Conversations with a Self-Publishing Writer – Page 29

Conversations with a Self-Publishing Writer, Royalene Speaks, Uncategorized

Friday Conversations With A Self-Publishing Writer 01/16/15

LEFT BRAIN-RIGHT BRAIN READERS

SO—you’ve written the best novel ever put to paper! From your perspective everyone on planet earth will (at some time in their life) read your book. There remains, however, the realistic question of who will actually buy and/or read it.

Some time ago a writing friend suggested that all serious authors should take a course in Marketing. My first response was a chuckle. That is not my field of interest and hours spent in that study would take valuable time away from actually writing. Then my friend asked me two questions. How are you—as the author—going to attract readers’ attention? And, if you use a PR or Marketing group, how will you know they are doing the right things for your unique book?

Well, I didn’t take an actual course in marketing, but I have done a fair-bit of research, some of which I’ve shared with you before. And, because the concepts and venues change so rapidly, I do my best to update my marketing research file every year. However, for the sake of today’s blog offering, I’ll focus on the headline concept stated above: the left-brain/right-brain readers…the rationally motivated reader and the emotionally motivated reader.

Possibly the biggest AH-HA discovery for me was this: Developing a marketing strategy toward the emotionally motivated reader/buyer will bring the greatest level of success no matter who is doing the book shopping. An emotional appeal will connect with both left and right-brain thinkers.

Example: Do you remember the novel Q and A? It was author Vikas Swarup’s first novel published in 2005. In 2006, the novel won South Africa’s prestigious Boeke Prize and was nominated for the Best First Book by the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize group. By 2007, this novel won the Prix Grand Public at the Paris Book Fair. It has also been sold for translation rights for 42 languages. THAT equals SUCCESS.

Yet—you might recognize this novel a little quicker by its film title: Slumdog Millionaire. Ahhh!…the perfect left-brain/right-brain title appealing to the rational “seeker of monetary wealth” and the compassionate heart who desires to help all “underdogs.” The movie was labeled a “sleeper hit,” being nominated for ten Academy Awards (2009)—winning eight.

This BOOK (yes, the author’s 1st novel) was hugely successful in book-form. And yet receiving a TITLE CHANGE (as it was developed for film) made a huge difference in attracting everyone from producers, directors and actors, to movie-goers and DVD buyers. Plus, a large population of movie watchers Google background information about the films they enjoy and then BUY the “story” in its original novel format.

SO—you’ve written the best novel ever put to paper! Who will understand your book—your characters and plot—better than you? Are you able to communicate those nuances to potential readers? What venues of communication will you use? In step the marketing specialists of your self-publishing TEAM. Their ideas are almost limitless and can help you develop a plan of action that will carry your book FAR and WIDE.

ABOUT ROYALENE DOYLE: Royalene Doyle is a Ghostwriter with Outskirts Press, bringing more than 35 years of writing experience to authors who need “just a little assistance” with completing their writing projects. She has worked with both experienced and fledgling writers helping complete projects in multiple genres. When a writer brings the passion they have for their work and combines it with Royalene’s passion to see the finished project in print, books are published and the writer’s legacy is passed forward.

Conversations with a Self-Publishing Writer, Royalene Speaks, Uncategorized

Friday Conversations With A Self-Publishing Writer 01/09/15

WRITE TO and FOR YOURSELF

Last week I offered you a list of progressive steps that I hope will help you begin this New Year with a flurry of writing that leads you to fame and fortune. However, today, let’s pause a moment and consider who your Readers’ are and why they will buy your books.

Why do “readers” READ? Lots of studies have been done by universities and science groups. Here are three of the top statistical discoveries:

Entertainment value. The human mind simply needs to escape into another world in order to survive the world we’re in. The subject matter can be as diverse as swashbuckling historic fiction or the dietary needs of the largest land-living arthropod in the world—the Giant Coconut Crab. If the story elements are “fun,” people will buy the book, read and enjoy it.
Sparking the imagination. As readers are entertained, their imagination takes flight because they’re discovering something new. This cyclic circle of reading-imagining-discovering does something amazing in the human brain as synapses fire and we become smarter! Yes, really smarter…which in turn…
Reading makes readers more attractive. What? Yep, more attractive. While turning the pages of all those fun and imaginative books, a person absorbs a wider vocabulary. Then, when using that more diverse word-bank, other people are drawn to them, seeking the exchange of “fun” and ideas.

Most writers instinctively know these things and appreciate reading almost more than anything else. However, the food-for-thought that I’d like to leave you with today is: Write for yourself, first, and the readers will follow.

