Back to Basics

It's so simple to get lost in writing a book.


You forget the character's names, location, who's point of view you are writing it from, if you have a break from it, and that's exactly what happened to me.

It's sounds like common sense but on some books I have read from new authors in my field, it seems like they hadn't made a plan of their chapters as one minute there in England and the next they are using American slang.


I always make an outline for each chapter of any new book I start to remind me what I need to do, what characters need to be introduced and to keep me from going off on a tangent.


I then make a character plan by giving each character a name, a personality and purpose in the book.


This really helped me as if I didn't do this from the beginning my story would be all over the place which is really distracting to the reader and takes away some of the enjoyment.


I'm not saying I stick to these plans rigidly, as if I want to change some parts I will but it really helps me as a guide as I can half a million ideas and try to cram them into one page and forget about the ideas I had a day ago.

Monthly Deals from Self Publishing Websites

I love to ask questions!


Especially if I am parting with money!


I want to know it all before I agree to anything and many times when a deal seems too good to be true it usually is!


I am in the final stages of publishing my first book and although I have done my own marketing, I am at the final stages of proof reading it (even though someone else has done this but I'm a perfectionist! It's my flaw! lol) and have created my own website, I still need a little help with the front cover, so I contacted a self publishing website to see what they do for the price they quote on there website as it is quite expensive (I think).


So, I emailed them and the answers were quite vague, so after approx three to four emails, I found that the same woman who was providing me with the information had changed her tone in the emails.

In the beginning, when I told her I was very interested, her emails were upbeat, friendly and quite informative, whilst also giving my the sale speech.


However, the last two emails were quite diluted, they went back to being vague and in the beginning she used to send a reply straight away, however the second to last reply was a few days late and I am still waiting for my last reply.


I am slightly nervous to spend over £100 for someone to tweak my front and back cover as I have done most of the work myself and I am still unsure on how they justify there fees.


I am going to go onto their forums to speak to some other users of this site, however I have learnt that when they want your money and think your interested they are very quick to keep in contact and give you all the information about these fantastic deals they have, however, when you want to delve deeper it's slightly disturbing that they go quiet like there is something to hide.


Just a thought!

What Type of a Self Publisher Are You?

Having friends who are also writers is really interesting.


Some have published books already and some are new writers like myself and are still doing there research, however, I have found that there are three different self publishing writers.

The three different types of self publishing authors are:

• Firstly there are the ones who have completed their work and are ready to publish it. They have done some research, have a marketing plan and have made firm decisions on who there target audience is, built up a marketing strategy on how they will reach them and will put their books in more than one outlet.

• The second are the ones who rush to write their books, haven't necessarily done their research, put their book on one website and hope it will become a hit. They don't have a firm target audience and have no marketing plan. 

• Lastly, there is the writer, who after five years they are still editing their manuscripts and although they have Facebook and are doing some marketing, without a complete book, it is wasted effort.

I am not preaching as I have been person two and three but I am firmly on my way to being person one as through my highs and lows of writing, I have realised the following:

• Proof reading the work myself is essential,

• The book's front cover is a major part of the marketing and I should put some money aside if I need to pay to make it fantastic,

• I need to spend at least an hour a day catching up with emails (about the book), post messages and add friend's in the social networking sites I am registered with, to stay present and relevant, and;

• Don't be scared to publish it! This was the biggest hurdle I have to get over! With any writer, they work is their baby so to have some negative criticism would be heartbreaking but not everyone has the same taste! So I've got to learn to read them, take the advice and dust myself off and continue.

Lighten Up Authors

Ok, firstly can I say I'm not too sure about this new Blogger upgrade.


I don't mind change but it looks more sterile and a lot harder to find even the basic features (put it back please!!! lol)


Secondly, whether it's reviews of new books, comments on pics and statuses in social networking groups or posts on blogs, I have found many authors to be very uptight about the smallest of things.


For example, I found this picture and liked it immediately so I posted it in a few groups on Facebook but I don't necessarily agree with all the points but I thought it was a fun read for my fellow authors.

