In my opinion, it is essential for an indie author to own a Kindle. Even if someone else formats your ebooks, go out and buy a Kindle. Nobody's perfect, and that includes your formatter, no matter how good he or she may be. It's called human error, and it's a fact of life. Everybody's bound to miss that little something.
Plus, you're trying to sell ebooks, so you should own an e-reader. And you're a writer, and every writer starts out as a reader. So what's not to love about a Kindle, which you can fill with books you
enjoy, pick up whenever the mood strikes you, and get lost in another
world for a while?
My Kindle is essential in checking my own ebooks. After creating the mobi file I thought my last publication, Larvae, was good to go. Then I uploaded it to my Kindle before uploading it to Kindle Direct Publishing. While reading it over one last time I found a repeat of "has" and two typos that I missed when reviewing it in any other format. Just goes to show: look over your writing every which way possible. Check it on your computer, print it up and mark it with that little red pen, and then triple-check it on your e-reader before you click that button to publish.
I've downloaded many an ebook that has huge gaps between paragraphs, no indent at the beginning of paragraphs, missing line-breaks, all sorts of formatting goofs (mind you, it's not just indie books with this kind of stuff). I'm forgiving, and will give a book a read even if it does have errors, but these sorts of things annoy the heck out of some people, and I'll bet that many of these stop reading at the first sign of wonky formatting and never pick up the book again (that or delete the sample of your book they downloaded and never purchase anything you publish ever again). If you want your book to stand out among the thousands upon thousands of
indie books out there, you must make it as professional as possible.
This means with few to zero typos, and without formatting errors. Owning a Kindle will help you cut down on these gaffs.
If you don't want to spring the funds for a Kindle, at least download the Kindle reading app onto your Smartphone, tablet, or computer. To check your epub files, try out Adobe Digital Editions. Both are free.
And don't be dismayed if you find errors in your work, even after you've published. One of the great things about ebooks is they are easily altered. Dynamic. Love that word. Take the book down for a day, make your adjustments, and put it back up for sale. No harm, no foul. But you might want to let your readers know there's a new, improved version of the book out. Just my thirteen cents. Until next time . . . peace.
Monday, March 19, 2012
Sunday, March 11, 2012
Six Sentence Sunday - 3/11/2012 - From "Eye of the Dome"
After a moment the frigid fingers, strange juxtaposed against the heat now flowing through him, released his face.
He let out a deep breath, then cracked open his eyes and squinted to get a look at the miracle-worker hovering over him. The man's face portrayed assurance, pride, sternness. He wore a voluminous robe that wrapped around him, flowing and fluttering in swells and waves, so clean and bright white that it hurt to look at for more than a few seconds.
The man had three eyes, two in the right places and one in the middle of his forehead.
Right then the boy concluded that he was dead, dreaming, or hallucinating.
*********
Thanks for stopping by. Don't forget to head over to Six Sunday and check the short, sweet posts from all the fine writers.
He let out a deep breath, then cracked open his eyes and squinted to get a look at the miracle-worker hovering over him. The man's face portrayed assurance, pride, sternness. He wore a voluminous robe that wrapped around him, flowing and fluttering in swells and waves, so clean and bright white that it hurt to look at for more than a few seconds.
The man had three eyes, two in the right places and one in the middle of his forehead.
Right then the boy concluded that he was dead, dreaming, or hallucinating.
*********
Thanks for stopping by. Don't forget to head over to Six Sunday and check the short, sweet posts from all the fine writers.
Saturday, March 10, 2012
Parable, Fable . . . What's the Difference?
Hm, well . . . not so much and at the same time a heckuva lot?
I've been severely slacking on the blogging recently, so I thought I'd try and give it a jump-start with a simple post on parables and fables, which some (like this scatterbrained writer) may sometimes confuse because of all those 'able's hanging around the joint.
