Hello my name is.......(Introductions)

[Emma]

Mandi wrote: "Hi Emma! Your journey sounds alot like mine. :o) I spend tons of time researching and it is slowly paying off for me. :o) Right now, if you search in the kindle store with the search terms: kids ki..."

I did indeed check out your amazon pages and you are #1 in the children's Kindle section. Wow that must feel so cool! Congratulations. I 'liked' the page and also the reviews and did some tags - hope this helps. I also liked your FB pages.

Being a Brit I also checked the Amazon.co.uk website and 'liked' you on that too. At the moment you do not have an author profile or any reviews - were you aware that these do not pass across the Atlantic? Author Central is not central :-( So you have to add all your bios and photos and blogs etc in each separate country eg authorcentral.co.uk. It is a pain in the proverbials. Might be worth doing though with the run up to the holiday season - the market is currently much larger in the USA but the UK is catching on and e-readers are starting to get popular and I would hate for you to not be in the best position to get some market share over here too. Perhaps I can help with a review too? Let me know what tags you would like.

My books are here on Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Knockout-Passio...
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Knockout-Pass...

I am not totally comfortable with Facebook yet but my facebook page is:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Emma-Ca...

If you have any spare time (haha!) to read and review and enjoy a romance, I could gift you a copy of Knockout!. Let me know.

I think it's great to be able to help each other.
Phew bit of a mammoth reply.

Emma

[Mhairi]

Hi, William :) Nice to meet you! Have you tried playing around with the tags to increase visibility? I understand Amazon's a bit crappy on the keyword searches sometimes :(

[Emma]

Wg wrote: "Ah, no I haven't - thanks for the tip! Do you have any ideas about how many keywords are good? I'm guessing maybe half a dozen really clear search terms - with Google sometimes too many dilutes the..."

Hi William, I think Amazon have just brought out a new rule that no more than 7 keywords allowed when you upload your book via KDP - I had to delete a load yesterday when I uploaded a new edit of my book :-(

The tags on the sales page are limited to 15 - they show a tag cloud on the far right of the page with the most popular tag searches - so if there are any relevant to your book it's worth having those added, as well as the ones you think define your book.

Oh wow - I have just discovered that if you click on the tags you have set it shows you your rating and *trumpet fanfare* my book is currently #2 in the 'Interpol' fiction section (should I admit that's out of only 112 books in that category?!). I have been wondering for months how authors knew where they were rated in different categories - so thanks for asking the question as I have made a useful discovery! I think I'll go tweet my number 2 position! Every little helps.

[Emma]

Wg wrote: "Many congratulations! Now all we need is a little SQL injection to spoof the numbers! ;) Cheers!"

Sorry to be thick - what is SQL?

[Ken]

Ken Consaul here. Just published on Amazon kindle in June and was ready to sit back and let the checks roll in. Quickly discovered I had taken on another full time job flogging my work around. Still getting my feet wet in marketing but it beats writing public works contracts hereinafter called "DAY JOB" or that sub-section hereinafter called "GRANT APPLICATION" except as exempted by Section II(c) herein.
All my rap sheet is on my author page which has link to my blogs.

Does anyone else find goodreads hard to navigate or do I just lack intuitive ability?

[Mhairi]

Goodreads is definitely a swamp until you get used to it. The best way around that I've found is to join a few groups and just follow the various threads. You get to meet some fun people and it's fairly painless. I just check the notifications at the top of the page rather than go round all the groups. That way I can see all the threads which are going by but only check out the ones I'm interested in.

Like this one. Hi guys :)

[Ken]

Emma wrote: "Wg wrote: "Ah, no I haven't - thanks for the tip! Do you have any ideas about how many keywords are good? I'm guessing maybe half a dozen really clear search terms - with Google sometimes too many ..."

"they show a tag cloud on the far right of the page with the most popular tag searches - so if there are any relevant to your book it's worth having those added, as well as the ones you think define your book."

