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Interview with Indie Novelist Katharine Grubb

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Texas wildflower bouquet (photo by Tui Snider)
Texas wildflower bouquet (photo by Tui Snider)

Unexpected Texas Reviewed by the 10 Minute Writer

Today, my offbeat travel guide Unexpected Texas is being reviewed by the 10 Minute Writer, a.k.a. Katharine Grubb. Check out her blog to to see what she has to say about my book. (Let’s hope it’s good!)

Katharine and I recently met on Twitter, via #StoryDam writing chat, and I’m glad we did because she is lively and inspiring. Speaking of #StoryDam chat, Katharine is going to be our featured guest tomorrow night. Join us on Twitter at 8:00 p.m. EST. Follow the #StoryDam hashtag and don’t be shy; we’re a friendly crew!

Review: Falling for Your Madness by Katharine Grubb

I recently read Katharine’s novel Falling for your Madness and loved it! Here’s my review:

You could easily read Falling for your Madness just for fun. There is nothing wrong with that, but I love it when stories work on more than one level, and this one certainly does. In Katharine Grubb’s fast-paced story, “boy meets girl” and all that you would expect from a romance, but her plot is clever, creative, and unpredictable.

Like a modern-day Jane Austen, Katharine Grubb’s characters are not just witty, but they offer insights into societal norms and gender roles. I giggled several times as I flipped the pages, but I also found myself wanting to talk the book over with someone. Unlike most rom-coms, Falling for your Madness actually makes you think about human behavior, dating, and relationship expectations.

For this reason, Falling for Your Madness makes an excellent book club selection. It’s light-hearted and fast-paced, while raising topics that would be fun to debate with friends. But don’t just take my word for it, check out the reviews of Falling for your Madness on Amazon. While you’re there, pick up a copy for yourself!

(Full disclosure: I actually read Falling for Your Madness on my iPhone one night during a bout of insomnia, so the “flipped pages” I refer to above are strictly metaphorical!)

Who is Katharine Grubb?

Katharine Grubb is a wife, homeschooling mother of five children, and indie novelist. She spends her days homeschooling, baking bread, cooking, cleaning and tackling laundry. She considers herself a writer of smart-alecky, contemporary fiction of faith and sometimes romance too, because falling in love is fun. The first of her books to be published is Falling for your Madness, a romantic comedy about chivalry, true love and the power of words. If you buy it, you’ll be awesome. If you review it, you’ll be her friend for life.

Interview with Indie Novelist, Katharine Grubb

1. When did you know that you wanted to be a writer?

I remember being four years old and holding a pencil and piece of paper and my first thought was not “let’s draw a picture” but “let’s tell a story” and then I probably cried because I didn’t know how to write. If only I would have known that someday I would be able to type 100 words a minute, and this skill would serve me when I wrote in ten minute increments.

As I grew up I was Louisa May Alcott and Laura Ingalls Wilder fan girl. And I wanted to be them. They were girls! They were writers! They wore Holly Hobbie bonnets!

2. Are you a “plotter” or a “pantser”? (Plotters plan everything in advance. Pantsers write by the seat of their pants, and figure things out as they go along.)

I’ve learned that plotting is the best way for me. The Truth About the Sky was a pantser book and it took me five years. Falling for your Madness kind of struck me like a lightning bolt, so it didn’t really count as either. And my latest novel Soulless Creatures was far more organized and I was most comfortable with that method.

And now I’m writing a book about how to write a book, so I’m preaching the whole plotting Gospel. I do see the value in learning how to free write (which is just self-controlled panting) in the beginning stages of writing a draft. So the answer to the question, obviously, is YES.

3. How did you hone your craft? Are there any particular books about writing or online resources that were especially helpful to you along the way?

Back in 2006, when I decided that I probably wouldn’t, as a stay-at-home mom of five kids under 8, be called by Fox to write for The Simpsons, that I should, instead, learn how to write a novel. I read everything I could get my hands on. But the best resources were How To Grow A Novel by Sol Stein, STORY by Robert McKee, the books and blog by Victoria Mixon. I would NOT have the confidence for any of this without The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron.

