Conversations with a Self-Publishing Writer, Royalene Speaks, Uncategorized

Conversations: 12/29/2017

‘TIS ALMOST THE TIME TO SAY HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Two more days—just 48 little hours—when the New Year’s Eve gatherings will be in full swing and we all step into 2018. I must admit, in my youth, I never considered what my life would be like in this future. I certainly didn’t imagine that I’d be a writer, or that a majority of my writing efforts would be amazingly blessed by helping other writers fulfill their dreams of being published. So, as this year of 2017 slips into memory, I’d like to share a few highlights of my writing life with all of you, and hope these will trigger thankful remembrances of your own writing career—encouraging you to look into your writing future.

First, I am so thankful for the English teachers who encouraged me in elementary and high school. After listening to experiences from other authors, I know my classroom days were filled with miracles—encouraging words (and grades).

I am also thankful for the university professor who gave me very poor grades, adding comments that belittled my writing style—and writing voice. Even though I totally stopped writing for a few years, there was always something inside nudging me to put pen to paper and share what was on my heart. Christmas card notes became the impetus that helped me start writing again.

My Aunt Sherry (my Mother’s youngest sister) was also an encouraging force. “You have such a natural way with words,” she’d say. And when I started writing essays and short stories again, she was the first to lovingly critique them. She was thrilled for me when one of my Sci-Fi short stories was published.

By the time I was in my 30s I was happily a member of a writers’ workshop that met once a month. Each one of those gatherings (of 8-15 people) was filled with love and laughter, critique and word-play, and spontaneous combustion of ideas to further plot and character development. These marvelous people will always “speak” to me in my “inner-writer’s-ear.” However, I most often hear the gentle, poetic voice of our leader, Lois Beebe Hayna. She left this planet this year at the age of 104, but will never leave my heart and thoughts and her poetry books will bless many generations. I strongly suggest you Google her name and listen as she reads her own “Last Will and Testament” poem.

There were also many years of my writing life when I was employed fulltime (to pay those monthly bills) and happily found myself in positions where I typed (read and gently critiqued) the papers of anthropologists and archeologist, department and company managers and owners. The pattern of writing—and building my skills all along the way—continued as I was recruited to become a high school teacher. Student assignments came flowing in and, again, my writing (and communications) background proved useful.

deployed: a christmas story by royalene doyle

Then came the day when my husband read one of my short stories. “This has to be published!” Neither of us knew anything about the publishing world, but we did realize that no traditional publisher would publish one short story. So, we printed it. The title is DEPLOYED: A Christmas Story, and the initial printing of 500 copies were mostly given to detachments of soldiers being deployed. It is now a paperback and eBook on Amazon.

Writing is such a passion in my heart that I had to produce a second book in 2015: FIREPROOF PROVERBS, A Writer’s Study of Words. This one was done the correct way with Outskirts Press where I hope publish a fiction work soon.fireproof proverbs royalene doyle

Today I continue writing almost full-time! My writing life story is unique to me and yet I’m certain you’ve recognized similarities to your own journey. Each day for me is a balance act between writing for clients and helping them publish their own books, and writing my own stories—always researching some unique element no matter which project is before me.

THE writing life (our life) is full of those “construction” and “scaffolding” pieces shared with you this month. It is also a path with Bright Stars along the roadmap highlighting the writing we’ve done, the authors, publishers, editors, creative consultants we met, and books we’ve published. May you continue the journey and enjoy every moment of 2018 and beyond… ‘til we meet again. ⚓︎

