BOOK BOMB! The Longest Con by Michaelbrent Collings

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It’s BOOK BOMB time!

The Longest Con
by Michaelbrent Collings

theLongestCon

The purpose of a BOOK BOMB is to get as many people as possible to buy the same book on the same day. That gets it to go up in the sales rankings on Amazon as much as possible. The higher it gets, the more eyes see it, the more new readers check it out. Success breeds success, and the most important thing is that the author GETS PAID. So please check it out, and if you like it, tell your friends and spread the word.

I use Amazon for this because it has an hourly updating sales rank and half the fun is seeing how high we can make it go, but if you want to buy it from your local store, or Barnes and Noble, or whatever, that’s great because the author still GETS PAID. And the whole point is to get a deserving author with a quality book new fans.

This is a really fun book. Michaelbrent is best known as a horror writer but this is a comedy. Or at least you think it is a comedy, until it actually turns into an urban fantasy mystery (but it stays funny).

Now this one is a little odd because I know many of my regulars have already bought this book previously. That’s because I’m a major character in it (and he’s pretty much spot on in the portrayal if I do say so modestly). The basic premise of the book is that real monsters like to go to conventions in costume, and some people have to keep them in line. Who better to get drafted for this duty than the author schmucks who are at all these events anyway?

So most of the main characters are based on real life people. If you know the real life people it is actually a lot funnier, but don’t worry, you don’t need to, its still a fun book either way. (the portrayal of Kevin J. Anderson is uncanny in its accuracy).

I really liked this one.

But I’m not BBing Michaelbrent because I’m a character (honestly, at this point you’d be surprised how often I show up in people’s books) but because he is a really good dude. And he’s got so much talent that I’d love for more people to discover him.

He’s also a hard working professional who likes to give no BS advice to help out aspiring writers. And he cares enough about his craft to want to try and get the details right, which is why I’ve taken him shooting a few times so he could learn to write gun scenes better (and he is actually a pretty good shot).

So this BB is going to be a little weird and I’ve got an odd request for my regulars. If you’ve already bought Longest Con, then to participate, please leave a review and tell your friends. Or even better, since the important thing about a Book Bomb is an author Gets Paid, pick a different book of his that looks cool and try it out.

##

Right now we are at:

Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #36,688 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

I’ll update this later. Amazon has instituted a long delay before sales register on the charts, so it won’t be until tonight that this morning’s sales start to show up. Because of that I will keep the BB running until tomorrow. So please share the link and spread the word. Let’s see what we can do and help a talented author out.

 

EDIT: I knew about this a little while ago, and in fact it is why I scheduled the BB for this week, but Michaelbrent has gone ahead and made it public so I will share what he said:
THE VERY SAD, LIFE-CHANGING NEWS
I just came out with a book called THE DARKLIGHTS. Now I am in process of writing the completion to THE SWORD CHRONICLES. And those will be my last books, because I am retiring as a writer.
There are a lot of reasons for this, but most of them boil down to: 1) lots of health issues, 2) lots of health bills, and 3) not enough book sales to cover them all. It’s been a tough year, with lots of struggles, and as much as I enjoy being a full-time author and interacting with fans and friends on the con circuit, the simple fact is that I haven’t written enough “hits” in the last year or so to make it worth it for my family.
I’ve never made a secret of the fact that my first responsibility is NOT to my fans, and NOT to me. It is to my family, and their quality of life has gone down along with my sales. NOT okay. So I’m going to go back to the world of “real” jobs. My kids are going to hate it (they don’t know yet), since they’re proud of the fact that their daddy is a “world famous writer” (their words, not mine). But hopefully they’ll thank me for it down the line.
So… buy THE LONGEST CON today, or gift it to a friend. Or both! That and SWORD III will be a nice swan song. I couldn’t ask for better.

