Kindle Superuser by Gary McLaren

In case you don't know, Gary McLaren runs the always helpful and insightful Publish Your Own Ebooks, which is a great resource for self-publishers. For people looking to self-publish on Kindle, NOOK, Smashwords, Lulu, and others, I highly recommend checking out his free self-publishing reference card that focuses on royalties, formats, and other information about the big eBook distributors. McLaren wrote a useful primer for readers looking to make the jump from dead tree to eBooks called The Beginner's Guide to Ebooks, and he has a new eBook out about tips and tricks for the Kindle (specifically the Kindle 3).

Here is my 5-star review of Kindle Superuser - 101 Ways to Get More from Your Kindle at Amazon.com:

In the new world of cheap, and sometimes free, eBooks and low-cost eReaders, there is a significant amount of information available to publishing houses and self-publishers alike to create, distribute, market, and promote eBooks. Unfortunately, the brave new digital world has neglected the most important group of people during the world-wide transition from print books to eBooks: the consumer.

Guides on how to properly utilize your Kindle can be terse at best and affiliate marketing scams at worst. That is why McLaren's Kindle Superuser is a handy reference for all Kindle lovers who want to maximize use of their eReading device. This guide is a nice follow-up to The Beginner's Guide to Ebooks, which helps readers understand more about eBooks.

As the product description implies, Kindle Superuser highlights a number of features that I had no idea existed on a Kindle 3. This includes basic energy saving tips, accessing content that is free at the Kindle store, and even the more uncommon feature of using natural logarithm functions on the built-in calculator. Probably the most important tidbit of information is how to get eBooks and files in non-Amazon formats onto your Kindle 3. This process is not well-explained by the powers that be (obviously because they want you to buy different versions of the same content), so McLaren's guide is indispensable as a money saver.

Kudos to McLaren for creating this useful guide with the reader in mind, and I hope that he creates a similar eBook once the Kindle Fire starts to proliferate.

Kindle Superuser by Gary McLaren

Declaration of Independents and Self-Publishing

I'm probably revealing my political leanings for the all to see, but I recently finished the new book from my two favorite journalists/commentators: Nick Gillespie & Matt Welch. Aside from a terribly high price of $11.50 at Amazon's Kindle store (but marked down from $25.99!), the book is quite enjoyable, regardless of where you sit on the political spectrum.

One thing that is interesting about the book is how it applies to the self-publishing and indie author community. The book discusses how people's interests are falling into more niches. Rather than the DC/NYC axis telling us how to get our news, MTV telling us what to listen to, and the Big 6 telling us what to read, people are free to peruse their own interests with the dawn of the information age. This is a boon for indie authors, because the possibilities of people interested in what you write are limitless. Even if you're scribbling stories about lesbian elves traipsing through a steampunk universe, someone probably wants to read it.

Here is my review on Amazon (4-stars):

I've been a long-time fan of Nick Gillespie & Matt Welch, and a reader of Reason for over a decade. The way they characterize what is going well in the world (e.g. decentralized culture, mistrust of the elites, savvy entrepreneurs) is somewhat inspiring in these rather depressing times. Even if you aren't libertarian, you will probably be able to appreciate their criticism of the US Government's boneheaded policies over the years, rampant corruption in Washington, and the fact that politicians are often the last to catch up with the modern era. However, I was mildly disappointed with some of the prescriptions to the ongoing malaise. If you've read Reason or Hit & Run, none of it will come as a surprise to you (i.e. reduce the size of the government, eliminate spending, etc.). From two muckrakers like Matt and Nick, I guess I had really high expectations. Heaven knows we need it now.

I respectfully disagree with some of the reviews here that Nick & Matt are being too snarky and hipsterish. That's the only way that US politics is even remotely interesting in my humble opinion. Their style of writing has paved the way for bloggers everywhere to hold our politicians accountable and with no mercy.

Declaration of Independents is a good book if you're interested in the libertarian point of view and why freedom in everything is important. However, don't expect a Jeffersonian silver bullet to our problems as the title implies. Politics is just too complicated and entrenched in every aspect of our lives to cover all the solutions in one book.

Even though the American political system is a joke, it's comforting to know that people are freed from the shackles of how they should partake in culture.

Declaration of Independents and Self-Publishing

Bangkok Noir in The Nation - June 9, 2011

Better late than never! The launch of Bangkok Noir was over two months ago, but The Nation finally got around to running a front page article in the Life section about it today. This is understandable, because Khun Suthichai probably has had his people running around all over creation covering the upcoming elections and eventual craziness that will happen in Thailand. Luckily, I've had time to read and enjoy all the stories in this collection, and it's boasts many of the heavies in the Thai writing community. 

Here's the review I put up on Amazon:

Anyone who has spent time in Thailand knows that the Tourist Authority's image of the smiling woman gracefully executing a wai with a face that has been photoshopped to make her look more white is a complete farce. These writers explore the darker and more realistic side of Bangkok that lingers in every garbage-ridden soi and in a population of 12 million people crammed together in this concrete jungle. Some of the stories of farangs cruising for bargirls and things go awry may seem a bit cliche, but these are the writers who defined the noir and thriller genre for Thailand. The writers are able to make the stories interesting and fun without resorting to dull stereotypes about Thai people and expats live in Thailand.

I thoroughly enjoyed General Vasit's story, as it is great to read a work of fiction from someone of his stature in the Royal Thai Police. The other well-known authors (Christopher Moore, Stephen Leather, Dean Barrett, Colin Piprell, Tew Bunnag) all provide some great quick reads as well.

I took it down from a 5-star to a 4-star, because I thought the price was pretty steep for an ebook. $8.95 is a lot for those of us on a Thai salary. Also, there is a formatting error (I use the Kindle app for the original iPad) and the entire Introduction is one big hyperlink. Not sure if this Apple's fault (possibly), but I've never seen this before in the other ebooks in my library.

If you want to learn more about the real Bangkok and be entertained, this is definitely worth buying.

I saw a talk with Stephen Leather, the author of one the stories, and he had some great advice for new writers. It is great that they asked General Vasit to write one of the stories. He's a pretty big deal around these parts, and his experience dealing with corruption made for a very interesting story about problems within the Royal Thai Police.

So far, there are 4 5-star reviews, my 4-star review since I'm a cheap bastard (even though a portion of the profits go to charity), and one 3-star review that I don't agree with at all. "Anonymous" claims that the book does not describe Bangkok well, but "I live in Bangkok and know this city well". There are a zillion expat assholes in this country who think they know everything about this place. The only thing I know for sure about Thailand is that no one knows everything about Thailand. The Prime Minister doesn't know what's going to happen tomorrow in this city, which is why writing and reading about it makes it so fascinating.

Bangkok Noir in The Nation - June 9, 2011