After joining a few author and publisher websites, I've started receiving information on book covers and marketing. Many of these emails tout the importance of a great book cover. Don't do it yourself was the advice from one such book cover hawker because people judge whether they will buy the book because of its cover. If you have no artistic inclinations and are technically challenged, then don't go this route alone. Buy a cover from us is what they are really saying.
That's o.k. I have a professional doing mine. My cover is almost complete. I've seen glimpses of it, and it's really good. My brother oozes creativity. It has all of these small elements from the book on it, and it's very eye-catching. It also shows my brother's personality. The main color is orange - his favorite color. When I was younger, I have to admit I didn't like orange, but it's grown on me over the years. It definitely works for the cover. It's striking.
It should be finished tomorrow.
I'm excited. It's finally all coming together. We had one more book read-through, and everything should be clean now. Soon, I will hold a book in my hand.
And if people judge my book by its cover, they won't be disappointed.
Friday, May 25, 2012
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Anxiety and impatience
So my team of graphic designers is furiously at work finishing the cover and interior of my book, then it will be uploaded and distributed. And then, the real work begins - pushing this book and selling it.
In addition to never wanting to write a book, I never wanted to be a salesperson. I remember selling Girl Scout cookies as a child and teen-ager. I hated hawking those things even though they were a great product that sold themselves. I had huge insecurity issues and was extremely shy. Talking to people I did not know was terribly difficult. How I lasted in journalism as long as I have is beyond me. To this day, I have to work myself up to the place where I can just go up to a total stranger and begin a conversation. On many occasions in writing for newspapers, I've covered events and had to do that very thing.
In a way, it won't be as difficult as say selling used cars. After all, it is a product I fully believe in. That is a two-edged sword though. I believe in the book because it's part of me, which leads to the other part of the blade. The rejection factor. I've lived through my share of rejection. It's part of life. I've never been part of the mainstream; I've always been different. I've always been the strange one, the outsider. I think that comes with the territory of being an artistic type. I had a few people on facebook tell me they've written a book, but they could never let anyone read it. They were afraid of what people might think. They were afraid of the criticism or that people would judge them. How sad in a way, but I totally understand the sentiment. I'm about to put myself out there for all to see. When writing a newspaper article, I do that.
Well, soon enough my work will be out there for all to see. I feel good so far because four people have read it, and all four had good things to say. I think all of the kinks have been worked out. It won't be a book everyone will like. I mean I don't like books about horror, but there are some wealthy writers of horror out there. In spite of that, there will be people who like this and will recommend it to others.
In addition to never wanting to write a book, I never wanted to be a salesperson. I remember selling Girl Scout cookies as a child and teen-ager. I hated hawking those things even though they were a great product that sold themselves. I had huge insecurity issues and was extremely shy. Talking to people I did not know was terribly difficult. How I lasted in journalism as long as I have is beyond me. To this day, I have to work myself up to the place where I can just go up to a total stranger and begin a conversation. On many occasions in writing for newspapers, I've covered events and had to do that very thing.
In a way, it won't be as difficult as say selling used cars. After all, it is a product I fully believe in. That is a two-edged sword though. I believe in the book because it's part of me, which leads to the other part of the blade. The rejection factor. I've lived through my share of rejection. It's part of life. I've never been part of the mainstream; I've always been different. I've always been the strange one, the outsider. I think that comes with the territory of being an artistic type. I had a few people on facebook tell me they've written a book, but they could never let anyone read it. They were afraid of what people might think. They were afraid of the criticism or that people would judge them. How sad in a way, but I totally understand the sentiment. I'm about to put myself out there for all to see. When writing a newspaper article, I do that.
Well, soon enough my work will be out there for all to see. I feel good so far because four people have read it, and all four had good things to say. I think all of the kinks have been worked out. It won't be a book everyone will like. I mean I don't like books about horror, but there are some wealthy writers of horror out there. In spite of that, there will be people who like this and will recommend it to others.
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
Comma coma
I saw a quote by Oscar Wilde that made me laugh. It read differently on websites so I tried to run down its origins, and I found this post on several sites that summed it up. It came from Robert Harborough Sherard's book, Oscar Wilde: The Story
and an Unhappy Friendship, with Portraits and Facsimile Letters, “He [Wilde] related also, with much gusto, how in a country-house he had
told his host one evening that he had spent the day in hard literary
work, and that, when asked what he had done, he had said, 'I was working
on the proof of one of my poems all the morning and took out a comma.'
