FWA Presentation at St. Pete Public Library (Main) – Becoming a Bestselling Author
I’ll be presenting this Thursday, 11/9, at the main St. Petersburg library location at 37th St. N and 9th Ave. at 6pm for the FWA St. Pete writers group.
The Topic: The Untold, Amazing, Shocking! Secret Formula for Becoming a Bestselling Author Finally Revealed
or, Scamming the Dream – How Others are Happy to Take Your Money in the Writing and Publishing Industry
I’ve spent countless hours listening to webinars, reading advice on how authors can make it to the big time. Fame! Fortune! All you have to do is [pay] for my [course] [webinar] [book] [manual] and you’ll be taking the steps to becoming rich!
There’s a hidden message they aren’t telling you. I’ll give you the straight scoop, and answer any questions on writing and publishing that I can.
I will be there before 6 if anyone wants to chat informally beforehand. I look forward to renewing acquaintances and making new ones.
We’re back, and apologize for the downtime while our site moved from one hosting provider to another. It was a lot more difficult than I had imagined, and a couple things were dropped that we’ll review and choose whether to re-implement or not (mostly background stuff, not anything you’d see).
However, support is greatly improved and our site speed should be faster as well. With a few more changes over the next week or so, we should be fully up and running.
More Changes Planned
And we’re not stopping here. We’ve got more things coming that we’ll be developing this year, to expand our services to aspiring, new, and established authors. We think some of these are quite unique, but then, as our zombie author found out, that may not be the case! If not, we still hope we’re providing them in a way that is appealing.
We’ll be at several conferences this year presenting workshops. More details as they become available (and links for you to sign up, of course).
Thanks, again, for your support.
John
Speaking Event – FWA St. Pete – Thursday 3/10/16 at 6PM
Dump Your Word Processor!is the title of my presentation this Thursday at the monthly FWA St. Pete writers meeting. I’ll be demonstrating several alternatives to the standard word processor (like Word), that might improve your writing efficiency, or fit your mood better, pulling more words from your muse.
All the programs I’ll show are FREE downloads, and you’ll have a selection that might address the style you like when you write. I’ll also answer any questions on self publishing, and would love to see you there.
The event is at the St. Pete main library at the corner of 37th St. and 9th Ave N. (Just west of 34th St/US 19, on the north side.)
I hadn’t mentioned when the new book became available on Amazon, but it is now, and you can find it here. With the deals going on now, you might be able to get a healthy discount!
(the cover, once again!)
The purpose of this book is to give the reader the ability to use software they have never seen before, without the daunting prospect of having to learn it on their own. Self Publish for FREE walks you through both Scribus and GIMP, step by step, to produce the files necessary to build a book on CreateSpace. Short on hype and long on learning, this book has a singular focus: to help you get your files ready to upload.
There are many websites that can help, many tools that others offer. But if you’re the true do-it-yourselfer who wants full control, then this is the book for you.
Upcoming Signing Event
Maybe you know someone who wants to create a printed book. Or maybe you can wait, because you want an autographed copy of Self Publish for FREE along with some face time. If so, you can pick up a signed copy for 25% off list price at the Gulfport Art Walk on Saturday, December 19th, 2015. (And we’ll pay the tax for you!)
John Rehg will be there signing Self Publish for FREE and others he’ll have for sale in time for Christmas, including ones for children, for zombie fans, for those who like humor, and for prayer and reflection. There’s something for everyone in the family!
Thanks
At this time of year we give thanks for all the authors who have trusted us with their work, for all the readers who have supported them, and for being able to share our knowledge with those we’ve come in contact with, one way or another.
John Rehg has released a new book, Self Publish for FREE, available on CreateSpace now (here) and Amazon next week. For those who want to create a book but thought publishing it was either too difficult or too expensive, here’s your answer!
Here’s the cover:
The first in a planned series, John walks you through, step by step, to master the software (that is free) that can get you in print on CreateSpace.
Instructions are included for a word processor (LibreOffice), a layout program (Scribus), and a graphics program (GIMP), all available for free download and use on Windows, Mac, and Linux computers.
You can actually create a book at no cost! (Except for the price of this one, and the price of buying yours once it’s created.)
We’ll continue to post helpful hints on this website, and encourage you to visit the forums of those programs to benefit even more. But if you want to save time and hunting for tutorials, get a copy of Self Publish for FREE.
