The following list features two chapters from “Spam & Eggs: A Johnny Denovo Mystery” (February 2009) and one preview chapter from the forthcoming “The Green Monster: A Johnny Denovo Mystery” (July 2009).
The excerpts are available for free preview, using the links below.
The first book is now available for purchase through Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble.com, and fine bookstores.
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This page has the following sub pages.
Buy your copy of "Entanglement" directly and receive an autographed copy from the author at a special holiday price (plus shipping).
(Email the author with special signing instructions or requests.)
Order an autographed copy of "The Green Monster," the second Johnny Denovo mystery.
(Email the author with special signing instructions or requests.)
Buy your copy directly and receive an autographed copy from the author.
(Email the author with special signing instructions or requests.)
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| « Jan | ||||||
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | ||
| 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
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| 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 |
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I’m a writer too and, if you have the time, I have a few questions for you.
1. I really like your website, how did you mange to get it up, did you go through DogEar, or did you have someone else design it? If so, who? How much did it cost?
2. I really like you book covers, did Dogear design those as well?
3. What advice do you have for an author just getting into self-publishing?
Thanks,
Amber Lisa
Hi Amber,
The site for the Johnny Denovo Mysteries is a WordPress blog. The only costs have been for the domain name (johnnydenovo.com) and for some custom WordPress plugins, some for DNS hosting for the domain, some for a little bit of CSS I added. Overall, it runs about $20/year.
The first two book covers were designed by yours truly. I used to be a graphic designer, so it was something I knew I could do. However, the second cover I was not happy with — I couldn’t find a good image to capture the book. So, for the third book, I hired a professional designer I’ve worked with before, and he did a magnificent job.
Advice? Hmmm. Write a good book. Have others read it, and accept their spoken and unspoken criticisms with an open mind. Be sure to have 1-2 people read it who you know won’t hold back their criticisms. You want to have a better book, and it’s better to have the pain of revision be a private, pre-publication event. I had a hard time finding the right voice for my books, but a few good early readers of drafts helped me identify the problems and find the voice. It’s been much easier ever since. Be ready to spend more money than you think is reasonable on marketing — Facebook ads, press releases, Google ads, etc. Arrange local signings. Contact your local paper. Contact your alumni association if you have one. Give out free samples and excerpts. I’ve had a lot of success with a low-priced e-book version of my first novel, and that’s led to more uptake of my second. It’s that advice about creating a “platform” — one book usually isn’t enough unless there’s a built-in platform for it (a current hot topic it ties into). Consider chopping your one book into thirds if it’s long enough so that you have three books (by the way, I didn’t do this — I’ve just kept writing). Have a professional copy editor read the final draft. Sweat the cover design. Have fun. And be patient — it’s been 18+ months since my first book was published, and I’m having my best sales month yet.