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

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

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 http://www.eileenschuh.com/mind letting us in on her secrets.  She kindly agreed to write this guest blog for me.  Thank you, Kelly!

Share my Life

I understand that there are some lonely and bored folks out there, so I invite you to partake in my life.  I have lots of activities and fun I'm willing to share with you.

First, someone could offer to do my late-night volunteer shift on Friday. You can have fun scouring the streets for crime.  Since you won't get home until 3 in the morning, I will need a different volunteer to take my place at Saturday's Farmerettes' Fun Spiel.  Don't worry, you don't need to know how to curl, I'll pay your entry fee, your first game is at 10 am and they'll feed you and give you a prize.  If you find you like curling, you could take my place for the last two league games of the season.

I need someone who likes animals to arrange a vet appointment within the next month for annual checkups for my two dogs.  Also, if you don't mind, could you take the Pom in for a grooming, please? (I'll pay all bills.)

Someone who likes toddlers could pick my grandson up from Day Care a couple of evenings in the coming weeks.  Contact me, and after a criminal check, I'll give you the pertinent info.

Among my writer friends, there must be someone eager to finish my novella.  We only need about 5,000 more words to wrap it up.  If you don't have your own ideas on how to end it, I do have a rough outline you could work with.

If you're better at blogging than penning novels, could you cook up something short and sweet for Criminal Minds at Work?  I'll give you credit.

If you like making people happy, I could do with someone to run my trivia contest.  http://www.eileenschuh.com/did-you-know I'd even let you draw the winners and notify them.  This would be a  joyous, rewarding opportunity and might improve your feeling of self-worth.

For those with secretarily aptitude, could someone book me the best flight to Denver in October?  I'm going there to promote my very first published novel, SCHRÖDINGER'S CAT at the Mile High Sci-Fi Convention.

I'll keep my nail and hair appointments, but if you're feeling a bit insane, you could sit in for me during my Psychiatrist's appointment....oh, wait.  I better keep that one, but I'm willing to give up my spot next Thursday with the Urologist.  I'll just buy another year's supply of Depends until I can get back on the list.

Although I want to keep my trip to Yellowknife at Easter, I could be bribed to release my tickets to the Elk Point Dinner Theater on April Fool's Day.  And for a good bottle of white wine, someone could jump on my ATV and muddle through the puddles at the Ashmont Quad Rally the following weekend.

I really need someone to type up the minutes from last night's executive meeting.  As a follow up, would you mind playing secretary for me at the General Meeting at the end of April?  Also, if you wouldn't mind, could you research the feasibility of changing the name of our society?

If you like parties, please volunteer to cook a gluten-free birthday supper for my middle daughter on the 14th.  I'll pay you extra if you clean up afterwards.

I think that about covers things (for now) until the end of April.  Thanks, guys.


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

Credibility Issues

Thanks to my readers, I’ve uncovered some wonderful ideas on how to integrate facts into fiction.

In regard to the credibility issue of my juvenile heroine in THE TRAZ opening a bank account on her own, one readers suggested Katrina could phone the bank to discuss account policies or she could pick up a brochure on juvenile accounts. Although this would satisfy some, I’m not sure it would work for everyone, since an astute reader would quickly realize that the phone call or the brochure was as fictional as all else in the story, i.e. not necessarily credible.

I had an idea of my own—have an old and wise character relay the information that juvenile accounts are easily opened. If readers view a character as wise as trustworthy, they will likely be willing to believe (at least in the context of the story) what he says.

I could have had Katrina's grandfather say, “Katrina, did you know you can open a bank account in your name and your parents wouldn’t be able to touch it?” However, I wove this information in more seamlessly by having the grandfather gift Katrina a sum of money and tell her to go to his bank and ask for a certain teller who was expecting her. He told Katrina that by opening an account of her own, her alcoholic mother wouldn’t be able to misspend the money on booze.

I was very happy with the way that turned out. It didn’t seem at all like I was forcing an issue, sticking in facts to make sure readers knew I’d done my research, or overworking a detail that, in the long run, has little to do with the plot.

Perhaps, if writers create credible characters that readers can bond with, that credibility will naturally spill over into the action, plot, and scenes. Perhaps?

For further discussion on credible characters, I invite you to read my article "Credible Crime Characters" at http://criminalmindsatwork.blogspot.com/


Eileen Schuh
Author, SCHRÖDINGER'S CAT
http://www.eileenschuh.com/

Facts & Fiction

At first glance, it may seem silly for fiction writers to do research for their stories--unless, perhaps, one is writing historical fiction. After all, most people don’t read novels expecting to be educated. (Does anyone really care if laptops were around in 1995 when my young heroine in THE TRAZ acquired one?)

Actually, I've discover that many people do care, and the more obvious the factual error the higher percentage of readers notice and care. Why? Because it interferes with the images the written words are creating in the minds of readers. If readers can’t imagine the action happening, rather than focusing on the characters and plot, they’ll try to adjust the scene they are reading to fit the reality they know.  This spoils their enjoyment of the story.

Although laptops were around in 1995, if my story had taken place in 1955 and I threw in a laptop, I think you can imagine how distracting that would be. As a reader, you’d be poised to experience this tale in the world of 1955 and then suddenly, you’d be jolted away from the story by the incongruity.

Very skillful writers can make anachronisms meld smoothly into the plot so the reader doesn’t notice or doesn’t care, but alas, most of us are not close to being that talented.

As I often incorporate little known facts into my stories, even though my research is impeccable it remains a challenge to smoothly convince readers that the story is credible.  For example, in THE TRAZ, Katrina, my 13 year-old heroine, opens a bank account in her name only and deposits a large sum of money that her grandfather gifted her.  Her guardian has no control over the account.*  Alas, fiction writers can’t use little asterisks and footnotes to cite sources but must find other ways to promote their credibility.

Some authors use a plethora of details to lend authenticity. One mystery I read had four paragraphs on what contact lenses were like in 1965—I found that quite distracting, especially since contact lenses had nothing to do with the murder.

Other writers will use the back covers of their novels (Author, Eileen Schuh, who bought her first laptop in 1995, ....  Or ‘thank you’ pages (Eileen wishes to thank Sarah Butland for providing valuable banking info…) or sometimes their blogs and/or websites to shout to the world that they know of what they speak!

Oh….wait a minute….

*This scenario complies with Canada's banking laws and policies.

If you have a helpful hint on how fiction writers can increase their credibility, please leave a comment below.

For more research hints visit my blog at http://criminalmindsatwork.blogspot.com/


Eileen Schuh, Author
Schrödinger’s Cat
http://www.eileenschuh.com/