Lorijo Metz's Blog: ScifiWritermom, page 7
October 21, 2012
Self-Publishing, Part 3: My Most Important Mistake!
[image error]Having been traditionally published, and written several books for hire, it was a difficult decision to strike out on my own and self-publish. Then again, I come from an entrepreneurial family, and as they say, “timing is everything!” Timing, for me, came into play on several levels:
After years of writing, receiving critiques, and rewriting—WHEELS, my first novel, was finished.
At the same time, traditional book stores were closing, publishing houses were disappearing, and authors like Amanda Hocking and J.A. Konrath were successfully publishing their own eBooks; more importantly, improving the image of self-published authors.
Finally, self-publishing had become a risk that, quite simply, was affordable.[image error]
In short, while I made a few half-hearted attempts at querying agents, my little entrepreneurial soul was no longer content with waiting around for someone else to take control of my destiny.
I approached self-publishing fully aware that there is a reason authors who self-publish must work harder to be taken seriously. It has to do with editing, or rather, lack of editing. Let me back up a bit…
There is a class of self-published books which are clearly first drafts, hastily thrown together, and quickly published—I’m not speaking of those, as they don’t deserve to be spoken of. Rather, I’m referring to books that have been labored over, edited and revised, but in the end, lack the final touch of a professional copyeditor. In fact, copyediting, I believe, is the biggest obstacle self-published authors (if they are good ones) must tackle if they hope to be taken seriously.
First, let’s take a look at how I approached copyediting. Once I felt WHEELS was ready for publication…
I read, reread, and edited it multiple times. (This was in addition to the many drafts I’d written and revised over the years.)
I had well-educated family, friends, and other authors read my manuscript.
I had my computer read my entire manuscript out loud to me (a good way to catch missing words).
When I had no one left to read it and when I could no longer stand the sight or sound of my own book—yet, despite having a nagging fear that it probably wasn’t perfect—I uploaded WHEELS to Amazon. (I even asked early readers to email me any mistakes they found.)
Sounds like I was thorough—right? Wrong!
You may be a fine writer, you may be well-educated, but a true copyeditor has the eye and training to find typos and grammar mistakes that you and your closest and smartest friends will miss.
I had put in the effort to produce a good novel (whether you agree with me or not), and then made the mistake of thinking that, with the assistance of colleagues and family, I could tackle the copyediting myself.
[image error]Big mistake!
What got to me was the reviewer who said she would have given WHEELS five stars, but gave it only four stars because it had six mistakes.
REALLY! Six mistakes out of 100,000 words earns me one less %!@?! star! (I promptly thanked her and requested the edits.)
Still, I was embarrassed. I was embarrassed because I’d already received edits from caring readers and fixed them, yet there were six more. Worse—I was horrified, because I’d sent out copies to reviewers and over 8,000 people had already downloaded WHEELS. Mainly, however, I was frustrated because most of the downloads had been part of a freebie promotion and I knew that hiring a copyeditor was an expensive proposition.
…half of self-published authors earn less than $500.
If you click HERE, (or go to the link under 4 WRITERS) you’ll find a list of copyediting services. Look closely, and you’ll find the going fee for copyediting a book the size of WHEELS (approx. 100,000 words) is around $1,200.00.
YIKES!
Given that figure, I still consider not having WHEELS professionally copyedited before I published it as the biggest mistake I’ve made on my self-publishing journey. It is also a mistake I rectified before publishing the paperback edition.
That said…few books are perfect. When the first copy of my 950 word, traditionally published, picture book arrived in the mail, I eagerly sat down to read it only to be horrified that the main character’s name was misspelled on one page. Honestly, between the editor, the professional New York copyeditor, and me—not one of us had caught the typo before the book went into print.
So, mistakes happen. And, while a big part of me wants to say something like, If you want to be taken seriously as a self-published author, make sure your manuscript is professionally copyedited before publishing it, another part of me is completely sympathetic when I find (a few) typos in a self-published book. I often, in fact, make a list of those typos and send them to the author. The great thing about eBooks is that you can quickly fix and republish your book.
For me, I will invest in the services of a professional copyeditor before I publish my next book. I want to be taken seriously as a writer (even if I do write about aliens). YOU must decide for yourself. However, in an attempt to help you with that decision, I’ve created a list of copyediting services. I implore authors who have used a copyediting service, and have been satisfied with the results, to send me a link to add to my list. Help improve the reputation of self-published authors! Send me a link to the service and any pertinent details via my contact page.
Finally, I leave you with a link to a TED talk most appropriately titled, “How to learn? From mistakes.”
Happy Writing.
