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Ten Reasons You Might Really Like the Best Novel I Ever Wrote

(APOLOGIES for the mis-directed links in the prior edition of this post.  Should be fixed now.  Thanks for your patience. L.)

 Cover for 'Bait and Switch'

 No, I’m not Barbara Ehrenreich, who wrote a bestseller by the same name.  While we are often confused, we look nothing alike and quickly return each other’s mail.

My fourth novel, “Bait and Switch,” was originally published in 2004 by Signet, a division of Pengiun-Putnam.  Before they threw me under the bus.  I’ve just re-released it as a digital book, and here are ten reasons you might want to consider it:

10.      Sex, private jets, spoiled billionaires and a hero who can’t be bought.  A truly vicarious reading experience, if you have a pulse.  No penis required, this is a book for everyone who likes thrillers.  And sex.  And private jets.

9.        Publishers Weekly can’t be that far off the mark.  Starred review, lead Editors choice, lead entry in their “Best Books of 2004 – Mass Market” list.  Not that much has changed, except everybody uses smartphones these days.

8.        The book also made PW’s “Best Overlooked Books of 2004” list, the only paperback so-honored (honored?).  This is your chance to help right the wrongs of a fickle marketplace.

7.        Did I mention it is only 99 cents?  Kind of a no-brainer if you like this type of story.  Think Nelson Demille meets Vince Flynn, with a hint of Stuart Woods. 

6.        Here’s a new one: I’ll guarantee your satisfaction.  Literally.  I’ll send you a buck if you don’t feel you got more than your 99 cents worth.  Or if you simply don’t like the story or the writing.  I have nine dollars set aside for this contingency.

5.        Mass market paperbacks are not widely reviewed.  Had this been a hardcover, it would have been a contender for all the usual Bestseller lists.  That’s not me talking trash, that’s my editor at Penguin Putnam, who got outvoted when that decision was made.  He’s now working at Amazon.com.

4.        This is one of the first re-released novels by a proven bestselling author who has had the rights reverted to them.  Which means, it just might be a cut above the usual digital fare.  Just sayin’. This book has never seen a rejection slip.

3.        It did sell about 40,000 copies, in case you’re thinking it tanked.  It didn’t.

2.        As a test tube baby in the emerging minefield of digital marketing, this book brings proven chops, and it’ll be interesting to see if quality trumps the scope of one’s Tweet universe in the race for a spot in the Amazon KindleTop 100.  Let’s hope that’s the case.

And the #1 reason to buy the digital Version of Larry Brooks’ “Bait and Switch” for just 99 cents…

  1. One word – DECONSTRUCTION.  If I reach my goal of 1000 copies sold in July, I’ll do a major deconstruction and analysis of the book here on Storyfix.  I’ve done them before so you know how illuminating these things can be, but you’ve never seen one done from the author’s point of view.  We’ll be going deep and wide, tearing the cover off the creative process to expose the Matrix-like skeleton of dramatic forces that makes this story — and any effective novel or screenplay — effective.

This is about walking the walk along with all this story architecture talk.  Reading is believing. 

Click HERE to go to the Kindle page, where you can read reviews and, ahem, buy the book.  The price goes to $2.99 on August 1, when my other novels (in addition to “Whisper of the Seventh Thunder,” which is already available as a digital download) will also become available at that price. 

Or, buy it on Nook here.  Or again, buy it Smashwords HERE .

Click HERE to read the post that rolled out this promotion, which includes more background on the book and the goals of this project.

Thanks for  your time.  I hope, at least, that this has made you smile.   Worth the effort if it did. 

Also…

Darkness Bound

My first novel (my USA Today Bestseller “Darkness Bound”) is also available at Kindle and Smashwords and Nook.

If you liked Fatal Attraction, Basic Instinct, and Body Heat, all with a spicy little dash of Story of O, this may be your cup of strong black tea. 

And it’ll give you something really interesting to discuss with your significant other.

 

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14 Responses

  1. Larry, I bought the 99-cent epub when you originally posted the offer. I had another book on the go, so it took me a while to get to Bait and Switch, but I’m glad I did. I was well hooked by the end of the prologue. And you’re right — I didn’t see the ending coming!

    It’s a great read and I really hope we get to share in a deconstruction.

  2. One thing I really hope for with your doing this, selling the best book you ever wrote for 99 cents and later, $2.99, is that when authors like you do that, it raises the public’s opinion of independent self published authors.

    Big business is big business. You’ve been in it. You know how it works. The company’s interests aren’t yours, the company’s always going to buy low and sell high. People get fired from waiter jobs because they did too well and now get paid more than the guy that just got hired.

    We’re in hard times.

    What people want in hard times is cheap entertainment, a chance to get their minds off their troubles. Mass marketing e-books at reasonable prices puts them in the “treats” budget of people on unemployment, welfare or Social Security. I live on SSI. I couldn’t afford your hardbacks, I’d be going to the library for them.

