Angie's Diary | Online Stories & Articles

Angie's Diary | Online Stories & Articles
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Self Published Authors, You're Being Dumped!

Self Published Authors, You're Being Dumped!

If you're a self published author, get ready for some disappointing news. Your usefulness is coming to an end. Yes, you have all worked very hard for very little return in building an empire to be exploited by multinational enterprises, but sadly, your job is almost done and it's time now for you to be given the 'boot'.

What Is DRM And Why I Don't Like It

What Is DRM And Why I Don't Like It

DRM is an acronym for 'Digital Rights Management', and is something that all readers and authors of ebooks should understand. Sometimes called 'Digital Restrictions Management' by those who know how it works, it is a method used by retailers of digital products, including ebooks, to restrict the use of the file. Originally applied to music, [...]

Has Amazon Kindle Lost The Plot?

Has Amazon Kindle Lost The Plot?

Over the past few of weeks, Amazon Kindle has been making news for for two particularly onerous actions they have taken. Firstly there was the 'wiped' Kindle episode involving a Norwegian Kindle owner, who had all her purchased Kindle ebooks mysteriously deleted from her device by Amazon, and then just as mysteriously, after the news went viral, [...]

Review: The Forgotten Age

Review: The Forgotten Age

A Thoroughly Enjoyable Read. I couldn't help thinking about Indiana Jones while I was reading about Nick Palmer's adventures in The Forgotten Age by Jack Eason. If you have any interest in ancient myths, Egyptology or archaeology, you'll surely enjoy this new Nick Palmer story. A rollicking adventure of caves, tunnels, hidden entrances and unreliable maps [...]

In Defence Of The Self Published Author

In Defence Of The Self Published Author

While reading the following poem, which has always been a favourite of mine, I couldn't help but think of the similarity with the current debate and divide over self published books compared with traditionally published titles. It has become a bit city and the bush – New York and London against the world one might [...]

Back To Smashwords After KDP Select

Back To Smashwords After KDP Select

After almost a year, I've decided to end my enrollment in Amazon's KDP Select Program and return to publishing with Smashwords and perhaps other publishers.  The reasons are many, but at the top of the list is the requirement of exclusivity by Amazon. Although Amazon offered Prime Lending and Free Book Promotion in return, neither really created the volume [...]

10 Ideas To Promote Self Published Books

10 Ideas To Promote Self Published Books

Promoting self published books and ebooks in an already crowded and competitive market is hard work. Unless you can get your book featured in The New York Times next week, it will take patience, a lot of work and of course a dose of old fashioned good luck to get anywhere near the top of [...]

A Monologue - Of Memories

A Monologue - Of Memories

Of Memories... As electric toasters go, it was a classic. All Australian mined metal and made by Aussies in blue overalls somewhere near Glebe probably. Weren’t they the days? When Aussies made stuff for Aussies and played for the local footy team on Saturday. I can only wonder now what ever happened to my Aussie [...]

Interview: Derek Haines

Interview: Derek Haines

I’m on a quest, asking the experts – people already in the industry – for publishing advice to writers… This week, I caught up with indie author (songwriter, singer, musician) Derek Haines to talk about the world of self-publishing. Fortunately for me, he is not only talented, prolific and friendly, he is a (generous) wealth [...]

Self Publishing Authors: Suspect and Cheats?

Self Publishing Authors: Suspect and Cheats?

What's wrong with the concept that self publishing is a business like any other and as such there are marketing expenses and without this investment, books struggle to sell?

VIP Author Info

Derek Haines

Derek Haines is an author of genre fiction, essays and poetry. His works range from historical fiction with Louis, to The Glothic Tales, a trilogy of science fiction farce, to dark contemporary romance, including One Last Love, Dead Men and For The Love Of Sam. His satirical essays and novellas such as My Take Away Vampire and An Uneducated View of Sex, Food and Politics then clearly fall into the tongue in cheek genre.

His passion for writing started with poetry before moving into essays and then later, genre fiction. Although his works cover a wide range of settings and genres, his writing style and voice communicate with, and engage readers through his characters, who are always less than perfect, yet have an endearing appeal.

Most of all, the stories told by Derek Haines are about people and their feelings, regrets, hopes and struggles with life, love and sometimes calamity. His characters never take the classic hero and heroine form Just ordinary people, but with extraordinary qualities that makes their story worth telling. With splashes of black humour and satire, his stories can develop from the simplistic to the complex and back again, leaving the reader to decide if it is time to laugh or cry. Or both.

Born in Australia, but now living in Switzerland with his wife and black cocker spaniel, his stories cross a wide geographical range but often draw from elements of his life and experiences in the two countries he calls home. From the rugged, dry and hot desert country of Australia and its crowded cities, to the cafés of Europe and the peaks of the Swiss Alps. The hustle and bustle of Sydney to the quiet life in the Swiss countryside.

When not writing, he is usually doing what he equally enjoys. Teaching English.

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