Today I came across a blog article by one of my favorite bloggers, Carly Watters, the article was called “5 Things You Didn’t Know About Querying as a Debut Author” First and foremost, if you are a debut author looking to find an agent, check out that article. She makes 5 very excellent points!
In fact, what she said in that article really helped give me some perspective on agents. First, and I think this is the most important part, agents are individuals with individual tastes that are as varied as readers’ tastes. Keeping that in mind, chances are good there is an agent out there somewhere who would love to see and represent your work (and mine :D heheh.)
Image Source – Unknown
Second, agents aren’t “creatures of the night” or scary monsters. They really are people. More to the point, they do what they do because they love to read. Which means agents, good agents, want to read debut authors. They are excited about finding new talent to bring to the world, not just for everyone else’s enjoyment, but for their own as well.
However, another thought occurred to me as I read through Ms. Watters’s article: relief.
Relief that my choice to self-publish The Sword of Dragons means I don’t have to worry about refining my query letter or synopsis. I don’t have to wade through the vast sea of agents to find one whose interests may coincide with my story. Relief that I don’t have to hit that dreaded ‘send’ button when I query. Relief that I don’t have to get any more rejection letters.
Well, no more rejection letters for The Sword of Dragons. I do still want to one day go down the path of traditional publication for one of my works. Why? Because I want to see my book on bookshelves at Barnes and Noble or The Tattered Cover (it’s a Denver thing :) ) Right now, print-on-demand doesn’t really allow for that, nor do eBooks.
So there will still be query letters in my future, and, I hope (crossing my fingers) an agent :)
But I just have this incredible sense of relief that I no longer have to query for The Sword of Dragons. My writing future, this novel’s future, it’s in my hands.
I kinda like that :)
I do know that I have a ton of work ahead of me. I also recognize that I probably don’t even know the half of it. I’ve already put in more work than I anticipated just formatting the novel for createspace.com.
But it’ll be worth it in the end. Of that I am certain :)
Oh and I know I promised the abstract last week, but I had to be sure it would fit in the cover’s back page. Well it didn’t, so I have pared it down. If it fits in with the cover, this will be the first place I post the abstract, I promise!
So I have a ton of exciting news about The Sword of Dragons! No, it isn’t the release date…not yet. That will be coming very soon :)
A slew of ‘traditional’ fantasy novel covers (all from the same series) Image source – yardsales.lizndom.com
First and foremost, the cover for my first novel is in the works! I decided not to go the traditional fantasy artwork route. I don’t recall if I mentioned it before, but one day recently I stood in front of a large row of bookshelves full to the brim of Fantasy and Sci Fi novels, and I realized that all of those traditional, fantasy-style covers all blended in. Not a single one of them stood out amongst the others.
I don’t want that for The Sword of Dragons. I want mine to look unique, to stand out amongst the crowd. Having already been impressed by Graphic Design artist Christian Michael because of his work on my business card and his own novel covers, I decided to hire him. The first iteration of the cover he made for me is amazing!
Unfortunately I am not quite ready to show this off to you all, I intend to wait to reveal the cover until it is 100% finished. But it is looking pretty incredible already, Christian is an incredible designer!
Next, today I spent several hours working on the back-of-the-novel description of The Sword of Dragons (also known as the abstract.) Describing my stories in a succinct and interesting way has always been difficult for me, so this was a huge challenge. But I like what I have come up with, and so far so does everyone else.
Stay tuned over the next few days, because I intend to publicly post that abstract :)
I also rewrote the prologue. “What?? Again?!” yep, again. I was really unhappy with how it was, and I received some incredible feedback on it from a writer’s critique group a couple of months ago. But I decided it was un-salvageable, and wrote the prologue from scratch. That, too, has turned out very well :)
That leaves only two things left until I’m ready to prep the novel for publication: a finalized cover, and a rewritten or vastly improved chapter 1. I’m almost there!
Venues: Createspace, Amazon Kindle, and Nook Press
So far the big hitters I am going with for publication are Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing, Nook Press for the Barnes and Noble Nook, and createspace.com, which is Amazon’s print-on-demand publisher.
