Home

As an indie author it can be said on a certain level, once your story is finished, the real work begins. That’s because after all that lovely creativity, you’ve got to let go and present your baby to the wide world. The result from that step will be – you guessed it – Reviews! If you’re like me, an introvert, the thought of asking strangers for their opinion of your work becomes a massively intimidating part of your campaign to be successful. So, Reviews and how they help your sales and how you might get some? It can’t be too hard, can it? Well, it depends.

After your cover and your blurb, reviews can help you move sales along onto the road to financial success. It takes 50+ reviews on Amazon to get decent sales traction. But how to get reviews? One way is to simply ask on social media – Facebook, Instagram, Tik Tok, Pinterest, Goodreads, YouTube, Twitter and other platforms . Despite people complaining about Facebook it still remains the premiere social media platform. Instragram too has a good reputation for virtual book tours and bookstagrammers who can be approached for reviews. Just as a reminder always be super polite and give them lots of time to respond. If they don’t, move on. It’s also best to try establishing some sort of relationship and connection before you approach them for reviews. If you’re a complete stranger don’t expect to grab their attention right away. Most reviewers are incredibly busy and even if they accept your book, it will probably be put in a queue behind other books looking for reviews. Also, in this situation, you would provide the person with a copy of your book for free – most likely an ebook version though some reviewers ask for a print copy. So, if you approach someone in Australia that only reviews print books, consider the cost of shipping when you reach out. Other than that, you should never pay individuals for their reviews. Amazon, as example does not allow paid-for reviews on their site. However, there are ways to find people who may agree to review your book that does include a fee.

Beyond social media there are Review Services where you submit your book. The service then presents your book to their stable of readers. You do not pay a reviewer for their review, you are paying the service to find you readers. One such service is Reedsy Discovery. They charge a flat fee of $50.00 USD and will push your book to readers interested in your genre. They require your book be uploaded in PDF and EPUB formats. They do not guarantee that everyone who downloads your novel will leave a review or that it will be positive. With any service I mention here, you are taking a gamble, in a way, so pay attention to your budget. However, Reedsy Discovery does boast a 75% review rate (across the site, not genre specific) which is impressive overall.

A similar claim is made by the review service Book Sirens, the second site I’ve listed on. Book Sirens is more of a curated review service, in that you provide information on your book and then they ‘review for potential registration’. This means that if there is a glut of books in your genre being offered to their reviewers they may turn you down at the current time. You can always re-apply later. I got on. For this service, I provided my book in EPUB, PDF and MOBI formats. Their pricing system works differently too. You’re charged $10.00 USD to register and $2.00 USD for every reader that downloads – not just clicks on – your novel. You can ensure you stay on budget by capping the number of readers that can download. Now, there are larger, more prestigious review sites where you can submit your books, like Kirkus Review and The Indie Reader. However, those services run in the $500 USD range. Perhaps something to consider when you’re a more establi$hed and lucrative author.

Again, the services do not control what the readers say about the book – good or bad. However, the sites do offer help with particularly trollish reviews – even if it’s bad, we can respect an honest review but don’t allow the trolls any territory in your space. In any event, reviews for an Indie Author are one of the best way to get your book selling. Now, I have to go and try approaching some independent reviewers (politely, of course) and see if I can ensure more reviews. If you have read The Witch’s Foundling, please leave an honest review on Amazon, Goodreads or the platform of your choice. It really helps me keep this enterprise going and the next book coming!

After all this “Review Talk”, please check out the latest news about the Book Signing I’ll be hosting on the “News!” page of our website. If you can make it, I’d love to see you there!

Now, not everything here is about novels and reviews. I am also an illustrator, after all. So, I’ve continued with our Year of Dragons by creating the illustration for (drum-roll) The Back-to-School Dragon!

It’s the most wonderful time of the year, right? You’ll find our enchanting Prof. Dragon ready to receive students and go along to school on t-shirts, mugs, stickers, tote bags and more. Check it out at our Redbubble Store!

As I have noted before in this space, my book is a “Gaslamp Fantasy”; a story set in late 19th century England featuring witches, ghosts, other spirits and secret societies in a battle of Good vs. Evil, all seen through the eyes of a 16 year-old girl. Despite my background in illustration, I didn’t feel skilled enough to produce a cover for an ebook, paperback and hard cover dust jacket. Luckily, with the help of Tellwell I had access to professional cover designers and below you see what you’ll want to look for should you wish to buy a book from one of the many platforms on which it’ll be available. Look to our Facebook page for on the spot news of the times it will appear. Sign up for our newsletter to hear about some contests and other giveaways I’ll be planning for my baby – I mean novel. Without further adieu … Behold! The Paperback!

