Sunday, March 27, 2011

Taking the eBook Plunge

My first novel, The Seasons of the EmmaLee, has been in the bookstores since 2005. I've been keeping a close eye on the changes in the publishing industry these past years, as most writers have. There is no denying that there is a dramatic transformation underway in how readers find the stories they want to read. Certainly bookstores, and those of us who love bookstores, will continue to be a favorite destination to find that next great read. But the surprising number of people embracing new eReader technology with Kindle, Nook, IPad and countless other devices, can't be denied as anything but industry changing. I've finally decided to take the plunge and publish my earlier novels as eBooks. I found that Smashwords was a tremendous web service that allows writers to format their books easily to be compatible with all eBook reader devices. Smashwords also provides electronic distribution to make your eBooks available on the popular online book retailer sites like Amazon, Barnes & Noble and the Apple Store. The books can also be accessed at Smashwords.com online bookstore. You can now find The Seasons of the EmmaLee at my Smashwords profile and book page for just $2.99. Find me on Smashwords at: http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/MichaelLindley Sample or purchase my ebook at Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/49823

Saturday, March 26, 2011

Welcome to Author Michael Lindley's Writer's Blog

Welcome to my blog musings on writing and publishing. In the coming months I plan to share news and information about my writing journey, as well as thoughts and lessons learned navigating the publishing world.

With two novels now on the shelves of the major chain bookstores and the many great independent booksellers in the Midwest for past several years through my own independent publishing company, Sage River Press, I have now finished my third work of historical fiction, Grayton Winds.

Set in the beautiful and remote village of Grayton Beach on the northern Gulf Coast of Florida in the 1920's, Grayton Winds follows the life of aging writer reflecting back on the lost loves in his life and his struggles to escape the deceit and corruption of his ruthless family who controlled the liquor trade in the South.

The book has been complete and edited for several months now. I've been reaching out to secure an agent to help sell the book to a mainstream national publisher. With the current economy and nature of the publishing business, it has been extremely challenging for many writers to even connect with an agent, let alone a traditional publisher. While I continue to query agents who work in the historical fiction genre, I am also exploring the many new digital publishing and eBook options for distributing and selling my books.

For those of you on a similar writing journey, I look forward to sharing our challenges, successes and breakthroughs.

For those of you who have read my first two novels, or are considering doing so, thank you and let me know what you think about the stories. After all, this is all about telling and reading a good story.