Audio, Audio
As a writer who publishes his own books, any way to get to an audience and make additional sales is of value. About 6-months ago I thought I would have a shot at audiobooks via ACX – Amazon’s audiobook platform. Today, I sold my 500th audiobook! I am reaching a different audience using the audiobook as well and I do think that is helping book sales generally. I am on for a record year and currently have 4 books in the UK supernatural top 50 including an audio book! The ACX program is a bit rigid but it is quite easy to navigate. Firstly, you sign up for your account and then you identify your books – those you want to create audiobooks with anyway. Then, you look for a
Read More »I don’t Get It!
There are many things that I simply don’t get. Selling books is one despite trying very hard this last three years or so to figure it out. Can anyone answer these questions? 1. If you have a hit book why does the next book that you write not sell? Yes, Your Haunted Lives has been in the top 10 in supernatural in the UK and in the US for around 3-months yet The Pink Bus (a book I think is my best work to date), isn’t selling at all. Is it about title or cover? apparently not, for I also put out the Pink Bus under another name with different title and cover with the same result. 2. Why can I not create a brand? I have strove to create
Read More »Self-Publishing Pop
I’m not sure why I write books. It’s certainly not for the money! I guess I just enjoy the challenge of creating something, floating it by people and seeing if I can make a success of it! To me, putting out books has something of the flavor of the pop industry in the 70’s – you put out a single and watch it chart – or not – hoping to be #1 on the hit parade for a week or two all the while knowing that you are only getting a small pittance for the record. It is simply fun. Especially when combined with things that interest you. You see, I enjoy strange stories of the paranormal, I am interested in the occult, magic and the nature of reality –
Read More »Sometimes, You Have to Wonder….
This weekend, I was in Dolni Morava. There is a ski resort of sorts there…. I wasn’t skiing so for a couple of hours or so, I was left to wander around. It was pretty chilly and so I ended up in the restaurant which was packed. I ordered my self a hot chocolate in Czech after waiting my turn. The man, a tall and thin guy, looked at me as if I were and alien. I repeated myself. “Deutsche,” he said. A bit puzzled, I repeated my request in Czech. After all, its not a difficult sentence – “Horka chocolada prosim”. The man looked quite angry – “Deutsche” he said again. “English?” I asked. He repeated, almost spat “Deutsche”. The waitress beside of him looked quite shocked at this
Read More »Love Me or Hate Me?
The first review for How To Create Your Own Reality is up… Yes – its a 1-star review that says as its title ‘Awful’. I had to laugh. Hopefully, that won’t turn out to be the majority decision….. I found myself remarking to a friend after seeing the review – ‘why me?’ The reason is that I seem to polarize my audience. Not for me are a bunch of 3 and 4 star ratings…. I seem to get a lot of 5-stars and a few 1-stars with not much in the middle. So my conclusion is that people either love or hate my work. This perception prompted the PhD in me to do some quick analysis….. Well, I was wrong…… its actually a nicely skewed distribution towards 5-stars across 111
Read More »Silly Season
Even though I haven’t lived in the Uk in over 25-years, I do know what an election there feels like and having spent almost two decades in the US, which the UK now seems to want to emulate in terms of political campaigning, I feel sorry for all of you Brits. The silly season is about to start – has already started. You will now be subjected to a bunch of young, immature and inexperienced men (yes – still mostly men) telling you what you want to hear in order to curry your favor and your vote. Later, once elected, they will forget what they said and do what they want anyway. Isn’t it time to just put an end to this nonsense? In a world I created, this is
Read More »My Haunted Life – Extreme Edition
This month will see the launch of a paperback version of all three My Haunted Life Kindle books plus three bonus stories as My Haunted Life – Extreme Edition. Meanwhile, the three Kindle books continue to do well – still better in the UK than the US but I am not complaining at all. My Haunted Life Too flirted with the top spot again this weekend….. Watch out for the cover reveal for the paperback version of My Haunted Life – Extreme Edition – soon!
Read More »The Anatomy of a Weekend
The trip had been booked a month prior to coincide with a 1-day school holiday to allow a 3-day weekend. The resort had been chosen for its range of activities and the fact that it was just an hour south of Vienna. All was set for a ski weekend in Austria. On the Thursday afternoon, I began to feel some stomach cramps. They were mild and I put it down to a change in antibiotic that I was taking. I did send an email to Gabriela sort of joking that it would be just my luck to get sick…… As we crossed the border into Austria, my stomach cramps were so strong that I was in agony at the height of each. I was yawing and tired and shivery like
Read More »US Blues
Here is a funny and strange thing. While my Haunted Life books sit in the Amazon supernatural charts in the UK and around 5-10 books a day are consumed (thanks so much!), the US has deserted me. Its bizarre because I spent 20 years there and have more friends and contacts there than anywhere else……Hell, my three sons still live there! It’s also a large market and one that I need to crack to make progress. Take for example, January to date. UK – book sales in three figures (that in of itself is a first!) whereas in the USA just 35 sales……. I have the US blues… Any ideas fellow authors, scribblers and dreamers as to how to get the great US public to buy my books?
Read More »Want to Review My Book?
Right, if you want to review one of My Haunted Life Too or My Haunted Life 3 drop me an email to gary at garymvasey.com. I will send you and amazon gift certificate (so specify uk or .com please) that you PROMISE to use to purchase my book on kindle, read and review. Does that sound like a deal? First 15 to send me a request via email will get the gift certificate. Ready, steady… go!
Read More »