ARTICLE POST: The Indie Book Stigma

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There are two types of authors: self-published authors and traditionally published authors. But at the end of the day, both authors are still just writers who want to share their story to readers around the world. There are benefit and consequences to both methods of publishing. I haven’t been traditionally published (yet) and decided to go the self-publishing route for my first novel.

Why?

Main reason was that I’m insanely impatient. The second, I’m a do-it-yourself type of girl in the first place and I wanted to try my hand at it. From the moment I started writing my book, I had the cover drawn in my head. When I finally hired someone to create it was a surreal moment for me and I may have squealed once or twice. Formatting the book was a complete nightmare. There were nights that I wanted to tear my hair out because I was struggling to get the correct page numbering format on Word. But when it was all done and ready, the moment I held my book in my hands for the first time was guaranteed one of the best days of my life.

Sometimes I think I should have pursued traditional publishing with a little more kick in my step, but other days I’m happy about my decision to self-publish. Self-publishing is definitely NOT for the faint of heart. Luckily, I’m made of steel, or maybe I’m just stubborn and resilient. You have to be committed to the process and know that you’re in it alone and have to rely on your own resourcefulness with no guarantee of a return.

The biggest consequence for self-publishing that I have faced is EXPOSURE. It is near impossible to get an indie book into the hands of the readers. Print on Demand companies have made it a much user-friendly process compared to years before, but still it is near impossible to get it into brick-and-mortar aka Barnes and Noble (THE DREAM!…I’m still in the process of trying to get it on the shelves). There is a stigma in the book publishing industry about self-published books, and it is that the majority stinks; it is not as polished as traditionally published books and come off as amateurish. I agree to a certain extent. While there is a plethora of duds in the growing pile of slush, there are definitely hidden treasures mixed in.

How do I find these hidden gems, you ask?

Book reviewers and bloggers. Trust fellow readers. Especially if you have a book blogger you follow and find their reviews are similar to your own thoughts of the same books, then you’ll find that your reading taste is similar. It’s a chain reaction in the book world, so I guarantee that even if a book was absolutely trash but everyone was reading it, you would end up reading it too.

I’ve sent many copies of my books to book bloggers for a review and many of them enjoyed it very much. So, even though I’m not the most objective person on this topic, I do believe readers should give self-published authors a chance. They work just as hard as traditionally published authors to create stories for you to enjoy and even if you end up hating it, most authors are glad that you took the time to read it. I’ve been blessed with ten 5-star reviews on Amazon, and twelve on Goodreads (not necessarily from the same readers) for my first book KARNAGE (The Phoenix Ashes Trilogy Book 1). However, I wouldn’t mind an extra review that was even 1-star, why? Because at least someone took their time to read it and tell me what they didn’t like about it. I’m always curious to see what readers didn’t particularly like in my books, because it makes me take note of it for my next books.

PS. I’M RUNNING A GIVEAWAY FOR 15 EBOOK AND 15 PAPERBACK  ADVANCED READER COPIES (ARCs) OF KALCYON! Click the picture below to check out my instagram for more info!

kalcyon cover

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ARTICLE POST: Writing Convention

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So I recently went to my first writing convention this past Saturday. It was a one-day affair and about an hour away from my home, so I wasn’t forced to dish out an obscene amount of money to attend it. At the convention, they allowed writers to purchase 10-min pitch times with agents. I decided I would pitch a new trilogy I started writing to two agents, Nephele Tempest and Sara Sciuto.

Before attending, I had no idea what to expect and I was ridiculously nervous about the pitch. I memorized my 1-2 minute blurb and ran it through my head repeatedly the night before, on the drive there, and even during the event. Both my pitches were scheduled early in the day, so I wasn’t pacing throughout the event.

