Change—Resistance is Futile

Rise of the Machines Human Authors in a Digital World, social media authors, Kristen Lamb, WANA, Rise of the Machines

Change is scary. Okay, TERRIFYING. Yet, as writers, we should seek to always be pushing ourselves to the next level. It makes us stronger. Makes us grow. But, there are a few things about “going to the next level” I’d like to warn y’all about.

Yesterday, I finally sent my new book, Rise of the Machines—Human Authors in a Digital World off for formatting. This book has been almost two years in the making and you have NO idea how happy I am to finally reach this part of the journey. I’m not quite to the summit—physical book in hand and for sale—but I can see it….

…..so close….nearly THERE…..*grunts*

A Brief History of ROM (Rise of the Machines)

Two years ago, I scored a big-time agent and was over the MOON. Like many of you, I, too, dreamed of having a traditional deal. Not that my publisher at the time wasn’t awesome, but I thought it would be super cool to experience all sides of publishing—indie, traditional, and self-pub—so I could help you guys better. It’s a tad tricky to guide people down paths you haven’t seen.

Anyway, in summer of 2011, my new agent advised that I stop writing any more books on my own, that it would strengthen his position negotiating with publishers.

Okay.

So, I wrote my hundred-page proposal and waited…and waited…and *taps watch* waited some more. I nearly developed a twitch because this book was awesome, and I had ideas for so many more. But, no…I’d been told to wait. Not my strong suit, but, patience is a virtue, right?

I was actually okay waiting for a while. I was launching WANA International and WANATribe and traveling all over the country teaching. But, by December 2012? I was done. I requested that my agent quit working on ROM, that I was going to just publish it myself.

All Right, Done Waiting

Writers needed a guide that was current, relevant, and effective yesterday. And even if a traditional publisher magically offered me a deal? The lead-time was a YEAR, and I’d already lost 18 months.

I’d learned so much more that I wanted to share (namely the keys to connecting to and creating readers). I had a WANA 2.0 plan that was ten steps simple and left plenty of time to write more books (the most important thing we do, right?).

Of course, since the proposal was a year-and-a-half old I basically had to start over. Good thing blogging had seriously strengthened my writing muscles.

Also, during this two-year break, I’d been furiously reading all kinds of research about the history of communication, epidemiology, neuroscience, language, psychology, sociology, anthropology and all of this information added a depth and beauty to ROM that wouldn’t have been there without that hiatus. Sometimes waiting does pay off ;).

We Have To Do Stuff That Scares Us

It was scary to say to my agent, “Shelve it.” I wanted him to have the keys to my writing future. I had laundry to do and a refrigerator to clean out and did I even mention I have to potty train The Spawn? I have to do this, too? Whiiiiiiiiinnnne. I wanted someone else to tell me what to do. Don’t I make enough decisions?

Sigh.

And the publisher of my first books was very kind to me, good to me, but I work with a lot of self-published authors. It was time to go through the process myself, and it was hard to part from a publisher who’d been so wonderful. But, it was time to do this on my own, no training wheels publisher.

*takes shaky breath*

Hey, The Captain’s Chair is Kinda Comfy

I really liked the idea of creative control. I had to have the title Rise of the Machines. It was perfect. I even had my lawyer double-check to make sure I could use it for this book. I also had a very specific vision for what I wanted my cover to look like. Is it a risk? Yep. But, personally? I don’t care for the standard “non-fiction” cover. Snooze-fest. Also, this was a perfect opportunity to realize another big dream of mine.

I got to be a CYBORG! *fist pump*. Yes, that is actually me on the cover (though I won’t tell you which half :D).

My audience is creative people, fans of Dr. Who, Star Wars and Firefly. People who love vampires, car chases, monsters, love stories and Renaissance fairs. I wanted a cover that was artistic and shiny; one that might even look like a novel had been misplaced among the Target Your Readers Then SHOOT THEM IN THE FACE WITH AWESOME!!! marketing books.

Hey, I’m a misfit. My book should reflect that, right? And, hey, if I think it’s shiny, maybe y’all will too.

Maybe it will work? Maybe it won’t. But in the end? I got to be a cyborg Taking risks is part of growing.

We Risk Being Wrong

Hey, for all I know, self-publishing will make me want to hurl myself into traffic. Right now, I only have a glimpse of the process and, frankly, it resembles herding crack-addicted chickens.