Now, the similarities. Both fables and parables are usually very short and to-the-point. Both teach a valuable (or worthless, I guess, depending who you ask) life-lesson. The characters in both serve a purpose, having no life beyond that purpose.
The one jarring difference between the two is that in fables, life and the power of speech is imbued into plants, animals, and/or inanimate objects, whereas in parables all the actors are human.
The most famous parables found in Western culture are in the New Testament of the Bible: The Prodigal Son, The Good Samaritan, The Ten Virgins, The Rich Man and Lazarus.
Worldwide, the most famous collection of fables is Aesop's Fables, a few of which come pre-loaded on the device when you purchase a Kindle or download the Kindle reading app. I think most folks read these in school and growing up, and they're just as fun and poignant now as they were back then. Read 'em again and reminisce on simpler times.
One of the most famous tales credited to Aesop is The Tortoise and the Hare, where the plodding tortoise beats out the hare in an impossible finish by staying the course in a steadfast, determined manner while the hare screws around, his overconfidence and arrogance leading to his downfall. Classic themes, those. It has been adapted in countless books, cartoons, movies. My personal favorite is the old Looney Tunes cartoon featuring Bugs Bunny.
In Eastern culture. . . Jataka Tales, a vast collection filled with both parables and fables. The stories in the Jataka tell of the Buddha in his previous lives. Each gives a different lesson the Buddha learned on his long path to enlightenment, which he finally attained in his most-famous incarnation, Siddhartha Gautama, in India in the 5th century B.C.E. The guy did a little bit of everything in his past lives, from deer to nobleman to beggar to demigod. Just like with many traditional American Indian tales, you'll find variations of the same Jataka story across different Eastern cultures.
So there you have it. Parables and fables, fables and parables. Similar, but oh-so different. Anybody out there know any good ones? What's your favorite? Which one has stuck with you, in the back of your mind, through the years?
I've been severely slacking on the blogging recently, so I thought I'd try and give it a jump-start with a simple post on parables and fables, which some (like this scatterbrained writer) may sometimes confuse because of all those 'able's hanging around the joint.
Now, the similarities. Both fables and parables are usually very short and to-the-point. Both teach a valuable (or worthless, I guess, depending who you ask) life-lesson. The characters in both serve a purpose, having no life beyond that purpose.
The one jarring difference between the two is that in fables, life and the power of speech is imbued into plants, animals, and/or inanimate objects, whereas in parables all the actors are human.
The most famous parables found in Western culture are in the New Testament of the Bible: The Prodigal Son, The Good Samaritan, The Ten Virgins, The Rich Man and Lazarus.
Worldwide, the most famous collection of fables is Aesop's Fables, a few of which come pre-loaded on the device when you purchase a Kindle or download the Kindle reading app. I think most folks read these in school and growing up, and they're just as fun and poignant now as they were back then. Read 'em again and reminisce on simpler times.
One of the most famous tales credited to Aesop is The Tortoise and the Hare, where the plodding tortoise beats out the hare in an impossible finish by staying the course in a steadfast, determined manner while the hare screws around, his overconfidence and arrogance leading to his downfall. Classic themes, those. It has been adapted in countless books, cartoons, movies. My personal favorite is the old Looney Tunes cartoon featuring Bugs Bunny.
In Eastern culture. . . Jataka Tales, a vast collection filled with both parables and fables. The stories in the Jataka tell of the Buddha in his previous lives. Each gives a different lesson the Buddha learned on his long path to enlightenment, which he finally attained in his most-famous incarnation, Siddhartha Gautama, in India in the 5th century B.C.E. The guy did a little bit of everything in his past lives, from deer to nobleman to beggar to demigod. Just like with many traditional American Indian tales, you'll find variations of the same Jataka story across different Eastern cultures.
So there you have it. Parables and fables, fables and parables. Similar, but oh-so different. Anybody out there know any good ones? What's your favorite? Which one has stuck with you, in the back of your mind, through the years?
