A Self Publisher''''s Journal Published by Hawse Pipe Ministries doc

A Self Publisher's Journal
Published by Hawse Pipe Ministries
Copyright © 2012 by Regina Tittel
Cover Design by Regina Tittel
Smashwords Edition
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Also by Regina Tittel
Abandoned Hearts
Abandoned Hearts Study Guide
Unexpected Kiss
Love for Lenore
Coveted Bride
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Chapter One: Preparing Your Manuscript
Chapter Two: Publishing
Chapter Three: Blogging
Chapter Four: Marketing
Chapter Five: Information Sheets
Chapter Six: Preparing For Your Audience
Chapter Seven: Left-Over Helpful Hints
Welcome
Following, I'll share with you what I've been sharing on
my blog, my experience at self-publishing. You'll soon
notice, I'm quick to the point. Although my advice moves
quickly, if you take your time and apply what I'm
teaching, you'll reap big rewards. But before we begin,

take a look at your manuscript and see how it compares
to other books of that genre. Determine what makes it
stand out from all the rest.
CHAPTER ONE
Preparing Your Manuscript
How Do I Know If My Book Is Ready For Print
First and foremost, what are your fellow critique
partners saying? If you don't have any, odds are you
aren't ready. Join a critique group like, American
Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW). Listen well to what
people say about your work. Does it fit with today's
standards and rules? With ACFW, they even have an
archives section where you can learn for free with your
membership. ($50 for the first year, $40 after that.)
When you feel your book is ready, be patient, it's not
yet. Your next step is to enter it in a few contests. Study
what they judge on and make sure your ms (manuscript)
meets their expected standards.
Once the contests results are returned, listen to what
they've said. Where do you rank and why? Then ask
yourself if your ms is ready.
Here are the results of my efforts.
When I thought my ms was close to being ready, I
googled writing contests to see what was available. I
chose carefully. The more well known the contests, such
as ACFW's Genesis, I knew the less likely I'd be to final.
Simply because I was a new author and the book I was
entering was my very first ms.
I chose the four contests I entered, based on who the
final judge was. Is the person an agent I would be

interested in having represent me or an editor from a
publishing house I'm pursuing? The first contest
coordinator was kind enough to inform me I had been the
third finalist until a discrepancy in the judging of another
contestant called for a re-judging, which booted me to
fourth place. Not bad for a first try.
My second produced little results but my third and fourth
were very productive. With my third, not only did I final,
but my full ms made it to an editor's desk at Bethany
House, a publishing house you can't get in without an
agent. They did turn me down, but hey, my first ms had
done fairly well, so my optimism was still running high.
My fourth and final contest attempt for Abandoned
Hearts, landed me exactly where I intended, the desk of
Melissa Endlich at Love Inspired, Steeple Hill. Although I
hadn't finaled, my score was high enough to earn me
Honorable Mention where they forwarded my submission
to the final judging editor.
Ms. Endlich told me that although my story was what
their readers would like, my writing needed to be
strengthened. Fair enough. Even my critique partners
had mentioned my writing had improved with each new
book I wrote. (note: I did revise Abandoned Hearts and
strengthen the writing before publication.)
I hope my experience has given you a better idea of what
to expect out of contests and their benefits. And of
course, a clearer understanding of how to judge if your
book is ready for publication. Not to leave you wondering
how they judge, I'll include what the judges look at.
Opening

1. Is the opening fresh and unique and grab your
interest to make you want to read more?
2. Can you tell who the hero and heroine will be
from the opening scene?
3. Does it open with a hook?
Pacing
1. Does each scene promote and advance the plot
progression?
2. Is the transaction between scenes smooth?
3. Does the action flow smooth and naturally?
Point of View
1. Is the point of view clearly defined?
2. Are the transitions clear and effective between
different point of views?
Setting
1. Is there a clear sense of setting and time?
2. Are the world-building elements presented in a
believable way?
Characterization
1. Does the paint a clear description of the hero and
heroine's motives, traits, flaws and strengths?
2. Do main characters interact in a way that helps
build a conflict or a romance?
3. Are there internal and external conflicts that
move the plot forward?
Dialog
1. Does the dialog fit each character and flow
naturally?
2. Is there an effective mix of tags, action and
stand-alone dialog?

