Riley Adams's Blog, page 92
March 16, 2017
Elizabeth Spann Craig
March 13, 2017
Getting Our Books into US and International Libraries
by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig
I’ve always felt it was important to get my books in libraries. That’s not only because I like the idea of being discovered there (I’ll take readers however I can find them), but because libraries have always been a place where I felt recharged.
My trad-published books are in quite a few libraries (you can always see where your books are if you look on WorldCat) , but I really wanted my Myrtle series there.
Now when I look at WorldCat, I see my Myrtle Books in libraries scattered around the US.
Now that I’ve expanded my distribution through OverDrive (via the aggregator PublishDrive), my books are available in international libraries, too.
Are libraries using OverDrive? They certainly are in the US. Last year, a record number of libraries surpassed one million downloads of ebooks and audiobooks with OverDrive.
It’s nice having them available internationally, too. Of course, just because they’re available overseas doesn’t mean things are taking off there. I’ve had 204 sales on OverDrive since late-November and 169 of those were in US libraries.
Mark Williams of the International Indie Author recommends that we take things a step farther and contact the libraries who have ordered our books to introduce ourselves and let them know that we have other books available.
OverDrive makes our books available in a variety of formats for readers, including Kindle, epub, and PDF.
Also worth a mention are the library platforms available through Smashwords. Unfortunately, I haven’t enjoyed the sales there that I have at OverDrive, but it’s another option for writers. Smashwords distributes to Bibliotheca CloudLibrary, OverDrive (although self-published titles are segregated in the catalog, to my understanding, which is why I’m using PublishDrive), Baker & Taylor Axis 360, Gardners (or Askews & Holts and VLeBooks for academic libraries) and Odilo.
For many years, self-published writers have tried and failed to get their books into libraries. An important reason that this was difficult was because acquisition librarians must order books through their usual purchasing channels/vendors (they don’t ordinarily order directly from the publisher). Fortunately for us, OverDrive is one of these channels. Through these vendors, we can reach libraries in the US, Canada, Australia, and United Kingdom.
Have you tried OverDrive? Have you looked for your books on WorldCat?
Getting our books into libraries worldwide:
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Image via Visual Hunt
The post Getting Our Books into US and International Libraries appeared first on Elizabeth Spann Craig.
March 11, 2017
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!
Business / Miscellaneous
The Benefits of Writing Your Own Weekly, Monthly, and Annual Reviews: @BelleBCooper
Streamlining Your Writing Business to Become a More Profitable Author: @GoblinWriter
Patricia Cornwell Tracks the Ripper: Powered by ‘Kindle in Motion’: @Porter_Anderson @1pcornwell
Should Writers Be Paid For Everything? @CallieOettinger @SPressfield
Combatting Counterfeit Print Textbooks @Porter_Anderson
Conferences and Events / Miscellaneous
Turning 30, Hay Festival Announces Special Projects: @Porter_Anderson
Creativity and Inspiration / Inspiration
A Notebook is a good place to have bad ideas: @austinkleon
Your Muse’s Secret Identity: @RuthanneReid
Creativity and Inspiration / Parenting and Writing
Overcoming Mom Guilt: Why 1 Writer Un-Quit: @AnnetteLyon
Creativity and Inspiration / Perfectionism
For better writing, release your perfectionism: @elainefbayless
Creativity and Inspiration / Productivity / Writing Quickly
Breaking a procrastination habit: @pubcoach
Productivity as a Way of Being: @CSLakin
Creativity and Inspiration / Writing Life
Treadmill Desks and Productivity for Writers: @abbiperets
How to Work with Your Personality to Make Writing Easier: @marciasmantras @colleen_m_story
What You Need to Know About Potential Laptop Dangers: @colleen_m_story
Self-Care When Life is Exhausting: @Ava_Jae
7 Ways To Support Your Local Library Right Now: @thebooksluts
How To Write When The World Is Overwhelming: @judyblackcloud
Creativity and Inspiration / Writing Spaces
Do You Have the Writing Space You Need? @RosanneBane
Genres / Mystery
Alfred Hitchcock on Dead Bodies: @blankonblank
The ‘wrongly convicted person’ trope in crime fiction: @mkinberg
Crime Writing: 6 Tips: Crime Scene Investigation: @LeeLofland
Genres / Non-Fiction
Nonfiction scene-building secrets from the pros: @ryangvancleave
Genres / Poetry
9 Poets to Remember during Women’s History Month: @My_poetic_side @DanielleMohlman
Genres / Romance
Relationship Deal Breakers: What to Keep In Mind When Constructing Characters: @FionaQuinnBooks
Promo / Ads
Selling Books Through Social Media Vs. Selling Books Through Ads: @MarcyKennedy
7 Keys to Facebook Ad Success: @jonloomer
Promo / Back matter
Your Author Bio–Does it Help Sales or Stop them Dead? @annerallen
Promo / Connecting with Readers
3 Free Book-Marketing Tools to Discover Who Your Readers Are: @DaveChesson
Promo / Miscellaneous
7 Top Book Marketing Tips from DBW 2017: @DianaUrban
A 10-step book launch plan to outrank bestselling authors: @Creativindie
Promo / Social Media Tips
Why Facebook Needs to Create a Secret Profile Option for Authors: @cksyme
A revamped Evernote Mobile Helps Writers Be More Productive on the Go: @MichaelHyatt
Promo / Speaking
Expert tips for author school visits: @MelissaMHart
Promo / Websites
How to Promote Your Book on Your Website: @karinabilich
5 Basic Steps to Secure Your WordPress Website: @thDigitalReader
Publishing / Miscellaneous
