“Bad Reviews: What do you do when it happens to you?”

For a long time I was riding high receiving excellent reviews of my books, especially my first novel, Homecoming. It is the first of a four book military science fiction series called Osguards: Guardians of the Universe. The 2011 Hollywood Book Festival just notified me that Homecoming was recognized with an Honorable Mention Award. In the same week, I was truly delighted to receive a five-star rating from The Midwest Book Review. I was starting to feel very good about my work. However, when I went to Amazon.com to see The Midwest Book Review, I read my first negative review right under it. This review was written by a customer and was a five-paragraph, full-page scathing assessment of my ability as an author. As I read it, I was mortified. My mouth just dropped. My heart stopped beating and the world became silent around me.

I quickly started to respond to the review, but thought better. I walked away from the review and sulked for about an hour and then came back and read it again. This time, I read it without emotion and dissected the words. As I dissected the words, I realized the review was not professional, but a personal attack on me and my wife, who is one of the four editors of my book. I also recognized the reviewer was talking about an earlier version of the book that I self-published in 2001. Since then, I hired an editor and revised the book several times to its present form, which the Hollywood Book Festival and the Midwest Book Review favorably recognized.

I talked to my family and friends about the review. Then, something clicked. The more I talked openly about receiving a negative review the better I felt. Then a couple of days later, I received another national review that was not as positive as the Midwest Book Review. However, it was professional and didn't read like a personal attack. I was more receptive to this review, understanding what in particular this reviewer found needed improvement in my work. I was able to grasp more readily the salient points and store them in my toolkit for future projects. That is what a credible, well thought-out review will do for an author...become a tool to teach, train, hone and push the author to be better. In summary, all reviews are subjective, and depending on the reviewer, they can be mean-spirited or constructive. It is the author’s choice to be discouraged or use it as a learning tool. Remember, one reviewer’s five-star novel may be another reviewer’s one-star reject. So my advice to authors is to judge the veracity of the review. If it’s professional, revise your work if able or use it as a teaching tool. But most of all get as many reviews as possible

In conclusion, after reading these two reviews, rejecting one and learning from the other, I made travel arrangements to California to accept my Honorable Award Recognition from the Hollywood Book Festival for my first novel, Homecoming.

“Bad Reviews: What do you do when it happens to you?”

For a long time I was riding high receiving excellent reviews of my books, especially my first novel, Homecoming. It is the first of a four book military science fiction series called Osguards: Guardians of the Universe. The 2011 Hollywood Book Festival just notified me that Homecoming was recognized with an Honorable Mention Award. In the same week, I was truly delighted to receive a five-star rating from The Midwest Book Review. I was starting to feel very good about my work. However, when I went to Amazon.com to see The Midwest Book Review, I read my first negative review right under it. This review was written by a customer and was a five-paragraph, full-page scathing assessment of my ability as an author. As I read it, I was mortified. My mouth just dropped. My heart stopped beating and the world became silent around me.

I quickly started to respond to the review, but thought better. I walked away from the review and sulked for about an hour and then came back and read it again. This time, I read it without emotion and dissected the words. As I dissected the words, I realized the review was not professional, but a personal attack on me and my wife, who is one of the four editors of my book. I also recognized the reviewer was talking about an earlier version of the book that I self-published in 2001. Since then, I hired an editor and revised the book several times to its present form, which the Hollywood Book Festival and the Midwest Book Review favorably recognized.

I talked to my family and friends about the review. Then, something clicked. The more I talked openly about receiving a negative review the better I felt. Then a couple of days later, I received another national review that was not as positive as the Midwest Book Review. However, it was professional and didn't read like a personal attack. I was more receptive to this review, understanding what in particular this reviewer found needed improvement in my work. I was able to grasp more readily the salient points and store them in my toolkit for future projects. That is what a credible, well thought-out review will do for an author...become a tool to teach, train, hone and push the author to be better. In summary, all reviews are subjective, and depending on the reviewer, they can be mean-spirited or constructive. It is the author’s choice to be discouraged or use it as a learning tool. Remember, one reviewer’s five-star novel may be another reviewer’s one-star reject. So my advice to authors is to judge the veracity of the review. If it’s professional, revise your work if able or use it as a teaching tool. But most of all get as many reviews as possible

In conclusion, after reading these two reviews, rejecting one and learning from the other, I made travel arrangements to California to accept my Honorable Award Recognition from the Hollywood Book Festival for my first novel, Homecoming.

