Mona, Author at Mona Ingram

Those were the days

July 24, 2012 by Mona

One of the things I enjoy about story telling is rounding out the characters. For my current WIP, I was pondering a job for one of the characters, and started to think about the jobs I had when I was young.

My first experience at earning money was one summer when my sister and I were going to camp, and we were allowed to pick strawberries. We lived along a minor highway in Ontario, and sold them at the edge of the road. Twenty-five cents for a big basket of strawberries. We had lots of money to spend at the tuck shop that summer.

I worked in an ice cream factory for a while. We filled quart boxes with ice cream, but mostly we worked making single serving ice cream sundaes. One of us would put in the filling and the other would place the cup under the constantly flowing ice cream. Surprisingly enough, I still like ice cream.

One of my part-time jobs was working in a ladies’ wear store. Looking back, I can’t imagine I was much help to the customers, all of whom were women my mother’s age. The only real work I did was unpacking the new dresses and hanging them to be steamed free of wrinkles. I suspect the woman who owned the shop was just being generous, because I don’t think I contributed much.

Christmas season at the Hudson’s Bay should have been a jolly time, but I got stuck in the hardware department. I recall the look of horror on one man’s face when I said I would mix his paint. I wish I could remember how that turned out…talk about being miscast!

I worked in an insurance office one summer. The agent was out of the office a lot, and my job was mainly to answer the phones. It was the first and only time I had a giggling fit. I had answered the phone and for some reason (nerves perhaps) I couldn’t stop laughing. The person on the other end of the line was very kind, as was the man in charge of the office.

The major difference in getting a job those days was that we didn’t worry about getting a job, it was a matter of which job we would take. How times have changed.

What was your most memorable job?

“Mind your Ps and Qs”

July 17, 2012 by Mona

I’m like most writers – always wondering where words or terms came from. A relative in Ontario sent me the following and I thought I’d share…

The first couple to be shown in bed together on prime time TV was Fred and Wilma Flintstone

In the 1400’s a law was set forth in England that a man was allowed to beat his wife with a stick no thicker than his thumb. Hence we have ‘the rule of thumb’

Many years ago in Scotland , a new game was invented.
It was ruled ‘Gentlemen Only….Ladies Forbidden’.. .
And thus, the word GOLF entered into the English language.

Coca-Cola was originally green.

It is impossible to lick your elbow.

The first novel ever written on a typewriter: Tom Sawyer.

Each king in a deck of playing cards represents a great king from history:
Spades – King David
Hearts – Charlemagne
Clubs -Alexander, the Great
Diamonds – Julius Caesar

111,111,111 x
111,111,111 = 12,345,678,987, 654,321

Q. What is the only food that doesn’t spoil?
A. Honey

If a statue in the park of a person on a horse has both front legs in the air, the person died in battle.
If the horse has one front leg in the air, the person died because of wounds received in battle.
If the horse has all four legs on the ground, the person died of natural causes.

In English pubs, ale is ordered by pints and quarts….
So in old England , when customers got unruly, the bartender would yell at them ‘Mind your pints and quarts, and settle
down. It’s where we get the phrase: ‘mind your P’s and Q’s’

Many years ago in England , pub frequenters had a whistle baked into the rim, or handle, of their ceramic cups. When they needed a refill, they used the whistle to get some service. …’Wet your whistle’ is the phrase inspired by this practice.

Q. If you were to spell out numbers, how far would you have to go until you would find the letter ‘A’?
A. One thousand

Q. What do bulletproof vests, fire escapes, windshield wipers and laser printers have in common?
A. All were invented by women.

In Shakespeare’s time, mattresses were secured on bed frames by ropes.
When you pulled on the ropes, the mattress tightened, making the bed firmer to sleep on.
Hence the phrase…’Goodnight , sleep tight’

It was the accepted practice in Babylon 4,000 years ago that for a month after the wedding, the bride’s father would supply his son-in-law with all the mead he could drink. Mead is a honey beer and because their calendar was lunar based, this period was called the honey month, which we know today as the honeymoon.

Hope you enjoyed…and stop trying to lick your elbow!!

