Christopher D. Schmitz's Blog, page 9
June 10, 2019
State of Writing
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I made my chapter last week! I was pretty happy about that (I actually wrote more than that, but I hit my minimum, so I was pleased. I’m still rocking and rolling on Dekker’s Dozen: Austicon’s Lockbox. I’ve also been reading through Dune (I can’t believe I never read it before—I’ve been super wowed by it and it’s been good inspiration since Austicon’s Lockbox has some of that same kinds of multi-layered subterfuge and intrigue.)
This week, another chapter (hopefully two) and I have some other back end/business stuff to do as well (new email newsletter and a whole new response system—I’m moving to a different provider because my list size has grown to a new level that necessitates it.)
June 4, 2019
June 3, 2019
State of Writing
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More business on my part. My wife’s coffee shop opened this week, which kept me hopping with stuff… plus I got a few lastminute bagpiping calls (which means funerals) with lots of driving attached to it. So, even though I didn’t get as much writing done as wanted, I did get lots of reading (via audible) accomplished while I was behind the wheel. (Need a story to try, email me and I can get you download codes for y books on audible).
This week’s goals include completing a long section (a few connected flashback sequences) I’ve been writing for the new Dekker’s Dozen. Once I get it plowed through I’ll be able to get some progress done again. This new story has lots of twists, turns, and intrigue along with the amounts of action that you’ve normally seen in my space opera shoot-em-ups. I’d love to get that done and complete the next chapter.
May 29, 2019
How can I give away free copies of my Audible Audiobook?
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If you have been an ACX creator for a while, you may remember back when audible used to email you 25 free download codes as soon as your book was ready for download. More than a year ago they simply stopped doing that. You can still get those codes, but now you must request them to be generated.
Here is how to get those codes so that you can send them to reviewers or other folks who might want to listen if the price was right (free).
Once your audiobook is made available for sale, you may visit your sales dashboard on ACX, click the Promo Codes tab, then click Get Promo Codes to access 25 promo codes for the US and 25 for the UK Audible marketplaces. Once 10 of these 25 codes per marketplace have been redeemed on Audible, you may generate 25 more.
Promo codes are available only for titles with exclusive distribution to Audible, Amazon, and iTunes, and will take up to one hour from the time they are generated on ACX to be redeemable on Audible. Each eligible user can receive 25 codes per marketplace (US/UK) per book at a time. Once 10 of these codes have been redeemed on Audible, you can generate 25 additional codes per marketplace on ACX, with a maximum of 100 codes per marketplace. Any Promo Codes you received from ACX Support prior to May 7, 2019, do not count towards each book’s total, and will remain active until November 7, 2019.
This is the new language regarding the codes:
“Promo codes should be distributed to reviewers or your fans to redeem in their own Audible account. Please review Audible’s Terms and Conditions for Gift Audiobooks, Gift Cards, Gift Memberships and Coupons for full details of the use of Promotional Codes. “
That may be something of a change from before. It seems like, now, ACX only really wants you to give codes to reviewers, although they used to be more about generating excitement and momentum for audio books in general. There may have been a shift in their thinking now that audio books have garnered a lot of marketshare. As with everything that Amazon touches, be careful with how you handle yourself and with their TOS. Here is the old verbiage they used to send along with coupon codes.
“To help you spread the word about your production, we’re giving you 25 complimentary Audible.com copies of the audiobook. These download codes can help generate reviews on Audible, which can lead to future sales. Raffle off a code on your blog or Facebook page, send one to a reviewer, or share them with friends who can spread the word about your production.”
If you happen to be a reviewer and/or want a free audible code to test this out from the user side of things, I’d be glad to shoot you a free code if you’ll give me a review. Just email me through my website!
May 22, 2019
Guestblog: “The Race Where You Can’t Afford a Burnout.”
I met Kim Dorothy in a writer’s group where she shared this article and I’ve reblogged it with her permission. One of the things I talk about a lot when I teach workshops is to guard your dreams and hopes from others who might, intentionally or accidentally, destroy the joy you find in being a writer.
Her article offers some great personal insight into avoiding burnout and how to increase productivity. Read Kim’s tips below!
I average writing 70k-words per week. One of the guys in the head office invited me to post tips about avoiding burnout in a high-volume production mode. Keep in mind that I do this full-time and live alone, so it’s more or less my perfect world. Burnout is the flip side of efficiency; less of the former when there’s more of the latter. Most of the following relates to what I’ve learned about efficiency. There might be a kernel of something helpful here for you.
