Hello all!
Guess what?
Streetlight Graphics is the best design company ever! ❤ They have formatted my book, and the map is where it’s supposed to be! 😀
Yeah! Random happy dance break!
Amazon says it’s in review, and could take up to 72 hours for Tales of Ejoma to be up for purchase, and since this is my first time doing this, I have no real idea when in that time frame it shall happen. But it’s happening, and that’s all that matters! 😀
I’ll update you guys with the Amazon page when it’s up for purchase!
In the meantime: dance with me!
Until next time, Take Care and Happy Writing! 😀
~~~~~~~~~~
paigeaddams 
. . . not much of a dancer . . . I can nod my head and tap my left toe.
Since I’m also interested in the process, perhaps you could also do a quick breakdown as to the cost of the various stages (excluding the actual writing).
I’ve heard numbers that range anywhere from $500 to a couple thousand, depending on the level of editing and stuff. I think hiring an editor is the most expensive part of it, but that was a few years ago.
No need if you rather not put that out there. I mean, if I ever get serious about it, I’ll probably do my own research.
And yes, do let us know when it’s out there.
Lol, we can do the head bob together then! XD
And absolutely, I don’t mind sharing! 😀
Editing was the most expensive – lol, especially because I needed a fair amount of it. XD Definitely do your own research and see who works best for you. One thing I noticed is that there can be a big difference in price, depending on who you go with, and that these different prices will also get you different amounts of editing from one editor to the other.
Because I’ve gotten a TON of scammers calling, e-mailing, and texting me on a weekly basis with my massage business (they claim to be Google, and for the low price of $300 can get my business on the “front page” of Google. O.o Or they e-mail me claiming to need massage, but only if I take credit cards and can move their money from one of their accounts to another of their accounts… I smell a felony in there somewhere…) I went through their testimonials, and tracked down the writers of said testimonials on Amazon to see how they were doing and if they actually existed. Lol, I am jaded and untrusting… Thank you fake Google…
Here’s the breakdown between the two editors I approached:
I approached NY Book Editors first ~ based on a writing sample, the estimate was around $4000 for an edit (no copy-editing and no additional proofread).
The second one I approached was The Pro Book Editor ~ based on a writing sample it was $3800 for an edit (including copy-edit and additional proofread). The main edit and copy-editing were also 3 passes each of editing – I’m not sure how many passes it would have been for the other editor.
Both editors made a point of saying that they match authors with an editor that works with their particular genre. NY Book Editors ended up rejecting me because they couldn’t find a match (which I actually appreciate, because I’d rather have an editor who is into my genre), but they provided a list of other editors to try, which is how I found The Pro Book Editor.
With The Pro Book Editor, Debra (my editor) also makes a point of saying on her blog that they “price your project only for what it actually needs.” She is willing to re-evaluate what a book needs for copy-editing and proofreading after the main edit is complete, which can drop the price for those next phases of editing. The price never goes up after you sign a contract with her, but it can go down after re-evaluation.
The book cover was next highest on expense: I went with Streetlight Graphics (Debra suggested them to me, and after the editing process she won my trust so I checked them out – lol, also I wanted to avoid scammers again). Their price for the book cover, Facebook banner, Twitter banner, and avatar was $350 all together. I went back to them for formatting as well, which cost an additional $85. They gave me several files for Amazon, Kobo, Barnes & Noble, and a few others I’m not as familiar with, as well as a promotional copy of the book to give people when asking for book bloggers to do a review on their blog.
Lol, I am incredibly biased towards the people I worked with at this point, but definitely check around and see what different companies offer and compare prices.
I could smack me in the head . . . I actually know an editor I would be willing to use. You had already found yours, but if you ever want to check with someone else, you might want to check out:
https://roughseasinthemed.wordpress.com/
She doesn’t read much fantasy or SF but she did read some of my stuff and had decent comments on it (I had not hired her; she just read it because she came across my blog). She might not be the right editor for you, but she reviews a lot of books on her site.
But, if you are happy with your editor, obviously you should stick with her.
The $ amount for editing you mention is more than what I would consider paying but only because I don’t think my sales would cover that cost. Then again, I don’t know how you are pricing your books.
The formatting and cover cost seem reasonable to me, although I would likely put the effort into learning how to do it. Not so much for the money savings but to learn something new.
I think I could do covers based on my own graphics much like I was doing for the Cover Makeover posts:
https://dispersertracks.com/2015/08/24/photo-rehab-cover-makeover-8-the-green-mile/
https://dispersertracks.com/2015/09/19/photo-rehab-cover-makeover-12-the-cabin-in-the-woods/
https://dispersertracks.com/2015/09/06/photo-rehab-cover-makeover-10-the-lord-of-the-rings/
Then again, until I start the process, I don’t know which way I’ll go.
Thanks for the info.
The covers you did are awesome! 😀 You could definitely make your own! And thank you, I’ll definitely check out your editor’s reviews and see if she reviews romance. 😀
Lol, yeah I had to save for a long long time, but I think it was worth it in the end for the editing. I’m pricing my book at $2.99, and after Amazon takes their cut I should get about $2.00 per book. I’m planning to hold back some for taxes, like I do with my massage business. Lol, as for whether I’ll make back what I spent though – we shall see. This is my first book, and I’m completely unknown, but I’m trying to be optimistic, lol. I’m definitely not quitting my day job though. XD
My experience is that Amazon always says it can take up to 72 hours but I find it typically takes around 12-24 hours unless they find problems that need to be addressing. Those can be frustrating, but it’s definitely worth the time to take care of them up front than deal with them later! Good luck with the new book!
Thank you, David! 😀
And I was wondering about that – thank you for sharing! 😀 I was thinking maybe tomorrow-ish it might be up, at the earliest? I am thankful they’re taking a last look though – I’d definitely much rather catch a potential issue before it’s out there, than after. 🙂