Tag: Self-Published Authors Appreciation Week Page 5 of 8

Inside Scoop logo
Here’s our second dose of Robert Germaux today (his guest post, Why Do We Write? showed up earlier). In this Q&A, he gets to talk about the nitty-gritty of his experience in self-publishing (as opposed to the more philosophical “Why” from before). As you can see from the first question (because there’s no way I call an author by their first name) he took it upon himself to do a little remix on the phrasing of some of these questions, making me sound better in the process—I appreciate that almost as much as the answers he gave.

Tell us a little about yourself, Bob.
I started writing after spending thirty-one years teaching high school English in Pittsburgh. Like (I assume) most people who follow your blog, I’m a lifelong bookaholic. I’ve written mostly mysteries, but also a couple of romance novels, along with three (four, probably, by the time you post this) collections of essays about “life and stuff.” No website, but you can find my books and more info about me at my Amazon Author Page.

What kind of expenses do you incur with self-publishing your books?
My primary expenses in publishing my books are cover art (all of my covers have been done by the wonderful Brandi McCann in Maine), and formatting (mostly by Word-2-Kindle). I used to have some online promotion work done by a woman in Texas, but Susan retired a few years ago, and I haven’t replaced her. So at the moment, I spend around $350 to get a book ready for publication, which means my break-even point for any given book is 175 sales. That hasn’t happened with any of my books, so no, I don’t make money on these things. I used to feel guilty about spending so much money on my writing, with little to no return, until my wife said I should look at my writing as a hobby that I enjoy. That led me to write “Well, I Don’t Play Golf” for one of my Grammar Sex books of essays.

Speaking of my wife, Cynthia’s my biggest fan, not to mention my “beta reader.” She knows my writing style and my characters as well as I do, and 99% of the time, I gladly accept her edits to my work.

A final note. I’ve been on Amazon for just under ten years now, and I’ve sold 650 books. I doubt I’ll ever hit that break-even point with any of my books. On the other hand, people have borrowed my books from Amazon and read almost 30,000 pages, so I know I have a few fans out there. Fortunately, I don’t need to make money with my writing. I write because I love to write. Heck, I’m having fun doing this. Plus, it keeps me off the streets.

How do you promote your books?
Early on, Susan arranged for book tours for several of my books, but these days, I mostly rely on my small but loyal fan base to buy my books. Some of them get alerts when I publish a new book, others follow me on FB. Plus, I have a good many friends and family members who promote my work on their social media sites. And, of course, H.C., you’ve has been more than generous with your time over the years in terms of reading and reviewing most of my books.

What’s the breakdown of your audience?
I’d say at least half of my readers are people who know me: family members, friends, former colleagues, former students, et al. The rest are just people who’ve stumbled across my books online or heard about them from a friend, etc. One cool thing is that last year, someone in the UK borrowed all five of my Jeremy Barnes mysteries and read them in the space of about a week. I got an essay (“My UK Binge-Reader”) out of that for Grammar Sex 4 (Seriously?), the book I’m writing at the moment. Along with that, I’ve had a sale in India and another in Australia, allowing me to tell people I’ve “gone international.”

What made you decide to self-publish? Have you tried getting a deal with a publisher?
After I finished Small Bytes, my first Jeremy Barnes mystery, I queried a lot of agents, most of whom wouldn’t accept manuscripts from unpublished authors (yeah, that was maddening). But a guy here in the Pittsburgh area not only read the book, he immediately offered to represent me. I signed a contract with Uve (that was a red-letter day for this boy), then sat back and waited for the offers to roll in. (Ah, naïveté, thy name is Germaux.) Over the next several years, as I kept writing, Uve kept pushing my work to publishers big and small. He came close a couple of times to, as he put it, finding a home for my books, but despite his best efforts, nothing ever happened. (A man who owned a small publishing house told Uve that my work was “really good,” but he only published about a dozen books a year and just couldn’t justify the expense on a new author.) Eventually, I decided to go the indie route, and at my suggestion, Uve and I parted ways, professionally. We still keep in touch, and he continues to encourage me. BTW, Uve’s a fairly well-known agent. He represents best-selling authors, and he’s negotiated movie deals for some of his clients. He never took a penny from me (even when I offered) during the years he tried to find a home for my books. Just to have him tell me my work is worthy of publication meant a lot.

How do you keep to whatever deadlines you set? If you could start over, knowing what you know now, what would you do differently?
I’ve never really had a problem in terms of getting the work done. I truly love writing, and most days I can’t wait to get started. It probably helps that I’ve always been very organized, something I quickly learned was a prerequisite to surviving as an English teacher with over 2,000 student compositions to grade every year.

If I had it to do all over again, I’d probably go the indie route right away (my only regret being missing out on working with Uve). I know now that the odds of an indie author finding a publisher are incredibly low. Doesn’t mean it doesn’t happen, but it’s rare. (For those very few indie writers who make that leap to traditional publishing, I say congrats. Good on you!) I wasn’t driven to be a commercial success (although that would have been just dandy). I just wanted to write and put my work out there, so I would have done that sooner.

Thanks for your time and participation! Hope you enjoyed it! And do know that there are many of us out here who appreciate and applaud what you do (and our number is growing)!

Be sure to look over his Author Page, he’s got a little bit of everything—contemporary fic, P.I. novels, police procedurals, and some non-fiction essays for you to choose from.

Self-Published Authors Appreciation Week Footer

Clker-Free-Vector-Images from Pixabay
The 2023 Self-Published Authors Appreciation Week Logo was made by Witty and Sarcastic Book Club

The Inside Scoop—Guest Post: Why Do We Write? by Robert Germaux

By HCNewton

On July 28, 2023

In A Few Quick Questions With..., Self-Published Authors Appreciation Week, Writing

Inside Scoop logo Robert Germaux has always been game for anything I’ve asked him if he wanted to do–which is great, because I’ve always appreciated whatever he produces. Better than the things he’s done with me are the books that he’s provided for me and/or I’ve purchased. Like this post, for example, which is a revised version of something that appeared in one of his books and on this site a few years ago. He’ll be back for the Self-Publishing Q&A here in a few.

In 1855, the difficulty of writing was described by some long-forgotten wit who said that words came from an author “drop by drop.” Jump ahead to 1949, when Pulitzer Prize winning sportswriter Red Smith, when asked if writing a daily column was hard, replied, “Why, no. You simply sit down at the typewriter, open your veins, and bleed.”

There are numerous other versions of the “open your veins and bleed” school of writing that have been ascribed to many people, including Ernest Hemingway. Unfortunately, there is no real evidence that Hemingway ever actually said anything along those lines, so I guess I’m not going to be able to sneak a good Papa reference into this essay. Another time, perhaps.

Getting back to the topic du jour, why do so many writers describe their craft in such disparaging terms? Apparently, a lot of us love the finished product but maybe not so much the process of getting there. Dorothy Parker, a founding member of the famed Algonquin Round Table, evidently was speaking for a good many writers when she said, “I hate writing. I love having written.”

