Epublishing opportunties

Every writing magazine I now read mentions that epublishing is the future and it can offer more opportunites for writers, and I so agree. This is why I have started a series of stories for teenagers, as I don't think there are many magazines/ezines out there that will take them, so I want to expand my readership and try and get paid for it. I have decided that this series I will publish on Amazon as well as Smashwords as I think that most people have Kindles rather than the other ereaders - expanding my readership again. I have found a cover I like for the ebook and photos of the character in it to go on a special website for the series. I am currently working on the layout of the classrooms in the school, which will also have magical properties to them.
I have sent it off for a second copyedit and proofread, making notes of what I did wrong for the rest of the series. The cover design won't be done for a few weeks as the designer I have chosen to help me is busy on her own book right now until 12 Sept. Meantime I will wait for the edit to come back, amend anything and format the book.

I have also got in mind a series of romantic ghost stories, the first of which was published in Crystal magazine. The second was rejected. Can you see my writing has a theme to it? All ghosts and magic. I have planned to reread the first story next week whilst I wait for the designer to finish her own work and am working on the website pages for the teen series.

So watch this space...

More epublishing

The more and more I read about authors self-publishing ebooks either on Kindle or Smashwords, the more and more I feel that I am doing the right thing. And esp after I read a couple of articles/interviews in the recent Writing Magazine/Writers' News. The first article was by crime writer Stephen Leather. He is printed in mainstream but decided to self-publish ebooks to increase his readership. It has worked because the report read that he has sold 7000 (yes, that is thousand) ebooks in one day (yes, one day). The way he did this is to price his ebooks at the minimum price of 99cents (about 85p in UK).

The other interview was by US author John Locke who is published in ebook only. He decided to do this because, I think by the look of his books, they don't fit into one specific genre, and I know that agents and publishers do like to take on books that fit one genre because it is easier for booksellers to place them in the shops. He said that he did this mainly because he was an first time author with no record of sales, and it has worked. He has just released a non-fiction ebook called 'How I made 1 million sales in 5 months'. Yes, you read that right. I want this book to come out in print as I don't have a Kindle. The way he did this, yes, you guessed he priced his books that same as Stephen did at 99cents and that is the result.

So when I have finished and got my short story out there published, I will do the same and price it at the minimum of 99c and see what happens. I know that others have read this same article and have done this to see what results they get in selling their ebook faster. Meantime, I have rewrites to do on my ebook. I sent it off for a copyedit and proofread and got back a proper critique of it. Thanks Hilary. The spelling, punctuation and grammar are all fine, it was just the way that I worded and structured things and multiple vops, which aren't the done thing normally in a short story. So I have changed it now to be just Lizzie's vop and tried to make it more upbeat. Shall do the typing up of changes tomorrow. Then be working on Hilary's other changes after that.

Will be writing about the process of it here but when it is up and running out there, I shall switch to Netlog blog to post about it there as I have decided to have that blog just for promoting my books, leaving this one to write about the writing process and events.

Embracing new technology

Well, I have decided to embrace new technology and will be soon publishing my first ebook on Smashwords. I wrote a teen story about a girl who had died and was sent to earth to stop a man from suicide last year and entered it for a ghost and angel story competition, but got nowhere. I still liked the idea, and had even thought of a few more to make a series but didn't do anything about it, until now. I had been reading 'The Grumpy Old Bookman's' page in Writing Magazine who had been talking about self-publishing on Smashwords and getting success there, and reading email loops about other authors self-publishing on Kindle. How about giving it a go myself, I thought, it is short to start with and teenagers are bound to be more prone to reading ebooks than younger children. So I went on Smashwords and printed out their Style and Marketing Guides (both free). I have now completed the ebook and sent it for a professional copyedit and proofread, and meanwhile have started formatting the story for ebook. Hope to finish that tomorrow. I am quite excited about it as it's a new venture for me. I am thinking that when it is published and out there for all to buy, to do the round at the local libraries to promote it with either booking signings or just put out some promo material for it - I have in mind postcards or business type cards that I can sign instead of an ebook. I have heard that this is what romance writers in the US do, they call them romance trading cards. I have yet to put this out on my website and once I have worked out a blurb for it then I will, as well as a cover, which I have in mind already. Watch this space...