One year and ten weeks ago, the first thing that I had written, that I allowed anyone to read, was posted on this site. It was a poorly written short story full of punctuation, spelling and grammar errors that made reading it very difficult. Apparently, there was something in that story that caught the interest of a few people, as the offers for help and guidance started coming in from people that I had never met, and didn’t know. That feedback and assistance build my confidence enough to gamble on something more complex and “The Princess of the Desert” was put out for public opinion. Though there was some negative feedback, the overall acceptance of my work was overwhelming to me, as was the support, comments, and feedback from members of this site. The continual boost to my confidence led to “Tears of the Princess”, and my latest work “Stolen Innocence”.
Now I am taking a gamble and jumping off of another cliff as I have just released “Stolen Innocence” on Kindle, and I am going to let my scribbles be critiqued by a broader audience. I am sure I have broken a few rules, or not followed some proper etiquette in doing so, but I am also sure someone will point them out to me when found so I can correct any issues caused. Nothing I do is with malice, but I have lived the majority of my life finding the boundaries by running into them, and then hoping I am smart enough to remember where they were. Any of you that have read “Stolen Innocence”, that would care to leave a review, it would be appreciated. Also, there are a number of seasoned pros on this site as far as publishing is concerned, and any pieces of advice you would care to share with a ‘just off the bench’ rookie, would also be appreciated.
Though I am new to the writing world, I am not new to the Internet or the forums contained in this vast digital world. Though there are periods of squabble and hurt feelings, I have found the people on this site to be the most supporting, helpful, warm, and accepting of any group that I have ever encountered. Whether dealing with each other’s emotional concerns, or the care and nurturing of potentially new writers, the members of this site are always there to help and support. Maybe it is the nature of the topic this site was built around, or the efforts by the administrators to keeping the playground safe and fun, but everyone here should be commended for the overall supportive atmosphere that has been developed here. I personally thank you.
Feedback is always welcome and I thank all of you for your support over the past year…
MT
Comments
Just a quick suggestion ..
Just a quick suggestion .. (and no i have not read any of your works)
Release it to Smash-words (they will send it to kobo, and other sites).. I often buy books online, but unless I Really Want the title .. and the title isn't available on any other site .. Do I even consider buying the kindle version..
Then, Before I Read it I strip the Proprietary DRM Kindle uses from the file while converting it to EPUB (even the other sites, who use DRM at-least use a DRM compatible with most e readers)
so although you will reach a large potential base of customers threw kindle, you are throwing away other people by the fact kindle only supports kindle devices (and andriod/PC/ETC, w/ app)
I wish you luck,
And i look forward to reading some of your stories ..
Jamie
Amazon and Kindle
I agree about Smashwords, although formatting for Smashwords is another hurdle to overcome for many authors, but Amazon sells by far the majority of eBooks. In the USA, the breakdown is roughly (every publisher is very cagey about sales) Amazon: 65%; Barnes & Noble: 25%; Apple: 10%
When you factor in the fact that Amazon offers authors better "shares" of the sales price if one makes the title exclusive, it's something to think about.
I personally don't use DRM, not least because it's a sham*, preventing only those who aren't motivated from converting their books to other formats, but also as a moral issue. Technology *changes* over time. If you had published your book on eight-inch floppy disks, would it be fair to ask your readers to buy a new copy because "floppies" have gone the way of the woolly mammoth? The year after next, when we've all converted to transdimensional quantum storage readers, it would be nice to think that your readers won't be left high-and-dry with a virtual pile of electronic rubbish that used to be your book.
------
* Think of Amazon's DRM as the equivalent of locking your car by tying a piece of string to the door handle. There are widely-available tools that allow anyone with a mind to do so to easily "break" the pseudo-encryption using pre-written scripts. Since every Kindle reader necessarily contains the code that decrypts the file, all you have to do is "take off the cover" and poke around to solve the code.
-
Cheers,
Puddin'
A tender heart is an asset to an editor: it helps us be ruthless in a tactful way.
