So I finally completed my new book Brimstone and itâs available to read for free on Inkitt and Wattpad. Iâm looking for some people to beta read for me and would appreciate any feedback!
To read on Inkitt click here.
To read on Wattpad click here.
Kasdeya Angelov canât seem to escape the prophecy that surrounds her unique pedigree, being the child and true heir to Luciferâs realm. Held in isolation behind the walls of Brimstone Preparatory School, Kas discovers a sinister plot behind her coming of age ceremony where she is to gain full access to her abilities. Struggling to accept the darkness within her, sheâs plagued by dangerous psychic attacks, monstrous demons, and ancient secrets that threaten to resurface.
But before she can reach her ceremony, she must endure the trials of Brimstone that prove to be just as deadly. In a race against time, Kas forms alliances with fellow students to aid in the battle to forge a new destiny for herself, one that doesnât include the influence of her esteemed father. With the balance between the realms at stake, Kas must make the ultimate sacrifice in order to protect those sheâs grown to love, an emotion a demon never thought was possible.
Now it's even easier to force your friends to read your novel.
Amazon has a program in place allowing people to self-publish both printed and electronic books, but until now the workflow has been clunky as authors were forced to use a different tool for each format. The company is now streamlining the experience through a new beta initiative within its Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) program, which used to be only for e-book publishing.
Previously, authors looking to publish a printed book with Amazon had to use its CreateSpace system. They would then need to format their e-book manuscripts through KDP, making for a complex workflow. Though the feature set of the older system is much more robust, including physical proofs and author copies, the new beta KDP process will eventually offer similar tools as well. As it is, the move to a single point of entry will likely help streamline the process of publishing books in both print and digital formats.
Hopefully, then, this new initiative will help authors (and presumably Amazon) reach customers who prefer books on paper. Authors wonât need to spend any extra money up front for print runs, as KDP will take printing fees from resulting sales. Self-publishers will receive a 60 percent royalty on all paperbacks sold, which is 10 percent lower than the highest e-book rate. They will never need to worry about running out of copies either, as the books will be printed on demand.
While publishers and distributors struggle over the pricing of e-books, the more traditional format shows a remarkable resilience to the onslaught of electronic versions. This represents a market for self-published creators that has been difficult to break into. Reaching those who prefer print books in the US, Europe and Japan with this new KDP system could be a significant boost to an authorâs bottom line.
It's time to make a decision and weigh the pros and cons of self-publishing a novel.
Self publishing advice is everywhere!
So. Youâve decided to give up your social life and do NaNoWriMo. Or youâve spent every moment of your free time for the last ten years working on your memoirs. Or youâve locked yourself in your room for thirty days and thirty nights, taking in no sustenance, and emerged with the greatest graphic novel the world has ever seen. In any case, you have a manuscript (or at least, a first draft). And the time has come for you to make a decision and weigh the pros and cons of self-publishing a novel. If you do decide to go the DIY route when achieving your literary dreams, here are a few simple tips to help you along the way.
When youâre choosing to self-publish, thereâs no right or wrong answer. If youâre not quite sure that self-publishing is for you, Iâd say go ahead and try sending your work around to publishers who are new-author friendly. Donât assume that no one will be interested in your work. You never know. If you do think of yourself as a maverick who was born to live the self-publishing dream, then go for it! Thereâs no shame in so-called âvanityâ publishing.
Just remember that self-publishing is not a shortcut to success. Itâs difficult, and rarely glamorous. But if you work hard, it can be well worth the effort:
1. Hire an editor
Yes, youâve finished your manuscript. Perhaps youâve even written 10 or 12 drafts of your manuscript. And you have spellcheck. So youâre probably good to go, right? No. For the love of god, hire a professional editor. Yeah, self-publishing is going to cost you money. Publishing an un-edited book is like eating raw cookie dough: it might taste good at first, but if you eat enough youâll get salmonella (itâs not a perfect metaphor, but you get it). Bake the cookies. Hire an editor, because theyâll offer feedback you never even thought of. If you donât know where to start, check out websites like Upwork or Outsource to find freelance editors.
2. Make it look nice
Youâve seen those hilariously bad book covers, yes? Do you want your book to be on that list? You probably donât (unless thatâs your marketing strategy, in which case go ahead). Youâll likely want to hire a professional designer to create a beautiful cover for your book. You want something that catches the eye, stands out from the crowd, and looks good both in print and in a digital thumbnail. But it goes beyond book coversâthink about font choice, font size, layout, and end-paper color, too. The writing is the most important part, but no one will want to read your lovely prose if youâve printed it in Comic Sans.
3. Marketing matters
If you think that publishing your e-book online is the end of the journey, youâre sadly mistaken. You need a marketing strategy if you want anyone to actually read your book. Marketing is daunting, but you can take it step by step. Buy ads on websites you think your readers will visit. Invest in a social media presence. Reach out to journalists, businesses, and friends who you think might help spread the word. And most importantly, write an intriguing blurb and share it widely. Blurbing is an undervalued skill, and it can make or break a marketing campaign.