Bad idea!


Straight away I got a comment back from a stuffy author who took offence from the picture and urged the readers not to listen to every step!


I was gob-smacked!


Obviously, with too much time on her hands, she clearly didn't see the funny side of it and proud to say I didn't reply to her silly comment, it got me thinking.


All the successful authors seem to be the ones who are:

• Serious about their work but know how to laugh,

• Take all criticism and work on it without being offended,

• They are flexible and don't jump on everything they see to make their opinions known.

I've also found that, like any other industry, authors are competitive and some will do anything to see you fail if they are not gaining success.

Very much an eye opening experience!

Facebook Groups

Having experience some very cynical authors, I have decided to rant on here.


To give you the background to my rant, I set up some Facebook groups to discuss topics I found interesting and to let fellow authors promote there work.

When I started to get new friends, I would automatically add them to the group in case they were interested.


Now, bare in mind I took no offence to people wanting to leave the group, I received three messages from individuals who found it rude and against Facebook etiquette to automatically add them without their permission.


I must admit I did find this insulting as my reasons for adding them was purely positive and to have it thrown back in my face by writing such silly comments on the pages, was immature when it only takes a few seconds to remove yourself from a group and it takes longer to write such a negative response.


Needless to say I did write a 'lovely' response and removed them for the group but is it so difficult to believe that a fellow writer is trying to do you a favour? Or have you had so many bad experiences in the literary world that you are cynical of everyone in it?


Well, if someone wanted to add me to a group, the only reason I would leave would be if:

• The group had no relevance to myself,

• The admin were just bombarding me with their work and;

• If I was getting negative comments

Otherwise I would be grateful to meet fellow authors and see their work as it could help me with my own projects.

Pen Names

Not wanting to pigeon hole myself in one genre, having more than one pen name appealed to me, as I didn't want to use one name all the way through my books.

Having written women's fiction, paranormal books and real life stories, I didn't want to confuse the reader (when I publish them) if they get used to just reading my women's fiction books.


The difficulties I found that would arise from having numerous pen names were the face to face advertising, for example, book signing events.


Although, many people would understand my point of view, many would believe it was dishonest and maybe they would have less confidence in the authors work.


Pen names, to me, are not to deceive the reader, as it has been happening for years, but I feel it is to show that a writer doesn't have to be one dimensional and can delve into other genres but using a pen name maybe easier to get the author into other genres without the reader prejudging them on their name.

Readers Expectation of Self Publishers Work?

Having read the reviews on some self publishers work, it's not hard to believe that many of the negative reviews are to do with poor grammar and spelling.

Writers decide to self publish there work for many reasons, such as:

• They have more control over their work,

• They get to keep more of the profits, and;

• They do not have the start up costs needed to keep looking for an agent

The last reason was the deciding factor for me realising self publishing was my way forward.

Researching books in my genre, to gage what price I should sell my books at, gave me the opportunity to read some of the reader's reviews and I decided to concentrate on Amanda Hocking's range of books.

Most of the positive reviews complimented her storyline, however many of the negative reviews mentioned the same thing, which was she needed a proof reader to look at her work before she published it, as there were too many spelling mistakes, words missing and the grammar was poor.

However, for a book of approx 65,000 words, priced at $0.99, what is the reader expecting?

Do self publishers get a little bit of a break for little mistakes like grammar, incorrect spelling and missing words due to the reader knowing that one of the reasons the writer maybe in self publishing is due to the lack of upfront funds and therefore does not have the money to pay a proof reader? Or does it ruin the read when the reader sees these mistakes?

For myself, if I found numerous spelling mistakes and bad grammar, it would put me off continuing to the read the story as I would want to get my red pen out and start making the corrections but if it was for $0.99 what more could you ask for?

How to set up a Fan Page on Facebook

Okay, so maybe I am slightly stupid or just looked in the wrong places, however, how hard is it to set up a fan page on Facebook, without looking outside the site for help?

