I J Baker
@ijbaker.bsky.social
Author, lover, dad, rider, cook.
Mr O Winds Back the Clock is intoxicating, funny, and novel. More: https://ijbaker.com.au
Mr O Winds Back the Clock is intoxicating, funny, and novel. More: https://ijbaker.com.au
Smith Street, Fitzroy on a sunny Saturday morning. 😀
Actually it was Thursday and about to rain but who would know. Yes, that's a crispy pork banh mi. 🤪
Actually it was Thursday and about to rain but who would know. Yes, that's a crispy pork banh mi. 🤪
September 5, 2025 at 10:58 PM
Smith Street, Fitzroy on a sunny Saturday morning. 😀
Actually it was Thursday and about to rain but who would know. Yes, that's a crispy pork banh mi. 🤪
Actually it was Thursday and about to rain but who would know. Yes, that's a crispy pork banh mi. 🤪
with Fiona McFarlane and Brian Castro strong contenders for Highway 13 and Chinese Postman. respectively. But I'm yet to take a look at the remaining two of those shortlisted, and expect I will soon have a go at Winnie Dunn's Dirt Poor Islanders. /8 and out.
August 30, 2025 at 7:01 AM
with Fiona McFarlane and Brian Castro strong contenders for Highway 13 and Chinese Postman. respectively. But I'm yet to take a look at the remaining two of those shortlisted, and expect I will soon have a go at Winnie Dunn's Dirt Poor Islanders. /8 and out.
I am of course vulnerable to accusations of envy or jealousy, given that I had entered Mr O Winds Back the Clock for the Miles Franklin. But I had no trouble enjoying Michelle de Kretser's entry, Theory & Practice, after having been disappointed by her winner in 2018, The Life To Come. /3
August 30, 2025 at 7:01 AM
I am of course vulnerable to accusations of envy or jealousy, given that I had entered Mr O Winds Back the Clock for the Miles Franklin. But I had no trouble enjoying Michelle de Kretser's entry, Theory & Practice, after having been disappointed by her winner in 2018, The Life To Come. /3
I had another parallel experience when reading The Lord of the Rings as a child. My parents had given me a copy of the first single-volume edition as a Christmas gift. I think I'd read The Hobbit. But the eleventy-first birthday party repelled me. I turned to Chapter 2 because I respected ...
August 24, 2025 at 2:10 AM
I had another parallel experience when reading The Lord of the Rings as a child. My parents had given me a copy of the first single-volume edition as a Christmas gift. I think I'd read The Hobbit. But the eleventy-first birthday party repelled me. I turned to Chapter 2 because I respected ...
🧵 I've been reading Ghost Cities, the novel that won this year's Miles Franklin Literary Award, and at 30 per cent in I've noticed that I'm procrastinating desperately rather than embarking on the remaining 70 per cent. 💙📚 🖋️📚
It's very inventive, but the invention so far feels like
It's very inventive, but the invention so far feels like
August 24, 2025 at 2:10 AM
🧵 I've been reading Ghost Cities, the novel that won this year's Miles Franklin Literary Award, and at 30 per cent in I've noticed that I'm procrastinating desperately rather than embarking on the remaining 70 per cent. 💙📚 🖋️📚
It's very inventive, but the invention so far feels like
It's very inventive, but the invention so far feels like
... I've had a few reviews come in recently from acquaintances who had read the novel and liked it, and one from a recent acquaintance who had really, really liked it. So I can't conclude that the insipid response from the giveaways implies that the text is a turnoff for everyone. /5
August 24, 2025 at 1:17 AM
... I've had a few reviews come in recently from acquaintances who had read the novel and liked it, and one from a recent acquaintance who had really, really liked it. So I can't conclude that the insipid response from the giveaways implies that the text is a turnoff for everyone. /5
... character-driven, ebook giveaways don't work very well. My guess is that most subscribers are children – who else needs a free ebook that badly? – and this one isn't for them. I've persisted mainly to see whether further exposure might bring a nudge. On the upside, ... /4
August 24, 2025 at 1:17 AM
... character-driven, ebook giveaways don't work very well. My guess is that most subscribers are children – who else needs a free ebook that badly? – and this one isn't for them. I've persisted mainly to see whether further exposure might bring a nudge. On the upside, ... /4
… and two-star, rating on Amazon, a couple of 3-5 star ratings on Goodreads and no reviews whatsoever. Oh and 945 pages read on KU. Outright sales? Maybe a couple.