Sunday, March 4, 2012
Six Sentence Sunday - 3/4/2012 - From "Eye of the Dome"
A voice materialized through the torment: "Who are you?"
He opened his eyes and attempted to focus, but everything was blurry, unclear.
"You are injured. Close your eyes."
He obliged, and freezing cold fingers gripped his temples. A flash of purple light exploded across the darkened walls of his mind, and soothing tendrils of heat spread downwards from his head and warmed his aching limbs.
********
These six sentences are a continuation from last week's. More from the opening chapter of Eye of the Dome next week. Thanks for stopping by, and don't forget to head over to Six Sunday and check all the short, syrupy posts from all the fine writers.
He opened his eyes and attempted to focus, but everything was blurry, unclear.
"You are injured. Close your eyes."
He obliged, and freezing cold fingers gripped his temples. A flash of purple light exploded across the darkened walls of his mind, and soothing tendrils of heat spread downwards from his head and warmed his aching limbs.
********
These six sentences are a continuation from last week's. More from the opening chapter of Eye of the Dome next week. Thanks for stopping by, and don't forget to head over to Six Sunday and check all the short, syrupy posts from all the fine writers.
Friday, March 2, 2012
KDP Select's Effect on a Reader who Writes
Yeah, sure, I'm a writer. But before that I was a reader, which I still am to this day. It's my hobby. It's my escape. It's my Water of Life. And I wanted to tell you what KDP Select has done for me as a lifelong lover of stories told through the written word.
Two months ago my Kindle Touch was nice and light, filled with stuff I'd bought with hard-earned cash and really, really wanted to read, even if I paid a mere dollar for it. These days it's a bloated, word-filled beast I drag around the house with me like an old wooden leg.
Don't get me wrong, I've read and enjoyed some of the free offerings I've picked up recently, and gone and purchased other stuff by that author (Ann Charles, notably, on the list below, who I probably wouldn't have picked up otherwise, cozy mysteries not usually being my thing, but the book was fun and well-written). Those with one book . . . give me more! And I'll buy it next time (which is what people did a distant few months ago to get books). I will gladly pay for a book from an author I know will entertain me for a few hours. I don't think this recent glut of free has changed that attitude in many readers.
Below are the books I've downloaded onto my Kindle since January 1st. The books in boldface I purchased; the books with links I've read. I only download stuff that I'm pretty damn sure I'll like, even if it's free.
If my count is correct, that's 105 total downloads since January 1st.
22 paid, 83 free.
Of the 22 paid, I've so far read 7, just started on the 8th.
Of the 83 free, I've read 10—and 5 of those are short stories by the same author, Christian Cantrell, which I very much enjoyed and whose new offerings I will be purchasing from now on.
And the percentage winner is . . . the paid stuff, hands-down.
It used to be at least fairly easy to pick out what I'd be reading next. Now, I'm drowning in a sea of free. And I'm a bibliophile. I usually devour a novel in a day or three. Or four. Or seven. It all depends. But it might take me years to get to some of this stuff, especially since there are many authors, both established and indie, who if they come out with a new book I've gotta dash out as soon as payday hits and buy it and read it and funk everything else that's been sitting on the bookshelf, physical or digital, for however long.
I'm going to stop downloading free stuff for a while, unless I come across something really interesting, as I've got way too much to read, including other, paid-for books that've been lurking on my Kindle for months and three bookshelves at the house full of physical books. But I'll get to it all eventually. Just because you get something for free doesn't mean it's not quality. I love reading indies' e-books! NOTE: I actually won a free copy of Billy Purgatory: I am the Devil Bird by Jesse James Freeman when I commented on a very cool blog post by the author, which is almost a shame because I would have purchased it as it looks like a very cool book.
So, indie author, will your book drown in the recent spew of free? Who the hell knows? Not this reader/writer. The sumbitch might've drowned regardless, sitting there with a bunch of other unread freebies on somebody's Kindle or simply not selling.
