The Write-Aholic

E-books versus paper books

2012-01-02T08:59:00.000-08:00

I have important memories vested in certain objects, my favourite books for instance. I own old editions of The Hobbit, Anne of Green Gables, some works by Roald Dahl, Alice in Wonderland, Wuthering Heights, Pride and Prejudice, and Jane Eyre, which I treasure, not just for the practical purpose of reading them over and over, but because these stories resonate with something deep inside me. The books are souvenirs of my journey through each story; tangible mementos that I can see and touch and smell. Just a glance at their spine or a whiff of their aging pages is enough to flood my memory with the entire story. A kindle can’t do that.

Which is greener?

On the other hand, I care about the environment. I know that paper books contribute to deforestation and that inks pollute waterways.

According to the Sustainable Electronics Initiative Blog, "Books use a total 15.2 MJ of energy and 4.47 kg of CO2. Kindles use a total 2615.5 MJ of energy and 512.2 kg CO2 emissions. This means that approximately 172 books would use the same amount of energy as one Amazon Kindle, and 115 books would produce the same amount of CO2 as one Amazon Kindle." If you'd like to halve your CO2 emissions as a reader, be sure to read at least 230 books on your kindle before upgrading.

NancyDavid Kho put it in a nutshell by saying “While pinpointing the exact number of books one must read to rationalize the switch to an e-reader is tricky, it's safe to say that someone who reads fewer than 10 books each year is better off with physical books, printed on paper with recycled content, if possible.”

The End of the Book Store?

I love book stores. I love wandering through the shelves and perusing books I would never normally search for online. I like hanging out in book stores on a cold or rainy day. But some fellow book worms are concerned about the book store's demise.

It is true that as the proportion of ebook sales continues to grow exponentially - 3.2% in 2009, 8.3% in 2010, and a projected 16% for 2011 - the demand for print books will decline. In fact, Amazon’s kindle ebook sales surpassed print book sales back in April, 2011, just four years after the first Kindle was released. So perhaps we do have cause concern.

Do I feel sad? Yes. But in an ever changing world one must ‘adapt or die’ - even book stores. Amazon is, afterall, a book store. Not the kind you walk into and spend a rainy day, but it has its advantages, and as a busy person who spends all day in front of my computer, I find myself spending more time on Amazon and less time in book stores these days.

What I like about Amazon

If I am looking for a book and I know its title or author, I can find it in seconds.
Amazon recommends books to me based on what I have viewed and read in the past.
I can look inside the book and read the table of contents or first chapter before deciding if I will buy it, which is almost like holding it in your hand and flicking through the pages.
Often I am faced with a decision - ‘this book, or that one?’ Reading what other readers have said about each book helps the decision process.

I love books and I love book stores but I don't see the digital revolution as being an end to both, it's an evolution, from physical book stores to online book stores, from pre-printed books (many of which end up being pulped) to e-books and print-on-demand. The books still exist but in a new form and with less waste.

When I travel, half my luggage used to be taken up with books. When I pack my kindle, I am effectively traveling with my whole library, which is a comforting feeling for a book lover.

I hope you can come to embrace the good that comes with the changing world of books. Like Lao Tse once said, "What the caterpillar calls the end the rest of the world calls a butterfly." It is not the end of books and book stores, it is merely a metamorphosis.

Orange Petals in a Storm by Niamh Clune

2011-12-01T10:01:00.000-08:00

Hello!

I had scheduled to interview Niamh Clune today, author of Orange Petals in a Storm, and she proposed to write about what she loves instead. I was only too happy to oblige. Here it is.

Niamh Clune:

I love...
Every second of the writing process. I am lost in it, consumed by it, but then have to crash through the gates of reality to publish and scatter what I love to the winds.

I love...
Beautiful prose, that by its very nature uplifts and allows soul into life. It is a thing-in-itself, a work of art, a thing of beauty. It is simple, uncluttered by adverbs and adjectives. It is not over-lofty but deeply thoughtful.

I love...
Those writers who defiantly re-arrange words to paint pictures of light as well as dark and who are brave enough to shrink from neither.

I love....
Good grammar. In fact when it is that good, it subtly challenges the rules.

I love...
Prose that contains within itself consistency of metaphor and lends three-dimensional depth to character.

I love...
When a reader knows how characters think and feel and are able to identify with those intimacies, as though the writer were speaking from one heart directly to another.

I love...
Writing that is musical, has rhythm and timbre. Even if it describes Hell, it does so beautifully…

I love words.

I love writing them, speaking them, playing with them, teasing them into performance.

A snippet from Orange Petals in a Storm:

Not until she reached Kingsland Road did she relax her pace to a brisk walk. Some might have thought it strange to see a young girl walking with pace and determination along East London’s drenched streets at such a time of night. She wore no coat. Dressed in her grey school skirt and blue jumper, only the local school she attended defined her. Those in the warm safety of their cars or huddled under umbrellas might indeed have given her a passing glance and wondered what she was doing there mud-stained and alone.

She swung left into Downham Road and continued her pace until she reached De Beauvoir Road. Turning right, she came at last to St. Peter’s Church. In happier times, she had loved the chiming bells and the clock on the front of its Gothic tower, but on this night, the church held little interest. Running at a right angle to it was her final destination: Number Six Northchurch Terrace.

