A Christmas Thought For All!

There is a list of folk I know
All written in a book,
And every year at Christmas time,
I go and take a look.
And that is when I realise
That these names are a part
Not of the book they're written in,
But of my very heart.

For each name stands for someone,
Who has touched my life sometime
And in that meeting the've become
The "Rhythm and the Rhyme".
I really feel I am composed
Of each remembered name,
And while you may not be aware
Of feeling quite the same.

For once that you have known someone
The years cannot erase
The memory of a pleasant word
Or of a friendly face.
So never think of Christmas cards
Are just a mere routine
Of names upon a list, forgotten inbetween
For when I send a Christmas card
That is addressed to you,
It is because you're on that list
Of folks I'm indebted to

And whether I've known you
For many years or few,
In some way you have had a part

In shaping things I do.
So every year when Christmas comes
I just realize anew
The biggest gift that God can give
is knowing folks like you!


Author: Unknown!

INDIE AUTHORS BE CAREFUL!

My Publisher "Smashwords" has just sent an email to alert their published authors to implications of publishing with Amazon on the KDP platform.

Follow the Link below to read the Smashword Blog which was released yesterday on their site!

Smashwords

Amazon Shows Predatory Spots with KDP Select

1 day ago

A Special Thanks to Saba who organised the New Author Blog Hop!

The Blog Hop is now finished and I would like to thank everyone who visited my Blog and participated in the Hop.  I did try to visit all the Blogs of the authors who participated and leave a comment, but some could only be contacted by facebook or twitter and as I am not a participant of those types of media I was unable to do so, I make this apology to those participants.

As this was my first Blog Hop, I was very impressed by the number of people who took the time to actually visit the many Blog sites, become members and leave comments, purchase copies of books / or download the various versions!

I would certainly recommend that new authors join this type of internet connection and be generous with what they offer to other participants. It is an excellent way to make connections and get your work out there in the big wide world, using the world wide web!

BLOG HOP

NEW AUTHOR BLOG HOP
http://worddiaries.blogspot.com/

23rd to 30th November

Hi and welcome to my blog!  This week I am participating in a New Author Blog Hop!

I am happy to give away free copies of my first novel published as an eBook for participants in the Blog Hop.

If you enjoy a love story involving vampires and other dimensions, then you will most likely enjoy my book! Simply follow the link below to: "He Came For Me!" Book One, in The Protector Series, I have a link below where for the week the Blog Hop runs you can purchase my book free using the coupon number below!
For now heres the blurb:
 Jazz, lives on the beautiful Sunshine Coast, in Queensland, Australia. She leads a normal teenage life busy with friends, TAFE College, a part time job as a waitress, surfing and searching for a boyfriend!
Until one day driving on her way to TAFE she is passed by a red Mazda Rx7. The driver holds her attention and as they both wait at a set of traffic lights to change to green, a sexual tension passes between them.
In the days that follow she finds that this guy moves into her life as she befriends him, his friends and family! But are Seb and his friends what they seem to be?
Attacks by groups of boys targeting girls Jazz's age are becoming noticed by the media. Eyewitnesses to the attacks state that these youths seem to possess abilities no normal human would be capable of. Is it drugs or is it something else?
Jazz finds that Seb, seems to be stalking her. What is his purpose? Is he really a friend or is he actually a foe?

   He Came For Me! Book One in

         'The Protector Series'

        http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/82996#longdescr






To receive a free copy of "He Came For Me" follow the link to the website above and enter the code below before November 30

                               Promotional price: $0.00
                         Coupon Code: KG58R
                         Expires: November 30, 2011

JOIN THE BLOG HOP - SEE BELOW FOR DETAILS

http://worddiaries.blogspot.com/

I would like to thank Kimberly Krey for leading me to this website and inviting me to participate in the Blog Hop.  I believe this will be a wonderful opportunity for new authors out there, like myself, to advertise their work (eBook or traditional)!

