John Stilwell

Times are tough. Here are a ton of ideas how to squeeze the most out of your money.

2020-12-04T09:18:00.000-05:00

The ebook is free on Amazon to anybody with a Kindle Unlimited. For everybody else, one hundred copies will being given away by GoodReads.com in a drawing on 16 December 2020.

https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/315769-100-ways-to-save-a-dollar-without-lowering-your-lifestyle

During the Zombie Apocalypse, why should they let you into the compound?

2020-11-27T17:40:00.004-05:00

If there was a zombie apocalypse, they'd let me know because I can make the hooch! This is a joke I tell once in a while. But it does to the basic question that survivalists think about a lot. If the world went to hell for any reason, do you know enough to survive?

I had done professional wine making one upon a time. I didn't pursue it because of the cost for all the gear and time it takes to sterilize everything. Then one day, I heard about bathtub wine, that people would make during prohibition. I was intrigued by the idea that wine making was at it's heart, very simple. I did lots of experiments, some good, some bad. I learned. I make Viking honey wine, cherry wine, you name it. I even made wine out of coffee! I can confidently say that I can make alcohol out of anything sweet.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gNuNdTWqWNE&list=PLuTzEk81l_8BMzA6nHAwXMDs1cnR8MF8T

Recently, making and tasting drinks like real Navy Grog from the 1800's, and Flip from colonial times. (Yum... Flip!) Bread has had my attention this week. To appreciate modern bread, lets go back to the beginning. According to Wikipedia, 30,000 years ago.

I bought a bag of wheat grain and ground it between two rocks. Interesting. Can be done. I then switched to my coffee bean grinder. With it, I made about a cup of ground flour. To this, I added a tablespoon of sugar and enough water to make it into four dough balls.

These, I pressed flat and baked then at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. I flipped them over after 10 minutes. Done.

Reading up on this, if I'd used salt rather than sugar I had made hardtack.

It wasn't bad. The texture was like granola meets a thick cracker. It tasted pleasant. Success! Neolithic bread wasn't very hard to make. I suppose, I should explore how to come up with sugar. Mint leaves comes to mind as a future experiment. Since I know how to make cheese, maybe I can work my way quickly to pizzas!

I'm losing one pound a day on my new diet!

2020-10-11T07:40:00.048-04:00

When I looked at the photo for my new work ID, I was horrified. I looked fat. The scale said 210 lbs. I've never need this heavy before. I had to do something. I needed a diet that was easy, affordable and won't make me feel like I was starving, because I'd have to be on it for a while.

I am a 5'10" tall male. I feel that my perfect weight is about 180 lbs, so my goal is to lose 30 lbs. If I can do this in 3 months, it'd make me very happy. An online calculator recommended I limit myself to 1500 calories a day.

Ever pick up a can of Campbell's chunky soup? It's got some weight to it, and there is a large assortment of flavors. Typically, they're on sale for $2 each. The number of calories per can is between 250 to 290. The meat can be beef, chicken or clam. The creamy chucky are up around 400 calories per can so I am going to avoid them.

The Plan - Campbell Chunky Soup

My plan is to have one for breakfast, one for lunch, one for dinner and if I get hungry before bedtime, a forth. If I eat all four, I'm only at about 1000 calories per day. Looking at the ingredients on the can, my daily amount of protein will be 100% and my cholesterol and fat really low. But the amount of vegetables looks low so I'll take a multi-vitamin.

4 cans of Beef with Country Vegetables:

- 16% of the daily allowance of fat

- 32% of the daily allowance of cholesterol

- 52% of the daily allowance of carbohydrates

- 100% of the daily allowance of protein

- 24% of the daily allowance of calcium

- 60% of the daily allowance of iron

- 80% of the daily allowance of potassium

- At 324% of the daily allowance of sodium, this would be of concern if you are salt sensitive. The Heart Healthy version has half the salt.

For drinks I am limiting myself to diet sodas, black coffee and water. A cup of black coffee is 8 calories. This so small that I'm am not counting them.

If I decide to have a beer on TV night with friends, I'll stick to Coors Lite. At 114 calories a can, I could have 2 Coors and 4 cans of Chunky soup and still stay below 1300 calories.

For snacks, I'm limiting myself to raw cauliflower, button mushrooms, green onions and dill pickles. The calorie counts are low enough that I'm not going to count them.

My Results (I'll update this every day)

23 Sept. 210 lbs. Wednesday. Time to start the diet. I had 4 cans of soup. I didn't feel hungry until after dinner. That was when I had the 4th can. This diet is going to be easy.

24 Sept. 208 lbs. Thursday TV night with a friend. I had 2 cans of soup, 3 beers and one bowl of veggies. I wanted to eat with the family, so for dinner I swapped out the soup for one broiled chicken breast (150 calories) and steamed broccoli.

