Canister X – A.P. Fuchs: Zombie, Paranormal Romance and Superhero Novelist, Blogger, Artist, Publisher

From today, each tweet separated by ***:

Was I ahead of my time? Every argument I made for indie publishing years ago are now the anthems of many writers now, even midlisters.
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But at the same time, I think it’s gone too far. It’s becoming an “us and them” thing again, only the players are switching sides. Dangerous
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No one path is better than the other; it’s a case of one path being better for YOU personally. That’s the secret to #publishing success.
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Dear Reader: Are u aware of how your favorite writers act outside of the book of theirs you’re reading? Sometimes, I get woefully embarassed
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and sometimes I get really proud. Ahhh, the Internet, where anything goes and everyone’s an expert.
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‘Tis a dangerous beast we created, and by we, I mean people with math a technical skills far more advanced than my own. I have no idea how..
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…to make bits of metal and plastic talk to each other; how to send invisible info through the air; how to make that which is not alive…
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…think and process for me. Am I the only one scared by this? As cool as all this tech is, I can’t help but wonder if somewhere someone…
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…or something actually holds the tech cards to the world. The more ground we give to machines, the more of ourselves we lose. It’s true.
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Balance is everything in this day and age. So I employ you, put books on the scales. Read. Most people don’t. Reading will put you ahead of
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everyone else. Don’t believe me? Read random bits of writing and see how folks can’t spell stuff on grocery lists, to-do lists, notes for…
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loved ones, etc. We’ve given up our intellect to a world of entertainment, the kind that numbs our brains (i.e. TV, video games, and more).
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Not that those things are bad in and of themselves, but I fear for our younger generation. Big time. If you’re a parent, uncle, aunt, etc.
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teach the little ones to read, to do math without a calculator. You’ll raise leaders that way because they’ll have to take charge when…
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the others can’t because they weren’t trained to use their God-given brain. Have a kid that doesn’t like reading? Start them on #comics.
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It’s a beautiful and underrated medium. Then feed them more comics and prose works. They’re life will be all the richer for it.
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Feel free to comment. I gotta go bag me some zombies.

I debated whether I should post this or not, but then I figured, hey, can’t hurt and maybe someone out there will be inspired by this. This isn’t to brag or anything. In fact, that’s not the point here. So, after a harrowing couple of weeks of doing taxes, I finally was able to learn how many copies of my own books I sold last year. This doesn’t include anthologies I edited or any collaborations. Just stuff that I wrote and no one else.

1889 copies–if I did my math right–is what I sold across the board.

Is it a good number?

I think it is, and I consider myself blessed, for the following reasons:

- a solid portion of that number were paperbacks, in an age when eBooks are all the rage and, in my opinion, the easy way to self-publish. To be clear, I love eBooks and use the technology, but to be able to move a solid amount of paperbacks in a world where the standard bookstore is disappearing, I’m doing okay.
- half my catalog is superhero stuff–check that–independent superhero stuff, a genre that, on the whole, isn’t very popular, yet I moved a fair amount of books in the Axiom-man Saga last year.
- I don’t write “popular” or “fan-favorite” books like thrillers, suspense, erotica or romance (before you say anything, the love stories I do as Peter Fox are different and are not romance) I just write what I like.
- my main channel is the Internet, with some outside stuff like bookstores and conventions

Would I like to sell more? Of course, but almost 1900 copies of some independently-produced books is way better than the 200-or-less-copy average most self-published books sell over the course of their lifetime.

My goal for this year is to hit at least 5000. Are you willing to help? If so, there are a host of book links on either side of this webpage, Kindle on the left, paperbacks on the right. Thanks in advance for any and all support.

Hope everyone is having a good week. Me? My brain is mush from all the tax work, but I feel really good knowing I’m dropping everything off at the accountant’s tomorrow. Tonight I plan on taking it easy and spending time with my wife and kids.

November 15, 2010
Blog: Can’t Find a Bookmark
Web: http://findabookmark.blogspot.com/2010/11/scotts-tour-stop.html
Comment:

Wonderful variety in your promoting, Scott. And that’s really the key, isn’t it? Coming at this book promotion thing from all angles. Why? Because readers come from all angles. Sure, some promoting techniques work better than others, but my philosophy has always been to use every technique possible and only discard the ones that have proven themselves to be a waste of time.

Simply having a Facebook page or even a website doesn’t cut it anymore. You got to plug, plug, plug your book at every opportunity. Sometimes it pays off right away, other times it takes awhile, but in the end, you get to share your stuff with readers and, ultimately, that’s what this storytelling thing is all about–The reader.

