Shelli R. Johannes's Blog, page 14

YA Scavenger Hunt - Blue team!

Welcome to YA Scavenger Hunt! 



This tri-annual event was first organized by author Colleen Houck as a way to give readers a chance to gain access to exclusive bonus material from their favorite authors...and a chance to win some awesome prizes! At this hunt, you not only get access to exclusive content from each author, you also get a clue for the hunt. Add up the clues, and you can enter for our prize--one lucky winner will receive one signed book from each author on the hunt in my team! But play fast: this contest (and all the exclusive bonus material) will only be online for 72 hours!







Go to the YA Scavenger Hunt page to find out all about the hunt. There are TWO contests going on simultaneously, and you can enter one or all! I am a part of the BLUE TEAM--but there is also a red team for a chance to win a whole different set of twenty-five signed books!



If you'd like to find out more about the hunt, see links to all the authors participating, and see the full list of prizes up for grabs, go to the YA Scavenger Hunt homepage.




SCAVENGER HUNT PUZZLE




Directions: Below, you'll notice that I've listed my favorite number. Collect the favorite numbers of all the authors on the BLUE TEAM, and then add them up (don't worry, you can use a calculator! :). 




Entry Form: Once you've added up all the numbers, make sure you fill out the form here to officially qualify for the grand prize. Only entries that have the correct number will qualify.




Rules: Open internationally, anyone below the age of 18 should have a parent or guardian's permission to enter. To be eligible for the grand prize, you must submit the completed entry form by August 5, at noon Pacific Time. Entries sent without the correct number or without contact information will not be considered.




HOSTED AUTHOR




Today, I am hosting TARA FULLER on my website for the YA Scavenger Hunt! 






Tara Fuller writes novels. Some about grim reapers . Some about witches. All about kissing. Tara grew up in a one stop light town in Oklahoma where once upon a time she stayed up with a flash light reading RL Stine novels and only dreamed of becoming a writer. She has a shameless addiction for zombie fiction, Mystery Science Theater, and black and white mochas. Tara no longer lives in a one stop light town. Now she lives with her family in a slightly larger town in North Carolina where they have at least three stoplights.






Inbetween (Kissed by Death, #1)

Since the car crash that took her father's life two years ago, Emma's life has been a freaky-and unending- lesson in caution. Surviving countless "accidents" has taken priority over being a normal seventeen-year-old, so Emma spends her days taking pictures of life instead of living it. Falling in love with a boy was never part of the plan. Falling for a reaper that makes her chest ache and head spin? Not an option.

It's not easy being dead-especially for a reaper who is in love with a girl fate has put on his hit list not once, but twice. Finn's fellow reapers give him hell about spending time with Emma, but Finn couldn't let her die before, and he's not about to let her die now. He will protect the girl he loves from the evil soul hell bent on stealing her body, even if it means sacrificing the only thing he has left...his soul.




EEK! A Sneak Peek! 




Watch Tara read from the upcoming sequel in the Kissed by Death series
























Direct Video Link:  http://youtu.be/YjyBFxmZLUU




And don't forget to enter the contest for a chance to win a ton of signed books by me, TARA FULLER and more! To enter, you need to know that my favorite number is 13. Add up all the favorite numbers of the authors on the blue team and you'll have all the secret code to enter for the grand prize!





CONTINUE THE HUNT




To keep going on your quest for the hunt, you need to check out the next amazing author, JULIE CROSS!






GET MORE PRIZES


I'm also on the BLUE team! Head over to Jessica's blog to check out my exclusive sneak peek at the Title and Summary of   Book 3 in The Nat ure of Grace series .


Here is also a chance to win a paperback of Untraceable and Uncontrollable and a "Grace" bracelet. (International entries are eligible for ebooks only).



a Rafflecopter giveaway 







Good luck! :)








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DAY VIRGO of THE 13TH SIGN Contest by Kristin Tubb

Welcome to DAY VIRGO of 13 Days of THE 13TH SIGN
Preorder Contest! I am happy to host Day Six of this contest for my friend and awesome author, Kristin Tubb who's new book THE 13TH SIGN comes out Jan 8th!.




VIRGO is traditionally considered to be the sixth sign of the
zodiac. I am a virgo :) and the VIRGO characteristics include: modest, perceptive, friendly, cynical, distrustful, and ambitious. 