25 Sept: 206 lbs. Friday Back to the soup.

26 Sept: 204 lbs. Saturday.

27 Sep: 203.8 lbs. Sunday. I'm finding this diet easy. I don't feel hungry.

28 Sep: 204 lbs. Monday. I've clearly plateaued. I feel great but I haven't lost weight in 3 days! Is my body running on magic? Cuz I don't seem to be burning fat any more.

29 Sep: 204 lbs. Tuesday. Day three of living on a 1000 calorie diet and not losing any weight. Frankly, I'm getting worried that I'm doomed to always be overweight.

30 Sep: 202.8 lbs. Wednesday. I'm excited that I'm losing weight again!

1 Oct: 201.6 lbs. Thur.

2 Oct: 199.6 lbs. Fri. I noticed that I'm losing the habit to snack between meals. The evening is the only time that I feel tempted.

3 Oct: 199.2 lbs. Sat. I really miss sausage and eggs for breakfast on the weekend. I found little cans of low fat chicken Vienna sausages. 7 mini-hot dogs are 140 calories. I cut each into 4 pieces, sprinkled Cajun and sauteed them with no oil. They were pretty good. And I banked 100 calories for later in the day.

4 Oct: 200 lbs. Sun. I cheated last night but not too badly it seems. I had a bottle of Russian Imperial Stout from a friend's brewery. Dave said it was 300 calories. I suspect that it was more like 1000. Good think I used the Vienna sausage trick this morning to bank some calories.

5 Oct: 199.2 lbs. Mon. I noticed that I'm feeling a lot healthier. Is it the diet or am I simply happy to control over my weight?

6 Oct: 198.4 lbs. Tue. I just realized that I am feeding myself for $10 day and I am quite content.

7 Oct: 197.8 lbs. Wed.

8 Oct: 196.6 lbs. Thur.

9 Oct: 195.8 lbs. Fri. Hurray! I've lost my COVID weight. Now it's time to work off the last 2 years worth of partying.

10 Oct: 195 lbs. Sat. Went to a restaurant with a friend. I swapped out my dinner soup for broiled salmon (150 calories), 6 grilled shrimp (14 calories each) and streamed broccoli.

11 Oct: 194.2 lbs. Sun. Last night, a friend told me that she can see a difference in my face. That made me very happy.

12 Oct: 194.2 lbs. Mon. Oh no. I hope I haven't plateaued again.

13 Oct: 194.2 lbs. Tue. During this adventure, I've discovered that my digital scale doesn't always display the same number twice in a row. Each morning, I typically get on it seven times and pick the number that is displayed the most. It seems be dependent on how fast I get on it. Software! So, I bought a mechanical scale. It should be here any day.

14 Oct: 194.2 lbs Wed. The last plateau was 10 pounds ago. That lasted 4 days. So hopefully tomorrow I be back on my way down.

15 Oct: 193.6 lbs. Thur.

16 Oct: 193.8 lbs. Fri.

17 Oct: 191.8 lbs. Sat. I have been paying close attention and am convinced that plateauing has something to do with water retention. I am switching to the Heart Healthy version of Chunky soup. It has half the salt.

I have been exploring low calorie snacks. At 50 calories, apple and cinnamon rice cakes are interesting. But I'm rarely hungry on my diet. It's the habit to snack that I sometimes wrestle with. Quaker Oats Rice Crisps have caught my curiosity. They're 10 calories per cracker. I bought both chocolate and Buffalo Ranch. I like the chocolate the best. The other that I may add as a dessert is sugar free Jell-O in cups, only 10 calories each. I had a raspberry Jell-O last night. It was very flavorful.

18 Oct: 190.0 lbs. Sun. Hello 190! It's been a couple years since I've seen you. How you been doing?

19 Oct: 189 lbs. Mon. My target weight is in sight. I figure that now is as good as any to start thinking about learning how to eat normal again, in the confines of my 1000- 1200 calorie diet. Last night I grilled a pork loin. Based on the packaging, I cut it into 160 calorie pieces. It was big enough to make me happy. I cooked a bag of frozen mixed vegetables, because it had the calorie count listed - 100 calories. With both, I had a visual of the physical size of the portion I can safely have. Combined, they're 260 calories, the same of one can of Chunky Soup. Success. I lost one pound yesterday.

20 Oct: 189 lbs. Tue. Starting several days ago, I started some projects in the backyard. It involves a lot of lifting paving stones, 4x4's and bags of dirt. Like 10 bags at a time. I've got to be putting on a little muscle weight.

21 Oct: 188.5 lbs. Wed. The next few days will be a challenge. Dinner at a friends house tonight and a restaurant Thursday and Saturday nights. It'll be very hard to stick with the diet, but I'll try to keep my calorie count down.

