S.L. Viehl's Blog, page 125

Another Guide

I found How to Publish Your Own E-Book by Nik Rawlinson, published by Magbook, on the tabloid shelf at my local market's checkout line, which was probably why it caught my eye. That and waiting to pay for my groceries is always a little boring, so I picked it up, flipped through it and decided to fork out a rather pricey $14.99 to take it home for further study.

The author is a UK journalist, btw, and brings that sort of no-nonsense tone to the book, which for me made it an easy read. He devotes the first twenty pages of the magazine to convincing the reader why digital self-publishing is the best option, and they're quite effective. There are a few slams against traditional publishing but it's nothing you haven't already heard. Chapter Two addresses writing your book, but only very lightly and not at all in practical terms; this is only section that I found to be basically useless. That said, this is really a book to teach you how to self-publish, not how to write.

Chapter Three is where Mr. Rawlinson earns his cover price by detailing how to create and format your e-book using Sigil, Scrivener, InDesign, QuarkXPress, and iBooks Author. He also looks at working with Kindle Format 8 and how to test Kindle and ePub documents to see how they're going to look. I haven't used any of these programs, so I can't comment on the quality of the info, but there are plenty of screenshots and instructions, and they appear to be what someone would need to get through the basic process involved with each. My only reservation is how long this info will be useful, especially as the e-publishing world continues to evolve. According to the author it has been updated to reflect changes in these programs and services through December 2012, so unless there are radical/unexpected changes ahead in the near future it might be a good reference resource for another year or two.

Chapters Four and Five, Selling Your E-book and After Publication, return to the lighter/theoretical format of earlier chapters, although they contain some solid advice. Since I'm not personally interested in going the indie publishing route, the fact that I found two resources, Sigil and E-Junkie.com., still made it worth the cover price.

I wouldn't call this a complete guide, or a must-have manual for anyone considering digital self-publication, but it contains enough info to get you started down the indie path. I couldn't find it for sale at any US online booksellers but it is available through Amazon's UK site here in Kindle format. Combine this guide with your own research and online legwork, go cautiously, and you just may be able to self-publish your own e-book, too.

Direct e-Sales

Sorry I'm so late posting today (long story), but I do want to pass on some info for those of you who want to self-publish but are not in love with the idea of signing on with Amazon, Apple etc. and handing over a chunk of your profits. Alternative services are coming onto the market now, like E-Junkie.com , which for a monthly flat fee will sell digital downloads of your books. You're paid directly and instantaneously for each purchase via services like Paypal, and you're not required to adhere to preset (and often obnoxious) formatting requirements. Do be sure to read carefully all the terms of service and the amount required per month to keep your title(s) in stock before you sign up.

While a direct sales service isn't for everyone (new-to-the-biz writers might want to first establish themselves via the online booksellers), if you have built a strong following and have a dedicated readership, this could be the way to sell via links from your website or blog and keep 100% of your profits. Authors who have a specialty title might profit more from selling direct as well; you won't get lost in the current deluge on the big bookseller sites.

With the direct sales approach you'd definitely have to be more aggressive with promotions and getting the word out, as you won't have the exposure you'd get on the big bookseller sites, so keep that in mind as well.

Be My Guide

Guided journals, or blank books that include specific prompts or instructions on what to write in them, can provide an interesting journaling challenge and plenty of no-sweat writing practice. They're great for youngsters but I think adults can get a lot out of them, too. If you ever feel blocked, unable to focus or otherwise cut off from the work, a guide journal can be like jumper cables for your creativity. You still have to think and write, but it's nice to have your direction mapped out in advance for you.

On a recent trip to BAM I picked up two newly-published guided journals: Michael Nobbs's Drawing Your Life and The Pocket Scavenger by Keri Smith. Michael, who is the founder of SustainablyCreative.com, has tackled guided journal via impromptu art by putting together a book of drawing challenges.

