Meet Emma Right, Author of Keeper of Reign

Today we are interviewing Emma Right, author of Keeper of Reign.

Tell us something about the book.

Keeper of Reign is an allegorical fantasy about the fall of man and the redemption story in a fantasy setting that's filled with danger and adventure. Something young readers eleven and up can enjoy even though the story still has a Christian message.

How did you come up with the title?

I came up with over a dozen names: Elfie Epic, Kingdom of Keepers, Kingdom of Reign, The Overcomers, …but finally, I decided that it really was about just one Keeper: Jules Blaze, a boy who minimized his heritage, and didn't realize he could make an impact in his world, and that his family needed him.

What is your favorite scene in the book? Which scene or characters were the most difficult for you to write and why?

(Spoiler Alert)

The last scene when Jules has nothing but the pouch of stones (to represent Jesus, the Rock) to overcome Whisperer and his evil ways--the pouch of stones Jules has had all along and which, time and again, the enemies tried to take away from him. It is sort of like how it is with us. Our enemies will always try to take away everything that could empower us so we could not defeat a bad situation, but if we dig deep, we will see we already have it in us to triumph over evil.

Tell us about some of the biblical imageries in Keeper of Reign.

The name of "Gehzurolle", the evil Lord, is German, for Confounder, which essentially is what Satan is. Elfies are a cross between Elves (the physical and carnal part of Man) and fairies (the more ethereal, spirit side of humans.) And Whisperer represents the evil whisperings or rumors that tend to take us down, or fill us with fear--one of the tactics that the Devil uses to try to crush us. I made Mosche, the Keeper, live behind a waterfall, because when we are soaked with the water of His Word, the Bible says, the enemy cannot touch us. And why "Roaring Falls"? Because when we are so filled with the hearing and hearing of the Word, our faith is built. There're a lot more biblical imageries in the story. I tried to make it subtle so only Christians can pick these images up, as I am marketing the book as a secular fantasy, and hope that it would open doors for non-believing kids reading it.

Tell us a little bit about your cover art. Who designed it? Why did you go with that particular image/artwork?

Lisa Hainline designed it for me. I told her some of the elements in the story, and that the dragonfly lantern was an important component, and that I wanted it to have a magical, fairytale like feel, for that's what Keeper of Reign is--something of a fairytale. And, it's Elfies, not elves. The Elfies are a cross between elves, (the more robust, physical beings) and fairies (think ethereal, flighty.)

What would you like Keeper of Reign to accomplish?

I hope my readers can see that with the power of the gospel, we can overcome our problems and difficulties. I want to empower young readers with this message, that if they seek the truth (the Ancient Books, in Keeper of Reign) they will find wisdom and answers to life's problems. It doesn't mean the answers are going to come easily, but persistence will pay off, and the Bible has the answers.

Do you have a quote you live by?

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would it be?

I would love to see Mt. Ararat. I'd be curious to see if I could spot Noah's Ark.

Is there anything else you’d like to say?

Please visit my blog and sign up for my newsletter at http://www.emmaright.com. I promise not to bog you down with emails. Only a few to announce no purchase needed contests, and when my next book with its promotional price will be available. I am currently editing Dead Dreams, and it should be ready Dec 2014. And I hope to have Keeper of Reign Book 2 out early 2014.

Emma Right

Emma Right is a happy wife and homeschool mother of five living in the Pacific West Coast of the USA. Besides running a busy home, and looking after their five pets, which includes two cats, two bunnies and a long-haired dachshund, she also writes stories for her children. She loves the Lord and His Word deeply, and when she doesn't have her nose in a book, she is telling her kids to get theirs in one.

Right worked as a copywriter for two major advertising agencies and won several awards, including the prestigious Clio Award for her ads, before she settled down to have children.

