# Thanks to your support Sleepwalker is out in paperback (with a FREE Kindle copy)



## Brad Marlowe (Oct 2, 2009)

Hello fellow Kindlers,

I have some great news that I wanted to share. My unconventional contemporary fantasy, Sleepwalker: The Last Sandman (http://www.amazon.com/Sleepwalker-Last-Sandman-Kindle-ebook/dp/B002RHP4N2/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=digital-text&qid=1254873284&sr=1-2),has been out for the Kindle since October, and you Kindlers have already downloaded the novel more than 1,500 times. You've been kind enough to give the book a 4.5 star average across 26 reviews, and have sent me scads of personal emails (okay, 14) expressing your love of this story, which was written for my 9 and 11 year-old sons.

And it was this incredible support that convinced me to put the book out in paperback, as well (http://www.amazon.com/Sleepwalker-Last-Sandman-Brad-Marlowe/dp/1450559883/ref=ntt_at_ep_dpi_1). But long-form, self-published DTBs are expensive (mine is $14.60 before Amazon.com discounting and, for some unknown reason, $4 cheaper at B&N's website), so I'm offering a free Kindle or ePub edition of the book to anyone who buys the paperback, as a thank you (details are on the paperback's listing page), and also because IMHO every physical book should come with a digital twin. After all, we've already paid for the thing once, which is more than many internet pirates can say, so cut out the nickel-and-diming of honest readers who just want to pay a fair price (once) for what they consume.

The DTB and current Kindle versions of my book were edited brilliantly by the official Kindle forum's very own flipoid (we met there), which is a great example of the type of symbiotic relationships that are possible between conscientious authors and their talented readers. So, I invite you to purchase a paperback copy of the book for your tech-impaired relatives, keep the free Kindle version, and judge for yourself what a wonderful job flipoid has done on my book.

Thank you all!
Brad


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## 911jason (Aug 17, 2009)

Thanks for the warning, still very interested in this based on title and cover alone!


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## Brad Marlowe (Oct 2, 2009)

Thanks Jason! I did the cover myself, so that made my day


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## Anju  (Nov 8, 2008)

Please be sure and let us know, this looks like something I would like.


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## Brad Marlowe (Oct 2, 2009)

Believe me, Anju, when the book is finally online and intact - you'll hear me shouting from the virtual rooftops. Thanks again for your interest.


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## 911jason (Aug 17, 2009)

Brad Marlowe said:


> Thanks Jason! I did the cover myself, so that made my day


Wow.. doubly impressed, in that case!


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## Brad Marlowe (Oct 2, 2009)

Why, thank you very much! 

BTW: The problems with the upload have been FIXED!!! As of 10:17 on October the 7th all systems are go for SLEEPWALKER: THE LAST SANDMAN. I'll be offering the book for .99 for the first two weeks, so if you're interested please get it while the gettin' is good (or, at least, while the gettin' is cheap). I've got what I hope will prove to be an interesting communal experiment planned for this book, so I've created another thread entitled "Credit for Criticism" - if anyone is interested.

Please, please, please . . . if you do read the book - leave a review. I'm not a big reviewer myself, but in the case of a new author - it really will make all the difference in the trajectory of the book.

Thanks Everyone!

Brad Marlowe
Amazon Authors Page: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B002RNHDW6


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## koland (Nov 24, 2008)

I'd be more interested if there were only one version.

Instead, the reader is asked to choose between a DX and a K1/K2 version -- are there formatting differences? Are pictures missing or lower resolution? What if I have both, will I get a less optimal reading experience if I don't buy both?  Which one of the two has been "fixed"? How can we tell (in the sample)?

Not to mention it will affect your sales rankings, which will affect your sales...


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## Brad Marlowe (Oct 2, 2009)

Thanks for the comment, Koland. 

The content of the book is identical across both versions. It's only the dimensions of the cover art that differs. My goal was to tailor the cover art to each type of Kindle, but I fear I've just complicated things unnecessarily. Oh, well - life is a learning process and it seems that every day I learn just how many things I don't know (Including how to insert links to my book!).

