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  1. ChickenHawk

    [PROGRESS THREAD] ChickenHawk's Self-Published Fiction EBooks

    GOLD! 
    Wanna see one reason I'm so thankful for the Fastlane? Well, here it is. These are my workspaces before and after. See that cubicle? That's where I spent most of my days. Windowless. Musty-smelling. Littered with sticky mouse-traps, along with the occasional belly-up cockroach. Too cold or too...
  2. ChickenHawk

    [PROGRESS THREAD] ChickenHawk's Self-Published Fiction EBooks

    GOLD! 
    Gosh, it's been FOREVER since I updated this thread, and honestly, I feel a little guilty, because this forum was such a HUGE help as I got started. So in light of that, here's a quick update, closing out 2015. I just finished my tax prep, and here's an annual summary, along with some...
  3. ChickenHawk

    Short Story Questions

    PUBLISHING 
    Congrats on finishing your story! How short is it? Short stories are a tough sell on Amazon, but I still think your odds of success there (even if very minor success) are probably greater than if you submitted it to a literary magazine. The way I hear it, submissions to mainstream publications...
  4. ChickenHawk

    Looking for some great audiobooks

    The Millionaire Fastlane -- even if you've already read it. I've listened to it three times, because it's THAT good.
  5. ChickenHawk

    My First E-Book "Jak's Play" Progress Thread

    PUBLISHING 
    There's some good logic in there. But one thing that's missing from the above list is the excerpt (meaning the book's opening, visible through Amazon's "look inside" feature). If you decide to tweak things, that's also something to look at. As a reader, for me personally, that's the primary...
  6. ChickenHawk

    My First E-Book "Jak's Play" Progress Thread

    PUBLISHING 
    Well, I'm almost afraid to weigh in on this, but here goes...The best judge of whether or not people "love it" is whether or not it's selling to strangers. If your book can get strangers to part with their cash or their time, you have proof that your book is loved. Otherwise, you only have what...
  7. ChickenHawk

    Freedom vs. Children

    NOTABLE! PEOPLE 
    I'm thankful for this, and here's why. When you see smart people having kids AND fulfilling their dreams, it's one step against the rising tide of idiocracy. (See the movie "Idiocracy" if you don't know what I'm referring to.) Thanks for the shout-out! It's true. I was working full time and had...
  8. ChickenHawk

    My First E-Book "Jak's Play" Progress Thread

    PUBLISHING 
    The answer is a bit complicated, because what's usually considered my "first" book was really the seventh book I'd ever written. But the audience didn't know that of course, so here's the way it worked. (For purposes of explanation below, I'll just dub that breakout book Book#1, because it was...
  9. ChickenHawk

    Starting my Fastlane journey with Self Publishing!

    EXECUTION 
    Congrats on your progress so far! About Your Book: I really like the cover. It's nice and professional-looking. I see you have it priced for free right now. I think that's smart, because it can help you get new readers. If/when you end the free run, I wouldn't price this book any higher than 99...
  10. ChickenHawk

    My First E-Book "Jak's Play" Progress Thread

    PUBLISHING 
    I actually disagree with this. IMO, when writing your first fiction book, the most important thing is to get it out there. Even if f I were starting out, brand-new, I'd still write and release the book first, and then worry about marketing afterward. (If I even DID marketing. If you only have...
  11. ChickenHawk

    2 Questions regarding Amazon KDP!

    PUBLISHING 
    I'm with @mws87. 1. I'm betting you have images or photos in there. Those really increase your file-size. 2. Yup, all you should need is a pen name.
  12. ChickenHawk

    My First E-Book "Jak's Play" Progress Thread

    PUBLISHING 
    A thought...At $4.99, your price-point is on the high side for a beginning indy author. Remember, your goal at this stage is to build an audience, even if it loses you some short-term profits. During my first year, my highest price-point was $2.99 for a full-length novel. Now, my highest...
  13. ChickenHawk

    [PROGRESS THREAD] ChickenHawk's Self-Published Fiction EBooks

    GOLD! 
    Just a quick update... I haven't posted in a while, because I've been in near-seclusion, writing my little heart out. I still write too darn slow, but I don't want to mess with it too much, less I break what has been working fairly well for me. (Fewer words produced, but higher income per...
  14. ChickenHawk

    [PROGRESS THREAD] ChickenHawk's Self-Published Fiction EBooks

    GOLD! 
    So true. Congrats! A ton of people think or say they're going to write a book, but very few actually follow through and complete it. This, alone, puts you in a pretty rare category. On a forum like this, where you have lots of ambitious people, it's easy to forget this. But in the rest of the...
  15. ChickenHawk

    What does a guy have to do to earn 100 points around here.

    HOT! MINDSET 
    Holy Crap! @Vigilante has a ratio of 5.3 to 1. Not surprising, but dang, that's some serious value, especially given the fact he's posted over 24 THOUSAND messages. I mean, think about that, to not only post lots of stuff, but lots of valuable stuff, literally tens of thousands of messages. Wow...
  16. ChickenHawk

    The Value of Things (And Why I Don't Drive a Lambo)

    OFF-TOPIC 
    Wow, GREAT story and insights. Funny, my little SUV sputtered out a few months ago while driving up a mountain with my middle-schooler. For safety's sake, I decided to simply replace it. I could've bought something flashy. I didn't. Like MJ, I just don't want the attention or trouble. So I...
  17. ChickenHawk

    Hello from Denver - self publishing success

    GOLD! 
    Yup! I set rough deadlines up-front and announce them publicly. For example, I'll announce that book XYZ is coming in Spring of 2016. Then, as the date draws near, I'll announce a specific date. This helps keep me focused, and alas, in a panic as the date draws near. Panic is a fine motivator, I...
  18. ChickenHawk

    Hello from Denver - self publishing success

    GOLD! 
    Under this pen name, I've published five books so far. Right now, I'm writing my sixth. They're full-length novels, and I'm a slow writer. so it always takes me longer than I'd like. Basically, I'm publishing about three novels a year. I wish it were more. Must write faster!
  19. ChickenHawk

    [PROGRESS THREAD] ChickenHawk's Self-Published Fiction EBooks

    GOLD! 
    Thanks @Boyd for pulling out the above info! To add to the advice pasted above, I will say this. It's true I already had a lot of writing experience, but I still struggle with plot creation. I don't think it will ever be easy for me. All I can suggest is keep on writing. Take a sentence, turn...
  20. ChickenHawk

    Hello from Denver - self publishing success

    GOLD! 
    KU definitely has its upsides. For one thing, it's useful in getting visibility, since books in KU generally rank higher than books that aren't in KU. I also think that KU 2.0 is a ton better than KU 1.0. (Authors of short works will likely disagree though.) All that being said, I think the...

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