How to get Kindle books from Smashwords onto your Kindle

So, you're either not in the United States, or simply want to back up the indie bookseller site Smashwords instead of Amazon.  That's cool.  But, what's the easiest method of getting that .mobi file onto your Kindle?

After you buy the book on Smashwords, you will see a list of the formats at the bottom of that book's page.  On the line that states this:
Kindle (.mobi for Kindle devices and Kindle apps)

you will see the Download button on the right side.  Click that, and choose to save it to your PC.  (I don't have a Mac, but it should be similar).
 Now, take a look at your Kindle.  Click the menu button, and then Settings.  On page 2 of the settings (of a normal Kindle like I have), you'll see the "Send-to-Kindle E-mail" line.  They show it as something like yourname@kindle.com.  However, if you send books there, Amazon may charge you a small "upload" fee.  Heck with that!  Instead, use yourname@free.kindle.com.  It works the same way, but you must have your Kindle connected via a wireless connection to the internet.  Most of us do at home, or in a McDonald's, anywhere with a free wireless hotspot, etc.  You just can't use 3G, if you have that model for this free transfer.

 Next, open up your email program (or Yahoo in a web browser, or Hotmail, etc.).  Create a new email, with the To address being the yourname@free.kindle.com address.  Now, click Attachment and go to your Downloads folder (or wherever you chose to download that .mobi file from Smashwords).  Type in a little subject and body (doesn't matter much what it is, I tend to put the name of the book).  Click Send.

Now, the first time you do this, Amazon will reject it, and send you an email warning you that XXXX@XXX is trying to send a book to your Kindle, and do you want to allow it.  Click their line to allow it, and then go to the Sent folder of your email and re-send that email.  In the future, you won't have to do this.

That's it!  It's an easy method to save the .mobi, and then just email it to the Kindle.  No connecting cables, dragging files around, etc.

By the way, this also works with the .prc files for Kindle (Amazon felt special, and had to use their own file extension, but they are really .mobi files with a different name).


Hope that helps!

'Till next time.

--Kev

Interview on Kay Dee Royal's Blog

I'm featured this week on Kay Dee Royal's Paranormal & Erotica Romance Musings blog.  Check it out!

We're giving away a PDF copy of H.E.R.O. - New Markets (the 2nd book in the series, as the 1st is always free) to one random person who leaves a comment at the bottom of the blog post.

Here's the link to her blog:  http://kaydeeroyal.blogspot.com/2012/12/kevin-rau-hero-series-interview-giveaway.html?zx=aa679d62d3c1c5b7



'Til next time.

--Kev

Interview with Lance, Rael and Steph by Ravencraft's Romance Realm

Kay Dee Royal at Ravencraft's Romance Realm did an interview of the three main characters of H.E.R.O. - Metamorphosis.  Here's the link:

Kevin Rau ~ Stephanie, Lance, Rael, Story-Star Interview  ~ H.E.R.O. - Metamorphosis  http://ravencraftrealm.blogspot.com/2012/11/kevin-rau-stephanie-lance-rael-story.html 

'Til next time.

--Kev

Perfection Unleashed - ebook is free 9/18-9/20/2012

I'm passing along the notice of one of the authors I've done an interview with ... Jade Kerrion.  She's put her novel up for free on Amazon for a few days.  Grab a copy while you can...

Dear Kevin,

I wanted to let you know that Perfection Unleashed is FREE from Sept 18 - Sept 20. If you'd like to grab a free copy, now would be a good time. Also, if you could get the word out to your readers so they'd grab a copy too, that would be wonderful.

Perfection Unleashed is currently ranked #42 in the Kindle Store, and #1 overall in Fantasy and in Science Fiction. :-)

You are most welcome to use the social media links from my blog which has a page about the free days: http://www.jadekerrion.com

If you would like a short link to the Amazon product page, feel free to use this: http://amzn.to/LNw995

Thanks and best regards,

~ Jade

Help make H.E.R.O. - Metamorphosis FREE on Amazon!

Hello!

I'm looking for help in making my full novel, H.E.R.O. - Metamorphosis, free on Amazon at all times!  It just takes a few clicks, if you're willing:

1.  Right-click on this link to the Barnes & Noble store and choose COPY:  http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/hero-metamorphosis-kevin-rau/1104882298?ean=2940044793774
(You can actually do this twice if you are willing, using http://itunes.apple.com/us/book/h.e.r.o.-metamorphosis/id529248823?mt=11 the second time.  If you do - double thanks!)


2.  Click on this link, to bring up the product page on Amazon (you may have to log onto y
our account at Amazon, but you aren't buying anything here):  http://www.amazon.com/H-E-R-O-Metamorphosis-ebook/dp/B005GM3PV8/ref=la_B007EHD6US_1_3_title_1_kin?ie=UTF8&qid=1346865506&sr=1-3

3.  On that Amazon page, if you scroll down a short amount, you'll see the link to "tell us about a lower price."

4.  Then, click Website (Online), and fill in as marked below:

5.  After Pasting the link, filling in 0.00 in the Price and Shipping cost, just click Submit feedback, and you're done!

6.  Thank you very much!  You're helping readers to be able to buy the book for free if enough of us prompt Amazon to match Barnes and Noble's price!

I appreciate the help!

By the way, the e-book is also free (already) at iTunes.com, Smashwords.com, and DriveThruRPG.com.  If you would like to get more information on the H.E.R.O. series of superhero novels, or view the pictures of the superheroes, please visit http://www.kevinrau.com or http://www.facebook.com/herobooks (you do NOT need a Facebook account to check out this page, only if you want to leave comments or chat).

