Riley Adams's Blog, page 75

Two Different Talks As Writers

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

I can go quite a while without doing any speaking, and then I’ll have a flurry of engagements.  I used to have to put a lot more time into preparation than I do now (not that I don’t put a lot in…just that I don’t put as much in.  And it’s very nice not to sink more time in than I need to.  Here are my thoughts on the two types of talks I give and tips for making them easier. 

The reader-facing talk:

I’ll be honest, this talk has not traditionally been my favorite. But now I seem to have a winning template that I modify for the audience…a template that seems to be a success after trying different things (and stumbling a couple of times).

I start out asking my audience how many of them grew up reading mysteries…Nancy Drew, Hardy Boys, etc. I talk about mysteries in general (keeping my audience in mind and what might interest them as readers).  I then go into how I went from mystery reading to writing, how I started my writing career, how mysteries are constructed (very generally), and then end up with the writing life and routine. I work in as much humor as possible and I don’t stand behind lecterns.

The asking-the-audience-a-question thing tends to go over very well. It loosens up the audience, makes the room feel friendlier, and helps me relax, as well.

The writer-facing talk

This is a much easier talk for me.  Once I know the target audience (beginners or seasoned writers), I can tailor a presentation on a particular topic.  I have several talks for areas that I know very well…I wouldn’t be comfortable speaking as an expert on something when I don’t have a lot of in-depth knowledge, especially during question time.

The nice thing about talking to writers is that you share a common experience and it feels like less of a performance and more of a conversation/resource share.  Even when I speak to high school writers, it just feels a lot more natural than a reader talk.

Questions to ask the event organizer/host:

How long should you speak?

Is the room equipped for a slideshow?

Should you bring books?

Remember to:

Keep an eye out on the event organizer’s social media.  If they post information/promo for your talk, be sure to share it.

Arrive early to be familiar with the room layout, technology, and to greet the audience as they arrive.

Pause during your speech for laughter and/or effect (this is tough for me).

Making it easier on ourselves:

Develop a standard talk or series of talks for each type.

Write out an introduction for yourself for both types of talks (you’ll likely be asked for the info in advance).

Have a newsletter signup sheet available at the talk

Bring small bills if selling books

Time our talk to make sure we have enough time for audience questions and that we have enough material for the allotted length of our talk

What I’d rather not do:

Push a particular book or any book.  I simply suck at sales. It’s pointless to push a novel at a bunch of writers and I didn’t like trying to push it on readers, either. I’ve felt some guilt at that over the years (especially during a book tour in my Penguin RH days), but I’ve decided that I agree with the late author Pat Conroy’s (Prince of Tides) thoughts on book events (this is taken from his 2018 release My Exaggerated Life, as told to Katherine Clark via USC Press):

“Nowadays I am famous for never talking about the book I’m trying to sell. I have driven the book reps nuts in every company that’s ever published me…And I’ve always told the reps, “Look, here’s my theory. If they like me and enjoy me, they’ll buy the book. If I bore them to death about the book, they’re not going to buy a book.” 

Have you given both types of talks?  Any tips that I’ve missed? Done any public speaking lately?

Tips for Two Different Types of Talks Writers Give:
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The post Two Different Talks As Writers 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 45,000 free articles on writing related topics. It’s the search engine for writers.

Have you visited the WKB lately?  Check out the new redesign where you can browse by category, and sign up for free writing articles, on topics you choose, delivered to your email inbox!  Sign up for the Hiveword newsletter here.

Business / Miscellaneous


3 Steps for Spring Cleaning Your Artist Statement: @gigirosenberg


Conferences and Events / Miscellaneous


Insights From the Foreign Rights Specialists Shortlisted for Tonight’s 2018 British Book Awards: @Porter_Anderson @pubperspectives


In London, British Book Awards Include Political Commentary Amid Celebration: @Porter_Anderson @PhilipPullman @pubperspectives


UBM Partnership Adds Children’s Books Rights and Licensing to Beijing Book Fair: @Porter_Anderson


‘Tehran Book Fair Uncensored’ This Year Adds an Anthology of Writings Forbidden in Iran: @Porter_Anderson @indpuballiance


The 213 Year Old New England Society Names Five 2018 Book Awards: Fiction, Nonfiction, Art, and Travel: @Porter_Anderson @NewEnglandSoc


Creativity and Inspiration / First Novels


What Should I Expect From My First Novel? @jamesscottbell


Creativity and Inspiration / Inspiration / Reading as Writers


Five Fascinating Facts about the Limerick for National Limerick Day: @InterestingLit


Reading as a Writer: @10MinNovelists


15 Page-Turning Podcasts for Readers: @TCKPublishing


9 of the Most Memorable Mothers in Literature: @AnnieNeugebauer


8 of the Most Terrifying Mothers in Crime Fiction: @Chesanek @CrimeReads

Creativity and Inspiration / Motivation


The Key to Unlocking Your Writing Potential: by Jason Binder @LiveWriteThrive


Creativity and Inspiration / Productivity / Fitting in Writing


How Writing in Chunks Can Make You a More Productive Writer: @Janice_Hardy


Creativity and Inspiration / Productivity / Writer’s Block


How to Outsmart Writer’s Block with Neuroscience: @KeltonReid @copyblogger


Creativity and Inspiration / Writing Life


How to Avoid Burnout as a Writer (and as a person): @DeannaCabinian


Teaching Little Ones to Value Books and Stories: 9 Tips from the Trenches: @MargaretWelwood @Nicholas_Rossis


The 5 Keys to Writing with Depression: @SloanTamar


6 Ways To Know You’re Writing For The Long Haul: @sowulwords


You Can’t Create Alone: On Fostering Literary Community: @cimjones @loftliterary @The_Millions


22 Photos of Famous Authors and Their Moms: @knownemily @lithub


10 Literary Holidays We Desperately Need: @helpfulsnowman


Who Decides if a Writer has Talent? @SnowflakeGuy


Little green monsters: How to handle writer envy: @ryangvancleave @TheWriterMag


Genres / Fantasy


Writing Lessons from Video Games: Conquest of the Longbow: @VictoriaGHowell


Genres / Miscellaneous


Publishing Success: Genre Loyalty vs. Plot Bunny Saboteurs: @KristenLambTX


How Reddit is launching the careers of webcomic artists: @simonowens


Genres / Mystery


Crime Writing: Murder Scene Checklist: @LeeLofland


Crime Fiction: When a Small Offense Leads to Something Bigger: @mkinberg


Old-Fashioned Characters as Elements in Crime Fiction: @mkinberg


Genres / Picture Books


“My Long Journey to Becoming a Published Children’s Book Author”: @kidsbookbuzz


Genres / Romance


Writing Sensual Romance 101: from Miranda Shepard


Genres / Science Fiction


A Primer on Primates for SFF Writers: @DanKoboldt


Promo / Blogging


The Return of Blogging: @DanBlank


Promo / Book Descriptions and Copywriting


The Organizing Principle, for Fun and Profit: @PaulaSMunier


Book Description Basics: @AuthorKSBrooks @IndiesUnlimited


Promo / Miscellaneous


6 Top Tips for SEO on Amazon: @JyotsnaR @IndieAuthorALLI


5 Quick Ways to Ramp Up Your Amazon Author Central Page: @Bookgal


Promo / Platforms


A Smarter Author Platform for the Digital Era of Publishing: @JaneFriedman @WriterUnboxed