She did not intend to enter the house that once had been her home. She intended instead to pass beneath the rose arch at the bottom of the garden, search out the loose fence plank, slide it across, and squeeze through the gap into the builder’s yard.

She stood between the Church buttresses in search of shelter from the rain but found little. The rain dripped from her hair, into her eyes, down her face and off the end of her nose. She shivered and stared at the house on the other side of the road. All that concerned her now was how to enter the garden whilst avoiding detection. She would choose her moment carefully; she would watch and wait until the house became dark and still.

The Church bell chimed the passing of another hour. At last, she crossed the road and opened the iron gate. Descending the steep, stone steps to the lower garden level, she hid amongst the shadows. Moving quietly with their slowly unfolding motions and shapes, she had little to fear from such as these. Those silent inhabitants of her once beloved garden had been her friends. Once again, they cloaked her well, enabling her to move to the garden’s end. Passing beneath the rose bushes, she sought out the loose plank. Though she searched, carefully feeling the edge of each one, she could not find the plank that would give her entry into the builder’s yard. She sank into the mud, curled up into a tiny ball and gave herself up to the rain.

Purr! Purrrrrh! Again, Purr! Purrrrrh! Mick sounded like a telephone. His insistence pulled her out of the numbness that had crawled over her. The cat’s presence enticed her back into the cold, wet world. He pressed his warm nose close to her ear. He head-butted her, letting her know he was delighted to see her again, his person returned to him. Purr! Purrrrrh! He rubbed along her body. Then jumping onto her hip, he walked along her side with his tail flicking in the air. Despite her fatigue, she managed to sit upright. She hugged the cat and pressed her face into his wet fur for warmth and companionship. The cold crept through her like a silent thief, pinching her features, and turning them blue.

The child of eleven years sat still and silent beneath the roses at the bottom of the garden.

Thank you, Niamh!

You can buy Orange Petals in a Storm in:
Paperback
Amazon

Connect with Niamh on:
Facebook
Twitter
Orange Berry Books
Her blog
You tube

Interview with author John Zunski

2011-11-14T20:35:00.000-08:00

John Zunski is the author of Cemetery Street, and more recently, Shangri-La Trailer Park, an American drama which takes us on a forty-eight hour ride through the world's most dysfunctional trailer park. This is one for the over-eighteens.

Born and raised in suburban Philadelphia, in 2003 John sailed across the country in a U-haul and settled in the Bitterroot Mountains of Montana.

May I welcome John Zunski… if you want more of him, catch his blog or website

Jodie: Did you draw on any of your own experiences in Shangri-La Trailer Park?

John: Shangri-La Trailer Park's protagonist – Maistoinna Standing Bear – is Blackfoot. When I struck Shangri-La Trailer Park's first words I had very minimum knowledge of Blackfoot culture, other than a gaffe I made as a tourist on the Blackfoot Reservation. As I was checking out of a motel, in the course of civil conversation, I called the elderly man behind the counter ‘Chief.' In those days, I called everyone chief. Little did I know it was a big no-no – chief is a racial slur. The conversation hit a brick wall and all the eyes in the room fell upon me. I crawled out of the office in one piece. Did I mention being very embarrassed? I drew upon that experience for a scene that turned out differently for the offending party.

Jodie: What sort of research did you do for Shangri-La Trailer Park?

John: I love Native American mythology – and I particularly enjoy Blackfoot mythology. Two of my favorite myths appear in Shangri-La Trailer Park – The Wolverine-Woman and The Bear-Knife. Maistoinna's last name is influenced by the myths. I also reference historical occurrences but do not explain them, using them instead to lend authenticity to dialogue.

My wife Tammy also gets a major shoutout. At the time, she worked with tribal members and through her efforts, I learned the intricacies of Blackfeet diction and slang.

Jodie: Do you have a writing schedule to ensure output?

John: I prefer writing in the wee hours, I drag my butt out of bed and cozy up to my computer. I usually take an evening nap, wake up around 2.00 a.m. and write at least two hours before turning in. Living in the mountains of Montana, the calm of the night resonates with me – during the summer, when the windows are open, I find inspiration in the sound of the creek or on occasion, the sounds of wildlife - especially coyotes and wolves. During the winter, the full moon on snow is super inspiring. If I'm lucky, I'll catch the shadow of the muse lurking within the night.

Photo copyright Paul Harding

Jodie: What is the most challenging aspect of writing?

John: Getting up at two in the morning. It can be a triumph of will to scrap myself off the pillow and from under warm blankets. If I didn't do it then, it wouldn't get done.

Jodie: What is the most fun part of writing?

John: Pulling off plot twists, creating enthralling characters or riveting scenes are all great fun. Seeing it all come together and realizing it works is even better. For me, nothing beats hearing about the effect one's work has with a reader. It's incredibly fulfilling.

Jodie: How did you become a writer?

John: I was introduced to the world with a pen in hand, before I could crawl I drew squiggly lines on my crib. When I could walk, I found my way to the typewriter, maybe it the noise of the keys, that rhythmic ratta-tat-tat sounded more magical than music, or maybe it was the bell that dinged after a bunch of ratta-tat-tats. Whatever it was, I found myself looking up, impatient to sit before it. When I finally did, I made lots of noise and a blizzard of scrap paper.

