Rachel Rossano's Blog, page 22

Steps to Indie Publishing - Step Four: Go For It!

If you have walked through the first three steps, checked every detail, and are confident your book, your promotion plan, and everything is ready, then it is time to take the plunge. Go to your chosen platforms (Lulu, Kindle Direct Publishing, or Smashwords) and start assembling your book.
Formatting
Formatting your book is a challenge all on its own.

For print, I really like Lulu because they offer the option to upload multiple files and then assemble them into one book. I format the opening pages in one file (without page numbers), the body of the book in another (with page numbers), and the ending pages in a third (without page numbers). I use other books as references for the copyright pages and etc.

For ebook publishing, each platform has its own requirements and rules. I have found that formatting the manuscript for Smashwords first is the most efficient way of going about it. Smashwords provides a free step-by-step guide to formatting for their ebook generator. Once you have done that successfully, the conversion for Kindle comes down to a few tweaks and saving in a different format.

For all the formatting, if you aren’t technologically inclined, you can find help or people willing to do it for you for a reasonable price. Or, answer your questions for free.

Upload, compile, check, recheck, and then click the publish button.

Congratulations, you are a published author!
There will still be a few things to do before spreading the news.

Lulu requires you purchase a print copy of your book to check the quality before you okay it for distribution (which takes 6 to 8 weeks before you will see your book on Amazon). Smashwords insists on a review by its premier catalogue staff before they allow books to be distributed to other retailers. Then it will take time for your ebook to make it through their distribution channels. Kindle also takes a few days to publish to Amazon. Even after that, there will be little changes you will have to fix about the listings, but overall, things will be ready.

But Wait!
We aren't finished yet. I won't drop you there.
Come back next week for Step Five: Spread the News!

- Rachel Rossano

Sweet Saturday Sample

Welcome back! I finished the rough draft of Duty this week. As a change of pace, I am editing an older rough draft of another novel, The King of Anavrea. Pulling out old manuscripts and bringing them up to date can be painful. I am not looking forward the process, but I do need to get this book edited and published for those who have been waiting years to read it.

Today's sample is a reoccurring dream that haunt's the main character, Lirth.

~~~~~
A large callused hand covered her mouth so that she could not even whimper. Drawing in air through her nose, she tried to scream, but could manage only a weak squeak. Listening, she prayed, but to no avail.

“Lirth!” Joman called her name.

“Lirth, where are you?” Aarint's voice was even closer than Joman's.

“Silence, Brat,” an oily whisper instructed Lirth. Her captor's foul breath flooded her senses. The mixture of bad cheese and fish made Lirth’s stomach turn. If she lost her lunch now, she would drown in it. There was no way this man would release her mouth with her brothers so close.

“If they find us because of you, Brat, I will kill them.” The rasp of the man's voice and the stench of his sweat blocked out anything Lirth might have heard or smelled. “Don't doubt that I will. I am only going to get paid for fetching you.”

Carefully, she swallowed the lump in her throat.

“To single handedly wipe out all the heirs to the throne would be quite a feat wouldn't ya think?”

Lirth could not control the shiver that griped her spine.

“Maybe she headed home!” Lloyden, her middle brother, finally suggested. “If she was anywhere near, she would have heard us by now.”

“Wait!” Aarint's voice was so close Lirth felt she could touch him. “I think I see something.”

Her heart fell as she heard the others approaching.

“No!” Her heart screamed in agony as she heard the branches part. She felt the man shift his weight. He was going to kill her brother! She struggled but could not move. “No!” A sob shook her as her brother's scream filled her ears. “Not Aarint!”

~~~~~
Thank you for visiting.
For more Sweet Samples visit http://sweetsatsample.wordpress.com/
Don't forget to stop by on Wednesday if you are interested in the next chapter of the series on indie publishing, "Go For It."

Finished!

Duty's rough draft is done! *happy dance* I can now add another event to the time line.

