Kelly Schuknecht

ALA Conference in Chicago 2013

The American Library Association annual conference and exhibit will take place in Chicago starting June 27, 2013 until July 2, 2013. The event features a variety of exhibits, speakers, and networking opportunities. It is a great chance for self publishing authors to learn more about the publishing industry and network with other professionals. You can check out the schedule at http://ala13.ala.org/schedule-at-a-glance.

Annual registration and housing are now available. You can begin the registration process by visiting http://ala13.ala.org/schedule-at-a-glance. You must be registered for the event before booking your hotel room.

Some of the many benefits of attending the event include:

Make your library more efficient
Save your library time and money
Better serve your library users
Become a more effective library advocate
Make your library network stronger
Build a stronger reputation for your library
Inject fresh energy, excitement, and professionalism into your work
Become an excited, well-formed professional

If you attend this year’s ALA Conference, feel free to share your experience in the comments below!

ABOUT KELLY SCHUKNECHT: Kelly Schuknecht is the Vice President of Outskirts Press. In addition to her contributions to the Outskirts Press blog at blog.outskirtspress.com, Kelly and a group of talented marketing experts offer book marketing services, support, and products to not only published Outskirts Press authors, but to all authors and professionals who are interested in marketing their books and/or careers. Learn more about Kelly on her blog at http://kellyschuknecht.com.

Kelly Speaks

3 Summer Writing Tips for Self Publishing Authors

Although it feels like summer has just begun, it will be over before we know it! If you have time off in the summer, you may have summer writing goals, but it is easy to get distracted by all the fun summer activities and forget to work on your writing.

With that in mind, I’d like you to ask yourself a question today — how are you doing with your summer writing goals? Have you found yourself wrapped up in summer events — vacations, going to the pool, late night bonfires, enjoying the outdoors — instead of writing?

If you find you aren’t devoting as much time to writing as you would like, maybe it’s time to redirect your goals. Rather than miss out on the fun of summer, use this season to inspire your writing. Here are three ways to do so.

1) Write outside

No one says you have to work in an office, coffee shop, bookstore, or library. Instead, take your computer, notebook, or research material with you to your favorite outdoor location (the beach, the park, next to the pool) and work there. You will get to enjoy the summer sun as you write.

2) Let summer be your inspiration

Maybe you can’t find the inspiration to work on your current project because you are distracted by all the fun summer has to offer. Take a break from your current project and work on something inspired by the season. Perhaps, you could write fun poems or short stories about your summer vacation.

3) Think ahead

If you stay committed to your writing now, you may be able to enjoy the benefits by the time the holidays roll around. Books make great holiday gifts, so keep at your goals and you could just be a self-published author by the end of the year!

I’d love to know, how is summer impacting your writing goals?

Kelly Speaks

10 Ways to Overcome Writer’s Block

When you envision your dream writing life, you probably picture yourself somewhere peaceful like a park or a coffee shop, filled with inspiration and steadily writing away. But this is not the reality for most writers. No, most of us often find ourselves staring at a blank screen or page with no idea where to begin. Most of us struggle to accomplish our writing goals because we have writer’s block, but don’t worry. There are plenty of easy ways to overcome this writing obstacle. Here are the top ten.

1. Don’t strive for perfection, yet.

First drafts don’t have to be perfect. In the beginning, don’t worry about writing the perfect story, book, or poem. Don’t even worry about grammar and spelling. For now, just write.

2. Always be prepared.

You never know when inspiration will strike, so always be prepared to write. Keep a notebook and pen with you or download an app that let’s you jot down your thoughts.

3. Get some exercise.

I am giving you permission to walk away from your writing and do something physical. You’ll come back refreshed and you may even get some great ideas while you are working out. Often, the best ideas come when we aren’t trying to think of them.

4. Write out of order.

Who says you have to start your project at the beginning? If you are stuck on how to begin, jump to the middle or write the ending first.

5. Change your scenery.

Take your laptop or notebook and write somewhere different. Go to a park, coffee shop, the mall, your front yard, anywhere but where you normally write. You’ll be amazed at how a change in scenery can inspire you.

6. Let other artist inspire you.

Listen to music. Read some poetry. Visit an art gallery. Watch a movie. Let the work of others inspire you.

