Xlibris is My Indie Author Publisher - #AtoZChallenge

Today is the “X” Day in the A to Z Challenge – 2016.

Let’s assume that you have something that you want to say. Your preferred method of conveying that message is through the written word. The next thing you know you have a book that you have written and you want to get it published.

Do you want an agent? Do you need a publisher? How do you go about getting it in print? Today there are a lot of options. Many simply go to Amazon’s Kindle Select program and create an eBook. Of course there are a host of other companies today that can convert and sell eBooks as well. What is the right decision to make?

I did a lot of research online. My first book was published before the eBook storm took over the market. The company that I chose to publish the hard cover and paperback editions was Xlibris. Now they are a division of Random House. The product was beautiful. Even though the book was self-published I could claim that I was a published author and the final product that I could put in the hands of readers was very impressive.

Since then I have created a website, formed a presence on Amazon Author Central, and have added several more books. Each one has been published in conjunction with Xlibris. The market doesn’t dictate hard cover and paperback too much anymore. Xlibris also converts my manuscripts to an eBook format. With that I go to Amazon and offer my titles in the Kindle Select program. With me it all starts with Xlibris. They offer very nice quality.

So, if you are an indie author who is looking for a self-publisher you may feel the need to contact Xlibris. They have been good to me and you can rest assured that the end product will be first class.

James Ross has penned several novels from the Prairie Winds Golf Course setting. The stories are character-based, cross many genres, and have become Kindle favorites. Visit his  website for detailed information, reader comments, and contact links.

Unlimited as in Kindle - #Readers are FREE to Pick @KU - #AtoZChallenge

Today is the “U” Day in the A to Z Challenge – 2016. Let’s choose Unlimited.

Kindle Unlimited is the brainchild of Amazon. It’s been out about 2 years now and the opinions about it are as widespread as the colors in a rainbow. For $9.99 per month members can choose from a variety of eBooks that are available on Kindle. Essentially readers download the eBook onto their Kindle tablet or through the Kindle reading app for a reasonable reading time. The main selling feature is the freedom to choose from any number of genres, indie authors, and adventures.

Currently the number of eBooks that can be selected tops the 1,000,000 mark. That’s over a million eBooks that are available with a click! New topics. Different genres. Unique authors. An Indie paradise. What a great opportunity for an unknown author like myself.

Serious readers don’t need a book store. They simply need to peruse the selections that are available on Kindle, stay at home, and get delivery in seconds. Half the eBook can be read in the time it takes to travel to the mall and back.

For an author the program is advantageous. We don’t need to use paper or lose time and expense in shipping. We get paid by how many pages are read. Those royalties come out of the monthly fund that is accumulated from all of the members. The downfall is that many of the Kindle Unlimited authors are unknown and need to turn to social media to be “discovered.” Nobody said that building a reader base would be easy.

Personally, I love the program. All of my novels which are in a variety of genres are available with a few author restrictions – the main being that the titles can only be offered on Kindle. But, where else would I want to be? Amazon helps to promote me. As an unknown I’m appreciative of that.

I’ve developed fictitious Prairie Winds Golf Course and have a wide assortment of recurring characters. The cozy mysteries are in the realistic fiction genre. If you’re into trying new authors you can select from Lifetime Loser which is about fraud in a small golf business; Finish Line where two teens interact daily with a cancer victim; Tuey’s Course which is a satire about a minority businessman in a battle with City Hall; Opur’s Blade where a gifted prodigy progresses to the top of his profession; Pabby’s Score where two special needs teens get oriented into society but innocently get tangled into an internet dating ring and secret law society; or Shari’s Shot where a privileged bitch gets wrapped into a murder-for-hire scheme.

Aggressive readers may want to try the 3-book bundles which are only available through Kindle. They can be identified as: James Ross – A Young Adult Trilogy and James Ross – A Character-Based Collection. I personally love the Kindle Unlimited opportunities.

James Ross has penned several novels from the Prairie Winds Golf Course setting. The stories are character-based, cross many genres, and have become Kindle favorites. Visit his  website for detailed information, reader comments, and contact links.

A #Golf Setting For My Cozy #Mysteries - #AtoZChallenge

Today is the “G” Day in the A to Z Challenge – 2016. In that regard we will honor golf.

Middle age does different things to different people. Moods change. Behavior is altered. Opportunities once available seem to disappear. For me, that time in my life provided an opportunity to tell a mysterious story from a golf setting.

That occasion came in a roundabout way. Events and characters were swirling in my head. One of my golfing buddies suggested that the story would make a good movie. So after a golf trip he asked me what I was going to do after we returned home. I replied, “I’m going to write that movie.”

Needless to say he was skeptical. However it was the start of my writing career. After doing some online research I joined an internet screenwriting site. Soon after I purchased the proper software and the characters and plot came alive. It was agreed after several rewrites and critiques that the basics for a story were present. When the final version of the screenplay was finished I asked my consultant what would help it sell in Hollywood.

His reply was frank. “The book.”

I digested that for a couple of months and then admitted that I had nothing else to do at the time. I opened the screenplay and used it as the outline for my first novel – Lifetime Loser. A year and a half later after some rewrites and extensive editing my first novel was published. The feeling was indescribable.

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But then a funny thing happened. The characters were screaming to tell another story. One novel has become six. The recurring characters at the golf course serve as the perfect foils for the intrigue and mystery that surround the clubhouse.

The stories are realistic, character-based fiction. The setting is Prairie Winds Golf Course high atop the Mississippi river bluffs east of St. Louis. The screenplay won a lot of awards at various indie film fests but is now gathering dust. However the books are available on Amazon in hard cover and paperback version and on Kindle in eBook format.

Give my books a try. The genres vary but most lean toward the cozy mystery area. There is no doubt that you will like the characters. They are diverse, from all walks of life, and memorable. Start with LifetimeLoser. I’d be interested to hear back from you.

James Ross has penned several novels from the Prairie Winds Golf Course setting. The stories are character-based, cross many genres, and have become Kindle favorites. Visit his website for detailed information, reader comments, and contact links.