# George Berger's Midnight's Tale: Picked up by Amazon as a Kindle Single!



## MonkeyScribe (Jan 27, 2011)

I wanted to give a shout out to a KBer whose new book seems to be finding its niche. Midnight's Tale is a A delightful and funny story, which wouldn't surprise anyone who reads George's humorous, self-deprecating posts on the board. Like so many of us, George threw his book out to the world with equal measures of hope and fear. Yesterday, he wrote:



George Berger said:


> Fate can be fickle, but that's just nature's way of telling you to stop worrying and write an even more success-worthy book.
> 
> Consider my latest release. After being exposed to the collective wisdom here for almost a year, I did everything I possibly could to make it an overwhelming success. I:
> 
> ...


*Michael:* And _eighteen _days after its release I see that your new book has sold quite a few copies based on its ranking and is ranking #53 in the hot new releases for the literary category. I guess your faith was well-placed, George. Congrats.










Update: See the news at the bottom of this thread where George reveals that Amazon is now going to promote Midnight's Tale in their prestigious (and hopefully lucrative) Kindle Singles program. What a change of fortune in ten days!


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## Krista D. Ball (Mar 8, 2011)

Congratz George. I haven't finished the story yet (I can't until I'm done my word count grumble), but what I've gotten to read on my commute today is hilarious. Well done.


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## JRTomlin (Jan 18, 2011)

George is such a nice member of the KB community; it's great to see this doing so well!


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## Krista D. Ball (Mar 8, 2011)

Sometimes, nice people don't finish. It's always great when that is proven wrong and someone gets the notice they so richly deserve.


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## Victorine (Apr 23, 2010)

Great rank, George! Congrats!


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## AmberC (Mar 28, 2012)

Woot woot!


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## CoraBuhlert (Aug 7, 2011)

Congrats, George. Glad to see the goat doing well.


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## MonkeyScribe (Jan 27, 2011)

CoraBuhlert said:


> Congrats, George. Glad to see the goat doing well.


When I heard there was a llama named Llarry, I knew I had to buy the book. And better still, a camel named Harlan who is a whining, complaining jerk. I think I rode that camel when I was in southern Tunisia, or maybe his cousin.


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## BrianKittrell (Jan 8, 2011)

*runs to the shelf and nearly rips off the cover to check for a dedication*

Whew! That was close. 

That is so awesome, George. I guess you can't call this one unmarketable dross, despite your high hopes for the contrary. 

_--Brian, the boy who saw greatness and wept, Oh-yay, wept toward the stars_


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## ToniD (May 3, 2011)

What a terrific and generous thread, Michael--and it sounds as though George's book deserves no less.

Congrats George on your new book and grand start. 

Off to find out about the llama...


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## Shayne Parkinson (Mar 19, 2010)

Yay, George! That's great to hear. Go Midnight - all you had to do was separate yourself from the sheep.


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## Ann Chambers (Apr 24, 2011)

Great to hear! Congrats to George! Love those silly posts.


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## WHDean (Nov 2, 2011)

Congratulations George!


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## PhoenixS (Apr 5, 2011)

You've gotten 2 horns-up from each of the target audience at my place, George. And they're tough critics. Congrats!
















_(That's Rowdy on the left and his mom, Lucy, on the right.)_


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## Steve Silkin (Sep 15, 2010)

MichaelWallace said:


> I think I rode that camel when I was in southern Tunisia, or maybe his cousin.


I did that, too -- to the troglodytes right? Actually my camel was OK, it was the camel driver who was hostile; I think we didn't give him a big enough tip and he became really angry. And that was after the troglodytes had assaulted us with their pleas for our dinars. Such a lovely visit.


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## JacksonJones (Feb 20, 2012)

Excellent! I just bought a copy. I've always been a George Berger fan. His name alone is enough to convince me he'll become a literary giant, even after death. Do the French pronounce it "Jorj Bear-jay"?

Be that as it may, we all need a little goat in our lives.


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## Lisa Grace (Jul 3, 2011)

Let me be the first to offer you Con-goat-ulations George!


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## Edward W. Robertson (May 18, 2010)

Okay, I lol'd pretty hard at the camel's "bubbly" commentary on the state of the world.


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## Krista D. Ball (Mar 8, 2011)

WOOT!

Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #14,835 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
#99 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Genre Fiction > Coming of Age


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## Carol (was Dara) (Feb 19, 2011)

Congrats to George.


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## 56139 (Jan 21, 2012)

Well, I bought a copy.  I couldn't resist.


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## Pnjw (Apr 24, 2011)

Congrats, George. This is the second time today I've read great things about this tale. That was enough for me. Downloaded.


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## Monique (Jul 31, 2010)




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## Rex Jameson (Mar 8, 2011)

Way to go, George!


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## A.A (Mar 30, 2012)

The way George writes his forum posts, how could his books not be a hit?


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## B.A. Spangler (Jan 25, 2012)

Congrats on the release!!


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## MonkeyScribe (Jan 27, 2011)

Wow, it's doing great.

Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,107 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
    #55 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Genre Fiction > Coming of Age

And #31 on hot new releases for literary.


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## Kay Bratt (Dec 28, 2011)

Way to go, George! I clicked and read the blurb...sounds so entertaining! If I ever get caught up...


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## Zelah Meyer (Jun 15, 2011)

Congrats George (from the one sale in the UK!)  

It really is a great book.


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## MonkeyScribe (Jan 27, 2011)

Zelah Meyer said:


> Congrats George (from the one sale in the UK!)
> 
> It really is a great book.


That means you were George's first!


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## daveconifer (Oct 20, 2009)

I'm not surprised it's doing so well.  George's posts here are always a great read...


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## vrabinec (May 19, 2011)

I'd pay a couple bucks just for a weekly collection of George's forum posts...


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## jnfr (Mar 26, 2011)

Hooray, George!


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## K.R. Harris (Jan 25, 2012)

Congrats George! Way to go!


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## Krista D. Ball (Mar 8, 2011)

vrabinec said:


> I'd pay a couple bucks just for a weekly collection of George's forum posts...


Add in his occasional, but always witty, Twitter feed and I'd pay a premium


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## 41413 (Apr 4, 2011)

vrabinec said:


> I'd pay a couple bucks just for a weekly collection of George's forum posts...


Agreed. I would also love to hear him narrate his short stories, since I've been getting into audiobooks lately. I bet he's just as hilarious to listen to.


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## Lefty (Apr 7, 2011)

I read _Without a Spark_ and really liked it.


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## Krista D. Ball (Mar 8, 2011)

Well done George!!!

*grumble* I can't get the image to show up. He's #3 on the HNR list for short stories


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## MonkeyScribe (Jan 27, 2011)

Wow, #3 is great. And not just "new releases" either, it's doing great in the overall store.

Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,488 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
    #20 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Fiction > Short Stories
    #31 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Short Stories > Single Author


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## BRONZEAGE (Jun 25, 2011)

Congrats to George, _and_ to the goat. Llama. Whatever it is. Good cover.


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## PhoenixS (Apr 5, 2011)

Krista D. Ball said:


> *grumble* I can't get the image to show up. He's #3 on the HNR list for short stories


I think I can do it...










WOOT George! Prime real estate on the Bestseller landing page for Shorts. How cool is that!


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## HAGrant (Jul 17, 2011)

I bought a copy. This line got me: "Midnight's Tale is a 12,000-word literary story of life and love in the treacherous, apple-laden world beyond the comforts of the barn." Ain't it the truth, in the immortal words of the Cowardly Lion.


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## George Berger (Aug 7, 2011)

Krista D. Ball said:


> *grumble* I can't get the image to show up. He's #3 on the HNR list for short stories


As hard as it is to believe, that really does seem to be the case. Or we're all dreaming this together...



















I was really hoping this thread would disappear, 'cause you're all so seriously awesome that you've made me want to cry. I mean, it's just a short little novella about a goat, people. It's light on dramatic tension and heavy on bad sheep jokes. (I guess, as Krista pointed out on Twitter, I should "not underestimate the power of sheep jokes".)

All of you are way, way too awesome for words, and I thank you from the bottom of my heart. Some of you - you know who you are, even if I might not - have gone well above and beyond to try and counteract my utter inability to promote my way out of a wet paper bag. I feel like I should go out and father a dozen kids, or maybe adopt a dozen cats, and name 'em after you all, but that way lies madness, death by hairballs, and/or crippling amounts of child support and STDs. I promise I'll never, ever, ever, dedicate a book to any of you. Honest.



MichaelWallace said:


> That means you were George's first!


Zelah made me do it. Honest. Midnight had a bit part in another story, originally, and she said she wanted to know more about the goat. I'm not sure if she was serious or not, but it seemed offbeat enough to take a shot at. She deserves at least 90% of the credit, honest...

_--George, slightly verklempt, you guys are the greatest._


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## 41419 (Apr 4, 2011)

Starring a goat, you say?

_*Click*_


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## Zelah Meyer (Jun 15, 2011)

I'm not taking your credit George!  It's all yours - you've earnt it.  

I think I was half-joking, half-serious when I mentioned the goat in my review for All The Wrong Reasons.  I wanted to know if he had got away safely, and was curious as to where he had come from.  I'm very glad that you decided to tell us!


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## Tommie Lyn (Dec 7, 2009)

I can't wait to read this story. Like others here, I love George's posts...his wit is awesome!


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## 39179 (Mar 16, 2011)

Congratulations, George!


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## D/W (Dec 29, 2010)

You are _awesome_, George!


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## Edward W. Robertson (May 18, 2010)

Well, look at George hanging steady at #7,209. I think someone's about to be dishonorably discharged from the Knights of the BBOS.


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## Lisa Grace (Jul 3, 2011)

I just ordered my copy. I'm woefully short in my library on Nevadan goat stories.


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## George Berger (Aug 7, 2011)

LisaGraceBooks said:


> I'm woefully short in my library on Nevadan goat stories.




_Autobiographical_ Nevadan goat stories, even, if Michael Wallace is to be believed...


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## Lisa Grace (Jul 3, 2011)

Amended: I'm short on _autobiographical Nevadan goat_ stories.


