Nick Jones

Author

Downstream is done…

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Downstream Episode 7 is finished and with my editor. I suspect some tough love will be coming back my way, but with a good headwind I should have it released slightly ahead of schedule. I appreciate all the emails of encouragement by the way, and I really hope you all enjoy the conclusion to Joe’s story. It’s big!

I’m also, just working on the PRINT edition of Downstream too. It’s going to look lovely I hope. It will be available via Amazon; links to follow as soon as 7 is released.

Ian and I have been busy working on two new projects. The first is Hibernation Book 3. Our recent planning session was tough, as we ploughed back though the world, but also exciting as we discovered new layers in which our characters could influence the overall shape of the series. Each character has their own agenda, viewpoint and goals and it’s shaping up to be really good fun. We have another session planned for next weekend.

Can’t wait.

We’re also working on a short film script to be shot – hopefully – in the next 6 months. It’s a chiller (Twilight Zone / Tales of the Unexpected) and is proving to be challenging but very rewarding to write.

120,000 words later…

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When I finished the second book in my Human Hibenrnation series ‘The Embers of Hope’ I did so with a very happy heart. I had successfully completed my second novel. I was no longer just a bloke who wrote a book, I was a novelist (albeit a fledging, wet behind the ears one, but you get the idea).

Also, if I’m honest, I felt pretty exhausted. The book is dark in places and had taken a lot out of me creatively and emotionally. I felt I needed to try something different and also challenging (in a different way to a thriller).

So, I floated the idea of writing a more upbeat ‘serial’ with Ian Hughes. For those who don’t know, Ian is not only a good friend but also my collaborator on all things fiction. He works with me tirelessly on the details of plot and the direction of my writing. In short, he gets to do the fun stuff and – in his own words – I do the hard part! I’m being flippant of course. What Ian brings is a sense of logic and storytelling that I would be lost without. (thanks mate).

Episodic content? Time-Travel? Release it every 6 to 8 weeks?
Ian said, “I’m In” and DOWNSTREAM was born.

Well, that was back in October 2014 and here we are; 120,000 words later. DOWNSTREAM is nearly done! Episode 7 is sitting, half-finihsed on my laptop (calling to me at all hours of the day and night) and by Mid-August the tale of Amy Bridgeman’s disappearance and her brother’s time-traveling attempts to save her will be told. Episode 1 is here if you fancy making a start. (Here is you’re in the U.K. like me).

I can’t wait to hear what you think.

All of this to tell you that this weekend Ian and I start work on our next projects. (Yes, there is supposed to be an ’s’ on the end). The focus will be an initial plot outline for Hibernation Book 3 (title TBC) We will be going back through the last two books and reminding ourselves (yep, Downstream has successfully erased large portions of my memory of writing them) and seeing where we might want to go. Also, perhaps more importantly it will be about unpacking the characters again and seeing where THEY want to go!
All very exciting. There will be beers, tears and high fives. Oh, and plenty of vinyl.

It’s always fun hurtling into a new project with no idea where it will take you. And, it’s funny to think that in 12 months time (I hope) that these early thoughts will be buried inside a new novel.

Yep, you read it here first. Hibernation Book 3 will be out next summer. Better get some stronger coffee…

Oh, and we’re also going to be working on a script for a short film! (More on this later) but it’s something I’ve wanted to do for some time and a real challenge to get a story told in a constricted timeframe. I’m hoping that Downstream will have helped hone that particular part of the craft.

Right. Time to wipe the board clean and write NEW BOOK at the top!

Until next time. Happy reading.

Nick

Ps. For those who prefer printed books DOWNSTREAM will be available in printed form in September. I will keep you posted.

Resolutions and excuses…

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Happy new year.

It’s what you’re supposed to say and of course, and it’s a good thing to wish for. Actually ‘being’ happy though, that takes effort and commitment. Once upon a time it seemed to come easily, these days I have to try a little harder.

I will do my best.

So, onto my New Year’s resolutions. This is a bit like a self laid trap, it means I can look back on it this time next year and see how I did…

  • Finish Downstream Season 1
  • Grow my reader list
  • Sell more books
  • Read more books.

On the last one, a good way of doing this is to track the books you read via goodreads. It really helps to remind you of what you have read and what’s next. Also, a lot of people have said to me this year, ‘I don’t really have time to read.’ It’s not like I was trying to persuade them to read mine or anything : ) I can sympathise. I read a lot in my twenties and then fiction kind of took a back seat as work took over. Now, having taken Stephen King’s advice I have it all figured out.

