Artwork by Steven Austin to celebrate the Kampus Festival centering around http://nevermetpress.com/merry-krampus-let-the-carnival-begin
eBook revolution
eBooks Are for Techies and Gear Whores, Right?
I’m not what is known as an early adaptor–the person who lines up outside the tech store for the latest device and chronologizes the experience via twitter (or whatever social media the early adaptors are onto now). That being said, I’m no pen and paper purist either. I’m more of a sellout willing to pimp myself to whatever technology can help me obtain my goals.
Thus I’ve found myself writing and Indie-publishing eBooks rather than twiddling my thumbs while I wait for an agent to pander my doodlings to a traditional publisher.
I’m also fully aware that many of you are jabbing at your keyboard right now in an attempt to scroll down the screen to read the rest of this post, all the while mumbling about the “good ole days” of muscle cars and vinyl. Well, sorry to be the harbinger of bad news, but eBooks are here to stay.
Smashwords: Publishing’s Rented Mule
Not that I would ever beat a mule of any sort, but you know how the saying goes. If the eVerse has a rented mule, it is Smashwords.
This fact is partly due to the fact Smashwords is practically a grey-haired veteran of the electric publishing world. Started in May 2008, it’s ancient in the eBook world. But the reasons for maligning the eBook publishing and distribution platform are as diverse as the books Smashwords spits out through its “meat grinder” software.
Some fart in Smashwords’ general direction due to its complete lack of quality control. (They will publish anyone willing to format their content to meet their meat grinder requirements.) Some thumb their noses due to the fact that Smashwords is anti-DRM (Digital Rights Management, or Drunken Rowdy Monkeys).