No matter how much research is done and passed forward to teach writers how to write, the real magic can’t happen until the writer connects to the reader. And, sad-to-say, it is impossible to connect to every reader. Thus the topic/heading of this blog: Write TO yourself and FOR yourself. Review the three statistics listed above and fold them into your topic and/or plot selections. What sparks your imagination? What genres entertain you? When you’re talking with a group of people, what topic holds-the-floor during the conversation? As you answer these questions for yourself, you will begin developing your writing projects along these lines—your stress levels will decrease and the pages will flow.

And, in the midst of all this creativity, don’t forget to research WHERE you will publish! The self-publishing business is a big one and not all companies are the right fit for you or your genre.

Conversations with a Self-Publishing Writer, Royalene Speaks, Uncategorized

Friday Conversations With A Self-Publishing Writer 01/02/15

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Have you written your “list” yet? Your “to-do” list of what you want to accomplish in the New Year? One person I know writes out a This-Will-Never-Happen-In-My-Life-Again list. Another creates a list titled: I Will Never Think of These Things Again! Yep. We all have ways of dealing with the beginning of the New Year—or the beginning of anything new. However, from my writer’s perspective, I hold on to a lot of things from years and years ago—all those unfinished manuscripts that I’ll get to, someday.

Thomas Jefferson (the fella who wrote the Declaration of Independence and became the 3^rd President of the United States of America) said: I like the dreams of the future better than the history of the past. He was a BIG dreamer, that’s for sure, and his writings have encouraged and inspired millions of people long after his departure from this earth. I remember a history teacher saying that Jefferson considered writing the greatest gift given to humans because they could then see their thoughts on paper and re-consider them.

One of my favorite authors, C. S. Lewis is quoted saying, “The future [is] something which everyone reaches at the rate of sixty minutes an hour, whatever he does, whoever he is.” Gosh, why didn’t I think of that? Does he mean that when I try to find time to complete the manuscript of my current book, I could, if I would? I do become a bit annoyed with myself when “time flies by” so quickly and I’m letting myself be stuck on a point of minutia research. When will I learn to “move along” and come back to that piece in the re-write?

SO…here is my 2015 New Year’s list for writers…you and me:

Follow David Copperfield’s advice when he says, “My dreams are my dress rehearsals for my future.” Literally, allow yourself to dream about plotlines and characters. The writing will flow easier and faster.
READ at least one excellent book a month! If the book doesn’t meet expectations within the first 50 pages, set it aside and select another. Time is precious and we only want to absorb the best writing techniques.
WATCH movies or a television series that is similar to the genre you’re writing. Visually capture actions and events and the essence of the characters, especially their attitudes.
LISTEN to a “Talk” radio or TV show and make notes on the guests as well as a few of the interesting questions and responses. Many of the guests will be actors and they often offer insights into HOW they develop their on-screen personae.
TALK more often to Librarians and bookstore staff. They are the folks who know books and know about the people who purchase them. Recommendations from them, about books in my/our genre, are extremely valuable.
SCHEDULE daily writing time!!!!!! Whether it is 15-minutes or 8 hours a day, guard that time with your life and WRITE something that develops your project.
PLAN publishing!!! If you are a person to must have your manuscript “accepted” by a mainstream publisher, start developing your strategy to break through those very thick doors. However, as you know by my previous blogs, I highly encourage all writers to do their research in the self-publishing field and get your book in print! It literally breaks my heart when I see authors languishing and unable to write their next book because they’re “waiting to hear” from a mainstream submissions editor.

A final thought: this month opens the 2015 door to many new and wonderful adventures. May your published book(s) be among them!

Conversations with a Self-Publishing Writer, Royalene Speaks, Uncategorized

Friday Conversations With A Self-Publishing Writer 12/26/14

CHARACTERS VII

As the Christmas decorations start coming down, there is an element of wistfulness that remains. Even though the reality of Peace on Earth is not yet fact, many have enjoyed the feeling of Peace and LOVE, and I join them in wanting to hold on to that. However—as I conclude this year’s discussion on the characters we’re creating within our books—I must offer a few closing thoughts about the antagonist character. That person is (after all) the balance, the weight on the opposing scale, for the hero of the story. Yes, we certainly have many “opposing weights” in this world (in history and present times) to use as examples. But rather than name-names, let’s simply look at components that make the bad guys, bad.

POWER. History teaches us that this one element holds the key to corrupting the ethics of even the most honest and compassionate human being. Abraham Lincoln is quoted saying: “Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power.”

HATE. Author Steve Maraboli provides an excellent description of this concept and how infectious it becomes. Steve says: “Most haters are stuck in a poisonous mental prison of jealousy and self-doubt that blinds them….” The picture of a “poisonous mental prison” is exactly the element that can help a writer understand the Antagonist character.