I had to put a deadline on myself. I didn’t have an editor threatening me with a taser and Justin Bieber tunes to hold me to task. I also had to take charge of the cover creation and guide the artist until he created what was in my head. Now? Going through working with a formatter. All very new, exciting and terrifying territory.

What if this is a mistake? What if I was wrong? *shrugs* We never know unless we try, right?

We Need to Know it’s Okay to Be Wrong

If you dip a toe in The Red Sea and it doesn’t part? Step out. Might be the wrong time, wrong place, wrong “sea.” We learn from mistakes. I know a lot of things I did wrong during this process, so the next book? I will get to make new mistakes.

If we aren’t failing, we aren’t doing anything interesting. Failure sucks, but it’s a great teacher. Do I hope for super-duper success? SURE! But, great success comes with risk attached.

At least if I fall on my face, you guys will offer me digital hugs and digital daiquiris to ease my pain.

And we can’t please everyone. Some people will love the cover and others will hate it. Some will love the book and others have poor taste might prefer something more traditional that can be measured with algorithms and spreadsheets and reports.

Rise of the Machines is NOT a typical social media book, but I think it will prepare you guys no matter how technology or social media changes. I designed an approach ideal for the creative person (because it was written by a creative person).

I mean, COME ON! How many of you are doing this writing thing until you land your dream job in marketing or sales?

*crickets chirp*

Exactly.

WANA RELOADED

We are artists first, but that doesn’t mean we can’t have an amazing social media platform that’s resistant to all technology changes except implosion of the Internet…and then we have bigger problems than book sales.

The Zombie Apocalypse is at hand. *ratchets shotgun*

The WANA 2.0 plan is organic and will grow and mature as you grow and mature. It can even bend with shifts and changes in genre. It works for all kinds of authors—traditional, indie, self-pub. No matter your age or what stage of your career, the WANA 2.0 plan works for you. It isn’t a Social Media Snuggie One Size Fits All. It’s tailored to you. 

It’s simple, fun, and harnesses the same creativity you use in your books to connect to readers. My ideal launch date is going to be July 4th, Independence Day.

Hellloooo???? We Are Not Alone. Rise of the Machines. WANA RELOADED. Independence Day. Admit it. It’s NERD-TASTIC! Also, we writers are declaring our independence. We are not alone, and we can do this with or without a legacy publisher.

A few of you mentioned you mentioned that you wanted me to put ROM on Goodreads, so here it is! It isn’t out, but can be added to your TBR List. *HUGS*

WANA—Resistance is FUTILE

Anyway, enough about me. I love you guys and thanks for all your enthusiasm, your support and your love. The book is dedicated to you, because I couldn’t have done this without you. WANA is a kinder, gentler Borg…with a bouncy house and cookies :D.

What are your thoughts? Have you had to do some scary stuff lately? How did you handle it? Are you on the ledge facing doing something terrifying? What’s your advice? Hey, I’m new to the whole “self-pub” thing so any help would ROCK.

I love hearing from you! And today, I will select a winner from the comments to receive an advance copy of ROM (provided I figure out how to do that).

To prove it and show my love, for the month of June, everyone who leaves a comment I will put your name in a hat. If you comment and link back to my blog on your blog, you get your name in the hat twice. If you leave a comment, and link back to my blog, and mention my book We Are Not Alone in your blog…you get your name in the hat THREE times. What do you win? The unvarnished truth from yours truly.

I will pick a winner once a month and it will be a critique of the first 20 pages of your novel, or your query letter, or your synopsis (5 pages or less).

And also, winners have a limited time to claim the prize, because what’s happening is there are actually quite a few people who never claim the critique, so I never know if the spam folder ate it or to look for it and then people miss out. I will also give my corporate e-mail to insure we connect and I will only have a week to return the 20 page edit.

At the end of June I will pick a winner for the monthly prize. Good luck!

102 comments

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  1. I am so thrilled for you, and for everyone who will benefit from this book. Thank you for risking, and OMG, best cover EVER!

    Angela

    1. RIGHT? I like to just sit and stare at it. I want to write it love poetry? Is that weird?

  2. Way to go Kristen! Eighteen months will not seem so long to some people, but when you have a hot idea that seems to be languishing because no one else sees the urgency it can become like a lifetime. So glad you got over this hump and are getting so close.

  3. Congrats! It looks fabulous and I can’t wait to read it! I self-published my first book because it was a little thing intended for teachers and man, did the universe have other ideas! It’s become huge with teachers, vets, animal rescues and organizations who deal with disabled animals. I’m living proof – we don’t get strong direction to go do something unless it’s something the world is waiting for.

