Riley Adams's Blog, page 88

June 24, 2017

Twitterific Writing Links

Bluebird with beak open and 'Twitterific Writing Links' by ElizabethSCraig superimposed on the image

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 40,000 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 Reasons Authors Shouldn’t Worry About Piracy but How to Protect Yourself Anyway: @thecreativepenn

Conferences and Events / Miscellaneous

How an Event Hashtag Will Turbo Boost Your Event: @cksyme
How to find the right agent, editor, or writers conference: @StephMorrill @GoTeenWriters

Creativity and Inspiration / Goal setting

Writing Resolutions for the ADHD Mind: @TheRyanMcRae

Creativity and Inspiration / Inspiration / Reading as Writers

She Doesn’t Always Get Away: Goldilocks and the Three Bears: @mari_ness @tordotcom

Creativity and Inspiration / Productivity / Fitting in Writing

6 Habits of Insanely Productive People: @KarenBanes
The Fundamental Secret to Finding Time to Write: @RuthanneReid

Creativity and Inspiration / Productivity / Writer’s Block

Beating Writer’s Block—by Not Writing: @crazywritinfool
What to remember when you’re nervous about writing: @Luna_Manar
3 Questions to Help You Bust Through Creative Blocks: @ChadRAllen

Creativity and Inspiration / Productivity / Writing Quickly

10 Ways to Maintain Writing Momentum: @LyndaRYoung @TheIWSG
Using Keyboard Shortcuts to Boost Your Productivity: @MichaelHyatt

Creativity and Inspiration / Success

Write and Market a Kindle Bestselling Book: @DaveChesson @lornafaith

Creativity and Inspiration / Writing Life

Why We Compare Ourselves to Other Writers—and How We Can Stop: @losapala
Your Brain Can Only Take So Much Focus: @srinipillay via @PassiveVoiceBlg
Finding Balance: @iamagemcrystal
6 of the Worst Things About Being a Writer: @jameslrubart
Admitting to Writing:

Genres / Fantasy

5 Anachronisms That Fantasy Needs: by Oren Ashkenazi

Genres / Memoir

Why Your Memoir Won’t Sell: @JaneFriedman

Genres / Mystery

Writing Tips: 7 Strategies for Writing Suspense: @TonyLeeMoral @thecreativepenn
Dropping ‘bombshells’ in crime fiction without too much melodrama: @mkinberg
Crime fiction: when characters lie: @mkinberg

Genres / Poetry

Energize Your Writing by Memorizing Poems: @annkroeker

Genres / Romance

Blending Genres in Romance: We’re Not in 1980 Anymore: @CSLakin
The Endless Subgenres and Varieties of Romance: @LovettRomance

Genres / Science Fiction

From Dark to Dark: Yes, Women Have Always Written Space Opera: by Judith Tarr @tordotcom
Put the Science in Your Science Fiction: by By Lesley L. Smith
Space Opera and the Underrated Importance of Ordinary, Everyday Life: by Ellen Cheeseman-Meyer @tordotcom

Genres / Screenwriting

Top 10 Scary Movie Lines And Why They Work: @Bang2write
Why Dialogue Is Killing Your Screenplay: @Bang2write
How to Create a TV Show: @CockeyedCaravan
Great Scene: “Rocky” : @GoIntoTheStory

Genres / Short Stories

A Shocking (and Fun) Short Story Writing Technique: by Noelle Sterne @WritersDigest

Genres / Western

3 Myths About Westerns and Why We Actually Love Them: @cheryllaughlin

Promo / Ads

9 Reasons a Book Was Rejected for a BookBub Featured Deal by Danielle Perreault @BookBub

Promo / Blogging

How to Launch Your Blog With Your Book in Mind: @kimdinan

Promo / Book Descriptions and Copywriting

Why Should I Buy Your Book? or How to Write a Book Blurb: @rxena77
How to write a better Amazon bio: @Bookgal @theverbs

Promo / Book Signings and Launch parties

7 Tips for a Successful Book Launch: @ceciliaedits

Promo / Connecting with Readers

How To Create A Reader Avatar For Your Book: @SukhiJutla

Promo / Metadata

Amazon Keywords That Pull In More Buyers: @Bookgal

Promo / Miscellaneous

The Benefits of Ebook Pre-Orders: @MarcyKennedy
You’re the best person to market your book: @mybookshepherd
How to Avoid Overwhelm This Week: @WritersCoach

Promo / Platforms

Branding for Authors—When Do We Need Marketing and Advertising? @KristenLambTX

Promo / Speaking

How to Prepare for a TED-style Author Talk in Fewer Than 10 days: @DeannaCabinian
Public Speaking Tips for Writers: 7 Keys for a Great Speech: @monicamclark

