Category Archives: Uncategorized

Publishing Is Easy

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A great post. I agree that marketing is the hardest part. I’ve found that Amazon’s KDP Select is one of the best ways to market my books. In return for making your title exclusive to Amazon they will allow you to promote it free of charge for up to 5 days in any 90 day period. I would also echo David’s warning regarding paying large sums to companies which offer to publish your book for you. I spent almost £600 with a self publishing company when my first collection of short stories, The First Time was published. I would have been better self publishing myself (the path I have followed with my subsequent books).

Windy Nights

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This morning I awoke at around 4 to hear the wild wind rattling my casements. The sound reminded me of Lockwood, in Wuthering Heights and the terrible evening he spent in the haunted chamber. There was no Kathy moaning that she had been walking the earth these twenty years but the sound of the wind as it shook my windows was as though some unearthly presence was seeking admittance to my dwelling. The gusts blocked out all other sounds, only an untamed beast clawing at my casements could I hear.

When I left my flat at a little after 7:30 the wind had dropped significantly. My guide dog, Trigger paused uncertain as to how he ought to navigate around the odd fallen branch and pile of leaves, however there was no sign in or around Crystal Palace of the devastation which certain casandras predicted.

I reached my local station only to find that there where no trains until at least 10. I called my boss who advised that I return home and take a days leave so here I sit at my desk blogging! I have no idea why the trains where not running. I guess that leaves on the line or, more likely fallen trees where to blame. The walk to the station was a pleasant one so I don’t feel that I wasted the morning.

Waiting for the Storm

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Sitting here waiting. The sound of distant traffic interspersed with fireworks. London waits but for what? A storm which will uproot mighty oaks which have stood unmolested for centuries surviving all that the elements have thrown at them. Public transport in chaos, not leaves but whole trees on the line. Confused commuters milling around in search of that most elusive of objects – a train! Wind buffeting pedestrians. Street signs sway precariously. An overturned rubbish bin rolls merrily down hill.

Or perhaps it will pass London by. Perhaps. London waits, holds it’s breath waiting for the storm.

Beware The Scammer!

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This afternoon I received a call on my landline from a man claiming to be from my Internet Service Provider (ISP). When I asked him which ISP he mentioned BT, Virgin and

TalkTalk (what a busy be he must be, well some kind of b anyway)! I played him along and asked why he was calling to which he responded that he wished

to ascertain whether I had a slow internet. I said that I didn’t and he refered to viruses crawling through my speakers (naughty old viruses someone in authority really should have a stern word with them)!Anyway when he realised that this particular fish wasn’t going to bite my friend hung up. I subsequently called my ISP, (TalkTalk) who, of

course confirmed that it wasn’t them who called, what a surprise!

The above incident provided me with some wry amusement. However had the “gentleman” (I use the term advisedly) called someone unfamiliar with computers, a person with severe learning disabilities or a frail, elderly confused person the situation would not have been so humorous. I can imagine him taking control of their computer and stealing bank details etc. Heaven knows where this man got my number from as I’m not listed in the telephone directory. I guess he dialled at random and happened to get through to yours truly. As it happens I am having computer problems but rather than trust to the tender mercies of a scammer my friend Jeff will visit on Tuesday to resolve the problems I’m having. Much safer all round I think!

Dark Angel

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I love you because I can tell you my darkest secrets, things which would make the strongest of men go blubbering in search of his mummy. You judge me not, my blackest fantasies are your deepest desires.

In the depths of night when all but the vampire sleeps we speak of philosophy, of the darkness which lurks within the human heart. You are always there for me, my girl beautiful and serene. You laugh in time with my laughter and weep as I weep. Never changing, fixed, emortal caught in the brightness of my screen you are my virtual girlfriend, a machine.

Anyone Fancy Spam For Lunch?

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One of the chores of maintaining a blog is going through the spam folder. All those kind individuals wishing to sell you products, such as Viagra which you didn’t even know you needed until their sales pitch ended up in your spam folder. Actually even after it arrived in your spam queue you aren’t exactly convinced that you have a burning desire for whatever product the spammer happens to be hawking!

