Wothlondia Rising is FREE! (And I am on Smashwords)

FREE on SMASHWORDS!

I have taken the great plunge into Smashwords and all of my books can be found there now. Soon enough they will flow out to Sony, iTunes, B&N, Kobo, etc.

And the cool thing, is that WOTHLONDIA RISING IS NOW FREE! Indefinitely!

Yes, the anthology of short stories that introduces you to my world, its history, my protagonists, having them face off against demons, undead monstrosities, giants, ogres, rogues and blood rot zombies, is available to you for free!

I feel that if you give these a read, you will have a rather intimate knowledge of both the world, the characters and their motivations. And when they come together in Covenant of the Faceless Knights, you will have met them already, establishing a rapport as they move along on their quests. It makes for a natural and organic transition into the first novel, I believe.

I have also placed samples at WattPad , including the entire Wothlondia Rising book, if you prefer reading it there.

http://bit.ly/18IvgFS

So, when you finish with WOTHLONDIA RISING, feel free to check out my books on Smashwords. or click the links on the right side of my page to check out the kindle versions. If you haven't indulged yourself in them yet, they would make a great gift for any lover of epic/high fantasy with character-driven action.

Enjoy and have a great holiday!

http://bit.ly/1kKbTBL

Oh, and don't forget to sign up for my giveaway of THE LEGEND OF ASHENCLAW on Goodreads, too! I am giving away three free, signed copies.

http://bit.ly/IMjm7n

So...
I'll see you...
in Wothlondia...

All Artwork and covers of my works by William J. Kenney

Visit my AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE Here!

Also, Please join me and the other amazingly talented authors over @ Skulldust Circle where we have formed a Writer's Circle that must be seen--a collection of brilliant, up & coming independently published speculative fiction authors with much to give both now and in the future!

All maps, names and content copyright Ashenclaw Studios 2013 unless otherwise noted.

Hard Copy or Ebook?

As I sit here with Nick Titano of Infernal Titans @ DEXCON in Morristown, NJ, I can't help but think: Is it worth doing print at all anymore?

I have met several nice folk and each of them has asked me if my books were on kindle. I of course answered yes. At this point, they each informed me that they would purchase my works there. Odd? Does this happen to authors more often than not? I am just curious because as I love to feel the paper and weight of a book in my hand, I know that kindle/eBooks rule. I cannot print a book and sell it for anywhere near what I can see an eBook for.

I am thinking that the appeal would be to receive an autograph, but there are programs out there where you can sign eBooks now! Amazing, right? Or is it?

So, with that in mind, do you readers/writers out there prefer to read with your eBooks? And if so, can you tell me why?

All the best and I hope to see anyone in the North Jersey area @DEXCON today and tomorrow. Sadly, I will be missing Saturday as I must work my day job, but I will hopefully be returning on Sunday!

 Please join me and the other amazingly talented authors over @ Skulldust Circle where we have formed a Writer's Circle that must be seen--a collection of brilliant, up & coming independently published speculative fiction authors with much to give both now and in the future!

All of my work can be found on AMAZON -- Kindle versions here

See you in Wothlondia! Cheers!

Please visit MY HOME PAGE to enjoy an extended reading experience, see direct links to purchase my full length novel, Covenant of the Faceless Knights, the short stories: Wothlondia Rising, and to see what else Ashenclaw Studios, LLC has in store in the future!

All maps, names and content copyright Ashenclaw Studios 2012 unless otherwise noted.

What Do Readers Expect for a Buck?

I was going over my blueprint again for my future publishing plans with regards to what the Amazon Kindle and B&N Nook are doing to the book market. I thought about what a short story should cost and realized that 99 cents is really not all that much to pay for a short story. And I know--you can purchase entire novels for 99 cents, right? Allow me to explain my point.

eBooks have taken over for print in many ways and sort of fits with the whole economy at this point In that many people do not have the expendable income they once had. That being said, books that sold for $7.00 to $25.00 are now selling for…99 cents to $2.99? What does this mean for the artist who churns out the work…or the editors and artists who supported these authors for a living? What about the people who complain about books not being available in print form, but are not spending the money to BUY them in print form and instead, are downloading eBooks? I am not saying any of this is wrong, merely examining opinions and putting them on the table for all to see: consumer and seller. There is a difference in cost to the author for print vs. eBooks.

I know what my costs are for putting out a book and they are not cheap. If you are lucky enough or talented enough to do everything yourself, than you may have a leg up on the rest of us! I know that if I plan to charge someone for my work, then I had better be proud of it! I remembered seeing a post form literary marvel Derek Haines on the Vandal and dug it up—it was an excellent read and really bears in mind my whole point here, too. (Derek’s Post)

Anyway, if you are going to charge money for a product, it needs to be—in my opinion—as professional as you can make it. Right? So, I need to find a cover artist and an editor, minimally. That right there is not cheap and in this 'Amazonian' marketplace, where there is soooo much to sift through, how much will I make back at 35 cents a copy? I go into it figuring at some point, maybe my work will be noticed and appreciated by many, but I still feel that whatever fans I have and those who pay for my work will get the very best that I can give them. If you put the garbage in, you get the garbage out, right? I am in it for the long haul and do not plan on running for the hills anytime soon. I will be publishing books, no matter my profit, for as long as I am able. But, with those I have spoken with about the topic, the frustration level is high.