4. Fundraise like you mean it
Iâm sure you already know about crowdfunding websites like Kickstarter and Indiegogo. And Iâm sure youâve realized by now that youâre going to need some cash on hand to pay for editors, designers, printing, and ads. But posting a Kickstarter isnât enough: you need to promote it. You need to have a killer fundraising video or image. Why should people give you money? What about this project will benefit them? Itâll also help to reach out personally to every friend and family member who might want to contribute. And you might want to think about partnering with another indie artist or with a charity. If half of your proceeds go towards your book, and the rest are donated to children in need, you might find that youâre raising more money and helping a worthy cause.
5. Think about your audience
Who will want to read your work? You may not have written it with a particular kind of reader in mind, but now you have to think about who on Earth is going to pay for it. The most effective marketing and design will target one or two specific communities. Is your book going to be most popular with moms? With skateboarders? With your fellow writers? Is it about a current events issue that people care about? If you werenât the author, what would intrigue you the most about this book?
6. Reach every reader
E-readers are here to stay, but there are still a lot of curmudgeons (like me) who prefer paper books. If you only publish online, or only in print, youâre missing out on potential readers. Go for an e-book and a print book if you can afford it. Research your local indie bookstores, and see if any of them sell self-published work. Getting people to your online store takes outreach and marketing, but if you can get your physical book on a bookstore shelf, thereâs a good chance that someone will pick it up and buy it.
7. Donât get discouraged
Itâs unlikely that your first self-published book is going to lead to fame and fortune. But donât let that get you down: youâre paying the long game. Writing is very rarely about instant gratification. Work hard to publish, promote, and sell your work, but remember to keep moving forward with the next project.
This article reprinted from Bustle: for and by women who are moving forward as fast as you are.
Shivering limbs releasing death from their swaying frames,
the light melting further from the horizon's edge
and the kiss of dew freezing the world lame,
lay the crumbling corpses upon the Earth's bitter ledge.
Smothering frost frozen across the surface of lakes,
and drowned beyond depths where only the fish can play.
To bears come restful peace dozing away snow drift quakes,
small critters desperately scavenging food saved on a different day.
Taking to the cavernous underground the sun can not penetrate,
removing itself to let the season enjoy solace in revival.
Softly floating from Heaven, candy clouds of snowflakes,
delicately distinguishable upon departure and time of arrival.
Spiraling to Nature's Garden blanketing death in white grace,
Angels purifying the veneer, a forsaken land erased.
**********
Shards of glass icicles on a rooftop's Christmas Eve,
cold hearted snowmen smiling stiffly as sleds speed by,
and frost-bitten children creating snow Angels to believe
one day to lift from Earth on snowy wings they fly.
Candle lights of Trees ornately decorated for season,
colorful wreaths of holly in a Wonderland of blizzard white.
With New Year springing to life with excuses and reasons
for a better tomorrow granted, the future of the bright.
Celebrations of views written in the earliest of years,
in Winter they thrive and family rejoices in hands held.
Swallowed by the cold and embraced in joyful tears,
disintegrate in dark snow droplets in which they meld.
Forever creeping along with icy fingers curled,
only to finally disappear as do the seasons of the world.
*****
As the days brighten and the Sun travels ever so near,
melting away at the frozen core of the Earth's whole.
Relinquishing the fabric of those sheets so sheer,
the mud and rain mixing into a slush of my soul.
Days grow longer and nights withering cut quick,
hiding the stars behind clouds of dusk and the moon.
Rays awakening the world of life igniting the wick,
nature's slumber rendered at the chime of high noon.
Slowly shaking the last remnants of that Winter frost,
the final dusting of spring snow vaporizing with air.
All the creatures find the world they had left not lost,
stumbling to remember why it is they are there.
Dear Winter we shall meet again one chilling day,
but alas, till then this is my farewell I say.
*
Long shadowed summer days give way to autumn light.
Trees and flowers on the hill
Give way to ghoulish fright.
With leaves to decorate the fridges autumn ground
We witches flit about to gather leaves that we have found.
Samhain quick to come
Is readied for by we
Who carve the fat round pumpkin
And stain the ripe tea leaf
So come all my sisters and brother by your ways
And sing a happy song of Samhain on this day.
Through Autumnâs wind,
This breeze carries magic
Thereâs wtchcraft in the words I spin
And new-found strength and passion
*
Iâve let myself be taken
By the Halloween night
This night in which my world is shaken
When my power has reached new heights
*
I am a witch of Autumnâs breeze
I revel in the caresses of the wind
That which gives my magic strength
And puts confidence in my mind
*
-theangelandthephoenix
Small, cold and bare;
Her feet rested on the soft earth.
