An interesting short piece on the use of social media by authors. The article argues that users of social media should ensure that the focus of their posts is not solely on “me”, rather the focus should be on building a community and providing space for your followers to express themselves and participate. For the piece please visit http://www.authorsonline.co.uk/newsletter/nov13-using-social-media.php
Growing up as a blind person in the 1970s and 1980s there existed extremely limited opportunities for a visually impaired book lover like me to slake my thirst for books. Then (as now) only a fraction of the books available in print could be found in braille so if you wished to read Wuthering Heights then all fine and dandy, however if you wished to enjoy the latest thriller there was virtually no possibility of obtaining it in braille.
I supplemented my reading of braille books by listening to spoken word cassette versions of the classics together with books of more recent vintage such as Where Eagles Dare. However many of these recordings, although often professionally read where, for all that abridgements of much lengthier books. While some books no doubt might benefit from being abridged many others did not but, as a blind reader I had, by and large to make do with what was available.
The Royal National Institute of the Blind (RNIB) offered (and still provides) a talking book library of full length works ranging from the classics to the latest detective stories. Again, however only a relatively small proportion of the books available in print found their way onto the shelves of the Talking Book Library. All this changed with the coming of the e-book and, in particular the invention of the Amazon Kindle.
I received my first Kindle, as a Christmas present in 2011 and it opened up a world of print literature which had, hitherto been barred to me. My Kindle possesses a text to speech facility which enables me to have most of the books in the Kindle store read aloud. A few authors/publishers do not enable the text to speech facility but most do.
For a long time the Kindle app for the Ipad was inaccessible but this has now changed and my poor Amazon Kindle languishes in a cupboard feeling most unloved while the Kindle app on my Ipad is used on an almost daily basis. With Voiceover (Apple’s screen reading software) it is extremely easy to navigate around my Kindle library, to select and listen to books. The disadvantage to the Kindle iPad app is that it is not possible to purchase books although one can send an e-mail to yourself or add the title to your wish list as a reminder that you wish to purchase a title.
Amazon has recently released two further Kindles both of which the RNIB have reported as being even more accessible than my ancient Kindle, http://www.rnib.org.uk/livingwithsightloss/reading/how/ebooks/accessibility/amazon/Pages/kindle_devices.aspx#H2Heading1.
The world has certainly come a long way since I sat, in the school library lost in Palgrave’s Golden Treasury. I can still recollect the feel of the cloth bound volumes the braille worn down by countless fingers. I still read braille and enjoy doing so, however vast vistas of literature have been opened up by the Kindle and other similar devices which would, until recently have been beyond the dreams of visually impaired people.
For my Amazon author’s page please visit http://www.amazon.co.uk/K.-Morris/e/B00CEECWHY/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0
A couple of weeks ago I ordered 50 business cards from moo.com (http://uk.moo.com/products/business-cards.html) to promote my website, newauthoronline.com. The cards say
“Kevin Morris author” followed by the address of my website, newauthoronline.com and details of how to contact me. There is also a picture of me together with my guide dog Trigger, pint in hand (obviously it is Trigger rather than myself who is clutching the pint)!
I am impressed with the cards, however moo.com advise that they are not wholly satisfied with their quality. They will, as a consequence be sending 50 additional cards completely free of charge. Whoever said that good customer service is dead was wrong, it lives on in the form of moo.com!
For my Amazon author page please visit http://www.amazon.co.uk/K.-Morris/e/B00CEECWHY/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0.
I have updated the page which contains reviews of my books.
For the updated page please visit: http://newauthoronline.com/reviews-of-my-books/
For a limited period (10-15 November) I am giving away free copies of my e-book, The First Time which retails for £1.91 in the Amazon Kindle store. In The First Time we meet Becky a young graduate who enters the world of prostitution as an escort in order to clear her debts. The story takes an honest look at why young women enter the world of sex work and the impact of working as as a prostitute. Other stories explore what happens when robots attain the capacity to act like humans. For information on The First Time and my other books please visit my Amazon author page at http://www.amazon.co.uk/K.-Morris/e/B00CEECWHY/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0. To obtain your free copy of The First Time please send an e-mail to drewdog2060 at Tiscali .co.uk (the address is rendered in this manner to defeat spammers). Alternatively you can leave a comment here which automatically notifies me of your e-mail address. Please note, your personal information will be used solely for the purpose of providing you with your free copy of The First Time. You will receive no marketing e-mails! Happy reading!
(please note, this is being posted with the help of a sighted friend due to the recent problems I have been experiencing with my screen reading software (Jaws) and the WordPress interface).
I have finally got around to updating my About page! You can find the updated page here: http://newauthoronline.com/about/
I am posting this with the help of a sighted friend as I am still having problems posting this independently.
Sometimes I feel as though I am living in a virtual world. All of my books are available solely in e-book format (there is nothing concrete which my readers can grasp hold of not counting their reading devices of course)!
Other than close friends, family and a smattering of acquaintences who I actually (shock horror talk to face-to-face) all of the communication regarding my writing takes place in the virtual realm (either on this blog, Twitter and, occasionally via Facebook).
Blogging is wonderful and I enjoy communicating online with readers and, of course reading other people’s blogs. However I yearn for something concrete which I, and others can reach out and touch. With this in mind I am considering having business cards produced with the address of this blog together with my contact details printed on them. It will be nice to have something solid to hand out to people as their eyes glaze over while I regail them with information about my books! Seriously the internet is great but there is no substitute for actually talking to people face-to-face about your writing and that business card is, at the very least a useful object for the kids to crayon on if nothing else!
For my Amazon authors page please visit http://www.amazon.co.uk/K.-Morris/e/B00CEECWHY/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0
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
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.
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.
K Morris - Poet 