So I decided to streamline my processes a little and move my Mailing List to the Weebly platform called Promote.

On the surface it looked interesting with most of the things I needed, however, as with anything, it's been a steep learning curve.

So, here's my experiences for you to consider if you choose to go this way.

Costs:

I have previously used MailChimp & MadMimi - see prices below

The pricing costs vary, however, as you'll see once you start going over the 5000 (that's emails not email addresses) it starts to get pricey. I'm using the Grow account, so I can send up to 50 000 emails a month. (In other words - lots of emails!) and 20 campaigns a month (which is really important to me so I can tailor what goes out...)

What do I get for my money?

I needed something that had the ability to A/B send, realtime tracking, etc.

It's been a steep learning curve. Things like importing your CSV files (Comma delineated excel file) with my subscribers was initially simple. One thing I missed in all the info was that I can only send groups of 2500 at a time. Now, when your mailing list is like 3300 you can't just segregate the file. See, promote doesn't allow me to segregate files I've imported myself. Only things like customers from the last 30 days or new members who signed up via the site.

So, I had to export everything out, chop the lists up manually then reimport. As a result, I've ended up with 4 lists. However, I now have 3 I can add more subscribers to. I just need to be careful that when combining to send I don't exceed that 2500 rule.

I also have another list set up for Promotions only. One more drawback - whereas madmimi & mail chimp give me the opportunity to create a custom link for those sign ups, I haven't yet found that in Promote. Instead, I've had to create a custom form, host it on my website & get people to go there to sign up for the Promotion Only newsletter. Messy and problematic as we all know readers like as few links as possible - I can, however, add them manually if they request it.

Creating Fabulous Newsletters:

This is one thing Weebly does exceptionally well. Being a GUI—Graphic User Interface— & WSYWIG—What You See Is What You Get— (I rarely get to use those terms anymore!) the newsletter creation is seamless and simple. A huge win in my books as when I create a newsletter I want it to be simple.

I've now got 2 templates set up. One for Promotional Only Emails and One for Full Featured. Meaning I don't need to reinvent them every time I go to send a new newsletter. That saves bucket loads of time!

​Everything is drag & drop just like the weebly interface and I only need to log into one location for access to my NL, Website & Blog.

So How Do They Look?

I set up a test group with my PA as the only recipient. She sent me screen shots, checked links etc., Works well, looks good. This was taken on a mobile phone so mobile/cell friendly!

Real Time Tracking:

​I think this is the weakest part of their system. I'm doing this with a single open campaign that's gone live - a Promotional Book Release email. There isn't a lot of usable information, now this could be because there isn't a lot of follow up information however, I'd like to see more in-depth information showing specific links that had been opened (iTunes, amazon etc.,), times that the majority had opened etc., 

However, I'll see what happens after a dozen campaigns to give some scope to the data. Below is the screen shot I see after 1...

In light of my upcoming release of the Reunion Trilogy, I thought I'd lay my cards on the table and give a full and frank accounting of what it costs me Per Book to produce it.

These figures are fluid. They will change from release to release meaning the ROI (Return On Investment) will also be changeable.

​Now this was a great price but painful process as it took me 3 days of pushing and hammering to get the cover right. If I quantified my time value, the cost of it would have risen exponentially. I was looking for cheap and got it, but I probably wouldn't go that route again. It's far too difficult to find a quality artist on there to get what I paid for in a quick turn around timeframe.

Formatting: I recently invested in Vellum Print. I cost me $AUD139.99 to upgrade from my ebook version to the print. Given I have a number of titles coming out, that will allow me to even out the costs, if I work on 4 books in 2017 (which is close to what it will be) then the cost of that to this title is $35 to format the book. Easy Peasy.

ISBN: I bought my ISBN's in a pack of 10 at a grand total of $AUD88 so the cost for this title is $AUD8.80

My total outlay : $AUD71.80

I need to recoup that on top of my cost price for printing and shipping in order to break even then make a profit on this title.