3. Does the dialog fit the time period?
The judges will also score on style and mechanics. Which
means, does your ms stand out from the crowd and how
is your grammar and punctuation?
Show vs Tell
I'm sure most of you are familiar with the phrase, show
v/s tell. I believe that's true in more than just writing. I
learn more easily if I can be shown by example. Tell me
what you want me to do then show me. Following is some
helpful advice I received from Jennette Green, author of
Her Reluctant Bodyguard (awesome book, by the way. I
highly recommend it.)
She's recommending changes for an earlier version of
Abandoned Hearts:
"First of all, some of the wording and phrasing of the
sentences are stiff, and words are used that people
wouldn’t normally use in everyday conversations.
Sometimes, as a result, it feels as though I’m wading
through the words, and it also feels like things are being
told to me, as a reader. I’d rather have them shown . . .
the clichéd “show vs. tell.”
1. What is the purpose for each scene?
What does the character want? How will she/he get or
fail to gain her goal? How will she try harder to gain it?
What is the goal/problem at the end of the scene, which
leads into the next scene(s)?
2. It is not necessary to detail every little thing that the
characters do, as it slows down the narrative. Such as
“She turned on the faucet and filled the glass…”
3. As mentioned above, some of the sentence phrasing

feels stiff and unnatural. More relaxed word choices
would flow better. A few examples.
“…floor to unrelenting” could change “unrelenting” to
“hard”
“He hadn’t changed his clothes…” (then goes on to
describe how they’re the same clothes he’d changed into
earlier) Instead, could say, “He wore the same clothes
that…”
“Ann peered down the hall to reassure herself no one
was there…” Perhaps could change to: “Ann peered down
the hall to make sure no one was there…”
Hopefully this will help those of you who battle the
whole show v/s tell issue and also the ill-fated habit of
over detailing, which causes your reader to skim. And as
writers, we don't want that!
Weasel Words
What are weasel words? They're the little bugs that hook
onto your manuscript and turn away the eyes of editors
and agents faster than you can ask 'why?'
Here are a few examples in use:
She wondered who left the gate unlatched and decided
to see if the culprit was still inside.
Why is using 'she wondered' wrong? If I'm in her head (her
point of view, also known as pov), I won't be thinking to
myself in third person. ex. "I'm wondering who left that
open?" No. I'd instead say to myself, "Who left that open?"
So by using, 'she wondered' you're taking the reader out
of your character's deep pov. (Not a good thing.)
Why is using 'decided to' wrong? Same reason. I don't say
to myself, "I'm going to decide to find out." No. Instead I

say, "I'm going to find out."
Here's a rewritten sentence of the original example:
Who left the gate unlatched? She squeezed through the
small opening between the gate and fence, careful of its
squeaky hinges, intent on finding out.
Notice I didn't simply say she was going to find out. I took
the opportunity to describe what the character could see
and hear. By eliminating weasel words it opens up more
opportunity for descriptive writing. A small space
allowed her to squeeze through. Rusty hinges threatened
to give her away. Did you get a different visual this time?
Was. Was is one of those words we think we need to use
all the time but really shouldn't. It can make for passive
writing. My advice to you is to use your 'find' button and
highlight all of the underlined weasel words I mentioned.
Get rid of the two phrases that include wondered and
decided. And severely downsize your use of was. Once
you see it highlighted and begin working with how you
can tweak the sentence to omit it, your new style of
writing will come easier and easier. Oft times, the
sentence can be changed into a question.
I'd also recommend searching in google for a list of
weasel words. Then 'find' them in your ms and improve
your writing even further.
Developing Your Characters
When you start a story, a good thing to begin with is a
list of character attributes. This list can help you develop
other aspects of their personalities as you write your
story. Also, it's a good list to keep handy as you read
other novels so you can jot down other descriptions to