Okay, it didn't happen quite like that, but, I write fiction and that sounded interesting.

In reality, I was anything but a prodigy. In my early years I struggled with reading, I couldn't understand that sotp was pronounced stop or that gniht was pronounced night and that meant time for bed. Despite the confusion, something about reading seemed magical – that I could open a book and fall into another world. I wanted to be a magician, I wanted to create worlds people would enjoy.

Jodie: Were you an avid writer at school? Did you do well in English in spite of the dyslexia?

John: I was an avid writer at home. I would sit at the kitchen table pounding away on a typewriter. At school, not so much, I couldn't conform to the structure. Did I do well with English? I have a secret for you. The only F I ever got was in English – seventh grade. I was devastated, until, years later I learned I am in good company – my English professor claimed Winston Churchill failed English 101 three times.

Jodie: What authors have most influenced your writing?

John: John Irving because of the depth of his characters;
Stephen King because it's all about the story;
Carl Hiaasen because he makes the absurd seem plausible.

Jodie: What inspired you to write Shangri-La Trailer Park?

John: The flippant answer is that I have an incredible dark streak – it's revealed throughout all my works – Shangri-La Trailer Park isn't an exception, it just reveals itself differently. I set out to write a novel completely unlike Cemetery Street. The two are vastly different. With Shangri-La Trailer Park, I was striving for something lighter – though in retrospect it has heavy themes. Unlike Cemetery Street, none of the characters die, although Maistoinna is badgered by the memory of his late nephew and guilt for not thwarting a preventable death.

I also wanted to prove to myself that I could break the bounds of genre, after all, life doesn't conform to one genre.

Jodie: Do you have another book planned?

John: Numerous… Currently I'm writing Montana Rural, which is Cemetery Street's sequel. It also can be read as a stand alone novel. I'm also toying with the idea for a novel about overpopulation, tentatively entitled The Elephant in the Room.

I have two works in the publishing pipeline: Dirty Bum for President: the history of a unique presidential campaign and Nightwatching. Nightwatching is the first of a series of ghost stories.

Readers can buy Shangri-La Trailer Park at Smashwords, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Apple, Kobo, Diesel and other fine retailers.

Author Interview with Shawn Lamb

2011-11-10T07:01:00.000-08:00

Beginning her writing career in television, Shawn wrote for Filmation Studio’s series BraveStarr. She won several screenwriting awards including a Certificate of Merit from the American Association of Screenwriters. Recently she became a winner in The Authors Show contest 50 Great Writers You Should Be Reading for 2011.

Although continuing to write articles, newsletters and brochures, after BraveStarr, her first book was published in January 2010. Allon was a fantasy story written at her daughter’s request and has become a series for young adults.

Shawn lives in Nashville with her husband Rob and their daughter Briana.

1. Hello Sean, Did you draw on any of your own experiences in The Huguenot Sword?

I studied fencing and my fence master proclaimed at my first lesson he wanted to train me for the Olympics, 1984 in Los Angeles to be exact. He called me a natural, instinctive swordsman. He was Ralph Faulkner, who during the early years of movies served as fencing instructor and stunt coordinator for Basil Rathbone, Errol Flynn, and other named stars. He doubled as Danny Kaye’s character in The Court Jester. He also won several Olympic medals in the 1920s. While under his teaching, I was considered to be the fencing stunt double for Bo Derek in a pirate movie that unfortunately, got canned. I translate my giftedness with the sword to Philipe, one the main characters. Only he’s left-handed.

2.What sort of research did you do for The Huguenot Sword?

I did a lot research, whether at the library or online. What proved frustrating was the lack of information about Henri, the Duc de Rohan. He was a key leader of the French Huguenots, and actually, very influential with many European princes and powerful lords. He is credited with singlehandedly withstanding Richelieu and keeping the Huguenots alive. For such a man of integrity and stature to be overlooked is surprising.

3. Do you have a writing schedule to ensure output?

No, I’m pretty flexible. Having an adult daughter out of college and not working outside the home gives me lots of time for writing, chores and other pursuits. Although, I am an innate storyteller, which means I don’t plot or plan, I write from beginning to end.

4. What is the most challenging aspect of writing?

Not being able to type fast enough when I’m on a roll. Being over 50, my eyes give out before my mind and fingers.

5. What is the most fun part of writing?

For me everything is fun. I love doing research, exploring new avenues for my characters, creating challenges and twists in the story. To me writing is like breathing, it’s essential.

6. How did you become a writer?

I’ve been writing since I was a kid, but my break came in the 1980s when I got a chance to write for the Filmation’s cartoon series BraveStarr. This was the same studio that produced He-Man and She-Ra. My husband worked there as a storyboard artist and staff writer.

7. Were you an avid writer at school? Did you do well in English?

Oh, I was very much the writer in class. I took copious notes while my teachers both dreaded and enjoyed my answers to essay questions and book reports. Some balked at my length, others enjoyed seeing how I would answer in one paragraph.

As for English, let’s just say, it wasn’t my favorite subject, history was. To me grammar was convoluted and confusing. Diagram a sentence? Why? It looked perfectly fine to me, so why mess it up with lines and divisions? Now, within English I did excel at spelling, winning many in call spelling bees.