'And in the afternoon?' 'In the afternoon—well, I put it back again.'”
I can attest to the fact that the proper usage of that cute little comma is hard literary work because there are so many crazy rules involving commas. It's like trying to explain to someone why the plural of goose is geese but the plural of moose is moose or why we drive in parkways and park in driveways. I spent several hours yesterday beating my head against the wall over the use of the punctuation when it came to the word "which."
I've been a professional writer for 24 years so there are things I do when I write that I don't necessarily think about when I do them. They come naturally, and I shouldn't second-guess myself. Yesterday, I did. I found that sometimes I put a comma in with the word "which," and sometimes, I did not. I thought I was losing my mind, but there was good reason for those pesky commas being there sometimes and not at others. It has to do with restrictive and non-restrictive clauses, and that's another story in itself. After wasting hours trying to figure out what I was doing and discovering it was correct, I snapped out of my comma coma.
My friends call me a grammar and punctuation Nazi, and I don't deny take offense to it. I want my copy to be perfect. The greatest compliment I've received from copy editors is that I have "clean copy," meaning they don't have to do a lot of work on it. Many times my stories appear in the newspaper exactly as I have turned them in. The editor, who used to change EVERYTHING, has since moved to a different newspaper.
I'm sure there will be someone who will point out some error. People always seem to find something. I don't do the "Oxford" comma, which involves a series of items and a comma before the word "and." The Oxford comma would come in a sentence such as "The boy wanted mashed potatoes, gravy and cornbread for supper." It would be in place after gravy, but as you see, it's not there. It's not Associated Press style, and after 24 years, it's hard to break out of a certain style.
I suppose I could adopt the Ernest Hemingway approach and say to heck with punctuation especially commas. I had people argue with me about Hemingway. They told me he was a former newspaperman so he knew how to use proper punctuation and was making a statement. I majored in English and have been writing for 24 years. If I tried to tell anyone reading my book that I was making a statement by not putting in commas, I'm sure they'd make some statements about me - unfavorable ones, that is.
In the English language, commas are a conundrum at times. You can't live with them, but you definitely can't live without them. If you try to live without them, you might be found writing "Don't eat Grandma!" instead of "Don't eat, Grandma."
I can attest to the fact that the proper usage of that cute little comma is hard literary work because there are so many crazy rules involving commas. It's like trying to explain to someone why the plural of goose is geese but the plural of moose is moose or why we drive in parkways and park in driveways. I spent several hours yesterday beating my head against the wall over the use of the punctuation when it came to the word "which."
I've been a professional writer for 24 years so there are things I do when I write that I don't necessarily think about when I do them. They come naturally, and I shouldn't second-guess myself. Yesterday, I did. I found that sometimes I put a comma in with the word "which," and sometimes, I did not. I thought I was losing my mind, but there was good reason for those pesky commas being there sometimes and not at others. It has to do with restrictive and non-restrictive clauses, and that's another story in itself. After wasting hours trying to figure out what I was doing and discovering it was correct, I snapped out of my comma coma.
My friends call me a grammar and punctuation Nazi, and I don't deny take offense to it. I want my copy to be perfect. The greatest compliment I've received from copy editors is that I have "clean copy," meaning they don't have to do a lot of work on it. Many times my stories appear in the newspaper exactly as I have turned them in. The editor, who used to change EVERYTHING, has since moved to a different newspaper.
I'm sure there will be someone who will point out some error. People always seem to find something. I don't do the "Oxford" comma, which involves a series of items and a comma before the word "and." The Oxford comma would come in a sentence such as "The boy wanted mashed potatoes, gravy and cornbread for supper." It would be in place after gravy, but as you see, it's not there. It's not Associated Press style, and after 24 years, it's hard to break out of a certain style.
I suppose I could adopt the Ernest Hemingway approach and say to heck with punctuation especially commas. I had people argue with me about Hemingway. They told me he was a former newspaperman so he knew how to use proper punctuation and was making a statement. I majored in English and have been writing for 24 years. If I tried to tell anyone reading my book that I was making a statement by not putting in commas, I'm sure they'd make some statements about me - unfavorable ones, that is.
In the English language, commas are a conundrum at times. You can't live with them, but you definitely can't live without them. If you try to live without them, you might be found writing "Don't eat Grandma!" instead of "Don't eat, Grandma."
Monday, May 7, 2012
Wanted dead or alive
Did I say this already? I never WANTED to write a book.
