Getting the hang of this

[The Griot]

Well, it's been three years since I published my first book and I'm finally getting comfortable with the process. My latest book, Changa's Safari, is my best yet from a production standpoint. How good the content is will be decided by the readers. I have a good cover designer and typesetter and I was privileged to have our own Lyn Perry edit the manuscript. Lyn is a true professional and did an excellent job editing and critiquing the manuscript. I was also privileged to work with a couple of good artists, Winston Blakely and Jason Zampol. They provided the cover art, interior illustrations and maps. Overall I'm pleased with the results although I know there is always room for improvement.

This time around I've taken full advantage of LSI's distribution program. I added the program late for Meji One and Two. Sales have not been great but I've sold books worldwide due to the easy access the program provides. I intend to provide more marketing support for Changa to see how it affects my distribution sales. Local sales are easy now. I've developed a decent reputation in the A so most of my book signing do well.

Overall independent publishing has been a good experience. I'm learning the business and I'm producing decent books. The growth of e-books have added another dimension that I plan to take advantage of soon. I'm not making money now but I can see that changing in the near future. Independent publishing not for everyone, but based on the state of the publishing industry these days I don't think any writer should discount it. I'm eagerly looking forward to my new projects and opportunities.

[ajh_writes]

This is all good and exciting news. Glad to see you're taking advantage of the distribution.

[The Griot]

Yes I am. I just added a Kindle edition of Meji. I'm currently averaging 5 - 10 books a month through distribution. I also continue to sell directly from my site through PayPal and I just completed adding Meji Book One to Kindle. I'm working on offering PDF books from my site as soon as I select e-file protection software. You have to take advantage of all the avenues available to the reader.

[Jaqhama]

I checked out your novels on Amazon, mate.

Looking good. Having an intro by Charles R Saunders is something to be proud of.

Well done!

Cheers: Jaq.

[The Griot]

Thanks for the encouraging words, Jaq. I'm really trying to do this right. I still have a ways to go but I'm making progress.

[Jaqhama]

Are there any Kindle sample chapters?

[The Griot]

Not yet. I'm working on uploading Meji BooK II by the end of this week. I didn't realize you could post Kindle sample chapters. Shows how much I know. I do plan on taking advantage of the Look Inside feature for Amazon as well, as soon as I get my Zipfile software.

[Jaqhama]

I think the sample chapters are very important for potential buyers.
I've now bought 3 or 4 books for the Kindle PC because I enjoyed the sample chapters.

[The Griot]

More info from the independent zone. For the first time since I began publishing I'm selling books every month. Between local sales, distribution and e-books sales something is always being sold. This month e-book sales were slow but local and distribution sales were strong due to the release of Griots. Next month Griots will be available in e-book and hard back so I expect sales to be strong on all fronts. Book sales are seasonal; summer and holiday season are the peaks.

I'm also receiving requests to submit stories to anthologies. This was something I was hoping would happen and it has. It's the difference between waiting for something to happen and making it happen. Still not where I want to be financially, but creatively I'm having a ball. This is one cool hobby!