In this short story, a teenager narrowly avoids getting abducted and that close call affects her summer (and her psyche). Even though she’s in no danger, she can’t help but compare herself to the missing girl.

As a special treat, the free download contains an excerpt from my collection of short stories The Heaviest Corner on Earth.

Hey all, this Thursday and Friday (January 12 & 13), for no particular reason, I’m offering a special promotion on my collection of short stories The Heaviest Corner on Earth. For these two days, anyone and everyone can download the ebook for FREE from Amazon.

Please take advantage of this special promotion and get the free ebook while the getting’s good, because this promotion won’t last long. Free ebooks aren’t just for Amazon Prime members anymore.

In keeping with the theme of new beginnings and resolutions to try new things, this set of links focuses on making your world a better place.

My favorite link of the week — The Phone Stack. Brought to us by Kempt, the phone stack is a simple idea that could make a huge impact on the way we interact with each other in person, while being connected to the rest of the world via our devices. At dinner, everyone stacks their phone on the table face down. The first person who answers picks up the tab!

Over at Brain Pickings, there’s a cute article about a little-known children’s book by Gertrude Stein called The World is Round. The book is gorgeously illustrated in blue ink on pink pages, and a few copies are still floating around on the internet. How does this fall into the resolution category? As an ebook maker, one of my resolutions is not to forget just how special paper books can be.

Albert Einstein defined insanity as “doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” That’s why this helpful article from 99% makes so much sense when it argues that to create positive change in our lives, we should consider our patterns, the mistakes we repeatedly make, and try to change the way we try to get things done.

Part of being an ebook maker is learning how ebooks are made. And, in case you didn’t know, they function pretty much exactly like websites. That’s simplifying things a little, but basically to learn how to make ebooks, you need to learn how to make websites. That’s why I’ve resolved to learn coding in 2012 with Codeacademy.

What are your New Year’s resolutions?

Welcome to 2012!! Amazon just released its 2011 sales roundup and the #1 and #4 best-selling books for Kindle were self-published! This is great news of self-publishers (like myself) because it shows that there’s both a market and a viable platform for publishing your own work.

The #1 best-selling book for Kindle in 2011 was The Mill River Recluse by Darcie Chan. The #4 bestselling book for Kindle in 2011 was The Abbey by Chris Culver. Both books were published using Kindle Direct Publishing, Amazon’s self-publishing platform.

And in December, Kindle’s #5 best-selling book was Wife by Wednesday, written and self-published by Catherine Bybee, a former nurse. Her book even landed on the USA Today and Wall Street Journal best-seller lists!

Amazon’s full press release (found here), details more of the company’s 2011 successes, including the tidbit that customers bought more than 1 million Kindles per week in December 2011. That’s a lot of ereaders, folks.

Watch this video on YouTube.

The video above comes to us via Kobo by way of Ebook Friendly, and though it’s obviously meant to sell Kobo readers, the video is actually a great introduction to ereaders in general.

The wonderful folks over at Brain Pickings put together a roundup of 7 great book trailers. The post went up way back in April, but since I’m starting to think about creating a trailer for my upcoming young adult novel Darwin, Singer, this post caught my eye. Think I’ll be able to get Zach Galifianakis for my trailer?

Even though I’m focused on building my fiction career, working for myself, I’m still seeking out freelance work, which means that I have to make myself appealing to others. That’s why I love this post from 99%, which discusses the way that personal bios, life stories, are replacing dry, stale resumes. There are also tips on how to beef up your bio.

From the WTF and NSFW files comes this sales trailer for Dracula 3D, directed by Dario Argento. The trailer, brought to my attention by Slashfilm, is meant to find distribution for the film, which is still in post-production, so many of the effects are unfinished. But that doesn’t stop this trailer from featuring breasts, a beheading, some melting flesh and a giant praying mantis. Enjoy!

And finally, because I want to eat a cookie every day between now and January 1st, I give you the Serious Eats roundup of 30 recipes from their office cookie swap. nom nom nom

Instead, I think a list better serves this topic. I love lists. Bullet points excite me. Besides, short and sweet is often the best format through which to convey information, so here we go. What I did over summer vacation Why I Decided to Self-Publish My Book:

• It’s impossible to find an agent.

By impossible, I mean that the odds are extremely slim that you’ll find an agent with a decent track record of sales who isn’t a scammer to represent your book. Most agents aren’t looking for new authors. The ones that are looking for new authors agree to represent less than one percent of the thousands of books that are submitted to them each year.

• It’s impossible to get a book published through a traditional publisher.

To get published, you have to first find an agent because the major publishing houses won’t given writers without agents the time of day. And I’ve already told you how difficult it is to get an agent.

At this point in the list, you may be thinking, “I know someone who has an agent. I know someone who’s published a book through Penguin!” To which I might reply, “Tell them congratulations on being part of the less than one percent.” Sure, writers do find agents. Books do get published. Odds-wise, it’s like trying to win the lottery. There’s a chance, but …

• Traditional publishing is dying.

