What's Robert Stanek Been Up to?

Around the Town Books is a blog I always meant to get back to but never had time for with all my other writing and publishing initiatives.

My primary blog is Robert Stanek's Books & Things. This blog is where I do most of my actual blogging and it's a popular destination for readers and writers alike with many, many posts and about 100,000 visits.

The other blog I maintain is Read Indies Blog. This blog is also a popular destination for readers and writers alike, including deep insights into publishing and promotion. With over 200,000 visits, it's even more popular than my primary blog. Some few of the posts here are contributed, most are written by me.

Some of the top posts at Read Indies:

Book Promotion Sites Ranked & Rated Part 1: AwesomeGang, FussyLibrarian, Ereader News Today, EbookSoda, ReadCheaply, BookBub

With millions of published books out there from authors, there’s no shortage of book promotion sites looking to cash in. Some of these are...

A Tribute to William Robert Stanek, an American Author Who Should Be on Everyone’s Must Read List

My name is Jennifer Blake. This guest post is in honor of William Robert Stanek, an author recently named "an American author who should be on everyone's must read list . . . "

Authors Who Trash Competitors

My first book was published by Macmillan in 1995. That bestselling book—Electronic Publishing Unleashed—and it’s bestselling follow up . . .

Finding Success as a Writer and Becoming a Bestselling Author

I'm Robert Stanek and today I'm writing about finding success as a writer and becoming a bestseller. In 1995, I attended a writer’s conference . . .

Book Promotion Sites Ranked & Rated: More Thoughts & Tips for Getting into BookBub from BookBub, Plus 20 Questions & Answers with BookBub

So many have pinged me about Book Promotion Sites Ranked & Rated and asked questions that I added more to the article originally and . . .

More on Social Media Promotion Services: BuckBooks (NO!) and BKnights (Maybe!)

BuckBooks, operated by ArchAngelInk (AKA ArchAngelEST, Matt Stone, Rob Archangel, Buck Flogging, et al), is a promotion service that . . .

A Lifetime of Books – 30 Years of Robert Stanek Books

My name is Emily Asimov. When I heard of Robert Stanek’s lifetime achievement nomination, I jumped at the chance to write a tribute. Robert Stanek . . .

Authors “Writing” Their Own Reviews

I’ve been silent on the topic of authors “writing” their own reviews for far too long. Partly because I’ve been tracking the activities of . . .

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Happy Reading!

Why Robert Stanek Talks About His Military Career...

A few changes here before we talk about Robert Stanek's military career. First and most importantly, the Read Indies team is jumping in to help Robert and will blog here and elsewhere on his behalf. Our first official post in the Read Indies blog is posted also @ http://readindies.blogspot.com/2021/07/goodnight-robert-goodnight-moon.html. 

Robert Stanek is often asked by readers why he talks about his military career and commendations especially as the subject is so difficult and painful for him to talk about. Robert blogged about some of his experiences here @ http://readindies.blogspot.com/2020/07/memories-of-long-road-home.html and especially about unexpected dangers those in the military face, not in the battlefield, but in the bases where they are housed.

Here's what Robert Stanek had to say about his military career and heritage:

His forefathers fought and bled Red, White and Blue in every war the USA has ever faced, from the French & Indian Wars and the Revolutionary War that shaped our nation to WWI and WWII that saved our world from tyranny to the wars in Korea, Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanastan and beyond. Although many of his ancestors never came home from the battlefield and many others took the battlefield home with them and were never the same again, he's proud of this heritage of service and sacrifice, and he's proud to have served his country in dark hours. His service to our nation taught him a great deal about duty, sacrifice and honor.

Robert says he gave his youth and his health to these wars and conflicts, his family suffered greatly, and yet he would not trade these experiences, for they forged him into who he is today. Because of his service, he says he will always know that when the darkest of hours arrives he will not hesitate. When asked, he answered. When called, he went. When death stared up from the void, he did not fear. He gave because it was his duty and because he felt it was the right thing to do.

His accomplishments during his military service earned me 29 commendations, including the Air Force Distinguished Flying Cross, the Air Medal, the Air Force Commendation Medal, and the Humanitarian Service Medal. When he left the military, he was one of the most highly decorated in the command. The base commander and his supervisors loved it when he put on his dress blues and participated in the various parades and celebrations on base, especially Memorial Day and the 4th of July. Robert says he's met royalty. A crowned prince, a princess of a city state, a queen. He's met and dined with presidents, including George W. Bush and Bill Clinton, and a few generals, including Colin Powell and H. Norman Schwarzkopf. They've offered their hands to shake, given toasts in his honor for his duty. Duty, honor and country mean a lot to Robert, and these themes resonate in his many books.

