Ok… Let’s get down to the discussion of money. Being a writer is far from cheap. You will not see a large check each month…not generally speaking… Most writers actually end up spending more money to put together their books than will be earned immediately.
Serena’s Rust, Gore, and the junkyard zombie… Cost me $250…twice. Two visits to the editor (I was neurotic)…editor rates are usually a price per word. Though some have a flat rate. On average for a full length novel count on spending anything from $200 to $1000. Shop around and find an editor that is not going to change your voice, but still going to do it right.
Another cost you should count on (unless you are able to do it yourself) is the cover. From what I have seen a decent cover can run you anywhere between $30-$500.
That does not count any costs after publishing. That will be another post. But this is the costs of self publishing.
I decided to offer links to a few calls for submissions today. This has been such a busy week with release day coming up for both Through the Sunshine & Poetic Reminders that I am afraid I have gotten very little else done.
then there is this list of 48 Writing Contests in June 2020
I know that this is a small post for me…but it is highly packed with possibility….If you enter let me know. I am curious as to whether anyone will see this.
Ok… I didn’t sleep well… And I have been so busy lately that I literally do not have any poetry to share… (I will be sharing a link to coffee house writers later)…
So, I was debating what to do on Mondays that are not good for poetry… Or when I don’t feel up to fighting with it… And I could not think of a exact topic or specific interest to delve into… I think that I will do a few different things. One is echoes from the void… That is where I will be letting the more philosophical content take over. Another is going to be Monday Money. It will be where I discuss both the costs and income of writing/art.
It feels like having 2 or 3 possible topics per day give me a good chance of keeping the blog active.
Hello my lovely readers. I don’t know if you missed me yesterday… I was terribly ill. My daughter had it (a stomach bug)… And apparently decided to share. So I spent yesterday in illness. Today I am doing much better, though I am still being careful with food.
This week has been a slow one for news. The preorder for Through The Sunshine and Poetic Reminders are still going. Fae Corps still has 2 anthologies that they are taking submissions for.
Now… Here’s something that I rarely do. I have many writers as friends on Facebook. I don’t promote Facebook off of there much… It just feels pushy most of the time. However… This is a story worth sharing. This is part of why I have gone almost completely to draft2digital. I only use my kdp account for when Amazon gets too picky and refuses something that I know should be publishable.
Hopefully this finds you all well. Tell me what is new in your world?
Hello, lovely readers! Today, my need for caffeine was strong, so I am enjoying coffee. Triple chocolate coffee with cinnamon creme creamer. That and the toothpicks propping my eyelids open might allow functionality.
So much news today. Two preorders… One for Poetic Reminders and one for Through the Sunshine. Upcoming events. What is being worked on now. And commentary about life at large.
So let’s start with talking about the preorders. Fae Corps is doing a party all through May. There is going to be a chance to get to know the authors in the anthology. Giveaways and just general fun. Go check it out and join us for the fun! I am not doing anything so big for Poetic Reminders…. However if I get comments on this blog post I will do a random drawing for a free ebook copy… So tell me something that makes you smile.
Coffee house writers anthology is moving right along. My submissions have been assigned to its first editor. They are going to assign three separate editors to catch all errors. That way you, the reader, get the best piece possible. With Fae Corps we have the authors read the manuscript after the final edits have been put together to make sure that there are no errors. That is often 10+ sets of eyes on the whole thing. That helps to insure quality. Quality is the best way to ensure the stories are showcased properly.
So, Serena is working currently on a short horror story for the Nightmare whispers anthology. I think that it is off to a good start. She is still working on The Kingdoms of Sin, but the short has a deadline. She is determined to get both done soon. I hear that she is hoping to release her book some time this year.
As for me… I have started a new poetry volume. The cover is above… I really love how it turned out. I still am working on heart drops, but as I don’t often write love poetry… I wanted a volume that could catch the other poems… The darker poems. I think that this volume suits that idea. I have the next Dylan book written, and am waiting for the illustrator. If I have time I want to finish Attack of Shoe Mountain. I have so much going on though that it may be a while.
Life has been chaotic for me for a bit now. Back in November we started expansion of my daughter’s room. Due to the lack of people to assist or timing being bad or just bad luck… It is still unfinished. That is changing this weekend. So next week will be me cleaning up the mess left by construction. The next project is my master bath, hopefully it will be done faster.
So I mentioned a giveaway above. I asked for things that make you smile, but I am also curious about how life has been for you. How has the current situation in the world affected your day to day life?
So I was featured again in this months magazine from the coffee house writers poetry department. I am not the only thing that is worth reading. All of the magazine is amazing. I am so honored to be a part of this.
So I usually do Poetry on Monday…but due to what I am doing otherwise this felt appropriate. I am trying to clean up files and do layout for a couple of books, including Fae Corps Through the Sunshine anthology. Now…I have to figure many editors are more organized than I am…but it is still courtesy when you do a submission to any anthology or call for submission to do a certain amount of information, unless the submission rules say otherwise.
Each submission should be in one of two fonts…either Times New Roman or Arial in a 12 pt size. It should have your name, any pen name, the title, and some means of contact (email or Phone). It should be labeled as to what you are submitting it to. In the email you should include a third person Bio and picture to save the editor from requesting this.
Most people honestly don’t realize how useful this is to have. Even if it is not going to be added to the piece in whatever publication, it gives the editor an idea of who you are. Some submission requests ask that this information not be included because it is done in a blind read…but you should see that before submitting your work.
It seems like many people ignore the information in the call for submissions though. You should always be aware of the place you are submitting to. If it is a magazine or literary blog, read through what they have published before. It really helps you to know whether you will be a good fit. Also it will help you to get an idea of whether they are newbie friendly or do they require someone who has experience?
This is important! If they work often with newbies, then they are likely able to help you figure out what you are doing. If they only work with those writers who are experienced…well then they are not likely to expect to have to explain the process. This makes it harder to figure out what you are ignorant of.
I am not trying to discourage…Merely to help others figure out what they are doing without the fumbling that I have done in the past.
So I knuckled down and put the newest volume of my poetry yesterday. Usually formatting and publishing takes longer. Updates on my platform and the new computer made a world of difference.
So I proudly present the link to preorder Poetic Remimders, which includes two collaboration poems I have done with another talented poet. https://books2read.com/PoeticReminders
Pattimouse 