An Abundance of Things

WOW, a lot has happened since my last post! I feel bad for falling so far behind. I hope you guys will forgive me! I'll just do my best to make up for it with an intense post. How does that sound? And to get you guys excited, there is going to be some REALLY AWESOME NEWS about a certain sale going on at the end of this post. And maybe a funny picture or two for you. Maybe.

First order of business: New author photos! I got a few pictures taken, that now are on the back cover of The Dreamers Second Edition, and The Nightmarers as well. New author photos on ALL the books!

 Next order of business: This little award! The Idaho Book Extravaganza, a program held every year to help educate and support authors, writers, publishers, readers, and books of Idaho, holds an awards ceremony every year. They award people who produce the best books, covers, interior design, and more in Idaho. These award categories are split into subsections for fiction and nonfiction. This year, The Dreamers Second Edition won an "Honorable Mention" for Idaho's TOP 10 FICTION BOOKS!

Many other extremely talented writers and inspiring people were awarded at the event. Lots of hard work went into the event, and it was a great success. Everybody in and out of this picture is fantastic. 

(And I'm not excluding you, dear reader).

Can you find me in the picture? Where's Waldo Oliver? :)

Earlier, I had the opportunity to speak at my local library for a few minutes on self-publishing, and how I published my books. It was pretty fun, and also inspiring to see young kids interested in how to accomplish something. (Back in June, I taught a week-long publishing course at CSU to kids of the same age group for the second time, which was also a LOT of fun!)

And on to more recent news, (as in, earlier TODAY news...)

I finished NaNoWriMo! 50,000 words in the month of November. This is my second consecutive win, third win overall, and fourth year participating! More information on the book I wrote for NaNo (and am continuing to write!) can be found here.

The moral of this post:

BONUS CONTENT: ("But wait, there's more!)

Do you know what this is? This is the schedule for my Kindle Countdown Deal! (Cyber Monday, Holla!) Next to the date, it has the price that the book will be on that date. This means that on December Second, you can get The Dreamers for just 99 CENTS! Each following day will add a dollar to the price until it's back to its normal price. (So hurry, before the price goes up!) Here's where the SPECIAL part comes in! The Nightmarers will have the same deal going on at the same time. So you could pick up the entire series so far for less than the price of ONE of them normally!

Just like last time, with great power savings, comes great responsibility. Well, not really. But it sure would be nice if you could leave a nice review of both books on Amazon, and share the deal with your friends! This helps lead to more sales later down the road, so I can afford to keep writing and entertaining and stuff. I don't want a deskjob. Or a job at McDonalds. Or Burger King. (Though Wendy's wouldn't be that bad, would it?) This promo helps you get a great deal, and if you help me out a little in return, helps me out a LOT!

Thanks, you guys are awesome! Stay sweet!

Dream on!

Oliver Dahl

&

Sam Kullen

The Dreamers Series

The Dreamers by Oliver Dahl

About The Dreamers: Sam Kullen is a Dreamer. Every night he dreams, and he lives in each one. Together, the Dreamers must stop Malfix from taking over the Dream Realm, and earth itself. The Dreamers also have the ability to control events on earth through their dreams. Sam and the Dreamers must prevent Malfix from controlling things... for the worse.

Praise for The Dreamers: 

"...an adventure with colourful landscapes and fantastic feats of manipulation of dream-stuff that rivals the magic in tales of wizardry that are the manna of the Fantasy reader...."

"...You won't be disappointed!"

"Holds...well against many books written by much older authors... Never a dull moment...amusing and undeniably creative..."

The Dreamers has won the author several awards, including Top 50 ID Author 2011 (as chosen by Friesens) and Idaho Student of the Year (selected by Idaho PTA). At times, it has remained in the top 3-5% of all books and Kindle books on Amazon.com, and even outsold other popular, traditionally published authors at these times. Several famous authors own autographed copies of The Dreamers, including Brandon Mull, Richard Paul Evans, and Obert Skye, to name a few.

Need something else? You can read the introduction to The Dreamers for free!

