December Odds and Ends

So, December is shaping up to be an interesting month for a variety of reasons.  Let's get to it!

First, as many of you know, I had published my first short story a couple of months ago.  I did this for a number of reasons, not the least of which was so that I could get the epublishing details worked out ahead of when my first novel would be done.  I chose to go direct with Amazon via their KDP platform, PubIt platform for Barnes & Noble.com, and Smashwords for everything else (Diesel, Apple, Kobo, etc.).  So, between this and what I do for my day job, I got a good education on how to do it.

Unfortunately, I also learned that I had chosen a completely worthless title for this first short story - I titled it "The Collection".  At the time, I really liked it as a title and thought it was intriguing.  After a while, I discovered that when one does a search for the word "collection", one will get ACTUAL collections of things: collections of short stories, collections of books, collections of DVDs, etc., but no short story with that title would ever come up anywhere near the top of the list.  So rather than continue to beat my proverbial head against the wall, I chose to rename my short story, give it a new cover, and revise the interior of the book with a black and white image of the book cover (like the big boys do!) and add a section at the end about me, the author.

Overall, I like all of these changes, and I'm hopeful that this will make an impact on sales and just plain having people find the darn thing!  Oh, and along with all of these changes, I also dropped the price back down to $.99.  At one point about a month ago I had thought I perhaps had priced it too low, and raised the price to $2.99.  That didn't help a bit, most likely because of the above reasons that I have now addressed.  Plus, it seemed like too high of a price for a short story, so I'm much happier back at the lower price.  What's the new title for the short story?  Glad you asked!  "Pins And Dolls".

Okay, on to more news.  I'm fortunate to work at a company that has many people who are used to using a lot of technology, both for work and personally.  As such, I was able to get a look at a new Kindle Fire that a co-worker had just gotten.  I must say, it's impressive for such a compact device!  It's definitely a slick gadget, and would be great for many applications.  However, I don't think it will become the big-time ereader like the regular Kindles have become because of the backlit screen that it uses.  I'm sure in a few years we'll be inundated with ereaders that have color E-ink screens, but until then this is a good competitor to the Nook Color and the iPad.  Keep in mind that the iPad has a screen that's about twice as big as the Fire or Nook Color.

Also, Black Friday.  From the anecdotal reports that I've heard, Amazon sold "millions" of Kindles over the Thanksgiving weekend.  This is on top of the 5 million plus Fires that were pre-sold and shipped earlier in the Fall.  These items plus the fact that more people will probably purchase new Kindles, Nooks, and other ereaders in the new year with their holiday cash mean a whole slew of new potential readers for indie authors to take advantage of.  I need to get my butt in gear, but my above changes to my short story are the beginning of me doing just that.

Finally, Amazon announced this morning the new feature for people publishing on the KDP platform:  the Kindle Lending Library.  Previously, this had gotten publicity due to the fact that they included many large publishers in the program, some against their desires even though Amazon promised to pay them for each ebook loaned.

Now, though, it's possible to add your ebook to the Lending Library program - IF you agree to publish EXCLUSIVELY with Amazon.  That's right, you will need to not have your ebook available anywhere else in the world, including your own website/blogsite (at least, that's the scuttlebutt).  In return, there is a pool of a HALF-MILLION DOLLARS that will be divided up amongst all Lending Library participants for the month of December.  Wow, what a deal, right?

Well, not so fast.  Let's think about this for a moment.  Is this really a good deal?  Perhaps it is, if you only publish on Amazon and/or the majority of your sales come from Amazon.  But for others who sell a significant portion through other retailers, or those that wish to, it's not a good deal even with the limited 90-day agreement.  Why?  Well, have you been paying attention to what's been going on globally with ebooks?  If not, you best start paying attention, because while Amazon will try to make inroads (i.e., Amazon Spain, Amazon Italy, etc.), the fact is that there are plenty of other ebook competitors that are better positioned and funded to reach the European markets and beyond.  Kobo, specifically, has made a series of moves over the past 6-8 months that will help it to become the go-to ereader and ebook store in Europe when things explode there in the next couple of years.  Why would you want to limit yourself just to Amazon when you could become a best-seller in France or other countries?