##
So I’m not just doing this Book Bomb because it’s a good book, he’s got talent, and I think you guys will like it, but because he’s come to a point in his career where he is having to make a really tough call. And the best way for him to take care of his family is to go back to having a regular job and a steady paycheck. I can really respect that.

So I want to give a good guy and a good author one last boost. Let’s Book Bomb the hell out of this thing.

EDIT: All right, we are getting movement faster than expected. I never know how to plan these things because every couple of months they seem to put in a different amount of time delay!

Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,468 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

EDIT: Still moving on up. Normally we’d hit the high point sometime late tonight, but I’m not sure how many hours the delay is now.

Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,480 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

EDIT: Top 1,000 out of all Kindle books on Amazon. Now we are talking. In its genre MB is beating out Gaiman and Pratchett, so all he has to do now is take out Harry Potter for that #1 spot. JK Rowling is only the most successful author in the world, but we got this! 😀

Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #925 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

EDIT: Still moving along. We’re now in the top 700. Still not hitting #1 in his genre though, because JK Rowling drives around in a solid gold tank.

Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #777 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

Source for Autographed/Personalized Copies of All My Books
A Monster Hunter Nation Opinion Piece: Mike Glyer is a Scumbag

30 thoughts on “BOOK BOMB! The Longest Con by Michaelbrent Collings”

      1. Michael may you be successful in your shift to the extent you can start writing again. I am very much enjoying “The Longest Con”

        Reply

      2. Mr. Collings, please allow me to share a story with you, in the hopes that it will dull the pain.

        On December 31, 2009, I was laid off from my job. On January 1, 2010 – the next day – my first son was born. We pushed through, struggled, and sacrificed. A lot. I had several nights where I lay awake at night literally wondering how I was going to feed my infant son the next day. I take great pride that he and my wife never once went hungry – although more than once *I* did.

        One of the reasons he never went hungry is that in the fall of 2010 – still unemployed – I sold my sports car. I *LOVED* that car. I still have a picture of me racing it in an autocross hanging in my home office. That picture has been there for years.

        One day, a year or two ago, my son came into my office while I was working. He stared at my picture for a while, and then he asked me a question.

        “You loved that car, didn’t you?”

        I told him that yes, I really did.

        “But you sold it because you loved us more.”

        My wife must’ve told him, because I never did. But I will tell you this – it was a thousand percent worth it. Because not only did I feed my son, at five years old (maybe six), he understood that I loved him more than all this superficial crap we keep around us. He understood it at the level that just telling your kids, “I love you,” can never communicate.

        I miss that car all the time. I have coworkers who drive similar models, and I see others around town. It hurts every time I see one.

        But I made the right decision, and despite the pangs I don’t regret it for a second. Your children may be disappointed that their father isn’t a “cool author” anymore. But they’ll learn the right lessons from it: a) that their father loves them, and b) that a Man puts his family first, even when it hurts.

        Hang in there. The tough times won’t last forever, although at times it will sure as hell feel like it.

        Reply

    1. Oh, you will like it. It shall be as an Evil Carrot to your Evil Bunny, to be consumed in a fetish of gnashing Evil Teeth, digested in your Evil Digestive Tract, then pooped out as tiny Evil Poop Pellets, which – because Evil – shall then be hurled at innocent passers-by, who shall be infected with the Evil Desire to read the book as well… and so shall continue this cycle of Carrot-Teeth-Colon-Poo-Hurl-Repeat, until the sun blackens in the sky and carrots become a thing of yesteryear.

      Also, your handle is awesome!

      Reply

  7. I discovered this book by accident and ordered it and am really enjoying it. I hate the fact that the author is having to go back to a day job but can understand.

    Reply

  8. Larry, did you have to sign a release to be in the book like this? When you do this yourself, do you have people sign releases before you include them? I’m offering Tuckerization as a reward on my Patreon page, and feeling like I need to have people sign a release. What do you think?

    Reply

    1. Nope. I’ve never done that. I kind of figured that’s covered in that opening of the book where it says everybody is fictitious.