    Wishing you every success with it!

  4. Congratulations, and awesome cover. Oh, and “If we aren’t failing, we aren’t doing anything interesting,” is my new favorite quote, at least for today.

    1. Oh, and I linked back to you from my blog post for the day. http://theotherstephenkingonwriting.blogspot.com/2013/06/a-slacker-am-i.html is the link to it.

  5. Scary is not an option. Many years ago I read a book “The Territorial Imperative”. It talks about how creatures mark out their areas and try to keep others out of their space. I extended the concept in business. If I can meet with a client in their comfortable space, they will be more relaxed and they might even think I am not comfortable being in their space, it is to my advantage in the end. If I can stay out of the scary thoughts. Scary is not an option.

  6. The cover is appropriately over-the-top for a non-fiction. It’s jumps out at you. I’m interested to hear your journey through self-pub as it progresses and can’t wait to get a copy of ROM.
    Pre-sales? I’ve got my credit card ready.

  7. Congrats Kristen, wish you success all the way! 🙂

  8. July 4th is less than a month away, but it seems so long when I want to get my hands on it now 🙂 Just have to say again how much I love that cover. I find most NF covers to be boring (or kind of ugly *ducks tomatoes*) so I’m glad you took the risk to do something different.

    • Jennifer Cole on June 14, 2013 at 10:28 am
    • Reply

    I LOVE THE COVER!!!! I LOVE IT! IT’S TOTALLY WICKED! Date: Fri, 14 Jun 2013 14:59:54 +0000 To: jlynncole@hotmail.com

  9. Truthfully? That cover rocks, and not just because it’s all shiny and has you as a cyborg. Well, maybe a little bit. But more than that, it rocks because it illustrates your title, states your theme (in another way) and shows your (twisited) sense of humor. Creativity, thy first name is Kristen.

  10. Can’t wait to have a new book of yours to read and promote. Wow that cover is something else. What’s the book description going to be? I already popped over to Goodreads to see if I could add it to my TBR but its not there yet. LOL yeah see I want it NOW. Hopefully you’ll start a new trend in non-fiction covers.

  11. I totally agree that taking risks is important ! You are truly inspiring stepping out and doing something scary. When your passion is more powerful than fear, you are unstoppable =) Good luck and I look forward to your book!

  12. Cleve, eye catching cover! Can’t wait until I can read your new book. You always have excellent self pub advice and I could use all the advice in the world.

  13. Oh as to advice get it up on GR even if you don’t have a specific date just put year in. Be yourself in your book description, fun and crazy but including key points. And the biggie: don’t tweet and post “buy my book” all over the place. ROTFL Remember you have a salesforce in your fans and as soon as we know your books gone live we will be there for you with sales, reviews, request for guest posts (pretty please), and generally talking about your book.

    Did I miss anything?

    1. Just added it per your suggestion.

      Rise of the Machines COMING SOON!

    2. It’s part of why I don’t really hang out there. I love all the books but the author spam! OY VAY!

  14. Failure? Not to worry; we’re all falling forward here!

    • Anne Marie on June 14, 2013 at 10:42 am
    • Reply

    First off, the cover looks awesome! Secondly, could you expand sometime on that bit about having your lawyer check the title? With all the books out there, I’d think the law of large averages would say there’s bound to be duplicate, triplicate titles.

    1. My concern wasn’t duplicating the title. I was concerned with Hollywood since Rise of the Machines was part of the log-line for one of the Terminator movies. You can’t copyright titles, but you can trademark. So I had to be careful. Good news was the trademarking had expired years ago.

        • Anne Marie on June 14, 2013 at 11:06 am
        • Reply

        Thank you! I was concerned there was now ONE MORE THING to worry about. I appreciate the clarification!

  15. …I wanna be a borg.

    1. Welcome to the WANAs 😀

  16. Congrats Kristen! Love the cover and title – they are so YOU! Perfect for a Social Media Jedi who helps us writers navigate the interweb. 🙂

  17. Hi Kristen, I would love a copy of Rise of the Machines because, like all emerging (aargghh) writers, I’m a machine on the rise. And I can’t wait till the 4th of July when we will have houseguests and I won’t have time to read. Wah-na.

