How to be an Indie Author 4: Formatting

This is the fourth post in a series about self-publishing from ideation through sales. To check out other posts in this series, click here.


Last time I wrote about editing, which most writers think of as the bear in the process. I'm here to tell you, that formatting is just as tedious, if not more so. This is where the real work for the indie author begins.

The Indie Difference

Indie tools: coffee, notepad, pen, & laptop

Formatting is a serious difference between traditionally published and independent authors. The reason is simple - this is the beginning of the publishing process.

Before we were working on the content. Editing, is really polishing content. Formatting, however, is making sure content is accessible in whatever form a manuscript takes.

For the purposes of this discussion, I'm going to talk about both digital and print-on-demand publishing. While there are many options in the wide world of digital and POD publishing, I will dive into the reasons why I made the choices I did for the distributors I did etc.

Digital

First, it should be noted, choosing a distributor will change your formatting process because different distributors do different things. For the most accessibility, I recommend the following things:

1. Set up a style throughout your manuscript (for example first line indent for text body, chapter title/heading style for section titles).
2. Get rid of any extra spaces unless they are necessary for content readability (extra lines, extra spaces, extra indents).
3. Embed fonts if you're attached to them.
4. Include a message at the beginning of your document reminding people if they got your book for free, to buy a copy because it was a lot of work to produce the book.
5. Include an "About the Author" section at the end with a little bio about you.
6. Include a "Connect Online" section that has all the major places readers can find you online.
7. If you're really tech savvy, create hyperlinked table of contents that allows readers to jump easily to chapter headings (I'm not tech savvy, so I don't have this in my docs because every time I try things explode.).

Keep in mind, different file types will look differently in digital readers. If you have a reading app on your phone, ereader, or app on your computer, USE THEM. This is especially important when you're starting out because you won't have a system in place. That said, once you've done this a few times, it will become second nature, and you may decide to skip the ereader review altogether (like I do, for better or worse).

Also important to note is different distributors have different capacities. Some will only provide a single file type, like MOBI or EPUB (the most common). If you have to choose one kind of file, choose an EPUB file. However, I would strongly recommend that you not limit yourself to one type of file or one place to be read.

That said, if you have any confusion around formatting, or the distributor rejects your document for some reason, most have a guide or FAQ that you can reference for assistance. Smashwords, my ebook distributor, has a ton of resources for authors (and readers!) which are very accessible and easy to understand.

If you read all this and it stressed you out, however, you can pay someone else to format your work for you or buy a template to use. The cost varies significantly, and I cannot make recommendations this way because, well, I've never been a la cart. I've always been a bootstrapper (If you have recommendations for formatting services or templates, please comment below!).

Print-on-Demand

The second kind of formatting fun is, well, worse. Formatting for print is, as a friend once said, an art form. To format from scratch takes finesse and deep knowledge of printing.

Before you go through the nuts and bolts, make sure you include - just as you did for your digital copies - "About the Author" and "Connect Online" sections at the end of the manuscript.

Now that everything is where you need it, be sure you have selected your printer/distributor. Formatting requirements vary widely from company to company, and one set of formatting choices may not translate to another company.

In my next post on publishing, I'll talk about the reasons why you might choose one printer/distributor over another, but for the purposes of formatting, let's just recognize the two choices available (similar to digital):

1. Use the template provided by the printer.
2. Pay someone to go through the process for you.

If you use the template provided, make sure it matches the size of book you want (6'x9' for example). Make sure the pagination places everything on the correct page. So, the title page should have the binding margin on the left. The table of contents should start on a page with the binding margin on the left, etc.

If you pay someone else to do this for you, make sure they are comfortable with the printer/distributor you plan to use and you clearly communicate what size book you intend to have (5'x8' or 6'x9' or ?).

Even if you pay someone else to do this for you, check every chapter. Make sure there are no pages with a single word on them. Make sure the chapter headings are consistent. Make sure the fonts are what you want. Make sure the pages are tracking. Double check that binding margins are where they need to be. THIS IS IMPORTANT! If anything is wrong with the formatting, it will slow everything down. You will have to change the document, go over it again, and possibly again.

I cannot stress the importance of formatting. Once you have this process down, it makes everything easier and faster. But it does take some time to get comfortable and confident in this (I'm just now comfortable with POD and it's been almost 4 years since I started doing it!).

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Do you have any tips or tricks to make sure your formatting is correct? Have any horror stories to share? Leave a comment below!

Check out my next post in this series on publishing where I will talk about why I chose the distributors/printers I did. And to support your local, lovely indie bootstrapper, visit my website to donate or buy my books! All the links on my site give me maximum royalty percentages, as opposed to supporting big companies. Buy a book there and see how my formatting went (or didn't!).

How To Be An Indie Author 3: Editing

This is the third post in a series about self-publishing from ideation through sales. To check out other posts in this series, click here.

Last post I wrote about the writing process, or turning an idea into a first draft. Now that you have a first draft, you must begin the intense and stress-inducing process of editing.

Editing is messy, but necessary.

When talking editing in writing circles, there is a lot of ambivalence, especially when thinking about publishers and "creative control" or final say over content and style.

"I can't believe he made me take out that scene! It's my best written scene!"
"I had to write out that character."
"But I really love adjectives!"

The list of complaints could go on however, editing is necessary.

Anyone who is a professional writer (or aspiring to be) understands the importance of good editing. Sometimes this means reworking a paragraph (or entire chapter) and other times it means slicing something in half. No matter what the requirement, the reason is always this: to create a more polished, precise, and effective piece of writing.

In this post I'm actually lumping editing and proofing into one major process. When I taught composition, we separated these two things into editing (content) and proofing (grammar, spelling, punctuation). For me, these two processes are intertwined, which is why I will discuss both in a single post.

First, Edit

There are two camps about editing for the indie author, but for the purposes of this post, I'm going to share my process (which admittedly has its limits).

Once I have a first draft, I let it sit for a while. Sometimes this means a month. Sometimes it means a year - it all depends on my publishing goals and how I feel about the manuscript generally.

