Writers And Readers Websites Wednesday - Free Ebooks

Yep, you read that right, one of many sites where you can download Ebooks - free. Try Get Free Ebooks.

Now, don't get me wrong, I'm always a big advocate of "writers should be paid" - and by the way, paid what they're worth, but there are also lots of opportunities for readers out there who have little more than lint in their pockets or would like to try an author out.  Lots of free books that are on promotion or the writer has simply put them out there for consumption. 

This site offers everything from cookbooks, to engineering, to self-help, to fiction to a smattering of audio books. 

Hey, NASA offers free Ebooks as well. I downloaded a couple from there myself. 

There are others if you care to explore, and I won't say don't, but remember the hard-working author and lay down a few bucks for that favorite writer as well.

Writers And Readers Websites Wednesday - BookBub

 

Okay folks if you're crazy about books, this is for you.

BookBub.  I don't know how they came by that name, but it's a great site for books. Books in many categories, including nonfiction, books by new authors and books by best sellers. Yes, you need to give them an email and yes it's one you won't regret providing that address to.

Here's what they say: 

BookBub is a free service that helps millions of readers discover great deals on acclaimed ebooks while providing publishers and authors with a way to drive sales and find new fans. Members receive a personalized daily email alerting them to the best free and deeply discounted titles matching their interests as selected by our editorial team. BookBub works with all major ebook retailers and devices, and is the industry’s leading ebook price promotion service. BookBub was founded in 2012 and is headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA.

And here's what I say:

A great resource for readers and writers who love to read (which is every writer, right?) Specify some categories that interest you, then see what crops up in your email each day - and don't forget to visit the site as well. If you're an author or a publisher you can see about having your book featured. Cost ranges from free up - and the ones that have a cost are deeply discounted. 

Check it out, it's worth your time. 

The Mistakes We Make While Writing

 

Mistakes.

We all make ‘em and we’re all kind of weird about making them.

There isn’t a writers (or a person) in the world who doesn’t make mistakes at times. It’s who we are.

But, focusing on writers, what do we do about those mistakes? Some of us seem them as disasters, as the marks of amateurs as something to make you slink off and never think of writing again. The mistake can be minor or major, a silly one, a stupid one, or one caused by simple distraction.

Get over it.

Really.

Learn from your mistakes.

If someone finds it for you and points it out, be gracious, thank them and fix it! Hey, if they’re wrong (and it happens at times when an over eager reader points out mistakes that don’t exist) still be gracious and thank them for their input. 

And stop the idiotic thoughts that rumble through your brain when you make a mistake right out there in public. Thoughts like:

Who am I kidding? How can I be a writer when I make a mistake like that?

Who am I to write about anything if I make mistakes like that?

It’s embarrassing, I look like an idiot.

OMG what will this do to my reputation as a writer?

Ummm, really? Throttle back on that negative stream. Mistakes happen. In fact there inevitable, no matter what you’re doing and even more so I think when writing. You’re changing and growing. Heck, even language is changing and growing. And you can get away with all kinds of free-wheeling when writing fiction. Non-fiction is a bit stricter, but what the heck.

So let’s step back from all the self-incrimination and realize the solution is simple. Fix it. Learn from it. Try not to make the same mistake twice…or if you do it twice, let’s not go for three times.

Tell that inner critic (and we all have one) to shut up. You are not stupid, or worthless, or misguided just because you make a mistake. If you were a brain surgeon it could become a bigger issue, but you’re a writer. You’re not perfect. The world isn’t perfect. Yes, of course you have to master the language to be coherent and put together sentences that make sense, but give yourself a lot of leeway. Pros make mistakes and so do you. Pros find out about it, fix it and move on. So should you, now and when you become a for real Pro because you’ll still make mistakes.

Think about other professions. There are interns and apprentices, practically every career path requires a learning curve and then life-long learning. It’s because we writers spend so much time in our heads that we talk ourselves into believing we need to be perfect.

