Researching self publishing via B&N's PubIt!

I've been playing around with the idea of selling my book electronically for some time now. And I just found out about the Barnes & Noble's PubIt! service. Basically, you write and edit your book, get some cover art made up (wonder if I can convince the aunt to do something for free?) and upload the entire shebang to the PubIt! service at Barnes & Noble.

They have their own pricing scheme for which the majority of books will fall in the "we get 65%, you get 35%" category. The other category is they get 40% of the take. Not sure how they worked all that out or if that's kind of "standard", but it is an option to not having an agent. They'll even accept short stores, which may be where I start at...if I do this at all.

There are restrictions (of course) on what is acceptable material, and sad to say MaryJanice Davidson's Betsy series wouldn't make the cut as they would consider it "pornographic" in nature (due to the number of times Betsy gets graphically laid). I think Jess will fit into their requirements okay, but I still have to wade through all of the legalese and FAQs on the site before submitting anything.

And I'm not sure how the copyrights will work either and that's the stuff I'm the most concerned about. I want to make sure I'm not signing over control to B&N. Jess has her own strong opinions about who can/can't modify her language; she does have quite the repertoire of swear words, many which I don't use and end up with a headache as a result.

I'll be better about updating as I find out more about this potential option to get my book(s) published. I'm very intrigued by this new service and B&N says it will put the manuscripts into a common eReader format, but I'm not 100% convinced of that just yet.

In case you haven't heard about this service yet, here's the link to the B&N PubIt! service: Note: the link feature on blogger seems to be borked up on my blog atm

http://pubit.barnesandnoble.com/pubit_app/bn?t=pi_reg_home

I'm also looking into what it would take to publish electronically via Amazon, and all the legalese that goes along with their service as well.

And I've been debating about chasing after MaryJanice's agent...if he can keep up with her, I wonder if he could handle another one that goes off on tangents at random times. Hmmm...... oh well, back to the day job.

Losing my virginity...at a book signing

It's not as exotic as you might like to think. But last night was the first time I've ever been to a book signing event - ever. And it's the first time I'd asked anyone to sign a book for me, so technically speaking I gave up my book signing virginity to MaryJanice Davidson. Which is a bit odd when I think about it as my mom was an English major and my aunt is a published author, so you'd think I would have to been to something as a kid. As my grandmother would say with a shrug - it is what it is.

I dashed over to Lansing last night to see MaryJanice Davidson in person, and to ask many questions of course. She was a riot! She really does write like she talks. Should she need a "next career", I'd strongly suggest stand up comedian as she had me in tears last night. I couldn't help but think if we'd been in high school together we would have been friends (she's too young to have been in high school with me though). She switches tangents as quickly as I do, and it was a blast to keep up with her, and she's just so damn FUNNY!!

I had several questions about writing for her, and asked if she's thinking about updating her eBook Escape the Slush Pile - good news, she is! She kindly answered all the questions everyone threw at her. And then referring to me as the "aspriring author" she said she liked my bangs and to just ignore reviewers who pick on you about your hair. Some reviewers have apparently referred to her has having "soccer mom bangs". All of which made me laugh harder.

She did say she hates me though - jokingly of course - because of the positive responses I've had so far from agents. I wouldn't have received them though if it wasn't for her book, so it's kudos to her as well. Made me think that perhaps I should hit up her agent next, even though we're not in the same genre. At least I'd know he can handle my sense of humor.

And I was most surprised to hear she likes many of the same authors I do - most specifically John Sanford. I'm not sure what I was expecting her to like, but I was surprised to hear his name. And she's a Fan-girl (which I'm not) and had some great stories about "molesting" Laura K. Hamilton and Charlene Harris at a conference. The funny part about this for me is that I would never have read anything from Laura K. Hamilton if it wasn't for MaryJanice and here MaryJanice is a huge fan of Laura K. Odd how the world works sometimes.

Which reminds me of how I ended up reading a genre that is not normal for me. Anyone who knows me well knows I prefer thrillers, mysteries, sci-fi, and fantasy. I've been asked how I started with the Betsy books before and most people laugh when I tell them, but the truth is it was the book cover. Sometimes you can tell a book by it's cover. I was in the library to pick up the latest Carolyn Hart Death on Demand book when the book cover for Undead and Unwed caught my eye - it was the older cover, the cuter one. The title intrigued me, so I checked out the back cover and took it home. I devoured it in gales of laughter in a single night. I was hooked, and now I own them all...along with Fred and now Me, Myself, and Why.

All the humor and simply being around MJD has caused my girls to pipe up. So I guess it's back to writing for me, and I'll put at least Jess and Collie into NaNoWriMo...I'm not too sure about Merie though. She's the most fun to write, but she's also the most controversial. (And why I like writing her so much).

Happy Dancing!

MaryJanice Davidson is in a nearby town today! About 10 hours from now I hope to be getting a book signed. This is the first time I've gone to a book signing, so it will be a new experience for me, and one I expect I'll enjoy. Plus it gave me an excuse to take a 1/2 day vacation, which makes the day even better!