The words "wanted" and "book" never came together in a sentence. I wanted to write for newspapers. I wanted to write for magazines. I wanted to do something besides teach English. I wanted to star on Broadway. Oh wait, sorry, wrong blog.
So, I've completed the first draft. I've let a few people read/edit this thing. I've had some glowing reviews already. The retired outdoor page editor, who edited my book, loved the story and said he wanted to read a sequel so did the 17 year-old girl from my "test" audience. Sequel? Really? I'm not finished with the first book yet. They both said it was exciting; they couldn't put it down.
I am a perfectionist. This blog will likely be read and changed five or six times before I click "post." Therefore, I am returning to my book to give it another look. I've already added some things, and there are things I don't like. It brings me back to the beginning statement. I never wanted to do this.
Sometimes, though, things just burn inside, and you feel like you have to do it. I've always liked stories. Being from the South, I think that story-telling is in the blood. You can't ask a Georgian a simple question unless you want a back-story before you get the answer. My husband, who was born in Montana, learned this the hard way. If he asks me what I bought at the grocery store, I have to tell him when I went, where I went, if I saw anyone I knew at the grocery store, what we talked about if I did see someone, and how much money I saved. I have now come to the place where I omit details like what I was wearing at the time and if I forgot to put on makeup. What did I buy? Is that really important? By the time I've told my story, I've already remembered what I've forgotten to buy at the grocery store. Oh well, the grocery store is just down the road. I can go back and tell another story. Sometimes, he only wants to know what's for dinner so the story, I guess, is the entertainment to go along with the meal. After 25 years, he pretends to listen very well.
Apparently, I come from a long-line of storytellers. It's in the blood. My mother's father, who was also born in Georgia, was said to have been able to tell tall tales. And I've heard stories about other relatives, long gone uncles and aunts. I know my father's mother wanted to be a writer as well. She may have spent her adult life in Nevada, but she was born in the South, too. Storytelling is in my genes.
And one day soon, my story will be on shelves.
The words "wanted" and "book" never came together in a sentence. I wanted to write for newspapers. I wanted to write for magazines. I wanted to do something besides teach English. I wanted to star on Broadway. Oh wait, sorry, wrong blog.
So, I've completed the first draft. I've let a few people read/edit this thing. I've had some glowing reviews already. The retired outdoor page editor, who edited my book, loved the story and said he wanted to read a sequel so did the 17 year-old girl from my "test" audience. Sequel? Really? I'm not finished with the first book yet. They both said it was exciting; they couldn't put it down.
I am a perfectionist. This blog will likely be read and changed five or six times before I click "post." Therefore, I am returning to my book to give it another look. I've already added some things, and there are things I don't like. It brings me back to the beginning statement. I never wanted to do this.
Sometimes, though, things just burn inside, and you feel like you have to do it. I've always liked stories. Being from the South, I think that story-telling is in the blood. You can't ask a Georgian a simple question unless you want a back-story before you get the answer. My husband, who was born in Montana, learned this the hard way. If he asks me what I bought at the grocery store, I have to tell him when I went, where I went, if I saw anyone I knew at the grocery store, what we talked about if I did see someone, and how much money I saved. I have now come to the place where I omit details like what I was wearing at the time and if I forgot to put on makeup. What did I buy? Is that really important? By the time I've told my story, I've already remembered what I've forgotten to buy at the grocery store. Oh well, the grocery store is just down the road. I can go back and tell another story. Sometimes, he only wants to know what's for dinner so the story, I guess, is the entertainment to go along with the meal. After 25 years, he pretends to listen very well.
Apparently, I come from a long-line of storytellers. It's in the blood. My mother's father, who was also born in Georgia, was said to have been able to tell tall tales. And I've heard stories about other relatives, long gone uncles and aunts. I know my father's mother wanted to be a writer as well. She may have spent her adult life in Nevada, but she was born in the South, too. Storytelling is in my genes.
And one day soon, my story will be on shelves.
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
Self-publishing. It's not what you think it is.
I started this book writing process out of a need to fill my time and a desire to get a creative story out of my innermost being so it seemed. I can't tell how many movies or televisions shows I watched and thought "I could do better than that." I finally decided to put my money were my computer keys were. As I wrote my book, I tried to paint the scenes as though they were from the big screen. I had to visualize it because I wanted my readers to be able to visualize it, as well.
