@AlinkaRutkowska's Views on Whether To Self-Publish or Not to Self-Publish? #WriteTip #Indie

To self-publish or not to self-publish?

To self-publish or not to self-publish? This is the question. In this post I will try to sum up everything that I know about both worlds.

Do It Yourself.

Like a bed you just brought from IKEA, if you self-publish, you will have to build your book yourself. This means that you have full control and full responsibility. This also means that you will get better with each subsequent book you publish. If you just have that one book - we will call it your first book. If you could write one, you can write another one. Maybe not today or tomorrow but believe me when I tell you, another idea will come to you if such is your desire.

OK, not yourself, you need a team.

You don’t really do all of it yourself but you do need a team. Let’s cover the basics for a children’s book author.

You wrote the book.

Now it would be great to got it critiqued. You can find some information about this on my blog. You can choose to skip this step but you can’t skip any of the next ones.

You MUST get an editor. It’s a book you’re publishing - your name will be on it. The writing must be of the highest quality, so get a copy-editor.

You will need an illustrator. The great thing about self-publishing is that you can choose him or her (you can’t if you publish traditionally).

You need someone to put your book together for you (do the layout and design).

You can purchase all of these services from your publisher (CreateSpace offers excellent services, which I’ve used before) but it will cost you much less if you set up a team yourself.

Now to the benefits of self-publishing:

It’s fast - once you have the team in place - it only takes a few months to get your book out there (as opposed to years with traditional publishing - and that’s after your manuscript has been accepted!).

You’re in control - the book is yours, so is the copyright, you may do with it as you please, you can sell foreign rights or you can retire your title whenever you want.

Higher royalties. Of course royalties depend on how you price your book but in general you make more dollars per copy sold than traditionally published authors.

You can call yourself a published author and get to the other side.

The other side is book promotion. You now have a product of your own and you can start learning the tricks of the marketing trade. This will help you to write books that people want to read, to optimize titles and key words. You can start submitting your book for awards and if you get one - you can use it for other book-marketing and self-marketing purposes.

It gives you confidence. You’re a published author now and if you desire to become a traditionally published author as well, you will have plenty of material to show to your agent. Who do you think they will choose (if both manuscripts are of equal value)? A first time author with no platform or marketing skills? Or a published author who has received media exposure, awards and already has a group of fans? Traditional publishing houses aren’t stupid. They want to make money too and if they see that you can help them do that - they will chose your manuscript, because you’re already a pro.

So yeah, self-publish.

Alinka Rutkowska has created a tale that will appeal to children, which teaches about choices, and encourages communication and sharing. Rating: 5.0 stars from Readers’ Favorite Reviews.

Embark on a one-of-a-kind, unprecedented, breathtaking adventure with Maya and Filippo as they travel around the globe on board the “Fun Princess” — a cruise ship full of surprises. Discover their fascinating ports of call, find out what the local customs and traditions are, join the kids in activities at sea, and explore the remarkable world they create through the power of their positive outlook.

This time the kids spend a day on board the Fun Princess. They become junior chefs at sea and learn how to bake a cake. Maya and Filippo discover how trying out different recipes gets them closer to creating the perfect dessert. They also discover the power of sharing.

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Genre - Children's Picture Book

Rating – G

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Godly Wisdom with Nina Elaine Borum @TrinityGalBlog #AmReading #Christian #NonFiction

When Solomon is mentioned in church circles two things come to mind: The ladies man and the wise man. How he could be both is still a mystery, but we cannot deny the portion of wisdom that God granted him. If we look at the story closely, it seems that Solomon displayed a measure of wisdom before God granted it to him. He was wise enough to follow the ways of the Lord and discerning enough to ask the right blessing from God. God was thrilled to say “Yes” to this request.

If we are seeking wisdom for a significant situation we must first look to see what small areas God has asked us to be wise in. In this passage, wisdom is described as understanding and discernment.

Would “wise” be an appropriate word to describe the men in your life? Not just the older men but the younger ones as well. Solomon was young when he prayed this prayer and it shows that young men are fully capable of showing wisdom.

You didn't learn these prayers in Sunday school. Put your armor on, and get ready to see God move!

Do you ever get sick of praying? It's okay to admit. We all do. It is emotionally draining to beg God without ceasing. Christians often forget that under Christ's authority, we have the power to command God's promises to be released from heaven to earth and into our lives.

