Riley Adams's Blog, page 108

Introducing the Reedsy Book Editor

by Ricardo Fayet,  RicardoFayet, @reedsyhq

When starting Reedsy, our ambition was not only to connect authors with vetted, hand-picked editors, designers and marketers. As I wrote when I first introduced Reedsy on Elizabeth’s blog, “we are a technology company at heart”. We wanted to be more than a simple marketplace, we wanted to reinvent the way authors and editors work together – let’s face it, Word wasn’t made for writing books.

That’s why we’ve spent the past several months now on something that we like to call the Reedsy Book Editor. I offered a demo of the tool at the NINC conference last year, and now we are ready to make it live.

There are several concepts that went into building this tool. The first one lies in its design and user experience. There are countless text editors out there, some more beautiful than others, but in the end they all get the job done, and preferences are just a matter of taste.

In our case, our preference lies in simple, minimalistic design. Our product and design team took most of its inspiration from the blogging/publishing platform Medium – with whom I imagine most of you are familiar. We wanted to replicate the same intuitive experience Medium offers to bloggers and adapt it to a much more complex format: books.

You can read more about the design process we went through and the technologies we used here, but I’ll get to the point you’re probably waiting for: the features.

Writing in a beautiful interface – ok, we covered this already.
Painless formatting and export to ePub: our Book Editor respects the layout of an ebook. Therefore, you literally have no formatting to do: the table of contents, copyright page, chapter breaks and other subtleties are inserted automatically.
Automatic typesetting: that’s where it gets really powerful. You can choose between two print templates and export a professionally-typeset, print-ready PDF file.
Not really a feature per se, but worth mentioning: it’s 100% free.

What does this mean? You can write your book, or copy-paste it, into the Reedsy Book Editor and export an ePub and a print file, for free, in a matter of seconds. We have tested our ePub file on all devices and on Amazon’s mobi converter (which means you can get a .mobi file as well from it). And we have been working with IngramSpark to make sure the print-ready file complies with all their guidelines – and it does. Here is an example of what you can do in a few seconds with the Reedsy Book Editor; click on the image to download an excerpt from Michael Doane’s book, The Crossing.

In a nutshell, this means you don’t have to learn how to format or typeset anymore, nor hire someone to do it for you – unless, of course, you want a customized print product. As our designer likes to say: “machines can’t do art yet!”.

This is only the first version of the editor. If you were in the room listening at NINC, you might recall me announcing many more features, like collaborative writing, track-changes, comments, timelines, etc. These are coming, along with a wider selection of templates for the PDF, and you can get a glimpse of what they will look like here.

In the meantime, if you want to test the Reedsy Book Editor, just sign up to Reedsy, create a book, and start writing.

Ricardo Fayet is a co-founder of Reedsy . An avid reader and startup enthusiast, he likes to imagine how small players will build the future of publishing. He also blogs about book marketing on the Reedsy blog.

Reedsy offers a free book formatting tool for writers:
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Apple Makes it Easier to be an Affiliate

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

Although I don’t make a fortune as an affiliate with Amazon and Apple, so far it’s proven to be reliable income.  And it’s  fairly passive income.

The only problem is that it’s something of a hassle.  You run your links through the retailer’s affiliate URL link-maker, it assigns your affiliate code for credit, and then if someone clicks on your link, you make a commission from whatever they buy on the site during that shopping session. I do keep my affiliate links in a document so that I can just copy/paste them without having to run through the link-maker again, but it’s still a bit of a time suck.  We also have to be careful to follow the retailers’ terms and conditions for use and be sure to put a disclosure on our site when we use these links.

Apple doesn’t ordinarily make my business dealings with them easy. I’m definitely not an Apple fan girl.  I find their site difficult to use as an author and am dismayed at the number of readers who have written me telling me they’ve had a hard time locating my books on their site.  This spurred me to change my website, create dedicated pages for each of my books, and include a direct link to Apple. I also find Apple the most difficult retailer to upload to.  And their royalty reporting reminds me of the reports I get from trad-publishers–inscrutable.

However!  A pleasant surprise from Apple recently.  I discovered that we can embed code in our blog/site’s footer section to have all Apple links automatically convert to Apple Affiliate links.

The link-maker is here: https://autolinkmaker.itunes.apple.com/ .  And a detailed walk-through of how to add the code in our footer for WordPress, Blogger,  and Tumblr is here. 

Another cool thing Apple has that Amazon doesn’t offer is the ability to attach a geo-prefix to our links so that readers are automatically redirected to their country’s Apple retail site.  With Amazon, we have to go through a 3rd-party to have our links automatically open in the correct country (and the 3rd party services I’ve looked into charge a commission).

The service was briefly explained in my Apple Affiliate newsletter that I recently received (I’m starting to benefit from the fact that I’m now opening these newsletters):

“Affiliate Tip

Ensure your link works globally by adding a geo prefix to the beginning of your link as shown in the example below. You can add this geo prefix manually to your links, or it will be added automatically when you use Link Maker. Having links geo ready ensures links work globally; this is especially important for music where songs and albums may have different iTunes URLs by geo.

Example link: https://geo.itunes.apple.com/us/album/25/id1051394208?app=music&at=1010laH6 ” 

My question is….can we get this cool geo feature to work with the auto-link-maker? I haven’t fiddled around with it to see, but it would certainly be convenient.

Have you checked into being an affiliate for your retailers? Any cool tips to share?

Apple's tool automatically changes Apple links to Apple Affiliate Links:
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The post Apple Makes it Easier to be an Affiliate appeared first on Elizabeth Spann Craig.

Twitterific Writing Links

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

Twitterific writing links are fed into the Writer’s Knowledge Base search engine (developed by writer and software engineer Mike Fleming) which has over 30,000 free articles on writing related topics. It’s the search engine for writers.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Supporting Characters: Allies:  http://ow.ly/XLEP8 @JadenTerrell  @KillerNashville

Improve Your Writing Platform (or Author Platform) in 30 Days: http://ow.ly/XLEWU @robertleebrewer               

“Familiarize with” and “Habituate to”:  http://ow.ly/XLEYq @MaeveMaddox

Scrivener Tips And Turning Failure Into Entrepreneurial Success:  http://ow.ly/XMIAg  @ScrivenerCoach @thecreativepenn

Considering the Irrationality of Your Characters:  http://ow.ly/XLF9c @SeptCFawkes

10 Tips to Writing from Multiple POVs:  http://ow.ly/XNqdo @aimiekrunyan

The Ultimate Pilot Story Checklist: Transparent:  http://ow.ly/XNqqD @cockeyedcaravan

Big Picture Story Structure: 3-Act Structure:  http://ow.ly/XMV4t by John Wong @mythicscribes

