Archive for the publication process

Book 2 name chosen: Dragon Slayer: Rising

Posted by faithforward@gmail.com 
· Wednesday, June 25th, 2014 

Naming a novel is not an easy thing to do…

cover representationI’ve vacillated back and forth many times on what to name this second book, and the more time I spend doing my edits (I’m in the 2nd round of my personal edits right now), the more I’m being drawn to the name “Dragon Slayer: Rising.” It fits what’s going on, in two ways.

1 In this book, the Dragon Master cult begins to rise to dominance. Naturally, I’m not going to tell you how that happens (you’ll have to get the book), but I can say this: It’s unexpected and overall spectacular.

2 In this book, the Dragon Slayers (yes, more than one) begin to rise to oppose the dragon masters. Again, can’t say much but the call is out for willing folks. Being a bit crazy doesn’t hurt either.

3 A host of other supporting characters will rise to the surface, and the plot thickens and gets more twisted as a result. Ooooooh, I love the intrigue of it all!

And in case anyone is wondering, I’m going to have the same artist as before do the cover for this one, only in dark hues (black, grey) and with a different looking dragon in the carving. The image to the right is just my hacked version of the idea in my head. Reggie will do SUCH a better job, believe me.

Pray for me as I work on my edits

I’m trying to “refine my craft” as the hoity-toity author types say and it’s quite a challenge. I’m seeking to do it through better characterization, better description (of people, places, and action), and more colorful and gripping language – all without being too cliched or sappy. It’s a tall order and I’m seeking the LORD’s help.

My main goal is to make these novels helpful to the real lives of real people. I want the truth of God to be represented accurately through the lips of the characters and the circumstances they face. I want the power of scripture to touch the heart of every reader.

Thanks again for your support. Your encouragement is a lift to my soul!

Categories : the publication process, the writing process, Uncategorized
Tags : , , , ,
self publishing balance_opt

Being a self-published, Christian author is a strange road to walk…

Posted by faithforward@gmail.com 
· Friday, January 17th, 2014 

But being a self-published author brings with it a TON of things you wouldn’t expect right off…

  • You have to do your OWN publicity, without ticking people off!
  • You have to do your OWN marketing!
  • You have to enlist the help of friends and family for a variety of things (cover art, proof reading, etc.)
  • And for me, as a believer in Christ, I have to walk a VERY, VERY fine line between self-promotion and trusting God.

That last one is my main concern out of all of them.

I want this book to get out there. I want others to be blesseded by it. It is a work of CHRISTIAN fiction after all… which means that I’ve put my heart, soul, and every ounce of the teaching-gift God has given me into making this fictional account instructive for people desiring to know God and walk in His ways.

The point is, I want people to read it and be helped… so promotion is needed (just like Paul promoted the gospel in every town he visited). So, I’m trying a lot of different things…

[list icon=”icon: book” icon_color=”#b77474″]
  • I’m now on Goodreads as an author, to enable me to interact with readers who may be interested in my work.
  • I’m also researching “best practices” for self-published promotions and marketing.
  • I’m running a book giveaway contest on the book’s website (you can enter here).
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BUT…

I don’t want the promotion to become self-focused, or market-driven, or all about the “success” and money that could come along with it.

I want to trust the LORD in the promotion.

I’m curious, do you have any thoughts about that? How would YOU walk that balance? (feel free to comment below).

Categories : release information, the publication process

Time to make some winners!

Posted by faithforward@gmail.com 
· Thursday, January 16th, 2014 

In an effort to say “THANKS” to everyone who has been so encouraging about this book…

and in an effort to get the word out about the book ahead of time.

I’ve put together an “ENTER TO WIN” contest!

You, your friends, your enemies – ANYONE can enter to win

ONE OF FIVE AUTOGRAPHED COPIES OF “DRAGON SLAYER: BEGINNINGS”

You can enter once, or a hundred times… I’m happy if you enter at all! Here’s all the ways you can do it!

  • FIRST, you have to supply your email address to the form on THIS PAGE, and respond to the confirmation email you receive.
From there on out it gets really fun!

  • Share on Facebook
  • Share on Twitter
  • Share on Google+
  • Share on LinkedIn
  • Share on Pinterest
  • Share by posting the provided link anywhere and everywhere you want.
And every time you do, you are entered to win AGAIN! I’m excited to make these autographed copies available and would love your help in spreading the word about this book! Thanks so much! 1stname

Categories : the publication process
dragon slayer book one is out to beta readers

I’ve done it… the book is out to beta readers!

Posted by faithforward@gmail.com 
· Thursday, January 16th, 2014 

It’s time for the “beta reader” step… but it’s not the first time for me…

What I mean is this…

I did something that seemed smart to me at the time, and some established authors told me, “Good luck with that!”, but I did it anyway.

Earlier in the process I sent out my book to beta readers CHAPTER AT A TIME as I was writing it and then self-editing it.

It worked great for a while… everyone was excited (most of them were friends after-all), but life acted like, well, LIFE and got busy for most of them. OK, all of them. The only person who stuck with me each week as I sent out the next chapter was my dear mother, who is of retirement age and actually enjoyed having the book to read each week. Everyone else, me included, simply got too busy to keep up with a weekly commitment like that.

My mistakes:

  • Not being consistent – my life got busy too, so I wasn’t able to get the chapters out on time every week.
  • Not being disciplined to write – this contributed to me not getting the chapters out on time.
  • Not staying on top of the edits I received. After a while they became too overwhelming each week (when everyone was still on board).
  • Starting the beta read process WAY TOO SOON.

My lesson learned: WAIT and do a beta read (if you do one) all at once when you are finished with the book.

BUT NOW IT’S IN THE HANDS OF “REAL” BETA-READERS

… or should I say, beta readers who I’ve recruited and timed in a more traditional way… or are beta readers really traditional at all? Nevermind.

The point is, I’m very excited about that!!!!!!!!  (Can you tell?)

I’ve given my 20-some folks right at two weeks to read the book and return their comments, suggestions, and other stuff related to the book. Then I’ll take about a week to get things digested and edited and move ahead with the next step…

A new online friend from Google+ (you ARE on Google+ aren’t you?) has agreed to help me fine-tune everything. She has a process designed specifically for writers and we’re going to walk through it regarding this book. You can find M.J. at www.writingeekery.com.

It’s been a wild ride so far… and it feels like the car is picking up speed!

Categories : release information, the publication process