I struggle most with sketching, and when I spotted Michael's jourrnal I thought it would be geared more toward experienced/confident artists. But while flipping through it I discovered Michael has disabled since the late nineties and learned to draw himself as a way to come to terms with his health challenges. That comes through in the journal, as he puts it: I hope this book will encourage you to draw YOUR LIFE and perhaps show you a way you can enjoy each day just a little bit more. To me the fact that he not only wrote but also illustrated the book convinced me to invest; I like authors who practice what they preach.

I tried out the journal in the fearless sense -- with a pen -- and freehand drew a bunch of different keys I'd been working with on some BookLoop and art projects earlier that morning:



I've already enjoyed working through one of Keri Smith's guided journals, so I had to grab a copy of her latest, The Pocket Scavenger. This journal is a guided treasure hunt through your life where you hunt for ordinary and even mundane objects like postage stamps, buttons, part of a book, a used envelope, something that was given to you -- all of which you add to the journal along with the location, time, date, and a story/notes section where you write a bit about the process of finding the object.

Now to some of you this might sound a little tedious, but wait, there's more to do: once you've found the required treasure, you then flip to a random page in the journal, turn it upside down, and follow the instructions written in the bottom page border to alter the object you found. For example: I found some old postage stamps in my desk. I noted the details of the hunt on that page, then did the flip and got these instructions from the border: add some music. That I interpreted as making the background of my postage stamp page out of some old sheet music from my paper recycling bin. Which then turned the postage stamps into a neat mini-collage:



Both of these guided journals allow anyone, no matter what level of artistic skill they might have, to creatively explore their immediate environment, document their life in an interesting way and journal outside the box. If you've never tried to keep a journal, either one of these could make a great first experience.

As always you don't have to take my word for it. In comments to this post, give us a journaling prompt you think would be interesting to do (or if you can't think of one, just toss your name in the hat) by midnight EST on Friday, May 24th, 2013. I'll draw two names at random from everyone who participates and send the winners an unsigned new copy of either The Pocket Scavenger by Keri Smith or Drawing Your Life by Michael Nobbs (to keep it fun, the winner won't know which until my package arrives.) This giveaway is open to everyone on the planet, even if you've won something at PBW in the past.

Freely Ten

Ten Things You Can Have for Free

Freeware Caution: always scan free downloads of anything for bugs and other threats before dumping the programs into your hard drive.

Clip Trap is a handy little utility that "watches the clipboard and keeps track of copied text in its window" (OS: Windows 98/ME/2000/XP/2003/Vista/7)

Efficient PIM is a "full-featured personal information manager (PIM) software program that can help you organize and plan your business and private life. With EfficientPIM you can keep track of contacts, appointments, tasks, to-do lists, birthdays, and much more. The program also gives you space for keeping notes, diaries, and even passwords. In order to be successful you need to be organized and efficient. With EfficientPIM all of the things you need to manage are located in one, easy-to-use interface" (OS: Windows 8/7/XP/Vista [32-bit or 64-bit])

Efficient Sticky Notes "allows various background colors, with optional gradient effect, to be set for the desktop notes. You can also customize the font of each note and set it to be semi-transparent so it will not fully cover up your desktop background or icons. To fully protect your privacy, the software encrypts the login password with the irreversible SHA algorithm and also encrypts data files. Besides, it offers various special features such as managing sticky notes by group, setting note importance, tracking the creation time and last modification time of desktop notes, adding attachments to notes, Recycle Bin, etc." (OS: Win 98/ME/NT/2K/XP/2K3/Vista/7)

Focus Writer is a "simple, distraction-free writing environment. It utilizes a hide-away interface that you access by moving your mouse to the edges of the screen, allowing the program to have a familiar look and feel to it while still getting out of the way so that you can immerse yourself in your work" (OS: Linux, Windows, and Mac OS X)