Publishing / Miscellaneous

12 Ways to Uncover Google Analytics Data: @CaballoFrances

Publishing / News / International Publishing

A Sourcebooks Title Is OverDrive’s New International Big Library Read: @Porter_Anderson @OverDriveLibs
Germany’s 2016 Market Report: ‘Stable Amid Transformation’ @Porter_Anderson
Partnership Notes: Unicorn and Royal Armouries; Reedsy and Blurb: @pubperspectives
Agent Andrew Wylie demands publishing ‘stare down the forces of nationalism’: @Porter_Anderson
Rights Updates from Agencies: Berlin, Istanbul, Cologne, London: @Porter_Anderson @pubperspectives
‘An Experimental Space for Multilingualism’: France at Frankfurt Book Fair: @Porter_Anderson
Bookwire’s ‘Latin American expansion, building on success in Germany and Spain’: @Porter_Anderson @bookwire

Publishing / Options / Self-Publishing

“Why My Book is Both Traditionally and Self-Published”: @AmitaTrasi

Publishing / Options / Traditional Publishing

Self-Pub or Trad Pub? Riding the Fence: Indecision at Your Own Peril: @behlerpublish

Publishing / Options / Traditional Publishing / Querying

Writing 101: The Dreaded Query Letter: @lauraeweymouth
How to personalize a query: @rachelestout

Publishing / Options / Traditional Publishing / Rejections

5 Ways to Survive Rejection as a Writer: @Janice_Hardy

Publishing / Process / Book Design

Book Cover Design: How To Get Feedback to Create an Awesome Design: @SukhiJutla

Publishing / Process / Self-Publishing

Tips for Less-Expensive Self-Publishing:

Writing Craft / Characters / Development

5 Ways to Show Character Growth & Change: @diannmills
Creating Real Characters through Dialogue, Mannerisms, and Actions: @PollyIyer
Wonder Woman: The Essence of a Strong Female Character: @JamiGold

Writing Craft / Common Mistakes

5 Consequences of Overpowered Characters: by Oren Ashkenazi @mythcreants
9 Tips to Improve Your Writing: @MCristianoWrite

Writing Craft / Dialogue

Don’t Be Afraid of Mixing Dialogue with Action: by T.L. Bodine

Writing Craft / Drafts

3 Reasons to Try Dictating Your Book: @beckywadewriter @NovelRocket

Writing Craft / Flashback and Back Story

Early Hints of Backstory: @kcraftwriter

Writing Craft / Lessons from Books and Film

Writing great characters: 5 lessons from modern novels: @nownovel

Writing Craft / Literary Devices

Theme in Commercial Fiction:
How to Choose Good Themes for Stories: 5 Tips: @nownovel

Writing Craft / Miscellaneous

Narrative Techniques for Storytellers: @WritingForward
How to Write a Heart-Melting Kissing Scene: @RidethePen
Circumlocution – Bore Readers with Overkill, or Not? @ZoeMMcCarthy
What is An Unreliable Narrator? @katekrake
Tracking Throughlines in Your Novel: @Wordstrumpet
5 Simple Steps to Help You Start Writing Your First Book: by Kristen Pope
How To Write About Real-Life Adventures: by Ian Stephen
Metonymy & Synecdoche and How to Use Them: @ZoeMMcCarthy

Writing Craft / POV

How to Do Point of View: Third-Person Omniscient: @HelloTheFuture

Writing Craft / Pre-Writing / Outlining

What to Outline When Starting a Story: @SeptCFawkes

Writing Craft / Pre-Writing / Plotting

Plot Twists That Defy Genre Expectations: @NicolaAlter
Write A Novel: Include A Bestseller’s Vital Ingredient: @angee

Writing Craft / Pre-Writing / Story Concept

What is a Story Concept? @WritingForward
The importance of story concept: @storyfix

Writing Craft / Punctuation and Grammar

‘In’ or ‘Among’? @GrammarGirl
Grammar questions answered: Restrictive and non-restrictive by Edittorrent
3 More Cases of Superfluous Semicolons: @writing_tips
Further vs Farther: What’s the Difference? @EPBure

Writing Craft / Revision

Grading Your Manuscript To Target Revisions: by Elizabeth Harmon @theverbs

Writing Craft / Scenes

Give Your Scenes a Purpose with Scene Goals: @ml_keller
How Do You Know When To Start and End a Scene? by Randy Ingermanson

Writing Craft / Series

“5 Reasons Why I Would Write Series Fiction (And One Reason I Wouldn’t): @10MinNovelists

Writing Craft / Settings and Description

Using Smell, Touch, and Taste in Our Writing: by S. Katherine Anthony

Writing Craft / Voice

How Writers Find Their Voice: @egabbert @ElectricLit

Writing Tools / Books

The Top 10 Craft Books on Storytelling: @ChristophPaul_

Writing Tools / Resources

6 Brilliant Pieces Of Online Media For Writers: @FredBobJohn

Writing Tools / Thesauri

Character Motivation Thesaurus Entry: Caring for An Aging Parent: @beccapuglisi

Uncategorized

UK’s Publishers Assoc. Opens Its #LoveAudio Campaign Today: @Porter_Anderson @pubperspectives
4 Tips for Changing POV and Tense in your WIP: @AmySueNathan

The top writing links from last week are on Twitterific:
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Published on June 24, 2017 21:01

June 22, 2017

Admitting to Writing

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

There are times when I’m completely prepared to admit that I’m a writer. These are usually social situations or parent meetings where small-talk entails being asked what one does for a living.

