N.E. White's Blog, page 7

Exposure

I’m both excited and a little ambivalent.

As you may know, I bought into the review process on Reedsy Discovery.

The deal is: you pay $50 for the chance of a review. If one of the (volunteer) reviewers pick up your book, they may review it. If they give it a favorable review and others reviewers/authors upvote your book, it gets featured on the Reedsy Discovery’s main page.

And guess what?

Not only did I get a really nice review, my book got enough upvotes to be featured! Yay!

Here’s the proof:

Cool, huh? I’m incredibly grateful to those who upvoted Mapmaker–Book 1. But now what?

I’m not particularly good at this marketing stuff, so I’m unsure how to translate this into, you know, sales. Well, not sales, really, but reads. I want folks to read and enjoy my stories.

If you have any tips, please share in the comments below. As always, thanks for reading.

Launching in 5, 4, 3…

Do I really know what that means? What it means to launch a book?

No, but here I am trying my best at this thing called self-publishing. Bear with me. (Or is it bare with me?)

Anyway, if I had been organized, I would have timed the publication of my book, Mapmaker—Book 1, with several things like social media posts, a GoodReads giveaway, and a Reedsy Discovery book launch. Or probably something else if I had bought into a different book review site.

Regardless, I didn’t time it right.

But that’s not gonna stop me trying to get this book in front of as many folks as possible! Read on for the scoop on Mapmaker and how you can help (if you want).

GoodReads Giveaway Finalized

If you have a GoodReads account, perhaps consider adding my books to your bookshelf?

I ran a GoodReads Giveaway that just ended. Because I set the giveaway to last a whole month, over 3,000 folks signed up. And over 2,000 added the book to their to-read list. I suppose all the credit for this modest exposure should go entirely to my cover artist for making such a professional and appealing cover.

But that’s all said and done.

Maybe you were one of the lucky 100 who won a free ebook of Mapmaker—Book 1. If so, congratulations! If not, and you have a Kindle Unlimited account, both Book 1 and 2 are available right now to read for free! If you do pick up a copy, please add them to your GoodReads account.

Just in case you are interested, GoodReads links are below. Thanks for your consideration.

Mapmaker–Book 1

Mapmaker–Book 2

Reedsy Launch

Another thing I did to help folks find my book was I entered Mapmaker–Book 1 into Reedsy Discovery (only cost $50!). And thankfully someone picked it up and gave it a nice review (4-stars and she said she loved it). But now the book will be “launched” on the site. This is when folks can upvote the book, potentially giving it more exposure.

If you can, please visit this site and upvote my book! If I get enough votes, I think Reedsy will promote it a bit.

Amazon Deal

On March 5th, Book 1 comes out of the 90-day stint on Kindle Unlimited. Once that happens, I’ll set the price to free for a short time. The entire trilogy will be published by then, which I’ll also offer at a discount.

To keep tabs on all these changes, follow my author page on Amazon. You’ll get notifications when books are published and/or go on sale.

Share this post!

And, of course, please feel free to share this post or links with your fantasy-loving friends. In case you’re on the fence, here’s an unsolicited text from my brother:

“hey, your book is great so far. on ch15. can’t wait for the rest.”

(If your family is anything like mine, then you know they can be the harshest critics!)

Mapmaker is an adventure. One I hope will entertain for a few hours. Give it a try.

Until next time, write like the wind.

Nila

Are you a dragon? (Redux)

I first posted the blog entry below way way back in 2017.

Wow! Almost ten years later and wouldn’t ya know it, I’m still talking about dragons.

And I’m still writing about them! This year will be a year of dragons for me as I will be writing an entire trilogy with a dragon as the main character. Should the luck of dragons be with me, I’ll have three finished novels by the end of 2025.

Until then, enjoy this re-post!

Today is ‘Appreciate a Dragon‘ Day.

Don’t believe me? Click on the link above.

Is there really an appreciate a dragon day? Who comes up with these things?

No disrespect meant towards (mythical) dragons, but really? A day all for massive lizards?

Here’s the thing though: Dragons have played a huge role in many cultures around the world.

