Tag Archives: publishing for new authors

by

Publishing platforms interview #5, featuring Jennifer Foehner Wells

This is the second post on audiobooks with an additional perspective. As I continue to press on with self-publishing later this year I alternate between thinking ‘this is totally doable’ and ‘there is no way this is going to happen.’ For audiobooks, I’m oscillating between the two about as fast the words form in my brain. This time, I’ve been joined by Jennifer Foehner Wells!!!

D: Thank you so much for helping me out with this. Before I launch into my questions, could you tell us a little bit about yourself?

JFW: I’m a science fiction novelist that specializes in space opera. While I’d written throughout my life for fun on various topics, I first started out as a hobby writer, writing fan fiction. When my ex-husband read my magnum opus (novel-length) fan fiction he asked me, “Why aren’t you writing for profit—this is great!” 

That was like a balm for my soul because I’d dreamed of being a writer since I was in elementary school. His enthusiasm gave me the confidence to do the research I needed to learn better techniques. I knew I could write scenes but the nuances of how to plot a novel had been like smoke between my fingers until then. 

After an extensive learning period, I plotted and wrote my first fully original novel. At the time I was a stay-at-home mother at a crossroads. My youngest had just begun preschool. In the coming years, I knew I’d be rejoining the workforce. I expected that I’d continue hobby writing on the side as I returned to my original career in biology, but to my utter shock and surprise my first indie novel went viral in 2014 and I was launched into a full-fledged career as an author with a substantial following right off the bat. This almost never happens. I got lucky in hitting the market at the right time with [what] book readers were hungry for.

D: Before I get going, I know I pitched this as asking about audiobooks, but you’re the first person I’ve been able to talk with who started indie and is now represented by an agent, I hope you forgive me for asking a couple questions about that first. How did you go from being indie to being represented?

JFW: As I mentioned in my answer above, my first novel was a runaway freight train. I expected to write in obscurity, building my craft (which was a realistic expectation), but I ended up reaching the top 100 overall on Amazon’  s charts (not just my category) for months, selling thousands and thousands of books. A friend watching my success suggested I connect with a specific agent who was known to sometimes take on indie authors if they sold enough books. I sent him an email outlining what my numbers looked like and asking if he was interested in representing me. He was.

D: What is the biggest advantage of having an agent?

JFW: The biggest advantage for me has been having someone to handle translation negotiations overseas for me. Currently, some of my books have been translated into German, Russian, and Japanese. It’s kind of amazing to have those translations prominently displayed on a bookshelf in my home and I’m very proud of that. In addition, he handles the queries I get from movie producers and television producers. There have been quite a few of these over the years, though I haven’t yet sold an option. Still, it’s nice to have someone who knows the industry better handling those talks for me. All of my books are indie published in English, and in translation, they are traditionally published. Technically, I’m a hybrid author.

D: On twitter you said that independently producing an audiobook for an indie author with a small audience just wouldn’t be worth it. This makes a lot of sense to me. What volume of books does the production of an audio-book start making sense?

JFW: My response to this question is a bit difficult to parse. Most of my audiobooks are sold on Audible (though I’m also on iTunes and Amazon) and the Audible payment procedure is based on how a consumer purchases the book. There are two basic tiers—the bounty, when someone new to Audible selects your book as their first download, is substantial. You can earn up to $75 per bounty plus your normal take (I believe). But those would be fairly rare. 

Then there is the purchase based on retail price. I believe this is the same whether the customer is an Audible subscriber or not. In my case, since I pay my narrators up-front for production, my take is 40% of the retail price for those purchases. That’s the “exclusive” contract with ACX/Audible—your audiobooks will be up on Audible, Amazon, and iTunes. You can also choose the “non-exclusive” royalty contract which also allows you to upload the files yourself to other audio sites and get a 25% royalty share with ACX. Since those other sites are still very small, I choose exclusivity for now. That’s a 7-year contract. After the 7 years are up, you can reconsider your options.