 Malcolm Petteway,

A Funny Thing Happened to Me on the Way to Hollywood

In case you didn’t know, my first novel in the Osguards series, Homecoming, received ‘Honorable Mention’ at the 2011 Hollywood Book Festival Contest. My wife, Karen and I, flew out to receive the award on the weekend of July 22, 2011. We were excited. It was our first award, and we were riding on the national 5-star review from Midwest Book Review. We felt like teenagers going to the prom.

We arrived at the airport, bright and early that Friday morning. We were booked on Air Tran, with one stop in Milwaukee. That’s when the trip from hell began. To make a long story short, I am 6’4.5” inches tall and my height is mostly in my legs. So I always ask for, and usually receive either an exit row or an aisle seat. The flight was full, so in order to do this, Karen and I had to be separated. After 30 minutes and $40 to check two bags, we received our tickets. Even though I had an aisle seat, the problem was, it was the last seat in the plane against the back bulkhead, meaning the leg room was cut in half. Plus the armrest did not lift, so I couldn’t swing my leg out in the aisle. This was painful. Luckily, Karen switched seats and was able to sit next to me on the first leg of our trip.

On the second leg, I was able to get an exit row, but Karen was unable to switch seats and sit next to me. Instead, I sat next to a rude man who upon landing began smoking an electronic cigarette. It looked real, so I said something. Well, I guess I left my diplomatic voice in Washington D.C. and he was already rude, so let’s just say the exchange was brief, but not polite.

Then upon arriving at LAX, I found my suitcase drenched. The few books, I carried with me for display during the ceremony and festival, were wet. I tried to lodge a complaint, but the baggage attendant kept calling it water condensation and claimed there was no damage. We had four hours to get our rental car, check into the hotel, get dressed and leave for the ceremony, so I dropped the complaint and left.

Yet, when we arrived at our hotel room, we pulled our clothes out of the bag, and they were soaked. I know it was raining in Milwaukee, but our bags looked like someone dumped them in a swimming pool and left them there for two hours. Rain should not have soaked all the way through the bag. Needless to say, my blood pressure must have jumped 20 points. I called the airlines and received no satisfaction. They wanted me to go back to the baggage attendant at LAX and lodge a complaint. Been there…done that…and got jack-squat!

Luckily the hotel was able to dry and press our clothes in two hours and I took the blow dryer from the bathroom and attempted to dry the books -- page by page. I also tried to salvage our promotional flyers. After two hours, I had two raggedy, but dry books and a handful, out of 500, flyers. We chose the best looking book to display at the awards ceremony, slipped the handful of flyers in my pocket, and left -- no longer feeling like teenagers going to the prom. When I put my book out for display, alongside the other winners, I almost felt like screaming. But I held my head up high and proceeded to mingle with the other authors.

When it was my turn to accept my award, I ended my acceptance speech with the quick story on how the airlines ruined our books and almost ruined our evening. I compared what our bags went through to the classic T.V. luggage commercial of a gorilla in a cage throwing suitcases around.

Well the rest of the evening was flawless, exciting and we met award winning authors from around the nation. The feeling of two teenagers at the prom soon returned. The next day at the festival was also good. The trip was well worth the agony. I also learned a lesson…carry-on…carry-on…carry-on.

But the feeling did not last long. On the way home, the ticket agent stuffed me in the window seat during both legs of the flight. Even after four days, my knees are still in pain. Maybe next time I win an award, I will shoot for First Class. I certainly won’t fly Air Train.

Malcolm D. Petteway

Author, Osguards: Guardians of the Universe

Owner, Rage Books LLC

www.ragebooks.net

1.866.448.2585

Do you think reading sci fi makes you a Geek?

