Posts Tagged ‘publishing’

“The Street Urchin’s Gift”: Published!

Posted: June 24, 2013 in Progress Report, short story, Writing
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It seems that my life just keeps getting better all the time, and God willing, it’ll stay that way. Today I logged into my email and saw that The Writing Disorder, an online magazine for fiction, poetry, and essays, among other things, had notified authors that their summer issue had been launched. Guess what? My short story is in the summer issue!

“The Street Urchin’s Gift” is a short story told from the point-of-view of a homeless boy named Fletch living in Victorian England. At the time I was writing the story, I was going for stories that involved hard choices, such as leave your family or survive a war (that was Ripple‘s theme, for the most part). Because at the time I was obsessed with this manga taking place in Victorian London, I set the story there and tried to think up a very difficult choice for my main character. And as the story shows, I think I did it well enough that the story got published.

I’d like to thank The Writing Disorder for publishing my short story and I wish them the best of luck. They were so kind to me and fun to work with and I’m considering sending another short story to them.

If you would like to check out their website, click here. For my short story, follow this link.

The Quiet Game: The New Cover

Posted: June 20, 2013 in Progress Report, short story, Writing
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Ladies and gentlemen, you remember the cover I created for the e-book version of The Quiet Game:

TQG cover

I was especially proud of this cover. I created it all by myself, using just a photo taken on a cold, snowy night, Photoshop, and the advice of experienced assistants at Ohio State’s Digital Union. So when I learned how to use CreateSpace, I wanted to bring The Quiet Game to print paperback. But at the same time, I didn’t want to give up that cool cover. It’s awesome!

So I found a cover that would allow me to keep my first cover. And here it is:

new TCG cover

You like it? I wasn’t sure what color I was supposed to use for the back cover, but when I settled on Bright Orange, I saw a Halloween motif and went with it. I also put the words on the back in a black font, so that it’ll be easier to read.

And you know what this means, right? The Quiet Game will be available in both print and e-book version! And they’ll both be very affordable. So I hope you’re able to buy a copy when it comes out in…oh, how many days was it again?…27 days! Get excited people, because it’s coming out soon.

The Quiet Game: One Month To Publication

Posted: June 17, 2013 in Progress Report, Scary Stuff, short story, Writing
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TQG cover

Apparently God felt like being nice to me (thank you Sir). I checked the website for the US Copyright Office, and The Quiet Game: Five Tales To Chill Your Bones, has been copyrighted. That means The Quiet Game will be coming out in one month!

I’m super-excited and I cannot wait to put this baby online, possibly with a new cover (I’ll let you know later in the week how that goes) and in print and e-book version (hopefully). If you haven’t checked out The Quiet Game book trailer yet, please click below:

You can also like the FB page if you want to, and I encourage you to do so. If you want to, please click here. I hope you check out the page and that you’re as excited as I am for the release.

START THE COUNTDOWN! I have to modify my book page.

Reborn City: The New Cover

Posted: June 14, 2013 in Living and Life, Novel, Progress Report, short story, Writing
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On Wednesday, I created the cover for Reborn City out of a photograph and Photoshop. Problem was, I wasn’t completely satisfied with it. So, after much thought and encouragement from the ever-helpful Matt Williams, I turned to CreateSpace. If you don’t know what CreateSpace is, it’s a program through Amazon that you can use to self-publish ebooks, paperbacks, and all sorts of wonderful things. I’d never considered using CreateSpace because I heard it costs money, but I learned that only some services do, while others are very DIY and free-of-charge. And I like those options.

Now check out the old cover:

RC cover

Now check out the new one:

Reborn City

Same photograph, better picture. Sure, there’s no graffiti-esque writing, but this looks better, more professional. And maybe someday, if God is good to me, I can create the cover of my dreams with a later edition.

And guess what? CreateSpace also does print-on-demand paperbacks for no cost to the author, just a small percentage of royalties. Do you know what that means? It means all my books can be someday turned into ebooks and paperback editions! All you have to do is order them from Amazon!