So if you are a new author who would like the opportunity to participate in this Blog Hop and build your contact network sign up now!!!  Just follow the link, and join in and be ready to post an article about your book with links, during the week of November 23 to 30.

Carolyn

The Gratifying Feeling of Holding my First Book in Paperback

I was very pleased with the print version from Lulu, which arrived this week.  Just need to fix a few things before I resubmit to create the permanent version.  Once this is completed I will add the link on my Smashwords account for people to purchase a paperback version of my book.

The cover was beautiful and the colour was deep and impressive.  The image fitted perfectly on the cover.  The only issue I have found is that my first Chapter heading was placed a little lower on the page than all the other Chapter headings.

Over the last couple of weeks in between working on my next book, I have come across "The Immortals after Dark Series" by Kresley Cole and have immersed myself in her sensual, fascinating world of Vampires, Werewolves, Valkyrie and other creatures. Her first book in the series "A Hunger Like No Other", is also available as an eBook.  I am having trouble putting these books down, they are so entertaining.

But I need to get back into my writing, look out for the link in Smashwords to follow to the Paperback Version of 'He Came For Me".

Carolyn

Publishing 'He Came For Me' as a Paperback

Over the last few weeks I have been busy organizing my book for publishing in a paperback form.

I eventually decided to publish with Lulu.com.  It was simple!

Lulu offers free publishing in a variety of formats - Paperback, Spiral Bound, Hard Cover with or without dust jacket or eBook.  They also offer packages for purchase if you wish to use their editors, distributors or marketing personnel. I am not ready to invest money to distribute or market my book so I chose the free publishing choice.

Lulu distributes your published work to Amazon.com for free!

The first step in the process is deciding what format you wish to publish your work. I decided upon a US trade size 6x9 Paperback, perfect bound but there are a variety of other choices. Lulu publishes your book in the format you decide upon without making any claims to ownership and publishing rights, except for that particular version of print you decide upon. You are still able to publish in a different format of print in the future as you hold ownership of your work.

Lulu uses a PDF file for publishing, but you can upload your book as a doc. or dox. file.  The important part to the process here is to include a Title Page at the front followed by a Copyright Page. At the back of the book it is also necessary to include one blank page. Lulu formats the file into a PDF document and you are able to download and review the file before continuing the Step by Step process.

The next step in the process is selecting whether you wish to use a Lulu ISBN number. Lulu issues a free ISBN number for your publication if you  desire this. Each publication of your book in a different format needs a different ISBN number, so Lulu's offer of a free ISBN is practical. This also makes your book available for distribution and sale through Lulu and their distributors.

Your next decision is your book cover.  Lulu.com has a 'Cover Wizard' which you can use to create your cover design or you can upload your own full cover design using the exact measurements required for the size of your publication. 

As I have a wonderful illustrator who designed my cover, I chose to use the full cover upload.  This process was the only difficult part of the publication process as you need to be logged into Lulu.com and have uploaded your manuscript to be given the measurements required for your cover.  So it was necessary to communicate with my illustrator what was required.  The measurements are linked to the number of pages in your book.   

For the 6x9 US Trade size I chose with 161 printed pages the measurements were 3184 pixels x 2775 pixels. It is important to save the cover file as a JPEG with a resolution of 300 dpi.  Once we overcame this hurdle the cover uploaded easily.

Continue the Step by Step process selecting the price you wish to sell your book for and whether to include a discount at Lulu.com.

I was lucky and was able to purchase one copy to proof read and approve for free as Lulu were having a special offer for the month of September.  I am now waiting for my very first copy of my book in Paperback to arrive in the post.

Thankyou Smashwords

A big thankyou to Smashwords for including me amongst the authors to receive a Smashwords Collectable Mug, for writing my previous blog, in which I shared what I learned as I went through the process of publishing my first eBook.

I would like to thank Mark and the Smashword team for giving new writer's like myself the opportunity to publishwork free and without stress.

Even though I have only 'shared the love' of this community for a short period of time, I am really impressed.

