# RIGHT ASCENSION: Sci-Fi For Just $2.99 -- Just Hit 10,000 Sales!



## David Derrico (Nov 18, 2009)

Greetings, fellow book lovers &#8230; my name is David Derrico. I'm an author, avid reader, and huge fan of my K2. I'm beyond excited about the new opportunities that e-books afford to both readers and writers. As a reader, I've discovered dozens of new authors, re-discovered a love for the classics, and I've been reading more than ever. As an author, Amazon and the Kindle have allowed me to reach thousands of new readers, and given my writing career new life.

My story, briefly: I was a philosophy major at the University of Florida (Go Gators!), where I wrote my honors thesis on morality and ethical theory. After graduation, I was inspired to write _Right Ascension_, an epic, space-opera science fiction story that blends action & adventure with exploration of difficult ethical dilemmas. My goal in writing the novel was to entertain, but also to inspire and provoke thought about honor, morality, and right & wrong.

I then went on to law school at UC-Berkeley, where I wrote _Declination_, the sequel to _Right Ascension_. Both books were originally published by Bookbooters, a very small eBook/POD publisher, back in 2000, but their entry into the eBook market was a little premature and they are no longer around. I sold a handful of copies, and had some great moments, but Bookbooters was a bit early for the e-book revolution, and they closed their doors in 2005.

So, I worked as a lawyer for a while (yawn), but always yearned for time to continue writing. So, recently I quit my "day job" and devoted myself to writing, releasing my books on my own, and marketing my work. I finished my third novel, _The Twiller_, a humorous sci-fi book you can read more about here. I also maintain a blog devoted to e-books, e-readers, and the future of publishing -- I call it the "Always Write" Blog.

That's my story, and my writing journey, in a nutshell. As for the book, here's the description:

Set in the year 3040, _Right Ascension_ explores mankind's place in the Universe, how we ascended to that lofty position, and the horrifying price of that ascension.

Humanity's struggle to assume a place of dominance within the galaxy is suddenly called into question when a sleek alien vessel arrives unexpectedly at Earth. Admiral Daniel Atgard and the crew of the _Apocalypse_ embark on a mission to find these enigmatic aliens, but the focus of the mission quickly turns from finding answers to exacting revenge. Meanwhile, a belligerent species of reptilian warriors, seeking to avenge a previous defeat at the hands of the human-controlled United Confederation of Planets, takes this opportunity to plan an all-out assault on Earth. Faced with overwhelming odds and the terrible knowledge of humanity's most horrifying secret, Daniel must choose between honor... and humanity's very survival.

Fans of Timothy Zahn or David Weber might hopefully appreciate _Right Ascension_ and its sequel, _Declination_. There are reviews and excerpts available on both Amazon and Smashwords, as well as my own website, www.davidderrico.com. Right Ascension reached *#1* on Amazon's "Technothriller" best-seller list, and hit the *Top 500* overall in the Kindle store -- thanks to readers like you. I do appreciate each of you who has given my books a chance, written a review, or told a friend. Please feel free to share your thoughts in the thread below, as I'm always eager to hear from readers -- you guys are the reason I keep writing. 

- David

 Right Ascension |  Declination


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

David--

welcome to KindleBoards and congratulations on your books and your first post!

It looks like you've hit the ground running here! You can use a book cover as your avatar and have image links to your books in your signature, subject to the character limitations. Although self-promotion is limited to the Book Bazaar, most of our authors have found the best way to promote their books is to be as active throughout KindleBoards as time allows. This is your target audience--book lovers with Kindles!

Thanks for being part of KindleBoards! Feel free to PM us if you have any questions.

Betsy & Ann
Book Bazaar Moderators


The fine print: 
_Please add to your existing book thread when you have news about your book rather than start a new one, it helps the members who are trying to follow you. You may have a separate thread for each of your books. You may respond to all posts, but if there have been no member posts, we ask that you wait a week before "bumping" the thread by posting back-to-back posts of your own. And we ask that Amazon reviews not be repeated here as they are easy to find at your book link. Also, full reviews from other sites should not be posted here, but you may post a short blurb and a link to the full review instead. All this, and more, is included in our Forum Decorum. From time to time our site rules may change; be sure to check Forum Decorum for the current guidelines and rules. _


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## telracs (Jul 12, 2009)

Links to the kindle editions:










$4.77 (paperback listed as 216 pages)










also $4.77 (paperback listed as 256 pages)

I'm more an Eric Flint fan, but I'm going to sample these.


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## David Derrico (Nov 18, 2009)

Thanks for the warm welcome! I've been excited about eBooks taking off, and what they could mean to both readers and writers. Finally, the Kindle has been good enough to tempt people to give eBooks a try. The finances of eBooks seem to really favor readers and indie authors, since they eliminate the high costs of printing, storage, shipping, shelf space, and returns. I came across your board while trying to research the Kindle community, to see what Kindle readers wanted and how much was a fair price for Kindle eBooks.

As for my sig, I thought images would be too big and flashy, and I didn't want to come across like a billboard.  Thanks for clarifying the do's and don'ts... I did read the posting guidelines and I certainly don't want to step on any toes.

