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A Proud Announcement!

Rani

By Rani
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Rani Newbie

Rani

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A few people might be aware I started an ePublishing company a few months ago.  I'm thrilled to announce our first offering is now available on Amazon.com.  The title is:

 

A Celebration of Rum!  259 Rum Drinks.

 

It's a compilation book of cocktail recipes built around rum.  And it's only $2.99.  I've been credited with being the author because I had to put somebody down, but really it's recipes from my favorite bartenders across the country and around the world.

 

One of the things that is most important to me as a publisher is to keep eBooks priced at under $5.00 no matter what the topic.  And to work with new authors.  I could give you the whole rundown on what we're going to be offering our authors, but you're welcome to check out the website.  www.thedigitalword.co

 

There's so much happening that hopefully bodes well for our future.  We have new phone numbers coming online in the next few days, and my novel, of which I actually am the author, should be onut within the next couple of weeks.  I'm doing the editing now.

 

I'm excited and just sharing my news...... Oh, and if you like rum, do buy the book.  I think you'll be pleased.  Or convince a few friends they desperately need it for their next party!

 

Gee, I think that calls for a drink..... Now where'd I put the Captain Morgan..........

 

'Rani

 

(happy dance, happy dance, happy dance)

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Rani Newbie

Rani

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Chris, I think it's great you're married to a writer, and almost no creative thinks their work, written, painted, etc., is any good.  Self doubt is just part of a creatives emotional makeup.  But let me tell you why self-publishing is something I don't recommend for most people if if they can get around the "My work isn't good enough." attitude..  I'd say only 1 writer in 100 should do it and let me explain why.

 

If you're a writer and you want to keep the creative juices flowing, you have to commit to writing every single day.  It only flows when you're doing it.  If someone is going to write they need to commit to putting down a minimum of 5,000 words a day, no matter what.  For someone very prolific, that takes a couple hours.  For most people, it's a minimum of a half day.  There goes the day job and any potential social life.  And that's just the writing.  

 

Everything written has to be edited.  Editing your own work is damned near impossible.  Not because of ego, but because your brain expects to see what you think you did.  Misspelling, it's instead of its, etc., all come into play.  You finish sentences for legibility in your own mind and just don't see gaps.  It takes an outside editor to actually read your work and see the flaws and then recommend changes.  And those editors have to be avid readers themselves.  Then the copy has to go back to the writer who has to make the changes they agree on, and then resubmit it back to the editor once again.  At which time, it should be carved in stone.  

 

Once the entire book is finished, you've got graphics for cover work.  Simple graphics programs work okay, but once again nobody is objective about their work.   But let's say you've settled on cover art and it's been put in .JPEG format.  Now you've got a Word document but it's far from ready for Kindle.  It still has to be formatted knowing what will and will not work in Kindle.  Like making sure there are no tabs, or margin adjustments, what heading style you can use, what ones you have to use to get your book to appear correctly on a Kindle, and if you're doing a list like my "Celebration of Rum", no matter what you do, you're probable going to end up with extra line returns.  But let's say you've done the formatting.

 

Now you need to translate it into HTML and no, you can't use Word's translator because it puts in extra code that will throw your book out of whack.  So you find a translator and get it into HTML.  Great, now you've got to get it into MOBI, the language Kindle uses.  Again, another filter of translation, and you've got to check them through each and every time.

 

Once you've got it into MOBI and you're sure you've got it the way you want it, you have to upload it to Amazon for purchase in however many countries.  You have to find and use the best keywords so your book comes up high on the search criteria.  And you've got to know that you do that in KDP, and never, ever on the Author's Page for example because the Author's Page limits your input.  If you make a mistake you have to unpublish and start over.