A Handy-Dandy Do-Over Tip: http://ow.ly/XNqVA @writingtracy

You’re Not Alone: Creativity and Depression” http://ow.ly/YhJXj @BlueSunDeb

16 Self-publishing Predictions:  http://ow.ly/XIJ0C @DebbieYoungBN

5 Reasons Writers Need Google Plus, Even Though New Google Plus is Awful:  http://ow.ly/YhJTw @annerallen

Shepherding a Self-Published Picture Book to Success:  http://ow.ly/XGF3T @sangeeta_editor @bbowen949

36 Plot Ideas for your Novel:  http://ow.ly/XLFaW  @JillWilliamson

Teaching Writing: Making Structure Visible: http://ow.ly/XLFfX @Betsy_writes

“Confused With” and “Confused About”:  http://ow.ly/XLF5m @MaeveMaddox

Most Common Mistakes: Ineffective Setting Descriptions:  http://ow.ly/XLF6H @KMWeiland

Fiction Writing Checklist:  http://ow.ly/XLFe7 @AJ Humpage

Public speaking for indie authors:  http://ow.ly/XIIkd @denisebarnesuk

Goodbye Shelfari, Hello Goodreads:  http://ow.ly/XIIB0 @LynneCantwell

10 Ways to Generate Story Ideas:  http://ow.ly/XIIRK by Chris Winkle @mythcreants

A Room of One’s Own: the Place in One’s Head:  http://ow.ly/XIIWU @jaqhazell @womenwriters

What Writers Can Learn from Failed New Year’s Resolutions:  http://ow.ly/XIIGi @rosannebane

Using Kindle Scout as Part of a Book Launch Campaign:  http://ow.ly/XGEWx @kb_jensen

Don’t put off writing: who knows what tomorrow brings? :  http://ow.ly/XIITH  @mdilloway

How to Create an Advance Information (AI) Sheet: http://ow.ly/XIIhl @DebbieYoungBN

Time-Saving Social Media Tip for Writers:  http://ow.ly/XIIHF @sararosett

Turning a bad critique into a positive experience:  http://ow.ly/XIIZ7 @BetterScribe

7 Tips for Writing About Other Cultures:  http://ow.ly/XIINE  @kathryntanquary

When to Use the Present Tense:  http://ow.ly/XIIDV @ceciliaedits

8 Strategies for Marketing Your Self-Published Book:  http://ow.ly/XIIQg @CSLakin

Tips for outlining:  http://ow.ly/XIIL6 @AmberSkyeF

How to Start a Novel: A Checklist for Editing Chapter 1:  http://ow.ly/XFKKu @annerallen

Writing Practice Scenes for Character Development:  http://ow.ly/XFKrF @lindasclare

The Paid Reviews Debate:  http://ow.ly/YaRQN @Porter_Anderson @JaneFriedman

Don’t Worry, It Only Gets Harder:  http://ow.ly/XFJy1 @DanBlank

5 Things 1 Author Wishes She’d Known Before Publishing Her 1st Novel: http://ow.ly/XFJkR  @MirandaBW

Why Outlining Your Scenes Will Help You Write a Great Novel:  http://ow.ly/XFJ8l @CSLakin

Setup and Payoff: 2 Equally Important Halves of Story Foreshadowing:  http://ow.ly/XFJbK @KMWeiland

Self Publishing as a Lemonade Stand:  http://ow.ly/XFJKc @jamesscottbell

Breaking Writing Rules Right: Show    Elizabeth S Craig

Accounting 101 for Authors: Types of Businesses:  http://ow.ly/XFJE0 @LongValleyPress

The Key Differences Between Middle Grade vs Young Adult: http://ow.ly/XFIZ5 @marielamba

Walking Away From an Unfinished Novel:  http://ow.ly/XFJ5y @AuthorLBrown

What Happens When One POV is Better? http://ow.ly/XFJgW @Janice_Hardy

‘A Hybrid World’ of Publishing. Harper Collins on Print in a Digital World:  http://ow.ly/YaSZt @Porter_Anderson @pubperspectives

Writers and other artists: 4 ways to take a compliment:  http://ow.ly/YaSeN @gigirosenberg

What Does the New @AuthorEarnings Report Say to the Industry? http://ow.ly/YaRjG @Porter_Anderson

Writing and the Creative Life: “Get a mentor”:  http://ow.ly/XD4xJ @gointothestory

The Hot Sheet: industry newsletter for authors (30 day free trial):  from @Porter_Anderson & @JaneFriedman:  http://ow.ly/YaR09”

#Marketing: Finding 1,000 True Fans:  http://ow.ly/XD4MY @JeriWB

12 Easy Ways To Boost Attendance At Your Book Signing: http://ow.ly/XD5h1 by Self Publishing Relief

Micro-newsletters:  http://ow.ly/XD59P @Janet_Reid

How to promote a book without using social media: http://ow.ly/XD4Hh @sandrabeckwith

3 Typefaces for Books: http://ow.ly/XD5dU @JFBookman

Writer Dilemma: Private Life vs. Public Figures: http://ow.ly/XD4JT @jamigold

How to Set Up Your Goodreads Author Dashboard:  http://ow.ly/XD87Y @CaballoFrances

Spark Inspiration and Ignite Creativity: Mindful Concentration on Your Place in Space: http://ow.ly/XD4B8 @jthomasross

Author Newsletters: 6 Tips for Smart Strategies: http://ow.ly/XD85Z @jamigold

Is the weather a major character in your stories?  http://ow.ly/XAvzH @calebpirtle

How Writers Can Craft an Effective Setting:  http://ow.ly/Y7l6b @MaryBuckham

Convention Basics: 5 Tips to Make Your Book Stand Out http://ow.ly/XAvRM @AP_Fuchs

10 Tips for Kickstarting Your Writing:  http://ow.ly/XAv86 @Joannechocolat

How to Create a Professional Press Kit in 8 Easy Steps:  http://ow.ly/XAvKS by Jamie Jo Hoang

7 Tips for Creating an Antihero that Readers Will Love: http://ow.ly/XAvbk by  Stephanie Norman

A 5-Minute Guide to Evernote:  http://ow.ly/XAw0e  @ckmacleodwriter

The First 3 Things You Need in Your Scene:  http://ow.ly/XAvwj @CSLakin

How To Write A Story With A Great Open Ending:  http://ow.ly/XAvta  @kerrycreas

On Writers, Hoarders, and Their Clutter:  http://ow.ly/XAvCM  @barryyourgrau @thelithub

Creating Characters Who Live Off the Page:  http://ow.ly/XAw6A  by Joseph Gartrell

20-Minute Macro Course:  http://ow.ly/XAvXf  @ckmacleodwriter

5 Ways to Create an Em Dash:  http://ow.ly/XAw2a @ckmacleodwriter

Publishing Could Be Causing a Writing Block:  http://ow.ly/XAw3K by Margo Dill

Goodreads: Housekeeping and Book Stats:  http://ow.ly/Y4vTY

Crime fiction: when characters say too much, it can get them in trouble:  http://ow.ly/Y4nlB @mkinberg

