Year: 2012

YA Indie Carnival

YA Indie Carnival: Importance of the Wolf Pack

At the circus, everyone looks forward to the big show. It takes many folks to pull it off; from the ring master right down to the guy who cleans the elephant stalls.

Writing is like a circus.

The end product, a novel, is the big show that keeps everyone entertained. It takes many folks to get to that point; from the author right down to the guy who cleans up the grammar.

OK, I have to admit, I fail the test a little when it comes to assembling the wolf pack–that group of essentials to make a novel work, like proofers, editors, beta readers, cover designers, marketers, etc. I’m a bit of a lone wolf. (My New Year’s resolution was actually to become less of a control freak.) I design my own covers. However, I do so only because Continue reading “YA Indie Carnival: Importance of the Wolf Pack” →

YA Indie Carnival

YA Indie Carnival: Do You Audiobook?

I don’t.

My books aren’t published as audiobooks and I don’t listen to audiobooks. Well, not usually, when I got my first kindle I tended to use the text-to-speech function quite a bit, but that’s the closest I’ve come.

Don’t get me wrong, I am intrigued by them. In college, I co-hosted a weekly radio show on campus and I also read the news and operated the soundboard at an AM station on the weekends. I’ve thought through the technique of it many times. If I wanted to record my books as audiobooks, how would I do it?

But it’s not as simple as recording.

For an indie writer, recording the audiobook can be difficult, but it’s not the most complicated part of the process–we’ll get to that later.

First, one must decide if the piece will be author-read or if professional talent will be used. If going the pro route, consider the speaker AND the audience. Keep the gender and age of the voice talent in line with the POV of the story. Keep your ego in check. You may think that as the author, your voice would be best (after all, who knows the work better than you), but I urge you to think about the listener’s experience. If you have no previous experience in voice work; perhaps it’s best to leave that to the pros.

After recording, it doesn’t get easier. Distribution seems to be the project killer. It’s tough to get the right formats, and even then, getting your work listed in top stores like iTunes and Amazon can be a Herculean task. So, your next question is – Do I want to make money? Blunt, but necessary.

If the answer is no, consider podiobooks.com or a similar service. With podio, the author can record the book in pieces (aka serials) with nothing more than a good microphone and a laptop (although you sacrifice quality). Audiobooks on Podiobooks.com are free. Also, Smashwords will list your podiobook on the ebook’s page.

If the answer is yes, than you need to tackle the giant – Audible. Audible supplies audiobooks for the big guys like iTunes and Amazon. Don’t go to audible.com. You won’t find any info there. Go to www.acx.com. It stands for Audiobook Creation Exchange. ACX is to Audible as KDP is to Amazon (roughly). This is the site you must use to get on Audible, unless you go through a production service like openbookaudio.com.

Even on ACX, you can “audition” talent and search for a producer or submit your self-recorded files. Keep in mind that if you use pro talent and production (on ACX or another way), you must be willing to pay for it. A few weeks ago, I got a basic quote from one of the indie-friendly production shops, and for my 250-page novel, Of Sun & Moon, I was quoted $2,575 for talent and production of iTunes-ready files.

ACX does appear to offer tons of free marketing resources, and as I write this, it touts 90% royalties. So, you’ll have to do the math for yourself. Do you audiobook?

Share your audiobook experiences and see what these authors have to contribute on the subject…

1. Laura A. H. Elliott 2. Bryna Butler, author Midnight Guardian series
3. Melissa Pearl
 4. T. R. Graves, Author of The Warrior Series
5. Suzy Turner, author of The Raven Saga 6. K. C. Blake, author of Vampires Rule and Crushed
Guest Posts

Are You Coming to LM’s Party?

LM Preston has released her newest novel, The Pack-Retribution and she’s asked me to join in the excitement. Hope you’ve been following my recent posts about some cool YA authors. That’s all part of the excitement that I’m talking about. And there’s more this weekend…

TWITTER PARTY: Friday, 9/28 at 7pm-9pm EST, use the hashtag #ThePackRetributionParty and @LM_Preston prizes include $10 Amazon Gift cards for 3 winners & books, swag prizes – my (Bryna’s) handle is @mogdocnews

FACEBOOK PARTY on Saturday 9/29 – http://www.facebook.com/events/337549946331607/

Spotlight Authors, trivia games, food, itunes gift cards, list of freebie party favors, interactive chatting, singing, dancing, nonstop games, music, prizes and free stuff!! Author segments each hour that are themed and more giveaways!!!

