A Self-publishing Writer's Forum?

[patches]

I've finally found a couple of Christian Writers that are using Lulu and I was wondering if it would be possible to get a Self-Publishing Writer's Forum for those of us who self-publish.

The Lulu and Cafepress sites have forums but they are not conducive to discussion of Christian Writing/Writer's topics.

Could you do that?

Please?

Pretty Please?

Steph

[patches]

well, I reckon that with only 3 votes that isn't going to happen on this forum.

Steph

[FMeekins]

Self-Publishing the wave of the future, hopefully

[Rebecca]

I'm giving this idea consideration. Tell me, what types of topics would you like to see discussed in this specialized forum? Why do you feel it would be better to have a specialized forum for self-publishing rather than, for instance, discussing this in the Writers' Lounge? What advantages would this provide for you?

Don't be scared off by my questions. ;) I'm willing to be convinced; I just need to get a feel for exactly what your needs are and how I can best accommodate them.

God bless,

Rebecca

[patches]

I'm giving this idea consideration. Tell me, what types of topics would you like to see discussed in this specialized forum? Why do you feel it would be better to have a specialized forum for self-publishing rather than, for instance, discussing this in the Writers' Lounge? What advantages would this provide for you?

Don't be scared off by my questions. ;) I'm willing to be convinced; I just need to get a feel for exactly what your needs are and how I can best accommodate them.

God bless,

Rebecca

Hi Rebecca!

Thanks for even considering it!

Let's see...as a self-publishing writer vs. a writer who is published but still has to help promote his/her own work these are the following things we have to deal with and consider.

We have to provide our own online presence. Although Lulu and Cafepress might offer a shopping cart with our books, it is all cookie cutter production and we know that we have to go one step forward and create our own presence if we want to stand out from the crowd.

We have to write our own advertising copy as well as doing the design, layout, get it printed and get it put into the appropriate hands.

We have to publish our own supporting peripheral business materials such as bookmarks, business cards, book catalogs and any coop advertising.

Our advertising vs. a writer who is published by a recognized publishing house isn't supported with pre-designed graphics and spiel.

Many of us won't be able to afford the packages offered by the POD or vanity presses and there is a steep learning curve for those of us who don't.

Our marketing strategies have to be different because we can't truly compete with the budgets of bigger publishing houses and we don't have the Branded recognition that they automatically have built in. We have to create our own.

We have to deal with advertising rates, display ads and mailing lists.

That kind of thing. That's what I come up with off the top of my head and every bit of it is writing, but it is different writing than most of us are used to.

How many words do you use in an advertisement to promote your book? How many and which words do you use if you can only afford a 1-inch column ad?
Which words are attention grabbing, buyer motivating copy?

We have to prepare sales fliers, postcards, mail material, reply coupons, order forms, etc. Or what about radio?

It is one thing to sell a manuscript to a publisher, we have to sell ours to the world.

With Google being biased about many Christian sites (I believe this will get worse as times goes on) we have to be prepared to take our books out into the real world. The internet is already glutted with self-publishers. B&N's market is already saturated with how-to's and they can outprice a self-publisher through their subsidiary.

Most books by self-publishers are niche market anyway so we definitely have to work harder and differently than the writer who is published by a traditional publishing house.

And even if many of us decide to stay solely online, we still have to stand out from among the hundreds of thousands of other online self-published authors if we hope to get a market share.

We have to do all of that and still leave time for writing because that's the reason we got into this mess in the first place. We love to write.

Steph

[patches]

Self-Publishing the wave of the future, hopefully

Hey Meekins!

Thanks for the look-see!

I believe that self-publishing has been around for generations, it is just our generation that has the access and the technological advantages that make it possible for just about anybody with the motivation to do it.

Do a google on 'small press' and you might be surprised to find that small presses are mostly 'independent publishers'. In other words, those that bit the bullet and published their own books behind the banner of 'small press'.

We are in good company. But POD, has one drawback. Since books are printed one at a time, the price per book is higher and we have to learn to look at our market differently.

