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Adapting Your Novel Into A Screenplay by Krystol Diggs

You have this great novel that has probably sold well and now you think it will be a good film. I know that writing a novel is no easy feat, but now it’s time to adapt your baby into a screenplay. It may be difficult to some, but here are some easy tips that will help you.

First things first: Even though you may have written the book or may be hired to adapt a book, read the book twice before you start your process. Read it the first time for leisure and to get a good grasp on the main characters. The second time, start to take notes on the characters, how they look, their personality, and things that they say. Once you have done these steps, make a detailed list of each character that’s most important to the story. If you have to, this is also the time to do some research about things you are unfamiliar with. Remember, although this is fiction, fiction has to be believable. If it’s a biopic film, then it is imperative that it is believable. With movies, it has to look real and be believable, or your audience will realize it is not. When it comes to screenplays, it is a different ball game. The audience wants to see if the screenwriter can put on a great movie.

Second: Now that you have your outline and a structure for your screenplay, it’s time to format it into your paradigm worksheet (See below about the paradigm sheet). When the worksheet is completed, it’s time to start writing your screenplay. Keep in mind, that everything WILL NOT be added into your screenplay from the book. Some parts should be omitted, but the basic storyline is there with the characters.

Examples of Film Terminology: INT (Inside), EXT (Outside), ACTION (Action Scene), FADE IN (The beginning of your screenplay), FADE OUT (The ending of your screenplay), CUT TO (Camera goes to next scene)

The Paradigm: The Paradigm is a blue print of what your screenplay will look like.
Act I- Beginning
Act II- Middle
Act III-End

Act I- Unit of dramatic or comedic action
Act II- Unit of action that begins at the end of Plot Point I and extends through the end of Plot point II. (This portion of the script is approx. 50-60 pages).
Act II is about conflict and obstacles overcame. It’s also a unit of dramatic action. Act II goes from the end of Plot point II. (Approx. Pg. 80-90 to the end of the screenplay.)
* Remember that resolution means solution.

Act I- Everything in Act I sets up your story.
A plot point is the story’s progressive point.
Plot point I is the true beginning of your story. A plot point can be anything you want it to be as long as it moves the action forward.

Act II is the most difficult to write because it’s the longest unit of action.
The function of Plot Point II is to serve the story progression.
For example, Plot point I, Plot point II can either be a decision, a line of dialogue, a scene or an action sequence-anything you want it to be.

Act III deals with the context of resolution other wise known as (the solution).

Remember that the average length of a film is 2 hours long, which makes the average screenplay between 90- 120 pages long.

I write my screenplays in Final Draft. I know some people who use Word, or a program called Celtx. . Final Draft is software that’s used to write your screenplay.

Questions: Here are some questions to think about when filling out your paradigm sheet:
1. What is the solution to your story?
2. Does your character live or die, sink or fail, go on a trip or not?
These are some of the questions to be answered during the writing process of your screenplay.

IF YOU ARE SERIOUSLY INTERESTED IN WRITING YOUR SCREENPLAY YOU SHOULD:
1. Read as many scripts as you can that are your genre.
2. Watch every movie that you can afford in your genre.
3. Download screenplays for free: Simply Scripts.com or Dailyscripts.com.

Try this exercise: Before you express your story, know these things:
1. The Ending
2. The Beginning
3. Plot Point I
4. Plot Point II
These elements are the structural foundation of your screenplay. Once you know these four elements draw the paradigm. The exercise is designed to prepare you to structure your own idea so you can move into the next stage of your screenwriting process.

Okay, now that you have learned about the beginning stages, how research is important and the paradigm let’s get busy!

AN EXAMPLE OF THE FIRST PAGE OF A SCREENPLAY

FADE IN:

SCENE HEADING: INT. HOUSE – DAY

ACTION: JORDAN, 18, brown eyes, wears a satin blue gown, sits at her vanity table putting on make-up for the prom. As she applies blush, she looks at the pictures of her and MIKE, blonde hair and blue eyes, as they kiss each other. CARLA, Jordan’s mother, brown skin with brown eyes knocks on the door.

