Tips to help self publishers

Ever have to put up with a back seat driver. I did recently. It has always been routine that when I go with my husband, he does the driving. When he was sick recently, he let me drive. The doctor's office is a block off Main Street. I turned my signal on to go down Main Street as he always did. He says no go straight ahead and turn at the next block. I say nothing. A few weeks later, he is well enough to drive and he turns down Main Street. I didn't speak until after he turned, then I said you turned a block too soon. He said I wanted to see what was happening on Main Street. I reminded him I wanted to do that when I drove and he thought I shouldn't. Same thing happened when we have a choice of two routes out of town. Most of the time, we come in one end of town and go out the other when he is driving. First time I tried that he tells me I shouldn't have went home that way. Next time, he drove that is the way he drove home.

Where am I going with my parable? Simple. For years I have written stories that were considered good by those who read them. Publishers weren't interested in a no name novice with a out of the main stream book. So I decided last year to publish all fifteen of my books and sell them on www.amazon.com For me this is the way to go. I just intended to publish one. I got so excited when I saw that book, I had to publish all of them. Would I get excited if a publisher said to me we can sell more copies faster if you let us? Sure I would, but I also would get told to change a scene because it didn't work for a city editor that doesn't know a hoot about country life. That same editor might catch more of my editing mistakes, but so far no more mistakes than I have made, I feel as good as most authors in that regard. I read books all the time and especially books written for mass media sales have editing errors. Maybe just three or four, but I find them. Readers of my books tell me that is the sort of thing they read over and never notice if the book is good. They aren't reading to check out the writing like I am. They want to be entertain and that's exactly what my books do. They are suspenseful, romantic, humorous and human interest. So if you have been struggling with trying self publishing give one book a try and see what happens. Have friends or an editor you can afford to pay let someone edit the book if that makes you feel better. Don't think you can afford the self publishing bill, try www.CreateSpace like I did. For the price of a proof, you are published. You can order one to a multitude when ever you are ready. Add a retail price to the book and you are in business. Gotta go.
booksbyfay
Fay Risner
Keystone, Iowa
www.booksbyfay.tripod.com to see my bio and descriptions of books. I have a wide range of genre.
booksbyfay@yahoo if you want to buy any of my books

Civil War in the Ozarks

It's getting time for the Civil War reenactors to think about getting into battlefields. Here's a new story line that might interest them or any Civil War buff. Ella Mayfield was a strong willed, independent woman. She was the oldest of the Mayfield children. The family was homesteading in Vernon County Missouri when the war started. They feared the Jawhawkers in Kansas, but those men hadn't gotten down as far as Montevallo yet. The Mayfield men joined the Confederate army, but worried so much about the women and children at home, they didn't reenlist, choosing to become Bushwhackers. Now they had to worry about Iowa soldiers at Ft. Scott Kansas. No one in the band could compare to Ella for daring and narrow escapes. The book is both fiction and fact. Life was a struggle in Ozarks just like anywhere else in the south. Battles and skirmishes are taken from the 1887 Vernon County History book that is written twenty years after the war when the sting of hardship is still fresh with people in the area. Sold on Amazon ISBN 1438235461

It's almost fifty degrees outside. We are basking in spring here already. Gotta go. I'm reading off some of my short stories to give to a blind woman. She likes my writing.

booksbyfay

Fay Risner

www.booksbyfay.tripod.com

www.blogger/booksbyfay

www.twitter/booksbyfay

booksbyfay@yahoo to order any of my books that you see on amazon

www.ebay for "Christmas Traditions" Amish Love Story

www.bookorphanage for signed copy of my mystery "Neighbor Watchers"

www.camppope for "Ella Mayfield's Pawpaw Militia"

Lemstone Christian Bookstore in Cedar Rapids, Iowa for my two Alzheimer's books "Open A Window" and "Hello Alzheimer's Good Bye Dad"