    Top quality fiction showing up on Kindle and Smashwords in the cheap bin, that’s something that makes life a little better for anyone on a fixed income. It gives some hope. It gives men who can’t be bought a shot in the arm when they’re offered a job that would turn their stomachs and need to eat.

    So I probably won’t ask for my money back even if I hate it. I’ll just give it to someone who likes it and pass it on if it’s not my flavor of pizza. You’re doing something good with this, so I support it.

    Robert Sloan

  3. I bit. Right now I’m financially strapped because I’m moving on August 1st. It struck me that this might make a good read for me on the plane, even though it’s not my usual genre. You’ve got quality going for you.

    I like the best thrillers. I don’t tend to like the average ones or the cheesy ones. I didn’t read any of the books you compared it with except Story of O. But I like your blog, so I invested 99 cents to find out what I think of your writing. Obviously you’re doing one thing right – you’ve had bestsellers and broken out.

    I read outside my favorite genres on pure quality. I hate mysteries but there are a few among my favorites. I loathe romance but there are a few favorites that broke the mold.

    I don’t go much for contemporary mainstream, but the hook of the man who can’t be bought rings true for me. I’ve always been that guy. I walked out on a lot of bad jobs and left shocked looks on the faces of more supervisors and office bullies than you can imagine. So I know it’ll have one theme element I respond to – there’s why I tossed in 99 cents. Also because I like your blog.

    I also blog. I’ll probably blog it, whether I love it or email you to get that money back guarantee. That’s a very cool idea!

    Robert Sloan

  4. I’m in with the PDF file from Smashwords. Wanted to see how that works. Smooth as silk.

    Cool foreshadowing in the first sentence, first paragraph of the prologue. Nice touch with, ” The requisite literary elements were in place…” See, I pay close attention.

    And, I’m not supposed to not read the book after you tell me “… and without motive all you had was an accident.” Followed in a few more words with “… other than you and me who knows about this?” And, of course the reader has no idea what “this” is.

    I’m going to guess the prologue sold your book. I can’t imagine many people who like this kind of read being able to brows past it.

  5. “…under the bus.”

    Something tells me, from my experience wearing a suit in a room with other suits when decisions about product and money were made —like it or not the “politics” of the room determines the decision making process.

    But, never fear there is always a “business” reason related to the product offered up as explanation. It silences but never satisfies.

    Larry mentioned the August issue of Vanity Fair that documents the many moving parts between Heller’s idea for Catch-22 and the market place. The opportunity for derailment were legion.

  6. If you click on the pic of the book it takes you to the Kindle version, which I bought.

    Larry, why did Penguin “throw you under the bus?” They knew you were a good writer, what happened. Is it something we need to be careful of?

  7. Just got this from a reader who responded to the RSS Feed, which means it doesn’t appear here. When you see what she wrote, you’ll understand why I want to share it.
    ***
    It is a terrific read.
    I’d recommend “Bait and Switch.” If you like twists, they just keep coming. And coming. And again. I have the paperback and I’ll mosey over to load up the Kindle version today. (The book was $7 when it came out in paperback! This is a bargain). I’ve also read (and own) “Darkness Bound” and “Whisper of the Seventh Thunder.”
    If you haven’t read a book by Brooks, you’re missing out.
    Run your fingers on over to Amazon or Smashwords or Nook and load up.
    Cheers, Kelly

  8. You got me too. Made me smile AND part with 99 cents. But I had to work through the Kindle link to your Story Engineering and persevere. I did and look forward to your tearing this one apart in future newsletters. Write on!

  9. I’ve read all your novels. They’re wonderful. I don’t even try to out-guess you any more. When I recommend your books, I tell people you’re a darker, kinkier version of Harlan Coben. I know I’ve made at least a couple of converts. I also really hope you make your goal. I’d love to see this deconstructed.

  10. Sorry for the bad links. Had trouble fixing it, actually, I’d replace the links on WordPress, but the page still mid-directed. Then, all of a sudden, it clicked in, works fine now (digital fingers crossed). Some sort of delay, I guess. Thanks for your patience. L.

  11. I’m having the same issues with the links — they go to the Amazon page for Story Engineering. Of course, if some of you out there don’t already own that, it’s very worth buying (and a bargain). However, I’m looking for the 99-cent Bait and Switch link, since I already have the other book.

    Liked chapter 29. The price, plus the opportunity to read the deconstruction, is the best deal I’ve seen on a book in many years!

  12. Hi Larry,
    Just FYI two of your in-post links don’t work correctly. The Kindle link goes to your Story Engineering page and the Nook link goes to Smashwords. I did us the right nav bar to find the Kindle edition and bought it. Good luck!
    Michael

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