Realistic Costs – Opinions Needed #AmWriting

27 Apr 2018 24 Comments

by Ritu in #AmWriting, RiNoWRiMo, Thoughts Opinions & Memories Tags: #AmWriting, Blog, Blog Post, Blogger, Blogging, Publishing Costs

It’s that time… I need to be realistic and start thinking about budgeting for the nitty gritty of this novel…

#AmWriting

If I go down the Self Publishing route there are lots of extra costs, which I assume a traditional publisher would normally cover…

I am fortunate enough to have a few people on hand who, when the time comes, are willing to be beta-readers for my novel, but there is more.

proof reading
editing – in it’s various forms
formatting
cover design – Chris, I know you are there!

I tried to research and came up with a wealth of conflicting information, so I have some questions for you writers out there…

1. What kind of budget do you recommend setting aside for editing and formatting your book?
2. What have been the average rates you have paid for editing?
3. Do you have recommendations?
4. My book is at around 84,000 words at the moment. It’s romance, contemporary fiction… what do you think I may pay?

So many things to consider!

I really appreciate all the input you have given me so far!

#WritePhoto – Splash!

26 Apr 2018 42 Comments

by Ritu in #WritePhoto, Fiction, Poems, Thoughts Opinions & Memories Tags: #WritePhoto, Blog, Blog Post, Blogger, Blogging, Memories, Pond, Splash

Sue’s #WritePhoto Prompt this week:

Well, this photo sparked some memories!

Sashaying around the house, 11-year-old Ritu was so proud of the new boots her parents had bought her.
She felt so grown up, so in fashion – something she had rarely been in the past. Actually, the boots had been given to her a few weeks back, and she had debuted them at her school residential trip, at the disco, along with her rainbow coloured dress.
Oh yes, so on-trend was Ritu!
They were the boots of her dreams, grey suede pixie boots, with a slight slouch to them. Ritu had never owned something so ‘cool’!
Today, they were visiting some family, and she was looking forward to showing off the funky footwear.
It was a beautiful sunny day so Ritu, her brother and cousins were playing in the garden. The boys played football – obviously – and the girls wandered around chatting.
Splash!
Stupid boys! They’d kicked the ball into the pond. Ritu couldn’t let the young ‘uns risk getting the ball out, so off she went, heroine extraordinaire, to rescue the situation.
Bending over she reached out to the middle of the pond to gently coax the ball towards the edge of the pond…
Even bigger SPLASH!
Ritu was sat in the pond, dripping wet, amongst the frogspawn… then she remembered her beautiful boots!
Ruined!

Based on a totally true event as I was growing up.

I never did wear them again, despite my mother doing some amazing rescue mission to make the boots wearable again… I just kept on smelling frog… (actually, I think I imagined a fishy smell that wasn’t really there…) Those poor boots… and poor me with frogspawn all over me!

They looked a bit like these boots!

#writephoto

https://scvincent.com/2018/04/26/thursday-photo-prompt-splash-writephoto/

COLLEEN’S 2018 WEEKLY #TANKA TUESDAY POETRY CHALLENGE #Haiku #81: Enchant & Shape

24 Apr 2018 20 Comments

by Ritu in #ColleensWeeklyPoetryChallenge, Poems, Thoughts Opinions & Memories Tags: #ColleensWeeklyPoetryChallenge, #MicroPoetry, Blog, Blog Post, Blogger, Blogging, Enchant & Shape, Poetry, Snowflakes, Synonyms

Colleen’s back with her synonym poetry challenge!

The words to (not) use are:

Enchant & Shape

Captivating forms
Dancing across the landscape
Settling below

Pixabay Image

Pure white formations
Creating fascinating vistas
With falling snowflakes

Ritu 2018

https://colleenchesebro.com/2018/04/24/colleens-weekly-tanka-tuesday-poetry-challenge-no-81-enchant-shape-synonymsonly/

How Do You Publish? #AmWriting #Publishing

24 Apr 2018 66 Comments

by Ritu in RiNoWRiMo, Thoughts Opinions & Memories Tags: #AmWriting, Blog, Blog Post, Blogger, Blogging, Choices, Publishing

I’m still staying away from that first re-read of my legendary WIP…

#AmWriting

But it doesn’t stop me from having plenty of questions about what to do next.

I know I need to give it a once over, or twice, or thrice… you get the gist.

Ideally, then I will have a couple of Beta Readers check it out and see whether it is actually worthwhile and if it makes sense.

Then the next BIG decision is the whole publishing malarkey.

With Poetic RITUals, my poetry book, I went totally self-published. It was almost on a whim that I collated my poems, and got a great cover designed by Chris Graham of The Story Reading Ape Fame, stuck it on Createspace and KDP and bam! I had a book out there!

Poetic RITUals by [Bhathal, Ritu]

I didn’t go too crazy with my promotions, but then I was just happy to have something with my name on it, in print!

(But it’s available here of you want! myBook.to/PoeticRITUals)

Now I want to know which avenue to take with my fiction book.

Authors out there, please tell me… are you independently published, self-published, vanity or traditionally published?

What is your advice?

If I was to seek traditional publishing, who are good publishers to target?

Thank you in advance Peeps!

RonovanWrites #Weekly #Haiku #Senryu #Poetry Prompt #Challenge #198 Beat & Party = Pops And Mum’s Anniversary Special

23 Apr 2018 23 Comments

by Ritu in #ronovansweeklyhaikuchallenge, Poems, Thoughts Opinions & Memories Tags: #MicroPoetry, #ronovansweeklyhaikuchallenge, Beat & Party, Blog, Blog Post, Blogger, Blogging, Challenge, Haiku, Pops And Mum, Senryu, Wedding Anniversary

Lovely Ron with his Haiku Challenge prompt words this week:

Beat & Party

Thinking of the date today, the words Ron chose fit quite closely with what’s happening in our family, as today we are celebrating the 46th wedding anniversary of my parents!

These two, seriously, they have been my rocks. Looking at them, I feel that if anyone had half the love they share, they’d be lucky!

Love you to the Moon and back, Pops and Mum!