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## Rachel Schurig (Apr 9, 2011)

I love this thread!

Well done, George! Just sent it to my kindle, can't wait to see what all the fuss it about


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## MonkeyScribe (Jan 27, 2011)

modwitch said:


> *Coming out of hiding long enough to say... * about d*mn time, George Berger. Sometimes good writing really does float up .


Whoa, you know it's getting serious when one of the top indie writers in the world makes her first appearance on the boards in months.


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## George Berger (Aug 7, 2011)

MichaelWallace said:


> Whoa, you know it's getting serious when one of the top indie writers in the world makes her first appearance on the boards in months.


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## Edward W. Robertson (May 18, 2010)

#6,928 Paid in Kindle Store

The Georgernaut rolls on!


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## Krista D. Ball (Mar 8, 2011)




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## EC Sheedy (Feb 24, 2011)

So... it seems I have a choice between being Stranded with a Scotsman and George's goat. No contest!  CLICKETY CLICK


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## Lisa Grace (Jul 3, 2011)

I've always thought George was represented well by the dog in the Youtube "Ultimate Dog Tease "



" , where George is the dog, and the treats are the readers.

Now I have to find a different, happy goat one.


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## Shayne Parkinson (Mar 19, 2010)

jljarvis said:


> Will this do?


Excellent! Such subtlety of expression.


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## Lisa Grace (Jul 3, 2011)

jljarvis said:


> Will this do?


Yep. The new image of George and his readers found.


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## JeanneM (Mar 21, 2011)

I"m so happy for you, George.  You are so funny and I'm glad you are being recognized.

Your book got a shout out on Nathan Lowell's site too!


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## JacksonJones (Feb 20, 2012)

I'm convinced that any self-respecting goat could beat any Scotsman in a foot race.


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## MonkeyScribe (Jan 27, 2011)

JacksonJones said:


> I'm convinced that any self-respecting goat could beat any Scotsman in a foot race.


What the...?!?

Where's J.R. Tomlin when you need her? JR? JR!!! There's a head that needs separating from its shoulders.


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## Krista D. Ball (Mar 8, 2011)

*pops corn*


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## JeanneM (Mar 21, 2011)

Here you go, Krista. Pass it down the line..


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## MonkeyScribe (Jan 27, 2011)

Got yer angry Scotsman right here.


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## BrianKittrell (Jan 8, 2011)

genevieveaclark said:


> *the Rabbit of Caerbannog stirs*


Run away! *echoes* runaway... runaway...

*the sorcerer Tim laughs heartily*


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## Lisa Grace (Jul 3, 2011)

I actually own this bunny-no joke. The cutest fluffiest Dwarf Netherlands Albino bunny...if you are brave enough to stick you hand Snow's cage. The script writer must have owned one.


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## Krista D. Ball (Mar 8, 2011)

#5906


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## R M Rowan (Jul 13, 2011)

Congratulations, George!  Can't wait to read it!


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## Jason Varrone (Feb 5, 2012)

Don't hate me for making this observation and turning this into a price thread when we should be congratulating George on the success of this story (congratulations, George!). However, I'm surprised that nobody has pointed out that this 12,000-word e-book is priced at $2.99. It goes to show that short stories and novellas have the potential to succeed at this price point, and that perhaps novels at $2.99 or below are underpriced (in general). It is about the quality of the story, word of mouth, and perhaps a bit of luck.

Just an observation.


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## Krista D. Ball (Mar 8, 2011)

Oh god


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## George Berger (Aug 7, 2011)

Jason Varrone said:


> It is about the quality of the story, word of mouth, and perhaps a bit of luck.


With a big, _big_ emphasis on word of mouth and luck. A couple of very, very amazing people decided to use their powers for good and awesomeness rather than evil or lulz, and forty-eight hours later several dozen people had bought a strange $3 novella about, as one reviewer put it on Amazon:

_"...something potentially very boring (goats? really?)"_

Re-read the original post in this thread to see how successful the book was _without_ their blessed word-of-mouth kindness.



modwitch said:


> 'Kay George, it's been three days. Where's the sequel? (Come on. Girls, bushes, goat - don't tell me you can't do something with that!)


You know, my partner asked me about that yesterday. "This goat thing is about a tiny side character from an earlier story, right? Is your next book going to be about the camel, or something?"

That immediately got me wondering what sort of fun hijinks a crotchety camel


Spoiler



who dies in captivity


 could have gotten up to. A little time with Google, however, informs me that camels


Spoiler



can live more than thirty years


 and are


Spoiler



found in Afghanistan


. Given that


Spoiler



the USSR didn't withdraw from Afghanistan until 1989


, it's theoretically possible that Harlan could, somehow, have


Spoiler



served with the Mujahideen there


 before somehow winding up in the otherwise quiet little menagerie...

He's not really a very likable character, so I'd be more inclined to write about the "upbeat, happy-go-lucky creatures of death and destruction by day and peace and love and happiness by night", who probably have some entertaining mysteries in their pasts.

In all seriousness, though, I've got two novels I'm currently working on, and a couple other things I'm outlining and tinkering with, so if there's going to be a sequel, it probably won't be for a while. But I'm not going to say never; a month or two ago, I'm pretty sure I'd have denied any interest in a non-genre novella about a goat in which very little happens. It would amuse me greatly to write a series of three or four pieces of short fiction which are connected, but in exceedingly different genres, and I've already got YA romantic comedy and literary fiction covered...



Krista D. Ball said:


> Oh god


I know, right?


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## MonkeyScribe (Jan 27, 2011)

George Berger said:


> With a big, _big_ emphasis on word of mouth and luck. A couple of very, very amazing people decided to use their powers for good and awesomeness rather than evil or lulz, and forty-eight hours later several dozen people had bought a strange $3 novella about, as one reviewer put it on Amazon:
> 
> _"...something potentially very boring (goats? really?)"_
> 
> Re-read the original post in this thread to see how successful the book was _without_ their blessed word-of-mouth kindness.


That's all word of mouth is, though. Someone or something strikes someone's fancy, who mentions it to a friend and so on. _You _still had to put in the work and _you _had to give this story your voice and humor. If not, there would have been no word of mouth.



> You know, my partner asked me about that yesterday. "This goat thing is about a tiny side character from an earlier story, right? Is your next book going to be about the camel, or something?"
> 
> That immediately got me wondering what sort of fun hijinks a crotchety camel
> 
> ...


A crotchety old


Spoiler



war vet.


 Weary of the world and having survived


Spoiler



horrors of war


 that can only be dealt with by grumbling. Don't forget your dromedary vs. Bactrian, however.


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## Krista D. Ball (Mar 8, 2011)

MichaelWallace said:


> That's all word of mouth is, though. Someone or something strikes someone's fancy, who mentions it to a friend and so on. _You _still had to put in the work and _you _had to give this story your voice and humor. If not, there would have been no word of mouth.


The word of mouth part is the luck of the draw. The hard work, talent, effort and perseverance? Those are all yours, George. All yours.


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## Nathan Lowell (Dec 11, 2010)

wasn't that Ben Franklin said something like "If you want people to talk about you, do something remarkable."

Something like that.

I loved the camel. The nod to a well-known, curmudgeonly genre author was perfect.

Not so much the pig,


Spoiler



but the less said about that the better.


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## Krista D. Ball (Mar 8, 2011)

I did! (I think I did....I mentioned them in my review...)

I'd pay $2.99 for the goat to discover Nutella cookies.


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## MonkeyScribe (Jan 27, 2011)

Krista D. Ball said:


> I did! (I think I did....I mentioned them in my review...)
> 
> I'd pay $2.99 for the goat to discover Nutella cookies.


Or, if he's anything like me, he can't quite wait for the oven to finish preheating and eats it straight out of the jar with a spoon.


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## George Berger (Aug 7, 2011)

modwitch said:


> Seriously, four pages, and no one has mentioned the sheep?


I was just thinking that.

They were the first thing Krista emailed me about. I LOL'd.

Oh hey, I haven't checked that email since the power outage, and I have unread messages. Oops...


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## Krista D. Ball (Mar 8, 2011)

I'd just figured you saw your sales numbers and had a stroke.


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## George Berger (Aug 7, 2011)

Krista D. Ball said:


> I'd just figured you saw your sales numbers and had a stroke.


"Pff, that's not so exciting, I've sold that many books a couple different- oh, there's a _second_ digit, there. _Wow_."

I had six books out at the end of 2011, and sold 66 (paid) Kindle copies over the course of the year. I've sold 84% of that amount _so far this week_, which is only just half over. I figured I'd sell a copy of Midnight's Tale a month, or thereabouts. Suddenly I'm around half a decade ahead of schedule... I think cardiac arrest is a perfectly reasonable response, under the circumstances.


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## Krista D. Ball (Mar 8, 2011)

You sold 55 this week?   OH well done, George. Well done.


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## 41413 (Apr 4, 2011)

Well done!


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## PhoenixS (Apr 5, 2011)

55?! Awesome!  

(BTW, Lucy wants to know if we can arrange a meet-up between her and Midnight...)


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## Lisa Grace (Jul 3, 2011)

Your Faaaaaan s are goating baaaaah-ty for a bleat-quel.


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## 41413 (Apr 4, 2011)

modwitch said:


> Okay. But then you should get started on the sequel.


Yeah, what she said. Think of what would have happened if those 55 happy readers who bought your book had a sequel to enjoy when they finished it. Maybe that would be 100 sales.


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## Nathan Lowell (Dec 11, 2010)

smreine said:


> Yeah, what she said. Think of what would have happened if those 55 happy readers who bought your book had a sequel to enjoy when they finished it. Maybe that would be 100 sales.


I see what you did there ... great advice


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## CHobbes (Feb 12, 2012)

Congrats, George!  I'm so happy for you.  I confess to having nabbed one of your other books and having enjoyed it (don't kill me  )...I will definitely nab this one!


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## George Berger (Aug 7, 2011)

Krista D. Ball said:


> ...the goat to discover Nutella cookies.


