F³A: The costly learning curve of indie publishing

You people who are considering indie publishing are very lucky to have me, yes you are. I'm like your trial run through this crazy process. You can live vicariously through me while I make the mistakes you don't have to when you're ready to take the plunge.

Some of the mistakes  have been costly, but I've learned my lesson. Here is the big one: As I've told you, I'm publishing through Createspace and Lightning Source. Createspace does offer expanded distribution through Amazon, but with Lightning Source I can offer retailers a bigger discount, which will incline them more to carry my book if requested. I can also have it returnable. Many bookstores won't carry it if it's not returnable. Also this way Dissected will also be available for libraries and schools to purchase.

You don't have to do this of course. I know writers who use Amazon's extended distribution and are perfectly happy with it.

Here are the mistakes I made:

1) Not ensuring that the book was edited properly before formatting and uploading. Truly, this was mostly just laziness on my part, but I've learned my lesson for sure.
2) From now on, everything will be set up and completed on Createspace before moving on to Lightning source and setting a release date. Why? I will tell you. It's free. Yes it's all free up to the point where you order your proof copies. Lightning Source charges for every resubmission of a digital upload. $40 to be exact. Also, where Createspace's proofs are just under $4, Lightning Source's are $30. And they look exactly the same. Exactly. So there's that.

So there you have it.
 
One more piece of advice, your cover will come back darker than it looks on the computer.

If you don't want to mess with much of this stuff yourself, I think I've mentioned, my friend Rachel and I are starting our own business, Creative Chaos Media. We don't have prices listed on our site yet, but feel free to contact us.

The finish line is fast approaching. The date is set. Last things...get proof copies from Createspace in mail today and make sure cover is all good. Interior is now perfect or as perfect as it's going to be. Resubmit interior to lightning source and finish setting up distribution. Make sure everything online is set to go for November 12th. 

Send proof copies to a couple bloggers who have requested it, Angel and Lea (I hope to hell they like it).

Design and order postcards to be sent to schools. libraries and bookstores. I did this way earlier with Never Eighteen, but I've kind of been overloaded this time and I'm glad I didn't since I changed the book cover.

Order new bookmarks with new cover design.

Design buttons and order.

Contact a couple bloggers and see about a blog tour.

Send out invites for and promote the launch.

I think that's it, but I'll have to brainstorm.

Anyone in the area is welcome to come to the launch party. 

Tuesday, November 12, 7 pm
Garfield Book Company
208 Garfield St S #101, Tacoma, WA 98444 

It's Friday, so I bring you the Scribbles...

Pandora queue song: Hang Me Up To Dry by Cold Water Kids

 Book of the Week: Joe Peace by friend Kerry Dunn. I read an excerpt a couple years ago and had done a video review of the except for the ABNA contest a few years back. I remember it being funny, witty and gritty. I started reading the book and my memory served me right.

Netflix of the Week: Do yourself a favor and catch up on the Walking Dead. Season 4 starts Sunday. Can't wait!!

Quote of the Week: "Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new." ~ Albert Einsten

Happy Friday, have a good weekend and go make some fun mistakes!

Monkey Madness Monday: Indie Publishing, Getting Closer

Received my second round of the formatted version of Dissected. Oh, it's so pretty. Found just a
couple more things that needed changing, so the next version should be it, then guess what. I make it a printed book! MEEP!!!!

What comes next? I need to come up with a sale price, set up distribution and get my bar codes in place.

As far as the sale price...the book is about 246 pages. A bit longer the Never Eighteen, which was $7.99. And I'm thinking about upping the book up a buck so I can donate some to my favorite charity, Mary Bridge Children's Hospital for every sale. So, I'm thinking $9.99 or $10.99. What do you think? Is the latter too much?

Then Lori, who is formatting my book will format the e-book version for me. She's been a God send, as have many others in this crazy process. I could not have done this on my own. Well, I could have but I'm sure it would have been a fiasco. :)

I also still have to design and order buttons and I need to get postcards designs and sent to bookstores, libraries, and schools. I'm wondering, do I mention the fact that the book is indie published? Hmmm, what have you other indie authors done if you've actually published in print?

ISBN Numbers

I bought them today from Bowkers. Ten of them. It's cheaper than buying just one, and each format, for instance, e-book and paperback, has to have their own number. So I bought them and started filling out the necessary information to get Dissected listed on Amazon and Goodreads. I still need to design the back cover. I wrote the jacket flap copy today, so I can do that soon and upload a cover in its entirety to Createspace, so it's ready to go when my formatting is done.

I'm still revising in Autocrit. It's a slow process and to be honest, I've been busy and tired and I've not had much time to do it, but I think it's important. I think I'm going to shoot for a release date of mid July. I'm hoping to really dig in the next couple days and get it done and get it off for formatting.

I've already designed my bookmarks, so I should send those off for printing. Just need to design postcards, buttons, bracelets, and stickers, and I have my swag done.

Then I have to purchase a barcode and set up distribution and I'm good to go. It's a lot of work, but I'm hoping in the long run, it will all be worth it.

Indie publishing: Moving forward

I just sent my book on for formatting. I'm so excited. Lori, who I mentioned...I think it was last week, blog about indie publishing. For formatting she recommends Book Design Wizard. She swears by it.

is busy for another week or so, so it's going to take a little bit, but she says once she gets to it, it will be fast. I know not everyone will have someone that can do their editing for them, and clearly, I'm not going to rely on Lori to do mine every time. I have another friend Karla, who I'm sure I've mentioned before. She has a great

If I had my Indiegogo money, there are actually things I'd be doing before the formatting, so I'm kind of going out of order. There is an editing program online I want to run my manuscript through called autocrit. It's $117 a year. It's not your everyday editing program. It helps find overused words, cliches, redundancies, repeated words and phrases, pacing and dialog problems, and more. I'm excited to try it out.

I also want to get my ISBN and distribution set up so I can get my book set up on Goodreads and the like and start some marketing. But for now, I do the formatting. My Indiegogo money is supposed to come in within days, then I can start in on the good stuff.

There you have it.

Indie publishing: The next step

Here's what's going on. I finished my line and copy edits for Dissected (I just need to find the final version, which I'm pretty sure is on my work computer, *crosses fingers*).

Then I send it to be formatted to my wonderful friend Lori.

Next I wait for my money from Indiegogo to be disbursed to I can get my ISBN numbers, set up my distribution and order swag. I've already started designing my bookmarks. Instead of getting author blurbs, I've decided to go with librarian blurbs. A couple librarians beta read for me, and I got their permission to quote them on the back of my bookmarks. Here's what they look like. Tell me what you think. I'd love your feedback. Does it need more? Less? Is there any more info you think I should have on there?

So excited. Things are coming together. I should be able to have proof copies by mid to end of this month, then have a release date set in stone. Summer is such a busy time, I may try to shoot for Mid June. If not mid June, 2nd to 3rd week July.

Happy Thursday everyone!