KindleGraph: Author - Please Sign My eBook!

Time to confess my guilty secret. I may be a self published author but I have often dreamt of sitting in a book store surrounded by adoring fans eager for my signature on a copy of my best selling book. To be completely frank I've even sat in front of a mirror and practised the condescending smile I would bestow upon them as I hand over a signed copy. That particular experiment was hastily abandoned when I discovered I was giving a convincing impression of a man with severe haemorrhoid's desperately attempting to conceal his obvious discomfort.

I had always considered the lack of such opportunities as one of the few negatives of being an eBook author. Until that fateful day I posed in the mirror and realised that, for me in fact, it was a positive blessing. But, by way of compensation, there is now an amazing little app called KindleGraph that allows you to simulate the book signing experience for your readership.

Ok, what exactly is KindleGraph and what can it do?

Created by Evan Jacobs, a former programmer at Amazon, Kindlegraph is designed to facilitate a closer connection between authors and their fans. To personalise their e-book, users log in with their Twitter credentials and select from a list of popular e-books. So far approximately 3,500 authors are involved, with around 15,000 books listed. After selecting an e-book, a request is then sent to the author who, after logging in, will see a list of current requests. There is space to type a personalised message, and clicking “Kindlegraph it” will send the message to Docusign APIs which embed the signed message and sends a PDF back to the reader’s Kindle.
Jacobs hopes that authors will use it as a means to build relationships with fans, for example: sending preview chapters or short stories before they are published. A video on the Kindlegraph’s website explains how the platform works in more detail.

What it means is you as an author get to sign books without the indignity of the fixed smile while readers get a more personalised copy for its own sake or as a collectors item that will potentially increase in value. Everyone's a winner. Thanks for KindleGraph Evan!
I have just added two of my books to KindleGraph: "A Christmas Carol Revisited" and "Google+ eXplosion" and will let you know how things work out.

On the subject of Google+ I know I keep banging on about it but it is going to be a really major player and now is the time to secure your piece of virtual real estate and start building your potential readership. Google+ eXplosion is written specifically for authors and writers. Let me just say up front I do not claim to be some sort of marketing guru. That phrase evokes images of some guy in a loin cloth sitting on a sharp rock somewhere lost in an esoteric trance.

Everything I have learnt down the years has been the result of personal experience. That is why if anyone did purchase Google+ eXplosion and considered it to be of no help to them I will happily refund the cost. My reputation is far more valuable and I would not be the first author to see one of his books bomb! In fact I will even print every comment made. At the end of the day if it's of no use to you as writers I would prefer to abandon the project and concentrate all my efforts on my own writing. Having said all that I really do hope you would find it more than useful. Here's the promo video I made (more about promo videos in future posts):

Google+ eXplosion is free for the next 5 days only:To access you free copy click on the cover image on the top right of this page.
This has been a new venture for me and I really would appreciate your feedback - negative and positive. Google+ eXplosion was written with new writers and aspiring authors in mind. If people find it helpful I will probably write more of this type of book specifically for them. If people find it of little value I would then focus full time on my own writing. So, please be honest!
one way of showing a positive response if you don't feel like commenting is simply clicking the Google+ 1 button. That will give me a pretty good idea if I measure it against the number of downloads.


Time for this weeks Featured Authors:

First something close to my heart - children. It was during my 37 years in education writing scripts, stories and educational material for children that I honed my writing skills - such as they are. During that time I taught many children on the Asperger's spectrum. They were invariably delightful and challenging in equal measure. I never really encountered children with severe autism until a unit was placed in the school my twin girls attended. Despite the misgivings of many parents it proved an unqualified success and was equally beneficial for every child within the school. Unfortunately the unit has since been closed because of financial constraints!

Meet Leah Kelley and her son 'H'.
As far as I know Leah has not yet written a book but having read her blog I for one think she ought to. It would prove an inspiration to other parents and grandparents in similar circumstances.



Here is Leah's blog. It's more than well worth a visit.

Leah also has a Facebook Page Visit and give her a Like.

Take a bow Jenna Rhodes.

Following on from last week's post on self-talk I was really struck by Jenna's Twitter description. Very powerful because it's absolutely true!

You can visit Jenna's blog here.

Jenna's book "Under A Painted Sky" will be available the end of this Summer.

Isabella Reed is a fast-track twenty one year old from a small Florida town. She flees to the Land of Enchantment, Albuquerque, NM, where the beautiful painted skies go on forever and hold hope for a fresh start.
She meets Logan Hayes, a sexy guide who has been hired to show her all the sights of her new city. But something happens to Isabella that she is unaware of when touring the Petroglyphs and her life takes a downward spiral into a supernatural captivity that no one will believe. Except for Logan, who after seeing for himself vows to protect her with his life.

I am delighted to say that Jenna has her own Google+ page. Visit it here.

Good luck with the island Jenna. Now you've got our attentions just make sure to finish the book.

Finally say "Hi" to Paul Keene

Paul taught school in Oregon, Idaho and California. During his career, he served as classroom teacher, school principal, and special education facilitator for the learning disabled and the severely handicapped.

Paul received his degrees from:
Boise State College, B.A
College of Idaho, M.A
CSU-Bakersfield-Sp. Ed Certification

Paul obviously has a deep concern for those children who sometimes fall outside the loop. People like Paul have my total respect and admiration. Like me, Paul seems to be taking a completely new direction in life although many of his stories will, I am sure, be firmly rooted in experience. Paul has a website:

Visit it HERE.


Paul also has a blog you can visit HERE

Paul Keene's new book, "Among the Jimson Weeds," captivates the reader from the first word. Growing up in the 50s wasn't easy for Conor Kelman, a young man with an attention deficit. No one really knew what Conor dealt with, but his daily experiences, which include connections with a full array of fascinating friends and family, reveal a depth of feeling that can be understood only by engaging with the heart, which is what Paul Keene has done to perfection with his story-telling.

"Among the Jimson Weeds," is funny, exciting, surprising and full of profound moments. Buzz is... no one can put it down after reading the first sentence. Conor's life should be simple as it meanders through the Snake River Valley in Idaho and Oregon, but everything around him gets complicated by his thoughts and actions. He's frightened most of the time, but doesn't know it. For the reader, Conor won't be forgotten because there is a little Conor in everyone.

Good luck to all our Featured Authors.

Next Week: Interview With Rosen Trevithick - Successful Indie Author