Well, that was interesting and informative. Just updated my tags on the Amazon page. Didn't look to see if that changed the tags in the 'book details' section.

[Ken]

Mhairi wrote: "Goodreads is definitely a swamp until you get used to it. The best way around that I've found is to join a few groups and just follow the various threads. You get to meet some fun people and it's f..."

Define 'fairly painless'. Seems like a relative term.

[Mhairi]

As compared to, say, having a tattoo done with hot coals. Everything's relative :)

[Red]

The Official (I guess LOL):

"Red Haircrow is a two spirit writer of fiction and non-fiction, private chef, editor, publisher, and former law enforcement officer of Native American descent whose hometown is Berlin, Germany. Red is also completing a degree in Psychology, and operates the indie publishing label “Flying With Red Haircrow”, which opened on 31 October 2010.

Both traditionally and independently published, Red chooses to inject realism into their fictional work and happily ever after is not always in the mix though love and strong characters always are. Like life, there is always a bittersweet mixture of laughter and tears, and Red imbues their writing with the passionate love and depth of emotion they’ve experienced. If you want giddy fluff, camp, or heavy sex content, you’d probably prefer another writer.

Non-fiction and articles are direct, willing to ask the hard questions yet considering of open-minded discussion. You can view Red’s non-fiction memories and articles at their website and places like Queer Magazine Online.

Among other things, Red loves traveling, learning languages, and spending time with friends. Active in Native American affairs, Red can also be found playing RPGs, browsing 2nd hand shops and savoring the meditative Zen of archery with the medieval Longbow."

Otherwise, I am an avid reader preferring sci-fi and fantasy, and run a review/interview site as well. I currently have eight works on the international market, three of which were traditionally published. I am currently working on the release of a client's series of books, so that's exciting and also keeps me very, very busy, not to mention my university courses in Psychology. I've not decided whether I will practice in a clinical setting, but the knowledge and insight does help me create more well-rounded work, I believe.

My books are at places like Amazon, Smashwords, All Romance Ebooks, Omni-Lit, and the usual distributors like Barnes & Noble, Apple, etc.

Some of my links:

My Blog/Website: http://redhaircrow.com/
My Review/Interview site: http://flyingwithredhaircrow.wordpres...
My Indie Label: http://theredhairedcrow.wordpress.com/
My Twitter: http://twitter.com/redhaircrow
My Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/profile/vi...
My LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/redhaircrow
My Facebook Fanpage: https://www.facebook.com/TheRedhaired...
All Current Books and Works in Progress: http://bookworld.editme.com/redhaircrow

My Goodread's Author page: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/...

[Dave]

Hi I'm Dave from the UK. I got into self publishing a few weeks ago and have six on Amazon and Smashwords now. I thought it would be a daunting process but I downloaded a couple of books on the subject, then Smashwords own manual and didn't find it as steep a learning curve as I first thought. It's a steeper learning curve finding out how to promote the books, athough they are selling steadily and on that note, I'd like to say my books include:

How to be a Crafty Cruiser - tips, tricks and time and money-saving secrets for cruise holidays: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12...

The Book of Famous Oddballs - Bizarre, hilarious and amazing truths about famous people : http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12...

Horrors! - Amazing Tales of the Macabre including Matters Morbid; Bits of Famous Folk; Shocking "Cures"; Strange Deaths and Bizarre People:
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12...

Good luck with all your efforts.

[[deleted user]]

I joined the group to learn more about self-publishing since I only just begun using Smashwords and Kindle. I want to know more on how to be good at it, and I want to learn how to market better without spamming people. Maybe learn more about self-publishing in general.

