Wednesday, December 31, 2014

Literary Jackpot article

Here is a New Year's treat.... A New York Times article about author Anthony Doerr and the surprising success of his novel All the Light We Cannot See.

Sales of this book continued to soar during 2014, and the author can now relax and enjoy the success. Yet he has three other book ideas he is toying with - each very different from the others.

In the mind of a busy writer, that's just what we do.  As the author states:

"You just try to water these things like plants and see which one gets the most light and flourishes."

What a lovely way to think of our writing. May 2015 bring you surprising success, however you define it!

Digital Detox


I have just completed my first digital detox experience! The holidays and five days in California gave me a rare chance to unplug and relax.

Tempted to try the same?  Maybe you, or a family member, are ready for a detoxification from the constant onslaught of screens, beeps, email, social media and thousands of other tempting distractiong. Oh, they're still out there, but maybe you won't miss them if you take a sanity break for a few days.


Before you start your tech break, consider reading this first-person article: The Digital Detox: How and Why to Do It, by Nora Dunn.

[cross-posted on Computer Clarity blog.]

Sunday, December 21, 2014

Finding it tough to write during the Holidays?

The celebrations for Hannaka and Christmas sure cause a wave of distraction in these otherwise calm solstice days as winter sets in.



If you find yourself restless, its likely because you don't have time to connect with your writing, or even your reading. While the holidays may inspire some good story ideas, the folks at Infinity Publishing shared some ideas on how to carve out time for your writing.



Paraphrasing from Infinity's 12-18-14 blog post...
... Especially set a space aside for yourself, where you can write when there is a little quiet time and write about what's going on around you during the holidays, or write character sketches you can return to later.

... Find your productive time, such as early morning, or after dinner, and relax with only your writing, so you can connect with it each day. Even a little time can inspire an idea for something that holds promise.

As an example, last week I picked up a 1989 novel and decided I would finally make time to delve into it. Much to my surprise, in a week I read all 510 pages, by spending some solid time with it each evening. It happens to be by one of my favorite travel writers, Paul Thoreau but this book, My Secret History, is a novel, not a travel narrative.

In it Thoreau discovers a path to the book he is trying to write on deadline, while distracted by a female companion on what should be a working trip. Naturally, he worried he was fooling around and not getting any work done. Once he got home, he set aside some quiet time to look through his notes and found what he needed was all there. Once engrossed in his notebooks, he was on his way, and ready to work on the book.

I suspect this is a autobiographical novel, since Theroux included much material about his travels and research for his books. We are witness to his thoughts on writers and writing toward the end of this massive, engaging story.

Excerpt:
"I thought how travel was composed of moments like this: discoveries and reverences separated by great inconvenience. These encounters, taken together, added up to one's experiences of a place. ...the inconvenience had to be forgotten and replaced by the epiphany."

"One of the greatest thing writers did, I thought, was to isolate an event and light it with the imagination, to make people understand and remember; and not just events, but people and their passions. Forgetting was much worse than failure: it was an act of violence. For all writing aimed at defeating time. No one could become a writer-no one would even care about it-until he or she experienced the impartial cruelty of time passing."

So, before your holiday season passes, maybe you can find a quiet corner and enjoy writing for a while. The results may surprise you.

Tuesday, December 16, 2014

Talk about reverse engineering!

At last, there is a way to connect keyboard-less digital devices to typewriters!


Excerpt:
The USB Typewriter, created by Jack Zylkin, is one of the products that pay homage to that lionized, endangered, and, for some, still preferable writing machine. The USB Typewriter is a kit of electronica that, when installed on a typewriter, sends whatever is typed on the machine to an attached digital device—a computer, tablet, or smartphone—where it is stored as electronic, and thus editable and uploadable, text. The converted typewriter still works on its own, in the traditional fashion, with or without a device attached. Zylkin began tinkering with his own typewriter in 2009, simply out of love for the machine and a wish to rescue it from obsolescence; it wasn’t until he officially introduced his creation to the public, in 2010, that he fully realized what it could mean for writers. “For me, it’s all about the magic of typewriters and how wonderful they are—I just like working on them,” Zylkin says. “But they represent a whole way of writing that is being forgotten.

