Monthly Archives: June 2015

Authors! Your Free Book Is Worthless

Tara makes some good points. However I think the picture is rather more complex than portrayed in her post. For the author just starting out with few (if any) followers on social media programmes such as Amazon’s KDP Select can help to bring their work to the attention of people who, otherwise would have been unaware of it. For authors with a bigger following on their blogs or via other social media the use of giveaways may be less effective. My book, “Dalliance; A Collection Of Poetry And Prose” is not free and I have no intention of making it so. I have, however provided readers with free copies in return for an honest review (I.E. targeted use of free offers). It is, ultimately a matter of horses for courses. For the author just starting out free promotions may help. While for the author with a greater presence offering books free (other than targeted promotions) may not be so effective.

Kevin

Tara Sparling writes

You know you want it! Er… hang on. Do you…?

I’ve been wondering about book pricing for a long time. Specifically, whether making your book free makes me bothered about reading it or not.

And I’ve come to the conclusion that I’m not. Bothered, that is.

But before you start weeping and wailing (yes – you in the back, there) this has to be taken in the context of the market demographic to which I belong. And the fact that a clunky, unsophisticated and downright annoying scatter-gun approach to book marketing, which I keep ranting and raving about even though nobody is bloody listening, is yet again way off target.

I said before that books were decreasing in value – and they are, on two levels: both in sales and production.

Firstly, it stands to reason that if you charge me 99c for your book, or make it free, it’s not as valuable to…

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K Morris Featured Poet On Laura A Lord’s Website

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Many thanks to Laura A Lord for featuring me on her website, (http://lauraalord.com/2015/06/24/kevin-morris-featured-poet/).

Kevin

The Solitary Reaper By William Wordsworth

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I must confess to not being a lover of all Wordsworth’s poetry. I do, however derive considerable pleasure from the poet’s “The Solitary Reaper”:

“Behold her, single in the field,

Yon solitary Highland Lass!

Reaping and singing by herself;

Stop here, or gently pass!

Alone she cuts and binds the grain,

And sings a melancholy strain;

O listen! for the Vale profound

Is overflowing with the sound.

No Nightingale did ever chaunt

More welcome notes to weary bands

Of travellers in some shady haunt,

Among Arabian sands:

A voice so thrilling ne’er was heard

In spring-time from the Cuckoo-bird,

Breaking the silence of the seas

Among the farthest Hebrides.

Will no one tell me what she sings?—

Perhaps the plaintive numbers flow

For old, unhappy, far-off things,

And battles long ago:

Or is it some more humble lay,

Familiar matter of to-day?

Some natural sorrow, loss, or pain,

That has been, and may be again?

Whate’er the theme, the Maiden sang

As if her song could have no ending;

I saw her singing at her work,

And o’er the sickle bending;—

I listened, motionless and still;

And, as I mounted up the hill,

The music in my heart I bore,

Long after it was heard no more.”

A Review Of My Book, “Dalliance; A Collection Of Poetry And Prose”

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On checking the reviews of my book, “Dalliance; A Collection Of Poetry And Prose” I was delighted to see that a new review has been posted, which reads as follows:

“Kevin Morris shares his serious inner life in “Dalliance” in simple but often powerful poems and short, gritty vignettes full of honest feeling and meaning.

He shares his acute sense of hearing and touch and his connectedness with Nature and the elements. He feels rain and wind on his face, either warm like

a lover, or piercing and chill. His communion with birdsong reminds us that we are trapped in an over-stimulated electronic world out of earshot of the

call of the wild. Kevin clearly hears these sounds through and above our babble even in the pub, and may transfer his feelings onto them, sometimes his

sense of isolation. The pearl of this collection is a poem about the “eternal” wind, which has no regard for our petty civilisation: it is the ultimate

renewable power. The wind is from everlasting to everlasting. He hears the hoot of the deadly swooping owl intent in its prey. He feels and describes the

touch of the acorn, something he has loved since gathering acorns with his grandfather. His short stories are deeply felt and based on newstories told

with compassion. In sharing his gift, he opens up our own senses to the music of nature, the wind and birdsong, which is balm to the bruised soul. Highly

enjoyable!”.

Thank you to the reviewer for the above review which can be found here, (http://www.amazon.co.uk/review/R16IO99Q8EZCSG/ref=cm_cr_rdp_perm?ie=UTF8&ASIN=B00QQVJC7E).

