September: Self-Published Fantasy Month

 

Did you know there's such a thing as Self-Published Fantasy Month? Neither did I before reading about it in Virginia McClain's newsletter. Apparently September is devoted to self-published fantasy, at least, according to this website. I wish I'd learned about this sooner so I could come up with more ways to celebrate. Of course, the best way to do so is to buy, read, and review self-published fantasy. I've decided to drop the prices of my Season Avatars books and Ordinary Wonders collection to $0.99 for September to make those works more accessible. The website I linked to also suggests posting about your favorite self-published fantasy authors.

Here's a list of authors I've read and enjoyed, along with general descriptions of their works:

Christine Pope (fairy tale retellings and a series about witches; I've read more of the former than the latter)

Lindsay Buroker (action-packed stories with humorous characters in a secondary world)

H.L. Burke (she has a couple of different series, including a steampunk one and one involving magicians)

Charlotte E. English (Modern Magick series, about an English society trying to save magic)

Aviva Rothschild (The Beatles as characters in a D&D type world)

I'm sure there are more that I can't remember at the moment, and this doesn't even include cozy mystery authors who include fantastic elements in their stories.

Do you have any favorite self-published fantasy authors? Feel free to tell me about them in the comments.

Indie Publishing: The Reckoning

When I started indie publishing back in 2011, I promised myself I would keep at it until my next landmark birthday and then re-evaluate if I wanted to continue. That day arrives next week.

Like many people at the start of a new venture, I thought self-publishing success would be assured, and it wouldn't take me long to find fame and fortune. That didn't happen. I'm not a fast or prolific writer, and the stories I want to tell don't have the tropes many readers seem to want. I seldom sell books unless I pay for ads on the free/bargain book sites, and even the ads end up costing more than I earn. I earn more from selling short stories to anthologies than I do from my indie-published novels. Perhaps I should focus on short stories--if I still feel that writing is worth the effort.

Despite all the struggled, I'm determined to keep writing and self-publishing my novels. I improve my craft with every project, and it's possible future novels will hit the sweet spot between what I want to write and what readers want to read. I don't necessarily need to be a bestseller; if I can find a few thousand people who are in my tribe and get what I write, I'll do well enough. There are still so many stories I want to tell with my current and future characters. I can't let them--or myself--down by giving up. I already fulfilled one dream by finishing the Season Avatars series. There are still more dreams out there. Thanks to indie publishing, I can control what happens to my dreams.

Here's to another fifty years of reading and writing books. May the Muse be with me!

IWSG: Publishing Paths

Once again, the Insecure Writer's Support Group is encouraging writers to share their writing journeys with others. You can learn more about the IWSG on their website , Facebook page, or Twitter. This month, our co-hosts are Toi Thomas, T Powell Coltrin, M.J. Fifield, and Tara Tyler.

Our question this month is What publishing path are you considering/did you take, and why?

When I decided to be a writer back in the 90s, traditional publishing with an agent and a publisher was the only real option. Today, I consider myself a hybrid author. Although I'll still publish most of my work independently, I'll participate in anthologies if I find them interesting.I enjoy having control over my projects, and while I obviously want to find a steady stream of readers for my work, I can also write "projects of the heart" to keep my passion for writing alive. I'd rather retain full rights for my novels, but short story markets take fewer rights and introduce my work to new readers. No matter if you pursue traditional publishers/agents (remember: there's no guarantee they'll choose you) or take on the publishing role yourself, writing is a business, and there's no easy path to success. It takes time to develop your craft and find an audience.

What's your writing path? I would love to give you some choices here like the old "Choose Your Own Adventure" books, but I'm afraid there's only one place for comments for this post.

Self-Published Fantasy Blog Off 2017

The Self-Published Fantasy Blog Off is an annual contest for self-published fantasy novels. (There's also an additional requirement that they be standalones or the first in a series.) Although this is its third year, I haven't heard of it until recently. Nearly three hundred books will be reviewed by ten bloggers. Each blogger picks a favorite from the thirty or so books he or she was assigned, then of the bloggers decide on an overall favorite. The prize for winning? Glory--and a selfie stick. In addition to the main contest, there's also a side cover contest.

I've entered Seasons' Beginnings into this contest, and it's been assigned to The Qwillery. There are a lot of books competing, including some I've already read. Odds are low for any individual book making it to the top ten, but this contest is still good for exposure. If you want to follow along, there's a Facebook group set up for the contest. If you'd like to help spread the word about it, Laura M. Hughes has prepared several banners for the contest, including the one I'm using.

Thanks to the organizers and bloggers for doing this, and best of luck to all!