Why don't you like science fiction? Is it because you think only Geeks enjoy science fiction. Or is it because you think it will turn you into a Nerd. Or is it simply because you think it is not cool and only the lonely, social outcasts follow science fiction. It is a common misconception that people who like science fiction are Geeks or Nerds.
This is not so. Science fiction is a misunderstood genre. Science Fiction is a complicated genre made up of many genres that tell love stories, adventures, mysteries, spy thrillers, and even comedies with imagination, innovation, technology and science. Science fiction stimulates the imagination with eye popping, jaw dropping scenes and plots that move a story along while dealing with the future, alternative timelines, space travel, aliens, time travel, dreams, wars, and even comic book superheroes.
Think of James Bond movies, Jason Bourne movies, Harry Potter, Avatar, Iron Man movies, Inception, X-Men movies, Transformers movies, I Am Number Four, Tron, Priest, Star Trek movies, Paul, Green Lantern, Thor, Cowboy vs. Aliens, Alien movies, Predator movies, The Adjustment Bureau, Hitchcock, Megamind, Superman movies, Batman movies, Species, Monsters vs. Aliens, Time Travelers Wife. The list is too exhausting to write, but you get my point. You've probably seen a science fiction movie and didn't realize it. Now think of your favorite T.V. Shows, Lost, 24, V, Walking Dead, The Event, Undercovers, Charmed, and Supernatural just to name a few.
Hopefully, you can see, science fiction is where man first dreamt of computers, flight, rocket ships, moon landings, cell phones, laptops, iPads, smart phones, Velcro, GPS, Radar, calculators, HDTV, microwaves. Face it, without science fiction or at least the imagination that science fiction stimulates, we would still be riding horses, sailing in wooden ships and hunting for our food.
So no…liking science fiction doesn't make you a Geek or a Nerd, it makes you exciting, stimulating and insightful. It fuels you as a soldier of the future.
Do you still think science fiction is only for the Geek or Nerd? Sound off; let me hear your voice.
Malcolm D. Petteway, Rage Books LLC

Hug a Loved One

I'm going to take space on my blog to highlight an epidemic…Suicide. Unfortunately, this epidemic has peripherally touched my life twice in the last two months. A former co-worker died last month and an 11^th grade teenage daughter of a friend died this week. Now I don't know the circumstances behind any of these deaths and I will not speculate. But their tragic deaths made me stop and think. Now, I'm no doctor or psychiatrist, but it seems to me depression is not always the root cause. Life's daily pressures seem to be greater today than ever. It may be because I'm older, but it's true.

Responsibility of dealing with rent, mortgage, bills, medical, college tuition, job change, job loss, marriage, divorce and a whole host of other stressors, in a society where civility is a casualty of war and self-righteous indignation is ruler, can take its toll on the most level-headed person. These stressors may cause one to think they are better off not living, that they cannot ever get in front of the wave.

So my answer to combat this is to hug a loved one – not for them—but for you. Don't talk, don't complain – just hug someone. Hold them tight and let the world's stressors melt away for that one moment. Quiet appreciation can fuel the soul and feed the heart.

Then when you are finished hugging them, do me a favor, be civil to strangers. Don't rant about things like you are the master of the universe…listen…debate…talk. Because no human is perfect or has all the answers. So stop the self-righteous indignation. Treat others as you would have them treat you. You may save someone from making that fatal decision. You may even save yourself.

 

Just one man's opinion

The Antagonist in Science Fiction

I am a fan of science fiction. I wouldn't go as far as to say I am a fanatical fan; but I am a fan. Lately, I noticed that science fiction plots are becoming a little bit too familiar—especially when it comes to the antagonist.

It seems that the antagonist is usually one of or a compilation of the following:

1. Power Hungry, Corrupt Politician/Government Leader, planning on world, galactic or universal domination. I must admit, this person is intriguing and presents multiple facets to the storyline. But in the end, it is all about power, getting more of it, keeping it, or taking it away from someone else. This character is probably the most overused antagonist in literature and visual arts. This character is usually pitted against the protagonist in a good vs. evil battle.
   