How to be more creative with help from neuroscience and Margaret Atwood :  http://ow.ly/XxsGp @KirstenFogg

How to Use Periscope to Build Your Writing Brand:  http://ow.ly/XxsDV @WillieshaMorris

Nonfic social media experiment combines Instagram and essays:  http://ow.ly/Xxt1o @vqreview

How Blogging Connects Authors with their Target Readers:  http://ow.ly/XxrS2 @VoicetoStory

Just Add Tension: How to Make Any Book Better:  http://ow.ly/XxsUH @aprilhenrybooks

How a Writer Stays Committed With No Promise of Success:  http://ow.ly/Xxsn2 @LisaRomeo by Sandra Hurtes

3 Things You Should Be Writing About On Your Author Blog:  http://ow.ly/XxsuB @standoutbooks

Writing Fantasy Fiction: How to Make the Magic Work:  http://ow.ly/XxsxH @standoutbooks

What Not to Say in Your Cover Letter to a Literary Journal (or any media venue, ever):  http://ow.ly/Xxsrz @LisaRomeo

How to Take a Break from Blogging (Without Looking Flakey):  http://ow.ly/XxrWm @BrooksEditorial

How the ellipsis arrived in English literature: http://ow.ly/Xxszn  @alisonflood @guardianbooks

Good Marketing vs. A Good Pitch: http://ow.ly/XxsNe @LaurieAshbourne

Does Your Saboteur Push You into Writer’s Block?  http://ow.ly/XxrnB @rosannebane

The best writing links of the week on Twitterific:
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Problems with Multitasking

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

We had a winter storm in North Carolina a couple of weeks ago.  Winter storms in NC are a big deal.  There are a few reasons for that. For one, everything shuts down…there’s no school, no businesses open, and no one at work.  Since these are rare occurrences in the  Charlotte area, there’s not much in the budget for clearing the streets. So…the stuff sticks around until it melts. The problem is that it gets warm enough during the days (45-50 degree F) to melt and then goes back below freezing at night and refreezes the stuff. Then everyone slips all over the road on black ice.

My husband called me on his way home from work right before the storm hit and asked if we needed anything.  I said no, that I’d run a slew of errands all day and we were fine.

My teenaged daughter was listening to our phone  conversation.  “Why is Dad even asking?  Doesn’t he know it’s you? You’re always prepared.”

It’s true that I’m a bit of a Girl Scout.  But then, I was a Girl Scout.

My daughter added something else.  “You’re so organized that you’re disorganized.”

I had to think about that one for a minute.  But then I realized that she was right.  I have a tendency to get into a frenetic pace and hop from one task to another, remembering something that needs urgent (or seemingly needs urgent) attention right when I’m in the middle of another task.

It’s multitasking. And, while I can multitask anything if vacuuming is one of the tasks, when it comes to things that require careful thought, I need more focus.  What’s more, multitasking makes me stressed out and generally unpleasant to be around.  I’ve also learned that, for me, multitasking usually isn’t as effective as focusing on and knocking out a single task.

Apps and Smart Calendar Use Help Avoid Multitasking 

Calendar: 

What’s helping is my attempt to prioritize tasks and my (new) understanding that I need to assign some tasks farther into the future. For example, I saw a cool article by CS Lakin on Jane Friedman’s blog and decided, “Yeah, this is really important. Have they changed the book description “show more” that much?” And I dropped everything and started working on it.  But I didn’t NEED to. Everything isn’t an emergency. I need to slow down this fast pace I’m setting.

This time, instead of multitasking or dropping one task to pick up another, I put it on my calendar to review on a future day.

The main tool that I use for keeping things on schedule is Google Calendar. It’s free and, since I have it on my phone, I always have it with me. I particularly like the “week” view on the calendar. When I see an opening, I  click on the day to create an event, and then type in whatever task I need to take care of. This makes me feel relieved immediately–that I don’t have to remember the task, and that I’m on my way to addressing it.

Apps: 

Another tool that I use for both general organization and my blog editorial calendar is One Note (which came included with my Microsoft Office bundle, but you can also download it…it’s free).  Sometimes when I’m doing business-related work or working on my book, I will get ideas for things that I want to share on my blog.  That’s when I add the post idea to a page in my Blog Notebook on One Note (One Note is set up with a notebook and page structure.  Although I like Evernote and use it for a lot of different things, for some reason the way you have to do “stacks” on Evernote doesn’t work as well for me as the old notebook/page system in One Note.

A new app that I’m using is Remember the Milk.  It’s free and integrates with online calendars like iCal and Google Calendar. You add tasks to be completed and a reminder will be emailed to you.  The tasks will also show up in the sidebar of your calendar.  I like the app and I’ve been using it for the past few weeks.  But I’m not sure it adds any additional functionality to my original system of adding tasks as events on Google Calendar. I guess the lesson there is…if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.  But if you don’t have an established method of handling tasks, I think this is a great tool to try.

Another free app/site I’m using is 135 List.  It helps me prioritize my tasks each day.  So far it’s been a useful additional tool to supplement what I’ve already been doing. And it helps me remember what’s most important to complete instead of my scrambling around thinking everything is an emergency.

So now I’m not so organized that I’m disorganized. :)  How do you keep your tasks straight and keep from getting overwhelmed with your workload?

Apps can help us avoid problematic multitasking:
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Image: MorgueFile: Seemann

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Goodreads Housekeeping and Book Stats

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

Goodreads is a popular way for readers to discover new authors and talk about books.  As a reader, I’ve found some excellent recommendations there.  I frequently  hear my friends talk about the site.  And, when I was speaking once at a school, a teacher came up to me afterward and said, “I looked you up while you were speaking. You’re even on Goodreads!”

As a writer, I usually avoid Goodreads as much as possible. It’s sometimes not a warm and friendly environment for authors.  But then…it’s for readers.

My usual tactic in dealing with Goodreads is to avoid logging in until I get a message on the site.  However! This site is important enough for us that we need to do general upkeep and housekeeping there.  And there are some cool features to tempt us in.

Things to check on and update on Goodreads:

Is our series description effective?  Is it the same description that we have listed on our website and retail sites (consistency with metadata can be important for SEO, etc.)

Are all of our books listed under our name?

Are previews enabled on all of our books on Goodreads? If not, we’ll want to fix that.  The previews should be right below our books, as they are on Amazon.

If we’ve changed covers, have updated editions of our book, have we set the book we want as the primary edition?

If we go into our individual book pages on the site, have we included as much metadata as possible?  Who is listed as our publisher?