IWSG: Adapt, Don't Quit!

The June blog post for the Insecure Writer's Support Group is sponsored by JH Moncrieff, Madeline More-Summonte, Jen Chandler, Megan Morgan, and Heather Gardner. My regular reading are probably familiar with the ISWG, but if you'd like a reminder of how this writer's group supports other writers, you can learn more on their website or their Facebook group.

This month's question is a doozy: Did you ever say, "I quit"? If so, what made you come back to writing?

I wrote my very first novel (and believe me, it showed!) in my mid-twenties, then set it aside for a while. I didn't commit to writing until a few years later, when the Beatles inspired me to write what would become the Season Avatars series. At that time, self-publishing wasn't easy and was looked-down upon, so my 187,000 word book made the rounds at agencies and publishers. I got some interest, but never an acceptance. I wrote a second book in that series and started a third, but ultimately I moved on to other projects, such as Beatles fanfiction. Some stories, like Lyon's Legacy, Twinned Universes and "A Reptile at the Reunion," were eventually completed. Others remain unfinished. I wrote for friends' webzines and participated in National Novel Writing Month, but after shopping around a combined version of Lyon's Legacy and Twinned Universes and getting no interest, I stopped submitting stories to agents and publishers. Nothing I was working on seemed ready to me--or even able to break through to publishers.

Finally, Kindles and eBooks arrived. Self-publishing became easier. I did some research before jumping in, but I published Lyon's Legacy in 2011 and haven't looked back. It hasn't been a quick path to success, but it's gumption-building to take charge of my books instead of hoping to approach the right publisher at the right time. I think what's been key for me (besides being stubborn by nature) is being willing to move onto new projects and try different things. I've had to adjust my writing goals since I first started, but hopefully they're more realistic--and obtainable--now. Besides, writing has always been a vital way for me to find meaning and an escape from everyday life. If I gave up writing, I would lose a core part of myself.

What would you say to someone who wants to quit writing? Feel free to share in the comments.

Publishing 2017

One of my favorite Billy Joel songs is "Miami 2017 (Seen the Lights Go Down on Broadway)." Written in 1976 and released on the Turnstiles album, this song reflects some of the issues going on in New York City at the time. Billy Joel considers this a science fiction song. I've been lucky enough to hear him perform this song in concert. (If you're not familiar with this song, you can watch a video of it here.)

Now that we're in 2017, I thought it would be fun to share with you my parody lyrics to this song. These are inspired by actual news stories about independent publishing, though some of them are a few years old by now. I've linked to what stories I could find and even changed a line when I couldn't find enough evidence to support it. Ultimately, though, this was a lyric rewrite I did for the challenge and my own personal enjoyment.

I’ve seen the lights go out at Borders,

I saw the big publishers laid low,

But books went on without Manhattan.

We all joined KDP

And left there long ago.

They held a debate out in New York

To say the Zon wasn’t our friend.

They said our books were swill,

Our rankings they did kill,

But this revolt will never end.

I've seen the lights go out at Borders
I saw the ruins at my feet
You know we almost didn't notice it
Cause Kindle Countdowns make indie books so cheap.
They took an ad out in the paper
To spark an author civil war.
The flames were everywhere
But readers didn’t care.
They had more choice than before.

I've seen the lights go out at Borders.
I've watched the smaller houses fall
Thanks to Data Guy and Hugh Howey
The newbies went on strike
They never subbed at all.

They sent a blog post out from Kris Rusch
To switch the midlist over for free.
They said the hybrids could stay,
They blew the suits away,
And sank the pundits out at sea

You know those lights were bright at Borders
That was so many years ago
Now B&N lost so much shelf space
That indie publishing’s the safest way to go.
There are not many who remember;
They say a handful still survive
To tell the world about
The way the lights went out
And keep storytelling alive.

 

How Long Does It Take to Write/Publish a Book?

It occurred to me recently that it might be helpful--at least for readers who aren't authors or involved with publishing--to outline my process for going from a story idea to a finished book. This process is most certainly different for authors working with publishers, since they're not involved with the actual publishing.

1. Preplanning--Once I get the initial idea for a story, I typically let it incubate for a while to develop it. I may need to come up with several different ideas to develop the plot or characters. I may even write notes on how I expect the plot to proceed or my initial character concepts. There may be research involved at this stage too. Time for this stage varies.

2. Writing--When I feel ready, I start the rough draft. Although I try to write a thousand words a day, I often don't reach that goal due to other demands (both writing-related and non-writing related) on my time. Sometimes I have to split my time between two writing projects, or sometimes I need to catch up on my blog or do other things. The rough draft for a novel can take several months; for example, I'm on the climax of Summon the Seasons. I started that back in April, so it will take about 6-7 months for the rough draft (currently about 80,000 words and expected to go for another 10,000-20,000).

