Exciting News about Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity

Tesla: The Wizard of ElectricityI’ve been incredibly thankful to everyone who has helped make Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity a success. And now there are even more thanks deserved. Yesterday my editor at Sterling Publishing informed me that they will issue a second printing of the book. My literary agent, Marilyn Allen, probably captured the moment the best, and most succinctly, when she responded with: “AWESOME.”

Sales have been outstanding in the four months since it was released – over 9,000 of the 10,000 books printed have flown off the shelves! That in itself is exciting because the initial print run was larger than normal for non-fiction books (especially non-fiction books about obscure, long-dead, scientists). And while the books were initially featured prominently in Barnes and Noble stores at an incredibly affordable price, they have become harder to find as the warehouse emptied out and individual stores sold out their stock. Books also weren’t available directly on Amazon.com, which is, after all, where many people buy most of their books these days. Still, sales continue to be consistently strong, and on top of the hard copy sales there have also been substantial sales of the e-book on barnesandnoble.com.

David J. Kent

Even more exciting is that the publisher is so confident the books will continue to sell well, they’ve scheduled the second printing to be double the size of the initial, that is, 20,000 books. As a book that backlists well (i.e., doesn’t get outdated), Sterling expects the book to sell for many years to come. Who knows, maybe we’ll get a third printing (and fourth? and fifth?).

And if all of that wasn’t enough, the publisher is planning to release the book in July 2014, just in time for Nikola Tesla’s birthday. Sterling plans a “back-to-school” promotion, which is undefined at the moment but would likely include some book signings and other events. I’ll keep you posted.

Thank you all for supporting me and the book so wholeheartedly. It’s because of you that Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity has been so successful. The hunger of the public for information about Nikola Tesla has been very gratifying. As can be seen by the topics of my posts on this website, there currently is an incredible amount of activity and interest about Tesla. As Tesla himself once said:

“The present is theirs; the future, for which I really worked, is mine.”

It seems the future has arrived.

Which leads to some additional news. I’ve been approached by the director of the Ipswich Museum in my home town. They would like me to schedule a brown-bag lunch presentation at the museum sometime in 2014. I’m also working on a new Tesla book focused on his interest in what today we call “renewable energy.” I’ll have more details on both of these in later posts, as well as information on how to subscribe to a newsletter I expect to begin producing early in the new year.

Exciting times, these!

David J. Kent is the author of Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity. You can order a signed copy directly from me, download the ebook at barnesandnoble.com, and find hard copies exclusively at Barnes and Noble bookstores.

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Bestselling Statistics for Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity

Barnes and Noble DC 23July2013Now that Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity has been in Barnes and Noble stores for a few weeks, I thought it would be interesting to take a quick look at some of the pertinent statistics.

Keep in mind that Sterling Publishing is a subsidiary of Barnes and Noble, so the book has not yet been released to Amazon. Which, of course, is where most people go to shop for books online (sorry B&N). Even without being released to Amazon I do see two resellers listing the book. Also, while you can shop online at barnesandnoble.com, the warehouse was emptied because bookstores kept reordering. Though here again there is a reseller listing the book and you can always download an ebook (I read mine with a Nook app on my iPhone). [Of course, you can still buy a book directly from me]

So how is the book doing so far? Rather well, thank you. We’ve sold over 80% of the first, larger than normal, printing, and the publisher is looking at releasing a second printing in the spring. While I don’t check every day so may have missed a higher peak, the book reached at least #20 on the Barnes and Noble Bestsellers list for Scientist-Biography and #18 for the History & Philosophy of Science Category. It also reached at least #28 in the Scientists, Inventors & Naturalists category. Not bad for a book that had a grand total of $0.00 marketing budget. Not bad at all.

