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.

 

Are Manuscripts Obsolete?

Originally, a manuscript was a document written by hand. However, the meaning of the word has changed to mean the text sent to the publisher for publication in a newspaper, magazine, or book. The format of the manuscript has changed over the years, too. From handwritten to typed (i.e. on a typewriter) to computer generated. My first book was typed into an Alpha Micro computer and printed in the standard double-spaced format that we see today. My publisher retyped it all for publication. Then they printed it out and sent me a copy on 60-pound paper and I made corrections by hand. After several iterations, the book was published. That was in 1983. Today, I doubt if a publisher would take anything other than digital manuscripts.

As an author who publishes his own books, I tried a new approach with my latest novel. Instead of the standard manuscript format, I typed my book directly into a document formatted for paperback printing. There are several advantages to this approach. One is that you can see what the book will look like as you go. Another advantage is that when you're done the book is finished and there are no surprises related to layout.

I still printed it out a few times during the writing process, and made handwritten edits. The fact that it wasn't double-spaced didn't hinder the effort since the margins were extra-large. The book size I use is 5.25 in. by 8 in.

One problem I had was when I sent the near-complete book to an editor. For some reason the first thing she did was change the format to the standard layout for a manuscript. I'm not sure if she did that for printing or not. It wasn't a major problem since I easily got it back into the publishing format when she was finished. Just seemed like an unnecessary step to me.

The only real problem I had was when I got ready to print a proof copy. I uploaded the text to CreateSpace and was told it was the wrong size. I was given a couple of options to continue, neither were what I wanted, but I went ahead since the initial five books were for beta readers only.

I scoffed when CreateSpace said I wouldn't have had the problem if I had used the Microsoft Word templates they provide—because I had used their templates. But, after checking closer, it turns out I had used the wrong one. After changing to the correct template, the book was longer (in pages) and looked more like what I had in mind.

See https://www.createspace.com/en/community/docs/DOC-1323 to get a template.

Let me know what you think of this approach.

TMI! TMI! TMI!

Have you ever thought what the Internet is doing to us by providing too much information too frequently?

My iPhone beeped yesterday and I started to read it, "Fox News Breaking News…"

"I don't want to hear it," Celeste said before I could get to the good part.

I was taken aback, as you might imagine. How could anyone resist hearing what follows the words "breaking news?" When I asked, she said she'd hear it sooner or later. Right now she wanted to enjoy what she was doing.

Actually, she was sitting with Scotch, the cat, on the swing on the screened-in porch reading a book so I could understand why she didn't want to hear some news that turned out to be so unimportant I can't remember what it was now.

Her reaction made me think about how the instant availability of information is negatively affecting us daily. One example is the way I used my iPhone to look up information during discussions at social gatherings. Rather than help, it tends to be a downer to always be right. Instead of an interesting discussion about who was or wasn't in a particular movie, I can access the cast list with a few clicks. But, as I said, it wasn't as helpful as you might think. So, at the last two parties I went to, I left my phone in the car and had some better conversations because of it.

Another example. I've found myself going to the computer more than once a day to check book sales. I check CreateSpace for print edition sales, Amazon for Kindle sales, and lulu.com for other eBook sales. I have to admit it is fun to see the numbers rise, but it is equally discouraging when they don't.

When my first book came out in 1983, I had to wait three months for a royalty report before learning how sales were going. Now, I'm lucky to wait three hours.

So, one of my resolutions for next year is to relax, enjoy free time, and check the news less.

How about you? Have you had problems adjusting to ease of access to information?

Deleting Precious Words

Here is the overview from the editorial letter from CreateSpace:

Where Love Once Lived was a very clean manuscript overall. There appeared to be some structural issues with the dialogue, but there were few errors in terms of grammar. I have never read any books in the Mitford series, but found your manuscript to be a heartwarming love story that appeals to both old and young alike. I especially liked the beginning of the manuscript, as it really grabbed the reader’s attention.

The letter goes on to identify problem areas and offer suggestions for changes. I found much of it to be helpful, but I couldn't get my mind off what the copyeditor said about the beginning of the manuscript and how it grabbed the reader's attention. Isn't that what all authors try to do? I remember my first version of Where Love Once Lived and its beginning. With the help of Bonnie, my teacher, and my classmates I finally learned to delete everything I'd written up to where the action begins.

