
The Insecure Writer's Support Group

Guide

to

Publishing

and

Beyond
Copyright 2014 by The Insecure Writer's Support Group

<http://www.insecurewriterssupportgroup.com/>

ISBN: 9781939844088

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, transmitted, or stored in a retrieval system in any form — either mechanically, electronically, photocopy, recording, or other — except for short quotations in printed reviews, without the permission of the publisher.

The views and ideas presented here do not represent the views of The Insecure Writer's Support Group administrators.

All contributors to this anthology gave The Insecure Writer's Support Group permission to use their work and assume all responsibility for their articles.
Table of Contents

Introduction

Part One: Writing

Make Room for Writing by Theresa Milstein

Flash Focus by Michelle Wallace

Writing and Recovery by Eva E. Solar

Voice: the Stuff of Life by C.D. Coffelt

How to Write What You Love and Maintain Enthusiasm by Emma L. Adams

Shelving Your Manuscript in Order to Grow by Elise Fallson

First or Third Person? by Sarah Foster

Top Five Rules to Beat Negativity by C.G. Coppola

To the Writer, All of Life is Research by Jen Chandler

Quick Self-Editing Tips by Tia Silverthorne Bach

Get Outta My Way: Pushing Past Amazing by Allison Gammons

Some Lessons from a Ghost by Stuart Sharp

On Writing by Lara Trace Hentz

What's Good to Your Soul by Angela Brown

Word Sprinting by Lan Chan

Trusting your Gut by Nick Wilford

The Truth of It by Liza Carens Salerno

The Benefits of a Critique Partner by Elsie Amata

Writing Vivid Characters by Michelle Athy

Tell the Story You Want to Tell by Murees Dupé

The Key to Writing by Roland Yeomans

Staying Motivated by Anne Higa

Brainstorming Tips for Our Manuscripts by Rachna Chhabria

Journey Beyond the Detours by Sandra Hoover

The Complete Thought by Anna Simpson

S. M. Pace's Three Writing Tips by S. M. Pace

Beat Sheets a la Tart by Hart Johnson

Tips on Making Your Dialogue Ring True by Cherie Colyer

Character Depth by Kathy McKendry

When Less is More by V.R. Barkowski

The Value of a Good Critique Group by Elizabeth Hein

Crossing the Finish Line by David Powers King

House Party by Deniz Bevan

Lessons for the Bold by Mina Burrows

Backstory: Write Winners, not Skimmers by Denise Covey

It's an Uphill Battle by Tanya Miranda

Three Character Relational Styles by Jennifer Lane

Just Write by Elisabeth Kauffman

The Intertwining Nature of Writing, Publishing, and Marketing by Tyrean Martinson

Own Your Writing Journey by Patricia Lynne

Keeping a Dream Journal by Cynthia

So You Want to Write a Novel? by Kristin Smith

Art of Not Writing by Jenni Enzor

Monster Gardening by Andrew Leon

If It's Not One Thing... by Lara Lacombe

You Have To Ask For Help by Diana Wilder

What to Watch for When Writing and Editing by Carrie-Anne Brownian

Fearless Writing by Marie Andreas

Mega Character Development Tips by Chrys Fey

With a Little Help From My Friends by Benny Hill

When to Hire an Editor or When to Throw in the Towel by Sharon Mayhew

Write Because You're a Writer by Debra McKellan

When Family and Friends Don't Support Your Writing Career by Doreen McGettigan

Lessons from a Humbled Writer by Andrea Franco-Cook

Zodiac Characterization with Personality Typing by Juneta Key

Becoming a Writer by Elizabeth Seckman

How to Write an Entire Book by Megan Morgan

My Four Golden Rules of Writing by Nicholas C. Rossis

Believing in Your Writing by Ann V. Friend

Part Two: Publishing

Are You Ready to Submit? by Susan Gourley

Distribution Options for Your Book by L. Diane Wolfe

What to Do While Riding the Submission Train by S.A. Larsen

Seven Things I'd Do Before I Published a Book by C Lee McKenzie

Querying Your Way to Publication by Shannon Lawrence

10 Tips for Formatting Your Ebook by Cherie Riech

Countdown to Launch by Sher A. Hart

How Far Would You Go? by Lexa Cain

Magazine Markets—The Right Way to Study It by SittieCates

How to Find a Literary Agent by S. L. Hennessy

A Newbie's Guide to Self Publishing by Julie Musil

Publishers vs Agents by Jennifer L. Hawes

Who Will Be My Editor? by Lisa Buie-Collard

Self-Publishing by Diane Burton

Steps to Success by Nancy Gideon

Perseverance and the Small Publisher Route by Medeia Sharif

The Importance of Keeping Accurate Records by Miranda Hardy

What Not to Do by Lyle S. Tanner

Myths I Believed When I was First Published by Nicki Elson

Ten Tips on E-book Publishing Today by Karen Elizabeth Brown

Waiting it Out by Angeline Trevena

Woes of the English Bachelor by Tony Laplume

Self-Publishing and the Changing Industry by Adrienne Reiter

After You Are Published by Rachel Schieffelbein

The #1 Reason I Published a YA Novel by Jamie Ayres

There are Plenty of Fish in the Sea by Samantha Dunaway Bryant

Quick and Dirty HTML and E-Books by Loni Townsend

The Necessity of Planning in Publishing by Toi Thomas

What I've Learned from Publishing by E.E. Giorgi

Writer Beware! by Fundy Blue

Advice on Self-Publishing by Amelia Bishop

Indie Publishing and Marketing Tips by C.M. Brown

Part Three: Marketing

Get Involved and Find Your Audience by Alex J. Cavanaugh

Give Yourself a Chance at Success by J.L. Campbell

How to Market Without Marketing by Lynda R. Young

You Are a Writer by L.G. Keltner

8 Steps to Creating a Flawless Media Kit by Sylvia Ney

Make Your Mark: Cross-Industry Collaborative Marketing by Samantha Redstreake Geary

Marketing and the Blog Tour by Gwen Gardner

Building an Internet Presence by Sia McKye

3 Marketing Tips for Those Who Would Rather Be Writing by Christine Rains

The Importance of Keywords in Your Marketing Toolbox by Donna M. McDine

On Creative Marketing by P.K. Hrezo

Self-Promotion by Bob Milne

If Only I Had Known by Jeff Chapman

How Selling Yourself Short Might Shortchange You by Julie Kemp Pick

5 Marketing Tips for Book Signing Events by Margo Kelly

How to Run a Powerful Book Blog Tour by Crystal Collier

Writing is (n0) Small Business! by Mary Aalgaard

Create a Promotion Page for Guest Blogging by J.Q. Rose

Creative Marketing Ideas by Jay Noel

The Melee of Marketing for the Modern Writer by Yvette Carol

Express Yourself by Krista McLaughlin

Marketing Your E-book by Dean K. Miller

5 Steps to Find Your Book's Ideal Audience by Feather Stone

How to Master Marketing through Social Media by Pat Hatt

DIY Creation & Promotion for a Music Album by Trisha Farnan

Making a Difference by Tara Tyler

Advertising–Promoting–Marketing by K. E. Nowinsky

How to Help Readers Discover Your Book by Quanie Miller

An Introvert's Guide to Book Marketing by Gina Drayer

Don't Sell Yourself Short by Heather M. Gardner

Launch Day Mnemonics by Roland Clarke

Five Tips on Marketing Your Novel by Beverly Stowe McClure

Hot-Topic Marketing by Kim Van Sickler

Staying Up-to-Date by Michael Abayomi

Is Promotion for the Squeamish? by Jessica Ferguson

Review Copies: Free or Not to Free? by Elizabeth Mueller

Top Ten Marketing Tips for Your Ebook by Jacqui Murray

Easy, Free and Low Cost Book Trailers and Graphics by H.J. Blenkinsop

What Not to do Marketing-Wise by Mark Koopmans

#

# Introduction

The Insecure Writer's Support Group was founded in 2011 with one goal in mind—connect writers to one another for support and encouragement. It began as a blog group, posting on the first Wednesday of every month. The response was incredible as participants found inspiration, answers, and friends in the process.

The group's membership swelled into the hundreds, and in 2013, the IWSG Facebook group was established. At the same time, we launched the IWSG website, a database of databases covering a multitude of writing and author topics. In addition to thousands of resources, we feature articles from authors and industry experts every week.

This book is a celebration of the IWSG group's three year and the website's one year anniversary. The articles and essays within all came from our members. They cover the three basic areas—writing, publishing, and marketing. It is our hope that this book will benefit you as a writer, no matter where you reside in the journey.

My heartfelt thanks to the administrators of the IWSG website—without you this book wouldn't be possible:

Lynda Young

<http://lyndaryoung.blogspot.com/>

Michelle Wallace

<http://writer-in-transit.co.za/>

Susan Gourley/Kelley

<http://susangourley.blogspot.com/>

L. Diane Wolfe

<http://circleoffriendsbooks.blogspot.com/>

Joylene Nowell Butler

<http://cluculzwriter.blogspot.com/>

Joy Campbell

<http://joylcampbell.com/>

And thank you to all of the writers and authors who contributed their words of wisdom.

This book represents the spirit of the Insecure Writer's Support Group—to encourage and support writers everywhere!

For more information about the group, please visit the Insecure Writer's Support Group website -

<http://www.insecurewriterssupportgroup.com/>

and Facebook group -

<https://facebook.com/groups/IWSG13/>

Alex J. Cavanaugh, IWSG Founder

<http://alexjcavanaugh.com/>

#### Part One: Writing
### Make Room for Writing

### by Theresa Milstein

Margaret Atwood told some version of this story:

A brain surgeon meets a writer at a cocktail party.

"So you write?" says the brain surgeon. "Isn't that interesting. I've always wanted to write. When I retire and have the time, I'm going to be a writer."

"What a coincidence," says the writer, "because when I retire, I'm going to be a brain surgeon."

As if it were that easy.

I've been writing seriously for eight long years. In that time, a few of my writer-friends I've really rooted for no longer use the title "writer."

Some people are afraid to call themselves writers until they're published. That makes no sense to me. You write—you're a writer. Where else do we make this arbitrary rule? We read—we call ourselves readers. We don't say, "But I can't count myself as a reader until I've read all of Shakespeare's works," or "I'm not a reader until I've read 1,000 books or 1 million pages." Even babies who are read to or toddlers who pretend to read are readers, so why can't we be writers?

But the problem with my former-writer friends isn't about what they call themselves. It's about what they do... or rather... _don't do_.

Life is busy. I get it. It's stressful. There are a myriad of hardships people experience. And I'm not going to minimize the physical, psychological, and spiritual havoc this can cause on their wellbeing, let alone creativity.

Except in temporary extreme circumstances, we don't stop cooking, driving the kids to activities, doing laundry, reading, and working at our day jobs. Some even maintain blogs or stay active on social media sites.

Then why is writing often sacrificed above all else?

It took me four years to figure out that if I didn't make the consistent commitment to write, it might not happen at all. I used to have deluges and droughts, and I thought that was okay. Then I switched from working part time to full time. My classes were stressful, and I had lesson plans to create, papers to grade, parents to meet, and so on.

I didn't write for six months.

By February break, I realized my soul had become malnourished. For the rest of the school year I tried to make an effort to write, but I accomplished very little. It wasn't enough.

I decided I needed to write nearly every day, no matter what the job and the circumstance. This coincided with a decision to attend graduate school for Special Education. How would I balance everything: husband, children, working full time, attending a class, and running a house?

We all have a different list of obligations, and the list is always in flux. Somehow it grows longer. And longer.

You will NEVER have time.

When we place writing on the bottom of that list or don't put writing on it at all, then maybe the term "writer" doesn't apply to us. If we don't even log in the same number of minutes it takes to brush our teeth to write fiction, then what are we doing?

It's about reprioritizing.

There are no hard and fast rules. Do what works for you. Write for 30 minutes a day. Write 500 words per day. Write 1,000 words per day. Write 5 minutes per day. Write at the same time each morning. Write after the kids go to bed. Write when the kids are at their activities or the little ones take a nap. Write during your lunch break. Write a novel during NaNoWriMo, and then spend the rest of the year revising it and working on other writing projects. When you're in between projects or uninspired, write poetry or micro-fiction.

But do _something_.

This is what worked for me: My goal is to write every day for at least 30 minutes. Critiquing, reading for research, and writing a blog post do not count towards my writing goals. Otherwise, I could go every single day and not write a word of fiction or a line of poetry.

Not only do I rarely miss a day, but also I've never been more prolific. By exercising my writing muscle, it gets stronger.

Don't look to friends and family to validate your writing. Even if they're supportive, it's not their responsibility to motivate you. Some might even start making negative comments when your journey is taking longer than expected. Don't let them cultivate your seeds of doubt. And if they're not supportive, all the more reason for you to show that your writing time is non-negotiable.

If you don't make the effort to write, it won't happen.

I recently heard an agent say that writers should compare themselves to the characters in their stories. The consequences for the main character not obtaining her goal have to be great or the story won't be compelling. If what a writer thinks she'll lose by not writing isn't great enough, her compulsion to write will wane.

How important is writing to YOU?

If it's not your passion, then don't let writing get in the way of other pursuits.

It's hard being a writer. There are bouts of doubt:

Each time you read a book and think you'll never be able to write that well,

Each time you receive a rejection,

Each time you receive negative feedback from a critique group or a beta reader,

Each time you don't win a contest,

Each time another writer has some big announcement.

But if writing feeds your soul, then get that butt in the chair and write.

Right now.

_Theresa Milstein, author,_ _professional aide_ , _student, wife and mother, and an editor at Vine Leaves Literary Journal._

<http://theresamilstein.blogspot.com>

### Flash Focus

### by Michelle Wallace

Flash Fiction

What is flash fiction? It's a short form of storytelling. It can be written and read in a few minutes, or seconds.

Names for it include short-short stories, sudden, postcard, minute, furious, fast, blasters, flashers, quick, skinny, and micro fiction. In France such works are called nouvelles. In China this type of writing has several interesting names: little short story, pocket-size story, minute-long story, palm-sized story.

I've also heard it referred to as tea-break tales or a story you can read while waiting for the barista to finish making your non-fat, no-foam, chai vanilla iced latte.

These stories cover all styles, from literary to traditional to experimental, and all genres, from mystery to romance, horror and even magic realism.

Good flash fiction should have the following:

There should be a beginning, a middle, and an end.

The key word is restraint. You have a word limit. Don't let that put you off. Brevity actually fosters creativity and reinforces tight, lean writing. There's no room for superfluous words. Be very specific in word choice.

Throw your reader in at the deep end, which is at the point of conflict, with the barest minimum of exposition. There's no time to set scenes, character development or lengthy introductions.

Avoid over-thinking. After somebody has really annoyed you, then sit down at your computer, open a word document and let rip. It's a record of brief spontaneous observations. In the final copy, a lot of the stuff will end up being deleted, but sparkling nuggets nestle somewhere amongst the load of fluff.

Flash fiction should deliver that "punch-to-the-solar-plexus" moment.

So how do I go about creating my flash fiction?

My flash pieces are inspired by prompts. I enjoy word prompts/photo prompts. First—read the prompt for the day. Second—allow my imagination to go off at a tangent as I consider the connotation of the word. Sometimes a picture accompanies the word... sometimes not. If there's no picture/photo, I sometimes look around for one, to enhance the entire process. I toy around with all the words that come to mind when I look at the picture. By the process of elimination, I try to get rid of all the obvious words, and ones that sound "boring." This initial exercise gets the creative juices going. Then it's time to "think out-of-the-box." I turn to the unusual ways of using the word and let these ideas simmer for a day or two.

As the piece begins to develop/unfold in my mind, I try to make it exciting by incorporating the following:

Sentence variation. This depends on the prompt and is also guided by my mood. It can range from five long sentences in one piece, or five short sentences in one piece, or long and short combined. I do prefer short sentences. They work well, especially with micro-fiction. However, I also love the pacing of a well-constructed long sentence, which can be elegant and really effective, without necessarily being too heavy or "flowery." I've discovered that use of a one-word, two-word or three-word sentence really packs a punch.

I strive for a specific mood/tone in the piece.

Use of the senses. At least one or two...

So why should you write flash fiction?

It's a way to establish a writing routine. You can write flash fiction every day, especially if you're temporarily stuck on a larger project.

It's a way to create a complete piece of writing quickly.

In today's society, short attention span is on the rise. It's a sign of the times we live in—Twitter, the Internet, SMS. This instant gratification lifestyle has permeated all layers of society. It's now the primary way of life. We now gratify many of our needs with just an internet enabled device, e.g. one-click ordering via Amazon. It's become a world that's moving quickly, a world of rapid change and quick fixes—so it demands an ability to be able to switch focus from this to that... on and off... hence the shorter attention span. It's almost as if technology has "taken away" the luxury of the long attention span. So whether you are reading or writing these stories, they provide quick satisfaction, something we all crave in our breathless, short-attention-span world.

For those of you who have NEVER attempted flash fiction before—you have NO IDEA what you're missing out on. It's loads of fun!

It's literary bungee jumping/ scuba diving (not that I've bungeed or had the deep sea diving experience)... an exciting, heady, addictive, adrenalin-pumping experience. Give it a go!

Michelle Wallace calls herself a writer-in-the-making who has embarked on a never-ending journey. She blogs at

<http://writer-in-transit.co.za/>

### Writing and Recovery

### by Eva E. Solar

I have had a love of writing since I can remember. In elementary school, I would write and illustrate my own storybooks to read to my "class" of stuffed animals and Barbie dolls. I always thought my career would involve writing in some way, but that didn't exactly happen. As a single mother, I raised a daughter and worked as an Executive Assistant in Corporate America until 2000. After losing my dad in March, 2000, I became an Emergency Medical Technician. I lost my mother a year later.

I dedicated over a decade to helping the sick and injured, until November 2011 when I became one of the sick. Standing up from a sitting position, I felt a heat rise from my lower body to the back of my neck and snap like a rubber band; it was the worst pain I ever felt, yet it only lasted about 30 seconds. Immediately, I felt nauseated. My former roommate drove me to the local Emergency Room. Halfway there, I was semi-conscious and seizing. Thankfully, no time was wasted pulling over to call 911; she just kept driving.

A CT scan revealed a sub-arachnoid hemorrhage in my brain. Since the hospital was local and not equipped for a brain hemorrhage, they flew me to a Level 1 Trauma Hospital. I had brain surgery the following morning. I suffered an ischemic stroke during surgery, a common side effect. I spent nearly a month in neuro-surgical ICU fighting for my life; my left side was useless, my speech was impaired, and my memory, focus, and concentration were severely shot. After ICU, I was sent to an inpatient rehabilitation facility where I spent another month, learning how to use my left side, to speak, walk, concentrate, and focus again.

"What does any of this have to do with writing?" is a question you might ask yourself. In my world it means everything. My writing is what keeps me going. I am still recovering; my brain is still recovering. I can walk now, slowly, mostly without the assistance of any mobility devices. I speak fluently now unless I'm distressed, then I tend to stutter. Badly. My attention span, focus, and concentration have improved, but I work on it constantly. Writing helps. It makes me focus. It makes me concentrate. People look at me and don't see any visible signs of brain injury. That doesn't mean it isn't there. Sometimes they need to be reminded, gently. _Writing allows me to do that_. It allows me to write out possible teaching moments when I can't find the words to express what needs to be said verbally.

It is one of the _first things_ I made myself relearn once I started stroke rehab. My Speech therapist encouraged and helped me with it, as did my Occupational and Recreational therapists. I cannot work outside my home, not yet, anyway. I struggle to get better physically, emotionally, mentally, cognitively, and spiritually. One thing is certain: I never give up, ever. I consider myself too lucky to have gone through so much to think anything is beyond my capabilities. I **cannot** and **will** **not** let this disability define who I am, and neither should any other writer who has a dream like mine. Let nothing or no one stop you.

1. Do what you can, when you can.

2. If lists help you organize your day, then make one. **Every task checked off that list is something to be proud of**. Remember that.

3. Take multiple breaks. Sitting in front of the computer without taking breaks will actually hinder you, not help you.

4. Eat right, even if it is multiple small meals a day. Taking care of yourself is top priority if you want the energy to put out stories that others will enjoy.

5. Stay hydrated. Drink, drink, and drink plenty of fluids.

6. Try to maintain a regular sleep schedule. This is a difficult one for sure for anyone who suffers chronic and neuropathic pain as I do. Do your best. During one of your multiple breaks, squeeze in a nap if you can.

7. Surround yourself with positive people. No matter what it takes or how long, find a positive support system. During my deepest depression when my real life support system failed, I found my fiercest support online until I was able to find my freedom. This small group is now a part of my extended family. **Find yours**. It will make all the difference.

8. Most important: believe in yourself. I have the encouragement of family, a miniscule number of faithful friends, and some very special blogging friends who believe in me. I believe in you.

I am not only a writer, I am also a survivor.

Eva E. Solar, former EMT, brain hemorrhage/stroke survivor and writer on a mission to be published.

<http://lifepostbrainhemorrhage.wordpress.com/>

### Voice: the Stuff of Life

### by C.D. Coffelt

You know it when you read it, but it's hard to define. It's on the tip of your tongue, like the name of an acquaintance long forgotten. It's a zephyr, the cobwebby gossamer thread of our thoughts.

It is a writer's Voice.

The definition is easy enough. **Voice:** _In literary works, the distinctive style or manner of expression of an author or narrator._

Oh, well, is that all? Whew. I thought it was something intangible.

Wait. What?

It is like describing the color blue to a person blind since birth, impossible to explain. But it's there, right in front of you. When you can see, mentally touch, smell, and breathe in the words of a novel, that is Voice. When the author pulls you into a scene, and you feel the rush of air as the characters dance past you, it is Voice touching your senses. If you bend forward and press your nose against the pages or taste the sweetness of the words, Voice has wormed its way into your mind. It is a cadence like a poem or song.

Voice is the color of a field of sunflowers, waving like melting butter.

Voice is an elderly couple holding hands in the park, their fingers like winter's branches, gnarled and familiar.

Voice is cadence, a slow dance of Life. A poem's beat and the lyrics of a song. Soothing. Calling. Lulling the reader into the slow drawl of the music and, _boom_ , startling them in surprise at the explosive sound of the bass drums.

The red pillow that reminds the narrator of his lost love's blush. The absolute green displayed when the sun drops below a cloudy sky. Personal touches. Feelings. Emotions.

Sounds. Unique and very private thoughts, of fantasy and immediate impressions.

It is sentence structure. _Long sentence, long, short, short, fragment, long._ Or _medium, medium, medium, short, short._ Anyone who knows me has heard my reference to the Dierks Bentley's song _What Was I Thinking_ as an example of cadence. Listen to the beat, how it complements the lyrics so exactly.

Fragments. We think and talk in fragments. It is the way our brains work, not in long-winded sections, but salient expressions, the gems most important. Ignore the software that pings and lights up like Robby the Robot— _warning, warning_ —and use fragments for Voice.

While Voice is impossible to explain, it does have one thing going for it. It's a self-taught skill. Pick a favorite book. Find a passage that moves you and dissect it. Why is it important? What words jump out at you? How does it make you feel? Likely, the author's Voice affected you.

Knowing the bland definition of a literary term isn't always sufficient. It's realizing when it strikes that is important.

The caress of a writer's words opens a reader's eyes to the world of our making. They enter through the door called Voice and marvel.

C.D. Coffelt, author

<http://cd-coffelt.com/>

### How to Write What You Love and Maintain Enthusiasm

### by Emma L. Adams

Lately, I've been working on a book which has been an absolute dream to write. You know you've got the right idea when it gives you goose bumps, invades your mind and whispers in your ear whenever you're doing anything else. However, once you're mired in the middle of a draft, it can be hard to rejuvenate that enthusiasm. Writing is supposed to be both fun AND hard work, but when it starts feeling like a chore, the self-doubt demons can come out to play—I've been there, too many times. So, here are some tips for making the writing process as fun and painless as possible!

  * Write the book you HAVE to write. It might seem obvious, but if you're super-excited about the story, then the enthusiasm should spill over into the writing itself—both speed and quality. In short, write the book that you'd be first in line to buy if someone else had written it. So before even starting, make a list of all those things that make you NEED to pick up a book. Of course, that's different for everyone! Personally, I love interesting and original fantasy worlds and magic systems, well-developed and conflicted characters, twisty plots (bonus points for any twist I don't see coming!), humor, and a page-turning pace. So I try to incorporate all those things into my own writing.
  * For this book, I created a list in Scrivener of all the things I loved about the project, and if there was anything I felt less enthusiastic about, I changed it up. I wanted to love every character, every plot twist and every aspect of the world-building. I find that a lot of the issues I have mid-draft are direct results of the very early idea stages of a story, so it's a good plan to solve as many issues as possible before you put hands to keyboard.
  * Related to this: planning. Specifically, finding a process that works for you. Even for "pantsers", having certain things noted down can save much time and frustration. If you're writing fantasy, taking time to write down the world's rules beforehand will hopefully prevent plot issues and contradictions from arising later. For characters, at the very least, I note down their motivation, goal and main conflict.
  * Personally, I freeze up if I write without knowing where I'm going, so I outline not only the major events but also the characters' emotional journeys, and continually re-outline as I go along. I don't map out every single scene before I start, but I'll often "sketch out" a scene prior to writing it. It makes the process much smoother!
  * To keep up the momentum, try to write every day, or if you can't, then start each writing session by rereading your "master list" of things you love about the project. I was amazed at how quickly it rejuvenated my enthusiasm for the story even after taking up to a week away from it! It can also help to reread the scene before the one you're writing to remind yourself where you're picking up the story.
  * Think about the story even when you're not writing it. Daydream. If you get stuck, go for a walk, or just let your mind wander. It's amazing how quickly the solution can show up when you remove the pressure of the blank page and let the story come to you.
  * And finally, be inspired by other writers. Don't compare your writing speed to someone else's. It's different for everyone. If you get nice feedback on your writing, pin it on the wall or bookmark it. I have a list of nice review quotes on my wall beside my desk and yes, it might seem narcissistic... but I can't tell you how many times it's pulled me out of the _everything I write is terrible_ mindset. Yes, this happens to published authors too—it's normal! And there are negative voices, which is why surrounding yourself with as much positivity as possible is so important. On the bad days, keep those positive voices close!

Now, go and find that story you love! :)

Emma L. Adams is a fantasy author and freelance editor who blogs at

<http://throughthegateway.blogspot.co.uk/>

### Shelving Your Manuscript in Order to Grow

### by Elise Fallson

Writing is a solitary and arduous journey that is misunderstood by many. It takes time and is often isolating, requiring the writer to retreat deep into their mind to remove themselves from the exterior world. Writing also demands sacrifice, perseverance, and a good dollop of insanity if you're in it for the long term. And with so many opportunities to give up along the way, being equipped with a lifeline can be the difference between a successful writer and a failed writer. For many, that line is tethered to the online writing community.

The writing community is a global body of countless supportive and encouraging writers who radiate positive thinking to help struggling writers. So when a fellow writer suffers from writer's block or bouts of insecurity, the community is there to remind them that they are not alone, help is sometimes only a click away. But most important, we understand because we've all been there at some point or another when self-doubt becomes the Mount Everest of our insecurities and all we really need is a bit of encouragement to keep going, to keep writing, and whatever we do—We. Never. Ever. Give. Up.

Never give up. That's good advice. But here's the twist; sometimes, giving up is exactly what you need to do in order to move forward. Let me explain.

When I started writing my first novel, it was like teenagers falling in love for the first time. It was a storm cloud of writing ecstasy. It was passionate and an intense exhilaration that borderlined on the obsessive, the crazy, and the extreme. My story and my characters dominated my thoughts day and night. But as time moved on, I slowly surrendered that passion with each round of edits. And with each rewrite, I found myself deconstructing my love for the story. Things changed. I changed. My story changed and not for the better. Then I started to dread having to open my file document to write. Instead of stealing writing time whenever and wherever I could, I was procrastinating in favor of menial tasks. And the longer I put off writing, the greater the feeling of guilt grew inside me. Soon afterward it became painfully clear that this was no longer the _story_ I wanted to write. And when my mind started dreaming of other stories, other possibilities, I knew. I just knew. Looking deep within, I decided that I could not continue lying to myself. I could not continue to force these words onto the page, so much as I could quell the excitement I felt when I allowed a few moments to imagine a world, in which I was writing something else.

This story was not THE one, and it was time to give up writing my manuscript, and shelve the book.

Sounds like a heartbreaking love story, doesn't it? Well in a way it is. At some point along the path to good writing, a writer will come to the realization that their current project may no longer be writeable. Admitting that is one of the hardest parts about being a writer, and shelving your manuscript, the one that you've agonized and struggled over for months or years even, is the second. And though things may not have worked out the way you originally planned, they can and do get better, if you let them. Because the process of writing a failed manuscript teaches valuable lessons about the craft if you are open to the idea that the failed attempt will make your next project that much better. For example, my first book taught me 487 pages of what not to write in a novel. In other words, I learned a great deal about voice, plot, and character, and I'm convinced my next book will be better. I may have given up on one manuscript, but I haven't given up on writing.

So I'm here to say, it's OKAY. It's okay to shelve your manuscript. And it is by no means an indicator that you suck or have failed as a writer. It's just the opposite. It's a sign that you're maturing as a writer and know when it's time to pull the plug to move on to bigger and better writing. Shelving your work breaks down the brick walls of guilt and frees your mind to develop new ideas on a healthier and more positive foundation. And guess what? Shelving your work doesn't have to be permanent, but it can be empowering.

So in short, knowing when to let go is sometimes the only way to truly move forward in life and in your writing. And if you want to fly, don't be afraid to let go of the things that anchor you to the ground.

Elise Fallson is a writer, insect enthusiast, and amateur photographer who currently lives in France with her family.

<http://elisefallson.blogspot.com/>

### First or Third Person?

### by Sarah Foster

So you've decided to write a novel. You know there are several things you need to figure out before you ever put pen to page or fingers to keyboard. First you plan out your plot, maybe by outlining or just mapping it out in your head. You develop your characters, give them each their own quirks and backgrounds. You may not know every single detail about your story before you begin writing, but there is one thing you have to ask yourself before the first word is written: who is telling your story?

Every novel has a narrator—the person telling the story to the reader. The biggest decision you'll have to make about this narrator is whether it will be first or third person. With first person, you'll be writing from the point of view of one of the story's characters— _I_ walked into the room. With third, your narrator is an unknown voice who is watching the actions of the characters— _he_ walked into the room.

How do you know which voice is right for your story? It can depend on several factors—personal taste, other books you've read, and what you think is right for your particular story. Once you've made the choice between first or third person, you're not completely limited by that decision. Even within these confines, there are still several options. You can write first person with more than one point-of-view character. Your third person narrator can be limited, closely following one or two characters, or omniscient, knowing everything that is happening and what every character is thinking.

There are options, but first you have to choose between the two. Here are just a few of the pros and cons of choosing first or third person:

First Person

Pros:

  * First person is a great opportunity to craft a unique voice for the main character, one with its own quirks, manner of speaking, and perspective on the world and the story itself.
  * If you're telling one particular character's story, it can be very helpful to know all of his or her thoughts and feelings along the way. It will help the story seem more real since it feels like it's coming from an actual person.
  * The reader develops a more personal connection with the main character, and will most likely be invested in what happens to him.

Cons:

  * The narrator isn't going to know what other characters are thinking, or what they're doing when they aren't in the scene with him.
  * The reader may get tired of reading the same voice for the entire novel. They also will most likely have to like the narrator in order to make it through the whole book.
  * The narrator may have a skewed view of the world. His opinions may seem strange or he could even lie to the reader. Unless this works for your particular story, it could throw the reader off.

Third Person

Pros:

  * Like with first person, you still have the option of closely following a character and showing his or her thoughts, but with the added advantage of getting into the heads of several different characters.
  * You can let the reader know something that maybe the characters don't know, or what happens when their backs are turned.
  * You have the ability to create a voice that is distinctly _yours_ and not that of one of your characters.

Cons:

  * When using an omniscient narrator, rather than closely following the thoughts of one or more characters, actually crafting a unique voice can be difficult. It can almost come off like reading a textbook.
  * Going back and forth between different characters too often can be jarring for the reader.
  * Pronoun use can get confusing. For example, if you have more than one "he" in the scene, you have to be sure it's always clear which character you're referring to.

Ultimately your decision should come down to what kind of story you're trying to tell, and how you feel you should tell it. If there is one central character going through a very personal experience, maybe first person is the better choice. If you need different perspectives from more than one character, then third person is the obvious choice. You should also be comfortable writing from your chosen perspective. Don't force it just because you think you should. Listen to your characters and trust your story idea, and you'll know which point of view is right for you.

Sarah Foster is for now an unpublished author musing about the writing process at her blog.

<http://thefauxfountainpen.blogspot.com.au/>

### Top Five Rules to Beat Negativity

### by C.G. Coppola

Being a writer is hard. I know I've endured difficulties on my journey to publication and I'm still fumbling. It's going to happen. The ticket is learning _how_ to overcome so you can reach the other side where you have finished something you love. Now, these may not work for you, but I've compiled a list of my top five rules that always get me through the negativity and doubt and fear that tend to accompany this writing life:

Don't beat yourself up.

You're going to want to. Boy are you going to want to, especially during that first draft. But don't. Nothing is ever perfect the first time around. That's why there's editing. You can always go back and edit, and just like the saying goes, _you can't edit a blank page_. So don't freak out if it's not flowing correctly, or if a new character pops up, or your novel is taking you down a different path than you thought. It's okay. Breathe. It's all part of the process. Take solace in that.

Push, Push, PUSH through it.

Writer's Block gets to us all. But that isn't the green light for quitting. Would it be easier? Sure. Start a new story and hopefully that one will be smooth sailing, right? Except it won't, because no writer ever wrote a perfect novel, novella, or short story in one sitting. There are always pauses and interruptions, rethinking and new scenes. Writing is tough. But it's wonderfully rewarding if you can find the strength in yourself to push through the difficulties. Stick with it and you'll come out the other end.

Don't compare yourself to others.

This is a tricky one, especially when you read something amazing. Witnessing any great art can have a positive or negative effect, but it all depends on how _you_ choose to perceive it. Don't think of it as a podium you'll never reach. Because in some ways it is. You'll never reach another person's high. You can only reach yours. So don't take defeat in the fact that you may never sound like someone else. Instead, know that the best version of your own voice is what you should strive for. We all sound different, and that's a good thing. Make your own podium and climb it.

Write every day.

Even I have issues with this one. But you have to force yourself. Carve out a block of time, even if it's only for an hour, thirty minutes or five. You must dedicate part of your day to writing _every day_. Why? Because the more you write, the better you write, and working never lets the tank run empty. Always be feeding it; always nurse that creative juice because if you go too long without it, excuses morph into daily life and you'll end up thinking about the hobby you used to do instead of the passion you're currently pursuing.

Believe in yourself.

You are the only one who decides how far you can go. You are the only one who knows how badly you want this. But you can't get there if you don't believe. Show us how much you care about your characters, about their plight and sufferings, and we will too. Show us how immersed you are in their world, how devoted you are to telling their tale and we will be too. Love who you are, love how you write, and what you write and it will shine through. If you believe, we'll believe. It's as simple as that.

Hope these help! If not, strive to find your own quirks and rules—whatever you need to keep writing. But keep writing.

_Always_ keep writing.

C.G.Coppola is the author of the Arizal Wars series.

<http://cgcoppola.com>

### To the Writer, All of Life is Research

### by Jen Chandler

Writers like to complain. We're too busy to write, uninspired, blocked. We really like to bemoan the fact that we must keep a day job in order to fund our addiction to words, ink, and page. We wait tables, preside over court rooms, change diapers, fix computers, and sell avocado slicers all while dreaming of convalescing in Cornwall with nothing to do but write. Our souls are wandering Victorians, idle in life, loaded in bank account, and over-flowing with the time it takes to both write and read works of poetry and prose. And because this fantasy avoids reality, we cross our arms, poke out our bottom lips, and refuse to write until "situation perfect" is achieved.

The truth is that perfect situation will never come. The most important lessons a writer can learn are these: start where you are and no experience is wasted. To the writer, all of life is research. Our writing steeps in the flavors of experience when we are willing to open ourselves up—become vulnerable—to each and every moment life hands us. It is a frightening proposition; nobody likes to be vulnerable. Nobody enjoys grunt work, third shift, or digging ditches in the rain. In Texas. In August.

Life is experience and experience is what readers look for when they pick up a new novel or download a short story collection. The reader asks, "Will this story give me something to take with me, to keep in my database for future enjoyment and reference?" Perhaps more than that, the reader is looking for someone who understands his circumstances, her particular situation. How can we as writers hope to understand a plight or offer an escape if we ourselves have not lived beyond our writing room walls?

Experience lends believability to even the most fantastic legend. Let yourself absorb the emotions, the five senses of every moment you live through. Allow life to be your encyclopedia, your Google. Don't shy away from new or scary. Say "yes" until the doors stop opening, and you'll not only uncover experiences which will help you create stronger characters and deeper story lines, you will also discover someone stronger, braver and more beautiful than you could possibly imagine: yourself.

Jen Chandler is a writer and artist living the dream in Savannah, GA

<http://cupandpage.blogspot.com/>

### Quick Self-Editing Tips

### by Tia Silverthorne Bach

Month after month, many IWSG posts touch on topics related to producing quality work. While there's no all-encompassing advice to ensure a 5-star hit, one of the most important parts of publishing is...

Editing.

In a perfect world, we'd all have the disposable money to hire editors. At a minimum, I think it's money well spent to hire a proofreader, however. Still, you'll need to self-edit first. There's so much I can say on the topic, but I'll keep it short and sweet.

5 Quick Self-Editing Tips

1. Walk Away

It sounds simple, but let your manuscript breathe. The closer we are to the project, the harder it will be to edit. Our brain will fill in the gaps and simply read what we intended.

2. Read Out Loud

Another way to overcome knowing our material is to read it out loud. This is particularly effective with dialog. Do you stumble when you read it? If so, it's not natural. This is also an excellent way to pick up missing words or awkward sentences.

3. Commas

Commas, in my opinion as an editor, are the most misused punctuation mark. Either they are overused, weighing down sentences, or severely lacking, losing the reader in a muddy wasteland of words.

Couple of quick comma pointers:

Can it stand alone?

It was snowing hard, creating a foggy sky of white. (creating onward cannot stand alone = comma)

My favorite sport is lacrosse; it's challenged and fast-paced. (it's could stand alone = semi-colon)

City and State/City and Country

He returned to San Francisco, California, after a fun trip to Paris, France, to see friends. (after both city & state, city & country)

Dates

Amy will return for the June 12, 2015 graduation.

Amy will return for the June 2015 graduation.

(use comma after date and year—if only month and year, no commas)

Quotes

Commas go within quotation marks. " ," not " ",

4. Search & Find

If you know you have problem areas (overuse that, very, really, just), do a Search & Find to pinpoint issues and fix them. Also, watch out for commonly misused words. Examples: their/they're/there, lose/loose, its/it's, your/you're, led/lead, lie/lay (lay is the past tense of lie—crazy, I know!), effect/affect, reign/rein, piqued/peaked/peeked. Search and destroy.

5. Read

Sounds so simple, doesn't it? Yet, it's so important. Train your eyes to spot issues and to recognize beautiful wording. It really helps. Read for pleasure, read fellow writers' work and offer critique, and help your kids edit their papers (this helps me!).

Tia Silverthorne Bach, award-winning author of Women's Fiction and Young Adult novels, and an editor at Indie Books Gone Wild.

<http://tiabach.com/>

### Get Outta My Way: Pushing Past Amazing

### by Allison Gammons

I already knew that I was my own worst critic, but recently I have realized how much I can get in my own way.

