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Tag: New Writer Tips

info and ideas to help authors succeed in marketing, writing, and other publishing industry areas

Autographs for Your eBooks @evanjacobs #amreading

Many people have autographed books. An author’s signature can increase the monetary value of a book (especially for first editions and certain authors), and it can add a great memory as well. With the advent of ebooks, that went away. After all, what would you do? Get the author to use a permanent marker on your ereader? That dilemma caused devoted reader Evan Jacobs to rethink that entire thing.

Evan was attending a reading and when it came time to sign books, he had a Kindle in his hand and no way to get an autograph — so he decided to make one. Originally, he called it Kindlegraph (Evan worked for Amazon) and it was based on the sales information available publicly through the company. I interviewed him earlier this year on Romance Lives Forever. He has since opened the platform to encompass Nook, Kobo, and all other forms of ereaders.

How’s it work?

Readers create an account, search for their favorite authors, and click a button to request an authorgraph. If they are in the system, it sends the request right away. If they are not, when the author signs on, the request will be waiting for them. Then, they create a special signature / autograph unique to that book or reader, and send it via the Authorgraph system. The reader who requested it receives a notice that a file is available for them to download, they accept the file, and appears on their ereader. Ta da! That’s it.

Can authors sign up?

Sure thing. All you do is go to http://authorgraph.com and click on “Authors – Sign Up” and then follow the prompts. It’s a matter of adding your books. Once you get a request, you can create a “live” signature by drawing your name with your mouse or tablet, or you can pick one of several hand-written fonts.

Is it free?

It is free to create an account (for readers and authors), and it’s free to request or make one. If your ISP charges a delivery fee for your Kindle, there might be a fee for the authorgraph. Check before downloading.

Can I get one from _______?

You can get one from any author who cares to sign up. Just go request it. Your favorite author might already be listed. If they are not, they can easily join.

All this was born from the fact that one reader was disappointed at not being able to get an autograph. That’s amazing. Instead of letting the disappointment get him down, he figured out a way to fix the problem. Now, no one else has to be disappointed either, and with Christmas coming, there’s no excuse not to get yourself that cool new ereader you’ve been wanting. So what are you waiting for? Go grab those authorgraphs!

You can get mine here: http://authorgraph.com/authors/kayelleallen

A Round of Words 051312 #row80

It’s Mother’s Day and I’m only online for a little bit. Have plans to hang out with family, chill, and take it easy today.

My ROW80 update is short this time. I had a week planning for Outlantacon, which went uber well. I had a wonderful time at the con. I then had a week of work catching up with things I missed the previous week, and posting updates on various spots.

This week, I’ve focused back on my writing. I ripped out two chapters that — while well done and interesting — didn’t take my characters where I wanted them to go. The equivalent of ripping out about 30 rows of crochet stitches. Painful, but necessary to move forward. Those two chapters were holding me back. Someone once said cutting chapters was akin to killing. Well… I can maybe agree. Although I’ve never killed anyone, it was painful enough to do that it took me three days to get up the nerve to do it. I’m still working on the rewrites. Set me back about two weeks.

On the other hand, I went to see the Avengers yesterday with my son and his son. It was a treat getting to see my kind of movie. I love scifi, and any movie where stuff blows up. ^_^ Favorite line… wow. There were many great parts. Probably the best is a scene in which Captain America is delivering orders to two NY cops, and they give him a cold stare. One says “Why should we listen to you?” About then, the invading force (not a spoiler – it’s in the previews) shows up and the good captain takes on about half a dozen baddies single handedly. The questioning cop gets an eyeful. He grabs his mic and repeats the orders without hesitation. Abit later in the film, Capt America is again giving orders to the other Avengers, who up to now, hadn’t been that crazy about taking orders from anyone. This time, they all bounce off to obey. That’s where my favorite line comes in. Last to receive an order is the Hulk, who’s been running amok all day. The captain says, “Hulk?” and the green monster turns and gives him a critical eye. The order? “Smash!!” With an evil grin and a nod, the Hulk sets off to do just that.

The two-and-a-half hour movie was over far too fast. Great pacing, excellent dialogue, wonderful imagery. I want to write like that.

Kayelle Allen is an award-winning, multi-published author. Her heroes and heroines include badass immortals, warriors who purr, and agents who find the unfindable–or hide it forever. She is known for unstoppable heroes, uncompromising love, and unforgettable passion.