Releasing a book that you’ve just finished is remarkably similar to going on a blind date. You’ve prepared (hopefully, thoroughly), you don’t know what the result will be, but you hope like crazy that the result will be good and they’ll like you. Once you’ve gone through the work of writing for months, weeks, days, minutes, – who knows maybe even seconds are involved – and you’ve spell-checked, edited, proof-read until you’re blind, you’re more than ready to give the blasted thing to someone else to read.
Unfortunately, you still have to struggle with a cover. You can have that professionally created, do it yourself, or use the CreateSpace cover maker. I contract with a brilliant artist (credited in each of my books) for the artwork and then place the titles myself, resize the work and upload it to KDP and CreateSpace. After that step is complete, it just remains to upload the text (after struggling for an hour or so, trying to remember how to get OpenOffice to make the Kindle version’s Table of Contents live). Then you upload the text, but after it’s up, you realize that you have an illustration or two, so the entire package needs to be placed in a zip file and re-uploaded.
Next you have to wait for KDP to check the files and make them live. While you’re at it, you can upload the PDF to CreateSpace and then proof it online and order a paperback proof copy. They mail the proof copy out within 24 hours, but you’ll still have to wait until you receive it before you release the paperback version. At least I do. I like to read through it first.
Once the book shows up on Amazon, you find yourself checking the download reports far more frequently than is absolutely necessary. When there aren’t many initial downloads, you think, “Does anyone even notice that I typed my fingers off? Does anyone care?” Well, some may care, but most probably haven’t found the book. So that leads to additional effort in promotions.
The next step in the process is to start marketing like crazy. This is the step that makes me think that I must be crazy. There’s so much noise out there, it’s really hard to come through. Still, you hope that people will find some enjoyment from your work, if they can find it.
If this sounds chaotic, it’s probably just my unorganized working method speaking. At any rate, I’ve just released Volume Two of the Gaea Ascendant Series: Second Wave. This story is set four years after the events in The Time of The Cat. Many of the same characters appear along with some new and hopefully memorable ones, including a couple of other alien species. (Links to both titles are in the sidebar.)
Free Drawing Announcement
To promote the release and also to obtain some additional reviews, I’ve decided to offer a drawing for signed copies of both books.
Here’s the rules:
- Drawing will take place on February 28th, 2015. All entries must be complete by that time.
- There will be ten winners.
- Winners will receive paperback copies of both books, signed (as if my autograph could be valuable, but I’m going to sign them anyway.)
- Winners solemnly promise to place a review on the book’s Amazon Sales Page as soon as they complete reading them. (That’s the only catch – however, providing a review is not required, unless your conscience says it is.)
How to enter:
- Use this link to sign up: Entry Form
- Once you enter, you can enter again by simply Tweeting: “#ReadSecondWave Science Fiction adventure” Prior to the drawing, I’ll search that hash-tag and credit your additional entry.
- If you’d really like to win, you can review either or both books on Amazon and email me with your review name. I’ll award one entry per review.
The registration starts — Now!
Good Luck!
Namaste!
Eric
