When your book is turned into a film

The journey from blank page to published book was fascinating if often painful. It got me wondering what it might be like if, one day, I got to see one of my stories on screen.

For a while it felt like I was getting pretty close when some movie executives took an interest in my novel, Vortex. We'll get back to it one day when someone comes up with $3 million of initial financing for the project.

So no - Vortex the Movie - for the time being, but I was hooked. I began to explore what it would take to make a film, even a short. The first serious conversation with someone who might help took place in November last year, we finished filming on June 15, 2017 and in early July the highly respected Top Shorts festival awarded us -

Best Narrative Film
Best Actor
Best Actress
Best Supporting Actress
Best Editing and
Best Original Story (there it was - I am officially an award winning writer).

You can see the trailer here - Crazy Medicine Trailer

And the story is available on Amazon here - Crazy Medicine - the story

In addition to the story itself - you can read some of my observations about the painful process of watching my words being interpreted by a Producer, A Director, a host of actors and then having the assembled footage cut by an editor, whilst I stood back biting my knuckles.

Top Indie Books

Following hot on the heels of BookBag including Vortex in its Top 10 for 2014. Shelf Unbound magazine features the book in its December 2014 issue. They even sent me this badge. Until I work out how to sew it into a shirt, I'll just post it here -

Vortex in the Top 10 Indie Books of 2014

Vortex was published in January 2014 and has received excellent reviews - not just on Amazon but in the print media. One of my favourites is here - Pattaya Mail review

Better still, literary web-site BookBag lists Vortex as one of its Top 10 Self-published books of 2014.
BookBag Top 10

I hope you will check it out on Amazon.

Amazon.co.uk
Amazon.com

The sequel - Vortex... the Endgame was published in November 2014 - Amazon links are below. 

Sequel on UK site
Sequel on Amazon.com

Matt

Aggressive book marketing - increase sales now

Just ask the question nicely - are you really telling me you haven't bought my latest book?

Letter to God.... and trying different ways of attracting new readers

They keep telling me I need to get more material on the internet. Let readers see a variety of things I've written. It might just hook that reader who's put off by the fact that most of my stuff is set in Thailand.

Well I'm getting to an awkward age and started thinking of my own mortality the other day. Do I really want eternal life? Years in business taught me you have to think through all the implications, particularly if the offer seems too good to be true. Well there was plenty of stuff I just couldn't fathom, so I wrote this letter to God. If anyone has him on a contact list, could you pass it on...

Dear God,

I just wanted to start by saying that I’m really grateful, the purgatory thing and all that. It was pretty tough getting used to the idea of being dead so having this half way house idea has been great. You meet a load of other people who are going through all the same stuff and it’s been good, it really has. Course it’s a bit of a shock at first, there you are crossing the road and then… WHAM. No pain, very sudden, that was nice but then you start thinking about what’s next.

Every day you wait for the list, hoping you’re going to get the nod. My grandma passed away three weeks before me, and I was there when they called her name… “Martha Turner… to Heaven.” We were all thrilled for her, no mistake. Three days later the angels turned up and she was off, we all cheered and whooped and threw flowers and hoped we were next.

Well that’s the issue really. This is going to really sound bad but I have to ask the question. Don’t get me wrong, I was chuffed to bits when they called my name this morning. It’s all I ever wanted. Right back to primary school, the nuns used to tell me that this was what it was all about, do the right thing and I’d be saved. Well it looks like I made it and I couldn’t be happier. It’s just that I never really looked at the small print before. Before I jump on the old chariot with Angel Gabriel at the wheel I wanted to get a bit more information about what to expect when I get there. Nothing personal it’s second nature to us accountants.

As I understand it, you’re all up there looking down benevolently on the people of earth, waiting for the worthy few to be reunited with their loved ones. It sounds great… in principle. I just need a bit more detail before I get really comfortable with the idea. Sorry about the bullet points, it’s the training, they just drum it into you.

