As you regular subscribers to Sharing with Writers know, I love to have guest bloggers come talk to you. Especially when I'm away speaking. Especially when I can have a dynamo like Deb Eckerling. As you might guess, an A personality like hers is all about organization. So today she shares with you on that topic. And do take the time to read her end-of-article bio. There are opportunities for you there! (-:
Writing to Reach the Finish Line
By Debra L Eckerling
It’s that time of year again – summer is over, things are settling down, and you realize that you have just over three months to accomplish your goals for 2010. Before you freak out, panic, and decide to never write again, take a step back. It’s okay. The time you spend beating yourself up could be used for writing!
Here are some steps to get you back on track for the year-end writing push.
1. Write down your goals for the rest of the year; make sure they are ones you can actually accomplish.
2. Look at your goals daily. Put them in a place where you will look at them on a regular basis. You can’t accomplish them if can’t remember them.
3. Make your writing a priority. It’s easy to get sidetracked … that’s probably how you got toward the end of the year with multiple half-finished projects. Realize your creativity – your goals – are just as important as everyone else’s. Own them. And set aside time on a regular basis to indulge your passion.
4. Explore your craft – try new genres and media. Participating in writing exercises and contests, starting a blog, and trying new things will make you a stronger writer. Variety is the spice of life.
5. Write through any blocks you may have. If you get stuck, write around or through the problem. You can always revise once you have a finished draft, but if you are constantly self-editing, the road to “The End” just gets father away.
Believe in yourself. Your novel, non-fiction book, screenplay, or blog is important to you. So go for it! Writing is exercise. The more you practice, the better you become. Write On!
* * *
Debra Eckerling, creator of WriteOnOnline.com, is a professional writer and coach who trains individuals, experts, and entrepreneurs, so they can organize, articulate, and complete their writing projects. http://www.writeontrackla.com/
LA Writers' Debra will be leading a weekly workout series, starting the end of September.
This unique retreat will allow you to explore the art and craft of writing though exercises designed to stimulate your creativity, develop your style, and increase your productivity. Each session will also allow time to work on your current projects, brainstorm blocks, and ask questions.
Mondays, September 27, October 11, 18, 25, 7:00 - 9:00 pm, in Venice, California. Space is limited. All participants will be invited to an exclusive post-retreat follow-up teleconference on November 1, 2010. To register, go to http://writeonfall2010.eventbrite.com/
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Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of This Is the Place; Harkening: A Collection of Stories Remembered; Tracings, a chapbook of poetry; and how to books for writers including, The Frugal Book Promoter: How To Do What Your Publisher Won't; The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success; and Great Little Last Minute Editing Tips for Writers . The Great First Impression Book Proposal is her newest booklet for writers. She has three FRUGAL books for retailers including A Retailer’s Guide to Frugal In-Store Promotions: How To Increase Profits and Spit in the Eyes of Economic Downturns with Thrifty Events and Sales Techniques. Some of her other blogs are TheNewBookReview.blogspot.com, a blog where authors can recycle their favorite reviews. She also blogs at all things editing, grammar, formatting and more at The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor . If your followers at Twitter would benefit from this blog post, please use the little Green widget to let them know about this blog:
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Friday, September 24, 2010
Thursday, September 23, 2010
A Bit of a Shock in Book Fair News
Today the LA Times reported that the famous UCLA/LA Times Festival of Book will now be held on the campus of UCLA’s crosstown rival, the University of Southern California. I was associated with that fair several years running and must say that it’s a surprise and that I’m conflicted. I teach at UCLA. My daughter is studying there. My son and I both were graduated from USC. I love both campuses. So, I’m not taking sides.
Still this is a shock. Apparently with budget cuts UCLA couldn’t afford to uphold their portion of the expenses for the fair. An LA Times spokesperson says, “The Times has shared a long, successful history with UCLA and we intend to continue to collaborate with them on other events and projects far into the future.” Spokespersons also tout the advantages of the USC campus including better access from LA’s mass transit systems, in particular their new rail system, and a more central LA location.
For your information this fair attracted 140,000 visitors in 2010.
This notice comes from the regular "In the News" feature in my Sharing with Writers newsletter. Those who would like to subscribe for publishing-related news, tips on writing and promotion and really practical how-to articles may send an e-mail to HoJoNews@aol.com with SUBSCRIBE in the subject line.
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Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of This Is the Place; Harkening: A Collection of Stories Remembered; Tracings, a chapbook of poetry; and how to books for writers including, The Frugal Book Promoter: How To Do What Your Publisher Won't; The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success; and Great Little Last Minute Editing Tips for Writers . The Great First Impression Book Proposal is her newest booklet for writers. She has three FRUGAL books for retailers including A Retailer’s Guide to Frugal In-Store Promotions: How To Increase Profits and Spit in the Eyes of Economic Downturns with Thrifty Events and Sales Techniques. Some of her other blogs are TheNewBookReview.blogspot.com, a blog where authors can recycle their favorite reviews. She also blogs at all things editing, grammar, formatting and more at The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor . If your followers at Twitter would benefit from this blog post, please use the little Green widget to let them know about this blog:
Still this is a shock. Apparently with budget cuts UCLA couldn’t afford to uphold their portion of the expenses for the fair. An LA Times spokesperson says, “The Times has shared a long, successful history with UCLA and we intend to continue to collaborate with them on other events and projects far into the future.” Spokespersons also tout the advantages of the USC campus including better access from LA’s mass transit systems, in particular their new rail system, and a more central LA location.
For your information this fair attracted 140,000 visitors in 2010.
This notice comes from the regular "In the News" feature in my Sharing with Writers newsletter. Those who would like to subscribe for publishing-related news, tips on writing and promotion and really practical how-to articles may send an e-mail to HoJoNews@aol.com with SUBSCRIBE in the subject line.
