# Well, I went and did it..



## Ditch (Apr 18, 2011)

Tired of form letter rejections, I went to amazon and published an ebook, "Vengeance is Mine." It said it uploaded correctly but will take up to 24 hours to show. In the forums, a question was asked, "What do you call a good sales month?" One guy said, "15,000 books"

I think he was lying, the original guy came back saying that 200 was his goal. They pay 70% royalties and the publishing is free.


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## garza (Apr 18, 2011)

Over the next five to ten years enough people are going to do what you did and the traditional publishers will be stuck with thousands of unused form rejection letters with no one to send them to.

Congratulations, Ditch. Hope you sell a million.


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## Custard (Apr 18, 2011)

Happy day Ditch! hope you become a best seller and then you can rub it in the editors faces!


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## Sam (Apr 18, 2011)

Definitely the wave of the future. No printing costs, no rejection letters, just money straight to your pocket. Though I hate it with a passion, I strongly suggest using Facebook, Ditch. You can set up a page for _Vengeance is Mine_ and link it to your own Facebook account, if you have one. Then post an announcement to your Wall. That way, all of your friends (and their friends and so on) will see your page. Instant marketing.


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## Foxee (Apr 18, 2011)

WTG, Ditch! This is where you put the title of the book into your signature, linked to your Amazon listing. In order to sell, you have to get the word out so start hoofin'. 

Also, as mentioned in the newsletter, we're planning to open a WF Member Bookstore (hopefully named something much cooler than that) so that should help, too.

Best of luck!


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## Kat (Apr 18, 2011)

Congrats! I hope you sell that 15,000 books. 

If you are interested here is a list of 200 Guerrilla Marketing Weapons. A large percentage of them are free. You should do at least 7 or 8. In the classes that I've taken on marketing they say it takes 7 touches, seven times of someone hearing about or viewing your product, before they will purchase. So attacking your marketing from several different routes is a great idea. 

I could go on and on but if you'd like for me to copy some of the marketing material from my classes I'd be happy to email it to you.


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## Foxee (Apr 18, 2011)

Great thought, Kat. As it happens I'm finally reading Guerrilla Marketing. Shouldn't have taken so long.


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## alanmt (Apr 18, 2011)

Good luck, Ditch!


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## Lubu (Apr 18, 2011)

mmm, I don't know a lot about publishing. but i guess self publishing can get your name out their, if it not all ready out their?

I wish you luck and all so some Congratulations things and what not.


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## Ditch (Apr 19, 2011)

Thanks everybody, I'll go back and look at the marketing after typing this. It takes 24 hours so the book still isn't showing. I have the sequel finished and one where I jumped forward 480 years  following the descendants of the original family into the present day. I know a couple way down in the Yucatan John and Debra. John was a paramedic on a helicopter and Debra was an E.R. nurse. They retired and opened a dive shop in Paamul. I asked John for permission to use them in the book and he gladly consented. Every morning I would forward the new chapters to them. Debra is a voracious reader and new books are hard to come by down there so she uses a Kindle and downloads hers. As one poster said here, there was a 200% increase in ebooks last year and they are now outselling paper books. It is the future.


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## The Backward OX (Apr 19, 2011)

Sam W said:


> Then post an announcement to your Wall. That way, all of your friends (and their friends and so on) will see your page. Instant marketing.


 
But doesn't that rather depend on all those _squarks_ making an electronic connection in the first place? How can _anyone_ claim as a _friend_ some electronic entity keying a few strokes and clicking a button?


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## Ditch (Apr 19, 2011)

Well it's up for sale, here's a link.. Amazon.com: Vengeance is Mine (A Pirate's Tale) eBook: Felipe Fernandez: Books


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## Foxee (Apr 19, 2011)

Good start, Ditch! Looks like it could use a cover image. Is there a setting or anything that allows someone to read the first few pages like there is with the print books? I'm only just getting familiarized with ebooks myself.


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## Gumby (Apr 19, 2011)

Congratulations, Ditch!


