Tag: Self publishing

a to z challenge, Uncategorized

Self-Publishing: D is for…Design (cover design)

Elodie

DD is for…Design (cover Design): Having an eye-catching cover is oh so important. I think when you’re self-publishing, it really helps to also show that you take it seriously…and while the selfpub stigma is less important than before, a cover is the first glance at your work. Letting it go to waste…is well, a waste.

My cover designer for ONE TWO THREE and ONE DREAM ONLY was Derek Murphy. He offers different packages, and a bit more expensive than others, but I did love working with him…and he has now a lot and I mean a lot of free info for authors, also on how to design covers and templates and everything.

The process took several steps:

  • You first should know if you want to go for ebook and print or just ebook.
  • Sharing as much info about the book as possible
  • Sending a few pictures I had in mind
  • Him sending me a few possible covers
  • Me choosing the one I liked the most (with the help of some lovely friends and writers)) and then amending it also with the help of  Derek

I absolutely loved my covers…Here’s the one Derek created for ONE TWO THREE which I published on June 26th, 2014.

Official cover

For the covers, we used stockphotos. One thing to keep in mind is that you could also use photographer stock photos which then are used only once (check out those photos: love them) or use your own…

For my series, the heart will be “the” image that links all the books…As mentioned in a previous post, I am currently learning how to use Photoshop…and it’s been tons of fun.

List of providers (based on covers I loved from other self-pub authors)

Round up of articles on cover design

 Join me on Monday for E…Editing, Copy-editing, Line-editing

selfpub logo

Uncategorized

Self-Publishing: C is for…Costs

Elodie

CC is for….Costs. There is a wide spectrum of costs and providers when it comes to self-publishing. And let me tell you something, the costs part is really something I didn’t have down to perfection. As mentioned yesterday, I had a very good day job and in the back of my mind, I dreamed about the positive reception, the way it was simply going to work out.

  • Important Note: Dear Chemical Engineer Husband of Mine, if you’re reading this, do not act surprised, I did tell you and it’s in our tax return
  • Second Very Important Note: I am also sharing at the bottom the costs of other self-published authors who have shared their breakdown on their site and who are awesome, just saying 🙂

The most money I spent on was on editing.Why? Because some of the feedback I received made me rewrite a big part of the story. Hence, I needed more editing than maybe others. And definitely more than what I will need for my next books.

  • Cover Design by Derek Murphy:  $850
  • Editing by Sara Biren, Maya Rock and Double Vision Editorial (content editing x 2, line editing x2, copy editing): $2500
  • Blog tour (cover reveal), Blog Review Tour & Book Blitz: $350
  • Patchwork Press/Netgalley (one month): $45
  • Prizes for giveaways (Gift cards, Donations to DonorsChoose.org): $100
  • Other Promotion and advertising (Facebook, copies of books, ): $500
  • Formatting by Cait Greer: $150

What I’m going to do differently:

  • Cover: I’m learning Photoshop and I will be doing my own covers. Sound crazy…but I think this is really going to work. I always loved taking pictures, I always loved playing around with pictures. I might show you some ideas during this month 🙂
  • Promotion/advertising: I will use Facebook differently, will invest some money on other outlets (like Bookbub, ENT and so on…). The experiment with Facebook for advertising was a definite fail for me.
  • Formatting: I am learning how to do my own formatting too.
  • Editing: I am using only one provider for one book – and my books are I think more ready to go to editing than before. This will bring down the costs. A lot.

In another post, I’ll talk about my actual sales, how I didn’t meet my investment and how this all adds up to my “lessons learned”, and how I still believe in me, in my writing, in my books, in my success.

Interesting articles on self-publishing costs

Join me tomorrow for D is for…Cover DESIGN

selfpub logo

Uncategorized

Self-Publishing: B is for…Business Plan

Elodie

BOne of the things I had not done properly was my business plan. I wanted to publish and I wanted to make sure it was the best product I could master (with the help of editors and cover designer, and, and, and…) but I didn’t sit down to think:

  • “What’s my big goal?”
  • “How do I define success for myself?”
  • “What will my promotion schedule look like?”
  • “What will be the costs and the possible unknowns?”
  • “What’s my two-years goals, my five-years goals?”
  • “How many books will I be publishing a year?”
  • And so on…

The main reasons I didn’t do this were: (i) lack of time (my full-time job was time and mind consuming) (ii) the main job was definitely providing me enough funds to not worry about meeting my costs, and (iii) did I mention my unrealistic expectations?

