I've been wresting with the meatgrinder this last week. That's what they call the upload and check program on smashword that also reformats your book into different reading formats.
It give me a headache, but I always do the formatting myself.
There's a template that makes everything easier and I use that. Fill it out, load in your book in the chapter section, chapter by chapter, and your good to go.
I used it because Smashwords makes your book available to: Apple iPad/iPhone/iPod Touch/Mac, Apple iBooks app from the iTunes app store, Bluefire or FB Reader, Android devices, most e-reading app, MOBI (Kindle), PDF - for most Adobe Acrobat, and RTF.
The release date is my mother's birthday May 29th. Happy birthday, Mom.
The hero, Seth, has my mom's warm grey eyes and my dad's dimples. And the heroine lives in Anaheim California, where one of my uncles used to live.
Guess I made my hero and heroine part of the family.
Blurb: Megan and Seth are finally rescued off their little island, but things are far from idyllic. Megan's husband is somehow still alive, and then Seth is arrested for murder. Which puts all plans of a wonderful future in jeopardy.
Will they ever get back together again or see the life they envisioned?
Except:
Handing him the loofah and soap, Megan turned away. Seth soaped up and started washing her back in small circles. “You know I love ya?”
She nodded.
“Liz really did sneak into the room, and I really was asleep.” He hoped she understood. He wouldn’t have brought her halfway around the world to then sleep with his ex.
Megan stiffened. “She wants you back.”
“I reckon she does, but I don’t want her. I only want you.”
After she rinsed off, she grabbed the soap and loofah from him. She gestured for him to change places with her. “I’m not one to fight over a man.” Megan worked her way from the top of his shoulders all the way down to his butt. “I never fought with Jonathan’s mistress over him. I told him to stop seeing her, but of course he didn’t.”
“Megz, I—”
“But if Liz gives me any more trouble, she’ll wish she hadn’t messed with me.”
Seth gritted his teeth against Megan’s hard scrubbing. “I reckon she will. Blimey, I know I am, and I didn’t do anything wrong.”
“No, you just lay there, letting it happen!” The soap and loofah bounced off the shower wall.
Seth turned, wrapped his arms around her, and pulled her against his chest. “I’m sorry Liz is giving you such a hard time. She’s a bit of bitch most days and a drama queen the rest. Why do you think I left?”
“Yeah, I kind of figured.” She sniffed and leaned her head against his chest.
“This is a right mess, eh?”
Megan sighed. “What are we going to do?”
“Once things get settled, I could get us a house, yeah? It’ll be a nice big mansion on a hill overlooking the ocean. In the master bath, the shower will look like your waterfall, and in the garden, we’ll have a pool and fix it so it looks like our old swimming lagoon. I’ll make us a pergola and more chairs, and you can weave the bottoms and backs. I’ll plant palm and banana trees. You can have a garden. We’ll pretend we’re still on our little island and make love all day long, eh?”
Megan looked up at him with sad sea-green eyes. “Seth, that sounds so lovely, but your father’s dying and your son misses you. You can’t leave. You’re needed here.”
He ran his hand down the side of his face. “Then what do we do, eh?”
“I don’t know.” She rested against him. “Just bide our time, I guess. But don’t blame me if you come home late one night and your ex is black and blue.”
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Windswept Shores (One) only $0.99: http://www.amazon.com/Windswept-Shores-Survivors-Love-Story-ebook/dp/B00AS9NDNO/
Windswept Shores Two: http://www.amazon.com/Windswept-Shores-Two-survivors-story-ebook/dp/B01BPLNHTI/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8
In the UK, Windswept Shores (One): http://www.amazon.co.uk/Windswept-Shores-Survivors-Love-Story-ebook/dp/B00AS9NDNO/
In the UK, Windswept Shores Two: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Windswept-Shores-Two-survivors-story/dp/1523945117/
Preorder Windswept Shores Two on smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/637092
Thanks for the info on the 'meatgrinder' Janice. Congrats on your release. LOVE the cover.
ReplyDeleteI'm kind of a technophobe which is why I've always been kind of leery of Smashwords but you sound like you have everything under control so congrats on mastering the meatgrinder. Congratulations on the release of your book and I second Tina's opinion of that cover. Love it!
ReplyDeleteJanice, I love your cover. The story sounds terrific. Best of luck to you with your new launch. I have a love/hate relationship with Smashwords. I don't do my own formatting, but I taught myself to publish on SW using their meatgrinder. What a confusing mess. Now, I just upload an epub that my formatter does. I use SW for very little. My formatter directly loads to iBooks now. I upload myself to all the other major retailers. The best thing about SW is if you want to put a book free on BN, you do it through SW. I upload directly to BN, but when I put a book up for free, I take it down on BN, then put it free on SW and have SW distribute to BN. And SW distributes to libraries and subscription services. I've also heard that most of the pirated books come from SW.
ReplyDeleteCongrats on your preorder. The book looks great and speaking from experience, often ex's do have a way of getting on each other's nerves, especially when they do want you back...
ReplyDeleteAll the best!
Hi Tina, Thanks. I hired a cover artist for the cover. She did a wonderful job. Winterheart Designs, if you're interested.
ReplyDeleteHi Paris, Thank you so much. When I uploaded my first book on meatgrinder, I had a terrible time until I found the template. Thank you on the cover.
Hi Cara, Sounds like you have something that works for you. Didn't know that about pirated books. Thanks for the info.
Hi Melissa, Thank you. Yes, that's what I understood about ex's too. ;)
Janice~
Janice,
ReplyDeleteGreat cover art and you're certainly priced to sell. Wishing you much success!
Hi Jacqueline, Thank you. I'm trying. :)
ReplyDeleteJanice~