The truth is we need to make mistakes. That’s how we learn and improve. Don’t be afraid of making them because that fear will hold you back. Besides if you don't make 'em your editor will - amazing the mistakes we can catch in a book already published by a major house.

That inner critic that lurks at the back of your mind, the one who wants to edit your writing even before it hits the blank screen, the one who obsesses over every little detail, that little snot can be what fans the flames of your insecurities, build the fires beneath your introverted writing life. Not only does that little voice criticize almost everything you do, but it wants you to feel like an idiot, a fool before the world.

So I say to you writers out there. Take risks, make mistakes, be creative. Your writing will thrive and you’ll beat back the dark voice of your insecurities for the path you’ve chosen.

Write, writers – and drop a note below in the comments to tell us about the mistakes and inner critic you’ve overcome.

Writers and Readers Meet at Goodreads

 I really like Goodreads. As a writer it offers lots of opportunities for exposure and interaction with readers, present and future and fans. And as a reader it offers lots of great new possibilities.

So if you haven’t visited before as a writer or a reader my might well say what’s all the excitement about?

Well, it’s a busy site with lots of page views and new pages going up all the time. There are lots of books, giveaways and links to authors’ pages where you’ll find even more links to giveaways, videos, author’s blogs and more.  There’s a heckuva lot to explore on GoodReads.

As a writer you’ll no doubt want (or maybe already have) a Goodreads Author Profile page with the author program. If you don’t, you probably will want to head on over there now and create your page with links to your books, etc. The process, as with most of these things, is easy. Poke around the site and you’ll see the links pretty quickly. Besides, it really is a good idea for you to learn your way around. I’ll admit, there are times when I kind of get lost myself with all those little buttons and sections of the dashboard and site in general. Mostly though it’s a fun lost wherein I usually discover a new writer or spot a question from a reader I missed. Once you find the way to announce yourself they’ll want a bit of info from you such as letting them know you’re an author. After you confirm it can take a couple of days to confirm you actually ARE and author so be patient.

Once it’s established it’s really you you’ll want to set up your profile page. Really, set it up. Give a little info about you, maybe a personal nugget or two that your readers would love to know about. Don’t forget to upload a photo since your readers love to get a look at you and the photo makes your page more engaging. Add your twitter name if you’re on it, a book trailer if you have one, link to a blog sit you run or your webpage; all the little things that make up you. In fact, while you’re poking around consider setting "Ask the Author" to on. It’ll provide a few basic questions you can answer or skip and gives a great opportunity for writers and readers to connect. In fact, if you like, head over to my Goodreads page scroll down just a little and ask away.

My advice to other writers is think about an answer before you just dash it off. Your fans will appreciate it more and share a good answer that actually contains insightful or useful information. Oh, and you don’t have to answer every single one. A little secret is the questions are visible only to the writer until said writer answers them. Email will go out to the person who asked the question once you answer and of course then it’s visible on your feed as well.

And readers – hey what’s the hold up? This is one great site for books. You can see new releases, discover new writers, put out your own reviews, join groups to share reading experiences, see what others are reading and share what you have next on your list.

A great reader’s community to join. And there’s the opportunity to dive into the “giveaways” under the “explore” button and see what book you have the chance to win. There are always pages and pages and pages of giveaways you can enter. Fiction and Non-fiction. Debut books, books by established authors, books in a series and how-to books to name a few. And at the same time you enter you can add it to your “to-read” shelf in case you aren’t a lucky winner and want to read it after the giveaway anyway. And bounce around in the many pages to find ones that interest you - if you simply start from the beginning you'll never reach the end. 

It’s a great way to have a never-ending list of books you hope to read. As if we readers need even more! Still, I like it a lot. And you help the writer as well since putting his or her book on your ‘to-read’ list gives it more exposure.

So if you haven’t investigated Goodreads – do, and join. Then get your reading and writing friends to join. You can find friends from Facebook and more there as well. Join groups that interest you and connect there with other readers and writers you enjoy. As a reader be sure to talk about the books you love and the ones you don’t. Be thoughtful and give reasons and don’t just slam a book because you’re in a bad mood. Writers be good to your fans. Don’t spam them and continually push your book. If you write a blog be sure to link it in so readers and fans can find out even more about you and your work.

