Indie Book Collective discussion

I decided to carve out a special spot for MGF Indies as it often gets lost in the shuffle between kid's lit and YA. As a Middle Grade Fiction Author, I enjoy being able to write stories that are safe yet interesting enough for the whole family.

Three books into my career, I find myself gravitating to writing boy geared books that are inviting for girls and adults. The two main reasons behind this are: 1. I remember what being a ten, eleven, twelve...year-old boy was like and 2. That was a time when I didn't read and wished I had.

Robert, don't be shy? What are the three books?

I ended up writing some middle-grade fiction pretty much by accident. I was really writing short stories for the adults I work with, but I kept it clean, and then the goofiness factor turned out to be very appealing to kids, so. . . aside from a sequel to The Ninja Librarian, I don't know if I'll go on with the age range. My other stuff has been of the cozy-ish mystery variety. And all of it goofy.

Rebecca, my three books are Joe and the Ten Wishes, The Rules: Trust No One, and The Glass Collectors.

Joe is a feel good story about two ten-year-old boys and their adventerous night with a genie. I would recommend it to dreamers of all ages (my four-year-old son loved it as well as numerous teachers and students of all grades).

The Rules is an inviting story about two brothers who are polar opposites but a wonderful match for uncovering why the newest town they've moved to has an endless summer, bizarre inhabitants, and no other kids.

The Glass Collectors is my latest release and follows the lives of several fifth graders the two weeks before Christmas in 1989. When Emerson sets out to create the most awesomely amazing gift ever for his mom, he finds that his plan has some unexpected twists and turns.

Thank you for making this spot. I want to write middle grade books for similar reasons. I like making fun, sometimes goofy stories that don't really fit under the young adult banner. I've just finished my first one, and look forwards to many more. It's funny because I expected when I was younger to write serious science fiction and fantasy, but the desire to write middle grade sneaked up on me.

I'll enjoy talking shop with you all, and lets keep on fighting the good fight together.

My first published book is a middle grade fantasy adventure entitled The Legend of Witch Bane. Got tons of great reviews all over the net and sold a few copies to schools and libraries along the way. But breaking ground into the MG market is very difficult. I decided it was best to postpone publishing the sequel and pursuing this genre until more kids adopted the new ereaders.

Some authors are doing quite well selling their MG books. I'm not one of them, but I wish all MG authors the best.

D.M. and Kevis, welcome to the group. Kevis, I agree that the MG ereader market is still a couple years away from being more established.

I published my first two books with iUniverse, but the upfront costs and business model of selling services to authors over selling books to buyers left me looking for a way to get The Glass Collectors read without footing a bill. Hence I went with Pubit and then KDP.

I am now in the process of looking into using CreateSpace (without buying any add on services) and collaborating with an illustrator.

I will make sure to check out both of your books.

You're making a lot of smart moves, Robert. Good for you! I published my book in 08' so I've been around the track a couple of times. Although publishing digital books is convenient. The money in MG books is still in paper. Hard copy books can be sold to bookstores, schools, churches, or even given to charities for a bit of extra promotion. The key to selling kids book is to get your books in front of the adults who can purchase them. Unfortunately, it's easier said than done.

Hi,
Thanks for the opportunity to list my book on such great MG related thread.

If you like Matthew Reilly/Percy Jackson/Harry Potter and you're just a kid at heart then I'm sure that you will love this book.

When I write, it’s for my kids. I write stories to excite them, inspire them and teach them. Stories with awesome edge-of-your-seat action and adventure scattered with a bit of fun. Stories to unlock untapped parts of their imagination. Stories to open their minds to new worlds. Stories that let me and other adults remember the dreams of our own childhood. I hope that you enjoy my work :^)

Author: S.W.Lothian
http://swlothian.wordpress.com/
Children's Fiction - Middle Grade (or those of us who are young at heart)

THE QUEST SERIES

The Golden Scarab (Book 1)

All is not well in Ancient Egypt and heroes are needed.

Heroes take on villains in this action-packed race against time. Who will be first to find it? Only time will tell.


The Cursed Nile (Book 2)

The tide has turned in a battle against the flow of time.

