Check This Out

If you're thinking about self-publishing, or have already made the leap, check out this post from Kristen Lamb:

Five Mistakes KILLING Self-Published Authors

She makes some really interesting points worth thinking about.

Self-Publishing Information

First off, if you didn't see it when I talked about it before go check out Alan Rinzler's interview.

Then you need to read Self-publishing a book: 25 things you need to know over at C|Net.

Want to know what kinds of money you're looking at laying out?  Check out The Real Cost of Self-Publishing from Bloomberg.

Or read the quickie article at Galley Cat: How Much Should Self-Publishing Cost?

I'll be adding to this as I find links and discover information, so check back when you get a chance.  (I'll try to post a 'hey, I updated that' when I do, but you know me and remembering stuff.)

If you have any great links to self-publishing resources (that aren't shameless advertisements for vanity publishers disguised as helpful, informative articles), share the love and leave them in the comments.

Check This Out

This morning Chuck Wendig talks self-publishing.  If you're even kinda, sorta thinking about putting your book out there yourself, read his 25 Steps to Becoming a Self-Published Author.  I don't always agree with everything Chuck says, but that's immaterial.  Read it.  READ IT.  Commit it to memory.  Take it to heart. 

Then, as with every piece of advice, use what works for you and toss the rest.  (Just make sure you aren't throwing diamonds in the trash because you thought they were stupid rocks.)

Guest Post: Keep Swimming by Karin Tabke (aka Karin Harlow)

“Keep swimming.”

 I live by Dory’s immortal words. But seriously, when life throws one roadblock after another at you or exhaustion holds you down like a cement block, what’s a girl to do?  As a mother and a writer I’ve wanted to just stop swimming and let the cool gentle current of nothingness take me away.  I mean let’s face it, as many times as I would have liked to have checked out of motherhood for a few hours, it was only wishful thinking.  No one else was going to feed and nurture my babies like I would, so I took a deep breath and dove back in.  It was the same when it came to my writing.  Every time I wanted to throw my hands up in the air and say, “Screw it.  I’m done. This is too hard and full of too much rejection,” I looked at the pile of rejection letters on my desk (yes back in the day they actually snail mailed rejection letters) then to the flashing cursor on my computer screen and realized, if I quit, there would be no one to care for and nurture the people in my head.  So, back at it, I went.

Eventually my hard work as a mother paid off.  I have four amazing adult children who are happy healthy and positive contributors to society.  So did my perseverance to sell to a New York publisher. I have over a dozen amazing published stories giving readers all over the world cause for pause, or in my case, since I write romance, long satisfied sighs as they read the happily ever after ending.

But I had help along the way.

As with raising children, raising a book from an idea in your head to seeing it on a retail bookshelf, there were ups and downs, setbacks, victories and heart wrenching disappointments.  But for me the most amazing part of raising a story was the other moms and dads I met along the way.  Moms and dads with the same emotional struggles I faced.  The same hopes, fears and dreams for their stories that I had for mine. It takes a village to raise strong contributing children and it sure as hell takes a village to write a strong amazing story.  I could not have, WOULD not be published today if it were not for the village that took me into their arms and held me when I wanted to give up and celebrated with me when I hit each and every milestone regardless of how big or small it was.  Writing to publication is a journey, just like raising children.  

Today my publishing goals have changed.  The golden ring for so many years had been New York.  I’m proud to say I am published with Simon and Schuster, Penguin Random House as well as Kensington.  But the call of self-publishing had become so loud, I could no longer ignore it.  So color me a hybrid author.