The Dreamers can be purchased in most online bookstores, as well as a few brick-and-mortar (physical) stores. It can be requested to be added to inventory at any Barnes & Noble in America. As for online stores, The Dreamers is available in the following places:

• Amazon Paperback
• Amazon Kindle
• Barnes & Noble Nook
• Sony Reader
• Apple iBooks
• Kobo Reader

About The Nightmarers: After losing all of its members in the war with Malfix, Sam Kullen has to rebuild his team of Dreamers in time to face the ultimate nightmare. After being wrongly accused, Sam and The Dreamers must come together to prove their innocence, rescue those imprisoned after the war, and unveil the true culprit. Once again they must save the day, all the while trying to maintain their underground status; not only in our world, but in other realms as well.

* * *

What people are saying about The Nightmarers: 

"It felt new and fresh but in a familiar context - a rarity for a second book in a series. Plenty of action and good versus evil"

You can read through chapter 4 of The Nightmarers without even leaving my blog!


The Nightmarers:

• Chapter 1
• Chapter 2
• Chapter 3
• Chapter 4

You can also read through Chapter 8 in the Kindle preview on Amazon.com.

The Nightmarers is also available in many places online. Below are just a few of the most popular places/formats to get it!

• Amazon Paperback
• Amazon Kindle
• Barnes & Noble Nook (coming soon)
• Sony Reader (coming soon)
• Apple iBooks (coming soon)

If you have read and/or purchased The Nightmarers or The Dreamers, I'd like to thank you right now for doing so. It's because of people like you that independently and self-published authors can be successful. Your help and support means a lot. Thank you.

Follow @OliverWDahl on Twitter.

Like The Dreamers on Facebook!  

And forget about Google+, because screw them.
But, if you really want to...


Dream on!
Oliver Dahl
&
Sam Kullen

The Nightmarers Preview 4

"I'm Sam. I can help you."

5 days and counting. The 4th exclusive chapter of The Nightmarers. 3 short steps away from publication. The 2nd book in The Dreamers. 1 epic addition to the award-winning series. The next time I post, it will be for The Nightmarers' release. Who's excited?! (Other than yours truly, of course). 5...4...3...2...1...

Let's get this started! I'll present to you Chapter 4 of The Nightmarers, and then we'll party on. Look for the entire book in both print and eBook format on Amazon.com. You can look for its smoky blue cover to appear on my author page on February 12th. It will be $2.99 on kindle, and $9.99 paperback. I hope that if you enjoyed The Dreamers, you'll pick up its sequel, too. (And hey--even if you didn't like it!) Of the people I've heard back from about what they thought, I've heard only that The Nigtmarers is even better than its precursor. I think you'll feel the same way. So... Give it a whirl! For less than a coffee, you can get it on your eReader. Or less than Chicken McNuggets, if you don't spend money on coffee. Or, less than... something that's 3 dollars, if you don't buy either of those. If you haven't read The Dreamers yet, you can do so by clicking here.

Well, I'm getting distracted just like Sam does. You came for the excerpt, so let's have at it! Without further ado... Chapter 4 of The Nightmarers.

* * *

Still in shock from my new narcoleptic recruits, I was not yet ready for Sandi. I was in the middle of a lesson with Kris and Andromeda. I was explaining to them how other people dreamed, how they simply came to the Dream Realm in their subconscious form, and how injuries that happen here don't affect their physical bodies on earth. I was reading out of my newly published copy of The Dreamer's Handbook.

I was referencing this handbook, trying to answer all of their questions. (They reminded me of myself in that aspect), when I suddenly just felt... strange.

“Hang on,” I murmured. The twins glanced at each other, side-long, in that style that kind of irritates me, leaving me to wonder what they were thinking. I pursed my lips and vanished from the room, a copy of me, made in smoke, swirling into nothingness in my place.

I didn't know where I needed to go; but when I arrived, I knew I had come to the right place. There was just... this feeling in my gut, telling me that I was in the right spot.

I had rarely ventured here, so I knew very little about it, other than Thep's bad experience with the sand crabs.

