![]() Justified indignation or sour grapes! You can't open facebook or goodreads these days without seeing discussions about reviews? Do you need them to sell books? How can you get them? How do you track down and kill the one star reviewers. I am motivated to discuss them myself this week as I have just had the longest review ever - of over 100 reviews (for my book, Deadly Election). I was so happy with it that I have chosen to reproduce it here. Partly because it is a nice review, but also for the reviewers incisive remarks on other matters. As usual - there're amusing animal pics at the end - what respected literary blog would be without them! ![]() Take the short quiz at the end of the Blog and WIN a SIGNED PAPERBACK COPY of my BOOK! - I will put the correct entries n my fedora (google it!) and announce the winner on next weeks blog ![]() When I started marketing my book a million years ago in 2012 everything I read said I needed reviews to boost sales. It was the right advice, at the time, and may still be the right advice now. The problem now is that the currency of reviews has been greatly devalued - at both ends of the scale. There are many books launched now daily, with 5* star reviews appearing almost immediately. The suspicion must be that they are all written by friends or relative, who may or may not have even read the book. Or by the author himself through multiple accounts. You can even buy five star review on line very cheaply (see fiverr.com). At the other end of the scale there are the nasty one star reviews. It is one thing to give a negative review of a book if you can justify your comments, but many one star reviews now are just plain nasty, sometimes personal, and many authors have now suffered from a spate of one star reviews by one vindictive person using many accounts. Luckily, both of these tactics can be quite easily spotted by an experienced reader, but I wonder what real effects they have on the occasional shopper looking for a good read. I think the lesson to be learned is that reviews have to be earned, and obtained in ethical ways. It is perfectly fair to ask someone to review your book - with no strings attached. It takes a lot of work, but is worth it in the end. 30 reviews with an average of four stars or more - a couple of negative ones included, will give a real and genuine feel to an authors book, whereas 100 glowing 5 star reviews will not impress anyone anymore. The review I print below was written by someone who I do not know. He kindly offered to review my book - for no reward - when I asked for reviewers on Twitter. You will be lucky to find reviewers who will take the time and effort over your book that Eric did. Thank you Eric! ![]() Erik Nelson's review Jan 20, 2014 5 of 5 stars Recommended for: Anyone I own a copy, read count: 1 What can we say about politics? Let me rephrase that question by asking; what can we say about American politics? Let me rephrase that question again by asking; what can't we say about American politics? Before I go any further, let me just assure you all that I am not here to discuss the current events in Government. Anyway, I believe that we ( Conservatives, Liberals, Libertarians and Progressives) can agree that politics is a dangerous career to pursue. I don't think I have to explain the details to my claim. However, politics can serve many gods. One field that it serves well in is the entertainment field. I'm not just talking about Comedy movies or "Saturday Night Live", I'm also including all genres and the different forms of entertainment. One of those different forms of entertainment is a book called "Deadly Election" by Arthur Crandon. His story actually doesn't cover American politics. His story is set in the political field of the Philippine Islands. But the battles of American politics are very similar. The story begins with three young men meeting with their Senator; Enrique Consuelo who is also running for President. They meet with him because they discovered Spanish doubloons in a cave where politically related crimes occurred many years ago. Consuelo, being a typical politician ( in other words, fully corrupted) orders his "staff" to kill the men so he can keep the treasure for himself. But Consuelo just might meet karma when an eyewitness to the murders threatens to expose Consuelo for who he really is. Consuelo thinks that he can have his "staff" easily take him down but once he escapes their grasp and takes them through a beyond wild goose chase, Consuelo realizes that he is probably facing a greater enemy that his political opponent. "Deadly Election" is the story of a truly deadly election where people not only die but where people go through many mental stages that can easily hurt them physically. Had it just been for the typical political atmosphere in the story, it would probably just be a fictional repeat of what we see on the news. But Arthur Crandon added his own tone to the story. He made it into a political thriller. As I said before, politics serves entertainment well and that combining with Arthur Crandon's talent of entertainment giving, this book is a must read from beginning to end. Not only is it entertaining but it's also informative. I don't know if that was Crandon's intention to inform us a little but here's why I think it's informative; it's a wake up call. It's a wake up call to all of those people who thinks that politicians are one-hundred percent clean and have no skeletons in the closest. In other words, read this book and you'll be entertained while being given the harsh reality of a typical politician. ![]() My experiences in the Philippines helped me to write Deadly Election - it reveals the Lawlessness, the Greed, the Corruption and the unfairness that exists to this day in this outwardly idyllic country. It's a gripping novel with twists, turns, lust and intrigue. I hope you will enjoy it Other books by Arthur Crandon that you may find helpful in your book marketing journey......