I thought long and hard about taking the self-publishing plunge seriously.  Oh, I had written a few stories for self-pubbed anthos I was invited to be a part of, but other than the story, I wasn’t responsible for the production part.  But I knew if I were to really going to get serious and self-publish, I was going to have to learn the ropes, and supervise the production and distribution of my work.  Not what I wanted to do.  But I made the decision to do it, and do it right.  That meant finding the perfect village.  And believe me when I say, it took a village. I had no clue as to the inner workings of uploading files, hell I barely know the difference between a word doc and a pdf.  Cover art?  Editing?  Copy editing?  Formatting?  Can you say clueless?  The only thing I knew how to do well, was how to write a good story.  So that is what I concentrated on, and probed my friends in the know, the ones who do understand the production side of producing a quality packaged story for their expertise.  I put together an amazing production team for my debut self-published book, THE DARE, book one in the serial series, The Chronicles of Katrina.  I knew I had to write and package my story so that it would and could stand up to anything New York produced.  My village didn’t let me down.  THE DARE, is not only beautifully produced, but it’s a damn good story.  I worked hard on Simon and Kat, and it paid off.  Readers love Simon, and can identify with Katrina. I receive daily emails begging for DOUBLE DARE, Chronicle two.  

Like Dory, I kept swimming the churning ever evolving publishing sea, this time into uncharted waters. And thanks to my village, I managed to steer clear of the sharks and invisible nets and not only stay afloat but cut through the water like a dolphin after dinner.  :)  Life is good.  

How about you?  If you’re a writer where is your publishing heart?  If you’re a reader, do you read self-published authors?  Answer either or both and I’ll randomly pick two names for a digital copy of THE DARE (Amazon, Nook, iBook or Kobo).

PS, I’d be happy to answer any questions you may have about this incredible journey.  If I can help one person avoid the quicksand, I’m a happier writer.  :)

Happy Monday!

Karin*

Blurb:

THE DARE is contemporary erotic fiction with the signature Tabke hot cop. 

I dare you…

Dr. Katrina Winslow has always known who she is; an elite scientist, a certifiable genius and ultra-reserved when it comes to love and relationships. So when a simple game of truth or dare offers the cool doctor the opportunity to shed her lab coat and glasses and put on a pair of sexy stilettos, she accepts the dare.  But will shedding her inhibitions fulfill her every desire and help her discover if she can be truly daring or will it cost her everything?

Two men, one a sexy stranger, and a night of no holds barred passion…

What would you dare to do?

THE DARE: The Chronicles of Katrina (Book One) by Karin Tabke

Author’s Note: This is book one of a four part series.

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If you're interested in learning more about Karin Tabke (or Karin Harlow), please visit her website: Karin Tabke| Author of Contemporary, Historical, and Paranormal Romance.  And don't forget to leave a comment for a chance to win a copy of THE DARE.

Guest Post: Covers that Wow by Maria Zannini

Covers That Wow

Choosing the right art for a book cover is about as important as naming your firstborn. It dictates not only the flavor of the story, but genre, audience, and author brand.

If you have a good grasp of design (and Photoshop), the rest is intuition and guts. You work out the nuts and bolts of a design with your head, but to give a cover life, it requires the je ne sais quoi of your heart.

Stock art license:  Boring stuff first. Scope out all the various stock photo banks. There are a lot of them. Prices are pretty average between them. But where you really have to pay attention is the licensing agreement. Read it carefully. Then read it three or four more times. If you still don’t understand it, write to the company and ask for an explanation.

The reason you want to understand the agreement is because it will dictate how you can use the art license. Remember, you are buying the license to use the art, not the art itself.

Genre:  No matter what you write, choose art that suggests your genre. It doesn’t have to hit you over the head. In most cases, subtle is stronger. But if it’s horror, you want the reader to immediately perceive the horror element. The same goes for romance, SF, fantasy, mysteries, or cross-genre.

Models:  Choose models not because you find them beautiful, but for the stories their expressions and body language tell. That is my secret for choosing the models I use. Beautiful people are a dime a dozen. Choose models that express emotion, attitude, or story.

Some authors don’t use people on their covers. Some like the headless models. There are reasons for every variation. I prefer to use people on my covers because psychologically, it makes readers feel more connected. I learned this when I used to design advertising. Ads with people always had a better response than those without.