This isn't a whinge, just a progress report and more evidence that, at least for this sort of book, ... /3
This isn't a whinge, just a progress report and more evidence that, at least for this sort of book, ... /3
August 24, 2025 at 1:17 AM
… and two-star, rating on Amazon, a couple of 3-5 star ratings on Goodreads and no reviews whatsoever. Oh and 945 pages read on KU. Outright sales? Maybe a couple.
This isn't a whinge, just a progress report and more evidence that, at least for this sort of book, ... /3
This isn't a whinge, just a progress report and more evidence that, at least for this sort of book, ... /3
... 3800. Yep, quite a few, which suggests that people subscribing to Freebooksy and its chief rival, The Fussy Librarian, like Mr O's cover.
However, that 3800 copies downloaded, plus a couple of hundred more paid orders from a BookBub launch feature, has generated a single, ... /2
However, that 3800 copies downloaded, plus a couple of hundred more paid orders from a BookBub launch feature, has generated a single, ... /2
August 24, 2025 at 1:17 AM
... 3800. Yep, quite a few, which suggests that people subscribing to Freebooksy and its chief rival, The Fussy Librarian, like Mr O's cover.
However, that 3800 copies downloaded, plus a couple of hundred more paid orders from a BookBub launch feature, has generated a single, ... /2
However, that 3800 copies downloaded, plus a couple of hundred more paid orders from a BookBub launch feature, has generated a single, ... /2
Uptake from free promotions vs results vs fan feedback: a 🧵.
🖋️📚 💙📚
Last month I ran another free ebook promotion, via Freebooksy, for my literary novel Mr O Winds Back the Clock. That brought in 441 orders, and takes the total e-copies given away since launch to ... /1
🖋️📚 💙📚
Last month I ran another free ebook promotion, via Freebooksy, for my literary novel Mr O Winds Back the Clock. That brought in 441 orders, and takes the total e-copies given away since launch to ... /1
August 24, 2025 at 1:17 AM
Uptake from free promotions vs results vs fan feedback: a 🧵.
🖋️📚 💙📚
Last month I ran another free ebook promotion, via Freebooksy, for my literary novel Mr O Winds Back the Clock. That brought in 441 orders, and takes the total e-copies given away since launch to ... /1
🖋️📚 💙📚
Last month I ran another free ebook promotion, via Freebooksy, for my literary novel Mr O Winds Back the Clock. That brought in 441 orders, and takes the total e-copies given away since launch to ... /1
🧵 I've resisted putting my private life online but having responded to this reply a few days ago thought I'd dip in a toe, having confronted a small test overnight that felt big – and that turned out to have been triggered by false assumptions. 💙📚 🖋️📚 /more
May 20, 2025 at 1:14 AM
🧵 I've resisted putting my private life online but having responded to this reply a few days ago thought I'd dip in a toe, having confronted a small test overnight that felt big – and that turned out to have been triggered by false assumptions. 💙📚 🖋️📚 /more
Someone deserves an award for this album cover. The advance track's not bad, either. And they're from Melbourne. 😃
www.jambase.com/article/folk...
www.jambase.com/article/folk...
May 15, 2025 at 6:48 AM
Someone deserves an award for this album cover. The advance track's not bad, either. And they're from Melbourne. 😃
www.jambase.com/article/folk...
www.jambase.com/article/folk...
