It's been a little longer than I originally anticipated (by about 2 months), but I finally got around to putting Sons of Sludge into paperback, utilizing Createspace's print-on-demand format. I got the proof copy last week, and I must say, physically holding your own book in your own hand is a powerful thing. It's something that I wondered whether I would ever experience.
But to be honest, it doesn't quite fulfill the usual author's dream of seeing their work in print. There was no literary agent deal, no publishing contract. No advance on royalties, or promises of marketing, or scheduled interviews with magazine editors. This was a completely independent venture.
In fact, I could have alternated between the words "boner" and "fart" for a few hundred pages and Createspace still would have made it available, as long as they get their money. In other words, anyone that calls themself an author can do what I did. Furthermore, if I had to pick between paperback sales and Kindle sales of S.O.S., I'd pick Kindle, because I get back a MUCH higher royalty per sale, even though its paperback counterpart is more than double the price.
So why did I do it? Channels. I'm trying to open as many channels as I can for people to find my work. E-book, paperback, blog... I'll even come over to your house and read you my book at bedtime (Okay, maybe that's going too far).
And in this world of increasing digitization, where the purchases of independent novels on Amazon are overwhelmingly the Kindle versions, many people still like to flip the paper pages of a book with their own fingers, just like nearly all of us did for the better part of our lives. I know... what a bunch of weirdos, right?
Anyway, the Sons of Sludge paperback is available now at Createspace (LINK), but if you're planning on getting it, I suggest waiting a few days until it's available on Amazon (LINK), that way it can boost my sales ranking, which is muy bueno.
And if you're one of those people that don't mind reading a great zombie book on a screen, this next part is for you:
Just in time for Halloween, the Kindle version of S.O.S. will be available for FREE download, starting Thursday October 30th through Saturday November 1st!
The first time I did a free promo for Float, I experienced a bounty of downloads, and I suspect this time around will be even bigger. Make sure you take advantage of this promo, and tell all your reading friends to as well. If they come up with an excuse, slap them, and tell them that it is a FREE Kindle book. Repeat the slapping, if necessary.
On my next post I'll be filling you in on what I'm currently writing, and how it will most certainly affect your marriage/socio-economic status/very soul. Don't be a stranger.