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## DuKane (Apr 19, 2011)

All the very best to you, lets hope you'll soon be nominated for an E-Booker! 
And if there ain't one yet, there soon will be!
Also love Garza's comments - what goes around comes around!


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## Ditch (Apr 19, 2011)

I have a tattoo in memory of the first book. I asked the artist to do a color version which he will. Then I'll edit the cover. I Googled "pirate pictures" and found a good one, but you must own all rights to the picture. You can't see it very well but it reads "Vengeance is Mine" in the banners. The color version will look a lot better.


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## Foxee (Apr 19, 2011)

I imagine that'll about do it. Is he going to design the cover for you as well as doing the illustration?


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## Ditch (Apr 19, 2011)

Yes, he is a really good artist, Xavier Sanchez. I started my second novel off with him as a main character. His name will appear on the cover as the artist. 

                                                                                          CHAPTER ONE


                                                                                          THE WIDOW




    The men of the ship Widow were in dire straits. A tempest was raking the Caribbean with winds of over one hundred miles per hour. The Captain at the wheel was Xavier Sanchez, standing at his side, holding the rails against the driving gale were his two most trusted men, Jacob and Charles. All three were huge men, well seasoned sailors and privateers.
    They and their good ship Widow had weathered many a storm, but none like this. The sails were being torn from their rigging as the seas boiled into huge waves that towered high over the ship. The ship would go almost vertical, riding up the sheer wall of a wave, then drop into the valley with sickening speed, plunging down bow first. 
    It was only a matter of time before she buried her nose beneath the water and was driven to the bottom. 
    “She can’t take much more of this!” Xavier shouted over the fierce wind, “We should be near land!”

    A huge wave broke over the ship sweeping Jacob off of his feet toward the stern, but Charles caught him by the ankle with his huge, bear-like hand. They rode over the crest of yet another towering wave and again plunged into the deep trough on the other side. A flash of lightning revealed the reef exposed as the water sucked away, they braced themselves. 
    The impact of the ship on the reef was incredible. Timbers smashed and the sea flooded in. The ship was tossed sideways as yet another wave battered the Widow against the coral. She broke up completely as the men were thrown into the violent sea. Rising and falling, being slashed by the coral, they all struggled to stay afloat.
    It seemed like a lifetime until they finally were thrown up onto a sandy beach. They shouted out for their crew members and found that only the three of them had survived. Running together against the wind, they made for the tree line as the lightning flashed and the thunder rolled. Reaching the relative shelter of the palm trees, each one of them held onto the trunk of a tree as the wind howled like a banshee.

    Many hours later, the sun finally made its slow appearance through windswept skies. The rain was subsiding, but the clouds were passing overhead with unbelievable speed. They surveyed their surroundings as the wind diminished.
    “Where do you think that we are?” Jacob asked.
    “I have no idea, and I do not care. We are alive.” Xavier answered.


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## Ditch (Apr 19, 2011)

Foxee said:


> Good start, Ditch! Looks like it could use a cover image. Is there a setting or anything that allows someone to read the first few pages like there is with the print books? I'm only just getting familiarized with ebooks myself.



Well, here's the flap..

Taking place in the Yucatan and Caribbean beginning in the year 1614. Felipe Montoya, a simple fisherman is falsely accused of piracy simply for the bounty. His father is killed during the arrest and he is imprisoned. Killing a guard and escaping, he and his uncle Andreas, an aging master swordsman, swear revenge on the King's men. Freeing slaves at an auction by killing their owners, they steal a large warship anchored at port. Together they wreak havoc on the King's men and fleet.
    Victoria, the spoiled daughter of the king is the only heir to the throne. She demands to see the new colonies. She and her adventuresome friend Angelica are captured by Felipe and his crew. Being treated fairly and with respect, she begins to see that the slaves are not at all as she had been taught. She also begins to harbor a deep resentment for her father for the misery that he has dealt them and the taxation that he levies on the poor.
    She falls in love with Felipe and they give birth to a son, the male heir to the throne that the king so badly wants. An assassin is dispatched who kidnaps the boy and returns him to Spain. This leads to a daring rescue into the very loin's den. It is a story of devotion, bravery and love. A story of common men all struggling together against the mightiest empire on earth.


