"Be There Now" - a collection of true travel stories

"Be There Now" is a collection of true travel stories featuring twenty-two contributors who share adventures and escapades from around the world.

The stories include the tale of an amateurish kidnapping in Nicaragua that could have been told by Woody Allen, and a David Sedaris-esque tale of two ships passing in a Paris art supply store. Existential stories from a man lost on the flooded Amazon River at night, and from a woman who encounters a grizzly–in the same area where her father and stepmother were killed by a bear.

Insightful stories about a woman’s spiritual journey in Peru (complete with hallucinogens!), and about a female journalist’s friendship with an Iraqi translator in Syria. And stories about endangered species in exotic locales, including helping a sea turtle lay its eggs on a Costa Rican beach, and taking a blind man to visit the mountain gorillas in Rwanda.

The book is available as paperback ($12) or as e-book for very travel-friendly 99 cents (link).  It's published by the indie book publisher "Dream of Things", you can find more about the book on their website: "Be There Now". 

Stories, places and authors include: 

• Foreword by Mike O’Mary, Series Editor; Introduction by Julie Rand, Editor
• Once in a Lifetime [Guatemala] by Terri Elders
• Talk About “Embarrasant” [France] by Dominick Domingo
• Día de los Muertos [Mexico] by Kathe Kokolias
• Demon Blockers [China] by Jennifer Choban
• Still Alive [Syria] by Kelly Hayes-Raitt
• The Happiest Place on Earth [Disneyland] by Dina Kucera
• Berlin [Germany] by Jennifer Lang
• A Quick and Cozy Kidnapping [Nicaragua] by Ben Bellizzi
• Turbulence [On a plane] by Roz Warren
• Encounter [Alaska] by Shannon Huffman Polson
• Perfect Pulpo [Mexico] by Suzanne LaFetra
• Where Light Germinates [Peru] by Melissa Heisler
• The Jigg’s Up [Newfoundland] by Carol McAdoo Rehme
• A Trembling Voice [Costa Rica] by Frank Izaguirre
• Horse, Horse, Tiger, Tiger [China] by Ferida Wolff
• Open Eye [New Mexico] by Lynn Pinkerton
• In the Footsteps of Fossey [Rwanda] by Irene Morse
• Driving Compassionately [Bali] by Peter Marmorek
• Pickles and Hiccups [On the way home] by Randy Richardson
• Treks [Kathmandu] by Katherine Horrigan
• Virtual Travel [On the Internet] by Trendle Ellwood
• Nowhere [Drifting in the heavens] by William Hillyard

The Secrets to Ebook Publishing Success

The Secrets to Ebook Publishing Success is a guidebook for authors. It is written by Mark Corker, the founder of the e-book platform Smashwords.   An author himself, Corker already has published several guidebooks, like the Smashwords Book Marketing Guide. In contrast to that, this book covers a wider field. In it, Corker talks about:

Changes in the Book Market

Platform

Pricing

Cover

Algorithms

The book includes several examples on especially succesful e-books and average e-books, their development in time, and effects of pricing, serialization. It's a practicle and thoughtful read, and also giving some perspective, like this advice from the first chapter: "Eighty percent of your book's success will be determined by the quality of your book. The other 20 percent is distribution, marketing and luck. If you remember nothing else from this book, remember this: The very most important marketing you can do is to write a great book that markets itself on the wings of reader word-of-mouth."

Here's the offical introduction: "The Secrets to Ebook Publishing Success reveals the best practices of the most commercially successful self-published ebook authors. This ebook is a must-read for every writer, author, publisher and literary agent. Learn over 25 best-practices you can implement today at no cost. These secrets will help you become a more professional, more successful writer and publisher. Share the secrets!"

book page: The Secrets to Ebook Publishing Success

Direct link to PDF: The Secrets to Ebook Publishing Success

Mark Coker is founder of Smashwords, an ebook publishing and distribution platform for indie authors, publishers, literary agents and retailers. His is co-author of Boob Tube, a novel that explores the wild and wacky world of Hollywood celebrity. He also wrote the The 10-Minute PR Checklist.

related links: 
- a quick guide to book publishing services
- e-book formatting guides (via GalleyCat)
- how to create a book cover