Monday, December 15, 2014

Year-end writing opportunities

A castle library!  
If you're like me, you are ending the year with a pile of story and article submissions you didn't complete. Here are a few recent market possibilities if you want to set aside some extra time for writing between holidays.


The following are from the great Brian Scott at www.freelancewriting.com

Words the Podcast (Words) is presently welcoming submissions of poetry, short stories, essays, and pitches for journalism pieces. Words is a new weekly literary podcast launching in January 2015...
Payment: $40/article
Source: FreelanceWriting.com

Mslexia magazine has a handful of editorial opportunities available to freelance writers. Based in the United Kingdom, the quarterly literary magazine is for women who write. It covers the trade, pursuit and psychology of writing. The editorial staff, led by Debbie Taylor, invites national and international writers to submit original, unpublished materials for various sections of the magazine. - See more at: http://writingcareer.com/post/105170659666/mslexia-magazine-posts-new-deadlines-for-prose-and#sthash.qJEf6Fgu.dpuf

Read more at: http://writingcareer.com/post/105170659666/mslexia-magazine-posts-new-deadlines-for-prose-and
Copyright © WritingCareer.com - All content on our website is original and copyrighted in the U.S. and internationally and may NOT be copied, reproduced, or re-printed, online or offline. Use our RSS feed instead. Thanks for respecting our rights and our hard work.
Mslexia magazine has a handful of editorial opportunities available to freelance writers. Based in the United Kingdom, the quarterly literary magazine is for women who write. It covers the trade, pursuit and psychology of writing. The editorial staff, led by Debbie Taylor, invites national and international writers to submit original, unpublished materials for various sections of the magazine. - See more at: http://writingcareer.com/post/105170659666/mslexia-magazine-posts-new-deadlines-for-prose-and#sthash.qJEf6Fgu.dpuf

Read more at: http://writingcareer.com/post/105170659666/mslexia-magazine-posts-new-deadlines-for-prose-and
Copyright © WritingCareer.com - All content on our website is original and copyrighted in the U.S. and internationally and may NOT be copied, reproduced, or re-printed, online or offline. Use our RSS feed instead. Thanks for respecting our rights and our hard work.
Mslexia magazine has a handful of editorial opportunities available to freelance writers. Based in the United Kingdom, the quarterly literary magazine is for women who write. It covers the trade, pursuit and psychology of writing. The editorial staff, led by Debbie Taylor, invites national and international writers to submit original, unpublished materials for various sections of the magazine. - See more at: http://writingcareer.com/post/105170659666/mslexia-magazine-posts-new-deadlines-for-prose-and#sthash.qJEf6Fgu.dpuf

Read more at: http://writingcareer.com/post/105170659666/mslexia-magazine-posts-new-deadlines-for-prose-and
Copyright © WritingCareer.com - All content on our website is original and copyrighted in the U.S. and internationally and may NOT be copied, reproduced, or re-printed, online or offline. Use our RSS feed instead. Thanks for respecting our rights and our hard work.
Mslexia magazine has a handful of editorial opportunities available to freelance writers. Based in the United Kingdom, the quarterly literary magazine is for women who write. It covers the trade, pursuit and psychology of writing. The editorial staff, led by Debbie Taylor, invites national and international writers to submit original, unpublished materials for various sections of the magazine. - See more at: http://writingcareer.com/post/105170659666/mslexia-magazine-posts-new-deadlines-for-prose-and#sthash.qJEf6Fgu.dpuf

