Norberto L. Mercado's Blog

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Thursday, October 11, 2012

Amazon's Author Rank Tool

If you have an Amazon Author Central account, then you will notice that a new tab has been introduced recently - the Rank tab (as seen in the image below).

This is the new tool on Author Central called Author Rank. To quote Amazon, "Author Rank is based on the sales of all of your books on Amazon.com and is updated hourly."

So how does this tool work?

Well, it automatically lists all the categories of the books you've published on Amazon in the left side bar. (These categories were the ones you set when you first published your book.) I've classified some of my books as Fiction, others as Romance, and still others fall under Historical. So my left side bar looks something like the image below.

If you are an author who writes about a lot of different topics, I would imagine your list to be longer. And note that you have to indicate the books you authored under the Books tab. Otherwise, the sales data about that book won't be factored in your author ranking.

You can then use these categories as filters and sub-filters to generate a graph that looks like the one below.

The graph indicates your current ranking out of a total number of authors. Are there really 500,000 listed authors on Amazon? I don't know. And right now, I'm ranked between 100,000 and 200,000. I must admit, I haven't reached the status of John Grisham or J R R Tolkien yet. But one can always aspire.

Is the tool useful? I guess, from a motivational perspective, it is important to try to at least get into the top 100 list - for further exposure perhaps. I always read from the comments of other authors on Amazon that it is important to stay in the Top 100 list of Authors since some readers will base their purchasing decision on books from the authors in the top of the list. This is pretty difficult goal if your level of book sales have not yet reached the level of sales of those authors already on the list.

Still, thank you to all who have purchased or downloaded copies of Cambodia's Children of Sorrow, The Last Romanov, and Windflowers. I hope you all enjoyed reading these books. Try my other books too.

Thursday, October 4, 2012

Apple's Book Widget Builder

Below are a couple of sample book widgets built using Apple's Widget builder. You can access it through this link http://widgets.itunes.apple.com/builder. It is very easy to use. Just search for the book you want to create a widget for, and then copy the code below HTML-Encoded Output:

You can then easily paste the code on your blog and if your readers click on the View button, they will be redirected to Apple's iTunes webpage where the reader can purchase the book via Apple.

This widget also gives ebook authors an advantage in that whenever they decide to change the book cover or book description or blurb, or even the book's price, the widget code no longer needs to be edited. So this widget could exist on multiple sites or blogs, but editing is done from a single source, (Apple of Smashwords), and all the sites can be updated.

The widget also increases credibility and authenticity. The user is given an assurance that the link she is about to click on will lead her to Apple's iTunes site and not some other site. Granted, the look and feel of Apple's widget can be duplicated, but if Apple is wise, it would constantly update this widget to improve its authenticity.

Tuesday, August 14, 2012

Excerpt from Some Winds Blow Forever

Now available on
Amazon.com
Apple's iTunes

“What is love?” Gina asked the Lithuanian-American as they rested in the living room after dinner. “I have read various definitions of love, but the more I know about it, the more questions come into my mind. Do you know?”
Cara was silent for a minute. She just looked at her friend’s eyes, wanting to decipher what was in Gina’t thoughts.
The radio was softly playing in the background. In that moment of silence between them, the station played the song of the Righteous Brothers entitled “Unchained Melody.”
Cara smiled at her friend as she gave the answer she knew. “I learned that the Greeks have three words for love: phileo, which is the love of parents, brothers, sisters or friends; eros, which is erotic or sensual love; agape, which is God’s love. Your love for your boyfriend, then, falls under eros.
“Erotic…” Gina teasingly said.
“If there is no eros, how can there be a population boom? You and I wouldn’t be here tonight.”
Gina laughed. “You said it right.”
“Whatever kind of love a person has, commitment must be involved. If you really love a brother, a sister, or a friend, you must commit yourself to love the person no matter what the cost is. You’ll always stand by him, rain or shine. The measure of love is the degree of commitment it offers. Love is hollow and meaningless without commitment,” Cara explained.
“Should I continue to love him then, even if I feel that the love he has for me, if there’s still any, isn’t commensurate to the love I offer?” Gina asked.
The Lithuanian-American paused for a reply.
“You’ll have to change your love for him from eros to phileo, or even agape, which is sacrificial love, the love of Christ for sinful mankind while he was dying on the cross. This change of love will take a different meaning and direction. Erotic love demands a possession of the person; that is not so with agape. Agape is unconditional. It stays unchanged irrespective of the response of the other person. Passivity or rejection fors not change agape. If your love is only eros, then fondness is easily transformed to hatred, and the desire to build becomes a desire to destroy,” Cara said.

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Steps In Buying An Ebook from Smashwords

Step 1: Go to smashwords.com and search for the Author or Title of the Book you'ld like to purchase

Step 2: Select the book you'ld like to purchase

Step 3: Click on "Add to cart"

Step 4: If you already have a Smashwords account, simply log in. Otherwise, you will need to create an account. Patiently fill out all the fields required under the "Join Smashwords" section

Once you're done filling out the information, click on "Sign Up"

Step 5: You might need to check your email and click on the confirmation link sent to you by Smashwords before you can log in. Once you're log in, you'll notice that the upper right corner of the Smashwords page should now show your e-mail address to signify you are logged in. You can now click on "Add to cart" to include the book you are about to purchase

Step 6: You can change the quantity of books you would like to purchase or add other books by searching again. This is the section were you can also enter a coupon code (for discounts and even free books) if you happen to have one. If you are satisfied with your purchase list, Click on "Check Out"

Step 7: Select a payment option. You can use a VISA, American Express, or Discovery credit card or you can also use a Paypal account.

