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April Fool's Day As I write this on April 1, 2025, I am reminded of the best April Fool’s prank ever played on me. One day, years ago, when our kids still lived at home, I returned from work and got into the shower. I picked up the new bar of soap from the dish and tried to lather up, but I couldn't get any soap, no matter how much or how hard I rubbed. Eventually, I just washed with the shampoo. Afterwards, when I got out and dried, my son and daughter stood outside the door laughing. I learned they had coated the new bar of soap with clear fingernail polish. It looked like soap, and felt like soap, but it was waterproof. Monster Trout Also on April Fool’s Day, fifty-eight years ago, my dad caught the largest trout I have ever held or seen out of the water. The monster, a thirty-inch, eleven-pound, six-ounce brown trout, came from the South Platte River in Eleven Mile Canyon. Unfortunately, I missed the battle while fishing upstream from him. I had to get up to the road along the river to go around some large boulders, and looked down to see cars and people lining the road. When I got close to where our truck was parked, I heard a war whoop from across the river. Looking over, I saw Dad holding the monster trout. People on the road cheered. Dad had to sit and calm down on the other side of the river. He smoked a cigarette before walking upstream to where he could ford the river. When he got across to the truck, we put the fish and our gear in the back and drove to the store in Lake George, where they weighed the fish on a certified scale, and the owner took Polaroid pictures of the fish he pinned up in the store with other photos of big fish. We took more pictures when we got home, and Dad spent the money to mount the fish. It still hangs above the desk where I write. My kids once bought me a T-shirt that said, “I don’t need a fish finder. I am one.” I think that expression applied to my father. It didn’t matter where or how he fished; he always caught fish. He taught me everything I know about fishing, but I am not as good at it. Missing Dad This time of year always brings up memories of my father. His ninety-fifth birthday would have been March 26th. I’m sure he would still catch fish if he were alive. The days I spent with him fishing the Colorado lakes and rivers around Colorado Springs, or wading the rivers near Springfield, Missouri, on vacation, are forged into my soul. I got brief glimpses of those days when I would take one or more of my grandkids fishing. I hope they remember those days fondly as they leave home to start lives and families of their own. My dad New Book My new book, Lightning’s Edge: Lost World Odyssey, is available as either an e-book or a paperback. Both versions are available from Amazon. (Amazon.com: Lightning's Edge: Lost World Odyssey eBook : Jones, C.Buck: Kindle Store) Your favorite bookstore can order the paperback for you, or you can order it directly from my website. Read the full article

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Writing a sequel is not as easy as I thought.

Making progress on my new book. Since I finished editing my second book Lightning’s Edge: Lost World Odyssey, Amazon.com: Lightning’s Edge: Lost World Odyssey eBook : Jones, C.Buck: Kindle Store, I have made progress on my new untitled book. It is the sequel to my first book, Salvation and Doom: The Cathardi Prophecy, Amazon.com: Salvation and Doom: The Cathardi Prophecy eBook : Jones, C.Buck:…