During the initial conversion tumult, I sent the book off to a Kindle book prep guy who does this for a living. So, in the next two weeks a new version (probably a single version for all Kindles) will replace the current one. The content of the new version will be identical to the one that's up now, but it will have an active table of contents, the ability to jump from one chapter to the next, and - yes - cover art.

If you do decide to get the book now, I suppose you could just delete this version and re-download after the replacement is posted (I'll let everyone know when that happens). But if you do read it, please, please, please leave a review. I'm not much of a reviewer myself, but it the case of a new author your (hopefully) positive review could have a major impact on the trajectory of the book.

Thanks for your patience and support, everyone!


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## Greg Banks (May 2, 2009)

> The content of the book is identical across both versions. It's only the dimensions of the cover art that differs. My goal was to tailor the cover art to each type of Kindle...


Not necessary. The smaller screened Kindles will size the large image down. I was fortunate in that I used larger images for my covers anyway (1200 pixels tall), so when the DX was released, all my covers were already sized perfectly for the DX as well.


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## Brad Marlowe (Oct 2, 2009)

Thanks, Greg.

I just received the same information from the person who is prepping the next version (the one with an active TOC, the ability to hop through chapters, and the cover itself). Sounds like the single version path is the best option.


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## 911jason (Aug 17, 2009)

I just bought the K1/K2 edition... here are the links:

K1/K2 Edition:


DX Edition:


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## Brad Marlowe (Oct 2, 2009)

Thanks, Jason. Okay, I'm a total Newbie. So . . . how does one insert pictures/links into a post like that?


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## 911jason (Aug 17, 2009)

Easiest way is to use the REPLY button at the bottom of the last post, instead of usnig the QUICK REPLY box at the bottom of the page. When you hit the REPLY button, you get a whole tool menu that inserts the code for you to add *bold*, underline, strikeout text, etc. There are also buttons for adding hyperlinks, images, youtube videos, and lots of other things.

To insert a link to a book like I did for yours though, you would enter the following code:


```
[url=www.whateverURLyoulike.com][IMG]http://www.URLofyourimage.com[/IMG][/url]
```
The actual code for the K1/K2 link that I posted looked like this:


```
[url=http://www.amazon.com/Sleepwalker-Last-Sandman-Kindle-ebook/dp/B002RHP4N2/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=digital-text&qid=1254969650&sr=1-2]K1/K2 Edition:
[IMG]http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51dkjUkpiAL._SL500_AA246_PIkin2,BottomRight,0,34_AA280_SH20_OU01_.jpg[/IMG][/url]
```


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

To put in links, use the "Link Maker" link at the top or bottom of the page.  For most physical items on Amazon the default works fine.  For Kindle Books you will probably need to use the manual version which is shown as a purple clickable link on the Link Maker page.  You need to copy the books' ASIN and then either type in the text you want or copy the image location in the appropriate boxes.  Click "Make Kindleboards link" and select and copy the coding provided for pasting into your post.

For other images, not necessarily links, just copy the image location, paste into your post, and put the image tags around it by highlighting it and clicking the icon above that looks like a picture. . . .third from the left, second row.

Of course you can use quick reply and just type the appropriate code, once you learn it, but you can always click 'preview' and go to the 'full featured' reply box if you forget them.


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## Brad Marlowe (Oct 2, 2009)

Thanks for the great information, Jason and Ann. It is appreciated. 

K1/K2 Edition:


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## koland (Nov 24, 2008)

Brad Marlowe said:


> I just received the same information from the person who is prepping the next version (the one with an active TOC, the ability to hop through chapters, and the cover itself). Sounds like the single version path is the best option.


Please let us know when this version hits - it's the one I'll be interested in downloading.

Thanks,


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## Brad Marlowe (Oct 2, 2009)

Thanks for your interest, Koland. It should be up within the next two weeks. I'll definitely let everyone know when it's ready to go.


