What I Wished I'd Known Before I Published
by
Deena Rae Schoenfeldt
I have been involved directly and indirectly in the
publishing world for over two decades and I thought I had a pretty decent handle
on what was expected on every phase of the journey. I have preached to my
clients the importance of promotion and platforms; especially the last three years
with the amazing rise in indie publishing. I just wish I had appreciated the
hard work that comes after the book
is finished, the editing accomplished, cover decided on, interior layout or eBook
format finished. I never realized all the hard work that comes after the ‘art’
is ready for the world.
I have some absolutely amazing clients and author friends,
but it never entered my mind what was involved in making sure a release was a
success—I’m still not sure if I know, but I should have a better idea after the
end of January when my launch is officially over.
Here’s a little idea of where I am coming from. I get many
requests each day to post, tweet or blog about someone’s book, some of these
requests are from friends, some are from acquaintances and some are from strangers.
Sometimes these requests are polite but others are downright
rude or pushy (those people are ignored, by the way, because manners matter to
those from the south J ). So, back to my story… when I decided to
compile and release my book I wanted to make it a learning experience that I
could pass on to my clients and readers. I also wanted to do it on a
shoestring!
I wasn’t going to spend a dime on someone to plan a virtual
book tour. I wasn’t about to host a giveaway, or pay anything to anyone so I
knew I would have to ask my friends and acquaintances if they could help.
I absolutely hate to ask anyone for anything (see above) but
I bit the bullet and asked twenty or so of my writer and blogger buddies if they
could help get the word out if I supplied
the coded posts (that’s a secret ingredient—people aren’t necessary lazy,
but they are busy!) Thank heaven they all said yes but it was hard for me to
ask since I am sure they are inundated with requests.
I spent hours making sure I had all the information needed
and started coding the posts, sending them —whew— it was a lot of repetitive
work, lots of checking calendars to make sure I had posts on each day I was
targeting. I will tell you honestly, putting together a book launch is hard
work, and I just wish I had realized before how much effort it takes.
Navigating the World of E-Book Publishing
With a no-nonsense, conversational style, Deena Rae of E-BookBuilders gives advice to aspiring authors about indie publishing. Filled with information about social media, pricing, formatting styles, covers, reviews and platforms (to a name a few) there is a wealth of information for the novice author. Even experienced authors and publishers will find this book helpful and informative.
With sections such as ‘Authors —
Quit Doing This!’, ‘In Praise of Audio(books)’, ‘Twitter Primer for Authors’,
and ‘Should You Use Amazon’s Author Central’, Deena Rae gives detailed
information that anyone in the industry of publishing should know and consider.
Whether you are just starting on
your publishing journey, considering entering the literary world or have 30
books for sale, there is something for everyone in this book.
E-BookBuilders is the online alias of Deena Rae Schoenfeldt. She was born and raised in Texas — home of bluebonnets, boots, beef and big hair — into a family that was in the printing and publishing industries. Her father was a computer programmer for major newspapers when the equipment took up whole rooms and mother has been a publisher for almost 30 years — trying, unsuccessfully, to bring her into the family business. She is a second-generation genetically perfected super-nerd.
She was happily living her life, having three third-generation genetically perfected super-nerds herself, but then through a series of events (unfortunate and fortunate), she officially joined The Book Connection — her mother’s publishing and packaging company — as the Digital Director, to create the e-publishing division in 2011. Her computer skills, willingness to help authors, love of literature, no-nonsense attitude and quick wit has helped shepherd many authors through the maze of digital publishing.
Through her work with E-BookBuilders, Deena Rae has been able to meet authors and writers from all over the world and in every genre imaginable. She has a biting wit, obscure sense of humor, awareness of the absurd, and a love of literature all which led to the creation of Bluebonnets, Bagpipes and Books, the #NSFW publishing discussion podcast she produces and hosts with Janet Wrenn and Peter Burnett. Her no-nonsense attitude makes for some hilarious discussions and plenty of “Oh my God, did she really just say that?” moments. Sometimes it is as if there is no filter between her brain and her mouth. But if she likes you she tries to be nice — sometimes. Deena also has the safe-for-everyone author interview show, B3's Bookworm. You can find her most hours of everyday attached to her computer either researching, tweeting on her 6 accounts, posting on her different Face-book timelines and pages, coding e-books for her fabulous friends/clients or with her nose buried in her Kindle reading.
She was happily living her life, having three third-generation genetically perfected super-nerds herself, but then through a series of events (unfortunate and fortunate), she officially joined The Book Connection — her mother’s publishing and packaging company — as the Digital Director, to create the e-publishing division in 2011. Her computer skills, willingness to help authors, love of literature, no-nonsense attitude and quick wit has helped shepherd many authors through the maze of digital publishing.
Through her work with E-BookBuilders, Deena Rae has been able to meet authors and writers from all over the world and in every genre imaginable. She has a biting wit, obscure sense of humor, awareness of the absurd, and a love of literature all which led to the creation of Bluebonnets, Bagpipes and Books, the #NSFW publishing discussion podcast she produces and hosts with Janet Wrenn and Peter Burnett. Her no-nonsense attitude makes for some hilarious discussions and plenty of “Oh my God, did she really just say that?” moments. Sometimes it is as if there is no filter between her brain and her mouth. But if she likes you she tries to be nice — sometimes. Deena also has the safe-for-everyone author interview show, B3's Bookworm. You can find her most hours of everyday attached to her computer either researching, tweeting on her 6 accounts, posting on her different Face-book timelines and pages, coding e-books for her fabulous friends/clients or with her nose buried in her Kindle reading.
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