Well, I did it. I put some stories up last summer to start as an experiment and then, when they were selling even without me doing anything, put up some stories actually under my published name (Annie Bellet). Those have been selling a bit, too.
So I took the plunge and am putting out a novel (with the second book to follow this summer, though this one stands on its own just fine). It's a fantasy novel, set in a re-imagined ancient Wales (have to put my college degrees to some kind of use, right?).
Not bad at all. Congrats, but who is doing it? Just through Amazon?
Sounds interesting...if I ever buy an e-reader I will buy a copy. Obviously I could get one now but I don't like reading at my computer. It takes up my writing time. And even though that sounds funny, I'm so close to buying one, the only thing keeping me from it is having to use my workshop money.
Keep us posted here how your book does.
And nice Blog, maybe I will make mine darker, if I ever can find time to redo it.
And I didn't know Jim Butcher was on livejournal, I missed something somewhere while searching him out. I knew he had some writing posts on the forum section of the Official site but I can't get on that forum.
Posted by izanobu (Member # 9314) on :
Thanks, guys
It's available in pretty much all formats, LDwriter. Amazon is being slow to upload at the moment (the page is there, but the price isn't showing up even though it says it is "live" so I'm going to give them another day and then email support). A print version will be available sometime soon (as soon as I figure out the formatting etc).
The next fun part is sending out review copies. Doom! But if I didn't feel confident in the book, I wouldn't have posted it for sale, so it hopefully won't be too doomful.
Posted by LDWriter2 (Member # 9148) on :
I forgot to ask. That's a nice cover how did you do it? Various pros have said that the cover is very important in indie publishing but I haven't seen an explanation on how one does covers. Seems like Smashwords, or another one, had some basic covers or art work you could use to make your own covers and I saw an ad for a site that will make custom covers but that costs.
I really want to put up some stories, probably in sets, and I will most probably have to sacrifice a weekend to go over them with a fine tooth comb to find most of the nitpicks but after I do I will need covers.
Posted by izanobu (Member # 9314) on :
My covers are done by a friend of mine who is very good with photoshop. We collaborate on covers. He's willing to do work for other people on a case by case basis, but he does charge for it (35 plus the cost of whatever rights needed for images used if any).
You can do a decent cover yourself, but you need a good graphics program and a bit of know-how. I, personally, would suck at it, which is why I enlisted someone else
Posted by LDWriter2 (Member # 9148) on :
I probably wouldn't be very good either. My artistic sense is lacking unless I do wild art.
But if that was $35, that would a lot less than that other company I referenced.
Posted by Wordcaster (Member # 9183) on :
Izanobu: very cool. You're website is very professional. And I am most impressed by your writing goals -- you did well last year.
@LDWriter2:
quote:And nice Blog, maybe I will make mine darker, if I ever can find time to redo it.
That made me laugh. Not sure if you are talking about the darkness of your background color or a recent trend toward darker subject matter.
Posted by Grayson Morris (Member # 9285) on :
izanobu, that's so exciting!! The cover looks incredibly professional, and the blurb reads that way, too.
Good luck on the reviews...I'm betting that's even more nerve-wracking than submitting stories to magazines and waiting to hear back. :-)
Posted by EVOC (Member # 9381) on :
Congrats, keep us informed on how it does. I don't have an e-reader, but I do have the Kindle App on my Android. Perhaps I will snag a copy when the buy button works. Or, when the paper copy is ready (nothing beats a book in hand).
Posted by LDWriter2 (Member # 9148) on :
And did you have help with the copy editing? I would need an outside help with that--outside of myself that is-- I never find even nearly all of my mistakes.
Posted by izanobu (Member # 9314) on :
My book was professionally copy edited. I'm dyslexic, so I definitely don't trust myself to do a full novel (I have first readers do my short stories for me). Any book I release will go through professional copy editing. No question. It's worth it.
Posted by skadder (Member # 6757) on :
I know some people who'd like covers done. Can you email me with some contact details of the person, I can probably sling some work their way!
Posted by izanobu (Member # 9314) on :
emailed you. Posted by LDWriter2 (Member # 9148) on :
Can I ask how much the pro copy editing costs?
Posted by honu (Member # 8277) on :
