Smashwords

If you are a self-published author, chances are you've heard of Smashwords. If you haven't, it's a website that will distribute your self-published novel(s) to both well known (Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Amazon, Apple) and lesser known (txtr, Oyster, Scribd) distribution channels. If you're thinking, wow, that sounds amazing. Why isn't everybody using Smashwords?, chances are you have not heard of Smashword's dreaded "Meatgrinder".

Because each distribution channel requires a different format (of course it does, life would be too simple if they each took the same format), the Meatgrinder essentially takes your word document and, if it is properly formatted (download, READ, and FOLLOW The Smashwords Style Guide or the Meatgrinder will hate you), it will format your ebook into at least seven different formats. How amazing is that!

If you're like me, and you have become addicted to your (somewhat) real-time reports on Amazon, don't fret! You can opt-in or out of any distribution channel you want. Because I am already set up with Amazon, I simply opted-out and let Smashwords distribute my ebook to the other channels. Also, I had to take my books out of KDP Select before I could publish there, otherwise I would be violating the terms. I'm not sure yet if it is worth it to remove my books from KDP, but I am the type of person who likes to experiment before making up my mind. Your book is instantly up on Smashwords (unless you want to make your book available for pre-order), but it takes days or weeks for your books to become available on the different channels and this is AFTER your word document survives the Meatgrinder.  I would love to post about how I personally survived the Meatgrinder, but I would essentially be rewriting the style guide. I will, however, post a few things that I did to take my formatted Kindle document and convert it to a Meatgrinder-happy version.

• The first thing I did was take my kindle-formatted .doc version of my book and I saved it under a different name. Do not forget this step!! Because I had already formatted my document for Kindle, some of the same formatting applied, but not everything. If you do not have a Kindle version, read and follow every step in the SW formatting guide.
• I removed ALL the formatting. You might be able to get by without this, but I wanted to somewhat start from scratch to be on the safe side. The SW style guide recommends keeping things simple. Don't select those fancy fonts or formatting, stick to Times New Roman, and simple is always better. After I removed the formatting I had to reset my indentations (remember to NEVER, EVER use tabs).
•  For my Kindle version, I had to insert page breaks for each new page, but for Smashwords, I had to do this differently (check the formatting guide). Because I have a Mac, I may have done this a little differently. I went into my paragraph formatting, selected "line and page breaks", and selected "keep with next" and "page break before".  After I did this, I had to make sure my table of contents hyperlinks still worked. Some of my bookmarks were no longer in the right place, so I had to move these.
• Speaking of bookmarks, the Meatgrinder did no like my bookmark for my table of contents. For my chapters, I labeled them c1, c2, c3... and my table of contents was labeled TOC. I ended up getting an error and I had to go back and relabel this ref_TOC. The Meatgrinder likes this "ref_" right before this bookmark for some reason and when I read the formatting guide, my eyes drifted right over this instruction.
• Lastly, Smashwords wants you to add two things to your title page and copyright information. 
• The first is adding "Smashwords Edition" or "Published by ___ at Smashwords"
• Also, copy and paste the license notice from the formatting guide.

This is basically what I did to convert my manuscript to make it Meatgrinder-happy. One thing I did afterwards was download an .epub version of my book (from Smashwords after I had uploaded it) and previewed this on Calibre because I don't have a Nook and I wanted to see what it would look like. It takes time and patience, but you will get there if you decide to take the plunge. Good luck, and you are always welcome to leave a comment or email me (jmjohnsonbooks@gmail.com) if you need help from someone who has been through the Meatgrinder and lived to tell the tale.

And the Winner is...

Cheyanne from the Philippines!! Nearly 1,400 people entered to win a paperback copy of The Runner and Cheyanne is the winner. Congratulations!
I am very excited to send The Runner on its overseas voyage. Bon Voyage!

Another Giveaway!

I am running another giveaway. You too can own your very own copy of my totally awesome book with a super awesome cover (thank you The Book Cover Machine) scribbled with my lame signature.

Enter to win your copy of The Runner here.

New World Island is Here!!

New World Island, the second book in the Avi Bloom series is available for purchase. I'll be leaving it at $0.99 for a few weeks so pick up your copy here.

It may have been a while since you read The Runner, so let's take a look at some of the main characters:

Avi - Retired runner, kickass heroine. She's trying to find her father and save the world at the same time.

Veronica - She's small and feisty. After Avi saved her from the biker gang, she's a true friend who is eager to learn how to defend herself.

Ziggy - The handsome hero who is always trying to save a damsel in distress. It's too bad Avi is a woman who feels she doesn't need saving.

