Author/Speaker Sherri Wilson Johnson

Pam Hillman was born and raised on a dairy farm in Mississippi and spent her teenage years perched on the seat of a tractor raking hay. In those days, her daddy couldn’t afford two cab tractors with air conditioning and a radio, so Pam drove the Allis Chalmers 110. Even when her daddy asked her if she wanted to bale hay, she told him she didn’t mind raking. Raking hay doesn’t take much thought so Pam spent her time working on her tan and making up stories in her head. Now, that’s the kind of life every girl should dream of! Claiming Mariah is her second novel.

eBooks Upward Trend

With ebook sales rocketing skyward, established publishers, authors and readers alike are taking a second look at electronic publishing. Several factors lend credence to the fact that ebooks are not just a fad, but will be a mainstay in publishing from now on.

In May 2011, Amazon reported that sales of ebooks had surpassed print books just four years after unveiling the Kindle. While Amazon isn’t the only game in town, they do command a significant slice of the pie. Barnes & Noble is doing a brisk business selling ebooks for their ereader, the Nook. Contented readers tout the superiority of both devices.

A young friend told me she read my debut novel, Stealing Jake, on her iPhone on a road trip. I was very honored that she’d spent her trip reading my book on that tiny device! Young, hip consumers are more apt to grab an iPhone, iPad, Blackberry, Kindle, or Nook when they want something to read. People don’t carry books around with them (well, some of us do!), but if they have a digital device with them, they’re more likely to actually connect to the internet, download a book and start reading it, than they are to go in search of a print book.

Those of us who grew up with stacks and stacks of print books by our beds, on the floor, spilling out of our shelves, still love our print books, but we’re also embracing ebooks as well. Readers, regardless of age, are getting hooked on the fact that they can stuff a Kindle or Nook in their bag on the spur of the moment. These days when I travel, I grab my Kindle and I’m ready to go. I can carry hundreds of books with me, not have to limit my choice to two or three. I have several versions of the Bible, fiction, non-fiction, and games. All at my fingertips and ready to go wherever I go.

Elderly readers have the option of reading their books in mega-size font. My husband’s 94 year-old grandmother has read my Kindle and enjoyed the experience very much. It’s easy to adjust the font to whatever size to accommodate her aging eyesight and the learning curve is not difficult at all. With a little ingenuity, a friend in the nursing home with extremely limited motor skills can read her Kindle. Since she can’t hold the device, it’s attached with Velcro to a “pyramid pillow” purchased on Amazon. A ribbon strap holds the pillow in her lap so her Kindle doesn’t slide off into the floor.

Free sample chapters and many times offers of free books are exposing readers to new authors, an opportunity that might not have arisen with traditional print books. And instant download capabilities fit right in with today’s drive-thru-want-it-now mentality.

From an established author’s standpoint, ebooks are offering an option for breathing new life into old backlists. Fans who missed their favorite authors’ earlier works are grabbing them up as ebooks. In other cases, authors are partnering with their publishers to re-package their backlist as ebooks. And the icing on the ebook cake is when an ebook is offered for free for a limited time. The author gains new readers, and those readers are more likely to purchase that author’s newer releases. It’s a win-win situation all around. (Cliché alert.) I suppose this means we can have our cake and eat it too!

Ebooks have given unpublished authors more opportunities to be published than ever before. Yes, right now there are some growing pains, and sometimes it’s hard to separate the wheat from the chaff, but quality will rise to the top, and readers will sort it all out eventually. With established and well-respected publishing houses partnering with unpublished authors with programs like Tyndale’s Digital First Initiative, readers know they’re getting a quality read they can trust.

As long as people believe in storytelling, ebooks will continue to rise in popularity. The programming platform and the devices themselves will change, but the fascination of story will draw readers back time and time again.

Regardless of format.

~

Sherri, I have enjoyed visiting with you and your friends during this joyous season of the year. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to each and every one!

Thank you, Pam, for joining us!

Here’s some information on Pam’s new book!

In light of her father’s death, Mariah Malone sends a letter that will forever alter the lives of her family. When Slade Donovan, strong willed and eager for vengeance, shows up on her front porch, Mariah is not ready to hear his truths: her father’s farm, the only home she’s ever known, was bought with stolen gold. With Slade ready to collect his father’s rightful claim and force Mariah and her family out on the streets, Mariah must turn to God for guidance. Though Mr. Fredrick Cooper, a local landowner, promises to answer her financial woes if she agrees to be his bride, Mariah finds herself drawn instead to the angry young man demanding her home.

With the ranch now under Slade’s careful eye, he will unearth more than he ever imagined as a devious plot of thievery, betrayal and murder threatens more than the well-being of the ranch, endangering the lives of those who hold it dear. With days dwindling until the rest of the Donovan clan arrive to the Lazy M ranch, Mariah and Slade must rise above the resentment of their fathers and see their true feelings before greed alters their futures forever.

Claiming Mariah Links:

 

Claiming Mariah Amazon link: http://tinyurl.com/apnzl5n

Claiming Mariah B&N link: http://tinyurl.com/ays6fq7

Claiming Mariah CBD link: http://tinyurl.com/bvjx3m7

Claiming Mariah Goodreads link: N/A at this time

Claiming Mariah 1st Chapter: http://tinyurl.com/ageh54r

You can find out more about Pam at these places:

Website: http://www.pamhillman.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pam.hillman.7

Twitter: https://twitter.com/PamHillman or Twitter@Pam_Hillman

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/5800307-pam-hillman

Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/wrtnbyph/

Group blog: http://www.seekerville.blogspot.com

Personal blog: http://www.calicotrails.blogspot.com

Publisher: http://www.tyndale.com/Claiming-Mariah/9781414380964

January 1st marks the official beginning of Pam’s Blog Tour Blowout to celebrate the release of my latest book from Tyndale House, Claiming Mariah.

We’re blowing the doors off the Prize Vault on January 1^st so mark your calendars!

Complete List of Stops Along the Tour

(It’s huge. Just giving you fair warning…)

Where Pam can be found in December:

December 17-20^th  – www.tyndale.com/blog

Pam guest blogs for *3* days at Tyndale with a Q&A, an interview, and an article. Whew! What fun!

December 24^th – www.seekerville.blogspot.com/

Where is Jesus?

December 28^th – http://www.pensonaworldmap.com/

Touring the Natchez Trace

December 31st until MIDNIGHT – www.seekerville.blogspot.com

Seekerville rings in the New Year with prizes every hour!

FIRST TWO OFFICIAL STOPS ON 2013 TOUR: 

January 2^nd – http://southernwritersmagazine.blogspot.com/

January 2nd – http://gingersolomon.blogspot.com/