Many self-publishers only publish e-books and don't consider or want to publish a print edition. Many feel that e-books will soon surpass paper books and believe it too bothersome to format their book to be printed. Many believe it would not sell because readers won't buy a self-published print book.
Can I say they are wrong? No. Can is say they are right. No again.
I don't know if e-books will ever surpass paper books, they might, probably maybe, but it is not sure. What is sure right now is that paper books still dominate the marketplace and e-books are catching up.
Paper book is more difficult to format for some, but to others it's much the same difficulty as formatting an e-book. Like e-book formatting, print book formatting requires an initial investment of time to figure out how to do it. It's a skill that once figured out is easier the next time you do it.
Do people buy books from self publishers? I know is that the books I published on Createspace sell less than those I published on KDP, however they do sell. If I can sell a print book without much promotion, so can any other writer.
Still, being able to publish a print book and sell a few copies is not the only reason why I do it. I love the idea that someone has a physical book I wrote in their hands and reading it, it makes me smile every time I think about it. (Am smiling while writing this.) Another reason is that I want to tap both markets. The print market share is just too large to just ignore. I want to cater to all readers. And by doing so I increase my chances for one of my books to get off and be discovered by the masses. Not publishing in print you'll miss out on all those readers who don't want to read from a screen. Another thing why I do it, is that a print book, in the hands of a reader, promotes itself to those around the reader. Unlike an e-book, when a reader reads a print book in a public space, people will see the book-cover, and hopefully also the title, and might get intrigued which might spur them to buy a copy of their own.
So yeah, I would recommend getting a print version, even if it just for your own ego to fill your bookcase with your own books.
Saturday, June 15, 2013
Sunday, June 9, 2013
Bookcover: UNDEAD
Today I've been working for hours on a book cover. My eyes are like dry and tired, can't really stay in front of a computer screen for much longer, but before I go rest and maybe get some early shut eye, I wanted to share my cover.
This is the front sleeve of the cover. (With some adjustment I'll use this for the e-book.)
The whole sleeve. (Still need to finish the back.)
This is the front sleeve of the cover. (With some adjustment I'll use this for the e-book.)
The whole sleeve. (Still need to finish the back.)
Saturday, June 8, 2013
Dead Shelter available at Kobo
Just freshly published Dead Shelter, book two in the zombieclypse series.
Ralph and Sarah barely escaped the zombieclypse happening to the world, though not unscathed. Sarah is sick, delirious, and infected, while Ralph is out alone in the zombie-infested country looking for medicine to save her life. If she dies, she turns, and time is running out.
A chance meeting binds Ralph’s fate to a stranger, a fate that brings him closer to his demise, and to a group of survivors. People get killed, others murdered, and the zombies are waiting, biding their time, for the time is theirs, to strike at those still breathing.
Sarah experiences a whole other kind of misery than the chase of zombies and survivors, for she is not alone. In this apocalyptic world, all misery is shared.
Available at kobo for $3.99
*
Book One: Dead Quarantine
Ralph and Sarah barely escaped the zombieclypse happening to the world, though not unscathed. Sarah is sick, delirious, and infected, while Ralph is out alone in the zombie-infested country looking for medicine to save her life. If she dies, she turns, and time is running out.
A chance meeting binds Ralph’s fate to a stranger, a fate that brings him closer to his demise, and to a group of survivors. People get killed, others murdered, and the zombies are waiting, biding their time, for the time is theirs, to strike at those still breathing.
Sarah experiences a whole other kind of misery than the chase of zombies and survivors, for she is not alone. In this apocalyptic world, all misery is shared.
Available at kobo for $3.99
*
Book One: Dead Quarantine
Friday, June 7, 2013
Dead Shelter available at Amazon
Just freshly published Dead Shelter, book two in the zombieclypse series.
Ralph and Sarah barely escaped the zombieclypse happening to the world, though not unscathed. Sarah is sick, delirious, and infected, while Ralph is out alone in the zombie-infested country looking for medicine to save her life. If she dies, she turns, and time is running out.
A chance meeting binds Ralph’s fate to a stranger, a fate that brings him closer to his demise, and to a group of survivors. People get killed, others murdered, and the zombies are waiting, biding their time, for the time is theirs, to strike at those still breathing.
Sarah experiences a whole other kind of misery than the chase of zombies and survivors, for she is not alone. In this apocalyptic world, all misery is shared.
Available at amazon for $3.99
Ralph and Sarah barely escaped the zombieclypse happening to the world, though not unscathed. Sarah is sick, delirious, and infected, while Ralph is out alone in the zombie-infested country looking for medicine to save her life. If she dies, she turns, and time is running out.