An upcoming deadline to submit a piece of writing is a great example, making me realize the layers of the challenge. I've known for a month that I wanted to write something for the Insecure Writers Support Group anthology. Yet, here I am at the edge of the deadline with nothing written, struggling to find an idea.

I'm not just struggling for an idea for the one project, but for all of my writing. The struggle is contagious, or perhaps just builds on itself. For the first time in months I am sitting down in front of my Work-in-Process and having NO ideas. Sure, I've struggled before with a character, found myself edging up self-set deadlines, unsure if I'd make them. But this is different. This time it feels like all my ideas are hiding, running from me as fast as they can. It's even spreading to my job—basic language to convey basic information that, on a normal day, would be simple for me to write becomes an all-consuming challenge.

The reason, I think, is the pressure I've started putting on myself. I see an opportunity, something that would be excellent (and so cool) to be a part of. Which means, of course, that whatever I put together for it would have to be AMAZING.

There it is.

AMAZING.

My own version of "perfect." I'm fine sweeping away the idea of perfection—I know that is something that can't be achieved—but AMAZING ... that should be attainable.

But, what is amazing? It's a high-bar to reach, and it means every single idea and every single word gets super-analyzed. It means NOTHING is good enough. Nothing is original enough, nothing will do.

As long as I hold myself to an expectation that is undefined, and unattainable, I set myself up to fail. Which then destroys my sense of being able to accomplish things, which feeds into over-analyzing all the writing and so on and so on. A vicious cycle.

Sometimes I have to just get out of my own way. I have to let go of this idea of "amazing." I have to _just write_. No matter how stupid the idea might be, write it. Editing can happen later, but if I don't get anything on the page, I end up with nothing at all.

I know I can push beyond that block. Stubbornness can work both ways: it can build the barrier, and it can knock it down. Stop holding myself to some huge "amazing" expectation, and instead recognize that simply writing in the first place is pretty awesome and amazing in its own right.

Allison Gammons shares her writing journey and meandering thoughts with whoever will listen

<http://eclecticali.wordpress.com/>

### Some Lessons from a Ghost

### by Stuart Sharp

For all the time I've been doing the IWSG, I've been working as a ghost-writer. I counted recently, and I've worked on more than fifty novels, full length biographies, or short story collections for other people. So I thought I'd share a few lessons that I've learned from doing that which hopefully apply to other writing too:

**It's not about the idea.** Everyone has a great idea in them. Most people have a lot. Everyone gets inspired. At the same time, most great ideas have been thought of before. Wizards and witches in schools predated J.K. Rowling. Vampires predated Stephanie Meyer. It's more about what you do with your idea and all the thousands of small choices you make as you write. Those ensure that you write something no one else could.

**But voice is less obvious than people think.** I write for a lot of other people. They think it must be hard work matching my voice to theirs, but it's actually not that hard. Most writing voices are more similar than you think on the level of actually writing. Writers end up different because of the choices they make and the things that interest them far more than quirks of writing style.

**It's more than just the craft of writing.** I've met so many people who thought that it was possible to piece a work of fiction together by numbers. I've rarely found it working. It's far better to follow what the story needs next than what a structure imposed from without says it needs. It's crucial to have passion for your story. To believe in it. Who you are matters too. It has to. I've written books for all kinds of different people. If it were just about the writing, then they would all have done equally well. Instead, some were bestsellers, and some I haven't heard from again. As much as some of us hate it, the human side of it matters at least as much as the writing.

**But craft is important.** It's important to know how to hook a reader. How to tie characters to plot by giving them a take on the core themes of the book. How to use structure without it using you. The good news is that the way you learn this is fun. You read a lot, and you write a lot, and you think about both of them as you go. That's not the same thing as sitting down with a writing self-help book or five. I do a lot of work where I'm there to provide technical expertise in fitting a book together, and actually, problems can come when people assume that I'll be doing the hero's journey thing by numbers, when I actually plan on doing what an individual story needs. Make up your own mind with things like structure.

**You can always do more than you think.** I have written a 40,000 word novella in a fortnight. I have written 50,000 word novels inside a month fairly regularly. I'm sure many of the people who have done NaNoWriMo have done at least as much. You can write a lot when you have the time every day to do it, and writing slower is not automatically the same thing as writing better. Some people will benefit from just getting it all down and then fixing it. Rewrites are what makes work good.

**But it's important to enjoy it**. I've had the good fortune to work with some people living their dreams as highly successful writers. But for many of us, it remains a dream. The million selling novel is a rarity. So much so that every manuscript is like a lottery ticket you've just taken six months over. Even as a ghost, I could make better money lecturing as the medievalist I trained as. We do this because we love it. Because we enjoy it. And if you're not enjoying it, then no one is forcing you to. Do something else for the day or the week. Come back to it when the love is there again. Not only will your writing be better for it, but so will your life.

**Oh, and it's not about the goblins either.** This is the first piece of writing advice I ever gave in an interview, and it's still true. I write a lot of fantasy. A lot. And it's easy to go along going "Look, a dragon!" giving characters more and more powers, throwing in lots of magical creatures and never having anything more to say. But the stuff that interests me comes when it _does_ have something to say. Goblins... well, they can either be just random fantasy monsters, there for the heroes to kill, or they can be a way to comment on the world without ever having to get so close that it hurts too much. I know which of those I find more interesting. I mean, I'm still going to write them as the sub-Jeeves and Wooster hench-things of rather stupid Evil Overlords, but I know which I'd rather read.

Stuart Sharp is a ghostwriter/editor living in East Yorkshire. His own novels include The Glass and Court of Dreams.

<http://stu-stusplace.blogspot.com/>

### On Writing

### by Lara Trace Hentz

I was a kid with a diary, keeping track of family events and my own observations, like boy love or when my dog died. In an oath to myself, after I'd lived long enough, with plenty of life experience, I'd become a writer. I had no clue how. Many years ago in Oregon, I read _The Artist's Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity,_ a self-help book by Julia Cameron with Mark Bryan, written to help all kinds of people in artistic creative recovery, not just writers. Of all the books about the writing process, this definitely impacted me. It hit me BIG! I wrote three+ pages every single day a couple of years then wrote even more pages more faithfully than in my earlier journals. Immediately I noticed how much I was opening new inner pathways and breaking mental barriers. I cracked wide open! The pen in my hand connected my heart to the page. Tapping this pathway, I lost fear. It felt like I was in a flow outside myself. I read many types of books and newspapers, and began to notice my writing was improving. With daily practice-makes-perfect, I was hired to write. I became a professional journalist, newspaper editor, contributor to books and even wrote a memoir. Something utterly magical happens in the practice of three pages. Don't take my word for it, just do it!

Award winning journalist, Lara Trace Hentz (DeMeyer) is the author of five books and the founder of Blue Hand Books, a collective of Native American authors.

<http://larahentz.wordpess.com>

### What's Good to Your Soul

### by Angela Brown

There is lots of advice for an aspiring writer. Honestly, I want to face-palm myself for not being aware of the scores and scores of tips and points available when I first tripped and fell headfirst into the ocean that is publishing. I allowed myself to be so blinded by ... goodness, I don't even know what it was. Maybe it was the idea of being published or unrealistic hopes without doing what I needed to do to make it happen. That was back in 2007 when I first self-published Secret Lilies under the pen name Rayven Godchild and then life side-swiped me with a lot of necessary change.

When I came back to the game, I came back a bit more prepared, though I still had a few things that still needed to be addressed to get where I am (where I am being a happier place as an author and not trying to be some other author). So instead of tips or advice, I have a few Hard Knocks to share.

**Hard Knock 1**. _Accept the dream._ For the longest time, I didn't want to publish my writing. As a kid I thought it was awesome. But the reality of things like rent or mortgage, groceries, and electricity took over. When the writing bug hit me, I wish-washed around, uncertain if I was worthy, if anyone would even care to read what I wrote. Which leads to...

**Hard Knock 2**. _Get over yourself._ Seriously. It's good to have confidence to help battle the monster that is Doubt. Inner Critic tends to have the power to draw more blood and cease more writing careers than any red-pen-wielding editor, critique partner or even the dreaded Goodreads Trolls. But having issues when people trying to help you point out ways to improve your work won't help. Talent is great. Being a gifted writer is very helpful, but it's putting in the work that will keep you moving along the publication journey, leading to...

**Hard Knock 3**. _Open your mind and do your research._ Self-publishing via KDP, Nook Press, Smashwords or Draft2Digital. E-book publishers. Small publishers. Traditional publishing. Although there is no one right way to publish, there is one journey that is yours and yours alone. Do your research to weigh the pros and cons of the different ways to publish. Closing your mind to one way may be closing the door to an opportunity you choose to dismiss. That's a great segway to...

**Hard Knock 4**. _Comparisons have their place._ Whatever path you choose, or whatever twists and turns your various choices and decisions lead you on, keep the comparisons to the blurbs and sales pitches. I can't tell you how many times I've found myself first pleased with having a work compared to another author who is successful then found myself wondering why aren't some of those same good things happening to me. Why did so-and-so get a deal but I didn't? How did that other author debut and sell thousands of copies self-publishing their first work, and my novels/novellas have flat-lining numbers? These questions can lead to all things negative when that monster Doubt creeps in behind the personal inquiries. Introspection turns into rejection. And who's better at rejecting you than you? That's why it's important to...

**Hard Knock 5**. _"Remember." (Courtesy of Mufasa from The Lion King.)_ The desire to write started from somewhere raw, innocent and hopeful. For me, it was a passion as a child, hidden into my adulthood, then reawakened when I had my child and lacked the ability to honestly encourage my child to go for her dreams when I hadn't done the same for myself. Passion kept me attending critique sessions with some seasoned writers, getting shredded like a worked over muscle group so that I could repair and become stronger, better, improved. Passion and the support I get from great writer buds like those in IWSG kept me going when the monster of Doubt loomed over my dream, threatening to yank my dream, rip it to shreds and toss it to the four winds with all the care of a psychopath. Passion is why I keep going, step by step, on the publishing journey that is uniquely mine ... and whatever your "Remember" is should do the same for you.

We live and we make mistakes. We learn and laugh at some of the stupid-silly-what-the-heck-was-I-thinking moments. And we publish.

So keep writing and bringing what's good to your soul to other souls like yours that are waiting to hear from you.

Angela Brown, author of Neverlove and They All Fall Down, and coming soon is her YA urban fantasy dystopian, Beacon.

<http://publishness.blogspot.com.au/>

### Word Sprinting

### by Lan Chan

If you've ever participated in NaNoWriMo or just wanted to write more quickly and found yourself struggling to make the word count, then word sprinting might be for you. Word sprints are also called word wars and are focused periods of writing with a firm time limit that forces a writer to disregard their inner editor and just concentrate on the words.

If you are just starting out, it is best to limit yourself to shorter sprints and work yourself up. Ten minute sprints tend to be the average and is the perfect amount of time to allow yourself to get immersed in a scene without it dragging on so long that you start to lose concentration. Of course, once you are a sprinting pro you can extend the time or shorten it based on your preferences.

The key to a good sprint is to know your own writerly habits. I'm one of those people who get distracted easily, so I have to have it dead silent while I write. Others need music or snacks. Prepare yourself before you begin to sprint so that you don't have to get up half way through. The other important thing to remember is that there is NO editing during a sprint. Those pesky red lines drive us writers insane, but to sprint well you need to ignore them. Once the sprint is over, by all means go back and give yourself time to fix up glaring mistakes.

Word sprints can be done on your own or with sprinting partners, though the latter tends to be more fun and adds a bit of extra competitiveness to the process. It's always nice to compare word counts after the sprint and get kudos from others. If you don't already have writer friends who would like to sprint with you, the NaNoWriMo forum has a whole section on word sprints with twitter groups that anyone can join.  
Above all else, sprinting tends to help those writers who are plagued by the dreaded writer's block. A sprint helps you put aside whatever issues you're having with the plot or the character growth in order to get words on paper. Sometimes you have a breakthrough but even if you don't, it always gets you writing, which is kind of the point isn't it?

Lan Chan writes young adult dystopia and sci-fi/fantasy.

<http://thewriteobsession.blogspot.com.au>

### Trusting your Gut

### by Nick Wilford

When it comes to writing, the best piece of advice I've found is to do what works for you. There are no hard and fast rules; it's such a personal thing that after practicing for a while, hopefully some sort of instinct takes over. That said, here are some pointers that have helped me along the way, which I try to bear in mind:

Show, don't tell. I know we hear this one over and over again. One of the most useful ways to apply it is to delete the infinitive ( _to walk, to talk_ etc.). Don't say, "he lifted the phone to talk to his wife." If he's lifting the phone, it's pretty clear he's going to talk to someone. Show us something about their relationship: "He lifted the phone. Would she listen this time?" You don't even have to explicitly state who he's phoning, as that will be shown in the dialogue.

If you like structure and timeframes to your writing, try to set a minimum word count each day so you know you're getting x amount done. If you exceed it, great. One way to keep yourself moving is to leave off each session partway through a scene. That way, you always have something you can pick up again the next day.

Finally, a word about that inner editor. Some people hate theirs as a nagging voice constantly telling them they're not good enough. I think the trick is to know when to listen. Your inner editor can tell you when something feels off, or could be tightened up, or removed. By listening at the right times, and not becoming too cocky, you will constantly be moving forward and improving as a writer. Like I said above, it comes down to instinct and trusting your gut.

Nick Wilford is a writer, parent, freelance editor, and publisher of the fundraising anthology, Overcoming Adversity: An Anthology for Andrew.

http://nickwilford.blogspot.co.uk/

### The Truth of It

### by Liza Carens Salerno

Five years ago, corporate America and family occupied most of my time. When the grind of the day job got to me, like millions of people, I'd muse, _Gee, wouldn't it be cool to write a novel_? I imagined myself working in a café part-time, so I had _time_ to write the book, which was kind of like thinking it would be cool to win the lottery. And, well, I don't play the lottery.

Then, in a workforce-reduction, expense management strategy, corporate-downsizing or whatever buzz-phrase suits your mood, my employer dropped-kicked me across the parking lot, and within twenty-four hours of that pink-slip event, I started writing. Not a novel. Nothing like a little layoff to call that bluff. No, I wrote personal essays—unemployment therapy I suppose, but so much more. I wrote blog post after blog post having recognized within hours of my job elimination whatever I did next in life had to involve writing and the only way to get better at writing was to write.

It wasn't fiction, though.

Curiously, during those first butt-in-chair years, I did stumble into a part-time job in a café. Well, not a café, but pretty close. A gourmet food and cheese shop selling prepared items and made-to-order sandwiches. And on the days I wasn't standing on a cement floor preparing panini, serving up carrot hummus, or lugging cast iron pans to the sink, I planted myself in front of my computer and wrote.

But still. The idea of fiction drifted out there, mist at dawn—until an acquaintance recommended Julia Cameron's _THE ARTIST'S WAY_ , a book of twelve week-long lessons subtitled _A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity_. Don't worry. "Spirit" is subjective, and if mine happened to be the ceramic vase sitting on my window shelf, it would have worked in context of this book.

As I plowed through the program, each chapter forced me to confront my creative future, to challenge myself to make my dreams happen. _THE ARTIST'S WAY_ works for anyone, but in my case, each lesson said, you want to write fiction? You are the only one stopping yourself. Before I'd finished the exercises in _THE ARTIST'S WAY_ , I began writing a novel, to see if I could get to the end, which happened, though the result was so awful it was impossible to fix. So, more butt-in-chair. Plus, I read writers on writing. I gave myself timed writing exercises and scene-stormed. I wrote a second book and submitted it to agents and received a request for one full manuscript that went nowhere, form rejections and lots of cold silence. I took a Grub Street novel-in-progress course. And then another.

I know. We're well into this piece and you expect to read I've got a novel coming out. Nope. Not yet. Lovely word, "yet." We needed better insurance, so I'm back working in an office, almost full time. I get up early every morning to write. If I can, I write after work too. I'm getting ready to submit my third novel to agents with this perspective. There's no winning the lottery to it. Standing up in a café all day is brutal work, and writing a _good_ novel is even more difficult. But thanks to Julia Cameron, I get it. The only person who can give up on me, is me.

So, butt-in-chair.

Liza Carens Salerno

<http://middlepassages-lcs.blogspot.com/>

### The Benefits of a Critique Partner

### by Elsie Amata

When Alex J. Cavanaugh put word out the IWSG was putting together a book to help other writers on their journey, I thought I'd have nothing to contribute. I mean, I don't even have a book published yet. What could I possibly have to offer anyone? Then I realized, wait a minute, I do have some words of wisdom to pass along. Here they are:

Don't be afraid to share your writing with a critique partner.

Perhaps not the most earth-shattering piece of advice but worthy enough to pass along to nervous newbies like me.

I was petrified to ask someone to review my book. What if they told me it was a piece of garbage? What if they said it had terrible characters or an awful plot? I didn't think I could handle the criticisms. Even if they weren't catastrophic.

Finally, I told myself enough is enough. I reached out to one of my favorite authors for a helping hand. I chose him because I loved his writing and his crazy sense of humor. He's a great fit for me and has been with me every step of the way. It was the best thing I ever did for my writing. Not only did I learn how to fine-tune my work and accept writing tips without being offended, I made a great friend too.

If you're almost finished with your work-in-progress, it's time to start thinking about finding a critique partner or two. Search for someone you think you'd get along with so their suggestions won't feel so personal. Look for a writer with a similar style to yours even if it's not in your genre. Find an author who's a few steps ahead of you in their journey. The best people to help you are those who've walked the path before you.

Good luck on your journey, my fellow newbies!

Elsie Amata

<http://mockturtlemusings.com/>

### Writing Vivid Characters

### by Michelle Athy

In college, I was a writing major, while my childhood best friend, attending a different school, was a psychology major. One of the things we had in common was our love of writing: both of us had been writing stories, coming up with characters, and had our noses stuck in a book for the better part of our childhood. But now, as I was in workshop class after workshop class, my best friend was taking elective creative writing classes at her school.

I'll never forget one conversation we had, where she said, "I tried to make this character do this and this, but she wanted to do that instead, so I let her. You know, they do whatever they want."

I'd never thought of it in that way. For all the years I'd been writing and even, at the time, ostensibly studying writing, I'd had a hard time making my characters feel real, making them distinct and separate from me. Every female character was based on me and my friends in some way and that was getting tiring. It was cute writing, but not vivid writing and certainly not _good_ writing.

But after that conversation, I was more conscious of when my characters were falling flat. They would sit and stare at one another, unsure of what to do or say and I would grow frustrated in figuring out how these flat fictional segments of my imagination had turned out so... boring. They had no dimension. Even their dialogue didn't give any hints to their personalities.

So, how do you write characters that act, feel, and react like real people within the world of your story? Part of it, for me, was letting the characters live in the stories, like my friend did. I'd be writing and all of a sudden, there was a funny line of dialogue that was unplanned and seemingly came out of nowhere, but it so fit the character and the story. Or a new character would appear, and I'd "look" at the character and ask, "Where did you come from?" Or setting a scene in a non-descript room would seem like too little—no, better to set the scene in a car or a restaurant's kitchen or on a ship.

Perhaps these sorts of things have already happened in your writing.

In order to write a character vividly, to render them as people in your made-up world on the page, you have to know them. What is their personality, what is "in character" for them? What is their backstory? What kind of relationships do they have? How do they react to the situations you've put them in? What kind of thought process do they have?

How do you get to know them? A character sheet may work for you, but I find character sheets a dry list of attributes and facts. They may tell me things about my characters, but they don't show me how the character interacts with the others in the story or why he or she feels or acts a certain way. My first draft is when I get to know my characters, but freewriting about that character or using a prompt to write a scene may help you. Interviewing the character is a good method, too. Make sure you come to know their motivations; it'll help you write them truthfully.

Once you know them, there's a freedom to writing them. Writing from their point of view becomes easier and because it's in their point of view, you start writing your scenes differently. What would your character notice about that other character or the room or the forest? Your details becomes less generic—and the more specific you get, the more the scene and characters take on lives of their own in a reader's mind.

But first, they need to take on lives in the writer's mind. Dig in to your story, give your characters personalities and quirks and hopes and dreams, take a step back, and let them do what they want. Get in the zone. Stop thinking about it so much. It may end up being some of the best writing you'll ever do.

Michelle Athy is a native New Yorker, Emerson College alum, and a writer who blogs at

<http://sunflowerrei.blogspot.com/>

### Tell the Story You Want to Tell

### by Murees Dupé

The idea of writing can be daunting at first, as ideas may be few and far in between, but the best place to start is always with the first word. Once you get that baby on the blank page, half the battle is won. The rest of the battle comes when you have to keep adding words to create the story you want. I can lie and say it's always easy to find the right words, but the truth is it isn't. Writing is hard and can sometimes be a struggle, but that's also what makes it fun. Seeing what can come from all your hard work―worrying whether your project is close to perfect or not and realizing that you have created something fresh and unique, that is one hundred percent you.

Most writers are insecure about their creations and never think it's ever good enough to be submitted or read by others and most times they are right. However, you have to believe in yourself no matter how difficult things get. You have to believe that your words are good enough. You have to like your own work first, before you can expect others to appreciate it. Also, learn to be honest with yourself about what works for you in terms of your writing and what doesn't.

When you write, allow your mind to wander―to be free and uninhibited and do not overthink things... just write. That way you will always have something to write about. Here are a few other things to keep in mind while creating your own wonderful masterpieces:

  * Tell the story you want
  * Write about what you want
  * Stay true to your vision
  * Trust your instincts
  * Love what you write
  * Have fun

_Murees Dupé, introvert, blogger and romance writer._<http://dailydramaofanaspiringwriter.blogspot.com>

### The Key to Writing

### by Roland Yeomans

In four and a half years I have written 33 books and published all but one of them. The last is being "polished" as I call editing to keep from hyperventilating.

But is the prose any good? Not for me to say.

That is the key to completing your novel. You give it your best, knowing perfection is impossible and try to tell a story that will touch the heart no matter what genre. And don't freeze up trying to be Shakespeare.

Isaac Asimov wrote 500 books in his lifetime. Piers Anthony has written over 100 books since 1967.

I am a rare blood courier with little free time. How did I write 33 novels?

I WROTE EVERY DAY

At least one sentence every day. It would usually grow into a paragraph. If you write a page a day, in a year you will probably complete your novel.

I KNEW MY FIRST AND LAST SCENE

How am I going to know my last scene, you wail? The title of your book will give it to you. The last scene will also give you an idea of what your first scene should be.

Joyce Carol Oates told her students that until the last sentence is written, the first one can't be.

DISTILL

Forget NaNoWriMo. Did you write 5 pages this morning? Polish them down to 3 or at least 4 this evening.

Good writing is refined thinking.

DON'T WRITE WHAT EVERYONE KNOWS

Write what most cannot put into words. The winds blowing in the darkness should grieve the night. The many eyes of the moon should blink back at you from the shattered corpse of the whiskey bottle.

TAKE UP KNITTING IF YOU WANT A HOBBY

Put it all on the line. Your story should be one of death, mystery, love, and laughter in the worst of times.

You cannot write of that half-heartedly. Fiction is in danger of becoming a kind of poetry. Only other poets read it.

Writing is a craft. You get better at a craft by doing it over and over.

DON'T IMPRESS, ENTERTAIN

If your lovely prose has the reader sucking in their breath in admiration of the author, you've taken them out of the story.

Focus on using your words as magnets to draw the reader deeper and deeper into the story with suspense, danger, and the probability of a bad end for the hero.

MAKE BOREDOM A DEATH SENTENCE

Read your last page aloud. Now imagine you were speaking that page to a tyrant who would execute you on the spot if he were bored by your words. No page can be allowed to be dull.

WEAVE YOUR WORDS

Music and literature weave their pattern of sounds in time, or, in other words, of sounds and pauses.

Each sentence, by successive phrases, should first come into a kind of knot, and then, after a moment of suspended meaning, solve and clear itself.

It is a dance where the words take the reader by the imagination and spins her into the next sentence smoothly, naturally.

The reader is led to foresee, to expect, and then to welcome the successive phrases. The pleasure may be heightened by an element of surprise.

Good prose, like good music, should lead the reader up, then down, and finally spun into a satisfying climax.

THE ONLY RESTRICTIONS ARE WITHIN YOU

Don't put a straitjacket on your imagination. Leap into the void and word-dive without a parachute. If your story gives you a buzz, then it is the story you must write. Write it.

If it sells well, that is an extra. We writers write for we must. That is it.

In enriching your life, you will write a true novel. And true novels enrich those readers of a like spirit as yours. They are out there. Find them.

Roland Yeomans

<http://rolandyeomans.blogspot.com/>

### Staying Motivated

### by Anne Higa

1. Be task-oriented. I am used to thinking of work in terms of time. As a writer, I've found that I need to reverse my thought processes and think in terms of what I need to get done rather than the time I will dedicate to working. This may sound zany, but it's true.

2. Remind yourself what you should be doing. I use desktop wallpaper to remind me what I should be doing.

3. Exercise, eat right, etc. I know, I know. But it really does help. A lot.

4. Vary your locale. I mostly write on a laptop computer, but I'm not above pen and paper. Sometimes if I'm stuck on a crowded restaurant scene I'll go someplace crowded. For a quiet meditative moment...you get the idea.

5. Just do it.

6. Have a support system. It helps a lot to know there are people out there who know you are supposed to be writing.

7. Never give up.

8. And don't forget to treat yourself for a job well done. Our brains are wired for positive feedback.

Anne Higa, Out-of-this-World Fantasy Author

__<http://annehiga.com/>

### Brainstorming Tips for Our Manuscripts

### by Rachna Chhabria

When the shiny new idea strikes us, it would be beneficial if after the initial outlining we spend a couple of days brainstorming on how to make our story different from other stories flooding the bookshelves.

**Protagonist.** We can work on creating characters that readers will remember long after they have finished reading. One can never forget the lightning-shaped scar on Harry Potter's head or Katniss Everdeen offering to be the Tribute in her sister's place in _Hunger Games_. Both Harry and Katniss wormed their way into the readers' hearts and minds. Hazel Grace and Augustus Waters from the book, _The Fault in Our Stars_ , too nudged aside other characters for the readers' love and sympathy. What connected the readers to each of these characters was a strong emotional bond. Readers need to feel something for the character/s to get into their stories. It's not because all these characters had the threat of death hovering over their heads that grabbed reader sympathy. None of the characters came across as weak or pitiable. In fact, all these characters showed a strength of character unimagined by readers. And these characters were very likeable.

**Setting**. Original and unusual settings interest readers, book after book. There are several things we can add to settings: strange people (their customs, habits, food, plants, animals, rituals, way of talking and dressing, way of communicating) objects that belong to that place (remember the Pensieve, Time-turner, Invisibility Cloak, and Floo Powder that swamped the Potter books). What has not been seen before will make for great hooks where settings are concerned.

**Antagonist.** During the brainstorming stage the antagonist should not be ignored as he/she drives the conflict and adds tension. The antagonist should be given a literary makeover (complete with strange words they use, a weird way of talking, dressing, maybe a fetish or two, or strange pets). The aim here is to make the antagonist as different as possible from other antagonists and powerful enough to grab the readers' eyeballs. During the brainstorming stage we can imbue the antagonist with plenty of qualities that will make them stand out: a sensory highlight where one of the senses is more powerful than the others, a quirky way of dressing, a strange physical or psychological malady (this adds to the inner conflict), a quirky sense of humor or an OCD. Maybe we can make them a megalomaniac or a kleptomaniac.

**Conflict**. A gripping conflict will ensure that readers' attention does not constantly waver. There should be a major conflict driving the protagonist and minor ones building tension. The major conflict fuels the entire story while the minor ones fuel each individual chapter/scene. Getting merciless while adding the conflicts is the key to a gripping story.

**Secondary Characters**. Secondary characters who remain puppets or caricatures, just filling in the story space are seldom remembered. Strong secondary characters who have their own small sub-plot, conflict and wish-fulfillment, make for better reading. Remember Ron and Hermione in the Potter series and Peeta and Gale in the Hunger Games Trilogy. All four were strong supporting characters who had their own unique roles to play in the story. Spending some time drawing out the secondary characters' roles and place in the story and giving them definite goals and conflicts is a surefire way to make them memorable.

**Resolution**. Happy Endings make for satisfied readers as there is a sense of redemption. We can twist this by making the endings happy but unexpected: the protagonist has reached his or her destination in an extremely unstereotypical fashion after encountering several bumps and climbing out of many potholes. The reader should be taken not just by surprise but also be given mild but pleasant shocks at every twist and turn the story takes before reaching the resolution.

**Voice**. Voice is the crucial factor that determines whether a book will be read or not. Though many consider it undefinable, it's the way a writer describes things or brings them to the readers' notice. Unusual but lively descriptions, snappy dialogues and sentences that zing along with a musical cadence, all contribute to building that important voice.

Rachna Chhabria writes Middle Grade Fiction and Picture Books. She blogs at Rachna's Scriptorium.

<http://rachnachhabria.blogspot.in>

### Journey Beyond the Detours

### by Sandra Hoover

As a young girl, I discovered two things that I could employ as a lifeline, easing my way through some difficult years—reading everything I could get my hands on and putting pencil to paper to write the emotional stories awakening inside me. Over the years, real life took over, pilfering my time for reading and writing, while suppressing my creative efforts. My journey took a prolonged detour, delaying my aspirations of becoming a writer, a published author. In most recent years, I've taken a long, hard look at my life, goals, dreams and uncovered several missed opportunities. Do I have regrets? Yes, often to the point of sometimes believing it may be too late for my dream of being published to become a reality. I now realize I exhausted every excuse in the book for not fully committing to a writing career, and that's on me. The fact is, it all comes down to one thing—how bad do I want it? Enough to make it my priority? At this point in my life, my response is _yes_. The desire to write never deserted me; I abandoned my writing. And so recently, I confronted my final roadblock, the nagging fear fanning my self-doubt, rousing my disbelief. _Have I waited too long? Is it too late for me?_

On a quest for the answers, I dared step inside myself to better understand the source of my doubts. I came away realizing that my delayed journey was not a wasted trip, as I gleaned useful information, while also recognizing and banishing useless excuses along the way. By acknowledging my excuses, I accepted a few facts that I consider essential for writers to explore and implement, the last of which answered my own self-doubting questions. It is my belief that these three factors are vital for every new writer to recognize and own if they have genuine aspirations of establishing a writing career. My hope is that by sharing my own journey, I can help you find a shorter route around your own roadblocks.

  * If you wait for the _perfect time_ to write, you'll die waiting. The time is _now_ , wherever you are in your life journey. Claim your writing time and space. Make it a priority. Own it by letting family and friends know that you will be unavailable to them during this time each day. There may not be a perfect time to write, but there is a time that you can make work for you and your family. Early morning, late at night, on your lunch break—establish a writing routine, and be there on time each day. Also, claim your writing space. Don't use not having a personal office as your excuse for not writing. Excuses will not get you from amateur to professional status. Writers work anywhere and everywhere—in an office, on the kitchen table, in the corner of a hallway, in the park, in coffee shops and libraries and so on. Take control of your writing time and space, and be there every single day at the same time.
  * Writing is a solitary profession at times but recognize that you are not alone. The Writing Community is a vast, supportive resource. Tap into the inspiration and motivation available from fellow writers. Know and appreciate the fact that even established authors are usually glad to offer assistance to new writers. They are not your competitors but rather members of your new writing family, cheering you on while sharing invaluable information and resources. In turn, share your own knowledge and support freely. Explore the wealth of information and assistance available in online writing groups, such as IWSG, and on websites for both new and published authors. You'll not only gain confidence and a sense of accomplishment, you'll make lifelong friends, while enjoying camaraderie among other writers. Actively seek out Critique Partners. Dare to put your writing out there and both accept and give constructive criticism. You'll deliver a better manuscript for publication while continuing to hone your writing skills. Enter the vast world of blogging. It not only opens doors for you to meet fellow writers and reviewers, but also lends you the opportunity to establish name recognition and form a link of your own with readers. Become a contributing member of the Writing Community, and you will no longer feel alone or isolated as a writer.
  * Doubts kill dreams. Doubting your own abilities or motivation __ saps your creativity and is a waste of your precious time and energy. The source of my own doubts is seeded in the worry of having let too many years escape without writing. But crying over _Coulda, Woulda, Shoulda_ doesn't change things. __ We must own our mistakes and banish our doubts to change our future. Take the things you cannot change and use the lesson you learned to move forward with your dreams and goals. It is never too late to write your story. I repeat: It is never too late to write your story. Not so long ago, a friend offered me some words of wisdom that I took to heart. _Stop looking backwards. You're not going in that direction._ A simple concept but one I needed to hear at that point in my writing life. And so I have the answer to my own self-doubting questions. _Have I waited too long? Is it too late for me?_ The answer for me, and anyone else asking themselves that question, is an emphatic _No_. It's never too late. Never allow anyone, including yourself, to arouse your self-doubts or convince you that it's too late to follow your dreams. It's simply not true. The future is sunny and bright and yours for the claiming. Write your story!

Sandra Hoover, Southern Writer, Reviewer, Blogger

<http://crossmyheartbookreviews.blogspot.com/>

### The Complete Thought

### by Anna Simpson

The Sentence

Sentences are complete thoughts.

We have simple thoughts:

Anna typed a word.

A simple sentence or thought usually has a subject and predicate which may or may not include an object.

We have compound thoughts:

Anna typed a word, but she misspelled it.

To identify a compound sentence, simply look for a comma before a common coordinating conjunction that links two subjects and two predicates. Some common conjunctions are: and, but, for, or, nor, so, and yet. If you need more, do an internet search for a complete list. I have mine posted by my monitor.

There are complex thoughts:

Deciding to write, Anna, a slow typist, typed a word, focused to help aspiring writers, but she misspelled it; disgusted, she got up and walked away.

The above may not be perfect. But notice what I've tried to incorporate within the thought. It has detail that the simple and compound sentences don't. It has clarity, showing more of what I meant to say. And in my opinion, it has captured a moment of my life—imaginary or not.

Note: this is only the bare-bone basics of complex sentences. I will include some vocabulary, not to belittle you, but to enable you to seek out more information when you want it.

Okay. Let's get complex.

I'll be dissecting:

Deciding to write, Anna, a slow typist, typed a word, focused to help aspiring writers, but she misspelled it; disgusted, she got up and walked away.

The introduction:

Deciding to write

Introductions can be useful to indicate that time has passed, or the subject changed focus. Play with them. In my case, I was simply taking a short cut, so I could get to the meat of the message I wanted to convey.

The subject:

Anna

Usually a noun. In this case Anna is a proper name and the person taking action in the sentence.

The appositive:

a slow typist

The appositive is a modifying phrase and is specific to the proper name (Anna), giving a detailed description, and occasionally, reminding the reader who the subject is. Useful, if it's been a while since a character last appeared in your story.

The predicate:

typed a word

is the remainder of the thought. It contains the verb, and in this case, the object.

The verb:

typed

A verb is the action word.

The object:

a word

is, by definition, the thing or object acted upon. "A word" is the result of Anna's action of typing, therefore, I believe it is the object of this sentence.

The modifying phrase:

focused to help aspiring writers

Modifies the "a word", using a dependent phrase can replace an adverb or adjective, and can deepen the meaning of a subject, object, or verb. Usually found directly beside the word/phrase to be modified and enclosed within commas. If the phrase is too far away, you'll end up with a dangling modifier.

Second half of the compound sentence:

but she misspelled it

Dangling modifier is a phrase that points at the wrong verb, subject or object.

Anna climbed the stairs not looking back.

Adding the modifier here, I've stated that the stairs are not looking back. It should have been written like this:

Anna, not looking back, climbed the stairs.

Semi-colon:

; disgusted, she got up, and walked away.

Here I used a semi-colon instead of a conjunction. Use these sparingly. I reserve them for sentences that are closely related; where the second sentence directly refers to the first sentence. A common mistake is to use a comma instead. This error is called a comma splice and must be avoided.

Complex sentences can be written back to front. Let's use the sentence below as an example:

Because she misspelled a word, Anna got up and walked away.

I could have also written it:

Anna got up and walked away, because she misspelled a word.

So why do we want to write in such a way—variety, clarity, and emphasis?

Variety

As writers we don't want to write a story that reads like a first grade reader. Simple thoughts are quick and to the point. When we get into complex sentences we add flavor, but we can't write with only complex sentences either. We need a variety. We need rhythm.

Clarity

As writers, we try to express what we are imagining. Not an easy task at the best of times. Using all the tools available to us, we are more able to capture and express what we mean.

Emphasis

The beginning and the end are where we focus as readers. It's where the writer must put the emphasis of a sentence. In my complex sentence the emphasis is on Anna walking away. It could have just as easily been reworded to focus on her disgust or slow typing.

I encourage you as a writer to play with complex sentences, and master them. They will let your voice and style shine through while expressing exactly what is on your mind.

Thank you and good luck with your writing adventure.

Anna Simpson, Author

<http://emaginette.wordpress.com>

### S. M. Pace's Three Writing Tips

### by S. M. Pace

Tip #1 Write Early

When I say early, I'm talking between 4 am to 6 am. This still applies if you work weird hours, and are accustomed to drawing the blackout curtains and going to bed as the sun is rising. Especially if those you live with are on a more diurnal schedule.

There's something really peaceful about those early morning hours, where it's just barely growing light outside, everyone around you is still sleeping, and everything is quiet.

Quiet being relative depending on where you live of course. But whether you're listening to early birdsong and crickets winding down for the day, or the rumble of rush hour traffic, I find that stealing an hour or so during that less busy time of the day helps get the words out.

Tip #2 Start with Character and Conflict

If you're absolutely stuck for something to write, brainstorm a character with a conflict. That's the root of every story, and if you start with that you'll absolutely have something to show for it. It may not be something you love, or even like, but that brings us to my next tip.

Tip #3 Let the Rough Draft be Rough

I know a lot of people swear by editing as they go, and that's great if that works for them. But my advice: just keep writing. Don't worry about that word you misspelled in the previous sentence. Make a quick note about that story change you need to make in revision so the plot will still hang together. All those fixes can be done later. Let your right brain take over, because messy as it is, it still creates beautiful ideas. You will be amazed what comes out of your head when you silence that inner editor and let your muse reign free.

S. M. Pace, author

__<http://smpace.com/>

### Beat Sheets a la Tart

### by Hart Johnson

Rewriting is HARDER than writing, eh? I feel a sort of euphoria pouring out my tale the first time, but then you have to hammer that puppy (which does not involve harming any ACTUAL puppies) into shape. A few years back a trick shared by a friend of mine spurred me into developing something that I've found extremely helpful.

Jan Morrison (<http://labanan.blogspot.com/>) mentioned using beat sheets. Now I remember reading a bit on what a beat sheet was to her, and I'm not sure my method is quite as sophisticated, but it IS extremely helpful with that first round of editing—the one whereby we are trying to get the STORY right. (No point editing the language of stuff that will be coming out anyway, right? So always start with the story.) I DID double check with Jan that it was okay for me to share the method. She said SHE got the idea from Roz Morris, but that it was a movie script trick in origin. Being me, I've taken the main idea and sort of made up the specifics, but those are the areas you can check if you want to learn the more official version.

**Main Action Each Scene** : I do this in an excel spread sheet, as I also record the page the scene starts on, the characters introduced, and when I write a mystery, the clues revealed, but the BIG part is the main action or actions (usually for me this is one to four phrases).

**Holistic Revision Notes** : On a separate page, as I read through the story, I take notes on big stuff that needs to change. Does somebody need a motivation enhanced? Is there a subplot that would really enrich the story? Does your brilliant ending that you just thought of in the last fifty pages need to be woven forward so it doesn't come out of nowhere? Are there unfinished story strands that either should just go away or need to be developed?