 

Once it's on Amazon, now you've got to build buzz and interest.  You can't just let it sit there or you'll never sell a single copy.  Social media for private individuals is the biggest time and mind suck ever invented.  But for business  it is absolutely crucial.  I spend 10-12 hours a day on social media.  Facebook, Twitter, and we've got a Pinterest page going online in the next week.  Plus a eBook review blog that I created yesterday, that will have to be addressed daily with reviews of not only my own authors, but of other writers as well, so The Digital Word becomes part of the community.  I play a single game on Facebook that doesn't take too much of my time to build friends and chat about the company, and I post over, and over and over and over again about our future.  I do the same on Twitter.  I have people tweeting hourly, that's right, every single hour.

 

Then there are promotions.  You have 5 days when you can offer your book for free.  Now that might not seem like a good idea to give away your work, but it builds buzz about the book and sales actually increase dramatically after these promotions.  Sometimes you drop a price for a day and post on FB, and Tweet, and.......... Yeah.  Plus, there's local buzz.  I actually have flyers out for my business in my neighborhood.  My nail girl has a mini-flyer permanently taped to her table to help me make sales and find new authors. 

 

Then there are the reports, the royalties, and the taxable income reports.............. Yeah...........

 

ePublishing is a full time job on it's own.  I'm on the computer, I kid you not, a minimum of 14-18 hours a day.  All about writing and publishing.  Unless a writer is prepared to quit their job and devote themselves to it full time, for most they need to do what they do best and just write.  Does it mean diminished royalties, because they're paying us a portion of those royalties?  Yep.  Do we earn it by editing, graphics, formatting, translation, promoting, posting, tweeting, etc., etc., etc.,?  Bet your ass.

 

Soooooo, if your wife is a writer at heart, tell her to find herself an ePublisher who will give her an honest critique, and work with her if they say, oh yeah, you can write.  And yes, this is a blatant offer to look at her work.  Then she can sit back in her spare time and write.  Without giving up the day job, without giving up time with you, or working on the house, and so on.  And if she has something to say, then I really and sincerely hope she keeps writing.  Because just like how Netflix has become so incredibly great for new talented offerings, so has ePublishing.  I just don't think the average writer should be doing it on their own.

 

'Rani

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Chreees Newbie

Chreees

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Wow, that is some great info. I only mentioned her throwing it up on Amazon herself because I have told her before her work could be published and she didn't think so. Thought maybe if she could just throw it on there herself she'd be more likely to do so, but she hasn't. Either way, you've given some great info. I will keep pushing her to eventually publish something. She's so talented, I don't see how she couldn't. Now I'm not telling her just because she is my wife. She's actually really damn good with words and telling a story. She's the type who could sit down and write an entire (long) chapter within a few hours, and it will be damn near perfect. I've edited her writing before. I hope she does something with it someday, and shows the world just how truly gifted she is.
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Rani Newbie

Rani

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very cool, guess i'll have to get it then...not that i even LIKE rum drinks but it is the thought that counts. :)

 

Try Captain Morgan Black.... It may very well change your mind about rum.  I'm also going to be doing ones for shooters, and punches....  .And eventually I plan on getting around to vodka, whiskey, etc.  They're not serious endeavors into my publishing, but they're the kind of nice little "how-to's" hanging around.  And I'll let you know when "Canon in Death Major" goes online.  Should be by the weekend.  I'm doing the final read and tweaking right now.  I had so much fun writing it.  Elves saving the world and all that fun stuff.  And I've got the beginning of the sequel already laid out.  Someone is going to steal "The Ulfberht".  Not an Ulfberht, crucible steel swords that they shouldn't have been able to make because crucible steel hadn't been invented yet, the THE Ulfbreht.  Magical, cause of the berserker rages Vikings were so famous for.........  Going to be fun.

 

'Rani

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Rani Newbie

Rani

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A quick announcement............ Today and tomorrow my book "Canon in Death Major" is FREE on Amazon.com   That's right, FREE.  It's part of the promotions you get for agreeing to market only on Amazon.  The rum book will also be free on the 27th and 28th of this month..... So put that on your calendar as well as your wish list Smokes.

 

'Rani

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