Frustrated... Elated!

Still waiting on the eBook coming out - honestly you'd think that e-versions would be out a lot sooner than the print one but apparently it can be up to 15! business days before it's out there! Am still having major probs with my web connection (it's a regional thing so 'acts of god' timescale for restoration of a halfway decent service early next month ><). Anyhooo...

... have just been given a really kickass 5-star review from someone I don't know (another author I met on LinkedIn) so I'm  feeling really validated right now :D  I'm doing a review of his book, Dreamers as well which'll be my next task today - he's a great new writer of fantasy horror and I stayed up reading it until 4 a.m. this Saturday and my tablet battery failed on the last few pages - talk about frustrating! It's a great feeling though, getting a review from someone I don't know too well yet, but admire their work, and who likes mine back :D

Tired but happy...

... have just managed to submit an error-free e-pub file to Lightning Source (well the e-check validator said it was!) so fingers crossed Milele Safari will be hitting the virtual shelves very soon.*crosses fingers and anything else that will cross*

Am really tired now though - was a nightmare trying to sort out the metadata and not helped too much by the video tutorials which I loathe because they go through so fast. Still for a first try I didn't have that much wrong really so hopefully that's the learning curve mostly mastered for now - until they release a new version I suppose. Off to wind down with Buffy repeats on SyFy (vampires are soooo relaxing in the wee small hours :-P) but this will be the first place for news of Milele Safari the e-Book!

So far - so amazing

Well - as far as I can tell there's been 15 sales so far and even though 8 of those were ordered by me 3 of those were for friends who went through my POD account with the rest as Xmas pressies for my mum and sisters. Which means I've more or less broken even already on the publication costs (and taking the ISBN payment as £12.60 as 1 of 10 purchased). Not bad at all! Also 1 of the copies has been sent to the British Library which is a legal obligation for publishers whether or not you register for an ISBN - I'm officially a proper publisher!!! My, how proud am I! lol

I've been trying to put the eReader together all over the holidays - my first time doing this. It's not been accepted for publication I heard today but there's only 1 actual error on it, so I'm quite pleased with myself for that too. Not so good are the 27 'warnings' I totted up but as 18 of those are to do with leaving a single space on the file naming protocols they'll be simple to rectify and the others look to be easy enough to resolve, so the Kindle / iBook version should around gods-willing for the end of the month!

I'm also getting quite a good response for reviews although none are published yet - LinkedIn connections have been a great source for this so hopefully the promotion side of things will get off to a good start when the eBooks on the virtual shelves. I've got the DreamWorlds Publishing site off the ground as well so with luck we'll be getting some more activity on there soon as well. The DreamWorlds anthology is the next in line for publication anyway :D

Jingle all the way . . .

Just a small jingle you understand, but I've ordered 8 copies from Lightning Source yesterday and another 4 to come once the cheque's through! So 12 sales altogether (4 are Xmas pressies from me to my family and one copy's off to the British Library) - which if we're counting the ISBN purchase as £12.60 that means I'm about breaking even already! I've got sales pages on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Book Depository on, so it looks like the distribution's filtering out nicely. Also I've sent off a file to Amazon for putting up the Search Inside the Book info. So it's all set up - working like stink on the eReader from now on until Xmas ;-)

Nerves are also jingling on the business side of things after a cautionary experience between PayPal and the bank on verifications and removing account limits but that's sorted now bar the transactions going through. Website matters are still vexed however, but that may need to wait until the old LOTRDreams domain expires and then I can get the replacement files up and running. Trying not to pull my hair out on that account but I've buggered up the linking trying to change the pointers today, so the site's down until I can make the changes. It's hardly present online anyway so probably not worth worrying about but I'm annoyed with myself and with the control panel for letting me put on changes that couldn't be cancelled. Grist to mill of web management but really frustrating when you know what you want to achieve and can't do it because the menu prompts are dodgy. Grrr.

If that's the only problem I have with this then fine - I can get the pages up for the Publishing site whatever and then switch domains at the end of the month. It'll all come out in the wash anyway.

And I'm officially published!!!! *bounces*

And we're off!

Actually we were off last Wednesday the 27th as in I hit the submit button for the final e-proof and on Friday Milele Safari hit the Amazon shelves. I've actually published my book! lol

So - still feeling my way along. My next chore is to put up some 'look inside' bits and pieces but I've already starting taking orders from both my fave forums. With Xmas coming as well I've already got 10 'sold', even if I'm buying half of them myself - but then I'd be buying presents  anyway wouldn't I so it all counts? And I get them at cost!!! :P

Last gasp . . .