Then I do a first reading where I focus on making sure I've communicated major ideas, double check whether characters are developed enough, and "tie up loose ends." This often includes cutting out repetitive sentences, assuring balance in lists, and making sure I'm being consistent throughout the manuscript.

This first read-through often includes correcting spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors, though it is not the primary focus. Ultimately, the focus here is content consistency/smoothness.

Then, Proof

Now that I have all the big fixes out of the way, I can move on to details. This is a second read-through where I double check all my "there, their, and they're" usage. Because let's face it, even though I know the difference, when I'm hammering out a first draft, I'm not always all there (see what I just did?). Sometimes I'm tired. Sometimes I'm thinking about the next chapter as I scramble to get my story all onto the page. So something gets lost in the writing, and I end up typing the wrong word.

Now, this is where we start seeing the difference between Big 6 (as in Harper Collins and Penguin) published authors and the indie author. This is what also separates Riot Grrrl bootstrappers like myself, and a la carters.

While Big 6 authors may go through this process before pitching their manuscript to an agent, they will get a professional proofreader courtesy of their publisher. Sometimes this is a good thing, and the person is really thorough and other times, they are a sleep deprived intern coffee-gofer. And an author won't know, except for a few typos still in the manuscript after publication (or too many adjectives, or not enough showing, and too much telling etc).

Indie authors, especially bootstrappers, do this themselves.

Let me repeat...bootstrappers do it on their own (this is me, I'm talking about here). So when there is a typo in the final manuscript, it's my personal fault. Seriously. And I got paid worse than a Big 6 publisher intern to not find it.

Hey! Beta, Beta, Beta!

The best friend of the bootstrapping indie is the beta reader. This is a third read-through, if you have the luxury of time, by someone else. Hopefully this involves several someones.

The most success I have had with betas (and this is supported by other author friends) is to ask specific questions:

"I'm having trouble in chapter 2, can you tell me if it follows well?"
"I'm worried I might offend someone with this section of the piece, but I don't want to alienate readers. How does it read for you?"
"I don't quite like this character. Tell me what you think."

The key here is to find people who will give thorough feedback. Outside of teachers (read: ESL and English Lit), and other writers, this will be hard to find. A lot of people will say things to the effect of, "It's good. I liked it."

*Blinks*

Obviously this is unhelpful and doesn't give good direction as to what needs work. Sometimes people will be wary of giving feedback because they don't want to offend you. They worry that criticizing your work will create rifts in your relationship.

Emphasize they have immunity. You are asking for specific feedback because you need it. Ask them to be completely honest. If they don't like something, tell them you need to know why. And say it's okay.

This really makes a difference in a beta's comfort level. And you want them to be comfortable.

Hired Guns

If you have resources, you may fall into the a la cart category of indie authors (lucky you!).

It is nice to have professional editors because they do this as their job. That means you are paying (often upwards of $200) for them to find all the errant apostrophes and theres. And they will.

Which is great.

The reason is it is a lot easier for someone else to find those little mistakes than it is for you. While beta readers are helpful, and should be used as a kind of test run for gauging the receipt of manuscripts, they are not professional. They are your friends, or some other writer you found through a Facebook Group.

So if you can hire a professional editor, then do it. It will help you sleep better (Probably - I wouldn't know.). If however, you are like me, here are a few tricks to get another level of correction into your manuscript:

1. Read it out loud. You'll find mistakes you didn't realize were there.
2. Use spell-checkers. Seriously.
3. Run your manuscript through grammar checkers (they aren't all created equal but you can find a few for free online...try at your own risk, i.e. proof it every other way too.).

Finally

Some writers will over analyze and freak out about the editing portion of writing. And yes, you could pour over your manuscript for ages. You could go over it a thousand times and find something else to change.

And that would be a waste of time.

At some point you have to give up the neurosis of perfectionism and accept yourself (and therefore your writing) as good enough. Someone will always be better. Someone will always be worse. The more you go through this process, the better you will become.

Also, debut books are almost always crap. I know, you've read some Big 6 writers  that were God's gift to literature. That is the exception rather than the rule. Chances are those people wrote a ton before they ever wrote their first book. They may have been in ten writing groups, had professional writers go over their manuscripts, and of course, had the benefit of Big 6 publishing house resources.

Forget them.

Don't worry about them. This is about you and where you are. Getting out there is better than being stuck behind a process. Trust me. It is liberating.

That said, do what you feel comfortable doing. If you can't handle putting out a book that is obviously a first attempt, then don't. If you need to go over your manuscript a thousand times, you're not ready to publish. Period.

Indie publishing is not an easy path. It is not for everyone. And it most certainly can send perfectionists over the edge.

If you have the opposite problem, like me, and you just want to get everything out and into the world as soon as possible because your voice is bursting out of you...wait a second. Force yourself to read through your manuscript another time. Ask at least one other person to read the damn thing. Really. You'll thank yourself later. Trust me on this, I learned that one the hard way (i.e. 2nd editions of KHLOE ALWELL series for just that reason).

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What is your editing process? Have you used the strategies above? To what success? Leave a comment below!

Be sure to check out the next post in this series, formatting! And to support your local, lovely indie bootstrapper, visit my website to donate or buy my books!

THRIVE Book Launch Week 7: Pre-order Day & Marathon Madness

I can see it, but it's still so much further....

Last week was slow. Then with Mothers' Day family obligations I ended up doing a lot less than I wanted. And my social media phone app went wonky. And my computer stopped charging consistently. And everything just felt...bleh.

Despite this, I continued to press on. I continued and I found myself talking with a fascinating person who was most unexpected. I don't know what will come of that connection, but I intend to see that through, wherever it leads.

And that is me. Try things. Screw up. Adjust. Try things. Screw up less. Adjust.Try things...ad infinitum.

