Going Indie – starting an e-publishing company

I’m Tambra Kendall, owner of Daughters of Avalon Publishing. Some of you may be considering self-publishing and for others it is merely curiosity. Technology has now made it possible for a writer to produce a quality product. Back in 1990 when I first dipped my toes into the waters of self-publishing this was not the case.

Self-publishing doesn’t mean slapping a cover together for a manuscript that hasn’t been polished within an inch of its life. As with all areas of business, the crap will sink to the bottom and the good will rise to the top. Hire an editor, a writing friend you trust or a beta reader – someone who reads your story as a reader, but can tell you where things don’t work. Readers don’t forget the name of the author who disappointed them.

Why self-publishing?

I’ve been previously published in small press and three electronic publishers but have had to wait a year for royalties, endure cover art with my name spelled wrong which I had to fight with them to change, and been cheated out of royalties as an author and editor. Tired of the unprofessionalism and unethical mores, I’ve returned as an independent publisher. I went into self-publishing with the idea that I was going to make my company the best I could, and that meant as professional as possible. My mission: to provide quality books in ebook and print formats.

Keeping more of the profit from your work is one of the main reasons to self-publish: you know you’re not going to cheat yourself from the money you earn. Also, if you are with a traditional, small press or an e-publisher you don’t know the information you’re being given is accurate because the publisher is the only one allowed the statistics. By becoming a publisher, you’ll have an accurate count of how many books you’re selling and what genre is popular with readers. In the future if you have plans to submit to a literary agent or publisher, you’ll have good solid data to back you up.

Why e-publishing?

The popularity of e-books continues to soar and not just in the U.S. XinXii is an e-book marketplace based in Germany, offering a wide variety of fiction and non-fiction. Australia is another country that is quickly discovering e-books and self-publishing. The price of e-readers such as the Amazon Kindle is dropping, giving people easier access to electronic books.

Setting up your business

If you’ve decided to come over to the self-publishing side, take the time to work out a business plan, starting with the name of your company. The company name is something I didn’t just pick off the top of my head. It was carefully chosen to highlight what I do. It’s vitally important. A name immediately evokes a feeling and visual to readers and anyone else connected to you. Most of my romances are Celtic mythology inspired; Daughters of Avalon is a name that is female empowering and magical.

To brand your business you need a logo that grabs the attention of people. My company has a professional logo, business cards and stationery created by a graphic artist, Kath Urbahn, who will create my book covers as well.
The website for Daughters of Avalon is easy to navigate and provides all the information a reader needs for purchasing my books – as shown by the positive comments I’ve received about the site. You don’t want to frustrate your potential customers; make things as easy for them as possible.

I purchased a DBA (Doing Business As) and a sales and use tax permit. Belonging to professional organizations such as Romance Writers of America and SPAN-Small Publishers Association of North America are ways that show I am serious about my career and my business. If you are considering self-publishing, it’s a good idea to have a separate business account for the monies you receive. This will make things easier when tax time comes around and to tell at a glance where you are financially.
The importance of book covers

If you can’t create a quality book cover, invest in a graphic artist who knows what they are doing. The cover is the first thing a potential reader sees; a bad cover will hurt your sales, especially in electronic publishing. If you have an unprofessional cover, the first thing people will think is that the work is just as terrible. A good first impression counts. You need a cover that makes a reader want to investigate the story further. Take pride in the product you are selling – if you don’t care, why should the reader?

And remember, the cover must also work well in thumbnail format as this is likely to be the first view potential customers have of your book.
The bottom line

By self-publishing, you must be author, editor, marketing staff and publisher. What do you get in return for all of this work? Higher profits, hopefully. In some cases, 70% of the profit goes to you, the author/publisher. This is a huge boon for a writer! The going percentage rate for an e-published author ranges from 30-45% of the net price of the book. For third party sites, you receive about half of the amount of your percentage; many times, it is less than that.
Self-publishing vs conventional publishing

Now more than ever an author has the tools and the opportunity to take an active role in their career. Self-publishing isn’t for everyone, but for some of us it provides a niche to showcase our dreams exactly how we envision them. Also note, just because you choose to self-publish doesn’t mean you have to shy away from traditional publishing. My goal is to do both. JA Konrath, Amada Hocking and John Locke are three authors who have made it big in self-publishing. John Locke has made it into the million dollar club at Amazon.com for his e-book sales – he explains how he did it in How I Sold One Million Ebooks in Five Months.