*Scarlet*, thanks for the links! I've actually read some Eric Flint... he co-wrote several books with David Weber, who I mentioned above and who I read a lot. I read _Crown of Thorns_, which they co-wrote, and I enjoyed it. I found it similar to Weber's other books, like his Honor Harrington series that I enjoy and found similar to my own work. I focus a little less on the military tactics of space combat than Weber does, but I think I have similar strong characters and moral issues that crop up in my stories, so I appreciate his style of writing. I've never read Flint's solo works, though. Which would you recommend?


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## telracs (Jul 12, 2009)

David Derrico said:


> *Scarlet*, thanks for the links! I've actually read some Eric Flint... he co-wrote several books with David Weber, who I mentioned above and who I read a lot. I read _Crown of Thorns_, which they co-wrote, and I enjoyed it. I found it similar to Weber's other books, like his Honor Harrington series that I enjoy and found similar to my own work. I focus a little less on the military tactics of space combat than Weber does, but I think I have similar strong characters and moral issues that crop up in my stories, so I appreciate his style of writing. I've never read Flint's solo works, though. Which would you recommend?


You're welcome (in all senses of the word), Dave. I've been in a linkmaking mood lately, so it was no big deal. I also like knowing price and page numbers, so that's why I added them.

I'm not big on the space combat, so if you have less of that, I might pick up the books. I like my sci-fi with a bit of humor so I love Flint's Pyramid books (Pyramid Scheme, Pyramid Power). I'm also an alternate history addict, so Flint's (with others) Grantville series (1632, 1633, etc) are highly recommended by me. You can get some of his stuff free at baen books website. Part of my problem is that I don't like series that go on to long, I get bored after a bit. Also, I'm not a big fan of alien invasion stories, but since I like patronize kindleboard authors, I'm off to download your stuff. Once I get through my TBR list of 200 books, I'll let you know what I thought.


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## David Derrico (Nov 18, 2009)

scarlet said:


> I'm not big on the space combat, so if you have less of that, I might pick up the books. I like my sci-fi with a bit of humor so I love Flint's Pyramid books (Pyramid Scheme, Pyramid Power). I'm also an alternate history addict, so Flint's (with others) Grantville series (1632, 1633, etc) are highly recommended by me. You can get some of his stuff free at baen books website. Part of my problem is that I don't like series that go on to long, I get bored after a bit. Also, I'm not a big fan of alien invasion stories, but since I like patronize kindleboard authors, I'm off to download your stuff. Once I get through my TBR list of 200 books, I'll let you know what I thought.


Thanks again!! I'm also a fan of sci-fi + humor (I would list _The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy_ as my favorite book of all time), so I might give the Pyramid books a try. The short story that turned into a novella that is turning into a novel that I am working on now (called _The Twiller_) is sci-fi, about 90% humor and about 10% sarcastic commentary on things I find totally inane-like airline frequent-flier program restrictions, the traffic in L.A., law firms, and some of the fun people I met in Berkeley.

I can't tell you how encouraging it is to find a place with such avid readers-people who have "To Read" lists of 200 books and who enjoy discussing and recommending books. Most people I know tend to look at you funny when you told them you were reading or at the library, and would never consider a Kindle because you can't text on it and it doesn't have Twitter. So, as someone who read 4 books in 4 days last week (the first 4 books of "The Lost Fleet" series by Jack Campbell, which I enjoyed, but are even more "tactical" than Weber's stuff), it's good to find people who feel similarly about reading.


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## David Derrico (Nov 18, 2009)

Hello again... I just wanted to let everyone know that, after much internal debate, I have lowered the prices of my novels to just *99 cents each*. I made this decision mainly based on you, the readers. It seems that many people enjoy the idea of trying out new authors, but are much more likely to do so for a buck. I've read with interest the thoughts you've shared in the "Will 99 cents become the new standard?" and other threads, and watched when other authors experimented with lowering their prices. While I think my books were fairly priced before, I realized that whatever small amount of money I might make on them is completely irrelevant. What I enjoy is the thought that someone out there just downloaded my book and will hopefully enjoy reading it. To be perfectly honest, I get a huge thrill out of seeing a sale that has nothing to do with the royalty I'll receive from it.

I'd also like to do my small part to stick my tongue out at traditional publishers, who have no clue what they're doing with eBooks and are trying to (IMHO) gouge readers with unfairly high prices. I'd like to show that they should _embrace_ and not fear eBooks, and that they can _lower_ prices and make more money on volume.

I hope this allows many more people who might have been on the fence to try out my work and hopefully enjoy it. I'd certainly love to hear your thoughts, either here or in a review on Amazon. I hope this little experiment is a success.


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## David Derrico (Nov 18, 2009)

A HUGE thank you to everyone who has taken a chance on my novels and helped me break the 500 sales mark! (Hey, you gotta start somewhere, right?) You've also helped push _Right Ascension_ thisclose to the Top 10 in several categories on Amazon, including #12 in War, #14 in Technothrillers, and #19 in Adventure (and up to #71 in overall Science Fiction).

So far, I'm glad that I dropped the prices to 99 cents, I like the fact that people are out there enjoying my novels and that they were able to grab them at a price that hopefully doesn't put a dent in their Xmas shopping budget.

Anyway, thank you all again, and I'd definitely love to hear what you think about them!


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## talleylynn (Apr 24, 2009)

I finished 'Right Ascention' a couple days ago and I enjoyed it very much. I loved the 'old man' who was anything but. I'm currently in the middle of 'Declination'. It, too, is a good read, but it has a different feel than the first book. More politics and battles than the first book - at least so far. Keep up the good work. I'm looking forward to your next book(s).


