Published my first book just after my 19th Birthday!


Recommended Posts

Thanks Krome, and thank you very much Neobond. That makes sense as to why you made the change but I'm glad you fixed the link for me.

In regards to your question Krome, Kindle allows you to self-publish- you upload your book, submit if for review, and then they put it live. That's it. Obviously there are a few hoops to jump through in that process, but it's pretty simple and means that you can avoid the tiring process of reaching a publisher, just to submit your book to the dying print market. However, it doesn't mean that you be any less attentive to the quality of your work if you want to do well. Hope that helps.

Dying?

I sure as hell will continue buying paper books for the rest of my life and I bet many more feel like I do.

Maybe not on this forum, but out there in the real world where a lot of people don't actually care about ebook benefits or such.

A real book has still has some advantages, the magic being a key one and probably the one that ebooks will never be able to catch up to.

The experience I get from a paper book is unprecedented by ebooks.

It's more spiritual, calm and somehow more magical.

That being said, I can imagine that once you published your book on Kindle and then go to a publisher and try to strike a deal with them I guess it's simpler as they see it has done well on the market (if it has of cause)? :)

Glassed Silver:mac

Congratulations. =)

Dying?

I sure as hell will continue buying paper books for the rest of my life and I bet many more feel like I do.

Maybe not on this forum, but out there in the real world where a lot of people don't actually care about ebook benefits or such.

A real book has still has some advantages, the magic being a key one and probably the one that ebooks will never be able to catch up to.

The experience I get from a paper book is unprecedented by ebooks.

It's more spiritual, calm and somehow more magical.

That being said, I can imagine that once you published your book on Kindle and then go to a publisher and try to strike a deal with them I guess it's simpler as they see it has done well on the market (if it has of cause)? :)

I actually used to feel the same way. Now 70% of my book purchases are ebooks and 30% are audiobooks. Well, sort of. I still buy one series in print. I've been thinking I'll even get the next book in that series in ebook.

Just got the free copy off amazon, will likely take a look at it tonight, seems very promising.

@Celestial

I wish I were a human intersect, and I had a handler that was as hot as Sarah Walker :(

Thanks to all that have downloaded. Amazon has been a little glitchy over the passed few days in terms of the correct draft being available- don't ask me why, it's crazy. If you find that the copy you have doesnt seem to have the correct paragraphing, please redownload, as Amazon have assured me the correct draft is now available; if you do this during the promotional period it will of course not cost you a dime. :)!

If you enjoy it please do review and like it, as well as recommend it to friends; it does make a huge difference for me. Just overwhelmed by all the great feedback I'm getting :D!

In relation to print being a dying breed- in no way am I saying I dislike printed books, far from it. Further down the line it's something I'll consider, but a glassed silver mentioned correctly, it is much easier to publish a successful ebook as a printed book, then a completely unknown one. The ebook gives you more leverage.

Enjoy all :)!

  • Like 1

I'll give it a look and will give you an honest review when I'm done (reading two other books and have a few others lined up, but will be relatively soon). I do have to agree with the two lower rated comments though about the paragraph formatting. I'm so OCD it's a deterrent to reading. Also, since you're self publishing, this blog post might interest you. Finally, when I read a Kindle book on my PC, I usually split it into two columns, but I can't do that with your book. Any idea why?

I'll give it a look and will give you an honest review when I'm done (reading two other books and have a few others lined up, but will be relatively soon). I do have to agree with the two lower rated comments though about the paragraph formatting. I'm so OCD it's a deterrent to reading. Also, since you're self publishing, this blog post might interest you. Finally, when I read a Kindle book on my PC, I usually split it into two columns, but I can't do that with your book. Any idea why?

Hi Mathachew, thank you for bringing the indentation thing to my attention. Please do not review this current copy, as this will be fixed within 12 hours from this post, as a corrected draft is being re-published. Please redownload it then, as this will have fixed all those issues. It will of course still be free, as the promotion is running through until Sunday. As for the splitting into two columns, I'm at a complete loss as to why that would be :/!

