Conferences – Spend Your Money Wisely!

Conferences – to go or not to go? That is the questions. The answer isn’t simple. In the short time I’ve been writing, I’ve attended several events or conferences. Some I left feeling unimportant, degraded and lower than dirt, as if I was totally out of my league. What made you think you were worthy of being in the same room with BIG name authors??? That was of course after I had spent my money to attend and was promised the world only to have it all pulled away.

But then….there are some that are the epitome of what author conferences should be about. You meet other authors in the industry. Some at the same in your career as you, some that have been in the industry for years and some that are just beginning to enter into the wonderful realm of being an author. And here’s the thing, you can learn something from every one of them. Then there are the readers. Those wonderful, delightful, hilarious readers that are not shy about telling you exactly how they feel about your work. Not to mention the workshops that teaches you about your craft, the industry, the business of writing. And the networking with agents, editors, publishers—there is nothing like a good conference.

There are several that take place each year, and no, you cannot attend and should not attempt to attend all of them. You will be broke before you sell your first novel. However, you should find one or two that will fulfill your need to improve your craft, build your brand and feed your drive to write. Every conference is not for everyone and it takes a minute to find the ones that fit your needs, but once you do, the rewards are endless.

Here are three conferences that seem to be popular and please anyone that reads this post add the ones you know about in the comment section.

There’s the Romance Writers of America Conference (http://www.rwa.org/ ),

The National Black Bookclub Conference (http://www.nationalbookclubconference.com/),

The Romance Slam Jam Conference (http://www.romanceslamjam.org/ ).

Why am I talking to you about conferences? I’m glad you asked. For the last two years I’ve attended the RSJ, Romance Slam Jam Conference. The event has proven to be not only worth the reasonable fess, but it is so worth your time. The RSJ will leave you energized and ready to take on the next year of challenges, adventures, setbacks and comebacks. You will leave there with lifelong friends, new readers, mentors with wisdom and experiences to help you along your journey but most of all—you will leave there with a sense of ownership of your writing career.

To be fair, I put in a conference I no plans to attend again, one I have not attended and one I will move heaven and earth not to ever miss. You have to select the one that works for you.

Until the next time,

Iris Bolling
www.sirient.com
www.irisbolling.com

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ANNOUNCEMENT: Hello All, Dee here. I’ll be conducting a FREE eBook formatting workshop for people who are signed up for my monthly newsletter.
Topic: eBook Formatting Basics for Fiction Titles Cost: Free Date: March, 24, 2012 Time: 3-4 p.m. Central Location: Become A Successful Author Website (link and password will be given the day before the event)

Don’t have a copy of Become A Successful Author? What are you waiting for? Become A Successful Author will be used in the “How To Write That Novel” course at Chicago State because it covers everything from branding to writing to editing to formatting and uploading electronic and print books to marketing and so much more. Your time is money. Look at all the time, thus money, you’ll save by ending your search for answers: Purchase Become A Successful Author (eBook) for only $4.99 from: Amazon (US), Amazon (UK), Barnes & Noble or print copies for only $7.99 by using the Contact page of this website and tell Dee know how many copies you’d like and shipping address. She’ll email the ordering information. Or you can purchase the print version from any book store for $9.99.

The Learning Never Stops

Honing your skills as a writer is vital to the pursuit of a successful writing career. Like editing, the learning never really stops. One of the best ways to hone your writing skills is to constantly challenge yourself. Continuous learning is the key to perfecting any skill. When it comes to writing, no matter how seasoned you are, there’s always room for improvement. Many prolific writers use writing prompts to fine tune their skills.

Allow the first draft of every story to flow naturally. Do not try to disrupt the creative flow by being overly concerned about grammar, sentence structure and other technical issues. Initially, keep your focus on getting your story out. Once you’ve gotten the story out of your head and onto paper (or into your laptop) then go back and begin to shape the story into a crafty, well-written tale. This is where you first begin to challenge yourself. Examine your first draft and determine all the ways you can improve upon your story. How can you make the second version better than the first?

Read, read and then read some more. As a writer, reading is imperative. I can’t stand it when a writer says, “I don’t read.” I know that I’m won’t be interested in anything that they write since I doubt I’ll learn anything them. Even when a writer reads for entertainment, learning inadvertently happens. Staying in the realm of the written word helps to massage your writing muscles. Chose books from various genres and authors of all walks of life. Pay attention to all of the techniques other author’s use to pull you into a story. Study these elements and try to perfect them in your own work.

Writing workshops and classes are available at libraries, schools and conference centers across the country. You may even consider enrolling into an MFA program. You will be amazed by how much you can learn about yourself as a writer. Take advantage of these courses to help you hone your skill, get started on that next novel or simply find out more about the world of writing. Take a variety of courses to help you develop your skill. Whether you are a seasoned writer or just starting out, you’re bound to learn something new.

Now sit down and write something fabulous!

Renee Daniel Flagler
www.reneedanielflagler.com
www.facebook.com/ReneeDanielFlagler
www.twitter.com/ReneeFlagler
www.shebiz.net

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My Adventure as a Mainstream Author Doing Self Published ebooks: Part I

Many may ask the question, if you have a publisher, why are you doing independent ebooks? My response is why not. I love writing and have been blessed that it’s not just a hobby, it’s a career. I am the Shelia Goss corporation and I have several divisions within the Shelia Goss corporation. I treat my brand like a business and for longevity in this industry, you must do so.

For example, if this was corporate America, I would work full-time for Company A, but I also have the option to do part-time work if I want to. Working part-time for Company B doesn’t interfere with my full-time job at Company A.

Why limit yourself as an author when you can have the best of both worlds.

Other mainstream authors, such as Stephen King, J.K. Rowling and most recently, Jackie Collins are doing it as well. It’s a win for the author and for readers.

