Uncontrollable Launch Day Extravaganza!

Yay! Uncontrollable is out today!

Book Summary

16 year old Grace enters the Red Wolf Reintroduction Program. When wolves start showing up dead, Grace must work through her fears and hunt down clues to find out who is sabotaging the wolf program and why. Little does she know, she is being hunting too.

On Sale Now! 

Uncontrollable is on sale in paperback and ebook at all major booksellers including 

Amazon, iBooks/Apple (coming soon), Smashwords, and B&N.

If you haven't read Untraceable, you can get it in paperback and ebook at all major booksellers 

including Amazon, Apple, Smashwords, and B&N.

Uncontrollable Contests - Ways to win some cool stuff! 1) Pinterest Contest: Head over to Mundie Moms TODAY and enter the Pinterest contest  for a huge prize pack. You have to build a "Nature of Grace" board to be included. (You must be on Pinterest to do this.) Winner wins Nature of Grace Deluxe Gift Package: A paperback of both books (Uncontrollable and Untraceable), bookmarks, a "Born to Fly  bracelet", a "be brave" wrist band, a box of Grace's favorite Moonpies, and a Grace tshirt.  (NOTE: U.S. only!) 2) Shout out about Uncontrollable: Fill out the rafflecopter below  as you spread the word and be entered into a drawing.

Winner of drawing get a Nature of Grace "Mack Daddy" gift package:
A paperback of both books (Uncontrollable and Untraceable), signed bookmarks, Box of Grace's fav moonpies, an Adopt a red wolf package, and wilderness survival kit. 

(NOTE: Package for U.S. only; International may win both ebooks and 20$ gift certificate to Bookdepository.)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

3) Uncontrollable cover design contest: In the cover design contest, you will design your own cover for Uncontrollable. The only requirements for the cover are that it must say Uncontrollable somewhere, and have my name (SR Johannes) on it. Besides that, have fun with it! 

When your cover is completed, post it on your social media (FB, Twitter, and Pinterest) and email cover and social media links to (kate@srjohannes.com). I will feature all of the covers with designer credit on my author Facebook page as well as my Pinterest. I will pick my top one as a winner.

Winner gets Nature of Grace book gift package:

A paperback of both books (Uncontrollable and Untraceable), signed bookmarks, and 50$ gift certificate.

(NOTE: Package for U.S. only; International may win both ebooks and 50$ gift certificate to Bookdepository.)

4. Random Ways: I will also be holding random impromptu contests throughout the day on Twitter and FB to giveaway my books as well as some of my fav other books - so keep a look out :)

Contest Rules

1) Contest 2 and 3 begin on Sept 24 and end on Sept 28th (check at Mundie Moms for #1)

2) You can enter all contests, but are only allowed one entry per contest.

3) U.S. and International prizes may be different.

Thank you for your support!

Editing - how I hate the ways..

The copyediting process nightmare is hard. I hate it. The whole process.

First of all, I am someone who needs copyediting!!! Therefore I pay for it on everything I put out.
Grammar and spelling are NOT the strongest suits of mine. Yes I said it! 

Yes... I know... I am a writer and am supposed to know this stuff. It's not that I don't know grammar rules or don't know a comma slice from a dangling participle. I can point them out in other works. I just have a hard time on my own stuff.

• One problem - on a writing level, I type as my character thinks so a lot of times that breaks comma rules or full sentence rules because Grace thinks in incomplete phrases. I do too. I don't know about you but I never think in complete sentences.

• Secondly - I am not a great typer (this just gets worse doesn't it?) - I am a "pecker" (no laughing) so my fingers don't always go in the order I want them to.

• But mostly, I just don't see them. IT's frustrating because I look. Hard. I've tried printing it out. I've tried listening on the computer (I am so not auditory). I've tried reading on computer.

Therefore I admit, editing is my weakness so I don't scrimp on editing in my process.

