Price promo on a couple of my books via Smashwords

Time for a price promotion on a couple of my books, courtesy of Smashwords

For the next month, you can grab my omnibus edition The Complete What Ukulele Players Really Want To Know AND my chord book Chords That Ukulele Players Really Want To Know with 33% off the price (making them far cheaper than a pint of beer!)

The books are available in all popular ebook formats (including Kindle, ePub, pdf etc). Just click links above or on the book covers below and enter the promo codes listed below at the checkout to get the saving. Feel free to share these codes around too!

Enjoy!

PROMO CODE - LT43L

PROMO CODE - DK98F

Offers end 14 March 2013!

A best seller! Chords That Ukulele Players Really Want To Know

Rather pleased to spot this, but my chords ebook became a best seller.

For those of you with a Kobo ereader - check this out. My Chords book went to be the number one best selling book in the General Music Reference Chart on their store! Thanks all for your support.

You can grab it in Kobo format here  http://www.kobobooks.com/ebook/Chords-That-Ukulele-Players-Really/book-VqyQliieNkmySUWPPl0Vxw/page1.html

And, of course, it's available on a range of other stores like iTunes, Kindle and Nook too.

Baz

Our band play on the radio!

That's the thing with playing ukulele - it kind of grabs hold of you and after a while you end up performing in ways you would never dreamed of.

Are you a beginner? Bear that in mind!

We were recently invited on to local radio to talk all things ukulele. Huge fun!

You can listen here




And if that helps develop the bug with you and you want to start playing - check out my beginner guides on the tabs at the top of this site, or visit http://www.gotaukulele.com

Mark Coker's predictions for 2013

I am always interested in what Mark Coker has to say about the world of ePublishing. (For those who  don't know, Mark is the creator of the ebook marketplace http://www.smashwords.com , and has been something of a champion for the self published author and, possibly a thorn in the side of Amazon for some time.


Mark doesn't always get his predictions right but he isn't often that far off the mark. I was therefore very interested to read his predictions for ePublishing in 2013.

He certainly raises some interesting points, including some changes in the market that I and fellow authors are already experiencing (certainly the growth coming in the interest from Apple and Barnes and Noble whilst watching a decline in the performance of Amazon Kindle). I also agree that the library use of ebooks is something that really must get sorted soon.

Also very interesting to see his comments about tablets on the rise. It's funny, but when the Kindle 2 launched and really took the world by storm, the forums were full of people (myself included) saying that e-ink was everything and that nobody wanted to read an ebook on a tablet due to things like eyestrain. I think the real reason tablet ebook sales were so low was because at that time (early 2012) the choice was really just the iPad and that was particularly expensive (about five times the cost of the Kindle). But at that time did anyone expect the likes of Nexus 7 tablets, Playbooks and Kindle Fires (none of which use e ink) launching at prices not too dissimilar to the price of the Kindle 2 in those days? I certainly didnt. What has since happened is that there are a huge number of new tablets in circulation. Do I think the tablet market is bigger than the kindle market? Of course I do, the tablet has become the must have device, and of course you can run a Kindle app on it. And for me? Well even though I still love e ink - the last book I read was read solely on an iPad!

Anyway, interesting points made and you can read his predictions On this link

Are you an author? Where do you see the market and the technology moving in the year ahead?

Do You Do Goodreads

I sometimes forget that I have a profile up on Goodreads. To be honest with you though, it's not a site I have frequented all that often, and am yet to really understand how it works best.

Are you on there? Feel free to hook up with me, or why not leave a comment here to explain how it works best for you?

My Goodreads profile is at http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4663813.Barry_Maz

Would be great to see you there!

New ukulele players!

Hope you had a great Christmas Day today. The music shops tell me that the ukulele has become one of the biggest selling instruments this year - did you get your first today?

If so, I hope you found this site and it gets you on your way! Up at the top you will find some navigation links to various pages such as the Chord Chart Page (essential!), the beginners tips page for answers to many questions and, (because you want to get playing) a big list of songs with chords, most of which are easy for beginners to play right here.

The uke is a great gift to receive and I sincerely hope you stick with it, join a club, play with others, or just yourself, but most of all, MAKE MUSIC!

I am always here to help!

If you want more information, either email me, or you may like my range of ukulele beginners guides that are available on Amazon. They are not tutor books - there are far better teachers than I, but they are intended to be read alongside them, filling in the blanks that most tutor books miss out. In other words - Got A Ukulele? - Have a read!