On these occasions, I make sure I have my business cards in my purse (and that I know where they are in the cavernous depth of the purse). I have a chirpy, cheerful response down pat by now: “I’m a writer.” If I suspect it’s going to be a very quick conversation, that’s usually all I give. After all, there’s no point in lingering at the refreshments table or when the teacher starts talking at parent night.

For these very brief encounters, they’ll just not their head and not ask anything else, assuming that I’m a freelance writer or web writer of some kind.

But most frequently, and the reason I usually dread the question, this opens the floodgates to a bunch more questions. What kind of writer? What kind of writing? What kind of mysteries? Am I published? Under what name? Where do I get my ideas from?

I’m fairly practiced at this, so for situations where I suspect I’m going to be speaking to the person for at least 10-15 minutes, I explain that the type of mysteries I write are similar to the type that Agatha Christie wrote (the similarity ends there), and that I’ve been published. I admit that I write under my own name (I’ve found they’re usually embarrassed that they haven’t heard of me…which is not exactly surprising, considering the huge number of writers and books out there), and explain that the books are available at the library, bookstore, or online. Then I’ll hand them my card so they’ll remember my name.

The trick is the unexpected situation. And I live in the South, which means that strangers talk to me regularly–at the grocery store, at the post office, at the drugstore. They’ll strike up an idle conversation to pass the time and to be friendly.

This happened at the library the other day. “What are you working on?” asked an older lady at the table where I was writing. She wasn’t being nosy, as hard as that is to believe. She was being Southern.

But I wasn’t prepared to talk about my writing just then, since I was taken by surprise. “I’m answering emails,” I said.

And that’s where more savvy writers would make a quick connection. I mean…I was at the library. This woman clearly read books. But still, I prevaricated. I just didn’t feel like getting into it and hearing the inevitable questions.

There are ways of letting acquaintances know that you’re a writer and that you have a book/books for sale. Good luck with the random questions from strangers: clearly, I still haven’t mastered that, myself.

Email signature. It’s automatically included on every email I send out, whether it’s to another writer or to my child’s teacher or the gymnastics coach or the neighborhood homeowner association. It’s just a hyperlink to my website and a link for my newsletter signup.

Update your LinkedIn with your books (under ‘publications’).

Make sure your Facebook bio has your books listed or at least states that you’re an author. Share new book covers on your personal Facebook account.

And do carry those business cards.

Do you handle questions about your writing well? How do you spread the word about your writing to acquaintances?

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Published on June 22, 2017 21:02

June 18, 2017

Tips for Less-Expensive Self-Publishing

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

I read a lot of posts that assume that writers have unlimited funds for book production. But many writers who self-publish books are having to fit the process into a budget.

First off, you’ll usually save money (not time, but money) if you contract out for everything you need instead of going through a self-publishing service.

My main costs in book production are covers and editing. And I think most writers would agree that those are the two most important things. Both things can vary dramatically in cost. But both things are vital to the success and sales of our book.

Cover: If you have a very small project (short story, etc.) you could consider going somewhere like fiverr to get your cover. Look at a lot of different profiles and read the reviews to compare designers. There are also sites like Covervault where you can get free designs.

Editing: Determine what kind of editing you need. The least expensive is line editing (looking for typos). You will pay more if you need an editor to find plot holes, continuity errors, etc. or if you need a story coach to help advise you on character development or plot. You can save a lot of money by getting your story in as good a shape as possible before sending it to an editor. One way of doing this is to send your story to several friends or family to read (beta readers). You could also be part of a critique group (where you read someone else’s story and they read yours. The critique groups I hear the most about are: Critique Circle and Critters Writers. Both have won recognition from Writer’s Digest for best website.

Formatting: You’ll want your Word document formatted as an ebook (mobi and epub) and for print. You can do this by hiring an inexpensive book formatter, or by running your book through a service like Draft2Digital. With Draft2Digital, the process is free: you log in, load your book information (cover, interior file, author name, etc.) . Then you can convert your file to epub, mobi, and print by clicking on those buttons and downloading the files. You’ll upload the files directly to the various platforms (Kindle, iBookstore, Kobo, Barnes & Noble, or use an aggregator like Draft2Digital or Smashwords. Both Draft2Digital and Smashwords will take a portion of your royalties for payment, but there are no upfront costs.

ISBNs: Many indie authors choose the less-expensive option of using CreateSpace‘s or Smashword’s free ISBN for print. If you use one of their free ISBNs, they’ll be listed as the publisher of record. If that isn’t a problem, that’s certainly more cost-effective. I like being listed as the publisher (and I also like having my sales counted in with the general publishing count). I get mine directly from Bowker.com and the more you get the less expensive they are (although…yeah…they’re not cheap). More on ISBNs in Giacomo Giammatteo’s post for the Alliance of Independent Authors.

Publishing. Again, a very cost-effective way to publish on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and print (CreateSpace, in particular) is to upload files directly to those retailers without going through a middleman (self-publishing services). If you know how to upload files to an email or upload pictures on social media, you have the basic skills required to publish to those retailers. It’s free to sell your books there–even free through CreateSpace. There is no reason not to have your book available in print and digital versions.