It was hard to cut so many words, but I did. Well, to be honest, I saved them all. I have a Word document I call snippets that is probably as big as the final manuscript. It came in handy recently when the copyeditor suggested another scene would be helpful. Turns out it was a scene I'd cut based on another editor's suggestion. So, I polished it up and inserted it into the manuscript. But, back to the beginning of the manuscript. Here's what I ended up with:

Karen felt loved on Tuesdays.

She was fifty-three and divorced with a college-aged daughter at home who’d probably flee the nest soon, leaving Karen to live alone. She’d missed her chance for happiness. Still, she wasn’t sad. Teaching and her volunteer work as a lay minister, hospital chaplain, and member of her church choir fulfilled her. To be honest, she wanted more. She wanted the special kind of love she felt on Tuesdays.

She glanced at the clock on the wall as the familiar knock sounded. The third graders snapped to attention, turning their heads in unison toward the door. Today was the day. Every Tuesday about this time for the past six weeks, a fresh bouquet of flowers arrived. Karen opened the door and felt a rush of warmth when she realized today would be no exception.

Peeking around the blooms with his usual grin, his black curls poking out from under the well-worn blue cap that sat too far back on his head, the deliveryman thrust the vase toward her.

Does that grab your attention and make you want to read more? I hope so.

My Writing Makes Me Cry!

The CreateSpace copyeditor said this about Where Love Once Lived:

Clearly, Christians interested in light romance are the target audience. While I have read little Christian fiction prior to this work, the love story between Brian and Karen really drew me in, so the book could easily reach a broader audience as well. The manuscript almost had a Nicholas Sparks quality to it, yet left me feeling happy and fulfilled without all the tissues.

Looking back on this paragraph, I see it is a compliment to be compared to a writer of Nicholas Sparks standing, even with the word almost inserted as it is. However, when I first read it my reaction was, yes you do need tissues. I cry every time I read parts of the manuscript. I don't know if anyone else does or not. I'd like to know, but it's not something that's easy to ask someone, especially my male friends. They're going to say no. Perhaps it's because I know the characters so well. Or, am I such a good writer I can make readers feel a wide range of emotions. That's got to it.

Are you willing to admit you've gotten caught up in the lives of fictional characters to the point of tears?

Kindle Prices Up!

Has anyone else noticed that the price of Kindle books is higher than before? I love to read on my Kindle. I can get books instantly wherever I am. It is easy to make notes and highlight phrases without destroying the book with marks. I can up the size of the font when I need to because of the lack of lighting or because of propping the reader up at a distance. And, best of all, I'm saving a few trees while saving money.

Lately, however, I'm not sure about that advantage of saving money.  I've started to see a change in the difference between printed editions and digital editions. When I bought Jan Karon's latest book, I ordered the hardcover because, at the time, it was cheaper than the Kindle edition even after taking into consideration the cost of shipping. Today (October 23, 2011) the Amazon.com cost for In the Company of Others is:

$14.40 Hardcover

$10.88 Paperback

$12.99 Kindle

Which one would you buy?

When Davis Bunn's latest book, The Book of Dreams, came out I had my review ready on the day the book was released because the publisher had sent me an advance uncorrected proof. Thinking I would have the first review posted on Amazon.com, I was surprised to see a one-star review already there. The one-star review was because the Kindle edition was $14.99 while the paperback was $10.19.

I went ahead and posted my review. See: http://www.amazon.com/review/R367FR2V2LEA5V/. While there I added a comment to the one-star review saying I didn't think it was fair for someone to use a review to complain about the price of the book, especially since the reviewer said he hadn't read the book. I went back a few days later and noticed the one-star review was no longer there.

I have two Christian Fiction books published through CreateSpace. One book is a little longer than the other. For the longer book, Where Love Once Lived, I charge $15.95 for the paperback and $5.99 for the Kindle edition. The Vengeance Squad paperback is $12.95 and the Kindle edition is $4.99. My royalties are about the same for paperback and Kindle.

Here are some more examples of recently released books:

John Grisham, The Litigators, $14.99 Kindle, $15.22 Hardcover (no paperback yet)

Nicholas Sparks, The Best of Me, $12.99 Kindle, $12.98 Hardcover (no paperback yet)

John Sandford, Shock Wave, $12.99 Kindle, $15.33 Hardcover (no paperback yet)

Sandra Brown, Lethal, $12.99 Kindle, $14.67 Hardcover, $10.19 Paperback

Stuart Woods, Son of Stone, $12.99 Kindle, $14.39 Hardcover, $10.87 Paperback

J.D. Robb, New York to Dallas, $12.99 Kindle, $16.25 Hardcover, $7.99 Paperback

This information was collected from a search of new releases on Amazon.com and are not books I have bought or even books I plan to read.