There is an additional option. Some indie authors do a royalty split with their narrators—20/20% of the profit. Instead of paying fully for production up front, the narrator is taking a gamble on the book doing well over the long term and providing income over time for them. That reduces up-front costs obviously, as well as long-term income, but will also limit the narrators willing to work with you. The most experienced and sought-after narrators do not work like this. They expect payment on completion of the work. I produced my first book this way, but the subsequent four have been produced the traditional way and I pay them $400 per finished hour (PFH), which is on the high end because I hire top-notch narrators, some of whom also work for traditional publishers. My novels are typically 9 to 12 hours long, so that’s a hefty investment.

Authors are going to have to do some math and some gambling when they decide to turn their book into an audiobook. First of all, how well is the ebook selling? Adding an audiobook that is professionally produced will lend a veneer of professionalism to that product page that (along with a visible paperback option—and most importantly, the best cover art and editing you can afford) readers definitely respond to. How long is your book? Most narrators read a book at roughly 10,000 word PFH. Sometimes, with a lot of research, you can find a narrator that hasn’t cracked through to popularity that is extremely skilled and willing to work for less as they climb the ladder. That might be the best option if you don’t have a lot of money to invest. 

As you can see, there are a lot of factors involved. My recommendation is to start with ebook and print and see how that goes. If it seems promising, add an audiobook to the first book in a series. Do your research when choosing a narrator. Wait and see if readers are clamoring for book 2. I’m not even bringing advertising into this. That’s a whole ‘nother rodeo.

I’ve also been lucky enough to have my first book added to the Audible Romance Package which is a subscription service. While my book is definitely NOT a romance, it does have a romantic subplot. I consider myself lucky that they invited me to be included because it raised my book’s visibility on their site. Payment is significantly less per listen but has influenced sell-through in a positive manner. As you can see, there’s no hard and fast rule here. You’re going to have to make an educated guess and go with your gut depending on your own circumstances.

D: What does the process of hiring a narrator look like?

JFW: I’ve done this two ways. For my first book, I used the tools ACX (Audible’s funnel company) provided to listen to narrator samples and chose a narrator I thought was best for my book. 

You can do this two different ways. You can post your book and wait to see who auditions within a time frame you set. Or you can sift through [the] narrator’s samples yourself at various PFH levels, looking for the right one. Neither option is easy. It’s time-consuming. And you have to be able to apply what you’ve heard to your own style and make a good match. In my case, I enlisted friends and family to listen to my options with me and help me come to a decision.

Then I made an offer using the ACX system. There may be a negotiation for PFH. Assuming they accept, you then give them deadlines based on ACX suggested timelines. They produce some sample chapters which you are allowed to critique and ask for changes on. Then they produce the full book. You are allowed a listen through and an opportunity to ask for changes. Then the narrator or the narrator’s producer uploads the files to ACX for the ACX final quality control checks before the final files go live on the site. You will be responsible for obtaining and uploading a cover image file to ACX specifications and a blurb/description of the book. That’s a pretty easy process, though I’ve had some peers have trouble with narrators flaking and bailing. That is not fun. It hasn’t happened to me, though. And to my knowledge, there’s no place to vet potential narrators to find out their reputation in the industry.

Throughout this process, you may work closely with the narrator, especially if they require pronunciation guidelines. In my books, for example, with many alien species and languages, there are plenty of nonstandard words. Up front, a good narrator will ask you questions about their delivery—tone, accents, characterization, and other aspects of narration style.

I’ve also hired a narrator directly, by approaching a narrator I enjoyed in my own audiobook listening experience. I then queried them directly and we worked together within the ACX framework to produce a book in a similar manner. In that case, I generally receive the files directly from them, pay them directly, and upload the files to ACX myself, which is a tad more difficult, but doable.

D: If you’re doing the narration yourself, are you also finding the studio, booking time, and producing it yourself?

