tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post8139607157057599640..comments2024-03-18T06:16:18.802-05:00Comments on A Newbie's Guide to Publishing: Guest Post by John LockeJA Konrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08778324558755151986noreply@blogger.comBlogger207125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-19409467708859219792014-03-23T01:19:58.213-05:002014-03-23T01:19:58.213-05:00Aloha,
I was curious to see if John Locke still h...Aloha,<br /><br />I was curious to see if John Locke still holds to his 99 cents strategy. Looking on Amazon, seems his ebooks are now $2.99, with one being free.<br /><br />Joe, I know that you have guest interviews. Have you heard of K. Matthew? He has a post over at Kindle Boards called "1 Year, 100 Titles = My Results". You might find it interesting.<br /><br />Best,<br />RayAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-50281259453001636002013-12-03T00:37:00.296-06:002013-12-03T00:37:00.296-06:00That was an outstanding post. Thank you so much fo...That was an outstanding post. Thank you so much for sharing the same. http://www.getseats.com/Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-80931104908206367702012-07-20T17:48:31.836-05:002012-07-20T17:48:31.836-05:00"If, as an author, you don't understand t..."If, as an author, you don't understand this, your writing will suffer, because you'll be writing not to get bad reviews instead of writing to reward your target audience."<br /><br />...love that.<br /><br />You mentioned that last year these books were there with no acclaim and this year they are popular. Did you change anything over the past year in marketing or was it just a matter of building momentum or what?<br /><br />Also, (for you or Joe or anyone in the know) are children's books picking up on Kindle as well? I am guessing that most Kindle's are owned by adults so I am wondering how well books aimed at juveniles are doing electronically.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08300507595760042377noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-45856479324945933452012-05-19T08:35:17.927-05:002012-05-19T08:35:17.927-05:00So true what Locke saying it's a game changer....So true what Locke saying it's a game changer. We recently launched FreeE-Book.org and we are happy to share any books people are promoting as free or less than three bucks. Just contact us there! www.Free-Ebook.org. It's new. Thanks for your time and consideration. Best, <br />Ron Lee<br />AuthorRon Leehttp://www.freee-book.orgnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-3548021497477931342012-04-04T08:12:22.571-05:002012-04-04T08:12:22.571-05:00Simply desire to say your article is as astonishin...Simply desire to say your article is as astonishing. The clarity in your post is just great and i can assume you’re an expert on this subject. Well with your permission allow me to grab your feed to keep updated with forthcoming post. Thanks a million and please carry on the enjoyable work.jaket kulithttp://www.ejaketkulit.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-59453563626331804182011-11-15T15:18:44.080-06:002011-11-15T15:18:44.080-06:00John, do you have a website with more info about y...John, do you have a website with more info about your e-book info books? Thanks!Paul Goldsteinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08118816205400793465noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-35596607909091598442011-10-01T04:01:00.974-05:002011-10-01T04:01:00.974-05:00This comment has been removed by the author.Raymund Hensleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14813058517995561080noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-91467932295582942962011-05-23T18:36:09.371-05:002011-05-23T18:36:09.371-05:00Say goodbye to sending out thousands of packets an...Say goodbye to sending out thousands of packets and hoping someone will even want to read the first page of your book! eBook revolution!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03476003071479341936noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-8015220763304650192011-05-21T12:31:07.556-05:002011-05-21T12:31:07.556-05:00Yikes, I fired my agent!