In Praying for Men of P.O.W.E.R., author Nina Elaine Borum challenges readers to stand confidently and command the promises of God for the men in your life. As someone who has struggled with prayer, Nina believes that God does not intend for his children to feel helpless in praying. His Word has instructed us in how to bring the kingdom of heaven to a world where Satan runs freely. We are all in the midst of a vicious spiritual battle, and Nina hopes this book will help you to fight on behalf of Christian men.

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Genre - Christian non-fiction

Rating – G

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Order of Earth (Elements of Ink) by Jennifer Cornet @J_Cornet

Book Excerpt: (Chapter 2)

The brass doors opened behind her bringing with it an unexpected guest.

“I knew you’d come home.”

Onyx’ heart sank hearing him speak in that gentle voice. He always used that voice when he knew he was wrong; when he was trying to make her forgive him. It felt repulsively sweet now.

“She was just leaving,” Jade said in a firm tone as she turned to face him.

“Nicky, you brought a bodyguard with you? That hurts,” he sounded genuinely insulted.

“Goodbye, Philip.” Onyx said softly, suddenly lacking the confidence she just had.

Philip reached out for her arm, but Jade intercepted the action, grabbing him by the wrist and twisting it until he let out an almost inaudible yelp.

“You will not lay a hand on her. Not now, not ever again. If you so much as brush against her in a way I don’t like, I will break every bone in your body, starting with your pinky toe and ending with your skull.” She twisted just a little further.

But he didn’t lose his composure. He looked Onyx dead in the eye, “Quite a lot of bark for your little Chihuahua of a friend here, huh? Nicky, we don’t need all of this. This running away, the muscle, the hiding out, we are better than this. You know I love you more than anything in the world. Just come home, baby. I need you. It’ll be different, I promise. I’ll start going to therapy like you always wanted. You can even hang out with that crayon haired one. No questions asked. Just come home. What do you say? Come on, I need you.”

“Onyx, don’t you listen to him. Put the bags in the elevator, we’re leaving.”

Onyx hesitated, switching her gaze back and forth between the two. He looked so hurt, so broken up, she just wanted to leap into his arms and console him. For a moment, she could feel her heart ripping in her chest; she believed him. She believed he meant he would change and things would be different. She believed it and she hated herself for it.

Onyx rolled her bags into the elevator before she lost her nerve.

“Goodbye, Philip.” She said again.

“If you love her even half as much as you say, you’ll let us leave here. You’ll leave her alone and move on with your life. But keep the therapy bit, you need it.” Jade winked at him before joining Onyx.

As Jade released his wrist, he noticed a small green marking on her arm; a very familiar mark that he knew all too well.

The girls disappeared down to the ground floor, leaving Philip alone in his flower filled living room. He pulled out his phone and hit speed dial.

“She’s with the Order of Earth. Find out what family, find out who their Protector is, and find out now.”

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Genre - Urban Fantasy

Rating – PG – 13

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Website http://www.jennifercornet.com/

Steps Into Darkness (A Shakertown Adventure) by Ben Woodard @benswoodard

The unknown figure’s back was to them as he connected the wires to the detonator. Will shoved Tom. Only minutes remained.

They located the last connection point where the blasting caps were wired to two sticks of dynamite. The wires to the plunger snaked up the hill. The connecting strands were twisted, tightly, as with pliers. Tom snatched a rock, but Will grabbed his hand and pointed up the hill. Tom understood. The man would hear the pounding. They each took a twisted connection and tried to pry it apart with their fingers. They would need to break only one.

The wires resisted. Tom gritted his teeth, then remembered his pocket knife. He pulled it out, flipped the blade open, and wedged the tip between two strands. He twisted and the blade snapped. The sound startled the man. He whirled around and stared directly at the boys. Tom forced the broken blade into the gap in the wires. Will put his finger on top of one and pulled as Tom twisted. Blood ran down Will’s hand as the metal bit into his finger. They strained, and watched the man. His eyes darted in all directions. Then he made his decision. He pulled the plunger up, hesitated a moment, and slammed it down.