· I love my Mum, she was an amazing woman, but she’d have shamed the Pope when it came to who was the more devoted follower of your good self. Sex was a sacred thing, only to be pursued between a man and a woman seeking to bring a new child into the world. The internet was in its infancy in her day, so she had no idea about the amount of porn that’s available at the click of a button and masturbation was nothing short of a capital offence. So here’s my question. Are they really up there looking down on us, if that’s the case, there could be some pretty awkward moments when I get my family reunion.

· I really cleaned up my act in the later years but I’d have to confess to being a “bit of a lad,” through my twenties. There are a few people who’d be amazed that I got the Heaven ticket, but you are a merciful Lord and always happy to forgive the sinner who repents. So I’m just wondering where I stand with the ones I might have sinned against. I don’t suppose that farmer down the road is going to get too worked up about the apples I nicked with Billy Murdoch, but old headmaster Thomas hated my guts. I’m sure he made the cut for heaven; he never stopped quoting the scriptures, but he always said he’d make sure I got my just desserts. I don’t think he meant that in a good way. If he’s up there, then I reckon things might just kick off when he spots me coming through the Pearly Gates. Then there was Mrs Jones. I think it comes under “coveting thy neighbour’s wife.” I’m not sure I did that much coveting to be honest, she didn’t give me a lot of choice, but if Mr Jones is sitting up there with you, I reckon the sparks are really going to fly.

So that’s the question really. It all sounds pretty great in principle, all the good guys getting together on the Elysian Fields strumming on your harps, but you can see why I’m pretty nervous. I really am grateful to be picked but if you could just throw a bit of light on what my Mum might know about what I’ve been getting up to since she passed, that would be really helpful. Anything you’ve got on segregation policies would be good too. It would be reassuring to know that I’m not going to be bumping into Mr Jones, or his missus for that matter.

That’s it really. I hope this finds you well and I’m sure you’ve got all this stuff sorted otherwise I reckon it would be a bit of a bun fight up there. Just be nice to have it all clarified before Gabriel comes to pick us up on Wednesday.

Best wishes

John Smith

PS. If you have some sort of itinerary to hand could you throw that in as well. It’s all second nature to you guys but for a new arrival, it’s pretty daunting, I mean what do you actually do all day? I can imagine it would be bliss for a month or so… but eternity?     

 

This download is FREE until Monday, May 19

If you've made your mind up about gun control, this short story will make you think again.

America is rocked by another high school shooting. Something must be done and the solution is simple. When evil people have guns, the only way to protect the vulnerable, is to arm the good guys. After all, God made men but Samuel Colt made them equal.
Sam Bailey is only twelve years old when he arrives in the USA from a sleepy village on the east coast of England. He has already experienced at first hand how violence can tear a family apart, but nothing can prepare him for life in the loudest, brashest and most confident country in the world.
When the latest massacre occurs only a hundred miles away, the question everyone is asking is: could this happen at Sam's school?.

"Before you make your mind up about how children should be kept safe at school, read Something Must Be Done, it will make you think again."

Amazon.co.uk

Amazon.com

The story is also free on all other Amazon stores

The book review that makes your day

I sent a dozen or so free copies of my first book to newspapers in Thailand. The book was set there so it seemed like a sensible move to get some coverage. Result - two reviews.

I did the same for my second book. Result - one review.

Vortex, my third book, came out last month. Again I got only one review - but this was it:
Pattaya Mail

It made it all worthwhile.

If you're an author and you're wondering what the payback is - click the link. It's better than a fat royalty check - well almost.




  

FREE books to keep your readers hooked

It's tough for independent authors to catch the attention of the book buying public. Many offer their novels for free for a limited period, then see their downloads drop back when the price kicks in again.

A method I've used that's worked well is to write a short story around the same time my novels are published and include the first chapter of the novel as a taster at the end of the short story. It draws attention to the novel without sacrificing sales, but still gives readers a free shot at assessing whether they'll like it. Everyone's a winner.