Rough draft begun: November 10, 2011
Rough draft completed: July 24, 2012

Now a different kind of work begins, editing, polishing, beta readers, book cover, blurbs, and book trailers. I am already up to my elbows in the process. :)

I have a first version of the book trailer put together. The back blurb is next on my agenda. Stay tuned for more details as they unfold. Exciting times ahead. :)

- Rachel Rossano

Steps to Indie Publishing - Step Three: Promotion Plan

How do you intend to promote your work? 
This is where your budget comes into play. I have almost no money in my advertising budget. So, it comes down to grunt work. Why am I bringing this up here and not after the book is in print? Because the best time to start growing your followers is now before you have a product on the market. Hype it up. Grow expectations. Get out the word.
Promotion struck fear in my heart when I first considered self-publishing. Most of us writers are introverts. It is the nature of the typical writer to not wish to draw attention. I prefer to watch the world, interact when I am comfortable, and retreat when I am not. By all means, I do not want to pressure anyone into doing anything they don’t wish to do even if it means buying my books.
Thanks to the internet age we live in, the introverts among us can promote via the web and never actually look our customer in the face. How? Social media.
Facebook, Twitter, blogs, email, and websites now drive our society. Yes, there are many who are not online, connected, or just have no internet presence at all. To reach those people, a writer needs to employ the traditional tactics: book signings, speaking engagements, book conferences, and the like. I have little to no experience in the traditional venues. The electronic arena is the area where I can help you. I don’t have a magic formula for sales, but I can point you in the right direction.
Facebook - Set up a page for your book/writing. Seek out other authors to learn from, groups who allow promotion or places to learn more about the industry, and spread the word to your friends and those who follow your writing. Collect "likes" any way you are comfortable with. I am not a big campaigner, but I do try.
Twitter - Set up an account, seek out people of similar mindsets and interests, and link your account to Facebook so that you can update both at the same time. (I link my Facebook writing page to Twitter so that my Facebook status updates Twitter.) What to tweet about? Your writing, quotes about writing, interesting facts, articles you have read, or friend’s blog posts.
Blog - Choose a blog format you are comfortable with, set up a blog, and start writing. Talk about writing, books, other’s work, promotion, art, whatever you would like to focus your posts on. Work on drawing a following. Offer ways for them to to follow the blog (be notified when you post something new): email, NetworkedBlogs, Google Friend Connect, etc.
Website - This would be focused on pulling readers in, informing them about your writing, selling your work, and driving for a sale. Offer excerpts, blurbs, information about where they can buy, and more information about you are all good ideas.
Email - Set up a signature in your mail that promotes your Facebook/Blog/Twitter/Website, etc.
Book Trailer - Gather images, music, and a teaser few sentences and you can build yourself a decent book trailer to put on your website, Facebook, and many other websites all over the place. I even have a blog I am trying to use to promote the medium because I really enjoy creating them and watching them.
I use Windows Live Movie Maker, which came on my laptop, to compile the videos. Just like with covers, the images and music need to be royalty free with the proper licenses. I use http://incompetech.com/m/c/royalty-free/ for most of my trailer music. There are other options out there.
I think I could probably write a whole article on how to make book trailers. However, here are some guidelines.

- Shoot for one to two minutes in length. - Don’t just use the blurb; write a new tease for the trailer.
- Keep images and/or text moving to keep the audience’s attention
- Be careful to keep text clear and visible against the image backgrounds.
- Try to coordinate the music, images, and what is happening in the plot.
- Work hard at representing the feel, story, and genre of the book.
- Ask yourself, does the trailer make me want to buy the book?
- Be sure to credit your sources and direct the watcher to a buy link and feature the cover image.

For some examples, you can visit my YouTube channel: http://www.youtube.com/anavrea.
Next week, Step Four: Go For It!
- Rachel Rossano

Sweet Saturday Sample

Thank you for stopping by. Here is another excerpt from Duty, my current WIP (work in process). I am working on the last few scenes of the first draft. Written in first person from Brielle's point of view, this scene is from the morning after her wedding to Irvaine.
~~~~~
Chaos ruled the village center. Horses, men, gear, and a wagon commandeered from a local farmer crowded the open market square. From the back of the wagon, a small round man handed out rations to the soldiers assigned to travel with us. The charred remains of the previous night’s bond fire still smoked on the edge of the square. Hangover-shortened tempers flared as the men raised their voices to be heard over the sounds of the horses.
Village women moved among the men, new wives making sure their husbands had all their gear. Children tugged at their skirts and tangled in their feet. Half-grown boys dashed underfoot. They sought a bit of the excitement I wanted to wish away. I didn’t want to leave, but I must. I was no longer mistress of my own decisions. I belonged to another. Rubbing a soothing hand over my mount’s neck, I turned my attention to my husband.
The eye of the storm centered on Irvaine. He sat astride his stallion, dark eyes observing it all and ears tuned to the voices around him. When one of the soldiers walked by complaining about his rations, Irvaine intervened.
“You there.” He motioned the soldier over and indicated he wanted to see his provisions for the trip. After studying the bread, cheese, dried meat, and skin of ale, he sent the man on. “Brevand,” Irvaine gestured to his quartermaster. “I want to see the ration plan for the next month.”
Brevand’s chin rose. Defiance glinted in his gaze for a moment before he obeyed.
The furrows in Irvaine’s forehead deepened as he scanned the parchment. “This isn’t enough.”
“It is all we can spare.”
“The supply wagons will arrive in a matter of days.”
My gaze followed Antano as he moved through the ranks calling out names from a list of his own. When each man answered, he directed them to form ranks. However, my ears still tuned to Irvaine and Brevand’s conversation.
~~~~~
I hope you enjoyed it. :)For more Sweet Saturday Samples go to http://sweetsatsample.wordpress.com/
Come back on Wednesday for Steps to Indie Publishing - Step Three: Promotion Plan

