User Panel
User Panel
User Panel
|
Posted: 12/24/2015 12:21:10 AM EDT
[#1]
I'm a published author. I have three books published as of right now with two more on the way first part of 2016. My first book was a zombie book and my writing was awful just awful. I'm much more refined now. My editor told me not to publish the zombie book. I should have in a lot of ways listened. The feedback on that book and good or bad reviews pushed me to be a better writer. Each new book pushes me to be better than the last.
I say get a good editor. Get a proof editor. Get beta readers. Make sure when you write it that when you finish it you go back and read it at least three times. You will find that you may want to add to it or take things out. If you add to it or take things out make sure to keep an original copy and before sending the book out for editing read it again. If you are doing a book with pictures in it I have not a clue in how that works with Amazon's CreateSpace and Kindle's KDP. I do do my own cover artwork. I mostly find stock photos and change it around using GIMP software. Taking your work and publishing it isn't hard to do. The hard part is writing something good and not being among the ones that write bad and publish all the time. You will tell a self published author quick by the grammar used and how they write. My first book to where I am now is night and day. If you have questions feel free to ask. I will help any way that I can. Writing should always stay fun the day that it is no longer fun stop. |
|
|
|
Posted: 12/24/2015 3:34:46 PM EDT
[#2]
A book with illustrations isn't going to look that great on Kindle. There's just not room to see them.
You should write them using Microsoft Word as Kindle Direct Publishing accepts that format. I have five books self-published on Amazon and I've done fairly well without putting any money at all into it. Not enough to live on, but some nice extra money every month. It depends on your niche. Some genres do better than others. |
|
|
|
Posted: 12/29/2015 2:15:10 AM EDT
[#3]
A little late to the party but I'll jump in. First, just write. Write first and dont even think about the "p" word. Write the first one. Give it to a buddy to read while you write the next. The reasons I say this is one, the first book is a learner, but after a lot of work it can be publishable. The work will come in the re-reads, proofs, edits and beta reviews. Thats when you learn about yourself as a n author, your style, your speed, your realistic abilities. If that first one at some point forms into something worth letting others read, then put it out there and now, if it takes off, readers wont have to wait years for your next one to come out because you'll already be working on the sequel.
If you get to the point when you think you should start to think about the "p" word, first reread it again, then start asking 'what next'. I sent mine to a few publishers but they couldnt offer a first time writer anything better than what self publishing could give me. Oh, and never give your stuff away fro free for more than a two day run here and there. |
|
|
|
Posted: 12/29/2015 10:48:34 PM EDT
[#4]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
A little late to the party but I'll jump in. First, just write. Write first and dont even think about the "p" word. Write the first one. Give it to a buddy to read while you write the next. The reasons I say this is one, the first book is a learner, but after a lot of work it can be publishable. The work will come in the re-reads, proofs, edits and beta reviews. Thats when you learn about yourself as a n author, your style, your speed, your realistic abilities. If that first one at some point forms into something worth letting others read, then put it out there and now, if it takes off, readers wont have to wait years for your next one to come out because you'll already be working on the sequel. If you get to the point when you think you should start to think about the "p" word, first reread it again, then start asking 'what next'. I sent mine to a few publishers but they couldnt offer a first time writer anything better than what self publishing could give me. Oh, and never give your stuff away fro free for more than a two day run here and there. That is also good advice. There is enough of us on here that are authors we should get a group together for beta reading. Proof reading too. I'm so close to my stories that when I write and edit and go back and read it I do miss things. It is very easy to do when you are that close to a story. I would say never end a book on a cliffhanger ending too. I did that with my zombie book and people hated that. It did it because I couldn't find my ending (first book big learning curve) and I had thoughts of it maybe being a series so I thought why not. I