What’s listed as the official URL of the book (current practice is to have a page for each book on our website. I’ve listed my site’s book page as the official URL).

What’s the book’s setting?  Who knows, maybe there are readers specifically looking for stories set in a particular location?  Maybe local press may search for authors who write local settings.

Before saving/sending the changes, I made a short note (as one of the site’s “librarians”) saying I was just adding more information on each book.

Other things we can do on the site: 

Remember that we can make updates on both our author profile on the site (pull up one of your books and click on the name, after you’re signed into the site)  and through our author dashboard.  It might be a good idea to do a quick check to see if any updates are needed on either one.

We can add a Goodreads tag to our Facebook page.  This would likely be a smart cross-promo feature.

We can add a Goodreads widget to each individual book page on our website to make it easy for readers to add our books as “to read.”

We can enable Goodreads Author Q&A.  I’ve had some really nice interaction with readers that way.

Goodreads giveaways can be an effective way to get awareness for our books (and, hopefully, to generate some reader reviews).

Goodreads seems to be trying to capitalize a bit on the popularity of images.  There’s a feature where we can upload pictures (obviously images that aren’t under copyright) that tie into our book…or, I guess, they could be pictures we take of things that inspired us for our book or where we write, etc.

Have a book trailer or an interview on video?  Goodreads is a logical place to upload it.  You can add it right on your author profile page.

Have you mentioned your newsletter signup link in your bio for Goodreads?  This is a good place to do it.

Book Stats: 

One cool thing we can do on our author dashboard is see our book stats for Goodreads.  You can choose the type of graph you’d like to see. I will say that if you have a lot of books, it can look like a bunch of scribble.  If yours looks like scribble (like below), click on “click here for a breakdown” for a list that might make more sense. All I get from the chart below is that people really wanted to read “Body at Bunco” for some reason.

On that stats page, we can also see our total of books added and the total number of unique users adding them.   Plus we can see our total of Goodreads reviews. I apparently have 845 reviews on Goodreads. This is another reminder to me that, despite my reluctance to spend time on the site, it’s an important tool, I need to keep my presence there updated.

Are you on Goodreads?  Done any updates there lately?

Tips for making the most of our Goodreads profile:
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Twitterific Writing Links

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

Twitterific writing links are fed into the Writer’s Knowledge Base search engine (developed by writer and software engineer Mike Fleming) which has over 30,000 free articles on writing related topics. It’s the search engine for writers.

How Writers Can Optimize Their Book’s Description on Amazon:  http://ow.ly/XsFpr @CSLakin

Authors United’s Divisive Stand on Amazon: http://ow.ly/XZkoI @Porter_Anderson @pubperspectives

Roundup of the Top #AskBookBub Questions of 2015:  http://ow.ly/XsFCT @dianaurban

How to Find Beta Readers to Improve Your Book:  http://ow.ly/XsFWy @shesnovel   

3 Things That Accelerated 1 Writer’s Author Growth in 2015: http://ow.ly/XsFsp @monicaleonelle

How to Create an Author Brand: 4 Easy Steps:  http://ow.ly/XsFME  @suzannahwindsor

When is the Right Time to Discount Your Book? http://ow.ly/XsFEG @dianaurban

Goodreads Giveaways:  http://ow.ly/XsFy5 @cathryanhoward

Preview Widget: Amazon Book Marketing Tool:  http://ow.ly/XsFFV @fictionnotes

How To Consistently Write 3500-–4000 Words Per Hour:  http://ow.ly/XsFv8 @monicaleonelle

Problems for the Privileged in Crime Fiction: http://ow.ly/XZkFP @mkinberg

Free Cheat Sheets for Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, and More: http://ow.ly/XYLrL @firstsiteguide @AnjaSkrba

Subtly Boost Your Dialogue’s Power With Body Language:  http://ow.ly/XqXyO @RidethePen

Basic MS Word: When Submitting a MS:  http://ow.ly/XuqeT from Interrobangs

26 fantastic no-cost tools for writers:  http://ow.ly/Xuqbh @pubcoach

Writing books versus Flash Fiction : http://ow.ly/Xuq1c @ClaireFuller2

How Writers Can Remix the Past: http://ow.ly/XuqHs @drewchial

What Exactly Does An Editor Do? The Role Has Changed Over Time : http://ow.ly/XuqK7 @LynnPNeary @nprnews

Should Published Authors Attend Conferences? http://ow.ly/XuqnJ @rachellegardner

Editing Tips for the Indie Author:  http://ow.ly/XuqQf @JoeMoore_writer

5 Ways to Tell if a Subplot is Leading You Astray:  http://ow.ly/XuqBP @Janice_Hardy

Dangling Modifiers:  http://ow.ly/Xuqs2 @Janice_Hardy

5 Reasons to Write a Short Story: Develop and Market Your Novel: http://ow.ly/XsFHQ @fictionnotes

Dictating a Book? Tips for Editing the First Draft:  http://ow.ly/XsFRE @byondpapr

The Search for the Unexpected: the Key to Voice and Plot in Fiction:  http://ow.ly/XuqED @MartinaABoone

4 Steps to Creating a Compelling About Page: http://ow.ly/XxrPt @VoicetoStory

Eavesdropping for story ideas and other tips from a veteran novelist:  http://ow.ly/Xxrti @WarrenAdler

Amazon’s New Warning Labels:  http://ow.ly/XZq6B

Authors Guild: The Fair Contract Initiative:  http://ow.ly/XYQfu @victoriastrauss

The Most Obvious Writing Tool You’re Not Using:  http://ow.ly/XsFOC @suzannahwindsor

10 #Wattpad Insights to Whet Your Appetite:  http://ow.ly/XYL6U @jayartale @OrnaRoss

The e-pub revolution isn’t over (regardless of what you’ve heard) http://ow.ly/XqXre @FuseLiterary @AgentSavant

Writing about Hacking: How To Hack: The Basics:  http://ow.ly/XWTCv @SueColetta1

5 Tips For Your Office Desk:  http://ow.ly/XpkOr from Feng Shui for Writers

Want to Speak at Writing Conventions? How to Write a Great Pitch:  http://ow.ly/XplFO @arinblackwrites

Tips For Balancing Writing and Life:  http://ow.ly/XqXoU @susankayequinn

3 Keys to Regain Your Writing Habits: http://ow.ly/XqXny @RuthanneReid

Building Blocks of a Novel: Word Choice: http://ow.ly/XqXDd @JulieEshbaugh

7 Ways to Help You Be Precise in Your Writing:  http://ow.ly/XqXJc by Dawn Field

Writers: How Succeed at “Building Platform” Without Really Trying:  http://ow.ly/XqXqm @annerallen