Another metric to gauge how well the book is doing is Goodreads, where “100% of people liked it.” As of this morning there were 17 ratings. The average rating was a tremendous 4.71, with 12 of the ratings being “5”s and the other 5 ratings being “4”s. Where getting an average over “4” and not seeing any individual rating less than that is a rarity, my average of 4.71 is extremely gratifying. [If you’ve read the book, please leave a rating on Goodreads and bn.com]

Bottom line – the book is doing fantastic by any metric.

The success of Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity coincides with a personal and professional transition. A week from now my day job and night job will flip. I’ll be writing full time and consulting part time. I’ll also be traveling as much as I can squeeze into my schedule and finances. Expect to see more frequent updates on this website, and more attention to the other topics in my header pages. While transitions can often be traumatic, I’m looking forward to this one. Big time. I hope you’ll join me.

David J. Kent is the author of Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity. You can order a signed copy directly from me, download the ebook at barnesandnoble.com, and find hard copies exclusively at Barnes and Noble bookstores. Stores are starting to sell out their stock, and restock, so get them while they are available.

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Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity – Availability

Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity and David J. KentA quick update on the upcoming launch of Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity. Did I say upcoming. Actually…

It’s here!

The book is being published by Sterling Publishing (specifically, their Fall River Press imprint). Since Sterling is a subsidiary of Barnes and Noble, for the initial launch period the book will be available exclusively at Barnes and Noble stores and on the barnesandnoble.com website. You won’t find it listed on Amazon so go straight to the barnesandnoble.com (or BN.com) site.

The hard copy book is currently available for pre-order. Check it out, you can’t beat the price. Pre-order it now for delivery as soon as June 30th arrives.

Want an e-book? To speed up the process of adding the e-book to the site, look below the pre-order button for where it says “nook books.” Click on the line that asks “Want to read this on your NOOK? Request as NOOK Book from the publisher.” It will tell them to get the e-book online. [Or if it is already there by the time you click, just go ahead and order it]

In July the book will be in the actual Barnes and Noble brick-and-mortar stores. Look for it prominently displayed near the front door as you enter the store. I’ll provide more details when that happens, plus let you know where I’ll be secretly showing up to sign copies of the book (and give talks about Tesla to anyone interested).

I’ll also have copies for sale through this website, assuming I have any left after the upcoming visit with my family and my participation in Tesla Days in Philadelphia. Look for a link on this site in early July.

More details soon. I promise.

(Okay, time to celebrate!)

dancesmile

 

 

 

More information on the release of Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity.

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More details about Tesla: Wizard of Electricity book release

Tesla: Wizard of ElectricityI mentioned a week or so ago that Tesla: Wizard of Electricity is scheduled to be published on June 30, 2013. The book is currently being printed and will be in the warehouse by June 20th. I can now share some additional details about the publishing process. [By the way, click on the book image (left) to get to my Facebook author’s page.]

  • The initial print run will be 10,000 books. This is considered a large printing for a non-fiction book but if it sells well – which I very much hope and expect it will – we could actually have to go to a second printing. [Hint: Get your First Edition while they last.] Interest in the man, his inventions, and his Wardenclyffe lab has been skyrocketing as of late. And with the Tesla Science Foundation expanding its plans, clearly this is a great time for Nikola Tesla.
  • Tesla: Wizard of Electricity is visually pleasing. It is jam-packed with many photographs of him and his experiments, some historical and some never-before-seen. The interior is in full color and includes sidebars and pull-out quotes to make it both interesting and informative for all readers. A foil treatment on the cover should make it stand out on bookstore shelves (and your shelves at home).
  • Because Sterling Publishing is a subsidiary of Barnes & Noble the book will be “on a promotion.” That means it will be placed prominently near the front of each of B&N’s 700 stores. That means high traffic and great visibility.

I’ll also have some books in my personal possession for book signings and presentation events. See my Tesla Events and Speaking Engagements page for more information on where you can find me.

So how much do people know about Nikola Tesla? Well, if you extrapolate from the video below the answer might unfortunately be, well, not as much as you might expect. I hope to change all that by bringing Tesla to the people with Tesla: Wizard of Electricity.

