How to Switch Publishers

...or, Going Self-Pub

When my publisher went out of business, I had no choice in the matter. I had to find a home for my books.

Musa Publishing informed its authors on February 20th that it was closing its doors. On March 1, all publishing rights reverted to us. So now, what to do with my books?

Submit to another small publisher. I never seriously considered this venue. 

Small presses are great. Loved mine for example. But, since bad ones plague our business, research is paramount and I didn’t have the time. 

Besides, I was already half-way to self-publishing so why blindly look for another small press like a desperate petitioner.

Self-Publishing. I’d tested these waters with Out of Magic so I wasn't totally naive. Only 95%. Luckily, I had help in the form of KMDwebdesigns.com.  Kelly Shorten and Michael Mand were a part of the Musa team and we are all very familiar with our relative quirks. I highly, highly recommend their services.

I bought the cover photos and Kelly re-created them perfectly. KMD formatted the interior for print and e-book.

I had an account with KDP and Createspace. I named my publishing company Shamira Publishing and moved through the various decisions on size and marketing. I bought my own ISBN for print but let KDP chose the Kindle versions. For now, I’ll go with Amazon as my only format. I sold a dozen or so at B & N etc and wasn’t really impressed. Besides, Amazon has all formats available for Nook and Apple so why bother.

Wilder Mage and Mage Revealed are live, print and e-books, joining my first short story, Out of Magic in that self-pubbed goal. 

Amazon - Wilder Mage

Amazon - Mage Revealed

Nothing is permanent in this life. Especially computers and business ventures. 

But good friends are forever.

Plucking Nose Hairs

Or, ain't marketing fun.

I am not good at this stuff called marketing. Grandstanding is as foreign to me as sailing a boat on the ocean. And since I’ve never been on the ocean, that’s like saying vacationing on Mars is my next goal.

But here I am, writing books and waving my arms and yelling, hey! Look at me.

*sigh*

Today Wilder Mage goes on-sale for $1.99 at all markets, including Amazon. Out of Magic, the prequel to The Magic Withheld series is free. And if you like all of the above, Mage Revealed is beckoning you on with a decent price of $4.99.

So have at it. Check out my series, and I’ll blow out my cheeks knowing this round of tooting my own horn is done. For now.

 Oh, the agony an introvert goes through.

Advertising, Reviews, and Introverts

To summarize this post: I had no idea.

http://uncyclopedia.wikia.com/

Yelling at the top of my voice like a crazy woman, “Hey, look at me,” was about the furthest thing from my mind when I started writing six years ago. I knew it wouldn’t be easy becoming a published author, but holy cannoli, marketing was one heck of a surprise.

Thank Goodness, I’ve had help.

My first book, Wilder Mage, is going on sale at $1.99, for three days starting February 19 thru the 21st. Not its first sale but the first I've initiated.  

So how to get the information out there?

I hit a few places, bought a couple ads on Amazon. At the same time, the lead-in, Out of Magic, is free. As the prequel to the series, it was my foray into the world of self-pub.

My first stop on the road of Advertisement was to SciFiFantasyFreak also known as BettyBookFreak. (say that three times fast)

Run by a close friend of mine, this was my numero uno choice. Try this FREE site for cool books. I’ve bought and downloaded more than, ahem, I should have from Betty’s recommendations.

Other places like Bookbub and Fussy Librarian provide good but limit their services. Try 'em though. 

For a personal view of advertising, go to Matt Keith’s site, part I and II.

Review sites.

Yeah, I’ve pretty much given up on reviews for Wilder and for the sequel Mage Revealed. I’ve shipped it off to various sites and heard nothing back. 

Here are a selection for the brave or merely persistent.
Manic Readers
All Things Urban Fantasy

Begging is not one of my personality traits. Not that I don’t do it on occasion, but it doesn’t come naturally. Also, reminding readers to leave a review is a two-edged sword. Those one- and two-star reviews cause (sing along with me) gloom, despair, and agony on me. Deep dark depression excessive misery. 