Connect with Emma Right:

Website: http://www.emmaright.com/Home.aspx

Blog: http://www.emmaright.com/Blog.aspx
https://www.facebook.com/emma.right.author
https://plus.google.com/u/0/111644513292318573575/posts
http://pinterest.com/emmaright/
https://twitter.com/emmbeliever

 

Self-Publishing With CreateSpace

 

Editing Services

Basic Copyediting: $160 up to 10,000 words. $0.016/word for 10,000+

Eg. 80,000 word book would cost $1,280 ($160 + 70,000 x 0.016).
Where Love Once Lived: $1,453 (CreateSpace editor – freelance magazine editor)
The Vengeance Squad: $1,162 (CreateSpace – same editor)
Love Lives On: $550 (I used a Christian writer friend who did more than copyedit.)

CreateSpace provides other editing services such as comprehensive editing, editorial evaluation, and multi-round editing. Read about all editing services here:

https://www.createspace.com/pub/services.home.do?tab=EDITING

Cover Design Services

CreateSpace provides a variety of services for cover design. For Where Love Once Lived, I chose the most expensive they had to offer, the Illustrated Cover, drawn specifically for my book. Cost: $1,199.

For my next book, The Vengeance Squad, I paid a friend $60 to do the layout and paid $25 for the photos. For Love Lives On and Job Seekers' Attitude Adjustment Guide, I did the layout myself and paid $10 for photos. Paid Bowker for ISBNs and UPCs.

You'll find links to all cover design services here:

https://www.createspace.com/pub/services.home.do?tab=LAYOUT

Interior Options

CreateSpace charges for assistance in getting your text ready to print. For my first book I paid $379 for this and another $100 when I wanted to change it. For the following books I did this all myself using the Microsoft Word templates CreateSpace provides free. See:

https://www.createspace.com/en/community/docs/DOC-1323?sitesearch_query=templates&sitesearch_type=SITE

Marketing/Publicity Services

CreateSpace provides marketing and publicity services such as book trailers, posters, press releases, reviews, business cards, bookmarks, etc., all priced higher than you can get elsewhere. I did of this for first book only.

For more information see: https://www.createspace.com/pub/services.home.do?tab=MARKETING

Royalties

Royalties are based on costs and selling price. There is a formula for computing the cost. This should be done before deciding on a selling price. See:

https://www.createspace.com/Products/Book/ and click oh Royalties tab. Input includes trim size (mine are 5 ¼ x 8 inches) and number of pages. You enter a selling price and the calculator will show the royalty for books sold on Amazon, eStore, and through expanded distribution for U.S. dollars, UK pounds, and euros. Expanded distribution is an option for bookstores, libraries, etc. If you want to set the price of your book as low as possible, pick a price where the expanded distribution royalty is just slightly above zero.

You can buy books and have them mailed to you for book signings and such. The unit price remains the same regardless of how many books you buy. The only variable is shipping cost. I find it is best to order 36 books at a time. Love Lives On costs me $5.40 each including sales tax and shipping. The list price is $12.95 for Amazon, but I can sell for $10.00 and make about the same profit.

E-Books

You can set a different price for Kindle editions. There is no cost. CreateSpace pays a 70% royalty for books priced between $2.99 and $9.99. The royalty is 35% otherwise. CreateSpace will assist you with your ebook for a fee, but you can do it yourself here:

https://kdp.amazon.com/self-publishing/signin
You'll probably want to also set up on Barnes and Noble, iTunes, etc.

Bookstores

Bookstores can order books from Amazon as long as you've paid the $25 fee for expanded distribution. They won't order unless they've made a sale first since there is a no return policy.

Other Services

CreateSpace also provides some package plans with discounts for buying more. Costly $5,000+.

Pros and Cons

CreateSpace is an excellent way to get published quickly with as little or as much help as you need. I don't recommend it until you have exhausted possible traditional publishers.

 

Designing Book Covers

For my third novel I'm making my own cover. Here is what I have so far. This is a draft so the photos still have watermarks on them. Once I decide to use the photos, I'll pay the fees and get clean photos.

Click on the photo for a larger view. Let me know what you think.