Thanks for the memories…

July 12, 2012 by Mona

Andy Griffith died this past week. It’s difficult to think of him without a smile. That classic scene that played every week with Andy, Opie and their fishing poles. Who can hear that music and not remember the wonderful characters, and the simple story lines that almost always made us laugh. Remembering Andy got me thinking about the various celebrities who came into the Empress Hotel while I worked there, much earlier in my career.

Andy Griffith was one of them. At that time the entrance to the hotel was off to the side facing the Museum. Andy wandered in there one day and asked the head porter if he would arrange a taxi to take him around on a sightseeing tour. He was alone, and while he waited for a car and driver he wandered around the lobby, looking at the interior; quiet and undemanding. After he left for his tour we wondered if we’d dreamed his presence.

We always knew when John Wayne was there, of course. Now there was a larger-than-life presence. Wayne owned a converted minesweeper in which he often came up the coast to go fishing. There was a particular shop in the lobby of the Empress, the Hand Loom, where he liked to shop. The minesweeper would be anchored in the harbour and he would row the short distance to the docks, often alone, and would stride up the sidewalk on those long legs and walk up the steps leading into the lobby. It was almost more fun watching the tourists fumbling for their cameras that it was watching him.

George H.W. Bush came to the Empress when he was Vice President. What a kerfluffle! Not as bad as when the Queen would come, but almost. Secret Service men everywhere, their cold eyes watching everyone. Manhole covers bolted down, post Office boxes removed…it was like being under siege.

Bob Hope was a regular guest at the hotel. An ardent golfer, he played with the Hotel Manager at one of the exclusive golf courses overlooking the ocean. In the evenings, he liked to go to the movies. He’d walk out the employees’ entrance and wander up to the six-theatre complex a few blocks away, where the manager would meet him and take him in the back way. He was always discreetly accompanied by a driver, but he preferred to walk. He always left a token of his appreciation with the Hotel Manager, the last of which was a set of Manhattan glasses with a gold cartoon design showing him in profile, an exaggerated ski-slope nose, and the words “Thanks for the Memory”.

James Garner came to the hotel while shooting a movie entitled The Glitter Dome. As I recall, they used the sub-basement to build a series of wooden vats, in which bean sprouts were being cultivated. Something like that; it was messy and smelly, that’s all I recall. Mr. Garner was handsome and charming to everyone he met. A true gentleman.

Famous Canadian ballerina Karen Kain stayed often. I saw very little of her, but I do recall that as her fame grew, she didn’t change a bit. She still came down for her own mail, chatted with the front office staff and was generally one of the sweetest ‘celebrity’ guests we had.

One morning I arrived at work just as the night audit staff was leaving. Early morning was the best time to get a feel for check-ins and check-outs. This was before the days of computer controlled reservations, and it was best to be prepared. On this particular morning I was trying to concentrate but it was difficult. A man kept walking back and forth in front of the front desk area, singing. I can still hear him. He was singing “I write the songs”, a Barry Manilow tune. He was doing a good job, too, but it was making it difficult for me to concentrate. A few minutes later, the cashier came over to me to authorize a cheque; evidently the man was checking out. It was Gordon Macrae. I had grown up on Oklahoma and Carousel and here I’d been ignoring a private concert by one of my early heroes. By the way, he had beautiful penmanship.

Thank you Andy Griffith for bringing back these memories.

How Do You Find Inspiration?

July 5, 2012 by Mona

I was a normal teenager. There were no iTunes then, but we were glued to the radio listening to the latest songs. My friend Carole loved country music. I didn’t quite get it. Hank Williams, Charlie Pride and the rest of them didn’t appeal to me.

Back then they either didn’t know their tractor was sexy or they were too embarrassed to sing about it, but that’s another story.

I’ve always liked to read; an eclectic assortment, if memory serves. So it surprises me that I didn’t realize that some great love stories were told in those songs. Nowadays when I hear country on the car radio I listen. I listen for those gems of phrasing, those ideas that inspire me to write new stories, or take an existing one to a new level.

Oh…and the current crop of singers aren’t hard to look at, either. Now that’s inspiration!

