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Monday, March 19, 2012

AMERICAN MUTANT Review and Origin

I have a five star review for my self-published novel AMERICAN MUTANT. The best price for it where the novel is available in all formats is here at AuthorHouse.
My first two novels, ROC and THE VOID, were early attempts at the paranormal which was a pretty much unknown genre in the middle to late seventies and early eighties. They were typed up on an old Royal electric typewriter, and tedious copies had to be printed with return postage for all materials when sent out for querying. It cost enough to attempt this in the old days that when my son and daughter came along at the same time I purchased my auto repair shop, my writing had to go underground. When the nineties came along and vanity press became more affordable, I self-published five novels using my auto shop customers to finance the costs. I never said a word to them about writing, but I kept the books displayed in my office, and later in my comic book hobby shop. They received good reviews and the same people who bought those still buy my newer offerings since they all have Kindles now. When I’d recoup my publishing costs from one, I’d publish another, always trying the querying route first. It was much more tedious to be on the frontier of self-publishing back then, and nearly impossible to break through to real publishing.
AMERICAN MUTANT was my third paranormal novel. It went on sale back in May of 2002. Back in those days, I would be hesitant to open the galley sent by my vanity press representative for each book because every change or error had to be paid for. It was a great experience in the realization that editing is a writer’s responsibility – first, last, and always. I may not have been the dialogue tag and POV policeman I am now, but when I sent those four novels to the vanity press after my first foray, they were edited to the point I only needed to change a handful of words. As with most authors, I reread my novels to make sure I’m not repeating stuff. They hold up very well even with my experience battling through two published books’ full set of professional editing rounds.
AMERICAN MUTANT’s reviewer, Author RJ Parker, enjoyed everything about it I’d hoped for when I sent him AMERICAN MUTANT, SOTELLO, CASSERINE, and PEACE as a no strings attached gift because he liked MONSTER and COLD BLOODED enough to review them. Authors depend on reviews, and as my writing friends know, they’re tough to get. It’s nice to find a reader who grasps everything you were trying to do as an author. He's reading PEACE now.
RJ Parker is a true crime writer who has published a set of novels about serial killers. You can find them here on Amazon. After starting in December, Mr. Parker hit the 10,000 book milestone in sales earlier this month. He has already been interviewed on live TV from Canada, where he resides, after the Ohio school shootings, due to his writing of SCHOOL SHOOTINGS -Virginia Tech, Columbine and others which he gave away and donated to the Ohio fund. My wife, Saint Joyce and I both read his novel WOMEN WHO KILL. It may not have been as polished as novels are expected to be; but it was enthralling, and I don’t read non-fiction at all. Promotion is a talent I admire and respect because I am horrible at it. Having RJ as a friend has allowed me to follow someone’s success who really knows how to do it. I love to watch a professional work. That he likes my novels is an added bonus.  :)

6 comments:

Charles Gramlich said...

Congrats on the review, man. I haven't read your American Mutant yet. I have Monster qued on my Kindle, but I want to finish Travis Erwin and Patti Abbott's books next.

BernardL said...

Don't worry about it, Charles. I did this blog mostly to post about old time self-publishing back in the vanity press days, and the reasons behind it. I also thought it would be a treat to read about pretty fair success selling on Amazon. I don't have RJ's prowess at marketing and I doubt I ever will, but it's a kick following his success. I'm afraid I'll have to stick to my two realities - keep writing and keep the day-job. :)

Rick said...

Hi Bernard! We moved right after I got your books and it wasn't til a bit later I realized they, along with a pile of critical technical books, had gotten lost during the move. I've never been able to find them, and have always meant to write you about it and always seemed to get sidetracked.

I'll pick up a copy of whichever you most want reviewed and send to one of our reviewers at White Cat Magazine. Let me know which book you're most proud of and I'll see that it gets done. We have 30,000 plus unique visitors per month at White Cat, so hopefully this will get your work more exposure.

BernardL said...

Wow, sorry you lost the books in the move, Rick. I guess if you'd like to try one for review, COLD BLOODED would be my choice since it was published through Wild Child Publishing, and is available on Kindle and Nook.

Wouldn't you know it, I was alerted by three potential readers this morning that saw RJ's review on American Mutant, that the AuthorHouse site where it's offered in all formats has the digital version listed as unavailable at this time. I'm in the process of burning up the e-mail trail to their support staff. If something doesn't happen quick I'm going to demand my rights back to the five books I have contracted with them. You're starting into publishing, so you know the insanity of advertising products you don't have available.

Thanks for your interest, buddy.

raine said...

Congrats, Bernard! Good reviews are priceless.
And although I never tried the vanity route, I WELL remember the days of typewriters (mine wasn't even electric) and mailing the stuff out with lots of postage and a prayer. :)

BernardL said...

Yep, I had a manual typewriter before the Royal electric, Raine. I hated it. I can crush someone's hand even now, but in my much younger days, my fingers felt like they were going to fall off after a couple pages of typing on that old monster. The Royal electric kept me writing and got me through college along with two novels, but oh my good Lord was I happy after getting my first computer in 1994. You're right, it's super nice to find a reviewer who actually enjoys what I write. That is indeed priceless. :)