2. Arrogant Military Leader. This character is probably the second most overused antagonist in literature and visual arts. This character deems everything they can't control, use or order around a threat, and then they want to destroy it. This character is usually pitted against the protagonist in a life and death battle.
   
3. Delusional Scientist: This character wants to know all there is about life, the universe and what makes it tick, and then this character wants to recreate it—usually in their own image. This character is so psychotic that they don't care about or so driven that they don't see the errors of their ways.
   
4. Greedy businessman: This character is motivated by wealth…accumulating at all cost, no matter what. This person's moral compass is broken. This character is a true blend of the first three. This person is evil, untrusting and psychotic. Add the broken moral compass and you get things like the economic down turn we are experiencing today.
   

The challenge for today's writer is to be fresh and build new adversarial relationships not seen before, or at least not seen often. Today's writer must create a perfect balance between the antagonist and the protagonist. A fantastic plot would have the reader feeling sympathetic for the antagonist. The reader should be able to understand the antagonist without condoning the characters action. At the same time the writer must get the reader to cheer on the protagonist to do the right thing, while scolding the character for doing something stupid. In other words, the antagonist can't be a devil and the protagonist can't be a saint. Demons should ride inside the main character and angels should haunt the bad guys.

Have you read any new and interesting antagonist lately? Writers, have you created an adversarial relationship different than the norm? Please hit the blog and share your thoughts.

I will discuss this and other topics at my book signing for the Osguards: Guardians of the Universe, this Saturday at Borders Bookstore from 1 to 3 PM. Discussion to follow: http://prlog.org/10814933

 

MALCOLM "RAGE" PETTEWAY

RAGE BOOKS LLC

WWW.RAGEBOOKS.NET

What is Science Fiction

I read somewhere that science fiction was like the saying about pornography. You may not be able to completely define it, but you know it when you see it. However, from my conversations about my writing, I'm not too sure this is true.

When I tell people I write science fiction novels, I get one of three reactions. The reaction I get the most is I don't like science fiction. Then I ask them, what's the latest movie they seen or what is their favorite T.V. show?

They would say to me something like Avatar, Transformers II, or even Iron Man II. They would tell me their favorite T.V. show is Lost or Heroes. Then I tell them, you like science fiction…you just don't know it.

I would categorize Avatar, Transformers II an Iron Man II as science fiction. However Avatar is categorized as an Action Adventure Fantasy Sci Fi. Sci Fi is listed last. Transformers is listed as Action, Sci-Fi, Thriller. At least Sci Fi is listed second. Iron Man 2 is listed as Action Adventure Sci Fi. Here Sci Fi is listed last again.

Lost is listed as Adventure, Drama, Mystery and then Sci-Fi. Finally, Heroes is listed as Drama, Sci Fi.

The pattern here is Sci Fi is getting low billing as a genre with many of today's visual arts and entertainment. Why?

It appears science fiction has a bad connotation with the general public. I believe this is because they don't really understand what science fiction really is. I am a science fiction writer and I have a hard time defining science fiction.

To me science fiction is a cross cutting genre. What I mean by this is that any type of story…drama, adventure, action, thriller, and even romance can be a science fiction story. All you need is an element of plausible and or possible science and technological as a crucial element to the story.

Unfortunately to the mainstream audience, science fiction is all about space ships, aliens and ray guns. They are missing the point that science fiction is much more than that. Science fiction can tell a story with heart and soul. It can tell a mystery, it can spin a drama, it can encase a romance, it can be the backdrop of an adventure, it and breathe the excitement of action.

Pundits of Sci Fi argue about what is Sci Fi within the community. There are proponents of Hard Sci-Fi and advocates of Soft Sci Fi – again with the pornography reference.

From what I can tell, Hard Sci Fi is the stories with space ships, aliens and ray guns. The stories are base in the hard sciences with suspension of believe or better said, a leap of faith that the unknown will someday be known. Isaac Asimov and today, Larry Niven are best known for this.

