Tag: getting published

Book Formatting: My Self-Publishing Journey

As I’ve stated in my last two blog posts, I’ve embarked on a mission to self-publish my next book series—The Roselle Girls.  The first two books are written and edited, covers have been designed and I’ve heard from experts in the indie industry with invaluable publishing tips. Now, it’s time to format Catching a Pixie for Kindle.

Book Formatting

Before I get to actually publishing my book, I needed to start compiling the non-manuscript pieces that make up a book, called the front and back matter. This includes the author’s bio, book blurb, dedication, copyright page and more.

I started that last month. It was fun surfing though the books of other authors, comparing the engaging dedications and bios to the more mundane ones and dissecting what made them engaging, to inspire my own blurbs and such.

Once I’d crafted these riveting masterpieces, I was ready to begin formatting.  

Atticus, my book formatting program, made it easy. I uploaded my manuscript, clicked the menu bar, and voila, basic front and back matter pages appear. Instead of using Atticus’ default text, I pasted my aforementioned riveting blurbs and bios into the app.

In addition to the standard book matter, Atticus has customizable sections. Since I’m writing a book series, I was able to include an “Also by” section at the end, so readers can see a list of the other books I’ve written and read a preview of my next book.    

Having dropped in all my text, I’ve started formatting the text. I’ve jazzed up some of the pages by adding my chapter numbers in italics at top, a pixie image below that and first few words of the first sentence are capitalized but no drop cap. Now, Catching a Pixie looks like a real book!

Once I had it looking as I wanted, I was able to save the settings as a custom theme. So, when I finish the second book in the series, I can easily apply this standardized design.

It hasn’t been easy. My pixie image kept disappearing and my dedication page is center justified which leaves an orphan word at the bottom. So, I need to dig into the tutorials to figure out how to fix that. Fortunately, Atticus has a plethora of videos explaining all the features and how to apply them.

Then, it’s on to the next step—getting ISBN numbers, so my potential readers can find my books!

I’ll save that step for my next blog post.

Diving into the Self-Publishing Pool (Part 2)

I announced in my last post that I was going to try my hand at self-publishing. I’ve dipped in my toe, waded to my calves and the tide dragged me in up to my knees. It was then I realized I might need to take a few lessons in how to publish and market my book properly before I found myself in over my head.

Fortunately, a friend of mine The Happy Self Publisher, posted about an upcoming conference for self-published authors. Sponsored by the Alliance for Independent Authors (Alli), it promised 24 sessions over 24 hours. For Free!

There were several sessions that I found very beneficial—tips on how to how to design a website to effectively reach readers, how to connect with other indie authors, and the steps to post a book on Kindle Direct Publishing. The KDP presenters provided me the most useful information for this stage in my journey. Although it seems to have a fairly steep learning curve, we were assured there are plenty of tutorials and staff on hand to answer questions. I’ll let you know how it goes once I decide to dive in.

If you’re an indie writer, I recommend following ALLi on Twitter to see when their next conference will be held.

Next Up

Learning to format a book. 😲

Diving into the Self-Publishing Pool

I’m going to do it. I’m going to take the plunge and self-publish my Roselle Girls series.

I had hoped it wouldn’t come to that—I liked having a traditional publisher. But when Artemis Publishing closed down last year and they returned my rights to Catching a Pixie, I’d had it with searching for yet another publisher.

So, this post will follow my journey to becoming an indie author. If anyone out there is thinking of starting down this path, perhaps it will serve as a guide…or maybe a cautionary tale…who knows.

Dipping my Toe

First step was chatting up my writer friend, Lynn Kellan who has been publishing her own romance novels since 2016. She graciously talked me through overarching steps I’d need to take, which did more to dissuade me than anything else:

  • Find a cover artist
  • Get an editor
  • Decide on a book formatting app
  • Register for ISBN numbers
  • Pick your distribution channels – Amazon, Ingram, Booksmash, Nook, print, ebook
  • And once that’s all sorted out and paid for, then come up with a marketing strategy – Facebook ads, Instagram posts, newsletters, book giveaways, the list goes on.