Royalene

ABOUT ROYALENE DOYLE: Royalene has been writing something since before kindergarten days and continues to love the process. Through her small business—DOYLE WRITING SERVICES—she brings more than 40 years of writing experience to authors who need “just a little assistance” with completing their projects. This is a nice fit as she develops these blogs for Outskirts Press (OP) a leading self-publisher, and occasionally accepts a ghostwriting project from one of their clients. Her recent book release (with OP) titled FIREPROOF PROVERBS, A Writer’s Study of Words, is already receiving excellent reviews including several professional writer’s endorsements given on the book’s back cover.
Royalene’s writing experience grew through a wide variety of positions from Office Manager and Administrative Assistant to Teacher of Literature and Advanced Writing courses and editor/writer for an International Christian ministry. Her willingness to listen to struggling authors, learn their goals and expectations and discern their writing voice has brought many manuscripts into the published books arena. This is Royalene’s last “Conversations” post for Self Publishing Advisor.
brent sampson, Brent Speaks, how do you self publish a book, Self-Publishing, Uncategorized

5 Steps to Creating a Culinary Cookbook

What separates good cookbooks from bad ones? Just like everyone’s individual palate, the answer to that is largely a matter of personal taste, but these five hints just may help keep your cookbook from leaving a bad taste in someone’s mouth.

cookbook

  1. Include full-color photographs
    The number one most important thing you can do for your cookbook is include high-quality, full-color photographs of the food. Rare is the self-publishing author who can afford to spring for a professional photoshoot, but with today’s cameras, some 3-point bounce lighting, and a photo editing program like Photoshop, there’s no reason to limit your 5-star tartare to a 3-star photograph.  There are simply too many cookbooks on the market to publish one without images, or in black & white.  The old adage says you can’t judge a book by its cover and while that is proven false time and time again, nobody ever said such a thing about a cookbook – where you definitely CAN judge it by its cover. And its cover better look delicious! And so should the inside!
  2. Include original, unique, and exclusive recipes
    No matter how appetizing the pictures look, there has to be a reason for someone to buy your cookbook.  Sure, the design might be amazing, and the images breathtaking, but content trumps design every time, and that is especially true for cookbooks.  Your target market already knows how to make spaghetti, pot roast, and shrimp cocktail; you have to include recipes they’ve never seen before, or at least feature startling new takes on old standards that will justify their purchase, as well as satisfy their cravings.
  3. Allow content and design to dance
    Speaking of design and content, formatting a cookbook is much like dancing the tango, with the content and the design making magical music together as they flow in unison. Cookbooks require larger print than other books because people don’t “read” cookbooks, they “use” them (typically with wet fingers or flour-caked palms).  So, if you have too many recipes to hit your target page count at 14- or 16-point font, don’t decrease the font size to 12 just to make it fit.  Remove a recipe. Or, better yet, find a way to reword those three-page recipes into two-page spreads.
  4. Include finishing flourishes
    A good meal is like a good story (or a good cookbook); it has a beginning, a middle, and an end.  Anybody can print a recipe for baked Alaska from the Internet but only your cookbook contains the amusing anecdote about how making it for the first time led to a food fight with your grandson, which turned into a fond memory told over Thanksgiving Dinner for years to come.  Don’t be afraid to sprinkle some saffron into your prose to excite the senses and make the recipes in your cookbook truly your own.
  5. Obsess over the details
    The details of your recipes can make or break your cookbook. This includes the ingredients, as well as the instructions, down to the units of measurements and the cooking equipment.  If your audience is comprised mostly of US residents, don’t refer to grams or liters when your cook wants to see teaspoons, tablespoons, or cups, instead.  If your recipe calls for a very specific ingredient that is not available at the local grocery store, advise your cooks where to get their hands on it – a farmer’s market, online, a quick trip to China, etc.  By the same token, be informative and detailed about the pots, pans, molds, presses, graters, utensils, etc. you’ve used to create your inspiring dishes.  The purists will appreciate the opportunity to match your expertise and it gives the lay-cook something other than their prowess to “blame” when their soufflé flops.

