You know the one about the chicken crossing the road, right?

As a holiday weekend treat for you, I’ve got a little short story about a chicken.

It’s a true story and it’s about both myself and the chicken.

You’ll find it here >>  More Chicken  <<

The story is currently being featured in a #ScottishBookTrust writing competition for which the theme was ‘Nourish.’

Let me know what you think of it.

If you like it, then please share, recommend or comment as the greater the interaction on the story then the greater the chances of it making the final cut for publication.

Talking about publication – if you fancy an ebook thriller for the holiday weekend, I should tell you my latest thriller THE PIPER’S PROMISE is available on Amazon for less than the price of a coffee.

Here’s a recent review excerpt: “Absolutely superb and one you won’t want to miss.”

Let me know which type of book you’ll be reading more of this summer!

Catch up soon!

Alex x

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The ‘battle’ between ebooks and real books is an old one now.

And it’s not an argument that I’m wanting to kick-start here this morning.

I believe there’s a place for both and I certainly don’t share the view that the paper and ink real book will become obsolete like the cassette tape or camcorder.

In a few weeks, I’ll be leaving my wee island for sunnier climes. And I’m looking forward to lying on a beach and reading lots of good books. Where I live, we don’t lie on the beach. It’s very handy at the bottom of my garden. But still, we tend to march purposefully across our beach. At certain times of the year, we traverse it with great caution, often walking at a forty-five-degree angle against the biting wind.

So, being completely horizontal with a good book in my hands will be a glorious experience. But here’s the rub. Do I take bulky paperbacks or my amazing Kindle Fire?

For me, I much prefer the heft of a good book but the practical issues of transporting two dozen books on a plane means I’ll be reading both varieties of book this summer.

And even though I sell far more ebooks than paperback books, I was still pleased to read that in the UK the sales of ebooks has crashed by 17% last year while at the same time sales of real books were up 8% to £3 billion, the highest since 2012.

I don’t think we can write-off (excuse the pun…) the physical printed book just yet then.

Don’t get me wrong, I love the way digital books have opened the doors for so many new authors like myself and allowed more people than ever to read books easily and cheaply.

via GIPHY

But do you not feel sometimes, that’s it’s so much more refreshing to take your eyes away from all those pixellated screens and allow your tired brain to absorb the printed words from a real book?

Looking for real books?

In case you’re looking for some holiday reading yourself, why not grab my Gift Bundle of ALL four of my paperback thrillers at a massive discount.

Each one is personally autographed by me too!

But if you still fancy an ebook, I should tell you my latest thriller THE PIPER’S PROMISE is available on Amazon for less than the price of a coffee.

Here’s a recent review excerpt: “Absolutely superb and one you won’t want to miss.”

Let me know which type of book you’ll be reading more of this summer!

Catch up soon!

Alex x

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Hey, everyone! How would you like to join my ‘Street Team?’

How is everyone this Monday?

I’m great thanks. We’ve had weeks of unprecedented good weather for the West Coast of Scotland and I have been relaxing with family and reflecting on the recent launch of my third Ridge Walker thriller, The Piper’s Promise.

Whilst it’s been the most successful book launch I’ve ever had, I’m still learning that I have a lot more to learn about marketing my books better.

There’s a whole marketing niche relating to book launches and I’m only now just realising why- with four books published already!

So with that in mind, I want to ask you if you’d like to be part of my Alex Breck’s Diamond Dogs Street Team?

If you’re anything like me, you’ll be asking, ‘What the hell is a ‘Street Team?’ 

I’m glad you asked.

Here’s what Google said:

A street team is a group of volunteers who band together to promote an author and his or her book. Members of a street team are motivated by their love of an author’s work to promote it to as many people as possible. Street teams originated on the music scene before the digital age.

So, you’ve got to like the books.

I’m not asking you to compare me to legends like Ian Rankin, Chris Brookmyre or anything like that, let’s be realistic! This isn’t about bullshitting. It’s just about helping an indie author get his books in front of more readers, that’s all.

Depending on the size of an author’s fan base, a successful Street Team should be able to do the following:

1. Recruit willing volunteers who are able to promote on social media
2. Have members post and encourage others to post reviews of the author’s books
3. Motivate and challenge members to engage in promotional activities and have fun
4. Provide feedback on new book ideas, sample chapters and cover art

Good authors should be happy to provide copies of the books for review. They’re called advanced review copies or ARC’s but in no way are people being rewarded for giving biased or overly favourable reviews as this is totally against Amazon’s terms and conditions and will only result in both the author and the reviewer getting closed down.

That said, I’ll be giving away signed paperbacks, autographed bookmarks and all sorts of author swag to my Street Team, depending on how much they get their sleeves rolled up.

You can find out a wee bit more about our Street Team over on a dedicated page on my blog.

>>  If YOU want to be part of the ‘Diamond Dogs Street Team’ then click HERE  << 

I’m really excited about my new Street Team and if you’re an aspiring or struggling author then I’d thoroughly encourage you to start your very own team! If you do, please let me know how you get on!

Catch up soon!

Alex x

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Have you listened to my new Podcast show Alex Breck’s Banter yet?