Once More, With Feeling by Vonnie Davis

Yesterday, I released a self-published book that had been published six years ago by The Wild Rose Press. I don't know if it was the title I'd chosen or that I was still a new author, but the series didn't sell well at all. I got the rights back and changed some characters' names, updated technology, added roughly 15,000 words, gave it a new title and a different series name.

What was originally Mona Lisa's Room, book one of The Red Hand Conspiracy became NIKO: Licensed to Kill, Paris Intrigue--Book One.

To protect buyers, I listed on Amazon's description the book was previously published under another title and what it was.

http://a.co/i3fyX5o 

Why give a book with lack-luster sales another try? Because the series is set in Paris and is full of my memories of places we'd visited and things we saw on our trips over there. The series was a labor of love. Every time I work on one of the books, it's like being back in the city I so adore.

In two months, JEAN-LUC: Once is Never Enough releases and finally BASTIAN: The Spy Who Loves Me.

Will the books sell any better this time around? I hope so. If not, I've had such fun getting them ready to market again, the process was worth it.

If you enjoy romantic suspense in an exotic place with page turning action as my characters try to keep ahead of the terrorists, give them a try. Oh, and if you enjoy humorous, sexy banter and situations that will make you laugh out loud, you will definitely want to fly on my magic carpet ride of words to Paris...the Normandy coast...and Budapest...and Berlin.

www.vonniedavis.com

There's Always Something Special About Your First

We all have memories of a lot of firsts in our lives. Our first bra; we were growing up! Our first kiss: two guppies smacking lips. Our first pregnancy; ugh, the morning sickness. Our first homemade Thanksgiving turkey...you mean we had to thaw it first??? Please tell me I'm not the only dummy out there. And, for writers, our first published book. 

Mine was a contemporary western, STORM'S INTERLUDE, that released with The Wild Rose Press five years ago. I was overjoyed. I'd dreamed of being published since I was in the sixth grade back in the day when we were crawling under our desks for bomb protection during the era of the Cold War. So we're talking about dreaming for something for a lo-o-o-ong time.

Since then, I've moved on to HarperImpulse and Random House Loveswept with 16 more books. Number 17 is due out the end of November. I've gotten the rights back to 3 books with Wild Rose and entered the world of self-publishing. My first self-pubbed book? STORM'S INTERLUDE, of course. After all, there's always something special about your first book. It's the culmination of years of wishing and the story is embedded deeply within your heart.

The original version earned the HOLT Medallion of Merit for best romance and best book by a Virginia author. It was also voted book of the year at Long and Short Reviews the year it came out. For a writer who had so much to learn, all the accolades were quite humbling. I didn't think anyone would like it or the way I'd written it or my characters or.....self-doubt is an awful thing, isn't it?

So my first Indie book is standing tall and proud in the back of the pack of so many others, but I'm hoping Storm and Rachel will win some more hearts. It's now the first book of a planned series "Rosefire, Texas Romances."

Nurse Rachel Dennison comes to Texas determined to prepare her new patient for a second round of chemo. What she isn't counting on is her patient's twin brother, Storm Blackhawk. Despite her initial attraction, Storm has two things Rachel can't abide: a domineering personality and an ex-fiancée who won't leave him alone.

Half Native American, with the ability to have "vision dreams," Storm dreams about Rachel for three nights before her arrival. Both are unprepared for the firestorm of emotions their first encounter ignites. Ultimately, it is Rachel's past--an abusive, maniacal ex-boyfriend--that threatens to keep them apart...and Storm's dreams that brings them together again.

AMAZON BUY LINK: http://a.co/43HDtOp

Learn more about Vonnie Davis at www.vonniedavis.com 

Are We There Yet? Self-Publishing... Or Not

By Sandra Nachlinger

Everyone has heard, “Are we there yet?” from a child on a long road trip or perhaps said those words themselves. Several months ago I wondered if I’d ever get to my destination—the re-release of my second book Bluebonnets for Elly.

About a year ago, Bluebonnets for Elly was picked up by a small publisher, released in paperback, and also offered as an ebook. I was ecstatic! But a few months later, the company unfortunately had to close its doors. The publisher graciously returned all rights to the books written by her authors, but … what to do? Send the manuscript out to agents or publishers? Re-release the book myself? I decided the best decision for me was to self-publish the novel. That’s when the journey began.

Here’s an overview of what is involved in self-publishing a book:

• EDIT. The initial publisher had already assigned an editor for the book, but there’s always something to tweak – a better word, a more complete description, extraneous phrases to cut. After reading through the manuscript again and making changes, I asked a couple of fellow writers to read the book and give me feedback. Their input was extremely valuable. Professional editing services can also be used (for a fee, of course); however, my friends are knowledgeable writers and I trust their judgment.

• READ through the book one more time to decide which changes I want to make, as suggested by my friends. After all, it’s my book and the final responsibility for its contents is mine.

• CHANGE the contents and make sure that a revision on Page 5 doesn’t affect something that happens on Page 90.

• FINALIZE a copyright page, bio, dedication, and any other pages I want to include in addition to the story itself.

• FORMAT the manuscript for paperback and ebook publication. Smashwords has a nifty “nuclear” protocol, but it’s incredibly detailed and time-consuming. Professionals can be hired to format the book.

• REVIEW the book online to make sure the margins, page headers, page numbers, page breaks, etc., are correct.

• CREATE a cover. Purchase a photograph, create text for the front and back covers, decide on a glossy versus matte finish. I used Photoshop and spent many hours fiddling with different photos, fonts, and layout. You can pay someone to create a cover for you. CreateSpace offers that service for a fee, too.

• SUBMIT the interior and cover files to Amazon and CreateSpace (and possibly elsewhere).

• TWEAK the cover so that it complies with Amazon and CreateSpace’s requirements. The text on the spine of my book was too large initially.

• PROOF. Once the book layout is approved, order a proof copy and read through the manuscript again, checking for mechanical problems (spacing, indents, italics, etc.), as well as missing words or grammatical mistakes that might not have been caught earlier. I found one missing word (“the”) and had to resubmit the book’s interior.

• PRICING. Decide on what you’ll charge for both the paperback and ebook versions.

• PUBLISH. Decide if you will offer the book in other outlets: Smashwords, Barnes & Noble, All Romance eBooks, etc. Decide if the book will be offered to Amazon’s overseas markets and if you will participate in Kindle Unlimited or other programs. Decide if you want to offer the book for pre-order.

• PROMOTE the book’s release (Facebook, Twitter, Google+, etc.) Actually, this should start in advance of the release date.

• WRITE. Start writing the next book.

I’m sure I left out some of the steps in the process, and the sequence of events may be different for different writers. For example, some writers have an idea for the book’s cover before they even start writing the story. Add your experiences and thoughts in a comment, please! But this is basically what I experienced in republishing BLUEBONNETS FOR ELLY. 

I’m happy that the answer to “Are we there yet?” is finally YES!  

You can find the new and improved BLUEBONNETS FOR ELLY here:
ELLY on Amazon