Authors are readers, too... how about some free eBooks?

FREE EBOOKS (July 1st - 31st ) SALE

Most authors read books by other authors. If fact, pretty much all writers and authors started out by reading. So, when I see the opportunity to build up my library of eBooks at no cost, I take it.

The month of July is pretty much the best month of 2017 to find Free eBooks for Young Adults (and any other eBooks, including books under the Coming of Age genre). That's because Smashwords is holding their annual Summer / Winter sale (the winter part is for those 'down under').  

Many authors - including me - have joined this sale, so there is a great selection and it's a great opportunity to fill up your reading device.  Smashwords' eBooks are available in all formats, for Kindle, Nook, Kobo, Android app for Tab or smartphone; and thousands of books are on sale at Smashwords.  But, this is a limited time offer, and it ends on July 31st, (11:59 pm, 23.59 PDT (07:00 GMT Aug 1st) so don't delay.

INTERNATIONAL - NO WORRIES ABOUT REGIONS

And one more thing... on Smashwords, there's no worry about region, or country, or location when you get these books for free.  Unlike Amazon, or Apple, or most of the others, you 'purchase' these free Smashwords books anywhere. In fact, I know from my sales reports that the readers of my seven books (all available on Smashwords) are from around the world.

If you chose to pick up some of my books for free, that's great. It's all about reading, whether my books or other authors' books. 

In closing, to my Canadian readers, I wish you joy as you celebrate "Canada 150" on July 1st. To my American readers, I wish you the best for Independence Day on July 4th. And, to the rest of my readers around the world, I hope you enjoy your summer (or winter).

Happy reading,

Wil

My books plus hundreds of others - Smashwords' July SALE

FREE EBOOKS (ends July 31st )

The month of July is pretty much the best month of 2015 to find Free eBooks for Young Adults (and any other eBooks, including books under the Coming of Age genre). That's because Smashwords is holding their annual Summer / Winter sale (the winter part is for those 'down under').  

Many authors have joined this sale, so there is a great selection and it's a great opportunity to fill up your reading device.  Smashwords' eBooks are available in all formats, for Kindle, Nook, Kobo, Android app for Tab or smartphone; and thousands of books are on sale at Smashwords.  But, this is a limited time offer, and it ends on July 31st, (11:59 pm, 23.59 PDT (07:00 GMT Aug 1st) so don't delay.

INTERNATIONAL - NO WORRIES ABOUT REGIONS

And one more thing... on Smashwords, there's no worry about region, or country, or location when you get these books for free.  Unlike Amazon, or Apple, or most of the others, you 'purchase' these free Smashwords books anywhere. 

Of course, I've added my 7 eBooks to this sale, so they're all free until July 31, only.

Happy Reading,

Wil

December 12 marks 2 years since first books published as eBooks

What an amazing 2 years since my first eBooks were published!  A few hundred reads, then a few thousand, and now there’s over 16,000 copies of my books in the hands of readers.  Three of my books maintain a top 1% sales ranking at Barnes and Noble, and have been there for many months.  Playing the Baseball Card is the top-ranked fiction book when searching for baseball books at Barnes and Noble, and has held that position for six months.  

I'm currently completing some other books, including the Prince David series and others.  Look for a new book on January 1, 2012.

Right now, it’s time to celebrate!  For the next two weeks, I’m making all my books available, for free, to readers of my blog.  Coupon codes below valid until Dec. 24.  Enjoy!

• Playing the Baseball Card, currently free

• A Family Legacy: The Watson Works, currently free

• Sons and Brothers in Seattle, must use coupon code WU44G at checkout

• Playing the ‘Son’ Card, currently free

• Aiden’s Arrival: Honor Before Gold, must use coupon code KM53M at checkout

• Robert's Ride, must use coupon code FE33M at checkout

 

Barnes and Noble sales results are amazing!

Thousands are finding my books at Barnes and Noble.  Led by Playing the Baseball Card, with 9 reviews and 31 ratings averaging 4 stars, I can report that I am amazed, astonished, and awed by the numbers of my books reaching the hands of readers through Barnes and Noble (B&N.com).  B&N has now distributed well over 30% of all the many thousands of my books in the hands of readers.  I got my latest numbers just yesterday, and as I had one of my characters saying recently, "Wow.  Just, wow."  

Playing the Baseball Card is my top book on B&N, but A Family Legacy: The Watson Works and Playing the 'Son' Card are also doing very well.  In fact, all three of those books are well into the top 1% sales rank at B&N.  Absolutely extraordinary.  I am truly awed by these kinds of numbers, and more motivated than ever to keep on writing.


