I have been busy learning about all kinds of things like social media, networking, blogging, and more.

One mistake I made when I started Gina's Dream is I did not calculate or pre-prepare for all the social media and blog setup needed for marketing, so I am trying to get on top it all for my next novel.

Tweeting takes time. Networking is still a fog because there are so many ways to approach it. In essence, you need to find websites and events where your target audience might go.

In the meantime, I have been working on Recipes from the Kitchen of a Frugal Non-Cook (RKFNC), a cookbook, and that, too, has been an adventure. I probably gained 10 pounds in the process while I retested some of my recipes. But, this cookbook gig got me acquainted with cookbook publishing. Many authors publish free cookbooks for their readership. RKFNC will be free, too.

One thing I do while I write is play music collections to keep me in the mood of the story. I make a collection for each novel. But, I did not make a collection for writing a cookbook, I just played my Saturday songs which include upbeat songs from the 60s - 80s.

I find even as I research or I work on my novel, I have to take a writing break and write something different like a book or movie review just to keep the juices flowing.

PRESS RELEASE
10/29/13
MERIDA, MEXICO -- Expat, Ria Stone has published her first Smashwords fiction eBook, Gina’s Dream.

In Gina’s Dream, Kit Brennan, SETA’s (Space Exploration Through Astronomy) Assistant Director, meets an unusual woman at a convention. She claims she is an alien. What is he to believe? What is he to do?

Kit’s co-worker sees her as a threat, first to his friend and then to humans. The co-worker seeks to discover Gina’s secrets to stop her.

Gina has broken the emissaries’ primary rule by telling Kit who she is. But, she is here to defend her world from a future invasion by humans. As Gina’s safety is threatened, what will she do to defend herself?

Caught in the middle between his co-worker’s fears and her defense, Kit has few choices but to let Gina follow her dream.

What would you do if you met an alien?

Bonus: Includes article -- My First Editor.

Description:

Category: Fiction
Genre: Science-Fiction/Romance/Predictive Fiction/Social Commentary
Audience: 12+ Adult 
Length: Novelette
Language: English
No illustrations
Includes Bonus Article: My First Editor

During my marketing research, I tripped over this ebook on the SWForum.

Ted Summerfield's Free eBook The Backward Approach to eBook Success offers some clear, direct advice on how to market your ebooks. While not everyone will be able to use Ted's advice, the information about making money via eBooks is valuable.

Once I decided to finish my novel and self-publish it, I joined several writers groups which I recommend to others but you need to find the writers group that works for you.

After I published my eBook on Smashwords, I looked for websites and forums that talked about epublishing and marketing. One site I joined was the Smashwords Forum (Independent Forum for SW authors etc.). 

On the SWforum, you can find other SW authors who may have questions/answers or resources to assist a author in various stages of their writing.

I meet one SWForum user, Sally Ember, Ed.D. who was having problems formatting her eBook, This Changes Everything. I tried to help but had no success. Later, Dr. Ember found her answer and shared it with me. Along the way, we got acquainted. I was surprised to find that our enovels shared similar themes. Compared to my novelette, This Changes Everything is an opus with several books in the series, where Dr. Ember generously elaborates on many themes.

You can find Dr. Ember at:

Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/SallyEmber
Website: http://www.sallyember.com
Twitter: sallyemberedd
Facebook: Facebook profile
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/pub/sally-ember-ed-d/1/282/894
Wattpad: sallyember
Blog: http://www.sallyember.com/blog

Dr. Ember is a delightful person, full of energy and ideas. I do recommend her book because it is a delightful mix of fiction, fantasy, stream-of-consciousness, and humor. She is the Alice Walker of the Spanner generation.

Whew, did I say self-publishing was an education!

I am happy to say that my book, Gina's Dream can now be found at Barnes & Noble and in iBooks.

As I add to my experiences, I hope they help those considering self-publishing and new self-published or indie authors, a bit, to find their way through the thicket of information, procedures and processes.

Again, I credit Mark Coker, Smashwords founder, for helping guide me through the process. But, each author will have their own set of questions to research and their own set of snags they hit along the way.

I also found, the Smashwords Forum (see Bulletins for link). There you meet other SW authors who may have similar experiences or questions and can offer advice.

But, I also had to rely on internet searches for answers to some procedural questions. One recent question was "How do add my iBook link to my blog?" I got my answer at Stackoverflow.com. You can see my iBook link under GF Bookshelf with Gina's Dream, for an example.

Now I am, in essence, doing a brain dump of much of the information I gathered in order to self-publish for a future presentation. One fact I found that surprised me was the demographics of eBook purchasers/readers. Who are we? We are: mostly caucasian, 34-55, highly-educated suburbanites that use Kindles for the most part.

Another surprising fact was the number of eBook reading devices and applications, too numerous to list and most were unknown to me. You can find that info on Wikipedia for a start.