CHARACTER: CARLA

DIALOGUE: Jordan, Mike’s here and he looks so cute in his tuxedo!

CHARACTER: JORDAN

DIALOGUE: Mom, I will be down in a few minutes, I have to finish my make-up.

Smiling from ear to ear, Carla has tears in her eyes.

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Follow and Subscribe:

Twitter: @Krystol1 | Facebook: www.facebook.com/writingbykrystol

Blog: www.writingsbykrystol.com | LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/KrystolDiggs

Bio: Krystol Diggs has been writing since the age of 15. Her debut novel Through Her Eyes was the jump-start of more to come from this author, and now screenwriter, and publisher. Krystol has received her Masters degree at Full Sail University with an MFA in Creative Writing. She has written four screenplays, two short films and a host of other books in the various genres of fiction, thrillers, erotica, young adult and drama which can be found on amazon.com. She has also written for magazines such as Raw Talent Magazine and Bougie Magazine, interned at IFashion Network as a writer and now is a reporter/journalist for CNN’s Ireport section. Krystol is currently attending Walden University where she is studying for her PhD in Human Services.

Don’t have a copy of Become A Successful Author? What are you waiting for?Become A Successful Author is 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 for only $4.99 (eBook) or $8.99 (print) from: Amazon (US), Amazon (UK), Barnes & Noble

The Twitterverse Made Easy by Chicki Brown

Deatri asked me to share about maximizing Twitter. I’ve heard a lot of authors admit that they don’t use Twitter or, even if they have ventured into the Twitterverse, they don’t tweet on a regular basis. Big mistake, in my opinion.

I know. You’re already overwhelmed with social networking and you don’t even want to think about adding another chore to your to-do list. But if you need to eliminate or avoid something, it shouldn’t be Twitter. Why do I say this? Because the literary community on Twitter is different from every other social network. The authors and readers are supportive and committed. In the year or so that I’ve been active on Twitter, I’ve discovered several things that make the difference when marketing your books.

The secret of Twitter is reciprocation. If you follow other authors, bloggers, reviewers and readers and RT (retweet) for them, they will do the same for you. This means that your tweets will go to all of their followers.

The next most important thing about Twitter is the use of hashtags, those words preceded by a # sign. When you send a tweet without hashtags, it only goes to your followers. When you add tags, they serve to attach your tweet to a specific following – people with an interest in a certain category like #romance, #mystery, #newrelease, etc., and these tags are followed by multiple thousands of people. Here’s my personal list of popular tags for authors and books. I’ve separated them by category. It’s best to mix and match the tags that apply to your book and not use more than three. Remember, the tags will take up some of your 140 characters unless you’re using a Twitter management tool like Tweetdeck or Hootsuite, which I’ll explain in a minute.

TWEETS OF INTEREST TO AUTHORS/WRITERS (interviews/craft/) –

#authorRT #Tweets4Authors @Writerlytweets @WritersRT @WritersRetweets

TO PROMOTE A BOOK –

#BYNR @promoteyourboo1 @free_book_promo @BookTweetTeam @digitalbookend

TO PROMOTE AN INDIE BOOK –

@indtwt @IHB6 @IndBk @VoiceOfIndie @IndieBookTweet @IndieAuthorNews @indiebookpromos @IndieWriterSupp

FOR BOOK PROMOTION (GENERAL) –

@BooksandAuthor @A_Book_Shelf @Writers_Cafe @Readers_Realm @AvidReadersCafe @GoodBooksBlog1 #lovetoread #bookworm #bookspotlight #WritersKaboodle

TO PROMOTE A ROMANCE –

@romanticpicks @ROMANCEONLY @ReadingRomance @RomanceinColor @storiesoromance @allromance @JUSTConRom @RmTwts

TO PROMOTE A NOOK BOOK –

@bnbuzz @nookbn @nookboards

TO PROMOTE A KINDLE BOOK –

@Kindle_India @kindle_ch @GoodKindles @kindle_promo @KindlePromotion @IndieKindle @MadKindlePromos @AmazonBookPromo