 Sighing, she sat heavily on a moss-covered log in the shade of a giant sugar maple. She slipped off her book bag, set it at her feet, and withdrew a translucent plastic container.
"I thought I might find you here," she said softly, upon seeing the small black goat that watched her from behind a nearby bush. "You're the one consistent, dependable thing in my life, these days." She winced slightly at a painful abdominal cramp and grimaced wryly. "Alright, one of two constants."
She withdrew something brown and circular from the plastic container, and ate it slowly, a melancholy expression marring the somewhat plain beauty of her face as she watched a pair of squirrels cavort through the leaves.
"Life is so unfair, sometimes," she muttered to nobody in particular. "I wonder if a woman could ever come to love a goat? You hear about men, in rural areas, but never women. Why is that? It's not like we have particularly high standards, do you think?"
The goat crept forward a few feet, his - she assumed from the horns, correctly, if by chance - head cocked, quizzically, and she laughed. "Ah, don't mind me, I'm just feeling bluer than usual, today. My physics teacher is useless, my dorm-mate is in the running for the world record in shameless promiscuity, it's that time of the month, and nobody loves me." She snorted and shook her head sadly. "Here," she said, taking something from the plastic container and holding it out towards the goat, "want a cookie?"
It inched forward, slowly, nose wrinkling as it sniffed the air, and its eyes widened as it found what it smelled interesting.
"Really, though, you wouldn't make a bad boyfriend, I suppose," she said, smiling ruefully. "You're quiet, you're a good listener, and you don't hit me. It's not a lot, but I'd settle for less, at this point. You probably don't understand fidelity, and you're probably not particularly romantic, and I bet you'd never remember birthdays or anniversaries, but," she sighed and popped the cookie into her mouth, "what guy _does?_"
The goat, now only a few feet away, sighed loudly and drooped his ears. He didn't, in fact, understand "fidelity" or "birthdays" or "anniversaries", or many of the other things the young woman said, but he still listened to her, enjoying the soothing, gentle rhythm of her voice. He also found the smell of whatever she was eating extremely intriguing.
"Oh, sorry," she said, taking another cookie from the container and holding it in the palm of her outstretched hand. "I don't know if you'll like it, but they're really good. Chocolatey, and nutty, and... yeah. They're even more comforting than lolcats," she added, naming two more things the young goat was unfamiliar with.
He came forward and gingerly, delicately took the cookie from her hand. Backing up slightly, he ate it as slowly and carefully as any ruminant could. His eyes narrowed, his tail fluttered wildly, and he twitched with apparent pleasure.
"Ah, so you like that," she said, chuckling. "It's not much, but at least we've got one thing in common, eh?"
Looking at her with the deepest, most soulful expression a goat can muster, he nodded slowly, causing her to shake her head and smile sadly. He took a hesitant step forward, towards her. She produced another cookie, held it out to him, and he was, for a little while, more than happy enough for the two of them. The goat had no idea what was in those interesting-smelling little chewy things, but he was pretty sure they were better than rhubarb, better than being scratched _just right_ behind the ears, in that itchy spot that was so hard for him to reach, and - by no means certainly, but maybe, just _maybe_ - even better than _apples_.
He had liked her, before that day. He was an easy-going goat, in truth, and tended to like pretty much everyone, it was true, but spending hours, there in the woods, listening to her talk, having her treat him like someone important, someone she valued, had caused his affection for her to grow.
With enough of those delicious little chewy things, she could have conquered the entire animal kingdom for miles around. The double handful in her little plastic container were, however, more than enough to conquer the heart of one agreeable little goat. He looked at her, horizontally-slitted eyes brimming with affection that bridged the distance between species, and she smiled with the first true look of happiness he'd seen on her in weeks.
"Even with goats," she said softly, chuckling, "the way to a boy's heart is still through his stomach, it looks like."

_--George, yay, noncanonical goat flash fanfic. Or something._


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## Krista D. Ball (Mar 8, 2011)




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## Zelah Meyer (Jun 15, 2011)

Yay!  Thanks for that George.


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## George Berger (Aug 7, 2011)

Krista D. Ball said:


> You sold 55 this week?


Sixty, apparently, as of this morning.  Plus a couple elsewhere, like Germany...









​
And through some amazing luck, the book is now on Kobo and iTunes. (It was only just approved and shipped three days ago.(!) The Smashwords Gods are smiling on me, for once.) Probably hasn't sold at either merchant, but, still. 

Sheer. Unadulterated. Awesomeness.


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## 41413 (Apr 4, 2011)

Woo, look at that! You may be #4 Kurzgeschichten on Amazon, but you're #1 Kurzgeschichten in all our hearts.

Hopefully that's a good thing.


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## Krista D. Ball (Mar 8, 2011)




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## George Berger (Aug 7, 2011)

Some anonymous benefactor, bless their heart, arranged for some advertising for Midnight's Tale today, for which the price has been temporarily reduced. It certainly seems to have been effective, given that I sold, today, what I sold all of last week. And then a little bit. And there are still several hours left in the day, and so on.

You, sir, ma'am, feline overlord, or Kraken, are too awesome for words. I'm not worthy, et cetera.

Oh, also...


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## R M Rowan (Jul 13, 2011)

Holy hollyhocks, George!  You're HOT!


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## MonkeyScribe (Jan 27, 2011)

What we're doing is standing in a circle with our heads pressed together chanting "MIDNIGHT, MIDNIGHT, MIDNIGHT."

And then Nathan Lowell lifts his arms (and his beard) as high as he can and sends out a psychic pulse to the universe. The hands of millions of Amazon shoppers twitch on their mice, and a few of them accidentally one-click your story.


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## Nathan Lowell (Dec 11, 2010)

genevieveaclark said:


> I vetoed the naked moon dancing. Always save something for later, my granny used to say. Also, it's raining.


And my old bones don't dance that well.

Altho I could sway in the wind -- just -- not naked. Nobody needs to see that.


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## MonkeyScribe (Jan 27, 2011)

genevieveaclark said:


> I vetoed the naked moon dancing. Always save something for later, my granny used to say. Also, it's raining.


That was disappointing, I'll admit. I like to see a full moon in the moonlight.


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## MonkeyScribe (Jan 27, 2011)

Nathan Lowell said:


> And my old bones don't dance that well.
> 
> Altho I could sway in the wind -- just -- not naked. Nobody needs to see that.


The beard offers some protection.


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## shel (May 14, 2011)

Thrilled for your success, George, and especially happy that the goat was your breakout.


----------



## Pnjw (Apr 24, 2011)

I go out of town for a week and find ModWitch has made an appearance (waves at Deb), and I find my favorite goat fiction at these awesome rankings:

Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,788 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

   #4 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Fiction > Short Stories
   #7 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Short Stories > Single Author
   #97 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Fiction > Literary Fiction

WTG, George!


----------



## Krista D. Ball (Mar 8, 2011)

George Berger said:


> feline overlord, or Kraken


Excuse me, but there is only ONE FELINE OVERLORD KRAKEN AND NO OTHER


----------



## HAGrant (Jul 17, 2011)

Holy cow goatcheese, George!  As someone said somewhere, it's all about life, love, and livestock.


----------



## WHDean (Nov 2, 2011)

George Berger said:


> Some anonymous benefactor, bless their heart, arranged for some advertising for Midnight's Tale today, for which the price has been temporarily reduced. Because I'm just the guy who wrote the novella, nobody has actually told me where it was advertised, _but_ it certainly seems to have been effective, given that I sold, today, what I sold all of last week. And then a little bit. And there are still several hours left in the day, and so on.
> 
> You, sir, ma'am, feline overlord, or Kraken, are too awesome for words. I'm not worthy, et cetera.
> 
> Oh, also...


I read the sample. Looks like you'll be getting $0.33 from me. Believe it or not, it's a rare thing.


----------



## Krista D. Ball (Mar 8, 2011)

I currently have a 15 book goat series planned to capitalize on George's overnight success.


----------



## Krista D. Ball (Mar 8, 2011)

WHDean said:


> I read the sample. Looks like you'll be getting $0.33 from me. Believe it or not, it's a rare thing.


It gets even funnier than what the sample shows.


----------



## WHDean (Nov 2, 2011)

Krista D. Ball said:


> I currently have a 15 book goat series planned to capitalize on George's overnight success.


I like _Goat's Milk Slope _ for his recovery from addiction and _Midnight Ruminations _ for a memoir.


----------



## HAGrant (Jul 17, 2011)

MichaelWallace said:


> The beard offers some protection.


That's the exact picture that comes to mind when I see the name Nathan Lowell!


----------



## PhoenixS (Apr 5, 2011)

What?! It's just 99 cents now? And I paid $2.99? *runs off to get a refund*

 Seriously, go book!

Also, where does the line start for the naked moon dancing? My doe and buck are ready to kick up their hooves and shake their horns!



Krista D. Ball said:


> I currently have a 15 book goat series planned to capitalize on George's overnight success.


----------



## George Berger (Aug 7, 2011)

Krista D. Ball said:


> I currently have a 15 book goat series planned to capitalize on George's overnight success.


The goatocalypse truly is upon us.



Krista D. Ball said:


> It gets even funnier than what the sample shows.


This is true. Which is quite good, because the sample really isn't all that funny.



WHDean said:


> I like _Goat's Milk Slope _ for his recovery from addiction and _Midnight Ruminations _ for a memoir.


You have no idea how hard it is not to write a sequel in which the goat winds up in New OrleansGeorgia, for the sole purpose of making a bad "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil" joke...

_(My bad on confusing Savannah and New Orleans. D'oh.)_


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## Pnjw (Apr 24, 2011)

George Berger said:


> You have no idea how hard it is not to write a sequel in which the goat winds up in New Orleans, for the sole purpose of making a bad "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil" joke...


You know what's better than Nevada goat fiction? New Orleans goat fiction. I can see it now...Midnight running amuck on Bourbon Street. Oh please, let this be so...


----------



## Enkel (May 15, 2012)

George Berger said:


> The goatocalypse truly is upon us.


I bow to you. You have started a genre for which I am truly grateful!
Congrats!


----------



## 41413 (Apr 4, 2011)

I for one welcome our new goaty overlords.