[Mhairi]

I look forward to getting to know you guys :D

[Ken]

I've already done the glad hand for myself in this forum. As I occasionally blog and rant on several topics, my website might be of interest. Today the blog is an actual writing topic 'Avoiding Literary Pratfalls'
http://bonnershouse.com

[Karen]

Hi all, I'm glad to find this group :) And in the few minutes I've been scanning it I already feel at home! I'm based in London, UK, and I've recently self-published my first children's book to Amazon and Kindle and hope to upload it to the iStore later on today. I'll have to go via Smashwords to get it into Barnes & Noble though as they would require that I have a USA bank account and credit card (which seems mad!) There's another one on the way! (Both written 10 years ago and recently pulled from the virtual drawer as I enjoy a sabbatical from my day job. I'm glad I'm not the only one to find this site hard to navigate! I will take it slowly I think... As others have mentioned, publishing is one thing but marketing is a full time job! Oh and thanks, Emma, for that tip re the KDP tags - I will go and check them out. My book has appeard as 91/100 in children's>action & adventure once or twice but then goes off the scale as quickly as it appears! I have a self publishing blog that you can reach via my profile by the way. Of interest perhaps for any other UK based indie authors. Nice to meet you all! Karen

[Mhairi]

Karen wrote: "Hi all, I'm glad to find this group :) And in the few minutes I've been scanning it I already feel at home! I'm based in London, UK, and I've recently self-published my first children's book to A..."

I'm a UK-based indie :) Look forward to chatting :D

[Joel]

Hi, my name is Joel and I've published 2 books, one in 1986 with a second edition in 1992, the other in 2011. I write a blog on book design, indie publishing and the future of the book. I'm a self-publishing advocate and love to network with other writers and book lovers.

[Rebecca]

Hello, I am Rebecca and I am a writer. I have had one story published and one self publisehed all in the last 3 months with two stories in the editing process. I have found self publishing hard in terms of advertising/promotional work and the editing process. Seriously wondering if an literary agent is the way to go for me....Though i love the idea of being an indie author and having that kind of control over my work.

[Jeanette]

Hi, I'm Jeanette, also a writer. Feel free to friend me, makes this experience all the more interesting.

[[deleted user]]

Joel wrote: "Hi, my name is Joel and I've published 2 books, one in 1986 with a second edition in 1992, the other in 2011. I write a blog on book design, indie publishing and the future of the book. I'm a self-..."
Hi Joel, I read your blog...can you tell us more about your design expertise? Have you taught graphic design? Where did you go to school to receive your graphic design degree.

[Joel]

Hi Laurie, thanks for reading. I started in graphic design a long time ago, and although I have no degree in it, I've been producing award-winning books for publishers and self-publishers for many years. When I first started my blog I wrote a long series of articles (I called it my Publishing Timeline) about my history in graphic design and book publishing.

I owned my own graphic design studio in New York for many years, and have been helping writers make the leap to being published authors since the 1990s at my book production company, Marin Bookworks.

I speak quite a bit these days, but not about design. The demand right now seems to come mostly from new and previously-published authors who want to take control of their publishing process and produce, publish and promote their own books. For instance, I'll be giving several sessions at the upcoming San Francisco Writer's Conference on indie publishing and book design, and will be part of the new CreateSpace "Pitch 2.0" event that will kick off in Seattle in December.

How about you, Laurie, are you a writer? Love to learn more, and thanks for your question.

[[deleted user]]

Really? The "Pitch" kicks off in Seattle in December. Do you have dates or a web link? I'm in Portland & interested. Thanks for the extended bio, very interesting.

Myself: I am a graphic designer (w/degree) but have always been a pretty good writer. My personal goal-projects have always been to put it all together & self-publish. So now I'm working on that. I currently use CreateSpace for my non-fiction.

[Joel]

Laurie wrote: "Really? The "Pitch" kicks off in Seattle in December. Do you have dates or a web link? I'm in Portland & interested. Thanks for the extended bio, very interesting."

As soon as I have the Pitch info I'll post it here, perhaps later today, not sure of their rollout yet. It looks like a fantastic event and there will be lots of other industry people there to assist authors in getting their pitches in shape.

Do you publish nonfiction about design? Have you done any book design or layout yourself?

[[deleted user]]

Thanks, I will keep my eyes open for it. Seattle in Dec., could be very fun.