No way, I decided. It was all too much.

But the universe had other plans.

One of the authors I follow on Instagram (@Mindymckinleyromance) posted she was starting a cover design company and would provide a design for the first few people who contacted her–for only $25! They usually cost a few hundred dollars!  

I figured why not see what she comes up with. A month later, I had the most perfect cover for the second book in my Roselle Girls series, Counting on Him. I can’t not put this out, right??

But since it’s the second book, I begged her to design a cover for Book 1, Catching a Pixie. Which she did, creating another stunner.

If you want to learn more, visit her website: https://www.bananabreaddesigns.com/

Wading In – Calf-Deep

Since Catching a Pixie has already been edited by my publisher, I was able to skip that step. So next up was finding a book formatting app. Lynn had suggested Vellum, but it’s Mac only and I’m a PC gal. I searched the interweb for suggestions and found that Atticus.oi is reasonably priced, easy to use and produces quality formatting.

For the uninitiated, book formatting allows you to adjust the type font, page margins, chapter headings and section dividers. Atticus also gives you a template for your title page, copyright page, a dedication, and placeholders for your author page, book blurb and “Also by”, a nice feature to promote your back catalog.

I can even put a cute little pixie graphic on each chapter header page.     

Knee-High and the Tide is Dragging Me Deeper

 I’d created a website when my first book, Dare to Love, was published. Then when Catching a Pixie came out, I reformatted it to showcase two books. Now that I’m going to launch Pixie as a multi-book series, I’m working on refreshing it once again. So, that’s where I am now.

WordPress has a lot of new features, so I’m playing around with design options. It looks terrible now, so don’t go visit it until I tell you to. Then, I’ll welcome any feedback, corrections or compliments.

Stay tuned for my next post. Hopefully, I’m not getting in over my head.

Getting Published is a Triathlon

You know the saying it’s not a sprint, it’s a marathon? Well, publishing is a triathlon. It is a glacially slow slog through turbulent seas, a desolate desert and the occasional miraculous vista.

I confess, I have never run a 5K, much less a triathlon, but I’ve watched enough Ironman competitions to know:

Learning to write is like floundering in the ocean for a few miles, while you’re trying to find your stroke.

Getting a publisher to read your manuscript and publish your work–that’s the 26-mile run.

And when you think you can coast on a bike for a few hours, you’re faced with unending edits, where your confidence falters and your faith in your abilities is destroyed, because everything you have written is scrutinized and criticized. You know without a doubt, you suck as a writer.

But you keep at it. You can’t help it. This is what you love–what you were born to do. You live for that high of finding the perfect phrase or portraying a character like no one’s ever done before or getting a chance to exorcise your demons. Then you cross that finish line–your book gets published–and euphoria. Once you hear the cheers of the crowd (reviews), you cant wait to do it again.

Let the Bidding War Begin!

writing-at-snowy-window

Let the Bidding War Begin!

Shaaa! I hope.

I finished my next contemporary romance novella last week and spent Easter weekend submitting it to a half-dozen lucky publishers. You may remember from an earlier blog post just how taxing book submissions can be (ha ha, since I sent them April 15/16).

I’ve posted a few extras and excerpts from Counting on Him for your enjoyment.

Here are 5 reasons to love this book: 

