Kelly Speaks, NaNoWriMo

NaNoWriMo Check-In: Day 19

I can’t believe it has been almost a month since the NaNoWriMo Kick-Off Party I attended.  I honestly wasn’t sure if I was even going to participate in NaNoWriMo until the night of that event.  In October I had been kicking around the idea of using NaNoWriMo as an excuse to finish the non-fiction (gasp!) book I have been working on a long time, but I had read a comment on a blog post that was making me feel guilty about doing that.

This person suggested that “participating” in NaNoWriMo but using the time to work on a non-fiction book was cheating because that wasn’t the true purpose of NaNoWriMo.  Although I don’t totally agree with this person, the guilt she instilled in me was enough to convince me that if I was going to partipicate, I needed to do it right.  I personally wouldn’t be able to show off my non-fiction book at the end of the month and tout that I had finished it while participating in the National Novel Writing Month.

SIDE NOTE: However, I do personally believe that the true purpose of NaNoWriMo is to get people writing, so even if you’re not a “fiction writer,” you can participate in whatever way that means to you.  In fact, my new writing friends at the Kick-Off Party told me about a NaNoWriMo forum just for rebels like me: http://www.nanowrimo.org/en/forums/nano-rebels.  If I participate again next year, I just might go this route.

So, my new friends at the NaNoWriMo Kick-Off Party told me I could “cheat” if I wanted to, and they would still like me, but I was just so inspired by the writers I met that night that I decided I was going to write a novel!  Some of them had participated in NaNoWriMo before and some were first-timers like me, but we were all in it together.

Fast forward to today – November 19th – and I now have 33,138 words on “paper”!  My novel is almost 2/3 complete and I have made it my goal to always stay slightly ahead of the daily goal to give myself some room in case I get behind over the Thanksgiving holiday. Now there are 12 more days and I have 16,862 more words to go!  I can do this!

Whether or not you are participating in NaNoWriMo, I’d love to know how you are doing so far with your writing goals this month.

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.
Self-Publishing Book Review of the Week

Weekly Self-Published Book Review: Sudden Moves: A Young Adult Mystery

Book reviews are a great way for self-publishing authors to gain exposure. After all, how can someone buy your book if he or she doesn’t know it exists? Paired with other elements of your book promotion strategy, requesting reviews is a great way to get people talking about what you’ve written.

When we read good reviews, we definitely like to share them. It gives the author a few (permanent) moments of fame and allows us to let the community know about a great book. Here’s this week’s book review by Midwest Book Review:

Sudden Moves: A Young Adult Mystery

Kelli Sue Landon

Publisher: Outskirts Press

ISBN: 9781432767136

Reviewer: Theresa La

“Sudden Moves” is a young adult mystery novel. The novel immediately captures the reader’s interest, just from the short summary on the back of the book. From the first page, the story has a very interesting plot; however, during the middle of the book, the storyline fell a bit flat. This was mainly because the romantic aspects of the story overtook the mystery aspects of the story, just after the mystery was heating up. However, the story soon picked up once again and the ending was interesting and appropriate to the reading level.

Katie Brashers has disappeared after spring break. She told her friends that she was vacationing in Florida but when everyone else returns to school, she does not. No one knows where she is, including Katie’s boyfriend and Michelle Martin, one of Katie’s friends. Michelle and Katie’s boyfriend become amateur detectives of sort.

The characters are average high school students and very believable, which adds to the believability of the story. The book was not very long, only about 207 pages – a good size length, not too short that the reader felt rushed reading the story but not too long that the reader would want to flip pages to find the ending to the mystery more quickly. The cover picture was interesting and fit the story appropriately. This book would be appropriate mostly for preteens and early teens, from twelve to fifteen-years-old, but anyone older who enjoys a light mystery read would also enjoy “Sudden Moves” by Kelli Sue Landon.

Contests, Kelly Speaks

Self Publishing Author Contest: Reader Views Literary Book Award 2012

As a self-publishing author, it is important to constantly market your book and improve your credibility. One of the best ways to accomplish both of those tasks is entering your book into contests. Winning awards shows potential readers that your book is worthwhile and that you are a serious author, and it often results in great publicity as well. One of my favorite book award contests for self publishing authors is the Reader Views Literary Book Award. Here are all of the details.

What is the Reader Views Literary Book Award?

The annual literary awards were established to honor writers who self-published or who had their books published by a subsidy publisher, small press, university press, or independent book publisher.  POD books are accepted.

Who is eligible?

