Author: Matthew Iden

Nick Stephenson – Full color thrillers

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nick2I don’t often straight-up recommend following other bloggers and writers, but I recently stumbled across UK thriller writer Nick Stephenson‘s blog (noorosha.com) and I’ll tell you: if you’re self-pubbing, you should go there right now.

The man is funny, smart, and is rocketing up the Amazon best-seller lists with a combination of good writing, great PR (check out his covers), and a dissection of the inner workings of Amazon that borders on the preternatural.

He only blogs once or twice a month, but that’s more often than some indie authors (ahem) and his posts are cogent and pure gold for those of us trying to make the ebook industry work for us.

Check out the first book in Nick’s Leopold Blake thriller series, Wanted. It’s perma-free and being downloaded like hotcakes.

Scribl, Patreon, & Noisetrade

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scriblI’ve recently come across three interesting web sites—Scribl, Patreon, and Noisetrade–that could potentially benefit both writers and readers. Each has its own new twist on book distribution, which is exciting to see, since the democratization of the internet (and of the ebook industry) is often in question.

I’ll cover each of these new sites in a different post over the next week or two. First, up…Scribl! [Read more…]

NY Time Fires a Dud

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I had to laugh at one section in a recent New York Times article about the recent “spat” between Amazon and giant NYC publisher Hachette–which only Hachette writers and the Authors Guild seem to know or care about. (Hachette complains that Amazon is price-fixing and recommending different books than theirs [something they’d never do] over a recent failed negotiation.)

Brad Stone’s book on Amazon, “The Everything Store,” said the company’s negotiations with publishers were so hostile that a veteran of its book group had post-traumatic stress disorder after leaving the company. (The price and availability of Mr. Stone’s book, published by Hachette last fall, appeared unaffected by the current conflict.) [emphasis mine]

I’m not a soldier or a doctor, but I do know one thing: you get PTSD when you have other people shooting at you or when you’re the target of violence, not when you can’t negotiate an extra point on a book sale. Using it to describe anything else is laughable as well as insulting to those who do suffer from it.

If you read the article, beware its one-sided nature–reporter David Streitfeld’s narrative works overtime to resurrect the “Amazon World Domination” meme.

 

Audiobook of Blueblood in AudioFile magazine

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BB_audioI just got a nice review of Blueblood in AudioFile magazine, the leading glossy on all things audiobook:

Lloyd Sherr narrates this involved story, with its complex, well-developed characters, in a calm, almost nondescript, manner. Iden’s likable, sarcastic retired homicide detective, Marty Singer, is investigating gang activity and a string of cop murders in the Washington, D.C., area.

Sherr easily differentiates the many male characters by varying his volume and pacing. He also believably portrays Singer’s unofficially adopted daughter, Amanda, who helps Marty through his cancer diagnosis and treatment. Masterfully controlling the story, Sherr slows his pace and speaks haltingly when dealing with the emotional issues surrounding the sudden loss of a loved one or the possibility of Marty’s losing the battle with cancer. Sherr’s unique presentation will draw listeners into the twists and turns of Iden’s plot.

Read the original review at here. You can buy the audiobook here and listen to a short sample, too!

Thanks AudioFile!

 

(Untitled)

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suspense_2014xWeldon Burge of Smart Rhino Publications is on the editorial staff of Suspense Magazine and was kind enough to interview me in this month’s issue.

The layout is great, the questions were intriguing and fun to answer, and I’m keeping company with Barry Eisler and Alex Berenson on the front cover!

Suspense is one of the leading lights in suspense, mystery, and thriller fiction and you’d be doing yourself a favor by subscribing. They have interviews, news, book reviews, and a short story in each issue as well as a short story contest each year.

Take a peek at www.suspensemagazine.com!