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Indie Life – Taking risks.

By Laura on February 12, 2014 in publishing industry, Writing

Welcome to what is the last Indie Life post. The Indelibles have streamlined their efforts as we are all busy writing and publishing. Thank you for joining us for the last one! Visit the Indelibles for all the links.

I’ve been thinking about risks and mistakes and how it’s almost impossible not to make them.

I don’t mean obvious ones like not hiring an editor. I mean subtle decisions that arise that don’t seem to have a right or wrong answer. Like our sales are down or never took off – does that mean I need to redo the cover? What about paying big bucks for ads or joining a costly Net Galley co-op? What about investing in print books and attending a signing?

Sometimes we take risks. Sometimes they pay off. Sometimes they don’t. Sometimes we have to eat the cost and try not to make that mistake again. Sometimes it wasn’t a mistake. It was just something we had no control over.

We’re going to have ups and down. We’re going to have decisions that pay off big time and vice versa. Just don’t let the ones that don’t pay off get you down.

What are some potential risks you have taken on the Indie journey?

Comments { 5 }

15 Winter Reads on sale now!

By Laura on December 30, 2013 in book reviews

Ho! Ho! Ho! That’s Santa laughing all the way from the North Pole at the discovery of this incredible deal he found. Yes, even Santa orders stuff online.

Or, I could just tell you that some of the Indelibles have put together this incredible boxed set just for you.

FOR TWO WEEKS ONLY 15 Winter Reads is on sale for

$0.99

So, sit back, relax in your favorite reading chair and enjoy 15 Winter Reads from 15 bestselling YA authors.

There is something to delight every reader in this box set – paranormal romance, futuristic sci-fi, historical, time travel, and contemporary.

15 Winter Reads includes:
The Iron Butterfly by Chanda Hahn: Escaping an experimental prison, Thalia tries to hide her past and her gifts, from her friends. But her past isn’t always easy to escape, especially when it hunts you down.

Tremble (Celestra Series) by Addison Moore: Sixteen year-old, Skyla Messenger is a dead girl walking. When her newly remarried mother moves the family to Paragon Island, to a house that is rumored to be haunted, Skyla finds refuge in Logan Oliver, a boy who shares her unique ability to read minds.

Exiled by RaShelle Workman: Venus wakes to find herself no longer on her home planet of Kelari, but on Earth with a week to get back or she’ll die.

Dragonfly by Leigh Talbert Moore: Gossip Girl meets VC Andrews in this contemporary family saga. Love, lies, and betrayal become the new normal when Anna enters the world of Jack and Lucy Kyser.

Open Minds and Closed Hearts by Susan Kaye Quinn: When everyone reads minds, a secret is a dangerous thing to keep.

Untraceable by S.R. Johannes: When Grace’s forest ranger dad disappears on patrol, she fights town authorities, tribal officials, & nature to prove he’s alive. Torn between a new hot boy and cute ex, she heads into the wilderness to find her dad. Soon, she is caught in a web of conspiracy, deception, and murder.

How to Date an Alien and How to Break Up With an Alien by Magan Vernon: Alex Bianchi takes an internship at an alien operations center to pad her college applications but doesn’t plan on falling in love with one of its residents. But as Alex’s senior year progresses, everything changes and she can’t figure out if it is interstellar or if it is just time to break up with an alien.

Flutter of Luv by L.M. Preston: Dawn, the neighborhood tomboy, is happy to be her best friend’s shadow. Acceptance comes from playing football after school with the guys on the block while hiding safely behind her glasses, braces, and boyish ways. But Tony moves in, becomes the star Running Back on her school’s football team, and changes her world and her view of herself forever.

Watched by Cindy M. Hogan: It takes more than a school trip to change Christy’s life. It takes murder.

Clockwise and Clockwiser by Elle Strauss: A follow up to Clockwise, Casey and Nate travel back in time and race against the clock to rescue Casey’s rebellious brother Tim from frontline battle in America’s civil war.

Glimpse (Zellie Wells #1) and Glimmer (Zellie Wells #2) by Stacey Wallace Benefiel: While working together to figure out what their shared vision means, Zellie discovers that Benjamin is a worthy friend and mentor. If only he could keep his hands off of her – if only she wanted him to…

A Spy Like Me by Laura Pauling: After dodging bullets on a first date, Savvy must decide how far she’ll go to protect the ones she loves.

Grasping At Eternity by Karen Amanda Hooper: An eternal soul mate, a supernatural family who has known her for centuries, and lifetimes of erased memories: this is Maryah Woodsen’s life. She just doesn’t know it yet.

Lacrimosa by Christine Fonseca: In the world of angels and demons, one thing is clear – some sacrifices should never be made. Even for love.The Secret of Spruce Knoll by Heather McCorkle: The town of Spruce Knoll hides many secrets–and many dangers, among them are that the untimely death of Eren’s parents was no accident and that she is far more than she realizes.

So pick up this beauty between now and January 11 at these retailers:

AMAZON ~ Barnes and Noble

And enjoy all of the wonderful reading! Oh, and didn’t you know? I have a feeling Santa loves reading YA!

Comments { 4 }

Indie Life – Why I revise right away.

By Laura on December 11, 2013 in Writing

Welcome to Indie Life, a monthly post about anything and everything to do with Indie publishing! Please sign up for the Indie Life newsletter for the monthly reminder to post and for a guest post by a fellow Indie Lifer.

Check out Indie Life at the Indelibles to sign up or for the complete list of links.

Why I revise right away.

I realize that revising a finished first draft right away completely goes against the current advice to let your manuscript sit for a month, but that’s not best for me for several reasons.

I write my first drafts in Scrivener and there’s the sidebar where I can type in notes. As I’m writing and realize earlier plot points or chapters need to change, I’ll go to that chapter and on the notes part, I’ll type in what or how I need to rewrite.

When I type The End for the first draft and celebrate with hot cocoa and cookies, I know what needs to happen as far as the basic plot. And when I finally read the whole story on my ereader, I want to know that at that point, it’s the story I want to tell. So usually I go back and make those changes right away, while I’m still in the story and I’m still in the heads of the characters.

Now, after that initial rewrite, which is sometimes a lot and sometimes not, then I like to wait a week or so or longer before I do a read through.

So there you go, the reasons I don’t put my manuscript away for a month, at least not right away.

What do you do after you type The End on your first draft?

Comments { 12 }

Indie Life – Self publishing middle grade.

By Laura on July 10, 2013 in publishing industry

Welcome to Indie Life, sponsored by the Indelibles. This is a monthly blog hop where participants focus on anything and everything to do with self publishing.

Join in the fun!

Have you wondered about self-publishing middle grade?

I have. A lot.

My first love is a great story – for any age.

But I love reading and writing middle grade. I’ll be honest. I’ve been a little hesitant about self publishing middle grade. It does seem to be tougher…but not impossible. And let’s face it. Any kind of publishing is hard work.

There are many middle grade writers though who have self published their middle grade works. Some have found great success. Melanie Marks and The Slumber Party Wars. Sybil Nelson and Priscilla the Great. Marcus Emerson and Diary of a Sixth Grade Ninja. Just to name a few.

My friend and critique partner, Ansha Kotyk self published her middle grade novel, Gangsterland about a boy falling into a comic book set in the 1920s. Pretty cool stuff.

Recently, a group of self-published upper middle grade or tween authors formed a group similar to the Indelibles. They call their blog Emblazon. Their blog launches today and I believe they’re running a huge giveaway. You might want to check them out.