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

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

Getting Ready for "Read an e-Book Week"

It's about time for one of my favorite weeks of the year. Read an eBook Week is the one of two times each year when I have a look at a huge number of Free eBooks, and discover new authors, or new books by some authors I may have already found.

You see, in addition to being an author, I'm also a reader, and an opportunity like this week to build up my library of eBooks is too good a chance to miss.

Of course, I also like that a whole bunch of readers are discovering my books this week, as I've priced all of mine free for this Smashwords promotion. So, I hope all of you find some good titles, and build up your own libraries.

Happy Reading, 

Wil

The Authors of Smashwords have now published more than 10 billion words

The main vehicle for me to publish my (so far) seven books is Smashwords, and this week Smashwords authors reached an exciting milestone:  10 Billion Words Published.  The milestone was reached sometime around noon Pacific time, on Monday.

As Smashwords founder Mark Coker says in his blog, "These words come from 87,000 writers from every corner of the globe who have gathered together to change the world of publishing one eBook at a time as manifested through their 288,000 titles at Smashwords."

As Mark goes on to say, "These writers are revolutionaries and saviors of the written word, even if they don't view themselves as such.  They're leading the indie author movement."

It took about 50 months for Smashwords to reach 5 billion words in July, 2012.  It's taken only about 18 months more to add the second 5 Billion.

To put this into personal perspective, when I published my first eBook with Smashwords in December 2009, they had less than 10% of the words and titles they do now. I can also say, with great happiness, that as Smashwords' overall stats have increased by a factor of 10, so have my stats increased, with tens of thousands of my books in the hands of readers.

Free eBooks for Read an eBook Week (update 3/3/13)

It's Read an eBook Week, and it's become one of my favorite weeks of the year.  The history of the week is well described in today's Smashwords Blog post by Mark Coker, and I find it interesting that is was started by a grandmother in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.

As a reader, I like being able to find new authors and new books, and with so many of them being reduced in price or even free, it's like being able to browse for days in a book store and walk out with a ton of new books to read.  Update 3/3/13... you can find the listings for Free eBooks here!

As an author, I've found Read an eBook Week to be exciting as I add up the numbers of new readers who have found my books, particularly at Smashwords.  I have always made my books part of the Smashwords promotion of Read an eBook Week, and I'll be doing it again for the fourth year.  Let the week begin!

And, now, here's a Free eBook to get the week started a bit early, and to keep things going after the week's specials. This free eBook is a previous best seller at Smashwords: Sons and Brothers in Seattle, a book about a young man fighting to protect his sons and a younger brother from abusive family members. It's free until March 31st by using this coupon code (TB77N), at the Smashwords online store.

Happy Reading,

Wil

Playing the Baseball Card and the books of Wilson James, author

It's the holiday season, and I'm happy to celebrate my three years of eBook publishing. I'm also really happy to recognize that Playing the Baseball Card is leading the way for all my other books at the Apple iTunes Bookstore and elsewhere.  Good reviews and positive ratings, with the book being called 'inspiring' and 'a great book.' Facebook community calls it 'An inspiring story about two young brothers trying to pursue a dream.'

As I take in the success of Playing the Baseball Card, with just a bit of excitement and awe, I also need to make it easy to find all my books, in multiple formats, at multiple online retailers.  So, here's a complete listing of where to find all 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 & 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

Sony eBookstore – six of my eBooks are available here

Amazon – some of my print books are now available, with selected eBooks to be available in 2013.

Goodreads  – where to find book ratings, including some of my book

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

December marks three 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 three 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. 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.

Wil

Old Publishing Model (the Big 6) vs. New Publishing Model (self-publishing)

Hmm... let's see. Old publishing model. I send my book to hundreds of agents, and perhaps directly to a publisher or two. I'm told that only vampire, fantasy, and dystopia sells, and my niche audience is not economically viable. I write solid family and adventure reality-based fiction for Young Adults, so my manuscripts are consigned to the slush pile and then the round file. I've got no hope of every getting my stories read. After a while, I lose hope, and I may even stop writing.