8. What authors have most influenced your writing?

I devoured historical fiction as a teen and young adult. Some of my favorite authors include Mary Stewart, Taylor Caldwell, John Jakes and Alistair MacLean. I love stories where I can’t tell the fictional characters from the real historical figures, where I feel lost in the time period.

Mary Stewart

9. What inspired you to write The Huguenot Sword?

Dumas. As a teen I had a major crush on D’Artagnan. While other girls swooned over Mr. Darcy, I wanted to fight beside D’Artagnan. Hence I took up fencing with the rapier. I can’t get enough swashbuckling stories.

D’Artagnan, one of the three muskateers

There was also Rafael Sabatini and his books turned into movies – Captain Blood and The Sea Hawk with Errol Flynn. But favorite book of his is Master At Arms.

10. Do you have another book planned?

Yes. The Huguenot Sword launches a new line of historical fiction for adults in addition to continuing the Allon YA fantasy series. Other books will take place in England and Scotland; one deals with the English Civil War and another, a most infamous Highland incident.

Where can readers buy The Huguenot Sword?

The book is available in paperback or e-book on both Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

You can connect with Shawn Lamb here:

Website: http://www.allonbooks.com

Blog: http://allonbooks-thekingdomofallon.blogspot.com/

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Author Interview with Linda Hawley

2011-11-03T09:32:00.000-07:00

Linda Hawley is the author of the successful political thriller series, Prophecies. She has been showered in five star reviews since the publication of her first book. Hawley is an author to watch out for.

If she were going to clone herself as a writer, she would concoct a cloning recipe which would contain the following ingredients:

Lots of varied life experience, to give enough flavor
World travel experience, for color
Passion, for spice
A few crazy relationships, to create perspective
One or two quirks, to add a little crunch
Deep love, to introduce spirit
Curiosity, to add a little danger
A touch of paranoia, to interject alternate realities
Lots of knowledge about current events, for texture
Pride and humility, to bring human characteristics
A touch of insanity, for interest

These characteristics have made their way into the pages of her books.

1. The detail in Dreams Unleashed makes the story so believeable. Did you draw on any of your own experiences in that book or Guardian of Time?
Many experiences from my life are in this three-book series. The most profound one is probably the last chapter from Dreams Unleashed (book 1 in the series). I had that actual experience, wrote it down, and the protagonist (Ann) came alive.
Interviewers note: I don't think I'll be giving anything away if I say the scene which Linda refers to involves a white knuckle plane ride. The outcome of that plane ride is the spoiler.

2. There are references to all kinds of things in Dreams unleashed, from chakras to future technologies. What sort of research did you do for Guardian to Time?
I researched like crazy for the whole series. As a matter of fact, pretty much everything you read about in the series is based on fact, except the characters and their adventures. In that way my series is written like historical fiction would be.

3. Do you have a writing schedule to ensure output?
I'm a night-writer. I write some of my best scenes at 1am.
Interviewer: You're in good company there. Many successful writers burn the midnight oil.

4. What is the most challenging aspect of writing for you?
After the manuscript is ready for editing, the rewrites are what I really despise. Up until that point, it's heaven on earth!

5. What part of writing do you enjoy most?
Creation. In writing new characters, new scenes, new plots, my creativity explodes; it's euphoric.

6. How did you become a writer?
I've been writing all my life. I fell in love with words when I was five. I started publishing novels when I was in my 40s, because I had done everything else I wanted to do, and this was the 'one big dream' still hanging out there for me. Now that I am a published author, I think I should have done it right out of the starting blocks in my 20s.

7. Were you an avid writer at school? Did you do well in English?
I am a horrible speller. I did well in English in college, but my understanding of English is intuitive. I can 'feel' whether a sentence is right, or not. I have a second sense about it.

8. What authors have most influenced your writing?
The most influential authors for me have been writers of dystopian literature.

9. What inspired the Prophecies series?
Once I created my protagonist, Ann Torgeson, she quite literally came alive on the paper, and demanded to be the heroine in a series. I obeyed. I am extremely proud that I have created a female--in her 40s--who saves the world. Who wouldn't want to read about that?

10. Do you have another book planned?
Book one, Dreams Unleashed, is published. Book two, Guardian of Time, is published. Book three, yet unnamed, will be published in late December or early January. After that, I have 10 volumes of poetry which will be published in Spring 2011. After that, I have another dystopian trilogy coming in 2012. If you love dystopian stories, you might want to hang out with me!

Where can readers buy Dreams Unleashed and The Guardian of Time?

Dreams Unleashed (99cents everywhere)

Guardian of Time

"A real thought provoker. If you liked the Bourne Identity or Inception you'll love this!" review.

Formatting and publishing your ebook for Amazon Kindle

2011-08-16T17:08:00.000-07:00

Today is an exciting day! I just published my first ebook, The Magic Carpet, to Amazon, making it available worldwide via Amazon USA, Amazon UK and Amazon Germany.

There is a lot of preparation involved and I encountered a few hiccups along the way, so I have put together a checklist for others who are PUBLISHING their first ebook to Amazon. This is by no means comprehensive, but hopefully it will prepare you for the journey! I will follow up with a more detailed post on FORMATTING your book for kindle.