These venues will allow me to have the greatest distribution. Anyone with a Nook or Kindle, or the software for those eReaders on their PC’s or Macs, will be able to purchase and read The Sword of Dragons, plus anyone and everyone can order a hard copy from Amazon and their authorized distributors.
That in and of itself is potentially hundreds of thousands of fantasy readers!!! :D Of course, if there is enough demand for other venues (someone recently mentioned Apple’s iBook store. How many people here use that app?) I will happily release TSOD on those vendors.
I am sooo freaking excited about all of this! I’ve written for over 20 years, and now I am finally, finally making my dreams come true! Sure, you won’t be seeing The Sword of Dragons on bookstore shelves, not yet anyway….but this is a start. And I think it’ll be a good start.
Keep a close eye here, folks. Trust me, things are going to start moving fast, and The Sword of Dragons will be available for release before you know it :)
For the vast majority of writers out there, we struggle with balancing our lives with our writing. Writing can be an obsession, or at least it has been with me in the past. I recall in college being late on more than one assignment because instead of working on homework that night, I wrote a short story.
But now I’m finding myself in a different struggle: trying to get writing in around my increasingly busy life. Woh, I think I just heard a dozen people say “then you aren’t truly passionate about writing.” Anyone who’s known me for more than ten minutes knows that’s not the case.
I didn’t even realize it until today, but writing is so much a part of me now that when I go too long without writing something, I get a little bit cranky and irritable, but more than that, I get really distant. I retreat into my own head, and get distracted very easily. Hey look, a squirrel…
Image Source – animalswithlightsabers.tumblr.com
What was I saying? Oh yeah.
Unfortunately things have kind of come together all at once in my life, so when I finally decide to self-publish, things in my personal life will also be super busy. I’ve wanted to get more involved in the blogging community, I still do, but it feels like I never have time to do so, and any time I spend blogging is time spent away from writing.
Yet when I first started this blog, I absolutely fell in love with the community I found. I really enjoyed reading other people’s blog, commenting on their articles, chatting back and forth with them. I’d spend at least a couple hours a day doing so, and all of other writers out there were supportive and kind and really interesting people to chat with.
Then I moved, and changed jobs, and things just went super crazy for a while. I went 3 months without writing a blog article, and I fell out of contact with all of those amazing people.
At the end of December I picked up writing in my blog again, but I feel like I haven’t been able to give you all the attention I want to. I still try to follow my favorite blogs from before, such as Ivy Mosquito, who’s incredible energy is infused in every word of her blog. Or Forgotten Meadows, a blog with some of the most incredible poetry I’ve ever read. And “Coffee. Write. Repeat” a blog name after my own heart, heheh, and a talented up and coming writer.
I want to keep up with them, have those discussions in their comments, and more. I get so frustrated that I can’t, because there are so many great people out there to communicate with! And I’ve learned that being a part of that community is an important part of writing. Writers look out for each other, they help and advise each other, and encourage each other.
Career vs. Writing
Last summer I set out with the goal of being able to live off of writing within 2 years. About 9 months later, I’m not much closer to that goal, so a part of me wants to be disheartened. But I have continued to work, as much as time allows, towards that goal, and I’ve made good progress. I don’t feel disheartened at all, because regardless of whether or not I make it happen, the journey has been worth it. What I’ve learned about the industry, how much I’ve improved my writing and editing skills, and the people I’ve connected with, both online and in person.
However, I do realize and acknowledge that I may not make it to that goal. So that is why I continue to make my current career a priority as well. I’m an IT Engineer, and that means I need to constantly keep up with the latest technology, operating systems, and software.
That further takes away from my time to write stories and keep up with blogs. I’ve found it has become a huge balancing act, balancing my career, my life, and my writing.
In a way, I wish I could just drop the career aspect and make writing my full career, but that is just not something I can do…yet. But there is nothing wrong with that, and that is a realization I’ve only recently had and want to share with everyone: do what you can. Don’t expect to be able to do more, but don’t settle for less.
That realization came thanks to a friend’s recent article about pursuing dreams (Read the article by clicking here, she’s quite brilliant and makes some very excellent points!) So many people have dreams, but then never do anything about it.