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Genre - YA/Mystery

Rating – PG – 13

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Website http://BooksByBen.com

Zombie Days, Campfire Nights by Leah Rhyne @Leah_Beth #SciFi #Horror #NALit

The first sign that something wasn’t quite right was a sign. Literally.  The ride had been pretty calm since Isabelle still wasn’t speaking to Ty and was busily filing her nails. Scratch, scratch, scratch. The noise was making me crazy, so I’d opened my window to watch the pine trees and hear the wind on the mountain road.  We hadn’t gone far before Isabelle started whining to me again.
   “I’m hungry, Sam. Will you pull over somewhere so I can get a snack?”
   I rolled my eyes and glanced in the rear-view mirror. Scratch, scratch, scratch. “We’re not stopping,” I said. “There’s a place coming up, but I’m ready to get home.”
   “But I’m hungry,” she said again.  She pushed my seat with her knee, shaking me.  “So hungry. And you know when my blood sugar drops too low I get grouchy.”
   “Only then?” I muttered, and then looked to Ty.  “You don’t want to stop, right?”
   He shrugged. “I don’t care.  If it’ll keep her quiet, just stop. We’ll get home at some point.”
   “Please? Pretty please? I’m so hungry.”
   I sighed.  I was thirsty, and that little country convenience store wascoming up soon.  Ty and I stopped there all the time for beer to take back to the dorms since they didn’t card.  I guessed a six-pack for the road wouldn’t hurt.  “Fine. But you’re not allowed to ask for anything else for the rest of the ride.”
   She sat up straighter for a second and clapped her hands like a little kid, but then went right back to filing her nails after shooting Ty another dirty look.  Scratch, scratch, scratch.
   I could almost taste the beer by the time I pulled off the highway. My blinker flickered as I started to turn, when Ty sucked in a breath.  “Somebody’s been busy,” he said.
   “What?”
   “Just look.”  He pointed to the store.
   The sign that normally lit up in neon to say Tucker’s Country Store was dark, even in the bright sunlight.  A piece of grey plywood covered half of it, and across the wood, scrawled in the messy chicken scratch of anyone trying to write with spray paint, were the words, “All dead.  Turn back.”
   I rolled the Jeep to a stop at the far end of the small parking lot, and squinted through the windshield.  “All dead?” I said.
   “Turn back,” Ty finished.
   Scratch, scratch... “What did you say?” Isabelle unbuckled her seat belt and leaned forward between us. Then she covered her mouth with her other hand. “What is that?  Boys? Boys? What is that?”  With her free hand, the one with the file still in it, she gripped my shoulder, jabbing me in the neck.
   I shoved her hand off, and my finger came away bloody. “What the fuck, Isabelle? Ouch!”
   Isabelle turned to her boyfriend. “Ty, should we go in? Why would somebody say that? All dead?”

   “Dude, Isabelle, calm down! It’s probably just some prank. You’re the hungry one who wanted to stop, right?”  He yanked on the handle and pushed the door open.
    I was staring at the building, though.  “Buddy, I’m not so sure this is a prank.  The back door hung open, swinging drunkenly in the breeze.  Clapboards were missing from the siding, and I smelled smoke in the air.  “Something’s not right,” I said, a little louder, as Ty stepped out of the Jeep.  I’d seen something move in the window, behind a blind, and then a tube stuck out through a hole in the glass.  Ty was five feet away from the store.
   Crack.  The gunshot shattered the silence.
   Isabelle screamed.  Ty dropped to the ground, and I didn’t know if he was shot or not. I dove across the seat and out the opened door and grabbed him by the back of the neck.  “Ty? Ty! C’mon, bud, sit up.”
  He turned his head and looked up at me. “Get the f**k in the car!  Drive!”  There was no blood in the dirt, and I started to back up.
   The gun fired again and we both jumped back into the Jeep.  Pulling the door closed behind him as a third shot went off, Ty hissed, “They’re not shooting at us.  They’re point blank, they’re missing on purpose.” We were huddled on the floor and couldn’t see a thing other than the dirt through the floor plug.  Isabelle was strangely quiet; she’d even stopped screaming, so I lifted my head to see why. I half expected to see her slumped over, dead, with a bullet hole in her forehead. Instead, she sat silent, rigid, her face frozen with her mouth hanging open and her eyes as huge as softballs.
   “Isabelle! What is it?” Ty sat up, too.
   Together we turned our heads to look out the front windshield.  From around the side of the building lurched a zombie.  There was no other way to describe it.  As big as a linebacker, it zeroed in on the Jeep, snarling and drooling.  Black goo oozed from a gash in his chest, staining the front of a flannel shirt. Part of his hip was missing, and his jeans were still attached by a black leather belt.  His arms reached for us, and within moments he was at the Jeep’s hood.
   “Holy shit,” I whispered, and in some part of my brain, I wished like hell that my brother was there.  He and I’d watched so many horror movies growing up, I kind of wanted him to see this.