Hi Mathachew, thank you for bringing the indentation thing to my attention. Please do not review this current copy, as this will be fixed within 12 hours from this post, as a corrected draft is being re-published. Please redownload it then, as this will have fixed all those issues. It will of course still be free, as the promotion is running through until Sunday. As for the splitting into two columns, I'm at a complete loss as to why that would be :/!

Actually, one is smart to keep both copies.

Why? Simply because it's kind of awesome to be the early bird who got the "misprint". :p

Kind of how misprints of early editions of comic books. haha

Of cause as it's digital it's worth nothing more, but the sentimental value definitely is there. (Y)

(And if it gets popular enough you can claim nice bragging rights! tehehe)

Glassed Silver:mac

Hi Mathachew, thank you for bringing the indentation thing to my attention. Please do not review this current copy, as this will be fixed within 12 hours from this post, as a corrected draft is being re-published. Please redownload it then, as this will have fixed all those issues. It will of course still be free, as the promotion is running through until Sunday. As for the splitting into two columns, I'm at a complete loss as to why that would be :/!

I'm in no rush as I've got several other books on my list before this one, but I'll post back here when I start it.

I'm in no rush as I've got several other books on my list before this one, but I'll post back here when I start it.

Everyone: please re-download the corrected edition.

To do this simply go to your account and then the "Manage Your Kindle" section under the heading "Settings". Go to the "Actions" button next to Andor Awakening, click it and choose "delete from library". Confirm, then go back to here:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Andor-Awakening-Shae-Series-ebook/dp/B007KZ0CQU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1332575165&sr=8-1

And download the book again for free while this weekend lasts. Apologies for any inconvenience this may have caused, and please don't base your reviews off the previous versions formatting.

I could not pass up a free book! I downloaded Kindle for the PC, and will read when I get a free chance!

Thank you! Hope you enjoy it :)!

Any chance you could add a table of contents and have each chapter marked like a typical Kindle book? Not sure what you're using to create the file, but there are ways in calibre to create the chapter points.

The amount of support that Neowin has given me has been overwhelming(ly positive), and I just wanted to take a moment to once more thank you all. You've been incredible. The community here is phenomenal.

Congratulations. :)

Thank you very much :)!

Any chance you could add a table of contents and have each chapter marked like a typical Kindle book? Not sure what you're using to create the file, but there are ways in calibre to create the chapter points.

I will have a look at that today as soon as I have some free time. Appreciate your critique and suggestions, means a lot to me- I'm obviously still a little wet behind the ears at this, but more than willing to adapt/learn! :)

Congrats Brendando!

Same here. (Y)

Thank you, really appreciate your support :)!

To any and all: if you are enjoying the book, it would mean a great deal to me if you could simply click the like button, or even, if your feeling particularly awesome, write a positive review explaining your experience. It makes a huge difference to me and to how many people will be seeing my book, and I would really appreciate it. Spread the word!

Thanks again guys :)!

[...]

To any and all: if you are enjoying the book, it would mean a great deal to me if you could simply click the like button, or even, if your feeling particularly awesome, write a positive review explaining your experience. It makes a huge difference to me and to how many people will be seeing my book, and I would really appreciate it. Spread the word! Thanks again guys :)!

That's true.

Even just the amount of reviews has an immense effect on sales.

It makes a huge difference whether a product has one or two 5 star ratings or a bunch of them, even if the average rating is the same.

People are willing to trust a crowd more than just a few.

Glassed Silver:mac

Nice work man, you deserve the feeling of accomplishment you have - Good Job. ;)

Thank you so much. It's incredible everytime I get any form of praise about the books or the process of creating them, and I'm really appreciative of it :)!

Wow that's amazing writing :). I might definitely buy the book when I get a ipad for a upcoming road trip. enjoyed the preview :)

Thank you very much, I really appreciate your kind words. Glad you enjoyed the preview, really hope you love the book!