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Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of This Is the Place; Harkening: A Collection of Stories Remembered; Tracings, a chapbook of poetry; and how to books for writers including, The Frugal Book Promoter: How To Do What Your Publisher Won't; The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success; and Great Little Last Minute Editing Tips for Writers . The Great First Impression Book Proposal is her newest booklet for writers. She has three FRUGAL books for retailers including A Retailer’s Guide to Frugal In-Store Promotions: How To Increase Profits and Spit in the Eyes of Economic Downturns with Thrifty Events and Sales Techniques. Some of her other blogs are TheNewBookReview.blogspot.com, a blog where authors can recycle their favorite reviews. She also blogs at all things editing, grammar, formatting and more at The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor . If your followers at Twitter would benefit from this blog post, please use the little Green widget to let them know about this blog:
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Is the English Language Really, Really Dead?
I rarely send subscribers and readers of this blog to my Frugal, Smart, and Tuned-In Editor blog. You know where it is. Ha! But today I posted a link of all links for folks who love the English language and a good laugh. C'mon. Humor me. And boost the day's readership. While you're there, leave your most aggrivating (ooops! aggravating!) homonym or spelling booboo in the comments!
http://thefrugaleditor.blogspot.com/2010/09/weingarten-reads-english-its-last-rites.html
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Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of This Is the Place; Harkening: A Collection of Stories Remembered; Tracings, a chapbook of poetry; and how to books for writers including, The Frugal Book Promoter: How To Do What Your Publisher Won't; The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success; and Great Little Last Minute Editing Tips for Writers . The Great First Impression Book Proposal is her newest booklet for writers. She has three FRUGAL books for retailers including A Retailer’s Guide to Frugal In-Store Promotions: How To Increase Profits and Spit in the Eyes of Economic Downturns with Thrifty Events and Sales Techniques. Some of her other blogs are TheNewBookReview.blogspot.com, a blog where authors can recycle their favorite reviews. She also blogs at all things editing, grammar, formatting and more at The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor . If your followers at Twitter would benefit from this blog post, please use the little Green widget to let them know about this blog:
http://thefrugaleditor.blogspot.com/2010/09/weingarten-reads-english-its-last-rites.html
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Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of This Is the Place; Harkening: A Collection of Stories Remembered; Tracings, a chapbook of poetry; and how to books for writers including, The Frugal Book Promoter: How To Do What Your Publisher Won't; The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success; and Great Little Last Minute Editing Tips for Writers . The Great First Impression Book Proposal is her newest booklet for writers. She has three FRUGAL books for retailers including A Retailer’s Guide to Frugal In-Store Promotions: How To Increase Profits and Spit in the Eyes of Economic Downturns with Thrifty Events and Sales Techniques. Some of her other blogs are TheNewBookReview.blogspot.com, a blog where authors can recycle their favorite reviews. She also blogs at all things editing, grammar, formatting and more at The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor . If your followers at Twitter would benefit from this blog post, please use the little Green widget to let them know about this blog:
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Favorite Newsletter Tip Time
I've begun sharing my favorite tip from each of my Sharing with Writers newsletters right after it is issued . Those of you who want lots of tips, articles, in-the-news of the publishing world notices, etc. may subscribe by sending a SUBSCRIBE message to HoJoNews@aol.com. Here is my fave from this week's edition:
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Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of This Is the Place; Harkening: A Collection of Stories Remembered; Tracings, a chapbook of poetry; and how to books for writers including, The Frugal Book Promoter: How To Do What Your Publisher Won't; The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success; and Great Little Last Minute Editing Tips for Writers . The Great First Impression Book Proposal is her newest booklet for writers. She has three FRUGAL books for retailers including A Retailer’s Guide to Frugal In-Store Promotions: How To Increase Profits and Spit in the Eyes of Economic Downturns with Thrifty Events and Sales Techniques. Some of her other blogs are TheNewBookReview.blogspot.com, a blog where authors can recycle their favorite reviews. She also blogs at all things editing, grammar, formatting and more at The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor . If your followers at Twitter would benefit from this blog post, please use the little Green widget to let them know about this blog:
Tip: In the Frugal Book Promoter (www.budurl.com/FrugalBkPromo), I show authors how to build contact lists of readers, editors, and others that can help them with their marketing efforts. One of the groups that they often forget to include on those lists are bloggers. Another is editors of e-mail newsletters (meaning people who put together newsletters like this one). That’s grassroots marketing, folks, and it’s an easy way to kick start a campaign and grow your network.
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Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of This Is the Place; Harkening: A Collection of Stories Remembered; Tracings, a chapbook of poetry; and how to books for writers including, The Frugal Book Promoter: How To Do What Your Publisher Won't; The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success; and Great Little Last Minute Editing Tips for Writers . The Great First Impression Book Proposal is her newest booklet for writers. She has three FRUGAL books for retailers including A Retailer’s Guide to Frugal In-Store Promotions: How To Increase Profits and Spit in the Eyes of Economic Downturns with Thrifty Events and Sales Techniques. Some of her other blogs are TheNewBookReview.blogspot.com, a blog where authors can recycle their favorite reviews. She also blogs at all things editing, grammar, formatting and more at The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor . If your followers at Twitter would benefit from this blog post, please use the little Green widget to let them know about this blog:
Sunday, September 19, 2010
Selling Fiction in Unusual Places
A friend of mine is writing a book and wanted me to share with her future readers how I’ve partnered with specialty shops to sell fiction. Until her project is done I am not at liberty to mention it, but what I wrote to her made me think it is time to review that topic with you once again. Here are some of the ways I marketed my novel. I hope some of the ideas get you to thinking about how to explore your own work (fiction or nonfiction) for new ways to get it noticed.
~My novel (This Is the Place--available used for about $1 at www.budurl.com/ThisIsThePlace ) is based on my own story (very nearly a memoir) and is set in Utah. That made it suitable for souvenir shops, especially those in the Intermountain West during the Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City.