    1. Have your family gather round the fire, roast marshmallows and read my book aloud! Problem solved! SCORE! 😀

  18. Way to stick it to the traditional routes. It takes some serious guts to say no and beat your own drum. I know I’m going to have some serious decisions to make when my work is market ready.

  19. I think the cover is RAD!

  20. I was with you in Heidegger class getting yelled at (in the best possible way) in German and Greek and let me just say you are just doing some amazing things. Good job by you.

    • annerallen on June 14, 2013 at 11:18 am
    • Reply

    Major congrats, Kristen! The cover is smart and sexy. I know you made the right decision. I think the Big 6 has pretty much scammed itself out of the nonfiction market. I recently had dealings with an agent re a nonfic book and discovered the requirements are basically: you need to have a PAC to buy up all the books and fake “bestseller” status. Only politicos with deep pockets (and reality TV celebrities) need apply. But it turns out that’s a good thing. They’re so slow and creaky that any Big 6 nonfic book will be obsolete by the time it launches.

    I can’t wait to read the book!

    • Melissa Lewicki on June 14, 2013 at 11:19 am
    • Reply

    I love the cover. But, based on your other writings, I am sure I am going to love the inside even more! Best of luck with the new book.

  21. Congrats on the upcoming release – LOVE the cover!!! Self-pub is perfect for something like this that may be outdated by the time tradpub gets the initial release out (although I understand your basic concepts will work regardless of changes in tech). You’ll do great in selfpub – you already have what it takes: a willingness to learn and work hard, and a great community to help!

  22. Congrats! You have a beautiful cover.

    I totally don’t blame you for being impatient, since I have no patience myself.

    1. I dunno. Eighteen months seems pretty darn patient, LOL. Thanks!

      1. 18 months is pretty good…I would have caved in half that time, lol 😛

    • sonjadhutchinson on June 14, 2013 at 12:14 pm
    • Reply

    I love the cover! That definitely appeals to the creative folks out there–I’d pick it up even without the bouncy house and cookies.

    My “scary moment” is that I’m the span of suck between writing awesome books and finding an agent. I recently sent out a bucket-load of queries. Now the rejections are slowly filtering in. I had two requests for partial manuscripts, but one already came back with a “no thanks.” I’ve been here before, and probably will be again (I’m too darn patient, I mean stubborn, to ever give up, so these agents will be hearing from me for the rest of their professional careers until I land one of them, club them with my baton, and stuff them in the cooler) so I’ll just keep plugging along. Thanks for the great posts!

  23. Love LOVE the cover! My scary moment just happened. It was personal, so I won’t get into it here. I felt the joy, and then the rug come out from under my feet. But now I know how strong I can be.

  24. How do I link back to you from my blog?

  25. This is a great post, thanks. I like how you structured it and I truly appreciate your enthusiasm and humor, particularly in the “Captain’s Chair” section. As for, “If we aren’t failing, we aren’t doing anything interesting” I try to embrace that philosophy often as a way to face my fear of failure.

  26. Fantastic cover! Inspired for a non-fic!! I’ve been getting a cover designed for my new novel – and that process is SO tricky…. but my scary bit has been contacting local papers and radio stations as an indie-pubbed author (especially as mine are available as ebooks only atm.) to try to raise the profile of The Angel Bug for its launch date!! Failing and falling forward! Deep breath – and .. go for it again! Thanks for all your inspiration in every blog!

    • malindalou on June 14, 2013 at 1:23 pm
    • Reply

    I’ll share a bit of advice I got from Copyblogger that gets me through when I have the willies about something: If you’re not a little nervous about what you’re doing, you’re not growing, because growth is scary.

  27. Great post, great cover! Leaves one thinking, this author is on to something new with futuristic insight. I love it, luv it. 🙂

  28. Great cover 7 of 13. Again you knock me out with your honesty around the fears and trepidation of self-publishing, Rise Of The Machine. I can’t wait to read it. In the mean time I’ve gushed about you’re courageous adventure on Fridays post at 7evildwarves.wordpress.com

    86 of 114

  29. I think that cover could also work for a sci-fi novel. xD Stunning.

  30. The scariest thing I’ve done lately is sending out my first (and only) query ever. I had an idea for a magazine article, I hemmed and hawed over it for a long time, and then eventually I said, “You know what? Worst that can happen, they say no (or don’t answer. Big deal, right?” It was a little nerve-wracking, and thus far it’s turned out to be fruitless, but at least I proved that I was brave enough to try it!

