Category: Uncategorized

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

Conversations: 10/28/2016

OH the INTRIGUE, SUSPENSE

and MYSTERY OF IT!

 

Since the days of my youthful adventures into reading, I’ve identified the magnifying glass with the concept of discovering clues to solve a Nancy Drew or the occasional Hardy Boys Mystery. Although my science teacher preferred that I focus on discovering the elements of the amoeba, my English teacher encouraged the “growth of logical thinking” that these mysteries developed. Following that logic I will use some examples of just how versatile this genre can be.

Each author of the following books incorporates the elements we’ve discussed—characters who are risk-takers, secrecy of past lives and current circumstances, choices that both effect and affect every character in the book, and a puzzle-pattern of clues that must bring resolution to each thread of conflict between truth, lie and deception—unless, of course, the author is preparing Readers for the second and third books in a series.

In the first blog this month I mentioned the novel The Teeth of The Tiger by Tom Clancy. This story (and many of his other books) creates a bridge to the genre categories of the Readers who seek the adventure of Mystery, Thriller/Suspense, Spies & Politics, and Espionage/Terrorism. Today, more authors are developing their writing skills to incorporate multiple genres in their story plot/outlines. However, there are those who have a natural ability to build these complex and enjoyable stories. To all of them, I tip my hat! I want to learn from their expertise, and hope that new generations of writers will do the same.

Many Readers are familiar with the creative works of Sidney Sheldon. He is a writer of blockbuster over-the-top Best Seller novels and is considered one of the most popular storytellers of all time. His first book (yes, his 1st book) was acclaimed by the New York Times as “the best first mystery of the year” and received an Edgar Award (named for Edgar Allan Poe). Since then many of his novels have become major feature films or TV miniseries. Sheldon has always keyed-in to the benefits of writing to Readers in multiple genres utilizing a foundation in Mystery/Suspense/Thriller with a twist of Contemporary/Women (main characters) and moving forward into Action/Adventure, Spies/Politics and Psychological Thrillers (see Are You Afraid of the Dark).

Another author you’ll be familiar with is one of the greatest authors of all time: J.R.R. Tolkein. His THE HOBBIT/LORD OF THE RING series is the most widely read fantasy novel in U.S. and Britain. With the skill of a master surgeon, Tolkein utilizes each of the Intrigue, Mystery and Suspense genre techniques to the max! Plus, his books cross over into the Literature/Fiction category because of his eloquent use of words. This provides Readers with a jumbo rollercoaster ride of Mystery/myth, Intrigue and Suspense like no other author.

I cannot close this blog without reminding you of possibly the most famous Mystery/Suspense/Intrigue author of them all—Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. A prolific writer who not only created the characters of Sherlock Holmes, Professor Challenger and the mystery of Mary Celeste, he also wrote fantasy and science fiction stories, plays, romances, poetry, non-fiction and historical novels. Utilizing his own educational background and researching very specific details his collected works have bridged numerous genre groups.

sir arthur conan doyle sherlock

What do we all learn from these gifted authors and the genre they love? Like their characters they are writers willing to take risks—or rather, willing to develop characters who take a variety of risks. They are also writers who tackle known “truths,” belief systems from ancient mysteries to present-day terrorists and their plot scenarios cover the potential for extreme profit and/or unimaginable destruction of one individual or the world. If you’re one of these author-risk-takers who is already writing a Mystery Novel, I encourage you to complete it quickly and GET IT PUBLISHED. There are multi-genre Readers waiting for you! ⚓︎

Royalene

ABOUT ROYALENE DOYLE: Royalene has been writing something since before kindergarten days and continues to love the process. Through her small business—DOYLE WRITING SERVICES—she brings more than 40 years of writing experience to authors who need “just a little assistance” with completing their projects. This is a nice fit as she develops these blogs for Outskirts Press (OP) a leading self-publisher, and occasionally accepts a ghostwriting project from one of their clients. Her recent book release (with OP) titled FIREPROOF PROVERBS, A Writer’s Study of Words, is already receiving excellent reviews including several professional writer’s endorsements given on the book’s back cover.  

Royalene’s writing experience grew through a wide variety of positions from Office Manager and Administrative Assistant to Teacher of Literature and Advanced Writing courses and editor/writer for an International Christian ministry. Her willingness to listen to struggling authors, learn their goals and expectations and discern their writing voice has brought many manuscripts into the published books arena.

 

elizabeth speaks, Uncategorized

In Your Corner: Next Steps

The end is in sight!  In fact, this week we’ll be wrapping up our epic eight-episode-long exploration of the difficult choices self-publishing authors must necessarily navigate to emerge on the other side.  It’s been a long and wild ride, with everything from …

… on the table.  And if that sounds rather … long and confusing … that’s because self-publishing can, in fact, be long and confusing.  We simply hope that, with this blog series in hand, it will be slightly less so.  More manageable.  More accessible.  More democratic.  More your own safe space.

