Immortality: Chandra's Quest Book 3 is now available as a paperback. It can be purchased through Amazon Kindle. I will share excerpts from the book next week. Please visit the link below to see book price and details.
Monday, August 30, 2021
Sunday, August 8, 2021
Traditional or Self-publishing: What is Best?
"The landscape of self-publishing has changed significantly over the last decade. Once considered inferior to traditional presses, self-publishing is gaining more attention and earning credibility as a viable way to access unique, and in some cases quality, content. What’s more, the increase in self-publishing has garnered a significant amount of attention from marketing companies looking to capitalize on this burgeoning industry. Major publishers are even jumping on the bandwagon as well, offering independent authors a variety of ancillary services to help market their books. Libraries have begun using self-publishing to reconnect with communities by offering workshops and resources geared towards independent authors. It is not uncommon for writers to choose the route of self-publishing because the traditional publishing route is difficult, if not impossible, for some writers to enter."
Anonymous
That statement is true! Many
self-published authors hit a brick wall when presenting their work to the
traditional publishers. Most of the time, traditional publishers don’t look at
every manuscript they receive. If their workload is heavy, they will return the
manuscript and thus depressing the author, who then decides to forget about
becoming a serious author.
NOTE: an author is someone who
has published more than one book. It doesn’t matter whether they are an
Indie/self-published authors or not, they are still authors. Indie/Self-publishing
is probably the only opportunity available to the beginners.
What’s the percentage of certain groups of people from obtaining authorship through traditional publishing routes?
The number of books published by people of color speaks volumes about the barriers that prevent certain groups from obtaining authorship through traditional publishing routes. In 2017, out of 3,500 books received by the center, approximately 3% were written by African American and Latino authors, 7% were written by Asian Pacific American authors, and less than 1% were written by Native American authors. Therefore, self-publishing is a route that allows writers to share their stories. It also creates an opportunity to be recognized as an author.
Here is someone’s point of view regarding
self-publishing.
I Understand that “indie publishing” is all the rage, but despite royalty rates of 70%, I think self-publishing is a terrible idea for serious novelists by which I mean, novelists who take writing seriously. Here’s why. If you self-publish your book, you are not going to be writing for a living. You are going to be marketing for a living. Self-published authors should expect to spend only 10% of their time writing and 90% of their time marketing. if your passion is creating worlds and characters, telling great stories, and/or reveling in language, you might want to aim for traditional publication. I mute authors whose tweet streams are 90% adverts in the same way I wouldn’t watch the shopping channel. Most indie authors have tweet streams that are 90% adverts, perhaps a reflection of the fact that they must spend 90% of their time marketing. It certainly doesn’t make self-publishing look like the path to El Dorado. Why would I want to join this gang?
What I say about what that person said: He’s right about marketing however, he’s wrong about
self-published authors not taking their writing seriously! All authors take
their writing seriously! If they didn’t, they would not care when someone
gives them a not so good review!
There are people out there that just despise Indie/self-published authors. Why? The author did what others wish they can do, it's that simple. The self-published author doesn’t just talk about writing a book and publishing it, they go out and do it! They have courage and hope in a sea of vexing haters.
Do most self-published authors consider their writing a career?
The majority do but some are more realistic in the outcome so most have part-time jobs or even full-time jobs. Overall, self-publishing may be all the rage, but the writer has a choice. If he or she wants to publish traditionally, that's up to them, however more and more traditional companies are going in the way of self-publishing. Giving their audience a chance to read a diverse stream of books written by unknown authors. Some of those books can hide a hidden jewel. Just saying.
Thursday, July 8, 2021
Secret Diary of a Gypsy Heart: Making it as a Paperback
I recently uploaded my book Secret Diary of a Gypsy Heart as a paperback book. It usually takes 72 hrs for KDP to review the book and publish it however, my intuition tells me it might take a little longer this time. So I visited the KDP community forum to ask why my book is taking a little longer than usual. One person said that it might have something to do with a shortage of staff since they lost some people to COVID. Whether I believe it or not is irrelevant. But as usual there is that 1% who will post their satire like comment only because they assume that Indie author books are low rated. Well, Chandra's Quest has done quite well as far as I'm concerned. It now has a global rate of 6.
Why is that relevant? Well it means that even though they didn't leave a review they still gave it a 4 or 5 star rating. That matters a lot to me as an Indie author.
(And no, not all reviews or ratings come from someone the author knows, that's just ridiculous.)
What the Hell are Fake Books?
I have no idea what are 'Fake Books' but someone on that thread said this:
"With KDP staffing being what it is and the tsunami of titles growing ever larger, it could be a long wait, but probably less than five business days, going by the experiences of others. However, if you're one of the thousands uploading fake books, the wait could be even longer, weeks or months. In either case, patience is required."
Well, I said that I don't make "Fake Books" which I'm assuming are FanFic books. I truly have no idea.
This person also said:
"Keep an eye on your Bookshelf. It is not unusual for print editions to be bounced back to Draft for one reason or another, especially now...the new staff hired to replace the sick or dead seem to have a higher rate of rejects."
I don't believe that! There is no reason for them not to be doing their job, regardless of who is working. I don't believe my book should be bounced back to draft & it shouldn't be rejected either!! If I find out that it is rejected, I will call support as instructed by another user.