I’m glad I did it. My ebook, LOVE UNEXPECTED, has been on the Amazon Best sellers list under the multicultural romance category every day for over a year. I got readers excited about my newest ebook release, The Commitment Plan by having a contest where readers helped come up with the ebook title.

In order to succeed at doing your own ebooks, you must make sure your ebook is professionally done. Readers should not be able to tell your ebook is self-published. Your ebook should be able to stand up against traditionally published ebooks. To accomplish that, make sure your ebook has a professional edit, professional looking cover and it’s been formatted correctly so it doesn’t look crazy on the various e-readers.

When it comes to pricing, make sure your prices are competitive. There are countless of debates going on about ebook pricing. Some are in favor of higher ebook prices while others frown on it and think all ebooks should be less than $2.99 or free. My best advice to you is to play around with the price and find a price structure that works best for you and your books because what works for Author A might not work for Author B.

Having said that, here’s my personal take on ebook pricing. I try to look at things from both the author and reader’s perspective. If the mass market paperback version can be purchased from the store at $4.98, then the ebook version of that book needs to be a little lower, which averages around $2.99. As a consumer, if it’s the same price, then I would rather have the paperback version. If the paperback version sells for $9.95. I would knock $2 off and sell the ebook at $7.95.

What about those books that are straight to ebook format and are not available in print? Now this is where it gets tricky.

For short stories, the price would depend on how short. If its 5000 to 6000 words, as a consumer, I think $2.99 is too much so the most I would pay is $1.50. I don’t think that devalues the work of the short story. I’ve sold short stories to magazines in the past and you only get paid once—average $250 for the life of that story as opposed to a continuous steady income. You would still make more than the $250 selling the short story yourself at even the low price of 99 cents.

If it’s a full length novel, and its new, maybe do an introductory price at a lower rate, but I think your regular price shouldn’t be lower than $4.99 for a full length novel.

Well, some may say, “Your novels that you have available as ebooks are $2.99.” True. Why? Because they are older novels that I re-released as ebooks. My newer books are with a traditional publisher.

I opted to do both traditional publishing as well as do my independent projects. I like to write short stories and have found my niche in that area. I also like having my older novels available to readers who only read ebooks and may not have ever read any Shelia Goss books.

The bonus, selling my ebooks independently has brought in a steady monthly income. I have the 1099 to prove it.

My journey is not every author’s journey. If you decide to try it, put forth your best effort. Stop back by next month when I share my experience with using the Amazon KDP Select program.

Feel free to ask me any questions in the comments field.

For a full list of the books in the Shelia Goss eBook Collection go to: http://www.sheliagoss.com/ebooks

Shelia M. Goss is a national best-selling author and a 2012 Emma Award Finalist. She has over thirteen books in print and numerous of ebooks available. She writes in multiple genres. With unique storylines, her goal is to create “stories with a twist.” For more information, visit her website at http://www.sheliagoss.com/.

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Readers Speak Out: Authors’ Online Marketing Techniques

Though I’m an author, I always try to view my actions in social media type groups from the perspective of a reader. To ensure I’m not allowing my author status to taint my view, I often ask readers for their opinion/habits on items. Last month I took it to the people (readers) and asked several questions I believe authors need to hear the answers to. My sample came from reading groups of romance, multicultural-romance, urban lit, chick lit, sci-fi, fantasy, mainstream fiction and general reading groups from social media sites such as Yahoo groups, Facebook, MySpace, Kindleboards…

Instead of placing all of the replies in this post, I will give you the strong themes I saw repeated in the replies of each question. I also asked if the respondents were authors and/or aspiring authors and threw out those responses if they were.

I started off easy: For those of you who own an iPad, where do you purchase the majority of your eBooks?

Only 32 people answered this question. All of them said Amazon and quite a few purchase their eBooks from Amazon and Barnes & Noble. Only two said they also purchase from the iBookstore.

Next came the tough questions:

What behaviors in groups (ie: Yahoo groups, Facebook) do authors have that turn you off from purchasing their book(s). There were two common themes that just about all of the respondents had. I’ve picked two reader responses that capture the essence of the 200+ replies. (Note: I have done a little proofing of the replies and edited out group names.)

Turn-offs for me are when authors constantly post a link to their books saying “Buy my book” and pressure me to buy their books if I haven’t purchased them yet. So I’m supposed to buy your book because you’ve flooded my group with your cover and buy link? How about announcing your book once, then posting something more interesting like an interview or a review at later dates? I stress “a review” because I get tired of authors coming in with every review they get, and I also get tired of authors begging for reviews. I’ve had to leave many groups because they’ve been taken over by author promotions.
When authors network with your group “until” you purchase their book, and then afterwards they hardly have time to even say “hello.”

Here are additional strong sentiments from readers I polled. Again, I’ll pick a few of the responses that capture the essence of the reader’s feelings:

I hate it when an author adds me to groups and their email lists without my permission. I hate, hate, hate, hate this! Did I say I hate this?
Things that turn me off from purchasing an author’s book is when you are a fan of that particular author and you give them a compliment or a shout out on a book they’ve written. You take the time to buy the book, read it, rate it and express to them how much you love their work, and they basically ignore you. I’m not saying they need to bend over backwards or anything or you should be some kind of stalker, but just an expression of gratitude that someone is actually paying their money to support you in your endeavors to spin your craft would be nice.
Authors who have absolutely no clue what the group is about. I belong to a Nook reading group. We all own Nooks and Nook is in the name of the group. So why do authors post Amazon links to Kindle books that aren’t available on Nook? Because the authors don’t care, they just push their books.
Drive by promoters. Authors who ask to be my friend, then instead of even asking how my day was, they start posting “like my page,” or “buy my book,” all over my feed. I also don’t like it when authors join groups and the first thing I see from them is “buy my book.” That’s all they have to say. How about joining the conversation? How about getting to know us and letting us get to know you?
I’m in a group where I swear every comment this particular author has goes back to her book. I’m serious, it’s like every email is somehow related to her book.
I gave an author a negative review because I didn’t like her book. She was in one of the groups I belong to complaining about my review and how she’d gotten 25 great reviews and mine was the only negative one, so I must not know what I’m talking about. I don’t think she realized I was in the group and the one who wrote the review. I was so angry. A few others jumped into the conversation, but I remained quiet and decided not to purchase this author’s books again. I would have given the author a second chance, but not after this.