"But," you say, "if I hadn't signed up for the program my book wouldn't even have had a chance to make it onto that Kindle."
"Well," I reply, "maybe not today. But what about next week? Next month? Next year? Ebooks are forever. Just because a reader didn't discover you today doesn't mean they won't tomorrow."
I think in the end it boils down to writing a good book, just like it did before the implementation of KDP Select. And having more than one book available can't hurt.
So is the program a smart move for you, indie author? Maybe. I do appreciate the "ninety-day" thing. I think far fewer people would have signed up if Amazon forced folks to sign a year-long contract. If after three months it's not working for you, unclick the automatic renewal check-box on your KDP dashboard and start selling your e-book through B&N, Smashwords, wherever again.
But does anyone else get the feeling that someone over at Amazon is laughing "Mwah-hah-hah-ha-ha!" like a mad scientist as we indie authors throw ourselves by the thousands with shit-eating grins onto the altar of KDP Select, agreeing to exclusively offer our book through them for ninety days?
Talk about the bleeding pot calling the overflowing kettle black, two of my three books are currently signed to KDP Select. The other one, The Wave, is a four-hundred word fable I wish I could just give away, forever and ever, on Amazon. It is free on Smashwords. Fountain's contract is up at the end of March, and I'm not sure what I'm going to do. The "promotion" days are oh-so tempting . . . and I'll leave it at that.
I guess we'll all just have to wait and see how this whole thing plays out. My advice to writers: shut up about it and keep writing. And readers, keep on reading, but every now and then purchase a book. Publishers, be you mighty or lowly, keep on publishing. World, keep on turning.
"Okay," you say, "but one last question. Is this a blog post or a Stevie Wonder song?"
Eh, either way. And now, I'm off to follow my own advice. A little late, you. Peace.
Two months ago my Kindle Touch was nice and light, filled with stuff I'd bought with hard-earned cash and really, really wanted to read, even if I paid a mere dollar for it. These days it's a bloated, word-filled beast I drag around the house with me like an old wooden leg.
Don't get me wrong, I've read and enjoyed some of the free offerings I've picked up recently, and gone and purchased other stuff by that author (Ann Charles, notably, on the list below, who I probably wouldn't have picked up otherwise, cozy mysteries not usually being my thing, but the book was fun and well-written). Those with one book . . . give me more! And I'll buy it next time (which is what people did a distant few months ago to get books). I will gladly pay for a book from an author I know will entertain me for a few hours. I don't think this recent glut of free has changed that attitude in many readers.
Below are the books I've downloaded onto my Kindle since January 1st. The books in boldface I purchased; the books with links I've read. I only download stuff that I'm pretty damn sure I'll like, even if it's free.
Optical Delusions in Deadwood (Deadwood Mystery Series)
| Charles, Ann | March 2, 2012 | ||
 |
Magic Makes You Strange (The Brontosaurus Pluto Society)
| Mullette-Gillman, Noah K. | March 1, 2012 | |
|
The Cat's Apprentice
| Friday, Wednesday Lee | February 29, 2012 | |
|
Base Spirits
| Barrett, Ruth | February 29, 2012 | |
|
Clown in the Moonlight
| Piccirilli, Tom | February 29, 2012 | |
|
The End of Marking Time
| West, CJ | February 29, 2012 | |
|
Cigs, Bolan & Strange Men With Guns (Prequel) (Assassination Series)
| Ramage, Gayle | February 28, 2012 | |
|
Call Me!
