e-Books, Panama, & Ozone Therapy

Amazon Kindle is by far the best retailer of my Novels and screenplays.  They outsell Barnes and Noble by 100 to 1.  Smashwords try but they come up way short of even Barnes and Noble.  I’m working with the owner of ePrinted books.  Steve reformatted all my novels so they look more professional.  He’s developing a Bookstore that pays authors 80% royalties and they get paid right away – when the book sells.  The final product is four weeks away.  I’m anxious to start promoting his site.

The indigenous people of Panama have been on the warpath lately. Their highway closures and Aero Perlis shutting down have really wreaked havoc on the flow of commerce between Chiriquí province and Panama City.  I have a solution; look at the 49^th state of the USA.  A system similar of the ALASKA MARINE HIWAY (ferries that carry cargo, vehicles and passengers) would serve Panama on several fronts.  The system in time could have terminals at all the major ports in Panama and actually connect Puerto Armuelles to Bocas del Toro. After all, we do have a canal.  Consider the tourist aspect and then consider; how could a group of twenty pissed off people could stop the flow of commerce nine miles off shore? 

 Since Ozone therapy is such a part of my ongoing life, I paid for another back-up Ozone Generator.  It’s a duplicate of the one I presently own and it’s being shipped today.  I was able to recover from a heart attack almost a year ago by taking three injections per week of at least 40cc’s of ozone directly into a vein.  It cleared all the blockages and lowered my blood pressure considerably.  The Ozone and my heart healthy diet have allowed me a natural life for a guy my age. There have been instances in the last six months that some of my friends and acquaintances have rented my Ozone Generator to deal with their medical conditions; prostate problems, H-pylori, ovarian cysts, cervical cancer, migraine headaches, and varicose veins.  So far they have all reported successful results.  I personally use the therapy in several ways.  I take a 55cc injection of the gas directly into my vein every seven to ten days to deal with the scar on my heart.    I’m removing the second cataract by using ozone water and an eye cup. (My first was removed in the same manner 5 years ago). I also purify my water with ozone.

For further information, follow these links:  http://educate-yourself.org/ozone/

http://www.oxygenprescription.com/OzoneDelivery.html

Or you can write me for further information.  I’m not an expert or a doctor but I have been involved with Ozone therapy for the past ten years. Once my new machine arrives, I’ll feel more comfortable about allowing other folks to rent my unit.

Bob

PRICE INCREASES – NUTRE HOGAR

For the past four months all of my novels and screenplays have been priced at 99 cents each. Sales increased but of course royalty revenue decreased. Last week I  raised the price on seven of my novels. My six screenplays and one novel are still priced at 99 cents. One may ask why I’m announcing the price increase -- I have 40 reasons – the 40 tykes at Nutre Hogar in Chiriqui, my charity of choice. More revenue means more help.


I recently attempted to convince some local commercial enterprises to pledge and pay a monthly amount, $25 to $30 and become corporate sponsors. I was met with negative responses or at the very best a non-commitment. I don’t understand the mind set. There are a lot of charities soliciting for money; from unwed mothers, orphans, to spay and neuter clinics. STARVING OR MALNOURISHED BABIES I would think should trump all other. Over the past five years I’ve spoken with a lot of the gringo community and some seem interested. However, there have been too many one-in-a-row participants and not enough dedicated individuals. Panama in not a third world country but the indigenous peoples of Panam represent third world mentality; prime examples of willful ignorance. Free education, Peace Corps volunteers, missionaries, government agencies, and private individuals all try to help these people. It doesn’t seem to help. These forty children at Nutre Hogar are all from that primitive culture. It’s a shame and the tykes are the ones that pay the price.

SELLING E-BOOKS

Writing books is enjoyable, challenging and at the end is extremely soul-rewarding. The editing process is a pain but necessary, and then there is the actual publishing and selling.


Over time my sales have increased just because they are out there and because I have eight novels and six screenplays to sell. There are many authors who just write a single novel or non-fiction and can’t get past the one book syndrome. Some continue to write but they rewrite stories that originated a hundred years ago by some other author or historical event.

