e-publishing | Meredith Mansfield, Author

Posts Tagged ‘e-publishing’

The Key

Posted in writing, tagged characters, critiques, e-publishing, fantasy, inspiration, Learning, sequels, series, writing on October 15, 2014| 2 Comments »

As I start on the revisions to THE VOICE OF PROPHECY,

I stumbled on this series of posts about character arc and suddenly the whole thing becomes clear. It gave me the key to some issues I was wrestling with. I now know what needs to be emphasized.

The linked articles outline a version of the three-act structure which actually breaks the character arc into four parts. Coincidentally, DUAL MAGICS is a four-book series and fits this structure remarkably well.

I love serendipity. Moving forward with more confidence now.

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Office Progress

Posted in writing, tagged e-publishing, fantasy, Real Life, revisions, sequels, series, writing on October 12, 2014| Leave a Comment »

I’m ready to really dive into the revisions on The Voice of Prophecy, now.

I’ve got all of the comments from my critique partners marked up in the manuscript. The beginning needs to be tightened–a lot. Maybe a little more action added in. The world building needs to be filtered in much better.

Meanwhile, I’ve made some really good progress on my new office space.

Not nearly done yet. But I predict much better productivity than in my previous cramped space.

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Cover Reveal, Revisions, and the Sale’s Still On

Posted in writing, tagged Cover Art, critiques, e-publishing, fantasy, revisions, sequels, series, world building, writing on October 8, 2014| Leave a Comment »

Want a sneak peek at the cover of THE VOICE OF PROPHECY (which used to be called THE IGNORED PROPHECY)?
Here it is.

Love that feeling of a wave about to crash (as opposed to the lightning strike on the first cover). Both are very apropos for the character’s experience in those books.

Look for a possible pre-order on Amazon as soon as I have a good handle on the needed revisions.

Meanwhile, I’m busy going through my beta readers’ comments in detail and planning the revisions to make the story even better.

Not surprisingly, some areas need to be tightened up. Some may need a little extra attention. The main thing is that I need to do a much better job of reintroducing the world, the cultures, the locations, and the people (just in case someone picks up this book first)–all while not bogging the story down for people who did read THE SHAMAN’S CURSE. Okay, that may not be as easy as I just made it sound.

Also, THE SHAMAN’S CURSE

and FIRE AND EARTH

are both on sale for only $0.99 thru the 11^th.

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Sale! Sale! Sale!

Posted in writing, tagged e-publishing, events, fantasy, marketing, series, writing on October 5, 2014| Leave a Comment »

Two of my books:

THE SHAMAN’S CURSE

And FIRE AND EARTH

are part of Clean Indie Reads Fall sale. Both are only $0.99 for the week.

Also check out all the other flinch-free fiction in the sale. So many bargains.

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Tie-In Shorts and Reviews

Posted in writing, tagged e-publishing, fantasy, Multiple Projects, reviews, Romance, sequels, series, short stories, world building, writing, Young Adult on October 1, 2014| Leave a Comment »

I’ve received (some time ago, actually) a three-star review for “Becoming Lioness”. The story is perma-free, so it’s not like this review has a major effect on sales. However, the reason “Becoming Lioness” is free is to provide an easy introduction into the world of the Dual Magics series. There will be more short stories (also, hopefully, free) in this series between releases of the novels. In fact, I’ve got one that will hopefully be ready in November and two more on deck.

The review complains of inconsistencies between “Becoming Lioness” and THE SHAMAN’S CURSE. They tell you to never respond to a review–good or bad. And they’re right. So this isn’t a response. This reader’s experience is perfectly valid and right for them. It’s just not–from my point of view–complete. But, then, you see, there are things I know about this world that readers don’t–yet.

What this reader sees as inconsistencies come from two sources, I think.

The first is just that this is a short story. In order to make that work without bogging the story down, some things are simplified. Characters who would normally be present, aren’t there because each additional character adds approximately 1,000 words. In a short story that should be in the range of 7,500 words, that comes with quite a premium. (“Becoming Lioness” is technically a novelette and closer to 11,000 words.) So this plot is narrowed down to just the two characters who matter for this story. Some of the finer points of the magic system that don’t really matter for the plot are reduced, too, for the sake of brevity.