4. How long do you toy with an idea before deciding to create an entire book out of it? In other words, how do you decide which ideas get to be books and which don’t?

That’s a great question! Personally I think ideas need time to really cook. I have a novel now that in my cooker, which is, in my mind, kind of crock pot like. I know it’s about a tour guide in Boston who has really suffered and he protects his teenage sister, who has PTSD, during the Marathon bombing, but not too much else. It’s like the characters need time to talk to me and each other and somehow their story streamlines. I’m very sure that there will be tons of stuff I throw away. It’s just part of the process. I don’t really know how I decide, but there’s something in my gut that just knows.

5. You have 5 kids. Wow! Is your family supportive of you and your writing goals? Did you have to “train” them to accept the idea, or was it easy-peasy?

From the summer of 2006, when I decided to get serious, they were ALWAYS my biggest cheer section. They think that I deserve the Pulitzer. They’d hack into Amazon and leave my books dozens of five star reviews simply saying “This book is awesome!” if they knew how. But from a practical side, that’s a bit of a different story. I call myself the 10 minute writer because, in theory, I write for ten minutes and then go do Mom stuff for ten minutes and, in theory, they were supposed to leave me alone. This worked. Sometimes. But woe to the kid that wants apple juice during the wrong ten minutes.

6. Do any of your kids share your love of writing?

All of my kids are very creative and tell stories in different ways. My oldest daughter, who is 15, wants to be a novelist and has participated in Nanowrimo. She wrote 60K last year! My next daughter, age 14, is this amazing world-builder — she’s got this complicated stack of notebooks that are unbelievable in their detail, but she’s not interested in her worlds having conflicts, so no story, just peaceful world. My second son, who is 10, is showing signs of being a graphic novelist who draws cute pictures of football playing penguins. And my 8 year old princess nags me, almost daily, on whether or not I’ve mentioned to my agent about her one page story, “The Coconut of Death.” So yeah, they get it. And it’s really, really fun to watch them pursue their passions. My oldest son, who is 12, is an engineer. He tolerates the rest of us.

7. Tell us about your self-publishing journey. How much did you do yourself and which items (cover design, editing, formatting, etc) did you farm out?

I wasn’t even going to self publish at all in the fall of 2012 when I wrote Falling for your Madness But my beta readers were very excited about it and kind of pushed me in that direction. Turned out this particular reader just happened to have a daughter who did graphic design. So enter Bree Jordan, graphic designer. She did the cover for The Truth About the Sky and she’s on board to do future projects too! I had connections with some English teacher types who did the editing. I did all the formatting all myself because I have nothing else to do with my time. I learned A LOT!

8. What advice do you have for those who wish to self-publish their novels? Did you do many things differently with your 2nd novel?

Not too much. I wish now I had more knowledge and connection when it came to marketing. But in this culture, the whole one reader at a time strategy really is the best way to go.

9. Writing can be a lonely process. Do you feel the need to interact with other writers? If so, how do you satisfy your need for community?

Oh! I am a freak for social media. Besides Twitter, I have a lot fun on Facebook too. The writers that I met four and five years ago are now like my BFFs and they’re the ones that I call for critiques and advice and celebrations. I couldn’t do this without my social media peeps.

10. No spoilers here, but I enjoyed how you added a few fantastical elements without turning Falling for your Madness into a complete paranormal romance. Were you tempted at some point to take the magic farther?

I think I was a little bit, but the focus of the book was David’s humanity and the development of his and Laura’s relationship. I wanted my readers to identify with them and not get too distracted by the fantasy elements. I’m not a fantasy writer, nor a fantasy reader, really. I just wanted enough to add to David’s motivations, get him out of a fix or two and let the magic the set up for a few jokes.