22 Oct: 188.5 lbs. Thur.

23 Oct: 188 lbs. Fri. I survived the restaurant last night. I ate more than I planned. At least I didn't gain weight. ...And I've been on this diet for a month. 22 pounds in 4 weeks. Not too shabby.

24 Oct: 187.5 lbs. Sat. I was worried that the wonderful steak dinner with the family last night was going to blow my diet. I had banked 200 calories from earlier in the day.A 6 ounce steak is worth 2 cans of chunky soup. Then there was the ear of corn and mashed potatoes. Looks like I got away with is.

25 Oct: 189 lbs. Sun. I tried to behave myself that the German restaurant last night. Honest!

26 Oct: 188.6 lbs. Mon.

27 Oct: 187.4 lbs. Tue.

28 Oct: 187 lbs. Wed. I guess I did more snacking last night than I realized.

29 Oct: 187 lbs. Thur.

30 Oct: 186 lbs. Fri.

31 Oct: 185.4 lbs. Sat. 25 pounds in 5 weeks. Hurray! I'm at the high end of the weight range that I want to live in.

1 Nov: 186 lbs. Sun. Well, it was Halloween last night. I did a little celebrating. There were only a couple dozen kids. All those left over chocolate bars. It's going to be a temptation that I don't need this next week. Normally, I'd take the excess to work but with COVID on the rise, we were told not to do that this year. 😞

2 Nov: 184.6 lbs. Mon.

3 Nov: 184.8 lbs. Tue. These plateaus are a crazy phenomenon.

4 Nov: 184.4 lbs. Wed.

5 Nov: 184 lbs. Thur. I'm getting ready to close to calling this diet done. I'm in my target weight range. Yep. Any day now.

5 Nov: 182.6 lbs. Fri. Close enough. I guess my attention span for diets is six weeks. At this point, it'll be about going to work my way back to eating normal, whatever that means. This adventure has made me very aware of my weight and how it fluctuates through the day.

I'll start by adding a couple hundred calories to my diet to find out the magic amount where I don't gain or lose weight. I'll also be working in common foods, learning what the proper portion sises if for my needs.

Looking back on this diet, the salt content became an issue. The low salt versions of Chunky Soup largely solved the problem. Unfortunately, it also severely limited the variety of meals. I tried other brands like Progresso but was unhappy. They had the same amount of salt and less... food mass.

Being on a diet for a long time hampered quality time with friends and family. I was the hard to cater to person on the room, never a good thing to be. This is a big part of why I decided that 2 pounds from my original target was good enough.

Near the end, I was regularly swapping out cans of soup for cans of tuna (yum!) and Vienna sausages cooked with a variety of spices. This was as much to bank calories for later in the day and to add variety to my meals. I did enjoy a chicken breast or salmon steak with a large helping of steamed vegetables. This I plan to expand on as I endeavor to keep my weight off.

Two easy strategies to make money in the stock market

2020-08-23T09:06:00.002-04:00

There are a crazy number of ways to make money in the stock market, from slow as safe (Time Cost Averaging) to fast and highly risky (Day Trading). In my book, 100 Way to Save a Dollar without Lowering Your Lifestyle, The book focuses on how not to waste money. I only briefly touch on investing what you don't spend.

Buy Stock Splits: This is a strategy that has always treated me well. With Apple and Tesla splitting on the 28th of this month, I am salivating. You see, I have always doubled my money within 2 years. Is this guaranteed? Of course not. There is always risk when you own stocks.

A stock split buy itself is nothing buy the company taking an expensive share and breaking it up into multiple lower priced shares. Back in the day whenever Exxon reached $100 a share, they'd split each share into two $50 shares. Over time, the share price rises back to $100 and they'd split again. So what's the benefit? As much crowd psychology and anything. Would you rather buy one share of Amazon for $3000 or 30 shares of Amazon at $3000 or 100 shares of Amazon at $3000?

A company that splits one share into many is worth considering buying. It's exciting and signals that the company is doing very well but the company has determined that its cost per share is too high. By lowering the cost, a left behind legion of investors with limited money can join in the fun.

If the value of a stock drops too low, the company can fall off a stock exchange and many brokers will refuse to buy it. A stock that reverse-splits, combines many shares into one thus increasing the cost per share. A its a signal that they only see a dark future ahead and a time to consider selling.

Ambulance Chasing: This strategy is easy money for those who have patience. In times of hardship such as the 2020 Pandemic, 2008 housing crash and any typical recession, there are always a long line of companies that nobody wants. The stock value will drop several times the percentage that the market has dropped.

