Author Guest Post - Maria McKenzie - The Most Important Tips for Independently Publishing Your Book.

Hi one and all!

Today we have another treat for you - more on Indy publishing. Are we sending you a message? We know RFW members and followers are wonderful writers, and we hope to encourage each other to take the steps towards publishing, whether traditional or indy. Don't forget to check the Publishing links in our right sidebar. It contains some great publishing opportunities. (But first you have to finish that story!) 

So let me introduce to you - Maria McKenzie...who has some great tips to share with us, following those we've already learned...

The Most Important Tips for Independently Publishing Your Book

Now is the best possible time to be a writer!  With the advent of online publishing and e-books, authors can publish their own work.  However, if you’re considering going independent, keep these tips in mind so you can create the most professional product possible:

1.      Write a Great Story – Although your mother and your friends will love your book, make sure other writers have read it and given you an honest opinion.  Join a local or online writers group or find a critique partner if you don’t have one already.  If you need to, Google Online Writing Groups or Critique Groups.  To hone your skills, don’t only read books on craft, read books similar to what you love to write—that’s a great teaching tool in itself.  Some of my favorite craft books include Strunk and White’s The Element’s of Style, Stephen King’s On Writing, Leigh Michaels’s On Writing Romance, Debra Dixon’s Goal, Motivation and Conflict and Robert Masselo’s Robert’s Rule’s of Writing.

2.      Edit - Once you’ve completed your novel, have it professionally edited.  You cannot edit your own work! Once you’ve worked on a piece for months or years, it’s very easy to overlook left out words, typos and misspellings (been there, done that). An editor will not only catch these mistakes, but he/she can also help fine tune your finished product by re-crafting sentences or cutting unnecessary words to improve the flow of your story. If you don’t know of an editor, Google eBook Editing Services. 

3.      Format - Format your book correctly! Formatting an e-book isn’t difficult, but it is tedious, not to mention a little overwhelming for the non-technical among us—of which I am one! I did my own formatting for the Kindle and Nook versions of my books, so if I can do it anyone can. The Smashwords Style Guide (free) walks you through the formatting process step by step to prepare your manuscript for upload to their site.  The same formatting can be used for Barnes and Noble Pubit.  Amazon guidelines are different, but very easy to follow.  However, if you don’t have time for the task, or you’re more comfortable letting a pro do it, there are many out there who’ll do it for a reasonable price. Just Google eBook Formatting Services.

4.      Design an Eye-catching Cover – Your cover is the first impression your book makes on the outside world, so it needs to grab your readers’ attention. Even if your story is great, an ugly cover will discourage readers from clicking on it. Hire a professional artist to create an awesome cover for you! Google eBook Cover Design if you need help finding one.

These are just a few tips, but some of the most important.  However, if you’re seriously thinking about going indie, I highly recommend reading some sources that will give you a thorough overview of what to expect before taking the plunge! Jeff Bennington’s The Indie Author’s Guide to the Universe is great.  I finished it recently, and wish I could have read it before I dove in blindfolded!

Just a few last words.  You might have writer friends who are experts in all of the above, but not the money to pay them. Indies are usually on a shoestring budget, so don’t hesitate to barter services.  Can you edit, proofread or be a beta reader? Exchange that service with a writer friend who’s a graphic designer. 

Visit me any time at www.mariamckenziewrites.com. I’ve compiled a “Help for Writers Page” with great links to lots of free information to help you on your indie journey!

Maria McKenzie is the author of the Amazon bestseller The Governor’s Sons. Her newest release is Escape: Book One of the Unchained Trilogy, a family saga. She is currently at work on Masquerade: Book II of The Unchained Trilogy.  Maria lives in Cincinnati with her husband and two boys. She’s  into fitness and enjoys running.  As long as she’s not listening to an audio book, she comes up with story ideas during her morning runs.
Maria around the web:

Facebook        Twitter        Website 

Maria has just released ESCAPE – Book One of the Unchained Trilogy

Daniel and Lori love each other, yet to live as one in 1856, they must escape from the unyielding society that imprisons them.

Lori was born a slave in North Carolina, yet by chance was raised alongside Daniel in a wealthy abolitionist household. The sudden death of Daniel’s mother catapults Lori back into bondage.