TO TWEET ABOUT SOMETHING OF INTEREST TO INDIE AUTHORS (not book promo) –

@IndieAuthorLand @IndAuthorSucess @IndieExchange @IndieAuthorAnon @IndieWriteNet @indiepubnews @IndiesUnite

TO PROMOTE A CHRISTIAN/INSPIRATIONAL BOOK –

@CEBTAuthors @Christian_Reads

The other secrets of Twitter are the way you format your tweets and the frequency at which you post a tweet and the time of day. Formatting is simple. You want to get your point across using the least amount of characters possible. Always put your book title in all CAPS so it doesn’t get lost among the other characters. Abbreviate whenever possible, but never abbreviate words in the book’s title. You want people to be able to look up the book online without a problem. It’s not necessary to shorten the buy link to your book, because Tweetdeck or Hootsuite will automatically do it for you. Here’s an example of three tweets I might post in a day for my new release:

Love is the greatest healer. A WOMAN’S WORTH http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EUH6M3S @JUSTConRom @RmTwts @digitalbookend #BYNR @indtwt @IHB6

Marc is helping Gianne to heal her body. Why won’t she let him heal her soul? A WOMAN’S WORTH http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EUH6M3S @IndBk @MadKindlePromos

Why would Gianne Marvray move to Vegas 2 B with a man she barely knows? A WOMAN’S WORTH http://bit.ly/1dTlshd @bnbuzz @nookbn @nookboards

As far as frequency and time, it’s most effective to tweet three times a day. The optimum times are: mornings between 8 and 9 AM (after people get to work and get settled in front of their computers. LOL!) Midday between 12 Noon and 2 PM and evening between 5 and 8 PM).

That might sound like a lot, but there are ways you can type all of your tweets at once and schedule them to run hours, days, weeks or even months in advance. This is done by using one of the Twitter management tools like Tweetdeck or Hootsuite. They are both free to download, and they will make tweeting a whole lot easier. I never use Twitter.com anymore. It doesn’t do everything you need it to do.

My last suggestion to maximize your Twitter reach, if you have a blog, is to join Triberr.com and sign up to be part of one or more tribes. Triberr was created solely as a way to increase your reach on social networks. The main tribe I belong to has a reach of 151,000 (the combined Twitter following of all the tribemates.) Every time you post a new entry, the link goes directly to Triberr and all of your tribemates will retweet it for you. Retweeting on Triberr requires no typing. You merely click. It takes twenty minutes tops.

I hope this wasn’t too confusing. I encourage you to take use of Twitter to promote your books. It’s fantastic!

Chicki Brown

Dee here: I hope you SHARE THIS ARTICLE with all of your author friends. I know I’m not the only one with Twitter issues and Chicki has made it so easy for us. Don’t be stingy, SHARE SHARE SHARE.

Don’t have a copy of Become A Successful Author? What are you waiting for?Become A Successful Author is 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 for only $4.99 (eBook) or$9.99(print) from: Amazon (US), Amazon (UK), Barnes & Noble

Connect Your WordPress Blog To Your Facebook Fan Page by Stephanie Norris

Trying to figure out how to have your blog connected to your Facebook fan page can be frustrating and time consuming. When I tried, it was almost an epic failure. I took to the Google search engine and typed; How to connect your wordpress blog to your Facebook Fan page. Post after post after post told me how to connect my blog to my Facebook profile, but not the fan page. Other links I found gave me instructions but they were old, from 2010 to 2012. Now we all know Facebook does updates it seems like every month! So of course those instructions were not so helpful anymore. It took me a full day playing around with it to figure it out so I pass this knowledge on to you.

Dee here: The images that accompany this post did not show up well in blog format, so I created a PDF of the entire post: WordPress to Facebook.

Stephanie Nicole Norris is an author, website designer, and blogger of all things romance, drama, and suspense. She loves to support other authors and every week she highlights a different author on her WordPress blog. Stephanie currently has two books in print and ebook. For more information or to inquire about a spotlight feature on her blog email her at stephanie@stephanienorris.net.