Like I said, I love my Kindle. However, I will continue to look for the best price even if that means buying a hardcover or paperback instead of a Kindle edition. I usually wait until I have enough books to get shipping free so that is not a concern.

Are you seeing a blurring of difference in the cost of paperback versus digital books? Are you, as an author, getting paid more for e-book sales? Will the increase in cost hurt the sale of e-books? How will you respond to the price increase of e-books?

How to Write and Publish a Novel

1. Read the type of novel you want to write. Lots of them.
2. Study genres and subgenres. Which one best suits the story you have in mind?
3. In the selected genre, what are the publisher's length constraints?
4. Make a list of possible publishers. What are they looking for? Do they accept queries from authors, or only agents?
5. Learn the craft. Take classes. Read books on writing. I found some great online classes.
6. Write a synopsis. Include story question, main characters and settings. See sample synopses.
7. Write an outline of scenes. Identify point of view character, scene goal, conflict, and, if it is important, date, time, weather. Estimate 2,000 words per scene.
8. Prepare bios of the main characters. Add other characters as needed.
9. Write the first three chapters. Don't ask me what a chapter is. You'll know it when you see it.
10. Revise the synopsis when needed.
11. Revise the outline when needed.
12. Edit the first three chapters until you are ready to share your writing with others.
13. Join a writers' support group where others will critique your work in return for your comments about their work. There are a lot of ways to do this. Some publishers will get new authors together to help each other. Organizations such as the American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) have local chapters or online groups that do this. Romance Writers of America have subchapters. You Write On.com where you are assigned readings randomly. For each story you critique, you get a credit for a critique of your work.
14. Send copies of your work to your friends and ask for honest feedback, but believe in yourself.
15. Find manuscript contests you can enter. This is an excellent way to get useful feedback. The first level of the contests are usually handled by authors. But, if you come in first, second or third, you have an excellent chance of getting your work read by an agent or a publisher's editor.
16. Keep writing. If you are unpublished, agents and publishers don't care too much about how great those first three chapters are. They want to know you can finish the book.
17. Polish, polish, polish. Hire a professional copyeditor if you need to. It cost about $1,200 for each of my books. Unless you are an English major, this could be your largest expense.
18. Write a query letter. These are described in novel writing books and writing classes.
19. Update the list of possible publishers you made when you studied genres.
20. Make a list of possible agents.
21. Don't bother trying for an agent or publisher until the book is complete and has been professionally copyedited.
22. Editors and publishers want exclusive review time and they are sometimes slow, requiring three or more months to respond. Some authors send their queries out simultaneously anyway.
23. If you get an agent, great. Having an agent opens the door to more markets. There are many publishers that will not accept proposals from anyone except agents.
24. If no agent, send queries to publishers. Publisher's websites tell you how. They are slower than agents. Usually, you will need to send a query letter, a synopsis, and the first three chapters. If they like what you've sent, they will ask to see the entire manuscript.
25. Traditional publishing should be your first choice, because the publisher has the ability to market your book in many more places than you can otherwise.
26. If traditional publishing not possible, select a self-publishing company. I used CreateSpace.com for the print edition and the Kindle edition. I used lulu.com for the other eBook editions, including Apple's iPad. Research this.
27. You are the publisher and will need to make decisions about book size, font, cover, ISBN, barcodes, setting a price, etc. It can be learned, but it is not all intuitive. In my town, many of the members of writers league have done this and will be glad to help. It's much easier the second time.
28. CreateSpace and Lulu both use Print on Demand (POD) methods. The cost of the printed version is the same no matter how many copies you buy. Also, they will sell and ship books for you so that you don't have to do that yourself.
29. Bookstores will not stock books unless you allow for refunds. This can be costly, so most self-published books don't appear in bookstores. My book is available on consignment in two local bookstores on consignment.
30. If you self-publish you also have to do all the marketing. However, you would need to get involved in this with a traditional publisher as well. I've found that book signings with or without talks is the best ways to sell books.
31. Maintain a presence on the Internet and the social networks. I write a blog and maintain a website. Also, I work with other authors throughout the country to help advertise each others books.
32. Encourage people to review your book and provide free copies for reviewers. You need to have a strong Amazon.com page since they are the largest online bookstore. My book was a best seller on Amazon.com one day due to my concentrating sales on a particular day.
33. Write another book. 