I was in Paradisa, one of the seven different territories of the Dream Realm. Malfix, the villain of the Dream Realm, had owned it, previously, so I tended to stay away from it. Malfix had been bent on owning and controlling all of the Dream Realm. By having complete control, he thought that he would be able to take the Dreamers' powers and make himself master of the Dream Realm and Earth. You can see why I was reluctant to go there.

To my left was a jungle, thick with undergrowth and palm trees. To my right was another of the territories that made up the Dream Realm, the Ceruvian Sea, stretching with the sand and jungle for miles and miles.
I was standing on a perfect beach, the waves lazily tickling the soft, pale sand. On this particular stretch of pristine beach, there were dozens, maybe even hundreds of people soaking up the sun and surf. The breeze, billowing whiteclouds, barbecues, and sand castles added to the paradisaical feel of the place.

Everyone looked at peace, happy to be there. Everyone except a girl, not 15 feet away from me. Sandi. She sat numbly, looking out to sea, watching the sun set while wiping tears from her eyes. I approached her and introduced myself.

“I'm Sam. I can help you.”

She looked up at me. “You don't even know me.” She replied softly

“I may not know you, but I... I know what you're going through. Grab my arm, I want to show you something.”

Fortunately, she didn't need a lot of convincing. We vanished just as the sun slipped completely under the surface of the sea.

* * *

What do you guys think? Let me now in the comments! I always love reading each and every one of your responses. I usually get back to you, too. This is one of my favorite chapters in the book. I loved being able to describe such an idealistic scene, that was fake all along. It felt like a scene from Inception. :) I also love the way Sam extended his help to Sandi. We see that he's a nice guy, with others' interests at heart. He's just the kind of all-around-great guy that I aspire to be like. A fun fact for you: the name "Sandi" means "defender of others" or "defender of man". I thought this was interesting, because as Dreamers, that is their ultimate goal. No matter what the other trials are, it all comes down to helping mankind. Sandi is kind of the model Dreamer for their group as a whole.

Catch your interest? Buy The Nightmarers now on Amazon.com!

Comment prompt: I did this in an earlier post, but it never really took off. Paradisa, the paradise land Sam meets Sandi in, varies from person to person. Some see it as the tropical beach, others see it as a lake in the mountains, or a large mansion on rolling hills. What would your paradise be?

Again, I hope you liked it! Please feel free to ask any questions, tell me what you thought, and what your Paradisa would be! I hope you guys are looking forward to The Nightmarers!

Dream on!

Sam Kullen

&

Oliver Dahl

The Nightmarers Preview 3

Well, it's that time of the month again! Today, I present not only Chapter 3 of The Nightmarers, but also exciting news as to its release!

The Nightmarers will be live and published on... [drumroll!] February 12th! The news is out, the word is final! Look for it on that day on Amazon, or request it from your local bookstore!

Now that we have our exciting news behind (or rather, ahead) of us, I present to you... Chapter 3 of The Nightmarers!

If you missed the previous excerpts, they can be found at the links below:

The Nightmarers Preview 1

The Nightmarers Preview 2

Enjoy, and happy reading!

* * *

In the blazing cold where the Ice Caves used to be, I had but one thought. Where were they? I had no idea, but they were beginners and I decided that was a good enough excuse.

Then again, checking my watch, I saw it was still quarter 'til. These kids still had a few minutes.

With a start, I realized I didn't even know their names—or... anything about them! I made a mental note to find out.

I shivered. I showed up nearly half an hour early, so... where were they? I tapped my feet on the ice, trying to keep them from freezing.

Finally, there was a blur in the air, and two figures appeared. One was wearing a large T-shirt and sweatpants, while the other, slightly shorter, was wearing pink fleece pants, and a large T-shirt as well.

By the time they finally came up, it was nearly ten after the hour! I couldn't help but give a slight complaint.

“What took you so long?” I chided.

The boy answered, “What? I didn't think this would work!” The girl was pale-faced.

“Kris... where are we?” she murmured. She had shoulder-length blonde hair and worried eyes. I guessed she was about thirteen.

