Free Fantasy, Only A Mouse-Click Away

Carolyn Kephart · 05-20-2009, 07:58 PM

Hi, everyone. I wish I'd found this site sooner!

My fantasy duology The Ryel Saga was recently added to the offerings on the Amazon Kindle, and both volumes, Wysard and Lord Brother, are on sale for $0.99 each until June 1. I hope to extend the sale to the entire summer if possible.

The Ryel Saga will also soon be available at Mobipocket; I'll let the world know when that happens.

Reviewers for established e-zines and blogs are welcome to contact me for free pdfs of either or both books. My email address is on my website at http://carolynkephart.com, along with full first chapters of both books, lots of terrific reviews from known journals and 'zines, biography, and a sci-fi short story about love and giant lizards, all free for a mere mouse-click.

Thanks and happy reading,

CK
Amazon blog: http://www.amazon.com/gp/pdp/profile/AXOPZ31KY736I

Moejoe · 05-20-2009, 08:00 PM

Hi and welcome to this corner of the greatness that is Mobileread

pdurrant · 05-21-2009, 04:05 AM

Welcome to Mobileread. Just don't spend more time reading here than writing new books....

I took a quick look at your site. The cover for the Kindle version is very nice indeed. I was almost put off by Aqqar in the sample chapter, until I googled it and found it an actual place-name.

If my ‘to-be-read’ pile wasn't so high, I'd be looking forward to the mobipocket release.

Carolyn Kephart · 05-22-2009, 01:07 AM

Thanks for the kind welcome, Moejoe. I, well, loved your Bradbury quote and look forward to reading your stories!

Writerly regards,

CK

Carolyn Kephart · 05-22-2009, 01:12 AM

Actually, pdurrant, when I made up the word Aqqar I didn't know it was an actual place. How cool that it was, eh?

Thanks for checking out my site. Daunting though your TBR pile is, I do hope you'll revisit my site to read my short story 'Regenerated' on the front page. It's more recent than my books and, I think, more finely-tuned as regards prose. I mean, how can one not resist a tale of love and giant lizards? :-p

Kind regards,

CK

GeoffC · 05-22-2009, 06:39 AM

a tale of love and giant lizards - now that's a promising tale to investigate....unfortunately like my friend above my to do list is getting too long - and I spend FAR TOO much time reading (here!).

rhadin · 05-22-2009, 09:27 AM

The only problem is that your books are available only to those who have Kindles. It would be nice if you made your books available at a similar price in formats that non-Kindlers could access, such as ePub.

DixieGal · 05-22-2009, 09:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rhadin

The only problem is that your books are available only to those who have Kindles. It would be nice if you made your books available at a similar price in formats that non-Kindlers could access, such as ePub.

GeoffC · 05-22-2009, 11:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rhadin

The only problem is that your books are available only to those who have Kindles. It would be nice if you made your books available at a similar price in formats that non-Kindlers could access, such as ePub.

Quote:

Originally Posted by DixieGal

to be fair she said mobipocket in the introduction

otherwise

rhadin · 05-22-2009, 04:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GeoffC

to be fair she said mobipocket in the introduction

She said "soon be available at Mobipocket", which doesn't make it available to readers whose devices haven't licensed Mobipocket from Amazon (let's not consider stripping the DRM and converting as that is not a reasonable alternative for everyone). Seems to me that an author would want the widest possible audience, which means -- at least today -- providing sources other than Amazon.

GeoffC · 05-23-2009, 04:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rhadin

She said "soon be available at Mobipocket", which doesn't make it available to readers whose devices haven't licensed Mobipocket from Amazon (let's not consider stripping the DRM and converting as that is not a reasonable alternative for everyone). Seems to me that an author would want the widest possible audience, which means -- at least today -- providing sources other than Amazon.

she mentioned available with amazon for the kindle, and then mentioned a hope for mobipocket, to my mind that implies a separation - if I'm wrong I apologise.

rhadin · 05-23-2009, 11:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GeoffC

she mentioned available with amazon for the kindle, and then mentioned a hope for mobipocket, to my mind that implies a separation - if I'm wrong I apologise.

Nothing to apologize for. The problem is that Amazon owns the Kindle and Amazon also owns Mobipocket. Since Amazon's purchase of Mobipocket (and possibly before) Mobi requires an exclusive agreement, that is, if you license Mobi you can't license competing proprietary formats (I wonder if that includes ePub). So even if the books are made available via Mobipocket, people who own, for example, Sony Readers can't buy or read the books (except by breaking the DRM and converting). That doesn't seem to me to be the way to expand one's readership, by limiting who can buy and read your books.

Carolyn Kephart · 05-29-2009, 12:47 AM

I appreciate all the comments here, and confess that I didn't know that Mobipocket had such rigid strictures, Rhadin.

Any advice on how best to proceed would be welcome. I haven't put my books on Mobi yet, and I do indeed want the widest possible audience! This is new territory for me, and I'm very glad to have knowledgeable advice from this forum.

Many thanks,

CK

rhadin · 05-29-2009, 10:10 AM

Carolyn,

If you want to use your first books as a way to get new readers for a forthcoming book, then you might consider offering it for free here on MobileRead and ask members to help you format and convert the books or use Calibre to do it yourself.

If you want to sell the books at the 99 cent price but in a broader range of formats, you could convert your books using Calibre and offer them via your own website.

