A New Year is like hitting the reset key. Full of hope and new possibilities. ~ Deb Komiter This is how every new year should begin, though I’ll be honest with you - the last two have been difficult with all the world’s pandemic challenges.  I almost gave up writing, even skipping out on NaNoWriMo 2021 , which has been a writing habit and creative springboard for the past 14 years. I’m not the only writer with this issue. Several authors I know gave up on NaNoWriMo, too. They also mentioned trying something called Kindle Vella, which caught my attention.  What is Kindle Vella you might wonder? I did a quick Google search, and found some information, though the platform is still in the early days. This was the best overview and is worth a read.  There is also limited information on Amazon’s site, and I like that they address the platform from both writer and reader perspectives. You can read more here .  Still, it all seems a bit vague to me. First, let me admit I do...

 We conclude our exploration of self-publishing platforms. 13.   Smashwords offers ebooks only. Cost : You can upload files for free. Free ebook conversion to multiple formats from a Word.doc. Unlimited anytime-updates to books and metadata Rights : You retain all rights. They offer a free ISBN or you can use your own.  Distribution : Smashwords Store as well as global retail distribution to Apple Books (51 countries), Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Walmart (via Kobo), OverDrive (reach 20,000+ public libraries), Gardners (reach hundreds of small ebook stores and 2,000+ public and academic libraries), Scribd, Libri (powers Germany's largest ebook stores), Baker & Taylor,  Odilo (2,100+ libraries in North America, South America and Europe), Bibliotheca CloudLibrary (3,000+ public libraries in the US, Canada, U.K. and Australia), and Enki by Califa (supplies over 100 California libraries; acquires a subset of Smashwords titles). Services : Audiobook production and distr...

We continue to look at the self-publishing options available in 2021. Lulu offers paperback, hardcover, ebooks, calendars, journals, comic books, and photo books. They have Lulu Jr. for Kids for children's books. Cost : There are no fees or charges to upload your files. You can make changes. Rights : You maintain all rights. Your book must be assigned an ISBN to qualify for Global Distribution on Amazon, Apple, Kobo, Google Play, Ingram, Barnes and Noble and Scribd. They provide an ISBN or your can use your own. Distribution : Your book is listed for sale on the Lulu Bookstore. The Lulu Global Network makes your book available for purchase on Amazon, B&N, and other online retail sites at no additional cost to you. They also create a listing for your book with the Ingram Book Company, which allows brick and mortar bookstores, retail stores, and libraries to purchase your book. If you have an online Shopify ecommerce store, you can list your books for sale and your book orders w...

 Last time we looked at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Apple Books,and Book Baby. Today, we look at further options. Draft2Digital offers ebooks and paperbacks. Cost : You can upload your covers and files at no charge. There are no fees for reformatting or updating your book. Rights : You retain all rights. Draft2Digital offers free ISBNs numbers when uploading through their site. Their ISBN can only be used for their versions and approved vendors.  Distribution : They offer distribution through Amazon, Apple Books, Barnes & Noble Press, Kobo, Scribd, Tolino, OverDrive, bibliotheca, Baker & Taylor, Hoopla, and Vivlio.  Services : They offer promotional opportunities through Books2Read. You can schedule price promotions and free promotions, except through the Amazon which does not allow books to be free. They offer information on audiobooks, editing, cover design, marketing programs, Author Advocate partners, directory services, and a digital storefront. They do not pr...

I started self-publishing in 2008, back when KDP was Booksurge. A lot has changed since then. Self-publishing has become more acceptable and there are more venues to publish through. Let's take a look at some of the top self-publishing platforms. Amazon's KDP offers print-on-demand and ebooks. There is a Kindle e-reader and app for other devices. They have begun an experimental episodic fiction service called Vella . They have  Children's Book creator software.They partner with ACX for audiobooks. Cost : It is free to upload your files and covers. You can change the files at any time at no cost. There are delivery fees for ebooks, print costs for paperback, sales taxes in some cases, and you cannot make your book free unless enrolled in Kindle Select. You decide the price but there are minimums. Amazon may price match, so if you offer your book for a lower price elsewhere, they may adjust your list price. They might match Amazon's price for a physical edition of the ...