Promo / Social Media Tips


Social Media Phobic? Facebook is (Still) Your Friend: @sharonbially @WriterUnboxed


6 Steps to Improve Your LinkedIn Profile: @BetJett @EdieMelson


Overcoming the Social Media Fear: @emma_darwin


Shakespeare’s Twitter Account: @ByKateDwyer @parisreview


How to Use Twitter Hashtags for Writers: @EmilyWenstrom


11 Tips To Using LinkedIn To Promote Your Book: @Mollie_Porein


Publishing / Miscellaneous


How to Link your Kindle Book Edition to your Paperback Edition on Amazon: @EricVanDerHope


How to Preview Your Kindle eBook: @ChrisDMcMullen


Collaboration within a Sub-Genre: @grivante @IndieAuthorALLI


Publishing / News / International Publishing


Film Notes: BookExpo Adds Screen Panel; Anna Todd’s ‘After’ Names Telles, Tiffin at Cannes: @Porter_Anderson @imaginator1d


Industry Notes: Translator Nick Andrews Wins Gutekunst Prize; France Offers Grants in Canada: @Porter_Anderson @pubperspectives


Brexit Gets Personal: An Illustrator Draws a Picture of Publishing’s Dilemma: @Porter_Anderson @pubperspectives


Russian Government Initiates a Program Promoting a Return to Summertime Reading: @Porter_Anderson @pubperspectives


Canada’s Penguin Random House Gets a Female CEO; Sweden’s Universities End Elsevier Contract: @Porter_Anderson


Harper Lee Prize for Legal Fiction Shortlisters: Lawyers in Love With Literature: @Porter_Anderson


Publishing / Options / Self-Publishing


How to Self-Publish a Book: The Sweet Science of Indie Publishing: @ReedsyHQ


Publishing / Options / Traditional Publishing


Traditional Publishing vs. Self-Publishing. Pros and Cons: @EldonnaEdwards @annerallen


Publishing / Options / Traditional Publishing / Pitches


Mastering The Art Of The Elevator Pitch: by Robert Wood @standoutbooks


Publishing / Process / Formatting


Word to Kindle Formatting: @ChrisDMcMullen


Formatting your Novel Manuscript for Submission: @LaraEdits


Publishing / Process / Translation


What’s the Best Way to Promote Literature in Translation? @_michaelbarron


Writing Craft / Beginnings


Do You Feel Grounded in This YA Fantasy Opening? by Maria D’Marco @Janice_Hardy


Get Some Blood Pumping in Your Prose: @jamesscottbell


Screenwriting Tricks for Authors: Character Introductions: @AlexSokoloff


Improving a First Page: The Wagon Wheel of Suspense: @SueColetta1 @killzoneauthors


Writing Craft / Characters / Antagonists


Writing Realistic Antagonists: @TyreanMartinson @TheIWSG


Writing Craft / Characters / Development


Tips for better character development: @DN_Bryn


How to Create a Character in Short Fiction: by Lesley Nneka Arimah @SignatureReads


How Empathizing With Your Character Can Make a Better Story: @mkinberg


Writing Craft / Characters / Protagonists


Protagonist Examples: Creating Memorable Main Characters: @nownovel


Writing Craft / Common Mistakes


Show Don’t Tell? Not Always. Here’s When to Use Summary: by Bucket Siler


Writing Craft / Conflict


Externalizing Internal Conflict: by Jessica S Hinds @CreativeScreen


Writing Craft / Endings


Stories With a Happy Ending: by James R. Preston


Writing Craft / Lessons from Books and Film


Silver Screen Inspiration For Short Story Writers: @MiaJouBotha


Creative Lessons From Screenwriting: @thecreativepenn


Writing Craft / Miscellaneous


How to Write Relationships Your Readers Can Get Behind: from Let’s Write Some Novels


7 Frequently Asked Writing Questions: @KMWeiland


Unlikable Characters (That Readers Still Relate To): @RMNSediting


Writing Craft / POV


One-Two-Three. P-O-V. : @stacitroilo @RomanceUniv


Straying from the Party Line: The Power and Peril of POV in “A Game of Thrones”: @CockeyedCaravan


Writing Craft / Pre-Writing / Plotting


Never Get Stuck For A Plot Point Or Story Twist Again: @AnthonyEhlers


Free Falling into the Unplotted Novel: by Caroline Taylor @WomenWriters


Writing Craft / Punctuation and Grammar


3 Examples of Interpolated Coordination: @writing_tips


Writing Craft / Revision


The Difference Between a Revision, a Rewrite, and a Redraft: @Janice_Hardy


The Dangers of Premature Editing: Pruning Our Stories vs. Pillaging Them: @KristenLambTX


Writing Craft / Revisions / Critiques


How to Handle Critiques: @ClareLangleyH


Courteous Critiquing: @DN_Bryn


Writing Craft / Scenes


The Question You Need to Ask for Every Scene: @Janice_Hardy


Writing Craft / Scenes / Conflict


4 Types of Conflict—and How to Use Them in Your Writing: by Karen Ann Lefkowitz @WritersDigest


Writing Craft / Series / Series Bible


Why You Should Keep Track of Your Story Details: @Janice_Hardy


Writing Craft / Settings and Description


5 Most Common Mistakes with Setting: @SeptCFawkes


Mapping Your Story’s Setting: @SaraL_Writer


Tips for Adding Visual “Texture” to Your Story: by Glynna Kaye @SKRViLL


Writing Craft / Word Crafting


How to Decide Between Plain Prose and Beautiful Prose: @KMWeiland


Writing Tools / Miscellaneous


Novel Writing Tools: The Draft Notebook: by letswritesomenovels

The top writing links from last week are on Twitterific:
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Empathizing With Your Character

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

Every once in a while, I’ll grind to a halt with my story.  I’ll either want to flesh out a subplot or develop the main plot a bit more, but I won’t be sure which direction to go in.

I always manage to muddle my way through and solve my problem, but I’d never sent a lot of time thinking about how I solve it.

I read a post by Steven-John Tait recently and one of his tips really resonated with me. Tait said, “Find empathy. If you can empathize with a character, you can get into their head. Once you’re in their head, you can fill in the blanks.”

Tait’s tip was intended to help with developing a protagonist, but it works well with all of the characters in the story.  This is one of the main methods that I use when I’m ‘muddling’ through the book to find my way.

