# Opinions on John Locke books



## Aloysa (Jul 11, 2011)

I've never read his books (planning on it though). But those who actually have read, what do you think? Why do you think he is so successful? Is it his writing, stories, marketing or all of the above?


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

I haven't read his fiction, only his non-fiction book on how to sell fiction books. The non-fiction book didn't really do it for me. One assumes the fiction will read a lot different, however.


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## Gertie Kindle (Nov 6, 2008)

I read the sample of_ Saving Rachel_ and really enjoyed it. It reminded me of the old Shell Scott books by Richard S. Prather. When I get a little caught up in my reading, I'll be downloading and finishing that one.


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## QuantumIguana (Dec 29, 2010)

Letters Concerning Toleration, 1689, is pretty good.

Oh, you mean the other John Locke!


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## scl (Feb 19, 2011)

I've read _Follow the Stone_ and _Vegas Moon_ and found both to be entertaining and well written.
I read them back in April so don't remember much detail.


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## Tara Maya (Nov 4, 2010)

I've read his nonfiction book. I'm not sure I'd enjoy his fiction. But the point he made in his nonfiction book, is that if I don't like it, that's fine, because I'm not his target audience. This is one of (several) big take-aways from his book. It is futile to look at his writing, his plots, his characters, even his price point, and think that if you just copy that you will copy his success. His success comes from knowing his audience, targeting them powerfully, and ignoring everything else as irrelevant.


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## Aloysa (Jul 11, 2011)

Tara Maya said:


> I've read his nonfiction book. I'm not sure I'd enjoy his fiction. But the point he made in his nonfiction book, is that if I don't like it, that's fine, because I'm not his target audience. This is one of (several) big take-aways from his book. It is futile to look at his writing, his plots, his characters, even his price point, and think that if you just copy that you will copy his success. His success comes from knowing his audience, targeting them powerfully, and ignoring everything else as irrelevant.


Interesting. It is hard though to ignore everything else and filter out only relevant stuff. But I bet that's the way to go.


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## Tara Maya (Nov 4, 2010)

Aloysa said:


> Interesting. It is hard though to ignore everything else and filter out only relevant stuff. But I bet that's the way to go.


I agree. The mere thought of a negative review, for instance, brings out the people-pleaser in me. But you can't please everyone; it's one of the harder aspects of writing.


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## John Dwyer (Apr 26, 2011)

John Locke has a marketing background as well and used this to good effect in promoting his books. I haven't read any of his novels but from reader feedback, they seem to be entertaining and well-written, which is always a big help.


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## Colin Taber (Apr 4, 2011)

He's read his market well, and his timing is perfect (with the rise of Kindle).


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## Joseph.Garraty (May 20, 2011)

QuantumIguana said:


> Letters Concerning Toleration, 1689, is pretty good.
> 
> Oh, you mean the other John Locke!


Conceivably I'm the only person in the world that thought this was funny. But I did.


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## Aloysa (Jul 11, 2011)

I do believe in the right timing and luck. Combined with a good writing of course.


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## Sandra Edwards (May 10, 2010)

Tara Maya said:


> I've read his nonfiction book. I'm not sure I'd enjoy his fiction. But the point he made in his nonfiction book, is that if I don't like it, that's fine, because I'm not his target audience. This is one of (several) big take-aways from his book. It is futile to look at his writing, his plots, his characters, even his price point, and think that if you just copy that you will copy his success. His success comes from knowing his audience, targeting them powerfully, and ignoring everything else as irrelevant.


This is pretty much the correct answer. You can't please everyone; it's just not going to happen. So with that thought in mind, it's probably best to figure out who your target audience is and just concentrate on pleasing them 

Sandy


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## _Sheila_ (Jan 4, 2011)

I read the nonfiction first.  Thought he said the same thing over and over, but I learned a lot.

Then I purchased the first Donovan Creed.  Thought it was good.  Then the next, not quite as good.  They have been going downhill ever since.  The first one was plausible, if farfetched.  Since then, not so much... and some of it is just weird, like he ran out of story so he just started throwing stuff at it.

I love that he says if you don't love his book, you simply aren't his market.  That puts the responsibility of liking his writing on you, not on him.  From the very start you are programmed to try really hard to like his writing, to be part of the 'in' crowd.  He even has a name for it OOU.   