~My novel was based on family journals. That made it suitable for shops in and around the Mormon Temple that caters to genealogists and journalers.
~This novel's title is immediately recognizable by those who love history of the American West. That made it suitable for a launch at the Autry Museum of Western History in Los Angeles and other museum shops and bookstores that cater to history buffs.
~This Is the Place explores the subject of tolerance. That made it suitable for hippy/liberal coffee shops, Internet cafes, and the like. It also made it suitable as recommended reading for teachers focusing on discrimination.
~To broaden the possibilities of sales through teachers, gender issues are addressed in this novel. Many universities have women’s studies programs. That is not an avenue I’ve pursued, but I could.
~This Is the Place was published just before the Olympics in Salt Lake City. That made it suitable for airport stores--both specialty and bookstores. Airport bookstores are a tough nut to crack, but I did it even when my publisher couldn't. I used my retail experience and offered stores a point-of-purchase display box with a header when they bought six books or more. I handled this portion of book sales on my own. Guaranteed sales. Even said if the books didn't sell, they didn't have to pay and didn't have to return. It was an offer they couldn't refuse. Of course they sold!
You can also make retailers understand how selling the book and/or hosting an event for the author can be profitable for them. The more authors know about retailing, the easier it is for them to partner with retailers. I recommend my "A Retailer's Guide to Frugal In-Store Promotions" (www.budurl.com/RetailersGuide ) as a start on learning what retailers are dealing with. There is even a section in it that talks about how retailers can benefit from hosting authors at their events.
This list gives you an idea of the way fiction writers should think about their books. They need to dissect them into different parts, think about how each will fit with the audience of different retail stores. The same process works when one is trying to get publicity for themselves and their books. We have to figure out how they are a fit for specific current events as they recur in the news.
An example of this: Whenever the Mormon Church or polygamist sects hit the news (which is often), that makes This Is the Place news or at least makes me an expert. (-:
Hope this helps you analyze your book for purposes of marketing it better. By the way, you'll see how I promote the tolerance aspect of this book on my Website at http://www.howtodoitfrugally.com/ . Very subtly. LOL. Find the tolerance link at the top of the home page.
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Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of This Is the Place; Harkening: A Collection of Stories Remembered; Tracings, a chapbook of poetry; and how to books for writers including, The Frugal Book Promoter: How To Do What Your Publisher Won't; The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success; and Great Little Last Minute Editing Tips for Writers . The Great First Impression Book Proposal is her newest booklet for writers. She has three FRUGAL books for retailers including A Retailer’s Guide to Frugal In-Store Promotions: How To Increase Profits and Spit in the Eyes of Economic Downturns with Thrifty Events and Sales Techniques. Some of her other blogs are TheNewBookReview.blogspot.com, a blog where authors can recycle their favorite reviews. She also blogs at all things editing, grammar, formatting and more at The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor . If your followers at Twitter would benefit from this blog post, please use the little Green widget to let them know about this blog:
~My novel (This Is the Place--available used for about $1 at www.budurl.com/ThisIsThePlace ) is based on my own story (very nearly a memoir) and is set in Utah. That made it suitable for souvenir shops, especially those in the Intermountain West during the Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City.
~My novel was based on family journals. That made it suitable for shops in and around the Mormon Temple that caters to genealogists and journalers.
~This novel's title is immediately recognizable by those who love history of the American West. That made it suitable for a launch at the Autry Museum of Western History in Los Angeles and other museum shops and bookstores that cater to history buffs.
~This Is the Place explores the subject of tolerance. That made it suitable for hippy/liberal coffee shops, Internet cafes, and the like. It also made it suitable as recommended reading for teachers focusing on discrimination.
~To broaden the possibilities of sales through teachers, gender issues are addressed in this novel. Many universities have women’s studies programs. That is not an avenue I’ve pursued, but I could.
~This Is the Place was published just before the Olympics in Salt Lake City. That made it suitable for airport stores--both specialty and bookstores. Airport bookstores are a tough nut to crack, but I did it even when my publisher couldn't. I used my retail experience and offered stores a point-of-purchase display box with a header when they bought six books or more. I handled this portion of book sales on my own. Guaranteed sales. Even said if the books didn't sell, they didn't have to pay and didn't have to return. It was an offer they couldn't refuse. Of course they sold!
You can also make retailers understand how selling the book and/or hosting an event for the author can be profitable for them. The more authors know about retailing, the easier it is for them to partner with retailers. I recommend my "A Retailer's Guide to Frugal In-Store Promotions" (www.budurl.com/RetailersGuide ) as a start on learning what retailers are dealing with. There is even a section in it that talks about how retailers can benefit from hosting authors at their events.
This list gives you an idea of the way fiction writers should think about their books. They need to dissect them into different parts, think about how each will fit with the audience of different retail stores. The same process works when one is trying to get publicity for themselves and their books. We have to figure out how they are a fit for specific current events as they recur in the news.
An example of this: Whenever the Mormon Church or polygamist sects hit the news (which is often), that makes This Is the Place news or at least makes me an expert. (-:
Hope this helps you analyze your book for purposes of marketing it better. By the way, you'll see how I promote the tolerance aspect of this book on my Website at http://www.howtodoitfrugally.com/ . Very subtly. LOL. Find the tolerance link at the top of the home page.
