Get your name on Amazon!

Its been a busy, and interesting time since I self-published Deadly Obsession in January 2012. I've listened, learnt, revised and revised.
I've spent time trawling through 'how to' books and consuming novels from author's that I enjoy, and drilled down into story architecture - I really enjoyed that - and all to improve my skills as a writer.

But there is only so much feedback I can give myself objectively! Either I am too critical or I am too lenient on myself. Bottom line, I need feedback from you, my readers.

I need to know...

• what you liked?
• who you liked?
• which character scared you?
• did any character inspire you?
• was the pace constantly moving?
• was it too fast?
• did you get enough detail to form your own pictures?
• did the book reach a climax?
• were all the loose ends tied up?
• did the short synopsis draw you in?
• what didn't you like?
• did the story make sense?
• any other comments you may have...

In fact anything you thought about the book would be enormously worthwhile for me to know. Every writer needs reviews/feedback/comments, and whilst sometimes these things are not easy to hear, I am committed to improving as a writer ... so jot down a few lines, post it on Amazon, or send me a short comment on this site. I'd be eternally grateful!!

But first ... read the book! Its Deadly Obsession... its fast-paced, salted with suspense, and peppered with lust. 

And I want YOUR opinion....

Self-publishing - Paperbacks

For the uninitiated, yes, you can self-publish in paperback yourself for no cost!

This was a glaring example to me of how I shouldn't let previous experience close me off to new possibilities. You see, I've had a fairly lengthy career across marketing, PR and events management and one of the things I got to do was manage a print production process. In those days, digital was embryonic at most, and final print costs per unit (one item) were totally dependant on print runs (total number of items printed). I take the time to understand behind-the-scene stuff with anything I do, so this made complete sense to me.

What I hadn't taken into account was technology - don't ya just love it! Before digital, I was used to organic growth, now in the digital age, we are accustomed to exponential growth and even more recently, the explosion of viral growth!
Long story short, I finally woke up to find that what I had learnt was not true and what I couldn't conceive of, was. Hello technology!

How does this relate to self-publishing your own paperback at no cost to yourself? It's called Print-On-Demand (POD).

It is possible for yes, you've guessed it, Amazon, to print one paperback book complete with full colour cover to fill one order!

As you can imagine that shot to hell my perception that if I wanted to self-publish in paperback, I would have to go to some small-time printer, scrape together the funds to get 100 copies published and then store them in my garage with practically non-existent means (financial and marketing platform) to sell them.

Amazon has given us indie authors, Createspace. So, what does Createspace do for you?

• Formatting
• Size of book
• Colour of paper
• Selection of cover templates to choose from
• ISBN

As with the process on Kindle Direct Publishing, I strongly recommend you read whatever guidelines you can on Createspace before you start. Remember, I'm only relating my experience with a novel, that means I have no internal images, no strange fonts or complex formatting, no table of contents, no bibliography.
Once everything is in place, your book is ready, and Createspace highly recommends that you get a proof copy sent to yourself to see how it looks.

You see there is one major difference between publishing on Kindle and publishing on Createspace - and that's the formatting.

This is my story... (wow, did I laugh!)
My Kindle edition looked great - I used an Arial font, 14 pt - and when I checked it out on Kindle Previewer, it looked pretty cool, I have to say so myself.
So, I took the same format, did a bit of work fitting it into the trim size (actual dimensions) of the book and finished the process.
I immediately ordered my proof copy which is free of charge, but you pay for the shipping. Not trusting myself to handle the anticipation of waiting three weeks for the regular delivery, I selected the fastest delivery time and then put myself on bread and water for the rest of the month (only kidding!).
It arrived three days later and I cannot put into words the thrilled awe I felt when I held my book in my hands for the first time. But I digress.
When I opened the book, it looked like it was meant for someone who was visually challenged - the font was huge! (I myself am visually challenged, so no offence meant or taken).
Yes, I'd seen it online and there it looked great, like my Kindle version on which it was based. But in print, it looked so wrong!
This is the value of the proof copy underestimate it at your peril.