10 Trends in Publishing for 2017: @WrittenWordM
2017 Writing Contests: Vetted and Curated by @ReedsyHQ
“Going Wide”: Gaining Traction on Kobo: @AngelaQuarles
Free Readings From Cambridge University Press for Intl Women’s Day: @Porter_Anderson @pubperspectives
POD vs Offset Options for Authors @selfpubreview
Publishing / News / International Publishing
How to advertise your e-book deals and freebies on the German e-book market: @PubInGermany
Feminist Press: YZ Chin Named Louise Meriwether Prize Recipient: @Porter_Anderson @killerlibrarian
New Self-Publishing Platform, Type & Tell: Authors Keep 100 Percent of Royalties: @Porter_Anderson
Sam Coates Wins First Deborah Rogers Foundation Bursary: @Coatessr @Porter_Anderson
Open for Nominations, IPA’s 2017 Prix Voltaire Is Attracting Many Asian Submissions: @Porter_Anderson
Nielsen’s BookInsights and London Book Fair’s Quantum: Collaborative Conferencing @Porter_Anderson
Frankfurt Book Fair’s Fellowship Program Is Open for 2017 Applications: @Porter_Anderson
Publishing / Options / Traditional Publishing
Hearing “No” From Agents and Pubs Can Lead to “Yes”: by Mya Kay Douglas
Publishing / Options / Traditional Publishing / Rejections
The Year 1 Writer Gave Up Submitting to Literary Magazines: @AnnetteGendler @WomenWriters
Publishing / Process / Author Assistants
How Hiring an Author Assistant Can Boost Book Sales: @AuthorRx
Publishing / Process / Distribution
Checking up on book distributors: @HollowLandsBook
Publishing / Process / Formatting
Styling Priorities: CSS for Ebooks: by David Kudler @JFbookman
Writing Craft / Beginnings
Story Beginnings: Creating the Right First Impression: @shaila_writes
Writing Craft / Characters / Development
5 ways to know your character better: @LisaEBetz
6 Ways to Get Into Your Character’s Head: @BookishSarahFox
Writing Craft / Characters / Emotion
How to Write Compelling Feelings in Fiction Narrative: @Kid_Lit
Writing Craft / Common Mistakes
Flog a Pro: would you pay to turn the first page of this bestseller? @RayRhamey
How to Keep Readers Happy When Your Character’s Unlikeable: by Holly Brown @WriterUnboxed
How to Write First-Person Internalization: @Janice_Hardy
Writing Tips: 7 Steps to Stop Overwriting: @bookishcharlie @thecreativepenn
Passive Voice: It’s Easy to Fix with This Writing Tip: @kwidenhouse
Are you undermining the reader-protagonist relationship with your writing? @Kid_Lit
Why ‘Less Is More’ in Your Story: @patverducci
Writing Craft / Dialogue
Spelling Accents in Fiction: @NovelEditor
Writing Craft / Flashback and Back Story
Tips for Better Backstory: @LisaCron
Writing Craft / Lessons from Books and Film
5 Tips For Writing Vivid Fiction From Edgar Allan Poe: @Writers_Write
5 Space Stations at the Edge of Space and Time: @nataliezutter
5 Great Books Featuring Mentally Ill Mothers: by Jennie Yabroff @SignatureReads
7 Tips from Edgar Allan Poe on Writing Vivid Stories and Poems: @jdmagness @openculture
Great Scene: “This is Spinal Tap”: @GoIntoTheStory
Writing Craft / Miscellaneous
4 Strategies to Make it Through the Dreaded Middle of Your Story: @Magic_Violinist
6 Steps to a Subversive Surprise: by Chris Winkle @mythcreants
How to Liven Up Your Mentor Character: by Savannah Grace @GoTeenWriters
There are No Throwaway Details: @p2p_editor
Writing and the Power of Association: by Nils Odlund
Investigative Journalists Are Storytellers, Too: @amzoltai
Writing Craft / Pre-Writing / Naming
Naming Characters: 5 Steps to find Character Names: @nownovel
Writing Craft / Pre-Writing / Outlining
5 New ideas for outlining stories: by 1000 Story Ideas
Writing Craft / Pre-Writing / Plotting
The Most Important Question in Storytelling: “Why?” @JamiGold
Writing Craft / Pre-Writing / Research
Getting the most from your research photography: @SusanSpann
Writing Craft / Punctuation and Grammar
Punctuation Quiz: Appositives: @writing_tips
Writing Craft / Revision
Simplify Your Writing: Avoid These 44 Overused Words & Phrases: @Writers_Write
How to Straighten Your Story’s Spine: @HeatherJacksonW
Writing Craft / Revisions / Critiques
4 Truths to Change Your Perspective on the Writer/Editor Relationship: @jessicastrawser
Writing Craft / Scenes / Conflict
Creating Realistic Fight Scenes: @AJHumpage
Writing Craft / Settings and Description
Story Setting: Real vs. Fictional: @ZoeMMcCarthy
Description: Finding the Write Balance: @KristenLambTX
Writing Craft / Special Needs
Wheelchair Users in Fiction: Examining the Single Narrative: @PunkinOnWheels
Writing, brotherhood, and the narrative of autism: @mattmastricova @ElectricLit
Writing Craft / Tension
4 Types of Tension to Use in Your Story: @ceciliaedits
From My Blog and Uncategorized
Twitterific Writing Links – by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig A weekly roundup of the best writing links …
Gaining Newsletter Subscribers With Instafreebie – by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig I’ve been using Ins…
Agents who charge for query and page evaluations are behaving unethically: @Janet_Reid
Selling to Readers on Etsy – by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig I’ve always heard that smart writers think…
The top writing links of last week are on Twitterific:
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March 9, 2017
Selling to Readers on Etsy
by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig
I’ve always heard that smart writers think beyond the story in terms of book marketing. Publishing expert Richard Nash has called it the”commodification of the book” as cited in this interview with Jane Friedman. He mentions methods of connecting with super fans in the post. But I was always more interested in the personalization of books (signed copies, personal inscriptions) or maybe book-related merchandise.