But it's very hard to find good people. Why? Because everyone thinks they are an editor. It takes time to find people who are good and thorough copyeditors at reasonable (not cheap) prices. Who can do it fast and do it well and are affordable. I have found a couple good ones and I have had a few bad ones to where I had to have work redone (and repay)

Why do I pay? I put aside money for covers and editing. I feel those are critical to my book's success. My books need at least 2 formal copyediting rounds. Copyeditors always make mistakes and when I edit the copyedits - I make more mistakes too.

We are all human.

I never mind when a reader sends me a couple typos to fix. I appreciate it.  It's easy to fix and I'd rather fix it than leave it. But it's frustrating when you have paid for it and people think you haven't. And of course, indie authors always get hit worse than traditional authors on any kind of mistake.

Keep in mind - traditional authors have the luxury of the professional editing PROCESS. They go through many-many rounds of editing. Beta, first draft, second draft, line edits, copy edits, first pass pages, ARCs etc. And this goes through at least 2-3 different people over that time. So by the end, most of the mistakes are filtered out.

Indies don't have that luxury. Not because we don't care or because we go too fast (at least not me) but more because we can't afford to have three different look at it over 6-9 months. I have several beta readers, my mom, and then 2 copyeditors. I usually do a few rounds myself but again - not my strong suit. I think because I work on the manuscript so much - the mistakes just blend in - maybe because I know the story so my eye doesn't catch them.

Here are some tips on editing:

Types of copyediting
1) Those who charge by the mistake - this is not a good option for me :)
2)Those who charge by the word - can get expensive if you are chatty in your novels.
3) Those who charge by the page.
4) Those who charge by the type - content editing vs line editing vs copyediting

How to find good ones
1) Friend referrals
2) Check out testimonials
3) BiblioCrunch - matching service to pair you with a copyeditor
4) Sometimes literary agents will post lists like this one
5) Ask Indelibles - check out the resource page

Tips on editing
1) Hire a copyeditor. No matter how good your mom is or how good you think you are.
2) Be sure to get some samples pages done first to see if you like what they do.
3) Know your common mistakes - every writer has them.
4) After a copyeditor goes through it. Search for mistakes that seemed common (bad one of mine is from vs. form.  I type it in fast and then spell check and my eyes never find it.)
5) Go through their edits more than once to be sure you did not make another mistake while editing.
6) Hire a different one to do a second round. I know it costs but it's worth it.
7) Be sure they know your genre. Most will point out voice issues or consistency problems. It would help if they knew and worked with YA books.
8) Do they know Chicago Style?

Any other tips you can share?

Uncontrollable Blog Tour

Today starts The OFFICIAL Uncontrollable blog tour! Look below for all the dates! Thanks to all the bloggers who graciously signed up! 

Okay so I know you are thinking you might get tired of me BUT I am doing all original posts from writing to self pubbing to marketing and there is a different giveaway every day! 

*Italics marks past tour stops


Week 1

Sept. 4 – whoopeeyoo – Creating Covers

Sept. 4 - Froze8’s Blog – Getting Creative with Marketing (giveaway query/chapter critique OR marketing consultation)

Sept. 5 – Just Jemi – Writing short stories/novelletes (e-book giveaway)

Sept. 5 - Wall-to-Wall Books - Uncontrollable Review (e-book giveaway)

Sept. 6 - GeekeryDo - Uncontrollable Review (e-book giveaway)

Sept. 6 - Read Now Sleep Later - My Journey to self pubbing (e-book giveaway)

Sept. 7 – Supa Gurl Books – Writing Untraceable/Unspeakable (e-book giveaway)

Sept. 7 – Hypable – Stigma of self publishing

Week 2

Sept. 10 - Refracted Light - Grace's Wilderness Fashion Guide

Sept. 10- Heather Sutherlin- Writing advice for young writers

Sept. 11- Froze8’s Blog – Digital publishing/ebooks (e-book giveaway of ANY book)
Sept. 11 - SA Larsen - Vlog on Essentials when preparing for a book release
Sept. 12 - whoopeeyoo - Uncontrollable Review

