Rainbow eBooks is Closing

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I am a very sad nerd right now.  I was sent an email last week as well as a certified letter via snail mail notifying me that Rainbow eBooks web store was closing effective September 30, 2013.  I’m sad because Rainbow eBooks was the first website that I found that had nothing but eBooks written by and/or for the LGBT community.

When I published my book Diary of a Gay Nerd, I had every intention of publishing it with Rainbow eBooks as well as Amazon and Barnes & Noble.  I tried advertising it more for Rainbow eBooks because I wanted to help the smaller guys as opposed to the big corporations, but alas I only sold 10 eBooks from February 2012 when I published it to now.  The CEO Tammy May even had some post cards printed with my book cover on it that she took to all of the book fairs to help me sell eBooks, but that really didn’t help.

I think the problem is (this is only an assumption because I don’t know the real reason) that people with Kindles prefer to buy their eBooks directly through their Kindle, and people with Nooks prefer to buy their eBooks directly through their Nook.  People who don’t have eBook readers don’t have that option unless they use the Kindle or Nook app on their phone or tablet, otherwise if all they have is their computer or laptop, their best option is to download the file directly and use eBook reading software, and even then they can still download Kindle for PC and Nook for PC.  The little guys usually finish last unfortunately.

Since they are closing and I want to help them recover some of the costs from my post cards, I have lowered the price of my book down to $2.49.  Get it while you can because as I said, the store is closing on September 30th, 2013.  After that you will still have until December 31st, 2013 to download the file.

Diary of a Gay Nerd is a bit less expensive now

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I wrote my book Diary of a Gay Nerd for therapy, but I published it because I thought it would help other people.  I agreed that the price was a bit high, $16.99 for the paperback and $6.99 for the ebook.  The reason the paperback was so high was because CreateSpace’s (an Amazon publisher) fees were so high to print the paperback, that I was only getting a couple dollars back.  I wanted the money so that I could make the donations to all three of my charities, but I wasn’t getting any sales from the paperback at all, so I have decided to lower the price down to $10.00  Believe me, I tried making it $7.99, $8.99 and $9.99 but it wouldn’t let me because the European sales were giving me no profit which I guess wasn’t working for them.  The profits are so low that I probably will never see a dime, but I don’t care about that.

The reason the ebook was so expensive was basically for the same reason, I was only getting a couple of dollars back, but I really don’t care how much money I get back from the ebook anymore.

I never intended to get rich from this book, I only wanted to get my story out there, so now I have made it easier for you to get a copy.

The Kindle version will be $3.99 and the paperback will be $10.00 at Amazon and the Nook version will also be $3.99 at Barnes & Noble.  And finally the ebook version at Rainbow eBooks is $3.99.  Remember, if you buy from Rainbow eBooks, you are supporting a LGBT business who makes donations to many LGBT issues.

I really hope that you buy my book because I want everyone to know my story.  Once again, 30% of ALL sales will go to 3 LGBT charities of my choices so they each get 10% as it says on the front of the book.  You aren’t just helping me, you are helping others by buying my ebook and paperback.

Bless you all and thank you for reading.

What Is My Main Focus Anyway?

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I wrote my memoir and published it in February 2012.  My memoir (if you haven’t read it) is about child abuse, anti-gay bullying, acceptance, heartbreak, relationships and health matters.  When I published my memoir, I created a website with a blog, a book fan page for Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and Showcase Freedom with the main purpose of selling books, but also to share stories that are in the news about child abuse, anti-gay bullying, acceptance, heartbreak and relationships in the gay community.  I have never veered off course, although I haven’t been trying to sell books as much as I should, but my main focus is what is happening in the world today.

Speaking of which… Buy my book at Amazon on paperback or for your Kindle, Barnes & Noble for your Nook only and Rainbow eBooks.  30% of all profits go to charity.

Some of the things that I post or have posted on Facebook in the past have been hurtful towards some people because they were anti-religion.  I am not trying to be anti-religion, but I do post things that religious anti-gay people say or do because it is part of what I dealt with when I came out of the closet and what people are being put through today.  Those anti-gay religious people are who made me the atheist I am today.  I don’t have anything against religion itself, but I will post images, quotes and stories of religious people being anti-gay.  I don’t think I am being disrespectful, they are the ones who are being disrespectful.  You can’t expect me to not say anything and let them walk all over gay people can you?  I refuse to apologize for that.

I saw an image of Snooki with a quote of her saying this:

“There is no way I’m changing any diapers when my baby is born. That is disgusting,” she said.”That’s what maids are for and babysitters. I don’t have time for that. I’ll have them do that stuff. I’ll be there for the good parts, like dressing my son up, making sure he got style. You don’t have to cook or clean or change diapers to be a good mother.”

Some people were outraged that she would say such a thing, one person in particular got mad at me because I was attacking someone he admired by posting that on my page.  He said that my page was specifically for “the gay community.”  Don’t tell me what my page is for!  That’s my page, not yours.  He didn’t like that I posted it, so he not only stopped being a fan of my page/book, but he also unfriended me.  Look, my page isn’t just about gay rights, it is also about child abuse and this falls under that category.  Although I have seen her show Snooki and Jwoww so I am no longer worried about her being a terrible mother because she has proven that she will be a good mother and raise her child in a loving environment.  Not that she has to prove herself to me or anyone else, but my opinion of her has changed since seeing her with her baby.

