A great opening month for Chicago Fix. Last weekend I offered the newest Detective Tony Alfano thriller for FREE, and did you, my readers, take advantage of the deal. Almost 3,000 of you have a copy of the novel in your devices. I'm seeing thousand of pages a day being read on the library downloads (also free), and cross-over sales of the other Chicago books. Thank you very much.
I am also pleased that these downloads led to #1 and #2 placements in police procedurals, crime, and even pulp categories.
Next month, March 5, to be exact, Saigon Red is due to hit the streets and Wi-Fi routers across the world. But this morning they arrived, the first copies of Saigon Red.
Below is the YouTube video book trailer - - Enjoy!
First off, there's the complaining going on at the Writer's Guild about the reduction in incomes to the guild members. Here are two URL's that describe the problem from their point of view.
Isn't the real issue the dramatic decline in leisure reading itself? Lord knows there's two million new books every year to choose from, from self-pub to traditional. I get the not so subtle feeling that they wish all of us independent and self-publishing writers would just go away (and take Amazon with them) so they can have the game for themselves. No one has promised any of the these guild members an income. They, like all of us, must earn it - and continue to earn it. Each work is a project to itself, you can ride the horse a long way, but eventually you will need a new horse.
Me? I have enough problems without worrying about whether Neil Gaiman, or James Patterson, or some other NY published author is making it. It's distracting. All of us just have to get down a few thousand words a day and make sure they are the right words. After that, it's all a gravy train, right?
Amazon:
The attacks on Amazon continue (beyond the above). There's a lengthy article in yesterday's Wall Street Journal by Jeffery A, Trachtenberg about Amazon and its success. The intent, at least my take, is a not too subtle dig on the greatest reinvention of publishing since the letterpress. This is the democratization of the written word and the published book. With Amazon, ANYONE can write a book, of any length, and in less then ten minutes make it available for free to the WHOLE F--king WORLD. There're no gate keepers, no upfront costs, no ongoing maintenance costs, nothing. Just post, share the expenses, get paid on a reasonable timeline, and manage it all on an accounting site that is truly amazing - for FREE. Get it . . . Free.
Here's the article, sadly you need to be a subscriber to WSJ. If someone else has washed the URL, let me know:
https://www.wsj.com/articles/they-own-the-system-amazon-rewrites-book-industry-by-turning-into-a-publisher-11547655267
The article implies some kind of rigging, some kind of gaming - Dude, it's their system. I realize it, I'm willing to participate. No coercion. They give me more info about the book than any bookstore I can think of. Come on, get on board, it's 2019, the revolution is here, man!
Self Promotion (it is my blog after all):
My latest Detective Tony Alfano thriller is now FREE (1-19 to 1-21), Chicago Fix is a study of the nastier side of Chicago in 1933, the fight game. This novel with the first two, Swing and Jazz, (at $0.99 each), means that you can have all three for $1.98. That's $0.0000099 a word, such a deal. Click the cover, it will take you to the page. After next Tuesday it will go back to $0.99. Still a great deal!!
Saigon Red (see artwork right)
This second in the Alex Polonia thriller series will be released on March 5. Preorders are being taken. Please sign up, be the first to get on the Alex Polonia bandwagon. Unlike the members of the Writer's Guild (see above), I just love working for free. All I want is your love and recognition - yeah, right. Please buy my book, it's a lot better than wasting your evening on Call To Duty - and less than the cost of a double shot mocha frappuccino (and less fattening).
