Jan26

Amazon.com security bug exposes information

by on January 26th, 2012 at 12:56 am
Posted In: Uncategorized

The Amazon.com Advantage program is a successful portal for self-published authors and small presses like me. I’ve enjoyed the program for years, and after they fix the bugs in the Advantage account, I’m sure I’ll enjoy putting both print and kindle books there for years to come.

Tonight, I discovered that Amazon has a software bug inside of the login area of Amazon Advantage member accounts. I know of at least three accounts where this bug exists and for me that extrapolates into a major security breech. Let me explain what happened so that you can replicate it in your account if you are a member of the Amazon Advantage program.

I logged into my Advantage account per usual security protocol and began to survey the tabs and perform maintenance. Under the Fulfillment By Amazon tab is a choice to enable or disable “Automated Unfillable Removals” of inventory. I changed this setting to update email contact information. When Amazon.com notified me with the automated notification of the change, per normal security processes, there in the email was someone else’s name, address, and phone number. I had seen the same information inside the Amazon Advantage area while rummaging around, but thought it was John Doe type info. It wasn’t! It was another seller’s sensitive information. Talk about a security bug!

I called the man, who lives in Georgia (I live in Illinois), and we had a nice long conversation about this issue. It seems that he has been dealing with a similar security bug for four months, and Amazon is not doing anything to repair it as far as he is aware. With him on the phone, I logged into my account again and clicked the offending link once more. I could see that he had corrected the email address back to his original email. Not good that I could see that, we agreed!

In the account together, he in his account, me in mine, we went to look at the inventory and shipping information. Surprise! Neither of us recognized any of the books being fulfilled. One line item was a book on physics that we clicked on and Amazon was showing it as being fulfilled by him. Somewhere, someone is waiting on a book about physics from an address in Georgia, and the person in Georgia had no idea about it. Or, the inventory tab is just showing meaningless information to both of us. Let me say this one more time for clarity. He was logged into the Amazon.com Amazon Advantage program using his id and password. I was logged into the Amazon.com Advantage Program using my id and password. We don’t know each other. We were looking at the same wrong inventory. None of that inventory activity had anything to do with either of us.

I mentioned this isn’t a new issue at Amazon.com, so it must be a mega-problem if they are keeping so quiet about it. The gentleman I spoke with this evening said that for hims, this fiasco began when he had logged into his account (four months ago) and was looking at information about someone in New York. Tonight, he wasn’t happy that Amazon.com Advantage had zipped off his name, address, and phone number to a stranger in Illinois using an automated email.

I clicked on the “Contact customer support” link while in the Advantage area and sent off an email complaining of the security bug. The email promptly bounced back off their server, with a note appended to it telling me that Amazon had shut down the customer support email associated with the link on their website, and that I should use the Contact Us form now located there. I didn’t find a Contact Us form! The gentleman on the phone with me warned that he didn’t think Amazon.com cared that they were shipping secure data to strangers at the speed of light.

I still haven’t been able to get through to support, maybe someone else will discover their Amazon Advantage membership is shipping sensitive information around the Internet as well

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Jan24

Novel Writing Software For PC and Mac OS X Reviewed

by on January 24th, 2012 at 12:16 am
Posted In: Uncategorized

Written by Daniel Horne, owner of Freedom Road Publishing, a publishing resource for the growing community of do-it-yourself authors.

The below reviews are targeted primarily to Novel Writing enthusiasts They are based on my personal experience. I receive no remuneration  from the companies that produce or sell the products I am reviewing below. Like most things in life, each has strengths and weaknesses and each is a good resource for some writers and a not-so-good resource for other writers.

Microsoft Word for Novel Writing on the PC or Mac OS X. MS Word is a fine product, but I find that it isn’t that useful for book length projects. If you already have MS Word, then of course use it. I recommend is breaking your book’s chapters into separate files. This way if the software bombs on you when you get above 40,000 words or so, which it has a history of doing depending on the version, There are tools within Word that allow you to modularize your document so that you can link multiple files into a Master Document. However, these tools have a stained history of semi-working or not working at all. My biggest complaint with the Master Document approach is all the hours spent troubleshooting what’s wrong. It chewed up my writing day when I could least spare the hours–deep into the manuscript where things get dicey and you need to focus. I’ve seen, and even read a book on, using MS Word as your typesetting layout software for self-publishing. I truly disagree with this idea. I use Adobe InDesign, an industry standard, for my typesetting. Word is a word processing program, not a typesetting tool. The differences are too numerous to mention, but I find it less than inferior as a manuscript typesetting tool.

