Now that November is over, it is time to celebrate! For
those of you who don’t know why I am celebrating, you might want to check out
my previous blog, NaNoWriMo, that explains
in detail this crazy undertaking of pushing myself to write a 50,000 word book during
the month of November. NaNoWriMo is a wonderful non-profit organization that
helps people of all types to write a unique story – from kids to adults,
published authors to first time writers.
Click HERE for NaNo website!
Now that November is over, I can officially declare myself a
WINNER! Out of the roughly 312,000 participants, around 47,000 of those
participants completed the 50,000 word challenge! Now that November is over,
the question is: Would I do it again? Without having to give it any thought, my
answer would be YES! I loved the experience! NaNo provided such a great
atmosphere and support group for such a demanding challenge. Without the
support of my local community of writers and the general support provided by
the website, I don’t think I would have been motivated enough to go on. My
favorite “Pep Talk” email was from none other than one of my favorite authors,
Patrick Rothfuss, as he told us how he had entered NaNo the year before and
lost, but had still gained valuable insights into his writing.
A cartoon from the Patrick Rothfuss blog - click HERE for the full, funny blog!
NaNo constantly kept you updated through emails and updates.
The forums on the site were helpful, creative, and very fun. And the best part?
When you have completed 50,000 words you not only get a pat on the back, a
celebratory YouTube video from the staff, and a certificate of completion, you
get what they call, “Winners Goodies.” In my opinion, these “Goodies” are
really what you are thinking about the whole time you are stuck on word 49,999
(even though the other stuff still makes you happy). Winners goodies this year
consisted of fabulous offers for discounted novel writing software, editing
tools, and so much more!
My favorite offers came from Lulu.com, a popular
self-publishing site. Once you submit your completed novel, you are able to
receive a free book review and a free hardcover copy of your story (once you
publish with them –which is free, by the way, they just take a percentage of
the sales). After further research on how Lulu works with their print on demand
service and their e-books, I was very impressed with how they did things and am
seriously considering self-publishing through this company in the future.
Although I doubt I will publish the story I wrote in NaNo this year, I am
considering using this to publish my non-fiction story on horse rescue (perhaps
this spring??). I guess this is why companies like Lulu have these offers in
the first place! As part of their sponsorship of NaNo, Lulu is also picking 10
winning novels from NaNo through their “Wrimo Accelerator” to win the adventure
of a lifetime with an all-inclusive book publishing deal – including editing,
distribution, marketing, and book tours! I will keep my fingers crossed on this
grand prize, I mean, my chances are pretty good, whats 10 out of 47,000??? To
quote Dumb and Dumber on this one:
“So you’re saying there’s a chance?”
Click HERE for their website!
Another company that sponsored NaNo and that I also am
considering to publish with in the spring is CreateSpace. As part of their
sponsorship, they are offering NaNo winners 2 free copies of their book. Once
again, you have to publish your book through them first. As with Lulu,
CreateSpace is a print on demand and e-book service and will take a small
portion of proceeds on your sales. There is no money upfront unless you want to
hire an editor, book cover designer, etc. CreateSpace seems like they have a
lot to offer in terms of where they can distribute your book to and the website
seemed like it would be easy to upload your book and work with.
Click HERE for their website!
The final offer I took advantage of from the NaNo sponsors
was from Swoon Reads. Swoon Reads is a site in which authors can submit their
manuscript onto their site and people can read the story and vote on it. I love
the idea and although Swoon Reads is all about teen romance and my story does
have romance, but it is on the light side, I decided to enter it anyway. Why go
through all the work of trying to design a cover and submitting the story?
Because the best voted books will be offered a standard Macmillan publishing
contract with a $15,000 advance. That’s why. So if you want to read the story I
wrote this November (and vote for it too – hint, hint) check out my book page
at Swoon Reads:
So there you have it: One month, about 100 cups of tea, 3
all-day sessions at Panera, and 50,000 words later, I am so happy that I took
part in this challenge! Not only did it make me write a story I have been
thinking about for a while, it has forced me to research self-publishing
companies out there, and it has offered me access to all sorts of fun contests
and deals. The best part is that NaNo doesn’t just end in November! I am still
connected to local writers through Facebook and I will even be attending a
class at a local library that deals with how to write a query letter and tips
for publishg a book. With all of this love and support, how could you not want
to write a story? I will see you next November.
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