This is my first book, it's a memoir, http://amzn.com/1461106818

I did everything. I submitted if for your monthly competition.

Next is a fiction story, I've thought about for way too long. It's now in process & targeted towards young adults. Will be illustrated. My website is www.ryangraphics.com splash page is down, but you can by pass easily. Shows my designs & illustrations.

Thanks for the additional info.

[Ken]

Laurie wrote: "Thanks, I will keep my eyes open for it. Seattle in Dec., could be very fun.

This is my first book, it's a memoir, http://amzn.com/1461106818

I did everything. I submitted if for your monthly com..."

"Thanks, I will keep my eyes open for it. Seattle in Dec., could be very fun."

You will be there at the height of the annual rain festival. Runs from September through June.

[[deleted user]]

Oh, I know it, I was born & raised in Bellingham, Wa. It's fun to sit by the water, inside, and view the bay.

[Russell]

Hello folks. I just wanted to let everyone know my new release Zero Sum, Book 1, Kotov Syndrome, a Wall Street thriller, just went FREE on Amazon, and has sat at #1 Action Adventure free downloads for several days, and hit #14 on overall free downloads. So anyone looking for a cheap date - no, make that a free date - check it out at Amazon. Getting raves as well.

http://www.amazon.com/Zero-Sum-Book-S...

This is a promotional experiment to see whether there will be appreciable impact on book sales by increasing awareness of my author brand name. I'll keep everyone posted on how it works.

[Joel]

This is my first book, it's a memoir, http://amzn.com/1461106818
I did everything. I submitted if for your monthly com..."

Laurie, my wife really loved your cover, she picked it out of the competition to show me. I'll post the info on the Pitch event as soon as I have it.

[[deleted user]]

Thanks! Great thing about self-publishing is I can fix anything I missed in a second. Believe me I spent eons of hours and I know it's not perfect. As a graphic designer we yearn for perfection. We learn as we go. : )

Hope to see you all in Seattle!

[Joel]

Laurie wrote: "Thanks! Great thing about self-publishing is I can fix anything I missed in a second. Believe me I spent eons of hours and I know it's not perfect. As a graphic designer we yearn for perfection. We..."

Okay, Laurie, they've got the page up now, so go check it out:

https://www.createspace.com/pitch

Best,

Joel

[[deleted user]]

Hi,

My name is A. Peter Perdian and I'm a self-published writer. Currently, I have five e-books available.

Since self-publishing is a constantly evolving field, I felt it would be advantageous to join this group. Though I have no questions at the present, I'm sure that some of the discussions/comments that I read will answer questions I didn't realize I had.

[[deleted user]]

Hi Peter, nice 5 books out there, that's fantastic. Are you selling through CreateSpace/Amazon?

[[deleted user]]

Hi Laurie. They're only available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

[Anthony]

I'm currently on my third attempt to finish a novel. I think I got it this time. I'm publishing it as a serial on Google+, and I'm pretty happy with how it is going in all respects.

[Mhairi]

Hi Anthony :) What genre are you writing in?

[Anthony]

Mhairi wrote: "Hi Anthony :) What genre are you writing in?"

Hi. It's a fantasy/comedy.

[R. Scot]

Greetings all, my name is R. Scot Johns, I'm a self-pubbed author here on Goodreads. I started my own publishing company back in late 2008 to put out my debut epic fantasy novel via Ingram's POD division Lightning Source. Since then I've released it in every major ebook format as well, selling over 3000 copies to date. Nothing to make a living from, but it's a start.

I write a blog where I talk a lot about how to do this and my experiences in self publishing. Lately, however, it's been all about ebook formatting as my current project is a four volume graphic novel for which I am also creating all the art. Needless to say this is causing endless headaches when it comes to ebook layout. You can view or download the first chapter of this new project on my website if you're interested in providing feedback. I have a call for beta readers out right now.

