FREE #Kindle vs Permafree - Experience My Crime #Fiction #Mystery NOW #IARTG #ASMSG

2015 was a wild year for my eBooks. Instead of writing I devoted a year to marketing and got incredible results. It started with an effort to understand the Kindle Select program which is available to authors on Amazon and was extended to the permafree concept that is available on a number of outlets.

In the spring Shari's Shot climbed to the top of the charts in Crime Fiction on Amazon Kindle and into the Top 50 overall. Needless to say, I was elated. It was a learning process on what to do and what not to do.

In June and July Opur's Blade was promoted. I must have learned my lesson well. My efforts propelled that title to the Number 1 overall download position on Kindle and a number of subcategories. My reaction? Euphoria!

That success was parlayed into a giveaway offer on Pabby's Score in October. That title climbed to the Number 2 overall ranking on Kindle and the top spot in a number of subcategories. Elation followed.

That brought me to another option in early November - permafree. By offering my first book in the Prairie Winds Golf Course series - Lifetime Loser - for free on a number of sites, Amazon Kindle matched the price - FREE! Rather than working within the constraints of the Kindle Select program I've had the chance to give away Lifetime Loser for a longer period of time.

The results have been staggering. Even though the title is available on iBooks, B & N's The Nook, Kobo, Scribd, and 24symbols, Amazon Kindle has created 95% of the downloads. I attribute that to a host of marketing programs that are geared to Kindle books.

On January 11, 2016 I'd like for you to download Lifetime Loser when I use the Kindle marketing program that created a lot of the success on the other titles. Expect Lifetime Loser to climb to the top of all of the Kindle charts.

In case you were wondering, it's a heckuva story. A good subtitle would be How To Steal a Golf Course. The widow of an estate is swindled. A criminal vs. civil justice drama ensues after the IRS opens an investigation. Read how the victim reacts in this character-based thriller. But most importantly - Enjoy!

Use the Calendar to Sell Your Books!

All of us who are involved in the world of writing and publishing have explored ways to expand our marketing efforts. Many times, as a little guy, it has seemed like getting the word out about my books to the large audience that I desire is an insurmountable task. However, with my fourth release, Opur’s Blade, we tried something different and I wanted to share the exciting results.

Do you know how those bestseller lists that you see with online distributors such as Amazon are determined?  If you want to succeed at the game, you need to know the process.  We set out to do just that.

With several sites, one of the requirements is a large number of sales in a very short, concentrated time frame. We found that is the case with Amazon. With this knowledge, the gears were set in motion.

Opur’s Blade was categorized as a sports/fiction book on that global online bookseller. We told the world, through social media and traditional outlets, that we hoped people would purchase this new release on 10/10/10 and asked those who were considering buying the book to hold off until this date.

Bingo! Our efforts succeeded. With those sales, Opur’s Blade rose to at least #17 on the best-seller list at Amazon in the sports/fiction grouping and stood next to authors with names like Patterson, Grisham, and other notable literary figures. For a short while it was gratifying but alas, it didn’t last forever. At the end of the day, though, I can say that Opur’s Blade rose to lofty heights on the bestseller list at Amazon.  And, I know that this campaign exposed my work to many people who may not have discovered it otherwise.

We’ll certainly use this strategy with Pabby’s Score when it is released. You should try it, too!

My New Novel Confronts a Broken Legal and Political System

My upcoming novel, Pabby’s Score, which is scheduled to be released later this year, makes a strong statement about the controversial advocacy and lack of ethical standards that exists among some in the legal community.

If you’ve read any of my previous books, you know that the characters that I’ve created are opinionated and have a lot to say about controversial social issues as they play a round or two at Prairie Winds Golf Course. Add a candid look at the high level of hypocrisy that we encounter in American society emanating from those in professional circles that are supposedly designed to vet these issues in a fair and judicious manner, and I hopefully have created another work that will spark heated and thoughtful discussions among my readers.

In Pabby’s Score, the collective opinion about politicians, judges, and lawyers among the regulars who bring their five irons to club house on a regular basis is not flattering.  With the mismanagement of government that is occurring on both sides of the aisle and playing out on the news every night, controversial court rulings that seem to fly in the face of our foundations as a nation, and a litigious society that makes a mockery of the serious nature with which legal challenges should be presented, I thought that it would be a suitable time for the regular players at the golf course to voice their displeasure with our leaders.