--- The Chicago Manual of Style
DRM
I have seen the following on a number of Kindle eBooks on Amazon;
"At the publisher's request, this title is sold without DRM (DRM Rights Management)."
Most notably the "Baen" SciFi & Fantasy eBooks.
Among others, Books by:
Elizabeth Moon, David Drake, David Weber, Mercedes Lackey, Andre Norton
If Amazon can do it for them I am sure they can do it for others too.
(additional side note:)
Also, a number of these eBooks are offered for free, "Baen" seems to go by the philosophy that includes "Give some samples and they will buy more" & don't lock them into a device.
Cory Doctorow is possibly the most vocal...
...proponent of DRM-free eBooks. He's spoken at SF/F conferences and asked the following rhetorical question: How many of you actually paid for the book you love most? Usually, the answer is less than half of the people present, and he's speaking to authors. He gives away a portion of his own work (you can find him on Tor, last I saw)
Booklovers tend to be evangelists. I know that I've bought beaucoup copies of many of my favourite author's books, because I give them away, sometimes lend them, with no particular expectation of getting the books back, and encourage people to give them away, if and when they're finished with them. I've got seven copies of Elizabeth Hand's Mortal Thoughts on one of my bookshelves, for example, several of Leonard Wibberley's The Quest for Excalibur (1959), a perfectly charming romance, somewhat reminiscent of the film, Roman Holiday (1953), but far more lovely and poignant, in my opinion, Suzy McKee Charnas' The Vampire Tapestry, Dorothea Dreams, and many others.
They're my stash of addictive titles.
By the way, the decision to include DRM is an "Opt-out" choice when you publish a Kindle title. By default, they add DRM, but it's easy to skip it.
-
Cheers,
Puddin'
A tender heart is an asset to an editor: it helps us be ruthless in a tactful way.
--- The Chicago Manual of Style
Kindle books have support for many non-Kindle devices
such as ...
Kindle Cloud Reader www.amazon.com/cloudreader
This can be used with many PC browsers including Firefox, Chrome, Safari, on Linux computers using Google Chrome or Firefox, and on an iPad using the Safari web browser.
Kindle for Mac http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html?ie=UTF8&docId=1000464931
Kindle for iPad http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html?ie=UTF8&docId=1000490441
Kindle for Android http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html?ie=UTF8&docId=16584982...
Kindle for Windows PC http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html?ie=UTF8&docId=1000426311
There may be more. Just Google Kindle for (your device)
Disclaimer. I do not own any Amazon stock. I did work for Amazon for 2 weeks during the 2012 Christmas rush. I just like the availability of books they provide. That is the only money I have gotten or expect to get from Amazon.
I do recommend the books from Baen mentioned by Hypatia Littlewings, but find them better available directly from http://www.baen.com/ where versions in many formats, all DRM free, are available.
Holly
It's nice to be important, but it's more important to be nice.
Holly
Amazon
When I first started with E-books I made it available on all three major ebook sites (Amazon, Smashwords, Lulu) I've sold a ton on amazon and just 2... that's right 2... on lulu and smashwords. Amazon is a much friendlier site for authors, they don't crucify you for formatting (though readers will) and it is easier to track your numbers.
As for me, I'll stick to Amazon. Eventually they will take over the others or make other versions available on their site (like for the nook, etc..) Just like sony and the vcr.
Katie Leone (Katie-Leone.com)
Writing is what you do when you put pen to paper, being an author is what you do when you bring words to life
Don't forget...
Amazon pushed back against the publishers and Apple, who had cooked up an anti-competitive scheme to publish eBooks at the full hardback price, or very little less, in hopes of holding readers hostage. I quite like Apple products, but their pricing strategy stinks, and I will never forgive them for their "agency model" scheme to force customers to pay full price everywhere.
Amazon has its faults, but all-in-all I like their main strategy best.
-
Cheers,
Puddin'
A tender heart is an asset to an editor: it helps us be ruthless in a tactful way.
--- The Chicago Manual of Style
Meodie, your story is a
must read for anyone! Hoping for the best!
May Your Light Forever Shine