tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34342948880265965432023-11-16T02:36:46.340-08:00Sue LeeAuthor of Nerd GirlAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18157346960326028123noreply@blogger.comBlogger16125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3434294888026596543.post-27070515550848398392014-06-21T15:51:00.001-07:002014-06-21T15:51:47.299-07:00Why call it "Nerd Girl"?One of the things I continue to read in book reviews of Nerd Girl, is that people don't understand why I titled the book "Nerd Girl". After all, Julia is smart, pretty, but not quite a nerd in the traditional sense. <br />
<br />
Well, I have a very good reason. The availability and easy accessibility of eBooks, has revolutionized the world of publishing. However, no matter how convenient eBooks are, there are also some limitations. EBooks don't support footnotes, endnotes, and embedded images (i.e. graphs/charts) very well. <br />
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When my manuscript was finished, I worked with a professional editor. At that time, I hadn't decided on a title yet for my book. As my editor, Erin, and I continued to go back and forth, Erin helped me to demonstrate Julia's personality more by suggesting that we include footnotes for some of her more anal and professional references. I loved the idea and we started having a lot of fun with it. For example, Julia works at Megasoft (which if you haven't figured out, is actually a cover name for Microsoft). There are a lot of Microsoft acronyms in the book, that originally were referenced by a footnote and a sometimes accompanied by a small humorous anecdote. Julia also referenced a few more charts as well that were intended to demonstrate her anal way of thinking and how she organized some facets of her life. The end result was that Julia's whole personality was highlighted and brought out more clearly with the use of footnotes and charts. Yes, she is an attractive, funny, smart woman. But she's also anal, loves science fiction, technology, and has some very nerdy tendencies. When the editing process was done, the title "Nerd Girl" jumped out at me and my editor was in enthusiastic agreement.<br />
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After the editing process was completed, the formatting process began. I was heartbroken to learn that eBooks did not support footnotes, images, or endnotes very well. You could force it but then the formatting of the book would be compromised, and readers would be lost and irritated. At the editorial expense of some of Julia's more nerdy personality traits, I had to make a heartbreaking decision to pull those pieces out. In the final version of Nerd Girl, you still get a good idea of Julia's personality, but not the parts that I thought made her an adorable nerdy woman <big SIGH>....<br />
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That being said, this was my first experience with indie publishing and lesson learned. Since the book cover had already been designed and since I didn't have unlimited funds, I kept the title "Nerd Girl". It works for some and not for others. <br />
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And for those of you wondering....well, now you know. At some point, I may end up publishing a paperback version of the original Nerd Girl manuscript. We'll see....<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18157346960326028123noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3434294888026596543.post-25569035138994499532014-01-18T11:29:00.002-08:002014-01-18T11:29:55.611-08:00Marketing 101: A New Author's Voyage of DiscoveryAs a first time author, this whole experience of putting a book out there continues to be a journey. Like any first time adventure, both the thrill and fear of it is facing the unknown and figuring out a way to get past the bumps while enjoying the rest of the ride. I thought I would share with you my book marketing journey. It continues to be a voyage of discovery...<br />
<br />
Nerd Girl was released on December 1, 2013. With some trepidation, I reached out to my friends and family, letting them know what I had done. Many of them didn't even know I had been writing a book, let alone had just self-published it. I then reached out to my local community which included neighborhood bookstores, local newspaper, school community, and old Microsoft colleagues and friends. Nerd Girl continued to be well received. My local Queen Anne bookstore ordered some copies, the local community paper wrote a <a href="http://queenannenews.com/main.asp?SectionID=3&SubSectionID=3&ArticleID=35115" target="_blank">feature article on Nerd Girl</a> and self-publishing in general. Girlfriends keep telling me about how they've suggested the book for their book clubs. The outreach, support, and encouragement has been uplifting.<br />
<br />
I decided then to be brave and reached out to a select list of book bloggers. The thing with Indie authors, especially those written for the romance genre, rely heavily on book bloggers to write reviews and get the word out. I follow several book bloggers on my own and of course I reached out to them first. I randomly found many others on Goodreads. I think I probably sent out about 15 requests for review and received about a 50% response back. Not too bad, given I was a no name. Many of them told me they wouldn't be able to get to the book for 6-8 weeks due to their extensive 'to-read' lists, but that was fine with me. Some read them right away. The 48-72 hours of waiting time from the time the blogger says they've started your book to the time when they finally reach out to you to give you their review, is nail biting. I hate it. Someone has my book, the one I worked tirelessly for over a year on, and they will summarize their feelings in a few paragraphs, either telling me they loved it, hated it, or thought it was just... <em>meh</em>. <br />
<br />
