F. P. Dorchak

Speculative Fiction Author

To Be Human

Going Indie—What I’ve Learned (So Far)—Part 8

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Busy
I Can DO This! (Busy. Photo credit: AJC1)

Wow, could things get any busier?

I have been pushing more of the social media thing, the past month or two, at the expense of working on my manuscript-in-progress, Psychic, and kinda “burning the candle at both ends.” It gets exhausting…but cool to find new avenues, like iAuthor. I’m even considering starting up a quarterly newsletter, but when will that happen, since I’m stuck on the initial insert the subscription widget onto my blog site part! No, I’m not all that technically inept, but it seems as though some crucial “it’s easy” step or two is missing from the WordPress instructions. I’ve e-mail their Help depot.

Okay, since my last post on this topic, here are some more things I’ve learned on my adventure of “Going Indie”:

  1. Selecting ISBNs on CreateSpace.  Be careful with you go in and select which type of ISBN you want for your book, and whichever one you do choose, ALWAYS also select the expanded distribution. Read the different types very carefully before selecting, because once you select, you cannot change the ISBN—unless you totally delete your book’s account and start over. I recommend the custom ISBN option for $10 and then get a graphic designer (which will cost you, of course, but is well worth it!), like Lon Kirschner, to design a “faux imprint” for you to have on the bottom edge of your cover, like my Wailing Loon. It looks cool and gives you a brand for your work, other than the generic “CreateSpace.” You can display a little more your own creativity of “who you and your books are.”
  2. Changes To Your CreateSpace file. I found I had to go back into The Uninvited to add some missing front matter. It’s kinda “scary,” doing this, because you really don’t want to F-up your already nitpicked and edited file, but it’s easy to do. You simply select the interior or cover portion of your file, under “Setup,” on your Project Homepage for the book in question, and on the next page, you’ll see a place that says “Make Changes,” and go from there. You don’t have to change anything other than what you need to change, like, for me, the front matter blurbs. You can just “Next” on through the other stuff. Just be careful to not touch anything else. And for any proofing, you can have an actual “proof” copy of the book sent to you (versus doing this all online, for free), though you have to pay for it (like $5, plus shipping), and on the back page of the book is stamped “Proof.”
  3. Interested in signed copies? I decided to get that PO box, so I could mail stuff back and forth to any readers out there. I’ve posted the address about, but it’s F. P. Dorchak, P. O. Box 49393, Colorado Springs, Colorado 80949. The Post Office says you can do a 3-month version, but you have to also get the automatic renewal, which makes zero sense, because that makes the term 6 months. So, really, the lowest amount of time you can get a PO box for is 6 months. That’s government reasoning for you. But it’s cheap (mine is $39). If you get something larger than the box you have, they just give you a key to a larger box, for no charge.
  4. Chain Reviews and World Domination. I put out there that if anyone was interested in reviewing my books, I’d send free, autographed copies. The first 5 per book would get a free book. Offer still stands.
  5. Book Review Outlets. I’m looking into these, you know, what with all the free time I have. Check these out.
  6. Facebook. So far, this is a bust. No more begging from me! And still no “FB Superpowers,” i.e., I still cannot “Like” other pages or save the world. But, not giving up, cause it’s still early, but, feel free to drop by my FB page. Thanks!
  7. Newsletters. Found a great couple of Writers in The Storm links for newsletter info. Thanks, WITS! Thought I’d do this this year, but may have to wait until next year.
  8. Word of mouth. This is where I get lots of comments from people, either by e-mail or through my wife. This is where people rave about my work. Not Facebook (well, at least not so far…). And, of course, I have some “virtual friends” with which I routinely interact, and they’re very supportive (thanks, again, folks)! But, word of mouth seems like the biggest factor in my marketing and promotion. It’s everyone one of you, out there, reading my work and talking about it. Telling others. I hope you will also write an online review (e.g., here und here) at your favorite outlets, too. Please. Thanks!
  9. iAuthor. Found a new overseas outlet, out of the U.K., called iAuthor, so I added The Uninvited and ERO to this site (Sleepwalkers doesn’t have a HighDef cover file, so I’m told by the site it most likely wouldn’t be allowed, because it would degrade he overall quality of the images). It’s free for authors. But…the site seems to have issues during the “height of the day” in loading and such (just now, the site didn’t load right; it should display tons of book covers). I had to do my uploads in the early hours of the morning (i.e., 3 a.m.) before I got them to work, so be advised.

That’s all I have for this year, for my ongoing “Going Indie” adventure. As always, thanks for stopping by, and have a Happy Holiday Season, in whatever way you choose to celebrate (or, uh, not celebrate…) it!

