Nouveau Indie Author Buzz

It's official! I've joined the proud ranks of the Indie author. With the help of a great editor, illustrator and formatter, Book I of the Whirlwomen Trilogy was published without a hitch. At present it's available on Smashwords at https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/153216. Early next week it will be available on Amazon, Barnes&Nobles, the iBook store and several other ebook outlets. As much as I'd like to kick back and relax for a few weeks, preferably on a Caribbean island, the work goes on. Now it's marketing time as well as time to go full throttle on Book II, Flicker, which I plan to publish in October. Don't want to keep readers waiting too long.

I've learned quite a bit on this journey. One, anyone can do it. I used to hate when people said that about writing a book, but that's the fact, Jack. The thing is, not everyone will do it because it takes a lot of time and effort and there is always the chance that no one will read it. The pay sucks, too.

But the payoff is tremendous. Especially if you have a passion for the written word and a good story. I do, which is why it's on to the next one. I'll share more about the experience and specifics such as what you should expect to spend, the benefits of a good editor and more in upcoming posts.

On a side note: My book is dedicated to my Mom who passed five years ago on April 28th. She was my biggest fan. She always said I could do it and read everything I sent her and gave me notes. She was a voracious reader who turned me on to the likes of Louis L'Amour (yup, westerns), Sidney Sheldon, C.S. Lewis and many more. Thanks Mom! You were right.

That Last Marathon Mile

It's down to the wire and I feel like I am walking a tightrope. I've had to revise the production schedule--the beauty of being the boss lady--and the new publication date is just about staring me in the face. Formatting for upload into Smashwords and Creatspace is the last major hurdle with just a few final edits to complete before that process begins. I'm vacillating between paying someone to do the formatting and doing it myself. How hard can it be, right?

I went through the same thing with the cover although I had much, much less faith in my ability on that front. I'm really glad I decided to go with a professional illustrator. I used www.Damonza.com. Damon wasn't the cheapest but he was responsive, fast and came up with a great illustration based on my synopsis and a few random notes including a description of one of the main characters. I'll use him again for books II and III.

Speaking of which, my mind is already churning on book II. I can't wait to get to it, although part of that is just my wanting to sink back into that strictly creative space that I love. It's so comfy there!

As for marketing--did anyone hear that echo? I know I should be doing more, but frankly my mind is not churning on that front. Besides, how many more ways can I say "Soon come."

Alright, back to the task at hand. I just wanted to share my last minute jitters which I'm sure were experienced by all those who have gone before me.