Encouragingly, it appears that someone has read Mr O cover to cover recently on Kindle Unlimited, which is a first and therefore represents progress. I'd begun to wonder whether the ebook format didn't work for it. Note that the page count is KU specific: it's a 330-page novel in print. /3 of 3 🖋️📚
May 6, 2025 at 12:23 AM
Encouragingly, it appears that someone has read Mr O cover to cover recently on Kindle Unlimited, which is a first and therefore represents progress. I'd begun to wonder whether the ebook format didn't work for it. Note that the page count is KU specific: it's a 330-page novel in print. /3 of 3 🖋️📚
That takes free orders for the title over the six months since its release past 3380, and still almost no online feedback from purchasers and few paid orders for a deeply engaging literary read. This stuff ain't easy. But it's about finding fans. /2 of 3. 💙📚 🖋️📚
May 6, 2025 at 12:23 AM
That takes free orders for the title over the six months since its release past 3380, and still almost no online feedback from purchasers and few paid orders for a deeply engaging literary read. This stuff ain't easy. But it's about finding fans. /2 of 3. 💙📚 🖋️📚
Gave Mr O Winds Back the Clock another run on the free ebook circuit, this time on Freebooksy and Fussy Librarian on successive days (with Best Book Monkey thrown in on the second day). Result was just over 700 orders, roughly a third of a similar effort when the novel was released. 💙📚 🖋️📚 /1 of 3
May 6, 2025 at 12:23 AM
Gave Mr O Winds Back the Clock another run on the free ebook circuit, this time on Freebooksy and Fussy Librarian on successive days (with Best Book Monkey thrown in on the second day). Result was just over 700 orders, roughly a third of a similar effort when the novel was released. 💙📚 🖋️📚 /1 of 3
... it had sold two copies and would like to leave its other four consignment copies on display for a bit.
It is a small boast to say that a brick-and-mortar bookshop has sold two copies of your novel but it's bigger than it sounds in this case, since Farrells is the only such shop that ...
It is a small boast to say that a brick-and-mortar bookshop has sold two copies of your novel but it's bigger than it sounds in this case, since Farrells is the only such shop that ...
March 17, 2025 at 5:18 AM
... it had sold two copies and would like to leave its other four consignment copies on display for a bit.
It is a small boast to say that a brick-and-mortar bookshop has sold two copies of your novel but it's bigger than it sounds in this case, since Farrells is the only such shop that ...
It is a small boast to say that a brick-and-mortar bookshop has sold two copies of your novel but it's bigger than it sounds in this case, since Farrells is the only such shop that ...
🧵 🖋️📚 💙📚 Several chapters of my novel Mr O Winds Back the Clock are set in Mornington, a seaside town 65km south of central Melbourne by road. A very fine bookshop there, Farrells, agreed to stock Mr O, and recently notified me that ...
(Pic Georgfotoart via creativecommons.org/licenses/by-...)
(Pic Georgfotoart via creativecommons.org/licenses/by-...)
March 17, 2025 at 5:18 AM
🧵 🖋️📚 💙📚 Several chapters of my novel Mr O Winds Back the Clock are set in Mornington, a seaside town 65km south of central Melbourne by road. A very fine bookshop there, Farrells, agreed to stock Mr O, and recently notified me that ...
(Pic Georgfotoart via creativecommons.org/licenses/by-...)
(Pic Georgfotoart via creativecommons.org/licenses/by-...)
Has @nytimes.com been hacked? Or is it me?
I've a subscription, and suddenly this is what I see when I attempt to open a home page link.
I've a subscription, and suddenly this is what I see when I attempt to open a home page link.
March 3, 2025 at 11:38 AM
Has @nytimes.com been hacked? Or is it me?
I've a subscription, and suddenly this is what I see when I attempt to open a home page link.
I've a subscription, and suddenly this is what I see when I attempt to open a home page link.
... demanding about AU$56 for the hardback, more than double what it was asking for the paperback and well beyond my RRP and the typical price of a hardback novel in Australia.
The Nile, bless their hearts, had offered the hardback soon after it came out in October at $39.11 – actually under ...
