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The Long Game of Self-Publishing [Guest Post]

The following is a guest post from Merry Farmer and the first entry in February’s Self-Publishing Writing Contest. Click here to vote for the winner of this month’s contest. Want to help out your fellow indie authors? Consider entering March’s contest!

Photo: CompujerameyI once took a train trip from Orlando to Philadelphia. I was moving back home after attending the University of Central Florida and I’d always wanted to make a long voyage by train. The trip was 24 hours as opposed to a two and a half hour flight. I reserved my own little roomette that had a huge window. What unfolded was one of the most enjoyable travel experiences I’ve ever had. I got to see the landscape gradually change from tropical to Southern to Mid-Atlantic. The changing view of America flashed by my window to the steady cha-chunk-cha-chunk-cha-chunk of the train speeding across the tracks. It was literally hypnotizing. And it was also the best night’s sleep of my life.

I’ve been a writer since I was ten years old and realized one day that I didn’t have to wait for the teacher to assign a creative writing project to write something. But traditional publishing never appealed to me. Imagine my joy then last year when the world of Indie Publishing blew wide open. Suddenly it’s possible to write what you love and take it directly to the readers. No agents, no endless waiting, and the only rejection is from the readers themselves not buying your book. It’s a kinder, gentler rejection. But I still write my books, I still revise and have them professionally edited, and I still set them free into the world on my own terms and watch them fly.

So far my first two novels have soared out of my hands … and up into a nearby tree to sit there and roost a while … enjoying the view … hanging out … taking a nap.Continue Reading

Self-Publishing Ain’t For Sissies [Guest Post]

 The following is a guest post by Joseph M. Rinaldo. Joseph has self-published two novels, A Spy at Home and Hazardous Choices

During a period of unemployment in 2004, I did a lot of soul-searching about my career and a lot of reading for pure escapism. It was at this time that I read Nicholas Sparks’ Three Weeks With My Brother, and I tried to absorb the fact that he received a million-dollar advance for this book. After I got over the initial shock of that fact, I remember thinking, “Holy cow! He’s a good writer, but I know I can do this, too.” I’ve been writing since that day in 2004.

When I finished my first novel, my wife and I spent a great deal of time and money printing off complete manuscripts and mailing them to agents and publishers. This went on for months with no result. We struggled with the disappointment we felt from the countless rejection letters.

As this went on (and on and on), I began working on my second novel. I felt it was much better than the first, and I was very hopeful. We finally realized that it wasn’t necessary or practical to mail the entire manuscript to agents and publishers (in fact, most of them don’t want it as the initial contact), and we began querying and sending synopses, chapter outlines, and excerpts. Still no result. A few nibbles, but no bites. Again, much disappointment.Continue Reading

Why I Self-Published My Novel… After Saying I NEVER Would [Guest Post]

This week we’ve got a special guest post from longtime Duolit pal Catherine Ryan Howard. Following the success of her memoirs Mousetrapped: A Year and a Bit in Orlando and Backpacked: A Reluctant Trip Across Central America Catherine released non-fiction book on her self-publishing experiences entitled Self-Printed: The Sane Person’s Guide to Self-Publishing. Now she’s on a blog tour promoting her first novel, Results Not Typical.

In October 2010 I spoke at something called the One Stop Self-Publishing Conference in Dublin, Ireland. At the time I was barely a self-publisher – eight months before, I’d released a travel memoir called Mousetrapped: A Year and A Bit in Orlando, Florida and by feeling my way around things like Print-On-Demand, e-books and social media in the dark, I’d somehow managed to offload just under a thousand copies of it. It was my first time speaking publicly about self-publishing – in fact, I was only speaking because there’d been a problem with the person who was supposed to be – but I wasn’t one to pass up an opportunity.

Nor was I one to heed the age-old advice of “never say never.” At the end of the talk during the Q and A, I said I’d never self-publish a novel.

But yet I’ve just self-published a novel. So what changed?

When I self-published Mousetrapped, it was because I Have a Finished Book + POD and E-books are (Practically) Financial-Risk Free = Potential Income. I had just left my soul-destroying job as a paper pusher for Satan himself – or, at least, one of his closest disciples – to save my sanity and devote my time to writing a novel, and money was scarce. Even if the income from Mousetrapped was a trickle rather than a flood, it would help. I also believed based on the feedback that the book had got that it was a good book. It didn’t deserve to spend its days in the darkness of a bottom drawer. I knew I could find readers for it, and I was up for the challenge.

But it was all just going to be a one-off. I never thought about my self-publishing future; as far as I was concerned, I didn’t have one. This was just for now, for this book.Continue Reading

10 Proofreading Tips to Ensure Your Self-Published Works are Flawless [Guest Post]

The following is a guest post by Randall Davidson

Self-published works are not subjected to the watchful eyes of professional editors, leaving the job of proofreading in the hands of the writer. To create self-published works that look great and convey your ideas appropriately, follow these 10 proofreading tips from professional proofreaders:

  1. Allow some time to pass. If your self-imposed deadline allows, put the work aside for a few days or weeks before beginning the proofreading process.
  2. Simplify whenever possible. Look for complicated words that can be replaced with simpler ones. Also, look for long passages that can be broken down into multiple sentences or paragraphs.
  3. Format your text. Arrange the text as you will be publishing it. Then, look for problems with paragraphs breaking strangely across pages. Formatted text also looks different from plain text, so typos you missed before may show up.
  4. Have someone read the text to you. If it’s not too time consuming, have someone read the text to you. You will hear problems with word choice, transition issues, and other awkward phrases that aren’t apparent on paper.

Continue Reading

Grit City Emotobooks Revolutionize Fictional Storytelling [Guest Post]

The following is a guest post by Ron Gavalik. Thanks, Ron!

As a writer it’s always been a goal of mine to bridge the gap between the cerebral gratifications of well-plotted writing and the visual stimulation of illustrative art or film. Like a mad scientist with crazy hair and a battered lab coat, I experimented with various styles, structures, and word painting exercises. Nothing seemed to achieve my goal.

Then it came to me. I had a mini-epiphany. Insert abstract, emotionally representative illustrations during peak moments of tension. By delivering a visual experience of what the character feels and experiences, the reader is more intensely immersed in the story.

The term emotobook is simply a portmanteau word I conjured, as a fun and memorable label for this new medium of fiction.

Unlike comic books that use direct illustrations as the primary storytelling device, Grit City emotobooks are written mystery noirs, with an urban fantasy twist. The four of five illustrations in each thirty-page installment merely lend a visual experience to the internal emotional processes of the characters.

It’s lots of fun.

Grit City is continuing story, published each month to Amazon, Barnes & Noble and other eBook retailers. In each installment the reader is exposed to a dark and calamitous world, where the nefarious rule.Continue Reading