Read more at: http://writingcareer.com/post/105170659666/mslexia-magazine-posts-new-deadlines-for-prose-and
Copyright © WritingCareer.com - All content on our website is original and copyrighted in the U.S. and internationally and may NOT be copied, reproduced, or re-printed, online or offline. Use our RSS feed instead. Thanks for respecting our rights and our hard work.
Mslexia magazine has a handful of editorial opportunities available to freelance writers. Based in the United Kingdom, the quarterly literary magazine is for women who write. It covers the trade, pursuit and psychology of writing...   http://writingcareer.com/post/105170659666/mslexia-magazine-posts-new-deadlines-for-prose-and
Payment: up to $100/story
Source: WritingCareer.com

Mslexia magazine has a handful of editorial opportunities available to freelance writers. Based in the United Kingdom, the quarterly literary magazine is for women who write. It covers the trade, pursuit and psychology of writing. The editorial staff, led by Debbie Taylor, invites national and international writers to submit original, unpublished materials for various sections of the magazine. - See more at: http://writingcareer.com/post/105170659666/mslexia-magazine-posts-new-deadlines-for-prose-and#sthash.qJEf6Fgu.dpuf

Read more at: http://writingcareer.com/post/105170659666/mslexia-magazine-posts-new-deadlines-for-prose-and
Copyright © WritingCareer.com - All content on our website is original and copyrighted in the U.S. and internationally and may NOT be copied, reproduced, or re-printed, online or offline. Use our RSS feed instead. Thanks for respecting our rights and our hard work.
Mslexia magazine has a handful of editorial opportunities available to freelance writers. Based in the United Kingdom, the quarterly literary magazine is for women who write. It covers the trade, pursuit and psychology of writing. The editorial staff, led by Debbie Taylor, invites national and international writers to submit original, unpublished materials for various sections of the magazine. - See more at: http://writingcareer.com/post/105170659666/mslexia-magazine-posts-new-deadlines-for-prose-and#sthash.qJEf6Fgu.dpuf

Read more at: http://writingcareer.com/post/105170659666/mslexia-magazine-posts-new-deadlines-for-prose-and
Copyright © WritingCareer.com - All content on our website is original and copyrighted in the U.S. and internationally and may NOT be copied, reproduced, or re-printed, online or offline. Use our RSS feed instead. Thanks for respecting our rights and our hard work.

Mslexia magazine has a handful of editorial opportunities available to freelance writers. Based in the United Kingdom, the quarterly literary magazine is for women who write. It covers the trade, pursuit and psychology of writing. The editorial staff, led by Debbie Taylor, invites national and international writers to submit original, unpublished materials for various sections of the magazine. - See more at: http://writingcareer.com/post/105170659666/mslexia-magazine-posts-new-deadlines-for-prose-and#sthash.qJEf6Fgu.dpuf

Read more at: http://writingcareer.com/post/105170659666/mslexia-magazine-posts-new-deadlines-for-prose-and
Copyright © WritingCareer.com - All content on our website is original and copyrighted in the U.S. and internationally and may NOT be copied, reproduced, or re-printed, online or offline. Use our RSS feed instead. Thanks for respecting our rights and our hard work.

Wednesday, December 10, 2014

A reminder: Even the best writers need to put in the time...


Interview excerpt

Enjoy this brief excerpt from Writers Relief, part of an interview with two-time United States Poet Laureate, Ted Kooser, author of eleven full-length collections of poetry.


Excerpt:
What is it about writing poetry that gives you the most joy?
It happens when I am sitting with my notebook, picking away at a poem, and suddenly something wonderful unexpectedly rushes in from my blind side and I exclaim, “Yowie! Did I just write that?”

Your most recent book, Splitting an Order, had an incubation period of approximately ten years. Do you write every day? Can you talk a little bit about the intersection of patience and the writing life? What else would you like us to know about your new book?
I do try to write every morning, and I fail to write anything of merit maybe twenty-eight days out of every month. But on a couple of days, I might write something that I think will have some endurance and mean something to other people. If I’m not sitting there with my notebook when the good ones mysteriously arrive, I’ll miss them completely.