While researching this piece, I had no trouble finding quotes about writers who claim to hate writing, but the reverse was definitely more difficult. Certainly, you can find people who say they enjoy writing, but they appear to be a distinct minority. For every author who said he or she loved writing, I found at least five or six who fell into the “tortured writer” category, which I have to admit came as a surprise. I mean, I don’t know about you, but if I was voluntarily engaging in an activity that I believed could in any way be compared to torture, I’d put an end to my participation in that activity right quick.

So, again, why do we write? Personally, I didn’t begin writing until I’d retired after three decades of teaching high school English, and it wasn’t until a good many years (and a bunch of books) later that I felt comfortable telling people I was a writer, as opposed to a retired teacher. Why do I write? Well, I can assure you it’s not for the money. At this moment, I have five books on Amazon: three mysteries, one love story (The Backup Husband) and a collection of humorous essays called Grammar Sex (and other stuff). My books sell for $2.99, which means my cut is a hefty $2.05 for every sale. So that recent vacation my wife and I took to Bermuda was courtesy of our teacher pensions and social security, not the man of the house’s book royalties.

I don’t hate writing. I wouldn’t keep doing it if I did (see previous reference: torture). Is writing hard for me sometimes? Of course, just as I’m sure it is for you. If I’m smack in the middle of one of my detective novels, do I enjoy waking up at 2:00 am and furiously scribbling down notes about scenes or dialogues I just found racing through my mind? Not really, but when I put those notes together the next day in another chapter of my book, it makes losing a bit of sleep the night before not so bad. If you’ve had similar experiences, you know what I mean. We just have to get those thoughts down. We just have to write.

To some degree, I think most writers are perfectionists, which explains Oscar Wilde’s quote about spending “all morning putting in a comma . . . and all afternoon taking it out.” Okay, that’s a little extreme, but you get the idea. My point here is that, as perfectionists, we like to be able to make sure that things work out the way we want them to, and creating our own little worlds is a great way to do just that.

One more note, this one maybe not so obvious. In fact, there’s a bit of irony involved. Writing is among the most solitary of professions, yet its end result is to link us to others (many others, we hope). That simple act of sitting down in front of your computer or laptop (or, in my case, at my kitchen table with a yellow legal pad and my Pilot Precise V5 extra fine point pen) allows us to make a connection with the rest of the world. And I think in the end, for me at least, that connection is both reason and reward for why I write.

I hope you’re in that minority of writers who not only have to write, but also actually like what you do. My experience has been that, unfortunately, most people don’t really enjoy their work. If you’re a writer, you’re already in a select group of people with skills that appear to be rapidly diminishing in our society. So take advantage of your talent. Have fun with it. Use it to form those connections with others. It may be frustrating at times (especially in the middle of the night when you turn on the light and awaken your ever-understanding and supportive spouse because you just figured out whodunit), but trust me, you’ll feel much better the next day when you write that final chapter in your latest masterpiece.

About the Author
Since penning this piece a few years ago, Robert Germaux has heeded his own advice and continued writing at that kitchen table. He is currently working on his 13^th book. You can find more information about Bob and his books at his Amazon Author Page.

Self-Published Authors Appreciation Week Footer

The 2023 Self-Published Authors Appreciation Week Logo was made by Witty and Sarcastic Book Club

The Inside Scoop—A Q&A with Rebecca Carey Lyles About Self-Publishing

By HCNewton

On July 28, 2023

In A Few Quick Questions With..., Literary Locals, Self-Published Authors Appreciation Week

Inside Scoop logo
In our brief acquaintance, Rebecca Carey Lyles has participated in a Literary Locals Q&A with me, recommended others for that project, had me on her podcast, and has now subjected herself to this series (and we have at least one more Q&A to come once I catch up on some reading). I cannot thank her enough for all this. Lyles as some great experience—and therefore has plenty of advice to provide.

Before we get into things, why don’t you give the reader a brief introduction to you and your work.
Thanks so much for asking, H.C. I’m a wife, mom and grandma as well as an author and an editor. Although I’ve written for a variety of publications, fiction became my passion when I moved to Idaho and joined a wonderful Treasure Valley writing group. Since then, I’ve written two fiction series plus the first book in a third series.

My tagline for my novels is Contemporary Romance Set in the West and Salted with Suspense. But some have suggested the books are suspense salted with romance due to the subject matter and action/adventure aspect. Although I tackle difficult subjects like human trafficking, coercive cults, and contemporary polygamy, I always promise happy endings—because I like happy endings. 😊

Here are some links for you to peruse:
Website: http://www.beckylyles.com

Amazon Author Page: https://Lyles.gy/t54xp

Facebook Author Page: Rebecca Carey Lyles

Twitter: @BeckyLyles

What are some of the biggest misconceptions you find that readers have about self-published books?
From what I’ve observed, readers don’t look to see who published a book. They choose a book based on the cover and the blurb, a recommendation from a friend, or good reviews. They might even read the first two or three pages online or at a bookstore to see if the story interests them. Therefore, I assume most readers don’t have misconceptions about self-published books, but I could be wrong…
The shoe is on the other foot, eh? I’ve got misconceptions about readers? I buy that 😉

What kind of costs are associated with self-publishing a book? Do you hire one or more editors, or one editor for a couple of passes? Cover artist? Anyone to help with layout, design, etc.? Beta readers? Or do you take it all on yourself? Are you actually making any money at this, or are you still focused on breaking-even while building an audience?
I’m an editor, but I’ve also paid for book edits. I’ve designed book covers for a couple people who requested that I do so, but I always hire graphic artists to design my covers. In the early days, I hired someone to do interior design and then realized I could do it myself. And I always enlist the help of beta readers and proofreaders. Their input is crucial to the final product’s quality. About sales, I’ve found the only way to sell more than a handful of books is to advertise, which is not how most authors like to spend their time and money. But it’s a necessary evil of the writing game these days.

I think we’ve talked about this already, but this is a new context—what kinds of advertising has proved the most effective for you? Least effective? From talking to other writers, do their experiences match up, or does it vary a bit from person-to-person/genre-to-genre?
Facebook ads do the best for me, but they require a huge learning curve and can get pricey. I’ve taken courses re. how to advertise books and continue to follow several experts.

These links may be helpful.
https://davidgaughran.com/ [crazy hair, fun accent, and a great sense of humor!] Here’s his list of book promotion sites: https://davidgaughran.com/best-promo-sites-books/
https://learn.selfpublishingformula.com/p/adsforauthors [Mark Dawson also has a fun accent and an excellent podcast: https://selfpublishingformula.com/spf-podcast/]

https://kindlepreneur.com/book-marketing/ [Dave Chesson has plenty to offer, including a zany sense of humor!]

