30 Days of Thanks: Day 8

Today I'm finding it hard to be thankful. I know. Seriously, I'm a glass half empty kind of gal. I can't help it. Just when I thought my book problems were solved for my release party, um, they suddenly weren't. No idea what's happening now. If I'll have books or even a party. I'm a lot panicked and stressed and a little devastated.

So, thankful...hmmmm...

Going to have to put this on hold for a bit...

(5 hours later)
 
...okay, I had another book crisis. I thought I had books coming for my release party. Then I didn't. then I did. Then I didn't again. Now apparently I do again. Sheesh. Can you say ulcer?

So, I'm thankful for the people who really try to make things work for others. Like Jennifer at Lightning Source who I called in a panic on Monday because I was pretty sure there was something messed up on my order, which turned out to be right, and I wasn't getting my books on time. Then who fixed it so that I could upgrade to expedited shipping to get my books by Monday.

Then again with Sandra who I had to call today when I found out my books went out UPS ground and they weren't going to get here until Thursday, when my party is on Tuesday. She went back to talk to the people I'd already talked to to find out what happened.

And then for Ryan, who helped fix everything, and since my books had already gone out, put another rush, expedited order in at no charge so I would at least get two cases of books by Monday.

Yeah, I'm thankful for those kind of people. The people in customer service who have to deal with people like me who panic and cry. And those ones who have to deal with people that yell and scream and cuss at them. I used to have to do that when I worked at the licensing department. I didn't like that job. Nope, not one bit.

I feel for those people, anyone who works with the general public, they don't have it easy. It's why I always tip well, because I know for every 20% I give, there's going to be some asshole that tips 10%.

There it is, and here are the Friday Scribbles...

Pandora Queue Song: Pitter Pat by Erin McCarley

 















Book and Netflix of the Week: I'm going to let you tell me. I've been so busy I've neither read no watched ANYTHING for a couple weeks now aside from football and Walking Dead. What are you watching/reading?

Quote of the Week:

 

Have a great Friday and a better weekend. Even if it's hard, find something to be thankful for every single day.

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!

Cover Frustration!!

So, my first cover was too dark. The back of my second cover was a little off kilter. Then somehow the front of the third time around got this strange border around it. I'm not really even sure how that happened. I put it right into the same layout I used the first two times. Sigh.

I tried something different this time. Instead of using InDesign, I downloaded a template from Createspace for my size book. We'll see how that goes.

What really really sucks is that every time I change the digital copy on Lightning Source they charge me $40 and their proofs are $30. And I clearly wasn't thinking last night or I would have only changed on Createspace, ordered new proofs as they charge nothing for changes and their proofs are just under $4.

Ugh, sometimes I'm such an idiot.

Time is dwindling down to my release date and I don't have my cover right. I want to pull my hair out and scream and throw a tantrum on the floor. But I don't because I'm a lady. Why are you laughing? I am!

We'll see how this next proof goes. I've expedited the shipping so I have them by Friday.

Wish me luck.

Don't forget I have a preview of the first chapter on Createspace. Feel free to go and leave a review. Also enter to win a copy on Goodreads.

Indie publishing: The Next Step

I got my formatted copy of Dissected back and uploaded it to both Createspace and Lightning Source. Now I'm waiting to get proof copies from each company. I'm going to have someone else go through the proof copies. I don't think I can stomach doing it one more time.

I'm not sure why if I've explained why I'm using both companies. I'm using Createspace to sell on Amazon, but Createspace expanded distribution does not offer a big enough wholesale discount, so physical bookstores more than likely would not carry it. So I'm going through Lightning Source, so I can distribute through Ingram and set my own discount price, so that libraries and book stores can purchase the book at a reasonable rate. I'll make less money this way, but I'm pretty sure most of my sales will come through Amazon. However, I'd like the book available through Ingram so it's available if I do library, school and book store visits.

