Please join us in /r/writing as we present our latest featured cover artist!

dreamscapesaga · 2012-05-25T10:04:42.287386+00:00

Thank you! I look forward to hearing your thoughts. :)

MichaelJSullivan · 2012-05-25T09:41:46.327226+00:00

If you don't mind my asking, what's the name of your blog?

dsterry · 2012-05-25T04:54:09.290183+00:00

Nope, that pretty much covers it. Thank you for quality responses!

I'm currently tied into Amazon, but as the term expires, I'll look into your site again.

Cheers!

dreamscapesaga · 2012-05-25T04:26:32.881664+00:00

Thank you for your kind words! Part three was released the other day, but was just approved by Amazon. Here's the link.

Thank you again! :)

Sasha-keeper · 2012-05-24T09:57:34.700519-07:00

I dislike it. Most people don't talk the way they type, so you often end up spitting out ideas instead of creating anything concrete.
I've used Dragon, the built in dictation software in Word, and a plain old tape recorder.
Purchase a high quality microphone. I do not suggest a headset unless you have an easy to access mute button. Whatever you use, don't go cheap.
Again, we don't type the way we talk. This means constant revision. If you use software, even the best software is only 98% effective. That sounds great, but that's an error ever couple of minutes if you're talking at a good pace.
I believe non-fiction may be even harder to dictate than fiction, but you know your material best.
I used the version in Word's build (2003). Because I worked with it more it actually worked better than dragon. I have not tried the newer Microsoft speech recognition.

Overall, I don't believe the effort is worth it, particularly if you have any kind of an accent. If you absolutely can't type but must work, I would focus on developing ideas so that you can hit the ground running when you can type again.

dsterry · 2012-05-24T16:44:44.656987+00:00

I have a few questions.

What are the benefits of using bitcoin over something like PayPal or any of the other digital payment formats?
What is the conversion rate of dollars (USD) to bitcoins? Is it a 1:1 swap? If it's not 1:1, why is that? I guess my fear is that the company may be trying to obscure the amount being spent on each purchase.
What does coinDL offer that other online markets don't?
Is there anything in the ToS that might prevent someone from selling in another market if they use your service?

Thank you for your time.

Girl-Who-Reads · 2012-05-24T16:14:35.535189+00:00

I would venture to say half of all self-published material is of low quality. Many of the rest have skipped certain steps with regards to proofing, formatting, the cover, and marketing.

I have no hard data to back this up, but the authors I see that do the best are those that treat writing as a business. Yes, you're going to have to invest some money. Yes, you're going to have to put in some long hours. None of that guarantees success, but it makes it much more likely.

egmont · 1 day

Cool... cool. Two totally unrelated questions for you:

Do you know how to tie a noose?
(again, totally unrelated) Do you have some rope I could borrow?

AmericanDerp · 1 day

Very nice :)

AmericanDerp · 1 day

MichaelJSullivan, once again a leader of teaching in this sub :)

What are you doing awake at this miserable hour?

Nicktatorship · 1 day

I'm usually hovering about from midnight to 8am CST. Perhaps we'll run into each other sometime.

AmericanDerp · 1 day

The possible answers are going to vary so greatly that no useful information can be pulled from them.

egmont · 1 day

Sigh

It's finally happened. I saw a link, thought it was legitimate, and prepared to respond with an honest and possibly uncomfortable answer.

Then I saw the header...

dreamscapesaga · 1 day

I see where I can go back in and edit the book details, but that leaves me with the same problem as before where I can only change to the dropdown list options. Is that what you're talking about? If not, link?

Thanks as always :D

dreamscapesaga · 1 day

Well thank you for the like :)

Unfortunately without a website, I'm just not ready for that. However, I'll try to set up a site over the next week or so. I'll PM you when it's up and running. If you're still interested at that time, I'd love to take part (a little criticism is always beneficial). If not, then I'll completely understand.

Cheers and thank you!

dreamscapesaga · 1 day

That was originally my thought. They don't have a YA category, so general Children's ebooks seemed like the best fit. HOWEVER, violence is definitely an issue. In the first couple of books, it's just shooting people. After that, he leaves a man to burn to death. The story after involves scarring someone with acid.

While that's not something I think someone 13-17 would have a problem with, it would be a bit much for someone less than that, even though it's just words. Most YA will search in the regular categories, if I understand it correctly.

Frankly, I'm not 100% certain. I had several people tell me that the category was inappropriate. Now I have several people telling me it's appropriate as long as I don't put it in the age ranges that specifically target younger people. Is it worth the potential backlash? Possibly. I think I need to survey some people. I just need to find a way to do that.

Honestly, I don't even feel the actual violence is the problem as much as the world it occurs in. We're talking a violent world where people have violent thoughts and goals. The Arbiter only hurts those that do bad things, but that's still on a level of moral ambiguity.

Up above, someone actually mentioned I should look for the categories something like the Punisher or Spawn is in. That's all well and good, but I specifically remember the Punisher series of comics in the YA section of my library when I was kid, despite all the gratuitous violence.

Sorry for rambling. I'm trying to figure out where my head's at. If you have the time and interest, I've PM'd you the google docs link for the first story. If you wouldn't mind, I'd love your input on the level of violence. If not, no worries. I definitely appreciate your thoughts on the matter.

dreamscapesaga · 1 day

I've sent the google docs link via PM. Thank you for your interest. I look forward to hearing your thoughts.

dreamscapesaga · 1 day

Sooner or later is always better than never! I've sent you a link via PM. Thank you for your interest.

dreamscapesaga · 1 day

Thank you for your interest. I've sent a PM with the google docs link. It runs about ten pages in length.

dreamscapesaga · 1 day

Unfortunately, it's not something I have much control over. The sample is based on ten percent of the total work. Since it's only fifteen pages, the title page counts against that. I already have all of the front matter at the back of the story, so there's nothing else I can do short of eliminating the title page :(

The good news is that when the first collection comes out, which is a better deal for both myself and my readers, more of a sample will be available.

While I'm sorry that I don't have a viable solution, thank you for watching out for me :)

dreamscapesaga · 1 day

I'm leaving it in the technothriller category and changing the second to science fiction > series. While it's not an obvious choice in the first three parts, the stories are headed that way. Unfortunately, it seems the amazon team doesn't handle the change requests very quickly :(

In the meantime, it feels pretty awesome to have a book in the top five of a category (currently number four) even if that category is home to just over 100 entries.

I'm not going to lie, I've been discouraged in my writing lately due to pressure from work and home. Today has been the boost I needed. Now comes the marketing phase :)

dreamscapesaga

TROPHY CASE

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