Tag Archives: k morris author

Terms and Conditions!

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Yesterday I received an e-mail from Kindle Support informing me that my collection of short stories, The First Time did not comply with KDP Select’s terms and conditions. What on earth had I done to receive this missive? Had I slandered a prominent personage who was, even now instructing lawyers to sue me for every penny I haven’t got?! Maybe I had copied huge chunks of a fellow author’s work and he was out for my blood?! I am pleased to report that none of these breeches apply. It turns out that Amazon had found The First Time for sale from an outlet other than the Kindle store. In order to enrol one’s books in KDP Select you must ensure that they are exclusive to Amazon which, in this instance The First Time was not.

I can hear shouts of “you brought it on yourself. Why are you belly aching. It’s a fair cop guv. You should stop waffling on about the situation and remove The First Time from all outlets other than Amazon forthwith”. Would where it that simple! The First Time was published using the services of a self-publishing company who as part of their service enrolled my book with a variety of e-book distributors. However due to no sales resulting I asked the company to remove The First Time from all outlets other than Amazon. Once I received confirmation that this had been done I enrolled my book in KDP Select assuming that it was now exclusive to Amazon. As you know from the above dear reader this is not the case! I have written to the self-publishing company asking that they ensure The First Time is removed from the outlet which Amazon drew to my attention. I live in hope that it will be removed from sale ASAP thereby ensuring that The First Time remains enrolled in KDP Select.

The lesson I draw from the above is the importance of ensuring that authors keep control over their works. I am listed as the author of The First Time but not the publisher. In my case it is only the publisher who is able to remove books which has led to the problems outlined above. Dear fellow authors please, please read the small print prior to signing contracts.

Akelite

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I published my first e-book, a collection of short stories entitled “The First Time” in December 2012. I have subsequently published 1 long short story, “Samantha” and 2 further collections of stories, “Sting in the tail and other stories” and “An act of Mercy”. My experience of self-publishing in the Amazon Kindle store has led me to the conclusion that the best method of obtaining exposure for my books is to enrol them in the KDP Select Programme which allows authors to promote their work free of charge for upto 5 days in any 90 day period provided that titles are exclusive to Amazon. As a consequence of KDP Select my books have received a respectable number of downloads together with several 4 star reviews. In addition to utilising KDP Select I use Twitter and this blog to promote my writing.

Yesterday I came across a Tweet with a link to a promotional video by the seller of software called Akelite. The video states that using Akelite anyone has the potential to make thousands of dollars (well in my case pounds). Akelite does (according to the video) show which topics are trending on Amazon thereby allowing the author to write about popular subjects which will generate an impressive income stream. The developer suggests that people may wish to pay someone to write a book on their behalf in order to benefit from the earning power of Akelite. Authors do not as usually contended require reviews to assist in driving traffic and sales. Akelite dispenses with the need for reviews.

I listened to the presentation with a growing sense of incredulity. The presenter’s statements regarding Akelite simply do not chime with my experiences of self-publishing on Amazon nor do they fit in with anything I’ve read by other self-published authors regarding their experiences.

I attempted to research this product by Googling Akelite, however all of the results appear to lead back to the person who invented (sells) the product or people affiliated to him (I.E. there seem to be no independent reviews of Akelite).

I haven’t used Akelite, however the idea that by employing a piece of software people can make thousands of dollars without putting in the hours (sometimes months or years) required to produce well written books is to me quite simply incredible. In the words of Victor Meldrew in the British comedy “one Foot in the Grave” “I don’t believe it”!

I would love to here from anyone who has used Akelite. All comments positive or negative will be published. The inventor of Akelite is, of course also free to comment.

I haven’t Read Your Book But I Don’t Like It

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I have read a number of articles dealing with personal attacks on authors. However I had not, until recently been subjected to such an attack. Before proceeding further I want to define clearly what I mean by the term “personal attack”. By personal attack I do not mean someone saying that they do not like my work when such views are expressed in a reasoned and measured manner. I don’t like all the books which pass through my hands. I have, however never criticised and/or insulted the author. The comments accompanying the below post do, in my view cross a line, http://newauthoronline.com/2013/10/12/bemused/#comments.