“I don't have a clue, Andromeda” The boy, Kris, replied. He also was around thirteen and had brown hair spiked up above his forehead.

“Why were you late?” I asked again.

The two (siblings? twins? friends?) just now seemed to notice me.

“What?” they asked in unison.

“Why were you late?” I repeated, much slower than necessary.

Andromeda glanced side-length at Kris. Kris nodded slightly.

“Sorry... we have... sleep issues.”

“Sleep issues?” I asked, incredulously

They looked at me like I was some martian.

I guess I was to them. I realized I was being kind of rude.

“Look, sorry.” I apologized. “I just wanted to know why you were late meeting me here.”

“That's okay,” Kris said, shrugging it off. “We told you—we have sleep disorders. We're twins, and we were born with narcolepsy. Both of us took longer naps than usual in the day, and so we couldn't fall asleep sooner.”

I was shocked. I couldn't think. Well, I could, but the only thing that echoed in my brain was, How ironic! The first Dreamers I get have sleeping issues! This was perfect. Just perfect.

“How bad is it?” I asked, numb.

“Not bad,” Andromeda assured. “We just have to take naps in the day, and then we're fine.” Kris nodded.

“Okay.... Never mind that. I've got a lot to tell you.”

* * *

Catch your interest? Buy The Nightmarers now on Amazon.com!

What do you think of this twist in events? Let me know in the comments below, and tell me what you're looking forward to most in The Nightmarers!

Dream on!

Sam Kullen & Oliver Dahl

The Nightmarers Preview 2

Hard to believe it's been a week already since the last preview! Where has the time gone? Perhaps it's a good thing that time is going by so quickly, because... *drumroll* ... That means The Nightmarers is getting closer to its release! Unfortunately, due to some "technical" issues, I am unable to print it until about the end of the week. After that, however, I can send it to my Copy Editor, (Amberly Beck, whom I am extremely grateful for) and should get it back soon. Everything else is coming together!
Including... *another drumroll* ... The Nightmarers' book cover! Yay! Check it out, tell me what you think!

Meanwhile, I'm getting a few "behind the scenes" final stuff done, so that when the manuscript is complete, I can get it out to you guys ASAP.
Practically ever since The Dreamers' release, I've gotten people asking me when the sequel is out. "When is the next book coming out?" "I can't wait to read the next one!"
I just want to thank all of you who have asked--and even thought that question. You guys really inspire me. You're the greatest.
I hope the wait is worth it for you. I feel like The Nightmarers is a different kind of feel from The Dreamers, but awesome in other ways, along with the same ways that made The Dreamers awesome for you. A lot more of it takes place in reality, and the consequences are just as heavy. I can't wait to hear what you guys think.


In the meantime, the main point of this post.. Here's CHAPTER 2 of The Nightmarers! For those of who you who missed the last one, here's a link for you. Or, if you missed out on The Dreamers entirely, here's a link for YOU. Without further ado, I present to you the exclusive, unpublished second chapter of The Nightmarers. Enjoy, and happy reading!

* * *

I was bored. Well, I’m bored most of the time, so it wasn't a first. Being a Saturday, with my homework done, and nothing else to do, I took a nap.

Immediately, I was rushing to the Dream Realm, as I often do, to check if any new members had miraculously showed up. I do it, and savor it, like on a really long day, with nothing to do. You wish more than anything that you had something, and you're just so bored you look forward to checking the mail for ads. You know what I mean. I savor these visits, though it had been months, and no one had showed up. No one, that is, until today.

As soon as I arrived, (I could now control where I popped up in the Dream Realm, and was in the Dreamers HQ) I knew something was different. I didn't know what, I just knew that something was.

I could feel myself probing outward, listening, sensing. I knew where to go almost immediately.

I had mastered Thep's transporting abilities. (I sure miss him, but it might be a good thing that he's gone, because I think I do a better job!) Thep was with me and Flitch (another Dreamer) on my first mission. He is an older guy, who says he's from Egypt. After my grandfather, (the previous Dreamer leader) passed away, and I took his place, Thep was my right-hand guy.