Sad but true. It started with print publications like newspapers and magazines folding left and right, but the death of traditional publishing has crept into the book sector, too. Sales are down, which means that publishing houses have less money to spend on printing new works and acquiring new authors.

• Traditional publishing doesn’t pay well.

Look, I didn’t get into the writing game to become a millionaire (but it sure would be cool!). I write because I love to write and want to share my writing with the world. But everybody’s gotta make a living, right? Out of what their books gross, writers who publish through traditional methods take home an insultingly small amount—we’re talking less than one percent (funny how that figure keeps coming up). To sell a book through Barnes & Noble, a writer takes home up to 65% of the list price. The percentage at Amazon is even higher.

• I’m a control freak.

Self-publishing allowed me to have control of my manuscript from start to finish. I had editorial control over everything from the art to the layout to the metadata. Sure, it’s a lot to handle, but I work well under pressure.

• I love being an early adopter.

Ebooks are here to stay. The last reason I decided to self-publish was that I had a serious interest in becoming an ebook expert. And what better way to become an expert at something than to do it? So I learned how to create write an ebook, how to format an ebook, how to upload an ebook and how to market an ebook. Now, I’m more than just a writer. I’m an author, a self-publisher and an ebook expert.

There may have been some speedbumps along the way, but I’ve published my first ebook and made my first few sales. Now, there’s nowhere to go but up. Maybe one day traditional publishing will regain some of the ground it’s lost to successful indie authors, but for now, self-publishing is the present and the future.

Watch this video on YouTube.

With the new year fast approaching, everyone’s thinking about the future, and the world of publishing isn’t immune. Fortykey put together a great roundup of trends in the worlds of paper books, e-readers and bookstores now and for the future.

The Millions shares some gift ideas for the writer in your life—items like lipstick, a bathrobe or a manicure. The list is obviously geared toward the lady writers in your life, but the main idea applies to male writers, too. As beautiful as leather-bound journals are, they’ll never get used in any way other than as a chai tea (or bourbon) coaster.

You can never learn too much about SEO, especially when it comes to selling books, so Nathan Bransford’s post about SEO optimization for authors is a must-read for writers.

I really enjoyed this piece from The Guardian about emerging efforts to make paper books hand-crafted, beautiful objects. I guess the ebook backlash isn’t all bad.

The Hollywood Reporter sat down with Aaron Sorkin, Steve Zaillan, Pedro Almodovar, Dustin Lance Black, Oren Moverman and Eric Roth to discuss their scripts for The Skin I Live In, Moneyball, J. Edgar, Rampart and Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, many if not all of which will be nominated for Oscars. If you’ve got some time on your hands, watch the clips (or the full video) of this hour-long roundtable.

Special Holiday Addition:

If you love cheese and camp and cartoons as much as I do, then you’re probably loving the fact that the airways will be clogged with TV Christmas specials for the next two weeks. The writers over at The A.V. Club have graciously taken it upon themselves to outline and analyze beloved holiday specials through the years.

We’re excited to introduce KDP Select — a new option dedicated to KDP authors and publishers worldwide, featuring a fund of $500,000 in December 2011 and at least $6 million in total for 2012!  KDP Select gives you a new way to earn royalties, reach a broader audience, and use a new set of promotional tools.

 

Here’s how KDP Select works:

When you make any of your titles exclusive to the Kindle Store for at least 90 days, those with US rights will automatically be included in the Kindle Owners’ Lending Library and can earn a share of a monthly fund.  The monthly fund for December 2011 is $500,000 and will total at least $6 million in 2012.  If you haven’t checked it out already, the Kindle Owners’ Lending Library is a collection of books that eligible US Amazon Prime members can borrow for free once a month with no due dates.

 

You’ll also now have access to a new set of promotional tools, starting with the option to promote your KDP Select-enrolled titles for FREE for up to 5 days every 90 days.

 

How your share of the monthly fund is calculated:

 

Your share of the monthly fund is based on your enrolled titles’ share of the total number of borrows across all participating KDP titles in the Kindle Owners’ Lending Library.  For example, if total borrows of all participating KDP titles are 100,000 in December and your book was borrowed 1,500 times, you will earn $7,500 in additional royalties from KDP Select in December.  Enrolled titles will remain available for sale to any customer in the Kindle Store and you will continue to earn your regular royalties on those sales.

 

What this means to you:

 

KDP Select gives you access to a whole new source of royalties and readers– you not only benefit from a new way of making money, but you also get the chance to reach even more readers by getting your book in front of a growing number of US Amazon Prime customers: readers and future fans of your books that you may have not had a chance to reach before! Additionally, the ability to offer your book for free will help expand your worldwide reader base.

 

How to enroll:

 

KDP Select is available for titles participating in both the 70% and 35% royalty options.  You can immediately start by enrolling a single title, your whole catalog, or anything in between.