To a watchful eye such as Warren Buffet, a lower market isn't a troubling time. It's a time when there is a blue light special in isle three! The trick is to spot companies that are going to survive the hardship. In the 2008 crash, nobody wanted banks and credit cards. Their stock value plummeted. Discover Card dropped 80%. A few years later it had not only recovered but increase in value beyond the pre-crash price. Here in 2020, oil and banks are down. When the pandemic is over, banks like Exxon and Bank of America will recover. Restaurants are also down but how many will survive that don't have to carryout and delivery options? This is the core of McDonald's and Domino's business model.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B085XML9NV/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i11

Trick #2 to help you retire early

2020-07-21T13:56:00.003-04:00

A friend complained to me that he doesn't want to wait until he's 70 to retire. The problem is that the younger you are when you start collecting social security, the less you get per month, for life.

I asked him if he had a 401K. Yes, he did. The plan was to get a monthly check from his 401K and from social security. I pointed out that the solution to his problem was easy. The idea is to pull twice as much out of one's 401K until one reaches 70. At the age 70, he then claims social security, and pulls less per month from one's 401K as originally planned.

I had recently spreadsheet-ed this idea as part of my own retirement planning, and saw that my 401K would actually last several years longer by pulling this trick!

If you like this types of idea and haven't read my book, give it a try! The ebook is only 99 cents, free to Kindle Unlimited customers.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B085XML9NV/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i11

Trick #1 to help you retire early

2020-07-19T12:47:00.001-04:00

I'm close enough to retirement age to spend a lot time thinking about it. The goal is to maximize one's retirement income while minimizing your overhead. For many, the biggest monthly bill is their mortgage. Its natural to want your home paid off before you retire. But for many, this is easier said than done.

A friend of mine was lamenting that she couldn't retire for a long time because she owed too much on her mortgage. I pointed out that when one retire's they still have to live somewhere. Having no mortgage is a great goal but dramatically reducing it can be just as useful. There is a way to do this.

For example, My friend's mortgage is over $2000 per month. Once she retires, she'd rather stay in her home. When the desired date comes, she'll owe less than half of her original loan. I pointed out that, at that future time, she could refinance for that lower amount. Her new mortgage would be half per month. With her overhead dramatically reduced, it might not matter if the mortgage is ever paid off. doesn't matter if the house is ever paid off. One day, years later when she decides to move, she'll get the equity from the home.

I have been pondering this trick but for a different purpose. But this is a topic for another post.

If you like this type of idea and haven't read my book, give it a try! The ebook is only 99 cents, free to Kindle Unlimited customers.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B085XML9NV/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i11

How to get your credit card to pay you!

2020-07-19T12:46:00.004-04:00

If you've read my book on how to get more by paying less, you'll be familiar with the idea of running all your purchases through a credit card that gives you sky miles. This is one of the methods that puts you in position to only rarely have to pay for plane tickets.

Being a victim of credit card fraud last year, it was a real nuisance when the credit card company gave me a new number. I had not kept up-to-date my list of bills that were auto-charged to my credit card.

My solution to this was to have two credit cards. I used the credit card that gives me sky miles for my day-to-day spending. This is the one in my wallet and vulnerable to fraud. All of my auto-bill-pays now go to a credit card that gives me cash back. This one lives lives at home.

Then the pandemic hit. I have a ton of sky miles and nowhere to go! With the airlines trying to avoid bankruptcy, what's the point of collecting more sky miles? For the moment at least, I'd rather get awarded cash back than miles from my credit card.

The solution was to swap my two cards. My auto-bill-pays now go to the credit card that gives me sky miles. It's not a large amount each month but it's regular and will keep my miles from expiring.

The bulk of my spending is now through my Discover card. The cash-back won't make me rich but its $20 - $30 a month that I otherwise wouldn't have.

If you like this type of idea and haven't read my book, give it a try! The ebook is only 99 cents, free to Kindle Unlimited customers.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B085XML9NV/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i11 3

Invest or pay down your mortgage? Which is better?

2020-07-19T12:46:00.003-04:00

Invest or pay down your mortgage? Which is better?

If you've read my book, you'll recall that I recommend comparing at the interest rate of your debts against the likely rate of return of your investment options. Throw your money at the one that the one with the higher rate.

Sometimes, your goal is to lower your overhead. If this is the case, only look at your debts. For most of us, it's the credit card bills that need to be paid down. But this posting is about mortgages.

When the pandemic became obvious, it was clear that the stock market would take a serious hit. So I gathered my pennies and bought companies that were severely beaten down yet unlikely to go bankrupt. It is July and the stock market has recovered to a noticeable extent but is volatile and flat. It is yet to decide if it'll continue up or go back down a second time. Because I'm under spending, I have extra in my paycheck that I don't know what to do with.

