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The Problem of Preorders

June 15, 2014 by meredithmansfield

So, it’s now possible to put a book up for pre-orders, just like the big publishers do–at least on certain sites. Smashwords has the option and through Smashwords, it can be delivered for pre-order to Barnes and Noble, Apple iBookstore, and Kobo. Amazon doesn’t have the option, at least for KDP authors, yet.

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Now, the idea of pre-orders is that you create a little buzz to get people to pre-order. Then all those sales hit on the day of the release and drive the book up in the rankings. Of course, this would work a lot better if Amazon was part of the mix. It’s the mysterious Amazon rankings that make the most difference in sales.

But then you go and try to generate that buzz, like by setting a low pre-order price. You still have to find a way to let readers know about it. Marketing of any kind is always a lot of work–especially if you’re trying to do it on a shoestring. And then . . . and then you find out all the places where you might just be able to list your book to create that buzz–well, they either want the ASIN (the id Amazon applies to all KDP books), which won’t be available until I publish it on Amazon, or, worse yet, they want the book to have some minimum number of reviews. Neither of those is going to work until after publication. But, if I go ahead and publish it on Amazon, without the pre-order buzz, then I won’t get the bump in sales.

Checkmate. Catch 22. I am still trying to find a way to untie this Gordian knot.

In the past, I’ve always buckled and just released early. I’m not going to do that this time. I’m going to keep trying to figure this out.

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Deleted Scenes and Chapters

June 11, 2014 by meredithmansfield

First, THE SHAMAN’S CURSE is now available for preorder at Barnes and Noble and Apple.

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Now, deleted scenes:

In my final revision of THE SHAMAN’S CURSE, I cut quite a lot. Whole chapters, in fact. But nothing is ever thrown away. I have all those scenes and chapters safely squirreled away.  I’ve already got plans to put several of them involving an important side character together into a story–possibly novelette or novella length. I figured out the title this morning. Maybe that’ll come out around the time I publish the second book or a little before.

Meanwhile, here’s another deleted scene. This is a bit of world building–the Festival in the coastal city of Caere–that will probably come into a later story but just wasn’t needed in this one. Vatar is the main character of TSC, a boy from the semi-nomadic plains tribe come to the city and about to be apprenticed to learn blacksmithing (after his broken arm and cracked ribs heal). Arcas is his cousin. Kiara Vatar’s little sister. She’s about eight at this point in the story (though she may have been a bit younger than that when this scene was written).

Unlike Arcas, Vatar actually resented the arrival of Caere’s great holiday, the Festival, because it meant Uncle Lanark closed down his forge for two whole days. Vatar didn’t care about any of the strange Sea Gods that the Caereans worshipped. What was the Festival to him?

Nevertheless, early on the first day of the Festival, Uncle Lanark led all of them–Pa, Mother, Kiara, and Vatar included–to the Smiths’ Guildhall to greet the grand procession of the Sea Gods through the streets of Caere. Arcas pulled Vatar and Kiara along with him a platform near the top of the wall by the gate which was reserved for apprentices and children of guild members, where they could get a good view of the show.

Arcas leaned as far out over the wall as he dared. “Here they come!”

“I can’t see anything,” Kiara complained.

Vatar boosted her up to sit on the top of the wall and kept his good hand on her waist. “Now sit quietly or I’ll pull you back down.” Kiara was just apt to try something daring, like trying to stand up or even walk along the narrow ledge if she wasn’t restrained.

In a few moments, the stately parade appeared in the street below them. The Sea Gods–all but one–were carried on jewel-studded platforms supported by blue-robed priests. The Sea Gods wore heavy robes in green or blue, heavily embroidered with seed pearls in swirling patterns. All of them looked slightly larger-than-life to Vatar, and most of them seemed to have a sort of hazy glow around them.

Arcas narrated the show for them. He pointed out Celeus, chief of the Sea Gods, at the head of the procession and recognizable by his crown of silver studded with pearls and moonstones. Behind him came Tabeus, the first smith, riding a fine grey stallion and carrying the very spear that had slain the sea dragon. There were also Calpe, patroness of Healers, Abella, the Seeress, and several others.

Vatar was distracted from the full catalog by having to keep hold of Kiara, who squirmed to get a better view as the Sea Gods stopped in front of the Smiths’ Guild to bestow their blessings and receive their tribute in return. The one Arcas had identified as Tabeus took a prominent role in the blessing of the Smiths’ Guild, Arcas said, because he was the first smith.