So the best advice I can give anyone and everyone: pursue your dreams, but always have a backup in place. Not in anticipation of failure, but to help overcome set backs.
And those setbacks? Think of them as obstacles to overcome. Don’t let them kill your dreams. Keep going. Even if it means your dream takes years longer to realize than you want. Because if it is a worthy dream, it’ll be worth the wait, and worth the effort.
With the decision to self-publish The Sword of Dragons, only one real obstacle has presented itself: cover art.
I know I’ve mentioned this before, and my quest has taken a lot of interesting turns. I want the cover of my novel to be something that compels a potential buyer just to look at the cover. That’s the first half of the battle in attracting browsing readers.
Image Source – redrooart.com
I know I’ve mentioned Ruth Thompson before, but unfortunately I never received a response from her, so I decided to move on for now. While her artwork is incredible and I’ve always wanted her to create cover art for my novel, I feel I need to move forward for my novel.
I have found another potential cover artist, he has voiced interest and has gone so far as to work on example artwork to show me what he can do. (Plus I know he reads my blog, so that’s a bonus!) I haven’t made the decision to go with him yet, but he has the potential and I am going to continue to encourage him.
I’ve also begun to check out DeviantArt.com. After chatting with someone at work (I’ve mentioned him before, Wayne from VtW Productions) I realized that could be a potential source, and I’ve found some really impressive artists out there! I have not yet contacted any of them yet, that will be my next (frightening) step.
Beyond the Art – The Cover Layout and Print
There’s much more to a novel’s cover than just the artwork. You can have the greatest art in the world, but if the font is atrocious, or the layout on the title is clumsy or ugly…you can get some pretty unattractive, unprofessional results. And I don’t know about you, but if the layout looks like it was thrown together at the last second, I immediately doubt the quality of the written material.
I know, I know, “never judge a book by its cover.” That’s what everyone says. But frankly, just as you can tell a lot about a person by the clothes he or she wears, you can get a hint as to what to expect in a book based on a cover. Most times. Some covers lie, but that’s a whole other article altogether!
If you’re bored, adventerous, and none-too judgemental (be gentle!) you can see an example of how a good ‘cover’ and a bad ‘cover’ can make a difference by checking out my fan fiction website, http://www.stdragon.com/ Specifically, go into the Episodes section and go into Season 5. If you don’t want to go there to check it out, here’s one of the episode banners:Those were some of my first attempts at banner images for my series. Not too great, huh? Now go into Season 7. Much better, right? ….but still lacking.Then check out Season’s 1, 2, and 3. Those were done by a man who really knows graphic design and layout, Mike Conomy. It makes all the difference in the world!!My point with all of this is: I am not a professional graphic design artist. And that’s why I am going to hire someone to layout my cover. In fact, he is the same person who created my business card!
His name is Christian (Click here to see his website!), and I definitely think that, based on this card, he could do an amazing job on my novel. In fact, I know he can, he has shown me some of his own novels’ covers and they are absolutely incredible.
More incredible as that they don’t, strictly speaking, have cover art. They have logos, designs, compelling fonts, but nothing like what you’d see on the cover of Harry Potter, for instance.
Yet if I saw his novels’ covers in the store, I would want to pick up those novels and take a look.
For a first edition, especially after having seen what can be done even without art, I’m actually considering asking Christian to help design the logo I have in mind for The Sword of Dragons, and perhaps make the first-edition of the novel a simple, compelling cover without cover art (for a great example, here’s an image of the 1st Hunger Games novel cover!)
There are several advantages to this, but for me the greatest are two factors. First is price: I have not yet made any income from writing, so that means this is all out-of-pocket. Second, I could get the book out sooner for everyone to read! :)
Both reasons make this option highly appealing to me. And as I have become more and more conscious of other novels’ covers, I find that many successful novels keep it simple like this.
Would I love to have elaborate cover art depicting a scene from my novel? Heck yeah!! But perhaps for a first edition, what I really need is something that catches the reader’s attention just enough to get them to read the blurb, and then let my work speak for itself.
So I have a decision to make, a big one. Just like everything about this process, it kinda scares me, but it also excites me!!