Ridiculously happy and humbled

Okay, so maybe it's not THAT big of a thing, but I was ridiculously giggly, happy dancing, blushing, and humbled to see a link to my little, insignificant blog on MaryJanice Davidson's website. Really?!?!?! MJD has stumbled across my blog? She and Tracy (her fearless assistant) are too busy for this, aren't they?

Even better yet - MJD will be in my state in just 4 short days for a book signing of MMY! Can't possibly explain in feeble little words how great that made my day.

I just had to gloat a little...a New York Times Bestseller posted a link to my itty-bitty blog (the only thing itty-bitty about me). Woo-hoo!!!

NaNoWriMo is looming

National Novel Writing Month is on the horizon and I'm having a hard time picking a character to concentrate on for the competition. I may end up trying to tackle something to soothe both Jess and Collie. Merie would be WAY more fun, but I don't think they'd be too fond of some of the story lines and the possible Jihad (did I spell that correctly) that could arise as a result.

Just the thought of NaNoWriMo is helping cheer me up a bit, and I'm hoping all my "girls" chime in to let me know who should be my primary focus for this go-round.

It's also possible that I go completely off-track and instead write something about the challenges of being in an industry that is in more upheaval and turmoil than the UAW. Given that I may be on the unemployment lines soon myself, it might not be a bad thing to do. I've been through the process often enough to know how get my feet back under me, dust off my backside, put a smile on my face, and go job-hunting.

There's also the MaryJanice Davidson book signing coming up to look forward to. That could be a hoot, standing in line with other fans, talking about characters. I've never been to a book signing before and I love new adventures like that!

Writing Moods

It's been a rough month with a lot of unexpected losses of pets and people. So I'm understandably not in a "chipper" mood.

I often wonder if other writers have to be in a specific mood or mindset in order to write effectively - or at all. Just writing this short bit of fluff is taking a lot of concerted effort.

On a more happy note though, MaryJanice Davidson will be at a signing near enough for me to get to "quickly" for her new book Me, Myself, and Why. I'm hoping to be able to get off of work to head over early and grab a spot in line. I'd love to be able to thank her in person for writing her book and for being willing to answer my myriad questions about her writing style. More importantly, I'd love a chance to shake Tracy's (her assistant) hand for being so generous to the fans and making sure questions don't go unanswered for too long.

I'm still looking for an agent, or an editor. I haven't heard a peep back from the last submission, so I'm done waiting and will hit a bunch at once after another go round of the current drafts. I'm beginning to wonder if it's worth the effort to chase down an agent or whether I should take the plunge and go the self-published route by trying to make it available on various eReaders.

Of Family Matters

It's been a busy month on the in-law side of things. First an Uncle passed, then my mother-in-law's best friend, followed shortly by my mother-in-law and then a "dog-in-law". (Hubby's Aunt's Goldie). Lots and lots to deal with none of it much too happy.

Due to this my characters have been uncharacteristically quiet of late. They're still there, ready to cause chaos in my head at a moment's notice, but they seem to understand I need time to deal with things and won't have much time to write yet. Or perhaps they know about the impending layoffs and are waiting to pounce once I'm on the unemployment line. Who knows? They do have minds of their own; which I find utterly fascinating.

Then today, I get told about a dinner table discussion about some responses I had to things my nephew's posted on a social media site. Jess had a bit of a hissy fit, not a long one, but a rant that would make a sailor blush during this conversation. (Granted, she's right, I haven't sat down to dinner with these people in at least 5 years). They aren't children either, they're both over 18. It's funny (in an odd way) that they even complained about it. First off, isn't the rule of thumb don't post anything on the internet that you don't want people to see? And second rule of thumb, if you can't take the heat of a response that you don't agree with, don't post stuff to the internet? Or perhaps I'm just showing my age as I've been on the "Internet" since back in the old ARPANET and FLASH days.

Anyway, it got me to thinking about how odd my family can truly be and how I SO don't fit their "expectations" of who I should be at all. Which may explain why my sister has now lost 5 copies of my book that she's supposed to be editing.

Which, in turn, brings me to the family I have built for myself, a.k.a. "The Family". It's an eclectic mix of very fun, wonderful, loving and accepting people. We don't have to see each other often to know we care about each other or to know what's going on in each other's lives. We treasure the time we have together and have great fun when we are together. And these are the people who step forward to help out on a moment's notice when tragedy hits and I unexpectedly need help in any number of ways. There are no expectations, no demands, just simple offers of assistance. And I happily do the same for them.

What does all of this have to with writing? Well, I've given up on asking my family for an honest evaluation of my writing. Instead I'm going to The Family to ask people for opinions, criticism, and input on my book. And I'm hoping to gain more insight from a new writer's group (well, new to me anyway) from people that aren't "family" and will not hesitate to give an honest opinion. Which in turn means this entire process is going to take a lot longer and I will hopefully learn a TON about writing, whether it be for pleasure or profit.

At any rate, I'm sure Jess will jump in at some point, demanding attention and kicking my virtual butt to get back to work on her storyline. And I really can't wait I do have such fun jumping into her world.