Ray Palla's Blog, page 5
December 29, 2017
Last Year’s Resolution Worth Renewing.
“Never fry...
Last Year’s Resolution Worth Renewing.
“Never fry bacon naked.�
Copyright © 2017 INSONA Author Alliance Network | EditorStone.com
December 10, 2017
November 20, 2017
Tweet Scott Featured
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Congratulations to Tweed Scott. Tweed has been named as a featured author in the INSONA Author Alliance Network. He is the multi-award winning writer of “Texas in Her Own Words.�
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November 9, 2017
Thanksgiving Salute to Eyes
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Self-Publishing Simplified by Direct Collaboration
Copyright © 2017 INSONA Author Alliance Network | EditorStone.com
November 7, 2017
November 3, 2017
Why Collaborate using the INSONA Author Alliance Network Platform
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STACKING THE ODDS
When someone originally decides to write a book, he or she may have visions of notoriety or a hope of helping the world. When a manuscript is finally completed, after endless hours of research and red-eyed sleepless nights, young writers often become discouraged by the overwhelming reality of the next steps. For someone who’s been there, it’s no secret that editing, cover art, market strategy, publication, distribution, etc. are the bigger part of an author’s job.
Along with traditions for countless newspapers, magazines, broadcasters, and other media outlets, the historic way of authoring a bestseller has been altered forever by the onslaught of the digital revolution. Unless you are already famous, the chance of today’s writer getting a contract for his book from a prestigious publishing house is near zero. Old-school publishers can’t compete in a market flooded with millions of self-published works, all seeking the eyes of the same readers. In addition to that grave fact, readers are being digitally transformed, too. People are spending less time reading for entertainment.
With innumerable grabs for the same audience and seemingly unending industry change, it may not come as any surprise that a variety of companies have sprung from the silt, designed to update the way we get our books into the world. One sector in the upwelling is the “Author Collaborator� field. I call them Partner Finders.
Officially, there is no name yet for this category, but there are dozens of companies, each with its own idea of how its business works. For many of these new-era companies, the method of operation is to put a percentile take on top of what the collaborator costs. For example, an author searches for an editor. The two agree on a timeline and fee to complete the project. Say the fee is $1500.00. The “Collaborator Finder� then becomes a third-party contract holder for the work, and tacks on a fee of ten to twenty percent, making the fifteen-hundred-dollar job an eighteen hundred dollar hit. At the author’s expense, the cost of notoriety or world contribution extrapolates.
There are other services offering similar “matching services� that charge an outrageous annual membership fee to both the author and the editor. Or others that require committed contracts that put the “Finder� into a position of dispatcher. Many of these companies sub-contract editors to do work at a fraction of the collected fee while controlling who gets the work. As an author, wouldn’t you rather work directly with your editor, instead of having all communication with them monitored and manipulated by a sidelined spectator?
Not unexpectedly, even .org author organizations are fee-based. Today’s fledgling writer can expect to spend a bundle on a new book. For editing, formatting, cover art, printed books, marketing, and distribution, a first-time author can plan to hemorrhage four to twenty thousand dollars before the first book leaves the press. Even if you are only distributing eBooks, the cost spread can be paralyzing.
Fortunately, there are many self-help guides and mentors to help with the chore. But, stumbling through the maze of good advice and bad, can also be time daunting and further worrisome.
That’s why you should consider collaboration using INSONA Author Alliance Network.
●�No Fee
●�No Commission
●�No Credit Card
●�No Third-Party Contract
BEATING THE ODDS
INSONA has built a proprietary database algorithm for matching not just authors and editors, but also specific author projects to pertinent member candidates who specialize in that type of work. You can manage projects for everything from book illustrators and cover artists to POD publishers and even book trailer producers.
Built by authors for authors, INSONA’s catalog of qualified, vetted professionals grows daily. When you consider that every book may have multiple projects centered on a vital release date, INSONA Author Alliance Network is your one-stop dashboard for managing the entire book-making process. You may have a single book that utilizes a basic or PRO editor (or both), formatting for three versions (HC-PB-eBook), a marketing consultant, a jacket designer, an audiobook version, and two distinct book trailers with original music. Each of these individual projects can easily find a collaborative match in the system. From there you have the option of interviewing as many candidates as you like, and you are then given the ability to directly contact and contract your personally-targeted project partner.
INSONA algorithm offers Direct Collaboration between authors, editors, cover artists, illustrators, consultants, and countless other self-publishing professionals. Basic Membership in the system is FREE for LIFE for all U.S., Canadian, U.K., and Australian authors. At present, the service is offered only in the English language.