Do you do your own cover design, or have you found people to help with that? It seems almost as difficult as writing the novel itself—talk about the process a bit.
A quality book cover is crucial because the old adage is true, we do judge books by their covers. For that reason, I hire professional graphic artists to create my covers. I’ve worked with local artists and online artists. I’m always thrilled when a designer can take the vague ideas I suggest, hone in on one, make it “come alive,” and produce the perfect cover for a book, whether fiction or nonfiction. The designers I’ve used have all been well-qualified and reasonably priced as well as patient and willing to make the (many) changes I request. 😊

How do you go about finding these artists—online or local? What’s the process of vetting them and then getting the cover to start requesting changes on? (cover design is one of those topics I can’t get enough of—I don’t know why)
I found my first cover artist at the library. Actually, I heard an author speak there whose cover had been designed by a local graphic artist. She put me in touch with him, and he designed several covers for me. Another local recommendation came through a writer friend. My latest cover was designed by 100 Covers [https://100covers.com/], and I was quite pleased. After I explained my vision, each artist threw out an initial concept (or two), and we went from there. As I said, everyone has been patient with my multiple changes. Several other reputable sites offer expert cover creation or programs to create covers.

Are there tools, mentors, websites you’ve found to help you through this process? Or did you stumble through blindly on your own?
Through Idahope Christian Writers (ICW), a local faith-based writers’ group, I’ve met lots of Treasure Valley authors; plus, I attend their workshops and conferences. (ICW’s new website should become active soon: https://idahopechristianwriters.org/) Not only is the wisdom, knowledge, encouragement and camaraderie of likeminded friends valuable, smaller critique groups have formed from the main group. My crit partners are super helpful. They provide a fresh perspective and ideas I hadn’t thought of, suggestions to improve my writing, insights re: story direction, and so much more. Even better, we’ve become good friends and prayer partners.

Three podcasts I find helpful –
https://www.thestoryblender.com/

https://selfpublishingformula.com/spf-podcast/

https://www.thecreativepenn.com/podcasts/

What made you decide that self-publishing was the direction you wanted to go? How often do you question that choice? How do you get through the self-doubt?
I worked with a partner publisher for my first nonfiction book and a second partner publisher for my first fiction book. Both experiences were good but taught me I could do everything they did except create the cover. For a brief time, I had an agent who sent out a mass query to ten or so traditional publishers. After informing me none of them showed interest, I didn’t hear from him again. When I finally contacted him, I discovered he’d forgotten about me. Rather than search out another agent and extend the process even longer, I decided to go the indie route and haven’t regretted it. I’d love for someone else to do the marketing for me, but I hear traditional publishers expect their writers to market their books just like we indie authors must do.

Self-publishing tends to have less external deadlines keeping one accountable. How do you maintain your work process or work ethic?
For me, I think it’s an ingrained from childhood finish what you start ethic plus the nagging need to get a story out of my head and into the computer/onto paper.

What was your process for learning how to take care of all the facets that go into self-publishing? (editing, book cover and design, ISBN, finding places to sell/distribute, etc.)?
Workshops, seminars and conferences for writers, how-to-write books and magazines, online research, webinars, podcasts—and lots and lots of trial and error.

Would you be willing to share a trial or two that resulted in errors you learned from?
Wow, you’re stretching my memory. Way back, when online book sales weren’t nearly as challenging as they are today, my books sold fairly easily with minimal advertising. But then my daughter got married (silly girl!) and I focused on the wedding and reception and a houseful of company and lost momentum just when authors began to flood the internet with books. And thus, to diminish the opportunities for a book to be noticed.

I’ve done something similar lately. After months of pushing hard with Facebook ads and then Amazon ads, I became weary of the time and expenditure marketing books demands. And stopped all ads. Funny thing, sales have dropped in tandem with lack of marketing. Must get back to it! I’m pretty sure any business person would tell me/us that marketing must be consistent and ongoing.

Also back in the day, every ebook sales site demanded a different format—Kobo, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Apple, etc. The trial and error was figuring out each of their complicated formats. Today, thank God, we have Draft2Digital, a wonderful aggregator that provides distribution services for authors whose books aren’t exclusive to Amazon. https://www.draft2digital.com/

Thanks for your time and participation! Hope you enjoyed it! And do know that there are many of us out here who appreciate and applaud what you do (and our number is growing)!

Lyles has quite the variety of books to look into, be sure to look into them!

Self-Published Authors Appreciation Week Footer

Clker-Free-Vector-Images from Pixabay
The 2023 Self-Published Authors Appreciation Week Logo was made by Witty and Sarcastic Book Club

The Irresponsible Reader On…Self-Published Science Fiction

By HCNewton

On July 27, 2023

In Books, Fiction, Miscellany, News/Misc., Science Fiction, Self-Published Authors Appreciation Week

(updated 7/27/23)

From the first moment that people did the strange thing of asking me to talk about their books on my blog, I’ve been impressed by the quality of a lot of what’s been published by authors going out on their own, taking all the risks, shouldering all the responsibility and doing all the work to get their words, their dreams, their blood, sweat, and tears. This should be celebrated—it’s definitely appreciated, as we’re trying to show this week.

In addition to the Q&As and Guest Posts I have this week, I’m also continuing my habit of highlighting the self-published works that I’ve blogged about over the last few years—just a sentence or two. Hopefully, this’ll be enough to make you click on the link to the full post. Beyond that, it’d be great if I inspired you to add a few of these to your TBR. Also, be sure you check out the other posts over at the SPAAW Hub.

Today we’re going to be looking at Self-Published Science Fiction. Old tropes in new garb, fresh ideas, and a creativity that astounds. These authors are well worth your time and money.

