elizabeth speaks

How to Stay Motivated While Writing During the Holidays

How to Stay Motivated While Writing During the Holidays Outskirts Press

Most of us writers know how difficult it is to stay motivated and continue to write during the holidays.

You may have plans to travel to see family. You may be the one hosting and may have to tidy up your home. You may be experiencing colder weather that brings down your mood, maybe even to the point of seasonal affective disorder (SAD). No matter the specifics, you have a world of reasons for your writing motivation to dip to zero.

Even I am feeling the weight of December on my shoulders calling me to abandon the keyboard and instead, buy another book for my shelves or bother the cat for the seventh time today.

Yet, it’s my job to advise you—like how self-publishing is a job—even if you don’t necessarily have an office and a water cooler.

Here are my tips and tricks for staying motivated with your writing, even during the holiday.

Set a New Year’s resolution—maybe even early

With it being the start of the calendar year, January 1st is a logical time to begin a new goal.

For a self-publishing writer, a fundamental goal would be, “Write a novel.” While a good starting point, this goal by itself is vague. With little direction, your motivation may flounder.

Instead, you can choose from several different methods for goal setting. For instance, you can set a SMART goal: a goal that is Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-Bound.

Under the SMART criteria, I could take “Write a novel” and rewrite it as this New Year’s resolution: “Write 4 pages of my novel every weekday until the end of April. Sit down at my writer’s desk at 9 in the morning to write for at least 2 hours.”

While SMART goals are a common method, feel free to research and find the method that most resonates for you.

Now, you don’t have to wait until January 1st, 12:00 a.m., to begin your resolution. If anything, starting a few days sooner gives you a head start for writing in 2022!

Improve your writing environment

While obvious, we often underrate the effects our surroundings have on our writing. For example, we may accept having distractions in the background would make it more challenging to work. So why do we blame a lack of willpower, yet we exonerate our unproductive work environment?

Assess your typical writing environment. Do you have a regular writing space, like a desk? If not, it’s helpful to pick one, even if it’s as informal as your kitchen table. Then look at your writing tools. Do you have all the materials you need in place? If you write digitally, how does your desktop look? After that, audit your distractions. Got loud construction outside or maybe an adorable pet like a cat?

Now, rearrange your environment to increase positive motivators and decrease demotivators. Noisy background? Put on headphones and white noise. Are you always too cold in the morning? Set out a warm sweater or coat the night before so you can put it on first thing in the morning.

But what if you’re traveling? Work with what you have and tell the other people around you that you need to get some work done and that you’d appreciate their support if they give you space to write.

Speaking of other people . . .

Find an accountability partner

It’s easier to slip when you’re the only one keeping track of your project. But what if you rope in another person to pay attention to your progress? Many productivity coaches call this an accountability partner, and a partner works for any goal, including writing.

Without a partner, the options you may face could be “work on your manuscript or spend the afternoon on Netflix.” However, when you have an accountability partner, this turns into “work on your manuscript or spend the afternoon on Netflix and tell your partner you didn’t work on your goal.” When framed like that, doesn’t Netflix sound less appealing?

Bonus points if you find another writer and you act as each other’s accountability partners! Such a partnership can transform into a lasting collaboration.

Accept you won’t always be perfect, then strive to begin again tomorrow

Despite your best intentions, you may fail to meet your word goal. When you feel unmotivated, and you’re staring at a blank screen or page, you may start questioning whether you’re meant to be a writer. After all, if you really wanted it, would you even be struggling in the first place?

In these moments, it’s pivotal to take a step back and forgive yourself. Successful authors are not perfect. If anything, the most successful authors are the ones who allow themselves to make mistakes and have those bad writing days, yet they persist and eventually succeed. It can take years for a writer to succeed, especially a self-publishing author.

So, if you have one of those days and the writing isn’t getting done, take a break, step away from your manuscript, and try something else. The holidays are a testing time for any career, including a writing career, so you won’t be alone in sputtering.

