My 2nd interview which 'expired'...:-)

Well, my 2nd interview 'expired' on epublishabook.com, so here it is, in all it's glory...yeah, right :-)

Your last book 'Rage of Atlantis was made available to the public in June 2012. How well has it been received by the public so far?
Well, I could count my sales on both hands, but those who have read it say it's fantastic and should be read by a much larger audience.

Your book falls under the main fantasy genre. Do you tag it with other genres? What do you see as the pros and cons of writing fantasy fiction on the publishing scene?
This book is much more than just fantasy. For myself, I find the genre tags to be too restrictive as I don't write with a genre in mind. I try not to write clones and so it's tricky to pinpoint exactly in which part of the market it should go, be it fantasy, sci-fi, detective, thrilller, comedy.

What part of your writing time do you devote to marketing your book?
Once the writing's done, the marketing begins. It's part of self-publishing, but I don't really know how to do it. What I'm trying to say is, I love writing, I hate marketing.

What marketing tools do you use to improve your ranking on Amazon?
Sales. More sales. Even more sales. Sales produce sales. And begging. Begging for my readers to add a review. Which is like pulling off toe-nails.

What would you say are the main advantages and disadvantages of self-publishing vs being published?
The disadvantage of self-publishing is that your book goes nowhere without you putting your foot in somewhere and doing some self-marketing...which I hate. But once you have something written, you can put it out into the world, you don't need to wait for the impossible dream of being picked up by an agent or publisher. There is a chance of being read through self-publishing, though it's slim as I've seen. But better than nothing. Well, that's what I keep telling myself (banging head against wall).

What do you do to get book reviews? How successful has your quest for reviews been so far?
Beg. Beg some more. Grovel. It hasn't been so successful. I've given books away, reviewed other authors, kissed babies, promised World Peace, but nothing seems to work. For all my 3 books on Amazon, there are reviews on both Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk, but they are few, very few. I did, however, receive an interview about my 2nd books 'The Bethlehem Fiasco', perhaps my greatest success so far...excluding this one :-) (well, apparently only for 1 month, but HEY, got a little exposure...or not)

Monkeys + Religion

You know, there's that youtube video of that guy in Korea doing "Gangnam Style", now there's a new video of people just being stupid and dancing any old way, and calling it a 'style'. My books call humans monkeys. Can't you see why? People have so much time on their hands and their priorities are all so messed up.
In Hungary, there will soon be YET AGAIN, new legislation in the school, children will have either Religious lessons or Virtue lessons. Problem is, there is no one who can pass the strict rules for being a Virtue teacher, other than Relgious teachers, so those Religious teachers who can't get a job as a Religious teacher will become Virtue teachers...did you get that? I hope you did.
Religion. I think I'm going to have a BIG THINK about it, and write something, something which will make people think. On Jottify, a popular amateur poet wrote a poem about the uselessness of prayer, and you should've seen the response! So many Christians patronising her! "Oh, you have the right to your own opinion..." Why did they have to open their mouths in the first place? Are they trying to reinforce their faith? Their faith in nothing? "God is all around us." "Jesus Lives". Yes? Then I want his phone number.

Hemingway- 'The Sun Also Rises' Part 2

Did you know?
1. Hemingway made a hurtful remark against Henry James, as he also lost certain parts of his body, as did Jake, Hemingway's main character.
2. Gertrude Stein DID NOT say "You are all a Lost Generation" first. It was a French petrol station owner, disciplining one of his employees (who fought in WW1) after not being able to fix Stein's car. She merely copied him.
3. The Sun Also Rises is NOT an attack on the Lost Generation, but actually a tragedy...Hemingway "didn't mean the book to be a hollow or bitter satire but a damn tragedy with the Earth abiding forever as the hero."

4. Hemingway strips away imitations and creates a new complex pastoral vision, one closer to reality and nature, its wildness, showing us that the traditional pastoral vision does not lead us closer to nature and is in fact one of the tamest literary forms.
...and get this...:-)
5. Hemingway was going to re-title the book in the 2nd printing to...The Sun Also Rises (Like Your Cock If You Have One) but thankfully didn't. 
Isn't it a great thing to study literature? You can find out why you're reading books which you wouldn't normally pick up in a month of Sundays :-) 

Hemingway - 'The Sun Also Rises'

I had to read Hemingway's 'The Sun Also Rises' for an assignment, and my first impression was 'What the hell is this?' Up to Chapter 12 it reads like some pedestrian travelogue, along with some forced dialogue and men running after 1 loose woman.
But in Chapter 12, something actually happens! Hemingway goes straight back to the classics, and creates a 'complex pastoral vision' (you might have to go and look that one up - I did). And then it goes back to as before, but with that edge from Chapter 12 still running through the reader's mind.
I can now see why it's a classic.
But my question is, why did I have to drag myself through 11 chapters to get to the juicy bit?
Still, I'm glad I did :-)
You can't beat a classic...unless you're looking for pure entertainment, which is 'The Bethlehem Fiasco' :-)

Over 5000 views! :-)

This blog has NOW had over 5000 views! Cool! Thanks to those who care and Mr. Briggs :-)
I got a bunch of views from the Netherlands the other day, I wonder who you are...
I'm at 15,000 words on the new book (some important essays have slowed me down) ...I'm also at a crossroads with it...getting a 'new' direction with the plot.
I have my 2nd try for 55 dollars on Austin Briggs site, at 24+ votes after 46!! That site has been hit by a lot of negativity!
http://austinbriggs.com/flash-fiction-contest/a-true-teen-adventure/
My 1st short story is still Number 1 'ever' there :-), now at 72+ after 84
http://austinbriggs.com/flash-fiction-contest/not-me/
And my FREE ebook has been downloaded 106 times...it's tricky to get people to get something free, huh? Should I offer something else with it? Money, perhaps?

As if by Magic...

I was hoovering the flat, you know how it is, and the kids have been to tons of parties recently. Parties means balloons. Loads of them. So, I was hoovering, after the million and one other 'tasks', and these balloons were a real pain! I threw one in disgust and swore at it, and 'bang!', it blew up. I thought for a moment and tried it again, threw a balloon, swore at it, and 'bang!'. I turned off the hoover and called over to the love of my life...I think about 2 weeks of flowers and chocolates might do it...:-(

Nothing post

Yes, this is the post we've all been waiting for, the 'nothing' post! (party time!)
Not much is happening, due to pressures of life and college, creativity has hit an all time low, other than the odd line like "Your name's Hugh, yeah?" (it's funny in Hungarian).
Put my 2nd 55 word story on that website http://austinbriggs.com/flash-fiction-contest/a-true-teen-adventure/
Doubt if I'll win, but the more votes the better, just to get it up the chart.
103 downloads of TDX2, it's going slow. I also have an opportunity to put up a 'Guest Post' on someone else's blog. Hopefully it's better than this one! Please vote for the story :-)