Goodreads – a fun place to share the enjoyment of reading.Visit, check it out, if you're already a member let me know and send a friend request or a question. Let others know what you think of Goodreads in the comments below and have a great week.

Writers And Readers Websites Wednesday - non-fiction

Okay, yes, guilty, I missed posting an article yesterday as is my usual thing to do. 

But I'm not missing Writers and Readers Websites Wednesday - today on non-fiction.

It's true, many writers write things other than fiction - thus, non-fiction. 

So go on, head on over to the Non-fiction Authors Association. You can join basic for free or pay a fee for 'authority'. There are events, a blog, a member directory you can list yourself in and more.  A nice developing resource for those who go the non-fiction route.   

Dancing in the Digital World - EBooks Are Changing Us All.

I’ve encountered some interesting statistics regarding Ebooks, Ereaders and the folks who use/read them in an article via USA Today, and thought I’d pass along a bit of it to you with, of course, my own comments.

First we readers aren’t hitting the bookstores as often as we used to. It’s true. In a world where the digital is available instantly there’s less actual need to prowl the stacks. And of course there seem to be less actual bookstores. Which came first I’m not sure, but Borders went defunct well before I got my hands on an Ereader (mine is admittedly Amazon’s KindleFire HD Tablet) so I’m not even going to enter into that argument. It’s not an argument anyway since progress is plodding forward (or is that flashing?) and the changes it’ll cause it’ll cause. There’s not really much hope in derailing it if that’s your desire.

Here are some of the statistics I saw and they’re only growing. About 40% of all adults now own an Ereader or a tablet which is doubling fast. Plainly they can download books. But now the smart phones can even do it so the percentage is growning and I don't believe the article even took those phone into account. Readers are even more popular among the higher educated and the higher income households. As many as 60% of college graduates say they own one and 62% of those households with income of at least $75,000.

And that’s not all. The best of all this is those who own reading devices say they’ve upped their reading since getting it.

WhoHoo!  Three cheers! 

People who just read in their spare time before are now racing through book after book on the bus, the train, the plane, at the airport, as a passenger in a car, at a doctor’s or dentist’s office. So many more books of many types are being consumed.

Then there’s vacation. For those who carried armloads or carry-ons filled with books, there’s now the reading device that can be loaded up before vacation or if you’re near a wireless connection, in transit. Books, magazines, newspapers, whatever you need. And to top it off most can download music, games and more as well. I know I'll be taking mine with on my next trip.

Do I still buy hard copy books? Yes I do. But admittedly fewer. Those I really cherish and want to keep on my bookshelf I buy. Those I think will be a quick read for fun are now downloaded. My ‘carousel’ is crammed and I’m constantly reading. That’s not a big change since I read a lot before, but it sure has made it easier in many respects – and that doesn’t take into account the fact that most digital editions are less expensive than their hard copy cousins.

Interestingly apparently those who are reading more because of their new readers are enjoying a lot more of science fiction and fantasy (23% cited those genres). Then there’s mystery and crime 16% increase, romance at 14%increase and non-fiction at 14% increase. This is saying good things for our future with reading taking such a leap. 

Again of interest is why people say they read books. Somewhere above 60% they just want to be entertained, but about 70-ish% say they want to learn something.

 

Another thing that’s changing is the way people learn about books they want to read. There’s Amazon of course, the elephant in the room, but many others are visiting places like Goodreads.com or seeing opinions on Facebook, Twitter or other social media. Then there are the free books offered, often for a short time as promotion and the sites with many members who watch those books and get the word out. If it looks good people will download it and if they like it, look for other books by the same author. Great for authors!

All that aside, the favorite place for book opinions still lies with friends and family, people who’s judgment the reader trusts.

 

So here we are folks, the digital age is here to stay – presuming no natural disaster humbles us all. But, presuming the best and that natural or unnatural disaster will hold off indefinitely, I’ll be downloading a whole lot more in the future. How about you?