 
   

Talking About Writing and Other Life-Changing Events

Friday, I had the opportunity to talk to a Christian women's group at the Berry Creek Country Club in Georgetown, Texas. I've talked to several groups since Where Love Once Lived came out last August and I never know exactly what I'm going to say. Sometimes the hosts suggest a reading. Other times they leave it up to me. This time the announcement said I would talk about the writing process.

I prepared a written speech. I read it out loud, timed it and changed it a number of times in the two weeks leading up to the luncheon. On the day of the speech, however, I intentionally left all my notes at home. I find I do better speaking without looking at a piece of paper.

There were four tables with nine or ten women at each one. We had finished eating and some had turned their chairs around so that they could see the podium. Without notes, I could easily make eye contact. A few heads nodded from time to time. There were some smiles, some laughter and some sighs from time to time. As a teacher, I know that learning happens when students have an emotional experience. Both laughter and sadness help people learn. Afterwards, more than a few women talked to me and said how much they enjoyed the talk.

I set out to give them the basics and began by telling them about the original idea of the story. That is, the bookmobile librarian I worked with back in the 1960's and how she helped people at each stop. Then I told them about that special sermon I heard one Sunday that gave me the belief that I could write a novel, and how I had to take writing classes for several years to do so. That led to talking about the conversion of the basic story to the one I ended up with and how Where Love Once Lived won several contests.

Then the talk took an unexpected turn, one that wasn't in the notes I'd left back at the house. When I got to the point where I said White Rose Publishing reviewed the complete manuscript and said they would look at it again if I would delete some of the subplots, I had to mention how the email from the publisher came at the same time I learned my wife had pancreatic cancer. I could see on their faces, they knew what that meant.

I told them I wasn't able to write for a long time afterwards, and that Lois died eight months later the day before Thanksgiving. Then, how I went to Halifax, Nova Scotia alone for Christmas and New Year's, hoping I might make the changes the publisher wanted. But, that didn't work.

I wasn't able to write until I started living again by going back to church, singing in the church choir and the community choir, and making plans for the future. I told them how I planned to sell the house and open a bookstore downtown where I could live upstairs.

And about that time, I told the women, was when I learned God had plans for me I hadn't foreseen. Celeste entered my life and that changed everything. Happiness let me write once more and eventually make the changes to the manuscript.

But, a year had passed. Publishers needs change. Mostly, though, I couldn't cut enough. White Rose publishes only Christian romance novels, and there were still subplots I couldn't delete. I knew the book was more than a romance and that I would have to self-publish it. So, I began learning about that process and settled on CreateSpace for the print edition, Amazon for the Kindle edition, and Lulu for the other eBook formats including the iPad edition.

Celeste and I married in March and the book was out in August, 2010.

I told the women about the new book, The Vengeance Squad, that should be published by the end of the year and how it was much easier to write than the first book. I also gave them a two-page handout describing the steps required to write a novel, from story idea to publication.

TMI! TMI! TMI!

Have you ever thought what the Internet is doing to us by providing too much information too frequently?

My iPhone beeped yesterday and I started to read it, "Fox News Breaking News…"

"I don't want to hear it," Celeste said before I could get to the good part.

I was taken aback, as you might imagine. How could anyone resist hearing what follows the words "breaking news?" When I asked, she said she'd hear it sooner or later. Right now she wanted to enjoy what she was doing.

Actually, she was sitting with Storming Norman, the cat, on the swing on the screened-in porch reading a book as sounds from the water feature filled the air so I could understand why she didn't want to hear some news that turned out to be so unimportant I can't remember what it was now.

Her reaction made me think about how the instant availability of information is negatively affecting us daily. One example is the way I used my iPhone to look up information during discussions at social gatherings. Rather than help, it tends to be a downer to always be right. Instead of an interesting discussion about who was or wasn't in a particular movie, I can access the cast list with a few clicks. But, as I said, it wasn't as helpful as you might think. So, at the last two parties I went to, I left my phone in the car and had some better conversations because of it.

Another example. I've found myself going to the computer more than once a day to check book sales. I check CreateSpace for print edition sales, Amazon for Kindle sales, and lulu.com for other eBook sales. I have to admit it is fun to see the numbers rise, but it is equally discouraging when they don't.