Well that was the problem I was facing!

With fellow authors sending me emails to 'like' there fan pages and then asking me the embarrassing question, 'where is yours?' I thought I should share this help in case many of you find yourself in the same situation.

Fan pages on Facebook are just another form of advertising yourself (and your work) which is free so why not do it???

After searching on Facebook I finally found out how to do it:

Step One

You need to set up a Facebook profile page (if you don't already have one, go to: www.facebook.com and sign up)

Step Two

Set up your fan page (this is the part I struggled with finding out where this information was) by going to: http://www.facebook.com/pages/create.php 

Step Three

Add a profile picture or logo by clicking.  Upload a picture from your desktop.

Step Four

If you have a blog, you can add content automatically to your Fan page by importing your blog through the notes section. Click here for directions:  http://www.jeanobrien.com/2009/06/11/how-to-import-a-blog-into-a-facebook-fan-page/comment-page-1/#comment-7796 

Step Five

Add a Fan Box to Your Website or Blog to encourage your website visitors to become fans.  Click here for step by step directions:   http://wiki.developers.facebook.com/index.php/Fan_Box 

Hope this helps and good look! :)

Selena Kitt

Selena Kitt is a bestselling and award-winning author of erotic fiction.

She is one of the highest selling erotic writers in the business. With half a million ebooks sold in 2011 alone, she is the crème del la creme of erotica!

Her writing represents everything from the saucy to the scandalous, but watch out-this temptress also has sharp claws and her stories often include exciting edges and twists that take readers to new, provocative depths.

When she's not banging away at her keyboard, Selena runs an innovative publishing company and in her spare time, she devotes herself to her family, husband and four children.

Her books EcoErotica (2009), The Real Mother Goose (2010) and Heidi and the Kaiser (2011) were all Epic Award Finalists.

Her only gay male romance, Second Chance, won the Epic Award in Erotica in 2011.

Her story, Connections, was one of the runners-up for the 2006 Rauxa Prize, given annually to an erotic short story of "exceptional literary quality," out of over 1,000 nominees, where awards are judged by a select jury and all entries are read "blind".

Stephen Leather

Stephen Leather is one of the UK's most successful thriller writers.

At university, he attempted to write, however he found this difficult and put it down to lack of life experience.

He didn’t start to write again until he was in his late twenties and started to work as a journalist.

Although, he studied biochemistry at university, he decided against that career path and went to train at the Daily Mirror on their Graduate Training Scheme and trained to be a journalist.

He wrote his first book, which was bought by Harper Collins and he never looked back!

His career to date stands as follows: he was employed as a biochemist for ICI, shoveled limestone in a quarry, worked as a baker, a petrol pump attendant and worked for the Inland Revenue.

Throughout his life, he has traveled around the world, had more jobs than one average person has in a life time, however he has always had writing as his passion.

From being a journalist for more than ten years on newspapers such as The Times, the Daily Mail and the South China Morning Post in Hong Kong to being a bar man, he has led an interesting life so far.

Although he has always had writing in his life, he began writing full time in 1992. His bestsellers have been translated into more than ten languages.

He has also written for television shows such as, 'London's Burning', 'The Knock' and the BBC's 'Murder in Mind' series.

Amanda Hocking

Amanda Hocking

Twenty-six-year-old self-publishing sensation Amanda Hocking made headlines earlier in 2011, when it was revealed that the then-unsigned author (she now has a contract with St. Martin’s Press) had managed to sell more than a million copies of her paranormal novels, which were once rejected by publishers — as e-books.

Starting her first book in 2009, Amanda went into overdrive and the start of 2010, she had a grand total of 17 unpublished novels, all gathering digital dust on the desktop of her laptop.

After receiving rejection letter after rejection letter on April 15 2010, Hocking made her book available to Kindle readers on Amazon's website in her bid to raise the cash for the Muppets trip, she desperately wanted to go on. Following tips, she'd gleaned from the blog of JA Konrath, an internet self-publishing pioneer, she also uploaded to Smashwords which allowed her to gain access to the Nook, Sony eReader and iBook markets. 