**MATCH THEM**. Take those big changes, and note WHERE in your beat sheet those changes should go, then use this as your revision guide.

Yes, this will mean you need to read through again and make sure you haven't messed up your timeline or made something inconsistent, but your story will be better for it.

The Beat Sheet in the Aftermath

Once revisions are in, I THEN use the beat sheet for an analysis of things like, "Do all scenes move the plot forward?" and, "Is the number of pages devoted to a given scene a good match for the pace I want?" We all want our stories to MOVE, but a cycle of mostly moving with occasional quiet can be nice—you just want to make sure the quiet scenes aren't so long that the reader loses momentum.

I also analyze chapter length here because short chapters pick up the pace and long chapters slow it down.

Hart Johnson writes books from her bathtub, plotting murder and mayhem for your enjoyment. She publishes both under the names Hart Johnson and Alyse Carlson.

<http://waterytart23.blogspot.com>

## Tips on Making Your Dialogue Ring True

## by Cherie Colyer

I love writing dialogue. Done well, dialogue brings a scene alive, builds character, and advances the plot. But just as great dialogue can pull a reader into a story, bad dialogue can snap a reader out of the scene and have them putting the book down. Below are ten tips to help you create realistic dialogue no matter what genre you write.

Writing realistic dialogue starts with knowing your characters and their world. Sex, age, social status, location and genre have to be considered. Once you know who your characters are, you're ready to begin.

I like to start by eavesdropping on conversations around me, but I don't just listen to what's being said and neither should you. Pay attention to the cadence of the speaker's voice, word choice, facial expressions, and gestures. Study these same things when you watch your favorite TV series and movies. Stop to think about what you like and dislike about the dialogue in the books you read.

  * Keep sentences short and succinct. People talk in clipped sentences. Reflect this in your writing.
  * Break up dialogue with action that helps to convey emotion, mood, or grounds the reader in the scene. This is where paying attention to people's actions comes in handy.
  * Avoid info dumps. Dialogue that's used as a tool to provide long blocks of back story or exposition doesn't ring true. It comes across as forced or as the writer stepping in to provide important detail that should have been woven into the story in other ways.
  * Only include what is important to the story. Take out boring and unnecessary dialogue.
  * Keep tags simple. Said is overlooked, whereas words such as demanded and interjected can pull a reader out of the action. Good dialogue will convey these things.
  * Avoid slang and too much swearing. These can date your book or alienate readers.
  * Keep your dialogue clean. Avoid words like um, uh and oh. While realistic, it reads over the top and doesn't look good on the page.
  * And last but definitely not least read your dialogue out loud. The places you stumble are the places you need to revise.

Cherie Colyer, author of the Embrace series and Challenging Destiny

<http://cheriecolyer.blogspot.com/>

### Character Depth

### by Kathy McKendry

For me, some of the most helpful tips that I've been told along this journey are about creating depth in characters. I never used to do much character mapping. I just wrote. But then others, including my daughter Jessica, suggested that I write a backstory for each character and even make complete family trees, going back generations for some and create a "world building time line."

I wasn't sure it would work for me. It seemed like way too much work that wasn't actually the "writing". But once I started, I realized how much each person's history influenced who they were. By going back in time and uncovering their histories, I was learning what made each character tick, which has made it so much easier for me to write them. It also brought to the surface webs of interconnectedness between the characters that I hadn't even thought of before.

Some days, especially those days where I barely have time to sit at the computer, I still get frustrated that I'm working through timelines and family trees instead of finishing the manuscript. In the end, I know all the preparation will make the story stronger and more meaningful for me and everyone who reads it.

Kathy McKendry

<http://imagine-today1.blogspot.com>

### When Less is More

### by V.R. Barkowski

The most important piece of advice for any writer just starting on the path comes from Elmore Leonard:

IF IT SOUNDS LIKE WRITING, REWRITE

BELIEVE THE HYPE, LESS REALLY IS MORE

Description, no matter how well-wrought, should either move the story forward or reveal character. Skip the filler and the purple prose. In other words, don't sound "writerly." Readers' attention should be on your story, not on your writing. Don't let this happen to you!

The tall golden sunflowers undulated as gently as a mast in the breeze as the pale silver mist of the sky fell onto the verdant landscape.

Instead, omit needless words:

The sunflowers undulated beneath the silver sky.

This second example is a simple image, easily visualized. Your landlocked reader isn't roped into comparing a sunflower to a mast, or distracted trying to figure out what constitutes a verdant landscape (rolling hillocks? green meadows?). By allowing your readers to use their own experiences to fill in the blanks, you draw them in. Your story becomes personal and memorable.

Does this mean you should never use metaphors, similes, or beautiful language? Of course not! Let your imagination soar, **but make sure every word matters to your story.**

DOWN WITH ADVERBS? NOT SO FAST!

We've all heard it: adverbs are anathema. Let your verbs do the work for you. Not walked slowly, but plodded. Not ate voraciously, but gorged.

But as with all WRITING RULES™, this one was made to be broken. The question to ask yourself is, if you remove the adverb, does the meaning of the sentence change to something other than what you intended? If you can remove the adverb without effect, leave it out.

Adverb NOT Necessary

_The drug kingpin_ successfully evaded _the authorities for years._

_The drug kingpin_ evaded _the authorities for years._

Adverb Necessary

_Tom sneezed and_ nearly sent _the car off the cliff._

_Tom sneezed and_ sent _the car off the cliff._

If you're unsure about a scene, cut all qualifiers. Add back only what is required to tell your story.

You say you want to learn to write prose that propels a story forward and hooks a reader? Repeat after me:

LESS IS MORE.

V.R. Barkowski, Award Winning Author. Debut novel, A Twist of Hate, will be released in summer 2015.

<http://vrbarkowski.wordpress.com>

### The Value of a Good Critique Group

### by Elizabeth Hein

Someone recently asked me what advice I would give a new writer to help them along the road to publication. My first response is—don't go it alone. Find some writer friends, either in real life or on the internet, and work together. **The road to publication can be a long rough ride; bring snacks and a friend.**

Early on in the writing process, you do need to spend a significant amount of time sitting alone in your writing chair working out your story. Eventually though, you will need input and support. Find a critique group. Reading other writers' work helps you to see the flaws in your own work and forces you to produce finished chapters on a regular basis. A critique group also helps you develop the thick skin that will be necessary to thrust your work out into the world of publishing.

As a new author, I had good luck finding other new authors through Meetup.com. I simply searched on writers groups within 25 miles of my house and found five groups to choose from. I tested out a few groups until I found a handful of pleasant, committed writers who wanted to form a critique circle. It has been a good experience because we were all starting out in our writing careers when we met and have supported each other through the ups and downs of revision and rejection. Several of us have been published in the last year and I am confident the rest of the group will attain their goals in the next year or so.

Another good resource for finding a critique group is Inked Voices. This on-line collection of critique groups connects people from all over the world according to genre or interests. I have been a member of this site since it began and have formed some excellent relationships with a group of writers. Unlike some other on-line groups I tried, I like how I am in a closed group of 8-10 writers that consistently critique each other's work. For instance, this week I read the seventh chapter of a novel and could comment on how it moves the story forward because I had read the first six chapters.

A good critique group can be invaluable to a new author. The group can give you perspective on your own work. They don't know all the backstory that is floating around in your head or what you meant to say in a particular paragraph. They only know what is on the page. Listen to what your critique partners say to you. If they find a chapter confusing, it's confusing. Fix it. Don't let anyone tell you how to write your novel, but do take what a trusted critique partner says seriously. A good reader can tell you exactly where the plot holes and inconsistencies are in your work. A good group can have a constructive conversation about your work and show you what a reader sees on the page, as opposed to what you thought you had written.

_Elizabeth Hein, author of How To Climb The Eiffel Tower,_ _writes women's fiction with a bit of an edge._

<http://scribblinginthestorageroom.wordpress.com/>

### Crossing the Finish Line

### by David Powers King

I once had an idea that wouldn't leave me alone. So I wrote a book about it. I haven't stopped writing since. That was seventeen years ago. And while others have waited longer (and others much shorter), I will soon know what it's like to be a traditionally published author.

There's much to be excited about, a lot to be grateful for. You would think accomplishing what I set out to do after all these years, I'd be dancing the celebratory jig for the rest of my life. But the truth is, I've never felt more exhausted. I assume this feeling isn't new for anyone's writing journey. Yes, I crossed the finish line. Countless rejections and trips along the way has left me staggering to catch my breath, wondering if I can keep running ... or maintain this pace.

In my pursuit of getting published, I'd forgotten something that was once clear: I'm a writer. It's what I wanted to be since high school. It's what landed me A's in English classes. I have a greater sense of who I am because it forced me to reach into the cavern of my soul.

But it took an advanced copy of my first book, in the hands of my oldest son, for me to realize what I'm _really_ doing this for.

This art, this business, isn't about me. For me, this isn't about fame. For me, this isn't about money. We're conduits. We receive messages and jot them down for others to read. Learn. Be enlightened. Tuning ourselves to the right frequency is the tricky part—no guarantees without constant adjustment. The finish line is a breather before the next run. Crossing that line doesn't mean I'm finished. The marathon is over, yes, but now comes the sprint. And I plan to keep going. Because someone out there is waiting for what I have to say.

And you as well.

David Powers King, author

<http://davidpowersking.com/>

### House Party

### by Deniz Bevan

It starts with a shiny new idea. The characters and situation grab you right away and you start drafting madly. Dialogue, action, intrigue all come together.

Sooner or later, though, many of us get bogged down in the middle bits of a novel. Our drive and attention dwindle as fear and self-doubt creep in, especially if we compare our pace with that of others. Insecure writer's syndrome at its worst.

Insecurity hit me hardest a few years ago, not just with one novel but with all of my in-progress stories at the time. Excitement was few and far between, left behind a year or so before when I'd started the first drafts. Researching grew more exciting than editing and it was easy to lose my characters' voices and slip into long stretches of expository omniscient telling. And then something happened...

I sent my characters off to a house party.

Writers' house parties take place on the Compuserve Books and Writers Community, or Forum. There have been over ten such parties to date and I—or should I say, my characters—were present at the very first one in June 2007. Each party after that grew in size and complexity, as more writers brought their characters in on the fun.

Party-goers have included (in a mixture of adjectives) an FBI agent, a rock star, soldiers from wars throughout history, ghosts, King Charles II, a talking cat, a married threesome, a selkie, Ottoman citizens, modern yet ancient Egyptian travelers, werewolves, a retired teacher and her adopted daughter, and even a family of bombs with a wee baby bomb!

Chaos is the norm at these parties. We've been at a ceilidh in Scotland, a barbecue in Australia, a mall at the end of time, and more. House parties have it all, from magic to skipping between time periods, to anachronistic events and language, to romantic interludes down in the hidden folder on the Forum. No link available for that one—you have to request access on the Forum if you'd like to see the spicier side of a house party.

Parties last anywhere from a long weekend to a week. No one worries about typos and writing mechanics, and there's no need to worry about timing either; if you'd like your character to be involved in something you may have missed you can always tack on an "[earlier]" or "[later]" to the start of your post. Time trousers—where a character ends up in two places at once at the same time—can be quite fun!

Previous parties are all available on the Forum; some of them are fluent and fluid enough to be read as a novel, even if you haven't met the characters before. One of the more recent ones topped 198,000 words; the length of two long novels—or one Diana Gabaldon novel! Here are some statistics from that party, which give a rough idea of the madness:

# of participating authors : 17

# of official characters: 44 (including Kedi the non-cat cat and Siri the non-dove dove)

# of unofficial characters: 2 (including Cthulhu)

# of explosions/crashes: 2 (plus 1 volcano and 1 flood)

# of casualties: 1 kick by a kangaroo, 1 koala fed to a dinosaur, and 1 leg stolen from Oscar Pistorius

# of MandMs fed to Cthulhu: unknown

Value of character revelations: priceless

And that's the best part of a house party: they're a great way to thrust your characters out of their familiar worlds and learn things about them that you may not have known before. You can always go in with a goal, whether it is characters you're trying to develop, a specific voice you'd like to hone, even a motive you're trying to figure out. It's amazing what you can uncover when your characters—and their author—are plunked into a chaotic new setting. Writing for a house party is just like writing your first draft—fast paced and fluid, with no second guessing.

When I was feeling insecure, that anything-goes mayhem brought back the rush and the fun I'd thought I'd lost. I've churned out more words at a house party and in my own stories in the weeks after a party than I usually manage to squeeze out all year—words that don't have me feeling insecure about my writing or the story itself.

If you can't wait for the next Forum house party, and you have a trusted group of writing friends—and you're feeling a little insecure—why not host one of your own?

Deniz Bevan writes historical romances, many of which are set in 15th Century Constantinople, and blogs about her progress, research, and distractions at

<http://thegirdleofmelian.blogspot.com>

### Lessons for the Bold

### by Mina Burrows

Looking back on my experiences, I can undoubtedly tell aspiring authors what's worked and what hasn't worked for me, but the truth is, every writer has a different experience. What works for some, doesn't necessarily work for others. Luck also plays a big role in a writer's success. Alas, no one can predict that. No one can predict why an agent will respond to one query letter, and another one won't. Or how one book gets published, and another one is rejected. Or why one book sells more than another. Everything varies and in this still somewhat tumultuous publishing time, where publishers are fighting among themselves, the group that it affects the most is the writers.

The two things that I've learned that perhaps are the most valuable lessons are to be bold and to never (EVER) give up. Be bold in your writing. Be true to yourself. Be bold in your submitting and be bold when you publish. Do the work now and when your time comes remember ... "Fortune Favors the Bold!"

Those are my words of advice and in fact, not being bold enough has been a debilitating insecurity I've dealt with for the last year. Now that I've expunged this cowardly demon inside me, I can move forward boldly with greatness. Right? Damn straight!

What about you and your insecurities? Have you been bold enough in your writing? What about in life?

Mina Burrows, aspiring author and lover of wicked literature.

<http://minaburrows.blogspot.com>

### Backstory: Write Winners, not Skimmers

### by Denise Covey

Firstly, what is backstory? Backstory is the history that happened before Chapter One.

What I've learnt about backstory:

1. Backstory should not appear until our readers get to know our characters—some say Chapter Four.

2. Backstory is the story that the author tells herself. She needs to know where her hero/heroine comes from, the deepest, darkest secrets from his/her past. So make up a file, or write it into your story then move it to a separate file.

3. The reader doesn't need to know everything we know about our characters. But how can you share fully-formed characters without being boring? Solution. Dribble hits of backstory through dialogue (but don't info dump). Creatively include bits and pieces from your hero/heroine's past.

4. Write what readers will read. Too many slow sentences or paragraphs of backstory and the reader will skim, hoping the story picks up. Readers rarely skim dialogue. Don't waste time crafting clever paragraphs readers won't read.

5. Backstory is not a bad thing. Relevant backstory needs to be slipped into your WIP in an active way at the right juncture. Keep the story rolling. Keep the reader engaged.

So ... what to do? I learned this trick from Mark Sullivan, thriller writer:

1. Write the backstory.

2. Make a backstory file. For your eyes only. Try to keep it to one or two succinct pages.

3. Review those pages. Highlight what you really must include in your story. Will it move your story forward?

4. Check your highlighted backstory. Can you eliminate anything?

5. Put the reader-can't-live-without backstory into bullet points on a new page.

6. Print.

7. Then ... imagine these bullet points were printed on a sheet of glass.

8. Picture yourself dropping that sheet of glass onto the floor and watching it shatter. _Kapow!_

9. Picture this: Bend down and pick up one sliver of backstory at a time, then slide those slivers into your story.

Denise Covey is a writer of romantic fiction-flash fiction, short stories, and novels.

<http://laussieswritingblog.blogspot.com>

### It's an Uphill Battle

### by Tanya Miranda

There will be days when you won't feel like writing. There will be days when you want to write, when ideas spiral in your head and make you anxious because you're not capable of writing them down, and yet nothing comes out when you're finally at the keyboard. There will be days when you will write for hours and hours only to find out (possibly the next day) it's all rubbish and it needs to be deleted, like, right away.

When this happens, it feels crappy. It downright sucks and makes you question everything about your pursuit. But, just like it might rain on most of your two-week Hawaiian vacation, or you might spend your birthday in the hospital tending to your broken wrist (happened to my daughter on her 10th birthday), or you might end up annoyed at the date you were so looking forward to, you're just going to have to plow right through it and keep moving.

It's an uphill battle. Sometimes the slope is steeper and more rugged than you expected, and maybe the weather is working against you. A lot of times you will want to give up, go home, and do something easy, like go shopping for shoes or watch a movie. Fine. Go ahead and take a breather. Put your manuscript away for a while; it might be what you need to continue upward. Just don't forget your goal. Relax and rejuvenate so you can go back to your mountain and start climbing again. Don't let those writing muscles go weak. Keep on pushing that manuscript.

Progress is slow for a writer. It often seems like the peak is a moving target beyond our reach. But man ... when you're at the summit, and you have finally completed your novel ... there is no other feeling quite like it.

Tanya Miranda is a mother, runner, parkour enthusiast, intergalactic superhero, and author of romance, thrillers, and fantasy novels.

<http://tanyamiranda.com>

### Three Character Relational Styles

### by Jennifer Lane

Are your fictional characters overly compliant, aggressive, or withdrawn?

_Why_ do they act that way?

As a psychologist/author (psycho author), I will address three relational styles for your characters

1. Moving Toward (compliance)

2. Moving Against (aggression)

3. Moving Away (withdrawal)

Psychologist Karen Horney theorized that we learn to cope with anxiety by adopting one of these three interpersonal styles. In other words, when faced with conflict, we engage in submission, fight, or flight.

Imagine a family with an alcoholic father, an enabling mother, and three children.

Alicia, the oldest daughter, craves her father's love. She earns straight A's and keeps the house clean to avoid his wrath when he comes home drunk. Alicia has no idea what _she_ wants or needs but is adept at reading the needs of others. She avoids anxiety by trying to please others around her (moving toward).

Derek, the middle son, hates feeling weak. He tells his mother he doesn't care about her. He gets in fights at school. When his father becomes abusive with his mother, Derek intervenes and provokes his father to hit him instead. He avoids anxiety by lashing out at others (moving against).

Jonah, the youngest son, gets a stomach ache when his parents argue. He hides in his tree house or spends hours alone, shooting hoops. When his friends ask him to hang out, he shrugs and claims he's busy. Jonah avoids anxiety by withdrawing from others (moving away).

Each relational style can be effective when used flexibly, but problems arise with rigid styles. Alicia might lose herself in a loveless marriage. Derek may get fired for yelling at his boss. And Jonah might drown in loneliness as an adult.

Connecting relational styles to family experiences provides compelling character motivation.

Jennifer Lane, author of Blocked, Streamline, With Good Behavior, Bad Behavior, On Best Behavior, Swim Recruit.

<http://jenniferlanebooks.blogspot.com>

### Just Write

### by Elisabeth Kauffman

You know, I've been working on this insecurity for a while now, this idea that there are no set "rules" for how to be a writer. You just ... write. But that doesn't mean you write every day, always, although maybe you do... It means just what it says; you just write. It doesn't mean that you have books published, or an agent, or that you're in the process of querying everyone in the publishing industry. You just write.

So much of our insecure writers' lives are spent seeking validation from other people, people we deem to know more about the business of writing than we do. We give them the power to tell us whether our ideas are any good, whether our plots are properly executed, whether we're allowed to take up space at the next writer's conference if we don't know what a query is... when really, what we want them to do is tell us that we belong to this magical group: Writers! And, sadly, there will always be someone who wants to keep other people out, because they're just as insecure as we are that there won't be room for them in that group if they let us in.

The truth is, though, that we are the ones with the power to tell our stories. We decide what is good. And by the very act of writing we declare to the world that we belong.

Do you have an outline? Just write. Do you have a first draft? Just write. Do you have five published novels and a contract on a new series? Just write. Do you have the tiniest baby of an idea percolating in your mind? Just write! Write it down. Then guess what? You're a writer!

Elisabeth Kauffman is a freelance editor of fiction and you can find her on the web at:

<http://writingrefinery.com>

### The Intertwining Nature of Writing, Publishing, and Marketing

### by Tyrean Martinson

As a writer, I've discovered that writing, publishing, and marketing intertwine. At first glance, they seem like three separate entities, but the more that I practice all three, I have found that they are linked.

When I write to publish and market, I find that I have a firm purpose that drives my stories, poems, and novels to the finish line and beyond that through revisions. That same writing practice, especially when I add blogging into it, leads me to market my writing because I'm excited by the pursuit of the writing craft.

When I pursue publication, both by sending my work out to editors and by self-publishing, I am driven to study the craft of writing and finish writing exercises that lead me to the next story, poem, or novel. In publication, I find that I have something to market, or at least announce in an excited way to my friends, family members, and blog buddies.

When I strive to market my work, I often have a strong desire to run back to my writing cave and write more. Marketing can have a creative side that encourages my creative thought process and sends me back to my "what if?" rough drafts. Marketing also pushes my pursuit of publication, for as each piece sells, I want to experience that excitement again.

As I've grown as a writer, become published by others and myself, and become a marketer, I have discovered that these three parts of life as a modern writer have the same key component: persistence.

Persistence is a steadfast and firm continuance of action, purpose, or state in spite of opposition. Persistence is all about tenacious endurance, and the insistence that we, as writers, have good stories and poetry to share. Persistence pushes past insecurities.

When writing, we must persistently hold to the thread of our stories and the heart of our characters or the phrases of our poetry that give us hope. We persistently study our craft and apply it to our writing, gaining skill with firm endurance and steady purpose.

When publishing, we must persistently send our work to publishers, to magazine editors, and to our beta readers. We must tenaciously endure criticism and continue to revise our work so that it becomes pleasing to readers while at the same time holding to the course of writing that calls our hearts and minds.

When marketing, we must persistently put our work forward. We firmly pursue various marketing in all areas: virtual world and physical world, in all aspects of our lives, even and especially with unbelieving acquaintances.

Writing, publishing, and marketing are the threefold reality of any modern writer. Getting into the habit of linking them together has helped me to be a better writer, a better publisher, and a better marketer ... although it is all still a work in progress.

In the "real" and "virtual" world, I hope I can encourage my fellow writers to write, pursue publishing, and market their work with excitement. I teach classes to young writers, encourage young writers and adult writers to pursue publication, and, as I understand marketing a little bit more, I hope to encourage writers in that area as well. Persistence works best when we have a cheering team.

Tyrean Martinson, author

<http://tyreanswritingspot.blogspot.com/>

### Own Your Writing Journey

### by Patricia Lynne

Writers write. It's something we've all been told. And when the stars align, the words practically fly from our fingertips. All the while, the real world ceases to exist. Dishes go unwashed, the laundry piles up, and family members whine about dinner needing to be made. You don't care, though. They can eat on paper plates, wear that shirt again, and order pizza. You are in a fantastic land, battling evil. You don't have time for those menial things.

But sometimes life isn't menial. Sometimes life happens in ways you can't ignore. Your characters are clamoring in your head, demanding you tell their story, but the boss at your day job needs you in ASAP on your day off and for the rest of the week, or your child has a fever and needs to see a doctor, or there's a family emergency and you need to drive/fly to your sister and figure things out. You struggle to find the time to write, and often, you feel guilty because you see other writers juggling the more demanding aspects of life and writing with ease. Why can't you do the same as Jane Doe Big Shot Author? She has five kids, a part time job, cooks dinner every night and at a soup kitchen, and cranks out a story a week. Does she even sleep?!

Here's the thing, though. Who cares if Jane Doe Big Shot Author does all that? That's HER journey. This is yours. You have to find your own writing path and what works for YOU. If you can write every day, great! If not, that's okay too. The words are what are important. Your best writing will happen when you figure out what gets you in the zone. Don't try to make yourself fit into every box. Push yourself, but if you find something isn't helping you be productive, no matter how hard you try, then ditch it. It's only hindering your story. Never let yourself get bogged down with guilt because the author next to you seems to be doing better. They aren't. They are on this trip the same as you and have figured out their path. Instead, go find your own and make it yours. Only then will your writing truly flourish.

Patricia Lynne, YA author of two books, Snapshots and Being Human

<http://patricialynne.com>

### Keeping a Dream Journal

### by Cynthia

A few years ago, I started a dream journal. As much as I want to spotlight all the colorful and surrealistic experiences I've regularly recorded in this notebook, the truth is, I don't write in it very often. But it is there when I need it. I write in it uninhibitedly, and I don't show it to anyone. (That said, I frequently share dreams with my husband in that just-woke-up mumbling and grumbling way that I speak in after the alarm goes off.)

Here are some benefits I've experienced from keeping a dream journal:

  * Writing about a dream can help me recognize unresolved feelings I have about a subject.
  * Reflecting on a dream can help me see where I'm growing. It can also help me see when it's time to reach out to a confidante about something that has been troubling me.
  * Sometimes stuff from dreams become idea seeds that I can nurture into stories or story elements.
  * Just by having this journal, I've gotten better at remembering dreams, even those that I don't write down.
  * Thinking back on a bad dream empowers me to realize something that bugged me was just my mind playing tricks, and that I can always change a bad dream into a good one. So the next time I'm stuck with lousy company in a stranded elevator with a psycho unicorn stabbing its horn through the doors, I'd have a better idea of what to do.
  * Remembering a good dream is like reminiscing about a great meal.

Do you keep a dream journal? Would you like to share a recent dream you had, good or bad?

Cynthia is a reader and writer who blogs regularly at

<http://readisthenewblack.blogspot.com>

### So You Want to Write a Novel?

### by Kristin Smith

After all these years, you're finally ready to do it. Don't be scared. Don't think you'll fail, even though at times you might. Don't be too hard on yourself, you are, after all, still learning.

Allow yourself to be inspired by the things around you—conversations you hear, people you meet, songs on the radio, maybe even a perfect sunset. That's what will make your writing unique—everything YOU see, hear, experience, feel, will be different from someone else. The story _you_ have to tell, will be different.

Hour after hour you will plug away at your laptop. You will fill pages upon pages of words that only you will see. Line by line, page by page, a story will unfold. A story that captivates you, leaves you sleepless and longing for more hours with the characters you've created. And then one day, it will be done—and yet, far from finished. You will spend hours, days, weeks, even months polishing your manuscript. Rewriting scenes, taking out characters, adding motivation and ensuring there's a visible character arc. You may find that you need to step away from this novel for a while and come back with fresh eyes and a new perspective. Do it. That time away will be invaluable.

In the end, you may think your writing is no good. You may want to burn that manuscript or erase that document, but don't. Celebrate what you HAVE accomplished—you finished a novel. Something many aspire to do, but few are able to achieve!

Now is the tough part. You have to let your baby go out into the world for other eyes to see. You need others' perspectives. You need to know what works, what doesn't, and where the plot holes and the lack of characterization lie. Don't be offended if your best friend or critique partner has a very strong opinion about your main character. Don't get upset if your spouse or beta reader thinks your story "needs some work." Take the advice, thoughts, and opinions of others and sit on them. For a while. You'll know what advice to take and what to leave behind. Think about what feels right for your story. And don't forget, most importantly, that this is YOUR story. Not theirs.

And after all that polishing, all that work, your manuscript will finally be ready. Will you choose to query agents? Or will you submit to publishers? Or perhaps the indie route is the way for you. Whatever you choose, you will celebrate the moment you can share your work with the world.

In the end, it comes down to one thing, and one thing only. If you want to write a novel, then write.

Kristin Smith

<http://swordsandstilettos.blogspot.com/>

## Art of Not Writing

## by Jenni Enzor

When I was first getting serious about my writing, it seemed like all the advice I heard was write, write, write. As long as you kept writing, everything would be okay. Fast draft. Don't think too hard. Just get it out. You can always revise later.

If I got stuck, I would just push through. I'd write something, anything, to get to the other side, to the end.

I wrote pretty decent beginnings, but my endings were (you guessed it) downright awful. I produced two drafts of two different novels like that, and by the end, I realized they had so many structural issues; they were nearly unfixable.

That's when I started doing something different. When I got stuck, really stuck, I stopped writing. I might switch to another document and start brainstorming. Sometimes I'd stop and write in my journal. But I didn't keep going with the scene.

If I was stuck, I realized, it was my subconscious telling me something. This scene wasn't working. I knew it on a deep level, even if I couldn't verbalize it.

Sometimes I work on another manuscript, read for fun, eat lots of chocolate, or watch entirely too much Netflix.

Usually I feel a pang of guilt: but I'm not writing! But there is no timer, no race, no arbitrary finish line. I've learned from experience that rushing doesn't create good writing.

Invariably when I step away, if I am just patient and wait, the inspiration comes. It's a step of faith.

But my writing is better for the waiting.

If I were to give one piece of advice to my younger writer self, it would be: Don't rush.

Jenni Enzor

<http://jennienzor.blogspot.com/>

### Monster Gardening

### by Andrew Leon

Our garden got off to a late start this year. It was softball. See, my daughter starts her softball season in February, and they are well into practices by the beginning of March. Due to practices and, then, games, all my time was eaten up right up until the end of May, the end of her regular season. Her travel season starts in June. We had about two weekends between the end of one season and the beginning of the next when all of our planting happened, a full two months late.

Even once it was planted, the garden was a struggle. I was never home in the evenings to do the watering because I was at softball practice with my daughter. Seriously, between games and practices, I was only ever home two nights a week. All of that and California is in the middle of the worst drought on record, so the watering was an issue. One weekend that we were away (because all of the games were away), there was a particularly bad heat spike, and we almost lost all of the tomato vines in the planter box. I managed to pull them through, but it was a close call.

We did lose a lot of pumpkins. This was my first year to grow pumpkins, and I was super excited to see all the baby pumpkins growing ... right up until they all started dying. Not enough water. I managed to save three of that first batch and nursed it back into giving us six. And, actually, we may get more, because the vines have been putting on an extraordinary amount of new growth the last couple of weeks, and it looks like we could have another half dozen sometime between Halloween and Thanksgiving. I'm especially proud of the pumpkins. They took a lot of work and care, and I really wanted them to do well. I have big plans for them and some curry.

Now, during all of this, a rogue tomato vine grew up just off the path leading into the backyard, rather near our front door. Our planter box (with the tomatoes) is in the front yard, and the pumpkins are in the backyard. The rogue vine is in between, and we don't really know how it got there. It's one of the varietals we planted last year, but there's no good reason for it to be growing where it's growing. There's not even a yard there. It's just rocks.

My wife wanted me to pull it up, but I resisted. I figured, why not see what it did? It had the presence of mind (or whatever passes for that in a tomato) to grow there, so I didn't see any reason not to let it. Did I mention that we're in the worst drought on record in California? Well, we are. And I didn't water this vine, basically, for the entirety of July and August. When we almost lost the other vines, this one just kept growing. And growing.

Frankly, it was amazing.

My daughter hates it. It keeps growing up onto the walk to the front door and has grown up the lattice next to the front door, and through it, so it's all over the place leading to our front door. My daughter thinks it's trying to eat her. We call it Monster. (I did try to tell my kids about _Attack of the Killer Tomatoes_ ; they said I was making that up. So much for my credibility.)

Basically, this one plant yields more tomatoes than all of the other vines, the vines I watered and cared for, combined. In fact, just tonight I made tomato sauce. It was Awesome! (Yes, you can say it; I made AwesomeSauce) from tomatoes only from Monster. I call it Monster Sauce.

Which brings me to the point: Sometimes, our greatest results come from completely unexpected places. You never know what's going to take off and be successful, which is why you should never just decide, "Oh, this one has no chance; just pull it up." You can pour tons of effort into something that you think is great but, when you show it to other people, they yawn it off. But some other thing, the thing you meant to throw away but never even got around to doing that, gets picked up by someone who thinks it's awesome and, suddenly, it's a huge deal. Remember, _Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles_ started off as a joke, a joke that wasn't meant to go anywhere, but here it is 40 years later, still a cultural phenomenon.

So ... nurture your ideas and let them grow, even the ones you don't think will go anywhere. Yeah, sure, some of them may end up dying despite your best efforts, but that one you thought you should kill right when it was forming could end up being the one that turns into something huge. I mean, "the monster" grew out of rocks, a completely inhospitable environment, with people trampling on it and with no water, but it was only able to do that because I didn't pull it up and throw it away. It's all a matter of keeping your options open. I hope you grow some pumpkins that you're extraordinarily proud of, but I also hope you grow a monster that ... Okay, if you grow a monster, just keep it away from my daughter, okay? I think one is enough for her to deal with.

Andrew Leon, author

<http://strangepegs.blogspot.com>

### If It's Not One Thing...

### by Lara Lacombe

October is my favorite month, mainly because it's smack dab in the middle of fall, my favorite season. In my mind, it doesn't get any better than cool days, changing leaves, and hot cider.

Fall also marks a return to my day job, and a shift in attitude. Summers are laid-back and easy-going, but when the fall semester begins, I hit the ground running and don't stop until December.

No matter your career stage, be it unpublished author or multi-published superstar, it can be really easy to get caught up in work. When you have deadlines, self-imposed or otherwise, it seems like every free moment is devoted to working toward that goal.

I'm not going to say that hard work is a bad thing. Far from it. But when we spend all day, every day working (day job, errands, chores, writing) it leaves no time for fun. And if you're anything like me, down-time and fun help to rejuvenate my creativity.

I've been spending a lot of time working lately, and not a lot of time relaxing. I've justified this because of my day job and looming deadlines, but I need to slow down and take time for myself. If you find yourself in the same boat, I encourage you to do the same!

Lara Lacombe writes romantic suspense with a scientific twist for Harlequin Romantic Suspense. She blogs at

<http://laralacombe.com>

and loves to chat with readers!

### You Have To Ask For Help

### by Diana Wilder

It doesn't matter how fabulous you think someone is with his or her craft, it doesn't matter how enjoyable, engrossing, beautifully written the work is, the writer always has an Achilles' heel somewhere.

In my case, I have a shyness—though I think the word is "fear"—regarding asking for a beta read, a read-through, a review of a chapter. I tend to get caught up in the flow of the story, the action. Composing a story is, for me, as exhilarating as running before the wind on a sailboat. But the wind will die down and you have to put the boat away.

So ... I have a story, and I've worked on it and worked on it and polished it, and I'm pleased with it (I'm pretty picky, actually), but another pair of eyes is really needed ... isn't it?

Heck, the story is good, the characters are well-rounded, I love them to death, and they convey the story so very well.

... I think...

But what would happen if I gathered my courage in both hands and, clearing my throat apologetically, actually asked for a beta-read from someone other than a friend who, though a fabulous editor is, after all, a _friend_ who loves me and loves my work. Yeah, yeah, that one does say when something stinks, but still ... Is it just the really bad ones that are mentioned, and the others are allowed to slip by because, after all, I'm an old, longstanding friend. Is the input valuable at _all_?

(By the time this thought occurs to me I am in full cringe mode, and I find myself thinking, what if I really am absolutely mediocre-to-terrible, and my friends only read my work because they don't want to see me cry? And if the others read my work, they would tear it to shreds because they don't know me, don't love me, and have never been my friends?)

It's persuasive—and why are the unpleasant things persuasive?

So, why do I have this shyness about stepping forward and asking other writers to read my work and maybe do a beta-read? Maybe let me know what they think? Why am I like this?

I mean, really, it's silly, isn't it? To have this horrible fear that if I ask for help someone might actually say, "Sure. I'll do it."

It is foolish to indulge such nonsensical fears even though they are normal. I know jolly well that I can take it. I've had nasty reviews and come away with some good criticism that I could use. Or am I afraid that I am going to bore someone, and they will say that my writing is frivolous and stinks and I'm bad news. Let's face it: I write historical fiction (alternate fiction, if you want to be strict). No paranormal, some love stories, but not, strictly speaking, romances in the modern term. I hear people talking of their work and think, gee, they're with it! But me—no vampires, no heroic fantasy multisyllabic names, no zombies, no dystopia, no horror (unless you have a horror of em-dashes).

I'm not cutting edge. I don't necessarily want to be. I just want to be the best writer that I can.

The way I look at it, I can either go back to business-as-usual and fight my way through to a finished product, wearing out my friends and advisers (another insecurity, by the way: how long will they be able to stand me?)

Or I can take a deep breath, step forward, manuscript or flash drive in hand, smile shakily at those people facing me who all write so well ... I think ... and say, "I need help. Can someone do a beta-read?"

Actually, that is the very best thing to do. Not to seek help leads to stagnation.

Diana Wilder, author of historical fiction, with elements of mystery, adventure, romance or fantasy.

http://dianawilder.blogspot.com

### What to Watch for When Writing and Editing

### by Carrie-Anne Brownian

In no particular order, these are some of the things I've learnt to watch for when writing and editing. Some of these things only start to become more apparent when we're in the editing and revision process, and thus we must learn to watch for them as we're writing from the start. Please keep in mind that I tend towards a more old-fashioned style than many modern people may be used to.

  * Know your strengths and weaknesses, and how to work with each. For example, I haven't always written the most believable emotional scenes or written dialogue the way regular people really talk. (I blame that on the fact that I have Asperger's, but I can't use my brain wiring as a crutch for refusing to get better at my writing weaknesses.)
  * Speaking verbs beyond "said" and "asked" aren't evil, but they should be used properly. Always ask yourself if it really makes sense for this person, in the context of the scene or the dialogue, to deliver a line by, e.g., growling, snorting, yawning, beaming, smiling, nodding, or sneering. Non-standard speaking verbs should be used to bring more detail to a scene, but if they're overused or misused, they start to feel amateurish.
  * Adverbs also aren't evil, but they too shouldn't be overused or misused. There's a happy medium between old books which are suffocating in adverbs, and modern writers who insist you should never use adverbs. Adverbs can betray weak writing, such as not using stronger verbs or descriptions. One also should avoid using superfluous adverbs, such as "screamed loudly," or saying someone spoke impatiently when it was already clear s/he's impatient.
  * I strongly disagree with those who insist it's wrong to ever directly tell the reader anything. Sometimes it's necessary to just directly state important, establishing information, if there's no way to naturally convey this information through other means. However, it's often weak writing to directly tell the reader something like "He began to panic" or "She looked like a scared little rabbit." That doesn't punctuate the scene with any real details.
  * People tend to speak differently than they write and think. Always make sure your dialogue sounds like the dialogue of real people, not a stilted-sounding screenplay or elaborate, poetic language better suited to a letter or journal entry written by the character. Also, even if your characters are from a culture known for being very serious and not indulging in small talk, like the Russians, it's pretty unrealistic to have long, uninterrupted monologues going on for several pages at a stretch. Real people never talk for that long, without those around them engaging in any give and take.
  * In a historical, give the reader a reason to go along with something which would've been a very unusual occurrence or might seem unrealistic. Make it within the realm of plausibility, and have people around your character reacting to this deviation from the norm instead of matter-of-factly accepting something like a highly-educated woman in 1700 or a 12-year-old concentration-camp survivor. This would also apply to unusual circumstances in a contemporary novel. Never make things so over the top and unrealistic as to cause unintended laughter or complete disbelief.
  * You really don't need to use the word "that" as often as you think. You shouldn't discard every that, since that can cause some awkward, grammatically-incorrect sentences, but many sentences read just as well or better without "that" in the way.
  * Avoid the urge to phonetically render an accent or vernacular. Introduce the character by saying s/he has a heavy accent, maybe mentioning a few aspects of the accent, sprinkle in a few foreign or regional words and phrases, mention how the accent might be lessening over time. If you must phonetically render an accent, do so with extreme caution, like only once, the first time a character tries to speak English, and then only mention a thick accent from then on out. This is distracting, annoying, and borderline offensive.
  * Be judicious about foreign language. One of the reasons I can read basic French is because I've read so many older books written when most people spoke French as a second language, and thus the writers thought nothing of using a liberal amount of untranslated French. Today, it just seems pretentious and annoying. Don't do it just to show off how you know another language, even if your characters live in another country or are immigrants. I like to use foreign words for family members, terms of endearment, foods, insults, and lines or sentiments which don't really translate well, or sound nicer in the other language.
  * Commas are your friend! If a sentence feels too convoluted, breathless, or borderline run-on, you probably need to insert commas to break it up. You might also consider breaking it up into more than one sentence.
  * If you have a nagging feeling that something about the story isn't right, or is just bothering you more and more, it's probably a sign you need to take it out or change it. For example, your earlier depiction of a character as a popular chatterbox no longer exactly fits with how that person developed, or a speaking style which feels too formal for a certain character. Make sure everything else is then reworked to reflect and be consistent with this change
  * Cluttering chatter is evil. You don't want pointless dialogue just filling up space, nor do you want dialogue that just rehashes established information for no reason
  * Fewer things turn me off a book faster than predated naming trends. A 50-year-old Isabella or 30-year-old Liam would be uncommon but believable. A 20-year-old Kayden or 40-year-old woman named Addison would not.
  * If you're writing about an unfamiliar time period, religion, culture, etc., make sure you get the details right and do your research. Never assume anything.