When my first book came out in 1983, I had to wait three months for a royalty report before learning how sales were going. Now, I'm lucky to wait three hours.

So, one of my resolutions for next year is to relax, enjoy free time, and check the news less.

How about you? Have you had problems adjusting to ease of access to information?

Tooting Your Own Horn 101

In yesterday's post about my experience at the book signing, my friend Jimmy Clark made this observation:

Good start Sid. I'm sure when word about your book gets out you will sell more copies. I am sure that publicity is the most important thing in selling books.

That made me think about publicity. I used to know something about it, but with the Internet, the rules have changed. CreateSpace sent out more than five-thousand press releases, but no one has been calling or writing me about review copies or books. The only activity I saw on the Internet was in the press release sites. I put an ad in the local paper about the book signing, but only a couple of people noticed it.

The profit margin on a book is small so you can't do too much advertising without losing money. So what's the answer?

I've been reading about selling on the Internet. One of the suggestions was to review books similar to your own, especially those of authors who are well known and selling. That way your name is out there and there is a link back to you. I've only done 20 reviews so far and I can already see an increase in my Internet search standing. Also, my blogs are being picked up in many places including a library in Canada, Carbonite's Facebook page, and even a German website for librarians.

Another suggestion is to do what are called virtual tours. That means I find blogs that have followers who might be interested in my book and talk to the blogger about posting a review and/or interview of me and my book. I've done some of this already and have some reviews and interviews scheduled. I need to do more.

I learned today how to check the competition. The article said to use your favorite search engine and type in link:competitor.com where competitor.com is the website for someone with a similar book. Doing so will list all websites that link to the competitor's site. The idea being to get some of those sites to link to mine as well.

I also found a place on the web where you can post articles that can be used free by bloggers and ezines needing content. Within the article, you include information about your book and links to your website.

So, there is much to be done. And these marketing techniques are necessary for books published in the traditional way or by print on demand such as mine. However, I have the advantage over traditional published books in that I can continue to market for much longer.

Selling POD Books in Big Boxes

When I first started my print of demand (POD) publishing project with CreateSpace, I chose the most expensive approach they had which included what they called Expanded Distribution Channel and Pro Plan. By doing so, I was promised my book would be available to major online and offline retailers as well as libraries and academic institutions throughout the United States.
As it turns out the wording may be slightly misleading. Yes, Where Love Once Lived is available to offline retailers as long as they are willing to accept certain guidelines. Which, by the way, are guidelines they are not going to accept.
I happen to know the Community Relations Manager for the Barnes & Noble store nearest to me because he has come to our writers club meeting to sell books from time to time. So, I know he did his best when I asked about a book signing opportunity.
Here’s what he wrote to me.
Barnes & Noble policy states that in order to bring merchandise in for an author event, the title must be available from a wholesale distributor on a returnable basis. While I can order your book for an individual customer on a pre-paid basis, I cannot place an order for a quantity of this title because in the event that there are unsold copies, I cannot return them to a vendor for credit.
Barnes & Noble does not buy from individuals as vendors nor do we take merchandise on a consignment basis.
Also, your book does not have a retail price point printed anywhere on it. Even if I could bring this book into our store, it’s highly unlikely that people will buy something that doesn’t have a price on it.
I suggest you check with your publisher and see how much it will cost you to make this book returnable and to print a retail price point on it.
I didn’t ask CreateSpace about making the book returnable because I know that would be too costly. However, I did ask about adding the price to the book. It took three attempts to find out. They didn’t seem to know what I was talking about. Finally, I talked to someone on the phone and they checked with someone else who said they could add the price for $75. However, they would have to make the book unavailable for two to three weeks while it was being changed. Since I have a book signing ahead I decided to wait.
The price of the book couldn’t be set until the costs were determined. The costs couldn't be determined until the book was complete. Therefore, I didn’t know what price to put on the book until after it was printed. I shouldn’t have let that happened. But, in my defense, this was the first time I had done this and relied heavily on the expertise of the publisher. Too heavily, as it turns out.
As it turns out, I am the publisher, not CreateSpace, and I’ll know more about many things next time. And, who knows, maybe you, dear reader, are thinking about the POD approach and something I say here might help you.