      Reply

      1. Not really necessary when a) it’s satire, and b) it’s a public figure – and The Longest Con (and Larry’s character in it) fall squarely into both. As long as it’s not outright slanderous, in those situations it’s hard to get into trouble… sorta. You can still get into hot water if said person can show you’re trying to use his/her name in a way which basically steals from them – Arnold Schwarzenegger, for instance, was known to be highly protective of his image rights. No action figures, cards, games, nothing where he was a part, unless he got his cut. But even then, when he became Governor of California, he had to back off since he was not only a public figure but a POLITICIAN, and they’re pretty much fair game.

        That being said, if you’re putting in a “regular Joe,” then YES. Get a release. Regular Joes are more protected than Larry Correias, so if you write in something that said Joe feels impugns him, he probably has an arguable case against you. In that case, you either have to show that what you wrote was totally true (unlikely in a fiction book), or be able to defend against his claims – and the bet defense would definitely be “here’s the release where he said I could do it.”

        Just be sure that the release spells out something JOE gets, as well – otherwise it could be void on the grounds that it’sS purely one-sided and therefore not a real contract. Even if the something for Joe is a single dollar, or that you spell out that he GETS to be immortalized in your book in return for him allowing you to mess around with his personal characteristics, make sure some quid pro quo is spelled out.

        Reply

  9. Purchased/Downloaded. I’ll read and review this one (shocker, it’ll be five stars with a positive review, it always is, have never been disappointed by a book bomb book) as soon as I finish the current book. Soon

    When will soon be now?

    SOOOOOOooooon!

    Probably a week at most.

    Reply

  10. It gets even harder when you can’t work out there in a day job. Always awful when talented peopl doing the right things can’t make a living – especially when this used to be possible ( I could go into a long rant on why). I hope today’s book promo is wildly successful.

    Reply

  12. Dropped by from Sarah Hoyt’s link on Instapundit for the Mike Glynn Dumpster fire, saw the book, haven’t read much sci-fi in years, but love humor and what the fuck, bought the ebook. (now at #853 kindle as of 11:30 a.m. Friday). Looking forward to it.

    Reply

  14. Any chance of a discussion thread where spoilers are OK? I really liked the book, its funny and well written. But it does bring up some interesting moral questions. Did the good guys really win? If the big bad was right, did he/she/it still cross a line? What’s the PUFF payout for clearing the other green room?

    Reply

    1. Probably MB’s Facebook page, because then the author could answer easier. I actually liked how it ended (and you know how it turns out for me!) just because it is questionable if they did the right thing or not.

      Reply

      1. It was a good ending but it didn’t really explain why a certain character didn’t end up as a bloodless doggy chew toy. That part seemed slightly un-realistic.

        Reply

    2. fitz: non-spoiler answer to at least one of your questions: the good guys DON’T really win. They never do, and never can. Because evil is always out there. But that’s okay, because in the good-vs-evil paradigm (I hate that word, but it’s appropriate here), the point of good – good heroes in books, and good PEOPLE in real life – is not to win, it is simply to refuse to lose. THAT is one of the most defining characteristics of anything truly “good” – that it does not seek ultimate triumph, but rather understands that it is better far to walk an honorable path and never stop putting one foot in front of the other.

      As for who does what to whom in the book: I think that EVERYONE is good in some way. And that’s important, too, because as soon as you perceive anyone as all bad, you are no longer perceiving reality, but a made-up caricature. That’s a huge part of why the world is having so many problems today – because so many of us insist on focusing only on those things in others that we find disagreeable, then insisting that those things (often small parts of their personalities) utterly define them. It is easy to find “evil” when all you have to do is find one evil facet and focus on it to the exclusion of all else.

      Reply

      1. Good points. And a great book. Its the first of yours that i’ve read, but i will definitely be getting some others.

        Reply

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