further broaden your own talent.
Following is a list to begin with:
HEAD: Shaped as a heart, square jaw, long, or round
HAIR: Long, receding, brittle, wiry, silky, tight bun,
military cut
EYES: almond shaped, squinty, green, stormy
NOSE: hooked, sloped, broad
LIPS: wide, full, thin, crooked grin
NECK: long, short
SHOULDERS: wide, narrow, stooped, broad
CHEST: barreled, developed
WAIST: taunt stomach, narrow, ample
HANDS: slender, delicate, rough, manicured, white band
in replace of a ring
HIPS: ample, narrow
LEGS: stocky, spindly
FEET: dainty, pigeon-toed
JEWELRY:
CLOTHING:
CHARACTERISTICS: constant sniffing, twirl hair, limp
Name a personal feature that bothers them.
What feature are they the most proud of?
Do long sleeves cover someone's tattoos?
Why do they wear their hair a certain way?
What Inspires Me
As a writer, anything and everything can be inspiring.
From lending an ear to a distressed friend, to hearing a
heart-warming tale about a dog signally help for his
master. Though I don't copy word for word, or action for
action from any of the things that inspire me, I do allow

them to take form in my mind and turn into another
scenario altogether.
For years I had a habit of lying awake at night redirecting
the events of a movie I had just watched. I may have
enjoyed it immensely, but I had this habit of 'redoing' it
despite how well planned it had been. It's so great to
now see how God is using my strange habits!
For a suspenseful element in the upcoming sequel,
Coveted Bride, I walked past a window in our home and
noticed the hammock at the edge of the yard bordering
the forest. A thought passed my mind, what if someone
had been in it? Oooh, that would've been scary. So that's
what I had happen to Lindsey. Of course, when she steps
back to double check, no one's there, just an empty
hammock swinging in the still, summer heat.
Recently, I had an unsettling encounter with a milk snake
. . . in my home! That episode is going in Cherished
Stranger!
But what about other events - when someone shares
something with you and it inspires you, but you can't
exactly write about it? I chew on it, so to speak. A death
of a loved one, or the crumbling of a marriage, or even a
sickness, can be blended to become its own story.
Allow yourself to be inspired. Take some neighborhood
talk, sprinkle in a tale from your youth, and add a bit of
news, that's what I did with Abandoned Hearts.
Information for Writers
I found a great site for names. http://
www.babynology.com. It's completely free and you can
even go by country. Plus, it will give you the meaning of

the name which really helps round out your character.
Try it, you won't be disappointed
Also, it is worth getting your books into print. I use
Create Space but am also looking into Lightning Source.
From there, I made a free website through
www.etsy.com. Check mine out at
www.reginatittel.etsy.com to see what they look like.
They're not fancy, but they're already designed to sell
from using paypal. They have easy to follow instructions
and you can even link it up with your business facebook
account.
Pilcrow-the life-saving tool for your e-version
manuscript
When preparing your manuscript for publication, begin
by locating the pilcrow on your tool bar. It looks like a
backwards P. This allows you to see the extra spacing you
didn't mean to add by way of extra dots. By removing
these extra spaces, your document will upload more
successfully into the formats offered by e-publishers.
Understanding How to Use an Interior Template for
Your Book
I told you I'd tell more about how to prepare your book
for print. Well, here it is. I'm going to take you through
the steps I used for Create Space. I first entered the title
and number of pages. Then, I selected a formatted
interior template. Open it and you'll see the need for a
few pages before the title page for your partial segment
that you may want to add like in Love Inspired novels.
(They show a page from the book that's like a hook.)
To get this, click on the page and in your tool bar find

INSERT and insert a page break.
That's how you add more pages to an area. Now on
chapter three, their template doesn't delete the header
like it should. To amend this, at the end of your chapter
two, go to your tool bar and and under 'page layout' you'll
find 'Breaks,' choose 'section break.'
Now because I forget things quickly if I'm not writing
them down as I'm doing them, you may have to play with
section break and page break to figure out which one is
really needed for your situation. But I do know they
really helped me to control the headers and even page
numbers. Because at the end of your chapters, you may
need different pages like I did. One for an order form,
another to advertise another author's books, etc. So
again, I found I had to figure out how to remove the
header. I think I settled for allowing the page numbers
on some of these sheets, I couldn't work around it. But in
looking at the book, Love Letters, I realized they had the
same thing going on, so mine must've not been too
wrong.
I'm sure there was more information to share with you,
but at the moment, that's all I can think of. If you have
any questions, please feel free to ask in the comments
section.
Shifting Chapter Headings
If you get the proof of your book back and notice the
chapter headings start at different levels on your pages,
then check the font of your peplum. Sound weird? It is.
Upon late night searching of my ms, I noticed the font of
that backward 'p' changed from TIMES NEW ROMAN-22, to