Open Office Writer for Novel Writing on the PC or Mac OS X. The Mac OS X Version is here. Open Office is an open source project modeled after Microsoft Office. Its really a pretty cool product considering its free. The same comments for MS Word apply for Open Office Writer. I’ve used Writer, the spreadsheet app, and the drawing app with good results. There is a presentation app and a database app included in the bundle as well.

yWriter for Novel Writing on the PC. yWriter software is an free writing tool coded by Simon Hayes I used for 6 months. Spacejock Software owns and develops it. You can download and used it free. However, if you like and (and a lot of people like it), you can pay $11.95 or $24.95 to register your copy and be included in all updates and bug fixes automatically. yWriter is a word processor which breaks your novel into chapters and scenes, helping you keep track of your work while leaving your mind free to create. It doesn’t suggest plot ideas, character names, or perform other tasks that are useful. What is cool about yWriter is that its users are really a community of sorts. If you click on the link provided, you’ll shoot directly to the download page and FAQs. You can’t beat the price (free) and Simon is great about responding to emails and getting to bug fixes when he adds new features. Spacejock codes a number of other useful tools for writers that you’ll find useful. I liked yWriter. I left the software because I wanted more features which the version I was using didn’t have.

Scrivener Novel Writing Software is a Mac OS X OS X tool with more features than yWriter. I haven’t used it personally, but you do get a 30-day free trial period and the software is only $39.95 after that.

Dramatica Pro for Novel and Screenplay writing on the PC or Mac OS X. Dramatica software is owned by Write Brothers Software, a company that sells numerous tools for writers. And you can find it with other writing tools at Screenplay.com . Dramatical Pro os not a word processing product and I recommend using it alongside another product for the actual writing of your script. Dramatica Pro and Screenwriter were once upon a time totally compatible products. As of this writing that is no longer the case. Dramatica Pro is pricey at $209.99 for the download version and another $10 for the boxed version of the software, so be forewarned. Happily, you can download a demo for free. Dramatica Pro has a steep learning curve to the software and it is not a word processor. I found that after a while I settled into a few features that I used regularly and pretty much ignored the rest of the features. Where Dramatica Pro shines is in plot development and scene creation. You can do deep character development to flesh out your story characters too. While it is great software, I didn’t find it indispensable as the website claims. At present, I’ve mothballed it in favor of other writing software. If you’re not on a budget, it is worth your time to look it over.

Screenwriter for Novel and Screenplay writing on the PC or Mac OS X. I used Screenwriter for a couple of years working on my novel. It is another pricey product at $199.99 for the download version and another $10 for the boxed version. If I were a script writer, I believe I would have enjoyed Screenwriter software more. It comes with a resume of users and a ton of script writing features that I did not find that useful in novel writing. ScreenPlay.com claims you are up and running right away with Screenwriter, but I found that to be a bit of an exaggeration. I don’t feel I ever truly mastered the software and its usefulness for me as a novel and short-story writer wasn’t worthe the price I paid. Like Dramatica Pro, you can download Screenwriter and if you are a script writer you may jump for joy at all the script writing bells and whistles. If you’re a novel writer, the software does have 1 novel writing template, but I believe you can find a software better suited to your needs for a fraction of the cost of Screenwriter.

Power Structure for Novel and Screenplay writing on the PC or Mac OS X. Power Structure is not a word processor and needs to be used alongside a word processor to write a novel. It has manuscript writing capability, but it is weak to say the least. Still, I love this product for its intended purpose. I’ve been using Power Structure for 2 years. I upgraded to Dramatica Pro, went through the learning curve, forgot it, went through it again, and ultimately went back to Power Structure. For $99.95, Power Structure is just that, a powerhouse of writing features that I have found nowhere else. Power Structure does what its name implies, it builds your story structurally in the manner of Dramatica Pro. While the two software applications are different in features, look, and feel; they do pretty much the same thing in my mind. I use Power Structure to layout my story in scenes and to develop my characters. Then I use its ability to write summaries of prose rough in my story. You can demo this software before you buy and I definitely recommend doing that.

