E-publishing… the Next Generation

‘Ham’ing it up Principles or income – what’s a self-...

E-publishing… the Next Generation

Back in February, I had an odd run-in with pirates. Not aboard my boat – that would have been strange indeed, considering her fixed position, high and dry within a shed. No, this was piracy of the digital variety. Someone had stolen content directly off of my blog, from some posts I’d done about some Kindle covers my daughter and I had made.

There it was, compiled into a book—every word, every photo, including ones where you could see my kitchen, my cat and my coffee cup. That’s getting a bit personal, don’t you think? But to add the ultimate insult to this injury, it was published it under my name. Someone was using my name and making money off of my writing. And worse yet, due to poor formatting, this ‘book’ was receiving bad reviews. Seriously! That’s what bothered me the most to me at the time: they’d actually had the nerve to steal my name, and tarnish it! I can do just as well without anyone else’s help. Truth be told, had they not done that, it’s likely I may have never noticed, and it would still be selling to this day. And ironically, it was selling quite well.

As I said, my daughter had helped to create the original covers featured in these posts. She inherited my talent for working with her hands, and she’s an amazing seamstress as well. The covers we’d had online were early designs, ones she’d long since improved upon. And considering someone else had already proven that even done badly, this was a book people wanted, it occurred to her that it would be worth the time to put her own book together, done right. Knowing that most people prefer not to sew, she created tutorials for covers anyone could make without ever needing a needle or thread. And what started as one book grew into a series of four. She’s turned to me for a bit of help with the whole e-book publishing part, and the other day, under a pen/nickname, her books went live.

So, I’d like to ask you all to welcome a new writer into the fascinating and ever-evolving world of self-publishing and e-books. It will be interesting to see how her light and friendly ‘how-to’ books do compared to my fictional murder and mayhem. I usually don’t ask, but if you could ‘like’ this on Facebook and help get the word out, that would be wonderful. And, in a strange way, I’d like to thank that unknown pirate, whoever you may be, for opening her eyes to an opportunity she’d never even imagined until you showed us its value.

And here they are – we’d both love to know what everyone thinks:

Would you like a beautiful new one-of-a-kind Kindle cover, but without spending lots of money, and without needing to sew? Then look no further! This book shows how you can create your own stylish, one-of-kind covers, simply and inexpensively, using materials you already have and easy-to-find supplies. Make your covers as stylish, playful, elegant, or rugged as you’d like.

These covers are really quite simple and easy to create — all you need are the basic crafting skills you learned in kindergarten. Over 40 photos accompany detailed descriptions guiding you through every step of the process, and these covers can be as simple or complex as you’d like. The possibilities are endless—your only limit is your imagination.

And they aren’t just for Kindles — these customizable designs work for all models of e-Readers and tablets, so once you’ve made your own, you can create wonderful personalized and unique gifts for family and friends as well.