All that aside most of the prolific writers choose to self publish through a myriad of retailers; Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and the wholesaler, Smashwords. There are other retailers like Diesel, Apple, Sony and other gadget providers.

My novels and screenplays are well represented by the Amazon Kindle Store. Regardless of your reading device, most have free software available through the Kindle Store. The exception is the Nook by Barnes and Noble. I personally use my Kindle and can also use my Android smart phone. Some of my friends use their Blackberry phones, their IPods, tablets, and even their Nokia cell phones.

Analyzing last year’s sales it certainly apparent to me that Amazon Kindle Store outsells all the others hands down. Even the UK Kindle store is active. Sooo, I’ve decided to focus only on Amazon. They give me an entire page for my bio, my blog is available through their site and of course their promotions are top shelf. If you want to continue buying my books for 99 cents, you will have to go to Amazon Kindle Store. Download the free Kindle reader software and enjoy. I’m going to raise my prices on Barnes and Noble and Smashwords. I’m considering dropping those other retailers if they don’t start performing. Maintaining my books on those sites takes away from my writing. Since I hold 100% of all rights to my work, I’m considering selling directly from a website. Time and finances will determine if this notion comes to fruition.

In the meantime, open an account at Amazon and enjoy my work for only 99 cents each.

Let’s discuss 99 cent e-books!

Recently there have been a lot of murmurs and even some direct criticism of those of us in the industry that sell our e-books for 99 cents. The most vocal critics are those with high overheads; traditional publishers and authors that are MADE, ie; well established with a broad fan base.


For those of us who aren’t MADE, we are required to use whatever method we can to establish a reader base. For me that’s price. Pure and simple. There’s a world recession happening. I want to offer my hard earned work to someone OUT-OF-WORK for the price of a candy bar. A reader will take a chance for 99 cents. For three bucks ($2.99)? There’s hesitation. A great deal of this hesitation comes from being stung. I know I’ve been disappointed several times. I paid $2.99 for a novel and discovered that I actually bought a novella (stories that are less than 40,000 words). I’ve also paid for work that was done by author’s no longer living and their public domain work has been repackaged by some pseudo writer. I have difficulty with that kind of poaching. The writings of ROBERT HATTING is original work. All of my work I’m selling is either a full length novels – 65,000 words or more or screenplays that will run 2 hours if made into a movie. I’ve never been accused of cheating my readers. ALASKA BE DAMNED is my best seller and it is 140,000 words in length.

Currently, I am writing two novels a whimsical book of short stories and a non-fiction book. By the time I finish, I’ll have around a thousand dollars of hard currency into each one plus the thousands of hours of writing, researching, and editing. After that comes the time and expense of publishing and promotion. Here’s the arithmetic. I receive 34 cents in royalties for each 99 cent e-book I sell -- (this calculation uses the Amazon royalty percent. Amazon sells 60:1 over B&N who pays 3 cents more in royalty.)

It doesn’t take an MBA or math major to determine that this is a horrible business model. However, a few pennies that come from the sale of my books are far better than having the manuscripts languish in the bowels of my hard drive.

I look at it this way. I’m an entertainer of sorts. If you like my work for 99 cents you’ll buy more. If you don’t, next time you’ll buy a candy bar.

A PARADIGM SHIFT

Over the course of my writing career which spans fifty plus years (mostly journalism), I’ve always maintained a very realistic view of life and its crazy twists and turns. I’ve read a great deal and seem to be drawn toward the authors who were grounded in reality. I was never been a fan of paranormal, science fiction, or horror type writings. Stories that include a lot of divine intervention try my patience; same way with inaccuracies. Please don’t write a novel and have some eight-year old girl that plays on a Little League team become ‘better than the boys at stealing first base’. Or, in the same book, have a little league game go past six innings. That doesn’t happen unless it’s a tie score. If you’re going to write a novel featuring the military, YOU should know the difference between the army and the marines. To summarize, I usually write from experience. I’ve either done what I describe, been there, or saw it happen. I don’t need a lot of reference materials to write; just some journal notes to jog my memory.