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## David Derrico (Nov 18, 2009)

talleylynn said:


> I finished 'Right Ascention' a couple days ago and I enjoyed it very much. I loved the 'old man' who was anything but. I'm currently in the middle of 'Declination'. It, too, is a good read, but it has a different feel than the first book. More politics and battles than the first book - at least so far. Keep up the good work. I'm looking forward to your next book(s).


Thanks so much for the kind words -- I really appreciate any feedback I receive. And I'm very glad you're enjoying them.

After doing the entire first novel from the protagonist's point of view (in order to make him as three-dimensional as possible and allow the reader to relate to him and become more immersed in the story), I decided to try something a little different in the second book and have multiple POV characters with intersecting story arcs. I was going for a more fast-paced feel with more going on, seeing things from multiple perspectives, increased tension as you have to wait to find out what happened to one character while we catch up with another piece of the story, etc. There were definitely pros and cons to each approach, but I can tell you the second one was much harder to outline! It was difficult making all the different story lines converge at the right places and times. And the first requires a very strong and interesting main character to pull it off well.

Scarlet -- I just finished reading 1632 and am about to start on 1633. I enjoyed it more than I thought I would, although I'm not normally a fan of the alternate history genre. But there were some powerful scenes and I appreciated Flint's attention to historical detail.


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## David Derrico (Nov 18, 2009)

Sorry for the bump, but I'm just too excited not to... my first novel, _Right Ascension,_ just cracked the Top 25 Kindle Bestseller list in "Science Fiction," and the Top 1,000 Kindle overall! Woo-hoo!!


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## David Derrico (Nov 18, 2009)

Thanks to everyone who has taken a chance on my novels -- January was just an unbelievable month, and I know I owe a lot of it to my fellow Kindleboarders. So a very sincere thank you!

_Right Ascension_ continued to climb the Amazon bestseller lists, rising into the *Top 500* on the overall Kindle list, up to *#14* in "Science Fiction" (#5 if you exclude free stuff!), and *#2* in several sub-categories, including Adventure, War, and Technothrillers. I am in awe.










I sincerely appreciate your support of independent authors, and I hope you've enjoyed my novels at just 99 cents. If you have enjoyed them, _please_ consider posting a review on Amazon, I would appreciate it very much, and it would help other readers decide if my books are right for them.

Cheers!


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

Today's Feature at The Indie Spotlight

David Derrico - Right Ascension

http://www.theindiespotlight.com

Come up and read and leave a comment.

Edward C. Patterson
& Gregory B. Banks


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## ibrewalot (Dec 22, 2009)

Hmmmm, I thought I'd picked these up when I read about them in the sci-fi thread recently.  Anyway, just one-clicked twice and added them to the "to read" list.


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## David Derrico (Nov 18, 2009)

Ed, thanks for featuring me on your site today. I really liked the interview questions you asked, they opened up some interesting avenues of discussion and I think help give readers a good bit of insight into the writing process and the minds of authors.

And thank you, *ibrewalot*, for the support. I hope you enjoy them! Please let me know what you think when you're done.


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## J Dean (Feb 9, 2009)

Cool looking stuff!  If you resemble Zahn, that's good.  He's a great writer; I love his STAR WARS stuff.


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## David Derrico (Nov 18, 2009)

J Dean said:


> Cool looking stuff! If you resemble Zahn, that's good. He's a great writer; I love his STAR WARS stuff.


Zahn is amazing. I first found him through his Star Wars novels (the Thrawn Trilogy was the first SW stuff I read, and still the best by far), and then I ended up reading almost everything I could get my hands on by Zahn. I particularly liked the Conqueror's Trilogy; he had a great ability to create an entire civilization and make you feel like he had actually visited a real place and was reporting back from it.

I wouldn't be so bold as to say I'm as good as Zahn, but I do resonate the most with his style of writing, and I was inspired to write _Right Ascension_ after reading the Conqueror's Trilogy. You may find some similarities in the beginnings of both books, although they diverged from there.


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## Anju  (Nov 8, 2008)

If you don't have these books, you need to get them!


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## David Derrico (Nov 18, 2009)

Anju No. 469 said:


> If you don't have these books, you need to get them!


Thanks, Dona, you are the best!

In exciting news (OK, very exciting to me, anyway), I finally cracked the top spot in the Amazon "Technothrillers" category! 










It's been a good few days, as I was also fortunate enough to get some very kind reviews from readers, including:



> *Fantastic book with believable science and real characters*
> By Mark S. Whorton (Huntsville, Alabama USA)
> 
> This is an absolutely fantastic book. Right Ascension is the type of hard sci-fi book that I look for but rarely find. In my opinion it stands right up there with the best of Asimov and Clarke. While stretching our minds about physics in a believable way, the characters are very real and the writing style flows well. I especially like the way the book tackles difficult ethical and moral issues that are fundamental to human nature. Kudos to David for a very enjoyable and thought provoking book (even though he is a Florida Gator fan). I look forward to reading the rest of his works -- keep them coming!


This review was especially validating, since I had gotten a couple of reviews that were critical of the science in my novels. But, after an email exchange with Mark, I learned that he has a Ph.D. in aerospace engineering and worked for NASA for 20 years. Yes, he is literally a rocket scientist.