Self-Publishing Simplified by Direct Collaboration
About Author, Ray Palla - © 2017 |
Software Architect | COO - INSONA Author Alliance Network | EditorStone | rp Books | Author of:
� Krill America - 2014
� Simple Triple Standard - 2015
� H: Infidels of Oil - 2017
"Never fry bacon naked.� —rp
October 27, 2017
Indie Author Tip
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WHY YOU NEED YOUR OWN IMPRINT
No longer is it still kosher to have the CreateSpace, IngramSpark, or BookBaby imprint on your book or eBook. Self-published authors need their own imprint. Having your own imprint can eliminate reader rejection due to imprint mass offerings of hundreds of questionable titles from novice authors. Having your own imprint creates a reader’s perception of distinction and generates literary community acceptance. Imprints are generated along with your ISBN numbers by Bowker in the U.S.
What is an Imprint?
An imprint is a recognized literary collection. An imprint may have one book or thousands in its collection. Authors with a single imprint for only their works stand out in a way that is similar to having a large publishing house imprint your book. When listed on Amazon, your imprint is included in the “Product Details� section for the book as the book Publisher. (See attached image.) In lieu of having Penguin Random House or some other major publisher, your own personal imprint is preferred over any of the self-publisher companies.
What you need to know!
Bowker will accept your direct, personalized registration and create your own manageable brand. There is no cost to create an account. However, you are required to purchase at least one ISBN. Bowker will generate your own imprint from CreateSpace if you select “Custom� from your ISBN options during your book set up on their site. The cost is $99. Buying a single ISBN from Bowker can seem expensive ($125-US) when you consider you need (usually) three for each version of your book. Paperback, Hardcover, and eBook versions; each require a unique ISBN. Bowker will sell you a pack of ten at a discount price, however, you may only want to publish just one version of one book at a time.
Free and even some paid (discount) ISBNs are always published under the seller’s imprint. (I.e.: CreateSpace, BookBaby, etc.)
How You Manage It
INSONA Author Alliance Network offers members free guidance on how to create and use your own personal imprint.
Basic membership in INSONA is free for life for all self-published authors. For answers to your questions, email: [email protected].
About Author, Ray Palla - © 2017 |
Software Architect | COO - INSONA Author Alliance Network | EditorStone | rp Books | Author of:
� Krill America - 2014
� Simple Triple Standard - 2015
� H: Infidels of Oil - 2017
Buzz Aldrin said something on the moon about a soft landing before ‘stage-aware� Neil Armstrong said, “Houston, the Eagle has landed.� People still argue about what the first words were on the moon. —rp
Copyright © 2017 |
Fiction Author Tips
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ACHIEVING UNITY IN FICTION
When writing a work of fiction, it is important to keep your mind on the entire structure. It helps to think of your novel as a tapestry with colored strands interwoven to create a balanced design that tells a story.
If the weaver takes some strands and begins to start working on a side panel of the tapestry and continues weaving different designs on various side panels, the main section will lose its centrality of focus as an organizing principle, and the completed tapestry will lack cohesion and balance.In the same way, a fictional novel must have a central theme which is woven throughout and connects all minor subplots with its central core. Too many writers begin well but gradually drift into tangents which take on a life of their own and relate to the central theme only marginally with the result that what began as a novel ends up as a potpourri of disconnected stories. Sometimes when a writer nears the final pages he or she begins to see the problem and attempts to solve it at this late date by collecting threads of the various subplots and trying to interweave them into some sort of interrelated unity. This never works because the threads are inclined, as in a tapestry, to get tangled up with one another. The process of interconnection must continue throughout the plot development so as not to lose the main focus.
Once a writer has settled on a central theme the first section can begin to be composed. A good way to start is to present the main character and give at least a glimpse of the conflict in which he or she will be engaged. The reader will now be drawn into the theme, and the plot can be developed and expanded. At this point, subplots may be introduced as stemming from the main theme and as further developments of it. Occasionally a separate subplot may be introduced whose connection and relevance to the central theme is not made evident until subsequent chapters, but it is never to be left hanging outside on its own as a separate diversion.
Finally, the novel’s conclusion should connect all the preceding elements into a logically organized presentation revealing a solution, or a summation, and éԴdzܱԳ.
About Dr. Marian E. O’Meara - © 2017 |
Teacher | School Administrator | English Linguistic Analyst | Freelance Editor | Online Editor
� BA Humanities (Liberal Arts) Gwynedd-Mercy College, PA
� MA Theology - St. Bonaventure University, NY
� EdD Education; PD Administration & Supervision - Fordham University, NYC
Copyright © 2017 |
October 25, 2017
editorstone:
Fiction Author Tip—Dr. Marian October 24, 2017
ACHIEVING UNITY IN...