Again, thank you all!

Kevin Rau

How I format my books when writing for self-publishing

** Special note from October 2013:  The latest book I uploaded to Kindle failed to appear on the store (at all).  After contacting support, they claimed that my .PRC file from MobiPocket wasn't a valid .mobi file (even though I had already tested it on a Kindle and with their app).  I had to use the .epub file I made from the .PRC file with Calibre (for B&N) to use their new simple converter to get a .mobi file, and then upload that.  So be aware that something's changed with their store.  Also, if you use their simple converter (the Kindle Previewer) on an MS Word document, it won't handle a table of contents or chapters correctly using my method below. **

I've been asked how I format my book as I write, and then quickly have it available for Kindle (and other online stores) as an e-book, as well as sent to Createspace to make paperback copies available.  So here's how I do it:

1.  I have a blank MS Word document I copy for a new book.  I already did the work to set the title page, copyright page, and formatting for chapter headings and body.  Those make later steps far easier.  Here's a link to my blank novel document, feel free to save it and use it.  Here's the link:  http://www.kevinrau.com/files/BlankNovel.doc
2.  Copy that .doc file to a new one, rename it for the new book title.  (I actually use a sub-folder, and occasionally make copies of that for paranoia backup copies, as well as copy that entire folder with all book sub-folders to a USB drive and another PC at home.  Think for a moment if the file of your book got corrupted.  Do you want to chance that?  You might even want to use SkyDrive, iCloud, Dropbox, or some other online storage place to also store a backup, because it would be horrifying to lose them.)
3.  Go to this page to download Mobipocket Creator.  It will allow you to convert a file to Amazon's Kindle .PRC format.
http://www.mobipocket.com/en/downloadsoft/DownloadCreator.asp
    Why go with Amazon directly, and not use Smashwords to send it there?  Because Amazon reports sales by the minute or hour, not delayed by weeks if Amazon has to send the info to Smashwords, who then list the sales on your Dashboard.  They also pay sooner, and you can use KDP Select if you wish.
4.  If you want to upload directly to Barnes & Noble, you'll want to also download Calibre to convert to the ePub format.  Here's the download page:
http://calibre-ebook.com/download

5.  You write your novel.
    a.  Change the Book_Name_Here throughout the blank book.
    b.  Change the Author_Name_Here throughout the blank book.
    c.  Put in a copyright date.
    d.  Write the novel.  For chapter headings, use the style called "ChapterHeading."  On older MS Word versions, you can see the panel on the side if you click the Format menu, then Styles & Formatting, I believe.  New versions you click the Home tab, and on the small Styles section, in the lower right of it is a box with an arrow pointing down and right.  Click that to see all styles.
    e.  For the body, use "ChapterBodyText."
    f.  Use CTRL-Enter to do a page break when done with a chapter and to jump down to the next page.  Use two blank lines above the Chapter Heading, and two blank lines below it before you start your first paragraph.
    g.  Double-click on the Page Header and change "Book_Name_Here" to your book name.  Close the Heading menu to finish editing it.
    h.  Re-read and edit your novel, grammar check it, proofread, etc.
    i.  Find other beta readers to read it and give feedback.
    j.  Have someone proofread it, and possibly copy edit it if you aren't a grammar nazi yourself (Two different levels of editing, proofreading involves correcting your spelling mistakes, commas and some grammar.  Copy editing is more in-depth to find other errors in writing sytle.)

6.  You should end up with your MS Word .doc file, in a printable format for 5.5 x 8.5" paperback size.  Except for needing a cover, you can either Save As a PDF file to upload to a place like CreateSpace or Lulu right now.  If you don't have Save As a PDF in your version of MS Word, download a free "printer" that prints to a PDF file, such as PDFCreator.

7.  Now to make the file for Amazon (Kindle format):
    a.  Load the MS Word file, click Save As, "Web Page, Filtered."  Save it.
    b.  Run Mobipocket Creator (install it if you haven't yet).
    c.  click HTML document on the right side.  Find the file you just saved in 7a.  click Import.
    d.  Click Cover Image on left, then Add a Cover Image button, find it, and make sure to click Update way at the bottom.  Images for INSIDE the e-book like this should be sized about 518 x 800 pixels.
    e.  click Table of Contents on left, then Add a Table of Contents button.  On the "First Level" line fill in:  tag name: "p"  attribute: "class"  value:  "ChapterHeading"   Do not type in the quote marks in the boxes.  Click the update button at the bottom of the page (you may have to scroll down).
    f.  Click Book Settings on the left.  Generally for Book Type you want "eBook."  Click Update button at bottom.
    g.  Click Metadata on the left.  Make sure the Title is correct, fill in your name (Last Name, First Name), publisher (your name if self-pubbing), main subject, a description (e.g. "back cover" text), the price (generally $2.99 to $5.99 for eBooks to get the 70% royalty rate from Amazon).  Click update button at bottom.
    h.  Click Build at the top of the screen.  I always use High Compression.  People have to download these, save them download time/cost, plus, Amazon charges for eBook downloads, so the smaller you can make it, the less they'll charge.  I personally choose "No encryption," but that's your choice.  If someone really wants to break it, they can do it within a few minutes.  It's not worth being a pain to others.  click Build at the bottom.  It'll run, and make a file with your book title as the name, ending with .PRC.  A button should be on the screen to "Open File Location."  Choose that to see the file.

