Tuesday, November 14, 2017
Monday, November 13, 2017
Paperbacks
So, started formatting work on the paperbacks last night, and I was rather bummed to find that CreateSpace, the folks who you pretty much have to use to do POD on Amazon don't do a mass market paperback size (4 3/8 x 7) 5 x 8 is as close as you can get. So I guess 5 x 8 is what I'm going to go with.
Hopefully I'll have them all formatted and submitted here in the next day or two, it's a tedious job because you can't just reformat the files, the need a certain amount of massaging. Then on top of that you have to do the covers, and there is no easy way to do that. Unless of course I pay someone else.
Maybe I should do that latter bit.
I'm waiting for the last bit of graphics to be put in the new cover. Sunday wasn't a work day for my artist (I honestly forgot yesterday was Sunday, it was a busy weekend). Aiming for release on this Saturday, the 18th for the new book. Hopefully all the paperbacks will be up not long after.
Hopefully I'll have them all formatted and submitted here in the next day or two, it's a tedious job because you can't just reformat the files, the need a certain amount of massaging. Then on top of that you have to do the covers, and there is no easy way to do that. Unless of course I pay someone else.
Maybe I should do that latter bit.
I'm waiting for the last bit of graphics to be put in the new cover. Sunday wasn't a work day for my artist (I honestly forgot yesterday was Sunday, it was a busy weekend). Aiming for release on this Saturday, the 18th for the new book. Hopefully all the paperbacks will be up not long after.
Saturday, November 11, 2017
So. I just typed END on the new book: Head Down
Yup, the first draft and the first re-write are now complete, as of about 20 minutes ago. (10pm).
It's a bit bigger than I had planned on, I think it kind of got away from me there.
At this point, the next book will most likely finish up this story arc. Because book #4 sorta ran into book #5. But that doesn't mean that there won't be more in this series. There is a second story arc, as I believe I have mentioned before, for what happens next, after events in Reno are fully resolved.
Today really has been a long work day. I started like 13 hours ago, but I wanted to get this done :-)
The book will go on pre-order as soon as I get the finished cover. I suspect that'll be tomorrow or Sunday at the latest. Sale date will be either the 17th or the 18th. Not sure yet.
I will be at the Rancho Cordova Comic Con this Sunday (11/12). I won't have any print versions of the Valens series for sale there (I will be formatting all of those up soon, I promise). I will be selling all that stuff I've written under my slightly more mundane name. (if you want to know what that is, go check my web page :-) ).
night!
It's a bit bigger than I had planned on, I think it kind of got away from me there.
At this point, the next book will most likely finish up this story arc. Because book #4 sorta ran into book #5. But that doesn't mean that there won't be more in this series. There is a second story arc, as I believe I have mentioned before, for what happens next, after events in Reno are fully resolved.
Today really has been a long work day. I started like 13 hours ago, but I wanted to get this done :-)
The book will go on pre-order as soon as I get the finished cover. I suspect that'll be tomorrow or Sunday at the latest. Sale date will be either the 17th or the 18th. Not sure yet.
I will be at the Rancho Cordova Comic Con this Sunday (11/12). I won't have any print versions of the Valens series for sale there (I will be formatting all of those up soon, I promise). I will be selling all that stuff I've written under my slightly more mundane name. (if you want to know what that is, go check my web page :-) ).
night!
Wednesday, November 8, 2017
Book #4 is on the way, soon.
Just finished the first draft. Will commission the cover tonight (Yeah, I'm a bit behind, apologies everyone!) Hopefully it will be up for sale on the 17th. Presales will go up the moment I get the cover back from my artist.
Thanks!
Thanks!
So apparently I was a topic of conversation at an Indy writing con?
I just heard that at the '20 books to 50K' convention in Vegas this last weekend, that I was one of the topics of conversations among a LOT of people. Apparently a number of them want to figure out how to 'copy me'?? so they can make lots of money.