FEAR. This emotion is often recognized by scientists as the “first emotion” in humans—associated with survival. An old German Proverb makes it easier to understand: “Fear makes the wolf bigger than he really is.” So, when the antagonist fears the protagonist (and other characters) in your story, bad things stir within them, causing harmful acts.

CONVICTION. This element is needed in both the antagonist and protagonist and allows writers to develop scenes ranging from subtle, quiet conversations to full-blown war. Daniel Webster (the dictionary writer) said: “A strong conviction that something must be done is the parent of many bad measures.” So true…especially when your antagonist character decides to blow up the bridge—killing 20-30 people—when a simple blockade would do.

Lastly, an antagonistic element that has been more recently recognized and defined is DISSOCIATIVE DISORDER. When humans “disconnect” from society (family, community, etc.) all the characters in the story are adversely affected. This character would suffer depression, anxiety and have a distorted perception of people and things around them. Their own sense of identity would blur and become fragmented. Today there is a whole career path in the field of Criminal Psychology, helping law enforcement deal with the thoughts and beliefs of “characters” that play a role in initiating and sustaining criminal behavior.

So it is, my writing friends, that as this year of 2014 comes to a close, I remind you of absolute need for BALANCE in story-writing. Developing your protagonist and antagonist characters (as you “sit” them around the table) may possibly be your biggest challenge with the greatest reward. Readers today love the detail and are more informed about the world and people who inhabit it than ever before. That’s great…because writers have an ever growing “pool” of characters to use as examples in the blending of our “people-on-the-pages.”

May 2015 bring you new ideas, faster typing fingers, and just the right self-publisher to make all your dreams come true!

Conversations with a Self-Publishing Writer, Royalene Speaks, Uncategorized

Friday Conversations With A Self-Publishing Writer 12/19/14

CHARACTERS VI

Tis’ the Friday before Christmas, and I’m thinking of all the people I’ve shared Christmases with over the years. What a marvelous group of people to know and remember…AND…what great examples for Character Sketches.

One of my Great-Great-Great Granddads was an Indian Scout and married a Native American woman from a traveling clan of the Cherokee Tribe. It is also told that he was “small-town” Sherriff who “held no account” with those who might discriminate or treat others unfairly.

Another Great-Granddad was a livestock buyer and “knew his horses.” I’ve heard that one day—around 1905 or so in the big city of Denver, Colorado—he saw a freight-hauler standing beside a pair of horses hitched to a heavy overloaded wagon and someone whipping them unmercifully. Great-Granddad jumped from his own horse, grabbed the whip from the hauler’s hand and whipped him “a bit.”

My Great-Grandmother, and Grand-Aunt raised Doberman Pinchers, lived in a small mountain community and owned and operated “the best bar & grille in town.” When we visited with them, my treat was to help open the bar for lunch by “tasting” a vanilla-malted-shake made in the blender that normally mixed “other” beverages.

My Mother has been gone almost 20 years now, and yet I clearly hear her voice and recall her year-‘round example of love and faithfulness toward family and friends. She also held the belief of excellence in work, giving quality effort for her pay. She was an accountant/office manager by profession and a mentor to business owners and coworkers alike. I remember one of our conversations when she wondered “where” I got my inclination to be a writer. “No one on either side of the family has ever been a writer!” And yet, my Family Tree is ripe with intriguing characters and potential storylines.

SO…maybe it’s time for you too to pause and collect your Christmas memories. What were (are) the personality traits that have remained most solidly etched in your remembrances? Was there someone who seemed so carefree—talking about God’s love so much that you wondered if they ever experienced any hardship and later learned that they’d been abandoned at birth and grew up in awful foster homes? Did you sit across the table from an ancient ancestor who looked like her face was etched in stone only to discover that she’d been runner-up in the Miss America Pageant? Were you a little frightened by the homeless family your Dad met outside the bakery and invited to dinner—then saddened as they shared their “story” of a fortune won and lost overnight?

What stories of humanity—of human nature—would the Christmas Trees tell? Would they reminisce about that first St. Nick (circa 315) who dropped coins into the shoes of the needy? Would they speak of the German woman—the mother of a son about to be conscripted into Hitler’s army who fled the city, then befriended three American soldiers and three German soldiers leading them to discover the true meaning of courage and the true spirit of Christmas? (True story: starring Linda Hamilton, 2005).

OH SO MANY stories to write about! Have you started planning your next writing project? NOW is the time. Write—Re-write—Publish! And, may all your Christmases be BRIGHT!

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