My Next Book is on My Mind Today

Yesterday, Celeste asked about my new novel after I told her I worked on it between classes. Then, today, when I talked to my sister, Barbara, she asked about the new book. So, I've been thinking about it a lot lately.

I told them both about the new publishing company looking for manuscripts ready to go for 2011. The neat thing about Harbourlight Books is that they are affiliated with White Rose Publishing, the company that almost published Where Love Once Lived, until they discovered it wasn't really a romance and all they publish are Christian romance.

Harbourlight Books, on the other hand, will publish only Christian fiction books that are NOT romance. So, my thinking is that both my novel will be a perfect match for Harbourlight.

All I need to do to finish Vengeance In Mine is write two more scenes, scenes I've already outlined, and then edit the whole book for the upteenth time and the manuscript will be ready. All the publisher wants initially is a synopsis and the first chapter, but they want to know that the book is complete. If they like the synopsis and first chapter and ask for the whole thing, I want to be prepared.

It's not that I'm unhappy with the approach I'm using for Where Love Once Lived, that is, using CreateSpace and the print on demand method, but it would certainly simplify everything to have a publisher take care of the details.

Besides, I love what White Rose is producing and I think Harbourlight will be under the same management. White Rose produces great covers and ebooks. They have an appealing website, dedicated writers, and supportive editors. It would be fun to be part of the group.

My thought is that if Harbourlight contracts my new book, and if the sales of the current book are satisfactory, they may want to publish it as well.

What do you think?

Where Love Once Lived Press Release

I won't show you what I got from the publisher, but what you see below has been changed greatly. When I first saw what CreateSpace came up with, I knew something was wrong, but wasn't sure what it was. So, I sent it to Bonnie Hearn Hill, who has seen many press releases for her books and who once worked as a newspaper editor. I thought she might have a good example I could look at. Instead, she rewrote my press release, using Microsoft Word change tracking so I could see exactly what was added, deleted, and changed. I made a few changes after that and here is the final (let me know what you think):

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Novel portrays romance rekindled

Author says faith inspired award-winning love story

AUSTIN, Texas – Where Love Once Lived by Sidney W. Frost follows a man at a crossroads as he seeks to regain the love of his former college sweetheart.

Forced to leave Karen by circumstances beyond his control, Brian returns to his hometown after 30 years to find Karen doesn’t want to deal with the memories of his painful and unexplained departure. She has worked hard to put her love for Brian behind her and rebuffs his advances. Brian can see that winning her over again isn’t going to be as easy as he had hoped, but he’s willing to do whatever it takes.

“The story of Brian and Karen shows that, with God’s help, it’s never too late to find happiness,” says Frost. “My hope is that their story makes readers laugh, cry and learn a little more about God’s love.”

Frost was inspired by his faith to create Where Love Once Lived. The importance of a relationship with God is a major theme in the book. In the novel, Karen’s faith in God grew stronger after Brian left, leading to fulfilling work as a lay minister. As she becomes reacquainted with Brian, Karen begins to share with him the strength that can come from faith. Brian, who had turned away from God, eventually comes to realize that the void in his life was not just the loss of Karen but also the loss of God.

Where Love Once Lived is available for sale online at Amazon.com and other channels.

About the Author

Sidney W. Frost earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of California, Long Beach and a master’s degree from the University of Houston. He currently works as an adjunct professor at Austin Community College. Frost is an elder in the Presbyterian Church and has been a member of several choral groups, singing in numerous productions with the Austin Lyric Opera Chorus. The novel won first place in the inspirational/spiritual category of the 2007 SouthWest Writer’s Contest and first place in the romance category of the 2007 Writers' League of Texas Contest.

MEDIA CONTACT:

Sidney W. Frost
E-mail: sidfrost@suddenlink.net
Phone: (512) 694-6449
Web: http://sidneywfrost.com
Blog: http://christianbookmobile.blogspot.com/

REVIEW COPIES AND INTERVIEWS AVAILABLE

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Proving Your Past Achievements

I mentioned in a previous post that the publisher had asked for verification that Where Love Once Lived had won first place in two manuscript contests and how I was able to prove it. Yesterday, they contacted me and wanted proof that I had been in more than 40 Austin Lyric Opera productions. How do you prove that?

My first reaction was to tell them to forget the reference to singing. It didn't add anything to the value of the book. But then I thought, this is something I'm proud of and there is a significant number of words in the book about singing. Tony, the Austin Lyric Opera Chorus member in the story will be featured in a future book and I wanted the readers to know I have experience in this area.