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## Snapcat (Nov 3, 2008)

I was going to buy it, but it is showing up as $99.00 instead of 0.99 cents...


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## Brad Marlowe (Oct 2, 2009)

Holy cats! 

I mean, I think the novel's pretty darned good but . . .    

That's odd - if you do an Amazon search for my name the listing shows up at .99. But when you click on the cover art - $99. I'll contact CS right away and get it resolved, then post a message when all systems are go.

Thanks for the heads-up, Snapcat - and for your interest in the book!


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## 911jason (Aug 17, 2009)

Wow! I just went and viewed the order history to make sure they didn't charge me a hundred bucks... nope just 99 cents... how odd that they just arbitrarily upped it to $99!


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

Brad:

I checked my statement and it was $ .99. However, I bought the DX version. Now your DX version hs gone missing and your surviving version is $ 99.00. 

The email address for technical support Kindle is

[email protected]

Edward C. Patterson


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## Steph H (Oct 28, 2008)

Brad Marlowe said:


> If you do decide to get the book now, I suppose you could just delete this version and re-download after the replacement is posted (I'll let everyone know when that happens).


Just FYI...if it's still the same way that it's been for months now, then things don't work this easy unfortunately. Someone would have to have Amazon refund them for the first/original version and essentially remove it from their account, and then re-buy the new improved version. It's not as simple as just re-downloading an edited version. t'would that it t'were.


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## Brad Marlowe (Oct 2, 2009)

Jason and Ed - Whew! Very glad you weren't overcharged. 

Apparently no one was. I was advised that the dual versions of the book were unnecessary (Yes, I'm lookin' at you Ed) so I attempted to "un-publish" the DX version (there had only been a dozen DX takers, but more than 50 K1/K2 sales) in order to simplify things. My understanding is that even after a book (or, in this case, a version of a book) is un-published - the file (and subsequent replacement files) remain available for download to all previous purchasers, in perpetuity. It's just that no additional sales of the un-published item can be made. Clearly something went haywire in this process. I should have ended up with a single one-size-fits-all version at .99 - but the Amazon DTP apparently had other plans.

So far, everyone has been very nice about the screw-up, and I really am doing everything I can to remedy the situation. Within 30 minutes of the first forum comment on the bizarre price hike - I had already sent an email to [email protected], but I'll also shoot one off to the address you mentioned, Ed. Thank you.


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

That new email address is a keeper. I tripped over it while helping Mamiller rectify the technical screw up on her book the other day when Widow's Tale became unavailable to US Residence, an obvious glitch from the new International crossover. It was cleared up fast.

Ed Patterson


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## Brad Marlowe (Oct 2, 2009)

Sorry for creating a new thread for this, but I didn't know how else to reach the buyer in question. I contacted Amazon CS three days ago and they assured me that they would notify the $99 buyer, but my royalty for that sale is still showing up in my author's account, so I fear that the notification and resulting refund has not been made. And, as this sale is approaching the refund cut-off date (the purchase was made four days ago), I felt that I had to make a final effort to notify the buyer directly.

The book is SLEEPWALKER: THE LAST SANDMAN, and as some of you know - there was a bizarre (and unauthorized) price jump from .99 to $99 several days ago. Well, the error has FINALLY been corrected (the book is now .99 and will remain so for the next two weeks) but the "mystery buyer" is still at large. So please check your Amazon statements and receipts if you purchased my book in the last week.

Thank you all for your patience and support during this eBook publishing newbie's growing pains. I am so very grateful to the 100+ of you who purchased the book in the two days before the price went rogue.

Brad Marlowe

Sleepwalker: The Last Sandman


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## mfstewart (Jun 23, 2009)

I'm sure it is worth is Brad, don't under sell yourself!


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## Brad Marlowe (Oct 2, 2009)

mfstewart,

Thanks for that! Check it out for yourself, if you're so inclined. I just received my first review - and it wasn't even written by my mother!


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## 911jason (Aug 17, 2009)

I don't think Amazon Customer Service would hold the 7-day refund time against them, they've been known to extend that almost indefinitely if there is good reason.


