Showing posts with label Kindle. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Kindle. Show all posts

Saturday, March 24, 2012

‘Character Happens!’ Revised Blog…

5X8

Now that the Character Happens! book has been revised, maybe it’s time to redo this blog to reflect all the changes.

First of all, the books cover color has changed from red to yellow. The artwork has changed as well from a picture of an angel to one of 18th Century golfers, (sitting on rock), speaking with the young caddie. The subtitle is now: How Golf Teaches You (and your children) About – Honesty, Integrity, Courage, Compassion, Humility. This change was made to target the ‘inspirational readers,’ of the golf population. Yes, Amazon really has one.

The entire narrative of the book has been edited more closely with improved developmental structure, while revisions in grammar, spelling and word omission were corrected. Making the tome more palatable, perhaps.

The Amazon link, for the new version, has been inserted into the blogs upper right location. Also, I’ve ridded the blog of extraneous matter hoping to simplify the blogs look.

The old blog posts remain for those who desire a more complete history of the book, of me, and this blog.

Please take a moment and ‘follow’ the blog. You can do that by the ‘Email Feed’ selection, located top, upper right. OR, below the Amazon book link, where it says: ‘Subscribe to This Blog.’ Further down on the right are other pictured ‘joining’ sections, please join if you like.

Yet to be modified is the introduction section (near the bottom). That will be revised shortly.

Thanks for your support; for the book and the blog. And me.

Posted by The Remembrance Tree at 12:44 PM 0 comments
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Tuesday, June 8, 2010

Golf’s Sacred Journey – a book about life… (Free eBook @ Amazon)

“…Sacred Journey Each chapter is a lesson about life, and Dr. Cook uses the metaphor of golf to clearly illustrate how our decisions and convictions have brought us to the place we now reside. Patience, humility, forgiveness, and love will help us all to have a rich and rewarding life, and will also help us with our golf games. Plan and visualize your life's journey, practice patience and balance, and hold on to truth and tradition and you will live your greatest dreams…” Shivas Irons, Amazon Reviewer

Go to Amazon now and get this eBook. It’s FREE. If you don’t have the software get it here, free.

Please think of my book as you read this one. Had my writing been better, like contained in this one, perhaps more people would read it and review it. The author of Golf’s Sacred Journey is David L. Cook, who is a sports psychologist by trade. His stories are fictional pieces written around the game of golf, sprinkled with jewels about –patience, humility, forgiveness and love. Pretty good storyline wouldn’t you say? Character Happens! is written/formatted much like this one, certainly not as prose-worthy, nevertheless the two books are most similar in scope, genre and appeals to a similar reading customer. I’m wondering if I need to market more to golfers. Advise me what you think.

Below are some statistics relative to two books:

Golf’s Sacred Journey -- #1 in Kindle Store > Kindle Books > Sports > Golf

Character Happens! -- #18 in Kindle Store > Kindle Books > Business & Investing > Reference > Ethics #58 in Kindle Store > Kindle Books > Advice & How-to > Self-Help > Self-Esteem #9 in Kindle Store > Kindle Books > Parenting & Families > Parenting > Morals & Responsibility

Posted by The Remembrance Tree at 1:02 PM 0 comments
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Tuesday, April 27, 2010

…’New’ eBook price – now $1.99

$1.99Amazon …for a limited time (unless it’s incredibly well received), the eBook version of Character Happens! will be $1.99. This new price should take effect Thursday, April 29, 2010. My reasoning behind this reduction in price (for those of you suspicious of a marketing guy), is two-fold.

A. I’m a new unknown writer.

B. Writer talk is that Kindle owners and eBook readers are boycotting big publishers (with eBook pricing similar to paperbacks), and in greater numbers -- are not paying over $1.99 for eBooks.

C. (I know I said ‘two-fold’), nevertheless, it is my temperament to give as many people as possible a price-break on a purchase. Some of my long-time friends and business associates may disagree.

D. (I know, I know), perhaps at this $1.99 price you might choose to ‘gift’ a book to some worthy person, group or organization.

It is my hope this new price will garner additional eBook buyers, (I’m running out of family and friends) thus resulting in positive reviews posted on the respective eBook purchasing site. Reviews are helpful to others.

Thank you in advance for your purchase of Character Happens! And, for those unfamiliar with eBooks; you can read this digital version on your computer, your iPhone, Black-Berry, Droid, other or these new-fangled eReaders, like Kindle, Nook, Sony, Kobo, etcetera.

Here are two eBook retailers: Amazon and Smashwords (both have review accommodations). Thank You, --gg

Posted by The Remembrance Tree at 4:07 PM 0 comments
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Tuesday, December 29, 2009

...price-point on books?


...where exactly is the perfect price-point on books? Mark Coker, CEO of Smashwords, an ebook publisher and distributor believes it to be $4 bucks. Who’s to say, maybe he’s right...naturally he, a benefactor of ebook sales growth would delight in readers balking at $30 hardcover prices and $17 paperbacks. I’ll admit I too am an advocate of the ebook phenomena...but for an entirely different reason.

Books should be a commodity. There contents dispersed widely...more widely than current times...in a media best served by each respective reader population. Let it take form in massive hardcover’s like my 831 page classic; The Book of Virtues by William J. Bennett. Or perhaps my sticky-note laden paperback of; How Good People Make Tough Choices by Rushworth M. Kidder. Then again my useful ebook acquired free; JA Konrath’s, A Newbie’s Guide to Publishing Book, like each and every one—cherished equally. Is there a reader population for free books? I believe there is.

A time will come when book writers’ income is derived from those who subscribe to what they say. Sponsors, endorsers, advertisers, benefactors, even angels will finance book/author content dissemination. Corruption you say? Buying of configured sentiment...spinning stories to persuade the simpler population’s? Sure, there will be some of that in a democracy. The ancillary will be readers having content where before they had none.