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## Aiko (Apr 19, 2011)

garza said:


> Over the next five to ten years enough people are going to do what you did and the traditional publishers will be stuck with thousands of unused form rejection letters with no one to send them to.


 
And when that happens nobody will read any self-published books until they've been reviewed by someone trusted. Reviewers will be the new agents and editors. You'll have to sell to well-known reviewers the same way you had to sell to agents and publishers.


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## ppsage (Apr 19, 2011)

Aiko said:


> And when that happens nobody will read any self-published books until they've been reviewed by someone trusted. Reviewers will be the new agents and editors. You'll have to sell to well-known reviewers the same way you had to sell to agents and publishers.



Hot dog!


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## movieman (Apr 19, 2011)

Aiko said:


> And when that happens nobody will read any self-published books until they've been reviewed by someone trusted.


 
While I think there's some truth in that, the time is never going to come when _nobody_ will read a book which hasn't got good reviews. If your book is good and has some kind of hook to draw people to it then the people who do read it will tell more people to read it and, most likely, it will eventually be selling at a decent level. It may take a few years, but getting a book into print takes time as well.

And, in any case, those reviewers aren't going to take 50% of the royalties and then expect you to give 15% more to an agent.


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## Olly Buckle (Apr 19, 2011)

Isn't there place for what is, in effect, an e-book publisher. Someone who selects manuscripts for merit, then provides editing and publicity services to the author? The only ones I have seen so far still smack of vanity publishing though.


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## movieman (Apr 19, 2011)

Olly Buckle said:


> Isn't there place for what is, in effect, an e-book publisher. Someone who selects manuscripts for merit, then provides editing and publicity services to the author?


 
Probably. I was reading an interesting discussion on the subject between Joe Konrath and Dean Wesley Smith recently, I think it was on Konrath's web site.


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## The Backward OX (Apr 19, 2011)

movieman said:


> the time is never going to come when _nobody_ will read a book which hasn't got good reviews.


I can get my head around the concept of two negatives not making a positive, but what the heck does that mean?


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## ppsage (Apr 19, 2011)

You can always fool somebody.


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## Kat (Apr 19, 2011)

I saw this today on my Facebook Feed and thought of you. 

How to Pre-Market Your Book | Facebook

Which is really a whole lot less creepy than it sounds...


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## Ditch (Apr 20, 2011)

That's a great tip Kat. I've thought about a blog, but to me it was just a person talking about what they are doing and didn't see where it would generate a lot of interest. I see now that I'm wrong, I've visited Carl Jennings and Clive Cussler's websites, but they are well known authors. I put a link on Facebook but i really don't frequent it a lot so not many people see what I write as my friend list is rather limited. Maybe I can generate a little interest on it here.

After killing a guard and escaping from jail, Felipe returns to the tavern and kills the soldier who murdered his father. He and his uncle must now flee...

 “Come now, we will take the Marianna, she is our largest boat and the most seaworthy.” They took the carriage down to the water and loaded the supplies onto the Marianna, then Felipe took the carriage back to the barn and left the horse tethered for his mother. Together they weighed the anchor and Andreas took the wheel. Felipe unfurled the sails and tied them off. He walked back and stood beside Andreas.

He turned and looked back at his home. The light shined in his mother’s window and he could see her figure standing there watching them leave. All of his precious childhood memories were here. He looked at the barn where he and Andreas had spent countless hours with their swords, the dock where he and his father talked and laughed while they cleaned the catch and back at the lone figure of his mother standing in the window.

It was all slipping away and an overwhelming feeling of sadness gripped and tore at his heart. He felt his breath catching in his chest and had to turn away. Andreas was older and wiser, his mind was already set and he knew Felipe’s heart. He said nothing and let Felipe work his way through it. Felipe took several deep breaths to calm himself. He turned to Andreas.