It wasn't that difficult. 

A couple of hours of formatting, and it was done.

Within a few days, she was selling nine copies a day of My Blood Approves, a vampire novel set in Minneapolis. 

By May, she had posted two further books in the series, Fate and Flutter, and sold 624 copies. 

June saw sales rise to more than 4,000 and in July she posted Switched, her personal favourite among her novels that she wrote in barely more than a week. It brought in more than $6,000 in pure profit that month alone, and in August she quit her day job.

By January, last year, she was selling more than 100,000 a month. Being her own boss allowed her to set her own pricing policy – she decided to charge just 99 cents for the first book in a series, to attract the  readers, and then increase the cover price to $2.99 for each sequel. 

Though that's cheap compared with the $10 and upwards charged for printed books she gained a much greater proportion of the royalties. Amazon would give her 30% of all royalties for the 99-cent books, rising to 70% for the $2.99 editions – a much greater proportion than the traditional 10 or 15% that publishing houses award their authors. 

You don't have to be much of a mathematician to see the attraction of those figures: 70% of $2.99 is $2.09; 10% of a paperback priced at $9.99 is 99 cents. Multiply that by a million – last November Hocking entered the hallowed halls of the Kindle Million Club, with more than 1m copies sold – and you are talking rolling in the money!

Although, Hocking is a self publishing success, in the end she became so burned out by the stress of solo publishing (having to do all the editing, formating, designing the book covers, keeping up with the constant marketing and making sure she replied to her fans emails) that she has turned for help to the same traditional book world that previously rejected her and which she was seen as attacking. 

For $2.1m, she has signed up with St Martin's Press in the US and Pan Macmillan in the UK to publish her next array of books. The deal kicks off this month with a paperback version of Switched.

New Zealand Copyright

Know your own country's copyright legislation

Through my research I have found that many countries have organizations that helpfully explain the legislation in plain English, along with answers to frequently asked questions, so be sure to research these thoroughly. Although these organisations can help, it would be useful to know the basics of the legislation covering copyright in your country first so you have an idea of what you need to start with.

The following provides a general round-up to help you get started if you are a citizen of the New Zealand:

New Zealand copyright law can be found in the Copyright Act 1994: http://www.copyright.org.nz/basics.php, and good copyright information can be found from the Copyright Council of New Zealand.

Remember this is YOUR work and you do not want anyone else taking the credit for it so the first thing you should do when you finish a piece of work is copyright it straight away to avoid any problems in the future, when your work is published.

Australian Copyright

Know your own country's copyright legislation

Through my research I have found that many countries have organizations that helpfully explain the legislation in plain English, along with answers to frequently asked questions, so be sure to research these thoroughly. Although these organisations can help, it would be useful to know the basics of the legislation covering copyright in your country first so you have an idea of what you need to start with.  

The following provides a general round-up to help you get started if you are a citizen of the Australia:

Australian copyright law can be found in the Copyright Act 1968, along with various court decisions that have interpreted copyright over the years. The Australian Copyright Council is a good resource, while the relevant government site is at: http://www.ag.gov.au/www/agd/agd.nsf/Page/Copyright.

Remember this is YOUR work and you do not want anyone else taking the credit for it so the first thing you should do when you finish a piece of work is copyright it straight away to avoid any problems in the future, when your work is published.

United Kingdom Copyright

Know your own country's copyright legislation

Through my research I have found that many countries have organizations that helpfully explain the legislation in plain English, along with answers to frequently asked questions, so be sure to research these thoroughly. Although these organisations can help, it would be useful to know the basics of the legislation covering copyright in your country first so you have an idea of what you need to start with.  