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Don’t have a copy of Become A Successful Author? What are you waiting for?Become A Successful Author is 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 for only $4.99 (eBook) or$9.99(print) from: Amazon (US), Amazon (UK), Barnes & Noble

Let’s Talk Ganxy by Bettye Griffin

I first heard about Ganxy from a post on one of the blogs I read regularly, The Writer’s Guide to ePublishing. I found the idea of selling to readers from my website, blog, and/or Facebook page with 90% of the cover price going into my pocket intriguing, to say the least. (Note: Some refer to this as a “royalty,” a term I don’t really agree with in this context; the arrangement seems more like a commission to me since these are retailers, not actual publishers.) I decided to give it a try by setting up a test showcase (as they call product pages) at Ganxy.

It seemed daunting for someone like me, who knows squat about ePUB and MOBI files, both of which Ganxy recommends be uploaded. About all I could handle was a PDF, which is the third and last format Ganxy recommends. These three formats pretty much cover any eReader device. I read the instructions thoroughly, then did a search for a site that converts documents to ePUB and MOBI formats. I found Online Convert, which does it for free (they do accept donations). I followed Ganxy’s suggestion and named each new file with the book title, my name, and the format.

Once that was done, I was able to go back and finish my showcase. I decided to take advantage of the function that allows me to list other retailers, because some folks will always want to purchase from Amazon or BN, and there’s no denying that the reviews on those sites still stand for something (The folks at Ganxy are reportedly working on incorporating reviews into Showcases, but I haven’t heard from where). Since I am an Amazon Associate, I made sure to include my personal ID in my links so I get credit for any orders from those who prefer to buy from Amazon.

I then embed the code on the main page of my newly re-designed website for an easy purchase link. The showcase is pretty big, and since there’s no way to fit seven of them (and counting!) on one page, I also set up an eStore on a single page that lists my other titles by linking each cover to its corresponding showcase. I also set up showcases for my traditionally published titles that are still available, although with links only rather than files for direct sales, since I do not own the rights to sell these directly. Take a look and tell me what you think!

These are the pluses of hooking up with Ganxy that I’ve identified to date:

The purchaser’s choice of format, which between them cover all devices: MOBI, ePUB, or PDF. One disadvantage: Readers will have to load the book onto their eReader themselves, which might be a turnoff for Kindle owners; I believe their books are loaded automatically on their readers when purchased thru Amazon. I try to head this off by discounting the prices at my eStore for new releases…nothing like offering readers an incentive!
A 90% cut of the cover price of all eBooks sold, rather than the 65% and 70% offered by BN and Amazon for books priced at $2.99 and above).
The 10% cut Ganxy takes is effective even if your book or story costs less than $2.99. In that situation Amazon increases its take to 65%, with just 35% going to the author; BN increases theirs to 60% with the author getting just 40%. You can sell a 99-cent short story and pocket 90 cents, not 35 or 40 cents! (Note that authors, not the customers, pay the credit card processing costs, which are a few cents per transaction…just the way J.C. Penney or Red Lobster pays this fee when you use your credit card at their locations. It’s true that a law recently became effective that allow merchants to legally pass on processing fees to their customers, but generally the only type of merchant who charges service fees on top of the price of the product are those selling concert or event tickets.)
The ability to offer free eBooks to readers, choosing an end time by whichever is reached first: A maximum number of free downloads or an end date. Doing this on Amazon and BN is very difficult and involves lots of patient waiting, sometimes in vain. Note that Ganxy may be charging authors to offer free downloads in the future; I won’t know what the fee will be until they initiate it.
The ability to offer sale priced eBooks to readers, with automatic end dates/criteria set (i.e., “The first 150 people to download this eBook will get $1.50 off the cover price”). The possibilities for this are endless…introductory price sales…12-hour sales…5-hour sales…Valentine’s Day sales…Cyber Monday sales…Black Friday sales, to name a few. My current sales are listed at the top of my eStore page. I’ve already started the practice of offering introductory prices for new products to entice readers to buy from my eStore rather than Amazon or BN. Another plus is that price changes go into effect immediately, the second you hit the Enter key. There’s no waiting for the retailer to adjust the prices, the way the other guys make you do.
Smooth and prompt payment processing. If you’ve earned the minimum (I don’t remember what it is, but I’m thinking $10), you can request payment at any time. My funds were deposited in my Paypal account within two days of my request. You don’t even have to wait 60 days…you only have to wait until you make the minimum.
Gift options are available.
Offering bundles are super-simple…instead of having to assemble one file of two or three books into a single linked file, which can be unwieldy and be difficult for readers to download, authors can choose which of their books they want to include in the bundle and the reader will receive a separate file for each! So if you want to offer a bundle of a series (Ganxy recommends including two to six books in a single bundle), just set up a showcase, set a price, and choose which files you want to include. No special formatting to do.
Your customers have the option of signing up for email notifications from you about future releases or sales. I’m surprised at how many customers took advantage of this. Whenever I offer a sale, they’re the first ones to know about it.
Superb and prompt customer service. I had many questions along the way, and they got back to me very quickly…even on Sunday.

