Gavain's Proving Available For Free This Weekend

Gavain's Proving is available for free this weekend (Saturday, May 17th through Sunday, May 18th) from Amazon.com. The last free give away at the beginning of the month was very successful, so I've decided to offer it for free again!

This also marks the end of my experiment with enrolling Gavain's Proving in the Amazon KDP Select program. Within the next week I will be submitting Gavain's Proving to Smashwords for full distribution to all of the retail outlets it services. Because Amazon requires that you remain exclusive with them while enrolled in KDP Select, I won't be able to stay enrolled and take advantage of Smashwords as well.

Now stop reading this post, and grab a free copy of Gavain's Proving!

Gavain's Proving Give Away!

I'm pleased to announce that starting Wednesday, April 30th through Friday, May 2nd, Gavain's Proving will be available FOR FREE from Amazon*. If you haven't had the chance to check out this Saga of Thorns Novella, this will be the perfect opportunity--and if you haven't had the pleasure of reading any of the Saga of Thorns, this is the perfect jumping off point!

So spread the word and remember to go to Amazon between April 30th and May 2nd to get Gavain's Proving for free! Don't forget to post a review after you've read it!

*Available in Kindle format only.

First Draft of Gavain's Proving Completed & Other Things

I have a few different topics I want to talk about today, so without further ado I'll jump right into them.

Gavain's Proving is Nearing Completion

Gavain's Proving has quickly expanded from a short story into a novella. Today I finished writing the last scene for the story, much to my delight. Next week I will put the novella through revision and editing. I've read through most of the scenes before, and I don't think much revision will be needed. I have a mock concept for the cover started. I'm not completely happy with the way the cover is going, but I have a few ideas that I think will clean the cover up and make it eye-catching.

My original estimation of mid-March was obviously off, but I'm feeling confident about an early April release, assuming I can get the cover finished by then. Despite the increased length from short story to a novella at just over 20,000 words, Gavain's Proving will still be a free release, at least at first. Either way, I'm excited that I'm so close to releasing a second title!

New Retailers

Smashwords.com has distributed Laeryk's Proving to multiple retailers already, but the book is still absent from what I consider to be some key retailers. One such retailer is Amazon.com, which Smashwords distributes to in limited quantity. I had planned on waiting things out, but upon further consideration I've decided to use Amazon's KDP program (Kindle Direct Publishing) to publish Laeryk's Proving on Amazon.com, allowing Kindle owners to purchase the title direct from Amazon's catalog rather than only at Smashwords.com. This should make it easier for Kindle owners to find Laeryk's Proving (and Gavain's Proving once it is released), and hopefully increase sales of the .mobi version of the book.

I am also looking into including my books in the Google Play Books catalog, which will not only add an additional international retailer to the list of retailers my books are available through, it will also help make Laeryk's Proving appear in more search queries, something I'm very excited about. I'm going to hold off on publishing through these retailers until after March due to the March Madness Sale that is still going on, but expect to see them added to the roster very soon.

The March Madness Sale Continues!

If you haven't had a chance yet, head on over to Smashwords.com (click the link on the side of the blog) and use coupon code WW37F to purchase Laeryk's Proving  in the format of your choice TOTALLY FREE!! The coupon code is valid until March 31st, so hurry and get a copy for yourself now - or, heck, get a copy for your friends and loved ones! Free books are always a great thing!

March Madness Is Here!

Basketball fans in the United States are probably all familiar with March Madness, and have been thinking about their brackets all season long. In my house, March Madness became an annual event for my family a few years back. My wife, Lisa, loves March Madness, and she brought the excitement of the tournament to the rest of us. Everyone in our house come up with a bracket, and often times we're at odds with one another as we flip channels to simultaneously watch as many games as possible. With my family gearing up for some major basketball fever, it seemed only appropriate to share our excitement with everyone.

MARCH MADNESS BOOK SALE!!!

Sure, the first four aren't playing until the 19th, but most people have been planning their brackets for a while now, waiting for the seeds determined on Selection Sunday to actually commit their predictions to paper. Since you'll likely have those brackets filled out rather quickly, why not spend the rest of the time before the games start reading... you know, to combat all those hours of watching the television turning your brains to jelly?

And if you're going to read, I can't help but suggest Laeryk's Proving, Book One of the Saga of Thorns! To prove how much I'd recommend it, I'm going to show a little March madness myself, and give Laeryk's Proving away for free.

That's right. FREE.

Once again, FREE.

Just enter coupon code WW37F at Smashwords.com (click here) when you make your purchase, and receive a 100% savings on a great book! This isn't the free sample -- this is the full book, available for download in the format of your choosing for ALL devices, 100% FREE!

This coupon code will be good until the end of March, but buy the book now and download it whenever it is convenient to read! I mean, you need something to do during the cold, grey hours between games, right?

REVIEWS WANTED

The Laeryk's Proving book pages are looking pretty lonely right now, but I know what would make them more cheery -- user reviews! If you've read Laeryk's Proving, please provide a review, even a short one, letting everyone know what you thought of it! I would love some feedback from my readers, good or bad, so please take a moment after finishing the book to provide some!