With my credit cards under control and the stock market uncertain, I've been looking at my mortgage. My interest rate is 3.8% - not great but not bad. Then it struck me that for every extra dollar I put at my principle, I save 3.8% times the number of years remaining on my loan. If I have ten years left, this puts 38% more money in my wallet ten years in the future. Because of compound interest, this savings is actually higher, but I am a fan of simple math. My numbers are a little off, but in my favor.

Its obvious that putting a few hundred dollars a month extra at my mortgage while the stock market figures itself out, is a great option. The down side, is that I can't get this money unless I sell my house. On the plus side, my retirement planning becomes a little bit rosier.

If you like this type of idea and haven't read my book, give it a try! The ebook is only 99 cents, free to Kindle Unlimited customers.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B085XML9NV/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i11

What jobs pay in 2020 - What career do you want?

2020-05-13T09:51:00.000-04:00

Year: 2020

Waiter/Waitress, avg pay $21,780

Cashier, avg pay $22,430

Bartenders, avg pay $22,550

Retail Store Sales Associate, avg pay $24,340

Hair Stylist, avg pay $24,830

Line Cook, avg pay $25,200

Janitor, avg pay $26,110

Security Officer, avg pay $28,530

Receptionist, avg pay $29,140

Bank Teller, avg pay $29,450

Teacher (preschool), avg pay $29,780

Pharmacy Technician, avg pay $32,700

Medical Assistant (certified), avg pay $33,610

Paramedic, avg pay $34,320

Phlebotomist (draws blood), avg pay $34,480

Human Resources Assistant, $34,940

Office Administrator, avg $35,096

Dental Assistant, avg pay $38,660

Secretary, avg pay $38,880

Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks, avg pay $40,240

Massage Therapist, avg pay $41,420

Truck Driver, avg pay $43,680

Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN), avg pay $46,240

Chef and Head Cook, avg pay $48,460.

Medical Coder, Avg $49,066

Retail Store Manager, avg $45,080

Graphic Designer, avg pay $45,468

Business Office Manager, avg $46,529

Restaurant Manager, avg pay $45,279 (down from 2016)

Branch Bank Manager, avg $48,546 (down from 2016)

Social Worker, avg pay $49,470

Firefighters, avg pay $49,620

Insurance Sales Agent, avg pay $50,600

Paralegal, avg pay $50,940

Help Desk Technician, avg pay $53,470

Plumber, avg pay $53,910

Warehouse Manager, avg $54,681

Electrician, avg pay $55,190

School Teacher (elementary), avg pay $57,980

Property Manager, avg pay $58,340

Teacher (high school), avg pay $60,320

Police Officer, avg pay $63,380

Electrical Engineering Technologist, avg $64,330

Marketing Manager, avg $65,539

Accountant and Auditor, avg pay $70,500

Tech Writer, avg pay $71,580

Registered Nurse (RN), avg pay $71,730

Dental Hygienist, avg pay $74,820

Human Resources Manager, avg $78,377

Teacher (assistant professor), avg $78,470

Office Manager, avg $78,595

Civil Engineer, avg pay $86,640

Physical Therapist (PT), avg $87,930

Engineering Project Manager, avg $88,397

Database Administrator (DBA), avg pay $90,070

Electrical Engineer, avg pay $99,070

Computer Scientist and Software Developer, avg $105,590

Mechanical Engineer, avg pay $110,520

Nurse Practitioner (NP), $113,930

Computer Hardware Engineer, avg pay $114,600

Database Engineer (DBE), avg $117,902

Lawyer, avg pay $120,910

Pharmacist, avg pay $126,120

Petroleum Engineer, avg pay $137,170

Computer and Information Systems Manager, avg pay $142,530

Looking forward, robots may soon start competing for a new array of jobs. It could take twenty years before a significant displacement in the labor force is evident. If you are in high school or college, this is something for you to take into consideration. Your working life will last thirty to forty years. To be pushed out of your industry when you are fifty years old is a hard thing to financially recover from.

The next wave of jobs that robots and artificial intelligences are being designed to do are most warehouse jobs, piloting cargo ships, driving trucks and taxis, security guards, receptionists, some low-level nursing specialties, and providing expert advice to doctors and lawyers. There was a successful experiment this year with IBM’s Watson performing the job of a magazine editor. It’s reasonable to expect that some restaurant jobs like cooking and busing could become automated. The result will not be the elimination of job categories, just fewer positions nationwide.

A successful new wave of robots would increase the need for electrical engineers, computer scientists, technicians, mechanical engineers, and information security specialists.

References:

Bls.gov

Glassdoor.com

Indeed.com

Payscale.com

Salary.com

If you like this posting, it comes from the book, 100 Ways to Save a Dollar without Lowering Your Lifestyle, Second Edition. It is available in ebook and paperback.