| Locke, John, Ripper, Dani | February 26, 2012 | |
|
Maybe (a Donovan Creed Novel)
| Locke, John | February 26, 2012 | |
|
Eden
| Rossi, Phil | February 26, 2012 | |
|
A Place Beyond The Map
| Thews, Samuel | February 25, 2012 | |
|
The Awakened: Book One
| Tesar, Jason | February 25, 2012 | |
|
Exiled (The Protector Book 1)
| Merrick, M.R. | February 25, 2012 | |
|
Chasing the Ghost (Black Ops)
| Mayer, Bob | February 25, 2012 | |
|
Bad Billy
| Pudge, Jimmy | February 22, 2012 |
Missing Pieces: Short Stories
| Nicholson, Scott | February 22, 2012 | ||
|
Ghoul Squad
| Sellars, M. R. | February 19, 2012 | |
| Tuck, James R | February 19, 2012 | ||
|
Loss, a novella of psychological horror
| Krisch, Glen | February 19, 2012 | |
|
Brother's Keeper, a novella
| Krisch, Glen | February 19, 2012 | |
|
Fall: The Last Testament of Lucifer Morningstar (The Fallen Trilogy: Book One)
| Hay, David Scott | February 19, 2012 | |
|
Radix (The Radix Tetrad)
| Attanasio, A. A. | February 19, 2012 | |
|
The American Book of the Dead
| Baum, Henry | February 19, 2012 | |
| Tuck, James R | February 19, 2012 | ||
|
Wet Linda: A Novel of Liquid Horror
| Parducci, Paul | February 18, 2012 | |
|
The Congregation
| Mitchell, Aric | February 18, 2012 | |
|
Giants (Lost Civilizations: 1)
| Heppner, Vaughn | February 18, 2012 | |
|
The Dirty Parts of the Bible -- A Novel
| Torode, Sam | February 18, 2012 | |
|
Hosts (Repairman Jack Novels)
| Wilson, F. Paul | February 18, 2012 | |
|
All the Rage
| Wilson, F. Paul | February 18, 2012 |
|
Snowbound
| Crouch, Blake | February 18, 2012 | |
|
Abandon
| Crouch, Blake | February 18, 2012 | |
|
Here Be Monsters - An Anthology of Monster Tales
| Murphy, M.T., Reinke, Sara, Anderson, Samantha, Drummond, India, Reine, S.M., Shipp, Jeremy C., Portillo, Anabel | February 17, 2012 | |
|
The Innocent (A Jack Marconi Thriller)
| Zandri, Vincent | February 15, 2012 | |
|
Telepath (Guardians of the Word)
| Harrison, Jolea M. | February 15, 2012 | |
|
Myth (Guardians of the Word)
| Harrison, Jolea M. | February 15, 2012 | |
|
Chosen (The Guardians of the Word)
| Harrison, Jolea M. | February 15, 2012 | |
| Ackerman, Hal | February 15, 2012 | ||
|
Messages
| Hileman, John Michael | February 15, 2012 | |
|
One Blood
| Amaru, Qwantu | February 15, 2012 | |
|
The Emerald Cancer
| Hulme, David | February 15, 2012 | |
|
The Impressionist: A Novella
| Wheaton, Mark | February 13, 2012 | |
|
Sunday Billy Sunday: A Memoir
| Wheaton, Mark | February 13, 2012 | |
|
Bones: The Complete Apocalypse Saga
|
|
Ascension
| Wheaton, Mark | February 13, 2012 | |
|
Adversary
| Wheaton, Mark | February 13, 2012 | |
|
Disembodied Spider Meat
| Wheaton, Mark | February 13, 2012 | |
|
The 19 Dragons
| Reine, SM | February 7, 2012 | |
| Gavin, Andy | February 7, 2012 | ||
|
Coffin Dodgers
| Marshall, Gary | February 3, 2012 | |
|
Black Scars (Blood Skies, Book 2)
