Riley Adams's Blog, page 90

Expanding into Hardcover

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig,o9

I’ve recently been interested in expanding my books into every format that I can.  Who knows how someone might want to read my books? I’m in digital, print (paperback), and audio. I’ve made my books accessible to an international audience and now the Myrtle books are being translated into Spanish (more on that in a later post).

But I’d never really thought about hardcover. It seemed like a very expensive option to buy. I know that, aside from gifts for family, I haven’t bought a hardcover book in ages.

As part of my expansion into other formats and to other markets, however, I realized that my books (through PublishDrive) are doing very well on the OverDrive platform.  That’s a major distributor of digital materials to libraries. (More on OverDrive in this post.)

If my books were doing that well at libraries, I figured that it would make sense to have them also available in hardcover. Perhaps an acquisition librarian would note that my digital books were circulating to readers and decide to purchase a hardcover for the stacks.

Things to consider: 

If you’re on Ingram, you’ll need to have ISBNs for your books (not the free ones from CreateSpace or Smashwords…which actually show CS and SW as the publisher). And, even if you have your own ISBNs, because this is a different format, you’ll need new ISBNs for the books for this particular format. I’m buying ISBNs from Bowker in bulk.

Obviously, your covers will need to be adjusted. I asked my cover designer to adapt the existing covers for hardcover dust jackets. You could also choose a case binding cover, but I wanted the cloth bound hardcover with the dust jacket.  (More about hardcover choices in this post from Ingram Spark.)  You’ll need a good deal more copy than you’re used to: there’s a back cover and front cover, but there’s also an inside front cover and an inside back cover to consider.

Your cover designer will need the ISBNs for the books in order to pull up a template from Ingram. And, of course, this means that your book needs to be at least partially set-up on Ingram to begin with. You’ll put in your book’s metadata as usual (I like to fill the fields out as completely as possible, not just focus on the required fields), set the international prices (this is hardcover, so you’ll want to go higher to see at least a little profit. Additionally, I set the book trade discount a bit lower, to either 30% or 35%), and upload the interior PDF. I used the same PDF that I uploaded for my trade paperback listing, and Ingram adapted it (it wasn’t a size-specific PDF to begin with). Depending on your file, you may need to upload an updated interior PDF.  Then the cover designer will pull a template from Ingram.

The trim sizes for hardcover are here on Ingram’s site.  I chose the closest size to my paperback size.

There’s is also a cost for Ingram’s set-up for the books at $49 a book.  I’ve never paid the full fee since I’m a member of The Alliance of Independent Authors and they frequently have discounts for Ingram services.

My total cost ended up being the ISBNs and the cover adaptation.  If you’re cleverer with design than I am, you could avoid that cover modification fee.

What I settled on: 

I chose a gray cloth cover with a matte laminate.

I looked at books at my local library for copy inspiration for the dust jacket.  I decided to go with:

Inside front cover of all books:

Description at top.

Series description (following) below that

Inside back cover of all books:

Author picture

Author bio

Website/contact info

Back Cover:

Testimonials for all three series

Each book ended up looking like this:

Some writers have mentioned that Amazon will discount the hardcovers as loss leaders…and must still pay full royalties to the author since the discount was on their side.

Will I make a lot of profit off these books this year?  Most certainly not at a margin of $2-$3 a book. Will they always be in hardcover and always available to print? Yes. It’s the long-tail in the publishing game, as everyone has overstated. I’m willing to have modest returns in the short term and write off my costs for this project on my taxes next year. In addition to the library market, these could be draws for avid fans (see “Why Hardcover is the New Vinyl” by Yahdon Israel), and can be used as special promotional giveaways.

Have you thought about hardcover editions of your books?

Tips and reasons for making your books available in hardcover:
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Twitterific Writing Links

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

A weekly roundup of the best writing links from around the web.

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. 

Conferences and Events / Miscellaneous

On BEA Wednesday: Pre-Show Programming Highlights: @Porter_Anderson

Creativity and Inspiration / Inspiration

J.K. Rowling’s Latest Advice Will Inspire You To Pick Up Your Pen And Write: @emmaoulton @bustle
Don’t Let Logic Eclipse Your Creative Writing: @RosanneBane

Creativity and Inspiration / Inspiration / Reading as Writers

50 Fictional Days Immortalized in Literature: @knownemily @lithub
How to read more books: @ellekaplan
The Best Bookstore in Every State: @lizsteelman @realsimple

Creativity and Inspiration / Productivity / Fitting in Writing

When ignoring advice makes sense: @pubcoach

Creativity and Inspiration / Productivity / Writer’s Block

How 1 Writer Went From Scared Witless to Being a Published Author: @LauraJTong
Reveal Hidden Writer’s Anxiety to Restore Creativity: @colleen_m_story
Your Story Has Hit a Wall—What Now? @KristenLambTX

Creativity and Inspiration / Productivity / Writing Quickly

7 Focus-Enhancing Tips for Better Productivity: @emi1y_morgan

Creativity and Inspiration / Success

5 Tips for Turning Pro for Writers as Inspired by @SPressfield @lornafaith
Is Your Fiction Big Enough? @jamesscottbell @WriterUnboxed

