Writing an E-Book in 8 Hours

So last night I wrote, edited, formatted, created cover art for, and published an e-book. Well. Last night and this morning, actually. Wednesday at 8:03 p.m. I posted that my social media and email were going dark, because I had an 8-hour challenge to complete. Sometime in the next hour I started a timer for eight hours and bought a stock photo that I just knew would fit the cover, because I loved it.

That’s the cover art I ended up using, because I’d bought it and I ran out of time at the end. If I’d had another 8 hours to search stock photography sites, I might have done the cover a little differently.

Anyway. I’ve been working on an epic fantasy novel this summer, tentatively titled The Weather War. I know those characters, and I know several of them are good friends. I’ve even related a couple of “remember when” type stories in the first draft of TWW. But a couple of my favorite characters in TWW aren’t getting as much screen time as I would like. Enter the 8-Hour Ebook Challenge.

Two days ago, my friend Laura sent me a link to the blog post where Joe Konrath issues the 8-Hour Ebook Challenge. I didn’t have any idea what to do with it, but the notion sat in the back of my mind for a while, and I got an inkling of a plot idea.

I spent the bulk of those 8 hours writing. I drank a bottle of wine during those 8 hours (Sleepy Creek Vineyards’ Three Amigos, for the curious) and listened to a heck of a lot of whalesong. Because magic whales.

Sometime around 2:30 am, I realized I really needed to wrap up the story and figure out how to format an ebook. Jane Friedman’s Writing Advice Archive came in handy there. I used styles in MIcrosoft Word to create a filtered HTML file that I imported into Calibre. I used Photoshop Elements to create a cover, and then I spent some time figuring out Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing.

Not a lot of time.

Amazon KDP actually makes it really incredibly easy for the author to upload her work. So sometime between 4 and 5 am, I finished formatting and uploading the file. I stumbled off to bed and slept for the next nine hours.

When I woke up…I was a self-published author who’d already made one sale. (Okay, so it was to a friend, that still totally counts!)

Tomorrow and Saturday, while Joe Konrath blogs about all the amazing entries into his 8-Hour Ebook Challenge, “Stormsinger” is going to be available for free on Kindle. Regular price is $0.99, so it shouldn’t break the bank if you miss it during the free promo. It’s 8,400 words, and it gives you a little glimpse into the kingdom of Amethir, where I anticipate hanging out for many years to come.

Stormsinger

Captain Arama Dzornaea thought she was just supposed to transport Crown Prince Vistaren Doth’Mara to meet his contracted bride. As the king’s top privateer, she thinks she can handle anything. What Arama doesn’t anticipate is storms out of season, an unruly stormwitch, and a strange witchery echo that puts Arama, her ship the Dawn Star, and everyone aboard smack in the middle of a mystery.