News

Download

news@koenmartens.nl

September 2021

1 participants
1 discussions

Newsletter September 2021: Final cover Forced to be Free, publishing platform woes, two book tips and a spacey music tip
by Koen Martens 06 Sep '21

06 Sep '21

Hi there, The date is near: 18 September my first novelette, Forced to be Free, will be available on various ebook outlets. If you can't wait, you can still grab an Advanced Review Copy <https://storyoriginapp.com/reviewcopies/a8412d26-f84b-11eb-bcfc-ef989d96ebad>. Reviews are important, they help a lot with visibility. Many of the vendor's algorithms prefer books with reviews, and will show them higher on the list. *Final cover* MacSimski made the cover a bit darker, and I'm quite happy with the end result! Blurred and distorted image of two indistinct people walking down stairs <https://koenmartens.nl/pages/isolated-futures-1-forced-to-be-free.html> *Publishing Platform Woes* For the past weeks I've been trying to get the novelette up on the various platforms. So far, it's available on: * Amazon's Kindle Store <https://www.amazon.com/Forced-Free-Isolated-Futures-Book-ebook/dp/B09BVFMKL7> * Barnes & Noble <https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/forced-to-be-free-koen-martens/1140129956?…> There's still some details pending on some other platforms, the most important of them being Kobo <https://kobo.com/>. It hasn't been easy, each platform has their own intricacies and arbitrary requirements on things like cover images. What's too big on one platform, is too small on another. And there's a lot of paperwork. I can see the appeal in those aggregator services, where you submit once and they will push your book to all the platforms. I might consider doing this for my 'secondary' platforms (ie. Google Books and Apple Books), and concentrate my main effort on the primary platforms (Amazon, Kobo, Barnes & Noble). The most frustrating so far has been Apple Books. They really do not want people to publish their books with them. There's a lot of complicated steps with different accounts that need to be linked. Their systems are often broken, throwing 'gateway errors' and other obscure messages that don't tell you what you need to do to fix it. When, after trying all combinations of input settings, you desperately call Apple Support, they will tell you (after making you jump through a series of annoying hoops) that it's an issue with their systems, and their engineers will have to take a look. Apple also has very nasty terms & conditions for publishers, mandating pricing on other platforms and forbidding anyone to discuss the terms. Anyway, currently awaiting response to yet another support call. It makes me wonder whether it's all worth it. Apple Books is just a secondary platform for me, and if it fails because of their incompetence, I'll just not publish with them. Anyway, I'll stop ranting now, and let you enjoy this month's book tips and music tip. Book Tips Book cover: woman with robot arms against planet background <https://storyoriginapp.com/swaps/126a44ac-0aae-11ec-a58b-4bbce20505a7> Small spaceship launces two energy beams at larger spaceship <https://storyoriginapp.com/swaps/441765dc-0dc1-11ec-9c3b-0395ab7694be> *Strippers, Drugs, and Headless Corpses…* All in a day’s work for Bubbles Marlowe, HoloCity’s only cyborg detective. What do an anti-tech cult, a deadly new street drug, and the corrupt Chief of Police have in common? It’s a question Bubbles can’t afford to ask. Last time she got curious it cost her job, a limb, and almost her life. She vows to stay out of police business. But with a newly minted cybernetic enhancement, a semi-legal P.I. licence, and a knack for asking the wrong kind of questions… Vows are made to be broken. But as the body count stacks up, Bubbles realizes she’s made a terrible mistake. Can she figure out who is behind the murders before she loses her head? If you love glitter, grit, and hard-boiled badassery, you’ll love this new take on the classic detective novel because it's got non-stop action, lots of laughs, and a sassy robotic pig. Get Punched! Buy it now! Get it here! <https://storyoriginapp.com/swaps/126a44ac-0aae-11ec-a58b-4bbce20505a7> Gunnery Sergeant Ron Harper looked down at the ends of his legs. He would have preferred to look down at his feet, but they were no longer there. Having lost them in the ground actions on planet Barlat when his mech was literally sliced in two by a laser designed to knock fighters from the sky, it had been a long hard road to recovery. You don’t need the course,” Brink said. “You of all people have earned the right to skip it.” “I can’t do that, Nate,” Gunny said. It was the first time he had ever called his former trainee by his first name. “You know I can’t.” “What does the commodore say about you attempting the Beast?” the captain asked. He was getting angry. Not at Gunny. Never at the Gunny, but at the fact that everyone coming off medical status had to do it. Mad that he had been a part of enforcing the regulations along with Gunny. Mad at the injury that had happened to his own personal hero. Mad at the entire situation. Get it here for free! <https://storyoriginapp.com/swaps/441765dc-0dc1-11ec-9c3b-0395ab7694be> Music Tips Album cover Phase V by 35007, gray surface with indented circles <https://williamparker.bandcamp.com/album/mayan-space-station> (spotify <https://open.spotify.com/album/2MtlzWmDz3ArhZIkV97MFa> | bandcamp <https://35007.bandcamp.com/album/phase-v>) This fully instrumental album is filled with "cosmic grooves" and will take you on a trip to space. Stoner-rock, psychedelic rock, space rock. Whatever you want to call it, it's hypnotic. Like the band name, 35007, the track titles are all numeric. The band, originally from Eindhoven, has known many incarnations and this is their last album, released on CD in 2005 (with vinyl releases in 2012 and 2020). Prepare for a journey into space as the grooving rhythms, drawn-out guitar solo's and distorted Hammond sounds conspire to propel you into a different realm. -- https://www.koenmartens.nl/

1 0