But the main “inconsistencies” I think come from the fact that the events of “Becoming Lioness” take place in the time frame of the fourth (as-yet untitled) book in the series. So, for example, Kiara is aged 7 – 10 in THE SHAMAN’S CURSE. She’ll be several years older–about 17–by the time we get to Book 4. That alone accounts for some significant differences.

So, I hope you do enjoy “Becoming Lioness”–and “Modgud Gold” when it becomes available. If you’ve read THE SHAMAN’S CURSE, “Modgud Gold” takes place in the same time frame and focuses on what Arcas was doing while Vatar was an apprentice blacksmith.

Speaking of bargains, THE SHAMAN’S CURSE and FIRE AND EARTH will both be part of Clean Indie Reads Fall Sale from October 5^th thru the 11^th. They’ll both be $0.99.

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Transitioning

Posted in writing, tagged critiques, e-publishing, fantasy, first drafts, Multiple Projects, revisions, sequels, series, writing on September 28, 2014| Leave a Comment »

Most of the critiques of the second book in the Dual Magics series (formerly titled THE IGNORED PROPHECY, now likely THE VOICE OF PROPHECY) have come back. I have some work to do to make it ready for publication in December. So, very soon, I will have to transition back to revision mode and start work on that.

I’m trying to finish up a couple of chapters of book three (BEYOND THE PROPHECY, probably) first. The ones I already have fairly clearly in my head. Best to get them out before they fade.

Meanwhile, I’m trying to come up with a new concept for the cover art. I thought I had that all wrapped up, but the title change to emphasize a different part of the story needs to be paired with appropriate cover art. I think I’ve got a fair idea now of what I’m going to do. Unfortunately, it’ll be a bit more work than the previous concept.

Lots to do.

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Sequels Are Hard Part 2

Posted in writing, tagged e-publishing, fantasy, revisions, sequels, series, world building, writing on September 24, 2014| 6 Comments »

More Sequels Are Hard:

Partial feedback from another reader indicates that the beginning may be on the slow side. Readers who were already invested in these characters were willing to go along for the ride, but this was a new reader, unfamiliar with the first book.

I think it’s to do with the conflicts.

THE SHAMAN’S CURSE has two main, interweaving conflicts. There’s the external conflict with the shaman, which starts first and ends the story, and then there’s Vatar’s internal conflict over his magic. The external conflict is the one in the title and it’s more the sort of conflict that may be expected in this kind of book.

THE IGNORED PROPHECY has three main conflicts, but the one that starts first (and has to carry the first part of the book) is the internal one. Some very strange things happen with Vatar’s magic and the characters have to figure out why and whether or not it’s dangerous. The two more external conflicts (very closely related to each other) start a bit later in the story. I think, probably, that that internal conflict was not what that reader was expecting.

That may mean two things. One is to try to get to the external conflicts sooner. (Balancing that with also adding content to better introduce the world!) The other is to wonder whether I have the right title for this book. This one has always been THE IGNORED PROPHECY. It never even had a different working title. But maybe I need to think of a title that better describes that internal conflict so that readers get the kind of story they’re expecting. Right now it looks like possibly THE VOICE OF PROPHECY. I like THE SPIRIT’S VOICE, too, but that one might be open to the wrong interpretation. ThE PHANTOM VOICE has an outside chance.

Sigh. That’ll also mean a change to the cover art. Good thing I hadn’t finalized anything yet.

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Sequels Are Hard

Posted in writing, tagged characters, e-publishing, fantasy, revisions, sequels, series, world building, writing on September 21, 2014| Leave a Comment »

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Sequels are harder than stand alones.

My first critique on THE IGNORED PROPHECY, sequel to THE SHAMAN’S CURSE, came back a few days ago.

There are several things I need to work on, but among them are the hardest things to do in a sequel–reintroduce elements.

Among the jobs a sequel has to do is to reintroduce characters, setting (world building, in the case of fantasy or science fiction), and any events in the earlier book(s) that will be important to the plot in this book. Ideally, this has to be done in a way that isn’t boring to a reader who has recently read the previous book, but still be enough to orient a reader who starts the series in the middle or one who doesn’t clearly remember the previous book because of elapsed time. All while keeping this plot moving at the correct pace. This is one reason why I like to have a few beta readers who did read the previous book and a few who didn’t.