1. Buy the best you can afford.
a. A slow computer drags down spontaneity, preventing you from tapping into that special part of the brain where the writer in you lives – in the word vault. I have several computers; some for heavy-duty video processing and Photoshop work and others, portable and light including one that will fit in my purse.
b. A keyboard has to be properly responsive. You don’t want to need to “punch” the keys, nor do you want a flat plastic pretend board that gives you no sense of keystrike fulfillment. You may prefer an external keyboard paired with a laptop as some laptop designs that include a touchpad are awkwardly designed so that you have to arch your wrists to avoid touching the pad as you type.
c. The monitor should be the highest resolution you can afford. Our eyestrain is greater than that of an air traffic controller and you can seriously damage your eyes as well as sit for long periods in an unnatural position to accommodate the screen’s poor resolution. I also find it easier on my eyes if I swap monitors. I use dual 27” UHD for design work and my 13” UHD laptop screen for simply writing. Less environmental input to process.
d. Get the right chair. This isn’t necessarily the most expensive as some companies produce office furniture that revolves more around design aesthetic than support and functionality. My favorite chair at the moment is an $89 upholstered dining room chair from the mark-down room at Value City Furniture. It holds my back straight, my lap is parallel to the floor, it cushions my tush and slides easily on a plastic chair mat.
e. Get the right desk. This is about height so you can have the ideal posture while typing. It also needs to accommodate your monitor at eye height so your neck isn’t strained. I use an added-on adjustable keyboard tray that slides in and out, tilts and allows you to switch the side where your mouse sits. It’s securely screwed into the underside of the desk’s top. I have a short footstool under my desk that keeps my feet from swelling or my knees from creating blood clots or poor circulation.
f. Make it a dedicated work computer. No gaming, no social media, no emails. No kids or spouse who changes the background and trashes your files. Plenty of disk space, but have a back-up.
2. Dropbox, iCloud, etc. Since I use multiple computers, I keep all my writing files in the cloud. They sync and I can sit down at any one of my units and pick up where I left off. I also use Evernote because I can capture browser screenshots, articles, audio, photos; all the things I use to build my outline. Again, it syncs across all my devices, including my phone while I’m driving and think of something. I don’t have to chase ideas down.
3. Move around. My computer is a tool and I have several. My house happens to have four floors and there is a computer on three of them, including one on a rolling laptop table I can take outdoors by the pool in summer. If you have one working area, stand up every half hour and stretch out a few yoga moves, throw in some laundry, chop onions for dinner, go rinse your face or brush your teeth. Just move and then get back to it. Avoid movement that can be a diversion, such as watching tv or getting on the phone to visit with your friend.
4. Eat well. A brain on normal standby burns 20% of your caloric intake. A “thinking” brain uses even more. Your brain needs healthy fats and protein for top working order. Do not eat sugarly carbs as these slow you down and trigger cravings and produce erratic blood sugar levels. Try it – eat a doughnut or a bowl of cereal and you’ll feel yourself fading. Avoid foods with tryptophan. I recommend never eating at the computer. It gums up your keyboard and your tush and belly will widen. Eat small but healthy snacks during your half-hour stretches. While on this topic, dress in layers and work in fresh air whenever possible.
5. Train your brain. The human body is a wonderfully adaptable machine and you can use that to your advantage. If you write for five hours in the morning on Monday and two hours in the afternoon on Tuesday, the body is spending energy and awareness on adapting. Set a writing time and stick to it. If you wake up at 3 a.m. and can’t sleep, don’t go and write. You’re confusing your body’s internal clock and you’ll pay for it. Then, just like that magic cup of coffee keeps you regular, your brain will allocate resources more smoothly because it knows what to expect. This also reduces your anxiety and if you know your writing pace, you can predict to the day when your book will be complete. I recommend a nap at about 3 pm. Even a short one is restorative. When you’re not writing, don’t be at the computer playing games. Give your body plenty of exercise.
6. Mute your phone. Message alerts and phone calls break your concentration. It’s okay to return calls to people later on.