Back up your work:  http://ow.ly/XqXB4 @MarcyKennedy

Tips for cutting down on word count:  http://ow.ly/XqXMv  @KBullockAuthor

7 Mistakes You’re Making With Your Author Blog And How To Fix Them:  http://ow.ly/XqXue @thecreativepenn

Midpoints: A Breakdown:  http://ow.ly/XqXEn  @sjaejones

Scene Structure and Character Arc:  http://ow.ly/XqXLp @CSLakin

What’s Killing Your Creativity? Probably Not What You Think: http://ow.ly/Xpl3F @emily_tjaden

3 literary translators with tips and secrets:  http://ow.ly/XTnaP @Roz_Morris @fwdtranslations @Intralingo @alisonlayland

Beyond Me, Myself, and I: 4 Ideas for Escaping the First-Person Bubble:  http://ow.ly/X9LJP @benzbox

The power of the hero’s journey: http://ow.ly/Xphf7 @patverducci

Writing Worksheet: Villains:  http://ow.ly/XpgJt @EvaDeverell

1st Pages of Best-Selling Novels:  Nicholas Sparks’s  “See Me”: http://ow.ly/XplV3 @CSLakin

On Keeping a (Writing) Notebook (or 3):  http://ow.ly/XpgOX @brevitymag @RandonNoble

Breaking the Writing Rules:  http://ow.ly/Xpm5t  @MaryVeeWriter

Mastering the Art of the Cliffhanger Chapter Ending: http://ow.ly/XplQk  @rlbelliston

10 Character Cliches To Watch Out For:  http://ow.ly/XplnT @NatePhilbrick

A Revision Checklist:  http://ow.ly/Xpl9x @kelsieengen

3 fiction marketing mistakes that will hold you back: http://ow.ly/Xplxz @sandrabeckwith

Writing: Tension vs. Energy:  http://ow.ly/Xplja @DonMaass

10 Ten Tips to Write When You Don’t Feel Like It:  http://ow.ly/Xm6AP @FlynnGrayWriter

Planning out the year: where do you want to be 1 year from now? http://ow.ly/Xm7Em  @lisajjackson

BookFunnel: Low-Cost Ebook Giveaway Hosting: http://ow.ly/XH3PG @mollygreene

Motivated by Motifs:  http://ow.ly/X9LsM The Daily Post

3 Tools for More Productive and Organized Writing:  http://ow.ly/Xm6QV @jenn_mattern

1 Writer’s Rocky Road to Publication:  http://ow.ly/Xm71m  @CharlieDonlea

A Brief History of Book Illustration:  http://ow.ly/Xm7lF by Chris Russell

5 Traps and Tips for Character Development:  http://ow.ly/Xm6Xf @LifeRichPub

5 Ways to Maximize Your Morning When You’re Not a Morning Person:  http://ow.ly/Xm7K8  @besscozby

4 Personality Types That Will Derail Your Literary Event: http://ow.ly/Xm7gB by Tim Johnson

The Anatomy of a Love Scene:  http://ow.ly/Xm6xi  @spinellauthor

The Complete Guide to Query Letters: Nonfiction Books: http://ow.ly/Xm6GU @JaneFriedman

9 Ways to Stop Your Novel from Stalling:  http://ow.ly/Xm6M7 by Tracey Barnes Priestley

A way to organize blog posts you want to read: http://ow.ly/XjgQZ @cathychall

Drafting in Layers:  http://ow.ly/XMSdU

Thriller Writing Competition: free for US and UK authors to enter: cash and editorial assessment prizes: http://ow.ly/XGzyT @ReedsyHQ

Spring Cleaning: Reorganizing Your Blog:  http://ow.ly/X9Ly6 The Daily Post

7 Visibility Tips:  http://ow.ly/Xjhe0 @DeniseWakeman

4 Post-Its to Put Over Our Desks:  http://ow.ly/XjgMS @victoriamixon

How a Writer Turned Her Blog Into A Book : http://ow.ly/Xjh7U @hungrywriting @womenwriters

Considering Self-Publishing? You Might Want to Do This First: http://ow.ly/Xjh5n @chucksambuchino

Tips for our 2nd Draft: http://ow.ly/XjhoO  @JessicaPMorrell

How To Make Effective Goals When Facing The Unknown:  http://ow.ly/XjhH7 @stephmorrill

Keeping Resolutions 101: How to Relish a Challenge:  http://ow.ly/XjhCT @reallucyflint

First Pages of Best-Selling Novels: The Martian:  http://ow.ly/Xjhv6 @CSLakin

Do You Need a Literary Agent? The Definitive Pros and Cons List:  http://ow.ly/Xjhz4 @ClaireABradshaw

5 Ways to Improve Your Twitter Profile:  http://ow.ly/Xjhlf @DeniseWakeman

The links I shared last week:  http://ow.ly/XKGRH .All the links I’ve ever shared (30K+, free and searchable): writerskb.com

Make the Most of Repetition in Your Writing:  http://ow.ly/X9Ll7 @benzbox

5 Reasons Why You Stopped Writing Last Year:  http://ow.ly/Xgsfs @KelsieEngen

7 steps for goal creation and implementation:  http://ow.ly/Xgqnt @DIYMFA

5 Brainstorming Techniques for Writers: http://ow.ly/Xgt3d @LindaUKmasters

Why Money Matters in Fantasy:  http://ow.ly/XgqjV @EmilyFRussell

Writing a Prologue that Works:  http://ow.ly/Xgqln @lindasclare

7 Questions to Help Writers Set Meaningful Goals:  http://ow.ly/XgqY6 @colleen_m_story

The best writing links of the week on Twitterific:
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Follow Up–Amazon Warning Labels

By Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

Once again, I chose to focus on being patient as my New Year’s resolution.  By this point,   it’s my top recurring resolution of all time.

As I’ve written recently, one interesting thing about being a self-published writer is how quickly we can become accustomed to…indeed, addicted to…control.  We have control over everything as a self-published writer, which is both a blessing and a curse.

Actually, however, we don’t have control over everything.  One glaring exception is our retailers.

For a week, my addiction to control and my patience were both sorely tested. 

As a quick review, I mentioned in my post on January 22 that I had received an email from Amazon about quality control measures they were implementing. The email requested changes to my book file.  If the changes weren’t made, the book would get a warning label on its product page at the first of February.   My email focused primarily on a formatting issue that needed correction–the file was formatted in 2011 by my previous formatter. The book received an attractive (and very pricey) interior book design.  Unfortunately, apparently the formatting doesn’t work well with the current Kindle devices.  Some elements apparently don’t show up…including chapter headings, the first letter of each chapter, the dedication…you get the idea.  The day I received the email, I made the corrections Amazon asked for, contacted my new formatter, and published a new file to KDP.

Amazon’s initial email implied that my uploaded and corrected file would be automatically reviewed.  However, since I’m now apparently something of a control freak, I decided to email Amazon on the 21st and open a ticket on the issue.  I’m withholding the names from the Amazon KDP customer service emails.