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## David &#039;Half-Orc&#039; Dalglish (Feb 1, 2010)

David Derrico said:


> I wouldn't be so bold as to say I'm as good as Zahn, but I do resonate the most with his style of writing...


Haha, I had a feeling while I was reading the beginning of Declination that something seemed familiar. Now I get it. The Thrawn series was a great read. Out of curiosity, have you read any of Stackpole's Rogue Squadron series?

Oh, and friggin awesome on the number 1 domination. If I may be so bold, how many sales a day does a 500+ Kindle rating nab? This may be akin to asking a girl her age, so you can say no if you want 

David Dalglish


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## David Derrico (Nov 18, 2009)

It was actually in _Right Ascension_ ... the first contact scene in the Conqueror's Trilogy kinda jump-started my mind with the idea for the start of my book.

I believe I read the first one or two books in the Rogue Squadron series. To be honest, I've read so many Star Wars books (a while ago) that I lost track and don't remember them all. I know I've read some of Stackpole's SW stuff, though.

Here's a link that gives some data on how sales ranking correlates to sales numbers. This post was from 9 months ago though, but I'd basically double all the sales numbers it gives (although I can't speak to the really high rankings!). But I'd say it takes about 20-25 sales a day for the Top 1,000, and more like 40-50 to hit the Top 500. Keep in mind that the sales ranking can bounce around quite a bit if you have a good or bad day (or hour!).

http://ireaderreview.com/2009/06/06/interpreting-kindle-store-sales-rankings/


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## David &#039;Half-Orc&#039; Dalglish (Feb 1, 2010)

I'm trying to remember which one of your books it was (the training sequence between the two main characters in the fighter ships). I just remember reading it thinking, "This feels familiar. Why is this familiar? Wait a minute..."

I was thinking Stackpole over Zahn, personally, though it doesn't surprise me at all that it might be an amalgamation of the two. The story just had a feel to it, kind of like you read so much Star Wars that you just _had_ to write a book of your own.

And, let's see, so you sell, on average, 40-50 copies a day for each of your two books? Dear lord man. Clearly, I need to switch genres, catch up on my Zahn, and find some guy with a telescope to make me a book cover. Oh, and learn to write better.

David Dalglish


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## David Derrico (Nov 18, 2009)

No, I don't sell that many on average, since I'm not always in the Top 500 with _Right Ascension_ and never with _Declination_. _RA_ peaked at #479, but usually hangs out between #500 - #1,000. _Declination_ peaked at #852, but usually hangs out between #1,000 - #2,000. (I'm not complaining, mind you, I'm thrilled, but I don't want it to sound like I sell more than I do.) There are some indie authors out there cracking the Top 100 and even the Top 10, so there is hope for all of us.

The scene that is most directly influenced by Zahn is the first contact scene with the alien ship, that starts at the end of Chapter 1 of _Right Ascension_. Basically, I read a "teaser" excerpt of _Conqueror's Pride_ at the end of another Zahn novel, where humans encountered a new species for the first time and, without a word, the aliens blew a whole bunch of our ships the hell up. My mind started racing with what might happen next and ... _Right Ascension_ was born (which turned out much different than Zahn's Conqueror's Series).

As for the training scene and some of the other stuff, I have no doubt some of it was generally influenced by all the Star Wars novels I read. I'd say anything that I've read and enjoyed has served to inspire me to some extent. But there weren't any other scenes that were directly inspired by anything in particular. But I'll take it as a compliment if you thought it was similar to some Star Wars novels. 

As for your sales, it sounds to me like you're on the right track, and your covers are fantastic. I originally wrote the novels back in 2000-2002, so it has taken a long long time to finally taste some measure of success. Even my first months on the Kindle (Aug 2009) were nowhere near what they are now, it took a while to start picking up steam. You just released your book a month or so ago, right? My advice is just to keep plugging away, keep promoting, and keep writing, and I bet the sales will come.


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## David &#039;Half-Orc&#039; Dalglish (Feb 1, 2010)

David Derrico said:


> Basically, I read a "teaser" excerpt of _Conqueror's Pride_ at the end of another Zahn novel, where humans encountered a new species for the first time and, without a word, the aliens blew a whole bunch of our ships the hell up.


I've only read the five or so Thrawn books, Angelmass, and the Green and the Gray. That bit right there has me wanting to hunt down Conqueror's Pride.

Perhaps you should use that quote there for your product description for the book. Nice down to earth feel.

"Aliens showed up, and without a word, blew us the hell up. Want to find out how we respond? Read my book."



David Dalglish


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## David Derrico (Nov 18, 2009)

Half-Orc said:


> Perhaps you should use that quote there for your product description for the book. Nice down to earth feel.
> 
> "Aliens showed up, and without a word, blew us the hell up. Want to find out how we respond? Read my book."


Yeah, I kinda like that. Hey, it worked on me!

In other news, I'm running a contest until the end of the month where I'm giving away a *free signed paperback*. To enter, just become a fan on my Facebook page and post a review on Amazon:

http://www.facebook.com/NovelAuthor


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## ibrewalot (Dec 22, 2009)

I'm in...thanx for the opportunity, David!


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## David Derrico (Nov 18, 2009)

ibrewalot said:


> I'm in...thanx for the opportunity, David!