Steps to Indie Publishing - Step Two: Planning

Once you have your manuscript as close to perfection as possible, it is time to plan. What mediums do you plan on using? What platforms? What price are you going to ask? Do you plan on making your own cover or are you outsourcing? Budgets, profit margins, and costs will all come into play. This is when you put on your business hat and try to keep your artistic writing side out of the picture for a bit.

Publishing Medium
Choosing your publishing medium depends heavily on your product.

- If you have a novel in hand, you probably should consider print and e-publishing, the more avenues the better. 

- If you are publishing a short story, I would recommend e-publishing, because print medium is not financially practical until you have enough short stories to create an anthology. 

-If you are considering publishing without seeking financial compensation, there are other possibilities like blogs and websites, and multiple variations of opportunities.

Multiple companies offer the opportunity to publish your work. I will list the main ones I have heard about.

                Print Platforms
                - Create Space (owned by Amazon-a Print On Demand operation)
                - Lulu (a Print On Demand operation)
                - Lightning Source (a Print On Demand operation)

                Ebook Platforms
                - Kindle Direct Publishing (owned by Amazon)
                - Smashwords (an epublisher who distributes to many of the major
                  ebook retailers)
                - Pubit! (owned by Barnes & Noble)
                - Lulu (a Print On Demand operation)

What I use and why - There are many options out there and more appearing every day. My experience has been with Lulu, Kindle Direct Publishing, and Smashwords. I can only speak with authority about them, and I can share why I chose them.

I started out with Lulu for print, years back. It was easy, reasonable, cost nothing to start, and I was pleased with my product when finished. Major detriment to Lulu is the shipping costs. However, they do offer frequent sales and sometimes, free shipping. Their distribution packages ranging from free to $75.

Only this past year I have branched out into epublishing with pleasant results. I chose to publish through Kindle Direct Publishing and Smashwords. Why these two?

Kindle books are very popular thanks to Kindle e-readers. The Amazon monster or giant, depending on who you talk to, is geared toward selling ebooks whether they are self-published or traditionally published. I wanted to be certain that my product transitioned smoothly onto their site so I worked directly with them.

Smashwords attracted me because of the ease of having most of my epublishing through one site. They offer attractive royalties, an easy-to-use coupon system, and deal with all the hassles of distributing to other venues like Kobo, Nook, Apple, and Sony. Using them eliminated the necessity of learning each retailer’s formatting requirements, converting my manuscript to that format, ironing out the errors and blips, and then maintaining the royalty side of things. Smashwords has, to date, been lovely to work with and very easy to manage.

What to charge
Pricing is a very hot topic right now, especially regarding ebooks. Most of the decision hinges on your goals. Do you want more readers or more profits? If you want more readers, offering you book at a lower price will increase your readership, perhaps increasing your revenue over the long run (that still remains to be seen). If you are more interested in profit, the solution would be to price the ebook at close to print prices and hope to entice enough readers to buy to compensate for the decreased quantity of readers. Both of these tactics are out there and there are authors and publishers firmly planted on both sides.

My personal leanings are toward a compromise. I write because I want to share. I cannot share if I don’t get readers. However, I want to make at least some money from all my hard work. Although I am constantly reminding my husband this is still a hobby, I do still hope to make it a serious business one day. My personal pricing scheme is 99 cents for short stories (for a royalty of about 70 to 35 cents a sale), $2.99 for novellas (a royalty of about two dollars a sale), and I plan on increasing as the book lengths grow. I keep the price the same regardless of venue.