Yet the main reason Robert says he talks openly about his combat service is to help those who, like him, have taken the battlefield home with them, to give them hope, to let them know that they can use their pain to accomplish many things. He survived a crashlanding, being shot, being stabbed and yet he is still here. "Physical wounds come with consequences, and yet the wounds of war are not always physical, and not all wounds are from combat," he says. "As wounded warriors, we suffer, but we need not suffer in silence." This message of hope in the face of adversity and pain is powerful and heartfelt.

Hats off to Robert for his service and for his dedication to those he served with.

What's Around the Town Books Been Up to?

Around the Town Books is a blog I always meant to get back to but never had time for with all my other writing and publishing initiatives.

My primary blog is Robert Stanek's Books & Things. This blog is where I do most of my actual blogging and it's a popular destination for readers and writers alike with many, many posts and about 100,000 visits.

The other blog I maintain is Read Indies Blog. This blog is also a popular destination for readers and writers alike, including deep insights into publishing and promotion. With over 200,000 visits, it's even more popular than my primary blog. Some few of the posts here are contributed, most are written by me.

Some of the top posts at Read Indies:

Book Promotion Sites Ranked & Rated Part 1: AwesomeGang, FussyLibrarian, Ereader News Today, EbookSoda, ReadCheaply, BookBub

With millions of published books out there from authors, there’s no shortage of book promotion sites looking to cash in. Some of these are...

A Tribute to William Robert Stanek, an American Author Who Should Be on Everyone’s Must Read List

My name is Jennifer Blake. This guest post is in honor of William Robert Stanek, an author recently named "an American author who should be on everyone's must read list . . . "

Authors Who Trash Competitors

My first book was published by Macmillan in 1995. That bestselling book—Electronic Publishing Unleashed—and it’s bestselling follow up . . .

Finding Success as a Writer and Becoming a Bestselling Author

I'm Robert Stanek and today I'm writing about finding success as a writer and becoming a bestseller.  In 1995, I attended a writer’s conference . . .

Book Promotion Sites Ranked & Rated: More Thoughts & Tips for Getting into BookBub from BookBub, Plus 20 Questions & Answers with BookBub

So many have pinged me about Book Promotion Sites Ranked & Rated and asked questions that I added more to the article originally and . . .

More on Social Media Promotion Services: BuckBooks (NO!) and BKnights (Maybe!)

BuckBooks, operated by ArchAngelInk (AKA ArchAngelEST, Matt Stone, Rob Archangel, Buck Flogging, et al), is a promotion service that . . .

A Lifetime of Books – 30 Years of Robert Stanek Books

My name is Emily Asimov. When I heard of Robert Stanek’s lifetime achievement nomination, I jumped at the chance to write a tribute. Robert Stanek . . .

Authors “Writing” Their Own Reviews

I’ve been silent on the topic of authors “writing” their own reviews for far too long. Partly because I’ve been tracking the activities of . . .

-

Happy Reading!

Kindle, Amazon + the FCC: An Update

In my previous post, I talked about what's happening with Kindle, Amazon and the FCC. It seems Amazon would rather be known as a company that is unfriendly to persons with disabilities than to make the simple changes needed.

Although the initiatives from the American Library Association and the Association of Research Libraries are general to e-readers, they relate more strongly to Kindles because of specific features of Kindles that constitute advanced communications under federal law.

Amazon made changes to the Kindles that make it so certain people with disabilities can't use Kindles. Specifically, Amazon removed a 3.5mm audio jack from its Kindle e-readers, among other changes, which makes the basic Kindles unusable to persons with print disabilities. Federal law requires equipment used for advanced communication services (ACS) be accessible to, and usable by, individuals with disabilities.

The FCC granted a one-year waiver to allow Kindle and others to continue to be available on sale. Now that the waiver is expiring Amazon may be forced by the FCC to upgrade the capabilities of all Kindles to accommodate the needs of the disabled. Amazon is fighting for more waivers and extensions.

The 3.5mm audio jack itself is a ~.05 component that is connected to a signal converter (and not any kind of speaker) that is itself a ~.05 to ~.10 component. The $1.25 cost of the changes is an estimate of Amazon's total cost per unit for design changes (for example an opening must be added to the case where the audio jack will go) and the required components, though the actual cost is more likely closer to .50 per unit.

If these changes aren't made, Amazon may have to remove the contentious features from basic kindles to remain in compliance with federal law.

The American Library Association and the Association of Research Libraries are urging Amazon to make these changes. I support the changes and hope you will too in your social media.