Smashwords helps the authors that wish to help themselves by giving opportunities for such authors to market published works using the social networks, example: running competitions such as the Smashwords 'Help Your Fellow Authors, Earn a Shiny Mug.'

By being included in this list I have recieved internet traffic to my Blog page, gained a follower or two and have been left only positive comments, which has linked interested parties to my book at the Smashwords site.

The word 'thanks' is definately an inadequate word to use, but I will say it anyway.

Thanks Smashwords,

Carolyn

Smashwords: How to Self-Publish an Ebook with Smashwords: 31 Authors Share Their Tips and Tricks

Smashwords: How to Self-Publish an Ebook with Smashwords: 31 Authors Share Their Tips and Tricks

Smashwords: Share your Smashwords Smarts, Earn a Shiny Mug

Smashwords: Share your Smashwords Smarts, Earn a Shiny Mug

Tips for Publishing eBooks with Smashwords!

Smashwords make it easy!!!                         

I am a new author who has only just used Smashwords to publish my book in the last week and I have found the site to be the most amazing tool to use!

From my understanding of reading the Smashwords FAQ some people have all sorts of problems and receive error messages for their formatting.  I must have been one of the lucky ones!  I followed the Smashwords Style Guide carefully, to format my book, making sure not to hit the enter key more times than necessary at the end of each line and paragraph. By turning on the Show Hide Key in Microsoft Word I was able to see my formatting as I typed.  I decided not to indent my paragraphs as I believe it looks untidy on the page, but I did add ***~~~*** to skip back and forth between my characters. 

The only problem I had was that I was eager and forgot to save my file as a Microsoft Word .doc file before uploading.  I corrected this easily by following the instuctions in the Smashwords Style Guide and then when I pressed the Publish Tab to proceed to upload my book to Smashwords, I had the thrill of watching each version being processed and approved on my computer screen as I watched.

The Smashwords Publish upload also takes all the hassel out of trying to publish your own book. Just by following the process step by step all angles are covered, even the legal ones. The process takes you through the usual questions, but Smashwords can also assign your book an ISBN number at no cost to you or you can purchase one through them if you wish. These questions are asked as you continue the process to upload your precious work.

Smashwords also cover any IRS questions you may have, especially if you are an author using the site to publish your work in a country outside of the United States of America, as I am.  During the process of publishing you are asked if you are from a country outside of the US and by answering yes, further information is shown on the page informing you about the formal part of requesting an ITIN. The information is given in easy to follow language and takes the worry away! You can also read about the legal side of things in the FAQ. I had previously downloaded the Smashwords Book Marketing Guide prior to publishing my book and decided which Marketing tips I would use.  I had never used a Blog page or Facebook before but decided to start this blog page and my illustrator created a page link to my book http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/82996?ref=CMBrown attaching it to her Facebook page. I am still learning about other tips to market my book but I recommend reading the Smashwords Book Marketing Guide to make your own choices.

I found out about Smashwords through my local library.  I was lucky enough one day to walk in and find a notice about an information session on publishing eBooks, which was being held there by a local artist. I immediately made a booking and attended the session most convenient to me. I came away enlightened and as I was so close to finishing my book the timing could not have been more right! It must have been karma as I had also around this time attended the blessing by the Dalai Lama at the opening of the Stumpa at Chenrezig.

From this information session at my local library, I found out that the Australian Government had given a grant to Judy Barass to inform new writers how to publish eBooks. Judy Barass could not say better things about Smashwords and encouraged her audience to persue eBook publishing using Smashwords, as they took all the effort away from independent puplishers and made it easy! (I also came away feeling that my work would be safe in the hands of Smashwords).

It has only been one week since I uploaded my book to the Smashwords site for publishing and three days ago it had already been accepted into the Smashwords Premium Catalogue and has been shipped on to some of the connecting distributers Barnes and Noble, Kobo, Apple and Deisel. I am amazed at just how quickly and efficiently the process has been. It could not have been made easier!!