Prize list:

– itunes gift cards
– free books of course 😀
– Swag galore from multiple authors and so much more

11am – LM Preston Opens Party
12pm – KaSonndra Leigh
1pm – Nicole Olea
2pm – LM Preston
3pm – Emma Michaels
4pm – Nicole Langdan (Tribute-Books)
5pm – Nicole Langdan (Tribute-Books)
6pm – Nagede
7pm – Lindsey Sablowski
8pm – Bryna Butler
9pm – Christina Leigh Pritchard
10pm – LM Preston Closing Party

BIG GIVEAWAY – Go here to Enter: http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/bc05447/
Check out LM Preston’s
THE PACK – RETRIBUTION, Revenge has met it’s match, and she has someone worth fighting for….
Guest Posts

Guest Spotlight: Nadege Richards

Author Nadege Richards
[Nah-dej]

Born in New York and raised in Pennsylvania, Nadège has traveled to five other states and two countries, but aspires to travel the world some day. Her name is of French origin, though she’s never been to France (she’s actually West Indian-American!). Forever a lover of art and all things pertaining to Literature, she hopes to obtain knowledge from her writing career, rather than popularity or fame. She wrote her first novel about aliens and goats in the 8th grade and has had a passion for story-telling ever since. Her friends and family are her biggest inspiration, and the occasional cup of coffee. She enjoys being part of the Indie community and sharing her stories with the world.

When not reading, writing, and blogging obsessively, she’s usually found hiking, studying, camping, or at home with her family. She’s been a martial artist for two years, a singer for three, and always seeks a common ground in everything. She considers her writing very personal, as she’s always been a private person. She enjoys writing about what could or should happen, rather than what did happen–she’s a dreamer and a procrastinator.

Her debut novel, Burning Bridges, is her first completed novel. It isn’t her first try in the writing world, but it’s a tale about two lovers she hopes will change the way people view one another. She loves getting email so feel free to stalk her and ask questions!

Excerpt:

I knew, without a shadow of a doubt, I was going to die tonight. There was no escaping it or any way around it. I couldn’t run from my destiny this time; I couldn’t hide. No, tonight I faced my fate in the chambers of death. The screams of the crowd in the arena filled my ears, the shouts of excitement and laughter boiling my heart down to nothing but untainted sorrow. I refused to open my eyes, but I could sense where I was by that rusty smell of metal and dried blood Father brought home with him every day. The shackles that bound my ankles and wrists to the wall confirmed it. I was a prisoner in my own home, my own Haven. I couldn’t fathom how in forty-eight hours my life had taken a complete three-sixty spin, but here I was, locked in the dungeon of my father’s kingdom, hidden from the world until it was my time to surface.

Get to know Nadege:

Blog Link: http://www.authornadegerichards.blogspot.co.uk/p/the-bleeding-heart-trilogy.html

About her books: http://www.authornadegerichards.blogspot.co.uk/p/the-bleeding-heart-trilogy.html

This post is part of the LM Preston mini blog tour to celebrate the debut of her newest novel, The Pack-Retribution. Find out more at www.lmpreston.com

Guest Posts

Guest Post by Emma Michaels

Favorite character you have written
The first novel in my new series is being released on October 13th and features my favorite character I have ever written. While you might expect it to be the main character, Iris, it is actually her friend and the woman hired to help her with her health; Diana. Diana has a special place in my heart because she is based off someone I cared about deeply. Growing up I had a best friend who was practically my sister. I stayed at her house more than my own home and we were inseparable.

I was raised by a single dad and she was being raised by a single mother so while there I became very attached to her mother Diana who taught me a lot about kindness, sacrifice and unconditional love. In the end, she sacrificed herself for her children in a tragic accident and while they all could have died, she made sure she was the only one hit saving her three children.

For a long time I didn’t feel like I could talk to anyone about it because she wasn’t my mother and I felt I had no right to feel the way I did. While writing Owlet, at first I named the character Diana, not sure why I was doing it but as it went on I realized that I really did imagine the character in my novel as a younger version of the woman I had known and loved.

While almost all of my characters have no one in my life they are based on, she does and somehow that makes her character even closer to my heart. The character Diana, in Owlet is my way of keeping the woman I had loved alive along with the beliefs she instilled in me.

Thank you for having me on your blog, to everyone reading and to LM Preston for hosting this wonderful tour! Stop by her Facebook page on September 9th for a chance to join in the party for The Pack – Retribution! It is going to be a blast!

Thank you to Emma Michaels for stopping by the blog today. Get to know Emma:

Author Website: www.EmmaMichaels.com
Buy Links:
http://www.amazon.com/Emma-Michaels/e/B004FVEL1E/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1313195938&sr=8-1
Owlet – New series – Coming this October 13th!
Blog Link: http://OurBooksOurVoice.Blogspot.com
Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/emma.michaels.90
Google +: https://plus.google.com/109620774060183226988#109620774060183226988/posts
Twitter: http://twitter.com/EmmaMichaels
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4104941.Emma_Michaels