Book Signing Saturday Nov 7, 2015
Tampa Bay Book Fair is this Saturday at Park Station in Pinellas Park. We’ll have several authors there and we’ll be there, too, signing books and talking about writing and publishing. Park Station is located on Park Blvd. between 58th and 59th streets. Parking behind the building as well as farther back at the senior center.
Come out and join the fun, and you can preview a proof copy of the self publishing book. We’re not sure yet where we’ll be, but will tweet our location once we find out. (Follow @JohnRehg for the update.)
This event will be filled with local authors, and there are supposed to be food and beer trucks on site. The event takes place from 2pm – 8pm. Pick up some Holiday gifts early!
When you read those words, I imagine you’re thinking, “Wow, they sold a lot of books.” That’s how most people measure success, I think. They measure it by money.
And although it was our best Art Walk event in those terms, that’s not what I mean when I say it was a success. To me, what was important was meeting all those people who stopped by our booth to talk. Whether it was dogs and cats, zombies, old men, or Sci-Fi history, we shared a great deal in discussions with so many people.
That, to me, made it a success. So much so, that I couldn’t wait to post my impression of the night. It started out hot, but Bria had a cheap tablecloth we hung up behind us that blocked the sun. And even though it was hot, there was a nice breeze coming off the bay that helped keep us somewhat cool.
Once the sun dropped out of sight, the cool night air refreshed us. It was a beautiful night – more of an October or November night to me – made even better by the friends who stopped by, and others who took the time to say hi and chat about anything.
New Zombie Signups
We also had several people sign up to be in an upcoming Cord Wheaton episode. J Gerard Michaels will be in touch with them to decide how he will craft them into the story. We are expecting a release date of early next year, or maybe even late this year!
Prometheus a Hit
The anthology – historical science fiction – was a big hit, and Bria was occupied quite a bit talking about the book, and selling them quickly. It also gave her an opportunity to try out some new technology, with great success.
The night flew by so fast, we forgot to eat. What a difference from some of the other nights, where we would easily go pick up food at a local restaurant, unconcerned that we would miss someone stopping by.
So, thank you to all those who came out to say hello and support us. We had a great time!
Premature formatting means adding unnecessary work to the process, something you’ll have to remove and regenerate later. Keep in mind when you’re writing your story that you want to keep your formatting to a bare minimum. This means, no headers or footers, and no page numbers. Why?
Two reasons. First, ebooks do not use page numbers and headers/footers, so you’ll have to remove them before you submit your file to an ebook service (either publisher or aggregator*). Second, if you decide to create a print book, and you use a layout program like Scribus (the one we use here), you’ll add headers or footers and page numbers in the layout program.
So, either way, you’ll have to remove them as you move forward.
Do the Work When It’s Time
Remember, your word processor will show you how many pages you have. There’s no need to add more work to your process.
One caveat – if you use a third party template, they may include this information and have a way of stripping it out for ebook formulation. Always follow their directions when using a template system. And if you have a publisher or agent, follow their advice for formatting.
But if you are generating a book yourself, for friends or family or to push your way to a best seller, hold off on the fancy formatting until you’re ready to produce your book, until the time it’s absolutely necessary.
*aggregator: A company that takes your ebook and sends it to multiple formats/companies, usually for a small percentage of your royalties.
An attentive audience at last night’s FWA meeting (Thursday, 8/13) listened and questioned John Rehg as he revealed some self publishing secrets, including how to publish a book for free.
Secrets of Self Publishing for free revealed by author and publisher John Rehg.
Not everyone may be a DIY publishing author, but if they are, John showed them how simple it was to do it for a reduced cost, or even free. Free including any software you needed to produce your book and your cover.
A handout of a page from his upcoming book, Self Publish for Free, A Step-by-Step Guide, due out this fall, was distributed. It listed the software available (both free and commercial) that authors who want to control the layout of their books can use. Due to high attendance the supply ran out.
So, here we will offer it as a free download (currently page 2 in the book), for those who weren’t able to get it, or who couldn’t attend the meeting.
John stated the purpose of the book is to help those who want to do it themselves by reducing the learning curve of new software. It will offer a step-by-step approach, so once one downloads and installs the software, (available on PC, Mac, and Linux) they can immediately use it.