I am in the Forest of Arac Mad. Supposedly, this jungle was named after some Middle Eastern guy who came to the Dream Realm even before the Dreamers “cult” had been formed.

I looked around curiously, hoping to see a face underneath the twisty roots of the self- suspended trees.

I quieted my own breathing, listening for someone else's. But... something was very strange about it. I frowned, tilting my head and leaned closer. It wasn't one breath... it was two!

I saw a quick, shadowy movement to one side under the roots.

“Hey,” I called softly. “It's okay. I can help you.” I had rehearsed to myself what I would say when I found somebody, but what I said wasn't it. I decided it was better, and more to the point, and made a mental note to change it.

“Prove it.” came a loud, strong voice, though it cracked. I could tell the boy muttered something not very nice because of it.

I wasn't sure what to do, so I just told him everything.

“My name is Sam. I’m the current leader of the Dreamers. The Dreamers are a—” I stuttered. “Well, I guess I should say, the Dreamer is the survivor of the Dreamers' cult. They are a group of —” I caught myself again.

“What's a Dreamer?” came a softer voice from behind the tree roots. The voice seemed to prompt me. I latched on to the question.

“Right... Um... The Dreamers are a secret cult made of artists, authors, writers, architects, musicians, engineers, and other people with active imaginations.

“We use our strengths to create and develop —then use—things to save the earth from harm. We stop fires, prevent murders, and influence inventions and ideas.” I paused to let that sink in.

“Dreamers have inspired many of the great things we take for granted today like... cell phones, iPods, TV's, and airplanes. When you think about it, many of the basic ideas behind these inventions are kind of crazy. We, —I,” I correct myself, “have helped these things become... them. In a way, the Dreamers are the true inventor of the airplane, not those Wright Brothers.”

I decided I was going into too much detail, and was failing miserably.

“What I mean to say is—you are the newest Dreamers. This isn't a dream—not really, but a second life. You've got great potential. You could be the creator of the... the... iDesk, or the man behind the creation of a new political system. You could do anything!

“Our mission, or part of it, is to fight to keep the Dream Realm and Earth separate. We fight to allow the human race to continue to thrive and dream!

“Yes, it is only the three of us, but more will join soon.” I hoped so, at least.

“But... What? ...Why? ...When?” Both of the kids under the tree must have been bewildered— like me, when I was first told I was a Dreamer, I realized.

“There's a lot to learn, and even more to do, but for now, you've got to wake up. Come back to the Dream Realm... Ten o' Clock, tomorrow—sharp.

I smiled inwardly. That was the same time that Thep had told me to meet him. I would have to be sure to be early—and to bring a pair of gloves.

* * *

Catch your interest? Buy The Nightmarers now on Amazon.com!

Dream on!
Sam Kullen & Oliver Dahl

The Nightmarers Preview 1

Hey, there, everybody! It's been a while, but I'm going to start being a little more frequent with my posts. It's almost a New Year, so, I figured I would start it off right. (Or end 2012 right, either way!)

Exciting news! I just finished the final reading of The Nightmarers, and have sent it off to a copy editor! (Thanks to Amberly Beck for offering her services!) I really like the way it turned out, and hope you will, too!

For those who don't know, The Nightmarers is the sequel to my first published book, The Dreamers. I wrote it in 2010 for NaNoWriMo, and published it August 2011 at the age of 13. I will release The Nightmarers out to you guys in January or February. Look for it!

Of course, until then, I want to start something really EXCITING, and give you bits and pieces of The Nightmarers to hold you over until the whole thing is released. I'll start by giving you guys Chapter 1.

But first... I think we'll do a little giveaway/contest! How does that sound? Prizes will include an autographed/personalized paperback edition of The Dreamers, and several free Autographed/personalized eBooks! (See my post on Autographed eBooks). Let's get started! Below is the Rafflecopter giveaway. Complete small requests to be entered multiple times for a greater chance to win.



a Rafflecopter giveaway


I wish you all the best of luck! I will contact the winners via email and ask for any additional information, if necessary, to send/sign the books, and they will be on the way! Please note that I'm not responsible for items not received on the winner's end. I will send them, but again, I'm not responsible for anything that goes wrong after that. Just don't sue me, okay? :)
Now, on with the real goodness of this post! Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls... I present to you... The Nightmarers!