8.  Now, if you have a Kindle, you can email yourself at "_____@free.kindle.com" with that .PRC file as an attachment.  Find the ____ part on your Kindle, I believe it is on the settings, page 3 or so (except it'll say "_____@kindle.com"  You want to use the @free.kindle.com version so they don't charge you a fee to copy it to the Kindle.  Make sure wireless is turned on, on the Kindle itself.  It'll appear within about five minutes, normally.  Now read and check over the cover, table of contents links, and text to see that they look good.

9.  Alternately (or in addition, if you're like me), you can download the Free Kindle Previewer from Amazon to open the .PRC file and view it on your computer.  It's not exact, however, but it's a good double-check.  The download link is in the middle of this page on Amazon:  http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html?ie=UTF8&docId=1000234621

A few notes:
1.  If you include pictures in your book, they will look horrible on the Kindle.  There's a trick to improving the image quality, I'll try to list it later, but in a nutshell, you copy your .JPG files to the folder where Mobipocket placed the .PRC.  Then you go into the .HTM file and on the <IMG SRC= ... > lines, you delete the HEIGHT and WIDTH part at the end, and change the filename within the <IMG SRC="" > to be your .JPG instead of what it stuffed in there, which is normally something like IMAGE001.JPG.
2.  If you didn't highlight the entire chapter heading ROW for each chapter in your book, and then click the style "ChapterHeading," then those may not appear in the Table of Contents.
3.  I suppose you can choose not to use a Table of Contents on a novel, but I prefer giving one to my readers.  Your choice.

Now to get it up to Amazon:
1.  Go to kdp.amazon.com.  Setup an account (it's free) if you haven't yet.
2.  Click Bookshelf and choose to add a book.
3.  Fill in the book's information (make SURE to enter something in for the Publisher - they claim it is optional, but it won't show up in some categories properly without one, learned that the hard way...).
4.  Upload a cover.  A good size image is 1650 x 2550 pixels for Amazon.  You may have to find a cover artist, draw one yourself, etc.
5.  Upload the .PRC file you made up there in step 7h.
6.  If *and only if* you want to join KDP Select for 90 days would you want to check that box.  There are pro's and con's to it.  If you do it, you are agreeing not to put that e-book up on other sites for 90 days.
7.  Set your prices.  If this is a short story, or perhaps a smallish novella, a common price is $0.99.  Full length e-book novels generally go for $2.99 to $5.99, and you can choose the 70% royalty rate from Amazon, which is FAR better than the 35% royalty rate you get at any price under $2.99.  I advise some Google searches to see what numerous authors have discovered, and make your own decision.  There are some great blogs about this topic alone.

Guest Post by Rayne Hall: "Are Indie Books Worth Reviewing?"

Today, I have a guest blog by Rayne Hall.  She is an established author, having 30 books published, and runs classes on writing.  A biography follows the blog.

Now, on to the the guest blog:   "Are Indie Books Worth Reviewing?"

Are Indie Books Worth Reviewing?

by Rayne Hall

Certain book blogs state categorically that they won't review self-published books.  I understand their motivation: They get inundated with submissions and are trying to keep the numbers down.

However, No Indies is as arbitrary as No Jews or No Women.

The reviewers aim to filter out low-quality works - but is the publishing method a valid quality filter?

It used to be. In the late 20th century, the established path to publication was author-agent-publisher-bookseller-reader. Each book had to pass three gates on its journey from author to reader, and each gate represented a quality test. Self-published books were inevitably those that had failed at the first two gates.

Times have changed. E-publishing makes it possible to reach the readers directly, and many authors choose the direct route instead of queuing at the gates.

Without gatekeepers barring entry, many poorly-written and under-revised books get published. A lot of indie (i.e. self-published) books are not as good as their authors think. Frankly, there's a mass of indie dross - but there are also many indie gems.

The boundary between “good book” and “bad book” doesn't happen to coincide with the frontier between indie-published and legacy-published books.

Consider the authors who use both publishing models: Amanda Hocking, John Locke and Michael Stackpole submit some of their works to legacy publishers and self-publish others. Are these authors' legacy-published books better than their self-published ones?

Or how about the authors were successful with legacy-published books, but then decided to go indie? Consider Joe Konrath, Barry Eisler, Kevin O. McLaughlin and Dean Wesley Smith. Have they lost their ability to write good books?

Then there are the authors who took their previously legacy-published out-of-print books and self-published them as ebooks -  Kristine Kathryn Rusch and Piers Anthony, for instance. The books are the same, so how can they suddenly be less worthy?

Over three decades, I had twenty books published by several legacy publishers before choosing the indie route. Does this mean my old books are worth reviewing, and my new books are not - even though I have grown as a writer?

Not long ago, a book blogger approached me. She had enjoyed the stories in Six Scary Tales Vol 1 and asked for review copies of Vol 2 and 3, so she could review the series. Shortly after I sent the books, I received an email “Your books are self-published and therefore not worth reading or reviewing.”

Excuse me? When she assumed that the books were legacy-published, she liked the stories and wanted more. On discovery that they were indie-published, the same stories were suddenly not worth reading. What does this say about the reviewer's judgement?

Most stories in the Six Scary Tales were originally published the legacy way in magazines and anthologies. Did inclusion in the self-published collection damage their quality?

I appreciate that book bloggers decline to read certain books, e.g. No Erotica, No Horror or No Romance, because if a book isn't to their taste, it would be tedious to read and difficult to review.

