Harry Potter Ebooks--a New Trend in Marketing?

I have a Nook Color and got it before the Kindle Fire came out. I love it. I have a huge library of books on my Nook. I either downloaded them from Barnes and Noble, or I downloaded them from Smashwords as epubs.

I believe in competition. I don't want Big A (either them) to be the only places we have to go to purchase.

But I digress.

Yesterday I bought an iPad. I've wanted one for a long time because I attend a lot of conferences (both for my day job and as a writer), and the iPad--with its little keyboard set that makes it a mini laptop--will be much easier to carry around and take notes on.

But I also want it to be my ereader of choice. I'm giving my Nook to my hubby to use for church books, so I need to move all the books I've downloaded from B&N and a handful of Kindle books I've downloaded to my laptop but haven't read yet.

I wish they didn't make it so hard!

If you haven't had a chance to read the article "What Book Publishers Should Learn from Harry Potter" by Matthew Ingram, you should check it out. He discusses the model that Jo Rowling and Pottermore have developed for the new release of the Harry Potter ebooks.

Imagine! You can download EIGHT digital copies of each book for the multiple digital places you want to read them or for lending. One of the reasons I've continued to buy paper books is because it's hard to lend digital books, especially if your friends have competing readers.

I love this quote from the article:

"Charlie Redmayne, who left HarperCollins to become the chief executive officer of Pottermore, said that all of these developments and enhancements for users stem from a single principle:

My view is that the one thing we should learn from the music industry, is that one of the best ways of fighting back against piracy is making content available to consumers at a platform they want to purchase it on, and at a price they are willing to pay, and if you do that most people will instinctively want to buy it.

Redmayne is right, and if book publishers could only learn one thing from the Pottermore launch, it should be this: that one of the biggest drivers of piracy is the inability to find or consume the content that a user wants in the format or on the platform or at a time they wish to consume it . . . ."

click the picture

Jo gets it.

Why don't the others?

Personalities - Introvert and Extrovert

This is Part 2 of my series on personality traits based upon the Kiersey Personality Sorter. You can check out Part 1 here.

Today I'm going to talk about introverts and extroverts. Frequently people think that introverts are shy and extroverts are not. Sometimes that's true, but sometimes it isn't.

The way to think about the introvert/extrovert traits is in terms of energy.

An introvert isn't necessarily shy. An introvert is simply energized by solitude, while an extrovert is energized by being around people.

Real life examples.

#1
I have a friend who didn't marry until she was nearly 30. She lived on her own in an apartment, but she had a day job where she worked in a solitary office and almost never dealt with people face to face. She's an extrovert, and it really wore on her. In order to get her energy back up, she needed to be with real, live people.

So she got a roommate.

However, the roommate--an introvert--was an insurance person. She dealt with people all day. By the time she got home at night, all she wanted was to go to her bedroom and be alone.

My friend said she felt lonelier with this roommate than she had when she lived by herself.

#2
My professor who taught the class where we learned about the Kiersey shared this experience. She was a therapist for many years and spent her days interacting with people. She's an introvert. By now you know what she needed when she got home. Quiet. Solitude. Time to lay in the bathtub and contemplate the universe.

Enter her younger sister who wanted to share an apartment. Not just an extrovert, but a flaming extrovert.

Anybody see potential problems?

Professor would come home from work, needing time to rejuvenate. About the time she'd just get her stuff settled, her younger sister would arrive at the apartment after work and blast the radio, sing, talk, and want to chat with Professor.

Guess what Professor wanted to do to younger sister?

Obviously, Professor was a mature, intelligent woman, and she didn't act on her impulse. What she did was talk with her sister about being quiet for an hour when she first got home, so Professor had some time to fill her batteries again. Then she'd be happy to talk.

What did younger sister do? Not hang around a silent apartment. She hung out with her friends a little longer before coming home. Win/win.

My score balance for the Kiersey for years was 7 extrovert and 3 introvert. As you can see, it's not like people must be all of one or all of the other. As you consider the description of yourself, you should keep that in mind. Someone who is an extrovert with a 9/1 score would view things a bit differently than an extrovert with a score of 6/4.

Does the energy concept make you look at any of your characters differently?

That OTHER Other Blog . . .

This posting on three different blogs is getting interesting.

Anyway, I'm blogging today at the iWriteNetwork blog where I talk about where we get ideas.

And on that same topic, you might want to see what James Duckett posted here. Great stuff there. (I'd written my post before I read his.)

