron rubbing against iron. She felt her chest tighten. She climbed to her feet and then shuffled over to the rear of the cell. As she made her way to the damp bricks behind, she stepped over the pathetic forms of other women. Most were too weak to move, huddled together on the cold floor, all hope lost.
She'd tried for a long time to keep their resolve high, but eventually the cruelty they'd endured had taken its toll. Most were too young to cope - little more than teenagers really. She was closer to forty now, but still her face was handsome and her hair fell in a long fiery wave to the centre of her slim back. Even years of dirt and grime could not hide the natural sheen of her auburn hair.
The scrape of metal sounded again. In response, the hair at the nape of her neck bristled. She sucked in a lungful of stale air and readied herself. This time she'd put up a fight. That was, if they picked her out. More often than not they picked one of the younger ones. Nevertheless, every so often she was led from the cramped cell and taken to one of the other rooms. There, she'd be forced to … mate.
That's what her captors called it. Raped was closer to the truth. Yes, some of the male prisoners clung to a thread of humanity, but most had descended into madness a long time ago. The ones that had any measure of goodness remaining usually did the deed as quickly as they could, whispering a string of apologies as they lay on top. Others actually enjoyed the pain and suffering, and some even revelled in the act.
Once, at the beginning, a prisoner had refused to obey. He'd been a handsome young man, full of bluster and pride. It had been only her second time and at first she'd felt relief - spared. Then, her captives had realised the man offered no bounty. So without pause they cut his throat and bathed in the river of blood.
Now, if any refused, she would gently lead them to the soiled mattress, offering reassurance and explaining that no harm would be done. In truth, she welcomed the closeness of a fellow human being, one that was still good and decent, and had even grown to like one or two. She didn't see this as wrongful, for although she still considered herself married, and in love, she saw her act as one of salvation. Man was precious, and he needed to be protected.
One day soon the real battle would begin.
Her hands tightened into fists. Her captors had gotten desperate. Their food stock was low. They had started to mate with human women in an attempt to breed, thus creating food. But so far all they'd succeeded in doing was multiplying their own ranks. Soon they would be eating each other. This thought twisted her face into a bitter leer. The sooner the better, as far as she was concerned. It was one thing enduring an act of brutality with one of her own kind, but damned if she was going to let one of those bastards touch her like that!

Sample from For Everything a Reason (thriller)
 

Ice-cold wind bit into exposed flesh with the same conviction as cruel fangs. This, the coldest day of the month, had sprouted vicious teeth and nails, which would have given any beast from the Jurassic Age a run for its money. Winter held on with unsympathetic malevolence. The branches of the trees that lined the streets and avenues were burdened with frost – stark white limbs reaching desperately towards the washed-out February sun. In some places, patches of grey snow lingered on colourless swathes of frozen land, out of reach of the sun and children alike.
The remnants of snowmen lurked along sidewalks; obese sentinels watching the hub of New York City go about its business. Like a superhuman heart, Manhattan Island pumped people into its core – millions of corpuscles, each charged with enthusiasm – held them there momentarily, and then sent them home, worn-out and defused. Wrapped in long scarves, thick overcoats and insulated boots, the city’s inhabitants rushed home in the early-evening twilight, eager to take refuge from the biting wind.
In stark contrast to the freezing horrors of outside, indoors was a warm haven, which offered sanctuary to both saints and sinners, irrespective of whether their hearts were filled with innocence or murderous intent.
The aroma of the bowl of stew beneath Thomas Carter’s nose barely registered. Small, unidentifiable pieces of god-knows-what floated on the surface and seemed to avoid Carter’s spoon, no matter how hard he tried to scoop them up. A crusty bread roll lay untouched beside the bowl. Carter eyed it with uncertainty. The roll looked stale enough to have come from some recently unearthed Egyptian tomb. Dark crumbs dotted the bread intermittently, reminding him of sand. He'd read somewhere that ancient Egyptians had mixed fine sand with dough in an attempt to make supplies of flour go further, before offering it to unsuspecting slaves.
“Are you gonna eat that?” someone at his side asked.
A dreadful stench wafted towards Carter. He turned to his right and found a wrinkled old face looking at him expectantly. The old man’s head bobbed towards the crust, his hooked nose almost close enough to peck at it.

reading these snippets i can honestly say this is exactly the kind of thing i would buy, fantastic work.

Thanks a lot vampyd - I really appreciate that! Nice one.

Paul :-)

ps I've been asking everyone what their favorite horror novel is..?

My type of themes are Sci fi, Mystery, Fantasy, Magic, and history.

Man vampy, you take a while replying to threads. ::big grin::

now thats a question......erm......i honestly think i cant answer that, ive been reading horror fiction for 25 years and ive read 100`s.....erm.....ok it would be a toss up between the stand or rose madder both as you know steven king books, and both those 2 blew me away. i think rose madder is as brutal as it gets due to subject matter, you really loathe norman androot for rose from page 1. the stand is just a sprawling desolate expanse of a book and for 1152 pages it never seems to dawdle or wander. but that being said.....regulators written as richard bachman is also one of my faves as its non stop balls out fun.

I agree, The Stand is one of my all time favorites, along with IT, and The Talisman. Also, Dean Koontz' Strangers and Watchers are top notch too.

BLEAH, no one likes koontz or I don't that is.

i do lol, but im in the minority in here.

Sample from THE KEEP (novella)
 

They entered the inner fortress. Behind them the huge gate swung closed, a creak and groan of wood and leather settling into place, which sealed the group inside this wooden behemoth.
A mixture of farmhouses and shabby dwellings surrounded them. Most of the farmhouses had grazing fields out front, separated from each other by crudely erected wooden fences. Even in the poor light the three companions could see the outlines of scrawny livestock – ribs apparent. The animals roamed about lethargically, chewing at the few patches of coarse grass left over by the cruel winter. Squat, stone chimneys jutted out of thatched roofs, crooked and in disrepair, like fallen tombstones, injecting thick, acrid smoke into the cold air. Mixed in with the stench of animal waste the smoke and manure turned the air into an almost un-breathable poison.
As the horse tirelessly pulled the wagon and its three occupants deeper inside this maze of filth, its flanks began to foam with sweat. From within the huts they could see and hear the inhabitants of this dreadful place.
Dressed in soiled rags, most of the village people had hollowed eyes, fixed in faces that were close companions with hunger. And something else. Longing. Fear. Desperation. All these traits appeared present in their hollow eyes. Even the children that were still up at this late hour seemed overly subdued – a youngsters natural exuberance erased from their souls, as if something dark and malignant had singled them out, and siphoned this most essential essence from their spirit.
"Not all seems well in Ragnar's kingdom," Rajk noted.
"I am beginning to think those gates are to keep people in, not out," Anna commented. She felt an ache in her chest. As if a hand had wrapped hard fingers around her beating heart and was squeezing it tightly, forcing not only blood – but also hope, away from this vital organ.
The sad structures became more and more sparse, before eventually they dwindled to just a few dark, soulless abodes. Darkness filled in where solid structures faded, yet this empty blackness felt equal in substance, solid, immobile, unbreakable.

So that makes me the majority. LOL ::big grin::

I love Dean Koontz too - so maybe it's evens now..? ;-)

Maybe, there are at least 1000 people on this forum and I am not going to find out how many of them are koontz fans. ::big grin::

Anyway what king of last is that KKKKKKKOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONNNNNNNNNNNNNTTTTTTTTZZZZZZ ZZ. ::big grin::

Okay - will start a poll (just for fun and see who wins) ::confused::

Let the tournament begin!


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