Fortunately, bloggers have been supportive and on the most part positive. I'm so appreciative that they were willing to invest their time to read Nerd Girl. Their enthusiasm for the art is awesome. They are passionate, silly, critical, and the best cheerleaders one could hope for. I am forever grateful.<br />
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And then there are the not so good reviews. These hurt. In fact, they're downright mean and cruel. I've learned quickly that authors need to have a very thick skin. I've chosen to not read these reviews because unfortunately, most of them are hurtful and not productive in any way. Fortunately, they are the outliers, that 10%. I appreciate that people like different books, so I'll leave it at that. <br />
<br />
The next part of my journey is a book blogger tour. What is that you ask? I wondered the same thing. This is just another new leg of my journey. Bloggers sign up to feature Nerd Girl on their blog. They provide reviews, book excerpts, author interviews, and guest posts. I'm doing a blog tour for Nerd Girl, with the support of <a href="http://indiesage.com/" target="_blank">Indiesage</a>. The blog tour dates will be Jan 27 - Feb 7. The following is the list of participating bloggers. Wish me luck!!<br />
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<td class="xl65" style="background-color: white; border-color: black windowtext windowtext black; border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: 0px 0.5pt 0.5pt 0px; width: 221pt;" width="295"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;">https://www.stoneangelreviews.com</span></td>
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<td class="xl64" height="17" style="background-color: transparent; border-color: black windowtext windowtext; border-style: none solid solid; border-width: 0px 0.5pt 0.5pt; height: 12.75pt; width: 74pt;" width="99"><strong><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;">January 28th</span></strong></td>
<td class="xl65" style="background-color: white; border-color: black windowtext windowtext black; border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: 0px 0.5pt 0.5pt 0px; width: 221pt;" width="295"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;">http://tugceninkitapligi.com</span></td>
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<td class="xl64" height="17" style="background-color: transparent; border-color: black windowtext windowtext; border-style: none solid solid; border-width: 0px 0.5pt 0.5pt; height: 12.75pt; width: 74pt;" width="99"><strong><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;">January 29th</span></strong></td>
<td class="xl65" style="background-color: white; border-color: black windowtext windowtext black; border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: 0px 0.5pt 0.5pt 0px; width: 221pt;" width="295"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;">Sistascrazybookobsession.com</span></td>
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<td class="xl64" height="17" style="background-color: transparent; border-color: black windowtext windowtext; border-style: none solid solid; border-width: 0px 0.5pt 0.5pt; height: 12.75pt; width: 74pt;" width="99"><strong><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;">January 29th</span></strong></td>
<td class="xl65" style="background-color: white; border-color: black windowtext windowtext black; border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: 0px 0.5pt 0.5pt 0px; width: 221pt;" width="295"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;">https://www.pearlsandpeacocks.com</span></td>
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<td class="xl64" height="17" style="background-color: transparent; border-color: black windowtext windowtext; border-style: none solid solid; border-width: 0px 0.5pt 0.5pt; height: 12.75pt; width: 74pt;" width="99"><strong><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;">January 30th</span></strong></td>
<td class="xl65" style="background-color: white; border-color: black windowtext windowtext black; border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: 0px 0.5pt 0.5pt 0px; width: 221pt;" width="295"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;">http://www.truestorybookblog.com/</span></td>
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<td class="xl64" height="17" style="background-color: transparent; border-color: black windowtext windowtext; border-style: none solid solid; border-width: 0px 0.5pt 0.5pt; height: 12.75pt; width: 74pt;" width="99"><strong><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;">January 30th</span></strong></td>
<td class="xl65" style="background-color: white; border-color: black windowtext windowtext black; border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: 0px 0.5pt 0.5pt 0px; width: 221pt;" width="295"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;">http://literaturelitehouse.blogspot.com/</span></td>
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<td class="xl64" height="17" style="background-color: transparent; border-color: black windowtext windowtext; border-style: none solid solid; border-width: 0px 0.5pt 0.5pt; height: 12.75pt; width: 74pt;" width="99"><strong><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;">January 31st</span></strong></td>
<td class="xl65" style="background-color: white; border-color: black windowtext windowtext black; border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: 0px 0.5pt 0.5pt 0px; width: 221pt;" width="295"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;">http://shortandsassybookblurbs.blogspot.com/</span></td>
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<td class="xl65" style="background-color: white; border-color: black windowtext windowtext black; border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: 0px 0.5pt 0.5pt 0px; width: 221pt;" width="295"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;">http://jezabellgirlandfriends.weebly.com</span></td>