----------



## AmberC (Mar 28, 2012)

Ok all this goat talk hooked me in. I also can't resist a sale.


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## Krista D. Ball (Mar 8, 2011)

smreine said:


> I for one welcome our new goaty overlords.


*bows deeply to goat overlords*


----------



## Lisa Grace (Jul 3, 2011)

The pagan rituals are a no-go for me, but I do like a good goat story. 

I have friends that own some, and an emu with a malformed beak. Goats have always liked my taste in jackets (and my tastey jackets) and sometimes my hair too.


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## George Berger (Aug 7, 2011)

smreine said:


> I for one welcome our new goaty overlords.


This is so unspeakably cool that I feel an unstoppably compelling need to share, but not enough to start its own thread.

Ahem.

*Midnight's Tale has been accepted as a Kindle Single.*

Viva le goat revolution. 

That is all.


----------



## MonkeyScribe (Jan 27, 2011)

George Berger said:


> This is so unspeakably cool that I feel an unstoppably compelling need to share, but not enough to start its own thread.
> 
> Ahem.
> 
> ...


Wait, what? Woo hoo!


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## Monique (Jul 31, 2010)

Mamazon loves you! 

Congratulations!


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## AmberC (Mar 28, 2012)

Yay! That's great!!!


----------



## PhoenixS (Apr 5, 2011)

Details!!!!


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## Krista D. Ball (Mar 8, 2011)

*SPEECHLESS*


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## George Berger (Aug 7, 2011)

Phoenix Sullivan said:


> Details!!!!


There's not much to say, really. I submitted the novella to the Kindle Singles program on May 30th, and I just got an email earlier this afternoon saying _"I'm the editor of Kindle Singles at Amazon, the storefront for high quality long form content. I read your story "Midnight's Tale" and really liked it. I'd like to move it over to Kindle Singles, where it will get extra visibility and promotion. You okay with that?"_

I, ah, wasted very little time in replying in the affirmative, as you might suspect. It'll take a week or so to get added to the list, I guess. I'll shamelessly bump this thread whenever that happens. 



Krista D. Ball said:


> *SPEECHLESS*


That makes two of us...


----------



## B. Justin Shier (Apr 1, 2011)

George Berger said:


> *Midnight's Tale has been accepted as a Kindle Single.*


Sweet!

B.


----------



## 41413 (Apr 4, 2011)

YES!!!


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## Shayne Parkinson (Mar 19, 2010)

George Berger said:


> This is so unspeakably cool that I feel an unstoppably compelling need to share, but not enough to start its own thread.
> 
> Ahem.
> 
> ...


Hurrah for Midnight!


----------



## Zelah Meyer (Jun 15, 2011)

George Berger said:


> This is so unspeakably cool that I feel an unstoppably compelling need to share, but not enough to start its own thread.
> 
> Ahem.
> 
> ...


Yay!!!! Congratulations! Oh George that's fantastic news! I'm so happy for you! 

(Now I _really_ need a celebration smiley!)


----------



## Edward W. Robertson (May 18, 2010)

jljarvis said:


>


Time to bring this back out!

That's fantastic news, George. Congratulations. It was a great story.


----------



## 39179 (Mar 16, 2011)

Way to go! Congratulations, George!


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## N. Gemini Sasson (Jul 5, 2010)

George Berger said:


> *Midnight's Tale has been accepted as a Kindle Single.*


Awesome news! Congratulations, George.


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## CoraBuhlert (Aug 7, 2011)

Congrats to George and the Goat.


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## ToniD (May 3, 2011)

That is some MAJOR goat-launching!

Congrats George.


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## CraigInOregon (Aug 6, 2010)

The smart indie author with nothing original to offer, but wishing to capitalize of the success of George, Hugh and others, would HAVE to write the following book:

BLURB:

Justin thought he was a half-orc rock star hitman like any other. He lived with his goat in a silo, never seeing the light of the outside world, just like so many other first-century vampires. Then Justin met the alluring Selina, on the run from mysterious forces. She seems like a nice gal, but Justin soon learns a woman like Selina is not what she seems. Can he change his portal momentum by inadvertently traveling back in time? Or is he out to time? Justin's having a bad day... and he doesn't even know it!

Read:

*WOOLY, GOAT-LOVING HALF-ORC VAMPIRES OBSESSED WITH SAVING RACHEL IN 33 AD ARE NOT WHAT THEY SEEM WHILE OVERTAKING PORTALS*

by John Locke, Amanda Hocking, and Craig Hansen...


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## W.W. (Jun 27, 2011)

Oh, George! I'm so happy for you. I'll never forget commiserating with you about disappointing sales when I was new to KDP. And now you've hit the big-time. Congrats!


----------



## MonkeyScribe (Jan 27, 2011)




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## Kay Bratt (Dec 28, 2011)

Congrats for cracking Kindle Singles! I was told by an Amazon editor that it is very difficult to get fiction accepted for the Singles program. Way to go!


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## Lisa Grace (Jul 3, 2011)

Is Kindle singles a dating service for goats? Just kid-ding. (All puns intended.)

Con-goat-ulations again.


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## George Berger (Aug 7, 2011)

KayBratt said:


> Congrats for cracking Kindle Singles! I was told by an Amazon editor that it is very difficult to get fiction accepted for the Singles program. Way to go!


You know, I'd never really looked at the numbers or anything there, because, well, I'm me, and what was the point of dreaming, right? I submitted on a whim for some strange reason, anyway, and, um, yeah.

I told my partner the news, earlier, and they didn't know what Kindle Singles were. "It's this thing Amazon does," I said, "to feature particularly interesting or high-quality short fiction ebooks, or something like that." I scratched my head for a moment. "Well, supposedly, anyway," I added. "It seems like they'll let just about anybody in these days, huh?"

So, a little curious, I went over to Amazon and decided to actually look through the full list of titles, which I hadn't done in a while. There appear to be 200 Kindle Singles right now. _31_ - 15.5% - of them are fiction. 9 of those are literary fiction, which is where I assume Midnight's Tale will be listed. (Alternatively, there are 13 in humor.) Kurt Vonnegut, Amy Tan, Leslie Marmon Silko... and, soon, a strange little story about a goat, by some highly-forgettable guy named Gerber, or something like that.

Many will submit, few will be chosen, et cetera.

I keep wondering if today is April 1st, or if this is a really, really, _really_ vivid lucid dream, or something. I've got a reproduction medieval flanged mace sitting here by the computer, just in case Ashton Kutcher jumps out of my closet to ruin what has been a pretty awesome day. I know in the grand scheme of things it's not really that big of a deal, compared to a lot of the things folks here have had happen, but I take my victories where I can get 'em.

I'm the luckiest person in the world, and I love you all.


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## dalya (Jul 26, 2011)

KINDLE SINGLE!! WHOOO!

Good for you! I'm so thrilled!


----------



## Rachel Schurig (Apr 9, 2011)

George, this is so cool! Congratulations


----------



## Ann Chambers (Apr 24, 2011)

Awesome news George! Way to go! Please do come back to the thread and let us know what happens once your goat hits the Kindle singles! So excited for you.


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## MonkeyScribe (Jan 27, 2011)

The funny thing about the Amazon imprints (of which Kindle Singles is, in an unusual sort of way) is that they have a good nose for sniffing out what has unmet potential. I'm sure the first thing the editor did when she saw your query was to look at your book online. She probably checked out your reviews, saw that you were on the hot new releases list, and the read your story thinking, "yeah, he's doing pretty well, but I bet I could _really _get this goat to sing."

In other words, it wasn't an accident. If you'd put out a sloppy, poorly edited product, hadn't written it well enough to catch the eye of a few earlier reviewers, your query would have languished. Yes, there's an element of luck, but you deserve this success.

Out of curiosity, George, what are your sales since June 3, when you said you'd only sold one copy of the story?


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## WHDean (Nov 2, 2011)

Just bought a copy. Congratulations! (I mean on selling me a copy, not that other selector, selecty thingy.)


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## kcochran (Apr 30, 2012)

So great!  I can't wait until the short film comes out!  Surely there will be an Indie filmmaker knocking on your barn door soon!


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## thesmallprint (May 25, 2012)

Well done George. I've only been around here a couple of weeks but have learned a bit about character just by reading the posts - all human life is here - and I've goat to say, you're one of the best. No kid-ing. (Must get more ram for this PC).  Let's hope it's all upward for you from here on in. Good luck.

Joe


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## Becca Mills (Apr 27, 2012)

Fantastic news ... congrats!!!


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## George Berger (Aug 7, 2011)

MichaelWallace said:


> Out of curiosity, George, what are your sales since June 3, when you said you'd only sold one copy of the story?


Two-hundred and, um... sixteen, at last count. Two-thirds of that at the 99c promo price that ends tonight.



kcochran said:


> So great! I can't wait until the short film comes out! Surely there will be an Indie filmmaker knocking on your barn door soon!


I wouldn't hold my breath on that one. Seriously. It is, after all, a novella about a goat, in which not very much happens, and in which there is, for all practical purposes, no dialogue whatsoever. (Which is made even more bizarre when viewed in light of my usual tendency towards extremely extensive dialogue, as anyone who might have read other titles of mine can attest.) It wouldn't even make a particularly good silent film, I'm afraid.

An audiobook, though... I'm thinking a voice actor could have a lot of fun narrating Midnight's Tale, though I'm worried it'd mostly just put people to sleep.


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## MonkeyScribe (Jan 27, 2011)

Great numbers. Can't wait to see what happens when the real marketing muscle lines up behind the story.


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## 41419 (Apr 4, 2011)

Rubbing shoulders with Kurt V?

George, I would love to shake your horn.


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## MonkeyScribe (Jan 27, 2011)

dgaughran said:


> Rubbing shoulders with Kurt V?
> 
> George, I would love to shake your horn.


Pretty sure that violates some sort of KB rule.


----------



## MonkeyScribe (Jan 27, 2011)

modwitch said:


> Maybe not if you do it under a quilt.


Snort.


----------



## 41419 (Apr 4, 2011)

Seriously, this is a short cut. I swear.