You see, font styles and font sizes that look great on an e-reader do not necessarily look good on the printed page.
It appears that sans serif (Arial, Verdana, Trebuchet) better suits e-readers and serif (Times, Georgia) suits print. Just one of the things you'll learn on the self-publishing journey.

I am currently revising my paperback version (still in process), but am strongly leaning towards Palatino Linotype for the font, 10 or 11 pt.

Hope this helps
Until next time.

Part 3 - Self-publishing on Kindle

Kindle Direct Publishing or KDP - now, here's a little bit of wizardry for you. I dipped my toes into the waters of self-publishing with this one, and the process couldn't have been smoother or more enjoyable.

I'd known about Kindle's as e-readers (who didn't?), and I'd heard about people selling their own goods on Amazon but probably because my focus was elsewhere at the time, I didn't put two and two together. Then I saw a friend of mine's book on Amazon and I squealed with delight. Firstly, because I was so excited she was published, and secondly, because if she could do it, then so could I.

I loved working with KDP - it was simple, easy and they take you through everything in a step by step process. This will produce your book in a Kindle format only, i.e. to be read on Kindles.
For those who aren't sure, the kindle is an e-reader produced and sold by Amazon exclusively.

However, you can rely on Amazon to be business savvy, so, in their wisdom they offer a nifty bit of software you can download to enable you to read a Kindle book on your PC, Mac, iPhone, iPad, and android phone. So, straight away your potential reading market has just expanded. There is no cost to publish via KDP.

Where to start, I hear you ask? Let me take you through how I did it:
1. Read through all the steps in the Kindle Publishing Guide before you start - its well worth the time.It gives you a good idea of what the process entails, what it will do for you, and what you need to have prepared before you start.
2. Download the Kindle Previewer so you can check what your book will look like on a Kindle (if you don't have one). 
3. Download the Mobipocket Creator - this is the software that will convert your book into the Kindle format. There are some other ways of doing it, but remember, this is just what I did for a black and white novel.
4. Collate your necessary elements: book front cover. front pages (copyright, acknowledgements, etc.), your correctly formatted manuscript. Be sure to save everything with a date and version because you may upload a few times before it is as you want it to be. You will need to save your manuscript as a 'Web Page, filtered document (see below).

5. Follow the process that KDP gives you online. Format your book cover. For Kindle, all you will need is a front cover. Imagine the front of a book if it is lying on a table... that's what you need.
6. Upload this to the Mobipocket Creator, together with the cover to your book and it will build your book for you. This is the file you will need to upload onto KDP.

In terms of the actual publishing, that's pretty much it, but there are two other very important things you need to think about before you start the process. 

Pricing & Royalty: You choose, but there are considerations. 

• I'm a new author so I wanted to come in low on my price. I didn't want price to be a barrier to purchase. 
• Pricing affects your royalty - check out the section on pricing and royalties first. Your first book is unlikely to make you a million (although I truly hope it does!), so perhaps consider it as a learning curve and practice your marketing and networking skills on this one.

ISBN (ASIN):

• Amazon will assign an ASIN - Amazon Standard Book Number to your book, free of charge. This is specific to your Kindle version book and cannot be used on other versions such as other e-reader versions or print. 
• If you decide to offer other versions of your book, a separate ISBN (International Standard Book Number) will need to be allocated. These are generally offered by the system you are using, however, if you want to, you can purchase your own ISBN number. 

I found this article here extremely helpful. I hope it encourages you to try the self-publishing route on Kindle.
Until next time.

Publishing Yourself Part 2 - What format?