Steph

[FMeekins]

From what I've read, Mark Twain was intially "self-published".

[jvdoles]

With the advent of POD (Print On Demand) technology and design software, self-publishing has never been more accessible and financially viable than it is right now.

We (Walking Barefoot Ministries) have published four books in the past few years and have more slated. Took a little bit of a learning curve to learn Photoshop (for book and CD cover design) and Pagemaker (for book layout design), and laid out several hundred of dollars for the software, but the skill and software are continuing assets. (To see our books, click on the links in my signature below. You can view the cover design and sample the interior layout.]

Last year I helped a friend in another ministry switch over from Xulon to being self-published. He saved money in design costs (and owns the right to the design, as well) and now enjoys increased profit for each book sold. I designed his latest book, With Me (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0976768550/qid=1138892953/sr=12-1/002-8402359-6962439?s=books&v=glance&n=283155), in hardback, paperback and eBook (PDF) format.

I've been using Lightning Source Inc for our POD printer. You don't have to order 1000 books at a time, or 500, or even 100. You can order 50, or 25, or even 1 at a time if you like. Plus, if you have your own ISBN number, they can make your book available for Amazon, BarnesandNoble.com, and other online outlets, as well as have it available to be ordered by brick and mortar stores. You can also make your book available in eBook form to online stores.

I believe that Lightning Source is the POD printer that Lulu and Xulon use. So I've managed to cut out the middle man and keep more of the profits from book sales.

There are plenty of good resources on self-publishing and self-marketing.

So, yeah !thumbsup! let's have a self-publishing forum and explore the opportunities.

[patches]

Yeah!!! Jeff, thanks for the support!

I'll check out your book covers. That is one area where I'm still working on learning the software.

My big drawback is that I have older photoshop and illustrator and there are few online tutorials out there for them. I'm trying to get my library to get some books from the University. We live in the boonies so they don't have a big library here.


I'll have to check out lightning source and see what they are about.

Sorry I didn't get back here yesterday. Couldn't get online. Our ISP's tech didn't understand that we wanted our billing to continue on credit card so they billed us for one month and didn't bill us for this one.

I had an admissions counselor contact me from Platte College out in San Diego. They have an awesome design dept but they don't offer all of their courses online.

They suggested Art Institute online as one of the best online distance learning centers. And when they (Platte) are recommending another school for design, they definitely know what they are talking about.

Steph

[patches]

Hey Jeff, by the way those are nice covers!

Steph

[ladypreacher]

I had a few trepedations, but I climbed aboard, and frankly, I'm glad I did! I self-published my Nanowrimo 2005 book and it is now available to view and/or purchase. I'm not too saavy on the marketing end of it all, but I know a God who is perfectly capable of handling that tiny little detail! LOL I'll start with friends and family, and just go from there! I'm busy writing the sequel, or at least I'm supposed to be, and am almost ready to get my book of poems out there too!

Check it out... EVEN IN SILENCE, The Journey of a Lady Preacher

http://www.lulu.com/content/197711

[patches]

I had a few trepedations, but I climbed aboard, and frankly, I'm glad I did! I self-published my Nanowrimo 2005 book and it is now available to view and/or purchase. I'm not too saavy on the marketing end of it all, but I know a God who is perfectly capable of handling that tiny little detail! LOL I'll start with friends and family, and just go from there! I'm busy writing the sequel, or at least I'm supposed to be, and am almost ready to get my book of poems out there too!

Check it out... EVEN IN SILENCE, The Journey of a Lady Preacher

http://www.lulu.com/content/197711

Nice bookcover there ladypreacher!

What version of Word is the download?

Steph

[ladypreacher]

Thanks Patches. It's Office 2003. It uploaded and went through the conversion process without a hitch. I followed the templet guidelines for a 6X9 on Lulu for the margins and all. I've got my second book all ready to go, front and back, now I just have to write it! LOL

[patches]

LOL, I think that is funny. Got the outsides, now you have to get the insides.

I'm still on Win 98SE and Word 97 believe it or not. Can't open the file. I'm surprised they didn't post it as a PDF file? Usually they do. Or at least mine is.