Ideas to shrink your bills

2020-03-19T07:42:00.002-04:00

New and improved. 100 Ways to Save a Dollar, Second Edition is free to Kindle Unlimited members. Free to Kindle Unlimited members.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B085XML9NV/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i11

Enter to win - The Back of Beyond

2020-02-24T17:12:00.001-05:00

Enter to win a chance at one of one hundred copies of John Stilwell's newest science fiction novel, The Back of Beyond. The concept is Robinson Crusoe goes to Hell. It answers the question, 'What if a Cthulhu-like being were a marooned sailor, just trying to find his way home... And a Snack.'

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/48569733-the-back-of-beyond

The The Independent Author's Handbook 3rd Edition is now available in ebook and paperback.

2020-02-15T08:18:00.001-05:00

Want to write a book? The The Independent Author's Handbook 3rd Edition is now available in both ebook and paperback. If is free to Kindle Unlimited members.

I will be at panel guest at the Farpoint convention 21 - 23 Feb 2020, in Hunt Valley Maryland. Find me and ask for a free copy of the Author's Handbook. I'll only have a fistful of paperbacks so don't be shy. I'll have an assortment of my newer novels for sale. When I'm not at a table, I'll be walking the convention taking photographs of the costumes.

My schedule at Farpoint is:

Panel: Conflict and Utopia, Salon C. Friday 3:00 - 4:00

Book Fair: Hunt Valley Foyer, Friday 10 PM - 11 PM

Autograph session: Hmmm... Probably the lower level like last year, Saturday 1 PM - 2 PM

Panel: Winter Hobbies, Salon C, Sunday 11 AM - noon

Autograph session: Probably the lower level, Sunday 1 PM - 2 PM

Amazon KDP Select: How much is a KENP point worth to an author?

2019-10-27T10:30:00.000-04:00

When an author enters his/her book into the KDP Select program, Amazon Prime members can read the ebook for free. Amazon monitors how many pages the reader reads and awards the author brownie points, called KENP. The equation behind the calculation of KENP points is complicated and how much a point is worth when it is time to pay the author changes every month. But I think I have it figured it out!

Looking at my monthly paychecks, I have been averaging .45 cents per point. Yes, less than a half cent a point. Since my novels all sell for 99 cents, I get a profit of $35 cents per book. So, I get paid the equivalent of one ebook sale for every 78 points.

Now, most of my ebooks are in the KDP Select program so please read for free so I can get paid!
(List of my books on Amazon)

Can KDP Select be profitable to the author?

2019-10-26T09:11:00.003-04:00

I thought I'd throw this observation to any authors who may visit my blog.

Unlike back in the 1980's when I started writing, it is currently easy to get published but very hard to get noticed. As I grow my audience, I am always looking for the next advertising idea. I do them one at a time so I can see if it works or not. Some of my favorites are tweets and boosting a posting on business facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/SciFiNovels/)

So, I was looking at my Kindle Reports page and clicked on the Prior Month's Royalties tab. On the left, I can select the past month. So, I looked at one month after another. I was curious to see how my sales volume changed from month to months. I noticed something unexpected. It was how much I was being paid for KENP points.

I make about 35 cents per ebook sale. So, it takes a lot of sales to pay for a meal at restaurant. Some of my books are enrolled in KDP Select. For those, Amazon Prime members can read them for free. Amazon tracks how many pages the person reads and awards KENP points to me, the author. At the end of each month, they come up with a magical cash value per point.

The interesting thing is that most months I am making a couple dollars more from Amazon Prime Members downloading the book for free than I am on ebook sales. So, I quickly enrolled my newest novel (The Back of Beyond) into the program.

Currently, My sci fi novels free to Amazon Prime members are:

Adrift on a Sea of Stars (Adrift book #1)
The Tarden Agenda (Adrift book #3)
Republic and Empire (Adrift book #4)
An Ocean of Stars (all four Adrift books)

The Back of Beyond
Beyond the Galactic Core (book #2 of the In the Image of Gods Series)
The Galactic Time Trap
Platteville
The Puppy of Doom
The Silent Stars
Wasn't Tomorrow Wonderful

I will be appearing at the Farpoint Sci Fi convention Feb 2020

2019-09-04T19:21:00.002-04:00

Hi all,

I will be a panel guest at Farpoint (http://www.farpointcon.com/) again in 2020. It will be fun. I hope you are there.

Farpoint 27 – February 21-23, 2020, Delta Hotel by Marriott, Hunt Valley, MD

Here is a look at Farpoint 2019!

Time travel story gets it right!

2019-03-15T16:54:00.000-04:00

Wasn't Tomorrow Wonderful started as a thought experiment, how would you build Steven Hawking's time machine. Hawking's design was based on theoretical physics. Some of the key components should exist but are not yet proven. I redesigned the time machine using experimental physics. Of note, the wormhole was replaced by quantum entangled particles.

