Member Blog

It’s free to join SPR and blog about your writing experiences. Read the latest blog entries from our community

The Mystery of the Missing Amazon Public Notes

Prime Suspect: The New Amazon Upgrade Program

Amazon Public Notes look like they are taking a turn that only a detective can figure out.
I blogged in February about the Great News of Amazon adding a new feature to their eBooks called Public Notes in which readers could share highlights and notes with other readers. In that blog, I detailed some areas I thought were potential high benefit areas.

Public Notes have caught on with Kindle 3 users as more and more readers add their ideas and thoughts. If I follow the instructions, I can add my own notes as […]

2017-03-24T09:34:11+02:00June 30th, 2011|Categories: Features, Member Blog|Tags: |

To be an authoritative reference on publishing requires allowing all voices to be heard

There once was a time when Absolute Write stood as a beacon to protect authors from unscrupulous business people and practices. But they have become so entrenched with how publishing has operated in the past, that they are disallowing individuals from sharing their experiences with new models and opportunities. I’m referring to a recent incident where I and author Kevin O. McLaughlin were banned from that site. A post in the Self-Publishing and POD section posed the following question: Can I try and traditionally publish after making a kindle/e-pubbing? Several people pointed out that since the first publication rights had […]

2011-06-08T15:24:53+02:00June 8th, 2011|Categories: Features, Member Blog|

A Journey in Self-Publishing

Recently, I published my first book, Managing Behind the Wall: Lessons in Leadership from Inside the Big Box. It’s a book that talks about some of the lessons I learned inside big box retail as I spent nearly five years on the front line of the largest retailer in the world.

I chose to self-publish because I wanted my voice to be able to get out sooner rather than later. Traditional publishing is nice and I would jump for the opportunity, but not wait for it.  Usually, unless you’re famous, already rich, connected, or already established, a publishing deal is […]

2011-06-06T13:31:07+02:00June 6th, 2011|Categories: Interviews, Member Blog|

Ebook Authors: Travel Guides are the Ultimate eBooks

Do you want to create a travel guide that is the centerpiece of your reader’s travel experience? You know an ebook that is the foundation of their travel decisions. A travel package that they have at their fingertips. One that will help them with every part of their journey.

You can do this but you need to look at your ebook differently. You cannot create just a copy of your bound version.

Last week I got involved in a discussion on Linkedin which was started by Nola Lee Kelsey of ‘The Voluntary Traveler’ about creating travel guides as eBooks.

This […]

2019-02-18T12:20:47+02:00May 26th, 2011|Categories: Features, Member Blog|

The Pros and Cons of Independent Publishing

I published my novel, “Dead Spell”, myself and not necessarily because I had to, but because I wanted to. It’s niche genre fiction and has found its home in the horror community at large. Some of the reviews have been beyond my wildest dreams awesome and from their content, I can tell I really reached my readers on the intended deeply emotional level.

I’m a huge fan of the independent publishing movement, if it’s done right. Writing is a craft that one hones over years and years of practice and persistence. It requires a commitment to quality and form and […]

2014-05-05T22:36:44+02:00May 18th, 2011|Categories: Features, Member Blog|

My First Self-Publishing Experience

To introduce myself, my name is Ashly Lorenzana. I’m twenty-three years old and I live in Portland, OR where I’ve worked as an escort for over five years. Over these last several years, I kept a personal journal/blog about my life in general, both as an escort and a drug addict. I never thought anything of it, until I was contacted by a local published author (who wished to remain anonymous) who asked me if I’d ever considered publishing it. Surprised, I wrote him back and said no, it was just my silly journal. He told me he was even […]

2011-04-28T10:01:14+02:00April 28th, 2011|Categories: Features, Member Blog|

Self-Publishing Changed My Life

As of today, I have self-published my fifth novel. I began this journey with absolutely no clue what I was doing. I took a chance and my family took that leap of faith with me. Last fall I published four novels, no editor, basically four manuscripts that needed a lot of cleaning up. The stories held up, but the grammar, well, let’s just say I went back to school since then.

One of those novels (The Girl Back Home) hit number one in lesbian/fiction/romance on Amazon.com,  in November, and just stayed there for months. It’s still in the […]

2011-04-25T14:20:16+02:00April 25th, 2011|Categories: Member Blog|

What indie publishing is like: “I’m a Fool”

No, I am NOT referring to the “fool” part of the title.

I’m no more a fool than anyone pursuing a vocation.

I’m a Fool is a 38-minute film made n 1976  as part of the PBS American Short Story Collection. It dramatizes a short story by Sherwood Anderson. It stars Ron Howard (yes, that Ron Howard) and Amy Irving, and was directed by Noel Black.

Traveling from town to town during the summer of 1919, young Andy (Ron Howard) has left his Ohio home in search of adventure and romance as a horse trainer on the country

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2011-04-15T20:07:15+02:00April 15th, 2011|Categories: Features, Member Blog|
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