Author sells cheap…

  All my books (there’s only three), sell for $0.99 at Amazon (exclusively). Some friends have asked, ‘why don’t you sell your books for a higher price?’ Well, there are several reasons, but the two that I respond with most often are: 1) Ebook’s are unlike print books…they cost less to publish, and 2) I’m an unknown author, so, until I’ve written several books with many loyal followers the selling price will remain low.

  In case you didn’t know, I’m a part-time writer...not doing this as a means of financial support. My business, doing well since 1991, keeps my family clothed, sheltered and fed quite well. So, I write for the mere enjoyment of creating a story that other people might like. Not all my stories have wide reader appeal. No author has that. Not Patterson, not Roberts and not even Grisham, to my surprise. They even get 1 star reviews like me.

  Speaking of reviews…most authors love reviews. Some don’t care, those typically are the rich ones. A common belief or ‘authors policy’ heard around the writers circles is; ‘don’t believe the one star reviews and DON’T believe the five star reviews’. Personally, I like all reviews. So, if you have read my books, any of the three, then take a few moments and post a review on Amazon. (Never written a review? Here’s some help).

Garry’s Books: The Mystery Maxims of Jake Spade, click here. Bloody Omaha, click here. Character Happens! click here.

Is it just me?

  Am I the only one who dislikes all the gory detail typically written into a murder scene? Descriptions like: ‘the bullets cleaved the victims arm,’ or maybe, ‘the machete severed the mans head,’ or what about, ‘the crossbows arrow ripped through the woman’s gullet.’ And believe me, there are writers who can describe murder scene’s in such a way as to shock in greater detail than I ever could.

  It’s just not me. Too morbid. Too gruesome. Too negative.

  Guess my writing doesn’t have shock appeal. Still, I can’t help but wonder about a readers need or desire for such description…does a shocking (macabre, morbid, ghoulish) narrative create further enjoyment for mystery/thriller readers? Yes! I think it does for some readers. Those readers make up more of the ‘thriller’ side of the genre. Here’s how David Morrell, http://www.davidmorrell.net/, author of about 28 thrillers, defined the mystery/thriller difference several years ago. He said: “Traditional mysteries appeal primarily to the mind and emphasize the logical solution to a puzzle. In contrast, thrillers strive for heightened emotions and emphasize the sensations of what might be called an obstacle race and a scavenger hunt.” (Jodie Renner blogpost)

  Again, I must say, the elements of a gory scene is just ‘not me.’ Too negative.

  What’s entertaining to me is the science, for lack of a better word, that goes into the investigative process. Very few Sherlock Holmes cases contained the ‘morbid details’ of a murder or someone found dead or dying. It was Holmes’ reasoning skills, his ‘deductive process’ that carried the story. The storyline worked well or Doyle (the Holmes creator) would not have enjoyed such monumental success…lasting over 100 years.

  ‘FORGIVEN,’ case 1 of ‘The Mystery Maxims of Jake Spade,’ falls into the mystery genre…not the thriller genre. It’s a modern day Holmes story with a ‘whodunit’ lasting throughout, until the end. The final discovery surprises the reader…and…it falls incredibly inline with how Sherlock Holmes would have handled the case. After all, when you’re a blood descendent of the Great Master (like great-great-great grandson Jake) there exists no other resolution. Jake remedied the mystery in a fashion that would have made Sherlock proud.

  If you have not read this novella-length book then consider picking it up the next time you’re on Amazon (it’s exclusively there). You’ll be surprised how it ends (some have said it was touching).

  Many Regards, Henry H.H. Hittlebloome, Author

Novella’s ?? What’s a novella?

  “Many of the most loved, famous and influential books in modern history have been novellas…” (Suw Charman-Anderson – Forbes Article) And John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men is one of them.

  Steinbeck’s offering, as noted in Amazon’s ebook listing, racks in at 112 pages, amounting to less than 30,000 words, making it fit categorically as a novella. Yes, something less than a novel length book (50 to 60,000 plus words), seem to be a quandary-length for many writers and readers. Some writers are convinced that publishing a book that is any less than 60 to 80,000 words will not sell as well as one that contains those volume of words. Not true. Steinbeck pretty much refuted that argument.

  It’s no surprise that the big five New York publishing houses (Penguin Random House, Simon & Schuster, HarperCollins Publishers, Macmillian U.S. and Hachette Book Group), prefer novel-length books which are heftier, offering the book-buyer a greater perceived value…many hardback’s now fetching $30 or more. Readers however are finding these shorter books do have some appeal; given the ebook sales trend using devices like phones, tablets, ereader’s, even computers…and ebooks are outselling all print versions both hardback and paperback. Amazon even has a separate listing for ‘shorter’ offerings called Kindle Singles, with word count between 5 to 30K.

  Typically, as you would expect, short books (short stories and novellas), sell for much less than novel-length books. Readers expect to pay less. Ebooks in general sell for less money than paper or print versions…that’s why people buy them. That and the fact that more ‘readers’ are reading books via an electronic device.

  There is much more to this story, which I will not elaborate here in this post. The question is (you knew there would be a question – hehe), how many of you are: 1) reading shorter books and 2) reading them on electronic devices as opposed to print versions and 3) feel you are getting your money’s worth?

  Drop a comment with your answer…let’s see if a trend exists regarding short books.

  Thanks - Henry H.H. Hittlebloome, Author, ‘The Mystery Maxims of Jake Spade – Case #1 FORGIVEN.’