November 19, 2010
Blog: Smash Attack Reads!
Web: http://smashattackreads.blogspot.com/2010/11/guest-post-scott-nicholson-kindle.html
Comment:

That’s one thing I’m not getting about publishing these days: the dreaded “H-word.” Why is horror as a label so taboo? It’s just as valid a genre as any other.

I’m not a publishing historian, but obviously publishers’ choices to substitute “horror” with stuff like “thriller” is a marketing decision. I’m just curious as to when that decision was made. Did they see things trending in the thriller genre that they thought, “Hey, let’s disguise our horror titles, lie to the reader and move more copies by calling them ‘thriller’”? It’s possible.

This is why the small press is special. The readers matter. We don’t lie to them and cover up genres with other labels. We tell them what they’re getting.

As both a publisher and a reader, there’s a tremendous sense of intimacy between the small press and the reader as opposed to corporate publishing.

That’s a good thing, and I’m thrilled to serve on both sides of that particular fence.

November 20, 2010
Blog: Geranium Cat’s Bookshelf
Web: http://geraniumcatsbookshelf.blogspot.com/2010/11/just-another-backward-book-launch-guest.html
Comment:

Most definitely agreed. I think the future of book marketing will be a combination of the publisher marketing a title and the author marketing their title. How is this different from now when the same thing goes on? It’ll come down to how consumers buy books and, ultimately, the fate of the bookstore. That precious “real estate” on the shelves is indeed precious now, but with consumer reading choices turning more internet-based–whether for eBooks or simply for online shopping–it’ll be the publishers’ and authors’ internet muscle that’ll really matter in the end. That’ll be the co-venture between publisher and author.

We’re becoming a tech-obsessed, Net-obsessed society. Some areas–like music–are more ahead of it in terms of reaching folks than others, but in the end, books’ll be there, too.

It’s my personal opinion that each bookstore should opt for an Espresso machine and a very user-friendly database for folks to pick out books they want printed up for them on the spot.

November 21, 2010
Blog: Teresa’s Reading Corner
Web: http://teresasreadingcorner.blogspot.com/2010/11/author-spotlight-guest-post-and-kindle.html
Comment:

A lot of writers are touting cheap eBooks as the way to go.

I disagree, as I went experimenting this year and for months had books on the cheap. ($2 or $3.) Download quantity was the same as it was when it was priced higher. The problem was I was making less money, and since this is my sole source of income, I had to increase the prices and I’m happy to report that sales are still the same. Okay, not happy, in that we all want as many sales as possible, but happy because at least I didn’t lose any sales in the process.

So as it stands, I’m sticking with the price range I have unless the publishing game dictates otherwise.

November 22, 2010
Blog: Magic Faerie’s Paranormal Review
Web: http://magicfaeriesparanormalreview.blogspot.com/2010/11/guest-post-scott-nicholson-kindle.html
Comment:

Please put me down for a Kindle, Scott. Thanks.

Copyright 2010-2011 by A.P. Fuchs. All rights reserved.
36: Under the Bridge

Telecom handheld transmission:

Again, I’m sending this from a wireless handheld device. Excuse any typos. Editing on this thing is difficult. Already tried. Anyway . . .
We’re under the Maxworth Bridge, Jay and I. Dinner was . . . awful, plainly put. Know what we had? Earthworms. Friggin’ earthworms! Jay said something about them being high in protein. Whatever. Though we both ate, I got the sneakin’ suspision he just wanted to see me eat worms. But, better worms for food than being wormfood itself. Can still feel them wiggling on my tongue, their fishy scent and rubbery shells filled with grainy, oozing flesh.
Jay’s beside me, curled up on the ground, trying to get some sleep. I’m on the first watch. Was hoping we’d both be awake just for the sake of company, but I also realize that it’s better this way. At least for now. My hope is to get back to my place tomorrow. Doesn’t make sense the zombies would linger there once they find the building empty.
I’m not going to talk about Selena this entry, in case you’re wondering. If anything, my brain needs a break from her, though I think about her constantly.
The main thing now is: what’s next? Can’t live under a bridge like some troll. I’m thinking skipping town would be the best option. The problem with that is Comtropolis is huge, and getting to the edge of the city on foot would take at least two days, walking about ten hours a day. Maybe even three days.
Right now silence is on the air, the heartbeat of the city long dead. Just keeping my ears perked for feet sliding across the pavement.
I’d really like to know what started all this and why oh why the undead have to eat the living. What did we do to them?
Frak! Just hate sitting here hence my rambling. When I write these entries, it takes my mind off what’s going on and off certain people. Sometimes I think that none of what I said makes any sense. Sometimes I think half of it is boring. But them’s the breaks for you. You should at least be happy someone is writing something and that somewhere there’s somebody alive who’s taken the time to tell you what’s going on in his life.
What’s that? You want to be thrilled and chilled by reading this? Give me a break. You want thrills and chills, go stand in the street and wait for the first flesh-muncher to come along. No, seriously, wait for them. Then when they grab you, don’t try to run until their teeth meet your skin. Then you can try and rip your arm away from them. There’s your thrills and chills.
And that’s precisely my point: the media has killed you. Do you hear me? Killed you, even worse than the undead have. Yeah, I’m serious. Whether in life or even in entertainment, you’ve been brainwashed into expecting certain things and when those things aren’t delivered to you, you throw a temper tantrum. I’m glad that technology is almost dead. I’m glad we don’t have adfeeds shoved down our necks twenty-four-seven like before. I’m glad the podcasts have silenced, that television has blinked out and even the blasted Internet is on its last legs. It’s done nothing but made people lazy and spoonfed instant gratification. Myself included. But at least I’ve made the choice to accept that life sucks, is hard and doesn’t satisfy me instantly. The zombies have at least taught me that much. So I’m writing this rant to you, hoping it’ll strike a nerve and even though you might hate my guts right now, I’m all you got. At least, if you have some semblance of a heart.
Welcome to reality. Welcome to the place where there’s no plot, no neat little endings, no climaxes–just one crazy ride where zombies walk, some nut from Comtropolis writes to you, and somewhere someone is listening.
Jay just farted in his sleep. Bet you didn’t see that coming, huh?
What? That throw you for a loop?
My point exactly.
At the end of the day, we’re all just trolls under a bridge. Look at yourself and you’ll see what I’m saying is true.
Still waiting for you to come round under this bridge, by the way. But you probably won’t. That’d demand effort.
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Copyright 2010 by A.P. Fuchs. All rights reserved.
35: On the Move Part Four

Telecom handheld transmission:

There was a small, one-foot-by-two window toward the ceiling of the laundry room. Glass, with a grate on the outside. I broke the glass with the same broomstick that–
Anyway, I smashed the window, then, standing on the washing machine against the wall, used the broomstick as a kind of thin battering-ram, all the while pounding on its end with the dustpan until, after an hour, the screws holding the grate to the outside wall finally gave way. I squeezed through the opening, took one last look at Selena’s body, and ran.
The undead were gathered out front. I ran past them, and the few that tried stumbling after me didn’t have a prayer.
Adrenaline propelled my legs. All I wanted was to leave Selena and that laundry room behind. But now, writing this to you, I would give anything to see her again. Yet I’ve already seen her, haven’t I? How many times had she recently come into my life only to die a short time later? Can I expect her return again? Will I see her? Did I really see her?
I’m telling you, I don’t know if all this stuff is in my head or if it’s real. Maybe I’m lying in a gutter somewhere, suffering from a zombie bite and all these crazy hallucinations–even this journal–is some sort of side effect of whatever it is they carry that infects people and turns them into one of them.
Are the zombies even real?
Maybe I’m just a regular old lunatic in a regular old world? Maybe you’re as crazy as I am and we’re sitting in a padded cell somewhere, sharing the same delusional fantasy?
Gotta clear my head.
Wish I had some alcohol.
Need sleep.
Need Selena.
Need . . . I don’t know what I need anymore.

* * *

His name was Jay. I met him after I took pummelled an undead old man after the creature tried to take a bite out of me. The old geezer still tried walking with his cane even though he didn’t have the coordination anymore. It was his cane that I used to beat him to the ground and eventually shove through his rotting throat to sever his head.
It was out of his pocket this telecom handheld fell. It was the telecom that has the Wifi I’m using to send this entry out into Cyberspace now.
Back on point: Jay. His name was Jay. He was black, tall, built like a basketball player. Now don’t go accusing me of being racist or stereotypical or anything. I’m sorry, but that’s just how he was. The best part was that he was alive. Real. A human. He was the first one I’ve seen aside from Selena in so long that–and I really mean this part–I forgot what it was like to relate to a real flesh-and-blood guy again.
He wore a red T-shirt, black pants, and this pair of sneakers that were gleaming white with neon green. He must’ve just lifted them from somewhere because they were too clean to be anything but new. Regardless, the dude came out of nowhere right when I was sending my cane through the old man’s neck. He tried to stop me before realizing the old man was a zombie. Instead, he just came up beside me, set his weight on one him, crossed his arms and watched.
Jay’s sitting across from me now in the alley that I’m transmitting this from. I told him what happened, but how I had to escape my building. I didn’t give him the lowdown on Selena. Only said someone I really cared about had just died. Jay told me I could cry about it if it made me feel any better.
I’ve only known the dude for maybe a half hour, maybe slightly more, but I got to admit it feels amazing to be with someone other than myself and other than someone who haunted my mind and heart for so long.
I almost feel normal, like things used to be. Must never forget, though. Must never forget that things aren’t normal not here, and not even out there, outside this crazy hallucination, if that’s what this is. Normal people don’t live in padded cells.
Getting sidetracked. Starting to slip.
Jay’s going to keep me grounded. I just know it.

