by | April 30, 2016 · 2:32 am
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And just like that, I’m an author of a series

Well, not quite yet – but as of today, Indiot (Isabella Maxwell’s Escapades Book 2) is available for pre-sale on Amazon. This was my plan, all along – to make it available well before the release day, which I have scheduled for 16 July, but for some reason I was in a state of analysis paralysis when it came to deciding when to upload and when to schedule the launch day.

You see, Amazon lets you upload a book for up to 90 days before the release, but if you miss the date, or don’t upload the final draft 10 days prior, you will be banned from pre-releasing anything else for a whole year.  Not only that, they want you to upload a “final draft for review”. You can read the full details in Kindle Preorder guide. They do say that the “final draft” may still need to undergo copy-editing, but it’s not clear what they would be checking or how raw of a draft it could be. At the same time, I see books on Kindle all the time that are slotted for release in six or more months – how is that possible?

Another reason I was not ready to upload was that I just could not figure out how to finish the draft cover. To remind you, this is what the mock-up looked like:

Indiot Mock up 1

The main issue I had with the mock-up was the title, as usual. I liked the idea of the diamonds, because a certain diamond necklace is featured in the plot, but when I started working on the final version, the diamonds were competing with all the other embroidery and textures. So I set it aside. For about three months, until I finally had a breakthrough today. It’s a diamond necklace, duh!

FINAL Indiot Kindle cover

Once I had the new design figured out, the adrenaline went through the roof – suddenly I was decisive and confident. In a matter of a couple of hours, I registered the ISBN, had the draft text formatted, and the cover and manuscript uploaded to KDP. I spent a few nail-biting hours worrying that KDP would come back with “You have a bazillion spelling mistakes” until I saw that Indiot was available on Kindle. It took another couple of hours for my Author page to be updated, and then an hour-long exhausted nap, as I collapsed in a wake of a realisation so enormous, I still have to pinch myself.

I’m an author of a series.

Okay, so it’s short, at two installments, but it finally gives me the marketing leverage I’ve craved for so long. I’ve already made Shizzle, Inc free on Kobo, so if you have a moment, could you please help me make it perma-free by telling Amazon to match the price? The “tell us about a lower price” link is under Shizzle, Inc ratings (you will also need the Kobo link above):

free Shizzle

I even made a new banner for the blog, to finally make it look like a proper author page – what do you think? The next thing on my list is a similar banner for Twitter. I can almost taste the new marketing, starting with a whole wave of the new quotes. More ads, too –  and if you’ve read Shizzle, Inc but have not yet posted the review on Amazon, could you pretty-please do that? I’m at 37 reviews at the moment, but supposedly I have to be at 60 to get the attention of BookBub. I have some other crazy new ideas, which I will hatch in a separate post.

And finally, if you are waiting on the beta-version to read, I’m still tinkering with it 🙂 But I will definitely email it on 1 May – thank you in advance for so generously donating your time!

This is all. One hell of a day, and the one thought that keeps going through my mind is – why was I so afraid to list it for pre-order in the first place? It was not hard.

Feel the fear and do it anyway.

51 Comments

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51 responses to “And just like that, I’m an author of a series”

  1. Tamara Kulish
    April 30, 2016 at 2:41 am

    Good for you! New banner looks great!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  2. Pingback: And just like that, I’m an author of a series – Moore to Say

  3. suzannerogersonfantasyauthor
    April 30, 2016 at 2:47 am

    Cover looks great. Hope the pre-order goes well.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  5. MewsOfTheMuse
    April 30, 2016 at 3:51 am

    Congratulations!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  6. Mac Logan
    April 30, 2016 at 4:58 am

    OMG I’m a serial writer too! Hadn’t realised … something to do with age

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  7. vickgoodwin
    April 30, 2016 at 5:04 am

    Congratulations! I love the new cover.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  8. SyedaFR
    April 30, 2016 at 5:54 am

    Congratulations dear! Best wishes for all the next steps and other books to come. 😊😊

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  10. Tony Poulsen
    April 30, 2016 at 6:15 am

    Looks great! Tried to do the ARC but my computer must not like yours with some certificate issue. Will try again another time