Listen N Write "can be used to play and transcribe ordinary audio and video recordings (WAV, MP3, OGG, WMA, AVI, MPG, WMV, OGV, FLV, VOB, TS, etc). Listen N Write has special features simplifying the transcription work as you can control via keys (while using its integrated word processor) and insert time markers (bookmarks). Moreover, the audio stream is automatically rewound a few seconds when pressing the Pause key. Listen N Write can be considered the standard program for any transcription because of its simplicity of use and small size" (OS: Windows 2000/XP/Vista/2008/7)

ManicTime is a "time tracking software which automatically collects data on your computer usage. It records active and away time, as well as which applications you used and for how long you used them. The data ManicTime collects is stored in a local database on your computer. Once data is collected you can use our simple click and drag feature to accurately tag how you spent your time. Time tagging allows you to see how you spent your time based on your own time tags and gives you accurate information on how efficient you really are. Because there is so much data available about your computer usage, you are able to tag spent time for days in the past. Based on this data you are able to generate various statistics. You can easily find out how much time you spend behind a computer or how much time you spend browsing the web" (OS: Windows XP/2003/Vista/7; Requires: Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5.)

Mendeley is a "free reference manager and academic social network that can help you organize your research, collaborate with others online, and discover the latest research. Features: Automatically generate bibliographies; Collaborate easily with other researchers online; Easily import papers from other research software; Find relevant papers based on what you’re reading; Access your papers from anywhere online; Read papers on the go, with our new iPhone app" (OS: Windows XP/Vista/7)

Sigil is a "multi-platform EPUB ebook editor with the following features: Online Sigil User's Guide, and Wiki documentation; Free and open source software under GPLv3; Full UTF-16 support; Full EPUB 2 spec support; Multiple Views: Book View, Code View and Preview View; WYSIWYG editing in Book View; Complete control over directly editing EPUB syntax in Code View; Table of Contents generator with multi-level heading support; Metadata editor with full support for all possible metadata entries (more than 200) with full descriptions for each; User interface translated into many languages; Spell checking with default and user configurable dictionaries; Full Regular Expression (PCRE) support for Find & Replace; Supports import of EPUB and HTML files, images, and style sheets; Documents can be validated for EPUB compliance with the integrated FlightCrew EPUB validator; Embedded HTML Tidy: all imported files have their formatting corrected, and your editing can be optionally cleaned" (OS: Windows, Linux and Mac)

StylePix is a "convenient, easy-to-use image editor that has all the features of raster graphics editor and adhered to lightweight design and effective UI. In addition, it has a built-in image viewer and batch processor" (OS: Windows XP/Vista/7/8)

TheSage is a "free software application that, through a multi-tool interface, integrates a complete dictionary and a multifaceted thesaurus of the English language together into a unique language reference system" (OS: Windows XP, Vista, 7 [32bit and 64bit])

Writsy Stuff

I subscribe to author/quilt designer Carol Doak's monthly newsletter, mainly because I like her how-to books on paper piecing and want to know whenever she publishes something new. This month she mentioned the success she's having with teaching online classes at Craftsy.com, the hot new how-to crafting site. According to her newsletter in about a month she had 3,000 students sign up for her class on paper piecing, and even at the currently discounted price of $29.95 per student that comes close to making $100K in a month.

Startling figures, to say the least. Some disclaimers: I don't know how much of that Craftsy.com takes as commission or any other details involved in teaching one of their classes. It should also be mentioned that Carol is already quite well known in the quilting world as a very talented and innovative writer and artist. I noted that one draw may be that she includes free for her students a companion e-book which is valued at half the price of the class, which is an excellent bonus. I thought I'd mention it primarily for any of you who may have published how-to craft books and want to check out what's involved in teaching a class.

