This July I just did it and got a lot of things done.
I feel like it was a “just do it” month because I decided to stop fooling around and get things done. That meant two books that I’ve been working on for awhile got finished. Besides that, my total word count for the month was 118,446 words and that puts me up to 743,238 words for the year. I also put out 29 blog posts.
The big accomplishments were getting those two books done. Now I’ve got a clean plate, it seems, and I need to figure out what to do next. Let’s recap and look forward.
I feel like it was a “just do it” month because I decided to stop fooling around and get things done. That meant two books that I’ve been working on for awhile got finished. Besides that, my total word count for the month was 118,446 words and that puts me up to 743,238 words for the year. I also put out 29 blog posts.
The big accomplishments were getting those two books done. Now I’ve got a clean plate, it seems, and I need to figure out what to do next. Let’s recap and look forward.
Colter’s Hell & Winter
I’d like to begin by talking about something I complained about last month. That was the 1-star review I got on my book Colter’s Winter. It sucked, because the person didn’t even buy or read the book, and they admit as much.
I was hoping a reader would have left a better review since then, and someone was nice enough to do just that a couple days ago. Thanks!
It took a month for that better review to come in and the good news is that the book has not lost any sales over this, and actually did better than last month. Yeah, I got 36 sales on the book, which is more than the 32 sales I got last month. Go figure.
The book is now my eighth most popular book, and just passed 100 total sales. Perhaps that’s why I began working on the second volume of this series, Colter’s Hell. It’ll take the same approach, kind of a cat and mouse game between Indians and John Colter. This time there will be more tribes for Colter to contend with, especially the Blackfeet. Colter will have help from a Frenchman that escaped from them, as well as a young Indian boy out on a vision quest. All of it leads to a climactic finale that’s full of action and suspense.
I’ve already contacted the old cover designer and if I get moving on this I could have it out in two months. That’s if I get moving on it – there’s still a lot of other things that need to be done first.
I was hoping a reader would have left a better review since then, and someone was nice enough to do just that a couple days ago. Thanks!
It took a month for that better review to come in and the good news is that the book has not lost any sales over this, and actually did better than last month. Yeah, I got 36 sales on the book, which is more than the 32 sales I got last month. Go figure.
The book is now my eighth most popular book, and just passed 100 total sales. Perhaps that’s why I began working on the second volume of this series, Colter’s Hell. It’ll take the same approach, kind of a cat and mouse game between Indians and John Colter. This time there will be more tribes for Colter to contend with, especially the Blackfeet. Colter will have help from a Frenchman that escaped from them, as well as a young Indian boy out on a vision quest. All of it leads to a climactic finale that’s full of action and suspense.
I’ve already contacted the old cover designer and if I get moving on this I could have it out in two months. That’s if I get moving on it – there’s still a lot of other things that need to be done first.
Montana Book
The big accomplishment this month was finishing Feds and Farmers. It’s the 5th volume of Montana history that I’ve written, and covers the period of 1930 to 1960.
The book is huge, coming in at 443 pages in print format. I’m pricing the eBook at $9.99 and the print book at $19.95. That’s more than the other books in the series, but this book is also larger.
The print book arrived yesterday and I’m already reading through it. I’m going with a firm Tuesday, August 4 release date.
If you live in Montana, there’s a good chance some of the events in this book impact you today. Maybe you lived during some of this period, or your parents or grandparents did. You’ll get the complete rundown on what happened, and I truly hope you buy a copy and read it.
The book is huge, coming in at 443 pages in print format. I’m pricing the eBook at $9.99 and the print book at $19.95. That’s more than the other books in the series, but this book is also larger.
The print book arrived yesterday and I’m already reading through it. I’m going with a firm Tuesday, August 4 release date.
If you live in Montana, there’s a good chance some of the events in this book impact you today. Maybe you lived during some of this period, or your parents or grandparents did. You’ll get the complete rundown on what happened, and I truly hope you buy a copy and read it.
Thriller Novel
My political thriller novel Flight 370 is finished and ready to be released in a week, and just in time for all the new 777 wreckage that’s being discovered in the Indian Ocean!
My book takes a different flight path than that, however, one that’s going straight to New York. Yep, the skyline is being targeted, but not by who you’d think.
If you think our government is corrupt and the CIA isn’t quite what they seem, this book is for you. We go deep into the bowels of the Pentagon to root out the dark forces that are really pulling the country’s strings.
Thankfully there’s a Special Forces team that’s working against them, guided by the good side of the CIA. An international game of cat and mouse develops, and you’ll be treated to some Tom Clancy-style action and adventure.
I know you’ll get a thrill from this book, so be like 90 other people and join my email list to hear about its release first. I’m shooting for a Tuesday, August 11 release date.
My book takes a different flight path than that, however, one that’s going straight to New York. Yep, the skyline is being targeted, but not by who you’d think.
If you think our government is corrupt and the CIA isn’t quite what they seem, this book is for you. We go deep into the bowels of the Pentagon to root out the dark forces that are really pulling the country’s strings.
