Simple Advice for First-Time Self-Published Authors

By Guest Author

by R.F. Kristy

 

The intelligence and allure of cats has always enchanted me. Writing the Inca Cat Series arose out of the blue. I had never dreamed of self-publishing stories for children. My specialty, due to my work with the United Nations, concentrated on reports of a technical nature — a world much removed from the milieu of children’s books. However, I love reading detective stories. So when I started writing about my cats Inca and Cara, the ideas for mystery-themed adventures started flowing.

 

The Cats Who Crossed Over From Paris, Book 1 of the series, came to me from reading rather than from living or observation. Christmas Cats followed and the third, Cats in Provence is currently bubbling. I don’t think we choose our genre, I think that a genre chooses us. Or should I say, my love of detective stories and living with my cats Inca and Cara made the choice inevitable.

 

Despite my new-found passion for writing the Inca Cat Series, I found out that as a newcomer to this competitive arena, having an appetite for writing alone is not sufficient. In my enthusiasm to get my thoughts on paper, I made several errors.

 

While I reviewed the internet and read several articles about the positives and negatives and compared the various self-publishing sources such as BookBaby, CreateSpace and Ingram Sparks. What I did not pay much attention to, to my cost, were the technical specifications required for illustrations in ebooks and paperbacks. A mistake I had made was not expressly requesting the graphic illustrator of my choice to prepare the illustrations in the correct format. While the illustrations were accepted by both BookBaby (for the first book) and CreateSpace (for the second book), they correctly pointed out that the specifications would not provide the best output of the illustrations in the printed book. Worst of all, when I tried to upload to Ingram Sparks, the illustrated cover was not accepted.

 

Another mistake was not fully understanding how the self-publishing sources work. For example, for The Cats Who Crossed Over From Paris I decided to go with BookBaby. BookBaby’s technical support is strong, but a complete newcomer can still run into trouble. I found this out after I clicked on the wrong buttons for purchasing the printed version and the ebook which had appeared later on in the screen pages. This necessitated paying double after the book had been developed. In my ignorance, I had not asked the correct questions and talked my way through the whole process with their support services.

 

In a nutshell, here is my advice to new authors about to embark on the journey of self-publishing:

 

Decide on your self-publishing agent while you are writing but prior to hiring an illustrator.

 

Contact the chosen self-publishing sources and ask them to provide you with the exact specifications for the book. This includes requirements for the text formatting and layout, as well as anything your illustrator needs to know about image sizes, bleeds, or preferred resolution. This information may be available on their respective sites, but sometimes for an unfamiliar reader so much technical jargon can be overwhelming. My advice is to contact the self-publishing source either by telephone or email and ask specific questions about their requirements.

 

Above all, give some thought to your marketing strategy and work with a specialist to start devising a marketing plan before the book is published. You want to hit the ground running as soon as your book is available.

 

At the end of the day, I was pleased with the end results of both books produced by BookBaby and CreateSpace. My hard-earned lessons will help me move forward as a self-publisher as I complete the third book in the Inca Book Series.

 

See R. F. Kristi’s books here:

The Cats Who Crossed Over From Paris

Christmas Cats

 

This is a post from writeforkids.org. Read the original post: Simple Advice for First-Time Self-Published Authors

Jon Reviews KindleSpy — a Must-Have Tool for Kindle Publishing

By Jon Bard

In this video, Jon reviews KindleSpy, a powerful program that digs into Amazon’s Kindle bestseller lists and delivers information that can help any eBook author succeed.

 

Jon will demonstrate how KindleSpy:

 

 

* helps you determine which Kindle niches have buyers and which ones don’t (spoiler alert: don’t even think about writing an kids’ eBook about motorcycles.  There is, however, a similar niche that’s golden!)

* shows you which words appear most often in the titles and descriptions of current bestsellers in your niche

* allows you “reverse engineer” successful eBooks in your niche, and will even give you a specific roadmap for how to successfully promote your eBook

 

If you’re already publishing for Kindle or just thinking about it, you should watch this video.  It could save you a lot of time, money and heartache.