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<td class="xl64" height="17" style="background-color: transparent; border-color: black windowtext windowtext; border-style: none solid solid; border-width: 0px 0.5pt 0.5pt; height: 12.75pt; width: 74pt;" width="99"><strong><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;">February 3rd</span></strong></td>
<td class="xl65" style="background-color: white; border-color: black windowtext windowtext black; border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: 0px 0.5pt 0.5pt 0px; width: 221pt;" width="295"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;">http://despoinapersephone.blogspot.com/</span></td>
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<td class="xl64" height="17" style="background-color: transparent; border-color: black windowtext windowtext; border-style: none solid solid; border-width: 0px 0.5pt 0.5pt; height: 12.75pt; width: 74pt;" width="99"><strong><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;">February 3rd</span></strong></td>
<td class="xl65" style="background-color: white; border-color: black windowtext windowtext black; border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: 0px 0.5pt 0.5pt 0px; width: 221pt;" width="295"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;">http://www.akiikomorireading.com</span></td>
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<td class="xl64" height="17" style="background-color: transparent; border-color: black windowtext windowtext; border-style: none solid solid; border-width: 0px 0.5pt 0.5pt; height: 12.75pt; width: 74pt;" width="99"><strong><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;">February 4th</span></strong></td>
<td class="xl65" style="background-color: white; border-color: black windowtext windowtext black; border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: 0px 0.5pt 0.5pt 0px; width: 221pt;" width="295"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;">http://aliaaelnashar.blogspot.com</span></td>
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<td class="xl64" height="17" style="background-color: transparent; border-color: black windowtext windowtext; border-style: none solid solid; border-width: 0px 0.5pt 0.5pt; height: 12.75pt; width: 74pt;" width="99"><strong><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;">February 5th</span></strong></td>
<td class="xl65" style="background-color: white; border-color: black windowtext windowtext black; border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: 0px 0.5pt 0.5pt 0px; width: 221pt;" width="295"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;">http://www.sarahsbookblog.com/</span></td>
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<td class="xl64" height="17" style="background-color: transparent; border-color: black windowtext windowtext; border-style: none solid solid; border-width: 0px 0.5pt 0.5pt; height: 12.75pt; width: 74pt;" width="99"><strong><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;">February 6th</span></strong></td>
<td class="xl65" style="background-color: white; border-color: black windowtext windowtext black; border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: 0px 0.5pt 0.5pt 0px; width: 221pt;" width="295"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;">https://www.lovethosebooks.com</span></td>
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<td class="xl64" height="17" style="background-color: transparent; border-color: black windowtext windowtext; border-style: none solid solid; border-width: 0px 0.5pt 0.5pt; height: 12.75pt; width: 74pt;" width="99"><strong><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;">February 7th</span></strong></td>
<td class="xl65" style="background-color: white; border-color: black windowtext windowtext black; border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: 0px 0.5pt 0.5pt 0px; width: 221pt;" width="295"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;">http://concupiscentbibliophile.blogspot.com/</span></td>
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<td class="xl65" style="background-color: white; border-color: black windowtext windowtext black; border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: 0px 0.5pt 0.5pt 0px; width: 221pt;" width="295"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;">http://tugceninkitapligi.com</span></td>
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<td class="xl65" style="background-color: white; border-color: black windowtext windowtext black; border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: 0px 0.5pt 0.5pt 0px; width: 221pt;" width="295"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;">http://michbookreviews.wordpress.com/</span></td>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18157346960326028123noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3434294888026596543.post-9671897044860849312013-12-12T23:03:00.001-08:002013-12-12T23:15:49.989-08:00The Book BossesI've been following <a href="http://thebookbosses.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">The Book Bosses</span></a> (Hildy and JJ) and their <a href="https://www.facebook.com/BookBosses" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">FB page</span></a> for the past year. They're one of my favorite book blog sites. These two ladies crack me up. I am honored and so grateful that they took a chance on Nerd Girl and provided my first book blogger review. You can check out there review <a href="http://thebookbosses.blogspot.com/2013/12/nerd-girl-by-sue-lee.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">here</span></a>.<br />
<br />
The Book Bosses rate books on two scales.<br />
1. 1-5 stars based on overall perception of the book<br />
2. Panty Changing Rating System based on the hotness of the sex and love scenes (Chris thought this was hilarious)<br />