Traditional publishing and self-publishing each have their strengths and drawbacks. In today’s world, you have more opportunities than ever to reach readers and boldly forge ahead with a career pathway paved with hard work and planning.

I wish all of you the best in your writing journey.

Tambra Kendall
Daughters of Avalon Publishing
www.daughtersofavalonpublishing.com

Labels: business of writing, craft of writing, electronic publishing, self publishing

What I've been up to:

I've been absent from the yahoo groups promoting my work because I was finishing my degree.

Getting back into a routine has been hard. Hopefully, I can finish the projects I started before I signed up for school. I'm really excited about the stories I have in the works and am looking forward to sharing them with you.

Some of you may not know I'm also an artist. This is another area I'm focusing on along with the writing. The area is fantasy art and I work in watercolors and gouache. My eventual goal is to show in galleries and to sell prints of my work.

Writing:
Wicked Pleasures, an erotic Western romance is now available in print from Red Rose Publishing and Amazon.com
Wicked Pleasures is a bestselling title at All Romance e-Books.
This is a recommended read from a number of review sites.

Under my other pen name, Keelia Greer, Christmas of Hope received 5 Cups and a recommended read from Coffee Time Romance and 4 books from Long and Short Reviews. This is great feel good story, that leaves you with a smile on your face and in your heart.

Come and join me June 14th at Coffee Time Romance for their June Jubilee.

Workshop News:
I'll be teaching a number of workshops for Savvy Authors. I'd love to have you in any of my classes.
www.savvyauthors.com
July 19-Aug 1: The Basics of Romance Writing
Sept. 6- Sept. 13: Writing Erotic Love Scenes
Nov. 15-Dec. 5: Plot and Characterization

Hugs to all,
Tambra Kendall/Keelia Greer

Labels: craft of writing, fantasy art, keela greer, tambra kendall, workshops

*Wicked Pleasures is now available in print, from Red Rose Publishing or Amazon.*

Hi everyone,

This post deals with plot.
I love to plot as much as I love creating the story people of my stories.

Let's begin with the definition of plot. It's always much easier to begin at the beginning.

What is plot anyway?

The best definition of plot I’ve found is from 20 Master Plots (And How to Build Them) by Ronald B. Tobias.

Tobias defines plot as this, “Plot is story that has a pattern of action and reaction. Plot is a chain of cause-and-effect relationships that constantly create a pattern of unified action and behavior. Plot involves the reader in the game of “Why?”

When I first began writing, I clearly separated plot and characterization. Due to my lack of understanding plot, I had no idea how closely they work together until years later due to many factors. But, when you study the craft of writing you may think you understand something and discover later, you only understood part of it. I think many of us learn in layers or sections and go back from time to time to polish the rough edges and a bit of information resonates and the a-ha moment occurs.

Now, I absolutely love plotting. I hope you will, too.

What does plot do?

Plot gives unity and structure to a novel. Conflict unifies the narrative work. We want order and logic in our writing. A unified action creates a whole, made up of a beginning, middle and an end. These are also called the three movements of dramatic action. Plot is tightly woven through the story. It moves and shapes everything.

When you ask yourself, “What does my character want?” You’ve begun the journey of plot.
As I mentioned before, character and plot are extensions of each other and now, I hope you're beginning to see the why and how.

The Beginning, the first phase of dramatic action is having a character want something which leads to motivation. The want or need is also called intent.

The Middle, the second phase: Once the intent is established you’ve entered the second phase of dramatic action. As your story progresses, the action must rise and with each movement upward the stakes must rise as well.

