Progress With Kindle

Thursday afternoon, after my husband returned from the post office, he plopped a little brown box onto my lap that had the Amazon logo on it. I tore into it to find the Snow Leopard system software for my Mac. I promptly retired to my office and proceeded to upgrade my system, which took about an hour.

Then I was onto Kindle.

It's never as easy as you imagine it will be. Inconsistencies in Word have decided to not indent any paragraph beginning with a quotation mark. This sucks big time. Do you know how much dialog there is in my books? A lot! So I sought the advice of the system people at Amazon. They told me I need to work in HTML and manually correct the code at the beginning of all paragraphs that start with quotation marks.

Great! What I thought would take a day to do has stretched into three and I'm not done yet.

And now that I'm working in HTML, I can't figure out how to view it in Word again, even though I've saved it that way.

I'm certain I'll figure it out, and the other three books will be a breeze. Have patience I keep telling myself. And have fun. Well, easier said than done, on both accounts!

I'll update you when I've figured it out and it looks perfect in Kindle. Hopefully, that will be very soon...

Going for it

After my last blog about whether or not I should put my books up on Kindle, with your blessings I got an overwhelming YES!

So, before I begin this process, I have to upgrade my system software so I can download something called the Kindle Previewer. This will allow me to see what my books will look like before I send them off into the ether and have them appear on a Kindle near you. The software should be here this week sometime and then I can begin.

I was asked if Despite Them is going to be put on Kindle as well. Yes it is! It may take a little more time to get an actual printed book out of it, but you'll all be able to read Gregor's story on whatever device you get the app for, or on your Kindle. Maybe, with your help, we can make it be a best seller on Kindle! How fun would that be?

I'll keep updating you on my progress and the ease of use (or problems) in world of ebooks technology. I'm pretty excited about the whole thing!

Bad News

I called my agent yesterday about Despite Them. As I feared, the editor of Pocket Books didn't want to pursue the book with a contract. Here's what she said about my manuscript.

It was an intriguing story and she liked Gregor's character a lot, but she did not like the Scottish dialect used when he spoke. Then she went on, after she had already said she liked the story, that the writing didn't impress her the way she thought it would.

And it took her 5 months to tell me this bad news.

So here's my dilemma; do I change the dialect to be all English so these young folks who think they know what the public wants can understand what they're reading? Or do I keep it and try every editor in NYC until one says yes? You do understand that this could take years, if it ever happens.

I have had more compliments on the fact that I DO use the Scottish brogue because it makes the conversation feel more authentic. Never have I been told that it was impossible to read because of it.

Here's another option, one I've been trying out in my head since it came out.

Put my book on Kindle.

I know, I know, I've been talking about the piracy end of it, but I've been doing a little more research and found that unless you're a hacker and really have it out for me, there are some safety measures in place so once a book is downloaded to your Kindle or PC, Mac, IPhone, IPad or any other device, it can't be resent to someone else's device. This fact made my heart warm with joy!

I also found out that along with putting my book on Kindle, I can also get an actual book printed as print on demand, like I'm already doing with my old publisher.

I think this may be the best of all worlds. No agents taking 15%. No publishers telling me what and how to write and giving me 8% of all my hard work. The royalties on Kindle are up to 70%. I'm trying to find the bad in it, but not coming up with any faults.

What do you think? I want some feedback on this. Do I continue down the traditional path, or break out into the new world of ebooks? Let me know.

No News is Good News?

I keep waiting for my agent to give me some news—any news—on what's happening with Despite Them. Pocket Books still has the manuscript, but apparently it has gone into a slush pile awaiting an overworked set of eyes to look at it. It's a bit disheartening. Do I continue with with next book? Is it really worth my time and effort? It's like this with most creative types. If you have a drive to create something and can't find a market it for it, do you just give it up? Questioning yourself can lead to failure. It can also lead to change, but that can mean doing something you're not passionate about. Or it can mean finding a new path, one you may not have ventured down if left to your own devices. Change can be good.