The Nile, bless their hearts, had offered the hardback soon after it came out in October at $39.11 – actually under ...
March 3, 2025 at 5:39 AM
... demanding about AU$56 for the hardback, more than double what it was asking for the paperback and well beyond my RRP and the typical price of a hardback novel in Australia.
The Nile, bless their hearts, had offered the hardback soon after it came out in October at $39.11 – actually under ...
The Nile, bless their hearts, had offered the hardback soon after it came out in October at $39.11 – actually under ...
Well whaddaya know – Amazon.au has price-matched Au-NZ competitor The Nile, and slashed the hardcover price of my novel Mr O Winds Back the Clock. 😱 🖋️📚 💙📚 #BookSky
It's available natively on Amazon in paperback, but only through IngramSpark in hardback. Until recently, Amazon had been ...
It's available natively on Amazon in paperback, but only through IngramSpark in hardback. Until recently, Amazon had been ...
March 3, 2025 at 5:39 AM
... to read literature. Nevertheless another 723 people have copies of Mr O on their Kindles, and the result confirms that the cover, title and Kindle-page blurb is attractive.
The best fiction offers more than meets the eye, and so it is a matter of finding readers who'll get it. /2 of 3
The best fiction offers more than meets the eye, and so it is a matter of finding readers who'll get it. /2 of 3
February 25, 2025 at 10:21 AM
... to read literature. Nevertheless another 723 people have copies of Mr O on their Kindles, and the result confirms that the cover, title and Kindle-page blurb is attractive.
The best fiction offers more than meets the eye, and so it is a matter of finding readers who'll get it. /2 of 3
The best fiction offers more than meets the eye, and so it is a matter of finding readers who'll get it. /2 of 3
I ran another ebook promotion over the weekend, and it brought 723 downloads for Mr O Winds Back the Clock. 💙🖋️
I used Freebooksy, which was the most successful of the two services that I used in November.
This was a free offer, and I've little evidence that Freebooksy subscribers want ... /1 of 3
I used Freebooksy, which was the most successful of the two services that I used in November.
This was a free offer, and I've little evidence that Freebooksy subscribers want ... /1 of 3
February 25, 2025 at 10:21 AM
I ran another ebook promotion over the weekend, and it brought 723 downloads for Mr O Winds Back the Clock. 💙🖋️
I used Freebooksy, which was the most successful of the two services that I used in November.
This was a free offer, and I've little evidence that Freebooksy subscribers want ... /1 of 3
I used Freebooksy, which was the most successful of the two services that I used in November.
This was a free offer, and I've little evidence that Freebooksy subscribers want ... /1 of 3
... that it offer Mr O from a member, and it seemed unlikely that this member had been known to me.
On the strength of its setting, Mr O was accepted before Christmas for consignment sale at the prominent Mornington bookshop Farrells. Had someone purchased a copy, read it, ... /4 of 5
On the strength of its setting, Mr O was accepted before Christmas for consignment sale at the prominent Mornington bookshop Farrells. Had someone purchased a copy, read it, ... /4 of 5
February 3, 2025 at 11:07 PM
... that it offer Mr O from a member, and it seemed unlikely that this member had been known to me.
On the strength of its setting, Mr O was accepted before Christmas for consignment sale at the prominent Mornington bookshop Farrells. Had someone purchased a copy, read it, ... /4 of 5
On the strength of its setting, Mr O was accepted before Christmas for consignment sale at the prominent Mornington bookshop Farrells. Had someone purchased a copy, read it, ... /4 of 5
Interestingly, I learned of Frankston City Libraries having listed Mr O from Google, which cited its availability for loan in a sidebar to search results for the title. I was puzzled about why the library had selected it, and therefore lodged an inquiry. /2 of 5
February 3, 2025 at 11:07 PM
Interestingly, I learned of Frankston City Libraries having listed Mr O from Google, which cited its availability for loan in a sidebar to search results for the title. I was puzzled about why the library had selected it, and therefore lodged an inquiry. /2 of 5