“Hurray for free Kindles!” you say, but who
the hell is Jeremy Robinson? Allow me to introduce myself. I’m the author of
eleven mixed genre novels, published in ten languages, including the popular
fantasy YA series, THE LAST HUNTER, and the fast-paced Jack Sigler series (also
known as Chess Team—not nearly as nerdy as it sounds), PULSE,
INSTINCT
and THRESHOLD
from Thomas Dunne Books/St. Martin’s Press. I’m the co-author of an expanding
series of novellas deemed the
Chesspocalypse, which take place in the Chess Team universe. If that doesn’t
wet your whistle, I’m also known as Jeremy Bishop, the #1 Amazon.com horror
author of THE SENTINEL
and the controversial novel, TORMENT.
For more about me, or my books, visit www.jeremyrobinsononline.com.
I have watched for years as my fellow authors
held online events called blog tours. Some would visit ten blogs. Others, as
many as ninety. And every day they would bring something different, waxing
eloquent about a multitude of topics. When I finally decided to have a blog
tour of my own, and settled on doing each and every weekday in October, my
first thought was, “This will be cool,” which was immediately followed up by,
“Holy crap, I can’t think of something interesting to say twenty times in one
month!” I can barely think of something worthwhile for my own blog just once a
month. The solution is what follows; each blog participating in the tour could ask
me ANY three questions. That means, if the subject matter bores you, I’m not to
blame! Huzzah!
But fear not. There are other rewards for
sloughing through the questions and answers. I’ll be giving away two Kindles to
two randomly selected readers who sign up for my newsletter. Details on the
giveaway can be found below. On to the Q&A!
1. What were your favorite memories of writing
your latest book?
The last novel I
wrote was THE SENTINEL under the Jeremy Bishop pen name. In general, my
favorite moments of any novels are those that get a reaction out of me while
I’m writing, whether that be squirming in disgust, feeling angry, crying, or
laughing out loud. Those are the scenes I know are going to be good, and
they’re usually the ones I hear about. In THE SENTINEL there were a lot of
laugh out loud moments because the books was written in first person and the
main character, Jane Harper, is sarcastic. But the best moment in the book, for
me, made me squirm. I don’t want to give the details of the scene away, but
there is a moment when the…loose veil hiding the awful truth is torn
away—physically. That’s incredibly vague, but I’d love to hear from readers who
think they’ve found it.
2. You took a bold step, going at the entire publishing route on your own - did you have someone who mentored you through this process? Did it feel like a risk?
Learning how to self-publish, and self-publish
right has been a long learning process. But it’s not unfamiliar to me. I first
self-published in 2005, before e-books were on anyone’s radar. That first book
sold very well and I started a small press, Breakneck Books, which has morphed
into Breakneck Media. I changed the name because I now produce print books,
e-books, audiobooks, iPhone apps and iPhone games. I became a “mainstream
author” in 2009 when I signed a three book deal with Thomas Dunne Books/St. Martin’s
Press, and have since signed on for another two books. So I’ve got my greedy
hands in both cookie jars right now, having one hardcover novel published every
year and putting out a slew of self-published books as well.
As for the learning process, it’s trial and
error. My first cover was good, but not great. My first books were riddled with
typos. I now hire an editor. I’ve learned to keep my standards really high to
ensure that the books I’m producing are indistinguishable from the big
publishers. But the publishing landscape is changing fast and I’m finding
myself having to adapt constantly. I’m never not learning something new,
whether it is cover design techniques (I do most of my covers), e-book format,
online marketing and even storytelling. So, I really went it alone. And I
actually recommend that. What works for one author might not work for another.
Each author has to discover their own techniques, their own niche, audience and
voice. Experience trumps “schooling” any day.
***
Hope that was as good for you as it was for
me. Now how about that kindle giveaway?
Here’s the
deal: to be entered to win one of two free
kindles all you have to do is visit my website—www.jeremyrobinsononline.com—and sign up for the newsletter. That’s it.
The first kindle will go to a randomly chosen newsletter signup on October 31.
For the second kindle, there’s a catch. The second giveaway will only be triggered if one of my kindle books hits the Amazon.com
bestseller list (top 100). So pick up some books (most are just $2.99 a
pop) and spread the word! If one of the books squeaks up to #100 for just a
single hour, the second kindle will be given away to another randomly chosen
newsletter sign up on October 31.
*When you sign up for the newsletter, be sure
to include the name of the blog that referred you in the field provided. I’ll
be giving away two $50 Amazon.com gift certificates to the blog that refers the
most sign-ups and another to the blog who referred the first kindle winner.
** I will announce winners via Twitter,
Facebook, my blog, and newsletter (which you will be signed up for!) but I’ll
also e-mail the winners directly—I’ll need to know where to ship those kindles!
Thanks for spending some time with me today.
Hope you enjoyed the Q&A, and good luck with the kindle giveaway!
-- Jeremy
Robinson