:
Fiction Author Tip—Dr. Marian October 24, 2017
ACHIEVING UNITY IN FICTION
When writing a work of fiction, it is important to keep your mind on the entire structure. It helps to think of your novel as a tapestry with colored strands interwoven to create a balanced design that tells a story.
If the weaver takes some strands and begins to start working in a side panel of the tapestry and continues weaving different designs on various side panels, the main section will lose its centrality of focus as an organizing principle, and the completed tapestry will lack cohesion and balance.
In the same way a fictional novel must have a central theme which is woven throughout and connects all minor subplots with its central core. Too many writers begin well, but gradually drift into tangents which take on a life of their own and relate to the central theme only marginally with the result that what began as a novel ends up as a potpourri of disconnected stories. Sometimes when a writer nears the final pages he or she begins to see the problem and attempts to solve it at this late date by collecting threads of the various subplots and trying to interweave them into some sort of interrelated unity. This never works because the threads are inclined, as in a tapestry, to get tangled up with one another. The process of interconnection must continue throughout the plot development so as not to lose the main focus.
Once a writer has settled on a central theme the first section can begin to be composed. A good way to start is to present the main character and give at least a glimpse of the conflict in which he or she will be engaged. The reader will now be drawn into the theme, and the plot can be developed and expanded. At this point subplots may be introduced as stemming from the main theme and as further developments of it. Occasionally a separate subplot may be introduced whose connection and relevance to the central theme is not made evident until subsequent chapters, but it is never to be left hanging outside on its own as a separate diversion.
Finally, the novel’s conclusion should connect all the preceding elements into a logical organized presentation revealing a solution, or a summation, and éԴdzܱԳ.
About Dr. Marian E. O’Meara - © 2017 |
Teacher, School Administrator, English Linguistic Analyst | Freelance Editor | Online Editor
Education
· BA Humanities (Liberal Arts) Gwynedd-Mercy College, PA
· MA Theology - St. Bonaventure University, NY
· EdD Education; PD Administration & Supervision - Fordham University, NYC, NY
Copyright © 2017 EditorStone.com | INSONA Author Alliance Network
editorstone:
Author - Fiction Tip—Dr. Marian October 24,...
:
Author - Fiction Tip—Dr. Marian October 24, 2017
ACHIEVING UNITY IN FICTION
When writing a work of fiction, it is important to keep your mind on the entire structure. It helps to think of your novel as a tapestry with colored strands interwoven to create a balanced design that tells a story.
If the weaver takes some strands and begins to start working in a side panel of the tapestry and continues weaving different designs on various side panels, the main section will lose its centrality of focus as an organizing principle, and the completed tapestry will lack cohesion and balance.
In the same way a fictional novel must have a central theme which is woven throughout and connects all minor subplots with its central core. Too many writers begin well, but gradually drift into tangents which take on a life of their own and relate to the central theme only marginally with the result that what began as a novel ends up as a potpourri of disconnected stories. Sometimes when a writer nears the final pages he or she begins to see the problem and attempts to solve it at this late date by collecting threads of the various subplots and trying to interweave them into some sort of interrelated unity. This never works because the threads are inclined, as in a tapestry, to get tangled up with one another. The process of interconnection must continue throughout the plot development so as not to lose the main focus.
Once a writer has settled on a central theme the first section can begin to be composed. A good way to start is to present the main character and give at least a glimpse of the conflict in which he or she will be engaged. The reader will now be drawn into the theme, and the plot can be developed and expanded. At this point subplots may be introduced as stemming from the main theme and as further developments of it. Occasionally a separate subplot may be introduced whose connection and relevance to the central theme is not made evident until subsequent chapters, but it is never to be left hanging outside on its own as a separate diversion.
Finally, the novel’s conclusion should connect all the preceding elements into a logical organized presentation revealing a solution, or a summation, and éԴdzܱԳ.
About Dr. Marian E. O’Meara - © 2017 |
Teacher, School Administrator, English Linguistic Analyst | Freelance Editor | Online Editor
Education
· BA Humanities (Liberal Arts) Gwynedd-Mercy College, PA
· MA Theology - St. Bonaventure University, NY
· EdD Education; PD Administration & Supervision - Fordham University, NYC, NY
Copyright © 2017 EditorStone.com | INSONA Author Alliance Network