7. You may have your favorites, but when writing I have the following open: Grammarly / Word / Thesaurus, Evernote and Chrome. I use Evernote like you may use Scrivener. I fit them all on one screen when possible, or in layers when not. The fewer times my hands leave the keyboard to feel for the mouse, and to return, the more productive I am.
8. Dictation for dialogue. I use Dragon and a PC for the best results. I think there’s a post in the All-Star files where I take you through all the combinations of computer / software / microphones I experimented with. Mary Crawford also has published an excellent book on the topic.
a. I tend to always dictate dialogue. I close my eyes, sit back in the recliner and become the voice of my character(s). It feels natural and more authentic; like you’re in a play on stage but starring in all the roles. It’s fun. Note on this: It takes some time to get used to saying, “New line, open quote,” etc. and then “close quote.” I’ve experimented with just saying “dash” or “x” and then go back and let the search and replace swap them into quotes and new lines. Still working on this. If you’ve mastered it, please mention it below. The software knows whether it’s an open or closed quote.
b. Sometimes, I dictate portions, such as describing a house or the decoration in a room, etc. I picture it and it seems to flow more easily. I always keyboard type my surprises and plot twists. Here again, it comes from the word vault. Just add an “insert so-and-so here” to the manuscript and come back to it.
c. Use dictation sparingly according to how comfortable you’ve become and how accurate your computer and software set-up are. If you don’t do it well, you’ll just aggravate yourself.
9. I prefer rough outlines. Detailed outlines reduce spontaneity of thought but it’s nice to come back to your work and pick up where you left off without re-reading the book to regain your train of thought. If I break at the end of the chapter, I always leave a note for myself in the beginning of the next. Something like, “Mary and Sally theorize why John Doe has a criminal record.” Avoid re-reading and editing as you go. These waste time because there will always be an ultimate edit where you can fix things.
10. I fill my Evernote notebook for the current work with screen capture photos of my primary characters, settings, the car they drive, maps of locations, etc. This way I can look at them visually and not confuse the color of their eyes or have them drive south when their destination is north in reality. I also give them a character workup such as, “Mary was shy, almost reclusive due to her parents’ old age and that she thought herself unattractive. She loves anything chocolate and crochets while in the bathroom for escapism. She dreams of finding the right guy.” I am an empath and have, many times, created a character definition and then gone for a drive and actually see someone who resembles them. I can pull over, make notes about their posture, how quickly they walk, whether their house windows are dirty, etc. into Evernote on her particular note. Go to the mall or an airport and watch people. Decide whether couples are business, siblings or lovers and what tells you that. This goes a long way to helping you show not tell.
11. 70k words in a week may sound impossible, but when broken down into 10k words per day, it’s a reasonable goal. Prepping before writing should be given a good amount of time because it prevents interruption when you’re in the word vault.
12. When you’re writing multiple books at the same time, as I do, it’s easy to get confused with names. I will substitute “boy”, “girl”, “father”, “boss” and so forth and then search and replace later with the character’s name. This should be done PRE-edit. If you’re chasing a word count, one of your characters names can become two, such as “boy” becomes “John Boy.”
13. Writing can be tedious. To help with this, I incorporate people I know and release my pent-up emotions. I may use a former lover as romantic inspiration, or as the victim who dies a painful death if he’s moved on in real life. You are omnipotent here – take advantage of that.
14. I write in Word and open the column that shows reviewing comments. I insert as a note a visual icon for the season, the time of day, etc. This way my timeline is valid. I also keep the navigation pane open and use character styling. This tells me which chapter I’m in and whose POV I’m writing, when applicable.
15. Do your research thoroughly and in advance. Don’t wait until you come to the scene where the FMC is going on vacation to research the airport, what it looks like, how busy it typically is, the destination, the accommodations, how people dress, where they’re from, etc. Knowing all this in advance enriches your character. She can shop for clothes, pack, arrange for animal care, take a leave of absence, dread the eight-hour flight, bring sea-sickness wristbands, etc. in the chapters leading up to departure. You don’t have to break stride or go back to add these details.
16. The only clock in my house that works is on my computer. I live in a timeless space so I can step into my books without being tethered to the real one.
17. Keep things nearby to prevent interruption. This includes Kleenex, a nail file, Visine, something to drink, pen and paper, etc. I use Alexa on a regular basis to calculate numbers, give me dates in history, weather averages in distant locations on a certain date, calculate mileage between locations to estimate driving or flying time, get area codes for phony phone numbers, ingredients for a recipe—you get the drift.
