Self Published - A Smooth Operation

Dangerous Presence a Thriller
 by M. G Cronkite
Cover Art by Josh Thornbrugh 

It’s a mixed feeling to reach that final page in your novel and quietly know in your heart you have come to the end of your story. You have loved every twist and turn, every character you’ve created, every scene. But now the time has come to say goodbye, at least for now—to move on and perhaps write a sequel. The time has come to publish—self publish, that is.

 And, that’s exactly what I did. Dangerous Presence, my very first novel is now published to Smashwords and Amazon Kindle Direct.

I followed The Smashwords Style Guide, by Mark Coker. I won’t say it was easy. There were times when I found the guidelines confusing. But then I’m not overly techie, either. I worked hard to get it just right, and I found once I had all the puzzle pieces fit together, it was a smooth operation.

I published to Smashwords. It took a few days to be accepted into the Premium Catalog. But once I was, I uploaded my novel to Amazon Kindle Direct and found the process to be easy and quick.

Dangerous Presence:
Psychologist, Jacquelyn Kincaid’s five-acre garden estate becomes deadly ground when blatant sex acts in a hot tub fuel a serial killer’s lethal vendetta. In her quest to prove her kid brother innocent of the murders, Jacquelyn fights for his life and finds herself butting heads with the law, all the way up the bureaucratic ladder to the FBI.

Buy here at Smashwords: Dangerous Presence

Or Buy here at Amazon:   Dangerous Presence

This video, which I just discovered, may be helpful to anyone who chooses to format their own manuscript and upload to Smashwords. (part 1 of 3)

This video is chuck full of good info for the e publisher. It also gives you the pros and cons on whether to format your own manuscript to Smashwords or hire a professional (very reasonable) and have it done. 

Self-Publishing - The Beginning Stages

I will be working each day, going through the process of what it takes to self-publish my first novel. I will be learning many new things.

I want to publish my work to the highest professional level. It may take some real groundwork, but after I self-publish my first novel, I know it will get easier.  I'm excited about this. I will  post each step on my blog as I go along. At the present time, I'm gathering my resources. All the information I need is out there, it's just a matter of discovering it.

I'm reading, Let's Get Digital, by David Gaughran. This is one of the best e-books written on self-publishing. You can download this book on your Kindle CloudReader. It's Free. Here is the link:
Lets-Get-Digital How To Self-Publish and Why You Should

In my search for answers, I've come across this wonderful video, The Publishing Process, by  Steven H. Jackson. If you are interested in self publishing you can't go wrong here. It starts with the basics and moves right through to the finish line. It is helpful, and I value it. 

Right now I am at stage one -- writing the last few chapters of my novel, Dangerous Presence. When I finish, I will jump into the editing stage. See you soon.

EXCITING NEW BOOK COVER

Dangerous Presence a Thriller
 by M. G Cronkite
Cover Art by Josh Thornbrugh 

Who says you can't judge a book by its cover?

When Josh Thornbrugh, my writer friend from Writer's Village University, creates a book cover it immediately grabs your attention. This talented man  knows how to intrigue you with  just the right amount of mystery.

Josh is a science fiction writer. I share a writing group with him at Writer's Village University and have the pleasure of critiquing his chapters in the novel he is writing, entitled, Beyond the Gates of Ovrigmark. Never a dull moment in this exciting sci fi.

The Hemingway Hall group at WVU consists of seven active members, and Josh has somehow found the time to make  book covers for all of us. We are so fortunate to have this gifted man in our Hemingway Hall group. Thank you, Josh, and thank you for my beautiful book cover.

To me, the beauty lies in mystery, and of course that's what Dangerous Presence promises. Lots of mystery.