 

If you want to get KindleSpy, here’s a special affiliate link that will save you $50….

http://ift.tt/2crCyf4

 

 

 

This is a post from writeforkids.org. Read the original post: Jon Reviews KindleSpy — a Must-Have Tool for Kindle Publishing

One Author/Illustrator’s Route to Self-Publishing

By Guest Author

by Stewart Mckenzie

 

Soccer Sami and the Big Meanie Coach is the story of an enthusiastic little hippo named Sami, who loves to play soccer. She joins her friends on a young girls’ soccer team only to be bullied by a big meanie coach. The coach only cares about winning so he never plays Sami… until he has to, in the championship game. It’s a fun book about sportsmanship, teamwork and compassion for everyone from toddlers to young readers.

 

I first got the idea for this book while walking my dog. The basic concept just sort of struck me as I was wandering the trails of Mt. Seymour. It took a bit of work after that to form it into a viable story, but I was pretty excited about the process.

 

I had done some writing in the past—songs, ads, promotional materials—but never a children’s book. As an illustrator I realized that I had to stay focused on story first, visuals second. Editing was huge. I wrote all sorts of passages for Sami’s world only to visit them later and realize that they did not move the story along. I went through a whole box of red pens on this book. I had originally written the book in prose but it seemed to be falling flat. I was initially reluctant to go with a rhyming scheme because of the obvious comparisons I knew it would draw to Dr. Seuss, but I figured there are plenty of other rhyming books, so why not.

 

The first major version of the completed story had a completely different ending than what it is now. I had the protagonist fail and feel like a loser but her team still loved her anyway. My wife Sharon never did like that version and always said that everybody likes a happy ending. I showed this draft to a writer friend of ours, Nancy Warren and she agreed with my wife that the ending just wasn’t working. I went away, knowing in my heart they were probably right, and ran various scenarios through my head. Like most things with this project, an answer presented itself within about two weeks. I think I was probably driving when the inspiration hit me. Both Sharon and Nancy really liked the revised second half, and they were right, it has a much better feel.

 

Now that I had most of the story written I started doing what animators do: I used storyboards. They really help to see how the plot unfolds, as well as getting a good feel for how the book will look. I was lucky enough to take a week off of work and hide away in a friend’s cabin in Whistler British Columbia, allowing me the time to outline the illustrations and block in the basic colors. The rest of the work came over the next few months. I had always seen the images in my head so the illustration portion was kind of fun. Visually I was aiming at something between the vibrancy of “Yellow Submarine” and the looseness of “A Charlie Brown Christmas”. It doesn’t look like either of those but I was happy with the results.

 

In late summer 2015 I finally had my first book. Now what do I do? I did my homework on publishers and the general consensus from blogs, reps and other authors is that unless you have an incredibly well connected agent, your manuscript will most likely go straight into the trash. I do know a few authors and book reps and they agreed that the “gatekeepers” were pretty closed to unknown newcomers. Most publishers posted that they were not even accepting illustrated children’s books.

 

We watch the television show Shark Tank quite regularly and the common thread throughout those shows is that you should have some sales figures behind you before you knock on those big doors. I felt that if I could generate some interest through friends, the web and some local merchants, the book might get some traction. That’s when I made the decision to self-publish.

 

I happened upon a YouTube video by Joanna Penn who was interviewing Laura Backes about self publishing children’s picture books (check out the video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gdioOgKU5Ks). Laura was talking about the then new Kindle Kids’ Book Creator software and how she was very optimistic about this new opportunity. Laura actually said. “This is a game changer.” This being the first bit of good news I had heard, I thought I’d see who Laura Backes actually is. I found that Laura and her husband Jon Bard operate not only the WriteforKids.org site but also Children’s Book Insider, helping new and budding authors get a good start. The course they offered that caught my attention was Picture eBook Mastery, which takes you step-by-step on how to upload and market your eBook to Amazon. I’m not one that usually buys into online courses but it did seem to offer an awful lot of answers as well as streamlining the KKBC process. Both Laura and Jon were very quick to respond to any questions I had, and I did have some. It was a very worthwhile experience.

 

The book got uploaded, I built my street team, built my email list, and I joined Beau Blackwell’s authors group to share stories and experiences. I also got to know John Dorey who writes and reviews books. These were both great connections I made through joining the Picture eBook Mastery course.

 

Soccer Sami and the Big Meanie Coach is available at http://www.stooart.com/ in both ebook and print versions. When all is said and done, I had a wonderful time writing and drawing this book. Whether it’s a printed book or an eBook, there is nothing that parents enjoy more than to cozy up with their young ones and reading them a good story.