In a recent Facebook post, Mark Williams of The International Indie Author mentioned selling on e-commerce site Etsy. I had never in a million years considered making my books available on Etsy. Etsy is the site where I buy crafts and jewelry for my daughter or sister or other family member. And yet…I know writing is a craft. Somehow it just didn’t connect with me that I could set up a shop there.
Things to consider:
There are points to consider when you’re listing your book.
For one, you can go the non-personalized path and choose to list digital copies of your books–they will deliver those.
But to me it makes much more sense to list printed books that can be signed and/or personalized. You could also create a bundle for a special rate.
When considering pricing, you need to factor in your own costs. How close are you to the post office? How much will shipping materials cost you? How much do the books cost you to receive from CreateSpace (including shipping).
Setting up the shop:
It’s pretty easy to set up a shop there. If you’re familiar with any social media platform at all, the process at Etsy will seem fairly intuitive. I set mine up in probably 30 minutes and I’ve no talent in the design arena. (You can see my shop here, if you’re looking for an example).
You set up a header at the top of the page, an avatar for your shop, and upload your (‘owner”) profile.
You pay attention to keywords that will help your shop get discovered.
You can copy/paste your About page to Etsy and add pictures of you at work writing, at events, etc.
You list where you can be found around the web.
You can upload videos to the site.
Etsy helps with calculating shipping and your shop policy/return policy.
I’d recommend taking each of your books, in the packaging you plan on using, to the post office to weigh each one to make sure Etsy’s shipping calculator is accurate for readers.
Fees for Selling on Etsy
You can find a listing of all their fees here. Basically, it’s 20 cents a month for each item you list and then 3.5% of the selling price of whatever we sell. That commission they take is pretty small, compared to Amazon, for instance. Here is Etsy’s Seller Policy.
Unfortunately, as of the writing of this post, I haven’t yet made any sales. But I haven’t promoted my shop there, either. I plan on listing the link on my website and social media when I get the chance.
Do you sell autographed books or merchandise to readers? Are you on Etsy?
Photo credit: indrarado via VisualHunt / CC BY-NC-SA
The post Selling to Readers on Etsy appeared first on Elizabeth Spann Craig.
March 5, 2017
Gaining Newsletter Subscribers With Instafreebie
by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig
I’ve been using InstaFreebie since July of last year, but my use was limited to a convenient method of distributing free ebooks to readers or reviewers (and having InstaFreebie’s support to assist readers with any problems).
A short while afterward, I started using InstaFreebie as part of organized multi-author giveaways (there was an author assistant for a group of cozy writers who set it up). I was in a couple of those and my mailing list grew to the point where I needed to get a paid account with MailChimp.
After reading numerous posts on how InstaFreebie was helpful, long-term, for growing a newsletter list, I decided to alter my approach on the account. I’m not one of those who likes to send out lots of emails to my newsletter list, so I decided to use InstaFreebie as more of a discovery tool. (And I’d like to note that I’m not affiliated with InstaFreebie in any way.)
I started their 30-day free trial, integrated InstaFreebie to my MailChimp list (they provide directions on how to do this). Then I promptly forgot about it.
Despite forgetting about it, I was steadily making gains to my list. I logged into InstaFreebie shortly before the end of my free trial for a totally different reason (to send a free book to a reader who was having technical issues with my newsletter signup) and discovered to my surprise that I had gained 82 new subscribers without having promoted the giveaway whatsoever. Or even remembering that I had a giveaway to begin with.
Pros that I found:
Crossover between series. I deliberately picked a book from my quilting mystery series since I wanted to grow the crossover from my Myrtle series to my quilting series. Previously I’d noticed readers were loyal to my Myrtle series and reluctant to try something new. I’ll do the same for my Myrtle series next.
Better than running ads. Advertising on Facebook is complex and, for best results, requires lots of checkins and tweaking. Here I just left a giveaway completely open and gained new subscribers daily.
My unsubscribes and bounces were low. I had no unsubscribes, even though I happened to have a release come out during the free trial period and sent an email out regarding it.
I didn’t have to bug anyone on my list. Writers frequently fuss at me over this one, but I simply hate sending newsletters. I really, really do. I try to limit sending newsletters to my releases (which are several times a year).
All of the above findings were great. However! This is not the best way to utilize InstaFreebie. The site is more likely to feature you/your giveaways if they see you’re tagging them on social media, for instance. As I will do when I tweet this post. And those multi-author giveaways/cross promotions can result in hundreds of additional names on your list instead of daily small gains. But for the purposes of this post and any other reluctant newsletter-senders, I’d like to point out that we can use InstaFreebie completely passively, too. Is this a best practice? No. Does it still work? It has for me so far.
Pricing
If you want to use InstaFreebie as I originally did (as a tool to distribute free books to readers and reviewers…with support), you could just use the free plan.
If you’re wanting to use the site to increase the number of your newsletter subscribers, you will need a paid plan. I’d recommend trying it for 30 days free and see what you think. Then you can upgrade or pass.
Here are the details of the various pricing plans available. Right now, I’m on the plus plan, but I have a reminder on my calendar to check back and see if the subscriber numbers are worth it.
