Newbie here looking for some direction....help wanted

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  1. kenmdeck profile image60
    kenmdeckposted 13 years ago

    I've written song lyrics for years and just this last 12 months started writing stories and fiction novels, the first book "I Ain't That Country" was inspired by one of the songs I wrote. I had it published with Xlibris in January 2010, and have placed the book in it's entirety as a hub by the same name. It's a quick read about songwriting and musicians. I don't know if this was a good idea or not, looking for advice here.

    A second book, "Are You Covered" is a work in progress. This is a much more serious shot at a full blown fiction novel and this is where I would really like some help, be it a pat on the back or a kick in the seat. I have placed the first few chapters on a hub and would love any reaction or critiquing or opinions on the story and it's concept. I think i'm nearly 75 to 80 percent done and want to publish this fall.

    Another hub I have out is an arrangement of stories from World War II gathered from my father and mother sandwiched in between a story article by me. This story is in the process of being included in to the Library of Congress Veterans Archives.

    Other hubs of mine are music or lyric related. Check them out if you'd like.

    Write On/Rock On!
    KenM

  2. heart4theword profile image61
    heart4thewordposted 13 years ago

    What I understand, is that on the forums, we are not to promote our hubs? 

    As far as hubpages, I think it is a great place to grow in your writing abilities.  We do learn from others here, which makes things easier for us as newbies:)

    1. kenmdeck profile image60
      kenmdeckposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      I'm not trying to promote the hubs, just see if they're readable.....thin line I know.......is there another forum where peers review and comment? I'm used to the music sites where you lay your stuff out there for the world to see....usually the critics run their trucks over it, but you get a feel for it's acceptance....do i need to re word the discussion so as not to bend the rules?

  3. Rafini profile image82
    Rafiniposted 13 years ago

    You have a traditionally published book and published it again on HubPages, in its entirety, where people can read it for free?  Where's the incentive for people to buy your book?

    1. kenmdeck profile image60
      kenmdeckposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      i hear you, but marketing a book is time consuming and expensive....and right now I'm more interested in feedback than dollars, though that is the goal. Is there a forum or another site that you know of where peers critic back and forth? Thank you for your comment.

      1. Rafini profile image82
        Rafiniposted 13 years agoin reply to this

        I have heard of them but have no knowledge of them myself.  Someone was just talking about it yesterday...you could try a search of the forums or hubs for the info you seek.

  4. lisabeaman profile image69
    lisabeamanposted 13 years ago

    I'm just curious... did you self-publish in the book that's already published? Is that why it's expensive and time consuming to market it? The whole world of publishing is a little intimidating for me. (Sorry, I know you were wanting to learn from others... but I don't have much to offer there.)

    1. Glenn Raymond profile image61
      Glenn Raymondposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      My wife is my publisist and she spends anywhere from 6 to 14 hours a day doing so.  However, it seems to be working and I won't put my book on here because I do not want to risk letting it go for peanuts.  However,  I will pop over and check out your work and see what you've got, because I understand, as writers we need a little validation at times.  You will get a lot of validation here, but yes it is true we cannot spam ourselves on the forum, that's the way I understand it.  About your book publisher, watch out for them and stay on top of them like mad!

      1. kenmdeck profile image60
        kenmdeckposted 13 years agoin reply to this

        thanks for the advice....you are a spitting image of my favorite uncle by the way.....you're right, a little validation is worth a ton of inspiration in my book. i have been writing songs for some time, where the rejection rate is killer, literally 99.9. but, when one pops or you get a hint of someone appreciating your work, it's all of a sudden worth it. the book thing is all new to me, but i love it. i love writing in general. you say your wife is a publisher, what kind does she do? i appreciate the comment.
        write on/rock on!
        kenm

    2. kenmdeck profile image60
      kenmdeckposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      hey there lisabeaman

      i used an on-line publisher, xlibris, to publish. for 2 or 3 thousand (wait for sale) you can have a book published and they do a really decent job. once you have the book in hand and available on amazon.com and other online stores (they do all this for you, plus much more) it's time to market your work. of course, now everybody wants to help market it for a price, lots more money. to market yourself takes a lot of patience and hitting the pavement. i write a lot of songs and relate this step to getting an a&r guy to listen to a demo, much less want to sign it. its tough. i am having my first signing in a couple of weeks. i hope this is the springboard to selling copies, at least locally.

      thanks for the comment and interest.

 
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