Kiara squirmed particularly violently and almost fell. Vatar leaned over the wall to pull her back, slipping his left arm from the sling to get a better grip. He cried out at the pain from his broken arm and sore ribs. Tabeus looked up. For a moment, Vatar froze. He felt pinned by that sharp gaze. Then Kiara slipped a little farther and Arcas reached to help Vatar pull her back to the platform.

She stood on her tip toes. “I can’t see anything from here. Put me back up.”

Vatar winced as he put his arm back in its sling. “Too bad. I warned you what would happen if you didn’t sit still.” He looked back down. “Show’s over anyway. They’re moving on down the street.”

“They’ll turn the corner and go on to the Merchant Guildhall next,” Arcas said. “We might as well go back down. There’ll be competitions for the apprentices with prizes.”

Vatar shrugged his left shoulder to indicate his broken arm. “I’m not an apprentice. Not yet, anyway. And I couldn’t compete if I was.”

“True,” Arcas said. “Well, there’s also a special feast day meal when we get home.” He grinned. “More of Mother’s sweet pies, I bet.”

Vatar grinned back. “Now that sounds good.”

 

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Formatting for Print

June 9, 2014 by meredithmansfield

Sorry for the late post. Stupid internet connection was down all day yesterday.

So, before the great internet problem, I spent most of Saturday formatting THE SHAMAN’S CURSE for CreateSpace. I’m waiting now for the file review to complete so I can order the proofs.

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Now, I’ve done books on CreateSpace before, but this time I’m trying to take the formatting up a notch. Simple stuff, really.

  1. I justified the text on both left and right margins.
  2. I inserted blank pages to force all chapters to begin on the right-hand page.

Something in that combination had an unexpected effect. Basically, what I saw in the file (on CreateSpace’s own template) wasn’t the same as what I saw in the online previewer. I had to make several changes and re-upload the file trying to make it come out the way I wanted it.

Wow. That was biting off more than I bargained for. It looks right in the previewer now. I’ll know if I was successful when I get the proof.

THE SHAMAN’S CURSE officially releases on July 7, 2014, but it’s available now for preorder on Smashwords. Coming soon to Barnes and Noble, Apple, and Kobo. The price for preorder and during the launch is $0.99. It’ll go up after that.

Meanwhile, “Becoming Lioness”, set in the same world as THE SHAMAN’S CURSE is available free everywhere and includes an excerpt of TSC.

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Blurbs

June 4, 2014 by meredithmansfield

With the cover finalized, now I have to get a decent blurb. I’m all set to upload the formatted file to Smashwords (probably*). I’ve got the print file mostly formatted. (I might tweak one or two things, yet.) The kindle file will take less than an hour.

But, next to the cover, the blurb is probably the second most important sales tool. In the past, I haven’t paid sufficient attention to this. I mean to do better. So, right now, that’s what I’m working on.

Not done yet, but this is what I’ve got so far:

Vatar risked his life to try to save his friend–and failed. Now he has an implacable enemy in the vengeful shaman, who blames Vatar for the death of his only son. As the shaman’s attempts to crush Vatar grow more dangerous, Vatar finds some comfort in daydreams. He knows the girl he sometimes imagines is just that–a dream.

But, if she’s real, then things could get even worse for Vatar. This isn’t the accepted magic acquired during the initiation into one of the clans of Vatar’s semi-nomadic plains tribe. It’s more like the magic passed down in certain, closely-guarded bloodlines among the ruling class of the coastal cities is something else entirely. Unlike their own, Vatar’s people consider the city magic evil. If the shaman ever found out, it could be the weapon he needs to destroy Vatar.

The two kinds of magic have always been completely separate. Until now.

If you want to get a sneak peek at THE SHAMAN’S CURSE, there’s an excerpt at the end of “Becoming Lioness”, which is available free everywhere.

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*I’m currently weighing the option of using KDP Select (which means going exclusively with Amazon) for the first 90 days. I haven’t decided yet.

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Cover Reveal

June 1, 2014 by meredithmansfield

I’ll probably try to work up a more widespread Cover Reveal when it’s finalized, but you get to see it first.

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This is very nearly the final cover for THE SHAMAN’S CURSE. (Just fussing with fonts at this point.)  What do you think?

