Showing posts with label book titles. Show all posts
Showing posts with label book titles. Show all posts

Wednesday, July 1, 2015

How to find the books of Wilson James, author

Here's a complete listing of where to find the books of Wilson James, author.  Here, also, is a link to a post about software or apps to read eBooks.



Smashwords - seven of my eBooks are available here, in multiple formats including for Kindle, Nook


Barnes and Noble – seven of my eBooks are available here, for the Nook


Apple US iTunes Bookstore – seven of my eBooks are available here, for the iPad
Apple UK iTunes Bookstore – seven of my eBooks are available here, for the iPad


Kobo – six of my eBooks are available here, in ePub format



 Amazon – some of my print books are now available, with selected eBooks to be available at a future date



Monday, December 1, 2014

Five years, seven YA fiction titles, and tens of thousands of copies

It is truly hard to believe that December marks five years since I published the first of my books at Smashwords. Now I’ve got seven multi-format eBooks available through a number of online retail sales channels, including Barnes & Noble, the Apple iBookstore, Kobo, and others. I was happy to embrace the eBook format to accompany my print books. Like most other indie authors, my eBooks now account for virtually all of my sales.

In the past five years, tens of thousands of copies of my books have found their way into the hands, or devices, of readers. I’m really pleased with those numbers. What makes me even happier is the response I’ve noted in reviews. My books have been called inspiring, and ‘the most emotional’ ever read, and many other positive things.

More importantly, I hope that my books will have an impact, and that’s truly why I write. I write what I’m inspired to write, and I write for myself.

I will take this opportunity to admit that I’ve not published anything new in the last two years. The extra demands of work have left no time for me to fully complete any of my works in progress. I have, however, continued to come up with new story ideas, and I have a number of them in the ‘story outline’ stage. At some point in the near future, still to be determined, I very much want to spend more time writing. In the meantime, I’m very pleased and honored to note that my sales reports indicate that my books continue to find new readers.

So, thanks for reading.
Wil

Saturday, September 20, 2014

International Child Abduction: A child victim's story - another work in progress

The world is a difficult and scary place when children of a multi-national marriage are taken by one parent to a country where the other parent loses de facto custody, or loses the ability to visit the child, or cannot even enter the country or contact the child. If you think it's bad for the losing parent, think how bad it must be for the children.

My new work in progress, as yet unnamed, is based upon this subject. Although fiction, it is inspired by a true story and told from the child's point of view, it describes many years of separation between a father and child, where the child was removed from their home county with no warning.

Now, as strange as this may seem, there are many countries of the world where there is no legal recourse for the losing parent. None at all. (The non-blue countries, below.)

In some cases, the practices of the 1980 Hague Convention on International Child Abduction apply. And, even those countries, the return of an abducted child is not at all certain and can take countless years, often with child aging out (at age 16) of the provisions of the Hague Convention.

If I paint a dark picture, where many children never see the losing parent again, this is the reality. My work will try and humanize international child abduction, with a rarely viewed children's perception of this terrible kind of event.

In the meantime, I hope you keep reading my other books.

Wil

Saturday, May 10, 2014

Free eBooks for Young Adults


Looking for Free eBooks for Young Adults? In January 2010, I started another blog, entitled Free eBooks for Young Adults, with occasional assistance from another Smashwords author.  I've listed over 170 free eBooks.  I have read most (and at least looked at the rest) of the books I've listed, and there are truly some gems among them. I would not hesitate to recommend any of the books I've listed. 
I hope the blog has helped many readers find books by my fellow YA authors. What I do know is that the blog has been viewed more than 40,000 times. 

There are many, many good reads for Young Adults out there, and there are more free today than ever.  I will continue to search them out, and list them at Free eBooks for Young Adults.

Saturday, April 12, 2014

humanizing the tragedy of International Child Abduction - another work in progress

The world is a difficult and scary place when children of a multi-national marriage are taken by one parent to a country where the other parent loses de facto custody, or loses the ability to visit the child, or cannot even enter the country or contact the child. If you think it's bad for the losing parent, think how bad it must be for the children.

My new work in progress, as yet unnamed, is based upon this subject. Although fiction, it is inspired by a true story and told from the child's point of view, it described many years of separation between a father and child, where the child was removed from their home county with no warning.

Now, as strange as this may seem, there are many countries of the world where there is no legal recourse for the losing parent. None at all. (The non-blue countries, below.)

In some cases, the practices of the 1980 Hague Convention on International Child Abduction apply. And, even those countries, the return of an abducted child is not at all certain and can take countless years, often with child aging out (at age 16) of the provisions of the Hague Convention.

If I paint a dark picture, where many children never see the losing parent again, this is the reality. My work will try and humanize international child abduction, with a rarely viewed children's perception of this terrible kind of event.

In the meantime, I hope you keep reading my other books.