Cover

Yeah, this was a lesson hard to learn, but I think I am finally learning my way about and gaining skill. If you have an eye, a sense of design, the ability to learn, and the computer skills, I believe you can put together a decent cover for little cost $20 or so.


If you would rather have someone else do it for you, I can point you in the direction of some great cover designers. I do my own covers generally. I am new at it, but learning fast. I designed the covers for The Mercenary’s Marriage, Word and Deed, Diaspora, and Duty.

Should you design your own cover, be careful to make sure you are covered legally. Use royalty free stock images, buy the licenses if necessary, and check everything a couple times, even the font licenses. Here are the sites I use most to find my images and fonts:

- Dreamstime (Their comp images are superior quality to any of the other sites I have seen.)

- Bigstock (They are consistently the cheapest at $5 for a 300 dpi image suitable for a cover.)

- FontSpace (They offer a wide range of free fonts for commercial use. If the font you want isn’t for commercial use, you can sometimes purchase a license from the creator.)

When purchasing images be cautious to buy a 300 dpi image for the quality you will need for a print cover. I use Photoscape and Paint.NET (both are free) to design my covers. I design them for 6 inches x 9 inches at 300 dpi, which works well for Lulu and is easy to scale for ebook. Before committing, get plenty of feedback on your cover from friends, enemies, and your target audience. Ask questions and be sure that that cover is worthy of your masterpiece. Be careful that your cover reflects the contents of the book.

Back Cover Material
There is an art to writing a cover blurb. I am not sure I can advise you how to do it. I do it kind of instinctively and not always well. Within a hundred to a two hundred words (three paragraphs), you need to identify the key players and hint at the main plot. Look around at other books and get an idea of what you want to write before you start. When you finish, you want the reader to want to pick up the book and read more.

Next week, Step Three: Promotion Plan
- Rachel Rossano

Sweet Saturday Sample

Welcome! This week's sample is from my current work in process, Duty. Much earlier in the story, this is my heroine and hero's second kiss. It is written in first person from Brielle's point of view.
~~~~~
After the fealty swearing ceremony, I wanted to sleep. The exhaustion of earlier pulled at my limbs, reminding me of the abuse of the past days. Yet, the troubadour continued to sing of a woman with flame-touched hair. The hero of the tale set off on a foolish quest to win her love by bringing her water from the fountain of youth. I held a small smile on my lips despite the vanity of the lady and the foolishness of her swain. Irvaine was wise enough to know that love cannot be bought with gifts.
“Your smile is slipping.” Irvaine’s hand closed over mine as it lay on the table. “Are you ready to retire?”
I nodded. “I am not accustomed to sleeping on the ground.”
“No ground for you tonight, my love. Tonight there will be a well-stuffed mattress, soft bedding, and me to keep you warm.”
I looked up in surprise to spot Rolendis walking behind him. She passed close enough to hear his words. Irvaine’s free hand brushed beneath my chin, setting my skin on fire as it tilted my face. His thumb grazed the corner of my mouth.
 “I wanted to do this all evening.”
His mouth caught mine gently, exploring and savoring. My senses whirled. Catching his forearm, I tried to anchor myself to reality. Instead, the movement of his lips and the delicate pressure of his fingertips against my cheek pulled me into a world of his creating. I fell beneath their spell.
Only when he withdrew a hand’s breadth to study my face, did reality gradually reassert itself.
“I should have tried that sooner.” His dark eyes studied my face, lingering on my mouth before returning to gaze deep into my eyes. That was when I realized the murmur of conversations around us had died down. I glanced out at the hall. The troubadour finally finished. Most of the crowd’s attention focused on us. I didn’t dare look Rolendis’ way.
~~~~~
I hope you enjoyed it. :)
For more samples, go to http://sweetsatsample.wordpress.com/
Thank you for coming.

Steps to Indie Publishing - Step One: Consider Your Manuscript

The first step to independent publishing is the same as traditional publishing, or any kind of publishing: make your manuscript the best it can be.


Consider pacing, character, plot, and writing style.
Since you, the author, are going to be the publisher, you must do the publisher’s job. Evaluate your work as objectively as you can. Is this story ready to be shown to the world?

Edit, edit, and edit some more. 

Seek opinions from beta readers who are willing to tell you the things you don’t want to hear. Opinionated people in your target audience fill the role perfectly. Even if you don’t agree with their evaluations, they will give you a foretaste of what to expect once your book hits the market.