-----
Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of This Is the Place; Harkening: A Collection of Stories Remembered; Tracings, a chapbook of poetry; and how to books for writers including, The Frugal Book Promoter: How To Do What Your Publisher Won't; The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success; and Great Little Last Minute Editing Tips for Writers . The Great First Impression Book Proposal is her newest booklet for writers. She has three FRUGAL books for retailers including A Retailer’s Guide to Frugal In-Store Promotions: How To Increase Profits and Spit in the Eyes of Economic Downturns with Thrifty Events and Sales Techniques. Some of her other blogs are TheNewBookReview.blogspot.com, a blog where authors can recycle their favorite reviews. She also blogs at all things editing, grammar, formatting and more at The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor . If your followers at Twitter would benefit from this blog post, please use the little Green widget to let them know about this blog:
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Sharing with You Best Tips from SharingwithWriters Newsletter
I thought I'd try something new. This is a "best tips" feature to appear regularly right after I publish my newsletter. Here it is:
Jo Linsdell, the writing and marketing whiz who will be a guest speaker at the Eve Caram’s and my Roman Retreat (www.budurl.com/RomanRetreat) , has her latest Tweet repeated in her e-mail signature. Automatically! Wow, what a way to keep one’s tweets focused! (-: She uses Wise Stamp Signature (http://www.wisestamp.com/email-ie ) and you can see from a sample of her signature below how that works for her:
Jo Linsdell Feliciani
jo_bins@yahoo.com
http://www.jolinsdell.com/
Skype: Jo Linsdell-Feliciani
My latest Tweet jolinsdell: RT @pleasermrt: Time is just nature's way to keep everything from happening at once.
--- @ WiseStamp Signature. Get it now
PS: To receive the SharingwithWriters newsletter send an e-mail to hojonews@aol.com. Be sure to put SUBSCRIBE in the subject line.
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Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of This Is the Place; Harkening: A Collection of Stories Remembered; Tracings, a chapbook of poetry; and how to books for writers including, The Frugal Book Promoter: How To Do What Your Publisher Won't; The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success; and Great Little Last Minute Editing Tips for Writers . The Great First Impression Book Proposal is her newest booklet for writers. She has three FRUGAL books for retailers including A Retailer’s Guide to Frugal In-Store Promotions: How To Increase Profits and Spit in the Eyes of Economic Downturns with Thrifty Events and Sales Techniques. Some of her other blogs are TheNewBookReview.blogspot.com, a blog where authors can recycle their favorite reviews. She also blogs at all things editing, grammar, formatting and more at The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor . If your followers at Twitter would benefit from this blog post, please use the little Green widget to let them know about this blog:
Jo Linsdell, the writing and marketing whiz who will be a guest speaker at the Eve Caram’s and my Roman Retreat (www.budurl.com/RomanRetreat) , has her latest Tweet repeated in her e-mail signature. Automatically! Wow, what a way to keep one’s tweets focused! (-: She uses Wise Stamp Signature (http://www.wisestamp.com/email-ie ) and you can see from a sample of her signature below how that works for her:
Jo Linsdell Feliciani
jo_bins@yahoo.com
http://www.jolinsdell.com/
Skype: Jo Linsdell-Feliciani
My latest Tweet jolinsdell: RT @pleasermrt: Time is just nature's way to keep everything from happening at once.
--- @ WiseStamp Signature. Get it now
PS: To receive the SharingwithWriters newsletter send an e-mail to hojonews@aol.com. Be sure to put SUBSCRIBE in the subject line.
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Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of This Is the Place; Harkening: A Collection of Stories Remembered; Tracings, a chapbook of poetry; and how to books for writers including, The Frugal Book Promoter: How To Do What Your Publisher Won't; The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success; and Great Little Last Minute Editing Tips for Writers . The Great First Impression Book Proposal is her newest booklet for writers. She has three FRUGAL books for retailers including A Retailer’s Guide to Frugal In-Store Promotions: How To Increase Profits and Spit in the Eyes of Economic Downturns with Thrifty Events and Sales Techniques. Some of her other blogs are TheNewBookReview.blogspot.com, a blog where authors can recycle their favorite reviews. She also blogs at all things editing, grammar, formatting and more at The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor . If your followers at Twitter would benefit from this blog post, please use the little Green widget to let them know about this blog:
Monday, September 13, 2010
Sharing with You What I've Been Up To Lately
Ta da! Here is new booklet I just self published. It was once an Amazon Short, but Amazon gave up on their shorts and it became unavailable...defunct...passe. Yikes! Can't have that.
But it’s back by popular demand. I hope you’ll all take a look at it. I know The Great First Impression Book Proposal: Everything You Need To Know To Sell Your Book in 20 Minutes or Less works. Like all my books it’s based on my own experience with publishing, promoting and with working with my clients. And, if you love it, I’d love a review on Amazon—just a few sentences will do! (-:
Find it at:
http://budurl.com/BookProposals
You do all remember the chapter in The Frugal Book Promoter (www.budurl.com/FrugalBkPromo ) on how you can use reviews to get clips and to network with the same editors (and bloggers) who may eventually give your book more exposure, right? Reviewing others' work isn't completely altruistic! (-:
Anyway, I was able to bring this little booklet to you for only $6.95. Between it and Great Little Last-Minute Editing Tips for Writers: The Ultimate Frugal Booklet for Avoiding Word Trippers and Crafting Gatekeeper-Perfect Copy (www.budurl.com/WordtrippsPB) , they are the seeds of a new easy-and-fast-learn series of booklets for writers.
Happy Writing, Editing, and Promoting!
Carolyn Howard-Johnson
PS: One more thing I'm busy doing. Planning a Roman Retreat for YOU. There are only three more places available at my Roman Retreat October 23 to October 30. Jo Linsdell, a writer who lives in Rome, has planned a dinner for us where we can show (and sell!) our books displayed on a table in a local restaurant! The fees for beautiful (and huge!) villa are very reasonable--for Rome. If you’ve been considering it, go to www.budurl.com/RomanRetreat for updated pictures and information. If you’re thinking about coming, quit it! Just sign up!