The Complete What Ukulele Players Really Want To Know

Chords That Ukulele Players Really Want To Know


Available on Kindle, in paperback, and also on iTunes, Kobo, Nook and in other good booksellers!

Merry Christmas!

Baz

A fabulous book review

I just had to share this review that my book The Complete What Ukulele Players Really Want To Know has picked up.

It really warmed my heart and made my day!  When I started blogging and writing my books the sole intention was to help beginners make a quick start - looks like it has done it's job for Glen.

Thank you!

5.0 out of 5 stars The first book and BEST book introducing you to the Ukulele December 22, 2012

By Glen Murley

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

The best way to explain this book might be to first explain where I'm coming from with regards to the review. I've played guitar for nearly 30 years. I've dabbled with other instruments here and there. I love blues of all kinds...from Heavy Metal Scorpions, Iron Maiden, Metallica and Megadeth (I graduated in 1987...it's required!). To the classics of Pearl Jam, Floyd, Zep...to the blues of popular strains such as B.B. King, SRV, Clapton...to the jazz of Grant Green, Pat Martino, Jim Hall, and Ed Bickert...to lesser knowns such as Junior Watson ans Rick Holmstrom. Some Dylan and Ray Lamontagne too. So...that's my musical background in crib-notes form.

At this current day and age the ukulele has made an unprecedented resurgence in popularity. Or if you're around my age...it's first foray into the mainstream. The ukulele has permeated the pop culture and these little things are available in more places than guitars these days. One of the older gentleman I work with kept bringing his in. I played with it. I was hooked. I wanted to buy myself a uke. But dubious of all the current offerings, and knowing many companies like to just make something to sell...vs. make a quality instrument to play, I wanted to do my research before I purchased my first uke.

Not surprisingly, the sudden rush of popularity in ukuleles has produced a glut of mass produced instruments made to satisfy the casual purchaser. These should be avoided. In fact, like guitars, I'd say 50% of what's out there will be built for a quick sale and not for actual playability. with 40% more being made as genuine instruments. And 10% catering to the discerning collector or actual practicing musician. With costs for customs commonly in the thousands.

So with all this information you would think I was ready to buy. Well, all it did was give me more questions! lol

In a long quest for information I stumbled across this book (via the author's blog). I was skeptical that a relatively private publish book, for a 3.99 ebook price tag would have much to offer. I was so very happily wrong.

This book answered ALL of my questions. All those questions that anybody who already plays ukulele knows, and is bored to death answering are answered in candid and happy detail in this book. The author shares that he comes from a guitar background such as myself (and I suspect many, many others). He quickly dispels the myth that a ukulele is a cheap toy (unless you buy the cheap toy version), and in fact a serious instrument. The books explains what to look for and what to avoid in purchasing your first (few) ukes. I won't go into great detail of what the book covers, instead I'll say that it will answer your questions. Even the ones you would feel too basic to ask.

I will say the topics tend to be a little disjointed. I might have grouped the chapters differently. I found myself saying, "yeah, but what if?" and then the book would answer that question in a slightly non linear fashion in a later chapter. But this is a minor problem,

The book reads so easily you would think the author was writing an email to you. Very conversational. Very candid. His passion for the ukulele is transparent and genuine. And this actually enhances how fun and easy the book is to read.

So in conclusion, buy the book if you're new to the ukulele. All of the staples that apply to buying a guitar simply apply to ukuleles (construction, quality hardware and components, setup, etc.) The difference is the companies are all different than guitar. That's right, it's not dominated by Fender, Gibson, or PRS. The book does allude to who the Fenders, Gibsons, and PRSs of the ukulele world are though. Which is great as I was clueless when it came to ukues. I will say that as a guitar player, especially if you're at all good, the transition to ukulele is fairly seamless. What was nice about this book, even if you're familiar with guitar, is the differences betweem the two that you simply won't know unless you read it. Various constructions, different sizes and the pros and cons of each.

All of this for a lousy 3.99. The book would be worth it at 29.99. If you have not bought your first ukulele yet, or if you purchased a cheapie and are looking to upgrade to a real actual instrument, this book is going to save you a LOT of money and time.

Barry, I don't know you but kudos for such a brilliant book. My first uke was a really nice acacia Kala...and I spent some pennies on a nice Pono based strongly on the information in this book.