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Making progress on my new book. Since I finished editing my second book Lightning’s Edge: Lost World Odyssey, Amazon.com: Lightning's Edge: Lost World Odyssey eBook : Jones, C.Buck: Kindle Store, I have made progress on my new untitled book. It is the sequel to my first book, Salvation and Doom: The Cathardi Prophecy, Amazon.com: Salvation and Doom: The Cathardi Prophecy eBook : Jones, C.Buck: Kindle Store. Several people requested I write the sequel to resolve storylines, especially the fate of Josh’s child. That and developments in the relationship between Josh and Liria are part of the sequel. However, the research I’ve done on writing sequels tells me I have to do more than just continue the story. The sequel should offer new characters, new challenges, and much higher stakes. This makes writing the sequel challenging, because I know and like the existing characters, and I thought saving the world was high stakes. I currently have approximately 30,000 words written, most of them dealing with the characters from the first book. I’m still working on the antagonists and developing their role in the overall story arc and the stakes that result. Hopefully, the sequel will provide the necessary uniqueness to keep readers interested. Writing has been hard over the holidays. My wife volunteered to host the Christmas gathering for our kids and their families. Fortunately, they scheduled it for December 28th. We took our dog to the park for a walk on Christmas morning. The sun shone on Pikes Peak making a gorgeous day for a walk around the park. Until my wife tripped and fell because of an uneven seam on the sidewalk. She broke her hip, and we spent the rest of Christmas day in the emergency room and the hospital where she had surgery that evening. Even under those circumstances, enough “coincidences” occurred to show God was with us. Her surgery was successful, and she came home the next day, Dec. 26th. But now I must do all the meal prep and cleanup, laundry, etc., limiting the time I spend writing. She should recover most of her mobility after six to eight weeks, giving me more time to write. Until then, I will think about what to do to make the sequel better. I hope you enjoy my blog, and I need everyone who is interested in my books to please sign up to the mailing list. I send out very few newsletters but, in the future, I will use it to offer special promotions. Join our Mailing List Sign up with us now and be the first one to know about our exclusive offers and product updates. By submitting your information, you`re giving us permission to email you. You may unsubscribe at any time. Read the full article

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Milestones and New Book Coming Soon

Milestones August turned into a busy and exciting time for me. Early in the month, my eldest daughter married her long-time beau. They both appeared thrilled. Both had previous marriages that didn't work out contributing to the long pre-marriage relationship. Then at the end of the month, my wife and I celebrated our fifty-fourth wedding anniversary. I am still amazed that God could take two selfish and naïve hippies and join them together in a lasting, loving, and mutually beneficial relationship. Happy 54th Anniversary Lightning's Edge In the middle of the month, I received the final cover design for my second novel. Though I thought of waiting until after the first of the year to release it, I set the tentative release date to mid-November. I uploaded the manuscript to Kindle Direct Publishing and ordered a proof copy of the paperback. My wife will read through it, acting as a final proofread before publishing. Next month, I will reveal the cover and hopefully have a video or pictures showing the proof copy. Lightning's Edge Between now and November advanced reader copies (ARC’s) will go out so that on the release date the readers can post reviews on Amazon. Getting reviews on Amazon is very important to sales for the book. My first novel has only five reviews. The minimum requirement for Amazon to take the reviews seriously is 20, and if a book gets 100 five-star reviews, Amazon will put it in front of more people, increasing sales. So, if you have read Salvation and Doom, write a review. Salvation and Doom Sequel I have started writing the sequel to Salvation and Doom. The plan is to publish it late next year if I complete it in time. The sequel seems to be harder to write than the original even though it revolves around many of the same characters. But, thinking about it, Salvation and Doom took seven years to write. Long Journey’s End – Moving from Writer to Author If you enjoyed reading my blog, add your email to the pop-up box and subscribe to my mailing list. Read the full article

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Milestones and New Book Coming Soon

Milestones August turned into a busy and exciting time for me. Early in the month, my eldest daughter married her long-time beau. They both appeared thrilled. Both had previous marriages that didn’t work out contributing to the long pre-marriage relationship. Then at the end of the month, my wife and I celebrated our fifty-fourth wedding anniversary. I am still amazed that God could take two…

[doesbuck]