JFW: Yes. In my case, I happened to be going to a Science Fiction convention in the same city where my narrator lives. During that trip, I booked a session with her producer to produce an audiobook of one of my lengthier short stories (technically a novelette.) So I paid for the time in her studio, which was located in the basement of her home. This is generally done in chunks of time of 2-4 hours because the human vocal instrument can’t handle much more than that. 

I also paid for her to edit and produce the audio once the production was done. She sent me the final file and I uploaded it to ACX in the standard manner. I should note that this was a novelty and something I just wanted to try. I wouldn’t recommend it. Only long-form novels sell well on Audible due to their pricing structure. Unless you have a popular, lengthy short-story collection to sell, it wouldn’t be worth the investment. That said, my most enthusiastic fans have told me they’ve enjoyed hearing my voice. A more casual listener of my books wouldn’t bother with that piece in audio format since it’s free as an ebook.

D: (follow-up) Thinking about the production process in a broad sense, what does that look like?

JFW: That can vary quite a bit. Some narrators work out of a sound-proofed closet, room, or a tented area in their own home. Others go to a professional studio space that is tailor-made for this purpose. The most important part is having a soundproof studio to record in and having professional quality recording equipment. In my case, I read my manuscript from my laptop, but some narrators read from a Kindle or tablet or even from a paperback so they can make marks and notes in their own style. I had water ready to drink for breaks in narration. If I made a mistake or a noise or flubbed a word or wasn’t happy with my performance, we’d just go back a bit in the manuscript and the producer edited all of that out. She also managed the sound levels so they were consistent throughout if I got quieter or louder in my delivery. I have a background in theatre/radio/speech and it was a very tiring process. I was exhausted and parched afterward. It’s daunting even if you wrote the words and know them well. 

D: You said that you went into a professional studio to record a short story yourself. While I’ve been told I’ve got a pretty good speaking voice, I’m really terrible at reading aloud, I tend to get ahead of myself and stumble. It seems like a lot of prep could help that. How did you prep for your reading?

JFW: I practiced! I also had to do quite a bit of thinking about the characters’ voices and the narration between character voices. Many narrators make marks on a physical paper copy and then have to have the page turns edited out of the final track. Keep in mind this was a fairly short story with limited characters. A good producer can make the final product completely seamless, so you don’t have to get worked up about flubs.

D: Again, thinking about reading your work yourself, what’s the ratio of studio time to produced audio time?

JFW: At minimum, the studio recording time is double the PFH. Then there’s production time on top of that, which can easily be hired out. I imagine that’s a fairly lengthy process. Most narrators I work with subcontract with a producer and pay them out of my payment to them. Keep that in mind when you’re looking for a narrator. If they’re working alone in a closet at home, you may not be getting the professional quality audio you may be waiting for your customers. That can vary and some narrators are very skilled at their own production. Just keep that in mind. Ask questions. Don’t trust blindly.

D: When reading yourself, I’d imagine you’re in a sound booth with a sound-technician in another room, is that generally accurate? What does that process look like?

JFW: In my case, the producer was in the room with me and silently following along in her own copy of the manuscript as she watched sound levels. A sound booth can look very different in different locations. In this case, it was a small room in the producer’s basement with special sound baffles on the walls to mask outside sounds, though we did have to stop briefly when the garbage trucks rumbled through that morning. 

She would sometimes stop me and redirect me if I didn’t notice that I’d read a sentence incorrectly or ask me about [the] pronunciation of a word. We’d then stop recording and look up the word to see if my pronunciation was on the spectrum of correct. I have no idea if this is typical. This is just how we did it. My producer not only works on audiobooks, but also does commercial work, so I assume that’s how these things are done.

D: I see that your audiobooks are available on both Audible AND iTunes. The last author I interviewed suggested that it was difficult to work with both. Was that your experience?

JFW: Not at all. If you’re working through ACX, you just tick a box saying you want your book to be available on iTunes. It wasn’t difficult at all. But I have no experience with other audiobook uploading sites. Their rules and processes may be different. From what I’ve heard from other authors, ACX is still probably the best bet for most authors. Amazon/Audible holds the lion’s share of the marketplace. The iTunes contribution is negligible by comparison.