What are your money-saving self-publishing tips? What have I missed? Or, if you’re new to publishing, what questions do you have that I could try to answer?

Tips for less-expensive self-publishing:
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Published on June 18, 2017 21:02

June 17, 2017

Twitterific Writing Links

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

Conferences and Events / Miscellaneous

The Three C’s of Why Writing Conferences Are Valuable: @tessaemilyhall

Creativity and Inspiration / Inspiration

What Video Games Can Teach You About Storytelling: @FredBobJohn @WriterUnboxed

Creativity and Inspiration / Inspiration / Reading as Writers

6 Stephen King Villains Who Were Ridiculously Easy to Defeat: @fredventurini
Why Doesn’t Ancient Fiction Talk About Feelings? @soldonlanguage
The Many Ways in Which We Are Wrong About Jane Austen: @MsAshtonDennis @lithub
7 Reasons Why 1 Writer Stops Reading a Novel: @JodyHedlund
9 Tales of Deliciously Dysfunctional Families: @SignatureReads

Creativity and Inspiration / Motivation

Character Motivation Entry: Being The Best At Something: @AngelaAckerman

Creativity and Inspiration / Productivity / Fitting in Writing

Little Hacks Writers Can Use to Be Productive: @CSLakin
When It’s Hard to Maintain Your Focus: @THahnBurkett
When Life Strikes: Writing through the Unexpected: @woodwardkaren
Routine Writing Habits Are Rewarding: @awhcolumbus
Reality vs. Expectations: Remaining Calm When it ALL Goes Pear-Shaped: @KristenLambTX
Forget Your Endless To-Do List: Try Time Blocking Instead: @HelloTheFuture

Creativity and Inspiration / Productivity / Writer’s Block

Multi-Genre Writing to Help with Writer’s Block: by Jodi Webb @womenonwriting
How to Get Out of a Slump in Your Writing: @weems503
Bravely Push Through Your Writing Insecurities: @StephMorrill
How writers can change self-doubt into idea doubt: @pubcoach
Self Perception and How It Can Hold You Back: @RoniLoren
Is Writer’s Block a Form of Self-Protection? @jcbaggott
How to Be a Better Writer: Clean the House: @ErinMFeldman
Getting Your Mojo Back: @cathychall

Creativity and Inspiration / Productivity / Writing Quickly

The 3 Biggest Surprises When Starting (or Attempting) a Daily Writing Habit: @monicaleonelle
Less Focus For Better Writing: @jamesscottbell
5 Tips to Turn Slow Writers into Fast Drafters: @HeatherJacksonW

Creativity and Inspiration / Success

Where’s Your Edge in Your Writing? @jamesscottbell

Creativity and Inspiration / Writing Life

Mortality and the Writer: @MaryGillgannon @RMFWriters
5 Enticing Vacation Ideas for Book Lovers: @FredBobJohn
5 types of rest every creative should adopt: @williameier
7 Habits Every Writer Should Develop: @CaballoFrances
Hitting Pause Button While We Take A Deep Breath: @WritingOnBoard
So You’ve Been Called Out—How Not to Make It Worse: @JLAustin13 @Ava_Jae

Genres / Fantasy

Writing Historical Fantasy Fiction: Resources and Tips: @AshKrafton

Genres / Humor

4 Ways to Write Meaningful Comedy: @KMWeiland

Genres / Miscellaneous

The Difference Between Literary, Upmarket and Commercial Fiction: @carlywatters
2 Revolvers, 1 Rifle: Best Guns for Writing a Western Novel: @benjaminsobieck

Genres / Mystery

Resources for Mystery Writers:
Crime fiction: the word of mouth process of finding a PI or a ‘fixer’: @mkinberg
Writing the Crime Scene: Mental Illness: @repokempt

Genres / Picture Books

Politics in Children’s Books: @Kid_Lit

Genres / Poetry

Forward’s poetry awards: 3 shortlists, over $20K in prize money: @Porter_Anderson @AndrewMarr9

Genres / Romance

How to Write a (Romance) Blurb: @RosalindJames5

Genres / Screenwriting

5 Things Learned Converting a Screenplay Into A Novel: @TheWritingFitz @Bang2write

Promo / Blogging

How to Avoid Writing Boring Blog Posts using the IKEA Method: @lj_sedgwick

Promo / Book Descriptions and Copywriting

How To Write An Author Bio That Will Connect With Readers: @chrisrobley

Promo / Connecting with Readers

Tips for Creating Inexpensive Bookmarks as Part of a Giveaway:
Sell Your Books at Book Festivals and Craft Fairs: @mybookshepherd

Promo / Social Media Tips

A Detailed, Bookish Guide to Instagram: @carlywatters
How to Prepare and Promote a Facebook Live Broadcast: @WriteOnOnline

Publishing / Miscellaneous

News from @TheIWSG :Submissions Open for Free IWSG Guide, book club selection:
5 Critical Mistakes of Author Collaborations and How to Avoid Them: @thecreativepenn