The basic tenet of "Buyer Beware" holds true here.  Read up on the positives and negatives of the Lending Library before you agree to anything.  Know what you have to do to comply with their terms and conditions.  And think long-term, not just for the next 90 days or so.  Amazon is big now, but Barnes & Noble or another ebook retailer could make the right moves and really attract a following that would give Amazon a run for their money.  Do you want to be locked in to that and not be able to take advantage of things when they shift?  Not me, I want to keep playing things fast and loose!

Spain and Italy!

I'm sure that many of you know this, but some may not:  Amazon has opened Kindle stores in Spain and Italy!  This is just the latest in a string of Kindle ebook stores that Amazon has launched this year alone.

I believe that by my count there are now 6 specific Kindle stores for countries around the world:  United States, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Spain, and Italy.  This should be huge and welcome news for indie published authors, as this allows our ebooks to be purchased in those countries own stores.

Now, granted, these are still in English (assuming you published them that way in the first place), but there are still plenty of people who would be willing to purchase an English-written novel.  But, this also expands the opportunities that we have to translate our works and have it sold in the native countries of these translations.  Very exciting indeed!

With all of these developments this year alone, plus the fact that Kindles are now cheaper than they've ever been, AND that millions more Kindles have gotten or will get into the hands of more people this holiday season...well, it's high time to finish up that novel, clean it up and get it out there.  You never know just how many people will like it until you get it out there.  And you're waiting around why, again?

How's The Speed of Your Writing?

How many words to you routinely bang out when you're writing?  2,000 words?  4,000?  Over how many hours does this happen?  Ever wanted to be able to produce more, and better, results?

I just was turned onto a great blog post about this very thing.  This author has increased her productivity to routinely to 10,000 words PER DAY!  She averages 1,500 words per hour, sometimes hitting 2,000 per hour when things are really flowing.

I've read through the post, and she's got good, solid ideas.  I urge you to read it and then implement her ideas.  I'm planning to so that I understand better just how I write.  If we can do more in the same amount of time, we can write more and put out more, meaning we make more money.  All great things.  Enjoy the reading!

http://thisblogisaploy.blogspot.com/2011/06/how-i-went-from-writing-2000-words-day.html

Speaking Of QRs...

This isn't QR codes, but rather Q.R. Markham, aka Quentin Rowan.  This guy gives a bad name to the profession of "novelist".  I don't have to say any more, just read for yourself.  This story is out there in the States and the U.K., but here is a link that provides solid evidence of the plagiarism he's perpetrated, evidently for years:

http://www.edrants.com/q-r-markham-plagiarist/

QR Codes For Indie Authors

QR codes are one of those things that we've all seen, but nobody knows what they are called.  They are becoming ubiquitous in our society, and have already become so in Japan where they first gained prominence.  They are in magazines, on billboards, at conferences or other events, printed on mailers, and countless other media that cross our paths on a daily and weekly basis.  So, what do these things look like?

Take a look to your left, and you'll see an example of a QR code.  If you've got a smart phone (any kind, as long as it has a camera), all you need to do is to download a barcode scanning app (they should be free) that supports QR codes (not sure, but I'm betting most do), and then scan the code to the left.  Yes, it's an active code that works - it will take you to the Amazon page for my short story titled "The Collection".

Sure, you're thinking, that's nice and all, but why should I care?  What could this possibly have to do with me being an indie author?  Answer:  plenty!

First, grasp the concept that you can create these three-dimensional barcodes for FREE.  That's right, there are plenty of websites out there that will create these for you for nothing.  Plus, people can download the app for interpreting these barcodes for FREE.  Being free makes it easy for people to spread these far and wide and come up with uses that no one has yet thought of.

The second thing that you need to realize is that you can create QR codes to go to virtually any website that you want.  I made mine in less than a minute, and it goes to my short story on Amazon, but you can have yours go anywhere:  to your blog site, to Amazon/Smashwords/Barnes & Noble/etc. where your books are sold, Goodreads, you name it.  The sky is truly the limit on where you have these QR codes take someone.

Along with this is the fact that you MIGHT want to have one (or more) of these QR codes in your book or short story.  Where would you have them take someone?  Why to your author page on Facebook so that you can gain more fans?  What about sending them to your other book that you wrote so that they can purchase that since they liked the book they have in their hands?  What if you wanted to link to a book trailer on YouTube?  Your website?  Twitter page?  Author central on Amazon?  If you can dream it, you can send them there!