say if you do a series "Have an ending" already picked out. A true ending. The second book that I wrote has a true ending and it can and will spawn a second maybe even a third and fourth book. I learned a lot writing the first one and publishing and listening to my editor on the next one. Maybe we could start a Facebook page for all of the authors here and use it for beta reading too. Keep us posted on your book and never give up. Oh and if you want a publisher to take notice write some short stories and submit them. I have had a lot of rejection letters and I have finally had a short story picked up for a series. It was missed for the first book in the series (email was missed) and they liked it enough to accept me for publishing in the second book of the series coming sometime next year. I know the date but I'm not allowed to talk about it yet. |
|
|
|
Posted: 12/29/2015 11:02:34 PM EDT
[#5]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
That is also good advice. There is enough of us on here that are authors we should get a group together for beta reading. Proof reading too. I'm so close to my stories that when I write and edit and go back and read it I do miss things. It is very easy to do when you are that close to a story. Quote HistoryQuoted:
That is also good advice. There is enough of us on here that are authors we should get a group together for beta reading. Proof reading too. I'm so close to my stories that when I write and edit and go back and read it I do miss things. It is very easy to do when you are that close to a story. That would be awesome. I have a big problem finding anyone to proofread my manuscripts. Maybe we could start a Facebook page for all of the authors here and use it for beta reading too. Interesting idea. |
|
|
|
Posted: 12/30/2015 12:40:42 AM EDT
[#6]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
That would be awesome. I have a big problem finding anyone to proofread my manuscripts. Interesting idea. Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
That is also good advice. There is enough of us on here that are authors we should get a group together for beta reading. Proof reading too. I'm so close to my stories that when I write and edit and go back and read it I do miss things. It is very easy to do when you are that close to a story. That would be awesome. I have a big problem finding anyone to proofread my manuscripts. Maybe we could start a Facebook page for all of the authors here and use it for beta reading too. Interesting idea. I have gotten better at proofreading other peoples work but I'm not great at it. I have picked things out of "House Named" authors. One is Stephen Hunter and Stephen King. I have found errors in a lot of their work as of late. I'm not sure about their earlier work but some of the recent stuff I have. I also belong to a few writing groups. They can be good but mostly they turn into being something they were not meant to be. I at one time wanted a writing group for a local meet up group. It would be awesome to bounce ideas off of and feed off of each others creativity. Also they could be beta readers and proof readers. The Facebook page could what works to get real authors, real writers, real readers and people who mean to do what they say. I have met so many people that find out I write and they say "Oh I write too" and when I ask what and they say oh its in my head. I"m just waiting for the right moment to put it on paper. I shake my head. If someone doesn't write it they will never write. I encourage them go and write it. What whatever they are thinking. My friend is one such example. It was an idea that she had tossed around in her head for years (four or more) and when she finally started writing it I was like its awesome keep going. She replied I will write more tomorrow. Well tomorrow has been two years now. That unfinished novel will never be finished. Stephen King once said to be a writer you must read and read a lot. If you get an idea and don't have a piece of paper to write that idea down and forget it, it wasn't meant to be written. I agree with him. I have had those ideas hit me and I was in a place I couldn't write it down. It faded into the black hole of my mind. I have also had those ideas that have woken me from sleep. I wrote those down only because I had to. The more someone reads and writes the better they will be. My writing with each new project is getting better and better. Maybe we can see about doing a Facebook page and get us all involved and get readers into it too. At least if I write "rifle magazine" I wont get "why does he have a magazine? Isn't it a clip?" <---True story. |
|
|
|
Posted: 12/30/2015 12:56:23 AM EDT
[#7]
If you wanna set it up, I'll definitely join. Maybe we can convince the staff to let us announce it in GD.