Something to keep us humble and a reminder to feed the daily writing habit. 

Sunday, December 7, 2014

Now that's a book jacket!

 
 
 
If you are wondering how to make your next book stand out, consider Amanda Palmer's The Art of Asking: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Let People Help.
Seriously, this is a striking book cover design. I'm not sure what message it delivers to a book browser, but a review on Brain Pickings, (one of my weekly passions), describes her book: The unhinging of that trap is what Amanda explores with equal parts deep personal vulnerability, profound insight into the private and public lives of art, and courageous conviction about the future of creative culture.
 
Considering the trap of too much entitlement to what we feel we want and too little capacity to accept what we truly need, we can relate when she speaks of the Imposter Complex: 
There’s no “correct path” to becoming a real artist. You might think you’ll gain legitimacy by going to university, getting published, getting signed to a record label. But it’s all bullshit, and it’s all in your head. You’re an artist when you say you are. And you’re a good artist when you make somebody else experience or feel something deep or unexpected.

Glad she got that off her chest.... !

Friday, December 5, 2014

Put more 'self' into publishing with bundles

Here's news of a collaborative self-publishing idea!
Gather your friends and surge ahead in 2015!

[from Infinity Publishing blog]:

Bundles are a hot new trend for self publishing indie writers these days, and multi-author bundles are a great deal for both readers and author marketing.
 "These anthologies of short stories or novellas give readers more of what they're looking for: great stories in their favorite genre. This strategy also applies to non-fiction where the subject matter is similar. For the authors, they're a great chance to be discovered by many more new readers than they might otherwise find. The rewards for writers can be huge in terms of sales and recognition, but bundles don't come together overnight. It takes a dedicated, organized person to put a bundle together, but the effort will pay off significantly."
Read more about the logistics, costs, legal issues here at Infinity Publishing's blog. Then share this post with friends and consider a similar publishing project.

Wednesday, November 19, 2014

Grammarly to the rescue

In my youth, a convoy of nuns at Sacred Heart School taught English, grammar, writing, shorthand and typing. The nuns are long gone to their heavenly reward but daily, I am grateful for my ability to string sentences together. These basic skills helped me make a living in the corporate world for many years, and then as a writer/author. Freelance writers without the early-childhood advantage of nuns for teachers can be grateful for Grammarly. This company stepped forward to provide a survey showing the value of good writing, at a time when good freelancers are in great demand. Grammarly is an online automatic proofreading service and grammar coach.


In a survey of nearly 500 freelance professionals, Grammarly analyzed how well the freelancers' online profiles at ELance.com seemed to correlate to credibility, hireability or pay. The results showed the best-reviewed freelancers had the fewest writing errors per 100 words in their profile. Error rates by freelance writers were markedly lower than other areas, such as IT, engineering, sales and financial professionals. Across all fields in the study, writers earned more money per job than other professions.

Perhaps it is our attention to detail, critical eye, and love of words that make us so reliable and in demand.

To the left, you'll find an interesting infographic supplied by Grammarly... (click to enlarge)







Note: Grammarly made a donation to Reading is Fundamental, on my behalf.


Tuesday, November 11, 2014

Special event for teen writers


If you're in the Chicago area, here is something special coming up on Saturday:

JESSIE ANN FOLEY - Writing Workshop for Teens
Saturday, November 15th
3:00 pm at The Book Stall, 811 Elm Street, Winnetka, IL
 
Every story has to take place somewhere, and for writers from William Faulkner to Suzanne Collins, the WHERE can be just as important as the WHO and the WHAT.  In the “Take a Place” workshop, Jessie Ann Foley will introduce some techniques to "see" a setting in your mind and build out an entire story world from there.

The event is free, but space is limited. Please call The Book Stall: 847-446-8880 to reserve your spot. Recommended for teen writers ages 14-18. 

Thursday, November 6, 2014

Blogging is 20 years old!