Creativity and Inspiration / Writing Life

“Ways I Learned to Love My Novel Again”: @CaitlinEJones
Is an MFA in Creative Writing Worthwhile? 7 Writers Weigh In: @decorcione
A 7-part podcast comedy on writing a novel: @Porter_Anderson @TheStoryPlant
Including People in Your Writing Process: @Writestream
Treating Your Writing Like A Full-Time Job: @Jen_328

Genres / Fantasy

5 Elements All Urban Fantasy Novels Must Have: @mishellbaker

Genres / Mystery

Unnamed main characters in crime fiction: @mkinberg
Crime Writers: 9 Key Steps for a Successful Crime Scene Investigation: @JChaseNovelist
Crime Writing: A Murder-Scene Checklist: @LeeLofland
Open vs closed murder mysteries: @woodwardkaren

Genres / Picture Books

How 1 Writer Hired and Collaborated with Illustrators: @caroleproman
How 1 Indie Author Created Her Kids Book Series: @caroleproman

Genres / Poetry

How to Write a Limerick Infographic: @lwlindquist @tspoetry
10 Essential Terms for Poets (and Everyone Else): by Edward Hirsch @lithub

Genres / Romance

Want to Write Romance? Layer Your Scenes for Success: @CSLakin @AngelaAckerman

Genres / Science Fiction

Defining Speculative Fiction: @MelanieMarttila

Genres / Screenwriting

10 Ingredients for Successful Screenwriting: Understanding Marketing Skills: @marilynhorowitz @scriptmag

Genres / Young Adult

4 Tips for Changing Genres Within Young Adult: @BrigidKemmerer

Promo / Back matter

Why you should have more than 1 bio: @SophieMasson1

Promo / Blogging

Content Creation for Bloggers: 3 Questions: @JFbookman
Why Every Author Needs A Blog: @SukhiJutla

Promo / Book Descriptions and Copywriting

How to Create a Back Book Cover Blurb that Sells: @DaveChesson

Promo / Book Reviews

What If They Hate My Book? Coping with Negative Reviews: @Bookgal
Do reviews impact sales? @rxena77

Promo / Miscellaneous

Guide to Creating an Author Media Kit: @BuildYourBrandA
Reasons Your Books Are Not Selling: @cksyme
3 Steps To Creating A Winning Sell Sheet For Your Book: @jckunzjr
The art of the anti-blurb: @nevalalee
Ways to support an author or illustrator (besides buying a book): @inkyelbows

Promo / Newsletters

7 Ways You Can Use Your Mailing List to Drive Sales: @PublishingSpark@clarewhitmell

Promo / Platforms

Comparing and Calculating IngramSpark and Amazon CreateSpace Author Royalty: @carlaking
Your Author Strategy: 3 Steps to Launch Your Writing Career: @CarmenConnects @annerallen

Promo / Pricing

How to determine your price point when self-publishing: @NathanBransford

Promo / Social Media Tips

Feeling Invisible on Facebook? How’s Your Organic Reach? @KristenLambTX
4 Tips for Successful Social Media Contests: @JDScherer @SMExaminer
Social media is a long-term investment for your writing career: @Roz_Morris
Streamline Your Social Media Life With These 9 Tips: @EdieMelson
How to Write the Perfect Pinterest Bio: @MarshaIngrao

Publishing / Miscellaneous

Why Novellas are Making a Comeback (and 5 Posts for Novella-Writers): @aliventures
Email Newsletters: A Writer’s Best Friend: @chris_shultz81

Publishing / News / International Publishing

The UK’s Publishers Association Takes Its Stand: ‘No Tax on Books’ @stevelotinga @Porter_Anderson
2017 Global Ebook Report: As Many Stories as Markets: @Porter_Anderson @wischenbart
Palestine Festival of Literature Marks Its First Decade: @Porter_Anderson @pubperspectives
China Reading Launches Qidian Platform for an International Audience: @Porter_Anderson
A Publisher Is France’s Minister of Culture: @Porter_Anderson

Publishing / Options / Traditional Publishing

Winning The Waiting Game: @PatPDonovan @womenonwriting

Publishing / Options / Traditional Publishing / Querying

Are good writers rejected? An agent answers: @Janet_Reid

Publishing / Options / Traditional Publishing / Rejections

Rejection and Failure: There’s a Difference, and Neither Means You Should Quit: @RuthHarrisBooks

Publishing / Process / Book Design

Covers Matter. A Lot. @MaryGillgannon @RMFWriters

Publishing / Process / ISBNs

Indie Authors, Buy Your Own ISBNs! @NewShelvesBooks

Publishing / Process / Legalities

Hiring Freelancers (Editors, Designers, Formatters): the Legal Nitty-Gritty: @HelenSedwick @BookWorksNYC

Writing Craft / Characters / Development

The “Unlikable” Characters We Love: @booksabound @BNSciFi
7 Tips to Creating Likable Characters: @Brianna_daSilva

Writing Craft / Characters / Emotion

Falling in Love With Your Manuscript: Why an Emotional Connection is Vital: @jkolin27

