SELF-PUBLISHING UPDATE - JULY 11, 2015

It’s been a busy week for my self-publishing efforts.  One novel came out in paperback on Monday, July 6.  Two more novels soon to be published.  A recap.

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The paperback edition of Out of Time:  An alternative outcome to the Civil War, went up on Amazon this week, via Create Space platform.  OOT has already been out in e-book format, both Kindle and Smashwords. 

Kindle:  http://www.amazon.com/Out-Time-alternative-outcome-Civil/dp/1514161214/lakesidepress
Smashwords:  https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/552121

Now the task is publicity.  I have sent copies to Civil War magazines, which may or (since it’s self-published and is historical fiction) may not review the book   I also sent copies to a few Southern newspapers, in cities where the action takes place (Atlanta, Savannah, Charleston, Richmond).

Professional Services I Used to Publish OOT

Beta-readers (x3)  -- $300 (one Beta-reader did it for free)

Formatting for Kindle and Smashwords -- $100
Uploading files to Kindle and Smashwords -- $0
Library of Congress Copyright registration -- $55

Cover Design -- $150
Create Space for interior design and print on demand -- $350

Professional services NOT used

Line editing
Publicity

I chose not to do professional line editing because the book has been reviewed by several people via beta-reads, plus myself several times.  The few typos that might be picked up did not seem worth the cost of over $2000 for professional editing (the book is 97,000 words).  Also, in the CreateSpace platform, you can make up to 20 text changes for less than $100.  So if people find errors and inform me, I can easily and inexpensively update the book.

As to publicity, money spent advertising a self-published book is almost always a waste.  Better to use your resources to send out copies for review, or social media to publicize your book.  People also pay for "reviews" in some magazines, e.g. Kirkus Reviews charges $425 for this service. 
https://www.kirkusreviews.com/author-services/indie/
A paid review might be worth it IF you get a stellar review that draws attention to your book.  I've not used this or similar service, so can't comment further.

Many web sites discuss how to achieve publicity for self-published books. 
http://writerunboxed.com/2013/06/19/dos-and-donts-for-a-good-self-published-pr-experience/
http://www.selfpublishingadvice.org/category/book-marketing-for-indie-authors/
http://www.bidinotto.com/2013/03/10-winning-marketing-strategies-for-your-self-published-book/

One service I've used in the past was BookDaily's monthly publicity campaign ($49/month). 
http://www.bookdaily.com/authorresource/blog
BookDaily uses blast emails to notify people of your book, but after a year I saw little little value and quit the service.  That's not to say it won't help some authors, though.  The wider the audience for your book, the better the value may be. 
Whatever you do, PAYING BIG BUCKS FOR PUBLICITY COULD BE A RIPOFF.  BE CAREFUL.  For thousands of dollars some publicists will sell you things that will not sell your book (like access to Hollywood producers). 

Spend your money wisely.  Remember, you want to sell your book.  Look carefully into paid publicity before you leap.  Is the expense worth it?  It is tempting to try little things (BookDaily; Kirkus Reviews) and see what happens.  But with rare exception, I have come to realize that the money spent on publicity will likely NOT be recouped in book sales.  So be creative with your time and money when publicizing your book. 

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Consenting Adults Only is my 2nd novel that will come out this year.  That manuscript has been beta-read 5 times, and I have made all the changes needed from my end.  However, I have sent the manuscript out for professional copyreading.  I chose a copyreader on Fiverr (www.fiverr.com).  The people who offer this service seem very qualified, based on user comments on the fiverr web site.  Also, their prices are reasonable compared to corporate-type offerings. 

 I have also ordered a cover from a free-lance cover designer, who did my previous covers.  The cover above is just a suggestion to my designer; she will come up with something far more intriguing.

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The Wall:  Chronicle of a Scuba Trial is my third novel coming out this year.  I wrote it sometime ago, but never published it. 

I re-did the book this year and ordered a professional cover design (see above).  I also ordered a couple of drawings for the book, using free-lance artists found on fiverr; they are very reasonable and offer quick turn around.  The Wall manuscript is also out for copyreading.  I plan to publish it only in e-book format, since it’s really a niche book that will probably only interest scuba divers and (some) trial lawyers. 

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