Happy New Year 2023
Yeah I know it's a little late, but hey I'm making progress on projects that are important to me.
Setting up the Paperback Book for Rescue of the Stone Warriors.
I received my electronic print proof back from IngramSpark for book three, Rescue of the Stone Warriors. It looks good. I went through it checking for page number consistency, chapter number consistencies and title and author name in the right spots.
Did I number all the chapters correctly?
Why should I check to see if I numbered all the chapters correctly? Because as I'm writing the novel I may move a chapter above or below to make the story flow better. Or maybe I whacked a chapter and now the numbering isn't consistent. Imagine I whack chapter 32, now I have to go back and renumber chapters 33 to the end of the book. Sometimes, I just miss a chapter and now the numbering isn't right.
I have a single proof copy coming in the mail in the next couple of weeks. It'll only take them a couple of days to print it, but I'm not going to spend a lot of money on shipping the book to me. It'll come by printed matter rates from the USPS (United States Postal Service). It's important as a business person to spend your money on the right things. It won't matter in the big scheme of things if the proof copy comes via slow mail. Why should I pay three to four times more to get the book in three days? Sure, I'm excited to see the book in my hands, I love the cover, but not so much to spend the big bucks on shipping.
Other Projects I'm Involved With
I joined Alli - The alliance of Independent Authors
To make this payoff each year, I need to complete and set up print no less than two books each year. One advantage of Alli is the Ingram Spark coupon they give for print book setup. They also advocate for indie authors on issues that writers experience. Other member benefits for self-publishers include discounts and deals, guidebooks, a resources center, contract advice, author collaboration, vetted services, and much more. Overall, I recommend you join them if you plan on being an Indie author.
Kickstarter
I backed my first Kickstarter campaign. What is Kickstarter? It's a service where creatives can raise money for a project they are working on. The creative will offer books, drawings or other goodies to people who give money for the campaign. If the campaign is created successfully the creative will earn more money than they spend and can then complete their special project. I'm looking long term at someday creating my own Kickstarter campaign. Maybe I'd used the money raised to do audio books for all my printed novels.
The Kickstarter I'm supporting, The Weary Dragon Inn - A Cozy Fantasy Mystery, sounds like an interesting concept for a fantasy novel / cozy mystery novel. The author is already fully funded, and has now added what are known as stretch goals. Maybe people that have already helped fund the novel will add more money to the mix to help the author reach the next level or the new things the author adds will entice people who were reluctant to take the plunge earlier.
Writing News
I've added another four thousand words (two chapters to book 4). The muse is strong on book four at the moment and I'm riding the wave. I've definitely found a path I like.
Have a great day.