• Quick note - the problem with Youtube videos not embedding on the forum appears to have been fixed, thanks to ZiprHead. If you do still see problems let me know.

What book is everyone writing right now?

Well Jade seems to crop up often enough the reader and writer pages I follow on FB often enough for it to keep appearing in my adverts.

As for my Amazon experiments.

I spent less than expected ($20) and had 16k people see my book, but less than twenty people click on it... And I am fairly sure my only sale was a sympathy buy from my beta readers...

So.. I need to refine the blurb and cover.(And you know... Write a better book)

On the other hand reviews has been possitive. Which seems to be a trait for all twenty of my books. They get a nice review, but they do not, in general, attract attention. Which is entirely down to me. As a hobby writer I have little time or money to invest in marketing services, blog tours, release blitz, etc. If I am honest I don't think I would enjoy the hobby as much if I was the sort of person who had the drive to be successful.

That said I am learning from my mistakes on when to give away free copies on Kindle. I will try and rouse interest for a blitz of horror stories at Halloween and everything else at Christmas.
 
RobRoy said:
Define experience. :D

I wrote one, sorta, based off a story my son told me. But I know, roughly, how to pull them together. :D What's your question?
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Mainly how to go about getting one published. I have an idea for one that would, frankly, be a naked attempt to make some money. It wouldn't be very long, and would ideally be heavily illustrated.
 
Polaris said:
Mainly how to go about getting one published. I have an idea for one that would, frankly, be a naked attempt to make some money. It wouldn't be very long, and would ideally be heavily illustrated.
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First step is to write and illustrate the book. Then submit to agents and publishers until you get picked up. There are a couple of good sites that will link you to agents and publishers in the field.

Alternately, publish the book yourself.
 
RobRoy said:
First step is to write and illustrate the book. Then submit to agents and publishers until you get picked up.
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I've heard from some agents that they rarely want illustrations in the manuscript when they're trying to sell a picture book. The publishing houses may prefer to find somebody to do the art, as they're buying the story mainly.


RobRoy said:
Alternately, publish the book yourself.
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In which case, yeah, probably need to be illustrated before trying to sell it.
 
blutoski said:
I've heard from some agents that they rarely want illustrations in the manuscript when they're trying to sell a picture book. The publishing houses may prefer to find somebody to do the art, as they're buying the story mainly.
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I'll defer to your experience. I didn't try to sell my children's book as it was only meant for my family. The main take-away is to complete the book first. I don't think there's such a thing as a children's book proposal. Agents/publishers will simply want the story.

In which case, yeah, probably need to be illustrated before trying to sell it.
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Yep. And you can find some decent (price-wise) talent on Fiverr or similar sites who are willing to give you full rights to the illustrations. :D
 
Yay! Ordered a copy of issue #48 of Sanitarium today from CreateSpace. It has my supernatural story, Even Odds in it. A couple of school girls get a fortune teller card from a Zoltar automaton and the words on the card keep changing.

Someone gave the issue 4 stars on Amazon.

This is such a weird genre niche, not something I ever thought I'd be published in. Maybe I have a more warped personality than I realized. :p
 
I've had a few article published in military history journals on the Scottish invasion of England in 1296 and the fighting that took place when the English under Edward l counter attacked. One article was on the storming of Berwick and the other on the battle at Dunbar a month or so later.
I'm starting to research and write the first full military history of the campaign, its my first book so I'm giving myself 18-24 months.
 
skeptichaggis said:
I've had a few article published in military history journals on the Scottish invasion of England in 1296 and the fighting that took place when the English under Edward l counter attacked. One article was on the storming of Berwick and the other on the battle at Dunbar a month or so later.
I'm starting to research and write the first full military history of the campaign, its my first book so I'm giving myself 18-24 months.
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Start early on the illustrations if you need to get permissions!
 
Wow, I almost had a publishing deal then. Early in the year, I sent a submission to what appeared to be a legitimate small press. Early this month, I got a request for the complete manuscript. Whoopeeee, someone's taking an interest in my work. Duly excited, I sent it over, and was told to wait around four weeks for a decision. Yesterday, I got an email.

I am pleased to inform you that ‘REALITY CHECK’ was presented at our most recent publishing meeting. After discussing your work with my colleagues in production and marketing, I put forward a comprehensive case for its inclusion in our future reading lists. It is now my pleasure to inform you that your work has been accepted for publication and I would like to offer you one of our inclusive contracts.
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Yippeeeee, I'm going to be a published author! I can't wait to tell the folks at International Skeptics. I'll just read through the rest of this email, and ... oh dear. The very next paragraph:

This type of contract requires a share of the production costs to be provided by the author but is otherwise no different to our traditional contracts.
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I'd stumbled into a vanity press passing itself off as a real publisher. That four-week wait was probably them sitting on a manuscript they didn't even read, just to make it look like they were doing their jobs. According to the contract I was sent, getting my book published through them will cost me £2,500, money I'd never hope to make back. Needless to say, I'm not touching them with a bargepole. And I'm VERY pissed off.
 
Volume II of my series published yesterday

zyPYNlF.jpg


https://www.amazon.com/officer-Crown-II-Suez-Bombay/dp/0996998020

Ensign David Driscol continues his journey out from England to India, going from Suez to Bombay where he takes up with the Bombay Artillery, a bibi and preparations for an expedition into Independent Tartary (what we call Central Asia)


Hans said:
Hi folks

I wanted to thank all the members here for their help in getting this book published. Many of you answered questions in this thread and others about 19th century subjects.

[qimg]http://i.imgur.com/Aof1rjx.jpg[/qimg]
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I have the following projects on deck:

A print edition of my ebook "Answering Kirk Hastings."

A fiction story about a Hydrino based generator in New York City having some, er, technical difficulties.

A bit of crossover Fan Fiction tentatively titled "Mighty Morphing Power Granger."

I'm also being approached about "uncredited editorial and research support" for a Creationist book arguing Hydrino theory supports the Bible.
 
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