Kevin

The Dangers of Naming Characters After Friends

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The danger of naming a character after a friend is, of course they may not like your portrayal and say “that isn’t me”. The situation is worse if one bestows the name of a friend on a character with significant flaws or a character who is, quite frankly an out and out rogue. Kevin

Michelle Proulx - Author

Yesterday morning, I got an email from my mother. She’s been compiling all the comments from beta readers for Chasing Nonconformity (you rock, mama!), and during this activity she came to the realization that I have yet to name a character after her.

Oh dear.

This arose as a result of my naming one of the characters in the sequel “Akaeli”, which was inspired by my roommate Kaleigh. I have a habit of calling her name in a sing-song voice when she walks through the front door, and have grown very fond of her name as a result. Hence, I borrowed her name, alienized it, and stuck it in Chasing Nonconformity. I would like to note that the character wasn’t based on her in any way, shape, or form — her name just inspired the character’s name.

Which brings me back to my mother, who put forward the question: Why have…

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Deliberately Bad Writing

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Inspired by this article (http://www.walesonline.co.uk/incoming/terrible-writing-leads-top-bulwer-lytton-7568759), about a civil servant who won a literary prize for deliberately bad writing, I thought I would try to produce something designed to make the lover of literature groan. Below is my attempt at deliberately bad writing:

It was freezing. Even the penguins wore fur coats while the polar bears refused to come out of their centrally heated homes. Bethany tripped along in her summer dress, without a care in the world, taking evasive action so as not to catch her 6 inch stilettos in the snowdrifts which had, somehow appeared overnight on the streets of Blackpool.

Pausing Bethany rummaged in the pocket of her skimpy clothing for the key to her front door. Or she would have done so had that garment possessed pockets which, quite naturally it didn’t.

“Blow me down with a feather”, Bethany said taking a closer look at her home, “I don’t remember buying an igloo”!

And The Logical Place For A Jar Of Coffee is …

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As an author, my mind sometimes wanders from the matter in hand and focuses on my writing. Yesterday I was making coffee. Not a difficult job as it merely entailed opening a jar of instant, spooning in coffee, adding milk and pouring boiling water into the mug. Yet I still managed to complicate this simple process.

“Why is there no milk in my coffee?” I asked myself.

On opening the fridge I discovered a jar of instant coffee comfortably ensconced next to the milk. Now I distinctly remember taking the milk out of the fridge. However instead of pouring milk into the mug I had returned it unopened to the fridge together with the jar of instant coffee!

On another occasion so intent was I on contemplating matters of a literary nature that I added both a tea bag and instant coffee to my mug. Now I am a relatively adventurous soul and am always willing to try out new things. I did, however draw the line at coffee mixed with tea!

I would be interested to hear from authors and readers. Am I alone in my odd coffee making habits?! I suspect others fall prey to the distraction of the book they are working on or reading and do bizarre things. Would you care to share what they are?

Kevin

Oh For A Paper Dictionary!

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In September 2014 I wrote a post entitled “Come Back My Little Oxford”, (http://newauthoronline.com/2014/09/28/come-back-my-little-oxford/). In that article I lamented the giving away of the Braille edition of my Dictionary and explained that the work is no longer available from the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB).

I am frequently reminded of “The Little Oxford” when writing poetry and short stories. I wish to ascertain the meaning of a word or phrase, break off from my writing, go online and look it up. What is the problem with doing this? I hear someone ask. Surely the internet provides a wealth of information and unlike paper reference books, online material can be updated in the blink of an eye thereby ensuring the person in search of knowledge has the most up-to-date data at their fingertips

I agree with much of the above. It is impossible to deny the ease with which online sources of reference can (and are) updated. My problem with online reference material falls into 2 main areas:

By going online I am distracted from the writing process and fall prey to the desire to check email or social media while connected. Additionally many online reference sources survive by using advertising which can be distracting when all one wants to ascertain is the definition of a word or phrase.
I enjoy the physicality of books. Its pleasant to turn the pages of a hard copy work rather than search Google or other internet engine for the meaning of words.

It could be argued that I could avoid being distracted by carrying out online research prior to starting the writing process. Would that things where that simple. Admittedly I could, while writing note down words I wished to look up and research them online once the writing process has finished. However this can entail using a word and/or phrase of which I am unsure, marking it up for checking at a later point in time and continuing on with my writing. It is, in my experience easier to check as one is going along rather than using a word in the wrong context then, at a later point discovering one has done so.

In conclusion the world of online reference possesses many advantages, not least among them the ability to find meanings which may not have filtered down into paper works due to their newness. However this is, in my experience cancelled out by the distractions of the online world. As I said back in September 2014, “come back my Little Oxford”.