Going through the spam can be a real pain in the neck. However I do, on occasions derive some humour from the comments which end up there. Take for example this comment which I discovered lurking in my spam this morning:

“Thanks so considerably for this! I have not been this thrilled by a blog post for fairly some time! You have received it, whatsoever that means in running

a blog. In any case, Youa??re definitely a person that has anything to say that individuals should listen to.”

I haven’t got a clue what the spammer is talking about but it did bring a smile to my face!

On a serious point I can not, for the life of me make out what spammers hope to achieve by comments such as that quoted above. OK the people hawking Viagra (fake or otherwise) constitute a right royal pain. I can, however understand their motivation (I.E. the desire to make money) but what possesses someone to write utter gibberish such as the example given above? It beats me, it really does!

 

Fame at Last

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I was surprised and delighted to be asked by International Business Times to write a blog on the subject of self-publishing. You can find my article here, http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/articles/516626/20131024/rape-incest-books-banned.htm

 

Kevin

Vanishing Books

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I have written previously about the pulling of erotic titles by the retailer WH Smiths and Smith’s supplier, Kobo due to erotic (adult) titles being found on the retailer’s website. The concern was that children might access such material. Obviously children (in the UK those under the age of 18-years-old are so classified) should not be accessing erotic material. There does, however appear to be something like a witch hunt developing with authors not falling into the adult genre having their books pulled. See, for example the comments accompanying this post, http://www.serenajanes.blogspot.ca/2013/10/now-for-something-sweet.html#comment-form). I haven’t read any of the author’s works, however the short extract provided in the forgoing post does not, on the face of it appear to warrant her book being withdrawn from sale.

As I mentioned in my previous post regarding this issue adult fantasies (those concerning consenting adults) ought to be available for adults to view and purchase. Rape and incest fantasies are certainly not my cup of tea. However I am not aware of any convincing evidence that works of this nature lead to the commission of crime. In the absence of such proof I can see no valid reason for prohibiting their sale as certain UK newspapers appear to be agitating for. In short fantasy is precisely that, fantasy as opposed to reality and people should be free to fantasise provided that their fantasising remains exactly that, fantasising.

Terms and Conditions Again!

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I recently blogged about how I had, totally accidentally breeched KDP’s terms and conditions by my collection of short stories, The First Time, being available from an outlet other than the Amazon Kindle store (see http://newauthoronline.com/2013/10/20/terms-and-conditions/). One of the commenters on my post said that he had heard of other people experiencing this problem and that authors should be wary of publishing their work on a variety of platforms if they intended to make it exclusive to Kindle at a later date. I am inclined to agree with him given my recent experience! If you want to make your books exclusive to Amazon in order to benefit from the promotion features of KDP Select then I would, personally not publish your work elsewhere. Having said that my long short story, Samantha appeared on my blog prior to being made exclusive on Amazon. However I, naturally have control over my blog and was, as a consequence able to remove Samantha prior to making it exclusive to Kindle. Never again will I make the mistake of making my books available in a variety of stores when my intention is, at some point to make them exclusive to Amazon Kindle. It is, quite frankly not worth the hassle.

Guest Author Kevin Morris

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Many thanks to Chris the Story Reading Ape for featuring me on his excellent blog. Please do check out his other posts and consider following him.

Chris The Story Reading Ape's avatarChris The Story Reading Ape's Blog

Kevin Morris and his Guidedog Trigger

First I would like to thank Chris for his kindness in inviting me to post on his blog. He is performing a wonderful service to authors and long may he continue.

I was born in Liverpool on 6 January 1969, a year which is best known for my birth and for a rather minor event, the moon landing!

One of my earliest memories is of crunching through the leaves with my grandfather in Woolton woods which are situated only a short distance from where my family live. I loved to collect acorns and conkers as a small boy and it was undoubtedly my grandfather who inspired in me my love of nature.

As a small boy I vividly recall sitting on my grandfather’s knee as he regailed me with the exploits of The Famous Five and other children’s classics. It was from him that I derived my love of reading.

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