bullet Wistful Ascending by JCM Berne—if I start talking about this, I’m not sure how to stop. There’s a retired super-hero/super soldier working a menial job on a space station. There’s a revenge story. There are aliens that look like talking bears. It’s just so much fun. (my post about it)
bullet The Elites by Matt Cowper—a Batman-esque figure rebuilds a government-sponsored team of heroes. They take on super-villains of all stripes and even an alien invasion.
bullet The World Savers (my post about it)
bullet Rogue Superheroes (my post about it)
bullet Nightfall (my post about it)
bullet Children of the Different by S. C. Flynn—a very different kind of YA take on post-apocalypse life in Austrailia. (my post about it)
bullet Full Metal Superhero by Jeffery H. Haskell—a young technical genius who lost the use of her legs in the accident that cost her parents their lives creates an Iron Man-esque suit and starts fighting crime in the hopes to be recruited into an Avengers/Justice League-type team. I’ve frequently talked on the blog (and even in this series of posts) about being frustrated that I haven’t caught up with a series. This one really gets to me. There’s also a spin-off series that looks great.
bullet Arsenal (my post about it)
bullet Unstoppable Arsenal (my post about it)
bullet Super Powereds: Year 1 by Drew Hayes—The first in a series about a group of freshmen in a college-level Super-Hero Training program. (my post about it)
bullet Darkside Earther by Bradley Horner—this is a series about a privileged group of teens trying to get through school and into adulthood while on a space station orbiting Earth. Their parents are the elite of humanity and are trying to mold their children into very different types of leaders.
bullet Darkside Earther (my post about it)
bullet Degrading Orbits (my post about it)
bullet Saul by Bradley Horner—a professor of nanotech tries to save his daughter in the middle of a global catastrophe. (my post about it)
bullet Billy in Space by Harry L-B—Billy has been given telekenetic abilities, and instead of becoming the government agent he’d aspired to, he’s become a human forklift in a spaceship’s warehouse. Not glamorous at all, but it’s a job. Then an alien race attacks his ship. Then space pirates do, too. And then things get bad. You’ll also witness a really bad first date. I should stress that this is a comedy. (my post about it)
bullet Proxies by James T. Lambert—Jair Howard has some big challenges ahead of him–he has to deal with his mother, he has to fix his relationship with his girlfriend, he has to prove someone hacked into the military’s computers, then he has to prove it wasn’t him–oh yeah, and prevent interstellar war. His mother might be the biggest problem, really. I just finished reading the book and haven’t finished my post, but you’ll want to give it a look.
bullet Duckett & Dyer: Dicks For Hire by G.M. Nair—This story felt like the love child of Dirk Gentley’s Holistic Detective Agency (the Douglas Adams version) and Comedy Central’s Corporate, but sweeter. A pair of old friends-turned multi-dimensional P.I.s tackle a missing persons case. (my post about it)
bullet Serengeti by J.B. Rockwell—a damaged warship—and the AI who operates it—attempts to rejoin the fleet.
bullet Serengeti (my post about it)
bullet Dark and Stars (my post about it)
bullet Please Return to the Lands of Luxury by Jon Tilton—an MG Dystopian thriller. There’s a fantastic world here—a very plausible one, too. The story is hard to sum up in a sentence or two, but this would be a great read for an MG reader who’s able to read some unpleasantness (and a lot of wholesome and hope-filled moments, too). (my post about it)
bullet The FATOFF Conspiracy by Olga Werby—Americans have lost the war on obesity and all but the elitist of the elite are dangerously obese (while tucking away a good portion of that fat into a pocket dimension), in pain, struggling, dying young, and yet eating almost constantly. (my post about it)
bullet Genrenauts by Michael R. Underwood—Parallel to our world are various worlds populated by fictional characters in a wide variety of genres (Western, SF, Romance, etc), and when things go wrong in the stories, things go wrong in our world. n this world, there are a number of teams of story specialists who shift to the other worlds to fix the stories and set things back on course here. The first two novellas in this series were published by Tor, but after that, Underwood took it over himself.
bullet The Cupid Reconciliation (my post about it)
bullet The Substitute Sleuth (my post about it)
bullet The Failed Fellowship (my post about it)
bullet Genrenauts: The Complete Season One Collection—a compendium of all the novellas/stories in Season 1. (my post about it)
bullet The Data Disruption—a Season One Prequel (my post about it)
bullet The Wasteland War—Season Two kicks off (my post about it)

If you're a self-published author that I've featured on this blog and I didn't mention you in this post and should have. I'm sorry (unless you're this guy). Please drop me a line, and I'll fix this. I want to keep this regularly updated so I keep talking about Self-Published Authors.

Self-Published Authors Appreciation Week Footer

The 2023 Self-Published Authors Appreciation Week Logo was made by Witty and Sarcastic Book Club

The Inside Scoop—A Q&A with Raina Nightingale About Self-Publishing

By HCNewton

On July 27, 2023

In A Few Quick Questions With..., Self-Published Authors Appreciation Week

Inside Scoop logo
Earlier this morning, I featured a Guest Post from Raina Nightengale, Self-Publishing Freedom. Now we get to chat with her about some other aspects of self-publishing. Nightengale’s another author who came my way from JCM Berne and has been super-easy to work with, and has been very enthusiastic about these posts. I really appreciate her time for this.

Before we get into things, why don’t you give the reader a brief introduction to you and your work.
Hello. I’m Raina Nightingale, and I like trees, volcanoes, the night sky, dragons, and lightning storms – and deep explorations of (usually non-romantic) relationships. Not necessarily in that order. I’ve been writing ever since I learned how to read in about one week when I was eight years old, and I call my writing dawndark high fantasy as a kind of umbrella term, since while it sometimes gets dark, there’s always the promise of hope and when I explore the darkest places, it’s in order to find a deeper hope that can overcome them.

Epoch of the Promise: Dawn Unseen and Epoch of the Promise: Vision’s Light are my darkest books. I’ve since discovered they’re less unique than I thought they were when I wrote them (I hadn’t encountered epic grimdark fantasy yet), but I think they are still very unique, since – though they are not at all gory – they are saved from being grimdark only by scandalous redemption, and explore religion and the impact that can have on people’s lives from the perspectives of some very theologically-inclined characters at times.

Heart of Fire, which is the first book of the Dragon-Mage series, is basically classic high fantasy with a twist: instead of focusing on fight scenes, the focus is on relationships and personal struggles. It’s also set in a world reviewers have praised for its ancient and lived-in feel, and a fresh, unique magic system and take on dragons. If you’ve read lots of dragonrider books, but you’ve always wanted the dragons to be a bigger part of them, Heart of Fire may be the book for you (that, by the way, is how I feel about a lot of dragon books).

And if you’d like something a little cozy, Kindred of the Sea is about two men, platonic lovers, forced to desert the army and become traitors when the dreams of an enchanted forest show them that their nation’s war is unjust – and eventually fall through a portal onto an ocean world where they’re befriended by magical dolphins.

You can find me on Twitter (https://twitter.com/Areaer_Novels) and my website (https://enthralledbylove.com) where I post lots of art, as well as reviews of books I read, and occasionally other musings as well.

You can find all my books here, from whichever retailer you’d prefer, (https://books2read.com/raina_books) and be advised: I’ll usually have a discount of some sort going on one book or another if you like Smashwords.

And you can check out my books Goodreads (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/79130352-heart-of-fire).

What are some of the biggest misconceptions you find that readers have about self-published books?
That because we have different priorities than a traditionally published authors, and we don’t want to give up control over our story, that somehow means we care about it less. Care less about making it the best it can be. I might have a different idea of what ‘perfect’ or ‘best’ is than other people do. I think all artists have their own vision of ‘perfect’, and this is part of what makes art art: the attention to the thing I see and I want to share. But that doesn’t mean I’m any less rigorous in seeking that vision.

I’m not self-publishing because I’m afraid I’m not good enough for a traditional publisher. I’m self-publishing because I’m not letting anyone change my story to be any less than what I want it to be. I’m not letting anyone change my story so that it appeals less to me and those I want to reach, because that might make it marketable to a wider audience or whatever the reason is. That’s how art loses it soul, and in the end it can’t win the world either. And I’m not willing to take the risk of not being able to publish later, dependant works because the first ones don’t do well enough or my publisher otherwise doesn’t want to pick them up.

Do you do your own cover design, or have you found people to help with that? It seems almost as difficult as writing the novel itself–talk about the process a bit.
When I was just a child, I saw these covers on traditionally published books that did not have the details inside the book right (if it was only the MC having the wrong color hair). I didn’t like that, and promised myself I’d do my own book covers when I published my books. So for a long time I did that – gradually getting better at it. And some of my pieces I really love – Vision’s Light, Heart of Fire, and the two new Legend of the Singer covers are among these.