Did you know some say there is a 13th sign called OPHIUCHUS? You should because it changes everything...and everyone.




If want to learn more about your 12-sign horoscope,
your 13-sign horoscope, and which horoscope sign you ACT like? Take THE 13TH SIGN quiz!)




So. What is this
contest all about?

If you preorder a copy of THE
13TH SIGN by Kristin O’Donnell Tubb, you will be entered into a
contest! Where you can WIN THINGS! And there are new prizes every day!




And. EVERY preorder will be *matched* by a $1.00 donation to
RIF, a literacy program committed to placing
books in the hands of kids who need them most.




About the book

What if
there was a 13th zodiac sign? 






You’re
no longer Sagittarius, but Ophiuchus, the healer, the 13th sign. 

Your
personality has changed. So has your mom’s and your best friend’s. 

What
about the rest of the world? 

What if
you were the one who accidentally unlocked the 13th sign, causing this
world-altering change, and infuriating the other 12 signs?  






Jalen
did it, and now she must use every ounce of her strength and cunning to send
the signs back where they belong. Lives, including her own, depend upon it.




What can I win TODAY?

If you preorder THE 13TH SIGN today, Wednesday,
November 28th, you could win:



key charm
signed THE 13TH SIGN swag
$10 itunes gift card
signed TIMEPIECE by Myra McEntire poster
signed paperback of AUTUMN WINIFRED OLIVER DOES THINGS
DIFFERENT by Kristin O’Donnell Tubb
a 13th SIGN tshirt






How do I enter?

Simple. Just preorder THE 13TH SIGN and email your receipt TO KRISTIN at ktubb@comcast.net. 




You can preorder the book through Amazon,
Barnes
& Noble, Indiebound,
or through your local independent bookstore. You will be entered
into that day’s drawing, the grand prize drawing, and your purchase will be
*matched* by a $1.00 donation to RIF!




Are there other ways
to enter the contest?

Yep!  You can be
entered into the daily prize drawings by doing one or more of the following:



Each preorder of THE 13TH SIGN = 10 entries into
grand prize drawing and 10 entries into that day’s drawing
Each person who blogs about the contest = 10 entries into
that day’s drawing
Each person who changes Twitter or Facebook avatar to cover
= 5 entries into that day’s drawing (for each day it is present)
Each Tweet or Facebook status mention of the book and
contest = 2 entries for that day’s drawing (must include hashtag #the13thsign)
Each RT of book and/or contest = 1 entry for that day’s drawing






BUT. You have to preorder THE 13TH SIGN
to enter to win the grand prize and to have your purchase matched with a RIF donation.




ALSO. To make sure you get the correct amount of entries, please
let Kristin know if you’ve done any of the above! You can email her at ktubb@comcast.net with everything you’ve
done to enter.




What is the grand
prize?

A
Nexus 7 ereader! BOOM. The grand
prize winner will be announced on Kristin’s
blog on Friday, December 7.




How long does the
preorder contest last?

13 days total! You can visit these other blogs for each
day’s prizes:

DAY ARIES: The Book
Vortex

DAY TAURUS:  The Housework Can Wait

DAY GEMINI:  Magnet 4 Books

DAY CANCER:  Abby the Librarian

DAY LEO:  Mother Daughter Book Club

DAY VIRGO: S. R.
Johannes/Market My Words

DAY LIBRA: Elizabeth
O. Dulemba

DAY SCORPIO:  Citrus Reads

DAY OPHIUCHUS: Young
Adult Books Central

DAY SAGITTARIUS: Bloggers [heart] Books

DAY CAPRICORN: - Middle Grade Mafioso

DAY AQUARIUS: Smack Dab in the Middle


DAY PISCES: From
the Mixed-Up Files of Middle Grade Authors



Good luck! And don’t forget to take THE 13TH SIGN quiz







If you have any questions, please email Kristin Tubb at ktubb@comcast.net! Thanks!




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YA Scavenger Hunt 411

Hi Everyone,



Here is a list of the authors and teams for the upcoming YA Scavenger Hunt, hosted by Colleen Houck.



The hunt will begin this Thursday, November 29th at noon pacific time and will end on Sunday, December 2nd, at noon pacific. There will be multiple prizes given away and it's a great chance to add some books to your holiday wish list! I know I'm already making my own wish list.