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I was graciously given a 4 in both categories. Gotta love it! <br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18157346960326028123noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3434294888026596543.post-33312106100000878652013-11-30T23:58:00.001-08:002013-11-30T23:58:48.625-08:00Nerd Girl is now available on Amazon!!Nerd Girl is now available on Amazon!!! Within the next few days, it will be available in paperback and all other e-book sites. It's hard to believe that I started this journey almost 18 months ago and now we're finally here. Squee!! <br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00H0N57RQ">http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00H0N57RQ</a><br />
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If you're willing to provide a review, please contact me directly at <a href="mailto:suelee_haslam@hotmail.com">suelee_haslam@hotmail.com</a> and I will send you a free copy. The success of Indie authors is the result of reviews, bloggers, and social media. I would appreciate your support.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18157346960326028123noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3434294888026596543.post-30548147308748414072013-11-21T10:19:00.002-08:002013-11-21T10:19:57.437-08:00Goodreads Giveaway!!!Sign up now for a giveaway on Goodreads! I will be giving away 10 free copies of Nerd Girl, if you sign up between November 20, 2013 - January 5, 2014.
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18714985"><img alt="Nerd Girl by Sue Lee" src="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1382676464l/18714985.jpg" title="Nerd Girl by Sue Lee" width="100" /></a>
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by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7361587.Sue_Lee" style="text-decoration: none;">Sue Lee</a>
</h4>
<div class="giveaway_details">
<p>
Giveaway ends January 05, 2014.
</p>
<p>
See the <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/69992" style="text-decoration: none;">giveaway details</a>
at Goodreads.
</p>
</div>
</div>
<div style="clear: both;"></div>
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/enter_choose_address/69992" class="goodreadsGiveawayWidgetEnterLink">Enter to win</a>
</div>
</div><script src="https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/widget/69992" type="text/javascript" charset="utf-8"></script>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18157346960326028123noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3434294888026596543.post-70871049580997465782013-11-20T13:50:00.003-08:002013-11-20T13:51:06.045-08:00Nerd Girl Alert!<strong>Nerd Girl alert!</strong><br />
<br />
I'm really digging the paranormal genre. What I wouldn't do to come up with a really good paranormal love story as a my next book.<br />
<br />
I think this is because I grew up with an older brother and through him, I was introduced to science fiction, strange creatures, and great fantasy stories. I remember seeing Star Wars for the first time when I was seven and then many times after that. I remember my brother dressing up as Luke Skywalker for Halloween. I wanted to be Princess Leia but couldn't quite pull off the look. Nevertheless, I remember loving the Lord of the Rings, Star Trek and all those cool Star Wars action figures. <br />
<br />
My love of science fiction and fantasy stories took a backburner through my teens as I focused mostly on love stories. As a young adult, my reading selections expanded and I enjoyed non-fiction, fiction of all different themes... and then Twilight came out. After Twilight, my love of books took on a whole new meaning and my obsession with books and reading reached OCD levels. This year alone, I've read 100 books (according to my Kindle). <br />
<br />
Why do I write a blog post on this? The last eleven books I've read these past two months or so, have been Paranormal books. I've recently completed the following:<br />
<ul>
<li>Red Hill - by Jamie McGuire -- a Zombie apocalypse book. I'm not really into zombie stories, but I love the author's other books so I thought I would give it a try. Not bad...</li>
<li>Vampire Academy series by Richelle Mead (6 books) - Vampires, humans, and those half breeds that protect them. Loved it! Great story about friendship with a kickass heroine.</li>
<li>The Lux series from Jennifer Armentrout (4 books -- I can't wait for the last installment which won't be released until next summer! Argh!) - this is an awesome action packed alien love story. Yes, sounds corny, but it's sooo good!</li>
<li>The Fall of Five - this is the 4th in the Lorien legacy series - Teenage aliens that hide on earth and possess superpowers to fight off a global invasion. The movie "I Am Number Four" was the first book in the series. Too bad they're not making another movie. The later books are totally action packed.</li>
<li>Bloodlines - this is another series written by Richelle Mead and I'm currently reading the 1st of I think four books?</li>
<li>Harry Potter - One of my all time favorite series, but I'm now reading them with my girls. We are on book #4 The Goblet of Fire.</li>
</ul>
Anyways, each of these books bring me into a whole new world created by the author. There is love, action, and cool science fiction and fantasy elements. I love it. <br />
<br />
What can I say? I'm a total nerd.<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18157346960326028123noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3434294888026596543.post-33479861825158772672013-10-29T15:10:00.000-07:002013-10-29T15:10:57.049-07:00On the brink...Do you ever get that feeling you're on the brink of something? You know.. you get that sixth sense, that thing you can't put your finger on, you're not really sure what's going to happen, but you wait... and you wait... and then you jump! Or someone pushes you to fall off the cliff. That's how I feel right now. <br />
<br />
