The contest is over

The first Connie Cobbler Mystery Contest is over. A new one will be open next week. The first one went well. I had quite a few visitors, more than I actually expected. Hopefully the next one will be even better.

Connie Cobbler Contest

I'm giving away a signed copy of Connie Cobbler: Toy Detective. Just visit www.conniecobbler.com for more information. It's free and it's fun!!

Out of the car sale

Today I sold my first book to a total stranger! I was mailing two review copies and the woman behind the counter asked me what I was mailing (it seemed like it was for security) and I blatantly self promoted. She said she wanted to buy one and I mentioned that I had one in my car. She was a very forceful woman and made me go to the car to get it. I sold it to her and gave her my email. She said she was going to write and buy some more for Christmas presents. Nice ego boost!

Connie Cobbler is Here!!!

This is it!!! My baby is born! Take a sneak peek of the first three chapters at http://www.conniecobbler.com/

http://www.amazon.com/Connie-Cobbler-Detective-James-DeSalvo/dp/0982917104/ref=pd_rhf_p_t_2

Getting Closer

Connie Cobbler: Toy Detective is getting closer and closer to release. I'm so nervous and excited. There have been so many bumps and bruises along the way to this project. I'm planning a book party and a booksigning at a movie theater to coincide with the release of several children's films. Why not?

Getting Reviewed

I've been looking into getting reviewed. It seems very hard for an independent author/publisher to get reviews. The stigma of POD/self publishing seems to permeate most magazines and other major forms of reviews open to authors. I'm very uncomfortable with paying for reviews, but there seem to be so few options out there. The reviews for my first book Miss Mary Pennynickle's Tales of Torment for Toddlers were great. I plan on asking (begging?) reviewers on that site to review Connie Cobbler: Toy Detective for me. If anyone out there would like to review it for me as well, please let me know and I will gladly send you a copy.

I'm Back!

It's been a long time. A little time in the hospital can be productive. I still found time to write and plan some promotions. What else can you do when you're not allowed to leave a hospital bed? Lesson to learn: use all of your time wisely.

Everything has been approved

Connie Cobbler: Toy Detective has been approved for publication. It will be available on Amazon, my e store on Amazon, Kindle, and through www.conniecobbler.com.

I can't wait. Selling it is the hardest part now.

Miss Mary Pennynickle's Tales of Torment for Toddlers Book Trailer

Cover Approval

The Connie Cobbler: Toy Detective cover was approved today. I quickly hit the approve button and that was that. I was so tired of making small changes on a whim. Now I'm committed to it. The only thing left is the interior text. Yikes!!!!!

Book Signing

I just came back from an amazing book signing. I went to see a young man named Jesse Saperstein. He wrote a book called Atypical about his experiences living with Aspberger's. He told wonderful stories and answered questions with grace and wit. I only hope my first book signing will be great.

So tired

This continues to be an exhaustive process. I'm starting to promote the book and have sent several emails to toy stores and museums to offer them a preview copy. I will put together a counter display and give a 25% discount without returns.
By the way, pick up a copy of Guerrilla Marketing for Writers. It is an amazing book with so many cheap and free ways to promote your book. I'm already using a few weapons in my arsenal (as promotional ideas are called in the book) and hope to see results by next week. I'll let you know.

Createspace

I am using Createspace for the printing of my book Connie Cobbler: Toy Detective.
I submitted a few more revisions after my initial round. I was told that I would be allowed 20 total corrections. I had not used all of my allotted corrections and believed that I would be able to use the remaining ones on the next round of proofing. I was told that the corrections would have to have been made on the original round. Createspace told me that I would have to pay $75 for additional corrections. While a compromise was achieved, I would suggest that you read their fine print very carefully and use more than one copyeditor.

Back to the blog

It's been a long while since I've posted. I spent some time in the hospital. It was actually a good way to get some work done. I could write and edit since I couldn't get out of bed. Sometimes hard times can be the most productive.
I'm trying to decide whether to use a Bookland EAN/5 or a Bookland EAN/9 for Connie Cobbler: Toy Detective. The EAN/5 means that I would be commited to one price while the EAN/9 means I would have no price for the book. The EAN/9 seems like the best choice but I'm not sure if the bookstores would be able to program the price into their computers. If I leave off either EAN the book would look unprofessional. More to come.

Lightning Source

I'm trying to get Connie Cobbler: Toy Detective printed on Lightning Source as well. It will help get the book distributed to every bookstore. This publishing is harder than I thought. I know that sounds naive but I guess it's because I'm so nervous. It's less than a month away.

Interior proofs

The interior proofs went in today with their corrections. Now I'm nervous that I might not have caught everything.

Mistakes

Thank God for proofs! I found so many mistakes I made in my manuscript. The book should still be out around mid-October.

Cover finished

I just approved the cover art for Connie Cobbler: Toy Detective. It looks pretty good. I'm still checking the interior for mistakes. The process goes on.

Interior proofs

The interior proofs are completely different than was discussed. The book is shorter and the typeface is far too small. There are over 300 words per page instead of the 280. I know I'm complaining far too much, but I want everything to be perfect.
I am reading Alan Shepherd's Aiming at Amazon. There is a lot of great information that I wish I had known before.

Interior Proofs

Well it's an exciting time. I just received my PDF for my interior proofs. Now I have to go through them so carefully so I don't miss anything. I know I've never published anything except for Kindle so I want this to look professional.

Cover Verification

Today I verified the cover for my book. I mentioned a few changes and will wait to see how they turn out. I am still concerned if they will be able to put a price code on it.
I am slowly establishing some preliminary readings based on the rough copies I have so far. I hope that goes well. There is so much to do to promote a book and myself. I not only have to be an author, but also a publicist and a salesperson. It'll be hard, but it also sounds like a little fun!!!

Press Release

I've been looking at websites trying to gather information on how to write press releases. This evening at a gathering of friends I met a woman who did publicity for MacMillan. She said she would guide me through this process and how to distribute it. I'll let you know as this progresses.

Welcome to my blog. I will be discussing my books and issues of self-publishing.