| Montano, Steven | February 3, 2012 | |
|
Blood Skies (Book 1)
| Montano, Steven | February 3, 2012 | |
|
Dance of the Winnebagos (Jackrabbit Junction Mystery Series)
| Charles, Ann | February 2, 2012 | |
|
Honk Honk, My Darling: A Rex Koko, Private Clown Mystery
| Garner, James Finn | February 2, 2012 | |
|
PAYDIRT
| Levine, Paul | February 2, 2012 | |
|
Excelsior
| Sirois, George | February 2, 2012 | |
| Charles, Ann | February 2, 2012 | ||
|
Smallworld: A Science Fiction Adventure Comedy
| Green, Dominic | February 2, 2012 | |
|
|
The Model Universe And Other Stories
| Bunn, Christopher | February 1, 2012 | |
| Maberry, Jonathan | February 1, 2012 | ||
|
They Had Goat Heads
| Wilson, D. Harlan | February 1, 2012 | |
| Cantrell, Christian | February 1, 2012 | ||
| Cantrell, Christian | February 1, 2012 | ||
| Cantrell, Christian | February 1, 2012 | ||
| Cantrell, Christian | February 1, 2012 | ||
| Cantrell, Christian | February 1, 2012 | ||
|
Railroad! Volume One:Rodger Dodger (a steampunk western)
| Brown, Tonia | February 1, 2012 | |
|
The Epoch Index
| Cantrell, Christian | February 1, 2012 | |
|
DEAD(ish)
| Kramer, Naomi | February 1, 2012 | |
|
The Jury Series (Four Complete Novels)
| Goldberg, Lee | February 1, 2012 | |
|
Double Header (Two Complete Novels)
| Goldberg, Lee | February 1, 2012 | |
|
The BlueLight Special
| Black, J. Carson | February 1, 2012 | |
|
Dark Horse
| Black, J. Carson | February 1, 2012 |
|
Darkscope
| Black, J. Carson | February 1, 2012 | |
|
The Laura Cardinal Novels
| Black, J. Carson | February 1, 2012 | |
| Black, J. Carson | February 1, 2012 | ||
|
Every Precious Thing (A Logan Harper Thriller)
| Battles, Brett | February 1, 2012 | |
|
the Last Ride
| McKown, Randy | February 1, 2012 | |
|
Containment
| Cantrell, Christian | January 31, 2012 | |
|
Faint of Heart
| Strand, Jeff | January 31, 2012 | |
|
The Black Witch (Curse of the Witch)
| Rivers, Micheal | January 31, 2012 | |
| Battles, Brett | January 27, 2012 | ||
|
Billy Purgatory: I am the Devil Bird
| Freeman, Jesse James | January 26, 2012 | |
|
Floaters - A Jack Daniels/Alex Chapa Mystery
| Konrath, J.A., Henry Perez | January 24, 2012 | |
| Kilborn, Jack, Peterson, Ann Voss, Konrath, J.A. | January 18, 2012 | ||
|
Anchihiiroo - Origin of an Antihero (Toonopolis Shorts, #1)
| Rodden, Jeremy | January 12, 2012 | |
|
A Dead God's Wrath
| Webb, Rusty | January 12, 2012 | |
|
Speed Dating with the Dead
| Nicholson, Scott | January 11, 2012 |
|
Drummer Boy: A Supernatural Thriller (Sheriff Littlefield Series)
| Nicholson, Scott | January 11, 2012 | |
|
The Red Church
| Nicholson, Scott | January 11, 2012 | |
|
The Harvest
| Nicholson, Scott | January 11, 2012 | |
|
Ghost College (The Ghost Files #1)
| Rain, J.R., Nicholson, Scott | January 11, 2012 | |
|
Zombie Bits
| Nicholson, Scott, McKinney, Joe, Kilborn, Jack, Maberry, Jonathan | January 11, 2012 | |
|
Cursed!