My kids are happy, it's two days before Halloween, the sun is shining outside, and the leaves are on fire with red and orange, I love my husband, and life is good. I drove home yesterday from the office and I actually smiled thinking how great I have it.<br />
<br />
I spent the last 18 months of my life writing a book. I researched the world of self-publishing and decided to go for it. It might end up being a miserable failure. I have no idea if I can write. But I was passionate about it from day one and frankly, I became obsessed with the idea of getting, Nerd Girl, out there. Well, it's almost out there.<br />
<br />
I don't know what the fuck I'm doing, of course. I've done what I think all indie published author's are supposed to be doing... I've created all the social media sites, I have a blog, a FB page, a Twitter account, and a Goodreads author page. I've got a book cover from one of the best indie book cover designers ever, a formatter is currently making my book look beautiful. And in a couple of weeks, maybe less than that, I'll be uploading my book onto e-book websites like Amazon, Smashwords, B&N, and iBook. <br />
<br />
.... and then I wait. <br />
<br />
Of course, I'll do some self promotion, have a giveaway on Goodreads, beg people to read my book for free for a written review.<br />
<br />
.... but then I have to wait some more.<br />
<br />
Some people will hate my book. Some people will love it. What will all of this mean to me? I'm not sure yet. Maybe it will be anti-climatic. Maybe my book will just sit there on e-book websites and it will soon be forgotten. I'll know that I tried my best and then so be it. I'll write another book and learn and grow in the process. <br />
<br />
But then maybe it will do well? That's the exciting part. That's the unknown. Do I want to take the risk? Hell yeah.... <br />
<br />
It's almost time....<br />
<br />
<br />
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18157346960326028123noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3434294888026596543.post-58839917524626788262013-10-23T13:44:00.000-07:002013-10-29T11:45:16.622-07:00Book CoverI have a book cover and I absolutely love it!<br />
<br />
My cover was designed by <a href="http://www.okaycreations.com/">Okay Creations.</a> Sarah Hansen is brilliant. I'm thrilled with the end result and I'm so excited to reveal it... very soon!<br />
<br />
Next step... I am getting the book professionally formatted for upload onto Amazon, B&N, ibook, and Smashwords. Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18157346960326028123noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3434294888026596543.post-77339535495538982542013-08-21T14:33:00.000-07:002013-08-21T14:46:35.536-07:00Nerd Girl<span style="font-family: Verdana;">I've been struggling for months on the right title. After making some <a href="http://suehhaslam.blogspot.com/2013/08/nerd-girl.html">editorial changes</a> and seeing Julia from the perspective of an objective 3rd party, the title just sort of jumped out at me.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"><strong><em>Nerd Girl</em></strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Julia is sort of a nerd. Most women who work at MS, frankly, are nerdy... but in a lovable, endearing, good way. We love technology, we're smart, and structured. We need charts and graphs to demonstrate, manage, and track things. Frankly, the majority of women in this world, aren't like this. I sometimes forget, having been around MS for over 14 years now. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Anyways, when you read the book, you'll see why <em><strong>Nerd Girl</strong></em> is the perfect title for Julia's story :-)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Ok, so next steps in my indie publishing journey:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana;">Book cover design: Unfortunately, I have to wait until end of October for this. I chose a book cover design artist who is really making a name for herself. The downside however, is that she is making a name for herself and her waitlist is long. I'm on her schedule for October.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana;">Start trolling indie publishing blog sites and get people to read a free ARC (Advance Reader Copy) in exchange for an honest review.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana;">Create an author account on Goodreads.com</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana;">Begin the process on CreateSpace.com (on demand book printing)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana;">Begin the process on all other e-book publishing sites (Amazon, B&N, Apple, etc...)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana;">Get ISBN number</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana;">Create my author FB page</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana;">Format the book for all these different delivery channels (I'm outsourcing this part)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana;">Launch party? :-)</span></li>
</ul>
<br />
<ul>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">I'm hoping for a Pre-Christmas release date. Cross your fingers.</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18157346960326028123noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3434294888026596543.post-13427065764329787712013-08-20T14:42:00.002-07:002013-08-21T14:29:54.082-07:00Editing<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I have an awesome Editor - Erin Roth. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Her feedback was brutally honest and snarky. Some of her comments felt like an arrow through my chest. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">BUT.... Every author must learn to take criticism and her feedback was constructive and very true. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Having incorporated her feedback, I ended up cutting out almost 75% of my first three chapters. It seriously hurt to do so, but my book is so much better for it. Erin really knows what she's doing. