Love Your Frenemies: Proof!

It's here!

Snail mail rarely surprises me with an early delivery, but here it is -- the proof for the paperback of Love Your Frenemies, weeks before I expected it.

I didn't add any "special features" to this edition, so if you got the ebook then you pretty much have all the words, just not on paper. What's different this time though is that it's on cream-colored paper, which was a new option that I didn't have when I prepared Fairy Tale Fail's paperback.

I'll be reviewing this proof in the next few days but so far it looks good (paper looks great, margins are better compared to FTF pb). If you want your own copy, email me at minavesguerra at gmail dot com. It'll be part of the first batch that's shipped to Manila in a few weeks. Or sooner, if we have another happy snail mail surprise.

Fairy Tale Fail paperback giveaway - And the winner is...

Celester Mejia! Send mailing address to minavesguerra at gmail dot com please. :)

Thank you to everyone who participated, and to all those who write and share about having discovered Fairy Tale Fail.

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This is how it happened:

Entries -

1 Christine Frencillo http://sheermoments.tumblr.com/post/4647346255
2 Celester Mejia http://frompageone.wordpress.com/2011/01/25/fairy-tale-fail-by-mina-v-esguerra/
3 Celester Mejia http://frompageone.wordpress.com/2011/01/26/my-imaginary-ex-by-mina-v-esguerra/
4 Celester Mejia http://frompageone.wordpress.com/2011/01/26/no-strings-attached-by-mina-v-esguerra/
5 Elaine Yeung http://resplendentrainbows.blogspot.com/2011/02/no-strings-attached-book-review.html
6 Raphael Mones http://twitter.com/crisseds/status/55789822647877633
7 Raphael Mones http://twitter.com/crisseds/status/55436211824771072
8 Chachic's Book Nook http://chachic.wordpress.com/2010/11/03/fairy-tale-fail-by-mina-v-esguerra
9 Chachic's Book Nook http://chachic.wordpress.com/2010/11/05/my-imaginary-ex-by-mina-v-esguerra/
10 Chachic's Book Nook http://chachic.wordpress.com/2011/02/23/love-your-frenemies-by-mina-v-esguerra/
11 Chachic's Book Nook http://chachic.wordpress.com/2010/12/12/no-strings-attached-by-mina-v-esguerra/
12 Chachic's Book Nook http://chachic.wordpress.com/2011/02/25/interview-with-mina-v-esguerra-and-giveaway
13 Chachic's Book Nook http://chachic.wordpress.com/2011/03/13/march-12-fbb-meet-up
14 Lily Mae Dlr Sandoval http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=668137558
15 Lily Mae Dlr Sandoval http://lowpricedbooks.multiply.com/journal/item/56/Fairy_Tale_Fail_paperback_giveaway_thats_not_in_local_bookstores
16 Celester Mejia http://frompageone.wordpress.com/2011/01/27/interview-mina-v-esguerra/
17 Chachic's Book Nook http://chachic.wordpress.com/2011/02/14/favorite-literary-couples-ii/
18 Marie Mones http://freefalling.us/themonestery/2011/04/14/myimaginaryex/
19 Mariz Galang My review for 'No Strings Attached' Under the name Riz =) http://minavesguerra.blogspot.com/2010/12/no-strings-attached.html
20 Mariz Galang Another review, but under the name 'Lore' for my real name 'Lorenza' :)) http://minavesguerra.blogspot.com/2011/02/love-your-frenemies.html
21 Lily Mae Dlr Sandoval http://lmrs22.multiply.com/journal/item/3/GIVEAWAYFairy_Tale_Fail_paperback_
22 Lily Mae Dlr Sandoval http://www.facebook.com/pages/R-A-Rainiers-Books-Sanctuary/141950715874257
23 Christine Frencillo http://twitter.com/#!/mstine15/status/59062723048251392
24 Lily Mae Dlr Sandoval http://en.netlog.com/lmrs_22/blog/blogid=4114647#blog
25 Lily Mae Dlr Sandoval http://lmrs-22.blog.friendster.com/2011/04/fairy-tale-fail-paperback-giveaway/
26 Tricia Gervacio http://www.facebook.com/tricia.gervacio/posts/126449250763607

And this is what random.org selected...

Fairy Tale Fail: Some facts and figures

On this day (or yesterday, in US time) in 2010, Fairy Tale Fail was made available for purchase on the Amazon Kindle Store. Some facts and figures related to this book:

Is Fairy Tale Fail based on the unbelievable true story of someone you know: Yes

First draft was finished in: September 2009 (Sooo different from published version)

Why is this plot familiar/derivative: Its structure was based on about 20 of the 31 narratemes (in proper sequence) of Vladimir Propp's Morphology of the Folktale. Chapter headers explaining this were removed later though.

Does the office building in the novel exist: Yes it's in Salcedo Village.

Did you name this character after me: If I went to high school with you, yes.

How many people did it take to put this together: 4. Me (author), an editor, a photographer, and a cover designer.

Did you pay any of them: Not at the time, but now my editor and photographer are getting a percentage of anything the book earns. The cover designer (my husband) legally owns half of anything I make anyway.