My first pitch was to Sara Sciuto. She represents a variety of works ranging from picture books to young adult books. Which is perfect, because I have a young adult fantasy and a middle grade idea that I’ve been tinkering around with. The beginning of my pitch sounded rehearsed, but it became a more colloquial toward the end (at least I hope it did). She asked me a few questions about it and I answered with more in-depth explanations of the different fantasy concepts woven into it and she said she was intrigued! She handed me her business card and asked me to send the first 50-pgs of my manuscript. I was downright giddy at this point, but I still had about 5 minutes left from my 10 minutes. I didn’t want to just get up and waste half my time, so instead I asked her questions (because from the articles I read about pitches at writing conventions, that’s what you’re supposed to do). I asked her what other fantasy books she’s representing and what style of writing she most particularly enjoyed so I could get to know her better. Overall it was a successful pitch and if she does like my manuscript, I know I would really enjoy working with her!

My second pitch was with Nephele Tempest. By this time, my head was still bobbling from my first pitch, so I was a bit more relaxed and natural. Since I got Sara’s card and interest, I didn’t have all my eggs in one basket. (Of course I wanted it to be a success, who wouldn’t want the interest of two agents instead of one?) My second pitch was more natural and conversational and Nephele made a few ooh’s and ahh’s during it that made me smile. She was also very intrigued by it and gave me her business card to send her the first 50pgs of my manuscript as well. I was ecstatic.

Honestly, I wasn’t sure if maybe the agents were just giving their cards to all the authors who pitched to them out of good measure since they went out of their way to pay for those short, precious 10 minutes, but it really didn’t matter to me. I felt that in a way, we skipped the first part of querying agents, the part that has them opening the initial email to read your query to ask for a longer sample. And to me, that’s worth every penny. Plus, now the agents are able to put a face to the query/manuscript, which humanizes the process. There’s no guarantee they’ll like my manuscript. They might have enjoyed the idea of it, but writing style is a whole other beast.

I’ve been working on finishing and refining my manuscript in order to send it to them. (Although, I did learn that an agent’s request for a longer sample has no deadline) Therefore, I’m trying not to rush myself because I really want to send my best work. But I have made a self-induced deadline of October 31 to get the first draft completed and the first 50-pgs refined to send out. I figure that I’ll have another 1-2 months after submitting the first 50-pgs to polish the rest of my manuscript while they read my longer sample.

I’m glad I registered for the Los Angeles Writing Workshop 2015 (#LAWW15). It was a very positive experience and I learned a lot. I think the only thing that I might have enjoyed would have been to connect with other writers more. Because the convention was so short, you didn’t really have much time to get to know that many people. I’m thinking it would be great to attend a writing retreat or even a longer writing convention in the future.

This is the first sentence of my new trilogy!

“A wish made was a price paid, and no power could undo it.”
-Death Life Taken

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BOOK QUOTE: Kalcyon (The Phoenix Ashes Book 2)

The Phoenix Ashes Trilogy

A little excerpt from Kalcyon (The Phoenix Ashes Book 2)

It had been imprinted into me the moment I was born and the silent oath clung to my heart. I wanted everyone to experience this marvel: to help them feel their heartbeat chase the one before; to have life electrified into their nerves that it brought a tingle to their fingers; to show that air was not just meant to be breathed, but absorbed.

Life shouldn’t be a wish. It was a God-given gift we were meant to take hold of.

-Kalcyon

Also, the price of Karnage has been reduced to $9.99 on amazon.com. So grab your copy before the release of Kalcyon!

BOOK REVIEW: Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo

Book Review

Author: Leigh Bardugo
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy/Romance
Series: The Grisha Trilogy

Ruin and Rising: ★★★★★

Summary: The Darkling rules Ravka from his shadow throne. Now the nation’s fate rests with a broken Sun Summoner, a disgraced tracker, and the shattered remnants of a once-great magical army. Deep in an ancient network of tunnels and caverns, a weakened Alina must submit to the dubious protection of the Apparat and the zealots who worship her as a Saint. Yet her plans lie elsewhere, with the hunt for the elusive firebird and the hope that an outlaw prince still survives. Alina will have to forge new alliances and put aside old rivalries as she and Mal race to find the last of Morozova’s amplifiers. But as she begins to unravel the Darkling’s secrets, she reveals a past that will forever alter her understanding of the bond they share and the power she wields. The firebird is the one thing that stands between Ravka and destruction—and claiming it could cost Alina the very future she’s fighting for