Talk about the Pit of Despair. Especially the really mean ones filled with vitriol. My policy when reading a less-than-super book, aka three stars and up, is to remain quiet and not give reviews. I can’t help but think the nasty ones are not authors but wannabe literary experts.

Paying for reviews is not in my playbook, btw. I can’t do it. But dang, it sure is tempting. When I buy a book on the merits of the reviews and it turns into an excruciating journey, I am appalled.  I don’t see how they acquire the large number of reviews except by monetary means.

So what did you get from this post? That Wilder Mage is on sale? Gee whiz, I hope so.

Using Amazon as a Marketing Tool

...before they use you.

Kindle Unlimited—started in July and conceived by Amazon—is for die-hard readers. Participants pay a monthly fee of $9.99 and can read as many books as they want. The catch is, not all books are included in the program.

How does the program help authors?

Payout started in the $2.20 range but has dropped since to 1.43 in December. It had declined to approximately $1.33 until the last month's bump. 

Readership is up. The author can rake in new readers and get name recognition in that way. 

It is voluntary. No one is holding a gun to the authors’ head and insisting on their participation. I used it as a marketing tool for my prequel to The Magic Withheld series, Out of Magic, because the novelette was never intended as a money-maker. 

But the other books I've written...eh, I’m not so willing to do this.

Some are happy with KU. Others are not. Some are pulling out of KU due to a massive loss of sales. 

The problem? Too many books. Amazon tends to market for their own benefit. The company is geared for profits and getting that monthly $9.99 fee is gravy. The number of e-books especially self-published has exploded from 600,000 in 2010 to 3 million in 2014. Amazon has an endless supply of books. 

They don’t really need yours.

Depressing? I’ll say. But it is a fact that some writers fantasize so much about the words published author that they take a few short cuts and publish before crossing the molten lava of critique. Their books go into the caldron with authors who have gone through the fire, formatted correctly, polished their grammar. Kinda dilutes the mix in a way. Plus creates a skeptical public who notice poor writing.

Amazon highlights their Kindle Unlimited and that goes for the books in that program. Where does it leave those who don’t participate? Their sales show the same dip that KU authors report. 

The only way to combat the trend is to keep your name and brand in front of readers. Examples:

Author page on Amazon. Make a page. For Pete's sake, take the time to make a doggone page.

Social networks. Yep, Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter are becoming wall-to-wall ads. But get your name into them anyway. New books and authors have caught my eye more than once and I’ve bought a lot of books that way.

Connect the two. Set up your author page on Amazon with your social networking.

And for heaven’s sake, blog. Post occasionally and link that to your FB page and Amazon author page.

There are ways to use Amazon and service them as well as yourself. Don't let them call all the shots. 

Mage Revealed

Book Two of The Magic Withheld series

Struck with enough malevolent Spirit to turn him into a raving beast of a man, Bert Reese fights to remain human. Alone, he walks a slender path between sanity and madness. Then, an unlikely source enters his life to help—one of the now-hated mages.

But Ashleigh is different and calms his butchered senses. Her fierce nature is the only rock that stands between him and the crevasse that is beast. In all ways, she walks beside him toward a new beginning. But at the end of their journey lies the one who used Spirit against him. Questions arise; did Tiarra, head of the Imperium, lose her magic, die, or simply give way to the new order? Or, like a spider, does she wait for a mage to blunder into her web?

Forced on him without a care for his humanity, Bert is the mage who should not exist, born with a different kind of magic.  

And the gates of Hell are no match for the magic he wields.

* * * *

Release date, October 24th.

Download the prequel to Wilder Mage, Out of Magic FREE at Amazon.

Don't Buy It

Posting? Again? On Sunday?

Yep. Even though this is the day of rest for us A to Z participants, I am posting. 

I had to clue people in on a secret.

Don’t buy Out of Magic.

Yes. That’s right. Don’t buy the prequel to Wilder Mage.

Now why am I telling you not to buy this short story that opens with Sable discovering she's a mage?

Because this Saturday and Sunday it’s free at Amazon.

Don't spend your money. Wait for it to go on sale this Friday and Saturday.

