What Sends eBooks Flying Off Shelves?

Posted on April 21, 2011 by jchasenovelist

I read this great blog article about marketing eBooks from acclaimed writer, Robert W. Walker.  I’m reposting it on my blog because it’s filled with such great information.  Actually, I going to follow these instructions for my four eBooks to test these great tips and I’ll post my results at a later time. 

Here’s the article:

Selling the e-book with a Look!  What Sends ebooks Sailing off Those Virtual Shelves?

Some simple changes I made turned my book sales on Kindle from a drip, drip, drip to big sales. I just clocked in at 935 books sold in my slowest month since sales have been going well for me—December 2010. Now in month one of 2011, I have sold 1,140 books – all at 2.99. I make almost $2 (70%) from each book or unit as they say. When first I placed my work onto Kindle, I was lucky to make 60 bucks a month.

How’d I do it? What changes did I make? First I went back to my book descriptions and made absolutely certain of no typos or errors of any kind as well as rewriting to make each the best damn short-short I could. This made a huge difference in sales, I kid you not. Secondly, I went on a TAG binge, tagging all my books below where they are found on Amazon to utilize genre-specific tags like Occult Horror, Generational Horror, suspense, mystery, police procedural, supernatural, paranormal female detective, etc. and I linked using my name along side other more successful authors in my field. This did two things – by placing my name on tags whenever anyone opens my book list, they also get my author’s page coming up. By ‘associating’ my work with the work of say William Miekle—as he did me—I am seen by his fans, and he by mine.

I had an amazing spike in numbers since taking these steps. Of course promoting online is of great import but so to is professional cover art and editing. When I am working on a novel, I put it out there what I am working on, and I invite early readers, and it is amazing how much readers will catch. One does not have to pay huge prices for good editing as I have found my best editors – amazing editors – who love to read a book BEFORE anyone else help me create the best book I possibly can. Most people believe they had to pay out big bucks for excellent editing but truth be told many people pay out big bucks and get punk editing for their money. I’d rather have a passionate edit with no exchange of money than a so-so one that cost me a couple thousand bucks, wouldn’t you? I edit myself heavily and do many rewrites, but I know I need more sets of eyes on the project, so as I am doing a work in progress, I ship it off to people I have come to trust absolutely. This has worked out fantastically well for Children of Salem –
Romance Amid the Witch Trials, and for Titanic 2012 – Curse of RMS Titanic.  My payment to these wonderful contributors has had to be in acknowledgement only, and guess what – they have been tremendous about this, and they so love being involved in a project and seeing their name in the book, that I have never been sued or held up or yelled at.

Notice how on my recent ebooks I have chosen to use subtitles? I believe subtitles help sell the book with a look, so to speak…a bit more detail right there in the title. Which brings us to titles. One’s title needs be unique and grab-ilicious. Early on, I put it out there that I am looking for the perfect title. For my last two I conducted searches. For Titanic 2012, I set it up as a contest – and I got two titles I loved – and so I used them BOTH as you see. Titles can either be seductive and alluring or boring and repellent!  Think it through before you lock down on a title and as with so much put it out there for a search or contest as I did on my blog Dirty Deeds.

Robert W. Walker

http://www.robertwalkerbooks.com/

To view the rest of this article, please click here.

Posted in Writing | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Out & About Magazine – April Column

Posted on April 20, 2011 by jchasenovelist

Out & About Magazine – In the Valley & on the Coast – The South Bay’s Premiere Entertainment Guide.

Book Reviews and Crime Tips by Local Award Winning Author and Criminologist Jennifer Chase.  Her book review of Tess Gerritsens’s Ice Cold can be found on Page 32 of this month’s issue.

The Magazine can be viewed on line or downloaded to a PDF file.

The Magazine can be accessed here:

Posted in Writing | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

From the Archives of Serial Killers… It Began with Plumbing Problems

Posted on April 19, 2011 by jchasenovelist

Between 1978 and 1983, Dennis Andrew Nilson (A.K.A. Muswell Hill Murderer or Kindly Killer) murdered at least 15 men and boys in London.  Most of his victims were homeless men, students, or bar patrons.  He was considered to be the British version of Jeffrey Dahmer.  