WOW... Blogs have been around for twenty years!

Yes, 1994 was a long time ago and that's when blogs got started.

The Columbia Journal Review has a nice long piece here about the start of something that grew larger than anyone could have predicted.

NANOWRIMO inspiration break

If you're writing daily in November, and feel yourself running on empty, take a break and read this lovely essay by Sven Birkerts on Aeon.co.

"It was going to New York City last week that finally did it, almost as if the point of going had been for me to be in Central Park on that fine crystal afternoon, to sit on a bench by the lake watching that cinema trick of a painting dissolving into motion. Something happened in that spot. I was touched in the core of my reverie by one of those unaccountable inner shifts. This one scarcely more than a flutter, really, but I took that flutter as the beginning of a larger turn, a motion counter to the deep inertia of the long weeks before.

"The matter sounds so simple. All of a sudden, I found myself wanting to write sentences again and, when I did, it felt to me like the rains had finally come, stirring up life in the dry land. I don’t know if I even shifted in my place, but whatever it was has since brought something back that had gone missing. The time hasn’t been that long, really, but by what clock? What decides long? The clock of days or the clock of the inside life? How long can a person feel unconnected and not feel that it’s too long? Writing, for me, is the mainspring, the momentum, that small tipping action inside that makes the watch keep real time."
Continue reading at Aeon.co

Friday, October 31, 2014

NANOWRIMO returns. Stop procrastinating.

If you're excited by National Novel Writing Month, you're in good company. See my 2011 post for more about NANOWRIMO. Some writers have novel ideas ready to go, and others will work on a memoir or use the event to make a commitment to writing over 1,600 words a day or even commit to daily blogging. The goal is a total of 50,000 words, a great first draft on your project.

Too ambitions for you? Any effort is better than none.Either way, it is an inspiring community of writers. Learn more at NANOWRIMO.

Also, Story Studio Chicago has events to keep you motivated here.

And if you need help, there is a new productivity app Stop Procrastinating, designed to help writers stay focused by combining psychology with technology. I just learned about this today, and if you want to find out more, visit this link. (www.stopprocrastinatingapp.com). The app is ridiculously inexpensive and can finally help you focus on your writing instead of online distractions. Do it...now.


Friday, October 24, 2014

Thirteen places to hold book events

Lucky 13... Thanks to Caitlin Muir @authormedia.com for these great suggestions. Get motivated to plan a book tour schedule for next Spring to promote your books. Pick a few close to home and do winter events too. People love to get out and hear authors talk about their work.

Find a Place To Give a Book Reading:

  1. Your local coffee shop
  2. A hospital
  3. A retirement community
  4. A rehabilitation center
  5. A local church
  6. A locally owned bookstore
  7. The library (try the five closest to your house)
  8. The local community college
  9. A school
  10. Wherever the main setting of your book is
  11. Google+
  12. Videos you upload to Facebook
  13. Goodreads--stay active on this site

Thursday, October 23, 2014

Even famous authors can get a bad review

Book reviews help our books get noticed. That's a good thing, right? Usually...

People reading reviews on Amazon understand that when a grumpy person writes a negative review, the author doesn't deserve to be attacked. We tend to dismiss reviews that insult the writer's integrity, or when the reviewer is being mean.

But, how would we feel if said review was in The New York Times Sunday Book Review, and tore into the author's work in such a highly visible way? The author I'm referring to is Joyce Carol Oates, and the review was of her story collection, Lovely, Dark, Deep.

The reviewer, who shall remain nameless here, has decided the book is "a fatally slack enterprise, a makeshift heap of first drafts, blighted by shallow emotion". Worse, he refers to offhand manipulation of trauma, and prose that feels virtually unedited.

Ouch!

Tuesday, October 21, 2014

Promote your events @ Poets & Writers


Poets & Writers has revamped their Literary Events Calendar. They cite its "beautiful new interface makes it easy to find readings and other literary events near you, and to post events you are part of." 