The timeline went  like this:

Jan. 20…received initial quality control email. I fixed all the problems with the help of my formatter and published the updated, corrected version.

Jan. 21…I wrote the KDP customer service team early in the morning to let them know I’d uploaded a corrected file and request a review of the book so that Amazon could note it was in compliance.

Jan. 21…from Amazon: Thanks for letting us know you’ve republished an updated version of your book. I’ve forwarded your information to our Quality team for follow-up. Our quality team will review your file. You should hear back from them in the next 1-2 business days. Thanks for your continued patience.

Jan. 29…I follow up with another email, concerned I was getting close to Feb. 1 and I hadn’t heard back from Amazon regarding a review.

Jan. 29…Email from Amazon again requesting the (same) corrections that I’d already made and stated on the 21st that I’d made.  And this: “Sorry for any delays in this review process and notification.”

Jan. 29…I wrote back (a bit panicky now): “Hi, All of the issues have been corrected over a week ago. Please have the review team confirm.

Jan. 30: From Amazon: “Hello, We’ll need a little time to look into this. We’ll contact you with more information by the end of the day on Tuesday, February 2. Thanks for your patience.”

Feb. 1: From Amazon: Thank you for resubmitting your content to us! We have reviewed the new content, but several serious new issues are now present in your book and we have had to block your book from sale. (Following that was a list of the same requested corrections that I had fixed on the 20th and stated on the 21st that I’d fixed).

So, Monday was a Code Red day. That was the day there was a warning label on one of my most popular books–a book that’s been available since 2011. As you can see below (sorry, couldn’t get it any larger without getting blurry, but you get the gist of it), I did get one of the dreaded warning label (“item under review”). Worse, the book was removed from sale (“book is currently unavailable”).   I wrote several emails back to Amazon.  These emails  all still contained the words “please” and “thank you,” (I am Southern, after all), but there may have been excessive use of exclamation points on my part.  :)  I included screenshots of the text locations in question, showing there were no remaining issues.

I mentioned that the book was one of a series. And that various readers had informed me that the first book in that series had been featured by Amazon a week earlier as one of the KDP Daily Deals for their mystery readers (bad timing for me).   I mentioned that the book that was removed from sale has quite a few reviews and is the free book I give to readers for subscribing to my newsletter.

The only good thing was that at some point in this process, KDP opened up phone support to me. At least, this is what a representative stated in an email. However, I’m wondering if  maybe we can receive phone support all the time.  Amazon linked me to a site where I could request a call-back “in five minutes.”  Here’s the page:   https://kdp.amazon.com/contact-us  .  Their hours are 6:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Pacific time, Monday through Friday. They called right in that 5-minute window and I explained the timeline and the fact that everything had been corrected 10 or 11 days earlier.

The customer service rep accessed the book and verified on the phone that all requested changes had been made.  She sounded baffled and stated that she couldn’t understand why, when it only took a couple of minutes to check, the book had been flagged with the label.

I didn’t say, although I suspected, that the reason it had been flagged is because a real human being hadn’t verified my corrections.

The rep said that she’d note that all corrections had been made and verified by her, and that she’d forward the request/ticket over to the quality control department.

I assumed this might go into the same black hole as earlier, but my fears weren’t justified.

Although I never got notification that the warning label had been removed,  my frequent (obsessive?) refreshing of the book’s product page finally indicated that the label was removed on Tuesday, Feb. 2.

However, once it was removed, I received another email from Amazon:

Feb. 2:  (from Amazon): Hello, I wanted to let you know that I’m still working on this with the concerned team. It’s taking longer than usual to resolve this, and I’m very sorry about the delay. I’ll be in touch with you again with an update as soon as possible. Thanks for your continued patience. Regards, (name withheld).

My takeaways from this (besides that we all should keep a very close eye on our inboxes and spam filters for emails from Amazon):

Immediately address the requested corrections.  Even though I did immediately address the issues, I still ran into a problem.  But if I hadn’t  immediately addressed them, it would have been much worse.
Immediately, even though the Amazon email doesn’t specify this, let Amazon know that you’ve made the corrections. This opens up a support ticket.   I did immediately let Amazon know, but I still ran into a problem.  Again, if I hadn’t let them know, it would have probably taken even longer to resolve.
Amazon is very good on promptly returning emails….same day.
However, Amazon may not actually have human screeners looking for the mistakes.  Or, perhaps, the human screeners are overwhelmed.
Keep following up.  Escalate. I should never have waited until the 29th to follow-up. This was my main error.
If they open up phone support to you (or if it’s open all the time), give Amazon a call immediately.  This is your best shot at getting the problem taken care of.

This is, with any luck at all, my last follow-up on this.   I’m not going to lie, this stressed me out in a way that was far out of proportion to the scope of the problem.  But when you feel helpless and frustrated and your book has a warning label and is removed from sale?   There’s a bit of stress involved. I’ve got 19 books out and I can only imagine the kind of stress I’d feel if I had only one.  And, despite the many thanks from Amazon for my continued patience…I  apparently still have a lot to work on in the resolution department.

Amazon Warning Labels on Books Under Review:
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Drafting in Layers

By Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

I had a question on Twitter last weekend from mystery writer K.B. Owen.  She was interested in finding out more about how I draft a story in layers.

The layering of my drafts started out as an almost procrastination.  There are parts of stories that I’m not as fond of writing as others.   I especially dislike writing descriptions of characters and settings and found that I’d put off working on my book sometimes because I didn’t want to write it. As a work-around, I decided that I would add all description in a separate draft and in one “layer” as I was working on my second draft.

After using this technique for a while, I found it was very helpful for a variety of different things.  For one, it helped me weave my subplots through the main plot in a more thoughtful way.

Those are now the two main things that I leave out until the end–descriptions and subplots.  But you could use this technique with nearly anything that trips you up in your story….maybe an area you need to research more.  Maybe you’re not great at writing fight scenes or love scenes and that’s keeping you from moving forward with your story.   It a very adaptable approach.

To me, this is a tool for pushing through a draft faster and taking a more organized, thoughtful approach to other elements in your story.

Description

I compose descriptions for all the characters and settings, etc. on a separate document.  I’ve found that I’m more thoughtful when I do it this way, use better diction, and…an added benefit…once I’m in the groove, I can not only work through all the description quicker, it’s better and more practiced and smoother.

When I add a layer of description,  I run no risk of repeating myself  because all of the descriptive elements are right there on the same page.  If I keep using the same adjectives, it’s going to be glaringly obvious.

I’ve found it’s quicker if I can mark my first draft, as I’m writing it, with spots that need additional description.  There are a couple of different ways to do this.  You can either make a comment in Track Changes in Word or you can assign a particular symbol to indicate the location for more description.  You’ll want to make sure it’s something unique (skip the dollar sign, maybe).  Then you just hit Control-F and look for the symbol when you’re ready to input your description.

