The Self-publishing Odyssey Begins

Hello, dear reader. I know you’ve been following my Facebook updates regularly, curious to find out the next turn in my self-publishing adventure. You’re clamoring for a list of what I’ve done so far, and what I’ve learned from…ah, who am I kidding.

Dear Jessie:

Here is your Toadhouse Trilogy self-publish list to date:

• Write the first in a young adult trilogy about a sister and a brother who learn they must travel into classic literature to save themselves. Books ARE magic.
• Submit to your agent. Have her love it.
• Due to her connections in the industry, have all major publishers reject it in record time.
• On May 14, 2012, choose to self-publish, as if you have another option.
• Submit book concept to Crowdspring so graphic designers can begin designing possible covers.
• Choose to begin distributing your book only on Kindle so you can take advantage of the Kindle Select program. Immediately mourn your relationship with indie bookstores, whom you love. Wonder if you are a horrible human being.
• Figure out how to format a book for Kindle and what other requirements they have.
• Decide to go with CreateSpace for the hardcopy version of your book.
• Choose to purchase an ISBN through CreateSpace that you can take anywhere with you, even if it means you have to pay $99 and CreateSpace won’t let you distribute them to libraries. Also, stumble across mention of fleurons and realize you must have them in your book.
• Hire a copyeditor, as you’ve already the manuscript substantively edited by the best in the business.
• Contact your web designer and come up with a plan for the new website. Scare her by saying you’d like it up and running by June 1.
• Develop a promotional plan, the key focus of which will be to get free reviews, which can be a challenge for independently-published books.
• Realize that to get good copyediting and solid reviews, June 1 is way too soon. Move The Toadhouse Trilogy, Book One, publication date to July 4 because you like fireworks.
• Wonder if The Toadhouse Trilogy, Book One, is a lame name for the first in the series. Discuss other options with your close friend Burgermeister Meisterburger and decide that you both like the title just fine.
• Write a first draft of a press release. Throw around names for your fake publicist. Judy Doright? Jack Donaghey?
• Sit back impatiently, awaiting edits and your book cover so you can go to the next phase: advance publication date promotion.

More to come!

The Ten Things I Learned at Left Coast Crime 2011

1. It’s okay to be a humorous mystery writer. Really, it is. Left Coast is the only conference that celebrates the art of combining murder with mirth. They offer the Lefty Award for best humorous mystery, which I’m proud to say I was nominated for. And lost. I’m considering putting that on future book covers: “Lefty-losing author Jess Lourey…” 
2.  Self-publishing ebooks can be profitable, and as of right now, Kindle (Amazon) is where most of that money is being made.
3. If you are considering self-publishing, there is an awesome site called CrowdSpring where authors can post a description of their book for thousands of graphic designers to read. The designers, usually a couple dozen per book, will each create a book cover based on the description. If the author sees one she likes, she can buy it, usually for a couple hundred dollars. If she doesn’t like any of them, she doesn’t pay.
4. Book trailers are a waste of time and money *unless* they help the reader to connect with the writer, either by answering interview questions or talking about places/people/events that inspired the book and maybe filming at associated locations. Laura Lippmann and William Kent Krueger both do this well.
5. Harley Jane Kozak, the conference’s toastmaster, wears size 9 shoes. She also starred inArachnaphobia! How cool is that??
6. Along that same line, did you know that Parnell Hall (http://parnellhall.com/), panelist moderator at Left Coast Crime, wrote the screenplay for C.H.U.D.? I cornered him by the ATM and made him admit to it. I think he thought I was making fun of him, but I’m a sucker for campy horror movies. Give me a glimpse of a zipper in the monster’s back, and I’m yours for life.
7. It is incorrect to refer to a Scottish accent vs. a British accent, as Scots are also Brits. Thanks for this, Simon Wood. I blame the American education system for my ignorance.
8. Volunteer at any conference you attend. It’s the best way to make connections, particularly for us introverts, and you can feel good at the same time.
9. The television and film industries are going the way of the music and book industries in that they are becoming democratized. Some of the best TV shorts and films are coming from independent people with no connections to the industry, no formal training, and little money.
10. Bring your own books to a conference, if you can. The on-site bookstores can only bring in so much, but they’re often happy to sell on consignment.
11. I know, I know, the title says ten, but I didn’t really learn this one; I already knew it: Keith Raffel, Vicki Doudera, Shannon Baker, William Kent Krueger, and Catriona McPherson are all fabulous people to hang out with!