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## mfstewart (Jun 23, 2009)

Very nice, Brad, great Kindle rank too - congrats! Oddly enough I don't have a Kindle - but if you're published through Smashswords I've been known to buy over there. Send the link!


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## Brad Marlowe (Oct 2, 2009)

jason - You're probably right, but I didn't want to take a chance. Luckily, the mystery has been SOLVED! Blue Goddess bought the $99 copy and she got a refund this morning. BTW: Have you started the book, yet?

mfstewart - Thanks! I've been very fortunate that the response has been so positive. I'll certainly let everyone know if the title migrates to Smashwords.


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

Since this has been resolved, I'm going to merge it with your other book thread, Brad!

Edit: I've merged the thread and the subject in the Topic list should now be Sleepwalker: The Last Sandman.

You can continue to post updates and information about your book in this thread. Thanks!

Betsy


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## 911jason (Aug 17, 2009)

Betsy the Quilter said:


> Betsy


Now Betsy, you can't just post an image like this with no explanation... self-portrait? newest quilt?


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## 911jason (Aug 17, 2009)

Brad Marlowe said:


> BTW: Have you started the book, yet?


Unfortunately Brad, it's joined the extensive TBR list on my Kindle... it's near the top of the indie list though. =)


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## Brad Marlowe (Oct 2, 2009)

I so excited! Just had to share . . .


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

911jason said:


> Now Betsy, you can't just post an image like this with no explanation... self-portrait? newest quilt?


Sorry, I should put a note with those when I include them for the newer folk. When I have to go all moderator on y'all, I put on my moderator's hat and find a picture somewhere on the internet to represent the hat mood I'm in. Saves me from having to buy a whole lotta hats.... 

Betsy


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## ldenglish (Jul 18, 2009)

I see TWO reviews. Congratulations, Brad! I'm getting a Kindle for Christmas (whoop whoop!) and have added Sleepwalker to my list of must-have books.


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## Lynn McNamee (Jan 8, 2009)

Reviewed on my blog today with 4 1/2 Stars!


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## Brad Marlowe (Oct 2, 2009)

Thank you, Red!


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## 911jason (Aug 17, 2009)

There are now 8 reviews posted, and 7 of the 8 are Five-Stars!!! Awesome Brad!!!!


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## Brad Marlowe (Oct 2, 2009)

Thanks, Jason! Would you believe - more than 300 people picked up the book in fourteen days? The response has exceeded my wildest expectations. 

"The Kindlers been bery bery good to me." *he says, doing a poor imitation of Garrett Morris' Chico Escuela character from SNL*


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## 911jason (Aug 17, 2009)

In all honesty Brad, yes I do believe it. I think it's in large part due to your excellent cover design. It's very eye catching and looks like something you might see on the shelf at Borders or Barnes & Noble. That doesn't make it any less exciting though, awesome news!


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## Brad Marlowe (Oct 2, 2009)

From your lips to the publishing gods' ears. Maybe some day soon it WILL be on those shelves. Thanks again for the encouragement.


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## Brad Marlowe (Oct 2, 2009)

Hello Everyone,

For any Sleepwalker fans out there, I've got good news - and bad.

The good: I'm pleased to announce that the revised version of Sleepwalker: The Last Sandman, which includes a host of editorial tweaks (thanks to my generous Kindle Critics), the full-color cover (for iPhone readers), professional formatting, active TOC, and the ability to jump from chapter to chapter - is now available. I've reduced the price to ninety-nine cents for the next two weeks. (I sound like Ron Popeil: "And if you act right NOW..."). It will go up to $7.99 once the big ball drops in Times Square.

The bad news: The reason I'm rolling back the price is that the current Amazon.com DTP (Digital Text Platform) protocols do not allow purchasers of a prior version of a Kindle book to access a revised edition. The tech department says that they're working on this glitch (it has to do with the way the system is designed, and is not an Amazon.com "policy", per se) but the defect won't be fixed in the near future. (Boooo!)