Step 8: If you're going to use a credit card, fill out the information required and then click on "Finish". If you are using Paypal, you will be redirected to Paypal's login page where you can settle the payment.

Step 9: If you see the words "You own it", then congratulations, you have successfully purchased a book from Smashwords.

You should now be able to download the ebook in various formats, including Apple, Kindle, Nook e-reader formats and even PDF, HTML or text files for your PC, Laptop, tablet or mobile phone.

Monday, July 16, 2012

Excerpt from The Last Romanov

“Come here, darling. I’ll tell you something,” Aleksandra said as she beckoned the boy to come to her.

Aleksandra embraced the boy tightly and warmly, showing Alexei how much she loved him. Then, she told him to sit on her lap.

Olga left them. She went into her sister’s room.

Hugging the boy, she reminded him, “Darling, do you still remember what I told you before?”

Alexei was silent.

“Well, I told you to be careful of people. That doesn’t mean that you won’t talk to them, or be their friend. But you just have to be careful. Be careful on what you tell them about yourself, about the Tsar, about the family.”

Alexei remained quiet. He was just listening to his mother’s counsel.

“You see, darling… people want to know about us. Especially, the enemies of your father.”

“Father has enemies?” Alexei asked.

“Well, yes…” Aleksandra was cautious. “Everyone has enemies. People who are jealous of your father sow intrigues to harm him, to harm us,” Aleksandra said.

“Why do they do that?” the boy asked.

“Well, as I said, they are jealous of your father. Your father is a popular man. He is a peaceful man. So, some people, evil people, got jealous of him. They sow intrigues, lies! They want to destroy him. They gather the information about him, about us, and twist the information to make us appear bad. They wish to destroy us that way,” the Empress said.

“Why do they do that, mother? Why are they jealous?” the boy asked.

“They want power, Alexei,” the Empress ruefully replied.

The boy looked at his mother who was trying to control her tears.

“What is power, mother?” Alexei innocently asked.

The Empress looked at her son. She bit her lip. Then she replied, “Power is what you need to rule over men.”

To a lad, the expression was vague, at best, an abstraction. Alexei just looked at his mother’s eyes, now wet with tears.

“You’re still young. There are so many things that you cannot understand now. But someday… someday, you will,” the Empress stated.

“Mother, if I want to become like father someday, how do I get power?” Alexei asked.

The Empress grasped for an answer. It was a question totally unexpected, thrown to her by a lad, so innocent about the ways of men.

How could she tell this boy, her only son, that for someone to get power, he must have men, many men, millions of men armed to the teeth, ready to enforce authority at all costs, to kill and be killed in order to preserve legitimate government, whether an autocracy or a republic.

“You must have men, men who are loyal to you, men who will not abandon you in times of need, when darkness falls. And if someday, you will have power, you must distinguish well who your friends are, your real friends. That is very important,” the Empress said emphatically.

“Why, mother?” the boy unpretentiously asked.

“Because power is like sugar. It is sweet. And ants come to eat it, to take it away. And there are so many kinds of ants… black, red… And all of them want sugar,” the Empress allegorically explained.

The boy smiled. “If they all want sugar, why don’t we give it away? So they won’t be hungry,” he asked.

“It is nice to give bits to them, but not all of the sugar. If you give all the sugar you have to the ants, then you won’t have anything left for yourself. When you need it, you don’t have it. And many ants bite, especially the red ones, and their bite is painful,” the Empress said.

“Mother, why do people hate? Hatred is such an ugly word.”

“People hate because they are incapable of loving” the Empress replied.

“Why, don’t they want to love? Isn’t love good? Why don’t they want to be good?” Alexei barraged the Empress with questions.

“Because man is sinful, Alexei,” the Empress replied.

“All men mother?”

“Yes, Alexei, all men.”

The boy became sad. If all men were sinful, that included his father. He looked up to his father, and it saddened him to know that the person he looked up to, belonged to the race of sinful men.

“Are women sinful too?” he asked the Empress.

She smiled at her son as she nodded.

Alexei looked down with reproach, rueful that all humanity is sinful.

The Empress held his chin, slowly lifting his head, and looked at her son straight in the eyes.

Then, she said, “That’s why a baby was born in a manger, Alexei. That baby is Jesus. He came to be our guide in this dark, sinful world. He came to be our Light, so that we will not stumble in the darkness. And even if we do, and most often, we do stumble, the Light of the World shows us the way. Do you understand, my son?”

The boy nodded.

Download Link Instructions:

If you purchased an Audio Book or E-book, payment will be made via PayPal. If you do not have a PayPal account, you can still sign up for one using your credit card.
Once PayPal verifies payment and payment has cleared, you will be given a link to download the complete Zip file containing all the mp3 chapters (for Audio Books) or link to download the EPUB file (for E-books). You will also be sent an email with this link. Note: The product is available to download for 24 hours only, so make sure you have a reliable Internet connection. File sizes may range from 50 MB to 100 MB for Audio Books. So please make sure you have an suitable mp3 player (like Winamp) and software for opening zip files (like 7-zip). For E-books, make sure you have an EPUB reader (like the Sony's Free E-reader).
If you're using Winamp, please order the mp3 files by filename to ensure that the chapters are played in proper order.
For any questions of inquiries, you may E-mail my son, mercado.johnmark@gmail.com, or get in touch with me via Facebook