Sunday, October 9, 2011

No More Lies


Smashwords bookcover

I did it!!!
I self-published a book.

I am so pleased the final product looks good. To start I printed their Formatting Guide, read it once to highlight the important items, practiced on a draft file.

When I was convinced I finally understood the requirements, and I had my favorite picture transformed into a bookcover--no small job here-- I tackled the real file after making a copy. Did I say that every few minutes I called my DH for help?

The first time I uploaded on Smashwords, it told me something was wrong. I had to go back and fix it, and re-upload. Then a friend told me I had an extra word in the blurb. Again fix and re-upload.

Then the bookcover I spent so much time preparing was too small, although I used the dimensions they gave me. So I had to buy a bigger picture and start all over modifying and preparing the picture. Then they said I had to ask for an ISBN and assign a price. Don't forget to add the corresponding tags that will attract readers. Finally my reborn book was up on Smashwords to stay. Now they need to check it before putting it in their catalog.



Amazon Kindle bookcover
 Then came the Amazon Kindle hassle. Formatting was a little different. Also the bookcover didn't work because it has white border and blends in the white background of the page. So I had to figure how to frame it in a different color. Later I discovered the bookcover that goes on the site is of a different size than the one that goes with the book file. Again more work. It's supposed to appear on the site tomorrow or in a few days.

To be honest, it was an interesting education and an eye-opener. Now I understand why it takes so much time to our publishers to get the books published, if they have to go through all that work for every book!

I still have to see if it's worth it or not. I personally wouldn't hesitate to buy a book at $0.99, especially one that was an EPIC award finalist, but you never know.

This book received fantastic reviews and contests awards in its previous life. I still haven't decided whether to add them or not.
CONTESTS: First Place: Central Ohio Ignite the Flame Contest. Second Place: Heart of Denver, The Molly Contest. Third Place: FTHRW Golden Gateway.

Night Owl Romance ~ Top Pick
[Prescription for Trust] [NO MORE LIES] was a fantastic read. I enjoyed the slow relationship between Olivia and Luc and how he was so caring toward Melissa and Olivia’s family. The plot was also very well thought out and the pacing on target. The wonderful healing that took place in this book also made it a very sweet read.

Got Romance! ~ 4.5 Diamonds
Mona Risk writes a charming story. Keeping the reader entertained with the twists and turns in the plot. With great characters like Luc and Olivia the reader will enjoy the world that she has built. Luc is a wonderful Hero with a great sense of fairness and loyalty and Olivia is an intelligent and wonderful heroine. The secondary characters like Olivia’s mother and daughter are just as pleasant. The emotional ride that these characters take is a hard one but worth it.

The Long And The Short Reviews~.4.5 Books. Nominated for Best Book of The Week.
[Prescription for Trust] [NO MORE LIES], is full of emotion, suspense, intrigue, good intentions and determination, depending on which character POV you are looking from. Mona Risk’s writing sweeps you into the story from the first page, and keeps you turning the pages. When you have read this one, I’m sure you’ll add the next three to your wish list.

Readers Favorite~ 5 Hearts 2010 Best Contemporary Romance.
This is the first book of the Doctors Orders Series by Mona Risk. If the rest of the books in this string is of this caliber, MS Risk will find herself with a very successful series on her hands.

Happy Ever After~ By "Kris M. McConville" (Scotia) - Beautiful love story about second chances, April 14, 2011

Mona Risk writes a beautiful love story about second chances and being afraid to take a leap of faith. Fans of Mona Risk will not be disappointed with her latest book, [Prescription of Trust] [NO MORE LIES]. It is a fast paced book that you just can't put down until the end.
  Will Olivia give Luc and herself a chance at happiness or will she slam the door in Luc's face once again in order to protect Melissa? Will Olivia trust Luc enough to help her face her demons and tell Melissa the truth?
  It is a wonderfully written book about true love and the rarity of second chances. I would prescribe that anyone wanting a lighthearted fast-paced love story should read this book.

I'll let you know in a few months if I prefer Self-pub at $0.99/ ebook or a conventional publisher at $6.99/ebook.

If you like to travel and love to read, come and enjoy my international romances. I will take you around the world through stories that simmer with emotion and sizzle with passion.

