Not the title of the sequel to 'Once We Were' (though it totally could be), but rather a publication process update that I swore I would be doing for you all a lot more frequently than I have been.
Initially set to come out next month, I decided to postpone the launch of my debut novel by a few months. The reasons? The first: Romance Writers of Australia (RWA) announced that they were taking their RWA2020 Conference online mid-August, and the program looked too good to not attend - however if I was attending, I wanted to ensure that I had enough time to put these learning into practice for my first novel. The second: it's been a rough Trimester at Uni - my courses have taken up a lot more time than the recommended 'ten hours' a week which has really put my publication process on hold, with tasks being completed at a slower rate than I'd wanted. Thus, after submitting my final assessments later this week, I will be using my two-week Uni break to focus on on 'catching up' to get myself back on track to where I need to be.
So where am I at exactly? I am still (yes, still) editing my novel (a task I'd wanted to be done months ago). There is this one scene that I haven't got quite right; I'm not sure what it is that keeps drawing me back, but suspect I am being a bit of a perfectionist with it since I know how much the scene impacts the overall narrative. However, in more positive news, the book cover is ready and looking gorgeous! I can't wait to share the final design with you all later next month.
In regards to the self-publication process, a few things I have learnt as a first-time author is that:
The process is slightly different from what you plan/expect.
You cannot establish author profiles on certain platforms (ie. Goodreads, BookBub) until the book has launched, whereas as an established author can add pre-order titles
A lot of things happen at the same time (AKA: task dependencies). For instance, to be able to begin a promotional campaign, you have to have all your materials ready to go, such as your blurb and book cover. Without these being ready, you cannot begin marketing or even listing your book for pre-order.
The US-Tax Exemption forms are overwhelming, so give yourself time to fill them out
A simple final edit is never a simple final edit when you're a perfectionist - allow extra time to make changes.
The bleed lines on your cover design will impact the overall look - I recommend making an ebook cover to see what the cover design will look like with the 'actual' sizing to ensure all elements are aligned correctly once the bleed is removed.
Well, that's all from me for now. To stay up to date on all things 'Once We Were', make sure you're following me online! (I promise I keep my social media a lot more up-to-date than my blog).