The following provides a general round-up to help you get started if you are a citizen of the United Kingdom:

British copyright law can be found in The Copyright Act 1956, The Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, Copyright and Related Rights Regulations 2003, and relevant case law interpretations. The Intellectual Property Office (UK) can be found at: http://www.ipo.gov.uk/. You can also find information at: http://www.copyrightservice.co.uk/

Remember this is YOUR work and you do not want anyone else taking the credit for it so the first thing you should do when you finish a piece of work is copyright it straight away to avoid any problems in the future, when your work is published.

Canadian Copyright

Know your own country's copyright legislation

Through my research I have found that many countries have organizations that helpfully explain the legislation in plain English, along with answers to frequently asked questions, so be sure to research these thoroughly. Although these organisations can help, it would be useful to know the basics of the legislation covering copyright in your country first so you have an idea of what you need to start with.  

The following provides a general round-up to help you get started if you are a citizen of the Canada:

Canadian copyright law can be found in The Copyright Law of Canada. The Canadian Intellectual Property Office can be found at: http://www.cipo.ic.gc.ca/eic/site/cipointernet-internetopic.nsf/eng/h_wr00003.html?OpenDocument.

Remember this is YOUR work and you do not want anyone else taking the credit for it so the first thing you should do when you finish a piece of work is copyright it straight away to avoid any problems in the future, when your work is published.

USA Copyright

Know your own country's copyright legislation

Through my research I have found that many countries have organizations that helpfully explain the legislation in plain English, along with answers to frequently asked questions, so be sure to research these thoroughly. Although these organisations can help, it would be useful to know the basics of the legislation covering copyright in your country first so you have an idea of what you need to start with.  

The following provides a general round-up to help you get started if you are a citizen of the USA:

United States of America: US copyright law can be found in various pieces of legislation dealing with copyright and responsibility for the administrative aspects of copyright law rests with the United States Copyright Office, whose website can be found at: http://www.copyright.gov/.

Remember this is YOUR work and you do not want anyone else taking the credit for it so the first thing you should do when you finish a piece of work is copyright it straight away to avoid any problems in the future, when your work is published.

Copyrighting your work

After your masterpiece, you do not want anyone else taking the credit (or the profits) from all your hard work. Copyright over a book, manuscript or any literary work, guarantee's that you get a set of intellectual property rights and benefits that last even beyond your death. Many people think it is a long, hard process to copyright your book but it isn't. If you're not already sure how to copyright a book, you might be surprised at just how easy it is to do.

Before you look into copyrighting your book, research if your country is a signatory to the Berne Convention as that might mean you automatically own the copyright in any literary or creative work that you make yourself. Generally, your copyright is protected in the countries that are signatories to the Convention as well. And while there is no need to place the © symbol on your work, it is advisable as it acts as an signal to other people, that you claim your copyright rights over the written work.

Here are a few more things you need to know before you copyright your work:

Know your own country's copyright legislation

It's very useful to know the basics of the legislation covering copyright in your country. Many countries have organizations that helpfully explain the legislation in plain English, along with answers to frequently asked questions, so be sure to do your research on these for a greater understanding.

Use the copyright symbol

Upon creation of your written work (book, newspaper article, poetry, etc.), you have copyright. While there is no need to add the copyright symbol, it is practical to place the © symbol on your work to make others aware to your copyright claim. This is straightforward and does not require formality or registration.

Registration

While registration isn't essential, it is a way of establishing your intent to claim your rights and it makes it easier for others searching for copyright information to find your copyright.

Make sure your work is a literary work

Literary works may be published or unpublished and include non-dramatic textual works with or without illustrations. Computer programs and databases also are considered literary works.

Decide where to register

There are a number of specialist international copyright registration organizations, and most will store a copy of your work as evidence of your claim, and will be able to produce it as evidence to help prove your claim in the event of a copyright dispute.

More information which will specialise on individual countries rules and regulations on their Copyrighting rules will be coming in the next few days.

Book Cover Tips For Your Self Published Book

I know you shouldn't judge a book by it's cover but if your book cover isn't eye catching and stands out from the competition, then you may as well wave goodbye to any profits you hoped you'd make.