This is further complicated by the fact that a customer who has downloaded a prior version can't even BUY the same (revised) book again. So, the only way to get an updated/revised edition of any Kindle book is to return the original version and purchase the same book again (which gets you the current, revised version). The usual policy is a seven day return privilege for Kindle books, but the Amazon tech told me that exceptions are regularly made for issues like poor formatting, etc. So, if you return your current version of my book - citing the fact that a revised version which addresses formatting issues (as my revision does) is available, but that the current system doesn't allow customers access to the "corrected" text - CS should approve the delayed return. This may also serve to "nudge" them toward fixing this ridiculous limitation. Please don't cite "poor quality" (which is one of the accepted exceptions) as your reason for returning the book or they might just ban it, if enough people do the same. The Amazon.com customer service phone number is 1-866-216-1072.

I know. What a hassle.

You guys (and gals) have been so good to me - you really deserve better. Heck, I've been working away for the last few weeks organizing, assessing, and implementing the collected criticism and comments in order to give you "better". But this work-around approach seems to be my only option (short of coming to each of your homes and reading the improved book to you personally) if I want to get the best possible version of the book to the four hundred Kindlers who have already downloaded it (which I most definitely do).

This super-duper, new-and-improved, be-all-and-end-all version of the book also contains an acknowledgment page for my Kindle Critics, which lists the names of ALL Constructive Critics and reviewers, so far. This page will be updated one more time - six months from now - so, if anyone else cares to leave a review or join the Credit for Criticism experiment on my author's page - I would be deeply grateful. I will also post the Kindle Critics acknowledgment in the Credit for Criticism thread on my author's page, along with an overview of the book's changes. In addition, any of my Kindle Critics can also email me and I'll send them a PDF of the acknowledgment page - if they don't want to deal with the whole return-and-rebuy thing.

Anyway, thanks for your time. As I mentioned, the price of the book will go up to 7.99 on January 1 (I know, I know - I can already hear the bargain hunters grumbling) so if you have any interest in the book - now's probably the time to grab it.

Happy Reading!

Brad Marlowe
Author's Page: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B002RNHDW6
Sleepwalker: The Last Sandman


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

<Brad: merged your new post with your pre-existing thread. You might want to set a bookmark in your browser so you can find it easily the next time you have news! Thanks for the sale price!>


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## Brad Marlowe (Oct 2, 2009)

Hello,

I'm a happy Kindle owner as well as the author of Sleepwalker: The Last Sandman, and I have a favor to ask of any of you who may have read and enjoyed my book. Thanks to the incredible response from the Kindle community, the book will be coming out in a paperback edition in mid-July. On the very first page of the DTB I have excerpted my favorite user reviews, to date. But there is still a bit of space left, so it would mean the world to me if anyone who has been meaning to leave a review - but hasn't, yet - would do so in the next week or so (I have until the end of June to make last minute textual changes and additions).

Of course, anyone else who wants to read the book right away and leave a review would also be welcomed to do so. I've lowered the book's price to ninety-nine cents, through the end of the month, to encourage new readers/reviewers. Anyone who has participated in my Credit for Criticism project has also been mentioned in the book's acknowledgments.

Sleepwalker: The Last Sandman could be classified as a Young Adult novel, but it was also intended for grownups, and is best described as a thematic cousin to Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Peter Pan. The book currently has a 4.5 star rating across 25 reviews. The paperback price of the 456 page book will be $16.95, before Amazon's discounting, but I'll be able to keep the Kindle price substantially lower - at $2.99.

As many of you who have interacted with me on this and the Amazon.com forum in the past already know, I've written and directed several feature films - but this is my first novel. This is my baby. So any assistance that you kind Kindlers can give me in filling the reviews page in the DTB would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you for your time, and for your support of indie authors.

Brad Marlowe 

http://www.amazon.com/Sleepwalker-The-Last-Sandman/dp/B002RHP4N2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=digital-text&qid=1257440498&sr=1-1


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

Brad, once again I've merged a new post with your existing thread for this book. In the future new threads started will be deleted.