Writing Craft / Characters / Protagonists

The 9 Things Your Main Character Needs From You: @10MinNovelists
Dynamic Character: How to Write a Compelling Protagonist: @ReedsyHQ

Writing Craft / Common Mistakes

12 Quick Tips To Improve Your Writing Right Now: @Bang2write

Writing Craft / Humor

Increasing Your Funny Quotient: @AnnetteLyon
Tips and resources for tackling humor in your writing:

Writing Craft / Miscellaneous

Co-Writing a Novel: @JasonMHough
Middles and Scenes: @JAHuss
Writing Captivity Scenes: @RayneHall
How Exposition Breaks Empathy: @p2p_editor

Writing Craft / POV

13 More Mistakes You Could Make When Creating Narrative Voice: @10MinNovelists

Writing Craft / Pre-Writing / Plotting

5 ways to get your characters (and you) through adversity: by Fae Rowen
Elevate Your “Genre” Book or Screenplay: @patverducci
Using Story Structure to Plot: @Janice_Hardy
4 Methods for Developing Any Idea Into a Great Story: @ESimsAuthor @JaneFriedman

Writing Craft / Punctuation and Grammar

Gender-Neutral Pronouns: Singular ‘They’: @GrammarGirl

Writing Craft / Revision

Options for Approaching Self-Editing: @katiemccoach
7 Strategies for Revising Your Novel: by Lisa Preston @WritersDigest
4 Common Copy Editing Issues to Watch For: @Julie_Glover

Writing Craft / Settings and Description

The Complex Power of Mapping the World of Your Novel: @barbaraoneal @WriterUnboxed

Writing Craft / Special Needs

Encouraging Reluctant/Dyslexic Readers: @ela_lourenco
5 Signs Your Story Is Ableist: by Chris Winkle @mythcreants

Writing Craft / Tension

7 Hitchcockian Secrets To Writing Amazing Suspense: @TonyLeeMoral
Show, Don’t Tell: How to Inject Drama Into Your Writing: @sarahannjuckes
Time Check: A Way to Build Story Tension: @Chris_Kokoski

Writing Craft / Transitions

How to Handle Time Skips in Your Novel: @p2p_editor

Writing Craft / World-Building

5 Worldbuilding Mistakes Even Enthusiasts Make: by Chris Winkle @mythcreants
Why ‘worldbuilding’ is the most overrated and overused concept in fiction: @TheLincoln

Uncategorized

@ShadowAuthor @LawrenceBlock Like you, I don’t have any info on that. Is this for self-pub or querying? You could h…
@ShadowAuthor @LawrenceBlock I’d probably skip footnotes for fiction (although House of Leaves used them effectivel…
@ShadowAuthor @LawrenceBlock Sorry! It was the ‘novel’ that threw https://t.co/B5RvwggFvz could skip it or not (I’v…
A top resource/blog for writers: @JodyHedlund ‘s blog: https://t.co/n0eQauj2RL https://t.co/3nPqFye7k6

The top writing links of last week are on Twitterific:
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Writing Humor

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

One thing that I love about writing cozy mysteries is the ability to integrate humor into the stories.

The amount of humor varies. I still somewhat regret writing A Body at Book Club which has a scene in which I actually laughed out loud while writing (startling the cats and dog around me). Since then, almost every book has at least one customer review that says: “It’s okay. Not as funny as A Body at Book Club.”

I’ve noticed that humor comes easier as a series continues and I know the characters better and better. I think that’s because my humor is all character-based and the set-up for a humorous scene becomes easy when the readers and I know the characters very well. Running gags can be particularly effective over the course of a series.

The easiest is putting characters in situations where the reader knows the character is uncomfortable. Situational humor (similar to the idea behind sitcoms, or situational comedies). I’ll put my hypochondriac character around someone with a terrible cold and have him anguish over that in the background as my sleuth is questioning the sick suspect. Or I’ll put my former English teacher sleuth on the spot at a book club meeting when she hasn’t read the book (and doesn’t want to own up to the fact).

I’ve always loved the classic clown and straight-man type of set-up evident in shows like I Love Lucy. Modeling that, I’ve got one sidekick whose dry sense of humor acts as a nice foil for my unpredictable sleuth.

I’m not afraid to delve into farce or screwball comedy every once and a while (notably, A Body at Book Club).

But my books are gentle books and the humor is gentle, too. Your books might be darker or edgier, but there’s definitely a style of humor that will fit your writing. Don’t think that your serious novel doesn’t need humor. There’s an interesting post by Dean Gloster to refute that notion: “7 Reasons Writers of Serious Novels Should Use Humor in Their Fiction” (including reader identification and assigning positive traits to characters).

There are posts that I’ve bookmarked on Evernote for repeated reading.  Specifically to incorporating the style of humor we want to focus on (with the right tone for our genre and books), I’d look at a couple of posts from writer Darcy Pattison: “Five More Ways to Add Humor” and “Running Gags“.  September C. Fawkes offers “15+Tactics for Writing Humor“.  Margie Lawson does a nice job with concrete examples in “Humor Hits Hook Readers.”  Jordan Dane’s “Five Ways to Stand Out With Humor in Your Writing” has some good tips.  I also like “How to Mix Humor Into Your Writing” by Leigh Anne Jasheway.

