Hi, everybody!
(Hi, Dr. Nick!)
I've been on hiatus from AW for a while, writing, querying, and biting my fingernails to the quick, all for a big fat...nothing. I was agented once, but we parted ways. Then I spent the past 9 months doing a series of R&Rs for Jodi Reamer (yes, THAT Jodi Reamer) that ultimately ended in a "just didn't love it."
Well, I gave it the ol' college try. I'm done with that route. Time to self-publish.
So welcome to...
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Leah's Little Self-Publishing Diary
*** With sparkles and shit. ***
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This summer I decided to write the book I've been secretly dying to write (please don't tell my mom): a New Adult contemporary romance about an eighteen-year-old girl who falls in love with her high school teacher.
I wrote it, I designed the cover, and now e-ARCs are out there in the world, collecting reviews.
On Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17978680-unteachable
And since we all love a good blurb:
UNTEACHABLE
New Adult Contemporary Romance
Coming August 1, 2013
I met him at a carnival, of all corny places. The summer I turned eighteen, in that chaos of neon lights and cheap thrills, I met a man so sweet, so beautiful, he seemed to come from another world. We had one night: intense, scary, real. Then I ran, like I always do. Because I didn’t want to be abandoned again.
But I couldn’t run far enough.
I knew him as Evan that night. When I walked into his classroom, he became Mr. Wilke.
My teacher.
I don’t know if what we’re doing is wrong. The law says one thing; my heart says screw the law. I can’t let him lose his job. And I can’t lose him.
In the movies, this would have a happy ending. I grow up. I love, I lose, I learn. And I move on. But this is life, and there’s no script. You make it up as you go along.
And you don’t pray for a happy ending. You pray for it to never end.
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Pre-Publication Stuff
What I've spent so far:
I designed the cover, formatted the ebook, and handled all of the technical stuff myself. Since I have a background in graphic design, this was a piece of cake. My crit group did beta reading and editorial stuff.
I'm now personally contacting book bloggers for reviews, and mainly using Goodreads to generate pre-pub buzz.
I don't think it's worth the investment for a first-time self-publishing author to shell out the $400 for a spot on NetGalley, when you can do e-ARC distribution yourself with some elbow grease. Depending on how successful Unteachable is, I may opt for NG next book. But honestly, it's probably not even worth it--if this book is successful, I'll already have prominent book bloggers who are willing to review my next title.
What I am considering is spending <$100 on a book blog tour, just to splash the cover around.
Any questions, comments, etc. are welcome. I'll try to keep this thread updated with my progress.
My release date is August 1, 2013. Wish me luck! (And if you're interested in reviewing an e-ARC, PM me.)
(Hi, Dr. Nick!)
I've been on hiatus from AW for a while, writing, querying, and biting my fingernails to the quick, all for a big fat...nothing. I was agented once, but we parted ways. Then I spent the past 9 months doing a series of R&Rs for Jodi Reamer (yes, THAT Jodi Reamer) that ultimately ended in a "just didn't love it."
Well, I gave it the ol' college try. I'm done with that route. Time to self-publish.
So welcome to...
__________________________________________________
Leah's Little Self-Publishing Diary
*** With sparkles and shit. ***
__________________________________________________
This summer I decided to write the book I've been secretly dying to write (please don't tell my mom): a New Adult contemporary romance about an eighteen-year-old girl who falls in love with her high school teacher.
I wrote it, I designed the cover, and now e-ARCs are out there in the world, collecting reviews.
On Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17978680-unteachable
And since we all love a good blurb:
UNTEACHABLE
New Adult Contemporary Romance
Coming August 1, 2013
I met him at a carnival, of all corny places. The summer I turned eighteen, in that chaos of neon lights and cheap thrills, I met a man so sweet, so beautiful, he seemed to come from another world. We had one night: intense, scary, real. Then I ran, like I always do. Because I didn’t want to be abandoned again.
But I couldn’t run far enough.
I knew him as Evan that night. When I walked into his classroom, he became Mr. Wilke.
My teacher.
I don’t know if what we’re doing is wrong. The law says one thing; my heart says screw the law. I can’t let him lose his job. And I can’t lose him.
In the movies, this would have a happy ending. I grow up. I love, I lose, I learn. And I move on. But this is life, and there’s no script. You make it up as you go along.
And you don’t pray for a happy ending. You pray for it to never end.
__________________________________________________
Pre-Publication Stuff
What I've spent so far:
- $20 for a stock photo. That's it.
I designed the cover, formatted the ebook, and handled all of the technical stuff myself. Since I have a background in graphic design, this was a piece of cake. My crit group did beta reading and editorial stuff.
I'm now personally contacting book bloggers for reviews, and mainly using Goodreads to generate pre-pub buzz.
I don't think it's worth the investment for a first-time self-publishing author to shell out the $400 for a spot on NetGalley, when you can do e-ARC distribution yourself with some elbow grease. Depending on how successful Unteachable is, I may opt for NG next book. But honestly, it's probably not even worth it--if this book is successful, I'll already have prominent book bloggers who are willing to review my next title.
What I am considering is spending <$100 on a book blog tour, just to splash the cover around.
Any questions, comments, etc. are welcome. I'll try to keep this thread updated with my progress.
My release date is August 1, 2013. Wish me luck! (And if you're interested in reviewing an e-ARC, PM me.)