FYI: a review of our rules: We invite you to use your book cover as your avatar and have links to your book and website in your signature. Be sure to read the fine print below. Don't forget to bookmark this thread (using your browser's bookmark/favorite function) so you can update it. Although self-promotion is limited to the Book Bazaar, most of our authors have found the best way to promote their books is to be as active throughout KindleBoards as time allows. This is your target audience--book lovers with Kindles!

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

Betsy & Ann
Book Bazaar Moderators

_The fine print:
Please add to your existing book thread when you have news about your book rather than start a new one, it helps the members who are trying to follow you. You may have a separate thread for each of your books. We recommend you bookmark your post so that you can find it in the future.  You may respond to all posts, but if there have been no member posts, we ask that you wait a week before "bumping" the thread by posting back-to-back posts of your own. And we ask that Amazon reviews not be repeated here as they are easy to find at your book link. Also, full reviews from other sites should not be posted here, but you may post a short blurb and a link to the full review instead. All this, and more, is included in our Forum Decorum. From time to time our site rules may change; be sure to check Forum Decorum (http://www.kboards.com/index.php/topic,36.0.html) for the current guidelines and rules. _


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## Brad Marlowe (Oct 2, 2009)

Betsy and/or Ann,

Sorry you had to wrap me on the knuckles with your moderating ruler. Clearly, I don't "get it". How do I locate my original thread in order to modify its title to reflect new news? I haven't posted here in several months, so that original thread has sunken into the abyss, and when I try to search for "Sleepwalker" - I'm taken within threads but not to the originating topic, which is where I need to be in order to modify its "header". Right?


(5 minutes later...)

Duh! I (finally) figured it out. Sorry for the aggressive ignorance. I was thinking that I had to be outside the thread itself in order to make adjustments to the topic heading, but when I located my topic among the others - the ability to modify wasn't there. Anyway, now I understand that you change the topic heading from within the thread itself, so I'll be a one-thread kinda guy from here on out.


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## SharonK (May 19, 2010)

I enjoy discovering new books and authors, to the point that in one month I have quite a long list of books and series I'll be reading.  I wanted you to know that your cover is very well done (nothing new there) and your books sounds fantastic. It has joined my list of books waiting to be read.  I also wonder if you'd mind answering a question about Glass House. I'd love to see the documentary and was wondering if it will be released in the U.S. for viewing?  Or coming to the local theater?  I hope this doesn't bother anyone, but I didn't know how else to ask.  Thanks.

S.


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## Brad Marlowe (Oct 2, 2009)

Hi Sharon,

I'm thrilled that you'll be reading Sleepwalker, and that you like the cover. It was my second attempt at graphic design (after the poster for Glass House) and I really enjoyed the process. 

Regarding Glass House, it has been shown in a few film festivals in the U.S., and has had "official" government-sponsored screenings in D.C., El Salvador, and Panama. The next public screening will be a big presentation sponsored by the Museum of Tolerance, in Los Angeles, this coming November. With all of the attention that the documentary has received (the Washington Post did a big article, and Yad Vashem just recently officially recognized Colonel Arturo Castellanos - the subject of the film - as a "Righteous Gentile", as a direct result of the attention that Glass House brought to his good deeds), we had hoped to find traditional distribution but...

Anyway, we will be making the documentary available via VOD and DVD at Amazon.com by the end of the summer. I've just begun to build a web site (www.bradmarlowe.com), for those who want more information about my films and books, but there's not much there, yet.


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## SharonK (May 19, 2010)

Thanks for your quick response.  I checked out your website, obvious, since that's where I found out about Glass House.  I'll keep checking back and watch for news about it.  Who knows, maybe someday they will take your documentary, fill it with extra stuff and make a movie out of it.  Isn't that what frequently happens with interesting subjects?  

S.


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## Brad Marlowe (Oct 2, 2009)

From your mouth to the Hollywood Gods' ears


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## Brad Marlowe (Oct 2, 2009)

Bump (for new message)


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