Do you use humor in your books?  How much do you use?

Tips and resources for writing humor:
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Mirroring a Book’s Beginning at its Ending

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Twitterific Writing Links

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

A weekly roundup of the best writing links from around the web.

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 see the character and location name generators!  Sign up for the Hiveword newsletter here. 

Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms out there.  :)

Conferences and Events / Miscellaneous

7 Reasons To Attend a Writer’s Conference: @AlyciaMorales
Planning a Writer’s Conference? Here’s What’s Really Involved: @ascamacho @TheIWSG

Creativity and Inspiration / Goal setting

3 Steps to Start Tiny Habits that Help You Reach Your Goals: @lornafaith

Creativity and Inspiration / Inspiration

Why You Need to Invest In Yourself First: @SukhiJutla
How Free Writing Helps You Find Your True Creative Voice: @JamesPrescott77

Creativity and Inspiration / Inspiration / Reading as Writers

Addictive Sci-Fi: 5 Books with Fictional Drugs: by Chris Howard @tordotcom

Creativity and Inspiration / Motivation

Don’t wait to follow your dreams: @SiakChinYoke

Creativity and Inspiration / Productivity / Fitting in Writing

Are You Too Nice To Say “No?” @CarolAnneMalone
5 Ways to Manage Multiple Creative Passions: by Linda Bernadette Burgess @DIYMFA

Creativity and Inspiration / Productivity / When to write

Writing Routines: Rethinking What Works:

Creativity and Inspiration / Productivity / Writer’s Block

10 Writing Prompts To Help You Unstick Your First Draft: @10MinNovelists
Sometimes Instinct Should Take Over the Story: @Margo_L_Dill @womenonwriting

Creativity and Inspiration / Success

How 1 Writer Landed a Book Contract at 16: @tessaemilyhall @authorsjournal
The Second Act Novelist: 6 Ways to Prepare: @joneslepidas @JaneFriedman

Creativity and Inspiration / Writing Life

For writers who are recent graduates, broke, in between things, or living at home: @austinkleon
Writer Struggles: Isolation & Loneliness: @HeatherJacksonW
Stress and Burnout: Writers can suffer from both. Learn the signs and how to cope: @RuthHarrisBooks
Can Your Distractions Make You a Better Writer? @charityscraig @tspoetry
Envy, Perfection, and the Work of Writing: @JoEberhardt @WriterUnboxed
How to Create a “Writer Productivity Diet”: @CSLakin
Spectral Awareness: 8 Quotes From Authors With Autism: @TomBlunt @SignatureReads

Genres / Horror

Horror and Crime: A Writer’s Education: @Gabino_Iglesias
Surviving Horror Films Is A Breeze If You Follow These Rules: @IanFortey @cracked

Genres / Literary Fiction

When Literary Plots Get Mysterious: @TobiasCarroll @lithub

Genres / Mystery

Suburban life as an element in crime fiction: @mkinberg
How to Write Suspense Like Hitchcock: @TonyLeeMoral
Writing a Murder Mystery, Character Creation: The Murderer: @woodwardkaren
Crime Writing: Behind the Scenes: What Happens After The Cuffs Go On? @LeeLofland

Genres / Poetry

15 Tips for Writing Poetry: @WordDreams
10 Short Poetic Forms: @robertleebrewer
10 Reasons Why Poetry is the Manliest of Genres: @Gabino_Iglesias

Genres / Screenwriting

Thinking of Writing a Short Film? Ask These Questions First: @scriptmag
6 Things To NOT Do When Submitting Your Script: @Bang2write

Genres / Young Adult

The Ultimate Guide to YA Fiction: by Emma Johnson @WritersEdit
How To Write Young People That Are Actually Realistic: @Bang2write

Promo / Ads

Are Facebook Collection Ads Good for Selling Books? @cksyme

Promo / Back matter

Using Back Matter to Sell More Books: @DianaUrban @BookBub

Promo / Book Descriptions and Copywriting

Writing the Perfect Blurb: @RayneHall
Optimizing your Online Book Description: @ml_keller
How To Chose Your Book Title: @SukhiJutla

Promo / Miscellaneous

How to Get Attention for Your Book on Amazon: @CaballoFrances
A Recipe for a Non-Traditional Marketing Plan: @mbhide
10 Myths About Marketing Your Book: @diannmills
How to Develop a Street Team for Your Book: @jenniferprobst
10 Sure-Fire Ways to Help a Writer: @CalebPirtle
5 Reasons to Submit Your Work to Anthologies: @PStoltey @RMFWriters

Promo / Podcasts

Podcasting Tips And Tricks: @JerodMorris

Promo / Social Media Tips

10 Ways First-Time Writers Can Get Noticed on Social Media: @ParkLiterary @WritersDigest
Busy Authors Should Simplify Social Media Efforts: @CeceliaMecca