Relegated to chattel on a rice plantation, Lori lives in constant fear under the tormenting scrutiny of Daniel’s wretched Aunt Lucinda.

After Daniel fails to convince his relatives to free Lori, he is compelled to devise a daring escape. Although a life threatening endeavor for both of them, Lori’s freedom is priceless to Daniel, and he’s willing to pay such a price for her love.

Buy Links:
Amazon
Amazon UK
B&N

• Have you independently published your book? If so, what are some important tips you’d like to share?

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Don't forget to sign up TODAY for our Halloween House of Horrors Challenge! 1,000 words of prose or poetry. Scroll down to the linky or check guidelines on the Challenges Page above!

Guest Author Post - Linda Katmarian on Self-Publishing

Adventures in Self-Publishing: Laying Down the Bones

Some say self-publishing is for the brave of heart and the foolhardy. I say it’s for the adventurous and never mind those who disapprove. In my opinion, traditional publishers have pretty much closed the doors on authors, especially debut authors. As I see it, their way of doing business often erects an obstacle course for writers. Self-publishing has its drawbacks too, but it does offer some hope and reward to writers who are willing to engage with this new trend in publishing. My advice? Be a pioneer.

That said, there are basic things you need to do to publish your masterpiece. (I am assuming here that you have a completed manuscript that you have work-shopped it thoroughly.) There are no hard and fast rules for starting off on a self-publishing venture, but here are some things to consider.

EDUCATION

The first thing you need to do is educate yourself about self-publishing. God knows there is plenty of information out in cyberspace, but it’s a little daunting sorting through it and making sense of it all. Some of it is not good advice and some sites are plainly devoted to making money for themselves rather than helping authors.

I suggest you start out with a Self-Publishing Roadmap course that is offered from time to time by Joel Friedlander at The Book Designer (http://www.thebookdesigner.com ). This six-week course is not cheap, but you will be paying for the expertise that Joel offers. It’s a big time saver in terms of acquiring the information you need and being eventually able to discern what is good information and what is bogus. Joanna Penn at The Creative Penn (http://www.thecreativepenn.com/) also sells a course on publishing which is more affordable, but not as detailed as Joel’s.

YOU ARE A BUSINESS

The second thing you need to do is look at self-publishing as a business. You may protest that you are a writer, but in this day and age you must also be able to wear a business hat no matter which path you take to publication, traditional or self-published. I, more than anyone, would love to just be able to focus all my energy on writing, but that is not the world we live in. We are light years away from that old-fashioned notion of the creative writer plunking out his or her stories on an old Olympic typewriter and placing the finished product in the hands of an eager publisher.

So if you are a business, what are the initial things you need to do? This varies from country to country, so check out the rules in your own country. I can only speak for what is required in the United States, but some of the information is relevant and just good business sense wherever you come from.

•  Choose a publisher name. In the United States, you will need to file a business name notice. The name I chose for my DBA is Scheherazade Bookworks.
• Publish your statement in a locally-approved newspaper for the required 30 days. (Not a requirement in all countries.)
• Be prepared to keep track of income and expenses from book publishing. Open a business account at your local bank using your publisher name. You may want to consult with an accountant or your tax preparer.
• Keep a list of expenditure. You may be able to claim deductions at tax time.
• Set a budget. Self-publishing can cost you anywhere from $1000 to $50,000 dollars. You will have to make realistic decisions about your goals and what you can afford and what you can forego. You are going to have to evaluate how you can get the most bang for your buck. Most importantly, you will need to be aware that there are people out there who will happily separate you from your money. In setting a budget, you need to understand which services you can do yourself and which you will pay someone else to do. There are many things to consider such as book cover design, editing, formatting, distribution, marketing, and so on that can be quite costly. If you don’t see the point in laying out money for at least cover design and editing services, you may live to regret it.
• In the United States, open an account with Bowker and buy your ISBN numbers. (I assume other countries have a similar method of maintaining a publisher database as ISBN numbers are accepted worldwide.) It’s not cheap, but you might as well buy a set of ten because print and e-book formats all require their own ISBN. Currently, it costs about $250 for ten in the US, whereas I’ve found it is considerably cheaper in Australia, for instance, ($80). Some author services will furnish you with a free ISBN. That’s fine, but realize that they will probably be listed as the publisher and that may not be something you want on your book cover, etc. You also want to retain editorial control of your book's metadata in Bowker, which you can't do if you are not listed as the publisher. 

