CurseBreaker Publishing Timeline

Now that Through the Fog and Eternal Fire have launched I can begin thinking ahead to my YA High Fantasy / Fairytale Retelling, CURSEBREAKER, which will be releasing in January 2018! CURSEBREAKER is a historical fantasy retelling of the Norwegian fairytale East O' The Sun and West O' The Moon set in Viking-era Scandinavia.

I've already done a few things toward the publishing process but I've never really detailed my publishing and marketing process... UNTIL NOW!

SEPTEMBER 2017:

- Create my marketing plan:

• Target audience is fans of Young Adult High Fantasy and Fairytale Retelling, especially fans of Sarah J. Maas, Erin Summerill, and Hunted by Meagan Spooner
• Decide which media channels I will promote CurseBreaker on
• Brainstorm a possible promo or preorder giveaway

- Go over final edits with my editor.

October 2017:

- Find beta readers and send copies out

- Submit CurseBreaker to Netgalley

- Cover Reveal 

- Add CurseBreaker to Goodreads, potentially do an ARC giveaway

- Brainstorm launch event - on Facebook?

-Reach out to bloggers for ARC reviews and blog tour

- Decide whether I want to do any local book signings

-Submit for pre-order in ebook format.

November 2017:

-  Select and post a teaser of CurseBreaker on my website and here on my blog.

- Make sure my website has up-to-date preorder links.

-Submit for reviews.

- Submit to book newsletters for promotion.

December 2017:

- Post the teaser from November (or maybe a different teaser) on Wattpad. 

- Promote CurseBreaker in Facebook groups and Google+ groups.

- Reach out to author and blogger friends to see if they'll help me promote CurseBreaker.

- Create graphics to promote CurseBreaker.

January 2018: 

Promotion and release day giveaway (potential exclusive copy of book)

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I know what you think it missing - editing and cover design. It's not missing. I've already created CurseBreaker's cover and the manuscript has already gone through three rounds of editing and proofreading. I have a few other things up my sleeve but I don't want to reveal them just yet. 

What do you think of my marketing plan? Is there anything you would add? Are you a blogger or reviewer that would be interested in reading and reviewing CurseBreaker when the time comes? Or would you be interested in having me do a guest post or author interview? Just let me know and we'll work something out!

Self-Publishing Vs. Small Press: Which Is Right For You?

               You've finished writing your novel and you're ready to dive into the world of publishing. Instead of going the traditional route you've decided you want to go Indie. But when presented with the choice of Small Press vs. Self-Publishing, which is right for you? 

             I've done it both ways so here's a rundown of  some of the pros and cons of each:

Small Press:

What is a small press publisher?

  A small press is a publisher independent of the "big 5". Some small presses publish ten or fewer novels a year, others publish more. 

My Experience with a Small Press Publisher:

Before I ever got into self-publishing and after getting a couple rejections from the "big 5" I submitted my first novel, The Haunting Love, to a small press. We all obviously know that it was contracted by them. There are both pros and cons to my experience working with the small press I worked with. Remember, though, each small press operates differently, this is just my experience.

Pros:

- The publisher pays for:

* Editors

* Cover Art

- The publisher takes care of:

* setting a timeline

* getting layout and formatting together

* obtaining ISBNs

* getting the book onto Amazon & every other book platform

- Having the publisher listed as the publisher of record for those snobby readers that don't want to read a book published by the author. 

Cons:

- Little-to-sometimes-no control over cover art

- Some small presses only publish ebooks (no print books)

- Lower Royalty Rate (most small presses offer 25-35% royalties to authors. This means for every $3.99 ebook you sell if your rate is 25% you get 99 cents and the publisher gets $3.00 before distributor fees)

Things you should definitely research or ask when looking into a small press:

- Does the publisher publish print books as well as ebooks? If so, will that print book be available for sale on the same release date as the ebook? Is there a delay? Will you receive any authors copies for giveaways, reviewers, or personal use?

- What is the royalty rate? Is the rate negotiable? 

- How much marketing will the publisher do for you? (Some publishers do a lot, while others do little-to-none, leaving you to do all the work.)