11. Have you considered creating a book club guide for Falling for your Madness? Your story raises interesting questions about relationships and equality. A reading club would have a blast discussing the issues in your book.

That’s a great idea! I agree. It really would be a great book to get into discussions about. I’ve had fun hearing what my readers have taken away from it. I’ll get right on this, can you come and do my laundry while I write? ;)

12. I think Falling for your Madnesswould make a great rom-com movie, don’t you? (Hollywood, are you listening?) If this were to happen, who would you cast in the leading roles?

This is the question that you really need to ask me in person. If you did, I would close my eyes, swallow, possibly touch you on the hand and say, with reverence and awe: Benedict Cumberbatch has always been David in my mind. And then I would probably have to catch my breath and take a sip of water.

(I need a minute.)

Okay, now.

As for Laura. I left her appearance intentionally vague because I really wanted my female readers to think that she was Laura. So it could be anybody. And Mickey Rooney is Merle. And a young Kathy Bates is Faye. And Beyonce is Ruby. And Matthew’s mother, from Downton Abbey is Aunt Honoria and Patrick Stewart is David’s father. I haven’t thought about this at all.

13. I haven’t read your latest novel yet, The Truth About the Sky. How is this one different from Falling for Your Madness? Did the idea come to you in a similar way, and was the writing process similar, or was it a completely different experience this time?

The Truth About the Sky was actually written before Falling for your Madness. I started The Truth About the Sky because I was obsessed with “Arrested Development” and I thought that Lucille Bluth would be very interesting in the setting I grew up in — Northeastern Oklahoma. So I tinkered around with her, I named her Jeanah, and I wrote about what would her dysfunctional family look like in the contexts of what I knew. I really, really knew Evangelical church life, the contrast between Bible Belt and New England, a pregnancy that required bedrest, being dissatisfied with a job, trying to please narcissistic family members and being courted by a really creepy guy. I pantsed this all the way for about four years before I figured out the big plot — which is how to live a life of grace when everyone around you is a mess. The main story is not a romance, like Falling for Your Madness, but there are romantic elements to it.

14. What are your next projects? Do you like to juggle more than one writing project at a time? If so, how do you do this?

My next project is called The Ten Minute Novel and it’s a nonfiction book that takes a novice writer and coaches them how to sculpt a novel in very small increments. It’s going to be released in the spring of 2015 by Hodder and Stoughton. I really only have time for one big project at a time, so between this book and my social media life and that whole family gig, I’ve got my hands full.

15. What’s it like having an agent and a publisher now?

It’s thrilling and terrifying all at the same time! The best part is the feeling of legitimacy that this is what “real” writer life feels like. I also am very pleased with the coaching and vision of MacGregor Literary and I feel like being in the company of their other writers holds me to higher standard. But then, occasionally, I freak out a little and wonder if I can pull this off. But you know what? I CAN. These wonderful people wouldn’t be behind me if they didn’t think I could do this.

16. What are your long-term goals for your writing?

To conquer the world! After the release of The Ten Minute Novel, I want to release Soulless Creatures and then see what that Boston tour guide story will be, it may be called You’ll Miss Me When I’m Gone. And the blogging and the tweeting and the Mom life. I’d like to have written 30 books before I’m done at like, age 80 or something. Seriously, I need help with the laundry . . .

Filed Under: Travel Photo Essays Tagged With: author, indie, interview, Katharine Grubb, novelist, self publishing

Unexpected Texas Book Signing – You’re Invited!

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Ms. Kalliope can be very distracting! (photo by Tui Snider)
Ms. Kalliope can be very distracting! (photo by Tui Snider)

Book Signing this Saturday

I’ve got good news for my Row80 writing check-in! This Saturday, March 29, 2014 I will be in downtown Fort Worth, Texas with paperbacks of Unexpected Texas in hand, ready to sign and sell. The venue is a funky furniture shop called There’s No Place Like Home (855 Foch St, Fort Worth, TX 76107), and I will be there from 6:00 p.m. until 9:00 p.m. If you are in the Dallas – Fort Worth area, I hope you will swing by and say hi!