Carrie-Anne Brownian, who also writes as Ursula Hartlein, primarily writes 20th century historical fiction, with a special interest in Russian, European, and U.S. history.

<http://carrieannebrownian.wordpress.com>

### Fearless Writing

### by Marie Andreas

Today is about fear and loathing.

Fear is helpful when you are running for your life from a crazed wild animal or ax wielding lunatic.

It's not so helpful when you are trying to write a book. Or a series. Or launch a writing career.

First, I suppose, we should define fear:

fi(ə)r/

noun

1. an unpleasant emotion caused by the belief that someone or something is dangerous, likely to cause pain, or a threat.

_synonyms:_ terror, fright, horror, alarm, panic, agitation, trepidation, dread, consternation, dismay, distress;

The definition doesn't sound like something that should affect writers. We're sitting in our own space, most likely not under threat of bodily harm, yet we almost all experience some type of fear about our writing.

Even though we are clearly not under physical threat—as used in the definition above—we could be said to be operating under mental threat. What will happen to our livelihoods when we fail? Or, if we're still holding our day jobs, what will happen to our sense of self when we fail?

Note I say WHEN we fail. We will fail; it's the nature of what we do. If we approach our writing fearing that we'll fail, we're already making things worse. Accept it. You will fail. I will fail. If we've been at this a while, we've already failed many times.

But fear can cripple a writer. And not just fear of failure—but fear of success. Perverse as the human mind is, we can even fear both at the same time. These fears can stop us from writing or can make us find so many folks to get feedback from that we kill our work.

So how do we move beyond fear when we write?

First, like I said above—accept it, embrace it, make buddies with it. Maybe make a little fear doll to sit next to you when you write. Acknowledge it every day. YOU control it—not the other way around.

Second, make notes of what scares you at that point. This will probably change at different parts of the process—so acknowledge each one during its time.

Third, follow that fear to the ground. What would be the worst thing that could happen if what you fear is true/comes about? Now go over the top with it. Will the world still stand? Friends and family still love you? WILL IT STOP YOU FROM WRITING?

Fourth, tell your fear you are doing it anyway—and get back to writing, editing, pitching, or selling—whatever stage you are at—hug your fear, and move on.

The only way to be fearless is to embrace your fears and let them make you stronger.

Marie Andreas, I'm a fantasy and science fiction novelist exploring worlds near and far.

<http://faeriesdragonsspaceships.blogspot.com.au/>

### Mega Character Development Tips

### by Chrys Fey

More than anything readers want to identify with the characters in the books they read. They want to believe the characters are real even if they live on Mars or have magical powers. To do this, you have to make them as complex as real-life people.

When you have a story idea, consider you characters' appearances, personalities, and occupations. You also need to figure out what your characters' purposes are in your story. This could be as simple as being comedic relief to being the villain.

How your characters talk is also important. Use cowboy lingo for a western, and the correct phrases for stories set in exotic locales. For contemporary stories, have them talk as you would to your friends, but perhaps not as laidback, unless they are teens. After all, dialogue is still writing. Be creative with your characters' voices.

Here are 4 things to consider when you're creating your main character:

1. Give him/her a weakness. This weakness can be anything from something that physically weakens your character to an event from his/her past. It can even be an ex boy/girlfriend.

2. Show his/her love. If your main character doesn't actually fall in love then you can show his/her love for a family member or pet.

3. Also show his/her fear. Your main character can be afraid of commitment, snakes, or heights.

4. Let your main character struggle. Life is never easy, so there needs to be conflict in your story that your main character has to overcome whether it is beating cancer, fixing a crumbling marriage, or saving the world.

How to Create a Heroine of Steel:

If you're writing a romance story, make the heroine's role important. Give her big things to do. Don't just have her fall in love with the hero, or rely on him to save her. Make her as physically strong and as smart as the hero. She has to be able to keep up with him, not sit on the sidelines, and she definitely has to be able to stand up to him. A strong heroine should never cower when the hero (or any man) yells at her. In other words, she can't be a weakling! Or she can start off weak then find her inner strength.

Heroines are usually beautiful. There is nothing wrong with making your heroine attractive, but make her different too! Not all heroines have to be blonde-haired, blue-eyed babes. Along with beauty, give her abilities, skills and strengths that no one else has. These can be supernatural powers or something unique such as carpentry or boxing.

When you describe the heroine's actions, use detailed descriptions, especially if she's in a position that requires her to be feisty. Use strong verbs to reveal what she does, and how she feels in that moment. And when you write her dialogue, make sure she speaks her mind or from her heart.

Here are 15 additional things that you can do to make a strong heroine:

1. Crown her with a high profile career such as a cop, doctor, lawyer, or self-defense instructor.

2. Make her brave. This doesn't mean she's not scared, but that she can push aside her fear.

3. Give her a temper. Some would argue a heroine should be poised and calm all the time, but a heroine who unleashes her anger when it is warranted can be entertaining.

4. Don't let her apologize, defend or explain herself to anyone. What she does, she does for a reason, but she can still be compassionate.

5. Show she's smart! It'll be hard to convince your readers that your heroine is an all-around tough woman if she's dumb and can't think for herself.

6. Emphasize her flaws to make her real. By showing her flaws, you can also make her more confident.

7. Give her determination. In everything she does, she has to be following her heart.

8. When challenges are thrown at her, let her meet them head-on, even if they knock her over.

9. Don't let her take any BS! She must stand up for herself.

10. Make her physically strong. She can be athletic or even have supernatural powers. Whatever her strength is, she needs to know it and use it.

11. Allow her to recognize when she makes a mistake, even if she doesn't apologize immediately.

12. Let her help people in their weak moments.

13. Give her a fear she has to overcome, or an enemy she has to beat.

14. Whatever her destiny is, have her move toward it with her head high!

15. Characteristics you can give her are: passion, ambition, confidence, honesty, courage, and loyalty. She can also be humble, responsible, and energetic.

How to Create a Powerful Antagonist:

If you are writing the type of story that requires an antagonist, a person who opposes and fights against the main character in a story, here are 5 tips to help you create a powerful antagonist:

1. Describe him/her in a darker light than you would the protagonist. Make him/her look and sound evil!

2. Create sinister dialogue.

**3.** Make the antagonist coldhearted. Other than hate and anger, don't let him/her show any feelings, because an antagonist doesn't have sympathy, compassion, mercy, or regret.

Some antagonists are truly evil like the one I described above, but some can possess good qualities, such as tenderness toward their dog or mother.

4. Have your antagonist do horrific things throughout the course of the novel such as threaten, stalk, kidnap, torture and kill.

5. Give your antagonist a weakness, such as a horrible childhood or a special weapon that could kill him/her (for science fiction/fantasy). Hate, anger, and the need for revenge can also be his/her weakness.

By using these mega character development tips, you'll be able to create three-dimensional characters full of depth that your readers will be able to relate to, and nothing is better than that! You can use every tip or a few. Just remember one thing: It's your book, it's up to you!

Chrys Fey, author of the Disaster Crime series

<http://writewithfey.blogspot.com>

## With a Little Help From My Friends

## by Benny Hill

Friends

As simplistic as it appears, cultivating friendships within the vast, wondrous realms of writing is what keeps me trudging forward. I came to the realization long ago that to write is not necessarily to seek fame or wealth, but to send forth into the world a collection of words that may be read and appreciated by another. (A bit like Charles Ingalls and his furniture but different) In the end, all we as writers could ever really hope for is that somewhere in the midst of our musings, someone, somewhere reads and enjoys our creations. I am blessed that these someone's over the years have become my friends and it is through their encouragement, kindness and compassion that I continue to write today.

I recall my very first blog entry. It was an article on my thoughts of Halloween 2005. The sentimentality of simpler days guided me and I wrote in detail of my trick or treating adventures dressing in Ben Cooper costumes. To my surprise, the nephew of Ben Cooper found my post and left thoughtful and kind comments. I consider that moment to be one of the greater successes in my writing career. I wrote something and made a connection with another person who enjoyed what I wrote. To this day, I am so proud to say that I still keep in touch with Ira Cooper and am proud to call him friend.

In recent years I created a post titled "To Kill a Chicken". Once again, this post was discovered and wonderful comments were left and I made yet another friend—Jared Guilan, an ex-pat living in New Zealand, running an olive farm. Recently, exasperated by my writing seemingly going nowhere, I reached out to him and he recounted his own personal story of becoming a writer and his kind, thoughtful words will forever stick with me and inspire me to keep going and not give up.

Friends

Once upon a time, I actually got paid to write garden articles and met a wonderful soul by the name of Sharon Brown who still today takes time out of her busy schedule to not only edit my work but offer encouragement and advice when I need it most. Again, it is with kindnesses such as these that inspire me to keep going and not give up.

Ira, Jared (author of the book "Moon Over Martinborough"), Sharon, Eve Searle (co-author of "Tomorrow Will be Better"), Richard Lawrence Cohen (author of "Only What Is and an absolute must have for any writer "Writer's Mind Crafting Fiction"), Carrie Abels (Editor of "Vermont's Local Banquet"), Rosa Sophia (author of "When I Dream of You" and more) and many others are all friends who are writers I have met along the way who have in one way or another supported my writing, offered encouragement when I needed it most and continually inspire me to keep writing. Today I joined this Insecure Writer's Support Group and it is with continued hope to meet even more friends who will inevitably inspire, encourage, support and assist in my efforts to get my collection of words out there into the vastness of the universe. I may not become famous but perhaps one day in the future, someone somewhere will read something I have written and appreciate the words I have set forth. Words I could not have created without a little help from my friends. (You have the Beatles song stuck in your head now don't you?)

I wish to offer special thanks to Joanne Livingstone for reading every single piece of writing I have ever created.

Be Sociable, Share!

Benny Hill, Freelance Writer and Blogger

<http://bennysplace.com/>

### When to Hire an Editor or When to Throw in the Towel

### by Sharon Mayhew

  * You've written a complete first draft.
  * You've checked for plot holes, grammar, spelling and usage errors.
  * You've double checked all your seeds of truth in your manuscript.
  * You've traded manuscripts with your critique partners.
  * You've revised based on each critique partners' suggestions.
  * You've read your manuscript out loud from beginning to end and made more revisions.
  * You've entered contests, gone to conferences, and gotten feedback.
  * You've revised some more.
  * You queried and got form letter rejections.
  * You revised again and are quite sick of your manuscript and want to throw it away...

But throwing your baby away isn't an option. You've invested so much time and energy into it. So what's the next step?

Ask yourself, is this manuscript worth investing in? Do you have the funds to invest in it? If the answer is yes, you should start thinking about hiring an editor. If the answer is no, it's time to put this manuscript away and start on something new.

Then you have to ask yourself how much do you have to invest in your manuscript? The amount you pay will depend on your budget and the editor's skill set, experience, and name. You can spend a lot or a little. Ask around before you choose an editor. There are lots of options: literary agent interns, published writers (published in magazine), retired editors, people who just love the editing process, published authors, and other writers. Find out who they've edited for and if they were helpful. Did they move the manuscript forward to publication or positive feedback from agents or publishing houses?

Before you commit to paying an editor, ask yourself if you're willing to take advice on your manuscript? If you aren't willing to make changes or listen to advice, you shouldn't spend the money. If you have an open mind and are willing to listen to suggestions, you believe in your story so much that you have a burning need to publish it, and you have some money saved to pay an editor, then it's time to start looking around for an editor.

Sharon Mayhe

<http://themanuscriptmaveneditor.com/>

### Write Because You're a Writer

### by Debra McKellan

I know that sounds pretty obvious, right? But some of you would be surprised. People will ask what we do for a living. Even if we have a day job, saying that we're writers will sometimes get us strange looks. I had some perfect stranger (I hate when people at bus stations try to spark conversations) ask me, when I told him I majored in Creative Writing (at FSU), what would I write other than newspaper articles. As if books just... I don't even know.

Heck, saying you want to be a published author when you grow up may not even be supported by your family. I follow a blogger who has that issue, and my older sister used to tell me how unrealistic it was to be a writer and spent too many years trying to get me jobs for which I was unqualified. And many people who ask what I graduated with (BA in English) think an English degree means I want to be a teacher. I still don't understand why. I've known people who, instead of going into Creative Writing or English, go into weird things they're not particularly interested in just to please their parents. No offense, but that's some crap.

Some people have small minds. If you're not being a teacher, doctor, lawyer, or whatever, you're not doing anything of importance. WRONG.

You are a writer. NEVER put it on the backburner because people who don't understand what it is to think these things up and to create other worlds and see other forms of mankind in their mind, aren't particularly worth pleasing. Life is not a drill. Go through it doing what you were meant to do. You're not crazy, you're not dreaming too hard. You write. That's what you do. So, do it.

Debra McKellan

<http://debramckellan.blogspot.com>

### When Family and Friends Don't Support Your Writing Career

### by Doreen McGettigan

It is hard enough for us writers to believe in ourselves, so when someone close to us questions our choice and doesn't support our decision to write, it stings.

We need to first consider the possibility that they may be genuinely concerned for us or they may lack understanding of what all is "involved" in writing when we choose it as a career.

Once we have done our best to explain to them what we do and what they can do to support us, and it doesn't work out that way, we have to realize that no matter how hard we try, everyone will not love our choice or our work.

When I asked a friend to come to one of my book signings and she asked me when I was going to come see her at work, that got me thinking. I didn't know exactly what she did at work. It had also been ages since I stopped by the dealership where my husband works, just to say hi. I never stopped by to see my daughter at the nursing home where she works to bring her chocolate or wine, nor have I ever gone to the lumber yard where my other daughter works to buy lumber and have her sign it for me.

Well, that revelation hit like lightening. Writing is my job. It is emotional and I am passionate but at the end of the day I cannot expect a daughter that lives for romance novels to gush over my nonfiction.

I needed to pay more attention to the careers of my loved ones and my friends and be more supportive of their passions if I expected the same of them.

I realized that when I need support for my writing, feedback, or have exciting news to share, the best place for me is a group of my peers. Writers groups, critique groups, Facebook writers groups and especially The Insecure Writers Support Group are full of other writers who get what I do and feel what I feel. There is always someone there with a hug, creative advice, or a hand- up.

I am blessed because my family does support me and my choice to write. My girls are happy to help me choose an outfit for a book event, but they do not want to go to work with me. For that I need my tribe and my tribe needs me.

Doreen McGettigan, author

<http://doreenmcgettigan.com/>

## Lessons from a Humbled Writer

## by Andrea Franco-Cook

After I completed the first draft of my novel, I was so proud of my story that I wanted to share it with the world. I posted it on an online writer's site, expecting accolades. Instead, the reviewers shredded the piece. I soon learned that my plot had more holes than you'd find in a warehouse filled with Swiss cheese. The characters were one-dimensional at best, and there were enough point-of-view shifts to give a reader whiplash.

Defeated and sad, I slinked away from the critiques vowing never to write again. A couple of months later, I saw new characters lurking behind every stranger's eyes. During that time, it occurred to me that I missed the craft. I was as lost as a ship at sea without my writing to keep my creative compass straight. Before diving in to the second draft of my novel, I purchased several "how to books," and read them from cover to cover. I attended workshops and practiced. About six months later, I began the revisions on my story. The reviews I received on the second draft were light years from the first. I've since written about twenty drafts and am in the final polishing stages (thank goodness). A couple of publishers have expressed interest in the book, and I'm presently waiting to hear back from them.

There are two things I have learned from my experience as a writer. First, never give up on yourself or the craft. Writing is a marathon not a sprint. It takes years to hone style and voice, and practice is key. Second, don't write for the sole reason of publishing. It's a competitive business. You're but a drop in a sea of writers. Even if you do get published it will be difficult to eke out a living from the royalties. Essentially, the life of a true author is a calling, not a career. Write because you love it. Write because you will go crazy if you don't. If publication comes, great. If not, write-on.

Andrea Franco-Cook

<http://aspiringnovelists.blogspot.com/>

### Zodiac Characterization with Personality Typing

### by Juneta Key

We've all read the books that tell us to create 3D characters so that they feel real to the reader. The reader has to be able to relate if we want them to keep reading. The character has to touch us on a human level. People have both good and bad qualities, even a villain is not all bad, or has not always been evil. Sometimes the villain thinks he is fighting for the right reasons and is just as passionate about it as the good guy. Sometimes the bad guy is not a really bad guy at all, but someone in opposition to the hero. There are so many shades of gray in the human equation. Sometimes the scariest villain is the one that feels like the guy next door, or has an uncanny understanding of the human psyche, which is why he gets away with it. That is why I look to the Zodiac and personality typing to help provide ideas for creating characters.

Signs of the Zodiac:

Aries March 21st-April 19th, Taurus April 20th-May 20th, Gemini May 21st-June 20th, Cancer June 21st-July 22nd, Leo July 23-August 22nd, Virgo August 23rd-September 22nd, Libra September 23rd-October 22nd, Scorpio October 23rd-November 21st, Sagittarius November 22nd-December 21st, Capricorn December 22nd-January 19th, Aquarius January 20th-February 18th, Pisces February 19th-March 20th

Character Traits via Zodiac

Negative & Positive traits

Aspects to consider for conflict-Energy of the sign e.g. confrontational (Aries element is fire)

Consider the polar opposite sign to contrast hero vs villain—Example using Aries & Libra: Aries vs Libra, fire sign vs air sign; sign traits=self-interest vs shared-interest.

Positive Aries qualities: Curious, energetic, enthusiastic, action oriented, adventurous, risk takers, like the adrenalin rush, courageous, versatile, lively, and there are few more.

Negative Aries qualities: Arrogant, insensitive, stubborn, impulsive, scattered, confrontational, tend to leave things unfinished.

Think of all the associations you can make to fire, and apply that to character in terms of energy and personality. The symbology of the elements can expand these ideas.

Using astrology in a more general sense, you can find even more characterization traits with the Zodiac. There are all sorts of possibilities here for characterization, conflict external and internal. They work for a good guy or a bad guy. Tack any of those descriptions on someone and get the general idea or snapshot of what that person might be like. Whether it is protagonist or antagonist, both should have qualities from each category to make a more rounded balanced personality, or lean them more negative than positive depending on the character type you are trying to achieve.

I like to use an astrology program for quick generation of the different signs, which gives me a more detailed analysis of that sign. Sometimes it even gives me ideas for conflict and story itself.

I also like the psychology behind personality tests. A personality test is not about good and bad, but about strengths and weaknesses. When I try to write a character that is not like me at all, this information can help me form a clearer picture of the character, psychologically, that I am trying to create. My personal favorite is the Myers-Briggs personality test and Keirsey Temperament test. You will need a general idea of your character, and then just take the test as if you are that character and see what he or she has to say.

In conclusion, this is not a how-to-create-a-character piece, but a presentation of how astrology and personality typing might aid you when creating characters. Below is a character profile I have adapted for my own use with astrology and personality typing of characters.

Basic Short Extended Character Profile

Character Name:

Role in Story:

Occupation:

Greatest Desire:

Deepest Motivation/Need:

Physical Description:

Myers-Briggs Personality Types:

Astrological Sign:

Astrological Qualities and Elements:

Key personality trait (one or two):

Personality:

Interest:

Favorites (Thing, Games, Sport/Activity, Preferences, Emotional Attachments to places, people or family traditions):

Habits/Mannerisms (Ticks):

Manner of Dress/Style:

Language/Accent-regional/Slang:

Family Background:

Background:

Friend/Sidekick(Tie-in scene or memory):

Pets/Attachments e.g. rock, necklace, ring:

Internal Conflicts:

External Conflicts:

Notes:

Juneta Key

<http://junetakey.com>

### Becoming a Writer

### by Elizabeth Seckman

As a writer, I meet lots of writers. Some published, some pre-published, and some still in the consideration stage. The pre and the published have already taken the plunge, so this is for those in the consideration stage.

The way I see it, we humans were made in the image of our Creator. A Creator who found joy in bringing a world to life. And writers are just wordy world builders. We are compelled to write stories; it's innate. It's a goal that nibbles at our minds... _Pick up the pen and write_.

But then we stop.

Who are we kidding? We have no skills. No MFA. No connections. People like us don't write books. We concentrate on real life things like cleaning bathrooms or mowing lawns. We tell ourselves that people who write books have this peculiar look to them. They carry around large tomes of poetry, wear black from head to toe, drink copious amounts of coffee, and speak slowly with the fluid air of a well-verbed songstress.

We're not _that_ sort of people. We're common and awkward, often dressing with food stained, crookedly buttoned shirts. We have no real sense of style. No real image, or cultural finesse that screams, "Look! I can be a writer!"

So, we talk ourselves down. Tell ourselves that creating the perfect lawn or the dust bunny free bath is truly what we are meant to achieve on this Earth. And then a part of our soul sighs and we feel sad.

And then we meet a writer. A real writer, not the dude or dudette dressed head to toe in black, waxing poetic with lines borrowed from a book. We find out that real writers have no look. They have no one personality. They are as different as the many varieties of books on a library shelf.

Hmm, you wonder, _how will I ever know if I can ever be a writer_?

You'll know you're a writer when you're told that one thing separates writers from wanna-be writers is hours and hours of ass-numbing work. And when hearing that, if you get a rush of hope and your word-soaked brain whispers, "We can do that!"

Then you, my dear, are a writer. Don't ever let a cappuccino-sipping interloper ever tell you you're not.

Elizabeth Seckman, Author

<http://elizabethseckman.com/>

### How to Write an Entire Book

### by Megan Morgan

Let's say, despite everyone in the world telling you what a bad idea it is to be a writer—the false starts, the rejections, the bad reviews if you do get published, all the thousands and thousands of dollars you won't make—you decide to go ahead and do it anyway. What next? The first step is to write that book. Yes, write the whole thing. Why does the first step have to be the hardest?

I will impart a few tips for getting that first draft down, a guide to help you get from the first sentence to the last via all those pesky sentences in between:

**Don't edit as you write.** This was a hard lesson for me to internalize—it took years and years, in fact. The more time you spend going back and fixing things, the less time you're chugging forward. Just slap it all out on the page, mixed-up and weird and not making sense in some spots, and tell yourself you will fix it in rewrites. Everything can be fixed in later drafts. You are never going to write a perfect first draft, so why even try? Don't read what you wrote the day before, unless you need to go back and revisit a detail to continue on. Get those fingers to the keys and go!

**Go ahead and make mistakes.** Everyone does, that's how we learn. Again, your first draft will never be perfect. My favorite author, Anne Lamott, has a great quote. She says your first draft is the down draft: you get everything down. The second and subsequent drafts are the up drafts: you fix them up. Screw up, fix it later. What other profession can you do that in?

**Research can wait.** A certain amount of research goes into a book before you write it, but as you're going, you may find you need to clarify some small detail. Don't stop and consult the internet—that breaks your rhythm and concentration. Leave yourself a note in the text and look it up later. Anything that drags you away from the words can wait.

**Hit a wall, turn around, keep going.** Say you write yourself into a corner: there's no way out, you took the wrong road, your character can't overcome this. Do you scrap the whole project and start over? No. Just leave it, go back to the start of where things got messy, and take another path. You can chop out the dead ends in rewrites. Even if you have to do this multiple times, you'll find your way out of the jungle eventually—but only if you keep going.

**What's in a name?** You may come up with a character's name and not be overly fond of it, but nothing else will come to you at the moment. Your story is a train waiting in the station, ready to go, but you can't figure out this chick's name. So call her Sue. Call her Mary. Call her Rumplestiltskin. When the name comes to you later, we live in a wonderful world of word processing programs with find and replace features. Hurry up and get on that train.

**What's the title of this thing?** Some writers say they always know the name of their project when they start it. If this was the only way I could write something, I would have only written three, maybe four things by now. Titles don't come easy to me, but they come. Sometimes you find the title through writing the story. Again, don't get hung up on something trivial. Get on that train.

**Make time.** If you don't make time to write, you will never write. Trust me, I know what it's like to have a job, kids, commitments, friends, and people demanding your time when all you want to do is tell your stories. If you want to be a writer, you make the time, you find the time, you steal it, beg it, borrow it, whatever you have to do. If all you can find is small chunks of time, there's nothing wrong with that. You might be amazed at what you can accomplish in a half hour, twenty minutes, ten minutes. When you feel like you don't have time, ask yourself this: how long am I going to be dead?

**Keep your head down and your eyes on your own paper.** Don't compare yourself to others, it's a losing game. Always, there will be authors more prolific than you, better than you, selling more than you, getting better reviews, more attention, doing more and seemingly having a better life than you. They are not your concern. Set goals for yourself that have nothing to do with other people. Remember, also, that you may actually be the watermark that writers lesser than you judge themselves by.

There you have it: my keys to getting a book written. Of course, I'm a hypocrite and sometimes get hung up on various points, but maybe next time, I'll come back and look at this list and take my own advice. Stranger things have happened.

Megan Morgan is an urban fantasy, paranormal romance, and erotica author from Cleveland, Ohio. Bartender by day and purveyor of things that go bump at night.

<http://meganmorganauthor.com/>

### My Four Golden Rules of Writing

### by Nicholas C. Rossis

Forget the Oxford comma. These are the four rules no author should ever break.

When there is tension in a language between what comes naturally and the rules, it's because someone has tried to shoehorn the language into their idea of conformity.

Does this mean there are no rules? Not at all. It just means that the ones we are taught in workshops and classrooms are not necessarily the ones that matter to actual readers—as opposed to teachers, agents and editors. So, here are my golden rules, the ones no fiction writer should ever break, in my view.

Rule #1: Don't let your writing get in the way of your story.

Fragment your sentences. Break the rules. Hemingway is considered the "master of the short sentence," but when his stories reach a climax, he will suddenly write long sentences—as long as three or four hundred words even. So, throw caution to your wind. Have fun with the language.

I write in English because I love the language and its flexibility. Its barbarous nature, as the poet and critic John Dryden characterized it in 1693, is what makes it so appealing to me. I understand the need to preserve the language's beauty, but don't throw out the baby with the bath water. Respect and treasure its imperfections, its wildness.

"Our Language is extremely imperfect," Jonathan Swift complained to the Earl of Oxford in 1712. "Its daily Improvements are by no means in proportion to its daily Corruptions; and the Pretenders to polish and refine it, have chiefly multiplied Abuses and Absurdities." And that wasn't all. Swift added: "In many Instances, it offends against every Part of Grammar."

So, offend against grammar, if that's what it takes. Be creative. After all, grammar only has one true aim: to make the written word as clear as possible.

Rule #2: Grammar's aim is to make the written word as clear as possible.

Everything else stems from that need. Active voice is considered more immediate than the passive one, hence the "rule" that it should be preferred. Or, consider the use of comma, the one thing that's bound to create more arguments than anything the Middle East can throw at us. In the example of:

"Let's eat gramma" vs. "Let's eat, gramma," it is a comma that separates vegetarians from cannibals. However, use of the (in)famous Oxford comma won't significantly alter the reader's comprehension. Therefore, all related arguments are classified in my mind under "safe to ignore." Just use it consistently throughout your manuscript, and I promise you: there's a grammar book somewhere in the world swearing that your way is the only correct one!

Rule #3: Creativity Trumps Conformity

English heading into the sixteenth century was a makeshift thing. Eight conquering peoples had added to the vocabulary and shaped its syntax. Even worse, playwrights like Chaucer let new-fangled words from the street amble onto the literary stage — new-fangled and amble being two of them.

By the time Elizabethan dramatists took over, crowds cheered their linguistic daring. The Bard himself is responsible for many of the words we use every day, such as:

  * arouse,
  * besmirch,
  * bet,
  * drug,
  * dwindle,
  * hoodwink,
  * hurry,
  * puke,
  * rant and
  * swagger

But you didn't have to be a Shakespeare to play word god. Everyday speakers in the Renaissance formed new words, often by adding prefixes and suffixes. New verbs could be had for the small price of a suffix, like:

  * –ize (agonize, apologize, civilize),
  * –en (blacken and whiten, loosen and tighten, madden and sadden)

Then, in the midst of this linguistic riot, King James commissioned the Bible's translation into English in 1604. Certain clerks and clerics in the eighteenth century longed for a less rustic language and took it upon themselves to craft a "Queen's English." They invented rules for this unruly tongue. The problem was, they stole the rules from Latin. Which is why so many of the grammar rules make little or no sense. Nevertheless, they have been sanctified in books and passed down by generations of schoolmasters.

Rule #4: As long as it has a beginning, a middle and an end, it's a story

We humans are simple creatures. We love our stories, our myths and our tales. Since ancient time, as long as our ramblings have a beginning, a middle and an end, they're accepted as stories. Anything else could be the incoherent babble of a drunkard just before he passes out.

So, stop worrying if your story is ready to be shared with the world, because the commas in it may be misplaced and you use more passive voice than you "should." Stop fretting that you start your lines with a gerund, or your book with a dream. Or that your sentences are fragmented. Or that you start with conjunctions or end with prepositions. These aren't even real rules.

Stop trying to impress editors and agents.

Instead, focus on writing, then writing some more. And on sharing with the only people who really matter: your readers.

Nicholas C. Rossis, PhD

http://nicholasrossis.me/

### Believing in Your Writing

### by Ann V. Friend

We all need encouragement in life. This article is to encourage anyone out there with a passion to write, to start writing. Just do it. The more you write, the better you get. Do it for yourself.

Writing can be a work of art. Writing can be an individual's masterpiece. I'm an old school kinda girl, who believes that writing can be as unique and different as God created each of us to be. There is something beautiful about being free enough to write in your own style.

Writing takes patience. Writing takes confidence. Writing takes faith to believe in what we bring to the table as a writer. Writing can start by putting thoughts on a page. Writing can be our statement to the world as only we can tell it. Writing can be fact or fiction.

It's our choice. I choose to write about my spiritual journey and maturity in my Christian walk. I choose to share my unique personality through my own self-expression. I encourage this same blessing to you.

Choosing to be a unique individual with your own voice is a beautiful thing. Choosing to be fearless in your unique expression is a beautiful thing to behold. Writing preference is a personal choice.

I admire successful and published authors. They validate my faith that writing and completing a book is possible.

Start now and have faith in your writing ability. Build courage to keep writing until that book is finished.

Keep the faith. Then finish your book and find the right publisher!

So write and keep writing until you reach the end. Remember to laugh and have fun along the journey!

Ann V. Friend, Author

<http://afriendofjesus2013.com/>

#### Part Two: Publishing
### Are You Ready to Submit?

### by Susan Gourley

The time has come for you to send your creation out into the world of publishing. Before you submit a query or pitch to an editor or agent at a conference you need to be prepared with your sales pitch. In the world of publishing, there are four general pitches you should prepare ahead of time.

The Logline.

This one sentence pitch should include five key factors. The who, the what, the when/where, the how and the why. Use this example sentence and fill it in with your unique information and then work with it to make it more sensible and interesting.

In a (setting/when/where) a (protagonist/who) has a (difficulty caused by an antagonist/the what) and (faces the conflict/how) as he tries to (achieve the goal/why.)

In a face to face meeting, this simple line could lead to a lengthier interview or request for a longer description.

The Elevator Pitch

This is the nickname for a five to six line pitch such as you might use at a conference if you luck out and run into an editor in the elevator or at the bar. The easiest way to do this is expand on your logline. A sentence with the setting, one about the protagonist, another about the difficulty or challenge, the fourth about facing the conflict and the last should be why facing it is important or the protagonist's goal.

The elevator pitch also comes in handy as a guide to the short paragraph usually requested in a query letter to briefly describe your story. Make each sentence count.

Short Synopsis

Often times an agent or publisher will ask for a one page summary of your novel. Include the five elements mentioned above for the shorter pitches and give each a bit more attention. This is a chance to add all those unique elements of your setting, your characters and the difficulties facing them. Even though a page might seem very long compared to the elevator pitch, you'll still only share the most important elements of your book. You'll also be judged on your writing. Are you using active verbs and avoiding those adverbs? Include anything that makes your characters different and compelling. Don't forget to include the ending or conclusion of the story. Editors expect to find out how the conflict is resolved when reading a synopsis.

Longer Synopsis or Outline

Sometimes an editor will put a page count on this request. It might be five to six pages or even as long as twelve. Or they might not specify on the length. The easiest way to do it is make each chapter a short paragraph. If the paragraph for a certain chapter seems frivolous or uninteresting that may give you a clue that you should cut some scenes from your book. Even in a long synopsis you don't have to include everything or mention every secondary character. Again remember your writing style and voice are being judged at the same time as the content of your story is. Don't make your outline a dry dissertation of facts. Remember when you were in school and had to give those dreaded book reports? Report with all the enthusiasm of sharing the most compelling book you've ever read.

Be prepared with all four types of pitches before trying to sell your book. Chances are you're going to need them sooner or later. The logline and the elevator pitch will come in handy at book signings when readers stop by and ask what your book is about. Once you've prepared your pitches, impose on your critique partners to evaluate them and make it as perfect as you can.

Susan Gourley is the author of eleven published romance novels and two epic fantasy series. You can find her at her blog:

<http://susangourley.com/>

### Distribution Options for Your Book

### by L. Diane Wolfe

Whether pursuing traditional publishing or self-publishing, an author has to consider all of the distribution options. If you sign with a traditional publisher, you might not have a lot of say in the matter. Listing all of the possibilities will help you decide what rights to give up in the contract and help you later with marketing.

There are two areas to consider:

Beyond the initial book -

You have a single story you want to bring into the world. How can you expand on that original idea? What other forms could it take besides print and ebook?

  * Foreign rights
  * Audio book
  * Interactive app
  * Book clubs
  * TV or movie rights
  * Serial rights
  * Magazine excerpts
  * A series
  * Video
  * Coaching sessions
  * Seminars

Potential markets -

The goal is to place your book in front of its target audience. Where's the best place to do that?

  * Bookstores - chains and independents
  * Libraries
  * Gift stores
  * Historical sites
  * Museums
  * Beauty salons
  * Sports stores
  * Military stores
  * Coffee shops
  * Trade shows
  * Festivals
  * Businesses
  * Clubs and organizations
  * Schools and colleges

Distribution is all about placing the right form of your story in front of the right audience. Where can you see your story going?

L. Diane Wolfe, professional speaker and author

<http://spunkonastick.net/>

### What to Do While Riding the Submission Train

### by S.A. Larsen

Write something new is the obvious first answer to my title thought. Even better, create a piece of work outside your normal writing arena. Don't write poetry? Try it. Sci-Fi not your thing? Jot down a scene as you normally would, only add Sci-Fi spice from out of your comfort zone. Feeling a little internally disconnected? Journal your thoughts and feelings. Better yet, do that for a potential character.

All this is great and even productive, but what else can we do while waiting on the rails of our subs? Whether your words are already out there between a hardcover or you're awaiting on your first book baby, whether your agent is subbing for you or you're trenching it on your own, waiting is waiting. And it stinks.

Writers need a diversion from the insane sting of anxiety assaulting our stomachs or the mounds of chocolate we'd like to eat. NOTE: dipping chocolate into a jar of peanut butter can curb the sting, though you'll have to burn off the calories from that peanut butter later. Greater evil? You decide.

Marketing our writer selves is my simplest answer. Now, don't be intimidated by the vastness of social media. Yes, it's big and fast and ever-changing. But so are you. You're a writer, existing among a barrage of shifting markets and living, breathing language. Let's see how we can tame the beast.

STEP 1: Understand the reality of social media and use it.

Even the most cautious social media users find themselves dazed into an extra hour or two of surfing interesting posts after sweet-treat dessert ideas. Then those posts must be shared. After all, we do need our Twitter fix. And we definitely have opinions about what we've viewed or read. Why not share them as your writer self? Show your supporters and fans—even if they are still potential future fans—who you are as a writer. Let them see you, your likes and dislikes, your hopes, dreams, and struggles, the elements of life that inspire you to write what you do.

STEP 2: Define your writer self.

Readers don't just want the characters they fall in love with to be real. They want to know the mind behind the creation lives in the same world they do, has struggled and been stirred in similar ways. They want to relate to you, just as they want to connect to your characters. They want to cheer you on and revel in your successes, ensuring you continue to create beloved characters and worlds that whisk them away. Of course this suggestion comes with a note of caution. Be wise with what you share on a personal level. Share from your writer self, not you the person.

Think about you, the writer. How do you differ from the person outside the writer title?

Are you a grammar freak? Do you see in pictures or are you a verbal person? Are you funny and do you incorporate comedy or snark in your writing? What subjects do you touch upon in your stories? Futuristic machines? Otherworldly beings? Life issues such as domestic violence or world hunger?

Once you develop your writer self's identity, sharing and interacting with the world will grow you as a writer and as a person. Dress your writer self in the words and scenes, topics and social perimeters, emotions and fears you share through your stories. Don't stress about it. Be natural. Be you, just in your writer's attire. How do you do that?

STEP 3: Find your writer self in daily social media venues.

Seek events, videos, and posts that interest your writer self, articles that could inspire a scene or a character. Expand upon those by either directly sharing or commenting. Engage in comment conversation.

Sharing your writer self on a personal level will promote you without flooding media sites with links to your work. Continual interaction will intrigue others, which will lead many to seek you and your work out.

Ever read a comment under a blog post and thought, "That is a great point. Who is this writer?" I have. And guess what? I clicked on their profile and found their site.

STEP 4: My favorite—Be a balanced social media-rite.

Sometime ago, I discovered the number one way to market my writer self. Funny thing is I didn't even know what I'd stumbled upon. It all had to do with being a full-fledged member of the undefined yet universal writing community.

  * Show appreciation by sharing others work—fellow author, TV producer, or activist. Share what moves your writer self to move others.
  * Cheer fellow writers' successes.
  * Offer understanding during their valleys.
  * Lend your eyes as a reader of their work. Give solid advice as both reader and writer. Accept their help in return, and be humble.

The truth of a person is found within his /her inner motivations. Be true to your writer self and pure in your social media motivations, and writerly blessings will find you.

Social media is a perfect place to exercise all of the above, which in turn markets you, not to mention it's a great antacid to dull the sting while waiting on submission.

S.A. Larsen is a writer of young adult romance and middle grade fantasy, repped by Paula Munier of Talcott Notch Literary.

<http://salarsenbooks.com/>

### Seven Things I'd Do Before I Published a Book

### by C Lee McKenzie

1. Have a professional website and/or blog designed.

  * Be sure the navigation is easy and the pages are easy to read.
  * Buy a domain name. Mine's cleemckenziebooks. I wish it were simply cleemckenzie. The simpler the better.
  * Don't use music. People often browse in public places and music isn't always appreciated.
  * Be sure people can pull up your site on all their mobile devices.

Your website/blog is going to be a major marketing tool. It's going to reveal who you are and what you write. You're unique, so this is where you show that uniqueness.