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## JacksonJones (Feb 20, 2012)

How awesome! Goats are always in vogue. Sheesh, I remember when Yves Saint Laurent featured them in that Milan show back in the 80s. Great stuff. George is a giant, standing on the shoulders of giants (who are, in turn, probably standing on peasants).


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## 41419 (Apr 4, 2011)

JacksonJones said:


> How awesome! Goats are always in vogue. Sheesh, I remember when Yves Saint Laurent featured them in that Milan show back in the 80s. Great stuff. George is a giant, standing on the shoulders of giants (who are, in turn, probably standing on peasants).


But those peasants are standing on the shoulders of goats! At the top of mountains!


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## ruecole (Jun 13, 2012)

Wow! Congratulations, George!

Rue


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## Lisa Grace (Jul 3, 2011)

Dam goats. Seriously, dam goats.
http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2010/10/15/article-1320728-0B9F8225000005DC-23_470x581.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/article-1320804/Mountain-goats-climb-160ft-near-vertical-Cingino-dam.html&h=581&w=470&sz=100&tbnid=QbEzixCRfqgdAM:&tbnh=109&tbnw=88&zoom=1&usg=__J5F7IrX0zi4t76_UVZ1cv5Ltl-k=&docid=Un_1Xjrs_ldimM&sa=X&ei=uIraT8vwMKnt0gHa9tHnAg&ved=0CF8Q9QEwAw&dur=3793

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2010/11/photogalleries/101101-ibex-goats-dam-italy-bighorn-sheep-wyoming-science/


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## George Berger (Aug 7, 2011)

LisaGraceBooks said:


> Dam goats. Seriously, dam goats.


All hail our goat overlords, from whom we apparently are unable to hide. _Anywhere_.


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## AnnaM (Jul 15, 2009)

Got it.  You had me at a llama named Llarry.


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## 41413 (Apr 4, 2011)

AnnaM said:


> Got it. You had me at a llama named Llarry.


That was the part of the sample that convinced me, too.



dgaughran said:


> George, I would love to shake your horn.


----------



## Romi (Apr 4, 2011)

Thanks for sharing this Michael, and congrats George!   (love hearing these success stories!)


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## 57280 (Feb 20, 2012)

"ALL ANIMALS GOATS ARE EQUAL
BUT SOME ANIMALS GOATS ARE MORE EQUAL THAN OTHERS."

(Congratulations, Mr. Berger.)


----------



## George Berger (Aug 7, 2011)

For those curious what a successful query letter to Kindle Singles looks like - or those who enjoy self-deprecating humor, I suppose - here's the honest-to-goatness email I sent:










I have no idea what I was thinking, either.


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## David Adams (Jan 2, 2012)

Haha, wow. Nicely done! I submitted both Magnet and Imperfect, but they were rejected. The standards are high existent!

That's seriously awesome. Well done, you earned it!


----------



## 41419 (Apr 4, 2011)

George, I think you might be a genius.


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## Kay Bratt (Dec 28, 2011)

George Berger said:


> For those curious what a successful query letter to Kindle Singles looks like - or those who enjoy self-deprecating humor, I suppose - here's the honest-to-goatness email I sent:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


They read this and 'had' to read the story. That's obvious. Very cool.


----------



## PhoenixS (Apr 5, 2011)

Lucy loved your book and, after today's news, told me she wants to have Midnight's kids.


----------



## B.A. Spangler (Jan 25, 2012)

Awesome Query – too funny.


----------



## Lisa Scott (Apr 4, 2011)

Wow.  Great news!  Congrats!


----------



## MGalloway (Jun 21, 2011)

George, does this mean you'll no longer be hanging around in the Successful Indies Only thread?


----------



## MonkeyScribe (Jan 27, 2011)

MGalloway said:


> George, does this mean you'll no longer be hanging around in the Successful Indies Only thread?


Only to taunt.


----------



## BRONZEAGE (Jun 25, 2011)

Great query, an original concept (even for goats) for humor, and an original cover image.  Way to go, George !


----------



## thesmallprint (May 25, 2012)

MichaelWallace said:


> Only to taunt.


 . . . and g(l)oat


----------



## Danielle Kazemi (Apr 2, 2011)

George, I am so happy for you! That sounds amazing. I hope sales keep going up and up.


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## 41413 (Apr 4, 2011)

Maybe now Midnight has reached enough prestige that he's worthy of space in your sig, George?


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## jnfr (Mar 26, 2011)

George, this is such fantastic news. My friend who wrote a Kindle single (non-fiction) sold many, many thousands of them (exact numbers unavailable due to contract obligations). May you do likewise.


----------



## EC Sheedy (Feb 24, 2011)

I see a movie... 

Major congrats, George. Loved the query letter!


----------



## Ernie Lindsey (Jul 6, 2010)

Started reading it last night, George. Hilarious. Awesome. Llovable.

I didn't scan through the entire thread to see if anyone else had pointed this out, but a quick search for famous-author-rejection-letters brought up this for George Orwell:

"*One publisher rejected Mr. Orwell's submission, Animal Farm, with these words:* _It is impossible to sell animal stories in the USA_."

Orwell vs. Berger. Let the (bull)chips fall where they may.


----------



## George Berger (Aug 7, 2011)

smreine said:


> Maybe now Midnight has reached enough prestige that he's worthy of space in your sig, George?


It's been there since it was published. It's the last link. I even changed it yesterday to reflect recent developments. 



MGalloway said:


> George, does this mean you'll no longer be hanging around in the Successful Indies Only thread?


Oh, fear not, I still have my fair share of success to goat, er, gloat about. People who enjoy Midnight's Tale are unlikely to enjoy any of my other, somewhat more eccentric, genre fiction, so I still have titles that are unsold in over a month, or have sold but two copies this month. Paperback sales for the month so far: nil. Sales at Kobo and B&N this month: nil.

I'm just the same mostly-successful curmudgeon I was a couple weeks ago. Other than my head frequently exploding, and getting accepted as a Single where many, many better writers have not, and having sold more copies of Midnight's Tale than all my other nine books together, ever, nothing much has really changed.

And being a Kindle Single is hardly a guarantee of anything. The lowest-ranked titles are in the mid 200,000s, in terms of sales rank. Most are nonfiction, but, still.


----------



## MonkeyScribe (Jan 27, 2011)

George, how long did they say until the book moves over to the Kindle Singles category? And it's not an assignation of rights, correct? You still have control of it in your own KDP?


----------



## cidneyswanson (Feb 1, 2011)

Just stopping by to say congrats, George. Well done!


----------



## George Berger (Aug 7, 2011)

They said it'd be a week, or thereabouts. They want some biographic details for promotion or whatever, which I'm working on, so I'm probably slowing things up a bit. (Then again, it is the weekend...)

It remains a self-published title in my KDP dashboard, yep. Kindle Singles isn't a publishing program like Amazon Encore, or anything, just a sort of featured promotion thing. (It looks like I may get an editorial review from Amazon, bwahahaha.) AFAIK the only thing that really changes is that they have to make any pricing changes (Singles get 70% royalties at all price points, even below $2.99). I'm divided on whether to drop the price to $0.99 or maybe $1.44 (the price of most of my other novellas) permanently. It definitely seems to sell better _right now_ at lower prices, but there is a market for it at $2.99, and it is going to be in some fairly exclusive company; there's also the whole thing about not encouraging a race to the bottom, y'know? As someone who writes a lot of short fiction, it's encouraging to see a 12,000-word novella sell at a healthy price...


----------



## MonkeyScribe (Jan 27, 2011)

George Berger said:


> They said it'd be a week, or thereabouts. They want some biographic details for promotion or whatever, which I'm working on, so I'm probably slowing things up a bit. (Then again, it is the weekend...)
> 
> It remains a self-published title in my KDP dashboard, yep. Kindle Singles isn't a publishing program like Amazon Encore, or anything, just a sort of featured promotion thing. (It looks like I may get an editorial review from Amazon, bwahahaha.) AFAIK the only thing that really changes is that they have to make any pricing changes (Singles get 70% royalties at all price points, even below $2.99). I'm divided on whether to drop the price to $0.99 or maybe $1.44 (the price of most of my other novellas) permanently. It definitely seems to sell better _right now_ at lower prices, but there is a market for it at $2.99, and it is going to be in some fairly exclusive company; there's also the whole thing about not encouraging a race to the bottom, y'know? As someone who writes a lot of short fiction, it's encouraging to see a 12,000-word novella sell at a healthy price...


I wouldn't go to 99 cents, but maybe $1.99? It's a price that doesn't exist at the usual 35/70 split, but might be perfect for a story of this length. And with Kindle Singles bumping it, you'll get enough real sales that you could make thousands of dollars at 70% of 1.99.


----------



## George Berger (Aug 7, 2011)

MichaelWallace said:


> I wouldn't go to 99 cents, but maybe $1.99? It's a price that doesn't exist at the usual 35/70 split, but might be perfect for a story of this length. And with Kindle Singles bumping it, you'll get enough real sales that you could make thousands of dollars at 70% of 1.99.


It is kind of a happy medium, isn't it? Might just have to do that.

And I don't know about _thousands_...


----------



## 41413 (Apr 4, 2011)

George Berger said:


> And I don't know about _thousands_...


Oh, George. 

Come back to us in a few weeks and say that again.


----------



## MonkeyScribe (Jan 27, 2011)

smreine said:


> Oh, George.
> 
> Come back to us in a few weeks and say that again.


QFT.


----------



## CJArcher (Jan 22, 2011)

Congratulations, George! What an awesome week you're having!


----------



## GPB (Oct 2, 2010)

Congrats, George!


----------



## 41419 (Apr 4, 2011)

George, my gut says $1.99 too. It's a nice price, especially with 70%.


----------



## GUTMAN (Dec 22, 2011)

I have consulted with the highest available authority and can confirm that any story featuring a goat can command a $1.99 price tag.

Go for it.

And congratulations.


----------



## MosesSiregarIII (Jul 15, 2010)

Gerber is $1.99.










