I’m stoked about my first teview. It’s from the tometender review blog (a top-rated GoodReads reviewer!).
A Curse That Bites Deep is available in paperback from Amazon or in eBook format from Amazon, Barnes&Noble, iBooks, Kobo, and Smashwords. Buy links here … http://www.thefensk.com
Help me get rhe news out, please reblog!
At long last, my second novel, A Curse That Bites Deep has been published. To help celebrate the release, I’m giving away several kindle copies through Amazon.
Ah, as with most things associated with a curse, there’s a catch. Follow me on Twitter. Not a big deal, the giveaway will guide you.
Here’s the link: https://giveaway.amazon.com/p/21b5f6291cccaac8
If you happen to win, please favor me with a review. If you don’t happen to win, hey, you can still be bitten by the curse, and $3.99 is not really that much … it’s likely cheaper than a latte.
More information at http://thefensk.com
You will have to read it and decide for yourself.
A Curse That Bites Deep, coming Saturday, October 1.
More Info: http://thefensk.com
If we were having coffee, I’d be in a big rush. “It’s all about the timing,” I’d say.
Or maybe it’s fate. I’m not sure. These aren’t situations I’ve created. Well, I guess that’s not true. Yes, I’m responsible, but the timing difficulties aren’t my doing.
You see, next Saturday, my lovely, talented daughter is getting married and we are in a whirlwind of final preparations. Here’s where fate comes in. That same day is the release date of my second novel. Yes, I had a hand in her creation and in the creation of the book, but the convergence of these dates is not my fault. Really.
We are in the process of going crazy trying to check off every detail on our multiple lists. Remember the shoes? There seem to be endless final touches and my lovely bride has made other crafty contributions as well meaning there are other decorations to tweak. And all of the contacts must be coordinated: Caterer, Cake, DJ, Photographer, Venue …
And in the middle of all of this, in the background, I’m trying to lay the groundwork for the release of my book. Thankfully, my publisher started doing “pre-release” earlier this year. With that, the book is already rolled out to the ebook retailers but in pre-release. That means readers are offered the opportunity to pre-purchase the book for a 25% discount. You just don’t get it until release day. It’s a good deal, really.
It also allows me the opportunity to do some of the promotion work early. That’s the only thing that’s keeping me sane about it right now. And outlets like Facebook and WordPress will let me schedule posts so I can set up some “RELEASED TODAY” posts ahead of time … so I guess the release will be heralded with at least some fanfare. I am under strict orders to NOT mention the book at the wedding. I’m good with that. It’s my daughter’s special day, not mine. Anyway, I’ll be too busy being the gracious host.
So I probably will miss coffee next week. Maybe one of my coffee buddies will pitch in and help my auto posts along. Oops, I gotta go …
—————————
Thomas Fenske is a writer living in North Carolina. His latest novel, A Curse That Bites Deep will be released October 1. More info: http://thefensk.com
BUY IT! He’s got a wedding to pay for!
If we were having coffee I’m sure I’d eventually end up talking about the video. “Video? I thought you were a writer,” you might ask.
Then I’d explain that there is a lot of business to being a writer and videos are one of the newer things. “Oh, you mean like movie rights?” You might ask innocently.
No, not movie rights, that’s another thing entirely. Getting started in this business requires a lot of outside work that does not include writing. Some of it does, though, like this blog. Having a blog is part of a writer’s business, and thankfully, it includes writing.
I think every writer goes through this. One tends to see the dream of being published with a limited vision, like looking at the world through a paper towel tube. The concentration is on words and revision and editing. Once the contract is signed there is a new harsh reality to actually having a book published: you have to help market the danged thing. There is a LOT of competition from other writers, especially in the world of independent writers. A new author must master a number of different new skills, like blogging and tweeting to get the word out. Website design is another skill. Of course, if a writer has deep pockets, they can pay someone to do these things for them. The idea is to get yourself noticed ahead of all the others. Sadly, you are just one of many.
“But what about the video?” you’d ask, thankfully getting me back on track.
Video trailers are one of the latest things. I paid for my first one, one for my first book. I was really late in the game for that one. It’s not bad, a little funky. It was cheap. You get what you pay for. I was going to pay the same people for a new one. I had an idea and thought I’d work up something to more explain my idea. Decided to use Power Point to see if I could work out my idea. I’d never used it before. I’m fairly technical but I had never really had a reason to use it. Microsoft bundles it in with Office … so it was there.
It didn’t take too long for me to realize that I could actually use this. A book trailer is generally text based, so why not? What I wanted to do required specific timing … visual effects that were timed with a specific musical score. This presentation software had functions that facilitated that. It took some time, especially to fine tune the timings, but I managed to work it out. Then I found out it would even export a video file. That’s a little funky, and it messed up the timing a little but I anticipated some of the blips and re-edited and managed to work through them. I’m sure I could use some other video tools but I already had this and gave it a shot.