John, You're an insp...Yikes, I fired my agent!<br /><br />John, You're an inspiration to us all (you too Joe!). Your success prompted me to make the very difficult choice of sending my agent a termination letter so I could proceed with self-pubbing without contract complications. (My thriller, BRAINRUSH, made the ABNA semifinals two years running but we still haven't sold it to a publisher. So I figure it's time to get it and the sequel out there on Kindle and POD.) Fortunately, my agent is a star--she completely understands and supports my position. Even so, I had to use a sponge to moisten the stamp on the registered letter I sent her because my mouth was so dry... Fingers crossed!<br />You guys are great. Thanks for keeping us in the loop on your groundbreaking journey.Richard Bardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18010850503907331755noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-39287260252900637732011-04-26T10:55:40.392-05:002011-04-26T10:55:40.392-05:00I tried to reach you homepage -- Yahoo wouldn'...I tried to reach you homepage -- Yahoo wouldn't bring it up-- but I was happy to find this post. I have an agent who is in the process of trying to sell my first novel, but with everything that has changed in just the last year I begin to wonder if the route to publication itself has changed. I specifically wanted to find out who you used to design and format your novel, which you answered in this post. Thanks for that. Any other advice, now that I see from the WSJ article that you have taken on an agent. Has that changed your goals or or your means of achieving them??? I am so very interested as I am too a thriller writer. Good luck with your continued success.Laura Lane McNealhttp://llmcneal@cox.netnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-81849785081031015232011-04-03T10:21:27.368-05:002011-04-03T10:21:27.368-05:00Congrats John! This blog post has been timely. I a...Congrats John! This blog post has been timely. I am looking into publishing options and have decided to self-publish. I never thought about the ebook option. But I like the success it brought you at 99 cents. The publisher you used sounds like a good deal because the support publishing packages I looked at were in the thousands. Thanks so much and I'm inspired to follow in your footsteps.drehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06958497843678430395noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-62962598230557621032011-03-20T23:34:07.490-05:002011-03-20T23:34:07.490-05:00Thank you for very impressive post.Congrats on you...Thank you for very impressive post.Congrats on your success, John, I will check out one of your books for sure!<br />-----<br />Nancy<br /><a href="http://www.topsyssolutions.com" rel="nofollow">Payroll Solutions</a>Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02401336965898807746noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-65337667886581272212011-03-15T18:02:36.672-05:002011-03-15T18:02:36.672-05:00Congratulations on your great success, John! It...Congratulations on your great success, John! It's fun to see someone doing so well who has been writing for even less time than I have. <br /><br />I started in 2006, and have seven books in the Kindle store. I'm not having your level of success, but I do have two books on Kindle Bestseller lists.<br /><br />BTW, your covers inspired me to update my own covers to something more eye-catching. ;)Robert Burton Robinsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07821314494504718440noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-82762049732637747422011-03-14T16:51:30.001-05:002011-03-14T16:51:30.001-05:00Get a room you two!Get a room you two!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-29719177929363795132011-03-13T14:24:29.884-05:002011-03-13T14:24:29.884-05:00"anonymous" said:
> You are a thug
..."anonymous" said:<br />> You are a thug<br /><br />oh please. you wear a mask<br />and call other writers "hacks".<br /><br />and _i_ am "a thug"? right...<br /><br />i call an asshole an asshole,<br />that's what i do, you asshole.<br /><br /><br />> certainly not a "class act." <br /><br />when you wrestle with a pig,<br />you get muddy. and the pig<br />likes it. that's what they say.<br /><br /><br />> So, call me an "elitist." <br /><br />what i actually said was that<br />your elitism is insufferable...<br /><br />there are good kinds of elitism,<br />which strive for a higher plane.<br />but your kind is the ugly kind.<br /><br /><br />> My bones are intact from <br />> decades of name-calling<br /><br />i'm not "calling you names".<br />you _are_ an asshole, and<br />you are a _cowardly_ asshole,<br />and you are _stupid_ too, and<br />all of this can be determined<br />from what you have said, the<br />mask you wore while saying it.<br />and the way that you said it...<br /><br />> and having the gatekeeper <br />> slam the gate in my face. <br /><br />that doesn't surprise me...<br />you can't think a solid thought.<br /><br /><br />> Victor Hugo, Dostoyevsky, <br />> Rand, Rostand, Rattigan, <br />> Stevenson, and so many <br />> more giants and near-giants <br />> – these Locke and Hocking <br />> couldn’t hold a candle to. <br /><br />i haven't read amanda or locke,<br />so i cannot say, but even if they<br />"cannot fill" those huge shoes<br />-- mostly, except for _rand_,<br />another insufferable elitist --<br />so what? john locke himself<br />said $.99 is "the right price"<br />for the books that he writes,<br />as they are quick breezy reads.<br />and what is wrong with that?<br />if it finds an audience, then<br />it must be filling some need,<br />and more power to mr. locke.<br /><br /><br />> Yet someone writes <br />> an encomium <br /><br />practicing the word of the day,<br />are we?<br /><br /><br />> touting them as <br />> the end-all and be-all <br /><br />when you continue to twist<br />your spin -- despite a firm<br />denial -- you show just how<br />desperate your assault is.<br /><br />the only fight you can win<br />is with an ugly straw-man.<br /><br /><br />> to “celebrate” their successes, <br />> when they are Tin Pan Alley <br />> composers compared to say, <br />> Mozart and Rachmaninoff. <br /><br />again with insufferable stuff...<br /><br />now we diss all composers who<br />don't happen to be mozart, eh?<br /><br />shove it, mr. anonymous ass,<br />shove it as far up as you can...