Monday, March 14, 2011

The Parasite Kindle.

Right, I've mocked up the temporary cover for it below (though I don't know how I feel about the words 'Neal Asher The Parasite'!), I'll write a blurb and sort out a table of contents too. However, I can't really do anything about that until I can get back at it, which it's not letting me do. The Amazon ranking as I write this is 423, but I'm buggered if I know what that might mean in terms of sales.

18 comments:

Disco Stu said...

Yes...unfortunate title to have right next to yer name.

Jay said...

You could switch it around or put 'a novella'

Neal Asher said...

Like the title of my other novella. 'Fool's Mate' refers to a fool, as in a clown, who appears in the novella, and mate as in the chess move. However, hearing the words one might answer, 'Yes, they do don't they'.

The Kat said...

Literally laughed out loud at that, Disco Stu. Its like the worst greeting card ever.

Neal, do you have an aStore set up through Amazon? You could boost your percentage by another 5-9% on this and your existing books.

Steve Hick said...

It made it to Amazon.com in the US too.

osh said...

Sub 400 now!

Down to 377 - whatever that actually means in the real world.

John Day said...

Next step - the Apple iBookstore.

KJ Mulder said...

I'd definitely make the author name much smaller so the focus can be on the title, not the Author + Title combo.

vaudeviewgalor raandisisraisins said...

that's a fine cover, i've eaten worse.

Anonymous said...

Well, you could add an apostrophe and an 's' so that you get Neal Asher's The Parasite. Might have to have your name in slightly smaller letters though, and authors seem to belong to the 'bigger is better' school. (If the name can't be read at 100m in a thick fog, then their publicist obviously needs to buck his ideas up.)

A collection of your short stories would be very welcome, though us collectors would hope that there would also be a print version at some time or other.

I get the impression that the larger publishers aren't very keen on short story compilations, so maybe you could do a deal with one of the smaller independent presses like Subterranean or PS Publishing.

Neal Asher said...

BarryA, I do have some short story collections out there: The Engineer ReConditioned, The Gabble, and the chapbook (just six short stories) called Runcible Tales.

I've sorted the cover (next post). Generally the letter size of the author's name grows as it becomes more of a selling point. If you check back to the first issues of my books you'll see the difference.

Anonymous said...

Sure, I appreciate that you have s/s collections published, I ought to, I have copies of the three you mention sitting on my shelf.

Maybe I didn't make my meaning clear - it'd be s/s previously uncollected in your other books that would be very welcome - with, as hoped for in a previous thread, the 'Mason's Rats' threesome appearing together again, plus 'Sucker'.

Neal Asher said...

It's a definite thought, BarryA. I might even sort out getting The Engineer ReConditioned back to publish as an ebook.

vaudeviewgalor raandisisraisins said...

the Jain element of THE ENGINEER i think would death-tickle a lot of your readers in a triangular way.

it's 'only a flesh wound' for the 7 year old naked girl.

Neal Asher said...

You know what, Vaude. You've just reminded me. I've got a 20,000 word novella, and TV script, called 'Trines' - all about a Jain effectively squirreled away under an English woodland and taking control of the surrounding area (why do all the villagers have these strange triangular birth marks at the bases of their spines?). I must dig that out too.

Phil M said...

Triangles, now that brings us back to an earlier discussion about, if I remember correctly, that you can find similarities between many books of the same genre.
Have a look at his gents site, been listening to his podcasst for years and very enjoyable they are too.
http://www.scottsigler.com/infected

Phil M said...

By the way thanks for "The Parasite" very enjoyable

loggerag2002 said...

That was great Neal. You need a little shorty like that for Mr. Crane. Hell all your characters. Kinda a hello my name is neal asher, and these are the fellows that will be blowing your mind in my fiction.

Bravo. More more more more more more!