Plot Development

For instance, when I was working on developing a subplot recently, I put myself in the shoes of one of my minor recurring characters. I realized that I’d left her kind of stalled-out in her life for several books…that she wasn’t really arcing.  When I put myself in her shoes, I realized that she needed to move forward in her relationship and in her life and needed a dramatic change.  I wrote it in.

When I put myself in the shoes of my story’s killer, it was interesting, too.  I can’t say that I empathized  with her, but the exercise did help me realize what might be going on in that character’s timeline at various points in the story.

Character Likeability Check

Tait has a point–the protagonist is likely the most important character for us to be able to empathize with.  After all, if we can’t, then our readers likely won’t be able to.  And readers can be tough on characters that they can’t connect with in some way.

This is a tough one for me because I tend to like unlikeable characters. In fact, I have two protagonists who can be prickly.  As the writer, you can leave your unlikeable characters completely alone, or you can tweak them to please readers more…your choice.

If your character is borderline or even over-the-top unlikeable, there are pretty easy fixes. Blake Snyder famously developed the “save the cat” approach where the protagonist does something kind to create empathy. You can also show a potential for kindness from the character. These approaches are explained by Robert Wood of Standout Books in this post.

You could also explore what makes them prickly or otherwise unlikeable. Some skilful use of backstory can help with this.

Character Consistency

Putting ourselves in our characters’ heads is a good way to make sure they’re acting in character, too. That they’re behaving like themselves.  Or, if they aren’t, we need to find a way to explain why they aren’t.

Do you ever use this method as a way of keeping your story on track?  Have you ever used it for developing plots and subplots?

How Empathizing With Characters Can Create a Better Story:
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A Tip for Building Your ARC Team

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

I have been building my ARC team (Advance Reader/Review Copy  team) organically for years. Organically as in…I didn’t do the building myself.  If a reader reached out to me and asked to be on my list (a list that I never mentioned and never promoted), then I agreed to the add.

But recently, I’ve been more interested in increasing the number of ARC readers . I do like the early reviews and social media mentions and I think they help spike interest in a new release.

Since I’m a pretty late adopter, I decided to make it very simple on myself.  Instead of putting something on my website, I reached out to my most dedicated readers–my newsletter subscribers. When my last release came out and I sent an email to my subscribers to notify them,  I included a special section in my newsletter:

Would you like the opportunity to read new Myrtle Clover and Southern Quilting mysteries before they are published (and for free)?  I have a limited number of spaces on my ARC team (that’s an advance reader copy team). Applicants must be able to read ebooks (on Kindle, epub, or PDF since there won’t be any print galleys).  I would love honest reviews submitted to Amazon, Goodreads,  or other retailers/reading communities .  ARC members receive an early copy 1-2 weeks before the book is published. ARC team members are also eligible to get signed, printed copies of my books at a reduced rate (just the cost of printing and shipping) when purchased directly from me. If you’re interested, click this link to fill out a short form for consideration. Thanks!

The link went to a free SurveyMonkey form.  (You could also use a free Google Form.) My form was mostly geared to making sure that any applicants had the technical ability to load books on their ereading devices, although I plan on sending them the ARCs via InstaFreebie (and InstaFreebie offers tech support).  I also wanted to know which series they usually read (I’d rather send ARCs of their favorite series, but I may from time to time send free books as samples of the series they haven’t read).

As soon as the newsletter went out I started getting responses.

I notified the accepted applicants to thank them, explain that they’d receive a link to the upcoming book via email,  that they’d be reading an uncorrected copy, and remind them that any posted reviews needed to have a disclosure that they’d received the book for free.

Make sure you’re in compliance with Amazon’s Terms of Service/Community Guidelines, in particular this bit:

Book authors and publishers may continue to provide free or discounted copies of their books to readers, as long as the author or publisher does not require a review in exchange or attempt to influence the review.

I didn’t have a lot of hoops to jump through, but other authors do.  I’ve seen everything from deadlines for posting reviews to sending proof of a review to the author.  However, because of my concerns about following the Amazon ToS, I won’t explicitly require a review.  However, I did stress in my email that there was a waiting list for my ARC team and if life became too busy to read and review, I’d appreciate if they’d let me know so that someone else could have the opportunity to be on the team.  I will likely review the ARC team in the future and see if it is helping with sales.

Here are some other examples of ARC forms and copy to take a look at. Some ask very specific questions of the readers to help the authors determine who might be a more valuable member for their team.  Some include requests not to issue spoilers for the books that they read in any reviews.   Some ask which retailer in which country the reader buys books from (in order to potentially gain international reviews). Again, I’d personally be careful about requiring reviews and requests for reviews, but I think there are other good takeaways from these sites.

C.J. Ellison

Stacia Stone

Ivy Layne

Basically…just ask.  Ask your most dedicated readers if they would be interested in joining your ARC team.

Do you have an ARC team?  How have you added members?

A Tip for Building Your ARC Team:
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The post A Tip for Building Your ARC Team 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 45,000 free articles on writing related topics. It’s the search engine for writers.

Have you visited the WKB lately?  Check out the new redesign where you can browse by category, and sign up for free writing articles, on topics you choose, delivered to your email inbox!  Sign up for the Hiveword newsletter here.

Business / Miscellaneous


The Publishers’ Forum Discusses “Ventures in Subscription, Crowdfunding, Narrative Development and Audio-First”: @Porter_Anderson


Analyzing Your Novel for Market Value: @theWRITEengle


Conferences and Events / Miscellaneous


Five-Day Poetry Fest Will Launch London’s New Second Home Bookstore: @Porter_Anderson @Malikabooker


“What I’ve Learned about Convention Accessibility”: @kateheartfield @sfwa


Awards Notes: Giles Tremlett Wins Elizabeth Longford, Sisters in Crime Changes Rules: @gilestremlett


Foreign Correspondent Richard Lloyd Parry Wins £20,000 Rathbones Folio Prize: @Porter_Anderson @dicklp


Frankfurter Buchmesse’s Film Awards Add Prize for Illustrated Book on a Film-Related Subject: @Porter_Anderson @pubperspectives


Zambian-British Poet Kayo Chingonyi Wins £30,000 Dylan Thomas Prize @Porter_Anderson @KayoChingonyi @dylanthomprize

Lagos IPA Seminar Focuses on African Market’s Particular and Universal Challenges: @Porter_Anderson @michielams @pubperspectives

Creativity and Inspiration / First Novels


Tips on starting to write a novel: by Anna Davis @cbcreative


Creativity and Inspiration / Goal setting


When you should let go of your writing goals: @pubcoach


Creativity and Inspiration / Inspiration


Using a Siege Mentality to Write That Book: @CSHumble

Creativity and Inspiration / Inspiration / Reading as Writers


10 Literary Classics We (Not So) Secretly Hate: @knownemily @lithub


Two Books With Alcoholic Protagonists That Actually Avoid Clichés: @BerryFLW


Learn to read like a novelist: @LisaPoisso


Five Books About Heroic Hackers: @ecmyers @tordotcom


Creativity and Inspiration / Motivation


Bribing yourself with habit points for writing: @pubcoach @wigglechicken


Creativity and Inspiration / Writing Life


The Haze of Writing Forgetfulness: @Wordstrumpet


“5 Reasons Why I Am Not Writing This from the Beach”: @_warrenfowler @Independent