This Saturday is perfect for a book signing, since it’s also the Fort Worth Art District Association (FWADA) Spring Gallery Walk. I’ve been to these gallery walks before. They are lively, fun, and well-attended. Plus, many places (including my venue!) serve wine and snacks.

Thing is, I’ve never done a book signing before. Aside from the obvious (bring a bunch of my books and a pen), I’m not sure what to do.

Should I offer prizes?

Here’s one idea I had: I could ask people to sign up for my email newsletter and randomly pick one of them to win a prize. What do you think? Beyond that, I’m not sure what to do, besides have fun and chat with people.

What are your book-signing tips?

This is where *you* come in. What advice do you have for me? I would really appreciate input from readers and writers alike. Please leave a comment with your 2 cents worth, specifically:

As a reader, what makes a book signing interesting to you?

As a fellow author, what have you learned from in-person book signings of your own?

What is Row80?

ROW80 is short for A Round of Words in 80 Days. It was created by the author, Kait Nolan, who describes it as, “an online writing challenge that knows you have a life.”

Basically, ROW80 is a way for writers to connect online and share progress on their writing goals. Click on the aforementioned link for more information. To join in and cheer on other ROW80 writers, check out the A Round of Words in 80 Days website. You may also simply click on any of the blog in the following list:

Filed Under: My Books, Unexpected Texas Tagged With: Amazon author, author, book signing, ebook, Fort Worth, fwada, gallery night, indie, indie author, indie publishing, kindle, paperback, ROW80, self publishing, selfpub, travel guide, Tui Snider, unexpected Texas, UnexTex

Unexpected Texas Update: Prize Winners & #1 on Amazon

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Unexpected Texas is an Amazon Best Seller! (photo by Tui Snider)
Unexpected Texas is an Amazon Best Seller! (photo by Tui Snider)

My Row80 & Unexpected Texas Update

On March 2, 2014 I officially released my quirky travel guide Unexpected Texas on Amazon as both a paperback and Kindle version.

For the next 8 days, Unexpected Texas toured the web on a whirlwind book release blog tour. A variety of interviews and reviews appeared on the following blogs to help promote my book. It was so much fun!

#UnexTex Blog Tour Prize Winners

The book blog tour for Unexpected Texas was a blast! I learned a lot, had fun, and made some great contacts.
Today, I’m pleased to announce the winners for the prizes featured at each stop along my virtual book release tour. *drum roll please*

The following lucky folks are all winners:

1. Mark Oxner is the Grand Prize Winner. He wins: a paperback copy of my book, Unexpected Texas, an Unexpected Texas notebook, and a $25 Amazon gift card to support his reading habit.
2. Scott Shetler a.k.a. “The Quirky Travel Guy” wins: a paperback copy of my book, Unexpected Texas, an Unexpected Texas notebook for him to record anomalous events, a video of “Cowboys and Aliens,” and a packet of Yoda Post-It notes (because there is no try, there are only to-do lists!)
3. Leigh Reinert wins: a paperback version of my book, Unexpected Texas, an Unexpected Texas notebook, and a snazzy, laminated folding map of Texas (which I was so tempted to keep for myself!)
4. Gale Langley wins: a paperback copy of Unexpected Texas, an Unexpected Texas notebook, and a bag of sea salt caramel dark chocolates. Yum! The sea salt is a nod to the ancient sea which provides North Texas with high-quality salt reserves which are mined by the Morton Salt Company today, and from which the Salt Palace in the town of Grand Saline was built.
5.Katherine Boyer wins: a paperback copy of Unexpected Texas, an Unexpected Texas notebook, and the latest issue of Texas Parks and Wildlife. This ties in with the Athens, Texas chapter of Unexpected Texas in which I describe a visit to the Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center. Not only do they have aquariums and a well-stocked pond, but they will loan you a rod and reel and teach you how to fish!
6. Pam Roberts wins: a paperback of Unexpected Texas, an Unexpected Texas notebook, and some really cute road trip stickers for scrapbooking.
7. Patricia Lynne wins: One Aunt Jemima apron, a zebra striped mani/pedi kit, a mini Texas Hold ‘Em game, & a paperback copy of Unexpected Texas. Each item in this quirky assortment references a woman mentioned in Unexpected Texas.