After the uncertainty wanes, come back to your desk and keep on writing. I wish you success in writing your book this holiday season. I believe in you!

* * *

Now, it’s your turn! So what are your tips and tricks for staying motivated during the holidays?

Thinking of you always. ♣︎

elizabeth

ABOUT ELIZABETH JAVOR: With over 20 years of experience in sales and management, Elizabeth Javor works as the Director of Sales and Marketing for Outskirts Press. The Sales and Marketing departments are composed of knowledgeable publishing consultants, 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.

elizabeth speaks

Happy Holidays

Happy Holidays Outskirts Press

No matter what holiday you celebrate, I wish you a happy, peaceful one.

If you exchange gifts to celebrate, may there be plenty of books with bows tied around them. If you use this time for quiet contemplation, may you find some of that at your laptop, notebook, or typewriter. Best wishes for now and into the new year.

elizabeth

ABOUT ELIZABETH JAVOR: With over 20 years of experience in sales and management, Elizabeth Javor works as the Director of Sales and Marketing for Outskirts Press. The Sales and Marketing departments are composed of knowledgeable publishing consultants, 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.

elizabeth speaks

The Thrill of the Physical Bookstore

The Thrill of the Physical Bookstore Outskirts Press

Last week, I took my children to a bookstore and was happy to see it so busy. During that visit, I rediscovered the thrill of the physical bookstore.

There were long lines at the checkout counter, happy kids looking at books and toys, and exciting energy buzzing within the aisles.

Over the years, though, I’ve seen so many people skip physical bookstores. Instead, they’d save a few bucks and order online. How sad.

It’s especially sad with the pandemic forcing most bookstores to close for months. However, with most stores reopened now—at least the places that survived COVID-19—I’m keen to see how many readers return to physical bookstores.

While my family was perusing the aisles, I realized that bookstores are integral to every community. Bookstores give us a safe and quiet place to look at books, read, and enjoy the company of other book lovers.

While in line to purchase another stack of books, I thought about the enormous role bookstores have played in my family’s life. My children have grown up being surrounded by books—no surprise since I work for a publishing company. When my children were younger, I would indulge in a coffee and a grown-up book while they listened to story time.

As my children have outgrown books, we filled many of our community’s Little Free Libraries. If you don’t know what it is, a Little Free Library is a small, outside bookcase, often shaped like a schoolhouse on a pole, that anyone can use to borrow or lend books freely. We know not everyone is so lucky to buy books up front, and my family is blessed to be able to give forward the gift of reading.

Beneath every cover lies the work of one of thousands of authors. Each author had an inspiration, an idea, a compulsion to write. It fascinates me how an author’s words end up in a book that then excites, inspires, or motivates a stranger.

For all of you writing and looking to publish your masterpiece soon, I can’t wait to see it the next time I’m shopping for books. So keep writing and keep being inspired. You’ve got readers out there like me waiting for you!

Now that I shared my bookstore experience, I’ll turn it to you: What do you like about bookstores? What are you looking forward to doing or seeing the next time you shop for books?

You are not alone. ♣︎

Elizabeth
ABOUT ELIZABETH JAVOR: With over 20 years of experience in sales and management, Elizabeth Javor works as the Director of Sales and Marketing for Outskirts Press. The Sales and Marketing departments are composed of knowledgeable publishing consultants, 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.
Self-Publishing News

The Supply Chain – A Problem and Opportunity

The Supply Chain - A Problem and Opportunity

You might’ve heard how this holiday season, it might be more difficult for readers to get the books they want. Blame the international supply chain.

A supply chain is a system that a product goes through to go from raw materials and labor to a product delivered to the end customer. With a book, a manuscript is turned into physical books and ebooks for readers. With the COVID-19 pandemic, this process has been complicated.