Sept. 12 - The Writerly Rejects – Indie vs self pubbing

Sept. 13 - Always YA at Heart – Uncontrollable Review (e-book giveaway)

Sept. 13 – Write Stuff – Create Fast Pacing in Stories

Sept. 14 - Second Bookshelf on the Right – Interview (e-book and swag giveaway)

Sept. 14 - Bookend Crossing - Uncontrollable review (ebook giveaway)

Week 3

Sept. 17 - the "I love books" club - Uncontrollable review (e-book giveaway Suffocate)

Sept. 17- Froze8's Blog - Characterization

Sept. 18 – Words I Write Crazy – Challenges in Writing Uncontrollable and Review

Sept. 19 - Literary Rambles - Self pubbing marketing using Twitter (e-book giveaway)

Sept. 19 – the “I love books” club – Author Interview

Sept. 20 - The Bookish Brunette - Uncontrollable review (e-book giveaway)

Sept. 20 - Step Into Fiction - Adding humor into your writing
Sept. 21 - Supa Gurl Books – Uncontrollable Review
Sept. 21 - Always YA at Heart – Character Interview

Sept. 21 – Letters Inside Out – Writing to Playlists (e-book giveaway)

Week 4

Sept 24 - Mundie Moms - Launch Date! Special giveaway

Sept. 25 - Once Upon a Twilight - Uncontrollable Review (e-book giveaway)

Sept. 25 - Holly's Narrative Dream - Branding and marketing yourself as a writer

Sept. 26 - Book Snatch - Author Interview 
Sept. 26 - YA-Aholic - Uncontrollable Review

Sept. 27- Basia's Bookshelf – Uncontrollable Review

Sept. 27- Confessions of a Bookaholic – Envisioning Setting (e-book giveaway)

Sept. 28- Living Fictitiously – Uncontrollable Review

Sept. 28 - We Do Write - Writing sequels (e-book giveaway)

Week 5
Oct. 1 – YA Book Queen – Uncontrollable Review

Oct. 1 – Words Escape Me – Essentials in plotting (giveaway of query or chapter critique)

Oct. 2 – Book Dreaming - Uncontrollable Review

Oct. 2 - YA Book Queen - Writing thrillers/suspense (e-book giveaway)

Oct. 3- Fantasy Book Chick - Touching on Conservation

Oct. 4 - Paper Cuts YA – Marketing Tips (e-book giveaway)

Oct. 4 – The Wormhole – Author Interview, Uncontrollable Review (e-book giveaway)

Oct. 5- Kristi Helvig – Uncontrollable Review (e-book giveaway)

Oct. 5- The Writer's Voice - Author Interview 

Week 6
Oct. 8 – Moonlight, Lace and Mayhem - Tying together Untraceable and Uncontrollable

Oct. 8 - The Housework Can Wait - Building community (e-book giveaway)

Oct. 9 - Magnet4Books - Self editing tips

Oct. 9 - Katya Czaja - Uncontrollable Review (e-book giveaway)

Oct. 10 - I'm a Reader, Not a Writer - Author Interview 

Oct. 10- Readinista - Changing industry of publishing

Oct. 11 - Girl Who Reads - Creating online platform

Oct. 11- Fictional Candy - Author Interview (swag and e-book giveaway of Untraceable)

Oct. 12 - Ren's Rambles - Nature of Grace Playlist Highlights

Oct. 12 - Reading Teen - Writing teen romance

Week 7

Oct. 15 - BiblioCrunch - "What is a blog tour?" Interview (Marketing giveaway)

Oct. 15 - Little Birdie Reviews - Untraceable Review (e-book giveaway)
Oct. 15 - reel life with jane - Strong female characters
Oct. 16 - Loves 2 Read - Uncontrollable Review (e-book giveaway)

Vlog on "How to prepare for your release?"

