Jenn LeBlanc

FIRST! Because I always need something else to work on, I have an auction up right now, part of Operation Auction to benefit a member of the romance community Fatin whose husband was recently killed in a senseless tragedy. I am auctioning a photo shoot, held on-site during RomCon 2011, you + sexy cover model + makeup and hair + mad photoshop skillz = your own, personal, romance cover. GO. BID. NOW!

If you are the winner of the auction we will discuss your photo shoot this summer, costuming, themes, all the good stuff. It will be a BLAST! So  GO. BID. NOW!

and in other news:

The end is here.

I have thought this before, but now I can really see it, feel it, touch it even, in the form of my novel in tangible form. Saturday I received the proofs of my hardback and trade paperbacks. They were beautiful, I was thrilled.

I am actually quite in love with the trade paperback. Quite. And so it is the end. The release is April 8 (you’re coming to the party right? Here is your INVITE)

Sometimes I wish I was a traditional author. Writing a book then having help and backup for everything else. This one man band sort of thing is kinda nuts. (and by kinda—I mean really)

I farmed out a few things, I had help with content editing, a professional copy editor, assistance from a professional designer and photo editor, but for the most part it was me.

Concept, writing, design, photography, layout, research, etc. It doesn’t sound like much, but it really is. Not that I am bragging, only sharing what it takes to self publish on this level. Yes, it’s true, anyone can write a novel and upload it to Amazon to be sold on the Kindle store, but there is a huge difference between uploading a word document and uploading a fully polished, designed and completed ePub file. There are so many steps that go into publishing that I actually had not considered before.

ISBN registration with Bowker, © pages, correct layout, proper terminology, margins even. Indents and spacing. All these little tiny things that are automatic or inherent in publishing design, I don’t —or didn’t— know. Publishing for dummies style. I needed a checklist.

But here it is, checklist be damned, hell and high water both making appearances in the form of uncooperative software and file corruptions. The end. And, a beginning as well, because the end of this book heralds the start of the next and if you have read the first you know what I’m talking about. Everyone wants to know how Perry is going to get his rake on.

So there it is! Come say hello at the party! Check out the book, bring a friend, there will be FREE stuff, a photo booth (and speaking of photos GO. BID. NOW!)