To some that might seem like a waste of time. However, it is the only way that makes sense to me. I will make mistakes. I know this happens. However, I do not let this stop me from acting. I do not let this hinder my will. I do not let it keep me from reaching. I am so full of vision it is impossible to remain content with any situation. There is always more to do. There is always better. I can always be more.

Some people would just give up, but I refuse.

Is this folly? Madness? Maybe. Only time will tell. But I know that if I didn't try everything I would ache. I would know I didn't try one or two things and that would disappoint me. That would keep me up at night.

This is one of my superpowers - drive. My narrative of suffering chronicled in THRIVE has this theme - my refusal to stay down. My refusal to let anything hold me back. And some people may look at my experiences and wonder how I can see lessons. Some people might wonder how I can step in a pile of shit and ask, "Where is the pony?"

But that is the thing. That is the gift I was given: to see the good and bad anywhere I look. I understand what it is like to feel complete hopelessness. I understand what it is like to feel violated and betrayed by people close to me. I understand what it is like to look at death. I have been to those places. I have walked through them, and come out to the other side to share these stories.

Some people might say this optimism is an opiate, and they would be right.

An opiate is something that helps manage pain. Yes, it could become addictive BUT fundamentally it is meant to help you endure. And so I used my optimism to endure.

I do not feel this is a crutch. I do not feel like it is a problem. When everything breaks down around me, I need to call on that deep inner strength. My optimism helps me summon that power, call it forth, and continue despite everything.

And this week, when everything is precarious...I need it more than ever. I'm almost to the finishline. Now is not the time to shut down. 

Now is the time to push harder.

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LAUNCH UPDATE

I mentioned above that I had a slow week and I did. And with everything breaking, or not at top functionality, I struggled to keep my momentum. I did. I imagine this is what a marathon runner feels like in the last few miles of a race. On the one hand, I'm excited that I can almost see the finish line. On the other hand, I wish I could sit down on an overstuffed chair, and drink a glass of red.

This is what I got done last week:

• Met with connector and brainstormed opportunities for THRIVE among other things
• Got over 150 entries in my press kit/speaking opportunity database
• Wrote cover letters
• Sent a few press kits out to connections
• Fiddled with website (and changed my mind about a few things)
• Read a number of articles about marketing
• Got to 63% in LILITH
• Tweaked revamped covers
• Finalized format for THRIVE and TRANSFORM TO THRIVE (added connect, about author etc)
• Blogged

This is what I need to get done this week:

• Upload THRIVE & TRANSFORM TO THRIVE to Smashwords and set up pre-order
• Send out press kits to media
• Send out press kits to colleges, organizations etc
• Sign up for speaking bureau at RAINN (among others?)
• Finish cover tweaks for KHLOE series
• Finish LILITH
• Upload corrected books, descriptions, and new covers for KHLOE
• Follow up with connector/mentor
• Info blast on social media about pre-order
• Consider Createspace for print on demand version of THRIVE and TRANSFORM TO THRIVE.
• Think about business cards
• Create speaking page for website (and list topics etc)
• Blog
• Patreon.... 
• Pitch THRIVE related story ideas to sites and blogs?

I'm sure there is more. I don't know when I'll get time to do videos. I want to get them done, but the problem is I need quiet time and light to do them as well as someone to watch my toddler. It has been next to impossible to get all those things simultaneously. For now, I'm going to focus on the absolute essentials and if I get the videos done, I'll be really pleased. But that is definitely icing at this point. The most important is to get the books into tip-top shape and available.

THRIVE Book Launch Week 6: Temping

Keep moving. It's all temporary.

Recently I had an epiphany, which is strangely related to THRIVE.

I realized even though I still get freaked out, depressed, or angry, even in the moment I see the experience of those feelings as temporary. Before, I felt bad and it made me feel like the whole world was awful and there was no light. Now I recognize I am reacting to a specific situation, which will pass, and it does nothing to hinder my progress.

Before I might have wallowed. Now I give myself the freedom to feel, accept the feeling, and then move on to do what has to be done.

My core situation is solid - I have my family. We love each other. Everything else is dressing. Everything else is a game. I move the pieces. I try different things. I experiment. I have fun. I get annoyed. And at the end of the day, I come back to my husband and son.

While I haven't been in war, I've been torn down enough to know that I have what really matters in life. I have family, friends, and an extensive support network who surround me with love. In this, I have been extraordinarily successful. And I am profoundly grateful for this situation, and for the epiphany that everything else in life is just fun and games.

Really.

That is not to say that my actions don't matter, or that I don't want to have a legacy for my son, or a positive impact on my community, country, and planet. I do want those things.But I am open to how they play out. I am detached from a specific result. I intend to enjoy the ride. I intend to enjoy helping as many people as I can with THRIVE. I intend to enjoy fulfilling the purpose given to me. I intend to enjoy every moment of life, even the angry, sad, or anxious ones. All of these things are gifts. All of them are part of the experience - part of the game.

And it's all good. Truly it is.

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LAUNCH UPDATE

It's a bit of a mixed bag, and I feel like last week was a blur. Maybe the stress of the marathon involved with this process finally caught up to me. Whatever it was, I was exhausted all week and had trouble focusing on tasks. That said, I was able to finish the following:

• Patreon blog post
• Patreon art upload
• Regular blog posts
• Incorporated magicworkers' suggestions into press kit
• Scheduled a meeting with a "connector" who has a lot of similar interests and influential friends
• Finished west coast press kit contact database (in hopes of speaking engagements)
• Reached out to connected friends at several universities
• Finished revamping LOVERS & RIVALS
• Determined ideal camera set up for videos
• Recorded prelim/video tests (need to redo for the perfect ones)
• 43% revamped LILITH & AMMON
• 75% done with "influences" page on author website
• Created "author ambassador" contact form and solicited from friends and other connections.
• Downloaded fonts for new covers
• Downloaded grammar extension for word processor

And the plan for this week is:

• Finish LILITH & AMMON
• Finish formatting THRIVE
• Finalize revamped covers for KHLOE series
• Patreon EXCLUSIVE upload of a short story
• Blog posts
• Finalize "influences" page
• Finalize first video set (especially Patreon ones)
• Upload KHLOE books with revamped covers to all outlets
• Upload new covers to website & blog
• Finalize east coast contact database
• Have meeting with connector and follow up on any relevant brainstorming/ideas

I think that's it...but I'm a little scattered at the moment. I'm experiencing that temporary feeling of anxiety the closer I get to pre-order day (May 15). In the end, everything will be what it will be...BUT, I still don't want to get caught with my pants down. I know that everything could always get picked and prodded more, and that I just have to let that go. I can't know what people will get riled about, or what will speak to people. I can't worry about it. In the end, it was my life. You can't argue with experience. It was. It speaks for itself. And I can't control what others hear.

