New Works from Dehanna

Blue Leaf Publications announces the recent release of two new non-fiction e-books by Dehanna Bailee.

With "Prepare to Publish! Ten Preps for POD," authors are offered simple steps they can take before publishing to not only help their work succeed but to also make the publishing experience more than just "getting in print."

By reviewing various topics such as the importance of education, reviews and watching out for the "getting into print monster" to budgeting, editing, goal-setting and more, "Prepare to Publish" provides authors a quick way to get started on the right track.

Also newly released, "Independent Decisions" is geared to helping authors who are considering unconventional publication for their next work by comparing some of the pros and cons of both self- and fee-based POD publishing!

In "Independent Decisions," authors can discover the benefits of traditional self-publication as well as why this method isn't always "sunshine and roses" as well as find out more about the ease of self-publishing with print-on-demand and how this "just hand it over to someone else" approach can sound easy and exciting but has it's own unique disadvantages.

Dehanna Bailee is the author of "The ABC's of POD: A Beginner's Guide to Fee-Based Print-on-Demand Publishing," "True Nature," "A Basic Guide to Fee-Based Print-on-Demand Publishing Services," "Independent Decisions," "Prepare to Publish," and more. To visit her online, go to: http://www.dehanna.com

For more information about any of these titles, please visit the publisher's website at: http://www.BlueLeafPub.com

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Stitchers & Bitchers

Just a short note about a new mystery that's available from an author friend of mine:

Stitchers and Bitchers
by Kam Ruble

When the Stitchers & Bitchers gather for their weekly Tuesday morning coffee, to their surprise they discover one of their Golden Gals pals, Ada, is missing.

Determined to find out the reason behind the unexpected disappearance, the ladies, lacking in assistance from the local police, decide that in order to find their dear friend they'll have to turn into amateur detectives.

As they unravel the mystery, uncovering a web of deceit and lies, will the Stitchers & Bitchers ladies find Ada was only in an accident ? Or will the reason be something much worse?


Title Info:

TITLE: Stitchers and Bitchers
AUTHOR: Kam Ruble
PAGES: 218
GENRE: Fiction/Mystery
ISBN: 0-9779680-5-7
FORMAT: Paperback (5 1/2 x 8 1/2); Large Print
SUGGESTED PRICE: $16.99
RELEASE DATE: October 30, 2006
PUBLISHER: Global Authors Publications
EDITOR: Barbara Sachs Sloan
DESIGN: Kathleen Walls
COVER PHOTO: Bobby Ruble

To Whom to Money Flows

Supposedly, the old adage goes: "money flows toward the author" yet as I begin to explore more about 'traditional publication' I'm learning that the direction of money flowing and the supposition of there being no upfront expense isn't realistic.

POD publication often gets a bad rap, as does just about any author financed publication method, namely based on the assumption that anytime one must 'pay to be published' it's primarily due to the quality of the work alone.

However, untraditional authors aren't the only ones paying to be published.

What do I mean by this comment? Well, as I was editing my current manuscript de jour I was contemplating of how I'd like to possibly send it off to a few trusted readers for additional input before I do anything more with it.

Now at first, this sounds great (and I believe I'm going to do this regardless), but after calling my local copyshop and getting a few quotes, I found it'll probably cost me roughly $20-$35 per reader. Multiply that by about ten to twenty readers and I'll be putting out around $200 to $700 bucks.

In addition to this, I'm also toying with the idea of trying to get an agent to rep this work (yes, me--Miss Independent herself). Why? Well, for one, because I really haven't tried yet. And two, as silly as it sounds, I don't think it'll hurt to get some unbiased and all so ruthless industry feedback about my writing (so, rejection slips, here I come…).

So as I investigate further, I again automatically start doing the math. Let's see, let's say fifty to a hundred queries to agents. Ten pages in each. In copies alone, $35 to $100. Not including the personalized cover letters … add mailing, $75 to $200, depending on method ... and I've got what, anywhere from $100 to $300.

Then let's say, out of all those agents, I get optimistically five that bite (I said optimistically) and want the whole manuscript, which'll probably be somewhere around 500 to 600 double-spaced pages.

Again, to have the manuscript printed/copied, it will run about $35 - $60 each so times that by five, we're talking about another $175 - $300. Include the special manuscript boxes and mailing fees and it'll add at least another hundred bucks or so, depending on how I decide to mail it.

Okay, now seeing I do all this that I've mentioned so far, roughly I've spent anywhere in the ballpark of $500 to $1400. Hmmm, very interesting … and to think, I still haven't gotten anything flowing to me yet.

But just for consideration, let's take into account that so far these figures have not included some other things like my getting some professional editorial help to make my work even better, the fuel necessary to get the copies and to mail stuff, much less the expense of my purchasing a copy of Writer's Market and the Agent's version to make sure I'm targeting the right people.

Also not incorporated in that base figure are items like pitch sessions at conferences, airfare, hotels, convention fees, local writing club memberships and meetings, and all those other wonderful events I am finding can be very beneficial to those who want to attain their dream of traditional publication.

And although I have a bad habit of weighing expenses (you'd hate to go car shopping with me) when I learn the average advance for a "first-time author"* is running around $2500-$5000 right now (unless it's a spectacular work), it does make me pause knowing Uncle Sam grabs about a third of that for if one were to only get the $2500 and spent the mere $1400 to get there, it obviously wouldn't leave much to flow.

So, I guess this is why the adage bugs me for even though I realize that if one were to get the huge advance then (yeah, baby) the money is definitely flowing the right way, I'm learning that anyone considering traditional publication shouldn't go in with the belief that they won't have to front up the bucks to 'get published' because from the moment the author chooses to pursue any kind of publication, the money will begin flowing.

Now, whether it'll eventually flow towards the author is the real question.

Just something to consider ;)

Review: The Well-Fed Self-Publisher by P. Bowerman

The introduction speaks of "$11,000 in two months-for starters" and if that doesn't grab your attention then just hang on for it only gets better from there.

Written with an easy to read, friendly yet instructional approach, "The Well-Fed Self-Publisher" by Peter Bowerman, provides both new and experienced authors an ideal template that they can follow in order to achieve success with their own self-published work.

By going over a myriad of vital points such as why someone should self-publish, targeting the audience, building a book, ebooks, platforms, websites, distribution, print-on-demand, and more, Bowerman's book competently covers the bases of traditional self-publishing and provides a viable method for promising authors to use in order to hit that elusive 'home run' in publication.

But the book shouldn't be thought of as being just for 'traditional self-publishers' alone because authors who are considering publication via Independent Publishing (through fee-based POD services) could also gain an advantage from reading this book namely due to it's valuable information on various topics such as: titles and cover content, copyrighting, editing, reviews, bookstores, Amazon, media tactics, free publicity, and most importantly, sales and marketing in general.

Self-publishing is continually making positive gains in both acceptance and popularity and before any author decides to join the ranks of the 'newly self-published,' they would be very 'well-advised' to make sure they grab a copy of Peter Bowerman's "The Well-Fed Self-Publisher" before they do!

Great job, Peter!

Addtional info:

The Well-Fed Self-Publisher
By Peter Bowerman
ISBN 0967059860pp. 294 $19.95

Ask me to review your book!