Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Foray into Self-Publishing

Well, I did it.  I dared to step into the fray.  I thought about it long and hard before I took the step.  So many of my friends were on-board and doing very well.  Luckily, I found a wonderful lady who edited my book.  A general edit -- an overview, rather than a line edit -- that's what I requested.  Plotholes, timelines, etc.   She was wonderful.  Her name is Nancy Cassidy and her webpage is http://www.theredpencoach.com/home/ 
Next, I had a cover done.  And, is it a great cover!  I love it.  It was done by Kim Killion at Hot Damn Designs  www.hotdamndesigns.com/    Kim, took my suggestion for the bookcover to a whole new level.  It really does tell the reader what the story is about in a single glance.

Now, I'm lucky enough to have a friend who offered to format the document for me to get it online.  Thanks Rik!   Rik is one of Mark Coker's formatters.  You can find him online at Smashwords or at his website. www.rikhall.com/ 

Thing is, my friends were all ahead of me and talking about formatting and tweaking, and doing this and that.  I felt out of the loop.  I needed to know what it was they'd done.  I needed to do it for myself to understand the process. 

This experience has led me to understand that there is a mini techie lurking inside me.  LOL  I loved figuring it out and doing it for myself.   That said, my friend Norah Wilson shared umpteen messages with me to smooth the process out.  She's got several books online and is a Pro.   She's also a master marketer.  We all ask Norah for advice.  Thank you, my friend!

Next, I'm back to working on a requested book.  One that is three quarters finished and calling out to me.  After that, another self-pubbed book?   You bet!