While the overall look of the site is basically the same, the menu options have changed a bit, we’ve added a News page, and we’ve changed the layout of the Home page to allow for updated content on a regular basis.

Is your website feeling a bit static or dated? Do people spend much time on it or get beyond the Home page? Even the best website designs need updating from time to time, and your website is a major part of your author platform. So don’t forget your web home when you spring clean your other home!

In this digital age, ebooks continue to gain prominence. As an author, it is certainly in your best interest to offer your work on at least one ebook platform, and preferably on as many as you can access. Converting from print to ebook can seem a daunting task at first, but if you have some patience and a bit of HTML knowledge (which really isn’t too hard to pick up), you can manage it if your book’s layout is not complex. A good resource to get you started is Guido Henkel’s “Take pride in your eBook formatting” series of nine blog posts. Guido explains in simple, direct terms the changes you should make to your MS Word manuscript file in order to successfully convert it to an ebook file. He also provides some tips to take your formatting beyond basic and help your book to stand out.

Another good resource for creating EPUB files is Sigil, a free open-source application that provides a WYSIWYG interface to make the creation of the final EPUB file as simple as copy-paste. If you are familiar with HTML and CSS, you can work directly with the code to add your own personal style to the file. Sigil also has an integrated FlightCrew EPUB validator that will alert you to any issues with your file, allowing you to create a fully EPUB compliant file that you can upload directly to retailers or certain ebook aggregator sites.

Once you have your validated EPUB file, you can import it into another open-source application, Calibre, to convert it to a MOBI file for uploading to Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing.

Now that you have your finalized ebook file, you need to get it to the ebook retailers. There are a number of ebook aggregators like Smashwords, BookBaby, BookTango, and others that allow you to upload your ebook file and they then distribute it to a list of retailers. The fee arrangements, acceptable file types, and royalty payment terms vary among these companies, so do your homework before you make a decision to use any of them. But for a lot of self-publishing authors, they may be the only way to reach markets like Apple’s iBookstore or Sony’s Reader Store.

There are a few markets you can reach yourself, like Amazon, Barnes & Noble (if you are a US resident) and Kobo Books. Smashwords very recently began accepting EPUB files instead of only allowing MS Word files, which now makes them a much more attractive option to get into the other markets. You must be very certain that your formatting meets their guidelines and your EPUB file is fully validated in order to be approved for their Premium Catalogue, which allows distribution of your book to the other retailers. I recommend going directly to the retailers you can reach, and using an aggregator to reach the rest.

Writing a book is hard work, but the effort doesn’t end with the last period. If you want to give your baby the best possible chance in the wider world, you should give serious thought to ebooks. With a bit of time and effort on your part, you can open your work up to several other markets beyond print. Isn’t that worth it?

And if you should decide that the task of ebook conversion is beyond you, please contact Sleeping Cat Books and we’ll help.

Don’t forget to order your copy of the Trip of a Lifetime anthology in time for the holidays!

And you can win a free travel mug! Announcing the release of Trip of a Lifetime: An Anthology.

The book can be purchased at Amazon or through our website in paperback or ebook format.

Excerpts from the review: “The gathering of literary pieces on a single topic introduces 33 fine-tuned imaginations that interpret an impending storm as different things…these are the contributions of writers whose task it is to take us places we haven’t been…Thanks to many small presses like Sleeping Cat, and thousands of talented literary writers, the opportunities for this kind of reading adventure are plentiful; we just don’t often hear about them, therefore don’t think about them. Too bad.”

Friday, 21 September 2012, is your chance to pick up a copy of the Kindle edition of The Storm is Coming: An Anthology. This free promotion will last one day only, so don’t miss your chance. The only thing we ask is that you leave a review on Amazon after you’ve read your free copy.

The Storm is Coming: An Anthology

And you can win a free paperback copy! Announcing the release of The Storm is Coming: An Anthology.

Storms can come out of a clear blue sky, or they can build over a long period. They can take many forms, all terribly destructive: a tornado or hurricane that destroys all your belongings, an abusive spouse who destroys your sense of well-being, or human actions that can devastate an entire society.

In this collection of short stories, poetry, non-fiction, and images, you will find the range of approaching storms, and the range of emotions involved in such cataclysmic events. Within these pages you will find Mother Nature on the warpath in the form of tornadoes, hurricanes, blizzards, and vengeful plants. You will find storms approaching in the form of an abusive spouse, a fed-up spouse, and the down-trodden. You will find murder and suicide. But, as is always the case after a storm passes, you will also find life beginning anew.

To celebrate the release of this anthology in both paperback and ebook formats, Sleeping Cat Books will send a copy of the paperback to one reader chosen at random. The rules for entering this drawing are below.

The Storm is Coming: An Anthology is now available in paperback and for Kindle and NOOK.

Please visit these contributors’ blogs as we continue our blog tour to celebrate the release:
2 April: Gill Shutt – Fog on the Brain
3 April: Carole Bellacera – Musings and News
4 April: Randy Mixter – Writing for Fun and Profit
5 April: Joe Massingham – Joe’s Blog
6 April: Catherine McGuire – Cathy McGuire – Writing and Art
7 April: Ransom Noble – Ransom Noble – Writer

Rules for Entry

• Comment on this post (Leave a Comment/Reply below) between  1 April 2012 and 30 April 2012.
• Be sure to use a valid email address when you post so that we may contact the winner. (This email address will not appear on your comment when you post it.)
• One entry per person. You may comment more than once, but your name and email address will only be entered for the first comment.
• The winner will be chosen at random on 1 May 2012 from all of the unique commenters on this post. The winner’s first name will be announced on this blog that day.
• In the event that we are unable to contact the winner by 7 May, a second name will be chosen at random and announced on that day.

Please include a bio paragraph written in third person in the cover letter of your submission. Submissions will only be accepted through the button on our website.

Fiction: no more than 5,000 words.

Deadline for submission: 1 July 2012

Theme: Character (cover image below and character profile on our website)
We have tried to include enough detail to give you a reasonable idea of who this character is without restricting you to any particular location or time. We will entertain any type of submission (sci-fi, fantasy, paranormal, mystery, etc.) as long as Cherie is clearly the character we’ve created. She does not have to be the main character in your submission, but she must have a prominent role. You do not have to stick strictly to the character traits we’ve included, but again, she must be recognizable as the same character. Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions.

Submission fee: Free

Contributor compensation: Those whose work is chosen for inclusion will receive one complimentary copy of the anthology, and will also be eligible to purchase up to 10 copies at production cost plus S&H, rather than retail.

Cover for as-yet untitled character anthology

This collection of short stories, poetry, non-fiction, and images covers the range of approaching storms, and the range of emotions involved in such cataclysmic events.

Your pre-order of this anthology will help defray the production costs, including supplying each of the talented authors with a complimentary author’s copy. Please see the Reward levels on the pre-order site to select the package that’s right for you.