Why I created the aBook.
Years ago, I finished my first novel: A story called Far Beyond that is meant to help young readers transition from listening to story read to them by their parents to a story they could read for themselves. As for the story, it tells the tale of a young girl named Kelcy who befriends a magical, fairy-like creature named Fabian Augustus to save his world from an evil not seen for hundreds of years. During their adventure, Kelcy discovers the wonders of Fabian's homeland, Far Beyond.
While Far Beyond is a fascinating sorry, this article is meant to market that story. I am writing here to discribe my own personal journey to market my book by getting it published as an applicatio on the Google Play Store. As for why I chose to turn Far Beyond into an Android application, that's simple. There are more than 3 billion devices that use the Android operating system and this number grows by 20 milion every day. And where do Android users turn to download their games and apps? Most choose the Google Play Store because of the trust they feel towards this platform. It also doesn't hurt that the majority of software developers release their apps on the play store.
So, with the goal of making my book as widely available as possible, I set out to get it listed on the Google Play Store. I of course listed it on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and other outlets, but I also wanted to expose my self-published story to as broad of a a market as was available. Initially, I sought out software that could turn the PDF version of my book into an applications because my programming skills were outdated.
While there are several software packages that offered the ability to create a software version of Far Beyond, none of them offered the personalization that I sought. I wanted custom colors, custom buttons and I wanted to offer the reader more than just the story. More about those custom features later. First I would like to discuss the next approach I took to fulfill my dream of seeing Far Beyond listed on the Google Play Store.
My next step was to utilitize one of the many freelance platforms that offer up such services as software design and programming. This however proved to be just slightly better than using the templates provided by those software referenced a couple paragraphs ago. While, there was the ability for more customization with the freelancers, the costs became quite prohibitive. For this and the reasons mentioned previousy, I decided to brush off my coding knowledge and update my programming skills. I had a personal need to meet and I knew that I was not the sole, independent author who hoped to expose their work to as many people as possible.
While many independent authors write for the pure pleasure that self-expression provides, I believe many more seek to spread as much joy as they felt creating their works to as many people as is possible. Hence, the creation of the aBook. I created the aBook in such a way as to make it possible to not only incorporate the story, but to also allow customizztion to whatever extent the author or publisher desires. Whether you simply want to offer your book to the 3 billion Android users with no frills or you want a customized color scheme, and even a story-themed game incorporated into the application (as can be played in Far Beyond), the aBook will suit your self-publishing needs. To find out more, shoot me an email at Cossman@MiksonsEntertainment.com and find out what the aBook can do for your writing. As an independent author or publisher, you need to promote your work or works wherever possible and the aBook offers one very large platform upon which to do just that. And, for those independent authors who want the added ability of selling their book on their own website(s), what better way to offer your book for immediate downloadable Android application?
While the aBook cannot guarantee exposure to all of the visitors to the Google Play Store, it does offer independent authors more platforms upon which to promote their work. Imagine being able to promote your book on websites like Goodreads without having to give 30 to 70 percent of the purchase price to Amazon. I created the aBook to fulfill a need, a need that I know many independent authors wish to fulfill.
September 15, 2020
by Chris Ossman
Independent authors: Upload your Miksons Entertainment Abook to the google play store and find more readers
The Abook (App Book) is for any author who has written a book or any publisher seeking to gain more exposure for any of their published authors. With all the features available in the Abook, any author and/or publisher can entice more readers and strengthen their current fan base.
Publishers: Market your authors to more readers by offering more than an eBook or PDF ever could. With more than 200 million Android device users in the world today and another 40 thousand Android devices coming online every day, how can you ignore this potential market?
For children's book authors - Watch the demo video above and on the right to see how Miksons can create a story-themed game featuring character(s) and scenes from your book. * If properly formatted character and scenery images are not available, Miksons can provide at an additional cost. Call Chris at (305) 903-9982 for more details and pricing.