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Amazon.com Against the World!

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I watched a recent interview on 60 Minutes with Jeff Bezos, of Amazon.com fame, and it was most interesting. Once again, it showed the forward thinking aspect of the Amazon.com Mindset.

No wonder traditional businesses hate them!

Why?

Because traditional businesses are stuck in antiquated mindsets, that’s why. Plain and simple! I don’t agree with everything Amazon does, but I do agree with how they’re thinking outside the box. How they’re customer-centric. How they’re delaying immediate gratification. Good Lord, if other businesses applied the same or similar mindsets, it’d be a far different (and hopefully better!) world!

Now, do I really know what’s in the heart of Mr. Bezos? Not really, all I can see is what’s presented. But, if actions speak louder than words, what we see is what we’re getting. Sure, news is slanted toward whoever’s paying the bills, but we see, everyday, how Amazon operates, and they operate in a way traditional businesses do not operate and therefore cannot understand, because traditional businesses are driven purely by and for profit and immediate gratification at the expense (pardon the pun) of the customer.

Do I want drones cluttering our airspace and depositing packages at our homes? No, I don’t. It’s just more clutter. Above our heads. They claim they want a 30-minute fulfillment ability, and these drones could very well deliver that…but not before 2015. So, would you have to be right there to collect your delivery? Is that the plan? If not, imagine this…people-of-ill-repute seeing these drones…following them to your home…and stealing your goods.

Okay, but it is cool on a Science Fiction level…but I still cringe at the thought of the air above our heads cluttered with low flying drones everywhere! Bird strikes! Small aircraft! Maybe getting fired upon by military drones from above, oh my!

Well, fact of the matter is…though not every idea at Amazon meets with success…successes at Amazon do seem to be more frequent than not. They are thinking outside the box and attempt to do what stodgy, traditional businesses seem unable to do: reimagine.

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December Is Here!

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Snowshoes
Snowshoes (Photo credit: Singularduality)

December is here!

I have three favorite times—or months—of the year. July, October, and December.

Why?

I think, to me, they (except for October, which is all about Hallowe’en) signify (note itals) being in the “middle” of two seasons, summer and winter, though, technically, less than half of December is in “winter.” But, when I was growing up in upstate New York, believe me, with first snow beginning to fall in October, and continuing on through into May, there was nothing “autumnal” nor “fall-like” about December! Of course, my birthday is in December, and—for the “Kid Year”—nothing beats “Kid Year” activities like Christmas, so I’m sure both of those affected my love for December (and I’ve always loved snow and all-things wintry)! At least once, our family actually went out caroling with others in the dark, frigid coldness of an Adirondack winter, not to mention all the other fun stuff we did, like snowshoeing, skiing, snowmobiling, or just (for me) hiking through the “back 40” of our and our neighbor’s heavily wooded properties, much like I described in ERO (well, except for the “weird shit”), in thick snow boots, wool pants, and everything else you typically wore back in the 60s and 70s. I love how the cold winds bite, the trees crack, the snow falls. The sound my boots (or snowshoes) make in the snow. How, with tons of fallen snow, all “the dirty” takes on that fresh, sparkling, “clean” look. The creation of ghostly vapors from my warm breath breathed out into frigid air….

I love the contrast in the seasons. Love how, in winter, the season becomes more…”pensive.” Inward directed. At least that’s what happens to me.

And, now, there’s snow falling all over this blog! I love it!

Can you hear the jingle bells?

I thought you could.

Happy December, everyone!

Uninvited Blurbs Reinstated to Paperback

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The Uninvited, © 2013, F. P. Dorchak and Duvall Design
The Uninvited, © 2013, F. P. Dorchak and Duvall Design

I just received and approved the physical proof of The Uninvited, with the blurbs reinstated to the front matter. This updated version may be immediately purchased at the CreateSpace site, or in about 5-7 days, at Amazon.com and other outlets:

  • Amazon.com: 5-7 Business Days (the original novel is already here, this is just the updated version)
  • Amazon Europe: 5-7 Business Days (the original novel is already here, this is just the updated version)
  • Expanded Distribution channels: 6-8 Weeks (the original novel is already here, this is just the updated version)

Remember, if you’d like an autographed copy, please send me your book(s), with appropriate return postage, to the following address, and I’ll sign them! F. P. Dorchak, P. O. Box 49393, Colorado Springs, Colorado 80949.

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Ask Me Out…I’m Available!