  1. The hero, Sean, isn’t a massive, successful, tough, Vin Diesel Alpha male. He’s more of a laid back, charming, Matthew McConaughey screw-up. He lives life on his own terms, doesn’t bother anyone, doesn’t rely on anyone, has gorgeous green eyes and is happily cruising through life.
  2. I wanted to add a little diversity to my book, but I’m about as diverse as a box of tissues. What do I know about the complexities of life experienced by people of color, gender fluidity, refugees of war-torn nations and the like. Nothing! Not. A. Thing. But I did grow up in North Jersey. And 30 years later, the nasally twang of my friends’ Jewish mothers still infects my brain. Not necessarily in a bad way…but it’s there nonetheless. So, I decided my heroine, Gabby, would not only struggle dealing with her life choices, but the anticipated reactions of her Jewish mother.
  3. Stephen King’s On Writing book encourages authors to weave symbolism into their writing. I embraced that sentiment and added a few elements into Counting on Him.
    To mirror the book’s title, numbers are prevalent. Sean counts the floors in the slowly ascending elevator. Gabby counts the weeks before she has to make a decision.
    To build tension through the book, the summer temperatures grow more and more oppressive–until the story culminates in a massive cathartic thunderstorm.
  4. I loved the Gilmore Girls and desperately wanted to live in Stars Hollow, so I gave Roselle a similar small town vibe. The coffee shop has a bell over the door and a big bay window. The town hosts a Community Service Fair in the park. It’s quaint and charming and I can’t wait to revisit it in my next book.

Number 5–The book’s ending is to die for! Sean finds his motivation, Gabby gets her perfect man and they live happily ever after. Isn’t that all any of us want?

SO, now I just have to sit back and wait to hear the accolades from my potential publishers. FYI – I give points for quick responses.

Tick tock, people. There’s a whole world out there, eager to read my book. 🙂

Is your manuscript award-worthy?

Starting March 5, the Valley Forge Romance Writers is accepting submissions to their The Sheila Contest.vfrw Finalist Badge

Participation is open to all romance writers (unpublished, self-published and published) interesting in submitting an unpublished manuscript in the following categories: historical, erotic, romantic suspense, single title or paranormal/fantasy/futuristic.

Entrants enjoy two benefits. During the scoring process, judges provide beneficial feedback regarding 20 writing elements (dialogue, descriptions, grammar, etc.). Many past applicants have used these insights to improve–and subsequently find a publisher for–their story.

Top scoring manuscripts are judged by a professional agent or editor, and the winners receive a certificate and have their names published in RWR magazine

It’s a great deal, so get moving! The deadline is April 8, 2017.

Contest Name: The Sheila Contest
Sponsor: Valley Forge Romance Writers (Chapter of RWA)
Website: www.vfrw.com
Fee: $25 for VFRW members, $30 for non-members

Opens for Entries: March 5, 2017
Deadline: April 8, 2017

Eligibility: Participation is open to all romance writers who are unpublished, self-published, and published. Entry must be the author’s original unpublished work and not under contract.

Entry: First 20 pages of manuscript and up to 5 page unjudged synopsis.
First Round Judges: Three (3) qualified, trained judges, including General, PRO and PAN members. Judges are strongly encouraged to comment directly on the entry as well as overall comments on the scoresheets.

Categories and Final Judges:

  • Single Title: Patricia Nelson, Marsal Lyon Literary Agency
  • Historical: Keren Reed, Loose ID
  • Erotic: Tera Cuskaden, Cuskaden Editorial and Publishing Services
  • Romantic Suspense: Deb Werksman, Sourcebooks
  • Fantasy/Futuristic/Paranormal: Nicole Resciniti, The Seymour Agency.

Best of the Best – 1st place winners from the final round will move on to the Best of the Best round, judged by Best Selling Authors and Booksellers:

  • Kate Welsh – New York Times & USA Today Best Selling Author
  • Mariah Stewart – New York Times & USA Today Best Selling Author
  • Terri Brisbin – USA Today Best Selling Author
  • Joan Silvestro – Indie Bookseller – Book Trader

Grand Prize for Best of the Best: $100

Top Prizes: Certificates, and the 1st through 4th place winners will be printed in RWR Magazine.

For more information please visit our website: www.vfrw.com

Email questions to The Sheila Chairperson, Miranda Montrose at thesheila.2017chairperson@gmail.com

Should You Self-Publish or Traditionally Publish?

I am struggling to decide whether or not to keep torturing myself finding a publisher.

My current manuscript is 40,000 words, which doesn’t fit in with most submission guidelines. Plus, it’s a romance novella that doesn’t bash you over the head with conflict in the first five pages. I have been repeatedly reminded this violates the ironclad GMC model of romance writing.

