Book Release

I was thinking I would release my next refinished work Recorded Butterflies Some time in the early fall. I am rethinking that decision.

I've been doing a lot of writing on two separate projects. When I feel exhausted by one I switch to the other. This is going against my regular pattern of sticking with one project till I finish it. I've found that the worlds I've built in my books are really all the same one. With that thought in mind, I decided to have my new work based in the same world as my current one, but with a whole new cast of characters. I will still finish up the Rumbling Heart series, but the next work after that will have new people, new ideas, and will probably a little more extreme in many regards.

While RH has it's lighter moments, there isn't a large amount of comedy in it. The piece I am working on with all new characters is called In Search of the Dream Catcher and it will have more comical or lighthearted bits within it. That being said, I have also decided to make it, at times, much darker than my previous works. There will be a fair amount of grit included in it and I hope it will get people at the very least thinking about certain points and topics. While it's not a preacher's piece, it will ask readers to look into uncomfortable situations and have them think about the way the world is. In some ways, it will also consist of material that is even more personal that my past works.

People purposely avoid things that make them uncomfortable. Sometimes they will avoid them even if it means neglecting a friend or a family member. Many of us want to believe that when the chips are down and a friend of ours is hurting, that we will be there to help them. Sure, we all want to think we are the better person. Dream Catcher will drop the situation in your lap and get you questioning your devotion to those ideals.

With all this new information, I am also announcing that with my next release, I will release not one book, but possibly as many as 4 all at one time. Why you might ask?

People don't like cliffhangers.

I've discovered while writing that often times you are forced to end a story at a critical juncture. While it can add to the dramatics of the story, it can also serious annoy your readers. I know, back when I used to watch television, I hated when a series finale was ended with a cliffhanger. It would make me feel ripped off and now suddenly I am being asked to wait all summer till the fall premiere to find out what happens. Don' you hate that? It's even worse for something like a movie or a book. In some cases, you have to wait years to find out how it all ends up.

Rumbling Heart, I feel, is a good enough story with a satisfactory ending...and I could have left it right there and I think people would have been alright with it. But no. I had more to write so the story continues and when I am finally done telling it, I don't want to leave my readers out in the cold. It is my wish to release Recorded Butterflies, Emily Martin, and A Little Pain all at once so if people want, they can read the entire saga one right after the other without having to wait months or years to find out how it all ends. I am forced to break them up into separate books. Otherwise, the story would be about 1600 pages long...and that's a REALLY big book.

Dream Catcher, as I mentioned, will be in the same world, but with different characters. I am not ruling out bringing back some of my older characters. But I'd like to be able to set them aside so that they don't overstay their welcome. I think of it as sort of like a television series that's jumped the shark. You and the rest of the audience knows that it should have ended way back in season 4, yet here it is in season 8 and the characters are turning into shells of what they once were. I never want my characters to end up like that. Can they come by for a little visit? Sure! But once ALP is released, that will be pretty much it for those characters. Could I revisit them in say 10 years? Maybe. We'll just have to wait and see how that plays out. Until then, I am working like mad to finish up these two final works. Release date? I'd like it no later than December, but sometimes it takes a long time to figure out the best way to make things right.

In Search of the Dream Catcher - A Working Cover

Sometimes I make covers for stories just so I can have a reason to see them through. I've paused working on this story, but with the picture in my head now I have reasons to finish it. I've shared the photo before, but here is a blog post explaining how I made it and why I used certain elements.

A lot of us write in blogs or diaries or have similar ways of expressing ourselves. I have several ways. This is just one of them. Making covers can be a distraction for me which I sometimes need. When I'm in a terrible mood or look to give myself some work, I make covers. Often times they turn out terrible, but sometimes they look nice enough to share and even to use. I used the pages of several old writings I did when I was in high school. I purposely took the photo in low light to give it an aged effect. I then ran it through photoshop to give the writing an embossed look. I wanted the writing to appear very thick. I wanted it to jump out and grab the attention of the viewer while still looking somewhat unreadable. I wanted the lines on the paper to still appear so it gave it look of normality; like this was something anyone could do at anytime if they wanted. What's written on the pages? Well, some of the words you can still clearly see while other parts seem like nothing more than jumbled lines. There are also no names or titles which gives a feeling of anonymity.

When I am done working on another project, I will surely get back to this one. I don't plan on it being extremely long...maybe 275 pages or so. Compared to some of my other works, that's fairly short.

