July 30, 2012 By 2 Comments

My Plan for Kobo Books

Kobo eReader device w/wifiWhat the world needs now is an online version of the neighborhood book store, for eBooks. Kobo, I say it should be you.

It appears inevitable that the Department of Justice will soon dish out a top-rope body slam to the world of traditional publishing. For those who haven’t been following the matter like so much O.J. carnivality let me explain. No, there’s no time. I’ll sum up. “Colluding” major publishers will no longer be able to dictate the price of eBooks. Thus online retailers (ie. Amazon) will be able to affectively sell major titles for whatever price they want (without suffering a year end loss).

Bad News for Readers

Alas, I am feared this heralds bad news for both writers like me and readers like you. “How do you figure?” you might ask. Well, gentle reader, even though eBook prices on some of the most popular titles will most certainly fall (good for readers) the end result of this could be a loss of diversity for the written word (bad for readers unless you only want to read vampire romance and legal thrillers).

Crap man, and just when the eBook revolution was cracking the market open for all sorts of original (some terrible, some terrific) creations of fiction. Now it appears inevitable that lower prices on major titles will squeeze indie authors out of a job. If The Hunger Games and the latest Tom Clancy thriller are available at $7.99 (or less) how many readers will continue to take risks on unknown authors for $4.99?

Enter Kobo Books (or any other eBook retailer with the gonads to step up). [Read more...]

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July 19, 2012 By 2 Comments

Kobo Vs. Amazon: It’s Bibliocal!

Writing LifeFirst there was David versus Goliath. We all know how that ended up. But could this be DVs.GII? All I know is this time it’s indeed bibliocal as Kobo attempts to stand toe to toe with Kindle via their new publishing platform, Writing Life.

For those of you asking, “What’s a Kobo?” let’s start with a little history lesson. Once upon a time (2009) a bunch of Canucks formed a company with the idea of not only producing an e-reader (device) but partnering it with a retail eBook website and a multi-platform application with powerful social media integration. “Read Freely” became their motto, and epub (the standard, nonproprietary eBook format) became their format.

As of January 2012 the majority of Kobo, Inc. was bought by a Japanese Company, and just maybe those laid-back Canadians have acquired some Samurai soul in the exchange (maybe they had it in them all along, but we’ll see).

In 2010 their Kobo reader was part of the reason the highly priced (at the time) Kindle slashed their price tag by over 50%. After the Kindle muscled the Kobo from it’s affordability niche, Kobo upgraded features like wi-fi and 3G. Now its Kobo Vox is priced at $179 in a standoff with the Kindle Fire at $199. But has the lowballing, rough and tumble Kobo really returned? Will the Japanese slap down the jelly donut and deliver the heat?

I’m a believer. Let me tell you the two main reasons why. [Read more...]

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July 9, 2012 By Leave a Comment

OnlyIndie.com: eBook Start-up Only Dreaming?

Only IndieI’ve uploaded my geeky, pulp-western novel, Fistful of Reefer, to a half dozen new eBook retailing platforms over the last couple of months. Let’s see. Off of the top of my head I can remember Bilbary, Bublish and Snugnugget.

I figure if a group of forward thinking nerds are crazy enough to launch a new ebook-fangled website on a latte and a dream then I’ll spend twenty minutes decoding their scheme and tossing so many of my ingenious 1′s and 0′s at them.

(See bottom of post to help me with my experiment before you go…)

The latest eBook store I’ve discovered is Only Indie (www.onlyindie.com). I have to admit the name itself grabbed my more than the others. (What’s a snugnugget? And does Bilbary refer to Bilbo Baggins personal library?) [Read more...]

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May 31, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Lost DMB Files, Amazon Blitz

Ah, nothing smells like an Amazon Blitz in the morning… or afternoon… or evening. The time has come once again for the rowdy fans of the Green Porch (and yours truly) to rattle some digital cages over at the Kindle store.

If you’ve been patiently awaiting your chance to sink your teeth into the latest installments of the Lost DMB Files (formerly known as Reeferpunk. I know, I know. What was I thinking?) The time is now. So spread the word, click buy! and hunker down for a read.

For more on what the Lost DMB Files are click this.

***Twitch and Die! is the new novel. And the short, McCutchen’s Bones, is included with Twitch and Die! as a bonus.

All known Lost DMB Files

Here is the chronoligical order of all the currently known lost files. Click on their names to jump to the Kindle store.

Of course any “liking,” “tagging” or reviews you can post on Amazon for any or all of these will help as well! Thanks so much for your continued support, and above all, enjoy the show!
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May 24, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Evolution of an Indie: No Silver Bullet

Evolution of an IndieEntering my third year as an indie, it is my responsibility to impart sage wisdom to the world. (Don’t blink, or you might miss it.) See the series introduction post for more on my saga. But for now, lesson #11 for 2012 (the final installment!):

Don’t expect anyone else to sell your product for you.

Whether you are big six, small press or totally indie, no one will sell your stuff for you. If you want to be a writer in today’s world, sales and marketing are part of the package. (The only exception is if you can afford to pay an agency or individual to do this for you!) [Read more...]

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April 5, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Evolution of an Indie: Equipped Inspiration

Evolution of an IndieEntering my third year as an indie, it is my responsibility to impart sage wisdom to the world. (Don’t blink, or you might miss it.) See the series introduction post for more on my saga. But for now, lesson #4 for 2012:

Be an inspired artist. But study what people are reading.

Okay. Straight up, this is a big, fat compromise. Live with it. If your goal as an Indie is to make money, penny-roll money, the shiny stuff, then you simply have to be a student of the market. What does this mean?

Being a student of what people are reading means more than reading a lot. It means more than browsing bookstores aimlessly while drinking a latte (although this can help). My favorite way to study the market includes a few blogs I follow combined with scouring the top 100 lists on the Amazon/Kindle store. [Read more...]

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January 16, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Filtering Porn Out of the eVerse

GreenPorch Winter of eReadingJust like the rest of the internet, the eBook eVerse consist hugely of porn. It is sorta the plankton of the eVerse — the simplest life form that feeds the mindless that in turn feed the suckers and bottom-dwellers who in turn feed the commercial fiction writers who feed the how-to-write-commercial-fiction writers who feed the I’m-too-sexy literati who feed themselves (as they cannibalize the top echelon with scathing reviews).

Hey, I didn’t create the life cycle. I’m just stating the fact that stuff always grows out of… how do the French say it… shit.

It’s not pretty, people. But with a little effort we can rise above the manure zone and better ourselves. But how, you may ask? Well here at the Green Porch we’ll tell you. [Read more...]

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