And, of course, its free! Post your upcoming events now, and they will also be listed in our their new app -- Poets & Writers Local -- coming later this fall!

Saturday, October 18, 2014

Do reviews help ebook sales?

I;ll bet you think the answer is "Yes, of course."

Surprisingly, though, the chart below shows ebook sales attributable to a traditional media review represent only three percent. That means word-of-mouth and browsing are better methods of discovery. Of course, the best way is being a repeat author and having fans waiting for the release of your next ebook....

Thanks to Mark Coker of Smashwords for the chart below:


Tuesday, October 14, 2014

NAMW... finally


I [finally] formally joined the National Association of Memoir Writers at namw.org. They offer a rich variety of events, articles and resources for those interested in good writing, including but not limited to memoir.  I have long recommended this organization for my clients, but its time I take my own advice.

You may have seen the recent New York Times article featuring NAMW leader, Linda Joy Myers, PhD and Brooke Warner of SheWrites.

Helen Gallagher

Friday, October 3, 2014

Why is so much writing so bad?



From today's Wall Street Journal...

"Why is so much writing so bad? Why is it so hard to understand a government form, or an academic article or the instructions for setting up a wireless home network?"

The answer in Steven Pinker's article, The Source of Bad Writing, points to what he calls the Curse of Knowledge: a difficulty in imagining what it is like for someone else not to know something that you know.  It is an excerpt from his new book: The Sense of Style: The Thinking Person's Guide to Writing in the 21st Century.



Monday, September 29, 2014

Amazon launches Kindle for Kids

This might be a good time to re-issue a children's book in digital format.

Amazon has announced https://kdp.amazon.com/kids
Kindle Kids' Book Creator: 
Import illustrations, add pop-ups and preview your illustrated kids book with Kindle Kids' Book Creator.
 
Age and Grade Tools: 
Help parents choose the right books for their kids. Use our Age and Grade tools to reach the right audience.
 
Marketing Tools: 
Benefit from Amazon's powerful marketing tools and global distribution. Enroll in KDP Select to get more promotional benefits.

Here’s the link… https://kdp.amazon.com/kids and a “Get Started” button with more details. 

Learn how now... https://kdp.amazon.com/how-to-publish-childrens-books?ref_=GS

 

Monday, August 4, 2014

Evernote users: Publish directly to Fast Pencil


Fast Pencil is a fairly well-known print on demand service for authors. Evernote is the smart note-taking and information database used by thousands if not millions. It has endless practical uses, from grocery lists to estate planning, is fairly easy to start, and is unstructured. Many writers use it for data gathering to writing drafts.



Now, because these two firms put their heads together, you can publish your Evernote content as a POD book. Once you organize your text and finalize your graphics and other content, you are ready to publish and distribute vie ebook or print.  A nice way to test out your book in draft form and move forward with publishing in 2014.

[Press Release] - excerpt...
FastPencil Creates Print Books and eBooks from Evernote Notes Instantly
New feature is first to enable Evernote users to easily import, self-publish and distribute notes as an eBook or print book regardless of device, location or previous publishing experience.

FastPencil, the fastest, easiest way to write and self-publish books, announced today they are offering all Evernote users the ability to instantly self-publish their notes using the FastPencil platform for ingestion, book building, transition to print and eBooks formats, online distribution and selling of the finished book. Available today, Evernote users can immediately take their notes and import them into FastPencil to create and publish in an eBook or PDF in a matter of seconds. The work can then be shared via the web or distributed through FastPencil’s publishing packages.

“This is an exciting partnership because it allows millions of Evernote users the opportunity to publish their work seamlessly through the FastPencil platform and push their book out in multiple formats,” said Steve Wilson, co-founder and President of FastPencil. “When we talk about bringing the capabilities of e-publishing to the masses, this is exactly what we mean and we couldn’t be happier to have such an amazing advocate in Evernote.”