This is an epic battle where the past has the power to change the future, and the future has the power to change the past. Which one will triumph?

Reviews would be welcomed.
Cheers

I'm glad to see this. I actually wrote a middle grade novel and a children's book, but had no luck placing them with traditional publishers. I abandoned them when I decided to go the epublishing route with my mysteries, but I'd still like to see these 2 stories in print. I really haven't seen many epublishers for this audience and was told there isn't really an ebook market for it - but I believe there will be with the middle grade books in the near future, as schools are starting to hand out Kindles, Nooks and iPads (in some more well off districts, wink wink) to students. I am keeping an eye on this market, as it's one I'm interested in publishing in and perhaps doing more for in the future.

It's exciting to hear about other MG works that are out there. Thanks to everyone for sharing. A couple of things I see this group as being able to do to help promote the MG market is to recommend quality MG indie books and to suggest reviewers.

I'll start by championing Christopher Cloud's A Boy Called Duct Tape http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/a-boy...

I found this Middle Grade Novel to be extremely well written and captivating. For 99 cents it is a steal and well worth your time to read. There were a couple of things at the end that didn't sit well with me, but they were minor and might say more about me than the book. I came across the book not through Cloud, but rather through http://kidsebookfinder.wordpress.com/... which is an awesome blog if you are looking for potential reviews.

I loved The Wanderer's Daughter by Justyn Walker myself:

http://www.amazon.com/Wanderers-Daugh...

I can't believe it too was only 99 cents. Very well done, humorous fantasy that deserves a much wider audience.

Thanks also for the link Robert. Not just as a writer, but as a reader too.

What a welcome thread for us MG authors. This is an interesting time for us. Because MG is a hard sell--largely because its gatekeeper driven and the target audience is disenfranchised--I don't think it's attracting the 'churn out a book every 2 months' crowd that seems to be filling up the ebooksphere everywhere else. It also means that hopefully those of us doing it do so for the love of it. On the one hand--I see people hesitating because they are waiting for the market to expand---on the other--there's an argument for getting your stuff out there in readiness. There is scope too for POD as I believe that sometimes this reading group like paper. Anyway---here are my three so far. One a series, the other features the same characters but are not linked.
The Obsidian Pebble
The Dreables
The Curse of Borage-Doone

One day...

I'll take the plunge to recommend some great MG books.
James Todd Cochrane has a great series that begins with Max and the Gatekeeper. It's easily the best Indie MG book I've read. The entire series is nothing to sneeze at either. Head and shoulders above the competition.

I would also mention Lady Ellen's Persephane Pendrake and the Cimaruta and Tiffany Turner's The Lost Secret of Fairies. Not only do these books feature impressive story lines, but since some of these authors are grade school teachers, they've gone that extra mile to make sure their books are well written and literate. Nothing worse than shoving poorly written books on today's very impressionable youth. Thankfully, these books champion literacy by boasting great writing and storytelling, something that doesn't always come in pairs with indie fiction.

Great additions to the thread! I'm a little disappointed many of the suggestions aren't available for the Nook. Looks like I will have to download the Kindle App on my computer.

Robert wrote: "Great additions to the thread! I'm a little disappointed many of the suggestions aren't available for the Nook. Looks like I will have to download the Kindle App on my computer."

An author should definitely have his or her books available at as many retailers and formats as possible. I think it's a big mistake not to give readers the choice to buy an author's book in their favorite format. Lost sales=lost readers. It's tough to build a career around that strategy, especially for MG authors who shouldn't be overlooking even a single reader.

Kevis wrote: "Robert wrote: "Great additions to the thread! I'm a little disappointed many of the suggestions aren't available for the Nook. Looks like I will have to download the Kindle App on my computer."

..."
Agree. My strategy is to keep them as available as possible--unless you opt for KDP which can be cycled on a 3 monthly basis. I currently have two of my three on all channels--one is in the KDP program---but when I use the free promo--it certainly gets noticed for those two days and drives people to the others. But I'm not a Kindle only guy.

Agree about the eReader issue, and hope that having my book as a paperback will help.

Robert wrote: "Great additions to the thread! I'm a little disappointed many of the suggestions aren't available for the Nook. Looks like I will have to download the Kindle App on my computer."