THRIVE Launch Week 3: The Itch-Scratch Edit-Rewrite Cycle

Anyone who has eczema or suffered through chicken pox or even the seasonal mosquitoes of New Jersey knows...the itch-scratch cycle sucks.

You have to scratch, because you itch. And nothing is worse than itching. So you scratch - applying pain and pleasure in a single act to that itch source. For a little while it's fine. But you didn't satisfy the problem. The itch comes back. So you scratch. Then you itch. So you scratch.

You scratch so much you scrape your skin off....but you still itch.

There's a similar thing in writing - revision.

You can revise until you die.

That is the problem. You can revise and revise and poke and prod, but at some point you have to just accept your little creation for what it is. There will always be a better book somewhere. There will always be a worse one. There will always be a better edit. There will always be a worse one.

At some point, you have to push your baby into the world, and see if it will fly.

I, strangely, have the opposite problem. I'm overly eager to finish. I accept my creation, flawed as it is, much sooner than my other writing friends. How do I know this? Well, because I've recently become acquainted with some writers who have worked on the same individual manuscript for years. Some a decade.

I would go crazy. Actually certifiable.

We both have something to learn from the other: One needs to let go of the piece, and accept perfection is impossible. The other needs to honor the piece, and take care to let it shine for all its worth.

This is the lesson my beloved friend and editor is teaching me. And I am grateful, and humbled, and struggle with every second of this lesson.

For the most part I thought I was done with THRIVE, and in many ways I am. However, if I really want it to show its worth, I need to be willing to cut things out. I need to be willing to remove distracting bits or unpack distracting omissions. This is where editing and proofing are so important. This is what polishing is all about.

So that's what I did today, all day. I polished. And I thought. And I will have more to do tomorrow. It means the other things I wanted to work on will get pushed back, which is frustrating, but necessary. I need THRIVE to shine, so I need to polish.
 
Here is my progress from last week:

• 88% done proofing THE BROTHERS
• 95% done polishing THRIVE
• Wrote an intro video script
• Wrote a list of influencer/organization lists for press kits
• Revised my press kit
• Finished about half my novel descriptions
• Finished about three-quarters of my revamped LOVERS & RIVALS cover
• Did some sketch art based on the Khloe novels
• Brainstormed some social media campaign tags
• Uploaded new book descriptions to Smashwords on several novels
• Changed Smashwords category tags on several novels
• Confirmed website design
• Talked over revised press kit with beta readers
• Wrote blog posts

My goals for week 4 are as follows:

• Finish proofing THE BROTHERS
• Proof a shorter piece
• Finish revising THRIVE
• Incorporate feedback on THRIVE journal guide
• Incorporate feedback on press kit
• Upload sketch art to Patreon for fantastic patrons
• Write blog posts
• Upload revamped BROTHERS cover art and book to Smashwords

I think that's it...and I'll keep you posted. Scratch, scratch.

THRIVE Book Launch: Week 2

Last week I listed my marketing failures and gave an overview of my next marketing attempt, a book launch for my upcoming memoir/self-help book THRIVE.

I discovered several things last week: delegating is necessary and I might not get done all the "little" things.

When I looked at my launch schedule and weekly tasks, I realized it would be a stretch for me to get everything done. So what could I do? First I asked Christian if he would help me. This was a GOOD idea. He wanted to help me launch the book because, of course, my success is our success. It will benefit our entire family. We went through the different tasks and he chose some he would enjoy and used his talents. They also happened to be things that would take a LOT of stress off me because of the amount of time I would take if I did them (Christian's experience and knowledge set made the same tasks take half the time.).

Then I started on the biggest task of my launch plan - editing and proofing. I decided I would revamp my ENTIRE library. I recognized that when I originally published my novels, especially my early works, I climbed a steep learning curve. I made mistakes. I continue climbing that curve. I make more mistakes. I go back. I correct. That is the biggest piece of this whole process - correction.

And of course, it also takes the longest time. I made it about half-way through my editing/proofing of THE BROTHERS last week. This was in part because it had the most corrections necessary (I hope) and also because I had a lot of family obligations as it was Holy Week. Thankfully, Holy Week is only one week of the year and I don't have any other major obligations during my launch plan. I can, from now on, devote every spare minute to my process.

And I will.

So far, I have completed the following:

• Developed my launch plan
• Delegated tasks to Christian
• Brainstormed potential influencers in THRIVE content areas
• Half my proofing goal of THE BROTHERS
• 85% my proofing/editing goal of THRIVE
• 100% my proofing/editng goal of THRIVE JOURNAL GUIDE
• Website design/content upload
• Weekly blog posts
• Weekly Patreon uploads

This week my plan is to work on the following:

• Finish proofing THE BROTHERS
• Finish proofing THRIVE
• Weekly blog post (check!)
• Weekly Patreon upload
• Revamp my book descriptions and update on Smashwords
• Brainstorm author video topics

I'm confident I can get this done, even while managing a 19 month old. As things are completed, like the website, I will update everyone through Patreon, Twitter, G+, and Facebook with links.

Also, if you, dear readers, are interested in helping me to launch my book, let me know! I will be soliciting social media ambassadors as we get closer to launch (June 1 will be the beginning of the social media campaign). If you want to post to your networks on my behalf with pre-fabbed posts courtesy of moi, LET ME KNOW! Keep it in mind....and I'll keep you posted.