And next the Hard Cover Dust Jacket!

Yes, there is a haunted mansion and secrets and danger abound, so, for further clarity and in case you couldn’t quite make out the type on the back of the book cover, here’s a clearer version of the blurb.

“While hedge-witch Mama Grace tends to the needs of the poorer denizens of Bellamdale, respect for her power does not extend to her foster daughter, Sally Founder. Trying to save a cat from local bullies, Sally finds herself in dire straits, until rescued by the Nephilim Samdriel. In exchange, the young girl becomes the host for his disembodied spirit.

Their merging grants Sally some of Samdriel’s power, as long as their relationship remains a secret – even as other spirits grow restless and call for blood. When evil omens spur new violence, Sally is granted sanctuary by Lady Bellingham of Briarstone Manor with promises of protection and an education. Yet, the young girl’s new home holds secrets of its own and pretty gowns and fancy balls cannot keep the growing darkness at bay. Sally unwittingly becomes part of a broader game that has been played for untold centuries. Could even Samdriel’s power be enough to save the witch’s foundling and those she loves as an ancient evil comes searching for a prize that threatens the world?”

Of course in addition to spooky we also have a fun side. As Summer winds down, you might wish to take a few more trips to the beach to enjoy the sand, the sun and the waves. Be sure to keep an eye out for the Beach Holiday Dragon. Tempt him to play with a colourful beach ball … only don’t expect to get it back. This latest dragon design from SillWill Studios is available at our Redbubble store on just about anything you can imagine. Keep those summer dreams going but look to the magic of The Witch’s Foundling to cool things off for you.

Things are progressing with my novel. My cover has been approved and the interior design is in its second round of revisions. Soon, I’ll be revealing the cover and title for all you interested folks and hope you’ll find it intriguing. Beyond the title and interior, one of the next steps in this process will be pricing, metadata and categories. Does it sound fascinating to you? Maybe not at first but it can be. These are factors that can influence how well your book may sell as they affect how easily readers can find your novel in the sea of available stories. They’re also things most of us, as readers, never think of when we go looking online for a book to read. Are you interested in books only within a certain price range? Or maybe you’ll pay a bit more if the genre is one you like. What words do you most often plug into a search engine to find those novels you like best? Did you realize how your past searches are affecting what books the algorithm presents for your viewing. Are you open to new writers but only if they’re not too expensive? Do you prefer a standalone novel over a series or vice versa? All of these factors pass through a budding novelist’s mind as they try to juggle how to find their place.

Some people may recognize my doodle of a “Mash-Up” character to demonstrate how writers sometimes combine tropes from different genres – like Science Fiction and Fantasy – to create an new and entertaining character and world for surprising storytelling. It’s a cool trend but it does make it a little more difficult when an author is trying to decide which category to have their book listed under. Maybe in your Sci-Fi/Fantasy you’ve included a mystery and a romance. Which of those genres guides how you choose to categorize your book? In my book, there’s mystery, there’s magic and paranormal activity as well as some coming-of-age and a romance between two supporting characters. All of this is also in a late 19th century setting. (Intrigued? I hope so.)

Oh, as for Lady Renalda Crosswise, Post-Apocalyptic, Space Pirate, Princess, Mage Detective – she does not make an appearance in my book. I can’t even imagine how I would categorize that story. Feel free to let me know how you would do so.

Some rules of interest for your book and mine: If you’ve packed some steamy romance into your story but the lovers do not end up together in the end – it’s not considered a Romance so don’t list that as your primary category. Apparently, a true Romance must have a HEA – Happily Ever After. Regarding my story’s historical setting, I observed similar books listed under “historical – fiction” primarily despite having a foundation of Fantasy. It may be that they found their book stands out and sells better in that category as opposed to straight-up fantasy. All things you want to consider when you reach the marketing stage for your book.