And of course I’ll try to do this with The Quiet Game, get the cover to be customized so that it stays the cover. That’s one I can be satisfied with, I just hope I can get it onto the editions. I hope you’re as happy as I am! If I can, I’ll get the cover loaded up tomorrow, along with sending RC to the copyright office. It’s going to be fantastic!

Expect Reborn City November 1, people, and The Quiet Game this summer whenever that gosh-darn copyright is processed. Ooh, I’m so excited. Hope you’re excited with me!

My First Article For Self-Published Authors Helping Other Authors

Posted: June 14, 2013 in Journalism, Writing
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From now on when I announce articles for that blog, I’ll be doing some form of abbreviation.

Recently I took a position writing articles for a blog that helps self-published authors. Last night I finished my first article and uploaded it onto the blog. The article, titled “World-Building In Fiction”, talks about the importance of setting in a fiction story and techniques to improve the settings of one’s stories. I listed five points and added a photo of Cloud City from The Empire Strikes Back as an example of a complex and visually stunning setting.

To say the least, I’ve had a pretty good reaction. A couple of comments, pletny of likes. It makes me feel good, because this was my first article and I was really nervous about what sort of feedback I’d get. My thoughts basically were, “Does this sound preachy? If I say this, will someone be offended? Is the ending clear and concise? Does it even wrap up the article with any sort of finality?” To say the least, I’m relieved that nobody’s calling for me to be burned at the stake.

If you wish to read the article, you can follow the link here. Who knows? You might pick up a tip or two for your own writing.

Maybe.

Reborn City: The Cover

Posted: June 12, 2013 in Novel, Progress Report
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Ladies and gentle-bloggers. I would like you to see the cover to my science fiction novel Reborn City. Behold:

RC cover

Pretty neat, isn’t it? I had trouble getting the photo onto Photoshop at first, but eventually I got it on with some help. The rest was simple as pie. Once again, I used a photo as the basis for the cover. This time around, the photo was of my hand, with the Hydra symbol inked on (not like tattoo ink. My sister used a Sharpie). The cool thing is, readers will think the hand on the title belongs to male lead Rip, and they wouldn’t be far off, seeing as I intended it to be Rip’s hand. The title was meant to mimic spray paint, as that’s what would be used in Reborn City to mark walls.

Although not what I had exactly in mind (when is it ever?), I think this is a pretty good cover and I hope to create more like it in the future.

I’d like to thank my sister Adi for creating the symbol on my hand and for sending me the photo from her phone. It’s a good piece of work, and it’s going to end up on the “Books by Rami Ungar” page.

What do you think of the cover?

“Hunt in the Slaughterhouse”: Published!

Posted: June 12, 2013 in Progress Report, short story, Writing
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Boy, the good news keeps on rolling! Hunt in the Slaughterhouse, another short story I’ve been struggling to find a home for, has finally been published. It’s the story of an undercover cop investigating a neo-Nazi group. When he gets caught by members of the group, things get crazy!

This was one of my first experiences in writing thriller stories, though near the end it took a slightly slasher-esque twist. Either way, I really liked it, and I wanted to see it published. Unfortunately, a lot of places I submitted to either weren’t interested or never got back to me. But there was some light at the end of the tunnel: I remembered how Horror Zone, the magazine that published Revenge for a Succubus’s Beloved (read here if you haven’t read it yet), had taken a short story that had also struggled to find a home, and published it within a couple of days. I sent them Hunt in the Slaughterhouse two days ago, and they published it this morning. And apparently it’s doing well: sixty-something people have already read it, and four people have given some positive comments on the story.

I’d like to thank Horror Zone for publishing my short story and I wish them success in the future. And if you wish to read Hunt in the Slaughterhouse, follow the link here. I hope you like it and let me know what you think.

Reborn City: The Final Edits Are Done!

Posted: June 11, 2013 in Novel, Progress Report, Writing
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Oh, I am feeling good tonight, ladies and gentle-bloggers! After going at it for hours on end with only a few breaks to eat, use the bathroom, and working with my sister to create the base to the cover, Reborn City is done! It’s been a crazy and long process for this novel to reach this stage, begun in 2009 and finished right before I graduated high school, but I’m happy we’ve reached this stage.