It seems like it was once a staple in fantasy stories, or at the very least a cliche: the damsel in distress. Often the prisoner of some gruesome, horrifying monster or villain, the proverbial (and sometimes literal) knight in shining armor must rescue her, and often falls in love while doing so…
I can’t write women like that. Flat characters who are incapable of saving themselves, who need someone else to ensure their life and livelihood, who have no depth, no real personality. All of my short stories and novels I’ve written, up to and including The Sword of Dragons, have featured strong and self-reliant women.
Strong women are becoming much more common-place in fantasy stories. While I’ve not read A Song of Ice and Fire, I have heard that Martin writes female characters well, and there is a famous quote from him on this topic. When asked how he writes female characters so well, he replies, “You know, I’ve always considered women to be people.”
Image Source – Google Images
Hermione Granger (from Harry Potter,) Katniss Everdeen (from The Hunger Games,) Emma Swan (Once Upon a Time,) Merida (from Brave.) These are only a sample of complete, well written women in fantasy or sci-fi stories, and are some of the best characters I have ever encountered on screen or in books.
Another fact about these characters I like: they are not there for eye-candy. They are complete, 3 dimensional characters, with dreams, fears, and a place of their own in society.
Too often you see fantasy art depicting women (especially elves, for some reason) wearing skimpy ‘armor.’ Breastplates that only cover the breasts, maybe a shoulder pad, and a skimpy little chainmail thong that makes Leia’s slave outfit look conservative.
Image Source – harrypotter.wikia.com
While meant to attract men to the artwork, or video games, or movies, more often than not scantily-clad women are not well-developed, and will not stand the test of time. Maybe I’m wrong, but I think the name Hermione Granger will be remembered long after “random scantily-clad elf #3” will be.
That is why I made the women on Halarite, the central world in The Sword of Dragons, 100% equal to men. There is no limit placed on what they can or cannot do in society. It is neither a patriarchal nor a matriarchal society.
Oddly enough, I couldn’t find a word in the English language that describes such a society. The closest I could find was Egalitarian, but that is not an accurate description of Halarite. Egalitarian describes a society where all people are equal. On Halarite, Mages are usually more privileged than non-magical people. Oh but that is to be explored more in later novels. As Professor River Song once said, “Spoilers…”
The Women of TSOD
Since I will be publishing The Sword of Dragons later this year, I thought now would be a good time to post some character profiles. What better way than to start off with the prominent women of book 1 :)
Also, when I posted profiles of characters for Chronicles of the Sentinels, I included pictures of people who look similar to how I imagined the characters. I received a very positive response to that, so I’ve done so here again.
Image Source – Google Images
Sira Reinar:
Sira trained all of her life to become a member of the Warriors’ Guild. Her prowess as a Mage was evident from childhood, but she started at a disadvantage since neither of her parents were Warriors, so she entered as an outcast.
In The Sword of Dragons, Sira has become a respected leader in the Daruun Warriors’ Guild, her outcast status long-forgotten, overcome by her strength and leadership. She carries a white-dyed claymore that has been her signature weapon since the day she graduated from training.
Although she considers her loyalty to her friends one of her greatest attributes, it does sometimes land her into trouble. Never-the-less, it is that loyalty that ensures she is where she needs to be to help save her kingdom.
Image Source – geektyrant.com
Kailar Adanna:
Once a powerful member of the Warriors’ Guild, Kailar abandoned her position when she became convinced that the Guild had strayed from its original mission. Since then, she has sought a means to stop the Guild and to unite the four kingdoms under her banner.
Cunning, skilled, and possessing a keen intellect, she is a formidable opponent who will do whatever it takes to achieve her goals. However, she does not trust anyone, and will only work with others when absolutely necessary. Otherwise she spends her life completely alone, living in the wilderness, always on the move.
When she learns of the Sword of Dragons, she becomes obsessed with finding it, knowing it has the power to help her achieve all of her goals.
Image Source – wallpaperest.com
Elaria:
A Dareann Elf, Elaria is an explorer who wanders from one world to the next. She has an insatiable curiosity, but has learned to be cautious, and has an uncanny ability to hide herself. When necessary, she uses her two curved daggers to defend herself with great effect.