For more on self-publishing/copyediting visit: Susan Kaye Quinn’s post: Tips N Tricks: A Checklist for Self-Publishing
October 14, 2012
Beginning A New Novel
[image error]I began working on a new novel this week. Actually, it isn’t exactly new, as the story has been mulling around in the back of my mind for a while. I’ve even attempted a few chapters and character sketches, but the timing just wasn’t right. I needed to finish WHEELS. Finish, as in, get it published, get a good start on publicity and submit it to reviewers. Then, like a mother sending her grown up child out into the world, let it go and trust that everything will be fine.
Everything will be fine…
Anyway, I wanted to share two things with you, today.
One: a short video featuring author, Joyce Carol Oates. In it, she describes perfectly the frustration I feel at the beginning of writing each new book. I am an impatient person. I want to get to straight to the writing of my story and forget all about preparation—the character sketches, world building and research I need to do.
Two: A link to 90 Inspiring Author Videos for Aspiring Writers. A list of short author videos compiled by Kaplan University Online. It’s a great link to bookmark should you ever need a dose of inspiration 
Happy Writing!
P.S. If the YouTube link doesn’t work, try this link: (http://youtu.be/LgJ809QKmas)
BEGINNING A NEW NOVEL
[image error]I began working on a new novel this week. Actually, it isn’t exactly new, as the story has been mulling around in the back of my mind for a while. I’ve even attempted a few chapters and character sketches, but the timing just wasn’t right. I needed to finish WHEELS. Finish, as in, get it published, get a good start on publicity and submit it to reviewers. Then, like a mother sending her grown up child out into the world, let it go and trust that everything will be fine.
Everything will be fine…
Anyway, I wanted to share two things with you, today.
One: a short video featuring author, Joyce Carol Oates. In it, she describes perfectly the frustration I feel at the beginning of writing each new book. I am an impatient person. I want to get to straight to the writing of my story and forget all about preparation—the character sketches, world building and research I need to do.
Two: A link to 90 Inspiring Author Videos for Aspiring Writers. A list of short author videos compiled by Kaplan University Online. It’s a great link to bookmark should you ever need a dose of inspiration
Happy Writing!
P.S. If the YouTube link doesn’t work, try this link: (http://youtu.be/LgJ809QKmas)
October 12, 2012
So Many Books, So little time… I have a solution for that!
Well, I’m here today to announce that I’ve found a way to fit more books into my life. The best part is that I’ve discovered how to do this without adding any extra strain on my eyes, needing extra time in my day, and even better, losing weight while I do so.
Wait—why am I telling you this? I should sell this idea…
Okay, seriously, this post falls under the What’s On My Bookshelf category, but I wanted to have a little fun with it. The truth is, I am currently reading two books.
[image error]The first book, Perfection Unleashed, by Jade Kerron, is on my iPad. I’m about 20% of the way through and thoroughly enjoying it. I’m also happy to announce that I’ll posting a review and hosting Jade Kerron in my blog on Dec. 17th as part of the Book Tour for her Double Helix series. I can’t wait. Here’s the description of her book from Amazon:
What would you do if you came face-to-face with perfection, and it looked just like you?
Two men, one face. One man seeks to embrace destiny, the other to escape it.
Danyael Sabre spent sixteen years clawing out of the ruins of his childhood and finally has everything he wanted–a career, a home, and a trusted friend. To hold on to them, he keeps his head down and plays by the rules. An alpha empath, he is powerful in a world transformed by the Genetic Revolution, yet his experience has taught him to avoid attention.
When the perfect human being, Galahad, escapes from Pioneer Laboratories, the illusory peace between humans and their derivatives–the in vitros, clones, and mutants–collapses into social upheaval. The abominations, deformed and distorted mirrors of humanity, created unintentionally in Pioneer Lab’s search for perfection, descend upon Washington D.C. The first era of the Genetic Revolution was peaceful. The second is headed for open war.
Although the genetic future of the human race pivots on Galahad, Danyael does not feel compelled to get involved and risk his cover of anonymity, until he finds out that the perfect human being looks just like him.
[image error]The second book I’m reading is Divergent, by Veronica Roth. However, I’m not so much reading it, as listening to it. I’m sure many of you wise readers have already guessed this, but I’m listening to Divergent on my iPhone. I finally subscribed to Audible.com (audio books), and am reaping the benefits of listening to a wonderful book while walking my dog. In fact, if a chapter is especially good, I walk further so I can keep listening. You get the picture….
The more books I read/listen to—the better I look!
Here’s the description of Divergent from Amazon:
In Beatrice Prior’s dystopian Chicago world, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue—Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is—she can’t have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.