Another plus, albeit an indirect one: Since I’ve learned how to create MOBI and ePUB files, I can now offer free downloads of short stories direct from my website, bypassing retailers altogether, if I choose to take that route.

Another important factor is your own aspirations, since everyone’s are different. If Amazon rankings are important to you, you might want to skip Ganxy altogether and continue selling only through ranked channels. My own career has taken an unorthodox path in that I began by being traditionally published but am not pursuing that path now, so a higher earnings potential holds the most appeal for me. I must admit that I’m not comfortable with Amazon wielding so much power, and I like having an alternate option. But it’s understandable for those pursuing a traditional publishing contract and/or those who like to announce their book’s sales rankings or placement in the Top 100 Bestsellers of its genre may prefer to get as many sales as they can through Amazon…editors are certain to check your rankings, and while no one really knows if repeatedly declaring yourself to be a bestselling author translates into sales, it’s not going to hurt anything, either.

Finally, this is an overview of my experience, not an endorsement. The decision to Ganxy or not to Ganxy has to be made by each individual writer, just like everything else in the business. I strongly suggest reading their Terms of Service thoroughly. But if you do decide to set up one or more Author Showcases, it’s always nice for them to know the source of the new business. For that reason, if you do decide to set up one or more showcases, I’d appreciate it if you would drop an email to Lonnie Rosenbaum at Ganxy at lonnie @ ganxy.com (please remove the spaces) and let him know I referred you!

For more information about Ganxy, you might want to check out this recent article in Forbes magazine.

Bettye Griffin

If you found this post helpful, please use the Share buttons to spread the word about it.

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 for only $4.99 (eBook) or $9.99(print) from: Amazon (US), Amazon (UK), Barnes & Noble

Some Things that I learned at NY Comic-Con by Cerece Murphy

After taking a week to recover from the whirlwind which was this year’s NY Comic-Con, I wanted to share with other authors some of the things I learned. I had a booth in the Small Press section of the event. This was my first time exhibiting anywhere as an author, so if some of the lessons here seem obvious, forgive me, but I didn’t want to leave anything out.

1) If you are a sci-fi/fantasy/paranormal/horror author, you should try it. This year’s Comic-Con brought out over 115,000 sci-fi book/movie/comic lovers. This is our target audience. There were very few exhibitors of color, and even fewer female exhibitors. I think I was the only one selling sci-fi novels in the ENTIRE small press section which included at least 90 exhibitors. I say I think because I didn’t get to walk around much, but my friend did and said she didn’t see anyone else selling my genre. If you present a visually interesting booth, you WILL get attention and an opportunity to pitch your book. These are folks who are looking for something new.

2) Prepare! Exhibiting at NY Comic-Con is not cheap (the booth alone was $949). You want to make a visually stimulating impression. You can get a high quality banner from VistaPrint for $50. I did this and got a very large foam board poster of my book cover and it worked well. I also had smaller posters of my book cover that lined the curtain of my booth (I got these for free) and a TV/DVD combo on my table that I used to play my book trailer on loop. It got people’s attention.