Happy Independence Day

July 4, 2012 by Mona

Need something to read on your Kindle today?
Fallen Angel will be free July 4 & 5.
Here’s the link: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B006GEQ1AC

And here’s the story line:

Laura MacLeod doesn’t need an intervention to know she’s in trouble. A paediatric nurse on an oncology ward, she has seen her share of suffering. But when tragedy touches her personally, she falls apart and accepts help in the form of pain killers. She becomes rapidly addicted, and her downward spiral is humiliating as well as life-changing. Fresh from rehab, she travels to the Okanagan Valley, where she has agreed to perform menial work at a winery for several months. F-18 fighter pilot Bradley Jamieson has witnessed the horrors of war in Afghanistan, resulting in the loss of his ability to speak. Weary from the aftermath of war, he accepts his friend’s invitation to visit his winery. Unable to understand how a beautiful woman like Laura could throw away her life by taking drugs, he is determined to avoid her. But the more he sees of this gentle woman, the more he’s attracted to her. The summer sun isn’t the only thing generating heat in the valley. Laura and Bradley battle their their growing attraction for one another while fighting their inner demons. Can these two troubled souls find the peace they desire, or will reality bring them crashing back down to earth?

Wish Me Luck!

July 2, 2012 by Mona

My book Full Circle is now a semifinalist for the Kindle Book Review’s “Best Indie Books of 2012” in Romance category. It’s a lovely book – I feel as though the characters should be proud of themselves!

Something new…

June 30, 2012 by Mona

I enjoy designing covers. The act of creating a new cover is a gift to myself…generally when I’m almost finished with a new book.

Recently I started re-assessing all my covers, and decided regretfully that one should be replaced. I say regretfully, because it’s the first one I did, and it was fairly involved. The helicopters were flying the other way in the image I purchased, and I had to cut some out. I then had to figure out how to extend the cover vertically by using bands of colour at the top and bottom. That was biting off quite a bit for someone who had never used the program before.

But I write romance, and although visually interesting, this cover didn’t exactly shout romance.

The new cover will go live on Amazon in the next 24 hours. There’s a scene like this in the book, which makes it evocative for me, and I hope for you, the reader. Let me know if you think I did the right thing. I’d love to hear your opinion.

On Writing

June 28, 2012 by Mona

Are you tired of how-to books that share insider secrets about writing the next best-seller? Me too.

On Writing is a different kind of book. It’s by Stephen King. Yes, that Stephen King. I know this book well, as in the early stages of my writing career I made it a point to read it every time I got a rejection. I still read it when I need inspiration, or a laugh.

Yes, a laugh. Stephen King is a funny guy. But more importantly, he talks about the writing process, entertaining us hugely along the way. He doesn’t tell us how to write, but shares with us his background, which explains a lot when you consider where he is today.

I have a favorite passage in the book, where he talks about putting your manuscript away after you finish the first draft.

“How long you let your book rest–sort of like bread dough between kneading–is entirely up to you, but I think it should be a minimum of six weeks. During this time your manuscript will be safely shut away in a desk drawer, aging and (one hopes) mellowing. Your thoughts will turn to it frequently, and you’ll likely be tempted a dozen times or more to take it out, if only to re-read some passage that seems particularly fine in your memory, something you’d like to go back to so you can re-experience what a really excellent writer you are.”

Not only funny, but true. I also like the passage about his wife being his beta reader, but I think you should read that for yourself.

If you want a fresh take on writing, get this book. It’s been out there for a while and it gets better every time I read it.

Nora Ephron Died Today

June 27, 2012 by Mona

I didn’t know Nora Ephron, but I wish I had. She had the ability to laugh at herself, and I liked that. She was also one of only a few modern writers able to say in words precisely what we were all thinking, and yet I suspect that she offended almost no-one.

We all have our favorite Nora Ephron movies, our favorite Nora Ephron quotes. The pain of her early death will always be with her family but my hope for them is that in time they can look back on her best lines and laugh with the rest of us.

In the meantime, thank you Nora for sharing your humour, your neuroses, and especially your writing. You will be missed.

“Above all, be the heroine of your life, not the victim.” – Nora Ephron

Boxers or Briefs?

June 24, 2012 by Mona

Got your attention, didn’t I?

I was thinking ahead to my next book, but then I’m always doing that. I usually know what the female character is going to be like; I find them much easier. This next book is no exception.

But I don’t feel that I ‘know’ the male romantic interest. He’s eluding me. I know his age, and where he works, but I’m having a difficult time cozying up to him.