The exact causes vary, with CNN and Vox having comprehensive articles. In summary, there’s a book shortage because of the following reasons:

  • increased demand for at-home delivery due to more shoppers staying inside and ordering online
  • increased demand during the holiday season, an already busy time of year amplified by delivery being at all-time high levels
  • increased demand for books because of consumers staying indoors and returning to literature
  • shortage of paper because of environmental concerns and increased need for cardboard in multiple industries
  • shortage of workers because of the pandemic, especially in transportation
  • lack of printing plants in the United States, especially after years of factories closing
  • commercial ship congestion at seaports. And yes, that includes the one ship that went viral after getting stuck in the Suez Canal.

The result? The supply chain has a traffic jam. Demand is high, and supply is low.

Book publishers wait in line for their titles to be printed and shipped at a time where readers want books more than ever. Booksellers and book stores can’t stock enough copies, publishers are postponing releases, and readers contend with delayed deliveries and more expensive shipping and handling.

Ask publishing professionals, and they’ll say it’s hard to overstate how much this is A Big Problem.

But even with these issues, you as a self-publishing author can find opportunities to adapt.

For instance, self-publishing authors can still get their books out there in ebook format. While electronic books still require work to convert a manuscript into a readable format, they don’t require paper, they can be read on devices that most people already own, and readers can buy and download them in seconds.

With these benefits, you can essentially skip the supply chain line and get your book to readers months before traditional publishers. This is an opportunity for new authors, because there’s an influx of new readers looking for stories to fall in love with.

What if you still want your book in print? While the publishing industry thought that ebooks would supplant physical books, printed books continue to outsell their electronic counterparts, even as ebooks are here to stay. With the two formats coexisting, a successful author shouldn’t rule out either.

Self-publishing authors can still get paper copies through print-on-demand (POD) books.

Traditionally, books were manufactured in large print runs, requiring a lot of money up front and a lot of sales to justify the endeavor. This gave traditional publishers an edge over self-publishing authors who couldn’t secure both, with the latter only entering the industry with the rise of computers.

More recently, print on demand has emerged as a profitable printing method. With POD, single copies are printed and shipped as individual customers order them. Furthermore, self-publishers can outsource distribution and fulfillment to an outside vendor and focus more on writing and marketing. POD titles can be restocked on a moment’s notice, and self-publishing authors don’t have to risk wasting money on unsold copies.

Because self-publishing authors retain a larger share of their titles’ revenue, they can take advantage of their leaner profit margins to get paper copies to their readers at reasonable prices. Pair POD with a primary ebook model, and self-publishing can thrive even in the middle of the book shortage.

Now, don’t forget about pre-orders.

Traditional publishers, authors, and booksellers are pushing readers to order in advance to more accurately gauge how many books to print and order and better plan around delays.

Self-publishing authors can also find much in making their books available for pre-order. The other benefits of pre-ordering stand, such as giving you time to do book promotion, allowing you to lock in sales before release day, and getting reviewers sooner.

On top of that, pre-orders can help readers receive an e-book automatically on release day or to shorten delivery times for physical books since you can produce and ship a physical copy beforehand.

Finally, the book shortage is one more opportunity for self-publishing authors to connect with readers. Some readers may not understand the book shortage’s severity, so you can use your social media platforms to practice transparency with why you may encourage them to be flexible with pre-ordering or buying ebooks.

If you’re honest about your situation, your readers will gain a higher appreciation of the publishing process, and your readers will be more invested in your career.

It’s easy to panic about the messed-up supply chain, but don’t let it scare you from self-publishing. The book shortage will remain in the short term, even as experts predict that supply chain congestion will decrease in 2022. The publishing industry has proven itself durable over decades of downturns, and it will survive the pandemic.

In the meantime, see the shortage as a challenge that will push you to grow as an author and a self-publisher. With a growth mindset, you can frame the supply chain problem as another interesting time in which to write and publish.

Self-Publishing News

Pitfalls of Grammar Checkers

Grammar checkers, sometimes known as spell checkers, have the power to correct typos (misspelled words) and grammar errors in your writing. These days, you can find grammar checkers with almost anywhere where you can type words: word processors like Microsoft Word, online apps like Google Docs, and even online browser extensions like Grammarly.