When she senses the growing power of the Sword of Dragons, she comes to Halarite to seek out the source. But when she approaches Kailar, the wayward Warrior uses her powers to manipulate Elaria into helping her.
Now she must overcome Kailar’s grip on her will, before she destroys Halarite’s only chance for peace.
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Thanks for reading everyone! I hope you enjoyed this glimpse into The Sword of Dragons :) Stick around, because there’s more to come!
I recently announced the exciting news that I intend to self-publish my first novel, The Sword of Dragons! Okay so that’s not news to long-time followers, but tonight, I’m debating about which mediums to publish through.
My initial thought was to only go for ePublication, and regardless I intend to pursue that route. The beauty of ePublication is that it is free up-front, it’ll cost me nothing to publish through Amazon, Nook, and Kobo, which I’ve discovered are the three big-hitters in ePublication.
However, I thought that a printed product was out of the question. For starters, seeking professional publication was proving fruitless. In fact that was what prompted this, I had become frustrated with my attempts to find an agent or editor, and decided to take my career’s future into my own hands.
Another avenue I considered was a type of service that was a hybrid between self-publishing and traditional. In such services, I would pay up-front the costs for a print run, and the company I paid would also assist with distribution to book stores and marketing. However, for a quality product and a comprehensive distribution, I was looking at many thousands of dollars that I don’t have laying around…
But recently, many people have begun pointing me to Print-on-Demand. I had of course heard of it, but I thought it was prohibitively expensive. I didn’t realize until tonight just how affordable it had become.
lulu.com
Granted, if I went PoD, a printed book would cost more than a traditionally-published paperback or hardcover, but…not by much. Initial research shows I’m looking at about $8/book production cost through lulu.com.
I still have much research to do, but I will say this: the idea is tantalizing. Why? Because I really, REALLY want to have a physical book to hold in my hands. That is a dream I would love to make come true.
There are other considerations as well. Specifically marketing opportunities. I can get booths at conventions and pay for several printed copies that I can then sell at the conventions. Plus it allows me to sign books, which I personally love getting books signed by writers, and am much more likely to buy a book if I can get an autograph.
Plus, there is the consideration of audience. If I only go ePub, I am automatically losing a significant audience of folks who don’t have, don’t want, or can’t afford to view eReaders and don’t want to read books on their laptops or PCs. I don’t want to hurt my chances at becoming a full-time writer by excluding a specific set of readers.
So, what do you all think? As readers, what do you want? Would you all prefer a hard-copy or and ePublished novel? Why?
Over 20 years ago, I had a brilliant idea: why not write my own Star Trek story? I could start a new series, make millions, and live off of writing.
Okay, so I was in 5th grade and didn’t know any better. But I wrote a Star Trek story any way. All of my classmates became characters in it. I even turned one classmate I had just had a big argument with into the villain. Until she read it and pleaded with me to not make her evil. So in the end, she becomes good again :)
And that was the very first story I wrote. I loved it, I love writing it, I loved letting my classmates read it, and getting their feedback! I still have the hard-copy, too, and I turn red in embarrassment every time I read it, heheh.
What I didn’t know at the time was that I had just ventured into something that, if it wasn’t already known as such back then, would one day be known as fan fiction.
Dun dun duuunnnn! That evil thing known as fan fiction! What so many professional writers and publishers turn their noses at and detest.
…Except it isn’t evil. At least, I don’t believe it is.
Writing that first story, that first fan fic, sparked within me a passion that burns stronger than ever over 20 years later. It opened up a whole new world to me. And it wasn’t my last foray into it either.
I’ve hinted at my fan fiction before, but I’ve been hesitant to really go into details here, for fear of legal reprisal down the road, should I ever make it big. But in reality, fan fiction isn’t looked down upon like it used to be, and big name companies, including Paramount, aren’t as anti-fan fic as they used to be.
Furthermore, fan fiction has a huge benefit that I think a lot of people overlook. I’ll explain in a bit.
Star Trek Dragon – 7 years, 70 stories
In 1999, while looking around this really cool thing called the internet (on dial-up!) I found a website called Star Trek The Adventures of Argus. I was shocked: Star Trek stories I could read online? For free? What is this…??