When I first started my journey down the self-publishing route, I hit a few stumbling blocks.
Firstly,I didn't find one site that told me all the 'how to' in one place. Granted there may be such a site but I didn't find it.
Secondly, I couldn't find anyone who could simplify the process for me, unless I paid for it.
There are so many different types of books which people want to publish that the sites have to cover every single option.  I had to wade through all of this to find that the process is actually not as difficult and complicated as I first thought. In my ignorance, I knuckled down and read copious amounts of information to understand what options there were and what would work best for me.
Once you understand, it will appear much easier, but to get up to speed, you need to do one of two things:

• Read a huge amount of information yourself
• Pay someone else to do it for you. 

The information in this blog is geared specifically to self-publishing black and white novels - no pictures or strange fonts, or unusual formatting, etc.

In Part 1, I looked at how ready your material needs to be before you start the publishing process. So, you've proofread and edited, and proofread and edited and ... I could go on. At some stage there needs to be a final cut-off otherwise, its a process that can easily be used as a procrastination tool. Publishing yourself is like laying your soul bare to the world - not an easy process - and sometimes the prospect is so daunting, we want everything to be perfect. Perfection doesn't exist, only excellence - so do your utmost and know its the best you can achieve, and then let it go.

So, what format would you like for your book?
Do you know what the various formats are?

Let's have a look at the different formats:
1. The Amazon e-reader - Kindle
2. Other e-readers, e.g. Nook, Kobo, Sony, Bebook, iRiver and others.
3. PDF, HTML, Java, .Mobi, PDB, LRF, ePub.
4. Paperback

You can make your book available in all of these formats at no cost to yourself.

Points to consider before choosing your format:
1. Who is my book aimed at? Decide who are the most likely readers of your book. Is it very niche or will it appeal more to a mass market?
2. How would my audience prefer to read a book? Once you know who your readers will be, you can narrow down the best format for that audience. A YA (young adult) book will do very well on an e-reader as most young people are tech-savvy and prefer electronic devices over anything else.If  your book discusses fishing off the coast of Cornwall, your audience may prefer a paperback instead of an e-reader.
3. How will I distribute my book? Unless you are prepared to spend a tidy sum on printing your own books, and negotiating what is likely to be a less than sweet deal (for you anyway) with the local book store, you are not going to see your book gracing their shelves any time soon. Thankfully, there are so many other distribution outlets for the self-publisher.
4. Where will it be available to purchase? Besides the bricks and mortars stores, there is a veritable mine of online avenues for you to pursue. Amazon, Smashwords, Createspace, online book stores, online book clubs, your own website/blog. Just these areas alone can ramp up serious sales for you.
5. How do I market it? Aaaah, the million dollar question and probably the hardest/most time-consuming part of self-publishing - you do! Adverts, reviews, blog tours, social media platforms, online book clubs - unless you are paying someone to do this for you, it is all up to you.

It might seem like an enormous mountain to climb when you are standing at the base never having scaled a rock-face before. And possibly this is the wrong analogy because I wouldn't want anyone to think climbing a mountain is easy! But publishing your own book is not as difficult as it seems. A little bit of research, some well-spent time, a smidgeon of preparation, and you've done it. There are some nifty solutions out there for the indie author, and we'll go through them together.

Next post - all about Kindle!

Deadly Obsession on iBookBuzz!

I have to get used to putting Deadly Obsession out there. Every spare minute I have, I'm trawling the internet looking for viable marketing opportunities. No one said it would be easy. Identifying the opportunities are one thing; serving it up for all to see is another.
A few posts ago, I spoke briefly about pen names - to use or not to use. I was really conflicted about which way to go until right before I thumped the 'publish' button and chose to go with my real name.
Its a lot like baring your soul to a stranger and not being sure what kind of response you will get. Will they be kind and thoughtful or will they take your dreams and dash them against the nearest rock.

