I can be very stubborn and tenacious, if I want to be, but I also give up easily if and when I decide that it's not worth the effort. Well, once I decided, last summer, that I was going back to work (which hasn't quite worked out, yet because I don't want to travel too much), I gave up trying to schedule book talks/book signings, etc. What I should have done was to look more into other options. I didn't look into Kindle because iUniverse had offered my book in ebook format, but it's not offered on any other websites besides iUniverse.
iUniverse, which published my book in paperback, also offers the ebook option on their website. So, I didn't think much about the ebook option until yesterday when my brother forwarded me a link to an article about an author, Amanda Hocking, who had found success on Amazon/Barnes and Noble selling her ebooks. I think she sold 100,000 ebooks a month! She does sell these books for $0.99 to $2.99 per ebook (their lengths suggest that they may be shorter stories). When you can keep 70% of that, that's a lot of money. I only get $0.75/book for royalties and my book sells for $14.95/book, supposedly.
iUniverse has not lock me into anything. I have all my publishing rights. So, I'm currently working on Waiting for Appa so that I may publish it for Kindle and Nook readers. You may want to consider this option also.
Because I already had a book on Amazon and I was already on www.authorcentral.com, it was really easy for me to take a look at what I need for Kindle publication. I don't know what a new author without a published book needs to do, but it can't be that difficult (because Amazon wants to make money). So, take a look. I'm going to take a chance. What do I have to lose?
REVIEWS:
No one likes reading negative reviews (less than 3 star rating, I guess), but I have to admit that those negative reviews provide a wealth of information on what I can do better next time (unless of course, it just says you suck). Now that I have an opportunity to work on the Kindle version of Waiting for Appa, I'm actually in the process of writing some additional material. So, please, don't feel bad about writing negative reviews. I'm always ready and willing to take my reader's advice to make my book better anytime.
Ebook publishing note - Amanda Hocking signed a four-book, $2 million plus deal with St. Martin's Press. This is something to inspire me and aspire to.
Good luck everyone!
