First Parvati TV Video: Fundamentals of Independent Publishing I
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First Parvati TV Video: Fundamentals of Independent Publishing I

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Our first Parvati TV video!

It’s part of the mission of Parvati Press to spread the word about independent publishing. Here’s our first video. Please try not to laugh at my flyaway hair. I will redo this video when I have a better coiffure…and some makeup on.

I discuss how we are in the midst of the biggest sea change in book publishing since the invention of the Gutenberg press. New technologies have arisen that give authors new opportunities.

So, first, believe in yourself. The legacy publishers are putting out a lot of crap. People are hungry for good stories, for innovative stories. The legacy publishers have also forgotten the importance of nurturing a mid-list author through a few books in order to grow their readership. The big publishing companies have decided that they want an MBA type algorithm for turning every book into a bestseller out of the starting gate, and in their pursuit of this algorithm, they’ve lost sight of some important truths about books and publishing–such as offering readers well-told stories that aren’t slick, superficial examples of branded, franchise entertainment.

So believe in your material, and go for it!

Number two, a non-negotiable part of independent book publishing: Have your manuscript professionally edited and copy-edited. I repeat, have your manuscript professionally edited and professionally copy-edited by a professional editor and a professional copy-editor. Get past the crap excuses for not spending the money on a professional edit and professional copy-edit, and pay for this service to make your book as great as you can make it.

So have your manuscript professionally edited. Revise. At the end, have your manuscript copy-edited by a professional copy-editor. This makes all the difference between a silly amateur manuscript and a real professional manuscript that deserves to have customers spend twenty of their hard earned dollars on your book.

Number three, spend the money for a great book cover, which is your first marketing task. A great book cover is the reader’s first impression of your book, and it matters. It’s not a splurge to spend the money to get a great book cover. It’s the most important marketing tool for your work.

These are the first three How-to’s.

 

First Parvati TV Video

Announcing a new eBook: HOW TO WRITE, PUBLISH, AND MARKET YOUR BOOK YOURSELF INDEPENDENTLY
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Announcing a new eBook: HOW TO WRITE, PUBLISH, AND MARKET YOUR BOOK YOURSELF INDEPENDENTLY

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I am happy to announce a new eBook:

How to Write, Publish, and Market Your Book Yourself, Independently: A manual for the courageous and persistent.
 
This book came out of my experiences as an author and indie publisher, down in the trenches of book-writing, book-making, and book-promoting with my shirtsleeves rolled up. 
 
It’s meant to be a resource for all those brave souls who do-it-themselves. It’s full of tips and tricks, advice on how to overcome pitfalls, and counsel about what really truly works and what really doesn’t, in my experience. It’s not a last word but a springboard. It’s $29.99 with these links or on my websites; it will cost $34.99 on Amazon and the iBookstore. Look for a similarly priced print book in a week or so.
 
 

 

Buy Now!Buy Now kindle $29.99
Buy Now!Buy now ePub $29.99

Lovestories.com and Publishing Today
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Lovestories.com and Publishing Today

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Publishing Today

This is a fascinating and adventurous time to be an author. We are in the midst of the biggest shift in publishing since the invention of the Gutenberg Press. It’s the wild west of publishing right now, which is way cool for fast-writing, pathologically persistent, independent-minded, iconoclastic authors like me. The old “rules” and algorithms of legacy publishing are crumbling to dust–as they should.

The old gate-keeper mentality is withering, thank heaven. This revolution will benefit both authors and readers. ePublishing serves the demotic.

How boring is the old publishing way of being? Boring and pitiful.

I personally am sick of the anti-hero, “God is dead,” the post-modernist, ironic bent of it all. Most “literary” traditional publishing today is vomit-worthy, with boring plots, unlikeable protagonists, and a jaded sensibility that is supposed to be elite, educated, and intelligent.

Most popular publishing is worse.

Before I started Parvati Press, my indie publishing company, I worked with the incredibly good-natured and helpful people at Telemachus Press.

I recommend them highly. If you want to get published, and you have good ideas and a strong self-esteem, DO NOT wait for the old legacy publishers to give you their stamp of approval. Take a page from Walt Whitman’s career and publish yourself… with Telemachus.

So it was Telemachus that mentioned me to Lovestories.com, and here’s the page. Telemachus is publicizing their author services. I’m promoting my books.

Go for it!

Lovestories.com

 

 

Amazon Link, and The First Blog Tour Review, for THE LOVE OF MY (OTHER) LIFE
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Amazon Link, and The First Blog Tour Review, for THE LOVE OF MY (OTHER) LIFE

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It’s been hard to find, so here it is: The Love of My (Other) Life on Amazon.

I’m an indie press published author who publishes through both LightningSource and Createspace–and Amazon doesn’t play nice with LSI. Though rumor has it that LSI will be printing some of Amazon’s books, which will only be a good thing. LSI prints good books. But sometimes authors like me, the little fish in the big publishing pond, run afoul of Amazon’s muscle flexing. The new novel suffered that way, and was suddenly unfindable. So here’s the link to it.

And here’s a fun review from Day 1 of the Book Blog Tour. Chicklitplus had some fun things to say about THE LOVE OF MY (OTHER) LIFE, including that it was “too cute for words.” Also that “This book is a riot and I really enjoyed it.” Read the review here.

I was so interested when I first read the synopsis for the book and slightly thought it would read like a sci-fi novel. Well, if you are worried like I was, there is no need because this book is too cute for words. I instantly felt the spark when Tessa and Brian met and although it sounds odd, I believed him when he was he was from another universe from the get-go. This book is a riot and I really enjoyed it. I loved the conversations and the heart-felt-moments between the two main characters and I thought Traci did an amazing job at creating such likeable characters. Overall, this book is a winner and a fun ride!

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