How do you gain newsletter subscribers? Have you tried InstaFreebie?
Using InstaFreebie to Gain Newsletter Subscribers:
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Photo via VisualHunt.com
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March 4, 2017
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 39,000 free articles on writing related topics. It’s the search engine for writers.
Business / Miscellaneous
Why You Should Track Your Book Sales + Free Sales Tracker Template: by Fix My Story
The Unpredictable Nature of a Writing Career @Ava_Jae
Writing Income: What 1 Writer Made in 2016: @KameronHurley
6 Basic Tech Skills Every Author Must Learn: @carlaking
Make Art and Make Money at the Same Time: @monicaleonelle @lornafaith
Writer Finances Versus The Paycheck World: @KristineRusch
Creativity and Inspiration / Goal setting
3 Ways to Keep Writing Resolutions: by Kirsti Call @WritersRumpus
Creativity and Inspiration / Inspiration
Creating Playlists for Your Writing: @FinishedPages
Creativity and Inspiration / Inspiration / Quotes
5 Rules for a Successful Writing Life from Maya Angelou: @JennyHansenCA
Creativity and Inspiration / Productivity / Writer’s Block
Common Creative Roadblocks for Empaths: @CreativeKatrina
5 Helpful Tools To Combat Writer’s Block: by Jamie Rotante @AmReadingDotCom
Are There Story Elements You Avoid Writing? @JamiGold
Creativity and Inspiration / Productivity / Writing Quickly
3 Tips To Counter Procrastination In Writing: @rsmollisonread
3 Reasons To Write Every Day: @Mad_Hat_Writer
The Benefits of Writing Rituals: @Mad_Hat_Writer
The blank page: conquering your fears: @Roz_Morris
Creativity and Inspiration / Writing Life
Write it Forward: 5 Ways to Stay Positive: @AJBanner1 @WomenWriters
What Your Font Choice Says About You: @paperblanks
11 words whose meanings have completely changed over time: @sesquiotic @TheWeek
Stress or Burnout? How They’re Different and Why You Need to Know: @RuthHarrisBooks
The Peculiar Pain of Data Loss: @MarchMcCarron
Stephen King on putting writing in perspective: @zenpencils
Genres / Fantasy
For Fantasy Writers: Top 10 Books To Improve Your Writing: by Aaron Miles
Potions, Alchemy, & Apothecaries: Inspirations from the Real World: @NicolaAlter
Genres / Memoir
5 Lessons to Be Learned While Writing a Memoir: @sheilakohler
When memoir becomes a different book: @Belinda_Pollard
Genres / Miscellaneous
5 Things Learned When Switching Genres: @KMWeiland
Genres / Mystery
How to Write Better Villains: 5 Ways to Get Into the Mind of a Psychopath: @peterjamesuk
Crime Writing: What Happens to the Body After Death? @SueColetta1
Crime fiction: when minding your own business can still get you into trouble: @mkinberg
Genres / Picture Books
The Top 10 Myths About Writing Children’s Books: @HighlightsFound
Genres / Romance
Making A Case for Romance: @LovettRomance
In fiction, “I love you” has to come in subtext, not text: @SPressfield
Genres / Screenwriting
Screenwriting: Set Pieces: Spin the plot: @GoIntoTheStory
Script Analysis: “Arrival”: Scene By Scene Breakdown: @GoIntoTheStory
Genres / Short Stories
Are short stories ever considered by agents? @Janet_Reid
Promo / Blogging
4 Content Syndication Strategies for Bloggers: @WordStream
5 Bad Reasons for Authors to Blog and 5 Good Ones: @annerallen
Promo / Book Descriptions and Copywriting
Writing an Effective Book Description: @woodwardkaren
Profanity in a book title? by Jeff Wheeland @ReedsyHQ
Promo / Book Reviews
Moving Past A Negative Review: @Bookgal
10 Times Book Reviewers Totally Got It Wrong: by Kathy Gates @AmReadingDotCom
Promo / Connecting with Readers
Using Pew Research Stats to Find Your Readers Online: @CaballoFrances
+127 of Best Book Promotion Sites and Submission Tools: Free and Paid @DaveChesson
Promo / Miscellaneous
Book Promotion: Do This, Not That: @NewShelvesBooks
Lessons From a Debut Novelist’s 1st Year of Book Marketing: @EmilyWenstrom
The Art of the Media Pitch for Indie Authors: @Bookgal
How to Set Clear Goals and Objectives for Your Book Launch: @bkmkting
Why Your Book Marketing Is Not Working (podcast): @cksyme
What’s Your Story About? A Way to Quickly Explain: @SharonKurtzman1
Author Tip Sheet: The Whys and Hows: @karinabilich
Promo / Newsletters
Why You Should Use Both Autoresponders and a Broadcast: @SeanPlatt
Promo / Platforms
5 Tips for Building Your Author Brand: by S.C. Sharman @mythicscribes
Promo / Social Media Tips
Extend Your Blog’s Reach with Instagram: @sarahblackstock @postaday
5 Mistakes Authors Make on Social Media: by Michael Cristiano
A roundup of writers’ opinions whether to be political on social media: @dsantat @leewind
Twitter for Writers & Editors: @Belinda_Pollard
Promo / Speaking
How to Create a Speaker One-Sheet: @loishoffmanDE
Promo / Websites
Your Author Page: 5 Questions to Ask Yourself: @karinabilich
Publishing / Miscellaneous
Andy Weir’s (@andyweirauthor) ‘The Martian’ Gets Classroom-Friendly Makeover: @xanalter @nytimes
DRM (Digital Rights Management): What You Need to Know: by Xavier Davis @BookWorksNYC
Libraries and Bookstores Are Getting Into Indie Publishing: @rcutlerSpark
Publishing / News / International Publishing
‘Immediate Release’ of Authors, Journalists: Petition Delivered to German Government: @Porter_Anderson
Rights Watch: An Israeli Agency’s Bologna Picks for Young Readers: @Porter_Anderson