Basically, if I want to succeed, I need to start looking more at the business side of things. I will be revamping my business plan and to do this, I have been reading more and more about the topic:  here are a few wonderful articles/podcast that have helped my research:

selfpub logo

a to z challenge

Self-Publishing: A is for…Advertising

Elodie

A[1]A is for…Advertising

Personally, I had dreamed that when ONE TWO THREE (the first book I self-published) came out, it would be a success (otherwise: why oh why would I have decided to self-publish? :P). Of course, I also knew about the importance of marketing and promotion and yes I knew that self-publishing is a marathon not a race. There are more and more self-published books being published each year (more statistics in later posts) and standing out is not the easiest thing to do.

Here’s what I learned and a few things I’ll consider:

  • Netgalley: this worked really well for me, gathered quite a few reviews on several websites and started spreading the word. In addition, I’m in touch with some of the bloggers who loved my book and I am so forever thankful for them. Some people join co-ops, I used Patchwork Press…
  • Facebook: I promoted my Facebook page way before publication, yes I got a lot of likes but for the amount spent, the results (reader engagement, sales)  were basically non-existent. On the other hand, the Facebook party I organized for ONE DREAM ONLY gave me great results in regards connecting with readership. Thinking about doing something totally different with Facebook when it comes to promotion from now on.
  • Blog tour with reviews: Another way to get the book in front of readers. I didn’t see a rise in sales though at that time.
  • Cover reveal: I loved doing a cover reveal – advertising wise, at the time, it really worked. I used the services offered by Giselle from Xpresso Book Tours…I think the blurb really caught the attention of readers at the time.
  • Goodreads giveaway: While I think having a Goodreads giveaway is another way to spread the word, and gather the attention of readers, I will not have 3 books at one time there but rather one book and maybe do 2 giveaways (one before publication and one a year after publication or when another book just came out)
  • Goodies (postcards, bookmarks…): I only did this with ONE DREAM ONLY and did not use those to their full advantage, so while my experience is a fail with those, I might use them differently next time.

Things I will try next:

  • Timing: There was too much time between the cover reveal and putting up my book either for sale or for review. People tend to forget especially when there are lots of wonderful books coming out.
  • Facebook group: I will create a FB group where it’s easier to connect directly with readers (I’ve seen more and more of those and the direct connection with the readers is very nice)
  • Bookbub, Freebooksy, ENT…I am going to experience much more with advertising via those lists.
  • Make sure my newsletter is more visible
  • Create new content only for my newsletter subscribers.
  • Try to cross-promote with other authors
  • Use Instagram more maybe do a cover reveal on it first?
  • Use goodies to connect with the readers—send postcards and bookmarks to those who asked or pre-order or post pictures of themselves reading my book on social media. Do something fun with those goodies 😛

Interesting articles on the topic of advertising/marketing for authors:

selfpub logo

Uncategorized

Self-publishing: From A-to-Z

Elodie

A2Z-BADGE-0002015-LifeisGood-230_zps660c38a0

This year I decided to join the A to Z blogging Challenge. Every single day in April (except Sundays) I will be blogging. You can find more information about the challenge here 🙂 As I was looking for a theme, I thought, why not share my experience and some of the research I´ve done when I decided to self-publish…so my theme is: SELF-PUBLISHING FROM A TO Z.

Hope it will be helpful and entertaining 🙂 And don´t hesitate to let me know if there’s a special aspect of self-publishing you would like me to tackle.

 

Now, if it´s the first time you have visited my little space in the World Wide Web: welcome 🙂 My name is Elodie and I’m a Young Adult & New Adult writer.

Here are a few things about me: I was raised in a tiny village in France, where I could always be found a book in hand. At nineteen, I moved to the US, where I learned I’d never lose her French accent. I graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Modern Language & Linguistics, and later earned master’s degrees in German Cultural Studies and European Studies. Unbeknownst to my professors, I sometimes drafted stories in class. Now I live close to DC with my husband, our cat and our dog (who do not seem to realize they´re not humans). I am also a serial smiley user.

