Interested in Self-Publishing?

Getting a book published can be hard work! Writing query letters, manuscripts, book proposals and trying to find an agent can get time consuming. There are a few companies that will, for a large sum of money, handle all of these things for you, but giving someone money to do your work, doesn't make your book any good. It just means you were able to write something down and have someone do your self publishing for you. Larger publishing companies can be hard to reach out to and most of them don't accept unsolicited work, yet you finished this novel and you just know people will love it, so what do you do? Consider self-publishing. It can also get fairly difficult, but there is such a satisfaction in doing with work yourself, it's worth it.

Because of how technology is today, there are several websites that can help you get your book in print. For my first two books I went though a company called CreateSpace LLC and they are now partnered with Amazon. Using CreateSpace is fairly simple and it allows you to do all the work yourself, OR you can pay for a few other options. CreateSpace has their own editors, a professional cover designer, and a team that will promote your book! If you are short on cash, you can always design your own cover using their pre-made designs, or you can completely make your own cover and uploading this as a PDF. Because I am non-artistic and do not have Photoshop, I found this to be quite difficult! However, it was nice to see my hard work paid off and I loved holding my design in my hands when it was done.

Amazon also has options for self-publishers. You can use this to help you upload your eBook, or a hard copy.

If you have a book, novella, short stories or even a play finished, consider using either CreateSpace or Amazon KDP to upload your file. The file will go through approval and if there are any issues, you have plenty of time to fix them. CreateSpace lets you preview your book before submitting it for approval. If your manuscript was approved, congratulations! Now that your book is on the market, you can either promote your book by yourself, or use the CreateSpace and Amazon provided options. Facebook and family are the best ways to get your book out there. Good luck!

Story of Thieves- Book Review #22

I know it has been a while, but since my grandfather passed away on the 21st of February, I have been busy with family stuff. Also, now that I am on spring break, I have a little free time from school to read and write. I am currently in the middle of reading a book that reminded me a little of my own book Lost Prince of Waydale because the main characters are able to jump into books!

 Story of Thieves by James Riley is targeted for younger readers (ages 10-14) and it is the first book in a four book series. Story of Thieves follows Owen, who has discovered a fellow classmate, Bethany, jumping out of a storybook! Owen is thrilled and can't wait to visit his favorite hero Kiel Gnomenfoot. Owen finds out that Bethany has been jumping from book to book in hopes of finding her father, who is a fictional character that got lost in a book and hasn't come out. Owen agreed to help Bethany if she took him into his favorite series. Little does Bethany know, Owen has a plan to save one of his favorite characters from being killed! Bethany insists Owen does not interact with any main characters or else it could mess up the whole story. When the two friends enter the novel and Owen saves the his favorite character, the consequences are severe! Will Bethany and Owen be able to fix what they have done? Will Bethany ever find her father?


I don't want to give anything away, but I am about half way though this book and I think it is fantastic so far. The style and tone is sophisticated enough for older readers not to get bored, but it's simple enough to appeal to the younger readers. The subject of this series is what had me fascinated because (as everyone knows) I love the thoughts of going into a story. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants a book that will "take them away" to another world.  Whether you are an older adult, a teenager or a middle school student, this book is the perfect fit for anyone who has an imagination and a love of adventure.