Here are some DIY tips that all self published authors should think about when planning a fantastic book cover for their masterpieces:

1. Create a concept cover

A concept cover will speak your message in volumes. Choose one main concept that explains, in a very short story, what your book is about. It is a well known designing principle to choose one element to build your entire design around. For example, one of my favourite books has the key word hysteria in its core message. To express the hysteria the book was explaining, a suburban American neighbour with people screaming and aliens invading the calm, robotic nature of the neighbour was pictured in cover design.

2. Learn the basics of design 

Learn the basics of good design. It always good to know the basics as you can always develop your knowledge if you need to. When creating your book cover, always use the theory that less is more. Do not overload your book cover as it may make it look messy and put potential readers off wanting to go further and actually read your book. Also, you may dilute the expression of your message if you try to put too may elements on your cover. Even too many different fonts or colour will dilute your message.

3. Consider a book cover template 

I love templates. I enjoy getting a jumpstart on all my writing projects, if possible. Many self publishing websites and specialised websites have book cover templates and I urge you to research some to save yourself some time. I am going to be using one with the self publishing website I have chosen to publish my book through as I have looked at the templates and have a handful of a few for my short-list. 

4. Consider book cover design software 

There are lots of design software on the market. But for me, I can only recommend two Adobe Photoshop and Book Cover Pro software (as a cheaper option). With Photoshop the price is not the only thing that’s high. You need to have a few lessons at using this software as it can be a little difficult to try to work it in just one attempt. If you have the patience, interest, time and money to invest, I encourage you to take a class to get started. For the DIY people on a budget, you can teach yourself. Look for good online tutorials and courses to learn from. Also, start a sample file. Every good design that I see, I take notes and try to examine the techniques and elements involved. Then practice and practice some more to develop your skills.

5. Invest in quality photos 

If you are not an illustrator or can’t afford to hire one, you can start with a high quality photo to help speak your book’s core message. Sometimes, if this is matched well, the photo can carry the whole design in expressing your message. If done well, all other elements like font, colour design become secondary or complementary. One of my favourite photo depositories is Shutterstock.com 

6. Use complementary fonts 

Invest in a good quality font. You will discover even if you manage to do all the other parts of your cover design well and do not concentrate on your fonts (type) your design will fall short. Research what fonts are considered display and even good cover fonts. There are lots of free options to start with. 

7. Use your highest talents and haggle the rest 

As a self publisher, you might be tempted to do every thing yourself to save every penny. If you’re there, that’s o.k. too. But I encourage you to not stay there. If cover design is truly not your interest or you are ready to outsource to a cover artist, take the leap. Use your gifts and talents at their highest capacity and outsource the rest. You will discover success much faster than trying to go it alone. One strategy is to save and when you’re ready invest in your cover design. Or use one of my consistent shoe-string budget tips of going to a community college and looking for a budding artist anxious to practice their considerable skills at a bargain.

Now what to do? 

Now, go ahead and make that eye catching book cover for your novel! Don’t delay any longer. Covers still sell books, even self published ones. Give your self published book the greatest chance for success in the marketplace with a beautiful cover. Take the DIY book cover design tips above and give your book a selling chance. Good luck Publishing!

How many pages for an average book?

Many writers pretend that it is the quantity not the quality that count's but nobody wants to write a book and it works out to be a 50 page book!

How could you defend your £4.99 sales price for a book of that size?


No matter how fantastic the book is, the quantity still needs to be there.


Researching this topic, for my own curiosity, I found that many agents judge by how many words your manuscript has and not the amount of pages.


The approximate calculation to working out how many pages your final published book would be is:

Word Count / 250 (words per page) = The amount of pages in your published book

The calculation above is working on the assumption that:

• You have not double spaced your document yet, 

• Your text size is no larger than 12 and;

• You have a maximum of 1" margins all around.

Remember the average novel is between a 90 - 140k word count and ALL agents (even if you are not using an agent, as this site is about self publishing writers, it is still good to know how theses things are done in the industry) do not look at how many pages your book is, they work on the WORD COUNT. 

