Ready to Publish - Book Makings

#indieauthors #writerslife #amwritingromance #RomanceReaders #paranormalromance

The details involved in getting a book ready to publish may not seem like much, but they do matter. We discussed the importance of copyright in the previous blog, but today, I wanted to touch on some of the other details included in books that readers expect even if they do not consciously realize they expect it. I have alluded to the laughable fact that when I thought I was ready to publish my first book, I was shocked to find that my book was in fact missing some rather essential elements. Namely a cover. Laugh. It's funny. I am still laughing about that. I had a story, but I was not ready to publish. Admittedly I may be the extreme example, but it definitely does illustrate the point.
So the list of things to add to a story to make it a book include a cover (See my blog on branding to know how and why I think that is important) and a copyright along with the obvious edited manuscript.

Footers

​Aside from the obvious things, there are also a few other things that I feel are necessary in a book. I include these in every full length novel even if I know that some of it will not appear in the ebook format. The first detail is the subscript with pagination. I prefer a book to feel like a book. I also want my book's pages to remind the reader of my author name. It helps with the 7/11 rule (see blogs about marketing) and makes it easier for a reader to choose another of my stories if they like them in the future. Also pagination is rather important. It is nice to read and know where you are in that process. Ereaders keep your place, but page numbers are still the rule in paperback or hardback.  In this example from A Pack Forms, you can see the title of the book the page number and my name. It's easy to set a doc file up to auto fill this in the footer. But it makes for a much more professional appearance and a better finished product. 

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The First and Last pages

Other things that are important are The First Pages: the table of contents, a title page, and art pages. These were once end pages in a hardback book. In the realm of ebooks, this art might be illustrative of some aspect of the story like a story map or a family tree etc... Don't forget to add your table of contents, especially in a longer work with many scenes. Readers like to see that the book is broken down into parts. It adds to the idea that the story is well defined.
I also add a list of other books available from my library. It is a bit of monetization, but it also allows the reader to see that I do have other works. Personally, I will not buy a short series until it is completely published. I know I am not the only one. I also will not buy into a longer series if several books are not already available to aid me in getting my fix. (Hello, my name is Ophelia, and I am an addict. No, I am not seeking rehabilitation. Thanks but no thanks. I will die a bookworm. I am good with that.)
With the Last Pages at the end of each book, I also include my about the author page with links to all my social media, and all my contacts along with a link to the next book in the series. If a reader has time and wants to continue reading. I do not want the end of a book to be the reason they have to stop. Links make it easier for readers to leave comments or ask questions, and also allows the experience to continue uninterrupted. That is the beautiful part about worldbuilding. When a world is crafted well, it remains in the reader's mind for a long time even when they finish a good book. It is nice to be able to expand the way the dream feels by offering other ways to experience it such as the videos on Youtube and Facebook.

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I hope you enjoyed my trip through The Details. My authorwalk has been fantastic fun. I have learned a lot about how to publish and market my books. It continues to be a grand adventure. I truly appreciate the support I have received from all of you who have enjoyed my books. It has been an amazing experience. I have a bit of sad news though. I will have to give up the full time authorwalk soon. Real life is pulling me out of the dream. Bills must get paid. While I love to write and publish my stories, I have never lied about the fact that they do not make enough money for me to remain free of the professional world yet. So once again I find that I will need to embrace a day job and put my love of books on the back burner.
I have made enormous progress since October of last year. But knowing that it will likely be several more years before I can get back to a full time journey into writing, I have made the decision to focus on getting my backlist of books published before I must step out of the dream. That will allow me the freedom to focus more of my attention on writing new stories and maybe doing a bit of part time marketing.
I will be abandoning the idea of pre orders when the Dread Allies miniseries finishes as it is too complicated to set and meet the deadlines. I am also going to try to speed up the process on a few more of my completed novels and add all the details to be able to publish the next four full length novels over the next few weeks. Cross your fingers.
The Eyrie Iolair short read miniseries will likely be published in its entirety within the next two months as well. If you are not following me on Amazon or have not subscribed to opheliakee.com, now would be a good time to do that. That way, you do not have to miss it when one of my books comes out. I won't have as much time to announce everything soon. So I will need to rely on a weekly blog, Amazon, and perhaps a Saturday only kind of promotion. 
I have to get busy. If you read, be kind and leave your review.
Be Careful!
Happy reading,
​Ophelia Kee

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