@ClarissaClemens Shares the Process Involved in Self-Publishing Her #Erotic #Poetry

What was the Process Involved in Self-publishing your Poetry?

About 14 years ago the dam broke on my poetry valve. Daily, poems would come pouring out and into a little notebook I carried around in my purse. A few years later, I had hundreds of accumulated poems written to help process feelings of grief and hope after divorce and then there were the erotic ones…

I shared some of my poetry with friends and they encouraged me (almost to the point of badgering – thank you Dustin) to publish what I had written. At that point I had decided I needed to go back to college to get a bachelors degree to provide for my daughters. A goal list was put together – get a BS in Accounting, get a good paying job, and then publish my poetry.

With no background in any areas related to publishing, I plunged into massive amounts of research online to figure out the best path. I decided that self-publishing was the perfect way to go.

Step 1 – Take all the notebooks and scraps of paper with poems scribbled on them and decide which I liked best and type them up on my computer.

Step 2 – Submit the computer file of my poetry along with my pen name to the U.S. Copyright Office

Step 3 – Call Createspace (the self-publishing subsidiary of Amazon) and find out how much it would cost and what was involved in getting my first volume published of my series, The Poetic Art of Seduction. I chose to have one of their book cover designers come up with a cover describing to them what I envisioned. I was ecstatic with the result. I use the image as my avatar on social media sites and marketing materials. I also used it to create the theme for my subsequent volume’s book covers.

Step 4 – Selecting which of my large catalog of poems I wanted to include in the first book and formatting them per the requirements of Createspace. Probably the most time-consuming activity was sourcing the photos that I envisioned to accompany the poems to add a little extra pizazz to the eye as one reads the book. With the book file fully assembled and the photos placed where I wanted them, I was ready for the next and most exciting step.

Step 5 – Next step was to submit the PDF file to Createspace for publishing and conversion to Kindle for E-book distribution. They reviewed the file and notified me that it met their approval.

Step 6 – Before Createspace/Amazon moves forward they request the author approve the ‘proof’. When I received the book ‘proof’ in the mail a week or so later, I had such a feeling of accomplishment it was so exhilarating!

Step 7 – Begin the steps all over again. With the experience of my first book under my belt, I was able to do everything myself including designing the covers of subsequent books and converting the PDF files to be Kindle compatible.

In addition to the paperbacks and kindles, I decided it would be really cool to also have audio books of my poetry books. That’s a whole other story and adventure in another area I had no background – recording, mixing, and working with sound.

Being a self-published author has expanded my horizons and provided with me with skill sets that I had no idea I would incorporate into my career as a writer. I am so thankful for everyone along my journey that has helped and guided me to where I am now. I look forward to future adventures and expanding my horizons forever more.

Thanks so much for reading this post! I’m thrilled and honored to be participating in this Book Blog Tour for my book, The Poetic Art of Seduction – The Erotic Poetry Collection.

Seductively yours,

Clarissa O. Clemens

A collection of all 3 volumes of Clarissa O. Clemens’ erotic poetry book series, The Poetic Art of Seduction, under 1 cover! 

An erotic gift of lyrical rhyme to keep on every bedroom nightstand for play. Kinky yet classy erotic poetry painting sexy pictures and scenes with seductive words to read to each other and get the mood soaked in seduction. 

What critics have said about Clarissa’s poetry: 

“…A delicious dance with words…” 
“Impossible not to be aroused…” 
“…mouth-watering feast of erotic rhyme…” 
“…her words ebb and flow with a superb sensuousness.” 
“5 Stars is just not enough for this exquisite work of erotic art” 

78 Passionate poems of seduction are waiting for you to be devoured with lust and desire. 

41Beautifully sensuous photographs have been included to heighten your visual experience with Ms. Clemens poetry. 

A must-have for every couple looking for new ways to add the spark back into their flame.

Buy Now @ Amazon

Genre - Erotic Poetry

Rating – R

More details about the author

Connect with Clarissa Clemens through Facebook & Twitter