Publishing a New Book Is Like Seeing A Newborn Baby

First Book This is an exciting time for me as a writer. My second novel is ready to format and upload for publishing as soon as I get my final cover design. Thinking about my second novel reminds me of when we had our second child. Our first child came into this world fourteen months after our wedding. I felt excited but also fearful that something would go wrong, and it was a difficult delivery. When I first saw my son, he hadn’t been completely cleaned up and his head was misshapen from the forceps. When my wife asked me if I had seen him and how beautiful and perfect he was, I hesitated. My first novel came into the world with high expectations, but it didn’t sell despite the rave reviews from the initial readers. (Long Journey’s End – Moving from Writer to Author) Eight months later, I still receive compliments on my cover whenever I post it on social media. Miblart, MIBLART | Book cover design services, the company that designed the cover for my first book, is designing the second cover as well. The initial design looked great but needed some minor changes. I should receive the updated design in the next week or two. With the cover, I can upload everything to Amazon and Ingram Sparks, for their review. If there are no errors, the book will be ready to publish, and I can set a release date for later this year. Second Book When we decided to have a second child seven years after the first, there was the same excitement but less fear. We knew what to expect and had more confidence in ourselves as parents. One difference though between releasing the books and having children is not knowing the exact date of the birth, especially since my wife didn’t require a c-section. With the book, I set the date. If I establish a late November or December publishing date, I will have four or five months to do the prepublication tasks that I left only six weeks to accomplish for my first book. After acceptance by Amazon and Ingram Sparks, advanced reader copies (ARCs) need to go out to reviewers to read and prepare Amazon reviews for posting on the release date. I didn’t do a good job of getting ARCs out on the first book. As a result, I only have 6 reviews on Amazon. Amazon's algorithm and readers like to have a minimum of twenty reviews. My goal is to reach or exceed that benchmark. The plan is to provide the ARC readers two to three months before the release date so they can comfortably finish the book.  If you would be interested in participating as an ARC reader, use the contact form on my website, Contact - C Buck Jones, or if you read this on Facebook, let me know through a comment. I will provide you with either an ePub or a pdf file to read. Proof Also, before the release date, I will have proof copies of the paperback sent to me from Amazon's and Ingram Sparks' print-on-demand services. These will undergo a final proofreading.  Whether it is your first child or sixth, the joy of seeing the newborn baby brings hope and happiness into your life. When the proof copies arrive, I get similar feelings of hope and happiness. Hope that the beautiful new baby will sell and be enjoyed by others. Happiness in holding the physical evidence of a book that I wrote. Salvation and Doom Proof Copy If you enjoy reading my blog, please use the pop-up to sign up to receive notifications and use the contact form to let me know you would like to receive my newsletter where I will provide updates on the launch for Lightning's Edge my new book. Read the full article

[doesbuck]

Publishing a New Book Is Like Seeing A Newborn Baby

First Book This is an exciting time for me as a writer. My second novel is ready to format and upload for publishing as soon as I get my final cover design. Thinking about my second novel reminds me of when we had our second child. Our first child came into this world fourteen months after our wedding. I felt excited but also fearful that something would go wrong, and it was a difficult…

[doesbuck]

Publishing a New Book Is Like Seeing A Newborn Baby

First Book This is an exciting time for me as a writer. My second novel is ready to format and upload for publishing as soon as I get my final cover design. Thinking about my second novel reminds me of when we had our second child. Our first child came into this world fourteen months after our wedding. I felt excited but also fearful that something would go wrong, and it was a difficult delivery. When I first saw my son, he hadn’t been completely cleaned up and his head was misshapen from the forceps. When my wife asked me if I had seen him and how beautiful and perfect he was, I hesitated. My first novel came into the world with high expectations, but it didn’t sell despite the rave reviews from the initial readers. (Long Journey’s End – Moving from Writer to Author) Eight months later, I still receive compliments on my cover whenever I post it on social media. Miblart, MIBLART | Book cover design services, the company that designed the cover for my first book, is designing the second cover as well. The initial design looked great but needed some minor changes. I should receive the updated design in the next week or two. With the cover, I can upload everything to Amazon and Ingram Sparks, for their review. If there are no errors, the book will be ready to publish, and I can set a release date for later this year. Second Book When we decided to have a second child seven years after the first, there was the same excitement but less fear. We knew what to expect and had more confidence in ourselves as parents. One difference though between releasing the books and having children is not knowing the exact date of the birth, especially since my wife didn’t require a c-section. With the book, I set the date. If I establish a late November or December publishing date, I will have four or five months to do the prepublication tasks that I left only six weeks to accomplish for my first book. After acceptance by Amazon and Ingram Sparks, advanced reader copies (ARCs) need to go out to reviewers to read and prepare Amazon reviews for posting on the release date. I didn’t do a good job of getting ARCs out on the first book. As a result, I only have 6 reviews on Amazon. Amazon's algorithm and readers like to have a minimum of twenty reviews. My goal is to reach or exceed that benchmark. The plan is to provide the ARC readers two to three months before the release date so they can comfortably finish the book.  If you would be interested in participating as an ARC reader, use the contact form on my website, Contact - C Buck Jones, or if you read this on Facebook, let me know through a comment. I will provide you with either an ePub or a pdf file to read. Proof Also, before the release date, I will have proof copies of the paperback sent to me from Amazon's and Ingram Sparks' print-on-demand services. These will undergo a final proofreading.  Whether it is your first child or sixth, the joy of seeing the newborn baby brings hope and happiness into your life. When the proof copies arrive, I get similar feelings of hope and happiness. Hope that the beautiful new baby will sell and be enjoyed by others. Happiness in holding the physical evidence of a book that I wrote. Salvation and Doom Proof Copy If you enjoy reading my blog, please use the pop-up to sign up to receive notifications and use the contact form to let me know you would like to receive my newsletter where I will provide updates on the launch for Lightning's Edge my new book. Read the full article