![]() ARTHUR'S QUIZ. Send the answers to the email contact below for a chance to win (the answers can be found in Eric's review above). 1. How many young men meet with the Senator? 2. Does the book cover American Politics? 3. What does the Senator want to keep for himself?- Please friend/poke/follow/like as appropriate - you know it makes sense!
EMAIL - arthurcrandon@yahoo.com Twitter - www.twitter.com/arthurcrandon Facebook - www.facebook.com/arthurcrandonauthor Pinterest - http://www.pinterest.com/arthurcrandon/boards/ Google+ - https://plus.google.com/u/0/116929482513437171745/posts Goodreads - http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6622140.Arthur_Crandon
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Warning: This Blog is in three parts: Writing, Towns made of Ice, and Funny animals - Just to Confuse you! ![]() Now you have the opinions and comments of your beta writers in its time to change heads! Take off your writing head and put on your editing head. If you don’t have and editing head it’s time to grow one. It’s difficult but you need to look at your book as dispassionately as you can. You have to become a READER now. And you have to go through your book slowly, considering each passage. Does it sound right to you? Does it sound clumsy? Did you really want to know that? Are you getting bored? It’s likely that your future readers will feel the same thing if you don’t do something about it! Telling and Showing is a good place to start. ![]() As a lawyer I have and instinctive urge to write everything in the third person, and to TELL rather than SHOW whenever possible. This alone was responsible for a Major edit of my first book – DEADLY ELECTION. I’m getting better, but writing dialogue certainly takes me out of my comfort zone and I often have to re-write passages to make them sound more natural. I have developed a habit which helps. When I write a dialogue I imagine I am there in the room, or the car, or the office – wherever. I take a turn at being each participant and then I run the conversation several times from different points of view until it sounds natural. A novel cannot be ALL show or ALL tell. A balanced book needs a mixture of both. The trick is to know when to use dialogue to move the plot along and when to use narrative. ![]() A narrative scene can express the emotion, convey the atmosphere, build up the tension sometimes just as well as or better than dialogue. I usually approach each piece of action by considering if a scene – punchy dialogue – can do the job. If it can I will write it as such because there is no doubt that dialogue will excite and involve readers more than descriptive narrative, no matter how good that narrative is. Readers should feel part of the action if the scene is written well. When you send books to beta readers it may be useful to ask them when they feel involved and when they feel bored. If several of them make the same point, you may need to re think a passage or two. Narrative can certainly be more boring than dialogue scenes. This is something every writer has to watch out for. But good narrative, used sparingly, can serve to enliven the dialogue and move the story along. OK. Now, this has NOTHING to do with writing. I just found it so amazing I had to put it in. ![]() Some 10,000 workers have been toiling away at impressive sculptures made out of ice and snow for the 30th Harbin Ice and Snow Festival in China. The remarkable structures, which are incredibly detailed with windows, turrets and domes. There are some amazing sights in China and we rarely get to know about them. And now, If you want to know more about my writing and my books - here they are - ![]() "As Virgil entered the cave, the crate slipped from his grasp, he stumbled to his knees. The sudden pain in his left side sapped his remaining energy. His emaciated old body crumpled onto the dusty stones. A trail of blood seeped out from under him—the close range shot had shattered his kidney and punctured his lung. Kodama, the young officer, pointed his Nambu pistol at one of the younger men cowering in the corner. “You! Pick it up.” The lad scrambled forward to take Virgil’s place in an effort to stay alive, at least for a few more minutes. Breath came in short, painful gasps for Virgil, but he could see what was going on around him. The screams of his youngest daughter, Racquel, filled the air." “No. Please, I beg you, no. No hurt me, please.” This, my