- What do some of their authors think of them as a publisher? If you are able t0, try to reach out to an author you know has published through the small press you're interested in and ask questions about their experience with the publisher. What do they like about working with the small press? Have they had any issues with them? Another good way to do research is to look them up on google. What do message boards, forums, or publishing blogs think of them? Are there any major complaints?

- Does the publisher charge anything to publish your book? If so, run far, far away! 

My experience with the small press I published through was not a very positive one. Some days I curse them, but at least it opened me up to the world of publishing. It got my foot in the door so I could broaden my horizons and learn more about other types of publishing. 

Self-Publishing:

What is Self-Publishing?

Publishing your work without going through a traditional or small press publisher. 

My Experience With Self-Publishing:

I've self-published two novels and each time I learn a little bit more about the industry and things I can improve on in the future, different marketing and publishing strategies, and such. I love self-publishing. For me it's easy and I can set my own pace. Sure, I've made mistakes but you take those mistakes and make sure you learn from them. 

Pros: 

- Complete control over cover art

-Ability to publish in any format you want: 

* eBook

* Paperback

* Hardcover

* Audiobook

- Higher Royalty Rate (KDP - Kindle Direct Publishing - offers a royalty rate of 70% for any ebook priced at $2.99 or higher. Smashwords offers 85% Royalties for books sold through their store and 60% for books sold through distributed channels such as Barnes and Noble and iBooks)

- Ability to make available (or not available) on any platform you want. (Want to have your book just enrolled in Kindle Unlimited? With Self-Publishing, you'll have the freedom to sell your book wherever you want, have sales on holidays if you want, or reduce the price/have free days anytime.)
- You can set your own timeline. (I worked at a much faster pace than my small press publisher, and I HATE delays, but that's just me.)

Cons:
-Costs covered by small presses and publishers such as: cover art costs (whether you do your own cover or hire someone to make one for you) editors, formatters, costs to obtain an ISBN, etc. have to come out of your pocket. The loophole? Some of these things you can do for yourself or get for free. If you're handy with Photoshop or know someone that is you can make your own covers and your only expense is the stock image costs. I use a combination of friends and family to edit my novels, as well as Grammarly for some minor editing, and beta readers. Just make sure whoever you're using as an editor can spell and knows something about grammar. A former English teacher turned friend maybe? Formatting your book for ebook and paperback formats is pretty easy. Amazin has a handbook you can download to help you meet their guidelines, as does Smashwords. Lulu and Createspace give you the option of obtaining a Free ISBN through them for your print books, and ebooks don't require an ISBN, although Smashwords will assign one to your ebook if you use them. 
Regardless of costs, as my Grandmother would say, sometimes you have to spend money to make money.

- You're on your own with marketing. (Although you can brainstorm some creative ideas to get the word out about your book.)


So there you go... These are just some of the pros and cons of small press vs. self-publishing. Before you make your choice do your research, ask other authors about their experiences with the path they've chosen, and in the end follow your heart. Everyone's publishing story is different. What works for one person may not work for another. Go with whatever feels right to you. Remember.. you can always do things differently with your next book. Nobody says that every single one of your books has to be published in the same way. Go small press with your first book, self-pub your second, use a different small press with a third. The possibilities are endless as the world of Indie Publishing grows every day.  

Have fun, and let me know when your book goes on sale, I'd love to check it out!

All About Self-Publishing

         It's been almost a year now since my first novel was published and I've learned a lot about self-publishing in that time. I've done things a certain way and learned what worked and what didn't, so I can only get better with each novel I release. This week's blog is all about my thoughts about self-publishing; what I've learned, what indie authors I look up to, what I think can be improved & more.

5 Things I've Learned about Self-Publishing

1) It's not as scary or intimidating as it seems in the beginning. 

I chose to self-publish after dealing with a small independent publisher for my first novel, The Haunting Love. I realized they didn't do anything for me that I couldn't do for myself. I admit, it seemed scary at first when I decided to self-publish Finding Elizabeth. I was afraid, "what if people think less of my book because it's self-published?" "What if I do something wrong?" "What if the finished product doesn't look as good as a traditionally published book?" I soon learned it wasn't as scary as I thought it was going to be, it was much easier than I thought. 

