Your Book's Selling on Amazon! Now What?

Just think about all the blood, sweat and tears that went into creating your book. The sleepless nights as you wrestled with the revisions and the breathless anticipation as you waited to see your book cover. Let’s not forget, the proud moment when you first held a copy of your book in your hands or saw it for sale on Amazon and B&N.

You may think your rollercoaster ride is over but believe it or not, the journey with your book is not even close to being finished. Thanks to the internet and social media, you’ll be doing marketing and promotions for your book before, during and after, long after, publication.

So first, let’s understand what will probably happen after your book is published. Unless your name starts with JK and ends with Rowling, chances are the masses are not eagerly lining up to buy a copy. According to Bowker's annual book production report released in 2011, self-published books increased 169% from 1,033,065 titles in 2009 to 2,776,260 in 2010. No numbers for 2011 yet, but as you can imagine, that number is getting larger, not smaller.

Don’t panic yet though because thanks to the internet, you do have time to build up word of mouth and positive reviews. It may take several months or several years for your book to gain an audience. It really depends on how you continue to get the word out and promote your book.

I know, I know, many authors are cringing and thinking, “I just want to write the next book, not continue to worry about the one that’s already published!” Whether you’re traditionally published or independently published, you’re pretty much responsible for the long haul when it comes to marketing and promoting your books.

My novel Bumped came out in the summer of 2011 and I still pass out postcards, tweet about it, share positive reviews and when I’m lucky, I do interviews – all promoted in a non-obnoxious way of course. No one wants to be hit over the head with reminders and news about your book. When it comes to social media, you have to walk the fine line of not being abusive but getting the word out.

So here’s what you do, create a calendar of post-publication marketing ideas. Start by looking at your pre-publication activities and see which ones would make sense to continue doing after publication. Write as many ideas down as you can think of and then put them in groups – 3 months after, six months after, on-going. Ongoing would be the Twitter and Facebook updates, first three months after would be reaching out to additional outlets to set up blog tours and interviews, and six months after could be advertising on and off-line, giveaways, etc. Always look for tie-ins with other sites and authors, and create opportunities for your book. You’re in control of whether or not your book lives or dies on the vine, not everyone is an overnight sensation so be prepared to work it for as long as you have to.

I love this quote by Jason Leister of Clients Suck and it really inspired me and it’s so true for writers:

“You do not need permission...

You do not need validation...

You do not need approval...

All you need is a goal and the will to pursue it.“

So go off, be fabulous and write your book. Promote it the right way and your audience will find you. Just don't ever give up.

Sibylla Nash is the author of several book included the novel Bumped. You can follow her on Twitter @Starbabyla.

Link to book site: http://www.bumpedthenovel.com

BN link: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/bumped-sibylla-nash/1103681669

ePub Countdown: A How-to for All

I admit. I am stumbling through this first independent publishing venture. Despite hours of research and picking the brains of other indie authors, I still find myself feeling overwhelmed by the entire process. I am sure I am not alone. That being the case, my next few blogs will detail my publishing experience with the hope that others will find it useful.

Presently, I am in the thick of editing. Rather, I am in the thick of being edited. This is a critical step (and a good editor will kindly suggest that crucial works better than critical) and you need to be prepared to shell out a few coins for a professional job. I started my search for an editor at www.manuscriptediting.com. This website has lots of great information for writers. More importantly, you can submit a portion of your work for a quote as well as a recommended level of editing.

Editing costs vary and may be calculated per word, per page (industry standard for words-per-page is a firm 250), or by the hour. The per word range is anywhere from ¢.01 to ¢.20. Hourly rates range from $20 per hour to about $80. For the lower rates you can expect basic copyediting and proofreading; the higher rates will include varying levels of developmental input. Rewrites and ghost-writing will cost you significantly more. My advice is to have your manuscript in the best shape possible before seeking editorial help.

My manuscript is roughly 95,000 words. I knew that I wanted line-editing and some light developmental input. When I ran the numbers, I was looking at spending more than a few thousand dollars, which was not in my budget. So I took a chance and put a free ad on Craigslist. I was surprised at the numerous responses I got from freelance editors willing to work for less. I corresponded with about a half dozen respondents, asked them to provide a sample edit of the first 10 pages of my manuscript, and based my decision on their credentials and their proven ability. It's also a good idea to make sure the editor you select is familiar with your genre.