26 comments:

Terry Spear said...

Yeah, Mona, for spreading your wings! I LOVE the cover! It's terrific!

Have fun with your journey!!

Barbara Monajem said...

Good luck with it, Mona! I love the cover, too. :)

Jill James said...

Mona, beautiful cover. Wishing you mega-sales with your Indie endeavor.

Mona Risk said...

Hi Terry, your approval gives me confidence. I don't know what to expect or how much to expect.

Mona Risk said...

Hi Barbara, I like my bookcover a lot too. I'm so glad people like it.

Mona Risk said...

Hi Jill, it was a challenge to format and upload. I' m wondering: What's next? Wishing you too megasales.

Sheila Tenold said...

Great job, Mona. And bravo for diving into self-publishing. I like second chance stories. I'll be downloading NO MORE LIES soon.

Mona Risk said...

Sheila, let me know when you are able to download it. Five people dowloaded it yesterday, but I can't find it on Smashwords. Imagine. don't know how to do that, of all the stupid things.

Sarah Tokeley said...

Congratulations. I hope you get great results from all your hard work.

Paisley Kirkpatrick said...

You go, Mona. I am so proud of you for figuring everything out and most definitely will add your story to my Kindle collection. I am a bit scared to give it a try myself as I have no idea how any of this stuff works and my hubby has no computer skills. BUT, I am not a quitter so we shall see.

Good luck with a lot of sales.

Mona Risk said...

Thank you Sarah. From your mouth to God's ear.

Mona Risk said...

Paisley, when you are ready to format let me know and I'll help you. It's not difficult now that I understand the jargon. Just a matter of following their instructions.

Mary Marvella said...

Mona, uploading my 2 books to Smashwords and Amazon had me saying words I didn't realize I knew. The good thing is that we did it! I put one on B&N but haven't the guts to do the other one there yet.

Maggie Toussaint said...

Your covers look wonderful Mona. I'm going to ask you to select the image for my next book as the one you picked is so engaging! I absolutely love it! I know you'll do well with these indie books.
Cheers! Maggie
http://mudpiesandmagnolias.blogspot.com/

Madeline Smyth said...

Mona,

Best wishes for much success!

Regards, Madeline
http://madelinesmyth.blogspot.com

Stephanie Burkhart said...

Mona,
I'm very excited for you, but gosh, it sounds like you have to pay attention to even the smallest detail. Reminds me of html coding. LOL!! I'm very exctied for you. The reviews for the book is awesome. Looks like another story for my TBR pile. hehe. Congrats on self-pubbing. I know it wasn't easy.

Smiles
Steph

Unknown said...

Mona, I am so proud of you. The cover is beautiful and the story sounds wonderful!!!

The Last Witness will be out within a few weeks. I actually had someone do it for me because I didn't want to take the time away from my writing. A smart move on one hand, more time than I expected on the other. The end result will be rewarding, and it will be for you too. Good luck!

Mona Risk said...

Yes Mary we did it. Your example and Jill James' encouraged me a lot to take that leap of faith. Now I keep saying what have I got to lose? If readers don't buy books that are award finalists and have excellent reviews, at $0.99, I don't know what they are going to buy?

Mona Risk said...

Maggie-- I'll be honored to help you look for the right pictures or help you do a bookcover. My DH has a fantastic program and he taught me how to do it.

Mona Risk said...

Thank you Madeline. I hope it sells well.

Mona Risk said...

Thank you Steph. The whole trick in self-publishing is to follow instructions--really follow every word of it.

Mona Risk said...

Thank you Carolyn and congratulations on The Last Witness. Is that the story you pitched at RWA the last time I say you? It sounded fantastic.

Gabriella Hewitt said...

Mona, thanks for this post. You pointed out a lot that I had no idea about. I'm planning to self publish my first title in December. Your post certainly gives me some tips on what to watch out for. Like you I am very curious to see how this experiment goes.

Best of luck!

Mona Risk said...

Gabriella, for it. You got nothing to lose.

Josie said...

Mona,
I'm so excited for you. You did it! I love the cover. It's very classy.

Dawn Marie Hamilron said...

Good for you, Mona. Your cover looks great so the effort was worth it. Good luck!