I Wrote My First Story: Now What?

By Tina Gayle

Want to get your story published? Need a little help?

Then this short reference guide is for you. A quick read--you'll learn how to go from getting published to become a best selling author.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tina Gayle
• Release date: May 4, 2012
• ISBN: 9781476282930

Tina Gayle

Married twenty-five years, Tina Gayle and her husband love to travel and can’t wait for Mike to retire so they can do it more. Always working on perfecting her craft, Tina is a member of RWA, attends writing conferences, and can be found in a number of writing classes. She also loves to hear from her readers. You can email her at tinagayle (at) roadrunner.com.

Book preview

I Wrote My First Story

Now, What?

(A Quick Reference to Publishing)

Tina Gayle

Smashwords Edition

* * * * * *

Published by: Tina Gayle

Copyright May 4,2012 by Tina Gayle

Cover art by Jinger Heaston

Smashwords Edition, License Note.

This e-book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This e-book may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Dedication

To writers everywhere

Introduction

I decided to write this guide after a good friend of mine asked me for help. She wanted to self-publish her book. Being a smart woman, she did some research and found that there was a lot more to the process than she had initially thought. After we had talked, I realized just how much I did know about being a published author.

I started writing in 2001, but did not get my first book published until 2008. I joined writer’s groups, (national and local) and studied my craft. I wrote romance, fantasy, and children’s books. I wrote anything I thought would sell.

Once I entered the publishing world, I learned quickly it takes more than good writing to be a published author. Signing on with a small e-book publisher became an education in itself. The new world of e-publishing requires a different editing process. Files needed to be formatted properly so they could be converted to the different file types which are required for the e-book readers and computers. Once published, I needed to learn how to promote, not only myself, but my book. More importantly, I needed to learn how to sell and entice people to read my book.

This little pamphlet is a reference guide coming from my own personal experiences and my sincere attempt to help other people publish their work. Whether you’re a new writer or a seasoned author, it’s my hope you’ll find information to advance your project. If you need more information, I’ve listed searches available on the Internet that can aid you in achieving your objective.

Every person, who reads this guide, has a different purpose in mind for their writing. Some will use all the information, others only a select handful. Just remember this is an individual journey. You chose the roads you want to travel and you decide what works best for your specific project.

I wish you the best of success and hope, in some small way, I have made the path a little easier to travel.

Tina Gayle

http://www.tinagayle.net/

Table of Contents

#TOC

Where are you in the Process?

Fork in the Road

The Traditional Route

Self-publishing

Website

Blog

Blogging on other sites

Other Social Media Sites

Review Sites

Writer’s Organizations

Conferences

Entering Contest

Promotion

Hosting a Contest

Newsletter

Free Reads

Videos

Book signing

Email setup a signature line

Buying ads

Read other books

The Numbers

The Author

Other Titles by Tina Gayle

Where are