Thanks for the review!

Everyone else, today's your last chance to enter to win a free paperback -- just get a review (or one of each book for 2 entries) up on Amazon by the end of the day (March 31). If you enjoyed the book, posting a review on Amazon really does help us indie authors out a lot. Thanks!


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## ibrewalot (Dec 22, 2009)

So, David...you didn't post who won.  Who's the lucky reader


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## David Derrico (Nov 18, 2009)

ibrewalot said:


> So, David...you didn't post who won. Who's the lucky reader


Sorry, I posted it on my Facebook page (and sent you an email through FB), but forgot to post it here as well. Lloyd Johnson is the lucky winner. Thanks very much for entering though, I do appreciate it! 

In other news, I finally re-vamped my website, added some cool features, and even started blogging. It's all over at:

www.davidderrico.com

Please come on by and check out my iPad hands-on review, and some tidbits about e-books and publishing. Please leave a comment and let me know what you think!


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## ibrewalot (Dec 22, 2009)

Congrats, Lloyd!

And pretty fancy website, David.  You really did a great job with it.  Now...back to Right Ascension.


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## David Derrico (Nov 18, 2009)

ibrewalot said:


> Congrats, Lloyd!
> 
> And pretty fancy website, David. You really did a great job with it. Now...back to Right Ascension.


Thanks! I've really been working on updating the website and keeping up with the new blog. I've gotten some really nice feedback, so it seems my blog posts are proving helpful to people. 

I've also finished writing my third novel, _The Twiller_, which is being edited as we speak and will be out next month!

Last week on the blog:


*Free As In Beer:* a discussion of pricing digital content and why neither overpricing nor the free model is sustainable.
*Right Ascension at Barnes & Noble:* the _Right Ascension_ paperback is now up at B&N.com.
*Self-Publishing Options:* I explain the ins and outs and benefits and costs and pitfalls of print-on-demand publishing.
*The Twiller Cover is Here:* My new novel, _The Twiller_, will be out in June; until then, check out the new cover and some free excerpts.
*E-Reader Deals:* A couple of deals for the Sony Pocket Reader: new for $140 or refurb for $110.
*B&N Announces Self-Publishing:* Discussion about B&N's upcoming "PubIt" self-publishing program to compete with Amazon DTP.


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## David Derrico (Nov 18, 2009)

Just a quick update that Amazon has decided to temporarily put _Right Ascension_ on sale for just 79 cents. I don't know when the sale will end. So, if you're thinking about it, this is probably the least expensive it will ever be.


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## David Derrico (Nov 18, 2009)

Well, the exciting news for the past couple weeks is:


This weekend's release of my third novel, _*The Twiller*_. It's a departure from the _Right Ascension_ series, a humorous, lighter read in the vein of _The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy_. Thanks so much to everyone who gave it a try!
The *79 cent sale* for _Right Ascension_ continues -- I'm not sure for how long (only Amazon knows). I do know my prices will be going up to $2.99 to take advantage of Amazon's 70% royalty rates before the end of this month.
Perhaps as a Twiller "halo effect,"  _Right Ascension_ joined it in the *Top 500* overall of the Kindle store.

Thanks again to all my readers, and to everyone who has provided me with feedback, left an Amazon review, tagged my books, told a friend, etc. It all helps indie authors like me _immensely_, and is greatly appreciated!


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## geoffthomas (Feb 27, 2009)

Hey David,
Not sure if I told you but I did enjoy the book.
And I have purchased the next one.

As a note to others: If you have not yet read this, it is still available (as of today) at Amazon for $.79 and that is a steal.
Read it now.

Just sayin......


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## David Derrico (Nov 18, 2009)

geoffthomas said:


> Hey David,
> Not sure if I told you but I did enjoy the book.
> And I have purchased the next one.
> 
> ...


Thanks! I'm very glad to hear you liked the book. It is still up on Amazon for $0.79, probably only for another couple of days (Amazon is price matching other retailers, who are slower in updating their prices).


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## geoffthomas (Feb 27, 2009)

Well, I will go put this also on the bargain books thread because it is really a "steal" at $.79.

Just sayin....


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## David Derrico (Nov 18, 2009)

Well, this has been a trying week for me since Amazon's price-checking bot isn't allowing me to update the price on _Right Ascension_ -- with the result that it's been "unavailable" all this week, argh! I'm happy to say it's now back up, and still just $0.99 for the time being. My sincere apologies if anyone was trying to grab it this week and wasn't able to.


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## David Derrico (Nov 18, 2009)

It's been a while since I updated this thread &#8230; the good news is that Amazon re-listed my book. The bad news is that even though they said the glitch was on _their_ end, there wasn't anything they could do for it being down for over a week.  At least I think they've worked out the bugs in their price-checking system by now.

It's funny, the agency model was only for the big publishers, but Amazon is making sure the sale prices on our e-books are going to be the same everywhere as well. My list prices are set at $2.99 everywhere, but B&N likes to discount things 20%, and Amazon just matched the price for _Right Ascension_, which is now on sale for just *$2.39*.

Also, one other note: if anyone got an email from Amazon about an "error" in a book file and a refund, Amazon had a glitch on their end where some books (including mine) had Whispersync issues -- some books weren't syncing the last page read across devices. If this was affecting you, you can reply to the email, and Amazon will send you the updated file for free (note that returning the book or even re-buying it _won't_ get you the new version). If it wasn't bothering you, just ignore the email. Either way, enjoy your refund.