Look, I am going to post things that people may not like, but think of it this way, I only post 5% of what I see in my feed.  There are so many things that I could be posting, but I don’t because I don’t want to overload people with everything that I have to see on a daily basis.  So what you see is the best of the best, even though it seems pretty bad.

Sometimes there is a story with an image of a beat up child that says in the story that the father or uncle or brother needs to be caught, then that story goes to the front of the line.  I’m sure not everyone is going to see that story or know who the child is, but even if 1 person out of 1159 sees it and knows that person or saw that person, then he gets caught and arrested because I posted that story, then I have done my duty and I won’t apologize for that.

Abraham Lincoln said:

“You can please some of the people some of the time, all of the people some of the time, some of the people all of the time, but you can never please all of the people all of the time.”

I post what I feel is appropriate.  Most may think it’s awesome while one might think it’s the worst idea ever.  See quote above.

I am sorry if someone doesn’t like something that I post, but I won’t apologize for posting it.  I may have had a reason for posting something.  If I agree that what I posted was offensive, then I usually remove it, but if it’s not offensive then it stays.

That guy who unfreinded me over the Snooki post said that I was supposed to be anti-bully, but I was being a bully.  Every time he commented on any of my posts, it was almost always a nasty or rude comment.  He could never say anything nice to me, but he was calling me a bully.  While I was still his “friend” on Facebook, every time I saw him comment on anyone else’s post, it was always a nasty or rude comment.  So I ask, who was the bully?

My main focus since I began has never changed.  If the day ever comes when people are no longer beating up children or are no longer bashing gay people then I won’t have anything bad to post and I can start posting images of panda bears, baby penguins, babies and kittens.  I would love it if that fantasy ever came true.  Until then…

My Christmas Giveaway Ends With A Winner

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I published my memoir “Diary of a Gay Nerd: Life After Child Abuse, It Gets Better!” earlier this year in February and I had my first giveaway for my birthday in June.  I wanted to give my book away as my birthday present to you.  I actually gave 2 books away.  I couldn’t wait for Christmas so that I could give another book away, but sadly I could only give 1 away.  The giveaway has finally ended and a winner will be announced shortly.

I am very humbled tonight as my second giveaway comes to an ending because of how many supporters I had this time around.  There were 321 people who signed up for the June giveaway, but this one had a whopping 545.  I couldn’t believe it!  It has just made my whole year.  I have felt my whole life that people didn’t really care about hearing my story (or my side of the story anyway) and to have this many people wanting to read my book just brings tears to my eyes.

So I am happy to name a winner… 

Sandie W. of Brigham City, UT.

Way to go Sandie!  I will ship that book out to you as soon as I wake up in the morning.  Thank you so much for entering and I cannot wait for you to get your book.

For those who didn’t win, you can buy my book in paperback format and Kindle format on the Amazon website and for the Nook from Barnes & Noble (paperback coming soon to Barnes & Noble) and as always Rainbow eBooks which has 3 formats, .epub for the Nook, iPhone,iPod and iPad and Android phones and tablets, .mobi for the Kindle and all you have to do is email the file to your kindle email address.  PDF file is also available.  You can also save 30% by entering the code “GAYNERD” at the Rainbow eBooks checkout.  That code ends in January so if you want to save money, use that code now before it goes away.

Any format you buy, even with a coupon, just know that your money is going to a good cause.  30% of all profits will be going to 3 different charities so that each of them gets 10%.  The Bakersfield Gay & Lesbian Center who by the way is running on steam, a piece of string and hopes and dreams, PFLAG Bakersfield and The Bakersfield AIDS Project aka Ricky’s Retreat.  All three of these non-profit organizations are in desperate need of funding to keep them going.  This year in October I was so thrilled to make my first donations and was so happy to see the looks on their faces when I handed over the check.  I tell you, it brought me joy to be able to finally make a donation to so many worthy causes.

Follow me on Twitter and I will follow you back, Like my Facebook page and check in on GetGlue, my sticker should be there, if not let me know.  I am also on Google Plus, but not often.

Congrats go out again to Sandie W. of Brigham City, UT.  Thank you so much for making this my most exciting giveaway.  I will have another giveaway again in the near future.

We Are Celebrating Our 18 Year Anniversary

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Chip and I met on March 25th, 1994 and have been together ever since.  I wrote in my book about how I thought that our relationship wouldn’t go past the 10 month mark because my relationships before only lasted 10 months.  I don’t know what it was about 10 months, but we have stayed together and now it has been 18 years.

I think that this should be a lesson to naysayers who say that a gay relationship cannot last.  I think we have more than proven that love doesn’t have a gender.  We deserve the same rights as every straight married couple out there in the world.

Here is to 18 more wonderful years together and the end of marriage discrimination.