* * *

We made it under the Maxworth Bridge. It’s in an older part of town, there for folks who can’t afford zipcars. That’s fine. There’re no social classes anymore anyways.
Jay and I walked here, each keeping an eye on the other’s back. He told me he comes from a family of thirteen kids. He’s the second youngest and has eight brothers and four sisters. They’re all dead, died pretty much right after this thing started. His family was so huge that the house they had couldn’t allow for a separate room for everyone. Most of his brothers and sisters bunked together. He bunked with his younger brother, Willim. Jay doesn’t know which of his siblings got infected first, but soon his whole family was transformed and him and Willim had to split.
They survived on the street for a long time; several weeks, Jay said. But his brother died. I asked Jay what happened. He only smiled and said, “Stupid kid slipped off a catwalk and fell. Hit the ground. Busted his head open.” At first, I thought Jay was crazy for smiling at the memory, but then I got it: Jay was happy his brother wasn’t around to experience any of this and, in a way, controlled his own death instead of falling victim to one of the undead. Jay’s religious, too. Says he doesn’t mind Willim’s gone. He says that one day, when the time is right, he’s going to join Willim in the choir in the sky, and not only Willim, but his whole family.
Right now, we’re under this bridge, zombie free. I don’t know if it’s God showing Jay favor or if we’re just plain lucky, but we’re getting a break. No running for our lives right now.
For the moment, I’m happy.
Jay’s thinking about what we can do for dinner. I told him I had some food back at my place, but we agreed it’d be too dangerous to go back there after what happened, at least right now. Maybe a different day.
We’ll figure something out, but if anybody’s out there reading this and can get to us under the Maxworth Bridge in Comtropolis, we’d owe you one.
Is anybody out there?
Anybody?
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Read Part Four…

September 22, 2010
Blog: Megalith
Web: http://megalithbooks.blogspot.com/2010/09/beat-of-different-drummer-with-scott.html
Comment:

Seems your surrounding area is loaded with secrets and story potential. Interesting.

And now I feel like a goon because I haven’t been posting my contact email (despite it being available through my URL). So it’s coscomentertainment[at]gmail[dot]com

Thanks.

September 23, 2010
Blog: Badass Bookie
Web: http://badassbookie.blogspot.com/2010/09/scott-nicholson-blog-tour-win-kindle.html
Comment:

The breakdown of artificial barriers is what the Internet is all about. It’s thrilling we can now reach worldwide with the click of a button. Gone are the days of wondering what’s going on “out there” with our work. We can see reader reactions firsthand (provided they’ve added their two cents to the Net about it, of course).

Amazing times we live in.

September 24, 2010
Blog: Curling Up by the Fire
Web: http://curlingupbythefire.blogspot.com/2010/09/welcome-scott-nicholson-win-kindle.html
Comment:

Great post, Scott.

I remember a time in my own career where I was obsessed with making it in the big leagues and, sometimes, was even more obsessed what other writers in the industry thought of me. Then I woke up (partly inspired by cartoonist Dave Sim and his “who cares what anyone thinks of me” attitude), and realized that the “industry” is not who you write for. You write for the reader. They are the ones you want to entertain, laugh with, cry with and get respect from. When I woke up to that fact, independent publishing became a whole new world for me to explore even to the point of it now being my lifestyle instead of a career. It’s who I am and what I do.

Truth be told, I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Glad to have you aboard the USS Indie. Let’s boldly go . . .

(And I agree, if your book can change just one life, then it was worth it and the book most definitely has value.)

September 25, 2010
Blog: My Neurotic Book Affair
Web: http://myneuroticbookaffair.blogspot.com/2010/09/welcome-scott-nicholson-blog-tour-and_25.html
Comment:

Put me down for the Kindle, please.

Thanks.