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## David Derrico (Nov 18, 2009)

This week, over on my "Always Write" Blog&#8230;


*June 2010 E-Book Industry Sales Numbers* -- Up to $29.8 million.
*A Free MP3 To Download* -- Check out the Theme to _Right Ascension_; listen to it on your Kindle while you read!
*My E-Reader Buying Guide* -- Do I need an e-book reader? Which one is right for me? Kindle, Nook, or iPad?
*E-Ink vs. LCD* -- What's the difference? Which one is better for reading? What are the pros and cons of each?
*E-Book Market Share* -- What's the deal here? Apple claims 22%, but Amazon says they have 70-80%. Who's right? And what about B&N? Kobo?


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## David Derrico (Nov 18, 2009)

EDIT: Hm, I'll have to try to come up with a more interesting giveaway for next time!


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## MosesSiregarIII (Jul 15, 2010)

Ha! Great idea for a contest, though it's a difficult one, too.

I'd love to enter, but ... I can't think of anything right now. I'll have to get back to you on this one.


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## David Derrico (Nov 18, 2009)

A few of the more interesting posts over on my "Always Write" Blog this month:


Book Review: David Weber's "Empire From the Ashes" trilogy (also known as the Dahak trilogy)
Industry E-Book Sales Data: July's huge jump to $40.8 M and what it means for the future of e-book sales...
Cost Breakdown For E-Books vs. Print: Some recent articles lament the authors' and publishers' takes from e-books compared to hardcovers; I break down the costs and profits and explain why e-books should be the best thing to happen to readers, authors, and publishers in a long time.


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## jackwestjr_author (Aug 19, 2010)

Your description of the books you have written, "..they tend to appeal to sophisticated readers who aren't afraid to digest some philosophical undertones along with their action and adventure."  Doesn't deter me.  Looking forward to taking a look.


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## David Derrico (Nov 18, 2009)

jackwestjr_author said:


> Your description of the books you have written, "..they tend to appeal to sophisticated readers who aren't afraid to digest some philosophical undertones along with their action and adventure." Doesn't deter me. Looking forward to taking a look.


I'm glad to hear it! I know not everyone is looking for something that might make them think, and I certainly don't beat the reader over the head with philosophy or anything. I just wanted to try to combine my passion for philosophy and ethics with some good old-fashioned space opera adventure. You know, something a little more thought-provoking than an episode of _Survivor_. 

I hope you enjoy it, and I'd love to hear what you think when you're done!


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## KBoards Admin (Nov 27, 2007)

I'm please to announce that Right Ascension is our next KB Book of the Day! Check out David's Top 100 technothriller!


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## David Derrico (Nov 18, 2009)

Harvey said:


> I'm please to announce that Right Ascension is our next KB Book of the Day! Check out DAvid's Top 100 technothriller!


Thanks, Harvey! I'm glad for the opportunity to help support Kindleboards -- I've certainly gotten enough enjoyment out of it, not to mention useful tips and info about publishing, e-book formatting, Kindle tips, etc.

And, of course, if it helps a few more readers stumble upon my work, I'm very glad for that opportunity as well! I do hope you guys enjoy the novels, and I appreciate you taking a chance on an unknown author like myself.

In honor of my *KB Book of the Day* sponsorship, I went back and updated my first post in this thread, put in a little more info about me and my writing journey. I'd also like to share a few more things with you guys, maybe the sort of stuff that wouldn't make the "About The Author" section in the back of a book. 

A good place to start might be the "25 Things About Me" post, where I talk about my wife, my pets, driving a Ferrari F430, and jumping out of an airplane (the Ferrari was more of a rush).

A few things people might not know about me:


I'm a pretty terrible singer. Do NOT let me get drunk and belt out Bon Jovi's "You Give Love A Bad Name."
Roller coasters make me woozy.
The pinkie toe on my left foot sticks up -- it has a shortened ligament, a trait I inherited from my grandmother.
Admiral Atgard, the protagonist in _Right Ascension_, was inspired by my father, who has the strongest moral compass of anyone I know.

Thanks for listening to me ramble! I'll try to come up with more silly stuff later today, if anyone's interested in hearing it.


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## telracs (Jul 12, 2009)

At least today's ad won't cost me anything, I already own the book...



Spoiler



now I just have to read it!


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## geoffthomas (Feb 27, 2009)

I have it (and the second book).
Have read it.
And can recommend it.

A very interesting read. 

So this is a good opportunity to support a resident indie author and support KB and get a good read - all at the same time.

Just sayin......


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## David Derrico (Nov 18, 2009)

scarlet said:


> At least today's ad won't cost me anything, I already own the book...
> 
> 
> 
> ...


No time like the present! How can you hold off after Geoff's great recommendation?  Seriously, though, thanks for your support, both of these books and _The Twiller_!



geoffthomas said:


> I have it (and the second book).
> Have read it.
> And can recommend it.
> 
> ...


Thanks, Geoff! I really do appreciate the recommendation. There's nothing like getting a good recommendation from a fellow KB reader. It's more important than covers and descriptions and reviews or anything else. And, since the whole point of me writing the novels was in the hopes that people would enjoy them, it's immensely gratifying -- I'm very glad you enjoyed them!