So, I started looking for ways to prove my participation in the chorus. I have a stage photo with a wide border with the signatures of everyone in the production congratulating me for my 35th production. I probably have programs for every opera I was in, but both of these items would be difficult to copy. I wanted to find something digital to send to CreateSpace so that they could finish the press release.

Let me say here that I'm glad the publisher is concerned about accuracy of what they send out. That is comforting to me.

I checked AustinLyricOpera.org, but they seem to be in the midst of a website update and nothing useful was available. I couldn't even find email addresses to send to CreateSpace for contacting them.

So, here's what I ended up with:

• The photo of me in a variety of costumes shown above
• A list of operas I've been in from an old chorus website no longer in use
• The name and phone number of the chorusmaster

I don't know which one worked, but I got the press release today.

Kindle Edition Ready Soon, Again

I've been so busy working on the Kindle edition of Where Love Once Lived, I don't know if I've told you about it or not. So, there may be some repetition here. I'll just give you the highlights today, but I plan to document the whole thing from my notes so that I don't have the same problems with my next book. And, who knows, maybe you will benefit from my experience when you want to publish a Kindle book.

When I first published on Kindle, I used the pdf version supplied by CreateSpace. I had not kept my Microsoft Word up to date during the editing process (mistake #1).

Amazon scans the pdf and converts it to html. However, the paragraph formatting was wrong and the section breaks were wrong. I tried converting pdf to word to html, but that didn't work and wasted several days (mistake #2).

Meanwhile I had published the pdf version (mistake #3) and had sold one before I could stop it. Luckily, it was bought by an understanding friend. It was readable, but looked bad.

Next, I downloaded the published Kindle version to html and loaded it into Microsoft Expressions. I went through line by line and cleaned it up. Some corrections could be done with Find and Replace. Some couldn't. I used a special tag provided by Amazon for page breaks, a tag not usually available for html, but one that makes the content look more like a book. The one thing I couldn't automate was identifying paragraphs. This is needed so Kindle can automatically indent and not insert lines. So, I went through each paragraph and made the changes. I worked on it for several days and still had a third of the book to do. When I told a friend about it, he said there should be a better way.

Last night, before going to sleep, my mind worked out a solution. I remembered I had easily changed the Word version I had created from pdf by replacing double paragraph marks with a holding character, deleting single paragraph marks, and then replacing the holding character with double paragraph marks. (This will make sense to some of you.) So, I went back to that Word file, copied the sections of the book one at a time, deleting the Word formatting, and pasting it into the html version. I could only do one section at a time in order to keep the special formatting already entered for section and chapter breaks.

It worked.

I published this morning and was told it would be ready in 48 hours.

Book Press Releases -- Does Anyone Read Them?

The next step in the marketing of Where Love Once Lived is to prepare and distribute press releases announcing the book. I filled out an online questionnaire from CreateSpace that asked for information needed for the press releases. I won't give my answers here since that would be too lengthy, but here are the questions. I have added some comments however.

Are you using a name other than your own for publication? If so, please provide.

What is the full title of your work?*

E-mail Address* (This is the e-mail address that will be used in the press release as a method of contact for the media.)

Phone Number (This will be used in the press release as an alternate method of contact for the media.)

Website (If you have a website, please provide us with it and we will make sure to include this in the release)

Your city and state

Note: Although I live in Georgetown, Texas now, I decided to use Austin, Texas on the press releases. This is because more people know Austin than Georgetown and because the book is set in Austin.

Biography* (The biography provides information to help establish your credibility or further connect you with your audience. Please provide us with some biographical information, such as education and career information, family status, awards you have won, and/or any qualifications that could establish expert status. NOTE: Responsible journalists may choose to verify all members' facts before publishing biographical information).

Who is your target audience?

This is what I said: This book is about Christians living, making mistakes, and growing from those mistakes. I tried not to make it preachy, and didn't align it with a particular denomination. I suspect it would appeal to a more mature audience because the protagonists are in their fifties. However, several younger friends have read the manuscript and said they enjoyed it. I aimed for the same people who read Jan Karon's Mitford series.

Please provide a brief synopsis of your work.

What is your theme and primary message?

Here is what I answered: With God's help, it's never too late to find happiness.

Tell us about the inspiration for your work.