But to decline all indie-published books because they can't possibly be good is like refusing to read books penned by women or by Jews because no woman or Jew could possibly write something worth reading.

So how can a book reviewer assess which books are worth reading? I think the answer is obvious: by looking at the book itself. Reading the first few pages will show the reviewer whether it's their kind of book. Often, a quick glance at the first paragraph is enough to weed out the obvious dross. If reviewers can't form their own opinion of what they're reading, they shouldn't be reviewing books.

About Rayne Hall

She is the author of thirty books in different genres (mostly horror, fantasy and non-fiction) and under different pen names, published by twelve publishers in six countries, translated into several languages. Her short stories have been published in many magazines, e-zines and anthologies. Having switched to indie publishing last year, she is trying to get back the rights to her previously published books so she can republish them as ebooks.

Recent books include Storm Dancer (dark epic fantasy), Writing Fight Scenes and Writing Scary Scenes (instruction books for authors), Six Scary Tales Vol 1, 2 and 3 (mild horror stories). They're available to reviewers. Just drop me a line or leave a comment if you're interested.  But beware: they're indies!

Rayne's page at Amazon Author Central is http://www.amazon.com/Rayne-Hall/e/B006BSJ5BK/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1

 ---------------------------------

Rayne,

Thank you for joining me!  I'm honored to be a blog posting your thoughts, and happy to share them with my readers.  

If you are interested in more information on Rayne, I did an author Q&A with her a while back, feel free to peruse it here http://www.kevinrau.com/i/RayneHall.asp  

'Til next time.

--Kev

 

Interview of me, new interviews of others

Just a quick blurb this time around, I've got writing on H.E.R.O. - Incursion to get done!  (Which is nearing the end chapters, by the way...)

Gary Vanucci interviews me on his Ashenclaw website.  Here's the link:
http://eyeonashenclaw.blogspot.com/2012/08/interview-with-kevin-rau.html

Interviews I've done recently of other indie authors (with more to come, I've got a small backlog right now):

• Monique Rockliffe (fantasy/sci-fi, 6/28/2012)
• Catherine Kirby (fantasy/family, 6/29/2012)
• Henry Herz (children's, 6/30/2012)
• Jeffrey Taylor (comics/superhero blogging, 7/5/2012)
• Carole Gill (gothic romance, 7/6/2012)
• M.G. Edwards (childrens/fantasy/thriller, 7/7/2012)
• Kimberly (poetry/action-adventure, 7/9/2012)
• Jeff Shanley (pt. 2) (epic fantasy, 7/12/2012)
• Krystal O'Brien (fantasy, 7/13/2012)
• Catherine Russell (vampires!, 7/23/2012)
• E.L. Lindley (contemporary women, 7/24/2012)
• Gary Henry (superhero/historical fiction, 7/27/2012)
• Dakota Douglas (children's fiction, 7/30/2012)
• Rachael Thorne (paranormal/supernatural, 7/31/2012)
• Rod Lindsey (crime fiction, 8/1/2012)
• Kay Dee Royal (paranormal/urban fantasy/romance, 8/2/2012)
• Aaron Saylor (literary/gritty, 8/3/2012)
• Mandy Eve-Barnett (fantasy, 8/6/2012)
• Carol Cadoo (romance, 8/7/2012)
• Trevor Smith (horror/comedy, 8/9/2012)
• Eric Diehl (sci-fi/fantasy, 8/10/2012)

Hmm, I think I need to post more often on the blog about them...  On the other hand, the Interviews page on http://www.kevinrau.com/Interviews.asp always has the full list!

Working hard on my latest novel, H.E.R.O. - Incursion.  I'm hoping for release by 9/1/2012, but it will depend on editing and proofreading times.  I won't rush them just to hit a deadline.  (But it doesn't stop me from hoping!)

I had to stop my 2-a-day workouts.  When combined with only eating 1400-1500 calories per day, my body was beginning to feel like I got beat up every day, and didn't have time to heal.  I'm still trying to keep the calories low, however.

'Til next time.

Kev

Obsession. War has been Declared.

Day 8 of eating about 1400-1500 calories per day. Worked out once on 2 days, twice on 6 days. Each workout is 1 to 1.5 hours. 4/week include heavy weight lifting. Super high protein (about 180 grams of protein/day), ultra low fat (perhaps 5-7% of total intake). Energy levels are UP almost all the time. Haven't had a depressive episode, not sure if it is all factors, or just food, or that the 2nd workouts don't give time to mope. Getting more writing done than normal. Sleeping better than usual (I think). Lost 5.5 lbs. so far (note: this is from someone who worked out 6x/week before, it's not the normal fast loss most people would get, others would see more, I bet). Don't have the cravings for sweets that I normally have. Drinking more water than a camel (probably 90-120 oz./day just because I'm always thirsty, plus all my Dt. Mtn Dew).  Current weight 256.5, weighed 262 at beginning.

If anyone has questions, feel free to ask.  

--Kev

Interviews of Authors, of me, new FB renders, updated HERO1

Here are the latest authors I've interviewed on my website, check them out!

• Robert Butt (graphic novel/horror/screenplays, 6/22/2012)
• Lina Tyuliep (self-help booklets, 6/25/2012)
• Mark Chisnell (thriller, 6/26/2012)

Davee Jones (of Davee Jones' Locker) interviewed me in a misguided attempt to pry my current evil plot to take over the world out of me.
Take a look!  Davee Jones' Locker - Interview with Kevin Rau

On another note, I'm about halfway through my two edit runs on H.E.R.O. - Gene Front.  Things are going well, and I'm still (hopefully) on schedule for release by the end of July if all goes well (potentially by 1-2 weeks into July on a best case scenario).

