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.

Kindle or Nook? Something Else?

Just a curious question I had the other day, talking to some friends. As an indie writer and self-publisher, I am curious if it is worth diving into the world of Nook. Would doing the Smashwords thing expose my book to more e-readers and readers alike? I initially released one of my books on the Nook and it met with limited results.

The big question: Is it worth leaving the Kindle KDP Select? I’ve heard mixed reviews…

First of all, do you have a kindle or Nook? I am assuming if you read, you have an e-reader. I personally have a kindle—just the reader, not the fire—and I do like it. And I know there are other devices out there: Kobo, iPad, tablets, etc. As a matter of fact, some might say that a tablet is even better than the kindle/Nook as they can just download the app. ID that is the case, are you doing the kindle or Nook app?

Anyway, I was toying with the idea of making my work available again for the Nook, but am wondering how many readers actually ignored the 800 pound gorilla that is the kindle to get the Nook instead? Many? Based on some numbers I had seen and forecasting, the Nook and B&N might be in some trouble. Then in other recent news, I heard that the Nook might be bought by Microsoft, so who knows? Again, that is all speculation. Another interesting tidbit is that Amazon, as of an article in March, is going to buy Goodreads. How will that affect book sales?

I am asking you, the reader, what do you use if you have the choice: Kindle or Nook?

Oh, and as a shameless self-promotion on my birthday, all books were reduced yesterday to $2.99 and under for the week. So if you wanna do me a solid, feel free to pop on over and check out my Realm of Ashenclaw, pick up an inexpensive book and enjoy some heroic, old school fantasy! Or don't...either way, we are cool! :)

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!


Visit my AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE

See you in Wothlondia! Cheers!

Also, please visit MY HOME PAGE to enjoy an extended reading experience 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.

Orngoth excerpt! Part of Chapter 14

I have been getting quite a few of the people clamoring for Orngoth excerpts...so, once more on twitter's #SampleSunday, I give you a portion of Chapter 14 of Covenant of the Faceless Knights! Enjoy you soon-to-be-favorite Half-ogre Barbarian!

Orngoth Artwork by the incomparable William J. Kenney!

There were four undead mockeries of once-humanoid creatures with rotting, discolored flesh hanging from their semi-exposed skeletons. It was the foulest sight Forgulnak had ever witnessed. The creatures fed on the now lifeless husk of their fellow goblinoid.

“Ghouls!” Forgulnak uttered loudly. The red of their eyes reflected in the torchlight as they were drawn toward the scent of fresh blood, turning to regard them. He could see their gray rotting flesh as well as their clawed hands now tearing goblin flesh from the bone and devouring it.

The goblinoids collectively stood appalled by the scene, nauseated and frozen, trying to move. They could not. It was too late. The four undead creatures advanced with speed unparalleled on their newest prey that had foolishly entered their lair. The ghouls leapt at them, knocking them to the blood-stained, slick ground. The goblinoids remained paralyzed in shock, helpless and nauseated by the sight and smell of the devastation.

Forgulnak finally realized the true horror of their situation. He tried to make his legs move, but was unable. Whether it was fear or something else that paralyzed him, he could not tell, as he felt the flesh being torn from his bones.

The undead overran them and began to feast, completely consumed by their hunger…until one of them was suddenly crushed by the bulk of a gargantuan club.

Orngoth heard the shuffling and smelled a foul odor emitting from the alcove. He heard a goblin scream harshly as some terrible fate must have befallen it, but he could not see as it was beyond his line of sight. The other goblinoids made their way into the opening and disappeared around the corner, too.

Several more screams followed. Something bad was happening, but he did not know what. He did know one thing, and that was that he had to get free of his manacles.

He strained once more against the chains that bound his arms and hands. Again a few of the metal links weakened and began to buckle further. Another tug from his mighty arms bent the links once more. His muscles continued expanding and contracting in succession against the metal, his veins becoming more pronounced beneath the flesh of his arms. The metal groaned with protest under his might as the links twisted and reshaped themselves to conform to the half-ogre’s will, eventually giving in to his remarkable strength with several loud pops. He was suddenly free of his bonds and retrieved his massive club.

It took Orngoth quite some time to squeeze his large frame through the alcove, but he managed, leaving the top layers of his flesh behind on the stone. The screams had died down, but the sickening odor remained. He saw them as he entered in the flickering torchlight.

Ghouls!

The undead creatures were so focused on their newest feast that Orngoth’s entrance had gone completely unnoticed.

He fought back the disgusting aroma and did not succumb to its accompanying nausea as he smashed the first undead creature into mush with a mighty downward swing of his club. The three remaining anathemas moved quickly toward him. Orngoth’s fierce blue eyes had already run red with rage, revolted and angered by the sight of this purest of evils. Orngoth allowed the bloodlust to overtake him, not even trying to resist.

His huge club came up over his head and he timed the next blow perfectly, almost knocking the ram-horned helm from atop his own head as he swung his club with ferocity borne of rage unbound and connected. The blow was so powerful that he simply crushed the ghoul beneath the impact, spraying bone and gore everywhere.

As he started to pull his club from the remains, he was struck simultaneously by the two remaining ghouls. Biting and clawing at his already scarred and fairly tough hide, the ghouls pressed their assault. Orngoth howled in pain as the anger surged within him.

Small pieces of his flesh were torn open by the fiends, but Orngoth didn’t even take notice now as his bloodlust peaked, driving him to acts of heroic proportions.

He reached out and pulled the first of the two off by its neck and propelled it through the air to land hard against the stone wall. It hit with a dreadful thud. He watched as it attempted to slowly right itself, swaying considerably as it did.

Orngoth grabbed the second one by its arm, nearly tearing it from its socket in the process, and threw it in the same direction as the first, with similar results. He roared fiercely, consumed by his fury, ignoring sense and sensibilities, wanting only to destroy his foe!

The two undead charged him once more. He slid on the slick surface as he took a step, but regained his footing and dropped into a lower, wider stance. 

They closed the distance as Orngoth gripped the base of his weapon with both hands and swung hard. The timing of his spectacular swing connected with one ghoul solidly, crushing its ribs and liquefying them straight away. Then there was a loud crash that immediately followed the first.  His swing had continued its momentum, crushing the second creature’s skull, hitting it with so much force, that it partially removed the head from the body.

Nothing else moved as Orngoth stood victorious over the immobile creatures, blood-stained and angry. He roared in victory before remaining still for a time, allowing the bloodlust to fade.

Eventually, exhaustion set in. He fell to one knee before squeezing out of the tiny opening once more and slumping to his rear on the hard stone. Breathing more slowly now, he contemplated what to do next, until sleep claimed him.

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 Artwork and covers by William J. Kenney

Visit my AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE

See you in Wothlondia! Cheers!

Also, please visit MY HOME PAGE to enjoy an extended reading experience 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 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.