Leave a comment and tell me which books you are the most excited for.



The hunt winners as well as the art contest winners and the book trailer winner  will be announced after the Scavenger Hunt is finished early next week.



Shelli




The Blue Team





HEATHER ANASTASIU





JENNIFER L. ARMENTROUT





RACHEL CARTER





ANNA COLLOMORE





JULIE CROSS





TRACY DEEBS





LEIGH FALLON





TARA FULLER





MARLEY GIBSON





CYNTHIA HAND





P.J. HOOVER





AMALIE HOWARD





CORRINE JACKSON





STACEY KADE





SUZANNE LAZEAR





S.R. JOHANNES





MAUREEN MCGOWAN





COURTNEY ALLISON MOULTON





LEA NOLAN





AMY PLUM





LISSA PRICE







PETER ADAM SALOMON





JESSICA SHIRVINGTON





JESSICA SPOTSWOOD





RACHEL VINCENT

The Red Team





JOSEPHINE ANGELINI





RAE HACHTON



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TERA LYNN CHILDS





KRISTI COOK





GINA DAMICO





KIMBERLY DERTING





ALEX FLINN





MICHELLE GAGNON





DAVID MACINNIS GILL





NANCY HOLDER





COLLEEN HOUCK





TARA HUDSON





ELANA JOHNSON





JESSICA KHOURY





GINA LINKO





MYRA MCENTIRE





ALEXANDRA MONIR





E.C. MYERS





GREGG OLSEN





JOY PREBLE





BETH REVIS





VICTORIA SCHWAB





J.A. SOUDERS





VICTORIA STRAUSS





EDNAH WALTERS













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Win Kindle Fire HD (or ereader valued at 200$)!

Jingle all the YA - sampler of 14 bestselling authors!




Download ebook for free (at Kindle, Kobo, or Apple) and enter to WIN A KINDLE FIRE HD (or ereader of your choice up to value of 200$)




It's easy to enter!




1) Download the free ebook here




2) Find the secret phrase embedded in the 14 excerpts 

(HINT: there is one character in each book bolded making 13 letters and one punctuation mark)




3) Enter secret phrase (14 characters) into Rafflecopter link below




Contest ends on Dec 31st. Winner announced on Jan 7th. Only open to US.




Book description




Curl up this holiday season and sample 14 bestselling young adult books. 




14 YA authors compiled this special gift for their readers. The holiday sampler includes excerpts from YA's bestselling books - all wrapped up in one neat little package. 




Whether you like paranormal, romance, mythology, or thrillers, "Jingle all the YA" gives you a taste of it all.




This sampler includes the following 14 bestselling YA authors:




Chelsea M. Cameron - Nocturnal (When seventeen-year-old Ava-Claire Sullivan meets a mysterious boy in a cemetery who isn't human, she'll have to decide whether a relationship with him is worth the risk to her own mortality.)




GP Ching - Grounded (A modest seventeen-year-old girl discovers she's the product of a government experiment, when her father's illness causes her to leave her isolated community.)




Shelly Crane - Significance (Because you are my significant, my soul mate, and I'm yours.)




Chelsea Fine - Anew (Sometimes love is meant to be, but sometimes...love is the death of you.)




Jessie Harrell - Destined (When Psyche destroys the one relationship she can't live without, she must journey alone through ancient Greece and face the wrath of the gods if she wants to reclaim an immortal love.




Ella James - Here




S.R. Johannes - Untraceable (When Grace's forest ranger father goes, missing, she fights officials and nature to find out what happened, uncovering a conspiracy that changes her small town forever.)




Tiffany King - Forever Changed




M. Leighton - Fragile (Her heart, as delicate as glass. His love, as strong as steel. Can either survive life and death?




Addison Moore - Ethereal (An entire faction of earthbound angels wants 16 y/o Skyla Messenger dead, at least she still has Logan, a boy who shares her gift of telepathy, or does she?)




Jessica Sorenson - Ember (What if you knew when someone was going to die?)




Raine Thomas - Becoming (When Amber Hopkins discovers that ancient gods, avenging angels and other beings of myth and legend all exist, she doesn't realize that her life is only going to get more complicated from there.)




