The Battle to Become Published

I just published a new e-book(let), and boy, was it a battle getting it out there. First of all, when submitting to Amazon, I screwed up the title. Of my own book! I accidentally called it, The Battle to Become Published: When Great Expectations Go Awry, rather than its real name, The Battle to Become an Author: When Great Expectations Go Awry. And yes, you're all probably going to remember the first title...it's what I typed more times than I care to admit when searching to see if my book was up on Amazon yet.

Yes, it says the title right on the book

My mistake was rather ironic, being that getting this book published was a huge pain. We mainly had problems making the lists work right (which Kindle Fire 8 now supposedly supports). We also had trouble with icons not showing up or showing up as
some other weird symbol, plus the electricity kept going out, of all things. 

I won't bore you with all the other issues we had, but I will say that we had one last biggie. Other than the book misnaming fiasco, things started out well. I submitted my finished e-booklet and about 12 hours later my Kindle account told me that my book was live. But when I went to Amazon, there was no way to buy it. You could see the book cover, the title, and the author, but no Buy Now! button. I sobbed a little, then contacted Amazon. They were nice and told me exactly when I'd hear back from them about the problem. I submitted my book on Sunday, contacted them on Monday, and heard back from them on Thursday. It was a long wait in Kristina years, but at least I knew when I'd get an answer.

Always Be Prepared

Here's what they said:

"At this time, certain MOBI files generated using third party applications are not supported on our website. For best results, we suggest you to upload your content in MOBI format generated using KindleGen tool.

KindleGen is a command line application to convert files in HTML/EPUB files to a Kindle supported MOBI format. You may download KindleGen tool from the below link."

Agggh!

I thought it was my title screw-up holding the book back, but it turned out to be more complicated than that. Apparently, Calibre - the conversion tool we used - only supports up to version 6 (I think that's right; I'm not exactly known for my computer prowess). However, in the end, as scary as those two paragraphs looked, we only had to change one thing. Sounds simple, right? Let's just say, luckily for me my husband (GorKee) knows what he's doing.

So here's a synopsis of the booklet (it's not very long, hence the $1.99 price, but it is chock-full of goodness):

Bleak and Gloomy Outlook

Are you looking to find an agent and/or get published? Are you a published author frustrated with the whole process? Or have you simply heard the horror stories and are looking for a ray of light before plunging into the fray? In this short booklet, author Kristina Schram discusses how one’s unrealistic expectations about becoming an author can contribute to feelings of negativity and isolation. Dr. Schram offers a real-world discussion of this growing issue, humorously incorporating her own experiences throughout. She also offers insights and ways to cope with the increasingly difficult battle to become a published author. Come prepared to challenge your own expectations, to laugh and to cry, and to battle against the forces conspiring to keep you from reaching your writing potential!

 

Funny, huh?

I hope to be laughing all the way to the bank some day.  I really do.

 

Kristina Schram

highly traumatized author of, wait for it...

The Chronicles of Anaedor: The Prophecies (Book One)

The Battle to Become an Author: When Great Expectations Go Awry.

I've Been a Bad, Bad Girl

How does one keep blogging whilst doing book signings, making book trailers, marketing one's new book, writing new books, helping coach a 5th and 6th grade boys Parks & Rec Basketball team, and raising three boys?  Plain and simple, one doesn't.  Well, at least this one doesn't.  There's always lots of stuff going on in my life but the time to write about it has waned lately, probably because my spare moments seem to have disappeared like the hair on my hubby's head - slow but sure.  Sorry to all.  I've been a bad, bad girl.

If you're at all interested in keeping up to date on my writing life, I suggest fanning up on my Facebook Fan Page, or following me on Twitter.

Otherwise, I'm afraid I won't be writing much here.  I've been working on a new series that I love and I want to keep writing while that passion is still alive and kicking.  I can't wait to send out the first book in the series, which I plan to do in the new year.

Publishing my book, The Chronicles of Anaedor:  The Prophecies, has been an up and down experience and I've been learning a lot...like how frustrating publishing a book can be (administrative/technical problems have been my biggest hurdle).  But also, how great it can be.  My best experiences have come from participating in several book signings and book fairs and meeting fellow authors and avid readers.  People are so supportive and have made this adventure much more interesting and fun for me than I thought possible.  Without them, I'd be a quivering puddle of a mess from dealing with all the things that have gone wrong (anywhere from my book cover looking weird on amazon's site, to my books going missing just prior to a signing, to my books selling out but my publisher not being ready with more).

I will say that one big thing went right.  YA Book Reads reviewed The Chronicles of Anaedor:  The Prophecies and really liked it!  See their review as well as my interview with them.  They gave me 4 1/2 Snitches out of 5!  I'm so psyched and honored.

Anyway, I'm sorry to be so remiss in my blog.  Please forgive me and maybe follow me on Facebook instead!