With so many books out there in Amazon land, I thought I needed to let potential readers know why the should choose my books over someone else’s. So here’s my Letterman style list, since he’s gone and I missed the chance to have him read it on late night television.
10. They don’t suck. This reason is in response to a blog post by Jon Konrath, an indie author who has sold a ton of books who suggested that if your sales weren’t what you wanted then maybe your books sucked. Accepting that challenge, I reread all 19 of my books. And…they don’t suck.
9. You might learn something. Many of my books are based on historical events that I carefully research to give my fiction credibility. That doesn’t mean I stay 100% to the facts but I’ve done enough homework that my story feels real, plausible. In any case, they might make you want to look up the inspiration.
8. Sexy flawed heroes. Well, okay, if you’re a guy that might not make you want to read my books. But maybe you know someone who would appreciate that aspect. I firmly believe that a character can’t be perfect, so if my leading men are gorgeous, and they always are, they have to have something that keeps them believable; a tragic past, a broken heart that needs mending, a secret, a scar, an illness, or even bad judgement.
7. Four and five star reviews. I generally get good reviews and I don’t know who is reviewing them, so the reviews are honest.
6. Female characters you would like to be BFFs with. I like to think that the women I write about are people my readers care about. Women they would like to know and root for.
5. I write a lot of series. Many of my books are series, so if you enjoyed the first book, there is usually more to come with the same characters.
4. A reasonable price for a good read. I price my books reasonably so that cost is not a consideration. My average price for a kindle book is 3.99 and 8.99-10.99 for a paperback.
3. Unexpected endings. Some of my books are HEA- happily ever after, after about 350 pages of trying to get there. But some of them, Terezin Twilight, for example, don’t end the way you expect or even want them to. And Hiding Mona Lisa, and the other books in my Louvre Trilogy have a twist at the end, or an unexpected narrator.
2. A little art education. Every book I write includes art, music or literature as part of the story. These are things that I am passionate about and share daily as an Art and English teacher. It flows over into my books.
1. A good story. The most important thing. And my books don’t suck.
Books make great holiday gifts- for someone on your list, or for yourself. Shop at http://www.booksbylynnmurphy.com.