* * *

Hurry. There is time, but heaven knows there's never enough. I decided I had to risk thispublication, in the chance that it might fall into thecorrect hands. If you're reading this, I eithersucceeded—or failed.

I, well...we, need your help.

What's that? “We?” Oh, yeah, I guess Ishould fill you in. (That might be a good idea!)

After the battle with Malfix, my stay in thehospital, and the subsequent publication of “TheDreamers: A Story of Sam Kullen,” I started tofind them. Slowly at first, then a few at a time.

Kris and Andromeda—twins. Then Sandi,Michael, Katie, Dean, Kyle, and Khasta, each fromdifferent parts of the globe. Each with a uniquetalent or ability. Slowly but surely, we re-established the Dreamers, our little cult of dream-inhabiting, creating, artistic teenagers. We werethe generation of tomorrow—the future of today. The ensurers that the sun rose the next dawn! After scrounging through the remains of Dreamers HQ, I found several important artifacts—if you can call them that.

First, a charred copy of The Dreamers' Handbook. I retyped it as best I could and printed off several copies for the new group.

I also found a copy or two of the software CD’s the former Dreamers would use to control ormanipulate events in real time. Fortunately, someof the new Dreamers are more electronically inclined than I am, and the software is up andrunning-keeping the earth safe. (For the mostpart).

I also found the bodies of some of the former Dreamers, those who fought against Malfixand his army. I collected 37 Dreamer rings fromtheir skeletal remains. I kept my grandfather's ring for myself, and put the rest in a small safe.

If you haven't read The Dreamers yet, you probably ought to. All this would make a lot moresense if you did. Of course, if you're an enemy,please don't, but I guess it's too late, now. All the same, I will do my best to make sense, even to younew readers.

Anyway, because of our efforts, not only isthe world a safer place, but good things continue to happen. Advances in science, technology, andmedicine occur in no small part because of our work.

It is strange, being “awake” nearly 24/7. I am awake for school and normal life on earth, butas soon as I fall asleep, I’m back to the Dreamers'HQ, in charge of finding new members, trying to save somebody's back from a mugger on SecondStreet....

I lead two different lives. One, like yours—school, homework, little sister, and Saturdaychores. The other—finding and recruiting moreDreamers like me so I can in one sense or anotherkeep the world turning!

Those were the days. Everything was easy back then. Yes—easy. Well, at least, compared towhat I have now.

Sorry, sorry—you're right. I’m getting too far ahead of myself. I don't really know where tostart. So, I guess I just will.

Brace yourself and get ready. What we fear most could happen any time.

* * *

Hope you all enjoyed it! Look for another excerpt this time next week! Catch your interest? Buy The Nightmarers now on Amazon.com!

*Please note that, while this is in its final storyline form, it has not as of date been copy edited, so it is likely that there are grammatical mistakes. I know.

Dream on!

Oliver Dahl & Sam Kullen

Self-Publishing

  This post was originally a guest post on TCWT's blog, http://teenscanwritetoo.wordpress.com/. It's a really great place to visit and highly recommend it to any young writer on this blog. Check out the full post, and more over there.

 * * *

  Your agent calls you, requesting that you call a big-wig in the movie-making industry concerning the film and production rights for your hugely popular book. Unfortunately, you have to put that off for a moment, as you are on the way to the airport to go on a national book tour for your book... all set up by your agent, and industrial publishing house. (First class flying, of course). While checking in on your multimillion followers on Twitter and Facebook, you discover that the enhanced, specially formatted eBook version of your book became #1 on the Kindle Bestselling list. You sigh contentedly, knowing that it was about time it joined its New York Times and USA Today bestselling print version. (It had been in the top one hundred bestselling for months... just days after its release). As you sit down on your plane, you open an envelope that contains your royalty check. With a long-practiced movement, you slide the paper out and examine the figures. (There's a lot of zero's.)