2. Write short pieces and get them published. Ezines are a great market.

Having samples of your writing published gives people a chance to become familiar with your style. It gives you credits to add to those query letters. It gives you a boost and, there's nothing like practice to improve your craft. You can begin your email list with these short publications.

3. Become visible on the Social Networking Media

  * Facebook
  * Twitter
  * Goodreads
  * Shelfari
  * LinkedIn
  * Amazon (Especially, become familiar with Authors Central)

There are more, but these are ones I've chosen to focus on. You'll have to choose the ones that work best for you.

The Social Networking sites are all a bit different, and there's a learning curve for each one. That takes time, and after you're published, you really don't have much of that anymore. Learn how to use each of these or ones you find most comfortable using.

If you only have time for two, go with Facebook and Twitter. Add Goodreads if you have time to manage three. Why?

  * Facebook claims to have over 500 million active users, average age 38
  * Twitter has over 75 million accounts, average age 39
  * Goodreads is about books and reading; their ads are targeted at people who buy and read books.

4. Build a relationship with well-respected and highly visible reviewers/bloggers.

When you build a relationship with a reviewer/blogger you're doing double duty. You're learning what they like and how they respond to different types of books. They're also reading your comments and learning a bit about you. You've established a relationship before you ask for a review. I think that's important.

5. Build an email list of people who know you and know your work. (Short pieces, remember?)

Email is a powerful marketing tool. Just be sure you know the people you're contacting and they know you. Don't be a spammer.

6. Find bloggers with a large following and similar interests: books, hobbies, lifestyle. Build a relationship with them.

Bloggers are amazing. First, they love content, so if you know what they want, you can give it to them. Second, they're pretty cool people who like to help others because they know others will help them when the time comes. It's a very symbiotic relationship, and it's effective for writers who are marketing books.

7. Create an image for yourself. Answer these questions: Who are you? What are your interests? What will you share with your readers on your website/blog, Facebook, Twitter?

Blowing your own horn is not effective marketing, so you have to have something to contribute on social media. You have to provide interesting/informative content, and you have to do it in your unique way.

C Lee McKenzie, author

<http://writegame.blogspot.com>

### Querying Your Way to Publication

### by Shannon Lawrence

Once you've got a polished manuscript—all writing and editing completed, feedback received—the next step is to start submitting your manuscript to agents (for those whose goal is traditional publishing.) To do this, you'll need a query letter, your initial means of reaching out to the agent or editor of your choice.

Query letters can be scary to write because of the pressure we feel to nab the eye of an agent. It's a simple document, only requiring a few basic paragraphs, and yet so much rests on it being well written. The vital elements are to introduce your plot and main character(s), along with yourself. Here are a few tips for writing a strong query letter:

1. Research. Don't blindly submit to the first agent you find. See who has represented authors you respect. Find out who represents your genre. Read their blogs and websites. Meet them at a conference or other writing event, when possible. Do an online search to see if there are any complaints against them.

2. Formatting. Unlike your manuscript, your query letter should be single spaced. It should be no more than a page long. Left-justified (no indents). Address it to the agent you're querying, not "Dear Agent" or multiple recipient names. It's wise to keep the font the standard manuscript size 12, New Times Roman. Check your spelling and grammar.

3. Simplify It. Keep it brief. The simpler, the better. Don't do special formatting, add colored text or background, or print your query letter on stationary with designs or colors. White paper/background, black ink. Don't get too wordy.

4. Hook Them. The order of paragraphs is unimportant, but you do want to catch the agent's eye immediately. Include a hook, goal, motivation, conflict, and character introduction in your novel summary. You'll also need the title, genre, word count, and possible comparables (what published books are similar to your novel?). Make it concise, but compelling.

5. Personalize It. Include personal information at the end. Why are you pursuing this particular agent? If you've met them, remind them of that meeting. Compliment them if there's something they've done you're honestly impressed by. List your qualifications, such as past publications, organizations, education, or job experience that is pertinent to the topic at hand. Include any awards or certifications. Make the letter professional, but also ensure it reflects your writing voice.

6. Close It Up. Thank the agent for their time and mention any other elements you've attached (synopsis, sample pages, etc.). Sign it and include your personal contact information (email address, physical address, phone number, website). In email form, this can go after your signature. In document form, you can put it at the top of the letter, just as you would any other business letter.

Finally, none of these guidelines mean a thing if your agent of choice lists different guidelines. Always follow that agent's guidelines for your query and manuscript if they're different from the norm. You should seek this information out when you're researching the agent, and make any modifications to the standard formatting they ask for.

And now, a-querying we will go! Good luck with your writing journey.

Shannon Lawrence

<http://thewarriormuse.blogspot.com/>

### 10 Tips for Formatting Your Ebook

### by Cherie Riech

You wrote, edited, and polished your manuscript to perfection. It took months or years to get everything perfect. Whether you self-publish your book or go with a publisher, it helps to know some formatting tricks so you can have a great looking book beyond just a great read. These ten tips correspond to Microsoft Word.

1. The Show/Hide button is your friend. It'll reveal the hidden formatting within your document.

2. One space after a sentence-ending punctuation (or quotation) mark.

3. Never ever use Tabs. Seriously. Don't do it.

4. Set your indents.

5. Styles will keep your formatting the way you like it through a .doc, an .epub, and a .mobi file.

6. Don't leave extra spaces after a paragraph.

7. If inserting an image, be sure to position and wrap in line with the text.

8. To create a linked Table of Contents, you will need to use bookmarks and hyperlink.

9. It is better to use page breaks for chapters instead of hitting the enter key multiple times.

10. Set your em dashes (—) and ellipses (...) through symbols.

Having a great base for your manuscript will make formatting much easier for yourself and formatters. And if all else fails, clear out your formatting and start over in a fresh document.

Books recommended:

_Smashwords Style Guide_ by Mark Coker

_Design and Upload Your ePub: The Steps to Your Success_ by Cheri Lasota

_Indie Author Survival Guide_ by Susan Kaye Quinn

Websites/Software recommended:

Microsoft Word or something similar

Scrivener (writing software)

<http://literatureandlatte.com/scrivener.php>

Calibre (convert files to other formats)

<http://calibre-ebook.com/>

Sigil (an .epub editor)

<https://code.google.com/p/sigil/>

Jutoh (an editor and convertor of files)

<http://jutoh.com/>

Cherie Reich is a speculative fiction writer and library assistant living in Virginia.

<http://cheriereich.webs.com>

### Countdown to Launch

### by Sher A. Hart

3—2—1—Blastoff!

Wait! You need a pre-flight checklist. We're counting down—months in advance if possible.

10. Read the _Smashwords Style Guide_. It's free. Make a habit of using styles. Turn on _show formatting_ and correct problems such as dumb quotes as you write to save time and money later.

9. Join writers' groups like IWSG, World Literary Café, and find writers in your genre. Critique and/or beta read for each other to save money on content editing later. If you want your books to do well, give support and tough love. Use the sandwich technique: praise where due, helpful criticism, praise.

8. Form an author co-operative like the Indelibles (YA/adult) or the Emblazoners (MG). Cross-promote to share the marketing load. Search for new members until you have a good fit because all must do their parts in time, expertise, and money.

7. Choose an online marketing platform with e-commerce and build it together. If you want to keep your profits, don't use Blogger. Instead, use WordPress or a free site like Weebly that doesn't have reposting rights. Look professional. Buy your own domain so your site doesn't include the provider's name.

6. Make a posting schedule. Google has a calendar you can share to see everyone's planned posts. Do giveaways. Promote literacy. Invite other authors to guest post. Network on blogs and social media.

5. If you want to get book reviews, give them. Join Goodreads. Rate as many books as you remember reading. Be honest and helpful reviewing new releases. Again, use the sandwich method.

4. Finished writing? Hire an editor. Please. I find hundreds of errors in most indie books—missing and misused words, logic flaws, you name it—compared to fewer than 20 in professionally edited books. The Chicago Manual of Style says _20_ should be _twenty_. _OK_ should be _okay_. Whatever style you use, an editor will make it consistent.

3. Design your book with online sales in mind. If you can't afford pricey software, buy an inexpensive Word template from The Book Designer. Also try Fiverr or eLance, including for interior illustrations or covers. Most important, your cover should be eye-catching and readable in thumbnail size because that's what people see on Amazon.

2. Make a media kit including praise from other authors. Provide html to entice busy book bloggers.

1. With Advance Reader Copy (ARC) and media kit in hand, arrange a blog tour to get reviews before the official launch date. Do guest posts and interviews. Don't be afraid. You're the expert on your book.

0. What did I miss? Panic. No, don't. Read everyone else's ideas to fill your fuel tank. Then blast off. Throw a launch party locally and online. The sky is no longer the limit.

Sher A. Hart, writer/editor. Upcoming picture book Wes and the Loch Ness Monster.

<http://sherahart.net/>

### How Far Would You Go?

### by Lexa Cain

So, after a long hard struggle to write, revise and get yourself published, you find your book isn't selling as well as you expected or it has received some bad—even _mean—_ reviews.

How far would you go to improve your rates/reviews?

Here are things I've seen people do:

  * Go on forums or FB to say you've been horribly attacked and beg everyone on there to _QUICK!_ go and write 5-star reviews for your book.
  * Upload "different editions" of your book onto Goodreads and rate them all 5-stars yourself, and then use their "Combine Editions" function so that all your 5-star rates appear on the new-and-only listing for the book.
  * Hire a company that promises you 10-20 "favorable" reviews for your book.
  * Have your friends/family open different email addresses to create pseudonym accounts so everyone can rate your book 5-stars from several different accounts.

A book that isn't selling or receives insulting reviews can be very depressing, but no one ever said publishing was fun. Like any art, it's viewed subjectively and while some will love what you do, others will hate it.

I'm not judging those who engage in the activities I've noted above. I know everyone's just trying to muddle through the best they can. But all those activities won't stop future bad sales or bad reviews. **Those things are part of the business**. You can't please all of the people all of the time. Even bestselling authors get vitriolic 1-star reviews.

Instead of spending your time being miserable or trying to game the system, it's probably better to write that next book. And then the next one. After all, you're a **WRITER!**

Lexa Cain lives a stone's throw from the beautiful beaches of the Red Sea and can usually be found working on Young Adult and New Adult projects, including a sequel to Soul Cutter.

<http://lexacain.blogspot.com/>

### Magazine Markets—The Right Way to Study It

### by SittieCates

"Of course, I've _studied_ the market," someone once said when I was still a college student working at the school paper. "I _read_ the magazine. But they rejected my magnificent opus! Can't they see its potential?"

Shaking my head, I picked up a book from the table in front of me and buried my nose in it, hoping I wouldn't hear more of the ostentatious tirade (as an obvious means to hide the bruised pride) of a fellow student who has sent his story to a magazine for the first time.

That was a couple of years ago. I haven't seen him since. But his outburst stayed in my head, especially those two words, _study_ and _read_.

When I got accepted at the first publishing firm I worked for, my mentor there shared a startling fact: Sometimes, an aspiring contributor is left clueless on what he should study in a magazine. More often than not, that's the reason why the work gets rejected.

To study magazine markets, it's imperative to break it down until you get to its most explicit factors: its heart, its barest form (or skeleton, if you may). That will help you understand your market more. So, what should you look for in order to thoroughly study a possible magazine you're trying to break into?

**The Masthead and Table of Contents**. **** " _That's it?"_ you might say. Why, yes! But let's break this down further into some focal points to study.

One: The Objective

Usually, on that page for the Masthead and Table of Contents, you'll see the name of the magazine at the top and below that is the objective. (This can also be seen on the cover for most magazines.) Take note of the objective because, in a nutshell, it says a lot on what their sole aim is in publishing the magazine and it gives you an idea on what sort of stories or articles can fit that objective.

Two: The Articles or Stories Included

Note what type of articles or stories they accept from contributors and those written by the staff. Read those to learn more of what the editors of the magazine prefer.

Three: Categories

This helps break down the type of topics the magazine carry. The market you're looking into might have something on _health_ , something on _personal development_ , and possibly another on _profiles_ of real people doing admirable things.

Four: Departments or Columns

For this, some are written by the staff and frequent contributors that are treated as part of the staff. But there are magazines that have one or more departments or columns open to new contributors. And there are also editors who encourage aspiring contributors to try to break into their magazine through departments or columns before they send something else.

Five: Editors or the Staff Box

Why should you check this? For one, you need to know to whom you're sending your query, or synopsis and submission to. Another reason why you should check this often is because there are times when editors change, and as an aspiring contributor, you should be aware of that.

Six: Frequency

It's crucial to check a magazine's frequency and learn its circulation and distribution. Some come out on a monthly basis. Others follow a bi-monthly or quarterly schedule.

With regards to editorial line-ups of the articles or stories that would be included, most are scheduled in advance. Some magazines even post the topics they accept on a certain month or publication period on their websites. It's best that you check those out before you submit anything.

Once you've gone through all these things, but still feel that you need more guidance, here are some recommendations where you'll get helpful tips:

_Writer's Digest_ (website, magazine, books) at:

<http://writersdigest.com/>

_The Way to Write Magazine Articles_ by John Hines (book)

_Writing-World_ (website) at:

<http://writing-world.com>

Sounds like a lot to learn? You're right. But remember: As most writers may tell you, one of the most important steps in getting your work published is studying the potential market for your story or article. If you're aiming to tap into some magazines, I hope this article will help you and point you in the right direction. Good luck!

SittieCates has written and edited for magazines and newspapers, and now prefers writing books

<http://myownwritersnook.blogspot.com>

### How to Find a Literary Agent

### by S. L. Hennessy

Writing is hard work, but getting published is infinitely harder. They say the first step to getting published is finding a literary agent, but how is a first time author supposed to get their attention? Smoke signals? Fireworks? Kidnapping and extortion?

While I've certainly given all three some serious thought, there are a few more "official" options to consider:

The first is the loathsome and dreaded query letter. Write them well, send them in droves, and pray to whatever deity you believe in that they get the job done. If you choose this option, may the good fortune of J. K. Rowling be with you. And if you need any advice, check out former literary agent and bestselling author Nathan Bransford's _How to Write a Query Letter_.

The second option is writing conferences.

Writing conferences are critical tools for first time authors looking to network and build contacts in the writing world. From keynote speeches on how to get published to workshops on writing query letters or understanding the changing nature of the publishing industry, these conferences are a wealth of untapped knowledge. Furthermore, they supply unpublished authors with a _golden_ opportunity—a chance to pitch their work to agents in one-on-one sessions.

I've found personal success through these pitch sessions, as it allowed me to discuss my work in greater and more personal depth than any query letter I might send. In fact, it was through a writing conference pitch session that I landed my own literary agent to represent my work. So write a query, sign yourself up for writing conferences, and most importantly, keep at it!

S. L. Hennessy, Middle Grade author and blogger

<http://pensuasion.blogspot.com>

### A Newbie's Guide to Self Publishing

### by Julie Musil

As indie authors go, I'm an infant. With two titles out in the marketplace and three manuscripts in revision stages, I have a long way to go.

For many authors, indie publishing seems intimidating. Too much work. Competition too fierce. Only techies can survive out there. Yes, it's a lot of work. Yes, the competition is fierce. And yes, some tech savvy is helpful. But I'm here to tell you that if I can do it, anyone can. Seriously.

Let's tackle some possible questions or concerns:

How do I begin?

Indie authors have broken new ground and explored untested territory. They're brave. They've tried new things and failed. They've tried new things and succeeded. Best of all, they've generously shared what they've learned.

I'd recommend starting with solid advice from those who've gone before us. Invest in two books: Susan Kaye Quinn's _Indie Survival Guide_ and David Gaughran's _Let's Get Digital_. These books will answer most of your questions.

Is my book good enough to publish?

Susan Kaye Quinn offers great advice on this subject. Which title should you indie publish? Your best work. Is there a manuscript that's received positive feedback from agents or editors? Are your beta readers swooning over one of your characters? That's a good place to start. I led with my agented novel, _The Boy Who Loved Fire_.

If your manuscript hasn't been seen or critiqued by many people, that's fine. Edit the heck out of it and get fresh eyes on it. It's up to authors to make their work readable for the buying public.

Do I need a big chunk of change?

One of my main concerns about indie publishing was the amount of money needed up front. Quality was a must, but I didn't want to go broke during the process. Authors can click Publish without spending a dime, but it's worth it to spend time and money in important areas—mainly cover design and editing.

  * Get yourself a quality cover. They're the first impression readers have of your books. They need to be eye-catching in thumbnail size. My covers were designed by J. Allen Fielder. Many authors are having fun with Canva.com—free software that guides you through cool designs for book covers, Facebook banners, and so on.
  * Edit until your fingers bleed, then pay a pro. I spent the biggest chunk of my budget on editing. Pretty covers don't matter much if they're wrapped around lackluster books. My novels were edited by Bethany at A Little Red, Inc.

The Insecure Writer's Support Group blog and Susan Kaye Quinn's blog have lists of freelance cover designers, editors, and formatters. Which brings me to my next point.

Pretty covers and quality editing are great, but what about the F word?

Formatting strikes fear in the heart of many would-be indies. I was scared as heck about it. But you know what? It's not hard. And once you've gone through the learning curve, you've gained a skill that will help with each subsequent book release. Have you ever deleted an extra space between sentences? Changed your line spacing from double to single? Centered a title? That's formatting!

Here's what you can do:

  * Download the _Smashwords Style Guide_. It's free. Sometimes Word inserts auto formatting, and sometimes writers unknowingly format wonky. Use this guide to clean up your Word document.
  * Don't use Word? If you use Apple Pages, like me, download _From Pages '09 to Kindle Format in Minutes_. It's well worth 99 pennies.

Now that you know how to format, you can easily update your manuscript without having to pay someone else to do it for you.

My document is ready. My cover is awesome. Now what?

Get your book out there! Marketing is a whole other topic, so for now I'll focus on actually getting your book onto various sites. Susan Kaye Quinn's book and blog have great information about this next step, so check there for more details.

I directly uploaded to Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, and CreateSpace. For all other formats, including Apple, I uploaded directly to Smashwords (an ebook distributor).

Each site has easy-to-follow instructions about what book information they need, how to fill in your banking information (cuz now you'll be paid!), and the required format (.doc, epub, etc.). They also have online previewers, where you can see how your book will look on any device. Online previewers are priceless when it comes to seeing how well your book is formatted.

I like to do what's called a soft launch. I upload the book but don't tell anyone yet. That way I can download the book and make sure everything's ok.

Got questions? Google the forums for each distributor. If you're hung up on an issue it's likely someone else has been hung up on it, and indies have answered the question.

I published my book! Now what?

Write the next book. Now. Go do it. And don't forget to enjoy the ride.

Julie Musil, author of The Summer of Crossing Lines and The Boy Who Loved Fire, is an obsessive reader who loves stories that grab the heart and won't let go.

<http://juliemusil.blogspot.com/>

### Publishers vs Agents

### by Jennifer L. Hawes

When signing with a small to medium sized publisher (or self-publishing), you will most likely design your own book marks, plan book signings and school appearances. Be prepared to do a lot of work. You must make contacts with other writers, libraries, book clubs, bloggers, and organizations to promote your book. There were many things I enjoyed about having a small publisher for my debut novel, but many things I'd do differently. Publishers represent _your book_ (to some degree) while agents represent _you, your book, and your future books._

For my current finished novel, I am seeking a literary agent. My experiences have left me feeling like I just won the lottery to losing the State Championship game in sudden death overtime. Let me warn you. You will be forced to play the WAITING game. This game is NOT fun. It freaks you out every second of every minute. When an agent emails you and tells you they LOVED—freaking LOVED—your story and your voice and your setting, you might find yourself face-up on the floor after you've fainted. Then you WAIT for them to read your requested-full. (And the dozen or so other ones they've requested from other writers.)

Don't settle and don't quit. Put your best work out there. Follow agents and Writer's Digest on Twitter. Don't forget to be professional with agents. Always address them by name. Always include some of the qualities that match your book to their #MSWL (Twitter hashtag for "manuscript wish list") or go to their website. And for the love of all that is holy, follow submission guidelines. If they are closed to submissions, DO NOT QUERY THEM.

BE PATIENT. This is not for the faint of heart. You must be strong—warrior strong, line-backer strong. Paint your game face on and race to the line of scrimmage and WAIT for the big game to start. You CAN do this!

(I tell myself this every morning.)

Jennifer L. Hawes writes upper middle-grade fiction

<http://jenniferlhawes.com/>

### Who Will Be My Editor?

### by Lisa Buie-Collard

Before you publish,

"The question writers should be asking isn't, 'Do I need an editor?' The real question a serious writer should ask is, 'Who will be my editor?'" Rosemi Mederos at

<http://americaseditor.com/>

Because I'm an Indy-Published author, this reasoning has been my soap-box for over two years. Researching and finding an editor has been a long process that I'm not finished with. However, through the slog and tears, I have found a few, and for right now, one who is technically very good. She makes my words flow, makes them easier on the eye and brain, and checks my typos, grammar and all the other nightmares that writers need to have exorcized. But for genre content I still must rely on my "beta" readers.

Talking to an agent at a conference recently gave me a different perspective on what an editor actually does and should do for you and your writing. When I mentioned I had a professional editor go over my work, she asked, "Professional as in has a degree in editing, or has worked for a publishing house?"

I got it, right off the bat. Would my editor make my book better by knowing the market and helping me craft it toward that market, or by making it a smooth, no-mistakes read, or both? Oh. I went back over my manuscript after my editor had gone over it and I saw immediately why the agent asked that question. "Development" editing is what they used to call content editing and this is something I am looking for, which is what a "content" editor at a "traditional" publishing house does. They leave the copy editing and line editing for other editors to do.

I don't know if there exists an experienced editor (who I can afford!) outside of a "traditional" publishing house, but my search will continue. Because I want not only my novels to be the best they can be, but I also need a rounded perspective on the market I'm throwing my "babies" into. Here are some good-to-read links I have found useful. Perhaps, if you are like me, they will help you on your quest to find an editor who improves your work without losing you in the process.

<http://cynthiaarodriguez.wordpress.com/2014/03/03/guest-post-the-importance-of-the-author-editor-relationship/>

<http://writersdigest.com/online-editor/10-things-your-freelance-editor-might-not-tell-you-but-should>

<http://janefriedman.com/2013/05/31/find-freelance-book-editor/>

<http://the-efa.org/mem/member_spotlight.php>

Lisa Buie-Collard

<http://lisabuiecollard.com>

### Self-Publishing

### by Diane Burton

Three years ago, a friend suggested I self-publish an out-of-print book to which I'd regained my rights. I had nothing to lose. The book had already been professionally edited. It needed a little updating and a new cover. Eight years after my last payment from my publisher, _Switched_ began earning money again. So I thought, why not do it again? I'll be self-publishing my sixth novel this month. The best part? Instead of a publisher keeping sixty to seventy percent of the proceeds, _I_ get to keep that percentage.

Self-publishing is not easy or cheap. You need an eye-catching cover. Your manuscript must be formatted properly and professionally edited. However, you can do almost everything yourself. If you have artistic talent, you can design your own cover. I don't, so I hire that out. Formatting your manuscript can be difficult. If you have more money than time, you can hire that out, too. I have more time and I'm a DIY girl from youth, so I did it myself. One activity a writer cannot do successfully is edit his/her own work. It's worth the money to have it professionally edited.

Once your manuscript has been edited, formatted properly, and you have a cover, you're ready to upload the manuscript to a self-publishing venue. Read all the directions first. Then follow them, step by step. Once your book is loaded and you receive notice that it's up for sale, celebrate. Enjoy the fact that you controlled every step of the journey.

These days writers have options. Explore all of them. Self-publishing isn't for everyone. Do what you think is best for your career. And good luck.

Diane Burton writes science fiction romance and romantic suspense and blogs at

<http://dianeburton.blogspot.com/>

### Steps to Success

### by Nancy Gideon

There's no elevator to success. Most writers get there the old fashion way. They take the stairs. It can be a steep climb that leaves you exhausted, a gradual one with lots of landings so you can pause to catch your breath, or it can be like trying to go up the down escalator. It's different in every case, with each publisher, at each level of your writing maturity. But one thing doesn't change—the more prepared you are, the easier the climb.

1. Don't start up until you're ready. Have everything you need with you before you take that first step.

New writers often jump the gun with projects that aren't fit to print. Now that self-publishing is so prevalent, books that are basically rough drafts show up as reader-ready filled with errors and plot inconsistencies. Or you've got a synopsis and three perfect chapters that get interest and you're so afraid that the requesting party will forget about you, you rush to get the book off in the mail without the time and attention it needs to win an agent or editor over. Once it's out there, you can't take it back. Don't let enthusiasm or downright panic cloud your judgment. Take time to polish every paragraph. Find one or, better, two fresh sets of eyes to vet your baby before it leaves the nest.

2. Make sure you know where you're going before you start the climb. Check the map.

Do your homework. Study your market. Are you sending your materials to the right place, the right person at the right time? Timing is everything. Location, location, location is the other. Look at long range goals, not just immediate gratification. You want to do women's fiction, mysteries or screenplays down the road? Make sure the agent you're talking to handles them. Study what a particular house is looking for, what they've bought in the past, what might meet their needs in the future. Hold onto that suspense or western until the tide turns back in that direction—or self-publish. Don't only chase current fads. Sometimes unique is what an editor is looking for. Be ready. Catching the upswing of a trend gives you more career traction than trudging along in a wide, slow moving stream.

3. There are no shortcuts ... there's only the stairs, one after the other. No one's going to carry you. No one can take them for you

Don't confuse a short cut with an opportunity. An opportunity is a friend who can introduce you to an editor or an agent. A shortcut is expecting them to do the legwork for you, then you slide in to close the deal. No one can sell you or your story the way you can. Learn to write your own query letters. Have someone teach you how to self-edit. Remember the man who learned to fish. Be in control of where your next meal is coming from. Agents retire, editors leave, critique partners may not have time to help rewrite your synopsis. Knowledge and ability will serve you better and longer than luck.

4. Rest when you need to catch your breath. Writing is hard work. Writing for a living is brutal work.

The well is dry, the tank is empty and the mind is blank from fatigue. Burn out. Writer's block. Real problems like illness, life disruptions, depression, that last straw rejection. The heart and soul has gone out of your will to write. Step away from the keyboard. Give your creative self a vacation. Read. Write something totally different just for the fun of it. Have a friend encourage you or help talk you through your roadblock. Just don't let your downtime become an obstacle you won't be able to overcome.

5. If you have to make the climb more than once, that's okay. You'll be stronger.

If you've been in publishing for more than a minute, you've had setbacks. You've gotten _this_ close only to be rejected. Your line folded. Your numbers have gone south. Your option book wasn't picked up. There's no shame in publishing except what you place on yourself. The climb gets easier. Your experience you get to keep. You're not starting over at square one. You have contacts, a history, fans who will find you again. You haven't reached a dead end, you've got a new beginning. Don't get caught up in bitterness or the "if onlys." You're in it for the long haul. Suck it up.

6. Take all the time you need. It isn't a race.

Not everyone is Nora Roberts or James Patterson. Find the productive groove that works for you and make no apologies. Be realistic with your expectations and your deadlines so you don't frustrate yourself or burn that professional bridge. Be honest with all involved. Understanding your own writing rhythms helps you stick to what you promise to deliver.

7. Enjoy the view. Pause to take in the sights.

So many authors are in such a hurry to make it big they trample over milestones that others would kill for. Smell the roses, people. Success is so much sweeter if it's appreciated along the way. Your first cover. Your first review. Heck, your first positive rejection. Relish the steps you've taken because each one marks a move in an upward direction. Each small success builds atop another. We seem to trivialize our successes, considering them ego or vanity when they should be held up as validation. Don't forget how far you've come from where you started.

8. When not actively climbing, work out for the next trip. Don't let yourself get out of writing shape.

Plan, plot, dream, journal, take a class, GIVE a class, critique, read, read and read. Keep your story juices flowing so those creative joints don't stiffen up.

Then start the climb again, one step at a time.

Nancy Gideon

__http://nancygideon.com

### Perseverance and the Small Publisher Route

### by Medeia Sharif

During the last days of the summer of 2013, I found myself unagented. In the past, when I was in this state—which has happened before since I've had several agents—I was heartbroken and upset about having to start anew with rounds of querying. This time around, I was levelheaded and more focused than ever before.

I had several beta-read, polished manuscripts ready to go. What was I supposed to do or expect? That a year or two from then I'd get those manuscripts and my future ones all published at the same time? I write fast, drafting 2 or 3 manuscripts a year. I didn't anticipate that years later I'd get 10 books published simultaneously.

Self-publishing requires a lot of effort and expertise if one wants to do it right, and I wasn't ready to explore that option. Numerous publishers, even many of those that aren't in the Big Five, only take agented manuscripts. I went the small publisher route, with the idea that I'd look for an agent after going about things on my own for a while.

I made a bookmarks folder for every small publisher that was interested in middle grade and young adult. I followed every lead—Google, clicking here and there until I found imprints, and looking at bloggers and what publishers they were with. Some publishers were ebook only, ebook and print, and I even looked into overseas companies. I opened multiple tabs, read submission guidelines...it was not easy work, but I had a goal in mind. The bookmarks folder filled up and I started submitting.

Within a few months, I got results. In the fall of 2013, I signed with Prizm Books for VITAMINS AND DEATH. A few months after that I signed with Evernight Teen for SNIP, SNIP REVENGE. In the spring, I signed with Featherweight Press for THE ATTIC OF SAND AND SECRETS. Another book that I signed for in the winter didn't happen because the publisher closed down—publishing snafus can happen at any level, though. The important thing was signing contracts and getting published, which has been my dream all along.

Prizm and Evernight I found through Google, while I was familiar with Featherweight because I read one of their books written by a fellow blogger. Since I write in various genres, I continue with this process. I click, discover, and bookmark. Also, I submit, submit, submit. I have to get those queries and submissions out there to get noticed. Among the many no's I receive, a yes pops up every now and then. It doesn't matter if you're looking for an agent, publisher, or the path to self-publication—just throw yourself in the process. Also, be willing to try something new. Whether you're self-published or published by a small or large press, perhaps that wasn't your vision in the beginning of the journey, but now it is.

Medeia Sharif, YA and MG author

<http://medeiasharif.com>

## The Importance of Keeping Accurate Records

## by Miranda Hardy

Over the previous two years, I've learned a lot about the publishing industry, and I still continue to learn more each day. With my accounting and finance background, the one thing that I would like to stress to others who are looking to enter the world of publishing, whether it's self-publishing or traditional publishing, is to keep accurate records of your expenses and earnings for tax purposes.

In the United States, our tax laws confuse most people, and I know many would rather use an accountant than fuss with trying to understand our complicated system, but even with a good accountant, you'll need to have good record keeping in place regarding your expenses and earnings.

1. Keep track of your traveling expenses, including mileage, to and from conferences, book fairs, or writing retreats.

2. Please understand you'll be taxed on your royalties at the end of the year, so put aside 25-35% of your earnings so you won't be taken by surprise when you are hit with that tax bill before April 15th.

3. Look into your state's sales tax laws. In Florida, we are required to pay sales tax on anything sold at conventions/book fairs and such within the state, so we need to register with the FL Department of Revenue and file quarterly even if no sales have occurred.

4. Even if you are located out of the country, know that Amazon or other distributors/publishers will need to withhold 30% of your earnings to pay the US government regardless of your own countries income tax laws.

Sometimes the bookkeeping can be a bit cumbersome, and I can't wait for the day I'm able to hire someone to take care of all the tedious daily chores that take away from the time I can spend writing, but the truth is that it takes time to get to that point in the publishing industry. Start the record keeping early and avoid the headaches of scrambling at the end of each year.

Miranda Hardy writes children's literature to keep the voices in her head appeased, resides in south Florida, and blogs at

<http://mirandahardy.blogspot.com>

### What Not to Do

### by Lyle S. Tanner

When Writing, Don't

  * **Cling to the plot if you have something better.** I once tried planning the story down to as many details as I could feasibly manage and it turned out terrible. I had all these other ideas while I was writing, but dammit there was a plot! I had to stick to it! And then throw it out and start from scratch.
  * **Try to make it perfect the first time.** As a young person, I tried to make sure the first draft was flawless so that I wouldn't have to do any of that pesky editing. I finished almost nothing and the few that did get done were embarrassing when I looked at them a year later.
  * **Follow someone else's plot.** The hero's journey. I tried using it as a plot once and tried to just change the basic elements while keeping the structure. It did not work, and I was so miserable that I couldn't do it that I vowed never to use someone else's plot again.
  * **Neglect an editor.** Editors will make your work so much better. At the very least, they will ensure that your typos are intentional and make you think more about region specificity.

When Publishing, Don't

  * **Make your own cover if you don't have art skills.** You will never see those first covers. At least I hope not. I have burned that computer and I pray that nothing escaped the blaze.
  * **Use an exported version of your document.** I edit my work in Google Drive and they have a means to export the document. I tried to format online and upload the rendered doc. Yeah, no.
  * **Use custom fonts.** They don't work.
  * **Forget to commission your covers.** Speaking of, Book 3 is going to be coming out a bit later than anticipated. Whoops.

When Marketing, Don't

  * **Follow back.** I have spent so long cleaning out my account of people who just tweet out ads for books. Twitter became useless when I did that and I was lost in the sea of people who were also selling their books.
  * **Talk only about the books you have for sale.** Seriously. I don't know anyone who's even bothered to buy one of my books because of my tweets. And I have started unfollowing people who do nothing but tweet about them. So.
  * **Expect book reviews from giveaways.** I think I'm going to stick strictly to an "I will give you a free book if you ask for it and say you will write a review" policy from now on. After so many giveaways, I end up with about half of the people who get the book even downloading it, then only a handful of those people leaving a review.
  * **Take long social media breaks for writing.** I just did this and damn it's hard to get back into the routine of actually posting blogs and doing stuff on Twitter when you've just had that great break from it all.
  * **Direct your marketing at other writers.** Talking and communicating with other writers is awesome and it feels very comfortable and natural. Other writers aren't the market that's going to buy your books. Have fun with the writers, talk shop all you want, but remember to focus your marketing efforts on readers.

Lyle S. Tanner

<http://lylestanner.com/blog/>

### Myths I Believed When I was First Published

### by Nicki Elson

Today, I'd like to share with you three things I've found out _aren't_ true about marketing a book. In bold are things I believed when I was first published; following each of these myths is what I've learned to be the reality.

**1. There's no point in writing another book until you prove that you can sell the first one you publish.** For nearly a year and a half this kind of thinking kept me trapped like a panicky squirrel on a busy road, jumping from marketing opportunity to marketing opportunity instead of calming the freak down and working on the next book. Yes, we have to put solid time and effort into marketing, but the truth is that there's only so much we can do to get our books into the hands of readers. To be successful, a book has to start selling itself via word of mouth at some point, and that will either happen or it won't. It's out of our control.

We never know which of our books is going to strike a chord with the reading public, but our best shot of having a hit is by writing more books _not_ by forever beating our heads against one book that for whatever reason just hasn't gained traction.

**2. Having a gagillion followers on the social networks will automatically translate into huge book sales.** Watching numbers go up is always fun, and it's not a bad thing to be adored in the social networks, but don't expect every single one of your followers—or even a decent percentage of them—to dash out to buy your book the moment it hits the presses ... or ever. Social networking is a great way to keep a pulse on reader tastes and to network with writers, agents, and publishers. It's also an easy and free way to get the word out about your books, but again, for a book to find sustainable sales success, those Tweeters need to start talking about your book on their own. That's not something you can force, even with a massive league of followers.

Rather than wasting your time on "add followers" gimmicks that will only result in followers who really don't care what you have to say, let your following grow at a natural, slower pace, and use that gimmick time for writing instead.

**3. It's important to cajole everyone you know into reading your book and then pressure them to write a review on Amazon.** No matter how big your family is or how many friends you have, their purchases and reviews are _not_ going to make or break your book's success. I'm not saying to keep your publication a secret from them—by all means send your "people" an e-mail to let them know about your book, post on Facebook about it, and invite them all to your release bash. But leave it there and don't pester those who don't show an interest. That will only lead to awkwardness and hurt feelings.

Cherish those who do read and enjoy, and let that positivity energize you as you push forth to find new ways to get your book into the hands of readers who truly want it.

Nicki Elson, author of contemporary love stories

<http://nickielson.com/>

### Ten Tips on E-book Publishing Today

### by Karen Elizabeth Brown

I wanted to give you ten tips on e-book publishing today. These tips were gleaned after publishing six e-books at Amazon and Smashwords. They are not in any particular order, but all are important tips to make a successful publication.

Tip 1: Always keep a backup file. Before preparing your manuscript for publication, set aside that file. If you make mistakes on a copy and accidentally erase the copy, you still have your backup or original file.

Tip 2: Never use more than four consecutive paragraph returns (hard returns by hitting ENTER). On a small screen device, this creates blank pages.

Tip 3: Don't use tabs or space bars to create first line paragraph indents. Instead, code your paragraph style at the top of the page under "paragraph."

Tip 4: Don't use fancy non-standard fonts, colored fonts, compressed or expanded fonts. And, in most cases, drop caps don't work either. Think of the different size tablets that your reader will be using and keep it simple.

Tip 5: The e-book doesn't come out the same as a printed book, where you can set the page. It will change with the different size readers and the page will be different on each one. Also, no page numbers.

Tip 6: Use font size 11 or 12, or 14 at maximum. Consider the different sized readers.

Tip 7: Microsoft Word gives the most predictable results and works well when converting your book.

Tip 8: Make sure your book is edited before publication. So many times, a good book can be spoiled by poor editing or none at all.

Tip 9: If you aren't a graphic artist, consider hiring someone to do your book cover for you. The cover is the first thing that a reader sees of an e-book.

Tip 10: Activate Word's show/hide before you start formatting. This is the backwards "p." When clicked, it exposes your paragraph returns, extra spaces, tabs, field codes or strange formatting.

These ten tips are a few things I've discovered that will help make a cleaner, better-formatted book. Also, both Amazon and Smashwords have books to help you format specifically for them and the last time I looked, they were still free. Good luck with your newest publication and I hope these suggestions have helped.

Karen Elizabeth Brown lives in Southern Oregon with its mountains on her doorstep, and she enjoys reading and writing fantasy.

<http://karenelizabethbrown.com>

### Waiting it Out

### by Angeline Trevena

One of, if not the, most difficult part of being a writer, is sending your work, your baby, out into the world to be judged. Your manuscript that you have sweated over, poured yourself into, loved into being. It can be a very anxious time.

Many writers find it hard to move on, hard to relax. Personally, I check my email every 20 seconds, and stalk the publishers and editors across social networking sites. But that time can be used in far more utile, healthy ways.

Here's my list of practical, useful, and productive things you can do when you're waiting for submission responses:

  * Write something new. This is a great way to get yourself out of the head space of your old story, and give yourself a good distraction. Something else to care about, and new characters to nurture. It is, of course, the most productive thing you can do for your writing career, as this may well become your next submitted piece.
  * Write something completely different. Totally step away from your submitted story and write something you may not have attempted before. If you normally write horror, write romance. If you normally write fiction, write some journalism or a script. Not only will this get you thinking about something else entirely, it's also a great way to stretch your writing muscles.
  * Take a break from writing and spend some time with family, friends, and the outside world. This is a great way to relax, and a great way to let your family know you still exist! Writing can be a very lonely job—you're trapped inside your own head with characters only you know, and a world only you understand. Reacquainting yourself with reality now and again is healthy. Besides, you never know what might spark off a new story idea.
  * Read. Not only is reading fun and relaxing, it is great research. Seeing how other people do it will help to improve your own writing. Plus, you may well find a spark of inspiration for a new story.
  * Get back to a project that you haven't looked at in ages. Quite often, when a project has hit a wall and you've decided to put it aside, in your head it becomes a huge, mutated, monstrous thing; your fear of failure keeps you away. Now is the time to don your armor, pick up your sword, and vanquish that beast.
  * Buy a new pair of shoes. Get out there and treat yourself—you deserve it! They say that a change is as good as a holiday, so be it a new haircut, a new jumper, or even a tattoo, you'll feel all the better for it.
  * Go for a walk. Getting out in the fresh air will clear your head and make you feel a lot better. Plus, you're bound to stumble across some great story inspiration. Take a camera with you, and a notepad or voice recorder.
  * Do the washing up. Doing something physical helps you empty your mind. Whether it's housework or exercise; it's good for the body as well as the mind.
  * Get creative. Try being creative in other ways. Bake a cake, learn to knit, make your own gift tags, take some photos. You'll still be stretching your creative muscles, and you might just find something else that you're really good at.