I've put new character renders up on my Facebook page:  http://www.kevinrau.com/herobooks.

Last, I've always wondered why most people don't check to the Facebook page after buying H.E.R.O. - Metamorphosis.  Well, I just realized that the "copyright page" at the beginning doesn't show unless you specifically go to the table of contents on a Kindle, and then page forward.  So I've added a "Chapter 0" with a few notes, thanks, and a pic (the same one at the top of the Facebook page), along with a note about the hundreds of character pics on it.  Hopefully that'll interest more people.  I'd love to interact with more people on the FB page.

Okay, back to editing....

'Til next time.

--Kev

Lucky 7 meme, Torching authors, Plots

Bruce Blake hit up Chantal Boudreau who hit up Tami Parrington in a blog meme and she hit me up to be part of this Lucky 7 meme. In Bruce’s words, here’s how it works:

• Go to page 7 or 77 in your current manuscript
• Go to line 7
• Copy down the next seven lines/sentences exactly as they are
• Tag 7 other authors

 

dance club and bar area.  Other than that, it’s an S&M type club 

somewhere in the building."

"So that's what I heard when I walked through the place.  I 

almost thought someone was being tortured.  It fits the whip comment 

by Rapture."

"Back to the topic, you faced off against these two groups?"

"Indeed.  Basilisk joined them, and had them back off.  Then, 

Well ... that's certainly an interesting topic to hit on my 7 lines.  Hmm.

Well, I'll throw the torch onto these 7 authors.  Let them dance in the flames!

Jan Tilley  @tilleytalk
Davee Nielson  @finlessbook
David Leadbeater  @dleadbeater2011
M.G. Wells  @MG_Wells
Jeff Whelan  @SpaceOrville
Cheryl Headford  @SevenPointStar
Vacen Taylor  @VacenTaylor

Mwahahaha!  And with that, my evil plot thickens!

'Til next plot.

--Kev

Review of H.E.R.O. - Metamorphosis

Reviewer Melanie Carrico reviewed H.E.R.O. - Metamorphosis on her site here: http://haveyouheardbookreview.blogspot.com/2012/06/hero-metamorphosis-by-kevin-gerald-rau.html

Check it, and her other reviews out!

'Til next time.

--Kev

The Plot Unwinds!

Deb Martin over at "Two Ends of the Pen" interviewed me.  I was concerned about too many of my evil machinations seeing the light of day, but alas, my minions have not yet restrained her.  If you would like to read about the evil mastermind behind H.E.R.O., check it out here: Two Ends of the Pen Interview w/Kevin Rau

Other vile deeds of the day go to these authors, who I coerced into spilling their plots for you:

• Maria Savva (varied, 6/17/2012)
• Davee Nielson (romance/thriller/paranormal/more, 6/18/2012)
• Donovan Sotam (humor/fantasy humor, 6/19/2012)
• Jan Tilley (romance/sci-fi/other, 6/21/2012)

'Til next time.

--Kev

Thomas Drinkard intervews me, plus my interviews with others

Fellow author, Thomas Drinkard, interviewed me on his blog at:
http://brinson1.wordpress.com/2012/06/16/earn-about-h-e-r-o-meet-kevin-rau/
Check it, and his work out.  Interesting stuff, he combined his years in the military with some interesting fantasy.

Here are the newest authors I've interviewed on my website, if you've missed them:

• John Dalglish (police procedural, 6/13/2012)
• Victoria Grefer (fantasy, 6/14/2012)
• Tom Drinkard (action/adventure, 6/15/2012)
• M.G. Wells (fantasy, 6/16/2012)

Great indie authors, get some insight into them, and check out their books!

In other news, the cortisone shot for my shoulder worked ... to a degree.  There is still pain in it during certain motions, however.  I might need surgery after all.  Grr.

Also, with my latest work on H.E.R.O. - Gene Front, the H.E.R.O. series is up over 800,000 words now!

Have a great day.

'Til next time.

--Kev

Four new author interviews. The Snark.

Here are the latest interviews with authors on my site:

• Olene Quinn (historical fiction, 6/4/2012)
• Debra Martin (fantasy, 6/7/2012)
• James Baxter (action/horror, 6/11/2012)
• Emma Kathryn (horror/fantasy/gothic, 6/12/2012)

It seems like the Snark has come out more often lately.  Hopefully, it'll give readers a bit of a chuckle on the interviews!

Not much else new.  Working on H.E.R.O. - Gene Front, the next full novel in the H.E.R.O. series.

Got a cortisone shot in my left shoulder, the Doctor thinks I have arthritis and/or need to have a tendon cut.  I got to be one of the fortunate few who had the cortisone crystallize after the injection.  Great fun!  (Err ... I mean pain.)  Fortunately, that fades after a few days.  The shot's not working very well six days later now, I still have mild pain/annoyance there.  (Perhaps that is normal, not sure.)  At least it's not a torn muscle.  That would have forced me to stop weight lifting for a while.

Back to it, have a good day, everyone.

'Til next time.

