Janel

Random books from my shelf

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  Eric C. Marioneaux says

  Hi Janel. I haven't written in a while, so I thought I would say hello. You still writing?? I hope so..
  I just finished some new sketches for my new book.. They came out really good. Now I just have to figure out where I am going to use them in the story...

  Posted 1 year ago. ( send a note )

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  Eric C. Marioneaux says

  Hey Janel, One of the best self publishing review sites I found is called: http://topconsumerreviews.com Check it out. They have lots of good information...
  Eric.....

  Posted 2 years ago. ( send a note )

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  Eric C. Marioneaux says

  Yeah, Tate Publishing are rip off artist. They recieved some of the worst reviews out there.. Honestly for the best quality and service I would go with either Outskirtspress or Mill City.. Mill city is expensive though.. Some say Author House is good but I don't know for sure. I would do my homework on them...
  
  There are selfpublishing company review sites that will give you an apple, orange comparisons of who is best and for what reason..They all include different things in their packages... I myself go on-line and look for negative reviews or read the bad experiences some people have had with companies to help me make up my mind.. There will always be both good and bad reviews for every company because some people just have bad experiences for whatever reason, or something didn't meet their expectations... I can tell you from personal experience that Outskirtspress did a great job on my book and it was really easy.. I have four different versions of my book out there on-line. Paperback, Hardcover, electronic, and a Kindle version..
  
  There are some writers out there that hate the idea of self-publishing or if your going to do it you need to do everything yourself. Like paying to get an ISBN number or paying a graphics artist to design a cover and all that... Way too much hasle and too expensive in the long run..

  Posted 2 years ago. ( send a note )

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  Eric C. Marioneaux says

  Janel, Don't spend $4000 dollars on anything. Self Publishers don't require any kind of literary agent.. that's bull. I published with Outskirtspress and only paid $1000 even and got everything I could want or expect. Check out their website. They have different publishing packages that include different things, but they range in price from $199.00 to $1099.00. I never had an agent and still don't... They do high quality work and and in good time. Now after your book is published it will be up to you to market it. They can help you with that as well. How much you spend and for what, is entirely up to you.
  
  I chose the diamond package because it gave me full customization of my book.. I would always go with a fully custom style book cover..it makes a big difference. Plus companies like outskirts use other websites like Photos.com for their cover image photos or graphics. They have thousands to choose from, and you never have to worry about any copywrite laws, because they already have the rights to all those photos and images.. you can just find a good image that suits your book and send them the number of it when you fill out the details of your forms they send you via e-mail and they will put it all together for you.... They do charge alot for full custom editing which I never used, but you won't really need that anyway. As long as you spell check and grammer check everything very carefully as you go and again multiple times when your finished writing, you will be good to go...
  
  Always have someone else help you check out spelling and grammer just in case.. You won't be able to find all your mistakes yourself.. not all the time anyway... Spellcheck programs are great, but you can still miss things...

  Posted 2 years ago. ( send a note )

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  Eric C. Marioneaux says

  I know just how you feel.... So do most writers in fact! I'll give you a few facts about the publishing world. It can be a nightmare... Traditional publishing houses no longer want new writers for the most part. They want well known authors who can turn out sequel after sequel or write something that they can be certain of making them money.. They won't risk anything on an unknown... I read a statistic that most publishers accept 1800 fewer new writers every year. I think they may accept 1% or so and they get a lot of manucripts sent to them. Thousands in fact. Most won't even look at a book unless it was submitted to them by a literary agent. The catch 22 with that is, literary agents wont accept you most of the time, unless your an established author. And you can't become established without a literary agent. That's in the traditional way or the old way of doing things. But fear not! there is a much easier way to go.
  
  Self publishing is becoming the standard way of doing things now. The reason for this is because the publishing world has gone the same way that banking has. It's all done on-line now. With all the word programs and graphics software out there, it's much easier than it used to be.
  
  I did a lot of research when I got started, and found some good companies out there to help me. The two top rated companies for self publishing are 1. Mill City Press and 2. Outskirts press. These were ranked the best by other authors and publishers. They have the best quality service, best benfits for writers and most honest business practices..
  I would stay away from LULU or I Universe due to too much bad press and too many law suits... I chose Outskirtspress because they are the most affordable and have the most options.. Mill city is number one, but boy are they expensive...
  
  Keep in mind that traditional publishers make their money from the sell of popular books, and self publishers make most of their money from authors. By selling publishing packages and marketing options.. That's ok, it is just a business like any other.. The best thing with self publishing with the right company is, that you will keep 100% control of your book and keep 100% of the royalties paid. A traditional publishing house will have all the rights to your book and make 80% of the profit. If they publish your book, they can pull it off the stores shelves if it dosen't sell well, and then it will never appear in public again. Unless you try to publish with another firm. But first, you would have to buy back the rights to your own book if they wanted to sell it back to you, which they never do...
  
  Self publishing is easy and takes the least amount of time.. Trust me that's the way to go... I know a lot of writers who submitted their work to nearly every publisher in the country for ten years and never got accepted, and most of the time never even got a rejection letter.. They simply never looked at their work or didn't bother to reply..
  
  Ask other authors and they will tell you the same thing.. Check out the companies I mentioned and some others if you wish and do a little research and you will be fine.. If you need help with anything just let me know...
  Good Luck....
  Eric..........

  Posted 2 years ago. ( send a note )

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  Agnes Williamson says

  JANEL JANEL JANEL YOU'RE ON SHELFARI!!! YAYYYYYY!!!!!
  
  :) Haha, I think you'll love it. It's kinda addictive!

  Posted 2 years ago. ( send a note )

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  Debbie Rowell says

  Hi Janel! Welcome! I am new as well and I noticed you and I like a lot of the same books. I am a huge Sherrilyn Kenyon fan, and I am always looking for new stuff to read.

  Posted 2 years ago. ( send a note )

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  Eric C. Marioneaux says

  Hello Janel, I love to read fiction and fantasy books as well. I also write fiction and have published a book called A Phoenix Dream. It is a sci fi adventure and also a spiritual adventure. The theme is reincarnation and redemption. I don't know if it's the kind of thing you like to read, but you might like to check it out.
  
  My official website is Outskirtspress.com/aphoenixdream. There are also a lot of great books on my shelf you would probably like. If you have never read Anne Rice before, she is awesome.
  
  Shogun is my all time favorite book and tv mini series. It is a fictional story somewhat, but based on actual people and real events. (Samurai Japan in 1600 )

  Posted 2 years ago. ( send a note )