Is the KDP Select Free promotion worth it?

In my previous blog I announced that The Children of Isador was about to have three days free promotion via KDP Select - and it did! The Children of Isador reached #10 in the best-selling epic fantasy downloads and has gained over five-hundred potential new readers because of this promotion. :-)

Before joining KDP Select and taking part in the promotion I was a bit cautious - and like many other writers I wasn't pleased with Amazon's rule that you cannot have your book published on any other e-publishing platform when enrolled in KDP Select. Nevertheless, I'd heard great things about the free promotion service and was keen to give The Children of Isador a boost. I published it in on Amazon Kindle in June this year and although the sales had been ticking over nicely, wanted to give the novel a bit more visibility.

So was the free promotion worth it, and would I recommend it to other self-published authors? The short answer is yes. I write primarily to get read. Yes, I want to make a living from it, and a monthly check from Amazon is most welcome, but what matters most is that epic fantasy fans read my book.

 So, here are the Free download stats for The Children of Isador over three days (23-25 October 2012):

.com = 401
.uk = 100
.de = 20
.fr = 0
.es = 2
.it = 0
.jp = 0

Total free downloads: 523 copies.

I know there will be writers out there that get thousands of downloads for the free promotion, but since The Children of Isador is my first book I'm pretty pleased with these numbers!

If you were one of the five-hundred and twenty-three people who downloaded my book, I thank you - and invite you to post an honest review on either Amazon or Goodreads. If you have any feedback or thoughts about the novel, you can email me at: samanthajcharlton@gmail.com  I'd love to hear from you.

If you enjoyed The Children of Isador then you'll be pleased to hear that I've been busy writing more epic fantasy! Journey of Shadows (Book One of the Palâdnith Chronicles) is due out in December this year. This first book in the series begins the story of Seth, Eni and Val; three brothers who parted ways ten years' earlier and have not spoken since. Unaware of their unusual heritage, or of the sorceress pursuing them, the brothers are catapulted from their old lives and begin journeys that will test more than their courage. Keep an eye on my website: www.samjcharlton.com for updates on this book!

The Children of Isador, a dark, traditional fantasy about the triumph of good over evil is now available on Amazon Kindle at its usual price of $2.99 USD.

Are you a fan of traditional Epic Fantasy?

Upon reading the advice – write what you love to read – I began my first novel, an epic fantasy entitled The Children of Isador.

I wanted to include all the aspects of epic fantasy that I love – a great adventure, a quest, an exciting cast of characters whose lives are irrevocably changed by the events of the story, and baddies that are as fascinating as the good guys. I wanted to keep my epic fantasy traditional, and a bit dark.

Yet, there are a few aspects of this story that differ from the norm –  elements that I have wanted to see in my favourite fantasy reads. Unlike a lot of epic fantasy, which has a long and detailed build-up to the main action, this story starts in the thick of things. The enemy has already attacked and conquered – only a small handkerchief of territory remains. Things are looking pretty bleak for Isador. For an adventurous writer, this is a great place to start! I like to make the stakes high, and what better way to see what my main characters are made of than throwing them all in? I also have a fast-paced writing style. I don't rush the plot, but once you start reading, the story should sweep you along with its momentum. I’ve made this story as ‘epic’ as possible – to transport you to a rich, believable world and high adventure.

I initially published The Children of Isador in 2007 with Equilibrium Books, Australia. The printed edition had its own small success and the novel was shortlisted for the Sir Julius Vogel Awards in 2008 (for New Zealand writers of Fantasy, Sci-Fi and Horror). Deciding that I could improve it – I gave the novel a thorough re-edit and republished it as an e-book on Amazon Kindle in June this year. The novel has done a lot better this time round – due (I imagine) to its wider reach via Amazon and my changes.

If you enjoy traditional epic fantasy and a classic struggle of good against evil, The Children of Isador might be just your thing!

For just three days only (23-25 October 2012), The Children of Isador is available for FREE to download on Amazon Kindle (instead of $2.99 USD). Please take advantage of this offer – and if you enjoy the book feel free to post an honest review on either Amazon or Goodreads.

The Art of Storytelling

Are storytellers born or made? I'd like to think that it's a fifty fifty split between nature and nurture! I believe that you need to be born with some writing and storytelling ability - but that it's how you hone your craft that makes the difference. Writing is one of the few talents that many believe is god-given; you either have it or you don't. There's something unromantic about the idea of an author sweating over their writing for years before finally turning out a publishable story. Yet, other art forms - music, acting, singing and dance - require years of practice before someone can be called an expert. With this in mind, it follows that the more stories you write, the better they will be.

When deciding upon what genre to write, it might help to keep the following in mind:

1. Write in the genre you love
2. Write the sort of book you would love to read
3. Write your story for all those people who love the same books as you.

You'll notice that the keyword in all three of the above sentences is 'love'. Let's face it, writing a book and then doing numerous drafts and edits, is hard enough without writing in a genre you aren't passionate about.  That road only leads to disappointment and frustration. Write what you love!

So you've chosen your favourite genre - how should you approach the storytelling itself? There are various schools of thought on this, with entire books dedicated to the subject, but I can share what works for me. I start with a strong basic theme or idea. I often use the premise 'What if?' when coming up with ideas. For my first book, The Children of Isador, the starting point was around the main character: what if the only saviour of a war-torn land is an irresponsible, vain and shallow young wizard? My current book, The Citadel of Lies (Book One of the Palâdnith Trilogy, available on Amazon Kindle in early 2013), started with the premise: Three brothers. Three assassins. One destination. I imagined three estranged brothers who have not seen each other in a decade, three assassins who have been sent to hunt them, and the place where they will be reunited: The Citadel of Lies. From this, the first of three stories was born!

Some writers meticulously plan their stories before commencing writing, while others research their world and characters thoroughly and start the story with only a vague idea of where the story will go. I fall in to the latter category. I don't plot my stories out in detail before writing - not out of laziness - but because the storytelling must be an adventure for me. If I know exactly what will happen, the excitement dies. This might mean that I have to spend longer on the second, third and fourth drafts of the story, as I iron out a few plot creases, but it also means that the writing keeps fresh and alive throughout. This approach also leaves space for a bit of magic to happen along the way; characters can behave it ways you might never have thought of, and the plot might take a direction that will have you, and your readers, on the edge of your seats to the very last page!

Get writing!