For our impending 20th anniversary, Kat and I want to finally own our own home, so Operation House It Going is underway. We have a mortgage broker, a real estate agent, and excellent credit, but not enough money for a down payment. The SF Bay Area housing market is rough, but we are hoping to find a fixer-upper in the East Bay.
As a game reviewer for 15 of the last 20 years, I’ve been happy and grateful but never rich. Life also throws you financial curveballs, so our nest egg simply isn’t what we had hoped it would be. I’m probably going to sell my Les Paul to reach our goal, but there’s something else that might help, too.
I have put all the proceeds from Critical Path: How to Review Videogames for a Living into a savings account for our home. With such a niche appeal, my sales expectations were low — and accurate! But I’d like to encourage anybody who was on the fence before to buy my book now. Everything helps.
Here’s how you can help:
– The Kindle edition is 20% off this week, $7.99 instead of $9.99. Please spread the word and the URL http://bit.ly/damrich to send people right to the Amazon page. Kindle editions can be bought as gifts!
– Technically I make the most profit from paperback sales through the CreateSpace link at http://criticalpathbook.com, but Kindle is a close second, so I usually just plug http://bit.ly/damrich, which goes to Amazon. I get a few bucks from every sale on any platform (iBook, Nook, Kindle, or Amazon-sold paperback) so all of it helps. http://criticalpathbook.com/buy-it/ has links to all the formats.
– Both the Kindle edition and the book’s website offer free sample chapters for anyone who is buy-curious.
– If you haven’t written a user review on Amazon, iTunes, or bn.com, those really do help entice potential readers — I would appreciate a few kind words if you have the time.
– There is a hidden bonus chapter that only two or three people have found. There is also a small secret message hidden somewhere, too. (Of course there is.) Talk up the mystery.
– #CriticalPath is what I’ve always used as a Twitter hashtag. I’ll be tweeting about the deal from @DanAmrich throughout the week.
– There are some media assets (book covers, press release) at http://criticalpathbook.com/media if you can make use of them.
– If you host a podcast on a relevant topic and want me to come on to talk about the book, gimme a shout.
Thanks for any help you can offer. It’s gong to be a rollercoaster no matter what!