Here's to launch inertia building!

Self-determination

Success! Sort of... yay?

Last week I fell into a moment of weakness, which spurred a moment of motivation, which brought on waiting, and then...replies.

Magical...wonderful...feel good...don't give up you crazy starving artist writer replies!

I got personalized responses from a few editors about my submissions. This has been a rarity for me. Honestly it happened once, two years ago. Ever. Before now.

In fact, as I write this I wonder if the very act of writing about it may jinx me into the trash bin, but I can't help it. I'm excited. I feel affirmed, if only by receiving constructive criticism...which means I got a got a genuine read through, which is better than before. This means I'm on the right track, and with a little doctoring, may finally land that success I've been craving, striving for, in my writing life.

And while this is a limited glimmer of hope when compared to my former non responses and form letter rejections, it serves to spur me forward. Rather than slowing down, I feel the need to continue...to submit...to re-evaluate... to dream...to push harder.

Since I've finished my writing goal for the day and my email replies, I think it's time to submit a few more stories. Yes. I think that's a new weekly goal - until everything unpublished has been submitted and is under consideration I will submit several stories each week. And when there is nothing left, I'll start writing new ones (or I'll write something specifically for the sites I want to contribute to.).

With every rejection, I'll continue to polish. I'll rework. I'll reconsider. I'll perfect until I get yes. That is my path forward. Those are my next writing steps. I am a writer and I am determined.

Writing Process: Change is Good

No, I haven't forgotten this blog. I just got sidetracked by things like a new book (when am I not?) and studying for the GRE (ironically my weakness is verbal!).

In a rare moment of peace, it's clear I need to update you, dear gentle readers.

My mind is a whirlwind. I am, as some artists say, In the zone. In fact it is difficult to do anything except work on this crazy idea of mine. Once again I let myself be pulled into a completely different project (surprised?).

I approached it differently than I normally would. Rather than wait for revelation, I developed the main characters in their entirety. Then I determined the scope and scale of the story. The intention, for many reasons, was a three part series. I even have the titles for each book and a rough sketch of the outlines for each. It is, quite a departure from my writing process in the past.

Why this departure?

I need to avoid blocks. I don't have time for blocks. I tried a few different things to address this problem and so far this seems to work the best. I've been writing this project for about a week and have already reached 17000 words in the limited time allotted every day. In short, this has been the most successful process I have tried.

It probably helps that the idea is something that's been stewing for almost 3 years. It came to me during a bout of insomnia. I've written and rewritten several iterations of the story in my head and it never felt right. Then I finally decided to try this different process and it connected.

I am so pleased with this process I may even try to go back and revise book 4 of Khloe with this in mind. I really want to finish that book and currently it feels forced to me (pun intended) as opposed to natural. It just feels like I'm cramming too much too fast. So I will finish this project (or at least part 1) and then I will revise book 4 and complete it.

After that? Maybe the Rollins pack? It seems series are where I need to focus. My foray into nonfiction was not as successful as I would have liked. I'm not giving up on that venture, but I'm also not committed to it the way I am to my novels. Fiction is my first love and I need to honor that.

It is my fate.

Bootstrappers, A La Carts, and Whole Hogs

I hate the word "independent" because I feel like it's false advertising. Writers should come with labels just like vegetarians:

I'm a pesca-ova-lactarian.
I eat cheese, and chicken, but no beef.
I'm a cheese and veggie kind of girl.
No, I don't even eat honey.

Now, to be honest, I think anyone who eats any kind of animal flesh cannot call themselves vegetarian. When it comes to animal products, I think there are really three categories of food consumers: vegans (purists), vegetarians (digestively challenged?), and everyone else (see-foodists).

That's kind of how I feel about writing, but maybe there's a few additional categories.

There's the traditional writers (whole hogs), or those who went with publishers (big 6 or otherwise). Then there are the hybrid writers, which are kind of like those pesca-ova-lacta-poultry-bullshit vegetarians - trying to reap the rewards of both labels (many of them doing an excellent job, it should be noted!).

Then of course, there are the a la carts. These are people who pay someone else to do various writing services. Now, I'm not saying it isn't a good idea to involve other people, or that we don't need help...but...call a spade a spade. A. LA. CART.

And finally, there's the bootstrappers. The purists. The people who are so committed to the idea of indie, it's embarrassing. I have pictures of these people in my head - you know, that crazy straight-edge punk in your freshman dorm who wrote "straight-edge" in his own blood and then listened to the Misfits all day? Yeah. Those people. Totally bonkers. I mean, why - why - would anyone in their right mind choose to go completely DIY?!

Ahem.

*waves frantically with both hands while jumping up and down and grinning maniacally*

HIIiiiiii! That'd be me.

I'm a bootstrapper. I hate when someone who is only sort of independent claims this word. It's my word. It belongs to people like me. I'm the epitome of independent. I do everything myself. I'm responsible for my complete success or failure. I'm responsible for the flowery words, the typos, the turns of phrase, and the paragraph going off on someone's delicious sandwich (food centered today apparently). Me. Only me. I'm the American myth - the American legend. I am the American dream. I'm completely, beautifully, gloriously independent. Those other guys are posers! Pretenders! They say you need to have an editor. You need to go to conferences. You need to have a cover designer. But that's bullshit. I don't need these things. I can do it myself.

Be precise with your language people! I mean, we're frickin' writers here!

I imagine this is what being vegan must feel like.

Sort of.

Except, the thing is, help is nice. I don't actually begrudge people for paying for services. I just hate feeling like everyone has a sugardaddy footing their service bill. I mean, those conference tickets are expensive. Hundreds of dollars could pay my monthly loan payment (one of them anyway). As my starving artist indie self, I really can't purchase entry to a writer's conference. I can't justify spending hundreds of dollars on editing services when I need to buy clothes for my baby and tools so my husband can do his job.