What motivates you to click an author’s purchase link? (Note: I only received around 50 responses to this question.) Here are two responses that capture the essence of the responses.

I’ve belonged to a group on Yahoo for three years now, and there are certain authors who actually participate in conversations, give and take. It’s about more than their book. I usually buy these authors’ books.
What motivates me to buy an author’s book is feedback, reviews, reading the synopsis and reading the samples. Also if they’re a new author overall promotion (friendly in groups) will help in making me more willing to give them a try.

Let’s say you read a novel. Now what about the novel makes you not want to read another book by this author?

Over 100 answered this and almost all of them said poor editing. I’m an editor so followed up with many of the respondents and asked what they meant by editing. The majority of them said the manuscript needed to be proof read. Many of them said the plots had holes or inconsistencies and such.
There were a few responses such as the back cover blurb didn’t match the book, but otherwise, the readers said they just didn’t like the author’s style.

What do you think about free and $ 0.99 eBooks? I received mixed reviews on this question. Of the 77 who answered, here are the replies that captured the main themes.

I like the cheap books to get to know an author. I find a lot of them are poorly edited. I’ve noticed a lot of free eBooks on Amazon lately that aren’t too bad. Much better than the $0.99 eBooks.
I will not purchase another $ 0.99 eBook or download a free eBook unless I know the author. I can’t stand another poorly edited book.

I’m sure none of the responses were a surprise, and this was by no means a scientific study, but many times we (authors) get so in the promote-promote-promote mode that we don’t realize we are turning off our readers. Learn from what’s been said by the readers.

Deatri King-Bey

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Bringing Your Characters to Life- 7 Quick Tips

WHO ARE YOU? That’s the first question I ask my characters. Before you begin writing the world’s next best seller, there is something important you must do–know your characters.

1. Your character may not volunteer information at first, so you must interview the character. Make the character speak to you until you can’t shut it up.

Start off simple, by finding out the basics: Name, Date of Birth, Place of Birth, Siblings, Parents, Height, Weight
Dig a little deeper. Find out your characters likes and dislikes.
What is your character’s history? Remember this information will help you as you write your story.

2. Whether you’re writing romance or science fiction, make your characters realistic to the story that you’re writing. Ask yourself, do you believe the character is real in the world that you created?

3. You must have at least ONE central character in your story. For example, even if you’re writing about an entire family, one of those characters should stand out as your central character.

4. Life brings emotions; make sure you give your characters emotions for the various situations they will face within your story.

5. Create names that fit your character. A name doesn’t sound like it’s too important, but names are just as important as personality traits.

6. Make sure to answer these questions:

What is the driving force behind the character’s motives and actions?
How do the other characters view your main character?

7. Create realistic dialogue. Dialogue can set your story’s tone. It can also reveal several things about your character’s personality.

Note: To help you create a dynamic three dimensional character, fill out the character chart located at: http://www.eclectics.com/articles/character.html

Shelia M. Goss

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Shelia M. Goss is a national best-selling author and a 2012 Emma Award Finalist. She has over thirteen books in print and over seven books as ebooks. She writes in multiple genres. USA Today says, “Goss has an easy, flowing style with her prose…” To learn more, visit her website: www.sheliagoss.com.

Writing a Mystery? Don’t Forget to Give Your Reader Choices

First off, I want to thank Deatri for allowing me to stop by her site as a guest blogger. It’s indeed an honor.

I always rub my hands together when I’m given a wide berth on writing topic. Usually, the commentaries I write come from my recent activities as a writer and as an editor. This post is no different.

I am a huge mystery/thriller fan. Patterson, Grisham, Connelly, Cornwell, and Clark are just a few authors I read, and Mary Higgins Clark (and her book All around the Town) sparked me to write my first mystery, Death at the Double Inkwell. I talk about Clark and my move toward mystery writing on the blog, The Blood-Red Pencil (http://goo.gl/Oo0zN).

Writing a mystery is an intricate endeavor. Just like with any story, you have to deal with developing strong characters, well-paced plots with heightened tension, dialogue that reveals character, and the list goes on and on. However, when writing a mystery, there are a couple more things you need to include.

There are plenty of resources available that discuss the many facets of mystery writing (“How to Write a Great Mystery” on NPR http://goo.gl/xqCdB, “Writing Mysteries” by Sue Grafton http://goo.gl/sMg4q, “How to Write a Damn Good Mystery” by James N. Frey http://goo.gl/8rbS5, and “Writing and Selling Your Mystery Novel” by Hallie Ephron http://goo.gl/Knlhr). In this post, I want to talk about one important facet: giving your readers choices.

Choices of what?

Choices of suspects.

We all know that in any mystery a crime is committed…sometimes multiple crimes, and as readers, we dive into a mystery to figure out who did it. As writers, we have to be able to sustain the mystery in our story. Typically, we don’t want the reader to figure out too soon who the culprit is. We do this by offering choices, an array of characters that might have a motive for committing the crime.

My favorite television series of all time is Murder, She Wrote. I think things I’ve learned from watching this show can help to illustrate the importance of choices.

