# Xanthan Gumm got a Good Review!



## R. M. Reed (Nov 11, 2009)

Earth - The forbidden planet! Where strange beings called humans toil endlessly, creating the stories loved throughout Galactic Civilization. Stories collectively called The Movies!

One brave soul dares to go there, because he has a dream. He dreams of starring in a Movie, and of meeting the King of Earth - Steven Spielberg!


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## sierra09 (Jun 20, 2009)

The AISN is in your Kindle listing under product details. Where you would find an ISBN on a print book, there are AISNs on Kindle books.


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## R. M. Reed (Nov 11, 2009)

Thank you. I found it, but I see the cover is up now.


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## Archer (Apr 25, 2009)

Xanthan Gumm! 
(snicker! snork!)


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## telracs (Jul 12, 2009)

It has been purchased!


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## R. M. Reed (Nov 11, 2009)

Thank you.


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## R. M. Reed (Nov 11, 2009)

Hello. I hope everyone has a nice Thanksgiving. I am on pins and needles because I'm meeting an agent at a convention this weekend who has agreed to look at my latest book. If she likes it could be published in the traditional way. I will make sure there is a Kindle edition too!


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## R. M. Reed (Nov 11, 2009)

I met the agent! She read my first three chapters! She liked them and asked to see the whole book! I mailed it today!
Whoo and Hoo!


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## R. M. Reed (Nov 11, 2009)

I see on my Amazon DTP report that I sold a bunch of Kindle copies recently. It must be Kindleboarders. Thank you!

I would love to get some comments after you read it.


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## R. M. Reed (Nov 11, 2009)

Red Adept used some comments I wrote about where I get my ideas. She included a link to my book, for which I thank her. However when I used the link, the book page said that the book can't be bought in the mobile version of the Kindle store. Anyone know why? I know it can bought on a computer. I'd like to fix this if I can.


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## R. M. Reed (Nov 11, 2009)

Have a Merry and Happy everyone!

I will be Kindleizing more books in 2010, if I can get out of my current financial bind. I am hoping for big news in traditional publishing too.

If anyone likes cartoons and comic strips, plus some short films I made, try my website: http://www.barstowproductions.com


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## R. M. Reed (Nov 11, 2009)

I just posted my book on Smashwords for $.99. Xanth isn't just for Kindle any more, you can read his adventures in all the formats. Half the book is available as a sample.

I will do that free thing for the military soon. It will be interesting what they think of it, I have some satirical military characters in the book.


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## R. M. Reed (Nov 11, 2009)

For your amusement, I wrote a fake review of the new type of reader called a "book." It is on my blog at http://robinreed42.wordpress.com/


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## R. M. Reed (Nov 11, 2009)

Xanthan Gumm is a satire that takes on religion, the military, television and the movies. I have been told that the laughs start on the first page and don't let up until the end. Surely it's worth a sample at least.

Say, Book Bazaar authors, many of you get some friendly responses when you bring your threads back up. I get crickets. Is there a trick to getting some attention around here?


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## LuvMyKindle (Aug 1, 2009)

Hi Robin,

I would be happy to help give your book some attention here.  The following is a copy of what I posted about your book in the January 2010 Author thread on the Amazon Kindle forum this past Sunday:

<<<< I've seen you post about Xanthan Gumm on occasion, and as I don't read a great deal fantasy/sci fi (even though I have quite a few TBR on my Kindle, KiKi), I admit to usually just skimming the posts. Early last week when I saw your post in this thread, on a whim, I downloaded the sample.

I just now started reading the sample, and at only 54% in, I just had to 1-click it. I have already laughed out loud quite a few times. So far, the tone of your writing and the voice of Xanthan is creative, engaging, kind of sweet, and very amusing. Underneath it all, the satirical aspect is even somewhat thought-provoking and I have the feeling quite a few things about this book will stick with me for awhile. 
(I'm pretty sure I get the meaning behind the title...hee hee)

I always seem to have a "top 5" TBR list (from my 30 pages of titles) and by the time I finish 2 of them, 2 of the others end up bumped to the "top 10" and even then I sometimes lose track - *sigh* - I blame it on threads like these, which cause me to collect more books than I can actually read in any given week. I can't say for sure when I will finish reading your book, but is now in my new "top 3" TBR list and I promise to post a good review when I have finished.