12 Tips to formatting and publishing your manuscript to Kindle

1. Save your manuscript as Web page, filtered
Open your manuscript word document and save it as “web page, filtered." This turns it into an html file, stripping out a lot of the microsoft labelling.

2. Visible paragraphs
Make your paragraphs visible by clicking the paragraph button in your home menu.

This helps you to make sure there are no stray paragraphs before and after your page breaks. Stray paragraphs, if they happen to run over onto a new page on the kindle, will result in unwanted blank pages.

3. The Contents page

Making an active contents page requires a little HTML knowledge. I'll cover that in detail in the next post.

4. The Cover - inserting it into the manuscript Vs adding a separate image file during publication
The cover can either be a separate file, or you can insert it into the document. The back cover is not needed. The back cover copy goes in the ‘description’ field that you fill in during the publication process and it appears beneath the book on the Amazon page. I used a separate cover image file becuase it displays full screen on the kindle. An inserted image for the cover has margins of white around it.

5. The Description

Have a compelling description ready. This is the first thing people read when determining whether or not they want to buy your book.

6.35% or 70% royalty?

This seems like a trick question at first – of COURSE I want 70%! - but after I researched this I saw the advantages to both 35% and 70%.

In a nutshell;

The 70% option

You pay a Delivery Cost of US $0.15, UK £0.10, or € 0.12 per MB every time a customer downloads your book.
You receive 70% of the ‘selling price’ not the ‘list price’ (after the Delivery Cost has been subtracted). So, if Amazon reduces your list price, you get 70% of the reduced price, not your list price.
You must ensure that the ebook does not sell for a lower price anywhere else.

EXAMPLE: If your Digital Book has a file size of 0.800 megabytes and a List Price of US $2.99, and Amazon sells your eBook at the List Price:

Delivery Cost will be $0.12
(0.800 MB x $0.15 = $0.12)

Your royalty will be $2
($2.99 – $0.12) x 70% = $2.009).

The 35% option

You always receive 35% of the ‘list price’, regardless of whether Amazon discounts the list price or not.
You do not pay a Delivery Cost.

EXAMPLE 1: If your list price is US $10, you will always make $3.50 per book, even when they are sold at a discounted rate.

EXAMPLE 2: If your list price is $2.99, you’ll only make $1.04 in royalties.

CONCLUSION: If you have a high list price, the 35% royalty might actually be a far better deal for you. Try different prices, do your math, and decide what works best for you.

Amazon’s pricing page has more details.

7. DRM or no DRM?

Decide if you would like Digital Rights Management on your book or not. Need more info? Here’s some general information about DRM and a paragraph specifically about DRM for ebooks.

8. Choose a price

Getting the best return on investment is a combination of getting a high ‘volume of sales’ and a good ‘price per unit’. The magical number seems to be between US$0.99 and $2.99. (comments welcome!). Keeping prices low means a lower return per book HOWEVER you sell so many more of them that the total reutrns are greater.For the computations visit the Book Bee

$0.99 - $2.99 is low enough for people to take a chance on an author they haven’t read before.

If you just want people to read it and don’t care about the money, then heck, give it away for free!

For some reason, most publishers are charging the same amount for ebooks as for paperbacks. This does not make sense. An ebook uses none of the resources a paperback does - no paper, no printing ink, no physical distribution in trucks all over the country.

9. Author Page
a) Fill in your author page at Amazon's Author Central. Make your bio interesting but relevant to the genre in which you write.
b) Upload a profile picture.
c) Link your tweets and blog posts to your author page. There is a one click option for this!

10. PREVIEW

While your ebook is uploaded you have the option of moving on and completing the process. Don't do this. Wait. When it has finished uploading, you ahve the option of previewing it. Take the time to do this in case you need to make changes. If you finalize your upload, you will have to wait 24 hours for it to be approved before you can make your changes.

11. Test it on different devices
Once it has been published, download the 'sample' that Amazon offers for free, and check the formatting. Changes occur. Mine had no blank pages in the preview, but one appeared during publication which I found in the sample. A friend viewed it on his iPad and it looked different again. I had an ornate letter at the beginning of every chapter which aligned middle in iPad and bottom in Kindle. I scoured the web for solutions, tried things out, and finally got it right but it's a lengthy process better left for my next post on formatting.

It is possible to make changes after your ebook has been published. Amazon instructs you to download the file, unzip, work on the html file, rezip and reupload. Because my changes involved the image files as well, I took a different approach of making changes to the original file on my computer, reformatting it in MobiPocket, and uploading to kindle over the top of my previous file.

12. Invite people to review and rate it.

If you would like to review and rate my ebook, please let me know!

Kindle Vs iBook

Apple continues to have far fewer titles and far fewer sales than Kindle.
The problem? IBooks are only available on Apple devices, whereas Kindle ebooks are available everywhere - or nearly so.

Kindle ebook sales dominate iBooks even on Apple devices. So much so that author J.A. Konrath reports a 60:1 Kindle:iBook sales ratio.

For these reasons, it makes sense to get the Kindle version of you eBook just right.

It took me a week, and here it is... (drum roll please)

Ta da!

So, to recap, what you need to publish your book to kindle is as follows.
1. Your book formatted for kindle.
2. The book description - the copy that usually appears on the back of the book.
3. An author profile picture.
4. An author blurb.
5. A decision onwhether you would like DRM or not.
6. A price and royalty decision.