While watching Murder, She Wrote, I hardly ever figured out who the killer was before Jessica Fletcher did and often wondered, “How in the world did she do that?” But there were things that happened throughout the course of an episode that kept me from crying foul as a viewer. As Jessica illustrated how the killer committed the crime, tried to keep it under wraps, and ultimately failed to do so, I realized a few things:

1- As the story progressed, I could have figured out the mystery, and if I didn’t, the clues were there for me to do so. This kept me from arguing that as a reader, I have no opportunity to interact, take part in figuring out the mystery. Choices play a role here. If we are limited by the number of possible suspects, we run the risk of allowing the reader to figure things out way before the story ends…and then they may leave the page and stop reading the story. Sometimes, we are so concerned with making sure we plotted the story well that we have narrowed down the suspect list to only one person—way before the story concludes.

2- Not only was the story well-paced, but the pacing of new suspects and elimination of other suspects were well-plotted, too. This kept me always guessing. Readers of mysteries like to interact with the story. They like to learn about new characters, see their connection(s) to the main character(s), and try to see if there are motives for these characters to be suspects. Again, if we are limited by our choices, there is no guessing for the reader. There is no interaction.

3- The killer was always present in the story. This is an important one. It seems like “Well, duh,” but the fact is a reader will cry foul if s/he can’t do #1: read the clues and connect them to the culprit (whether during the story or once the culprit has been revealed). If the killer is never fully breathing, walking, talking, interacting with main characters, having a life in the story, then the revelation of this person being the culprit rings false.

If you’re working on a mystery right now, in the revision/rewriting stage(s), think about your suspects. Is there enough to keep the readers on their toes? Are the suspects actual parts of the story that readers get to see in motion? The more you think about these things in the writing and revision stages, the happier your readers will be when they jump into your story.

Shonell Bacon

Dee here: I’d like to thank Shonell for making a guest appearance on Become A Successful Author. I truly appreciate it and her.

Shonell Bacon is an author, editor, and educator. She’ll be rereleasing her first mystery Death at the Double Inkwell in February 2012, a month before her new novel Into the Web is released under Eclectic Soul Publications’ mystery imprint, Crimson Whispers. She’s been an editor for over 11 years, helping writers to develop strong stories ready for publication. Shonell has also taught in the university since 2001, teaching composition, mass communication, and creative writing. Currently, she continues to write while pursuing her Ph.D. in Technical Communication and Rhetoric at Texas Tech University. You can learn more about Shonell at her website, http://shonellbacon.com.

What Not to Do When Seeking out Reviews

Whether you like it or not book reviews are an important tool when it comes to promoting books. The jury is out on whether reviews actually influence readers to make their decisions but one thing’s for sure, reviews bring attention to books and you can’t have sales without attention.

I hear you mumbling from here. “Oh but Stacy it’s such a pain in the butt to gather reviews.” True but this is a necessary evil you must learn to like. Most new authors don’t realize there are certain rules in the industry when it comes to seeking reviewers. Well, I’m here to help.

Below are nine things you shouldn’t ever do when seeking out reviews. Imbed these into your mind and learn from them.

Don’t #1: Approach published authors you do not know for a review

This is definitely not recommended. There is a difference between asking an author to blurb your book but never ask an author you don’t know to review or critique your work. Soliciting an author for a review is intrusive. Unless the author is also a reviewer and actively seeking books to review, cross authors off your reviewer list.

Don’t #2: Send a reviewer your book before asking them for a review

Make sure you follow guidelines for a reviewer before contacting them. Most reviewers prefer an author or publisher to contact them before sending them a book to review.

Don’t #3: Hold a grudge against a reviewer who declined to review your book

Sometimes reviewers will decline to review your book. It doesn’t mean they don’t like you or wouldn’t be interested in reading it. Reviewers have TBR lists like you wouldn’t believe and sometimes it’s impossible for them to finish the books they’ve already committed to. If a reviewer declines your book remember that rejection comes with the territory of writing. Suck it up and cross the reviewer off your list for now. But don’t hold a grudge against them on a personal level. You might wanna contact them for a review again some day.

Don’t #4: Hassle friends and family for reviews

Friends and family members are the first ones to promise reviews and most of them never even read your book. That’s life. Whether your book is already out or is soon to be released, don’t beg and hassle friends or family to write a review for you. If you got to ask them there might be a reason. They might not like your book or might not have even read it. That might be tough to swallow but this is where you gotta realize that the world doesn’t revolve around your book. Let family and friends decide on their own whether to review your book. You don’t wanna be the annoying dope they all run from because they are afraid you’ll ask them about your book.

Don’t #5: Contact reviewers who do not review your genre

Enough said.

Don’t #6: Beg people on Facebook for reviews

I can’t count how many times I see authors and even publishers begging for reviews on Facebook. This is unprofessional and tacky. The more you annoy people, the less they’ll be interested in reviewing your book. You can contact reviewers on Facebook unless they say otherwise but leave the general public alone.

Don’t #7: Stalk readers who have read your book and hound them for a review

If you see that someone on Goodreads has read your book don’t contact them asking them to review it. This will put the reader on the spot. They might not want to review it. If a reader intends to review the book then they will. They are not obligated to review a book. Don’t be that nutty author that stalks for reviews. No one will want anything to do with you.

Don’t #8: Speak negatively about a reviewer in public

Don’t badmouth reviewers or anyone in public. Whether the reviewer declined to review your work or didn’t respond back to you, don’t post about it on FB, your blog or anywhere else. If you do and other reviewers see this, they most likely will keep their distance from you and your book.

Don’t #9: Expect the publisher to get reviews

Most publishers will get reviews for you or at least aid you in getting them. But some won’t lift a finger to get you one review. It’s your responsibility to know which type of publisher yours is beforehand. Don’t sit around for months before your release date assuming your publisher will get you reviews. You’ll end up scrambling for reviews at the last minute.