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## telracs (Jul 12, 2009)

I'm currently in the process of reading my backlog of books.  I wish the kindle had a sort option for LEAST recent so I can go through things more easily.


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## Christopher Smith (Aug 3, 2010)

Sounds like a great read, David--which is why I just one-clicked it.

Good luck with it!

Chris


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## David Derrico (Nov 18, 2009)

scarlet said:


> I'm currently in the process of reading my backlog of books. I wish the kindle had a sort option for LEAST recent so I can go through things more easily.


That's funny -- I never really thought about that! I understand there are a lot of great books out there &#8230; hopefully some day you'll be in the mood for mine and hopefully you'll enjoy it. 



Christopher Smith said:


> Sounds like a great read, David--which is why I just one-clicked it.
> 
> Good luck with it!


Woot! Thanks for the support, Chris, I hope you enjoy it! 

It sounds like you have an interesting job as a movie critic -- do you prefer movies to books, vice versa, or about the same? Do you watch movies for work and read books for fun? Do you read more books, or watch more movies? (I guess I find it interesting for someone to be an author and reader and film critic.)


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## monkeyluis (Oct 17, 2010)

I bought all 3 books. I keep looking @ them & say next. I think they will be this time. I'll let you know my thoughts once I read them. Looking forward to them!


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## David Derrico (Nov 18, 2009)

monkeyluis said:


> I bought all 3 books. I keep looking @ them & say next. I think they will be this time. I'll let you know my thoughts once I read them. Looking forward to them!


Thank you very much -- I really do appreciate the support! And I am eager to hear your thoughts on them.

I'm very grateful to everyone who gave my books a shot while they were the KindleBoards' "Book of the Day" yesterday. But, hey, if you missed out, I won't hold it against you, the links are still right down in my sig&#8230;


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## monkeyluis (Oct 17, 2010)

I finished the 1st book tonight and really enjoyed it.  Reminded me a bit of Star Trek.  I enjoyed the writing and your use of words throughout the book.  I had to look up a few.  I'm not one to write some big long review.  All I can say is that I really did enjoy it.  I liked the characters and hope to learn more about them in the 2nd book, some fleshing out of the characters would have been welcomed because I truly did want to learn more about them.  

As I mentioned in another thread I also really liked the formatting of the ebook.  It seems like you must have taken some time to actually put in those chapter marks, which I really liked and don't see much in other ebooks by indie authors.  

Look forward to the 2nd one which I'll get to in the near future.  Going to read a few quick hits 1st.


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## David Derrico (Nov 18, 2009)

I'm really happy to hear that you enjoyed it! Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts with me. Based on what you've said, I think you will like _Declination_, as it focuses more on the secondary characters of _Right Ascension_. They each become main characters and leaders in their own right. I had more time to develop them and give them each multiple scenes from their POV.

And I'm glad you liked the formatting -- it did take some time to figure all that out (especially the chapter marks), but I do think they're a useful tool and I was really pleased when I finally figured out how to get them in there. I think e-book formatting is important, and I'm appalled when I see expensive books by large publishing houses that are just scanned in and not even proofread!

As for "big long reviews," those aren't necessary. What you said here is great. Other readers don't usually expect long, detailed reviews, just the honest thoughts of fellow readers. I'd definitely appreciate it if you wanted to post your thoughts on Amazon, but I understand if you don't want to. But I wouldn't worry about your review not being "long" or "professional" enough -- so long as you give your honest thoughts, that's all a reader review is really supposed to be.


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## monkeyluis (Oct 17, 2010)

David Derrico said:


> I'm really happy to hear that you enjoyed it! Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts with me. Based on what you've said, I think you will like _Declination_, as it focuses more on the secondary characters of _Right Ascension_. They each become main characters and leaders in their own right. I had more time to develop them and give them each multiple scenes from their POV.
> 
> And I'm glad you liked the formatting -- it did take some time to figure all that out (especially the chapter marks), but I do think they're a useful tool and I was really pleased when I finally figured out how to get them in there. I think e-book formatting is important, and I'm appalled when I see expensive books by large publishing houses that are just scanned in and not even proofread!
> 
> As for "big long reviews," those aren't necessary. What you said here is great. Other readers don't usually expect long, detailed reviews, just the honest thoughts of fellow readers. I'd definitely appreciate it if you wanted to post your thoughts on Amazon, but I understand if you don't want to. But I wouldn't worry about your review not being "long" or "professional" enough -- so long as you give your honest thoughts, that's all a reader review is really supposed to be.


I am definately going to put it on Amazon, just didn't get a chance last night. I did rate it on goodreads which I am also a member of. When I get home tonight I'll do Amazon for sure.


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## David Derrico (Nov 18, 2009)

monkeyluis said:


> I am definately going to put it on Amazon, just didn't get a chance last night. I did rate it on goodreads which I am also a member of. When I get home tonight I'll do Amazon for sure.


Thank you, I do appreciate it! Every review helps! 

And I hope you like the sequel as much or more!


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

I recently started _Right Ascension_. You definitely surprised me when the young pilot who seemed to be the protagonist was


Spoiler



blown to hell.



Peter F. Hamilton's _Pandora's Star_ series, asks some of the same questions, whether is it ever right to kill an entire species, even to save our own.


