Stop on over and say, “Hi.”
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Category: e-Book Publishing (Page 2 of 5)
If you’re looking to publish your book for the e-Reader markets, this may be helpful.
Well, D.T. Conklin and I (mostly Dan) have been working on a new website for Evolved Publishing, this one menu-driven and more dynamic. We like it, and we think you will too. Check it out.
We haven’t got all the bells and whistles 100% yet, particularly for blog subscriptions and the like. We’ll have that all addressed before the new year, at which point we’ll actually start blogging there as a group.
Evolved Publishing moves onward and upward, and the happy days continue.
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Evolved Publishing has put out an anthology resulting from its first-ever Short Story Contest. This collection consists of 10 great stories from 10 talented authors, ranging from fantasy and science fiction, to thrillers, to action/adventure, to mainstream literary.
This collection offers something for everyone, and I, with the help of co-editor D.T. Conklin, have edited the stories, polishing them to a fine sheen.
I absolutely love some of these stories. Come check ’em out.
Available as an eBook at: Amazon
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That’s right: ***FREE***
Pick up Paradox – A Short Story, available FREE in all eBook formats at Smashwords and BookieJar.
It won’t be free at Amazon until they catch it with their eBots, and who knows how long that will take. In the meantime, if you absolutely, positively must buy it at Amazon, it’s priced at the minimum $0.99.
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Well, next week is going to be exciting for me, and for several of my colleagues at Evolved Publishing. Let’s start with the BIG DAY.
December 20, 2011
Cover by Josh Evans
Oh yeah! My novel, Forgive Me, Alex, will be available as an eBook (sorry, but print version won’t be available for a couple months). I’ve been delaying this to focus on other Evolved Publishing business these past few months, but I’m pleased to finally—Finally!—release this book. The good news about the delay is that I’ve done some additional polishing, aided by the keen eye and strange mind of D.T. Conklin, and the story is stronger and more compelling than ever. I think you’ll agree. (I’m keeping my fingers crossed.)
Cover by Josh Evans
Also available on the 20th will be a book I had the pleasure of editing, Kimberly Kinrade’s lower-grade chapter book, Lexie World. This is the first installment in Kimberly’s The Three Lost Kids Trilogy. The book includes several great full color pictures from our artist fantastique, Josh Evans. The two of them have combined to create a series that will not only charm and thrill kids, but provide important lessons, as well.
Cover by Sarah Shaw
A third book from Evolved Publishing will hit the eShelves that day—Evolution: Vol. 1. This is a collection of short stories resulting from our first Short Story Contest. It includes 7 terrific stories from 7 excellent authors who participated in the contest. It also includes 3 short stories from the EP stable—me, D.T. Conklin and Ruby Standing Deer. This anthology results from the first of our semi-annual Short Story Contests. Our next one opens up for submissions in mid-February, and we’ll release Evolution: Vol. 2 in June 2012.
Christmas and New Year’s Day
Cover by Michael Baca
By Christmas day, we’ll be releasing Circles, by Ruby Standing Deer. Once again, it has been my pleasure to edit this piece. Ruby’s historical fiction novel, set some 500 years ago, features a Native American tribe enjoying the pleasures of a simple life, yet struggling to survive upheaval. This charming cast of characters will capture your heart, with their extraordinary family bonds and easy sense of humor.
Cover by Josh Evans
Some time between Christmas and New Year’s Day, the second installment in Kimberly Kinrade’s The Three Lost Kids Trilogy will be out—Bella World. Once again, she has teamed up with artist Josh Evans to create a spectacular lower-grade adventure.
Cover by Josh Evans
Hot on the heels of that will be Maddie World, the third installment in the trilogy….
Cover by Josh Evans
…followed quickly by the omnibus edition that combines all three books in a single Three Lost Kids edition.
And so, as you can see, it’s gonna be a fun holiday season! I’ll be back on the release dates with all the appropriate links for purchase. Please enjoy!
And please, have a safe and prosperous holiday season. Merry Christmas!
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“…whether ’tis nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous [book thieves], or to take arms against a sea of [pirates] and by opposing, end them.”
Okay, so now that I’ve butchered Shakespeare’s Hamlet, let me ask the simpler question: Why wouldn’t you, as someone who publishes eBooks, use Digital Rights Management (DRM)?
Now, I ask that question with the assumption that you’ll be making your eBook available most everywhere eBooks are sold—not just Amazon (MOBI), but Smashwords and BookieJar (EPUB, PDF, etc.), and all the distribution channels they provide (B&N, Apple, Sony, Kobo, Diesel, etc.).