Rashelle Workman - Exiled (Worlds divided them. Chance brought them together. Only love will save them.)




Samantha Young - Smokeless Fire (One girl's fiery battle with ancient deadly creatures, epic family drama and heart-wrenching romantic entanglements.)



a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Ways to have confidence in your work

A year ago when I left my agent, I scouted for another one. Desperate. Panicked.



I decided to find a new agent. But I had a manuscript that had already been sent out to a few editors, one that was sent out to 20 (and almost got bought a few times) and a partial of a new shiny manuscript.



At the time, I could not get a new agent. Whether it was due to the fact I had left mine. Or that I had 2 complete manuscripts that had already been seen in NYC (no matter how small the rounds were) or because I only had a partial to sell. It didn't matter, after attempting a couple times, I gave up and decided to experiment with indie pubbing. It was a way to move forward.



Now a year later - I am coming upon my one year as an indie author. Untraceable has sold a lot of copies. Uncontrollable (only out for 6 weeks now) has sold any unbelievable # of copies - way more than Untraceable in the same amount of time.



So editors and agents arent' always right. For so long, I thought those books sucked yet they have been successful selling more than I expected and more than some traditional authors do.



But even though my books have been doing great, I have been doubting my new project. Is it good enough? Am I good enough?



So I decided to take another shot at getting some feedback. Last weekend, after going to the Atlanta Writers Club conference, I submitted my new shiny project to 2 agents for a PITCH and MANUSCRIPT critique. I wanted to get feedback on saleability, writing, and voice. I was doubtful going in but pleasantly surprised. Both agents loved the story and encouraged me to get it to them. In addition, they were very positive about my indie experience. Something that is sometimes hard to come by and you never know what you will get. Whether we like it or not, self pubbing still has a stigma though it is changing slowly.



But what was really amazing about that conference was that I won "Best Pitch" and "Best Manuscript Submission" from both agents as well. (what??!!!!! :) I was shocked and so grateful for the universal sign telling me to keep working on this special project. The one I love. The one I had doubts about. The one I want an agent for.



It got me thinking. Why do we need confirmation on our writing? It's kinda sad that it takes this kind of win to get me believing in my work again. Just when I doubted this project, it got a couple pats on the back. Those few words and certificates are now pushing me forward into finishing it.



So, why do we as authors have a hard time distinguishing what is good and what is not good? How do we keep our confidence up in the face of rejections and criticism?



Here are a few tips to keep the faith when you are feeling down about your writing or project:




Reignite your passion. Find out why you started writing in the first place and get that feeling back
Stick together. Stay connected with writer friends. Sometimes it feels like we are alone - but we are all on this path and experience similar things.
Keep writing. Don't stop if you start doubting yourself. Break away from the project or write in a different environment.
Get outside advice. Use readers or editors to provide feedback when you aren't sure what you have.
Watch the negative talk. I believe we get what we give. Sometimes we beat ourselves up inside and don't even realize it. Those words that make us doubt ourselves. I suck. This is crap. I'll never get published. You know what I'm talking about. Change your mindset.
Stop comparing. Comparing your writing or journey to others just sets you in a tailspin. Focus on your own path and stay offline if you have to while you are writing.
Celebrate your wins no matter how small. Whether it be winning a contest, getting a good rejection letter, or finishing your first draft. Pat yourself on the back along the way. Take it one step at a time.
Set writing goals. This keeps you focused. Achieving even the smallest of goals can keep your chin up and keep you moving even if you don't feel you are or don't want to. 
Focus on craft. Take some classes. Learn new techniques. We gain confidence with skill.
Trust your gut. Believe in your ability and believe in your writing. Go with your gut and you can never go wrong.






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Use more to create suspense than just action

Our Georgia Peach Tour is in full swing!



Jennifer Jabaley (Lipstick Apology). Vicky Shecter (Cleopatra's Moon) and me teamed up and gave discounts to schools in the state of Georgia to help with budget cuts. We are touring middle schools and high schools promoting reading and writing.



We will visit about 12 schools by Thanksgiving and see almost 10,000 kids. The bonus is meeting all the literacy coordinators and media specialists. :)



One of my lectures is on "Writing Thrillers" so I thought I would summarize it and share it today since I'm doing it tomorrow. Feel free to add in the comments any of your ideas.