With this newest release, you’ll find civil justice (or injustice) as criminal acts come to the forefront and the web of involvement by respected members of the community bring into question the value of our leadership. I will be curious to learn if, after reading Pabby’s Score, your thoughts on the current state of our judicial and political process are the same as the guys in the clubhouse.  If that turns out to be the case, we are a people ready for some sweeping changes in how our legal and leadership systems operate.

The Blogging Hiatus is Over!

OK, it's been a while.  I have been absent from my blog for nearly a year, but my silence was with good reason.  I took some time off from this component of my outreach efforts to focus on writing and editing a new novel, Pabby's Score, and to refine the methods through which I am marketing my published works--Lifetime Loser, Finish Line, Tuey's Course, and Opur's Blade.  It's been a great time of growth for me as an author, and I look forward to sharing what I have learned and some insights into my new work as I now move forward with this blog.

I am excited about the upcoming release of Pabby's Score.  If you have read any of my previous books, you know that I give great importance to strong and honest character development and try to create situations that weave these fictional individuals into story lines that are raw with emotion.  Of course, along the way my love of golf offers an essential backdrop to all that unfolds!

Pabby's Score will feature unscrupulous politicians (research wasn't difficult to find there!), corrupt police officers, Internet dating, horse track betting, and dementia.  Each element is an essential piece in crafting a novel that would not be complete without it.  I will share more details as the October release date draws closer!

For those who have been following my work since the release of Lifetime Loser several years ago . . . thank you.  For those who may just be discovering my books and blog now, I look forward to getting to know you and I would love to hear your feedback at any time.  Please check back here often for fresh material and posting of important announcements.  I'm glad to be back!

Thank you Simon for the great book review of "Lifetime Loser"

May 20th, 2008
by Simon Barrett in Book Reviews

This is James Ross’ first exploration into the literary world, and he should pat himself on the back for producing a very well designed and executed story. I like my heroes heroic and my

villains villainous, and Ross delivers.

Being a book reviewer, I maybe treat reading a little different from most people. I pick up a book, check the number of pages, the typeface, and font size. "Lifetime Loser" based on my reading criteria looked like a two, or at most 3 day adventure. How wrong I was, it took me over a week to read this book. The plot lines are intricate, and the character development intricately and cleverly handled. I knew I was in trouble when at the end of my first day of reading I had barely scratched the first 50 pages. I took some time out to think about this shocking statistic. It wasn’t that I had lost my touch at the art of reading, it was just that there was so much detail that was so well written, it took time to assemble and file the information.

OK, I suppose you want to know what the book is about?

Our hero is J. W. Schoeder (aka J Dub), we meet him as a young man who has a flair for the game of golf, his father having taught him all he can about this gentleman’s game. J Dub has a chance to make it to the big league, a player on the PGA. One momentary lapse of concentration wrenches defeat from the jaws of victory, and J Dub loses his opportunity. What next for this young man and his pregnant wife? A life giving golf lessons at the local driving range?

J Dub’s angel comes in the form of one Lewford E. Zerrmann. Lew is a ‘land man’ and has recently purchased a rather run down golf course, he needs someone with a knowledge of the game to run it for him. Better still, because Lew is such a nice guy he will offer a partnership, J Dub can have have 20% of the business, and a first option to buy should J Dub wish to become a sole owner.

15 years elapse, and about the only thing J Dub knows for sure is that his partner is no gentleman, he has no people skills, and seems to be hell bent of driving customers away. The golf course on the other hand is a popular spot, cash flow is great, yet their never seems to be any money left in the bank after expenses have been paid.

As the relationship becomes increasing strained J Dub is forced to start looking around, and talking to people. What he hears and sees does not make for a pretty picture. He must know make a decision, to walk away from 15 years of sweat equity or stay and fight?

This is a great book, it has murder, swindles, forgery, tax evasion, pretty much everything you could want in a great read. Lew has all of the social skills of Rattle Snake, while naïve J Dub plods gently along at his own pace. In a David V Goliath battle who will win?

I will not give the intricacies of the plot away, and neither will I spoil the ending, but I will whet your appetite with the fact that the ending will come as a big surprise.

You can pick up your copy from Amazon.

Simon Barrett
http://zzsimonb.blogspot.com/