While Soft Sci Fi uses science and technology to set the stage, pepper the environment and / or create the challenge. Ray Bradbury's Martian Chronicles, George Orwells' Ninety Eighty Four are excellent examples.

Then there are subgenres to science fiction. Cyberpunk, Time Travel, Alternate History, Military SF, Superhuman, Apocalyptic, Space Opera, Space Western.

Then there are the cousins to Science Fiction: Fantasy, Horror, Mystery and Superhero fiction. Many times stories blend these genres so much you can't tell what they really are. Sometimes, I think pieces that have this blend should be called Science Fantasy, Science Horror, and Science Mystery. Fortunately the term Superhero, already implies Science Fiction, so I don't think that name should change.

In summary, many of fiction literature touch on Science Fiction. Just because it's not labeled Science Fiction, doesn't mean it isn't Science Fiction.

This and much more will be topics of discussion at my upcoming Book Signing.

21 Aug 2010

Time: August 21, 2010  from 1pm to 3pm Location: Borders Street: 2904 Prince William Parkway City/Town: Woodbridge VA 22192 Phone: (703) 897-8100 Organized By: Ms. Jenn Stewart, Events Coordinator, Borders, Woodbridge VA

Please come out and join me if you are in the area.

 

When Does the Artist End and the Businessman Begin?

Writing in today's fast pace world has lost the art of the science or should I say the science of the art. When I began writing, I did so because I had a story I needed to tell. The story was a part of my imagination that I opened up for the world to see, touch and feel. I bore my soul and heart to strangers in hopes that something I wrote stirred them…moved them…provoked them…or just plain entertained them. But somewhere along the way, the artist that put words to paper has to become someone else in order to get the story out.
The artist must decipher demographics, marketing strategies and business plans. The artist must learn how to promote, sale and spin words and ideas into 30 second sound bites. The artist must tailor the work for another purpose. In short, the artist must stop being an artist and become a businessman.
Becoming something other than an artist is something that most artists cannot do without pain. Under a traditional publishing arrangement, the artist gives up control to the businessman. That businessman changes, edits and reshapes the artist project…normally after much consternation; but now the project sells. The artist may lose part of his or her voice in the process, but royalty checks can soothe the hurt somewhat of a lost voice.
What about the self-publisher? Can the lack of another person running the business end of your project hurt your chances to push your project? There are people cut out to sale and there are people cut out to create. Self-publishers must do both, and they must do both extraordinarily well.
For the self-publishers out there…how is your journey from artist to businessman?


Malcolm Dylan Petteway
Rage Books LLC
WWW.RAGEBOOKS.NET

Why Science Fiction

In life we all need role models, someone that shines the light of inspiration to fuel our aspirations. The entertainment media, like books, usually provide that inspiration through strong characters doing the right thing during difficult situations. I am using science fiction to interject positive African American role models into an entertainment media that is bombarded with negative characters that somehow have become role models.


As a child I watched many action adventures, read comic books of superheroes and was captivated by science fiction television shows. However in the seventies, as I entered my teen years I noticed that the role models on television shows and in movies as well as in books were white. Upon further review, I concluded that in the entertainment media African Americans were portrayed as comic relief characters, sidekicks, pimps, hustlers or thieves. I remember having an argument with my friends over who was better, "Shaft" or "Superfly." Needless to say, I was in the minority. Then I noticed most of my peers who feared they would not go to college aspired...actually aspired...to become pimps, hustlers and drug dealers. Unfortunately, about ninety percent succeeded. I attribute this to the lack of role models and the bombardment of negative stereotyping in the entertainment media. So as a teenager, I created my own role models through story form.

In my English and Creative Writing classes, I wrote police dramas, adventure and science fiction stories, with African American protagonists. The story of the Osguards is my science fiction creation that began as an honors English class writing assignment in 1978. It garnered laughs from both white and black students in the class because they could not fathom African Americans as leaders, especially commanders of complex and intricate spaceships. But I received praise from the teacher for a bold effort.
Several years ago, due to a professional setback in my career, I resolved to focus my frustration in a positive manner. So I decided to write. I chose science fiction because of the freedom of imagination the genre allows. It also allows me to inject other genres like mystery, crime, love or adventure stories into it.