Publishing Startups: BuzzTrace Looks To Track Authors’ Social Networking: @Porter_Anderson
Publishing / Options / Traditional Publishing / Querying
When to include “why I wrote this book” in a query: @Janet_Reid
Publishing / Process / Book Design
Anatomy of a book cover: @KarlaLant @99designs
Publishing / Process / Services to Avoid
When your agent wants to charge you a fee: @JaneLebak
Writing Craft / Beginnings
2 Tips For Introducing Your Protagonist: @KathrynR47
Writing Craft / Characters / Arc
How to Write Character Arcs: @KMWeiland
Unpacking the “Character-Driven” Story—How to Make Your Story Sizzle: @KristenLambTX
Writing Craft / Characters / Development
How to Find Your Character’s Voice: @Janice_Hardy
Writing Craft / Characters / Protagonists
3 Simple Ways to Create Memorable Lead Characters: @JerryBJenkins
Creating An Unforgettable Protagonist: @Writers_Write
Writing Craft / Characters / Supporting Characters
4 Core Components of an Awesome Sidekick Character: @RobinRWrites
Writing Craft / Common Mistakes
5 Common Mistakes 1 Editor Sees: @ceciliaedits
10 Things Which Most Often Go Wrong With Beginners’ Fiction: @emma_darwin
How to show not tell in fiction: @jasonbougger
Writing Craft / Endings
Letting Your Story End at the End: @DiannaLGunn
Writing Craft / Lessons from Books and Film
16 Tempestuous Tales of Weather Magic: by Stubby the Rocket @tordotcom
Writing Craft / Miscellaneous
Creating breaks in the action can make your story: @willvanstonejr
4 Ways A Twist Ending Can Ruin Your Story: @InkyBites
Do you really need 10,000 hours to be a good writer? @pubcoach
Working through a novel, problem by problem: by Shawn Coyne
10 Essential Tips to Improve Your Writing Style: @hodgeswriter
How James Patterson learned to become a better writer: @rxena77
How To Write An Epic Battle Scene by Hannah Collins @standoutbooks
Ten Rules of Writing: @amitavakumar
Writing Craft / Plot Holes
How to Fill Plot Holes in Your Novel: @Janice_Hardy
Writing Craft / Pre-Writing / Plotting
Deepen Your Story With Character Misdirection: @KMWeiland
5 Plot Points to Help Finish the First Draft: @cstevenmanley
Writing Craft / Pre-Writing / Research
How To Research Your Novel … And When To Stop: @thecreativepenn
Writing Craft / Pre-Writing / Story Beats
A Pre-Writing Exercise: Blocking out the Scene: @MarchMcCarron
Writing Craft / Punctuation and Grammar
3 Examples of Misplaced Modifiers: @writing_tips
5 More Sentences Rendered More Concise: @writing_tips
Writing Craft / Revision
4 rounds of editing: @LoriRobinett
Editing Tips: Top 3 Scene Issues: @NaomiLHughes
6 Easy Ways to Clean Up Your Own Manuscript: @KristenLambTX
Writing Craft / Revisions / Critiques
Making the Most of Beta Readers: @markcoker
3 Reasons to Find and Join a Local Writer’s Group: @terrywhalin
If You Can’t Find Beta Readers: @JamiGold
Writing Craft / Scenes
Figure Out What’s Working in Your Scene, and What Isn’t: @Astrohaus
Writing Craft / Series / Series Bible
How to Create A Series Bible for Your Fiction: @lornafaith
Writing Craft / Settings and Description
Describing Your Character: How To Make Each Detail Count: @AngelaAckerman
Writing Tools / Resources
Why You Should Read About Writing: @KelsieEngen
6 Inspirational and Informative Writing Podcasts: @woodwardkaren
From My Blog
Twitterific Writing Links – by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig A weekly roundup of the best writing links …
Why I’m Turning Trad-Pub Deals Down – by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig I’ve been asked by writers and ot…
Gathering Sales Data with Book Report – by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig I’ve recently been hearing a lo…
The post Twitterific Writing Links appeared first on Elizabeth Spann Craig.
March 2, 2017
Gathering Sales Data with Book Report
by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig
I’ve recently been hearing a lot about a tool called ‘Book Report.’ It is a bookmarklet that you add to your browser (it’s easy to install) that interprets sales data for Amazon. Since I’m always looking for a better way for data to make sense to me (I was an English major), I decided to give it a go last week. Especially since they had a free trial.
I was pleased with the information I was able to pull with Book Report (and I’ve no association/affiliation with the product).
Helpful Uses for the Tool:
Sales trends. Are sales trending up or down the last couple of months? The last year?
Easily see which series is selling best. Wondering if you should drop a series? This tool can give you a closer look at how an overall series is doing (and which books in the series are doing best).
Historical sales. You can see your sales from the very beginning, which is very nice–mine reached back to 2011. This can be very gratifying, especially if you’ve been in the business for a while and you feel as if you’re not sure if you can justify the time you spend writing. You can also found how much money a particular title has made since being published.
Quickly see which books are lagging and might need a boost via sales or ads. I was surprised to see that books that have historically been high-performers had dropped off. Although I could find this information on KDP, the visual approach on Book Report (especially with the larger number of titles I have) makes it easier for me to digest.