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## David Derrico (Nov 18, 2009)

R. Reed said:


> I recently started _Right Ascension_. You definitely surprised me when the young pilot who seemed to be the protagonist was
> 
> 
> Spoiler
> ...


I definitely wanted to throw a twist into the very beginning, and I wanted to make the big event more meaningful to the reader (yes, I'm trying to be intentionally vague so as not to include spoilers for anyone who hasn't read it yet!).

I'll have to check out _Pandora's Star_, sounds like it should be my cup of tea. Thanks for the recommendation!


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## David Derrico (Nov 18, 2009)

Very cool! A HUGE thank you to Harvey and the site admins for coming up with the very neat KB Book Profile pages, where you can see the covers, read a description, check out reviews, check sales rank, get Amazon US and UK page links, and even start reading a sample right in your web browser. Pretty darn cool, I think. Check out the ones for _Right Ascension_ & _Declination_!

_*Right Ascension*_:
http://www.kboards.com/book/?asin=B001V9K6ZS

_*Declination*_:
http://www.kboards.com/book/?asin=B001V9K7WU


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

Finished RA. Good space opera story, with some thoughts provoked.

I should warn you about the Hamilton series. The characters have way more sex than people in a science fiction book usually do.


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## David Derrico (Nov 18, 2009)

R. Reed said:


> Finished RA. Good space opera story, with some thoughts provoked.
> 
> I should warn you about the Hamilton series. The characters have way more sex than people in a science fiction book usually do.


Thanks -- I'm glad you liked it! I'd love to hear any other thoughts you had on it (here, in a PM, or if you were to be so kind as to write a review, for which I'd be very grateful).

As for the Hamilton series, some sex wouldn't necessarily ruin the book for me, but it's not really what I look for in a book, so I might end up skipping over those parts.

Right now, I've just gotten into the _Vorkosigan_ Saga by Lois McMaster Bujold. Pretty good, so far.


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## David Derrico (Nov 18, 2009)

I'd like to announce a special holiday sale: _Right Ascension_ is on sale for *just $0.99* this week!

Here's a quick excerpt:

 Any hint of humor that was present disappeared instantly from the President's face. "Perhaps you don't realize-"
"Perhaps _you_ don't realize, Mr. President," yelled the Admiral as he rose from his seat, suddenly animated. "Perhaps you don't realize precisely what it was you asked me to do."
"I asked you to defend your planet!" yelled the President.
"You asked me to butcher an entire race!"
The President fumed, but said nothing.
"Before we learned the term Lucani Ibron," said the Admiral gravely, "we called them the _Gens Laniorum_."
"I'm sorry, Admiral, but I don't speak-"
"The term means 'The Butchering Race,' William," explained the Admiral. "We called them that because they killed millions of sentient beings in one callous act."
"So what?" demanded the President, livid. "What do I care why ..." His voice trailed off.
"You care, Mr. President, because if I had fired that awful Cannon, _we_ would have been the _Gens Laniorum_ too. And we would have no more right to live than they do. The Creelarians would be the only innocents. But they would all be dead."
The room was silent for a long while; the assembled Confederation officers seemed hesitant to enter into the heated conversation. After a minute or so had passed, the Admiral finally calmed down enough to retake his seat. Another few seconds passed before the President spoke again.
"Daniel," he began, the edge gone from his voice, "surely you do understand that, whatever your reasons, you may not simply disregard the chain of command?"
"No, sir," he replied squarely. "I do not."
The President sighed heavily. "You never have been good at following orders, Daniel."
"The depths of hell are filled with men who were only following orders, sir."

If you're looking for an action/adventure novel to read, and you think another 72,000+ words of that sort of thing is worth a buck, I invite you to try _Right Ascension_ out at Amazon. Thanks for looking!

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001V9K6ZS


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## David Derrico (Nov 18, 2009)

I just posted a recap over on my blog, called the "2010 Year In Review." I covered the highlights of last year's news and info about e-books, e-readers, publishing, and my own writing adventures. I hope you find it interesting!

I also shared some sales stats and highlights for _Right Ascension_ last year, including:


Sold over 5,000 copies in 2010.
Ranked #1 on Amazon's "Technothrillers" best-seller list.
Ranked #414 overall in the Amazon Kindle Store.

I know I have my readers to thank for these milestones, and many of the readers here on KindleBoards in particular. So, *thank you*, and I'm hoping that 2011 is an even more exciting year for authors and readers than 2010 was!


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## David Derrico (Nov 18, 2009)

Just a little note and shout-out to my latest Kindle release -- a collection of my "_Always Write_" blog posts from the past year (103 posts totaling over 65,000 words), compiled into an easy-to-read Kindle edition. I added a table of contents, chapter waypoints (just flick left or right on the 5-way to see the previous or next article), images in Kindle-friendly formats, and links to other posts within the collection are re-formatted as internal links for your wireless reading convenience. 

It's called _*The Future of The Written Word: Always Write Blog Posts from 2010*_, and it covers news, tips, and info about e-books, e-readers, and the publishing industry. You can learn more about it on my KB thread here:

http://www.kboards.com/index.php/topic,49036.0.html


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## David Derrico (Nov 18, 2009)

A huge THANK YOU to all my readers who have bought, read, reviewed, or spread the word about my novels. You helped me reach 10,000 sales!

http://www.davidderrico.com/10000-sales/

I'm looking forward to hearing from each and every one of you.


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