--Kev

New Interviews, Review = Free Book

In my excitement over putting my first book up for free for a few days, I forgot about posting about my newest interviews with other authors.  Here's the list of new interviews to check out:

• Shawn Hopkins (many genres, 5/25/2012)
• John Walz (contemporary fantasy/sci-fi, 5/28/2012)
• Michael Lamendola (thriller, 5/29/2012)
• Ian Thomas Healy (superhero/YA/horror, 5/30/2012)
• Rayne Hall (horror/author instruction, 5/31/2012)
• Jess C. Scott (cyberpunk/erotica, 6/1/2012)
• Michelle Louring (high fantasy, 6/1/2012)

 On another note, I've got a promotion I'm going to try for a while.  If you put a review on one of my Amazon pages for a Kindle version of my books, I'll give you an e-book.  This web page has the details of this event:  http://www.kevinrau.com/ReviewsForBooks.asp.  It's temporary, so get in on it while you can!

In a mirror universe, Jess C. Scott interviewed me back!  Check out her site, and the interview, at:  http://jesscscott.wordpress.com/2012/06/01/interview-kevin-rau/

Last, I'm working hard on the latest H.E.R.O. novel.  I figure I'm about 25% complete on it at this point.  Those of you checking out my H.E.R.O. Superhero Novels facebook page have seen the art for two of the new characters appearing in the book.  (Not sure if those two will be on the cover or not, but creating them gave a good feel for the characters.)

'Til next time.

Kev

End of (Free) Days

Well, the three day giveaway of H.E.R.O. - Metamorphosis on Amazon went fairly well.  I'd done it a couple of times months and months ago, and had my best success the first time, when the first day had over 1,000 copies "bought" for free.  Certainly not the massive success I've heard of others having, but I believe it's partially because people didn't know the book exists, and partially because people seem to believe that the superhero genre is either just for kids, or must be a comic book, rather than full novels.

This time started out a lot slower, with only about 500 acquired the first two days, and then yesterday (Sunday) picked up pace in the evening and ended at almost 1,100 more just on that one day.  I did hop on some Kindle pages on Facebook and post about it on Sunday, as well as a notice that went out on Kindle Nation Daily.  Not sure which had the big impact, though, since I also had the paid notice on KND on Friday, and it had almost no impact.

By the way, I've set H.E.R.O. - Metamorphosis to be only 99¢ for a while (at least) now.  If you missed out on the free days, it's still a very low price for a full novel (an average novel is 100k words, this one is 122k).  Check it out, right now the H.E.R.O. series is the most extensive superhero novel series of the last decade.

It's kind of frustrating for indie authors to just let people know that we even exist (and then to get past the bias against books not put out by a big publishing house).

I'm hoping people enjoy the book, and that some will give me a review on the Amazon page for it here:
http://www.amazon.com/H-E-R-O-Metamorphosis-ebook/dp/B005GM3PV8

----

On another note, I've added the first image of a new super from the novel I'm working on now (H.E.R.O. - Gene Front) onto my Facebook page.  His name is Neon.  If you didn't know, I post a short biography and images on my main website of all the characters at http://www.kevinrau.com.  I put more images, and sometimes more whimsical ones on my H.E.R.O. Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/herobooks.  That's where I tend to look for comments from people, and do a render (new image) of a character when someone asks for it on occasion.  If you have a question, comment, or would like to see a couple of the supers together in a pic, let me know on the Facebook page, I welcome the interaction.

Oh, and thank you to all the military vets out there for your service to our country.  I appreciate what you've done for us!

Have a great Memorial Day!

'Til next time.

--Kev

Interview of me on Alexandria Infante's site

Alexandria Infante interviewed me on her website, here's a link to it!
http://poisonedpin.webs.com/scifyguest.htm

Also, I had an interview on my site of Shawn Hopkins:
Shawn Hopkins (many genres, 5/25/2012)

Last, H.E.R.O. - Metamorphosis will be free for the Kindle from Fri-Sun 5/25 - 5/27/2012.  Get your free copy now!  Here's a link to the amazon page:
http://www.amazon.com/H-E-R-O-Metamorphosis-ebook/dp/B005GM3PV8

'Til next time.

--Kev

Hi guys, I wanted to let everyone know that my H.E.R.O. - Metamorphosis e-book novel is free this weekend, on Fri/Sat/Sun 5/25 - 5/27/2012.

Here is a direct link to the purchase page on Amazon:
http://bit.ly/zr6ouX

Note: You either need to own a Kindle, or have a free Kindle app installed on your PC, Mac, iOS, or Android device PRIOR to "buying" the free ebook. For a quick link to download these free apps, look at the lower right of my books page at:
http://www.kevinrau.com/books.asp

If you nab a copy, please consider leaving me a review! I could use some support from you guys!

'Til next time.

--Kev

Bargain E-Book Hunter site, new interview

Hi guys,

I've got new interviews up on my site, check them out:

• Mary Ann Bernal (historical fiction, 5/23/2012)
• Derek Blass (legal thriller, 5/24/2012)

On another note, I thought I'd pass this along to everyone.  If you are into e-books, check out http://bargainebookhunter.com for highlights on books, including a section on e-books that are free every day.  It's worth favoriting!

'Til next time.

--Kev

Tami Parrington interviewed me on her site

Here's the link to check it out:
http://www.tamiparrington.com/2012/05/22/interview-with-kevin-gerald-rau/


On the flip side, here are some new interviews other authors did on my site:

• Janine McCaw (historical fiction, 5/22/2012)
• Alexandria Infanté (paranormal romance, 5/22/2012)

 'Til next time.

--Kev

Here are the latest interviews for Sci-Fi, a Fantasy/Horror author, and a writer and web comic creator!

