Author Topic: First book self-published today  (Read 8589 times)

arebelspy

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First book self-published today
« on: June 12, 2015, 03:41:24 AM »
EDIT: Book 2 is published!  Free for the next few days.  Any downloads/reviews especially appreciated.  :)

Referral link: http://amzn.to/1MpcYjK

/END EDIT
(Back to original message.)
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Hey everyone,
I promised updates to people who wondered about self-publishing, so here we are!

We received a check for the advance on the book that Harlequin contracted (see this post).  Yay!

We also just (finally!) self-published her first one on Amazon, Memories of Gold:
Memories of Gold (A Gold Rush Romance) (Affiliate link).

The Process:
Step 1: Write the book
Step 2: Set up website, with newsletter subscription (with free short eBook giveaway for signing up): www.authoraliolson.com
Step 3: Publish book to Amazon
Step 4: Ask friends/family/beta readers/Mustachians for reviews.

Guess which step I'm on?  ;)

Caution: The following is SPAM (see: Step 4 above), and is hidden, please only read if you want to be solicited:
Spoiler: show
Memories of Gold is free for the first few days, but if you miss out downloading it in time, please don't pay for it; email me and I'll send you a copy.  :)

I would really love it if anyone who's interested would go on Amazon and download it (while free) and leave a quick--honest--review of Memories of Gold.  Amazon reviews are the #1 thing that boosts a book's visibility to other potential readers, so if you have time, I'd really appreciate even just a sentence or two.

If you already read it from an earlier copy I sent you (because you were a beta reader), and you do leave a review right away, mention in the review that you read a advance copy--Amazon gets suspicious if a bunch of people leave reviews right away on a book, they wonder if they are fake, paid-for reviews.  If you download it and read it like normal, no need to do that.


Also we just sent out the next book to the beta readers, if you'd like to be a beta reader, PM me your email address or post in this thread, and I'll add you to the list and send you a copy.

Feel free to post any questions you have about the self-publishing process, I'll share what I know (which is very little).  :D

Thanks for putting up with me.  I plan to post data and figures (on newsletter signups, free downloads on Amazon, paid downloads and revenue, etc.), that will hopefully help other people interested in this.
« Last Edit: July 24, 2015, 07:33:41 AM by arebelspy »
I am a former teacher who accumulated a bunch of real estate, retired at 29, spent some time traveling the world full time and am now settled with three kids.
If you want to know more about me, this Business Insider profile tells the story pretty well.
I (rarely) blog at AdventuringAlong.com. Check out the Now page to see what I'm up to currently.

Kris

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Re: First book self-published today
« Reply #1 on: June 12, 2015, 06:19:59 AM »
Hey, I will definitely grab and review this.  I have to read romance novels for research anyway, given that this is my side gig!  Look for a review in the next couple of days (I review as "Secret Manta").

arebelspy

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Re: First book self-published today
« Reply #2 on: June 12, 2015, 06:57:24 AM »
Hey, I will definitely grab and review this.  I have to read romance novels for research anyway, given that this is my side gig!  Look for a review in the next couple of days (I review as "Secret Manta").

Thanks Kris!

Now Ali's all nervous about having a professional read it.  :)

Would love any advice you have (feel free to PM me if it doesn't fit/isn't relevant to the review).
I am a former teacher who accumulated a bunch of real estate, retired at 29, spent some time traveling the world full time and am now settled with three kids.
If you want to know more about me, this Business Insider profile tells the story pretty well.
I (rarely) blog at AdventuringAlong.com. Check out the Now page to see what I'm up to currently.

Kris

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Re: First book self-published today
« Reply #3 on: June 12, 2015, 07:05:18 AM »
Hey, I will definitely grab and review this.  I have to read romance novels for research anyway, given that this is my side gig!  Look for a review in the next couple of days (I review as "Secret Manta").

Thanks Kris!

Now Ali's all nervous about having a professional read it.  :)

Would love any advice you have (feel free to PM me if it doesn't fit/isn't relevant to the review).

Ha! I just started reading -- it isn't my genre at all, so I'm hardly an expert. But you can tell her this: I just finished reading one of the latest Danielle Steel novels (hadn't read one of hers since I was in high school), and your wife's writing is head and shoulders above hers. 

CheapskateWife

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Re: First book self-published today
« Reply #4 on: June 12, 2015, 07:09:22 AM »
Just downloaded and can't wait to read it!  The only romance novels I've ever gotten into was the Outlander series but I am certainly ready to give this a try!

And congratulations on the publishing and recent FIRE...you and Mrs. Spy seem to be on a roll this year!