. . . well - the hard copy proof looked great but had a couple of minor tweaks for the cover and dozens of tiny corrections for the content (and one silly boo-boo where I'd deleted half a parag of dialogue when I was putting on the last of the proof-reading alterations). Anyway I spent about 9 days fiddling around with those and revising the layout slightly so it's easier to read and sit in the hand and sent it off again this afternoon.

I've just checked again online and apparently the online proof's prepared but not quite 'live' yet so I expect it was too late for today and I should get it early tomorrow. No hard copy this time as I have to pay for the revision and I just want to sign off now so, barring accidents, I'm hoping that I can get this agreed for distribution this weekend!

Trying to keep nails away from teeth . . .

Hit, Submit, Brick it . . .

. . . well more like gently fret on a proof copy paperback which should be wending its way back to me in the next week or so. I'll certainly be available from your nearest online bookstore before Xmas!

I hit the submit button yesterday evening and am about to start formatting the e-book version later on today. I've committed to Lightning Source on the basis that the contracts with them are simply for 'print' on demand and they also have many more outlets than Lulu, so it'll be easier in the long run, especially if things take off for me or for DreamWorlds Publishing, which is now an 'official' entity with its first batch of 10 ISBNs safely tucked away.

Not sure exactly how long it'll be before Milele will be on a virtual bookshelf as it may need a few more revisions, but it's definitely cleared for landing now. I'll be published! So, yeah. Feeling nervous, chuffed, apprehensive and most of all eager to hold my actual book in my hands finally.

Here's the final, final cover design -

. . . and it begins!

This past week cash-flow was preventing me applying for the ISBNs I need to get the presses rolling but I have finished the 'final' proof and started to get the final pre-press twizzles under way.

Feeling pretty 'up' about things so far, although I'm still wavering over whether to go with Lulu or Lightning Source as print/distribution partners. The latter is definitely the route for DreamWorlds Publishing I think, but Lulu's model is much more user-friendly so far as contractual factors go so, as this is essentially still an individual concern, I may get my toes wet with Lulu for starters while I get my head around LS's gobbledy gook agreements, which I'm sure are more professionally sourced, although both PoD providers use Ingram/Nielsen international rights and distribution channels.

The marketing side of things is also proving a challenge but actually more enjoyable than I expected, mainly because of the communities I'm reaching on LinkedIn. I think I'm meeting some very supportive and knowledgeable people on there who'll be figuring strongly as my little enterprise starts to gather strength. From a self esteem PoV this has all been worth it now - no matter what success I meet from herein.

Fine Tuning . . .

Back to 'identity' and the covers. I've been lucky enough to meet a very savvy design and self-publishing guru on LinkedIn who's been giving me some constructive crit of what I've done so far. Not going to go for any big departures from what I've done, but he's made some very salient suggestions to make it look 'cleaner' and less pedestrian on the font front.

In other news I'm hoping to receive the last of the proof-reading this weekend - then we get into sweating the ISBN and PoD route and the real fun!

Tempus Fudgit

Blimey! It really does fly by when you're busy . . .

Well of course I've not been busy in here but elsewhere I've been positively athletic by my standards - in fact I've been . . . networking! On Twitter!! I even joined LinkedIn properly!!!

Now those who know me will be aware that I had a Facebook aversion of almost gargantuan proportions, and, indeed I still have, but one of the (few?) advantages of social networking is that it can be joined up. For example I 'tweeted' today for the first time in what must be months if not a year, and all of a sudden I get people talking to me on Facebook - extraordinary! Only four people you must understand, but by my meagre standards that's a positive avalanche of response.

It's LinkedIn that's 'to blame' because I've found that it's actually both useful and interesting to be on it, especially to meet like-minded individuals and talk about stuff like - self-publishing! Couple of people on there have a wealth of experience of doing just that AND like to help newbies like moi out. Some of them are also designers and some are even authorities on blogging. So I've gotten around to having my social networking 'Damascus' moment finally!

Anyway - Safari news is that I reckon I'm about a fortnight off getting the pre-press proofing done and then it's full out for the PoD uploads . . . off to Twitter now to tell everyone about this blog! ;-)