What it doesn’t do:
It doesn’t analyze your sales at other distributors/retailers, so be prepared to get a recap of Amazon.
Security
They have put some thought into security and don’t ask for your password for Amazon. They encrypt your sales data. You don’t have to set up a login or password for Book Report. You don’t have to give them a credit card number for your free trial. Here is a link to their privacy policy.
Pricing (direct from their site).
Free for everyone for the first two weeks. See how much you can learn from your data.
Free for everyone earning less than $1000/month on KDP.
$10/month if you’re finished your trial and you earned more than $1000 last month.
It’s that simple. We also won’t ask you any unnecessary questions at checkout – like your real name or your address – because we respect your privacy.
I also saw that high-earners could purchase annual subscriptions for $100, a discounted rate from the monthly.
For more information on the bookmarklet, click here (and then click ‘learn more’ under the blue ‘Get Book Report Now’ button)
Have you tried Book Report yet? How does data play a role in your writing?
A closer look at Book Report for getting sales data:
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February 26, 2017
Why I’m Turning Trad-Pub Deals Down
by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig
I’ve been asked by writers and others if I’d ever query traditional publishers again.
As a matter of fact, I’ve gotten queried by traditional publishers a couple of times in the past year. I’m not really sure why, since there now seem to be many cozy writers out there. I’ve politely rejected them.
It’s not that I had a bad trad-pub experience. It’s just that I’ve had a better self-pub experience.
Reasons I’ve decided to stick with self-publishing:
I make more money writing independently of a publisher. This is by far the top reason. I even made more self-publishing a few books than I did with more traditionally published books on the shelves.
I exploit all my rights and publish my book in a variety of formats or internationally. I can expand my reach to find more readers. Publishers frequently hold onto your international, audio book rights, etc.
I can make changes to my self-published books. Sometimes I’ll hear from readers about formatting or typos in my trad-published books…and it’s very frustrating knowing there’s nothing I can do.
I can make changes to my online profiles at the retailers and distributors I deal directly with. I had to deal with a lot of red tape to even get my photo up on Penguin Random House’s site last week. I was stunned to find it wasn’t up there. After all, I’ve written for the publisher since 2010 and my photo was available to them for the backs of the books.
The only reason I was able to jump through the hoops and get the picture uploaded was because an employee at Penguin for the Berkley imprint went above and beyond the call of duty as a conduit between me and the art department. My Memphis books aren’t listed or linked to on the page…they’re stranded in some sort of Nowhere Land without an author bio or picture, but at this point I don’t have the time to deal with it. Plus, my Riley Adams profile there has no bio or picture.
I can run promotions on books with lagging sales. I can make a book free. I can give a book away to gain newsletter subscribers (and then inform them of new releases for later sales gains). I can run quick weekend sales to make my books more visible on retail sites.
I can devote all my time and best ideas to the series that will pay me best. If I wrote an additional series for a trade publisher, I wouldn’t have as much time to devote to my other series. I felt at the end of my traditional publishing that I was saving my best ideas for my ‘own’ books.
I don’t feel the need to prove anything. Originally, it did feel good to be validated by a gatekeeper…I was a newer writer and I needed that. Now, I prefer reader validation. It’s ultimately more valuable.
I have price control. If I switched back to traditional publishing, my readers would experience higher prices for my new books and they’d be emailing me to ask me why.
I can choose my book covers. I got lucky with the covers I had from Penguin Random House. But going from complete creative control over the covers back to no control (they did always ask me what I thought of a cover before they signed off on it, but if I hadn’t liked it, I’m not sure they’d have pulled it/reworked it) would be challenging.
I can release books when I want. There could be large gaps between books: more than a year. Now I can release a couple of books in the same series in a year’s time, if I like.
There were also certain things about traditional publishing that I just didn’t like. For one, I didn’t like losing my editors to layoffs, etc. This meant I was an ‘orphaned’ writer whose series would likely not get renewed.
I didn’t like the contracts that I was seeing with non-compete clauses. I didn’t like being offered digital-only contracts later in the game.
What do you like about self-publishing? Or, to hear the other side, what draws you to traditional publishing?
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February 25, 2017
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 39,000 free articles on writing related topics. It’s the search engine for writers.
