Mail lists, newsletters, RSS, email, follow - what to do?

Several months ago I congratulated myself on all the twitter followers, facebook friends, Goodreads and LibraryThing friends, Triberr tribemates, email and RSS blog followers, Google connected friends, Google Plus friends, LinkedIn folks and Pinterest followers I had (sure I missed some there). One day I would contact all these folk in the social swim of life and tell them I have a new book out or some other bit of information that might be of interest. Then I wondered how it could be done and quietly brushed the issue under the carpet.

Well, after a few very busy months with building a fledgling independent publishing imprint, Marble City Publishing, and working closely with Jim Williams, Booker nominated author of ten internationally published novels, I lifted the carpet and found the news quandary still there, unmoved. In the meantime I had read a few interesting pieces around the world about how best to communicate and decided to switch off some of the multiple registration points, concentrating on one single Ruby's News list. I offered a free ebook of choice to all subscribers and the list started to grow. Migrating friends / followers to a new list isn't easy and the level of followers' familiarity with Ruby Barnes varies from "Oh yes, I'd love to see your newsletter" to "Who are you again?"

So here's Ruby's News for those that aren't yet on the list. Click this link or below the banner to read what's going on - 5 new releases planned before summer 2013, £450 prize in a short story competition and get published in the Knife Edge anthology, plus ARCs of new releases and free ebook for new subscribers!

Read Ruby's latest newsletter

Competition time! Will your crime story make the cut?

Will your crime story make the cut for the Knife Edge anthology? Marble City Publishing and the short fiction website Multi-Story.co.uk have combined forces to offer crime / thriller / mystery / suspense writers a chance to win a first prize of £450, copies of the anthology and the opportunity to be published alongside established authors such as Booker Prize nominated Jim Williams.

Closing date is April 15th 2013 and full details are available on multi-story.co.uk for this 500 - 2500 word short story competition.

The Knife Edge anthology will be published in print and as an e-book in May 2013 and will be available from all major online stores internationally. Entry is £5 for one story, £8 for two stories. All profits go to the literacy charity Booktrust.org

So get typing that new crime / thriller / mystery / suspense story that's been buzzing around in your head or dig out that piece you're proud of and go enter!

Shutting the stable door before the horse has bolted

My stablemate at Marble City Publishing, Jim Williams, has a new release. Tango in Madeira will be published as an e-book and paperback on 15th April. Jim has published ten novels and his Scherzo was nominated by Simon and Schuster for the Booker Prize. Tango in Madeira is a murder mystery set on the exotic Portuguese island of Madeira after the First World War and Marble City are running a Goodreads Giveaway of two paperback copies. Just click below to enter.

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Tango in Madeira

by Jim Williams

Giveaway ends April 14, 2013.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter to win

Take a trip today to Google Play #ebooks

'The best present I've ever had in my life!' my eight year old son says as he downloads another app onto his computer tablet. He's found some great free downloads and has just bought an app from Google Play with his pocket money. It was recommended by his schoolfriends and he's delighted.

'Dad, can you download another book for me to read, please?' my eleven year old daughter says. 'A Place Called Perfect by your writing college friend.'

She hands me her tablet. I go to Amazon and buy the book for her to read on the Kindle app for Android. She'll be able to read it on her Android phone as well. But why not buy on Google Play Books? Because Google Play doesn't allow book purchases in Ireland.

This frustrates the hell out of me because the Android operating system is becoming significant (as I mentioned in my earlier post What's Going on with E-Books and Readers?) Android tablets accounted for 41% of all tablets shipped globally in Q3 2012, versus 57% for Apple. The trend is up for Android, down for Apple. But there's more. Android accounted for 75% of all smartphones shipped globally in Q2 2012 versus 14.9% for Apple. The trend is up for Android.

The big question is whether those Android system users are all using the reading apps from Amazon Kindle, Barnes and Noble Nook, Kobo et al, or are any of them buying e-books from Google Play? I can't even see Google Play Books from here in Ireland so I have no idea what sort of offering is available. If you can view Books on Google Play then please let me know your thoughts.

I spent a frustrating few weeks trying to make my four titles available on Google Play Books and eventually found out that users in Ireland can't play. Ironic considering Google in Dublin is the regional headquarters 'made up of thousands of Googlers from over 65 countries, overseeing sales and infrastructure for our businesses in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.'

Well, where there's a will there's a way. I'm also a UK citizen. Here are my books on Google Play (epub versions):

Here's Peril on Google Play

 Here's The Baptist on Google Play

 Here's The Crucible on Google Play

 Here's The New Author on Google Play









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How Far Will You Go? Sacrifice of the First Born.

A few weeks ago I had an exchange with a new writing friend on facebook. The usual sort of thing - martial arts self-injuries and human sacrifices. My new friend, Lucy Pireel, then asked if I would like to do an author interview on her blog. Now, I'm not big into author interviews, blog tours, tag you're it, kiss chase and that sort of thing. Well, okay, maybe the kiss chase, but I'm too slow to catch anyone. As it turned out, Lucy's character and her zany questions trumped my reservations. Go here to read the interview - it might give you a TGIF giggle.

P.S. don't forget to help yourself to one of my books for free (mobi, epub or pdf, you choose) by signing up to my newsletter, Ruby's News.