D: Your audiobooks are available on audible – how would you describe the process of getting listed on audible and how does the author compensation stack-up on that platform? Given the price we listeners pay for that service, I’d imagine you’d need to rely on volume there.

JFW: I won’t be deceptive—the ACX website is a bit unwieldy at times. It could use some tweaking. But it’s not terribly difficult to use. I’d just go slow and work with that system. Once the files are uploaded they handle pretty much everything. As I said above, it’s my personal opinion that ACX is still the best bet, though there are many indies shopping around and trying other options. But that may lead to difficulties like you mentioned, with getting a book up on iTunes. I don’t have any experience with that so I can only say what I’ve done and what other authors I know are telling me. Across genres, it seems as though ACX is still the best option even if other distributors give a better share of the profits. That’s going to be a marginal advantage if you don’t sell a large volume of audio books.

D: I could legitimately ask you questions all day, but to wrap it up, if there were just one thing, you’d like an author to take away from this brief set of questions on audiobooks, what would that be?

JFW: If you’re going to do an audiobook, it’s going to have to be an educated leap of faith. Like all things creative, there are no guarantees. Hope for the best, but don’t set your expectations too high. Realize that you’re serving what is now a small percentage (but growing!) of readers. Invest in audio to further your brand, show professionalism, commitment, and that you’re a serious producer, not necessarily for huge monetary gain. My audio sales (and my paperbacks) are just a small ratio of my overall sales. I’m happy to have that income, but it takes a while, even with my volume of sales, to break even. And until then ebooks are subsidizing the audio. It’s definitely a business decision. And I don’t regret it. Someone with a smaller footprint might need to hold off until their readership grows. Being analytical about, and treating it as a business decision, it is key.

Thank you again, Jennifer Foehner Wells, for taking the time to help me out. Jennifer Foehner Wells is the author of several titles, including the Confluence Series, which you can find in ebook, paperback, and audiobook including Amazon [links], iTunes [links] – [Others? Is there another set of work you’d prefer mentioned or added to the list?] You can follow Jennifer Foehner Wells on Twitter @jenthulhu, and find her website at jenthulhu.com

Untitled design

by

Publishing platforms interview #4, featuring A.M. Leibowitz

AM Leibowitz

For this installment, I thought I’d take a slightly different direction. A few weeks ago, when I was asked to talk about writing to a middle school class one of the questions that came up was, are you going to do an audiobook? The honest truth is that yeah, I’d love to do one, but I seriously doubt I can afford it. I am so sure, I haven’t even looked into it. As part of trying to understand the various avenues for self-publishing, I thought I’d try to learn a bit more about this format. It is, after all, my favorite way to consume books. I can listen while I commute.

With that in mind, I reached out on Twitter to see if I could find any other indies out there who’ve done it and what their experience has been. Fortunately, a mutual connection got me in touch with A.M. Leibowitz, who has agreed to answer a few questions.

D: Before I launch into my questions, I wonder if you could tell us a bit about who you are, what you write, and maybe what you’re working on now?

A.M.: Sure. I wear many hats–social media manager, freelance editor, spouse, parent, and author. My life is kind of a patchwork of odd jobs in writing. I mostly write contemporary slice-of-life fiction for adults, but I’ve also written some YA. Most of my work has LGBTQ+ characters and themes. Currently, I’m wrapping up a manuscript for the last part of a series set in Boston. But after I send that off, I’ll be working on the sequel to my YA novella–the one I have in audiobook format.

D: Before I wrote up these questions, and I know I asked you here for audiobooks, especially, but I did some digging to learn more about you, and I found you’ve got quite a few titles out there, some through Supposed Crimes (Acquitted books) and Beaten Track Publishing with some independent (I think –you can correct me if I’m wrong there). Could you talk a little about how you decide to publish through imprint vs. independently?