Quantum entanglement has a lot of characteristics similar to wormholes. And the math is missing a variable for time. This is why it was speculated that the response is instantaneous. Several recent experiments support this. The missing dependence on time suggests that the particles can be entangled across time as well as space.

The second thought experiment was, if the machine was built actually worked. What if everybody was given access to it, how would it change society. Let the mayhem proceed!

(Ebook, paperback, audiobook)

One week after the book was published, a team of researchers announced they had experimentally used the same concept to skip a bit of information into the future. In a different article the said that they had not yet figured out to construct an experiment to try to send information backwards.

Ref: Science Now, 23 May 2013, "Physicists Create Quantum Link Between Photons That Don't Exist at the Same Time"

This week, I read that a team has used the same concept to reverse time at the quantum level. This is really exciting if their data was interpreted correctly. Who knows? In a few decades maybe time mail will be more than just a story. And maybe someday I'll be a not-quite-forgotten author like the one in "The Arms Race in Time"!

Ref: Phys.org 13 March 2019: Physicists reverse time using quantum computer

What am I up to this month? (March 2019)

2019-03-08T17:20:00.000-05:00

To all you who where at the Farpoint Sci Fi convention last month, it was great spending time with you!

Remembering Farpoint 2019

So now it's March. Here is what I'm up to.

1. I am far into the first draft of a new adventure novel. My hope is for it to be out by late summer. The plot will be in the same style as The Galactic Time Trap and The Silent stars.

2. I signed a contract with Isaac Boone for the audiobook production of Republic and Empire (Adrift book #4). The hope is for it to be released mid to late summer.

Beyond that I'm considering.

1. A snarky comedy about a time traveler. I want to call it, the Time Traveler's handbook but that title is probably already taken. :-( I've written down a lot of ideas, just not yet the major plot thread.

2. 3rd Edition of The Independent Author's handbook. It strikes me that the 2nd edition has aged. I want to bring it up to date and start with a section to help an author with their first draft. I think that it'll be easier to read if I give advice as a series of popcorn sized ideas.

3. Perhaps, I'll do a second edition of the Stilwell Family cookbook. I'd add all of the newer recipes and tips from my cookbook blog. I might even make a dozen new cooking videos. Best yet, I would want to make available, a spiral bound version of the cookbook as my family members have expressed that they prefer paper.

The Tarden Agenda is now an audiobook!

2019-02-25T16:21:00.002-05:00

Yes, you heard right. Adrift on a Sea of Stars, book #3 is now on Audible! The adventures of the crew of the starship Beagle continue. Can the Tarden be trusted.? Do they have a long game? What's brewing at Alpha Centauri?

What am I up to this month? (Feb 2019)

2019-02-01T19:40:00.000-05:00

Hi everybody!

I hope you all are staying warm. I'm doing fine here. I was going to connect up with a bunch of screenwriters Wednesday night. By walking in Baltimore at night with a wind chill of -6 struck me as... Well... I decided to go home and try again in a month when it's warmer.

A week from today (Feb 8 - 10), I'll be a panel guest at the Farpoint Sci Fi convention in Hunt Valley Maryland. I'm on two panels Friday afternoon. I have a book signing Saturday morning. Another panel and book signing on Sunday.

It has been a year in the making but the audiobook for The Tarden Agenda is finally done! It should appear on Audible in about 2 weeks. This means that audiobook production for book #4 in the series -- Republic and Empire -- can finally start. I expect that Isaac Boone will be the voice talent.

I am working on another space adventure novel. The working title is, The Back of Beyond. This will be another one-off book. I am about 2/3rds of the way through the 1st draft. I should have it done before Christmas. Mark Delgado has expressed interest working on the audiobook. He was the voice talent in my books, In the Image of Gods, Beyond the Galactic Core, The Silent Stars, and Platteville.

When I am done with this, I am considering two comedies. One would be about a snarky time traveler. The other might be a sequel to Platteville. This has a lot to do with how well Platteville sells. When I wrote this book I knew it would be one of those love-it or hate-it pieces. Last I checked, there were two reviews. One was good. The other wasn't. The audiobook producer laughed and laughed during the production. He wants a sequel. I just need to hear from all of you.

I'm considering doing an omnibus or two. One would have all of the stories in the In the Image of Gods universe -- two novels and six short stories, in chronological order. I would have as many as six new short stories added. Most would take place immediately after the novel Beyond the Glactic Core. I have the 1st draft of several of them done.

If I do an omnibus for the Adrift on a Sea of Stars series, my focus is really the audiobook. I think teh four novels glued together as a single uber audiobook would be a good thing. I would add a new short story or two if I have any clever plot ideas.

Win a free copy of the snarky comedy Platteville!

