More of "Watched" Launch at Barnes and Noble

So, here are some more pics. of the most fantastic launch ever! (others are here at my other blog) Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Getting set up

Hi Hollie!

Even boys love this book. Thanks Kyle.

A shout-out to Aubrie, Amanda, Sierra, Hannah,
Morgan, Kelsie and Sarah

My whole family(at least those in Utah) came out to support
little ole me. This is my mom...and mother in law..and there's my neighbor, Tammy, too.

Katie! So glad you came.

Marci and Tiffany. You're awesome.

Johnnie, Katie and Brenda-Wahoo!

How much fun was that?

Indie Publishing Secrets Revealed Step #6 People sell your books, duh!

Step #6

 

All right. It's time we had a heart to heart.

 

Have you thought about how you are going to market your book? Do you realize that marketing is HUGE. If you only remember one thing about marketing, you should remember this, 
                                      people sell your books.

 

What does this really mean? You need to get to know a lot of people before you even consider self-publishing-at least if you want to sell a lot of books. Here are a few things to help you do that.

 

1. You should have a blog that you post regularly on.
2. You should follow lots of blogs- ones that you like and actually read AND comment on because you like them. Use google.com/reader to make this a breeze. 
3. Join writers' groups and participate regularly.
4. Go to other author signings and talk to them about their books.
5. Start using twitter.com
6. Tell everyone you meet that your book is coming out soon. 
7. Get in touch with bookstores and talk to them about signings.
8. Get on Goodreads.com
9. While you're at writers' conferences, talk to a lot of people and get their information. Make yourself known. Talk to the authors that are there. Be genuine with people-be yourself and make friends.

Your biggest obstacle in indie-publishing is getting the word out about your book.(and honestly, traditionally published authors have the same challenge.)You need to have a lot of people who care about your success in order to accomplish this. These initial people spread the word.

 

People sell your books through word of mouth. The more mouths you have telling people about your books the better.  Get on this right away. You do not have time to delay.

 

I hope you are already doing a lot of the things I listed and only need to up your participation in those activities. If not, pick one thing on the list and start doing it, today. Add something new each week and create habits that help make author-socializing easy and not burdensome.

 

For example, I spend 15-30 minutes in the morning going through emails, twitter, goodreads, google reader, etc. At noon, I spend another 10-15 mins catching anything new and before bed I give it another 10-15 min. If I don't, it gets overwhelming.

 

Some days, depending on what's going on, I could only spend 20 mins on social media, other days I need the full hour. Help yourself by being consistent and don't ever let yourself get sucked in to spending all your time reaching out and making friends and no time writing. Find your balance.

Happy networking!

Watched by Cindy M. Hogan has Hit the News

Just flipping through a google search and found an article about

Watched in the Deseret News.

I can't believe it! When Carma Wadley interviewed me, she said there'd be a little blurb about the book and my book launch in the Sunday Arts Section of the Deseret News.

This is more than a little blurb. Yay for Watched!
                         click here to see it

 

 

                                                                                                                                   Link to Amazon

Secrets to Indie Publishing. Step #5 Choosing an Ebook Service

Step #5

Keep revising and have a few readers give your manuscript a quick read.  Again, have them keep a notebook handy to write down their thoughts and feelings. (And any grammar edits you and your editor missed. They are there. I promise you.)

Now, check out e-publishing services.

A good one to look at is Smashwords.com and it's free to set up. It takes your manuscript and cover and creates all the different forms e-readers use, including formats for the Nook and Kindle. (They are having some problems with Amazon right now and that won't be fixed until October, 2011) It also distributes your ebook for you. Smashwords takes a cut, 15%, and the site it goes to takes a cut, and you still end up with at least 60%.

It is pretty easy to publish for the Kindle without Smashwords by going to kdp.amazon.com (And if you price your book for between $2.99-9.99, you keep 70%.) 

It's not so easy to publish for the Nook. It's crazy confusing. Use Smashwords for sure. You also want your book available on sites like Kobe and Sony and the others Smashwords distributes to.


Remember, you are only researching now. You still need a cover. That is why Createspace is so important.

Smashwords can't convert your manuscript into all the different formats without you first formatting it in the way they tell you to. 

I know that sounds confusing, but they actually have a free e-book with directions that walk you through the process.

I read through the book and started to put a copy of my "print" manuscript into the form they wanted. Then I found out Smashwords keeps a list of people who take your book and format it for you for super cheap.

You just request the list from Smashwords and then pick the person that floats your boat. I picked a fabulous formatter who guaranteed her work and it only cost me 25 bucks. Money well spent. My manuscript got included in the premium catalogue on the first try. (You want to be included in the premium catalogue)

Going too slow for you? Take a breath. There is so much to learn, take your time. Remember, I made all the mistakes so you won't have to.

Happy researching and editing until next Tuesday.

Indie Publishing Secrets Revealed. Step 4-Choosing a Print Publishing Service

First off, let me say that I've had a lot of requests for a deeper look into steps #1-3. I am working on a few posts to address those things and will post them soon. I will start posting regularly on Tues for this thread on Indie Publishing. See ya on Tuesdays.

Step #4
Carefully consider the revisions your editor suggests and make those changes, highlighting them and letting your editor make sure your changes are done well.

While doing this, research what print publishing service you'd like to use. I suggest using a free service like, Createspace or Lulu. I used Createspace and will tailor my comments to make using it even easier. I researched Lulu, signed up and looked around, clicking every button to see what they had to offer, comparing it to Createspace and I felt Createspace was the better choice for me. Do the same. Take the time to explore a bit.

• Look at the ability to get a portable ISBN-the numbers attached to the bar codes on everything you buy-that way you aren't locked into using the service as your distributor later.
• Does the service have a cover-creator that "makes" your cover to your specifications?
• Does the service have live help?
• Does it distribute to Barnes and Noble.com and Amazon.com?

I will cover why these things are important in subsequent posts.
While Createspace is all about PRINT books, I will also be covering EBOOKS.

Happy researching and revising. See ya on Tues.

Indie Publishing Secrets Revealed

Ever wondered if you could publish a book on your own? On this blog, I am starting a series going through the steps to do just that.

First things first. Steps 1-3

Step number one-finish your manuscript. (seems obvious, doesn't it?)

Step two-Once finished, and hopefully you used a critique group to help you along the way, give it out to about 10 beta-readers (these are people who love to read and will be honest with you-not family members).
Ask them to have a notebook or paper handy while they read to jot down things that come to their minds like: I'm losing interest here, I totally don't understand this, why would this happen, this doesn't sound like the character I know, I love this part, and any grammar problems they stumble across. Once they've finished, interview them and take notes.

Step three, after you've gotten all 10 beta-readers' feedback and have made the changes that need to be made, have your work edited by an editor. Pick someone you like and who fits your style of writing. There's nothing worse than an editor messing with your character's voice if it's just fine. It should be a content and grammar edit. Do not skip this step!

Come back next week for step four.

Happy writing

Win a free copy of Watched

Jump over to cindymhogan.blogspot.com for the details.

The contest is in a post from May 5th. Good Luck!



Win a copy of this book before the Launch on June 6th.