What Exactly Does a Librarian Do? Everything. : @Kristen_Arnett @lithub


What You Need to Write Your First Book After Age 50: @J_RosenbergMD @JaneFriedman


5 Reasons to Study Creative Writing in School: @KarisRogerson


5 Powerful Strategies to Build Writer’s Grit: @SloanTamar


How to Talk Back to Discouragement so You Can Write Confidently: @weems503


Genres / Fantasy


Begin with Movement: @PhilAthans


Genres / Horror


Two types of horror stories and tips for writing horror: @PhilAthans


Genres / Mystery


11 Authors Defining Noir in the Sunshine State: @BerryFLW @CrimeReads


Losing something you’ve taken for granted as an element in crime fiction: @mkinberg


Genres / Non-Fiction


9 Tips for Writing Nonfiction that Sings: @SueBEdwards @womenonwriting


Genres / Romance


Writing Convincing and (Potentially) Compelling Sex Scenes: @TheMerryWriter


Genres / Screenwriting


Screenwriting: When To Use Captions: @Bang2write


Genres / Short Stories


“What I learned about writing novels by failing at short stories”: @Roz_Morris


The Novel Versus the Short Story: A Conversation with Matthew Lansburgh: @ChristineSneed @The_Millions @senorlansburgh


Genres / Young Adult


How “Young Adult” Fiction Blossomed With Teenage Culture in America: by Michael Cart @SmithsonianMag


Promo / Ads


Book Marketing and Facebook Advertising with Ricardo Fayet (Video): @CaballoFrances @ReedsyHQ


What 1 Writer Really Thinks Of Amazon Marketing Service (AMS): @Nicholas_Rossis


Promo / Blogging


How to Make a Content Calendar for Blogging Success: @TCKPublishing


3 Tips To Make Your Blog Posts Sizzle: @laina_turner


Promo / Book Reviews


3 Types of Book Reviews You Can Write and How to Write Them: @JJ_Burry


A Long- and Short-Term Approach to Getting Reviews: @KKrisLoomis @JennHarris_ICM


Promo / Box Sets


5 Strategies for Releasing a Boxed Set to Sell More Books: @Bookgal


Promo / Connecting with Readers


What Fiction Classifications Can Tell You About Your Readers: @AndreaWriterlea


Promo / Images


The Best Free Stock Photo Sites: How to Get Royalty-Free Images for All Your Creative Projects: @TCKPublishing


Promo / Miscellaneous


Publicity Mistakes that Ruin Book Launches: @ReedsyHQ @TheIWSG


Why Writers Should ‘Fish’ Every Day: @terrywhalin


Promo / Platforms


Is A Large Platform Critical For An Author’s Success? @jckunzjr


Promo / Social Media Tips


Writers: Grow Your Instagram Account Organically: @CaballoFrances


Promo / Websites


Five Trends in Search Engine Optimization (SEO) for Authors: by Phil Stamper-Halpin @penguinrandom


Publishing / Miscellaneous


How Small, Scrappy Local Book Presses Have Turned L.A. Into a Publishing Town: @davidulin @LAmag


Creating an Anthology For Your Writers’ Group: @Aprilgreynyc


Are Audiobooks In Your Future? @mollygreene


Publishing / News / International Publishing


Ucross Honors Annie Proulx, @wattpad Expands its Screen Presence: @Porter_Anderson


Mikyla Bruder, Publisher of Amazon Publishing Worldwide: ‘When the Stories Are Good’: @Porter_Anderson


Rania Zaghir: A Lebanese Publisher’s Arabian ‘Sea of Tales’: @Porter_Anderson


March 2018 Bestseller Lists from China: Hawking and an Evolving List: @Porter_Anderson


US Publishers’ StatShot Report Cites Fifth Year of Double-Digit Audiobooks Growth in 2017: @Porter_Anderson @pubperspectives


IPA Names Canada ‘a Bad-Case Example’ for ‘Interfering With Copyright’: @Porter_Anderson @HugoSetzer


Industry Notes: ‘Teach This Poem’ Wins National Book Foundation’s Innovations in Reading Prize: @Porter_Anderson @pubperspectives


Publishing / Options / Traditional Publishing / Pitches


The One Sentence Pitch for Your Manuscript: @KarenCV


Publishing / Options / Traditional Publishing / Rejections


How to cope when your manuscript query is rejected: @LisaPoisso


Publishing / Process / Contracts


Good Faith or Good Practice? On Publishing Contracts: @CallieOettinger @SPressfield


Publishing / Process / Formatting


How to Make a Book With the Reedsy Book Editor: @ReedsyHQ


Publishing / Process / ISBNs


ISBN for Self-Publishers: The Complete Guide: @ReedsyHQ


Publishing / Process / Translation


Wolff Translator’s Prize Winner Isabel Fargo Cole: ‘On the Level of the Language’: @Porter_Anderson @GI_NewYork


Writing Craft / Beginnings


How to Write a Great First Sentence, with 22 Examples: @RuthHarrisBooks


3 Mistakes That Kill Your Novel At Outset: @TheMerryWriter


Writing Craft / Characters / Antagonists


What The Well-Dressed Villain Is Wearing These Days: by Bonnie Randall


Good Character Flaws: Create Complex Antagonists: @nownovel


How to Write a Compelling Antagonist: 6 Steps to Building a Better Baddie: @TCKPublishing


Writing Craft / Characters / Development


How Characters See Themselves in Relation to Other Characters: @PhilAthans


Writing Craft / Characters / Protagonists


Quieter Protagonists: 3 Ways to Help Them Steal the Stage: @AngelaAckerman


Novel Writing Test: Whose Story Is It? @Lindasclare


Writing Craft / Common Mistakes


Writing Tips: Show, Don’t Tell: @thecreativepenn


Frustrating Writing Mistakes That Get on Publishers’ Nerves: @WriteToSell


Writing Craft / Dialogue


Names versus Pronouns in Dialogue: @Dwallacepeach


4 Ways Writers Cheat Reality With Internal Dialogue: @LisaHallWilson


Writing Craft / Miscellaneous


Tips for engaging readers: @rxena77


Writing Confession Scenes: @RayneHall @RomanceUniv


Use What You Know: Improve Your Writing With Transferable Skills: @10MinNovelists


176 Tips to Make You a Better Writer: @WritetoDone


Characters in Cars Thinking, or, How to Deal with the Passage of Time: @jennienash


The Book that Breaks Every Rule, Part 1: Have One Hero: @CockeyedCaravan


Writing Craft / Pre-Writing / Plotting


3 Act Structure for Novelists: @Kris_Bock @RomanceUniv


3 Easy Ways to Torture your Characters (And your Readers): @CharacterComma


Writing Craft / Pre-Writing / Research


Research Resource: Army Logistics: Food Rations: @sarakirchner @Nicholas_Rossis


Writing Craft / Punctuation and Grammar


Spellcheck Cannot Save You: Know English Grammar Rules: @GramrgednAngel @BookWorksNYC