7. A decision on the distribution regions. Do you want to distribute only within the US or all over the world? If you have no existing contracts with publishers, you would of course, choose worldwide.
8. A cover.

Are you ready to get started? Start right here.

Meanwhile, happy publishing!

The 'all day in pyjamas' perk of being a writer

2011-05-17T19:16:00.000-07:00

Yes, that’s right. When you are a writer it is a short commute each day from your bed to the computer. No need to shower or dress until you have to go out, which for me is sometimes as late as 5pm!

I know some people who work from home and behave just as though they work in an office. They rise, shower, dress, brush their teeth, and floss before settling into their work.

I’m not one of them. No Sir-ee. I give my writing first priority. (okay, so I do take a wee peek at my inbox sometimes). But apart from that. (Oh, I also like to make myself a coffee and it’s not instant. It’s one of those Italian espresso thingamys which takes a little fussing). But apart from that, I dive straight into the writing.

I’m not ashamed of this because I happen to know that I’m in good company.

Salmon Rushdie confessed: “I just get up, go downstairs, and write. I’ve learned that I need to give it the first energy of the day, so before I read the newspaper, before I open the mail, before I phone anyone, often before I have a shower, I sit in my pajamas at the desk. I do not let myself get up until I’ve done something that I think qualifies as working."

And then there’s M.J. Hearle. “Sure we get to spend all day in our pyjamas, have as many tea and biscuit breaks as we like, forgo personal hygiene because the only person we interact with all day is our dog and they don’t care if we haven’t brushed our teeth or put deodorant on – but these are just the fringe benefits of what can occasionally be a punishing profession.”

So there you have it! Writer’s deserve this guilty pleasure.

And now, at 3pm I must excuse myself to get dressed and go out to greet the day!

Thanks to C.J Duggan for the brilliant idea of sharing 'guilty pleasures'. You can read more guilty pleasures on her very addictive blog!

Jodie

P.S A note about spelling: Pajamas is the US spelling while pyjamas is the British and Australian spelling. No typos in case you were wondering ;-)

4 tips to increase your productivity and avoid writer's block

2011-05-14T15:32:00.000-07:00

In previous posts I have written about the significance of the first chapter, the book’s packaging, and how to get it right. I could go on to blog about the countless other aspects of writing - pacing, suspense, character development, the hero’s journey, snappy dialogue, ending each chapter on a cliff hanger, the poetry of words, milking every scene, building a climax, and so on – hey, maybe I will! But the area in which many of us fail is simply productivity.

This is certainly the area where I have failed, and when I look back at the weak first chapter, and the problematic second cover and jacket copy, I know that had I kept writing at least one book per year as my publisher advised, these details wouldn’t bother me so much. They’d have become insignificant in the wake of my success. But I have not produced anything since so it is natural for me to dwell on what I have written, pick it to pieces, and blame it for my lack of progress. But enough!

Every time we write, our writing improves. The more we write, the more we improve. So it stands to reason, that the more productive we are each week, the more quickly we will improve.

There are dozens of courses on ‘finishing your manuscript’, so many writers who dream of publication but aren’t there yet. And there are just as many excuses as to why. Some examples.

Excuse # 1: I don’t have enough time.

We all have 24 hours in every day, the difference is how we choose to fill them. Saying ‘I don’t have enough time for writing’ is another way of saying ‘writing is not a priority’. It means you have given precedence to the many other activities that fill your day – housework, checking your emails, playing with your children, walking the dog, checking your emails, socializing with friends, sleeping, eating, gardening, checking your emails, watching TV, and making yourself that 77^th cup of tea – some are worthy ways to spend your time, some are not.

But if these things are important to you and you really can’t find time to write, accept that it’s not a priority and be happy with your choice (really, you’ll feel a weight off your shoulders). Or, you can ditch some of your activities to make room for writing.

Excuse # 2: My writing is absolute poop so I need some time out

A writer’s number one enemy is self-doubt. Our inner critic can paralyze us if we let it. We become so sure that we won’t be able to write anything worth reading that we don’t attempt it in the first place (aka ‘procrastination’) and thus our fear of failure becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Of course your writing is going to be poop, at first. Everyone’s is. Every writer has at least one unpublishable manuscript languishing in a drawer. Salman Rushide has three! Until he started writing Midnight’s Children, there was this period of flailing about, he once said in an interview. To quote him:

"I was very scared all the time. See, I thought my career as a writer had gone nowhere at all. Meanwhile, many people in that very gifted generation I was a part of had found their ways as writers at a much younger age. It was as if they were zooming past me. Martin Amis, Ian McEwan, Julian Barnes, William Boyd, Kazuo Ishiguro, Timothy Mo, Angela Carter, Bruce Chatwin—to name only a few. It was an extraordinary moment in English literature, and I was the one left in the starting gate, not knowing which way to run."

Writing poop is part of the deal. Being rejected by literary agents and publishers is also part of the deal. Stephen King hammered a ten inch nail into his wall and used it as a spike for his rejection letters. It filled up. J.K. Rowling received plenty of rejections for her first Harry Potter book before it was eventually published.

