Closer to Publication

As many of you already know, my novel, "Shadow's Prisoners" has evolved into a life of its own. The manuscript is back in my hands for me to submit to Smashwords. Once that's accomplished, Smashwords puts the formatted novel thru their "Meatgrinder" which converts the book into a readable e-file that can be viewed by practically any e-reader. They also send the novel to local and international  e-book retailers for release to the public. So whatever you have, whether it's a Kindle, Nook, Android, or even a Smartphone; you can have access to the novel. But for those of you out there who do not own an e-reader, I am putting my novel into a printed format as well.

A few short months ago I was polishing my query letter in hopes of landing a reputable literary agent who could sell my novel to a publisher. The pickings were slim and I knew it was going to be a long wait until Shadow's Prisoners would ever see the light of day. Still I plodded away.

I sometimes doubted I would succeed at all, but Billie would put that thought out of my head fast. And I mean pronto. She often told me that the book is too good for me to lose hope on. Then she received an email from her sister, Linda, in California. In the letter Linda explained that she met someone who was a self-published author and that that person swore  publishing your own work was the right way to go, no, it was the only way to go. He said that the traditional route of landing an agent and having that person seek out a valid publisher to put out your book was fast becoming a thing of the past. This self-publisher wrote two books which highlight the success of self-publishing your work which sealed the deal for me.

Billie was impressed by his thoughts as well, and soon, I found myself on a mission. Within days I had developed a smart marketing strategy of which the social media (FaceBook) is only a part. I admit some of the work that the author suggested was above my head so I sent the work out to be professionally formatted for electronic print.

Another email arrived with the formatted files and I  am about ready to submit it.  More about the final submission process to SmashWords tomorrow, my eyelids feel like lead, my head keeps drooping, and I need to go to bed before I fall asleep on the keyboard.

Goodnight all!
J.Paddy