New Indie Authors - Getting Started (Or Before You Get Started -Maybe)

Whether you've just written your book, already self published or you're still at the work-in-progress stage, below are some of the best resources on the web that will help you get started. If you haven't started yet because you're still working on your book - all the better. One thing you'll need as an indie - more than anything else I think - is a vast network of virtual friends and colleagues. You really should have them before you start but as long as you get them and keep building them you'll be okay.

Groups of supportive authors, bloggers, reviewers, readers, fans, indepedent publishers, editors, designers - etc. - are some of the best places to start. Not only are they a wealth of information, they can help you get discovered. But remember, it's Karma.Support others and they'll support you back along the way.

Here it is. The first post of resources for budding indie authors - where to start.

Indie Book Collective - Incredible resource.

Loads of free information on everything, webinars, a radio show, a regular E-zine filled with information. There are also pay for courses available that are very affordable.  They also have lists of authors, reviewers, bloggers, beta readers, and supporting businesses (editing, cover design etc.).

And if you're really just getting started -

Authors from the IBC made an ebook packed full of info from their experiences on the road to indie success. Yes it costs money - but seriously - it’s $0.99. It's called Dollars and Sense The Definitive Guide to Self Publishing.

WoMen’s Literary Cafe - Great source of information, forums, cross promotion, and tips. Really supportive author /reader community. Pay for marketing available (it's cheap).  They too have lists of authors, reviewers, bloggers, beta readers, and supporting businesses (editing, cover design etc.) and unique free marketing/publicity tips that help authors get noticed. 

These are two other communities/groups that offer a huge amount of support - I would give more details, but I've only looked into them a little:

Indie Authors Unite   http://indieauthorsunite.weebly.com/index.html

Novel Publicity  http://www.novelpublicity.com/

Do you have any resource groups you think I should add? Leave a comment and I'll add it to the list. 

Next Post - Indie Newbies Part 1. This post will list resources for the formatting of your self published book. I've started here because I think newbies might increase their chances of a favorable review or critique from a beta reader if they format before ending it out for feedback. If the author provides a professional looking product, something that already looks polished and finished it might make a difference. Care about your reader and they'll care about you back. Sometimes every little bit helps.

New Year, New Stuff, Newbie

Well here it is. 2012. Another brand new start. Another chance to get things right. Another world of possibilities about to open its doors...

Or it's the end of the world. Who can say? It might be. Depending on how you look at things, it could be all of the above. Or none. Whatevs. Let's not dwell on what it's not because... It really is something. It's a brand shiny new year. And instead of recounting all those resolutions we made while half sauced with good intentions last night - it's time to just get right into to it. Who has time to regret all those lofty promises anyway? Let's just pack up the tree, the tinsel and get moving on them.

Anyone still with me? No? Crawled back into bed because you have to go to work tomorrow?

That's okay. I empathize. That used to be me too. But not anymore.

You see, I changed all that. I took the plunge. It's a huge risk and I really don't know how it will turn out. I'm hopeful though. It's strange how things can work out. Things that look bad at first can surprise you. They can turn around and change your life for the better.

At least that's what I'm hoping for in 2012. Because the last half of 2011 was kind of... well... Let's just say I really hope 2012 is better.

For many of you out there, 2012 is going to be a year of writing. It could be your novel, your blog, many technical papers, insighful news articles - or anything really. This could be the year you decide to take that plunge and head out on your own into a writing career. If this is the year you take your hat off the full time employee enslaved by somebody else peg and move it to the self sustaining newbie writer with big aspirations peg then congratulations! You've joined a million of us drops in the ocean. I'm not being sarcastic when I say it. It's true there are a lot of us out there. I wish you all - myself included - the best. I wish the whole ocean of us success. And  I wish I could tell you that you've made the right decision, but I can't. I really don't know. I'm still a newbie at this too.

It's because of this newbie-ness that I decided to focus this blog in a direction. Well, two directions in fact. It's my idea of getting a good start on 2012.

