February 2012
1 post
January 2012
4 posts
5 tags
Phantom Fugitive Book Review
Phantom Fugitive book review
I am sorry but I could not finish this self-published book(It still counts at #1) I never wish to be negative but in this case I have to be. This book, The Phantom Fugitive, moved way to fast and never describes anything. I do not even know what the main characters look or behave like. I need back story I need information. The writing was not bad but it needs ...
6 tags
My Pledge
Today I start a quest! To read at least 50 self published books on my Kindle in one year. As a self published author link I understand what it is to get people to take Self-Publishing serious. So instead of being part of the problem I will be part of the solution. So send me your requests and I will read them. I prefer fiction, fantasy, history, crime pretty much anything exciting or...
4 tags
A low day in the life of a self published author
Well today has been good and bad. One of my first book reviews came back. It basically stated my story was good, imaginative and interesting. What it lacked is the heavy hand of an editor. This in a way is the worst because their little I can do about it by myself. The fact that my story is interesting means my concept worked, my character development and the world I created worked. If the review...
9 tags
How I Sold My Book by Giving It Away
by Seth Harwood
Today we’re featuring a piece by Seth Harwood, an innovative crime fiction writer who has used the tools of Web 2.0 to launch his writing career. Below, he gives you an inside look at how he went from podcasting his books to landing a book deal with Random House. If you want to learn more about how writers will increasingly build their careers, be sure to give this a read....
December 2011
6 posts
8 tags
Caldera: The Book of Ixkin; see it on Amazon →
Unrivaled storytelling … unique unforgettable characters … rich historical detail … these are the hallmarks of my story.
In the late 1400s Loeau, the last mother of her kind, is being hunted by a dark creature from her past, and time is running out. Forced to make a choice, she steps into a small forest creek and calls upon the ancient spirits of her people. Suddenly, in a...
4 tags
Virtual Book Tour: 7 Reasons to Market Your Book...
July 26, 2011 by Jan Bear · 4 Comment
A virtual book tour is a good book promotion option, says publicity expert Sandra Beckwith.
She told me that she sometimes asks authors what they’re doing to promote their books.
“Oh, I have a book signing coming up in a couple of weeks,” is sometimes the answer.
There’s nothing wrong with a well-organized book signing. But life is too short to hang your...
5 tags
Book Editor Recommendations
by Jan Bear
Finding the right book editor is as hard as it is necessary, whether you’re a self-published author or trying to crack the Bigs. There are a lot of scams out there and people who think they’re editors but know nothing about story structure or even basic English grammar.
The book editors above are people that I either know or have solid references for. I can’t say which, if any,...
3 tags
Self-published authors find e-success
By Deirdre Donahue, USA TODAY
In 2009, Michael Prescott’s dream died, or so he thought.
After graduating from college in 1980, Prescott had labored for almost three decades to become a best-selling novelist, writing more than 20 books under various names. He enjoyed critical praise and some successes.
But when 25 publishers passed on buying his thriller Riptide, Prescott thought the gig...
9 tags
9 tags
November 2011
2 posts
8 tags
Promoting a Self-Published Book
Once you self-publish or use print-on-demand, you need to let book buyers know that it’s available. Sure some people will happen upon it, but you’ll sell a lot more if you work on promoting it. Here are some ways to promote that recently published book.
Most self-published authors don’t have a paid publicist working for them, so they need to be innovative to get the word out...
7 tags
How to Get a Self-Published Book Into Bookstores
A self-published book is a book in which the author not only writes, but also pays a printing company to have the book printed. The most difficult part of self-publishing a book is sales. The easiest way to sell a self-published book is to get the book into bookstores where book buyers can see it. Getting into bookstores can be a challenge if you don’t know what you’re doing.
...
October 2011
2 posts
5 tags
The Self-Published Author's Guide to Hiring an...
by Amanda Rooker
Editing Your Manuscript Word By Word and Line By Line
I used to advise self-publishers to avoid the one-stop shops and find their own separate professionals, which would include a manuscript review (by a professional or their own writers’ group), a line editor, a copyeditor, a designer, a proofreader, an e-book designer (making sure someone could proof the code here too),...
6 tags
Sell More Books to Libraries
I came across this and thought it would be helpful.
Sell More Books to Libraries by Fern Reiss, CEO, PublishingGame.com/Expertizing.com
You can sell lots of books to libraries—if you know how to approach the library market. Here are my top tips on breaking into this lucrative part of the book business; for more tips, see www.PublishingGame.com/libraryreport.htm.
Go for reviews The way...
September 2011
4 posts
4 tags
Fur Tutorial
For all you self publishers out there that are creating your own covers like me. Here is a great tutorial on creating fur I use a lot. Enjoy
6 tags
Getting the Word out about a Book
Once you self-publish or use print-on-demand, you need to let book buyers know that it’s available. Sure some people will happen upon it, but you’ll sell a lot more if you work on promoting it. Here are some ways to promote that recently published book.
Most self-published authors don’t have a paid publicist working for them, so they need to be innovative to get the word out...
7 tags
Self-publishing is a contact sport
I found this article to be very true. As a struggling self published author, link I struggle with this. I do not have much money to invest in something that is not making me much money. I am saving what little money I can and plan on putting it back into my book and hope for some more success.
Article
The biggest mistake people make when it comes to self-publishing is that they expect to just...
4 tags
Have We Reached A Tipping Point Where...
from the trend-watching dept
Ross Pruden points us to a recent post by author Joe Konrath (whose musings on why authors shouldn’t fear file sharing, as well as his own experiments with “self-piracy” we’ve discussed before), in which he goes back on his previous views against self-publishing and makes the argument that authors should self-publish. It’s worth reading...
August 2011
3 posts
4 tags
4 tags
A Review and Changes
My first book review went well. The review was honest the reviewer did not kill my book, suggested it as a good read, but also made some good points that I have heard a few others point out. I made some tweaks, which is actually reverting it to my original writing before a suggestion by a lit agent.
That is what is so great about self publishing. You can adapt and change and are not committed to...
8 tags
My First Book Review
Here is the review from my first book review. I found this reviewer here on Tumblr as a avid fan of fantasy work. It went well and I am very thankful he took the time to review my work.
Please check out his blog and my book.
So, bottom line, can I recommend this book? There is enough interesting here for me to answer that question with a qualified “Yes.” The setting is strong, though I...
July 2011
1 post
7 tags
Smashwords and the Ibookstore
Smashwords has approved my book for submission to the Ibookstore. It took a lot of work and editing to reach this point. Smashwords is a fantastic outlet for self publishing ebooks. It costs nothing if you have the skills to format your own book and they are the only venue including Amazon and LuLu that has a distribution agreement with apple. My book should be available in about a week in the...
June 2011
2 posts
How To Design Your Own Cover
I designed my own cover.
This took me about two weeks to design. I used Photoshop and lots of textures from here they are free. I designed it for a 6x9 book. I also just created a low resolution version for the web, used for Ebook and Kindle.
Now if you do not have the skills to create your own, hire someone, there are tons of starving artists out there willing to do work for...
11 tags
How to self publish post 1
Ok, I finally self published my first book Caldera:The Book of Ixkin for free. Yes free! I am a graphic designer by trade but you can do it to. I published through Amazon the book is available on both the Kindle and Paperback. I also published with LULU to get it in the Ibookstore. I did not pay for any of the services they offer and did just as good a job as they would have. You just need to know...