A.M.: I wrote a novel, Lower Education, primarily taking shots at my state’s educational system. It was done for NaNoWriMo, and I had no intention of publishing it, pretty much like every other NaNoWriMo novel I’d done before then. But I was doing some beta/pre-reading for a friend, and she said, “I’ll pitch it to my publisher.” I absolutely love writing for Supposed Crimes because I think it’s the best of both worlds, indie and trad pub. I get covers, editing, and promotion, but I also maintain a lot of control of my work. I have to provide a cover for Beaten Track, but everything else comes with the territory there, too.

The indie thing…well, I had some old works. My spouse suggested putting them out there, low-cost, to get some nibbles before my first novel went live. It worked. Now I enjoy having a mix of methods. My shorter stuff, despite the lack of reviews, sells well and pays for itself, pretty much. And new short works do nicely to feed interest in the longer ones. Win-win.

D: So on to the audiobook questions. What title did you do this for?

A.M.: Year of the Guilty Soul, my YA coming of age novella. https://www.amazon.com/Year-of-the-Guilty-Soul/dp/B07K2J41ZB/

D: Was this a totally independent publication or did you work with a press, like Supposed Crimes?

A.M.: It’s published through Beaten Track, originally part of the Seasons of Love anthology. But I have all rights to the audio, which I produced on my own.

D: Where is it available, and why did you choose that platform?

A.M.: Amazon, via Audible. I chose it because it was the easiest for a newbie like myself. They walk you through the entire process. And if you put it exclusively through Audible, you get higher royalties.

D: There are a ton of companies where you can have a book printed with all levels of quality, is the same true for audio books – or is it more complex than that?

A.M.: There are fewer options for audiobooks, but most of the big companies have a sales platform for them. The issue is more whether you want to or are able to produce it on your own or whether you need more guidance.

D: As an author wanting to produce an audiobook, where might I start?

A.M.: ACX, which is Amazon’s audiobook production room. You can find a narrator there or provide the audio files from an independent narrator. They have step by step instructions.

One thing I would say is, start with a shorter work. I haven’t had any success finding a narrator for a whole novel. But I had five auditions for my novella within 3 days of putting it up. Also, I think it’s easier to find a female narrator than a male one and easier to get YA narrated than adult fiction.

D: Leading up to this interview, you said it went super well and loved the narrator.  That sounds pretty awesome. Did you get to work with the narrator on inflection, tone, and pacing to get the flavor of the work?

A.M.: Yes. We worked together every step of the way. I had to have some trust in her to get the voices right–it is, after all, partly her creative process. But I gave her some direction, such as name pronunciations and what I was looking for. She absolutely nailed my narrator’s tone and attitude. The story is set in my home city, and she even researched our local accent! I knew within three sentences of her audition that I wanted her because she just got it–understood what I was saying with the story and what it meant to me.

D: What responsibilities do you have, as an indie author, in getting a book produced and made available for purchase?

A.M.: It depends on where you produce it. Through ACX, it’s vital to have the book’s text match exactly with the narration so it syncs. That’s a lot of work. For a whole novel, it’s best to have an independent listener who can catch mistakes–a lot like how authors are best off not editing our own work. It takes hours, usually more than the actual audiobook duration. Both my narrator and I did the proofing since the work was short.

Besides that, you have to create the audition file, listen to the potential narrators, upload files, etc. ACX does the heavy lifting, fortunately, once it’s all finalized.

D: I think one of the biggest hurdles for indie authors in producing an audiobook is cost. What might an author expect to pay for an audiobook?

A.M.: So, mine was free. I chose royalty share with my narrator, so she and I will both continue to get royalties for as long as the title is listed. That’s another reason I chose exclusively Audible and the higher royalties.

It does make it harder to find a narrator for longer works. If I were looking for a narrator and paying for them up front, I’d probably already have one for a novel.