Wil

Monday, October 22, 2012

Getting it Right...almost always starts with getting it Wrong


Getting is right almost always starts with getting it wrong.  Unless we put ourselves or someone else into danger, the only bad thing about making mistakes is failing to try again.  And again.  And again.  And as many times as it takes to get it right.

That process, of trying it over and over until it works, has been my mantra in life, and in writing.  How many times have we said, or heard, ‘we learn from our mistakes,’ or perhaps, if we’re lucky, ‘we learn from the mistakes of others.’ 

As a writer, I often read, to see what others are writing.  I read what is selling and I read what is getting good reviews.  I also read what is new, or does not have good reviews, or what might not be selling, yet.  I read what appeals to me.  This is how I learn from others’ mistakes, and successes.

As I writer, I look at my own work.  I put my work out there.  I see which of my books sell, and which of them earn good reviews.  This is how I learn from my own mistakes, and possibly, from my own successes.

Getting it right, as an author, can be a long process.  It almost certainly very unlikely that the first novel we write is going to be a great success.  Almost any author will tell you that they did a lot of writing before they ended up with a work that they were happy with, or that sold well, or that got good reviews.  But, the key is to keep trying.  That means to keep writing.

In my case, I write because I want to write.  I write what I want to write.  I write for my own pleasure.  I share my writing in the hope that some will like it, and perhaps, the hope that I might somehow tell a story that will have an impact.  

But, most importantly, I realize that it’s okay to get it wrong, if I keep trying to get it right.

Wil

Thursday, March 15, 2012

the competition continues: Kindle vs. Nook


Yet another view, on HuffPostBooks, about which is better: Kindle or Nook.  The writer of the piece seems to go with the Kindle, essentially because the Amazon online bookstore is better than Barnes & Noble's.  Now, I think the comments about Amazon's online bookstore being better than the B&N version are valid, but that's only part of the story.  

Anyone looking for a reading device ought to look at tablets.  I just picked up my first one a couple of months ago, and I'm really happy.  Now I have one device that can read plus do many other online-related activities. The available android apps allow me to read 'Mobi' (Kindle) files from Amazon, or ePub files from B&N.  Now it doesn't matter where I buy the books, and I do check out a few different online bookstores to see what's new.  

What also impressed me was the very reasonable price of the Tab that I bought.  It was not all that much more than a top of the line Kindle or Nook. It's a great multi-purpose machine, and it does a great job as a reader.  What more is there to want?  Okay, well, maybe some really good books to read on it.  Umm, I do like mine...

Happy Reading, 

Wil

Friday, March 2, 2012

Zac and the Reluctant Prince, Book 1 of the Prince David series

It's here! Yes! The brand new Young Adult fiction title Zac and the Reluctant Prince, Book 1 of the Prince David series is now available in multiple eBooks formats on Smashwords.  This is my first new book in more than a year, and I'm very happy with it. It will be available for Free during Read an eBook Week, March 4-11, on Smashwords.
Zac and the Reluctant Prince, Book 1 of the Prince David series, introduces David and the Bolithos, an unlikely but effective combination of young men and women who desire to do right, but who also want to be normal teenagers.  Is that even remotely possible?  Will they find the courage to succeed in spite of being nervous and scared of what lies ahead?
     David has unexpectedly become the royal heir. David has also become an orphan. Those two overwhelming problems confront teenager Zach and his family, who simply want to protect David and help the younger boy deal with his destiny.  A contemporary story about keeping friendships, seeking adventure, overcoming challenges and making history.

Sunday, January 29, 2012

Love the book, hate the title. Find another one.


I responded to a @HuffPostBooks piece, written by Randy Susan Meyers, about finding book titles that work.  The information on Huffington Post was very helpful and interesting, and I thought I’d share my response on this blog.

I had a title change just over a year ago, when my sixth YA fiction title "Aiden's Arrival: Honor Before Gold" gained the three extra words. It was likely a good idea, but at least it kept my original working title of Aiden's Arrival.

Now, I've just been going through this title problem again.  I received unasked-for feedback on a title for a book to be published in March.  The refrain, "Love the book, hate the title. Find another one," sounds just like what I heard.  At first, I resisted.  Strongly.  Very strongly. 

The working title for my new YA fiction book was important to me, as it identified the book better as the first of a series.  With one book completed and the second of four nearly written, I was certain that "Prince David, Book 1: Enter the Heir" was right.  However, after a great deal of discussion and convincing on the part of my editing team, I finally agreed that "Zac and the Reluctant Prince (Book 1 of the Prince David series)" was a better choice.  The outcome of that choice remains to be seen, of course, and I am gradually coming to terms with the new title.  After living with the working title for so long, learning to like the new one will take some time.

I think the lesson here is that it often takes a detached expert view to help us authors see the faults in our books, our titles, and our covers. We need to accept the suggestions, see the light, and accept what will help our books reach the most readers.  In the end, though, we'll never know until we see how it does (or doesn't).