3. Resting--In order to revise the rough draft with fresh eyes, I set it aside for a month or so while I work on other projects.

4. 1st Read-Through--I upload the file to my Kindle and read it through, taking notes. This usually takes a couple of days.

5. Outline--Sometimes at this stage I create a rough outline of the scenes to see how the story develops overall. This helps me determine if I need to add or move scenes. Again, this only take a few days.

6. Revise--There's no fixed length of time for revising the story; it depends on how extensive the changes are.

7. Review--Once I finish the second draft, I might feel ready to get feedback on it. Depending how how busy my beta readers are, it could take four to six weeks.

8. Formatting--If necessary, I prepare the document for CreateSpace while I'm waiting for comments. This may only take a few days, depending on if I used a template or not.

9. Cover Design--At this stage, I also contact my cover artist. Time for cover creation can vary, but it's usually only a couple of weeks.

10. Upload--By this point, even if I don't have final edits done yet, I can prepare the book for preorder on Amazon and Draft2Digital. All I need is the rough draft, the e-book cover, the blurb, and the rest of the metadata. I can accomplish this step in a single night. I make sure to pick a publication date that at least two months away so I have time to make the final edits.

11. Paper Proof--Once I'm sure of the final page length and get the full cover, I can upload the paper version to Createspace. (Some preliminary information can be filled out before this step.) Even though I've created several books by this point and am familiar with the process, it usually takes me several tries to get the document tweaked enough to make it approvable by CreateSpace. This may take a few evenings before I'm able to order the proof, which typically takes another ten days or so to arrive.

12. Proof Review--This is where I'm currently at for Fifth Season. It will take me about a week or so to go through it and mark everything I want to change. I catch a lot of typos and layout issues, but in addition, I may also do some last-minute sentence revisions. By this stage, most of the changes will be minor. However, I'm still glad I can make as many changes as I do without upsetting another publisher!

13. Final upload and approval--Amazon requires a final version of the book ten days before the official publication date. Sometimes after I order the initial paper proof, I get a second one to check layout and formatting. If not, then I scrutinize the electronic proof before approving it. Once that's done, Createspace starts distributing it.

14. Promotion--I have to decide if I'll run ads, offer giveaways, go on a blog tour, or perform other promotion. If possible, I set this up before publication or for shortly after the eBook goes live.


So, that's what I do--beside work, chores, and raise my son, of course. The whole process can take at least a year, so books I draft this year won't be ready until next year. I think I can manage that with Summon the Seasons, but the next series is still in the preplanning stage and may take longer. We'll see how it goes and adapt accordingly.

If you're a writer, how long does it take you to get your manuscript ready? If you're not, does this process surprise you? Let me know in the comments.

What Labels Do Books Need?

Yesterday, The Atlantic posted an interesting article about "The Underrated, Universal Appeal of Science Fiction. The article suggests that the way we use "genre" as both a way to categorize a book's subject and a way to distinguish some books from general fiction may cause us to devalue works in popular genres like mystery, romance, and speculative fiction. General fiction becomes regarded as literature, while genre books are considered fluffy and escapist. I personally think this is an artificial distinction, as genre books can be serious too. However, as both a writer and a reader, I do like having a way to separate books with things I like (magic, science, alternate realities) from books that focus on reality and have no sense of wonder. Therefore, the labels of "science fiction" and "fantasy" do have use for me, and I'm sure fans of other genres feel the same way about their favorite books.

However, I'm now left to wonder how useful the literature label still is. Some stories that are considered classics today were very popular in their own times and might have been considered genre works once. Since self-publishing allows authors to avoid the publisher gatekeepers, any type of work can be published without getting "approved" by "authorities." That means readers will have to find other ways to pick the books they read. Some might rely on reviews or personal recommendations, while others will trust their own judgment. But when everyone brings different preferences and requirements to the same book, it will be difficult, if not impossible, to agree on what is worth reading (or calling "literature") and what isn't. Is this a problem? It might be for teachers, but for readers, more choices are better than less.

What's your opinion on the literature vs. genre debate? What, if anything, separates literature from other books? Let me know in the comments.

The Indie Life: The Pace of Self-Publishing

Please don't forget I'm still jousting at M. Pax's blog this week. Cheer me on up to three times a day using the phrases "Lady of the Lab," "Lyon's Legacy," or "Tosspot" for a chance to win an eBook from me!