That was the first time I read the words “Fan Fiction.” I learned that it was fans, normal every day people like you and I, writing stories not for money, but for pure love of Star Trek, or any other number of franchises! In some cases, such as Argus, people were putting in countless hours and incredible efforts to create these websites and write these stories.
This was how my own fan fiction series, Star Trek Dragon, was born. I wanted to make my own mark. I wanted to tell my own Trek story. I didn’t care that I could never, ever make a single dime from it.
stdragon.com
However, there was more to it. By 1999, I knew more about how publishing worked, and how difficult it was for new writers to get into the industry. I also was very much aware that my own writing style was in dire need of polishing.
So STDragon became my test bed. It was where I could hone my skills, test out new ways of writing, and get feedback from readers. Readers who eventually became fans. Including fans who were never shy about telling me when something needed work, heheh.
For 7 years I wrote Star Trek Dragon, each ‘episode’ becoming longer, more detailed, and better written than the last. Each story building upon the previous, leading up to a finale that had my inbox overflowing with fan mail! …okay so that’s a bit of an exaggeration.
It had fulfilled it’s purpose. I finished Star Trek Dragon in 2006, and began writing what would eventually become the novel I am now preparing to publish, The Sword of Dragons. A novel that might never have been realized, or at least not be good enough to sell, had I not spent so much time and effort honing my skills.
Advice and Cautions
With all of that in mind, I now and forever will be a fan of fan fiction. It is an amazing tool, a great medium for content-hungry fans, and free advertisement for the franchises that spawned them.
So much so that I seriously hope someday people will write Fan Fictions about The Sword of Dragons or Chronicles of the Sentinels! I’ve even had the pleasure of already having fan fiction written about my stories: a follow-on series of Star Trek Dragon was started by an individual named Daniel Balding, called Star Trek Peacemaker!
peacemaker.stdragon.com
However, there are some pitfalls to be cautious of. First and foremost, there are legal considerations. Intellectual Copyright permits the owners of intellectual property to control content of and relating to their series. That means if an author or company tells a fan-fic writer to stop publicly posting and distributing their fan fiction, they have that right, regardless of whether or not everyone agrees with it.
On the plus side, writing and publicly posting fan fiction can be a real boon for aspiring writers! And I’m not just talking about the practice we get out of it. Whether you’ve realized it or not, you’re developing readership! You’re creating a name for yourself.
I hadn’t even thought of it that way until I talked to a guy today named Wayne, who runs a podcast on the website VtW Productions. He’s a pretty cool nerd, and he and I talked for a good long while about all of this today. He helped me realize that there’s no need to hold back, and to tell the world about my fan fiction :)
So no matter what you might hear, if you’re a fan fiction writer, or you want to become one, don’t be shy. It isn’t the evil taboo that some of the big names have claimed it to be. Yes, there are fan fics that are all about fulfilling someone’s…desires. But that is only a small percentage of fan fiction. There are a ton of quality fan fictions out there!
Remember that, and if you decide to write one, make it one that’s really worth reading. After all, this is your work, and that means it’s a representation of you :)
As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, I’ve decided to pursue self-publication for my high fantasy novel, The Sword of Dragons. While in and of itself exciting, it also means something else really cool: it is finally time to find an artist to create the cover art!
For me, this is both terrifying and incredibly awesome! I’ve never really given a cover title serious thought, as I was so focused on writing the book and then finding an agent or publisher. I had discussed basics of covers with some friends, but never did I really think about what the cover art would be like.
Now the moment is fast approaching, and it’s time for me to start thinking about it. And I’m coming up with a blank. Do I want an iconic scene from the novel depicted? Do I want something more abstract?
I’ve always heard the saying “Never judge a book by it’s cover” but the fact of the matter is that is always the first thing we see, even in ePublished bookstores. And in the land of marketing, you have to first catch the readers’ attention before you can actually entice them to read your product.
That is one reason I want the cover to stand out. I want people browsing Nook or Amazing to go “Woh!” and hone in on the cover. I want it to be something that stimulates their imagination from the very moment they see it, and compel them to see what the novel is about.
There are several iconic scenes from The Sword of Dragons that might do the trick, but the question becomes which one would be best? Is it when the hero, Cardin Kataar, finds the villain already holding the Sword of Dragons? Or when the villain assaults the ancient city of Archanon with an army of orcs and drakes? Or when the Star Dragons return?
With this question in mind, I intend to revisit some of these iconic scenes, to picture them in my head as I read them and see what emotion they evoke.
I have also begun the search for an artist. Since I am going the ePublication route, this will be my greatest up-front cost. I have a few in mind, but one in particular caught my attention over 4 years ago: Ruth Thompson.
I have a print of this painting hanging above my fire mantle :D
I first met her and saw her artwork at the Phoenix Renaissance festival in 2010, and knew then that her portrayal of dragons was perfect! She has a way of capturing their beauty and elegance that I’ve never seen before. So tonight, I sent her an email inquiring about commissioning cover art from her. Here’s hoping she has the time and is affordable! To see more of her artwork, check our her website, redrooart.com. Trust me, seeing them on your screen pales in comparison to seeing them in person!
In the mean time, I also intend to visit a bookstore this week and to browse the Fantasy section, focusing only on cover art. I know there are many styles out there, and I want to see which appeals to me most. I want to see which one feels right to me.
No, the title isn’t referring to time travel or Doctor Who (although I DO love that show :D ) In this case, I’m talking about the value I’ve learned in setting down a project for a while, and coming back to it with fresh eyes several weeks or even months later.
I’m sure a lot of writers have heard that before, I know I have, but recently I’ve discovered the true value in it. You see, back when I first started this blog, which was also when I first got the idea for Chronicles of the Sentinels, I set aside book 2 of The Sword of Dragons, Burning Skies. In fact my first blog post about Chronicles, here, was on June 14th, 2014.
Now I’m gearing up to write book 3 of the series, and to get myself motivated and back into the characters, I’ve gone back to re-read the first two novels. Little did I know how much work I would need to do on both of them, but especially book 2!
I’m only 80 pages in and the pages are covered in red ink! Why? Was I really such a horrible writer when I wrote and edited it at the beginning of 2014? Well, no, not exactly.
But for starters, having taken a step back, I’ve forgotten a lot of the ‘behind the scenes’ thoughts to each page, each character, each plot element. That means that when I read it now, I’m reading it more like any other reader would. And I’m finding the plot holes, and the sentences that don’t make sense.
That I believe is the true value in stepping away from your work as a writer, and perhaps in any artistic endeavor. You created the work, so you know what you intended it to be and to mean. But the reader doesn’t. The viewer of your art doesn’t. The audience of your music doesn’t.
So do yourself a favor and step back for a while. See your work as intended, through the eyes of an outside observer.
Never Stop Learning
I have also learned so, so much in the past seven months! In fact in taking stock of what I did in 2014, the second half was a year of incredible growth for me in writing.
Image Source – RMFW.org
The most important beginning for me was going to the Colorado Gold Writer’s Conference, for two reasons. First, I learned so much from the workshops and classes there!
Second, and I think this is the most important part: I started attending a writer’s critique group hosted by RMFW. And while I’ve only taken my own work to that group a couple of times, I’ve participated in as many of the meetings as I could. I’ve read other writers’ pages, critiqued them, and most importantly, heard others’ critiques.
So now, with all of that accumulated (and still accumulating) knowledge, I’m finding so many ways to improve book 2! When I’m done with it, I know it’ll be better than ever :)
I also realize that my journey in becoming a better writer has not ended and never, ever will. I’ve always believed that a person should never stop growing, never stop improving themselves. I want to make sure I always apply that philosophy to my writing, too. I can always outdo myself, all I have to do is try :)
The best part is that as long as I can do that, readers will always be able to expect each new story to be better than the last! :D
Yep, I’m back :) It’s been a long while, or that’s how it feels anyway. September was my last blog post, and a lot has happened in that time, some of which has made me reconsider the direction I’m going with my writing career.
