Aspiring Self-Publishers, Start Here

Now is the greatest time in history to be a writer. Self Publishing has taken what before might have been an insurmountable task, and put it only a mouse click away. The chance to have your book published. No more do the agents and publishing houses have power over the "unmarketable". Our readers get to choose who they want to read, and what they want to read about.

Unfortunately they also get to wade through the sludge pile of unedited, poorly thought out and poorly executed work. Not long ago I was also in awe at the concept of getting my work out there for others to enjoy. Excited that I would not have to worry about the rejection letters that I was sure would rain down on my mail box. (If I'd ever had the guts to send out any queries.)

My first novella was written for Harlequin nocturne cravings, and was studiously ignored for what seemed like forever to me, but was more like three months. During my wait, I discovered that you could self publish. I did my homework and found that the benefits of Independent publishing far out weighed the stigma. I took my little novella and self published it for the first time in December 2011. And never looked at a publishing house again.

Unfortunately I was not ready for publishing. All of the wrongs I previously stated ran through every inch of my book. Sales went through the roof, but it sat uneasy with me the more I learned. I fixed everything but the cover and today it is still one of my best sellers. 

More and more on the forums I frequent I see newbies posting looking for feedback on a book they've already put up for sale. This is not the time to ask for help! That time is before you even upload. Writers groups are around for your benefit. Use them. This is the best place to ask some one for opinions on what you might be doing wrong. 

Your mother, brother, friend, co worker, do not qualify as editors. Even as proof readers they fall short. None of them will want to hurt your feelings, therefor, they will not tell you when your story isn't good enough. Grammar, spelling, syntax, flow and story progression, can only be remedied by an editor. No, your Microsoft Word spell checker does not count as an editor.

Self Publishing is the most rewarding thing I've ever done, but like any thing that's worth doing, it requires hard work, determination, and drive. Slow down, take a deep breath, and polish your work before you start selling it. You will be rewarded in the end. 

Til next time, may your Muse be at your side, and your writing the light that guides you.

Dawn

My Self-Publishing Journey, One Woman's Journey into the World of Self Publishing

 by Shawndra Russell

photo by Sura Nualpradid

On May 1, I took a big step towards becoming a published author: I launched a Kickstarter, which is a crowd-funding platform used to help not only authors but also musicians, inventors, and artists of all kinds. But the decision to use Kickstarter wasn’t my first choice, and self-publishing wasn’t my first dream.

I’m guessing like me, many of you grew up daydreaming about becoming a big-time author with your hardcover book displayed one day in the same bookstores that you shopped at and your book being adapted into a blockbuster movie. Perhaps you fantasized of flying around the world on a book tour, eating fabulous dinners with equally fabulous people that all loved your book. Maybe you even had aspirations to move to New York City to be in the thick of the publishing industry. 

As an adult, you learn that these fantasies aren’t real and authors, even those successful in financial terms, struggle with this profession that we mostly love but sometimes hate.

You learn the meaning of rejection. That big advances aren’t as big as you imagined, and are harder and harder to come by. The publishing industry has changed forever, and maybe your favorite bookstore has turned into another Subway. You may even wish you could be transported back in time when the path to publication seemed simpler.

Nevertheless, you press on. For me, I started writing my first real novel a year and a half ago. It actually started out as a screenplay—I don’t know why, it just came out that way—and I later transformed it into a novel during NaNoWriMo. After four drafts and a few beta-readers under my belt, I went to New York City to the Writer’s Digest Conference with plans to land an agent that weekend and be on my way to traditional publication by Monday.

What was I thinking?!

At the pitch slam, eight out of ten agents I pitched said they wanted to read more. I was ecstatic. Three months later with five rejections and three no-responses, I stuck to my self-made promise: that I would learn all I could about self-publishing and see if it was right for me; I asked myself if I was capable of going the indie publishing route, and my answer was happily a resounding “Yes!”

But around this time, Kickstarter kept coming onto my radar. I knew a couple of people who had launched a campaign to raise funds for a new invention or an art project, but I hadn’t looked into writers successfully using this platform. Then Chuck Wendig of TerribleMinds raised enough funds to self-publish not one but TWO new books, and I thought, why not try this route?