If you want to pay an independent narrator, it depends. Most will list their fees. I’m actually slowly saving up because I want a specific narrator for my series. It’ll cost me roughly $2k for all 4 books. I feel it’s worth it, both for this narrator’s gorgeous voice and because these are my best-selling novels. And for anyone reading this, please consider giving Vance your books! He’s not only incredibly talented, he’s super nice, and his rates are reasonable. http://www.vancebastian.com

D: What was the hardest part of making an audiobook?

A.M.: The proofing! It’s tedious.

D: The honest truth is that I know so little about audiobooks, aside from listening to them, that I’m not 100% sure what to even ask that might be helpful. What advice would you give to someone like me, who has yet to even start serious research?

A.M.: Start with the help section of ACX. That will at least help you know if it’s right for you. Do something small first. It’ll take up less of your time, and you’ll be able to see what the process is like and if it’s doable for a longer project.

If you want your own narrator, or want to pay up front rather than royalty share, then ask on social media who others like. Different narrators are good for different genres. I mentioned Vance Bastian above. I love him, but he has a warm, gentle tone that might be less good for an action-packed war novel. A person who would take that action-packed war novel to the next level is probably not a good pick for a romance set in a rural New England village. Ideally, you’ll ask people in your genre who they like.

D: That’s all of the questions I could think of. Do you have anything else to add?

A.M.: First, I want to give a big shout-out to my narrator, Finley Smith. She is absolutely a treasure. I believe she works independently as well as with ACX. Her voice is excellent for YA. Even though my next novella in the series has a male MC, I’m going to see if she wants to do it anyway so we can keep consistency.

And I think that’s the other thing. I’ve noticed that my other friends who have produced audiobooks tend to do this. They find a narrator, and they develop a working relationship. I think that’s probably the key to success, the human factor. Oh, and having fun with it. Making an audiobook was really a dream come true–my story is now accessible to many more people.

Thank you, A.M. Leibowitz, for taking the time to help me out! A.M. Leibowitz is the author of Year of the Guilty Soul and two series, Notes from Boston and Faithfully Yours, which are available on a variety of platforms, including Barnes & Noble, Amazon, and you can check out their website at http://amleibowitz.com/

by

Publishing platforms interview #3, featuring Deby Fredricks

Deby Fredricks Revised

For this installment of interviews on publishing, I’ve reached out to Deby Fredricks. I first met Deby through WordPress and she has been a constant source of encouragement and inspiration. Without further ado, here’s our interview:
DK: Hi Deby, thanks for doing this, I really appreciate it. Before I get into my questions, I wonder if you could take a minute to tell us about yourself and your writing?

DF: Thanks for having me, Dave. This will be fun!

It all started in my senior year of high school. The bus got me there an hour before my first class. So where would I go but the library, and what would I do besides write? It taught me to make writing part of my routine. I was able to stick with it through college and into my “Real Life,” flitting from project to project without really finishing anything.
During this same time, I was intensely role-playing Champions, the superhero RPG. I also got involved with a Dragonriders of Pern fan club that involved a ton of writing. Between those two influences, I built my skills and eventually finished my first novel since college. The Magister’s Mask was published in 2004.

DK: How would you describe your target audience?

DF: My stories are like fudge brownies — thick and rich and chewy. My audience will be readers who enjoy chewing on issues and aren’t thrown off by non-standard resolutions. I always try to leave space for the readers to make up their own minds about some of the story problems. Although I write High Fantasy, my emphasis is on ordinary people rather than the great and powerful. Questions around the nature and purpose of magic often turn up, and so do situations between family members. After all, who knows you better than family? Who else knows how to hurt you as badly, or have your back in dire situations?

DK: Are you exclusively self-published, or have you gone through a publishing house before?

DF: My first publication was by the fine people at Dragon Moon Press, and later I worked with Sky Warrior Books. These are both small presses.

DK: Why did you decide to self-publish?

DF: The plan was to keep climbing the ladder and eventually be published in New York. However, I am not a fast writer, and my work is too complex for those snappy one-line pitches the editors like so much. In addition, I’ve realized I wouldn’t enjoy being under deadlines and such. So I’ve shifted to self-publishing more and more.