Now here's the really cool part, where things explode exponentially.  QR codes can actually do so much more than just take people to a website.  They could bring people to a Google map location.  They can launch a user's email client and pre-load a "To" address and "Subject" line.  They can even be used to place a call!  Now what could you use them for?  Suddenly, you could make a very interesting, very interactive experience for a reader of your plain ol' ebook or print book!

So start having a little fun with QR codes and your writing.  Maybe you'll decide to exchange "QR Links" with fellow authors so that you are cross-promoting to gain new fans.  Maybe you'll make the first interactive ebook that responds to a user's inputs.  Who knows, but it sure is fun to dream, isn't it?  I'm not sure if I'll use any of these ideas myself, but it would be awesome to see them implemented.  How might YOU use your QR codes?

The Ever Changing Publishing Industry...

It seems like every time that you turn around, something else is happening in the publishing industry, either here in the United States or elsewhere abroad.  After many, many decades of stagnation, the pace of change is mind-boggling.

Consider the recent news from Kobo.  They have signed deals with one of the largest book retailers in Britain as well as (I think) the largest book retailer in France.  These retailers will carry Kobo ereaders in all of their retail stores, and Kobo will administer their online ebook stores.  This happened in the past 2 weeks.

Or think about the implications of the latest posting by Blake Crouch on Joe Konrath's blog.  He just returned from China where he was invited to speak at a large convention that had all of the major book publishers in China present.  Over there, authors are putting out new content BY THE DAY!  They are mastering the art of serialization of their content, and making a handsome payday to boot.

Of course, most of you (I'm guessing you are all from the U.S.?) know about Amazon's new offerings of different Kindle devices, plus the fact that they are snapping up authors, both new and established, at quite a pace.  And the fact that ebooks now represent a significant portion of sales across the board for publishers and retailers (well, at least those who sell them).

All of this has happened in just the last month or so.  Imagine what things will be like a year from now.  How many countries will you be able to sell your ebooks in?  Will you become a huge hit in Spain?  Maybe you'll strike a chord with people in Japan or Australia.  What happens when some company comes out with a color e-ink screen?  What happens when you can start incorporating video segments on ereaders for a more immersive experience?  Who will come up with the next innovative idea on how to use ereaders in new ways?

Writers have always been entrepreneurs, they just didn't really know it or were told that they were.  Every time they write something new, it's like building a new business.  Will customers (readers) come?  Will they like it?  Will they tell their friends to check you out?  What if everyone hates it?  Now, writers have a chance to spread their wings and try things that they've always wanted but just couldn't.  Those who have spent their lives in the traditional publishing mode can dip their toes in the new epublishing realm with something new, something different, something that their current publisher/agent had or would turn down in a heartbeat.  And they just might find some success.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again:  Now is an incredible time to be a writer!

Novel Update

Figured that it was about time that I provide a little bit of an update on my first novel.  Things are going well, but like anything else that you try for the first time, it's going slower than anticipated.

All in all, I can't complain.  I'm getting to try something that I've wanted to do for years.  I highly recommend people try to write a novel, even if they never publish it.  It's just a lot of fun and you can explore things that you otherwise may never get to.

So where am I with my novel?  I hate to say it, but I'm only about half-way through my first draft.  I still have aspirations of getting it done, edited, beta read, and uploaded for sale by the end of the year.  If I get my heiny in gear, I could still make that deadline.  But in the end, for me it's not that I hit the deadline, it's that I actually make my goal of finishing and publishing my novels.

Yes, I said novels, plural.  When I'm done with this first one, I've got more that I'm already planning to write in this same series.  Plus I have a fantasy series that I'm throwing around in my head.  But first things first: finish this first novel.  I'm at what I consider a really fun part of the story.  I just introduced the yin to my 2 other characters yang.  I have a feeling that I'm really going to enjoy writing the rest of the story!

If you want me to let you know when the novel is done and out, just send me an email:  dlk (dot) writer (at) gmail (dot) com.  "Coordinates For Murder" will have a lot of action, drama, technology, and just be a darn fun read.

Okay, I best get back to writing it.  I want to see how I'm going to end it!