Investing in my book

I didn't expect to have my novel up for sale on Smashwords and Amazon so quickly.  I was expecting THE TRAZ to be published this week and semi-scheduled my celebrations to coincide--so I've been caught off guard but in a very good way.

Smashwords had THE TRAZ posted before I'd even finished filling out all their e-forms.  That was startling. 

You can purchase or sample THE TRAZ by clicking on the little green Smashwords button above my picture to the right of this article.  Smashwords offers their ebooks in a variety of formats, including Kindle, pdf and rtf for computers, Kobo, Sony, and even for iPhones and such.  Amazon offers their ebooks in Kindle format and if one doesn't have a Kindle e-reader, one can download free Kindle software and read THE TRAZ on one's computer.

Both Amazon and Smashwords let you download a free sample before purchasing the book.  I dare you to do that--knowing you'll be compelled to buy the book to find out how the story ends.

When I first contemplated self-publishing, the major warning circulating in cyberspace was the amount of time and effort self-published authors had to invest in order to sell their work.  I am just now embarking on that task so I can't comment based on experience.  However, I can comment on what an author ought to invest in BEFORE self-publishing.

Hopefully, the time and dollars I've spent on these pre-publishing tasks will make the post-publishing marketing easier.

Self-publishing requires many specialized skills.  One must either learn these skills or be prepared to hire experts.  This means self-publishing requires both time and money and one would be wise to research, budget, and schedule to make the self-publishing journey smooth and enjoyable.

My journey began with joining writers groups and connecting with the experts.  This required an investment in memberships and conference fees, an investment of time in networking and researching the publishing industry,  and an expenditure of dollars for the services writers groups offer such as contests and Reading Services.

My next step was to hire a book marketing coach.  Following her advice, I set about creating a strong online presence.  I paid to have a website designed, I spent hours learning how to update this site, I spent money to secure my domain name, I learned how to blog and tweet and facebook. 

The number of people an author is likely to meet at arranged book signings and other such events is very tiny compared to the number of people who will learn about your book online via social networks, websites, blogs, search engines, and press releases.

Reaching out to a potential readership and currying that readership on line is a great marketing ploy.

Another major investment I made was hiring editors.  Good editors do not come cheap but will earn their keep when it comes to market a novel.  Smashwords and Amazon both have sample download features.  If your work is full of errors,  you will lose many sales.  You will also lose many good reviews and good reviews drive sales.

I also invested a significant amount of time in connecting professionally with the media, reviewers, libraries, and others appropriate to the genre of my book.  For example, I approached professionals who work with at-risk teens to review my book and advise if they might consider using THE TRAZ as a teaching tool.  Smashwords allows me to generate coupon codes so these professionals can download free copies of my book.

I'm not a graphic artist and had no time to learn to become one, so I hired professionals to design a book cover and create a book trailer. 

Instruction for correctly formatting manuscripts before uploading were lengthy and complicated so I chose to hire someone to properly format my manuscript for both Amazon and Smashwords.  If one's ms is not properly formatted, it could be rejected for publication or (perhaps even worse) it can published and look terrible and be difficult to read.

With my experience in journalism I was able to write my own press release, but I did pay someone to proof and advise.

When one considers the amount of money that one would have to invest in a university or college education in order to pursue a career, the above expenses and time that an author invests in a writing career are minimal.  I invested money I saved from quitting smoking in self-publishing The Traz--I'm hoping it will prove to be a good and wise investment. 

The better your final product is, the easier it will be to sell.  Therefore, please consider these expenses an investment; not a rip-off by coaches, promoters, web designers, editors, artists, writing organizations, etc. 

Remember, successful marketing begins long before your book pops up on Amazon. 

Sample or purchase THE TRAZ:
http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/60190
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005199RFE

Web site: http://www.eileenschuh.com/
Blog: http://eileenschuh.blogspot.com/
 

Eileen Schuh, Author of THE TRAZ

 

Gearing up for Sales

While my manuscript continues to be formatted for eBook publication, I'm gearing up to promote THE TRAZ so that it will make me a rich and famous author.

