My Books on Smashwords!

I had just announced a couple of days ago that Concerto was finished!  Just this morning (or was it last night?) I uploaded the thing to Smashwords, and pre-published it, to be published on Midsummer's Day, June 21.  There's nothing special about this day, except that it is the longest day of the year, in terms of the number of daylight hours, and is--not quite incidentally--the anniversary of D-Day of World War II.  Helen's Concerto has less than nothing to do with that fact; I just picked the date out of a figurative hat!

Of course, this gives me a couple of months to tinker with and edit Concerto, and I'm taking the opportunity to clean it up, but also to add in some background, without which would be a bit obscure.  At the moment, the story keeps backing up, because there's a big difference between a love story and just a history: the things people say, and the reasons they say them, are important.  Part of this love story is buried inside Helen & Sharon, and I really hate to have to duplicate any of that.

The way I'm rewriting it, I may not have to back up at all, or maybe back up just once, after having outlined most of the story until we get to the point at which Helen & Sharon ends.

I just looked at the author area in Smashwords, and thought it might be as amusing to you as it was for me, to see which books are selling, and which are not!  (Most of them are selling at present, because most of them are being given away free!  Hey, don't download them unless you read them, people!  I want to know how many are actually reading them!)

This represents a (somewhat misleading) stacked chart of the sales of the books every six days or so.  Actually, each day; only every sixth day is labeled.  One day a total of 31 books sold!  It was March 28th.  Around 5 copies of Helen at the Beach were downloaded (judging from the thickness of the dark blue band at the bottom),  about four copies of Jane and Jane the Early Years, three copies of Prisoner!, one copy of Helen at Ballet Camp (which was slightly embarrassing, because it was written in a sort of a teen style; but I love that little story, especially the characters of Hunter, Cara and Dena).  Then come four copies of Alexandra, a copy of Helen & Sharon--hey, come on, guys; that's an important book in the Helen sequence.  And it's free (I think?).  One copy of Helen & the Flower Girl, three copies of Galactic Voyager, one of Helen on the Run,--a pity; I think that's a book that's a cut above; anyway, three copies of Backstory: Lisa, Cindy, Pat & the Violin, a copy of Little John Finds a Friend, and two of Helen vs. Handel's Messiah.

Is there a trend?  The Jane books are selling better than the Helen books; stories with more sex are selling better than those without!  And free books are selling better than book that are not free!  I think I set the price of Concerto at $1.99, which might be too rich for your blood, but if you wait long enough, the paying customers will buy all they want, but there's sure to be a shop-soiled copy or two for free for you later in the year!  No, I'm not upset with those who wait to get a story at no cost, because I would do the same.  The difference is that I would actually read the book, while you folks might not!

I would dearly love it if those who actually read the stories would write to me care of Smashwords, if you're too bashful to write to me here, in the comments, and say how you liked the story.  You can say that it sucked, or it was OK, or you liked it, or anything you like.  Authors love those who read their books, not necessarily those who say nice things.  (Of course, we love those who say nice things, but speaking for myself, I know that the way I write, some people will not enjoy the writing.)

A little political commentary.

I am a liberal, and I vote Democrat.  I'm not registered as one, but that's how I vote.  Because I don't make a huge amount of money, I don't pay taxes, but I'm comfortable knowing that the government tries to provide services to the poor and destitute that I would like to provide, if I had the money and the time.

People are horrified at the things Donald Trump does and says.  (What he says is sort of an act; to please those who hate the Democrats.  A lot of Trump supporters do not support any policies except to frustrate and anger Democrats, and support Trump, the man.)*  As I see it, I think reacting to these taunts will only encourage him and his followers.  If we could rein in all our indignant liberal friends into completely ignoring Trump for two weeks, it would be the worst two weeks of his life.

On a related note, I wish the legitimate news programs would just report the news, and not try to explain it.  When they do, it sounds like spin.  (Hopefully you know what 'spin' is.)

Love (whether you read the books or not),

Kay

* Added very much later:  In hindsight, I guess I was wrong about Trump.  I said that his hate of Democrats was a pose.  At this point, it's clear that he really does hate Democrats.  He's identified all the attorneys general, who're bringing cases against him, as democrats, at least to his own satisfaction—and at this point, most lawyers who have observed him for the last seven years are certain that he's as crooked as—you fill in the blank.  At the very least, the sneaky tricks of Trump's lawyers make getting judicial rulings against Trump very difficult iindeed, which makes him a sort of Public Enemy No. 1.