I chose a MFA grad student who edits a literary journal and reads fantasy and sci-fi for pleasure as my editor. I have not been disappointed. For a third of what I would have spent had I gone through an agency, I feel like I landed a great editor with a keen eye for detail and consistency, grammar, syntax, POV, dialogue and style. She even throws in the occasional compliment to keep my frail writer's ego from collapsing under the weight of all the other editorial notes.

Be sure to enter into a written contract with your editor. The contract will outline specifics such as type of editing, delivery dates, payment terms and number of readings. For the latter you want to at least negotiate two readings--the initial reading where editorial comments are input and a second reading after you respond to your editor's comments. Feel free to download and copy the contract that I used. You can find it at www.slavetradepublishing.com under Resources.

Depending on the length of your work and the speed of your editor, the editing process can take a few weeks or a few months. Factor that into your production schedule. Also, be mentally prepared to do more rewriting. Yes, more rewriting.

Coming up: Pre-pub marketing, formatting for ePublishing and book covers.

Urban Legends and Other Necessary Distractions

Ten things to do to untangle from your manuscript when it is starting to become illegible:

1. Watch a British comedy such as "Little Britain," or my recent discovery, "Idiot Abroad." The latter is a completely wacky, yet wonderfully visual, comedic interpretation of a bucket list--you know, those things you want to do before you die or before your latest work kills you.

2. Stare at the vegetables in your fridge and make up urban legends they tell while wilting in the vegetable bin such as this one little celery stalks tell: If you say "Bloody Mary" three times when the fridge opens you'll end up floating in a pool of beat to a pulp tomatoes and vodka."

3. Listen to some Bon Iver and try and figure out what the hell he's saying until you realize it doesn't matter.

4. Go for a run, a hike, a walk even if it's raining.

5. Take a nap especially if it's raining.

6. Blog.

7. Post something on FB or Twitter about your UPCOMING date of publication.

8. Fantasize about working at the DMV.

9. Read something you wrote when you were 23, drunk, stoned or broken-hearted. Bonus points for all four.

10. Get back to the task at hand after proving some unsuspecting stalk of celery that the legend is true.

Success Sticking Like Glitter

I’ve had an amazing year. I finished the first fantasy fiction novel of a trilogy; started my own business slavetradepublishing.com and on a more personal note found a more personal connection with my Lord and Savior. Two-thousand twelve is totally unwritten (except for "Flung";-). Everything is upside-down and although there are similarities from the past here and there, the future is new and Golden.

I’m two chapters deep into the rewrite that will go to the editor who I hope will whip "Flung" from the best I can do, to the best it can be. Yes, I’m behind. But I have some funding to come up with to pay said editor so maybe my timing is universally perfect.

I talked to my dear friend and mentor the other day who is bi-coastal chillin’—as I aspire to be—and was reminded that we attract and are attracted to what is available to us. And everything is available to us.

My path is different than anyone else’s. But I know what I want; what it looks like; what if feels like; what it tastes like. It's not entirely up to me, but I can use my God-given "abilities" to create my highest good. Faith will take up the slack.

Kick starting 2012

It's taken me more than two months to launch my pitch on kickstarter.com for funding to publish "Flung," the first book in the Whirlwomen Trilogy. The first week, I was paralyzed by acceptance. The second week, I had to talk myself into it being okay to ask people for their hard-earned dollars. The third week, I started shooting the video, which took me two weeks to edit and is still "imperfect in many ways." But I'm a writer, not a videographer.

I spent another two weeks going over and over, and then completely rewriting the prologue which is available for download as part of my proposal. It would have taken me another two weeks if I'd included Chapter One as well, so I made an executive decision to move forward with just the prologue. Here you'll meet the sisters--Rhutnya, Yasmina, Vashia and Laila-- learn why they must flee and get some insight into their developing powers.

