Why I Don't Recommend My Own Audio Book

While I don't have a magnificent voice, sometimes it's easier to listen to a story than to read one. And an audio book is as close as I can get to a movie with a cast of one. So it seemed like a good idea. I had just produced an audio version of Bummer and Lazarus, and it worked out well enough. Amazon (that is, ACX) automatically has it priced at $5.95, free with Audible membership. Such a deal!

Onward to Enemy of the Gods: The Legend of Nicholas. I spent the time and trouble to produce an audio version, not giving much attention to the mysteries of Amazon's automatic pricing. When at last it came out, I was hit with sticker shock: Seventeen dollars! They say they price it based on play time.

True, it's still free with Audible membership, but my goal had been to keep the price barrier low so more people could enjoy it. I sure wouldn't shovel out $17 on it. How could I ask anyone else to?

Then, in writing this post I made a discovery: The price has come down to a more modest $13.08. That's still way too much, but it's shifting in the right direction. So don't buy my audio book... yet. Wait a while. Let Amazon decide that this is not the next New York Times bestseller and let the price settle down to a more reasonable level. Then maybe you might want to give it a listen. In the meantime, you can still read it for 99 cents on Kindle, or for free here on this site.

Coming Soon: Enemy of the Gods on Audio

"Christmas in July? But I thought St. Nicholas was a Christmas story." Most likely Nicholas never celebrated Christmas, so why wait until Christmas? Soon Enemy of the Gods: The Legend of Nicholas will be released as an audio book, narrated by the best voice I could afford, mine. And there's cool music and sound effects too. Check back for release details.

Bummer & Lazarus Preview Video

Here's a short video preview of the Bummer & Lazarus audio book. It will give you a feel of old San Francisco. But watch out! You may learn something.

Bummer And Lazarus

Bummer & Lazarus Audio Book

Bummer and Lazarus is now out as an audio book, complete with music and sound effects. You might feel like you're standing right there, kicking up dust in the street with the peculiar people of San Francisco in 1861. You can find it on Amazon.com and iTunes. You can enjoy it chapter by chapter and get a full 2 hours and 52 minutes of entertaining history.

And if you're wondering, the two reporters who chased after this pair of dogs were real people. Albert Evans even has his own Wikipedia page. So also, Emperor Norton, George Washington Coombs, the King of Pain and all the other eccentrics were real people.

If you buy it (audio or ebook), please post a review where you bought it it so others can find out about it. Thanks.

Bummer & Lazarus

Pass on the word! Bummer & Lazarus is now available for pre-order as an ebook. The release date is December 1. If you have Kindle Unlimited, the book is free. Otherwise, it's just 99 cents. Soon the audio book will come available. Here's the description from Amazon:

This is the true story of a plucky pair of dogs and the peculiar people who made them famous.

South Carolina secedes from the Union in 1861, but the sleepy city of San Francisco cares more about its war on rats. Bummer, a stray dog, has earned fame for his many rat kills. When one night he jumps in to save another stray (Lazarus) from the attack of a vicious dog, the new pair catch the attention of two rival reporters: Albert Evans with the Alta California, and Frank Gross with the Bulletin. This historical comedy traces the personal and professional competition that drove these two newsmen to serve as the personal biographers of two stray dogs, and how these animals captured the hearts of a city with their loyalty and kindness.