Mine was a three step approach based on my excuses.

Excuse 1: I’m too busy!

Countered with: Audiobooks.

I am busy. A lot. But when I thought about it there was actually a lot of ‘down time’ in my life (Thanks to Murray Bruton for teaching me this first in a karate sense)

By that, I mean periods of time when I might not be actively engaged, but doing something. For example, walking the dogs, driving, working out etc. So, I signed up to audible and haven’t looked back. Audio books hadn’t interested me before but now, I can’t stop. For me, the experience is different to reading but the end result is very similar. The story, the characters, the craft is all there and when I look back it ‘feels’ like I’ve read a book, and that’s all that matters right?

Excuse 2: I’m too tired at night to read.

Countered with: hit the stairs earlier.

Sound familiar? I was going to bed late after fighting tiredness and basically collapsing! Now, I go to bed a little earlier and look forward to getting some pages done.

Excuse 3: There’s nothing that grabs me…

Countered with : A kindle.

With the kindle (and oh my goodness the new voyage is lovely) I can try lots of different books and see what does hook me in. Also, as a writer I am interested as to why those books work and how they draw me to them and make me turn the pages. I love books, real ones I mean, but with the kindle I have found I am definitely reading more, often I will have two books on the go PLUS an audio book!

It means that I am immersing myself in fiction. Input and output, and it seems to be working.

Talking of reading more… the first episode of ‘DOWNSTREAM’ my kick-ass, time-travel series with extra attitude is OUT NOW! and the best bit? It’s FREE!

 

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AMAZON

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00R6XFVPS

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00R6XFVPS

It’s also available for nook and kobo too.

NOOK

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/downstream-nick-jones/1120961157

KOBO

http://store.kobobooks.com/en-UK/ebook/downstream-episode-1

And also – in the next few days – it should be out on ibooks for any iPhone and iPad readers.

Happy reading and happy 2015.

Some thoughts on Amazon and KDP Select

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Hi All,

Self-publishing comes with so many advantages. Control, direct relationships with readers, immediacy and control. Did I mention control?

It also comes with it’s own set of challenges (note I didn’t say problems). The main one is marketing and promotion. How do you get your book see in a sea of competition. Amazon offer a number of tools designed to help an author promote their baby. ‘Kindle Direct Publishing’ offer a ‘select’ option. This provides 5 days in which to make your book free in return for complete exclusivity (i.e., you aren’t then allowed to offer your book on any of the competitor sites, such as apples’s ibooks, kobo or nook etc).

The idea is that you generate interest in those free days and hope that translates into actual sales further down the line.

For me KDP select presents an interesting dilemma. Amazon are by far the biggest retailer, and if I can get traction there then all good, but are those free days really worth the exclusivity?

Let me share some numbers based on my experience so far.

The free days can be any days, individual or concurrent but must be used within your three month (exclusive) period. I made ‘The Whisper of Stars’ Free for 3 days. I did a lot of promotion in this time. Facebook, Twitter, paid ads and email hits. I shifted 4,000 free books. Sounds a lot, and I was pretty excited about that to be honest. My book on 4,000 kindles…. ooooooohhhhh!

Then, the day after it was back to its original price of £2.99.

I sold 41 books that day.

41 Books. I nearly cried.  Seriously, that is a good amount and means a lot to me. I was suddenly number 15 in the Sci-Fi charts. It felt good. Really good. I started imagining (dreaming) of it settling down to maybe 10 or 20 a day….

But then, as expected, sales dropped of a cliff and I was back to 1 or 2 books a day. Literally back to where I started.

So, I ran another promo, using up my last 2 days of FREE promo. Again, lots of freebies, a few sales and then back again. To be clear, I am more than happy to give books away for free. But, the question now is whether I am better selling 1 or 2 books a day on multiple channels or sticking with the kindle exclusivity for the odd boost.

For me, it’s not about income. It’s more about reaching readers. Apple, particularly with the release of the oversized iPhone 6 (and plus) and iPad mini, finally have a viable reading platform. There are a number of users on those devices that might never read me if I remain in Amazon’s pocket.

With the release of ‘The Embers of Hope’ imminent I am starting to wonder whether I just get my work ‘out there’ in as many ways as possible. Either way I will continue to experiment and write my findings here.

 

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