My latest promotion is this weekend. If you'd like a free short story and the chance to read the first chapter of my latest novel, the links are here:

Amazon.com

Amazon.co.uk

Vortex

On land or at sea a vortex is mesmerising, powerful and destructive. When Andy Duncan secures a dream job in an Asian investment company, he discovers the same forces apply in business. The pursuit of power, money and status blurs moral boundaries and once the first line is crossed, the vortex will drag you in. Duncan soon realises his career, his freedom and even his life may be at stake.

Set in Thailand and Hong Kong, Vortex is my fourth published work. I spent over twenty years in the investment industry and witnessed at first hand what can happen to those whose heads are turned by the rewards on offer. Most take it in their stride, for others it becomes all consuming. They believe they are navigating a tricky ascent to the top of their professional tree. It seemed to me that some were really in a perilous spiral that could only end in disaster.

Vortex is a tale of what happens to those who will stop at nothing to obtain what they covet, or to hang on to what they already have.

It's available as an Amazon e-book worldwide on and as a paperback in the UK, Europe and the USA.

Please check it out and let me know what you think. 

On Amazon.co.uk

On Amazon.com

FREE on Amazon until December 16

SOMETHING MUST BE DONE - by Matt Carrell

FREE Until December 16

A short story:

America is rocked by another high school shooting. Something must be done and the solution is simple. When evil people have guns, the only way to protect the vulnerable, is to arm the good guys. After all, God made men but Samuel Colt made them equal.
Sam Bailey is only twelve years old when he arrives in the USA from a sleepy village on the east coast of England. He has already experienced at first hand how violence can tear a family apart, but nothing can prepare him for life in the loudest, brashest and most confident country in the world.
When the latest massacre occurs only a hundred miles away, the question everyone is asking is: could this happen at Sam's school?.

"Before you make your mind up about how children should be kept safe at school, read Something Must Be Done, it will make you think again."

Amazon UK

Amazon.com

My favourite review

Very few writers make a lot of money. It's an incredibly competitive market and only the top authors can make a decent living. So we get our reward in a different way. Seeing one's book in print is a great experience but the real highlight is receiving a good review.

I've been fortunate, if people don't like my stuff they seem to keep quiet about it. All three of my publications rank close to five on Amazon and most of the comments have been really encouraging. I don't want to appear ungrateful to any of my reviewers but the one I saw today has to be my favourite.

Two of my books are set in the Thai sex industry and many people make their judgement without reading a single page. I have always been particularly concerned about how my work would be received by women readers. That's why this review by a lady called Caroline Page really stood out for me.

Thank you Caroline - I read a review like this and it simply makes my day.

Under the heading - Fabulous Insight

I rarely review books as I read so many but this one deserved. As a middle aged female living in Thailand I found this book to be extremely insightful to the culture of the entertainment, religious and other aspects of Thai life. Yes, there are hundreds of books about bargirls in Thailand (I have read most) and this is of that genre but very well written, some real twists and turns and unusually the girls involved are treated with respect by the author in his story telling and descriptions. Super book and highly recommended for anyone visiting or living here.  

Why not check out the book -  Thai Lottery on Amazon.co.uk

You Tube for marketing your book

Like most authors, I use Facebook, Twitter, Blogs and Web forums as the main method of marketing my books. Spotting a trailer for a book the other day on YouTube, I thought it was worth a go.

There won't be any Academy Awards for this, but it was fun putting it together -

Thai Kiss by Matt Carrell  on You Tube

FREE BOOK DOWNLOAD THIS WEEKEND

Of course it's great when people buy your books - I have an unhealthy obsession with checking where I've got to on the Amazon rankings and the royalty cheque is always welcome. Thai Kiss and Thai Lottery took around a year and half in total to go from initial ideas to publication. Charging £3.18 per book seems pretty reasonable, especially as Amazon and the publisher take the lion's share. But....

A few months ago I had the idea for a short story set in a US High School. Gun control was being discussed on every news show and the constant mantra was.... Something Must Be Done. At just 29 pages long it's pretty hard to justify a big price ticket on Amazon, so I only market this when they let me put it out for free.

The story is free all this weekend on Amazon. I hope you will download it and let your friends know

Made your mind up about gun control? Read this first.