The moon gazing down like it knew,
It knew of the Hallows Eve night.
The unforgiving blade that stained innocent hands,
Forever marking them with blood.
Those innocent hearts tore open and raw,
The lovers who kissed again but only with tears.
Only the moon knows of the woe that has poisoned the earth.
This Hallows Eve night.
Soft, chilling breezes fall over the town,
Smells of pumpkin, cinnamon, and sweets all around.
Leaves change color and ride on the wind,
Itâs like weâre awoken from deep, deep within.
Jack-o-lanterns glow, a flame from inside,
Children dressed up, witches on a broom ride.
Candles will burn as the sun leaves to set,
The thinning veil rising where spirits donât fret.
The bone-chilling feeling of Samhain beginning,
Witches start lurking, ancestorsâ bells ringing.
Darkness consumes every being in sight,
When magic happens in the dark of the night.
Black cats, bats, and ghosts come searching for souls,
Costumes and parties confuse all the ghouls.
Orange, red, black, and brown everywhere,
People are waiting to give a good scare.
Witches chime all for one, one for all,
âOh spirits come greet us,â the cauldronâs smoke tall.
As skeletons dance under the bright moon,
Covens of witches and humans join too.
As Halloween night comes to a halt,
Supernatural creatures go back to their vault.
When the sun starts to rise and the darkness fades,
A new morning begins, crisp and hoorayed.
Feeling the crisp texture of the pine needles under my bare feet,
I continue with my slow, rhythmic gait toward the force,
Something I feel my soul resonating with.
Yet, I cannot seem to distinguish where this energy is emitting from before it slips away.
My intuition tells me to alter my course.
I am giving myself to the ambiguous energyâs allure, thirsting for more,
When an abrupt, brisk wind brings me to a halt.
Ahead I see an antique tree stump, its sturdy existence beckoning.
Near the stump is a swift glimmer. No. A shadow?
A whisper nearby breaks my stare and forces my vision away
If only for a second, as I feel an unfamiliar tug [perhaps a pinch?]
Near my left ankle, leaving me distracted once more.
After making nearly an entire revolution by virtue of the whirlwind of diversions,
A familiar scent from my childhood directs my vision behind me,
Which is when I am confronted by something magnificent.
Something I believed no mortal should be witnessing.
The ancient stump is beckoning me towards him.
Under its captivating spell, I seemed to glide rather than walk.
I seemingly end up an arms length away instantaneously,
The impeccable embankment of the surrounding moss now underneath me.
Displayed before me was something entirely too pure
For any human diction to come close to defining.
A subtle mist begins to form around me,
Coupled with an overwhelming, surreal feeling of being cleansed.
Taking one last step forward, I rest upon the ground,
Feeling my skin and muscles morph with the plush moss.
My mind not having any time to process the true nature of my surroundings,
I am in awe watching the symphony of the woodlands change from one season to the next.
An ancient silver goblet waits before me enscribed with foreign symobls.
Inside is a deep crimson, opaque liquid, gleaming with an otherworldly iridescence.
I clasp the chalice with both hands, close my eyes, and inhale the enticing, obscure aroma
Of what can be most closely described as rose and cinnamon.
I open my eyes and gaze into the nearly black reflection, only to see a blur
Of the same sparkling shadow which lead me here, followed by a giggle.
Crack! Whoosh. Snickering? Snap!
Without hesitation, I return the goblet to its rightful place and stand.
I back away without deverting my eyes from the stump,
Noticing with each step the forest come back into itâs coordinated rhythm.
I nervously smile once I realize how naive and sluggish I was to grasp
That I was nearly taken by the fae.
For the poetry contest, do we write an ask or submit our poems?
There is a submission button at the top of the blog. You can click here and it will take you straight to it. All the entries will be queued for the same time to be released. You will be linked to your poem! So look out for it on October 16th at 12 AM! Good luck with getting the most reblogs!
Tomorrow's books will be brought to you by Amazon.
Time for a thought piece.
As traditional publishers struggle with sales, Amazon is quietly cornering a powerful new trend in books.
A recent report (pdf) from Bowker, the US company that issues International Standard Book Numbers (ISBN), shows that self-publishing is growing rapidly. Between 2010 and 2015, the number of ISBNs from self-published books grew by 375%. From 2014 and 2015 alone, the number grew by 21%. And perfectly positioned to take advantage of the growth is Amazon, whose DIY print business CreateSpace has become far and away the biggest self-publishing platform in the United States.
A look at the top six self-publishing platforms across print and ebook ISBNs in the US shows Amazonâs CreateSpace dominating.
(chart in the post here:Â https://www.theatlas.com/charts/Skq6fTHh)
Amazonâs dominance in self-publishing is probably even greater than Bowker shows. The e-commerce giantâs Kindle Direct Publishing platform lets authors publish ebooks without ISBNs, which means a big chunk of data is not captured by the report.