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Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of This Is the Place; Harkening: A Collection of Stories Remembered; Tracings, a chapbook of poetry; and how to books for writers including, The Frugal Book Promoter: How To Do What Your Publisher Won't; The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success; and Great Little Last Minute Editing Tips for Writers . The Great First Impression Book Proposal is her newest booklet for writers. She has three FRUGAL books for retailers including A Retailer’s Guide to Frugal In-Store Promotions: How To Increase Profits and Spit in the Eyes of Economic Downturns with Thrifty Events and Sales Techniques. Some of her other blogs are TheNewBookReview.blogspot.com, a blog where authors can recycle their favorite reviews. She also blogs at all things editing, grammar, formatting and more at The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor . If your followers at Twitter would benefit from this blog post, please use the little Green widget to let them know about this blog:
But it’s back by popular demand. I hope you’ll all take a look at it. I know The Great First Impression Book Proposal: Everything You Need To Know To Sell Your Book in 20 Minutes or Less works. Like all my books it’s based on my own experience with publishing, promoting and with working with my clients. And, if you love it, I’d love a review on Amazon—just a few sentences will do! (-:
Find it at:
http://budurl.com/BookProposals
You do all remember the chapter in The Frugal Book Promoter (www.budurl.com/FrugalBkPromo ) on how you can use reviews to get clips and to network with the same editors (and bloggers) who may eventually give your book more exposure, right? Reviewing others' work isn't completely altruistic! (-:
Anyway, I was able to bring this little booklet to you for only $6.95. Between it and Great Little Last-Minute Editing Tips for Writers: The Ultimate Frugal Booklet for Avoiding Word Trippers and Crafting Gatekeeper-Perfect Copy (www.budurl.com/WordtrippsPB) , they are the seeds of a new easy-and-fast-learn series of booklets for writers.
Happy Writing, Editing, and Promoting!
Carolyn Howard-Johnson
PS: One more thing I'm busy doing. Planning a Roman Retreat for YOU. There are only three more places available at my Roman Retreat October 23 to October 30. Jo Linsdell, a writer who lives in Rome, has planned a dinner for us where we can show (and sell!) our books displayed on a table in a local restaurant! The fees for beautiful (and huge!) villa are very reasonable--for Rome. If you’ve been considering it, go to www.budurl.com/RomanRetreat for updated pictures and information. If you’re thinking about coming, quit it! Just sign up!
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Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of This Is the Place; Harkening: A Collection of Stories Remembered; Tracings, a chapbook of poetry; and how to books for writers including, The Frugal Book Promoter: How To Do What Your Publisher Won't; The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success; and Great Little Last Minute Editing Tips for Writers . The Great First Impression Book Proposal is her newest booklet for writers. She has three FRUGAL books for retailers including A Retailer’s Guide to Frugal In-Store Promotions: How To Increase Profits and Spit in the Eyes of Economic Downturns with Thrifty Events and Sales Techniques. Some of her other blogs are TheNewBookReview.blogspot.com, a blog where authors can recycle their favorite reviews. She also blogs at all things editing, grammar, formatting and more at The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor . If your followers at Twitter would benefit from this blog post, please use the little Green widget to let them know about this blog:
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Travel Writer Ballou Shares Method to Get Your Book Passed Around!
This guest post comes to you today because someone (in this case, said guest blogger Linda Ballou) knows that marketing is only caring. I met her when I was speaking at a writers' group. We have stayed in touch--and cross-marketed!--because she is good at giving as much as she gets in the networking process. Read! You'll see one of her giving ideas! Note, Linda is a travel writer, but her technique will work at one level or another for any writer!
By Linda Ballou
I operate on the premise that one good deed deserves another.
The most effective promotion for books is word of mouth—one friend telling another that your book is worth their valuable time to read. In my new book Lost Angel Walkabout-One Traveler’s Tales I have a list in the back of the book of the outfitters that hosted me. In this spirited collection of travel narratives recounting the haps, mishaps, and serendipitous adventures that gave me a sense of wonder and delight, I mention my hosts. Some of the stories like “Falling in the Footsteps of John Muir” and “Look Both Ways on Small Islands” are reflections that might make you glad you stayed home, while “River Wise” could inspire you to toss the TV clicker out the window and to explore our beautiful planet. All of the stories take you to special places where you share the sensual experience of being there without straining one muscle, getting altitude sickness, or tipping your canoe.
I included the thank you to my hosts to encourage them to send an announcement about my book to their respective lists of past guests. This will provide me with a personal endorsement to a built-in niche market. I am gifting each of my hosts with a copy of the book, so that they will feel comfortable with the quality of my writing and will be happy to spread “the good news.” I will let you know how this giving to get endorsements pays off. At the very least it will get me more wonderful trips.
Linda Ballou is the author of Lost Angel Walkabout –One Traveler’s Tales - Purchase at www.lindaballouauthor.com and enjoy free shipping.
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Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of This Is the Place; Harkening: A Collection of Stories Remembered; Tracings, a chapbook of poetry; and how to books for writers including, The Frugal Book Promoter: How To Do What Your Publisher Won't; The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success; and Great Little Last Minute Editing Tips for Writers . She is also the author of the Amazon Short, "The Great First Impression Book Proposal". She has three FRUGAL books for retailers including A Retailer’s Guide to Frugal In-Store Promotions: How To Increase Profits and Spit in the Eyes of Economic Downturns with Thrifty Events and Sales Techniques. Some of her other blogs are TheNewBookReview.blogspot.com, a blog where authors can recycle their favorite reviews. She also blogs at all things editing, grammar, formatting and more at The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor . If your followers at Twitter would benefit from this blog post, please use the little Green widget to let them know about this blog:
By Linda Ballou
I operate on the premise that one good deed deserves another.
