Thursday, March 15, 2012

New Cover and Formatting Issues

The new cover for Shadowland - thanks Jussy, much more dark n moody:)





Formatting Issues.

Like many authors I am on a big learning curve when it comes to formatting and promoting my ebooks.

Uploading to the kindle program on Amazon was painless enough, that was until I wanted to update some of the text and change the cover. All of a sudden, I had to become some sort of computer programmer, or so it seemed it to me.  I managed to work my way through so I thought I would share a few of the links and programmes that have helped me so far on this blog.
If you are looking to offer giveaways or send copies of your ebook anywhere, you have to be able to offer several different versions to potential readers and reviewers. I offer pdf, mobi for kindle and epub for most other e readers.
To make a pdf from my book, which was written in 'Word,' I can highly recommend a free programme called PDF redirect. Even for a complete computer fool like me it was easy to do.
Most people are going to ask for a mobi file and the easiest I have so far found is MobiPocket creator, another free programme that does exactly as it says on the box. I tried several other programmes that did help me create a mobi file, but they all had various issues with formatting, more about formatting in a moment. To finish on programmes, the last I recommend authors checking out is Calibre. Calibre will change the format into epub or kindle, but do watch out for formatting problems if you haven't done a perfect formatting job.

Which leads me into formatting - so important, so boring and yet so necessary. KDP at amazon and Smashwords have great articles and there is a great article here showing what needs to be done. Just discovering there was a formatting show/hide button in word was a revelation to me! How was I to know that there is all kind of code going on in the background that means stuff and gives strange commands when you come to make up your ebook. Page breaks for instance, wow, you need to instruct where to break the page? Yep!

Oh, and how to put in your table of contents! You can find that stuff here, and you really do need to do it yourself.

So, once we've done all that were finished? ... well did you think about a cover? I have been very fortunate to find a fellow member of the goodreads community, Jussy who has helped me turn my lame cover into something far more likely to sell a few books – thanks Jussy!
So now I have done all that, Shadowland is up and ready to send out and sell again ... editing is nearly finished on Flight of the Griffin .... but I need to make up a cover ..ahhhhh, here we go again!

Friday, March 9, 2012

Silver Knight



Description:

A Struggle Against Evil—Love Through the Ages—A Destiny to Fulfill

When seventeen-year-old Diana recognizes an elderly priest in a video on YouTube, she realizes that reincarnation is real and that she’s been alive before! Every night in her dreams, she views her past lives learning that it’s kill or be killed.

Now a bishop at the Vatican whom she saved in another life calls on her once more. She is needed to help defeat an infestation of demons living within the catacombs of Rome. But when she arrives in Rome, she meets Alexander – the man of her dreams! Through the centuries she has loved him…betrayed him...been killed by him. Will she give him another chance or this time will she strike first?

Silver Knight takes you on an adventure where demons and heroes from the past blend with history, action, and just a hint of romance.


5 Star Review:
“All I could think once I started reading this book was WOW! My only warning is that once you start reading this story you are not going to be able to put it down!” –Readers Favorite (Read more at: http://readersfavorite.com/review/5699)

Caron Rider’s Bio:

I began teaching adults to use computer software, hardware, and networking back in the 1990s. After several years, my clients became younger and younger until I found myself tutoring high school dropouts to pass the GED. I found working with at-risk teenagers so rewarding that I changed her undergraduate major to Education.

Upon graduating from the University of South Alabama with a B.S., I began teaching high school history and I continue to teach history classes online. I now live in rural Missouri with my two kids, two dogs, two cats, and father.

Some useful links:
Twitter: Caron_Rider

Thursday, March 8, 2012

Review of Hounded by Kevin Hearne


Hounded by Kevin Hearne is really is one of those books I wish I had written, or at least come up with the idea! If you're an author then you know what I mean! I liked it so much that it is the first of my special reviews on this blog.

So, Hounded is a well written thoroughly engaging read that really is hard to put down. This lad Kevin Hearne has the craft in his veins!

The story follows an old Irish druid, Atticus O'Sullivan, who actually only looks to be 21 as he has a few disagreements with various fairies(Fay)ancient gods and police authorities!

Living in a 'Specialist' bookshop in Arizona with his Irish wolfhound 'Oberon,' who is a great character that Atticus can speak with in such a way that dog lovers everywhere would wish they had the same connection with their canine friend. The adventures of Atticus draw the reader easily along in a humorous, fantastical yet not at all corny visit to the other side of life's possibilities. His befriends old Irish gods, makes enimies of a few and pulls out a little of his Irish magic to help him through.

I dont know if this were written for Young Adults or adults, I think it is basically for anyone that isn't put off by a little fantasy!

I will certainly be looking to read the next books in the series' Hexed'.
Highly recommended.