I don't know whether or not you are aware of this, but the book is legible not only on tablets, but on smartphones (Android/iOS/Windows Phone 7) and computers (PC/Mac). Amazon list their applications here, if it helps:

www.amazon.co.uk/gp/kindle/kcp

Additionally, to anyone that wants to keep up to date on info about the Shae series, and the books sequel, Andor Wolfblood, as well as the lore of the books in general, feel free to follow me on twitter @brendanlukeok, or read the blog over at:

http://shaeseries.blogspot.co.uk

All the best to everyone, and once again many thanks. Keep telling me what you think :), I really value your opinions.

wow well done man, serious congrats :)

I like the hand illustration too

Thank you as well! The hand illustration was done by my good friend, and talented artist, David Cheng, after several different drafts. I was really definite about what I wanted!

This topic is now closed to further replies.
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
  • Posts

    • Ford execs say they made a mistake when they replaced human engineers with AI by David Uzondu Ford recently announced that over the last three years, it's had to rehire about 350 "gray beard" engineers to mentor younger staff and reprogram diagnostic systems and AI tools that were failing to meet up to quality expectations. The company's VP of vehicle hardware engineering, Charles **** said that leaders overlooked the deep experience of veterans who survived many product cycles. **** admitted that simply replacing them with AI was a huge mistake, and that while AI is "a fantastic tool," it remains "only as good as the information you use to train it." The rehired engineers now run mandatory meetings to troubleshoot vehicles and reprogram automated engineering software and AI tools to prevent glitches before production. These technical specialists hunt for failure points before parts ever reach the plant floor, helping prevent the massive recalls and defects that previously cost the company billions as it aims to cut one billion dollars in expenses this year. In last year's JD Power Quality Survey, an annual study that measures the quality of a car during the first three months of ownership, Ford finished 10th among mainstream brands and scored below the industry average. But this year, JD Power ranked the automaker as the top mainstream brand, placing it above the likes of Toyota Motor Corp. and Honda Motor Co. Ford attributed this massive improvement directly to the expertise of these returned engineers. Ford's realization that AI cannot magically design and test quality vehicles without senior human oversight is just the tip of the iceberg. When Careerminds looked at companies that conducted AI-driven layoffs, researchers found out that 35.6% of those companies had to rehire more than half of the employees they previously fired. Another 32.7% had to rehire between 25% and 50% of them. In 2024, Sebastian Siemiatkowski, CEO of Klarna, proudly announced that its new chatbot was doing the work of 700 full-time customer service agents. As a result, the fintech company froze hiring and cut hundreds of positions. But by mid 2025, and into 2026, Klarna was scrambling to recruit human agents again because customer satisfaction had plummeted. It turns out, while AI is very good at answering basic questions like how to check an account balance, when faced with complex customer issues that require nuance, the thing usually resorts to the unhelpful, robotic corporate jargon we all know and love.
    • Free AI in IDEs is shifting to paid models Or you know, you could just learn to actually design and code apps, use frameworks to handle the repetitive parts and not use AI at all - and voila... free for life!
    • In a sane world US antitrust laws wouldn't even allow these companies to be in the position to be subjected to EU directives. As you say, better than oligarch nothing.
    • Apple reportedly has a second-generation iPhone Fold planned for 2027 Good grief, Apple hasn't even released a first folding phone and the Apple faithful is already obsessing over the sequel? Seriously people, go out and touch grass... because this level of obsession is borderline stalkery/neurotic.
    • I checked on the IPs associated with every login and they're all mine... And whenever I get a new prompt, there is no activity to show for it. 
  • Recent Achievements

    • Enthusiast
      Xonos went up a rank
      Enthusiast
    • Conversation Starter
      Admir earned a badge
      Conversation Starter
    • First Post
      The_Focal_Point earned a badge
      First Post
    • Apprentice
      daryld went up a rank
      Apprentice
    • Contributor
      Carltonbar went up a rank
      Contributor
  • Popular Contributors

    1. 1
      +primortal
      405
    2. 2
      +Edouard
      169
    3. 3
      PsYcHoKiLLa
      129
    4. 4
      neufuse
      69
    5. 5
      Xenon
      68
  • Tell a friend

    Love Neowin? Tell a friend!