Anyway, if anyone is on the fence about this book, download the sample and see for yourself. I feel sure this book will continue to be a fun, quirky, and extremely entertaining read. >>>>>

I would have posted this here on Sunday, too, but I guess I didn't go far back enough to find this thread when I looked for it and then wasn't sure if I had seen you post here at all of if I had just been imagining it...LOL Since then, I haven't had much time to read so far this week except on my work breaks and Xanthan Gumm is the book I have been reading.


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## R. M. Reed (Nov 11, 2009)

Thanks, LuvMyKindle.
I will be offline soon, and for an unknown amount of time. I listed my computer on eBay and sold my Kindle here, just to make the rent money for this month. I can check in on my iPod touch once in a while.


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## liannallama (May 29, 2009)

Yikes!  A true starving artist!  Hopefully you will be able to check the boards at the library or something.  Your book sounds silly and fun--just the sort of thing I need right now so I ordered it!


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## R. M. Reed (Nov 11, 2009)

I hope you enjoy it, liannallama.
I will be back in a month or two. I hope.


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## R. M. Reed (Nov 11, 2009)

Anyone miss me? I'm back, on my brand new, used MacBook. Unca Sam gave me some money and I bought this nice laptop right away. Now I can come here and annoy y'all again.

In the month I've been gone, Apple's iPad was announced. Has anyone heard if the Kindle App will run on it? If they try to cut out competition from Amazon by not letting the App run, I am less inclined to get one someday. Before I even consider that, though, I have to get another Kindle. It may be the K3 by the time I have money, but I will get one when I can.


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## R. M. Reed (Nov 11, 2009)

I'm back again. I still have the MacBook, but the cable TV company cut me off because I couldn't pay. Now I am on AT&T's cheapest and slowest DSL. I look forward to all the Kindle discussions - and getting another Kindle someday.


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## Archer (Apr 25, 2009)

I've been reading this one--over halfway now. I like it a lot...it is amusing and it's a smooth, easy read. Just what I need right now.
Well done!


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## David McAfee (Apr 15, 2010)

Grabbed the sample on my iPod. This isn't normally my thing, but the favorable comments on this thread convinced me to give it a try. My list is growing to an unmanageable size, though. Might be a bit before I get to it.


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## Maria Hooley (Jul 21, 2009)

I picked it up as well.  Looking forward to reading it.


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## R. M. Reed (Nov 11, 2009)

Thanks to you samplers. I hope you like it.

Amazon has sent me money a few times since I came to Kindleboards. Not a large amount, but it's great to say I have made money with my writing.


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## daveconifer (Oct 20, 2009)

R. Reed said:


> For your amusement, I wrote a fake review of the new type of reader called a "book." It is on my blog at http://robinreed42.wordpress.com/


Everybody should read this immediately -- brilliant and hilarious! Then, buy Robin's book. It's just as brilliant and hilarious.

"There are actually hundreds of screens, piled together. You have to hold the device open with your hands, and physically swap from one screen to another as you read. Then, when you stop reading, there is no way to bookmark where you stopped without buying yet another third party device."


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## R. M. Reed (Nov 11, 2009)

Hey kids and kittens!

I have an agent! She will be repping my horror book, which will be under a pseudonym. I hope she will be able to sell the book soon! Whooooo hooooo!


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## daveconifer (Oct 20, 2009)

R. Reed said:


> Hey kids and kittens!
> 
> I have an agent! She will be repping my horror book, which will be under a pseudonym. I hope she will be able to sell the book soon! Whooooo hooooo!


Yay, awesome news Robin!


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## telracs (Jul 12, 2009)

Thanks to this thread, I finally pulled this book to the top of my TBR list.


Spoiler



always knew Barry Manilow was an alien


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## R. M. Reed (Nov 11, 2009)

Thanks, Scarlet.


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## Archer (Apr 25, 2009)

That's great news, Robin! Congratulations! I've heard that acquiring a good agent can be the most difficult hurdle of all.
When the movie comes out, maybe you can write a part in it for Xanth.


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## R. M. Reed (Nov 11, 2009)

I hope you will like my villain, Archer, and think she is as good at being bad as Gorgon.


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## Archer (Apr 25, 2009)

R. Reed said:


> I hope you will like my villain, Archer, and think she is as good at being bad as Gorgon.


Now, THAT is saying something! I'm sure I will!


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## R. M. Reed (Nov 11, 2009)

Have you posted your review yet, Archer? I haven't seen it.

I haven't bumped this thread in a while, so here I am. Bumpity bump.


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## Archer (Apr 25, 2009)

Review has been posted...


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## R. M. Reed (Nov 11, 2009)

Where, Archer? I can't find it.