That Other Blog . . .

Today's my day to post away from here. I'm talking about the effect of fiction on the brain. Drop on by if you'd like. Click here.

Launch Day for "Protected" by Cindy M. Hogan

It's launch day

for

Cindy M. Hogan's

Protected,

the second book

in her

Watched series.

I've already read Protected and found it to be quite the page turner. I'll review it in April during the A to Z Challenge under the letter "P" naturally.

Seven--the Magical Number

Okay, I've been dying to do this one. I think this is one of the funnest memes going around. Sarah Pearson over at Empty White Pages sent this my way.

Source

I'm sure you all know the rules by now but just in case:

1. Go to page 77 of your current MS/WiP
2. Go to line 7
3. Copy down the next 7 lines, sentences or paragraphs, and post them as they're written.
4. Tag 7 authors.

This is from my current WIP that was my Nano project and is the reason for my frenzy as March fades.

Siena sat for a moment, considering, before her eyes widened. “Does that mean I can do magic?”

Her great grandmother shrugged.

Light headed with the possibilities and angry at the lack of information, Siena reached up and grabbed Helene’s wrist. “What does that shrug mean?”

Helene pulled her hand loose, her eyes flashing. “It means I don’t know.  You’re my direct descendent, but you’ve also got a lot of nonmagical blood.”

With a frown, Siena let out a deep breath, her anger leaving as quickly as it had come. 

Anyone who'd like to share a part of your WIP,
consider yourself tagged!

Personalities

I've been fascinated for years (all right, decades) with the Kiersey Personality Sorter. It was based on the MMPI, which is a comprehensive test, something like 600 questions. The MMPI is used a lot in dealing with mental illness, but for people trained in what to look for it tells a lot more about the people taking it than they would ever dream.

The Kiersey is much shorter and has many practical uses. They give it to department heads at work. There are no right or wrong answers to the questions, but merely give insight into how the taker views the world.

Here's a real life example from the business world. I used to work as the lead secretary for a department that oversaw physical facilities--buildings, etc. My old boss developed a health issue and retired. He was a detail oriented person when it came to the budget and was very hands on. His replacement, however, was a big picture kind of guy. The finance director commented after the first budget meeting with the new director that he wished he'd known this about the new boss because he'd have prepared his presentation completely differently.

People's personalities change a lot as they mature, but settle in somewhere around twenty-five. So for young people under that age, their results are . . . questionable. Once you reach twenty-five, your scores aren't likely to change much. Now, there can be traumatic things people go through that would impact how they answer the questions, but eventually things settle down again.

Some people also answer the questions differently if they're looking at them as they are at home as opposed to at work. When I had a coworker mention that, it floored me because I am what I am. I'm the same at home or at work. With me, what you see is what you get.

What does this have to do with writing? When you're creating characters, their personality traits are important if you don't want them to be flat. But what characteristics fit which personality types? The Kiersey would be a great tool for that.

So over the next few blog posts, I'm going to be talking about different aspects of the Kiersey and what it has to say about people. It separates people into sixteen different personality types. I'll start with me. 

I'm an EXFJ.

The E means I'm an extrovert. (the other option is introvert, of course)

The X is going to be confusing because it means that I test dead even between the two options: S (sensing--dealing with information from your five sense) and N (intuitive).

The F means I'm a feeler. (the other choice is a thinker--don't even say it!)

The J is for judging. (the other option is perceiving).

If you have the time, I suggest you go and take the test and find out what you are. I'll start with the introvert/extravert topic next week.

Have you ever taken a personality test? If so what kind was it? What did you think of the results?

News

The good news is not mine. Mostly. Only one more rejection, and hubby and I get to go out to dinner. I'm ready! Though I got a very positive, personalized rejection that was very encouraging. Never hurts when agents say they would like to see your next project.

The good news is about Nancy Thompson who got a book deal! You can check out the details on her blog.

So, have you heard any good news lately?

Posting Somewhere Else Today

I'm posting over at the Authors Incognito Blog today if you wanted to drop over. I'll be over there every Sunday.

I love Jon Schmidt and The Piano Guys.

Enjoy.

And the winner is . . .

The winner

of

Twitterpated

by

 Melanie Jacobson 

is

ilima

Since tomorrow is St. Patrick's Day, the day when anyone in the U.S. can pretend to be Irish (I am, and my two older children are even more so, since they get it from both sides of the family), I thought I'd post a couple of pictures from my trip to Ireland last April. 