Millions died when the zombie plague swept the country. For the survivors, the journey has just begun. Jenna, Sam, and Lola are still alive. Jenna avoids human contact, traveling East Coast backroads with her boyfriend, a dog named Chicken, and a Louisville Slugger. 

Sam escapes to the mountains, where he's conscripted into a zombie-slaying militia sent on nightly raids to kill the undead...and innocent civilians. Lola's imprisoned in the "safety" of a zombie-free New Orleans hotel, but life grows more dangerous when her brother gets bitten by a zombie. Jenna arrives in the French Quarter, lured by the false promises of New Orleans' drunken leader. 

There, she's ripped away from her boyfriend, drugged, and dumped in a death camp after refusing Franklin's sexual advances. Jenna and Lola's lives collide there, where the dead live and the dying are victims of gruesome medical experiments. Escape isn't easy: release the genetically-enhanced zombies from the lab to create a diversion, slip away, and don't get eaten. When Sam arrives, will he join the right side of the battle?

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Genre – NA-Horror, Sci-fi

Rating – PG-13

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Website http://www.leahrhyne.com/

Conspiracy of Silence by Gledé Browne Kabongo @gkabongo #Suspense #AmReading

She would never be able to have children on her own. That was the bombshell diagnosis from Nina’s doctor. Apparently, both her fallopian tubes were blocked because of massive scarring. IVF seemed to be the most viable option. Marc wasn’t completely on board but Nina made the unilateral decision to move forward, and that led to a huge fight. They didn’t speak to each other for three days. Once the smoke cleared and Nina had time to think things through calmly and rationally, she could see why Marc felt the way he did. They had been trying to get pregnant for almost a year, and that was stressing him out. He complained they never made love for fun anymore, everything was based on her ovulation cycle and she wouldn’t let him touch her unless it was that time of the month. The pressure was causing him to be resentful and he suggested they consider adoption at some point if she couldn’t get pregnant the old-fashioned way. That caused Nina to fly into a rage and she accused him of giving up without a fight. That led to an even longer, louder argument that ended with Marc moving to the guest bedroom.

This morning she was in a sour mood but the person knocking on the other side of the door was persistent.

“Come in,” Nina said wearily.

“Surprise!”

Nina was astonished to see her younger sister barge into her office. Cassie was in her late-twenties, slightly chubby, yet sickeningly pretty. If a piece of clothing was short, tight or showed her cleavage, Cassie owned it. The Boston College dropout had a platinum credit card permanently attached to one hand, and a puppet string controlled by their father attached to the other.

Nina gave her a bright smile and a hug. “You didn’t tell me you were coming over.”

“I was at Downtown Crossing and thought I should come by and see what you’re up to.”

“Found anything good in the stores?”

“No, but my friend Kate says new inventory will be coming in at Neiman Marcus and she’ll hold some items for us.”

“I don’t know, Cass. Marc is already complaining that I’ve taken up all the closet space. “If I buy any more clothes or shoes, I think he’s moving downstairs.”

“Oh, please. Marc’s not going anywhere.”

“Maybe you’re right. It’s an empty threat. Name the date and the time and I’ll be there.”

Cassie seemed pleased. Nina had a guilt complex regarding her younger sibling. She didn’t see her as much as she should. They were somewhat close, but Nina and the naïve and somewhat irresponsible Cassie were perpetually at different junctures in their lives. Cassie lacked direction and focus while Nina was single-minded in whatever she pursued. At the moment, it was motherhood. Cassie was the ultimate daddy’s girl and he had no problem letting her wander through life aimlessly on his dime until the day when she figured out what she wanted to do with her life.

“Great, I can’t wait. Dad says hello, by the way. He’s still mad at you for skipping his birthday party.”

“I always skip his birthday party, that’s nothing new.”

“He was hoping it might be different this year.”

“He knows better.”

“Come on, Nina,” Cassie said impatiently. “How long do you intend to keep this up? Can’t you give him another chance? This is getting ridiculous.”

“I would expect that coming from you. The way you hero-worship him, though — that’s what’s ridiculous.”

Cassie looked put out by the criticism. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“He’s not who you think he is, Cassie. I’ve been trying to tell you this for a long time. Yet, you refuse to even consider my point of view.”

“You’re the one who’s hard of hearing. Our father is getting old. Every time he reaches out to you, you reject him. Why can’t you just be nice to him?” He’s not going to be around forever and then you’ll be sorry if you don’t make up with him.”