Aside from becoming extra active on my social networks and my blogs, I posted an excerpt from THE TRAZ on my website.  I also began creating a pre-release press release, designed to stir advance interest in my book and net me some interviews and media coverage. 

I have a strong desire to call such publicity "media releases" or "news releases" because way back decades ago when I was a journalist,  TV and radio reporters objected to the phrase "press release" as 'press' refers only to print media.

Today, it seems "press release" is once again the phrase in vogue.  During my years as a reporter and editor, I gained lots of experience with press releases--reading them.  I quickly discovered that writing them requires an entirely new set of skills. 

Writing a press release is not at all like writing a news story.  Nor is it similar to pitching your manuscript to an editor or publisher.  It is not like tweeting or facebooking.  It's just...well, it's just it's own kind of writing.

Firstly, I needed a catchy headline, short but informative.  Accurate but alluring.  One promoting THE TRAZ but not obviously so.

Below that catchy headline I needed a sub headline--a short and sweet something to keep the reader reading.

Then I needed to remember to put in the dateline (ST. PAUL, AB 19 May 2011).  In my journalistic days, the place in the dateline was always the location from which the reporter was writing--not necessarily where the action was occurring.  I understand that not all media outlets still follow that rule.  Whatever the case, what better town to put in the dateline than my adopted home of St. Paul?  Surely that will catch the eye of the local newspaper and radio station and get me an interview or two.

For my first sentence, I needed an exciting summary of the press release and I had to keep in mind my target readership.  Although THE TRAZ is being marketed as YA, it won't be young adults receiving my press release. 

This introduction needed to excite media people, educators, librarians, child support people, and book reviewers. 

Following all that, I found it fairly easy to complete the body of the press release--describe the book (I used the back cover text that I'd  already prepared), include wonderful blurbs from famous Canadian authors (which I already had solicited and received), inform people how to buy the book (which they can't do yet, but contact me and I'll set you up), and paste in my already-prepared author bio.

I highlighted my contact information for those wanting to request interviews or further information.

I polished it all off with some visual and auditory stimulation: my video trailer, the picture of my book cover, and my author picture.

Now the press release sits on my hard drive, its tab on my tool bar.  Every hour or so, I open it and proof it again.  I email it to a few friends for comments and corrections.

While it ages and improves, I research the big WWW for press release outfits to which I can email this promotional masterpiece.  I learn how to format according to each company's guidelines.   I collect the contact information for media outlets in all my past and present home communities.  I play Bubble Shooter, check my email, and bemoan the facts that it's Friday the 13th and Twitter has disappeared from cyberspace.

I set the release date for Tuesday May 17th (as Mondays are generally the busiest news days of the week and my press release may be overlooked) and hope that by then I can Tweet about the latest step in my seemingly endless journey to eBook publication.

Eileen Schuh, Canadian writer
THE TRAZ
SCHRÖDINGER'S CAT
 http://www.eileenschuh.com/

Can it get any better than this?

Eileen Schuh, Canadian writer http://www.eileenschuh.com/

Sooooo Close!

THE TRAZ manuscript is now in the able hands of Cheryl Kaye Tardif to format for ebook publication.  As can be expected, there were a few last-minute snags.  One beta reader disappeared from cyberspace before remitting her feedback.  One famous author from whom I'd requested a blurb advised me to get rid of 1,959.02 exclamation points in the ms and to delete almost as many dialogue tags. ("he said", "she said", etc.) 

After deleting so many cuss words, exclamation marks, and dialogue tags my story is probably 10 pages shorter than when I started.

It will take about week to get the book formatted then, depending on my technical skill, patience, intelligence, and perseverance THE TRAZ will be uploaded to Amazon and Smashwords.  I'm making no promises about the time frame that will involve.