So, you wrote your first book and submitted it to publishers for consideration only to endure the sting of rejection time and time again. You knew your story was worthy of publication, so you decided to publish the book yourself. You have a voice and you want it to be heard. The next step to realizing a dream of seeing your words in print was to self publish that novel as a paperback and/or eBook on one of the major online book stores. Though a good next step, did it take your book where you wanted it to go? If the end goal was to write a compelling story and put it out there in the universe, then hosting it on any online website would be sufficient. If, however, you seek a broader audience and greater exposure, you need to make your book stand out from the crowd. While there are plenty of ways to increase your readership (press releases, SEO marketing, etc.), none of them offer the truly unique experience of an Abook. Why would you want to learn how to create an ebook from start to finish when you could just have an Abook created for you?
The Abook was created by Chris Ossman, the founder of Miksons Entertainment after he searched for ways in which he could turn his books into Android applications. After researching and discovering that there are more than 200 million Android devices worldwide with 40 thousand being added daily, Chris understood the potential that an Android capable book represented. Whether on a cell phone, tablet or other devices, an Android application would give any reader the ability to carry their favorite book around with them at all times. The problem for Chris was that there were no software offerings that included all of the features that Chris looked for in a virtual book. To remedy this, the Abook was created: A feature-rich application that not only tells the story you want to tell but draws the reader further into the world you've created in ways that few if any other virtual book applications can.
While the Abook offers the same features offered by other virtual books, it pushes the reader's experience well beyond that of all other e-Readers. Some of the benefits not offered elsewhere are the ability to interact with the author (if the author so desires) by providing links to author webpages, websites or email. The Abook also includes clickable links to referenced material such as online articles, podcasts and other sources such as Youtube, Wikileaks and more (go to the 1:11 mark on the video on the left above or the first video, if viewed on our mobile site). For those authors of children's books, the Abook offers readers the opportunity to experience their story as envisioned by the author through the inclusion of vibrant images, animations or games (as demonstrated in the video on the right side above or the second video, if viewed on our mobile site). In the game demonstrated above, Fabian Augustus (one of the main characters in the book Far Beyond) can be seen flying high above the city at dusk, collecting various spells, while avoiding hungry owls. Yet another feature of the Abook is its ability to grow with your audience, as more features like audiobook (which is currently in the works) will be available in future versions of the Abook.
For a real-world demonstration, click HERE to see some of the Abooks Chris created for his own stories. Some of the apps are free to install and use, so if you have an Android device, download one or more, navigate around it and play the Far Beyond game and see what an Abook can do for your eBook, you could soon see your Abook listed on the Google Play Store. And, if you would like to offer your readers a sampling of your book, Miksons can also create a version that contains only a few chapters to peak interest that could convert into a sale or many sales. While there are millions of authors who have had their works published, few can say their books offer the immersive and interactive experience of the Abook.
Whether you wrote your book to create a movement or entertain the masses, an Abook can enhance your reader's experience and draw them in as return customers for your next book. Call now, so we can answer any questions you may have about creating your first Abook or simply click HERE so one of our associates can get your Abook started. All we need are the images and/or audio file(s) that you would like to incorporate into your Abook and of course your story in word (.doc, .docx), PDF or one of the many digital formats available for eBooks today.
* The finished Abook application will be created in the format accepted by the Google Play Store. Some authors prefer to list their Abook on sites other than the Google Play Store, so the fee for listing on the Google Play Store is not included in the base pricing for the Abook. To list on the Google Play Store through Miksons Entertainment LLC, there is a one-time fee of $50.00. For more information about listing on the Google Play Store, call (305) 903-9982.
Features available in an Abook that you won't find in any PDF, Epub or Kindle:
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Direct links to all resource material referenced in your book.
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Email links (if the author chooses) to contact the author or indirectly.
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Story-themed games featuring character(s) from your book that can further your stories of adventure, fantasy, and intrigue.
Learn more about the Abook below or click HERE to see a video of books that have already been turned into Android applications and are available on the Google Play Store.