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  

Monday, August 8, 2011

Who is Wilson James, author?


Who is Wilson James, author?  Here's a short version:

Born and raised in the Pacific Northwest and currently living on the coast in northern California. Have worked in, on, and around the water, and love to travel. I claim to be a sailor in addition to identifying myself as an author of adult and young adult fiction. 

My stories mostly target Young Adults, and describe adventures about family, loyalty, honor, tenacity and courage with various backdrops including sailing, aquatics, downhill skiing, international competition, and success at young ages, set in Europe and North America.

My books are about empowering youth.  
  • If my stories help young people, by giving examples of kids persevering in difficult situations, then I will be very satisfied. 
  • If my stories help young people overcome their own challenges, and perhaps find some inspiration, then I will be happy. 
  • If my stories help young people find the tenacity and courage to succeed in their own lives, then I will be very pleased. 
  • If my stories help achieve some better understanding among friends and families, then I will consider myself fulfilled.” 
The ultimate reward for writing?  


“If even one young person finds some example in one of my books that he or she can use in their own life, then I will consider that every moment I spent writing those books was the best possible way to spend that time.”

Some of my successes in Young Adult fiction writing are:
  • A FAMILY LEGACY: THE WATSON WORKS -  made it into the second round of the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award.  A reviewer called it "Vivid Storytelling, Well Written," and said "I want to read more."  
  • PLAYING THE BASEBALL CARD - reviewed as a "Great Book, Very Inspiring" and "Seriously Good Writing," and well into the top 1% at Barnes and Noble.

Friday, July 1, 2011

How to get started reading eBooks... for free


How to get started reading eBooks... for free

As the summer starts, many of us will find time to do some reading, whether on the boat, or in the RV, or in a tent, or at home.  The timing is right, then, to provide a little practical assistance.  The first question to ask is what kind of device you plan to use.  You can find eBooks formatted for smartphones, for tablet PCs, for the Nook®, the Kindle®, and for other generic and proprietary eReaders.  You can also find good software for reading right on your desktop PC, notebook PC, or netbook PC.  If you're new to this eBook thing and you just want to try it out and see what's available, start by using eReader software for your laptop.  


Update 5/5/12: 
I've started using fbreader for android for my tablet, and it's a great app, but there's also versions for PC / laptop.  It's stable, good software, and it's free.  It will read mobi (Kindle) files as well as ePub (Nook/Kobo) files.  I highly recommend it.










Images showMobipocket Reader on laptop screen

This is a great way to read!


With the increasing number of eBooks, the question is: how do we read our eBooks? Many people are buying a Kindle®, or a Nook®, or other similar e-readers. Many people are reading on their PDA, or smart-phone. Still others are starting to use their iPad®, and Apple is introducing their new iBookstore (including 6 of my books - thanks to Smashwords) to promote that. Those are all good ways to read eBooks, but there is still another option that is overlooked.

A great way to read eBooks is a way that has been in use for some time: a laptop (or desktop) computer. The really good news that there are really good software alternatives for using a laptop to read eBooks. Barnes & Noble® and Sony® have their own software to use with ‘ePub’ files. B&N has a Nook for PC. Amazon has Kindle software for PC. There are many other ways to get software to read ePub files.

If you’re still reading your books as PDF or similar files, there is a much better way.

From my perspective, after spending a lot of time looking for something I liked to use, one of the best choices for reading eBooks is software called “Mobipocket Reader®.” This turns your laptop into a really nice, big-screen e-reader. The price is right, too; it’s FREE. You can set the software to display full-screen, or part-screen. Any eBook can be displayed in many different fonts and sizes.

Both of the images above are from the Mobipocket reader.

This Mobipocket Reader requires ‘Mobi’ files, and the choice of eBooks titles in that format is huge and growing by the day. The Kindle® also uses Mobi files.

Most books on Smashwords, for instance, are available in multi-formats, and can therefore be read on a laptop with Mobipocket Reader software. Mobi files can be downloaded from many eBook retailers, including a store that comes with the software, but this Mobipocket Reader® will also convert PDF, Doc, and a number of other text file types into Mobi files so that the books can be read more easily.

So, what is my recommendation? Go get your FREE Mobipocket Reader software, get it set up on your laptop, and then look for eBook retailers that sell books in the Mobi format. As a start, I would recommend Smashwords, as they have over 30,000 titles available, and many of them are Free. It’s a really good way to get started reading eBooks.

If you want a really good book to get started with, I further recommend one of my books at Smashwords. Some are free. Try the software to see how it all works, and I think you’ll be pleased and impressed. I was, and I still am.

Good luck with your reading, and
Enjoy,
Wil

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

2 books reach new high rankings at Barnes & Noble

2 of my books, Playing the Baseball Card, and A Family Legacy: The Watson Works, have reached new high rankings at Barnes and Noble.  The two books have held a top 1% sales rank at B&N.com for some months now, but they are continuing to creep upwards in the sales rankings, and now both are in the top one-half of 1% for all books at B&N.  In fact, Playing the Baseball Card has been holding into the top 1/4 of 1% for a few weeks.  

In addition, a search of all "Baseball" books listed at B&N reveals that Playing the Baseball Card is the top-ranked fiction book (yes: number one) with a baseball theme, and is number four overall, behind non-fiction titles including biographies about Mickey Mantle and Shoeless Joe Jackson.

So, as we celebrate the first day of summer and I blog today about one of the games of summer, I'm extraordinary happy to see that some of my young adult fiction titles are doing so well.  Playing the Baseball Card is still free, for now, at Smashwords.  Have a look, and


Happy Reading,

Wil

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

Dear 11-, or 12-, or 15-year-old me

In my books aimed at Young Adults, I often put my characters in situations that would seem extraordinary, but all of the situations are possible and most are inspired by real-life events.  My characters are also inspired by real young people, and I have often said I hope the events in my stories will help some young people in their own lives.  I sometimes wish I had the benefit of these stories when I was younger.


I have also pondered, as I write, what kind of advice I'd give myself, if only I could go back and visit myself at a younger age.  I came across a video, posted on You Tube earlier this year, that I really like.  It's called "Dear 15-year-old me."  I truly think it's worth watching.


What advice would you give yourself?  And, what age would you target?