Again, everything is subject to the needs of the individual book. There is no right or wrong—just options.

Background:  Funny thing about backgrounds. Sometimes the most abstract imagery is all you need to give the suggestion of genre.  A gorgeous sky is the easiest way to create drama. But factory interiors are great for murder mysteries and apocalyptic fiction. And architectural or geometric designs are nice backdrops for science fiction and steam punk.

Chances are good you won’t need much of the background since your model (or iconic focal point) will dominate the page.

The Extras:  Don’t include a catalog of visual clues that will mean nothing to the reader if he hasn’t yet read the book. The cover is an emotional catalyst. It should intrigue and make us curious. A couple of elements are cool. Too many chotchkies on a cover end up looking like old Aunt Myra’s bedroom.

Branding:  This is a post all to itself, but if you want your cover to pull double duty, use elements consistently within a series. You want readers to see a pattern between your books within a series.

Fonts:  Another topic for a whole post. The simple answer is don’t use a lot of different typefaces on one page. And unless the title is the dominant feature on the cover (awesomely effective and minimal) go easy with the special effects.

Melding the elements:  Think Vulcan mind meld + art. This is where your Photoshop expertise does the heavy lifting. The difference between a professional-looking cover and an amateur one is the ability to blend and marry the various elements into one cohesive unit.

There’s more to a cover than slapping together two pictures and a title. Many of my covers have twenty or more layers of special effects. Special effects can be anything from drop shadows, fog, flares, glow effects, transparencies, blurs, ghosting, or duplication to give it depth and texture. There are dozens of other little things to give covers the illusion of dimensionality too. Each cover is different. The real art is knowing when to use what.

Do you have any questions about how to use art for covers? I’m here to help.

Bio:   

Maria Zannini used to save the world from bad advertising but now she designs book covers. A graphic artist for well over 30 years, she’s been designing layouts before Photoshop and digital font libraries were invented.  (We used India ink and rulers back then.) Horrors!

Need a cover designed? Visit Book Cover Diva.

You can also follow Maria on her blog or Facebook.

Her latest release is Mistress of the Stone, from Samhain Publishing.

Guest Post: "DEFYING GRAVITY: Self-Publishing" by Silver James

DEFYING GRAVITY: Self-Publishing 

     Thanks, B.E. for asking me to weigh in on a subject that’s hot right now—self-publishing. What does that have to do with gravity and defying the same? A lot actually. Self-publishing has become so easy, anyone can do it. But just because anyone can doesn’t mean they should. I remember when I first participated in National Novel Writing Month. People dashed off their 50K/60K/90K novels, printed them out and started submitting. In December, a massive wail accompanied by much gnashing of teeth went up from the publishing world. Agents and editors cringed and wondered if they could take the whole month off.

     Why? Because NONE of those books were ready for submission much less publication. In the almost ten years since, wannabe authors completely bypass the traditional route and throw their work out there. As a result, for most of those ten years, self-publishing was tainted. Only junk was self-published. And I’m being polite to label it junk. I’d hazard that at least 95% of it was absolute crappola.

     That perception is slowly starting to change. New York Times best-selling authors are starting to self-publish—Courtney Milan, Allison Brennan, Debra Webb, Jennifer Lyon and many more. Still other talented authors are finding self-publishing as a route to enter the world of traditional publishing. They self-published first, hit big, and then New York came courting.

FLYING SOLO

     Do you have the entrepreneurial spirit? Have you studied and perfected your craft? Do you have a support system of editors and cover artists, of beta readers and proofreaders, friends with chocolate and strong shoulders? Do you have absolute faith in your ability to tell a compelling story? Do you believe you are up to the challenge?