Some authors create detailed descriptions of their characters. They know family history, where they went to school, what type of food they like, favourite sports team … literally everything. Some authors interview their characters; some even know what’s in their wallet.

I admire that type of preparation, and I’ve tried parts of it a couple of times. But somewhere in the process I recalled that I literally fell in love with someone the first time I saw him. The first time our eyes met. Corny huh? But true…so true. I knew nothing about him at that point, other than the fact that he had the bluest eyes I’d ever seen. I think it would be safe to say that the air sizzled between us when we met. Other things sizzled too, but that was much later.

Question to self: Is it absolutely necessary to know everything about the ‘hero’ before I start on my next project? Maybe I’ll cut myself some slack on this one and get to know him the way I did with Jack…one delightful discovery at a time.

I’m looking forward to it.

Mona Ingram

https://www.amazon.com/author/monaingram.com

Paying It Forward Part Two

June 20, 2012 by Mona

This is part two of what I’ve learned about Independent Publishing (so far).

Formatting

Formatting is not as difficult as some people would have you believe. At this stage of the process, your head is swirling with new information and it might seem daunting, but it isn’t. If you absolutely can’t wrap your head around it, or choose to do something else with your time, you can pay someone to format it for you. But you should at least know which pitfalls to avoid so that formatting can proceed smoothly.

Smashwords has an excellent formatting manual. Even if you don’t use them as your distributor, you would be well served to print it out. Those of us with simple ‘text’ books won’t need a lot of the content, but Smashwords owner Mark Coker has some shortcuts and How To explanations about using Word that are extremely helpful. Don’t be daunted by the size of the manual; pick out what you need.

Amazon’s instructions are simple as well. They appear to have been written by someone who knows we don’t all speak computerese. Very refreshing. It’s a rapidly evolving business however, so check every once in a while to see if they’ve changed their requirements.

Here are the main things I do with respect to formatting:

Before I start typing my manuscript, I define my font, and paragraph settings. If you need help I recommend that you print out the relevant pages on Amazon or Smashwords.

Please don’t try to Justify your text. There are too many instances where it looks terrible, such as when you’ve used a long word, or a hyphenated word, creating a long word. Justified text is also especially troublesome for people who like to read in larger point sizes.

I also define the way I want my Chapter Headings to look. To do this I choose either Heading 1 or Heading 2 on those white boxes in Styles. Right Click, and choose Modify. Name your heading (I call it Chapter Head…how original), and then do the formatting. Everybody is different. I choose Times Roman Bold Italic, 16 Pt, Centered, Color Black, and then I fiddle with the two little boxes under the color box to determine space above the Chapter Heading and the space below it. When you like the way yours looks, click OK. When it comes time to use it, just highlight the words (Chapter One) and click on the white box that you’ve called Chapter Head. Eh voila, your chapter heads will be consistent.

The Smashwords manual also recommends that you define Centered, by using the little angled arrow underneath Change Styles. Frankly, I haven’t found this to be necessary, but you could check it out in their manual. They’re the experts.

I believe that one of these days in the not too distant future, Amazon will require TOC (Table of Content) in all books. It’s just a hunch I have. As at this writing it’s still not mandatory but I think I should learn soon. Amazon’s formatting section offers links to a website showing how to set up TOC.

I also keep a document file as a reminder of the way I want my title page to look. Name of book, by, and my name in appropriate sizes and spacing. I also have the standard disclaimer, which I copied from somewhere. Choose one that sounds right for you.

In that same file I also keep the words I use after the book. Links to my other books, my blog, my website, my Author Central Page…all that good stuff. That way I don’t forget anything. This is also a good spot for an excerpt from one of your other books. Just remember to update your file when you add books, or other scintillating information about yourself.

Before you get into formatting, read the Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing pages. There is a list of what they cover on the left-hand side. Looks daunting, but it really isn’t, because they are well written. Spend some time studying them. You’ll be glad you did.

Amazon accepts a variety of formats. I save as Web Page, Filtered, then use the Mobi Pocket Creator (free program) to convert it for publishing. Amazon does not require this, but when you use the Mobi Pocket you can preview for yourself how it looks and I believe that it uploads faster to Amazon. The first time I did the Mobi Pocket thing, it took me a while to figure out that my book (prc format) was now in a folder called My Publications. That is where you will go when you upload it to Amazon – My Publications, and click on the little book icon. The instructions are on the screen as you proceed. They are quick and simple. Really!

