Editing and Learning About Cover Design

It takes a lot to write a novel, edit it and then self-publish it. I'm in the final stages of working on "The Chosen Must Fall." It is the first book in my Mall Demons Series. I published the prelude, "Death Speaks Loudest To Those Who Flee," in December 2011. 

The part I'm stuck on is a new cover design. So, I'm in the midst of a crash course in graphic design. It includes learning how to use the software necessary to get the job done. Good times (not really).

This has delayed the publication of "The Chosen Must Fall," which I had originally scheduled for the end of January.

Well, just another chapter in the life of a self-publishing writer.

Successfully Self-Published! Death Speaks Loudest Kindle Version Is Out

Cover design by Engagedesign.com

I feel relieved and excited. I spent Saturday editing and formatting my submission through Kindle Direct Publishing. And my first e-book is published and available to the world. Death Speaks Loudest To Those Who Flee, the Kindle edition, is available for 99 cents.

Still some details to iron out as I wade through these self-publishing waters for the first time. 

• First of all, I have to figure out why my cover image isn't showing up next to the product description.
• Second, it seems there's a separate process to getting your e-book listed as a Kindle Single. From what I can tell, it can take up to two weeks. The upside is that authors can choose the 70 % royalty option once they get the Kindle Single designation even if the price is 99 cents. So, needless to say, I'll be shooting Amazon an e-mail to get that process started.
• And third, I will need to make a decision about KDP Select which Amazon lists as "a new option to make money and promote your book." Authors must decide, however, to make the book exclusive to Kindle for at least 90 days. That means during that time you can't sell it anywhere else. Now as a Kindle Select, your book is included in the Kindle Owners' Lending Library and, Amazon says, authors will earn a share of a monthly fund when readers borrow your books from the library.

So... decisions, decisions. Overall, this has been a good experience. I at least now know what it take to get a manuscript from beginning idea to the marketplace. Now, I just need to edit and format 'The Chosen Must Fall: Book One of the Mall Demons Series' for publication in January. At the moment, it stands at about 200 pages. However pages are not really relevant for e-books since manuscripts get resized on individual e-readers depending on reader settings.

Are you new to self-publishing? Thinking of taking the plunge? Send me a question. I'm happy to share what I'm learning now that I have dived into the deep end of the indie author pool!

Self-Publishing Success Story Defies Conventional Thinking

I spent an hour this morning going through edits to my soon-to-be released commercial version of Death Speaks Loudest... It will serve as a prelude to my soon-to-be-released Urban Fantasy book, The Chosen Must Fall.

My wife who has some experience with book manuscript preparation was helping me. She is ruthless! This afternoon she showed me a news story on Yahoo! Finance about another writer finding "unconventional" success through self-publishing. "How I Became a Best-Selling Author" has all the usual plot points: writer in her spare time creates a novel; traditional publishers take a pass; the manuscript languishes inside a dusty desk drawer until the writer takes a chance on e-publishing; against the odds, the said-book becomes a bestseller online.

If you are an aspiring writer stuck in the conventional wisdom that says you need an agent or a traditional publisher to make your dreams of success a reality, then read the article. It confirms everything I have discovered in my research over the past four months: you can succeed as a self-published writer.

Now I'm not saying everyone who goes down the self-publishing road will succeed, or that the self-pub road is a downhill stroll on a lovely summer's day. It's more like an uphill hike during a blinding blizzard. I have yet to reach the summit of my hike, but I'm still on the road.

And that's all I'm encouraging. Don't settle for conventional wisdom. In fact, you'd be surprised how many great writers and poets began their "greatness" as self-published wannabes.


I don't know how my hike will end, but I'm still trudging forward one step at a time until I find out.