Kindle Vella: Feed the Beast!

I've been doing really well with Kindle Vella, making upwards of $1200 in monthly bonuses. But for March I was disappointed to learn I only earned around $200. Why? I believe it's because I was adventuring in Turkey and didn't have time to contribute to the platform, telling me you need to feed the beast or else!!

Relationships and Writers!

Freedom is just another word for freelance writer...

You Must Publish What You Write!

Get that story or novel published, one way or another.

No Better Time to be a Writer!

There are more outlets and platforms than ever for a fiction writer to get his or her work out there to the masses, making this the best time ever to be a writer! Go nuts!

It's About Time!

It's About Time!

I'm an impatient guy. As an hybrid author, I know firsthand how long it can take to publish a traditional book. Sometimes years! But indie publishing can be accomplished in as little as a few weeks or a month or so at the longest.

Merry Christmas America (Are We Dead Yet?)

A few years back, Xmas in Rome.

 

Yes, I'm writing on Christmas morning, but that's not my choice, it's sort of my duty. A long time ago when I was studying and writing at The Breadloaf Writer's Conference, the novelist Tim O'Brien kindly took me under his wing, personally critiqued a short story of mine which was then called Portrait, and which later became the novel, When Shadows Come (a novel that was orphaned prior to its release from Thomas & Mercer when the editor jumped ship--something that happens a lot over there. But as usual, I digress). 

In the middle of going over the story, sometimes line by line, he with red pencil in hand and trademark Boston Red Sox baseball cap on his head, lit cigarette between his lips, suddenly asked, "Hey you don't happen to have any coke on you?" 

I was sorely disappointed I didn't. 

In any case, when we were through he said...and I'll never forget it..."One day, you're going to be more famous than you are now. You will have fans, and they will expect a lot out of you. They will, in some cases, become more needy than your wives (yes, he used the plural), and you will need to put out for them. That means you will be writing on your birthday, when you are sick with the flu, when you are happy, and when you are depressed. You will be writing ON CHRISTMAS DAY, whether you like it or not." 

So there you have it, readers. It's Christmas and I will spend my day or most of it anyway, working on novel edits. But let me say, Merry Christmas to you all. Some might find that offensive but I'm not woke, and shall forever remain asleep, metaphorically speaking, I guess. 2020 is about to come to an end and let's hope the door slaps it on the ass on the way out. 

I still recall standing inside a bar in Lake Placid last New Years Eve as a blizzard was blowing outside. I had a pool cue in hand, and was watching the wall mounted TV while my GF was beating me at pool. The report about a virus outbreak in China sent a chill down my spine. At that point it was still a small story in the grand scheme of things, but I recall saying half under my breath to said GF, "This is going to be bad. This is going to be very, very bad." And bad it became. 

I'm not fond of the Grateful Dead, and in fact, I hate their music (I prefer old punk rock), but I'm reminded of their song that goes What a Long Strange Trip it's Been. It's raining outside my window. I had planned on skiing today (sorry Tim), but the grass outside my writing studio looks like a putting green. There's hardly any planes in the air and many fewer cars on the road. Carbon emissions are way down. Why isn't it snowing AOC? But again, I digress. 

I guess what I'm trying to say is, it doesn't feel like Christmas. In fact, the whole year doesn't feel like we've progressed, but if anything, regressed into this population of fenced in individuals who are slowly going insane with boredom, loneliness, financial ruin, and despair (BTW, my profound thanks to the US government for pulling through with stimulus for normal everyday folks who will visit the food lines today instead of enjoying a nice Xmas dinner. The US government is broken and you only have yourself to blame...You know precisely who you are. Enjoy your ice cream, Nancy. And Mitch, I hope you're sipping only the best Kentucky bourbon today with a big fat cigar stuffed in your mouth. You both should be drawn and quartered in public...once more, I digress). 

But it almost feels like we've actually succumbed to the disease and simply don't know it yet. Like a person who's suddenly dropped dead and sort of hangs around for a while as a ghost. Or maybe we're all in purgatory. Who knows? But then, election fraud was real, not that anybody cares. The rent is still due, and the price of chicken has doubled if not tripled in just just a few months. These things are reality. 

So than, I can bitch and moan all I want, but on the other hand, I am thankful for my health, my relative youth, my publishers (Yet another notable outfit approached me the other day and said they would love a Zandri novel in their catalogue, God bless them...I remember when I couldn't find a publisher to save my life. Now they come to me in some cases), my family, my kids, my mom, my life (which is blessed in every sense of the word), my God, my travels, my country (as busted up as it is), and what lies in store for the future. It's got to be better than this. My hopes are that very, very soon, all us dead folk will be resurrected. 

Today, you can get my brand new release, CHASE BAKER AND THE ARK OF GOD for special intro price. You can also get my brand new big 4.8 star thriller, THE GIRL WHO WASN'T THERE there also for a special holiday price. Last but never least, THE EMBALMER, the pilot novel in the Steve Jobs PI series is just 0.99 since it's a Bargain Booksy promo for 24 hours. 