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Authors Whose Books I Enjoy and Inspired My Latest Novel

Books and Authors I like As a young man, I enjoyed reading science fiction and fantasy. Books like Dune, Dune Novels – The Official Dune Website, and The Lord of the Rings trilogy, The Lord of the Rings – Tolkien Gateway, are favorites I have read multiple times. But not all the books I enjoyed were long massive tomes. I enjoy shorter, less literary works like those by Edgar Rice Burroughs, H.…

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Authors Whose Books I Enjoy and Inspired My Latest Novel

Books and Authors I like As a young man, I enjoyed reading science fiction and fantasy. Books like Dune, Dune Novels – The Official Dune Website, and The Lord of the Rings trilogy, The Lord of the Rings - Tolkien Gateway, are favorites I have read multiple times. But not all the books I enjoyed were long massive tomes. I enjoy shorter, less literary works like those by Edgar Rice Burroughs, H. G. Wells, Author Conan Doyle, and C. S. Lewis. So, during the editing of my first book, Salvation and Doom, I started writing my second book. (My Manuscript is finished. Time to prepare for publishing.) I thought of writing a fun science fiction book like A Princess of Mars, John Carter of Mars® Series New Book In Process It only took a few months to have the first draft of the book complete, compared to the years for my first book. The proofreader will finish with the final draft of the book next week. I can format the manuscript and order a cover design. I sent out social media posts asking for help with the book title and received several responses but tried a different approach using A.I. to generate a title and book blurb based on the summary I provided. The title of it is Lightning's Edge: Lost World Odyssey. And the blurb is below: When a bolt of lightning from a clear sky propels middle-aged Ryan and his loyal dog, Toby, into a perilous and primitive world, putting their survival skills to the ultimate test. From enduring capture by ruthless slavers and battling fierce pirates to navigating the treetop villages of a mythical winged race, Ryan's odyssey is a heart-pounding adventure through a land filled with danger and mystery. As he seeks the secrets held by a tribal medicine man, Ryan's determination to return home conflicts with the relationships he develops and the uncertainty of his future there. In "Lightning's Edge: Lost World Odyssey," embark on a journey where every step is a battle for survival, every encounter a test of trust, and every moment a fight against the odds. Will Ryan unlock the path back to his world, or will he remain forever lost in this strange and wondrous land? Suzueco - the dragon from the new book is really more like a giant bat. Image generated using A.I. I submitted the summary to the company that designed my last cover for a free design concept and their idea fit the new title without knowing the book's title. The excitement is building as publishing nears and I prepare to send out advanced reader copies for review. I had fun writing it and I hope you have fun reading it. Read the full article

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Experiencing the Self-Publishing Money Pit