There are European Dragons, Asian Dragons, African Dragons, and even American Dragons.

Pretty much every where you look, there’s a dragon.

Just what is a dragon?

Physically, a dragon is often reptilian in nature, with or without legs. Some have the ability to fly and/or take any shape – even the shape of a human.

Regardless of their form, dragons represent power. Power over nature (particularly water) and sometimes people, too. In that sense, dragons often embodied many traits that a god would, but unlike gods, mythical dragons often interacted with humans on an intimate level (ahem!).

In Asian cultures, it is not uncommon to be walking about the countryside and encounter a dragon by happenstance. Whereas in European culture, dragons were associated with specific, dangerous locales. Or vice versa. Like most mythical tales, from place to place, the story shifts from one telling to the next. But one thing is for certain, dragons mean something to most of us.

For me, a dragon represents everything I want to be: wise, powerful, strong, and knowledgeable.

What do dragons mean to you?

Mapmaker Reviewed on Reedsy Discovery

For a writer, reviews are like nuggets of gold.

Random gold nugget

Even bad reviews.

Heck, I’ll take a 1-star review over silence.

Do you know why?

Because it means someone is reading our stories.

Some angel masquerading as a human has taken the time to read our work and immerse themselves in our stories. Then, they spend more precious moments of their lives to tell the world.

That, my friends, is worth more than gold.

Reedsy Discovery

If you haven’t discovered Reedsy, it’s a marketplace for independent writers (like myself) who can find book professionals for editing, design, publicity, and marketing. You can use the site to search for and hire folks to help at every stage of the writing journey.

I found my book cover designer on Reedsy, and I’ve been very happy with the results (see my Mapmaker page for some really pretty covers).

While I received several copy editing quotes from professional editors on Reedsy, I ultimately chose an editor recommended by another indie author (Lindsay Buroker in this blog post): Sarah Engelke. You can check out her services here.

Anyway, the point is: the Reedsy marketplace is flexible, safe, and fairly easy to navigate.

And they also have a book review site called Reedsy Discovery.

On Reedsy Discovery, you can sign up to be a reviewer or submit your book to be reviewed. Since my reviewing days are behind me (no time now, but maybe I’ll get back into it when I retire), I am especially thankful to the dear folks who devour books and follow up with a review.

Be warned, a review on Reedsy Discovery will cost you $50 and there’s no guarantee your book will be picked up by a reviewer nor that they will review it. Once you hand over your money, the book sinks or swims based on its appeal.

I got extremely lucky.

(Or maybe that snazzy cover caught an angel’s eye…)

Allow me to present, my first review from someone I don’t know:

⋆⋆⋆⋆ Loved it!

Mapmaker portrays a dark, beautiful, and powerful world. This makes the characters shine all the brighter.

Aleeya is probably the best cartographer around, not that she’s allowed to relish this fact. As a slave, Aleeya is not allowed to do much beyond following orders. Unfortunately, it’s this talent that has put a target on Aleeya’s back.

It started as a simple – but horrible – transaction for Aleeya’s papers. But it quickly turned into an epic game of cat and mouse, as multiple factions and individuals battled to get their hands on Aleeya. Some want to change the world, others want to ruin it, while yet others just want to save Aleeya.

Mapmaker portrays a dark, beautiful, and powerful world. Or rather, the world can be quite dark and brooding, but this gives the characters the opportunity to shine bright. I loved this contrast, among many others.

I’ll admit that it took me a little bit to get into Mapmaker, mostly because the slavery depictions were so brutal that a part of me wanted to shy away. However, once I got into it, I was pretty hooked! Aleeya’s character, as is her journey, is the best part of the story.

Mapmaker Book 1 establishes the world and characters, and I’m eager to see what questions Book 2 answers. Because, let me tell you, I have so many questions. My questions range from current relationship statuses to questions about the world and the magical system. I also hope that we can one day see Aleeya’s homeland.

Readers looking for a magical yet foreboding world full of twists and turns should check out Mapmaker. It gets major bonus points for having compelling characters and cartographic elements. One thing I can tell you with certainty – I need to see where this series goes!