But what happens once the book is out there?

What Next?

Dealing with the impossibility of moving on.

(Sort of.)

next steps

There aren’t a lot of sign posts on the way in or out of self-publishing.  There are the usual hints and indicators that authors share in common with all entrepreneurs–

  1. measure your success somehow,
  2. recalibrate and relaunch if necessary, and
  3. start thinking about the next project

–but how can these be adapted to suit the highly specific needs of authors, precisely?  We’ll take a look at each point in turn.

Measuring Success

First of all, did you just publish a book?  Yes, you did!  Take a moment, a long moment, to gather that in and feel the full reality of that truth. You’ve earned a little touch of self-satisfaction.  The fact that you’ve gotten your book from idea to the printed page is one very important indicator of success!  Just don’t linger there too long.  (And if you’re asking yourself whether it’s “too long” already, that might be a good indicator in and of itself.)

Book sales are another indicator of success–but don’t rely on them too heavily.  Engagement–online in social media or elsewhere in person at book readings and so forth–is equally if not more vital.  The just before and just after you publish is vital for marketing purposes, and having a sound marketing strategy in place will do more for you than any sales analytics after the fact–and that’s the absolute truth.  If you have a plan in place, complete with projected sales and engagement goals, you’ll quickly understand if you are or are not meeting those goals–and be able to implement Plan B or Plan C and take action to boost them.  If you have no marketing plan in place, your goals will be tethered only to your general “gut feeling,” and any lag in sales or engagement might slip by under the radar until it’s too far along to fix.

Recalibration & Relaunch

Consider the wise words of others that have come before:

Mixing it up–being responsive to what’s working and not working–being willing to approach things differently than you have done without letting it touch your ego–is critical for entrepreneurs and self-publishers alike.  And it’s so hard, in part because authors love their books like parents love their children, and it can feel like a cruelty or a betrayal or a compromise to alter one’s approach.  But it isn’t.  It’s simply business.  And if you look at the business of selling your book as a separate animal from the identity of your book, changes might come easier.

So what does recalibration look like for self-publishing authors?  It might look at trying out a new marketing technique you haven’t tried yet, or publishing a new edition of your book–Hardback, softcover, or ebook–to reach new audiences.  It might mean consulting with an expert to figure out the holes in your existing marketing strategy.  It might even mean getting a jump start on writing your next book, since there’s no better way to promote your current one than to have another in the works.

The Next Project

Seriously, though.  If you’re feeling at a loss as to what to do next with your current book, it’s time.  It’s time to find your next project altogether.  Maybe you’ve done all you can with your current book in terms of marketing, or maybe you need the step back from it in order to see it more clearly–and what better way than painting a new book on the canvas of your mind?

And last but not least, make sure you congratulate yourself.  You’ve written a book!  That’s amazing!  Maybe circling back to that first wash of feeling after finishing your book isn’t such a bad thing, after all.  Let it be your motivation.  Let it remind you of why you do what you do–and take you to that next place you need to go as an author.

You are not alone. ♣︎

Elizabeth

ABOUT ELIZABETH JAVOR: With over 18 years of experience in sales and management, Elizabeth Javor works as the Manager of Author Services for Outskirts Press. The Author Services Department is composed of knowledgeable publishing consultants, pre-production specialists, customer service reps and book marketing specialists; together, they all focus on educating authors on the self-publishing process to help them publish the book of their dreams. Whether you are a professional looking to take your career to the next level with platform-driven non-fiction or a novelist seeking fame, fortune, and/or personal fulfillment, Elizabeth Javor can put you on the right path.
Alternative Marketing Methods, Book Marketing, Holidays, Kelly Speaks, Marketing Your Self-Published Book, Uncategorized

Ringing in the Holidays: Black Friday Edition!

Black Friday brings a lot of not so flattering imagery to mind, from shoppers pushing each other out of the way in Wal-Mart aisles to lines of people camped out outside stores and lines of traffic stymied on the highway. Black Friday has become a quasi-holiday of sorts, mainly because it is an American tradition that dates all the way back to the 1930s. Yes, that far back.

Regarded as the beginning of the Christmas shopping season (again, ‘quasi-season’), retailers began opening their stores a bit earlier the day after Thanksgiving back in the 1930s. Today, some major retailers will open right after Thanksgiving dinner, or midnight–or other hours no one should be out shopping–offering promotional sales to those who are obviously not suffering from a tryptophan induced turkey coma, and who are thus able to storm out into the night for the deal of a lifetime.

