Wednesday, December 14, 2011

On My Nightstand - The Father Christmas Confessions - FREE DOWNLOAD!






Emily Ann Benedict and I met on the blogging circuit. She contacted me and asked if I'd mention her free eBook, The Father Christmas Confessions. She graciously agreed to an interview.


1.  Ebooks are all the rage now. How did you decide to go this route?

I became a fan of the eBook quite a while ago. The ease of the "download and go" nature of the eBook is addicting.

When I decided to release a novel as a free Christmas gift to my readers, the eBook was the perfect choice. Creating it only cost me a little time.

2.  What platform did you use, and how steep was the learning curve?

The Father Christmas Confessions is available in two formats. The first form is PDF, which is easy to download to any computer and some eReaders. Creating a PDF was actually simple. Microsoft Word offers the option to save any document as a PDF.

I also wanted to offer a Kindle version. This is my favorite form to read in and has really become the preference for a large percentage of eBook lovers. Creating a Kindle book did take some research, but I finally discovered that Amazon released a conversion program called Mobipocket for free. With some help from my technologically talented brother, we were able to convert an MS document into a Kindle book.

A quick note: I host the Kindle version, so it must be downloaded from my site, not Amazon. Quite understandably, Amazon does not allow authors to offer their books for free.

3. Does your eBook include cover art? How did you locate an appropriate cover?

Yes, my eBook does come with cover art, though for some reason the Kindle opens all books to the title page. A reader will have to page back to see the cover.

I created my own cover, starting with an image from iStock.com. I know the publisher of my first book, Only Angels Are Bulletproof, uses iStock to design all of their covers, so I searched the site until I found an image that I felt suited the story. Then I used Photoshop to make the name plate for the book and merged the two together.

Katherine Meinicke, of Katherine Alison Photography, also offered me the use of some of her amazing nature photos to add the perfect frosty feel to the website.

4. From the description, your book sounds like a romance. What was your inspiration for the story?

Christmas Romantic Comedies have always been a great favorite of mine. My family binges on Hallmark and Family Channel Christmas movies every year. Christmas novels fill our shopping carts starting in November. My mother and I often race each other to see who can read the most before Christmas.

After watching one particular movie that centered on explaining certain Santa Claus traditions, I couldn't help wondering how I might write a novel around the idea of Mr. Claus. I actually wrote it over a period of three different Christmases. It just wasn't as fun writing it unless it was Christmas time, so I'd write until the 25th then put it down until the next December. Someday I'd like to turn it into a trilogy, but for the time being I enjoyed writing each character. I hope it gives a few extra smiles to every reader.

Here's the link to the FREE DOWNLOAD:  http://02be751.netsolhost.com/fatherchristmas/

Thanks, Emily Ann, for the interview and your generous gift.

Question for Writers: Did you learn anything new about producing an eBook? If so, what?

Question for Readers: Do you often download free eBooks? Were they for a eReader or for your computer?




12 comments:

Linda O'Connell said...

Susan,
Thanks for hosting and posting this information.

Susan J. Reinhardt said...

Hi Linda -

I hope it answered some questions for you. :)

Blessings,
Susan

Jessica Nelson said...

Interesting! I didn't know you could make a word doc into kindle format.
Good luck to Emily and thanks for the interview. ;-)

Karen Lange said...

Wonderful interview! Thank you, Susan and Emily, for doing it. I learned a lot. :) I am looking to convert a booklet into an ebook in the coming year, so this will come in handy!
Blessings,
Karen

Loree Huebner said...

Great interview.

I learned some things about e books today.

Susan J. Reinhardt said...

Hi Jess - That was also news to me.

Karen - I'm so glad the interview was helpful. I thought she did a great job simplifying the process.

Hi Loree - Yay! I thought this would be a neat interview.

Blessings,
Susan :)

Emily Ann Benedict said...

bwThank you, Susan for this opportunity. And thank you to everyone who has downloaded a book. :)

Susan J. Reinhardt said...

Hi Emily Ann -

Thanks for the FREE download!

Merry Christmas,
Susan :)

Rhonda Schrock said...

Interesting. Not having a Kindle yet, it's a (brave) new world out there for this girl. I feel like the 5-year-old just starting the minnow classes at the swimming pool. LOL. Time to learn, though.

Great job, as always.

Susan J. Reinhardt said...

Hi Rhonda -

You don't need a Kindle to read this book. It can be downloaded onto your computer. :)

Blessings,
Susan

Diane said...

I don't have an e-reader but appreciated that she made it available to download to PC. Cute story that I enjoyed! :O)

Susan J. Reinhardt said...

Hi Diane -

I also downloaded it to my PC. I read one chapter. Can't wait to get back to it.

Blessings,
Susan :)