It would be great if there were a Craftsy.com-type site for writers (Writsy!) where you could sign up to learn how to write a proper query, what needs to be in a submission package, how to efficiently edit a chapter or even the real nuts and bolts of how to put together an e-book when going the indie route. There are a couple of obvious problems with that idea; the primary one being that writing does not translate as well to video as something like crafting. Writing happens in your head and on the computer and the page, and even the most basic screenshots quickly become tedious (or incomprehensible) in video's rapid delivery of visuals. Filming writing workshops like the kind put on at conferences might be a solution, as long as the instructor is a gifted speaker and does something besides talk.

The other big problem is that there is no one go-to, this-is-how-you-do-it standard for everything professional writers do. I think it would be tough to get everyone to agree on a standard as well -- a good example is simply how you write a novel synopsis. I learned first what synopses were and how to write them via my subscription to Writer's Digest magazine -- until an editor asked me why I wrote such odd synopses. Once I explaining that I was following examples from WD article, the editor informed me that my synopses were in fact too short, that I should not put every character's name in all caps and I wasn't detailing my plot twists or my endings. I asked for an example I could follow, but the editor wouldn't give me one, so I began blindly writing longer synopses, ditched capping the character names and revealed all -- until another editor complained that my synopses were too long and too detailed.

The editor after that one wanted to know why I didn't write out the relationship arcs (and then had to explain to me what those were.) Another asked for chapter summaries to go along with the synopsis. The one after that, who started working with me in mid-series, asked for one-paragraph synopses for all the previous books (and if you want a real writing challenge, try to condense a novel series that contains hundred of characters and settings and plot lines and over a million words altogether into just nine paragraphs.)

To this day practically every editor I work for has a slightly different opinion about what should or shouldn't be in a synopsis. Some want a lot, others just want bare bones, and still others want something I've never before done. That's why I put together a synopses bible on all the books I've sold so I can at least review what I've done in the past that worked. When I teach writing synopses, I also use for examples only the ones which have resulted in contract offers.

Until someone does come up with enough standards for writers to create a Writsy.com there are plenty of online classes for writers. A few weeks back I noted author Barbara Samuel is teaching an online class on voice; the way she has this set up (maintaining a small class size, the triad approach of lectures/exercises/discussions, and offering a scholarship as well as discounts for group) seems like a sensible way to go about it. Before you invest consider all these things as well as what sort of talent and experience the instructor offers, and let that be your guide.

Interesting Sub Op

Bundoran Press Publishing House has an open call for their upcoming antho, Strange Bedfellows, which is "an original short story anthology of political science fiction ‘where ideology is a character.’ We are looking for well-written science fiction stories with strong plots and compelling, if not necessarily sympathetic, characters engaged in arguments with the world. We want political stories, immersed in science, that take on those arguments without polemic but with passion – recognizing that causes have both effects and consequences. We don’t care what your politics are; we just want you to tell a good story. Similar to our novel guidelines, we are accepting any genre of science fiction, from space opera to near future to any of the ‘punk’ genres. Military SF is fine as long as the focus of the story is on internal conflicts not armed ones. No fantasy, even urban, and generally no horror unless it has a solid SF element. In all cases, political systems, political processes, or political solutions must be central to the story." Length: "We are considering stories in the 2000 to 7500 word range with a definite preference for 4-6000 words. Shorter and longer stores MAY be considered but no more than two stories shorter than 2000 words will make the book and no more than one over 7500 (hard maximum 12K)." Payment: "Payment is 5.5 cents per word (Canadian funds) on publication, plus one contributor copy" On reprints: "No reprints, unless specifically solicited by the editor. (Don’t Query.)" Electronic submission only, see guidelines for more details. Deadline: September 30th, 2013.

Flaming Art

A festival of art through self-expression, impermanent structures, creative invention/repurposing and spontaneous community, Burning Man is held for one week annually in Nevada's Black Rock Desert. To get a glimpse of what it's all about, here's an excellent video on its art and culture (for those of you at work, plays with music and narration):

DREAM - Art & Culture of Burning Man from Spark Pictures on Vimeo.