If possible, seek a professional editor who appreciates your style. 

Not all editors fit all authors. If you are intending to pay for editorial work, take the time to be sure you will get the best value for your investment. Higher cost doesn’t mean better product. Look for someone who reads and/or writes in your target market. Find someone who will work with you to make your writing more powerful and clearer.


If you write young adult romance, you do not want a writer of hard core science fiction horror editing your manuscript. That editor may be excellent in his/her field, but most likely he/she will not understand your goal, style, or audience when they edit your manuscript.


Another side note, wait until the end, after working with your beta readers, to send a manuscript to your editor. That way he/she will not get bogged down in editing the small stuff like punctuation and miss the observations you really need like wording, flow, and choosing the right words.

Next week, Step Two: Planning

- Rachel Rossano

Sweet Saturday Sample

Welcome to Sweet Saturday Samples. This week's selection is from Duty, my current WIP in the final stages of the rough draft. Written in first person from Brielle's point of view, here is today's excerpt. (Please ignore any typos.)
~~~~~
I threw my anger into my work. In two days we cleared out five cottages, lugging out broken furniture, sweeping floors, and cleaning hearths.  The women and I labored tirelessly to reclaim a small measure of the life the invaders stole. Red-gold sunlight cast a long patch of light through the western facing door of my current project when I heard someone say my name. The shadow of a woman’s head fell across the moisture-slick stones beneath my brush.
“Brielle?”
I pushed up onto my knees and squinted into the light. It was Rowen.
“What are you doing?”
“Cleaning.”
I couldn’t see her frown, but I could sense it in the tilt of her head.
“Why?
“I cannot hunt down my cousin and hurt him the way he has hurt me and those I love. Durana cares for four children. One is just learning to crawl. She needs a clean floor. So, I am scrubbing it for her.”
“I saw the lord’s hall.”
“Then you know that nothing survived.”
“Not completely true. Some of the men pulled out some furniture from the bedchamber. The linens didn’t escape, but some jewelry and an ornamental sword were spared.”
I swallowed the urge to cry and locked my jaw so my chin wouldn’t tremble. “At least it is something.” My voice quavered.
“I am sorry.”
Her kindness was too much. A sob escaped. Like a breached dam, the flood followed. Before I could gasp for breath, Rowen was there. Strong arms and the scent of lemon surrounded me. I stopped fighting the tears and let them flow. She offered no platitudes and no excuses, just the warm assurance I wasn’t alone.
~~~~~
For more Sweet Saturday Samples go to http://sweetsatsample.wordpress.com/Thank you for stopping by. :)

Be sure to come back on Wednesday for the first step of "Steps to Indie Publishing", my new blogging series on indie publishing.

Steps to Indie Publishing - Introduction

This is the first in a series of articles on indie publishing (independent publishing, self-publishing, also sometimes called vanity publishing).

The first decision any author needs to make before embarking on the journey toward publication is which route to take (traditional or independent). To make this decision, there are many factors to consider.

First, where do you want to see your book?

- If you dream of seeing your book in Barnes & Nobles across the country or displayed on your all local bookstores' shelves in paperback format, then you might want to consider the traditional publishing route.

- If you desire to get your story out there no matter the means and don't really mind if it never makes it onto the shelves of your local bookstore, you might want to consider indie publishing.

Second, how controlling are you?

- As long as your story gets out there, you don't mind it getting tweaked a bit in the process. You don't mind the cover not being exactly as you dreamed as long as it represents the book and looks professional. You don't mind someone else having a say in how your book is presented and by who. Traditional might be for you.

- Or, are you the hands on type? Everything has to be just so. You have definite ideas of how things should look, be written, or presented. You like to have a say in every aspect of the process. You like to control things. If so, indie publishing might be for you.

Third, what are you willing to invest?

-Both options require time, money, and vast amounts of effort. The main difference between them is with traditional publishing you will most likely have more guidance and support from your publisher as you move through the process. However, I have been hearing (reading) about many traditionally published authors doing much of the same work I, an independently published author, do daily.

-With indie publishing, you will have to learn everything yourself, maintain everything yourself, and think both as a creator/artist and a business person. 

There are many more aspects to consider before choosing the route to pursue toward publishing your book. Be sure to research your options and decide with care based on your personality, goals, and resources.

Come back next week to learn about the steps I take when indie publishing my novels and short stories.

- Rachel Rossano