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">When I originally starting writing the book, I was initially motivated by my Microsoft experiences and wanted to share them. However, in the process of doing so, I forgot that I was writing a romance. The book was having sort of a personality disorder. If you read it, you couldn't tell if it was a romance or if it was a memoir of Microsoft. As much as it killed me to do so, I cut out all the MS stuff. I focused on making my main character likable and revealing the Microsoft components through other less direct means. Erin had some fabulous suggestions, that in my opinion, completely changed the tone of the book.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">I'm so pleased with the end result. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18157346960326028123noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3434294888026596543.post-84971646774433075892013-07-14T09:33:00.002-07:002013-08-14T22:15:24.331-07:00Beta Reader Reviews are coming in!!<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Each time I hand over my book to a beta reader, it's absolutely terrifying. I think it's because each time I show my book to someone, it's a little like I'm revealing the essence of my soul. I slaved over this book for over a year, giving it every creative spark I had. I had to dig deep into my emotions for certain scenarios, to be able to properly write about how Julia and Ryan might feel. I had to reveal either my talent or lack of (depending on the reviewer's opinion), and that is what is so scary. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Someone could hate it. Someone could think that I'm crazy for even trying to do this. But on the other hand, that person might actually like it. They might tell their friends about it. They might actually appreciate the time and effort and sweat I put into it. For those of you who have truly enjoyed the book and given me your time, support, and constructive feedback, you have motivated me to keep going on this journey and making my dream a reality. Thank You!! Your support means so much to me and I am forever grateful.</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18157346960326028123noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3434294888026596543.post-16620924174074810792013-06-20T17:57:00.001-07:002013-10-23T13:57:15.712-07:00My Book Summary<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">Here is a summary of my book. This summary will be visible on every e-book retailer site and also on the back cover. Hopefully, it gives enough detail about the story without giving away any spoilers. I also want to make sure it's interesting enough that it grabs people and makes them want to read the book.</span><br />
<div style="font-family: Calibri; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="color: black;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><em>Everyone knows that
office romances can be risky, but how much are you willing to
sacrifice for love?</em></span></span><br />
</span><em></em><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 12pt;">
<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><em>Julia Hayes is
beautiful, successful, sometimes nerdy, and perpetually single.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She lives in Seattle and just landed her
dream job at one of the most iconic technology companies in the world.</em></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<em><span style="color: #444444;"><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">When Julia embarks on
a new career opportunity, a serendipitous event literally throws her in the
path of Ryan Taylor, the hot and charming VP. As the attraction grows
between them, it's not long before Julia realizes that things are more
complicated than they appear.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></span><span style="color: #444444;"><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">
</span></span></span></em><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em></em></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em>Nerd Girl is a heartwarming love story about a woman at the crossroads
between true love and her career.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It's
about deciding what’s most important in life and taking chances to get it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But most of all, it's about not letting your
mind prevent you from following your heart.</em> </span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span></div>
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">
</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18157346960326028123noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3434294888026596543.post-41537142305889198592013-06-08T00:29:00.002-07:002013-08-01T08:35:18.637-07:00<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I... AM... DONE!!! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEB21ZYJGZnAWIgu9LorRQLjHmnydD8fd7D7Z-u3_2wEKhCqoNTICXnglZYhP0oP77VEJC_xva2acRTk3vn7n8iWVEvYFECElK5qxE2BfcXwFk-yxNpoU1_kWlGSBY3R9cfd2YHKLVjdE/s1600/victory.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEB21ZYJGZnAWIgu9LorRQLjHmnydD8fd7D7Z-u3_2wEKhCqoNTICXnglZYhP0oP77VEJC_xva2acRTk3vn7n8iWVEvYFECElK5qxE2BfcXwFk-yxNpoU1_kWlGSBY3R9cfd2YHKLVjdE/s1600/victory.jpg" /></a><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The story of Ryan and Julia has been told and they will have their happily ever after.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">I've posted my blog on Facebook. I've decided to come out of the closet. I've written my first book. I've just completed my first round of edits and I'm now ready to recruit a few beta readers. I have two beta readers already and their constructive feedback has already been immeasurable. You guys know who you are. Thank you!!