During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles alongside her fellow initiates to live out the choice they have made. Together they must undergo extreme physical tests of endurance and intense psychological simulations, some with devastating consequences. As initiation transforms them all, Tris must determine who her friends really are—and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes exasperating boy fits into the life she’s chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she’s kept hidden from everyone because she’s been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers unrest and growing conflict that threaten to unravel her seemingly perfect society, she also learns that her secret might help her save those she loves . . . or it might destroy her.
I’m not sure how long it will take me to read/listen to Divergent, but expect a posting under Book Discussions sometime in the near future.
Happy Reading!
October 10, 2012
Blogs I Love: Susan Kaye Quinn, Conjuring Tales For Young Minds
Children’s writers, in particular, are hugely supportive of each other. It’s tough to make it in this business, but if you’re going to be successful you quickly learn that rejection, whether it comes in the form of a rejection letter from an editor or agent, or simply a one star review on amazon, is almost a daily occurrence. Successful writers are writing, revising, submitting, and nowadays, self-publishing on a regular basis. In other words, we’re constantly putting ourselves, or rather, our writing out there for everyone to read and judge. And, believe me, not everyone is kind!
Honestly, if I hadn’t had the support of my writer friends, I might have given up long ago. More important, however, is the knowledge I’ve gained through my associations with other writers. Knowledge about things like how to write a query letter, how to submit to an editor, how to format a manuscript, and well… just basic writing skills—not to mention the many hours we’ve spent critiquing each others’ stories.
[image error]So, in the spirit of offering my readers (many of whom are also writers) writerly support, I’d like to introduce you to Susan Kaye Quinn. Susan Kaye Quinn is the best-selling author of The Mindjack Trilogy,
I’ve never met Susan, but I do know she’s a member (or at least was a member) of SCBWI. Much like all the other SCBWI writers I’ve met, you have only to visit Susan’s website to see how supportive she is of her fellow writers. Susan’s website is listed on my Useful Websites page (found under the 4 Writer’s tab), but I’ll post the link HERE so you can pop over there immediately and begin checking out her own “For Writers” page and start making use of all the links and information she provides.
Ironically, when I went to write this post today, I discovered Susan, much like me, was busy promoting another helpful writer, Denise Grover Swank. You won’t want to miss that post either… and to that end, here’s the link: Must Do For Self-Publishers: Creating A Business Plan
Happy writing and reading, my friends. By the way, if you’d like to recommend a website to add to my list of Useful Websites, you can send me the link via my contact page. I won’t promise to add it, but I will take a look!
October 9, 2012
Seraphina, by Rachel Hartman
[image error]With her novel, Seraphina, Rachel Hartman joins the ranks of JRR Tolkien, JK Rowling and CS Lewis. Much like Middle Earth, the alternate-medieval world Hartman populates with dragons, half dragons and humans is so well drawn, so interesting, I would give anything to visit it.
More impressive than the world Seraphina lives in, however, is Seraphina herself. In a world where neither humans nor dragons accept half-breeds, Seraphina must hide her silvery scales in order to fit in. Yet, while her scales remain hidden beneath her gown, her prickly personality and all too human tendency to lie land her right in the thick of trouble. While the characters in Seraphina have the requisite amount of special abilities, I believe the story as a whole rises above other books in the genre because Hartman focuses more on the emotional truth behind her character’s motivations than on their special abilities. Also, just as we can imagine Harry Potter’s world existing side by side with our own humdrum muggle universe; so too, Hartman makes it easy to imagine a world where dragons and humans live in an uneasy, yet peaceful coexistence. I love, love, love Seraphina and cannot wait for more books in the series.
If the above sounds more like a review than a book discussion, I apologize. Almost from page one I found myself gushing over Seraphina every time I told someone about it. However, I have saved one, if not negative, than rather much like Seraphina, prickly point for discussion.
In an interview I watched with Rachel Hartman, she admitted she has a love of words. That, my dear Rachel, is an understatement. Seraphina is filled with more “big” words of whose definition I was utterly clueless than any other book of fiction I have ever read. Luckily, I read Seraphina on my iPad Kindle app. I say “luckily” because on the Kindle application when you highlight a word the definition pops up. Had I been reading a plain old hardcover or paperback edition of Seraphina…well, I wonder if I would have enjoyed it so much.
For those of you how have read Seraphina (or perhaps some other book filled with large, unusual, or antiquated words) what are your thoughts? Does having a definition readily available increase, or even radically change your enjoyment of a book?
Comment below…I look forward to your thoughts.
October 2, 2012
What’s on my bookshelf: Seraphina, by Rachel Hartman
It’s been a while since I updated my bookshelf. Since reading Bitterblue, by Kristin Cashore, I’ve read The Maze Runner, by The James Dashner and am almost finished with Seraphina, by Rachel Hartman.
[image error]While I’m not going to post a book discussion about The Maze Runner, if you want to check out my thoughts about it, you can find them on GoodReads or under my Amazon reviews.