Nilson was eventually caught after his disposal of dismembered human parts blocked his household drains in 1983; the drain cleaning company found that the drains were congested with human flesh and immediately contacted the police.

Nilson was cooperative and showed detectives bagged pieces of human reamains, the large sauce pan he used for boiling heads, and confessed to the gruesome murders of 15 men and boys.  He explained how he invited his victims home for drinks and then usually strangled them with a neck tie, often preserving the bodies for days and even skteching them.

Nilson came from a broken home where his father was an alcholic and mother was extremely firm with displine.  He gave authorities a well thought out excuse for his killing behavior due to his first traumatic experience that shaped his life.  According to his accounts, when he was a small child his beloved grandfather died of a heart attack.  His strick Roman Catholic mother insisted that Nilson view his grandfather’s body and lectured him about “impurieties of the flesh”.

Nilson had been enlisted in Brtish Army where he worked as a cook.  Afterward, he later took the civil service test and was actually a police officer for eight months.  From 1974, Nilsen worked as a civil servant in a jobcentre in London’s Kentish Town.  He is now serving a life sentence for murder.         

For more information and a video documentary on Dennis Nilson, click here:

Posted in Serial Killers | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

What do Writers Share in Common with Artichokes?

Posted on April 17, 2011 by jchasenovelist

Artichokes?  No, I haven’t lost my mind or in desperate need of a vacation.  Artichokes are one of my favorite vegetables.  More than half of the time throughout the year, I have an artichoke with my dinner or a chilled one for lunch.  You peel each tantalizing leaf for its delicate meat at the tips, dipping it into mayonnaise, seasoned olive oil, or butter, and ultimately end up with the “heart” – the ultimate delicacy. Yum!   

For those of you who may not be familiar, an artichoke is a “thistle-like” Eurasian plant cultivated for its large flower-like head containing many fleshy, scale-like leaves.  This so-called thistle can be cooked (steamed) and eaten.  I just happen to live near the “Artichoke Capital of the World”, which is located in Castroville, California.  They even have an annual artichoke festival dedicated to this remarkable veggie coming up in May.

An artichoke is a fascinating and often misunderstood vegetable.  It made me ponder on the fact that writers have some important things in common with artichokes.  There’s more than what’s meet the eye on both accounts.

There is often some mystic (as with artichokes) surrounding the writer who types away for endless hours creating a story for readers to enjoy.  Who are these lone wolves who spend more time with their written characters (it seems) than with their friends and family? 

What’s the purpose of eating an artichoke and peeling away at the numerous leaves?  It’s to get to the heart of course! 

What’s the purpose of writing a book?  Well… it’s to tell a riveting story (hopefully) with ups and downs, excitement, strugglers, and to ultimately propel the reader to the end.  You could say it’s the meat or “heart” of the story.  It leaves the reader asking many questions in the process.  Is it going to turn out all right?  Will the hero get what he/she wants?    

Artichokes and writers can be compared to some degree.  There will always be a little bit of mystery with each, but I promise some type of adventure will often ensue.  I hope that you will not look at an artichoke or a writer in the same way.

Posted in Writing | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Top 5 Questions from my Latest Book Signing & Appearance

Posted on April 15, 2011 by jchasenovelist

Thank you to everyone who braved the rain and came out to my book signing on Saturday in Gilroy, California!  It was great to meet you all!

Here are the beautiful hills that surround the city of Gilroy.

 

 

 I read a chapter from Silent Partner to introduce readers to Deputy Jack Davis and his four-legged partner Keno as they hunt down a local serial killer.  Also, I answered some wonderful questions.  I thought I’d share the top questions.

1.      What made you want to write about serial killers?

I’ve always been fascinated with the criminal mind and serial killers.  Basically, I want to know what makes criminals tick and why they choose to commit specific types of crimes, including serial crimes.  I’ve experienced first hand what it’s like to be up close and personal with a violent psychopathic individual who moved in next door to me.  I was stalked and threatened on a regular basis for more than two years.  My curiosity grew about these types of people and it led to study them academically. 

2.      Do you write everyday?

I write six days a week.  In between novel projects, I generally take a break of a couple of weeks to recharge my creative energy.  My writing days are typically long (10-12 hours), but I find taking several breaks throughout the day helps to keep me rested and motivated.