Once the writing process was completed, I began searching these so-called self-publishers. I compared and contrasted their "packages" and what they had to offer people. I looked carefully at them over the course of weeks. I'd almost decided on one, and then something stopped me. I had asked my brother, who is an award-winning graphic artist, if he would design my cover. He said he would because he didn't want his sister to have a crappy cover. When I asked him about the program this company wanted their authors to use to submit their graphics, he responded it was the free version of the program and not the professional one he had. That was my tipping point.
I kept doing Google searches. After all, I had an editor, a real live professional who has written books of his own and retired from the newspaper business after 40ish years. Out of the blue, he offered to proof and edit it for the simple cost of an autographed copy. His name will be on the book somewhere as the editor as well as my brother's.
And instead of pulling a stock photo for a cover, I had a professional doing my cover, an uber-talented professional at that!
Then these companies promise "marketing" services such as a press release. I minored in communications, and I took marking and PR classes. I have worked in newspapers for 24 years. I could write a good press release in my sleep. I know a little about marketing. I have a radio host who has promised to interview me; I have a book signing tentatively arranged, and I have another library willing to do a book signing or promotion.
The thought came - do I really need these "publishers?"
More research, and I came upon some amazing news articles, blogs and websites. I used the right key words - self-publishing reviews. In fact, that is the name of one website that is an amazing resource.
These "self-publishers" aren't truly self-publishers at all. They are subsidy presses.
And my game plan now is the following.
Obtain an ISBN (or 10) from Bowker. You need more than one if you have a hard-back or paperback book. One costs $125 while 10 costs $250. Hmm. I think I'll get 10 because I plan to write more books.
Once you own the ISBN, you are the publisher. Otherwise, it's those big box publishers who own your title. No one is owning the total rights to my book but me.
Secondly, get your own barcode. I've heard that is easy too and not expensive.
Other items on my list while I'm waiting for editing to take place. I need to get a good headshot and a website.
Once the digital copy of the book is available, then I set up an account with lightning source, a book distributor, part of Ingram. They will make it available for sale and print copies only when ordered.
I have a few other details to work out. This isn't an exhaustive checklist by any means. I'm leaving a few things out. Oh yeah - I have to come up with a name for my "publishing house."
Once the writing process was completed, I began searching these so-called self-publishers. I compared and contrasted their "packages" and what they had to offer people. I looked carefully at them over the course of weeks. I'd almost decided on one, and then something stopped me. I had asked my brother, who is an award-winning graphic artist, if he would design my cover. He said he would because he didn't want his sister to have a crappy cover. When I asked him about the program this company wanted their authors to use to submit their graphics, he responded it was the free version of the program and not the professional one he had. That was my tipping point.
I kept doing Google searches. After all, I had an editor, a real live professional who has written books of his own and retired from the newspaper business after 40ish years. Out of the blue, he offered to proof and edit it for the simple cost of an autographed copy. His name will be on the book somewhere as the editor as well as my brother's.
And instead of pulling a stock photo for a cover, I had a professional doing my cover, an uber-talented professional at that!
Then these companies promise "marketing" services such as a press release. I minored in communications, and I took marking and PR classes. I have worked in newspapers for 24 years. I could write a good press release in my sleep. I know a little about marketing. I have a radio host who has promised to interview me; I have a book signing tentatively arranged, and I have another library willing to do a book signing or promotion.
The thought came - do I really need these "publishers?"
More research, and I came upon some amazing news articles, blogs and websites. I used the right key words - self-publishing reviews. In fact, that is the name of one website that is an amazing resource.
These "self-publishers" aren't truly self-publishers at all. They are subsidy presses.
And my game plan now is the following.
Obtain an ISBN (or 10) from Bowker. You need more than one if you have a hard-back or paperback book. One costs $125 while 10 costs $250. Hmm. I think I'll get 10 because I plan to write more books.
Once you own the ISBN, you are the publisher. Otherwise, it's those big box publishers who own your title. No one is owning the total rights to my book but me.
Secondly, get your own barcode. I've heard that is easy too and not expensive.
Other items on my list while I'm waiting for editing to take place. I need to get a good headshot and a website.
Once the digital copy of the book is available, then I set up an account with lightning source, a book distributor, part of Ingram. They will make it available for sale and print copies only when ordered.
I have a few other details to work out. This isn't an exhaustive checklist by any means. I'm leaving a few things out. Oh yeah - I have to come up with a name for my "publishing house."
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