Steph

[FMeekins]

$9.36 for a 241 page book. That's pretty reasonably priced. :-). They've done a good job of getting the price down.

God Bless,
Frederick Meekins

[ladypreacher]

Frederick,

Thanks for the interest. That was nice of you to post the stats.

Patches,

When my computer died on me this past summer it came home with Office 97 on it. (Boy was I steamed!) The system was Windows 98 and so boy, can I relate! My updated puter was a Christmas present from my hubby...Anyway, all of my Word files were Office 2000 and 97 surprised me and read the files. Maybe 2003 was just too much of a jump. Anyway, here's an excerpt.

Let's just call it a sample of what is available on a self publishing site and call it good! If memory serves me correctly this is the sample chapter I'm running on Lulu.

Audrey

Excerpt from: EVEN IN SILENCE, The Journey of a Lady Preacher
Chapter Eleven
“A Cigarette, Some Hope, and a Prayer”

Psalms 115:17 A time to keep silence, and a time to speak.
I will work, while it is yet day. The darkness is coming when no man can work. What do I mean by that? What I mean is that things in the world are at rest right now. Things are calm. There is coming a time when there will be chaos and darkness of every imaginable kind. Already the world is taking on a bend for the night. It states in the Bible that good will be mocked, and evil will be embraced. That time has come.

It is not my station in life to address all of the controversial issues that are running rampant. It is my station in life to address the issues as they present themselves in my space and time. I can’t save the whole world, but I can save one soul at a time. Yet it is not I that saves, but the Holy Spirit that draws people unto Himself.

In believing on the Lord Jesus Christ I have found a truth that has transformed my life and given me hope. I enjoy sharing that truth with my writing and with my actions. I try to put feet to my faith any time that I can. What I mean by that is that I put my money where my mouth is so to speak. It’s not always financially that I give of myself. I give where I find a need and have the ability to meet that need.

I was dropping my daughter off at pre-school about five years ago. I was walking back across the street and I saw a young man on the sidewalk walking his puppy. The Holy Spirit impressed upon me to ask the man what did he need. Now this guy, he wasn’t all that clean-cut looking, in fact, he was looking a bit like a gang-banger. He was pretty young though. I silently argued with the Lord that I didn’t want to talk to that guy.

Again the Lord impressed in my spirit to ask the young man what he needed. Talk about a tug of war! I didn’t want to talk to the man! As I put the key in my vehicle I paused as the young man and his dog were right there beside me. Out it came, I asked him, “What do you need?”

“What?” He was confused by the question.

“I said, what do you need? The Lord impressed in my spirit that you have a need.”

“I need a cigarette.” He stated plainly. I smoked once. It’s a nasty habit. Still, I understand the need for the nicotine. It’s a terrible feeling that leaves you anxious and quite miserable. I empathized with him. I had a couple of bucks in my pocket and was quite willing to buy the guy a pack of smokes, so long as I didn’t have to be around while he smoked them! I can’t breathe around cigarette smoke anymore. It closes up my throat and makes me choke something fierce.

“I got a couple of dollars.” I told him.

“Oh, yeah? Thanks,” He stated perplexed but still lacking. I could see it in his countenance.

“What’s wrong?” I asked him.

“Oh, nothing,” he said, “that’s great.”

“Do you have a car?” I asked him, as I knew that the closest store was quite a hike.

“No, no car.” He replied downcast. I could see that he wasn’t really thrilled about having to walk to get the cigarettes that he had been out of for who knew how long.
By this time I sensed in my spirit that even if he was a gang-banger, he was a nice one. He was nothing but polite to me and so soft-spoken.

“How ‘bout if I give you a lift? I’ve got a little free time.” I offered the stranger.

“You would? Wow, thanks.” Then he told me that he needed to put his puppy away and to go and tell his girlfriend that he was going to the store. I waited in my Suburban for him, wondering what in the world I had been thinking. Giving rides to strangers was not something that I did, except for on rare occasions. Not since being trapped with a madman! (Story on pg.75) I had learned my lesson well when I took that stranger to church and then home with me.