Why Pay for Advice?

Unless you have a 60% + guarantee that the advice you are paying for is going to be worth it then why would you part with your cash?

When I first looked into, 'Self Publishing Help', many of the search results came back with website's that gave an encouraging introduction and then when you find the section you really need, you are hit with the price.


However, as I have done my research I have realised, 'self publishing' is mainly to do with common sense and doing your research.


Firstly, I asked myself, 'why should I publish my book myself instead of waiting for an agent' and came back with the following answers:

• Sending my work off to agents was getting expense and soul destroying so instead of wasting that time, I could do it myself and see what happens,

• Publishing contracts can take years to sign and then once you've signed, new books are usually put on the waiting list and aren't published for one to three years,

• I didn't want to give large percentage of my profits to a literary agent as it was all my hard work and although, they would publicize it more than I could, due to me being a new writer, with hardly any experience, I don't think they would put in as much effort as they would with an already established writer as they would be risking too much time and money, which is probably why they rarely take on new, unknown writers,

• When you sign with a publisher they pay you an advance on sales. This means if your sales aren't high enough, that money is NOT yours to keep. Then, you receive royalties on book sales, once sales levels pass your advance payment. Royalties are, at the very MOST, 10% of the price of the book. Ten percent?? For all your hard work, can you imagine only earning ten percent? Now even though many self publishing website's take a percentage of the sale, none I have researched take more than 60% (and over 20% would make me think twice about allowing my book to be sold through a website that could take that much profit!), and;

• When I finished my book and designed the front and back cover, I was elated. It was a personal achievement for me to actually finish the book, and to create the front and back cover myself (getting glowing reviews from friends and family who saw my accomplishments) gave me even more pride. Now, although it would be great to get a literary agent to take on my book, along with the contract taking a long time to sort out and them taking a large chunk of the profits, I also didn't want them to change anything about the book, which they would. They can change it all if they are not happy or they do not understand the concept of your book and you cannot do anything about it as you have signed the contract.

Secondly, I looked at my marketing options and then lastly, I looked at the reviews from the 'self publishing' websites to check what the users and writers who have had actual experience with them said about their services.

In my next post, I will list all the things you should start thinking about when you are ready and have decided to publish your book...this will be FREE advice and help which I have learnt from my own research.

LinkedIn Initial Review

Looking at other ways to market my book, I was told about a networking site called, 'Linkedin'.

Now, I have signed up but haven't explored all it's features yet but another networking website couldn't harm any promotion you want to do for your books.


From the outset, (for myself) the layout is not fantastic as when I signed up, I didn't really know where to go or what to do.


I joined a few groups but at the moment all but one are still pending my request.


I have not gone into the group that has accepted me yet, however, when I do, due to it specialising in, 'New Writers', I plan on taking full advantage of all the help and support from other users by asking lots of questions and promoting my work in a discrete manner.


My sister in law is launching, 'Designer Chocolates' and was the one to refer me to the website as she is just starting her business and wanted to see what it was all about.


She has now received help, advice, referrals to alcohol distribution companies, meetings with directors and managers of some of the most prestigious restaurants in the UK and has been able to market her chocolates on the website and direct others to her website from Linkedin, which shows if you keep at it, it can be beneficial for your type of work.

Book Cover Design Packages

Before I go and stuff myself with Easter Eggs and feel guilty when I go on the scales next week pretending that I really don't know where them extra pounds came from...I thought I would quickly write about a topic that has always baffled me with the self publishing world.

Ok, so I have some experience with graphic design (but only a little) but when researching the best self publishing website to publish my book with, I have noticed that most (if not all) offer a, 'Book Cover Design' service for a fee.


Looking into these packages, I didn't see many examples of how different they make the front cover look compared to one that had been made by an author.


Many of the packages I researched ranged from $130 - £500, and in all honesty I could not see how these prices justified the lack of time it would have taken them to create this piece of work.