Marketing genius.  Yep.  

Great writer, maybe not -- but then, he says that too, which makes you want to like his writing even more.   

Sheila


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## EC Sheedy (Feb 24, 2011)

Aloysa said:


> I do believe in the right timing and luck. Combined with a good writing of course.


I haven't read him yet, but I intend to. There are times when a light, fast, and entertaining read is just the ticket. And from what I hear about Locke that's what he tries to give his readers. Fair enough.

And, yes, to whoever said he is a marketing genius. The guy knows what he's about...


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## Cindy Borgne (Mar 21, 2011)

I read his book about all his sales and I liked it for the most part. I think part of his success is that he has a marketing background, and I suspect because of that he had a lot of contacts who would already buy his book to begin with. Plus he has many books to offer all at once. I can only think that the combination of this, plus he is probably at least a decent writer, so this just got the ball rolling for him. Do I think the same methods will work for everyone....no. Overall, I found him hard not to like, which is probably another reason why he is so popular.


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## Mike D. aka jmiked (Oct 28, 2008)

I downloaded the sample of one of his books. It didn’t do anything for me, so he's off the list for further consideration.

Mike


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## tituspowell (Dec 29, 2010)

I've read his non-fiction book, which I thought was insightful at least. I like the practical business-oriented way he approaches it (which is exactly what many writer's won't like about him), although I get the impression he writes a draft in 8 weeks and then pays someone to edit it while he moves on to the next one. Which helps knock them out but bothers the purist in me. I'd rather sweat over a book for five years, get it perrrrfect and then lovingly call it my baby thereafter.


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## Aloysa (Jul 11, 2011)

A draft in 8 weeks?! That is one writing terminator. And it makes me wonder if the quality suffers because of it tremendously. IMHO writing should be about quality and not quantity. I don't think that pumping out novels every two months contributes to his writing quality. But I’ve never read his books. I was not surprise to read that the quality of his books decline with each new book. I guess his success is mostly attributable to his marketing approach. But again I might be wrong since I have not read his books.


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## pamclaughton (Feb 21, 2011)

I don't care for his books, downloaded Saving Rachel and it wasn't my cup of tea. I LOVED his non-fiction book though. He's a very smart business person who has applied his sales and marketing background to his writing. His books are his products, not his babies. He's not losing sleep over making them perfect, he's making them 'good enough' and that's just fine. Agree that there is an audience for what he writes and his talent lies in finding that audience, inviting them to read his stuff and keeping in touch so that he is an auto-buy for many when each new book comes out. There is nothing wrong with that, it's smart business, though it goes against many writers who approach their writing as more of a calling, looking to create quality over quantity. Fortunately, there is a market for all kinds of writing.


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## RuthMadison (Jul 9, 2011)

Aloysa said:


> I've never read his books (planning on it though). But those who actually have read, what do you think? Why do you think he is so successful? Is it his writing, stories, marketing or all of the above?


I enjoyed his marketing book quite a bit, so I bought one of his Donovon Creed novels and I'm really liking it. He has a good sense of timing, and very good humor.

He doesn't think of himself as an author, just someone telling a fun story, and I guess him saying that made me judge him more gently.

He also honestly does respond to every email sent to him! I tried out his marketing technique and emailed him to tell him so, he tweeted it to his 20,000 followers. How nice is that?


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## JETaylor (Jan 25, 2011)

I enjoyed Saving Rachel, so I bought Lethal People and Lethal Experiment.  Lethal People amused the daylights out of me, even if some of it is farfetched.  The thing is, he sucked me into the story and that is exactly what I look for in a book - one that makes me forget where I am.  It certainly isn't literary fiction, but for his subject matter - his style is right on the money.  

I'm envious of his marketing savy and loved his non-fiction book.  And yes, he does respond personally to all his emails.


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## tituspowell (Dec 29, 2010)

I think it's healthy for us creative types to have an injection of business and marketing savvy every once in a while! So I'd definitely recommend his non fiction book. His results speak for themselves, regardless of what his fiction writing style is like (and I have just bought one and look forward to giving it a try).


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## northoc (Jul 13, 2011)

I read the Donovan Creed series and enjoyed them very much.  It's light reading and humorous; a bit different than a regular mystery/thriller.

