Anyone Can Be an Author

Does that sound strange?

In my experience, almost everyone has a story to tell. But many people need help in coaxing the story to come out the right way. And then there are the others who have no difficulty in getting the story out, but they need some help in preparing the book for publication.

Amazon offers some remarkable tools to this end. It has been my pleasure to help in two projects in recent months where authors have elected to publish on Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing model. (KDP used to be called CreateSpace, but was renamed.) Simply stated, the program works something like this:

• You already have an account with Amazon; to this, you add your bank details so that you may collect payment for sales of your forthcoming book(s).
• You have prepared a book and your material is edited and ready for publication.
• You upload the typeset text (or eBook) per Amazon’s requirements.
• You upload the cover (specifications are given where necessary).
• Some internal checks are run within the Amazon system; you have to wait patiently, but not for long!
• Your book goes live and people from all around the world can buy or download a copy. All the revenues that come from this are yours to keep, though you have to be proactive in thinking of ways to stimulate the sales of your publications.

Authors have the choice of preparing an eBook first, or a print book first. I prefer to prepare the print book first and then create an eBook permutation.

Because some of the steps require particular care and professional expertise and experience, I either offered (or was asked) to help in the instances of the books below.

HABARI

God’s Timing: A Journey of Discovery … And Eventual Healing (Janet E. Green)

Amazon Info HERE

Lucy has suffered a crushing sorrow and now, to her, the world seems to be a place of chaos and disharmony. She is convinced that she or her family will sooner or later be caught up in some disaster and longs to know what the future holds so that she can be prepared. Although she is holidaying in one of the most beautiful places in the world, her dark thoughts drag her down to the point where she is almost overwhelmed. Is it by sheer coincidence that she is introduced to someone who has the knowledge and absolute proof of what the future holds? Lucy finds herself going on a journey of discovery that almost blows her mind. And at the end of her holiday, there is one last surprise. . .

Janet Green has enjoyed writing novels for a number of years. She was born and brought up in Kenya, East Africa, and also lived in central and southern Africa for many years. Now living in England, she draws on her memories of Africa, where her heart still remains, for inspiration. Most of the books she writes are sagas and some of them are seasoned by her strong Christian beliefs. You can find out more about Janet Green by visiting her website and blog at www.janetegreen.org.

It was fun to prepare a publisher identity for this book–Habari Publications–in keeping with the African theme and identity of Janet Green’s writing and other publications.

OLD PATHWAYS

Martyn Ellsworth is a gifted writer whose imagination takes readers into historical fiction.

Journey to Prea: The Judayon Saga: Book 1 (Martyn Ellsworth)

Amazon info HERE

After years of darkness and foreign rule, the High King of Judayon prepares to bring about the long-awaited Restoration which will usher in a new era of freedom for his people. Expectations among Judayon’s faithful are raised as a man named Rulorn begins to proclaim the truth of the High King. In the capital city of Tamaton, four young people, Morikahn, Valroff, Razna, and Eramin, discover that the momentous events of their day will not leave them untouched. Amidst sweeping changes in the land, their lives will be imperiled, their friendship will be tested, and they will find themselves playing a role in the unfolding drama that they never envisioned.Journey to Prea is a work of Christian fiction inspired by the events of the Protestant Reformation.

Martyn Ellsworth is a preacher of the gospel of Jesus Christ, and he has served as a pastor for several years. He and his wife Rebekah are homeschooling their two young children. He enjoys listening to hymns and to sermons by Martyn Lloyd-Jones. He also loves to read The Chronicles of Narnia and books on theology and history. The Protestant Reformation and World War II are areas of particular interest to him.

It was also fun to prepare a publisher identity for this book–Old Pathways Publications–in keeping with the more old world feel and context of Martyn’s writings.

Cover design and identity is key in these kinds of projects and I am thankful for the authors and their creative input into determining how best to put together the various elements that were used! In particular, God’s Timing involved merging and airbrushing several elements into a composite graphic…

Featured Image: A CorelDraw screenshot from the preparation of the cover of God’s Timing. I have used Corel for many years and find it a versatile program for this kind of work.