Lin Meili

It's my new series that I am serializing on RoyalRoad! Totally new setting.

Thank you.

Update: I have now signed up with a publisher. This is for ebook, print, and audiobook. Just got my advance and spent it to pay for my recently deceased father's medical debt.

Thanks!

I've done it! Received two offers for my audiobook rights today.

I'm afraid it might be Covid.

Alas, there is a sickness in the family so I must pass for now. I'll see if I have more free time near the end of the month.

It's fine! If you want a less hype blurb, then go with something more like this example: Journey to worlds near and far… <--- This bit here is the headline. This example keeps it simple. The Great Beyond anthology is a compilation of timeless space adventure tales. From humanity's first footsteps into space, to galaxies far away, to alternative versions of Earth, these fun and hopeful tales will transport you far from our present reality. <--- A statement of genre (space adventure), setting/s, and tone (fun). Featuring bestselling authors as well as fresh new voices, begin your journey into the great beyond. Grab your copy today! <---- Again, as per the usual format, a call to action. It doesn't have to be over-the-top if you don't want it to be. Stories include: <---- You can do this, too, if you like. "The Long Way Home” by Mark Henwick “The Mixon Drive” by J.R. Handley “A Fair Trade” by A.M. Scott “Weightless” by Raven Oak “Improbable Meat” by Richard Fife “The Captain’s Yacht” by Marcus Alexander Hart “Star Cadets” by C.W. Lamb “The Day the Earth Was Graded” by P. Andrew Floyd “Reservation Earth” by David Alan Jones “Integration” by A.K. DuBoff From https://www.amazon.com/Great-Beyond-Anthology-Classic-Adventure/dp/B08BF44JQD/ I know it seems a pain, lol. You can just stick with your current blurb if you're happy with it. I'm sure we all knew that.

Well, you can also look at Derfel's blurb. You don't have to be Ted Chiang to have marketing phrases on your blurb. Everyone does it. Yes, even unknown authors. If you think Ted Chiang's example is too much, here's an example that hits closer to home. Note that our own Derfel's book also uses the formatting that I mentioned - the bolded line on top, then the content, then the final summary paragraph - https://www.amazon.com/Resurrection-Men-Sooty-Feathers-Book-ebook/dp/B07G6CM2BS. Anyway, at the end of the day, it's really up to you. If you're satisfied with your blurb, you don't have to change it. But you did ask for suggestions on how to sell more books, right? So that's my suggestion.

No idea for your specific case. I was just giving and example of the format and the mood. I write more on the comedic side, but you should do something appropriate for your book.

Okay, but the blurb on Amazon is basically marketing copy. Instead of "Includes 13 short stories, 5 vignettes, and 2 poems," people normally put something like "Nine stunningly original, provocative, and poignant stories" (from Ted Chiang's blurb). You could try the usual format of Amazon book blurbs: one line in bold to catch people's attention, then one paragraph about the content, then one final sentence to bring it all together. Example - https://www.amazon.com/Wesleyan-Anthology-Science-Fiction/dp/0819569550/ For your book, it would look something like this: Thirteen stunning stories of speculative fiction full of action and laughs. Put one or two paragraphs here describing the stories, make sure it's hyped up. Sell the book. Something like: In the Mistland Universe, superheroes rub shoulders with supervillains in a bustling post-war city brimming with magical drugs and high-tech weapons. You know add something exciting or interesting. Then here a final line to sum things up: From comic-bookesque adventures and interspecies romance, to a gothic alternate history escapade, and a tale of medieval skullduggery, Tales from Mistland & Other Oddities is book that both excites and intrigues as it plumbs the depths of imagination and comedy.