Publishing / News / Amazon

Is Amazon Firing CreateSpace? by Raymond Esposito

Publishing / News / International Publishing

Hay Archive Goes to British Library; Cengage Fights Pirated Content: @Porter_Anderson @pubperspectives
PRH Buys Out of Print; Germany’s Bertelsmann Buys WhiteCloud: @Porter_Anderson @pubperspectives
PR License Rolls Out ‘Instant Rights’ Transactions, Start to Finish Online @Porter_Anderson @IPRLicense
BookExpo and BookCon Are ‘Powerful Platforms’: @Porter_Anderson
German Book Trade’s Peace Prize Goes to Canada’s Margaret Atwood: @Porter_Anderson @MargaretAtwood
David Grossman, Jessica Cohen Win Man Booker International Prize: @Porter_Anderson @pubperspectives
“A German and Singaporean editor trade insights on their markets’ opportunities”: @Porter_Anderson

Publishing / Options / Self-Publishing

5 tips for indie authors from @Creativindie: @TheIWSG

Publishing / Options / Traditional Publishing / Querying

5 Reasons for “Quick Pass” on a Query Letter: @carlywatters

Publishing / Process / Book Design

SHOULD You Create Your Own Book Cover? @damselwriter

Writing Craft / Characters / Antagonists

3 Ways to Write a Character You Hate: @KathrynR47
Villains & Villainesses: Architects of Story: @carablack

Writing Craft / Characters / Arc

Create Compelling Character Arcs (podcast): @DIYMFA @KMWeiland

Writing Craft / Characters / Development

How to Strengthen Our Characters with Strong Writing: @JamiGold

Writing Craft / Characters / Protagonists

What to Do if You Think You Have the Wrong Protagonist: @Janice_Hardy

Writing Craft / Common Mistakes

Indications an author hasn’t left enough space for the reader in a story: @wendypmiller

Writing Craft / Drafts

12 Questions To Ask Yourself After That First Draft: @10MinNovelists

Writing Craft / Endings

Does Your Novel Have a Ta-Da Ending? @dlwebb

Writing Craft / Miscellaneous

Need to Type Faster? Try Zombies. Typing Of The Dead: @simonbrew @denofgeek

Writing Craft / Pacing

Using Compressed Narration in Fiction to Speed Up Plot: @Kid_Lit

Writing Craft / POV

The 3 Tiers of Point of View Technique: Observation, Interpretation, Imagination: @JuliaFierro

Writing Craft / Pre-Writing / Plotting

6 Ways to Identify a Contrived Plot: @Janice_Hardy
Save the Cat Revisited: @ThereseWalsh @WriterUnboxed
Sub-Plots and Story: @JoEberhardt

Writing Craft / Punctuation and Grammar

When dashes are a better choice than commas: @writing_tips
3 Cases of Mixed Metaphors: @writing_tips

Writing Craft / Settings and Description

Enhancing Your Story Through Macro and Micro Setting: @TashaSeegmiller

Writing Craft / Voice

How To Embrace Your Writing Voice: @Julie_Glover

Writing Craft / Word Crafting

5 Overused Words in Fiction: @KelsieEngen

Uncategorized

Story Prompts for historical fiction: @ToWriteHistory

The top writing links from last week are on Twitterific:
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Published on June 17, 2017 21:01

June 15, 2017

Theme in Commercial Fiction

Sunset over the mountains with the post title superimposed on the top: 'Theme in Genre Fiction. Elizabeth Spann Craig.

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Published on June 15, 2017 21:02

June 11, 2017

Inexpensive Promoting

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

Anyone familiar with this blog knows that I’m not a fan of old-fashioned promoting. I think I’ve sold a lot more books by using better book metadata and following best-practices for SEO on my book pages on my website.

But sometimes…you’ve got to promote the old-fashioned way. In my case, it’s usually by request. My audiobook producer is big into old-fashioned promo: going out into bookstores for events, doing book tie-ins, and that type of thing. He’s really, really good at it. In the past, he’s asked me for free printed copies of my books to tie-in with the audio versions for giveaways at all kinds of special events. I’ve sent them over to him…just very happy that I wasn’t doing the promo legwork myself.

It’s expensive, though. Even getting the author copies from CreateSpace. There’s the buying of the books, and then the shipping of the books. If you’re talking a fair number of books or doing something regularly, it does add up.

This time I told my producer that I’d like to do something a little different (and basically free on my end). I used Canva to design bookmarks especially for my audiobooks and then added an Instafreebie code to provide a free ebook. Realizing a lot of other writers might be going to summer events, I thought I’d share what I did. (And I used to be a VistaPrint customer…nothing wrong with that, except this particular project required immediacy. I couldn’t wait).

We decided to have the giveaway for “Murder on Opening Night,” which won an AudioFile Earphones Award because of the excellent narration of Judy Blue. Because my books are written as standalones, reading the books out of order isn’t an issue.

I pulled up Canva, a free online tool that I use to combat my severe design disability. They have lots of different templates for different types of projects.

Here is the template for bookmarks.

I uploaded my book cover and put it at the top of the bookmark. I changed the background to red to match the curtain on the book cover.

I added some text, mentioning the award-winning narration by Judy.