Nina was getting sick of Cassie’s constant nagging about their father. Still, she was almost sympathetic to her sister’s plight, since Nina had been the one who dashed her hopes of them ever being a happy family again. Nina recollected the story exactly as she had written it in her diary.

#1 Amazon Bestseller in the suspense and women's psychological fiction categories.

Boston executive Nina Kasai has been living a lie since her days as a student at Stanford University. But she's about to learn that some secrets are too big to stay buried.

Years ago, Nina fled from her life of wealth and privilege and vowed never to look back. The horrifying truth has been locked away in her hidden diary, and in the mind of a disturbed woman who will never tell, ever. However, the perfect life she's since created is about to come crashing down when Phillip Copeland --a ghost from her past with political ambition and secrets of his own, makes Nina an offer she can't refuse: her silence in exchange for his.

Soon, it all goes horribly wrong when a  shocking double-cross sends Nina reeling,  and devastating loss threatens to push her over the edge. To make matters worse, her diary, the only link to her secret past has been stolen.

To reclaim her life and bring this twisted game to its stunning conclusion, Nina must confront the past she's been running from, and find the courage to make a life-altering decision that leaves multiple casualties in its wake.

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Genre - Psychological Suspense

Rating – R

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Website http://www.gledebrownekabongo.com

Devolution by Peter Clenott @PeterClenott

Excerpt

Chiku couldn’t help stare at the large bulge that was Rebecca’s baby-to-be. It made her reflect upon the gynecological exam Dr. Kessel had just given her. At sixteen, she couldn’t imagine being anyone’s mother, except maybe a chimpanzee’s. Rebecca was only fourteen, an eighth grader back home, a middle schooler. How could she be a mother? Yet even in wealthy well-educated America girls in their mid-teens were getting knocked up all the time, having their babies, and changing their lives in ways unpredictable and permanent. Not Chiku. Boys could go to hell.

“When was the last time you saw him?” Chiku asked.

“Two week. Three week. He ask me how my baby doing. I tell him, fine. He give me twenty francs. He always give me money.”

“And that was it?” Chiku gazed at Tim who was still holding all of the things she had given him from her buried stash. “What about Dr. Fisher? Do you know why he’d be in my dad’s house?”

Rebecca dipped her head in thought then gave out with a startled grunt as the baby inside her gave a hefty kick. “Soon,” she said, “Any day my Abasi.” Then she staggered against Chiku.

“You okay? Maybe she’s coming out now.” Chiku was aghast.

“No. No. He. Not yet. No water.”

“Well, you can’t stand here. You have to sit, Rebecca. In the shade.”

Chiku pulled the pregnant girl into the cooler cover of the banana tree. “You want water? Something to drink?”

Rebecca leaned against the tree rather than risk getting herself into a position from which she couldn’t rise. She panted, holding a hand against her belly, Chiku watching that hand move not of its own volition but due to the child inside raring to get going with life.

Not for me, Chiku thought.

Rebecca said, “I okay.”

“You’re sure?”

“When the water break, then we know.”

“Know what?” Chiku asked.

“That the baby is coming,” Tim said. He placed his hands on his friend’s shoulders. They were trembling as if she were the one about to go into labor. “Honestly, Chiku, what do they teach you in Brookline, Massachusetts?”

“How to avoid reality.”

Chiku took Rebecca’s hand. It was cool and sweaty and on her ring finger she was wearing something that looked awfully familiar to Chiku. “Nice,” she said. “Amethyst. My color. My ring, actually. How’d you get it?”

“Your father give me.”

“Cool. It matches your dress.”

Chiku didn’t care that it was an old ring, one that she had either lost or forgotten some distant time in the past and that probably couldn’t even fit her fingers anymore. She just wondered why her father would have given this particular girl this particular ring.

“I think they kill him,” she said.

“What?” Chiku’s eyes darted from the purple colored ring to the black face of the Hutu teenager.

“They were mad mad.”

“Who?”

“Fisher. Your father. Dr. Kessel. They all mad. And the others.”

“What others?” Chiku asked. “Does Colonel Fundanga know?”

“Colonel Fundanga one of them,” Rebecca said. “I keep quiet. Bad enough in the camp. I don’t want to die.”

Rebecca let out a long breath, took in a deep mouthful of air, and let out her discomfort once again. Then she smiled at Chiku before saying, “They come for you next. You his daughter.”

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Genre - Young Adult

Rating – PG

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Website www.peterclenott.net