The price was right and the stories entertaining.


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## kae (May 3, 2010)

Joseph.Garraty said:


> Conceivably I'm the only person in the world that thought this was funny. But I did.


I did, too.


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## Russell Brooks (Dec 23, 2010)

I haven't read anything from him yet, but I guess I'll check out one of his books when I have the time.


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## Victoria J (Jul 5, 2011)

I'd like to check out his non-fiction book.


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## Jonathan Dalar (Jul 15, 2011)

_Sheila_ said:


> I read the nonfiction first. Thought he said the same thing over and over, but I learned a lot.
> 
> Then I purchased the first Donovan Creed. Thought it was good. Then the next, not quite as good. They have been going downhill ever since. The first one was plausible, if farfetched. Since then, not so much... and some of it is just weird, like he ran out of story so he just started throwing stuff at it.
> 
> ...


That's pretty much what I've gotten from him. I haven't read his fiction yet, but I plan on reading one here sometime when I get caught up on things. He is definitely a master at marketing, and that's important in today's publishing world. I've read his nonfiction book, and while I wasn't overly impressed, it had some tips and advice that probably make it worth the $4.99 he's asking for it. Again, the marketing genius comes through.

I'm very skeptical about reading his fiction when I know it's been churned out in a few short weeks. I know what it takes to write fiction, and I know how long the process really should take to do it right. That's not saying some authors don't have success at this, and that a good book can't be produced in that short a time, but the odds are against it.

Still, the combination of his irreverent style, his specific niche audience and his adept marketing strategies have put him into the very top of the indie writers, and have really put him up there with a lot of the authors published conventionally. He's one to watch, regardless of what you feel about his books.


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## JRTomlin (Jan 18, 2011)

Jonathon, you don't know how long "it takes to do it right" for everyone else in the world, just for yourself.

Some people write fast and better than other of us ever dreamed of doing. Some very slowly. There is no one way of "doing it right". I suggest being glad of that instead of trying to judge another writer by their own method.

From what I've heard, Locke is a competent writer who does stories that appeal to a certain readership. I'm not that readership, but then he's not mine.


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## Tara Maya (Nov 4, 2010)

JRTomlin said:


> Some people write fast and better than other of us ever dreamed of doing. Some very slowly. There is no one way of "doing it right".


This can vary even for a single author. There are some books I've labored over for years, others I wrote in a mad, three-week fever of inspiration. In some ways, the inspired writing is better. Other times, revision is a blessing. Just depends on the book.


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## Gone 9/21/18 (Dec 11, 2008)

When I realized he had a western, I hopped on it (Follow the Stone) and I enjoyed it. However, the follow up (Don't Poke the Bear) didn't do it for me. Among other things, it left the story hanging, which may be done in series a lot to keep people reading the next one, but had the opposite effect on me.

Another thing I wonder about is we all think covers are so important, but the covers on these westerns (and they're the real thing, cowboys, old West, shootings, etc.) look very modern and conflict with blurb and actual content. That's another thing that almost kept me from trying one.


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## jamiedierks (Jul 5, 2011)

Interesting thread here about John Locke. I haven't read his books, but I know he's a marketing genius. And I really don't think he's in it for the money because isn't he already quite wealthy?
I'll have to look into his fiction. Light and fast reading is my kind of book.


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## Bob Mayer (Feb 20, 2011)

I think what he did was superb marketing.
I have no idea of the quality of the books although my experience has been it takes a while to write a good book.
Actually takes longer, the more you learn about the craft of writing.
The thing is:  a million books at .99 equals 166,000 books at $2.99.  We seem very focused on number of titles sold and not on income.
But, he does probably rake it in with his book about selling a million ebooks at $4.99
So it balances out.


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## Scribejohn (Jul 2, 2011)

JRTomlin said:


> Jonathon, you don't know how long "it takes to do it right" for everyone else in the world, just for yourself.
> 
> Some people write fast and better than other of us ever dreamed of doing. Some very slowly. There is no one way of "doing it right". I suggest being glad of that instead of trying to judge another writer by their own method.
> 
> From what I've heard, Locke is a competent writer who does stories that appeal to a certain readership. I'm not that readership, but then he's not mine.