The most effective promotion for books is word of mouth—one friend telling another that your book is worth their valuable time to read. In my new book Lost Angel Walkabout-One Traveler’s Tales I have a list in the back of the book of the outfitters that hosted me. In this spirited collection of travel narratives recounting the haps, mishaps, and serendipitous adventures that gave me a sense of wonder and delight, I mention my hosts. Some of the stories like “Falling in the Footsteps of John Muir” and “Look Both Ways on Small Islands” are reflections that might make you glad you stayed home, while “River Wise” could inspire you to toss the TV clicker out the window and to explore our beautiful planet. All of the stories take you to special places where you share the sensual experience of being there without straining one muscle, getting altitude sickness, or tipping your canoe.
I included the thank you to my hosts to encourage them to send an announcement about my book to their respective lists of past guests. This will provide me with a personal endorsement to a built-in niche market. I am gifting each of my hosts with a copy of the book, so that they will feel comfortable with the quality of my writing and will be happy to spread “the good news.” I will let you know how this giving to get endorsements pays off. At the very least it will get me more wonderful trips.
Linda Ballou is the author of Lost Angel Walkabout –One Traveler’s Tales - Purchase at www.lindaballouauthor.com and enjoy free shipping.
-----
Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of This Is the Place; Harkening: A Collection of Stories Remembered; Tracings, a chapbook of poetry; and how to books for writers including, The Frugal Book Promoter: How To Do What Your Publisher Won't; The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success; and Great Little Last Minute Editing Tips for Writers . She is also the author of the Amazon Short, "The Great First Impression Book Proposal". She has three FRUGAL books for retailers including A Retailer’s Guide to Frugal In-Store Promotions: How To Increase Profits and Spit in the Eyes of Economic Downturns with Thrifty Events and Sales Techniques. Some of her other blogs are TheNewBookReview.blogspot.com, a blog where authors can recycle their favorite reviews. She also blogs at all things editing, grammar, formatting and more at The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor . If your followers at Twitter would benefit from this blog post, please use the little Green widget to let them know about this blog:
Sunday, September 05, 2010
Amazon Offers 70% Royalties for Authors
Subscribers to my newsletter often share with their fellows. This quick tip is from Karin Ireland.
Amazon now offers authors of Kindle material 70% royalties instead of 35%. But you have to go into your account to make the change. Here’s how:
Go to: https://dtp.amazon.com/mn/signin Here are the steps to take:
~Sign in
~Click on Actions
~Click on Edit, rights, royalty and pricing
~Scroll down to Royalty Option
~Change royalty from 35% to 70%.
Note that you won’t be able to access this area again for about 48 hours (until the update has been made). Also note that, if your book is already available as a Kindle, the process may lead you back through some steps that are new before you can access to the new royalty terms.
Karin Ireland’s book, The Job Survival Instruction Book: 400+ Tips, Tricks, and Techniques to Stay Employed is available online and in bookstores.
Follow her as she tries to sort out life at http://www.thebestlifeguidebook.com/.
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Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of This Is the Place; Harkening: A Collection of Stories Remembered; Tracings, a chapbook of poetry; and how to books for writers including, The Frugal Book Promoter: How To Do What Your Publisher Won't; The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success; and Great Little Last Minute Editing Tips for Writers . She is also the author of the Amazon Short, "The Great First Impression Book Proposal". She has three FRUGAL books for retailers including A Retailer’s Guide to Frugal In-Store Promotions: How To Increase Profits and Spit in the Eyes of Economic Downturns with Thrifty Events and Sales Techniques. Some of her other blogs are TheNewBookReview.blogspot.com, a blog where authors can recycle their favorite reviews. She also blogs at all things editing, grammar, formatting and more at The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor . If your followers at Twitter would benefit from this blog post, please use the little Green widget to let them know about this blog:
Amazon now offers authors of Kindle material 70% royalties instead of 35%. But you have to go into your account to make the change. Here’s how:
Go to: https://dtp.amazon.com/mn/signin Here are the steps to take:
~Sign in
~Click on Actions
~Click on Edit, rights, royalty and pricing
~Scroll down to Royalty Option
~Change royalty from 35% to 70%.
Note that you won’t be able to access this area again for about 48 hours (until the update has been made). Also note that, if your book is already available as a Kindle, the process may lead you back through some steps that are new before you can access to the new royalty terms.
Karin Ireland’s book, The Job Survival Instruction Book: 400+ Tips, Tricks, and Techniques to Stay Employed is available online and in bookstores.
Follow her as she tries to sort out life at http://www.thebestlifeguidebook.com/.
-----
Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of This Is the Place; Harkening: A Collection of Stories Remembered; Tracings, a chapbook of poetry; and how to books for writers including, The Frugal Book Promoter: How To Do What Your Publisher Won't; The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success; and Great Little Last Minute Editing Tips for Writers . She is also the author of the Amazon Short, "The Great First Impression Book Proposal". She has three FRUGAL books for retailers including A Retailer’s Guide to Frugal In-Store Promotions: How To Increase Profits and Spit in the Eyes of Economic Downturns with Thrifty Events and Sales Techniques. Some of her other blogs are TheNewBookReview.blogspot.com, a blog where authors can recycle their favorite reviews. She also blogs at all things editing, grammar, formatting and more at The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor . If your followers at Twitter would benefit from this blog post, please use the little Green widget to let them know about this blog:
Saturday, September 04, 2010
Free and Kindle: Promotion Tactics That Can Work if You Work Them Right
To Free or Not to Free, That Is the Question
Many visitors and subscribers to this site also subscribe to my SharingwithWriters newsletter. Occasionally I reprint some of the articles from it on this blog, expecially when I'm away speaking at writer's conventions or vacationing. So today you get a reprint. I am especially fond of my "Q&A a la Ann Landers" features. When I was working at my first job in journalism, I edited Landers columns for length, sometimes laid out the pages her columns appeared on. I loved Landers then and still love Landers-like advice columns. They help individuals, and--by application--a wider audience.