How to join the Self-Pub Club

It is ridiculously easy, hitting the “save and publish” button at Amazon’s KDP site.

And there it is, in front of God and everyone. My first self-published event.

Out of Magic is the prequel to Wilder Mage, book one of The Magic Withheld series. 

The short story is about Sable, a young woman, who learns there is magic in the world. Finally, her life makes sense. She is a mage. And nothing good can come of it.

My series is about four main characters. Justus, the wilder mage, who fights against the one who would take his freedom. 

Sable, the adept, who holds the ability to do magic, but can’t use it. 

Bert, a young man in his first full bloom of adulthood. His saga is strangest of all. A human youth, in love with magic; until he gets in the middle of a battle between wizards.

Tiarra, head of the magical guild, holds all five elements. She wants all those with magical ability under her bonding collar. Her strength is mighty but underneath, she fights her own demons. Alone and silent.

I invite all to check out my short story. 

Reviews are desperately needed. 

First Drafts, Book Signings, and Pandora

What a journey last year was for me. 

My debut as Published Author, an excellent turnout for my book, Wilder Mage, and the continuation of the series. 

My prequel short story, Out of Magic detailing Sable's first brush with magic, is awaiting a cover.

I completed the First Draft of The Unlikely Mage (working title), book two of The Magic Withheld series. It is now in the hands of my treasured critique partners, Marcy Hatch, Charity Bradford, and L. Blankenship.

Its first outing occurred at UnicornBell, our writer’s realm of informational overload, where our followers critted the first 1400 words.

The third book of series is 1000 words into the first scene and chapter. And just to be contrary, my mind came up with the ending of the book when I was half-asleep. Evidently, that is one of the best times to develop a storyline. The other time is when I’m driving down the highway at sixty mph.

As if edits of the second book and writing the third wasn’t keeping me busy enough, I am promoting the first in the series as well with a book signing at the Mark Twain book club. The following week, I am the guest at the Maryville chapter of the Missouri Writers Guild meeting at NWMSU. The local paper asked for an interview also. Waiting on the date for that one.

Need musical inspiration for your novel? One word: Pandora. 

I had the free app for a quite a while. Then last year I signed up for the paid subscription and have been very pleased with my Nickelback, Daughtry, and Hinder stations. But it didn't occur to me until recently to enter Two Steps From Hell into the faves.

FreaKin’AmaZing.  

I have several albums from this group already. But selecting them as my favorite radio station gives me not only their strictly instrumental music but also groups such as ES Posthumous and Audiomachine, soundtracks from movies like Inception, Pirates of the Carribean, Lord of the Rings, Man of Steel, and Robin Hood. 

Included in this group is Lindsey Stirling, who is an amazing violinist. Her picture alone makes me love her music.

And gaming music! Love, love, love Halo, Assassin’s Creed, and Skyrim. The muse is fantastic.

If you don't care for the Pandora app, I highly recommend all the above groups for your battle scenes, drama, death, and romantic creations.

So when is your muse most active? And do you listen to music? Book signings, are they in your future?

Out of Magic, Released Today. 50 States of Pray Link is open

Released today.

Out of Magic
Magic can't fix a broken life. Just ask Sable.

Prequel to Wilder Mage, a stand-alone short story about Sable’s introduction to magic.

Sable Rounds has every basic need a seventeen-year-old girl could want. Shelter, food, and an education. She is safe. Clean. Provided for. Nothing is missing. Except parental affection.

Her parents’ attitude changes on the day she speaks to a whirlwind. And it answers. 

Now they pay attention to her. They were only waiting for her magic. And the end of their obligation to raise her.

Go to Musa Publishing for the free read.

Did I mention it's free?

**

Mark Koopman's 50 States of Pray is an event of devotion and inspiration. 

"On Dec. 24, 2013, take a moment, (and in about 100 words), share a prayer, a thought, a memory, a hope, a regret about the past and/or a wish for the future."

Follow the Linky List and sign up. Sounds like a wonderful event.

Out of Magic and 50 States of Pray. Quite a combination.