Ebooks costing $4 or $2 or $0 is a good thing. How can it not be? There are those who cry foul at the notion...but their self-interest is plainly visible. Books on paper will not die soon and for those who cherish the paper version, good for you. However, your pronouncement of paper over ebooks will define your character from now on. My father advised me one time, when I was feeling (and speaking) particularly intelligent in front of extended family...shut-up!

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Posted by The Remembrance Tree at 12:30 PM 4 comments
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Saturday, November 21, 2009

...more about "ebooks"


...here’s an interesting statistic for you book readers. It has been reported that Amazon tested the sales of four different books they sold in the typical printed version AND in “ebook” form. In February 2009, the test sample indicated ebook sales were 10% that of the printed versions. In May 2009, ebook sales were 35% of the printed versions. Most recently, October 2009, ebook sales amounted to 48%. An ebook growth trend from 1 in 10 book sales to just less than one half of all book sales in a period less than 10 months. Ebook sales present day only account for about 5% of all total book sales. Ebook sales have experienced 100 percent growth the last two years. What will it be in five years?


Bottom line...any author not looking at the ebook marketing channel may not be selling all the books they could. Let’s not forget abooks (audio) and of course there will still be “some” pbooks (printed), around, at least until the bookstores run out of money (Amazon probably takes about half the market of pbooks sold now...so it won’t be long).

What drives ebook sales? Price...plain and simple. Most ebooks are $9.99 (Amazon for Kindle) and now (Kindle for PC). The industry says Amazon is losing money because of the high costs from publishers. That will change too. How long before authors cut deals directly etailers like Amazon, B&N, Borders and others coming on board everyday, like Smashwords. Not only can you get many books from these sources for a buck ninety-nine, you can get some “free.”

Take a look at the sales of iphones, Blackberry’s, Droid’s, etc., and the many app’s created for them. It’s phenomenal! There are plenty of people reading ebooks with these devices...more than with the Amazon Kindle, or the recent addition the new B&N “Nook” ereader (with the ebook sharing feature). The publishing industry is changing rapidly. Are you ready? And...yes my book Character Happens! will have an ebook edition...how could it not.

Here’s a few links to further your knowledge:
http://jakonrath.blogspot.com/ (a thriller writer who also writes on “writing”)
Kindle for PC (to get free software from Amazon to download books to your PC)
http://www.smashwords.com/ (ebook publisher and etailer, take a look)
Posted by The Remembrance Tree at 1:21 PM 3 comments
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What are "The 5 Most Important--But Fleeting Virtures?"

Honesty, Integrity, Courage, Compassion and Humility.

.....this is a portion of the "introduction" or prologue to the book (not yet completed)...email with your comments.

The books title; Character Happens! The 5 Most Important—But Fleeting Virtues, describes my belief these five important virtues (Honesty, Integrity, Courage, Compassion, Humility), are sporadic in use and diminishing in personal character. The books message is in recognizing this “fleeting” nature and from that reinstitute a more virtuous choice in your decision making.

The paradox of the two words; Character Happens, with another two words: “S### Happens”* (decorum prevents use of actual word) is not without merit. My belief is that observed human character is much like, well...s###! This kind of observation can be disconcerting at times. So confusing that society can hardly make the distinction between the two words and there obvious different meaning. Individuals make virtuous and un-virtuous choices/decisions for innumerable reasons, both consciously and without deep thought. If we postulate; can an individual make a 'more' virtuous choice in life’s decisions should they want to do so? Answer—perhaps. How does one 'reinstitute a more virtuous choice' into their personal makeup...making the response more automatic? Answer—practice. With a concerted effort at 'practice' I believe...an individual might just develop a more 'repetitive' decent response...much like grooving a golf swing.

I love golf. I think the game is like no other. The five stories that make up Character Happens! have a golf storyline. Some readers may not be able to relate to the game of golf or its vernacular or for that matter, why people...a large number of people...love golf. Too bad! You should try it sometime...because it’s more than a game...it can be a life experience. The golf course environment alone is enough to put most people at ease.

Golf is a game played by the individual as opposed to being a member of a team, like baseball. Baseball has umpires who enforce the rules of the game. In golf you are the umpire. Because of this unique method of enforcing the games rules—golf is a “hotbed” for testing the players character...their honesty, their integrity, their courage and sometimes their compassion. And, because all golfers started from knowing nothing about the game; like how to swing, how to putt or chip... they also learn of humility. Now doesn’t it make perfect sense that a book about character would juxtaposition a storyline with the game of golf? Anyway, I thought so.

There are five stories, one for each virtue. The book has six main characters that make up a group of what I call 'golf buddies.' The storyteller, Spencer Madison, in reality is me. Well, somewhat like me...as I have a better golf game than Spencer. The five others vary in age, gender, education, religious beliefs and definitely personality. The 'binder' of the group or what brings them together; golf.

The reader will hopefully discover in their own lives a similar incident with one of the story’s in Character Happens! If not, that’s okay too...as the stories are earnest while humorous, carefree yet compelling. And, I believe each chapter or story makes a 'point' in this wonderful, wacky, dynamic world in the 21st century.

The stories are fictional as are the characters. Names, personalities or incidents are fictional and in no way resemble or refer to a living person. I’ve used paraphrasing of many authors’ ideas and concepts and have referenced them in a special section. Because of these references and the specific genre where the book is to be found, it’s categorized as a non-fictional, personal development book.


*...sorry for the language but this word best describes the thought I want to convey. In Forrest Gump the term was used to describe situations that happen to all people for no particular reason.