QUESTION:
My husband bought me a kindle for my 36th birthday it hasn't shipped yet but I was thinking of loading up on lots of the free books? Then I was thinking of posting some of my own children’s picture books on Kindle (in black and white) and selling them for zero. Maybe others for 99 cents to $1.99.
How do they set up payment?
Valerie Melville
ANSWER;
To publish on Amazon and to access all their information on that process, you must enroll for Amazon's advantage account. Once you've done that, you should be able to access pay information. After you've determined that you want to publish there, either as a free e-book or for a low, e-book price, uploading a book to Kindle is free.
Giving away a free book or two is a good way to sell others. But it only has a chance of working if, in the free ones, you include an ad for your other paid ones. That means you’ll need to go back and reformat your book before you put it into a pdf file for a Kindle upload.
Ads usually go in the backmatter. If you need convincing, I suggest you get Chris Anderson's book Free: The Future of a Radical Price at the library (or better! Support the publishing industry and buy one!). Read it through for an understanding of how to eventually make money from giveaways and be sure to stick with it long enough to get to the later chapters that address some uses for using freebies in the publishing industry.
This marketing tactic works especially well with books that are so old they aren’t selling well anymore, or for books that your traditional publisher has taken out of print. It is also an effective promotion device for writers of fiction. People read one book by a specific author, like it, and often buy another one.
CHJ
PS: You can subscribe to my Sharing with Writers Newsletter by going to my Website. There is a newsletter link in the top, right corner of nearly every page. Also, speaking of free, a free e-booklet that will help your writing career. (-:
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Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of This Is the Place; Harkening: A Collection of Stories Remembered; Tracings, a chapbook of poetry; and how to books for writers including, The Frugal Book Promoter: How To Do What Your Publisher Won't; The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success; and Great Little Last Minute Editing Tips for Writers . She is also the author of the Amazon Short, "The Great First Impression Book Proposal". She has three FRUGAL books for retailers including A Retailer’s Guide to Frugal In-Store Promotions: How To Increase Profits and Spit in the Eyes of Economic Downturns with Thrifty Events and Sales Techniques. Some of her other blogs are TheNewBookReview.blogspot.com, a blog where authors can recycle their favorite reviews. She also blogs at all things editing, grammar, formatting and more at The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor . If your followers at Twitter would benefit from this blog post, please use the little Green widget to let them know about this blog:
Many visitors and subscribers to this site also subscribe to my SharingwithWriters newsletter. Occasionally I reprint some of the articles from it on this blog, expecially when I'm away speaking at writer's conventions or vacationing. So today you get a reprint. I am especially fond of my "Q&A a la Ann Landers" features. When I was working at my first job in journalism, I edited Landers columns for length, sometimes laid out the pages her columns appeared on. I loved Landers then and still love Landers-like advice columns. They help individuals, and--by application--a wider audience.
QUESTION:
My husband bought me a kindle for my 36th birthday it hasn't shipped yet but I was thinking of loading up on lots of the free books? Then I was thinking of posting some of my own children’s picture books on Kindle (in black and white) and selling them for zero. Maybe others for 99 cents to $1.99.
How do they set up payment?
Valerie Melville
ANSWER;
To publish on Amazon and to access all their information on that process, you must enroll for Amazon's advantage account. Once you've done that, you should be able to access pay information. After you've determined that you want to publish there, either as a free e-book or for a low, e-book price, uploading a book to Kindle is free.
Giving away a free book or two is a good way to sell others. But it only has a chance of working if, in the free ones, you include an ad for your other paid ones. That means you’ll need to go back and reformat your book before you put it into a pdf file for a Kindle upload.
Ads usually go in the backmatter. If you need convincing, I suggest you get Chris Anderson's book Free: The Future of a Radical Price at the library (or better! Support the publishing industry and buy one!). Read it through for an understanding of how to eventually make money from giveaways and be sure to stick with it long enough to get to the later chapters that address some uses for using freebies in the publishing industry.
This marketing tactic works especially well with books that are so old they aren’t selling well anymore, or for books that your traditional publisher has taken out of print. It is also an effective promotion device for writers of fiction. People read one book by a specific author, like it, and often buy another one.
CHJ
PS: You can subscribe to my Sharing with Writers Newsletter by going to my Website. There is a newsletter link in the top, right corner of nearly every page. Also, speaking of free, a free e-booklet that will help your writing career. (-:
-----
Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of This Is the Place; Harkening: A Collection of Stories Remembered; Tracings, a chapbook of poetry; and how to books for writers including, The Frugal Book Promoter: How To Do What Your Publisher Won't; The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success; and Great Little Last Minute Editing Tips for Writers . She is also the author of the Amazon Short, "The Great First Impression Book Proposal". She has three FRUGAL books for retailers including A Retailer’s Guide to Frugal In-Store Promotions: How To Increase Profits and Spit in the Eyes of Economic Downturns with Thrifty Events and Sales Techniques. Some of her other blogs are TheNewBookReview.blogspot.com, a blog where authors can recycle their favorite reviews. She also blogs at all things editing, grammar, formatting and more at The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor . If your followers at Twitter would benefit from this blog post, please use the little Green widget to let them know about this blog:
Wednesday, September 01, 2010
Guest Columnist Mindy Lawrence Talks About Writing about Loss
By Mindy Phillips Lawrence
Last week I completed my second reading of Joan Didion’s heart-wrenching book, The Year of Magical Thinking. Didion was married to John Gregory Dunne from 1964 until he died in 2003. She turned away from him for a moment at dinner then turned back and he was gone. How could she write about this tragedy in her life and make it so real it hurt? I think the answer has something to do with her combination of introspection and great writing.
Melodrama is an exaggeration of plot, character and story designed to heighten emotions. In The Year of Magical Thinking, Didion did not heighten emotions. She tried to understand the reality of loss, break down the components and analyze them. In many ways, this analysis made the story even more tragic. It’s what we do when we try to understand the non-understandable. We try to apply reason to the unreasonable.