So there you have it from a newbie—my quick and dirty version of laying down the bones, the first steps in creating the structure from which you will launch your self-publishing venture. Once you get past these first steps, there are many other things to consider such as:

·         preparing your manuscript for publication

·         setting up your author platform

·         utilizing social media and so on. (This is usually required from the traditional publishers. How much more important it is for those of us going the self-publishing route.)

These are complex decisions and part of that initial self-publishing education I suggest you get for yourself. Take one step at a time and remember to breathe. Eventually the dust will begin to subside and your decision-making path will become clearer. Uh, at least that’s what I tell myself.

Author Bio

Linda Katmarian grew up in the Midwest and graduated with a Master’s Degree in French literature from Illinois State University. In June, 2012, after a long career as a technical writer, she was able to finally commit herself to writing fiction full time. She lives in Southern California and is working on publishing her debut novel, ‘Dreaming of Laughing Hawk’.

You can find Linda herea;

http://www.lindakatmarian.com or

http://www.scheherazade-thewritinglife.blogspot.com/


For further reading, I suggest you go here...to one of the sites Linda mentioned, The Book Designer. This is a direct link to checking if you're reading to self-publish and how to go about it.

And here is another link with real-life stories about self-publishing from a wonderful blog I follow, How to Plan, Write and Develop a Book.

Thank you for sharing, Linda. It is especially exciting when a RFW member embarks on the exciting journey of becoming a published author.

• Any questions for Linda? She'll pop in from time to time to take questions from the floor. I know you're just bursting to know more about self-publishing, so fire away.

See you on Friday for our next prompt - Birthday Madness! Check out the guidelines on the Challenges Page.  Consider posting the badge in your sidebar if you haven't already, or mention it in a post... 

...followed by House of Horrors, our Halloween challenge. See Challenges Page for more details. Pass the word along. People love to write Halloween stories!

Linky for Birthday Madness goes up this Wednesday AEST.

Wednesday Wrap Up Post and other news and announcements...

Thank you everyone for your great takes on this prompt. Every story was unique and we met all sorts of friends, and experienced every emotion from hate to love. This week we welcome new followers - Encourage One Another and Paul Smith. Tinu and Crystal are our latest members. Crystal thought she had signed up, so check your member status before our Halloween challenge as you must be a member to be eligible for Featured Writer or any other accolade.

So, without further ado, here are the mini critiques on each entry, prepared by both of your hosts and in no particular order:

Yolanda - The hateful beautiful friend with the hair, the body - oh, the green-eyed monster! Isn't it all just one big happy family as the BF gets the ex and the children? Grr. Great use of theme.

Charmaine - continued with her Rosie story. What a dame! A real hoot as we see Rosie dealing with the weight she's piled on in the last years, no longer attractive to the garbage man - and downright repulsive to the friend down the road. I don't think Rosie and Debbie were ever meant to be friends! 

Donna - Here we have a spell-binding take on the theme with chubby, jealous Lacy casting a spell for her gorgeous, yet needy friend Crystal. Some interesting concepts such as binge eating. As Lacy twists the opal around her neck, we're left asking what is the price she's placed on her spellmaking? When will Crystal find out?

Candilynn - Yearning - a great poem by Candilynn who usually enters prose. The bitterness was palpable. Here we have the emotions - envy, hungering, craving, wanting what she doesn't have anymore, but once had. Will she or won't she win him back from 'her'?

Nancy - I love it when Nancy takes us into her fantastical world of faery. I think we all fell in love with these little characters in the fae community. Who knew such naughtiness existed there? What does Lilac have in mind for her erstwhile friend Rosebud?

Sally - My Friend. A beautiful, emotional tribute to a rare and precious friend. Was there a dry eye? My eyes teared up as I felt what was coming. A lovely life cut short by a drunk driver. So moving. I hope it helped to share with us, Sally.

Linda - took us to Efra, Northern Ghana, for a tale of two friends. Her beautiful, clever, dearest friend destroyed by other's greed. How some can turn good into evil and a cautionary tale into how at times global charities cause harm when they mean good. A peek into cultural traditions. I'm glad Linda's mc continued her friendship with her aunt.