This book combines lessons learned from many places on the web. It will reduce an author’s search for the right tutorial if he or she is producing a simple book. More complicated DIY offerings may come in the future.
Self Publishing Gifts
One area John believes is under appreciated is giving books as gifts. By publishing for free, this becomes an excellent avenue to provide Christmas gifts, birthday gifts, or gifts for any occasion.
These gifts would not only include memoirs, but also stories of travel, email collections, etc. As he said, ‘The sky’s the limit when it comes to what you want to produce.’ You’re only limited by your imagination.
You can download the sample page offered at the meeting here SeflPub4Freepage2preview, (Will open as a pdf file which you can save.)
Or from the DIY Publishing Tips page here. (If you want to get on the mailing list.)
Finally, a big thanks to Bria and the FWA for inviting me to talk with the group. It’s always an honor and a privilege for me to share with others what I’ve learned as an author and publisher.
Free Downloads Weekend Celebrates The 5K Zombie Run
This weekend we are celebrating our participation in the 5K Zombie Run taking place in Largo, FL, with some free downloads of Kindle ebooks. Of course, with this being a zombie run, author j gerard michaels has several promotions going. He’s offering a free download of 1 episode from every book (3 in all) of The Cord Wheaton Saga. They are: Zombie Raid, episode 6 from book 1, Zombie Origins, (there are 7 episodes in all in the book), Spring Brain, episode 8 and the first one of book 2, Zombie Menace, and Run Zombie Run, episode 14 from book 3, Zombie State, his most recent compilation just released this month.
Book Signing and free giveaways
j gerard michaels will be at the 5K Zombie Run in Largo signing copies of all 3 of his books, giving away some freebies to go along with them, and available to chat about what’s coming next. If you’d like to get yourself into the book, that’s always a possibility. The series is based in Florida, and the hero, Cord Wheaton, is a detective in the St. Petersburg Police Department. Most of the locations are real. The roads are real (except for a few in north Florida), and some of the people are real, as they’ve given permission to be included in the book.
author j gerard michaels
Additional Book Promotions!
To stay in the spirit of the 5k Zombie Run (which is to have fun), jg michaels is offering promotions on the first 2 books, Zombie Origins (book 1), and Zombie Menace (book 2). What’s the deal? Beginning Monday, Mar 2, book 1 is discounted to $1.99 (ebook). On Wednesday, Mar 4, the price goes up to $2.99, and on Friday, it returns to its normal price (3.99).
Beginning Wednesday, Mar 4, book 2 is on sale for $1.99 until Friday, Mar 4, when it returns to its normal price (2.99).
Grandpa gets in on the Action
Grandpa Tic Rawghers supports the 5k Zombie Run, too. He’s offering a free download of his I Didn’t Run Today and My Body Thanked Me short. Tic is proud of his first print book being published, You Can’t Change Me!, and will offer that at the run as well, along with some freebies.
Grandpa Tic Rawghers
So we hope you can get out there this weekend, and if not, maybe the following Friday in Gulfport, FL for the Art Walk. And as always, thank you for your support!
Yep, you read that right. We are blowing out the doors on Kindle with a bunch of free downloads from some of our authors. All weekend long, Nov 15-16, you can download 3 zombie ebook episodes of The Cord Wheaton Saga, 2 spiritual offerings from John Rehg, and Tic Rawghers’ first guide.
The books to download are:
Tic Rawghers’ first guide:
Grandpa Tic’s humorous look at the electronic world of today through the eyes of an old man and his grandchildren.
Laugh along with him as he attempts to learn how kids function today, while giving them advice on how it really should be done!
j gerard michaels’ The Cord Wheaton Saga episodes 4 And a Zombie in a Pear Tree (in English and Vietnamese) and 7: Soul of the Undead
And finally, John Rehg has two short books for free this weekend:
BOOK SIGNING
The authors will be reading and signing copies of print books (though Tic won’t as his aren’t in print yet) at Wilson’s Book World in St. Pete, Florida, this Saturday, Nov 15 around 3:30-5 pm, along with Bria Burton, Sunny Fader, and others.
Should be a lot of fun and we’ll have some free things to give away or include with any purchase. We hope you can make it out to listen to some good stories, etc.
