Category Archives: The Redemption of Erâth

Thought of the Week: Now That I’m Published…

It’s been quite a while since I’ve had much to say here, and I’m sorry for that. I’ve been through one of the worst summers in recent memory in terms of battling my depression and possible bipolar diagnosis, and it’s been a daily struggle to even get out of bed. Work has been utterly exhausting, and in the little spare time I’ve had, I’ve tried desperately to dedicate myself to my book.

Having said that, I am still here, and I’m hoping to be around a little more than I have been lately. There was a time when I posted several times a week, and while I can’t quite commit to that level of activity yet, I would like to get back into the swing of things. I remember the wonderful feeling of knowing someone else has read your words, whether they be of hope or despair, and I of course remember the many good friends I’ve made through this blog (Alexandra, Neil Vis, Elyn, I’m looking at you!). Some of you have been with me on my journey for some years now, and I promise you, it’s still continuing.

Screen Shot 2014-07-08 at 12.13.29 PMSpeaking of having people read my words, I have a (late) announcement to make: my first book, The Redemption of Erâth: Consolation is finally published and ready to read! My publisher, iUniverse, originally had it available on their site in July, but there was a glaring mistake on the front cover and it’s taken a while to get this fixed. The amended version is now up, and available through amazon.com right here.

In one sense, I couldn’t be more excited. My book is physically available for sale, and I’ve had the chance to hold it my hands. Reading through it in print was an experience like no other: glorious, satisfying and very, very real. I’ll be receiving a few free copies soon and I already have an idea who I’ll be sending some to…!

Having said that, it’s very much a soft launch. I’m not much of a marketer, and until this post I pretty much haven’t spoken to anyone about my book, short of my local library. I’ve sunk quite a bit of (borrowed) money into turning my book into a reality, and I’m keenly aware that at the moment, I’m not likely to make much of that back. Truth be told, I’m not really expecting to. This was an experiment, a way to see if it was possible to ‘make it’ without the use of traditional publishers and agents. While I know that it is in theory possible, I’m not holding any great hopes for myself.

At least not yet.

I’ve had something of an upswing in mood lately, and I want to use it. I’m hoping that, over the next few days and weeks, I’ll have the motivation and stamina to start looking for ways to market my book. Getting people interested in it. Getting people to read it. One thought that’s crossed my mind is reviews: there are numerous review sources out there, from mainstream newspapers and magazines to independent websites. Of course, there’s no guarantee the reviews will be glowing, but infamy is better than non-famy, I suppose.

Another thought that’s crossed my mind is that, with iUniverse, I retain full publishing rights to my novel. What does this mean? Well, despite the fact that it’s published through them, and they get a (fairly significant) chunk of the royalties, I am still free to do what I want with the book elsewhere. Such as…

Give it away for free!

What do you think of that? I’ve decided, pretty much right now, that between now and October 31, anyone who emails satiswrites@icloud.com will receive a free copy of The Redemption of Erâth: Consolation in return, in the format of their choosing (ePub, Kindle, PDF, etc.). All you need to do is let me know.

Meanwhile, there’ll be a Google Ads campaign running soon, and I’ll probably take out a couple of small advertisements on Facebook as well (don’t forget to check out facebook.com/satiswrites).

What do you think? Are there other ways you can think of to get my book out there and to the masses?

Satis Logo 2014Don’t forget: email satiswrites@icloud.com before October 31 to receive your free copy of The Redemption of Erâth: Consolation!

Thought of the Week: Commitment

Hello readers!

Just a short post this week: in the midst of the furore of moving house, I sent back the approval form for the cover for The Redemption of Erâth: Consolation. What does this mean? The book has an official cover!

Screen Shot 2014-07-08 at 12.13.29 PM

 

This is based on the fire image I supplied to the publishers instead of the image they had used to begin with:

My own roaring fire.

 

I had actually sent them my own mock-up of the cover, and they essentially replicated it, so in a way, that’s my own design up there! In fairness to them, though, they chose the font, layout, coloring, etc.

It’s funny, because there’s a part of me that feels like I’m rushing into this—that I’m not giving this enough thought. There’s a separate part of me that just wants it done and over with, that just wants to hold the damn book in my hands, and I think it’s this part that won out. I’m terrible with commitment—terrible at making permanent decisions. Yet somehow the decision to go forward with this cover came easily. Without a second thought, I signed the sign-off form and sent it back, only ten minutes ago. The decision is made.

Will I regret it? Who knows. I held a vote at work for two different cover options, and the above cover did not win. Yet when I spoke with people, the best feedback I got was based on the ‘fire’ cover; that it seemed to hold a deeper meaning for the story (the fact the Brandyé’s parents die in a fire, that he learns of the world through his grandfather’s fireside tales, that he ends up branded with the mark of darkness), and a stronger allure, a stronger pull. The other cover (below for comparison) apparently just ‘looked pretty’.

Screen Shot 2014-06-30 at 9.15.03 AM

 

There’s still a part of me that’s torn; I do like the symbolism of the dark clouds descending over a final sunset, the tree (an important setting in the book) and the fierund’s face peering through the clouds, but there’s something cozy, dark and mysterious about the fire that attracts me, as well.

The good news is this means that the interior and cover of the book are approved (by me—eek!), and it’s just about time to ramp the book into production. I’m not entirely certain what the next step is, but I’m excited to think that soon—soon—I might have an actual release date for the book! Won’t that be something?

Satis Logo 2014

Thought of the Week: Novel Proofs

All right, so I have some big news, everyone – this week I received the proofs for the interior and cover designs of The Redemption of Erâth: Consolation! I was  very excited to see what they looked like, and naturally I wanted to share them with you as soon as possible. I’ve spent some time going over them and thinking about possible improvements, but before I get into too much detail, I’d love to see what you think.

Here is the front cover design for The Redemption of Erâth: Consolation:

The cover for The Redemption of Erâth: Consolation. Fire and Darkness.

The cover for The Redemption of Erâth: Consolation. Fire and Darkness.

And here is the first page:

Screen Shot 2014-06-24 at 5.15.00 PM

Yet more fire. Hm – was this a theme?

So…what do you think?

In all honesty, I think the cover leaves something to be desired. I’m actually pretty happy with the interior; I wasn’t expecting the little graphic flames here and there (they use them as section breaks as well as chapter headers), and while I’m aware they could come across as a little cheesy, personally I think it lends something to the atmosphere of the book.

As for the cover, though…I think it really boils down to two or three things. The first major thing that struck me was the image – it just seems so generic! I don’t disagree with the use of fire as a visual theme; certainly, it features heavily in the book itself (the first section is called Tales by the Fire). But the picture itself looks like a kind of small bonfire, rather than the kind of comforting hearth or stove that features in the book. I have an image of my own that I’d much rather use instead; tell me what you think:

My own roaring fire.

My own roaring fire.

The second thing that struck my was the awful orange color of the text highlights. I understand the choice – it goes with the predominant color in the fire image – but it just looks ghastly. It needs to be much redder and darker. If they used my fire image, of course, it would be easier to match to a darker red…

The final thing was the font. I just don’t know it it really captures the feel of the story. I know that might sound silly, but the heading font is incredibly important to the overall enticement of the story. I had envisaged something slightly more gothic-feeling, a little more flowing:

Font: Marigold Wild

Font: Marigold Wild

I feel a little bit lost; I don’t have a cover designer myself (although I do have the option to submit my own design work), so I’m somewhat reliant on what the publisher comes up with. I’m pretty sure I’m going to ask them to change the color and use my fire image, but I still just don’t know if the cover could be any better. What do you think?