Review: I love when a series ends exactly how you wanted except like nothing you thought. While some plot twists had me dying and rolling around on my bed, I did see the HUGE plot twist coming. If you read my review on “Siege and Storm” (Book 2), I mentioned a twist that I suspected and I WAS RIGHT. Sometimes I hate my wandering mind when I read because it ruins the omfg moments. But, I still enjoyed it all the same. And I will say though, I didn’t know how everything was going to play out. Bardugo did an amazing job tying all the loose ends and really bringing the whole trilogy back to the beginning. The connections tied from “Shadow and Bone” all the way to the last page of “Ruin and Rising.”

For the record, I finished this book in two days. The first night, I really just meant to read it for an hour or two before I went to bed, but who was I kidding, I ended up reading it for FOUR hours! It was that amazing. You never want to stop reading because the plot is always moving forward. No scene is superfluous and every scene shows growth in one or all of the characters.

The depth behind each character was just right for my taste. You got enough background story to relate with the minor characters, just enough to care about them. It was nice to see the very human development of the relationships in the epic adventure that they risked their lives for. In regards to the romance, it’s sort of a love squarish thing. I thought it was done very tastefully though: a marriage of counterparts, a marriage of young love, or a marriage of power. I do like who she ended up with, and I know there were a lot of 1 star reviews out there because she didn’t get with *cough*cough* but I think I would have still been happy if she ended up with either of the three love interests because I loved the book mostly for it’s plot.

ALINA: In the first book, she was weak and unsure. In the second book, she had a stronger resolve, but was afraid of the powers growing inside of her. In this book, she owns up to the life she was born to live and remains true to herself until the very end. She knows what has to be done even if there were times she wavered (You can’t blame the girl, she had more weight to shoulder than most of us do). What I loved most about Alina was that even though she was the second most “powerful” Grisha, the talents and powers of her companions were much more valuable; she leaned on them and they leaned on her, and that’s what friendship and loyalty are all about.

MAL: Oh my Mal. I love how even though he’s otkazat’sya, he did everything in his power to make up for it and ended being more powerful than some of the Grisha. He is the living proof that hardwork and a strong resolve are all you really need to succeed in an environment that you were meant to fail. At the end, I had a mini heart attack, but I’m glad Bardugo wrote it out the way she did, because I thought it was perfect!

NIKOLAI: I still LOVE all his dialogue. I really want Nikolai all for myself. He’s such a genuine and pure person that even when “darkness” was thrust upon him, he remained somewhat himself still. The fact that he’s not “true” royalty, but instead earned the position as King through his experiences and service is even more admirable and meaningful. Bardugo mentioned that she mightttt write a book dedicated to Nikolai and I really hope she does because he was my FAVORITE character in this entire trilogy.

THE DARKLING: I actually really loved the Darkling. Yes, he’s the bad guy trying to destroy the kingdom, but really he was just a lost child trying to fix things through his own skewed means. I really felt for the Darkling at the end of the book and I’m glad Alina grew to understand him and accept how he had turned so wretched for the generations he’d lived. I think if I lived for so long that I saw the people I love die, kingdoms rise and fall, and retarded kings believing they know better, I would have gone a little crazy too.