From what I've seen of John Locke's Amazon reviews, he's a bit like Marmite - a lot of readers at either end of the spectrum. There was an amusing article in London's Spectator (fairly high-brow) which talked about his e-book success and described them as a 'Stetson take on Mills and Boon'. But there's something to be said for 'light, zippy reading'.

I always thought that stylistically Peter Blauner was a far better writer than Lee Child. But right now Peter Blauner has a fraction of Lee Child's sales. It's a bit like the peanuts, caviar argument: caviar might be the far finer food, but you are always going to sell tons more peanuts.

From what I've seen of samples, his writing looks a bit like a light-weight Harlan Coben style (when his early Myron Bolitar series was at its most ridiculous). Coben now considers himself a far better writer, and I would agree with that take.

But one thing most here appear to agree on: Locke is better at marketing than he is at writing, and that in itself gives hope to every Indie author out there. Marketing skills can be honed and improved whereas improved writing skills are far tougher to achieve.


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## Harry Shannon (Jul 30, 2010)

Agree. I'm being a bit of a curmudgeon here, but I just worry that for too many folks the main emphasis these days IS on marketing and sales, when it ought to be on honing our skills at a craft few (if any) ever master. I don't begrudge anyone success, but don't admire those who aren't as focused as possible on becoming better writers. Just my two cents.


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## Aloysa (Jul 11, 2011)

Harry Shannon said:


> Agree. I'm being a bit of a curmudgeon here, but I just worry that for too many folks the main emphasis these days IS on marketing and sales, when it ought to be on honing our skills at a craft few (if any) ever master. I don't begrudge anyone success, but don't admire those who aren't as focused as possible on becoming better writers. Just my two cents.


I totally agree. I noticed that I spent too much time on marketing and less on reading and writing.


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## Amyshojai (May 3, 2010)

Well, and Mr. Locke has all of us marketing for him with every comment on this thread. Brilliant! Oh, and I did buy/read both Saving Rachel and his nonfiction.


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## Todd Russell (Mar 27, 2011)

_Saving Rachel_ is in my TBR list. I'm looking forward to checking it out. Any author who sells a million books has more than marketing arrows in his quiver.


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## WriterCTaylor (Jul 11, 2011)

_Sheila_ said:


> I read the nonfiction first. Thought he said the same thing over and over, but I learned a lot.
> 
> Then I purchased the first Donovan Creed. Thought it was good. Then the next, not quite as good. They have been going downhill ever since. The first one was plausible, if farfetched. Since then, not so much... and some of it is just weird, like he ran out of story so he just started throwing stuff at it.
> 
> ...


Have to agree with all of that! In his non fiction book, he says to think of your target audience and write to that. Kind of makes me think there is no passion there. What happened to writing your heart out and marketing that story. The story written because you wanted to write that story, not because you have written to a market to maximise sales.


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## Cardinal (Feb 24, 2010)

I downloaded samples for a bunch of his Donovan Creed novels but didn't buy any.  I don't think I would enjoy them.


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## Jonathan Dalar (Jul 15, 2011)

JRTomlin said:


> Jonathon, you don't know how long "it takes to do it right" for everyone else in the world, just for yourself.
> 
> Some people write fast and better than other of us ever dreamed of doing. Some very slowly. There is no one way of "doing it right". I suggest being glad of that instead of trying to judge another writer by their own method.
> 
> From what I've heard, Locke is a competent writer who does stories that appeal to a certain readership. I'm not that readership, but then he's not mine.


Granted, everyone has a different speed writing, but I wasn't referring to simply the speed of putting word to manuscript. Eight weeks is an incredibly short amount of time to write, edit, proof, format, and produce a novel-sized work. For any writer. Many writers take that long to let their manuscripts gestate before a second edit, let alone further edits. To produce a finished work more quickly than most writers would even finish a first draft would normally be considered very fast.

I'm not saying he's a hack - not even close. By his own admission, he's a pulp writer whose strength is in marketing. He himself brags he churns books out at in incredible speed, one that is rarely matched by even the most talented and speedy writers. It's really his own admissions of slapping his books out there with that speed that made it a discussion point for me.