A chance meeting binds Ralph’s fate to a stranger, a fate that brings him closer to his demise, and to a group of survivors. People get killed, others murdered, and the zombies are waiting, biding their time, for the time is theirs, to strike at those still breathing.
Sarah experiences a whole other kind of misery than the chase of zombies and survivors, for she is not alone. In this apocalyptic world, all misery is shared.
Available at amazon for $3.99
Friday, May 24, 2013
Wattpad
Wattpad is a free community site for reading and sharing stories, connecting readers and writers through storytelling, and offers an mobile reading experience by giving the
ability to read on your computer, phone, or tablet.
Wattpad is from a Canadian company and till a few days ago I knew nothing about it. I think it is a good way to share stories. So far I only shared one of my stories: Gone World: Escape. I've joined the community and posted a little on the message-boards, offering some sage (not really) advice.
It seems like a great opportunity to discover new writers and for writers to slowly build an audience, which if times allows me I wish to do.
Wattpad is from a Canadian company and till a few days ago I knew nothing about it. I think it is a good way to share stories. So far I only shared one of my stories: Gone World: Escape. I've joined the community and posted a little on the message-boards, offering some sage (not really) advice.
It seems like a great opportunity to discover new writers and for writers to slowly build an audience, which if times allows me I wish to do.
Thursday, April 25, 2013
Tooth problems and being broke
A few days ago I turned thirty five. I joked about going into a midlife crisis, about acting out, getting that sports convertible and drive around with the wind blowing in my non-existent luscious long hair. All to compensate for getting older and having had a less than fulfilling life. And maybe there is some truth to that. I don't really feel like I did much these past thirty five years, I could have done so much better if I just applied myself more. I certainly wouldn't be broke if I had made some different choices these last five years, like I missed a few promotion opportunities and passed a lucrative job offer out of a sense of loyalty to my employer.
My earnings as writer are meager and doesn't cover my extra daily cost, it barely covers my editing and publishing costs. With my day job lagging career-wise and money-wise, subtracting inflation, I am making less than I did five years ago. With insurance rising in costs and yearly being downgrading in covarage, I don't have a adental plan anymore, and I couldn't afford additional coverage. And even with extra insurance the covarage sucks, you end paying around 50-80% yourself.
Three years ago I scrapped any remaining dental plans and put the money I saved aside. Initially I got a sizable amount saved, but with each yearly downfall (something broke, wife got ill) I had to take money away to cover other expenses and now that I got zero left, a tooth broke.
With no insurance, being broke, I can't have the care I need. And you know what makes it worse is the realization that even if I had the insurance I wouldn't really be able to afford the care I need. Sometimes my life sucks, really sucks. The only good thing right now is that the broken tooth doesn't hurt, however I'm not sure for how long that will last.
In June I hope to publish two novels and I will pray to existence itself to please let those get me enough for me to be able to cover the cost I need to make to fix my damn tooth. My writing is the only thing I can do right now to earn me some extra cash in the short time. For this year I won't be having a raise, I can't expect more money from my day job. It doesn't help that the economic climate is not very favorable right now and especially not when your health starts failing.
:(
My earnings as writer are meager and doesn't cover my extra daily cost, it barely covers my editing and publishing costs. With my day job lagging career-wise and money-wise, subtracting inflation, I am making less than I did five years ago. With insurance rising in costs and yearly being downgrading in covarage, I don't have a adental plan anymore, and I couldn't afford additional coverage. And even with extra insurance the covarage sucks, you end paying around 50-80% yourself.
Three years ago I scrapped any remaining dental plans and put the money I saved aside. Initially I got a sizable amount saved, but with each yearly downfall (something broke, wife got ill) I had to take money away to cover other expenses and now that I got zero left, a tooth broke.
With no insurance, being broke, I can't have the care I need. And you know what makes it worse is the realization that even if I had the insurance I wouldn't really be able to afford the care I need. Sometimes my life sucks, really sucks. The only good thing right now is that the broken tooth doesn't hurt, however I'm not sure for how long that will last.
In June I hope to publish two novels and I will pray to existence itself to please let those get me enough for me to be able to cover the cost I need to make to fix my damn tooth. My writing is the only thing I can do right now to earn me some extra cash in the short time. For this year I won't be having a raise, I can't expect more money from my day job. It doesn't help that the economic climate is not very favorable right now and especially not when your health starts failing.
:(
Tuesday, April 9, 2013
Time to heal
I don't often get ill, and the times I do I would usually not stop my regular schedule. I would go through the day like I wasn't ill. Pop a few pills against the headache, and ignore all other discomforts, and just go on. It doesn't help that I don't get a fever. A fever would stop someone who is ill and make them rest. I don't get that, so I go about my life as nothing is wrong while I should instead rest.
