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My First and Last Starfest Denver

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My trunk loaded with books for Starfest

Last weekend was my first and last Starfest Denver. It was my first because I didn’t learn about it until 2019, but I missed the window to sign up and signed up for 2020 (sad trombone). It was my last because after 45 years, the family that runs it is retiring from cons.

It ran from Friday afternoon through Sunday evening.

I went in with a few goals.

Primarily I wanted to practice my hand-selling. That went well, I handed people books when they stopped by. I still need to dial in my pitch but got better at it. My friend Todd a few booths away has his sales approach down pat, it was impressive to watch. I learned though, that his approach isn’t mine. He was able to hold people at his booth for upwards of 10 minutes, excitedly explaining his series, the characters, etc.

My secondary goal was to eliminate stock. Between Stocking up for events that didn’t happen or I had to miss, my shelf of books in the garage was overflowing. I wanted to clear those shelves of old covers, old back matter, etc.

My booth at Starfest Denver

To accomplish that, I set some really aggressive discounts. If people bought 10+ books, they got them for $5 ea. which was in a few cases at a loss for me, and in most cases a tiny profit. Very much a loss leader approach.

It worked. I moved 6 or so 10+ orders. Folks literally just said, “I’ll take one of everything.” I came home with very few copies of anything and completely sold out of Space Rogues 1.

Book People

I was really impressed by the Starfest crowd. Despite my pricing experiment, I outsold every in-person event I’ve been to previously, by orders of magnitude. Even if they didn’t buy a paperback, they took cards and bookmarks to get ebooks.

It’s truly bittersweet how much I enjoyed Starfest since this was it. There were/are rumors the organizers might sell, but who knows if that’ll happen or if it’ll still be the same event.

I’m really glad I went, and wish the organizers, fans, and creators all the best in the future. I’m sure many of us will cross paths elsewhere.

Our Love Hate Relationship with Creators

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This post was started in 2018 and has been brewing ever since.

I saw this in a Facebook group I’m a part of. It’s a group of “Power Users”. I see posts like this in this group, and just about every writers/readers group daily if not more frequently.

I highly doubt the person who posted this would be happy to be paid for their labor every 6 years. I know I wouldn’t.

According to the post, this person is willing to pay one whole measly dollar a month. So $12 for software. This post is about 1Password, which I love and happily pay for and encourage everyone to use and pay for. So $12 for software that keeps your passwords, credit card numbers, and anything else you put into it, safe. Safe and synced across your laptop, iPad, and iPhone. Safe in an encrypted volume, the company takes seriously and makes clear they have no access to. Twelve bucks?

Let’s say Mr. One dollar a month grudgingly pays and uses 1Password for ten more years. Does he think $120 is enough? Could he live on what he makes in a month for ten years? I couldn’t.

Consumers are so disconnected from what they consume now. We happily, joyfully pay for a new iPhone every year, but an app better be free or maybe $1, total, lest we complain. Much of this is laid at the feet of Apple, Amazon, Wal-Mart, etc. Companies with platforms, that push the creators to the bottom to grow their platforms. They’ve trained consumers to not think twice about a new Mac, or latest Pixel phone, or a $400 kindle. But do nothing to educate consumers that the app they love was made by someone that plans to pay their mortgage, and it is worth more than a dollar. Or when a book that takes months to write, hundreds if not a thousand dollars to produce, is more than $2. “I won’t pay more than $2 to read a book on my two hundred dollar Kindle.”

And it’s everywhere. People bitch at me that a conference that’s 2 days, 2 tracks, with international speakers, lunch included, is $399. “That’s like twice what I’m willing to pay.” Yet these people make software and expect a high hourly rate or high annual salary.

The other day there was a post on the Denver Post’s Facebook page. One person commented that they’d apparently used up their free viewings online, so couldn’t read the article. Most of the comments were either “Here’s how I don’t pay the post for their work” or defending the idea of not paying by pointing out how ‘easy’ it is to not pay them. It was disheartening. These folks want the news, but not to support those that create it.

The common comparison is a cup of coffee, which is fine, it’s a legitimate comparison. For me though, it’s “How do you expect your fellow human to survive? Would you rather have nothing than pay for things? Would you prefer something free where you’re the customer and your data is in the hands of a Venture Capitalist?”

We want an amazing and bug-free app, a great well-edited book with a professional cover, a game that’s on par with the AAA studios, but you don’t want to spend more than one or two bucks for it? As someone who created things; conferences, and now books, it’s frustrating. I sympathize with my friends who make apps and games, or write or make clothes, or anything.

If this still isn’t resonating with you, look at it this way,

You go to work every day but surely would stop if your boss said, “We’ll pay you this week, but you’ll be expected to work the next six for free. Maybe on the seventh week, we’ll pay you again, but only if you show that you’ve spent that time doing twice your normal work.”