MYRIAD PRO-14. Once I manually changed all of them to
match, wa-lah!, everything worked like a charm.
This is what I did. I highlighted on the peplum at the
beginning of the chapter and changed the font style and
size. Then I deleted the extra peplum that wouldn't
highlight. (The one right before the chapter heading.)
Then I entered another peplum and my pages all
matched.
Also, sometimes I had to click on a peplum and go to my
toolbar to 'remove line after spacing.'
How I Made My Own Book cover
What do you think? I'm excited with how this turned out.
If you peer close enough to this small picture, you can
see a vehicle leaving and a man standing to the side,
looking defeated.
My husband posed for this picture and we worked with it
on the old version of Windows. ('93, I think)
Download your picture into HP Photo and Imaging. Click
on 'Annotate.' A bar will drop down, click 'text.' A box
will appear. Type in your text and click 'okay.'
Now, if you right click on that box, you can change font
and add a background color. If you want more text in the
same box but with a different font. Simply create a
second text box on top of the first but don't choose a
background color, stick with 'transparent.' This will allow
the first text to be seen, as well as the second.
The way I got the yellow to appear around the brown was
with more text boxes. I just deleted the use of words but
chose a color.
How To Make a Book Cover Using Photoshop Adobe

To capture the effects on my cover, I opened the picture
in Photoshop adobe. Under special effects in the panel
on the right, I clicked on photo effects then text panel. A
filmy box appeared on my photo from which I resized to
create the long, narrow borders above and below my
title box. I also used the same method for the title box.
But for the narrow bars, I picked up the color in the
hero's work uniform and by selecting paint bucket,
changed the color to what you see.
By clicking on text, I was able to select the font I wanted
to use. For the title, I used Lucinda Calligraphy, and I
believe I used Cambria for the series. My name is in
Kunstler Script
On the back panel, the boxed information you see is
made from one smaller text box overlapping the other.
With something like this, you sometimes have to merge
layers before your text will show up. I recommend saving
each step in its own file. That way, if there's ever a
problem and you have to go back in and make changes,
you won't have to start from scratch. (By the way, 'merge
layers' is at the top in your tool bar under, layers.)
If you're using Create Space, I recommend using their
templates. You'll be directed how to do this as you add a
new book. It's easy to use, once you fill in how many
pages your book is and what size you want it to be, the
program will select the proper size template you need. It
will look like a white book cover with an inset of dotted
lines. You don't want your text outside of these dotted
lines as that's where they cut. Once you download it,
open it in Photoshop and you're well on your way.

Now that you've learned how to prepare your manuscript,
learn how to prepare your platform.
CHAPTER TWO
Publishing
Do You Have to Have a Publisher to be Successful?
Some of you may be asking yourself the same thing. It is
recommended that you have a publisher if you want to
crack open the doors to libraries, as your book can't
obtain a library number without one. (Get Library of
Congress Number: )
Also, in order to be reviewed by some select literary
reviewers, you have to have more to show than your
name as the publisher.
So how hard is it to become a publisher? Not hard at all.
First, you may want to contact your local county
courthouse to see if you need a license to operate a
company from your home. Our county charges $25 a
year. Secondly, register your company's name with your
state. It's about that easy.
Did I form my own publishing company? No. First of all, I
do have a name chosen. Eventually, I may create my own
company. But two factors kept me from doing so now.
First, I'm a tightwad. I want to prove the easiest way to
self-publish that I can. In order to start my company, I
would need to buy rights to the photo I've chosen to
represent it. That would cost $50. Not much, you say?
Well, it all adds up when I also want to order enough
books to sell and distribute locally. Secondly, if I spread
myself any more thin, one of two things will happen. I'll
never have time to finish the Ozark Durham Series,

