Wednesday, September 28, 2011

New Kindles Are Here!

Amazon once again sets a new bar in the ereader price wars that have been smoldering for the past few years. For the first time ever, there is a mainstream ereader that is way below $100. I am predicting that this will only increase the rapid shift from paper books to ebooks. Paper books will never go away, but what remains to be seen is what types of books will remain mostly in print and which ones will go to ebooks. Fiction has been the easy choice for ebooks, but what about non-fiction?

To be fair, Barnes & Noble also has a really good price on their entry-level ereader, which is now at $89. Both of these price points will mean that people who have thought about giving an ereader as a gift but felt that the price was too high now have almost no excuse for not purchasing one. Unfortunately, Sony has not yet dropped the price of their ereaders, $149 being their price point. And Kobo has their least expensive ereader at $99.

What will this mean for writers? It should mean another explosive growth phase in people finding and purchasing their books, novellas, short stories, etc. over the next year or two. And not just in the United States either. The United Kingdom is getting the cheap Kindle as well for 89 pounds, and there are others around the world that will also benefit from these less-expensive models. This is no longer a fad, it is an established new way to consume books and other publications.

I’ll be celebrating soon with my new Kindle once my first novel comes out. In the mean time, for everyone who desires, I’ve got my first short story that is available on all formats, available for $.99 titled The Collection. It’s a fun, interesting story about dolls…but not in the way you might expect. Links at the right will take you to places to purchase it. If you are a writer, now is possibly the best time ever to connect with readers. If you are a reader, you’ve never had such access to so many good stories and writers. Life is good!

Thursday, September 22, 2011

What Do You Want To Read Next?

So, I've got a lot of ideas rolling around in my noggin, and it would be great to have some help with the direction that I should take.  I've got 3 different short story ideas that I'm keen on working on, but can't decide which one should come first.  So, my readers, friends, family and fans, which short story should I work on, and publish, first: The one with the girl and the car, the one with the unusual ritual, or the one with the puppets?
Put your answer in the comments on this post.  And I'll decide at the end of this weekend - September 25.  I'll post a follow-up with which one wins the popular vote.
Update:  The verdict is in:  The Girl and the Car is my next short story!  I'll keep you all posted when it's available.  Thanks for voting!

Friday, September 16, 2011

First Publication!

Finally!  I've taken the plunge with one of my short stories and published it.  I had a fun time writing it, and I hope people enjoy reading it as well.  It will soon be available on Kindle, Nook, Kobo, Sony, and a host of other ereaders the world over.

Wow.  That's mind-boggling to think about.  I could have sales in Canada, England, Germany, Australia, Japan, Italy, Egypt, Norway, Brazil, and any other number of countries.  And just a few short years ago I would have been happy enough to have had my stories available just in the United States!  This truly is an amazing time to be a writer.

Over time, I will be adding more short stories, along with the ultimate publication of my first novel by the end of this year.  For those who have been thinking about doing this self-publishing deal, I'm telling you NOW is the time - don't wait, just do it.  What's the worst that could happen?  Exactly, you might actually enjoy writing and publishing and do well.  So go and do it!  For those who are already doing it, I'm encouraging you to continue and to do even more.  There is so much opportunity out there now, it's crazy not to try some new ideas.

If you like, the link to the Kindle version of my new short story, The Collection, is below.  Keep writing!

The Collection - Kindle short story

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