Power Writer for Novel and Screenplay writing. It is a PC only program. Power Writer is the word processing partner to Power Structure. Power Writer does have some nice features, like a character name bank, but ultimately it is a word processor. Power Writer sells for $99.95.

Story Mill for Novel and Screenplay writing. It is a Mac OS X only program. Story Mill is owned byMariner Software , a company that deals in Apple software products, and sells for $49.95. Story Mill is my latest addition to writing tools. I use it together with Power Structure on my iMac to write my novels. I have only been using this software for a month or so, a bit soon to give it a review. However, I do love using it. The interface is intuitive. It is scene based and you assign scenes to chapters. That allows you to move a scene to another chapter without re-writing (potentially) and it does it at the click of a button. The one complaint I’ve encountered with Story Mill is the spell checker. It will find a typo for you instantly, but to get a recommendation you need to high light the entire word. I’ve been spoiled by products that will recommend as long as the cursor is inside of the word somewhere, so I find this a bit annoying, but I’m adapting.

There you have it. For $150, I have two products (Power Structure and Story Mill) on my Mac OS X that keeps me happy as a clam. Power Structure did have a learning curve and has more features than I use, but the features I use are powerful. Story Mill is the most intuitive software I’ve encountered. There are a ton more productivity tools on the Internet that are useful tools for writers. Super Note Card comes to mind (I don’t use it any longer) as one such tool.

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Jan19

Write Your Story In Memoir

by on January 19th, 2012 at 6:55 pm
Posted In: Uncategorized

It is said in ancient texts that your only true legacy is in your life story. After all, if future generations of your prodigy seek to know you, how will they accomplish the task? Will they look through high school yearbooks or search out parents, grandparents, or even use Ancestry.com? Whatever they do, they should be able to get something that links to the real you. And, I cannot think of a better way than by reading the memoir.

You are living an exciting life! Maybe you believe that, maybe you do not, but it is true. At some future date, some young soul is going to want to know about your life. If you don’t believe that, think of yourself. What is the name of the relative you wish you knew more about? Maybe your maternal grandmother or great grandmother’s life would shed some light on how your parent came to be how and where they were when they met. I know that in my life, certainly not everything interesting has been fun. Some of the most interesting times of my life were damn painful. But when my grandchildren are grown, it is probable that I won’t be here. That makes my life story, my memoir, all the more important to write.

It isn’t important that a memoir, your life story, be a full autobiography. It is more important that some story exist to represent a time of your life than it is for a complete cradle to grave rendition of it. The time from high school to the birth of your first child, or the years that you were single before you married may be the years you want to capture in story. The years with a spouse whom you loved and with whom you lived a happy life may be your story. It could be the opposite, a childhood filled with pain and marriage to that turned into a disaster. You get to choose what part of your life story will be entombed for all to know.

Here is a word of caution about the rendition of painful events as the choice for a memoir. Many therapists will challenge that the more you visit a past pain, the more you release its associated painful feelings. I’m sure this is true, but it is also true that you may cause yourself yet another episode of harm. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a condition where past painful events are continually relived in the mind. So, be kind to yourself in writing about painful past events. Write, but do not force yourself to revisit feelings that are so painful that they injure you even more by writing about them. Therapists are trained to help you revisit a painful past. If you have a therapist and they suggest a memoir of a painful event, then you two should work closely together throughout the writing process. Remember, you’ll write and rewrite your life story at least three times. When I wrote my memoir, I rewrote it seven times and had to read it an additional eight or ten times after that. Granted I was being a bit obsessive because I was self-publishing my story and I wanted to make sure every detail was written as I remembered it.

You need not be such a stickler for detail in your memoir either. It is perfectly acceptable to use some creative writing skills to embellish upon events in order to make your story more readable. Also, your memoir doesn’t have to be published in a book. You can write a series of blog posts, write a journal, or keep some other form of written record. Keep in mind that if you want people to find you at some future date, they will likely be searching some form of the Internet, and if you’re on the Internet, then you are more likely to be found. Good luck and by all means write your story now!

 

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