You will have to buy the book to meet Duffle, a street-wise, nunchuck wielding teen who lost his family in Katrina. Or Dr. Weiss, a respected and accomplished academic with b-girl roots. Nomi Seerge should pique your interest as well as she's lived many centuries and hungers for the Whirlwomen blood to enhance her own powers.

If fantasy fiction is your thing, I think you'll enjoy my tale.

Rewriting and funding are my focus now. Being successful on kickstarter.com will be a huge boost and allow me to move the project through its final stages. As usual, I'm scared crapless that I'll fail, but trying not to let my thoughts gain any momentum in that direction. (Breathe, downward dog, tripod, balancing stick, savasanah...shanti....)

So, support if you can at http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/289275151/book-i-of-the-whirlwomen-trilogy. Every dollar helps and you can donate just one if that's what you have handy (then tell 10 friends to donate one, too;-). Prayer, positive, successful, creative, courageous energy and love are accepted as well, though they are not tax write-offs. Thanking you in advance. Here goes....

Literary Fiction v Mainstream Fiction

I just finished reading "The Heretic's Daughter: A Novel" by Kathleen Kent. What a great read! It's historical fiction surrounding an actual family persecuted during the Salem Witch Trails. While I was, indeed, hoping someone would actually turn out to be a witch, I suffered no disappointment that no one did because the story was so rich with period detail, the characters were so finely developed and the prose quite engaging. This, in my opinion, is definitely literary fiction.

Ah, there's the rub!

I used to read books like that and feel a little, well, less then. I'd lament over how many rejection slips I'd received, how many times Stanford was sorry to inform me I would not be the recipient of a writing fellowship and question whether these were indications that I should just give up. My writing was not "literary" enough, I concluded.

But neither is a lot of other writing that's published. A good story, however, is a good story--literary or not. And a good storyteller shines through whether they write stories acclaimed by "The New Yorker" or not.

I'm a good storyteller, a creative thinker, and (I can finally say it) a good writer of what will be considered mainstream or genre fiction. The difference between the two is that literary fiction is considered to have greater character development and psychological depth, while mainstream fiction is more concerned with narrative and plot.

That is not a hard and fast rule. The characters in my upcoming Whirlwomen Trilogy will be memorable and psychologically dimensional. There will be passages of fine prose. The reader will be satisfied when they read that final sentence. And that right there is literary enough for me.

Oh and one more thing! I DID get accepted by Kickstarter.com to submit my request for publication, marketing and distribution funding for "Flung" the first Whirlwomen novel. More on that later.

Planning for Success

The last couple of days I revamped my website, edited some pages and made it to several yoga class. All of these were things on my "get it done" list, so I feel pretty good about checking them off. I also feel pretty good that I did everything myself--particularly revamping my website. While somewhat technically savvy, I am no webmaster. I relied solely on the "easy builder" program available as part of the hosting platform I chose as well as one quick call to the techie colleague who convinced me I was bright enough to do it myself. So emphatic was he that I not give up the airline miles equivalent to two domestic or one international airline ticket that was to be my payment for web-building services (yes, I am a barterer and proud of it) that he volunteered to do it for free if I failed.

I realize now that I was baited, but the intention good and the job got done. By me!

My website is very simple and temporarily not optimized for touchpad technology (sorry iPad), but it gives me, my company, web presence. That's a must in today's business and creative world. I'll jazz it up when there's a budget for that, which, of course, is in the business plan.

Yes, I said it, business plan. To some creative folk creativity and business plans are oxymorons. Two things that have no relationship whatsoever. If the muse wants you to succeed, you succeed. A Business Plan is just a distraction from doing any REAL writing.

If I wasn't creating my own financial freedom, this reasoning might have stuck. But I realize that creativity is nothing without a good plan for what to do with it. I've got lots of pages that attest to that.

A business, whether a creative venture or capital investment, needs a plan. A plan keeps things in perspective. A plan keeps you from wasting too much time. A plan keeps you cognizant of all those areas in which you need to plunge in and do those things that seem impossible--like build a website.

You can check out my company website at www.slavetradepublishing.com. Now, in the words of Jay Z "on to the next one."