September 27, 2010
Blog: My Reading Room
Web: http://myreadingroom-crystal.blogspot.com/2010/09/author-interview-and-blog-tour-with.html
Comment:

I got into horror when I was 18, started writing it when I was 19. It was a good fit with my “inner self” at the time. Most people think of horror as just “blood and guts” and that’s it, when that’s far from the truth. The gore part is only a piece of it. Horror is about human relationship with itself during times of terrible crisis, how it acts under pressure, and exploring the darker parts of our hearts, which is something we all have. It’s about facing what we’re capable of in times of stress, whether human-inflicted or through some other otherworldly means.

It’s an amazing genre that, I think, needs to make a big comeback.

We’ve had some Net trouble here on our end in that the main machine I worked from was unable to get online for browsing, hence no blog post yesterday.

We just underwent a much, much overdue hardware upgrade here, so I need a few days to get things back up and running. I’m able to access the Net again, but my work–both publishing and writing–is on the other machine. I’m still aiming for a Zomtropolis update tomorrow, but there’s a small chance it might not appear until Saturday. Please check in tomorrow to see if it was posted or not.

Likewise, Coscom Entertainment work has been backed up as a result, too, since a good portion of the business takes place on the Internet and all its files are on the other machine. Time to start transferring.

Thank you for your patience.

Stumbled upon this while doing my morning Internet hopping.

Dark Knight music video parody.

Funny stuff.

Came across this link this morning via BrianKeene.com

http://www.thebookseller.com/news/108938-book-business-faces-tectonic-shift-2010-and-beyond-part-one.html

In short, it features the top dogs at a few of the major publishing houses talking about the future of publishing, specifically in the context of the digital revolution.

What blows me away is the stuff featured in this article was stuff that myself and other indie publishers knew years ago, which is why folks like myself are so invested in keeping up with the changes in publishing, new media and all the rest.

There was a time in my life when I was really interested in mass market publishing and I was almost willing to do anything to make it in this book game.

I’ve had years of ups and downs in this biz, but just the other week I was talking to my wife and proudly told her that what I’m doing and what Coscom Entertainment is doing is where I want to be. Nowadays I consider myself an Internet writer/publisher and am loving every minute of it. I don’t want to be anything else. I’m at the ground floor of all these changes. Those of us on the ground floor are the ones who are going to get ahead because since we got here first, we’ll be taking the elevator to the top while those finally catching on (see the above article) will be starting from scratch.

I sound like a broken record, but I’ll say it yet again: there’s a war going on between the traditionalists and the “new media-ists.” The above article only proves that what I’ve been saying for years–despite the condescending remarks of others–is coming to pass.

This is quickly becoming a do-it-yourself world. Technology has leveled the playing field, and not just in book creation, but in the marketing aspect of it as well.

There will come a time when the Internet and traditional book-and-mortar book selling will merge. The first steps are already in place by way of–generally speaking–a bookstore’s ability to order in titles. The new step that just happened is the Espresso book machine, which is a portable book-maker so a store can produce any book you want on the spot if they don’t happen to carry it. There’s also talk about eBook kiosks so you can upload to your eBook reader right at a store (and who knows where else).

Things are changing.

Digital production is where it’s going to be. If anything, like the song says, “We’re halfway there.”

I’m on Christmas/New Year’s break right now and won’t be back into my regular routine until Jan. 11.

Normally, I’m plugged into the Internet 6-7 hours a day.

Since 1pm-ish Dec. 24, I’ve only been plugged in a grand total of roughly 6-7 hours, most of that being for my own leisure, Twittering, updating this blog, etc. I admit, I have done a bit of work, but I’m trying to honestly-and-for-real take a break as I haven’t had one in roughly 2 and a half years.

I got to tell you that it’s real peaceful to be withdrawn from constantly being wired in, especially since these days so much of the world depends on the Net, social networking, emails and more.

To be honest, a part of me has forgotten what it’s like to communicate with real, breathing people. Most of the time my communications are via words either in email, Twittering, this blog, and message boards. I speak without opening my mouth and spend 98% of my time alone.

Friends came into town over the past couple weeks. Got to see them. Had fun. But I had a hard time getting involved in the conversation and conveying my thoughts verbally. If you surveyed these guys, you’d quickly learn that had never been a problem before, but nowadays, since so much of my time is spent “virtually living” and only socializing with folks outside my family a handful of times a year–I’ve forgotten how to relate to real human beings.

I’m not complaining because I love my job and wouldn’t have it any other way, but perhaps, if anything, I just want to suggest that if you’re a Cyber addict or are constantly on your Blackberry, consider just unplugging for a while and getting back into the swing of relating to folks the old-fashioned way: by talking, by listening, by spending time together and doing more than just typing on a keyboard or a smartphone.

This holiday has been good to me that way so far. It’s nice to get back in touch with life and pull free of Web dependency and network addiction.

Peace.