So, does this mean my writing isn't marketable with the big boys? I don't have the answer to that, though I wish to God I did. Some crystal ball to tell me I'm on the right track.

But if I was asked to change how I write or the subject matter which I write about, would I feel the passion it takes to create memorable characters and story lines?

I don't think I would. I've been asked to write about my illness. I can't. There's something about my own feelings and experiences I can't put to words. I've tried. Perhaps it's because I just want to forget it and move on with my life rather than reopening the wound and digging at it until it bleeds.

For now, I'll continue to let my characters play in my head, letting them come up with their own lives that always seem to involve murder and mayhem. I often wonder if that's my true self coming out. Devious, conniving, and always looking for trouble. Hmm. Something to think about.

Anyway, I know you're all waiting for something to read, but you'll just have to be satisfied with Diana Gabaldon and Sara Donati until I can get my break.

And thanks for waiting!

Shrouded

This morning we got up early and went down to Stonington to try out a newly opened restaurant that serves breakfast. Fog was thick as we drove close to the water's edge. By the time we reached our destination we could barely see to the end of the inner harbor. The ghostly white veils settled in tightly, keeping all but the heartiest of fishermen at their moorings. Most washed their boats, or made those repairs they were meaning to get to, or filled bait bags for better weather. Those who did venture out were quickly swallowed by the unknown leaving me feeling uneasy for the wives of those men who go to sea in all weather conditions.

It made me wonder how, in the age of sail–without engines or radar–sailors managed the treacherous shoals and shallows to come home again.



After breakfast, we drove to an overlook to watch the scene unfold. There were harbor seals bobbing up around the boats, and crows vying for pecking rights on the bait boxes just in case a fisherman got careless and slopped some of the putrid fish over the sides. All the while, the fog rose and fell, much like a living entity, allowing us to see the village for a brief moment, then swallowing it up once again, leaving us to feel entombed.

Life along the coast is slower and the people who ply their trade from the waters are very in-tune with the earth and her fickle weather, much like farmers. And there's a certain charm and romantic vision one gets when visiting. Living it is a whole different story, and it's not always a pleasant one.

But for the visitors, the comments are always priceless and worthy of a spot here. Such as the woman from Connecticut who said how meticulous the fishermen were for parking their boats facing all in the same direction... Or perhaps the one where a couple from nowhere near the ocean commented on our drought not knowing our low tide is 13 feet from high tide...

Technology on Sale

If you know me at all, you know how much I love technology.

After several years of being a wealthy person's toy, Amazon's Kindle is now affordable for everyone. At $189, it's finally in the realm of where even I want to run out and get one!

Check it out at http://www.amazon.com/Kindle-Wireless-Reading-Display-Generation/dp/B0015T963C/ref=pe_70020_16069360_fe_img_1/

I know in the past I've said how the piracy of books from such devices is a problem, but sales of books on Kindle, or Barnes and Noble's Nook are phenomenal, leading me to rethink it all.

Should I be seduced by money and have my Eyes of Garnet series put on the electronic market so those who use Kindle and Nook can read them, and say to hell with piracy?

Let me know your opinion.

Real Life

As I begin to do more things on my own, such as walking and getting my own meals from time to time, my thoughts skitter towards writing. While my back can't take long durations in the chair, at least my mind is working again.

I'd love to think I'll be strong enough to at least get in the Maine Highland Games in August. I need to set goals for myself because I can be lazy.

I'm still waiting to hear from my agent on whether or not the editor at Pocket Books liked the rewrite of Despite Them. Boy, I'd sure love a sweet 3 book deal (or more!) and have them want to look at the Eyes of Garnet series as well. My agent tells me to have patience, but that's not one of my strong points. It seems like forever that my writing has been out there with no one in the publishing world taking notice. I think it's my turn!

Anyway, I'll continue to plug along and take advantage of the mild, late spring weather while I continue to heal.