Subplots

For subplots, I open a separate document and write what’s basically a short story with its own little arcs of plot or character development.  Bonus points if I can tie in the subplot to the main plot in surprising ways (or even help my sleuth solve the mystery with something going on in the subplot).

The subplot is cut up in a series of installments…I think of it as a short serial.

Because I can see the subplot all in one place, the subplot is especially coherent and non-repetitive.

Then I weave the subplot into the completed first draft.  I look for areas where there are good places to include a subplot…maybe a slowly paced spot or a spot in the first draft that needs a bit of transition help. This process also helps with the pacing of the subplot itself.

Hope this helps and gives you ideas on how you might be able to use layering in your own writing.  Do you use a similar approach?

Tips for writing a book in layers:
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Image: MorgueFile: kburggraf1

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Twitterific Writing Links

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

Twitterific writing links are fed into the Writer’s Knowledge Base search engine (developed by writer and software engineer Mike Fleming) which has over 30,000 free articles on writing related topics. It’s the search engine for writers.

My blog readers are being offered a special discount on author and editor CS Lakin’s Targeting Genre for Big Sales course, now open for enrollment. It launches March 1, and if you register before March 15, you’ll get $100 off the regular course price of $397 by clicking here or by entering TARGET22 as your code.  This looks to be a good course for writers who are looking to optimize keywords, product description, etc. on their Amazon book page for reader discoverability. 

Creative Work is Performance. Assess Your Creative Health Now: http://ow.ly/X9JVD @DanBlank

10 Ways You Can Find Time To Write In 2016:  http://ow.ly/X9Kuf @10MinuteNovelists

Tips on How to Pitch Magazines Successfully:  http://ow.ly/X9JQy @FinishedPages      

What You Need to Be a Writer:  http://ow.ly/X9JG8 @FinishedPages

9 Practical Tricks for Writing Your First Novel:  http://ow.ly/X9KxI @janellison

Discoverability: Scaling the Wall of Content”: http://ow.ly/XFJXC @Porter_Anderson”

5 Bad Defenses of Bad Stories: http://ow.ly/X9JC7 by Oren Ashkenazi @mythcreants

10 Misconceptions a College Education Taught 1 Writer about Writing http://ow.ly/XFKS4 @annerallen

Writing Secular American Jewish Characters:  http://ow.ly/X9JzF from Writing with Color

5 Reasons Canva is Your Blogging Design Heaven:  http://ow.ly/X9JYA @sacha_black

Talking Taboo: Writing About Sensitive Topics:  http://ow.ly/X9K25 from The Daily Post

To what degree does publishing need university people? http://ow.ly/XFRA8 @Porter_Anderson

WordPress: 5 Themes for Writers and Readers:  http://ow.ly/X9L54 by Cheri Lucas Rowlands

Quotes to Encourage, Motivate, and Reassure Writers: http://ow.ly/X9Kgp @colleen_m_story

Craft of Writing: Down with Adverbs?  http://ow.ly/X9Lbh @kristastevens

52 Memoir Prompts:  http://ow.ly/XFRZP  @JeriWB

The Truth about Writing Mechanics:  http://ow.ly/XgpoR @CSLakin

The Chosen Children of Portal Fantasy:  http://ow.ly/XgptS  @seananmcguire

5 Aspects of Science Fiction That Are Far From Childish: http://ow.ly/XgoUM @RyancBritt @tordotcom

Finding Balance as a Beginning Writer:  http://ow.ly/XgphB @MandyCorine

Writer’s Self-Assessment Worksheet:  http://ow.ly/Xgpkl @evadeverell

No Resolutions or Goals: One Word for 2016:  http://ow.ly/XgpLA  @Margo_L_Dill

George RR Martin: when writers just can’t finish their books: http://ow.ly/XgpEj @guardianbooks @michelledean

Make the Most of Repetition in Your Writing:  http://ow.ly/X9Ll7 @benzbox

Six Clichés to Watch Out For When Writing Fantasy:  http://ow.ly/XgrUX by Oren Ashkenazi

The 3 Dangers Of #Booktube:  http://ow.ly/Xgqfz @NatePhilbrick

This New Year Resolve to Read Socially:  http://ow.ly/XgrJj @artofstoriesAB

The 9 Traits You Need to Succeed as a Nonfiction Writer:  http://ow.ly/Xgqc1 @NinaAmir

5 Tips For Launching a Writing Career:  http://ow.ly/XgsSz @colleen_m_story

7 Questions to Help Writers Set Meaningful Goals:  http://ow.ly/XgqY6 @colleen_m_story

6 Writing Mistakes to Avoid in Star Wars: Attack of the Clones:  http://ow.ly/XFJMc @PAShortt

Kindle Preview Embed:  http://ow.ly/XFPMV

11 New Year’s Resolutions for Writers Who Want to Live Dangerously: http://ow.ly/XFKTL @RuthHarrisBooks

A corporate editor quits her job to write:  http://ow.ly/X9Ko4 @MCSnugz

4 Writer Superpowers that Will Get You into Trouble in Real Life:  http://ow.ly/X9KbW @Je55ieMullin5

‘Wattpad writers are celebrities’ in the Philippines:  http://ow.ly/XFQCL @Porter_Anderson @AshleighGardner #WattpadPresents

10 traits of an epic villain:  http://ow.ly/X9Kjq  @Brianna_daSilva

Track Changes and Comments in Word:  http://ow.ly/XD54n @JeriWB

New Year’s Resolution for Authors: Find Your Social Media Joy: http://ow.ly/X3uQL @brandilarsen

Who dunnit? Tips for writing detective fiction: http://ow.ly/XBW2m  by Rohan Gavin @GdnChildrensBks

Scene Structure: The First 3 Things You Need in Your Scene: http://ow.ly/X63e7 @CSLakin

Consumer Power, Author Responsibility and Why Book Reviews Matter:  http://ow.ly/X60xT @kristenlambtx

Writing Emotion: is less more, and how do you make it real? http://ow.ly/X62V9 @emma_darwin

Inventing Language:  Inspiration and Guidance:  http://ow.ly/X615j @leewind

7 Tips for Writing About Other Cultures:  http://ow.ly/X6317 @KathrynTanquary

2015 in Review from Watchdog Group Writer Beware:  http://ow.ly/X60qk @victoriastrauss

5 Essential Components of Scene Structure:  http://ow.ly/X60nP @CSLakin

Tips for Describing Movement:  http://ow.ly/X60kE @Janice_Hardy

The Broken Arc of Character Transformation:  http://ow.ly/X60CF  @DavidCorbett_CA

Re-Readability: Does Your Book Have It? (5 Ways to Make It Happen):  http://ow.ly/X60K6 @KMWeiland

