#Marketing for #eBooks and Kindle - #AtoZChallenge

Today is the “M” Day in the A to Z Challenge – 2016.

Marketing: It’s something we all hate to pay for but most definitely it’s a necessary evil. If you’re an indie author like me probably the thing you despise most is giving your book away for free. You spent months writing the story. The next step is the editing and proofreading and the rewrites. You put a lot of work into developing the finished product.

Now you want to get paid!

Not so quick. It’s tough to make a buck if you don’t have readers. Chances are nobody has heard of you, let alone able to find you among the thousands of unknown authors in the world that have a product or two up for sale on Amazon.

In some ways I made that mistake. But what I did do was keep writing. When I did decide to pay for some marketing advice the unanimous suggestion was to have a presence on Amazon and Kindle. By that time I had 6 novels and a nice series going with recurring characters.

The next piece of advice was to give away the eBooks. I was distraught! All of my work was going to be given away. What a rude awakening.

I went to work to understand the various programs that are offered by Kindle Select. Countdown deals offer a reduced price that escalates during the promotional term. In another program an author can give away their title for 5 days during a commitment period. That has a lot of advantages if social media is leveraged properly. Finally, Kindle / Amazon will match competing prices if an author decides to offer their work for free on other eBook sites. That is where the Permafree option can be advantageous because the free offerings last more than the 5 allowed days when an author participates in the Kindle Select program.

I offered four of my titles for free over the course of a year. Several marketing services and free eBook services were purchased. With that paid exposure to eBook readers the thousands of downloads of my titles literally shot off the chart. My book ranking rose to the Number 1 OVERALL position on Kindle. Needless to say that Number 1 position was held in several sub-categories as well.

What did the final results mean when the promotional periods ended? It got me a ton of readers and reviews. Amazon helped to advertise my eBooks after the promotion. Sales and cross sales of my other titles followed. When Prime members and Kindle Unlimited participants read my pages royalties are earned.

It never would have happened without marketing. If you’re a writer that is serious about selling your books, then educate yourself about what is out there from a sales standpoint. Pay for some marketing and enjoy the success of being a published author.

James Ross has penned several novels from the Prairie Winds Golf Course setting. The stories are character-based, cross many genres, and have become Kindle favorites. Visit his website for detailed information, reader comments, and contact links.

Lifetime Loser – #Crime #Mystery (How to Steal a #Golf Course) Amazon BESTSELLER #AtoZChallenge

Today is the "L" Day in the A to Z Challenge - 2016. 

My debut novel – Lifetime Loser – was a book that needed to be written. The nuances of the story had been swirling in my head long before the white-collar meltdown occurred on Wall Street. Innocent civil fraud victims exist all over the country. Could these events happen to them?

Essentially a small town con artist – Lewferd Zerrmann – commits a heinous crime. He enlists the company of a deceitful accountant, a deceptive title company executive, a dishonest attorney, and corrupt politician to cover-up his actions. Their efforts are needed to steal a golf course and concoct a scheme to bleed cash out of the business.

Two victims are recruited. One is a frail widow who gets fleeced with a forged power-of-attorney form. The other is a young golf pro who is hand-picked to open the doors on a 24/7 basis. Fifteen years pass. A host of customers, business associates, and acquaintances have to tolerate the antics of a neurotic, paranoid, manipulative control freak.

When it is time to turn over the business it seems that past actions eventually catch up to the culprit. The fraud has created questions – most particularly to the IRS. Two investigators from the Criminal Investigative Division of the agency want to understand why the tax information doesn’t stack up. A complex and time-consuming investigation commences.

Caught in the cross-hairs is the young golf pro and his older business partner. Not only have criminal offenses occurred, but the civil wrongdoing begs for justice in a different courtroom. An unpredictable ending concludes the mystery.

The book has reached lofty heights on Kindle. During a free promotional period thousands of downloads Made it soar to the #6 Overall position. Its success in sub-categories benefited as it rose to #1 in golf, #2 in Crime/Fiction and #3 in Teen.

The book is avaiable in hard cover and paperback on Amazon and Kindle eBook downloads are available. Members of Amazon Prime and Kindle Unlimited can read the book for free. 

Try Lifetime Loser! Beware of civil fraud. Don’t let it happen to you.