Thanks for reading,
Wil

Top 2% sales rank at Barnes and Noble.com - "A Family Legacy: THE WATSON WORKS"

I was very recently pleased to see "Playing the 'Son' Card" hit the top 5% sales rank at B&N.com but this is even better; now "A Family Legacy: THE WATSON WORKS" is well into the top 2% Sales Rank at Barnes and Noble.com.

For the last four months, "A Family Legacy: THE WATSON WORKS" has consistently stayed in the top ten for downloads at Smashwords young adult fiction, but I am extraordinarily happy to see the latest figures from Barnes and Noble. I sincerely hope it is being enjoyed.

Wil

PLAYING THE 'SON' CARD hits Top 5% at Barnes and Noble.com

Top 5% at Barnes and Noble.com! That's the sales rank for PLAYING THE 'SON' CARD. I was very pleased to see that rank when I reviewed my 'barnesandnoble.com' listings. The book is free right now on Smashwords, so it's easy to have a look. Don't forget the great sale on now at Smashwords, until the end of July.

Happy Reading,

Wil

Word Cloud of Story Descriptions

I decided to post something a little different. This is a word cloud of the story descriptions of my five fiction titles available as eBooks and in print:

SONS and BROTHERS in SEATTLE, A Family Legacy: THE WATSON WORKS, PLAYING THE 'SON' CARD, PLAYING THE BASEBALL CARD, and ROBERT'S RIDE.

Thousands of Downloads and Sales of the Books of Wilson James

Thousands of downloads and sales of fiction titles by Wilson James. That’s an incredible statement to be able to make, and excited does not even begin to describe the emotions I feel about that reality. My five multi-format eBooks can be found at Smashwords, and are now also available for the iPad at the iBookstore. When I decided to make my books widely available less then four months ago, I could never have dreamed or imagined that they would be so well received, and I'm thrilled by that.

Two of my titles have made it to the top of the best sellers list for young adult fiction and one has made it to #1 on adult fiction in the drama genre. I’m amazed and humbled by that, and I’d like to share my work even more. Three of my titles are still FREE on Smashwords, one is ‘set-your-price,’ and I’m going to offer my #1 Best Seller FREE for a limited time. Here’s the lineup:

PLAYING THE ‘SON’ CARD – still free. (A 5-star rating, and top 15 on the most downloads list for YA fiction at Smashwords)

A Family Legacy: THE WATSON WORKS – still free. (At #8 on the most downloads list for YA fiction at Smashwords)

PLAYING THE BASEBALL CARD – still free. (In the top 5% on most downloads list for YA fiction at Smashwords)

ROBERT’S RIDE – ‘set-your-price’ from zero to any amount. (Made it to #1 on YA Best Seller list at Smashwords after only 6 weeks)

SONS and BROTHERS in SEATTLE. (Made it to #1 on YA Best Seller list and to #1 on adult fiction (drama) Best Seller list at Smashwords. Normally $4.99, but use code GV22M and GET IT FREE until April 30^th

Hope you have a look, and

Happy Reading,

Wil

Top 2 Best Sellers for eBook week and 5-star review

Read an eBook Week has started, and is in full swing on Smashwords. There are hundreds of books for free and many others with 25% to 50% discounts. My books are all FREE this week.

When looking at the specials for Young Adults, two of my books are the top 2 Best Sellers, and I have to admit to being really thrilled about how well they've done! The top two are SONS and BROTHERS in SEATTLE and ROBERT'S RIDE.

I was also extraordinarily happy to see that one of my other books, PLAYING THE 'SON' CARD, just received a 5-star rating in a review.

See all the books for yourself, and

Happy reading,

Wil

Read an eBook Week: FREE Books and Coupons

So, "Read an eBoook Week" is here on March 7th. I hope that it proves to be successful. As I mentioned in my Blog recently, my contribution is that five of my titles are FREE. (See the Smashwords specials page for details.) I hope a few more people discover my books.

I'm very happy to note that SONS and BROTHERS in SEATTLE moved up to #4 on the Smashwords YA Best Sellers list; while ROBERT'S RIDE remains at #7 (pretty amazing for a book published less than a month ago). I'm also pleased that of the 488 young adult titles currently available for download at Smashwords, A Family Legacy: THE WATSON WORKS is number 18.

There are a huge number of eBooks available, many of them free. With lots to choose from, everyone should be able to enjoy,

Happy reading,

Wil

FREE e-BOOKS for "Read an eBook Week"

It’s read an eBook week (March 6^th – 13^th) and I have FREE eBooks to celebrate!