• Cassandra Davis (sci-fi, 5/21/2012)
• Tami Parrington (fantasy-horror/erotica, 5/21/2012)
• Sundae Rye (sci-fi/webcomic, 5/21/2012)

I welcome all authors that would like to participate, here's the page with the information:
http://www.kevinrau.com/i/QuestionsToEmail.asp

In other news, I've been getting some writing done on the next H.E.R.O. novel (H.E.R.O. - Gene Front).  Also, my torn left deltoid muscle is grumpy today after shifting my chest press to doing them higher on my chest today.  (Not sure what I was thinking when I set the bar location, but my mind was definitely somewhere else.)

I've posted some pics on the Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/herobooks that aren't on the website over the last month, by the way.  Feel free to go check them out (whether or not you choose to "Like" the page).

'Til next time.

Kev

More interviews, H.E.R.O. Shorts - Silverlash

I'm not entirely certain how, but I forgot to blog about the release of my short stories, H.E.R.O. Shorts - Silverlash (and before that, Gatecrasher).  Details on them are on my books page at http://www.kevinrau.com/books.asp.  Both of these short stories are available for $0.99 on Amazon for the Kindle (as e-books).  They also include new renders of characters specifically for each story.


Here are the newest author interviews I've added to my site:

• Joshua K. Johnson (gunpowder fantasy, 5/14/2012)
• Jill Pritchett (mystery, 5/17/2012)
• Aron Joice (YA fantasy, 5/18/2012)
• Elizabeth Baxter (fantasy, 5/18/2012)

If you are an author, and would like to become involved, here's a link right to the questions page:
http://www.kevinrau.com/i/QuestionsToEmail.asp .  I welcome new submissions, and don't limit the genre.

In other news, my latest short story, focusing on Silverlash, is off to the editors, I've finished the core story points for the next full novel in the H.E.R.O. series, and begun the writing phase!

'Til next time.

--Kev

Here are the newest author interviews I've added to my site:

• D.X. Luc (erotica/fantasy/paranormal, 5/10/2012)
• C.R. Hiatt (Y.A. Action & Adventure, 5/11/2012)

If you are an author, and would like to become involved, here's a link right to the questions page:
http://www.kevinrau.com/i/QuestionsToEmail.asp .  I welcome new submissions, and don't limit the genre.


In other news, my latest short story, focusing on Silverlash, is off to the editors, I've finished the core story points for the next full novel in the H.E.R.O. series, and begun the writing phase!








'Til next time.

--Kev

Here are the newest interviews I've done:

• Nicole Hill (historical romance & more, 5/7/2012)
• David Leadbeater (action/thriller/horror, 5/7/2012)
• Lee Rawn (action/fantasy, 5/7/2012)
• Morgan Nyberg (thriller/literary fiction/medical, 5/8/2012)

If you are an author, and would like to become involved, here's a link right to the questions page:
http://www.kevinrau.com/i/QuestionsToEmail.asp .  I welcome new submissions (and have a few more to make live right now), and don't limit the genre.

'Til next time.

--Kev

I've been doing author interviews on a regular basis, over 30 of them at http://www.kevinrau.com/Interviews.asp !

Here are the last 10, but for the full list of author interviews, click above.

• Jan Romes (romance w/humor, 4/30/2012)
• Simon Fox (hard-core sci-fi, 5/1/2012)
• Kat Flannery (historical romance, 5/2/2012)
• Warren Bennett (sci-fi/fantasy, 5/3/2012)
• Vanessa Wester (paranormal romance/children's, 5/3/2012)
• George Shirer (sci-fi, 5/4/2012)
• Douglas Dorow (thriller, 5/4/2012)
• Jane Isaac (psychological thriller, 5/4/2012)
• Russell Blake (action/adventure thriller, 5/4/2012)
• A.R. Braun (horror, 5/6/2012)

If you are an author, and would like to become involved, here's a link right to the questions page:
http://www.kevinrau.com/i/QuestionsToEmail.asp .  I welcome new submissions (and have a few more to make live right now), and don't limit the genre.

'Til next time.

--Kev

Interview of me with Jennifer Alvarez

Jennifer Lynn Alvarez interviewed me for her blog, here's the direct link:

http://www.jenniferlynnalvarez.com/2012/04/day-94-author-interview-with-kevin-rau.html

'Til next time.

--Kev

Author Interviews with J.S. Dunn and Jeff Whelan

I've got even more interviews on my main website at http://www.kevinrau.com that I haven't mentioned in the blog yet - here they are:

• J.S. Dunn (historical fiction, 4/2/2012)
• Jeff Whelan (sci-fi, 4/2/2012)

Thanks much to J.S. and Jeff for participating!


Enjoy!

'Til next time.

 --Kev

More interviews with authors on the website

I've got a bunch of interviews on www.kevinrau.com that I haven't mentioned in the blog yet - here they are:

• Emily Black (writer/photographer/singer, 3/29/2012)
• Cliff Ball (christian fiction writer, 3/30/2012)
• Diana Wilder (fiction writer, 3/30/2012)
• David Berger (sci-fi/superhero!, 3/30/2012)
• Brian Beam (fantasy, 4/1/2012)

I've got a few more in a "raw" state, and once I get the web pages for them I'll get them up on the site as well.  Enjoy!

'Til next time.

 --Kev

Interviews with authors Paul Mundane and Christine Nolfi

I've added two interviews to my website www.kevinrau.com.

The first is with contemporary science fiction and fellow superhero author, Paul Mundane at http://www.kevinrau.com/interviews/paulmundane.asp.

The second is with contemporary fiction author, Christine Nolfi at http://www.kevinrau.com/interviews/christinenolfi.asp.