I personally do not like going into KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing) forum to get answers because, there is always that 1% as I stated before. I seriously doubt that my book would have issues, period.
When Secret Diary of a Gypsy Heart is published as a paperback, I will share the link to the book on Facebook, Twitter, and on my website.
In the meantime, I am working on completing Omega: Chandra's Quest Book 4, and I will upload it as an eBook first and a few months after, I will publish it as a paperback, thus completing the Chandra's Quest trilogy, finally. Next year I will start on another novel but I am going to take a short break from writing. I have some personal projects to that I want to complete. Yes, I do plan on writing some FanFiction but under a pseudonym and on a different blog.
For inquiring minds:
All my books that have been published as an eBook or paperback, have been copyrighted.
(eBook) Secret Diary of a Gypsy Heart
Wednesday, June 23, 2021
My Summer Projects
If you've been following me on Facebook or Twitter, you should know that I am still working on Omega: Chandra's Quest Book 4, the final installment of the Chandra's Quest trilogy. And if you've read the first three, you're looking forward to reading book 4.
I will continue working on Omega and hope to publish it by the end of this year. I will also be converting Secret Diary of a Gypsy Heart into a paperback this Summer. Usually, during the process, I might find something within the text that I want to change so by the time it becomes a paperback, it might be a bit different than when I uploaded it as a eBook. Technically when that happens, I will re-upload it as an eBook with the changes.
In addition, I will be writing some FanFic stories (above) based on some of my old time favorite shows. I will share them on another blog.
What will happen after I publish Omega?
I will take a break on starting my next novel. I've learned not to reveal too much about the title or the subject I will be writing. I like to leave it a mystery.
I will share updates on my blog, Facebook Author's Page & Twitter.
Stay Cool & Safe.
Monday, May 17, 2021
Will Indie Items Become a Collector’s Dream?
Many people love to collect items that no one else has or
items that are considered retro, one of a kind. Right now, anything Indie is
becoming popular, or so I was told. I believe that many of those items will be
a collector’s dream in the future and might be worth some money too. There have
always been collectors and, in 10, 20 or 50 years some people will want to own
Indie books, art, music, etc. They will pay big money for them; that’s the way it
is. So the things that people don’t give a second glance to, might very well become
popular in the FUTURE. Food for thought.
To my fellow self-published authors: sign your books---you
never know.
Saturday, May 1, 2021
List of Books I Published
I am writing this entry so people will know which books I've written and what category they are in.
Chandra's Quest (category scifi)
Twisted Embers: Chandra's Quest Book 2 (category scifi)
Immortality: Chandra's Quest Book 3 (category scifi)
In the Company of Elves (category fantasy)
Saints and Sinners: Affairs of the Heart (category romantic fiction)
Secret Diary of a Gypsy Heart (category general/romantic fiction)
The Stranger Things: Paranormal, Supernatural and Unusual Phenomenon (generalised as fiction but can be nonfiction depending on the reader's point of view)
The Other Side of Things Part 1 (category nonfiction)
The Other Side of Things Part 2 (category nonfiction)
Both books are considered nonfiction because it's the author's opinion on Life topics.
Secret Diary of a Gypsy Heart has some readers perplexed. Some have dubbed it nonfiction. There's a rumor floating around that some of the content is based on my personal experiences. I assure you that this book is strictly fiction, nothing in this book is based on facts.
Reaching my Goals:
I still have two more novels to finish.
Omega: Chandra's Quest Book 4 and another book that I will start next year. I will not reveal the title of the book because I want it to remain a mystery until next year.
Summer Writing: I plan on writing one or two FanFiction short stories. They will not interfere with completing the last novel of the Chandra's Quest trilogy since most of that book is complete.
Please do follow me on Facebook and subscribe to my Channel
Sunday, January 3, 2021
Another Year Gone By
Well, another year has gone by and even though 2020 wasn't the best for everyone I find that it gave me & my family some much needed breaks. Now that 2021 has come and a new President will enter the White House, I pray things will only get better.
Of course, the virus is not going to go away anytime soon. Family and friends affected by Trump and the whole 2020 dilemma, will never get together and apologize for being horrible human beings toward one another, during his presidency, however I feel that my family and I will fend well despite of what some people think. Now, with that said, I want to bring up that these past 4 years showed us who are friends really are and it brought out the worst in people, especially in those who were already divided politically or on personal issues.
A sibling called me on News Years Eve, saying that he wasn't going to ring in the New Year, that he wasn't going to stay up. Well, I personally don't care but unfortunately instead of him just saying, "Happy New Years to you and your family" and leaving it at that, he started in on me about who I voted for and lecturing me on how BAD things will get for me and my family because of the new president. I couldn't even put two words in, because of all the ranting he was doing!
Unbelievable. I tried to be civil by just saying, " Well I hope you and your Family have a happy New Year," and cutting the unpleasant conversation.
In the end he just said, " Yeah," and left it at that. It's unfortunate that people have become so divided over politics, with NO way of any reconciliation on both parties.
Final word on this:
When the bridge that connects us has deceased, there is no way we will ever talk again or see each other. I will move on.
My New Years Resolution is:
To continue writing and finish up the Chandra's Quest book series. I think I will focus all my creativity on accomplishing it. I will also do my best to avoid crazy, obnoxious, mean-spirited people but Life is what it is, you can't always avoid craziness and people who are unhappy and feel they should make others unhappy.
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