Im currently in the process of offering my books via BookTango. They are similar to Smashwords and distribute through B&N, Apple, Google, Kobo. etc.
I'll keep you posted on how they go.

Hey everyone. A couple of things.

1) If you're looking into POD with CreateSpace, you might also want to check out Lightning Source, which is a POD service started by Ingram, which is the largest distributor in the U.S. That's who my publisher uses and we like it b/c whenever any bookstore does a search for your book it appears as "in stock" by the distributor. Nifty.

If you want to compare CreateSpace and Lightning Source, some helpful author has already done it by using both sources:

http://www.novelpublicity.com/2011/10...

2) If you're interested in Middle Grade fiction, Shannon Whitney Messenger posts a list of middle grade book reviews every Monday (any genre) and anyone can add their blog to her list.

Charlotte's Library does a Middle Grade Sci Fi and Fantasy Review Round Up every Sunday.

Kevis wrote: "My first published book is a middle grade fantasy adventure entitled The Legend of Witch Bane. Got tons of great reviews all over the net and sold a few copies to schools and libraries along the wa..."

Kevis, it looks like your books did get some fabulous reviews. I think you should have stuck with publishing the series b/c this age group absolutely loves series and they become very loyal fans. As well, each subsequent book in the series brings more attention to the first book. So, who knows - it might take off after book #3. The 2nd book in my MG series was just published (The Ruins of Noe) and this has helped in so many ways, in particular when booking school visits and readings.

I attended the Bologna Children's Book Fair this year and went to a session analyzing a semi-annual survey by R.R. Bowker on children's literature consumption and here's a few tasty tidbits from them:

-yes, parents buy the books, but there has been a steadily increasing "buying influence" from 7-12 year olds. now more than ever, parents buy what their middle graders want.
-biggest influencers are bookfairs, school teachers ans librarians, and public librarians. the least influence was online. meaning, you have to get in front of kids.
-Authors in a series is a strong drive.
-children 7-12 use ereaders more than teens, and yes, the % is increasing

Danika wrote: "Kevis, it looks like your books did get some fabulous reviews. I think you should have stuck with publishing the series b/c this age group absolutely loves series and they become very loyal fans. As well, each subsequent book in the series brings more attention to the first book. So, who knows - it might take off after book #3...."

I totally agree with you, Danika. I admit that it was with great regret that I abandoned the series. But the costs associated with producing my series was on the pricy side, especially when the book contained several costly illustrations such as this one.



I pretty much rolled the dice with my book expecting big things. But it turned out to be a money pit with the team of editors, illustrators, and marketing expenses. I was writing the next two installments of the series, but didn't feel there was enough interest based on lackluster sales to justify spending the money to continue the series.

But I'm planning to give it another go in 2013 by updating the cover and relaunching the book. If I see a renewed interest in The Legend of Witch Bane, you can bet I'll roll out the sequels! ;)

Great artwork! Yes, illustrations are cost prohibitive for independent authors. Heck, they're even cost prohibitive for independent publishers. But it sounds like you did everything right, hiring a team to work with you.

Have you considered a version without the illustrations, or much fewer? (as much as that might break your heart)

I'm sure you found out, as I did, that if you "build it" it doesn't mean they'll come. Now I spend 70% of my time marketing.

Danika wrote: "Great artwork! Yes, illustrations are cost prohibitive for independent authors. Heck, they're even cost prohibitive for independent publishers. But it sounds like you did everything right, hiring a..."

I certainly did my best. I even did what you suggested to test how the book would perform without illustrations by publishing an updated edition of Witch Bane featuring new material through Smashwords (and its distribution channels) that initially lacked illustrations. Since it turned out that the illustrations were a major selling point of the series, sales were even worse on those channels. So I quickly put the illustrations back in.

And yeah, I definitely marketed my butt off trying to get people to read my series. But based off of the success, or I should say lack thereof of other MG authors as well as myself when my book was published (2008), I believe we (MG authors) were too far ahead of the market. Very few kids had access to Kindle when I launched my book. But it does seem that the vast majority of readers (kids and adults) who read my book enjoy it. The book's gotten almost exclusively 5 star reviews.