Once I have everyone’s snail mail addresses, I will send off all the loot.

A Successful Book Blog Tour

Everyone defines success differently, but I am happy with what I achieved with the #UnexTex Unexpected Texas Book Release Blog Tour.

Specifically, I’ve gained nearly 100 new Twitter followers, I’ve made new friends on Facebook, I’ve strengthened friendships with bloggers who inspire me, I’ve doubled the number of subscribers to my newsletter, I’ve doubled my blog traffic, and I’ve made connections that led to offline book-signings and speaking engagments (more on those in upcoming posts!)

I’ve also inspired at least 2 of my friends to get serious about their own book projects! That makes me feel great!

My Book is #1 on Amazon

Another goal I had going into this virtual book release blog tour was to hit #1 in the Amazon Best Sellers list for Dallas – Fort Worth Travel Books.

As you can see from the photo at the top of this post, Unexpected Texas is now officially an Amazon Best Seller! Yee haw! Rather than go on about how this makes me feel, I’d like to have the room for a moment:

What is ROW80?

ROW80 is short for A Round of Words in 80 Days. It was created by the author, Kait Nolan, who describes it as, “an online writing challenge that knows you have a life.”

Basically, ROW80 is a way for writers to connect online and share progress on their writing goals. Click on the aforementioned link for more information. To join in and cheer on other ROW80 writers, check out the A Round of Words in 80 Days website. You may also simply click on any of the blog in the following list:

Filed Under: My Books, Unexpected Texas Tagged With: Amazon author, author, blog book tour, blog tour, ebook, indie, indie author, indie publishing, kindle, paperback, ROW80, self publishing, selfpub, travel guide, Tui Snider, unexpected Texas, UnexTex, virtual book tour

Unexpected Texas Book Release Blog Tour Coming Soon!

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Flags in Texas (photo by Tui Snider)
Flags in Texas (photo by Tui Snider)

Book Release Blog Tour

After formatting, setting up the Unexpected Texas Book Release Blog Tour was the next big thing on my self-publishing to-do list. I’m happy to report that virtual book tour is shaping up just fine.

It’s gonna be fun, too: I’m giving away free copies of my book along with other prizes every single day of the tour. Then, on the final blog tour day ( Monday, March 10, 2014) the eBook version of Unexpected Texas will be free on Amazon.

Talented Bloggers & Fun Prizes

Here’s a linky list arranged “Brady Bunch” style so you can check out all the fabulous places I’ll be stopping on this virtual blog tour:



What’s the #UnexTex hash tag for?

After brainstorming with friends, two of them suggested using #UnexTex as a hashtag for talking about my quirky travel/trivia guide Unexpected Texas. So if you like to tweet, feel free to join in on the conversation. As you can see, I even added an area on the sidebar of this blog where you can see recent tweets using the #UnexTex hashtag.

My Amazon author page

Yes, I finally made an author page on Amazon for me and Unexpected Texas. To view it, click: Tui Snider’s author page on Amazon

The Rest of my Row80 check-in:

Get my paperback formatted perfectly by Friday, February 21, 2014.

Done! With these proofs in hand, I can already see several tweaks that need to be made.<

Order Paperbacks to sell:

Order 100 paperbacks by Friday, February 21, 2014. Done! As of this writing, they have not been shipped yet. Fingers crossed that they arrive in time for my book launch on Sunday. *gulp*

Re-do my Self-Publishing To-Do List:

I’ve actually got 3 to-do lists going at the moment. I re-do my main action list every morning before anything else!