Business / Miscellaneous
How to Make a Living Writing: 10 Tips: @annerallen
Practicing Personal Cyber Security: @debluskin
Key UK Self-Publisher @thecreativepenn Opens a Small Press: @Porter_Anderson
Conferences and Events / Miscellaneous
‘London Book & Screen Week has events scheduled all over the British capital, March 13-19’: @Porter_Anderson
Creativity and Inspiration / Goal setting
7 Tools for Keeping Your Writing Resolutions: @missriki
10 Tips to Start Writing (or Exercising) Again: @monicamclark
3 steps to writing well in 2017: @RuthanneReid
4 Tips for Getting Organized and Meeting Your Writing Goals: @ceciliaedits
Stuck on a Writing Goal? Use the Past to See the Way Forward: @jan_ohara
Creativity and Inspiration / Inspiration / Reading as Writers
Why You Shouldn’t Copy the Masters: by Kathy Edens @ProWritingAid
3 Reasons Why Writers Should Read Voraciously: @KelsieEngen
Creativity and Inspiration / Miscellaneous
4 Ways to Use Creativity in Crazy Times: @carolyn_greg
Creativity and Inspiration / Productivity / Fitting in Writing
Dream Big And Work Small, Even in 10 Minute Increments: @10MinNovelists
When a good stopping place is a bad starting place: @emma_darwin
47 Resources for People Who Love Writing but Can’t Find the Time: @smartbloggerhq
3 Fun Ways To Use The 2-Minute Rule To Write A Book: @angee
Creativity and Inspiration / Productivity / Writer’s Block
How to Fire up a Stalled Novel: @WritetoDone
Keeping a Productive Writing Routine During Dark Times: @lancerubinparty @MartinaABoone
Creativity and Inspiration / Success
5 Qualities Every Serious Writer Needs to Possess: @tessaemilyhall
8 Things Future Best-Selling Authors Are Doing Right Now: @10MinNovelists
On Selling Your First Novel After 11 Years: @minjinlee11 @lithub
Creativity and Inspiration / Writing Life
Dealing with depression and the solitary nature of writing: @dawnafinch
How to Get Out of the “I Don’t Want to Write” Funk: @colleen_m_story
9 Places to Meet Writers and Start Building Your Network: @MelindaFriesen
3 Strategies for Thriving in the Ever-Changing Writing World: @thecreativepenn
Genres / Fantasy
Tips for Writing Magic: by Tripping the Write Fantastic
Gender and Stereotyping in Fantasy: @Leo_Cristea
Genres / Horror
The 16 Most Anticipated Horror Books of 2017: @GiveMeYourTeeth
3 Productivity Tips To Try: @cathryanhoward
8 of the Worst Decisions Ever Made in Horror Movies: @TracedThurman
Genres / Memoir
Memoir Bytes: When Private Moments are No Longer Private: @pokercubster
5 Lessons to Be Learned While Writing a Memoir: @sheilakohler
Genres / Mystery
Group dynamics as an element in crime fiction: @mkinberg
Crime-Solving Methods: A Pocket Guide: @LeeLofland
Crime fiction where the sleuth tries to prevent a murder: @mkinberg
5 Must-Haves for the Perfect Sleuth: @IngridThoft
Crime Writing: So, You Want To Be A Detective? @LeeLofland
Genres / Poetry
Free Rare Recordings of Burroughs, Bukowski, Ginsberg in New Digital Archive: @openculture @mica
Genres / Romance
Deconstructing Dark Romance: @janejordan1 @JordonMGreene
Heat Levels in Romance: @lansi26
Writing a Relationship Your Readers Will Ship: from Daily Writing Tips
Genres / Short Stories
3 Tips To Sell More Novels Via Short Stories: @angee
Promo / Blogging
The bottom line on blog stats: @sugarbeatbc
17 Easy Ways to Get Your Blog Flying High: @MarshaIngrao
Promo / Book Descriptions and Copywriting
The Perfect Back Cover Blurb: @SophieMasson1
Promo / Book Reviews
Moving Past A Negative Review: @Bookgal
Promo / Book Signings and Launch parties
How various authors sign books: @robertleebrewer @WritersDigest
7 Essentials for Your Book Launch: @KMWeiland
Promo / Box Sets
Creating a Print Book Box Set: @MarcyKennedy
Promo / Miscellaneous
How To Identify Your Manuscript’s Target Market: @Magzdozza
Creating a Sell Sheet: @JudithBriles
How To Make Your Book Permafree (and why you’d want to): @KhaosFoxe
How To Get A Shiny Series Page On Amazon: @KhaosFoxe
Promo / Social Media Tips
4 Ways to Promote Your Books on Social Media: by Michelle Polizzi @SMExaminer
17 More Things Indie Authors can Share on Social Media: @Bookgal
13 Social Media Trends To Watch In 2017: @Writers_Write
Promo / Speaking
Advice for Writers Who Hate Public Speaking, But Have to Do It: @andymolinsky
Publishing / News / International Publishing
Little Free Library Design Competition Announces International Winners: @Porter_Anderson
Intl. notes on accessing the Chinese scholarly market and launch of a medical ref. site: @Porter_Anderson
Managing Rights in Customized Publishing: Risk and Reward: @Porter_Anderson
German Book Prize Names 2017 Jury: Nominations Are Ongoing: @Porter_Anderson @pubperspectives
International Books Headed to London Book Fair’s Rights Center: @Porter_Anderson
Draft2Digital is Adding Kobo Plus as a Distribution Option. Smashwords is Not: @thDigitalReader
Publishing / Options / Self-Publishing
The Joy of Writing Whatever the Heck You Want: @jamesscottbell
Publishing / Options / Traditional Publishing
When your agent won’t tell you where your project is/has been: @Janet_Reid
How to Navigate Today’s Publishing Industry: Charting Your Course: @tessaemilyhall
Publishing / Process / Book Design
Elements of Style: CSS for Ebooks: by David Kudler @JFbookman
Publishing / Process / Formatting
How To Format An Ebook Using Scrivener: @KhaosFoxe
Writing Craft / Beginnings
How to Begin a Novel: 7 Steps to Captivating First Chapters: @nownovel
Real Life Diagnostics: Are the Stakes Clear in This Opening? @Janice_Hardy
Writing Craft / Characters / Antagonists
Use Your Antagonist To Define Your Story Goal: @Writers_Write
Writing Craft / Characters / Arc
How to Craft a Character-Driven Story: by Oren Ashkenazi @mythcreants
Writing Craft / Characters / Development
4 Keys to Writing Archetypal Characters: by Alanna J. Jordan @mythicscribes
How to Find Your Character’s Voice: @Janice_Hardy
Writing Craft / Characters / Emotion
Emotional Depth – Putting the Spark in Your Story: @rachaeldthomas
Writing Craft / Characters / Supporting Characters
4 Core Components of an Awesome Sidekick Character: @RobinRWrites
Writing Craft / Common Mistakes
1 writer figured out what was wrong with her novel and how to fix it: by A. Howitt @mythicscribes