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Any other takers? Read <a href="http://suehhaslam.blogspot.com/2013_04_01_archive.html">here</a> for a quick description of the book. I have yet to write the book summary, sorry. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Between now and September, I still have a lot of work to do, but the heavy lifting is complete.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It is 12:35 AM on a Friday night. I started writing this book almost exactly a year ago. I've never written a book or a short story before in my life. However, once I started, I became obsessed with it. I wanted to prove I could do it. So for countless nights over the last 365 days, I've stayed up frequently till all late hours of the night. At times, I've ignored my children and husband, and taken days off work only to write. I wrote when the pot was boiling or when the kids were at the park with Chris. I wrote, and wrote, and wrote until my eyes saw double and I couldn't stand to look at my PC any further. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">This milestone feels great. </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18157346960326028123noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3434294888026596543.post-67747959329915339442013-05-21T21:33:00.004-07:002013-08-01T08:35:27.506-07:00I'm officially committed<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I am now officially committed to getting my book completed and self published. My target date is January 2014.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I've completed the first draft and I am about two thirds through the my initial round of editing. I currently have two friends signed up as beta readers and have just forwarded them the first half of the book. It's absolutely terrifying and I'm holding my breath.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />I've also just hired a professional editor and have been put on her schedule for September. I hired Erin Roth, who also edited the Beautiful Disaster series. I loved that book and it one was one of the novels that inspired me to write one of my own. Erin is also a member of the <a href="http://www.theindiebookshelf.com/?zx=8e748a8b24146a22">Indie Bookshelf</a>, a well known book review user group and blog. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I hired </span><a href="http://www.okaycreations.com/"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Okay Creations</span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> as my book cover designer. Sarah Hansen has designed a ton of indie published books, several which have now been on the NY Times Bestseller list. She's booked until November, but I've now been added to her schedule as well.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I've been doing a lot of research on whether or not to go the traditional publishing route or the indie publishing route. My research has included reading and following indie publishing blogs, book review sites, Goodreads.com, and several other random website referrals from various other sources. Needless to say, there is A LOT of information out there. Initially, it was all very overwhelming, but after several months of following these blogs, doing research and asking a lot of questions, I'm now getting a good picture of the pros/cons of traditional vs. indie publishing.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Traditional publishing requires an author to find a literary agent. This can be a long and cumbersome process. I would have to find the right type of agent first, one who specializes in my genre, write a letter to convince them to consider taking on my book, and then wait for them to find a publishing house to accept it. The publishing house and the agent would then both take their cut, they would own the full rights to the book, and it could take over a year or two before the book would get out there. The odds of landing a publisher through the traditional route is very very low. I just don't think I have the heart or the patience to take this approach. Especially not when the indie publishing industry has completely revolutionized how authors are getting books out to readers.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Indie publishing is an industry that is completely taking off right now. There is a pivotal shift occurring in the book publishing industry. New indie businesses and blogs/review sites are popping up everywhere. Authors are now able to publish their own books easily and quickly. Of course, the downside is that they have to do their own marketing too i.e. book summary blurbs, covers, blog sites, book review, giveaways, pricing models, etc.. etc... etc.... Many popular books out there were independently published and authors said it took 1-2 years before the book took off. But they also got 70% of the profits and they owned all the rights to their own book. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I think the odds of success are rare with both options but I feel that I will have more control over my own destiny with the latter. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Having said all that, please know that I'm not completely off my rocker. Yes, I have grand dreams of becoming a published author and getting some moderate success out of it. However, my success or lack of, is only as good as the book. I have now fully committed myself to finishing this journey. All the wheels have been set in motion.</span> <br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Here we go...</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18157346960326028123noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3434294888026596543.post-58798324240200976262013-05-17T23:14:00.001-07:002013-05-21T21:34:22.474-07:00Coming Up With a Title<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Coming up with a title for my book has been difficult. When I first started writing it, Chris jokingly threw out there the title "Meet Me At Building 7". For those who are familiar with "Digisoft" life, then you know there is no building 7. It's an inside joke. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Now that I'm nearing the last stretch and I'm more than half way through with my first edit, Chris thought I should change the name of my book. The title needed to capture several things: </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<ul><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Imply that it was a contemporary romance</span></li>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Imply that it was somehow related to "Digisoft" and it's subculture</span></li>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
