Wednesday, February 16, 2011

10 Things I Didn’t Know About Becoming A Published Author

10 Things I Didn’t Know About Becoming A Published Author
by Bitten Twice, Author of Blood Moon


1. I didn’t know that the writing of the story would be the easiest part of becoming published

2. I think there is a myth that an editor will swoop in like a fairy godmother and take your novel and make it a work of art. I didn’t realize just how involved I would become in the editing process.

3. Editing required me to have such an open mind with regards to toning down some areas, moving things around, and just making necessary modifications.

4. Being fairly new to the industry I had so much to learn. I was a little daunting especially as everything was so dynamic with the recent entry of Apple in the marketplace.

5. I also did not understand the different biases already established in the industry. There seems to be some discrimination against the eBook made by the traditionally bound as if there was a difference in the quality. This could be because of the ease of publishing made available by tools such as CreateSpace. Regardless not every eBook deserves to be tossed aside simply because it doesn’t have a traditionally bound counterpart.

6. As a businesswoman, I made a plan and set out to achieve my goals. I wasn’t aware of some of the setbacks that were encountered. I have learned since to keep an open mind and not to keep my schedule so rigid.

7. When I imagined a face for my novel, I had grand ideas for the cover. As I opted to publish in digital format only I had to scale back my grandiose thought to something that was functional. Was it really worth spending thousands of dollars on a photo shoot for a cover that would only really ever be the size of a thumbnail? So we had to hit the drawing board again.

8. As a consumer I had not applied much thought to how books are marketed and how the readers are engaged. I had no idea about what was involved.

9. With all of the social networking mediums available, I think I’m still learning about what resources are most beneficial to me. So much is available so much can quickly become a waste of time invested.

10. I had no idea how important it is to be a disciplined and organized individual. I plan my day and live by a regimented schedule. Without it I would never get any writing time in and achieve the goals that I have set for myself.

Bitten Twice is the author of Blood Moon. You can purchase Blood Moon by clicking HERE

About Blood Moon
Hiding his private life in the public eye, vampire Alexander Macedo, goes to hell and back in a race against time to save the one woman he would die again for and the other he could spend an eternity with. A rogue vampire threatens the balance of power. Bred for strategy but torn between his want for love and his need for companionship, Alex battles to save all he holds dear.


8 comments:

  1. Thanks for posting this! Lots to think about :)

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  2. As an unpublished novelist, I appreciate your comments. I just wish you had been more specific, such as how much rewriting you were required to do-how much did it change your book, and why did you have to relax your schedule in regard to business? I'd like to interview you at http://writerswhokill.blogspot.com and get the answers.

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  3. @E.B. - Bitten will be here later today to answer your questions..and I am sure she would love for you to interview her.
    Thanks Danielle for the comment- yeah it is a lot to think about

    Thanks Tiffany for having us. It is greatly appreciated.

    Bertena Varney
    Book Blog Tour Promoter/Publicist

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  4. Great information as an author myself I can relate to each of your examples. I thought the editing process took a lot of time until I started promoting. And I totally agree that you have to be so much more disiplined than I was when I was just writing, but it's all worth it.

    Elizabeth Loraine, author of Royal Blood Chronicles

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  5. @ Tiffany, Thank you for hosting the Blog tour today. I appreciate you.

    @Danielle, Thanks for stopping by if you have any questions, please let me know.

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  6. @ E.B. Davis - I would love that opportunity. We can have an excellent discussion on the editing process. I am going through the last phases of editing with my next release "Marked" right now.

    My email is: bitten2ice@gmail.com

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  7. @Elizabeth - I agree, it is all worth it.

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  8. Hi...stopped by to check out your list! How about posting it at Reviewers Roundup Group at Facebook where I hope you'll join.

    I'll be hosting your tour on the 21st...See you soon with my review!

    Best,
    Glenda

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