Nearly every writer failed to get their first manuscript published at all, and when they look back at it, most agree that it should never be published. But what did they do? Give up? No, the writers who have become a success put that first manuscript aside after exhausting all avenues. Then they wrote a second manuscript and went through the process of submitting it all over again. That’s ‘belief in yourself’ and ‘persistence’. Adopt both.

All great writers were once just people trying to write. They did not become ‘great’ until they had a lot of writing behind them. Don’t expect the first thing you write to be a masterpiece. It probably won’t be. You’ll stifle your creativity by putting that kind of pressure on yourself anyway.

Instead of setting yourself the impossible task of writing a masterpiece straight up, set yourself small achievable tasks such as creating a character that leaps off the page, writing some cracking dialogue, a tight scene, a moving climax, and build your story block by block, going back over it AFTER you’ve written the first draft to change the pace, cut unnecessary scenes, improve the dialogue etc.

If you are not happy with your productivity, DO NOT EDIT AS YOU WRITE.

This is another writing kill joy which can suffocate creativity. Keep on writing with the energy and optimism of a child, and don’t edit or go back until you’ve finished the first draft. If you realize you need to insert something earlier, write a comment in the margin about it so you can crack ahead – onward ho! You must keep the momentum going or your inner critic will take over, self doubt will set in, and your writing will grind to a halt.

Excuse # 3: I’m waiting for inspiration

Don’t wait for inspiration, writing is more about discipline. If you have a blank computer screen staring at you quickly fill it with automatic writing – the first thing that comes into your head. It can be (indeed is likely to be) utter jibberish. This is okay. It’s easier to make the transition from jibberish to intelligible writing, than it is to make the transition from blank screen to intelligible writing.

To quote Rushdie again, "I don’t have any strange, occult practices. I just get up, go downstairs, and write. I’ve learned that I need to give it the first energy of the day, so before I read the newspaper, before I open the mail, before I phone anyone, often before I have a shower, I sit in my pajamas at the desk. I do not let myself get up until I’ve done something that I think qualifies as working... before going to bed I read through what I did that day."

Susie Shellenberger says, ‘think through your fingers’. In other words, don’t sit there pondering about what you’re going to write about, type it out as you think, vomit words onto the screen. You’ll be surprised at how quickly your writing starts to flow.

Another tactic is to go after inspiration instead of waiting for it to come. Read writers you love. Read a blog on the subject you’re writing about. Flick through a relevant magazine. If you look hard enough, you can find inspiration anywhere. But don’t do this in ‘writing time’. It’s not writing and it should not replace writing – otherwise it will quickly become your latest form of procrastination.

Excuse # 4: I don’t have much self-discipline

This is a choice not a dealing of fate. If you don’t have self-discipline, develop it. Set yourself deadlines such as 20 pages per week (or 4 pages per day), or two hours per day. Treat it like a contract. Turn up at your computer at the appointed hour and write. Don’t stop until you’ve met your page count or time quota. This is the only way a book gets written. Just do it!

Now, no excuses :)

Good luck!

Cover, title, jacket copy, bio, spine

2011-04-14T09:17:00.000-07:00

Hi!

Let's take a brief look at the cover, title, spine, jacket copy, inside illustrations, and dedication - also known as the packaging - of a book.

The cover (or packaging) is often the first contact a person will have with your story.

Its purpose is to entice the potential reader to pick the book up, read the copy on the back, flick through a few pages, buy the book, and ultimately read it. Problems with the cover – misleading title, hard to read font, uninspiring cover art, or just a plain ugly design - could mean a very slow start for an otherwise good book.

A note about foils. They're expensive but can draw eyeballs to your cover if used effectively. Printing your whole cover art as foils might not work. It could actually detract from the art work, destroying the finer details.

Stephen King's books often have the title in gold foil. That works. Some of Margaret Atwood's covers are black with a foiled title and name. That works. The key is to use foil 'sparingly' to pick out key elements on the cover.

THE TITLE

Problems

A fancy, thin font will be dificult to read.
Long titles are harder to remember and more difficult to work with when designing the cover.

Tips

Keep titles short
Bold simple font is easiest to read. The fancier it gets, the harder it is to read.

THE SPINE

Sometimes the spine of your book is the only thing a prospective reader will see. It needs to be legible, striking, convey a sense of the book, and be easily found from amongst the other books on the shelf. Basically, it needs to do everything the cover does, but with less space.

Examples of effective spines are the Harry Potter series (UK version) and the Twilight series. They can be easily read, are memorable, and include graphics as a sort of icon to the story.

THE JACKET COPY

Barry Eisler has an excellent article on his website about jacket copy. To quote him here; "The function of jacket copy is to tell the reader what the book is about more descriptively than the hints and implications of the title and cover art... to add to and reinforce the reader's initial attraction to the book. The function of the blurbs (reviews of others) is to convince the reader that, regardless of what it's about, the book is good."

Write your own jacket copy, or in the least check the jacket copy before the book is published.Take the time to get this right. It's a crucial piece of writing.

Make sure it is well-written, inspiring, brief, and encapsulates the story.

In a nutshell...

COVER

Ensure it's relevent. It must hint at what the book is about and intrigue the prospective reader to pick up the book. Combined with the title it must convey genre and a bit about the who, what and where of the story, as well as be emotive in the same way as your story is.
Use foils sparingly.
Regarding design, the KISS principle works well here. (Keep It Simple Stupid) Nothing too busy or confused.