New publishing model. I self publish. 


Let's see how that worked: 

I started 2-and-a-half years ago. I am much more than "strikingly upbeat" about how well my 7 books are doing. Tens of thousands of readers have found my books. I am absolutely awed by some of the wonderful reviews and delighted at the ratings. For example, at the Apple iBookstore listing for my book 'Playing the Baseball Card', there have been 54 ratings with an overall average of four stars. 

Old vs. New? New wins! I am more motivated than ever to keep writing.

My eBooks available in formats for Kindle, Nook, Kobo and others

As a reader, I think eBooks are great, and a variety of formats and e-Readers are available. I use Kindle for PC, Nook for PC, and Nook for android tablet. I also really like traveling with over 300 eBooks in my Blackberry­. Very handy on a plane or other tight space.

As an author, I'm ecstatic over what the eBook revolution has allowed me to do, in terms of selling and distributing to so many. I make my books available in all of the formats for Kindle, Nook, Kobo, smartphone­s or just reading on a PC, laptop or tablet.  Just click here to find my books at Smashwords.

eBooks? What's not to like?

Smashwords eBooks hits TWO Billions words on Friday 6th May 2011

SMASHWORDS hits 2,000,000,000 (that’s TWO BILLION) words on Friday, 6^th May 2011.  Over 300,000 words are mine, and there’s more to come.  Crunching the numbers, I expect to see 50,000 titles available at Smashwords.com before the end of May.

When I first decided to publish multiple-format eBooks with Smashwords back in December of 2009, the total number of words had not yet reached 400 million, and from under 8,000 titles.

In early April of 2010, I was able to tweet that Smashwords had hit 10,000 titles and the number of downloads of my books was into the thousands.  That was just barely four months since I started making some of my books available on Smashwords.

Smashwords hit ½ billion words on April 14^th 2010, and one billion words on October 22^nd 2010, so the torrent of words flowing to Smashwords is definitely picking up, rather dramatically.

So, why hook my eBook wagon to the Smashwords cart?  Simply put, my books are now in the hands of many, many thousands of readers, through direct availability on Smashwords.com as well as through Barnes and Noble (I have 2 books in the top 1% with Playing the Baseball Card leading the way), Sony, Apple, and Kobo.  Making my Young Adult fiction titles available as eBooks on Smashwords (and retail partners) has made them much more accessible and more discoverable by my readers.  Given that eBook sales now exceed mass-market paperbook sales, I am more certain than ever that I made the right choice more than two years ago.

Two years from now?  Smashwords at ten billion words, in 250,000 titles?  Two or three more of my books available at Smashwords?  Hmmm… let’s see.

For now, have a look at an eBook today, and

Happy Reading.

Wil

Smashwords ships SONS and BROTHERS in SEATTLE to Amazon

Yes! Amazon will now list my eBook SONS and BROTHERS in SEATTLE. The eBook version for the Kindle will now join my print version of SONS and BROTHERS in SEATTLE which has been available on Amazon for over a year.

I am really excited and pleased by this. Smashwords has been working to make this happen, and it's finally starting. The first shipment of Smashwords books to Amazon took place on January 14th, and I was really pleased to see my eBook SONS and BROTHERS in SEATTLE part of that first group. It normally takes about two weeks for the books to appear, so I will be watching!

Happy Reading,

Wil

AIDEN'S ARRIVAL: HONOR BEFORE GOLD

So, the book is really out. AIDEN'S ARRIVAL: HONOR BEFORE GOLD has hit the stands, or the shelves, or cyberspace... where ever print and eBooks go. The book launch is under way with a very special price: YOU SET THE PRICE on Smashwords is a very limited time offer, so don't wait!

AIDEN'S ARRIVAL: HONOR BEFORE GOLD

You wake up. You’re on a plane. But the body you’re in does not appear to be yours. They call you Aiden, even though you think that’s not your name. Are theses dreams of another life? Is it reality? You struggle to honor the legacy of your very young physical self, while dealing with the memories of a tragedy that seems impossible to reconcile.