Cover Art

Your cover art is critical. Without a good cover, it’s unlikely that anyone will click on your book, let alone buy it. My theory is that when it comes to cover art, less is more. Remember, it’s going to be reduced to thumbnail size. Details will disappear. Don’t try to send a subtle message with your cover. I suppose you could do that, but you won’t sell any books. Don’t use a font that’s difficult to read. I guess that just about covers the “don’t”s.

Some authors absolutely know what they want on their covers. They’ve studied the other books out there, seen which ones are at the top of the popularity lists, and they have the skills (and the graphics programs) to create their own covers. Even then, they sometimes make mistakes. I certainly have, and I have a graphics background.

I think my best advice would be not to mislead the customer. I designed a cover once with an embracing nude couple. No jiggly bits showing, but it was obvious that they were nude. There was a scene like that in the book. The book didn’t sell as well as I thought it should, and when I changed the cover to a serene vineyard vista, it started to sell well. Potential readers had thought it was erotica.

Chick lit books often have cartoonish covers. Books with more sensuality have embracing couples. Sweet romances have…well…sweet covers. Having said that, there are no hard and fast rules. But be prepared to change your cover if it doesn’t work…even if you’ve had it designed by a professional. The pros are only as good as the input you give them. There are dozens and dozens available online, and they all show their work, so if you don’t want to do your own cover, choose one you can afford. You can expect to pay from $30 to $300 and far beyond that. Ask around and get a reference, and don’t wait until your manuscript is finished.

By the way, if you find that you need to change your cover, you would be well advised to change your Product Description to indicate that it’s a new cover. Why have customers think that you’re trying to fool them with a new cover? Because that is what they’ll think. Then they’ll get a refund, plus complain to Amazon. Who needs that?

Your Blurb

How long did it take you to write your book? Don’t tell me, I might get jealous, but I’m assuming it took anywhere from 2-3 weeks to 2-3 years. You spent a lot of time and effort on it, so give it the respect it deserves and write a good blurb.

Your blurb is right up there beside your cover in the importance stakes. You don’t want to misrepresent the story, but you also don’t want to tell the entire story in the blurb. You want to pique the reader’s interest so that he’ll “Look Inside” or download a sample. If possible, keep your sentences short and crisp. Ask a question designed to involve him in the story. Polish it and polish it again. The blurb is your lure, and you catch more fish if it’s a tasty one.

ISBN

It’s an excellent idea to apply for, and assign an ISBN to your work. You can be doing the necessary paperwork for this before you’ve finished your book. Include the ISBN info when you download to Amazon, and your book will show up in Goodreads. That’s a good thing.

Uploading Your Book

You will have set up an account for yourself, which allows you to go to your Bookshelf.

Uploading a book is exciting, and relatively painless. Before you start, I would recommend that you check out the first page in the “Add new title” section. You don’t want to be making these decisions on the spot.

Before you upload your book you will have decided whether or not you are going to enroll your book in KDP Select. This is your personal choice.

The main section you want to study is Categories. Open Fiction and then the sub-categories and explore them. If, after a couple of months you think you may have made a mistake, you can always go back and change the categories.

Do give some advance thought to the keywords (tags). You are permitted seven. They will make your book searchable, and will show up on the book’s sales page. Once your book shows up, many authors recommend adding more tags on your book page until you have max’d out the tagging section with fifteen tags. This prevents other people from coming along and adding tags that don’t make sense.

With respect to uploading in general, Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing has excellent instructions. Study them. I can’t add any insight beyond what they tell you.

On the second page you will indicate rights and pricing. This you will already have decided. Check the little box at the bottom of the page and complete. You can follow your book’s progress as it goes through Review and Publishing, to Live. Congratulations.

Pricing

How to price your books? Here again, ask ten authors and you’ll get ten different responses. I personally think it has everything to do with competition. This is a business; something a lot of us tend to forget. It also has to do with pride in one’s work. I dislike the idea of 99 cent books unless they’re only a few pages long. I would also like to charge more for my novels and perhaps one day that will come to pass. It’s an evolving business.

The sweet spot currently seems to be $2.99, however many independent authors do very well at $3.99, $4.99 and higher. How much is a latte at your favourite beanery? I rest my case.