I'm not in the same league as these other "indie" authors. We're not in the same league because we have different levels of support. Living on one income, while being a stay at home mom, and writing...it's not easy. Granted, I was forced to develop a bunch of skills. I was forced to research things on my own. I was forced to do things that if I'd been in a comfy big 6 situation, I would never have done. You know, like figuring out how to make beet burgers, kale chips, or baking with agave nectar.

There's a reason why bootstrappers are so tough. It might take us a while to get where we're aiming, but we'll get there. We stumble and we trip, and we take detours. But we do our own course correction. We figure it out on our own. I mean seriously, how much more American can you get.

Declarations & The Master Writer Plan

Yesterday I posted about how excited I am to have been consistently reaching my goals, but of course, being the INFJ Myers Briggs type that I am, I'm always hungry. I want more. I came across Russell Blake's prolific works and it made me irritated. It's hard for me to be a mom the majority of the day when what I'd really like to be doing is moving on my career, especially when I don't have someone to watch the baby (nor can I afford someone to). It's hard and I have to be patient with myself, which I'm learning. That starts with breathing, moves to yogic focus, and then ends with steady results.

What's the focus? Well, I came across another site that helped me hone things a little more. I know my focus of my writing - women (and a little fun on the side). I know how many books I want to write in a year (7 - modest by Mr. Blake's standard, but pretty high compared to most writers) and how long I want to take doing all this. But all of this doesn't mean anything unless I have readers - devout-buy-all-my-books-and-are-hungry-for-more readers.

Readers are how I can make a living. Readers are the point of writing (or well, at least one of the points). So the question is how many readers do I want? How much money do I need to make to live?

This year I need 1500 readers to buy each of the 14 books I intend to have published by December 31 2014.

That would give us enough money to put a down payment on a mortgage in a new city so we can make a fresh start. That's what I need for my family. Now I need to let that goal sit with my subconscious mind for a little while so that I can figure out how to make that happen. I know I can make it happen because already I see a difference in how things are moving in my writing and in my personal space. The intention is there. The declaration is there. And now it's time for things to move.

Speaking of things moving, I need to get writing and editing. Stay tuned for more about promotion, and the first book of 2014.

The 2014 Master Writer Plan Part 1: Process & Publication

By divine intervention I came across an action plan for promoting indie books and developing a platform. It was a hallelujah moment for me. This was the thing I've been looking for! These were the questions I needed to ask myself! Finally! Someone had put together some actionable steps for me to pursue one by one in order to get the word out about my beloved creations!

As you may have guessed, my strong suit is promotion. :-D

So of course I devoured the information and quickly realized it raised more questions than it answered.

Not only did I realize how lacking my knowledge was of social media campaigns, I also realized how incredibly scatter-shot and scatterbrained my attempts had been. I was operating with the whole, "throw everything at it and something will stick" mentality. I've known I needed to change my approach, but I just wasn't sure how to go about doing it.

Well, I started going through the questions this site asked. Then I asked more questions of myself. Then I brainstormed. Then I asked other people these questions. Then I brainstormed some more. Then I prioritized based on expected ease and projected impact of these various actions. Then I made a list.

All along I said I wanted to publish 7 more books this year (and pretty much every year after as long as I am writing) but I wasn't sure how I could do it. While there are specific actionable parts of promotion that need to be thought through, I also needed to get clear about how I could break down my word counts in the time left of this year in order to reach my goal.

As my husband says, each new book promotes every previous book. That's the beauty of having a collection published.

In an effort to ensure my success with my publishing goal (and subsequent promo overhaul) I needed to make sure my word counts were reasonable and that I was giving myself enough time to edit, proof, format, and publish each manuscript.

I needed to not only break down things into daily goals, but also weekly and monthly across the different aspects of publishing (cover design etc).

The result is the following:

• Monthly word count goal: 31,000 words
• Weekly word count goal: 7350 words
• Daily word count goal: 1050 words
• Monthly editing goal: 1 book
• Monthly publishing goal: 1 book
• Monthly cover goal: 1 cover

There will likely be a lag at the beginning which will stretch through the year because of the process of writing and publishing (i.e. March will not have a publishing goal and December won't have a word count goal).

These are separate from any promotion work I do - including blog posts, Twitter, Facebook, videos, podcasts, etc. I'm not exactly sure how the promotion goals are going to fit into my days because I'm not exactly sure how much time I want to devote to each thing and what those things will be. I think initially there's going to be a lot of time spent on cleaning things up (which will be a real pain and may take the place of some of the other writing/publishing goals in various months).

I plan to detail my efforts in my publishing goal for 2014 as well as my promotional goals. I hope others will find the process enlightening and helpful, especially for those who were/are as clueless as I have been. That said, I'd better get writing!

The Indie Author Shake-down

Did you know that "Indie Author Services" are like the biggest shake-downs ever? Well, besides King's Candy Crush of course (p.s. I'm exceptionally lazy and NOT linking to that goofy game because my internet is being slow, so sue me!). I mean, even the social media sites that have popped up EVERYWHERE and the membership organization sites that are ALL OVER are just INSANE.

It makes me want to slap someone.

I keep picturing people with greasy slicked back hair, gold chains, and too much chest hair poking out of their button shirts.

Gross!

I do not understand how people are able to pay for all these services, and think they are even worth the money. No one KNOWS if they're actually worth the money. No one knows what works at selling books and what doesn't.

Surprise! There is no magic formula. Let me repeat myself - there is no magic formula.

And just in case you didn't know what that means - it means, don't waste your money on jerk-offs trying to charge you to join their websites. And what about the other thing indie authors have in abundance? Yeah, don't waste your time if it seems like there aren't enough people USING the site or it doesn't offer you tons of things you actually will use and need.

I know there are a ton of people like me out there or even worse (In fact, I would say I'm concerned more about people who are just starting out.). All those people may want to publish books, and they could, if they had the right support at an affordable price. Sorry, but $300 is not affordable for most indies. It's crazypants.

