Disney's Tangled is Well Worth the Ticket Price

Went to see Tangled with the family the other day and I would have to say that Disney did very well with this story. It's fun, action-filled with a few unexpected twists and turns, and packed with humor for children and adults alike (but not in that all too common 'adult innuendo' sort of way).

If you go to see it, or already have, let me know what you think.

Book Signing at Around About Books, November 27th.

I and a number of other authors, including Stephen Hines, will be at Around About Books (in Troy, Ohio) from 2:00 until 4:00 pm signing copies of our novels.

A book is a great Christmas gift, and a signed copy is even better!

Hope to see you there.

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Two Ends of the Pen Review of Flank Hawk

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Debra Martin at Two Ends of the Pen reviewed Flank Hawk
where it earned a 5 Star rating!

Click on over and see what she had to say: Review of Flank Hawk

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One Year Under a Million on Amazon.com

Tracking sales isn't something I obsess over, but I do follow a few trends. One of them is the Amazon.com Bestsellers Rank (for print).

Certainly Flank Hawk isn't going to be a NY Times Bestseller, and the odds of it cracking Amazon.com's (or even Barnes & Noble's) Top 100 Sellers are very, very, very long. But, for a title released by a small publisher (in this case Gryphonwood Press), sales must be decent and steady to keep from rising above the 1 million mark. The exact formula and impact of individual and multiples sales isn't something I've tried to solve. In my estimation, however, a sale can drop (improve) the ranking to around 100,000, with multiple sales being increasingly required to drop the number further--there is a definite steepening curve. It would take about 10 to 12 days to rise above one million, depending on the briskness of sales at Amazon.com. I also think with increasing numbers of books available, the increasing use of online purchases and the march toward the Christmas season, the rate of slide upward in ranking has increased since Flank Hawk's release in late October of 2009.

For those interested, the lowest (best sales rank) Flank Hawk ever achieved was 27,171. The highest was 936,329. I check once a day, and not always at the same time, so the highs and lows may have been slightly higher or slightly lower. And from what I can tell, the rank increases about 100,000 per day when an apparent sale isn't registered.

I know those stats aren't great, but I think they're respectable. Each sale equals another reader who gave Flank Hawk a chance. What prompted me to post on this today (I have another post in the bullpen, but it will obviously be delayed) is that when I checked this morning, Flank Hawk was down to 64,817. It hasn't ranked that well since November 25, 2009, one month after its release.

So, to those readers out there today and since Flank Hawk's release , whoever you are, a BIG THANKS from me and I hope you enjoy(ed) Krish's tale!

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Iorich by Steven Brust

It's been on my shelf for some time and I knew it'd be a good read when I could get to it. I finally did, and wasn't disappointed.

As usual, Brust's story has snappy dialogue and a fast paced way of telling the story from Vlad Taltos' point of view. Another mystery that he shows up solve. As of late, his novels have low body counts--Vlad is more on the run these days than doing work (assassinations).

Many of the old favorites play a part in this novel, from Morlan and Sethra Lavode to Cawti and Kragar (I always look forward to him having a part in the story).

Unlike some of Brust's novels, Iorich isn't a good choice for a reader to begin the series with. As always, I'd suggest starting with The Book of Jhereg.

One thing I thought was really neat was the "Deleted Scenes" Steven Brust included at the end. Very neat and very funny.

Next up is Tiassa, scheduled for a late March 2011 release.

7R's Independence Day in November

Click on over and take a look at Seven Realm's Independence Day--Celebrating Independent Publishers and Authors! Find ou thow to win a prize!

There's a whole bunch of great authors from a number of independent publishers participating, with Flank Hawk as one of the featured titles.

Lonesome Dove: An Excellent Novel that Translated with Equal Splendor to Film

Lonesome Dove, Larry McMurtry's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel is one book that accomplished a rare feat: The film version was equally well executed.

The novel is set in the 1870s where two retired Texas Rangers set out upon one last adventure: A cattle drive from Texas to Montana to establish a ranch there.

The characters and story line's adventure is about the best I've read. Maybe it's because the original concept for the novel was based on the authors original screen play that wasn't brought to film until years after the novel's success.

Adventure, Love, Courage, Villainy, Friendship, Hardship, Loyalty, Wonder, and Loss. If you're looking for an engaging read you won't forget, and/or a wonderful mini series-length movie, you can't go wrong.

If you have read the novel, or viewed the film version, or both, let me know what you thought. If you haven't, give it a shot and let me know.

Flank Hawk Sales Data: First Year

For those who are interested or curious, I have the last quarter of 2009 and the first three quarters of 2010 for sales sales of Flank Hawk.

A few observations:

Print Sales = 84%

Ebook Sales = 16%

Although there is an apparent trend: The 3rd Quarter of 2010, Print Sales = 48% and Ebook Sales = 52%, the vast majority being through Amazon Kindle. Sales through Smashwords and the Nook have been minor in comparison. In any case, ebook sales began to climb in the spring of 2010.

Sales through Barnes & Noble and Brick & Mortar bookstores outpaced sales of print through Amazon.com in the 2010, a slight reverse of the trend from the first quarter of 2009.

I don't know what this says, if anything. But in the end, I hope all routes do well. A sale is a sale, because it means someone else gave Flank Hawk a try.