In the meantime, I will begin to actively promote THE TRAZ.  I'll put a sneak peek preview somewhere on line (watch for it).  I'll blog about my bikers for National Crime Writers Month (tomorrow) http://nationalcrimewritingmonth.blogspot.com and also on my website http://www.eileenschuh.com/did-you-know

I'll compose a media release to coincide with the publication date of THE TRAZ .  As the next school term approaches, I'll also be publicizing the Discussion and Teaching Guide included with THE TRAZ.

Once THE TRAZ is on the market, I'll be hinting around to my cyberspace pals to interview me and/or let me guest blog and I'll be asking readers and reviewers to post comments on Amazon, Smashwords, blog sites, Twitter, Facebook...everywhere.

The draggiest part of this experience so far was getting the editing done.  It took a long time to find an editor that operated on my plane of reality.  The editing process itself took much longer than I anticipated, mostly because I did it twice--something  that was unexpectedly required because the first editor recommended substantial changes.  This draggiest part of self-publishing was also the most expensive part.

The most difficult part of this experience was adapting my writing, my story, my characters to make THE TRAZ marketable.

The most confusing part of this experience was ascertaining the target readership for THE TRAZ.  (I want EVERYONE to read THE TRAZ, not just young teens!)

The most exciting part of this experience was seeing the front cover done.  The trailer (a short video ad) which is still under construction, has me very excited, too.

The most uplifting part of this experience was getting positive, wonderful blurbs and feedback from accomplished authors after I'd nervously sent them advanced reading copies.  (Thanks, Lou, Garry, and Cheryl!)

The very best part is yet to come though--selling my first book, followed by a wonderful review from that very first reader.

Then there's the possibility of bring THE TRAZ out in print--and holding my very own book in my own hot little hands....

Dreams. 




Eileen Schuh, Canadian writer www.eileenschuh.com

Final Steps to epublishing

So, we're now into May, how's THE TRAZ coming along?  Well, I thought I had it all wrapped up when I discovered I'd forgotten to get some pithy "blurbs" to promote the story and decorate the cover.

cover by http://designs.sapphiredreams.org/

"These blurbs should be written by authors who have a bigger name than yours," Cheryl K Tardif, (http://www.cherylktardif.com/) my Book Marketing Coach, advised.   Since Schuh only has 5 letters, I figured it would be an easy task to find authors with bigger names.

That wasn't what Cheryl meant, though.  What I needed to do was ask successful authors, perhaps ones with several published books, perhaps ones whose books had sat for a few weeks on the Best Seller's List, perhaps authors who had won awards.  That was a bit intimidating--kind of like asking a brain surgeon to take a quick look at the mole on your toe. 

But authors are generally very supportive of each other's endeavours and it wasn't long before I was sending out my first official ARC (Advance Reading Copy) to these illustrious authors to peruse and then blurb about.  It was tense. 

Today I got my first blurbs back and they are wonderful and I'm all happy again.

Late last week I got feedback from my young beta readers.  One was concerned about the amount of swearing in the book. 

"You ought to address this concern," Cheryl said.  "If a youngster is concerned about the coarse langauge, you can bet adults will be.  It could cut into your sales."

To me, writing a book about drug dealers and biker gangs without using any cuss words, seemed an impossible task.  After throwing a few ceramic pots against the crystal table top, I buckled down and did a search for the 'f' word.  When I reached page 7 and had already topped 25 occurances, I decided my young reader had a valid point.  Although bikers may talk that way, I didn't have to repeat their conversations word for word.  After all, bikers also go to the bathroom and perhaps pick their noses and I'd mentioned none of that.

My daughter, who was beta reading for me as well, said she didn't notice the language but suggested it wouldn't change the story or the characters if I  deleted the swear words or at least toned down the language.  After all, she said, the bikers' brutality was readily apparent in their beady eyes, their abusive relationships, and their evil motives.  If they said "hell" after torturing a young lad instead of "f", it wouldn't make them appear any nicer.

