Things are coming together, more or less. My new cover is in process...my interior e-proof should be sent to me any day now. I have now decided, from speaking with several other indie authors, that formatting is not so difficult. Now that I have a cover designer I think I may give it a try on the next book. According to one source it will take a day. Hmm...I'm recalling my frustration just two days ago when I tried to work on my Wordpress website and the button to add a photo refused to do what it was supposed to do..I tend to go ballistic rather quickly when out of my comfort zone--especially when it includes electronic devices. But if I manage this, working with Createspace will be a breeze, without all the delays that I've had to deal with. We'll see...
This past week has been devoted to marketing. I've contacted several sites for reviews with some success. I joined a paranormal writing group on Goodreads, which has a lot of interesting discussions, including one on reviews. My book is by no means a bodice ripper but since it does have a strong love story woven into it I am calling it a fantasy romance--or should it be romantic fantasy? In any case it opens up a much wider audience and gives me more options to explore. Romance seems to be a very popular genre but there also seem to be many sub-genres, from the Harlequin type to just a plain old love story and everything in between...and what exactly are the parameters? I guess I should read a bit more before jumping in with both feet. Some of the sites I've visited have covers that depict half naked women and men that seem to point to a storyline very different from mine. And heading off in the other direction, I've come upon reviewers who will not review a book with sex scenes!
In the spirit of my new bravado, I've signed myself up to do a reading in Portland when I'm there in June! It's easy to do such things when they are in the future and in a galaxy far, far away--how will I feel in early June? I plan to drink several glasses of wine beforehand...will my slurred words make any sense? Maybe I can enlist others and put on a little skit--a dialogue scene. That actually sounds fun and a lot more entertaining for the audience of my three friends.
Do you do your own formatting? And if so, how frustrating is it, really?
About Me
- nikki broadwell
- working writer wending her way through the labyrinth that is self-publishing
Nikki, I did all of my own work for my book at Createspace. It was time consuming and, at times, very frustrating, in spite of my extensive technical background. On the other hand, I created my blog very easily. Because I want to be a writer and not a techie, I'll be seeking help in both of those areas. Even though I control my blog, I'm not really up on the latest.
ReplyDeleteThe problem of giving a project over to another person is that you lose control. You've probably experienced that. What I'm trying to do is to hire an "assistant." That way, I start my own formatting, and when I hit a glitch, I call/message my expert assistant for help. Same for putting that button on my blog.
Self-publishing is headed in the direction of simplicity. Createspace is easier to use, from the reports I get from my friends. Blogging is easier now, too.
I'll let you know when I find that right "assistant."
Dane
I like the group reading thing. I do that.
thanks for your reply, Dane...is your blog on Wordpress? because if so, good luck! this one is blogspot and very easy to navigate...on the other hand, as I mentioned, my website is Wordpress and god knows who created the completely unwieldy interface! I do plan to at least try and do my own formatting for the next book..with Createspace they don't check their work and it's up to me to go through the ms a thousand times...if I do it, I'll know who made the mistakes!
DeleteGood luck with the reading. My advice, based on my own experience/proclivity is not to drink. The consequences are worse than the much anticipated nerves which vanish as soon as you start. The effects of drink don't vanish so quickly. Drink in triumph or solace afterwards. : )
ReplyDeleteI left a comment on the last post, that really should go here. I did my own CreateSpace formatting, in Word, without using their templates (I tried to use them, but they nearly drove me crazy). It took some time and there's definitely a learning curve (I had to give myself a crash course on styles and sections in Word), but the formatting came out beautiful, and perfect. It was definitely worth the time and figuring out to get it just the way I wanted and to make sure it was done right. I'll be doing my next book in June; I should keep notes on the process and do a tutorial.
ReplyDeleteand now...
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