My question to you...why do you read science fiction?

Malcolm "Rage" Petteway

http://osguards.com/
http://ragebooks.net/

Traditional vs Self-Publish

Last week I became embroiled in a hot debate over whether it was prudent for authors to self-publish vs. going through the traditional publishing route. The debate was spirited, but it did bring to light the prevailing thought among many why self-publishers are loathed in the writing community. First of all, many I debated referred to the self-publishing business as vanity press and not small press or even self-publishing. This in itself indicates their position that those who self-publish do so just to see their name on a book. In fairness this is probably true for some of the people that take the self-publishing approach, but not all.

Those I debated made many compelling arguments against self-publishing. However, I will boil down their arguments into one issue. The opposing issue I took from the debate is that there is no policing in the self-publishing field. What do I mean? Well, it is simple. Policing assures quality, or at least adherence to the standards of writing. What I call the gatekeepers (e.g. agents, publishers and editors) are conspicuously missing in the self-publishing industry. There is no one to offer critical critique or check your grammar and spelling. To compound the issue, the advent of the computer has given false security to writers that they are producing quality work.

I've learned the hard way, computers and word processing applications can cause more harm than good; especially the auto correct function on most processors. All in all, the lesson learned is, writers cannot rely on the computer or themselves to edit/proofread manuscripts. Unfortunately, many self-published products are a result of self-editing efforts. Thus, those I debated last week concluded, the quality of work of "all" self-published writers could not withstand the scrutiny of the traditional publisher.

My argument is with the scrutiny the gatekeepers are applying. I forward the idea, the gatekeepers of the traditional publishing community use the explosion of the computer as an excuse not to delve into an author's submission and really examine if the story is marketable or not. As soon as they see one spelling or grammatical error in a manuscript, it goes into the reject pile. When I started out writing my manuscripts, I read that the gatekeepers were not looking for pristine work, but for marketable stories written by authors with high potential. Granted the author has to exhibit sufficient writing skills in the manuscript so not to detract from the story. But I think a few misused words, misspelled words, or grammar errors should not kill a manuscripts chance for acceptance. Today's gatekeepers only accept a flawed manuscript when it comes from famous people. Because the famous people have marketable stories, they are willing to attach a slew of editors to those projects. No, I am not advocating that each manuscript that comes through can be riddled with mistakes as long as it is a marketable story. I'm just saying manuscripts should be judged on the story and not on a few…catch what I write here…a few errors. Don't get me wrong, quality is appreciated and warranted by the system. The writer still needs to make every effort to present his best product to the gatekeepers.

With that said many authors with quality projects do become frustrated trying to get passed the gatekeepers and decide to go the self-publishing route. Although, this affords the author more control, it also increases the risks. The author has to act as agent, editor, publisher, advertiser and owner of his own business. With so many hats to wear and probably working only part-time on the book, many errors, problems and mistakes insidiously slip into the final product. This is where those I debated have a solid argument against self-published work. Until there is a mechanism to assure quality work, the self-publishing industry will continue to be spat upon by the so called "writing community" as frustrated no-talent hacks that couldn't withstand the scrutiny of the traditional publishing process. As an independent author, I reject the notion that all that use the small press/self-publishing process are frustrated no-talent hacks. I just believe the gatekeepers of the traditional publishing industry sometimes get it wrong.

They get it wrong because they have a checklist to follow. This checklist is too rigid and inflexible and not visionary enough to recognize a new voice…a different voice…cutting down the ivory pillars of what the book industry believes is necessary to make a good novel. Today, artists write the same old story, just with a twist, because the gatekeepers stifle imagination. There is a formula and no one can alter it. The formula is (known writer + publisher defined audience = success). Emerging stories do not see the light; new ideas never get to grow; and young writers never mature because of this formula. I promote the formula should be changed to (creative writer + dynamic audience = success). In other words the writer needs to be able to capture the reader's imagination and that the publisher's paradigm of who the audience is, needs to be challenged. The old way of defining an audience by just demographics is outdated. Demographics only work in census taking. Today, reading habits, personal experience and raw attraction is what should define an author's audience.