|
|
|
|
Posted: 12/30/2015 1:53:55 PM EDT
[#8]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
If you wanna set it up, I'll definitely join. Maybe we can convince the staff to let us announce it in GD. I will see what I can set up this evening. What name should we make the group? |
|
|
|
Posted: 12/30/2015 2:57:55 PM EDT
[#9]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
I will see what I can set up this evening. What name should we make the group? Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
If you wanna set it up, I'll definitely join. Maybe we can convince the staff to let us announce it in GD. I will see what I can set up this evening. What name should we make the group? ArfWriters? Unstable Right Wing Authors? Gunpuppies? |
|
|
|
Posted: 12/30/2015 7:01:44 PM EDT
[#10]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
ArfWriters? Unstable Right Wing Authors? Gunpuppies? Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
If you wanna set it up, I'll definitely join. Maybe we can convince the staff to let us announce it in GD. I will see what I can set up this evening. What name should we make the group? ArfWriters? Unstable Right Wing Authors? Gunpuppies? Haha I had to laugh. I love the names. Unstable Right Wing Authors would be nice, not sure we should go with that one ore but I dig it! ArfWriters is cool too. Could we use ARFcomWriters? |
|
|
|
Posted: 12/30/2015 8:29:06 PM EDT
[#11]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Haha I had to laugh. I love the names. Unstable Right Wing Authors would be nice, not sure we should go with that one ore but I dig it! ArfWriters is cool too. Could we use ARFcomWriters? Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
If you wanna set it up, I'll definitely join. Maybe we can convince the staff to let us announce it in GD. I will see what I can set up this evening. What name should we make the group? ArfWriters? Unstable Right Wing Authors? Gunpuppies? Haha I had to laugh. I love the names. Unstable Right Wing Authors would be nice, not sure we should go with that one ore but I dig it! ArfWriters is cool too. Could we use ARFcomWriters? Sounds good to me, but you should probably check with the Avilas. |
|
|
|
Posted: 12/31/2015 2:35:27 PM EDT
[#12]
There was talk a year or two ago of us Arfwriters doing beta on each other but it didnt go anywhere, especially with me because I read paperback, not digital. Hard to beta out paperback unless we are all comfortable pre-copywriting drafts to PDF over to creatspace or some other print on demand company. Gets complicated.
I'd be in for the facebookery but the group name better not be controversial or we'll get shut down by the man. |
|
|
|
Posted: 1/1/2016 3:01:17 AM EDT
[#13]
I have not had a chance to set one up but if someone else does let me know. I won't do a name that gets us shut down. I thought Writers Who Writer for Readers Who Read.
I'm the same with digital. Paper seems to be the best way of catching things. It would be good having a place to bounce ideas off each other. |
|
|
|
Posted: 1/1/2016 3:16:32 AM EDT
[#14]
Are you looking to get into a specific genre? I'm a member of a group on FB where we help promote our work and bounce ideas around. I published my first November, and I learned a lot in the process. My editor is great, and my cover art team is spectacular. I haven't put it in CreateSpace yet to make print copies.
Look for me on FB. I go by M.C. Allen over there. My avatar is my book cover. |
|
|
|
Posted: 1/1/2016 6:22:28 PM EDT
[#15]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Are you looking to get into a specific genre? I'm a member of a group on FB where we help promote our work and bounce ideas around. I published my first November, and I learned a lot in the process. My editor is great, and my cover art team is spectacular. I haven't put it in CreateSpace yet to make print copies. Look for me on FB. I go by M.C. Allen over there. My avatar is my book cover. What is the FB group that you are with? I'm in a few myself. I write, horror, action, zombies, post apocalypse, romance and sci fi. I tend to write whatever hits me and when I write it if the story keeps talking to me I keep going. I do have a book that I had to stop writing. It got really dark really fast. It is about bullying. I might pick that one back up and finish it. |
|
|
|
Posted: 1/1/2016 6:23:23 PM EDT
[#16]
I just looked you up and if it is the right one I see you are friends with Garrett Cook. He is my editor. Great guy to deal with and very helpful.
I also sent a friends request. It looks like we know a lot of the same people and travel in some of the same circles. That is awesome. |
|
|
|
Posted: 1/10/2016 11:18:24 AM EDT
[#17]
The classic piece of advice generally given to new authors who want to get published is to throw away your first one million words.
Disclaimer: I'm not a novelist, nor do I aspire to be one. I am an avid reader who appreciates a good story that is well told. Best of luck with your endeavors. |
|
|
|
Posted: 1/29/2016 10:25:28 PM EDT
[#18]
Just completed six and a half hours of formatting on my third book, getting it ready for the editor and cover artist. Holy crap. Microsoft Word 2013 sucks. I need a beer. That is all.
|
|
|
|
Posted: 1/30/2016 12:56:04 AM EDT
[#19]
I would like to find someone to do the cover artwork. I have been doing it myself and I'm using GIMP software. I like doing the cover artwork but I feel someone could do it much better than me.