Cover

Because this is my first totally on my own self published book and I happened to see the perfect cover very early on, I purchased a cover that was pre-made but of a very high quality.

Having said that, I'm paying for an artist, but I have 2 chances at making my money back. 1) Ebook and 2) Paperback.

Cost: $USD110 and that includes the print cover with full wrap and the ebook version. (On current conversion rate say $AUD145)

Editing

I'm so darned lucky, as my editor (who also works for at least one publishing house) also happens to be an exceptionally good friend. She looks after me. In order to get a high quality editing job, you pay. It's a case of you need to find someone who understands you, will look at your work and "get it" as well as do a quality job. Without that, you aren't going to release a quality title. (Sorry to all those who get teachers/friends and family members to edit. Unless you have a qualified/experienced Fiction Editor, then your work will suffer!!) It cost me in the region of $AUD600 - well worth EVERY PENNY I spent.

ISBN: Again, I buy mine in a pack of 10 but I used 2 for this book. 1 for the ebook version and 1 for the print version. Cost? @$8.80 each, my outlay is $17.60

Formatting: Yep add in my $AUD35 for Vellum

My total outlay for Print and Ebook versions: $AUD797.60

I'm going to work this next bit out using the 35% Amazon royalty rate for a 99 cent title (yes, I get 35 cents in the dollar - that's it for all my hard work!)

Inheritance of the Blood - each copy makes me 34.65 cents PER COPY SOLD.

In order to recoup my original costs, I need to sell XXX x 34.65 to break even. The value of XXX = 2301 copies.

Having said that, I've got the added benefit of being able to recoup through print costs too. But it's sobering to know I need to sell more than 2302 books before I make a profit.

So, next time you pirate a book, please think about those figures.

p.s. Inheritance Of The Blood will pre-order at 99 cents before heading back up to full cost at $4.99 :) So when I make it available, please get in early and purchase your copy!

As anyone who's worked with me in the last 12 months will know, I'm a relatively recent convert to Vellum (http://www.vellum.pub) however, once I'd made the jump it was definite with no going back.

The original Vellum file I used allowed me to create beautiful ebooks myself, saving hours of hassle with formatting. I'd previously used the Smashwords Meat Grinder (not that I'd had any real issue with it, but I always found it clunky and laborious to format beforehand!) 

When my friend Suzi Love introduced me to Vellum, it was almost ​love at first sight!

And yes, it is a Mac Only program - sorry Windows users!

Okay just note, this isn't exhaustive - I've had 12 hours to play and work with this and hunt for the highs and lows!

Roll onto May of 2017 - we'd heard that Vellum for Print was on the way, but to be honest, it was only when they gave the release date of 1 June that I got super excited. 

If the system was as easy, then I was going to get it! 

Crafting quality books as an Independent Author is expensive. With quality cover art costing me $70 - $150 usually and rigorous editing to pay for (my latest bill was over $700 for 2 books and over 100K words - Don't get me wrong that's an awesome price but better if I can refine the costings of production somewhat), if I could find somewhere I could save a few dollars, then it makes my job even more easier and my initial outlay easier to bear.

So let's start at the beginning. The cost to upgrade in $AUD was 139.99. I'd previously bought the unlimited version and though I could continue to create those magnificent ebooks, in order to continue with my print plans, I had to upgrade. I didn't have to do it straight away - I could have waited until I generated a book, but I was desperate to try it out! The upgrade was run through the program itself.

Uploading required me to use the Check for Upgrades but from there it self extracted. Excellent. I didn't want to be dithering about with files.

The first tiny glitch I discovered was that I had the old version on the Dock. I had to close the old one before I could access the new version, which allowed me then to access the new settings. Once done, things were simple. The documents showed up on the right hand side of my screen. I would strongly recommend you remove the old version from your applications file and overwrite it with the new one manually.

You may notice I have 2 copies of the one title - one will be a sample book for the iTunes store...

Great. Open the file and you'll find it is very similar to the old system with a few new things. 