It didn't take long, thanks to "find and replace", to overcome that last minute hurdle.  In fact, I rather grew fond of the 'bloody hell' and "Sheeeet!" replacement phrases.  I emailed back my young beta reader to thank her for her feedback and advise that I had taken her concerns to heart and cleaned up the language (well, most of it.)

I also added the issue of swearing to THE TRAZ discussion and teaching guide--asking my readers to consider why people swear (to intimidate, to cover up fear, to belong, etc.) and to contemplate their reactions to incidents of swearing that might occur in their own lives.

Having got the "f-ing" under control, I went back to my inbox and opened an email notice from Crime Writers of Canada--a group of which I'm a member--reminding me that May is National Crime Writing Month. Alison Bruce was offering member authors the chance to post a blog on the NCWM site about our literary bad boys and demonic dames.  I put my name in to blog about THE TRAZ bikers and was accepted.  Sometime this month, you will be introduced to Pepper, Zed, Gator, Stack, and Shrug--the vilest of  evil criminals. http://nationalcrimewritingmonth.blogspot.com/

This week is also the week that Kelly Komm http://www.kellykomm.com/ begins working on my trailer--a short video flick to promote THE TRAZ.  I will need to forward her the blurbs I receive.

Also, once I receive all blurbs I will find out where to put them in the ms and that should be the last thing I have to do before shipping THE TRAZ out to get formated for Amazon and Smashwords.

At least I think that is what will happen.  It seems there's an unending stream of unexpected chores that keeps rippling past me.  But hey, I'm up for it.  I'm learning.  Got my rubber boots and life vest on.

For those who are terrified to face these hassles, there is always Cheryl Tardif's publishing company, ImajinBooks http://www.imajinbooks.com/ which is accepting submissions.   If Cheryl likes your novel, she'll take care of these issues for you in exchange for a percentage of royalties from the sale of your books.

I thought about using ImaginBooks but this publisher wasn't accepting submissions when I first decided to epublish.  As well, I subsequently decided that since my goal is to use THE TRAZ to attract the interest of top-agents/big-publishers, it would be best if I self-publish.  That way, I keep all publishing rights and if say, DoubleDay, wants to buy both the print and epublishing rights to THE TRAZ, those rights will be mine to sell.

Many things to consider when self-publishing.  Many things to do.  Then...just when I think I'm almost done, my lovely coach casually mentions something about "...when you bring THE TRAZ out in print...."

Do you think she has another project in mind for me?

Don't forget to visit my website http://www.eileenschuh.com/did-you-know for some interesting trivia contributed by my author friends.  Each time you leave a comment below a contest trivia posting, you'll be entered to win one of many books.  I'll be posting some of my own trivia about bikers and gangs and THE TRAZ in the coming weeks--you won't want to miss it!



Photo by Dave Brosha Photography


Eileen Schuh, Canadian writer http://www.eileenschuh.com/

THE TRAZ: Learning to epublish

The cover for THE TRAZ

I'm just a few weeks shy of publishing THE TRAZ, the first novel in my BackTracker series.  I'll be offering it for sale as an ebook.  Wow! What I've learned over the past few months.  Let me tell you of the journey.

Firstly, I had to arrive at the decision to self-publish my novel--as an ebook.   I had negative feelings about both self-publishing and about the ebook format.  This feeling was reinforced by negative publicity about both those things.  Top reviewers wouldn't review self-published books, libraries wouldn't buy them, and anyone, good writers or terrible ones, could publish them.  And ebooks?  How many people had ebook readers?  How many could afford them?  How many wanted them?  How good were the e-readers themselves?

Although I'd read a few self-published ebooks that I liked, I'd read many more with which I was totally unimpressed.  I wasn't sure I wanted to associate my name and my novel with the low-grade writing that was out there.