This is basically what we’re telling every single person who’s trying to make a living making things. We value their efforts so little we don’t want to pay for them, and if we do, we want to then own their creative efforts indefinitely. But hey it’s new iPhone time, gotta stay up late to place my order…

I’d love to see us move to a place where we’re happy to buy something knowing that we’re helping someone make a living. If you can’t afford it, that’s fine, save up, or don’t get it, etc. But don’t tell someone their creative efforts aren’t worth anything.

Who doesn’t like free books?

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My newsletter this week featured a ton of promos and bundles. Normally I keep that stuff exclusive for my newsletter folks, but there were too many good ones that I wanted to share more widely.

First up is C.L. Cannon’s Star Wars Fan Giveaway. I do promos with her once or twice a year. It’s a great way to get in front of new readers that love stuff that is similar to my works. Give it a shot. Worse case, you don’t win but meet a few new authors you might love.

Banner for CL Cannon's Newsletter builder

This one ends today, so act fast. Patty Jansen has curated a list of free SciFi and Fantasy books by indie authors. No catches, just free books :) Take a look.

Free Book giveaway banner

I’ve been a part of the International Assoc. of Science Fiction and Fantasy Authors since it launched. It’s an indie effort and still in its infancy. One nice thing is that they run promos and bundles. This one is all about Space Adventure. It’s not free books, but it’s a damn good deal! $8 for a bunch of great indie SciFi content.

IASFA Book bundle banner

Last but not least! I told you, this month’s newsletter was packed! This one is more hit or miss, book-wise, I won’t lie. StoryOrigin promos are a mixed bag of content. I don’t normally join them, but figured what the hell :) You never know. Take a look, take a chance on something that looks interesting. You may be surprised.

Storyorigin book promo banner

By the way, did you know you can sign up for my newsletter to stay in the loop on my writing? Plus, subscribers get free short stories and access to deck plans and character drawings. You should totally sign up, like right now!

Writing Update (For Space Rogues)

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Space Rogues 10 paperback

I’ve been hard at work on “What’s Next” for the Space Rogues universe for a while now.

Book 10: Rogue Enterprises (available for Pre-order!) will be out in a few months. It doesn’t wrap up the Space Rogues story but does provide a place for folks who don’t love long/ongoing series, to gracefully exit.

I have no intention of ending the adventures of Wil Calder and the crew of the Ghost. BUT. I do intend to change things up.

A New Beginning

Enter, ‘Rogue Enterprises 1: Long Days, Short Knights’ I’m almost done with this one. I have about 20k words left to write. This book (the title is a teaser) focuses mostly on our friend Bennie. The rest of the team is there, but the bulk of the story is Bennie learning what being a Knight of Plentallus is all about. It’s been an absolute blast to explore this character more deeply than normal.

The Rogue Enterprises series will start as a new entry point for readers. I’ll introduce the entire team and provide some back story so new readers won’t be lost.

Strategy!

This is largely a tactical decision. Not everyone likes long series. Maybe the blurb for Space Rogues 1 doesn’t wow them, but the blurb for Rogue Enterprises 1 does. Maybe then they decide to go back and read the first 10 to better know the characters.

The other benefit of this is that it gives me one more “book 1” to advertise. I can’t advertise the 8th book in a series. It just doesn’t work like that. I can, however, advertise book 1, over and over, forever.

From a business standpoint, that’s invaluable. To survive, an author either needs a lot of series, with book 1’s they can advertise or lot’s of entry points into fewer, longer series.

A Different Approach

With the Rogue Enterprises series, my goal is to focus on small subsets of the team (Mostly). Book 1 is bennie and (Spoiler). Book 2… I dunno. I’m thinking Maxim and Zephyr need a story. As I said above, everyone gets some time in every book, but each book is going to have a bit of a focus, at least to start.

Eggs, Baskets, Yada Yada

Much like being wide is a part of my business strategy, so is having more than one series. The Space Rogues series is written in present tense and I can’t tell you the number of people who just can’t wrap their heads around it. Rogue enterprises is more traditional, past tense.

Not only multiple series in that universe but adding entirely new universes. I’ve slacked more than I’d like to admit on my Thriller series, but it’s still on my mind. The Grand Human Empire series thankfully, I busted out 3 books in rapid succession so that series can start getting some legs.

Next week, I’ll talk about my plans for these other two series.

2021 In Reading

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So I’ll write up a Year in Writing a little later. But having just completed my annual Goodreads challenge I figured I’d highlight some of my favorite reads of the year. In all I read 45 books (my target) this year. A bit more since I’m reading a friend’s manuscript right now and that doesn’t get logged into GR. This is just a highlight real. I’m not a book blogger. With very very few exceptions, everything I read this year I enjoyed.

Utopia for Realists.

This was a late-year read. I can’t recommend this book enough if you’re at all curious about how our society (America but also the human race as a whole) can get past our current capitalist dystopia.

The saddest part of this book is just how close we’ve come more than once to breaking free of our self imposed dystopian lifestyle only to just miss it.

I’ve been a proponent of UBI in particular for a long time, so the studies cited were great to learn about. We could do it, right now. There’d even still be money left for the pentagon to waste.