Writing Tips: How Writers Can Use Punctuation To Great Effect: by Rachel Stout @thecreativepenn


Using Adverbs: An Easy Guide: @KathyEdens1 @ProWritingAid


Writing Craft / Revisions / Critiques


3 Things Critique Groups Are Great For (and 3 Things They Really Aren’t): @manzanitafire @LitReactor


12 Tips for Getting the Most Out of Beta Reader Feedback: @_HannahHeath


Writing Tools / Apps


3 Ways Scrivener Makes Self-Publishing a Breeze: @DaveChesson @thewritelife


Tech Tools for Writers: @carlaking @BookWorksNYC


Writing Tools / Resources


The Best Podcasts for Writers: @WrittenWordM


6 Writing Exercises to Help You Start and Finish Your Novel: @ariellelle @ReedsyHQ @IndieReader


23 Best Podcasts for Writers: by Karen Krumpak @WritersDigest

 

The top writing links from last week are on Twitterific:
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Follow Buttons for Your Author Website

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

I think it’s pretty easy for our readers to miss out on our releases. We all have very busy lives and all get bombarded each day by advertising and emails. I have several releases a year and know they must slip by a good number of readers.

Naturally, the first line of defense for preventing this from happening is to have readers join our email newsletter.  Even then, though, emails can get lost in the tidal wave that hits our inboxes each day.

To help keep this from happening, I have a few other ways for readers to keep up with what I’m up to.

Obviously, readers who follow me on Facebook and Instagram will get updates as I  release information  on those sites.

But it’s also nice for readers to be updated without my having to send out notifications/spam. That’s why I’ve added some follow buttons to my site.

One of them is from my author profile page on Amazon.  Readers who follow writers on Amazon receive notifications of their new releases. The process is automatic.

Another is BookBub. Even if you don’t advertise through their service, you can still set up an author profile there.  Readers will be notified of your new releases (you must go on the site and add your new release…this won’t be automatic).  To set up your profile, click here.

A third is a button that connects readers to my Goodreads profile.  If readers follow me there (as opposed to friending me), they receive updates on my releases.  Claim your author profile on Goodreads here.

I simply save the logos for the companies and then add the saved images to my site (linking the web addresses for my profiles as I add the media). It ended up looking like this:

Follow me for release updates: 

It didn’t take long and made me feel as though I was giving readers another way to keep up with me and my books.

How do you keep readers updated on your releases?

Photo credit: hedera.baltica on Visual hunt / CC BY-SA

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Goodreads Giveaways

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

I’ve read a lot about writers’ disappointment with the pricing for the revised Goodreads Giveaway  feature (the changes started in January this year).

The feature had previously been free for writers, who could give away printed copies only of their books through the platform.

Goodreads opened up the giveaways to digital copies.  But now giveaways cost $119 for either digital or print copies.

For me, the cost wasn’t as much of an impediment to participating in a giveaway.  I’ll write it off on my taxes as a promotional cost of doing business. Also, whenever I did print giveaways, I found the process cumbersome and rather expensive. I’m happy to have Goodreads handle the digital distribution of the titles.

My purpose for the giveaways is just to generally gain visibility and awareness for the title/series being promoted, and possibly hook a few new readers. Whenever readers enter the giveaway, it adds the title to their ‘want to read’ list, which shows up in their friends’ feeds.  Reviews are not as much of a priority for me, although Goodreads does send follow-up emails to readers after 8 weeks, reminding them to rate and review the title.  Reviews obviously also help with visibility.

Although Goodreads has a page with best practices for the giveaways, I’ve read on various author blogs that there is a better approach than what Goodreads outlines.

Tips: 

Instead of giving away as many books as you can, give away the smallest number you can (10) because the visibility you gain will be the same (unless your purpose is to gain more reviews for your title).

Instead of the recommended month for the giveaway, it’s important to know that you’ll be featured in Goodreads’  ‘recently listed’ and ‘ending soon’ alerts if you keep your giveaway short.  I set mine for 10 days (with the giveaway ending one day after the book’s release).  If you can afford it, the best approach is to set several short giveaways back to back for maximum exposure.

How to Set up a Giveaway: 

Here’s a step-by-step guide for setting up a giveaway (via Goodreads):

Before listing a giveaway, you will need to connect your Amazon and Goodreads accounts here.
1. Click on “List a Giveaway” from the giveaway page or your Author Dashboard.2. Select “List a Print Book” or “List a Kindle Ebook.” If you want to create a Kindle ebook giveaway, select either “Publisher” or “Author using Kindle Direct Publishing​.”3. Select your giveaway package: Standard or Premium.

4. Find your book by searching for the ISBN or ASIN, then fill in your giveaway details.

5. Click on “Pay with Amazon.” You’ll be prompted to sign in to your Amazon account and choose a payment method.

6. Confirm that your giveaway and payment details are correct, agree to the Goodreads Service Agreement, and click “Place order.”

Still on the fence about whether it’s a good investment? I can understand that.  The money is nothing to sneeze at.  David Wogahn wrote a guest post for me in January for good alternatives to a Goodreads giveaway.

Further reading:

Goodreads Giveaways help page

Maximize Goodreads Giveaways by Penny Sansevieri (note: this post was prior to the January 2018 changes, but still lists good information about giveaways.

Have you run a Goodreads giveaway since their changes were implemented?  How did it go? What other ways have you used to gain visibility for your titles?

The New Goodreads Giveaways:
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Twitterific

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 45,000 free articles on writing related topics. It’s the search engine for writers.

Have you visited the WKB lately?  Check out the new redesign where you can browse by category, and sign up for free writing articles, on topics you choose, delivered to your email inbox!  Sign up for the Hiveword newsletter here.