Design-wise, it’s always been pretty easy. I’m a very visual thinker, and by the time I’m done writing a book, I usually know what kind of scenes and elements I want on the cover. The hardest ones were probably the Legend of the Singer books though, because I didn’t have a good scene or image from Children of the Dryads that I just sensed had to be the cover, and I wanted most of them to match. So the current image is kind of representative. The scene it depicts probably happens, but is not described in the story.

Doing the actual art, however, is quite a lot more difficult. And now that I’ve discovered Midnight Rose’s art, I might have most of my covers done by Midnight from now. Midnight’s art just makes me want to have it so much, and it was a delight working with Midnight on the new cover for The Gifts of Faeri.

Odds are, you’re doing this from love/passion, not to pay the bills. What keeps you going? I’m assuming there are more “who”s than “what”s, actually–who is it?
I have to write. Stories are how I think, challenge my thoughts and convictions, and develop them. How I explore new ideas. I can’t sleep if I don’t tell my stories, one way or another. So writing … that’s always going to be a part of my life.

Publishing is a bit different. That’s a lot more costly than just writing, and the time and energy I have to put into publishing – and marketing/PR stuff – can take away from the art I love. So what’s keeps me going here, are the occasional comments of readers, and perhaps even more the fact I know I have stories that people need to hear, and I know there are people out there who want my stories, just like I would have wanted them – and want to find more that are like them. The struggle is finding them, making it so that they can find me, and it’s a struggle some of them probably share from the other end. And if I give up, we won’t ever connect.

Self-publishing tends to have less external deadlines keeping one accountable. How do you maintain your work process or work ethic?
One of the first reasons I knew I could never be a traditionally published author is that external deadlines are the bane of my creative process. In fact, even the kinds of planning and deadlines that self-publishing can involve are tricky for me to handle and figure out.

My work process thrives off entirely internal energy: I love art, and I love making my thing whatever I think is perfect/the best it can be. So I do that. And not having deadlines means that when one story isn’t flowing, but a new one shows up in my head, I don’t have to be worried about giving that one my energy and attention. And I think that is the trick to how productive I can be.

Thanks for your time and participation! Hope you enjoyed it! And do know that there are many of us out here who appreciate and applaud what you do (and our number is growing)!

Be sure to check out all of her work!

Self-Published Authors Appreciation Week Footer

Clker-Free-Vector-Images from Pixabay
The 2023 Self-Published Authors Appreciation Week Logo was made by Witty and Sarcastic Book Club

The Inside Scoop—Guest Post: Self-Publishing Freedom by Raina Nightingale

By HCNewton

On July 27, 2023

In A Few Quick Questions With..., Self-Published Authors Appreciation Week, Writing

Inside Scoop logo One of the first things that Raina Nightingale said to me was that she wanted to do a Guest Post about the freedom of self-publishing. This sounded perfect to me, that freedom is one of those things that defines self-publishing to me. I’ll be posting the Self-Publishing Q&A with Nightengale a little later this morning, be sure to come back for that.

One of my favorite things about being a self-published author is my freedom to do pretty much whatever I choose. When I first started looking into publishing, one of the things I noted that was that traditionally published authors are sometimes constrained by deadlines. And deadlines – even if they seem comfortable – are never something I can handle or that works with my creative process. A book can be flowing smoothly, I can have two or three chapters left to write – and then I can hit the end of my inspiration for that story for months. But without a deadline, with full ownership to all the rights, I can write whatever story I feel like at the moment. I can jump between different works-in-progress in half-different genres, and just enjoy my stories.

I can enjoy my stories and write them to be whatever I feel like. I can (deliberately, or by accident) subvert plot expectations, or ignore conventional story arcs and use completely different ones. I can write about common themes, or ones that are rarer. I’m not guaranteed to sell; I’m not guaranteed that everyone, or very many people – or strictly speaking, anyone – will like how I decide to do things. But I can do them however I like, take or ignore advice as I choose, and see how it works. Which suits me, as I write first and foremost for myself, because these are the stories I’d want to read.

And the ones that won’t leave me alone in my head. Some of them are more conventional in plot type and arc, but they’re all the stories of people, living in a world, and sometimes those stories don’t line up with very many of the conventions. As a self-published author, I can let my stories and my characters be themselves, and share those stories and characters.

I can publish them however I choose, on a time-table I set. I don’t have to wait many years to publish something unless I want to, and I don’t have to be incredibly rushed either unless I choose. And one thing I’ve recently discovered is that I really enjoy doing interior art and formatting. The design, that is. The implementation is tedious and not my favorite thing at all, but I love designing my book to be just the way I like it, and making little drawings or art pieces to fit it. It really makes me feel like this is my book, my artwork in which I can revel.

And which I hope to share with many, many others. Maybe not as many as if I were more inclined to follow conventions, but I know there are others out here who like things that are a bit – or a lot – different. I know that, as big of a seller as the romance genre is and as romantic subplots are, there are people who’d like to read high fantasy with a focus on not-so-romantic relationships front and center. A lot of people might like to be able to know what the story’s going to be before they buy the book, even if they don’t want the specific spoilers. Other people would like to be surprised, though (like me) they might not mind the specific spoilers – or even seek them out.

So, that is it. Self-publishing can be a lot of work, and one of the hard things can be finding those readers who are meant for you – or perhaps better to say your book is meant for them! But it can be very rewarding.

Be sure to check out Nightengale’s books and website!

Self-Published Authors Appreciation Week Footer

The 2023 Self-Published Authors Appreciation Week Logo was made by Witty and Sarcastic Book Club

The Inside Scoop—A Q&A with Tao Wong About Self-Publishing

By HCNewton

On July 27, 2023

In A Few Quick Questions With..., Self-Published Authors Appreciation Week

Inside Scoop logo
It wasn’t until I’d received Wong’s answers that I figured out why his name had rang a bell when JCM Berne sent him my way. Thanks to K.R.R. Lockhaven talking about it, I’d contributed to a Kickstarter campaign of his a few weeks earlier! (it’s my eye for detail that makes me such a valued employee…). Getting to know more about the writer in this context was a great bonus for me. When it came to the answers, Wong was willing to give specifics, really get down into details. We readers need to think about the numbers he uses (and others in this series) next time we’re tempted to complain about the cost of an e-book/paperback.

Before we get into things, why don’t you give the reader a brief introduction to you and your work.
Hi there! I’m Tao Wong, a science fiction and fantasy author, working mostly in the LitRPG and xianxia sub-genres. I’m best known for the System Apocalypse, an apocalyptic LitRPG and A Thousand Li, a Chinese high fantasy epic (xianxia) involving cultivating to immortality.

You can find details about all I write on mylifemytao.com and on Twitter.
I’ve never heard xianxia before…but now I’m eager to try it out.

What kind of costs are associated with self-publishing a book? Do you hire one or more editors, or one editor for a couple of passes? Cover artist? Anyone to help with layout, design, etc.? Beta readers? Or do you take it all on yourself? Are you actually making any money at this, or are you still focused on breaking-even while building an audience?
The cost of putting out a work can vary significantly depending on the skill level of the author involved and the market they’re pushing for. More experienced authors who have been through multiple rounds of editing can often do a lot of self-editing for shorter works, reducing their cost. Newer authors likely will want to work with experienced editors. As such, cost can be as low as $20-30 for a short story to thousands.

