Monthly Archives: April 2011

A book’s far reaching consequences…

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Occasionally, I receive a letter that is so heartfelt, that it goes deeply into my psyche.
When I wrote THREE HUNDRED ZEROES, it was my intention to tell a humorous story, a story about my adventures on the Appalachian Trail. Chapter six of the book deals with my heart surgery, it is funny, but at the same time it is serious, telling us that  we all need to pay attention to our health. The following letter moves me as a writer, it is so rewarding to know this story has made a difference in the lives of others:
We’re Elizabeth and Josh from, Arkansas, and we’re on our second read of your book, “Three Hundred Zeroes.” When we got to your chapter by that title, where you challenge the reader to get active and do something, I remembered that I’d intended to write to you about how your book provided some great inspiration for us. Your book is witty, optimistic and just really fun to read. We sure begin to feel like we’re really out there on the trail, which is where we want to be someday.
 
We’re in our thirties with four kids and a dream of one day hiking the A.T. together. Josh says he won’t go without me! We’ve already read a pile of good books about the trail, from how-tos to personal accounts. We first read your book in early fall of 2010. It added significantly to my husband’s realization that, if he was going to be healthy enough to hike the A.T. in 15 years or so, he needed to make some lifestyle changes. He’s a biology teacher and has always loved the outdoors, and he always has some project or new hobby going, but he wasn’t taking care of himself, and diet fads and new years’ resolutions weren’t sticking.  
 
Last summer, one of his groomsmen was diagnosed with diabetes, another family friend in his sixties made some major life changes and told us his story, and we read your book. In the past nine months, Josh has lost 63 pounds and exercises regularly – especially if I go with him! We’ve also begun to work out weekend backpacking trips while the kids go to grandparent camp, and Josh loves how he’s able to eat whatever he wants on the trail and still lose weight! He was already a great guy; I’m just so proud of him!
 
Josh will be eligible for retirement the year our last two kids graduate from high school. It’s still a ways out, and we don’t know what will be going on in our lives, but we want to be really intentional now to do our part to make it possible, and your optimism and perseverance continue to encourage us both.
 
Thanks for writing your book!
 
Sincerely,
Elizabeth
Thank you Elizabeth! It is so gratifying to know that I’ve been able to contribute something and that one day, you and Josh may hike the Appalachian Trail. With any luck you may find some of your kids wanting to do it as well. Happy trails!
Dennis “K1” Blanchard

Interesting Kindle feature for favorite lines in a book.

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Amazon has added a neat feature to the Kindle. While reading a book, the reader can highlight a sentence by clicking the Kindle control “5-Way” button at the start of text and then again at the end of a text section, or sentence and then share that line with the book’s site at Amazon. (The sharing feature has to be enabled in the Menu…settings.) The highlight also shows up when someone is reading the book on their Kindle (if enabled). 
I happened to look at THREE HUNDRED ZEROES today and when I scrolled down I saw the following quotes from the book listed:

&quote;

The mice rule the shelters, and if there are no mice, that’s because there are lots of snakes eating the mice…take your pick. &quote;

Highlighted by 7 Kindle users
&quote;

“I like to stay at a certain low level of pissed-off at all times, that way I never lose it and blow my top!” &quote;

Highlighted by 6 Kindle users
&quote;

As a rule of thumb, the pack should weigh about twenty percent of one’s body weight, &quote;

Amazon has hit on something very interesting. It is creating a community of readers that are “voting” on favorite lines from the book. I started hunting around and here are a few other amusing ones. The first are from Bill Bryson’s, A WALK IN THE WOODS:

&quote;

If there is one thing the AT teaches, it is low-level ecstasy—something we could 
all do with more of in our lives. &quote;

Highlighted by 52 Kindle users
&quote;

What on earth would I do if four bears came into my camp? Why, I would die, of course. Literally shit myself lifeless. I would blow my sphincter out my backside like one of those unrolling paper streamers you get at children’s parties—I daresay it would even give a merry toot—and bleed to a messy death in my sleeping bag. &quote;

Highlighted by 52 Kindle users
&quote;

I was beginning to appreciate that the central feature of life on the Appalachian Trail is deprivation, that the whole point of the experience is to remove yourself so thoroughly from the conveniences of everyday life that the most ordinary things—processed cheese, a can of pop gorgeously beaded with condensation—fill you with wonder and gratitude. &quote;

Highlighted by 45 Kindle users
Here is one from WATER FOR ELEPHANTS, By Sara Gruen:

&quote;

Nothing happens to me anymore. That’s the reality of getting old, and I guess that’s really the crux of the matter. I’m not ready to be old yet.&quote;

Highlighted by 458 Kindle users

This one is from PENTECOST: A Thriller, By Joanna Penn:

&quote;There is evil that humans conjure and use against each other. There are words of power that can be used as weapons. Myths that have spanned millennia are based on strands of truth. &quote;
Highlighted by 3 Kindle users

Here you can look at the top rated Kindle book favorites: Books with most public notes.
What will they think of next?

Dennis “K1” Blanchard

No Foolin’-Price Dropped from $9.95 to $4.99 on Kindle.

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It might seem an odd time to drop the price on something when it is selling at records rates. The e-reader market is in a great state of flux at the moment and authors everywhere are debating what should be the “right price” for an electronic edition of a book. I’ve been following a few hot debates on the topic lately, especially one between authors Joe Konrath and Barry Eisler. 

The answer to “What is the correct price for an ebook?” is not really settled at this point. However, I’m seeing a trend that says the most mainstream ebooks are now settling around the $4.99 price point, with introductory prices of either $0.99 or $9.99. 
So, tonight, I dropped the price on the electronic version of THREE HUNDRED ZEROES on Kindle, Nook and Smashwords to $4.99. My hope in doing this is that I will find more readers. Books without readers are of little value and I’m loving the fact that my reader following is growing by leaps and bounds. This month, March, has been, by far, the best month ever and it is thanks to my readers.
I cannot do much about the print version pricing of the book. Print books are much more expensive to deliver to readers. Even though I still love the feel of an actual book in my hands, I have to admit really enjoying reading on our Kindle. Ultimately, as an author, what is most important to me is that you are reading. Hopefully, this price change will make that possible for many more readers…
This is no April Fool, enjoy!
Dennis “K1” Blanchard