    P.S. Potty training? It involves a lot of cleaning up of messes for the first little while, but what worked really well for us was to just strip our daughter down to her bare bum, sit her on the potty every so often, praise her when she went in the pot and let her know that it was very bad if she went on the floor. A little painful going at first, but it only took about a month before she was trained, and now we have a 2-1/2 year old who doesn’t even wear diapers to bed. 🙂

  31. I’m going to buy your book as soon as it’s available. Your blog has inspired and challenged me so often, I want to be not only a follower but a customer.

    The scariest thing I’ve done lately was sign up for an actual writing class. It starts Wednesday. It’s scary, but also very exciting.

      • Melissa Lewicki on June 14, 2013 at 3:03 pm
      • Reply

      We stripped out daughter naked and left the potty in the middle of the living room. Worked really well.

  32. AWESOME cover. Maybe you’ll start a revolution against boring non-fic cover art!!!!

    … Trying not to hold my breath until I get a copy.

    … of course, you’re bound to get at least one drone who’ll complain that, ‘it’s not science fiction!’

  33. First and foremost, congratulations on your new book! And the awesome cover—pretty rockin’.

    Every day, I face the fear. And not to be too cliche, I do it any way. Because I have to. I’m a copywriter and going forward in the face of fear is the only way to pay the bills. New projects I’m afraid of screwing up, presentations I’m afraid I’ll bomb (had one this morning and no one told me I had breakfast muffin crumbs on my chin), new standards I have to measure up to. Always scary.

    But at the end of (almost) every one, I emerge a bit stronger, a bit smarter and a bit more capable than before. And in every instance, my best work is created when I throw caution to the wind and just sally forth.

  34. Taking risks is something I definitely need to work on. I’ve been proofreading at the same bizarre establishment for *gasp* *gulp* *shudder* SIX YEARS.

    (And I too LOVE the cover.)

  35. Reblogged this on sharonholly and commented:
    I’m going to have to purchase this book by Kristen Lamb, just for the delicious cover art and title!

    (I’m just kidding. I’ve been following her blog for a while now and I’m sure there is an abundance of amazing content too!)

    • DeeAnna Galbraith on June 14, 2013 at 3:43 pm
    • Reply

    Kristen, I met with my small press Indie publisher for the first time yesterday. Scary stuff, but I have never been more jazzed. Can’t wipe off that smile *doin’ the Snoopy dance*

  36. Love the cover! Nice one.

    Cheers

    MTM

  37. Love the cover!
    It is scary to be making all of these decisions on my own as an indie. Luckily there are pros like Kristen out there offering some guidance.

  38. Where is your unsubscribe link?????

    1. In the e-mail from WP there is a link to unsubscribe. Best of luck!

  39. I really like your cover. I would scan the insides based on the cover. I would pick it up to look at the back, if it was in a pile of other books because of the title and photo. Good luck with it. I am sure it will sell at eVenues. Let us know when it is in the marketplace.

    It is exciting to know that I could self-publish, have more control of my fate.

    God knows what we will do at all points in time, yet God gives us the freedom to do what we believe in and what we want to do, no matter what we decided to do. It is always our choice with God.

    I am not talking about a delinquent priest with self-imposed powers playing god.

    I believe that you are making the right decision.

  40. Nerd-tastic! It looks awesome, can’t wait to read it!

    • Aerisa on June 14, 2013 at 7:23 pm
    • Reply

    Nice cover. Looks…shiny 🙂

  41. Looking forward to picking your book up, Kristen. Bloody outstanding cover. You’re such a trailblazer!

    1. I LOVE the “bloody outstanding.” You are forever in my Texas heart <3

      1. Thanks, Kristen! Question: I might be moving to Eastland. Do you know what it’s like there?

      2. One of my roommates just saw the cover for the first time. He said it was great! He also thinks it will increase your readership because you’ve departed from the norm. Brilliant!

  42. Hi Kristen,
    Two things:
    1) this is why you have two. People think I’m joking when I say my daughter has done a wonderful job of raising my son. Sadly, I’m being totally honest and giving her the credit she deserves. They’re 2.5 yrs apart.
    2) If this didn’t jump into print publisher’s Must Publish pile, could it be because you’re advising writers on how to succeed without them? On line? Just wondering,
    It does look bloody outstanding 😉

  43. Congratulations! 18 months spent waiting? I’d say that was reasonable—in 1913. The publishing industry wonders why the wheels are falling off their train and don’t recognize that the machines on the rise are computers. Your cover is great, not just because it’s timely, but because it’s an excellent example of how to self-publish: it’s basis is what was at hand, which was yourself.