For myself, I work with a copy and line editor to go through my work and then, after I’ve gone through their suggestions, a proofer. Occasionally, I might use a second proofer for a final verification. This cost roughly $500-1200 per book (most editors and proofers charge per word so it depends on the length of the book).

Cover art again varies, from $20-30 for a short story cover using modified stock photos to a couple of thousand for cover art. You’ll need to review what other books in your genre are using and find an artist to suit your budget.

Additional cost that are optional include formatting for ebook and print (free to $150 per book), copyright registration fees ($65), ISBN numbers (free in Canada and certain countries to more) and graphic software for marketing.

I am extremely fortunate to be able to work full-time as an author, with a more than adequate annual income.
I sort of expected numbers like this…but to really see it broken down like this? Very helpful. Thanks for the specificity. And a great reminder that maybe we shouldn’t gripe about $1.99 for self-published books (or more, either).

Are there tools, mentors, websites you’ve found to help you through this process? Or did you stumble through blindly on your own?
I stumbled my way through a lot of this, but I had the advantage of having run both a small business before and also extensive experience in digital marketing. As such, the areas I stumbled was understanding the self-publishing specific aspects.
That being said, I’ve found a few things very helpful in my time:
• Writer’s Beware for watching out for scam artists and potential vanity presses who come along
• The SFWA has a contracts committee that will work and/or review contracts for free. In addition, the Authors Guild has a model contract that you can review and compare contracts to
• Kristyn Kathryn Rusch (kriswrites.com) has an on-going publishing blog. Hers was a blog I had been reading long before I got into publishing and she has a vast sea of experience to draw upon to compare and contrast between the present and past industry and changes she has seen.
• The Facebook groups Wide for the Win and 20booksto50k have a wealth of information available for free from publishers who have provided this information for free. You might have to dig for your specific question, but it’s often around.
• Smashwords has a great guide to formatting, though Draft2Digital also has a free option to allow you to format an ebook for free

How do you juggle marketing/PR/etc. with writing new work? (along with day jobs, family, hobbies, etc., etc.)
In the beginning, I did minimal social media marketing, had a basic website and created a newsletter to allow readers to keep in contact with me. My initial couple of years was dedicated entirely to writing and putting out work.

It’s very hard to make paid advertising work with fewer than three books in a series or a large backlist of standalone books (I hear 7 to 9 books). As such, my focus was writing and putting out as many books in the series I was working on as possible while I was doing this part-time.

Only once I had a series of books did I begin more sophisticated paid advertising, starting with paid newsletters, Amazon Marketing Services (AMS) and then Facebook advertising. These days, I have an employee who works with me to test out a variety of other paid advertising options on top of all that, including book reviews and blog reviews, but I view those as brand building rather than direct marketing.

I prefer paid advertising in general since a lot of it can be set to run with only a few hours a week for review rather than social media which can often be significantly more time intensive.

Social media continues to be an outlet to allow individuals to get to know me, but I do not put much effort into making it a sales platform for me. That suits my personality and skills, though I have friends who do very well on TikTok and Instagram.

Have you thought about trying to get a deal with major (or indie) publishers for upcoming works, or are you planning on sticking with self-publishing?
I generally publish for myself, though I’m not against finding a traditional publisher or a major indie publisher to work with if things worked out well. However, most of the indie publishers in my sub-genre don’t have much to offer me (nor me them); so it’d likely be a traditional publisher that I’d be looking at unless I’m exploring outside of my main genres.

I do have a few contracts with audiobook publishers though like Tantor and Dreamscape and have spoken with other audiobook publishers about working with them for future works. I do believe that keeping options open, whether it’s in different media (for example, some friends have signed great contracts for comic adaptations of their work) or languages are one of the ways to be successful as an author in this day and age.

Self-publishing tends to have less external deadlines keeping one accountable. How do you maintain your work process or work ethic?
These days, I have bills to pay. 😉

But more seriously, setting internal deadlines for when works need to be done help keeps me on track. I give myself sufficient time to be flexible around slowdowns or when I find another project to work upon, but there are hard deadlines with external suppliers like audiobook narrators and editors that need to be met, so I work backwards to know what the minimum timeline to get work done is required.

At the same time, I’m a pantser. I want to know how the story ends, and I won’t really know I write it, so that’s always a nice push.

If you were to start the process over with the experience you have now, what would you do differently?
I released my first few books with minimal editing, and no professional editing. That was a mistake and one I’d certainly rectify. I would not recommend doing that at all. Otherwise, there are specific craft things that I’ve learnt which I would obviously want to edit.

In terms of the business side, there are a few missed business opportunities that looking back at it, I was a little too conservative on. Some of these have not played out entirely yet, so they might be mistakes entirely, but for the most part, I have been happy with the choices I’ve made.

Thanks for your time and participation! Hope you enjoyed it! And do know that there are many of us out here who appreciate and applaud what you do (and our number is growing)!

There’s likely something for everyone in Wong’s backlist, just start poking around it, and you’ll find something to obsess over!

Self-Published Authors Appreciation Week Footer

Clker-Free-Vector-Images from Pixabay
The 2023 Self-Published Authors Appreciation Week Logo was made by Witty and Sarcastic Book Club

The Irresponsible Reader On…Self-Published Non-Fiction

By HCNewton

On July 26, 2023

In Books, Miscellany, News/Misc., Non-Fiction, Self-Published Authors Appreciation Week

(updated 7/26/23)

Today we’re going to be looking at Self-Published Non-Fiction—which are primarily memoirs at their core, it’s what the authors do with the memoirs that makes these really stand out. But there are a few other things, too.