Thankfully there’s a Special Forces team that’s working against them, guided by the good side of the CIA. An international game of cat and mouse develops, and you’ll be treated to some Tom Clancy-style action and adventure.
I know you’ll get a thrill from this book, so be like 90 other people and join my email list to hear about its release first. I’m shooting for a Tuesday, August 11 release date.
Word Counts
For the past several months I’ve had the same word count meters on my site, the same books I mean. Here’s what that looks like:
That Flight 370 meter has been there for about a year, and now it’s gone. I’ll also get rid of that MT book meter. So that leaves me with just two books, which isn’t enough. Obviously I need to work on some new stuff, so this is what my new Works in Progress section looks like:
As you can see, I have 5 books now, 3 of them new. I’m making progress, and I’ll keep you updated. Some books will come in a month or so, others in a few months and some not until the end of the year.
If you’re a writer, I suggest you get some word count meters as well. I’ve been using Svenja Gosen’s word count meters for more than a year now. The German has some good stuff, and that’s what I recommend.
If you’re a writer, I suggest you get some word count meters as well. I’ve been using Svenja Gosen’s word count meters for more than a year now. The German has some good stuff, and that’s what I recommend.
Fantasy Writing Book
Awhile ago now I decided to bundle most of my old writing advice posts into one book, the massive 500-page book How to Write: Tons of Tips, Tactics and Tirades on Writing. I decided that I’d cut the fantasy section out of that book and combine it with the latest “how to write fantasy” series on my site.
The result is a 100-page book that’s 25,000 words. I’ve broken it up into four sections, and if you write fantasy it’ll be a big help to you.
I run across a lot of people when I do freelance writing, and many times they want to write a book. Sci-fi and Fantasy are two of the top genres they want for some reason, but the problem’s that they don’t know how to write.
Maybe this book will give them tips so they can write their own book instead of paying someone else to. That’s the idea at least, and a quick look at “Writing Fantasy” books on Amazon tells you that there are 5,151 of them.
Hey, my philosophy is get as many books/products on the shelf as you can. How to Write has only ever gotten 18 sales, but that’s 18 more than I would have gotten had I just let those files sit on my computer collecting electronic dust.
Now it’s out there where people can buy it and benefit, and this fantasy book will be joining it soon. I’m expecting a Tuesday, August 18 release date.
The result is a 100-page book that’s 25,000 words. I’ve broken it up into four sections, and if you write fantasy it’ll be a big help to you.
I run across a lot of people when I do freelance writing, and many times they want to write a book. Sci-fi and Fantasy are two of the top genres they want for some reason, but the problem’s that they don’t know how to write.
Maybe this book will give them tips so they can write their own book instead of paying someone else to. That’s the idea at least, and a quick look at “Writing Fantasy” books on Amazon tells you that there are 5,151 of them.
Hey, my philosophy is get as many books/products on the shelf as you can. How to Write has only ever gotten 18 sales, but that’s 18 more than I would have gotten had I just let those files sit on my computer collecting electronic dust.
Now it’s out there where people can buy it and benefit, and this fantasy book will be joining it soon. I’m expecting a Tuesday, August 18 release date.
What’s Coming Up?
Besides the books I’ve already mentioned, I’ve started working on a few things. What’s more, some old stuff is getting dusted off, having new life breathed in. This is what’s on the agenda for August:
Alright, that’s it for now. Thanks for showing your support, thanks for buying my upcoming books. Keep reading!
- Colter’s Hell: As I mentioned, this is Book 2 of my mountain man John Colter series. I’ve started the outline, the first chapter, and I think it will go fast. This story wants to be told. I suspect if I wanted to I could really make a dent in this book this month and put it out sometime in September…maybe. October might be better, so let’s shoot for then.
- Self-Publishing: I have a self-publishing/writing tips book that I’ve been slowly working on for months. I’ve ramped that up lately, and mainly I just need to write up 200 links worth of information. Yeah, just. Then it’ll be the self-publishing equivalent of Stand Out, a successful book of mine.
- Dulce Base: I think it’s time to begin working more on the second book in the Dulce Files. It’s very conspiracy-minded, just like the first book and Flight 370. My novels are also doing better than my non-fiction, so it makes sense to work on those more. Still, I do have a feeling this will sit for awhile longer as other projects take precedent.
- MT Celebrities: I really want to get back into writing about Montana celebrities, and I’ve been doing so. Well, let’s be honest…I don’t. I’m not that interested in this subject. But so many of you are, so I’m going to start again. I have a good post coming up very soon with Steve McQueen and I’ll be doing John Mayer soon too, and perhaps Justin Timberlake. Oh boy!
- MT Paranormal: I’m writing about Montana Bigfoot sightings, Montana monsters, and a bit more on aliens and UFOs. I’ll probably throw some more cryptids in there as well as some ghosts. Other weird stuff will also be added. People like this stuff, and maybe I’ll put out a short book before the end of the year – I’ve already got about 30 pages.
Alright, that’s it for now. Thanks for showing your support, thanks for buying my upcoming books. Keep reading!
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