So in 2012... The first direction this blog will take will be the newbie author gig. That just means that most of the posts here will be focussed on things that concern newbie authors. These won't exactly be posts on - HOW TO SUCCEED AS A NEWBIE AUTHOR - because I obviously don't know. However, I will post the most useful information and references for newbie authors that I find on the web and in the various indy author groups I join. This could involve posting a series of helpful links to useful material, information on writing groups and indie author collectives or support groups you could join. It could also involve having a guest post filled with helpful information. Starting the second week of January, I will begin this stream of posts.

Now the second direction my blog will take will be news about my business of customizing the novels I've written - or any other authors that customize novels - because, that's what I do. It's the plunge I took. Periodically I will post information on my novels and the customization process. It will be information on the books, how to's and maybe even a guest post or two.

Phew. Now that the blog resolution thing is out of the way I guess it's time to tackle the rest of those lofty goals. There are all those new novels to start writing, the social media platforms to grasp, the books to read and review, the house to repair, the kids to encourage.... the list is endless. Thank goodness it's only DAY ONE.

And it's a good thing too. Because I just remembered that other resolution I made last night. Or this morning. Yes. The one that just rose up out that haze filled memory from somewhere around 12:00 a.m. and jabbed me in the side. The one said, "Didn't you promise to have everything from the holiday packed up by the end of January 1?' Grrr. I would get right on it too if it wasn't for that old familiar voice in the back of my head that always rebuts 'Don't sweat the small stuff; you have a whole year ahead of you.'
Ah yes. The friendly voice of reason. The one that always tells me I should always make the best use of my time. And right now, I think that could mean the last minute.And we are all pretty familiar with that last minute. It's the one that caused us to make all those silly resolutions in the first place.

Freebies and Links

(9-12, ghosts, zombies, adventure) Ghost Town use coupon HZ98W click here
(YA, adventure, mystery, light romance) Cape Ingenue use coupon FT39H click here
(YA, adventure, mystery, light romance) Rogues Bluff use coupon PW82Q click here

These are YA/teen adventures, free ebook novels until Jan.1/2012.

New Book - Holiday Freebies

Original stories are now on sale (i.e. FREE)...

The new ghost/zombie/pirate curse story for the nine to twelve year old set - Ghost Town - is now out as an ebook and is FREE until the New Year. It was published Dec. 22 and is now available for download in many ebook formats.

Also, still firmly in the spirit of the holiday, I've decided to make a couple of the other ebooks free as well. All of these ebooks can be downloaded from Smashwords. They will be made available at the Kindle site later. Only two of the teen novels are available as paperback novels at present - and the price is reduced. The links are below.

Ghost Town - a ghost/zombie adventure for the nine to twelve age group. Use coupon HZ98W for a free copy.
Cape Ingenue - a teen adventure (12+), treasure hunt, light mystery and romance. Use coupon FT39H for a free copy.
Rogue's Bluff - a teen adventure (12+), treasure hunt, light mystery and romance. The boy version of Cape Ingenue (half the same, half new story from the boy main character's perspective). Use coupon PW82Q for a free copy.

The regular prices for these ebooks are $0.99. The Cape Ingenue paperback is 8.99, and Chill Harbour is 15.99.

Links to paperbacks on Amazon:
Cape Ingenue 
Chill Harbour

Cover for the new book Ghost Town:

Is a Custom Novel Too Creepy?

Well, I might as well say it. I was thinking it.

You might have been thinking it too.

So... is it?
Is a customized novel too creepy?
Is it an awesome novelty gift you would happily pay twice the price of a regular novel for, or would you think some psycho stalker dude is after you? I really hope you have some thoughts on this. I hope you can shed a little light on what you as a reader would want to have.That's why I dragged you all over here. 

So I'm asking - well, let's call a spade a spade - begging - for some feedback. Is customizing a novel really all that good an idea? Does staring in your own novel appeal to you or freak you out? As a normal reader - would you want your name, face and all sorts of other details about you crammed into a novel? Is being the star of a paperback adventure exciting or is it being a narcissistic dirt bag?  And if you had a customized novel would you show your novel with you on the cover to a friend or just feel weird about it? Would you worry that some creepy real stalker might get a hold of it? Would you worry that the person out there making the customized novel is a creepy stalker?