The image of my character, Ziggy, was modeled after the artist Trevor Hall. He has an amazing singing voice and his music is both beautiful and inspiring. I tried to find a video for one of my favorite songs of his that truly hits a theme in my series, but I couldn't find a good one. If you get a chance, look up the song "Proof of Destruction". Amazing!

Troy - Not your typical hero. Troy is the tech savvy creator of his own virtual fighting game. He has managed to keep some technology alive in a world where most technology has been extinguished.

Grab your copy and let the adventure continue!

Writer's Recipe #1

I love writing. My favorite part about writing is when you get so carried away by your story that it feels as if it starts to write itself. There's a magic that takes place when you're in the groove and hours pass in the blink of an eye. When I'm in this groove I try to let it happen without interruption because tomorrow I could just as easily be staring at a blank page, forcing out words that don't want to come. In either case, when I'm on a writing streak I will eat anything that will fill my stomach quickly so that I can get back to writing. This could be a can of soup, a jar of peanuts, and the other day I had to convince my brain that it was not a good idea to eat a bag of potato chips. Because I know that my writer's stomach will ingest anything that is convenient, why not prepare something quick and nutritious so that when your stomach snaps you from your writer's groove you can be kind to your body.
Today's recipe has no name because it is a conglomeration of things I already had in the pantry (because I'm too busy writing to go to the store). This recipe takes some preparations so I made this in advance so that I can simply pop a bowl in the microwave as needed. It is inexpensive and packed with nutrition.

Ingredients

• Veggies (leafy greens are best)
• Brown Rice (don't choose white or instant rice, they don't pack the same nutritious punch)
• Protein
• Flavor

Simple right? I intentionally kept this vague so that you can modify according to taste and what you have available.

The first ingredient is veggies. One of the few things that almost all nutritionists will agree on is that leafy greens are awesome. Stick to ones that are dark green in color like spinach, collard greens, kale, and chard. I like to stick these in a pan with olive oil and garlic and steam them down for this recipe. Sometimes I add tomatoes for the last few minutes of cooking. Yesterday, I had some leftover steamed brussel sprouts so I cut these up.

The next ingredient is brown rice. Like I mentioned above, make sure it is brown rice. I usually make a vat of this at the beginning of the week because it takes a while to cook and it reheats easily. This can also be substituted for any whole grain you enjoy eating.

Protein is next. I'm not a vegetarian, but I do try to limit the amount of animal protein I eat to no more than once a day. For this unnamed dish, I like to use beans. They are cheap and healthy and when prepared properly their reputation is not as bad as the songs and rhymes say they are. Make sure you soak them overnight!! If you soak your beans and eat them regularly, your body can better digest them and you won't have the embarrassing side effects.  I also like to use lentils. Lentils don't need to be soaked and they don't have a bad reputation.

Flavor. Don't forget this ingredient or you will not have a pleasant vat of lunch. I like to add chicken bullion to my bean water so that the whole things tastes like chicken soup. Sometimes I just go crazy with my spice cabinet and invent my own flavors. You can make it taste like chili by adding chili powder or curry depending on your mood. This meal is so bland on its own that you can make it taste like anything you enjoy eating and when you're in your writer's frenzy, you may not be able to notice the difference.

This is my vat for the week. I have a reheat button on my microwave so all I have to do is scoop out a glob, press the button, and eat. My mind can stay on my writing and my body thanks me for choosing this instead of the bag of potato chips for lunch. Breakfast is usually a green smoothie, but I'll save that recipe for another time. Now, back to writing...

Goodreads Giveway Results

Goodreads is a great place for readers and writers to connect with each other. Last month I decided to try one of their giveaways for my novel Rubicon. I followed the recommendations posted by goodreads to give away a minimum of 10 paperback copies and run the giveaway for a month. Also, I only allowed people from the US and Canada to enter. 1082 people entered my giveaway, 500 people added  Rubicon to their to-read shelf, and 10 people won a paperback copy of my book.

Congratulations!
--Victoria from Texas
--Angela from California
--Martine from Massachusetts
--Jennifer from South Carolina
--JG from Ontario
--Melissa from Missouri
--Lia from Tennessee
--Morgan from Nevada
--Stephy from Vermont
--Melissa from California
The books have been mailed and they should be received next week.

So, what did I learn from this experience? This was probably the first promotional experience I've had that made me feel like a real author. I enjoyed writing out thank you cards and signing each of my books (sorry readers for my terrible handwriting and my signature that looks like someone scribbled inside your beautiful books). If I had to do it all over again I would do the giveaway for only one copy of my book, but allow anyone from the globe to enter. I recently read this blog post and she offers some very good advice after doing multiple giveaways.