  ...Unfortunately for just about every writer and author out there, excluding the big guys, (James Patterson, Stephen King, Rick Riordan, Suzanne Collins, J.K. Rowling, and others) this wonderful, common day dream of mine is certainly not easy to obtain. But possible...? Perhaps.
  As I have heard, please jump up and disagree with me here if I’m wrong, but statistics show that only about 1-5% of all manuscripts sent into a mainstream publishing house are ever published. Simply put, its not easy. In addition, only 1% of all published books become bestsellers. Inspired for the day?
  But what if I told you there was a different way to publish, that changed the first one to five percent to a 100% chance of getting published? The method I will discuss here is called self-publishing.
  Self publishing is one of those words like "author interview," or "guest post." (aha, so clever!). It's when you publish by yourself. (Upon editing, my inner editor kindly reminded myself not to include the word in the definition.) Self-publishing is when you release your material generally on your own. Don't picture yourself running off copies in Kinko’s, stapling pages together and selling them at your school. It's not like that, fortunately. To be honest, when I first began reading up on these things, that what I thought self publishing was.
  Upon further investigation, and experience, I have learned that it is much different. Especially nowadays. Even 2-3 years ago, (especially as you go further back in time,) publishing was harder. To self publish, you had to invest thousands... even hundreds of thousands of dollars and hours to get published. That, or you could attempt, with no certain guarantee, to publish industrially. Nowadays, within less than a month, you can physically write, edit, and publish a book. This, however, I would highly suggest you refrain from. Even if you participate in NaNoWriMo, writing your book is the most you should do with a book in a month. Editing and publishing really should take longer than that. I’m just saying that its possible, with modern technology.
  But, if you already have your book written, it is quite simple to self-publish. It sounds hard, but to be perfectly honest... it's surprisingly easy.
  If your book is written, every scene and word, the first thing you need to do to get published is: EDIT! I’m telling you, this is THE most important step. I’m serious. Not even kidding. Its essential that you do not skimp out on this portion.
OK, now that you have that done, (or at least in your head,) we can go to the next step.

1. If you want, you can pay some company 200 or more dollars to do most of the work for you. Be warned—look into the company a TON first. I would recommend NOT using companies whose packages exceed 5,000 dollars. Seriously. Don't spend that much. More on this later.
2. OR you could sign up for a FREE account with websites like CreateSpace or LuLu. (This is what I did; with CreateSpace.)
1. If you want, you can pay both companies to do specific things with your book. Need a cover? Need it edited or reviewed? Want to have illustrations? Both companies have varying packages that usually range from 50-1000$, depending on what you want done.
2. Both of these websites also have various templates that help you format your book, and design a cover. These are free, you just have to do it yourself. Neither are very difficult to do, but will take some time and patience to get used to.
　
3. Follow the steps for each publisher. They should be relatively simple. The steps vary for both companies, but are fairly similar.
4. At one point, you will be asked to upload a PDF version of your book. Select it like you would if you were uploading a picture to Facebook from your computer or flash drive. It works the same way.
5. At one point, you will also be asked to either upload, or create, a cover for your book. I used CreateSpace's CoverCreator program. (Are any of the CombinedWords with CaptialLetters annoying to you?) LuLu's is again fairly similar, though, to me, is a bit more difficult. It also lacks good solid templates and built-in pictures. Book design/pattern is also fairly limited.
6. At another point, you should be asked to give distribution information. This is where it gets exciting. This is where you get to choose where you want your book to be sold. I found that at CreateSpace, Amazon.com comes as a free channel, as well as your eStore. For about a 40$ upgrade, you could potentially get into bookstores. (I got myself on both B&N's AND Border's online catalogs due to this upgrade. I recommend it. It also gets you into Ingram, so you can have book signings at most stores.)
7. Order a proof copy. This is a rough draft of the actual book, what it will look like when people buy it. This is a very exciting, very influential day. I cannot simply express how wonderful a day it is when the package of your book comes. It's like Christmas... but better, in some ways. It's the very reason you've labored so many hours over the computer. And... it's awesome. : )
8. Review the proof. Make sure everything looks good. Maybe do one final round of editing. Don't do too much. You shouldn't have to change very much, if anything at all, after your proof copy.
9. "Click here to publish." I’m not even kidding. That's all you do in the end. Click a button. That's all you do. You click that the proof was okay, and then you click a button that says "publish." I’m not downplaying it, or anything. I have a post on my blog about it, when I Published my book. I was surprised that was all I had to do!

