Month: June 2019

How I landed a deal with Bookbub!

Lee Hall 5 Comments

As an author you probably don’t have to go far from the Google to find out what Bookbub is. For those not in the know, Bookbub is referred to as the ‘holy grail’ of book promotion sites and even more so for readers because it’s probably the most prestigious book connector site out there. And what’s even better is that they near enough guran-damn-tee returns on their investments…

From very early in my indie author career I tried and tried to land a promotion deal with them. Those lucky enough to land a deal report of a good amount of sales and even returns on the investment of a Bookbub ‘featured deal’ promo. Just looking at some of the ‘requirements’ for acceptance is pretty damn intimidating, with some even boasting you need 50 plus reviews, but…

Its all about looking the part and persistence…

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None of my books have anywhere near the dizzy heights of what is perceived as a requirement amount of reviews BUT the reduced amount of reviews in comparison I do have are mainly positive and diversely ranged from bloggers, readers and even people I do not know. There are reviews on Amazon UK, US, Canada and even AUS which reflects my initial efforts in getting The Teleporter read and out there. Many of them even put their reviews up on Goodreads. There even a few reviews that are probably better than the book!

The cover artwork is second to none, like all of my stuff I invested in a great cover from some awesome folks called Design for Writers who have made all of my books look as good as any other author, pro or indie out there.

It’s also well edited and formatted by my awesome publisher. It simply looks the part from all angles and this is proof even small time indies like me can be taken seriously. Underdogs can win, even in publishing.

Above all I also never stopped applying. Every month or so I would submit a new deal to Bookbub and eventually they agreed to promote The Teleporter!

Standing out from the crowd…

There aren’t many super hero comedy books out there right now and there aren’t any called the The Teleporter. Like all of my books I have tried to title them in a way that is unique or sticks out from the crowd. So by submitting to Bookbub in the ‘humor’ category I think I set myself out from the crowd. In this world different is good, not the try hard to be different sort, just the naturally occurring different and that’s what the Teleporter is! Find a niche category and if everything else is aligned you may get chosen.

Combination of stuff…

There isn’t one sole reason why I got chosen by Bookbub. All of the above as a combination have led to this. A top tip would be to check on their site what books are currently being promoted, if they are similar to yours then they might be looking for that kind of thing.

Reviewers have helped this book in a huge way along with the awesome writing community who helped promote in recent times.

For anyone who did that, THANK YOU, this feels like our book and it’s going to the big dance and hopefully to a more mainstream audience. You folks can boast, if all goes well, that you read it before it was huge! 

Weekly Ramble #37

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Things never turn out how you expect them to. I guess the perception of one person can be clouded by the situation they find themselves in. Kind of like the sound of your voice, it seems different on film or recordings compared to hearing it out loud, either way its cringe. 

Writers lay in wait to find out if their stuff is well received, sometimes they never truly know but a live performer gets feedback almost instantly. An audience will react immediately with an applause or just a gasp or even worse silence which can be deafening. Some of the best gags may even go ‘unlaughed’ straight away but have a way of burning into one’s mind even days later. We’ve all laughed at something out of the moment.

The true power of performance or art in general is how it makes an audience member feel long afterwards. It’s a special feeling to reminisce about a show or story you were a part of some time ago. To be remembered is probably the highest of accolades for anyone in the arts. Then again they only saw or read that story on their side of the fence, I guess it all leads back to perception. Others will even argue that having their work move someone in any kind of way is the greatest of rewards.

 

Dirty Lawyers (A Night Audit Series Book 5) by Bruce Knapp – Review

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Fun gross out comedy…

Dirty Lawyers is the gross out comedy of the ‘Night Audit’ Series. Here we see Zach move into a new place while also finally pursuing his schooling. There’s a hint of 90’s nostalgia in this story and paired with new room mate Jake they host a party in their new apartment which ends with mixing drinks, truth or dare and then an embarrassing attempt in courting the impossibly out of reach Ashley for Zach; all of which is slightly cringe worthy but also fun.

Back at the hotel a group of Lawyers have taken up residency in true ‘animal house’ form making Zach’s hangover ten times worse as these ‘lawyers’ appear to take over. This of course results in more cringe and laugh moments which all ends with an even funnier twist.

4 Stars 

The Phantom (A Night Audit Series Book 4) by Bruce Knapp – Review

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Strange happenings in the Stay Over-Nite hotel

Picking up right where Part 3 ended we see the resolve of a cliffhanger that centers around main character Zach. After this incident he eventually makes his way back to work at night where things start to get a little strange.

This story was a fun, quick to read departure from the previous comedic accounts of Zach and shows that author Bruce Knapp can also do serious, creepy and psychological thrills very well. Elevators opening by themselves and the printer churning out ‘help me’ messages seem to be plaguing Zach; that is while guests appear to be checking in and then completely disappearing or even a rooster being reported running around on the third floor.  A lot can happen in one hotel overnight and some of it may be inside the mind while other events have an eventual explanation which forms into an unexpected twist at the closing of this story.

Overall I enjoyed this story like the previous ones and it felt a little different with even a ‘twilight zone’ style tone that was complimented by the resolve.