Amazon.com

Amazon.co.uk

Boosting your sales with a second book

My first book was published last November and although Thai Lottery has sold very well, it had plateaued after about four months. Sales were regular but at nothing like the levels I'd seen shortly after launch.  My second book, Thai Kiss, came out in the last week of May and is already well ahead of the trend set by its predecessor.

I'd made sure that I had the contact details for everyone who had contacted me about Thai Lottery and so I had a ready made market into which I could sell the second book. The response I got was fantastic. Thai Kiss, they told me, was even better than Thai Lottery.

The thing I'd not bargained for was the impact a second book would have on sales of the first. I'd obviously tapped into a new readership, at times Thai Lottery actually  outsold Thai Kiss, even though the second book was doing better than the first in its opening weeks. In short the publication of a second book sent the first on a higher trajectory than it had ever had before, even in its opening weeks.

If you are an author I'd love to hear any theories you have on why this might happen.  Maybe a second book ensures a degree of credibility with readers or maybe it's just the weight of mentions on the net. Whatever the reason, there seems to be no doubt that a second book helps to create a  virtuous circle. Now excuse me, I have to get to work on the third book.....

Social networking for authors - the pitfalls

Last November my publisher e-mailed me to say that my first book was out there, I was certain that I just had to sit back and collect the royalties. Then he explained the hard work had just begun. I had to create a social media presence or my book, he said, was doomed.

You already know I have a blog, you're reading it. You will also find me on Twitter, Facebook, GoodReads, Independent Author Network and.... well I've actually forgotten some of the places I signed up for to get the word out there.

They are all invaluable and I have definitely sold a lot of books by virtue of contacts I have made on social media. I have also made quite a few new friends. If you are trying to get publicity for your book, you have to do all these things but this post offers a simple word of warning:

The vast majority of the people you will encounter when trying to market a book are other authors trying to market their own. You will get exposure to web sites that claim to have twenty thousand members, the problem is that nineteen thousand five hundred of them are other authors just like you. The message really sunk home the other day when I saw someone claim that their book had been voted Number 1 in a specific, but fairly broad, category on a well known book site. I then checked the book's Amazon ranking. It was outside the top 100,000 on both of the main Amazon sites. That means it will probably have sold no more than one copy that week. In all probability they had traded votes with other authors to gain a high ranking - but it had made no impact on sales. Their voters had not bought the book, neither did they intend to, they had a book of their own to sell.

There is no doubt that social networking is essential, this is just a word of caution. You can get all the "likes", "follows", "plus 1s" and other votes as there are fish in the sea, but they need to be from people who are going to buy your book or recommend it to others who will.

The Power of Words

It's barely a minute and a half long - so definitely worth a look.

If you were ever in doubt about how a well crafted sentence can hit you right between the eyes......

Power of Words

FREE AMAZON DOWNLOAD

In case you missed it last week. My latest short story is free until midnight Pacific time.

Download it here if you are on amazon.co.uk : CLICK

And here on Amazon.com - CLICK

It's also free on all other Amazon sites - until around mid morning Monday in Europe  - much alter in Asia...

Something Must Be Done -

America is rocked by another high school shooting. Something must be done and the solution is simple. When evil people have guns, the only way to protect the vulnerable, is to arm the good guys. After all, God made men but Samuel Colt made them equal.
Sam Bailey is only twelve years old when he arrives in the USA from a sleepy village on the east coast of England. He has already experienced at first hand how violence can tear a family apart, but nothing can prepare him for life in the loudest, brashest and most confident country in the world.
When the latest massacre occurs only a hundred miles away, the question everyone is asking is: could this happen at Sam's school?.

"Before you make your mind up about how children should be kept safe at school, read Something Must Be Done, it will make you think again."

FREE Amazon downloads

It's hard to get noticed when you are a new author competing with thousands of others, many with heavy marketing budgets behind them.

My two books, Thai Lottery and Thai Kiss are both selling well on the main e-book sites but the publisher is keen to keep the price above £4 and $7 - some people won't be keen to pay that much unless they are sure they are going to like what they buy.