Inconveniences

Yesterday laryngitis prevented me from getting any serious work done, and I was slightly miffed. I have a quite a backlog of posts to write and e-mails to answer, and the inconvenience annoyed me. Determined not to sit around and mope, I spent my morning writing session putting together a new journal and thinking about a story. The journal turned out neat, and while no new revelations about my story struck me (for me that kind of lightning cannot be summoned at will) I did sort out a few things that had needed more thought but that I hadn't had the time to brood on.

I devoted the afternoon and early evening to clearing out some closets, packing up donations for Goodwill and cleaning out the pantry. This is my pantry:



Yes, I alphabetize my spices and categorize my canned goods; it keeps me from having to hunt for things when I'm cooking. It also gave me a chance to check expiration dates and get a handle on what I need the next time I go shopping. This is all part of taking care of a family, and that's my first job anyway.

My voice is better now, which is excellent because I hate whispering, but tonight's editing session is off because I have family obligations to attend to. Families tend to be inconvenient that way; they're always doing something that requires our attention and/or our physical presence. And because we love our families for putting up with all of our writing life nonsense (last week my family were absolute troopers when I was spending twelve hours a day online to promote) the work schedule has to come second to them. I don't expect I'll be thinking at all about writing tonight, but that's okay -- I'll be participating in life and having fun surrounded by the people I love. Nothing is better for recharging the creative batteries than that.

Here are five other things you still can do as a writer whenever life interrupts your writing:

Run Title Ideas: for this you need your brain, a pen and a small notepad. Make a key word list that relates to your story and start playing with combinations or synonyms of the words to form new ideas for titles. Pay attention to the world around you, too; I once got a stupendous title idea when I saw a couple of signs on the highway during a road trip and recombined the words.

Characterize the Crowd: Make up a name, an occupation and a goal for interesting strangers you see while you're out and about in the world. Keep that notepad and pen handy to jot down the best of your ideas for future characters (and, if you have the opportunity, note a physical description of the person who inspired it.)

Memory Game: this is one I play often when I'm away from the desk; I observe a person, place or thing, wait five minutes and then jot down what details I remember about them. This is a great exercise in sharpening your memory and determining what is memorable about anything.

First Lines Tinkering: like the title ideas exercise, just think about what words you want to use in the opening sentence of your story, or work on giving more immediate impact to the sentence you've already written.

Story Photo Ops: If you have a camera with you, why not take some photos of interesting subjects around you? Look for things that are not only attractive or compelling in some way, but that also inspire your curiosity. I keep a photo album specifically of neat places and things I see when I'm out that I think I can work into a story.

Inconveniences -- a few large, but mostly minor -- often make a riddle out of our writing lives. Becoming frustrated or sulking when they happen makes them breed, I think, so I've learned to put the work on hold and simply deal with them as cheerfully as I can manage. It's the resentment that is the creative poison, not the inconvenience itself, so shedding it as quickly as possible is the best kind of damage control.

#14 Makes #15

After spending much time online promoting my new release my voice has decided to go on strike; I can't speak louder than a whisper. This is amusing my crew to no end, especially when I try to use the international gestures to communicate vital requests like Please pick that up or Would you mind not teasing the dog? or Eat your vegetables right this minute or I'm going to puree them and put them in your next milkshake.

Naturally typing by hand takes me forever, so I must keep today's post brief. I want to thank everyone who preordered or went out this week to purchase Nightbound. My editor e-mailed yesterday to tell me that the book debuted at #15 on B&N's mass market romance bestseller list, which is really lovely. Consider yourselves all hugged.

I'll be back tomorrow with something more interesting than my endless novel propaganda. One last reminder, if you visited any of the blogs where I was guest posting and entered the giveaway, remember to check back to see if you've won.

Elsewhere Getting Smacked

To wrap up promotions for Nightbound the protagonist from my novel has been featured in Dark Fairy Tales's Supernatural Smackdown event. Stop in if you get a chance, vote for Beau or your favorite character among the competition, and enter to win this giveaway.