3.      Did you research police and K9 procedures?

Yes, I researched specific areas such as crimes scenes, K9 procedures and training, and various mental disorders to write Silent Partner.  I spent time training with the police K9 with my own dog and I rode several shifts with a K9 unit.

4.      What made you decide on a K9 cop as your main character?

I enjoy reading and writing crime fiction.  I realized that most characters are police officers, FBI agents, and private investigators.  I wanted to give a little bit different perspective on the investigating officer and decided that police K9 was a fresher viewpoint for a storyline.

5.      Do you work in the field of criminology or forensics?

I consult on criminal and some civil cases.  I specialize in crime scene investigation and criminal profiling.  I’ve been asked to view cold cases, look at forensic evidence, crime scene photos, and witness and suspect interviews. 

Posted in Writing | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Silent Witness Emerging in Forensic Science

Posted on April 14, 2011 by jchasenovelist

A ground-breaking technique has emerged on recovering fingerprints off of fabrics.  This new technique has focused on revealing fingerprint ridge detail and comparisons from various fabrics – such as cotton, silk, nylon, and polyester.

This could mean new, verifiable clues with criminal investigations.  It could tell investigators if a victim was pushed or grabbed from a particular area of their clothing.  Fabric will become a silent witness to an investigation.

The technique used is called vacuum metal deposition (VMD) and it uses gold and zinc to recover a fingerprint mark.  VMD is a highly sensitive technique that is already used in identifying and recovering fingerprints from smooth surfaces as plastic and glass as early as the 1970s. 

According to forensic scientists and researchers, the fabric is placed in the vacuum chamber, gold is heated, and then the fine film is spread over the fabric.  The next step is to heat up the zinc, which attaches to the gold where there is no fingerprint residue.  This process will reveal where a fingerprint contact has been made on the fabric. 

This new forensic process used to establish fingerprints and impression evidence from various fabrics will not necessarily convict a criminal, but used alongside other evidence will present a stronger case.

 (Photo shown above: A 21 day sample on nylon demonstrating palmar flexon creases – University of Aberlay Dundee/Scottish Police Services Authority)

Posted in Forensic | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

To Catch a Serial Killer…

Posted on April 13, 2011 by jchasenovelist

We hear about the great technology in forensic science and the continued advancements every year.  But how effective is it in solving serial murder cases?  DNA testing, along with so many other types of forensic testing, is behind in their backlogs.  That means the perpetrators are free to commit more crimes. 

Advancements of DNA testing have helped to close cold cases as well as link cases together.  Every law enforcement department throughout the country has unsolved cases that could be solved through recent advancements in DNA technology. Today, investigators who understand which evidence may yield a DNA profile can identify a suspect in ways previously seen only on television. 

Evidence invisible to the naked eye can be the key to solving a residential burglary, sexual assault, murder, and serial cases. The saliva on the stamp of a stalker’s threatening letter, the perspiration on a rapist’s mask, or the skin cells shed on the ligature of a strangled child may hold the key to solving a crime.  Without the investigator’s understanding of DNA technology and where DNA might be found, those cases may have gone unsolved.

The successful review and cold case investigation of unsolved cases require the same basic elements as the investigation of new cases: cooperation among law enforcement, the crime laboratory, and the prosecutor’s office. Investigators should be aware of technological advances in DNA testing that may yield profiles where previous testing was not performed or was unsuccessful.

For example, serial killer Francisco Acevedo was caught last year through DNA in New York.  Yonkers Detective John Geiss, the only police detective working full-time on cold cases, linked Acevedo to DNA evidence from cases that occurred in 1989, 1991, and 1996.  It had been after nine long years of looking at over a 100 suspects in connection with the deaths of three women who were raped and strangled.  All women were found naked, hands bound and bodies facing up.   

It wasn’t until Acevedo was arrested for a DUI charge that his DNA sample was taken as a condition of his optional parole application, along with the dogged investigation of a cold case detective.  Acevedo was charged with six counts of murder.  Several other cases in other jurisdictions are now being reexamined.   

Cold cases are being solved and prosecuted today.  For those murderers, you can run but you can’t hide forever with forensic science.

 
Posted in Serial Killers | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment