The Strange and Confusing Road to Getting Published Part 2 By Keri Kruspe

Let’s welcome back monthly columnist, Keri Kruspe as she shares with us “The Strange and Confusing Road to Getting Published Part 2.”  Enjoy!

***

I was really excited for my second session with Writing Coach, Beth Barany.

So much to ask…so little time! Okay…okay focus. Um, last time we went over my website. Got that done, but…I wanted to know what was next for me as an author getting ready to plunge into the world of publishing.

Well, first things first. You gotta know where you’ve been to know where you’re going. So let’s see what have I accomplished to have my trilogy published?

I hate to admit it, but I’m going to have to revise my initial wish of publishing all three books at the same time. The editing isn’t finished on the second and third books.

(Heck, no one but me has even seen the third book yet. I just finished my first run-through and I have to do it at least three more times before I send it to my beta readers).

The second book is with the copy-editor, and I won’t get that back until the beginning of October.

Hum…maybe I can launch them thirty days apart…

Having said that, what else have I done?

Website

For the website, I opened a new Facebook author account and a Twitter author account . I already had a Goodreads account, so I didn’t have to do anything different there. I tried to hook them up to the website myself…but got stuck. So I asked my “virtual assistant” for help and she’s going to take care of that for me. Whew!

Book Description/Author Bio

With the help from Beth’s Barany School of Fiction, I’ve already created my book description and author bio. Beth suggested I draft short versions of my bio and book blurb: 10 words, 25 words, and 50 words, for review in our next group coaching session. We’ll also review my keywords and categories.

Book Covers

The covers of my books are ready to go. I hired out for that (and got a discount of 15% due to requesting three at once.) I knew I couldn’t scrimp on two important things…editing and book covers. I’m thinking of having them available for print, but my designer asked me some questions that I had to ask Beth. (I always thought it was one size/color fits all…)

Cream or white paper? 5×8 or 5.85 or 6×9?

Beth said that white paper signals to the reader the book is nonfiction and cream is for the escape into fiction. Her recommendation is to go with cream and book size: 5×8 inches.

She also said, “KDP print will ask if you want a glossy or matte cover. A lot of nonfiction is glossy, whereas fiction is often matte.”

Publishing Name

I went ahead and created my company, StarChance Productions (StarChance is the name of the main space ship in my trilogy). I decided to start with a DBA (Doing Business As) for now. I’ll wait to incorporate later when my publishing life takes off. I don’t have a logo yet…something to work on.

Beth suggested I check with my cover designer, that she might be able to create something for me. She recommend I have the logo in color as well as black and white so I can have it in different formats.

Formatting

I’ve been confused about the whole formatting thing. I’ve seen some authors panic and some shrug like it’s not a big deal. And more importantly how long would it would take if I did the formatting myself?

Beth reminded me to check out her course in the school, “Self-Publishing E-Books for Indie Authors.” She said that the great thing about these companies [like Draft2Digital or KDP] is you can upload your book in a few hours (or less) and muck around all you want. She assured me that I could can see how the portals work without any damage to the book files.

What’s the best day to publish/launch?

Beth said:

“[It] depends on what your focus is. Are you trying to get a whole lot of sales or are you willing to let it build? To be honest, it really doesn’t matter. Pick a day you feel good about because that is the day you’re going to [work towards] having everything ready for. Everything on KDP or even Draft2Digital will stay as a draft until you hit that “publish” button.”

Pre-Launch

We dived deeper into the pre-launch idea.

Beth said that “a pre-launch for a first book doesn’t make sense. It’s hard for everyone to get excited about something they’ve never seen. Excitement won’t build until the second or third book. By then you’ll be able to do a successful pre-launch. This way, you’re working in beautiful, safe anonymity. Nobody is waiting, so you can move your deadline to whenever you want.”

Blockchain publishing intrigues me…

Beth shared that blockchain is different than the normal channels that people understand. No one is going to know what I’m talking about. She recommended I stick to the Indie thing first and then work my way into blockchain, since it will introduce my books to a different kind of audience.

Conclusions, Or The Adventure Never Ends

After our session, I realized I was missing something. All this information is great, but how does it fit into my overall strategy as a writer? What do I want my new career to look like? Am I in this for the long or the short term?

In our next session, I’d like to go over the pros and cons of each strategy: 1. First book priced and exclusive to Amazon –or- 2. First book priced and available everywhere –or 3. First book free and available everywhere. Hum…

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Keri Kruspe has been an author since the age of twelve and has always been fascinated with otherworldly stories that end in Happily Ever After. Her current works, An Alien Exchange trilogy will have its first release by Winter 2018. The trilogy conclusions — D’zia’s Dilemma and Ki’s Redemption — will soon follow by the first quarter of 2019.

As a native Nevadan, Keri now resides with her family in the wilds of Northwestern Michigan. An avid reader, Keri enjoys good wine, good food, and watching action/adventure movies. You can find her most days immersed in her fantasy world of writing or traveling with her hubby in their RV, discovering intelligent life here on Earth. Don’t forget to visit her website at www.kerikruspe.com. Leave your feedback and sign up for her newsletter!