Since I first started writing stories, I always wanted to pursue what is now called “traditional” publication. Essentially that is finding an agent or editor to represent me, to spend time and money on me and my stories, and help get my work out there to the mass market.
However, there is another avenue, one that I’ve been resistant to for a long time: self publication.
Some people still shudder when they hear that. And honestly, it still scares the hell out of me. Why? Time and money, and lots of it.
Granted the scene has changed a lot in recent years. It used to be that self-publication meant hiring a printing company, paying for every copy of your novel, and then distributing that novel to whomever was willing to sell it for you. It was expensive, risky, and making a living off of it was extremely difficult. I don’t know if this existed before the internet, but if it did, I can only imagine how difficult it was.
At least with the internet, writers could promote their work and have methods for readers to order a copy online. I know of at least one online comic book writer who uses this method, Scott Christian Sava of The Dreamland Chronicles. His comic is free to view online, but hard-copies can be purchased, and this has given him at least some modicum of success (and has helped him garner interest from Hollywood!)
However, today it has become much more common for writers to begin making a living from self-publication, but not through the old printed method. E-books have begun to take a real foot-hold in the market. I’ve seen varying numbers for the market share of eBooks, ranging from 20% to 40%. I’d more likely believe the 20%, but the point is, the market is growing.
This is why I have begun to consider pursuing eBook publication for my high fantasy series, The Sword of Dragons. For more information on the first and second novel in this series, check out the “My Novels” section of my blog.
Pros and Cons
I still have lots of research to do, but I’ve discovered that there are multiple pros and cons of eBook self-publication.
One thing I like about self-publication is that I am essentially in control of my writing career. My success, or failure, is almost entirely in my hands. I do not rely on an agent or a publisher to represent me. But there-in lies a con: that puts ALL of the work on me.
Agents and publishers do a lot for a writer. Granted our work never ceases on a book, but they are the ones in-the-know for the market, and know how to advise you on what to do, they have the contacts, and they give you your best chance at the widest distribution.
Another big, big pro for eBook publication: you don’t have to pay to get your novel published. Both Amazon and Barnes and Noble’s nookpress are completely free to use. If I wanted to, I could get my novel out there for publication in a couple of days. Plus neither vendor requires exclusivity, I can publish through both AND still get a hard-copy published some day.
However, it isn’t quite that easy. There is still the cost of finding and hiring someone to create cover-art for the novel. Granted I could make a very generic cover on my own, but I’ve found that even with eBooks, if the cover doesn’t catch a person’s eye, they are less likely to check out the book, let alone purchase it.
Another cost is advertising. I don’t know yet if Nookpress or Amazon include advertising on their websites for books published through them, but any and all marketing beyond that would be solely on my shoulders.
When it comes down to it, there is one big advantage: guaranteed publication. For all the cons, I get my name out there, I get my work out there for readers to see. There are no limited copies, it’s available, worldwide, for all to read. But can I make it as a writer via electronic means only?
The fact of the matter is there are examples out there of varying artists who either make it big, or at least get a really good start on the internet. Lindsey Stirling has been a huge inspiration for me this year, and she got her name out there thanks to youtube and collaborations with other musicians. The aforementioned Scott Christian Sava got his name out there thanks to the internet. And I see writers like C. Miller who has written quality work and has both hard-copy and eBooks available of her Reave series, and I’m inspired by her work.
So while there’s no guarantee, it is entirely possible. I recognize that it will eat up a ton of my time, and I’d basically have to split between my full-time ‘day-job’ and writing, at least in the beginning. The goal would be to eventually make writing my full-time job.
Decisions
I’ve gone over it again and again in my head, and I still am not sure. I’ve heard that if I fail to sell a book well online, it makes it more difficult for me to find an agent or publisher willing to invest in me. So of course, the what-if game keeps playing through my head.
I have a lot to think about. And I would greatly appreciate any and all feedback from all of you. Those who are writers, what are your experiences with self-publishing? Those who are readers, how often to you read eBooks? Anyone and everyone, your thoughts and opinions in this matter would be greatly appreciated. Please leave comments below :)
Thank you,
-Jon Wasik
Trials and triumphs of writing, finding an agent, and publication.
A Writer at Heart 