I can’t claim to have originated the idea, but I fully support the “Read an e-Book Week” sponsored by Smashwords and over 30 other e-Book publishers and retailers. While I also like the printed book, the ease-of-use of newer e-readers and reader-software for computers makes it possible to carry hundreds of books around. What’s more, there are places you can find on the web to get samples of books, so you can browse just as you would do in a book store. SMASHWORDS is one example of a site where you can sample up to 50% of books before you buy. That’s right! You can read up to half of the book before deciding to buy! It doesn’t get any better or more convenient than that.

If you don’t have a Kindle® or other e-reader, you can still find really good software for reading on a computer. My preferred choice is a product called ‘MOBIPOCKET READER.’ I use it all the time myself, and it makes my laptop turn into the same thing as an e-reader worth hundreds of dollars. This software is very easy to install and use, and with the text-flow feature, can use the full screen to display pages. You can adjust the size and type of font for reading, and the software will also convert PDF and DOC files to the correct MOBI format. If you are downloading eBooks to read, you can just download in MOBI format, the same format that Kindle® uses. It doesn’t get any easier than that!

To do my part in celebration of “Read an e-Book Week,” I will continue to offer four of my books for FREE. They are all available in multiple formats (including for Kindle®) at SMASHWORDS:

• SONS and BROTHERS in SEATTLE (enter code PX99P at checkout to get it free)
• PLAYING THE ‘SON’ CARD (my second-most popular book)
• A Family Legacy: THE WATSON WORKS (now my most popular book)
• PLAYING THE BASEBALL CARD

My most recent book, ROBERT’S RIDE, is listed as “name your price” on Smashwords. That means you can get it for FREE, or you can elect to pay something for it. The choice is yours

So, that means 5 of my fiction titles are yours for FREE, in celebration of “Read an e-Book Week.”

I also recommend a site, FREE ONLINE NOVELS, where all of the eBooks are FREE, including mine! Of course, you can find my FREE eBooks at SMASHWORDS, and you can find all of my published print books and eBooks at LULU.com.

However and whatever you read, I wish for you,

Happy reading,

Wil

My FREE e-Books

This weekend's blog entry is an overview of my books, but I’m featuring my free e-books. I’ve been writing for a while, but only started publishing my stories in the last year. I’ve published eight books ranging from 30,000 to 100,000 words and all available on LULU, but the four featured books listed in this Blog are all free (in multiple formats for all e-readers such as Kindle®) on SMASHWORDS.

I have listed all of them as Young Adult stories, although some may have cross-over appeal to general adventure fiction. I have kept half of them free to download, just to see what kind of response I can get. Knowing that there are plenty of authors out there with lots of competition for readers, I decided free e-books might be a way of building interest.

Happy Reading,

Wil James

PLAYING THE ‘SON’ CARD (This is my most downloaded book, and it’s Free!)

At age 9, Troy Evanson lost his father in an accident. Ever since then, he’s been steadily losing confidence in himself and his ability to make his way in the world. He’s stopped doing all the things he did with his Dad and he’s just barely hanging on. The kids at school have started to pick on him, and Troy has become the victim of bullies. He hates school, and he hates being around people. Any kind of socializing has become torture.

Now, at age 12, he has a one-time chance to change his life and start new. Will he meet the challenge, or will he remain the victim his has become? Will he be able to pull himself together and become the man that his Dad was trying to help him to be, or he forever be the lost little boy whose life ended with his father died?

Find out if this is the uplifting story we all hope for. Find out what choices Troy makes in PLAYING THE ‘SON’ CARD.

SONS and BROTHERS in SEATTLE (FREE for a limited time!)

Cameron Connors is a young father trying to deal with a mother who likes the idea of children, but otherwise appears not to like her own. Cameron has managed to get his own two young sons away from his mother, but now he needs to rescue Brendan, his younger brother. As Cameron has learned over the years, his mother can be quite two-faced, and heaven help anyone who crosses Mrs. Rachael Connors. Cameron and his mother are currently in a state of cease-fire, but that could change dramatically based on what Cameron has planned for the next few weeks in order to challenge his parents for custody of Brendan.

Will Cameron succeed in creating a new family of four, or will he lose? The stakes are high, and Cameron stands to lose custody of his own two sons if he is not careful. Follow the saga of Cameron as he struggles to do what he knows he must do, and what is right.

This book is free for a limited time only. Use e-coupon code PX99P at the Smashwords checkout.