But while grammar checkers can be for zapping typos in your texts or personal messages, don’t over-rely on them in your professional writing. Grammar checkers are not enough when self-publishing a book.

Your self-publishing author career relies on you building a team of editors and other professionals to assist you and your book. In this endeavor, it’s good to understand why computers are yet to replace human editors, and why it’ll likely stay this way.

Here are some pitfalls of grammar checkers that you can fall into when you rely solely on them, instead of hiring an editor.

Grammar checkers can miss grammatically correct errors.

You may use the wrong word, and because that word doesn’t cause a grammar issue, your grammar checker won’t flag the culprit.

Assume that you have a character named Mr. Petersen, not Peterson. You may write this sentence:

“Mr. Petersen will read the proposal and get back to you by Friday.”

Here’s a rewritten version that uses a different but incorrect spelling of his last name, but doesn’t trigger my grammar checker:

“Mr. Peterson will read the proposal and get back to you by Friday.”

See the difference? What if a reader notices that you spelled the same character’s name two different ways? You may get a bad review for poor editing.

While modern grammar checkers may flag the most misused word choices, you must check between the gaps for mistakes that the grammar checker misses, because you know your manuscript better than your computer.

Grammar checkers can interfere with your writing voice and style.

How many times have you typed a real word, only for the grammar checker to flag it as a typo?

Grammar checkers can wrongly flag new words, alternate spellings, and uncommon names. Names can be a particular sore point, as it’s not a good feeling when your software claims that your first or last name is spelled wrong.

You can address these situations by adding words to your app’s personal dictionary, or right clicking the word and selecting “Ignore.” Even then, your checker’s inaccuracies can distract you with its misplaced colored underlines.

At worst, grammar checkers can nudge you to “correct” sentences and push you from your personal style and toward the app developer’s biases. A skilled writer knows when to put style over “correctness,” and grammar checkers can sabotage these decisions.

Even the best editor needs a second pair of eyes.

Here’s a saying among lawyers: He who represents himself has a fool for a client. You can say the same thing about authors without editors.

Editors who publish their own book have an editor too, because they know that even the best editor needs a second pair of eyes.

A writer can be vigilant with using a grammar checker while editing. That said, a writer’s proximity to the work is a double-edged sword, as it’s easy to pass over mistakes that a second reader might spot.

Do yourself a favor and get a second reader to double-check your edits. And sometimes, even more.

Grammar checkers can’t do high-level editing.

Maybe you are the best grammar checker in the world, and you can check your writing perfectly. That’s not enough.

“Editing” can refer to different levels. Typically, a grammar checker only handles mechanical editing / light copyediting, checking for spelling, grammar, and punctuation.

Other levels of editing include:

  • proofreading to check what the manuscript will look like in print and ebook formats
  • heavy copyediting to correct non-grammatical errors and inconsistencies, such as style and word choice
  • line (or substantive) editing to check the tone and flow of paragraphs and chapters
  • fact checking to uphold creditability in non-fiction books and verisimilitude in novels
  • developmental (or structural) editing to revise a book’s more “macro” elements, like chapter order and the book’s big ideas

Some professional authors hire one editor for most of these editing levels. Others may hire separate roles, such as a developmental editor alongside a copyeditor.

You may also need other readers that don’t necessarily edit, but help you shape your story. For example, you can hire a sensitivity reader to check your manuscript for potentially offensive and inaccurate content, like with race or indigenous culture.

No matter what, even the most well-used grammar checker can only handle a narrow section of editing. For other levels, you must get an editor or other reader.

While technology is pivotal to the modern writing process, no app or tool can replace the human touch of an editor.

When you give your book to an editor, don’t think of it as admitting failure, but as your showing respect to your professionalism as an author and your manuscript’s potential.

Leave the grammar checker for your personal Facebook profile and give your book an editor.

What’s your experience with spell checkers and grammar checkers? What are some other pitfalls you can think of? Leave your thoughts in the comment section below.