2018-12-21T15:43:00.000-05:00

Enter the drawing on GoodReads.com before 10 Jan 2019 to win a free copy of the snarky comedy Platteville! I am giving away 100 copies in Kindle ebook format.

The year is 1980. Somewhere in the Midwest, a naive college student discovers that his sleepy college town is ground zero for mad scientists, aliens, time travelers and all manner of evil cabals.

Seven of my novels are in Audible, three more are in production

2018-09-18T16:44:00.000-04:00

Adrift on a Sea of Stars
https://www.audible.com/pd/B0734566G8/?source_code=AUDFPWS0223189MWT-BK-ACX0-089323&ref=acx_bty_BK_ACX0_089323_rh_us

Earth not forgotten (Adrift book #2)
https://www.audible.com/pd/B078NYRTSV/?source_code=AUDFPWS0223189MWT-BK-ACX0-104419&ref=acx_bty_BK_ACX0_104419_rh_us

In the Image of Gods
https://www.audible.com/pd/B07F1YJ7LF/?source_code=AUDFPWS0223189MWT-BK-ACX0-120148&ref=acx_bty_BK_ACX0_120148_rh_us

The Galactic Time Trap
https://www.audible.com/pd/B06XG16LTG/?source_code=AUDFPWS0223189MWT-BK-ACX0-081813&ref=acx_bty_BK_ACX0_081813_rh_us

The Puppy of Doom
https://www.audible.com/pd/B075LWJYQZ/?source_code=AUDFPWS0223189MWT-BK-ACX0-096333&ref=acx_bty_BK_ACX0_096333_rh_us

The Silent Stars
https://www.audible.com/pd/B07G5M7LX6/?source_code=AUDFPWS0223189MWT-BK-ACX0-124230&ref=acx_bty_BK_ACX0_124230_rh_us

Wasn't Tomorrow Wonderful
https://www.audible.com/pd/B07747WBD2/?source_code=AUDFPWS0223189MWT-BK-ACX0-100084&ref=acx_bty_BK_ACX0_100084_rh_us

Audio production done. In the Audible vetting process:

(In The Image of Gods book 2 )

What novels of mine are currently in production? Here they are.

(Adrift book 3)

A snarky comedy

2018-09-14T16:21:00.002-04:00

For those of you who have been reading my novels, the general theme has been starships adventuring into the unknown. With my newest book, I decided to try my hand as a snarky comedy. The concept is Animal House meets the Xfiles. The ebook came out this week. The ebook version is free on Amazon, to Amazon Prime members.

The paperback will go on sale in a few days. The audiobook should be on Audible in time for the holidays!

A comedy of conspiracies!

Free sci fi novel - The Silent Stars

2018-08-06T13:37:00.001-04:00

The galaxy is vast. So where is everybody?
Win a copy of my newest sci fi novel, The Silent Stars! Just go to GoodReads.com.

New Sci Fi adventure novel for 2018 - The Silent Stars

2018-05-30T20:58:00.002-04:00

This ebook is finally out for Kindle. It is free to Amazon Prime members for 90 days. At that time, I will release the epub and web based versions.

Ancient artificial intelligences called Angels are the shadowy guardians of civilization. Over the long ages, humanity has become extinct and reseeded many times. This is the 6th Epoch. Little is known about the history of the first five.

Responding to a 20,000-year-old radio beacon, an expedition is sent an impossible distance across the galaxy in the hope of recovering knowledge of the origins of the human race. An artifact is discovered in orbit around a dying star. What the crew of the Erebus discovers could mean the end of everything.

A sneak peek at the new novel

2018-02-03T10:11:00.000-05:00

It's Feb 2018. I guess it's time for an update on what is happening. I will be attending the Farpoint Sci Fi convention. I'll be wearing a t-shirt with one of my book covers on it. If you see me, say, "Hi!"

I am making a lot of progress on the plot for a sci fi comedy that I hope to write this year. It will be set in the 1980's. No, I'm not trying copy Ready Player One. I am hoping the novel will be something you'll find fresh and unexpected.

I newest novel is basically done. It's the same size as, The Galactic Time Trap. I'm reading it over and over, looking for typos and plot holes. 3 more reads then I turn it over to two prof readers. That will take another month or two? The ebook and paperback will come out firly quickly. I have a tentative agreement with an audiobook publisher meaning that it should make it to Audible this year. Until then, here are a couple teasers.

I want to call it To Sail Beyond the Horizon but The Silent Stars fits the theme of the plot better.

Here is the blurb:

Responding to a 20,000 year old radio beacon, an expedition is sent an impossible distance across the galaxy in the hope of recovering knowledge of the origins of the human race. An artifact is discovered in orbit around a dying star. What the crew of the Erebus discovers could mean the end of everything.