<br /><br /><br />> I get very worried when <br />> people begin elevating <br />> mediocrity, with the aim<br />> of razing all the shrines. <br /><br />oh yes, because you are oh so<br />_cultured_, and the shrines are<br />oh so _delicate_, and people<br />are such untrustworthy _thugs_.<br /><br />great art fears not lesser stuff.<br /><br /><br />> My novels are <br />> on ebook, too, <br />> but, being <br />> an “anonymous ass,” <br />> I’ll let you search for them. <br /><br />i can tell from the paragraphs<br />you've written here that i'd be<br />thoroughly bored by your work.<br />i doubt i could suffer a chapter.<br /><br />so you would do me a favor<br />by telling me your name, so<br />i'd know what to _skip,_ but<br />i'm sure you know that, and<br />have known it all along, and<br />that's why you're anonymous.<br /><br /><br />> If you’re hungry enough <br />> for something that isn’t <br />> trite and transient, for <br />> something that would give <br />> you emotional fuel to <br />> face the world<br /><br />oh please. shove it up your<br />butt, you insufferable ass...<br /><br />-bowerbirdbowerbirdhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05962115094107919533noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-39885747186041422202011-03-13T10:30:14.541-05:002011-03-13T10:30:14.541-05:00Bowerbird: You are a thug, and certainly not a &qu...Bowerbird: You are a thug, and certainly not a "class act." So, call me an "elitist." My bones are intact from decades of name-calling and having the gatekeeper slam the gate in my face. <br />Victor Hugo, Dostoyevsky, Rand, Rostand, Rattigan, Stevenson, and so many more giants and near-giants – these Locke and Hocking couldn’t hold a candle to. Yet someone writes an encomium touting them as the end-all and be-all to “celebrate” their successes, when they are Tin Pan Alley composers compared to say, Mozart and Rachmaninoff. I get very worried when people begin elevating mediocrity, with the aim of razing all the shrines. <br /><br />My novels are on ebook, too, but, being an “anonymous ass,” I’ll let you search for them. If you’re hungry enough for something that isn’t trite and transient, for something that would give you emotional fuel to face the world, perhaps you’ll find them. Locke and Hocking won’t do that.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-23451413128125131322011-03-12T15:00:33.165-06:002011-03-12T15:00:33.165-06:00an "anonymous" ass said:
> You mean...an "anonymous" ass said:<br />> You mean, this is <br />> the end of literature? <br />> Of great literature, <br />> in particular? <br />> Hacks like John Locke <br />> and Amanda Hocking <br />> are the end-game? <br /><br />you are an ass.<br /><br />and a cowardly ass, to boot.<br /><br />furthermore, you are stupid.<br /><br />oh sure, you like to put on airs<br />about how you are so erudite,<br />painting yourself as a staunch<br />defender of "great literature".<br /><br />but the truth is that you don't<br />know jack shit about what it is<br />that even constitutes great art.<br /><br />nor do you seem to know why<br />humans should value literature.<br />among a wide array of things,<br />it's because it makes us better<br />_thinkers_, a skill that you lack,<br />indicating it didn't work on you.<br /><br /><br />> Of course, one can blame <br />> a facile readership <br />> for their success. <br />> But, why boast of it? <br />> Why be so smug about it?<br /><br />your elitist crap is insufferable.<br /><br />it's also totally beside the point,<br />which you have missed entirely.<br /><br />we're not celebrating success<br />by one or two specific writers,<br />or one or two dozen of them,<br />or even one or two hundred...<br /><br />what we are celebrating here is<br />the newfound ability for writers<br />to connect directly with readers,<br />and receive a big percentage of<br />all money paid by those readers.<br /><br />this situation ultimately benefits<br />every writer, no matter how big<br />or tiny their audience might be.<br />because an absence of skimming<br />by middlemen might well mean<br />that an artist can live off of the<br />gifts from even a tiny audience,<br />particularly if it is passionate...<br /><br />what we celebrate is the new<br />independence of writers from<br />the old gatekeepers, who were<br />not concerned in the slightest<br />with "great literature", but with<br />a mundane "what can we sell?"<br /><br />in other words, the gatekeepers<br />who were totally caught up with<br />"facile readership", to the extent<br />they _created_ that very entity,<br />built to swallow the hype whole.<br /><br />so "great literature" was just one<br />of _many_ things that had been<br />totally outside the purview of<br />former gatekeepers, meaning<br />that "great literature" will be <br />one big beneficiary of this new <br />ability for writers and readers to <br />bond directly with each other.<br /><br />so readers of "great literature",<br />like you, mr. anonymous ass,<br />can now support your writers<br />honestly, with your own money,<br />instead of making them beg for <br />handouts from the government.<br /><br />and you can lift your authors<br />out of the obscurity corner and<br />exalt them at the _top_ of the<br />bestseller lists, assuming that<br />they can outsell the "hacks"...<br /><br />art has been freed from the<br />bondage of the gatekeeper.<br /><br />artists of all types are rejoicing.<br /><br />and fans of art will rejoice too...<br /><br />-bowerbirdbowerbirdhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05962115094107919533noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-57609447599179950132011-03-12T09:15:17.154-06:002011-03-12T09:15:17.154-06:00You mean, this is the end of literature? Of great ...You mean, this is the end of literature? Of great literature, in particular? Hacks like John Locke and Amanda Hocking are the end-game? Locke creates a series about an amoral assassin and DHS gun-for-hire with a “heart of gold,” and Hocking pens a series of non-bodice-rippers about a girl who can’t decide whether or not becoming a vampire is the way to go? Of course, one can blame a facile readership for their success. But, why boast of it? Why be so smug about it?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-3822996742045764772011-03-11T23:05:08.259-06:002011-03-11T23:05:08.259-06:00and... bingo!