Honestly, I checked out the 20 books to 50K group a while ago. Other than the list of 'rules' that someone put up there way back in the beginning, I don't think most of those people get it, or are going to do as well as they think.
Too many people view writing as a 'get rich quick' scheme. I've seen this in a lot of different jobs and hobbies I've had over the years. Yes, some people do get lucky, that does happen, though in most cases you'll see that there was a lot of 'work' involved in that 'luck.'
As for me? I don't really think I'm making the kind of money these people think I am. Maybe if I can keep up the sales for a couple of years I will be, but this is a job, like any other, and it involves a lot of hard work and long hours. It's taken me many years of hard work to get to this particular place as well. Just thinking that they can 'copy what I'm doing' and suddenly make lots of money?
In gold mining we have a saying: 'All the easy gold is gone.' Which quite simply means, that yes, there may be gold out there, but you're going to have to bust your ass to find it. Just writing twenty books is not going to earn you a 50K income. Just earning it one year doesn't mean you can stop and the money will keep rolling in.
You have to keep working at it, you have to keep writing, you have to keep publishing. Or you will just fade away. A book only has so many years of sales in it. Or in some cases, so many months. I write six or more novels a year. Every year. Gimmicks will not sustain an income. Only hard work can do that.
(But still, they were talking about me? Wow! I'm famous!!)
Honestly, I checked out the 20 books to 50K group a while ago. Other than the list of 'rules' that someone put up there way back in the beginning, I don't think most of those people get it, or are going to do as well as they think.
Too many people view writing as a 'get rich quick' scheme. I've seen this in a lot of different jobs and hobbies I've had over the years. Yes, some people do get lucky, that does happen, though in most cases you'll see that there was a lot of 'work' involved in that 'luck.'
As for me? I don't really think I'm making the kind of money these people think I am. Maybe if I can keep up the sales for a couple of years I will be, but this is a job, like any other, and it involves a lot of hard work and long hours. It's taken me many years of hard work to get to this particular place as well. Just thinking that they can 'copy what I'm doing' and suddenly make lots of money?
In gold mining we have a saying: 'All the easy gold is gone.' Which quite simply means, that yes, there may be gold out there, but you're going to have to bust your ass to find it. Just writing twenty books is not going to earn you a 50K income. Just earning it one year doesn't mean you can stop and the money will keep rolling in.
You have to keep working at it, you have to keep writing, you have to keep publishing. Or you will just fade away. A book only has so many years of sales in it. Or in some cases, so many months. I write six or more novels a year. Every year. Gimmicks will not sustain an income. Only hard work can do that.
(But still, they were talking about me? Wow! I'm famous!!)
Wednesday, November 1, 2017
Goodreads is having a book contest
Yup, it's that time of year again: Goodreads is having some kind of book contest.
I'd appreciate it very much if you could take the time to vote for my books, Black Friday would probably be the one best to vote for.
Of course you have to type in 'Black Friday Jan Stryvant' for it to come up. I'm thinking Fantasy, and Young Adult Fantasy and Science Fiction. (But not too sure if it's really YA or not? These days, who knows!)\
Thanks!
Oh, Book #2 is apparently in so contest for book covers. Considering how much I appreciate Dane and the covers he does for me, I wouldn't mind a vote for that as well:
https://allauthor.com/cover-of-the-month/1040/
I'd appreciate it very much if you could take the time to vote for my books, Black Friday would probably be the one best to vote for.
Of course you have to type in 'Black Friday Jan Stryvant' for it to come up. I'm thinking Fantasy, and Young Adult Fantasy and Science Fiction. (But not too sure if it's really YA or not? These days, who knows!)\
Thanks!
Oh, Book #2 is apparently in so contest for book covers. Considering how much I appreciate Dane and the covers he does for me, I wouldn't mind a vote for that as well:
https://allauthor.com/cover-of-the-month/1040/
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