The Money Pit Last weekend, I had lunch with my son-in-law, one of my grandsons, and my daughter’s fiancee. During the meal, part of the conversation revolved around the fiancee’s progress on restoring an old pickup truck. Whenever he thought the end was near, something else would come up. For example, he changed from drum brakes to disc brakes. As a result, he had to change out the rims, and…

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Experiencing the Self-Publishing Money Pit

The Money Pit Last weekend, I had lunch with my son-in-law, one of my grandsons, and my daughter's fiancee. During the meal, part of the conversation revolved around the fiancee’s progress on restoring an old pickup truck. Whenever he thought the end was near, something else would come up. For example, he changed from drum brakes to disc brakes. As a result, he had to change out the rims, and the new rims required new tires. It reminded me of the old movie The Money Pit (The Money Pit (1986) - IMDb) with Tom Hanks and Shelley Long renovating an old house. The renovations went on and on with no end in sight. The truck renovation is not nearly as involved as the house in the movie, but it made me think about my experience as a self-published author. Marketing and Sales Over the last several months, I have written about the trials and tribulations of a self-published author struggling with book sales,(Book Sales and Marketing Is Work), not knowing how to market, and the ongoing expenses. Lately, I have explored different marketing avenues. I had an Instagram book blogger review my book. (Buck Jones (@buck.jones.507) • Instagram photos and videos) This resulted in a lot of interest with nearly 700 likes and comments on the post, and it nearly doubled my Instagram following. However, the bottom line is it resulted in zero sales and a deluge of other bloggers wanting to post about my book for a fee. I contacted book marketing companies that promised a minimum 200% return on investment. But the packages they offered ran from $1500 to $6000 with a significant payment upfront. This was over my current budget. I will continue to struggle through various free and lower-cost options, especially since I have already contracted with an editor on my second book, which I hope to publish later this year. Final Words If you enjoy reading my blog, please leave a comment and sign up for my newsletter. I intend to announce a giveaway of a signed copy of my book to one subscriber this summer. Salvation and Doom Cover You can buy my book Salvation and Doom directly by using this link: Buy Salvation and Doom:The Cathardi Prophecy (ingramspark.com) Read the full article

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Self Publishing an Expensive Hobby

Last year, before publishing my book, I decided to start my own publishing company, Wolfstar Publishing. Listing a publisher on the Amazon product page, (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CKM1CCFL), appears more professional. (At least that is what I read.) I registered the company, Wolfstar Publishing, with the state of Colorado as a sole proprietorship since I didn’t anticipate a lot of income. It would also allow me to evaluate the income and expenses using a separate business account, while the taxes would fold into my individual income tax. Wolfstar Publishing is a registered for-profit business. However, over the last six months, it didn’t earn any profit. I have heard it said a business without profit is just a hobby. So, my business turned out to be an expensive hobby and will soon get more expensive, since I am preparing to publish another book. Wolfstar Publishing Logo My new novel, tentatively titled Portal to Almirosia, is ready to go to an editor. The book is just over 80,000 words and editing costs run at a minimum of $0.008 to $0.01 per word. Once editing is complete, I will need to pay someone to proofread the manuscript with an estimated cost similar to the editing. Then, a cover must be designed before publishing. With no significant sales from the first book to provide income, this money comes from my limited retirement income or savings. All in hopes that the books will eventually begin to sell. Like any small business, developing a customer base is crucial to success. The more books I have for sale the better the chances of increasing my income. I presume this is the hope of all authors, especially independently published authors. As mentioned above, my new novel is ready for the editor. It is not a sequel to the first book, but a different type of story. In it, the protagonist is transported to a new world full of primitive people, megafauna, and other strange creatures. He initially thinks he is dreaming, but soon learns he is not and must learn to survive. He must figure out how to return to the world and life he had. He fights wild animals, is sold into slavery, taken by pirates, and followed by ‘dragons’. Will he make it home? If he does, will his wife still be there after all the time that has passed? Suzueco - the dragon from the new book is more like a giant bat. Image generated using A.I. It's an action-packed fun story similar to Edgar Rice Burroughs’ John Carter or Tarzan books. If interested, sign up for my newsletter and blog to stay updated. If you enjoy my blog, sign up to receive notifications. Also, sign up to receive my newsletter. Read the full article