James Ross has penned several novels from the Prairie Winds Golf Course setting. The stories are character-based, cross many genres, and have become Kindle favorites. Visit his  website for detailed information, reader comments, and contact links.

Kindle, Kindle Unlimited (KU) and Kindle Owners Lending Library (KOLL) #AtoZChallenge

Today is the “K” Day in the A to Z Challenge – 2016.

As an indie author it has been a tough journey to get noticed. There are literally thousands of writers in that category and most have a great desire to feel some sort of presence in the book market. Kindle changed all of that for me.

Ebooks have exploded on the market the last few years. When Amazon came out with their Kindle tablet they beat the competition to the finish line. Literally millions of books were converted to eFormat to be read on a Kindle. For authors it saved publishing costs and shipping costs. Still I was hesitant to jump on the bandwagon until I learned the parameters of the various programs.

I’ve spent the last 2-3 years understanding the options and have not looked back. Economically the eBook conversion makes sense for an author. Kindle Select has made it attractive for indie authors like me to get involved.

The Kindle Unlimited (KU) program is set up to benefit Amazon, readers, and writers. For $9.99 per month readers can select from over a million books to read. With a click the book can be downloaded onto a Kindle device and is available to be read in seconds. Serious readers have to enjoy that process.

The Kindle Owners Lending Library is available to all Amazon Prime members. There again the reader can select from over a million books. I won’t get into the nuances and restrictions that each program offers, but when all is said and done the choices are very reasonable for all involved.

Like many authors I initially fought giving away my titles for free. However I have found that the free offerings on Kindle have afforded me an opportunity to get thousands of readers which have led to cross sales on other books. I’m very grateful to Amazon and Kindle for providing the exposure and marketing to boost my sales. Without their help I would be like most authors – still searching for ways to get my written words read.

If you’re a reader that is a fan of the increasingly popular new eBook Bundle then feel free to try mine. Available now on Kindle are two 3-book bundles at a reduced price. They are James Ross – A Young Adult Trilogy and James Ross – A Character-Based Collection.

James Ross has penned several novels from the Prairie Winds Golf Course setting. The stories are character-based, cross many genres, and have become Kindle favorites. Visit his  website for detailed information, reader comments, and contact links.

J Dub and Julie – The Main Characters in the #Golf Pro Shop #AtoZChallenge

Today is the “J” Day in the A to Z Challenge – 2016.

The letter J in the A to Z Challenge is represented by the two main characters in my novels. J Dub Schroeder is the head golf professional at fictitious Prairie Winds Golf Course on the east side of St. Louis. His right hand “man” and chief assistant is Julie, the company bookkeeper and clubhouse favorite.

When I reached middle age my mind was itching to tell a story. It was fun to develop a setting with which many readers could identify. Golf is a sport that many have tried, but few have mastered. In my fictitious world the characters play a role that forces the setting to play second fiddle.

Business owner J Dub runs the operation. Make no mistake about that. However the register and counter top needs a suitable replacement when the main man can’t be around. Julie adds feisty fodder to an assorted lot of golfing misfits who are predominantly male.

When my first story was completed the characters were screaming to tell another. They have continued voicing their political opinions, conservative viewpoints, and humorous anecdotes over the years. Hypocrisy is alive and well in American society. The golfing regulars will remind everyone who walks through the door of that.

There is mystery, drama, intrigue, laughter, irony, and hypocrisy as the stories cross a variety of genres. At the center of the tales are J Dub and Julie who my readers have come to love. They serve the letter J well. If you’re an eBook fan try one of my eBundles. They are titled James Ross– A Young Adult Trilogy and James Ross – A Character-Based Collection.

James Ross has penned several novels from the Prairie Winds Golf Course setting. The stories are character-based, cross many genres, and have become Kindle favorites. Visit his  website for detailed information, reader comments, and contact links.

IRS – 3 Letters to Fear in a #Crime #Fiction #Mystery #AtoZChallenge

Today is the “I” Day in the A to Z Challenge – 2016.

Lifetime Loser was my debut novel that focused on the white-collar crime of fraud in a small business. However the story transcends civil wrongdoing when criminal tax laws are broken. Events can suddenly change in life when the IRS knocks on your door.

