Brief Hiatus

I will be taking a brief hiatus from posting while I deal with a medical issue.  I hope to be back blogging in a couple of weeks.

In the meantime, if I promised you a guest post, an interview, or a book review, rest assured you're still in the queue.  I am still accepting requests for all three so if you have a new book coming out, need a review or want an interview, please feel free to send me an email at dlmartin6@yahoo.com and ask.

WEEKEND SALE: This is the last weekend to get a copy of both OTHARIAN books at 50% over at Smashwords. https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/debralmartin

"Quest for Nobility" - code PJ22M
"Crystal Facade" - code JJ97U

I am also happy to report that our DARK FUTURE novelettes, "Path to War" and "The Right Path" are gaining some traction - both in sales and reviews.  Thank you to all who have purchased these and, of course, if you enjoyed the books, please consider leaving a review.



Amazon links: "Path to War"
 http://www.amazon.com/Path-Novella-Dark-Future-ebook/dp/B003FGWUG8











  

iBookstore

Apple has announced that self-published authors can upload their ebooks directly to the iBookstore through the iTunes Connect webpage.

You must fill out an application here: https://itunesconnect.apple.com/WebObjects/iTunesConnect.woa/wa/apply

Select "book" and hit continue. Here are their requirements. You MUST upload from a MAC computer. You knew Apple was going to throw a twist into the mix, right?

Requirements for Distributing Content on the iBookstore Technical Requirements: An Intel-based Mac running OS X 10.5 or later At least 1 GB RAM QuickTime 7.0.3 or later. This is so you can encode and deliver content using our dedicated software. At least 10 GB of available hard drive space (more for larger catalogs) is recommended. A broadband internet connection with an upload rate of 128 kbps or faster is recommended. Book Content Requirements: ISBNs for all titles you intend to distribute You must be able to deliver your book content in EPUB format, passing EpubCheck 1.0.5. Financial Requirements: A US Tax ID A valid iTunes Store account, with a credit card on file Apple does not pay partners until they meet payment requirements and earning thresholds in each territory. You should consider this before applying to work directly with Apple as you may receive payments faster by working with an Apple-approved aggregator. You must have a iTunes account or register for one. This is another option for Indie authors to have complete control over their ebooks plus a more favorable royalty rate. Of course, if you don't want to go through the hassle of doing the formatting or don't own a MAC, you can publish through Smashwords.com and they will ship your books to the iBookstore. I have 4 ebooks on Smashwords and all have made it to the iBookstore. I've seen the books on an ipad and the formatting I used from the Smashwords style guide carried over seamlessly to the ipad. I was very pleased with how the books looked. It's great to see all these options that are available to Indie authors now. Can't wait to see Barnes & Noble's new epub platform.

Smashwords

Smashwords is a great place to publish your ebooks. If you meticulously follow their Style Guide requirements, your ebooks will be distributed through their premium catalog. The premium catalog gets forwarded to sites like Sony eReader, Kobo, B&N and soon the Apple ipad.

Smashwords, said today it has signed a distribution deal with Apple to put its books into the iPad iBookstore. Mark Coker, chief executive of Smashwords, said in an email to authors that his company has been working on the deal ever since the iPad was announced.

Luckily, I got both books, "Quest for Nobility" and "The Crystal Facade" formatted, uploaded and accepted into the premium catalog which means they will be available on the Apple ipad. Dave and I are very happy. How cool is that?