The point of the whole discussion and what I am asking my followers and peers:


How much do you expect for 99 cents?

See you in Wothlondia! Cheers!

Please visit MY HOME PAGE to enjoy an extended reading experience, see direct links to purchase Covenant of the Faceless Knights and to see what else Ashenclaw Studios, LLC has in store in the future!

Photo from Stock.xchng.


All maps, names and content copyright Ashenclaw Studios 2011 unless otherwise noted.

The Future of Publishing?

Which Indie Publisher would you suggest?

I am asking all authors and writers who you might be using to publish your blood, sweat and tears that go into your writing and what you get for your hard earned money from that publisher. I know of several that I have been researching: Authorhouse (who published my debut novel), Outskirts Press, Smashwords, Create Space and The Domino Project to name a few that I have looked at recently.

As I move forward with my plan for world domination *pauses for giggles*, I am seriously considering doing only an eBook. I feel that the profit margin is somewhat under my control as well as the distinct pricing (no print cost) and this despite really enjoying the feel of an actual book in my hands. I am learning that going to print with a self-published title seems suicidal. It may not be that way forever or even for some of you established authors—I’d like to hear from you to discuss this! Is this where the market is trending?

On a personal note, I was told by my publisher that there would be a nook and an iBookstore version available in the package I purchased and to this point, they are still not available. I went live end of July, 2011.

The recent moves of Amazon and eBook distributors, who appear to be cutting out the middle man (the big publishing houses), are making the product directly available to the consumer as a download. A friend and fellow author, Theodore Cohen, forwarded me this article about AMAZON.

What do you think, authors?

Is it only a matter of years before all brick and mortar stores disappear and become a thing of the past?



Will our grandchildren and great grandchildren only read books on their smartphones, tablets, PC’s, laptops and such? 

See you in Wothlondia! Cheers!

Please visit my home page to enjoy an extended reading experience, see direct links to purchase Covenant of the Faceless Knights and to see what else Ashenclaw Studios, LLC has in store in the future!

(Photos from Kozzi and me!)

All maps, names and content copyright Ashenclaw Studios, LLC 2011 unless otherwise noted.

What Price is the Right Price for a Book?

I am seeing a bit of disparity in the price
of books, especially eBooks. I see prices that range from $30.00+ for a hardcover down to .99 cents for an eBook.

I am wondering what is the best price point for a novel and at what point will you not 'break the bank' for a book? I don't think that $10.00 is asking too much for a book that I want to read, regardless of whether or not it in print or an eBook, but what the heck do I know!?

With books so easy to obtain via downloads to the Nook, Kindle, iPad, iPhone, Android phones, etc., does that change your mind, too? I know Amazon and the eBook changed the publishing and writing game forever.

I looked recently on the top kindle book and every single one was $2.99 and under. Some of them were even free! I am not sure how they count ‘free’ as sales, but I am sure it is possible. I know many bloggers and authors have discussed this, but I wanted to see what my audience thinks. Reason being is that I have many more books in the works!

I feel that my publishing company may have mislead me indirectly or perhaps I wasn’t clear enough with my expectations—maybe it was simply my own delusions of grandeur that pushed my own ego into thinking that I could make a good push with sales all by myself…meh. While I think that I am doing a fairly good job of marketing using the social media sites, I feel like sometimes I am beating a dead horse…especially on Facebook. I am having some success with twitter, my website and with the blog in driving visitors to each using the other. At some point or another, I feel that I am going to need either to spend some of my own money for a media blitz or try to find an agent to net me a publisher.

Who was happy? This guy!

Circling back to the first published book, I went with the ‘let’s try to see how far I can push this while competing against known authors’ route in my price point. While I don’t say that it is wrong, I think that I may have put the cart before the horse.

I am currently working on a prequel: an anthology that includes the story of what happened to my retired heroes prior to the prologue in Covenant of the Faceless Knights. I am also working on short stories of Elec, Saeunn, Rose and Garius. I am also planning on doing another full length novel for the second in the ‘Beginnings’ series (sequel). I am still debating whether or not to include a story about Orngoth in the anthology (prequel)…I will see if anyone clamors for one here!

Also, I am planning on releasing the anthology sometime next year with the price point of .99 cents up to $2.99. Any advice from the pro’s out there? I am not quite sure what to do yet for the full length novel and am debating whether or not to bother with the interior art again. I liked it, but am not sure if it is worth the added expense.

I know that some people only charge the $2.99 price, but are they mostly novellas, short stories or what? My novel was 304 pages and I spent a lot of hard work in editing, presenting and writing it. I am not saying that anyone else hasn't, merely presenting the facts from my side for anyone who hasn't written a book yet! Does that mean anything or not when compared to the rest of the field?

My questions to you are:

1. What do you charge or what would you pay for a full length novel?

2. What do you expect content-wise and editorial-wise for the .99 cent to $2.99 price point?

3. Do you want to see a sixth short story in the anthology that centers on the half-ogre barbarian Orngoth?


See you in Wothlondia! Cheers!

Please visit my home page to enjoy an extended reading experience, see direct links to purchase Covenant of the Faceless Knights and to see what else Ashenclaw Studios, LLC has in store in the future!

(Photos from Kozzi and me!)


All maps, names and content copyright Ashenclaw Studios, LLC 2011 unless otherwise noted.