The next hours and days are confusing as you try to figure out how this works, and how long it’s likely to last. At the same time, you have to decide if you should tell anyone and have them doubt your sanity, or just keep quiet. In the meantime, you have to adapt and use the body you have, even if you meet up with people you think knew before.

You also discover you have just stepped into a public role in the Winter Games that thrusts you into a journey and series of exploits beyond anything you could have thought possible, and expectations beyond normal for a boy Aiden's age. Will you continue to be Aiden, or will the real Aiden arrive?

AIDEN’S ARRIVAL: HONOR BEFORE GOLD is an adventure novel set in the worlds of downhill skiing, aquatics, and international competition. AIDEN’S ARRIVAL: HONOR BEFORE GOLD is also a story of love, family, and courage.

AIDEN'S ARRIVAL arrives with special introductory price - limited time offer

AIDEN'S ARRIVAL arrives, and is now available as multi-format eBook at Smashwords. Special introductory "Set you own" price is for a very limited time only. Read the book, and find out how well Aiden does on the Men's Downhill course at Whistler.

What would you do, if this was you?

You wake up. You’re on a plane. But the body you’re in does not appear to be yours. They are calling you Aiden, but that’s not your name. The next hours and days are confusing as you try to figure out how this works, and how long it’s likely to last. At the same time, you have to decide if you should tell anyone and have them doubt your sanity, or just keep quiet. In the meantime, you have to adapt and use the body you have, even if you meet up with people you knew before.

You also discover you have just stepped into a public role at the Winter Games that thrusts you into a journey and series of exploits beyond anything you could have thought possible. Will you continue to be Aiden, or will the real Aiden arrive? How will you or Aiden do on the Dave Murray Downhill course at Whistler?

“Aiden’s Arrival” is an adventure novel set in the worlds of downhill skiing, aquatics, and international competition. “Aiden’s Arrival” is also a story of love, family, and courage with a twist incorporating the great question: Can we come back as someone else? Do we all, or just in rare circumstances? And; if we do come back, how might it work?

Happy Reading,

Wil

Aiden's Arrival arrives in 3 days - right now read great article about Whistler's Dave Murray Downhill course

Aiden's Arrival arrives in only 3 days, on January 1, 2011. It will be available as a multi-format eBook on Smashwords, and as a print book on Lulu.com. The first four chapters are still available on this blog.

In the meantime, you can read this great Seattle Times article by Ron Judd, about the Dave Murray Downhill course at Whistler. The article was one of a series about the 2010 Olympic Games, and was published on February 12, 2010. The article mentions the crazy Canucks of the late 1970s and early 1980s, including Steve Podborski, Ken Read, Dave Irwin, and Dave Murray. The article also includes an interview with 2010 Canadian Ski Team member Julia Murray, Olympic torch bearer at Whistler in the lead up to the Games, and daughter of the late Dave Murray.

Happy Reading,

Wil

Prices for eBooks too high in comparison with print Books

As an author, I have become much more aware of the extraordinarily high prices that some retailers are charging for eBooks. Both as an author and as a reader myself, I am not happy about the high prices!

In order to pursue marketing ideas for my own books, I frequently review various retailers’ sites. I have noticed, with the increasingly popularity of eBooks, that more online retailers are establishing good online shopping opportunities for eBooks. Certainly Smashwords, my primary online retailer, is pursuing business relationships with an ever increasing number of very good retailers, currently including Barnes and Noble, Kobo, Sony, Apple and others. That is all good.

eBooks priced higher than print Books

What is bothering me is the prices being set for eBooks. It is frequently almost as much as the price for a print Book. In fact, I recently saw some new release eBooks priced at higher than the hardcover print Books! I was shocked and stunned. I simply cannot understand how a retailer can charge more for an eBook, that requires only the cost of miniscule space on a server, versus the cost of printing, shipping and storing a hardcover print Book. How can that possibly make sense? How can a retailer possibly justify charging more for an eBook than the same title in a print Book?