It's Christmas morning so no doubt you'll want to fill up that new Kindle eReader you just unwrapped. 

A very Merry Xmas to you all, and a Happy and prosperous New Year. 

WWW.VINZANDRI.COM

 

  

   

Advice for New Writers

Hunter was a new writer once

I've been asked by New York Times bestselling mega author Cheryl Bradshaw to contribute to her new nonfiction book on writing. She asked me what advice I have for new and/or young newbie writers just starting out. That said, I thought I would get my thoughts in order by first writing it down here. So here, goes. 

New Writers Should Read a Lot

In their genre, that is. If you're going to write action/thrillers, read and watch a whole lot of action/thrillers. Forget the crap they make you read in the English classes in high school. Chances are they choose books that are "woke" and inclusive and, even if they're good, it's not the stuff you should be reading. Unless you want to, that is. Read what you love, and one day you will love what you write. 

New Writers Should Write a Lot

That means ass in the chair time. What did some genius surmise about mastering one's art? You need 10,000 hours of practice until you can perfect your craft. That's of course, a bunch of BS, but it sounds good. But the fact remains, writing is a like a muscle. You either use it or lose it. You need to write everyday, no matter what comes your way. COVID-19, war, famine, divorce(s), sick kids, piles of bills that haven't been paid, Christmas, your birthday, whatever. Like Picasso said to his buddy when said buddy asked him why he never spent more time with his kids. "Because I never would have accomplished anything," Picasso responded. 

New Writers Shouldn't Chase Trends

I'm partially guilty of this by doing things like putting "Girl" in one of my titles, The Girl Who Wasn't There. But that's as far as I go. If you're already telling yourself you're going to write the next Harry Potter, well, that ship has sailed, my friend. Remember the vampire bandwagon? And chick lit? I just kept on writing what I loved to read, which in my case is crime and psychological suspense, among other genres. This keeps me writing everyday, and enjoying my job. If you chase trends, chances are, by the time you've finished your book, the trend will have passed. That's why they're called trends. 

New Writers Should Publish Independently and Traditionally

The old ways of publishing are dying not a slow death, but because of this horrid pandemic, a rapid death. I predict that within a couple of years, the majority of major authors will be selling directly to their audience rather than going through a publisher. Or, like me, they will do both (I put out so much material no way a single publisher could handle it all, unless they want to pay me millions which they don't). Speaking of advances: since there are currently only 4 big publishers left, advances will be getting smaller and smaller and smaller. I started out with a quarter million dollar advance from Delacorte in '99. I've had a bunch of nice and very nice advances since then, but nothing that big. Small advances are the wave of the future which means, look forward to creating multiple streams of income. 

So there you have it. Some advice for the new writer. It's not everything you need to know. But it's food for thought from a 25 year veteran of the professional writing and publishing wars. Take it or flush it. It's up to you. But one thing is for sure, once again, the times are changing, and changing fast. 

WWW.VINZANDRI.COM

 

Gaining Strength During Severe Pandemic

 

I've always been a weight lifter and a cross trainer. But it seems like over the past few months I've been really hitting the weights hard. With the gyms being shut down, I turned my living room into a full free weight gym, complete with a flat/incline bench, squat rack, dead lift station, dumbbell rack, and even a boxing/heavy bag station. 

And I've been making some gains to be sure, even at my ripe old age of 56. At the same time, I recorded a few YouTube videos displaying my efforts (my grunts and groans) to share with you also. Here's three of them: 

 

 

 

By the way: some of you might be wondering where my website, www.vincentzandri.com ran off to. Turns out the domain host went belly up and some Asian outfit snatched up my address and now want thousands from me to get it back. I don't negotiate with intellectual property thieves. 

Instead I'm using this as an opportunity to build a new website (long overdue), and changing my domain to the much easier to spell, www.vinzandri.com...It's still a WIP but it will be live, hopefully, by the end of the month or sooner. 

In the meantime, don't forget to check out my new Thriller (which debuted at No. 2 at Barnes & Noble and stayed in the top ten for weeks), The Girl Who Wasn't There. It's presently enjoying a 4.2 rating on Goodreads, which is pretty incredible. Look for the hardcover debut on October 13.

Get Zandri Thrillers HERE

A Tantalizingly Good Adirondack Thriller...

...But don't take my word for it. That's what Publisher's Weekly calls my newest stand alone psychological action thriller, The Girl Who Wasn't There (Oceanview). I often write about the dangers of the seemingly safe and sedate suburbs (check out Orchard Grove), but I'm also fascinated by thrillers set in the woods or, as in this case, The Adirondack Mountains.