What will you do with all those short stories you’ve been writing? You could combine them as an anthology. If they’re already written, it doesn’t take much to try.

Promotion

This is a huge topic. It’s also hugely important.

Do you need to promote your book? Yes. How much, is up to you. This is a business, remember?

I have a website. I have an Author Page on Amazon. I recently started this blog (it’s fun and I like it), I have an author page on Facebook, I have a Twitter account, and I have an author page on Goodreads. Sound like a lot? It is…probably too much, now that I list them all.

There are literally hundreds of self-help books telling you how and where to promote your self-published books. A whole industry has grown up around this phenomenon. There is also a plethora (did I really use that word?) of information on-line. Try that first; people want to share their experience.

I can only say that if I had to give up one thing, it would be Twitter. I love Twitter, but I’m not sure how many actual readers I’m reaching. Secondly I might give up Goodreads. This is a massive and very important site, but frankly I find it difficult to navigate. If you do create a page on Goodreads, take the time to read their section on Author Promotions first. You can set up a special page for yourself as an author.

Does facebook annoy me? Yes, but I wouldn’t want to give it up. I visit sites relating to romance readers and romance authors. I enjoy hearing what people are reading. It’s a great way to connect with readers. Not always one-on-one, but I listen to what they’re saying.

I also like my website and my blog. Why? Because I want readers to know who I am, as apart from the person who wrote the book they just read.

The Author Central feature on Amazon is, simply, good business as well. Why would you not list your books, talk about them, post reviews? It’s a no-brainer. Do it.

Keep in mind that if you choose five separate sites to promote yourself, that’s five separate sites you have to re-visit every time you add a book, or change information on one. I try to do those things after my creativity has dried up for the day.

Free Book Giveaways as Promotion

Many authors give away one of their books as a means to get their name ‘out there’. It works, but you need more than one book of course. Sorry if that’s obvious, but I had to say it. Then there are the free promotional days offered by Amazon as part of the KDP Select program. I read a fascinating article on Squidoo recently on how to manage your free Amazon campaign. Read it for yourself here. I saved it for reference and future consideration.

Paid Advertising

I’ve tried paid advertising. Twice for free book giveaways, and twice to promote a new book. My results were mixed, but it was an experiment. I will try paid advertising again. The ‘best’ sites are sometimes booked up a year in advance. Ouch!

Time Management

Closely related to promotion, because promotion can eat into your time. Ideally, you should set aside a specific amount of time each day for promotion, reading and answering e-mails, etc. If you don’t, you will either drown in it, or you won’t get any new writing done. Remember, I said ideally. The reality will vary.

Lastly, Let’s Talk About Reviews

It’s all in the numbers. The more readers you get, the more reviews you’re likely to get.

Let’s face it, you will get some nasty reviews. Some authors say you shouldn’t read reviews; they will only upset you. I disagree.

What do I do after I read a harsh review? After I have a hissy fit, I calm down and read it again. Can I learn anything from it? Hard as this is to admit, the answer is generally yes. A reader will often point out something that my editor and I missed completely. I don’t rush right out to change it, but the next chance I get, I fix it. Simply re-upload the new version right over the old one on your Bookshelf page.

There are some reviews that are off the wall. You can generally spot these right away, and readers will recognize them too. But read them; they won’t hurt you. Then to go several best-selling authors’ books and read the 1- and 2-star reviews. See? You’re not alone.

Whatever you do, do not respond to bad reviews. Bite your tongue on that clever reply and go walk around the block. Vacuum the kids’ bedroom, but don’t reply. You will regret it, and it could come back to bite you. Don’t do it.

I Need To Say This Again

A flowery, uplifting ending would be great, but you’ll have to get that from someone else.

If you are considering writing, formatting, uploading your first book to Amazon or other platform, please ensure that it is your very best work. You need honest, experienced people to tell you if your book is any good, and to point out your errors. Listen to them, and fix what’s wrong in your book. Then upload it and hopefully it will fly.

I wish you all the best.

Mona Ingram

https://www.amazon.com/author/monaingram.com

Paying It Forward

June 14, 2012 by Mona

Paying It Forward:

What I’ve Learned About Independent E-Publishing (So Far)

It’s one year since I put my first book up on Amazon.com, and it seems right that I should share what I’ve learned. Why? Because I had help and encouragement from other authors, and now it’s my turn to pay it forward.