Cougar

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Re: First book self-published today
« Reply #5 on: June 12, 2015, 07:53:43 AM »

CONGRATUALATIONS !

publishing a book is an amazing accomplishments. i know, having done it and have been told by women authors it was harder than having a baby(except for the actual birth i imigine). but i'm not kidding, i've run marathons and written books and a book is harder.

you will never get the due from anyone outside your wife and parents in my experience; so savor the moments of self satisfaction; you're in rare air here.


swick

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Re: First book self-published today
« Reply #6 on: June 12, 2015, 08:24:40 AM »

Caution: The following is SPAM (see: Step 4 above), and is hidden, please only read if you want to be solicited:


Am I the only one that finds the idea of being solicited when talking about this topic ironic ? ;)

AWESOME news! great job team RebelSpy! Off to go download...ohh and it 'd be fun to be a  Beta, I totally missed last time around!

arebelspy

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Re: First book self-published today
« Reply #7 on: June 12, 2015, 09:18:56 AM »
Ha! I just started reading -- it isn't my genre at all, so I'm hardly an expert. But you can tell her this: I just finished reading one of the latest Danielle Steel novels (hadn't read one of hers since I was in high school), and your wife's writing is head and shoulders above hers.

Haha, that's quite a compliment (to Ali)/insult (to Ms. Steele)!  I'll take it!

Just downloaded and can't wait to read it!  The only romance novels I've ever gotten into was the Outlander series but I am certainly ready to give this a try!

And congratulations on the publishing and recent FIRE...you and Mrs. Spy seem to be on a roll this year!

Thanks!  It has been an eventful year.  And I turned 30.  So that's really weird.



CONGRATUALATIONS !

publishing a book is an amazing accomplishments. i know, having done it and have been told by women authors it was harder than having a baby(except for the actual birth i imigine). but i'm not kidding, i've run marathons and written books and a book is harder.

you will never get the due from anyone outside your wife and parents in my experience; so savor the moments of self satisfaction; you're in rare air here.

Thanks!  She's worked really hard on all this book stuff.. I think she has 3-4 completed (or close) now.


Caution: The following is SPAM (see: Step 4 above), and is hidden, please only read if you want to be solicited:


Am I the only one that finds the idea of being solicited when talking about this topic ironic ? ;)

Bahahaha, I didn't even think of that.


AWESOME news! great job team RebelSpy! Off to go download...ohh and it 'd be fun to be a  Beta, I totally missed last time around!

Well she already added you to the Friends & Family list for release info, but if you want to be on the beta list too, lmk.  You're gonna get so much junk mail (just kidding)!
I am a former teacher who accumulated a bunch of real estate, retired at 29, spent some time traveling the world full time and am now settled with three kids.
If you want to know more about me, this Business Insider profile tells the story pretty well.
I (rarely) blog at AdventuringAlong.com. Check out the Now page to see what I'm up to currently.

Mother Fussbudget

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Re: First book self-published today
« Reply #8 on: June 12, 2015, 12:18:44 PM »
Yep... I still feel 30 until I hang out with 30 year olds.   Congrats on FIRE, and congrats to Ali on the book!

kkbmustang

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Re: First book self-published today
« Reply #9 on: June 12, 2015, 12:30:56 PM »
I'd love to be a beta reader, too! Please add me to the list. :)

firelight

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Re: First book self-published today
« Reply #10 on: June 12, 2015, 12:36:07 PM »
Congrats to your wife!! I'd love to be a beta reader as well :) please add me to the list!

Kris

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Re: First book self-published today
« Reply #11 on: June 12, 2015, 05:03:29 PM »
Just posted a review! She should be proud of herself! She has a great future as a romance author.

arebelspy

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Re: First book self-published today
« Reply #12 on: June 12, 2015, 06:29:41 PM »
Sent PMs to everyone expressing a desire to beta read.

Just posted a review! She should be proud of herself! She has a great future as a romance author.

Wow you're a fast reader! Thanks!   :D
I am a former teacher who accumulated a bunch of real estate, retired at 29, spent some time traveling the world full time and am now settled with three kids.
If you want to know more about me, this Business Insider profile tells the story pretty well.
I (rarely) blog at AdventuringAlong.com. Check out the Now page to see what I'm up to currently.

eliza

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Re: First book self-published today
« Reply #13 on: June 13, 2015, 06:01:32 PM »
Just downloaded - looking forward to reading it.

Was trolling the top 100 free bestsellers lists for other things to download.  Mrs. ARS is currently #29 in Historical Romance!   Good luck as she continues to climb up the charts.

arebelspy

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Re: First book self-published today
« Reply #14 on: June 13, 2015, 10:19:15 PM »
Just downloaded - looking forward to reading it.

Was trolling the top 100 free bestsellers lists for other things to download.  Mrs. ARS is currently #29 in Historical Romance!   Good luck as she continues to climb up the charts.

Thanks!  I'm hoping we can hit the top 100 free overall (not just in a specific romance genre).  That would be awesome.