Supposedly the cognomen “Black Friday” originated in the 1960s in Philadelphia, where people used the term to describe the abundant foot traffic and cluttered streets. I rather like to imagine that it’s perhaps more fitting today; people whisking out into the dark night, stalking up and down aisles and preparing to battle other predacious consumers over that new X-Box or flat screen TV. If you think that’s a dramatic depiction of Black Friday, keep in mind that seven people have died on this day since 2006, and there have been about 98 injuries associated with the Black Friday shopping madness.

Entertaining history digression aside, Black Friday is the biggest shopping day of the year, which means that as an author with a book to sell, it is not a day to sit back and relax. So, what can you do to rake in some of the Black Friday business?

black friday holiday

First of all, BIG discounts are all the rage on Black Friday. Offering your book for an extremely cheap rate will assuredly promote ‘impulse’ buys from people who might otherwise have considered giving your book a chance. While you don’t always want to offer your book out for an extremely low price, doing so on this particular day could be beneficial for gaining new readers!

Another thing to consider: 99 cent or free ebook editions of your book can gain you free advertising on free or bargain ebook sites. These sites will want to feature your book when it is discounted, and that feature will be free advertising for you, before people even buy your book! Notify these sites when you discount your book, and try to line it up with Black Friday; snag online shoppers who are looking for a deal or to try something new!

Collaborating with other others who have books similar to yours is also a great way expand your marketing efforts. When you combine promotional efforts, this means that their audience becomes your potential audience! It’s a, ‘You scratch my authorial back, and I’ll scratch yours,’ kind of thing. The best thing about this collaboration is that you will enhance your network for book marketing in general, which obviously expands well beyond Black Friday!

So, whether or not you see yourself armed with pepper spray for self-defense as you go out to buy the new iPhone 10–or whatever number they’re on now–just remember that before Black Friday, there’s a lot you can be doing to market your book. More importantly, none of those things require the bravery and fortitude it must take for someone to actually go shopping on that day.

Thank you for reading!  If you have any questions, comments, suggestions, or contributions, please use the comment field below or drop us a line at selfpublishingadvice@gmail.com.  And remember to check back each Wednesday for your weekly dose of marketing musings from one indie, hybrid, and self-published author to another. ♠

Kelly

ABOUT KELLY SCHUKNECHT: Kelly Schuknecht is the Executive 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, kellyschuknecht.com
from the archives, NaNoWriMo, Uncategorized

From the Archives: “Last Minute To-Dos for Self Publishing Authors Participating in NanoWriMo”

Welcome back to our Tuesday segment, where we’ll be revisiting some of our most popular posts from the last few years.  What’s stayed the same?  And what’s changed?  We’ll be updating you on the facts, and taking a new (and hopefully refreshing) angle on a few timeless classics of Self Publishing Advisor.

∗∗∗∗∗

[ Originally posted: October 29th, 2012 ]

There are only a few more days until NanoWriMo begins. To help you prepare, I’ve prepared a last minute to-do list for all self-publishing authors participating in NanoWriMo. Check it out below.

  • Read a few pep talks, which are available on the NanoWriMo website. They are sure to give you the motivation you need to succeed.
  • Add a web badge to your website. Not only will you help promote the event, but it is a fun way to let everyone know that you are taking the challenge.
  • Get inspired. Spend some time before the writing begins listening to music, watching strangers, drinking coffee, reading books, or doing any other activity that gets your creative juices flowing.
  • Relax. The next month is going to be hectic, so prepare your mind and body by practicing relaxation techniques such as exercising or meditation.
  • Remind your friends and family. You will need they their support during this process, so remind them of your goals and writing schedule.
  • Have fun. NanoWriMo is a fun process, so just enjoy it.

Good luck to all of the self-publishing authors who are participating in NanoWriMo. I can’t wait to see your books in print!

I’d love to know, what is on your last minute to-do list?

– by Wendy Statina

There’s no improving upon Wendy’s list from 2012, to be perfectly honest. (It’s perfect!) Like many of her fellow SPA contributors (including me!) she has participated in past NaNoWriMos, so she really knows what she’s talking about. Or she knew, at the very least, back in 2012 when she wrote her timeless recommendations–recommendations which are relevant, frankly, for every writer, no matter when you decide to plug away at your next novel.

As you’ll probably be beginning to realize, given the trend of several of our most recent posts here on SPA, we’re going to be writing our way through NaNoWriMo again this year, and we invite you to join with us. This isn’t just a vanity project for those of us who actually intend on participating in the event; this is us making a serious attempt to tackle many of the thorniest issues related to writing and authorship, specifically as self-publishing authors, that emerge when we settle into a long and sustained attempt to generate material. These issue include (but are not limited to) finding inspiration, maintaining motivation, vanquishing writer’s block, and navigating our complicated relationships to editing. (Do we do it before, during, or after we write? Or all of the above? Stay tuned to find out!) NaNoWriMo is simply the experiment–or the thought experiment, for those of you not participating this year, which is more than fine!–which helps us examine the issues.