Who is everyone using? I'm also one who hates spending loads of money on cover artwork lol. |
|
|
|
Posted: 1/30/2016 12:56:41 AM EDT
[#20]
I would like to find someone to do the cover artwork. I have been doing it myself and I'm using GIMP software. I like doing the cover artwork but I feel someone could do it much better than me.
Who is everyone using? I'm also one who hates spending loads of money on cover artwork lol. |
|
|
|
Posted: 1/30/2016 8:29:00 AM EDT
[#21]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
I would like to find someone to do the cover artwork. I have been doing it myself and I'm using GIMP software. I like doing the cover artwork but I feel someone could do it much better than me. Who is everyone using? I'm also one who hates spending loads of money on cover artwork lol. I personally went cruising through iStock Photography's artwork section. I found a bunch of sci-fi themed artwork there and paid like $10 for the rights to use one of them, then sent into Photoshop and converted it to a book cover. Did that for three of my current five books. |
|
|
|
Posted: 1/30/2016 2:47:11 PM EDT
[#22]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
I would like to find someone to do the cover artwork. I have been doing it myself and I'm using GIMP software. I like doing the cover artwork but I feel someone could do it much better than me. Who is everyone using? I'm also one who hates spending loads of money on cover artwork lol. The guy I use is "across the pond." I would have preferred to keep it made in the usa but everyone I found were either talent less hacks, total dicks or way way too expensive for what I was needing. Paul Beeley at Create Imaginations is fast, really talented and uses figures and other pics that he shops or renders or whatever to make really cool designs and images. Total pro and each one of my covers has been between $80 and $120 US depending on other services I've had him do (format for paperback, promo images...) Heres a few examples: 
|
|
|
|
Posted: 1/30/2016 2:49:19 PM EDT
[#23]
|
|
|
|
Posted: 1/30/2016 2:49:57 PM EDT
[#24]
I hate this site for trying to link pics. |
|
|
|
Posted: 1/31/2016 1:40:07 AM EDT
[#25]
Great looking cover artwork. I will have to check into his work and talk with him. I get these ideas and when I ask about artwork I get quotes of 1K or more and I'm like for a book? I can't do that. I have been using stock photos I find online and I want to branch out and get the wow factor for some of my new work. I did find some new fonts for GIMP that will help.
|
|
|
|
Posted: 1/31/2016 11:21:24 AM EDT
[#26]
These are the covers I got from iStock:
|
|
|
|
Posted: 1/31/2016 11:29:44 AM EDT
[#27]
Quote HistoryQuoted: A book with illustrations isn't going to look that great on Kindle. There's just not room to see them. You should write them using Microsoft Word as Kindle Direct Publishing accepts that format. I have five books self-published on Amazon and I've done fairly well without putting any money at all into it. Not enough to live on, but some nice extra money every month. It depends on your niche. Some genres do better than others. |
|
|
|
Posted: 1/31/2016 4:49:32 PM EDT
[#28]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Great looking cover artwork. I will have to check into his work and talk with him. I get these ideas and when I ask about artwork I get quotes of 1K or more and I'm like for a book? I can't do that. I have been using stock photos I find online and I want to branch out and get the wow factor for some of my new work. I did find some new fonts for GIMP that will help. I wanted to recreate the starwars or conan movie posters with my characters and was basically told it couldnt be done for less than $1500. For a self publisher, thats just not worth it. Still thought it would be guilty pleasure cool though. |
|
|
|
Posted: 1/31/2016 4:59:23 PM EDT
[#29]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
I emailed an author who used to write a sort of "action gun guy" series and then switched to science fiction. I asked if he was going to write another one of the action books-." Nope, science fiction pays better" Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
A book with illustrations isn't going to look that great on Kindle. There's just not room to see them. You should write them using Microsoft Word as Kindle Direct Publishing accepts that format. I have five books self-published on Amazon and I've done fairly well without putting any money at all into it. Not enough to live on, but some nice extra money every month. It depends on your niche. Some genres do better than others. not at all surprised. Now that Ive gotten my end of the world novels out of my system for a bit (they were more for me than anybody, heck, all m y writing is if Im honest about it), Im totally doing what youre not supposed to do and jump genres to a contemporary fiction (wiki def: There is significant overlap between genres in young adult fiction, and stories often incorporate elements of two, even three, subgenres. For example, John Green's The Fault in Our Stars is a crossover title for young adult contemporary and young adult romance fiction). Theres no way it will attract the same readers but I almost guarantee it will attract more readers. Im not trying to make money but if I envision pulling from the same group of young adults/adults that read 50 shades, Fuzzy Potter and the Sparkly Vampires, I think it could be fun anyway. Almost dont want to use my regular Nom d plume just so I dont get a bunch of WTF emails but who cares, its all in good fun for me. |