To make a soufflé you’ve got to break a few eggs, but nobody warned you publishing a cookbook would be such a headache. It doesn’t have to be! Check out this One-Click Cookbook package over at Outskirts Press.

brent sampson
In 2002, Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Semi-Finalist Brent Sampson founded Outskirts Press, a custom book publishing solution that provides a cost-effective, fast, and powerful way to help authors publish, distribute, and market their books worldwide while leaving 100% of the rights and 100% of the profits with the author. Outskirts Press was incorporated in Colorado in October, 2003.
In his capacity as the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Marketing Officer, Brent is an expert in the field of book publishing and book marketing. He is also the author of several books on both subjects, including the bestseller Sell Your Book on Amazon, which debuted at #29 on Amazon’s bestseller list.
Book Reviews, Self-Publishing Book Review of the Week, Uncategorized

Tuesday Book Review: “Toxic Sphere”

Book reviews are a great way for self-publishing authors to gain exposure. After all, how can someone buy your book if he or she doesn’t know it exists? Paired with other elements of your book promotion strategy, requesting reviews is a great way to get people talking about what you’ve written.
When we read good reviews, we definitely like to share them. It gives the author a few (permanent) moments of fame and allows us to let the community know about a great book. Here’s this week’s book review:

Toxic Sphere C.N. Sky

Toxic Sphere

by C.N. Sky

Publisher: Outskirts Press

ISBN: 9781478733751

Synopsis*:

A package vanishes. A ship sets sail. A manhunt begins. The year is 1007 EE, and four great powers–Cadona, Domataland, Sohn-Sur, and Visstel–are battling for world dominance. Leeha Ritsagin is one of the seventeen billion humans caught up in the battle of the giants. She enjoys old movies, works hard, longs for a boyfriend, fears elevators, cares about the world, and is a wanted criminal. Her story begins on a drive across town, and while she worries about getting lost, the danger she faces doesn’t wait for her in the slums of Cadona City. Rather, it comes inside a simple paper bag that appears in the backseat of her old car. Powerful members of the Back-to-Basics Club launch a manhunt to catch the thief who stole their package at a time when Club leaders are primed to take control of the Cadonan government, start a war against fabricated enemies, and deploy the world’s most powerful weapon: Toxic Sphere.

In response to growing international peril, the rising nation of Domataland dispatches its Goodwill Ship to aid a threatened ally. When news of the package’s disappearance reaches the desk of Domataland’s president, he instructs his intelligence chief to find the thief, hoping to use the mysterious package against his Cadonan adversaries. With Leeha’s life in danger, investigative journalist Bob Fullerby begins his own search to find the young woman before her hunters do. C. N. Sky’s debut novel is an ambitious saga with engaging characters, pulse-quickening action, and well-crafted suspense-a definite must-read by an up-and-coming new voice in fiction.

 * courtesy of Amazon.com

Featured Review: Dystopia, religion, politics, and a girl.

This book was quite a surprise! It kind of echoes the scenario of the lord of the rings, wherein a simplistic person is whipped out of their comfortable shell, into a world being manipulated by a handful of different powers. It weaves two themes throughout the book: the workings of a few elite; and the struggle of one “small” person. It’s generally done quite well, and the author is a master at whipping you through mystery and action scenes. The visions of various lands and people are left imprinted very strongly in your mind. One thing that didn’t suit my taste, though, was the presentation of the “elite, royalty” types of characters. They were quite a jarring, deliberate, slow-down from the main character’s journey. If you like classic sci-fi, you’ll love this book! If it had Heinlein or Philip K. Dick’s name on the cover, I’d have been fooled! Looking forward to seeing more like this, if anyone has more recommendations to share?

– reviewed by Waytoofunky

A friend asked me to give this book a read. Usually I ignore such requests but, for some reason the story sounded interesting. Something really resonated with me for some reason.
Long story short: I devoured it in short order.
The story is not from Earth but it so eerily reflects elements from the societies of our planet. People do bad things for selfish reasons, hurting many others in the process. This book presents a similar but different narrative though there always seems to be hope. For every bad thing that happens there is someone ready to stand up and at least try to do right. Even as the tension grows.
There must be a whole series of books because this first volume seems to set up soooo many more twists and turns than one more book could deliver.
Honestly, I kept thinking that this could be a story for a TV series or movie. There are just so many visually dramatic opportunities.