Business / Miscellaneous


What type of editor do you need? by Dana Isaacson @CareerAuthors


Piracy, Plagiarism, and Impersonation: @JohnDopp @IndieAuthorALLI


21 Ways to Network with Other Writers: @WritersCoach


Co-Writing a book with a loved one: @clairescobie @IndieAuthorALLI


Writing to Publish, or Spinning Your Wheels? @AnnalisaParent


1 Writer Tanked When Producing Her Memoir into an Audiobook: @LizbethMeredith


The Business of Tracking Lit Mag Submissions: @AaronGilbreath


Conferences and Events / Miscellaneous


Tips for Writer’s Conference Attendees: @cathychall @womenonwriting


Nigerian Publishers and IPA Hold Seminar in Lagos in Progress and Piracy: @Porter_Anderson @npaonline @rasmedpu


PEN Afrikaans Launches Translation Funding, Two Deadlines This Year: @Porter_Anderson @BettinaWyngaard @pubperspectives


Creativity and Inspiration / Inspiration


Writing and the Creative Life: Is the key to creativity “unlearning”? @GoIntoTheStory


A Writer’s Guide to Infinite Ideas: by Rainey Hall @RMFWriters


Stumped for Story Ideas? Try This One Tip: @monicamclark


Creativity and Inspiration / Inspiration / Reading as Writers


The Stories Behind 15 Poems We All Learned in School: by Jay Serafino @mentalfloss


Creativity and Inspiration / Writing Life


How to Lose Weight While Writing: @colleen_m_story


“PEN America takes on the problems writers face in online harassment with a new guide for protection”: @Porter_Anderson @pubperspectives


Rejections, Tragedy, Caregiving—What Resilience Means to this Writer: @LindaOsmundson @colleen_m_story


10 Killer Tips for Beating Writer’s Solitude: @VickieM_author


A Writer with Imposter Syndrome: @AuthorSAT


Paul Gauguin’s Advice on Overcoming Rejection, Breaking Free of Public Opinion, and Staying True to One’s Creative Vision: @brainpicker


Three Core Elements of 1 Writer’s Home Office: @jonathanballcom


The Agony and the Ecstasy of Taking Author Photos: by Tom Rachman @lithub


Creating a minimalist workspace: @zen_habits @unclutterer

Genres / Dystopian


Emily St. John Mandel on Station Eleven, Katrina, and Apocalypse Lit: @EmilyMandel @unboundworlds


Genres / Fantasy


What is Fantasy, Exactly? by Juliet Marillier @WriterUnboxed


Building Better Magic Systems: When Fantasy Fails: @davidfarland


Creating a fantasy map: making your fantasy world real: @Magpie_Richie @SchmidtJesper


Genres / Horror


A horror reviewer talks about effective horror: @ClowderofTwo @NightmareMag


Genres / Mystery


Crafting the Perfect Setting for Noir: @Brendan_Duffy @CrimeReads


The cozy mystery antagonist: @LauraDiSilverio


Prison escapes as an element in crime fiction: @mkinberg


Genres / Non-Fiction


How To Turn Your Non-Fiction Book Into A Workbook: @thecreativepenn


Genres / Romance


Writing Romance: the Midpoint: by Jax Hunter @RMFWriters


Genres / Young Adult


The Difference Between YA and MG Novels: @HeatherJacksonW


Promo / Blogging


6 treatments for a sickly blog: @LouiseHarnby


Does a Fiction Author Need a Blog? @annerallen @RomanceUniv


4 Ways You Can Make Time to Blog Right Now: @BadRedheadMedia


Promo / Book Descriptions and Copywriting


4 steps to writing your Amazon book blurb: @DeborahJay2


Promo / Metadata


How to Use Amazon Categories to Increase your Rankings: @Nicholas_Rossis


Promo / Miscellaneous


Writing Articles to Market Your Books: @LindaGilden @EdieMelson


11 Ways to Promote Preorder Books that Drive Real Results: @ThereseWalsh


How to plan a successful DIY book tour: @byJenAMiller @TheWriterMag


BookBub for Authors Who Don’t Run Ads:


Can Slick Marketing Sell Bad Books? @jamesscottbell


The Best Way to Promote a Book on Bargain Booksy: @WrittenWordM


5 Promotion Tips for Small Press and Self Published Authors: @JaceyCockrobin @LitReactor


What Are “Also Boughts”? And How Can They Help You Sell More Books? @ricwol


Collaborative Digital Marketing: @LPOBryan @IndieAuthorALLI


Promo / Platforms


5 Ways to Solidify Your Indie Author Brand: @Bookgal


Promo / Social Media Tips


How to Optimize Your LinkedIn Profile for Better Visibility: @LinkedInSpeaker @SMExaminer


How to Identify Social Media Influencers and Collaborate on Campaigns: @SproutAlexYork @SproutSocial


How to Build a Facebook Ad Funnel: @Mike_Stelzner @SMExaminer


Publishing / Miscellaneous


Blockchain for books – technology advances in publishing: @JosefPublica @IndieAuthorALLI


Lots of Spanish speakers in the US, but not so much of a book market for Spanish books: @MikeShatzkin


Publishing / News / Amazon


Eoin Purcell of Amazon Publishing UK: ‘Building Those Relationships’ @Porter_Anderson @eoinpurcell


Publishing / News / International Publishing


Stockholm Librarian Elisabet Risberg on Arabic Books in Sweden: @Porter_Anderson @Bokstigen


Initial North American Roald Dahl Licensing Rights Announced in London: @Porter_Anderson


“With more than 905,000 reads @wattpad to date…author Kara Barbieri’s ‘Permafrost’ trilogy could be the next…YA bestseller”: @Porter_Anderson @PandeanPanic


Industry Notes: Amazon Prime ‘Book Box’ for Children, Unicorn Acquires Ronquillo’s ‘Spellbound’: @Porter_Anderson @fatimaronquillo


Publishing / Options / Traditional Publishing / Querying


Writing the Query Letter Synopsis: A Step by Step Example: @aprildavila


Publishing / Process / Translation


“Promoting literature that would be ‘shipwrecked without a translator,’ Words Without Borders observes its 15-year anniversary”: @Porter_Anderson


Writing Craft / Beginnings


Inhabiting Our Scenes: Information Versus Experience: @peterselgin @JaneFriedman


Flog a Pro: would you pay to turn the first page of this bestseller? @RayRhamey


Writing Craft / Characters / Development


Occupation Thesaurus Entry: Real Estate Agent: @AngelaAckerman


Character Flaws: Key Types of Lovable Imperfections: @nownovel


Creating Characters: 6 Points to Get You Started: @TheWritingNook


Writing Craft / Characters / Emotion


Write Using Emotional Amplifiers: @AngelaAckerman


Writing Craft / Characters / Protagonists


Protagonists and Point of View (podcast): @chloekbenjamin @DIYMFA


Everything You’ll Ever Need For Writing Great Heroes: @Bang2write


Writing Craft / Common Mistakes


Purple Prose: What it is, How it Works, How to Get Rid of it: @SeptCFawkes


5 Reasons Readers Give Up On Books And How To Avoid Them: by Rebecca Langley


Writing Craft / Dialogue


The Problems with Quirky Dialogue Tags: by JM Williams


Writing Craft / Diversity


Romance so white? Publishers grapple with race issues amid author protests: @alisonflood @GuardianBooks


Writing Craft / Drafts


10 Tricks For Rocking Your First Draft: @StephMorrill


Writing Craft / Flashback and Back Story


How to Reveal Your Character’s Backstory Wound: @plotwhisperer @scriptmag


Writing Craft / Lessons from Books and Film


6 Important Writing Reminders From The Shape Of Water: @Bang2write


Analyzing a Masterwork: Knife of Never Letting Go: @rsmonterusso @StoryGrid


Four Lessons From Colson Whitehead: @AlpertMark @killzoneauthors


The Annotation Project: A Game of Thrones: @CockeyedCaravan


Writing Craft / Literary Devices


Discovering Your Theme: @ShanDitty


Back to Basics–Imagery: @SeptCFawkes


Writing Craft / Miscellaneous


10 Success Tips from J.K. Rowling: @JennyHansenCA


What’s the Emotional Core of Your Character? @Janice_Hardy


What Is Cinematic Perspective? When to Write It (and When to Avoid It): @TCKPublishing