4 Stars 

Weekly Ramble #36

Lee Hall 5 Comments

 

38 Days. That’s how long I managed to stay away from alcohol. A personal best. A rather proud statistic. Even though I’ve never considered my consumption to be problematic, I decided to abstain to improve my overall health and even lose some weight. The weight loss thing is hard, damn hard, but I’m exercising regular and mostly injury free (back pain has plagued me for some years). 

Even though the next morning I had that all too familiar feeling of not having an interest in drinking for a while I had no remorse this time around. Those couple of mojitos and some number of ales quenched a thirst for a while and I had a fun night which is always my aim.

Now my aim is to stay on the sober path for longer; until my 30th birthday this August. Eventually I can see myself scaling back the alcohol consumption to near enough zero, but I am a writer so bare with me. Plus the social factor is huge, put those two things together and the cocktail of being a boozer appears. As I get older I am trying to be at the very forefront of a healthy lifestyle. Folks are living longer now, medical care is better and that means life expectancy is going up, my Father always said to look after yourself when your young and your body will look after you in older age. Wise words.

Happy health all.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Guys’ Night Out (A Night Audit Series Book 3) by Bruce Knapp – Review

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A hilarious account of one drunken night out…

guys

We all think we have good ideas and they seem even better when you add alcohol. In this story we see Zach away from the workplace and out on the town with Randy and Jake. That is without letting on to their colleague Wade who appears to be somewhat of a drip so inviting him is out of the question. What ensues is the typical ‘guys night’ that the title suggests, from chugging beers to a friend going missing to even getting thrown out of one place.

Eventually all roads for Zach lead back to the hotel he works at and Wade. What follows is the drunken idea of initiating him with hilarious results which at the very end of the book have dangerous consequences leaving this story finishing on a cliffhanger.

5 stars 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

FREE BOOK GIVEAWAY

Lee Hall 2 Comments

I’ve reached 2000 tweet machine follows folks! To celebrate I am giving away all 4 of my books!

Details are below. To enter head on over to my Twitter or check out the side bar >>> where you will find the promo tweet! 

FREE BOOK GIVEAWAY! Celebrating 2K Twitter followers!
3 Prizes available
1. Open Evening & Cemetery House
2. Darke Blood
3.  The Teleporter
All paperback copies will be signed. Entrants must provide mailing address.

To enter: RT, like and comment on this post and follow me (I’ll follow back)

The 3 Winners will be contacted this Friday the 21st of June 2019

all 4covers small

 

 

Thank you followers old and new for helping me reach the 2000 milestone! In return I am running my biggest book giveaway ever!

Nights Of Hell (A Night Audit Series Book 2) by Bruce Knapp- Review

Lee Hall 1 Comment

Working nights can mess with one’s head…

nights of hell

Working nights can not only be hell but they can mess with one’s head. Zach is back for the second chapter of his story as he delves into night work at the hotel. Again he seems to fall into various problems of not only the day to day running of a busy hotel but the perils of working during the night. He faces tiredness on a constant basis while also running important reports which seem to go wrong… that is while juggling extra jobs that don’t get finished during the day.

This part of Zach’s journey is greeted with difficulty as he tries to adjust to life of the nocturnal persuasion while trying to prove himself as the night auditor. He tackles this uphill struggle while also pondering whether this job is for him.

Overall an enjoyable and very quick read – I managed to complete it in one sitting. Looking forward to seeing what’s next for Zach in part 3 of this original and fun journey!

4 Stars 

Time

Lee Hall 2 Comments

Time.

Time is our fickle master. You can never have too much and not enough of it all at once. That all depends on what side of the clock you stand. Is it behind you or out in front?

We live surrounded by a sea of seconds, minutes, hours or days although its a water you cannot drink.

Everything seems to be governed by time although any creative process is later defined by someone else’s interpretation. Good or bad nobody ever thinks of the time put in to create what they are judging. The time put in to hone crafts, to think, to theorise and dream. All of this revolves around the clock our lives run by.

Blink and it’s gone. Immerse yourself in something and again it’s gone. No matter what way we situate our minds time is never something we have enough of. Perhaps we should drink the wine, eat the foods and spend our lives with those we love. No matter what, time will take all of such things away. Morbid it is, for those who squander their time or perhaps inciting to those who don’t. A reminder that time will rule over all.

Time is our friend, our enemy and everything in between.

 

 

 

 

 

So It Begins (A Night Audit Series Book 1) by Bruce Knapp – Review

Lee Hall Leave a comment

A fun and intriguing but very relatable short story…

so it begins.PNG

Zach is having a bad day. His car has run out of gas and the local gas station only takes cash. That’s how this story starts and like the best of us when it rains it pours. His job is no better, it’s physical menial work that could probably be best described as back breaking and with a supervisor like his it was only a matter of time until he did what all of us sometimes dream of doing.

Soon enough Zach’s luck begins to change as his best friend advises him to apply for a new job opening; that being a Night Auditor for a hotel. He begins training and just when everything looks towards even more intrigue I found myself at the end of this book and chapter…

Everything is set in motion for what will become a journey of discovery for both Zach and the reader. Looking forward to reading more from the 5 part Night Audit Series.

4 Stars