CRAZYPANTS I TELL YOU!

How about free? I'm just saying that your best bet as an indie is to find another indie with the skill set you need and to trade services. You edit for him, and he designs a cover for you. True indies wear many hats. It's like working at a non-profit (and believe me, most indies are familiar with non-profit! Badumcha!). You will find someone with the skills you need who wants the skills you have. I'm positive.

This business might be a business, but it's not about making money. It's about sharing passion. I think a lot of indies forgot that along the way.

SWC: Fleshing Things Out

It's getting down to the wire. I feel it acutely as I look at the calendar and start thinking about scheduling blog tours for the books - the books that still need more time and love. BELOW THE BELT still needs some development, JEREMIAH needs polishing, and my non-fiction books need some serious research and collecting of websites and blurbs (the Art book less than the Local one, and the Religion one least of all...still...formatting. Bleh.). LILITH has received no feedback yet, so I'm not sure what needs to be done with that one, and ANDREW isn't finished. Pure and simple.

My stomach is knotted and slowly sinking (or rising...depending on the moment).

That overwhelming sinking feeling is threatening to overpower me as I think about when the baby is due and how much I haven't been working on my books. I've been researching so much about marketing that I haven't been spending enough time on actually ensuring the books are together and ready. It's a balancing act that is foreign to me, and frankly stress-inducing (which I'm told is really bad for pregnancy, but I also know that if I don't do this now, I may not get another chance for some time).

In an effort to focus more on writing and finishing books, I refused to turn on my ancient media PC and high-tailed it to the kitchen table (where I currently reside). This has multiple benefits:

1. I can't get distracted by movies.
2. I won't get overheated on the second floor (it is seriously 5 degrees hotter up there!).
3. I can still put my feet up on the nearby chair (to avoid leg swelling - thanks pregnancy!).

Let's see how productive I am today and then I'll get back to you about how well this plan worked. So far, I've gotten a few different things on my list completed. We'll see how many more I can finish. Wish me luck!

SWC Day 16 & 17: Keep On Trucking - Writing, Publication, and Marketing

Well, even though I've been quiet on the writing front for the past couple days, I haven't quit. I'm still working towards my goal with some success.

As I suggested in an earlier post, I toned down my daily word count goal to a more manageable amount while I suffer through my exhaustion. In this case, 2000 words. Yes, it's less than half my original goal, but I feel it's achievable while still being a challenge (the recipe for a perfect goal!).

That said, I left off at 41,160 a few days ago. In order to bring myself up to snuff, I wrote about 6000 words in the past three days. This brought me to a total of 47,176! YAY! Not moving as fast as I wanted to on this manuscript, but still making progress.

I think the moral of this experience is the same as what most personal trainers would say: keep going. Even if you don't get exactly where you thought you would be, don't use that as an excuse to give up and completely fail. There's still more to do and you're still doing it! I know I can get this done, even if it's not how I expected (this seems to be my theme for 2013).

In the meantime, I'm disseminating a few manuscripts to readers to get started on the editing/rewrite process. Once I'm done writing this I want to hit the ground running on publication. Some might say that means I need to start soliciting some fellow bloggers to set up blog tours. Others might say I need to set up some giveaways. Honestly, I'm not sure how I want to go about publicizing my books, except I do have a couple ideas that involve heavy topics that are discussed in the stories.

As for the non-fiction books and publicizing those - I have no clue what I'll do. Okay, that's not exactly true. I have a few ideas. They might be a little crazy, and will definitely take a bit more work on my part, but by that time, I'm going to be focusing my writing in a slightly different way (at least for the foreseeable future). I'll have energy to focus on trying new things (or at least this is what I tell myself).

Note: This new writing project is still on the DL as it were, but once it's completely launched, you'll be the first to know!

So where does this leave me? It leaves me with a whole lot of rewriting left to do, and some connections I need to shore up to get the word out about my books. In short, yes June and July are going to be crazy. I may be going crazy. The baby will be that much closer to arriving. I feel time creeping up on me.

And so...I keep trucking.

SWC Day 12, A Wolfy Reading Day and Future Plans

Well, I decided to start with ANDREW, the second (or third depending on how you order them) from THE ROLLINS PACK. This decision was made based on three things:

1. This is a book in a series and series are well received in genre fiction.
2.  It was also the longest manuscript stub I had.
3. I know exactly what will happen at the end of this book because it leads into JAMES' plot (Which you know because Andrew is older than James and these books are fragments of their family's story, told when each boy is at the relative center of things.).

I'll be honest. I'm fighting my own artsy self-indulgence by working on this. My inclination is to start a whole other book (namely Book 4 of KHLOE) from scratch. However, I wanted to make sure I stayed true to my plan. I didn't account for writing a whole new book. I wanted to get some of these projects that have been collecting dust finished. They deserve to see the light of day - to be read and enjoyed.

The result was I had another reading day to bring me up to snuff on the plot. Thankfully I was able to finish reading the stub completely in one day as well as make some writing additions to the manuscript (not large, but still there was some progress).

My guess is I'll be able to finish the first draft of ANDREW in a week if I keep up with my daily writing goals. I may even be able to finish sooner considering I have a long weekend next week for Memorial Day (that means two extra days of no work obligations that I can focus on jamming out words).

Finishing ANDREW will mean I will have finished 4 books since I began my writing challenge. I would need to finish one other non-fiction book and then I have a total of 7 manuscripts that need covers, polishing, and formatting for publication. If I wanted to be really ambitious, I could shoot to finish one of my other fiction stubs (the one that's nearly as long as ANDREW's was) and have a total of 8.

Once the books are all written, I'll have to go back and proof/edit. Between editing projects, I'll have art breaks where I'll work on making cover designs for each. I have a few ideas floating in my mind (one for BELOW THE BELT and another for LILITH AND AMMON). JEREMIAH has a preliminary sketch for a cover, and as to ANDREW, I am at a total loss. For the non-fiction books I'm going to try for something a little less arty with a bit more GIMP manipulation. We'll see.