Story is more important than structure: @readstevenjames @TheIWSG
The Single Largest Problem of Most First Time Novels: @KristenLambTX
Writing Craft / Diversity
Stereotyped vs Nuanced Characters and Audience: by Colette at Writing With Color
Writing Craft / Humor
6 Reasons No One Is Laughing At Your Humorous Writing: @10MinNovelists
Writing Craft / Lessons from Books and Film
7 Representations of the Deadly Sins in Fiction: by Stubby the Rocket @tordotcom
Writing Craft / Miscellaneous
3 Reasons You Don’t Need Experience to Write a Great Story: @bradtaylorbooks @SignatureReads
The 4 Elements of Storytelling: @daveBricker
What Being an Editor Teaches About Writing: @annapitoniak @lithub
5 Things Psychology Can Teach Writers: @AngelaAckerman
Pixar & Khan Academy Offer a Free Online Course on Storytelling: @openculture @AyunHalliday
Fictionalizing Your Real-Life Story: @SPressfield
How Storytelling Makes You A Stronger Writer: @isekhmet
15 of the Best YouTube Channels for Writers: @CordeliaCallsIt
Don’t Write Time Travel (Unless You Do It Right): @helpfulsnowman
Planting the Clues and Hints in Your Story: @Janice_Hardy
Writing Craft / POV
Narrative Point of View in Storytelling: @WritingForward
Perception and How to Identify POV Leaps: @Jordanrosenfeld
Writing Craft / Pre-Writing / Plotting
How to find your novel’s structure: by Jack Smith @TheWriterMag
Organic Progress: by Shawn Coyne
Plotting – What Happens Next? by Aaron Miles @FantasyFaction
Weaving Storyboards–Which Is Your Dominant Story? @writeabook
Writing Craft / Punctuation and Grammar
3 More Rules for Producing Consistent Content: @writing_tips
3 Cases of Restrictive and Nonrestrictive Confusion: @writing_tips
Writing Craft / Revision
12 Contemporary Writers on How They Revise: @knownemily
Editing Tips: Top 3 Story Issues: @NaomiLHughes @JamiGold
How to Question Your Story’s Logic: @alyssa__holly
Writing Craft / Revisions / Critiques
A Good Writing Critique Is Hard to Find: @Lindasclare
Ultimate Guide: How To Work With Beta Readers: @ClaireABradshaw
Writing Craft / Settings and Description
How Much Description Do You Need in Your Writing? @katekrake
Writing Craft / Tension
Why a bad day makes for a good story: @p2p_editor
Conflict in fiction: @jasonbougger
From my Blog
Top Time Savers for Book Production – by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig This is the third post in my seri…
Making a Living Writing: Ten Tips – by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig Is it possible to make a living wri…
Organization: Top Time Savers – by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig This is the last post of the time savin…
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February 23, 2017
Organization: Top Time Savers
by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig
This is the last post of the time saving series. You can find the first post here (on social media), post two here (on saving time writing), and the third post here (on book production). Today, I’m focusing on general organization. I’ve found if I’m better organized, I can free up more time for writing.
If you’re anything like me, you’ve got tons of information to organize and work through. It could be writing craft posts. It could be research for your book. It could be ideas and images for blog posts.How do you store this information so that you can easily access it?
I use a couple of different tools for organizing information: one is Evernote and the other is OneNote. Both are free (Evernote has a paid version if you’re an especially heavy user). This post will include both the writing-related and personal uses of the apps because, in my house at least, if I’m not organized with both home and writing it impacts my writing time.
I’ve been using both for so long that I don’t want to combine data into just one of the apps, although that would work well, too. I’ve also liked dividing up information between the two applications.
I tend to use OneNote to store text. I store all types of documents in OneNote, from my kids’ school transcripts, to vet visit info, to book-related information and research. I scan all those bits and pieces of paper that come into our house from doctor appointments, school, etc. and put them up on OneNote, which is searchable. In most cases, I’m able to get rid of the bits and pieces of paper afterward.
For Evernote, I save things from the web (and I know I’m underutilizing it. It’s even got integration with Google Drive now). This includes the writing craft posts that I refer to again and again, but it also includes a large collection of recipes (divided into favorites, things to try, low-fat, gluten-free, etc.) I save online receipts for Christmas purchases there, divided by family member: last year, for instance, I had Christmas 2016 and a note for each person I’ve purchased for, including the receipts and websites I used. I’ve been doing this since 2012 and it’s been a great way not only to track what I’ve given people, it’s also a good way to get ideas for future gifts for them (maybe they’ve run out of their favorite treat, maybe the guest towels I gave them in 2012 are tired out by now). I keep vacation planning research there, too.
For both applications, I can access my notes remotely, on my phone. This is great for when I’m writing on the go or when I’m at the grocery store and can’t remember the ingredients for the meal I’m cooking that night.
Besides using apps to stay organized, I’m also using task batching to save time and increase productivity. For blogging, I’ll set aside time to brainstorm blog post ideas. Then I’ll set aside time another day to find and alter images for posts. Another day I’ll organize my blog’s editorial calendar. Sometime later, I’ll write or at least draft several posts. By putting myself in the mindset and then doing a ‘batch’ of similar work, it helps me to stay focused and more productive. For more information about task batching, read this post by Jennifer Mattern: “How I Use Task Batching to be a More Productive Writer.”
What are some of your tips and apps for staying organized and more productive?
Tips and resources for better organization:
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