This was on SA Larsen's blog earlier in the week. Thought I would share it here.

What do you think? What else do you need for a release?

Congrads to SA Larsen!

Celebrate with SA Larsen who just signed with Literary Agent Paula Munier of Talcott Notch Literary! She is having a Bigger-Than-A-Shopping-Mall GIVEAWAY!! 

•  two separate Rafflecopters with multiple giveaways 
• and one grand prize Rafflecopter giveaway - to enter for the grand prize, you must enter either giveaway #1, #2, or both. 

There's only one mandatory entry. Everything else is up to you!! 

The giveaway is open until September 27th. 

WINNERS will be announced on September 28th. (Entrants may win more than one prize!)

Check out the people celebrating along with Sheri!

List of Rocking Participants: Lenny Lee, Colene Murphy, LM Preston, Darby Karchut, Joanne Brothwell, Patti Larsen, Christine Fonseca, Catherine Stine, Jessica Bell, Kelly Hashway, Leigh Moore, Christine Danek, Alex Cavanaugh, Katie Mills, Matthew MacNish, Beverly McClure, Marcy Hatch, Jennifer Million, Nicole Zoltack, Christina Lee, Kris Yankee, JL Spelbring, Sharon Mayhew, Candice Granger, Dianne Salerni, Lisa & Laura Roecker, Elana Johnson, Angela Ackerman & Becca Puglisi, Susan Kaye Quinn, Lydia Kang, Julie Musil, Natalie Agurrie, Talli Roland, Medeia Sharif, Kelly Polark, Angela Brown, Sarah Fine, Stina Lindenblatt, Lynda Young, Susan Fields, PK Hrezo, Shannon O'Donnell, Shelli Johannes-Wells, Theresa Brown Milstein.

Links to Rafflecopters: 

Giveaway #1 -  http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/share-code/YTAxM2U2MDc3MGFmN2FkMjUwNzEzOGVjOWJhNWYyOjEy/

Giveaway #2 - http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/share-code/YTAxM2U2MDc3MGFmN2FkMjUwNzEzOGVjOWJhNWYyOjEz/

Grand Prize Giveaway -  http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/share-code/YTAxM2U2MDc3MGFmN2FkMjUwNzEzOGVjOWJhNWYyOjE0/ 

All about Self Publishing

If you want to follow the Unbelievable Uncontrollable blog tour - the link is now on the right. I will be talking about marketing, writing, and self pubbing along the way with tons of giveaways so follow along!

Today I wanted to provide some great links on the self pubbing world. For those thinking about self pubbing or curious about pros and cons, check out some of these articles.

In the News - Self Publishing Industry
Not a Gold Rush Report
Self Publishers Make Gains
How to Self Publish
Self Published eBook author

Past Posts of Mine
Not all is equal in publishing
The Schizophrenic Self Pubber
Thinking of Self Pubbing?
What to consider in distribution?
Tips and Trick from Indie Authors
The importance of Editing
More about ISBNs
All about Covers
Ebooks and Pricing
Testing the Blogger Theory
Choosing Launch Dates
Market Your Words book
To self pub or not to self pub?
The Entrepreneurial Author

Interesting Articles

My friend and fellow Indelible, Susan Quinn, did a great series on self pubbing:
Where to Publish
Formatting Ebooks - The Easy Ways
Formatting Ebooks - The Hard Way
Publishing to iTunes

Stigma of Self Publishing by Lisa Nowak
Art of Self Pubbing by Allison Moon
Rediscovering the eshort market by Rebecca Knight
The Power of Community by Melisa Foster
All About ISBNs by Lisa Nowak
Pen Names by Megg Jensen
The IndieRevolution by Laura Pauling
It's all Subjective by Karen Hooper
Self Pub and Agents? by Megg Jensen
Creating a Cover by CK Bryant

Let me know if you have any questions!