Taking another look at Mash-up characters, here’s Sir Travis Quantumstone Post-Apocalyptic Bounty Hunter Scientist Cyborg Mechanic. Maybe our sci-fi/fantasy mash-up centres around a heavy-duty romance between him and the amazing Lady Renalda – a sworn enemies-to-lovers theme. Do you categorize the story as primarily a romance or a science fiction or as a fantasy? Luckily, you can choose more than one category (there are limits depending on the platform) but your primary one is usually the one you feel it will fit in most organically and lead to more sales because readers into a novel like this would find you more easily. However, nothing leads to more poor reviews than sticking your novel under the wrong category and readers leaving one to two star reviews along the lines of “I thought I was buying a cool, science fiction adventure and I got a stupid romance!” Avoid that if at all possible.

I categorize my book as a paranormal historical fantasy. I mentioned there’s a bit of romance but it’s only with some supporting characters so that’s not the focus. There is plenty of adventure and action all with a supernatural twist …. But more on that later. Look here and in the newsletter for SillWill Studios for the cover reveal and more good news.

I would also be remiss if I didn’t take the time to mention young author Cynthia Brubaker whose novel, “Masquerade” is now out. If you like “Pretty Little Liars” or character-driven stories, give Cynthia’s book a read. Cynthia is the one that told me about Tellwell Talent, a company whose services help self-publishing authors achieve their goals. As always, be sure to leave a review on Amazon or your favourite platform. I’ll talk about the importance of reviews to authors in another blog.

Let me not forget to point out that our latest dragon in our Year of Dragons is the Celebration Dragon! Considering the amount of fireworks being set off this time of year, I was inspired to render an Asian dragon to coincide with the place of origin for said fireworks. Colourful, bright and filling the sky, this dragon will add vibrancy and energy to your festivities on any of the many, high quality products found in our Redbubble store. Check it out. And if you’re looking for some reading material thet’s ready to go and you know you love some fantasy adventure, pick-up our graphic novel trilogy The Sorcerer’s Children. If retro-science fiction is your thing, look no further than The Adventures of Astrodog. I hope you take the time to have fun this summer and I’ll be bringing you more news about my book. For even more up-to-date news look for SillWill Studios on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Pinterest. We’d love to hear from you.

Now, if you’re anything like me, taking a first big step can be kind of…well, anxiety-producing. For me, the way to address some of that has been to research what’s involved in self-publishing, to investigate the options mentioned above. That is after I had written what I consider a pretty good story. Apparently, some think I should have been investigating and even blogging about my novel before I had even completed it. I have done a little of that but personally I think you should have a novel under your belt or actually have done the work that makes you a writer before you claim to be a writer. However, this may be how the market works and despite all our pretentions of being called to this creative pursuit, making money matters. Unless, as I’ve said before, you’re independently wealthy – then you can do things in whatever manner you wish.

So, here I am making the announcement that I will be publishing my novel through an aggregator known as Tellwell Talent. It’s going to cost me some extra money but I’ve realized that, at this time, I wasn’t capable of handling and tracking all the different things that needed to be done on my own. Especially as I’ll be going for wide distribution across a number of platforms. More on that at a later time – not to mention that I’m planning a five-book series. In addition to my novels, SillWill Studios will also be releasing, at long last, The Sorcerer’s Children Adventure Card Game later this year. A lot going on in other words. I hope you can follow us on this journey. I’ll be revealing the title of my novel and the cover and the publication date and all the platforms that it will be found on and even some character art, all while continuing to produce new designs in our dragon series for our Redbubble Store. I promise an exciting ride and if you ever have any questions because you have novel-dreams of your own, drop me a line. I would love to hear about other people’s stories and experiences as I’ll be keeping you up-to-date on my own journey with Tellwell Talent.

Just a brief update this time around as everything has sort of piled on in the last while. And don’t even get me started on tax time. Trying to keep all your income and expenses straight is not something they teach you in art school which is a shame as many artists are entrepreneurs to one degree or another. Biggest piece of advice: Keep receipts for everything! If you can learn to set up a spreadsheet even better. Financial advice, geared specifically for artist/writers or other creatives is not easy to find. For small businesses, the advice is overwhelmingly slanted towards people selling something from a somewhere – like a brick and mortar store. That’s dramatically changing at the current time but many solitary artists still struggle with what they can claim or even just how to track things. These are skills that I am finally attempting to get a firm grip on. Oddly, thanks to the pandemic, I found myself with the time to focus more on that area. That is between writing five novels and creating more designs for our Redbubble store and working at my day job. If anyone is interested in how I’ve set up records to keep track of things, let me know and I’ll share it in another blog. I will admit that I go to an accountant for my taxes rather than doing them myself. This is mainly because I can never be certain as to what I can or cannot claim and how much. If that’s not an issue for you, you can save some nice cash by doing things yourself. And I’m definitely in support of that, especially as I’ll be launching my first novel later this year. More on that at another time. Until then, check out our latest design for our store. The Year of Dragons continues with a design celebrating Mothers’ Day.

