Thursday 24 May 2012

Middle Grade reader dilemma, ebook or pod...

Here is my dilemma.  Save up my pennies and delay my book publishing until I can do a print on demand book which includes an E- book option, or just go ahead now and do an E-book.

I am really torn because the research that I have been doing for the past few months all points to towards children preferring to read paper versus e-book.  Now whether that is because their parents don't want them breaking an e reader or simply don't want the initial outlay for an e-reader, or it is easier for a child to read an actual book I don't think I will ever fully have the answer. 

The trending articles at the moment point to the fact that the publishing industry has been turned on its head with e-book sales and e readers and the bottom line being much more lucrative for e-books and self publishers, but does that really take into account the children's book market.

I have been trawling through reader blogs, looking at their submission criteria for middle grade readers, and it seems that nearly every one refuses e-book submissions, and these are adults reviewing children's books.  It makes me wonder what chance do I have to get children reading my e-books if adults are still reluctant to do so.  Most of these blogger's are mum's or librarians, so I think they are a pretty good yard stick for what the market is doing.  

I don't think it will always be this way.  In a few years time I think we will have e readers in every school and there will be much cheaper, more drop friendly e readers for kids, but at the moment, I think that the print on demand book may be the only way to gain traction in the children's literature world.

So I am putting it out there to the world, parents of middle graders and children, what is the preferred.  Help me solve this dilemma.  Please leave me a comment at this blog, or on face book or twitter.

Jambo


Saturday 19 May 2012

Widgets, meme's and ebook woes

Confession, I thought a meme was a typo, and widget was an annoying worm that can get into your ear. Give me a medical abbreviation stat, he he,  I speak fluent hospital but when it comes to twitter and face book and good reads, its like Egyptian hieroglyphics and I am not alone.  I have a friend who is much younger than me who asked me to explain what this twitter thing is.  he he. 

Technical stuff has never been my strong point. I remember telling one of my friends that I sent her an email but this daemon person must be sick of getting them because he keeps sending me messages back. Go on you are free to laugh.  Thankfully I have a tec savvy husband and friends and family who will help me with this stuff along the way.

The whole point of this blog was that one day I would write a kids book, well, I have done that, actually, I have written two and they are both on the way to indie self publication, but that seems to be the easy part of this story.

Marketing and selling an ebook sounds so simple but after searching an awful lot of reader blogs I have found that many do not accept ebooks for review.  I am starting to wonder if the book world will ever catch up the the technology that is driving it.

So I am putting it out to the universe, are children reading ebooks, are they ever going to read ebooks and if so how do I get my book into the places where it will be noticed.  Any tips would be welcomed by this reformed but still struggling Luddite. 

Jambo

Tuesday 15 May 2012

Desperately seeking solace in salt and vinegar crisps

Confession, whilst out buying some baby food for my little G, I succumbed to the crisps aisle.  I am feeling pretty tired and very overwhelmed.

Indie self publishing is an awesome experience, and at the end of this process which never ends I am told, I will be able to say I really did it all under my own steam.

I am looking at the list of things that I will need to do in order to make this book happen and the excel spreadsheet is numbering past the hundred. Part of me just wants to get my book out there, but from all my research and great new friends on twitter, I have to be prepared.

Danny had a laugh with me the other day when I said I am doing my marketing plan.  He was like, oh wow are you gonna become one of those entrepreneurial mums who makes it all happen from our kitchen table, ( well, I think it wasn't quite that eloquent but I am a wanna be writer, I can embellish. he he)
I was like, oh maybe, I hope if my book is good enough, people will want to share it and read it and share it and read it. 

Anyway, I better get on our rowing machine tonight to work off my little salt and vinegar crisp habit. I better keep wading through my to do list.

I am definitely going to have a crispy celebration when it is all done.

Jambo

Monday 14 May 2012

A tasty tasting plate of taste sensations

He he,  explanation needed.  I am just sitting down to an afternoon tasting plate of left over antipasto, oomm, fresh olives, semi dried tomatoes, dutch smoked cheese, oooommm.  If your mouth is watering now, well wait until you read my book. It is full of tasty treats, as my elves really love a festival with lashings of sticky date and chocolate cake with caramel sauce, he he, you will just have to wait for my book release to read more....he he
Anyway, the whole point of today's post is that I have learnt a lot in editing about less is more. I don't need to offer endless explanations,....well unless it involves a tasty treat. 

I am finished in editing now and I am starting to work on my marketing plan for my book while I wait on my very talented friend to do the cover art. I think a great cover is worth waiting for, so I will just wait here patiently until it is ready, however I fear I may gain several kilo's if I keep up with this afternoon's taste sensation. 