Highlights: Magical Fantasy World, Roman Mythology, Winged Creatures, Map Making

Trigger Warnings: Slavery, Abuse & Violence, Kidnapping & Controlling Behaviors

Reviewed by Cat Wyatt on Reedsy Discovery

If you care to read Mapmaker–Book 1, find it for free on Kindle Unlimited until March 5th, 2025.

As always, thank you for reading,

Nila

Ooh, I did it again…

It seems, once you do something, the second time is a lot easier.

Who ever came up with that nugget of wisdom must have been as high as a kite because, my dear readers, this second book was not easy.

Nope!

Regardless, I went through the gauntlet of critiques, revisions, edits, polishing, and so forth to alight upon my second book. Allow me to present…

Mapmaker — Book 2

The Blurb

On the shores of Western Helacon, Aleeya, a newly freed slave embarks on a journey to reclaim her past and carve out a future, but powerful enemies have other plans.

After discovering world-changing cartographic abilities, Aleeya is thrust into the spotlight. Her goals to settle a debt and unlock the mysteries of her past are challenging enough, but when the Oracle of Ka’ai betrays her, Aleeya’s mission turns deadly. With time running out, can she escape and protect the people she love’s before it’s too late?

Continuing the story from Book 1, Mapmaker—Book 2 is a Roman-inspired tale of geographic wonders and self-determination that readers of action-oriented fantasy will enjoy.

And if you’re interested in Mapmaker — Book 1, it’s now on Kindle Unlimited! If you have an Amazon account, you can read it for free here.

If you don’t have a KU account, you can enter this GoodReads Giveaway and get a copy for free. While it says there’s a “chance” you’ll get a copy, in this case, it is guaranteed. I set the limit to the maximum (one hundred). Enjoy!

Thank you all for your support and encouragement.

Until next time, Happy Holidays!

Nila

Look Ma!

I did it.

After years of thinking I’d probably not ever (no, not never!) self-publish a book, I can proudly say, it is done.

Mapmaker — Book 1 is live on Amazon.com. In both ebook and print formats.

Screen shot of actual website!

I plan to also release a large-print version. But that may be a while coming.

(Did you know that large-print means 18pt font? Eighteen? Come to think of it, though, with my old eyes… that’s a very readable size.)

But squee! I did it!

I finally got over my precious self. This is the best I can do right now and it is enough.

No, it’s not great. As a matter of fact, I suspect the only folks who will read it will be friends and family. And they’ll probably say, “Not bad, Nila. Not bad. There’s a typo on page one hundred and fourteen. I’ll give it two-stars.”

And that’s fine. To tell you the truth, I’m more than fine with that. Better yet, don’t read it (you might be disappointed).

Instead, I’d like you all to take a blessed moment, one small moment, and bask in the potential of my story.

(Breathe in. Breathe out.)

Let’s just admire the achievement.

Ah, thank you!

Now that’s done, how do we get this party started? Where’s the carrot cake? The marching band? The red carpet?

Ha!

For me, the feelings of accomplishment and satisfaction lasted for about… oh… half an hour. Then I fretted about getting Book 2 and 3 ready to publish.

And I have another trilogy to outline, write, workshop, edit, etcetera, etc. As they like to say in the salt mines, no rest for the salt miners.

Until next time, keep writing.

P.S. For those who might be interesting in the actual story of Mapmaker: The trilogy is about an enslaved winged cartographer who struggles to return home only to be thwarted at every turn. There’s ships. A little bit of magic. And adventurous mapping. Enjoy.

Mapmaker Book 1 Cover Reveal

I think cover reveals are a bit silly. They are primarily done to drum up interest, excitement, and anticipation of publication.

But what if it’s a crappy cover and it doesn’t do any of those things?

Or what if the book comes out and the story doesn’t live up to the hype?

I don’t want either of those things to happen, but here I am, doing a cover reveal…

When I woke up today, I had all the pieces of Mapmaker Book 1 ready to go.

Did I incorporate all my editor’s suggestions? Check!Did I apply all my proof edits after reading the entire manuscript backwards–twice? Check!Did I go over the graphic artist’s cover proof? Check!Did I make all the interior design changes necessary to make it through all the myriad specifications for print and ebook? Check!PDF, EPUB, KPF, JPG files all in order and ready to go? Check!