It's a sign!​


----------



## George Berger (Aug 7, 2011)




----------



## 41413 (Apr 4, 2011)

I was just looking for this thread so I could post the exact same thing! You must be psychic.


----------



## George Berger (Aug 7, 2011)

smreine said:


> I was just looking for this thread so I could post the exact same thing! You must be psychic.


Not psychic, no. I saw the title change in Author Central about an hour ago, when it acquired "(Kindle Single") all of a sudden. Then I went and made dinner, came back, and the Kindle Singles page had updated to include its newest, goatiest title.


----------



## Monique (Jul 31, 2010)




----------



## MonkeyScribe (Jan 27, 2011)

George Berger said:


> Not psychic, no. I saw the title change in Author Central about an hour ago, when it acquired "(Kindle Single") all of a sudden. Then I went and made dinner, came back, and the Kindle Singles page had updated to include its newest, goatiest title.


Congratulations. Wow, that was fast. This thread keeps getting better and better.


----------



## Krista D. Ball (Mar 8, 2011)

I want to be jealous of you, but all I feel is overwhelming excitement.

...does that mean I'm having a stroke?


----------



## George Berger (Aug 7, 2011)

MichaelWallace said:


> Wow, that was fast.


They said about a week, and it was five days, I think. Might have happened yesterday if I'd been a bit more forthcoming with a biography. Pretty cool that it was published a month ago, today, I think. It appears that Midnight is the 203rd Kindle Single, and the 32nd fiction one...

...and the only one, as far as I can tell, about a goat.


----------



## CraigInOregon (Aug 6, 2010)

George Berger said:


> ...and the only one, as far as I can tell, about a goat.


Like they say, write what you know!  (I meant humor.) (Yes, really.)


----------



## CraigInOregon (Aug 6, 2010)

COMING SOON:

HALF PAST MIDNIGHT: A tale of Midnight's adolescent son.

by George Ithinkhesgotit Berger


...


And would that make it a Kindle Double?

A Kindle Triple when book 3 comes out?

And if the poor goat survives to book four, would it be a Kindle Grand Slam?


----------



## Alan Petersen (May 20, 2011)

Egad, nine pages, but I made to the end of this thread.   

Great insights and very inspirational! Congrats George.


----------



## 41413 (Apr 4, 2011)

It's been a whole month? Wow! So where's the sequel?  

(Sorry, modwitch is on vacation. I'm covering.)


----------



## PhoenixS (Apr 5, 2011)

Sara channels the witchy one quite well. 

So when is that sequel coming, George? And, ooh, pretty KS picture! Keep us posted on your progress --I'm practicing saying "I knew you when."


----------



## Zelah Meyer (Jun 15, 2011)

Midnight's new title suits him!


----------



## 41413 (Apr 4, 2011)

Zelah Meyer said:


> Midnight's new title suits him!


No kidding, look at him climb even though he's past the 30 day cliff! He's already back at 14k!

People really love their goats.

I especially like them in the form of gyro.


----------



## SunHi Mistwalker (Feb 28, 2012)

I can't remember if I commented on this or not...but if I didn't...congrats George!


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## George Berger (Aug 7, 2011)

Wow. When Amazon pimps your book on Twitter (@AmazonKindle), fun things happen. 

_Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,856 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

#16 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Fiction > Short Stories
#23 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Short Stories > Single Author
#47 in Kindle Store > Kindle Singles_

Rather a pleasant surprise to wake up to this morning...


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## Zelah Meyer (Jun 15, 2011)




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## NS (Jul 8, 2011)

Congratulations! That's great!


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## thesmallprint (May 25, 2012)

That's great news George, congratulations 
Sent from my GT-N7000 using Tapatalk 2


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## Becca Mills (Apr 27, 2012)

BIG smile when I opened my email this morning!


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## 41413 (Apr 4, 2011)

You're having an awesome climb -- slow and steady gets the sticky! 

_Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,046 Paid in Kindle Store

#8 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Fiction > Short Stories
#14 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Short Stories > Single Author
#40 in Kindle Store > Kindle Singles_


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## George Berger (Aug 7, 2011)

smreine said:


> You're having an awesome climb -- slow and steady gets the sticky!


I had no idea they'd Tweet about it or whatever. I believe its at the highest ranking to date, right now...










I highly recommend everyone write a somewhat quirky and pretentious piece of short fiction and submit it to Kindle Singles. It's a rather wonderful experience.  (And if I can do it, you can do it!)


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## Shayne Parkinson (Mar 19, 2010)

It's wonderful to see Midnight's progress, George!


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## Becca Mills (Apr 27, 2012)

George Berger said:


> I had no idea they'd Tweet about it or whatever.


They didn't just tweet it, George. _Midnight_ was on my "Kindle Daily Deal" email this morning! Not as the daily deal itself, but as one of the four additional titles pictured below.


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## George Berger (Aug 7, 2011)

Becca Mills said:


> They didn't just tweet it, George. _Midnight_ was on my "Kindle Daily Deal" email this morning! Not as the daily deal itself, but as one of the four additional titles pictured below.


Whoa, seriously? Crikey!


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## thesmallprint (May 25, 2012)

It's all inspiring stuff George and heartwarming to see such an enthusiastic response from your followers in the Cafe. Do you know yet what the rise in sales has been, number of downloads?  If you'd rather not say, that's understandable.  #curiositykilledthecatormaybethegoat


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## Becca Mills (Apr 27, 2012)

George Berger said:


> Whoa, seriously? Crikey!


Seriously! PM me your email address, and I'll forward it


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## George Berger (Aug 7, 2011)

Steeplechasing said:


> It's all inspiring stuff George and heartwarming to see such an enthusiastic response from your followers in the Cafe. Do you know yet what the rise in sales has been, number of downloads? If you'd rather not say, that's understandable. #curiositykilledthecatormaybethegoat


Since going live on Amazon as a Single, it's been selling - in no small part due to Amazon's Twitter and email promotion - around three copies every two hours, on average. Probably a little more than that today, now that it's back in the top twenty short stories. Also, it looks like also-boughts updated on Amazon, so it might be getting a little benefit from that direction, too. (Midnight's Tale itself is showing ninety-six(!) also-boughts, _many_ of them by KB members, so I like to hope it's giving as well as it's getting, on the also-bought front. Not that most of the folks in question, whose sales are _much_ better than mine, are likely to notice any effect.)

Not too shabby for a strange and short little story by an unknown author, really.

*Obligatory disclaimer*: Long boring crap ahead, read at your own risk, not while operating heavy machinery, et cetera.

---------

I don't write for the money. Er, I don't write _fiction_ for the money, anyway. I do it because I enjoy it. When I published my first book in August 2010 - for the worst possible reason ever (I'd read an absolutely abysmal book, and said "sheesh, I can do better than this") - the idea of actually turning a _profit_ never entered my mind. I just wanted to break even on the actual financial expenses incurred. Eventually. My apparently-unrealistic business plan was to break even after three years, on that first book.

Didn't happen. Not going to happen, probably. Possibly ever. It's a not-very-good book with a not-very-good cover and a not-very-good title, and, um, yeah. I didn't really want to write and publish other books; it was like "okay, I've done that, now I'll... go learn to program Z80s in assembly, or something. On to the next slightly pointless way to spend my time." Then I wrote a second book, just to prove a quixotic point about the unmarketability of the first. And then a sequel to the second book, to reinforce the point. Then in July of 2011 I published a second book actually worth advertising, and since then a few more have followed, here and there. I have, generally speaking, not sold enough books to care about. In September, I had five titles out, and sold a total of four books. I sold 66 Kindle titles, total, in all of 2011. Maybe a half-dozen ebooks elsewhere, and I'm not sure how many paperbacks.

Around March of this year, by which point I'd published eight titles, the lack of sales had started to get slightly demoralizing. More than that, though, the financial cost of publishing book after book that nobody wanted to read was starting to grow. I've tweaked and updated blurbs, I've bought new cover photos or illustrations to replace old ones... and I've turned a profit (well, before this month...) one exactly one title, and then, just barely. My partner and I aren't _quite_ living paycheck-to-paycheck, but, how do I put this? We bicycle not because we're health freaks, but because even owning one car, let alone two, is financially impossible. I haven't been on a vacation in over a decade. My computer is close to a decade old. I buy most of my clothes at thrift stores. Even buying covers when artists and designers are having sales, the costs add up. Looking at the household budget, the (modest) amount every book I published was getting harder and harder to justify.

We sat down and decided I'd give up writing and publishing fiction in or before August 2012. This agreement came with two important caveats. The first was that I'd be able to put out an omnibus of all my short fiction (probably _literally_ entitled "Unmarketable Dross") somewhere towards the end of the year, provided that it was funded entirely by the sale of cover-art assets I have on hand. The second was that _if_ I could somehow achieve a sustained rate of sales that would see me getting paid _at least_ twice a year by Amazon (I receive paper cheques, so $100 minimum royalties, times two), I could continue to pursue this wonderful hobby.

That didn't look like it was going to happen. Sales have been growing with every passing month, but only because of a constant stream of new releases. With essentially no advertising or marketing budget - this spring was so rough, financially, that my three releases from February through April have covers purchased from designers on Fiverr - my releases tend to sink without a trace after thirty days, and sales are so low, regardless, that most of my titles have (er, had...) also-viewed sections, rather than also-boughts. $200 a year on Amazon means around $20 a month. I sold ten books in April, making a bit over five bucks. Plus a buck-something on Smashwords. Even if I doubled all my prices, most of my sales are of short fiction, and the numbers just weren't there.

In mid-April, I had four works-in-progress going. One nonfiction title. One humorous erotica title. One thing that was supposed to be a trilogy of novellas, but got demoted(?) to a novel because one cover is cheaper than three. And last but not least, one romance novel that I've been fighting to write since October, roughly. I knew that the odds were low that I'd be able to finish more than one of them by August, and I _really_ wanted to finish the romance novel, which will be published under a pen name. Concentrating on that, it seemed likely that _All The Wrong Reasons_, a strange romantic comedy novella, would very likely be the last new title published under my own name.