Roland - Haunted by Whispers - we have Maxine, the 'goblin princess', a self-confessed 'freak', at this time not the friend of Becca, whose POV we had. I was pleased to see an explanation by Roland in the comments that these two, after their initial antagonism, would form an alliance.

Ghazala - presented us with a quirky story of the reunion of two best friend from school days, 20 years ago. It was hugely funny how the husband of the mc was digging a hole for himself with his comments about the hot new neighbour. It was touching how the two friends reunited, despite the rumours going around the building. She could easily have hated her friend.

Crystal -   A disturbing story with no answer. What did Phoebe's friend Katy do to come between Phoebe and her love, Daniel? We aren't sure whether the secretive Katy is having an affair with her best friend's boyfriend. True hate for a beautiful friend, whatever she's done.

Anna: has quite a mystery going with her love triangle; Charlottes zany, uncaring friend
Ramona has stolen many things from Charlotte, including boyfriend Emil.  Now Ramona is missing, and no love lost from Charlotte; except that leaves another mystery about the fate of Emil also.

Raelene: shows the bruised consequences of pettiness, the self destructive nature of a jealous heart.  Sometimes, all that is needed to pull out of the depths of despair is to look around at what you have, and be comforted.

Denise:  added another layer to her Sally and Inya story in the form of a best friend from New York, Aggie; dead set on interfering with the island romance that has turned the corporate beauty’s sensibilities.

Francine: posted a snippet from her upcoming Regency romance novel that involves two lovely ladies in a flirtatious battle of wills over the handsome, injured lord.  What better place for the jealousy monster to appear than the bedroom of a naked man.

Adura: added to an ongoing saga of Michael and Sadi, and introduced a new character - Michael’s best friend Femi.  This male perspective was fresh and original, a different take on the envy theme as the tables seem to be turn, and Michael is not the rebellious one.

Michael: offered a unique take on the theme with two opposing, yet equally beautiful elements of nature as they shine their glories for all the world to admire.  Cryptic, lyrical, a mystery to resolve, beautifully penned.

Nilanjana: This story was a completely heartbreaking in its simplicity; a friendship comfortably nurtured, the introduction of a new person, and the angst of watching the man you want fall helplessly love with the innate charms of your best friend.

Clare: put fresh faces on the childhood story of best friends on separate maturity tracks, drawn together by routine, as one falls in the shadows...until someone special notices the shadow, and draws her into the light. Welcome Clare!

Heather: propelled her shadow character into the arms of the best friend’s intended conquest; stealing the limelight in quiet conversation, a couple drinks, and a moment alone in the crowd.

Now more announcements...

NEW JUDGES FOR RFW

Your hosts can no longer take the pressure of choosing between such great writing each FW challenge, so we've asked a couple of wonderful bloggers to help out as guest judges - Ann Best and Nas Dean. We'll give you more on their role later, but suffice to say Ann is a member of RFW, a qualified editor, published author and poet. Nas is a long-time follower of RFW, a reader for Entangled Publishing, so is especially qualified to see a winning story.   So whenever we have a FW prompt, your entries will be judged by more impartial judges. The Halloween House of Horrors entries will be the first to be judged by our pros.

MAKING YOUR POSTS VISIBLE TO ALL

More and more people are reading blog entries on their mobile/cell phones, so here are some points to keep in mind when posting:

• Only the Post column is visible - not the sidebars. If you're using a Stretch template, not all of your post will be visible and readers will tire of navigating from side to side.
• If you use Word Verification, forget it. Those evil Captcha codes are hardly visible on a large monitor, let alone a tiny mobile phone. And just try filling them on on a mobile. Impossible. Google added them with the new interface and apparently they keep reappearing, so check your comments occasionally.
• If you use Google + there are more steps added to the reading/commenting processes. At times when I come across a Google + link all I get is an ad for a Google + app ad. If you've got a blog, I suggest you use your blog as your link. Just saying...
• Depending on the mobile phone, a youtube clip may be inaccessible.

That's just some things I've come across as I use my mobile a lot to check blogs when I'm out and about. Do you have anything to share that would be helpful?

UPCOMING GUEST BLOGGER

Please return on Monday, October 1st, for a guest post by fellow RFW member, Linda Katmarian who is working through the process of self publishing. She will be sharing the important points she's learned so far. We've learned a lot reading through it.

See you then!