BillSmithBooks.com

The Tip Jar

Many Outlaw Galaxy stories on this website are free to download, read and share with friends.

If you like what you read, there are other Outlaw Galaxy novels and ebooks for sale, but you can also show your support for these stories by sending Billl Smith a Tip Jar contribution.

Be sure to send your comments and reviews, too -- I love to hear from my readers!

To contribute to the Tip Jar

Just go to www.PayPal.com and "Send Money" to: bill@billsmithbooks.com or go to PayPal.me/OutlawGalaxyBill to make a donation.

The amount you contribute is up to you. It is all appreciated -- dimes and quarters, a dollar or two or even more -- whatever you send, thank you! Your support goes directly to this author instead of some big, faceless corporation. Your Tip Jar contribution enables me to keep on writing and publishing Outlaw Galaxy stories.

As an independent author, every reader and every sale really matters! Thank you!

You can also contribute by snail mail:

Bill Smith Books
PO Box 124
Malone, NY 12953

Thank you for supporting an independent author!

Why Donate to the Tip Jar?

I know some readers will have questions like, "Why should I pay for something you posted on your website?" or "Why should I pay for books I got from a friend or a file-sharing site?" or "Why should I pay when everything on the web ought to be be free? It's not stealing, it's just making a copy of a file and that doesn't hurt anyone."

There are a few reasons. First, I offer several sample stories and extended samples of my books so readers know what they are getting before they buy.

Second, I really believe that most readers are fair-minded people. Most people understand that authors spend many, many hours writing their stories. When authors can't make a decent income from their stories, they must turn to other ways to make a living and that means less time to write stories for readers to enjoy.

Most people will support the creators they like if you make it easy for them to support you.

Some people argue that authors ought to write only for the love of it and not want payment. I guess it depends upon your perspective. I see stories as having value. (And when you take the time to read a story, that means it probably has value to you, too.)

At their best, stories can inspire us to dream and wonder. They can reach to our deepest emotions and speak to our hearts. They can make us think about the greater truths of life and better understand the perspectives of others. They can open us up to whole other worlds beyond our immediate experience. They can help us imagine the possibilities of life and think about the opportunities that the future holds.

I believe that good stories -- and art and music and film and television -- have real meaning in our lives.

Yes, I write because I love to write. But at the same time, writing good stories is hard, challenging, time-consuming work. If you enjoy the Outlaw Galaxy series, your financial support is very important.

You pay for other products you care about and like. Often you end up paying for things you don't particularly want or like -- like say, the Wall Street Bank Bailout or tax cuts for the billionaire class or the Iraq War or a stupid fence that won't work or the huge subsidies our government provides to the oil industry.

Paying -- by buying books or making Tip Jar contributions -- is a chance to say, "Hey, I like these stories. Here's a couple of bucks as a way of saying thanks and because I'd like to see more." A contribution into the Tip Jar is a way to make a real difference.

Once again, thank you for reading and thank you for your support! It really means a lot to me.

Which Ebook Format Should I Pick?

If you already have an ebook reader, you can buy Outlaw Galaxy ebooks directly from your favorite retailer: Amazon uses the "Kindle format" (.mobi or .azw format), while the Barnes & Noble Nook, Kobo and Apple ebook stores all sell the Epub format.

I personally recommend Smashwords.com. Their ebook store allows you to buy and download your ebooks in all formats. Smashwords does not use DRM (Digital Rights Management) so you can make backup copies, print and reformat without any hassles. Smashwords sells worldwide, too, and takes PayPal in addition to all major credit cards. Smashwords has an excellent guide on how to get your ebook onto your reading device.

Smashwords offers direct downloads in Epub (the format used by most ebook reading programs), Mobi (for Kindle), PDF (for your computer), plain text (.txt), and several older formats that are no longer widely used.

Finally, you can read ebooks directly on the Smashwords website using almost any web browser, even older browsers. The "read on the web" options for Amazon, Kobo, and Barnes and Noble often require newer web browsers or may not work with all operating systems (like Linux), while Smashwords works with just about everything, including very limited and older web browsers.

I also sell Outlaw Galaxy ebooks through Payhip. PayHip takes PayPal and Stripe and allows instant downloads -- I offer my books in the three major formats: epub, mobi and pdf.