I think that brings us up to date with my plans and how much more I have to complete. I'm feeling really good about things right now, most especially because I'm able to force myself to work on things that aren't exactly where I want to focus. However, I notice once I'm committed to a project, it develops a new appeal.

SUMMER WRITING CHALLENGE: Day 4: FIRST FINISH!

I did what I didn't think I would do. I finished the first book. BELOW THE BELT rounded out at 74,660. This number left me below my daily word count goal, however I did finish the first draft of the book, and surprisingly left it open to a possible sequel (or set of sequels if I so choose at another time).

I will have to go back and rewrite, proof, and edit. There are some plot points in the second half that I just wrote which will need to be tied more solidly to the beginning, and vice versa. Still, I feel pretty good. In only 4 days of my writing challenge, I finished the first draft of a book.

Now the question is, do I want to work on another of my fiction manuscripts next, or do I want to try my hand at finishing one of the non-fiction? The book I need to finish desperately is LILITH AND AMMON, part of the Khloe series. However, I will need to reread what I've written to make sure I'm not repeating myself etc (as well as getting the chapter perspective order correct - one of the more complicated parts of the novel). This process might work well during a non-fiction project. I think that's what I'll do. Whenever I need a break from the non-fiction project, I'll read LILITH.

I expect I'll be able to finish the first non-fiction project in a few days. If I'm meticulous about reading (and I do read fast, even when I'm proofing or editing) I should be able to pick up LILITH AND AMMON right after I finish the non-fiction project.

Phew. Sounds crazy. Feels awesome. I'm really excited. I hope you are too!

10 For The Money: Self-publishing Success

Kindle: How you can make a million writing your own e-book | Mail Online

I'm obsessed with self-publishing right now (thank you preggo nesting instinct - you've done wonders for me!). The result: I think I made a crazy decision. Maybe it's too late and the opportunity passed me by. We'll see. My intuition says no.

Alright, actually two decisions.

And yeah, both are crazy. That said, I'm going to have to frame the associated posts right, which means I'm going to have to take my time. These involve publicity and personal experience as well as hot button current events.

Yes, those. Love those.

I don't want to be known as *that* writer lady, but I'm comfortable with the resulting associations if it means I can get somewhere new, allowing me to do things I haven't been able to do before.

I'm being cryptic. It's on purpose. Please humor me.

I keep reading articles and blogposts about what to do and not to do in self-publishing. My conclusion? I can't listen to all the advice because frankly I can't afford it. Professional cover design? Forget it. Professional editing? *cough* I'll get right on that! *walks away*

Instead, I'm strictly DIY. It's a bit crazy, in that high testosterone reckless risky way for which I'm known (thanks Mom!). It's undeniably American (my bootstraps are being pulled!). But after all the cards are on the table, it's what I've got.

What I can work on is getting better. I can work on better development, language use, and voice. I can work on spotting things more quickly. I can learn more about formatting and graphic design (or manipulation). I can learn more about the kind of publicity I can do that won't make me want to shoot myself in the face or take up my entire day keeping me from writing. Those things I can do.

Through this, I can publish more. Publishing more is what seems to make the difference across the board. For someone as prolific as me, it's asinine to only have three books out (okay, it's beyond that - it's self-sabotage!).

The more I read, the more convinced I am that I'm doing the right thing. I just can't let anyone or anything send me down the spiral of self-doubt into self destruction. I've got limited time before kiddo arrives. I've got things to do. Let's see if these books actually go somewhere and my ideas about publicity pan out (and you'll know what I mean when they come out - these posts will be ridiculously flamboyant).

So here's to getting those books out! More importantly, thank you for suffering through these mini pep talks with me. I totally need them, and hopefully they help someone else in the same situation. I can dream, right? :-)

Submissions Update: More Benefits of The Short Story

I'm on a roll.

It seems channeling my nesting instinct into professional pursuits was an excellent choice. Since I began this path, I was able to edit several older short stories and submit them to two more literary magazines.

My plan, should they be rejected is to revisit the stories and then resubmit them to whatever short story competitions are most relevant to their contents and styles.

I think the thing that interests me most is that of the three I have submitted, not one of them feels similar. They all have very different moods and very different purposes. One is funny and pithy. Another is frankly shocking and very difficult to read (because of the topic discussed). The third is something bittersweet that reminds me of an alternative (and much compressed) Persuasion.

Should all three get published, I wonder at the agent or publisher, or even reader, who finds them. The name is the same...but the voice? Hardly. Of course, in a manner of speaking (grin), this is the goal.

Strangely enough I feel my novels are more similar in voice and manner than these shorts. Perhaps this is another lesson I needed to learn from writing short stories (the first being editorial boot camp). I am surprised at how many hidden benefits there are to this exercise, and so glad I'm finding them (even if they might be a little later than what would have provided maximum benefit).

The moral of the story (badum cha!): don't underestimate shorts! They may be of limited length, but they can sure pack a punch.

Calling the Kettle Black - When Bloggers Don't Edit

I don't know how many times I have seen this, but I have to say something. For some reason, some writers and readers who blog about writing forget to revise their blog posts. For some strange reason they think it is perfectly acceptable to critique others' writing while not inspecting their own.

Do not misunderstand me. I know I make errors. Everyone misses something sometimes. It does happen. However, to make multiple errors of the same type in a single blog post while advising writers on revising or style is offensive and hypocritical.

Perhaps this flaw has developed because of social networking and texts. Sending a tweet is very different than writing any kind of prose. Transferring tweeting habits to a blog or an article is unacceptable. Frankly, anyone trained in media literacy will not take a person writing this way seriously. I can't.

If a person writes as though texting or tweeting, that is grounds for me to ignore anything they say. This is regardless of merit. If however, I read the same information written in standard English, I would react differently.

Therefore, if you are a person who wants to advise writers, please revise your work. Please write like you know what you're talking about. If you don't want to take the time to do that, then don't imagine anyone serious will take the time with you.

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