|
|
|
Posted: 1/31/2016 9:55:53 PM EDT
[#30]
When I started writing all I wrote was zombie stuff. I wrote a romance novel and it wasn't to bad for two and half hours of writing. The story was good but my writing wasn't. I found myself really searching for what I wanted to write. A friend of mine writes horror and I find it very hard to write horror. So I took the challenge and started writing horror. It is very hard but I'm finding myself becoming a better writer with each new piece.
I also took a page from Stephen King. He said to write whatever you want to write. Write what you are feeling. King doesn't feel that he is stuck in one genera but he has built his fan base from horror. I find myself now not being able to just stay in one genera. I want to write whatever comes to mind and whatever keeps me interested. If I ever feel like writing is a job I will stop. My work will show that I am no longer having fun. I would like to dip into the young adult section of writing. I feel that I have one or two stories right now that could fit into that area. It is funny that a lot of the young adult books do not feel like they should be read by teens. I would really like to try my hand at sci fi. I have a couple of books or the start of them that might fall into that category. It would be more of aliens than that of a Star Wars type of book. Also those are great looking covers. |
|
|
|
Posted: 2/3/2016 3:36:15 PM EDT
[#31]
Well, the first step is finishing your manuscript... Can you summarize it on an index card? How about in one paragraph? A sentence?
There are a lot of business aspects to being a writer. Getting published through a traditional publisher, a lot of those aren't your problem, the traditional publisher will have editors, typesetters, continuity checkers, and basic grammar/spelling checkers. They'll also have cover artists, illustrators, marketing people, distributors, etc... But it can be VERY difficult to get accepted by one. Self-publishing, you have to do all of it, although you can get a higher percentage of the revenue as a result. But it can be more difficult to attract readers, as the traditional publishers are typically seen as representing a quality level check, plus they already have the channels to put books in stores, both brick and mortar and online. |
|
|
|
Posted: 2/3/2016 4:21:20 PM EDT
[#32]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
the traditional publishers are typically seen as representing a quality level check Uggh, I wish that were universally true. |
|
|
|
Posted: 2/4/2016 1:56:53 AM EDT
[#33]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Well, the first step is finishing your manuscript... Can you summarize it on an index card? How about in one paragraph? A sentence? There are a lot of business aspects to being a writer. Getting published through a traditional publisher, a lot of those aren't your problem, the traditional publisher will have editors, typesetters, continuity checkers, and basic grammar/spelling checkers. They'll also have cover artists, illustrators, marketing people, distributors, etc... But it can be VERY difficult to get accepted by one. Self-publishing, you have to do all of it, although you can get a higher percentage of the revenue as a result. But it can be more difficult to attract readers, as the traditional publishers are typically seen as representing a quality level check, plus they already have the channels to put books in stores, both brick and mortar and online. Yes and no. Im a total hobby writer with no delusions that I have or ever will write the next great novel or even show up on any best seller type list ever. Heres the thing though, traditional publishers wouldnt get me any farther than I can get myself. They arent going to submit me to the New York Times, they arent going to advertise me on a superbowl commercial and they aren't going to get me in any movie deal conversations. That doesnt mean my stuff sucks, it means I know what the statistics say. People like that chick that wrote Twilight and Larry Coreia were self published at first and then they made it big. They are the exception, and very much examples to emulate, but one (or two) in a million exceptions. Online word of mouth is THE way books are sold anymore. I might as well do the leg work myself and not give away 40% of the profits. |
|
|
|
Posted: 2/4/2016 12:00:32 PM EDT
[#34]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
I might as well do the leg work myself and not give away 40 92% of the profits. FIFY 
|
|
|
|
Posted: 2/4/2016 12:07:20 PM EDT
[#35]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
FIFY Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