DK: Do you make your books available in print or are you just focused on e-books?

DF: I try to do both, though the material has to be long enough to work as a book. There have to be enough pages for the spine to hold a printed title. With a standard novel, that isn’t a problem, so I do them in print, Kindle, E-pub and PDF.

DK: Your book The Gellboar: A Dark Fantasy is only available as an e-book. Why did you decide to stick to an e-book format for this work?

DF: As explained above, The Weight of Their Souls and The Gellboar both are novelettes and would be too small for a print edition. If there was enough interest, I could look at publishing them together in print. My next two e-books will be novellas, which are slightly longer, and I definitely plan to publish them together in print.

DK: Thinking about publishing, what would you describe as your biggest challenge?

DF: Publicity, marketing, and getting attention in a crowded marketplace. It’s a constant effort, which I haven’t always kept after as much as I should. I’ve been blogging for years — and thanks for mentioning Wyrmflight — but didn’t pay much attention to my author newsletter. Revitalizing that is my main foal for 2019. Anybody can subscribe, by the way!

DK: What is your process for editing?
DF: After I finish the first draft, I ask my husband and my good friend to read it. They aren’t writers themselves, but they’ve read a lot, and their comments are always on-point. I read and consider those remarks before starting the second draft. When it’s time for revision, I print the thing out (even if it’s huge) and read it. I don’t know why, but the text looks different on paper than on a screen. So I try to read it without marking anything and get a sense of where there is a loss of tension or how to account for the things my critiquers brought up. Then I will re-read and make corrections, enter them in the computer, and print it again. I keep reading and revising, then correcting and printing, until I don’t find anything else that needs fixing.

DK: How do you produce your covers?
DF: I have a membership on Shutterstock that allows me to search for images. There’s a particular artist I like, and I always search for their stuff first. It takes a while (and a lot of eye strain) to search through the catalog and winnow it down until I find the one I want to use. With that downloaded, I go to a program called Canva and lay out the cover. I make my title on a different web site and import it to Canva. I do some online browsing to check out what other fantasy book covers are looking like currently. I’ll then make between three and five different layouts to see what I like. Eventually (after more eye strain) I choose the one I want and download it to my system.

DK: How do you advertise/market your books?

DF: I mention them frequently on my blog, in my author newsletter, in my e-mail signature, and so forth. I try to keep bookmarks with me so I can hand them out to people I’m chatting with. I also make several appearances a year, at bookstores and conventions, and I always bring copies with me to those.

DK: Your books are available on Amazon, are they available anywhere else?

DF: They sure are. I actually do only the Kindle publication through Amazon. For other formats, I use Draft2Digital. There’s an author hub there with my books in every format except Kindle. You can also reach a number of online booksellers, such as I-tunes and Barnes & Noble, through that hub. The one thing that’s up in the air is where I’ll get printed copies of my books. I did have them through CreateSpace, but Amazon has now taken that over. The transition was fairly smooth, so no grudge there, but Draft2Digital has also begun offering print services. I’ll be comparing the two before I decide about my next printed editions.

DK: That’s all of my questions, do you have anything you’d like to add or advice you’d like to offer to authors?

DF: Realize that in publishing, everything takes a long time. When you’re traditionally published, it takes even longer. You have to be prepared for that. My advice is to have another project to work on while you’re waiting to hear back. This is a career. You should learn about it, and have a business plan. Even when you self-publish, there are expenses. However, try not to become fixated on money or sales. Instead, focus on the writing itself and have fun with that. Writing will give you more satisfaction than watching your sales figures. And don’t forget — if you subscribe to my newsletter, I’ll give you a free e-book!

Thank you, Deby for taking the time to respond to my questions. Deby Fredericks is the author of The Gellboar and several others. Check out her author pages at Amazon or Books2Read. You can also check out her website at www.debyfredricks.com.