Category Archives: Pilot Error

The (pipe) dream from the very beginning of my writer’s journey was to see my novels in a special display right up there in the front of a bookstore and push James Patterson off to the side, or better yet, spine out in the shelves with the rest of the crowd. But that was not to be, and along with a horde of other writers I’ve embraced the world of indie publishing, which to hear the legacy authors tell it, is tantamount to a plague like unto the Black Death for all that is holy about the craft of putting … Continue reading →

On Sunday, January 15, 2012 at 12:00 AM, the two-book Goodreads Giveaway for Pilot Error ended with a total of 640 members (out of a total 6 million) entered to win. That’s a tiny percentage, even when considering that the Giveaway was restricted to US members. That may sound as if I care, which I don’t, and I’m disappointed, which I’m not, because the important point is that Goodreads provides the opportunity to put a book in front of a whole lot of folks who love to read books, review them, and share with others what they are reading and reviewing. … Continue reading →

Since publishing my novel Pilot Error in mid-November, 2011, I’ve been struggling to get a grip on how best to utilize the seemingly endless marketing possibilities offered by the online universe. To use a shooter’s analogy, it’s hard enough to hit the bullseye without it moving, and indie publishing is in such a rapid state of flux that I might as well put away the scope and use the machine-gunner’s technique known as “spray and pray.” A new website recently arrived into this turmoil, originally named Super E-Reads. But due to a trademark issue, the owners have changed the name … Continue reading →

BooksOnBoard Reveals This Week’s Bestselling US Authors and eBooks WEBWIRE – Monday, January 09, 2012 One Cold Night, a crime thriller by Katia Lief–who also writes as Katia Spiegelman and Kate Pepper–made its way onto BooksOnBoard’s US Bestsellers list after debuting on the UK Bestsellers list last week. “Though it is still not commonplace, an increasing number of authors who choose the route of self- or indie-publishing are making a mark on ebook bestsellers lists” said Bob LiVolsi, founder and CEO of BooksOnBoard. “Katia Lief, Tosh McIntosh and Nina Croft are prime examples.” Tosh McIntosh’s thriller Pilot Error and Nina … Continue reading →

As reported in my last post in this logbook, I set up a “Seller Account” with Amazon and a shipping account with UPS to provide readers with the option of purchasing a signed copy directly from me. It seemed like a good idea at the time, even though I had no expectation that I’d get many takers. And in fact only one person has ordered copies to date. Five, to be exact, one for him and the rest as gifts. We’ve been friends for many years, so I felt no shame in asking if he would order the copies through … Continue reading →

I belong to the Novel-In-Progress Group (NIP) of Austin, which has the distinction of being the oldest surviving writers’ conclave in the city. Eight-plus years of participation have taught me many things, the most basic of which is that the creative cocoon surrounding a writer’s desk is both a blessing and a curse. A blessing, in that it’s a marvelous environment to gift your imagination with free reign to transport you far away into new worlds of your own making. A curse, in that if you never force yourself to leave, your words become chiseled in granite and gilded with … Continue reading →

In the off chance that someone might want a signed copy of Pilot Error, I decided to offer that option with a link on my blog. The first task in setting it up was to answer the question, “Where should clicking on the link take the buyer?” I’ve never sold anything from either of the blogs, so I had no order page, shopping cart, etc. Did I really want to learn how to set all that up? And the answer was “No,” if for no other reason than to acknowledge the very real possibility that I’d attract no buyers and … Continue reading →

Over the past two weeks, I’ve been making changes to the paperback edition of Pilot Error to fine-tune the cover and interior files. It’s relatively easy to accomplish that, but with the novel listed for sale, uploading new versions of either file to Createspace, Amazon’s print-on-demand (POD) service, temporarily removes the book from the “shelf” during the subsequent review and proofing period. Earlier this week, I had new cover and interior files ready for what I intended to be the final upload. To minimize the amount of time the novel would be off the market, and confident that the relatively … Continue reading →

The stack of folders on my desk with notes documenting the trials and tribulations of my venture into indie publishing has all but disappeared into the filing cabinet. What remains is as important as the archive, but from a totally different perspective. When I glance back at where I started this in early May of 2011, the amount of effort it took to produce six different manuscripts and two covers seems almost like a bad dream. And yet here I am once again, staring at a list of things to do and not knowing where to begin. That’s the bad … Continue reading →