UPLOADED MY BOOK TO CREATE SPACE

Posted on April 11, 2015 by Sharron Grodzinsky

At long last have I finished making all the review changes my editor, Christina Frey, suggested and uploaded my manuscript to Create Space!

Create Space is the Amazon company that provides a platform for self-published authors. You create an account, give them your title and other pertinent information, fill out a profile questionnaire and have a telephone consult with one of their professionals.

When you feel you are ready, you upload your manuscript and they design the interior.  If you have illustrations, photos, footnotes, or complicated lists, you have to choose  the more expensive custom interior design. The design process takes about 5-6 weeks.

You can also choose to have them design a cover for another fee.  I have my own custom cover designed by Morpheus Blak and will upload it when the interior design is finished and they give me the specifications for the cover.

When they are completely finished with your project, they send you a printed copy to review. When you are happy, you approve the copy and then the book is published.  You can publish in print, e-book or both.  There is an extra charge for the e-book conversion on Kindle.  So far, they have been extremely helpful and it has been a very easy process.  I will let you all know when it is complete.

Waiting on the Outside….almost there!

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WORKING WITH AMAZON’S CREATE SPACE

Posted on April 6, 2015 by Sharron Grodzinsky

After sending my book, Waiting on the Outside, to several publishers, one them asked me to send it back when I had finished the editing. I have done that and I am awaiting a response from them. Keep your fingers crossed.

In the meantime, I’m thinking of publishing with Amazon’s Create Space publishing service. Since I have not published before, I called them up today and spoke with a very helpful young man named Shea.  I asked about ISBN numbers- whether I should buy one or use their free one.  He advised me to start with their free one.  It still maintains my rights to publishing.  If a publisher should pick up my book, then I will need a new ISBN number for that publisher.

Then I asked about the layout design.  Unfortunately, I will have to have a  custom design, as I have footnotes and an appendix with a list of referral sites for those who have a loved one incarcerated. If you have a simple book, you can go with the simple design. With the custom design, which takes about 6 weeks, you collaborate with a designer until you are satisfied.  Then you receive a printed copy so you can actually read it and look for any errors that might have been missed. They will also work with you on pricing your book.  I think that is a great program.  They have assigned me a layout designer / specialist who has been with them ten years and I am having a telephone conference with her on Wednesday! Whoo Hoo!

As for the cover, they will design one for you, but since I already had my cover professionally designed I won’t need that service.  My fabulous cover  was designed by Morpheus Blak at Critical Mass Communications. They will tell you the specifications for the cover when the interior layout is finished.  (Size of the spine etc.)

Lastly, I asked about conversion to e-book.  The Kindle conversion is relatively cheap ($79.00).  The conversion will mostly mirror your printed book. You will also be able to review it before it is published.

All their services are priced depending on what your needs are. They also offer editing services, but I have already had my editing done by Christina Frey at Page Two Editing, who did a fabulous job for me.

I’ll let you all know how it goes with the call on Wednesday.  If you think of any questions I should ask, please send them to me!

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BOOK COVER FOR “WAITING ON THE OUTSIDE”

Posted on March 31, 2015 by Sharron Grodzinsky

GRODZINSKY_Waiting 3D book_REARGRODZINSKY_Waiting 3D book_SMALL

I am so excited! It is fulfilling and amazing to finally see your work in full color.  It makes it real! This is the draft for the cover of my first book, “Waiting on the Outside“. The cover and the book are in their last stages, and I am  just waiting for the publisher to give us the final specs before it is published.

I like it!  I am hoping that it will be published and available in a month or two, and that you will like it too.  It has been a difficult journey to put all this on paper for the world to see, but I hope that someone out there will find hope and understanding when they read it.  I have provided a list of referrals for people who have loved ones incarcerated in the appendix of the book. I also maintain a blog for friends and family of incarcerated persons.  You can find that at http://www.prisonchat.wordpress.com.

Thanks to my Editor Christina Frey at Page Two Editing for making my book better, and to Morpheus Blak at Critical Mass Communications for this fabulous cover.