I am in the middle of my Kickstarter campaign which ends May 31 and still has a long way to go before reaching the target amount of $4000. Kickstarter is an all-or-nothing program, so if the entire amount isn’t raised, then no one pays a dime and I don’t get a dime (sniff, sniff).

However, this experience has made me take important steps like letting the world know I have a novel, contacting bloggers about guest posts, and find a professional editor. It’s thrilling to know that I WILL independently publish a book in 2012. Not sign a contract with an agent and then sign a publishing deal only to wait 18 months for my book to be released, but actually be able to share this story with the world. I’m thankful that we have the ability to Self-publish our precious manuscripts with relative ease in terms of the actual uploading of our words—that’s not to say marketing and making actual sales will be a cakewalk!—and be in charge of our careers.

Good luck to all of your on your self-publishing journeys, and please contact me if you have any questions about using Kickstarter or anything else!

You can pre-order Shawndra’s novel through Kickstarter, follow her on Twitter at @ShawndraRussell, and read her published work at www.shawndra-russell.com.

 

Using your Pen Name Wisely

For many authors including myself the use of a pen name is common. Authors who wish to genre cross or just want to keep their real name private may choose this option. In the last year my pen names have become an extension of me. There are a few key details that you need to make sure you have covered if you do not want your pen names coming back to haunt you. 

• Remember that your pen name is an separate identity. Try not to link your pen name to any of your personal accounts, blogs, or address.

 

• If you choose to genre cross you will be writing under two different names, this can get a bit trickier. Now you have to make sure you do the above, twice. On top of that, you do not want to use an author photo for the second pen name if it can be avoided. Your bio should also be changed.

 

• Do not use one pen name to promote another. It is still shameless self promotion.

 

• If at all possible create your own publishing house. This is the best way to write under multiple pen names and have them all associated, with out giving you away. 

For each pen name you create you need to be prepared to promote that name and the books associated with it. That means two or more of everything. Facebook fan pages, blogs,Twitter accounts, etc... The list could go on for days. Treat each Pen name as a separate persona. (This is the fun part) Try not to be too crazy or go too far off base. This can be a sure fire way to forget the details of you alter ego.

I tend to treat my pen names the way I would a character from a book I would write. Get to know your "other self". Along with completing a bio you need to be ready to answer any question some one may have, regarding that particular personality.This means you have to create a whole story for this person. Most authors choose to have only one or two pen names for that reason alone.

Some of the greatest authors of our time have employed the use of pen names, especially early in their careers. Stephen King wrote as Richard Bachmen, Nora Roberts as J.D. Rob, Ann Rice as Ann Roquelaure, to name a few. 

Until next time, may your muse be at your side and your writing the light that guides you.

Dawn.

 

Fiction Writing, Using an Active Voice

Purdue OWL

One of the things I forget so often on this blog is that writing is the most important part of self publishing. I've posted articles on how to do just about everything from formatting for kindle to uploading on Google Play. However I never post on the writing aspect of self publishing. Mostly I do this because it is my assumption that every one who reads this blog already knows how to write. After I got a response back from my editor the other day, I reconsidered this.

 I very seldom write in the third person. Some stories however just need to be written that way. One of the things my editor mentioned to me was that I have trouble using the active voice when writing in the third person. I've taken writing courses, was in honors English classes through out school, and yet still I did it consistently in my latest work. So I thought I would give a little refresher not only for myself but any one else that might be struggling with the same thing.

    A good way to check your work for passive voice is to look for the words, had, has, is and was. Are there a lot of them? If you find sentences that contain those words, can you find a way to reword them? Passive voice is usually unclear and and lengthy. Adding words that don't need to be there and making what is supposed to be happening fuzzy.  Here are a few examples of active vs. passive voice.

A successful project was expected by all the

staff.(passive)

All the staff expected a successful project (active)

The Drawing is being reviewed by Bill. (passive)

Bill is reviewing the drawing. (active)

   In a sentence written in the active voice, the subject of the sentence  performs the action. In a sentence written in the passive voice the subject receives the action.

