We asked WW member kabclarky to tell us about her experience of putting her work on Kindle;if you'd like to tell us about your experience of Kindle/Amazon/self-publishing or similiar, wwmail me.

1. What is your writing background/history?
I have always written poetry from a very young age. This progressed to fiction and children's picture books as my own children have got older.

2. Why do you write?
I write because it's fun, and because I feel compelled to.

3. What’s the best thing about writing...
The freedom to create and transform ideas into characters and stories from your own imagination.

4. ....and the worst?
There are always too many convenient distractions nearby when you are having writer's block.

5. Why did you decide to self publish?
I decided to self publish as I had tried the traditional publishers for my horror/fiction book, and it is just so difficult to get a traditional contract these days, publishers are cutting back on their lists and not taking on many new writers at all. I still felt that my book was good and thought that I would self publish on Kindle to see how it was received. It sold well, and then I put up another one in a different genre which sold even more.

6. Do you need any technical/web knowledge?
Yes, you do need some technical knowledge. You need to get your file converted to a suitable format for Kindle; I simply hired someone to do this. I also hired a proof-reader and had a cover made for my book. After that it's just a matter of uploading your file and adding the relevant tags to your book. Another tip that I learned from another author, was to choose a relevant subcategory for your book that has a low number of entries so that you can get pushed to the top as quickly as possible, once you have reached the top ten of a sub category you seem to get more exposure from Amazon. e.g. - Biography > Social & Health Issues > Family & Marriage

7. Would you recommend it to other writers?
Absolutely, I tend to think of it as just another outlet to get my books seen and read, and as another income stream.

8. What’s the best thing about being published?
It's lovely to think that people have downloaded your book and that someone somewhere is sitting with a Kindle reading your work- that is quite satisfying. The nice reviews are good too.

9. And the worst?
The bad reviews, there's no doubt that some people are brutal, it takes a little time to learn to accept it on the chin and not take it personally.

10. What’s next for you?
I am currently working on my second instalment of Molly May, and I also have a children's picture book being traditionally published that is coming out next spring.

And here's the link!
http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Ramblings-Rants-Middle-Aged-ebook/dp/B0084G2I9I/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1352452238&sr=8-1

Thank you. Point 6 is a fascinating insight.

Well done on this - so pleased it's going well for you and yes, very useful about point 6! Congratulations!!!

I've been self-publishing for kindle and the other eReaders since last year. I published a book of short stories first and followed this with a thriller (St Patrick's Day Special) about an Irish detective called Ben Jordan. My third book, FIND EMILY, is another thriller starring Ben Jordan.

I did all the formatting and technical stuff myself, but I hired a professional editor and a professional cover designer. As Kabclarky says, it's a thrill to think that people *out there* are reading my stuff.

If anyone is interested, just search for my pen name, JJ Toner on Smashwords or Amazon.