bullet Life and Death Behind the Brick and Razor: Code Red Diamond by Isaac Alexis, MD—A prison doctor uses his experiences to give suggestions for a healthy/healthier life. (my post about it)
bullet How Not to Be an *SS: Essays on Becoming a Good & Safe Man by Andrew J. Bauman—Bauman calls men to an authentic, Biblical masculinity—one built on humility, kindness, and service. While offering concrete ways to set aside patterns of abuse and neglect. (my post about it)
bullet Kneading Journalism: Essays on baking bread and breaking down the news by Tony Ganzer—This is a collection of essays about the state of journalism, how people relate to and view the media we consume, and what the future may hold. Oh, and bread recipes, of course. It makes sense in context (and is a really great idea). (my post about it)
bullet No Problem, Mr. Walt: Building a Boat, Rebuilding a Life, & Discovering China by Walt Hackman—Hackman was one of the first self-published authors to reach out to me, and I’m so glad he did. A fascinating read about a man deciding to have an authentic Chinese junk built for him to use as a houseboat in California. (my post about it)
bullet Finding Hope in Hard Things: A Positive Take on Suffering by Pierce Taylor Hibbs—The central premise is that God uses the “hard things” in life to shape us into the people he wants us to be, and uses some of the hard things in his life as case studies to demonstrate how they were used so the reader is equipped to look at their own lives and see the purpose in their suffering. (my post about it)
bullet The Great Lie: What All of Hell Wants You to Keep Believing by Pierce Taylor Hibbs—Paired with Hibbs’ characteristic clear prose and gift with language and illustrations, Hibbs reminds the reader that God is always speaking to us, through both the Creation and His Word. (my post about it)
bullet In Divine Company by Pierce Taylor Hibbs—Pierce’s treatment of prayer focuses on the communicative nature of God and His image bearers and then nurturing that in our lives to improve our prayer. (my post about it)
bullet Struck Down but Not Destroyed: Living Faithfully with Anxiety by Pierce Taylor Hibbs—Drawing on what he’s learned from over 12 years of anxiety, Hibbs talks about learning to see what God’s purpose in the suffering is (anxiety disorders specifically, but easily transferable to other types), understanding that His hand is guiding all things—including our problems—so how do we in faith (without denying the suffering) rest in faith. (my post about it)
bullet And Drink I Did: One Man’s Story of Growing Through Recovery by Jay Keefe—It’s all there in the subtitle, Keefe tells about his OCD, his alcoholic days, his getting sober, and how he’s trying to help others since then. Powerful stuff. (my post about it)
bullet How to Take Over the World: Practical Schemes and Scientific Solutions for the Aspiring Supervillain by Ryan North—A tongue-in-cheek way to talk about some of the most advanced science around and how it can (and in some ways is) be used to destroy the world. (my post about it)
bullet The Genius’ Guide to Bad Writing by R.T. Slaywood, R.C. Martinez—A guide for the writer who is tired of success and wants to reclaim their lives from answering the siren call of fortune and fame that comes to every author. Slaywood and Martinez have a 10-Step program guaranteed to ruin a novel or two and stop a career dead in its spot. (my post about it)
bullet Uber Diva by Charles St. Anthony—a humorist writes a memoir of a Lyft/Uber driver mixed with a guide to starting/surviving/thriving as one in a tough market. St. Anthony also has a few other books out now that are probably worth a read. (my post about it)
bullet Flying Alone: A Memoir by Beth Ruggiero York—A female pilot’s memoir of her path from flight school to flying for TWA (now that I have a son learning to fly, some of her more harrowing experiences keep flashing through the back of my mind). (my post about it)

If you're a self-published author that I've featured on this blog and I didn't mention you in this post and should have. I'm sorry (unless you're this guy). Please drop me a line, and I'll fix this. I want to keep this regularly updated so I keep talking about Self-Published Authors.

Self-Published Authors Appreciation Week Footer

The 2023 Self-Published Authors Appreciation Week Logo was made by Witty and Sarcastic Book Club

The Irresponsible Reader On…Self-Published Fantasy

By HCNewton

On July 26, 2023

In Books, Fantasy, Fiction, Miscellany, News/Misc., Self-Published Authors Appreciation Week

(updated 7/26/23)

Today we’re going to be looking at Self-Published Fantasy. These are some of the most imaginative, creative, and enjoyable Fantasy novels I’ve read since I started blogging. These authors approach this beloved genre in ways that surprise and inspire me. Check out these books, hopefully, you’ll find something good.

bullet Of Honey and Wildfires by Sarah Chorn—Chorn’s Western/Fantasy about…I don’t have room here. It’s beautiful prose, heartbreaking stories, and a stellar example of writing. (my post about it)
bullet Oh, That Shotgun Sky by Sarah Chorn—the follow-up to the above. A handful of people trying to come to grips with the new world they find themselves in. (my post about it)
bullet Seraphina’s Lament by Sarah Chorn—A planet is dying, political upheaval, and the dawn of a new reality. One of the most brutal reads in recent memory (and one of the most disturbing covers!). I absolutely loved it and would be literally counting down the days until the sequel if I knew the date. (my post about it)
bullet One Man by Harry Connolly—A man hiding from his past, becomes a one-man army trying to save a kidnapped mother and daughter. (my post about it)
bullet Toby and the Silver Blood Witches by Sally Doherty—A young boy who takes care of his seriously ill mother, gets the suprise of a lifetime when a witch crashes into his attic and asks for his help! It’s a fun MG adventure. (my post about it)
bullet Haven by Ceril N Domac—a family in a slightly grimmer (and future) version of the U.S. has to go on the run to a safe settlement when they start to display signs of being more than human. (my post about it)
bullet The Hero Interviews by Andi Ewington—A Loremaster conducts a series of interviews with Fantasy heroes, and others, to find and describe the essence of heroism. A thoughtful look at the idea is buried under jokes that will appeal to Fantasy Readers and RPG Players in particular-but many others, too. I had a great time with this. (my post about it)
bullet The Story of Lucius Cane: Book One by Vanya Ferreira—a mildly atypical vampire goes up against a lycanthrope-ish rogue in 1794. (my post about it)
bullet The Blackwood Saga by Layton Green—three brothers from New Orleans travel to a fantasy version of Earth and have to fight their way back home. (I haven’t finished this series yet, and it’s driving me crazy)
bullet The Brothers Three (my post about it)
bullet The Last Cleric (my post about it)
bullet The Spirit Mage (my post about it)
bullet The Knight Revenant by Adam Holcombe—this short story introduces Gam Gam the Necromancer in a fantastic way. (my post about it)
bullet A Necromancer Called Gam Gam by Adam Holcombe—a newly orphaned child finds refuge with a knitting Necromancer in a fun adventure, that isn’t afraid to explore other emotional environments. (my post about it)
bullet Sunbolt by Intisar Khanani—a street thief/revolutionary finds herself over her head after her latest mission. A fast and fascinating read. (my post about it)
bullet A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking by T. Kingfisher—A 14-year-old young woman whose magic controls baked goods is the only thing standing between her city and an invading army. You know, that old yarn. It’s delightfully charming. (my post about it)
bullet The Conjuring of Zoth-Avarex: The Self-Proclaimed Greatest Dragon in the Multiverse by K.R.R. Lockhaven—A group of magic users summons a dragon into 21st Century U.S. and immediately lose control over it. Heroics and hilarity ensue. It’s part corporate-satire, part fantasy-trope satire, part celebration of those same tropes, and all very funny. (my post about it)
bullet Mrs. Covington’s by K.R.R. Lockhaven—This book about friendship and nachos describes a young man looking to get out from his weathly father’s shadow who ends up buying a capybara-themed pub and running it with his new friends. There’s also a treasure hunt. Warm fuzzies, kindness, and good times ensue. (my post about it)
bullet Zoth-Avarex’s Escape Plan: A Pick-Your-Own-Path Experience by K.R.R. Lockhaven—A short Choose-Your-Own-Adventure style sequel about what happens to the dragon after the novel. (my post about it)
bullet The Culling by M. T. Miller—a bleak fantasy world is beset by monsters, and The Culling is a committed group of warriors wandering the countryside to fight them. These are dark books, but so fun to read.
bullet Apex Predator (my post about it)
bullet Brotherhood of the Worm (my post about it)
bullet The Nameless Chronicle by M. T. Miller—humanity struggles in a desolate, post-apocalyptic world. One man rises to fight the despots ruling them. He suffers, he bleeds, he dies. He just can’t seem to stay dead.
bullet Ascent (my post about it)
bullet Bedlam (my post about it)
bullet Risen (my post about it)
bullet A Strange Chemistry (my post about it)
bullet Strife (my post about it)
bullet The Complete Nameless Chronicle—the series is now published in one “boxed set” eBook
bullet Sir Thomas the Hesitant and the Table of Less Valued Knights by Liam Perrin—a wholesome and comedic Arthurian tale about knights not quite good enough for the Round Table (my post about it)
bullet An Unexpected Afterlife by Dan Sofer—wide-scale resurrection of the dead causes more than a few problems for everyone in modern Israel. (my post about it)

If you're a self-published author that I've featured on this blog and I didn't mention you in this post and should have. I'm sorry (unless you're this guy). Please drop me a line, and I'll fix this. I want to keep this regularly updated so I keep talking about Self-Published Authors.