I should be posting a book discussion about Seraphina sometime next week. If you haven’t read Seraphina, I highly recommend you do. Though I haven’t finished it, I can already say it’s one of the best books I’ve read all year—if not the best book![image error]
Below is the description found on Amazon. Click on the book cover to surf on over there and buy your own copy. (Pick up a copy of The Maze Runner, too, while you’re at it.)
In her New York Times bestselling début, Rachel Hartman introduces mathematical dragons in an alternative-medieval world to fantasy and science-fiction readers of all ages. Eragon-author Christopher Paolini calls them, “Some of the most interesting dragons I’ve read in fantasy.”
Four decades of peace have done little to ease the mistrust between humans and dragons in the kingdom of Goredd. Folding themselves into human shape, dragons attend court as ambassadors, and lend their rational, mathematical minds to universities as scholars and teachers. As the treaty’s anniversary draws near, however, tensions are high.
Seraphina Dombegh has reason to fear both sides. An unusually gifted musician, she joins the court just as a member of the royal family is murdered—in suspiciously draconian fashion. Seraphina is drawn into the investigation, partnering with the captain of the Queen’s Guard, the dangerously perceptive Prince Lucian Kiggs. While they begin to uncover hints of a sinister plot to destroy the peace, Seraphina struggles to protect her own secret, the secret behind her musical gift, one so terrible that its discovery could mean her very life.
September 28, 2012
A Bump, A Box, A Bark and 3 Days of #Free Books!
A large box arrived on my front porch this morning. The dog heard the thump of the box hitting the cement, and of course, saw this as an excuse to bark his fool head off. I imagine he was saying something along the lines of, “Danger, Will Robinson! Something loud and scary has landed!”
(Although, it’s just as likely he was saying, “Bark bark, bark bark BARK!”)
Regardless… Low and behold, the box was full of paperback copies of my novel, WHEELS! (Not so scary, after all—unless you have a paperback phobia.)
Now that the paperbacks are here, and better yet, FOR SALE on Amazon, I’m able to move forward with two important projects.
Mail the giveaway winners their very own paperback copy of WHEELS! ✓
Launch another FREEBIE eBook promotion in celebration! ✓
That’s right, to celebrate the paperback edition of WHEELS, Friday, Sept 28th thru Sunday, Sept 30th, I’m giving away FREE eBook copies on Amazon. Click the picture below to download your copy of the YA, Science Fiction, Adventure reviewers say:
“…is one I know I’ll re-read, which isn’t something I say about a lot of books.” Anna from Pocketful of Books (Book review Blog)
“…is far from your average book.” Kindle Book Review
“… (is) whacky, loads of fun and even has a touch of romance.” Pauline Baird Jones, Author
For those of you who have waited patiently for the paperback… Well, you could PURCHASE a copy, but don’t forget there are still 3 Ways to win one. Click HERE, to find out more.
And check out more free eBook announcements here: www.fkbooksandtips.com
A Bump, A Box, A Bark and 3 Days of Free Books!
A large box arrived on my front porch this morning. The dog heard the thump of the box hitting the cement, and of course, saw this as an excuse to bark his fool head off. I imagine he was saying something along the lines of, “Danger, Will Robinson! Something loud and scary has landed!”
(Although, it’s just as likely he was saying, “Bark bark, bark bark BARK!”)
Regardless… Low and behold, the box was full of paperback copies of my novel, WHEELS! (Not so scary, after all—unless you have a paperback phobia.)
Now that the paperbacks are here, and better yet, FOR SALE on Amazon, I’m able to move forward with two important projects.
Mail the giveaway winners their very own paperback copy of WHEELS! ✓
Launch another FREEBIE eBook promotion in celebration! ✓
That’s right, to celebrate the paperback edition of WHEELS, Friday, Sept 28th thru Sunday, Sept 30th, I’m giving away FREE eBook copies on Amazon. Click the picture below to download your copy of the YA, Science Fiction, Adventure reviewers say:
“…is one I know I’ll re-read, which isn’t something I say about a lot of books.” Anna from Pocketful of Books (Book review Blog)
“…is far from your average book.” Kindle Book Review
“… (is) whacky, loads of fun and even has a touch of romance.” Pauline Baird Jones, Author
For those of you who have waited patiently for the paperback… Well, you could PURCHASE a copy, but don’t forget there are still 3 Ways to win one. Click HERE, to find out more.
September 24, 2012
3 Ways to Win Your Very Own Paperback Copy of WHEELS
3 promotions,
on 3 different blogs,
which means…
there are 3 ways to WIN…
your very own paperback copy of WHEELS. Click on each of the links below to enter. Good Luck! (And may the force be with you.
)[image error] [image error] [image error]
