Category: publishing

Money Monday

So I was thinking about doing a discussion on Friday about the programs that I use/have found for making the files for publication. Then I realized that this was actually a better topic for a Monday Money post. The reason? Because the programs are an investment. A fairly costly one.

I will start with a free program. One that I highly recommend for anyone, author or reader alike. It is Calibre. It’s a ebook library manager for windows. It has a decent conversation ability and lets you edit epub files as well. That really makes it a very useful program.

My next suggestion is another free program, however it is only really good for the author who is looking at using KDP only. Kindle Create is wonderful if you have no interest in publishing anywhere other than Amazon. It has a previewer and is user friendly.

Another open source /free option, and one I am currently exploring, is Scribus. This is a complicated program with many options.

The last free option is libreoffice. It is a full featured office program that is free. I, personally, try to pay as little as possible for my tools and still try to retain quality. This is the best office program and it is free.

Ok. Here is where I start to talk about cost. Scrivener. It is not an easy program to use. There are a huge amount of tutorial videos on YouTube. It’s cost is $40, but there is often deals that can cut the cost in half. It is a one time cost vs subscription pricing. This program saves files in epub or any other format you want.

Now, this one is a program I found when I was looking for scrivener’s link. Iiving writer seems to be similar to scrivener. It’s pricing is a subscription service. It’s $96 a year or $9 a month.

This post has already gotten bigger than I expected. Next week I think that I will cover 3 pdf programs. That way I have a topic and this post can be ended.

Echoes into the void

Ever feel like you are doing the same thing on repeat…ad nauseum? Well that’s what formatting of books often feels like. When I first started wanting to do desktop publishing, the pdf was the file of choice… It was supposed to be “print perfect ” as it allowed your to see how your file would be when it printed.

Well now it is one of multiple file types you need to know how to handle. And then there is the files that change after you convert it to be what you need.

Each site for publishing requires a different format. Kdp(Amazon) requires docx. Draft2digital for the ebook (if you don’t want them to change details) needs epub. And the print book version for them needs pdf.

So on days like today when the responsibility of publishing is too much… Those are the days when I step back. I breathe. Tomorrow is soon enough for all of that. I think that tommorow I will talk about the computer programs that I have found to be most useful in making the formats needed for publishing.

Tarot Readings

Above you see my two current decks. The way that I do readings is simple. You let me know which you want, I read, you donate to my PayPal what you feel appropriate. The options are 1 card or 3 cards. I read what I see in the cards. You don’t have to ask questions or give me information. It is a fairly simple reading either way.

Now if you want a video chat reading with more of a complex read… I use the Celtic Cross layout. 7 cards. I will send if asked a recording of the reading (Done in Zoom) That is $25 straight up. That one I ask for the money up front as it is a very time consuming affair.

I always am as discreet as you would like. For any reading you receive a picture of the cards and my reading of them. And you always choose the deck.

Monday Money

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.

Calls For Submission

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.

So we will start with the two Fae Corps has…Nightmare Whispers & Fae Dreams.

Then there are two more that I have come across in the last couple of days that I found interesting….

Burningword Literary Journal & Write of Passion both are looking for submissions right now.

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.

Poetic Reminders

This book is nearly live! Have you preordered yours? Get it here!

Maybe Monday

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.

Thursday Recovery Party

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?

Thursday Tea Party

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?

May magazine Coffee House

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.

https://www.flipsnack.com/CoffeeHouseStanzas/coffee-house-stanzas-may-2020.html