Publishing / Miscellaneous

A Potentially Pivotal Case: Louisiana State University and Elsevier: @Porter_Anderson @AndrewRichard
SELF-e Indie Awards 2017 – Just another Self-e Libraries Create Sites site @libraryself_e
This is the #1 Reason an Expert Will Hire a Ghostwriter: @granthony

Publishing / News / Amazon

Warnings on Amazon’s Changed Buy-Button Book Sales Policy: @Porter_Anderson @AuthorsGuild

Publishing / News / International Publishing

Hay Festival Announces Bogotá39-2017 Anthology’s Latin American Authors: @Porter_Anderson
Industry Notes: Publishing Scotland Opens Translation Grants, Wiley’s Mark Allin Resigns: @Porter_Anderson
British Book Awards 2017: The ‘Nibbies’ Honor Literature and Industry @Porter_Anderson

Publishing / Options / Traditional Publishing / Querying

10 Ways to Make Your Submission Stand Out in the Slush Pile: @MegLaTorre
How to Use LinkedIn and Twitter to Find an Agent: @evans_writer @RMFWriters

Publishing / Process / Contracts

How to Request A Reversion of Publishing Rights: @SusanSpann

Publishing / Process / Formatting

20 Pro Tips to Prepare Your Ebook for Conversion: @CatherineDunn8

Writing Craft / Beginnings

8 1/2 Tips for How to Write Opening and Closing Lines: @KMWeiland
Starting a Novel With Setting Description: @Kid_Lit
3 Tips From Being a Failure As An Author: @KelsieEngen
How to Introduce Characters Memorably: 6 Ways: @nownovel

Writing Craft / Characters / Antagonists

Creating the Perfect Villain-Author Toolbox: @ml_keller

Writing Craft / Characters / Development

Character Motivation Entry: Protecting One’s Home or Property: @AngelaAckerman
Women Are People, Too: 6 Ways to Write Better Female Characters: @cameron_chapman @scriptmag
Character Motivation Thesaurus Entry: Escaping a Widespread Disaster: @beccapuglisi
3 Fiction Writing Tips For Beginners: Build Your Characters: @angee

Writing Craft / Common Mistakes

12 Mistakes You Could Make When Creating Narrative Voice: @10MinNovelists
“Writing Career Mistakes I Made So You Don’t Have To”: @annerallen
Don’t Show, Don’t Tell — How to Leave Room for the Reader’s Imagination: by Nils Odlund @mythicscribes

Writing Craft / Dialogue

How to Write Dialogue That Works: @JerryBJenkins
Tips for better dialogue: @teaganberry

Writing Craft / Endings

An Unhappy Ending Is Just A Happy Ending That Gets Yanked Away: @CockeyedCaravan

Writing Craft / Flashback and Back Story

4 Ways to Handle Backstory: @AndreaWriterlea

Writing Craft / Lessons from Books and Film

On the Accidental Origins of Beloved Books: @knownemily

Writing Craft / Miscellaneous

Why Literature and Pop Culture Still Can’t Get the Midwest Right: @aMandolinz @lithub
5 Tips for Creating First Dates for Your Characters: @lisajordan
Things Your Writing Teacher Never Told You: 9 Aspects of Story Promise: by Tina L. Jens @BlackGateDotCom

Writing Craft / Pre-Writing / Plotting

4 Part Story Structure for Fiction: @lornafaith
A Fun Way to Brainstorm Story Ideas: @Janice_Hardy
7 Ways You’re Treating Your Novel Like A Screenplay (And How To Stop): by Hannah Collins

Writing Craft / Pre-Writing / Research

How to Research and Write in a Way Your Fact-Checker Will Appreciate: by Megan Jones @maisonneuvemag
Stop Researching & Get Writing: by Lisa Lepki @ProWritingAid

Writing Craft / Punctuation and Grammar

AP Stylebook Updates: Singular ‘They’ Now Acceptable: @GrammarGirl
5 Errors in Noun-Verb Agreement: @writing_tips

Writing Craft / Revision

How to Edit Your Story Like a New York Publisher: @hodgeswriter
Editing Tips: 7 Smart Ways to Tighten Your Writing: @LisaTener

Writing Craft / Tension

How Do Authors Create Suspense in Writing? @AGHackney
5 Ways You Can Source Great Character Ideas: @Bang2write

Writing Craft / Tropes

5 Bad Tropes to Drop: by Oren Ashkenazi @mythcreants

Writing Craft / Word Crafting

10 Ways To Make Your Words More Beautiful: @10MinNovelists

Writing Tools / Apps

15 Productivity Apps to Help Keep Your Writing Goals on Track: by Wendy Dessler @ProWritingAid

Writing Tools / Resources

A tool for using the appropriate vocabulary in your novel: @GaiaBAmman
The 110 Best Apps, Tools and Resources for Writers in 2017: @geediting

The top writing links of last week are on Twitterific:
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How I Came To Follow My Dream: A Personal Journey

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Writing Routines: Rethinking What Works

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

Routines are wonderful–until they’re not.

I’m a very routine-driven writer. Actually, I’m routine-driven, period.  I’m a lot more productive when I can keep my malfunctioning brain out of my process…if I run on automatic pilot.

I think my changing routines will resonate with any writing parents.

