Posted on 2013-Dec-18
Summary
If you are fascinated by an original TV series or book that you cannot get out of your head, Kindle Worlds will expand fanfiction into a whole new territory. More authors present their own version of the story and they are not alone in the universe, especially when one of the most powerful self-publishers, Hugh Howey, has decided to write his own. If you have not tried eBook subscriptions before, chances are there are more services than you probably know. Regardless of their catalog, compatibility is one thing to be taken into consideration if you want to read your digital book on multiple platforms.
Finding Peace in Tragedy
Deep in the physical and ethereal realms influenced and inspired by parallel worlds, narratives and graphics are created in a perfect harmony to echo the original world and stretch the reader’s imagination far beyond its original author’s intent. Depending on each author’s proficiency, Kindle Worlds has allowed many voices to be heard and treasured. Looking through your passion in addictive stories, you might find the Muse sitting and waiting for you to retell the tale of your adventure in your own voice.
Through Kindle Worlds, several featured authors have tasked themselves to revisit and reimagine the setting they know best. Jason Gurley, Kevin Summers, and Brigid D’Souza all share their writing passion choosing several aspects of the finest elements from the original world and turning the story into their own creation. All of their books break into subgenre charts at #4 in Sci-Fi & Fantasy, #1 in Humor & Satire, and #6 in Action & Adventure under the umbrella of Kindle Worlds best sellers chart. Since Worlds have inspired so many authors, it would be incomplete without the participation of its strong advocate, Hugh Howey.
He blogged his feeling. why he accepted such a daunting task and how the writing can therapeutically relieve his “PTSD” stress Writing Peace in Amber allowed him to revisit his childhood and that was when he resolved his inner conflict. Writing about his secret pain of loss gradually made him walk down the memory lane and understand how writing has calmed down the mourning. The title of the book actually derives from his wife’s name whose job landed him in a bookstore where he could write and take literary classes.
Out of all Sci-Fi novels he studied, Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut resonated with him the most. The writing style and protagonist touch Hugh deeply in a way that the insanity and absurdity have been recurrent themes stuck in his head. Although the task was not easy as he expected, posting the writing experience of Peace of Amber as a short story effectively touches his blog readers in the sense that they can identify what he must have gone through and how his fanfiction will be successful.
Although the book will be released in mid-January next year, it has already climbed to #2,930 Overall Paid chart.
eBook Subscription Services Showdown
GoodEReader runs a battle showdown between now-promising eBook subscription websites: Scribd, Oyster, Entitle (formerly known as eReahtah), Kindle Owners’ Lending Library (KOLL). Their similarity is their prepaid plan that requires users pay up front to read x number and pay y price to read books monthly. While authors might not be sure which cruise they should get onboard, GoodEReader recommends readers try Oyster or Scribd due to their massive catalogs. Leaving Amazon’s KOLL out of the wish list, avid readers must know how they can buy their favorite eBooks more reasonably according to its aggressive price promotion.
Personally, I tested both Oyster and Scribd utilizing the free trial. While both services’ interface looks elegant and smooth. Oyster’s lack of availability in certain platforms limits my chance to read eBooks on multiple platforms. Scribd, on the contrary, can be accessed through different connections based on the spec sheet. I browsed its catalog on a big screen monitor and saved some eBooks for reading later on PC. When I logged in on smartphone through its Android app, I can continue reading where I had left off. Entitle’s monthly fee may be undesirable at the moment and both the catalogs of Scribd and Oyster adequately offer enough eBooks to keep me busy for a month or longer. Kindle Owners’ Lending Library is entirely left out of my consideration.
Despite how addictive these eBooks can be, if you nearly end a free trial and do not want to renew the service, you will need to set a reminder in advance to cancel it. Failure to do so, the system will bill you automatically to renew your subscription service. If you are happy with their catalog, sit back, relax, and enjoy the wireless transfer of the next big thing to your library.
It’s all about the Benjamins
Good news for indie authors! According to the latest announcement of KDP, your sales will be paid to you in full every month “without any minimum thresholds for payout.” Unlike traditionally published payment that might pay authors twice a year, it is apparent how Amazon steps up its game to facilitate indie author’s publishing schedule and you can claim your royalties faster.
Hugh’s honest revelation to discuss his writing his first fanfiction for Kindle Worlds expands his horizon to experiment new genres of writing. Despite allowing aspirant authors putting a new spin on Woolverse, Hugh’s take on Kurt Vonnegut earns him new credibility and approval from his fans to see the other side of him that might bring new accolades to his trophies. Although there are many issues left unanswered for the future of eBook subscription, it seems different devices’ compatibility, price, and catalogs will be the main components in what readers can look for in the service. While there are no reports to support which major contender receives the highest share of success, there is room for improvement to court readers to pay as they read. Now there is a better reason for authors to keep checking their sales reports more often. The shorter the payment cycle is, the higher stability and motivation the author can write their next books more comfortably.
Label: Self-Publishing
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