first novel draws on my experience of a beautiful land full of lovely people, but dangerous Politicians, Police and Military. Nothing is what it seems. I hope you will enjoy it. Let me know what you think. You can see more details and buy it HERE (AMAZON), or if you are in Asia, it is cheaper to buy it HERE AT SMASHWORDS ![]() I first published Deadly Election without spending a penny. It can be done, don't let anyone tell you otherwise. My book will convince you, and it's only 99c! You can see more details and buy it HERE (AMAZON), or if you are in Asia, it is cheaper to buy it HERE AT SMASHWORDS ![]() I planned my Giveaway over three months like a Military Campaign. I got 37,000 downloads and more than 100 reviews. You can do it in a Week! - because I tell you exactly how. You can see more details and buy it HERE (AMAZON), or if you are in Asia, it is cheaper to buy it HERE AT SMASHWORDS ![]() UK STUDENT VISAS will let you Study and Work in the Best Country in the World (but then, I'm biased.) My guide shows you how. You can see more details and buy it HERE (AMAZON), or if you are in Asia, it is cheaper to buy it HERE AT SMASHWORDS ![]() Canada is crying out for caregivers and other tradesmen - it's easy to get there. As a lawyer and immigration adviser I helped hundreds of people to get there - read my guide- only 99c. You can see more details and buy itHERE (AMAZON), or if you are in Asia, it is cheaper to buy it HERE AT SMASHWORDS Wait for it, wait for it!! As usual - the funny animals are making their weekly appearance - Enjoy Please friend/poke/follow/like as appropriate - you know it makes sense! EMAIL - arthurcrandon@yahoo.com Twitter - www.twitter.com/arthurcrandon Facebook - www.facebook.com/arthurcrandonauthor Pinterest - http://www.pinterest.com/arthurcrandon/boards/ Google+ - https://plus.google.com/u/0/116929482513437171745/posts Goodreads - http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6622140.Arthur_Crandon ![]() My New Years resolution: I will throw away all my socks with holes in them, drink two glasses of water with lemon juice every morning when I wake up (You try it – it’s disgusting) and I will continue to show readers ways to publish quality books – without spending a penny. There are four MUSTS for a self published book to have any chance of ‘making it’. Good Content, Great Cover, Great Editing and Constant, Quality Marketing. I’m starting today with editing, mainly because that is what I am immersed in right now. I’ll try to concentrate on a different aspect each week over the next twelve weeks. Well. That’s me sorted out for blog content until the end of March. As usual, to lighten the load, you will find furry funnies at the end. It is amazing how humour can cover up a lack of talent. In the beginning there was… the word. Then there was another word, and then another.. before you knew it, you had a book. ![]() Independent Authors are still on the rise. Self-publishing pathways are well established now. This is good and bad. It’s good that people can get their work out there, even if a publisher doesn't recognize their talent, but it’s also bad that many people throw their work at Amazon (who are not too worried about quality) without adequate preparation and care. Editing is not instinctive, it is learned. I will say straight away that if finance is NOT a concern, you will be better to employ an editor at every stage of the process. I am here to offer help to those who CANNOT afford to employ an editor, but care enough to polish their work to an extent that nobody would know they hadn’t. There is one certainty. If you want a book to be well received you have to spend either MONEY or TIME – it cannot be done without either. A very high percentage of books that are published on Amazon sell less than ten copies, ever. Most of these authors sit back staring at their blank sales report and wondering why. The fact that you are reading this means you have moved from the WHY? Stage to the HOW? Stage – congratulations. Now let’s get to work. If you have to self-edit, I suggest you follow this path. I am sure you will find ways to adapt it to your own style and way of working. Let’s start by presuming that you have finished the book and read it through a couple of times, cut out some dead wood and addressed obvious errors (I don’t mean grammar and spelling, we’ll come to that later) ![]() SORT OUT THE BIG FIRST AND THE SMALL LATER By the BIG I mean the story