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Sunday 10 April 2011

My new novel, Replica, on Amazon

Yesterday Replica the ebook went live on UK Amazon, then in the evening on US Amazon. Thanks to Remix enthusiasts, it went straight to number 1 in Movers & Shakers, and at one point cracked the UK Kindle top 100. (For some reason, it's not appearing in any of the genre charts it should be in; it's not, for instance, in the Thriller top 100 chart, which doesn't help sales. Annoying.)

It's an extraordinary experience, publishing a book you've been working on for more than a year. So much thought, research and work goes into it, and then you hand it over to readers and wait, breath baited, to see if they like it. I'm going to quote Winston Churchill again, as he puts it so brilliantly:

"Writing a book is an adventure. To begin with, it is a toy and an amusement. Then it becomes a mistress, then it becomes a master, then it becomes a tyrant. The last phase is that just as you are about to be reconciled to your servitude, you kill the monster, and fling him to the public."

Replica has been flung to the public. I hope it doesn't get lynched, or worse, ignored. I hope it will give hours of entertainment to many readers, and make me some money.

18 comments:

  1. Print copies, woman!!! Print!!

    LOL!!

    YAY!! And HUGE CONGRATULATIONS!!!!

    Wooo-hooo!!! Print! I say, Print!

    Take care
    x

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  2. Kitty, I'll see how it goes. I do like to have a print copy - perhaps when I have a bit more time to do the formatting etc. I will do it.

    I don't like to think of you non-Kindle owners deprived of my novel :o)

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  3. Have a copy on my Kindle already, and while it won't be read for a few days yet, it will be jumping the queue, as I'm anxious to see how you handled this intriguing storyline.

    What are all these strange requests for "print"? Haven't they heard it's the twenty first century!

    Hope you get a good bounce back on Remix too!

    We're still twelve weeks from our next release (guess we ought to start actually writing it some day soon!), but hope to see you in the charts then!

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  4. Congratulations Lexi!

    Having seen an ARC, I can say that it's at least as good as REMIX.
    A real bargain at 99p

    Did you make any significant changes over the version shown to critique readers?

    Not sure that its violent enough to class as a thriller though ... only one murder (clinical sniper shot) after all! LOL

    Thinking of Churchill's 'The Island Race' and his 4 volume history, reminded me of H G Wells who wrote a history of the world in 1 volume and his autobiography in 4 volumes (I think)!

    But I digress *grin*

    What's next in the pipeline Lexi?
    I for one can't wait! *smile*

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  5. Mark, I do hope you are joking about twelve weeks to write your next bestseller.

    Of course there are two of you, and perhaps that makes it twice as fast. Or possibly the rest of us (Amanda Hocking excepted) are just really really slow...

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  6. Q, I made some alterations that were fairly minor but telling; taking out the odd word, sentence or paragraph, adding some in. Later beta readers got a more finished version.

    No one persuaded me to change the end again, luckily :o)

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  7. Congrats Lexi! Well done! Looks like I'll be joining you in electronic print within a few days

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  8. Gregory, good luck with the launch of your book.

    But you haven't mentioned its title - never miss an opportunity :o)

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  9. Congrats on the new release! Looking forward to reading it!

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  10. I'm so looking forward to reading this!

    It's easy to get hold of seeing that the Kindle for pc is free!

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  11. Now you've done it! I started reading and straight away I've got to put the battery back in my netbook so I can carry on reading in bed tonight!

    It's a good job I don't read in the bath...

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  12. Ooh, ooh, ooh! My new phone has a free Kindle application! I can read in bed on a little phone. Ooh!

    Although I might have finished this book by bedtime. I'm loving it.

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  13. FH, there's posh!

    My mobile is so very elderly it has problems making phone calls, let alone doing anything else. Apps are uncharted territory to the poor thing.

    Luckily I prefer email.

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  14. Ah, well I've just got a new contract with T-Mobile and it's cheaper than I was paying for 3 and I got the new phone.

    Great story, by the way! I'm about half way through.

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  15. Thanks, FH. It's a bit nerve racking, knowing the first people are reading your book. I'll be interested to hear what you think of the ending...

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  16. Congratulations, Lexi!

    I'm torn. Should I follow Fairyhedgehog's advice and get a Kindle app for my laptop, or delay for a print copy? I just think I'd enjoy reading it more as a 'real' book. Looking at the screen just seems like work somehow.

    Will procrastinate a while longer and see if you give in to the demands of the non-Kindle community.

    K

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  17. I've finished it and it's totally brilliant. I couldn't put it down. I won't talk about the ending in detail in case of spoilers but I thought it was very well done.

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  18. 'Totally brilliant'? FH, you've brought a big smile to my face.

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