The six kinds of Indie published books
See this post over at the Awesome Indies site. Pick up some books for your kindle while you’re there. Everything you buy through the site helps support me and my family (I get a % of the price you pay. Since pretty much all of the books are less than $5 it doesn’t amount to much but it all helps)
Single short stories now available in all ebook formats
Reader’s favourites from my short story collection, ‘A Matter of Perception’ are now available as individual books on all ebook formats. The heartwarming magical realism tale of Norris and his Goddess, ‘A Hole in the Pavement’ is 99c, available here, and the poignant story of two women facing death in vastly different cultures and times yet linked via their dreams, ‘Not Me, It Can’t Be,’ is FREE and available here.
Will serialized novels make a come back?
Charles Dickens wrote many of his novels in serial form and Arthur Connon Doyle did the same with the Sherlock Holmes stories. They weren’t the only ones. Serialised fiction was big when books were expensive, so the stories were published in a more affordable magazine format in easily digestible chunks that suited the newly literate working class with little time for such indulgences. It was much easier for an author to have his or her work published this way than in a full book form. Although this form of fiction grew out of the economic constraints of the publishing industry at the time, rather than for any literary or artistic reason, it created fiction that didn’t take the readers commitment to the story for granted, hence there was plenty of dramatic tension to keep you reading. One segment always ended with a hook to lead you into the next one, something…
The big F word
It’s a nasty word that F word. No one likes to hear it, especially if it’s being applied to them, but sometimes we just have to face facts and admit that we have failed. Of course, we can’t fail unless we have some measure of what success means, and the higher our idea of success, the easier it is to fail. Aiming high is a risk, but if we don’t aim high, we may be limiting ourselves. Failure is subjective. One person’s idea of success may be another’s idea of failure, so on a mental level, we can sidestep it quite easily by changing our idea of success, but on an emotional level, it’s harder to wriggle away from. Warning: the rest of this post may be uncomfortable for some readers. Last night I felt like a failure and it was a strange feeling, kind of liberating in a way…
The kindle – a real comparative evaluation
The kindle touch When you read reviews on ereaders, often you’re either reading what people who have had only one ereader have to say or what people who have had a quick look at a few ereaders have to say. But I have had 3 different ereaders and used them all for a reasonable amount of time, so I think I have a pretty good understanding of what works and what makes a good ereader. I haven’t looked at the Nook or the Kobo though, so this comparison doesn’t include them, but if you’re thinking of buying one of them you might find it worthwhile to check if they have the features that I find really helpful. I’ve already done a comparison of the Sony touchscreen, the Australian Kogan and the screen of the kindle – based on a quick look at my daughter’s one. Today, now that I have…
A Christmas gift – Free ebook for 5 days only, 25th to 29th December
Merry Christmas to all my readers. I hope you had (if you’re down-under) or are having (if you’re in the Northern Hemisphere) a lovely time full of love and laughter, and that there will always be peace in your heart and in the heart and minds of the whole human race throughout all of space and time. My Christmas gift to you and your friends is everyone’s favourite short story from ‘A Matter of Perception’. Some of you have already received this gift, but if you haven’t, or if you wish to give it to someone else, you can get “A Hole in the Pavement” free on Amazon from the 25th to the 29th December. I hope you all got ereaders for Christmas, but if you didn’t you can read it on your computer by downloading kindle for PC. Go to Amazon and have a look on the right hand…
To eread or not to eread, when, not if, is the question
There’s been a lot of speculation around about the future of paper books. Some say they will disappear, but some people still swear that they will never get an ereader. Realistically I think it’s pretty safe to say that print books will never disappear entirely, just as live music and theatre haven’t disappeared with the advent of electronic performances. Children will still learn to read on paper books and picture books and non-fiction will always be around in print – books on gardening, cooking and art for example. Paper books may even become a luxury item for those with the space to house them & money to afford them. Old books will become more valuable as their kind becomes rarer. However, if you’re reading fiction, it’s not a question on whether you’ll get an ereader but when. The trends that create the future are already here and the results will…
And the Winners are ….
The winners of the Monster Mash and Bash Blog hop are – Darlene won the first two books in the Light Series Lindasy Ann and Sarah Ulfers won a copy each of ‘The Drogon Slayer’s Choice.’ The author will be contacting you soon. I hope you enjoy them.