I might as well do the leg work myself and not give away 40 92% of the profits. FIFY Yeah, that's the thing isn't it? For people breaking into writing, even if you get picked up by a publisher, you won't be making much until you become well known and show you can sell. Even pricing your book at 99 cents, you get 35% of that from self publishing on Amazon, and 70% once you get over $2.99. Plus, as I understand it, royalty payments from most publishers come twice a year, whereas you get paid monthly by Amazon. If you can build up a following, you can make just about as much money self publishing unless you're the small percentage of novelists who can make a living just writing. |
|
|
|
Posted: 2/4/2016 2:39:00 PM EDT
[#36]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Yes and no. Im a total hobby writer with no delusions that I have or ever will write the next great novel or even show up on any best seller type list ever. Heres the thing though, traditional publishers wouldnt get me any farther than I can get myself. They arent going to submit me to the New York Times, they arent going to advertise me on a superbowl commercial and they aren't going to get me in any movie deal conversations. That doesnt mean my stuff sucks, it means I know what the statistics say. People like that chick that wrote Twilight and Larry Coreia were self published at first and then they made it big. They are the exception, and very much examples to emulate, but one (or two) in a million exceptions. Online word of mouth is THE way books are sold anymore. I might as well do the leg work myself and not give away 40% of the profits. Quote HistoryQuoted: Quoted: Well, the first step is finishing your manuscript... Can you summarize it on an index card? How about in one paragraph? A sentence? There are a lot of business aspects to being a writer. Getting published through a traditional publisher, a lot of those aren't your problem, the traditional publisher will have editors, typesetters, continuity checkers, and basic grammar/spelling checkers. They'll also have cover artists, illustrators, marketing people, distributors, etc... But it can be VERY difficult to get accepted by one. Self-publishing, you have to do all of it, although you can get a higher percentage of the revenue as a result. But it can be more difficult to attract readers, as the traditional publishers are typically seen as representing a quality level check, plus they already have the channels to put books in stores, both brick and mortar and online. Yes and no. Im a total hobby writer with no delusions that I have or ever will write the next great novel or even show up on any best seller type list ever. Heres the thing though, traditional publishers wouldnt get me any farther than I can get myself. They arent going to submit me to the New York Times, they arent going to advertise me on a superbowl commercial and they aren't going to get me in any movie deal conversations. That doesnt mean my stuff sucks, it means I know what the statistics say. People like that chick that wrote Twilight and Larry Coreia were self published at first and then they made it big. They are the exception, and very much examples to emulate, but one (or two) in a million exceptions. Online word of mouth is THE way books are sold anymore. I might as well do the leg work myself and not give away 40% of the profits. You don't "submit to the New York Times". You sell enough books through the selection of bookstores that the New York Times pays attention to to get noticed by the NYT (and it's an open secret as to which ones those are, allowing for some groups to do targeted purchasing to boost rankings). Established publishers have distribution channels that include those book stores. Self-published authors are highly unlikely to get distributed to those bookstores. Somehow, I suspect I have a closer view of the publishing landscape than you do :-) Including having copies of royalty statements and contracts for my ex-wife's writing. I have a lot of friends who self-publish. Very few are making much money doing it, and I can frequently see the quality differences when I look at their work compared to what has gone through a traditional publisher. Some of my friends do both - most of their new stuff, or stuff in established series, goes through traditional publishers, while their backlist or stories that didn't get picked up by traditional publishers are self-published. Even know one couple that had a major publisher drop their stuff, then the small press they were using went bankrupt, they tried self-publishing for a while, then got picked up by another major publisher and now sells their major books through the publisher, short stories independently, but then does anthologies of the short stories through the major publisher. |
|
|
|
Posted: 2/5/2016 3:19:14 PM EDT
[#37]
Hey everyone. I finally had a chance to make a Facebook group. I did it really quickly today and hope to have a chance to work on it later tonight. It is called Writers Who Write And Readers Who Read Them. Feel free to join and invite people. It is a group for everyone to have fun and talk about writing and to also post about their work. You can take the time and use the page to gain some beta readers or new fans of work that you already have. If you know of people that love to read, invite them.