But maybe there is a market out there for readers who don’t want to be force-fed drama. They’d rather see a relationship build at a realistic pace, before plummeting into heartbreak and despair. Just because it doesn’t match the standard publisher’s formula, doesn’t mean it shouldn’t see the light of day.

A.G. Young’s blog raises some other valid points as to why I might want to go the self-pub route.

A Writer's Path

Doors

by A.G. Young

So today we’re talking about if you should Self Publish or Traditionally Publish that baby you have been working on for months or years. This of course is no easy question to answer, and also very highly personal to each writer. So I am going to discuss my opinion on the matter. And a little forewarning, because of the topic of this post, this is going to be a long one.

Before you can answer this main question, you must answer a few others first. Let’s see what those are.

View original post 1,156 more words

Respect The Reviewer 2: How to Find, Contact and Stay on the Good Side of Reviewers

I’m new to publishing and didn’t realize there was a whole strategy and network to obtaining book reviews. This blogpost, written by a reviewer, outlines the how to’s and how-not to’s for authors, helping them find, submit and communicate with this key audience.

Happymeerkatreviews

Here’s the second Respect the Reviewer article I’ve written (the first can be read here).  This is for all authors out there.  While some tips might be obvious others you may not have thought of, either way I hope some of these tips will help you find a reviewer and go about contacting them the right way.  🙂

respect cat

All authors know the importance of getting book reviews. Not only can a good book review encourage others to buy your book but if you get enough of them your book will be listed higher on amazon (or so the rumour goes). But how can authors go about contacting reviewers? And what’s the right or wrong thing to say and do when asking and waiting for a review?

I’ve been reviewing books for some time now and take this ‘job’ very seriously. I recognise the need to give an informative and honest…

View original post 3,216 more words

editing a document

3 Writing Tips for Novice Authors

editing a documentThe complexities of novel writing

I recently participated as a judge for a romance writers contest. Entrants provided the first 20 pages of their unpublished novel. To evaluate the submissions, judges were provided a scoring sheet with twenty characteristics to evaluate.

That really drives home the challenge of writing a good novel. For novices out there…or even experienced writers who may need a refresher, I thought I’d summarize a few of the characteristics that seem to trip us up.

1. Showing, not telling

You’ll hear this a lot, and it takes some time to master this concept. Good writers work details about their characters’ backstories into their scenes seamlessly, without a “data dump” of narrative text.

Learn to weave the description of the location, characters, and time period into the  story like you’re seasoning food. Sprinkle a little here, a little there, and let the reader discover what they need at a natural pace.

Example from my WIP Counting on Him:

First draft using narrative text

Gabby couldn’t believe David wanted to talk to her. She’d broken up with him because he’d been so controlling. Sure he seemed like the perfect guy, handsome, smart, confident, and Jewish, which was something her mother insisted upon. But he always thought he was right, disregarding her opinions. It drove her crazy.

He’d been surprised when she ended it. And now he was telling her he wanted to get back together. That he was sorry. She didn’t know how she felt about that.

Revised using dialogue:

“I’ve been thinking about you.” David reached for her hand and rubbed his thumb over her knuckles. “I hate the way we ended.”

He locked eyes with hers. They were the color of the Mediterranean Sea, warm and blue. It was what first drew her to him. Her chest tightened. She wasn’t ready for this conversation.

But he was. Flashing her an apologetic smile, he said, “I know it was my fault. I always think I’m right.” He shrugged. “But I’m the only son of a Jewish mother. I can do no wrong.”

Gabby couldn’t hold back a smile. She’d met his mom. It was totally true.

“Why didn’t you tell me you found me controlling?”

She pulled her hand away and wrapped her arms around her stomach. “I didn’t realize it myself. Then, once I noticed, it drove me crazy. I couldn’t let you control my life.”

2. Settings set the mood

Use the setting as another character in your book. Include descriptions of the sounds, scents, lighting, etc. to convey a mood–the ominous hum of computers in a deserted office, a salty ocean breeze reinvigorating a tired soul, or the soft inky blue of twilight bringing the end to a perfect day.