Has anyone here had any experience in creating illustrated ebooks? I'm excited for the opportunities to create interactive content, but there's a lot to learn there yet. Writing has now become just one small part of what I do as a self produced author/illustrator.

I'd love to start a thread with any would-be/current graphic novelists to discuss the trends and tribulations inherent in self-publishing full color illustrated books, whether digital or otherwise, which brings with it a host of added hurdles.

Blog here: http://authoradventures.blogspot.com/
Website here: http://www.fantasycastlebooks.com/

R. Scot Johns - The Saga of Beowulf

[R. Scot]

Virginia wrote: "Everytime I see this headline in my email I think of "My name is Inigo Montoya. . .""

"You killed my father... Prepare to die!"

Now I'll think of that every time the digest arrives.

[Peter "PJ"]

Hi there.....my name is Peter "PJ" Jackson.....no not the Director. I've just finished my first novel (are they ever really finished?) and am halfway through the second albeit temporarily stuck!
Now I'm wading through this jungle of so called "Self Publishing" developing comparative spread sheets and slowly driving myself insane.
Do I have a question? Yep.
Are the "marketing packages" touted by SP companies all they are made out to be or are we on our own?
One thing I can pass on.........never make a decision until you have read the smallest print possible in the "contract." Some of it is quite enlightening particularly when it comes to pricing of the product and subsequent royalties.

[R. Scot]

Peter, the answer is "yes, you are on your own" when it comes to the twp most important aspects of a writing career, which is marketing and the writing itself. All SP packages can offer is production and distribution, so choose wisely and read carefully. Welcome aboard!

[K J]

Hello,

My name is Kevin. I joined Goodreads a few weeks ago and I honestly can't remember if I have already posted in this intro thread.

But now I have.

I have an e-book out and intend to convert it to print via Create Space. Anyone had any experience with CS - good or bad?

[Ken]

K.J. wrote:

"I have an e-book out and intend to convert it to print via Create Space. Anyone had any experience with CS - good or bad? "

Just checking in KJ and welcome aboard for the first or second time. As for CS, I think there's another thread in this group that discusses this in depth. You might also look at the author central on Kindle (you have to already be published on Amazon). I'd supply the links but happy hour is calling.

Think I read in another thread that print publishing with Smashwords provides a no cost ISBN number and not sure if CS does that. An ISBN is required for nook and the cost is north of a C note. Let me know what you find out.

[K.A.]

I'm very happy with Create Space.

[K J]

Thanks Ken & K.A. - will seek out the CS thread soon.

[K J]

BookieWormie wrote: Overall, I have to give them a rating of "excellent". I was very satisfied and very happy with the end product. I will definitely use CreateSpace again...
Jannette


Thanks for that. I've done the kindle bit first.

I've been looking for hidden charges on Create Space. If I do all the formatting myself, is there a fee?

[K J]

BookieWormie wrote: I literally broke even/covered all my up front costs after approx 60 book sales...
Jannette..."


OK, I'm convinced. Thanks so much for your responses.

[Vinod]

Hi I am Vinod Madhok from India,I write poetry and so far have not published any book as such.I am here to learn about your self publishing experiences.

[Peter "PJ"]

I am a Canadian living in Canada. I have a book ready for publishing and was considering going with Create Space, firstly as an e-book and then, if conditions supported, going to print.
After looking at the tax ramifications, the hold backs, the IRS and the mindless gobbledgook written by the IRS as "advise" I'm thinking that it is time to pass and look for a Canadian Publisher! Anyone got any advise in this area? The notion of starting with Kindle without a significant outlay attracted me in the first place.

[Mhairi]

Createspace is print only. You can publish straight to Kindle with Kindle Direct Publishing for free. I think once you get three months' worth royalties you can claim back the money withheld by the US. There's a fair bit of paperwork involved but it's worth doing.

[Rochelle]

Hi! My pen name is Rochelle Ragnarok I've self published two books and in the process of publishing the third. I love to write male/male romance, but I also have several horror shorts.