And just in case you're thinking naughty thoughts, here's my list of things you definitely shouldn't do while awaiting that response:

  * Obsess
  * Contact the people you submitted to demanding a response
  * Check your email every 30 seconds
  * Buy a frame for the acceptance email you're obviously going to get
  * Re-read your submission and stress over all the things you should have changed
  * Give your submission to all your friends and ask if they would publish it
  * Submit the piece somewhere else
  * Decide that this submission is the greatest thing you'll ever write and never bother writing again.

Angeline Trevena

<http://angelinetrevena.co.uk/>

### Woes of the English Bachelor

### by Tony Laplume

There's a subset of would-be world famous writers who had the misfortune of attending college and subsequently becoming English Bachelors. Now, it's important to note that English Bachelors are not by definition single and alone and did-I-mention-alone, but as far as I can tell from my own experience, this seems to be their natural state. It's a byproduct of their tendency to read and write and did-I-mention-read-and-write during the hours of the day when they are not sleeping or eating (although skillful English Bachelors can combine sleeping and eating with reading and/or writing with little effort), and when not reading and writing, trying to spend the rest of that time in activities that will directly promote these efforts.

When they have done enough reading and writing, they have the curious tendency to seek the status of Being Published. Being Published is a byproduct of having spent their entire lives reading and writing, more natural than even sleeping and eating. When they discover that the real world is not like the Cozy Cocoon of College (that is also, I might add, located adjacent to the alliterative-friendly Crazy Town) and there are not teems of hapless individuals forced to read and/or publish them, they have two choices: and I don't remember what those are, because I am an English Bachelor, and I've discovered that after the Cozy Cocoon of College, I in fact only had one option after leaving it, which is Crazy Town.

The end result is that they become Insecure Writers, and the byproduct of being an Insecure Writer is finding increasingly orthodox ways of getting published, but not necessarily read, anyway. These English Bachelors are typically Insecure Writers because they learned all the ways to write that no one outside of their subset actually wants to read.

Tony Laplume has published such books as The Cloak of Shrouded Men, The Whole Bloody Affair, and Pale Moonlight, and can be found blogging at the eponymous.

<http://tonylaplume.blogspot.com/>

### Self-Publishing and the Changing Industry

### by Adrienne Reiter

Before there's even a product to distribute, I've listened to writers get into heated discussions on the when, where, and how to publish their work. We need to be focused on writing. There's so much controversy over the changing industry that artists are getting sidetracked. There's a lot of fear mongering being incited by the industry's gate keepers and key holders.

First and foremost, as a bookseller in an independent bookstore, I want to tell everyone to relax. Print isn't dead. The e-book hasn't replaced the printed word. If anything, it's encouraged people who wouldn't usually pick up a novel to try one out.

Second, Indie-books are not watering down the industry. That's absurd. There are plenty of terrible novels being traditionally published with fantastic editing. If anything, you might come across a wonderful Indie-pub that could use some editing. I'm not making excuses, but you get the idea.

"But, in this digital age," you say, "these social media kings and queens are putting terrible self-published work out and selling it because they're good at marketing."

Again, this doesn't mean the industry is being watered down. I've been given plenty of uncorrected proofs from our store's Buyer to look at as a joke. I've flipped through them thinking, "I could have written this on the toilet." Simon and Schuster published those books and the authors are about to sink without a trace. The same will happen to the work of the social media royalty.

All good marketing does is help a bad product fail faster. If you purchase a book and hate it, you probably aren't going to buy from that author again, and the industry is no better or worse for the media royalty's efforts.

Relax. Breath. Write.

Adrienne Reiter, author, bookseller, and lives with a miniature unicorn in San Francisco.

<http://adriennereiter.blogspot.com/>

### After You Are Published

### by Rachel Schieffelbein

I'm going to do something different. I'm going to talk about the after part. The baby blues. The fears, doubts, and holy-crap-I-sucks that come after you've already gotten through the writing, the revising, the querying, the accepting, more revising, and finally seeing your baby out there in the world.

People are going to love your book. Honestly. People have already loved it; that's why you've gotten this far. Even if you're self pubbing, you know people have loved it to get this far. And more people will love it. Because it's good. (Don't forget that part, it's important.)

People will not like your book. I'm sorry, but it's just a sad fact of life. Not everyone will love your book. Just as you don't love every book out there in the world. And not just the ones that aren't your genre, your thing. We've all started books we thought we'd love, books our friends loved, and not liked them. That is a good thing to remember when you see those not loving reviews.

The best thing, of course, is to not see them. Stay away from all reviews as if they are the plague. But let's face it. That won't happen. Because then you might miss a good review. And we love the good reviews. So we peek, even though we know we shouldn't.

So when the bad reviews happen here is a to-do list to help you get through them.

1. Yell at your screen. Explain to that reader why they are dumb. And wrong. And have no taste. Because clearly they have no taste. Remember, this step is to be done verbally or in your head. It is not, I repeat NOT to be typed up in a place where the reviewer or any reader can see it.

2. Eat something yummy. Chocolate is great, but if you aren't a chocolate person then go to your go-to food. Chips, French fries, banana cream pie. Whatever. Eat something yummy and feel free to pout.

3. Go to Goodreads. (yes really, you didn't read that wrong) go to one of your favorite books. One you love and you can't imagine anyone in their right mind not loving. Now go to its one star reviews. (Because it will have them.) Read them and feel free to go back to step one. See, even your beloved book, this amazing book, has people who don't love it. (Dumb people.)

4. Read some of your good reviews. Remind yourself that there are people who love your book. (Because it's awesome, and you are a wonderful writer.)

5. Remind yourself that YOU love your book. And you are the only person who really matters.

6. Keep writing. Because you love it and you're good at it.

Rachel Schieffelbein

<http://rachelmarybean-writingonthewall.blogspot.com>

### The #1 Reason I Published a YA Novel

### by Jamie Ayres

Writing is work. It's work I've greatly enjoyed, but it's still work. If writing is work, publishing is hard work. After publishing my first novel, _18 Things_ , I've come to know how much time, energy, blood, sweat, tears, attention, heart, and soul goes into publishing a book. I've had my own limits tested.

These days it feels like ninety percent of my writing career is researching, marketing, promoting, socializing, Facebooking, blogging, tweeting, speaking, drinking coffee and consuming massive amounts of chocolate, etc ... and about ten percent of actual writing. So when I received my first royalty statement, I'll admit I felt like throwing up.

Now don't get me wrong. I didn't become an author to make tons of money. I wasn't wearing any rose-colored lenses, expecting my debut novel to land on the _New York Times_ Best Sellers List.

But the royalties the first months were so small, I had to ask myself, why even continue doing this? If it was money I wanted, I could easily get a part-time job waiting tables and probably make more in a week than I would in a month of book selling.

I was at a crossroads in my life. Both paths, the Published Author and the Hobby Writer, had their good and bad points. But just like so many times before, I let faith carry me forward.

I took the profit motive off the table to get myself back in the saddle and write the next two installments of my trilogy, _18 Truths_ and _18 Thoughts_. Because of the talents God has given me, I looked at my book as a gift to the world to empower young people. And it's the belief I had all along ... I just forgot about it for a little while.

Jamie Ayres writes young adult inspirational love stories with a paranormal twist by night and teaches young adults as a middle school Language Arts teacher by day.

<http://JamieAyres.com>

### There are Plenty of Fish in the Sea

### by Samantha Dunaway Bryant

Trying to get traditionally published is like dating.

You find a likely prospect. He says something flattering about the shape of your line. On the surface he looks pretty good. He's got a handsome veneer, a nice cover and an attractive website. You get a good feeling when he smiles at you. Kind of tingly.

But you've been burned before, so you do a bit of research, asking friends what they think of him, googling him. You check warning sites like Writer Beware and Preditors and Editors so you know it if he has a history of abuse or dishonesty.

Then, you dive in. You share your heart and hope it doesn't get broken.

In that same vein, having your writing rejected is a lot like being dumped.

You put yourself out there, but for some reason it doesn't click. Maybe it's mutual and you feel a sense of having dodged a bullet.

More likely, you are hurt. You overanalyze, trying to understand why he dumped you. Were you lacking in some way? Was it him? Only rarely does the Dear John letter tell you anything other than "not what we're looking for right now," so you might not ever know why.

When you dish with your girlfriends, you talk about the other fish in the sea, and how it's his loss. You let them cheer you, even if part of you thinks it might be you.

But you're still looking for love, so you decide to try again. In secret, you work to make yourself that much better. You work out, lifting heavy verbs and sculpting careful sentences. You polish your craft and try new things; you stretch yourself and grow.

You do the dance many times before you find the one. Sometimes, it's hard to put yourself out there again. You have to fight cynicism and despair and keep hoping. But you're tough. You're a believer. You persevere.

Then you find him. And it's wonderful. You find that audience you've sought for so long. Or maybe it isn't exactly the way you imagined, but it's still lovely in its way.

But you don't just get married and ride off into the sunset together. The right publisher for one piece is not right for another. You'll need more than one beau to escort you to all the balls you want to attend. So, even when you've found a beau, you have to keep dating.

If you're lucky, some of those beaus remain in your corner your whole life. Others turn out to have been fleeting romances, and they end, sweetly or angrily. But you go on.

Because there are a lot of fish in the sea. And you're going to catch a big one. I know it.

Samantha Dunaway Bryant

<http://samanthabryant.com>

### Quick and Dirty HTML and E-Books

### by Loni Townsend

When you're on a budget, sometimes you want to do-it-yourself. That includes e-Books. With some practice, you can create your own e-Book with free tools. The two I use are Sigil and Calibre.

Sigil is an ePub editor that lets you build e-Books from scratch. It has two views: Book view and Code view. Book view is what-you-see-is-what-you-get (WYSIWYG), and Code view is for those more comfortable with editing HTML.

One of the dangers of Book view is using it in conjunction with an existing rich text editor, like Microsoft Word. If you type up your book in MS Word and paste it into Sigil's Book view, it may look pretty on the outside. But beneath the covers, you might see something like this:

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-size:14.5pt;font-family:&quot;Garamond&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family: Garamond"><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></span></p>

Do you know what that means? It means you have a heavily styled space (as in, you hit the space bar, once). There's nothing of value in there, and it's all courtesy of Microsoft Word.

That extra code isn't necessary, not to mention it can create formatting issues in your e-Book (and other places). It's not Sigil's fault. Any WYSIWYG editor which converts text to HTML will do this, including WordPress and Blogger.

A quick way to clean HTML is to use one of the online tools. Since several pop in over time, try searching **clean ms word html**. Some will have options to get rid of those useless paragraphs and make your document web friendly. What do you lose? Font choice. But embedding fonts directly into paragraphs isn't a good idea anyways, unless you're sure it's a CSS Web Safe Font. Otherwise, it'll look horrible for anyone who doesn't have that font installed. Plus, you have the option to embed fonts in Sigil.

How do you go from ePub to mobi (Amazon) format? That's where Calibre comes in. Import your ePub into Calibre, and use its conversion tools.

That's the quick and dirty way to create an e-Book. If you spend some time, you can learn other formatting tricks, such as using Small Caps, changing the indents, or adjusting justification.

Loni Townsend, Author of Thanmir War

<http://lonitownsend.com/>

### The Necessity of Planning in Publishing

### by Toi Thomas

Publishing seems like a simple concept, and at its core, it should be, but things aren't always what they should be. To publish, according to Dictionary.com, is to issue textual material for sale or distribution, but of course I'm paraphrasing. With this definition, publishing does seem simple indeed, but we all know there are steps to publishing and that's where things get complicated.

Step 1: Have an idea or desire to write about something.

Step 2: Write and develop the idea into a consumable format (printed, digital, audio, etc...).

Step 3: Publish and promote the developed idea.

Step 4: Sell and distribute the developed idea.

Even these steps seem simple, but again there's more to it. One thing's for sure when taking these steps into consideration: **publishing needs a plan**.

I want to hone in on Step 3 for just a moment. Publishing has been a tricky pursuit as of late. With so many options available to the masses, it's easy to get caught up in all the hype and miss an opportunity to make the best decision as opposed to the easiest or most popular decision. The question on the minds of many is whether to pursue traditional publishing, independent publishing, or something in between. Also, many wonder what defines traditional publishing, independent publishing, and as for the in between, let's just call it hybrid publishing. While I don't have all the answers, here's how I see it:

Traditional publishing is when an author signs a contract with a publishing house, big or small, and no payment of services is required up front. With traditional publishing many aspects of the process are taken care of, such as editing, distribution, and some marketing, but also some of the creativity may be limited when it comes to the ultimate title and/or cover of the book as well as some other minor issues. The publisher registers the copyright and ISBN for distribution purposes.

Independent publishing is a term that's often misinterpreted and rarely understood. True independent publishing means that the author is the publisher in deed and title. The author writes, edits, markets, prints, distributes, and so on or contracts professionals to do so on their behalf. The author registers the copyright and ISBN and is recognized as an independent publisher, not just an indie author. The author/publisher has total control of the entire process from beginning to end which includes all the financial responsibility as well.

Hybrid publishing is what most people consider independent publishing. Authors who publish exclusively with Amazon.com are essentially hybrid published authors. They do not always own their ISBN and while they own the rights to their work, the copyright is registered to Amazon.com for the purposes of distribution. Amazon doesn't own the rights of the work but the rights to distribute it. There are many other cases and examples of this such as Smashwords.com and many more. I simply used Amazon.com as a quick reference. Here the author is given a greater amount of control over the publishing process than with traditional publishing, but still not all of it and there are fees involved.

What this all boils down to is **having a plan**. Not every writer wants to be a published author. Many are content to blog and share their work with the public in their own special way, but for those who desire publication, **a plan of attack is necessary**. Just as a good writer does due diligence and research for the development of their stories, so must a good writer do their due diligence in the pursuit of publication.

There is no right or wrong path to pursue on the road to publication anymore. Individuals must decide for themselves how they want to pursue their dream of publication. There is no quick and easy road to personal success and if you are looking for more than that, you may not be ready to call yourself an author.

Decide what you desire to reach your personal success, and do your research to find the best path to take you where you want to go. Everything else that comes along the way is extra; extra baggage, extra goodies, extra work, extra goals and dreams.

Do you have a plan for your writing and publishing path?

How will you compose your story?

How will you go about perfecting and editing it?

How will you publish it?

And how will you market and distribute it?

Toi Thomas, author of the Eternal Curse Series

<http://etoithomas.com/>

### What I've Learned from Publishing

### by E.E. Giorgi

People often ask me what I've learned from publishing so far. While my point of view is still limited (but hopefully expanding), since I started publishing my books this year, I do have some thoughts to share that, to me, make for a good story and a solid readership.

Research. Spend at least as much time researching as you do writing. Talk to people. Read non-fiction on the topics you deal with in your book. For example, when I started jotting down my ideas for my debut novel, CHIMERAS, I knew nothing about police procedural, and had never talked to a cop before. So I went on Amazon and bought a bunch of books on forensics. I also found two true crime books written by Miles Corwin, a journalist who was embedded in the RHD for one year. Fantastic read. I can't tell you how much those books (Homicide Special in particular) have helped me shape my story and make my characters ring true.

But I needed more. So I went looking for people I could talk to. I'd met a writer online whose books were set with the LAPD. I asked her where she did her research and she introduced me to a retired LAPD cop who helped her a lot. That retired LAPD cop is now one of my best friends and his memoir sits on my Favorite Books shelf. Through him I learned not only the lingo cops use, but also their modus operandi, their witty humor, their lifestyle. And it paid off: I've had readers praise my characters because they "ring true."

**Writing rules**. Every time the topic comes up I roll my eyes. _Can you do X in writing? Are you allowed to do Y? Why is Z strictly forbidden_? For me, it all boils down to this: **do not be afraid to break rules. Rather, be afraid of not breaking them well.**

**Build a solid and reliable readership**. By that I mean a group of readers who will always buy your books, will always write reviews and will always give you valuable feedback. The group doesn't have to be large, but it does have to keep growing and it should be a steady presence in your writing career.

**Provide interesting content**. Now, I know a lot of fellow writers will disagree with me on what makes interesting content. When I browse people's blogs I see that most writers talk to other writers. They post about publishing, writing, and the ins and outs of the life of a writer. And mind you, I really appreciate this because as a writer, I learned a lot from other writers who generously shared their experience on writing, publishing and marketing. But you must not forget that **who will ultimately read your books are readers, not just writers**.

If you look at the most successful authors out there you'll notice that on their blogs they talk to their readers. Not fellow writers, not friends or family. They engage their readers in their writing process. So yes, keep the blog posts on how to format books, what platforms are best and what promos work versus the ones that don't work. But also talk about your characters and how you got inspired to write them and what you're working on next...

Be patient. Michael Bunker wrote a great post a while ago on Kindle stuffers. A lot of people stuff their Kindles. Yes, those people will likely give you a spike in rank and it will feel good. It's a high that doesn't last long, though. Many of those Kindle stuffers will keep stuffing their Kindles and your book will be buried under a pile of stuff that may or may not be read some day. You want reliable readers, readers that pick your book because they read the description and loved the reviews. Those readers are harder to get but I promise, they are here to stay with you for the long run. So work on getting those more than you are working on your ranking. It takes more time and even more patience, but in the long run it pays off.

**Make your readers part of your writing process.** Create a newsletter for your upcoming ARCs. Sending out ARCs is a must in order to build that reliable readership. Don't just send them out—ask for feedback. Tell your readers you love to hear back from them and always thank them for the time they put into reading and reviewing your work. My drafts got much better thanks to the feedback of my reviewers, and many of my readers have now become great friends.

**Your time is better spent writing**. Yes, I know, there are a lot of books on how to publish successfully out there, a lot of blog posts, a lot of tricks, do's and dont's that people talk about. Have I read them? Some. Would I recommend going through all that stuff? Maybe. To be honest with you, I think they're just tricks, and, statistically, what works for one book/author is not likely to work for all books/authors. Yes, if you're good at marketing you may have a better time than others struggling to push their work out there. But really. Don't waste too much time on that stuff. The time you spend writing is your investment in that faithful readership that you need to build. Let your readers push your book for you while you focus on producing the best story ever written.

**Final considerations.** My advice will likely be the least popular you will find out there. Why? Because it's the kind of advice that overlooks fast rewards in favor of hard work that takes a long time to build. And maybe I will be proven wrong. But I see a lot of writers rise fast and then just as fast fall (and this is true for both traditionally published as well as indie authors). Fire burns through hay very quickly. If that's what you want, then go for the fast reward approach, aim at those Kindle stuffers, etc. But if you want a long-lasting fire, go for the slow burning coals. Your ranks won't be shocking any time soon, but your readers will follow you through time.

E.E. Giorgi is a scientist, a photographer, and an award-winning writer who loves to discuss intriguing science, books, and writing on her blog

<http://chimerasthebooks.blogspot.com/>

### Writer Beware!

### by Fundy Blue

It's a heady time for writers. The Internet has cracked open publishing like a gull dropping a clam on a rock to get at the mollusk inside.

Never has publishing a book seemed so accessible.

But writer beware! Publishing is riddled with pitfalls that can thwart your plans like Fundy rocks can frustrate a hungry gull.

I'm no famous author. I've written reports, published articles and a short story, presented at literacy conferences, and established a blog with a growing readership. I'm writing my first book and imagining it on bookstore shelves.

But I have observed several writers as they wrote, published, and marketed their books: It's a tough mollusk to crack.

There is a surfeit of information available on publishing a book, and there are many ways to publish. Most can cost you more time, energy, and money than you ever dreamed.

What have I scavenged as I observed writers in my life strive to accomplish their goals?

1. It takes grit to publish a book.

2. You must be very clear about your purpose for publishing and the time, energy, and money you can invest. These will determine which publishing route you take.

3. You'd better understand your chosen route thoroughly.

4. It's worth the cost to have a lawyer examine any contract before you sign it.

5. Know your legal rights and protect the copyright to your book diligently.

Can you publish your book? Yes: I've seen the most surprising people publish!

Is it worth it? Sometimes: But you can increase your odds for success with a keen awareness of your purpose, resources, and rights.

Like a gull searching for a suitable rock, you can use your intelligence, experience, and resourcefulness to crack open publishing and extract your dream.

Meet you on a bestsellers bookshelf somewhere soon!

Fundy Blue

<http://selkiegrey4.blogspot.com>

### Advice on Self-Publishing

### by Amelia Bishop

Have you heard of The Self Publishing Podcast? If not, you should check it out. I don't follow it very closely, but I have read the book those guys put out called _Write. Publish. Repeat_. and I definitely agree with their core philosophies. A big idea of theirs is to differentiate between _strategies_ and _tactics_. You should totally read the book, but basically they discuss general behaviors, and not specific platforms or web-links, which could change over time. Strategies, they insist, are almost timeless. The same strategies will work with any tools, in any decade, long after the currently-popular social media hubs are obsolete.

So in that vein, this is my shortlist of strategies the average insecure writer can use to help them along in the publishing and marketing process. But first let me disclose this: I am NOT an expert, nor a very successful author! I am mediocre-to-low on the "indie success" scale _(there's no such thing, I just made that up)_ so take my advice for what it is—free and biased.

  * **Be confident, or at least fake confidence.** This is most important. You had the nerve to write something, to have it beta read and edited, to commission cover art, and finally to upload your finished work to Amazon or another vendor. Now you are feeling vulnerable. _Does your writing suck? Did you just waste a ton of time and money on a foolish dream? Will people hate it? Will people even notice it? Does the title sound stupid?_ Everyone feels this way. Suck it up, buttercup. Because you have to muster your confidence and try new things. What things? That's up to you. Join groups, request blog reviews, ask to guest post on other people's blogs, post your book on promo sites, post in Facebook or G+ or Goodreads groups... just DO STUFF. And don't let those horrible voices of doubt in your head stop you.
  * **Keep track of your actions and results.** Depending on the type of person you are, this sounds either ridiculously obvious or just plain ridiculous. It is both. Keep notes on what you do, when you do it, and what happens with sales as a result. A simple notebook is fine, unless you are a total geek and then you can do some kind of spreadsheet or whatever geeks do. Just record what you do ("guest post on xyz's blog") and your sales rank or other results that day ("25 copies sold, 5 comments on post, 3 new blog follows".) You might think you will remember. You might think the things you've done are unimportant or had no impact. Just write it all down, anyway. It will help with planning when you launch your next book, it will help you remember who was good to you (don't forget to pay it back & pay it forward!), and it will help you avoid over-posting to the same places (keeping yourself visible is great, posting your book cover every day to the same Facebook group is not cool.)
  * **Try again.** Did your book "fail"? Or did you make the top 10 list in your genre? Either way, try again. Keep writing, keep publishing. There are no guarantees in this crazy business. One bestseller does not mean you'll ever have another, and ten failures does not mean your next title won't fly up the charts. Don't believe the bad reviews, and don't totally fall for the good ones, either. Keep your head and keep on truckin'. That's the only way you'll get anywhere.

Fare thee well, fellow insecure writers! Good luck and happy publishing.

Amelia Bishop, author

__<http://ameliabishop.wordpress.com>

### Indie Publishing and Marketing Tips

### by C.M. Brown

My tips are divided into the five "E's"

  * Enjoyable
  * Editing
  * Easy
  * Endless
  * Exposure

Enjoyable

The creative aspect of writing, is the most enjoyable part of creating a book. Letting the imagination flow and take you on unexpected journeys is a fantastic experience. At this point, take time out to make contacts and blogger buddies, they will be very important when your work is done.

Editing

This stage can be tedious, but really is the most crucial. A well edited book, can make or break a story.

Once you believe you have completed your editing phase, send your cherished accomplishment out to your Critique Partner/s and Beta Readers. Find out what they think isn't working and what is. Listen closely to their opinions, heed their advice and try not to take offense. Re-write and edit what you believe needs to be changed. Remember, it is after all your work and you need to make the final decisions.

Easy

Publishing, Indie style is the easy step. Using Smashwords.com as the platform makes the process simple. For a small percentage from future sales, Smashwords formats your work into various file formats and then distribute to most of the leading ebook distributors in the cost.

One account held with Smashwords.com collects all sales from the distributors (Barnes and Noble, Kobo, Sony, Apple etc) every three months and the funds are paid into your account, which you can access through PAYPAL.

Simple and easy!

Although Smashwords has an understanding with Amazon, before books are distributed through Amazon, a large number of books need to be sold from their site.

The alternative to this is to also publish through Amazon's Kindle Direct Publishing. Amazon's KDP allows you to publish with other distribution houses at the same time, join Amazon's Author Central to learn more and upload your book to Amazon.

If you chose Amazon's second option **KDP'S Select** program, you are only able to publish through Amazon solely, but you do receive additional benefits.

Most importantly, read all the contracts you enter into, on any of the publishing sites and be sure you follow the regulations set out in the agreements you enter into.

Endless

Marketing, it never, never ends.

Platforms like Twitter and Facebook are essential to advertise and build an audience. Make sure you connect whatever platforms you use to your main blog. This saves you time in the long run with every blog post being uploaded automatically to the platform.

Goodreads is an important site to join with the opportunity for authors to open an author's page, allowing reviewers to post their opinions. For a fee you can also buy a package to help give your work further exposure through their wider audience.

Book Blasts, Blog Tours and Memes (Insecure Writers Support Group), help expand your network in the reading and writing community.

Be generous! Set up giveaways and use your platform network to become involved in the web community. Take advantage of free tools like Rafflecopter and Google Docs, to help collect entries.

To use an old cliché: Make sure you do for others, what you expect others to do for you!

The new trend is to pool with other authors to keep costs down for more expensive giveaways — Kindle Giveaways / Money Equivalent, Series Box Sets or a Boxed Set from a number of authors.

Become a member of Indie Writer's Support. You will receive an abundance of information on a regular basis to help support every part of your writing experience and have access to a network of supportive writers, who are more than willing to help.

Exposure

Be sure to expose your writing across as many networks and platforms as you can manage. It is time consuming and hard work, but the rewards speak for themselves. You gain followers, friends and associates and hopefully sell books!

The Indie Writers Support site also allows authors to upload their books to their Reader's Books site for free. When using Twitter you can add their hashtag #IndieWriterSupp, and that allows you to reach a larger audience.

  * Enter writing competitions to gain exposure and don't forget to show your readers and followers what and how you write.
  * Post a little of your work on your blog site, create interest for your next book.
  * Keep your followers entertained and be sure to be courteous in all your responses.
  * Make every comment count.
  * Take notice of your audience and respond to their efforts to comment on your site.

C.M. Brown, author of The Protector Series

<http://cmbrown-books.blogspot.com.au/>

#### Part Three: Marketing
### Get Involved and Find Your Audience

### by Alex J. Cavanaugh

As authors, we need readers. (They're kind of important.) Our publisher will work to market our books, but there's a lot we can do to help in those efforts. Some of it only we can do.

There are so many ways to spread the news. But if we simply jump online and start shouting to the world, that's not very effective. It can even be counter-productive.

So, what's the secret? We get involved and stay connected.

Blogging is a great way to connect with readers and other writers. But we can't just toss out a post once in a while and then run. To benefit from the community, we have to become part of it. That means following other blogs and leaving comments. Participating in online events. Hosting our own events. Inviting others to do guest posts and spreading the word about new books and accomplishments. Guest posts on someone else's blog. Links to other blogs in our sidebar. Maybe even join a group blog.

Consistency is the best way to stay connected. Breaks are fine—we all need a vacation sometimes—but appearing only when we have a book to promote is not cool. We should be consistent with our posts and visits, whether it's once a week or once a day. Same goes for our blog's overall theme. Jumping all over with topics is confusing. People like consistency—they like to know when we'll post and what to expect from our posts.

Think of it as a friendship. Which really, it is! We're making friends. We need to care about those friends and show our support. We won't connect with everyone, but if we treat people fairly and with honor and dignity, we'll make a lot of quality friendships. We don't want to get stuck in a one-sided relationship (aren't those a bummer?) but in truth, it's all about how much we can give to others. Genuine giving, without expecting anything in return.

The idea of getting involved and staying connected applies to all of the other social sites as well—Twitter, Facebook, Google+, Pinterest, etc.

If we can do all of that, then we'll find marketing so much easier. Because then it won't just be us shouting from the rooftops—we'll have a whole army of friends helping us!

Alex J. Cavanaugh, Insecure Writer's Support Group founder and author of the Amazon best sellers CassaStar, CassaFire, and CassaStorm

__<http://alexjcavanaugh.cpm/>

### Give Yourself a Chance at Success

### by J.L. Campbell

It never fails. I write my best story—and every one of them is my best—do all the things that go with producing same, and make a splash on release day. After a month of marketing and promotional activity, my energy fizzles and there is nil activity. You know what comes next, right? The book tanks and hovers around the 500k mark on Amazon.

It doesn't have to be that way. Starting the journey to publication is a commitment to treating your writing as a business, and your enterprise deserves every moment of attention you can give. I've watched the activities of successful authors and here are five approaches that produce results.

1. Make a marketing plan. Decide what your goals are for each book and work toward achieving same. Ensure that you outline the steps for your plan in black and white somewhere. Set modest targets that you stand a chance of achieving based on your current situation. If you surpass these, you can always make adjustments.

2. Don't think you have to join every social media platform that exists. Choose the ones that you are comfortable with and put them to work for you. Try not to feel pressured into joining 4-6 social media sites, when you have time for only one or two. Interacting with others is important in establishing a presence. It is better to have a few places where you put in quality time than many where it is clear that you haven't posted anything in months.

3. Finding your niche market will take time and effort. However, it's worth the energy you expend in this area. Your job will be to engage readers who will eventually become fans who review your books and share by word of mouth. Facebook is a great place to interact with book club members. The key is to develop relationships and participate in their activities. Swooping in now and then and dropping a promotional post won't work. This aspect of your marketing plan may take the most time, but the dividends are huge.

4. Most indie writers won't have a budget to put into advertising, but if you can afford it, keep in mind the fact that the bigger sites such as Bookbub and Ereader News Today have a huge reach and their readers can help shoot books up the Amazon charts rapidly. It may be challenging to buy ad space as these sites are regularly sold out, but do your research. There are other sites where it costs less to advertise. Remember the work continues after the promotion ends. Otherwise, your book will sink quickly if you stop promoting.

5. Realize that publishing books is not for the faint of heart. During what will be a long haul, there will be days when you wonder why you bothered to start the journey. You will wonder why you thought you could make it as a writer. It is when your energy is at the lowest ebb that you need to work harder to make your vision a reality. Take your eyes off the writer who seems to be more successful than you. They have their own challenges and history. Write the next book. Remember that marketing plan? Do something each day to keep the momentum going. Your success is fuelled by the small actions you take every day toward meeting your goals.

J.L. Campbell writes fiction and non-fiction and is a certified editor. Visit her on the web at

<http://joylcampbell.com>

### How to Market Without Marketing

### by Lynda R. Young

There are many ways to direct sell your books—set up book signings, approach libraries and schools, go on tour, advertise on social media—but there are also ways to market without marketing, without doing the hard sell or making people roll their eyes and switch off.

It's not about your book

If no one knows who you are, then they won't care about what you have to sell because there's already a plethora of authors out there vying for attention. Don't be just another writer shoveling spam from the can. Give people a reason to be interested in you, and as a result they might become interested in your book too.

When you're chatting on social media, rather than making it all about your book, make it about you and other interesting topics. Engage with people.

Neither is it about the numbers

It doesn't matter how many followers you have on Twitter, or how many likes you've got on Facebook. Those numbers mean nothing. They certainly don't translate into sales. Instead it's about how many of those followers actually care about who you are and what you do. Be a real human being. It's the way we connect with each other.

Help others before yourself

A deep joy and satisfaction can be found in helping others. To top it off, it's also a great way to market without marketing.

  * **Show an interest in what other people are doing**. While socializing at conferences, don't only talk about your books. Ask people about theirs, strike up conversations that have nothing to do with your latest release.
  * **On social media, help others promote their books** —but don't over-do it since too much of any kind of direct promotion can turn off potential readers.
  * **Run workshops, become a public speaker, or sit on panels at conferences**. Teaching is a great way of connecting with people. Not only is it confidence-building, but it's an effective way of increasing your platform by encouraging a new audience to come to you. People will remember you and will want to find out more about you and your books.
  * **Be generous with your time**. People remember those small acts of kindness far more than another ad about some book.

Presentation is the subtle yet effective sell

The way you present yourself has a powerful impact on the way others perceive you. This is the subtle sell because a lot of it comes across on a subconscious level. If you present well, then people will be more likely to engage with you.

  * **Dress appropriately**. There's no getting away from the fact we judge each other by our appearances so if you are going to a signing or a conference, then you'll need to dress appropriately. I'm not talking glamor outfits, but try to avoid looking dowdy.
  * **Have business cards**. Professional ones. Not ones you designed using clipart and printed off at home. The card is a representation of you and if it's professional, then people will think better of you and your work. Those first impressions count.
  * **Get a quality author photo**. Not every author likes to have an author photo, but if you do, then make sure it is done professionally—no flash photography, no mug shots, no bright sunlight casting heavy shadows across your face, and certainly no drunken party shots.
  * **Be confident and approachable**. By nature, many writers aren't confident people in social situations. We have a tendency to hide away in a corner, or cling to the small groups of people we already know, rather than getting out there to make new connections. If you don't step out of your comfort zone, then you'll make no impression at all. Start by making eye contact and smiling.
  * **Be Prepared and Succinct**. This will also help with confidence. If you know what you're going to say, there's less chance of tripping over your words when someone does ask you about your book. When you're succinct, it's less likely the person listening will get glazed-eye syndrome.
  * **Don't apologize for who you are or what you write**. **** Nurture a true passion for your work so you can proudly put it forward. It's the passion that will shine through and engage people.
  * **Don't skimp on cover design or editing**. The way you present your book is just as important as the way you present yourself. If you're a self-publisher and you go with a poorly designed cover, one that's not appropriate to the genre of your book, or one that's a dodgy do-it-yourself number, then people will assume the contents of your book will be just as lacking. The same goes for editing. A book full of typos and grammatical errors will turn off readers.

Get other people to spread the word.

The best kind of marketing without marketing is getting other people to spread the word. How? By writing a good book people want to talk about, by presenting the book in a professional way so people will want to share it, and by being the type of person people want to help.

Because marketing without marketing is so simple and rewarding, you might not always be aware you're doing it. This is great because people around you won't be aware either. For this reason, it can be highly effective, or just as highly detrimental depending on whether or not you get it right. So make sure you get it right.

Lynda R. Young, author

<http://lyndaryoung.blogspot.com>

### You Are a Writer

### by L.G. Keltner

So you love writing, but you haven't yet achieved publication. All writers start out this way, and there are bound to be moments of serious doubt. Lingering doubts can make it difficult to put words to paper or hold us back from sharing those words with the world.

Here's something important that all writers should bear in mind: Being a writer isn't just something you do. It's an identity you inhabit. Even when you're unpublished, or struggling with the confidence to produce good work, you can still very much be a writer.

Do you see every strange situation you encounter as a potential story? Do you find yourself looking at people who catch your eye and wonder about the story of their life? Do you feel like something is missing from your life if you _aren't_ writing? If the answer to any of these questions is yes, then you may in fact be a writer, regardless of your publishing history.

Writers spend a lot of time learning how to market themselves and their work to the world. Social media and blogging are excellent tools for this. However, many people seem to forget one crucial element. You need to market yourself as a writer ... to yourself.

If you know you are a writer, then declare that to the world. When you say that you're aspiring to be a writer, you're telling yourself that you're not yet worthy of that distinction. You may aspire to share your writing with the world, but the seal of approval publishing provides does not make you a writer. You do.

In those times of uncertainty, tell yourself "I am a writer, and I can do this." Convince yourself, and you'll soon convince everyone else around you.

L.G. Keltner, writer

<http://lgkeltner.blogspot.com/>

### 8 Steps to Creating a Flawless Media Kit

### by Sylvia Ney

If you're an author, you probably think writing is your most important job, but the truth is—marketing is an equally important skill you need to utilize. Publishers look for, and often only sign, those authors with a platform.

While social media presence and speaking engagements can certainly play a role in that platform, publishers want you to prepare your own media kit as well. If you've never prepared one, don't panic. They are relatively simple to create, and who better to play PR person than you?

**1. Cover Letter —** First, contact various media outlets such as newspapers, magazines, radio, television, etc. Start local. While national appeal is certainly a plus, local will be more interested in promoting you at first. If they are interested in learning about you, begin this letter by reminding them that they requested the information. Explain the purpose for your media kit (to promote your book — make sure you use the title). Keep this to one page only. Too much information and it's liable to end up in the trash. Let them know you'll be contacting them to see about their interest in setting up an interview. Be sure to include your contact information.

**2. Photo —** Prefer 5 x 7 or 8 x 10. If you are sending this kit digitally, be sure to include the original photo, and not a shrunken file. Include a caption that gives your name, website, blog, email, and phone number.

**3. Biography** — Again, this should be no more than one page in length and include a copy of your picture. This will include just the highlights of your experience, what you write, why this book or project you are promoting, where you live (in general terms only since you don't want readers showing up on your doorstep).

**4. Press Release** — The objective of this page is to be informative, stir interest, and generate a response. Write this in a journalistic style because outlets may publish them with little to no changes, especially when they are faced with a deadline. Be sure to provide this at least two weeks before you want a story to appear in print. Be sure to include an introduction to your book, give your credentials, and explain what action you want the media to take.

**5. FAQ** — This frequently asked questions page is a question and answer format that you will provide. These will cover questions asked on a regular basis, such as "What's your typical work schedule? Where do you get your ideas? Have you ever put someone you know in your books? How did you get started? Where can readers connect with you? What is your next project?" This page is extremely important because you are doing the work for them, and this will ensure a better chance at an interview and coverage.

**6. Title Sheet** — If you only have one book, then this will feature the back-cover blurb of your book and a photo of the front cover. You also want to include relevant information a journalist would need, such as your publisher, the publication date, type of book (genre and formats: hardcover, paperback, ebook, trade, mass market, etc) retailers where you can purchase a copy, ISBN, and cover price. If you have other works, give information on all publications, but in lesser detail.

**7. Statistics —** Journalists enjoy statistics. Pull some numbers, and be able to quote a source, for anything that may be related to your topic. This will further make the journalists feel as if you've done all the work for them, which will make them more interested in you.

**8. Other —** You may want to include a few other items, such as quotes from others about you, or links to articles and reviews of your work. List any awards you have received for writing or related to the subject of your book, and list any offices or positions you've held that may show your expertise on that topic. You may also want to include an excerpt from the book, and list any appearances you will be making in the future.

Keep the look of these pages uniform: same font, similar graphics, and color schemes. If you are snail mailing this kit instead of sending it digitally, be sure to use priority mail. Overnight packages give the impression that the content is important, and that you value what you shipped since you clearly spent money and time on your kit.

This may seem like a lot of work and money to put towards something when you were hoping to be done after the writing process, and it is. However, following these guidelines will indicate to editors, publishers, and agents alike that you are not only serious about your craft, but you are equally invested in a project you want them to support.