These are just a few of the negatives I can think of - believe me there are a lot more. I know that there are businesses out there that do this kind of thing regularly and they have all sorts of re-assurances. For example, they might not even see the details you fill out on their forms. They might just have some bot manipulation going on to replace your details with the details in the original story -so the 'personal' worry factor gets reduced. But what if a real person did the customization? What if it wasn't just a straight switching out of details a bot could do - say the author has to give you a bunch of nick names that rhyme with your real name or has to write an embarrassing event from your past into your story? Too freaky? Sometimes I think it's  like using the phrase 'hand made' to sell merchandise. Sure it might work for hand made crafts or furniture, but say, hand made ice cream? Ew. Yuck. Conjures up all sorts of nasty thoughts.

So,  just how creepy is it? There's a lot to think about. And I can only think up some of it. So please help me out by adding your thoughts to this list:

1. Everytime you turn around there's someone out there trying to steal your identity. It's scary. I don't even have to mention all the security you need just to be online. So how safe is all that information about you going to be when you transfer forms and things? Is your information going to a cloud? Is it secure? And what about all those pop up connection security notices and third parties? (This is a confusing last sentence I know - but all I can think of here is how when I sign into sites I often get that message that the connection isn't secure and my information might be seen by 'others.' What? How do we avoid that?).

2. If you want a novel with you in it, you have to give someone information about yourself. Maybe it's a bot and maybe it's not. You also have to give someone a picture of you. The novel has to get mailed to you. And what if you're a kid? You can see where I'm going with this? Creepy right?

3. What happens to all the information, pictures after you've got your novel?

4. Do you really want anyone to see a novel with you on the cover? Are all your friends going to think you're a conceited jerk and make fun of you?

Okay. That's a few of the concerns. But when I first started customizing novels - it really seemed like a good idea - time and costs involved not withstanding. I've customized a few of my novels for some young people and they enjoyed them. In fact some of them raved. (Possibly just because they stared in the novel - so maybe narcisism wins out in their cases or maybe not. Maybe they just liked the gimmick). Anyway, they encouraged me to do this on a larger scale. So I got started and then ... I waffled.


It's the creep factor.

Sure it's easy to do a detailed customization of one of my novels for someone I know, for children of friends or relatives. They know where I live and vice versa. They know me. But to turn it into a business online? I'm not that sure. What's the guarantee? If I order a custom novel how can I be re-assured that the supplier isn't some demented stalker or run of the mill nefarious evil doer bent on re-selling my information to the underbelly of society? And then there's the other side of it to.What if the person I make a customized novel for is some demented stalker nefarious evil doer? What then?

Like I said - I really need some feedback.  So... custom novelling a good idea or just too creepy? And if it's too creepy, what would concern you most about a customized novel? What did I miss? And for the other side...What would make you less creeped out about it? ( Not answering all of the questions on forms that give out information about you? Knowing the person who is making the book for you? Having the book mailed to a friend, relative or your parent's work? Please add your comments on that too).

Anyhow, thank you for reading this post and thinking about it. And please go ahead and add your comments now. I promise my future posts won't be quite this tedious.

Need a New Cover (Feedback Welcome!)

Here's the thing....
I really need a new cover for the Cape Ingénue novel. Try as I might, I still can't make it awesome or grab worthy. Below are my latest attempts at improving. I know the cover can make or break a decision to buy a book - so - this is what I can come up with. I'm not  a designer (obvy). And no - I can't afford a real designer in case that was your next suggestion. So... Anyone care to leave a comment? Which is the lesser -est of the several evils? If this was your book, what cover would you go with? Thanks in advance for your suggestions. I will probably go with the cover that people vote as the least 'meh.'

Yes three of them look the same. The first two and the last one just have the title/author name re-arranged. The third is the original Amazom cover tweaked to have a nearly invisible compass rose added (lower left) and very ghostly image of a girl's face over the water. The original Amazon and Smashwords covers are below (the ones I started with). -----> See post below this.

Original Covers

The top cover is the the thumbnail on smashwords, the bottom is the one on amazon (okay but very boring). Go with a new cover or stick with an old one? I think they're all pretty meh but the best of the bunch is probably the original Amazon cover tweaked a bit (above).