Is it perfect? Naw. Is it okay? I think so. It introduces the story and builds suspense and introduces the mystery. The music is raw and edgy but I think it fits the video nicely. Check it out here … tell me what you think.
Note: replaced link with newer version.
Thomas Fenske is a writer living in North Carolina. His latest novel, A Curse That Bites Deep will be published October 1 — presales of ebooks are available now. More info at http://thefensk.com
My latest novel, A Curse That Bites Deep, will be published October 1!
My publisher, in association with most of the major eBook retailers, have decided to offer the a 25% discount on eBook pre-orders until the official release day. On the first of October it goes back to normal price.
That’s a crisp one dollar bill off, folks! It will reserve your copy and it will be available on release day.
This is a sequel to my debut novel, The Fever, and continues the story. Ah, but things take an evil turn in this one. People are dying, suspicions run high, and poor Sam seems to be in the thick of things.
More information and quick buy links can be found on my web page:http://www.thefensk.com
If you have already caught THE FEVER … you won’t want to miss this continuation.
If you haven’t caught THE FEVER … yet … well, there is still time!
Please forgive me this bit of self-promotion but I’m elated. Tome Tender Book Reviews just posted their review of THE FEVER and it is pretty awesome.
You can read the review HERE
Don’t forget, I just updated my Author Page on Facebook this week too. Go like it and let me know you’re out there >>>–>. Click Here For The Link
If we were having coffee today I’d admit I was a little depressed this week, because I’ve had a free promotion running all month and although it’s done okay, this promotion hasn’t been nearly as successful as I’d hoped.
“Free? How can you make any money doing that?”
The truth is, I don’t, but I hoped to get a lot more people interested in my first novel so they’d be ready for the publication of its sequel this fall.
“And you say you can’t even give it away?”
Well, a debut novel is often a hard sell. Nobody knows who I am, and it is sort of a mixed genre. People get stuck in romance, mystery, suspense and … well, it has elements of all those things but mostly it is just a good story about a man who’s obsession is his own worst enemy. Everybody who reads it loves it. There are twenty-two good reviews on Amazon. I thought for sure I’d get a lot of downloads when it was free.
“So, what’s the problem?”
I think it is because it is only free on one site … Smashwords.
“What the heck is Smashwords?”
They are a premier self-publishing platform used by hundreds of thousands of independent authors. A vast percentage of ebooks come from Smashwords these days.
“I thought you had a publisher.”
Oh, I do. But they also partner with small publishers like mine. Smashwords converts ebooks into ALL available formats and distributes as well, to the likes of Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and iBooks.
“Wow. So why is the free offer just available at Smashwords?”
They sell direct too; they have a safe online store of their own. Registration is free and they don’t spam or sell info. They are very sensitive to that problem. They are a good deal for authors, too, because the royalties are higher. You’ve heard of cutting out the middle man to increase profits? Well, in this case, they are the middle man.
They have a promotional period every now and then to spread the word about their own retail offers, and I decided to participate this time. I think people are a little timid to participate because they’ve never heard of it.
It’s too bad, too, because there are thousands of free ebooks available at Smashwords this month, not just mine. I just hoped people would take advantage of this great offer to give my book a chance. All they need to do is just register and use the code SFREE and download the book … for nothing!
“How do I do they download it?”
It depends on what the user has. In their FAQ they have instructions for all the major ereader platforms.
“What about the paperback?”
Well, the paperback isn’t free, but it’s available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Createspace.
“Well, this freebie sounds like a good deal.”
Free is always good … but the promotion only lasts until the end of the month. Time is running out.
============================
Thomas Fenske is a writer living in North Carolina. And it’s true, his debut novel, THE FEVER, is indeed free for the rest of the month at Smashwords. Links and more info about the book: http://www.thefensk.com
If you didn’t already know – I have my own book club over at http://facebook.com/blaisethebakerbookclub Join us there! And guess what? I have another new selection! This book is huge in detail and great in commentary and descriptive details. You’ll feel like you’re living in this book… “The Fever” By: Thomas Fenske I am highly […]
via Blaise the Baker Book Club – The Fever — Blaise the Baker
Call it lucky number twenty-one. Here’s a tidbit from the latest Amazon review:
The ebook is free right now but THE FEVER won’t be free forever, so take advantage of this special offer.
http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/557754
Enter coupon code “SFREE”
Warning: the sequel is coming soon, if you catch The Fever now you WILL NOT BE ABLE TO RESIST “A Curse That Bites Deep”
Scratching the Surface 
