Leave it to the Professionals

Leave it to the professionals, that is not what I always say.

I like to do things myself. There is a sense of pride and accomplishment in being able to say, "I did that all by myself."

But as with many things in life, sometimes we all need a little help.

I put together mock ups for my ebook cover myself, I read all the instructions to format for ebook platforms, but in the end I decided to hire a professional. A professional cover designer and formatter.

Thank goodness I did.

L.J. over at Mayhem Cover Creations http://mayhemcovercreations.com/ has done an amazing job. I love, love, love my cover. It has all the qualities I was looking for. I sent in my mock ups and told her what I was looking for and she put a beautiful cover together for ebook and print. I can't wait for the big cover reveal.

Squeee!!!

L.J. over at Mayhem Cover Creations http://mayhemcovercreations.com/ is also handling the formatting for ebook  and print. I have seen two proofs so far and they look professional and fabulous.

Squeee!!!

Every time I see a new email in my inbox from L.J.  I want to start jumping up and down like a crazed fangirl with excitement. It means the professional finishes are almost done. I am in the home stretch.

This is my first experience with publishing. I am learning everything as I go. Everything is exciting and now since I have a professional in my corner, everything is coming together with a professional finish, which saves me so much stress.

Stress is something we all have too much of already. A professional just took all of the worry of getting the formatting and correct cover done off of my shoulders.

Now I can concentrate on the Release.

Sweet Dreams is coming...Soon!

Ok, one more...Squeee!!!

Like and Follow my Author Page on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/jsenhaji13 for Book and Author Recs and updates on my self publishing journey.

My website is live. Take a peek at www.jennifersenhajiauthor.com

Building up to a Release!



In my opinion, building up to a Release is a delicate thing.

You can't rush it, but you can't spend too much time on it either or you run the risk of irritation.

You need to make the right moves and create enough excitement so that the Release is explosive, not anticlimactic.

Ahem...I do write romance so I know what some of you must be thinking, but I am not talking about that kind of release, although I guess the above does apply as well.

No, I am talking about building up to the Book Release.

Ok, have you stopped blushing now?

Good.

Building up to my book release is complicated. I have a date in mind, but I don't want to announce it until I am absolutely sure that everything is in place. I wouldn't want an unforeseen hiccup to force me to reschedule, that would be bad form in my opinion.

So as I work with my format and cover designer to get the Amazon, IBooks, B&N Nook and Smashwords versions finished along with my print version (yes, if everything goes as planned I will have a print version available on Amazon for purchase as well) I have discovered there is so much more to do in producing the final version.

I thought once the manuscript was final, I could format, upload and then market for my release date.

Here is what else I have to do.

Finalize my Author Bio for the back of my print book and end of my ebook
Finalize the blurb for the back of the print book to grab a potential reader
Finalize a book synopsis for ebook sites
Finalize my web banner that I will use on my website, Twitter and Facebook
Coordinate with my designer on a cover reveal and blog tour
Set up for pre-orders with all retailers
Add links to my website for all retailers

And announce Release Date.

Whew, these were unexpected tasks that take longer than you would think.

So, I must pace myself, not rush. Timing is imperative.

After all is said and done I want my Release to be explosive!

Like and Follow my Author Page on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/jsenhaji13 for Book and Author Recs and updates on my self publishing journey.

My website is live. Take a peek at www.jennifersenhajiauthor.com

Flipping Hot!

Flipping Hot! That is what I was thinking today when I arrived at my son's Little League Baseball game at 6pm and my dashboard read 90F.

Which lead me to think of the word hot, which lead me to think of my main character, which led me to think of stomach flips.

You see where I am going with this.

I write romance. My book Sweet Dreams, coming Summer 2014 is a contemporary romance. There is chemistry, there is a love story, there are laughs.

I'll be honest and say there are also some hot moments in the book that make my stomach flip.

Yeah, you know that feeling. When your stomach feels fluttery when thinking about that special someone that makes your pulse race. When you kiss that someone for the first, second or third time. When just seeing their face makes you feel like you just drove over a dip in the road way too fast.

Yeah. That feeling. The stomach flip. One of the best feelings in the world. I believe it is comprised of anticipation, nerves, attraction and excitement.

The build up between my two main characters definitely makes my stomach flip which I'm hoping means I have created some great chemistry on the page. When you read it, I hope it will make your stomach flip as well.

The heat today also made me think of summer, making my stomach flip for an entirely different reason.

I am releasing my book Sweet Dreams this summer. I haven't announced the date, but we are getting close.

Manuscript is final, copyright is filed, contract with cover designer is signed, cover design is being finalized...It is getting close.

I am so excited, the anticipation is amazing, I am nervous and my stomach is flipping.

Summer is getting closer, and I love the warm weather. Time for sipping cool drinks in the shade and swimming in the sun.

Summer is also time for the release of my first book, Sweet Dreams.

It's flipping hot!

Like and Follow my Author Page on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/jsenhaji13 for Book and Author Recs and updates on my self publishing journey.

My website is live. Take a peek at www.jennifersenhajiauthor.com

Formatting, Frustration and Hugs

Formatting and frustration and frustration...

Anyone who has had to convert a manuscript to acceptable ebook format knows what I am talking about.

If you haven't had the pleasure yet here are a few tips to hopefully save you some time when you do.


1. Never do anything without making a back up of your manuscript!

2. Activate Show/Hide feature in Word to reveal hidden formatting.

3. Never use tab or space bar to indent paragraphs. Always format paragraph with a .3" or .5" first line indent for fiction. There are other options for non-fiction without indents, but do not use the tab or space bar.

4. In Microsoft Word turn off Autocorrect and Autoformat and start with Normal Style modifying your Headers separately including a Page Break Before setting in your Heading format.

5. Remove page Headers and Footers along with page numbers.

I have taken notes and read Smashwords Style Guide by Mark Coker founder of Smashwords which is a Free Book designed to help you through the process. It has the information you will need to make the process easier. You can find it and download it at https://www.smashwords.com/

What is funny is that in the Smashwords Style Guide, Mark tells us Step 6 is to Hug a Loved One. I love the way he writes, always talking to the reader, not at the reader, but this made me laugh.

If my computer and my hair survive the process I will let you know if there are any other tips.

For now hugs, I need hugs.

Like and Follow my Author Page on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/jsenhaji13 for Book and Author Recs and updates on my self publishing journey.

My website is live. Take a peek at www.jennifersenhajiauthor.com