And a few fun facts…

  • I met the Nobel Prize of Economics 2014 before he received the prize at a conference and he helped me with my suitcase.
  • I speak three languages fluently (English, French and German) and a tiny bit of Spanish and Russian.
  • I love food, all kinds of food but I always drop something at the most inappropriate time like during a business lunch in an 15th century dining room with very important people at the table. The key is to continue talking as if nothing happened and smile.
  • I shook the hand of the former Chancellor of Germany
  • I broke my arm in two places when I was about twelve…my gym teacher didn’t believe me at first and told me to shake it off.
  • I spent lots of my time at my grandparents after breaking my arm and freaked out because the cast was red. I was convinced I was bleeding profusely. My grandma had a hard time making me understand that it was just the tiles of the kitchen…

Are you joining the challenge this year? Anything you would like me to tackle about my experience in self-publishing?

Uncategorized

Release day and endless possibilities…

Elodie

Release day

ONE DREAM ONLY is out in the world. (you can buy it here :-))

And I am scared and I am excited, and really why do I always release books when I´m staying in a hotel? 🙂

When I released ONE TWO THREE, I was on vacation in Texas. I wrote ONE, TWO, THREE in the train and didn´t have much time for promotion/marketing. I also wrote ONE DREAM ONLY in the train, but this time around, I actually have the time to try to promote it. From the hotel we´re staying at until we find a home in Maryland.

I actually got goodies for my Facebook event, I´ve posted in many groups and I´ve used PicMonkey for promotional pictures (love PicMonkey, thank you so much Jaime for showing me that site :-)).

Sale
Designed with PicMonkey 🙂

And I am maybe even more nervous (also much more realistic) about ONE DREAM ONLY.

Why?

For One, Two, Three, I believed that sales would spike, that everyone would fall in love with my book, and that the word would spread like wildfire (a happy wildfire). I know better now. I know that sales can start slow and grow and be steady. I know it´s important to keep writing. I know that not everyone will love my books but that a lot of people will…

It is also different because it is my first novelette, it is a book that I cross my fingers will show Natalya in her element…and bring the reader even closer to her. For those that have already read One, Two, Three, I hope they fall in love with her even more…For those who haven´t read One, Two, Three, I hope it makes them want to know what happens to her…And for all, I hope it raises their curiosity about Emilia (who is the main character of ALWAYS SECOND BEST).

Another reason I am more nervous and why it is also a bit bittersweet is the meaning behind this release date. October 14th is my last official day at my day job. We moved to the US at the end of September but I was technically on vacations until today. Today is the end of my contract as Press Officer of the European Central Bank. And it´s bittersweet. I am excited for the endless possibilities ahead of me, of the time I will dedicate to my writing career, of the time I can give my husband, my family and friends (and my cat, yes my cat too), about the things I want to explore (going back to teaching for example)…but I will miss my job (I already miss my colleagues).

Yesterday, the Nobel prize of economics was announced and I think my mouth dropped to the floor. I actually met Jean Tirole at an event I worked at as press officer. He even helped me with my suitcase and gave me a ride after the event. I had this great opportunity thanks to my job.

But I am already very well adjusted to the fact that I want to use this opportunity in my life to dedicate time to writing. I want to give myself this chance to write full-time for a while…I am lucky to be able to do so.

Happy release day One Dream Only, thank you everyone for your support and help and reviews and emails and everything…and here´s to many more books to come!

Uncategorized

#Selfpub corner: Behind-the-scenes of a Facebook release day party

Elodie

#Selfpub corner button#Selfpub corner is back and today, I’ll be tackling what goes on behind the scenes when organizing a Facebook release day party.

ONE DREAM ONLY is coming out on October 14th. Only a few more days, and you’ll be able to discover Natalya’s life before ONE, TWO, THREE.

You can see (and maybe join the party :)) by clicking on the picture or on this link.

Release day party

For my last book, I didn`t really have the time to organize a release day party but this time around, I decided to go for a Facebook release day party.

And it’s quite exciting. Here are some questions I´ve received and some I came up with…I am trying to answer them as thoroughly as possible, but don`t hesitate to let me know if you have any additional ones.