And I really didn't think I was coming across as judgmental, or of even saying he wasn't "doing it right". I was simply making an observation based on my own opinion of what he's said, something I thought was still acceptable to do.


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## Jon Olson (Dec 10, 2010)

Joseph.Garraty said:


> Conceivably I'm the only person in the world that thought this was funny. But I did.


I did, actually, smile. Google John Locke, and this guy is all over the place.


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## Guest (Jul 17, 2011)

His book on indie/epublishing is BRILLIANT.


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## anne_holly (Jun 5, 2011)

QuantumIguana said:


> Letters Concerning Toleration, 1689, is pretty good.
> 
> Oh, you mean the other John Locke!


Cheers!


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## erikhanberg (Jul 15, 2011)

I think Locke is a great example of two things--selling a million novels takes two things: a lot of hard work, and a little bit of luck. I think there's no question that if you have as many books on the shelf as he does, you're going to sell a lot. And he found a unique strategy to get noticed with his blogging and twitter strategy, which again was smart but also took a little bit of luck to take off.

My takeaway from his book was two-fold: if you want to sell a lot of books, write a lot of books. And try some creative (and free) marketing and hope one of them catches fire.


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## Tamara Rose Blodgett (Apr 1, 2011)

As I've mentioned before [on here], my husband searches/buys books for my Kindle and purchases according to the lowest price with the highest rating. John Locke was "on fire" when my husband first bought my Kindle and several of his works were downloaded. I read two of his books before I even KNEW what all the fuss was about. I became an *instant* fan with _Wish List_ but didn't like _Saving Rachel_ nearly as much. I have recommended WL to the WORLD because it is such a diverse, witty little thing that reads like a ride on a roller coaster. There is no breathing or whatever, it's total escapism. Another author that writes a little like him is J.R. Rain of the paranormal vamp series. He's super-fun to read too. There's some kind of pacing/timing that really works for me. Additionally, both authors sprinkle a good dose of well-placed humor about. Entertaining to be sure! And for .99 cents...it's a total BUY, guys~


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## PopcornJunkie (Jul 18, 2011)

I find Lock entertaining enough.

With me, it all comes down to the fact that his books are only 99 cents. I mean, at that price, the book doesn't have to be amazing. I simply don't compare it to, say, _Catcher In The Rye anymore than I compare "The Hurt Locker" to "Transformers". I enjoy it as a book for a buck.

Are there any 99 cent books you guys like? Do you buy your books based on that price at all? I honestly bought Locke simply because of the price at first. I hear a lot of people grab his books for that reason alone. I honestly don't read a lot of mystery type books, so the price was certainly a selling point for me._


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## Ann Chambers (Apr 24, 2011)

I've read 3 of the Donovan Creed books - and they are a fast, entertaining read. The humor is great, but it's dark and the story lines are dark as well, which is fine by me. But, they aren't for every one, Creed is something of a hit man. 

I found the eccentric characters and offbeat viewpoints great (think Elmore Leonard or Carl Hiassen), although the quality of the books is uneven. Vegas Moon was the first one I tried, and it's a good example of his work, IMO. Sadly, I forget the title of the one I found a bit uninspired.


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## Scribejohn (Jul 2, 2011)

Jonathan Dalar said:


> Granted, everyone has a different speed writing, but I wasn't referring to simply the speed of putting word to manuscript. Eight weeks is an incredibly short amount of time to write, edit, proof, format, and produce a novel-sized work. For any writer. Many writers take that long to let their manuscripts gestate before a second edit, let alone further edits. To produce a finished work more quickly than most writers would even finish a first draft would normally be considered very fast.
> 
> I'm not saying he's a hack - not even close. By his own admission, he's a pulp writer whose strength is in marketing. He himself brags he churns books out at in incredible speed, one that is rarely matched by even the most talented and speedy writers. It's really his own admissions of slapping his books out there with that speed that made it a discussion point for me. And I really didn't think I was coming across as judgmental, or of even saying he wasn't "doing it right". I was simply making an observation based on my own opinion of what he's said, something I thought was still acceptable to do.


It's a bit like the argument years back when Goran Ivanisevic won Wimbledon. He was known as a strong server but his baseline and net game was fairly weak - when he got to the quarter finals, one commentator remarked. 'If Ivanisevic can win Wimbledon on JUST a serve, then he's a genius.'