Recorded Butterflies - Cover Reveal

Here it is. Simple, nothing splashy. Just the way I like it. Can you find the butterfly? You will probably miss it the first time.

Review Copies Available - Rumbling Heart...and a Few Tips on How to Properly Review

I have decided to make a few review copies of Rumbling Heart available to those interested. All I ask is that once you've read the book that you post an honest review on Amazon.com. If you choose to post the review on other sites such as BN.com, Good Reads, etc., that's completely up to you. For those who've already reviewed for me, I thank you very much and as thanks for your honesty, I am offering you a free copy of the follow up Recorded Butterflies once it hits Amazon.

To get your gift copy through Amazon, simply email me at richardwrites@live.com or send me a tweet (@RichardAllenRH) with the email address you use for Amazon and I will get it to you. The book is a little long so I am not expecting you to post immediately, but a timely manner is appreciated. If you are new to reviewing, have a look at B.S. Meyers's review here. 

As you can see there are no spoilers and he sticks to main points. As I mentioned, this is a request for honest reviews. I cannot and will not offer payment or additional merchandise of any sort just to get a good review. I will also not fault anyone for giving a review that's less than stellar as long as it's honest and points out the faults of the story properly. I'm not setting a length requirement as long as the review gets it's point across. That being said, a review that is really, really short isn't very helpful so feel free to write a bit if you like. Keep in mind I am also using these reviews to improve my writing so if you find a fault, feel free to mention it. Pointing out grammar errors (which do happen on occasion) is not helpful.

To give you an idea of what a bad review is, please click here.

As you can see, the reviewing doesn't give examples as to why she felt the book was bad. All she did was spout nonsense and never once mentioned why she felt the book wasn't worth it. This review is in no way helpful to the writer or anyone else looking to purchase the work because it gives no solid clue to anything having to do with any faults.

As I mentioned, I do not consider only positive reviews to be good reviews. Take this review about Fifty Shades of Grey for example. While I admit the reviewer does go a little overboard on listing actual numbers concerning the repetition she sees in the book, she does make her point. Her first paragraph is especially helpful as she points out that the author may not be very familiar with American English based on her use of the language, noting that many of her uses are more closely associated with British English. The review was a one star. Not a good rating for the book, but a decent review all the same. If the author had seen this, they may have tried to brush up on their American use of the language a little more and also work on different ways to implement character expression.

I don't have an unlimited number of free copies, but I will try to get out as many as possible. If you have any questions, feel free to post them in the comments section as I do check those daily.

Is Smashwords Even Worth the Trouble?

I've been using Smashwords for about a year now and I have to say, they suck...for sales. I've sold plenty of books on Amazon. They're the biggest for ebooks so it makes sense. I've sold a few on Barnes and Noble as well. On Smashwords...zero.

For those not familiar with Smashwords.com, they are another place to upload and self publish your work. The site is relatively easy to navigate and their uploader is decent. The only problem is they don't give me any sales whatsoever. That along with the fact that you have to format your work a certain way and also add a Smashwords.com disclaimer in your book to be considered "eligible" for their premium catalog makes it very hard to like them. In most ebooks, we already place a little copyright message letting people know it's against the law to redistribute our work without our permission. Smashwords takes it even further, making you practically use the disclaimer they have or no premium catalog for you. With all the hoops I;ve had to jump through with Smashwords, it hardly seems worth the effort. Even with entry into their premium catalog, I've recorded exactly no sales from any of my works so why do I keep using it?

I really can't tell you.

It seems kind of pointless to keep up with it. I do it right now so I can know I have the most exposure for my work, but with no sales generation I am about ready to dump them and just go with Amazon. If anyone can think of a good reason to stick with them, let me know. At this point, I am on my way to pulling all my works from them and just doing Prime Service with Amazon so I can get some free sale days out of them for exposure.

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="250"] Image via CrunchBase[/caption]

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The Waiting Game

Sitting here and waiting for my book to arrive is gonna eat me alive. To know it will be available in print is beyond exciting. I ordered my proofs and that's why I can't sit still. Could also be Parkinson's, but i doubt that. Technically, my meds cause Parkinson's symptoms, but let's not go downhill. Apparently, the books have already shipped and should be here in a few days. I ordered three copies so I can give a couple away. I want to keep one for myself so I can always have something from my writing days.

It's Live

Rumbling Heart is now live on three major book outlets. Go pick it up if you like! I am sure you all will enjoy it!