View my book at Smashwords through this link:

http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/82996?ref=CMBrown 

 

He Came For Me! Book One in 'The Protector Series'
Ebook Price: $1.99 USD. 54240 words. Fiction by Carolyn Brown on August 21, 2011
(5.00 from 1 review)
Jazz, driving on her way to TAFE one morning is passed by a gorgeous guy in a red Mazda Rx7. Caught at the stop lights ahead, she finds herself drawn to this stranger as he watches her in his rear view mirror. From the moment she meets him in person her life begins to change! Why does he always seem to be close by, could he be stalking her? Or was their meeting totally innocent?

Thanks,

Carolyn

One Week Later! (Book Published with Smashwords for One Week)

In one week I have sold two copies through the Smashwords site and 21 people have downloaded free tastes of my book! I still think this is great even though I am not getting rich quick.

During the week when I checked where my book was situated in the recent releases I was worried when I couldn't find it, but it had been placed in the Premium Catalogue awaiting shipment to other distributers associated with Smashwords.  

By the end of next week it should be in the Apple Store and within two weeks it should be available through Barnes and Noble and Kobo and I believe it is now available through Diesel and I have not needed to do anything since the moment I pressed the Publish Tab.

Three Days After Pressing the Publish Button!

Wow! In just 3 days 15 people have downloaded samples of my book and I have acutally sold 2 copies!

My book is still 'pending' for the Smashwords Premium Catalogue which means it hasn't even yet been sent to the other distributors.

Smashwords make it so easy to publish and distribute your work, its simply amazing! I am so glad that I attended a course held by my local council on Alternative Publishing hosted by Australian artist Judy Barrass.
The project aims to bring together creative practice and new technologies to improve community connection and develop new opportunities. It is a project of the Queensland Writers Centre and  Sunshine Coast Regional Council with funding support from Arts Queensland and the Australia Council.

Visit the above links and learn more about publishing your own eBooks!

I am amazed that it is so easy!

Thanks Judy Barrass and Sunshine Coast Regional Council, and a special thanks to Smashwords!  http://www.smashwords.com/

The Thrill of Pressing the Button to Publish

Last night I actually did it!  I pressed the publish button!

My book can now be sampled or purchased at Smashwords.com! 'He Came For Me!' Book One in 'The Protector Series' can now be found by following this link:  http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/82996

I could not believe that within an hour of pressing that button, 6 people had downloaded samples to view.

Tonight at present 12 people have downloaded free samples and 1 person has purchased a copy. Wow this eBook publishing works fast! Its free to publish with them and you retain your publishing rights and ownership of the book. By following the formatting process my work has been easy for Smashwords to grind the book into the various file formats to send to other distributors it was amazing to watch the process as it took place before my eyes on my computer screen.

I am now waiting for it to be accepted into the Premium Catalogue so that it can be sent on to IBook and IPhones etc.

Filling in Forms is Boring!

This week I have completed the Australian Censis Form and my Taxation Forms. How boring, but I have also been pursuing the completion and readiness of my book for publishing.

All editing is complete and I now I just need to create my Smashwords account.  I have been reading up on information relating to ISBN numbers and how to apply for an IRS number before uploading my book, but I think Smashwords will be able to cover both of these items when I am required to have them.

Rebekah Romani, the designer of my cover has forwarded the version she has created in the required size and so once I have all the necessary requirements needed to be able to upload my book to Smashwords.

I can't wait!

Until next time!

Bye!

Before Publishing

It is the beginning of July and I am almost ready to publish my first book.  I have worked to improve the story line and grammatical errors for two and a half years now!  It has been hard work, but I have enjoyed every minute!  I hope that when it is published as an eBook through the wonderful site of Smashwords, that readers will be interested and will follow the link I plant to come to this blog page and read how my journey began and the continuing story as I prepare to submit it! 

Follow my story and learn how to publish your own eBook!

The background on this blog will be used in the front cover design of the book, with many thanks to Rebekah Romani for her talents creating the illustration.  I will give more details about how you can contact her as my blog progresses.

C.M. Brown