There was a problem with my Kindle edition page on Amazon yesterday. I don't know how long it was there before that. It had the wrong price and said the book wasn't available. It seems to be all better now. Maybe it was related to the other problems that some authors reported.

Two Days Later: I found the review on Amazon. It took a while to appear. Thanks, Archer! As for the sequel, a small part of it exists on my computer, but I need to do a lot more. That darn thing called life has gotten in the way of finishing it. If I can just stabilize a source of income, I will be able to work on writing again.


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## Brenda Carroll (May 21, 2009)

Now that your book has been restored, I'm off to one click it.  Here I come Xanthum Gumm!


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## R. M. Reed (Nov 11, 2009)

I got this from Amazon DTP:

Hello,

Thank you for letting us know that you are now able to see the price and availability of your title on our web site.
We are not aware of any technical issues behind your trouble. When a book is listed as 'Currently Unavailable' on our web site, it will show as 'Pricing information is not available' on the product detail page.
__
The page clearly said "Currently Unavailable" and gave a price of 79 cents. Amazon says that's impossible. So I guess the problem came from...The Twilight Zone.


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## Brenda Carroll (May 21, 2009)

I can be your witness, Miss Reed.  I saw it with my own eyes when I tried to buy it.  There was no place to click for purchasing, but it was OK when I went back the next day.  I'm always being accused of living in the Twilight Zone.  Sorry I pulled you in with me for a moment there.  If Amazon says it, then it must be true.


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## Edward C. Patterson (Mar 28, 2009)

The "buy button" button was there this morning, because I pressed it.  

Edward C. Patterson


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## Archer (Apr 25, 2009)

Robin: Well, hurry up, because I want to read it! 

signed,
'Book-sucking Vampire'


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## R. M. Reed (Nov 11, 2009)

I just added up all those monthly Excel reports at Amazon DTP, and if I have done the math right, plus the current number, I have sold...(drum roll)... 64!

Well, that's better than I expected when I started. I have also sold over a hundred trade paperbacks through personal contacts and Amazon.

Any have any advice about the new Amazon program? Should I raise the price to $2.99? Would anyone buy it? I started at $5.99 before I was on KB and talked to other writers and learned that the lower prices were selling better. I have sold much better at $1.99.


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## R. M. Reed (Nov 11, 2009)

I changed the product description - and DTP said it was going to hold the book in review for two days! I just had it go offline TWICE for the price and profit-share changes! Sheeesh!


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## R. M. Reed (Nov 11, 2009)

Yes, sales in early July were at zero - but I recently sold one! So my sales went up 100%! This is the first sale after the price rise to $2.99. So it can only go up from here, right?

If you want to know how aliens eat pizza, check it out!


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## R. M. Reed (Nov 11, 2009)

I just noticed that Xanthan Gumm is on sale for $.99. I didn't change the price, and I didn't know they were going to reduce it. I don't know how long it will be at the lower price. But right now it seems to be on sale. So I hope some of you will take advantage of it.


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## R. M. Reed (Nov 11, 2009)

Time for my weekly bump. No one ever looks at these, but maybe a picture of the title character would help:










Also, Amazon still has it priced at $.99, even though I raised the price to $2.99. Take advantage of it while it lasts!


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## R. M. Reed (Nov 11, 2009)

Mark Coker of Smashwords himself is trying to get Barnes and Noble to raise the price, so Amazon will follow. So it may go up to $2.99 at any minute! Get it at 99 cents while you can!


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## R. M. Reed (Nov 11, 2009)

It's a puzzle. Even with the help of Mark Coker of Smashwords, I can't get Amazon to price this at the $2.99 that I set on DTP.  The lowest I ever went was $1.99. I visited various sites and found that Kobo has it for $2.39 and Sony $2.99. The sticking point seems to be Barnes and Noble, who have it at $.99. So once again, you can take advantage of this situation and pick up the hilarious tale of an alien who wants to be a movie star for under a buck. Someday it will go back up and you will be out of luck.


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## Krink (Jun 18, 2009)

I just finished reading it and enjoyed it very much.  Full of laughs and insights into how strange our own culture can be when looked at from the outside.  Looking forward to the next one.


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## R. M. Reed (Nov 11, 2009)

Thanks, Krink. I do have part of a sequel written, but life keeps getting in the way. I should get back to it.


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## R. M. Reed (Nov 11, 2009)

Xanthan Gumm is now mentioned at Bargain eBooks at http://bargainebooks.blogspot.com/


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## R. M. Reed (Nov 11, 2009)

_Xanthan Gumm_ got a good review at SyriaSays.com. Check it out!


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