Tag: book launch

Living Write

Writing is an Act of Faith

Click Here for Links to All 4 Books!

Goals for the New Year

As 2016 came to a close, I set a few goals for 2017. Not necessarily resolutions, but writing goals. And they were not overly lofty goals. Mostly just about fixing storylines in old manuscripts to get them ready to publish. And then in January, something happened. The publisher of my first novel emailed that he was going out of business. And if I wanted to keep my novel in print, I needed to get it published myself. I had a lot to do.

Deadlines Loomed

My rights reverted back to me on March 1, 2017. I scrambled. I had never indie-published a novel before. I have a great friend who has, so I leaned heavily on her, and on the advice of others who’d taken that path before. Not only did I want to get Lydia, Woman of Purple re-released, but I also wanted to release another novel based on a Biblical figure, Mary of Bethany. I had the manuscript nearly through final edits, I knew what I wanted my cover to look like, and I knew the basics of getting it published. I decided that March 1st would be a double book launch. But could I do it?

I edited. I called in favors. I purchased ISBNs. I formatted. I worked hard. I even built two devotional workbooks for my novels. And I prayed. A lot.

And God Listened

That’s the only way it happened. The Lord helped me in my time of need. He worked to get my cover art together just in time. He helped me get my final fixes in place before the last minute. The day arrived, and I scrambled. I got my Facebook event up and invited 500 friends. My Amazing Faith Quadruple Book Launch was now a thing.

And it all came together. Lydia, Woman of Purple and the Devotional Study Guide was available on amazon.com along with Her Most Precious Gift and that Devotional Study Guide. Was it easy? Nope. Was it perfect? Not even close. But it happened, and I give thanks to God for giving me the strength and the friends to get me through.

But Wait, There’s More!

What’s next? Well, I have two more children’s book in illustrations right now, and I hope to have them released soon. AND… my Little Black Dress spy novel is getting close, with at least two sequels and two prequels on its heels. I have faith that this is all going to happen. So it turns out that 2017 will be a big year. It already is.

Have any questions or comments? I’d love to hear from you. And if I can help you with your indie-publishing situation, please shoot me an email! I’ll help however I can.

 

Living Write

How to Launch Two Books at Once (Or Four)

Publishing Your Own Book is Lots of Work

A few years ago, I worked with a small publishing house and had Lydia, Woman of Purple published. I had already self-pubbed a children’s book, Pockets, and was ready for the BIG TIME. since then, I’ve been writing frantically to get a few more projects finished, edited, and ready for publication. I’ve weighed my options and decide to return to indie release for a number of reasons. It takes a lot of time and tears to get something as perfect as humanly possible. And just when I think I have my second Historical Christian Fiction project ready… my Lydia publisher informs me that he’s closing up shop, and I’ll have my rights back March 1st. So if I want to keep it available, I need to get it re-released. Lots to do. I fixed the typos that slipped by the first time, as well as a few other little blips. I commissioned new cover art. I formatted. I reviewed. I reviewed again, and again.

It’s a Little Like Having Twins

I don’t have twins, but I like to equate birthing two books at once with that experience. Only without the pain and screaming. Well, there has been both pain and screaming, so maybe it is similar. I figure if I’m formatting and reviewing one, I can probably do another at the same time, right? Oh, and while I’m at it, I’ll add a devotional study guide for each book, too. That’s four at once. Maybe I’ve lost my mind. But I had two full novels written and edited, and the study questions for one finished, all I need is the study guide for the second book. I figure I can use the copy from the first as a template for the second.

The Process is the Thing

  1. Gather the edited manuscripts.
  2. Paste them into notepad to strip formatting.
  3. Copy and paste them (one chapter/section at a time) into the CreateSpace templates. I use CreateSpace.
  4. Assign each MS an ISBN. I get mine from Bowker.
  5. Submit the interiors for review, and work on the cover.
  6. Submit the cover. Wait for approval.
  7. Work on pricing, distribution, and all the little details.
  8. Repeat all these processes for each book. You can sort of turn it into an assembly line if you have it all ready.
  9. Plan your launch party. Mine will be a virtual Facebook launch.
  10. ENJOY your success! You did it!

Okay, so the biggest part of the job is the writing and editing that goes into the work in the first place. Learning the publication process is a bit difficult to start, but gets smoother as you go. That’s why the assembly line works so well; you don’t have time to forget how to do it.

And Away We Go!

Thus begins my Quadruple Book Launch on March 1, 2017. If you want to join my book launch party, please visit my Facebook page by CLICKING HERE!

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