My pre-publishing checklist

Posted on October 12, 2015 by Suzanne Rogerson Author

I can’t believe how close I am to actually publishing my first fantasy novel, Visions of Zarua. This has been my dream since junior school when I first discovered the magic of creating my own stories. Now I am about to accomplish that dream, and it’s exciting but also terrifying.

Items ticked off my checklist

The proofread is done.

The final changes are done – I managed to lose another 1,100 words. The final word count is now down to just over 152K.

The cover is paid for, proofed and on its way.

The table of contents is inserted with all its bookmarks and hyperlinks, and seems to be working. It was actually very easy, just tedious – why do I have 48 chapters?

I’ve saved the novel as a HTML web page file and checked the formatting looks as it should.

Still to do;

Once I have the cover, I can download to Kindle and check for any formatting errors. Then I’ll need to do the same with Smashwords.

In a few days I hope to get my press release out there with the cover reveal and a link to pre-order – something else I need to learn how to do.

Finally, I just have a few more decisions to make about setting the price, how long to have it on pre-order, my actual launch date and how to reach potential readers.

Anyone have any marketing tips and tricks?

Length of #fantasy fiction

Posted on August 21, 2015 by Suzanne Rogerson Author

A recent blog on fantasy-faction.com got me thinking about the length of fantasy books.

They are usually weighty tomes, which I don’t have a problem with until you start building those into trilogies and series and clocking up thousands of pages.

I believe there should be more standalone novels in fantasy. It’s always sad when a book you’ve loved comes to an end, but isn’t it good to have closure? To know that the next book you pick up will be the start a new adventure with the author. To discover new worlds and find new characters to fall in love with.

I’ve even been put off starting series because the scale of them is just too daunting (Game of Thrones as an example, though I’ve loved the TV series). As an author I’m in awe of the skills involved in holding it all together, but as a reader I just don’t have the time to invest in them.

I intend to challenge the trend by publishing my first novel, Visions of Zarua, as a standalone. At 153k it’s not exactly small, but it’ll be interesting to see what reviewers have to say.

After that, my next project is a duology. And as I begin to tackle the task of editing it, ideas for book three keep surfacing.

What is it with us fantasy authors?

Novel Extract

Posted on August 14, 2015 by Suzanne Rogerson Author

I’ve just added a novel extract of my fantasy novel, Visions of Zarua, to my website. I hope to self publish this later in the year and blog about the experience.

Book blurb for Visions of Zarua

Posted on August 11, 2015 by Suzanne Rogerson Author

I am working on a pre-press release for my upcoming novel and would appreciate any feedback you have to offer.

Coming soon…

Two wizards, 350 years apart. Together they must save Paltria from Zarua’s dark past.

An ancient darkness haunts the realm of Paltria. Apprentice wizard Paddren is plagued by visions of a city on the brink of annihilation. When his master Kalesh dies in mysterious circumstances, the Royal Order of Wizards refuses to investigate. Helped by his childhood friend, the skilled tracker Varnia, and her lover Leyoch, Paddren vows to find the killer. The investigation leads Paddren down a sinister path of assassins, secret sects and creatures conjured by blood magic. But he is guided by a connection with a wizard from centuries ago – a wizard whose history holds the key to the horror at the heart of the abandoned city of Zarua. Can Paddren decipher his visions in time to save the Paltrian people from the dark menace of Zarua’s past?