FastPencil’s integration with Evernote allows users to create a print-ready PDF or eBook in seconds. Users simply take their specific notes – or full notebook – importing them directly into FastPencil’s self-publishing platform. From there, they will be able to edit, collate, format and create a table of contents. Then, they can choose which format they prefer, hit publish and share their newly published content. If users choose to print copies of their book, they can thru the FastPencil platform with their print partnership with Gung-Ho. Members looking to distribute their work will have the ability to utilize FastPencil’s vast distribution network channels including Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kindle, iPad, Sony eReaders, and the entire Ingram Network.

“Evernote is a powerful writing tool and this relationship further reinforces this,” says Chris Traganos, director of developer relations. “This integration provides writers and creatives with an effective way to publish their life’s work from Evernote with Fast Pencil.”

Read the full press release here:  Evernote and Fast Pencil

Wednesday, July 23, 2014

Rejection: Barbara Kingsolver's perspective

Thanks to Alexandra Caselle for posting this quote on her blog:  Alexandra is a native Floridian author and poet.  Her blog, Rhet Effects (http://rheteffects.wordpress.com),

Barbara Kingsolver quote on rejection:
 “This manuscript of yours that has just come back from another editor is a precious package. Don’t consider it rejected. Consider that you’ve addressed it ‘To the editor who can appreciate my work,’ and it has simply come back stamped ‘Not at this address.’ Just keep looking for the right address.”

Sunday, July 20, 2014

Author marketing... a continuous improvement project

Publishers Weekly has an important article on successful self-publishing:
Self-Publish Like a Pro: Finding an Audience, posted July 10, 2014.

In it, Alexandra Fletcher discusses the need to build a base of readers before your book comes out.
Regardless of your road to publishing, her statements ring true, and are a wake-up call to authors who think their book will sell without visibility and following.

"Nothing diminishes an author’s self-publishing dream quite like watching sales stagnate after a title’s release. An author aggressively promotes the book on social media platforms. Her friends, co-workers, and family members buy copies and write reviews to show support. But within days or weeks of the book launch, the author is hit with the sobering realization that sales have dropped off because no one outside of her immediate social circle is looking for it."

Wherever you are in your book promotion plans, take a look at the article and see if you can adapt a few of Fletcher's suggestions.  Here is the link: Publishers Weekly

Friday, July 11, 2014

Platform: An excellent explanation from Jane Friedman

Jane Friedman has an excellent piece about platform on her site. What it is and what it isn't. As she states:

Platform is
  • Visibility. Who knows you? Who is aware of your work? Where does your work regularly appear? How many people see it? How does it spread? Where does it spread? What communities are you a part of? Who do you influence? Where do you make waves?
  • Authority. What’s your credibility? What are your credentials? (This is particularly important for nonfiction writers; it is less important for fiction writers, though it can play a role. Just take a look at any graduate of the Iowa MFA program.)
  • Proven reach. It’s not enough to SAY you have visibility. You have to show where you make an impact and give proof of engagement. This could be quantitative evidence (e.g., size of your e-mail newsletter list, website traffic, blog comments) or qualitative evidence (high-profile reviews, testimonials from A-listers in your genre).
  • Target audience. You should be visible to the most receptive or appropriate audience for the work you’re trying to sell. For instance: If you have visibility, authority, and proven reach to orthodontists, that probably won’t be helpful if you’re marketing vampire fiction (unless perhaps you’re writing about a vampire orthodontist who repairs crooked vampire fangs?).
And, as for what Platform is not, here's her list. Note the first two, which I think clears up many author misperceptions.
  • It is not about self-promotion.
  • It is not about hard selling.
  • It is not about annoying people.
  • It is not about being an extrovert.
  • It is not about being active on social media.
  • It is not about blogging.
  • It is not about your qualifications, authority, or experience, although these are tools for growing or nurturing a platform.
  • It is not something you create overnight.
  • It is not something you can buy.
  • It is not a one-time event.
  • It is not more important than your story or message (but hopefully it grows out of that).
Read Jane Friedman's full piece here http://janefriedman.com/2012/03/13/author-platform-definition/

Tuesday, June 24, 2014

How a Contest Judge Views Your Book



How a Contest Judge Views a Book
by Helen Gallagher

Literary merit is a core requirement for any prize-winning book.