This month's issue of Indie Life was inspired by a post called "New Rule: No More Binge Publishing!" You can read the original post here and some excerpts on Passive Voice. It's very interesting to see how the comments differ on the two sites: commenters are more supportive on Libby's blog than on the Passive Voice blog.

Is there a limit as to how much one should publish each year? What is the ideal number of stories one should publish, and does the length of the story matter? I for one don't think there's a hard-and-fast rule for this. Someone who has a backlog of stories, whether unpublished or with rights reverted, might be able to publish them more quickly than someone starting from scratch. Also, the more time you have to write, the more quickly (in theory) you should be able to finish, edit, and prepare the stories for publication. However, novels will probably take longer than short stories. The ideal and realistic number of published stories each year is going to vary from author to author.

So far, self-publishing seems to favor authors who can write quickly and publish rapidly. Since every work promotes all the other stories by making you more visible, this is a good strategy. I think even when the self-publishing industry matures a little more, the advantage will still lie with the prolific authors. However, it's also an industry that looks to the long-term. No matter what happens to the current distributors, there will be other ways of getting your books in front of readers. Since these stories will be around for a long time, it's best to make sure they're as good as you can make them at the time of publication. Even though your skills will improve with practice, you can learn more by finishing several stories instead of revising the same one over and over. Ultimately, each author will have to figure out for herself how quickly she can write and publish well.

Personally, I originally planned to publish six works this year. I did publish three early in the year, but the other projects I've been working on have turned out to be longer and more complex than I thought they'd be. Sure, it's frustrating that they're taking so long, but I think they'll turn out to be better stories for it. I'll know when they're ready to share with the world, and I hope my readers will agree. I also hope as my son gets older, I'll be able to find more writing time, since it's currently very limited. In the long run, I'd like to plan a writing/publishing schedule every year so readers know when to expect the next book in a series, though of course real life has a way of trumping plans.

Check out the linky below for other Indie Life posts:

Lyon's Legacy Has Something to B.R.A.G. About....

My science fiction novella, Lyon's Legacy, was picked this week by the Book Readers Appreciation Group, (or B.R.A.G.), as one of their honored books. You can see it here. According to their website, this group recognizes "quality on the part of authors who self-publish both print and digital books."

If you've written or read a book that you think should be honored, you can nominate it here.

Talk About It Tuesday

Normally, on the third Tuesday of the month (hard to believe it's already mid-July, isn't it?), I discuss the latest Blog Chain topic. However, as of 9:20 CDT on Monday, no topic has been posted. Apparently our topic picker (I don't want to feel like I'm putting her on the spot) either forgot about it or got too busy. If we do get a topic, I may have to wait until Thursday to discuss it.

Anyway, since I have an open spot on the blog, let's see if there are any writing/publishing topics people want to discuss. Want to talk about Random Penguin Publishing, or JK Rowling's newest book? Do you have questions about self-publishing or writing craft? Please post them below, and I'll answer your comments as my schedule permits.

The Indie Life: Stuck in Kobo Limbo

I self-published Twinned Universes in March of this year. Since I want to make my work available in as many formats as possible, I prepared a paper version as well as an eBook (and an audio version will be available very soon; I'm currently in the final review stage). I also distribute the eBook to all the major sellers, like Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Smashwords for the other retailers. Unfortunately, Twinned Universes isn't available on Kobo, which is a shame, since this is the first book I've tried to directly publish through them instead of through Smashwords.

I'm not sure why Twinned Universes is stuck in the publishing process at Kobo. I didn't encounter any issues when I went through the various publishing steps on Kobo Writing Life in March. (I reviewed everything last night, and everything is checked off.) It's possible there may have been some conflict between Kobo and Smashwords. (I may have had Smashwords at one point set to distribute the book to Kobo at the same time as it was supposed to be published on Kobo's website. I think I even played with the settings a couple of times to see if it made a difference. However, currently I am opted out of using Smashwords to distribute to Kobo.)

I've been so busy with many other things that I haven't had the chance to seek support from Kobo until last month. Their response (sent on 5/22) was essentially to make sure Smashwords wasn't distributing the book to Kobo and then publish the book through Kobo. This didn't fix the problem, but they sent me an e-mail on 6/2 telling me since they hadn't heard back from me, they changed the status of my troubleshooting ticket to "pending solved." I wrote back to them telling them I'd gone through the procedure they'd suggested, but it didn't work. From what I can tell, there's no way for me to remove the book from their system. I therefore asked Kobo to delete my account so I could push the book through Smashwords. They then told me they could forward the book to their publishing team so they could take care of the problem; otherwise if I confirmed my e-mail address, they could delete my account.