Reader Views Literary Awards are open to all authors  regardless of residency; however, the books must be published in the English language and targeted for the North American market. Works published by major book publishers are not eligible.  Books must  have a 2012 copyright date.  Submission for more than one category or more than one title is acceptable.  Books that have racist themes will be not be accepted.

Three finalists will be chosen in each fiction and non-fiction category. First and second place winners will be awarded in each category. Third place will receive an honorable mention. One finalist, the top score in each area, will be chosen in each regional and global category. Each winner will receive a certificate.

Finalists will be announced in Reader Views’ weekly e-mail newsletter on March 4, 2013 and the winners on March 25, 2013.

For more information, visit http://readerviews.com/Awards.html.

I’d love to know, have you entered your book into the Reader Views Literary Awards before or are you planning to do so this year? Tell us about it 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.
Jodee Speaks, Uncategorized

Celebrate Veteran’s Day by Self Publishing A Book

I’d like to begin this week’s post by thanking the men and women who have served our country. Without your courage, dedication, and sacrifice, our country would not have the pleasures and privileges many of us take for granted. I sincerely thank each of you for your service, and you will be in my thoughts and prayers as I celebrate Veteran’s Day this week.

Many people don’t take the time to remember the importance of this holiday. For most people, it is simply a day off of work or school. For other people, they don’t even consider it holiday.

If you want to show your service men and women how much you appreciate their service, consider self publishing a book in their honor. There are many ways you can use your goal of self publishing to honor veterans or to share your own story of being a veteran. Here are just a few ideas.

  • Write a memoir – You may choose to do this for the sole purpose of using writing to heal or with the goal of sharing your story with the world.
  • Write a suspense novel rooted in a veteran’s story – You could use your own life as inspiration, or interview other veterans.
  • Write a book celebrating veterans – Share positive and inspiring stories about veterans. This is a great idea if you have many family members or friends who are veterans.
  • Write a book to help veterans with life after the military – If you choose this topic, make sure you offer quality advice and seek professional input if necessary.
  • Donate your proceeds to veterans – There are various organizations that strive to help veterans with issues such as adapting to life after war. If you’d like to help these causes, you could donate a portion or all of your book’s proceeds to the cause.

I’d love to know, how are you honoring veterans this Veteran’s Day?

ABOUT JODEE THAYER: With over 20 years of experience in sales and management, Jodee Thayer works as the Manager of Author Services for Outskirts Press. The Author Services Department is composed of knowledgeable customer service reps and publishing consultants; together, they all focus on educating authors on the self-publishing process in order 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, Jodee Thayer can put you on the right path.
Self-Publishing Book Review of the Week

Weekly Self-Published Book Review: Romance With A Touch of Love

Book reviews are a great way for self-publishing authors to gain exposure. After all, how can someone buy your book if he or she doesn’t know it exists? Paired with other elements of your book promotion strategy, requesting reviews is a great way to get people talking about what you’ve written.

When we read good reviews, we definitely like to share them. It gives the author a few (permanent) moments of fame and allows us to let the community know about a great book. Here’s this week’s book review by Midwest Book Review:

Romance With A Touch of Love

Kevin Hollingsworth

Publisher: Outskirts Press

ISBN: 9781432771386

Reviewer: William Phenn

“Romance With A Touch of Love” is a quaint little poetry book that one could be read from start to finish while waiting for the doctor.

Do not be fooled by its short 23 pages. For its length, it packs an entertaining read on every page. Mr. Hollingsworth has a descriptive style that brings you into his thoughts; you can envision what he is remembering and what he sees in his mind.

Beginning with “American Princess,” you can imagine what she looks like from his descriptive verbiage; you can almost feel “the softness of her skin.” Then, in “Death and Marriage,” you feel the anguish that he has over his lost love. For such a religious man as Kevin Hollingsworth seems, it is a tragic blow to his faith when his prayers are not answered.

In an attempt at a dark poem, Kevin Hollingsworth pens one called “Alone.” In it, he describes the stark realization he has that “she” is gone. The torment of such a thought leaves him in agony with only “loneliness admiring him.”

I thought that “Romance With A Touch of Love” by Kevin Hollingsworth was entertaining for its short few pages. I would have liked to have read more of Mr. Hollingsworth’s work and wished that this brief sample of his literary talent would have continued for at least another twenty-five pages, but that is not the case. I gave it a well-deserved B on my scale, and although I think it a bit pricey for only 23 pages, it is a good read. I would recommend it to a general audience since it does not contain anything that would be objectionable to minors.