How to Turn Real Events from Your Life into a Work of Fiction: @emilybelden @WritersDigest


On Writing Dark Stories: @VaughnRoycroft @WriterUnboxed


Writing About Death, Dying, And Grief: @spiritualmd @thecreativepenn


5 Ways to Take Risks With Your Writing: @KMWeiland


How to Write a Story from the Ending: Twisted Path to Mind-Blowing End: @KristenLambTX


Writing Craft / Pre-Writing / Plotting


Using Character Motivations in Plot Chains: @ml_keller @plotwhisperer


The Waypoint Writer — A Flexible Way to Plan a Story: by Rose Andrews @mythicscribes


Writing Craft / Pre-Writing / Story Beats


A Man Like You Beat Sheet: @NaomiBeaty @savethecat


Writing Craft / Pre-Writing / Story Concept


Mastering the 4 Key Elements to Support Your Novel: @LiveWriteThrive


Writing Craft / Punctuation and Grammar


9 Ways to Use a Colon: A No-Fear Guide to Correct Colon Usage: @TCKPublishing


5 Functions of Quotation Marks: @writing_tips


Writing Craft / Revisions / Critiques


5 Ways to Build Your Success Team: @SloanTamar @DIYMFA


Writing Craft / Series


Series Writing 101: Resources for planning and writing a series: @LisaPoisso


Writing Craft / Tension


Tension Techniques: The Sly Art of Stalling: @EditingWizard


Writing Craft / Voice


Masterful Voice in Novels: @LiveWriteThrive


Writing Craft / Word Crafting


Size doesn’t matter: why short words are better than long ones: @wearearticulate


Writing Tools / Books


Five Best Books about Writing: @metcalfwriter


Writing Tools / Miscellaneous


How to Use Headings in Microsoft Word to Organize Your Novel: @JillWilliamson


Writing Tools / Resources


Using an iPod Touch to Edit a Book: @alissagrosso


Uncategorized


On Teaching Creative Writing: @t_mcallister @The_Millions

The top writing links from last week are on Twitterific:
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The post Twitterific appeared first on Elizabeth Spann Craig.

Twitterific

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 45,000 free articles on writing related topics. It’s the search engine for writers.

Have you visited the WKB lately?  Check out the new redesign where you can browse by category, and sign up for free writing articles, on topics you choose, delivered to your email inbox!  Sign up for the Hiveword newsletter here.

I’m going to be offline this week , so won’t have posts tomorrow or Friday.  I’ll be back next Sunday.  :)

Business / Miscellaneous


What Makes a Great Fiction Book Editor: @TessaShapcott @RomanceUniv


Top 8 Benefits of Freelance Writing: @TCKPublishing


How To Write High-Volume Fiction In A Sustainable Way: @tobywneal @thecreativepenn


Conferences and Events / Miscellaneous


The UK’s Women’s Prize for Fiction Shortlist Names Six Authors: @Porter_Anderson @WomensPrize @BananaKarenina @girlhermes @meenakandasamy


Ibrahim Nasrallah Wins International Prize for Arabic Fiction: @Porter_Anderson @i_nasrallah23 @pubperspectives


Greece Opens Athens’ Year as UNESCO’s World Book Capital: @Porter_Anderson @pubperspectives


A closer look at the new Bibliotopia festival in May: @Porter_Anderson @pubperspectives


Abu Dhabi International Book Fair Opens, a Professional Program at Its Center: @Porter_Anderson


Publishers Forum Opens Today in Berlin: ‘New Tech’ and Level Heads: @Porter_Anderson @wischenbart


Creativity and Inspiration / First Novels


How to Write a Novel: A 12-Step Guide: @JerryBJenkins


Creativity and Inspiration / Inspiration / Reading as Writers


PBS Announces ‘Its 100 Contenders for Best-Loved Novel’: @Porter_Anderson @pbsbooks @Nutopia_tv


10 Authors Whose Best Work Was Published Posthumously: @knownemily @lithub


David Foster Wallace and the Horror of Neuroscience: by M.M. Owen @The_Millions

Creativity and Inspiration / Productivity / Fitting in Writing


Top 8 Online Time-Tracking Tools: @TCKPublishing


Writing Progress Does Not Always Equal Word Count: @annamarieobrien @losapala


Creativity and Inspiration / Productivity / Writer’s Block


Broken Fingers, NOT Writer’s Block: @jakazimer


Creativity and Inspiration / Writing Life


How to build a creative life that makes you happy and ALSO produces results: @jennifershiman @jccabel


After publication, 4 things to do to prepare for the road ahead: @tessaemilyhall


Re-reading your work: @evmysterywriter @killzoneauthors


Coping with Impostor Syndrome: @DanBlank


The Secret to Journaling: @Lizmugavero @WickedCozys


The Strange Magic of Libraries: @StuartKells @parisreview


Why the Term “Mary Sue” Should Be Retired: by Oren Ashkenazi @mythcreants


The Healthy Writer: @thecreativepenn @SarahRPainter


How did 18th century literary women relieve domestic distress? With opiates: by Vanessa Thorpe @GuardianBooks


Should You Make That Comment or Not? @Stepha_OBrien


How to Make a Writer Crazy: @LindaKSienkwicz


2 Steps to Your Writer’s Stance: @Beth_Barany


Truths About The Artist’s Journey: @SPressfield


Genres / Middle-Grade


9 Things Learned From Rewriting a Children’s Books Series: @Heather_B_Moon1 @ReedsyHQ


Genres / Mystery


Job trainees as an element in crime fiction: @mkinberg


Developing Your Cozy Mystery Story Concept:


The Traditional Mystery: A Roundtable Discussion: @CrimeReads @GigiPandian @MargaretMaron @medwardsbooks @Annette_Dashofy


Genres / Non-Fiction


Why Every Writer Has a Nonfiction Book in Them: by Jennifer Blanchard


How To Set And Track Goals For a Creative Nonfiction Writing Career: @kayladeanwrites @DIYMFA


How to Write a Nonfiction Book When Writing Is NOT Your Strength: @NinaAmir


Promo / Book Reviews


8 Tips to Get Great Amazon Book Reviews: @LisaTener


Promo / Miscellaneous


15 Reasons Why Your Book Isn’t Selling: @JFbookman


How to Connect with Book Clubs: by Tara Lynn Masih @hopeclark


4 Book Promotion Strategies That No Longer Work: @SmithPublicity @BookBub


Promo / Newsletters


Reach More Customers by Sending an Email Newsletter: by Campaign Monitor @hopeclark