Traditional publishing requires that you find an agent who submits to publishers and hopefully finds a home for your book. As a traditionally published author, you still have to write, revise, proofread, submit, get accepted. But your work isn't done there. You still have to revise and edit per the publishers instructions. They design the cover and come up with the promotional materials and some promotional opportunities, but you are still in charge of self-promotion. With the publishing market in flux, many writers prefer to self-publish. Doing so involves you donning not one but five hats. 1. Crafting the Product Writing a really good book means endless rounds of critiques, revisions, editing, and proofreading. If you target a specific genre, and understand it, you are half-way there. Learning how to write is a skill set. Your very first draft of your very first book will not be a best seller. Studying the craft of writing and practicing it is job one. Once you have a manuscript ...

I have to admit I am not a hoarder of book advertising merchandise. Every month charities inundate our mailbox with with canvas totes, mailing labels, note pads, pens, calculators, blankets, pins, calendars, greeting cards, even nickles and dimes. However some readers love them. And they must be somewhat successful or the charities wouldn't keep sending them. 1. Should you include merchandise items as part of your marketing strategy?   It depends.   Do you make personal appearances (pre-quarantine and hopefully again post-quarantine)? Do you go to conventions, writer meetings, book clubs? Do local independent bookstores or libraries allow you to display items along with your book? Do you have a mailing list? Do you hold contests and raffles and giveaways? Can you afford it? There may or may not be a return on investment. You may want a few instead of hundreds. The allure of  Free Stuff Christmas is only three months away, so they also make terrific present...

Graphic courtesy of  WriteOpinions.com In case you missed it, there has been a recent controversy over plagiarism that has received international news attention. A story in The Guardian outlines the major points of the issue between American author Courtney Milan and Brazilian author Cristiane Serruya, who was accused of  plagiarism. The books in question are Milan's The Duchess War and Royal Love by Serruya. There were numerous instances of Serruya taking several sentences verbatim from Milan's book, and the following is just one example of what she copied: From The Duchess War - There was a reason they’d kept their conversations to inane niceties up until this point. There was no way to talk about anything else without bitterness. They had no common past to draw on, almost no shared acquaintances. His mother had spent more time visiting Sebastian’s mother—her husband’s sister—than she had lived in Robert’s household as a child. And she’d chosen to do it. He mig...

~ Editor/Author/Publisher Mysti Berry is our guest at the Blood-Red Pencil today. ~ I’d like to share with you the most marvelous discoveries of my first adventure as a publisher. Editing a charity anthology LOW DOWN DIRTY VOTE was my first time editing a collection. The process was a series of delightful discoveries punctuated by occasional fits of swearing at the software. I’ll spare you the swearing but share what I learned about crime writers during this madcap adventure.  Discovery #1: Crime Writers are Generous  Exhausted by my own pointless rage-tweeting and desperate to do something useful, I decided to publish an anthology of crime short stories to raise money to help fight voter suppression. I invited writer friends and writers who are barely more than acquaintances to contribute. Nearly all of them said yes. This astonished me, because most of the writers in the anthology are well published—he or she has something to lose if a story shows up in a low-q...

In a month of gratitude, I want to put a shout out to all those who help other writers become better at their craft so they can continue to feed my book addiction. My motto has always been: Life is Too Short for Bad Fiction. You can see my own contributions (the Story Building Blocks  series) to this effort on my website . I love looking through the Great Courses Catalog that comes through the mail. A long string of classes on DVDs and books line our shelves. You can learn everything from history, mathematics, and science to the humanities all in the comfort of your living room, office, or car, via DVD player or downloads onto your PC. Years ago I found the course Building Great Sentences   by Brooks Landon . It changed my writing forever. I vaguely remembered diagramming sentences in high school, but this course turned language into building blocks that are as colorful and versatile as L EGO®s . As if reading my mind that writers needed more master classes in w...