Friday, November 21, 2014

Beard of the Day

 

Sleepy Hollow put me to sleep, but hell and damnation this guy is HOT! Tom Mison is a British actor who is rocking the beard. And the scraggly hair. And the 19th century Colonial American duds.

 

Happy Beardy Friday!
Penny





Thursday, November 20, 2014

Not All Indies Are Created Equal: DIY-Pub Vs. "I Run My Own Publishing Company"-Pub


Once again, I see folks on the message boards complaining about "self-pub" or "indie" authors and how shoddy "those" books are.

Problem: You can't clump every self-published book and author into the same bin.

Just as you can't clump every traditionally-published author/book into the same bin.

I just read a Harlequin filled with typos and errors.

I also read a self-published book filled with typos and errors.

I also read a trad book that was well-executed and produced. AND I also read another self-published title that had excellent quality writing and production.

So what's going on?

As far as trad-published books...the big pubs are clearly cutting editorial corners. As well as digital formatting corners. That's nothing new.

But what I would like to really address today is the whole "indie" thing because not all indies are created equal.

I own a business. A publishing company. For me. I make all the decisions. And because I want to produce a high quality and professional product, I hire professionals to help me with this business.

I hire a professional cover artist.

I hire someone to format my books for print.

I hire someone to format my books for digital release.

I hire someone to professionally edit my books.

I have a crew of beta readers who edit for content.

I pay money for ads and other promotional options.

Is this expensive? Maybe. It's an investment in MY business.

There is a very big difference between a publishing business (whether it's run by a New York company or a smaller company or a single person) and a DIY-pub.

A DIY-Pub could be your Aunt Ethel who wrote a family history and wants to throw that baby up on Amazon so she can say she "published" a book. Good for her. I have no problem with that.

However, if you...

--make your own book cover

--do NOT hire a professional editor

--do NOT hire professional formatters

--promote yourself by fighting with peeps on message boards

...I do not consider you a professional publisher.

That's a DIY project.

Maybe you're awesome at formatting. And maybe you have a graphic design background and can whip off a gorgeous cover. Fine.

But even the most experienced authors--who have been writing for YEARS--need an editor. They just do. I can tell when the big-wig NY-published authors are skipping the editing portion of the equation. It's glaringly obvious and pretty embarrassing.

Once again, the bottom line is JUDGE EACH BOOK ON ITS OWN MERITS.

Clumping all self-published authors together into the same barrel is ridiculous.



Feeling irked,
Penny

Friday, November 14, 2014

Updates from Penelope!

Yeti Takes a Selfie!
Girls Gone Wild Party!



1. SPECIAL HOLIDAY DEAL! The Klaus Brothers BOXED SET is now available at Amazon and Barnes and Noble! For a limited time (offer ends 12-31-14) you can buy books 1-3 for just 99 cents! It should be available at Kobo soon.





2. OH MY BOOKS posted a great review for SWEET ADVENTURE, and Gaby is offering an awesome give-away (Klaus soaps and books)...GO CHECK IT OUT!




3. I made a YETI WILL MAKE YOU DEADY Etsy treasury collection. Take a look!


 Yeti Decal from InAnInstantArt at Etsy!


4. About 5,932 people have sent me links recently about "lumbersexuals"...so I thought I would repost my link to one of my most popular pieces, WEENIES IN A PLAID SHIRT. Enjoy!

Hipster Lumberjack...ACK!


5. Looking for a free quickie sweet (rated G) holiday story? Try A LUMBERJACKY CHRISTMAS!





6. Don't forget to mark your calendars. THE HOLIDAY BASH AND BOOKFAIR is coming up on Saturday, December 6th. We have more than 40 authors involved, including Hannah Howell, Jessica Andersen, Caroline Linden, Annette Blair and many more! Here's the link with more info!



Happy Weekend!

Penny