I added a bit more text, giving a code for receiving a free book from Instafreebie. Instafreebie is also free (unless you choose to have your email list tied to their site so that readers can sign up for your newsletter when they claim their free book). You upload an epub of your book and then can generate codes for free copies (you can limit the number that are given away, too, in case that code gets shared online, etc.) More instructions and info on Instafreebie here.

One of the things I like about Instafreebie is that they offer customer support for readers who might not be tech-savvy enough to know how to upload books to their devices.

My project ended up looking like this (basic, but hey…free):

To email it to my producer, I downloaded the bookmark as a jpg, opened a fresh Word doc, put it in landscape mode, adjusted the page margins to be very wide, and copied four of the jpgs across the page.

The Instafreebie share code was long, so I ran it through bit.ly to shorten it for my purposes. I attached the Word doc in an email and sent it to my producer. He can either print them at home (if he has a printer that can handle cardstock) or take it to an Office Depot or Staples store to have them printed and cut there.

What’s your favorite inexpensive way to promote?

Tips for Creating Inexpensive Bookmarks as Part of a Giveaway:
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Published on June 11, 2017 21:01

June 10, 2017

Twitterific Writing Links

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

Business / Miscellaneous

5 Tips from “Scratch: Writers, Money, and the Art of Making a Living”: @manjulamartin @KolinaCicero

Conferences and Events / Miscellaneous

5 Things To Do After a Writers’ Conference: @AndreaMerrell
A Closer Look at BookCon in New York City: @Porter_Anderson @pubperspectives

Creativity and Inspiration / Inspiration

Never Listen To The People Who Want To Limit You: @Jonwestenberg
Tabletops and Storytelling: @judyblackcloud
22 Writing Prompts Inspired By Tarot Cards: @BrynDonovan
Do it Again! Taking Readers on a Fantastic Voyage: @ByDougPeterson

Creativity and Inspiration / Inspiration / Reading as Writers

The 12 Creepiest Companies in Literature: @carrievasios @ElectricLit

Creativity and Inspiration / Motivation

Are You Lying about Your Writing? To Yourself? @RosanneBane
Resurrect a Forgotten Manuscript: @Book_Arch
Don’t Let Your Writing Take the Summer Off: @jennienash
Time Management 101: Writing Through our Busy Lives: @msheatherwebb
A Kinder, Gentler Way to Force Yourself to Write: @karenbbooth @theverbs

Creativity and Inspiration / Productivity / Writer’s Block

Getting over your writing inhibitions: @AllieLarkin
Warning: Are You at Risk of a Story Collapse? by Dale Kutzera @WritetoDone

Creativity and Inspiration / Productivity / Writing Quickly

How to Use Your First 2 Morning Hours to Boost Productivity: @colleen_m_story
How to Hack Your Way to Writing Productivity: @CSLakin

Creativity and Inspiration / Success

How To Prioritize Growth In Writing: @rsmollisonread

Creativity and Inspiration / Writing Life

The Writer’s Process: @halliecantor @newyorker
50 Signs You’re In Love With A Writer: @AnnieNeugebauer
Writing About Marriage When You Want to Stay Married: @danijshapiro @CatapultStory
F. Scott Fitzgerald and the Psychic Cost of Selling Out: @venetianblonde @lithub
The Food Pyramid for Writers: @ChristophPaul_
4 Reasons Freelance Writers Should Work From a Coffee Shop: @sardegeorge
5 Great Creative Writing Tips (Which this Writer Never Follows): @DaniellaNLevy
11 Myths about creative writing and writers: @Peter_Rey_

Genres / Dystopian

How the Walking Dead Explores the Fabric of Society: by Nathan Lauffer @mythicscribes

Genres / Fantasy

The Chosen Children of Portal Fantasy: @seananmcguire @tordotcom

Genres / Miscellaneous

3 Secrets Great Writers Know About Experimental Fiction: @FredBobJohn

Genres / Mystery

5 Bands/Musicians Who Might Actually Write Crime Fiction: @GiveMeYourTeeth @LitReactor

Genres / Poetry

The Chinese Factory Workers Who Write Poems on Their Phones: by Megan Walsh @lithub

Genres / Romance

38 Clichés to Avoid when Writing Romance: @lansi26

Genres / Screenwriting

Screenwriting: Great Scene: “Inglourious Basterds”: @GoIntoTheStory

Promo / Ads

11 Things You Should Know About BookBub Subscribers: @BeeLorelle @BookBub

Promo / Blogging

Content Creation for Bloggers: 14 Kinds of Shareable Content: @JFbookman

Promo / Miscellaneous

What’s Data Got To Do With Book Sales? (podcast): @cksyme
Loglines – 5 Reasons Why They Are So Incredibly Important: @ozzywood
How 1 Writer Went From One Sale in February to 100+ Sales in March: @Malfhok
Understanding The 3-Stages Of The Buying Cycle Can Improve Your Book Sales: @jckunzjr
Anatomy of a St. Martin’s Hit Built on the Goodreads Platform: @suzanneskyvara @Porter_Anderson