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Writer's Stop
Let Me Be Your One-Stop-Writer’s Stop! (“Writer’s Stop,” photo credit: Stephh922)

I’m 52 (and look young for my age; some say even act younger than my age, like, way, waaay younger…),  5′ 10″ (lost 1.5 inches somewhere along the past 2 years…), 197 lbs. I work out, love the outdoors, have a keen sense of humor (and am even kinda funny), answer to anything from “Heeeey, youuuu…,” to “F. P.,” or “Frank,” love hikes through woods and rocky areas, love me some good Black Iced Tea, annnd…

I’m available for speaking engagements!

Yes, that’s right—do you belong to a readers’ group? Writers’ group? A library? Do you run a conference? Well, if you’re looking for an up-and-coming author-speaker-reader, I’m your guy! Get me before I get all famous and stuff, overbooked! I’m available! Just e-mail me, at fpdorchak “at” fpdorchak dot com (you know, make your standard e-mail address out of all that)! I can read passages, we can discuss them, discuss what went wrong inside my head to write those passages, that kinda thing. Or maybe we could discuss the process of writing (let’s not get into grammar, though; I’m not your guy, there, and use multiple reference books), the whole indie-versus-traditional process, or your group can read my work, then invite me to a question-and-answer gig. If you run a conference, I can speak about what I’ve learned about going indie. We could discuss the paranormal and supernatural in everyday lives; reincarnation,  synchronicity. Hey, I’m open, and quite easy to get along with (and, yes, you can end a sentence with a “with”)!

Did I mention I’m available?

Hey, and during any engagements, I’ll give away a book or three (depending on audience size). And if you think you’re too far for me to travel, then, boom!, let’s Skype! Do a phone interview! I’ve spoken at a writer group or two, presented at a writer’s conference on an Indie publishing panel, and have been on local and Internet radio (I’m told I have the perfect face for radio, the perfect voice for print). Click here to see some proof. Click here for more proof. Really, you need more proof?

Blog tour?

I’m your guy!

Arm candy at the Academy Awards?

Well, let me check my schedule….

In short (and hurry up, I seem to be getting shorter as the years go by), I’m open to most writerly gigs. Just e-mail me and let’s see what we can come up with! Let’s have some fun and talk about Indie publishing, writing, or the paranormal! Let me be your One-Stop-Writer’s Shop!

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Ask Me Out…I'm Available!

by

Writer's Stop
Let Me Be Your One-Stop-Writer’s Stop! (“Writer’s Stop,” photo credit: Stephh922)

I’m 52 (and look young for my age; some say even act younger than my age, like, way, waaay younger…),  5′ 10″ (lost 1.5 inches somewhere along the past 2 years…), 197 lbs. I work out, love the outdoors, have a keen sense of humor (and am even kinda funny), answer to anything from “Heeeey, youuuu…,” to “F. P.,” or “Frank,” love hikes through woods and rocky areas, love me some good Black Iced Tea, annnd…

I’m available for speaking engagements!

Yes, that’s right—do you belong to a readers’ group? Writers’ group? A library? Do you run a conference? Well, if you’re looking for an up-and-coming author-speaker-reader, I’m your guy! Get me before I get all famous and stuff, overbooked! I’m available! Just e-mail me, at fpdorchak “at” fpdorchak dot com (you know, make your standard e-mail address out of all that)! I can read passages, we can discuss them, discuss what went wrong inside my head to write those passages, that kinda thing. Or maybe we could discuss the process of writing (let’s not get into grammar, though; I’m not your guy, there, and use multiple reference books), the whole indie-versus-traditional process, or your group can read my work, then invite me to a question-and-answer gig. If you run a conference, I can speak about what I’ve learned about going indie. We could discuss the paranormal and supernatural in everyday lives; reincarnation,  synchronicity. Hey, I’m open, and quite easy to get along with (and, yes, you can end a sentence with a “with”)!

Did I mention I’m available?

Hey, and during any engagements, I’ll give away a book or three (depending on audience size). And if you think you’re too far for me to travel, then, boom!, let’s Skype! Do a phone interview! I’ve spoken at a writer group or two, presented at a writer’s conference on an Indie publishing panel, and have been on local and Internet radio (I’m told I have the perfect face for radio, the perfect voice for print). Click here to see some proof. Click here for more proof. Really, you need more proof?

Blog tour?

I’m your guy!

Arm candy at the Academy Awards?

Well, let me check my schedule….

In short (and hurry up, I seem to be getting shorter as the years go by), I’m open to most writerly gigs. Just e-mail me and let’s see what we can come up with! Let’s have some fun and talk about Indie publishing, writing, or the paranormal! Let me be your One-Stop-Writer’s Shop!

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