Feel free to join and start promoting your work. I look forward to seeing everyone there and hearing about new or older projects. |
|
|
|
Posted: 2/6/2016 2:04:52 AM EDT
[#38]
Good deal, I joined.
|
|
|
|
Posted: 2/6/2016 2:09:13 AM EDT
[#39]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Good deal, I joined. Awesome! Welcome to the group. I approved the request to join. I did it from my phone so let me know if it didn't work. Enjoy talking with everyone and post anything you want. Promote your work too. |
|
|
|
Posted: 2/21/2016 5:41:19 PM EDT
[#40]
Have finally gotten some time for myself to start doing some scifi writing for fun and maybe self publishing down the road. What software do you guys use for your writing. Not a big fan of Microsoft word so looking for something else.
|
|
|
|
Posted: 2/21/2016 6:29:20 PM EDT
[#41]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Have finally gotten some time for myself to start doing some scifi writing for fun and maybe self publishing down the road. What software do you guys use for your writing. Not a big fan of Microsoft word so looking for something else. Word is the default. You may have to live with using it if you're serious. |
|
|
|
Posted: 2/25/2016 12:51:17 AM EDT
[#42]
Huge fan of Google Drive as I can write anywhere with it.
|
|
|
|
Posted: 2/25/2016 10:21:22 AM EDT
[#43]
I have only used word.
How is Google Drive? I have heard of it before but forgot about it. I need to check it out. |
|
|
|
Posted: 3/4/2016 8:10:51 PM EDT
[#44]
How does this work?
You find a publisher and pay them to print your book? I always thought you ask a publisher if they are interested as they may say they don't want to publish your book. Would be interested to learn more about this process....not for me though but for a friend of mine. |
|
|
|
Posted: 3/4/2016 8:54:43 PM EDT
[#45]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
How does this work? You find a publisher and pay them to print your book? No, you write your book, format it, create a cover then get an author account on Amazon and put it up for sale as an e-book. You get between 35 to 70% of the price as a royalty (depending on the price). If you want to offer physical copies, you go to CreateSpace and upload it there, set a price and sell those to order. |
|
|
|
Posted: 3/4/2016 10:09:15 PM EDT
[#46]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
No, you write your book, format it, create a cover then get an author account on Amazon and put it up for sale as an e-book. You get between 35 to 70% of the price as a royalty (depending on the price). If you want to offer physical copies, you go to CreateSpace and upload it there, set a price and sell those to order. Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
How does this work? You find a publisher and pay them to print your book? No, you write your book, format it, create a cover then get an author account on Amazon and put it up for sale as an e-book. You get between 35 to 70% of the price as a royalty (depending on the price). If you want to offer physical copies, you go to CreateSpace and upload it there, set a price and sell those to order. I will add that it is best (from what I am told and hearing) to stay with Amazon. So go with the 70% royalties. If you need cover work let me know. I'm doing some. I just did one for a first time author. I'm still tweaking it. I just did one for myself too. Never pay anyone to print your book. The only thing you should pay for (check around who is the best and who you can afford) is editing and if you can find someone to proof edit it wouldn't hurt. Maybe beta readers can help with proofing too. Amazon takes a cut of royalties for hosting your book files. They actual pay better I think then traditional publishers. I would always go print with any eBook. You will have your book on both sides of Amazon. You can chose books or eBooks when searching for titles. Never skimp on editing. The people will eat you alive if you do. |
|
|
|
Posted: 3/6/2016 1:19:37 PM EDT
[#47]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
No, you write your book, format it, create a cover then get an author account on Amazon and put it up for sale as an e-book. You get between 35 to 70% of the price as a royalty (depending on the price). If you want to offer physical copies, you go to CreateSpace and upload it there, set a price and sell those to order. Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