Marketing and Research continues. Keep writing.

8/25/2012 -- Gina's Dream is being prepared for an editor. Hope to publish soon.

7/6/13 -- as you can see, there is a large time gap between entries. I went to a writer's conference in October 2012 and what I learned there, plus my experiences in finding and working with an editor put me into a tailspin. As I interpreted the advice, the entire novelette needs to be rewritten. How depressing.

7/26/13 -- a bonus article, "My First Editor" will accompany Gina's Dream. My First Editor is my story of trying to find and work with an editor for Gina's Dream.

7/26/13 -- taking care of numerous details has delayed publication but this is a learning experience and the delays have given me time to improve my novelette. One detail I considered was getting my novelette translated into Spanish. Advice I was given was find a native Spanish speaker. Looks like it won't get done because it is expensive.

7/26/13 -- waiting on book cover art and to setup Paypal account. Details, details, details.....

9/8/13 -- received cover art and I love it. Target date for publication of Gina's Dream is October 28, 2013. Also working with a translator who is willing to work for the "fun" (pay is peanuts) of it to create a Spanish version which will be published in 2014.

9/8/13 -- Tasks let to finish:

Polish novelette, again.
Submit novelette to LOC copyright office.
Setup Paypal account.
Submit to Smashwords.
Add ISBN number to account.
Launch Marketing efforts.
Work with Spanish translator.
2014 -- Publish Spanish version.

9/8/13 -- Marketing efforts will be extensive.

9/8/13 -- I want to thank all my friends who have listened to me talk about this novelette for over two years. Plus, I want thank those strangers and friends who have offered support and advice.

I particularly want to thank Sue J. She has been a steadfast friend and sounding board for all my ideas. She edited the Bonus Article: My First Editor. Plus, I want to acknowledge Writer's Digest, the WritersForums.com, the James River Writers, and many other writers and organizations who offered advice on how to write fiction. My novelette is so different from when I started, I learned so much but it took a year for all that information to gel. While Gina's Dream has all the earmarks of a first novel, the experience is bound to make my next novel better.

9/9/13 -- Well, an early mistake -- launched BitsBitesBooks Twitter account and tweeted about Gina's Dream with a link but the book has not been published yet. I am a bit ahead of myself in marketing. Opps.

9/9/13 -- just created a simple powerpoint presentation for Gina's Dream as a YouTube Book Trailer. It is simple. It was fun to make but I am no Book trailer artist/producer.

10/25/13 -- setting up a paypal account was confusing. Plan to launch website today and publish Gina's Dream 11/2/2013 in conjunction with a Book Launch Party and marketing efforts.

10/25/13 -- after uploading slideshow to Youtube, I hit a snag, "copyright infringement", because I used a sound effect I bought from iTunes. I thought the purpose of "sound effects" was for use in other media productions. Currently, seeking clarification from iTunes, etc.

10/25/13 -- it was my first time to use Yahoo Invite. While creating a Yahoo invite for the Book Launch Party, I, unknowingly, sent the invite at least two times with incorrect information. Had to send a regular email to recipients to apologize for the multiple emails and confusion.

10/27/13 -- still polishing novelette and amazed at the little improvements I needed to make.

10/27/13 -- the countdown has begun. I want this novelette available by 11/2/13. Let's hope I got the formatting right for Smashwords meatgrinder. I hope some will find my back flap quotes funny in the manner intended.

10/27/13 -- Oh the errors I made when scheduling the Book Launch Party. Too late to make changes, will have to wing it.

10/27/13 -- I think after the initial marketing blitz, I will find a workable marketing pattern.

10/28/13 -- more problems with Yahoo Invite, had to delete it from the calendar and this generated an automatic cancellation sent to my group. Had to email them to say, No, Book Launch not cancelled. Ugh, but if Yahoo Invite is the only disaster, then I am doing well.

10/28/13 -- I have butterflies.... so close to publishing....so many details.......

10/28/13 -- YouTube video does not work now. Tried to add slideshow to this website and upload photos did not work. In my imagination, I fear that 20 years from now technology will be more of a nightmare.

10/29/13 -- I gave up on making a Book Trailer. I managed to get a video up on Vimeo but the audio does not work for half the presentation. Three days of work for very little. I did learn a lot and was able to convert a personal video for family use.

10/29/13 -- Registered Gina's Dream with the Digital Copyright Office.

10/29//13 -- I did publish Gina's Dream today on Smashwords. While it is available on Smashwords, the ebook is pending review  for the premium catalog for greater distribution. The review could take a few days.

10/29/13 -- I still have butterflies but I am relieved. I never thought I would reach this point. Details, details.... now onto marketing.

11/2/13 -- Just added Blog Function Page. Learned something new.

11/2/13 -- Just came home from Book Party Launch. It was wonderful.