Thriller vs mystery



A mystery is about solving a crime that has already happened. The killer's identity is hidden until the end because otherwise, there would be no mystery -- right?



A thriller is about a crime (or another type of disaster) that is about to happen ... unless the hero can stop it. The reader might know who the villain is from the very beginning -- even watches over the villain's shoulder as evil is being committed.



Untraceable is a blend of both. The mystery adds to the pacing because you are not sure when Grace is in danger.



Pull from the what you know


Know the thriller genre inside and out
Do research and know what is possible for your character
Immerse yourself in movies/TV shows/books on thrillers
Pull from those moments when you were the most scared 

It's not just about action


Thrillers are about creating tension in different Dialogue and sentence structure can change the pace.
Bring pace in through setting, character, and structure
EX: The Walking Dead – zombies are scary but sometimes it is scarier when nothign is happening because you know what could happen any minute. 

1) Come up with big idea for a thriller


Come up with the big hook
Is it new? How can you make it new?
Create "what if" question
Answer the "what if" question
Go where no man has gone before

2) Pace through structure


Cut strategically. Use an inverted conflict curve - cut your chapters in the middle of conflict instead of at the end of resolution
Create short chapters
Spread out your actions scenes and break them with slower paced scenes to create a roller coaster feeling
Create cliffhangers or a ticking clock to get reader past natural breaks
Use short, clippy sentences (even fragments) to speed up pace; longer sentences and narrative to slow it down
Add dialogue to slow down pace

3) Pace through action




Keep the reader moving is main goal
Make the danger feel real and always present in the background
Withhold information to keep reader guessing
Don’t be predictable – go where reader doesn’t expect
Start with a suspenseful scene to set mood



4) Pace through setting




Create a visual by using 5 senses
Cinematic – visualize a movie when you are writing. Show what your character sees
Choose settings wisely depending on mood you need.
Use contrasting moods in your setting - ie home is safe and secure unless the power goes out. The woods are peaceful during the day but scary at night.



5) Pace through character




Make it tough for your MC
Emotions – keep them high and let reader feel fear
Create poignant moments – don’t be afraid to do this in a thriller
Stakes – keep raising them
Internal tension can add to suspense of story
Create real motives (for all characters) or it won't be believable















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Walking the fence in publishing

I can't help but at times feel that I still want it all.



Both a traditional path and self pubbing path.



Maybe it's my awkward need or my want to belong. Or maybe I don't like to be pigeonholed. Not force myself into one box or standard. Maybe I'm greedy. Maybe I have a dual personality.



I don't know what it is, but I find myself looking at my future with both sides of the fence in mind.



This side of the fence is hard!





Why do I still pine for the "old flame"sometimes ? Because indie publishing is soooo HARD!!!!! It's so fun and I love the control, but I'm exhausted.



I've had a great start. In 9 months, I've sold almost 15,000 books (5,000 just since September) but I admit I still feel a need to be a part of the traditional industry in some way.



As I've mentioned in the past - I wear soooooo many hats and with each book that comes out - those hats multiply exponentially. I have tried to put things in place to help to lighten my load but I'd admit - I over commit and there is always so much to do. Especially in marketing, which I have a hard time not doing. It's in my blood.



For example - today I want to do write but I have to gather and track my quarterly reports just to keep on top of my sales. And this is for every channel (which there are more than 5 for me right now)





My intern, Kate, has helped keep me stay organized. Love her!  But that is only a few hours a week. I miss those days of my agent cheering me on, giving me advice, complimenting my writing, and standing behind me. I miss having that one person on my side. At times, when I get tired, I find myself wishing I had someone invested in me again, someone that believed in me and my writing. Someone besides me and my mother :)



To keep self pubbing, I have to stay on it every day.



And some days I just want to write. Or breathe. Or watch TV or just be lazy.



But there are always many, many on my To Do list. And they all seem urgent with some kind of timeline. Besides PTA, family, personal, and girl scout stuff, there is all the other stuff that comes with self pubbing - the stuff beyond writing and promotion. And you have to do them all -  across several different projects. Keeping it all straight is almost impossible.



No matter what the opinion is, indie pubbing gets lonely and difficult. And it's HARD doing it all on your own. It's like owning your own business and it's growing but you can't hire any employees because it is not a guarantee.