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  11. r_prab
    April 30, 2016 at 6:59 am

    I have started reading Shizzle Inc! I hope I could post a review soon! I am already thrilled with your next book! I knew you were writing, but I I wasn’t aware Miss Maxwell is coming to India! The cover looks astounding! Many many Congratulations for becoming an author of a series! You have been truly inspirational! 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  12. karenscott214
    April 30, 2016 at 10:43 am

    Big Congrats – this is quite an accomplishment.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  13. readersandmore
    April 30, 2016 at 11:06 am

    Congrats!! I’m so happy for you 🙂 I love the cover and hope the pre-order goes well! Good luck 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  14. olivia barrington
    April 30, 2016 at 2:01 pm

    You did it! You did it! Congrats, a big handshake, slap on the back and way to go girlfriend! Pre-order, never heard of it on Amazon, hope you have lots of orders. Great cover! It should catch reader’s eyes. I’ll post my review for you this week when I get a chance. Have you started the 3rd installment? Just wondered where Isa will end up next. Excited to see the cover for it, too. Now get some sleep and back to the ol’ grindstone. Good Luck!!!.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    • Ana Spoke
      April 30, 2016 at 4:19 pm

      Thank you so much, Olivia 🙂 Every review counts!

      I have a general plot outline, mostly in my head, and I’ve started a slush pile of ideas and bits of funny dialogue for the third. Most importantly, I have a title that I love! Can’t wait to reveal it, but I’m trying to be patient and do it at the right time, which will be in August or so, along with a cover draft. Was up at 6am this morning writing 🙂

      Like

      Reply
      • olivia barrington
        May 1, 2016 at 2:11 am

        Your amazing my dear, simply amazing. I look forward to August and the reveal. I know about the slush piling of ideas, I do that all the time. I have to shut it down or I’ll never get anything else done because I want to set down and write instead and I don’t have the time right now. I have notebooks around so I can scribble them down real quick and keep on moving. 6am! Now that’s dedication and how a book gets written. Keep up the good work! 🙂

        Liked by 1 person

      • Ana Spoke
        May 1, 2016 at 9:16 am

        Thank you again, Olivia 🙂 I find it so easy to persevere when the dream feels so real…still have 3 more months off work, so I’m expecting a draft of the third one by the end.

        Like

  15. cynthiahm
    May 1, 2016 at 1:28 am

    Congratulations! And that cover is just amazing!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  16. Ginene Nagel
    May 1, 2016 at 3:48 am

    Congratulations on your new success. This is the beginning of all things great! You go, girl!
    Ginene

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  18. marypamela
    May 2, 2016 at 4:09 am

    You make me dizzy with all the things you have to worry about when marketing your book. Thanks for the heads up and reality check. I feel as if I’m on the journey with you. Good luck and congrats on your breakthroughs! 😀

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    • Ana Spoke
      May 2, 2016 at 7:53 am

      Thank you so much – it is a lot of work, but it’s so much fun, too. Part of the reason I write the blog is so that I don’t forget what I did when it’s time to launch the next book. Especially all the marketing bits, which ones worked and which ones didn’t…

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
  19. mandibelle16
    May 2, 2016 at 7:02 am

    Excited for you! Awesome to have a book 2!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  20. Sarah Potter Writes
    May 3, 2016 at 2:33 am

    Exciting stuff 🙂 That cover is much better, as the title will be much easier to read in thumbnail size than the previous one. You are brave (I’m going to be a nervous wreck when I opt for pre-order on my next book). Phew, just as well you’re on leave from your job just now, so you can make your deadline with less stress than otherwise.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    • Ana Spoke
      May 3, 2016 at 9:33 am

      Thank you, Sarah 🙂 live and learn…if I didn’t have the time off, there’s no way I could’ve finished the draft by now, leave alone commit to a publication date. Hopefully I will be able to carve out above chunk of leave for Christmas, to finish #3.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply
  21. buff327
    May 3, 2016 at 7:08 am

    I am very happy for you. Your work ethic and bravery can only result in total success. I know there are bad times and maybe rejections, but you will overcome them and leave them in the dust.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

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