| Nicholson, Scott, Rain, J.R. | January 11, 2012 | |
|
Creative Spirit
| Nicholson, Scott | January 11, 2012 | |
|
As I Die Lying
| Nicholson, Scott | January 11, 2012 | |
|
Head Cases
| Nicholson, Scott, Meikle, William, Everson, John | January 11, 2012 | |
|
Catch Her in the Rye and Selected Short Stories, Volume 1
| Hawkinson, Wodke | January 7, 2012 | |
|
The Touch
| Wilson, F. Paul | January 6, 2012 | |
|
Reborn
| Wilson, F. Paul | January 6, 2012 | |
|
Black Wind (The Secret History of the World)
| Wilson, F. Paul | January 6, 2012 | |
| Wilson, F. Paul | January 6, 2012 | ||
|
Littlefield: Two Supernatural Thrillers
| Nicholson, Scott | January 6, 2012 |
|
Prophets of the Ghost Ants (The Antasy Trilogy)
| Carlton, Clark Thomas | January 3, 2012 | |
| Simms, Bob | January 1, 2012 |
If my count is correct, that's 105 total downloads since January 1st.
22 paid, 83 free.
Of the 22 paid, I've so far read 7, just started on the 8th.
Of the 83 free, I've read 10—and 5 of those are short stories by the same author, Christian Cantrell, which I very much enjoyed and whose new offerings I will be purchasing from now on.
And the percentage winner is . . . the paid stuff, hands-down.
It used to be at least fairly easy to pick out what I'd be reading next. Now, I'm drowning in a sea of free. And I'm a bibliophile. I usually devour a novel in a day or three. Or four. Or seven. It all depends. But it might take me years to get to some of this stuff, especially since there are many authors, both established and indie, who if they come out with a new book I've gotta dash out as soon as payday hits and buy it and read it and funk everything else that's been sitting on the bookshelf, physical or digital, for however long.
I'm going to stop downloading free stuff for a while, unless I come across something really interesting, as I've got way too much to read, including other, paid-for books that've been lurking on my Kindle for months and three bookshelves at the house full of physical books. But I'll get to it all eventually. Just because you get something for free doesn't mean it's not quality. I love reading indies' e-books! NOTE: I actually won a free copy of Billy Purgatory: I am the Devil Bird by Jesse James Freeman when I commented on a very cool blog post by the author, which is almost a shame because I would have purchased it as it looks like a very cool book.
So, indie author, will your book drown in the recent spew of free? Who the hell knows? Not this reader/writer. The sumbitch might've drowned regardless, sitting there with a bunch of other unread freebies on somebody's Kindle or simply not selling.
"But," you say, "if I hadn't signed up for the program my book wouldn't even have had a chance to make it onto that Kindle."
"Well," I reply, "maybe not today. But what about next week? Next month? Next year? Ebooks are forever. Just because a reader didn't discover you today doesn't mean they won't tomorrow."
I think in the end it boils down to writing a good book, just like it did before the implementation of KDP Select. And having more than one book available can't hurt.
So is the program a smart move for you, indie author? Maybe. I do appreciate the "ninety-day" thing. I think far fewer people would have signed up if Amazon forced folks to sign a year-long contract. If after three months it's not working for you, unclick the automatic renewal check-box on your KDP dashboard and start selling your e-book through B&N, Smashwords, wherever again.
But does anyone else get the feeling that someone over at Amazon is laughing "Mwah-hah-hah-ha-ha!" like a mad scientist as we indie authors throw ourselves by the thousands with shit-eating grins onto the altar of KDP Select, agreeing to exclusively offer our book through them for ninety days?
Talk about the bleeding pot calling the overflowing kettle black, two of my three books are currently signed to KDP Select. The other one, The Wave, is a four-hundred word fable I wish I could just give away, forever and ever, on Amazon. It is free on Smashwords. Fountain's contract is up at the end of March, and I'm not sure what I'm going to do. The "promotion" days are oh-so tempting . . . and I'll leave it at that.
I guess we'll all just have to wait and see how this whole thing plays out. My advice to writers: shut up about it and keep writing. And readers, keep on reading, but every now and then purchase a book. Publishers, be you mighty or lowly, keep on publishing. World, keep on turning.
"Okay," you say, "but one last question. Is this a blog post or a Stevie Wonder song?"
Eh, either way. And now, I'm off to follow my own advice. A little late, you. Peace.
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