For example, the gatekeepers regulated my manuscripts/novels, Osguards: Guardians of the Universe, to black readers only, which in their opinion are only attracted to multi-cultural, exotic romance novels. They are wrong on both counts. First, just because my books have black protagonists, doesn't mean I'm writing for a black audience. The audience I'm writing for love to read military adventures, have experience with disciplined organizations, and are attracted to science fiction. Second, regulating the reading habits of one group of people without consideration for anything other than demographics is somewhat offensive. Now, I admit this is not always the case. Steve Barnes, Octavia Butler, Samuel Delany, Tananarive Due, Walter Mosley, Jewell Gomez and Ishmael Reed, to name a few have been very successful in crossing the gatekeepers' threshold. So I have hope that my forage into the writing community was met by an anomaly from the gatekeepers rather than the rule. I may once again make that journey to push my work through the traditional means. But for now I remain an independent author.

However, independent authors like me are at a disadvantage. Because of this notion of being frustrated no-talent hacks, it is difficult to get wholesalers and distributors to carry our work. Foremost it is impossible to attract book reviews from media outlets. To fix this, independent authors need a dedicated book review process embedded in main stream marketing. The industry needs a review process that is able to dive into the trenches and weed the chaff from the wheat. There are reviewers that do so, but they do not stand on the same level as those reviewers that critique traditionally published works. Until this happens, marketing a "quality" self-published book will be like pushing a wet noodle up the hill with your nose.

Finally, I understand the reluctance of many to disregard anything tagged with small press/self-published stink on it, but I feel they are losing out on some of the best contemporary works in writing today. The question I have yet to sufficiently answer is with the stigma surrounding the self-publishing industry how can independent authors assure their quality novels get fair attention in marketing and distribution.

 

 

CreateSpace.com Report Card

Bottom line Up Front (BLUF): I released the first book, Homecoming, of my science fiction series Osguards: Guardians of the Universe on 8 Oct 09 through CreateSpace.com. This blog is to respond to a question on how I liked dealing with CreateSpace.com.


I have published three of the four books prior with Iuniverse.com. I thank Iuniverse for extending the opportunity to me, but I felt like I was doing all the work and they were reaping all the benefits. Even though I have severed my relationship with them, I still see my books trading, although slow, on-line. Therefore, I decided to branch out on my own and start my own small print publishing for my books.

A few months ago, I asked the group about CreateSpace.com as a business to produce my books. Responses were mixed, but I decided to go with them anyway. CreateSpace allowed me to publish under my own brand, so I decided to publish my Osguard series under Rage Books.

The process was long, due to my pace. I didn't want to rush into things. I really had only one problem. That was the production of the book cover. I initially was going to use their cover program (which was quick and easy), but since I'm paying for both my daughters to go to college to learn how to do things like that (one is a digital animator and the other is in graphic communication) I charged them with doing the cover. That took more time. Unfortunately, the instructions on how to use their template for self-produced covers were not clear when it came to the bleed zone. It took me five attempts and even after that three proofs to get it right.

Other than that, excellent knowledge of Microsoft word and how to set up a page was most helpful. The interior was accepted on the first try.

However, I must tell you, there is something exciting about putting your book together from all perspectives, rather than just handing someone the manuscript. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

So I would have to say I give CreateSpace.com a four out of five so far. Now, let's see how their support will be during marketing. Today, I placed the book live on my websites: www.osguards.com and www.ragebooks.net. The book is also available on the CreateSpace.com website. It will take a few weeks before it gets to www.Amazon.com. The beauty of that is I will also try to market the books on the kindle application.

Oh yeah, if you do it all yourself (writing, production, art etc) it is free. However, I paid about $40 for the pro plan which allowed me to keep more of the sale price as royalty. So if you are a perfectionist...this is the way to go. It can’t do you any harm to check out createspace.com.

Malcolm “RAGE” Petteway
http://www.ragebooks.net/