This is at the Poulnabrone Dolmen--a portal tomb in County Clare. It's older than Stone Henge.

The Cliffs of Moher

Even their asphalt is green. lol This is in Connemara where they have world famous marble.

Kylemore Abbey - they have beautiful gardens there but we got there a few minutes too late.

The is from the town of Cong, where they filmed a bunch of stuff for The Quiet Man. There're also amazing ruins of an abbey there. They have a gorgeous recreation area where we took a hike.

Cong Abbey

This is the Ross Errilly Friary--they abandoned this place in the 1600s. For an American, where something is old when it's 150-200 years old, this is mind boggling.

We also made it to Dublin and visited St. Patrick's Cathedral and Christ Church, toured Dublinia and tons of other stuff and generally had too much fun.

Now that I've bored you with my travelogue, I have to say that I loved my visit. I SO have to go back. Really. And I have a great excuse. One of my future books is going to take place there, so I'll need to refresh my memory. Right?

Have any of you visited a real location for research for a book? 

Book Giveaway - Twitterpated by Melanie Jacobson

You guys are in for a treat. This week on my blog, I'm doing a giveaway for the fabulous Melanie Jacobson, the author of The List and Not My Type (both Whitney Award nominees, by the way--can you imagine competing against yourself? Some nationally known Whitney recipients/finalists include: Orson Scott Card, Stephenie Meyer, Brandon Sanderson, Brandon Mull, Dan Wells, Janette Rallison, Ally Condie, James Dashner, Aprilynne Pike, and David Farland to name a few).

Those of you who have followed me for a bit know that last May I went to the Storymaker writing conference and also signed up for Bootcamp. Melanie was my Drill Instructor, and she recently signed with Alyssa Henkin at Trident Media Group for a national project (under the name Melanie Bennett). 



Well, Melanie has a new book coming out. Twitterpated. And you have the chance to win a copy!

About the book:

Jessie Taylor is furious when her roommate secretly posts her picture on the dating website LDS Lookup—furious, that is, until she spends all night instant messaging Ben Bratton, a man whose wit and warmth just might make Jessie forget the train wreck of her last romantic relationship. Their first date is a smashing success (literally), but Ben’s overall awesomeness can’t save Jessie from having to deal with Craig, her competitive coworker whose baiting behavior sets new standards for obnoxiousness. Determined to beat Craig at his own game, Jessie spends long office hours finishing projects and putting out fires, but while her performance wows her boss, it only makes Ben skittish—after a failed engagement to an up-and-coming lawyer, he’s not about to pair up with someone who’s married to her job. Will Jessie figure out how to be true to herself and take her big chance at love before it’s gone with a click of the mouse?

What do you have to do to be considered? It's easy:

1. Be a follower of this blog.
2. Post a comment (with your email) that you'd be interested in having your name entered.

I'll do the drawing first thing on FRIDAY morning, March 16th, and announce the winner on my blog.

And don't forget to check out Melanie's other books (I LOVED them!)

Twenty-three-year-old Pepper Spicer is not living the dream. She ended her engagement at the last minute because fiance—a musician an soon-to-be reality TV star—wanted her to sacrifice her own career ambitions for his. Now she's stuck at home sharing a room with her little sister, trying to pay off massive debt for a wedding that didn't happen, and spending Friday nights Facebook-stalking everyone who has a better life. Her therapist father urges her to choose her career dreams and count her blessings by writing weekly thank-you notes, but gratitude is a tall order when she botches an important job interview and has to settle for writing an undercover dating web-zine column—the last thing in the world she wants to do. Still, as Pepper (byline:Indie Girl) chronicles her bizarre and hilarious blind dates, she gives her father's challenge a try and slowly finds herself leaving self-pity behind. Life takes a major upswing as Pepper's column hits the big time and she tastes the exhilarating thrill of success. But there's one tiny problem: the intensely hot man she's falling for is having issues with her job (again). Will Pepper trade her personal ambition for another chance at love?

Ashley Barrett doesn’t want to get married. At least, not anytime soon. She doesn’t care how many of her friends and family members and fellow churchgoers had weddings before they finished college — the last thing she needs in her fun-loving twenties is the dead-weight of some guy. And that’s why she created The List. By the time she completes all twenty-five goals — from learning a language to skydiving to perfecting the art of making sushi — she’ll be more ready to settle down. Maybe.