Writers are the most generous group of people I’ve run across in my professional career. Where else will you find people in the same line of work who willingly offer their time and expertise to help others succeed?

A lot has been written about Independent Publishing since Amazon set up their KDP platform. KDP stands for Kindle Direct Publishing, and when you step into that arena, you truly are independent.

Why do you want to be independently published?

Ask a group of authors to give ten reasons why they “went indie” and you’ll get a wide variety of responses. But most agree on several things.

Hurry up and wait. In the ‘old days’, if you went by the rules (as set out by the publishers), you sent your manuscript to only one publisher at a time. It wasn’t unusual to wait a year, eighteen months, or even two years for a response – even from a publisher with whom you’d worked before. If they rejected your manuscript, often for reasons unspecified, you had to start all over again with your next choice of publisher.

Then there are publishers’ guidelines. Necessary. I understand that. Publishers have developed their markets, and want to serve them. But writing a predetermined number of words, and including a specified level of sensuality (I write romance), even tailoring the actions and dialogue of the character to meet said guidelines tends to take the creativity out of the process.

Maybe you want to go indie so you can get rich. Come on, don’t tell me you’re not interested in money. It takes a lot of time and effort to write a book and the truth is, some publishers, both traditional and e-publishers, don’t pay very well. To make things worse, publishers are now expecting you to promote your own books. Some authors complain that they’re doing more work for the same, or less money. What’s up with that?

Speaking of money, we’ve all heard about wildly successful authors who have self-published in e-format. I salute them. Would I want to be one? Sure! But that’s not likely, and you shouldn’t expect to become one of them either. Having said that, write every book like it’s going to be the next big thing…because it just might be.

Still With Me? Okay Then, Where Do You Start?

I’m not going to tell you how to write. You already know that, right? Right? If not, then you should learn. Take a creative writing class, or if they’re not available in your area, read a lot of ‘How-To’ books.

I know a romance author who was educated, who read a lot, and who had a lot of good story ideas. She wrote her first book and sent it in. She waited for a response, envisioning the editors gathered around a conference table, salivating over her amazing story, debating about how much of an advance they should offer. In those days you got a letter back. Not a form letter, either. A real letter with a few words about the manuscript. When she got her first rejection letter she pouted for a day or so and then got back to work. The next one would sell, she knew it!

It took five years for me to figure out that I didn’t know what I was doing, and that I’d better learn. A few years after that, I sold my first two books to the same publisher at the same time.

Before you start writing, learn about formatting. It can save you a lot of hassle later. I learned a lot from the Smashwords formatting manual, which I will mention again below.

Know Your Genre

I ‘know’ some authors on various writing boards who write more than one genre. I admire them for that, but I don’t think I could do it.

When it comes to romance for example, certain things are expected, even from an independent author. Yes, you can stretch the parameters, but you’d better give the reader a HEA ending! Happily Ever After.

Study best-selling authors and see what works in their stories. Read everything you can on the craft of writing, and then write your best story.

You’ve finished your book and you’re eager to get it ‘out there’. Not so fast.

Ideally, if you follow the advice of Stephen King in his excellent book On Writing you will put the manuscript aside for six weeks. When you come back to it, you’ll see it through fresh eyes. You’ll edit and polish and proclaim that it’s ready for publication.

Not just yet. Now is the time to send it to your Beta Reader. Choose someone who will tell you the truth. If you have doubts about any aspect of the book, point that out and ask them for their comments. Don’t waste your Beta Reader’s time if all you’re looking for is validation. Ask for a fair and honest critique. I see people on message boards who ask for opinions on their work and when another author takes the time to read what they’ve written and send comments back, the author argues against every point made. They don’t want to hear that their book could use some more work; they want to be told how wonderful it is. Don’t be one of those people.

At this stage, some authors send their books to an editor. That has to be your choice and it’s a difficult one. You have to balance the cost of an editor who in almost all cases will improve your book against putting out a not-so-great book and harming your reputation. Lack of funds might be the determining factor, but in any case, put out the very best book you can afford.

Speaking of Money, How Much Can You Expect to Make?