Promo / Newsletters

How to Quit Monkeying Around and Conquer MailChimp in 2017: @MarshaIngrao

Publishing / Miscellaneous

Publishing: A Decade in Review: @kcraftwriter
The Key Book Publishing Paths: 2017: @JaneFriedman
US Audiobook Growth Soars for 3rd Year in a Row: @Porter_Anderson @pubperspectives
34 Writing Contests in June 2017 – No entry fees: @EricaVerrillo
Pronoun announces library distribution through OverDrive and Bibliotheca: @pronoun

Publishing / News / Amazon

What does Amazon Charts mean for the book industry? @davidmbarnett @GuardianBooks

Publishing / News / International Publishing

BookNet Canada: Digital Revenue Up in 2016, Ebook Sales Down: @Porter_Anderson @BookNet_Canada

Publishing / Options / Self-Publishing

Self Publishing Vs Traditional Publishing: @GarySmailes

Publishing / Options / Traditional Publishing / Querying

Tips for Better Query Letters: by Jaime Olin @OpAwesome6

Publishing / Process / Author Assistants

An Author Assistant on Her Job and Tips for Writers: @junglereds

Publishing / Process / Book Design

14 Sites for Making a Spectacular Book Cover: @thDigitalReader

Publishing / Process / Legalities

5 Legal Myths That Writers Still Fall For, Debunked: @HelenSedwick

Writing Craft / Beginnings

15 Cheesy Writing Fails To Avoid In The First 10 Pages: @Bang2write

Writing Craft / Characters / Antagonists

Show Your Baddie R-E-S-P-E-C-T to Make Them Memorable: @JordanDane

Writing Craft / Characters / Development

Character Archetypes: Enriching your Novel’s Cast: @nownovel
Get To Know Your Characters Better With This Novel Device: @standoutbooks
How to Take Advantage of Your 4 Most Important Characters: @KMWeiland

Writing Craft / Characters / Supporting Characters

How to Figure Out How Much Development Your Minor Characters Need: @ink_and_quills

Writing Craft / Common Mistakes

Using true events in your novel? Some warning signs: @kcraftwriter
What Writing Rules Do You Always Get Wrong? by Bonnie Randall
Why The Best Book Marketing Cannot Sell A Poor Book: @cksyme
Stop Info Dumps Before They Start: @jennienash

Writing Craft / Drafts

3 Essential Tips for Writing Compelling Stories: @ChadRAllen

Writing Craft / Literary Devices

Amplification: Embellish What You Just Wrote With More Information: @ZoeMMcCarthy

Writing Craft / Miscellaneous

The unreliable narrator: @Peter_Rey_
On Character Minutiae and Seemingly Irrelevant Details: by Bonnie Randall
How to become a science writer: by Rebecca Hill @TheWriterMag
Real Life Diagnostics: Is This Action Scene Clear? @Janice_Hardy
Rule of Three: @PTBradley1

Writing Craft / Pacing

Pace Your Story Like a Symphony: @JanalynVoigt

Writing Craft / POV

Point of View: Second Person: @HelloTheFuture

Writing Craft / Pre-Writing / Plotting

Prologue, Introduction, Preface, or Foreword: Which Is Right for You? @McgannKellie
5 Stories Afraid of Their Own Premise: by Oren Ashkenazi @mythcreants
Rinse & Repeat – The 4 Act Novel Structure: @MikhaeylaK
Plotting with Mythic Structure: @AnnetteLyon

Writing Craft / Punctuation and Grammar

Quick Fixes for Commas Splices: @annkroeker
Parentheses in Fiction: Do They Break the Fourth Wall? @LyndaDietz4
Restrictive and Unrestrictive Use of “Such As”: @writing_tips
Constructing Paragraphs in Fiction: by Diane Tibert

Writing Craft / Revision

Getting Out of Rewrite Hell Alive: by PJ Parrish
How to Fill the Gaps in Your Plot: @jamesscottbell

Writing Craft / Revisions / Critiques

How To Be (And Keep) A Highly Effective Critique Partner: @ThePaigeDuke
Revising (Why You Need to Find Your People): @lauraeweymouth

Writing Craft / Series

A Tale of Two Trilogies: @alison_morton @WomenWriters

Writing Craft / Settings and Description

Fantastic Settings and How to Write Them: by Michaela Whatnall

Writing Craft / Transitions

How to Write a Killer Transition: @KathyEdens1

Writing Tools / Apps

BuzzTrace: New Social Media Software Review: @CaballoFrances @BookWorksNYC @buzz_trace
Setting Up Your Scrivener Project for Easier Compiling: @Gwen_Hernandez @WriterUnboxed

Uncategorized

How British and American Spelling Parted Ways: @arikaokrent via @PassiveVoiceBlg
Book Translation: Using Babelcube:

The top writing links from last week are on Twitterific:
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Published on June 10, 2017 21:01

June 8, 2017

Resources for Mystery Writers

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

Probably one of the things I’m emailed the most about by other writers is how to find mystery writing resources.

Sometimes I feel that many mystery writers aren’t very visible online…at least to other writers. I think there are many more fantasy and romance writers who are active and interactive online. There are plenty of mystery writer blogs that are reader-facing blogs, but not very many that deal with crime writing. I’m guessing that’s why I get the emails.