When I was 19, I had pneumonia without knowing it. No fever at all. I walked around with it for two months, coughing as I went. After the two months my lungs hurt so bad and breathing was so difficult that I had no other choice than to stay in bed. My girlfriend at that time, called the doctor. He didn't want to make a house-call, because I didn't have a fever, so in his opinion it couldn't be that bad. After his visit, he felt I was being over dramatic, that it wasn't that bad, I didn't have a fever. Though to put my mind at rest he told me to go for a checkup at the hospital.
My girfriend called a cab (at that time I could almost not speak anymore) and we went to the hospital. They gave me only one look, saw my pale face, and my continuous coughing, and they called for a gurney. Thy took me away, took some blood, put me on an IV, took some x-rays, and immediately after put me on antibiotic and gave me something against my pain (it was good.)
I had sever pneumonia and to make matters worse I also had some killing virus in my blood. They were amazed I recovered, they actually thought I would die, also it baffled them that I did not get a fever. I stayed for 3 weeks and not a single day I had a fever.
At times I still remember the hallucinations I had while on the meds and the weird dreams. Very surreal and vivid dreams. It were strange times. I was actually dying the days before I got to the hospital, and had I kept going on for a few more weeks without help I would have died. I learned something about myself and that is I didn't fear death.(still don't) At that time I only felt pity that if I would die I would never get to have sex with my girlfriend. Actually never did, soon after my recovery we broke up.
Now that I'm older and wiser I got more careful about getting ill. The way I lived my life so far, by keep working despite being ill would eventually take its toll. Realizing this I changed. Last week I was ill but I didn't take a day off to rest. So this Monday, while feeling like shit, ready to go work, I paused at the door and at that moment I decided to call in sick. I may not fear death but that doesn't mean I should help it, I love life, and like living, so if I should help one of them, it should be life. I won't be making the same mistake I did at nineteen, for at mid thirties I probably wouldn't survive the same thing. Not that death in itself is bad, though I rather enjoy life a little longer.
I'm three days into my sick leave and feeling a little better. Tomorrow I'll be back at work. Didn't write much either these last days. Sick leave, is sick leave, so no working, only resting.
What I wanted to say is; take care of yourselves, don't push yourself to death. It's better to lag a little behind and enjoy life a little longer, than to be overburdened and never get the chance to enjoy life.
When I was 19, I had pneumonia without knowing it. No fever at all. I walked around with it for two months, coughing as I went. After the two months my lungs hurt so bad and breathing was so difficult that I had no other choice than to stay in bed. My girlfriend at that time, called the doctor. He didn't want to make a house-call, because I didn't have a fever, so in his opinion it couldn't be that bad. After his visit, he felt I was being over dramatic, that it wasn't that bad, I didn't have a fever. Though to put my mind at rest he told me to go for a checkup at the hospital.
My girfriend called a cab (at that time I could almost not speak anymore) and we went to the hospital. They gave me only one look, saw my pale face, and my continuous coughing, and they called for a gurney. Thy took me away, took some blood, put me on an IV, took some x-rays, and immediately after put me on antibiotic and gave me something against my pain (it was good.)
I had sever pneumonia and to make matters worse I also had some killing virus in my blood. They were amazed I recovered, they actually thought I would die, also it baffled them that I did not get a fever. I stayed for 3 weeks and not a single day I had a fever.
At times I still remember the hallucinations I had while on the meds and the weird dreams. Very surreal and vivid dreams. It were strange times. I was actually dying the days before I got to the hospital, and had I kept going on for a few more weeks without help I would have died. I learned something about myself and that is I didn't fear death.(still don't) At that time I only felt pity that if I would die I would never get to have sex with my girlfriend. Actually never did, soon after my recovery we broke up.
Now that I'm older and wiser I got more careful about getting ill. The way I lived my life so far, by keep working despite being ill would eventually take its toll. Realizing this I changed. Last week I was ill but I didn't take a day off to rest. So this Monday, while feeling like shit, ready to go work, I paused at the door and at that moment I decided to call in sick. I may not fear death but that doesn't mean I should help it, I love life, and like living, so if I should help one of them, it should be life. I won't be making the same mistake I did at nineteen, for at mid thirties I probably wouldn't survive the same thing. Not that death in itself is bad, though I rather enjoy life a little longer.
I'm three days into my sick leave and feeling a little better. Tomorrow I'll be back at work. Didn't write much either these last days. Sick leave, is sick leave, so no working, only resting.
What I wanted to say is; take care of yourselves, don't push yourself to death. It's better to lag a little behind and enjoy life a little longer, than to be overburdened and never get the chance to enjoy life.
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