The decline of blogging.

Due to the gradual but continuous decline of blogging as a means of communicating with readers, and the rise of more immediate means such as Twitter and Facebook, I'm going to cease posting here as of today.

I know that I said this at about the same time last year, and then found myself re-starting the blog to closely monitor my growth as both an independent author as well as trade published. However, as the digital age grips publishing more closely so the more important it becomes to utilise only those means that are highly effective at reaching an audience. Although my blog receives at least 1,000 hits per month, it's never really certain how many of those hits are from interested readers and how many are "robots" and "spiders" sent out by data-gathering companies.

My interest is speaking directly to readers, and for that purpose my Facebook Fan Page and Twitter account are by far the most direct means that I know of. In addition, these days it's considered wise for an author not to spread themselves too thinly across the Internet, and instead focus on one or two effective sites on which to be found.

You can find me there at the following;

Facebook

Twitter

I may arrange a web-site specific blog in the future to share my thoughts, rather than here. Either way, my website is where you can find me:

Dean Crawford Books

Cheers  :)

"RETALIATOR"! Atlantia Series Book 2 is published!

It's here! "Retaliator" is available at Amazon in the UK here:

Amazon UK

And in the USA here:

Amazon USA


The book is at a promotional launch price for a week or two, so grab it while it's cheap!

RETALIATOR!!

I'm delighted to announce the soon-to-be-launched sequel to my Sci-Fi novel "Survivor"! I'm hard at work on the edits after having a family holiday ( hence why I haven't posted here for some time ) and am hoping to publish "Retaliator" in early June.

The first volume has hit the Number 1 spot in multiple categories on the UK Amazon Kindle store and has received no less than 10 five-star reviews. This is hugely exciting for me as an author because the second volume following the debut so closely will literally double my visibility on the store.

Here's the cover artwork! I'll post a further pre-launch update as soon as I'm ready!

Holo Sapiens Promotion - Free!

My Science-Fiction novel Holo Sapiens is to be free for five days, from April 25th to April 29th as part of an Amazon promotion.

Here's the story blurb;

“I’m glad my life came to an end. That was when it really began.”

In the near future, a horrific pandemic known as The Falling has decimated mankind, leaving just a few cities standing. In a desperate bid to prevent the extinction of our race, technology has given rise to an entirely new species: Holo Sapiens.

Those fortunate enough to be able to afford it can be resurrected after death as holographic projections immune to disease, hunger and time itself. But as the human survivors of The Falling make their last defiant attempt to find a cure before the last cities fall and political power is passed to the holosaps, the discovery of a “kill-switch” that could see Holo Sapiens consigned to history changes the world. As the prospect of war looms between the living and the “after-living”, it is down to one woman to find the kill-switch before mankind and Holo Sapiens attempt to erase each other from existence...

Which side of the afterlife will you be on?

Grab a copy while it costs you nothing!

Amazon US

Amazon UK

"SURVIVOR" is now available at a promotional price!

The debut in my new Science-Fiction series, Survivor, is now available across all Amazon stores! Very excited to see how this new venture develops as I release more in the series, the first time I've committed to a long-running serial via self-publishing.

You can get the book at the links below:

SURVIVOR ( UK )

SURVIVOR ( USA )

I hope all of my readers enjoy this new novel, and I'm really looking forward to writing more in the series.

"Atlantia" - the Survivor series

I often get asked by other authors, and aspiring authors, just how much time and effort I put into my novels: how far I will go to give them the best chance of success? The answer can't be made just in terms of how many hours I spend writing, as there is so much else to do when writing both traditionally contracted novels and self-published independent titles.

With my latest new series I went further than ever before - working full-time, plus evenings and weekends is the norm for me, but I've now ventured into the realms of 3-D design and developed a fully realised "battleship" model for use on the covers of my Survivor series.

I've never done this before, but it proved easier than I thought and with a few hours' practice I was able to begin building the model. The program, for those interested, is a freeware package called Google SketchUp. Textures were designed by me also. Here's a couple of shots of the model itself, and then the final artwork for the novel, which will be published on April 2nd, 2014.

Who ever said that writing was easy? :)

Amazon's Kindle Big Deal Promotion!