​The image file is also Ebook only. 

I love that I can tag exactly what I want in individual books though, as it will make creation of the PDF for print a much cleaner and easier process.

One drawback I found was that the ISBN in the set up page still reads Ebook. No room for the Print. It was suggested to me that I create 2 copyright pages and tag one for Ebook and One for Print. That works and I can specify the ISBN on that page.

Painful yes, but I can do that with any page in the book! So the drawbacks are almost equalled out by the bonuses.

As previously you can pick the range of styles, fonts etc., so you can customise it a little. I know some don't like that those customisations are limited, but honestly, the average author isn't going to throw their hands in the air over that.

You can also preview a range of formats including the print and once you've chosen print you can choose to view it in Proof or Draft formats. Proof is good because you'll see exactly how the page will look in the PDF. 

Vellum 2.0 also looks after your Widows/Orphans and event detects those nasty little run on sentences. (To see more on that visit the Vellum FAQ page for the Print edition.

The sizes of the format are limited to four.The four are I would guess, the most widely used. If you're looking to create a smaller book or one out of the ordinary then the option doesn't exist in the program. You can however tinker with the margins!

If you ask me does Vellum Print live up to expectations?

For me, it will do everything I can think of At this time although as I indicated above it has got a couple of little warts.

Would I recommend it to others?

Absolutely!

I would rate this at around 9/10!

Lately there has been a spate of complaints of plagiarism in the authors world. Remember the Tiffanie Rush incident? Cassie Edwards and even Cassandra Clare? Were these substantiated? Some were and others weren't. Do these tags stick to authors? You bet!

Were the victims hurt? Financially impacted? Emotionally scarred? Absolutely.

Whether its someone copy a work verbatim, someone lifting paragraphs or a page here and there from a book they are critiquing or beta reading or even direct from an ARC (Advance Reader Copy.)

It's a fairly murky world these days, that the bottom feeders (my term for plagiarists) inhabit.

As authors, it's important to protect ourselves and our Intellectual Property. (IP) 

In the past it was sufficient (some said) to simply print the work out, place it in an envelope and mail it to yourself with the date stamp and leave it unopened. Now whether that was true or not, I cannot comment. (I'm not a solicitor or lawyer so any advice I can give is very general and you would need to get legal assistance to ensure you are on the right track.)

But, there are some simple things we can all do, starting now to begin the process of protecting yourself.

1. When you take on a new Beta Reader/Critique Partner/ARC reader send them the guidelines or a contract outlining their rights and responsibilities. Make it simple to read. (Yes, I do have one and have implemented this personally)

2. Love them or hate them the Macs rule. Religiously back your work up to your time machine. You now have a date stamped view of your computer at any point in time that can be used as evidence. And trust me, if it comes to that, your Time Machine will be your best friend!

3. Before sending anyone your precious work, check them out. Are they known for pirating work? Sharing ideas you've written? How well do you know them? Other friends in common who can vouch for them.

4. Don't be afraid to remind them from time to time of the agreement you requested they complete. Doing so may annoy the odd reader and if it does, they probably aren't the right fit for you. Those who will stick by will understand that your are protecting them as much as yourself. Educating your readers is in everyone's best interests.

Lastly, if all else fails, make sure to use the Peak Body you belong to (RWA - US or Aus, RWNZ, ALLi etc) as well as sufficiently trained and licensed legal assistance.

You wouldn't let someone walk in your door and steal your purse. Don't let them take your hard earned work.

Imogene

Is this something you'd be interested in? Sounds like an opportunity to me, so please visit my website page for In the Chair for the chance to be involved.

Now, we are in the testing phase and putting together the studio (It's still in bits in my office and comes out when I get some time!) but it is getting closer (just wish I knew where that dratted tripod got put) and I hope to be able to announce the first air date and schedule soon. It will be hosted on YouTube and episodes uploaded to this site, so hang tight while I get everything together!

Oh, and while you're waiting, be sure to like the Facebook page for the program: >>HERE<< ​