More on Tesla: Wizard of Electricity.

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Tesla: Wizard of Electricity (The Cover Design)

Nikola TeslaExciting news today.

I received the current working cover design for Tesla: Wizard of Electricity.

So, what do you think?

Tesla book cover from CB 3-7-13

You’ll notice that it differs from the cover design I had posted here up until now. I’ve been using a “body double” while the editor and his staff worked their way through the book layout and design stages. We may still tweak this a bit, but odds are the final cover will look like this one. This past week I also provided two bios – a short one for the back cover and a longer one for the inside. The finish line is within sight.

I have to admit that this is an exciting day for me. I submitted the manuscript to Sterling Publishing last September and have been holding my breath waiting to feel the actual book in my hand. Of course, I’ll have to wait a bit longer since it is just now going to the printer. A bit behind the original schedule but I’m still looking at it “going live” by my birthday.

In the meantime I’ve had the pleasure of meeting many of the people who have worked the hardest to give Nikola Tesla the recognition he deserves. I presented at the Tesla Memorial Conference in New York City in January and hope to present at the Philadelphia Tesla Conference in July. I’ve started lining up other speaking engagements as well, including inquiries for talks at the public libraries in Ipswich, Hamilton-Wenham and Fairfax once the book hits the shelves. Please send me a note if you can arrange a speaking engagement near you (especially if you live in Belgrade, Serbia).

Also feel free to opine on the cover in the comments. Too blue? Not enough lightning bolts? My name not big enough? The photo of Nikola Tesla looks just a wee bit like your Uncle Wally? Let me know what you think.

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Tesla book edits are in!

Nikola TeslaAll angst aside, it was worth the wait.

I mentioned earlier this week that my editor for Tesla: Wizard of Electricity promised to send me his edits on the manuscript I submitted in early September. I received them last night.

Keep in mind that for the last three weeks I have had no feedback about whether he felt the manuscript was good, bad, or circular file worthy. So natural paranoia battled natural confidence battled natural dispassionate analytical logic for which persona could create the most melodramatic interpretive scenario of the likely verdict. Yeah, I was biting my nails. And when the email finally came it was extremely flattering.

My gasp of relief was audible for miles.

Having passed this milestone the next step is to review all of the edits from my editor and the copyeditor at Sterling Publishing. Based on my first scan the edits appear to be a combination of tightening some of the sentences, queries for clarification, and suggestions regarding a few lines that impact backlisting potential. I will start digging deeper into them this weekend. My responses are due back by the end of next week.

Meanwhile over the last few weeks I have had the pleasure of meeting some great Nikola Tesla fans and researchers. My Facebook author’s page “Likes” have jumped up to 39, which isn’t in Lady Gaga territory (yet) but is a wonderful start to building my connections.

Now, on to the edits!

More information on my book Tesla: Wizard of Electricity can be found on my Tesla page. Don’t forget to subscribe to the posts by email on the home page.  And feel free to “Like” my Facebook author’s page and connect on LinkedIn.  Share with your friends with the buttons below.

Chapters 1, 2 and 3 of Tesla: Wizard of Electricity are Done!

Nikola TeslaTonight I finished Chapter 3 of the Nikola Tesla book. Chapters 1 and 2 were finished in previous weeks.  I also have parts of other Chapters finished. I’m on schedule to have the first draft of the book done by the end of July/first week of August.  Which is good, because I have a September 1st deadline to deliver the book to my editor at Sterling Publishing.

As before, “Done,” of course, doesn’t actually mean done.  I will still need to do significant editing, pull out sidebar quotes (it will be a very visually appealing book), and obtain the photos to be used.  But the substance for at least three chapters is complete.

Given Tesla’s obsession with numbers divisible by three, having three chapters done would tickle his fancy.

Okay, back to work. Only 6 more chapters to finish. 🙂

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