I thought about it for a while, then decided to give them one more chance and asked them to publish my book. I sent my response on 6/4 but got no response. I had to double-check my account settings before realizing it could be due to me sending the e-mail from a different address than the one they had on file for me. Accordingly, I updated my e-mail address and contacted them again. I even told them I was going to blog about this problem on Wednesday and hoped we could report it resolved. This time I received an apology and a reassurance that the Kobo team was working on the problem and my book would be available soon. As of Tuesday evening, Twinned Universes is still stuck in Kobo Limbo.

I think if there's no change by next Monday, it'll be time to pull the account with Kobo. Honestly, even if Kobo does get my book published before then, I'll be very reluctant to publish directly through them in the future. I hate to do it, but it may be simplest to just use Kobo as a retailer, not a publisher. If the problem really is due to a conflict with Smashwords (remember, this is just a hypothesis; it's not proven yet), then the systems need a way to identify this issue for the authors and to check when the conflict has been removed. In the meantime, I apologize to any Kobo users who would like to read my book; I'll have to refer you to Smashwords to sideload the correct format.

Have any of you Indies had similar experiences with Kobo or other publishers? If so, were you able to have the problem resolved? What has your experience been with Kobo?

The Indie Life--Short Stories and Collections

If it's the second Wednesday of the month, it's time for another Indie Life discussion.

One of the great things about self-publishing and eBooks is that you can publish stories of any length. I was able to keep Lyon's Legacy at novella length instead of padding it out to a novel (although some reviewers have mentioned they wished it was longer, I feel the story says what it needs to say). Although there have always been markets for short stories in speculative fiction, I like being able to write them without worrying about finding a market for them. Short stories can also help flesh out series. My Catalyst Chronicles series has a short story between Lyon's Legacy and Twinned Universes, and I plan to write another one (though it might be a novella) set between Twinned Universes and Catalyst in the Crucible.

At some point, I plan to assemble my short stories into a collection. This will be a better value to my readers and also allow me to put them out in paper. My main concern right now is how many stories to include. I was originally planning to wait until I have thirteen stories out and put them into a single collection, but now I'm debating on putting out smaller collections. Story length will be a factor; another possibility might be doing some themed collections (for example, a collection of my SF or Catalyst Chronicles stories, another collection of stories set in my fantasy world of Challen, and another collection of miscellaneous fantasy stories.) 

If anyone else has put out a collection, how did you decide the number of short stories to include? Were they all previously published, or did you include a bonus story?

For more Indie Life, check out the links below:

Indie Life: The Second Time Around

The Indelibles recently started a monthly feature called Indie Life, running the second Wednesday of every month. Even though I'm already part of a blog ring, a blog chain, and a group blog, I couldn't resist adding this feature too. After all, "being indie doesn't have to mean going it alone."

If you've been following this blog for a while, then you may know that I self-published my first novella, Lyon's Legacy, back in October 2011. Since then, I've also self-published four short stories while I revised Twinned Universes, the sequel to Lyon's Legacy.  I'm currently in the final stages of preparing Twinned Universes for release next month. Here are some things I'm doing differently the second time around:

Announcing a release date in advance. Last time, I didn't know how long it would take me to format the story and publish it, so I didn't pick a date in advance. Now that I (in theory) know what I'm doing, I decided to pick a date. Since my main character is pure Irish, as is the man he's cloned from, I decided to go with Saint Patrick's Day, March 17, and see if I can get a little "luck of the Irish." Turns out that's a Sunday, but I since may need to do some last-minute adjustments before hitting the "Publish" buttons, that should work out for me. At this point, I don't know if I'll be rushing to make that deadline or waiting impatiently for the date.

Formatting for CreateSpace first.  I first published Lyon's Legacy in eBook format; I didn't know about CreateSpace at the time and didn't get a paper version of my book out until 2012. Now I'm formatting the paper book before I work on the eBook version. Both versions should be available by the release date.  I figure if I want to tweak wording to avoid widows and orphans in the paper version, then I should do that first and base the eBook on the paper book. I wish I could say formatting for CreateSpace was easier this time, but it still took me over a week to get an "issue-less" PDF. Alternating headers are so much simpler to manage without page numbers, which work better in the footer. I'll do the eBooks after I review the paper proof. What's your biggest issue with formatting, either for eBook or paper?

Adding the book to Goodreads in advance. I knew indie authors could add books when they're out, and I knew publishers could schedule book that aren't out yet, but I didn't know indie author could add unpublished books too. Once I had an IBSN for the paper version of Twinned Universes, I used that to add the book to Goodreads. I'll add other things, like the cover and eBook editions, when they're available. In the meantime, people can already add the book to their shelves.

