BookRix.com Will Be Unavailable For a Few Days
As some of you may know or possibly witnessed firsthand, our site has been having a few hiccups. Either its running a little slower than it should or it prevents you from performing certain tasks when you want to do them. These ‘hiccups’ are related to our servers. Essentially, they’re at maximum capacity and in order to eliminate these problems, we need to upgrade. The great news is that we’ll have a new and improved “super server” which should eliminate all those silly little site annoyances. The bad news is that BookRix.com will have to go offline for a few days starting tomorrow. Womp, womp.
During the days our site will be offline, we’ll have a “Mini-BookRix” site in its place. It will provide some books for download in the ePub format as well as a Facebook and Twitter widget which will allow all of us to communicate with one another. We will also post a link to Amazon that will lead you to our sale books. If you have free books you wish to read during the next few days, we suggest downloading them today so you’ll be able to access them. We’re confident that upgrading our servers will be the best thing for our members, so we ask for your patience over the next few days while we get them situated. Rest assured we’ll be working hard to BookRix back to you, better than ever before.
We want your books, not your money: Free Publishing at BookRix!
Gee willikers! I love free stuff!
It’s finally happened. BookRix has reached the pinnacle of awesomeness: Starting in October, the eBook publishing and distribution services are going to be completely free. Just in time for the International Book Fair in Frankfurt, Germany, BookRix has announced this groundbreaking news. And no, there isn’t a catch, so stop asking!
The BookRix Team realizes that authors need a free entry for their books into shops like Amazon, Apple iBookstore, Kobo, Barnes & Noble, etc., to help create a free eBook market. Now there’s nothing to stop us writers from publishing every single story we’ve ever created. “Why not?” we’ll say. “It’s free!”
“Authors and their eBooks need free and uncomplicated access to all the important online shops, to co-create a free eBook market,” says Gunnar Siewert, CEO and cofounder. “We want the authors’ books and not their money.” In addition, BookRix will be reimbursing all authors who previously paid for eBook publication with the company!
I think I just heard a collective *Ding-ding!*
Who likes free publishing? We owl do!
Here’s a little BookRix history, just for you:
Launched as a small start-up company in May 2008, BookRix has become one of the largest international book communities of its time. BookRix connects eBook distribution with Social Media on a single platform that houses over 500,000 members. Writers can share their work on BookRix, while taking advantage of their built in online community of readers and writers. By doing this, authors have the unique ability to market their work and engage potential fans within the BookRix community without the support of a traditional publishing house.
The advantage for the authors is obvious: BookRix is a one-stop-shop. Your eBooks are distributed to dozens of eBook-stores through a single provider responsible for eBook delivery and account management.
If you want to learn more, you can contact our customer service at support-en@bookrix.com, or you can just hold your horses and read the rest of the information at BookRix when the free service is launched in October.
Here’s Batman’s reaction, when he learned that publishing is now free:
Snoopy and Woodstock out celebrating all the books they’re going to publish for free:
The BookRix Team does a celebratory dance routine:
There and Back Again: The Birth of an Epic Classic
The Hobbit was first published on this day (September 21st) in 1937, making it 75 years old today! Due to favorable reviews, the 1,500 original copies sold out by December.
The original Dust cover - artwork by Tolkien himself.
Cover art from 1976
Cover art from 1999
Cover art from 2003
When I first started reading The Hobbit, I had no idea what I was getting myself into. All I knew was what my friend, Laura, said to me, “You haven’t read The Hobbit? You need to read it right now.” And so I did. For those of you who have read it, you’ll know the power it holds over its reader. You become fully immersed in Middle Earth, in awe of everything Bilbo is introduced to (mostly unwillingly), and can even feel your stomach starting to growl when he goes on and on about the contents of his pantry cupboards. Just like in The Lord of the Rings, we are surrounded by a wide variety of characters: dwarves, elves, hobbits, goblins, giant eagles, men, and even some familiar characters – Elrond, Gandalf, Gollum, and of course Bilbo. Oh, and did I mention the dragon?
My first reading took place way back in 1999; two years before the first LOTR film was released. In order to satiate my hunger for visuals, I watched the original, cartoon version from way back in 1977. What an amazing time the 70s must have been – you have to see it to believe it.
I honestly don’t even know why I’m telling you about it, go read it for yourself. And you’d better hurry, you have to read it before the movie is released… But don’t worry, you only have to read the first half of the book because it’s been split into two feature films: The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey and The Hobbit: There and Back Again.
Gandalf and Bilbo in front of Bag-End
Did you know?
Some fun facts about The Hobbit:
In the original edition, Gollum willingly bets the ring and parts amicably from Bilbo.
Bilbo Baggins was 51½ years old when he leaves on his initial adventure, and Elrond was already thousands of years old.
The Hobbit takes place 60 years before The Lord of the Rings.
Tolkien had an aunt whose farm was nicknamed Bag-End.