3) Your entire book pitch needs to be 15 seconds or less. You probably already know this, but there is so much stimulation overload at the convention that people really can’t handle a lot of info. It is very loud. I tried to ask folks, if they were sci-fi novel fans. This worked for me. It allowed me to address passerbys personally and let them know what I was selling at the same time. Here is my entire pitch:

Me: Are you a sci-fi reader?

Reader: Yeah, I am. What’s Order of the Seers about?

Me: Well, the story is about a group of people who can see the future and are enslaved for that ability and the book is all about how they escape the organization that is trying to exploit their gift, reclaim their power and ultimately fight back. (I usually pause here to see if they have any questions. If they are staring at the cover and don’t ask any questions, I then add)

So there is lots of action, adventure and suspense with a little bit of romance too. If they didn’t ask any questions, I would then go on to mention the sale price of the book and offer to sign it for them if they are interested.

That’s it. I don’t like a “hard sell” approach, so I just tried to think of something I could say that I would be comfortable with. If someone said they weren’t a sci-fi reader, I usually asked them what kind of books they liked to read. Sometimes that discussion led to a sale. Other times, I recommended other authors that would suit them better. Either way, my goal was to create a positive experience for everyone who came in contact with my booth.

4) Free stuff. I had candy at my table and postcards that had my book cover on the front and a very short description of my book on the back with a QR code that linked to a free download of my first chapter. People seemed to like that. I also had “Order of the Seers” gift bags that I ordered on line for about $.75 cents a bag. I gave them out for free with a book purchase and sold them for $3 each alone. I can give the link to the companies I used for the postcards and the bags if anyone is interested.

5) The contacts that I made were very valuable. I met librarians, bloggers, press and an agent who took my information. I did 3 on the spot interviews and got a chance to submit my information for a free ad within a small NY based magazine. These were all people I never would have met if I hadn’t gone. We’ll see what this means in terms of actual exposure and book sales, but I also met some wonderful people in the industry that I look forward to working with on future projects

6) Book sales. In 4 days, I sold 5 ½ cases of books (32 books to a case). I am told this is good for a no-name author in the Small Press section with only 1 title (I’m not putting myself down. It’s just true). I think if you have more than one title, you could do even better. I more than paid for the cost of my booth and rentals (something I was told would not happen).

7) Cost controls. A big part of why I was able to make a small profit was that I stayed with a friend while in NY. I think this is essential. A complete breakdown of all my costs is listed below. If you are not local, you will probably have to rent a table. My raggedy 6 ft table cost me $70 to rent! Make that your one and only rental. Buy folding chairs at WalMart or Target. Get your own table skirt (They want $200 to rent a fully skirted table).

8) You need help. Get at least 3 people to rotate the days with you. No less than 2 on any given day. You are entitled to 5 exhibitor passes with your booth, so you can give them to your friends in exchange for help. I had at least 1 people with me every day and while it was enough, I still didn’t get much time to walk around and that makes a sci-fi chick a little sad….

9) Bring at least 150 books.

10) There was A LOT of diversity among the attendees. They would have LOVED to see more books and content with diverse characters. Although, I am sure that my bookcover, which has a white woman on it, shook up folks expectations of what I was selling, I think that a cool presentation of any race of characters could do well in this environment. Visual presentation is key here. If it looks good, you will have an opportunity to SELL.

11) Get them on the mailing list. Marketing guru, Seth Godin, has talked often about the publishing industries failure to capture the contact information of the people who buy their books, so that each time a new release comes out, they have to find those folks all over again. I offered a free exclusive preview of the Order of the Seers sequel as a way to entice people to sign-up for my mailing list. With this event alone, my mailing list has gone from 17 people to almost 200 folks that I now have permission to market my books to. The moral of the story is creating some incentive for having people sign-up for your mailing list can really help build your base.

12) Take the time to get to know the folks around you. You’re going to be with these folks for 4 days. These are the people who will watch your booth while you go to the bathroom. Be nice. I had two fellow exhibitioners refer me to helpful contacts (when they barely talked to other exhibitors) because I took the time to be courteous and helpful.