Here's the set up:

Sidney O'Keefe just wants to spend a peaceful weekend alone with his wife and daughter in the vacation paradise of Lake Placid, New York—now that he's been paroled after a ten year stretch in a maximum-security prison. But any illusion of a peaceful future is destroyed when his eleven-year-old daughter, Chloe, suddenly disappears from the iconic beach scene, leaving Sidney and his wife, Penny, stricken with fear and panic. When it's determined that his old crime boss, Mickey Rabuffo, might be behind the abduction, it becomes apparent that the past has not only come back to haunt Sidney, but it's come back to kill the entire family. With the village police assuming that Sidney, an ex-con with a history of prison violence, is responsible for his daughter's disappearance, Sidney is left with no choice—he needs to take the law into his own hands—not only to expose the truth about what's developing into a conspiracy of Biblical proportions, but also to render his own particular brand of rough justice.

I wrote a lot of this book on site, at the Golden Arrow Hotel in Lake Placid where much of it is set. I think that adds to its intensity, if I don't say so myself. I hope you think so too.


The Girl Who Wasn't There is now available in eBook for 1.99 for a very limited time.

Get it at Amazon

Get it at B&N

Get it at Apple

Get it at Google Play

Get it at Kobo
 
 WWW.VINCENTZANDRI.COM

Ghosting

We're lucky to be living in a time when communications are not only instant, they are conducted in all sorts of ways. We not only have mobile smart telephones that boast far more computing power then the computers that sent men to the moon, we have Facebook, Twitter, video chats, blogs, vlogs, YouTube, PodCasts...any number of ways to communicate both directly and indirectly.

It's so easy to communicate now, we can become famous just by creating our own mini-TV station (My son Harrison is presently doing this...one fan referred to him as "God"). Or we can communicate directly with the already famous, if they so wish.

But all this access has given rise to the annoying phenom of ghosting. That is, when you are in a relationship with someone, be it professional or personal, and after emailing or texting them, they simply choose to ignore you for whatever reason. In other words, they basically cut off all communication with no explanation. It's not only infuriating, it's kind of cowardly, to say the least (publishers and agents like to pull this shit, trust me).

I don't ghost.

That is, if you are close to me in the business of writing world or the friendship world, I will always respond to you, even if what I'm about to communicate isn't necessarily what you want to hear. There are any number of reasons why someone might want to ghost me. Maybe you owe me money. Maybe you don't like my Blitzkrieg Publishing mentality and MO. Maybe you don't like shoes. Who the hell knows.

All I know is this. You know who you are. And if you are going ghost me, you will become invisible to me (you see what I did there).

WWW.VINCENTZANDRI.COM

 Just a few days left to pre-order THE EXTORTIONIST, the newest in the awesome, bestselling, totally cool, Steve Jobz PI series.

A Brilliant Performance of Primary Termination

Because that's what the audio version truly is. Not just someone reading the from the book, but actually making it come alive. Performing the story, as it were.

The narrator for my latest novel (or the novel of the month anyway...Ha-Ha), Primary Termination, is Lisa Ware. In my humble opinion, Lisa captured the true essence of Tanya Teal in her portrayal of the book's protagonist/heroine. Just enough spunk mixed with just enough guts and humanity to make her seem both real and someone you'd most definitely want on your side should a mega corporation like Everest dot com, and its AI, truly come to run our lives one day.

Without further ado, I'd like to introduce you to the narrator of Primary Termination, Lisa Ware:

 

Let me start by saying what a pleasure it is to be narrating Primary Termination for Vincent Zandri! His Thrillers never disappoint, and his dip into the Dystopian genre is no exception. I am honored to lend a voice to Tanys Teal and help bring the war with the Everest Corporation to the masses. At what cost would you take a worry-free life?

      Producing an audiobook is quite an experience and undertaking. One must have the proper equipment, the proper location, the proper training, and the proper mentality. Most narrators are on the – um – eccentric side. Some of us are downright batty! Makes for great characters. . .

      I've recorded a quick bit of me in the booth if anyone is curious about the process (yes, I have a stuffed dog sitting on top of my microphone). View that here → https://youtu.be/OFysIcbKa7g.

      Before I even consider stepping into the booth to record, there is a ton of prep to do. The book must be read through at least once to gain familiarity and to mark up the text with any notes. This allows me to get to know the characters and helps to mold my performance. Now I can match the author's intent and keep the story flowing. There is a short dive at the beginning to make sure narrator and author are on the same page and then it's right into the deep end – all in, baby!

      Once the recording if completed, it is then edited and proofed. I'll re-record any errors or glitches – of which there will be many, because we all make mistakes – and then the project is mastered/engineered. After all that, the audio is uploaded and we wait for ACX to do their thing and gt the final product up on the (virtual) sales.

      I cannot wait for everyone to join the war. I hope you all enjoy Primary Termination as much as I do!  

_____________________________

BTW I have some free promo Audio codes for Primary Termination for both US and UK audiences. All you gotta do is email me at Vazandri@vincentzandri.com and I can send one over to you. First come first serve while they last. 

WWW.VINCENTZANDRI.COM