Beth Greenslade's Blog, page 98

Simple Strategies To Sell More Books

Every writer would love to know some simple secrets to help them sell more books, right? Even if fame and fortune isn’t our end goal, to have a proper readership, to make loyal fans and to know that all our hard work, time and passion is being appreciated by people out there, that is worth more to most writers than anything else.

But being an unknown author means you are up against it. There is no denying that the book marketplace is pretty saturated, and standing out from the crowd can be tough. So getting readers to find your book, let alone actually buy it, can be a mammoth task in itself.

However, by following these simple strategies, there are ways to get your book noticed and find a readership.

Let’s take a look at some of them.

Write a good book

OK, so you might roll your eyes and think ‘that’s easier said than done,’ but really it’s something that needs to be said. You can’t expect readers to buy a terrible book so there are basic things you need to do to make your book a good book. Write clearly, have a tight and understandable plot, make your characters intriguing and relatable, use conversational language, and make sure that you have gotten rid of spelling and grammatical errors and inconsistencies before you put your book up for sale.

Create a dramatic cover

One of the easiest ways to make your book stand out is to ensure your cover is eye-catching and interesting. Your cover should instantly tell the reader what kind of book it is. Make it colourful, make the title big enough to read even on a small screen, don’t make it too busy and make sure your image hints at what to expect inside - it really is as simple as that.

Write an amazing cover description

OK so if you’ve got as far as getting a potential reader to notice your book they’ll make a decision based on what you tell them it’s about. This is one of the trickiest things a writer has to do. The description on the back of your book should be like a brilliant and clever sales pitch. Think about what would make you want actually to read your story, why choose this book over others, what does it promise, what’s unique about it, what genre is it, how can they be sure they are going to like it? Make your description irresistible, so readers just have to buy your book to find out what happens.

Understand how keywords work

If you want your book to show up either in search engine results or as a search result in Amazon you need to understand what your target readers are searching for. Use your keywords wisely, and your book is more likely to appear as a result for someone who wants to read it.

Don’t be afraid to promote yourself

Tell everyone, literally everyone you know that your book is out. From friends and family to that random guy you started talking to on the train. Of course, there are a million and one ways to promote yourself and your book. Some might not work for you, but don’t be afraid to try them all. The more you do, the more books you are likely to sell.

These simple strategies will have you well on your way to selling more books. Remember the more work you put in and the more time you can dedicate to promoting your book, the more likely it is to sell!

Bethany Cadman -author of 'Doctor Vanilla's Sunflowers'

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Why Being A Writer Is Incredibly Brave

It’s sometimes easy to forget how incredibly brave it is to choose to be a writer. We can get so caught up in the negativity and worry - the writer’s block, the rejection, how much competition there is, how difficult it is to sell our books, that we can all too easily sidestep the fact that actually, we are doing something pretty amazing.

Writers are:

Resilient

Writers are experts at ‘getting back in the saddle.’ Even the very best of us gets knocked down - by publishers, by agents, by critics, by trolls, by ourselves. But when we do we know that there is no point in scurrying away to a dark corner to lick our wounds but instead to learn, to get better and to just keep trying.

Persistent

Writers know all too well that they might never get the results they want from their work. But they keep trying anyway. If something doesn’t work, they’ll take another look at it or try another route. If someone tells them they are not good enough, they’ll keep searching, and hope that eventually, they will get their chance to shine.

Passionate

Writers are passionate about what they do. Even when it’s tough, and they are unsure of themselves, they remain committed to their writing, find time for their writing and always remember that they love what they do.

Fearless

Writers are fearless, courageous and brave. They are willing to explore their deepest emotions, to battle their demons to be vulnerable in ways that most people would shudder at.

Experimental

Writers don’t mind trying new things, in fact, they embrace it. They are happy to give new styles, new techniques, new genres, new voices all a go, and they’ll try their best. They know that trial and error, being open to learning and not afraid to try new things could make them a better writer, so they will always try to gain as many experiences and experiment in as many ways as possible.

Problem solvers

Writers face many obstacles in their journey, time and time again. There are always hurdles to climb over, but they don’t shy away from problems or give up, they instead work out how to solve their  problems, how to make things work, and keep going no matter what.

Patient

Writers have incredible patience. Whether it’s waiting to hear back from a publisher, the patience and resolve it takes to write and edit a book in the first place, or just the patience and quiet belief they have inside themselves to keep on writing.

Followers of dreams

How many people can say they truly follow their dreams? Writers can and should be so proud of themselves for making it happen. Who cares about fame and fortune when you are taking that risk to do what you love?

Saying, “I am a writer,” and truly believing in it is scary, but also liberating and genuinely courageous. So next time you have a day where you feel your writing isn’t going well, or the next time you get a rejection or a bad review or have those niggling self-doubts, read this and remember just how brave you are!

Why Being A Writer Is Incredibly Brave - Writer's Life.org

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Testing entry

This is purely a test message to see if the links work for contest submissions, this contest is an awesome idea, and will generate a lot of positive feedback and interactions with our members. From the novice to the advanced writers, we aim to encourage all writer's to come out of their shells and get rid of that fear syndrome associated with writing, as they say, practise makes perfect.

