Today on ARCBookblog we have Rohvannyn Shaw, who aside from having an awesome-sounding name is the author of 7 books, with more to come. She is here to tell us a little about herself and her latest release – Self-Publishing Made Easy
First, a little about Rohvannyn
Rohvannyn Shaw has been an avid reader for all but two years of her life.
Raised by two writers, a love of literacy permeated her childhood. With this background, it was inevitable that she would eventually turn her hand to the family trade.
Apart from paying the bills by working in a call center, she is also an artist and illustrator, and happily soaks up the Arizona heat with her partner.
She is currently owned by a fluffy calico.
Her art can be seen at http://www.rohvannynshaw.com.
Join her on her blog: http://mind-flight.org.
Released less than a fortnight ago is Self-Publishing Made Easy, the title seems self-explanatory by here is a bit about the book in case you need some help in deciding whether to buy it.
Self-Publishing Made Easy
Tips for Self Publishing
Here are some hard-won lessons I’ve learned and want to share with you. They will make your life much easier! Some of these points are also mentioned elsewhere in this book, but are included here for emphasis and convenience.
Price your e-book fairly low. Remember that you don’t have to do any work at all when you sell one.
Be aware of current costs of books and don’t price too much below or above the going rate. Above the normal and people won’t pay, below and they’ll say “what’s wrong with it?”
Use a beta reader. The more eyes, the better. You will ALWAYS find something that needs fixing.
Listen to your editor. Whether you agree or disagree, think about it and really consider the advice. Feedback is a gift.
When formatting, use full justification when you write. If the print lines up nicely on both sides of the page, it will give a cleaner, neater look.
When submitting your work, pay attention to the final size of the page and pick a font size that will be readable. Also, pick a font that is easy on the eyes, such as Times New Roman.
A common size for books is six inches by nine, though smaller is fine too. When setting up your pages, pick the size in the beginning so you don’t have to make a lot of changes later.
Use good word processing software so you can make your work look its best, such as Libre Office. That’s free to anyone with an internet connection.
If you are designing your own cover, avoid clutter and make sure you use an image that is high enough resolution to look good in printing. The company you are working with will tell you the minimum resolution required for images, but it’s commonly 300 dots per inch. Lower resolution is fine for eBook covers, because they will only be seen on screens.
Don’t forget to leave room for the barcode and ISBN on the back of your book, if you design that space in, it will look much more finished.
Write what you love, write what you know, and never ever write something you don’t know about without expert help. That is, talk it over with someone who knows the subject and then listen to what they have to say!
If you write what you don’t know, research, research, research. Use a checklist to make sure you don’t forget any details.
In writing, as in life, if you fail to plan, you plan to fail.
And finally, don’t pay for any services unless you know exactly what you are getting!
You can purchase the book at Amazon, iBooks, and all other good ebook retailers.
Alex R Carver 