I'm delighted to report that Eden has been selected for a major Kindle promotion running on Amazon.com from March 14th! It will be discounted to $1.99, which couldn't have happened at a better time.

If you're a fan of my books in the USA, keep an eye open for the price reduction and grab a bargain while it lasts!  :)

EDEN

Reviewer Request!

As many of you may know, in about a months' time I will be releasing the first volume of a brand new science-fiction space opera, Survivor, which I am hoping will be the first in a long-running series of books. I've always wanted to write in this genre, but until the advent of true world-wide self-publishing it just hasn't been possible.

To give the series its best possible launch, I'm looking for a dozen or so keen readers and reviewers in the UK and USA who are willing to post reviews on their respective Amazon sites, to whom I can send free advance copies. I'll also be approaching industry bloggers for reviews as always, but it's the fans of these stories and of my other works who I'd really like to hear from. I'll be able to send a free copy of the finished e-book when it's ready, probably on or just before it's put up for sale on Amazon.

REVOLUTION price promotion!

My action thriller Revolution is on a price promotion for a day or two at Amazon UK, £0.99!! Grab it while it lasts for a great bargain!  :)

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Revolution-Dean-Crawford-ebook/dp/B00HET1UKO/ref=pd_sim_kinc_6?ie=UTF8&refRID=1KTBDE3M1CSTN1YJF2MF

EDEN: paperback.

I'm delighted to announce that EDEN is now available as a paperback, for those who want it. Despite my best efforts the price is too high for my liking ( £9.99 / $10.44 ) probably mainly due to the fact that I write 100,000 word novels rather than 30,000 word novellas like many self-publishing authors.

I'll produce paperback versions for my other self-published novels too, but I may experiment with the size to see if slightly larger print packages might come in a bit cheaper.

Here's the link to EDEN, however, for anybody who would like to own a physical copy of the book:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Eden-Dean-Crawford/dp/1494939479/ref=la_B004UO651U_1_6?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1392199250&sr=1-6

"Survivor" pre-release teaser video.

The teaser for my "Survivor" serial, which will be published in six volumes from March 2014, is now ready and is being shared across the Internet.

Hope you enjoy it - release of Volume I is scheduled for mid to late March, Vol II a couple of weeks after.

My 2014 release schedule!

Okay folks, here's my publications plan for 2014 - and cover artwork for "HAVEN: Redemption", which will be released in April.

March: "Survivor" - Volume I

May onwards: "Survivor" Vols II to IV


"Survivor" may run to nine volumes depending on how things turn out. Currently I'm deciding whether six larger volumes would be better than nine smaller ones, as some readers are apparently tiring of long-running series where they keep having to pay out for fairly short stories.

 

 

 

 

SURVIVOR!!

I'm almost ready to begin writing what I hope will become a really exciting serial, Survivor. Plotting is well underway, with the nine-part high-concept storyline packed with twists and turns that will keep readers very much on their toes.

Each "Volume" will be released on the second week of each month, with the first being a free title provided I can ensure that Amazon will price-match effectively. However, should there be any issues I will be making sure that Volume 1 will be available to download for free from my website.

This is the first time I have attempted a serial of novellas. Each will be approximately 30,000 words long, far bigger than most serialised stories available on Amazon, and with nine volumes in total it represents the equivalent of a large trilogy of full-length works. Each volume ( after the first ) will be very low priced to attract readers and keep them hooked.

Here's the final artwork - can't wait to get stuck into it and make the first episode available for my readers...



2014!!

Happy New Year!!

I hope that you all had a fabulous Christmas and New Year. Mine was fairly quiet, mostly spent with my family and dodging power cuts! I also wanted to take some time out before beginning 2014, which will be my biggest year yet as far as writing novels is concerned.

The total count is yet to be confirmed, but I am hoping to produce no less than five different titles this year. Two of them are for my literary agent, which will hopefully be picked up by major publishers. Two are sequels to Eden and Holo Sapiens, both of which will be released later this year. The fifth is a bit special, as it's not actually a single title. Instead, it will be nine novellas released as a series, hopefully starting in May and then being published one per month for the rest of the year.

I like to tease readers, so I won't tell you anything about the storyline - instead, I'll leave you with this concept artwork for the series.

I hope all my followers have a fabulous 2014!