“They took everything away from me. My home, land, livelihood, my mother and my father.” He paused thinking about it, Andreas remained silent.

“They wanted a pirate, very well then, they shall have their pirate. I will be the worst pirate they have ever known. I swear, for the rest of my life that I will kill any man who holds allegiance to this King. More than that, I will seek them out. I will take the King’s precious treasure, kill his men and sink his ships. He will come to know the name of Felipe Antonio Montoya.”

Andreas looked at him and said “And I Felipe, will be by your side.”
A full moon had half risen over the water, it led a shimmering trail of diamonds to the front of their boat like a path drawing them to their destiny. By dawn they were over the horizon and Marianna was approaching the cobblestone road. A full compliment of soldiers on horses were running toward her and even though they did not know her, she bowed her head hiding her face. The soldiers thundered past, toward the hacienda in 
search of Felipe.


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## Razzazzika (Apr 20, 2011)

Good luck with your sales!

I don't know if you noticed, but on amazon there's a typo in the book description:
Together they wreak havoc on the Kin's men and fleet.

Might wanna address that.


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## Foxee (Apr 20, 2011)

> This leads to a daring rescue into the very loin's den.


I imagine this is supposed to be 'lion's' den, might want to fix that.  Sounds like a very exciting book.


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## Ditch (Apr 20, 2011)

Thank you, I did fix one of the typos but I didn't catch the one that Foxee did. I now have a cover design, but it won't show up until I finalize converting it into an HTML format. I downloaded open Office and I'm in the process of doing that now.


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## Foxee (Apr 20, 2011)

Fantastic! That was a pretty quick turnaround from your friend. Let me know when it shows up, I want to see it.


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## garza (Apr 26, 2011)

Razzazzika - What is wrong with 'wreak havoc', other than it being a badly time-worn cliché?


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## Ditch (Apr 26, 2011)

I'm pretty time worm myself. I'm currently wreaking havoc on amazon's review team. I just uploaded the sequel, "The Tribe" a few minutes ago. Now I have to get busy formatting the third one, "Goldfish". If I don't sell any books it won't be for the lack of effort.


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## garza (Apr 27, 2011)

Ditch - I'm sorry I used the phrase 'time worn'. It reminds me too much of why I avoid mirrors.

That effort of yours will pay off. You're a young man compared to me, so use that energy of (comparative) youth to advantage.


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## Ditch (Apr 28, 2011)

everything's cool Garza, I put my sequel "The Tribe" on amazon as well and it is showing to be up for sale. I have to edit the cover. I also have to figure out why the cover that I made for "Vengeance" isn't showing. I am really inspired now and have been writing several thousand words a day instead of reading on the internet so much. I want to finish the third (as of yet un named) before I consider putting "Goldfish" up, it jumps forward several hundred years but is a refreshing break.


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## Foxee (Apr 28, 2011)

Ditch that's really amazing progress, I hope you sell a ton of em.


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## Ditch (Apr 28, 2011)

Thanks Foxee, I am showing 2 of "Vengeance" sold right now. It takes several days for the sales to show because my son bought a copy as soon as it came out and it didn't show for four days. My daughter throws a huge crawfish boil every Saturday before Easter and over 100 people attend. I spoke to a lot of her friends who appear in the third book and told them they have to follow the story from the beginning, so hopefully more sales will show soon. Many of their (my kids) friends are in the book and this will boost sales as everyone likes to see themselves in print and read about how I portrayed their character.  I figured out the cover thing, take a note. Createspace is owned by Amazon, they are a print on demand company. When you design a cover on Createspace it is for a paperback. They only print copies as they are ordered.You can order up to five proofs at $10.00 a book and they are paperback with the cover that I displayed. All it costs to print a paperback is the cost of the proof and shipping. I'll order mine this evening.  I got one free proof as I made the 50 semifinalists in the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award last year with "Veangence is Mine." Here's a link so you can see what an ebook looks like there.  

Amazon.com: Vengeance is Mine (A Pirate's Tale) eBook: Felipe Fernandez: Kindle Store


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