I'll share which paid ads (and free) ones we did later, and how successful they were.  As of now we spent $107.75 on ads for this free promotion.  Plus obviously more for covers, editing, the website hosting, etc., but I'll break out all those costs at some point, assuming people are interested.  :)
I am a former teacher who accumulated a bunch of real estate, retired at 29, spent some time traveling the world full time and am now settled with three kids.
If you want to know more about me, this Business Insider profile tells the story pretty well.
I (rarely) blog at AdventuringAlong.com. Check out the Now page to see what I'm up to currently.

Cornelia

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Re: First book self-published today
« Reply #15 on: June 14, 2015, 09:01:42 AM »
Awesome!

Totally interested in learning more about the process...

Malaysia41

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Re: First book self-published today
« Reply #16 on: June 27, 2015, 07:19:26 PM »
I was knee deep writing and revising when you first posted this, so didn't download.  I'll PM you with my email address to be beta reader and get a download.

I have a question about your side of publishing ARS.  Is there a technical 'how to publish for ebook' resource you like best?  There are so many online I'm not sure which to choose.  After my experience with scrivener during the review process, encountering the multitude of compiling modes / options, I'm feeling less than confident that I'll output everything just right.

I'm on the home-stretch with my book.  As was discussed in a more recent ebook publishing thread, it's not the great American novel.  I'd call it ... competent?   I just need to publish it already.  Otherwise I'll revise for months and months. 

Feeling jealous of your wife; I wish my husband would handle the marketing/publishing/website. 

I'm looking forward to reading more about the downloads / revenue of your wife's first book & experiences with marketing.  Congrats on publishing it.

Trede

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Re: First book self-published today
« Reply #17 on: June 28, 2015, 07:23:57 AM »
Malaysia41, not to highjack ARS's thread, but I've formatted four novels for Kindle and Nook and Createspace with no hiccups now, so I thought I'd chime in.  For Kindle, I simply follow Amazon's "Building Your Book for Kindle" guide, which is free, and use Microsoft Word.  The guide is here in both PDF and (of course) Kindle format: https://kdp.amazon.com/help?topicId=A2MB3WT2D0PTNK.  The final result is saved in Word as a "Web Page, Filtered" type, and I also have to do the images step, which you may not have to do.  The Kindle Direct Publishing portal will take the uploaded file and convert it to Kindle format (which is MOBI with an Amazon proprietary header that makes it an .azw file, although they also give you the mobi), and there is even a very good device emulator to let you see what your final result will look like on the various Kindle models, iPad, etc.

Once you have the Word document for Kindle done, the trick to a successful Nook upload is literally one step, simply changing the Page Breaks in the Word document between chapters to Section Breaks.  The Nook Press portal will take the Word file upload and do the EPUB conversion for you.  Again, there is a previewer to check it out.

For Createspace, I start over using one of their print layout templates (again in Word).  The mindset for ebook publishing is to remember that you can't control the pages beyond breaks.  Putting in extra returns or such won't help, as the ebook "flows" according to the device it's being read on.  For print-on-demand, you'll have full control over page layout and starting from the template for the size of final print book you want is easiest (at least for me).

I should point out that if you start with Createspace, they will offer you formatted Kindle files as well.  I have never taken that route so I can't comment on the quality of the results, as the images we put in my husband's books are black and white for print on demand (cheaper to print) but in the ebooks we put full color.

Malaysia41

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Re: First book self-published today
« Reply #18 on: June 28, 2015, 08:18:07 AM »
Thanks Trede, I'm feeling better already. 

I'm going to start with Kindle.   I played around with the viewer months ago - yeah it is quite good.  Beyond italics here and there I've done no special formatting.  It's simply text with a URL at the end of each chapter for bonus material.

And I imagine ARS will handle this hijacking with grace and aplomb, as I've witnessed on so many other threads.

arebelspy

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Re: First book self-published today
« Reply #19 on: June 29, 2015, 07:33:47 PM »
Trede's idea is really good, I've heard that advice elsewhere as well.

If you have Scrivener though, it's really easy.  All I did was compile straight from Scrivener into mobi format, and upload it to Amazon.
I am a former teacher who accumulated a bunch of real estate, retired at 29, spent some time traveling the world full time and am now settled with three kids.
If you want to know more about me, this Business Insider profile tells the story pretty well.
I (rarely) blog at AdventuringAlong.com. Check out the Now page to see what I'm up to currently.

arebelspy

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Re: First book self-published today
« Reply #20 on: July 24, 2015, 07:32:55 AM »
Second one is published.  Free for the next few days.  Any downloads/reviews especially appreciated.  :)

Referral link: http://amzn.to/1MpcYjK
I am a former teacher who accumulated a bunch of real estate, retired at 29, spent some time traveling the world full time and am now settled with three kids.
If you want to know more about me, this Business Insider profile tells the story pretty well.
I (rarely) blog at AdventuringAlong.com. Check out the Now page to see what I'm up to currently.

swick

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Re: First book self-published today
« Reply #21 on: July 24, 2015, 01:56:13 PM »
Way to Go Mrs. ARS! And you, Arebelspy for doing all the techi stuff :) Your a great team!