Free promotions are not under my control for the two books, so I decided to write something completely new. It's free on Amazon after 00.01 Pacific time today only. Saturday June 1. I guess that means it won't kick in, in the UK until mid morning and much later in Asia. I hope you will give it a try and take the FREE download. There's a brief description below the links:

Something Must Be Done on Amazon.co.uk 

Something Must Be Done on Amazon.com

A short story:

America is rocked by another high school shooting. Something must be done and the solution is simple. When evil people have guns, the only way to protect the vulnerable, is to arm the good guys. After all, God made men but Samuel Colt made them equal.
Sam Bailey is only twelve years old when he arrives in the USA from a sleepy village on the east coast of England. He has already experienced at first hand how violence can tear a family apart, but nothing can prepare him for life in the loudest, brashest and most confident country in the world.
When the latest massacre occurs only a hundred miles away, the question everyone is asking is: could this happen at Sam's school?.

"Before you make your mind up about how children should be kept safe at school, read Something Must Be Done, it will make you think again."

Don't be a one book wonder

One of the things I take into account when deciding whether I want to buy a book is whether the author has written more than one. It may not be fair but it's hard to escape the logic that if the first one was popular they will have written another.

I have wanted to make this post for ages but my second... and third only came out yesterday. I hope you will take a look - they are both available at Amazon. Thai Kiss is also available on Kobo and Barnes & Noble

Thai Kiss - a novel

Paul Murphy desperately wants to be a big shot but the pursuit of fortune often comes with a heavy price. For Paul, it was the life of his best friend and partner, Tommy, apparently murdered for encroaching on a local drug gang's turf. Paul, a lowly hospital porter, fearful that he'll be next, flees to Thailand to lay low while reconnecting with Tommy's supplier in Pattaya. He meets the enchanting Yim and, veering from his intended plan, starts to rebuild his life running a chain of bars. Sonthi, a local heavy, offers protection for a price and the corrupt Mongkut ensures that the police will always turn a blind eye. So many want a share of Paul's success, but when greed prevails and they get tired of sharing, it's Paul's liberty and life itself that are on the line. 

Something Must Be Done - a short story

America is rocked by another high school shooting. Something must be done and the solution is simple. When evil people have guns, the only way to protect the vulnerable, is to arm the good guys. After all, God made men but Samuel Colt made them equal.
Sam Bailey is only twelve years old when he arrives in the USA from a sleepy village on the east coast of England. He has already experienced at first hand how violence can tear a family apart, but nothing can prepare him for life in the loudest, brashest and most confident country in the world.
When the latest massacre occurs only a hundred miles away, the question everyone is asking is: could this happen at Sam's school?.

"Before you make your mind up about how children should be kept safe at school, read Something Must Be Done, it will make you think again."

Seeing it in print - your first book.

It was a real thrill to get a small third party publisher interested in my manuscript. They definitely gave the book a polish that I could never have achieved on my own. To be fair they also pointed out some plot inconsistencies and timing issues that I couldn't see any more. I'd just got too close to the story.

The only downside was that they only wanted to do an e-book launch until we could prove that the book had a market. It took four months before we finally agreed that the e-book had sold enough to demonstrate that a print run would be worth the effort.

It was amazing to see my first book on Amazon when it was only available as a download. When you finally get a professionally printed book in your hands you start to believe that you are in the foothills, at least, of being an author.

Some friends were kind enough to buy the first few copies, then a bookshop in Thailand agreed to stock it. We are miles away from seeing it in high street bookshops but its still a great feeling to see your work on a bookshelf instead of just a screen.

If you've self published an e-book and are trying to make up your mind, you really have to go for it. There are plenty of small printing firms that specialise in short run prints - we used a company called Russell Press in the UK. I am now seeing copies of the paperback notching up sales through Amazon and it feels a little more real than all the e-book sales that preceded it.

If you are thinking of doing a print run, do it.

Mine is here - Thai Lottery - paperback version