13) My budget – $1539

Booth rental: $949
TV rental: $150 (This was a mistake. I wish I had just bought one for around the same price.)
Table rental: $70
Banner: $50 (Vista Print has the cheapest price I found)
Table Cloth: $90 (I bought mine because I plan to do a lot of conferences)
Chairs: $30
Supplies and Incidentals: $100
Javits Wi-fi: $100 (you won’t be able to process a credit card sale w/o this. But most people had cash, so you could skip this and lose out on a small portion of sales. But I imagine this service would be critical for people with higher priced items. )

I have listed out all the items that I bought/rented here to give you the most honest snap shot of what it will cost you to go to NY Comic Con, but I do not consider some of these items (chairs, banner, tablecloth), to be just NY Comic Con expenses. I have and will use these items in other events that I plan to attend throughout the next 12 months and beyond.

I hope this is helpful to you. Please feel free to email me at cerecemurphy@gmail.com if you have any questions that I haven’t answered.

Order of the Seers ~ The Hunt is On
See the Book Trailer and Read Ch. 1 Here!
Follow me on Twitter @cerecermurphy

Mr. Me Too by Kisha Green

I have been spending the last few weeks just thinking and basically analyzing my literary life and my offline life in general.

Anyhow, I have felt mentally drained from all of the projects that are currently on my plate. I initially wanted to help people and thought that my projects would be a good thing as well as bring exposure for my publishing company and myself.

What I failed to realize is that not everyone shares my views. That is not a bad thing, but let me clarify before someone misunderstands what it is that Kisha Green is trying to convey.

Well, in this literary world there are Writers and Authors. Wait; before you ask where I am going with this rant, there is another category called “aspiring.” These people will never publish a damn thing, but they are all in every literary mix.

They will post a million and one notes on Facebook and let you read snippets on their blog, but a published book will NEVER happen. They may even send you book cover samples, but they are not ever going to be anything but aspiring.

Writers are people who simply write as a hobby and are content just W-R-I-T-I-N-G—nothing more and nothing less. They don’t care if they are going to be published or possibly ever become a NY Bestselling author. They write because it is their passion; they do not want any monetary compensation or notoriety.

Authors are those who love to write any and every chance they get and live, eat, and sleep literary. They want to have their work published whether it is self-publishing or even getting a literary agent, and shopping his or her book around for a traditional publishing house book deal. They write books, articles, short stories, and whatever else they can get their hands on.

“OH…you wrote a book?”

“Oh ok—yeah me too!”

“You wanna self publish?”

“Yeah, me too!”

“You’re working on your next book?”

“Yeah, me too!”

When I initially decided to publish anthologies through my DivaBooksInc publishing company, I thought that I would be meeting authors, but have come to the realization that all people aren’t ready to be authors and are rather happy just being writers. This was a hard pill to swallow since I know myself that I love the literary world. I love, meeting and networking with newbie authors, like myself, as well as seasoned authors.

Anyone who has had the pleasure of talking to me on the phone knows that I can go on for hours about LITERARY HOLLYWOOD!!

I completed four anthologies and the screening process was…exhausting, LOL!

“OH,you wrote a book?”

“Oh ok. Yeah, me too!”

“You wanna self publish?”

“Yeah, me too!”

“You’re working on your next book?”

“Yeah, me too!”

You can see where I am going with this—LOL—I am sure you have had this conversation with someone at some time or another.

“Oh, you wrote a book?

“Oh ok. Yeah, me too!”

“You wanna self publish?”

“Yeah, me too!”

“You’re working on your next book?”

“Yeah, me too!”

Yeah, Mr. Me Too is too funny and the reasons for this rant today. Plus, I was listening to the Clipse song called “Mr. Me Too” and said to myself, I have to write about this because there are a lot of those people out there in literary. So, basically, what I am ultimately trying to say is, SOME PEOPLE FAKE MOVES…WHILE OTHERS MAKE MOVES!!

The few who do are the envy of the many who only watch. ~Jim Rohn

Never regret. If it’s good, it’s wonderful. If it’s bad, it’s experience- Victoria Holt

Kisha Green

www.Literary-Jewels.com
www.DivaBooksIncOnline.com

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