When I had small children, my routine was to write while my son was in elementary school and my daughter was either watching Elmo’s World (she’d only watch 5 minutes of television) or napping.  I’d get my daughter settled and then open up my laptop.

This worked well–until it didn’t.  My daughter stopped taking naps, but she started with preschool. I could write (and do a million other things) while she was in school.

That, naturally, didn’t stay the routine for very long.  Before I knew it, both of my children were in school and I was fitting in writing and editing and building an online platform for myself in between carpools and errands and other things.

Soon they were in different schools with different hours of operation. This meant a couple of different carpools.  I learned to write while in carpool lines.

When they grew older and got up very early for school (the high school late bell is 7:20), I got up an hour before they did to work while the day was still fresh and full of possibilities.  I found that, sometimes, days could be knocked dramatically off-course as the day went on.

We got a new corgi puppy on Friday. :)  I have a feeling that, once again, my morning routines are going to be changing.

Finn

The point is that it’s good to evaluate what works every now and then. I used to think very self-limiting things: I can only work well in the mornings. But then I found the more flexible I could be with my schedule and my writing, the more I could get accomplished.

Over the years, I’ve asked myself:

Besides first thing in the morning (which always works for me), when else can I fit in writing time?

Am I too distracted at home?  If so, is the library or a coffee shop better?

If I write later in the day, how does it go? Is it a good or a bad draft?

Do you ever change up what works? Has anyone else had dramatic changes in what works for them?

Writing routines: re-evaluating what works:
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Twitterific Writing Links

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

A weekly roundup of the best writing links from around the web.

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 see the character and location name generators! 

And…I have a new release!  Cooking is Murder, Myrtle Clover #11, released yesterday.

Creativity and Inspiration / Inspiration

How to Rescue a Book in Danger of Dying: @jennienash
4 Creativity Lessons We Can Learn from David Bowie’s Rich Artistic Career: @businessinrhyme
How to Use a Writer’s Intuition to Strike Creative Gold: @colleen_m_story

Creativity and Inspiration / Inspiration / Reading as Writers

10 Transgressive Fairy Tales for Grown-Ups: @knownemily
A Brief Review of Walls in Literature: @cakesthebrain @The_Millions
10 Times Real Authors Appeared in Science Fiction & Fantasy Books: @jeffreysomers @BNBuzz

Creativity and Inspiration / Productivity / Fitting in Writing

Stop Apologizing for the Delayed Response in Your Emails: @melissadahl

Creativity and Inspiration / Productivity / When to write

How to Create a Morning Writing Habit (video): @ingridsundberg

Creativity and Inspiration / Productivity / Writer’s Block

What To Do When Darkness Keeps You From Writing: @10MinNovelists

Creativity and Inspiration / Success

3 Surefire Ways to Validate Your Book Idea So It Will Sell: @DaveChesson

Creativity and Inspiration / Writing Life

7 Useful Tips For Establishing A Writing Routine: @ClaireABradshaw
The Distracted Writer: @CamilleDiMaio @WomenWriters
Sleep deprivation and creativity: @CSLakin
What makes you a real writer? @Ava_Jae
9 Imaginary Gizmos For Writers Someone Needs To Hurry Up And Invent: @helpfulsnowman
5 Book-Themed Subscription Boxes: @RachelCarterYA @BookTrib

Genres / Fantasy

You Are Not George RR Martin: how to get published in the grimdark era of fantasy: @EdMcDonaldTFK
6 Tips for World Building in Your Fantasy: @Amberinblunderl @WritersDigest

Genres / Horror

How Resident Evil 7 Can Make You a Better Horror Writer: @GiveMeYourTeeth

Genres / Memoir

6 Points To Consider When Writing A Memoir: @thecreativepenn

Genres / Mystery

Writing a Murder Mystery: The Conflict Character: @woodwardkaren
Writing Small Town Cops: Do You Have Barney-Fife-itis? @LeeLofland
Your Character is Ambushed While in a Vehicle: Now What? @meconnick

Genres / Non-Fiction

5 Things Nonfiction Authors Can Get Sued For: by Brad Frazer @JaneFriedman

Genres / Poetry

Committing Prufrock: Poetry Memorization Tips & Memories: @SandraHeskaKing @tspoetry

Genres / Romance

3 Ways to Show That Your Character Is In Love: @BrynDonovan

Genres / Screenwriting

Screenwriting: Why ‘The Circle’ Struggles: @DatingCharacter
7 Ways Reality Would Ruin Famous Movie Scenes: @jmmcnabagain @cracked
Great Scene: “A Few Good Men”: @GoIntoTheStory