 

If you’re interested in enrolling a title that’s already uploaded, simply click “Enroll” next to the book in your Bookshelf. To enroll multiple titles that are already uploaded, select the boxes next to any number of titles, then click “Actions” and choose “Enroll these books in KDP Select.” The titles you choose will be enrolled immediately.

 

If you’re interested in enrolling a new title, simply check the “Enroll this book in KDP Select” box while submitting details about your book and proceed to publish the book as you normally would. For new titles, enrollment takes effect once the book is available for sale on our website.

 

To learn more about KDP Select, visit: http://kdp.amazon.com/self-publishing/KDPSelect

 

To learn more about the Kindle Owners’ Lending Library, visit:
http://www.amazon.com/kindleownerslendinglibrary

An interesting idea. I think my debut novel will spend the first 90 days of its life exclusively on Amazon. The option to give the book away for free is a huge bonus, especially for genre authors (YA in my case).

What is an ebook? An ebook is an electronic book. Obviously. But it’s also much more. Ebooks can do most everything a paper book can do plus other fun stuff. But before we delve into that, let’s talk about what they can’t do.

What Ebooks Can’t Do

• Look pretty on a bookshelf above your fireplace.
• Get wrapped and put under a Christmas tree.
• Develop that musty smell library books have that makes me sneeze, but that I love.

In short, ebooks can’t ever replace print books. I don’t think that’s what ebook advocates want. Print books will always be around. (During the lifetime of anyone reading this, anyway.) So, if you’re a reader who’s refused to take the plunge into ebooks because you’re secretly afraid they’ll kill print books, it’s time to stop worrying. They won’t.*

What Ebooks Can Do

• Display plain text and images. (Paper books can do that, too!)
• Allow for multimedia enhancements like audio clips, videos and other interactive graphics. Imagine an anatomy textbook with a 3-d model of the human body that a student can rotate and resize at home while studying. How about novels with built in soundtracks?
• Put a world of information and entertainment at your fingertips, instantly. The world is all about instant gratification these days, and ebooks fit in perfectly. For me, this means that when I want to read some Philip K. Dick for inspiration, followed immediately by a story-structure handbook for research, I can do so with a few clicks of the keyboard. Often, for free.

Ebook Mythbusting

• Myth #1: You need a dedicated ereader like a Kindle or Nook to read ebooks.

FALSE! You can read ebooks on your computer and your smartphone, if you have the right software and/or apps. Amazon’s Kindle app works with Blackberry, Windows PC, Mac, iPhone, iPad, Android. Barnes & Noble’s Nook app works with all of the aforementioned except Blackberry.

• Myth #2: You can’t ever really own an ebook.

FALSE! You can save your ebooks as files on your home computer or an external harddrive to keep and read forever. I recommend open source software Calibre for managing your ebook library on your computer.

• Myth #3: You can’t let friends borrow them like you can with paper books.

FALSE! Amazon allows multiple devices to access the same account. So, you can share your ebooks with a friend or two (or six at the same time). Nook’s LendMe function also lets you share ebooks.

• Myth #4: Authors and publishers lose when they go digital.

FALSE! Production costs are lower, allowing publishers to make more money and to pass on more of their profit to the author (not that they do). For authors who skip traditional publishing and opt to self-publish their ebooks and sell them on Amazon or Barnes & Noble, they’re looking to take home 30 – 70% of their sales, and they still own the rights to their work. Authors with deals through traditional publishers like Random House and Penguin take home something like 1% of their sales and lose their copyright to boot.

So those are the basics. Ebooks aren’t evil, nor are they a passing fad. Ebook and ereader sales are constantly growing. Class dismissed!

*Well, they mostly won’t. Ebooks will kill publishing as we now know it. Just like mp3s and piracy forced the record industry to reset itself, ebooks and the accompanying ease of independent publishing will force traditional publishers to reconsider business as usual. But that’s a blog post for another day …

My first collection of short stories is now available for purchase worldwide! The Heaviest Corner on Earth just went up for sale online at Amazon and Barnes & Noble for only $2.99!

I’m currently working on getting the book into the iBookstore and prepping it for print on demand–check the blog often for updates!!

In honor of this auspicious occasion, I’m offering a short story out of the collection as a free download right here on my blog!

I’ve been working on the story “Perfect Enough” for years. It started life in a fiction workshop at UAB, as a piece of short fiction about a black teenage contestant in an all white pageant. Then, the piece was published in my favorite literary broadsheet THE2NDHAND under the title “318.” It won THE2NDHAND’s fiction competition, and I got to read at Artwalk with the inimitable editor Todd Dills, who even selected the piece to appear in an anthology, All Hands On: THE2NDHAND After 10, where it resides alongside stories by many wonderful writers who’ve also been featured in the broadsheet.

Now you can read “Perfect Enough” in its latest iteration–I won’t say it’s the final version because who knows?

Download the PDF of “Perfect Enough.”

Buy The Heaviest Corner on Earth for Kindle.

Buy The Heaviest Corner on Earth for Nook.