While I have you here, please buy my book, that would be a great anniversary gift for us.  You can buy it for $6.99 for the Nook and the Kindle, you can also get 30% off if you buy it at Rainbow eBooks by typing in the code “GAYNERD” at checkout.

(Note for people buying the ebook from Rainbow eBooks, the .mobi file is for the Kindle and the .epub file is for the Nook.)

My Book at Rainbow eBooks With Coupon Code

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Hey did you know that my e-book is available on the Rainbow eBooks website?  It is available for $6.99 and it works on all e-book devices, even smart phones.  If you enter the code “GAYNERD” you will get 30% off the price of the e-book.  I think that is a pretty good deal.

Here is the description of my book:

“Being born gay isn’t easy for anyone, but being born gay in a homophobic family in the 1970’s made it more difficult for Michel. Physically and mentally abused by his family and school bullies, he had to learn to grow a thick skin to keep from going crazy. The constant torment from everyone around him drove him to several failed suicide attempts.

“Abandoned by his family, Michel was homeless at the age of 15, left to fend for himself in a trailer park in a new city. Taken back by his family after 6 months despite a very public suicide attempt, only to be thrown out of the house a year later when he was pushed out of the closet by his mother.

“Molested, raped, beat up and tossed aside, Michel felt like life was only going to get worse. Addicted to drugs and alcohol, he cried out for help, but nobody would listen, that was until he finally met his soul mate. He no longer sought self-destruction because he knew life was going to start getting better, and it did.”

Don’t forget that 10% of all profits will go to charity so please buy it today.  Happy reading!

Revised Edition

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If you are one of the many who bought my book from Amazon, Barnes & Noble or Rainbow eBooks and have noticed a lot of errors, please feel free to redownload the file because I have corrected all of the errors.  Well, all of the errors that I recognized to be errors.

I spent the last 3 days re-reading the book to find and fix the typos and grammatical errors.  I seriously have no idea how that even happened because I thought it was finished, otherwise I wouldn’t have published it when I did.  Thank goodness Chip caught a few of the errors when I got the proof book on Wednesday.  There was one error that I wouldn’t have even caught if I didn’t read it again, the page numbers on one side of one of the chapters, I believe it was chapter 11 was missing.  I don’t know how I missed that lol.  He also noticed some redundancy issues in the description on the back of the book which I had to fix in Gimp.

I was glad that I found the errors and fixed them because I didn’t want the paper version to have the errors.  I mean, e-book errors are one thing because they can be downloaded again, but a paper book is forever.  You cannot update a paper book.

I don’t know if the Nook and/or Kindle will automatically update the ebook for you, but I do know that the files from Rainbow eBooks will have to be downloaded again.  I would send out an email if I knew who downloaded the book, but I don’t so I only hope that you are going to my website and are reading this right now.

Thanks for your purchase.

Edit: Rainbow eBooks files have been updated, the Nook and Kindle files may take 12-24 hours.  Check in at Noon on Sunday…

Edit: The Nook file on the B&N website and the Kindle file on the Amazon website have been updated.  However, it will not update on your Nook or Kindle automatically.  If you want to receive the update, you will have to delete it and download it again.  Here is a quote from the FAQ section:

“If you replace your NOOK Book file, customers who have already purchased and downloaded your NOOK Book will not have the NOOK Book replaced on their devices. If they delete and re-download your NOOK Book, or if they download the NOOK Book for the first time to a new device, they will receive the updated file.”

I can only assume this would be the same for the Kindle.  Again, I am very sorry for the inconvenience this may have caused you, but it is worth it if you have found errors that drive you as crazy as it has driven me.

I tried to delete an e-book from my Nook that I bought in the Nook store but there wasn’t an option to delete.  So maybe you are wondering how you can delete a book if your Kindle or Nook won’t let you.  Perhaps you can plug your device into your computer so you can view the files.  Find where the e-books are that you paid for and delete mine.  When you unplug it, go into your library where your paid books are and have it check for new content.  It will find my book and download the updated version.  I hope this helps.

My Paper Book

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My paper book finally came today via UPS.  I wasn’t expecting it to show up until Monday so I was quite pleased that it came today.  The front, back and spine of the cover looks awesome.  I opened the book up and everything was perfect.  I took a picture, check it out.

I was very pleased with how the book looked and the color of the pages and everything about it.  I started to read it but found a few mistakes in the first chapter.  UGH!  I thought I was finished but I guess not.

I am going to start reading it all over again, but what I will do is grab some mini post-it notes and put them over all of the mistakes and write a note for myself saying what needs to be fixed with that sentence or word.

It is unfortunate that I published it in eBook format before it was truly ready. I’m hoping that if someone downloaded it from Amazon, Barnes & Noble or RainboweBooks.com, they will see this and re-download the updated file when I finish.  Of course I will keep updating this blog so they will know when it is ok to download the update, that is if Amazon and B&N will allow the update.  I’m sure if you delete it, you can just download it again.  Those who downloaded from Rainbow eBooks will obviously be able to download the file again.

So back to the old mines I go lol.