I like the way the two colors suggest the two kinds of magic of the DUAL MAGICS series. I think I can work with variations of that background for the other books in the series, possibly with different foreground objects. (I’m considering a scroll for THE IGNORED PROPHECY, for example.)

I just need to finalize the cover and finish about 50 more pages of the final edits. Then I can start formatting and be ready to prepare for a (hopefully) July launch. This time, I’d like to round up a few reviews before it actually goes live.

 

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Maps

May 28, 2014 by meredithmansfield

Fantasy novels often have maps at the beginning. Sometimes, even if the map doesn’t make it into the final, published book, the author draws one out for reference as part of the world building.

I figured out how to include a map in my ebooks with THE BARD’S GIFT.

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It’s not hard. It’s just another step. But it also involves making sure that the illustration (which is what a map is, when you come right down to it) is sized correctly and actually will be readable on at least most readers. (If you’re reading on your smart phone, you’re on your own.)

But, let’s be honest. THE BARD’S GIFT is an historical fantasy. I didn’t have to start from scratch with that map.

Now, I also have a map for the world of the DUAL MAGICS series. But it’s a hand-scribbled-for-my-reference kind of map. Don’t laugh.

Dual Magics MapYeah. That one’s not going to make it into the book.

I’d kind of like to include a map, though. There is software out there, mostly written for rpg gamers, that will make more professional looking maps. There are two problems with that, though.

The first, of course, is price. I need to decide if it’s really worth it on top of the other expenses. Over the course of the whole series, it might be. Plus, I have other stories, like DREAMER’S ROSE, that also have hand-scribbled maps.

There’s also the question of whether the story really needs it. Beta readers of THE BARD’S GIFT expressed a wish for a map. Beta readers of THE SHAMAN’S CURSE never mentioned it. (Neither actually had a map when they read the stories.) So, maybe it’s not such a big deal.

The second problem is the learning curve. If I started today, it would still likely delay publication of THE SHAMAN’S CURSE just to produce something that didn’t look completely amateurish. But one of the great things about ebooks is that you can go back and upload a newer version. Some retailers, like Amazon and Smashwords, even allow customers to download newer versions for free. So, I could go back and add the map when I finally have one that I think looks good enough to publish.

Maybe I’ll have a map–and an updated version of THE SHAMAN’S CURSE–when I publish the sequel, THE IGNORED PROPHECY.

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Revising Sometimes Means Deleting

May 25, 2014 by meredithmansfield

So, this week and probably next, I’m concentrating on getting through what will hopefully be the final edits/revisions to THE SHAMAN’S CURSE. I want to get this formatted and ready to go for a July (or possibly August) launch. Having it ready early will allow me to do something in the right order for a change–actually send out advance review copies so the reviews can hit at around the time of the launch.

I’ve made good progress this week. I deleted four whole chapters. And I have my eye on two more that might very well get the axe, too. I always felt that the first third to maybe half of TSC was a bit too slow, a little too distanced from the central conflict. (I physically separate my MC from the antagonist as his first try/fail cycle, so this is at least somewhat inevitable, but that doesn’t mean things have to be drawn out.)

Some important things happen in that section. But there were a few other chapters that were establishing things for later. The thing is, despite the common advice “Show, don’t tell”, you don’t actually have to show everything. In fact, you shouldn’t. Some things can and should be told. In this case, it’s going to do more for the pacing of the story than the scenes/chapters did for set up. And I can still put in a paragraph or so to provide the necessary set up–just somewhere else.

But, the thing is, just a couple of months ago, I couldn’t see that. I needed the critiques that pointed out that some things didn’t seem to really move the story forward. And I needed the time to get enough distance from the story to see what those scenes were.

Sometimes, progress actually means deleting portions of your story, but it takes some distance from it to be able to see that. And those deleted scenes/chapters? Expect to see them during the launch.

Oh, and I think I’m finally making progress toward cover art for this series. There may be a cover reveal before too long.

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Guest Post and the Broken Trust Blog Tour

May 22, 2014 by meredithmansfield

Today, I’m hosting Robert Flores IV as part of his blog tour for his latest book BROKEN TRUST.

Time Management and the Writer

Broken Trust marks my third novel in as many years. For me, that seems to be behind schedule. But many of my author friends tell me I am fast. Especially when they consider that I put out a magazine every two months in addition to working and having a family life.