Genres / Short Stories

8 Reasons to Avoid the Novel and Focus on Short Stories: @brandontietz
Tips for Ending a Short Story: by Sara Kopeczky

Genres / Young Adult

New Crop of YA Novels Explores Race and Police Brutality: @xanalter @nytimes

Promo / Ads

Advertising For Authors: @pbackwriter @thecreativepenn

Promo / Book Descriptions and Copywriting

8 Book Description A/B Tests: by Ellie Redding @BookBub

Promo / Book Reviews

3 Amazon reader review myths: @sandrabeckwith

Promo / Miscellaneous

Author Marketing Plans: Why Yours Should Be Unique: @karinabilich

Promo / Platforms

Helpful Hacks to Build a Strong Online Brand: @JennyHansenCA

Promo / Podcasts

Podcasts for Writers, SFF, & More: @AuthorSAT

Promo / Social Media Tips

4 Basic Twitter Tips for Writers: @margmizu
How to Use Twitter to Drive More Traffic to Your Blog: by Andrew Pickering @SMExaminer

Promo / Websites

7 Ways to Speed Up Your Author Website: @karinabilich

Publishing / Miscellaneous

Tips for turning your books into audiobooks:
Industry Notes: Sisters in Crime’s Intl Competition; Fodor’s Ingram Distribution: @Porter_Anderson

Publishing / News / Data

‘Screen fatigue’ to blame for slide in e-reading? A ‘data challenged’ report: @Porter_Anderson @stevelotinga

Publishing / News / International Publishing

The IPA’s @michielams in China: ‘We Continue To Push the Literacy Agenda’ @Porter_Anderson
Industry Notes: Bulgaria’s ‘People’s Choice’ Winners;Book Curation and Recommendation Site: @Porter_Anderson
European Commission Makes Amazon Antitrust Commitments Official: @Porter_Anderson @vestager

Publishing / Options / Traditional Publishing

How to Land an Agent for a Self-Published Book: @JaneFriedman
What NOT To Do When Submitting to An Agent: @tessaemilyhall

Publishing / Options / Traditional Publishing / Querying

Top 10 Reasons Why Your Submission May Be Rejected by an Agent: @BookEndsJessica
What an Editor at a Publishing House Looks For: 6 Myths & Truths: @parulmac @WriterUnboxed

Publishing / Options / Traditional Publishing / Rejections

Dealing with rejection: by Michael Alvear @RomanceUniv

Publishing / Process / Formatting

How to Format a Book: 10 Tips Your Editor Wants You To Know: @batwood @thewritelife

Writing Craft / Beginnings

Tips for getting a Book Started: @aimiekrunyan
5 Story Openers to Avoid: @MissConstance21

Writing Craft / Characters / Antagonists

5 Character Types That Make Great Antagonistic Forces: @10MinNovelists

Writing Craft / Characters / Development

Character Development Through Music: @alisongmyers

Writing Craft / Characters / Protagonists

What Does Your Protagonist Want? (And Why Can’t He Have It?) @LisaEBetz
How To Give Your Hero Some Personality: by Hannah Collins @standoutbooks
Characters Who Drive a Story: @JamiGold

Writing Craft / Common Mistakes

The Most Common Entry-Level Mistake in the Writing Game: @storyfix @JaneFriedman

Writing Craft / Conflict

Tension vs. Conflict (Hint: They aren’t the Same Thing): @SeptCFawkes

Writing Craft / Dialogue

The Dos and Don’ts of Dialogue Tags: @HelenaFairfax

Writing Craft / Diversity

How To Write Better Diverse Characters: @Bang2write

Writing Craft / Drafts

Writing more effortlessly: @angee
Lit. fiction writer Ron Rash’s process: by Allison Futterman @TheWriterMag

Writing Craft / Flashback and Back Story

7 Tips On How To Deal With Backstory: @patverducci

Writing Craft / Lessons from Books and Film

3 Reasons for Writers to Watch Hacksaw Ridge @SiouxR
Between Classes: 6 Novels About Young Women in College: @BerryFLW

Writing Craft / Miscellaneous

Is A Creative Writing Degree Worth Your Time (And Money)? by Hannah Collins @standoutbooks
How Long Should Your Book Be? 272 #1 Bestsellers Were Analyzed to Find Out: @bookinaboxco
Become a more intuitive writer: @RoseannaMWhite

Writing Craft / Pre-Writing / Outlining

5 Steps to Building an Outline: @cgriffinauthor

Writing Craft / Pre-Writing / Plotting

3 Ways to Add Depth to a Novel: @JodyHedlund
What Does It Mean to Move the Plot? @KMWeiland

Writing Craft / Pre-Writing / Research

Medical Info for Writers: Injury Profiles: Sprained Ankle: @scriptmedic
Unconventional Research Sites for Writers: @WordDreams

Writing Craft / Punctuation and Grammar

5 Types of Conditionals: @writing_tips
To Capitalize or Not to Capitalize? @paperblanks

Writing Craft / Revision

The Emotional Roller Coaster Of Revisions: @FreshInkEdit
Surviving the Dank and Lonely Editing Cave: @LindseyMF @WomenWriters
Revision: Steps to Tame Your Novel: @emma_darwin
Are You Creating Complexity or Chaos in Your Writing? @ShannaSwendson

Writing Craft / Settings and Description

16 Questions About Body Language & Appearance For Your Character: @10MinNovelists
Storytelling Through Costume: The Woman in White: @gaileyfrey @tordotcom

The top writing links of last week are on Twitterific:
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Remember the Little Things During Revision

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

I read a lot of blog posts about revision and most of them are focusing on the big things: arc, character development, conflict, etc.