Under the Microscope

The same week my first self-published novel is being sent out to Publisher's Weekly to be judged by the pro's, my twenty-five page thesis for my Master's degree is being sent off to the review committee to decide whether or not I've earned my degree. It has been very hard to focus on anything outside of these events, but if ever there was an excuse to lose focus, I think I have a good one.

I'm not too worried about my thesis. Academic writing is a lot like math. If you can show your work by having enough examples to back up your case, you've proven your point. It doesn't matter if the review committee likes Virginia Woolf and it doesn't matter if they're having a bad day. As long as my thesis can take them from point A to point B smoothly, I've passed. 

Creative writing is another world altogether. It's personal. It's personal for the writer and it is personal for the reader. I can write about anything I want to write. I write about things that I would personally love to read about, but there is no way to guarantee that another living soul would enjoy my story. If I've learned anything from my experience as a quarter-finalist in ABNA [see this post here if you would like to read more about this competition] it is that it all comes down to another person's opinion. I'll assume we've all heard the saying about opinions and a certain part of the human anatomy, and continue by saying that we can't take other people's opinions so personally. There's a quote I love by Epictetus (Greek philosopher AD 55 - AD 135) If evil be spoken of you and it be true, correct yourself, if it be a lie, laugh at it. I love this quote and it is so relevant to self-publishing.  

The ABNA excerpts are live on Amazon. If you do a search for "ABNA 2014" it will pull up all of the excerpts. The Runner link is here and you're more than welcome to download and review my excerpt. Amazon published the vine reviewer comments on the strongest aspect of the excerpt. I'm glad they did this, because I hope it will help to keep things positive. I'll post my full vine reviews below (there are two). I may be the only entrant in history to have such similar opinions on the strengths and weaknesses of my excerpt. Also, I was very fortunate to have two reviewers who had a lot to say. I believe each vine reviewer gets a minimum of 40 excerpts to review in a short period of time and I felt as if my reviews weren't rushed at all, but that they took their time and they both gave me such excellent feedback.

ABNA Expert Reviewer

What is the strongest aspect of this excerpt?

I found the concept of The Runner intriguing. The home village of Avi, designed by her father was a fresh and innovative concept that I found admirable. Rome was the culmination of the bringing together the ideals of a history professor (“if we don’t learn from history we’re doomed to repeat it”) plus the security measures of arms experts and finally the off-the-grid thinking of the Amish. I’m anxious for the novel to move the setting into her town so I can learn more of the actual hardware that has been derived from the melding of these three sectors. I’ve already called to mind the mantra of Frank Lloyd Wright’s “Form and function should be one, joined in a spiritual union."

What aspect needs the most work?

Although the idea was wonderful I found the writing to be a little awkward and not as free flowing as I’d like. On a 1 to 10 scale of comfortable fluid movement of descriptive writing I’d probably give this a 6. This should be an easy fix for any author when they develop a little more maturity in the field. Also, the beginning was jarring. Boom! Avi found the children. I think some additional background and tension build up may have made for more effective start.

What is your overall opinion of this excerpt?

For the most part I liked this excerpt a lot. I was grabbed more by the Global Warming, Off-switch, Rome concept and by Avi as a runner. I think the writing lacks maturity but that can be fixed with rewrites and time. The story line translates into advantageous visuals to bring the reader into the time and place. All in all, I can see this being reworked into a sought out book for the young reader.

ABNA Expert Reviewer

What is the strongest aspect of this excerpt?

The strongest aspect of this excerpt is the terrific premise. At some point in the future, the world has reached a tipping point in global warming and the grid has been shut down. What was once known as modern society has been essentially replaced with a war-like agrarian socity. The narrator of this novel, Avi, is what is known as a runner. Each family in this new society must provide a runner--runners are messengers who travel (or run) between the various villages. Avi is almost at the end of her term as a runner and she starts seeing things that really disturb her. While this piece takes elements from the Hunger Games, it is not derivative. Nicely done!

What aspect needs the most work?

This excerpt is very strong, but I think the one aspect that could use some work is that the writing can be tightened a bit. There are a few instances where it seems the writing is a bit self-conscious and doesn't flow as well as it could. For instance, the part where Avi describes herself physically seems a little odd and out of place in the narrative.

What is your overall opinion of this excerpt?

Overall, I think this is a very strong excerpt. The story of Avi, the runner, is very interesting and compelling. The dystopian backstory is very creative. The writing is fairly strong (although, as noted above, it could use some tightening). Avi's voice is empathetic and consistent throughout. The excerpt is paced very well and it is an interesting read. I look forward to reading the rest of the novel.