Mental Hash, the Blog of Author W. C. Bauers

RELEASE DAY, RESETS, AND THE RESURRECTION.

4/11/2017

NEW IN PAPERBACK - 4/12/2017

INDOMITABLE is finally out in paperback! It's a new book for new readers.

The ebook is under $10. It's a new price point for budget-conscious buyers.

Easter is this Sunday. Its a new beginning for weary souls.

My lawn is green. The eggs are coming. It's a new season.

It's a new day folks. I'm excited.

When you order your copy of INDOMITABLE (or UNBREAKABLE if you need to catch up), or if you already have, please tell your friends. When you do, whether it's a purchase or a post, email me at write(dot)wcbauers@gmail(dot)com with the subject line "RELEASE DAY!" and I'll throw your name in the hat for one of five Starbucks gift cards...so you can drink hot caf while you join Promise in her next adventure.

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New Year's Resolutions and the Myth of Perpetual Motion

12/30/2016

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New Year's Resolutions are like Perpetual Motion Machines. Both sound great in theory, but they lack the warp and woof of reality. Put another way, resolutions and machines require a reliable energy source to work. Gas. Electricity. Reaction Mass. Commitment. Good habits plied across time. Hustle. Energy only shows up if we bring it to the party. So, why don't we dispense with NYRs and PMMs and instead sketch out several realistic goals, and then later allocate the time and resources to accomplish them.

For starters, my first goal for 2017 is to write a monthly newsletter, which to this point I have not done, not once. Funny how my Mail Chimp account and auto-responder sat month after month, doing nothing for me. You signed up for my newsletter but you never got one. That's because I didn't add energy to the system to make it go-go-go.

Here's to my maiden newsletter and the first goal of 2017 checked off a few days before the year begins.

What else?

Playing more. That's a great goal.

Christmas at the beach with the boys ended with a crab broil feast. (Heather took the photos like she usually does) We don't have sand and surf in the Rocky Mountains. But we have copious mountains, and trails and untouched earth to trod. My dog's leash does a lot of hanging on the wall; I should really take it out, hook it to the dog once in a while, and make her earn her chow. The boys would love it. I would love it. The dog (Bailey) would love it. My waistline would love it.

What else? Writing more is a good goal.

Authors don't write more because they fear the blank page. I fear the blank page. It's BLANK. I have no idea what's supposed to go there. The truth is this: I don't need to know at first. That's pretty good advice. Maybe I should take it. Writing, like any artistic endeavor, is an exploration of the unknown. Really? My right brain doesn't believe my left. There's nothing so terrible as being double-minded. Ahem...foreknowledge is not a prerequisite for the creative enterprise. All creatives, including you and me, start with a canvas of sorts, and a subject matter, and perhaps some initial thoughts, or even a detailed synopsis, but what's there is still unknown. Art is built upon unknown unknowns.

Why don't we celebrate our unknown unknowns this year. I bet you have your own blank page, whether it's a book to be written or a piece of furniture to be built or a model airplane to be glued, or even a relationship to be mended. Let's celebrate our unknown unknowns by diving in. Would you do that with me?

What else? This one is easy. I need to sell more books. Selling more books is a very good idea.

Buy Now

Time for a reality check.

My first two books received good review attention and sold between modestly and modestly well, depending upon your point of view. I'm pleased with the results so far. Here's a quick recap:

Book one, in hardcover/ebook/audio has already sold enough copies to earn back my author's advance. In the biz that's called "earning out" the advance, and it's an important milestone in an author's career
Book one, UNBREAKABLE, was an Amazon and B&N, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, best-of-the-month pick
UNBREAKABLE, a debut, was published in hardcover AND downloadable audio read by the fabulous, Audie Award nominee Andi Arndt
German language rights are sold and published (INDOMITABLE releases in Deutsch in February 2017)
Book two, INDOMITABLE, was a B&N SF/F best-of pick, and twice an i09 best-of pick
Many outlets praised the books including: RT Books; The Verge; Asimov's; Light Speed Magazine; for more see here

The "sold modestly well" part is where I'm stuck but only for the moment. In my book, "I'm stuck" is an opportunity for growth, not a final destination. Books three and four in the Chronicles of Promise Paen are plotted and waiting for the next yes. Even though books one and two were profitable, and well-reviewed, they didn't sell to Tor's expectations. For the present, Tor is taking a let's-wait-and-see approach, which is a polite way of saying "If you sell more, we will come."