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COVER FOR MY BOOK “WAITING ON THE OUTSIDE”

Posted on March 30, 2015 by Sharron Grodzinsky

COVER FOR MY BOOK “WAITING ON THE OUTSIDE”.

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WRITING IS A JOURNEY

Posted on March 24, 2015 by Sharron Grodzinsky

Writing is not just sitting down and writing a story.  It is revision after revision and edit after edit.  It is a journey, no matter how much you love to write.

Every time I print out my book and review it, I still see mistakes that need to be corrected.  There is no better way to find mistakes than to print it out and then read it word by word.  I know this has been said a lot of times, but for a relatively new author, I need to remind myself how important that is.  By reading it out loud to yourself, you will hear the cadence and tone of what you are writing.  Maybe you meant to be sorrowful and it came out sarcastic.  Maybe you thought you were moving the story along and it got stale. Maybe you meant to be exciting and it came out boring. ( Heaven forbid… boring!)

Take the time to print it out and read it.  You will be a better writer for it.

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Thanatophobia

Posted on March 21, 2015 by Sharron Grodzinsky

This blog from Renegade press is thought provoking! We all must face our end someday and may it be a lot later!

Chris Nicholas's avatarThe Renegade Press

‘This is hell. You bought a candle to burn?’
-Keith Buckley.

I’ve been thinking about my own morality a lot lately. I’ve had a pretty frustrating case of writers block and whenever I do I start to contemplate the space in time I’ll occupy between birth and death. I get caught up in a mindset of frustration and start thinking about the choices I’ve made, opportunities I’ve missed, and how I will spend the moments I’m still yet to experience. To be frank, I hate when I get like this. I’m fucking petrified of growing older and knowing that I’ll one day kick the bucket causes my anxiety levels to skyrocket until my heart is hammering in my chest and I become short of breath.

I guess a large part of the anxiety I experience comes from the fact that I feel as though I still have so much I…

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Heaven Received Seven Heroes This Week

Posted on March 14, 2015 by Sharron Grodzinsky

Heaven Received Seven Heroes This Week.

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Our RV is out of Jail!

Posted on March 9, 2015 by Sharron Grodzinsky

Our RV is out of Jail!.

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The Timeline

Posted on March 9, 2015 by Sharron Grodzinsky

Things are heating up now that I am in the last days of reviewing my book, “Waiting on the Outside” with my editor, Christina Frey at Page Two Editing.  The one thing I see as more important than I previously thought is a timeline, particularly in a non-fiction book. It seems when you remember things from years ago, they can get a little muddled up.  A little? Well, maybe a lot muddled up.

It probably is just as important if you are writing fiction.  If you have your protagonist becoming an FBI agent at age twelve, that doesn’t go over so well with your readers.  They are smart and will catch problems in your timeline.

So now I have been reconciling my timeline with the real story, and it has not been easy.  Thankfully I am collaborating with my editor and she has taken me to task about it.  Isn’t that what they are supposed to do?  Yes, if they are a good editor.

For my next book, “The Last Thousand Miles”, which is already in progress, I will complete my timeline before I go any further!!

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Steep Learning Curve

Posted on March 4, 2015 by Sharron Grodzinsky

Since I started writing from scratch, and don’t have a Masters in Fine Arts, I have had to learn as I go.  You might think it is easier, but I’m not so sure.  Every time I read something from Writers Digest, or read another authors blog, or research something on grammar, or read one of my books on writing, I learn something new.  It appears it is an ongoing process.  (How could I have thought otherwise?) I love to learn so it is okay, but wow, there is so much to learn.  It is a really steep learning curve I am on.

Today in my authors’ group I found out I am good at descriptions and getting the audience to like my characters, but still lousy on some grammar points and lousy on paragraphs. (They are always too long)

So, something good and something new to work on.  It is a long, busy day writing and repairing mistakes.  Good thing I don’t work anymore.  Can’t imagine how I used to get everything done.  I’m not even doing the laundry this week!

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