Danish writer and blogger Dorte Jakobsen is on a blog tour and has come up with an innovative and clever way of promoting her novel. A bunch of bloggers/writers and friends have gathered together as a team to help Dorte spread the word in the form of a Question and Answer relay called The Cosy Knave Relay! Each of the relay team members will receive Dorte’s answer to a question (baton) about her novel and writing experience. The baton, which has been travelling globally (from Denmark to the US, Saskatchewan, Mexico, England, Australia … ), has finally reached me, down here in little Aotearoa (NZ). Yesterday Mason Canyon at her blog Thoughts In Progress posted Dorte’s answer to Question #10: What are the best things about being a self-published writer?
When the publisher sends out a new book, a host of ´invisible´ people are involved in the process. Editors, cover artists, accountants, a publicity department etc. If you choose to self-publish, you may get help from friends, or you can pay other people to solve some of these problems for you, but no one else is responsible for the final product. That is hard because it swallows so many hours which I would rather spend writing new stories.
With the help from my own host of wonderful and generous blog friends, I think I removed the most embarrassing flaws before launch day (and now all those amazing people are clogging up the internet by writing about my book), but once in a while I wish I had an editor to discuss certain things with. When I write about Danish settings, what is the best way to handle all the foreign place names? Will Americans like my British spelling and vocabulary, or would they prefer an Americanized version? I ask my blog friends now and then, but in the end, there is only me to take the decisions.
A third worry is the endless discussion of the quality of self-published books. Will people assume my book is a low-quality product with typos scattered across the pages and a plot that makes you cringe? I do know you can find all kinds out there, but if you follow a few of the links, it is clear that some of those ´horror stories´ are recycled with glee, which makes it impossible to figure out how many disasters there really are. And on the other hand, even the best houses publish books occasionally I´m happy I didn´t write. So I suppose all I can do is deliver the best product I am capable of, and let others judge the quality.
If you scroll down a post you’ll find my review for The Cosy Knave.
The novel is available at Smashwords, including reviews, and there is currently a 25% discount – please quote this coupon code: PN22N. (Other ways to buy).
Tomorrow, the baton reaches Cathryn at Suburban Noir with Question #12 – What can we expect from you next?
Thank you, Dorte. Congratulations and all the best!
Thanks a lot for grabbing the baton today!