Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Five Big Trends in Book Publishing

I have embraced eBooks, for almost two years, as a way to get my books into the hands of as many readers as possible.  I have used Smashwords as the way to publish my books as multi-format eBooks.  The rules of the publishing game are changing, and the founder of Smashwords (Mark Coker) put together a Slide Show (below), that he recently presented to the Central Coast Writers Conference.  

He calls this "Five Big Trends that Will Rock the Future of Publishing."  They are:

1.  Reading is Moving to Screens
2.  Bookselling moving to the Web
3.  The Rise of Self-Publishing 
4.  Content Explosion
5.  eBook prices to decline

Here is Mark Coker's slideshow:




Sunday, September 11, 2011

There are places where good people abound - A positive experience for some on 9-11


On this tenth anniversary day where we remember 9-11, I was very surprised and pleased to read a story of passengers of diverted jets landing in Gander, Newfoundland in Atlantic Canada.  It is a very moving piece about the generosity and just plain goodness of people; the locals from Gander and area who rushed to assist the stranded passengers.  Gander airport received 38 of the total of 239 jetliners diverted to Canada as a result of the closing of US airspace.  Most of the diverted flights went to larger cities in Atlantic Canada, or other locations across Canada all the way to Whitehorse, Yukon. 

What made Gander different was that it is such a small town.  In fact the diverted planes doubled the town’s population in only one hour.  What is also different is the way that it changed the lives of thousands of those stranded passengers, in a very positive way.  Today, many of them feel more willing to help those around them, or take a chance on someone they might have dismissed out of hand before.  Pretty much all of them have fond memories of the time they spent with the people of Gander and area.  That is truly a testament to those residents, and proof positive that people can be good if only given a chance.

The story of those stranded passengers and those who helped them is a ‘must read,’ and I commend it to you. 

Wil






Thursday, September 1, 2011

Wilson James, the author: explained


I sometimes feel the need to explain myself, a bit, as a writer.  As in, why do I write?  Or, where did the ideas for my stories come from? 

Not easy questions to answer, really.  I suppose it was, initially, because I heard of some event, or tragedy, and I wished it had turned out differently.  In my mind, I wanted to change the way it turned out.  In real life, that cannot be done, of course.  But, in fiction, all things are possible.  As Paul Theroux says, “Fiction gives us a second chance that life denies us.” In my writing, I can create anything I want, and give it a happy ending, and mostly I do that.  Along the way, there may be tragedy, or hurtful events, but I try to create success and triumph in the end.

I started slow, with one story, and then two.  I’d get another started, only to find I had a new idea.  I’d try to get the next book started, and then continue the previous one.  Now, I find that I may have as many as four manuscripts on the go, and it’s a challenge to complete one to the end. 

But, in truth, I have found that I really enjoy writing.  When I write, I imagine that I’m in the scene, or watching the action, and I want to describe it as fully as I can.  What’s more, I can change the scene, or the dialogue, or the action, as much as I want.  Most importantly, I write for myself.  I write what I want to read.  I like Jesse Stuart's quote, “Write something to suit yourself and many people will like it; write something to suit everybody and scarcely anyone will care for it.”

So, I write, and I find it gives me a feeling of great satisfaction.  I also find that I am truly humbled that many, many thousands of copies of my books are in the hands of readers.  I am simply amazed and downright overwhelmed that people have taken the trouble to purchase or download my stories, through sites such as Smashwords, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, and others.   Honestly, although it has taken me some time to accept, I love the idea that I can share my stories with others, and I hope to continue doing exactly that.  In fact, I have two books nearing completion now, and I’ll advise further, on this blog, as they get ready for ready for release.

In the meantime, thanks for reading my books and this blog, and thanks for allowing me to share my works with you.

Wil