Well, I've been absent for a while and I apologize. But, things are looking up. I start college next week to help improve my writing. I'll keep everyone imformed on that. Won't be posting grades or nothing but I'll definitely let you know if I pass the semester. Keep your fingers crossed for me. I need all the help I can get.

For those of you keeping up with From The Depths of Hell, guess what it's finished and the final chapter will make it's debut on Halloween! One week and the first part of Mercia's story is complete! But you'll have to keep an eye out she's gone from the depths of hell to heaven's gate. ;) We'll see how good this demon really is!

Well, if some of you don’t know, I am a self-published author. I went through a company called the Xlibris Corporation; it is a subsidiary of Random House. This was one of the main reasons I chose it. Every author knows Random House and the publishing excellence associated with it. It’s one of the oldest publishing houses in the country.
Would I self-publish again? You bet. With the same company? Most definitely. Everyone that I talked to at Xlibris was helpful. If I had questions, they answered them quickly. Not only do they keep up with you via email, but they will call you too. And they are very polite. It took about three months to see my book in print.
The only downfall I would say is the flat rate for edits up front then extra money for each edit made, but if you have a really good proofreader before submission, it would eliminate that. Same thing for the book cover, but you can have your own cover made or they will make one for you, depending on the publish package you choose.
But don’t think I just went with the first self-publishing house that I came across. I looked into several companies. Booksurge and Author House, to name a few of the others.
The good thing is they assign you an author service representative. This is the only person you’ll need to talk to concerning your novel. Sometimes they’ll call with just brief update. But like I said my author service representative was very nice, helpful, and polite. So this is a thank you for Andy Nadela.
Basically the reason I chose to go this route was to learn about the publishing industry. And I did. I walked in blindly and walked away with a wealth of knowledge that can only be attained through firsthand experience.
I’d had a bad experience with a literary agent. So, I decided to skip the agent, I will be tracking one down later, but for now I’m doing all my promoting.
Another author that I talk to on a regular basis, gave me the idea for my contest that I held in August. She told me that word of mouth is just about as fast as the internet. If the reader loves the novel, they’ll tell their friends and so on. And before long, you’ll have a readership.
Sales reports. If you want to know about sales, sadly, it’ll take up to two maybe three months before you even find out if you’ve sold anything outside of the publishers’ bookstore. The publisher usually updates their site daily. Sites and stores like Amazon, Barnes & Nobles, and Borders only submit monthly sales reports. You just have to be patient< /B>!
Marketing. Well for me it’s a lot of self-promotion because I couldn’t afford the marketing packages. Maybe with the next one. I’m currently having my own bookmarks, business cards, and posters made by an independent printer near where I live. Xlibris made the originals, which helps to a degree. But you get a certain amount of promotional tools with the different packages you purchase. Certain packages also include various degrees of marketing packages, so look at the packages carefully when making a choice.
Finally, research the company before you make the choice. Publishing your work is not something you’ve taken lightly. You’ve done research for your novel; you’ve put your heart and soul into it. Why not carry that with you to the end?
Well, I hope this has been helpful. I enjoyed sharing my experience with you. Here’s a bit of my research I picked up and have embraced. This is the saying Navy SEALs live by; I think it has merit in every day life: The only easy day was yesterday!

Have fun! Be Creative! Give voice to your unique voice!

Well, Florida missed a major castrophe with Ike. I feel sorry for the people of Galveston and Houston. The thing that concerns me most with this storm is the direction it's heading once inland north and towards Missouri. My grandmother lives there and while she worries constantly about me living in Florida and seeing these storms on the news, I'm worried about her now.

They say that the sustained winds reach out 130 miles from the center and they are still expecting hurricane force winds when the storm reaches Dallas. By some miracle, I hope that doesn't happen. But even still, I'll be calling again on Sunday when this storm is expected to be in Missouri.

I hope and pray any that lives in Texas a safe weekend!

Well, the entire state was affected by Tropical Storm Fay and now there is Hurricane Gustav which may or may not take the same path as Fay. I understand that this is the part of the season where the storms become more active. But as a result, my ceiling now leaks horribly from Fay. I live in an older trailer and we're doing what we can to get a new one but if Gustav decides to come this way, it might be a little late.

I just want to let all of you know that live in Florida, ya'll stay safe! This one could have been a lot worse. And it looks like the season is really starting to pick up.

Jackie

Congratulations to J_Nicole for winning the copy of Explosive Reaction on IMP and also congratulations to Sara who won the copy through Myspace.

Best Wishes,

Jackie

Today is officially the final day to have your name submitted for the contest. I'd like to thank everyone who entered and I'll be writing a blog here and on myspace as to who the lucky winner is, that is after I've contacted them. The book will be mailed out as soon as I have the mailing information. Thanks again!

Best Wishes,

Jackie