  • Why did you decide to do a Facebook release day party?

I wanted to find a way to celebrate my release day and to spread the word about my book. I love the fact that it’s online, so that means despite the different time zones and all I can reach out to people around the world. I also have my Facebook Author Page and I wanted to find a way to make it even more interactive. Plus, I like that people can comment, post and be active…

  • What do you do during a Facebook release day party?

That’s a very good question…and personally, I checked out what other authors were doing and then came up with a few things I think would be fun.

Prizes:

– Naming a character in my next novel: That will be on-going during the day and I will pick a winner at the end of the day. People will be able to enter by answering a question.

– A signed copy of One, Two, Three

– Some goodies (a pen, a tote bag, postcards, mouse pad…): I’ve designed those online.

bag

pen

Fun

There will be trivia, character’s quizzes, Q&A session, music…

I worked on a 12 questions quiz where people will be able to discover which character they are (Natalya, Emilia or Becca).

I will be sharing some sentences from my next book.

  • How much did it cost?

Setting up the event: nothing.

The costs of the prizes: so books, the bags, magnets and pen is about $70

  • How did you promote it?

I shared it on my author page, I shared it on my personal page…I invited friends to join. I announced it on Twitter and informed some of the people who liked One, Two, Three.

  • Can I help you with the event?

Yes! If you`re on Facebook, you can join the event, you can share it on your wall, you can invite your friends to it, you can tweet about it, Instagram it…:-)

And then during the actual event, don´t be shy and participate 🙂

You can also share this picture on your social media…

Ad for the FB release day party

  • Do you think the event will be a success?

Honestly, I don´t know. I also don`t think success means the same for everyone. For me, success will be if people are active, are answering questions, are asking questions…Do I also expect sales out of it? It would be nice of course to see my ranking go up, but my first release taught me to manage expectations when it comes to that. The sales need to be steady, and I am crossing my fingers that people will fall in love with Natalya, will feel right along with her.

Thanks so much for reading and Happy Friday!

Self-pub corner

Presenting #Selfpub Corner (and a super cute button)

Elodie

I have been thinking for the past few weeks how to best share my experience int he self-publishing world. I have had people reaching out to me and asking me questions. I always try my best to answer and I thought maybe others would also benefit from my experiences: what I learned, what I would do differently and what I will do again for my second release.

So…I will be starting as of next Friday the #Selfpub Corner.

#Selfpub corner button

Isn’t a cute button? I love it. I always admired the ones Jaime created and she told me about PicMonkey. Love it!

Every week or so I will take a different question or angle, such as: how to get reviews, why use Netgalley (if at all), how did I find my editors, my cover designer, and then from times to times I will feature a self-published author asking a few questions or asking them to share their own experience.

Are you a self-published author and would you like to get featured on this new corner of my blog?

Do you have any questions you want me to answer about my experience?

Leave me a comment or don’t hesitate to shoot me an email.

 

 

Self publishing

My book is out in the world!

Elodie
Me holding an ARC of ONE TWO THREE :-)
Me holding an ARC of ONE TWO THREE 🙂

It’s the 26th of June and my little book is out in the world…it’s an insane feeling. It’s crazy and exciting and scary and amazing. And SURREAL. And did I mention amazing?

I chose this date to find a way to celebrate my parents’  4o year anniversary. They are wonderful parents and I am so grateful for them. They’re the reason I’m here today, they helped me and supported me and let me go while always making sure I know that my home is still my home. They’re strong together and I admire them.

Happy anniversary! I love you! The Chemical Engineer and I will be lucky if we’re like you in more than 30 years.

I also simply want to say “thank you”. Thank you to everyone who supported me throughout this journey. I honestly couldn’t have done it without my husband (<3) and without my CPs, beta readers, my amazing friends dispersed in so many countries…people who offered their support, my #Team123,  agents who offered their feedback, colleagues who cheered me up along the way.

Thank you for listening, for nudging me when needed, for being there, for believing in me…I’ve met so many amazing persons and I’m really grateful for all of you! And thank you to everyone who reviewed my book. I’m really realizing now how important those reviews are.

I’m currently in Galveston, Texas and in a public place so I probably should stop typing right now, or I might start crying.