High prices negatively affect reviews and ratings

One of the things that has bothered me most was seeing reviews and ratings for some books actually being affected by the very high prices for eBooks. A rating and review should be based on the content of the book, including perhaps how well it is written, and how imaginative the plot line is, and other considerations related to the writing. In one case I saw online recently, a very good book was being badly down-rated because of pricing issues. Imagine the poor author having his very good work hit with bad ratings because of the retailer’s and/or publisher’s greed.

In my humble opinion, the price of eBooks should reflect the minimal cost of production compared to the higher costs involved in print Books. Of course, an author should gets compensation for his or her hard work, but eBooks need to be cheaper than print Books.

What do you think? Do you agree?

I don’t know what we can do about these terrible pricing practices at this point, but we can certainly start talking about it.

Join me, and comment.

Wil

What about this "Smashwords?"

Smashwords is the secret to my success, or at least the secret to my books being read. I have posted about Smashwords a lot over the last year, since I first published with Smashwords on 12/12/2009. In that time, my books have been downloaded/purchased many thousands of times.

Smashords is the reason. Smashwords is the answer to authors who ask: How can I get my books out there?

How does this happen? Here's a Smashwords presentation, by the founder, Mark Coker. Have a look at this Smashwords slideshow (below), and,

Happy Reading.

Wil

Introduction to Smashwords - Ebook Publishing and Distribution Made Easy

View more presentations from Smashwords, Inc..

12-year-olds running their own companies

Yup, that's right. 12-year-olds running their own companies.

In real life, have a look at the CNN story about a 21-year-old hi-tech CEO who started running his first company when he was just 12.

Another 12-year-old running his own company is Cameron Connors, the hero of my fiction story SONS and BROTHERS in SEATTLE. Cameron also becomes CEO of a large hi-tech company at a young age.

Interesting.

Now FREE for a very limited time: fiction title SONS and BROTHERS in SEATTLE at Smashwords is FREE by entering coupon code AQ88L at the checkout.

Happy Reading,

Wil

ONE Billion Words for Smashwords - in more than 22,000 eBooks

Smashwords, the leading eBook distributor, has hit 1,000,000,000 words, in more than 22,000 eBooks by almost 10,000 authors. It was just April this year when Smashwords hit 500 million, and the speed at which the Billion word mark has been hit surprised even Smashword's founder Mark Coker, with the originally predicted date near the end of 2010.

My five... soon to be six... books are just a small part of the Smashwords numbers, but all the attention drawn to Smashwords has helped me. Thanks to Smashwords, my YA Book A Family Legacy: THE WATSON WORKS hit the top 1% sales rank at BarnesandNoble.com, but my other titles have also done extremely well. There have been many thousands of downloads and sales of my books, and the numbers continue to increase. Look for my newest book, AIDEN'S ARRIVAL, on Smashwords, late in December.

All in all, I'm very happy with my own success, and very pleased for Smashwords!

Wil

AIDEN'S ARRIVAL - new release in December

I'm working towards getting Aiden's Arrival ready for release by the end of the year. The story has the Winter Games as a backdrop, and I hope that it will be released about the time people start thinking about skiing this winter. The way things are going, it might just be released on Smashwords just about the time Smashwords hits the one-billion word mark.

I plan to post the first four chapters on this blog around the end of October, so stay tuned!

Wil

Smashwords hits 20,000 Titles

Back in March and April, I posted about Smashwords success, and how that success was helping me. Well, Smashwords has hit 20,000 titles, double what they had less than six months ago. The success of Smashwords it still helping me, as my downloads/sales have doubled just since April. With Smashwords' help, I've most one of my titles into the top 1% of sales at BarnesandNoble.com, and two of my other titles are in the top 5%.

I currently have 5 titles available at Smashwords, and I intend to increase that to 6 titles by the end of the year, when I release my newest book. Just about that time, I expect Smashwords will hit the one-billion words mark. Yes, that's 1,000,000,000.

Things are looking good!

Wil