Google-fu is Soooo not My Strong Point

Neither is coding.

I was hoping to have Blood Curse available on Google Books by Black Friday. Sadly, this was not to be. I still haven’t been able to produce an .epub file which can pass their requirements.

First, I uploaded the 97-2003 compatible Word .doc to Zamzar for conversion to Epub. I uploaded to Google Books. It had errors, which they listed in html code language, which is complete gobbledygook to me.

Next, I made a regular Word .docx and uploaded it for conversion. Same issue.

I’ve been asking my FB author resources if they know how to fix it, but response has been sparse and not very helpful yet.

This morning, it occurred to me that the hyperlinks in the manuscript might be the problem. (Smashwords suggests creating a linked ToC for navigation, so I did.) I plan to remove the ToC from the .docx file, as well as the hyperlinks for contacting me or this site from the end matter. I’ll leave the urls, just unlinked.

If the Epub I get from these changes doesn’t work, GB can bite me. I was just trying to reach a wider audience. My former publisher never sold through Google Books, and I’m beginning to see why.

Russians, Pirates, and Indie Authors

I’m sure you’re wondering what the connection is. It’s file sharing.

If you ever look at the copyright page of nearly any book, regardless of format, you’ll find a paragraph which states that the book cannot be legally copied, in part or in whole, via printing or file sharing without written permission from the rights holder.

Why do I bring this up? Because buried deep among the many unrelated links of a Google search I did for purchase links for Blood Curse, I came across a forum thread on a Russian-hosted site where people were looking for Hell’s Dodo. The comments were made just this month. One commenter posted a link to a file sharing site which has digital copies of the book. A forum admin posted all the various Smashwords files from the book on the thread and closed it to further comment.

Granted, Hell’s Dodo is currently out of publication and isn’t slated for 2nd edition release until November 2023 (since it’s the 5th book in the series). Also, obviously someone bought a copy each of all those file formats. However, they were never given permission to share or resell them.

I realize file sharing is akin to how libraries work, but only to a point. Libraries control loans to one person per copy at a time, and they expect it back. I’m not sure, but I think a library copy of an ebook carries an expiration date on the file and should self-delete if it’s not re-checked by that date. If this is incorrect, feel free to let me know in the comments.

I have actually made Blood Curse available to libraries through Smashwords. It is also available for subscription services like Scribd.

You may still say, “What harm is file sharing doing if it’s offered for free.?”

Free or not, it represents a loss of income to publishers and authors. While I hold a well-paying full-time job aside from my writing and don’t rely on royalty payments for a living, many authors do not share that luxury. File sharing also creates a shadow fan base that an author will never know about, unless they stumble across a forum thread or some such like I did.

This means a struggling indie author may never know how popular their books really are. If more people pirate copies than buy copies, poor sales numbers can make writers think they’re no good and give it up entirely.

Of course, a situation like that would also bite the shadow fans in the tookus, too. If an author quits in the middle of a series, they’ve screwed themselves out of never knowing how it ends.

So, if you are a fan of an author, please BUY their books. If cost is a barrier, pester your local library to pick up a copy or two. It benefits the author, and it benefits the readers.

Do your part to keep pirates in entertainment and out of business in the real world.

Blood Curse: Waves of Darkness book 1 ebook LIVE!

Through much frustration tempered with patience, the ebook version of Blood Curse 2nd edition is now available on several platforms. Just in time for the start of shopping season, too!

You can find it in multiple formats on Smashwords. Since I am new to selling directly through them rather than going through a proven publisher, they have not distributed the book to Amazon yet. If you have a Kindle, you can buy a .mobi file from Smashwords.

It has also gone live on Kobo and Scribd. According to my channel manager, it should also be available at Apple. Since my devices are not Apple/Mac, I cannot verify that, so I just linked to their store on the book’s landing page.

I still have to get the file converted to Epub for uploading to Google Books. While Smashwords’ Meatgrinder does convert to that format (among others) it is frowned upon to use their file to upload to an unaffiliated retailer like Google Play.

(I have to wonder if that arrangement might change in the near future. Smashwords has partnered with Findaway Voices ebook producers and distributors. Findaway may soon be purchased by Google, if I remember a recently read article correctly.)

Much as I would love to go wide with an audio book version, I will probably end up using ACX despite the 7 year contract and limited to Audible. I just can’t afford the narrator prices/finished hour. Apparently the lowest rate is $100/hr. but averages higher. This would be about an 8.5 hour book going by word count. That’s a big ouch. The only way I could swing that would be through some sort of crowd funding. I don’t have the equipment, proper sound-proofing, or time to create the audio files myself. I don’t think I even have a space in my house that could be adequately adapted for recording.

Anywho, all the current purchase links for both the print (US$16.95 or less) and ebook (US$3.99) can be found HERE. I hope you enjoy reading it!

Ebook Update

Hopefully, I will have the files ready to upload to Smashwords and Google Books by this weekend. Haven’t been getting much time to work on it lately.

Following the Smashwords style guide was a little tricky at first, especially translating instructions for a very old version of Word to Word 360. I do feel I’ve learned some useful editing tricks, at least.

More Housekeeping and Marketing

Obey the kitty. Buy, read, and review my book.

I plan to start sending queries to reviewers today and probably the rest of the week. I’ll be contacting both book bloggers and BookTubers to hopefully maximize exposure for Blood Curse: Waves of Darkness book 1.

That being said, I admit I turned down an offer of a review and exposure on a Bookstagram profile yesterday. I realize getting a free copy to reviewers is part of how it’s done. No problem with that. However, I don’t believe paying for reviews is ethical. How do you trust a review to be honest knowing the author or publisher paid someone to do it?

Also, I believe paid-for reviews can actually hurt a book’s sales; especially a high rated review that leaves readers feeling bamboozled if the book doesn’t measure up. That will lead to bad reviews.

On the housekeeping front: I’ve gone through a freshened all the pages in the Smuggler’s Cove and Huckster’s Haven.

Dead links have been removed and replaced, if I could find viable replacements. I did have to delete a couple or so vendors whom I could find no working means of contact for. I assume their businesses fell victim to the dearth of live conventions these past 2 years. Please browse the listings now available and do a little shopping. These are the ultimate small businesses in dire need of support. OBEY THE KITTY.

Blood Curse 2nd Edition Print on Schedule

Thought staging my preview copy with my treasure chest display was a nice touch. I just had to move my PotC Jack the Monkey and my Bun-Bun from Sluggy Freelance out of the way for the pic. Kiki from Sluggy Freelance is in ferret shock among the tiaras in the chest one level down from this.

As the title for this post indicates, the paperback edition is all set up and scheduled to release tomorrow, November 2nd.

The ebook edition, however, will be delayed for a few more days. I didn’t get as much time at my computer this past weekend as I’d hoped for, and formatting for Smashwords’ “Meatgrinder” is a bit involved. Especially since I had to strip out any previous formatting. There’s quite a lot of italics that have to be put back in manually, and spacing issues to fix.

I really wish they’d update the Meatgrinder instructions for Word 360. Some of the functions listed simply do not exist anymore. I understand disliking what seems to be unnecessary change, but in the tech world, you can only escape change for so long before you get left in the dust.

I also have to have a separate Epub file created for Google Books, since Smashwords doesn’t distribute to them. Joy.

I’m definitely going to get an earlier start on formatting the next book so I can actually meet my self-imposed deadline.

Publishing, like getting old, is NOT for the faint of heart.