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Self Publishing an Expensive Hobby

Last year, before publishing my book, I decided to start my own publishing company, Wolfstar Publishing. Listing a publisher on the Amazon product page, (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CKM1CCFL), appears more professional. (At least that is what I read.) I registered the company, Wolfstar Publishing, with the state of Colorado as a sole proprietorship since I didn’t anticipate a lot of income. It…

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The Depressing Naivety Of A First Time Self-published Author

 Naive about writing When I decided to write my book, I thought it would be easy. I know I have talked about it here in the past. When I started, I was naïve about the difficulty involved in writing a book. (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CKM1CCFL) The first two years of my retirement involved learning how to write understandably and how to develop a plot suitable for a full-length novel. Then learning about editing, proofreading, and all the technical work required to make the writing worth reading. The Only Kind of Writing Is Rewriting Naive about the time required During this process, I assumed that once I wrote the book, the rest would be easy. However, during my research, I discovered it could take a year or more to find a literary agent, and then another two years to complete the publishing process. Since I am over 70 years old, I decided self-publishing was the best route. There was a lot of information about marketing your book and using your author platform. But I have a tiny platform and marketing is difficult. Long Journey’s End – Moving from Writer to Author Naive about book sales I was naïve about how everything worked. I thought if my book was good, my friends and family would read it, other people would find it on Amazon, and I would sell books. The initial feedback I received from my editors, beta readers, and the reviews of the early readers encouraged me. To date, only 40 people have purchased the book and during the free-book promotion I ran on Amazon at the end of February, only 14 more people downloaded the e-book. Pretty underwhelming sales, though I didn’t expect to be an N. Y. Times best-selling author, but I hoped to recover the costs involved in producing the book. Buy Now – Authors Need Encouragement Naive about marketing Again, I was naïve. Since the end of last year, I have tried various approaches to marketing the book. I did a price promotion on Amazon (https://www.amazon.com/) in December which resulted in zero sales. In January, I paid someone on Fiverr (https://www.fiverr.com/) to post my book on various book blog sites. I can only attribute one sale to the effort. I am currently using eBook Fairs (Online Book Fairs Hosted By Authors | eBookFairs) to expand my audience, but it is too early to tell if it has had any effect on sales. Then there was the free book promotion which ran for two days on Feb.28 & 29. The 14 books downloaded make it the most effective marketing effort to date, but giving away books for free doesn’t cover any costs. Salvation and Doom Cover  The lesson from all of this is that even if I have a well-written and interesting book, an attractive cover, and a reasonable blurb people will not buy the book if they don’t know it exists. It is naïve of me to think by some sort of osmosis people will find it and buy it. I must be patient and satisfied with the major accomplishment of completing and publishing my first novel. Status of my new book I have gotten about three-quarters of the way through the re-write of my new book, tentatively titled Portal to Almirosia. It is a portal fantasy where the protagonist is transported to a new world and must try to get back home. There is a lot of action and adventure and it deals with issues of fidelity, acceptance of new species, and slavery. If you enjoy this blog, please subscribe using the pop-up menu. Read the full article

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The Depressing Naivety Of A First Time Self-published Author

 Naive about writing When I decided to write my book, I thought it would be easy. I know I have talked about it here in the past. When I started, I was naïve about the difficulty involved in writing a book. (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CKM1CCFL) The first two years of my retirement involved learning how to write understandably and how to develop a plot suitable for a full-length novel. Then…

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Book Sales and Marketing Is Work

Book Sales As an author, I thought I could write and publish a book that everyone would like. What I found out is that even if you have a good book, if people don’t know about it, they can’t buy it. When I released Salvation and Doom, Amazon.com: Salvation and Doom: The Cathardi Prophecy eBook : Jones, C.Buck: Kindle Store, I figured people could search Amazon and find the book without any…