I'm not saying traditional is not hard. But in self pubbing - you are a one man show. Always. For everything.





Walking the fence





Even as I pave my own way or find some level of success in this crazy publishing biz, at times, I still feel like the "odd man out" - on both sides.



In general, the traditional side of me questions some parts of self pubbing - how it is flooding the book world with a lot of "not so great" stuff. So, part of me wants a traditional publishing opportunity (that many self published authors don't agree with at all) so I can be the best I can be. I'm a good writer but I still make mistakes and I want to learn more.



But, then there is my self pubbing side which questions the validity of the traditional vetting process and the growth opportunities for authors (which of course many traditional authors don't agree with at all ).





So because of this outlook, I don't feel like I really belong to either side of the fence, therefore, always feel slightly awkward. Whether I am at a school visit or selling books at a conference. It's like high school all over again. I was a cheerleader but didn't really fit in b/c it wasn't quite me and you could tell. Yet because I was a cheerleader, other kids avoided me just because of the stereotype of a cheerleader. I should have just stuck with soccer or music.



It's hard to want both in this industry. It's like a war or something - everyone saying I "have" to choose. So what ends up happening is I sometimes get the feeling of walking down the middle and both sides firing because they don't know whose side you are on. Yet I don't want to put down either side and I want to be a part of both sides.



What about strategic decisions?



I believe there is a specific place for everything.





Why can't my decision to self pub just be a simple strategic decision in my career as an author? Why does it have to be one or the other based on opportunity or skill?



Self pubbing doesn't have to be a "way out" - you do skip the agent/editorial vetting process (no matter if you even want it) but it's hard to stand out. Hard to do it all on your own. The readers are the vetters. And trust me, indie authors can't get away with anything. Whether it is a couple of typos that slipped through your copyeditors fingers or the stigma, it always hangs over you.



Yet, trust me, for most self pubbing is definitely  not a "way in" either - generally it isn't a way in to traditional anyway so don't go into it for that. Agents and editors generally aren't seeking self pubbed books to redo. That is a very small percentage. And no matter what you hear, it's not 15,000 copies that gets you there, it is mostly luck or 100,000 sales with some press.



Self pubbing is about what works best. it's not always fair just like traditional pubbing.  In indie publishing - certain books sell better than others. YA suspense, contemporary, paranormal, and romance. New adult and adult romance as well as adult thrillers. Like it or not, you can have the best historical fiction but chances are it won't do great in indie pubbing.



What is my future? (rhetorical question ;)



Well, I am not someone who can just write to sell. To stay with the same series even though it makes money. That is probably good business sense for self pubbers and works well for many but I have other ideas I want to put out.



From a marketing perspective - some of my books just don't make sense to self pub and some do. Not all of my work would fit on both sides anyway. So why not choose some for one side and some for the other side?



So today, I am making my declaration public to the universe - I want both! Is that so bad? There are pros and cons to both sides and I want to experience both because sometimes you can only go so far unless you learn failure and success in new ways.



Yet I wonder if there is a place in the middle for hybrid authors to take the best of both worlds.



That one special project



Now I have one special project that could go either way in this industry. It's now choosing the way that is the hardest thing.



I have a new project - a timely YA cyber thriller that I think has great potential - but which way do I go? Do I self pub it and continue down that path knowing how hard it is? Knowing that sometimes there is only so far you can get on your own? Possibly limiting my readership potential due to limited distribution.



Or do I query agents/editors and start all over again? Knowing the book is timely and probably shouldn't wait 2 years. Yet knowing it has huge commercial potential.



And then if I go traditional with this story... do I query under an alias and hide all my sale information to get away from the stigma? Because like it or not - there is a stigma - whether you have great sales or not. Or should I proudly use my name and sales, knowing it could impact my book's chances. Maybe I should just hope to find someone who can look past the stigma of self publishing and focus on my skill and the book's merit. See my self pubbing as a win/a strength more than a weakness.



I've decided I want to be a hybrid author. Someone who is on the fence doing both - but committed to putting out good out books in the best way. Whether that is possible or not is the question.



This is not a popular view. I tend to choose those somehow. Many self pubbed authors want you to commit to self publishing, while many traditional authors say you are a sell out if you choose self pubbing. In addition, many agents and editors say you can't have it both ways.