as of 9pm pacific,
on friday march ...and... bingo!<br /><br />as of 9pm pacific,<br />on friday march 11,<br />john locke now has<br />4 books in the top-10.<br /><br />amazing. just amazing.<br /><br />-bowerbirdbowerbirdhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05962115094107919533noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-59607207476482853812011-03-11T15:40:25.374-06:002011-03-11T15:40:25.374-06:00Question: how are these books marketed? Do people...Question: how are these books marketed? Do people simply browse them on the Kindle store and then buy them?<br /><br />I have a finished thriller and am 1/3 through a second. <br /><br />Is this a gold rush that will collapse the way the App Store did?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-19801303484343670372011-03-11T08:34:56.870-06:002011-03-11T08:34:56.870-06:00Just had to say, that cover is bleepin' GORGEO...Just had to say, that cover is bleepin' GORGEOUS!<br /><br />---and I took Joe's name in vain on my blog the other day-- 99 cents works. <br />At first, I thought 99 cents was --as Joe put it--"slumming," but I think that was because I was taking myself too seriously---I couldn't deal with the fact that I cost around as much as a Snickers bar.Dawnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02896381441228343533noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-56734504501943419092011-03-11T00:30:10.511-06:002011-03-11T00:30:10.511-06:00John, I just bought another one of your titles but...John, I just bought another one of your titles but I definitely think you should consider what Bowerbird suggested earlier - bundle every combination of four books and charge $2.99. <br /><br />You'll earn $2 per sale ie, 50 cents each book. Certainly beats 35 cents!<br /><br />I would have bought one of a bundle today if it had been available.chrisnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-62066637434646809092011-03-10T17:21:09.852-06:002011-03-10T17:21:09.852-06:00Silly Selena --thinking you can quit this blog. T...Silly Selena --thinking you can quit this blog. Too cute!<br /><br />Now if only we could get paid for spending so much time here...<br /><br />Maybe an erotica story involving Joe's blog?? Hmmm....<br /><br />Wish I had the willpower to go two days. Impressive.<br /><br />Kendall SwanKendall Swanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18187117992380108891noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-83402237782682702112011-03-10T16:28:43.085-06:002011-03-10T16:28:43.085-06:00@John Some of the other blogging platforms to cons...@John Some of the other blogging platforms to consider are wordpress.com, posterous or tumblr if you want to continue using a subdomain. For some reason I've noticed a lot of authors seem to gravitate towards that instead of self-hosting wordpress.org. Of course you can also buy your domain name and use any of the above as well. Posterous allows you to write a post using email which they format automatically. There's also Amplify. My day job is related to educating users on how to implement and integrate social media and technology. Feel free to contact me if you have specific questions.Faithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07848026271448646032noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-5962021828636544612011-03-10T16:22:18.775-06:002011-03-10T16:22:18.775-06:00Dude, I take a break from this damnable addicting ...Dude, I take a break from this damnable addicting blog for two days and I miss everything! Harumph...!<br /><br />John, I can tell I'm going to like your books, just from your comments. <br /><br />Funny, I saw those covers on Amazon and thought, "Hey, who's the new guy writing erotica?" then read the description... <br /><br />Well they say sex sells... I can attest to that. ;)Selena Kitthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17783685215421352626noreply@blogger.com