Lewferd E Zerrmann, an egocentric, control freak, committed a heinous crime when in the company of three party goers. To cover up the offense he enlists the company of a deceitful accountant, a deceptive title company executive, a crooked lawyer, and a corrupt politician

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Once the deception is put into place he recruits a naïve rube – golf pro J Dub Schroeder - to be the managing minority partner of a golf course operation. An unlawful death, an estate swindle, and bogus accounting to funnel dollars out of the business are buried behind years of dishonesty.

For fifteen years the sham goes unnoticed until the CID (Criminal Investigative Division) of the IRS follows up on some accounting improprieties. The criminal side of the law lays the foundation for a lengthy legal battle in civil court between two business partners.

Will the IRS prevail? Can the crook get away with the fruits? How will the fraud victim fight back? Are remedies available in the U.S. Justice system?

I won’t spoil the ending but Lifetime Loser has enjoyed enormous success with tens of thousands of Kindle downloads. During a recent promotional period it reached the #6 Overall position on Kindle as well as the #2 position in Crime Fiction and #1 ranking in Sports / Golf. Pick up an eBook copy and let me know if the IRS is an agency to be feared.

James Ross has penned several novels from the Prairie Winds Golf Course setting. The stories are character-based, cross many genres, and have become Kindle favorites. Visit his  website for detailed information, reader comments, and contact links.

#Hashtags – Who Would Have Ever Thought About Their Effectiveness? #AtoZChallenge

Today is the “H” Day in the A to Z Challenge – 2016. Let’s discuss hashtags.

Computers and social media have changed our world. Okay, I’ll stop the understatements. Who would have ever thought that our communication would be altered so dramatically in the process?

Twitter was born. Tweets with 140 characters took over our online presence. With that new form of communication the hashtag was invented. For those that are new to this label, a hashtag is the # sign that is used in front of a word. It is treated as a metadata tag to make it easier for users to find content that they are searching for.

The hashtag is vital for those that use social networking and microblogging services. Topics that are of interest to an online user are easily found. Groups with similar interests are easily identified. The infinite world of cyber space can be navigated more simply.

Online users that comment on articles or write blogs or post regularly on the internet can tag a word or group of words and more easily reach out to an audience. Make a point to understand the value of the hashtag. Their use reduces the online world to a manageable entity. Who would have ever dreamed of that concept two decades ago?

James Ross has penned several novels from the Prairie Winds Golf Course setting. The stories are character-based, cross many genres, and have become Kindle favorites. Visit his website for detailed information, reader comments, and contact links.  

A #Golf Setting For My Cozy #Mysteries - #AtoZChallenge

Today is the “G” Day in the A to Z Challenge – 2016. In that regard we will honor golf.

Middle age does different things to different people. Moods change. Behavior is altered. Opportunities once available seem to disappear. For me, that time in my life provided an opportunity to tell a mysterious story from a golf setting.

That occasion came in a roundabout way. Events and characters were swirling in my head. One of my golfing buddies suggested that the story would make a good movie. So after a golf trip he asked me what I was going to do after we returned home. I replied, “I’m going to write that movie.”

Needless to say he was skeptical. However it was the start of my writing career. After doing some online research I joined an internet screenwriting site. Soon after I purchased the proper software and the characters and plot came alive. It was agreed after several rewrites and critiques that the basics for a story were present. When the final version of the screenplay was finished I asked my consultant what would help it sell in Hollywood.

His reply was frank. “The book.”

I digested that for a couple of months and then admitted that I had nothing else to do at the time. I opened the screenplay and used it as the outline for my first novel – Lifetime Loser. A year and a half later after some rewrites and extensive editing my first novel was published. The feeling was indescribable.

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But then a funny thing happened. The characters were screaming to tell another story. One novel has become six. The recurring characters at the golf course serve as the perfect foils for the intrigue and mystery that surround the clubhouse.

The stories are realistic, character-based fiction. The setting is Prairie Winds Golf Course high atop the Mississippi river bluffs east of St. Louis. The screenplay won a lot of awards at various indie film fests but is now gathering dust. However the books are available on Amazon in hard cover and paperback version and on Kindle in eBook format.

Give my books a try. The genres vary but most lean toward the cozy mystery area. There is no doubt that you will like the characters. They are diverse, from all walks of life, and memorable. Start with LifetimeLoser. I’d be interested to hear back from you.

James Ross has penned several novels from the Prairie Winds Golf Course setting. The stories are character-based, cross many genres, and have become Kindle favorites. Visit his website for detailed information, reader comments, and contact links.