I say why not? I truly see benefits in walking the fence.



How is now my question.














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Lulu's Brew - Just in time for Halloween

Elizabeth Dulemba stops by to discuss the journey of LULU's BREW. I've known Elizabeth since high school and we recognized each other a few years ago at a Southern Breeze SCBWI conference. Small world! :)



=======



 My new picture book, LULA’S BREW, did not follow the normal publishing path. Yes, the dummy made the rounds in New York - twice. But that’s not how she finally entered the world. I made her into one of the first iPhone children’s book apps way back in 2009, when apps were a new and radical thing. Later I adapted her to the iPad too. She earned me a lot of press. I wrote articles for trade magazines, did some very high-tech school visits, and received several invitations to speak on the topic. I was one page ahead in the manual and that made me an expert. 



But really, I was just listening to my radar. I’ve come to trust it over the years. And this is what it tells me...



Traditional publishing is going through radical changes right now, much like the music industry did several years ago. Everybody predicted the downfall of the big publishing houses when ebooks started taking off, but I’m starting to see a trend in another direction. 



Ebooks are just another way to read. Just like paperbacks were a cheaper way to enjoy stories when they first came on the scene. Just like Gutenberg’s press made books more widely available rather than killing the hand-made book. 



I watch my young cousins with my iPad. I used to download picture books onto it, but it quickly became apparent that an electronic device meant games to them - not books. And I watch my own reading habits. I love my Kindle because I don’t have the space to keep every physical book I read. But I don’t like reading on my iPad - a backlit screen. My husband, however, reads on his iPhone and his Nook Color all the time. 



What this says to me is people like to read in different ways and now we have options. And for every method to read there is another way to create or produce a book. One of the most interesting reactions I heard on the topic was from Shelli herself over a breakfast get-together. She said her audience isn’t the same that buys physical books - it’s a completely new and different demographic. Her audience gobbles up books like candy - fast and furiously, and electronically. Fascinating.



And yet, I am coming full circle. LULA’S BREW was downloaded over 10,000 times as an app. But even with all her success, I kept getting emails from fans asking “Where can I buy the book?” Picture books, it would seem, still have strong appeal in print. 



I did consider self-publishing, but following Shelli’s experiences with her novels quickly proved to me that was an area I didn’t want to tackle. (It’s hard work!) So I was thrilled when I came across an article in Shelf Awareness about an ebook publisher, Xist Publishing, who was turning successful children’s ebooks into print books. Why? They discovered their books sold better and for more money when they were available both electronically and in print. How’s that for turning technology on its head? I immediately got in touch and happily, they flipped over LULA’S BREW and took it on.



But perhaps even more interesting is how Xist publishes books. They are a traditional house using unconventional methods. They use print-on-demand resources like Amazon’s Createspace and/or Lightning Source to produce their books as orders come in. It’s a radical idea that saves money and resources - there’s no warehousing and no waste. Might this be the wave of the future?



Two years ago everybody was predicting the demise of the print book. But today, I think we can safely say the physical book is not dead - at least in children’s books. It’s just that now we have so many ways to read. If anything, it seems that reading is a growing past-time among a growing audience!



I’m thrilled to include LULA’S BREW among the print picture books available this Halloween season.



Elizabeth Dulemba

" During my graphic design career, I was often Art Director, but always in-house illustrator, creating art mostly for child-related industries such as Buster Brown Apparel (I drew Charlie Brown and Snoopy for many years), Brach’s candy, even the Stone Mountain Laser Show. My graphic design background gave me an intimate knowledge of the publishing process and enough web savvy to create my own web site. In fact, I embrace all things technological and create my illustrations digitally. I even created one of the first picture book apps available for the iPhone way back in 2009, LULA'S BREW(downloaded over 10,000 times)."



To find her, visit her web site.









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Building the best self-publishing team

Miral Sattar (founder of Bibliocrunch, a service one-stop for self pubbers) stops by to talk about creating a great self pubbing team!






Why is building a publishing team important?