The author puts a lot of dense material into a downright enjoyable format. At no point did I feel like I was slogging through theory or formula mundanity.

How to Resist Amazon and Why.

My local indie bookstore paired with the author and publisher to give out copies of this book. I walked down for a copy. I also bought the ebook version, because, well the print on the book is TINY!

Anyhow. If you’re at all curious (and you really should be) about some of the crap Amazon does, take a look. It’s a fun read, written by the owner of an indie bookstore.

Reading this definitely helped nudge me to shopping elsewhere whenever I can.

The reality is. Amazon isn’t our friend, and isn’t good for anyone but Amazon.

Hunters: Spinward Fringe Broadcast 16.

The Spinward Fringe series is one of my all-time favorites. It’s long-running, enjoyable, packed with characters I really like.

I stumbled on to this series ages ago when self-publishing on the Kindle was a bit newer.

I’m really glad he’s taken his work wide and hope it’s working out well. If you’re a space opera fan, check this series out.

Ep.#1 – “Aurora: EV-01” (The Frontiers Saga – Part 3: Fringe Worlds).

Another of my favorite long-running space opera series. Some entries are slower-paced than others, but overall I still very much enjoy each entry.

I wish Ryk would take his work wide, I hate having to buy on amazon and convert it to a Kobo usable file. But such is life and I’ll support him as best I can.

This series is now… 31 books long. As a writer, I can only hope to create a universe as rich as his. As a reader that LOVES series, I hope he never runs out of adventures for these characters.

Heir to the Empire (Original Thrawn Trilogy).

This was a re-read. I read the entire trilogy this year. I’ve read the trilogy a few times, and was due. I’ll be honest I haven’t read the new “Non-legends” Thrawn trilogy, simply because I like this Thrawn and am not interested in a version of him that isn’t this.

Every time I read this trilogy I think what a missed opportunity for Disney/Lucas in not using this trilogy either wholly or as the basis of their new trilogy of movies.

This series will always for me, be the canon of what happened next after Return of the Jedi.

There are so many more, forty, to be exact but writing something about each one… sounds exhausting. I hope you enjoyed the books you read this year, and met whatever goal you set for yourself.

Onward to reading in 2022!

MileHiCon

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My first in-person event of 2021 is finally in the books!

MileHiCon 53 was two weeks ago. I had a spot in author alley and was on a panel and did a reading.

It was awesome to be back with people.

Tables.

I look at tables as advertising, as such, making back my investment, while nice, and certainly a goal, isn’t the main goal.

I sold some books, that was nice. I handed out and likely moves some when not there, my ‘take-one’ cards. They lead to a page here on the site (that needs to be updated) where folks can find out more about my writing. Likewise, though less direct, stickers flew off the table. I look at all that as potential value.

I was next to an awesome gal, Tricia, and next to her, Kendra, who I’d met at a Bookbar event in… 2019 I think.

Where our tables were, we had a front-row seat to tea dueling which is both weird and entertaining as hell, win!

All in all, I hope to have a table at MileHiCon 54. It’s a fun event, with some awesome content, and attendees.

My First Reading.

Technically my second, but the first was for an online con early in the pandemic and I think it was just me and the host. I digress. This was… interesting. I’ve noticed with MilHiCon panels and such (at least the ones I’m on) the moderators don’t seem to actually pay attention beyond where they need to be and when. So for the reading, none of us heard from the moderator beforehand. We had no idea what we were doing other than the title of the reading “Galaxy Spanning SF” Ok, check I write that. Two out of four of us, didn’t even write SF. The moderator, not knowing he was the moderator, just said, let’s read a piece then have a chat.

Overall it was fun, but I don’t do well without structure on things I’m participating in. I’m not fast on my feet in these settings and so ready my part and then the more forceful, like to be heard, voices carried the rest of the event. I did get a few places to chime in and answer the odd question, but yeah, a little prep would have been nice.

Panels.

This was my second MileHiCon panel and the second on self-publishing. This one had the title of “Ebook or Paper, which to choose when self-publishing”

The panelsts all agreed, “Both” and then we left. Well we didn’t leave, but then the panel turned into an interactive Q&A on self-publishing. It was ok. Again the moderator did zero prepwork, and in those cases, the people who like to talk, took the stage. I got a few bits in here and there, but really just sat there nodding.

I don’t really know why these panels happen. I don’t get the impression that MHC attracts a ton of new or aspiring writers. Considering our panel was the second to last of the event, and had 10 people in it, that seems supported. in 2019 the panel I was on, was at 7pm on Saturday, again about 10 attendees.

Take Aways.

I enjoyed MHC. As I said, I plan to apply to be back. I’ll probably skip doing panels. I don’t know that they do much for me other than cause stress I don’t need. Maybe I’ll think up a topic and offer it as moderator since I know what I like in a moderator. We’ll see, that’s a lot of work.

I didn’t plan far enough ahead but by next year I’ll have updated merch that reflects more than just Space Rogues.

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