Stacy-Deanne

Be sure to view the post: What To Do When Seeking Out Reviews

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Do Novelists Need A Book Proposal?

One of the great misconceptions in the publishing community is that novelists do not need to write book proposals. As a former fiction acquisitions editor, I know the storytelling skills for a novelist is central. The writing must be riveting from the opening sentence to prevent rejection. The craft of storytelling is not easy but it’s something that a skilled editor can easily spot.

Industry experts have said a million proposals, manuscripts and queries are in circulation at any given time period. For a moment, I want you to pretend that you are an acquisitions editor looking for the best material to bring to your publication board. You have a limited number of projects to present at the next meeting and you’ve found some great stories. It is natural that you are going to gravitate toward the writer who not only has a powerful story yet also has a complete book proposal. That proposal includes information which never appears in the manuscript yet is critical for the voting members to make a decision about offering you a contract. Don’t you want to give yourself the best opportunity for them to make that offer?

The skill to put together a book proposal is one that every writer needs to learn—whether they are writing a novel or a nonfiction book. I’ve sold numerous nonfiction books on the basis of a book proposal and a sample chapter. In fact, two of my proposals receive six-figure advances. Yes, it can happen and it can happen to you.

Some writers assume they can avoid the research and some of the skills that a nonfiction writer needs to possess by writing fiction. They believe since the story comes from their imagination that it is easier to write. It’s simply not true. As someone who has read tons of poorly crafted fiction, I know firsthand that writers need to learn the storytelling craft. You will have to create an excellent manuscript to write fiction yet you also need a book proposal with your manuscript.

When it comes to making a book proposal, I’ve read every book I can find about book proposal creation. Plus I’ve read thousands of book proposals. With that experience, I created a step-by-step series of lessons to guide you into making an excellent book proposal. My course is on autoresponders and comes to you like clockwork. If you sign up on a Tuesday, then seven days later you will receive the second lesson. You can learn more at Write A Book Proposal.com.

To experience some of my teaching on proposals, go to www.AskAboutProposals.com and you can get a free 24-page Ebook, Book Proposal Basics, and also catch an hour teleseminar where I answer writer questions about book proposal creation and marketing book proposals. This resource is completely free.

Another resource to learn more about book proposal creation is my blog on the Writing Life: www.thewritinglife.ws I have over 1,000 searchable entries and a search tool in the right-hand column. Scroll down and you can see the search tool. Use a word like “proposals” and you will see many entries on this topic.

Whether you take my course or not, invest in learning the skill of creating a book proposal. Novelists need to understand the competition to their idea. They need to write a practical marketing plan for their book and learn how to tout the value they bring to the book beyond their storytelling skills. It could make the difference whether your next pitch is accepted or rejected.

W. Terry Whalin

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________________________________________

W. Terry Whalin, a writer and publisher lives in Scottsdale, Arizona. A former acquisitions editor, former magazine editor and former literary agent, Terry has written more than 60 nonfiction books. To help writers, he has created 12-lesson online course called Write A Book Proposal. His website is located at: www.terrywhalin.com.

Make It Easy For Readers To Buy Your Book

Many authors believe they are making it easy for readers to purchase their books, when in reality, they aren’t. When I’m on social media sites I often see promos from authors on the lines of “1-Click” for a great read and there’s a handy-dandy link to the Amazon product page. Great job.

This is where most authors stop. And I feel confident saying “most” because I belong to a lot of reader groups, and the overwhelming majority of authors only promote the Amazon product page link for their books. I was in that crew. Shame on me.

I’m also an avid reader who owns a Nook Color. When I see a book that I like, I get the pertinent information from the author’s promo (which usually leads to Amazon), then I hop my happy little electronic butt on to Barns & Noble and download the book onto my Nook if it is available. I never gave it a second thought. Not until one of my readers complained that my books weren’t available on Nook.

I was completely confused. My eBooks are on Kindle and Nook. This reader had been introduced to my writing through my print editions and now followed me on Facebook so saw my announcements when eBooks became available. After a short discussion, I learned that when she sees a link on social media for a book, if it is for a Kindle book, she moves on because she has a Nook. Hmmmm, this got me to thinking.

I conducted an experiment. The month of December when I promoted my eBooks, I gave the link for the Amazon and the Barnes & Noble product pages, and guess what? My Nook sells took off. I had been averaging $30 a month in Nook sells. My December sells were almost $300. Needless to say, I was floored. Now in all fairness, I place the majority of my titles on sale the month of December so the number of sells usually increases for that month, but I drop the price of the books $2-4 to $1.99 so I make a lot less per sell. Also, the previous December, I made $35.

Your title may be available from several sites. Find the audience for each of those sites and let them know your book is there. Make it easy for readers to buy your book.

Let’s talk about another trend I’ve been seeing that as a reader I find annoying. Authors who only have a Facebook, Twitter and/or some other social media account. As a reader, I do not want to have to play detective to purchase your book. I saw this really nice cover the other day on Facebook. I was like, “Okay, where’s the rest of the information, such as where to buy it.” I had extra time so went to the author’s Facebook page and again saw the cover splattered several times on this author’s wall. She must have placed her cover on several of her friends that we share. Anywhooo, still no information on how to buy this book. So instead of going to Barnes & Noble, I decided to read the author’s information tab in hopes she had a link to her website where I could view all of her books and maybe learn a little something about her. I get there and there was no website. Okay, soooooo, I head on over to Barnes & Noble, and the book isn’t there. Next I head onto Amazon and wha’la, the book was available in print.

Many newer authors are starting to use social media such as Facebook to replace having a website. In my opinion, this is a big, Big, BIG mistake. Your website is the showroom for your titles. From your webpage, I should be able to purchase your book, join your mailing list, learn a little something about you, follow your career… I have a friend who posts things to her Facebook page, then gets upset when people don’t know what she posted. Many people do not read though their newsfeed daily. Same concept applies to other social medial.