PLAYING THE BASEBALL CARD

You are almost 14 years old. Your mother died six years ago, and you help look after your younger brother while you father works. He is a pitcher for a minor league baseball team, and he is trying to make it into the major leagues. Just when it seems that things are looking better, tragedy strikes again. Now, it’s all up to you. You have your own dreams, and you desperately care about your small family. Will you be able to make it work?

The story of Devin Robinson as the kid pitcher for the San Francisco Giants becomes well known, but what was never told is the story of Devin and Jordan’s early years. They have long since reached adult age, and they have decided that the time is now right to put the journey of their beginning part of their lives into print. This is a story for baseball fans and anyone else who wants to read about personal courage and determination.

A Family Legacy: THE WATSON WORKS

Tragedy has struck the Watson family more times than any family should have to bear and now the only thing left is the family business. It falls to Connor, the younger of the teen brothers, to try and make the tough decisions and keep things going. Can Connor deal with his profound loss and prevent a similar tragedy when he has the chance? Can he find happiness and make a new family? Join Connor is this story of adventure and courage as he tries to build on the family legacy.

Featured Book and Earthquakes

Featured Book is Playing the 'Son' Card: (https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/7193)

I have been quite pleased with the response to the publishing of the e-books I’ve done on Smashwords (https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/WilsonJames). It has been only one month since I published my first books on Smashwords, and hundreds of new readers have downloaded my books in that time. I’ve now managed to complete four books to the necessary standard, including Playing the ‘Son’ Card (https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/7193). It is, however, not as easy as I had though initially, as there are very specific guidelines for setting up the books so that they can be published as multi-format e-books. This is important, as the many formats available for my books on Smashwords mean that my e-books can be read virtually any e-book reader, such as the Kindle®.

I am working on getting the Robert’s Ride and the second in that series (Robert’s Rise), completed and ready for Smashwords. Currently, Robert’s Ride is only available on Lulu.com (http://stores.lulu.com/wilsonjames). I have some other books still only available on Lulu for the moment, but I’ll be working to get all of my books available on Smashwords. In addition, I am working on a sequel to Sons and Brothers in Seattle, and a new book, tentatively titled “Aiden’s Arrival.”

And just to make life interesting, on Saturday afternoon around 4:30 local time, there was a 6.5 earthquake in my part of the world. Didn’t feel it, as we were on the road at the time and not that close to Eureka, but it is certainly big news in these parts. Here’s a link to the local news coverage:

http://www.triplicate.com/20100109107909/News/Local-News/Update-No-tsunami-warning-after-65-earthquake-27-miles-from-Eureka

Also, here’s a link to the USGS “Shake Map” that quite visually shows the affected area:

http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/shakemap/nc/shake/71338066/download/intensity.jpg

Happy reading,

Wil James

Get "Sons and Brothers in Seattle" FREE for a limited time!

This code PX99P is an e-Coupon for a limited time FREE e-book. To mark the publishing of my newest e-books for computers and in multiple formats for virtually all reading devices (Kindle® and others such as Stanza®, Sony Reader®, and Palm®) on Smashwords.com, and to recognize the nearby VANCOUVER Winter Games that will run from 13^th – 28^th February, I am making my e-book “Sons and Brothers in Seattle” free for a limited time. Simply enter Coupon Code PX99P (not case sensitive) when purchasing the book and the price will be free. The e-Coupon will expire March 31, 2010, so don’t wait! Go here https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/7216

All of my other e-books on Smashwords are free, and you can find all of them here https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/WilsonJames

Happy Reading!

Wilson James

More Titles soon to be available as e-books in multiple formats

It is my plan to use the upcoming long New Year’s weekend to complete the publishing of two of my titles as e-books on Smashwords. I’ve been very pleased with the response to the first two listings, “Sons and Brothers in Seattle” and “Playing the ‘Son’ Card,” that I did on Smashwords earlier in December, so I’m going to go ahead and do more.

I published my first book, “The Watson Works,” one year ago, and in recognition of that milestone, I’m now going to make it a free e-book, and it will be available in multiple formats on Smashwords. I will also list one of my other titles, “Playing the Baseball Card,” as a free e-book, available in multiple formats on Smashwords.

At some point, I will work on making all of my titles available in multiple formats on Smashwords. I think that “Robert’s Ride” may be the next one, although I’m in the process of completing Book II of the “Robert’s Ride” series, and I might decide to wait.

Of course, the print versions of all my titles will continue to remain available through a number of online retailers (in the US and the UK) as well as directly from the publisher’s website.

-ebooks at https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/WilsonJames

-print books at http://stores.lulu.com/wilsonjames

Wilson James