2) Self-Published Authors are extremely helpful and friendly if you have questions or want to chat.

Yes, we're all trying to promote our work, but beyond that indie authors are a community, and I've found that when I had a question, someone with more experience than I have was always happy to answer my question. And I love to return the favor as often as possible in any way that I can.

3) You are Completely in Charge of Your Timeline / Deadlines When You Self-Publish.

It is definitely a must to set up a timeline for your publishing process with a target release date included. It's not something you just wake up one morning and say "I'm going to self-publish a book today". Set up a timeline with deadlines and make sure you stick to it. At the end of the day, the only person to blame if you didn't meet your deadline is yourself. For me, I like setting my own deadlines because I tend to achieve my deadline goals far ahead of when I need to. I'm just weird like that. And then I don't have to wait for my publisher to catch up. 

4) It doesn't pay to pay for book promotion services

You all know what I'm talking about, those twitter accounts that claim they will tweet your book out to 500,000+ followers. That's all great and good, but people glancing at the tweet doesn't necessarily translate to them clicking on your link. And the worst part is you're paying a fee for someone to not click on your link and those costs add up over time. Why pay $20-30+ per site claiming to boost sales to your book for nothing to come of it? I'm a big believer in karma, if you do something nice for someone they'll probably return the favor (including retweet your book to their followers, read your book and write a review, spread the word, etc.)

5) If you want your print book to be released (available) on the same day as your ebook you should send for your proof copy about a week ahead of the release date so you have enough time for it to be printed, shipped, and approved by you.

I learned this the hard way, people! The print copy of Finding Elizabeth wasn't available until a WEEK after the ebook version. Also, carefully review the book when you receive it to make sure there weren't any issues you missed!

4 Self-Published Authors I Look Up To

These are authors that I've read books by, that's books are well put together, with original plots and unique stories. 

1) G.J. Walker-Smith (Author of The Wishes Series. I absolutely love her books! I picked up Secret North from the library first and devoured it, the rest of the series soon followed.)

2) Ripley Patton (Author of the PSS Chronicles. Ghost Hand was a completely new idea to me and I love that Ripley Patton also has her weekly "Ripley's Booklist" newsletters. What would I do without those?!?!?)

3) Kimberly Loth (Author of the Thorn Chronicles. I loved Kissed and I can't wait to read the rest of her books)

4) Jordan Elizabeth (Author of Escape From Witchwood Hollow. I loved her book and am going to read her latest novel Cogling soon. She also has an amazing Street Team behind her, getting her books into the hands of so many people, and I envy that so much!) 

3 Ways Indie Authors Can Improve Self-Publishing

1) I think we should all band together and convince major brick-and-mortar bookstores to carry our books, regardless of returnability. 

We deserve as much exposure as traditional authors, if not more. 

2) We should make sure to always turn out a quality product to dispell the nasty stigma that self-published books aren't as good as traditionally published books.

Just the other day I bought an indie paperback and even though it was the second book in the series the spine read: Book Three. This goes back to making sure to check your book over when you get your proof! I understand, accidents happen, they've happened to me. Just make sure to correct them quickly. 

3. Help to spread the word about other indie authors / books

This is just a polite thing to do that brings good karma back to you and makes you feel good at the same time. 

2 Resources I Recommend Ever Indie Author Use When Publishing Their Book:

1. Editors! 

- Grammarly

- A Professional Editor

- Beta Readers

Self-Editing

2. A Quality Cover Artist

If you don't have the ability to create covers yourself I highly recommend using a professional cover artist. It will be worth the money you pay. You don't want to lose sales over a crappy cover!

1 Mistake I Made While Self-Publishing My Last Novel

I lived and learned when self-publishing Finding Elizabeth. I learned that paid promotions don't work the way you want them to, the stuff about the print books, and definitely to do enough rounds of edits and proofing before you hit "publish". 

And of course, don't forget to consult your furry writing partner!