I have decided to create my own front cover by using Photoshop, making sure I have checked the dimensions required from the site I will be selling my book from, using Shutterstock to get the images I need and using family and friends to check each design draft to make improvements if needed.


It seems like the cheaper and more rewarding way of making sure I have the front cover which reflects my book and myself.

Advertising Techniques for your Book

Researching different ways of a new writer trying to get attention to their first book has been interesting!

I have read writers giving advice from making use of YouTube to leaving a copy of your book in popular coffee shops in the hope that someone would read it and not throw it in the bin!


The methods I have used are:

• Facebook
• YouTube
• Blogs
• Forums

And will be meeting with the local newspaper at the end of this month for some free publicity.

Networking and going to new writer events in your city, would be a great way to get yourself (and your work) out there and to mingle with those who could help your work go from selling 100s to selling 1000s.

I always have a set of business cards in my bag as you never know who you will meet and I would suggest that if you do get a chance to meet someone who could help your book go further, always have the following to tell them:

• The synopsis
• Will there any sequels?
• Where are the books currently being sold?
• How many have you sold?
• What is your marketing plan?
• Have you had anyone interested in helping you take the book further? And if so, what are there plans to do this?

But, even if you meet a literary agent and they ask you all these questions, don't forget this is YOUR masterpiece and even if you are desperate to say yes to their offer straight away, weigh up the pro's and con's and always think about their offer and don't accept it straight away!

Exchange business cards with them and let them know you are very interested in their offer but will need to think about it over night (to give you time to think clearly and not just seeing the advantages of the offer which is all they will tell you, until you get to the paperwork part).

Hints and Tips for Writers Block

Now on my second novel, I am definitely finding that the creative juices are flowing more freely with the second book.


It took me three years to do my first book and now looking back, I'm starting to understand why it took so long.

I didn't dedicate enough time to it as I didn't take it seriously, I was always changing sections of the character's storyline when new things occurred in my life and in all honesty I wanted to delay it as I was scared maybe it wasn't good enough.




However, doing my research on other books in the same field as my own I have realised:

• If you don't take your work seriously, no one else will,
• There are some 'unique' books out there, that are selling but we all know we could do much better, and;
• The feeling when you actually finish a book is amazing, which is why I started my second book straight after.

With working full time, I found that trying to write a book on the side would need me to put in some serious effort to relax, clear my mind from my daily chores and to just let my thoughts flow.

My hints and tips to trying to cope with writers block and to come out of it are:

• Find a way to relax! Whether it be your own quiet space in the house, go to a spa, go for a walk or run, etc.
• Have a diary to brainstorm your thoughts and feelings
• Research books in your field to build your confidence in your work or see what you need to improve on to remain within the competition.

I'm still trying different methods on trying to relax and when I come up with more, I will update you all!

Finding Support within your City

Writing has now become my passion, however, I have realised it can be a little lonely.

Trying to express your highs and lows to friends and family, who don't understand or do not see the relevance of the topic (until you show them the profits as that's how most of society deems success!) is difficult and even though using the forums is great to network and get your questions answered, wouldn't it be even better to have like-minded people face-to-face with you, so you could meet new friends in the same field as yourself? Network? Organise outings? etc.

Speaking to one of my massage therapists (for those of you who never take time out and go for a massage or just to a mini spa to pamper yourself...I suggest you do so! It is worth the money and you leave feeling like a new person! I will touch on this again in a future post which has some relevance to helping new writers!), I didn't realise she also enjoyed writing and was speaking to a journalist from the BBC.

Through this we spoke about all aspects of writing and we got to thinking, why don't we set up a monthly support group?

This support group helps all writers (especially new writers) come together and just socialise, have fun, speak about any new updates or just have a coffee and a laugh.

We are thinking of publicising our new monthly group on:

• Meetup
• Facebook Groups
• Writing Forums

We are still in the process of finding a location but even if only handful of people turn up, it is better than being alone, tapping at your keyboard and the only communication you get, regarding this topic, is from a stranger in a forum.