    • Yvette Carol on June 14, 2013 at 9:26 pm
    • Reply

    Can’t wait to read it, Kristen, and kudos on taking things into your own hands, and being a brave WanaMama!

  44. Oh, Kristen, it’s beautiful! *Pets shiny cover through the screen* I’m so buying it the moment it’s out.

    (And I’m honoured you wrote a book and had the cover designed specifically for me! 😉 )

  45. I love the title. I love the cover. I love the concept.

    And just today I said to my best friend that my indecisiveness is likely related to my perfectionism. After all, if you never put yourself out there, you never experience rejection. You can keep claiming that you are working on the next masterpiece, the epitome of perfection, worthy of awe and applause…which you will receive one of these days, when you finally pull the cover off and reveal it to the world…but it’s not ready yet, of course.

    I’m learning to become a doer. You might as well RISK something so that you can actually DO something. Just like Kyle Reese said in the rise of the machines movie when he described moving through time: “White light. Pain. It’s like being born, maybe.” But it’s worth it.

  46. How did you get to this stage? I would like to be a self-publisher too. Hehehe.

    1. Having a completed book helps. Also network. Meet people. I don’t have time to learn to do a lot of new things, so I am sacrificing money to pay others. Join WANATribe and there are tribes for self-published authors who have a LOT more knowledge than me. But don’t do this without a platform. It’s almost suicide.

      1. Great advice. At a camera workshop I attended yesterday, I took some photos of a pelican overpowering a smaller bird with a fish in its mouth. All the little bird’s hard work had been for nothing. The big beastie did horrible things to it before it devoured the catch – (recatch?). Later, when I looked at the pics, I turned my thoughts to writing.

        We invest much effort in each ms and it has been documented that not all writers hook decent publishers, due to inexperience. Similarly, some birds fish in environmentally unfriendly waters, also unaware of the pitfalls.

        The pelican story is one of them and the beastie’s MO of ‘recatching’ worked in its favour. However, in the writing world, that MO goes under the name of plagiarism. It’s hard yakka for the copyright owner of the writing and the emotional and financial scenes ensuing from those actions are not uplifting, unless you happen to be one of those leeches.

        Poor writer in more than one sense. Poor, smaller bird, neck broken and dying on the shore… No I didn’t photograph the death scene, but the message I took from nature is to invest your harvest, for one’s bettement – not for someone else’s.

        Writers have more choices than wildlife does. However, contemplating suicide without first considering Kristen’s said recommendation is definitely not a goer for any wordsmith. It’s an unnecessary pathway. The alternative, is a clear-cut decision for aspiring writers to heed her counsel and seek support at the WANNAs.

        1. The editors, which I have discussed writing with, are more concerned about a good story than a writer having credentials or being the best at something else. The problem with being published among the very best writers is you need a Literary Agent to be read by the giant publishing houses. Literary agents are the weeding out process since thousands of submissions are sent a day to one of the well-known publishers. There are opportunities with small press houses and contests for book contracts and houses asking for submissions without an agent – but you have to write their specific demands. The best alternative is self-publishing, if you have the capital for the long-run and the desire to learn how to do it.

      2. Thank you so much for replying.I don’t even know if I even have that passion. I hope you enjoy what you are doing! You are an inspiration. I hope that you’re not too far to feel my sincerity too 🙂

  47. Awesome post, Kristen! Can’t wait to read your new book. I really love what you said here:

    If you dip a toe in The Red Sea and it doesn’t part? Step out. Might be the wrong time, wrong place, wrong “sea.” We learn from mistakes. I know a lot of things I did wrong during this process, so the next book? I will get to make new mistakes.

    I’m currently learning from a mistake I made, so your post is very timely!! Thanks.
    Darlene

  48. Kristen, you’re infectious, one of those people who draws others in. Apart from writing words, now you’ve got me wanting to design covers!

    Yes, I do have an idea suited to my WIP (a misfit!)… It’s bursting to get out there but word polishing comes first.

    There’s a lot for me to find out here so I won’t be going away, except to take time out and set up my own blog. Never felt the urgency to do this before.

  49. Love the launch date that goes with the awesomeness of the theme! I too am ready to buy and keep learning from you – thanks for continuing to blog and keep us moving along with you as you explore uncharted territories!