     If you can’t answer yes to those questions, then self-publishing probably isn’t a good fit for you. You are basically going into business for yourself. You can nickel and dime your way but at some point, you’ll need some cash outlay if you don’t happen to have editors and artists in your family and friends circles. Even beyond the business of self-publishing—the fine-tuning, the marketing, the production of a saleable book—you have to believe in yourself and have faith that your writing is up to the scrutiny. If you think it’s tough sending out queries, just wait until you hover over the sale pages waiting to see if your “baby” bombs. If you think rejection from a potential agent or editor hurts, just wait until those reviews start coming in—the ones from strangers who don’t worry about your feelings. This is when friends and chocolate comes in handy.

THE WRITE STUFF

     B.E. asked me why I decided to self-publish. I’m traditionally—if with a small press—published and I have a manuscript under consideration at a major publishing house. I’m not one of those who thinks traditional is bad. It’s not, especially if that’s what makes you comfortable. Me? I’m something of a control freak. And I don’t always write to “spec.” I can. I have. But it’s not really the way I write. I LIKE the idea of having control, of not “fitting” my voice and my stories to the constraints of an editor or a marketing department. I describe myself as a cross-genre storyteller. My paranormals have mystery and suspense along with the romance. My suspense novels have a touch of the supernatural and a helping of romance. My action/adventure thrillers have a big ol’ pile of paranormal and sex—at least as far as the men are concerned. The women? They recognize a good Happy Ever After when they read one!

     In addition to the genre-bending I do, I also use a “cinematic POV.” There are those who call it head-hopping. Me? When I read, I want to know what every character in the scene is thinking. I have no desire to have actions and thoughts filtered through an observing character. It’s the way I write and I’ve fought with more than a few editors over the tendency. The freelance editor I use understands that this style is part of my voice and my brand and even though it drives her nuts, she works for me. And that’s pretty much the bottom line. I’m the boss. I have all the responsibility but I also get all the benefits.

HITTING BOTTOM:

     Warning:

     Writing fanfic will not get you a six-figure advance, E.L. James notwithstanding. Trust me when I say that was a fluke.

     You won’t get rich self-publishing unless you write erotic romance and even then it needs to be WELL-WRITTEN erotic romance and nothing is guaranteed. You have a 50-50 chance of flopping.

     Keep meticulous records or the IRS will eat you for lunch and there’s nothing sexy about an audit!

     Don’t get your hopes up. Go into it with the idea that you could fail. Any sale then becomes a win and you’ve got nowhere to go but up.

     Don’t publish anything that isn’t the very best you can produce. Your name is going to be associated with that title forever—for better or worse.

     Do be a professional.

     If you aren’t comfortable flying without a safety net, then self-publishing probably isn’t for you. If you need external deadlines, you might be better served by traveling the traditional route. If you’ve had a couple of rejections without any interest and figure it’s time to self-publish, wait. Keep submitting. Keep polishing. There’s a reason you aren’t getting asked for partials or fulls. Yes, you might be submitting in all the wrong places but it also might be because your work isn’t quite ready for prime time. Make sure it is before you take this step.

     Get educated. There are forums out there. The Self-Publishing forum on RWA (if you are a member) is full of information and helpful people. Savvy Writers is another blog with good info. There are Yahoo loops.

     And finally, did I mention this is a business? There’s no room for ego and all the room in the world for hard work. You need a business plan. You need to know your stuff. But at the very bottom of it all? You need to believe you can live your dreams and that you can defy gravity and fly!

     Now go watch this video and get all inspired and stuff!   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3g4ekwTd6Ig

BIO:

With a rampant imagination aided and abetted by a Muse who runs with scissors, Silver James loves to share the stories created in that vast cosmic void pretending to be her mind. Over the course of her lifetime, she's been a military officer's wife, mother, state appellate court marshal, airport rescue firefighter and forensic fire photographer, crime analyst, and technical crime scene investigator. Retired from the “real world” now, she lives in Oklahoma and spends her days at the computer with her two Newfoundland dogs, and the cat who rules them all, writing tales of mystery, mayhem, and magic. Oh, and a little romance.

Links: 

Website: http://www.silverjames.com

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Silver-James/e/B003NTF5IW