18. Your job at this point is to write. Whether you design your own cover or source it elsewhere, it can wait. You’re not the editor, the marketer, the designer or the social media superstar. Stick to the plan. This is not to say that you can’t change your game plan for your book mid-stream. It’s better to call a bad attempt off than to slug through it and let it suck you down like quicksand.
19. **Added** Resist the temptation to play music while you write. The body will try to align the rhythms, just as you do while walking a treadmill. If the scene is slow and romantic, but the music is a Sousa march…well you get the drift.
Burnout comes predictably. You write longer than you should or at different times of the day. You feel physically rung out and your body aches, particularly your eyes. You may have set unrealistic deadlines or not allowed adequate time to get the flu or stock up on groceries. Keep balance in all things, especially family, relaxation, business/job, exercise along with your writing. Even more fatally, burnout leads to dread and that kills your muse. I can honestly say I’ve never known what “writer’s block” feels like, but I can certainly tell you what burnout feels like. I don’t think they’re the same, but they can definitely play tag team. Last of all, we all have days when nothing goes right – so acutely that you think the end times have begun. Stop, back away and don’t contaminate your work with that negativity. You won’t accomplish anything but increase your stress and ruin yourself for the next day.
Hope something here has helped!
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Kim Dorothy is a full-time ghostwriter and lives near the southeastern shore of Lake Michigan. Passionate about violent weather and romantic music, she lives alone and travels to inspirational locations in her mobile office. She is an ebook pioneer, having written and published the first ebook for bookselling distribution. You may contact her at kim@mboox.com or visit her website, www.mboox.com.
May 20, 2019
State of Writing
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Wooo! busy weekend for me. The always-great MCBA (Midwest Comic Book Association) Spring-Con seemed better than ever this year. (BTW, if you live in the MSP/St Paul area, consider volunteering for the spring or fall events!) It did take a lot out of me, though. I didn’t even open my laptop all weekend (hence the late post today).
I’m zeroing in on a few things this summer, too. Hopefully, my next book will launch around the winter time and I’m really regretting missed opportunities to write. I’m going to try to write a chapter this week in Dekker’s Dozen 3. I’d like to finish it by the end of July which means I need to do a couple chapters a week, so I’m going to try to roll into it and ramp up my productivity.
May 15, 2019
Good, Bad, and Ugly Reasons to Write a Book
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I often say that I think everyone has a story in them. However, for a variety of reasons, not everyone ought to write a book. There are good reasons to write, and there are some that are not. Just because everyone can access tools that make it easy to publish does not mean that everyone should.
Before clicking Publish, or even before you begin penning your manuscript, you ought to examine your motivation in the first place.
Here are some good reasons to write your book:
To pass on knowledge or to share your expertise
To motivate or inspire others
To tell a story or entertain
To market your business
These things seem pretty self-explanatory. You might have whole worlds spinning in your mind, or have always been a natural storyteller. Maybe you have a drive to help others succeed because of your own story or maybe you want to share knowledge that only you possess. Perhaps your business model would be helped by a book. All of these are great reasons.
There are other motivators out there. These are not so good. Writing for these reasons will leave you frustrated and angry, even if you might have been considered a success otherwise. Here are the four major ones– if these describe your motivation, you might reconsider your plans.
Revenge
To set the record straight about a past event
To be rich or famous
So you can call yourself an author
May 13, 2019
State of Writing
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I’m back to working on some of my projects last week. Kind of in a funk, but doing lots of research on Tolkien for a side thing I am writing (a nerdy devo for a Christian Spec Fic group I am part of. I am writing 5-10 of these for an upcoming devo book based around famous SF/F series.)
I’m also back to writing my next Sci-fi, Austicon’s Lockbox. I’m about 70% done with my choose your own adventure, but it’s rather stalled out. It’s comedic, and I don’t want to write it when the passion has waned… I don’t think that would translate well and I’m feeling more like writing in my SF universe right now.
May 8, 2019
Book Launch From Scratch: How to Release a Debut Novel and Not Suck at It
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“If you were a brand new author with a budget of $500 what would you prioritize?”
The person asking this question said they had their book edited and had a pro cover design. He also had a 10,000 word reader magnet. A reader magnet is a book you write specifically to give away. You use it to entice readers to join your newsletter and to buy your books. Usually it’s around the 10k mark, and is often a mini-sequel, prequel, or retold event from the book from another character’s POV.
