5/25/2015
Release day for a new book – always a great feeling.
It’s already May 26 in some parts of the world (good morning Australia, hello New Zealand) which means that Any Way You Dream It is available right now for some.
Amazon US:http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00XBFAUWO
Amazon Australia: http://www.amazon.com.au/Any-Way-You-Dream-Upper-ebook/dp/B00XBFAUWO
And then the clock strikes midnight around the world and it magically appears on the e-readers of those that pre-purchased and it is then available everywhere.
What does that mean to me?
It means in the past months I:
– wrote a first draft
– had a cover designed
– put it down and revised it and then revised it again
– sent it to BETA readers who told me what they did and didn’t like
– made their changes
– sent it to someone else to read through it for a story edit
– made those changes
– sent it to an editor (we had a major disaster this time which set me back ten days)
– sent it to the editor again
– waited
– made the final edits
– sent it to a formatter who loaded it up for release
– booked a blog tour
– reached out to people for review and promotional opportunities
– waited
People think that indie authors skip steps, which isn’t true. In many cases it just means we’re just doing all that all by ourselves. It’s kind of a lonely process. In fact as I type this I am alone. Where’s the balloons? The champagne? They’re not in sight – I will go get myself a coffee shortly.
It’s a bit like the day your child starts kindergarten…lots of hard work to get them ready and then you’re all alone, wondering how they’re doing.
So if you know any authors indie or otherwise here are some tips.
Tips for supporting an author when they release a book
1. Acknowledge their new book -call, email, comment on their Facebook page.
2. Buy their book and let them know you did. (Take a photo and if it is a paperback take the photo in the store).
3. Let people know you have a friend who has just written a book – either on your Facebook page or in real life.
4. Leave them a review on Amazon, Goodreads etc – you have no idea how much that means.
5. Remember it doesn’t matter if it is their first book or their tenth – to them it is still exciting.