Notes and comments on the different ebook formats:

* Epub. One of the most popular ebook formats, Epub is used on the Apple devices (iPod touch, iPhone, iPad), the Barnes & Noble Nook, Sony Reader, the Kobo ebook reader, on Google Play, and many other generic ebook readers. You can also read Epub books with the various reader apps offered by Barnes & Noble, Apple's ibooks, Kobo and Adobe Digital Editions. There are several Epub reader programs on the Android and Apple stores (many are free) and free Epub reader programs for Windows, Mac and Linux.

Epub can be read by many ebook reader programs including Google Play Books, Calibre, Stanza, Sigil, and, one of my favorites, FB Reader.

You can also read Epub files in many web browsers, as if they were web pages. Use the Epub Reader extension in Firefox (3.0 or higher), or Readium, Magic Scroll or one of many other epub reader apps in Chrome.

If you can't find an epub reader that works with your devices, remember that "epubs" are just zipped files. Highlight your epub file, rename the extension from ".epub" to ".zip," and then open the zipped folder -- you will see the individual files that you can read in any web browser.

* Mobi. Mobi is the "Kindle" format used on the various Amazon Kindle and Kindle Fire devices and apps. FBReader and Calibre can also read .mobi files as long as they don't have Digital Rights Management (DRM).

* PDF. PDF is primarily used on desktop and laptop computers. Adobe Acrobat Reader is the most popular PDF reader, but almost any computer and operating system (Windows, Linux, Android and Apple) comes equipped with a PDF reader.

* txt. Plain text (.txt) is a common, very simple "universal" format that almost any device can read. Plain text is just words, so you don't see formatting like chapter heads, different fonts, and italics and bold, but the text itself is perfectly readable. Any computer and almost every ebook reader (except the Nook) can read plain text. Smashwords offers text format as a download option.

Low-cost Android tablets and phones can be very affordable, often $20-30, and the Android operating system offers numberous free ebook reader programs. Pair a cheap tablet or phone with a portable USB battery pack ($10-20) and you have many hours of reading time, even if away from an outlet. Even smaller screen phones are perfectly suitable for reading ebooks.

Newsletter (FREE!)

Get the latest news from Bill Smith and the Outlaw Galaxy universe, including story excerpts and previews: Newsletter or visit Bill's blog.

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Contact Bill Smith

I love to hear from my readers, so please feel free to drop me a line:

Email comments & questions:
bill@billsmithbooks.com

Or send a snail mail to:

Bill Smith Books
PO Box 124
Malone, NY 12953

Author's Note

Bill Smith is proud to be an independent author and publisher. Rather than depending on a large publishing company, I do it all myself. It's a lot more work, but it's also a lot more rewarding. Being indie gives me the freedom to write the stories I want to write and the ability to share them with readers around the world.

As a small, independent author, every single reader and every single sale really matters. Thank you for your support!

If you like my stories, please tell your friends and have them look up the Outlaw Galaxy series at their favorite ebook retailer such as Smashwords, Amazon or Payhip, or at my site, BillSmithBooks.com and OutlawGalaxy.com

Outlaw Galaxy ebooks are published DRM Free (No Digital Rights Management). That means you can make backup copies, change formats and read these ebooks on any of your devices. I believe that DRM only harms honest customers while slowing pirates hardly a bit (if at all).

I believe that being DRM-free is more important than the risk of "piracy." I've found that most readers are honest, decent folks who understand the importance of supporting and paying the authors they like. Readers know that authors need to be paid so they can write more stories for readers to enjoy -- authors have families to feed, too.

I also understand the importance of word-of-mouth -- I discovered most of my favorite authors through libraries or by borrowing copies of books from friends -- so I offer substantial samples of Outlaw Galaxy books at all ebook vendors and at my websites, BillSmithBooks.com and OutlawGalaxy.com.

Copyright Notice: BillSmithBooks, Outlaw Galaxy, Outlaw Galaxy Tales and Imagination Forge are trademarks of Bill Smith. Copyright 1998-2020 by Bill Smith. Please respect my copyright. Please don't copy, post on torrents or otherwise duplicate my stories without my express permission. Copyright infringement makes me sad.