While we are on the subject of webpages, the concept of “make it easy for readers to buy your book” still applies. I visited a few authors’ websites over the past month and was amazed at how many times I was tempted to hire a detective to help find the purchase links. You don’t need to place a huge red button that says “Click Here To Buy My Books,” but don’t hide the links. If possible, have a purchase or access to the purchase links on every page of your site.

In the end, remember, make it easy for readers to buy your book.

Deatri King-Bey

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Attack of the Author: Reaction To Bad Reviews

I can not tell you how many times I’ve heard something on these lines: “I just received a bad review. Readers have a right to their opinion, but [FILL IN THE BLANK WITH SOMETHING NEGATIVE]… Will you go to Amazon and check that the review wasn’t helpful?” and/or “… will you report this review as abusive?”

Next thing you know, you have other authors chiming in, belittling and bashing the reviewer, searching for anything to discredit the reviewer from a typo to saying the they are just “hating.”

It’s truly upsetting. And even worse, I’ve seen this type of thing happen in reader loops. Stop the insanity.

I understand one author supporting another author. I commend this, but be careful of the type of support you give. Just as criticism can be constructive and destructive, so can support. It’s just more difficult to recognize destructive support. And as an author with over ten books published, trust me when I say I’ve had my share of bad reviews and it SUCKS ROCKS. I may want to throw those rocks at the reviewer, but I don’t. And that’s not always an easy task.

If you receive a review you are not happy with—DO NOT contact the reviewer and send out blasts about how horrible this reviewer is and how they are out to get you. Do not contact your friends and family and have them write all types of negative comments on the review. Okay, so I’m being a little melodramatic—not really. I’ve actually seen this type of behavior happen. Everything you do in regard to your book(s) should be to strengthen your brand. You may think you are defending your work, but when you react this way you tarnish your brand and lose credibility. Does this mean that if a review is filled with inaccuracies you can not speak out? Heck no.

For my title Black Widow and the Sandman that I wrote under the pseudonym L. L. Reaper, a prominent journal had it categorized as Christian Fiction (it’s suspense and far from Christian Fiction). There were serious inaccuracies about characters, plot and setting. It was obvious the reviewer had not read the book, so some would think that I had the “right” to put her on full blast. Yes, technically, I had the right, but did I exercise this right? No. Why? Because my acting out would have made me look small and unprofessional. I contacted the journal and let them know of the inaccuracies and besides apologizing profusely, they ran a correction. Lesson, if your book is reviewed by a team or organization and there are inaccuracies, then it is okay to contact the organization and have the issues corrected. Most of the time the organization will correct the error because they do not want to risk losing credibility, but there are times that they don’t make the change and it will annoy you, but don’t worry about items out of your control. For example, there is, actually WAS, another prominent review magazine that reviewed one of the books that I edited. The name of a city was in the title of the book. The book was not set in that city. The reviewer of this magazine had the setting for the city wrong (she said it was set in the city that was in the title) and other items wrong. Needless to say, the magazine was contacted and they chose not to print a correction. This WAS a popular magazine at the time but saw a sharp decline in sales and not only because of more online business. They lost credibility because word got out that they weren’t reading the books that they were reviewing. Readers aren’t stupid. When the reviews have serious inaccuracies, the reader knows what’s up and will not trust reviews from that source.

Okay, so what about reviews from individuals? This can be extremely tricky. EXTREMELY, because you don’t want to look as if you are attacking the reviewer for his/her opinion. Most of the time I say let it go. We will all have bad and or inaccurate reviews from time to time. But if you can’t let it go, only comment on items that aren’t subjective. For example, the reviewer who had the setting for the book in the incorrect city (and also state, but that’s a different matter). I’ve had reviewers angry because my book wasn’t interracial (though the cover clearly showed a Black couple). I’ve had reviewers say a book that had part of its setting in Cuba was actually in Mexico. I know it will be hard, but try your best to let it go. In all of the reviews I’ve been through, I’ve only commented on one about an inaccuracy, and I only did that because it was one of the first reviews for the title. Looking back, I wish I had let that slide because in the big scheme of things, that error didn’t really matter enough to point out.

Now let’s move onto subjective material. I love lemons and would rate them five stars. My cousin hates them and would give them a zero if the rating system would let her. I love the smell of roses but there are those who believe they stink. See what I’m getting at. When you are dealing with opinions, everyone has their right to one. When you and your friends who are trying to support you go into these groups and pounce on a reviewer for his/her opinion, you are telling all readers that if you like lemons, they must like lemons also or there is something wrong with them. And it doesn’t matter that millions of people love the small of roses and there is that one person who doesn’t. That doesn’t make that one person wrong. That means that one person doesn’t like the smell of roses.

Take a step back and try to be objective. Was the reviewer being constructive or destructive? If constructive, then how can you use the reviewer’s points to help in your future writing and/or in the future rewrites for the title in question?

What about the bogus reviews placed by other authors or those out to get you? Sad, but there are authors who feel if they post negative reviews and have others post negative reviews regarding your books, this will somehow increase their sells. Let this stuff roll off your back. Readers aren’t stupid. Have faith in them.

Here we are 1000 words since this article began and the key point is when you get a less than glowing review, let it go. Do not get into back and forth with readers/authors online or even offline at events. In the long run it will hurt your credibility and future sells.

Deatri King-Bey

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How to Pick the Best Small Press

Small presses are a wonderful option for many writers. They’re like having your cake and eating it, too. You get the benefit of professional editing, distribution and promotion while keeping creative freedom. Small presses are more open to new writers, but it is a myth that it’s easy to be published by a small press. Because they have a limit on what they publish per year, it can be even harder to get accepted. But overall, a new writer especially might find it worthwhile to try.