Your character is pursuing their goal with actions coming from their want/need/intent. The action grows out of what has happened in the beginning. Cause, now effect.
The plot events are tied together giving a logical and coherent thread for the reader to follow. The decision a character makes directly affects the plot. Knowing the character's goal, motivation and conflict, both internal and external is needed to keep the subplots and threads from sagging. Character is action and reaction. Don't forget to plot the GMC (goal, motivation and conflict) of your villain. A weak antagonist will leave the reader angry because you've made things to easy for your main characters. The protagonist's must work for their happily-ever-after.

I can’t stress this enough without conflict, you have no plot.

Subplots help keep the middle from sagging and preventing the reader from setting your story aside. Having said that, don’t just stick a subplot in when you find you’re in trouble. The subplot affects the goals of the main character and must tie in with the storyline seamlessly.

The End is the last phase and contains the climax, falling action and the denouement. The ending must be logical from the sequence of events you’ve written in the beginning and middle. The ending action must be done by the protagonist. The protagonist should not be acted upon.

You see, everything in your writing is there for a specific purpose, cause that leads to effect, which brings you to another cause. Anything that happens in the world you’ve created must be there for a reason.
By leaving scenes in that don’t further the plot, the story is diluted from the dramatic effect you are working so hard to achieve.

Plot and character are inseparable.

Plot is the function of character, and character is the function of plot. They are tightly bound together.
A logical connection (action/reaction) as to why a character makes one choice as opposed to another.
But the character shouldn’t behave in a predictable manner, because it will be thrown into the realm of boring.
Just because there is, a logical connection between the cause and effect relationships it doesn’t mean it has to be obvious.

Story is different from plot. Story is the events the reader wants to know what comes next, which is curiosity.
Plot makes the reader ask why, pulling the reader a deeper level of what is happening.

Characters come alive with action. Plot is a function of character, and character is a function of plot. You can’t have one without the other. What they share in common is the action you’ve created.

No action = no character = no plot

We draw upon our experiences to create plot. This is why writers look for universal plot themes when they write. Some writers don’t know what the theme of the story until they finish the book.

I hope this post makes plotting clearer and more fun for you.

I'll be teaching for Savvy Authors, Yosemite RWA and Dunes and Dreams RWA chapter. Please, join me.

Hugs,
Tambra Kendall
www.tambrakendall.com

Labels: characters, craft of writing, plotting, tambra kendall, teaching

As an editor, I've found point of view to be the number one problem I've encountered with authors. Then when I try to explain deep point of view their eye's glaze over.

If you write romance, you need to learn how to write in deep point of view,and when to ease out. Learning the how and why of point of view will prove valuable.

Here is an article I wrote on deep point of view a few years ago. I use it in the online classes I teach. My latest class will be Novembe 9-23 for the FF&P RWA chapter.

I hope you find the article helpful.

Hugs,
Tambra Kendall/Keelia Greer
Christmas of Hope by Keelia Greer coming
December 10, 2009 from Red Rose Publishing