This summer in California is a prime time for Ashley to cross two items off the list: learn to surf (#13) and have a summer romance (#17). And Matt Gibson, the best surf instructor in Huntington Beach and the most wanted guy in the singles ward, is the perfect man for the job. Ashley hatches a plan to love him and leave him before heading off to grad school in the fall (#4, get a master’s degree). But when Matt decides he doesn’t like the “leaving” part, Ashley’s carefully laid plans are turned sideways. Now Ashley faces an unexpected dilemma: should she stick to the safety of The List, or risk everything for a love that may tie her down — or might set her free?

You Know You're a Writer . . .

I've been messing around lately when I needed a break. I'd like to thank the folks at cuebon.com for compiling these.

And, while I'm waiting for my son to finish the book cover, I've been messing around some myself. This is nothing like the cover he's working on. He's the artist, after all.

 Here's some artwork by my oldest son, David.

He did this as a senior art project and gave it to me for Mother's Day. It's airbrushed.

Here Dave is with another one of his projects (also airbrushed).

One more.

Here's one he did recently on Corel Paint.

And here he was just sketching on the iPad.

Have a great week!

Define Paradise

My daughter put on a fun Harry Potter party for her son. I love that my grandkids love Harry Potter. My grandson just barely turned 8, and he's already halfway through Goblet of Fire. Not too shabby. I got to help make the Owl Snacks and Cauldron Cakes. The Butterbeer was to die for.

I brought him a fun book--Bees in My Butt, which he and his older sister both read. Hilarious books. I'm going to have to get the others in the series.

 

I got my granddaughter Mist Warriors, and they both read that one. 

Then I remembered that I brought Confessions from the Realm of the Underworld (Also Known as High School) to her. She blew through that one in a day.  

 Some addictions are good to pass down to future generations.

We made it safely back to the mainland.

To snow.

Sad. Really sad. Though it's supposed to be nearly 70 degrees one day this weekend. Which is actually a bit better than what we experienced on Kaua'i. They had rain of nearly biblical proportions. It's a good thing we went for a family event and not sightseeing. Besides the airport and the church (and my daughter's house) I only made it to Walmart.

But it was awesome seeing my daughter and her family again. I miss them so much.

Got back yesterday and had my last wisdom tooth removed. I'd been putting this off for 30 years because the other bottom wisdom tooth was a bear afterward. Well, this one was a bear getting out. The dentist had to take it in pieces.

And the tooth area isn't the only place that can take a hit during an extraction. Like my lip here. I haven't had the guts to look at the tooth extraction site.

One positive note though. The oral surgeon (as he's cutting the tooth from my jaw bones) assured me I didn't have osteoporosis.

Anybody doing anything fun this weekend?

Book Review - "A Woman's Power - Threads That Bind Us to God" by Fay A. Klinger

Fay's Website and Facebook

Book Description:
For any woman who's ever felt like she's hanging on by a single thread, this inspiring book reveals the truth: you're surrounded by threads of strength and power that can bring you safety, peace, and lasting happiness. All you have to do is grab hold of them. Uplifting and empowering, this book offers women everywhere a message of hope.

I don't read a lot of nonfiction. It's not that I don't enjoy it; I do. Fiction just tends to have a stronger pull for me.

But I appreciate being inspired by the struggles of real live people--especially women. Fay shares the stories of several as she takes the reader through the chapters, each of which is a tool women can use to help them get through the rough spots of life--and several of them are her own trials and tribulations. I found myself uplifted and encouraged while reading this book.

I tend to collect inspirational quotes, so I thought I'd share a couple from the book.

People who see mistakes as opportunities for learning can keep going as challenges appear.

Our identity--who and what we are, the foundation we work from in making decisions and facing life--must not be based on any title or season in life.

 
 

Orem's Center for Story

The construction of the Center for Story is being funded with CARE tax revenues and donations. It is an extension of the existing library for programs the library is already putting on.

Now, there will simply be room for those who wish to attend.

Vacation . . . Again. Oh, and Self-Editing

Yep, I'm headed to paradise again.

I know. Rough life.

Robin Weeks posted an LTUE class update about self-editing. (I know! I've been a serious slacker/loser in this area myself, but repentance is coming. Someday). But it's an awesome recap of a class taught by the amazing Tristi Pinkston (author and editor).  It's definitely worth your time to check it out. 

When I find posts like this, I copy them and post the information in a document (with a link back to the original post), so I won't lose it. How do you keep track of useful information you find online?