The young man returns and comes up to the truck’s window. “Can I bring my girlfriend?” He asked me, hopeful.

“Sure,” I said, relieved. I would love for him to bring his girlfriend. He went back inside and again I waited.

I was shocked and saddened when he returned with this sweet young teen, bursting out of her shirt, pregnant. The two of them climbed into the back of my Suburban. I had become their chauffeur. I didn’t mind. I wouldn’t have had it any other way. I wouldn’t have wanted either of them to have to sit in the back by them self as I only had bucket seats in my truck.

He introduced himself to me and then introduced her. Both were so quiet and meek-spirited. I just wanted to take them under my wing and make everything okay. I chatted a little bit as I drove and they both listened politely. When we got to the store I handed the sweet young thing a twenty-dollar bill. Her eyes got big and round.

“Go get him some cigarettes, and I want you to go and get yourself what you would like, and it doesn’t have to just be what you need. Go ahead and treat yourself.”

“Really?” She quietly replied.

“Really.” I told her. “I’ll wait here.”

Well, they weren’t in the store too very long, but she did come out with some milk and juice and I don’t know what else. I was pleased that she had gone ahead and did what I had offered for her, as I wasn’t so sure that she would. When they got back in the truck she tried to hand me my change. I thanked her and told her that it was hers.

The young man was amazed by my kindness and told me so. He told me that he had never met anyone as nice as me before in his life. I took that opportunity to share with him that it wasn’t my goodness that he had witnessed, but the goodness of God. I told him that the Lord told me to ask him what he needed. Both were fascinated as I explained about a God that cares for people.

When I got done sharing about the goodness of God I also explained to them that the Lord would have them to do the right thing and to be married if they were going to continue to live together. I told the young man that it would take commitment on his part. Both listened to everything that I said.

I asked them if they would like to know this Jesus that I try to listen to and pattern my life after. Much to my surprise both answered that yes, they would like to. I then took the time to explain to them God’s plan for salvation. Once I laid it all out I asked them if they thought that they wanted to make that kind of a profession and commitment to the Lord. Again, much to my surprise, both answered yes, they would like to.

Then, right then and there I led them in a prayer. In that prayer both asked Jesus to come into their hearts and to live with them. When I dropped them back off at their apartment I knew that I had made a tangible difference in the young couple’s life.

I run into the young man around town here and there. He is still so very polite and I always feel like I am greeting one of my sons. When he’s alone I ask about the girlfriend and about the baby. Girlfriend, did I say? I did. I haven’t seen him put a ring on her finger. That’s not a reason for me to quit caring. She’s a sweetheart, and the baby, well; she’s a doll. I’m always thrilled when I run into them.

I have found in my life that we can only lead a person so far, and then it is up to them to make the right choices. But even still, even if they make poor choices, it’s not a time to reject them, but to only love them as they are. Isn’t that what the Lord did for me? God is able to lead us to all truth. One day I am certain that the Lord will open their hearts and their eyes to see His goodness and to yield to the leading of His Holy Spirit.

I know that I’ve been told that you have to do so many things to be ‘saved’, but in my Bible I see it saying that if thou shall believe on the Lord Jesus Christ you shall be saved. The dross will have to be burned away, but the soul is saved. Oh, it’s not God’s perfect plan for a person’s life, but it states quite clearly that where sin abounds, there grace does much more abound.

Regardless of my philosophy or point of view, I believe with all of my heart that the Lord’s mercy is greater than His wrath. All we like sheep have gone astray, and the Lord has laid upon Him the iniquity of us all. It tells me in my Bible that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.

It would be ideal for each of us to take and shepherd every person that we lead to the Lord. That isn’t always possible. I planted, and another will water, but it is God that brings the increase. God will keep that young couple and He will bring them into understanding all truth. I believe that with all of my heart. If He didn’t plan on taking care of them, then why would He have told me to ask the young man if he had a need?