There are three main kinds of hobbit: Harfoots, Fallowhides and Stoors.
The Misty Mountains are about 1440km long – nearly the length of New Zealand!
Tolkien never mentioned elves having pointed ears.
It’s National Punch Day!
When I heard it was national punch day, we immediately went around the office throwing arm punches at unsuspecting coworkers. Lineh was attacked by the copy machine. Rebecca was innocently reading her email (sorry for scaring you!) and Nils was making a business call. Unfortunately, twenty minutes later I read that ‘National Punch Day’ was actually referring to the drink, not the physical act of punching someone. Office apologies ensued.
Punch is typically made available at fun occasions like school dances, weddings, baby showers, and other celebratory events… what’s not to like about that? And depending on the ingredient mixture, this little concoction can be quite tasty and get you caught with a case of the giggles. Oh rum, how I love you so. Sadly, I’ve been to many of these events, but never bothered to learn how to make a decent bowl of punch. Lucky for me, there’s this awesome thing called Google. Who knew there were so many recipes? Bust out the punch bowl and roll up your sleeves, cause it’s time to get your practice on. After all, the holiday’s are right around the corner and you’ve got people to impress…
Orange Dream Punch (fun for all ages!)
(Servings: 30)
Ingredients:
½ gallon orange sherbet
1 (6 ounce) can frozen orange juice concentrate
1 (2 liter) bottle ginger ale
Instructions:
Place sherbet and frozen orange juice concentrate in punch bowl. Allow to thaw for 15-20 minutes. Stir in ginger ale. Viola… deliciousness!
Caribbean Rum Punch (adults only!)
Ingredients:
1 cup fresh lime juice
2 cups simple syrup
3 cups amber rum
4 cups orange juice
4 dashes bitters
freshly grated nutmeg
Instructions:
In a pitcher, combine lime juice, simple syrup, rum and orange juice. Add a few dashes of bitters and some grated nutmeg to taste. Serve chilled over ice.
Talk Like a Pirate and ARRRG it Up!
When we hear people complain about ‘Talk Like a Pirate Day’, we have to resist having them walk the plank. After all, we’re civilized (kind of). But still.. People shouldn’t hate on this awesomely fun day, cause when else is it acceptable to talk like a pirate, drink beer like a total slosh and wear a hook for an hand? Ok, technically you could do the same on Halloween, but that’s kind of cheating.
Kick back, relax, and get into the spirit. The pirate spirit that is, and have some fun! We’ve got some cool pirate speaking tips, a few corny jokes and some other recommendations you should check out. Arrrrg you ready?
Talk the talk: First off, drop all your g’s. Anything traditionally ending with “ing” will sound better: Drinkin’, dancin’, fightin’, etc. Next, drop all your v’s, and you’ll end up with words like: ne’er, e’er and o’er! Also, never say things like “you” or “You’re”. It’s “yer” and “yer” only.
Growl & scowl: When’s the last time you saw two pirates embrace one another and smile? Exactly. So make sure you’ve got a scowl on your face and be sure to growl between sentences.
Silly Jokes
Q: What is a pirates favorite soft drink? A: Arrr-C Cola!
Q: Who cleans the Pirate Captain’s bedroom? A: A Mer-Maid!
Q: What did the pirate say when he crashed his ship upon the iceberg? A: Shiver me timbers!
Check out our BookRix members Pirate inspired books below!
What to read this week: A Book Review
Eternal Curse: Giovanni’s Angel
“His name is Giovanni. His long and complex tale is just a small part of something that is so much greater, something so magnificent that man can never truly understand it. History has been written, but it has not always been right or complete, and no mere man on this earth can understand this the way that Giovanni can. There really are no words in any language to fully describe where history has gone wrong or fallen short, but if I tell you Giovanni’s story, maybe you’ll begin to understand.”
Toi Thomas takes internet relationships to a whole new level in her first novel - Eternal Curse: Giovanni’s Angel. A Fantasy Fiction about a wealthy doctor in search of a purpose and an isolated outcast searching for acceptance. They meet online and discover that they may be just what the other has been looking for. Mira’s a woman who believes in what she knows and Giovanni is a man who knows better than to think he really knows anything. When Mira decides to meet Giovanni face to face, for the first time, at his secluded country home, their journey truly begins.
Will the doctor and the outcast be able to stand strong against all the powers of heaven and hell to pursue their ultimate purpose? The story has everything, from demons to romance, and will keep you interested from start to finish.
Author: Toi Thomas
Toi was nice enough to share a free sample (see above book link) – the first three chapters, free of charge, to get you interested.
Toi is a self-proclaimed techie and foodie born in Texas, but considers Virginia to be her home. As a young child growing up in Dallas, she had a strong interest in reading fiction and loved to watch movies. Recently, she decided to rekindle her romance with creative writing by authoring her first book. Lucky for us, she has decided to share this passion with the world.
If you’re looking to dive right in: The full story is available in four parts for your enjoyment.
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