First Sale!

Yesterday, I sold the first copy of my eBook, My Brother's Keeper . It's available through Smashwords.com. Maybe I'm being overly optimistic, but the book was out there for one day when it was purchased. At one book per day that's 365 books a year! Okay, I know it's not New York Times Bestseller status but it's better than what I sold last year.

More importantly, is the fact that it has motivated me to put my butt in the chair and write again. I've been in a prolonged funk and my random excuse generator was working overtime! I finally got myself in gear though and now feel that there is reason to go on there is someone out there who wants to read my work (at least one person). So thank you, whoever you are, not only for buying a copy of my book, but for getting me back on the ball!

Well, gotta run now, it's time for me to get to work on my next great masterpiece.

My First eBook Is Available

As I mentioned in my last post, I'm delving into the world of online publishing. My first eBook, a short story entitled THE LAKE, is available on line through Smashwords.com.
As you may recall, in my last post I mentioned the fact that I was obtaining eBook software on eBay. With Smashwords there is no need to purchase additional software, you upload your eBook in Microsoft Word. However, make sure that you download and follow the guidelines from theirr Style Guide. I found the procedure to be easy and straight forward. I must mention the fact that the Style Guide is written for Word 2003 and if you are a user of Word 2007 as I am, you will have to find where Word has put some of the formatting parameters.
As an added incentive, Smashwords is like a consignment shop. You pay no money up front, they take a small percentage of whatever revenue your work generates. Smashwords will also format your work for all the eBook readers such as the Kindle and the Nook and put it in format to be downloaded to a PC, among others.
So, if you want to get your work out there and start generating some cash for your writing, check out Smashwords.

To Publish or to ePublish?

The writing world is changing and doing so faster than many of us realize. The introduction of ereaders such as the Kindle, the Sony Reader, and Apple's iPad (which sold 300,000 units on its introduction day) is changing the way the public buys reading material. Readers of my generation (the Baby Boomers) grew up with and developed a love for good old traditional books. However, as Bob Dylan said over 40 years ago, the times they are a'changin'. Today we have the download, most music is sold via download to any number of MP-3 players and the new generation has grown up reading from a screen. So, you ask, what does this mean? It means the eBook is here to stay--and it may not be a bad thing.

There are any numbers of reasons why the eBook is the wave of the future, here are a few of them as I see it:

1. Readers don't care whether or not they own a book. They usually read them and either give them away or lend them (which in most instances is the same as giving it away).
2. Readers do care about price. Many pass on purchasing hardcovers and wait for a book to be released in paperback.
3. People want things now. We have become an impatient society. Who wants to wait for Amazon or our bookseller of choice to send the book via snail mail when an eBook can be downloaded in a matter of minutes.

So what does this mean for those of us who are writers? It means a wide-open market in which we will no longer be prisoners of the publishing industry which has held all the power for a long time. The writer can publish his/her own work faster, easier and at a lower cost. They have no where close to the overhead of a traditional publisher. Rather than a couple of dollars per book royalty from a conventional publisher, publishing your own eBook and uploading it to an eBook book seller, such as Amazon, will net the writer royalties of 70% of sales.

Currently, writing organizations such as MWA, don't acknowledge eBooks as being published, that however will change. A reader can purchase eBooks from MWA authors such as Lee Child from Barnes & Noble's website and Amazon. Think about how much Lee, whose best-selling Jack Reacher novels are always near the top of the New York Times Bestseller List, would be grossing if he got 70% of each novel he sells!

As for me, I'm still going to seek out a traditional publisher, but I just ordered some eBook software (it's available at a very low cost on eBay) and I'm going into the publishing business.

For a detailed look into how profitable self-publishing your own eBook can be, see J. A. Konrath's Blog (A Newbie's Guide to Publishing) and read his posts on the subject.

Latest MWA Anthology Available Now

The latest anthology sponsored by the Mystery Writers of American is now available. If you are looking for something other than the usual mystery/crime stuff this may be the anthology you've been waiting for.

Crimes by Moonlight contains 20 stories that integrate horror and supernatural with mystery. Several of the authors are friends and acquaintances of mine and that not withstanding, I found the book to be a quick and satisfying read.
Ms. Harris, by the way, is slated to be this year's guest of honor at the New England CrimeBake Writer/Reader conference for details on the conference check their web page at http://www.crimebake.org.

I'm very partial to this conference for a couple of reasons; first, I have attended the 1st eight and have seen this conference grow from a 1 day local event into a nationally recognized Friday through Sunday conference. Secondly I was a member of the planning committee for 4 years and know first hand how dedicated the members of the sponsoring organizations (the New England Chapters of MWA and Sisters in Crime) are and how hard they work to make this conference an annual success.

I'M BACK

After a way toooooo long sabbatical, I'm back! I intend to begin blogging regularly and will appreciate anyone who would like to participate as a guest blogger. I know there are many writers out there who may not want to blog on a regular basis, but have an interesting topic they may want to do a one-time blog about. If you don't feel comfortable writing a blog, email me with you topic and I may write a blog about it. My problem is that it is tough coming up with GOOD ideas on an on-going basis.