Ebooks sold in 1 year: Over 4,000

Paperbacks sold so far: Over 30

Thank you, friends and readers, for making this such an excellent year. There's a lot still to be done to promote awareness about the book locally, but I'll find time to do that eventually.

Giveaway: Fairy Tale Fail paperback (Philippine residents only)

This weekend marks the first year of Fairy Tale Fail's publication! It was originally an ebook on Amazon.com, but now it has a paperback version, which isn't available in local bookstores.

To celebrate, I'm giving away one Fairy Tale Fail paperback to a Philippine resident. Details here on Facebook. You've got until April 23 to participate!

Thank you for supporting Fairy Tale Fail this year! And I hope in the years to come. :)

Where to find the books

I've encountered this question enough times that I think it deserves its own post: Where can I find [your book]? This might sound strange, but by now I have four novellas out, and you likely won't be able to see all four side by side in the same bookstore. I appreciate so much the messages from people who've maybe read one and want to know where the others can be found, so here's a cheat sheet.

The "traditionally published":

My Imaginary Ex is published under Summit Books. It's in paperback for P150, and in theory can be found in bookstores like National, Powerbooks, Booksale, etc. But this first came out in 2009 and by now is a bit hard to find. But at least it's listed now on National Bookstore's site, so in case you can't find it on your regular mall trip there's another option for you. Buy the ebook for the PC, iPad, and Mac via Zinio.

No Strings Attached was also published by Summit Books, and is also in paperback for P150. This is fairly new, published late 2010, and usually the bookstores have it on stock. Check out National, Powerbooks, Booksale, Fully Booked and your nearest mall magazine stand. You can also order it online via the National Bookstore site, and possibly have it shipped outside the Philippines. Buy the ebook for the PC, iPad, and Mac via Zinio. And now there's a Kindle edition!

The "indies":

Fairy Tale Fail is self-published, and you will not be seeing this in local bookstores but if you've got a credit card (and you don't mind reading ebooks) then this will be easier to find. It's on Amazon ($0.99 US, $2.99 Asia-Pacific), and can be read not just on Kindles but on PCs, Macs, iPhones, iPods, iPads, Blackberry phones and Android phones. So go ahead and read it with your gadget of choice! If you have Paypal then it's easier (and cheaper) to get it from Smashwords. If you have a Nook, you can also get it from Barnes & Noble and Goodreads. If you prefer the Apple iBookstore, it's there too. Get it on Flipreads if you're in the Philippines and prefer paying through non-credit card means.

If you MUST have the paperback, yes it's available on Amazon ($7.99). But if you're in Metro Manila or the Philippines, you can also order one from me (if there's stock) for P350, just visit my Multiply store.

Love Your Frenemies is also self-published, and you can get the paperback from Amazon ($7.99). Or me, for P350 plus shipping. Get the ebook from Amazon ($0.99 US, $2.99 Asia-Pacific), Smashwords ($0.99), Barnes & Noble, Goodreads, the Apple iBookstore and Flipreads. In the Philippines? Get the paperback from my Multiply store.

Interim Goddess of Love is available on Amazon ($0.99 US, $2.99 Asia-Pacific). Buy the tiny paperback from Multiply (P300).

Important meetings (bloggers and editors)

On Saturday, I met a group from the Filipino Book Bloggers. I'm no stranger to the internet friend meetup, but this was I think the first time that I showed up anywhere as an author. Apparently there isn't much of a difference, as I jumped into the conversations and gave my two cents on things, just as I would have, and everyone else did the same.

Chachic and Ruby have recaps of the stuff we talked about.

On Monday, I had lunch with Ines, my Summit Books editor. This marked the first time we had actually seen each other in person, despite working together on two novellas (and a third one way back when that no one will ever see). It was great to finally meet her, and we chatted over dimsum like old friends.

At the Book Bloggers meetup the conversation briefly turned to editors and their role in the process. Apart from checking my grammar and fixing my sentences, Ines points out weak spots in the work, and we work together to make it better. This is an important role because sometimes a writer can change her mind about an event or character, and even if the major text about it has been edited, ghost references could still be present in the manuscript and bother people who aren't aware of the history. As the first pair of fresh eyes to usually see anything I write, she has that burden.

On Fairy Tale Fail, my editor friend Louie did the same thing. She said things like "this name is too modern for a guy that age" (which I thought was brilliant) and she too had to find those remnants of plot points dropped and make me clean it up.

For Love Your Frenemies, my editor was Mike, my husband. His comments required the most rewriting, but that might be true of any editor who would read LYF because of the difficult main character. In the end I compromised -- I added a few things he wanted, but not everything. Although he was fine with how it all turned out. :)

All in all a good step, I think, choosing to spend time with book bloggers and my editor. My books are out, and having a good run, because of them. Next time I should bring food as a token of my gratitude.

February Report Card

I should learn to make cuter charts!

This is the report card for my ebook sales over the past year, now taking into account sales from Smashwords, Sony, and Apple. (Yes, I now have a sale from Apple!) I also changed the way I track this so I can compare Fairy Tale Fail and Love Your Frenemies over time. As it turns out, Love Your Frenemies did great in Week 1 -- much better than Fairy Tale Fail's Month 1.

But in FTF's Month 1 I was just figuring this out, so of course LYF has an advantage.

Looking at this makes me want to write more.