But wait…

That little change on the font on the chapter headings meant that the Acknowledgments heading (of all things) was way too long for the print-page width. Approval denied!

And when I uploaded the ebook version, it’s auto-checker found a typo. Approval denied!

And those fancy images didn’t come across in the print nor the ebook version like I thought they would. Approval denied!

Okay, okay, don’t panic.

Make the corrections, apply another font change, re-arrange images. Take out the images. Keep it simple. Re-export. Re-upload. Re-preview…

Oh, dear.

For some reason that changed everything and now there’s more pages than before? So the print-book cover specifically designed for a different page count now doesn’t fit?

What?!

(huge sigh)

So, instead of announcing my new publication today, I’m doing a cover reveal.

Do you like it?

I do.

This isn’t the final final version (per explanation above). And while I was fussing with it this morning, I found some copy/paste errors, too. So, there will be yet another version. But the image above is very close to the done thing.

Until next time, enjoy all the pretty covers.

Nila

Cover created by Natalia Junqueira of Dawn Book Design on Reedsy.

Map for Mapmaker

As you may know… I wrote a book.

Actually, I wrote three books. A trilogy. The entire trilogy is called Mapmaker. And I got really creative and named each book in the trilogy Book 1, Book 2, and Book 3.

Heh. Um. Yeah…

Oh well?

To be honest, I couldn’t settle on what to call the individual books, so there it is:

Mapmaker — Book 1Mapmaker — Book 2Mapmaker — Book 3

It is how I’ve been referring to them for the past two years, so I guess you get to know them by those names, too.

The Map

But that’s not what I wanted to talk about today. I wanted to show you my map! Here it is:

This is it! The map for Book 1 of my Mapmaker trilogy.

Step back and admire it. Please do. Click on the image and enlarge it. Zoom in and see all the nifty details (don’t mind the errors—those are purposeful cartographic blemishes!).

Like it?

What?

No?!

Well, I like it.

While I do care what you think, this is done. I spent way too much time developing it, but I’m happy with the final iteration. Though we all know that nothing is “final”. Soon, I’ll be fiddling with this for Book 2. And I feel like I need a special one for Book 3. But that’s for future me to worry about. For right now, the map for Book 1 is done and I’m happy.

I created this baby myself in Inkarnate. As many of you know, I do work in the geospatial field and make lots of maps for work, but I’m not a cartographer. That’s not what I do. But I do know a lot about maps so I hope my book’s DIY map is up to par with the professionals.

If you have any questions on how I did it and what decisions I made along the way, hit me up in the comment section below!

Until next time,

Write like you might publish some day.

Finding your groove

It’s been a year since I last posted.

Did you miss me?

Probably not. We all have busy lives. Places to be. Things to do.

Books to write…

Oh. Are you wondering if I’ve written a book?

Why, yes. Yes, I have.

As a matter of fact, I’ve written three books.

If I’m honest, I wrote more like six books, but from those six, three have percolated into stories I feel fairly confident in sharing with the world.

Yes! I’m gonna finally do it and self-publish my stories. (As long as this post doesn’t jinx me!)

I’ve hired an editor and a cover artist.

Before that, I’ve spent countless hours on a peer-to-peer critique site, honing my story into something… not great, but definitely shareable. I’ve spent the entire year writing, editing, critiquing, and learning.

This is it, folks. My first trilogy complete. (Cue celestial music.)

I’m very happy. Exhausted, but happy.

I still have a ways before I hit the publish button on Amazon, but when I do, I’ll announce it here, of course.

Until then, enjoy the weather while you write like a fiend.

If you’d like a free ARC (advance reader copy) in exchange for a review, please let me know! I’ll be happy to share my story with you.

I’m back!

Life takes funny twists and turns, doesn’t it?

That’s why there’s that phrase – twists and turns.

I just wanted to announce that I’m back writing again.

No lofty goals or dreams of self-publishing something grand.

Just writing again.

And it feels good.

(Mostly.)