Deep Point of View: How and When to Use it Effectively
By Pollyanna Williamson
Deep Point of View (POV) is close third person, a combination of first and third person omniscient. It is driven by the character's experiences and emotions.
When using deep penetration POV you see the scene through the character's eyes. You never leave his/her thoughts. Deep penetration is similar to first person giving the motivation behind an action. The character's attitude, at that moment is shown, not a memory of his/her feelings as they look back on what happened.
Deep POV is more than filling your story with internalization.
From The Elements of Fiction Writing Characters and Viewpoint by Orson Scott Card he describes deep POV: "Deep penetration is intense 'hot' narration; no other narrative strategy keeps the reader so closely involved with the character and the story. But the viewpoint character's attitude is so pervasive that it can become annoying or exhausting if carried too far, and the narrative isn't terribly reliable, since the viewpoint character may be misunderstanding or misjudging everyone he meets and everything that happens."
Card says that no one level of POV penetration will be right for the whole story. There needs to be a balance. You need to know when "hot" narration is needed and when to "cool" the scene with light POV penetration.
Deep POV is more than filling your story with internalization. Too much internalization can become a form of telling, slow the pace of the story and unravel tension.
Gina from the RWA Craft loop explained deep POV to me in this way: Check to see if your dialogue, tone of voice, body language, facial expression, inner body response, and/or physical reaction shows what is being told.
• Remove filtering devices such as s/he thought, decided, saw, watched, etc. They put a distance between the reader and the POV character. Once POV is established, you don't have to keep reminding the reader that they're experiencing the story through the POV character's eyes.
• Describe things how the POV character would describe them.
• In deep POV, a character wouldn't use her own name when referring to herself. Nor would she, except in very few cases call her parents by their whole names. A deep POV character's narration should contain thoughts that are natural to that character, and what is seen and described should only be things that character would notice.
Anne Frazier Walradt taught this in a workshop for RWA in 2002. Her suggestions began with Show, Don't Tell: Stay out of your character's head. Since I'm a visual learner Anne's tips made all the other posts clearer. She wrote:
• Insert the picture in your head into the head of your reader by reporting action and dialogue.
• Engage the reader by showing her the scene and awakening in her the emotions that your characters feel.
• Abstract words do not evoke in us the emotion they describe. They merely tell. " Nancy was scared. Terrified actually." To evoke the emotion you must create the sensory details that make it read vivid, authentic.
• Document the effect of the emotion on the character. (Her hands shook) The scene must be seen by the readers.
• The character isn't thinking about her feelings ("Oh, I'm so much in love.") She's thinking about what's causing her feelings. (I love his hand on my.whatever.")
• Your job is to convey the emotion by the meticulous choice of specific details that will evoke emotion in your reader.
Author Terri Prizzi says writing deep POV effectively means you must know your character very well since all things are filtered through the character's eyes and emotions. Gender, education level, life experiences all will impact how your character views the world. The fact that the character comments on anything should be a clue about this character.
Learning how to write deep POV takes some practice, but when used in the right way it will keep your readers turning the pages.

Tambra Kendall joined RWA in 1994. She grew up reading historicals. Her favorites are Scottish and Medieval. Today she combines her love of all things Celtic with the love of paranormal.
Copyright © 2005 Tambra Kendall. All rights reserved. Used with permission.

Labels: craft of writing, deep point of view

Deep Point of View: How and When to Use it Effectively
By Tambra Kendall

Deep Point of View (POV) is close third person, a combination of first and third person omniscient. It is driven by the character's experiences and emotions.

When using deep penetration POV you see the scene through the character's eyes. You never leave his/her thoughts. Deep penetration is similar to first person giving the motivation behind an action. The character's attitude, at that moment is shown, not a memory of his/her feelings as they look back on what happened.

Deep POV is more than filling your story with internalization.
From The Elements of Fiction Writing Characters and Viewpoint by Orson Scott Card he describes deep POV: "Deep penetration is intense 'hot' narration; no other narrative strategy keeps the reader so closely involved with the character and the story. But the viewpoint character's attitude is so pervasive that it can become annoying or exhausting if carried too far, and the narrative isn't terribly reliable, since the viewpoint character may be misunderstanding or misjudging everyone he meets and everything that happens."

Card says that no one level of POV penetration will be right for the whole story. There needs to be a balance. You need to know when "hot" narration is needed and when to "cool" the scene with light POV penetration.
Deep POV is more than filling your story with internalization. Too much internalization can become a form of telling, slow the pace of the story and unravel tension.

Gina from the RWA Craft loop explained deep POV to me in this way: Check to see if your dialogue, tone of voice, body language, facial expression, inner body response, and/or physical reaction shows what is being told.
• Remove filtering devices such as s/he thought, decided, saw, watched, etc. They put a distance between the reader and the POV character. Once POV is established, you don't have to keep reminding the reader that they're experiencing the story through the POV character's eyes.
• Describe things how the POV character would describe them.
• In deep POV, a character wouldn't use her own name when referring to herself. Nor would she, except in very few cases call her parents by their whole names. A deep POV character's narration should contain thoughts that are natural to that character, and what is seen and described should only be things that character would notice.