It's a very simple rule that sometimes we can find hard to stick to, especially when writing in the third person, past tense. The way ninety percent of fiction is written.  For those of you who don't or have never had this problem, my hat is tipped to you. For those of you like me, that find your self falling into this trap, this article is for you.

Til next time, may your muse be at your side and your writing the light that guides you. 

Dawn

Kicking off May with Shiralyn J

       The first of the month has brought about my first blog tour stop for May. With multiple books under her belt and a plethora of five star ratings to boot. Shirlyn J Lee graces the front page of my blog with four erotic tales guaranteed to get your imagination going.

                  The Submissive Scullery Maid

20,500 word story
Sally McGuire is an Irish girl working as a scullery maid for Mr and Mrs Cox. The story is set during the Victorian era and with snippets of Jack the Ripper murders lurking in the background sets the scene for a story based in London's city.
Sally is soon introduced into a life of sexual play and BDSM with Mrs Cox, or Lidia as she likes to be known as, playing the part of Sally's mistress. Love, lies and murder are the focus of this storyline.

                       

 

                                Vampire Changeling

 

Zaleska is the only daughter of Vlad the Impaler, (Prince of Darkness.) In the 17th Century she takes Anasytázia, a young woman living at the foot of a mountain in Romania. She is to be a sister Vampire to her taker and is soon joined by three other young women from the same village. They had been voyeurs secretly watching Anasytázia taking an arousing bath and witnessed a female creature attack her. They now roam the earth as a pack, as Vampires, selecting their victims tastefully. This story brings us to modern day England where Rebcca Forbes has just inherited her late Aunt's fortune. She is taken by Anasytázia and the story tells how she transforms from a young woman and into a Vampire herself.

                              

 

                               Pink Seduction

This book entails two stories. The first, Pink Seduction, and the second, A Daring Action. Pink Seduction is the story about Alex York, she has the ability to attract any female she wishes and then discard her as soon as she has used her. Alex's loveable character will grow on you throughout this sexually explicit story and you will see how she changes as she falls in love with Tina, a girl who is hiding a dark secret from her.

The second story, A Daring Action, will have you questioning just how far you will go if you needed something so desperately, something that a total stranger could offer you and in return you abide by his/her request. This is something that money definately couldn't buy. In a world with well kept secrets and pure lust Jade finds herself at the mercy of such a situation. Will she ever be able to tell her girlfriend Philippa about her secret life as a sex toy to strangers willing to do anything that they requested all for the sake of getting pregnant?

                                 Erotic Spirits

Three short stories of lesbian erotica.
BRISTOL HOUSE...Anna and Christina buy an old unlived in property in Bristol City center. Their goal is to renovate and sell the house but after a few spiritual events Christina decides that she can no longer stay in the house. This leaves Anna's fate in the hands of strangers.
SECRET DESIRE...Bree has had a crush on her neighbour for some time. She has been away at college and on her return she is seduced by the woman of her dreams. Can Bree handle her unusual circumstances?
THE PASSENGER...Suzie is a waitress at The Riverside Inn. Her shifts often finish around midnight and her journey home through the country lanes has always unnerved her. One night she unwittingly picks up a mysterious stranger. Who is she and what does she want?

---

Author Bio.

I left England in 2006 and started a new life in Canada with my now wife Janice. We share everything and she has a lot of influence on my story developments. I began to write because I became so frustrated by how my favourite programes and films ended that Janice challenged me to write my own stories, so I did. I now have two novels and eight short stories under my belt. I am proud of what I write and when I am asked why do I write about sex I usually answer...'why not!!' I am currently working on a short prequel introduction for Lidia, in The Submissive Scullery Maid and also have started a project about a female football team. I have so many stories to tell and my mind is constantly racing with new ideas. My goal is to please all of the hungry lesbians out there as I know it is really hard to come across certain types of books. I hope that I can please enough ladies and maybe a few gents that they will keep coming back for more.