– reviewed by David R. Grindy

Book Trailer

tuesday book review

Thanks for reading!  Keep up with the latest in the world of indie and self-published books by watching this space!

Self Publishing Advisor

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Holidays, news from the self publishing world, self publishing news, Self-Publishing, Uncategorized

Self-Publishing News: 12.25.2017 – Merry Christmas!!

And now for the news!

Yes, yes, it’s Christmas! And we know you have some yuletide carols to sing, some gifts to open, and some people to see. We’ll keep it short, but we wanted to wish you a Merry Christmas first! Here are some highlights from this month in the world of self-publishing, specifically regarding publishing trends within the publishing industry, and their implications for all authors!

First off, the really really good news: Outskirts Press (with whom many of our writers over the years have worked) are offering a really spectacular deal this holiday season, with $800 off the package price of any of their One-Click Publishing suites. These suites already offer really spectacular discounts by combining services in order to drop prices, so this discount means that for a couple of days over this Christmas season, you’ll be getting everything at rock-bottom price. And if you’re not ready to commit to one of their One-Click Publishing suites, they’re also offering $300 off the package price for their Ultimate and Full-Color publishing services, which are excellent as well. Check out the press release (at the link) or visit their website at www.OutskirtsPress.com for a Christmas present all your very own!

Have you been thinking about self-publishing this holiday season, maybe taking advantage of that sweet deal (above)? Shirley McMarlin of the Tribune-Review has some words of wisdom for you as you move forward. Some of them are warnings, some are encouragements, but they are all of them very wise indeed. Take a peek as she explores some of the ups and downs of both traditional and self-publishing platforms, and digs into those specifics which sell books (it’s not always what you might expect!). Nobody ever said it would be easy … but with experts like McMarlin around, it’s certainly easier to make the right decision to fit your needs.

Oh, who are we kidding? We love a good and positive story during the holiday season, and Jeff Polman’s piece for HuffPost earlier in December truly fits the bill. Herein Polman shares how, as a previously self-published author, he made his first foray into traditional publishing … and then turned right around and returned to self-publishing. Why? He’d written a book he loved, in a voice he felt at home in, and afterward discovered that agents and publishers were looking for some specifics which would require him to rewrite the entire thing to suit. Rather than do that–and sacrifice his original vision for this newest book–Polman went his own way, again, proving the (maybe not-so-) old adage that self-publishing is a refuge for those creators who want to maintain creative control over their work. Read the full article for more!

Yes! Self-publishing is about more than books! We’ve written before on how the self-publishing industry has its roots in everything from printed literature like books and comics and magazines to digital materials like ezines and so forth … but this might just be one of the first times we’ve seen games brought into the conversation. And we love it! the Xbox (and its archcompany, Microsoft) might just be opening its doors to independent games publishers and creators, who formerly were barred from seeing their games used on the platform. This would be, if it truly comes to pass, a massive move in reshaping the gaming industry, with repercussions which will be felt for years to come. Indie game designers have been making inroads into the industry for a while, but the Xbox remains one of the primary hardware components to gaming, and this decision places a thumb very heavily on the scales in favor of the diversification and democratization of game-space. Read the full article, courtesy of Matt Liebl and GameZone, here.

spa-news

As a self-publishing author, you may find it helpful to stay up-to-date on the trends and news related to the self-publishing industry.This will help you make informed decisions before, during and after the self-publishing process, which will lead to a greater self-publishing experience. To help you stay current on self-publishing topics, simply visit our blog every Monday to find out the hottest news. If you have other big news to share, please comment below.