There are MR members like Jeff Carver who have gone through the process and can be more helpful to you in this regard than I can.

Carolyn Kephart · 06-01-2009, 03:31 PM

Richard, I was considering the various format options, and then went back to the Mobi contract and re-read it. The following clause is reassuring:

3. No Exclusivity. This Agreement is not exclusive and does not impose any obligation or restrictions on either party with respect to competing business relationships or opportunities.

So I can go Mobi and proceed from there, to my relief.

CK

http://carolynkephart.com

05-20-2009, 07:58 PM	#1
Carolyn Kephart Junior Member Posts: 5 Karma: 260 Join Date: May 2009 Device: Kindle2	Free Fantasy, Only A Mouse-Click Away Hi, everyone. I wish I'd found this site sooner! My fantasy duology The Ryel Saga was recently added to the offerings on the Amazon Kindle, and both volumes, Wysard and Lord Brother, are on sale for $0.99 each until June 1. I hope to extend the sale to the entire summer if possible. The Ryel Saga will also soon be available at Mobipocket; I'll let the world know when that happens. Reviewers for established e-zines and blogs are welcome to contact me for free pdfs of either or both books. My email address is on my website at http://carolynkephart.com, along with full first chapters of both books, lots of terrific reviews from known journals and 'zines, biography, and a sci-fi short story about love and giant lizards, all free for a mere mouse-click. Thanks and happy reading, CK Amazon blog: http://www.amazon.com/gp/pdp/profile/AXOPZ31KY736I

05-22-2009, 01:07 AM	#4
Carolyn Kephart Junior Member Posts: 5 Karma: 260 Join Date: May 2009 Device: Kindle2	Thanks for the kind welcome, Moejoe. I, well, loved your Bradbury quote and look forward to reading your stories! Writerly regards, CK Last edited by Carolyn Kephart; 05-22-2009 at 01:11 AM.

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05-20-2009, 08:00 PM	#2
Moejoe Banned Posts: 5,100 Karma: 72193 Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: South of the Border Device: Coffin	Hi and welcome to this corner of the greatness that is Mobileread

05-21-2009, 04:05 AM	#3
pdurrant The Grand Mouse 高貴的老鼠 Posts: 71,496 Karma: 306214458 Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Norfolk, England Device: Kindle Voyage	Welcome to Mobileread. Just don't spend more time reading here than writing new books.... I took a quick look at your site. The cover for the Kindle version is very nice indeed. I was almost put off by Aqqar in the sample chapter, until I googled it and found it an actual place-name. If my ‘to-be-read’ pile wasn't so high, I'd be looking forward to the mobipocket release.

05-22-2009, 01:12 AM	#5
Carolyn Kephart Junior Member Posts: 5 Karma: 260 Join Date: May 2009 Device: Kindle2	Actually, pdurrant, when I made up the word Aqqar I didn't know it was an actual place. How cool that it was, eh? Thanks for checking out my site. Daunting though your TBR pile is, I do hope you'll revisit my site to read my short story 'Regenerated' on the front page. It's more recent than my books and, I think, more finely-tuned as regards prose. I mean, how can one not resist a tale of love and giant lizards? :-p Kind regards, CK

05-22-2009, 06:39 AM	#6
GeoffC Chocolate Grasshopper ... Posts: 27,600 Karma: 20821184 Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Scotland Device: Muse HD , Cybook Gen3 , Pocketbook 302 (Black) , Nexus 10: wife has PW	a tale of love and giant lizards - now that's a promising tale to investigate....unfortunately like my friend above my to do list is getting too long - and I spend FAR TOO much time reading (here!).

05-22-2009, 09:27 AM	#7
rhadin Literacy = Understanding Posts: 4,833 Karma: 59674358 Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: The World of Books Device: Nook, Nook Tablet	The only problem is that your books are available only to those who have Kindles. It would be nice if you made your books available at a similar price in formats that non-Kindlers could access, such as ePub.

05-29-2009, 12:47 AM	#13
Carolyn Kephart Junior Member Posts: 5 Karma: 260 Join Date: May 2009 Device: Kindle2	I appreciate all the comments here, and confess that I didn't know that Mobipocket had such rigid strictures, Rhadin. Any advice on how best to proceed would be welcome. I haven't put my books on Mobi yet, and I do indeed want the widest possible audience! This is new territory for me, and I'm very glad to have knowledgeable advice from this forum. Many thanks, CK

05-29-2009, 10:10 AM	#14
rhadin Literacy = Understanding Posts: 4,833 Karma: 59674358 Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: The World of Books Device: Nook, Nook Tablet	Carolyn, If you want to use your first books as a way to get new readers for a forthcoming book, then you might consider offering it for free here on MobileRead and ask members to help you format and convert the books or use Calibre to do it yourself. If you want to sell the books at the 99 cent price but in a broader range of formats, you could convert your books using Calibre and offer them via your own website. There are MR members like Jeff Carver who have gone through the process and can be more helpful to you in this regard than I can.

06-01-2009, 03:31 PM	#15
Carolyn Kephart Junior Member Posts: 5 Karma: 260 Join Date: May 2009 Device: Kindle2	Richard, I was considering the various format options, and then went back to the Mobi contract and re-read it. The following clause is reassuring: 3. No Exclusivity. This Agreement is not exclusive and does not impose any obligation or restrictions on either party with respect to competing business relationships or opportunities. So I can go Mobi and proceed from there, to my relief. CK http://carolynkephart.com

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