All to say...I need to sell more books. My first two books are no longer the latest volumes on the shelf. Publishing favors the new. But in a sense there's no such thing as an old book either. Books don't grow old so much as they become old when people stop reading them. My challenge is to find new readers. In the words of our first princess Carrie Fisher, "Instant gratification takes too long." Thank God. I've got time on my side.

What else? I need more spiritual discipline like scramjets need oxygen. Prayer and practicing the presence of God are very good things. For me, this amounts to setting aside a daily time to pray and read my Bible. I don't do either enough. I'm a big believer in the inevitability of service. We all serve something or someone whether we like it or not. I've tried serving a career, and I've tried serving the opinions and cares of others. Both left me empty. Serving God is the one practice that's filled the void.

So, that's a brief, 50,000-foot view of some goals for next year:

Play more
Write more
Sell more
Pray more

What are yours? Don't know yet? Take thirty minutes and jot them down. Use pen and ink. Yes, really. Crossing your own T makes all the difference.

More to come. For now, I have a vacation to finish. Heather and I try to get to Florida once a year to see her folks (I'm blessed with great in-laws), and extended family (high caliber people), and the beach (who doesn't love surf and sand?). H is never in enough photos, which is something else to address next year.

Peace,

- W. C.

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#iAmIndomitable Book Campaign and #Giveaway: Swag, Prizes, a NES Classic Edition, and more. Interested?

7/28/2016

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UPDATE (8/22):

Ian Olson - congratulations. You have an NES Classic Edition coming your way..just as soon as the buy links go live and I can order one - it's out November. But, you'll have it before Christmas!

W. C.

INDOMITABLE storms shelves in under a week. To mark the occasion, I'm launching the
#iAmIndomitable book campaign. Swag and prizes, the chance to appear as a character in my next Promise Paen novel, and honorary membership in Victor Company. Oh, and an opportunity to win a NES Classic Edition. Interested?

INDOMITABLE is out!. To mark the occasion, I'm launching the
#iAmIndomitable book campaign. Swag and prizes, the chance to appear as a character in my next Promise Paen novel, and honorary membership in Victor Company. Oh, and an opportunity to win a NES Classic Edition. Interested?

Details: campaign runs from July 21st to August 20th (BTW, I happen to turn 40 on 8/20)

Buy a copy of INDOMITABLE, and if you missed UNBREAKABLE, snag a copy of it, too. Print, audio, or ebook - I love them all. Your choice.
Email me to let me know you bought the book. Type #iAmIndomitable in the subject line. Scout's honor, okay? Trust me. I don't want to see your redacted receipt. We're all honorable nerdists anyway.
In the body of your email include your name as you wish it to appear on my website (see below for more detail).
If you bought a physical copy, say so. I'll send you an INDOMITABLE bookmark and a signed book plate that welcomes you to the Republic of Aligned Worlds Marine Corps (RAW-MC) and Victor Company.
Using my super-secret RAW-MC, real-but-fake military rank generator (probably dice), I'll assign you an honorary position in Victor Company, and post your name (as you want it to appear) and rank on my website, here. You could end up a lowly private or an officer of Marines. Do you want to know?
I'll enter you into a drawing to win a NES Classic Edition. AND, one lucky winner's name will appear as a character in my next book. Villain or hero. Do you want to know?
Use hashtag #iAmIndomitable and share this blog post to spread the word!
Winners will be announced during 8/21.

Thanks for reading and supporting the books!

Note: as of today, the NES isn't available for order. I've signed up for the alert. Once the pre-order button goes live I'll place my order. We should all expect backorders. Really. Blame supply and demand for that. If you win you'll get the retro unit of your dreams around the middle of November. Good luck!

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Geekside News: The Rise of Streaming, the Death of the Networks, and The Chronicles of Promise Paen

2/8/2016

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The guys from "Geekside New" were great hosts. We talked about our favorite TV shows (I'm currently enjoying the Shannara Chronicles), the rise of Streaming services and Netflix/Hulu/Amazon "originals" and the death of the networks, and of course my books, UNBREAKABLE and INDOMITABLE (out July 2016).

Zoe is a HUGE fan. I need 5000 rabid fans just like him. Someone, please help Zoe clone himself.

I hope you get a chance to check it out.

W. C.

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RELEASE DAY, RESETS, AND THE RESURRECTION.

New Year's Resolutions and the Myth of Perpetual Motion

#iAmIndomitable Book Campaign and #Giveaway: Swag, Prizes, a NES Classic Edition, and more. Interested?

Geekside News: The Rise of Streaming, the Death of the Networks, and The Chronicles of Promise Paen

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