Organizing a blog tour in advance. With my first book, I waited until it was out before asking people to interview me or review it. This time, I've already contacted a blog tour organizer, and soon I'll e-mail some bloggers who already said they would be willing to host me.



For other bloggers discussing the Indie Life, check out the linky:

More Thoughts on ChiCon 7--and What I Didn't Say

I promised I'd write more about ChiCon today. I still feel a bit of con withdrawal, which may be a sign I should start attending more of the local conventions.

I attended panels on designing fantasy animals/aliens, designing professional covers (which was less useful than I thought it would be), why fantasy dominates SF, climate change and society (which was more about dealing with climate change than the implications for society), space medicine, quantum physics and magical realism, medical myths and errors, committing series, pseudoscience, and realistic spacecraft. It sounds like a lot, but it was spread out over four days. I was also on panels about the future of food (a pretty lively discussion) and self-publishing (more about this one later). I read from Twinned Universes  at the BroadUniverse Rapid-Fire Reading.

While I was doing all of that, my husband and son spent the weekend bumming around downtown Chicago and wearing each other out. Alex has his own camera now, so I can reclaim mine.

One of the reasons we spent the weekend downtown was so I could participate in some of the nighttime activities. We were in the overflow hotel, so I didn't stay out too late. However, I did get to see the Masquerade on Saturday night and the Hugo Awards on Sunday. By "seeing the Hugo Awards," I mean I was in the same room, so far back I had to watch it on the screen. Hey, at least that wasn't interrupted for falsely perceived copyright violations. To the left is a picture of the Best in Show costume (I think it's the Lady of the Lake); more pictures are posted on my Facebook author page.

I wound up selling three paper copies of my book and a single sale of each of my digital works. This is another good reason why I should attend more local cons.

My final act of ChiCon 7 was participating in a self-publishing panel. Besides me, there was one other self-published author and two editors from small publishing houses. They were clearly there with an agenda to present themselves as "value-added" and to downplay the pros of self-publishing. The other author and I were united in taking career advice from Kristine Kathryn Rusch and Dean Wesley Smith. Meanwhile, the audience members (we filled the room; I wasn't expecting that on the last day of the con) wanted the nuts and bolts of self-publishing and promotion. I feel like I could have given them much more on that front. I also wish I'd told them more about the pros of self-publishing. I did manage to say that all authors are entrepreneurs, that our stories are our intellectual property, and that you really need IP lawyers, not agents, to handle contracts with publishers if you take that route. But there was so much more I could have said. I could have told them how knowing I had a home for every story inspires me to try new things and come up with fresh ideas. I could have said how I can finally lay some stories to rest instead of endlessly chasing perfection (because, of course, no publisher would ever touch a less-than-perfect book). I could have emphasized how it builds gumption to learn new skills and take charge of my writing career, to be active instead of passively sending out queries and waiting for rejection. Most of all, I could have said that when I first started attending conventions, they taught me "money flows to the author" as a way to avoid getting scammed. I now feel we need to update this for the 21st century; it should be "control flows to the author." I really wanted to use that line and am kicking myself now that I didn't use it in my closing statement.

At least I can say it here.

ChiCon Schedule

 This was supposed to post yesterday, but I was on a business trip and had some problems with the Internet connection at the hotel. Sorry for the delay.

When it comes to a convention like Chicon, I'm a very small fish in a very big pond. But even so, I'll still be on several panels next week. Here's my schedule:

Thursday, 8/30, 6:00-7:30 p.m. --The Future of Food

Friday, 8/31, 3:00--4:30 p.m.--Broad Universe Rapid-Fire Reading

Monday, 9/3,12:00--1:30 p.m.--Self Publishing- Why or Why Not?


I'll also be helping out at the BroadUniverse table, but I don't know when yet. I'll probably sign up for times at the convention after I've had a chance to agonize over the rest of the program.

New Fantasy Short Story Out--"Silver Rain"

Back in the spring, when we were getting the rain that we desperately need now, I saw rain and fog giving familiar places a strange new look. It inspired me with a story idea about a town transformed by rain. It took me a few months to finish it, get it reviewed, and revise it, since I've been mostly revising Twinned Universes, but I finally accomplished it. "Silver Rain" is now available as an e-book for $0.99 on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Smashwords. Here's the description:


Every spring, Marthe's town is covered with illusions by silver rain, but she's the only one who can't see them. When a handsome poet shares his verses with her, she learns to appreciate beauty. However, everyone else stares at her poet as if they know something she doesn't. What is truth and what is illusion, and will Marthe learn the difference between them before she loses her lover?