I am not the best with time management, especially if I log into Facebook or Twitter. I was supposed to write this blog post first thing when I woke up. It is now almost 12:30 and I am just getting started. First I had to start the Laundry, then my sister called, then I had to do more laundry. Then the little one wanted his lunch, and then I had to eat. Next came the emails. And now, finally I am writing this post.

The truth is, if I wrote as much as I told myself I would write then I would find myself publishing two or three novels a year. But the fact remains that writing isn’t my only obligation each day. And, even if being an author was my full time job, there is so much more that goes into being an author than just writing.

You have to set up priorities for your time. And recently I took things a step further and started a schedule for myself. It got me thinking that maybe I should share with everyone how I set priorities and plan my days.

Priority number one is my family and my kids. They are still young, and while mostly independent they still need me for some things. So, weekends and weekdays after 3pm are very hard for me to get much done with writing or editing. When all three kids are home, I just can’t get much done. So I have marked that time off for them.

Of course, I have bills to pay and writing doesn’t pay those. So I do have to work. Right now, I don’t have a regular job. But I am working a summer job and when I am working, I can’t be writing. Though you can be assured that I spend a lot of time thinking about what I will write next while I am at work.

Next, I have to pencil in time for my second job of being a writer and editor. Right now that is limited to Monday-Friday until 3pm when I am not working. Eventually, when I have a laptop again, I will be able to expand this some.

But, I have to get more specific with this time. So often I find myself working on one task, then bouncing to another task. Then back to another one. And what eventually happens is that nothing gets done. So I am going one step further.

I have two main tasks to work on when I am not working or spending family time. The first is Plasma Frequency, my bi-monthly magazine of Speculative Fiction. Now, you might assume that doesn’t take much time. But you would be assuming wrong. It takes so much time that I often get overwhelmed with it all, even with my great team helping out. I have to read a lot of short stories, edit, format, write contracts, and handle payments for authors. Not to mention getting artists and business aspects together.

Then, I need to write. I have to blog, write my novels, and keep my website up to date. But, I also need to market my writing, keep in touch on social media with my fans, and format my books for publication.

So how do I manage this? I do it with weekly schedules for myself. I break down the week into hourly chunks and put myself on the clock for the “free time” I use for my writing and editing. I go through and put myself down for Plasma Frequency, or writing. And I get more specific. This day and time will be reading submissions, this block of time for a blog post, this block of time for lunch, and this block for social time.

Do I go over, get off schedule, or just plain throw the schedule out the window? Yes. But not as often as I thought I would when I started this experiment. And, I keep the schedule fluid. Meaning that if I blog when I should have been writing my novel, I’ll write the novel during the blog time. I have to adjust the schedule for my muse. But as long as I keep it fluid, it seems to be working out for me.

Maybe I can even get a second novel out before the end of the year, but don’t hold me to that.

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About Broken Trust: Released May 29, 2014

Earth is no longer teeming with human life. After a major mass extinction event, the world is no longer able to function as it once had. Governments have collapsed and those that survived are left to figure out what is next for the human race.

Liam Fisher never wanted to be a leader. But after finding survivors, protecting them, and founding the city-state of Lagoon Hills; the people demanded he be their leader. Instead, Liam agreed to sit on a Council with four other leaders.

Together with Talya Brooks, the person who saved his life after the collapse, Liam runs the militia of Lagoon Hills. And though it was tough early on, the people of the city now live in relative comfort and safety.

But Liam is fighting his own personal demons: The loss of his wife and unborn son. Rachel, a past lover he never really got over, has suddenly arrived at the city gates. And the mounting stress of a neighboring city-state threatening war.

The people of Lagoon Hills are counting on Liam for their safety. Can he keep himself together and be the leader everyone wants him to be? Or will the people closest to him be the greatest threat of all?

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About the Author:

Richard Flores IV is the author of the science fiction novels, Dissolution of Peace, Volition Agent, and Broken Trust.  He is also the Editor-in-Chief of Plasma Frequency, a bimonthly, semi-pro magazine of speculative fiction.  He lives in Auburn, Washington with his wife and three children.  When not writing, he works a day job where he daydreams about writing.  His hobbies include reading, television, video games, blogging, and watching San Jose Sharks hockey. You can find out more about Richard, his writing, and his blog by visiting http://www.floresfactor.com.

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Cover Art

May 18, 2014 by meredithmansfield

I’m targeting early July (maybe 7/7/14) for the launch of THE SHAMAN’S CURSE.

