Thanksgiving

So much thanks to give to all those who took a chance on an unknown book by an even more obscure author this past year! Especially those who:

bought the book, read it, told a friend about it, told lots of friends about it, supported this blog, joined the Derek Ciccone Book Club on Facebook, made Painless one of the most downloaded books on iBooks for Apple, sought me out to speak about the book at their venue or to do a newspaper article on Painless, emailed me feedback, posted a great review of the book anywhere - Amazon, Facebook, Goodreads, or wherever, sent me encouragement, sent me constructive criticism or pointed out a grammatical flaw, had their book club read it, purchased it for a gift for someone, businesses that gave it to clients as a gift, soldiers in Operation Ebook Drop who actually thanked me for providing the book when I really should be thanking them, helped me with all the technological stuff that was way over my head (thx Dirt!), brought the book to school for show & tell for their 2nd grade class, and everyone who asked me when the next one will be coming out and tell me they can't wait!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Mail Bag #2

Back in August I did a mail bag here at the blog that answered common reader questions. Didn't get to all of them, and also have received a bunch of awesome feedback since then that is full of great questions - which leads us to Mail Bag #2!!

If you missed the first one that covered such topics as: when/if there will be another book, how I came up with the Carolyn character, and where I get my ideas, check out here

All feedback is welcome at derekbkclb@yahoo.com

Now on to the mail bag...

How can I get a signed copy of Painless?
I must admit, signed copies were not something I factored on and I don't really have a good solution for, BUT that doesn't mean I can't get you one. Of the readers I have worked with, they had contacted me via email and I ended up sending them a signed book, and in turn, they sent me a check for the book to an address I provided them (I am working to set up a PayPal account to make this process easier) Obviously this takes some trust on both sides, but those who contacted me were really interested in getting a signed copy and I was really interested in getting them one, so it was able to work out well.

I think Painless would make a great movie!
Okay, this is more of a comment than a question, but probably the most common mention I have received. It also makes me chuckle because the first advice someone from the "industry" ever gave me was never say the book would make a good movie or that your grandmother likes it (for the record, grandma thought it was okay but the ending could of been better). But hey, I'm all for it becoming a movie one day - closest thing we have is a cool book trailer - I currently own the movie rights, but I'm really not qualified or funded to make a movie, so it will require someone, to steal a line from a movie, to make me an offer I can't refuse. Who would play Billy or Carolyn? Now that sounds like another blog entry for another day.

How come the price is different in different places?
For the print version, I set the price ($15.99 paperback) when sold through my web site or publisher. But I have little say over what Amazon, Barnes & Noble and other affiliates do if they want to raise or lower the price. The ebook version is much different, because the price can be changed at any point, and often is. The popular free Apple/IPad offer is a good example of this - while such an offer is not possible at Amazon Kindle.

Will you be offering any deals for the holidays?
I think the real question here is where did 2010 go? Wow. But yes, I plan some discounts for those looking to give Painless as a gift. And if I don't say so myself, the hard copy version really makes a nice gift. Stay tuned!

What do you read?
Unfortunately, I have found becoming a "writer" makes a lot less time to be a "reader." The books are stacking up on the nightstand!! I am currently "working on" Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson, but I don't think I've done it justice with my constant starts and stops. My two favorite writers are Harlan Coben and Nelson Demille and I gobble up anything they write. I think I mentioned in a blog entry from long long ago that the Firm by John Grisham was an inspiring book for me. As far as the classics, I'm a big Gatsby fan and have often referenced it somewhere in stories I write (don't think I did in Painless, but not totally sure).

I'm interested in the Peanut Butter & Jelly childrens book that Billy writes in Painless. Any chance you'll write a version in real life?
Picking myself off the floor laughing. This is by far the most surprising question I get, and truthfully I am probably not even qualified to be babysitting children, much less writing a childrens book. But when I think about it, I do like the idea of it, and I love writing different types of stories (currently working on a Christmas themed thriller), so you never know...

I joined your "Book Club" on Facebook? Is it a book club or a fan site - I don't get it!?
The Derek Ciccone Book Club on Facebook is a "fan" site for Painless and myself, but it is really belongs to the "Bookclubbers" who've joined. The name was an attempt at being clever that turned out to be confusing - I get people all the time messaging me, asking if my "bookclub" will read their book, to which I respond, will your book club read my book? They tell me they don't have a book club, and I tell them, neither do I. Like I said, confusing. But the last time I checked, Facebook doesn't allow me to change it while maintaining the current site, and it's kind of entrenched now. But it's a great place to find more information on the book, updates on possible future books, get links from the blog, and a chance to post your thoughts on the book and discuss it with other "Bookclubbers." Join today and tell your friends!!!!!

PS My grandmother really did like the ending.

Picture source: Savage Chickens (Doug Savage)