 

What’s your story? If your path to publication (either self-publishing or submitting to publishers) has information that would be helpful to other aspiring writers, let us know. Email Laura@writeforkids.org.

This is a post from writeforkids.org. Read the original post: One Author/Illustrator’s Route to Self-Publishing

The Author and the Future of Children’s Books

By Guest Author

by Suzanna E. Henshon

 

Over the past ten years, the business of publishing children’s books has changed. Large chain bookstores are consolidating or going out of business. Independent booksellers are catering to specific niches or adding non-book products to stay relevant. And kids are just as likely to read a book on an e-reader or smart phone as in print.

 

How will books change in the 21st century?  Specifically, how will the market of children’s books change?  And what do you need to know as you write your novel, short story, or poetry for children? While none of us can look into a crystal ball and see the future, we can prepare for changes and “guesstimate” the marketplace.  There are steps you can take to prepare yourself for success in what is quickly shifting into an ebook and app world. Here are some tips for getting published in 2015 and beyond.

 

Write a good story.  First and foremost, focus on writing a compelling narrative.  Whether your book comes out as an ebook, an app, in hardcover, or something that combines several media forms, you need to maintain the reader’s interest. Getting young readers to “turn the page” requires creating suspense whether you are writing a story that will be published electronically or on paper. So learn how to tell a great story!

 

Write for the modern reader. Children today are more sophisticated than in the past. Even young children learn about diverse cultures in school, understand different family structures, and are introduced to complex learning concepts much sooner than their parents and grandparents. Most teens have a Facebook page, a Pinterest, Twitter or Instagram account, frequent YouTube, and get the latest news online. Even if a child or teen has lived a fairly sheltered, conflict-free life, he is aware that events exist outside of his experience. Don’t be afraid to give your stories some heft and substance.

 

Understand the new story forms. Most writers aren’t aware that books have evolved into graphic forms, that novels can be written in verse, as email or text messages, and even Post-It notes. Many middle grade and young adult novels have companion blogs or websites that extend the written story. Children also experience stories through movies and video games.  You are writing for a child who is well-versed in diverse media. Write for the child who text messages in the morning, plays video games in the afternoon, and uses her e-reader at night. But don’t forget that these kids also experience the same childhood events that we did–playground friendships and rivalries, competing in sports, having a best friend, and discovering their identity through music, fashion and other passions.

 

Don’t overuse technology.  Most kids these days have a cell phone and are comfortable on a computer. A contemporary story with characters older than age 10 who can’t type a text message won’t feel authentic. But unless the story revolves around technology, keep it as just one detail of your characters’ everyday lives.

 

Look into working with small publishers.  Big publishers will continue to prosper, but it will be more difficult for new writers to break in. As a new writer, you may have more success reaching your readers through small presses or self-publishing. So be prepared to write, publish, and market your own work directly to an audience rather than waiting to be discovered.

 

Start to create an audience through a blog or website.  Young readers are growing up in the internet world, so they will discover stories and writers through different sources.  Facebook, blogs, and other social media are used to market books.  Writers have online chats to publicize their books, rather than relying on the traditional book signing.

 

Kids will not only “consume” books, but they’ll determine what gets published, based on the websites that are popular with young people. Consumers are just as important as editors in steering the publishing marketplace. This applies even if you’re writing picture books. Focus on selling directly to the parents of your readers by writing quest posts for parenting blogs, or providing resources for parents and teachers on your website.

 

Develop your entrepreneurial skills. Writers now write, market, and publish their own books.  Even if they work with traditional publishers, today’s writers bear the primary responsibility to “get the word out” on their books.

 

Develop your own brand or franchise. Rather than just looking for a good book or story, many editors and agents are seeking stories (and characters) that can be branded and turned into successful franchises like The Hunger Games.  Even self-publishers are capitalizing on their brands by creating apps, ebooks and other spin-offs of their original stories.

 

Dr. Suzanna E. Henshon teaches full-time at Florida Gulf Coast University and is the author of several young adult and middle grade books, and two collections of writing exercises. Her newest book, Andy Lightfoot and the Time Warp, is available for the Kindle on Amazon.

 

This is a post from writeforkids.org. Read the original post: The Author and the Future of Children’s Books