Self-Publishing Advice: Writing for your Market

The Book Doctor chimes in…

Q: I’ve written a short story [synopsis deleted]. I had three people–one fellow writer and two avid readers who are not writers–read this story and provide feedback. They all love the story, except each one told me that she doesn’t like the ending. Each offered suggestions for alternative endings that range from fairy tale to Barney the Dinosaur endings. (I love you; you love me; oh, how happy we will be.)

I ended it the way I did because it made more sense to me. [The protagonist] grew up a little and learned that sometimes it’s okay to assert himself, even if it brings conflict. Our hero was content with the way the story ended.

I know I’m writing for a market, and I want my stories to entertain and satisfy readers. But I don’t feel right ending a story in a way that I personally think is a cheesy cliché. Should I write something I wouldn’t read myself, just because others like it? Can I even trust the response of such a small sample of readers, even though their independent feedback concerning the ending is resounding and consistent? I know this is a terribly subjective question, but I’d like to know what you would do.

A: You may be asking the wrong person. To be able to make a living writing, I have made it my motto that “I’ll write anything for money.” As a result I have written and/or edited many things that did not reflect my personal opinions.

Examine your motives. If indeed you are writing to sell your work, you do have to consider the market, and if you consider the market–your focus group sounds like a small but good specimen–you will change the ending to suit the market. If you write for yourself without hope of selling your work, you can write anything you want, including gibberish, and it won’t matter. In that case, you can make the ending as unpleasing to the public as you wish, because in reality the public will probably never see it.

You are the god who created your story. You can control the outcome, depending upon your goals. As you know, the endings of many movies have been changed when focus groups did not like the first ending. As a result, some movies have become blockbusters that may have otherwise bombed, if the ending had not changed.

Bobbie Christmas, book doctor, author of Write In Style (Union Square Publishing), and owner of Zebra Communications, will answer your questions, too. Send them to Bobbie@zebraeditor.com. Read more “Ask the Book Doctor”

Self-Publishing Book Review of the Week

Self Published Book Review of the Week: Portraits in Lavender

Portraits in Lavender

by Connie Torrisi

This self-published book was recently reviewed by Rainbow Reviews:

Portraits in Lavender (subtitled Flash Biographies of Some Famous Lesbians for the Newly Out Lesbian) is a historical biography with a double purpose. First of all, the goal is to reach lesbians who are newly out, whether young adults, adolescents, or chronologically mature women just stepping out of the closet. Second, the book intends to bring out of the historical closet the lives of fifteen divergent figures whose actions have marked civilization, yet whose orientation has either been overlooked or deliberately obscured. Included are famous writers, activists, a President’s First Lady, and even a notorious “criminal.”

Portraits in Lavender is not intended as a book of erotica nor as a call to lesbianism, but rather is an awakening for readers ~ gay and straight alike ~ to understand the lives of historical figures whose sexual orientation only deepened, not denigrated, their achievements. Some of those mentioned are widely known but others may be new to the reader.

The importance of this book is to alert readers to a depth of history previously unexplored, and to inspire them to investigate further into the lives of these individuals, and to commemorate their accomplishments, both public and private. This reviewer, for example, is intrigued to read further into the works of some of the very special writers mentioned in this collection. The short biographies are easy but thought-provoking reading for all of us: gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgendered, or straight.

For more information or to order the book, visit the author’s webpage: www.outskirtspress.com/PortraitsinLavender

Self-Publishing

Self-publishing on the Road to Self-publishing

The Internet is great. Really. There has been perhaps no more organic, democratizing invention in the world since Gutenberg’s printing press. How empowering is the ability to compose an original idea, or start a new novel, and upload it to a website for the world to see within minutes.

If you are like me and find great pleasure and power sharing your writing with the world, be sure to bring it to an appropriate forum, preferably in a place where it will provide long-term promotion assistance for itself down the road. You also want to post where you trust the people to provide worthwhile feedback, rather than pilfering your ideas for their own or criticizing your writing for the sake of self-promotion.

Where do you start?

The answer depends upon what you hope to achieve, and the way in which you want to “spread the word.” Writing online is no easier than writing offline. In fact, it may seem harder at first. The extra effort is worth it later on.

If you’re seeking instant feedback on your writing from other people, I would suggest participating in online writing groups and forums. Yahoo offers “Groups” specific to a wide array of writing subjects. You can access the Groups section by going to the Yahoo main page at http://www.yahoo.com

Google offers groups also, and you can find them on the Groups link on Google at http://www.google.com

By conducting a subject or category search from either of these venues you can find a number of possible groups in which to participate.

I recommend you spend some time exploring Yahoo and Google groups. Register for an account with the one you like best. Don’t necessarily start writing online yet. That comes later. Instead, just look around and become familiar with the “environment.”

Then, down the road you’ve accomplished two things in one – established a platform or presence in your market and generated content to bring to your self-publishing option for production into a book.

Book Marketing, Book Promotion, Self-Publishing, Viral Marketing

Marketing your Self-published Book: The Law of the Shovel

If you want to dig a big hole, you’ve got to know where you’re digging and stay in one place.

I work with many writers who come to me with a manuscript and say, “Publish this! It’s going to be a bestseller!” I celebrate confidence and enthusiasm. Indispensable characteristics in successfully marketing your self-published book.

The reality is, publishing what we often consider to be a bestseller is akin to winning the Heisman or starring across from Meryl Streep. That it is a bestseller makes any book exception to the rule. Something of such unique and timely nature that it just might appeal to everyone. But everyone cannot digest everything. Ask yourself this: who is, and where are the readers that will enjoy, benefit from, and share my book?

Once you’ve answered that, start digging. Try to dig in too many places, you’ll likely barely scratch the surface.

Book Promotion

Using Newspapers to Promote your Self-Published Book

There are two diverse tactics for promoting your self-published book:

1) Paying for advertising
2) Acquiring free advertising through press

Well, a subset to that second option is this: create press for yourself.

How? By writing for the newspaper.

Newspapers are in constant need for fresh content on a daily or weekly basis. Most general interest articles can be written by anyone, anywhere, and you don’t even need to live in the area where the paper is distributed (although it certainly helps as you get your feet wet).

Writing freelance articles for newspapers is an effective way to get your book “out there” because your byline will always be included with your article, and your book will always be mentioned in your byline.

Many freelance writers concentrate solely on contributing to magazines or websites, but you will be missing out on thousands of great markets if you ignore newspapers.

How do you get started? You can easily find information about newspapers, including contact information and addresses, by going online to www.usnpl.com or www.newspapers24.com

Have fun and keep writing.

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