After succeeding as an author, book reviewer, and publishing consultant, I was recently pleased to participate as a judge in a national book competition.


If you are or have been given this honor, it is a big responsibility and a whole lot of fun. Each judge must critique the contest entries on a long list of factors, not limited to content, accuracy, editing, and design.
In order to avoid being overwhelmed, I agreed to judge only the three genres I know best. I would not feel comfortable judging categories where I don’t have an informed opinion of quality, such as mystery, sci-fi, or romance. 

Unlike my work as a book reviewer, in which I evaluate writing style and content and consider the value of the book’s theme or message, judging goes much further. Reviewers often discuss an author’s point of view, while letting the reader of the review know pertinent details of the book. That’s why people read book reviews—to determine if they want to invest time in reading the book.

In judging a book contest, the parameters are set by the organization or committee running the contest. They set criteria for entries and sort through all submissions to be sure each entry that is judged fits the standards for quality writing in the category. The biggest job for a judge is remaining objective in order to judge fairly. Frequently, contest entries are read and judged by two different people. The second judge performs the same task as the first: analyzing the book’s worthiness on all the variables, and the combined scores are averaged.

Most contests have very specific categories. As an author it is important to make sure your book is in the best category, or choose multiple categories, such as “Motivational” and “Self-Help,” to give your book a better chance against steep competition. Most contests charge an incremental fee for multiple categories, so be clear about the category that best fits your book.

As an author, what I found most interesting about being a judge is the importance of every detail. That’s right—If you enter your book in a contest, you don’t want to have a perfect book design but fall short on other elements or overlook errors. The lesson here is that when you are finalizing your book for publication, nothing is unimportant. Don’t overlook errors in the Table of Contents, pagination, page layout, or chapter headings, and re-check every word and every reference, from cover to cover.

Give the same consideration to the importance of good cover design and quality printing. Whether you use a traditional publisher, print-on-demand, or a local printing firm, your book must look as good as any other mass-market book to be worthy of an award. This includes cover artwork, fonts, design, proper placement of the ISBN and barcode, and error-free layout of both the front and back covers.

You may have a great story, but if you failed to do that last round of proofreading or checking the layout, another contest entrant may outshine your book by a few points.

Here are some tips to consider, not just when you prepare to enter your completed book in a contest, but before you publish your next book.
  • Is your title/subtitle appropriate and does it generate interest?

  • Does the title truly reflect the content of the book? Don’t fall in love with a quirky title that would disappoint or mislead the reader.

  • Is your book price appropriate for the target audience? Have you done research to determine this?

  • Do your book layout, editing, and design meet the highest standards?
These four sample factors are just the first steps in passing through to the award level in your book’s category. Many contests haves thirty categories by which each book is measured. If any of these initial factors is adequate but not truly professional, entering an important book contest might be a waste of money. 

Before you run back to your manuscript to polish it up, keep in mind that literary merit is a core requirement for any prize-winning book. Books up for award are of course evaluated on the writing, not just the spelling and punctuation, but quality of language, comprehension, and the ability to present material in an interesting way, authored by a person with the qualifications to write on the topic. 

Remember that your confidence in your book when presenting it for any award consideration requires all the up-front effort and attention to detail well before you even dream of winning First Prize in a book contest. The reward, though, when your book is chosen, is increased publicity and increased sales, because of the distinguished honor in winning a book award. 

Helen Gallagher is the author of Release Your Writing: Book Publishing Your Way.
Her publishing blog is at releaseyourwriting.blogspot.com.  © 6/24/2014