The fact is I never know. If I cannot rise above my angst on this subject then I might as well lay down my quill and stow away the parchment.
My first huge hurdle was actually publishing.... now I'm over that. What seemed so huge now feels very  de rigeur. The next big leap was asking an independent reviewer to give me feedback on the book. Why I thought she might get back to me in one day, I don't know. Probably because I was gnawing my fingers to the bone at that point.  Its been three weeks and Deadly Obsession is scheduled for her read list next week. So, I guess I've overcome my anxiety on that one.

Then, I found this site  for book lovers which runs a monthly vote geared to a specific genre. Five books are selected from a bunch of submissions, and then the 5 books are voted on. The book with the highest votes is selected to be read for that month. Readers can then give their feedback on the book.

So, I submitted Deadly Obsession, and held my breath. It was another of those 'should I, shouldn't I' moments just before I hit send.

You could have knocked me over with a feather today when I found out it has been selected as one of the top 5!! Yeeeeeeeeeeeha! I am so excxited!

Have a look at Deadly Obsession on the iBookBuzz site. I know you cannot be as excited as me, and maybe I should just wind my neck in but I'm over the moon.

However ...its not over yet....
Now I have to wait until 15 February to find out if it has been chosen as the Romantic Suspense read for March.

So cross fingers and hold thumbs ... I'll keep you posted.

Gabi

Marketing Deadly Obsession online

It's Friday evening, and I've spent the entire day co-ordinating my online marketing activity for Deadly Obsession.

It feels like a fulltime job.I've been at it all day and not sure that I have really achieved anything substantial. I guess I am just new to social media and blogging and that's why it takes so much time. 

The learning  is key and that can consume a couple of hours before you take a breath!

But onwards and upwards as they say.

I entered Deadly Obsession into a book competition today on a book competition today on http://www.ibookbuzz.com/, where I stand the chance to be the voted for Book of the Month in March in the genre Romantic Suspense. So I'll keep you posted on how I go with that. 

The Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award started on Monday and I'll be entering in the Fiction category of that competition. I'll be up against about 5000 hopefuls so hold thumbs for me. The process involves various phases where the list is narrowed down, so when (positive thinking!!) I make it into the next phase, I'll let you know. It will be tweeted and facebooked from the heavens, you can be sure. 

I think that's enough for me for one day. Its a pamper evening tonight ... washing my hair, doing my nails, watching a bit of TV ... you know how it goes. 

Yes, I should probably be out on the town, but its grim outside and I feel like cloistering myself tonight. 

Gabi

 Available on: Amazon.co.uk; Amazon.com; Smashwords

  

Famous First Lines

In today's world of information overload and the high level of competition in absolutely any field, your work has to stand out. If you are a new and as yet unpublished author or even a self-published author, you have to overcome enormous scepticism regarding your ability to write. I hear a number of published authors saying that this persists even after you've been published!

 So, how do you do this? How do you differentiate yourself from thousands of manuscripts that may be a writer just testing the water, or someone from the 'I have at least one book in me' legion?

Some of the ways to do this are:

• Start in the middle of the action. Readers will be gripped from the get go because it's all happening at once within those first few lines. Context, character and location can follow because now you have them hooked.
• Tell us something weird or strange about the character. Intrigue us into wanting to know more about him/her and why they are the way they are.
• Shock us. This always works well.
• Show us your unique voice.

Pen names ... To Use or Not To Use?

Is it a throwback to when we were kids and wanted to be someone else (I know some people who still want to be someone else), or is it because our real names never seem to have the panache that celebrity names have (we all know most of those are made up anyway)?

Maybe they provide an outlet for our alter ego, or give us access to a life we don’t believe we can live. Whatever it is, and whatever they are, the use of a pen name/pseudonym is very much a personal choice.

Deadly Obsession - How I Did It.

A few people have asked me how I’ve done it, so I thought I’d start sharing my experiences in this blog whilst I write my next novel. I’ve learnt an enormous amount about so many things on this journey. And the only thing I’m absolutely certain of is... I’ve so much more to learn!

Deadly Obsession started in January 2006 when I woke at four in the morning with the story idea.