or . . . my children won't be schooled properly. (I
homeschool.) I say I'd spread myself thin because I don't
desire to do anything half-way. If I start my own
company, I'll probably want to build on it, add other
authors, yada, yada, yada.
So you decide what's best for you. Victorine Lieske
helped me decide. I'm pretty sure she doesn't have a
publisher name with her book and if she can sell that
many without it, we can too.
Detours to the Publishing World
As most writers have experienced, the road to
publication is often closed to no through traffic. But
there are detours to that sought-after destination.
Although self-publishing has often been regarded as the
last resort and least respected, that opinion is quickly
changing. Even many well-known, traditionally pubbed
authors are turning to self-publishing. Why? Their reasons
range from controlling their rights to financial freedom.
Author, Grace Kone, turned to self-publishing to revive
out of print books. She still uses traditional and e-
publishing, but for reasons further explained on her blog,
she uses
this steadily increasing, new opportunity to her
advantage.
There are also successful, unknown authors who hit pay-
dirt with self-publishing. Victorine Leiske is one such
author. She made $30,000 with her first novel in only a
year's time. Another success story involves, Amanda
Hocking. You can read more about her story at,
www.usatoday.com/2011/03/25/books/amandahocking.s

ells.
Other self-pubbed authors to learn about are, Michael
Wallace, H.P. Mallory, Joe Konrath, and Dean Wesley
Smith.
With stories such as these, it's enough to make anyone
think twice about a traditional publisher. I know it did
for me, hence my self-published knowledge that I'm
about to share with you.
The Effort of Self Pubbing
I think there's a lot of work involved either way you go,
whether one chooses to self-pub or sign with a publisher.
But, I am learning that self-pubbing isn't as easy as 1,2,3.
Maybe 1,2,4. Because as soon as I accomplish a step, it
seems I look back and realize I'm not done. There are
still pilcrows to check, automatic changes to undo, the
list could go on.
However, there are enough free sites available, I don't
know why one would need to buy a book on how to do it.
Take Smashwords for example. They offer a free guide
that walks you through their formatting guide, step by
step. After that, you have a polished manuscript that you
can easily change to meet other publisher standards. And
Kindle recommends MobiPocket, another free download.
Still, there's CreateSpace that offers a free service to put
your book in print. They have templates available for
those of us who don't have an idea of what we're
supposed to do.
CHAPTER THREE
Blogging
Getting Your Blog Noticed

Now I'm no great blogger, anyone paying attention to the
dates of my posts will agree to that. However, I have
learned a few things since starting. Such as the use of
stats. In stats, it tells how many viewers you've had for
each post. Take a look at which posts drew the most
attention, which posts drew the second most attention.
What was the main subject matter of each? If you want
more attention on your blog, perhaps those are the
subjects you should concentrate on.
Following is a list of helpful advice I learned online.
1) Tag your post, keywords improve search engine
ranking.
2) Post when your readers are most likely to be online.
(weekends v/s weekdays)
3) Encourage comments. Your import helps the blogger.
4) Leave comments on blogs you visit that make yourself
known.
5) At the end of the link, add a "related posts thumbnail"
plug in.
6) Make sure you choose to have Google automatically
pinged when creating your free blog site.
The Benefit of Becoming a Blog Follower
Why should you sign up to follow a blog? If you're aspiring
to be known, it gets your name out. Whether you want to
be known as an author, a dancer, or a bear tamer,
leaving a trail of interest is the way to do it. And it's
been said you should start early, before your book is in
print.
Consider Victorine Lieske. She started out as simply a
mom who wrote a book, then became a self-pubbed NY

Times Best Seller. How'd she do it, by blogging not only
on her sites but others. She joined forums and
commented, commented, commented. All the while,
leaving an imprint of how she wanted to be known.
Whenever I visit a blog now, I try to never leave without
commenting on something. I want to leave a trail back to
my book, my blog, whatever it is I want to be noticed
about.
But don't waste your time where it won't count. I write
inspirational fiction. I'm not going to go to a sci-fy blog to
leave a trail. It wouldn't be productive - obviously.
CHAPTER FOUR
Marketing
Marketing, Step One
Let me share my milestones as I turn them over on my
walk through self-pubbing.
One of the first things a writer should do after finishing a
manuscript is write a press release. If you research
romantic novel press releases, you'll see some examples
online.
You prepare this to prepare for your next step, which is