Promo / Social Media Tips


How to Write a LinkedIn Profile that Stands Out: @Nelson81Kevin


How To Avoid Blocked Hashtags On Instagram: via Wordy Nerd Bird


Publishing / Miscellaneous


How to create an audio book: Distribution, editing and briefing a voice artist: @raygreenleyvo


Publishing’s Darker Stories: Focusing on Freedom to Publish in London: @Porter_Anderson @michielams


Publishing / Options / Traditional Publishing / Querying


6 Resources for Finding a Literary Agent: from Whynott Edit


Agent spotlight interview with @marchsoloway and query critique giveaway: @NatalieIAguirre


The Revise + Resubmit Request: @LaurieTomlinson


Publishing / Options / Traditional Publishing / Rejections


Make Rejection Your Motivation to Grow: @diannesalerni @TheIWSG


Publishing / Process / Formatting


How NOT to Format Your Manuscript: @KnowlesMarianne @WritersRumpus


Publishing / Process / Self-Publishing


1 Author’s First Couple Of Months Publishing Wide: @KhaosFoxe


Publishing / Process / Translation


Rights Roundup: Crises, Confidence, and Correspondence for Sale: @Porter_Anderson


Writing Craft / Beginnings


How Your Story Opening Foreshadows (Intentionally or Not) What’s to Come: @peterselgin @JaneFriedman


Can First Chapters Ever Be TOO Dramatic? @writeabook


Writing Craft / Characters / Antagonists


The Secret Sauce For A Menacing Antagonist: @LisaHallWilson


Writing Craft / Characters / Development


Ask the Editor: Character Motive: @writingrefinery @DIYMFA


The Island of Misfit Characters: @katmagendie @WriterUnboxed


Writing Your Character to Life: @Lindasclare


Writing Craft / Characters / Protagonists


Proving Your Protagonist Has What It Takes: @kcraftwriter


The Hero vs. The Secret Good Guy: @BetterNovelProj


When Your Heroes Could Become Villains: @VictoriaGHowell


Writing Craft / Common Mistakes


How to Spot and Avoid Self-Indulgent Writing: @KMWeiland


How to Avoid Info-Dumps in Your Stories: @TheRyanLanz


Writing Craft / Flashback and Back Story


How to write a flashback: @jasonbougger


Writing Craft / Lessons from Books and Film


Television Doesn’t Kill Writing: How TV Helps 1 Writer Write: @LisaLisax31


What You Can Learn About Writing from Cheesy Movies: by Jonathan Vars


Writing Craft / Literary Devices


How to Foreshadow with Flair: @EditingWizard


Foreshadowing in a Sentence: Connecting Story Events: @nownovel


Deepening Our Story: Theme It Like You Mean It: @JamiGold


Writing Craft / Miscellaneous


4 Timeless Writing Tips from ‘A Wrinkle in Time’ Author Madeleine L’Engle: @Kerrie_Flanagan @WritersDigest


John Grisham’s 8 Do’s And Don’ts For Popular Fiction: @writerswrite


5 Ways To Make Your Writing Stronger: @AnthonyEhlers


Distinguishing the Key Elements that Drive Internal Genres: @KimberKess @StoryGrid


Kerouac’s 30 Rules for Writing: @Writers_Write


10 Tips For Writers From Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy Author Douglas Adams: @Writers_Write


3 Tips to Hook Your Reader’s Emotions: @anna_elliott @WriterUnboxed


Storyteller’s Rulebook: Writing for Reluctant Readers: @CockeyedCaravan


Writing Craft / POV


How Many POVs Are Too Many? @Ava_Jae


Writing Craft / Pre-Writing / Naming


5 Tips for Naming Your Characters: by Nicole Pyles @womenonwriting


Writing Craft / Pre-Writing / Story Concept


Is Your Concept Really More Scene Than Story? @storyfix


How to Choose the Right Path in Your Story When There are So Many Possibilities: @enhughesiasm


Writing Craft / Punctuation and Grammar


How to Use a Colon: @debluskin


Essential and Nonessential Clauses: @writing_tips


Writing Craft / Revision


A revision checklist: @HankPRyan


Writing Craft / Series


Planning Out a Series: @JillWilliamson


5 Sequel-Writing Secrets From Jessica Jones: @Jffelkins


Writing Craft / Subtext


Create Layers of Tension With Subtext To Surprise Readers: @LisaHallWilson


Writing Craft / Synopses


How to Write a Synopsis— Without Turning Homicidal: @SarahSallyHamer @EdieMelson


Writing a Working Synopsis: @ShanDitty @GoTeenWriters


Tips for writing a synopsis: @pintipdunn


Writing Craft / Tension


Raise the Stakes By Making It Personal: @AngelaAckerman


Uncategorized


“Keep writing no matter what.” and 11 other tips for successful writers: @EdieMelson

The top writing links from last week are on Twitterific:
Click To Tweet

The post Twitterific appeared first on Elizabeth Spann Craig.

BookBub for Authors Who Don’t Run Ads

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

Although I haven’t run a BookBub ad, I have an author profile on BookBub.  It’s free and there are excellent reasons for having a presence there, whether or not you ever intend to run an ad.

Perhaps the biggest reason is that BookBub will update your followers when you have a new release. This is what my readers received from BB on the 23rd:

BookBub also can help us connect with new readers by emailing subscribers and suggesting authors to follow.

Tom Corson-Knowles of TCK publishing points out that linking your author profile on BookBub to your website also is a huge SEO boost for your site.

I wondered, when I set up the profile there if my readers were BookBub subscribers. But with absolutely no effort on my part, I have over two hundred followers there.  So…the answer is yes.  :)

There are also ways that you can increase the number of followers that you have on the site, according to Diana Urban on the BookBub site.  Among her suggestions are adding a link to your email signature, including a BookBub follow button on your website, and linking to BookBub in your books’ back matter.

For step-by-step instructions on setting up your author profile, see Jamie Ferguson’s post, “Claim and Configure Your BookBub Author Profile.”

A relatively new feature from BookBub offers authors the opportunity to connect with readers (and gain visibility on the site) by recommending books that you’ve enjoyed (for US authors only right now).  From BookBub’s blog:

Sharing a recommendation on BookBub helps authors:

Stay top-of-mind with their BookBub followers in the US
Cross-promote fellow authors and help each other get discovered
Engage with BookBub’s community of enthusiastic power readers
Boost visibility to readers visiting BookBub.com

BookBub recommends that authors post a recommendation 1-3 times a month and respond to any comments that readers make.

Author Assistant Mel Jolly reported in her newsletter that BookBub offered a workaround for non-US authors:

“Login to Your Account

Go to this link and update your retailer preferences to USA.

BookBub recommends that you keep your author account as a US-based account to ensure access to new features as they’re rolled out.

NOTE: Changing to a US based account this will also update the deals you see to US based.”

Do you have a profile on BookBub?  Have you made any recommendations?

Photo on Visualhunt

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