Apparently, I did at least a decent job of introducing my cast of characters. (Although a chart of the complex familial relationships like this might not hurt.)

Vatar’s Family 2

(I’ve got to figure out a way to change that into a graphic.) But I didn’t do as good a job of reintroducing the world, particularly the various cultures and how they relate–or don’t–to each other.

Now, figuring out how I can work that in without slowing down the beginning too much–that’s the next challenge.

I also have a theory that middle books in series are harder, too. Especially in fantasy. In the first book, the reader gets all the fun of discovering this new world and its magic. In the last, they get the big explosion of the series finale. It’s really hard to make the middle as interesting as either one of those.

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My Brain During a Heat Wave

Posted in writing, tagged e-publishing, fantasy, first drafts, Multiple Projects, Reading, Real Life, revisions, sequels, series, writing on September 17, 2014| Leave a Comment »

I now know exactly what happens in the next several chapters of BEYOND THE PROPHECY–and I’m still not making much progress. It’s not editor brain (at least, I don’t think it is). It’s my brain during a heat wave.

I don’t know how many of you have read Terry Pratchett. (If you haven’t, you should.) A subseries in his Disc World series deals with the Night Watch, which (after the advent of Carrot, anyway) includes not just humans, but dwarves, a werewolf, and a mountain troll. I don’t remember the troll’s name off the top of my head, but I do remember this little plot point.

The troll was big, strong, and intimidating to the bad guys. He was also dumber than dirt–until one night he got locked in an ice house. Then he was brilliant. So one of the dwarves built him a hat that would keep his head cool so that he could be smart all the time.

I need someone to invent that hat in this world. The kind of concentration it takes to write a first draft simply eludes me right now.

Maybe my efforts would be better directed to a little revision for the duration. They say this heat wave will end soon–but we all know how much we can trust weathermen. I’ve gotten the first critique back on THE IGNORED PROPHECY and it looks like I may have a lot of work to do on that. Sequels are hard. More on that in my next post.

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Kindle Select and Other Things

Posted in writing, tagged e-publishing, fantasy, first drafts, Learning, marketing, Real Life, sequels, series, writing on September 14, 2014| Leave a Comment »

So, I’ve taken the step. THE SHAMAN’S CURSE is now exclusively on Amazon and enrolled in Kindle Select.

If you’re not a writer, what this means for you is that it’s now available for borrowing by Amazon Prime members and available free to members of Kindle Unlimited.

Normally, I like to make my books available in as many different places and as many different formats as possible. However, for whatever reason (and some of it baffles me), TSC has sold approximately 1000 times better on Amazon than everywhere else combined. (My normal distribution is more like 60% Amazon, 40% everywhere else.) So, if I was ever going to try Kindle Select, this seemed like the one to do it with.

Kindle Select offers several advantages:

Higher royalty rates in some markets
Kindle Countdown Deals and Free Days
Inclusion in the Kindle Lending Library
And, most important right now, Kindle Unlimited

It’s only been a few days, but I have to say that so far the experiment has been a success. Sales have held fairly steady (maybe just a tiny drop) and the addition of “borrows” either through KOLL or KU has really helped bump TSC back up the Amazon best-seller charts.

Meantime, I’ve been trying to survive work during a vicious heat wave which is only going to get worse. I’m a crossing guard by day (which leaves me plenty of time to write), so I stand out on a corner wearing a uniform that is not what I would choose for this weather (black polyester pants!), and walk almost constantly taking children and parents safely across a street that can get really crazy at times. There is no shade to speak of on my corner. A heat wave right at the beginning of the school year, before I get a chance to get re-accustomed to the routine, is rough going, but I still do really love the job–and the hours.

Also, I’m still working on my new writing space. This weekend, it’s been about turning a closet into a book case (more or less). Here’s yesterday’s progress:

Those lower shelves that are crammed full–those are all fantasy books. And that’s not all of them. Science fiction is up on the right and history books (yeah, I’m a history nerd) are on the left.

For those of you who are wondering, the second book in the DUAL MAGICS series, THE IGNORED PROPHECY is on schedule for release in December. And I’m progressing, slowly, on the third book, currently titled BEYOND THE PROPHECY.

I do want to share this terrific post by Sarah Negovetich on what to do to still be productive, even when the writing isn’t flowing.

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