E-readers allow those with visual impairments to enjoy printed words they otherwise might not have access to--and just as importantly, in ways they otherwise would not be able to. In the US alone, there are around 7 million people with a visual disability, according to a 2012 report from the National Federation of the Blind.

Without such ready access to printed words in books, newspapers, magazines, and beyond, those with visual impairments must often go without or rely on less tenable means of access.

Thanks for reading,

Robert Stanek

Kindle, Amazon + the FCC: A good day for the disabled ahead?

Don't know how many of you follow what's happening with the Kindle, Amazon, and the FCC. Essentially, in my understanding what happened is Amazon made changes to the Kindles that makes it so certain people with disabilities can't use Kindles. Specifically, Amazon removed a 3.5mm audio jack from its Kindle e-readers, among other changes, which makes the basic Kindles unusable to persons with print disabilities.

Federal law requires equipment used for advanced communication services (ACS) be accessible to, and usable by, individuals with disabilities.

In January, the FCC granted a one-year waiver to allow Kindle and others to continue to be available on sale. The waiver is expiring and it looks like Amazon may be forced by the FCC to upgrade the capabilities of all Kindles to accommodate the needs of the disabled. However, Amazon is fighting for more waivers.

The American Library Association and the Association of Research Libraries are among the leading voices urging the changes: ow.ly/EezWn. According to the Opposition to Coalition of E-Reader  Manufacturers' Petition for Waiver (http://www.arl.org/storage/documents/publications/ereader-waiver-opposition-27oct2014.pdf).

What do you think? My .02: Amazon never should have removed such capabilities knowing that the changes would make basic Kindles useless to persons with print disabilities. The audio jack and the related components likely aren't more than $1.25 - $1.75 of cost to produce a Kindle.

The ALA and ARL are urging changes. I support those changes and hope you will too in your social media.

E-readers allow those with visual impairments to enjoy printed words they otherwise might not have access to--and just as importantly, in ways they otherwise would not be able to. In the US alone, there are around 7 million people with a visual disability, according to a 2012 report from the National Federation of the Blind.

Without such ready access to printed words in books, newspapers, magazines, and beyond, those with visual impairments must often go without or rely on less tenable means of access.

Thanks,

Robert Stanek

Veteran's Charity Drive Followup!

A follow up to the previous post. It's release day for "This Mortal Coil. After the Machines" and it's a new series that's been available as a pre-order since August 15. I've been working to spread the word about it for the past week. Normally, I'd be heads down writing, which is what I'm going to go back to after this.

Looks like I had a few additional sales in each of the markets I can get sales data from quickly. Getting sales data from the other markets will take time, for some up to 90 days.

In honor of this event, I'll be donating $200 to each of the veterans-related charities I normally work with. This is on top of what I normally donate annually.

My donations are normally anonymous, but for this event I will donate in my name, as I've done here:

I personally spent most of Monday and Tuesday promoting the event, the authors and books involved, not for my sales but for the opportunity to give back and to help others.

Over all, the Veteran's Day charity drive went well. More than 40 authors participated and raised money for veterans-related charities. Although we didn't reach our goal of $10,000, it looks like we raised about $5000 in total. A pretty great day!

You can read about the participating authors at the Read Indies blog.

Back in the day, I remember spending all day on Veteran's Day marching on parade or slinging burgers in this or that fundraiser. Sometimes there'd be 6, 8 or 10 of us out there all day slinging burgers. By the end of the day, we were sweaty and tired, but we felt good. We'd done something. We'd given back, even if only in a small way.

Thanks for reading,

Robert Stanek

Veterans Day Charity Drive. Help raise $10,000 for veterans-related charities!

I wanted to let readers know about a great cause and a great event: Veterans Day "Gone, but Not Forgotten!" veteran's charity drive. I will be donating all the royalties I earn today for THIS MORTAL COIL. AFTER THE MACHINES to the Wounded Warrior Project and other veterans-related charities. This is for any edition or episode of the printed book, ebook or any other format with any of the retailers where the book is available (Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Google Play, iTunes/iBookstore, Google Play, Kobo + 240 others).

Some quick links for you...

Play: https://t.co/2o5oLXqDa9

Amazon:  http://t.co/wa5Cnhpbwl

Once I have the preliminary totals I will report the full amount earned and also post a receipt for my donation.  Please help me out in making it as much as possible!

Any help spreading the word through twitter, facebook and social media would be appreciated. On Twitter, Facebook and G+ use #vetsgiveback as your hashtag.

This is in conjunction with more than 40 other veteran authors who are donating to their favorite veterans-related charities. To learn more, about other books and authors involved read Supporting Veteran Authors Who Support Veterans, Veterans' Issues and Veterans-related Charities.

Thank you,

Robert Stanek