Keep you posted when I have a cover ready..........

Jambo

Monday 7 May 2012

Todays menu, editing with a side of schnitzel


As every wanna be author and actual author will tell you, no great work has ever been created without the magic of editing and I am absolutely blown away by the work that my editor has put in to help my story flow. 
I have actually fallen in love all over again with my own story,( sad really I know) as I have been re reading it again after I waded through the mire of track changes.

Its taken me a week and I am so excited to announce that I have finished it this morning while my little G girl is having a very prolonged day sleep after an unsettled night of teething.  I have even managed to whip up a chicken schnitzel which will be on tonight's dinner menu.

My little booky is starting to take shape, and I am waiting very impatiently for some drafts of the cover, but the next step is back to the editor for the final review.......

Starting to get excited now....... but back to reality, the G girl has awakened......

Jambo















Friday 4 May 2012

A trip to the grammartologist

So my manuscript is back from first editing.....the wait is over,..... I click on the document and begin to scroll through.....hmmmm there are only a few dialogue boxes to the side with suggestions.....hmmm surely I am not that good.  I expected grammar, punctuation and spelling corrections left right and centre..........

oooops turn track changes on................oh that's more like it, lol I am not that good, 4823 corrections, lol lol lol,

All I can say is thank goodness for grammartologists ( I just made that word up) as they can see what you no longer can see in your manuscript.  A bit like smelling your own perfume, its impossible after a while. 

I also learnt a a great tip from my computer nerd husband, shuussh don't tell anyone, it is a closely guarded secret used in computer nerd word, ohhh, alright

Ctrl F,    Find and replace is my secret weapon against overcapitisation.  Overcapitalisation you ask, isn't that when you put too much money in something, well in the business world it probably is, but when it comes to me, its a penchant to put a capital letter on anything and everything that I feel is important throughout my manuscript.  LOL,.....I rest my case.

Ctrl F has saved my sanity when it comes to finding where I am at in my manuscript. Danny taught me this time honoured technique when he got sick of me losing my place whenever I closed off writing for the day.

Now I use my trusty Ctrl F to find the words UP TO HERE ( capitals as it is important hehe) and I will never ever lose my place again.  Oh except when I have fail to delete the previous UP TO HERE and end up with several found in the document, LOL.

Enough rambling for one day, better get back to it, I have to return my manuscript to the grammartologist and like all good ologists, they don't like to wait.


Wednesday 2 May 2012

I'm a twitter girl, in a twitter world

Confession, I joined twitter with an innocent motive to find out the skinny on my favourite tv shows and to be honest, it has taken me about 2 months to really understand the hieroglyphics of tweeting. 

It seemed to me that the cool kids were all tweeting about this and that but I couldn't figure out how to get in on the conversation.  So I typed  "books" into a subject search and I was amazed by the results.  I have found authors, stay at home mum authors, agents, book bloggers, book enthusiasts, book reviewers, even self confessed book obsessed tweeters that I have begun to follow and it has given me an insight into author blogs, websites, e-book releases, blog tours, twitter parties, and the general international twitter book world.

One word of advice though, after attending to small baby at 4 am, do not use twitter to pass the minutes away until said small baby self settles, because you will end up twittering away for far too long and not be able to get back to sleep.

Maybe one day I will be twitter friendly enough to impress said small baby once she has grown up and no longer thinks I am cool, I can only hope he he.

But ohh, I almost forgot my exciting and nerve wracking news, my BOOK IS BACK FROM EDITING, WAHOO.

Now I can feel a sonnet coming on

How do I loathe thee track changes.... let me count the 4823 ways, better get accepting changes, or will I go a tweeting, hooom,

Jambo


Tuesday 1 May 2012

All quiet on the western front

Well not quite the western front, but more like western Melbourne front, ha ha

Scene:
Baby asleep, clothes folded, bathroom clean, car booked in for service, end of book that I have been reading for 4 months finished, food for dinner thawing, what the..... oh and book 2 wrapped up yesterday and sent to my sister for an opinion...........

It's eerily calm and my thoughts wander to book 1 which has been at the editors for what seems like an eternity. The suspense is killing me even though I am self publishing, its still nerve wracking to find out what an editor thought, found or suggests that I change etc.

It's almost as bad as waiting for an email from someone significant for 6 weeks, you know who you are....hehe.

Oh better go, little Miss G has awoken, and my peaceful morning has vanished into the mist of a cold Melbourne morning.

3 weeks and counting.........