  Well. There you go. That's pretty much all you have to do. A long list, perhaps. Most things on there take a little while to do. Let me give you some averages for my book, The Dreamers, then I'll tell you a little bit about it.
  I spent less than a month writing it. (Thanks, NaNoWriMo!). I easily spent 5-6 months editing. This was not gentle editing, either. Entire pages crossed out, every other word corrected for paragraph after paragraph. (Thanks, Dad! You made it better!) And then I made the cover, and prepared sales channels while I was editing. Including that time, publishing in all probably took 2-3 months. Maybe more. Like I said, though. If you have a complete novel, and you are sure that it is perfectly written and formatted. After you make a cover, you can have your book published within the hour. On amazon.com within the week.
　
　
  One of the questions I was asked to answer was "are teens too young?"
I don't think so. Websites like KidPub have self-published authors even younger than 8 years old!
  "Is it too much of a responsibility?" is another question I was asked. This depends. You definitely have to do a LOT if you want your book to sell. But it's possible! More on this later. If you do nothing, then, chances are, your books wont sell as well as commercially published ones. Even if you do, this is unfortunately likely. (Just look at James Patterson! He even has people write his books!)
  For example, because I have communicated with principals, librarians, and bookstore managers, at nearby schools and book stores, I have been able to do booksignings up to twice a month at school bookfairs and local stores. At one of these events, (granted, my own school,) I sold over 50 books in 3 days, making over 400$ in profit. However, such book signings at "foreign" schools and bookfairs have resulted in as low as three to five books being sold... or 30 to 40$ in profit.
  One thing that helps all authors, though especially self-published ones, and me, is looking around online. You will find endless niceties on the internet. That's how I found this blog. That is how I partially found the Idaho Book Extravaganza, and how I was later named a "Top 50 Idaho Author". That was how I became acquainted with many professionals in the publishing world.
  If you are already self-published, things that I believe will help you are: Social Media, (an online presence), and having an eBook version of your book available.

  eBooks are a whole other world. After much research on the internet, I found that conditions are fairly similar, despite the many other differences out there. You can pay one company up to $1000 dollars to format your eBook, or you can do it yourself. I personally, found it too difficult to do myself, so I payed Book Baby, an eBook company, 120$ to do it for me. They gave me an ISBN, formatted the manuscript for each eReader individually, and give me 100% after Amazon.com, the Sony Reader store, the iBookstore, and the Nook Store, and growing market take their share. Their customer service was excellent.
  Well...this pretty much concludes my post on Self Publishing. It is a wonderful thing, that has revolutionized the publishing industry. If you would like to learn more, don't hesitate to email me at oliverdbooks@hotmail.com.

Dream on!
Sam Kullen
&
Oliver Dahl

Sneak Peek on The Nightmarers!

Today I finished writing The Nightmarers. Editing will take a while for sure, but for now... the writing process is complete! Since the story line may change, I won't go into any detail about it's story line, but I will tell you the basic idea. Sam rebuilds the Dreamers, and soon they have replenished the missing numbers. Soon, however, they discover another world... another Dream Realm. While exploring, Sam discovers that The Dreamers aren't alone... that there is another group like them. And the Dreamers they thought were lost in the battle with Malfix aren't as lost as they had once thought....

I am really excited about The Nightmarers, and I hope that you are, too! As a teaser, I just bought the cover image today. (It's pretty awesome if you ask me!)

What do you think? It looks pretty cool! I'm pretty excited for this to come out. I hope you guys are too!
Also, The Nightmarers trailer is complete. Enjoy this as well!





Dream On!
Oliver Dahl