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Conversations with a Self-Publishing Writer, Royalene Speaks, Uncategorized

Conversations: 12/22/2017

‘TIS THE SEASON TO GLANCE AT A MAP OR TWO

There are just a few more days in this year, 2017, and I’ll be taking an hour or so to pull out my files (yes, paper files) that remind me of ways to select and develop the setting of my novel. However, since I want to encourage you to do the same—or begin building your own resources files/books—I’ll share a few ideas that have helped me in years past.

  • A very wise historical fiction author once told me to “start grabbing maps of the locations you’re considering using in your story.” He when on to say that the physical map is important because it “grounds the writer on earth.” (Not all my stories are on earth, but discussing that is for a different blog).
  • Maps will not only help us hone in on a specific location (or two or three), it will also show us the who the “neighbors” are. This may be of great importance in developing the mindset of our characters.
  • Once a general location is selected, take a closer look by either using an Internet search to view the land and/or contact the USGS, or local librarians to discover more about the town or village within the time-period of the scenario you’ve selected.

ANOTHER AVENUE of research for settings is to watch movies that have been set in similar locations. I love this method because I can combine personal enjoyment with “technical” research. For example, the movies Gone with the Wind and ROOTS are perfect for the study of plantations and “The South” of that historic era. The authors of the original novels wrote with such passion, developing such depth in their characters that Readers could almost taste the dust of the land in their mouths. This concept—of describing each setting so that Readers can taste, smell, see and feel the environment—is a huge benefit to Readers. (Touchable settings create a great fan club, too.)

THEN ADD a new resource book to your collection. Recently, I was introduced to a book Black Vignettes by Rosalynn Shropshire-Westtitle Black Vignettes by Rosalynn Shropshire-West. It is a collection of essays of African American History and Culture written with a seamless blend of fiction and non-fiction styles. And what strikes me most positively is that it informs me of people, events and culturally significant topics not found in ordinary U.S. history books. This author did her research, and understands the “setting” of each time-period. Some may wonder why someone would write (and then publish) a 600-page book these days. I, for one, am blessed she did, formatting it into brief essays that are easily picked up and read independently of the previous piece. This will be a resource on my shelf for years to come as I know it will enrich the genealogy research into my own family “roots,” where I’ve discovered living cousins who are African American.

Over the writing/publishing centuries there have been seasons when the general “rule” was “less description—more concrete fact.” I have never been a supporter of that thinking because it takes the essence (the heart) out of the writing. Historically proclaimed author, Anton Chekov is quoted saying, “Don’t tell me the moon is shining, show me the glint of light on broken glass.” Simply reading his quote has, I’m certain, created a visible image in your thoughts and possible a hint of the story that you could produce from it. Such is the great value of setting our scenes with clear, visual and tactical preciseness.

Be encouraged, dear writer, as you approach the close of 2017 and gather bits and pieces of the setting(s) for your book(s). May this become a yearly, December, plan and process, tucked into all the fun you’ll have with family. ⚓︎

Royalene

ABOUT ROYALENE DOYLE: Royalene has been writing something since before kindergarten days and continues to love the process. Through her small business—DOYLE WRITING SERVICES—she brings more than 40 years of writing experience to authors who need “just a little assistance” with completing their projects. This is a nice fit as she develops these blogs for Outskirts Press (OP) a leading self-publisher, and occasionally accepts a ghostwriting project from one of their clients. Her recent book release (with OP) titled FIREPROOF PROVERBS, A Writer’s Study of Words, is already receiving excellent reviews including several professional writer’s endorsements given on the book’s back cover.
Royalene’s writing experience grew through a wide variety of positions from Office Manager and Administrative Assistant to Teacher of Literature and Advanced Writing courses and editor/writer for an International Christian ministry. Her willingness to listen to struggling authors, learn their goals and expectations and discern their writing voice has brought many manuscripts into the published books arena. This is Royalene’s last month writing for Self Publishing Advisor.