line, continuity, which bits are interesting. Which bits are boring? You MUST use beta readers; fresh pairs of eyes. These are not experienced writers, critics etc. Just friends who may give you an honest opinion. If they say “It’s great, amazing. It’s fine as it is.” That means they are ashamed to tell you that they haven’t read it. Try to find five people. Different opinions are good. Remember it takes hours to read a book – it’s a big commitment from them – I reward my beta readers with a mention in my book. What you are looking for here is broad brush strokes, things like “I liked Emily, I want to hear more about her.” “I don’t understand why xxxxxx did xxxxx, please explain it.” Or “the bit about xxxxxx is boring and you don’t need it.” You need five people (at least) because there is a danger in just one or two people commenting. Judgments on books are, of course, subjective and just because Fred thinks there’s too much sex in chapter four it doesn't mean that everyone will. Other readers may ask for more sex. When I started writing I made this mistake. If someone made a comment I would often re write a piece just on the strength of one comment, only to find later that someone else says “Why did you take that bit out, I liked it.” Wait until you have all five (or more) comments back before you revisit your epic. Next week we’ll discuss where you go after that. Now, it’s confession time. Some of my earlier writings suffer from inadequate editing (and questionable covers!) – the content is still good, but my secret resolution is to revisit them and update them over the next few months. However, DEADLY ELECTION has been properly edited and I am now happy with it – check it out – your comments will be welcome. Make sure you don’t miss out on any bits of this series – subscribe using the box on the top (and up a bit) – they will go directly to you inbox then. Happy Writing, Arthur ![]() "As Virgil entered the cave, the crate slipped from his grasp, he stumbled to his knees. The sudden pain in his left side sapped his remaining energy. His emaciated old body crumpled onto the dusty stones. A trail of blood seeped out from under him—the close range shot had shattered his kidney and punctured his lung. Kodama, the young officer, pointed his Nambu pistol at one of the younger men cowering in the corner. “You! Pick it up.” The lad scrambled forward to take Virgil’s place in an effort to stay alive, at least for a few more minutes. Breath came in short, painful gasps for Virgil, but he could see what was going on around him. The screams of his youngest daughter, Racquel, filled the air." “No. Please, I beg you, no. No hurt me, please.” This, my first novel draws on my experience of a beautiful land full of lovely people, but dangerous Politicians, Police and Military. Nothing is what it seems. I hope you will enjoy it. Let me know what you think. You can see more details and buy it HERE (AMAZON), or if you are in Asia, it is cheaper to buy it HERE AT SMASHWORDS
![]() Please friend/poke/follow/like as appropriate - you know it makes sense! - Being particularly ugly, I have decided today to include a picture of my kids, Thomas and Talia. They are better looking than me, allegedly. EMAIL - arthurcrandon@yahoo.com Twitter - www.twitter.com/arthurcrandon Facebook - www.facebook.com/arthurcrandonauthor Pinterest - http://www.pinterest.com/arthurcrandon/boards/ Google+ - https://plus.google.com/u/0/116929482513437171745/posts Goodreads - http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6622140.Arthur_Crandon |
Meet the authorArthur Crandon is a lawyer, the boring office kind, not the exciting (and much better paid) courtroom type. He worked as a solicitor for a while before embarking on an interesting life overseas. He has spent most of his time in recent years in South East Asia, more recently in Hong Kong. Before that, Arthur lived and worked in the Philippine Islands.
He loves to fish, and play the piano – but spends most of his time writing, eating, drinking and sleeping – usually, but not always, in that order. His first book, Deadly Election, draws on his strange imagination and his experiences, together with those of others, in a land that, beneath a veneer of civilisation, operates like the Wild West and is very dangerous to innocent and gullible foreigners. STAY IN TOUCH
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May 2019
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