Well, I normally wouldn't post something like this, but since you asked: The Amazon page needs a little bit of work. When someone like me views the page and reads the blurb, it is not clear to me what genre the book is. That is very, very important. Is it a shared world? Do all the stories take place in Mistland? Is there a theme? What is the theme? In short, why are these stories compiled in one book? Is it steampunk fantasy? Gaslight? Detective noir fantasy? Is it even fantasy or is it scifi? I don't get it. IMO, you need to make that very clear. So for your blurb I need to know those things, especially what world it's set in and what the common thread is among the stories. Here is the blurb for GRRM's first Wildcards volume: For marketing, blogger outreach is good. Keep at it. Edit: I hope my tone doesn't come off as too harsh. It's hard to fix when it's just text.

You could try this: https://reedsy.com/write-a-book You'll have to create an account, but it's free so it's okay to try, IMO. You upload your file then you can edit it online like Google docs. Then you export the file as an ebook which you can then use on KDP or wherever to self-publish.

I've joined Nanowrimo! 5,000 words in and it's looking okay so far.

Read this. Yes, all of it. It's a pain but it's what you need. https://kdp.amazon.com/en_US/help/topic/G201723290

My goodness! I have no idea. I use a free service that does the manuscript formatting for me (Reedsy). Of course, you have to upload a separate manuscript on Amazon's KDP publishing page because paperbacks are formatted differently. If you mean if it will be different on your formatting software/service (like if you use Vellum), no idea but I'm sure it's not that hard. Wait, I have something to show you! If you have a lot of images you commissioned, then you can use it on your Amazon page so it doesn't go to waste. https://kdp.amazon.com/en_US/help/topic/GCKLH8V7ULLD5EXY You can also use it on your website. I assume you have one?

I think if it's the paperback there is no delivery fee. You could uh maybe put all the images in the paperback version but not in the ebook one? Unless you print it color, it probably costs the same since Amazon only charged printing costs by the page, not by file size.

You would need to reduce the file size of the images by compressing them. Yeah, it won't be as pretty but, let's face it, most people will be reading the ebook on their devices where they wouldn't get the full effect anyway. The delivery fee is 15 cents per megabyte (Mb) for US sales. You could just eat the expense and price it higher. Hmm, I tried to look at examples and I found this book - https://www.amazon.com/Night-Lonesome-October-Roger-Zelazny-ebook/dp/B0936MN3K6/ It has a lot of illustrations but they are small black and white ones. The file size is 3958 KB which doesn't seem too bad though the book is priced higher than most.

I haven't done it myself, but people normally add (insert) the images on their Word file. https://kdp.amazon.com/en_US/help/topic/G200645710 But one thing to keep in mind is that the size of your e-book is important. If the file size is big, Amazon adds a delivery fee for your e-book.So you have to keep your image file sizes small.

Thanks. I say, spend whatever you want on your work. There are people who pay over a thousand dollars for one collectible figure, and I think it's better to spend money on your own creative work than to buy other people's stuff. If you can afford it, why not. I'm jealous! I wish I had money to spend on editing, but I don't. I was able to sell seventy-five books (e-book and paperback) which just about covers the cost of the art.This does not include the money I got from Patreon. By the way, I'm not sure if the authors here already know, but Patreon is a good way to earn money. The successful writers on Scribblehub and Royal Road can earn mid-to-high four figures there.

Not gonna lie, I was actually around nineteen years old when I first got paid for an article I wrote for a national newspaper. I was "hired" as their student contributing writer since all of their other contributors were over the age of thirty. However, it was all down to luck and because I knew the editor personally. You're probably talking about fiction writing. In that case, I am in my mid-40s, which is, in my opinion at least, a great age to start fiction writing. I've now got the experience that I didn't have when I was a teenager and I'm excited to see what I can do.

https://www.amazon.com/kindle-vella It's live! Unfortunately, it's limited to US-based writers right now.

Lovely! Haha, yes! I cater to the light novel/manga readers so my covers reflect that. Covers as they appear on amazon: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B094DDCGBX The artwork I commissioned: I actually added the text myself with Canva.

I also tried many different covers. It really is difficult!

May I suggest you write the entire book first then worry about formatting later? You can just any docx or odt file to make into an ebook.