As an experiment, I also made the cover myself using a royalty-free photo from Dreamstime and GIMP. It was a lot harder than I thought it would be. Hopefully with more practice (and perhaps a class) I'll learn how to do more advanced stuff.


If you check out the story, I hope you'll enjoy it!

Celebrate INDIEpendence Day!

It's a double post day here on the blog! Even though Monday is my day for the Blog Ring of Power interviews, I wanted to get an early start on the holiday and help celebrate other independent authors. Yes, I'm part of the INDIE-pendence Day Blogfest hosted by The Indelibles. (Click the link to see all the participating blogs.) Today we're supposed to highlight great indie books, so I'm going to mention two I read this year: The 19 Dragons by SM Reine and the Wool Omnibus by Hugh Howey. 

The 19 Dragons is a blend of fantasy, steampunk, and mystery. I don't remember how I learned about this one, though it was probably through a blog. A Land with 19 pillars is home not just to people, but to nineteen dragons in human form. When someone renders the dragons mortal and starts killing them, the Land starts dying as well. Told as a series of vignettes, the story visits each dragon in turn, although a couple of the dragons reappear over and over. It was well-written in a poetic style and fast-paced. I enjoyed this unique story and unique voice.

I learned about Hugh Howey's Wool stories through The Passive Voice blog. The science-fiction saga began with a single short story; when reviewers demanded more, Howey wrote the sequels, successfully increasing the scope of the world and the stakes each time. In a future sterile world, humanity survives in an underground silo. Anyone expressing the wish to go out is exiled--a death sentence. The first story begins with a sheriff whose own wife was exiled; other characters are featured in later stories. Ultimately a young woman engineer becomes the focus of the series. I have to admit I was a little confused in the beginning, but once I understood the workings of this world, I was drawn in. The world-building is believable, as well as the characters. There are several surprising twists in the story, along with scenes where characters I cared about were put into jeopardy. The formatting and copy-editing of this story are of professional quality (and even better than some traditionally published e-books). I don't often give a book a full five-star rating, but I felt this one deserved it. The omnibus edition of Wool has five parts. There is a sixth book out, which I need to read once I clear a few more books out of my "To Read" collection.

If you're on Goodreads, you can find more books featured in this blogfest on this list. Go forth and celebrate the Fourth with an indie book!

BRoP Interview with Robert David MacNeil

 It may be the beginning of the work week, but it's the final leg of the Blog Ring of Power's interview with Robert MacNeil. Please visit Dean, Terri, Theresa, and Emily in that order for the first four parts of the interview. Let's finish up with some words of wisdom.

1. Tell us about your route to success – how/when did you decide to self-publish?  How did you handle the editing, proofreading, cover design, etc.

I think the biggest question facing authors today is, "Do I self-publish?"  When I wrote Iona Portal, I assumed the best way to publish fiction was to seek an agent and a publisher.  I even queried one agent.  But in the process I began to research the publishing industry. 

I found that the publishing industry today is sort of like the “horse and carriage” industry at the turn of the 20th century.  It's an industry with a long and glorious history, but it has passed a tipping point and will never be the same again.  And for the author, that's good news.

The traditional publishing industry has never been kind to authors.  An aspiring author can often spend a year or more just finding an agent.  I’ve talked to some who have spent several years, sending query after query, and still no agent.  Rejection slips pile up.  Some agents don’t even send rejection slips any more.  If they’re not interested, you never hear back from them.  You wait… and wait… and wait…

Assuming you finally get an agent, your agent then tries to sell your book to a publisher.  Then come edits and re-edits, and sometimes major re-writes.  The typical timeframe from a query to publication can be 2 ½ to 3 years.  But even then, success is not likely. The failure rate for first-time authors is about 90%. 

Why would any author choose to go that route?  Because, until recently, it was the only game in town. 

But in the last 5 years a major earthquake has struck the publishing world.  We've seen the rise of Amazon.com, print on demand, and most of all, the e-book revolution.   The whole paradigm has changed.

The key to success used to be getting your book prominently displayed in brick-and-mortar bookstores, and to do that, you needed a publisher.  That’s not even an issue anymore.   We’ve entered an era when the vast majority of books sold are sold online.  That means you don't have to go through an agent and publisher to get your book to the people.  Any author can now have his book for sale at the biggest "bookstore" in the world.  It will be there for as long as he wants, available to anyone who wants to buy it.

So the traditional route of getting an agent and a dead-tree publishing company is no longer the default option.  In fact, unless you are a celebrity, or you’re already a bestselling author, that route is probably not your best option.

