Flying Wires has been added to LittleSamuari.com, a new web site for reading books online. Readers have free access to any of the books at the web site. Another unique aspect of LittleSamurai.com are the interactive features a publisher can add to their books. For example, Flying Wires contains hypertext that connects the reader with web sites, online documents and photographs. This media expands and enhances the story. The photos are a tangible example of something mentioned by one of the characters. The urls to organizations, events or places provide additional information about what is mentioned in the novel. LittleSamurai.com offers a reading environment that goes beyond just reading a digital book. It takes the reader into a corner of the real world behind the story.
Archive for the ‘Technology’ Category
The bytten word
Monday, August 17th, 2009
A Kindle book on iPhone
Thanks to JR, a fellow cyber author and publisher, I’ve come across another article about publishing and reading via Kindle, Sony, Blackberry, PC, and other electronic readers. Peter Svensson’s August 15 article Phones, PC’s put e-books within reach of Kindle-less focuses on the popularity of reading from paperless media and the technology that’s responsible for it. Only a few years ago, publishing for portable electronic readers and PC’s was a road less traveled. According to Svensson’s article, it’s hard to keep new e-books down; sales are beginning to climb. Intrepid entrepreneurs turn paper manuscripts into cybertext as quickly as the new software appears and just as importantly, readers are logging on in ever increasing numbers.
Laurel resident hopes online book sales soar
Thursday, June 11th, 2009I was recently interviewed for a profile article about me and my novel, Flying Wires. Click here for a JPEG of Timmy Gelles’ article in the 11 June 2009 issue of The Gazette or here for a link to the online version. Only recently, have I had the time to do some marketing of Flying Wires and I’m quite pleased that this opportunity came along.
In the meantime, my Examiner.com articles and my work for NAMI Howard County are keeping me quite busy. Now that the first phase of the NAMI contract is complete, I will soon be working about 10 hours per week for the next twelve months on the second phase.
To purchase the PDF version of Flying Wires, click here. To purchase the Kindle version – which is also downloadable to an iPhone and iPod Touch – click here.
A new assignment
Thursday, April 23rd, 2009
National Alliance on Mental Illness
Today I received a call from the NAMI Howard County office. NAMI [National Alliance on Mental Illness] is a national organization that does a wonderful job of educating and supporting people effected by mental illness, their friends and families and the public, in general. Their trained facilitators run support groups for both the person effected by the illness and for friends and family. NAMI has specific educational training sessions for family members, parents of children with mental illness, Hispanic groups and for consumers who want to become presenters for NAMI’s various outreach programs. Last week, I began attending their 12-week Family to Family course that gives family members a better understanding of mental illness and tools to better interact and support their loved one. After only two classes, I’m impressed with how much new information I’ve picked up.
The purpose of the call from them today was to ask if I was interested in a contract position with the organization. I’ll have more information about the project after I attend a meeting in their office on Monday. Basically, I’m one of two contractors who will be redesigning one of the NAMI brochures and then meeting with health care professionals in Howard County, Maryland and giving them the brochures for their patients who have or may have a mental illness. I’m happy to be associated with this fine organization and I’ll post more information after Monday’s meeting.
Publishing for Kindle
Wednesday, April 15th, 2009
Kindle on iPhone
I was invited by the Maryland Writers’ Association to write an article for their blog about my publishing experience for Kindle. Click here to read the article.
Carol is on Facebook and Twitter
Monday, April 6th, 2009New links-Surf’s Up!
Saturday, March 21st, 2009If you’re looking for something at either the Chrysalis Publications, LLC web site or on the big WWW, check out the links in the column on the right side of this blog. In the past few days, I’ve added some new links that may help you find what you’re looking for. Happy surfing!
Flying Wires for Kindle and . . . iPhone
Saturday, March 14th, 2009Flying Wires is now available for download to your Kindle, Kindle 2 or iPhone [also iPod Touch]. That’s right. After a February announcement about Amazon.com’s Kindle 2, the e-books available for the Kindle products are now available for the iPhone. Perhaps Amazon.com is responding to the demand for the popular e-book format to be available on other media players besides the Kindle and Kindle 2. In this struggling economy, companies often fall back to the “whatever sells” game plan. For Kindle and Kindle for iPhone owners, take a sneak peak at Flying Wires. [See link for "Try it free."] Don’t have a Kindle or iPhone? Click here to see a sample from one of the chapters.
Click Kindle for additional information about this product; and for Kindle for iPhone.
Document Conversion
Monday, March 2nd, 2009Thanks to open source software, affiliate marketing, and paid advertising, document conversion is literally, free and easy. Open source software like Open Office allows you to open a Microsoft Word document, for example, edit it and then save it in a variety of document formats. Most useful is the option to save the document as a PDF [portable document format]. The Open Office Suite software [word processor, presentation, drawing, database and spreadsheet programs] is free. I use the word processor and spreadsheet functions almost exclusively; rarely venturing to the Windows side of the fence.
In the realm of paid advertising and affiliate marketing, there are a number of online document conversion software companies that will let you convert electronic files for free. The advertisers help to defray the cost of using the bandwidth and web servers. These web sites offer a broader spectrum of file conversion. For example, audio, video and archive file options are available. One such company is Media-Convert. The only caveat I’ll mention is, check the company’s limitations on file size. You’ll probably find the file conversion format you want, but – using the example of Media-Convert – you’re limited to a file no larger than 150 Mb.
Angie’s List
Friday, February 20th, 2009Yesterday, Chrysalis Publications, LLC registered with both the Washington and Baltimore chapters of Angie’s List. One of their slogans, “Get reliable feedback before you hire.” accurately describes this professional online resource for matching contractors, medical professionals, mechanics and secretarial services – to name only a few – with customers.
With more and more people flipping through web pages, like they used to flip through the pages in a telephone book, an Angie’s List contractor’s current information and detailed profile is paired up with favorable [or not] reviews of Angie’s List members. Members subscribe to the list on a monthly, yearly or longer basis. The staff at Angie’s List read all of the reports submitted by members before the reports and the businesses are posted online. Companies do not pay to be listed on Angie’s List.
In fact, although the Chrysalis listings won’t actually appear in a current vendor search at the Angie’s List web site, when a customer submits a report and it’s posted on the List, it will give future and repeat customers a report card and additional information about Chrysalis Publications, LLC. We will post an update as our customers post their reviews.
As manager of Chrysalis Publications, LLC, and a potential customer, I also paid for a subscription. I now have the opportunity to look up and review local computer repair or phone services, for example, via Angie’s List before I contact someone for service.
For more information about Angie’s List, click here. For stories in the news, here.