Then Zelah _read_ that novella, and said she wanted to know more about the goat. Fast forward a month, and I'd written Midnight's Tale - you might have heard of it - as a sort of strange and quirky swansong to George Berger's fiction-writing career. Complete with a hand-drawn cover that I was pretty sure I'd never recover the cost of. Fast forward a couple of weeks, and Midnight's Tale is on sale, and exactly one person has read a copy - Zelah. I'm sitting here one morning, trying to disentangle the heartstrings of a lovestruck young woman and her dark and mysterious paramour (protip: romance novels are a _lot_ harder to write than a lot of us give credit for) and I go and check KDP to see if I've managed to sell anything in the last twenty-four hours or so. Yes, yes I did, in fact. A dozen or so books... all of them Midnight's Tale.

That was June 4th. A bunch of folks had staged a bit of a promotional intervention on my behalf, leveraging Twitter and blogs and sundry other arcane incantations I know little of, to expose a certain little black goat to the world. Why? I emailed one of the responsible parties, and received a response a few minutes later. *"We all did this because we did not want you to give up writing. True story."*

It was, far and away, the nicest and most awesome thing anyone's _ever_ done for me. They know who they are, and they know that I'm eternally in their debt.

None of them knew that my departure from the fiction-writing world, which I'd mentioned in passing once or twice, had a condition attached to it. None of them knew, I'm pretty sure, that their little kick-start would help launch Midnight to the top of the short-story bestseller list, and the short-story hot new releases list. As I'd never told _anyone_ that I'd submitted it to Kindle Singles, I'm pretty confident none of them could have guessed it'd somehow get accepted into that slightly exclusive program.

I'm an English major, so math and I are not real good friends. But KDP says my previous-six-weeks estimated earnings are about $210, right now. And, knowing how many copies I've sold so far this week, I can make a very wild guess at a ballpark figure for what it'll read on Sunday.

*The bad news* is that now I've gotta actually _finish_ that other novel, and the erotica thing, and the nonfiction thing, and then work on the kinda steampunk-ey thing that Hugh once promised to model for the cover of. And somewhere in there, sooner rather than later, I'd better write some sort of sequel to Midnight's Tale, or Debora Geary is going to cast a hex on me or kill me off in one of her books or flood my inbox with "I CAN HAZ SEQUEL NAO?" animated lolcat gifs, or something.

*The good news*, on the other hand, is that the ridiculously improbable success of this little novella means that the well-meaning little intervention thingy worked: the world is going to be stuck with a steady stream of new George Berger fiction for a while to come, yet. Thank you all for being such wonderful, awesome, people.

----

tl;dr: You all are the greatest. Also:

Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,124 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

#3 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Fiction > Short Stories
#5 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Short Stories > Single Author
#23 in Kindle Store > Kindle Singles


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## Shayne Parkinson (Mar 19, 2010)

Oh, George, I got quite weepy reading that. In a good way.


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## Sharebear (Sep 25, 2011)

Shayne Parkinson said:


> Oh, George, I got quite weepy reading that. In a good way.


Ditto. And good for you.


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## Krista D. Ball (Mar 8, 2011)

I'm sure everyone involved don't consider you in their debt, and that they are thrilled to the hills for you.


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## thesmallprint (May 25, 2012)

George, thanks for taking the time and effort to write that response. I'm pretty new here as you know and it tells me a lot more about you; no doubt it will be helpful also to your growing band of followers.

As we say here in Scotland (well, some of us do) Lang may yer lum reek.

I must away now to purchase a wee book about a goat . . . Ahh! No butts!

Joe


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## MonkeyScribe (Jan 27, 2011)

Krista D. Ball said:


> I'm sure everyone involved don't consider you in their debt, and that they are thrilled to the hills for you.


I'm guessing Krista is right, and you must have done something right, both as a person and as a writer, to get this snowball rolling down the hill. Great that someone noticed your story, but more importantly, you put yourself in position to be noticed.

What a great story.


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## Krista D. Ball (Mar 8, 2011)

And further, if your work didn't deserve it, it would a) have never been done and b) would never had maintained the course.


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## PhoenixS (Apr 5, 2011)

*wiping away a tear and trying to focus on something other than sentiment because I'm a logical, data-driven person, not a softie, goshdarnit!* 

So when will MT show up in your siggy, George? Don't make folk work for that sale!

*There. Tough love.*  

Also, what Krista and Michael said.


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## AmberC (Mar 28, 2012)

So inspiring George. Wishing you further success.


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## 41419 (Apr 4, 2011)

I read Midnight's Tale yesterday and loved it. Five stars from me.

Also, George is guest-posting on my blog today if you want to check it out: 

The bio at the end is worth the read alone.


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## 41413 (Apr 4, 2011)

That's a really nice write-up, David. I think one of the comments summed it up best: "It never hurts to ask."


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## Krista D. Ball (Mar 8, 2011)

Go a little goat Go!


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## KaryE (May 12, 2012)

I bought it a few days ago and started reading last night. It's really charming! Sort of a Charlotte's Web flavor of charming, but with a writing level suitable for both adults and teens. I'm really enjoying it so far.


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## anne_holly (Jun 5, 2011)

Just read this on David's blog, and had to find my way back here to say congrats, George. I am so pleased to hear this news!

*cheers*


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## GUTMAN (Dec 22, 2011)

George:

If you hadn't already pried .99 from my cold hands, that post would certainly have made me go buy it.

Cheers,

Gutman


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## 41419 (Apr 4, 2011)

It seems the masses are (once again) succumbing to George's goatesque charms.

#2,474 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
#6 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Fiction > Short Stories
#8 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Short Stories > Single Author
#29 in Kindle Store > Kindle Singles


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## 41413 (Apr 4, 2011)

I see it up at #2066!


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## George Berger (Aug 7, 2011)

dgaughran said:


> It seems the masses are (once again) succumbing to George's goatesque charms.


Goatesque? Oh, man...

It's been a pretty crazy day today, as anyone who follows my Twitter account can attest. Thanks are due David for featuring this most improbable of success stories on his (absurdly popular) blog, and to everyone who commented there, or bought a copy, or left a review. (Especially the reviews. Some of them are freaking awesome. Really. If you haven't looked at 'em in a couple days...)

I mean... a goat. Literary fiction. Who'd have thunk it?


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## anne_holly (Jun 5, 2011)

Move over, vampires. Goats are the new wave.


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## Marilyn Peake (Aug 8, 2011)

Huzzah to George! That is absolutely, positively wonderful news!


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## EC Sheedy (Feb 24, 2011)

I've always liked goats. Now--for the first time--I know why. Congratulations, George!


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## George Berger (Aug 7, 2011)

Wanted to preserve this for posterity.  _Ten_ reviews? (Plus a couple on amazon.co.uk, and one on B&N, and...) ZOMG.

After seven and a half days as a Kindle Single, I wholeheartedly recommend the experience. If you're healthy, at least. The constant feeling that your heart is going to stop or your head is going to explode could be dangerous, otherwise. 

_ETA: Twelve reviews. And out of a Kindle Singles collection of 206 titles, Midnight's Tale is, at the moment, the tenth-highest-rated..._


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## George Berger (Aug 7, 2011)

And so you shall. Fear not. 

I posted Midnight's Tale on ACX today, to see if I can find anyone interested in recording an audiobook version. It'd only be about ninety minutes long, and it'd probably put people to sleep, but, well, who knows? We'll see what happens.

Midnight might show up on another blog in the next day or two, spreading the goat revolution to an even wider audience. And if no more disasters befall my personal life, I hope to maybe line up a little more promotion before the end of the week, as well. Grab life by the horns, or something, you know? 

Appears I might have sold a couple copies at B&N and iTunes, too. Goats... everywhere!


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## 41413 (Apr 4, 2011)

A Kindle Single doesn't have to be Amazon exclusive? That's surprising to me.


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## George Berger (Aug 7, 2011)

smreine said:


> A Kindle Single doesn't have to be Amazon exclusive? That's surprising to me.


Nope. There _are_ a few Singles that are Amazon exclusives, but most of those seem to be from folks with meaningful name recognition, and (speculating here) it's possible many of them were solicited by Amazon. Stuff from small fry like myself, though, nope.

It's not like being a Kindle Single gets you any benefit at competing retailers, after all.



> Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,393 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
> 
> #3 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Fiction > Short Stories
> #4 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Short Stories > Single Author
> #21 in Kindle Store > Kindle Singles


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## unkownwriter (Jun 22, 2011)

Oh, George, this is wonderful! Couldn't have happened to a nicer goa--guy.


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## BRONZEAGE (Jun 25, 2011)

dgaughran said:


> I read Midnight's Tale yesterday and loved it. Five stars from me.
> 
> Also, George is guest-posting on my blog today if you want to check it out: http://davidgaughran.wordpress.com/2012/06/25/how-to-query-amazon-the-little-goat-that-could/
> 
> The bio at the end is worth the read alone.


Bumping the link to the blog post,

with hearty congrats to George and the goat --


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## Ann Chambers (Apr 24, 2011)

I so love this story and this thread! David G's blog is great if you haven't read it, and George's bio is awesome! Lolz.
Go George Go! Goats rule!


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## BrianKittrell (Jan 8, 2011)

Congrats, George! I see it's climbing and climbing.


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## George Berger (Aug 7, 2011)

To judge from what I've been seeing today, I think Amazon might have featured Midnight's Tale in an email or something...










Broke the top thousand in the Kindle store, and the top 20 Kindle Singles, however briefly. All hail our goat overlords.

_--And you should read some of the reviews! They're awesome!_


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## 41413 (Apr 4, 2011)

All hail our goat overlords!


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## Krista D. Ball (Mar 8, 2011)

pfffffffffffffffffffffft

Underachiever.


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## Becca Mills (Apr 27, 2012)

George Berger said:


> To judge from what I've been seeing today, I think Amazon might have featured Midnight's Tale in an email or something...


_Midnight_ was featured in my Kindle Daily Deal emails for three straight days, I think, but that was a few days back.


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## George Berger (Aug 7, 2011)

Krista D. Ball said:


> Underachiever.


I take my little victories where I can. 