TITLE

Make it relevent to the story.
Give it resonance (Barry Eisler on Buzz Balls and Hype has a great article on this)
Make sure it is legible.

SPINES

Keep spines clean, simple, legible, and striking. An image iconic to the story can work well, such as the apple on Twilight, or Hedwig the owl on one of the Harry Potter spines.

JACKET COPY

Take the time to get this right. It's a crucial piece of writing. Make sure it is well-written, inspiring, brief, encapsulates the story, and hooks the reader in.
Check and double check for typos.
Write it yourself, or check it over if someone else writes it before it goes to print.

IN GENERAL

Share the responsibility for all packaging elements of the book. At the very least, ask to see the final stage of the entire cover design, and inside layout (including illustrations) before it goes to print.

But, there is something even more important to a writer's career than the packaging of their books - PRODUCTIVITY.

I'll talk about that in my next post.

Until then, be well!

Finding your niche online

2011-04-06T12:07:00.000-07:00

It's an exciting time to be a writer! The internet has opened up possibilities that were undreamed of fifteen years ago.

Writers need readers and here they are online and hungry for books that fit their unique interests. The traditional gatekeepers (literary agents and publishers) who once decided for the population what would be published and what would never make the light of day, have been circumvented. At last readers can access the stories they seek - be it paranormal romance, cyberpunk, or magical realism - directly from the writers themselves, or from Amazon for as little as 99c.

That's not to say the gatekeepers do not still have a valid part to play in the literary world. They do. They are experienced in what they do and their job is to hand pick the quality saleable writing from what they perceive as the mountain of mediocrity. But sometimes, good work misses out. The work of J.K. Rowling was rejected. Stephen King shoved all his rejection slips on a ten inch nail which he hammered into his wall. What I'm saying is that, once upon a time, the ONLY way for writers to be read was via the gatekeepers. That is no longer the case.

If you're a writer or a reader, there's an online community perfect for you. Google "book blogs" and you'll see what I mean.

Readers, you can get your books for free in return for writing an honest review.

Writers, you'll find keen readers to review your book. What's more, if your stories are popular, the online community will generate buzz and before you know it you could be the next Amanda Hocking or J.A. Konrath. Both are making their fortunes through self publishing on-line. If you would like to try following in their footsteps, read Amanda's Epic Tale of How it all Began or J. A. Konrath's blogspot A Newbies Guide to Publishing.

TO JOIN A GROUP visit Bookblogs. With 261 groups (at time of writing) they are bound to have a niche group of readers and writers just for you.

FOR EXPERT BOOK REVIEWS go to 101 Bookblogs you need to read. This is a list compiled by Online Universities. It directs you to blogs of honest reviews given by experts on just about any book.

OTHER INFORMATIVE SITES include:
Writer's Digest - this site provides relevent information for writers such as literary news, courses, tips, and blog recommendations. You can also subscribe to receive their email.
Guardian Books - search what you're after by title, genre, or author, get the latest literary news, podcasts or join the book club.
The Book Slut - famous for its news, reviews, and a blog about everything bookish.
100 best blogs for book reviews - this college site lists some blogs with niche reviews such as books translated from Japanese, children's fantasy fiction, books based in or about the UK.

That's enough for starters. I'll return soon to write more.

Be well!

Have Pen Will Travel

2009-09-16T20:18:00.001-07:00

A seven-year span of road trips was the catalyst for Jack Kerouac’s On the Road, a hike in the Swiss Alps was the inspiration for Tolkien's misty mountains, and Eat, Pray, Love would never have been written had the author, Elizabeth Gilbert, not travelled to Italy, India and Bali. Her travels, and subsequent literary success, changed her life.

It is difficult to be newly inspired by your surroundings when you wake up to them day after day, but when you travel your senses are heightened; there are new sights, sounds, smells, tastes. Even the air feels different. When you return to the familiar, you do so with fresh eyes, and are inspired all over again. Travel breaks monotony and jerks you out of the rut. That's my excuse, anyway.

There are plenty of ways to combine travel with writing. Overseas writing workshops are offered through Universities. Writer's festivals and film festivals are held all over the world from Adelaide to Zanzibar. If you’re on a budget, you can try applying for a cultural exchange programme or a scholarship abroad.

World Interplay

World Interplay is the largest international festival of young playwrights in the world. Fifty playwrights from thirty nations are selected to participate. In August this year, the young playwrights were flown to Cairns, all expenses paid, to join leading international directors and dramaturgs for two weeks of play development, workshops, forums, and cultural exchange. Just one example of an opportunity to combine travel with writing.

Writing about international aid projects.

When I’m not writing novels, I write for an animal welfare group about their projects which are located all around the world. In a few days I go to Brazil to see a project where the farm animals and the environment are treated with respect. My next trip is likely to be Sri Lanka to see a dog population control project.

Hunt out opportunities like World Interplay on the internet and through government departments such as Ozarts (www.australiacouncil.gov.au). When you find such opportunities, seize them. You never know where they could lead you!

As Saint Augustine wisely said; ‘The world is a book, and those who don’t travel read only one page.’