Now I’ll have a post to refer writers to. :)

Blogs to Follow:

I’ll start out with Margot Kinberg’s blog. Margot is a mystery writer and avid mystery reader with an encyclopedic memory. Both readers and writers follow her blog. If you’re interested in considering common themes in murder mysteries of all sorts (including international mysteries), I highly recommend her blog. It will help you read as a writer.

K.B. Owen has some nice resources for the historical mystery writer.

D.P. Lyle, M.D. really knows his stuff. He’s an award-winning author of fiction and non-fiction and has worked with writers on Law & Order, CSI: Miami, and Monk, among many others. He also maintains a list of forensic resources.

Fiona Quinn writes romantic suspense, but her blog covers all aspects of crime and crime investigation.

Thriller writer Sue Coletta knows a lot of law enforcement professionals and posts informative interviews on her site. She has a list of forensic resources for writers. dditionally, she hosts an informative Twitter chat every other Wednesday at 3 p.m. EST : #ACrimeChat (next one on the 14th, if you want to tune in live, but you can just look up the hashtag to see older chats.) As Sue puts it: “I couldn’t do my job if it weren’t for my police/coroner/firearm/profiler consultants/friends. Of which, I have many.” She taps into their knowledge every other week.

Lee Lofland is a veteran police investigator and writer with expert advice on a variety of topics. His blog is especially good for adding realism to a crime novel since he tells his experiences in sometimes gritty detail.

A group of mystery writers posts on The Kill Zone, including James Scott Bell.

In terms of the mystery writing community, I frequently recommend that new writers look into joining the Sisters in Crime group (and men are welcome) known as the Guppies (the Great Unpublished. :) )

Courses (covering a variety of different areas): The courses I’d recommend (and which tend to be more bang for your buck) are the ones through the Romance Writers of America…regardless of your genre (I took several about 10 years ago and they really helped me out). Some upcoming online classes are listed here (search the page for ‘online workshops’: https://www.rwa.org/p/cm/ld/fid=517 . Other RWA opportunities: http://rwasd.com/register/ and http://lowcountryrwa.com/workshops/2017-online-courses/ . Most of them are just $25 for non-members of the RWA.

I wrote a series on cozy mystery writing.

This is what I’ve got, but I have the feeling I’m missing some great blogs (maybe some of yours). What resources have I missed?

Resources for mystery writers:
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Published on June 08, 2017 21:00

June 4, 2017

Book Translation

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

I’ve worked hard to make sure that my books are available internationally. They sell well in Canada, the UK, and Australia, in particular. Not only do I have them available through the Amazon sites in those countries, printed books are available internationally through Ingram. Because Ingram has printers all over the world, shipping costs are a lot more reasonable for international readers than purchasing a printed copy through Amazon.

But why are my books doing well in the previously-mentioned countries, in particular? Because they’re English-speaking countries. Although my books do sell in Europe, Japan, and India, the sales aren’t nearly as strong. This is completely understandable. I know with my college French that I wouldn’t want to tackle a book in French to relax. I want to read in my native tongue.

I first posted my books as available for translation on the site Fiberead, as mentioned in this post. But I haven’t seemed to be able to get any traction there. All I’ve done is sign a bunch of updated terms of service agreements.

I decided a few months ago to put a few of my Myrtle Clover books up on a different translation platform: Babelcube.

I’ll admit to doing this a little reluctantly. I knew that Babelcube, although most likely the largest platform, had a reputation for poor customer service on some indie author forums. But I also knew that I’m familiar with similar platforms: ACX (audiobooks for indie authors) operates much the same way. You audition for talent through their portal (pitching your book in the process), communicate with your audiobook producer through a portal, sign your contract through a portal, agree on deadlines for completion, and review work after certain milestones (first page, first 6 pages, etc.) This is also the way that Babelcube works.

Most significantly similar to ACX (and this will be music to self-published author’s ears), the process is free. You split royalties with your translator (as you’d split them with your narrator on ACX, if you chose a royalty share agreement). My only cost for the project will be an updated, translated, cover. This is worth a royalty split for me. It’s not cost-effective to pay for a translator out of pocket and so my books wouldn’t be translated any other way.

As opposed to Fiberead, I received interest in my series within a few months of signing up. The translator, Freddy Moyano, was experienced, had a solid resume of projects, and lives in the US. A translator’s place of residence can be useful because it may result in fewer culture-related questions from the translator. He’ll be translating several books into Spanish.

Soon after Freddy contacted me, another book received interest and is currently being translated into Portuguese by Fernanda Marchezini Brahemcha.

Taking the samples to a bilingual friend to check the content is a best practice. Spanish was easier to check than Portuguese.

I’ve set a date with my cover designer to incorporate the translated copy.

On my side, the process is very simple and easy. On Freddy’s and Fernanda’s sides, it’s a lot more complex and time-consuming. I’m looking forward to introducing my books to new audiences.

For further reading on both Babelcube and Fiberead, read Keith Dixon’s post on the ALLi blog, “Writing: How Helpful are Free Translation Services for Self-publishing Authors?”

Have you considered translation? Are you using Babelcube?

A closer look at book translation through Babelcube:
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Published on June 04, 2017 21:02