Blog 3X per week:

Done. Phew!

Reply to all comments, visit all commenter’s blogs & comment on them:

I’ve replied to all comments & will visit their blogs after I post this. :)

Visit at least 10 other ROW80 blogs & retweet their posts, too:

Not yet, but I will do this as soon as this post is up.

Daily writing check-in via email:

Morgan Dragonwillow and I still check in with each other every night – and sometimes during the day – via text and email.

What is ROW80?

ROW80 is short for A Round of Words in 80 Days. It was created by the author, Kait Nolan, who describes it as, “an online writing challenge that knows you have a life.” Basically, ROW80 is a way for writers to connect online and share progress on their writing goals. Click on the aforementioned link for more information.

To join in and cheer on other ROW80 writers, check out the A Round of Words in 80 Days website. You may also simply click on any of the blogs in the following list:

Filed Under: My Books, Unexpected Texas Tagged With: author, blog book tour, blog tour, createspace, ebook, indie, paperback, ROW80, self publishing, selfpub, travel guide, Tui Snider, unexpected Texas, UnexTex

Paperback Proofs & Fun with Formatting – Not!

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My book, Unexpected Texas, in the flesh! (photo by Tui Snider)
My book, Unexpected Texas, in the flesh! (photo by Tui Snider)

Who knew UPS had a stealth division?

Last Wednesday, I ordered proofs for my quirky travel guide Unexpected Texas and I have been patiently awaiting their arrival ever since. Until yesterday, that is, when I decided to look up the tracking info.

That’s when all the impatience began!

You see, much to my delight, the package was marked “out for delivery.” Squeee! From that point on, my ears became fine-tuned. Who knew I was so intimately acquainted with the specific sounds UPS vans make? They came down our street twice yesterday, and both times they delivered things to my neighbors.

I finally checked the tracking numbers again and saw that the status for my package had changed. So this morning my hyper vigilance for the unique squeaks and groans UPS vans make renewed itself.

And, just like yesterday, I got faked out…twice! The first time I heard the truck, I popped out the door like a hopeful prairie dog. The second time, I merely peeped out a side window.

Luckily, I’m still formatting the eBook version and that has kept me busy. So busy, in fact, that when my proof arrived, the UPS man made it all the way to the door, he even rang the doorbell, before I saw him. See what they did there? After taunting me with loud, groaning, squeaky UPS trucks for two days straight, they sent their stealth division when it was my turn!

But hey – I am not complaining. My proofs are here and they look good.

Phew!

Unexpected Texas book proofs - squee! (photo by Tui Snider)
Unexpected Texas book proofs - squee! (photo by Tui Snider)

Self-Publishing Update a.k.a. Fun with Formatting – Not!

Formatting, formatting, formatting… I am still working on formatting the paperback and eBook versions of my book. I won’t bore you with details, though. Suffice it to say that this blog post was very helpful for the eBook: The Captain’s Blog proudly presents: How to format your Word document correctly for Kindle Also, I am still learning tons of great stuff from  Catherine Ryan Howard’s ebook Self Printed It’s a wonderful book and I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to self-publish.

Meanwhile, here are my #ROW80 goals:

Paperback Proofs:
Get my paperback formatted perfectly by Friday, February 21, 2014. With these proofs in hand, I can already see several tweaks that need to be made.

Order Paperbacks to sell:
Order 100 paperbacks by Friday, February 21, 2014. At this point, I will have to pay extra to have them expedited, but my goal is to have actual books in hand to sell at the Fort Worth Oscar Viewing party on March 2nd, so I will have to bite the bullet!

Plan a book release blog tour:
I’ve started on this! My book’s official release is March 3rd, 2014 and I have a great group of peeps rounded up for a week long tour. I’ll explain more next week. Oh – I bought a bunch of really great things for prizes. I can hardly wait!