There were positives, though.  In 2011, ebooks began  outselling print books. Some top notch best selling authors were choosing to bypass both agents and publishing houses and self-publish.  These facts began garnering some positive press for both self-publishing and for ebooks.

I hoped that if I were to be able to attract readers to THE TRAZ, I might also attract the interest of a top agent or a big publishing house and that could lead to impressive sales for the rest of my series.  Most enticing of all, perhaps, was that I'd finally be able to share my favourite characters with the world.

The first task for me was to pick which book I wanted to e-publish.  THE TRAZ wasn't an automatic choice.  It was written as a prequel to the BackTracker series after several BackTracker books had been written.  I never intended THE TRAZ to be published prior to the first 3 books.  Plus, it was written for a juvenile readership and I wasn't sure how many youngsters had access to ebook readers, or the ability to purchase ebooks.

I eventually opted for it, though, as my main objective was to interest top agents and publishers in the entire series and what better way to do it  than to publish the first book in the series?

After deciding on which book to go with, the next step was to have it edited.  One of the major downsides of self-publishing is that the author doesn't have automatic and free access to editors and proof readers.  THE TRAZ went through two editors, aside from my own multiple re-reads.

When both editors raised questions about the age of the protagonist versus the target readership, I had to reconsider the target age of my readers and decide if I was willing to adjust my characters and plot to accommodate that age group.

Accompanied by tears and wails of frustrations, I outlined my feelings, goals, and objectives for the book.  For whom did I write this book?  Would those for whom I wrote it, like it?  I finally confirmed, yes it was a book for young teens and pre-teens.

I put a call out on my social networks for young teens and 'tweens to read the novel and provide feedback.  In the industry, these are called 'beta readers'.  I also forwarded it to some adult readers, because after all, I also wanted to attract the attention of adult agents and publishers.

I registered with CISS and got ISBN numbers for the book.  The purpose of the ISBN is to establish and identify one title or edition of a title from one specific publisher and is unique to that edition, allowing for more efficient marketing of products by booksellers, libraries, universities, wholesalers and distributors.  I needed a publisher's name to get an ISBN.  As a self-publisher, I could use my author name, or make up a name.  I called myself Kastle Harbour Publications--making use of a pen name I'd chosen years ago.

I began to design my marketing strategy.  This started with hiring experts to design my book cover and create a book trailer (a video snippet to advertise the book).

Simultaneously, I wrote my dedication page, my forward, my acknowledgements, the promotional copy for the back page, and my author bio.

To address my editors' concerns that the situations in the novel might be too advanced for my target readership, I wrote a discussion/teaching guide to help young readers and the adults in their lives understand the social and emotional issues raised by the story.  I  included a list of resources such as the phone number for the kids' help line and a link to RCMP reports on gangs and the illicit drug trade.

This coming week, I will receive feedback from my beta readers and barring any major concerns, I will do one more read through to hopefully catch any final spelling or grammar errors.  I will then forward the manuscript and associated text to Cheryl Kaye Tardif, author, publisher, book marketing coach, and ebook expert  to format so that it will correctly upload to Amazon and Smashwords.

I expect to have my promotional trailer done in early May.

Other promotional opportunities I will pursue include press releases, announcements on my social network, guest blogs, interviews...

It's going to be fun, and a lot of work.  And I'm loving it!

Eileen Schuh, Canadian writer http://www.eileenschuh.com/

Action!

I read Kelly Komm's award winning novel, Sacrifice, and was struck by how seamlessly the action scenes were woven into the story. And there are LOTS of action scenes...sword fights, monster slayings, hiding, fleeing, and falling in love... whew!

What tricks did this author use to bring these scenes alive with just her words?

I asked Kelly if she'd share her secrets and she kindly agreed to write this guest blog. Thanks, Kelly!