Note: Surprisingly, there was a lot to be said about the inspiration for Where Love Once Lived starting with the idea for a bookmobile story that came to me while driving one back in 1960's to a sermon I heard in 2004 from my pastor, Jeanie Stanley.

Why do you think your work is newsworthy?* (Can you relate your work to any current events? What makes your work different than others on the market)?

Note: Here I told about the interracial aspects of the novel.

Provide any additional information you want us to consider for your press release (i.e. reviews, awards, etc.). (NOTE: Responsible journalists may choose to verify all facts before publishing this information).

Note: Here, I listed the awards won by Where Love Once Lived in manuscript contests plus some other things about me. CreateSpace called and said they would have to verify the contest wins. They wanted me to send them a photo of the certificates. However, I already had them on my website, so they viewed them as we talked on the phone. Here they are if you want to see them: http://sidneywfrost.com/news.htm.

I started this posting by asking does anyone even read press releases anymore. I don't know, but CreateSpace guarantees the information will be sent to more than a thousand outlets. That's to happen in 3 to 4 weeks. I guess we'll see what happens.

Where Love Once Lived Now on Amazon.com

When I checked the details, CreateSpace said it could take up to fifteen days before Where Love Once Lived would be available on Amazon.com. But, guess what. It was there the next day. It's missing descriptive information which I need to add, but it's there in a place where many people are used to buying.

It was a thrill when the first sale was made. I don't see who the buyers are in my sales report, but I can see how many books were sold and where (CreateSpace, Amazon, etc.)

Today, I started studying how to set up a Kindle version. I have a lot to learn about marketing a book, but there is a lot I already know how to do and will be doing much of it as soon as possible.

I've also started a list of things I would do differently next time.

The Book is Here!

When we returned from the Berkshire Choral Festival, a proof copy of Where Love Once Lived was waiting for me. I must say it is a thrill to see the actual book after working on it since 2005 when I took my first class on writing novels. Up until now, it has been like any other Word document. Now, it looks and feels like a book.

I approved the proof based on looks. I had read everything already so I didn't check it too closely. Just enough to make sure all the pages were there. So, now the book is available to be purchased through CreateSpace. When I said "go," a message said it could take up to fifteen days for it to appear in the Amazon.com list.

Now, I must begin the marketing plan in earnest. I've purchased the following from CreateSpace: Publicity Kit, Press Release Distribution, and Press Release Creation. So these should be available soon. I wish now I had purchased the video book trailer. I've seen several good ones lately and think they could help sales. Perhaps this can be added later.

If you are interested in writing a review for Amazon.com, let me know and I'll send you a copy of the book as soon as I get some.

If you want to buy a copy now, click here: https://www.createspace.com/3435501.

Where Love Once Lived Cover

I received two cover proofs from CreateSpace today. The next step is for me to choose one. I can request a third concept, but there will be an additional fee for that service. The exciting part of this is that I like both covers. That's also a problem because I can only pick one. Will you help?

Here are the descriptions of the differences provided by CreateSpace:

Cover 1 -- Both covers use the illustration provided. This one uses a blue background and a simple type treatment. The word Love is in red to represent the blood of Christ.

Cover 2 -- This concept uses a green background that matches the style of the illustration. The back cover also contains a few flower petals faintly visible. The type treatment is more prominent in this example.

The words are the same. Only the colors and the fonts vary. Which one do you like best?

Here are the words that are on the back of the cover:

She'd once loved a bookmobile driver. Memories of that time with him poured in so rapidly she caught her breath. It'd been long ago, but her heart remembered. At first she remembered the love she'd felt back then, but the good memories didn't last long. She'd gone to the bookmobile as usual that last day, but nothing was to be the same again. She went to Brian with love and exciting news. She left alone. Not just without him, but alone in the world and apart from God.


Is it ever too late to find happiness? No, says Sidney W. Frost in his inspirational Christian novel, Where Love Once Lived. Brian Donelson returns to his hometown after a thirty-year absence to win back his beloved Karen. But Karen, who has grown closer to God than he has, harbors a secret that keeps her away from Brian at all costs. While driving the local bookmobile, Brian struggles to earn her trust, even as he grapples with secrets of his own. With God’s help, can these two find happiness? Beautifully written and told with wit and grace, Where Love Once Lived is a moving love story filled with the glory of God.

Sidney W. Frost is an elder in the Presbyterian Church and a Stephen Minister. While a student at the University of Texas, he worked as a bookmobile driver for the Austin Public Library.