Re-do my Self-Publishing To-Do List:
Time to reasses this list… again! I am starting to dip into the marketing section of things, such as the book release blog tour I just mentioned.

Blog 3X per week:
I missed last Friday’s blog post. Oh, well! I have a wonderful guest blogger planned for this Friday to make up for it.

Reply to all comments, visit all commenter’s blogs & comment on them:
Uh – I think I did this… Man, I spent too long fighting with MS Word and fretting over UPS trucks to remember now.

Visit at least 10 other ROW80 blogs:
Yes, yes! I also retweeted several posts in the #Row80 timeline.

Daily writing check-in via email:
Morgan Dragonwillow
and I are still checking in with each other every night – and sometimes during the day – via text and email.

What is ROW80?

ROW80 is short for A Round of Words in 80 Days. It was created by the author, Kait Nolan, who describes it as, “an online writing challenge that knows you have a life.” Basically, ROW80 is a way for writers to connect online and share progress on their writing goals. Click on the aforementioned link for more information.

To join in and cheer on other ROW80 writers, check out the A Round of Words in 80 Days website. You may also simply click on any of the blogs in the following list:

Filed Under: My Books, Unexpected Texas Tagged With: author, createspace, ebook, indie, paperback, ROW80, self publishing, selfpub, travel guide, Tui Snider, unexpected Texas

Unexpected Texas: Book Cover Reveal

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Unexpected Texas by Tui Snider
Unexpected Texas by Tui Snider

Book Cover Reveal

OK… Here is *basically* what the front and back covers of my paperback will look like. I’ve made a few changes, actually, since these graphics were made, but I am posting them anyway so you can get a general idea of what the look and feel will be for my upcoming quirky travel book: Unexpected Texas.

Self-Publishing Update

I’ve been cranking away, fussing with book formatting all week. Who knew that the hardest part of all would be getting page numbers set up properly in MS Word? I even lost sleep over the matter! But… I’ll save all that for another post.

For now, here’s my Row80 Check-in for the week:

Design a Snazzy eBook & Paperback Cover:
CreateSpace alerted me that the text on the spine of the initial cover I sent them was too tall for the book spine, so I re-did it and re-subbed it to them. As of this writing, I am patiently awaiting their reply. I hope it passes inspection this time around.

This week, I also added a blurb on the back, along with a head shot of me. I’m still waiting to get my book back from the editor, but I am going to order a proof as soon as possible with what I’ve got just to make sure that I like how the cover looks, as well as the interior.

Keep in mind that the covers here are for the paperback. I will tweak them for the ebook! Also, the paperback will say “Tui Snider” not “Tui Snider’s” and a few other little changes.

Still, you get the idea, right?

Unexpected Texas by Tui Snider
Unexpected Texas by Tui Snider

Re-do my Self-Publishing To-Do List:
Done! What a relief. It’s a looooooong list, but I am working my way down.

Blog 3X per week:
My 2014 blogging schedule is to post each Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Mondays are for Texas travel, Wednesdays are for #Row80 and self-publishing updates, and Fridays are for quirky and/or world travel posts. Yup!

Reply to all comments, visit all commenter’s blogs & comment on them:
Yup!

Visit at least 10 other ROW80 blogs:
Yup, again! I also retweeted several posts in the #Row80 timeline.

Daily writing check-in via email:
Morgan Dragonwillow
and I are still checking in with each other every night via text and email.

What is ROW80?

ROW80 is short for A Round of Words in 80 Days. It was created by the author, Kait Nolan, who describes it as, “an online writing challenge that knows you have a life.” Basically, ROW80 is a way for writers to connect online and share progress on their writing goals. Click on the aforementioned link for more information.

To join in and cheer on other ROW80 writers, check out the A Round of Words in 80 Days website. You may also simply click on any of the blogs in the following list:

Filed Under: Travel Photo Essays Tagged With: author, cover reveal, ROW80, self publishing, travel guide, Tui Snider, unexpected Texas

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