Building Relationships with Indie Bookstores: Tips: http://ow.ly/X3uau @BookHopper @heatherconnor

5 Writing Apps to Help You Finish that Book: http://ow.ly/X3bmG @DIYMFA

Understanding Cultural Trends as a Writer:  http://ow.ly/WZy4w @standoutbooks

19 productivity and time management apps for 2016:  http://ow.ly/WZxRO @kikolani

Top 5 Publishing Markets for 2016: http://ow.ly/XAuBi @hannahsjohnson @pubperspectives

3 Ways Myths Inform Storytelling:  http://ow.ly/WZxCV @AnthonyEhlers

Free online conference Jan. 27:  http://ow.ly/Xjiw1  #LBF16 @Quantum16 @Porter_Anderson

Tips for hand and wrist care for #writers:  http://ow.ly/X3bDi @DebbieYoungBN

Lessons From the Awkward Writing of The Sword of Truth: http://ow.ly/X3a3f by Chris Winkle

Meta, Irony, Narrative, Frames, and The Princess Bride:  http://ow.ly/X3buE @BluejoWalton @tordotcom

The Stockholm Syndrome Theory of Long Novels:  http://ow.ly/X3bLs @mrkocnnll

5 Tips for Creating a Writing Office in Any Room: http://ow.ly/X3apf  @besscozby @DIYMFA

Creating a Successful Hero and Villain: http://ow.ly/X3a6a @ink_and_quills

Why images should be part of our book marketing strategy:  http://ow.ly/WZycj @standoutbooks

Cross-promotion ideas for writers:  http://ow.ly/Xzfe0  @silas_payton for @JAKonrath

Lesson in Subtext: “It’s a Wonderful Life”:  http://ow.ly/WZxKL @gointothestory

Are There Really “Secrets” to Self-Publishing Success? http://ow.ly/WWXQt @goblinwriter

Top 10 Things That Aren’t Impressive For Action Characters:  http://ow.ly/WZwYM @whitleybirks

How to Create Strong Mood:  http://ow.ly/WZy0Q @nownovel

The Hidden Value of a Handwritten Letter:  http://ow.ly/WZwG4  @hodgeswriter

Crime Writers: 10 Things A Police Officer Should Never Do:  http://ow.ly/WZwLg @LeeLofland

Using psychic characters without giving away too much of the plot:  http://ow.ly/WZygk from How to Fight Write

How to write a chapter: structuring your novel:  http://ow.ly/WZxVv @nownovel

What We Can Learn From Dan Brown About Writing a Book: http://ow.ly/WZx53 @angee

5 Ways Procrastinators Can Become Writers:  http://ow.ly/WZxFS @NinaAmir

15 Inspiring Writing Podcasts:  http://ow.ly/WZxHI @briannarbell

100 Best Websites for Writers in 2016:  http://bit.ly/100websites2016 #writing @thewritelife

Why Every Writer Should Freelance:  http://ow.ly/Xuwtb @hopeclark

2016 Publishing Predictions Plus @thecreativepenn’s Creative Writing Process:  http://ow.ly/WWXKM

Instead of Goals or Resolutions, Try Creating Rules :  http://ow.ly/WWXx6 @zen_habits

What Happens to Writers When They Unplug:  http://ow.ly/WWXYZ  @colleen_m_story

7 Questions to Help Writers Set Meaningful Goals:  http://ow.ly/WWY3Q @colleen_m_story

Learning in the New Year:  http://ow.ly/WWXTE @deanwesleysmith

“Losing NaNo This Year Does Not Make Me a Loser”:  http://ow.ly/WWY8U @RainaSchell

Tips for Building a Strong Writer’s Group:  http://ow.ly/WWYfA @BishsBeat

Pay Yourself First:  http://ow.ly/WWXDW @Rachel_Aaron

4 Lessons from Orphan Black on Character Development:  http://ow.ly/WWXHM @EmilyWenstrom

The Hero Is Dead:  http://ow.ly/WTjR4 @seanbhood

Avoid the hero’s journey: use inscrutable human experiences”:   http://ow.ly/WTio3 @seanbhood”

When Poets Don’t Read Poetry:  http://ow.ly/WTjfa @writingforward

Achieve diversity in writing: read diverse literature: http://ow.ly/XsqBu @sarahmedway @Porter_Anderson

Publishing Trends In 2016 With @JaneFriedman http://ow.ly/XsBxF @thecreativepenn

The links I shared last week:  http://ow.ly/XsqrY .All the links I’ve ever shared (30K+, free and searchable): writerskb.com

Fake it till you make it and other essential writing advice:  http://ow.ly/WTjl1 @JennyHansenCA

Radio Appearances for Indie Authors:  http://ow.ly/WTiC4 @DebbieYoungBN

Changing Text as You Format a Book:  http://ow.ly/WTjIX @noveleditor

4 Questions to Improve Your Character Development:  http://ow.ly/WTjFK @EmilyWenstrom

6 methods for character introduction:  http://ow.ly/WTiXX @fictionnotes

Writing Goals: 2016: How to Schedule:  http://ow.ly/WTiMD @gointothestory

The best writing links of the week on Twitterific:
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Kindle Preview Embed

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

Do you read your newsletters from Amazon?  I’ll admit that I haven’t for years…not until the final couple of newsletters arrived in my inbox.  I’m not much of a newsletter person, usually.  This may explain why it pains me to send out newsletters to my readers. I feel as if I’m bothering them, even though they signed up for the thing.

This last email from Amazon had an interesting note about Kindle Preview (not Kindle Previewer, which is how we all proof our mobi files before hitting publish).  Kindle Preview is a bit of code that we can embed on our website to allow readers to see a preview of our book or purchase the book (from Amazon, naturally) without leaving our site.

We can also get a preview link if we’d rather share it in our email tagline, etc.

A nice feature offered is the ability to add our Amazon Affiliate ID to the embed so that we get credit/commissions for/from the sale.

Readers can use any browser and can preview without having to log in to Amazon.

The process was very easy.  I pulled up one of my books in my browser.  On the right, under the “buy now/give as a gift/add to list” options and next to the share buttons, there is a hyperlinked “embed,” as you can see (in the sadly rather blurry image)  on the right.

That opened a pop-up window. I chose the option to embed it, then clicked on “Amazon Associates ID.”

I typed in my Associates number (more about the Amazon Affiliate program here). It adjusted the embed code to include my ID.

Then I opened up my WordPress dashboard, clicked to each individual book’s page, changed the compose view to “text” instead of “visual,” and pasted the code.

We also have options to change the Kindle Preview image size, the placement of the buy button, and where we want the book content to appear.

It ends up looking like this:

Have you tried Kindle Preview? Do you read your Amazon newsletters (I’m starting to! New resolution. :)  )

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