When you write about loss, think about the entire package that someone goes through when such an event occurs. Elizabeth Kübler-Ross model first introduced the stages of grief in her 1969 book, On Death and Dying. If you have a character facing loss, make sure to include these steps in his or her evolution. But do it creatively. Don’t go overboard or you will wind up with a melodrama instead of a sensitive, heartbreaking story.
Another good resource on writing about loss is a book by Zen Buddhist Joan Halifax called Being with Dying: Cultivating Compassion and Fearlessness in the Presence of Death. The author gathered information from over 40 years of working with the dying and wrote the book as part of her course on training those working in hospice.
Writing is also a method of healing when someone must deal with the loss of a loved one. By learning how writing can help in recovery, an author can also learn how to use this information to help a character deal with grief.
I hope you have no need to use writing as a cure. I do hope you use this information to make your stories more believable.
LINKS
Kubler-Ross Model – Five Stages of Grief
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/K%C3%BCbler-Ross_model
Joan Halifax – Being with Dying
http://www.upaya.org/bwd/
The Healing Power of the Pen
http://www.oneyearofwritingandhealing.com/one_year_writing_and_heal/2006/11/grief_loss_reco.html
Ginny’s Fiction Writing Blog
http://fictionwriting.about.com/b/2009/11/16/writing-and-loss.htm
~ Mindy Phillips Lawrence, www.freewebs.com/mplcreative, is the author of the poetry collections One Blue Star and Above and Below. She is co-author of The Complete Writer and a publicist and literary agent. She is in the process of researching a novel titled Alone is Where We Begin. Blogging at: http://mplcreative.blogspot.com/ .
Her specialty is helping writers with their media releases. Reach her at mplcreative1@aol.com.
-----
Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of This Is the Place; Harkening: A Collection of Stories Remembered; Tracings, a chapbook of poetry; and how to books for writers including, The Frugal Book Promoter: How To Do What Your Publisher Won't; The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success; and Great Little Last Minute Editing Tips for Writers . She is also the author of the Amazon Short, "The Great First Impression Book Proposal". She has three FRUGAL books for retailers including A Retailer’s Guide to Frugal In-Store Promotions: How To Increase Profits and Spit in the Eyes of Economic Downturns with Thrifty Events and Sales Techniques. Some of her other blogs are TheNewBookReview.blogspot.com, a blog where authors can recycle their favorite reviews. She also blogs at all things editing, grammar, formatting and more at The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor . If your followers at Twitter would benefit from this blog post, please use the little Green widget to let them know about this blog:
Last week I completed my second reading of Joan Didion’s heart-wrenching book, The Year of Magical Thinking. Didion was married to John Gregory Dunne from 1964 until he died in 2003. She turned away from him for a moment at dinner then turned back and he was gone. How could she write about this tragedy in her life and make it so real it hurt? I think the answer has something to do with her combination of introspection and great writing.
Melodrama is an exaggeration of plot, character and story designed to heighten emotions. In The Year of Magical Thinking, Didion did not heighten emotions. She tried to understand the reality of loss, break down the components and analyze them. In many ways, this analysis made the story even more tragic. It’s what we do when we try to understand the non-understandable. We try to apply reason to the unreasonable.
When you write about loss, think about the entire package that someone goes through when such an event occurs. Elizabeth Kübler-Ross model first introduced the stages of grief in her 1969 book, On Death and Dying. If you have a character facing loss, make sure to include these steps in his or her evolution. But do it creatively. Don’t go overboard or you will wind up with a melodrama instead of a sensitive, heartbreaking story.
Another good resource on writing about loss is a book by Zen Buddhist Joan Halifax called Being with Dying: Cultivating Compassion and Fearlessness in the Presence of Death. The author gathered information from over 40 years of working with the dying and wrote the book as part of her course on training those working in hospice.
Writing is also a method of healing when someone must deal with the loss of a loved one. By learning how writing can help in recovery, an author can also learn how to use this information to help a character deal with grief.
I hope you have no need to use writing as a cure. I do hope you use this information to make your stories more believable.
LINKS
Kubler-Ross Model – Five Stages of Grief
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/K%C3%BCbler-Ross_model
Joan Halifax – Being with Dying
http://www.upaya.org/bwd/
The Healing Power of the Pen
http://www.oneyearofwritingandhealing.com/one_year_writing_and_heal/2006/11/grief_loss_reco.html
Ginny’s Fiction Writing Blog
http://fictionwriting.about.com/b/2009/11/16/writing-and-loss.htm
~ Mindy Phillips Lawrence, www.freewebs.com/mplcreative, is the author of the poetry collections One Blue Star and Above and Below. She is co-author of The Complete Writer and a publicist and literary agent. She is in the process of researching a novel titled Alone is Where We Begin. Blogging at: http://mplcreative.blogspot.com/ .
Her specialty is helping writers with their media releases. Reach her at mplcreative1@aol.com.
-----
Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of This Is the Place; Harkening: A Collection of Stories Remembered; Tracings, a chapbook of poetry; and how to books for writers including, The Frugal Book Promoter: How To Do What Your Publisher Won't; The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success; and Great Little Last Minute Editing Tips for Writers . She is also the author of the Amazon Short, "The Great First Impression Book Proposal". She has three FRUGAL books for retailers including A Retailer’s Guide to Frugal In-Store Promotions: How To Increase Profits and Spit in the Eyes of Economic Downturns with Thrifty Events and Sales Techniques. Some of her other blogs are TheNewBookReview.blogspot.com, a blog where authors can recycle their favorite reviews. She also blogs at all things editing, grammar, formatting and more at The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor . If your followers at Twitter would benefit from this blog post, please use the little Green widget to let them know about this blog:
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