Should Readers Be Able to Modify Book Content?

A company in Utah is developing an app that will selectively edit what the reader of an ebook sees, removing from their sight words or descriptions of actions deemed unacceptable.

I read the article and started ranting at the walls. As usual, the walls ignored me, so I decided if I self-censored the non-Indies Unlimited allowed words, that maybe I could turn my rant into a post. Continue reading “Should Readers Be Able to Modify Book Content?”

Books on Audio: Let Your Audience Hear Your Characters Speak

Guest Post
by Rita Plush

How we love to hear stories. The human voice, its richness and intonations takes us into make believe worlds.

And I love that my book, Lily Steps Out, has stepped off the monitor screen and printed page into the listening world as an audio book. After all the work of writing (5 years) and getting Lily into print (tack on another 7), it was pure pleasure to hear my story told through my characters. And because I think my fellow Indie Authors will benefit from my experience, I’m spreading the word—or words as we writers are inclined to spread.

I learned about ACX—Audiobook Creation Exchange—owned by Amazon (isn’t everything?) from a fellow author who said the procedure of getting a print or eBook into a listening format was “pretty much painless” and she was right. This this is the gist of how I did it: Continue reading “Books on Audio: Let Your Audience Hear Your Characters Speak”

Book Blogger Spotlight: Kitty Muse and Me

But, that’s not a cat…

Meet Kathy Ree, founder of the book blog, Kitty Muse and Me. She is a resident of the Pacific Northwest, but was  born and raised in California. Kathy has been married for 27 years, and has a 24-year-old son, a 21-year-old daughter, and a very large cat. Kathy says the cat sits on her writing so she can’t get anything done. Thus the “Kitty Muse” title.

Kathy is also an author, reviewer and editor. She just accepted an internship with her publisher, Mountain Springs House. Continue reading “Book Blogger Spotlight: Kitty Muse and Me”

A Reviewing System for Men

You’ve probably seen studies that show female readers outnumber male readers by a fairly wide margin. I don’t know what the margin is – you think I sit around reading studies all day?

Of course men do read. I don’t know what the scope or methodologies of the studies were, or whether they encompassed such reading materials as appliance instruction manuals and periodicals (ahem). Even so, that doesn’t mean men couldn’t make a better showing.

It seems obvious that part of the problem is the current rating system. I don’t know if you’ve ever looked closely at the current and most widely-used rating system for books, but it breaks down something like this: Continue reading “A Reviewing System for Men”