I had tried to go back and help the young couple to grow in their newfound faith. I could sense that they were very uncomfortable and I left it alone. All I can do is care, and that I do. In my own walk I stand on the promise that the Lord will perfect that which concerns me. For that I am grateful, and if God can perfect me, then He can perfect them too! In His space, and in His time, He will make all things beautiful in His time.

[patches]

Wow, that is awesome!

Thanks for sharing that.

Steph

[FMeekins]

Frederick,
Thanks for the interest. That was nice of you to post the stats.

I have not self-published yet, but have been looking at a few companies so have an idea of what the books are going for. Lulu seems to have prices down below even Infinity.

[ladypreacher]

Patches,

I'm glad that you liked it. I've been sharing a chapter here and there and have had good responses.

Frederick,

Glad to know that the pricing is fair. I'm not familure with this venue at all. I do like the finished product though. Still, there is the absence of legitimacy as a published author that bothers me with the whole process, but I've put my work out there so that I can begin to step on up the publishing ladder. I'm lousy at querries and synopsis' I'm thinking! lol

[patches]

Patches,

I'm glad that you liked it. I've been sharing a chapter here and there and have had good responses.

Frederick,

Glad to know that the pricing is fair. I'm not familure with this venue at all. I do like the finished product though. Still, there is the absence of legitimacy as a published author that bothers me with the whole process, but I've put my work out there so that I can begin to step on up the publishing ladder. I'm lousy at querries and synopsis' I'm thinking! lol

I'd say the pricing is more than fair. A 1 cent profit? Or did you sign up for a distribution package that lowered the price?

Steph

[FMeekins]

Legitimacy is just what we have been conditioned into believing. Your book is just as valid as any put out by the big-name publishers.

Likes the Lulu low cost, but does not really know about how to do all the conversions to PDF and such.

[patches]

FMeekins,

They automatically convert to PDF when you upload your document. You can save a copy, or go to downloads in your account and download a pdf copy. I'm not sure if they require a digital version for sale to get that but It's free to me.

[ladypreacher]

Most word processing programs work to convert I'm thinking. I used Microsoft Word and just uploaded it from my computer from the Lulu site. It did the conversion for me. Be sure to format it exactly how you want it to look. Go into Page setup and set it up for a 6X9, or whatever size you'll be using. If I can do it, anyone can. They are really helpful in the forums if you hit a snag.

I didn't pay for anything, except for the books that I ordered, you know, like for myself and my mom and a couple of extras. I'll be ordering more when I go to shop it around, but first I need to go into my Publisher program and make up some broucheres(SP) and some business cards.

I'm at 12,000 words on my Feb. project, so pip pip for me! lol

Thanks for the legitimate comment, I just wish that publishers and editors and agents were so very kind and accepting!

Audrey

[FMeekins]

So the book looked ok from the conversion on their end?

As with how traditional journalists exhibit an animosity towards bloggers, editors and the traditional hierarchical publishing industry dislike independents such as ourselves since they foresee their occupations as becoming superflous in the future and like any guild want to keep things a closed shop.

Frederick

[patches]

Animosity can be based on fear and I think with the recent influx of POD technology that they have a right to be very afraid.

POD is currently in its infancy. I can remember, ohh...about ten years ago, that while I was working at one the nation's largest newspapers, they were saying that print was on its way out.

And generally, I believe that print as we have known it, is on its way out the door of history.

Every child in school here recieves a laptop to do their work on. More and more Independent bookstores are closing every year. The only ones that seem to keep functioning are the Christian Bookstores and that I believe is due to the fact that Christians are known to give books away more than any other segment of society. We see it as a form of ministry.

So, while they are still hanging in there, there are Christian publishers going out of business. But, the Independents like ourselves are a growing number.

People still have a hunger and thirst for the Truth and for fellowship, which I believe, among the unchurched populations is gained through the experiences written by others. They feel they are not alone, even though they may have left their church because of the apostasy.

Steph

[ladypreacher]

Frederick,

Just go on over to Lulu and check it out. They don't charge anything. It looked just like it did in Word.

Take care.