Self-Published Authors Appreciation Week Footer

The 2023 Self-Published Authors Appreciation Week Logo was made by Witty and Sarcastic Book Club

The Inside Scoop—A Q&A with James Lloyd Dulin About Self-Publishing

By HCNewton

On July 26, 2023

In A Few Quick Questions With..., Self-Published Authors Appreciation Week

Inside Scoop logo
Dulin’s another who 1. Came my way thanks to JCM Berne and 2. Gave some specifics that really underscore what kind of commitment self-publishing takes. As I go through these Q&As one final time before publishing, my appreciation for what they do grows. Hope you find that to be the case yourselves.

Before we get into things, why don’t you give the reader a brief introduction to you and your work.
My name is James Lloyd Dulin, and my debut novel, No Heart for a Thief, came out on January 24, 2023. No Heart for a Thief is a dark, coming of age adult fantasy centered around two characters as they navigate a world of war and colonization. When the spirits place the fate of a young war orphan in Kaylo’s hands, he has to face the past he left behind and the war he abandoned to keep them both alive.

No Heart for a Thief is the first in a trilogy of books with the second, No Safe Haven to release fall 2023. This series will be great for fantasy fans who are interested in character driven plots, mentor relationships, unique magic systems, and non-European inspired settings..

You can find more about me, the first chapter of No Heart for a Thief, and signed copies on my website, https://www.jamesldulin.com/.
Books for sale: https://books2read.com/u/bxrzJD
Twitter and TikTok @jamesldulin

For editing, authors may spend money on beta readers, sensitivity readers, developmental editors, copy editors, and proofreaders. However, there are also ways to cut expenses and find people interested in helping out at no cost.

With No Heart for a Thief, I hired a couple of beta readers because it was easier to have them work on my time table, and they only charged $40 each. I also hired a sensitivity reader because I am writing about characters with identities that I do not share, which cost $400. I skipped a developmental editor because I had done so much work with a writing group, self-edits, and critique partners. Then my copy editor and proofreaders cost me $1,000 and $450 respectively.

When these prices are based on word count, it can get expensive in a genre like fantasy.

My next biggest expense was hiring my cover artist, Felix Ortiz. Felix is an expert and well-known in the self-published indie community, so his work came at a premium of $1,500. However, my brother is an expert at typography, so I was able to save money on cover design.

There are several other expenses here and there that pop up, but editing and cover art were the bulk of my pre-release costs.

To answer the question, I am working on earning my costs back and building an audience. Hopefully, I’ll make some money in the long run, but right now, more is going out than coming in as I prepare for books two and three of my trilogy.

Word-count costs like that would make me think about changing genres—or at least trying to switch to novellas 🙂

How did you get together with Felix Ortiz? Tell me about how cover design part of the process went. (it’s becoming a theme in these interviews, and it’s making me curious)
You aren’t wrong. Costs based on word count make me rethink my genre.

As for artwork, I emailed Felix through his ArtStation account with my idea for the cover, he got back to me fairly quickly. We emailed back and forth about the idea, then he went to work getting it ready for my launch timeline. Something about my original idea wasn’t working 100%. Felix was depicting it as described, but unfortunately what I asked for didn’t fit the vibe of the scene we were setting. We ended up finding our way through with a bit of trial and error, coming to a beautiful cover in my humble opinion. I credit Felix with a lot of the initial attention I received for my novel.

Self-publishing tends to have less external deadlines keeping one accountable. How do you maintain your work process or work ethic?
This is an interesting sentiment. Although, self-published authors do not have the same external pressures as traditionally published authors, there is a lot of pressure created by the culture around self-publishing.

One of the biggest strengths that self-publishing offers an author is that we can publish at a fraction of the speed of traditional publishers. As such, readers have come to expect a quicker output from the authors they follow. If an author isn’t releasing at least a book a year, they risk losing relevancy. Often, authors have to release multiple books a year to keep their momentum.

At the end of the day, no one is going to call us up demanding the new manuscript. However, if we have ambitions of growing a readership, we better produce.

Luckily, at least at this point, I really enjoy being a self-pub author and putting out my work. I’m in this to tell as many stories as I can. So, I’m glad there isn’t a machine holding back my time table.

If you were to start the process over with the experience you have now, what would you do differently?
If I had done more work to become a part of the indie fantasy community sooner, I would have had less stress struggling to figure out how to self-publish. I had a cover artist who tried to scam me and a copy editor who bailed on me, both of which set my process behind by months. However, once I connected with authors and talked to them about their connections, I was able to find a great team to help me publish my book.

The biggest lie about self-publishing is the name “self-publishing.” In order to do this right, you need a team to help you produce the book, but you also need a community to support you. There are so many things I don’t understand about publishing yet, so many techniques and marketing strategies that I haven’t thought of. If I had to do it on my own, my book would be lying in obscurity—or more obscurity.

Seriously, finding my place in the indie author community has helped me figure things out while maintaining my mental and emotional health through the process.
This second paragraph is gold—and am sure that it’ll generate a few “amen”s.

How do you decide a book is finally finished and ready? (or how do you avoid “perfection as the enemy of good”?)
I have only made this decision once so far, but I’m getting close to making it again. No Heart for a Thief was ready for me when I decided that I would be proud for people to read the book with my name on it. When I stopped needing other people to tell me it was good and I knew that it was, my book became ready to release.

There is always going to be something to improve, especially since I am always going to be improving. If I finish my tenth novel, and I have not grown as an author, I have not been an author worth reading. The story is not the only important part of a book. The craft, the way we tell the story, is just as important. If I’m not honing that, I have failed as an author.

That is a long way of saying, that I have to be comfortable knowing that I will grow beyond they first book I published. However, I have to know that when I published it, I was proud of the work I had done. If I can say that, it was the right decision.

Thanks for your time and participation! Hope you enjoyed it! And do know that there are many of us out here who appreciate and applaud what you do (and our number is growing)!

Be sure to check out No Heart for a Thief!

Self-Published Authors Appreciation Week Footer

Clker-Free-Vector-Images from Pixabay
The 2023 Self-Published Authors Appreciation Week Logo was made by Witty and Sarcastic Book Club