How does this work? You find a publisher and pay them to print your book? No, you write your book, format it, create a cover then get an author account on Amazon and put it up for sale as an e-book. You get between 35 to 70% of the price as a royalty (depending on the price). If you want to offer physical copies, you go to CreateSpace and upload it there, set a price and sell those to order. Quoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
How does this work? You find a publisher and pay them to print your book? No, you write your book, format it, create a cover then get an author account on Amazon and put it up for sale as an e-book. You get between 35 to 70% of the price as a royalty (depending on the price). If you want to offer physical copies, you go to CreateSpace and upload it there, set a price and sell those to order. I will add that it is best (from what I am told and hearing) to stay with Amazon. So go with the 70% royalties. If you need cover work let me know. I'm doing some. I just did one for a first time author. I'm still tweaking it. I just did one for myself too. Never pay anyone to print your book. The only thing you should pay for (check around who is the best and who you can afford) is editing and if you can find someone to proof edit it wouldn't hurt. Maybe beta readers can help with proofing too. Amazon takes a cut of royalties for hosting your book files. They actual pay better I think then traditional publishers. I would always go print with any eBook. You will have your book on both sides of Amazon. You can chose books or eBooks when searching for titles. Never skimp on editing. The people will eat you alive if you do. Thanks for the info. |
|
|
|
Posted: 3/6/2016 6:19:15 PM EDT
[#48]
You are very welcome. The indie author world is an awesome world to be a part of. A lot of great authors, artist, editors and more to help you. If you are looking for an editor talk with Garrett Cook. Great person to deal with and very articulate.
|
|
|
|
Posted: 3/19/2016 11:47:28 PM EDT
[#49]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
I have only used word. How is Google Drive? I have heard of it before but forgot about it. I need to check it out. I love it. Im not a Apple guy but I would think its capabilities are similar to the Cloud I hear so much about. Really thought its basically like having any document on your desktop with word and excel built in that you can access anywhere. Awesome for how I use it - multiple computers in multiple places. I dont even have word on my home PC because I dont need it with Drive. |
|
|
|
Posted: 3/20/2016 8:50:23 PM EDT
[#50]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
I love it. Im not a Apple guy but I would think its capabilities are similar to the Cloud I hear so much about. Really thought its basically like having any document on your desktop with word and excel built in that you can access anywhere. Awesome for how I use it - multiple computers in multiple places. I dont even have word on my home PC because I dont need it with Drive. Quote HistoryQuoted:
Quoted:
I have only used word. How is Google Drive? I have heard of it before but forgot about it. I need to check it out. I love it. Im not a Apple guy but I would think its capabilities are similar to the Cloud I hear so much about. Really thought its basically like having any document on your desktop with word and excel built in that you can access anywhere. Awesome for how I use it - multiple computers in multiple places. I dont even have word on my home PC because I dont need it with Drive. That is interesting that you can use word from home without it on your computer. Its like software running without being on your computer. Interesting. |
|
|
Win a FREE Membership!
Sign up for the ARFCOM weekly newsletter and be entered to win a free ARFCOM membership. One new winner* is announced every week!
You will receive an email every Friday morning featuring the latest chatter from the hottest topics, breaking news surrounding legislation, as well as exclusive deals only available to ARFCOM email subscribers.
AR15.COM is the world's largest firearm community and is a gathering place for firearm enthusiasts of all types.
From hunters and military members, to competition shooters and general firearm enthusiasts, we welcome anyone who values and respects the way of the firearm.
Subscribe to our monthly Newsletter to receive firearm news, product discounts from your favorite Industry Partners, and more.
Copyright © 1996-2024 AR15.COM LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Any use of this content without express written consent is prohibited.
AR15.Com reserves the right to overwrite or replace any affiliate, commercial, or monetizable links, posted by users, with our own.