Check them out!

'Til next time.

--Kev

New Author Interview section

I've replaced the "Series" button on my website (I moved that list to the "Books" page") with a new "Interviews" button.

I'm now soliciting other authors to have them do an online interview with me, which I'll post on this new page.  Rather than throwing it in a blog, where it will become buried in a list of other blog entries, I'm adding each author as a separate entry in a list dedicated to them.

The section is kicked off by an interview with Tenya Sharp Ingalls.  I'd like to thank her for the interview, and wish her good fortune on her first novel, Cumbrian Rain on Amazon.

'Til next time.

--Kev

Book 6, shoulder, stuff

So Book 6 (H.E.R.O. - Paragon) of the H.E.R.O. series has been out for most of a week now.  It's good to see that out the door so I can focus on the next book.

I've been working on Book 7 (H.E.R.O. - Dossier), although it's an illustrated guidebook of the H.E.R.O. universe to date rather than a novel.  I thought people might appreciate an easy place to look for information on people with six novels worth of information out there now.  It's been slow going, but I've finished the non-character sections (information about Metrocity, H.E.R.O., the smartphones they use, super sub-types, etc.).  I'm just getting into the write-up on each character.

After that I'll get back to a regular novel in the series.

About six weeks ago I did something to my left shoulder muscle while weight lifting (I've been upping the weights constantly, was hitting new heights for me).  Anyway, I either pulled the shoulder muscle right at the very end of the muscle (where it meets the trapezius muscle), or possibly tore the end off the bone.  It was pretty painful, but it's not like a doctor can do much about that type of thing (to my knowledge).  I kept working out for a few weeks, but it got worse, and I just came off a four week rest period where I only jogged on the elliptical each morning instead of weight lifting and jogging mixed.

Wow, a month off really lowers your strength limit - at least for the first workout session (for each body area).  I lowered the weights quite a bit (from 335 back down to 250) to ensure I don't strain something worse.  I'm not in any competition, it doesn't matter if it takes me weeks to get back up to the old strength levels, it's more important not to damage the muscle any further.

Anyway, it's interesting and different from the norm.

Lately, I've been hitting Twitter like mad to try to build up a follower base.  It's almost a game, because Twitter sets limits on how many people you can follow (or follow you) per day based on how many current followers you have.  Ah, the marketing side of being an author.  Bleck.  I'd rather just write and get the books out to you guys.  Ah well.

Have a good one.

'Til next time.

--Kev

H.E.R.O. - Paragon graphics, shoulder

H.E.R.O. - Paragon has been off to the editors for half a week or so.  It'll be anywhere from a week to a month or so to get the copies back and make adjustments to the novel.  I'm hoping before March, since I'm strongly considering having a booth at a convention and would like to have time to order copies and receive them prior to it.

I completed the graphics on one of the antagonists in H.E.R.O. - Paragon.  His name is Atomizer.  There are pics available both on my website at http://www.kevinrau.com/HEROs/Atomizer.asp and also on the H.E.R.O. Facebook page (in the photos section) at http://www.facebook.com/herobooks.

Working on the next character from the novel now.  Then onto either one more, or to the cover for H.E.R.O. - Paragon.

On a completely different note, I hit 335 pounds on my bench press last week.  I'm pleased with that, but my chest/triceps/shoulder lifting days are causing the topmost part of my left shoulder muscle to either tear away from the bone, or at the very least straining it right at the point where the shoulder muscle is closest to the trapezius muscle on either side of the neck.  It's painful.  Not that I mind pain on a normal basis, but when I'm up a chunk of the night thinking about how wonderful the sensation in the shoulder is rather than sleeping that I really become annoyed with it.  This morning I'm only jogging - I'll give it a little more time to heal before I push it again.

'Til next time.

--Kev

Book 6, Twitter, FB

H.E.R.O. - Paragon (Book 6 in the series) is in my edit phase now, meaning that I go through it, tweak the story, correct spelling and grammar and generally polish the story.  After that I'll run it through some software tools to help search for more grammar issues (repetitive word use and such).  Then I'll hand it over to my editors to dig into.  While they do their thing, I'll switch over to making a new 3D character or two for my website (and cover use).  Then I'll do the cover art for the novel.

I've got the Facebook page for H.E.R.O. setup - feel free to peruse it, and "Like" it if you do!  H.E.R.O. Superhero Novels on FB  I've got most of the character images from my http://www.kevinrau.com website up on that FB page now for those who prefer staying on FB.

Last night I joined Twitter.  It's the first time I've ever looked at it, so I'm a bit of a noob.  My handle is kevin_rau in case you're interested.

I've modified http://www.kevinrau.com to have a place for people to fill in their email address, and it'll be added to my database.  The only purpose for this will be notifications of when a new book is being released.

My thoughts right now are to split out information into how much people want to see:
1.  Only new book notifications - fill out the tiny form on the website with your email address and click Submit.
2.  View only occasional/rare posts by me about random topics (not always related to the novels).  Subscribe to this blog.
3.  See when I add pictures, character art or occasional updates on book progress - Like the Facebook page listed above.
4.  Get random sayings "from" my characters, and probably daily plugs for my website - follow kevin_rau on Twitter.

Hopefully that batch of options covers most people who are interested in what's happening with the H.E.R.O. universe.  Note that #4 is the only one where I'll try out the idea of random sayings.  We'll see how that works.

Okay, back to editing H.E.R.O. - Paragon.

'Til next time.

--Kev