For the stories I choose to epublish myself, for whatever reason, I do my own cover art. Most often I use images from Dreamstime, although there are other, similar sources out there. I just usually have better luck finding the kind of images I’m looking for there. And very often, I can find one perfect or nearly perfect image, like the ones I used for FIRE AND EARTH and THE BARD’S GIFT.

Fire And Earth Cover (Provisional)

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Or one that needs just a little additional tweak, like the one I used for BLOOD WILL TELL. (I had to add the dragon.)

Blood Will Tell Cover

But TSC is causing me no end of trouble. It’s not a lack of images, exactly. I have any number of them filed away in my lightbox on Dreamstime. But no one of them is quite exactly right for this story. Or, there’s one that’s pretty close to a scene from my story. If this was a stand-alone novel, I’d probably use that one. But it’s not. TSC is the first book in the DUAL MAGICS series (planned to be four books).

That’s part of the problem. I need to come up with something that will tie the covers of all four books together. Not the same image, necessarily. Though a single common element could work. Or a similar feel.

For the Chimeria series (BLOOD WILL TELL, BLOOD IS THICKER, and, eventually, BLOOD STAINS) I’m using dramatic, magical skies and the same dragon silhouettes.

I haven’t come up with any inspiration quite that simple for this series. Not that will work, anyway.

Of course, I’ve gone to amazon to look at covers of somewhat similar books (sword and sorcery, more or less–although TSC is more spear and sorcery). That’s given me some templates to try to work with. If I can just muster enough skill to make any of them work. So far, that’s also been part of the challenge.

One of the many challenges I’m wrestling with is coming up with some image or combination of images that conveys something about the story while at the same time giving sufficient clues that this is a fantasy story which will involve magic. Not, for example, a western or a historical romance. (One image, which is nearly perfect otherwise, just screams that the title should be something like “How to Tame Your Highlander”.)

I’ve got to come as close to perfection as reasonably possible. The cover is perhaps the most important part of the marketing. I’ll get there eventually.

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Wrapping Up Revisions

May 14, 2014 by meredithmansfield

Blogging a little bit late today because life got crazy yesterday–and that’s aside from the current heat wave, here. It’s been in the 90’s all week.

Right now, I’m about to wrap up the revisions on MAGIC AND POWER (or whatever title I finally decide on). Strengthening a couple of characters, mostly. There’s one section I still need to trim, but I’m probably going to have to seek some help with that. Someone else will be able to see what’s expendable than I am at this point.

It’ll soon be time to start working on the query and a dreaded synopsis for this one.

Keep your head down. Don’t draw attention. Don’t make waves. Be invisible as much as possible. Above all, don’t make yourself a target. Those are the rules seventeen-year-old Ailsa has lived by for as long as she can remember. She’s used to that. It just goes with being the daughter of the disgraced ex-king and living next to his more-than-slightly paranoid replacement.

With very few friends and no prospects of marriage, Ailsa focuses her energy on her chance to study at the Institute of Magical Arts. Her great hope is that she’ll prove to have a kind of magic that will enable her to save her homeland from the new king’s restrictive policies toward mages. But nothing is ever that simple for Ailsa. A completely unexpected proposal–from Crown Prince Savyon, no less–threatens to derail all her plans.

Political intrigue, powerful magic, and a handsome study partner with a maddening taste for placing them both at the center of attention force Ailsa to rethink her view of the world. Perhaps the answer isn’t to shrink until she fits in somebody’s pre-arranged slot after all. Maybe she can make her own place–and change the world for the better in the process.

The only question remaining is which of the young men who claim to love her is willing to help her in that battle.

GREEN MAGIC is a 96,000-word young adult fantasy romance and potentially the first of a series.

Thank you for your time.

Except, of course, it’s nearer to 97,000 words and I still have some more to add.

After that, I want to make a final pass through THE SHAMAN’S CURSE, preparing that one for this summer sometime. Then complete a first pass through the rewrite of the sequel, THE IGNORED PROPHECY. (The DUAL MAGICS series.)

And then I have plenty more things in the pipeline after that. The rewrite of DREAMER’S ROSE. First drafts of the sequel to MAGIC AND POWER and the third book in the DUAL MAGICS series (probably to be titled TROUBLED COUNSELS). And there’s still that weird Oz story hanging out on the edges, waiting for me to figure it out.

Yeah, I expect I can keep busy.

 

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