Based on the author’s real-life experiences with online dating (through which she met her husband) Click. Date. Repeat. is a look at internet dating in its early days – 2003. The novel opens with the text of Chloe’s online profile and moves swiftly from there. It follows Chloe, a teacher in her mid-twenties living in the Midwest, who is certain that she can use a system to find the right man efficiently. With all of the men available on the internet, how can she possibly fail? Inevitably, she fails. Men do not live up to her expectations, she doesn’t live up to theirs and some dates who seemed perfect online turn out to be hilariously less than perfect in person. Meanwhile, there is an ex-boyfriend who is making himself available and, as the story progresses and Chloe’s dating experiences go from bad to…
Are you a new author with a completed manuscript and you’re not sure what to do next?
Photo Credit: Jonny Wikins on Flickr
That was me last spring after I’d completed my first novel.
My solution was to ask my developmental editor, Leah Campbell, for advice. Leah is a published author, so she was able to fill me in on what I needed to do.
Create a cover, or hire a cover designer.
Hire a line editor.
Read through my book. Again. For the 80 billionth time.
Figure out which print-on-demand service I wanted to use. (She suggested CreateSpace.)
Format my book for paperback publication.
Format my book for e-publication. (Or hire someone to do it.)
So I did everything she suggested, and shortly after uploading my book to CreateSpace and Kindle Direct Publishing, voila. My book became a best seller within a few weeks.
Just kidding.
In reality, it took about four months to complete all of the above, and my work was still far from complete. Plus, I hadn’t even gotten to the most difficult aspect of self-publishing: marketing.
Slowly but surely, I learned new promotion strategies and came to realize that marketing a book is an ongoing job. I also realized something crucial. Marketing should begin months prior to publication. In light of this fact, I’ve done a lot more in preparation for my upcoming novel.
My Self-Publishing Timeline for Don’t Call Me Kit Kat
Summer 2014
Completed an outline of chapters and a descriptive list of characters.
*I booked the cover designer extra-early to take advantage of a promotion she was running. Otherwise, I would have waited until November/December to make the appointment.
September 2014
Started writing the first draft.
November 2014
Set up my website/blog. (This should have been done much sooner!)
Sent the first 30 percent to Leah.
December 2014
First blog post about Don’t Call Me Kit Kat.
Re-named the book. (It was originally The Me I See, but people thought it sounded too self-helpish.)
January 2014
Added a Don’t Call Me Kit Kat page to my website.
Sent the completed first draft to Leah.
February 2014
Revisions, revisions, revisions.
Blurb was written.
Set up my author Facebook page. (Up until then, I only had a page for CDR.)
Cover design began.
Found beta readers.
March 2014
Sent revisions to Leah.
Added book to Goodreads.
Scheduled cover reveal.
Sent book to beta readers.
Cover completed.
Find ARC reviewers.
April 2014
Cover reveal.
Post cover to all of my social media sites.
Set up ARC giveaway on Goodreads.
Set up a book blitz and review query through Xpresso Book Tours.
Make changes based on beta reader feedback.
Upload final draft to CreateSpace.
Order ARCs and get them out to reviewers.
Schedule a Facebook party for release day, and collect giveaway items.
May 2014
Make any final changes.
Format for KDP upload.
Upload to KDP.
May 15 – Release Day!
Post Publication
Continue to market, market, market! (Specifics to follow in another post.)
For more information about preparing a book for publication, check out the following posts from Jo Michaels and Cynthia over at Goodreads. Jo is extremely knowledgeable about self-publishing, so I also recommend that you subscribe to her blog if you’re a new author.
Hi everyone! Sorry it’s been so quiet around here lately. I just returned from a much-needed vacation. My husband and I traveled for a week with no kids! It was the first time we’d gone anywhere alone since 2012. I thought sharing some trip pics would be a nice way to ease back into my blog schedule. Enjoy!
Lake Champlain, Burlington, Vermont
Washington, D.C.
The Cedars of Williamsburg Bed & Breakfast, Virginia
Based on the author’s real-life experiences with online dating (through which she met her husband) Click. Date. Repeat. is a look at internet dating in its early days – 2003. The novel opens with the text of Chloe’s online profile and moves swiftly from there. It follows Chloe, a teacher in her mid-twenties living in the Midwest, who is certain that she can use a system to find the right man efficiently. With all of the men available on the internet, how can she possibly fail? Inevitably, she fails. Men do not live up to her expectations, she doesn’t live up to theirs and some dates who seemed perfect online turn out to be hilariously less than perfect in person. Meanwhile, there is an ex-boyfriend who is making himself available and, as the story progresses and Chloe’s dating experiences go from bad to…
K. J. Farnham 