So, here I am…waiting…to hear back from an editor about my manuscript. Book #1 of a planned five book series. Yep, here I am. Are you getting the feeling that I’m a little nervous? If there’s two things I’ve learned during this self-publishing journey, it’s that Editors are a necessity and you better put aside a hefty chunk of your budget for them. This isn’t actually a complaint. Editors are skilled professionals who’s talent significantly contributes to your book’s level of ‘professionalism’. You’ll want to approach editors who specialize in your genre too. For example, my book is set in late 19th century England. However, it is kind of an alternate England saturated with paranormal/supernatural elements. So, I wouldn’t have sent the manuscript to an editor who specialized in historical non-fiction. You can just guess the issues they would have with my story. Luckily, I knew a young editor who loves fantasy, paranormal and adventure stories so she now has the novel before her editorial eyes. Thank you, Rachel Walden.

However, before I sent her the current draft, I had two critique partners run through the manuscript an number of times (10?) picking out spelling and story mistakes for me to correct. NEVER send an editor your first draft. Never, never. Most editor have a fee based on word count or the estimated time it will take them to go through your story. So the more work they have to do the more $$ it will cost you. Naturally, this is not an issue for millionaire authors – which is not me, in case you were wondering.

The Different types of Editing:

Depending where you are with your novel will also affect the type of editing you require. Yep, there are about 5 different types and they come with different costs. Developmental Editing is the most in-depth and expensive with Copy Editing less costly but it doesn’t go into story structure and character development. It’s up to you, if you’re a budding author, to decide what you need and can afford. The other types include Editorial Assessment, Proof Reading and Fact-Checking. Websites like Reedsy and Fivver are great places to check out for editorial services and they’ll give you a good idea of the price ranges of the different types of editing. Reedsy also has a good blog post that defines the different varieties of editing. Find it here. This is where the biggest chunk of your money is going to go so take the time to find an editor that you feel would be the best match for you. You can also check those marketplaces for cover design and marketing services but that’s another blog.

So, that last piece of editing advice I would pass on is to be open to the suggestions that your editor gives you. It’s a waste of everyone’s time and money if you pull a “Grande Artiste” attitude to some cogent and constructive criticism and think you’re the “Special/Chosen One” that is above petty critiques. Yah, not so much. Just remember, anything that can make your novel better, the better it is for you. Not to mention your sales.

On the Illustrative side of things:

I’ve rendered another Dragon for the Holidays illustration. Yep, we’ve got ourselves a theme. You can remind yourselves of our other dragons by finding them in the Gallery. With the arrival of April and Easter we present to you the SillWill Studios “Easter Dragon”! Given current world events and the well-known Ukrainian Easter eggs, I couldn’t avoid being influenced for this latest design. Easter and its association with Spring is a time for hope and renewal. Something we all need these days. You can find our hopeful dragon on t-shirts to tote bags, coasters to coffee mugs and other quality products in our Redbubble Shop

So, I’ve recently been involved in the tenth (?) round of editing my novel – insert big sigh – and one thing you realize when involved in that particular exercise is that there’s always loads that need to be cut. You may think you’re a genius but – you know – not really. I have discovered that I tend to be what’s politely called “a little wordy”. My greatest step toward correcting this aspect of my writing was first, to divide my novel into two and then to get other eyes on it to dispassionately point out mistakes and areas to trim. It’s an illuminating experience but necessary. These could be Beta Readers or Critique Partners. They’re invaluable. The next step will be to find a professional editor – one of the biggest expenses in the self-publishing game.

Now, due to the fact, I originally approached this enterprise back-to-front, I probably would have have thought of this point much earlier. However, it is absolutely essential to do some editing yourself before submitting your manuscript to an editor. Mainly because they charge according to word-count and secondly, if you submit your first draft, any editor will immediately peg you as a blatant amateur and take a pass on your manuscript. Editors will give you a idea of their fees before you submit to avoid any surprises. Then, it’s a matter of deciding on the type of editing you’re looking for: Line Editing, Developmental Editing, Copying Editing and Proofreading.