Watch this spot–and our blog in general–over the coming weeks as we dive into November with our pens and notebooks at the ready!

last minute rush nanowrimo

Thanks for reading.  If you have any other ideas, I’d love to hear them.  Drop me a line in the comments section below and I’ll respond as quickly as I can.  ♠

Kelly

ABOUT KELLY SCHUKNECHT: Kelly Schuknecht is the Executive 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, kellyschuknecht.com.
NaNoWriMo, news from the self publishing world, self publishing news, Uncategorized

Self-Publishing News: 10.24.2016

And now for the news!

This week in the world of self-publishing:

NaNoWriMo. Over the coming weeks, you’ll be seeing the buzz over this annual tradition–National Novel Writing Month–begin to cascade through your literary networks, then build to a crescendo over the month of November. We’ll be following its progress–and your progress–here on Self Publishing Advisor, in hopes that we can provide yet another resource to assist you in reaching your writing goals, even if they have nothing at all to do with NaNoWriMo itself and the nonprofit organization which has brought it to such international acclaim. After all, the same tips and tricks which help NaNoWriMo participants are the same tips and tricks that all authors need to brush up on every now and again!

“It’s starting to look a lot like autumn, and you know what that means? It’s NaNoWriMo time,” writes Alex Weiss for Bustle. “Out of all the fall contests to participate in, it’s one of the most rewarding — and mind-bogglingly difficult.” Weiss goes on to lay out the basic precepts of the event: authors attempt to write the first 50,000 word draft of their next novel in 30 days, with minimal editing (if any) before month’s end. But as Weiss intimates:

“As a NaNoWriMo lover and participant for the last six years, I’ve only ever once completed and won the challenge. Even though I went to college for creative writing and try to write every single day, I still find this competition incredibly difficult. It doesn’t matter if you’ve won the contest multiple times or this year will be your first go, it’s always a new experience and one you’ll have to start preparing for.”

Thus, Weiss presents the titular ten tips, which include (but are not limited to): Using a journal, scheduling your writing times, setting a fun weekly goal, joining a local or digital writing club, and creating an inspiration board. Weiss’s article reads in many ways like a cross between a pep talk and a training session on how to bypass the dreaded Writer’s Block, and I definitely recommend taking a look–even if you’re confronting the dreaded beast outside the parameters of NaNoWriMo. Click the link for the full piece!

If you needed any additional motivation to move forward with either your latest writing project or your plans for NaNoWriMo, this article by Crissi Langwell of The Press Democrat a few days ago lays out a more specific groundwork for making good on your inspiration. Like Alex Weiss, Langwell has participated in NaNoWriMo for a number of years, and her recommendations are born out of that experience. With four published books under her belt, writes Langwell, “my writing process has been affected by this fast-paced way of penning a novel.” Her top recommendations? Plan ahead. (“I know there are writers out there that swear by “pantsing” […] But if you are just starting out as a writer, plotting is the way to go.”) Find ways to make writing your priority. (“Whatever time you like for writing, make that time sacred. No TV. No cellphone. No Facebook. No family. Just you and your story, making things happen. And? Never give up. (“If you throw in the towel before the month is over, you’ll only have regrets. Keep plugging away. Trust me, your whole world will be changed once Dec. 1 is here.”) Sounds like good advice to me. For more of it, check out Langwell’s full piece at the link.

Have I mentioned that NaNoWriMo is a global phenomenon? It is. And as this article from the Tri-Cities community section of the Chicago Tribune points out, this event is “not just a funny sounding word” but a bona-fide movement, and one in which otherwise typical “suburbanites will forgo their favorite TV shows, refuse to return phone calls, skip meals, and bypass sleep if they have to; in an effort to sync their brains to the rate in which they type; to free their thoughts from the constraints of their psyche.” This particular article, which points readers to specific “sprints” and other novel-writing workshops taking place in libraries in the Tri-Cities area, is just one of hundreds out there laying out the possibilities for you if you want to write in the company of others this November. As various of these articles point out, writing with others is one great way to keep ourselves accountable and maintain our forward momentum, so it’s well worth taking a moment to hop online and check to see if your local public library is offering NaNo-related events next month. Mine is, my parents’ is, and my siblings’ libraries are too. The larger the city, the more likely they will be involved, but even some tiny rural libraries are getting on board. And remember–your library won’t know they have an interested group of writers nearby if nobody alerts them! You might be the first to reach out, but I guarantee you’re not alone. If you’re an aspiring facilitator, this might even be a great opportunity to offer your services to the community in hosting a writing sprint!

spa-news

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 Monday to find out the hottest news. If you have other big news to share, please comment below.

Kelly

ABOUT KELLY SCHUKNECHT: Kelly Schuknecht is the Executive 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, kellyschuknecht.com.