Sylvia Ney is an award-winning author and journalist who can be found at:

<http://writinginwonderland.blogspot.com/>

### Make Your Mark: Cross-Industry Collaborative Marketing

### by Samantha Redstreake Geary

Writers, by nature, have limitless imaginations. We spend the majority of our time in worlds of our own creation, breathing life into characters over cups of coffee and swimming in pools of perilous plots, twisting them around our fingers like stubborn strands of hair.

Our creativity can extend beyond the written word, reaching across global multimedia platforms where the passions of creatives converge in exciting collaborative ventures! Find other artists that share your drive to create, to be bold, to break down boundaries, to build a bridge to the stars.

Before your book is even published, build connections, a platform, an audience. Plant a seed of excitement that grows day one sales. Diversify your network to include other industries that compliment and strengthen your marketing reach. Run a cross-industry promotion with other artists, where everyone involved benefits from the powerful force you forge together.

Conspire with fellow wordsmiths in groundbreaking publishing adventures. Consort with video editors and YT channels for their expertise in book trailers—an increasingly valuable marketing tool when successfully engaging your target audience. Collaborate with musicians for inspirational album promotions. Connect with designers on deviantART and Behance for stunning covers, logos and websites that capture a reader's roving eye. Reach out to producers and directors in the film and virtual reality industry for a foot in the door of the future of storytelling.

Writing something amazing is only half the battle. Put yourself out there and engage your readers in exciting, innovative ways. Make your mark in the next stage of literary evolution!

Samantha Redstreake Geary, Speculative Fiction Author, Freelance Writer for the film music industry and collaborator extraordinaire.

<http://writerlysam.com/>

### Marketing and the Blog Tour

### by Gwen Gardner

I've been told on many occasions that my debut blog tour was amazing. I toured with Angela Brown, also a debut author at the time. Both of us are authors of YA so it worked out well.

Whether you're an indie author or with a small press, here are some tips to organizing your own successful tour.

1. **Research**. Research the process and learn from others who have already been through the experience.

2. **Blog.** Blog about your publishing plans. When other writers found out we were self-publishing, most wanted to help, whether for cover reveal, hosting, or advice on editing and formatting. Ask what kind of posts they want to see. FYI, for our blog tour, most wanted short, quirky, fun, and character based posts. Based on the above research, we generated interest by bringing our characters to life in our posts, using short character sketches, character dialogues and character interviews.

3. Finding Hosts. For the most part, we didn't approach people directly. We posted a comment linky on each of our blogs asking for volunteers for our cover releases and tour hosts. The response was overwhelming. The blogging community is so generous and willing to help.

We did approach at least two high-traffic blogs separately, though. They tend to fill their guest spots quickly, and you'll want to reserve a spot at least two to three months in advance.

4 **. Pre-plan**. Organizing a blog tour takes time and you will need certain items before the tour begins. It's a good idea to allow three to four months to have a cover made, interior formatting for print/ebook, and signing up tour hosts.

Book outside services early, especially if you're going with popular designers. All of my covers are illustrated rather than photographic and it takes at least two months for my designer to complete one from start to finish—that's if she's immediately available.

Pre-write your tour posts well in advance (they can be modified later to cater to the host) so you're not bogged down at the last minute. Find out what kind of post your host wants and provide it at least a week in advance (two weeks if possible). With several venues now offering pre-ordering for independent authors, it's now easier to provide the buy links in advance.

5. **Media Package**. Put together a file with all your links. Social media links (Blog, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, YouTube, GoodReads), buy links (Amazon, B&N, iTunes, Google Play) and author bio. Include any giveaway information and linkys. Pre-made tweets are a nice touch as well. It's easy to copy and paste the document into your tour post or attach it separately when emailing it to your host, along with your cover and author photo.

6. **Final Advice**. Start early and do your research. Use social media to engender interest, but don't risk alienating your friends and writing buddies by bombarding them with pleas to buy your book. The recommended ratio is 80/20, i.e., 80% of your Facebook posts should be about something other than your book.

And always, always, be considerate of yours hosts. Be reliable. Deliver when you say you will, or advise them if you've hit a snag. They'll understand and a good reputation in the blogging community is always a plus.

Gwen Gardner, YA Author

<http://gwengardner.blogspot.com/>

### Building an Internet Presence

### by Sia McKye

If you're serious about being published, an internet presence should be started before you're published. Why? Because you need a network of potential buying customers and for that you need to build name recognition. This is no different than any other business you're looking to succeed within—preparation for success means networking.

Let's suppose you've written several things and you've received the normal rejections but you don't give up and query again. This time lightning strikes and you're in the right place at the right time and you sell. Now you have a contract, yeah! But you have very little, if any, internet presence. Your work is cut out for you. You not only have to deal with numerous edits/revisions (with deadlines) before the book is released, but now you also have to spend time building name recognition. Oh, and then there is your real day-to-day life with jobs and families.

Even before you have a contract or a release date you should be cultivating book/review bloggers. Follow their blogs and get to know fellow authors, and readers. This is time intensive, but really, scheduling a set amount of time several days a week can do it. Set up a blog. Pick out things to write short articles about. Maybe pick out an element in your book and write about it. Or something about you as a person, hobbies, what you do to keep refreshed, something you've had a problem with and overcome. A trip you took for vacation and the pictures you took and how various story ideas popped into your head. Show up on other's blog and comment. They'll check to see who you are and comment back. Be a part of a social network such as Facebook or Twitter and spend an hour, two or three times a week and make comments on other's status messages and check to see if anyone has replied, and be sure to follow up on their comment. The thing about Facebook or Twitter, it quickly gets your name out there, and when you have a blog, announce your blog article and title with links on the networks you are a part of. This way you draw readers to the article. Good practice for when you are blogging as the author of book *fantastic* [insert your book title].

Traditional publishers like their authors to have a network in place and they _expect_ their authors to spend at least three months prior to book release and two or more months after the release on book publicity and promotion. If you're published with a smaller independent press, E-pubbed, or indie published, it's even more vital to be working to promote yourself as an author and a person. In other words, name recognition. Notice I didn't say _a book_. The intent is to draw _readers_ to you. You cannot accomplish that by beating them over the head with _a book_. As an author you are more than a book. People, as a rule, don't like a hard sell. You want to draw readers to _all_ the work you have or will create. Each successful sale of your newest release can create an interest in your backlist and anticipation for your next book.

I won't kid you; promotion requires commitment and _a lot_ of time. You need to be organized and set aside blocks of time to do this. It also means stepping out of your comfort zone to do it. Bottom line here is this is _your_ business, _your_ product that is debuting. Your books/product will only be as good as the effort after the writing to get attention for you and your books. Keep that in mind.

Even if bookstores do carry your books, what separates you from all the other authors out there? You need name recognition and a reader base.

_You_ have to build that with well-crafted stories and advertising yourself. You have to invest in yourself by building an effective Internet presence and name recognition.

Sia McKye, writer and blogger. She is currently employed as a national Marketing/Promotion Rep.

<http://siamckye.blogspot.com>

### 3 Marketing Tips for Those Who Would Rather Be Writing

### by Christine Rains

I am a writer. I never wanted to be anything else. But as a self-published author, I also have to be my own agent, accountant, and promoter.

Marketing savvy is not something I possess. What's even worse is what works for one author doesn't necessarily work for another. So how do you foster interest in your books and boost sales when you have no clue what you're doing?

Here are three tips that have worked for me and can be done from your writing cave.

1. Know your genre and find your audience. Be honest with yourself and get the opinions of your critique group. Once you have it, you'll be able to brand yourself and promote your books on sites to readers who will love you.

2. Start a blog. This has been one of my most effective tools in reaching fans. Match it to your genre and don't be afraid to show a little of your personal life.

3. Giveaways. People love free stuff. Use big sites like Goodreads to get a lot of exposure. If you create your own giveaway, add something a little different along with your books. Silly trinkets or a cool item from your story. Giving away gift cards also attracts a lot of attention.

Marketing may never get easier, but once you become adept in a few key things, you can spend your time doing what you really want to do: writing.

Christine Raines, Author, Twisting the Tropes

<http://christinerains-writer.blogspot.com/>

### The Importance of Keywords in Your Marketing Toolbox

### by Donna M. McDine

Keywords... What's this you may be asking? Keywords are what people type into search engines (i.e., Google, Yahoo, Bing, etc.) when researching a particular topic or product (i.e., Best Jersey Shore vacation spots; cheap airfare; NYC wedding planners, children's historical fiction books, etc.). The more a keyword is searched the more attraction it has. The list is endless. But, what does this have to do with me as a writer? Absolutely EVERYTHING!

It is imperative your website and blog have strong keywords in titles, text, and in the meta data. Let's break it down a bit further:

**Titles** : At least one keyword should be included in the title connecting to the content of the article. If your article is about the importance of press releases, the title should be something like, "Don't Give Up On Press Releases."

**Text** : Whether it's the description of your website or an article, keywords need to be mentioned throughout. Of course, repetitive keyword mention that does not include true value to the description or article is a waste of time.

**Meta Data** : This is html jargon for the backend of your website. Within the html code page description (Independent Book Store Listings) and keywords (i.e., sci-fi author, children's author, how to write a press release.) of the particular page are listed. The meta data is used by browsers search engines (keywords), or other web services to show results when someone conducts a search.

How to Search for Keywords: A search of keywords is important to setting up the right combination for you. My go-to keyword search site is <http://keywordeye.com> (NOTE: I do not guarantee your success by utilizing this service, this is a FREE/PAID service that I use for my personal needs). Once you create an account, the steps are self-explanatory. Click new and type in the word you feel is important to your article and click search. Keyword Eye will then conduct a search and will provide you with a breakdown of keywords associated with your word, visualization, and grid view. I prefer the grid view, which provides a further breakdown of keyword, search engine, search volume, PPC Comp and PPC Comp Score %. Analyze the results. I tend to go with the medium frequently searched words. Use what you are most comfortable with.

The above goes well beyond your website and blog, when writing articles for magazines or guest blogger posts, keywords should be at the forefront of your writing. Of course, your byline helps in getting your name out there further, which is extremely helpful if someone searches your name. To show how important it is to get your name out there and keywords associated with you, I searched for myself "Rockland County Children's Authors" and "Whale Poachers Children's Book."

For Rockland County Children's Authors, I'm listed in 3 of the 5 top searches. Not bad.

And when searching for whale poachers children's book, which is the subject matter of my latest children's book, _A Sandy Grave_ , it is listed in the top 5 searches. How cool is that!

These results have taken me years to establish, and I continue to do so on an ongoing basis. For example, when you guest author at a colleague's blog, it markets you further. The more material published about you, by you and connected with keywords will help rise you to a top level in the search engines.

Good luck to you as you write informative content with essential keywords!

Donna M. McDine, Multi Award-winning Children's Author

<http://donnamcdine.com/>

### On Creative Marketing

### by P.K. Hrezo

Over the last five years I've religiously studied the craft of writing, absorbing every nugget and kernel of wisdom, advice, technique that I possibly could. In return, I've become a halfway-decent writer—an expert by no means, but then, that's the thing about writing: there's always opportunity to grow.

Honing craft is good and important, but there comes a time in a writer's career when they have to shift the focus from craft to marketing. We all wish books would simply sell themselves, and that word of mouth would whip readers into a frenzy over our books. Fact is, that's rare. In this brave new world of publishing, authors absolutely must market their books themselves, regardless of being traditionally or independently published. But it doesn't have to be grueling, or give you a dirty feeling.

It can actually be quite fun! Think outside the box. Get creative. We're writers, _creating_ is what we do. That shouldn't stop when it comes time to market our work. We're not pushing insurance. We are treating potential readers to entertainment that we ourselves adore. Embrace this opportunity to find readers and share your art. It's fun and rewarding, and you, in turn, are rewarded with sales and true fans.

Use your creative marketing ideas to reach new readers and keep older ones. In addition, follow these tips to ensure you keep a momentum:

  * Draw up a marketing plan (You can't do this too early. Have one, and add to it as you ready your story.)
  * Commit to building a fanbase of 1000 readers over the next five years.
  * Create a newsletter or email list.
  * Make sure all of your social media and published works funnel into your email list.
  * Be regular on your social media platforms. Pick your top three and stick to them.
  * Focus on building genuine relationships, not on getting people to buy your book.
  * Find ways to help others. (This is the purest way to get noticed and establish genuine relationships.)
  * Make mistakes (It's okay and the only way we learn, so try new things and learn from them when they don't work.)
  * Respond to fans, readers, followers by name. (Show them you're a real person, not a snooty author.)
  * Target your audience, then go where they are and be visible, helpful, and available.
  * Offer to guest post on other blogs (Always leave a link to your website or email list ... remember the funnel!)
  * Read marketing guide books like _Let's Get Visible_ , _Write.Publish.Repeat_., _Your First 1000 Copies_. There are plenty on the market. Glean all you can from these experienced authors.

Those are just a few basics to get you started. Remember, marketing is only fun if we make it fun. If you're not enjoying your own marketing, no one else will either. When we're first starting out, no endeavor is too small. Try everything, be genuine, and keep revising your marketing plan.

Being an author is no get-rich-quick scheme. It's a slow build, and only the strong survive. It's also sheer joy connecting with new people who enjoy our work, so hold onto them and keep them invested in your products, as well as yourself as a person and author.

P.K. Hrezo, YA and NA author

<http://down-the-rabbithole.com>

### Self-Promotion

### by Bob Milne

Okay, so you've written your book, ran it by a team of beta readers, edited it, polished it, found a publisher, and are currently staring at the first copy—congratulations, you're halfway there!

Scary thought, isn't it?

Even if you've been lucky enough to have your work acquired by a major publisher, you're still going to have to work to find yourself an audience. Friends and family are great, and they can certainly generate some local buzz, but they're not going to push you onto the bestseller lists. No, for that, you need to engage in some serious self-promotion.

**1. Social Reading:** This is actually something you should be doing long before your work is published. Don't just join, but get engaged on social reading sites like Goodreads, Librarything, and Booklikes. Engaging is key, since few things make a reviewer more suspicious than a request from somebody with hundreds of random friends, but only 1 lonely book on their shelf (their own). Add your favorite books to your shelves, rate them, like other people's reviews, and comment on some groups. Not only will it help to demonstrate that you are a real person, but your reading habits can help reviewers (and readers) make a connection.

**2. Review Blogs:** Compile a list of potential book bloggers, look at what they read, find out if they have any submission guidelines . . . and then read them! It seems like such a simple thing, but a lot of authors are just mining for contact information. The problem is, if your book is a YA Christian Romance, and the blogger specializes in Erotic LGBT Horror, then you're likely wasting your time (and theirs). Similarly, if they have a form to fill in, and you're spamming them with emails, you're likely going to be ignored, even if your book is a good fit.

**3. Book Tours:** If you don't mind investing a little money in your own success, then book tours are a great option. The good ones already have a database of bloggers, and will know who to reach out to (and how) to get your book the right exposure. Do yourself a favor, however, and do a little research. Check out what kind of tours they do and how long they've been in business. Take a look at some of their tours, see for yourself how well they worked, and ask for references. Sadly, there are some unscrupulous organizations out there, along with some who have the best of intentions, but no ability to follow through.

**4. Public Appearances:** This can be as simple as arranging a public reading at the local library, or a book signing at your neighborhood bookstore. If you're a little more ambitious, then hitting a convention—whether as a guest or an attendee—can instantly connect you with a very targeted, very focused audience. While registering as a guest does have great benefits in terms of publicity (at a cost, of course), the truth is that you don't need a table or a booth to walk around, talk to people, and leave them with a bookmark or flyer (or even a copy of your book).

Regardless of what option(s) you care to pursue, the number one thing to remember is to always be polite and respectful. Keep in mind that readers and reviewers have their own lives to lead away from the bookshelves, and try not to take their silence or their criticism personally. Even the worst reviews can bring new readers your way, and so long as you haven't burned your bridges, you can always follow up again with another request at a later time.

Bob Milne is an aspiring author, a teller of ghost stories (he wears a top hat & cape, so you know he's professional!), and voracious reader who regularly reviews at Beauty in Ruins.

<http://beauty-in-ruins.blogspot.com/>

### If Only I Had Known

### by Jeff Chapman

If only I had known more about marketing, I could have saved myself some time, effort, and money. I heard on the _Sell More Books Show_ (a weekly podcast about book marketing) that most people don't read blogs. They scan them for headlines and bullet points. I tried to divide what I have to say into bullet points, but everything comes down to one point.

Put your book in front of people who are _looking_ for it!

Remember that phrase. Every time you evaluate a marketing opportunity, consider it with that idea in mind. Does this marketing scheme address people who are looking for your book? If you can't answer yes, move on to something else.

Whether you like it or not, people tend to look for books by genre. (Some people know exactly what they're looking for. They use title or author in their search, but those aren't the people you're after.) Amazon's best seller lists and categories are broken down by genre. Email marketing lists are organized by genre. You need to identify the genre or genres in which your book fits and target people looking for that genre. Be honest with yourself when deciding on the genres. Readers who don't get what they expect, tend to feel cheated, and cheated readers write very negative reviews.

I've paid to have my books featured on websites a few times. For the most part, these efforts have been dismal failures, resulting in zero or very few sales. It could be that marketing on a website doesn't work that well. After some reflection and analysis, I realized the websites I tried primarily cater to romance readers. I wasn't putting my books in front of the right people. I guess I got the marketing result I deserved.

I've found two marketing strategies that work.

**1. Email Marketing** : There are many services who will send the details of your book to subscribers interested in your book's genre. Some are very expensive, some very reasonable. Your results will likely vary based on the number of subscribers. Most of these services require your work to have a set number of positive reviews. They want to provide quality suggestions to their subscribers. So far, I've always made a profit on these sorts of email campaigns. The most important point is to pick the right genre so that you put your book in front of people who are looking for it.

**2. Drill Deep into Amazon Categories** : Don't simply list your book as Fiction or Adventure or some other top-level category. Amazon has hundreds of subcategories. Spend some time browsing them. Drill deep to see if your book reasonably fits into some lesser-populated categories. Readers who drill down into those categories are looking for something specific and your book might be just what they're looking for. Also, a few sales will likely put you onto a best seller list, which gives you more exposure. A few good reviews will get you onto the top rated list. If you want readers who are looking for your book to notice you, it's better to be swimming around in a small pond rather than the ocean.

Choose wisely and you'll find the readers who are looking for your book.

Jeff Chapman, Author of Last Request: A Victorian Gothic and other tales ranging from fantasy to horror, muses about words and fiction at

<http://jeffchapmanwriter.blogspot.com>

### How Selling Yourself Short Might Shortchange You

### by Julie Kemp Pick

Oh, how I loved to sing. As high school thespians, we would often burst into song like the characters in Glee. I didn't realize how annoying that habit was until I decided to belt out some Ethel Merman show tunes during a long drive home. My "older" boyfriend was too polite to say anything, as I sang for an audience of one in an enclosed vehicle with enough vibrato to fill an auditorium. When he pulled into my driveway, his head was throbbing so heavily that he didn't even bother to walk me to the door. Any false sense of bravado I had was lost that day. It must have somehow disappeared along with my phone number.

This is only one of many stories that led me to join the Insecure Writer's Support Group in 2011. As the group was celebrating its third anniversary in early September, I was also celebrating the publication of the anthology, _Old Broads Waxing Poetic_. Our team of eight witty and wonderful writers includes two other members of the IWSG. After we got the word out on our blogs and other social media, the hardest part was marketing to friends and family.

Upon recovering from the initial shock that I was finally published, a few friends offered to buy the book. I could tell they were just trying to be nice, so I foolishly said, "That's okay. You don't have to." I gave them an out, and they took it. What I should have said was, "That's great! All proceeds are going to Care International. Thank you!"

I didn't want them to feel obligated, and I couldn't be more wrong. I was playing the restaurant game. We've all played it. The bill comes, and one person grabs the check. He or she offers to pay. You initially say that it's not necessary, and offer to split it. The person insists, and you say thank you. I was waiting for the "I insist" round that never came.

Though some older family members wanted to help out, they were concerned about providing personal information to Amazon, as well as shipping charges. They offered to reimburse me, after I ordered copies for them. I was glad they weren't the least bit worried about me sharing personal information. I tried to explain how to access an Amazon card, but they didn't seem interested.

My closest friend surprised me by buying five copies. She gave one to each of her sisters-in-law who enjoyed it so much they're planning on buying some additional copies to send to their friends. Last week she also gave books to two more friends when we were at her house for a holiday dinner. Then I realized she had given all five copies away. As if reading my mind, she said, "Don't worry, I'll order some more copies." When I started to argue, she didn't hesitate to add, "I insist."

Julie Kemp Pick writes about family humor often featuring her rebellious mom, and blogs at

<http://emptynestinsider.blogspot.com/>

### 5 Marketing Tips for Book Signing Events

### by Margo Kelly

You wrote a book, got it published, and now what? Here are five tips in five time periods for book signing events:

3 MONTHS BEFORE EVENT:

1. Research bookstores

2. Speak with event coordinator in person

3. Give her an ARC (Advance Reading Copy) and an introductory letter

4. Have postcards or bookmarks printed, featuring book cover, short description, industry praise, and ordering information

5. Have tabletop poster (11x17 with easel back) made featuring cover and industry praise — add a starburst to top that reads: LOCAL AUTHOR

2 WEEKS BEFORE EVENT:

1. Confirm details with event coordinator

2. Publicize event widely—on FB, Twitter, Community Calendars, etc.

3. Polish your website so when new contacts visit they'll be impressed

4. Buy a new outfit to look and feel confident for your big day

5. Create an email newsletter signup sheet

SETTING UP AT EVENT:

1. Table—typically, the event coordinator will provide this

2. Tablecloth—solid color

3. Postcards or bookmarks—be liberal giving these away

4. Ink pens—one to sign books and one for email signup form

5. Books—verify how many the store has and then sell them all!

DURING EVENT:

1. Smile and sit up straight

2. Greet people and ask them how they are today

3. Ask people what type of books they like to read—engage them in conversation and describe your book

4. Tell people you're a local author

5. Keep a positive attitude—be nice to everyone, especially store employees, because they'll be hand-selling your book later

AFTER EVENT:

1. Send a thank you card to event coordinator

2. Make notes about what worked and what did not for future reference

3. Blog about the event

4. Add new contacts to your email list

5. Email newsletter once a month with book related news

Margo Kelly, author of Who R U Really?

<http://margokelly.net>

### How to Run a Powerful Book Blog Tour

### by Crystal Collier

Are blog tours a waste of time? Advantages of blog tours:

1. **Getting the word out.** Even people who are likely to buy your book will have to see/hear about it approximately 3 times before they make the investment.

2. **SEO.** The more links back to your site (especially on blogger or google+), the easier you are to find. This is a long term investment.

3. **Sales.** For every 200 people you reach, you'll probably make 1 sale. In my debut novel tour, I saw approximately 1 to 5 purchases or "adds" on Goodreads per tour stop. The high traffic blogs boosted that # to 10.

There are **blog tour services**. For reaching a wider audience, they can be a great resource. Do your research. Find someone who SPECIALIZES in your genre and price compare. Typically they utilize between 20 and 40 stops, and they may not be high traffic locations. Do they take bloggers by volunteer, or do they have a long-standing roster of proven helpers? Do they tailor the tours to blogs that hit your niche?

I organize my tours solo. But first, I did my...

Homework.

Study what has worked for others. There are a HUNDRED ways to launch a tour. An effective tour is FUN for you, those who host you, and readers. Pick a theme. Get creative. Do something tailored directly to your book or writing. While you're brainstorming, let me give you some ideas:

**Features.** DO NOT PREPARE THE EXACT SAME FEATURE and then feed it to your entire assemblage of hosts. That is what we call a book blitz, not a tour. Some people will follow your entire tour and get ecstatic, even fanatical about your book. Every post (or at least many of your posts) should be unique.

  * Everyone and their dog is willing to **interview** you—and while I love author interviews, my eyes glaze over after the second lengthy paragraph. In a world where Tumblr, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram and Facebook rule, keep interviews SHORT (5 questions-ish) or really focus on a theme.
  * **Character Interviews** Get questions from beta readers, critique partners, and advanced reviewers who are already acquainted with your characters. (And don't be afraid to ask these people to host!)
  * **Excerpts** can be powerful. Keep them short: no more than 500 words and preferably less than 300 (or a single page of print). Before each tour, I select 15 excerpts and ask people to read and rate them from most engaging to least to
  * Figure out which are the best.
  * To get others excited. From that original 15, I typically weed it down to 6 to 8 pieces I feel 100% confident using in any promotion.
  * **Reviews**. Two months is sufficient for some reviewers, but others require 6. If you're firm on your dates and you want REALLY HIGH TRAFFIC reviewers, schedule book blog reviewers 6 months out. (With a well-timed reminder email. Or two.) A quick google search (including your genre) will yield hundreds of reviewers, but keep in mind the people you already know are most likely to say yes.
  * **Guest Posts.** The focus is to share your book. I did some top ten lists with my first tour that were great fun, but they didn't contribute to the bottom line. "Top ten books that influenced your writing," or a "story hook" illustrated in _gifs_ are examples of highly effective ideas.
  * **Cast Reveals.** Everyone loves a visual. Who do you picture as your ideal movie cast for this book?
  * **Author Reading.** A virtual reading via YouTube or in a podcast.
  * **Promotional Spotlight.** If you offer a straight up promotional spotlight with a cover, summary, author picture, bio, and buy links, you'll be opening doors to hosts that might otherwise bar you out.
  * **Games**. I hosted a Truth or Lie game as well as a Mystery Sentence Game with hidden words in the excerpts for my first tour. Other possibilities are choose your own adventures or book blasts where the story continues in a chain of blogs. Get creative, but remember to make it simple, quick, and easy to be involved AND to share.

**Giveaways**. Rafflecopter is awesome. Posting an image of your prizes ABOVE the widget works well. A word on cash prizes... They may attract a TON of attention (IF ADVERTISED RIGHT), but you really want readers, not people looking for handouts. Set reasonable amounts and offer more books/swag than cash. Try offering multiple prizes and inviting other authors to join your giveaway. They'll also help you spread the word. A warning: some potential buyers will hold off purchasing books until the raffle ends.

**Length** : Tours are either spread out over months (one feature a week), or run in succession (day after day for up to a month). Marketing is a LONG TERM thing, so either one works. I don't advise taking on more than 3 hosts in a single day unless you're doing a 1 day book blast. You are committing to get the word out about each and every feature AND respond to comments. Be involved. It's etiquette. A word on signing people up: most bloggers will jump on board 1 to 3 months out. More than that and they're going to procrastinate making a commitment.

**Professionalism/organization**. If you have a propensity toward programming, work out a NICE looking form that fits your genre. If not, Google docs works great. After people sign up, **send an initial email** with the details of the tour, including your ENTIRE **media kit**. In the email, set specific dates for interview questions to be sent.

Keep everything on a calendar and/or spreadsheet—who is hosting which feature and when, with a to-do list and deadlines. One thing everyone appreciates is receiving the **posts in html** , so they can cut and paste.

**Communication.** A week before the tour, send an email with the Rafflecopter code and the tour schedule. Each morning of the tour send emails to the hosts for the following day—to thank and remind them.

**Promotion.** Even the best tour is a waste if it doesn't get advertised. Create promotional images with book quotes, Facebook posts, and prewritten tweets. Ask people to share via social media. The worst they can say is no. You may also want to create a Goodreads or Facebook event for your tour.

**Follow Up**. At the tours' conclusion, send another follow up email and thank you. It's nice to offer your hosts a gift for helping. I enter everyone in a raffle and give away a few gift cards. With my rafflecopter entries, I send a discount or coupon to people who don't win.

In the end, a successful tour comes down to successful planning and execution.

Crystal Collier, author of Moonless and Souless

<http://crystalcollier.blogspot.com/>

### Writing is (n0) Small Business!

### by Mary Aalgaard

Krista Rolfzen Soukup, publicist and owner of Blue Cottage Agency, began her career in the retail business with a degree in marketing. She worked for one of those large chain stores that has a corporate office and satellite stores in malls across the Midwest. She now works with authors who could take a few tips from the retail world. Think of you and your products like a store in a large mall, like Minnesota's humongous Mall of America. Inside, you have a really fine product. Now, you need some window dressings to draw in the customers. If you have a really great product, but nothing in the window, no one will enter. You can also have a snazzy storefront, but without the quality product, you'll never get repeat customers.

To create a great product, you need to work on your skills, go to workshops, hire editors and graphic designers, and do what you need to be the best writer you can be. Then, set up your corporate office, i.e., your website, which needs to look like a stunning Christmas display. Claim your real estate on the World Wide Web with a website that is accessible and easy to find and navigate.

Consider hiring a professional to create your website, someone you can actually talk to. This is a small business investment in yourself and your product. Corey Kretsinger at Midstate Design created Krista's websites and mine, as well as many author websites. He is accessible, listens to you, and answers your questions as quickly as possible.

Have a strong bio that clearly describes at the beginning who you are and what you do. Get into more personal information at the end. Use this bio consistently throughout your media sites, online and off. Have a shorter one for those places that limit your words, and a longer one on your website, corporate headquarters, that lets people know more about you and your product.

Think of your social media pages as satellite stores. The best thing about them is that you don't have to pay any rent. An author page on Facebook is free, and it is a great way to interact with your customers. Sandra Brannan and Kate DiCamillo both do an excellent job of using their Facebook author pages to promote themselves as authors, their books, and draw people into their community of book lovers. Kate uses hers like a micro blog, and I've enjoyed posts where she writes about interacting with kids who love her books and places where she does book signings. Sandra posts information about her books, release dates, signings, and events celebrating her work. She also posts an occasional picture from the gorgeous landscape where she lives in the hills of South Dakota. Last summer, she had a photo contest where she asked her fans to take a picture of themselves with one of her books and post it on Twitter or Facebook with the hashtag of her main character and the book title. I participated and won an Amazon gift card. It was fun to set up the shot and a great way for Sandra to get promotion for her books.

If you are new to the enormous offerings of the World Wide Web, and even if you've been active on it, you can easily get overwhelmed. You don't have to do everything at once, but, as Krista says, "Do something." Start with a website. Claim your name or your brand on other social media sites, and have a presence. Interact with other writers and readers, and remember, even though what you're doing is called self-promotion, it isn't all about you. The most successful bloggers are ones who let you know what's happening in their writing world AND promote other writers as well. Alex J. Cavanaugh is probably the best example out there. Krista says, "The most valuable tool for a writer is their community of other writers!" Hello, Insecure Writer's Support Group!

Mary Aalgaard

<http://playoffthepage.com/>

### Create a Promotion Page for Guest Blogging

### by J.Q. Rose

Guest blogging is the premier tool in your box of book marketing tools. Your appearance on other people's blogs will begin before your book is published and continue throughout your writing career. You might as well make it easy on yourself and have all the components your hosts will request right at your fingertips.

A Word file with your information about your book and bio is easy to create and quick to pull up so you can copy and paste the host's requests in a new document. Add the interview, article, or spotlight information for your guest post into the new document and attach it to the email for your host and send it on its way. Be sure to show up for the date(s) you are guesting on the blog, interact with readers by leaving comments, and thank the host after the event is over.

The information most often required by your hosts is listed below:

  * Jpeg images of your book cover and photo of yourself or logo. I prefer to receive the jpeg files attached rather than copied on the paper. Be sure to check with your host to find out their preference.
  * Your short BIO (about 50 words), medium BIO (150 words), and longer ones so you can include what the host prefers.
  * LINK to your hub page where people can read about ALL your books e.g. your blog or website.
  * LINKS to your Website, Blog, Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads, Google+, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Tumblr, YouTube, and other social media platforms.
  * BUY LINKS for your book from Amazon, Smashwords, Kobo, Other.
  * Tagline and/or Blurb for your book.
  * LINK to book trailer, video, or podcast.
  * Let the host know if you wish to include a giveaway with your guest post e.g. free e-book/short story, gift card, bookmarks, chocolate, etc.

Can you add more ideas to this list of information for a promotion sheet? Do you include excerpts or reviews too?

J.Q. Rose, mystery author of Sunshine Boulevard and Coda to Murder\

<http://JQRose.com>

### Creative Marketing Ideas

### by Jay Noel

1. **Create an author website.** Not a blog, but a true author website to market your work. Include awesome EXTRAS you can't get anywhere else. Put up unique content like character sketches, copies of initial outlines, early first drafts, etc. Stuff YOU would want to see from your favorite authors.

2. **Creative contests.** Go beyond the Twitter posts and FB likes. Hold a contest that's different. You could have readers name a character, create a book trailer, write a flash fiction piece in the setting of your book (like M. Pax did), or have fans post pics of actors who could play the part in a movie based on your book. Make it fun, but make the prizes worthwhile too.

3. **Give!** Donate copies of your books to your local VA Hospital, retirement home, local library, rehab centers, etc. Just get your name out there.

4. **Sell books elsewhere.** Try a local coffeehouse. Especially during Black Friday! Just set up a table, offer a discount if they purchased something from the cafe. Or maybe try a festival, craft fair, or gypsy caravan. Try something new beyond the typical conventions and such.

5. **Try the other online book advertisers** (beyond Book Bub). Check out: Book Gorilla, Kindle Nation Daily, E-Readers News Today, People Reads Story Finds, Ebook Soda, The Fussy Librarian, and Digital Book Today.

Jay Noel

<http://jaynoel.com/>

### The Melee of Marketing for the Modern Writer

### by Yvette Carol

The Oxford Dictionary describes "melee" as "a confused, noisy struggle."

I saw the word melee in my thesaurus under "Disorder" and thought, wow that describes the minefield of marketing for the modern writer very well.

Building my online platform is a "must-do" because it's this sort of visibility that gives readers a glimpse into the author's world. My world = my responsibility. One's online brand is an inescapable part of being an author today.

When I made my first forays into the world of social media a number of years ago, I felt burdened by the weight of the realities facing a writer today. The enormity of the task of marketing oneself had so many side doors and alleyways connected to it that I felt overwhelmed; sure I'd never be able to do it all. But, soldier that my dad taught me to be, I carried on forwards, ever forwards.

I went into the trenches and started digging. I found a wonderful book with solid guidance as to how to navigate self-promotion in the digital age. _We Are Not Alone_ by writer and social media guru, Kristen Lamb. I applied myself to her principles, and I gradually began working on my platform.

Of this book, Kristen said, "WANA is no longer for sale. Rewriting it to update." Keep an eye on Kristen's website: <http://kristenlamb.org> as this book is well worth the investment once it's reissued. In the meantime, check out her latest book on this subject, _The Rise of the Machines_.

Ms. Lamb recently said on her blog, "1) discoverability is a nightmare 2) less than 8% of the literate population are devoted readers 3) the remaining 92% equate reading with homework and a chore. Thus, we have the task of convincing 92% of the population to spend time they don't have engaged in an activity they believe they dislike... and spend money to do it."

I applied myself to the job of learning about how to build my brand. I subscribed to blogs by writers, agents, publishers and marketing experts. I joined LinkedIn, and listened in on/haunted every conversation on how to build social platform. I read every book on the subject.

The number one piece of advice I've gleaned in the last year is that nothing beats the direct approach of sending out news of your book release via personal email. To do that, you need to build your mailing list. Put that on the "must-do" list.

I built my website and attached the vital sign-up widget, inviting readers to join my mailing list. However, I was advised you can't just add names to your list and let them sit idle. You must deliver value and content. For the last couple of years or so, I've sent out a fortnightly newsletter. I include inside information about my writing journey as well as free tips, news announcements, and links, and recommendations. When people email me in response, with feedback and questions, I answer them promptly and with great respect. I feel it's about giving back and building relationships. Spreading the love.

I read a lot of blogs (I try to keep up with about thirty-five a week). In the last few years, there's been a jump in the wealth of information on how to launch oneself and one's books. It's a rapidly evolving field. Advice that may have worked five years ago is no longer applicable now, and yet the sheer volume of information has increased. For the writer battling to write their masterpieces and keep up with the business of self-promotion, the competing voices of advisors are a whirlwind.

Sometimes the advice is conflicting, even when it's coming from the same source. Take for example the words of the greatly esteemed writer, Bob Mayer, <http://bobmayer.org/> who participates in "Slideshare, blogs, Twitter, Facebook, Youtube, etc. all from home," as a form of self-promotion. He said, "I used to not be a fan of book trailers, and while I don't think they do much direct selling, they increase your digital footprint. And they're cool."

I felt reading this that he was advocating we writers participate in most forms of social media. Yet, at the same time, Bob also said, "Focus on craft; not marketing and promotion. You can't promote crap. The best marketing is a good story; better marketing is more good stories."

Did I mention that one definition of melee is "noisy"? Sometimes I'm overwhelmed with the conflicting opinions. Everybody has one.

It's easy to get swayed this way and that. Then, the danger, if we do too much social media, is that we get absorbed into doing the daily rounds to the extent that we never get back to our manuscript! There was a stage there for me, where I found myself awake, chatting to people on LinkedIn at one in the morning. And yet, I hadn't edited the chapter I needed to finish. I knew I had to figure out a better balance.

The trick is handling the right amount of social media every day.

A couple of years ago, I reached the point when the task of self-promotion sat across my shoulders like a heavy bar across oxen. I realized that I didn't have the same energy or enthusiasm for creating prose. I felt stressed and tense. And every writer worth their salt will tell you, tension kills the muse, dead.

My dear friend, writer and YouTube queen, Maria Cisneros-Toth <http://mariacisnerostoth.com> had been grappling with the issue of branding as well. She and I discussed the thorny issue of how to build while keeping it simple. We decided that **** the best way would be to **restrict ourselves to the forms of social media we enjoyed the most.** The forms that were never a chore.

So, I chose my online group, Writing for Children, and my website, Facebook page and Pinterest, my blog and newsletter. Since then, I've found that I can sustain these sites, which as Bob Mayer says, increases my digital footprint, while I'm also still able to do the important business of writing.

I say, find what you're comfortable with in terms of social media commitments and accept that that's your limit.

As for the melee of voices on marketing advice, at this stage, I like to see what they're saying and course-correct only when absolutely necessary.

It's a matter of survival. Sanity. Yours. Mine.

'Til next time,

Keep smiling!

Yvette Carol

<http://yvettecarol.com/>

### Express Yourself

### by Krista McLaughlin

One of the things I've struggled with the most is marketing. I don't like spamming people and screaming at them, "BUY MY BOOK!" There are two types of marketing with publishing: product and personal. When a reader buys your book, they also get a glimpse of the author. I wanted to share a few things I learned about expressing yourself online.

1. _Be yourself._

Don't be afraid to admit you like chocolate, binge watch Disney channel shows on Netflix, or quote Star Trek. Connect with your readers and find out what things you have in common. It builds a relationship between the reader and author.

2. _Share a little about what you're working on._

I always love when one of my favorite authors gives me a hint about what's to come or asks an opinion about a character name or shares teasers.

3. _NEVER take out your frustration on your readers._

Your readers are the people who support your coffee or peanut butter cup addiction when you're writing. There's a line between being honest and open and being rude. Don't insult them. Treat your readers with respect, even when you're upset. Vent to your family/friends, not online. You're in the public eye and want to give a positive image. It's okay to share flaws or failures, but not take out your frustration.

4. _Reach out to others!_

Whether you are talking to readers or other authors, use social media for branching out! Support other authors, celebrate their successes, and meet new people. Some of the best conversations I've had with other writers were about Middle Earth, hairy butts, and our mutual love of certain Star Trek characters. Express yourself, but use discretion and have fun! Marketing is not only about your book; it's about you too.