It got me thinking on a few things. I’ve already got a platform and a newsletter list plus a decent backlist. However, if I was to relaunch from scratch knowing what I know now, how would I do it? If I had $500 for a budget, this is what I would do…
Assuming the cover and edits are stellar for both the book and the magnet I would enact a multi-phase plan for initial launch which focuses on building an audience. Make sure the covers for both the book and the magnet are branded VERY similar so there is no mistaking that one is related to the other. Also make sure that the magnet can stand alone as a story. Something that is a continuation, doesn’t introduce your characters, is a cliffhanger, or can’t be understood apart from the main book could result in bad reviews and then discourage people from signing up.
Purchase and read Newsletter Ninja by Tammi Labrecque (also write content for your first 12 newsletters. Keep them short, entertaining, topically interesting to your book’s readers, AND DO NOT TRY TO SELL THEM your books. You are only building social currency at this stage… and yes, send the newsletter even if you only have 20 subscribers. (A low subscriber count is expected at the beginning.)
Reader magnet should be set for wide distribution (not exclusive to KDP and available on as many platforms as possible). Set its price to free (try to get amazon to match pricing) and prominently feature your Call To Action (a link to newsletter signup).
Set main book up in KDP (plan to go wide and release at .99) and have it set for preorder and to launch in about 3-4 months (you should hopefully have around 1,000 subscribers by release time).
Setup in Bookfunnel or Storyorigin and join promo/newsletter swaps. Do this every week to get onto as many promotions as you can be in (this is an ongoing task—weekly until book launch. Bi weekly until book is free in KU select [a later step] and then monthly, at least.)
Have your email list set up and automated to deliver with an onboarding sequence. Subtly mention that the price is reduced for presale/prerelease during your onboarding sequence. For most people this will be done via Mailchimp since they are free up to 2,000 subscribers. Use Newsletter Ninja or other online guides to guide your onboarding sequence messages.
Run targeted Facebook ads to generate newsletter signups. You will need a FB account that is linked to your service (mailchimp and others easily do this). Plan to spend about $150 and research ads before publishing them. They have to be good in order to get a manageable CPC. Set the ad to stop spending once it reaches its lifetime budget.
NOTE: steps 1-5 should all go live/publish in one sitting. Save drafts until everything is ready and then launch FB Ads, preorders, magnet, and newsletter list all at the same time (you don’t want signups to go to dead links or new readers left off of the onboarding sequence or fail to receive the reader magnet!)
Find and utilize a book launch timeline checklist. Do as much as you are capable of from this list. I have a generic one on my blog and the one I personally use is included in a nice workbook format in the Indie Author’s Bible Workbook (along with other helpful tools.)
About a week before launch, remove the info about prerelease from your onboarding sequence to eliminate later confusion. (By now, you are relying on your social media and NL swaps/inter-author promos to continue growing your email list… something in the neighborhood of 50-150 signups per week could be expected.)
Launch your book wide (make sure it has a solid CTA in the book’s front and back directing to newsletter) and use $200 worth of paid adverts that are stacked over three days to garner the most visibility for launch. This is also the time to send a newsletter to your list that announces the release of the book and asks for readers to purchase it.
As you release your next newsletter (should be about 2-4 weeks later,) write it as normal but ask for two additional things: 1. a review if they have purchased or 2. a purchase now (let them know that in 1 week the price will increase)… 1 week later change price to 2.99 and enroll it in KDP select, taking it out of wide dist. for the next 3 months.
Once you feel like action has cooled off on your book’s interest, run a Free promo (this is at the end of months 1 or 2,) in KU and run a few paid promotions. Utilize promo stacks and shoot for about 4-5 paid adverts for $150 plus apply for about 20-30 Free listings (I use a service on Fiverr who does all of these for me for a total of $7… it saves me tons of time.)
I might very well run this exact setup for my 15-year-old daughter and her debut novel once she finishes edits.
May 6, 2019
State of Writing
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I didn’t quite complete my short story set over the week as I had hoped. My work schedule had some additional demands this week that preoccupied all of my spare time. I will get to it this week, though! I’m pretty excited for the story and need to wrap it up. Luckily, I’ve got today off and plan to make it happen