Ivanisevic picked up on that comment and so when he won, he had T-shirts printed proclaiming: 'I AM GENIUS'.

The same can be said of John Locke: if he can sell a million of what (most people seem to agree here) are only mediocre, lightweight reads, then he's a genius.

Mind you, not the first time it has been done, nor will it be the the last. I always felt Dan Brown's Da Vinci Code was mediocre, but it went to become an all-time bestseller. Most people agree that Angels and Demons was in fact better, but it sold barely 20,000 copies. So there's another dazzling example of gung-ho marketing (with a dash of religious controbersy thrown in) winning out over writing substance.


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## patrickt (Aug 28, 2010)

I read two of the Donovan Creed series and haven't felt like reading another. Nothing wrong with the books, I suppose, but they just don't have much appeal for me.


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## Scribejohn (Jul 2, 2011)

patrickt said:


> I read two of the Donovan Creed series and haven't felt like reading another. Nothing wrong with the books, I suppose, but they just don't have much appeal for me.


The trick is, whether people liked or not, he appears to have got a large number of people to pick up. Even if he achieves only a 30-40% read through-to-extra-work rate, he'll be doing well.

I remember hearing from a friend with two daughters in the 9-12 age range at the time that the Harry Potter books were at their height. He said that they received several Potter books over successive Christmas's from aunts, uncles and grandparents, who didn't want to buy them (say) computer games - they wanted to buy something which (in their eyes) might help their education and reading rather than impede it.

One of them read a couple of books and then lost interest, the other hated the series and the books were left unread. It makes you wonder, by extension, how many unwanted HP Christmas and birthday present book there might be out there?? (perhaps worthy of another subject heading?)


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## Tamara Rose Blodgett (Apr 1, 2011)

I hate to admit this for fear of being flogged for not doing it...but, like I've said before on here, never read HP! I guess some might say, "So what?" Well, my fours sons read the entire series and loved it. My great friend re-read it a million times. I just couldn't work up to a point-of-interest. Don't know why. Rowling is obviously brilliant! The whole witch/sorcery angle...I don't know; boring. The movies were enjoyable.

It's on my TBR list. Who knows? I may become an ardent fan...lol!


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## NS (Jul 8, 2011)

Writing fast, sometimes, just means doing it eight hours a day, not twenty minutes. I don't judge a book by the time invested in it. But haven't read Locke's books just yet.


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## Collin Moshman (Sep 1, 2011)

I've read all of the John Locke books and greatly enjoyed them, with the one possible exception of _Now and Then_. My favorite is probably Saving Rachel, which is super fast-paced from start to finish, and almost impossible to predict what's going to happen next.

​
I think the biggest reason why I like his books so much is the protagonist. Donovan Creed is a totally outrageous character, and it's very fun to experience Locke's stories through his perspective.


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## youngadultfiction (Jul 28, 2011)

I've heard a lot of people ask why John Locke is so successful and nearly everyone talks about his 'strategy' to have lots of books, sell them cheap, do some social media, and then just sit back and relax. I haven't read any of his books yet, but the feeling i get is that he is successful because he writes entertaining enjoyable books that will last a couple of hours. Being an entertaining writer (whatever your definition of entertaining might be) seems to do more than any amount of advertising.


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## Austin_Briggs (Aug 21, 2011)

Joseph.Garraty said:


> Conceivably I'm the only person in the world that thought this was funny. But I did.


You're not the only one


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## Austin_Briggs (Aug 21, 2011)

Natasha A. Salnikova said:


> Writing fast, sometimes, just means doing it eight hours a day, not twenty minutes. I don't judge a book by the time invested in it. But haven't read Locke's books just yet.


Exactly.

It's amazing how fast you can write when you're determined to finish, have a system, and a deadline.

I've only read his marketing book, which I found useful, and a couple of samples of his novels. I'm not in his OOU for fiction so I kissed off by myself without reading. I'm not the one to go and p*ss on his parade with low ratings, because I wish him more and more success.

I like his marketing approach. His success is also mine, because he's growing the reading market for all of us.

The fact that he's approached books as a commodity, and created a whole "low-tier" market segment with cheap quality books, tells a lot about this industry. Exciting times.


