John Locke – One of Amazon’s Most Successful Ebook Authors
John Locke has quickly become a legend in the ebook self publishing industry. He was the first independent author to sell one million ebooks on Amazon. When this interview was conducted, he was working on the seventh book in his Donovan Creed series, Vegas Moon, as well as his second Emmett Love western, Don’t Poke the Bear. John lives in Kentucky, USA.
Darrell - Your biography on Amazon says that, "Every 7 seconds, 24 hours a day, a John Locke novel is downloaded somewhere in the world." That's pretty impressive. How did you become a writer and how did you become so amazingly successful?
John - I always thought it would be a great achievement to write a complete novel. Whether it made money or not. I never acted on that idea because I was too busy with my work. But a few years ago I found myself with some free time and some stories to tell, and thought it would be fun to give it a shot. Just write, all the way to the end, without quitting. My first manuscript was titled, “Killing Hailey.” It was absolutely dreadful. Seriously bad. No one needed to tell me that. When it’s bad, it’s bad. So I set it aside and thought about it a few weeks, and came to the conclusion there were some great characters in that book. All they needed was a better author. So I started over, with the characters, and let them tell the story.
Darrell - Your covers are a little reminiscent of the old Carter Brown books. Is he one of your influences?
John - I was not familiar with the Carter Brown books before you posed the question. I checked out some of the covers and am not sure I see the similarity. However, his covers are certainly unique. I think if your covers are unique, they become a symbol for your work. Last year my publisher, Claudia Jackson, of Telemachus Press, came up with the idea of using women’s legs for my covers. I loved it. It was a great branding idea.
Darrell - Your kindle books are priced at only 99 cents. Has this been a successful strategy for you?
John - Yes and no. Yes, because it was a great way to draw attention to my books. No, because if I had started at $2.99 and lowered my prices I’d be a hero, while now, if I raise my price from 99 cents to $2.99, I’m a goat.
Darrell - Where do you see the future of ebook publishing as opposed to print publishing?
John - I think print books will become an experience, and ebooks a staple. Going to a bookstore, browsing the books, is an experience. There’s something special about it. You don’t have to buy your books that way anymore, but it’s fun. The movie business is similar. You can rent or buy the movies you want to see, but the actual movie experience is different. It’s more expensive, but there’s something special about seeing a movie when it first comes out, in the format it was intended to be presented.
Darrell - Follow the Stone was a sideways step into the world of the western. It seems to have been just as successful as your other books. What made you write a western?
John - I love the idea of westerns. It’s a simple dynamic: a man or woman overcoming hardship to carve out a meaningful life in a savage land, while maintaining their integrity.
Darrell - What advice would you give to someone about to publish their first novel as an ebook?
John - The minute you send it out into the world, start writing the next one. Don’t worry if your first one is going to sell, because it probably won’t. And if it does, your public is going to want the next book anyway, and you’ll have nothing in the tank to give them. Your readers want to know you’re committed to providing them with content. In this regard, writing is like a friendship. Do you want to be my friend? Then BE there for me!
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