Burrrrrr

It's a lovely sunny day outside my window. Not too windy, quiet and still. That's as far as my admiration goes after I found out the weatherman said it was only 10 above. That's about how cold it was yesterday too only with a 30 mile an wind to make a wind chill. I hope this is the last gasp of winter. I saw two flocks of geese Monday morning going north. The last couple of days I've wondered if they are confused. I sure hope they know what they're doing. Haven't seen a robin yet, but my mother in law tells me a whole flock of them landed in her yard the other day. She had never seen so many at once. When it warms up the robins will venture out in the country. I've been working on a Alzheimer's speech for the two Health Classed at Benton Community High School in Van Horne, Iowa for the 25th. Now I have a book signing set up at Anamosa Library in Anamosa, Iowa for June 7. It will be good to get back to talking about my books. Non fiction "Open A Window" ISBN 1438244991 and sold on Amazon - a training book used in that health class and "Hello Alzheimer's Good Bye Dad" about my father - ISBN 1438278276 sold on Amazon.

The "Open A Window" cover is white so the outline of the book doesn't show but that's the front you see.

Well since it's cold outside, I intend to hurry out to see about my babies and get back inside quick. I can write a book today. Gotta Go

booksbyfay

Fay Risner

Keystone, Iowa

www.booksbyfay.tripod.com

booksbyfay@yahoo to buy any of my signed books from me

www.bookorphanage.com for my mystery "Neighbor Watcher"

www.camppope for my civil war book "Ella Mayfield's Pawpaw Militia"

Lemstone Christian Bookstore Cedar Rapids, Iowa for the two books shown above on Alzheimers.

Author's Day Event

This gloomy moisture laden morning has started out great. I just received an invitation to the Anamosa, Iowa library to be a part of their author's day. I along with a few other area authors will be able to speak and sell our books on June 7, 2009 at 2 p.m. Sounds like fun. How did a library 50 or 60 miles away from me find out I'm an author. Someone at the library was planning this day since last year to get enough authors to make it worthwhile. That someone read the press release I put in the book section of the Cedar Rapids, Iowa Gazette when I self published "Neighbor Watchers." The press release was free so getting the publicity out does pay off. Must get busy writing. Gotta go
booksbyfay
Fay Risner
Keystone, Iowa
www.booksbyfay.tripod.com
www.twitter/booksbyfay
www.blogger/booksbyfay
www.bookorphanage for my mystery "Neighbor Watchers"
www.camppope for my civil war book "Ella Mayfield's Pawpaw Militia" Takes place in Vernon Co. Missouri
Lemstone Christian Bookstore for my two books on Alzheimer's "Open A Window" and "Hello Alzheimer's Good Bye Dad"

Give a good review

Another beautiful day in the neighborhood. I was up early this morning, went for a haircut and checked the new babies in the barn.
Found on my email a good response to my Amish love story, "Christmas Traditions". I find it a thrill that people want to buy my books and an even bigger thrill when they respond back after they read the books to let me know that they liked the book and what they liked about it.
Keeps me knowing I'm on the right track, I have readers out there that like the type of books I write and it's a boost to my ego. So my advice is if you want to help further an author's career, ready books by new authors and if they have a website email let them know how much you liked their book.
My good problem is that most readers of my books tell me they would like me to write a sequel to which ever book they read. I'd love to do that and when I run out of ideas I just might get to it, but even with as much time as I have, it's not easy to whip up a book fast enough to please everyone.
The one I just finished I wrote in five weeks. That is a record when it usually took me a year with working at a job. Now I know that book can use some improvements, but I entered it in a contest. By the middle of March, I will know if I am in the first cut. If not I have an editor I want to query. If that doesn't pan out, I can self publish and have buyers waiting for the book. Title is "A Promise Is A Promise". It's an Amish story. I'm finding there are lots of readers that like Amish stories because of the simple life style. So if they like this book, I am thinking about making it a series. Gotta go. Need to get out another chapter on my memoir and enjoy the spring weather. I saw two flocks of geese going over this morning headed north. Love those geese for telling spring is near. Planted a container of tomato and pepper seeds yesterday so with any luck the plants will be ready by the time my husband has the garden tilled.
Booksbyfay
Fay Risner
Keystone, Ia
www.booksbyfay.tripod.com
booksbyfay@yahoo
www.twitter/booksbyfay
www.blogger'booksbyfay
www.bushwhacker museum to buy my civil war book
www.camppope to buy my civil war book
www.bookorphanage to buy my mystery book
Lemstone Christian Bookstore to buy my books on Alzheimer's disease