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## RJMcDonnell (Jan 29, 2011)

I read John Locke's non-fiction, then followed up with his first novel in the Donovan Creed Series, Lethal People. Initially, I was a bit surprised that his protagonist was a hit man. Locke makes it very clear that Creed willingly kills both bad guys and good guys (and woman). This seemed a bit out of character for a writer who attributes his initial success to a blog entitled, "Why I Love Joe Paterno and My Mom." But as I read on I began to find likeable qualities in Donovan Creed. He's bright and has a good sense of humor. He also recognizes his limitations, especially in relating to the opposite sex. Most modern protagonists have notable flaws. Like the plot line, Creed's flaws are larger than life. I'm tempted to read more of the series to see how he evolves over time. I won't be reading them one after another, but I can definitely see myself getting in a Donovan Creed mood once or twice a year.


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## normcowie (Jun 21, 2011)

He was awesome on Lost.

(oh, not that John Locke? My bad)

Norm


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## Cheryl Bradshaw Author (Apr 13, 2011)

I like him.  I'm reading my first Locke right now, and it's one of his Westerns.  I like the pace.  It moves well and gets to the point while pulling the reader into the story at the same time.  This works well for me


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## Tim Greaton (Sep 8, 2011)

I read his first one, and thought it was quick and funny. I also purchased his "how-to" and found it lacking in specifics but still enlightening. I would read another but so many of my friends are writers that he's way, way down my TBR list :-(


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## GerrieFerrisFinger (Jun 1, 2011)

Aloysa said:


> I've never read his books (planning on it though). But those who actually have read, what do you think? Why do you think he is so successful? Is it his writing, stories, marketing or all of the above?


I believe he's successful because, as he says it, he's a marketer by profession. His books are not the kind I read or write, but I say, hey, I'm happy for your success. You have worked hard for it.


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## Susan Brassfield Cogan (Mar 25, 2011)

Natasha A. Salnikova said:


> Writing fast, sometimes, just means doing it eight hours a day, not twenty minutes. I don't judge a book by the time invested in it. But haven't read Locke's books just yet.


Yes, I agree. However, 1250 words per day is only 5 pages. If you take Sundays off (which I do) that's a 57,600-word rough draft in 8 weeks. That's awfully fast, but not insanely. Where I part company with Locke is sending it off to be edited by someone else and starting another one. I'm too egotistical (or something) for that. I've got to edit the thing myself. I'm an artist. I'm a perfectionist. (Did I mention the ego thing?) I can't let someone else do the finishing work for me.


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## Debra Purdy Kong (Apr 1, 2009)

Just curious, but how many books has Locke written, and over what period of time? I think Isaac Asminov wrote something like 432 in his lifetime. Can you imagine how rich Asminov would be if even the top 100 were brought out as ebooks in his lifetime?


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## Guest (Sep 22, 2011)

Am I the only one who still wonders if he even exists? Is he just a pen name for a bunch of marketers? I wonder, since his ePub book is all about Twitter as the secret weapon, but the guy is almost never ON Twitter, so the success baffles me.


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## ronvitale (Mar 11, 2011)

Tara Maya said:


> I've read his nonfiction book. I'm not sure I'd enjoy his fiction. But the point he made in his nonfiction book, is that if I don't like it, that's fine, because I'm not his target audience. This is one of (several) big take-aways from his book. It is futile to look at his writing, his plots, his characters, even his price point, and think that if you just copy that you will copy his success. His success comes from knowing his audience, targeting them powerfully, and ignoring everything else as irrelevant.


I learned a lot from reading his non-fiction book and that's it in a nutshell: Know your audience, engage them and everything you write should basically be a means of promoting the themes that you write about so that potential readers can stumble on your work and make a decision on whether they like what you say (or not). His books aren't of my liking, but I do get where he is coming from. I've thought the $4.99 for his book was worth it. As for his fiction, just not my area of interest.


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## yingko2 (Jul 26, 2011)

I haven't read any of his fiction but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express once. 
I did read his non-fiction book and found it informative and helpful (even did a blog on him and he followed me on FB, so I reckon he saw it!) I am planning on reading one of his Westerns.
(Note to Tara--Your Taboo cover is fantastic!)
Cheers,
Howard


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