‘In this intriguing reversal on reincarnation, best-selling ghostwriter Roz Morris turns the tables on all of us who have ever dabbled in past-life regression (and other New Age aspects of metaphysics). Don’t expect just another fable of “who I was.” Expect a complex, intelligent journey into the heart of Western understanding of reincarnation: what it is, what it could be, what it perhaps is not.
‘Morris is a pleasure to read, an accomplished writer with a clear, polished voice and vivid insight into character and place. Is her novel fantasy? Is it sci-fi? Is it a new, groundbreaking mix of fiction genres? What’s the truth behind the story of an injured concert pianist taken further into a dark–even surreal–future than she can handle?
‘Expect the unexpected.‘
Thank you for the review, Victoria Mixon – writer, fiction editor, and author of The Art & Craft of Fiction.
Episode 1 – The Red Season is now live in the Kindle store. Right here. Episode 2 will follow on Monday September 5th.
I’m having a gosh moment. After eleven novels written in secret for other authors, here’s one with my name on it. And a review of its very own. I feel a bit like those songwriters who compose for other people and finally get to claim a song for themselves – a bit scared, and a bit like singing…
Thank you, everyone who has cheered me on. To the lovely people who requested ARCs and emailed me with their progress behind the scenes and to everyone who has told me how much they’re looking forward to reading it. Just one more thing – if you like it, would you do me a quick review on Amazon? Reviews make a huge difference if casual browsers pitch up on a page, wondering whether to take a chance.
Now I think I’ll get off the podium before I say something ridiculous. If you feel so inclined, you can find episode 1 here.
Nail Your Novel 
#1 by Daniel R. Marvello on August 29, 2011 - 11:36 pm
Congratulations, Roz! I just bought my copy. You did a splendid job of making it clear that this is the first of a 4-part series. I don’t think you’ll have any issues with confusion, except possibly from the terminally stupid. But as Larry the Cable Guy says, “You can’t fix stupid.”
I don’t know if the 4-part approach is going to work out, but I’m willing to help stack the odds in your favor.
Off to do some tweeting now…
#2 by rozmorris @dirtywhitecandy on August 29, 2011 - 11:46 pm
Hello, hooded man! Thanks for sending some magic in my direction.
#3 by Daniel R. Marvello on August 29, 2011 - 11:57 pm
You’re quite welcome, Roz. I see you are already up in the 16K range for sales rank. Not bad. You could have a top 100 seller on your hands!
Hey, maybe I could be The Magic Hooded Man! I like the sound of that. I need to go put on Dreamboat Annie to get into the right head space.
#4 by Tahlia Newland on August 30, 2011 - 1:32 am
Gald to hear it’s happening and going well already. Can I get it in an epub file somewhere? Not Barnes & Noble, they don’t sell to Aussies. Smashwords or Kobo or something.
#5 by rozmorris @dirtywhitecandy on August 30, 2011 - 7:06 am
Thanks Tahlia! At present it’s only on Kindle, but there will be a print version when the set’s complete. I’m looking into other options.
#6 by Daniel R. Marvello on August 30, 2011 - 6:04 pm
Roz: I know that Lightning Source USA has ebook distribution options that can distribute an EPUB edition (as well as a few other formats) to many online resellers. That’s particularly handy if you already have an account with them. LSI-UK might have similar options.
I’d suggest going straight to PubIt!, but I believe someone (and it might have been you) said that they don’t accept authors outside the U.S. Plus, that wouldn’t do Tahlia any good! 😉
I would avoid going to Smashwords, unless that is your only option. Their Meatgrinder does not produce a particularly good EPUB, in my experience. However, your formatting is pretty simple, so it might turn out fine.
***
On another note, I got about 3/4 of the way through The Red Season last night. I’m enjoying the read so far, and looking forward to finishing it tonight.
Your sales rank is already up to 7,455 this morning, so you either have a lot of friends or you did something right! I’ll be happy to add another 5-star to the only review you have so far.
#7 by rozmorris @dirtywhitecandy on August 30, 2011 - 7:52 pm
Hi Daniel!
Thanks for the info about LSI. I looked into epub and found that I can’t go through Pubit unless I have a US bank account. So that’s out for now.
It’s interesting what you say about Smashwords. This afternoon I’ve been researching it and to be honest I haven’t been impressed. Not so much because of quality issues – as you say, this book is very straightforward. But more because I’ve heard several accounts from different authors of conflict with the Amazon Kindle store – authors end up with their Kindle titles battling each other on price through software so that they have no control over the price of their Kindle edition. As Kindle is by far the biggest market, authors end up making a loss – and the only solution is to take their books off Smashwords. Not good.
On the other note… yippeeeee! Sorry, it’s rather exciting to have this book out in the world! Thrilled you’re enjoying The Red Season. I’ve been getting emails from readers who are joking that they’ve become hypnotically stuck in another life… lots of fun. The sales rank is looking healthy, especially for a first day – in the US it’s #3 in the Kindle store in the reincarnation category, and in books on reincarnation it’s #8. In the UK it’s #4 and #14 in reincarnation.
#8 by Daniel R. Marvello on August 30, 2011 - 9:50 pm
Keep in mind that PubIt! and Smashwords are not the only paths to EPUB. You already have a Kindle version of your book, which means you already have a MobiPocket version, and EPUB is *very* similar to MobiPocket (both are based on the same underlying standard – OPF). In fact, when I’m formatting ebooks, I start with an EPUB version and run that through the Kindlegen program to create the MobiPocket file that I then upload to KDP.
The tricky part is the distribution. That’s why I suggested LSI, although I know there are others (e.g. BookBaby). I also know that LSI has a UK headquarters.
I wouldn’t worry about the pricing issues related to Smashwords. Your book is priced at $0.99, which means you are in the 35% royalty category. If Amazon discounts your book (unlikely at $0.99), you will still get 35% of your list price, not their sales price. Only the people who get a 70% royalty are paid based on the sales price. A lot of authors don’t realize that they are handing pricing control over to Amazon when they accept the 70% royalty agreement.
The main thing is to price consistently. Amazon requires that you set their price no higher than what the book is sold for anywhere else. Keep it simple and just price the ebook the same everywhere.
#9 by rozmorris @dirtywhitecandy on August 31, 2011 - 12:10 pm
All good points, Daniel – thanks!
#10 by ccc on August 30, 2011 - 12:09 pm
Got it! Downloaded! And will start reading today. I, too, have a “too long for an e-book” novel that should be reduced, so I’m very much interested in how you accomplished this 4-part presentation. The premise is intriguing. I hope it soars!
(Buying e-books with one click is the most fun I’ve had in years! I’m addicted to Kindle. I wish I could read as fast as I can click.)
#11 by rozmorris @dirtywhitecandy on August 30, 2011 - 3:57 pm
Thanks – and I hope you enjoy the book!
#12 by Stacy Green on August 30, 2011 - 3:32 pm
Congrats, Roz! Although it’s not normally my style, this book sounds really interesting. Is it available through Nook?
#13 by rozmorris @dirtywhitecandy on August 30, 2011 - 3:58 pm
Just Kindle, Stacy – although there will be a print edition of the complete novel once all the episodes are out. Thanks very much for your tweet, BTW!