Friday, January 4, 2019

Going Indie, Baby!

Tonight we're skipping the official 3000 Questions. After a long day at work and not enough sleep, I need a Netflix break. Plus, I wanted to sneak in the writing update I started the other day.

My self-publishing research has led me to Kindle's publishing arm, KDP. They charge nothing up front, and take thirty percent of sales. I will have to hire a professional editor and a cover artist. I think I can get by without an interior designer/typesetter—Reedsy has a virtual book editor that will format my content for free.*

Over the last few days, I've received nudges from several editors on Twitter. One is even in Ojai, CA, my old stomping grounds. I'll be looking into each before making a decision. I also met a delightful graphic artist who's branching into cover design. She's building a portfolio and guess what? The first cover will be gratis! So far I'm loving her concept, and if it works out, I'll be using her for all three.

I also scored a new critique partner. She'll be reading Awen Rising in February, so that's another pair of seasoned eyes upon my manuscript, pre-editor.

As for Books 2 and 3, the hand-edits for Awen Storm are complete and waiting to be entered. And while having a lone lunch at Freddy's on New Year's Day, (rather than sitting in the theater with half of Nampa), I got an idea that unstuck me on Book 3, Awen Tide. Not that I was stuck, so much as needing free mind-time to let the creative juices flow.

But you know what that means, right? It's time to finish the last book of the Awen trilogy, yeehaa! New words!

So, to recap:
  • I'm going indie and have likely found my publisher/distributor—KDP.
  • I'm working with a cover artist and LOVE her concept/first attempt.
  • I'll be doing my own interior design/typesetting.
  • I scored a new reader/writer critique partner (another set of eyes pre-editor).
  • I have the names of a slew of professional editors from whom to pick.
  • The hand-edits are done for Awen Storm, and awaiting entry.
  • AND finally, the roadblocks to completing the final book, Awen Tide, are disintegrating.
Thanks for stopping by! We should be back to our 3000 Questions tomorrow. Until then, ta ta!

~ That Rebel, Olivia J. Herrell, writing as O.J. Barré

* If you're interested, check out Reedsy's article, it was the simplest and most comprehensive I found on the costs of self-publishing.

O.J. Barré is author of the upcoming Awen trilogy, an urban druid fantasy set in 2042 steeped in current, ancient, and future history twists. Book One, Awen Rising, will be released October 1, 2019. Book Two, Awen Storm, is currently in edits. And the first draft of Book Three, Awen Tide, is in process.


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