Overall, I am definitely a Leigh Bardugo fan. I never thought I would be the type of reader who goes to author meetings (not saying there’s anything wrong with those type of readers, I actually admire their dedication), but I think I would actually want to meet Leigh Bardugo if I had a chance. I love her writing style and her storytelling abilities. There’s a natural flow that doesn’t seem forced and makes the world seem so real. I actually wanted to leave this life and live in that book if I could (despite how messed up it was for most of the time). GAH. Seriously, I recommend the Grisha Trilogy for ALL readers–it’s amazing. (It’s so amazing that even though I own the trilogy in paperback, I’ve begun purchasing it in hardback too hahaha)

They are making this trilogy into a movie and I FREAKING CAN’T WAIT. The last movie adapted from a book that I waited in line for a midnight showing was Twilight (hey don’t laugh. but really that movie was so cringe-worthy…biggest disappointed by far for books adapted to movies). Anyways, you can’t bet that I’m going to buy my tickets on presale or somehow get myself into an advanced showing to go and watch “Shadow and Bone” when it comes out. I cannot wait to see who they cast. EEEK.

Safe to say, THE GRISHA TRILOGY WAS THE BEST READ OF 2015 for me. It was literally EVERYTHING I look for in a book. Please go read it!

BUY IT ON AMAZON!

ARTICLE POST: Connecting You to the Next Level

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It is becoming inherently apparent to me how important it is to treat others the way you would like to be treated. I am a Christian and the commandment has been a long standing reminder in following in the footsteps of God, but I’m imperfect and I lose my footing here and there. If you’re not Christian, please don’t be turned off or stop reading! This won’t be a sermon of any kind, it’s really an observation that I’ve learned as a person living in this crazy world.

First some background information. I’m a writer, but that doesn’t pay the bills. So, on the side I’m quite the entrepreneur. There’s something about building your own business from your own two hands, and it’s definitely not for the faint of heart! But it is one of the most rewarding experiences when things work out. Anyways, I run my own wedding videography business and volleyball club. (The combination is totally random, I know)

In all of my personal endeavors, it requires me to interact with many different types of people: stressed brides and grooms, athletic children, some not-so athletic children, overbearing parents, invisible parents, bibliophiles, etc. Your first thought would be that none of these people is like the other. Wrong. If there’s one thing about communities, it’s that no matter what there is some connection from one person to another, somehow someway.

Whether you run your own business or you’re running errands for a boss, it should be your number one priority to present yourself in the most professional manner and to treat people kindly no matter the situation, because I guarantee that one day later in your life there will come a time where you’ll meet that person from your past and you’ll wish that you hadn’t yelled at them for making you frustrated, or showed them mercy that one morning you woke up on the wrong side of the bed. And when I say “meet,” I mean either indirectly or directly, because remember everyone is connected. That person might just end up being a client’s best friend or the significant other of the boss in a company you would like to work at, or maybe even worse that person now IS the boss–if you leave a bad impression with them, you can bet they’ll remember; but it also works the other way around, if you treated them as a friend, then I guarantee they’ll do what they can to return the favor.

I’ll give you a personal example. For my volleyball club, I need to find gyms to rent out for volleyball practices (this is the hard part of my job). Over and over and over again, I have been screwed over by LAUSD and the experiences have been less than ideal. One day after another issue with a gym LAUSD matched us with, I got to talking with a parent of two boys we coach (his sons are delightful players to coach) and he shared the information that there’s a private school near his home that we should check out. We found out that it’s a school that we did use once in the past when we first started out (we LOVED that gym and were the best renters possible, but for some reason we weren’t able to get anymore dates and moved on to a new gym). Then, the parent told us that he actually knows someone who is well connected with the school and told us he would put in a good word for us. One short passing conversation and a good impression was all it took to get our foot back into the door of that gym.

Basically, you need to understand that even though the universe is endless, the world is a very small place. With social media and new avenues of communications constantly popping up like flowers, you can become friends with someone hundreds and thousands of miles away, and that’s just amazing. I’ve met so many new people on bookstagram (@AJLeighBooks, be my friend!) who share the same interests as me and it’s a wonderful experience sharing it with them. You never know how when you’ll meet that person again and how they may be able to help you when you’re in a tight spot. So, present your best self even on social media, because you can tell a lot about a person by the things he or she posts, but that’s a totally different article topic.