_Krista McLaughlin self-published her novella_ Breathless _this year, loves caramel lattes and Star Trek, and blogs at_

__<http://kjmclaughlin.com>

### Marketing Your E-book

### by Dean K. Miller

The self/indie published E-book market gets more and more crowded every day. How do you make your title stand out and draw readers to purchase your hard work? Below are a few ideas that can help.

1. **Have killer cover art.** Potential readers take less than 5 seconds to browse new titles. Your cover must catch their eye, convey the story's tone, style, and genre with enough panache to get them to follow through and investigate. Also, it has to do this with a thumbnail sized image. This is the most important thing to get right.

2. **Demonstrate your expertise.** Take time to show your potential readers you know what you are writing about. Review top books in your genre, guest blog on sites that your readers frequent. Provide valuable content and respond to them with sincerity. Show them the "true you" to build trust and confidence in you. Work to convince their decision to be "How can I not buy this book?" versus "Why should I buy this book?"

3. **Start early.** Most likely you've spent months, if not longer crafting your work of excellence (because you wouldn't market anything but your best, right?) Send readers/fans early chapters for comment. Include them (and others) in the initial cover design. Offer incentives/pre-sale copies as thanks for feedback. Include "deleted" chapters, etc. to make them feel appreciated and generate interest. Get them talking about your book well before its launch.

4. **Join forces with similar genre authors.** Nothing says confidence than authors joining together to promote their work. If three authors believe in each other's work enough to promote it in a package deal, readers will believe in them as well. Your fellow genre authors are not your competition. They are your teammates. Success for them is success for the genre of which you are a part. Utilize fellow authors' talents to build a stronger brand within the genre.

5. **Have several choices of quality content.** The other important part of this puzzle is to have more than one or two offerings available for your readers. If they like your work, they'll want more. Don't leave them wanting and then have them walk away. Wait until you can release two or three pieces in close succession to keep them interested and coming back.

Dean K. Miller's first book "And Then I Smiled: Reflections on a Life Not Yet Complete" reached 8 countries, international waters, and 28 U.S. states within 3 months of its release date.

<http://deankmiller.com>

### 5 Steps to Find Your Book's Ideal Audience

### by Feather Stone

Recently, I attended the writers convention in Calgary, Alberta. There I met Angela Ackerman, an author, marketer, and administrator of the award-winning writer's resource blog, **Writers Helping Writers.** Her upbeat energy and welcoming smile drew me in to risk another disappointing connection. Over the past several weeks, I've been overwhelmed with her professionalism and enthusiasm to help other writers.

I received her article "5 Steps to Find Your Book's Ideal Audience". Up until today, I have floundered with this critically important endeavor. Thanks to Angela, I can now map out a plan and look forward to (1) connecting with people who will enjoy my novel, and (2) see my sales record go through Amazon's roof.

In summary, here is what **Writers Helping Writers** recommends:

1. Know what makes your book special. Move beyond just genre. What themes or elements are unique about your book? What are the strongest qualities about your hero or heroine that make them likeable? What concept makes your book pop?

2. Make a list of groups that tie into this element. You can find these groups on Twitter (hashtag), Facebook, blogs.

3. Identify possible influencers and opportunities. You want to find several groups or blogs that offer content to their readers that would also appeal to your readers.

4. Connect and engage. You need to connect. Interact. Join conversations. Discuss your own collection, the books you read, the movies you watch. Talk to people, find out more about them. Talk about life. Ask questions. Be genuine. Add to the conversation, supply links to things you think others will find interesting connected to your novel's themes. Build relationships.

5. Create book events that draw in your reading audience. **The trick is to create an event that utilizes Social Media well, and draws the attention of the right people: people most suited to enjoy our book.** Unfortunately this has been made harder because of all the "White Noise" of online promotion out there. So, the task is up to us to WOW people enough that they take notice, and don't dismiss the event as more "book promotion." **When you create your event, keep your theme or special element in mind. Build around it.**

I believe the key word is that the author needs to make connections, **GENUINE CONNECTIONS**. People know when you're just trying to sweet talk them into buying your book. Doesn't work. The second point is that this takes time and energy. Sooner, or later, your professional marketing plan will begin to snowball.

Writers Helping Writers Bookstore: I have purchased one of Angela's books, **The Emotion Thesaurus: A Writer's Guide to Character Expression** and she has two more that I'll be purchasing: **The Positive Trait Thesaurus** and **The Negative Trait Thesaurus**.

Feather Stone, Author

<http://featherstoneauthor.blogspot.com/>

### How to Master Marketing Through Social Media

### by Pat Hatt

The first thing you hear, as they beat it into you ear to ear, you need to market a ton. But personally I say that leads to no fun. You spend your time stretched thin and you can market twenty-four hours a day, but you are never going to win. And why is that? Because you look like a dirty, hole-filled, worn out doormat.

You can do Linkedin, Facebook, Blogs, Author Sites, More Blogs, Goodreads and Twitter and act like a Babe Ruth type hitter. You may even break the record for the most followers on everything when you put it together. But guess what? It's a storm you aren't going to be able to weather.

You will stretch yourself so thin that Weight Watchers will want you to give modeling for them a spin. The drain on you will be a ton. And again, you will have no fun. Plus, you will have no time to do what you really want to do. What's that? Make another great story come due. That is why so many pack it in, because they think they need to promote fifty ways from Sunday to win. Guess what? You do not and you can forgo looking like a robot.

People can tell if you are just phoning it in. They can tell if your eyes are drooping down to your chin. Why would they ever buy a book from someone who can't take the time to enjoy their promotion? So in other words, you get an instant demotion. The other guy who just uses Twitter becomes the next heavy hitter. You may have more Twitter followers and you've got Facebook followers by the ton. But it all comes back to people finding you are just no fun.

Marketing is a pain in the butt no matter what story, product, or thingy magigy you are trying to sell. It can be downright as annoying as Hell. Stretching yourself too thin is only going to make marketing that much worse to take for a spin. So stop with the "you need to be everywhere" and just take a breath and say you will get there.

Now, focus on one or two places. Then you are off to the races. Instead of having Facebook, Twitter, and this or that. Pick Twitter and just interact. Your followers will see you enjoy it because you have time for it and so begins a pact. The trust will build between them and you and then let another come due. Be a perfect time for a newsletter after you have their trust. But again, nothing is a must. The only must is you must do something to market or your book will never sell. You decide what works and ring that bell. If blogging works for you, go with that. If Facebook works, gain a following and chew the fat.

By the same token though, you must know when to give something the heave ho. If you enjoy Facebook but it does not work one bit, time to leave that be and try Twitter or something else to make your book a hit. Or it is time to change your Facebook plan to meet your goal. Do not just sit there and dig yourself a deeper hole.

Have fun with how you market, engage and they will come. Do not become another robot who just wants people to kiss your bum. Perception is key and if you have no glee, you are already doomed from the start. Enjoy, engage and speak from the heart, it will shine through and once you master one, then move on to marketing spot number two.

Pat Hatt, Children's Book and Fantasy Author

<http://rhymetime24.blogspot.com>

### DIY Creation & Promotion for a Music Album

### by Trisha Farnan

I've written twelve novels so far, but I haven't published any of them. With all these novels, I'm still at the editing stage. So I haven't had experience with publishing, whether it be DIY or traditional. Nor have I had experience with book promotion and marketing. But I do have some experience with publication of a sort—in July 2013 my band released its debut album. I wrote those songs, so I guess you could say I _am_ a published writer in one sense.

In 2011 I met Billy, a fellow Smashing Pumpkins fan who had heard some of my cover songs and loved my voice. He wanted me to contribute vocals to some of his songs. I informed him that I also had songs, if he was interested. He was. And so our little band was born.

It didn't take long for us to start planning albums. _Actual_ albums, complete with color booklets and jewel casings. We had both dreamed about it for years, and now it was an actual plan. But of course making an _actual album_ requires more than just creating music. There's a lot of... "other stuff" you have to do.

To be honest, I don't know much about that "other stuff"—the business side of music production. Billy, bless him, read all the interminably long legal documents and made all the required phone calls to "the man" (e.g. the folks at DiscMakers). He sorted out how to get my copies of the physical CDs shipped to me in the cheapest possible way. He set up our website, and did all the promo write-ups and updates on there and on Facebook.

So what did I do? I created our Facebook page in the first place. I maintained our presence on Last.fm. I posted on my blog ten days before the album's release, and again on the day of its release.

In short, I didn't do much at all.

Over a year has passed since our debut album was released, and looking back I really don't feel we did the whole "marketing" thing right. We did a fair bit, I guess, particularly Billy, but I think next time there are at least some things we can do differently, and better. For instance, we probably should _pay_ for some advertising. And for my part, I should probably arrange a blog tour of sorts, to help promote the music. I've helped out many of my fellow artists with their blog tours, and have seen how effective it can be.

Most importantly, I think, I need to stop being so damn shy about shouting out: "I am a musician and I helped create this _actual album_ full of songs! And really, I think it's quite good. I hope you like it, too!"

Someday I will have to be brave enough to do all this with my novels as well. I do intend to self-publish, and I do want my novels to find their way to readers who will enjoy them.

Wish me luck.

Trisha Farnan writes, reads, draws, blogs (at WORD+STUFF), sings, travels, and sometimes does other stuff too.

<http://twfwordstuff.blogspot.com.au/>

### Making a Difference

### by Tara Tyler

This article is about putting yourself out there once you're published. The dreaded marketing that writers never signed up for.

I have tried many things, but it's a very slow process. Every new person who finds out about your book(s) will hopefully pass it along. But you have to get out there! So far, I've done book events in Georgia, Michigan, West Virginia, and Ohio. I also did some unconventional marketing while on vacation, leaving fun swag items here and there. So here are some tips for marketing:

  * Go out and spread your good news! The more you tell, the more fans you'll find.
  * Have swag to give away—good stuff people will remember you by. Food is great, but gone quickly and forgotten. The best items are useful things that might actually stick around, like:

  * Post-it notes, notepads
  * pens
  * jewelry
  * bookmarks
  * bags
  * cups

  * My unconventional swag are frisbees, flying monster/beast toys, slide whistles, and footballs—all with my book title on them—try to have swag that goes with the book.
  * Actively seek reviewers—ask around! The worst they can say is no.
  * Put your book on a reader's list like: Ereader News Daily, Bookbub, or the Fussy Librarian.
  * Be creative and inventive. One of my editors is into video experimentation and is always trying new ways to promote his book on YouTube. I am thinking of getting a karaoke machine to strum up business at my next con. We'll see if I actually do it!
  * There are so many ways to market! I can't list them all, but here's one more subtle way I'm trying to get noticed as a writer. I've made some writer buttons. You can be your own personal advertisement without saying a word!

Keep plugging! There's an audience waiting to read your books!

Tara Tyler, author

<http://taratylertalks.blogspot.com>

### Advertising–Promoting–Marketing

### by K. E. Nowinsky

Recently I read a post from an author who seemed discouraged. After publishing his work, he was worried because no one was buying his book. He had self-published and was expecting quick sales (as we all have done). Unlike traditionally published authors, self-published authors have a lot more work ahead of them after writing their manuscripts. We might have software to help us throughout such decisions as formatting, editing, and book covers. But, we don't have individualized teams helping us through this process, let alone the rest of the work to be done after publishing our work.

After you have finished tormenting yourself with edits and formatting, self-published authors have to decide on a book cover. Either you can go with the robot fabricated covers through your provider (I published through Amazon, so Createspace has covers to pick through). You can also upload a cover, which you have to figure out the dimensions and so forth. If you are lucky and you have money to put out on a book cover, you have to do your research and communicate with the artist. Once the cover is out of the way, you get the rush and excitement of sending your work out into the world. It's alive!

During all this time, I have noticed other authors really engaging their readers and supporters by posting and sharing with them through this journey. Then, once your book is live, now the time consumption begins. If you haven't already, get involved in your genre's groups out there in the internet land (Facebook, Google+, Goodreads, etc.). Be careful, though; don't overdo it all in one sitting. Groups and moderators take offense when you are straight-up pimping your work. This process takes time and cultivation. During this process you also can gain insight into tips and tricks from other authors, writers, and bloggers. Again, if you have money, booking tours, blasts and blitzes are a crucial step towards increased sales within the self-publishing realm.

Beware when promoting your work! Especially on your personal social media links. If you are making 20 promotional postings about your book, chances are people are going to start ignoring you. This is dangerous because when you do have something really exciting to share (don't get me wrong, your book is definitely exciting) people will dismiss it or glance right by your posts. I fell into this trap when I first started out. I was trying to post to various forums and groups in mass messages. I learned the hard way, read the rules and suggestions of the groups and forums before posting. Sometimes they have a specific schedule for self-promotions. There are plenty of self-promoting sites, though, so don't worry.

Another great way to get some street cred is with street teams, interviews, and reviews. Street teams are individuals that specifically help you to promote your work. I'm still working on my team, currently I have nearly 10 regular Twitter followers who retweet my tweets for me. Interviews are great—my first interview I was contacted for the interview and was both nervous and excited. Reviews are a **must** , especially for us Amazon self-published authors. I don't think there is anything wrong with asking everyone you know to leave a review. Most blog tours state that reviewers (those reviewing your book) should leave reviews in various different places (that helps). Share, post, pin and tweet the link and ask for reviews. There are a lot of blogs out there that will review for free, sometimes you just have to make the effort to contact them to inquire about their availability.

After you publish your work, Createspace gives you various marketing advice. Some is free and most you have to pay for. They have great links with valuable information about advertising, promoting, and marketing. I know a lot of authors do amazing things like swag bags and giveaways to help promote their books. You can go to Cafepress, Vistaprint, and Etsy to start navigating your way through the swag universe. Who doesn't love to win things?! These are great marketing tools. You can create great gear to share and give away that is both advertising your product, promoting your brand, and marketing through extended networking. Most importantly, put yourself out there, connect with your target audience, and have fun!

K.E. Nowinsky is a closeted late blooming self-published author and blogger with a creative mind that won't shut down even in her dreams.

<http://goingoffdreams.blogspot.com/>

### How to Help Readers Discover Your Book

### by Quanie Miller

I recently ran across the blog of an author who was having trouble marketing her book. In her blog post, she said something along the lines of, "I don't do much marketing. I kind of just put the book out there, don't publicize it, write something else, and then say to myself 'I'll do better next time.'"

I thought about that for a while. Though I'm no psychologist, something tells me that this author is purposefully sabotaging herself. Hey, it happens. We don't want to finish our novel, so we clean the dishes instead. We're afraid of what our beta readers are going to think, so we lollygag on that last chapter longer than necessary, or go back to the beginning, obsessing over every little word, never really finishing the darn thing because we're afraid of being judged.

Or, we'll have a perfectly fine novel, but we don't do our due diligence at marketing ourselves.

"But, Quanie," you say, "I'm no marketing expert! All I want to do is write and I don't have a budget to hire somebody! So you see, it's really not my fault that nobody, not even my closest friends, knows about my novel!"

Yes, it is, and I'll tell you why: your writing career is your responsibility. I'm assuming that if you wrote a novel, you wrote the best novel you could possibly write, so you owe it to yourself and your potential fans to get the word out about your story. And besides, who says you need a huge marketing budget to promote your novel? Does it help? Sure. Is it necessary? Absolutely not.

Here are a few tips:

1. Pick your poison: Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest. Pick one (or two), learn how to maximize it, and start networking. Avoid overloading on the "buy my book" posts/tweets like the plague and start making genuine connections. Help other authors promote their books and you'll be surprised how quickly others will be willing to return the favor for you.

2. Start blogging. Yes, I know. You don't _want_ to blog, and you can name a ton of successful authors who don't touch the stuff, but this is a great way to connect with other authors, readers, and reviewers. Whatever it is you're going to blog about, make sure the content is interesting enough to draw readers in and make them want to share the content.

3. Get on Goodreads. Yesterday. Join some of the review groups and offer some free copies of your book in exchange for a review.

4. Organize a blog tour. If you don't have the time or plain ole just don't feel like doing it yourself, hire someone to do it.

5. Guest post on another author's blog to reach readers outside of your normal circle.

6. Tell people you wrote a book. Yes, I know: for some reason you're treating your novel like it's the world's best kept secret, but people can't buy a book that they don't know exists. Besides, once your family/friends/coworkers realize you wrote a book they'll probably be impressed and will tell everyone that they know a real life published author. And there is nothing like free, word of mouth marketing.

7. Get some bookmarks and business cards made with your book cover and your social media info. And don't be shy to casually mention you wrote a book! The conversation might go something like this:

"It looks like it's going to rain."

"Oh? Did I tell you I wrote a book?" Bam: hand out the bookmark. Easy peazy.

8. If you have a physical copy of your book, leave a few copies with your hair stylist. If she double books like the stylists I know, her clients will be there until kingdom come: why not help them discover your book while they wait? It also wouldn't hurt to ask the stylist if you could leave a few bookmarks on her workstation. It's worth a shot!

9. Make a book cover flyer with your social media info and buy links and post them at local coffee shops.

10. Got some wiggle room in your marketing budget? You might want to consider paid advertisement (Goodreads, Bookbub, etc).

There are many ways to market a novel, and if you've taken the time to write the best book you can possibly write, why not do everything you can to promote yourself? Is there a chance that you could publish your novel and, with little-to-no marketing, experience J.K. Rowling-like success? Sure, but it's highly unlikely since most authors have to be diligent about helping readers discover their books. If you're serious about your writing, you'll be willing to put in the work it takes to have a stellar career, because after all, Rome wasn't built in a day. And neither is an author's platform.

Quanie Miller writes paranormal novels and romantic comedies.

<http://quanietalkswriting.com>

### An Introvert's Guide to Book Marketing

### by Gina Drayer

I've shared several stories about my personal journey of writing and publishing my first book, but I haven't talked much about marketing.

As a self-published author, marketing falls squarely on my shoulders. I have no "team" out there trying to sell my book.

The funny thing about authors marketing their book is a lot of us are introverts by nature. It's hard to say "buy my book!" to my own friends and family, let alone strangers. I did the obligatory social media post announcing my book, but after that I kept my mouth shut. I didn't want to be THAT writer. You know, the one who never shuts up about their book and is always asking you to buy it.

I can tell you from experience that it wasn't the best marketing plan.

So what is an introverted writer to do?

After I figured out that people weren't going to buy my book if I didn't at least talk about it, I changed my plan. I've paid for advertising. I tried blog tours. I did some discount days with Amazon. I tweeted (sparingly). I even did some book swaps on goodreads.com. I'd like to tell you that I found the magic key, but most of what I did was a crap shoot. There wasn't one thing that worked better for me than others. Slowly, people have shared my books. I've seen modest sales. Nothing to really brag about.

But I do have a tip to share.

I'm not a marketing expert (as you might have guessed), but I am an avid reader. And as a reader, **I find a lot of my books by word of mouth and by chance.** Marketing is about increasing word of mouth to sell your books. You need to talk, tweet, blog, and promote your books. But that leaves out the second part of how people find books... **A good number of your readers will find your book by happen-chance**. (And then hopefully share!)

Equally important in any marketing plan is a plan for Discoverability. If you're not a known name, people have to find your book. It's all about branding so people can find it on their own. That's why when asked about marketing, I tell people this:

Make sure your book is in the right category.

Not only should your category relate to your book, you should also look at the "competition" within that category. What I mean by that is how crowded is the category. Take my book for instance. I could easily shelve my book in Urban Fantasy, a category with 31,000 other books. I moved my book to Supernatural Mystery (only 5,000 books listed). The difference equates to sales.

When my book was ranked in both Genre Fiction/Mashups and Mystery/Supernatural, I sold a lot more. Since losing that coveted top 100 spot in Mystery, my sales have slowed.

Why do the categories make that big of a difference? While I can't speak for all readers, I find books from Amazon by category. When I finish a book I liked, I'll often want to read a similar book. One way I do this is going to the book's Amazon page and looking at its categories. Usually after scrolling the first 50 or so books in that category, I find one that I like.

This is how categories should work. But the ranking is all important. That's why finding a less crowded category, that still describes your book, is KEY to discoverability.

Good luck everyone. Keep writing!

Gina Drayer, author

<http://ginadrayer.com/>

### Don't Sell Yourself Short

### by Heather M. Gardner

This writing / publishing gig has to be one of the weirdest, ironic, frightening, whiplash-inducing, careers that anyone could have tried to break into.

Writers, by nature and definition, are lone creatures. We lurk in the dark. We observe more than participate. We can sit and stare at a blank wall, writing pages of dialogue in our heads, while others think we're daydreaming.

What we don't do? Brag.

Suddenly, our dreams come true. We get noticed by the Universe and we get a publishing contract.

You know what's expected of us now?

Self-promotion.

*Gasp*

The horror!

Yes, we are expected to have our own social media platform with which to launch our "awesome" selves into the marketing stratosphere and tell the world how wonderful we are, because we wrote the next big [insert amazing genre here].

Yeah, right.

Typing "The End" was hard enough, but saying, "Buy my book," is actual torture.

Truly, there's no other choice. No one can sell our books better than we can. Yes, it's out of our comfort zone. Yes, it sucks.

But, watching while our "baby" suffers, unread and unloved for the rest of its life, is going to suck ten times worse.

So, in all the craziness and hype that is the marketing / publishing machine, we must stick our foot in the door, clear our throats, find our voices, and announce that our book ROCKS the most, so everyone better buy it.

We can't stop there, either. Rooftops, cafe's, universities, libraries, campgrounds, think-tanks, chess clubs, church groups. They all need to know about our books and the only way they will, is if we tell them.

I can't promise that it will get any easier. I can't promise that all our hard work will pay off.

What can I promise?

Self-promotion is a necessary evil.

What happens if you don't do it?

Absolutely nothing.

Heather M. Gardner, author of The Maguire's Corner series

<http://hmgardner.blogspot.com>

### Launch Day Mnemonics

### by Roland Clarke

Having struggled through a frantic first book launch, I need to avoid a repeat performance. So this handy name mnemonic–memory device helps recall some of the key elements. Using the first letter of each element spells TROUP, as in Bobby Troup, composer of "Get Your Kicks on Route 66"—play any recording to remember.

**Time** : make sure time is on your side. Schedule enough time for the key elements. Good timing ensures that you're not going crazy on launch day because something hasn't been done.

**Reviews** : finding reviewers and giving them Time to read your book is essential. Avoid having all your reviews appear after the launch.

**Originality** : Look for a unique angle for your book launch—be original. Go beyond interviewing your characters, invite their alter-egos to the launch in costume. Organization is also needed to ensure success, but that comes with Time. As for the Orchestra, you only book that for a stadium launch.

**Unforeseen** : Prepare for the unforeseen, things that creep up at the last minute, goodies held up in the post, guest speaker from Idaho arrested for giving his wife too small a box of chocolates.

**Profile** : By Profile I don't mean Platform—that should be paved well before the journey. Check that all your profiles on social media, your website, Goodreads, Amazon Author Central, etcetera are all up-to-date with the same text and photographs. As for the Launch Day Party, who is going to forget that?

Roland Clarke, author

<http://rolandclarke.com/>

### Five Tips on Marketing Your Novel

### by Beverly Stowe McClure

I've tried many different ways to market my books through the years, none of them especially successful. So why am I writing this article? Well, they said they already had a lot of articles on "Writing," and I know nothing about "Publishing," which leaves "Marketing." Since my current methods of marketing are pitiful, let's take a look at what I hope to do this coming year, instead of what I've done in the past.

One: I will continue to do a Cover Reveal on my blog for a new book and also ask other authors for their help spreading the word. Aren't authors wonderful? They're always so supportive. Character interviews are fun too, as are author guest posts. Nothing new there.

Two: Something new I hope to try this year is finding blogs, magazines, You Tube and other places where I can get acquainted with my audience—children and/or teens—and parents, teachers and others who buy books for young readers. Of course, I have the big three: Facebook, Google+ and Twitter. I can't honestly say they've helped my sales, maybe a little, but not as much as I had hoped.

Three: Do you have a Media Kit? I do, but I plan to make a new one with the help of one of my publishers who is going to show her authors what exactly we need in our kit.

Four: The past few years I was caregiver for my husband and very seldom left him alone, so I did nothing at the schools. This year, I've made brochures for my programs and workshops, and hope to do a few school visits and leave books, and hopefully get orders for more from the students, but mostly I want to have fun with the boys and girls. My writing means more to me than just an income.

Five: Probably the best marketing is word-of-mouth, which is hard for me. I hope to do better this year. The greatest success I've had came from recommendations of my books by another author. When she listed my historical novel, along with other books she recommended, in one of her novels, I saw my sales at Amazon spike.

These are some ideas I'm trying this year. What works for one writer might not work for another, but remember, never give up. The main goal with my writing and marketing is to have fun. I hope you do too.

Beverly Stowe McClure, author of stories for children and teens.

<http://beverlystowemcclure.blogspot.com/>

### Hot-Topic Marketing

### by Kim Van Sickler

I am still in the early stages of promoting my debut novel, _Snatched in Gullybrook_ , but the reasons I chose to publish my fourth manuscript first, and publish it on my own now rather than wait any longer to land an agent or a publisher, were based in large part on my hot-button topic and my plan to tap into organizations that combat sex trafficking.

My book is a fictional account of domestic minor sex trafficking from the perspective of three victims. These factors alone make the book different from almost everything on the market already. I've shopped the book around for a year and know it's good. Readers either couldn't get through it because of the intense subject matter or couldn't put it down. But agents and editors were squeamish. Over and over again I heard how "edgy" the book was. My targeted professionals backed away from it. At the same time, I was encouraged by a university professor to get it published already so she could put it on her reading list for her massive open online course on human trafficking. She claims it is the best account of domestic minor sex trafficking she's ever seen. Even if it is "fiction."

So I took the leap. I self-published with CreateSpace, the self-publishing arm of Amazon.com. I made sure that the manuscript I submitted had been edited and vetted ad nauseum. That the cover art was dynamic, professional, and captured the essence of the story within.

Now that the book is published, I'm hooking up with human trafficking organizations and traveling to human trafficking conferences where I distribute and sell copies of my book. I'm putting myself out there as an author speaker in the sex trafficking industry, for the local library, online via a new website, and also SCBWI's website. I've created an author bio on Goodreads and entered five copies of my book in a Goodreads Giveaway that garnered more than 1000 entrants. Every time I hear how much someone loves my book, I invite them to tell others, in person and online, and to discuss it in their book groups.

Invitations are beginning to come in from new contacts to promote my "edgy" book. Hopefully my stiletto heel of a fan base will continue to grow. It's a process—one that will take time, patience, and continued hard work to expand. That's okay. I'll be here.

Kim Van Sickler, author of Snatched in Gullybrook

<http://swaggerwriters.blogspot.com/>

### Staying Up-to-Date

### by Michael Abayomi

Since the advent of the ebook revolution, the publishing industry has faced more challenges than at any other time in its history. The big publishing houses and small presses alike have been forced to reevaluate their place in the supply chain between readers and writers.

Writers can now choose to bypass the so-called gatekeepers of traditional publishing, by self-publishing their books through platforms like Amazon's KDP, or by having those books distributed to several platforms at a time by an e-distributor like Smashwords.

But there is a tradeoff; choosing to self-publish your book means that its success rests upon your shoulders alone. You would not only need to write the book, but ensure that it is properly edited, proofread and marketed too. Some of these activities, like editing and book cover design, can be outsourced to skilled professionals, but the chance remains that you would need to address the issue of marketing, to ensure that your book reaches its audience.

The digital publishing marketplace is constantly evolving. What might seem like a surefire way for you to reach readers today might not be so sure tomorrow. As a result, there is a need to keep informed about the latest developments and marketing strategies. What follows is a list of my favorite blogs and forums for staying up-to-date about such changes:

A Newbies Guide to Publishing

http://jakonrath.blogspot.com

Let's Get Digital

http://davidgaughran.wordpress.com

Kboards Writers' Café

<http://kboards.com/index.php?board=60.0>

Nathan Bransford

<http://blog.nathanbransford.com>

Dean Wesley Smith

<http://deanwesleysmith.com>

These websites cover more than just marketing strategies; they include information on just about everything you need to know about writing and publishing. They also serve as great places to connect with fellow writers, much like the IWSG. And although writing can be considered a solitary affair, it is these writers' communities that make us feel less alone.

Michael Abayomi, author of the epic fantasy series, Guardians & The Lost Paradise.

<http://michaelabayomi.com/>

### Is Promotion for the Squeamish?

### by Jessica Ferguson

Promotion: We hate it. We love it. And really, we can't get enough of it. We have Facebook parties, blog tours and interviews and we design/pay for book trailers. There's nothing we won't do to sell the books we've put heart and soul into. But remember, we have to promote our name, as well. When you really think about it, promotion—marketing ourselves and our books—takes courage.

Regardless of where you are in this publishing business, it's never foolish or too soon to be jotting down ideas and making marketing plans. You should have a marketing file where you record promotional ideas as they hit you.

When my first book **** hit the stands, I wasn't very prepared. Here are some things I did and a few things I wish I'd done. You'll see I'm from the old school. I still put a lot of emphasis on old methods—bookmarks, in-store book signings, connecting face to face with readers. Maybe some of my old methods will appeal to you

  * **Mailed press releases and promo kits to newspapers.** Press releases should be at the very top of your To Do list. You should mail/email a press release to every small magazine in your surrounding area. What's your book about? Are there any clubs or support groups that would be interested in knowing about your book? If you're writing a mystery using a scrapbooking character, of course you'll want to send info about your book to every scrapbooking store and club in the area. This kind of niche marketing will get you attention in ways you can't imagine, including speaking engagements.
  * **Private parties are great**. My family hosted a private book signing and 300 people—lifelong friends, classmates, distant relatives, church buddies, wandered through and bought a copy of my book. A local bookseller was seated at the front door while I perched in the corner of the room autographing and chatting. Remember to take a break from your signing so you can visit with your guests.
  * **Spoke to civic organizations and writers' groups.** Right now, stop and make a list of friends (connections) who belong to different organizations in your area—retired teachers groups, newcomer's clubs, etc. Every city has a Newcomer's Club, an organization all new-to-the-area women join. Check your yellow pages or chamber of commerce to see if your city has one. They usually meet once a month for lunch and they have a speaker. You need to be the speaker for the month your book hits the stands. Don't forget to have a door prize—usually a basket of goodies connected to your book in some way.
  * **Class reunions and alumni magazines.** Alumni magazines love telling the success stories of former students. They see your success as theirs.
  * **Area/Regional/State Libraries** : Send your press material/speaking topics to these places. Many libraries bring in speakers—that would be you. Payment is usually slim to none, but they often give a modest honorarium.
  * **Chamber of Commerce**. Make being a local author a big deal. You might publish your first chapter in pamphlet form for tourists to pick up and take with them. Include a picture, a bio, and website info.
  * **Outgoing Mail:** Every piece of mail that leaves your house should contain a bookmark inside and a stamp of your cover or release date on the outside of the envelope. You want every person who handles that piece of mail to be informed about your title and your name.
  * **Eating out?** Every tip you leave in restaurants should be coupled with a bookmark. Believe me, servers are readers too!

See, I told you I'm from the old school, but I feel many of these ideas can be tweaked for your use. I wish you the best of luck in marketing your name and your stories. And don't forget, there's an entire phone book at your fingertips. Got any ideas?

Jessica Ferguson is the author of The Last Daughter, a novella, and blogs at

<http://jessyferguson.blogspot.com>

### Review Copies: Free or Not to Free?

### by Elizabeth Mueller

So a dear friend of mine has this burning question. A question I had to figure out myself a while back—maybe I'm a bit stingy, but that's for you to figure out for your own marketing plan. Let me know what you think.

Friend: Hey, I have a question. When someone says they want to review your book, do you wait for them to purchase it, or do you send them free copies?

Me: Your concern is a tricky thing, and it brings up a thought: first of all, if you're going to go with a publisher that provides ARCS or the first 20 copies free, then find your reviewers and send it off to them. If you are through a small publisher and you must purchase your own copies, I would set a budget for marketing NOW! I didn't know to do that and I've spent so much on sending people swag (stuff we all get). Ugh...

Sometimes people will say, "I want to review your book, how much is it? I will also purchase one to give away." While many will say, "Could you please donate a copy for giveaways?" I usually giveaway ebooks! But during the holidays I was feeling mighty generous and agreed to doing many hardcopy giveaways.

If I were you, say something like this if it's something you feel comfortable with: "Sure, I'd love for you to review it, but as of now, I'm only providing ecopies. I would like if you could please post your review on Goodreads, Amazon, Barnes and Nobles" (wherever your book is at). If it's nowhere yet, I would hold off a bit.

BUT! I would first give this person a short summary of your book and say, "Is this something you'll enjoy reading?" You do NOT want to send your baby to someone who hates your genre and only loves historicals. Make SURE they enjoy that genre first. Another thing is to start looking for published authors who will endorse your book—not someone like your neighbor who may only have credentials in plumbing. LOL

So that is the end of my reply.

If you're an aspiring author, it doesn't hurt to create a plan now! What do you think yours will look like? How have you been handling review requests?

Elizabeth Mueller published Darkspell YA Paranormal Romance in 2011 and has 9 other books in the works and more in the making.

<http://elizabethmueller.blogspot.com/>

### Top Ten Marketing Tips for Your Ebook

### by Jacqui Murray

Who has time to do everything we all should do to promote our new novel? If you're like me, you're lucky to shoehorn it between writing the next book and working a full-time job. No worries. I've compiled a list of the ten most important tasks you need to accomplish.

My top ten tips on marketing your book:

1. Spend a few minutes a day working on the cover bio — "He divides his time between Kabul and Tierra del Fuego." But then get back to the work of writing. (credit: Roddy Doyle)

2. When do you start marketing? When you run out of words to write in your book.

3. Nothing says "marketing" like spray-and-pray: Post to blogs, Twitter, Pinterest, FB, LinkedIn. Comment on other people's blogs, tweets, FB stream, LinkedIn discussions. Do this a lot!

4. Marketing is like Groundhog Day. Every morning, wake up and do everything under #3. And then repeat.

5. The key to marketing: Get to the part quickly where readers give a s***. They don't like to waste time.

6. Marketing is baby steps. Doing something—(see #3 and #4)—anything—lessens the panic of wondering "What the f*** do I do now?"

7. If speaking nicely about yourself feels like choking on a chicken bone, get over it. It's like the Heimlich maneuver—it must be done or your book will die.

8. When trying a new marketing approach, be a tad on the wildly optimistic side.

9. Who hasn't found a room s/he can't dominate? Pick that room. Share your good news.

10. The shortest distance between two people is a good laugh. Remember that when you're marketing.

Jacqui Murray, author

<http://worddreams.wordpress.com/>

### Easy, Free and Low Cost Book Trailers and Graphics

### by H.J. Blenkinsop

For many of us, developing video editing or graphic art skills to promote our books on social media is enough to make our heads spin. However, whether we're self-publishing or have a traditional publisher, we'll be marketing too. Here is a couple of resources for making video book trailers and social media graphics requiring absolutely no editing or graphic art skills. Even better, they're easy and quick to use, low cost, and in some cases, completely free.

Video Book Trailers

Produce a book trailer with commercially licensed music in minutes for as little as $39. Animoto have developed a set of templates into which the user slots images and text —such as a book cover and information about where to buy it.

With a free account, the user can produce non-commercial videos of 30 seconds or less, including music, for free. Here's one I did for the IWSG in just a few minutes (yours will be better of course!) As the IWSG is noncommercial I don't need a pro account to make it.

<http://animoto.com/play/zRmTZ0QNSLi448y5R7f0Xw>

Here's another example using a different template and music:

<http://animoto.com/play/y0X8GtgpyS3AogHoSTcQxw>

I can't resist, just one more:

<http://animoto.com/play/Rf4u93i5YQ0kSdCFDeCeAQ>

However, as many of us will be charging for our book—or using it as a marketing tool to promote other books written—this counts as commercial use and incurs a monthly fee of $39 for their pro account. They have a library of templates, images, video clips and music to choose from or you can upload your own.

I checked with Animoto about using their service for creating video book trailers and they confirmed that users can pay for just one month and the video they create is theirs to use forever. Just remember to cancel your subscription before the month is up. For more information go to <http://animoto.com/>

Social Media Graphics & Book Covers

Canva is a graphics site much like Animoto in that it provides easy to use templates for making graphics for your blog and social media sites. Absolutely no graphic art skills are required.

Their templates include Facebook headers, Twitter headers, blog graphics and even book covers among others. Many of their templates and graphics are free to use and all of their paid images are just $1 with no monthly subscription. If you use your own images—such as your book cover—to create your social media graphics, you can use their templates for free. Alternatively, you can use their images for a buck each.

Yes, that means you could even make a book cover for a dollar.

Another great use for these graphics is to create a signature for your emails. Just remember to make it clickable and lead to your sales page or blog.

The only downside is limited image editing—no masks or feathering, and you can't alter the image after download. That said, if you're not into Photoshop anyway, this is a great tool. For more information go to:

<https://canva.com/>

Once you have your book trailer and branded images for your social media sites, use them as part of your book launch strategy. Share them everywhere.

H.J. Blenkinsop

<http://hjblenkinsop.co.uk>

### What Not to do Marketing-Wise

### by Mark Koopmans

Today, I'm here to speak about my success in marketing. My thanks to Warden Hashtag, who suggested I share some valuable tips—for a few laughs. Warden, #ThisOneIsForYou

Let's first bandy about, nay discus, and throw some general ideas about your Novel. (For brevity, I'll assume the position (cough) that you're _not_ writing Non-Friction. Thus, everything here is for the sake of Friction.)

1. As a young, or established otter, you always want readers to come back for more. Easiest way to achieve this goal? Leave the book unfinished!

Think of a fancy novel cuisine restaurant. Their plates are big, portions are small, butt customers leave hungry for more.

However, even if your wok isn't finished, it should always be critiqued by other writers and "beater readers" (Many are online. Mine live locally and always beat the crap out of me—for wasting their time, hence the name.)

2. One of my favorite marketing tips is the actuary storyline itself.

Some consider storyline to be added baggage that takes away from the look of the book, so I ask u: Is storyline _really_ that important?

Some will say yes; to me, it's a mute point. I've found it's more important to carry a large book under one's arms than actually have something to _read._

(With Candy Crush, Angry Birds, free online slots and other intellectually stimulating movements available on the Spindle, who has the extra time?)

3. Squeaking about the look of the Book, covers are very important.

It's important (did you notice how I entertwined two "importants" in just two sentences? This itself is an important tip. Good writers know now that the knowledge they learn now—and tomorrow, too—is important. _I_ know. Do _you_ know? You know now, don't you! Ha, let's continue, shell we.)

Ah yes, Book covers. The best ones are those heavy duty plastic types found in many good prison (and pubic) librarys.

You know, the transcendental ones that are so thick it's hard to even read the title. Your bookshelf will have a uniform look that will make the hardest nail of a guard crack a smile, instead of a lemur.

4. Make sure you have a good editor.

They're great resorts for when you write peaces like this one, only I created this myself this time.

(Don't worry, I'm a trained professional writing on a closed ciruit.)

Heaving an editor is important not only for the counting of words, but for the grammer and puckutuation, too.

5. And finally, pricing. I see a lot of books priced at various pricing. Which is great and all, but to me, a good book is worth nothing less than $20. It's a clean, neat fissure and there's no need to buy one of those little "give a penny, take a penny" plastic holders.

6. PS... The photo on the back of the book, and the author bio are useful for deflecting negative criticism, when the usual one of two people do not understand the greatness of what they carry under their arms.

I suggest pulling random pictures on Instirgram (a man's picture for a guy writer makes it easier) and bio information can be cut and plastered from Myspace. (No one'e ever on there anymore.)

7. And finally, whatever you do, don't wear a coconut bra and grass skirt... unless you can pull the fashion move off.

Mark Koopmans

__<http://markkoopmans.blogspot.com/>
