Ready to Publish - Copyright Detail

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I have published fourteen full length novels to date. That is a lot of words. It is also a seriously good story, but I digress. Someone asked me recently to explain what I mean by 'details' exactly when I refer to publishing. So I will try to list the process for adding the 'details' to books to make a manuscript story an actual book. I apologize for never having written how to write a book. I think other better qualified people should try answering that one because I can only tell you how I do it, and I am sure that it is not the proper way. (Also, I am not really sure exactly how I write the stories. I simply write. That is hard for many to grasp so I will stick to what I can reveal easily.)

When I write I have a process to polish my story that I have spoken about in other blogs. Here, I want to focus on what happens after I think the story is 'done'. What happens to get the book ready to publish? The way I decided what needed to happen was rather simple. I had a story, but that was not a book. (Trying to publish a book on Amazon and getting to the need to upload a cover made me realize that my story was missing things a book would have. LOL) That was when I went and found a few paperbacks and hardback books to look at. I was not reading them. I was analyzing how they were put together and comparing what I found in them with what I had in a digital form on my computer.

Adding the Copyright Page!

You can see from the originally published cover on The Council that I did not have it quite right to begin with. But I was getting somewhere. When you open the pages of a book there is more to it than just the story. While these things may at first seem superfluous fluff, they add to the reader experience and authenticate the book as worth while.
One of the first things you will find in almost any book is the Copyright Page. You might not read the copyright page, but if it was not there, you might wonder what was missing. The pages you turn before you get to the main story would not 'feel' right. If you realized that the copyright was what was missing, you might even wonder if you should read the story and question both its authenticity and its quality. If the writer won't claim it, how bad is it or does it belong to the person claiming authorship?
(If you are reading this from the perspective of a beginning Indie Author, Please visit Dave Chesson's video explaining how to obtain a copyright, he details that better.)
This matters a great deal to me. Intellectual property rights are important. Draoithe is my invention. This particular dream was one I personally thought up. While it may never earn me a living by itself, it is a good story. Since I wrote it, if it is to be sold, I should be the one who gets paid for it. That is kind of the heart of the concept of capitalism.
​Now, if I choose to give it away or sell it for charity or something else, then it is mine to do so. (I honestly believe that the act of creating a thing implies all ownership rights, but if those rights are not asserted then others might choose to claim what is not theirs. Copyright acts as a safeguard against that.)

Notes to the Reader

But beyond that, it also matters that others read my story. I mean what good is an untold story? There is absolutely no escape, no entertainment of the mind, no intellectual journey in the text of an unread book. So I felt that it was also necessary to leave notes to my readers and those who supported me. This is the actual copyright page from Filth and Death.
You can see that it not only has my copyright, but it contains a dedication to the real life Frank Grimes inspiration for the main character. It also has some disclaimers about the contents and an improved reading experience if a person happened to begin the dream with this book. The first 5 books of the series really should be read in order. The rest of the books are actually good in any order, but if read in conjunction with the others it does enhance the experience. These are things that add to the reader's expectation of authentic story and honest integrity of the author. No one wants to feel misled or deceived. Providing a disclaimer of adult content/ information that might trigger emotional or mental discord are acts of kindness to readers and build the character of the author. Don't leave that out in favor of a sale. It could actually cost you in the long run.
(The knowledge here builds as the story progresses, but it does not need to progress linearly. Draoithe technically became a series saga after The Ruiri Complete which opened the door to add short reads. What is funny is that I did not realize that until I was getting ready to publish Synner and Sainte.  But as I have control of my work entirely, this was easily and quickly rectified.)

'There is even a note here about a book that has not been published as I write this blog. Precious Treasures should be launching sometime in April of 2020, but I have not got that nailed down yet. I incorporated the necessary text from that book into Filth and Death so that the book would not be missing anything, but it does tend to drag you off into wondering about Kindling and Silver. I felt it was only right to warn people. 
I have to craft this page for each one of my books. This is one of the 'details' that I add after I finish the story. But what book would be complete without it? If you write, you must decide how it reads, and if you will place notes to your readers or dedications in your books. If you read, you might skip over this part, but it is worth noting that the small details still add to the experience.

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Shameless Self Promotion!

Dread Allies Shadow King part 2 launched today! If you have started the fast paced short read miniseries, you can get your fix today and discover what happens next in Alexio and Sumeye's story. The dream is colder and darker in the Netherworld, but the imbalance of magic is just as sinister. When the demon princes of Eaglafonn ally themselves with Draoithe, Luke's influence as an alpha pack leader begins to influence that realm as well. The magic seeks the balance, and the demons respond to that demand. FREE with Kindle Unlimited! Only $.99 from Amazon.
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I hope you enjoyed this look at the behind the scenes of the dream and a small slice of my authorwalk. In other news, the merchandising took a turn for the worse. I did actually design a couple of t-shirts and a few mugs and hats, but then the technology part messed with me. I got in over my head again so it is back to the drawing board on the merchandise. I am still intent on making it a reality. Check back to find out what else about my authorwalk goes a little haywire. If you read, don't forget to be kind and review.
I have to get some work done and get back to figuring out the merchandise. 
Be Careful,
Happy Reading,
Ophelia Kee