</span>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It needed to be different, capture people's attention</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It couldn't be too sappy... I wanted to stay away from the world of Harlequin</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And if possible, it needed to have double meaning, with a sexual undertone or reference. </span></li>
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</span></ul>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The title I've chosen is .... a secret for now. Chris gave full thumbs up approval. He thought the title fit all of the criteria above, so much so that he didn't want me to risk the public getting a hold of it, in case someone would steal it. A little paranoid? Yes, but that just means he loves me and supports my little hobby. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Once I publish the book, you might get a good laugh out of it.</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18157346960326028123noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3434294888026596543.post-26509034685800003752013-04-30T00:04:00.000-07:002013-06-08T00:44:41.707-07:00Am I really a writer?<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Well, this is my first official blog post. I created this blog to begin tracking my journey as a... drum roll please.... a writer. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">What qualifies someone as a writer anyways? Do they have to have a degree in English or Literature? Should they have a published article or a book to their name? I have neither. However, I do love to write. I don't think I'm very good at the grammatical stuff, which is why I'm not an editor. I would like to think however, that I have some talent in telling a story, conveying an emotion, and using my imagination.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Every publishing expert says I need to start getting the word out there. Well... I have a confession to make. Only a very select few know about my</span><span style="font-family: Verdana;"> secret little hobby. Now that I've started this blog, it's not a secret anymore, and just the idea of this being out there makes my pulse race. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">So there... It's out there now. Now you know. I aspire to be a novelist. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">With that said, I've spent the last ten months writing my first novel. My first draft is done. I'm now mid-way through round 1 of the editing process. The experience thus far, truly has been a journey and I know this is only the beginning. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">So, your next logical question... What is it about?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">For anyone who knows me, I LOVE to read. I read every genre - romance, sci fi, history, non-fiction, young adult, fantasy and magic, but contemporary and historical romances were always my favorite. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Last summer, having given up by full time career the year before, I realized I actually had time to contemplate things other than work and family. During the rare quiet moment of a day or during my workout runs around the neighborhood, a contemporary love story started to form in my mind. At the same time, Vanity Fair had just published an article about Microsoft and the lost decade. It was an interesting and juicy article for an ex-Microsoft employee, but what stuck with me was that it was the cover story. It demonstrated that people were really interested in understanding the internal subculture of Microsoft. People wanted to buy the magazine for that article and it got a lot of press. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Well, guess what, I had personal experience at Microsoft too, over 12 years of it, thank you very much. And I had a love story brewing and coming together. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">It's a contemporary romance that takes place in Seattle. It is a love story first above anything else. It's total chick lit. However, my story also provides insight into the internal subculture of .. .eh em... <em>Digisoft</em>. My heroine is a PM that unknowingly falls in love with a hot young CVP at <em>Digisoft</em>. Gasp! Yes, a bit dramatic, but what great love story isn't? She manages her love life, like she manages a project plan. She learns the hard way how not to do that.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">I'm half way through my editing round 1 and will soon be looking for beta readers. I will be looking for beta readers to help me with:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">1. Continuity and ongoing reader engagement of the overall story.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">2. Insights into the <em>Digisoft</em> subculture - comments/accuracy/personal observations</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">3. ... and yes, the swoon worthiness of the male lead character and appropriate level of titillation for the sex scenes ;-)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Ping me if you're interested.</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18157346960326028123noreply@blogger.com0