I’d like to thank my sister Adi Ungar, who helped me with the cover (I’ll unveil it tomorrow after I’ve worked on it a little, God-willing), Matthew Williams for his tireless editing and tolerance to my semicolons and prodding (you’ll get part of that prize, I assure you Matt), and to all those who have supported me over the years and given me advice and encouragement.

Starting tomorrow, the easy parts of the publication process begins: I’ll write a dedication, a note to the readers, a letter of acknowledgement. Then I’ll format the novel so that it’s easy to read on e-reader. After that I’ll get the cover done and send it all to the copyright office, giving me plenty of time till November, when RC hit’s the digital stands. During the waiting period, I’ll create a book trailer, do interviews, create a Facebook page, spread the word, and get people excited. Oh, and The Quiet Game will be coming out during that time, so I’ll do some work on getting that out as well.

I’ll also decide what I want to write in the meantime (though I have a pretty good idea of what I’ll be writing at the moment). I’m looking forward to moving on and writing something new, I can tell you that much.

Wish me luck. I can promise exciting things from here on out, ladies and gentle-bloggers.

Reborn City: The Last Editing Stretch

Posted: June 11, 2013 in Novel, Progress Report, Writing
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Ladies and gentle-bloggers (I so have to patent that term), I have wonderful news.  My friend and fellow author Matt Williams (you can check out his work here) has sent me the final chapters of Reborn City, my science-fiction novel. He has also sent me his praise and some great feedback, so I can’t wait to get to work.

In fact, I’m going to get to work now. I’ve got 5 or 6 chapters to edit still, and then RC will be done. Then I will be able to write a dedication and an acknowledgements page, create the cover myself (I already have an idea for what I want the cover to look like), format the chapters for e-reader, and send it off to the copyright office. At this rate, I’ll be ready for publication by November, which is my ultimate goal. I can even create a book trailer for RC in that time. It’ll be great.

Thanks to Matthew Williams for looking through each chapter and giving me plenty of great feedback. I hope you’ll consider looking at RC‘s sequel, Video Rage, when I’m ready for beta readers to look at that. And thanks to everyone who’s been supporting me since I first began to write RC back in high school. I cannot wait to finally hand it to you and let you read it.

Just pay me a $2.99 download fee first so that I can afford to buy groceries, okay?

Off to edit now. Wish me luck!

Daisy: The First Review

Posted: June 9, 2013 in Review, short story, Writing
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Have you downloaded a copy yet?

Have you downloaded a copy yet?

It was bound to happen eventually, but I’m glad it did happen sooner rather than later.

On the Smashwords website, I got a review from a David Blake. Giving Daisy a rating of 3 out of (I’m assuming) 5 stars, this is what he had to say:

“An okay story.  The writing’s quite good for the most part, as it takes the trouble to describe things, yet often blending the descriptions in with the action.  The villain is given sufficient character, his background and motivation being conveyed by clues rather than by a less satisfying full-on explanation.
The main problem I had with the story is that Marie’s actions frequently suggest she’s been trapped in the building for a very long time, and yet the story never really gives the reader a proper sense that she has.  There are windows, yet Marie never looks out of them to see where the building is (she’s surprised when it later starts getting demolished).
The thought of a crazy hobo having (or using) an iPod didn’t quite ring true.
And there are some awkward lines too, such as unbuttoning buttons, and the use of the word ‘from’ twice-over (ie ‘from which the music was coming from’).
Overall, an average story with some good points and some not so good ones.”

Well, I guess it’s average because it was a short story from high school. I can only do so much in a short story, and since it dated from that period, it’s not as good as I’d like it to be. Still, I thought it deserved publication, which is the reason I selected it to be the promotional piece for The Quiet Game: Five Tales To Chill Your Bones. Hopefully more reviews will come in as time goes by. After all, reviews are a very important way for self-published authors to spread spread their work.

If you’ve yet to check out Daisy, I strongly encourage you to do so. It’s free on most websites and can be downloaded onto your e-reader, phone, or even a laptop or desktop computer. And when I finally get the copyright for it, get psyched up for The Quiet Game, coming out this summer.

All for now. I have a short story to write.

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