I am so happy that you can all now read ONE, TWO, THREE and maybe fall in love with Nata & Tonio.  You can enter this giveaway to win a signed copy of ONE, TWO, THREE or a $50 gift card to Amazon or B&N or $25 donation to the literacy project of your choice on DonorsChoose.org:  a Rafflecopter giveaway

❤

Cover 3Amazon . B&N . iTunes . Kobo . Google Play . Amazon.de . Amazon.fr 

ONE, TWO, THREE: Last year, seventeen-year-old Natalya Pushkaya was attending the School of Performing Arts in New York City. Last year, she was well on her way to becoming a professional ballerina. Last year, her father was still alive.

But a car crash changed all that—and Natalya can’t stop blaming herself. Now, she goes to a regular high school in New Jersey; lives with her onetime prima ballerina, now alcoholic mother; and has no hope of a dance career.

At her new school, however, sexy soccer player Antonio sees a brighter future for Natalya, or at least a more pleasant present. Keeping him an arabesque away proves to be a challenge for Natalya and his patient charms eventually draw her out of her shell.  When upsetting secrets come to light and Tonio’s own problems draw her in, Natalya shuts down again, this time turning to alcohol herself.

Can Natalya learn to trust Antonio before she loses him—and destroys herself?

 

 

Uncategorized

Threats Of Sky and Sea is out today + Giveaway! #TOSAS

Elodie

Details on the giveaway are at the end of this post

Once upon a time, I took a wonderful revising class with Mandy Hubbard (who is as amazing as everyone says, and she has a cow. That’s not what makes her amazing, but still pretty cool). In this class, I met quite a few talented writers, including the lovely Jennifer Ellision.

Fast-forward 15 months or so, and Jen announces she’s self-publishing the debut novel she was working on in Mandy’s class. Jen’s novel already sounded good back then, and after reading an ARC, I know it’s even better that what I thought! Jen and I have been in very regular contact as we go through the self-publishing process at around the same time. We have behind-the-scenes emails and cheer each other.

But, this doesn’t take anything away from the awesomeness that is her main character, Bree or the way a certain someone is totally swoon-worthy, or the fact that despite the fact that I don’t read a lot of fantasy, I still couldn’t put this book down.

Sixteen year-old Breena Perdit has spent her life as a barmaid, innocent to her father’s past and happily free from the Elemental gifts that would condemn her to a life in the Egrian King’s army. Until the day that three Elemental soldiers recognize her father as a traitor to the throne and Bree’s father is thrown in jail—along with the secrets from his last mission as the King’s assassin. Secrets that could help the King win a war. Secrets he refuses to share. Desperate to escape before the King’s capricious whims prove her and her father’s downfall, Bree bargains with him: information for their lives. It’s a good trade. And she has faith she’ll get them both out of the King’s grasp with time.

But that was before the discovery that she’s the weapon the King’s been waiting for in his war. Now, time is running out. To save her father’s life and understand her own, Bree must unravel the knot of her father’s past before the King takes his life– and uses her to bring a nation to its knees

You can find the book on Amazon, B&N and other online retailers.

Here are a few quotes I loved from the book:

  • “If you tell me one more time that I’m using the wrong fork for a part of a meal, I swear I’ll show them exactly how multi-functional the utensil can be.”
  • “Wishes, I am finding, are fickle things when they turn on you.”
  • “I have been thinking”, he says. Kingdoms have been known to fall in the wake of his thoughts.

 And more! 

The speculative fiction magazine Inaccurate realities reviewed it and loved it! 🙂

Tonight, Jen is hosting a #TOSAS Twitter Party, you can find all info here and you can ask her questions by leaving comments on her blog post.

And the giveaway?

Well, today is all about TOSAS and Jen…:) so all you have to do is head over Jen’s Twitter Party blog post by clicking here and ask her a question about TOSAS, her breakfast on this day, about elementals, whatever comes to your mind. Everyone who leaves a comment, asking her a question ahead of time will be entered into my giveaway…I’ll use a random generator number tomorrow to pick the winner of a paperback copy of TOSAS (and I will toss in a $25 donation to the book/literacy project of your choice on DonorsChoose.org)

🙂