Anne Frazier Walradt taught this in a workshop for RWA in 2002. Her suggestions began with Show, Don't Tell: Stay out of your character's head. Since I'm a visual learner Anne's tips made all the other posts clearer. She wrote:
• Insert the picture in your head into the head of your reader by reporting action and dialogue.
• Engage the reader by showing her the scene and awakening in her the emotions that your characters feel.
• Abstract words do not evoke in us the emotion they describe. They merely tell. " Nancy was scared. Terrified actually." To evoke the emotion you must create the sensory details that make it read vivid, authentic.
• Document the effect of the emotion on the character. (Her hands shook) The scene must be seen by the readers.
• The character isn't thinking about her feelings ("Oh, I'm so much in love.") She's thinking about what's causing her feelings. (I love his hand on my.whatever.")
• Your job is to convey the emotion by the meticulous choice of specific details that will evoke emotion in your reader.

Author Terri Prizzi says writing deep POV effectively means you must know your character very well since all things are filtered through the character's eyes and emotions. Gender, education level, life experiences all will impact how your character views the world. The fact that the character comments on anything should be a clue about this character.
Learning how to write deep POV takes some practice, but when used in the right way it will keep your readers turning the pages.

Using deep point of view brings the reader so closely into the story, he/she feels like they are experiencing everything the hero and heroine are. We want to keep the readers turning the pages, not wanting them to put the our books down.

Tambra Kendall joined RWA in 1994. She grew up reading historicals. Her favorites are Scottish and Medieval. Today she combines her love of all things Celtic with the love of paranormal.
Copyright © 2005 Tambra Kendall. All rights reserved. Used with permission.

Hugs to all,
Tambra Kendall
Cowboy of the Night-a Recommended Read!
Buy now from Red Rose Publishing
www.redrosepublishing.com

Labels: craft of writing, deep point of view, romance writing

Brainstorming, Clustering and Freewriting: Methods to Unfreeze your Muse

Brainstorming: Breaking Down the Barriers

Brainstorming helps break typical thought patterns which lead to a boring, predictable plot.

Group Brainstorming

1. To do brainstorming you need to narrow down what the problem is first.
2. Try minor increments such as 10-15 minutes. If you happen to do this in a large group, you may need a longer time limit.
3. Have a person designated as the one who writes out the suggestions called out by the participants/critique partners.
4. No criticizing any of the ideas called out. Laughing is okay.
5. Examine the ideas. Which will provide a plot twist?

Individual Brainstorming

1. Decide what you need to brainstorm on such as character or plot.
2. As ideas occur write them down, but don’t analyze them. These can come as words, phrases or sentences.
3. After you’re finished see if you can put what you’ve written in groups.

Try each of these methods and have fun while doing it.

Clustering and Freewriting

Freewriting
Freewriting is similar to clustering and both can be fun.

For freewriting to work, a goal is needed before you start.

Example: A character’s name or what it means or how you envision this person. When freewriting you are supposed to turn off your inner critic and just write.

Freewriting is nonstop writing. You let your ideas flow in a steady stream and continue for the time limit you’ve set. Keeping your pen or pencil moving is the goal. Don’t punctuate and if you get a new idea write it and keep going. Try five or ten minutes.

Clustering
Clustering uses key words that are connected. Write a word in the middle of the page. From that word, begin writing other words that are associated. Circle the words then connect them with lines. A cluster begins to form. You can branch off other words too.

Example: Write apple in the middle of the page. Crisp, red, sweet and pie all come to mind. This can help when you need to expand on connections with words and the associations from this clustering chain.
After you have your clusters finished, you separate them into bite-sized, mini paragraphs, while elaborating on others.


Apple-sweet-juicy-pie-red-green-crisp-tart

Clustering has helped jump start my muse by focusing on one area when I needed clarification with description or layering with some of the senses.

Breaking up the writing process into manageable pieces keeps me from feeling overwhelmed and paralyzed. This might work for you too.

I hope some of these suggestions will help get your muse off and running.

Hugs,
Tambra Kendall/Keelia Greer

Out now from Keelia Greer: A Cursed Heart from Red Rose Publishing
Coming this month from Tambra: Cowboy of the Night from Red Rose Publishing

Labels: craft of writing, muse, writer's block