What I find particularly galling about the views expressed is the implied criticism of my books by a person who has not bothered to read them. If a reader dislikes my work after having read it then I must, of course respect their opinion even if I disagree with the assessment of the reviewer. The reviewer has taken the trouble to read my work rather than making sweeping statements about my “pretentsions to literary merit” without having opened my books.

Freedom of expression is vitally important, however I can not respect the views of a commenter who comments on my ability as a writer without having read any of the books written by me.

Who Owns Your E-Book Library?

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If you purchase a physical copy of a book then the purchased copy becomes your property. You can lend or if you are so inclined destroy the book as it is yours to do with as you please provided that you do not copy or pass the work off as your own. The position as regards e-books is not so straightforward. On purchasing an e-book the buyer gains the right to access the content but not to lend or otherwise distribute it. I must confess to having been under the impression that the right to read my e-book library perishes when I draw my final breath. However according to an interesting article Amazon confirm that it is possible to leave your e-book library to your heir, http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/05/08/1205979/-e-books-who-owns-my-digital-library.

As an author and reader of e-books I believe that an electronic book should be viewed as the property of the purchaser provided that he or she does not pass the work off as their own or copy the book. To me it is fundamentally unfair to pay for a product only to be told that you do not, in fact own it. Consequently I am somewhat reassured by Amazon’s statement that e-books can be passed on to one’s heir. I guess the interesting question is what happens if Amazon goes out of business. Unlikely in the near future but stranger things have happened.

(My collection of short stories, “The First Time” is free in the Amazon Kindle store from 4-8 October, http://newauthoronline.com/2013/10/04/free-book-promotion/).

The Great Leviathan AKA Amazon and how to sell your books

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Amazon is frequently portrayed as the great Leviathan, a monster who devours independent publishers and authors without mercy. Amazon may well have grown to big for it’s boots, the company is, however a great way for authors to promote their work.

Last year I self-published my collection of short stories, “The First Time” using authorsonline.co.uk, a self-publishing company. Initially “The First Time” appeared on a multiplicity of sites including Smashwords, Google Books and the great Leviathan itself! Months past and not having sold a single copy (actually I tell a lie as one book was downloaded by myself in order to check how it read on my Kindle)! I determined to make “The First Time” exclusive to Amazon and enrol it in Amazon’s KDP Select Programme which allows authors to promote their books free for upto 5 days in any 90 day period. I had already enrolled my other books (“Samantha”, “Sting In The Tail” and “An Act Of Mercy”) in the Programme and had an idea of what to expect. Enrolment of “Samantha” led to two 4 star reviews while “Sting In The Tail” has, thus far received one 4 star review. As at the time of writing “The First Time” has been downloaded 47 times as a consequence of it’s participation in KDP Select (the book is on free promotion from 4-8 October).

I believe in my books. When “The First Time” first appeared in serialised form back in 2012 it received a large number of likes and encouraging comments. However despite these encouraging signs “The First Time” languished on virtual book shelves until it’s enrolment in the KDP Select Programme.

The lesson I have learned is that however good one’s book is it is extremely difficult to get noticed unless you are lucky enough to be an established author. I have done all the things recommended by social media experts (E.G. use of Twitter and Facebook) to promote my books, however I’ve found that the use of KDP Select is the most effective way of bringing my books to the attention of a wider audience. Blogging and other social media are a great way of letting people know that you are out there and interacting with readers and I derive enormous pleasure from such interaction, however when push comes to shove it has in my experience been Amazon which has moved books from their virtual shelves into the hands (do I mean virtual hands?) of my readers. I’d certainly recommend blogging and the use of other tools but you should, in my opinion give serious consideration to the KDP Programme.