A couple people emailed me about the KDD mention(s), but I'm not sure what happened today. A _lot_ of sales reported, and also a large number of returns, which makes me think it was some sort of possibly ill-targeted promo, or something. Or because it's Friday, everyone rushed out and clicked on the links Amazon had been sending them over the last week, maybe? It's a mystery.

Got the first audition for the audiobook. Ever want to be reminded how horrible a writer you are? Get someone with wonderful diction and delivery that reflect years of voice training to read your drivel for you. You'll be reaching for the hard liquor in no time...


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## 41413 (Apr 4, 2011)

Oh yes, the hundreds of sales and glowing reviews that draw comparisons to EB White and George Orwell _definitely _mean you suck. There's no other explanation.


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## Krista D. Ball (Mar 8, 2011)

smreine said:


> Oh yes, the hundreds of sales and glowing reviews that draw comparisons to EB White and George Orwell _definitely _mean you suck. There's no other explanation.


*nod*


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## Mr. RAD (Jan 4, 2011)

As of 6:23 AM CST

*Amazon Best Sellers Rank:* #498 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
#2 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Fiction > *Short Stories*
#2 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Short Stories > *Single Author*
#11 in Kindle Store > *Kindle Singles*


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## 41419 (Apr 4, 2011)

Midnight must be the most famous goat in the world right now.*







*admittedly, there's not much competition. Even the experts are flummoxed:


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## George Berger (Aug 7, 2011)

Sending medics here wouldn't have done much good, as I was out running errands before the Nevada-like heat returned. There were, alas, no apples at the farmer's market. Nor Nutella cookies, double alas.

Breaking the top 500 is pretty awesome, I admit. When I went to bed last night, though...










That's a real screenshot. I know it looks like something David Adams would cook up in Photoshop, but, no, really. A book about a goat was ranked #666 in the Kindle store. It's a sign, a portent, and an omen, all rolled into one.


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## Zelah Meyer (Jun 15, 2011)

Yay for George and Midnight!


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## Tessa Apa (Apr 8, 2011)

George Berger said:


> It's a sign, a portent, and an omen, all rolled into one.


Love it!!!!


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## George Berger (Aug 7, 2011)

Amazon Best Sellers Rank: *#396* Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

#3 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Short Stories > Single Author
#3 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Fiction > Short Stories
#8 in Kindle Store > Kindle Singles

Aaaaaand #12 on the Kindle *Movers and Shakers* list. 










I love you all.


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## 41413 (Apr 4, 2011)

So can I pick on you for being skeptical about selling thousands of copies yet? Or do I need to give it a couple more days?


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## Shayne Parkinson (Mar 19, 2010)

Now at #367! You and Midnight are awesome, George.


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## George Berger (Aug 7, 2011)

smreine said:


> So can I pick on you for being skeptical about selling thousands of copies yet? Or do I need to give it a couple more days?


You, uh, might have to wait, oh, maybe three or four days, if you're going to insist on referring to the _plural_, there...


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## 41413 (Apr 4, 2011)

George Berger said:


> You, uh, might have to wait, oh, maybe three or four days, if you're going to insist on referring to the _plural_, there...


You could buy a lot of fermented apples with that.


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## George Berger (Aug 7, 2011)

I stopped on the way back from the farmer's market today and picked up some fermented apple products, in fact.

And having dug back through this thread, my original skepticism was to do with royalties, not sales figures. I'm not a math major, but I suspect it'll be another couple weeks before you can gloat and say you told me so.


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## Edward W. Robertson (May 18, 2010)

Of all the KB success stories, I think this one's my favorite. I'm very much looking forward to the sequel.


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## Mr. RAD (Jan 4, 2011)

*Amazon Best Sellers Rank:* #354 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
#1 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Short Stories > *Single Author*
#1 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Fiction > *Short Stories*
#5 in Kindle Store > *Kindle Singles*

ETA: #4 on the Amazon Best Sellers: Best Kindle Singles list.


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## Pnjw (Apr 24, 2011)

Edward W. Robertson said:


> Of all the KB success stories, I think this one's my favorite. I'm very much looking forward to the sequel.


Ditto this. In my fifteen months of being on Kindleboards, George has made me chuckle with just about every post he makes. I couldn't be happier to see this goat soar.


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## Pnjw (Apr 24, 2011)

And just for fun. A screen shot of Ray Bradbury's, _The Playground_, also bought list. Goaty Goodness is the #2 also bought.


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## BRONZEAGE (Jun 25, 2011)

A link to the goat :



ETA: note the numero *Uno *, #1 rank as of posting


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## 41413 (Apr 4, 2011)

And another great review, too: "Berger's words flow like water."

*munches popcorn*

How's the sequel coming along?


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## scoutxx (Oct 23, 2009)

Congratulations, George! #340 is what?...  About 150 copies a day?  That's fantastic, and it's still climbing!


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## George Berger (Aug 7, 2011)

In that general vicinity, I guess.

I'm posting this purely 'cause I know that someone else will if I don't:










Broke the top 300. (!)


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## AmberC (Mar 28, 2012)

Wow! That's awesome!


----------



## B. Justin Shier (Apr 1, 2011)

source: http://gattadonna.deviantart.com/

B.


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## Lefty (Apr 7, 2011)

Great job, George.


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## JohnHindmarsh (Jun 3, 2011)

George - another potential reader - just purchased Midnight's Tale.

Congrats.


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## George Berger (Aug 7, 2011)

modwitch said:


> <Hands SMReine popcorn. Waits to gloat.>


As of this evening, SMReine, you may gloat and say "I told you so".

_--George..._


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## MonkeyScribe (Jan 27, 2011)

Congrats!

Sounds like you're pretty much selling as many copies per day these days as you had in total before your run of success.


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## Toonldy (May 23, 2011)

Oh! I just love the last two lines of George's blurb. Michael, thank you for sharing this enchanting success story. I hope George hits it big!


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## 41413 (Apr 4, 2011)

George Berger said:


> As of this evening, SMReine, you may gloat and say "I told you so".
> 
> _--George...
> _


_

Yawn. No shock here

_


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## George Berger (Aug 7, 2011)

Whoo, necropost.

Um, okay, Midnight's Tell selling fairly well might not be a huge surprise, to some of you.

Boing Boing liked it, though.

Humans, huh? 

_--George, still very pleasantly surprised..._


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## ToniD (May 3, 2011)

Boing Boing?? Holy moly! That goat's traveling to infinity and beyond.

Congrats George.


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## thesmallprint (May 25, 2012)

I read Midnight today on a long train trip and really enjoyed it. I couldn't help but wonder, in the early stages, if it was some allegory set around this forum. There's even an Ann and Betsy!

Joe

Sent from my GT-N7000 using Tapatalk 2


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## 41413 (Apr 4, 2011)

Steeplechasing said:


> I read Midnight today on a long train trip and really enjoyed it. I couldn't help but wonder, in the early stages, if it was some allegory set around this forum. There's even an Ann and Betsy!


I'm sure that's udder coincidence.


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## George Berger (Aug 7, 2011)

An udder coincidence indeed, I'm afraid.

As mentioned in the Book Bazaar thread:



> ...while Midnight's Tale does contain characters named both Ann and Betsy, any relation to KindleBoards moderators past, present, or future is entirely a coincidence. There are only so many names in the world, y'know. Honest.


Likewise with Amanda, and Richard. I can't think of a Charles, or a Stuart, or a Harlan, or a Llarry here on KB, but if there are any, that's purely a coincidence, too.

A


Spoiler



certain nonplussed warhorse


 is _totally_ named for


Spoiler



our beloved Telracs,


 though, mainly because the name just seemed to fit the character so well. 

As to whether it's allegorical: no comment.  One of the most gratifying parts of writing and publishing this story - right behind the sheer awesomeness that everyone here has provided, in so many ways - has been the many and varied "things" that people have chosen to see in it. Some see parallels to Animal Farm or Charlotte's Web. Some think it's autobiographical. Someone described it as the best satire of the Quebec provincial election season they'd ever read. (?) Some have seen the camel as a caricature of one of a handful of public figures from various countries. Some have sought hidden meaning in the character of the pig. And, you know what? As far as I'm concerned, they're all correct. Well, except the autobiographical part, anyway. Though I _did_ grow up in farm country, and I _am_ a pretty fearless eater...


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## George Berger (Aug 7, 2011)

The (goat) revolution might not be televised, but it _will_ encompass multimedia.

I've just taken receipt of the cover for the audiobook version of Midnight's Tale, which means that the audiobook process is now complete, and the audio version of this strange little tale should be available... shortly.










Once again, Vanessa Matte, whom I cannot recommend highly enough, came through with a quirky and awesome illustration for the cover.

The concept was entirely my idea, Vanessa seemed to love it as much as I do, and Krista conspicuously failed to nix it when I emailed her about it. When I got the draft of the cover earlier in the week, I must have giggled like a schoolgirl for a good ten minutes.

Happy holidays, and viva le goat revolution.


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## sarracannon (Apr 19, 2011)

I love it! Congrats!


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## Krista D. Ball (Mar 8, 2011)

Nope, wasn't going to nix it. I love it.


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## Quinn Richardson (Apr 20, 2012)

Congratulations, George.  It's very entertaining to watch this goat thing grow.  I look forward to seeing how the audio process works out.


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## 41413 (Apr 4, 2011)

That's just too damn cute.


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## dalya (Jul 26, 2011)

So cute! Congrats!


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## Shayne Parkinson (Mar 19, 2010)

Cute *and* clever! Congratulations, George.


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## George Berger (Aug 7, 2011)

And on the third day, God said, "Let there be goats".

Midnight's Tale finally went live as an audiobook today, on Audible. Supposedly it'll be on iTunes and Amazon "in the next few days", but we'll see how that goes.


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## Becca Mills (Apr 27, 2012)

George Berger said:


> And on the third day, God said, "Let there be goats".
> 
> Midnight's Tale finally went live as an audiobook today, on Audible. Supposedly it'll be on iTunes and Amazon "in the next few days", but we'll see how that goes.


Congratulations, George! Love the audiobook cover. I missed it when you posted it last month. Just darling.


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