Second Time Around for a New Beginning

This posting was previously done in April, but I will begin again.  I have completed the postings of excerpts of "A Cowboy's Vengeance."  If you like what you saw the book is available online or at any bookstore in the country.  If you would like an autographed copy you can order it by going to my website www.joesmiga.com.  Besides being printed books my books are available as e-books from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or my publisher Xlibris.  I plan to take a break from writing excerpts but they will be back with the sequel to "Behind the Lies," and my memoir which will be out later this month.  What I plan to do now is post about how I began writing and what you need to address if you decide to get publishesd.

Do you feel you might want to be a writer?

As I go around making presentations and doing book signings, I continually get told people would like to write and I'm asked, what does it take to become a writer?

My first response is everyone can write if they set their mind to it. You might have to take a basic writing course. Or do as I did, take an English composition course at one of your local colleges. It’s fun to be the grandpa of the class.

Second, write about what you love and what you know. What are you passionate about? These areas will set you in the right direction.

After reaching that level, make a commitment to write. Start off with a paragraph a day. You should begin to write at least five days a week. You will find your one paragraph level will increase to two or more. Then maybe even a full page or more.

Just keep at it and ideas will come to you all during the day when you’re not even writing. Jot them down if you feel you will forget them.

Hooray We Made It--It's Published

Thursday, April 30th became a very special day for me. “Behind The Lies,” my first novel, a military thriller began being published. Excerpts from this novel are on the blog and I will continue to post something from each of the one hundred and six chapters. It is currently available for purchase from Xlibris the publisher on their website www.Xlibris.com or if you would like a signed copy you can log onto www.joesmiga.com. My first shipment of one hundred and twenty books will arrive three weeks from the publishing date. Writing the novel took twenty-six months and the process of finding the right editor and working with the publisher took another fifteen months. Now begins the process of marketing the novel.

Publishing Part Five

You have your novel in your hand and you’re going to sit back and start collecting royalties. Maybe you’ll make some, but not a lot without your doing some hard work. Some writers think that all they have to do is create and the big three, Amazon, Barnes &Noble, plus Borders will make them a lot of money. We should be so lucky. With a regular publisher they will give you a short period of time to be a big splash in the market if you don’t hit their goals they won’t spend a great deal of money keeping your work on the front burner. With self publishing you can purchase some marketing packages however don’t rely just on their packages. You need to do presentations, interviews, find out who your novel’s market is and make sure they are aware of it in some way, shape or form. Yes, you must sell-sell-sell.
Are you willing to do the writing and then the real hard work? If so then I suggest you do as I did and take the plunge.

Publishing Part Four

The package I chose to purchase from Xlibris provides many services that save an author a great deal of time and money. For instance they will create a cover for you, they will edit your manuscript for you, provide your work with its ISBN number or numbers if you do both hard and soft covers. Book reviews are sent out, press releases are done, along with an e-mail marketing campaign. Your work is secured with U. S. copyright registration and with the Library of Congress. These are only some of the benefits of the package. I must tell you though that writing a military thriller I asked if whoever edited my work would they have military thriller experience. They very honestly told me that I could not be guaranteed that possibility. So I spent six months searching for my own editor. I also used the services of my own graphic artist to create the cover for the book since I believe that covers aid in selling a book. I feel it was a good choice based on how the cover looks. Writing a manuscript is only part of the work an author must do. The real work begins after your passion is completed. It is a lot of effort once you start working with an editor and then proofing your work to make sure it is correct. However, it is worth it to see the final copy in your hands.

Publishing Part Three

Two days after I left my e-mail request on Xlibris’s website, I received a call from a customer service representative. We spent an hour on the phone in which she explained how Xlibris worked with authors to self publish their works and the various programs that are available through them. The programs ranged from very basic Advantage program at $299 to another six programs with a top figure of $12,999. Each program is designed to give the author just what they feel they need or are willing to invest into their work. I purchased the Premium program which gave me a full service package to bring a book to market and the necessary avenues and tools to contact my target markets. Premium package costs $2,999 at the time of this writing. There are currently only two levels higher than the Premium package.

After listening to this lady I was impressed there was no pressure to sign on just a willingness to work together. Something I didn’t receive from the two companies I was currently looking into. The decision to work with Xlibris, especially after getting the recommendation I did, was a no brainer.

Why would you want to self publish? First of all for me time was a factor in two ways. My current novel is dealing with a time frame of current events. If I went with the publishing house route it could be a year to eighteen months before the book hit the market if I was accepted by one. Secondly, I am sixty seven and I feel strongly this is a good book and wanted to see it published before the Good Lord decides its time to me to return to where ever my spirit will go to.

Self publishing gives you, at least with Xlibris, all the retention to the rights of your book. Be very careful here; make sure you receive this in writing no matter who you should deal with.

Publishing Part Two

Following my wife’s client’s suggestion, I began to look into the world of self publishing. There are a number of companies out there that offer writers the ability to self publish their books. They offer various services at various prices. I started seriously looking at two of them.

As I was looking to self publish I also made the decision to find a professional editor. Now the task also became more interesting as you can find lots of people who say they editor at pricing from .01 per word to .02 per word. My biggest concern was to find an editor who understood military thrillers and military jargon. It took me six months to find the editor that I was satisfied with.

My biggest break through on finding a publisher came a year ago when I attended the annual NH Writer’s Day conference. I met a lady from Colebrook, NH who had used a company called Xlibris a division of Random House. She too investigated a number of companies and told me they put everything in writing for you so there is no miscommunication.

The following Monday, I e-mailed Xlibris advising them that I was in a search for someone to publish my book and would they contact me.

Experiences with Publishing Part One

In January of 2008, I completed my novel “Behind The Lies” after twenty-six months of writing. Usually a writer who desires to get published immediately thinks of finding an agent in order to get published.

The next three months I contacted thirty-one agents. Six of them I found in published books of successful writers of military fiction. They had no interest in dealing with a beginner author.

Next, I contacted twenty-five agents who post themselves on the internet with interest in military thriller genre. Guess what, only twelve of them ever responded to my inquiry asking what they required to consider my manuscript. Ten of the twelve send me the standard rejection notice and the funny thing one of the rejection notices didn’t even have the book title correct.

However, two women agents responded by saying: the first one said, “She is not the right agent for this book but encouraged me to continue as she felt it is a good book.” The second one said, “She is not the right agent for the book but felt that the book is sellable.”

Going through this process I learned that even if you find an agent who will seek a publisher for you. It could take anywhere from a year to eighteen months for the book to be published. Plus the average royalty rate is 5%.

One of my wife’s clients who creates children’s books told me about the world of self-publishing. She said, “If you really feel your book is worthwhile for readers take a look at getting it self published.”

Next posting I will discuss my adventures in considering looking for an editor and the world of self publishing.