It feels like Spring

One of the nicest days yet for this year is going on outside my window so I need to be out there enjoying it. Now I have twin lambs and twin goats and expect more babies any time so keeps me busy checking to see the mothers to be are all right.
I took a couple hours last night to work on a new book. Saved the first hour I am grateful to say and the next hour was for nothing. Tried to copy and paste a picture. What I got was scribble for several pages. Message said I could not delete any of it so I had to close down without saving to get rid of it. Not the best use of my time, but I will learn from that and go on to get this book done one day.
Update - finally got a set of my 15 books to the buyer after three tries. UPS got the box to her in 24 hours and the postal service has tried from Jan. 2 until now and failed. I have a complaint lodged with the postal service. I don't want to quit mailing with the postal service as I explained in my email. I just want an inspection done of the area that loses mail. Doubt anyone will pay attention to me, but I don't mind trying to correct a situation like this.
Best get some writing done on that book. Gotta go.
Booksbyfay
Fay Risner
Keystone, Ia
www.booksbyfay.tripod.com
www.blogger/booksbyfay
booksbyfay@yahoo.com
www.bookorphanage.com for my mystery book "Neighbor Watchers"
www.bushwhackermuseum for my Civil War book "Ella Mayfield's Pawpaw Militia"
www.camppope for my Civil War book "Ella Mayfield's Pawpaw Militia"
Lemstone Christian Bookstore for my Alzheimer's books "Open A Window" and "Hello Alzheimer's Good Bye Dad"
ebay for my amish fiction romance book "Christmas Traditions"

Waited too long

I started a task that I should have been doing all along for ten years two days ago and still have several days left to work on this off and on since it brought on a writing project. I must confess to being a saver like my mother. I found things she had saved like documents for when my father was let go from the airplane plant as soon as world war 2 was over. The draft paper that said Dad should appear at the draft office. When they found out Dad repaired airplanes to be sent back to war as well as made new ones, they told him they needed him right where he was so he didn't have to go to the army. So I save every family event - wedding, birth, birthday and holiday gathering I took pictures. But instead of putting them in the scrap book as I went, around 1999 I started throwing the mementos in an old laundry basket. Determined now that I am retired to get done things I let go over the years I made scrap booking my task Saturday, thinking I could do it in one day. Of course, I was fooling myself. In the process I took the dozen picture books out of the closet and looked through them and that brought back memories. Made me remember my mother's oldest scrapbook that she loved to show us and reminisce about her younger days with friends and family. So now I'm scanning a bunch of the black and white pictures to use in a book about me with a look from my view about family. May be a while before I get all the pictures back in the scrapbooks and plus I am now reinforcing some of the books pages that had torn out. I'm glad I picked winter to work on this project. I piled each year out on the floor and then put the year in sequence when I put the pictures, cards and napkins in the book. So many pictures and cards came from people I worked with at the nursing home over the years, I placed them separately and have enough for a scrapbook of them. So there's another project.
So do you have a book in your life. Go get those pictures of your parents and grandparents and yours and look at them. So got to get back t0 the pictures. Bye
booksbyfay
Fay Risner
Keystone, Ia
www.booksbyfay.tripod.com
booksbyfay@yahoo
www.blogger/booksbyfay
www.twitter/booksbyfay
www.amazon.com to buy my books
www.bookorphanage to buy my mystery book "Neighbor Watchers"
www.camppope to buy my civil war book "Ella Mayfield and the Pawpaw Militia"
Lemstone Christian Bookstore Cedar Rapids, Ia for "Open A Window" and "Hello Alzheimer's Good Bye Dad" Books about Alzheimer's
Otherwise try my email and buy from me. I have fifteen to pick from.