Weather can be a very effective tool, adding emotion to a scene – rain pounding against the window when depressed or the searing heat of the summer sun making an anxious situation even hotter.

The only sound Gabby heard was her sneakers pounding along the trail, echoing the refrain in her head, “Now what? Now what?” As sweat dripped into her eyes, she swiped at her forehead, dragging her a hand through her unruly hair. Stupid humidity. Stupid sweat. Stupid Sean.  

Be strategic when developing your characters as well. Convey their personality through your descriptions of their clothes, car, home, job and accessories. Instead of writing  “David was determined to be successful and  always dressed to impress.” convey that through his description.

David pulled up in his Audi. Naturally, he angled it to take up two parking spots. Climbing out of his car, he pulled off his Montblanc sunglasses and tucked them into the pocket of his crisp lime-green Hugo polo. Everything David owned had a logo.

 

3. Writing natural-sounding dialogue

There are three things to remember when writing dialogue. People talk in short bursts, they frequently interrupt the speaker, and they usually stick to one subject in each statement. I’ll explain.

Uninterrupted speaking 

“Joe, I know you said you’d pick up my car for me, but the repair shop called and said you didn’t show up. So now I have to catch a ride with Sally tomorrow. What happened? And why didn’t you clean up your breakfast dishes? You know I hate when you leave them in the sink.”

Add action tags and Joe’s reaction to make conversation more natural

“Joe, I know you said you’d pick up my car for me, but the repair shop called and said you didn’t show up.” Gabby threw her purse on the counter and glared at him. “Now I have to catch a ride with Sally tomorrow. What happened?”

Joe didn’t look up from his laptop. “I forgot,” he mumbled.

That made Gabby even more angry. Didn’t he care at all? Obviously not, she fumed, noticing the sink was still filled with dirty dishes. Storming over to him, she flicked the laptop closed. “And why didn’t you clean up your breakfast dishes? You know I hate when you leave them in the sink.”

Editing quote by Don RoffI hope these tips help.

It’s amazing how easy it is to spot these unwieldy examples in someone else’s writing, while being totally oblivious of them in your own work.

Don’t be afraid to let others read your work. Tell them what to look for, so they know the type of critique you are asking from them.

Good luck!

 

 

 

Getting published is HARD work

1 Comment

I’m a romance writer. Most people seem to think that’s a fun and frivolous habit.

Sure, writing a “real” book is hard, but romance novels are written by flighty, slightly perverted women who live in silly dream worlds. We sit down, pick out a pair of ridiculous names for our wildly attractive couple and tap out a fantasy.

And because romance novels “are all the same”, we can submit our work to any publisher we choose, and bam, two months later, have a racy cover sitting on our coffee table.

HA!

This is a crazy cut-throat business. And it is a business. Each publisher has very specific requirements, requiring an author to carefully identify the imprints that most closely align with their story. (I found this trope list with over 50 variations! So much for all being alike.)

Once we’ve picked our publishers, we have to twist our writing into very specific pretzels to meet their submission guidelines. This requires an amazing amount of organization, making sure each publisher gets the three or four uniquely crafted pieces they’ve requested.  For example, when I submitted Catching a Pixie this weekend, I had to develop a:

  • crazed writer4-sentence blurb
  • 200-word summary of book
  • 2-page synopsis
  • full synopsis, including ending
  • query letter listing the trope the book will satisfy
  • first 3 chapters
  • 1000 words capturing the best scene
  • full manuscript
  • marketing plan
  • social media experience
  • publishing history
  • summary of future books in the series

Imagine trying to condense 37,000 words down to 200. Or picking one scene that conveys the heart of the book, the emotion, the humor, the creativity, while still making sense when it is read completely out of context. Gah!

Hopefully, I got all the right pieces to all the right places. And it dazzles the publishers so much that they start a bidding war and I wind up making millions!

But I’ll settle for one email, saying “Hey, we’d like to work with you. Give us a call.” Then I can jump into the rest of the 397 steps to getting published.

Frivolous habit? Definitely not. But fun? ABSOLUTELY!