*****


In evaluating my book sales over this past year, I noticed several common threads to my better sellers. Also I determined why some of my novels and screenplays don’t sell well. Westerns, no matter how well written, are difficult to sell. Those that read them really like them but there just aren’t a lot of ‘western fans’ anymore. Formatting and editing hurt some of my work and I’ve resolved to repair those works by the end of the first quarter of 2012. Some folks don’t like to read screenplays. That I can’t control. However, there are some good stories included and perhaps by the end of next year several of the screenplays will be written into novels.

The novels that sell the best are:

ALASKA BE DAMNED

MURDER IN PANAMA

THE LAST FRUIT STAND ON GUAM.

PARTNERS

The common thread that drives readers to recommend these novels is heroics. Not the knight against the dragon heroics but the courage it takes to fight the system (Ben Reed in ABD), the will and skill to right a lot of wrongs (Jimmy Hart in MIP), and the least probable character rising to the occasion during a natural disaster (Skid McMasters in LFS). PARTNERS, features a couple of characters (RC Bellars & Curtis Dawson), that strive for freedom and independence in a modern world that no longer rewards or even recognizes those traits.

SO, the PARADIGM SHIFT I mentioned will be away from romantic comedies and more toward the unsung heroics of ordinary people.

Currently I am writing a sequel to MURDER IN PANAMA, and a contemporary western that features the characters in PARTNERS. In the background I’m writing a non-fiction book. This book chronicles my health issues and my unorthodox solutions and techniques that allow me to live a full life in spite of several doctors’ dire prognosis.
Have a swell Xmas and New year!

MURDER IN PANAMA REVISITED

The KPC plague (Klebsiella Pneumoniae Carbapenemases) that seems to be spreading throughout the hospitals and clinics of Panama appears to be out of control. The KPC virus has spread to almost all of the provinces and the powers to be are bewildered. Over one hundred deaths are now attributed to this infection. It’s a travesty of grand proportions.


When scientists wish to have a clean room; a locale where no germs can exist, they flood the sealed facility with Ozone to rid them of all microscopic impurities; including viruses. One would assume this technology is used in Panama’s Hospital Gorgas, where all medical research is being performed. If not, that’s a travesty, too.

Large Ozone generators have been used for years to reinstate flooded homes and vessels to pristine newness. After Hurricane Katrina, many of the upscale homes and hospitals were made pure by this process.

I’m truly sorry the medical community at large can’t see past their education. Many lives could have been and will be saved by applying these techniques from other industries.

On a personal note, I use medical grade Ozone to deal with my heart condition. It virtually saved my life.

My novel, MURDER IN PANAMA, discourses on the subject from time to time.

Season’s Greetings from Panama.

‘TIS THE SEASON!

Yep, Xmas is drawing near. Personally, I don’t care for the holidays. I won’t list the many reasons; just one – SHOPPING. Gad, what a pain! This year like last…I’ll shop from my computer. Everyone on my Xmas list (all three) will get one of my e-books as a gift. ( I HAVE 8 NOVELS AND 6 SCREENPLAYS PUBLISHED + 1 NON-FICTION BUSINESS BOOK.)


I’d like you to consider giving my e-books for gifts. They can be downloaded on just about every PDA device imaginable including a PC or Mac. The Kindle and Nook each sport new models as well as the Ipad and a host of tablets and smartphones; all capable of accepting e-book downloads. THE PRICE FOR MOST OF MY WORK IS 99 CENTS! That’s right, less than a dollar.

There are a variety of genre’s; from period Western’s to contemporary Action/Adventure and Romantic Comedies. They are all available on Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble.com. Just click on either of the two URL’s and it will take right to my page.

AMAZON - http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Ddigital-text&field-keywords=Robert+Hatting&x=14&y=22



BARNES & NOBLE -http://productsearch.barnesandnoble.com/search/results.aspx?store=EBOOK&WRD=robert+hatting&page=&prod=univ&choice=ebooks&query=robert+hatting&flag=False&ugrp=1



HAPPY HOLIDAY!

Robert Hatting