Leap Through Your Story with Action Boulders
 

Many writers find action sequences to be an annoying leap from boulder to boulder in the middle of their flowing fable. They run over them quickly, trying not to slip, or attempt to cross their story stream without even touching them. Most often, they amp up the current around the boulder, covering the poor stones and hoping no one notices. Many don’t—but those that do, remember. They caught a glimpse of an anomaly within the stream, and they want more. Action is a lifeline in a story; the nail-biting chase, the epic battle, the courageous save, even the hopeful getaway all provides for an interesting tale. It’s an opportunity for so much in a story. Here are a few tips that keep those boulders above the rising waters.


Act. It. Out.
This may sound absurd, but hey, you’re a writer. You’ve already punched the “crazy” ticket to take on such a lifestyle. So get up. Grab your kid’s Mario Kart wheel and drive your getaway car. Leap onto the couch with that blow-up sword from the local fair and confront your dragon. Barrel up the stairs; will you outrun your psychopath? Acting out your scenes is THE most effective way to bring honesty to your story. You want your protagonist to fight off a half-dozen ninjas? Step into his slippers. How do you hold your samurai sword? Do you growl, or scan frantically for an exit? Are you sweating? Is there broccoli in that one’s teeth? The options are endless when you physically imagine your tale from the point of view of your characters. Imagination is one thing, but to enact your ideas gives you a unique sense of ownership.

Opportunity Knocking
Action scenes give you a unique opportunity to share back-story, comedic relief, a key element, or even aspects of your character’s personality that you may not otherwise reveal or even know about. Nothing uncovers the true colours of someone the way a desperate situation does. To reference a movie, If Indiana Jones wasn’t thrown in that train car full of snakes as a teen, would he have developed his notorious fear of the slithery serpents? Or how about Harry Potter? Would the history of Harry’s scar have been as effectively remembered if he’d acquired it from Voldemort in passing versus the dramatic, action-packed nursery battle of wizard legend? I know when I wrote the first sword-fighting scene in Sacrifice involving my heroine and her guardian, Garick, I discovered a side of him I hadn’t even known about. It turns out play-fighting brings out a sarcastic side of Garick—not to mention the fact that he HATES to lose. How would you react in a new, high-action situation? Chances are you don’t know what your characters will do either. Throw them into the fray and see what happens.

Paint It with Words
Jane ran. She jumped over the wall. It was high. She landed poorly and broke her ankle. The villains caught up.

Yawn.

Action scenes are different from most other types of scenes due to several factors. One of my favourites: DESCRIPTION. With action, you’re usually painting a visual scene with minimal inf0rmation and dialogue, so let your brush lead you. Wear out your thesaurus! Shimmer! Shriek! Stroke! Snuffle! Savour! Infuse your story with every detail and really embellish. Get to know every angle of your story; editing is for reigning in, after you know exactly what each scene should look, sound, feel, smell and taste like.

Another factor: ELEVATION. If your story has a requirement of action scenes, chances are you have an exciting story in the works. Ensure your tale is moving forward in every way it should be. Nothing hooks a reader like ending a chapter with a breathtaking cliff-hanger.

One more: SHOW, DON’T TELL. And I mean that literally. Not sure how to reveal your hero’s feelings for your heroine? Nothing says true love like armed bank robbery for the funds to buy an engagement ring. Now you’ve got a new twist. Especially if your heroine’s new job is at the bank. Action scenes can often cause accidental brainstorming, even if it is just for you.

Are those boulders beginning to earn a more scenic spot in your story stream? A last tactic: explore the action boulders in stories you found particularly effective. What was it that drew you in? Why, and how? Now, pick up that pen and dive into that river! Lasso the biggest boulder you can and let it anchor you through the rapids of your flowing fable.

Kelly Komm is the Canadian author of Sacrifice, an award-winning young adult fantasy novel. For more information, please visit www.kellykomm.com  


Eileen Schuh, Canadian writer www.eileenschuh.com