  50. Herding crack-addicted chickens. LOL. That’s totally what it’s like. So happy for you. LOVE the cover 🙂

  51. Inspiring words, thank you!

  52. Congratulations on the cover and the nerdtastic release date! I’ve been assimilated and checked in–thanks. 😉

  53. Can’t wait to read this new book. Looks great. So does the cover. Well done on having the courage to say goodbye to the agent. That is one of the things I like about being an indie author; having control over everything myself. Good luck with it.

  54. Dude! (can I call you dude?)

    This sounds awesome, putting on my reading list. Congrats on the hard work to fruition thing!

    1. Sure! Thanks for the compliment *fist bump*

  55. I love this cover, and I can’t wait until it’s released! I love that you take a non-traditional approach.

  56. Dynamite cover. Best of luck.

  57. Good luck with your new baby/book. Looking forward to reading it! The cover is terrific, btw…and so is the cyborg/you 😀

  58. Awesome cover..I am about to release my first book (The Bad Times Bible) and it is a scary prospect. However the idea of not doing it scares me even worse and makes me kind of angry so…. Here we go!

  59. Thank you for this post, Kristen. I’m about to self-pub my middle grade novel and I’m scared to death. I’m going to print out your post and leave it where I can read your words every day. Just so I don’t jump off the ledge!

  60. I am so excited! Congratulations!
    I self-pubbed my first book and didn’t see the results I wanted or get the glorious worshiping of adoring fans I was hoping for, so I took it down, went over it again, asked my critique group for help- we weren’t together when I wrote it, and re-vamped it. Right now my editor is reading it and slow read aloud copy edit pace and I am hopeful the response will be more welcoming this time around, but I also have several other books in various stages of writing an d editing, still moving forward still trying to get better with each book.

  61. Way to go girl! Awesome cover by the way and already added to my TBR list. I have only published once with a small publisher that was a co publishing deal. Not working out very well since I had no idea about social networking at the time. I’m working on that and reading your blog and holding out for a traditional publisher. You are inspiring and thanks for that! I will repost on my blog.

  62. Reblogged this on Cynthia Stacey and commented:
    Awesome inspiring article by Kristen Lamb author of We Are Not Alone and Rise of the Machines

  63. Wow! That was a very brave thing to do. I commend you. My first book, The Basement will be released August 20th. I’ve already written my second book, Lilith, but I’m not sure I want to go the traditional route this time. It just took so long. So maybe I’ll be brave and give self publishing a try.

  64. Love the Star Trek Borg / Terminator mix! I anticipate holding that masterpiece in my hands, and I look forward to much needed help marketing my latest release. My friend Kimberly Cook turned me on to your blog. I must thank her profusely!

    • Cheryl Marcus on June 18, 2013 at 12:42 pm
    • Reply

    Taking risks is scary, especially when it means dipping one’s toe into the self publishing pool. Although I have been writing off and on over 20 years while juggling home, family, and all the rest life can bring, I kept trying to go the traditional route but always seemed “a day late and dollar short”. Your words have given me hope to take the plunge into self publishing with all of its inherent risks. BTW – fabulous cover!

    • Rose on June 18, 2013 at 5:16 pm
    • Reply

    Looks interesting and the timing will be right for me, as I try to get my first novel up and running.

  65. Holy Cover, Batman! I’ll be waiting. Happy sales, Kristen.

  66. So, so, so excited!!!! *squee* Yippee. I can’t wait to read it. So hurry up already. 😀

  67. Way to rock, Kristen. Thank you for the inspiration–non-sugar-coated, as usual. Digital daquiries to you!!

  68. Thanks for all your encouragement. It helps to know “we’re not alone.”

  69. LOVE the cover. LOVE the title. Thanks for taking those risks that help ALL of us!

  70. YES! it’s coming out TWO DAYS before I leave! Does it come out for kindle? Please say yes *_*

  71. I think the cover is great. In the meantime I added your books to my pile and will start reading as soon as I can!

  1. […] to best selling author Kristen Lamb! She just finished her third book about social media, Rise of the Machines, and it’s […]

  2. […] Kristen Lamb’s blog post yesterday featured her new book Rise of the Machines (I couldn’t find an amazon link for it, but it comes out July 4, 2013.) She talks about change being a scary but exciting thing. She got to be a cyborg took some risks with her cover art, and it turned out awesome (yes, that’s really her as a cyborg). […]

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