“The First Time” is free to download in the Kindle store until 8 October, http://newauthoronline.com/2013/10/04/free-book-promotion/

Community Living?

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For some time now I have had the idea of writing a story about what happens when a group of people join together to form a commune. I am fascinated as to whether such a project in which all would share the tasks of the community could work and, if not why not. Any such community would be inhabited by individuals from different backgrounds, from diverse ethnic groups and by people of different genders. I envisage that such a project would attract persons with differing agendas ranging from those who wish to escape from “the rat race”, people who wish to create a mini utopia through to individuals who perhaps have a more sinister agenda.

I work full-time so the main problem I face is that of finding the opportunity to sit down and write. Perhaps the story will be a short piece, perhaps a novel. At this stage I really don’t know the answer to that question. I do, however feel an urge to write this story.

For my Amazon Author’s page please visit http://www.amazon.co.uk/K.-Morris/e/B00CEECWHY/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0

Sainsburys Ebooks

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I very rarely listen to commercial radio preferring BBC Radio 4, however while enjoying a curry in my favourite Indian restaurant this evening I heard an advertisement for Sainsburys Ebooks so determined to check it out, http://www.sainsburysebooks.co.uk/about.

Being registered blind I love ebooks which I read using the text to speech facility on my Kindle, the Kindle app on my iPad or Voiceover using iBooks on Apple devices. I’m not clear from the Sainsburys Ebook site as to whether their books can be read using the kind of accessible software used by blind people such as myself. The website states that Sainsbury’s Ebooks are not compatible with Kindle which suggests to me that they can not be read by registered blind people. I have, however e-mailed Sainsburys to ask whether their books can be read using access software (the product I use on my computer to access the screen as Jaws converts text into speech and braille). However It is always good to know of healthy competition in the ebook market so I thought that I’d share the site with my readers.

For my Amazon Author’s Page please visit http://www.amazon.co.uk/K.-Morris/e/B00CEECWHY/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0

Now You See It, Now You Don’t!

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Yesterday evening I discovered that my collection of short Stories, “The First Time” had disappeared from Amazon for reasons which I will go into in a future post. I’m pleased to be able to announce that it is now back on Amazon and can be found here http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00FJGKY7Y (sighs audibly with relief)!

 

Kevin

I am now on Indiewritersupport

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Many thanks to Chris the Story Reading Ape for introducing me to Indie Writer Support. You can find my introductory blog post here http://www.indiewritersupport.com/profiles/blogs/hello-from-newauthoronline?xg_source=msg_appr_blogpost. Thanks Chris!

For my Amazon Author’s Page please visit http://www.amazon.co.uk/K.-Morris/e/B00CEECWHY/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0

This above all to thine own self be true

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How not to write? Now that is a big question!

The primary rule when writing is to express oneself honestly. Write what you need to and let the consequences go hang. I am not encouraging aspiring authors to go out of their way to offend people. Such an approach is purile and smacks of the school boy who uses filthy words in order to gain a reaction from adults. What I am saying, to quote Shakespeare is “this above all to thine own self be true”. There is no point in writing if the author is constantly looking over their shoulder to see if anyone is wagging fingers in his or her direction. To write under these constraints will, almost certainly result in the production of stilted compositions. Writing with integrity may result in criticism, some of it expressed intemperately so you will need to develop a duck’s back so that the immoderate criticism runs off you without causing major problems. Intemperately voiced criticism does hurt, however if you believe in your project the pain will be worthwhile.

Don’t write while you are tired. Almost always this will lead to you producing work which is below the standard of which you are capable. If you feel your brain wandering or your eyelids heavy with sleep take a break, go for a walk or simply go to bed! Coming back to your writing with a fresh mind will make all the difference to the quality of the final composition.

I can feel myself tiring now so I’ll stop. My fatigue is entirely my own fault and results from me getting up at 6 am! Good night or do I mean good morning!