7. Take a nap.

I know you can’t write while you are sleeping, but every writer needs a little time to relax. Plus, you never know what ideas might appear in your dreams.

8. Try something new.

Novelty can spark inspiration. Take a class or go on a trip. Read a book in a genre you usually don’t read. Order an unusual food. These new experiences can bring new life to your writing.

9. Brainstorm.

Instead of trying to write an entire scene or poem, just jot down ideas as they pop in your head. You could make lists, a diagram, or just random notes.

10. Take a break.

It is okay to put a project away for a few days or weeks and come back to it.

I’d love to know, how do you overcome writer’s block?

Kelly Speaks, Self-Publishing Week in Review

Self Publishing Week in Review: 6/11/13

As a self-publishing author, you may find it helpful to stay up-to-date on the trends and news related to the self publishing industry. This will help you make informed decisions before, during and after the self publishing process, which will lead to a greater self publishing experience. To help you stay current on self publishing topics, simply visit our blog every Tuesday to find out the hottest news in self publishing this week.

Kawasaki Makes the Case for Self Publishing

Successful self publishing author Guy Kawasaki talks about his transition from traditional publishing to self publishing and provided 10 self-publishing tips in an entertaining keynote at uPublishU at the Javits Center in New York City.

Self-Publishing Authors Receive Complimentary Editing Offered from Outskirts
Press When They Start Publishing This June

Professional editing is a must for self publishing authors. Outskirts Press is currently offering complimentary editing to authors who start publishing in June!

How Mike Michalowicz Went From Unknown, Self-Published Author To Mainstream Publishing Success

Here is the success story of the self published author Mike Michalowicz, who wrote The Toilet Paper Entrepreneur: The Tell-It-Like-It-Is Guide to Cleaning Up in Business, Even if You Are at the End of Your Roll.

Self publishing author hits best-seller lists

Another success story; read and be inspired.

If you have other big news to share, please comment below.

Fiction, Kelly Speaks, NaNoWriMo, Writing

Character Development Tips for Fiction Writers

Back in November 2012 I participated in NaNoWriMo. As a first time fiction writer, one of the things I found the hardest was keeping character traits straight in my head. Did he have red or brown hair? Was he short or tall? As I was working through this problem, I developed some tricks to help me keep all those important character traits straight. Here are my favorites:

1. Let someone inspire you.

Even if you are writing fiction, you can use people in your real life as inspiration. Picture someone you know or see and base your character on that person. Not only is this a good way to generate ideas and help you remember your character descriptions, it is also a great way to ensure your characters are realistic because you will be describing someone you’ve actually seen or met.

2. Keep a list of character traits.

Even if you think you know your characters well, it is hard to remember all of the details once you are well into writing your book. To avoid messing up descriptions half way through the book, keep a list of all the character traits. You can format this however is most convenient for you. Perhaps create a table with headings such as physical characteristics and personality traits. The key is to keep the list updated and to review it often while you write and edit your book.

3. Plan ahead.

Some people let their characters develop as they write the story, but if remembering character traits is an issue for you, it may be beneficial to create your characters ahead of time. Before you begin writing, envision your characters. Imagine you are interviewing them and write down everything they would tell you and you would observe. What do they look like? Where do they live? What is their temperament? What are their motivators? Their fears? Their strengths? The more you figure out ahead of time, the easier it will be to write about them as they come into your story. Be sure to keep all this information in a safe, organized place that you can reference often.

4. Double and triple check your work.

As you write your book, your character may begin to take on a different personality than you expected or you may decide different characteristics are more suiting for certain characters. It is okay to change things, and you don’t have to be glued to your list of character traits as you write. You do, however, have to make sure everything is consistent before you self-publish your book. While you are revising your manuscript, read through it while focusing on character traits. You should also have at least one other person review your manuscript because he or she will often catch subtleties you missed.

5. Hire help.

If character traits is a struggle for you, a developmental editor may be able to help. Unlike copyeditors who review your manuscript for grammar and style issues, developmental editors look for consistency and structural elements such as character development and realistic dialogue. They can point out errors in your manuscript where you made mistakes and offer advice on improving your characters.

I’d love to know, what do you do to help you remember your characters’ traits?

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