Follow Wilson James, author on Twitter

Now you can follow my tweets at Twitter or on this blog (see my version of the 'best of Twitter' on the left side of this page). I'll continue to provide news on my books, and celebrate when I have little bits of success, such as when one of my books spent 3 days at #1 on the YA best seller list on Smashwords, or when I had a record day for downloads this past week. I may also retweet important or interesting news from the world of books and writing.

Happy tweeting,

Wil

@WilJames_author

(that's an underscore: @WilJames_author)

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

SONS and BROTHERS in SEATTLE hits #5 on Smashwords YA Best Seller list

In reviewing the end-month stats, I was awestruck to see that SONS and BROTHERS in SEATTLE has made it up to #5 on the all-time YA Best Sellers list on Smashwords.

I am truly amazed that this novel has done so well, and in only 2-1/2 months since getting published on Smashwords. If you have not read it yet, and want to, here's an exclusive coupon code for readers of this blog only; enter NQ44T at Smashwords checkout to get SONS and BROTHERS in SEATTLE for Free, until 5/5/2010.

And now more incredible news: I am further shocked, and more deeply humbled, to see that ROBERT'S RIDE has risen to #7 on that same list, only 2 weeks after being published on Smashwords.

As I said in a previous post, I write for myself, but I suppose the words of Jesse Stuart apply. He said, "Write something to suit yourself and many people will like it; write something to suit everybody, and scarcely anyone will care for it." I suppose that I could say a few people are liking what I've written.

With the Vancouver Games having ended (and there was a lot of excitement) , I will devote more time to my writing, and I suppose more people will find time to read. Don't forget 'Read an eBook Week' starts soon, so whatever you find that you like,

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

Newest e-Book is "ROBERT'S RIDE"

After adding a number of new chapters to the original ROBERT'S RIDE published on Lulu many months ago, I've now published it on SMASHWORDS. As with my others on Smashwords, it is available in multiple formats, including 'Mobi' for Kindle®.

ROBERT'S RIDE

Born in a small town in rural south-west Georgia and placed in a foster home after being orphaned at five. Those were the bare bones words to describe Robert’s first years.

He is big for his age and hard to place, but after too many years, he is finally one of the lucky ones to be picked as a potential adoptee. He struggles to make sure his new adoptive mother likes him and wants to keep him, in spite of the fact that she really has no idea what to do with a child. She is well meaning, but rather emotionless. Robert desperately tries to figure out to read her and please her. Join Robert as he experiences the adventure of a new home, a new school, and new friends, along with some more dramatic events.

Will it all work? Will Robert really find the home he needs and wants?

Find out if Robert’s life takes a turn for the better, in ROBERT’S RIDE.

Happy reading,

Wil

Where to find more FREE e-Books!

Ah, Groundhog Day. If it’s more winter we’re getting, then there is a need to curl up with a few more good books. Of course, I hope mine are chosen, but if not mine, there’s a good website that offers a really good choice of FREE e-Books. It’s called “Online-Novels.” It is certainly worth more than a look, and it organizes the available fiction works into a wide variety of categories. I certainly recommend it!

And how about the new i-Pad®? It will be interesting to see how it can perform as an e-reader. That’s a good thing about SMASHWORDS … it offers a wide variety of formats for every e-reader. Check it out, and...

Happy reading.

Wil