There is so much activity in the publishing space in terms of new platforms and tools that are accessible to everyone. There is no barrier to entry to publish a book anymore. The publishing industry is the last to go digital, hence it can be argued that it's going through the quickest transition. Because the tools are accessible to everyone there are a greater number of self-published and indie books published. Because so many books are being put out, there is also an increase in the number of “bad” books being published. “Bad” books have poor covers that someone used PowerPoint to create, or books that have clearly not been edited well. “Bad” books have grammar errors and are poorly formatted or not been proofed. Because of the rise of “bad’ books this has given self-publishers and indie authors a negative reputation.




So even though it's much easier to publish a book, it's even harder to get it noticed and make it stand out. By building a solid publishing team you make sure that you cover all your bases in the book publishing process. You don’t just need a good story but need someone to help you design a cover, you need editing (not yourself) from a professional editor, you need a proofer to make sure your book is free or errors and you need marketing for your book to help readers find you. You can pretty much get ‘Big Six’ publisher quality if you have put together a great publishing team because there are no publishing services that a big publisher can provide that you can’t get done through your own publishing team.




What is quality?




Quality is making sure that your book is in the best shape it can be for your reader: you have an eye-catching cover, a well-edited book without grammar mistakes or types, an error-free version that is converted correctly (you don’t want to run into the JK Rowling Last Vacancy situation J  where readers couldn’t adjust the font), a great landing page on Amazon which conveys what the book is about, having good meta data, and a good marketing plan. A lot of writers tell me that they don’t have any capitol to hire professionals for their book and can pretty much do everything for free themselves. Which is fine, if you don’t want anyone to buy your book and you just want to give it away for free.



Membership Special




We also have a special discount code for premium memberships. 

If you would like to join BiblioCrunch, use promo code UNTR to get 50% off a premium subscription with a number of bonus features.





About BiblioCrunch.com :

BiblioCrunch helps connect authors and publishers with book publishing professionals to get new books and apps to market. With an exclusive community of professionals who have worked for some of the largest publishing houses, including Simon & Schuster, Penguin, Random House, and Harper Collins, BiblioCrunch authors can get access to resources that BIG SIX publishing have.



Miral Sattar



Miral Sattar is a NYC-based writer and tech entrepreneur. She is the founder and CEO of BiblioCrunch, a platform that connects authors with quality, vetted book publishing professionals. She has worked in the media industry for 11 years, most recently at TIME where she launched several digital initiatives including an iPad and mobile site, mobile apps, a video and podcast channel, blogs, and SEO. Her writing has been featured in TIME, CNN, NY Daily News, among other media publications. She has a MS in Publishing (Digital + Print Media) from NYU and a BS from

Columbia University in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. You can follow Miral on Twitter at @BiblioCrunch.



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Novelettes on the rise!

I released #1 (Suffocate) in my Breathless Novelette series in June. At the time, I had no idea they would become so popular in the indie world! Choke #2 comes out the end of Oct and Exhale #3 comes out in mid Dec. They will all be packaged as a paperback for the holidays.




But Isobel Lucas wrote her Hell Bent series and is releasing them 2 weeks apart. Smart idea!




Novellettes are becoming popular to indies because they are faster to write, you can release them quickly, and they grab your audience for the series because they come out faster than novels.




Indie readers tend to not like to wait for follow ups so the fact that Isobel is releasing them back to back is cool.









Hell Bent, Heaven Sent novelette series starts in October and will release every 2 weeks until the end of the year. 




(NOTE: Due to sex and language, this is New Adult recommended for readers 17 and up!)




Hell Bent, Heaven Sent - #1 is On Raven's Wings (10,000 words)




Mary Joseph's family is going through a financial crisis and now she's forced to finish out senior year at the local public school. In an effort to erase her Catholic school girl image, she joins a rock band, gets a makeover from her best friend, and changes her name to Raven.




Ian, the hottest guy in school, notices her and she's plunged into a world she never expected to enter. His kisses are as steamy as his body, but Raven doesn't know if he's telling her the truth about his bizarre family or if he's just saying anything to convince her to go all the way.




When disaster hits Raven's family, she has to make a decision: ignore Ian's wild claims or take a leap of faith.




On Raven's Wings is the first episode in a series of five novelettes (10,000 - 15,000 words) releasing every two weeks starting October 23rd. Due to sex and language, this is recommended for readers 17 and up.




To celebrate, head to her blog - she is she is running a huge giveaway.








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