As long as buyers, your customers, can go somewhere to purchase whatever electronic format they want, why wouldn’t you use DRM where you can to protect against piracy?
I’m trying to figure out the downside of doing so, as I’ve seen some discussions suggesting DRM is a bad idea. Why? What am I missing?
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I’ve been attempting, as a writer, to think more like a reader lately. Not too much of a stretch.
At issue is what to do when my psychological thriller, Forgive Me, Alex, comes out on December 20th. I mean, I can’t just release it and sit back, waiting for it to sell a million copies as if by some form of literary osmosis. If I want people to buy my book, and of course, I do, I’ll have to work at it.
Yet which are the best methods for promoting a book? There’s quite a lot of debate about this in the indie book world. Everyone agrees that the social media venues are important tools: Twitter, Facebook, Google+, and so on. We all have our blogs. Then there are blog tours and interviews.
The problem I have—as a reader—is that it all devolves into a bunch of white noise. “Buy me!” “No, buy me!” “Hey, don’t listen to them. Buy me instead!”
Frankly, I get sick and tired of that crapola, and I really don’t want to treat those who engage with me online to that nonsense. Yet how shall I sell my book if I don’t… well, sell my book?
Perhaps I should take the softer approach. I might talk about the book on occasion, but nothing too heavy. I’ll ask Tony Hooper, protagonist, to stop by from time to time, as he has already on three occasions: first visit, second visit, third visit. I’ll try to engage people in meaningful conversation, some lively but friendly debate once in a while.
I think the best thing is just to let people know my book is available. Treat potential readers with a little respect. And let the chips fall where they may.
The begging, perhaps, will come later.
I’ve jumped into a discussion at The Passive Voice blog, and I’d like to expand on it here. I’m really gearing this question towards readers, but I welcome comments from writers too, provided you first put on your reader’s cap.
We all love great stories. That’s a given. However, is that all that matters to you? What if it’s poorly written, laden with grammatical errors and poor structure? Does that matter to you? How much? Where do you draw the line and forgive an author for poor writing?
Does moving, eloquent prose move you as a reader? If so, how much will you forgive a less-than-thrilling story?
Okay, so that’s more than one question… sort of two sides (or ten) of the same coin.
Please, I’d love to know your opinion on this.
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I’ve decided to postpone the release of my novel, Forgive Me, Alex. I am now stating for the record (etched in stone, folks) that the release date for my psychological thriller is (Shouldn’t there be a drum roll or something?):
December 20, 2011
Yep, just in time for Christmas, so be sure to stay in touch with the big guy up north. To those of you who’ve been anxiously waiting for me to launch the book, I beg your patience for just a bit longer.
So why the delay? The simple answer is that I need a little more time to establish a coherent launch strategy. I’ll want to promote it, advertise it, market it, generate some buzz, make children weep in the streets and make real singers of Milli Vanilli… err, okay, maybe not those last things. I may also do all of this in a coordinated effort with two other authors from our Evolved Publishing team, who will be releasing books around (or exactly) the same date.
When releasing a new book, it’s not just about writing it and getting it out there, it’s also about managing the business end of things. And that requires more time and preparation than I’ve been able to devote to it so far.
So please hang in there, my friends. It’s not so far off, in the grand scheme of things. And believe me, no one is more anxious than I am. So stay tuned—more to come soon.
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Come on, we all love awards. Face it: nothing beats recognition from your peers for a job well done.
These days, many organizations water down awards by giving them to everyone who participates, apparently making the point that if you have a pulse, you’re a winner. Okay, okay… I’ll not go down that road.
Still, we know a real award when we see it, usually because there are many entrants and few winners.
And so, I am pleased to announce that Kimberly Kinrade, one of our authors with Evolved Publishing, has won a Forward National Literature Award. If you go to that link and scroll down to the Second Place finishers, under Drama, you’ll find her book, Forbidden Mind.
I’m happy to say that I participated in that project as editor. The story is all hers, of course, but I made my own modest contribution. Fun! Gosh, awards are cool.
We’ve established Evolved Publishing around a few core philosophies, one of which is simple and unwavering: Quality Matters! I’d say Kimberly’s award is evidence that we’re on the right track.
‘Til next time, and as always, remember: To write well, you must work hard. To succeed in this tough gig, you mustn’t be lazy (or discouraged).
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