I also got my UPC code and added it to the cover. I set the sale price at $9.99.
Now, once I approve the proof copies of the book, that's it. Time to sell. Of course, I've set a release date of November 12th because I still have some marketing stuff I want to do, and I have a release party I want to set up and I need a 6 week lead on that.

It's getting close to go time, and I'm getting nervous...

FINISHED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!: The next step in the Indie Publishing Process

I finally got my typos typed up and sent off to Lori. She's on vacation though, so she'll get to them when she gets back. I feel like a giant weight has been lifted off my shoulders. 

So, next steps...

New Dissected Cover

1. Set sale price and buy UPC code for book. I'm still debating this because I'd like to see a $1 for every book sold go to my favorite charity, Mary Bridge Children's Hospital. But I don't want to set the price so high people won't buy it. It's a little long than NE was, so I think I could set the price at $9.99 and still donate a $1 to MBCH. Or I could donate for awhile and see how it goes I guess? What do you think? Is $9.99 too much for a 216 page book?
2. Upload the new cover and book to Createspace and Lightning Source and get proofs from each.
3. Make sure they look good.
4. Start marketing.

I should be marketing already, but really, I've been so busy with life stuff and I'm suffering from exhaustion, which I'm hoping to take care of in the next couple weeks with a trip to my doctor (she's out of town for another week and a half).
 

Finished

I'm typing up my changes as we speak. And honestly, I was too lazy to finish finding my typos last night. I didn't want to, then a friend of mine, Robert Leland Taylor pushed me to do it. So I did. He has a book out, he's very funny. You should go buy it.

Anyway, when I do copy edits again, I'm going to do them hard copy, like I did with Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. I'm finding way too many mistakes. We did them with "track changes" on Word and I think I got lazy. I'm not a good monitor editor. Put a piece of paper in front of me though, and I'm on it.

Plus, you catch other stuff. I had inconsistencies, and other things in the novel that made me scratch my head. Indie writers hear this, make sure your shit is edited!!!

yeah, I just needed this one.

If I had put this book out as is, I would have been raked over the coals. This proof is the epitome of what everyone probably expects a self published book to be. Riddled with mistakes. Ugh.

And time is going by so fast, as this point, I'm praying I can meet my new planned release date of the
end of October. We'll see once I get these typed up and off to Lori and what her turn around time is, then it's a matter of getting another proof from Createspace, one from Lightning Source, then we're off!

Okay, day job calls. I have to go in early because I'm getting a washer and dryer delivered today. No more having to go to the parents, I finally broke down and bought a pair.

Monkey Madness Monday: Typos, typos, typos!

I'm going crazy. Seriously. I've read this book over and over again. I've had an editor read it. I know that there are people out there who self publish who don't have an editor read their work and this is one of the reason self publishing gets a bad rap. So much self published work it put out unedited.  It's put out with typos and grammar and punctuation problems and turns people off from indie publishing as a whole.

For the life of me, I cannot fathom having missed so much on the first five or six passes. I'm going to get another proof copy after this one. I'm going to make sure the cover is okay then I'm going to have someone else read it for typos in case I missed any. Again. I know that there are traditionally published books out there with typos in them. It's one of the reasons I refuse to read Never Eighteen since its debut. I don't want to find any mistakes. But for my first indie project, I want it to be as flawless as possible. I don't want anyone to say things like, "well, that's what you can expect after all it IS self published" or things of a similar nature.

I admit, when it comes to editing, I'm lazy, but this? The mistakes that are in there? UGH!!! Some of

them are just plain stupid mistakes.

I'm sure every writer in the world will understand when I say, I'm so tired of this book. :)
The next couple days I'm busting these typos out and getting them back to Lori so she can get it formatted again and I can get a proof from Createspace and Lightning source and make sure we're ok again.

Man, this process can be a real bitch. At least I'm learning and hopefully things will go smoother for the next book, which I'm starting to think I should be starting this process for now.

Happy Monday all.