This is a post to remind writers about the little things.

As time has gone on and I’ve written more books, I’ve been much better about catching the small-but-important stuff–now, as I’m writing it in the first draft.

But it used to be something that my editors had to point out to me.

What are the little things? For me, they’re like tiny little plot holes.  And frequently, they’re involved with a subplot instead of the main plot (for me, solving the murder mystery).

For example. Say you have a subplot involving a minor aggravation for your protagonist–something to make her feel tense and add to the general stresses she’s experiencing. Her lawnmower is broken and her yard is a disaster and she’s supposed to host a dinner party (where someone ends up dead).

The dinner party happens (with guests hiking through the underbrush to the front door). There’s a mysterious death.  The sleuth investigates.

But at some point, her yard man comes by and heroically mows the yard.

The sleuth needs to interview her next door neighbor to get details on the deadly dinner party from a guest’s perspective.

If the next door neighbor makes no comment about the yard or if the sleuth doesn’t apologize about the terrible state the yard had previously been in…it just doesn’t add up.

These kinds of tiny plot holes are easy to create.  If you’re like me, you can get very single-minded in terms of the main plot and want to focus exclusively on it.

Sometimes, to help juggle the bits and pieces, I keep a list of things that are happening in the background or off-stage in my story. And yes, these are random bits of story, but not mentioning them again can leave a reader with that ‘something isn’t tied up feeling.’ My list can include everything from ‘Puddin said she’d take up PT exercises’ to ‘Elaine’s new hobby is restoration’ to ‘the yard was a horrible mess and now looks a ton better.’ It can be helpful to make note of these things as you write them.

Do you ever have trouble remembering tiny bits of subplots? How do you manage them?

Photo credit: phatcontroller via VisualHunt / CC BY-NC

 

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Expanding into Audio

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

When I was a traditionally-published author, I remember my frustration that I didn’t hold any audiobook rights.

My publisher held them, but never exploited them. And I regularly had readers asking if they could listen to my books.

When ACX first opened to independent authors, I jumped at the chance to have my self-published novels in audio format. The main thing that I was worried about was the cost. I was delighted to discover that I could choose an option where my only cost was to have my cover adapted into a square for audio. That’s the royalty-share option (more on that, below).

Since then, most of my self-published books are in audio. I get a nice amount of income each month–comparable to my US print sales each month.

Last year was a good year for audiobooks for traditional publishers, too. The Association of American Publishers reported that downloaded audio revenue was up 29.2%.

Even serialized reading platform Wattpad is getting into the audiobook game, partnering with Hachette to produce 50 audiobooks of their stories for a summer release.

There are a few questions you should ask yourself before diving into audiobooks. 

Do you want to go through ACX (which distributes your audiobook to Audible, Amazon and iTunes) or someone else?

Do you want to try narrating your own book, or are you looking for a professional?

How long is your book (longer books will take longer to produce and a narrator would cost more if you paid upfront).

Will you pay your narrator upfront or choose a royalty share option?

If you’re leery about ACX (more on their rights grab and pricing control below), there are other options. Author’s Republic is becoming an increasingly popular choice.  To learn more about what they offer, read this piece by Meaghan Sansom from Author’s Republic, guest posting on the blog for the Alliance of Independent Authors and this post on the same blog by writer Katherine Hayton with more details.  I’ve also heard that some authors use CD Baby/Alliance CD . Mark Williams from the International Indie Author Facebook Group has mentioned considering opportunities in translation for foreign sales of audiobooks (ACX has this capability, as does Ubook (Mark states they operate out of Brazil and offer audiobooks in Portuguese and Spanish).

I’ve found the ACX process easy.  You search for your book and claim it on their site. You verify you have the audio rights. Then you submit your book for auditions (you’ll provide a page or two for the auditioning narrators).  ACX will ask you to choose the type of voice you’re looking for.  You’ll state if you’re looking for a royalty share arrangement or will pay upfront.  If you’re looking for a royalty share, it’s important to know that the risk is on the narrator’s end…it’s a huge time investment for them to narrate.  If your book is less of a risk (is successful, is part of a successful series), that’s good to state in your pitch in the ‘additional comments’ section.  ACX will notify you via email when you’ve received auditions. You’ll listen and choose a narrator.  The contract is a standard electronic version that ACX creates (you fill in certain stipulations: payment arrangements (by the hour or royalty share), deadlines for completion, etc.  All business is conducted through ACX’s message system/portal. The narrators function as producers–they edit and upload the audiobook for review.

ACX does hold onto our rights for seven years and they do control pricing.  Those are the downsides.  With my royalty share agreements, I split my royalties 50-50 with my narrator. But if I hadn’t chosen the royalty-share, I wouldn’t have any audiobooks at all…and now I receive regular income from ACX.

More information on getting on ACX in this post of mine from 2013 (the only thing that’s really changed is the stipend program–that’s either completely suspended or greatly reduced).

Have you considered releasing your books as audiobooks? Are you an audiobook listener?  If your books are in audio format, what are your thoughts so far?

Turning Your Books Into Audiobooks:
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