So I decided to self-publish.  It wasn't easy, but I did my homework.  The crucial thing is figuring out what you can do yourself and what you have to pay to get done. 

I don't think any author should try to edit or proofread his own work.  You're too close to it, and won't spot your mistakes.  I usually have my books proofread by three or four people.  They're all experienced proofreaders, but they all tend to find a different set of mistakes.

The cover is another biggie.  Unless you have a lot of experience in graphics, you should NOT try to do your own cover. 

I am fully convinced Iona Portal could have done very well going the traditional route, but in the end, I'm very comfortable with my decision to self-publish.  Iona Portal has been out on Amazon Kindle for 8 months now.  For five of those months it's been in the "top-ten" of Amazon's best-rated science fiction books.  It's not a best seller yet, but it's moving closer. 

If I had gone the traditional publishing route, chances are very good I'd still be querying agents, and probably be a year or more away from publication.

2. What tools are must-haves for writers?

The crucial tools for a writer today are laptop with a long battery life and a fast internet connection.   I'd find it very hard to write a book without thesaurus.com and Google search.

3. Do you have any advice for other writers?

In the future I'd avoid trying to publish in all the markets.  I spent a lot of time publishing on Smashwords because of all the distribution channels, but found I couldn't really promote adequately on that many channels.  I've heard that a lot of people do very well on Smashwords, but I've been very disappointed in my sales there. 

My primary focus right now is Kindle.   Amazon has been amazing to work with, and are quick to respond to questions.

I've also loved publishing in paperback through Amazon's Createspace.    I've heard some writers debate whether it's worthwhile doing a paperback version in today's market, but Createspace makes producing a paperback easy, and I've found that they do sell well.  

Lots of people tell me they still like the feel of a real book in their hands.  And as much as I love my Kindle, if I'm going to the beach, I feel a lot more comfortable leaving a paperback book on my towel when I go in for a swim.

4. What do you feel is the key to your success?

My philosophy for success in writing is that you have to start by writing a good book, then you have to work really, really, REALLY hard to market it.  If you have a good book, market it well, and give it time, it will find an audience.

5. Do you have anything specific that you want to say to your readers?

My primary goal is to entertain.  If you're looking for great literature you probably want to read a different book.  I want Iona Portal to grab your attention in the first chapter, keep you on the edge of your seat, and leave you a little breathless at the end. 

But I also want my readers to know that some of the events in Iona Portal are based on true encounters, just shifted into a science fiction universe.  As Araton tells Erin Vanderberg, "You’ve seen a tiny sliver of what is true, but there’s a much larger reality beyond what you’ve known.”  That's true for all of us.  One of my favorite Steven King quotes is a line from The Gunslinger, "Go then, there are other worlds than these."  There really are other worlds out there.

6. What are your current / future project(s)?

My goal is to finish Iona Stronghold (book two of the Synaxis Chronicles) by the end of this year.  My working title for the third book in the trilogy is Iona Rising.

Author Bio

Robert David MacNeil is an author, wine-lover, and investigator of things supernatural.  Over the last twenty years he's traveled to 32 nations researching, writing, and teaching on angels, demons, and supernatural encounters.   His travels have taken him from the steppes of Mongolia to the jungles of Thailand, and from the Eskimo villages of Northwest Alaska to le fin del mundo, the "end of the world," at the tip of South America. 

Long a fan of science fiction and suspense thrillers, Robert also has a love for history–especially ancient Greece, Rome and medieval Europe.  He's particularly fascinated with Patrick, Columba, and the ancient Celts of Ireland and Scotland.  The Celtic monks had a special relationship with the angels.  They also loved beer and invented whiskey.  The Irish really did save civilization!

Robert and his wife, Linda, live near Dallas, Texas.  He has authored five non-fiction books under a different pen-name.  Iona Portal is his first novel.

Please let us know where your readers can stalk you:

Website:  http://ionaportal.com/

Blog:  http://ionaportal.com/blog/

Twitter:  @RDavidMacNeil

Amazon author page:  http://www.amazon.com/Robert-David-MacNeil/e/B0067NDEMA/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1

What format is your book(s) available in (print, e-book, audio book, etc.)?

Iona Portal is available in paperback and Kindle e-book at Amazon.com.  Amazon Prime members can read Iona Portal free on their Kindle

Find the Kindle version here:  http://www.amazon.com/Iona-Portal-Synaxis-Chronicles-ebook/dp/B005IA87WA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1313854512&sr=8-1

Find the Paperback version here:  http://www.amazon.com/Iona-Portal-Book-Synaxis-Chronicles/dp/1467992542/ref=tmm_pap_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1313854512&sr=8-1