There are many reputable small presses out there, but there are also many sharks. If you are looking into small presses, electronic or print you need to be careful. You should always do your research on the company and never sign a contract until you’re absolutely sure the publisher is the real deal. You could end up signing away more than your book.

What to look for when searching for quality small presses:

1. Distribution

If it’s a print pub, make sure the publisher has solid distribution. Not all small presses have books in stores, but their books should be available to retailers for order. You want your book in as many places as possible to give it the best chance. A publisher without distribution will make it harder not only to get your book out to readers but for you to secure book signings and events. Most stores will not allow you a book signing if the book cannot be ordered. You can always check retailers and see if they carry titles from a specific publisher. Stay away from publishers who offer books only through their site. This is a huge red flag.

2. Research the Publisher Thoroughly

Don’t just sign with someone because they seem to be nice people who love your work. Desperation only causes problems in the end. Check out the staff. Who are the editors? How long have they been in business and what publishing expertise do they have? Who is the head of the company? What is their background in publishing? What makes them qualified to publish your work? The best way to find this out is to ask the staff themselves. If they don’t wanna answer then most likely you don’t want them publishing your work.

3. Contact Publisher’s Current Authors

The best way to get a true feel for any publisher is by speaking to authors with the company. Most authors will be glad to answer your questions. Beware that not all opinions are the same. Look at how long an author has been with the company. If they have only been with the publisher a few months and have only glowing things to say they might be in the honeymoon stage and cannot be objective. Try contacting authors who have worked with the company a while and have multiple books out to get a valuable outlook.

4. Check out a Publisher’s Books

Always check out the books of publishers you’re thinking of working with. Are the books properly edited? Are the covers made up of tacky stock photos? It is standard practice for some small presses to use stock photos but the covers should still look professionally done. Is the binding cheaply made? You can check out books from ebook sites, too. Read online samples and check out ebook covers. You don’t want to be stuck with some cheap-looking, unedited book.

5. Beware of Author Mills

Don’t be desperate and settle for author mills. Author mills publish anything and everything. A monkey could type up a manuscript and an author mill would publish it. Most do not pay authors their royalties and use underhanded business practices. They don’t promote and once you’ve given them your work the staff often treats you like you’re none existent. The biggest sign of an author mill is a publisher that accepts books quickly and also gets their books out unrealistically fast. Decent publishing takes time even with epublishers.

6. Be Cautious with Brand New Presses

New presses are tricky because they haven’t been around long or established a reputation. You can’t be sure if they are good or bad. Be careful. Check out the staff. You need to know what makes them qualified to publish your work.

I can’t stress enough how important it is to research. You cannot afford shortcuts when selecting publishers. Another thing to remember is money flows to the author not from them. Unless you’re seeking out self-publishing companies or vanity presses, steer clear from any publisher that asks you for money.

http://www.stacy-deanne.net

Press Releases – Can You Write One?

Why would I want to write my own press release? You may be asking yourself this, especially if you hired a publicist.

There may come a time where you will need to send a press release; whether it’s because you can’t get a hold of your publicist, it’s beyond the scope of your contract with your publicist or having a publicist might not be in your budget, etc.

What is the purpose of a press release? A press release is an announcement. It should contain specific information. For example, you may write one to announce an event (such as book signings, participation in an expo, etc.) or a major achievement (such as your book making a bestsellers list, optioned as a movie, etc.).

Writing a press release isn’t hard.

What should the press release include? Make sure your press release has an eye-catching Title, contact information and include the five W’s:

Who (Identify yourself)
What (Your announcement)
Where (Location of the book signing or event)
When (Date and Time) and
Why (Because you’re the next best thing to sliced bread…just kidding, but you get the point…smile).

How should the press release look? To view an example of a few press releases, please go to one of the following links:

Title: Hollywood Deception Spreads Drama

http://sheliagoss.com/mediakit/hollywood-deception-spreads-drama-between-the-pages/

Title: Entertainment Writer Releases New Novel

http://sheliagoss.com/mediakit/prinvisiblehusband/

Where should I submit the press release? Press releases should be sent out to your target audience, which can include media outlets such as newspapers, TV, radio, magazines or book clubs, bookstores, etc.

Are there any online services I can use to distribute my press release? Yes, there are several. PRWeb (http://www.prweb.com/) is one that I would recommend.

Don’t limit yourselves to online services. Find out fax numbers and mailing addresses of your target audiences and send them out that way as well. Try not to send stuff out blindly though. Make sure you know exactly who you’re sending the press release to.

Now you’re ready to try your hand at writing your own press release. Remember to keep it simple. Keeping it simple, means being direct and specific.

Shelia M. Goss

Shelia M. Goss has over thirteen books in print and numerous of ebooks available. She writes in multiple genres. With unique storylines, her goal is to create “stories with a twist.” For more information, visit her website at www.sheliagoss.com.

Question to Authors. Do you have a website? Why not?

As an author you have to have an online presence. One of the first things people do today when they hear about something new is Google it. If you don’t have a website how are they going to find you? Don’t know much about establishing a website? Okay, here’s a little insight to Website 101. Is this all that’s to it? No, but it is enough to get you thinking!

It does not take a rocket scientist to establish a website. (At times I think it takes one to maintain it, but that’s for another day). First get a Domain Name. You can search through our friend Google to find a domain host. Godaddy.com is who I work with, but there are others. When you name your site, DON’T GO CRAZY! Keep it simple. Your website will be your picture to the world, yes—the world. Make it easy to find and a reflection of you as an author. For example, my name is Iris Bolling. My website is www.irisbolling.com. You can’t get simpler than that. When someone Google’s my name the website is the first item to appear.