I don’t have the answer to this one. Go to the Community page in the Kindle Direct Publishing section of the Amazon website. Click on Voice of the Author/Publisher. There are some extremely helpful authors here. They’re supportive of each other, and talk often turns to how much they’re making. Don’t expect authors here to quote you dollars and cents on their latest sales, but you’ll get a good idea of the range, and it’s wide.

I read an article recently (I wish I’d kept a link) which stated that a high percentage of independently published authors earn less than $500 per year. I have no idea if that’s true, but it wouldn’t surprise me.

Where Will You Sell Your Book?

Let’s start with Amazon. At the present time, they have the largest share of the market so it makes sense to start with them.

You can publish with Amazon in two ways. Firstly, through KDP. Secondly, and this is also through KDP, you can choose to enrol your book in KDP Select. When you choose Select, you agree to sell your book exclusively through Amazon for a period of 90 days. If you choose not to extend to a second 90-day period, it’s a simple click of the mouse. Otherwise, your book will automatically be re-enrolled. The rules are straightforward and are spelled out on their site.

Why choose KDP Select? What’s in it for you? When you are enrolled in Select, Amazon Prime members can “Borrow” one book a month. If you’re lucky, it will be yours. The Prime fund can be a nice source of additional income for those with popular books.

Also with Select you can make each book Free for a maximum period of five days in each 90-day period. You can do five separate days, break it up to 2 days now and 3 days later, or run all five days at once. It’s up to you, and setting it up is simple.

You’ll find authors who love the free program and those who hate it. Those who love it say that it helps their future sales. Those who hate it say that with so many free books out there, Amazon is making it difficult for them to sell their titles.

I’m a Libra, and I can see both sides of the argument. You’ll have to choose for yourself.

Then there’s Smashwords. This company will act as a clearinghouse for your books, taking care of putting them up on B&N, Sony, iBooks, Kobo, etc. See their website for a complete list of vendors. They don’t distribute to Amazon. They take a small fee.

You can also upload your own books to Barnes & Noble, and other vendors. I’ve never tried to upload directly to iBooks, but I read on some sites that you have to upload from an Apple computer. You can check that out for yourself. Many writers upload directly to Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and let Smashwords handle the rest. Keep in mind however that when you want to make changes to your cover or your blurb or the price, you’ll have to go to each vendor, not to mention changing it everywhere else it’s listed.

One last thing about e-tailers. Try to keep up to date on the business aspect of things. Maybe find an e-zine that covers this segment of the market. When it comes to trends in e-publishing, there’s no such thing as too much information. You don’t want to be the last one on the bus…there might not be any seats left.

Keeping Track of Sales

Both Amazon and Smashwords offer online charts where you can check your sales. It’s not real-time, but very close. I always purchase my own work when it goes ‘live’ because it looks different on my Kindle, and I’ve noticed that the sale takes an hour or two to show up on my charts.

Do You Need More Than One Book to Start?

Ideally, yes. More books equal more opportunity for cross-promotion.

Let’s say you enrol your book in KDP Select because you want to offer it for free. If you have a lot of free downloads, which in the romance category means 20,000 and up, then two things happen. Your book will be positioned a little higher on the Amazon browsing pages. More visibility equals more sales. The extra sales will keep your book visible for a while but this higher position doesn’t last for long.

The second thing is that 20,000 people will eventually read your book and if you have other books, they might choose to buy those as well. So yes, more than one book is ideal. I’ve read that somewhere between 8-10 and up will give you a good start. I think most of us don’t have that many good books sitting around, but put up as many as you can. As I’m writing this at 1:00pm PST on Wednesday there are 485,599 books for sale on Amazon under Fiction. 80,897 are Romance, and of those, 26,270 are Contemporary Romance. That’s a lot of competition.

By the way, if you’re on a message board asking questions, or just interacting, use the correct terminology. Free downloads are just that…books you’ve given away for free. Sales are money.

Instant Gratification? Not Likely

When I started a year ago, I read a lot of blogs and articles from successful independent authors. Every one told me the same thing: be patient. It takes time. Assuming you have a good product, are willing to promote yourself, and have a good number of titles, you will find an audience and your sales will grow. But it doesn’t happen overnight.

In my next blog I will cover what I’ve learned about Formatting, Uploading, Covers, Blurbs, Promotion, Nasty Reviews and a lot of other stuff.