I do think there are things I can do to improve my chances when I relaunch the book next year, not the least is to change the cover. A different illustrator designed the cover than the one who produced the interior illustrators and I have a feeling that it's one of the things holding the book back. But I'm very much looking forward to seeing what happens when I relaunch the book with a new cover. I have a strong suspicion that it will do better considering that there will be a surge of kids with new kindles after Xmas.

But as you say, just because you build it certainly doesn't mean they'll come. A very painful, but unforgettable lesson.

Danika wrote: "Hey everyone. A couple of things.

1) If you're looking into POD with CreateSpace, you might also want to check out Lightning Source, which is a POD service started by Ingram, which is the largest..."

Danika, thanks for the helpful information.

D.M. I appreciate you taking the time to purchase, read, and review The Glass Collectors. I am curious to check out Gone Away Lake.

You're welcome. I swear, I spend more time on threads like these reading the books recommended than writing. Especially with kids/YA, since ebooks tend to be a lot more diverse than what you find in a bookstore. If you can find a bookstore, that is.

I self-published a middle grade fantasy, The House in Windward Leaves Costumes make the kids in this transformation that is more humor than horror.


My next book, The Wide Awake Loons, will be published by Silver Knight Publishing. It's about a loon family and children at a lake.

Ah, found you! Thanks for the invite, Robert.

I'm Tanya, author of Root Bound, a topsy-turvy fantasy adventure about finding one's place in the world. You can find some kids' reviews here: http://emmaseries.blogspot.ca/p/kids-...

Nice to meet you all!

Tanya, any chance Root Bound will be available on the Nook in the near future. I read the free sample on Amazon and was quickly engrossed in the way you meld words together.

Thanks so much for looking me up, Robert. You can get a Nook compatible version at Smashwords or direct from Barnes & Noble.

Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view...
B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/root-...

It would be great to get some feedback from a fellow MG writer. I'd love to know what you think.

I am currently going through the process of publishing The Glass Collectors through Createspace as a paperback. Not wanting to shell out any money for design help, I have been truly self-publishing. It has been an enlightening adventure that has greatly improved my product and understanding of making a book. I'm curious to get some feedback on my new cover.

I like the way the baseball really pops off the page, Robert. Would make the title larger, though - it's hard to see, especially for digital catalogues and thumbnails.

Re Glass Collector,
I agree with Tanya. The title needs to be the thing that jumps off the page as much as the baseball.

Absolutely. The title and byline are your brand. You don't see cans or cartons in the store with tiny brand names.
Let me suggest that you get rid of the tree or whatever in the upper left corner, which is really an unclear element, and have the top third white with a large black title.
Convert your byline to white so it can be seen against the ball, and run it larger.

See how you like it.

Thanks for the suggestions. I will tinker a little more.

If you haven't checked out the Great Middle Grade Reads Group S.W. has set up take some time to. Very well set up.

With the title a little bigger. Also, if you check it out on Amazon, somehow the picture was added in negative form. Should I run with this glitch?

Robert wrote: "If you haven't checked out the Great Middle Grade Fiction Group S.W. take some time to. Very well set up."

Robert, Are you referring to GMGR or is there another one I should check out?

Yes, I editted my above post to correctly reflect it.

Robert wrote: "Yes, I editted my above post to correctly reflect it."

LOL....thanks for the recommendation ... I kinda thought you knew another one that was worth a look.
Cheers

Haven't commented on this thread this finding the GMGR group, but wanted to let everyone know I'm trying something new. Starting Monday, December 10 I will be fielding questions and responding to comments about The Glass Collectors.

The book, which begins on December 11, 1989, follows two weeks in the lives of some residents of Marshall, a small Midwestern town experiencing a frigid winter. The tale of intertwining lives and the misadventures of a group of 5th grade boys, is on sale this weekend for just 99 cents for an ebook copy.

On December 10th I'll answer precomments about the book or remarks about the Author Notes.

On December 11th we'll discuss the events that take place on...December 11, 1989 in the book.

December 12, 2012 = December 12, 1989 and so on until we arrive at December 24.

I hope it is a fun experience that might lead to other authors hosting similar events.

Happy Holidays,

Robert