March 16, 2020

Taking Back Beast World Tara Tyler Self-Pub Notes +Flash Fiction

Taking Back Beast World, Phase 2. Disney/Pixar’s Onward comes out Mar 6 with a setting strangely close to BEAST WORLD. It’s time to speak out again–in a positive way!

Juneta has been a true writer friend–she’s kind, supportive, and full of great ideas. I’m lucky to know her!

SELF-PUB NOTES & A FLASH!
by Tara Tyler

The best thing about self-publishing: it’s all the way I want it.

The worst thing about self-publishing: it’s up to me to do it!

When my publisher folded, I was very lucky they gave me all the publishing files for each of my books so I didn’t have to start from square one. I got the covers, chapter headers, and formatted files for paper books and e-books. Everything! Because let me tell you, the publication process is no cake walk. It’s more like a cake pop–and if you’ve ever made those, you’ll know what I mean. At least it has a delicious ending–a yummy book!

Enough talk of sweets, I’m on a diet! I just wish the hard work of editing and publishing could burn some calories. If you want to self-pub you must have patience, diligence, and omniscience–meaning you have to know, or learn about, all aspects of publishing. Here are just a few notes…

Just when you thought you were done editing… Edit a few more times, then hire an editor. Another pair of eyes (attached to an editor’s brain) will spot mistakes you overlooked ten times. Editors are worth it!
Make a stunning first impression. Pay for a professional cover. But I know someone… Pay for a professional. But I can do… Pay for a professional. Worth it. And you’ll get to play with it as you create/edit the wrap-around. Not fun.
Challenging tasks: you will run into: indentations, alternating headers, the opening pages and info, table of contents, page numbers, using sections, acknowledgments, and many more little headaches no one thinks about. Read and research it before you just dive in!

Paper books and E-books are definitely different, but there are programs that help with the transition. I’ve published four of my six novels so far, before that I experimented with my UnPrincess novellas, so that was very helpful! This summer, I hope to finish re-publishing the last two and getting all the e-books done as well. Publishing is a tough racket, no matter which way you get there. But the more you put out there, the easier it gets. So keep writing!

Have you self-published? Got any advice?
or any questions? I’d be happy to try and answer!

And here’s a short bonus scene from Broken Branch Falls… (edited for length)

“Someone’s coming!” Hope whisper-yells and runs past us back into the building.

Jordy panics, dropping everything, and bolts after her, locking us in. I knew he wouldn’t last.

If Argus and I get caught, we’re supposed to keep our heads down and act like janitors, trying not to draw attention to ourselves. I try to control my breathing and keep a cool head as we rush for the door.

The act probably would’ve worked if the dragons’ brimstone boy didn’t come in and yell at us.

“Hey! Why’s the fire out?”

Argus fumbles with the key and drops it.

In the bustle to get it, my hat gets knocked off, exposing my ginormous ears, and I see the kid’s eyes go wide.

I push him down, and we run for it. Hope and Jordy are nowhere in sight. The little squirrels.

We hurry back through the gate. The old-lady-elf ticket taker gives me a snooty scowl but lets us go in since we’ve got our band uniforms on.

While we play the next song to wrap up the first quarter, I keep an eye on the Dragons’ sideline. The brimstone boy rolls out the bin of heated stones and the players swarm around him to refuel. My stomach flip flops. I wonder if the kid figured it out. Or if the dragons will be able to tell what we did. After the coaches fire up the players, the horn blows for the second quarter to start, and both teams head back onto the field.

As they line up, some of the dragons start to cough and wheeze and pound on their chests. I smirk. It seems to be working, until the sneezing starts.

With each sneeze comes a shot of flame. The ogres on the field dance out of the way, but some get scorched or singed. They fall to the ground and roll around to douse the flames, while others smack each other to put out the fires. As the sneezing gets worse, whistles blow, coaches rush onto the field, and a hush blankets the crowd. The sneezing and fires continue, and a couple of blasts burst up into the bleachers. The fire spreads. Shrieks of alarm erupt from the fans who start a mass stampede out of the stadium.

Always on hand for games against the Dragons, the fire department and paramedics join the mayhem on the field.

Away from the action, the bandleader directs us to line up and leave in an orderly fashion. I cover my eyes and lower my head. Every time I peek, it looks worse. The game is ruined. Not to mention, the stadium. I just pray no one gets seriously injured.

This is why goblins don’t do pranks.

Hope you enjoyed that glimpse into BEAST WORLD – Book One: Broken Branch Falls

Thanks for reading!!

Tara Tyler has had a hand in everything from waitressing to rocket engineering. After moving all over the US, she now writes and teaches math in Ohio with her husband and one boy left in the nest. She has two novel series, Pop Travel (sci-fi detective thrillers) and Beast World (fantasy adventures), plus her UnPrincess novella series where the maidens save themselves. She’s a commended blogger, contributed to several anthologies, and to fit in all these projects, she economizes her time, aka the Lazy Housewife—someday she might write a book on that… Make every day an adventure!

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