Keep the cost as low as possible when establishing your site. Microsoft Office Live has a really nice simple website that does not cost you anything to establish. My publishing company Siri Enterprises website is hosted by Microsoft Office at www.sirient.com. It’s not fancy, but it shows my books, synopsis, how to purchase, videos and everything you need to establish an online presence. You can even have PayPal attached to sell directly from your website.

Last, fill your pages with information about you, your books, and upcoming events. Keep your readers up to date on releases, reviews of your work and most of all, what’s coming next. If blogging is your thing, establish a blog that will keep traffic coming to your site.

Being an author, traditionally or self-published, you have to promote yourself and your work. Having a website gives you an online presence and an opportunity to establish your platform. Hummm, “Platform”? What do I mean by that? That’s something else you need to consider as an author…..Until the next time.

Iris Bolling

http://www.irisbolling.net/ or http://www.sirient.com/

How To Do A Website On A Budget?

If you’re a published author, soon to be published or even thinking about being published writer, then you should have a website. No one thought the World Wide Web would be used in the capacity it’s being used now. Well, correction, some folks did (smile).

There’s no excuse for NOT having a website. If you’re unsure of how you want your website to look, I suggest surfing the net. Go to www.google.com and enter in a few authors names to get an idea.

If you’re unable to hire a web designer to create your home on the web, then do it yourself.

If creating a website scares you, then halt. Take a few deep breaths. Breathe. If you have yahoo, AOL or any one of the many other internet providers, then you have access to creating a website. Bravenet (http://www.bravehost.com/) and Webs (http://www.webs.com/) offer free or low costing web space with handy tutorials.

As an author, you need to choose a domain name. What is a domain name? It’s an identifier or the information you type in your web browser to pull up a website. For example, if you want to pull up the Shades of Romance website, you will enter the domain www.sormag.com. The most important thing to remember when deciding on a domain name (your new website address) is to choose something that is easy for your current and future readers to remember.

For example, if your name is Jane Doe, then use the domain www.janedoe.com. There will be instances where your name is already taken and you might have to add an initial or some other identifier. Some authors use there book title as their website address. This is fine if you plan on that being the only book you’ll publish or if you can have it forward to your main website (i.e., www.janedoe.com).

Once you purchase your domain name, it’s yours for the allotted time. You can buy it yearly or whatever terms you and the provider set up. In the past, I’ve seen it for as low as $2.95. The price will depend on the web host site you choose.

There are so many sites that offer web services and it’s easy to get lost and frustrated while trying to find the one for you. Here’s a website that I hope will make it easier for you. The page identifies webhosting sites and prices: http://findwebhosting.com/.

Thank goodness there is software out there that doesn’t require you to know HTML. WordPress is one of them. I use it to set up my website at www.sheliagoss.com. The setup might take a little time but once its setup, the updates are a breeze. My host is Powweb but I use WordPress to create and keep my site updated.

What should you include on your web site once you’ve decided on your domain name and web server? At the minimum, make sure the following are included:

Book Information (Title, price, where to purchase your book, sample chapter, etc)
Bio
How to Contact You (Email or contact sheet)
Mailing List
Guest Book

I’ve been doing my own website for quite some time now. If I can do it, you can too. My website is www.sheliagoss.com. Take a look around and check out the headings. I used to have another site for my young adult books but I’m trying to consolidate and make sheliagoss.com a one stop shop 🙂

One day I’ll turn over the reign to someone else, but in the meantime, I’m always trying to come up with different looks. What you see today will probably be different six months from now.

Remember, having your own website doesn’t have to cost much, you just have to shop around.

Shelia M. Goss

Critiques Can Be Your Friends

If you want your work published, you must learn to ask for and accept critiques. Granted, it’s not always easy. Like anxious parents, most writers feel a need to protect their “baby” when they send it out into the world. But critiques are a necessary part of the publishing process, and responding appropriately to readers’ comments helps strengthen your work. The trick is keeping those critiques constructive.

It’s thrilling to hear someone say, “I liked your story,” “This was really interesting” or “You’re a wonderful writer.” But such critiques aren’t constructive; they’re worthless, other than giving your ego a boost. You need more specific feedback to help you improve your work. Comments like, “I loved the surprise ending,” “The main character reminds me of my Aunt Betty” or “I felt like I was in the room” are somewhat better. But nothing helps as much as a specific “negative” critique.

Say what! A negative critique about your work! Yes.

When you receive negative critiques, ask the readers to be as specific as possible. Find out what they didn’t like or didn’t understand — without getting defensive or trying to explain it away. Set your emotions aside, and just listen and make notes. Again, not easy, but well worth learning how to do. If one reader didn’t like or didn’t understand something in your story, chances are that reader’s not alone. Aim to write in a way that none of your readers can misread your meaning. If it helps ease the pain, set your work aside for a while and let your subconscious mull over the comments.

I’m not saying you should make every change your readers suggest. Sometimes those changes will conflict. Everyone has different views. Weigh all comments as mere suggestions. If they ring true, you’ll feel it in your gut (once you no longer feel like you’ve been punched there). If they don’t ring true, just ignore them. Some comments will have more to do with the reader than with your work. Always consider the source.

Don’t rely on friends and family for critiques. Share your work with other writers, especially published ones. Join a writers group either online or off, or work with a writing partner. Stress that you’re asking for specific critiques, whether positive or negative. Then bring ‘em on!

Lana Castle

Don’t have a copy of Become A Successful Author? What are you waiting for? Become A Successful Author will be used in the “How To Write That Novel” course at Chicago State because it covers everything from branding to writing to editing to formatting and uploading electronic and print books to marketing and so much more. Your time is money. Look at all the time, thus money, you’ll save by ending your search for answers: Purchase Become A Successful Author (eBook) for only $4.99 from: Amazon (US), Amazon (UK), Barnes & Noble or the print for $7.99 from the books page of this website.