Michael Jasper's Blog, page 33

Indie Writer Tip 5: The 3 key ebook formats you need to know

Today’s tip for independent writers is all about formats, as in which format to use for your ebooks. As you can see from this huge list of file formats for ebooks, it can be overwhelming to try to cover all the different types.

No worries. In my experience, for ebooks that are mostly text, like novels or stories, it comes down to three key formats: ePub, Mobi, and PDF.

As far as ebooks go, I feel like there are just these three formats to worry about if you’re an indie writer.

ePub has been figh...

Indie Writer Tips 3 and 4: Also By and Excerpts pages

Continuing my irregular series of tips for writers doing it all themselves, I have another two-for-one special on tips that have worked for me.

Indie Writer Tip 3:

This one’s a piece of cake. You just add another page to the front of your ebook, right after your copyright info and front matter text. This lets readers know that you’re an established writer, and that you have more books for them to buy once they finish the current book.

This page is the Also By page. For example:

Some things to not...

Indie Writer Tips 1 and 2: How to Get Readers Involved

I want to start sharing all the various tips and hints I’ve gleaned from reading various blogs and ebooks about indie publishing — focusing on the tips that have actually WORKED for me. So watch this space for the occasional tip for getting your indie books out there, starting with these two simple procedures.

Indie Writer Tip 1:

Add a link (or two or three) to your About the Author page at the end of your ebook. Encourage your readers to take one more step after buying, reading, and enjoying y...

Still not as wordy as George R.R Martin…

I grabbed this image of the Kindle app on my phone the other day:

So the number of dots under a book signifies the length of the book. The dots turn blue as you make progress through the book.

I thought that my trilogy of all three of my Contagious Magic books would stack up against one of George R.R. Martin’s huge “Song of Ice and Fire” books, but I still fell short.

But hey, it was really cool seeing my books right there next to the books of a best-seller like GRRM. Hope readers enjoy it as mu...

More Contagious Magic goodness!

Hello again! I know, two blog posts in one week — what gives?

Well, I just wanted to share two cool things with you related to the last book in the trilogy I just finished, A Lasting Cure for Magic. It’s actually been a twenty-year trip for these “Contagious Magic” books of mine.

I first started writing about the characters in these books when I was teaching junior high English and Reading way back in ’93. One day I assigned them some to do some descriptive writing of a person, and just for kic...

New novel now available: A Lasting Cure for Magic

A Lasting Cure for Magic (cover image by Fotolotti | dreamstime)

Today marks the official launch of my latest novel: A Lasting Cure for Magic!

This is the next book in the “Contagious Magic” series, and like the first two books in this series, I think this one is a lot of fun. I know I had a great time writing it.

A Lasting Cure for Magic has magic (of course) with ancient Sorcerers and teenaged wizards, lots of secret histories, a fair bit of globetrotting, plenty of non-stop action, and of cou...

Hanging off some cliffs…

A Lasting Cure for Magic (cover art by Fotolotti | dreamstime)

It’s been a while, I know, but I have indeed been plugging away on book 3 of my Contagious Magic series, A Lasting Cure for Magic.

I got a lot of work done in November of last year, and then hit the wall in December and barely wrote a word. Not sure what happened there… But then I started getting ramped up in January, and have hit a great rhythm here at the end of February.

I’m excited with where this is going, and I just finished up...

A Lasting Cure for Magic: Chapter Four

A Lasting Cure for Magic (cover art by Fotolotti | dreamstime)

Below is the final excerpt from my new contemporary fantasy novel, A Lasting Cure for Magic.

This all-ages novel is a sequel to A Wild Epidemic of Magic and A Sudden Outbreak of Magic (which are both available as trade paperbacks and ebooks of all formats).

These books make up the Contagious Magic series of novels; the first three form a standalone trilogy.

So, without any more needless banter, I’m taking you back to the ongoing adven...

A Lasting Cure for Magic: Chapter Three

A Lasting Cure for Magic (cover art by Fotolotti | dreamstime)

Below is the next excerpt from my new contemporary fantasy novel, A Lasting Cure for Magic.

This all-ages novel is a sequel to A Wild Epidemic of Magic and A Sudden Outbreak of Magic (which are both available as trade paperbacks and ebooks of all formats).

These books make up the Contagious Magic series of novels; the first three form a standalone trilogy.

So, without any more needless banter, I’m taking you back to the ongoing advent...

A Lasting Cure for Magic: Chapter Two

A Lasting Cure for Magic (cover art by Fotolotti | dreamstime)

Below is chapter two of my new contemporary fantasy novel, A Lasting Cure for Magic.

This all-ages novel is a sequel to A Wild Epidemic of Magic and A Sudden Outbreak of Magic (which are both available as trade paperbacks and ebooks of all formats).

These books make up the Contagious Magic series of novels; the first three form a standalone trilogy.

So, without any more needless banter, I’m taking you back to the ongoing adventure:

A L...