Of course, you can declare your genius doesn’t need to be “edited” and is fine as it is and throw it up on the web and sit back and wait for the money to come rolling in…. To which, I can only say, “Don’t give up your day job.” The self-publishing world is a dynamic and constantly changing world and if you want to go this route just be prepared for that. Millions of books are published EVERY day and it takes a polished, professional product to stand out. Plus a fair degree of marketing. More on that in another blog.

However, as with any “Rule” you must know when to abide by the current advice and when to break free. Rules are guidelines after all, not dogma that can never be questioned. Just be prepared to face criticism if you try to avoid certain steps and end up releasing a seriously flawed product. Criticism on the internet can get fierce and vicious. If you have a thin skin, you may be vulnerable to a traumatic experience.

An interesting side effect of this process, has been discovering just how often I tend towards ‘excessive verbosity’. Sometimes I just love words too much. This might be overcompensation for my graphic novels where I didn’t have to describe how a character looked, you could see for yourself. The mood I could illustrate with a gesture or a tilt of the head, I was required, in prose, to evoke with words. And now, that’s led me back to editing. Even this many times around I see scenes, paragraphs and words that are not truly necessary to the story.

Sometimes I take a break from editing to do rough sketches of scenes, settings and characters from my novels too. This little sidestep can relieve some of the anxiety that editing induces. In my last blog, I included a small sketch of the cottage in the woods where some of the action takes place. This time I’ve included a sketch of a drawing room in a fancy manor. It’s not quite as gothic as I portray in the book but the large family portrait is a symbolic note that has a presence in that particular setting. I think I may need to do another sketch that conveys a greater sense of the size of the room. However, those two couches witness a lot of amazing things…Just saying.

In addition to working on my novels, I took the time to add to our Holiday Dragons with this design for a special St. Patrick’s Day Dragon named, Lucky. With his four-leaf clovers and pot o’ gold he’s ready to share his good fortune whenever you bring him home on any of the quality products from our Redbubble shop. Move over Leprechauns. The St. Patrick’s Day Dragon is sharing the gold at the end of the rainbow!

About three years ago, I decided to write a book. Or to be more accurate, I decided to see if I could write a book. I had an idea for a story but was looking to step back from the graphic novel world and see what else I could accomplish. Yet, I wasn’t entirely confident I could write an entire prose novel. However, here I am, having developed an entire series around the original idea. So, how did I get from wondering if I had the stamina to complete a novel to…well, completing it?

Short answer: I was sneaky about it.

Firstly, I started by telling myself that I would just write what I could. I put no pressure on myself about word count per day. I just wrote. In a spiral-bound, hard cover journals, as seen here, in long hand. Yep, I wanted to be able to write anywhere when the urge took me without having to log onto my computer. I went through six and half of them. Mostly I wrote a night, so you can see by my “penmanship” when I was getting really tired. However, I had fun, didn’t bother with plans to “publish” and eventually finished the story. It was a mess, like all first drafts, but it was also a lot of fun. So I kept going.

Now, I had begun this project without any thought of marketing or looking for an agent or plans for the future, even when I broke down and bought a laptop to continue writing. The exercise had progressed from a “diversion” to a full-fledged project. Normally, I like to think, I don’t approach projects this unconsciously but here I was spending a chunk of cash on an idea. What I have since learned is that there are millions of “writers” out there on the net and in bookstores but the process to getting to that point is both unique and structured for everyone of them. So, I hope to share more of the things I’ve learned and am learning with everyone else. For the first, start letting people know about your story even from the beginning of the journey. Well, this is not quite what I would call the beginning and I’ve hinted in previous blogs about the novels I’m writing but I plan on being more consistent with the news I release. In that vein, I did a rough little sketch of one of the settings for the novel. There’s magic and mystery, struggle and triumph and a little romance in this story and it begins in the forest. If you stumbled upon this cottage in the woods, would you knock on the door?

We hope you have a joyful and loving holiday season. Treasure your loved ones and enjoy all those traditions that hold a special place in your history and your heart.

And just in case you were wondering what new design we have for this Christmas, say hello to our Christmas Dragon. The reindeer are out of commission so Santa calls on a very special friend for help. Our latest design is available on high quality t-shirts, greeting cards, stickers and much more in our Redbubble store. We also have all our previous seasonal designs too. Spread some holiday cheer when you support an Indy Artist!