Guest Blog by Scott Nicholson & Giveaway - April 20, 2011

Please welcome author Scott Nicholson to The Qwillery.

Indie: A New Tradition

I think the “indie vs. traditional” story is about over for me.

It seems like I’ve been self-publishing so long that this now seems like tradition, and the other way was just a long-ago dream from a past life. It’s amazing for me to realize I have only been doing this for 15 months, which makes it roughly 10 percent of my writing career.

Don’t get me wrong—I was very honored and grateful to have been published by a major publisher. I learned a lot and I was treated fairly. But the system is stacked against most authors having a chance a success, even if that’s the only way the system could work for a publisher and distributor and bookstores.

I’ve written a lot of blog posts and articles about the changing environment and the advantages for readers and writers under the digital book system. To summarize, without all the intermediaries, writers earn more money and readers save more money. So it’s great for everyone except the people whose job it was to stand between readers and writers.

Those people did carry some value, and I’m not suggesting their skills were worthless or had no overhead, or that books are somehow “better” now. No, they are just cheaper and more plentiful. Making a paper book takes resources, and so does shipping it to a store. Books are great products. They are durable, handy, and attractive. But they aren’t a necessity—because they are a mere conveyance vehicle for the content, which is where the true value lies.

Personally, the new era is wonderful for me because I am living the only life I ever wanted, and I’ve fulfilled the only real goal I ever had—to be able to share my stories for a living. Whatever else happens on top of that is gravy, and I am excited about all the potential twists and turns ahead.

But even if you are a die-hard fan of paper books, you should be excited, too, because a lot of options are opening up. If you have the option of subsidizing your Kindle with ads and saving $25, what’s to stop a publisher from delivering an ad-supported paper book that cuts your cost in half? If you don’t want the ads, you can pay regular price.

With e-books, I see free, ad-supported books as an option within five years. Don’t want the ads? Again, you can pay extra to skip them. And there are plenty of scenarios in between.

Paper, plastic, pixels, it doesn’t matter a lot to me, because this feels like the Golden Age of Communication. I hope you’re having as much fun as I am!


A Couple of Scott's Books

Liquid Fear
When Roland Doyle wakes up with a dead woman in his motel room, the only clue is a mysterious vial of pills bearing the label “Take one every 4 hrs or else.”

Ten years before, six people were involved in a secret pharmaceutical trial that left one of them murdered and five unable to remember what happened. Now the experiment is continuing, as Dr. Sebastian Briggs concludes his research into fear response and post-traumatic stress disorder. He’s backed by a major drug company and an ambitious U.S. Senator, but he also has a personal stake in the outcome.

Only by taking the mysterious pills can the survivors stave off the creeping phobias, carnal impulses, and madness that threaten to consume them. But the pills have an unexpected side effect—the survivors start remembering the terrible acts they perpetrated a decade ago. They are lured back to the Monkey House, the remote facility where the original trials took place, and Briggs has made special preparations for their arrival.

Now they are trapped, they each have only one pill left, and cracks are forming in their civilized veneer.

After the pills are gone, there’s only one option left.

“Or else.”

October Girls

Five days until Halloween and all hell is about to break loose.

And it's all Crystal’s fault.

Momma warned her not to consort with the dead and tried to teach her the magic spells that would close the portal to the afterlife. But Crystal doesn't want to be a trailer-trash witch like Momma. She has dreams of going to community college and escaping the Appalachian town of Parson's Ford.

Her best friend Bone is only too happy to escape the afterlife and help Crystal break the rules. Bone died too young, and she’ll do whatever it takes to remain among the living.

Then a teen movie maker comes to Parson's Ford, and he has a very special project in mind: a horror movie starring a real ghost. The kids who watch his movies turn into brainwashed zombies. And to totally complicate matters, Crystal thinks he's kind of a hunk, and she's afraid her boyfriend Pettigrew only loves her because of Momma's magic spells.

Now it's Halloween, the night when the portal to the afterlife is widest, and somebody's been messing with Momma's potions. The fate of the world is in Crystal's hands, but she hasn't been paying attention to her lessons. And a mysterious figure in the afterlife is urging Bone to stay loyal to her own kind instead of to Crystal.

The movie is rolling, the creatures are stirring, and the brainwashed teenagers are ready to welcome a new star from the other side of the grave.

Crystal and Bone must overcome drama queens, coffin cuties, and mangled magic if they want to remain best friends forever--but at this rate, forever may not last much longer.


About Scott

Scott Nicholson’s new thriller Liquid Fear is a Kindle bestseller—on sale for 99 cents for a limited time at Amazon, BN.com, and Smashwords, and it can be preordered in paper at the book’s web page. Nicholson is author of 20 books, including Disintegration, The Skull Ring, Speed Dating with the Dead, and The Red Church. He’s also written the children’s books If I Were Your Monster and Duncan the Punkin.

Visit him at Haunted Computer or Twitter or Facebook or Goodreads.


The Giveaway

THE RULES

What: 

For US entrants: a signed paperback copy of Thank You for the Flowers, a collection of stories.

For International entrants: the e-book Flowers and a special surprise bonus e-book.

Read about Flowers and Thank You for the Flowers at Scott's website.

How:  Leave a comment answering one (1) of the following questions:

Do you read self-published books? or Do you prefer print books or e-books?

Please remember - if you don't answer one of the questions your entry will not be counted.

You may receive additional entries by:

1)  Being a Follower of The Qwillery.

2)  Mentioning the giveaway on Facebook and/or Twitter. Even if you mention the giveaway on both, you will get only one additional entry. You get only one additional entry even if you mention the giveaway on Facebook and/or Twitter multiple times.

3)  Mentioning the giveaway on your on blog or website. It must be your own blog or website; not a website that belongs to someone else or a site where giveaways, contests, etc. are posted.

There are a total of 4 entries you may receive: Comment (1 entry), Follower (+1 entry), Facebook and/or Twitter (+ 1 entry), and personal blog/website mention (+1 entry). This is subject to change again in the future for future giveaways.

Please leave links for Facebook, Twitter, or blog/website mentions. In addition please leave a way to contact you.

Who and When: The contest is open to all humans on the planet earth with a mailing address (US) or email address (world). Contest ends at 11:59pm US Eastern Time on Wednesday, April 27, 2011. Void where prohibited by law.

*Giveaway rules are subject to change.*