Let's have fun and get creative, the scarier the better c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c

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Weighing The Options For Self-Publishers

There’s no doubt about it.

We are living in golden age for writers, when self-publishing has become a realistic and respected route for writers to get their work into the hands of readers. But, as in most endeavors, the opportunities tend to come hand in hand with at least a few challenges thrown in as well.

For the self-publishing author, that means taking on a new and maybe daunting role that couldn’t be more different from the role of writer. All of a sudden, you need to transition from creative genius to pragmatic business person, and that’s not always an easy step to take.

That’s true enough for many writers even in the world of traditional, commercial publishing, when plots and characterization and word choice give way to contracts, production cycles, and self-promotion. It’s that much worse for self-publishers, who can feel lost at sea when they need to become instant experts in everything from book design to marketing to accounting and more.

The good news is that along with the emergence of the new technologies that make self-publishing both feasible and attractive there has been an explosion in resources to help with every step in the process. The bad news, if that’s what it is, is that the very wealth of choices can be overwhelming.

With a little discipline and planning, though, it really doesn’t have to be. Once you are familiar with all the options available for everything from editing to design and printing to marketing, you can apply a simple business principle to help you make the big decisions that lie ahead: ask yourself at every step not only how much it will cost, but also how many copies of the book you will need to sell to pay for it. Then you can make a reasoned business decision and stick to a realistic budget, just like a commercial publisher would.

Will a low-cost cover design do the work of selling your book, or does it make more sense to hire a top-shelf designer? Do you just need a copy edit to whip the book into shape, or should you be working with a seasoned development editor? The answer will be different for each author and each project, but looking for it through the eyes of a publisher can lead you to the right one.

Of course, it is tempting to pull out all the stops and spare no expense in turning your manuscript into a finished book, but that’s the author in you speaking. You the publisher will have a different idea. For that part of you, the book is a product for the marketplace and the numbers have to count.

The trick is to take off your writer’s hat and replace it with a bean-counter’s green eyeshade. As much as you love your book, as much as it’s become a part of you, as a publisher you have a different job to do and need a different perspective--if your goal is to get a return on your investment, in any case.

 

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Entering Contests–The “Evidence” Judges Want To See

Think of it from the judge’s point of view.

Her job, after all--like that of any good judge--is to weigh the evidence and render a verdict, in this case on the quality of the book, story, poem, or essay you’ve submitted to a writing contest.

And her perspective is the one that will determine just how your entry will fare.

On the one hand, you know going in that the odds are always stacked against a writer, in contests no less than in the publishing world. For every manuscript that wins an award, there are sure to be hundreds or thousands of competing works that don't make the cut.

But that’s no reason not to try. Contests can be an effective way to gain the visibility every writer wants and needs. And approaching those competitions strategically will go a long way toward boosting your chances of a win.

That’s where thinking like the judge makes all the difference. If you were faced with perhaps hundreds of entries and had only a few prizes to award, what evidence of excellence would you be looking for as you worked your way through the manuscripts?

Quite likely, Exhibit “A” would be the title itself.

But that’s an element a lot of writers tend to overlook. A good title does a great deal of work when it comes to drawing a judge in and hinting at what lies ahead. Who wouldn’t be intrigued by John Berendt’s Midnight In the Garden of Good and Evil or Terry McMillan’s How Stella Got Her Groove Back? For the judge, the thought, care, and creativity that go into the title can be persuasive evidence that an entry is going to maintain the same qualities all the way through and command serious consideration.

Then comes Exhibit "B"--the body of the work itself.

Every writer has heard it before, but it is essential to remember that you only have a page, a paragraph, or perhaps a line or two of a poem to make an irresistible first impression. Don’t get off on the wrong foot. It may sound harsh, but the flip side of selecting a winner from, say, 500 entries is eliminating 499 of them. Don't give the judge a reason to pass yours by.

At the most basic level, make sure your entry is free of typos or other errors that signal a lack of care. Beyond that, take a long, hard look at it through the judge’s eyes to make sure that every sentence, every word, pulls the reader deeper into the story and nearer to the conclusion.

Once you have done that and made sure your manuscript is award-worthy, there are still other steps you can take to improve your odds--and pitfalls that are more common than you might think.

If the contest is divided into categories, be careful to pick the most appropriate one. That might seem obvious, but a lot of writers stumble when confronted with the choices.

If you know who the judge will be, think about her own work and try to submit a piece you think will resonate with her.

Follow the guidelines! This is not the place to push the envelope, and some judges say it’s the first thing they look for. If the guidelines say 1,000-word limit, they mean 1,000 words, not 1,100.

Then--before you drop it in the mailbox or push “send”--take one more careful look at your entry, from that judge’s point of view and make a final pass at editing. There’s always something that can be improved.

Of course, even the most careful review doesn’t guarantee success in the fiercely competitive world of writing contests. But even if you don’t come out on top of the contest, your manuscript will be tighter, more polished, and better than ever--and that’s a prize in and of itself.

 

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Be Romantic: Use An Exotic Locale in Books

We all love to travel. Books help us get to distant locations and experience worlds that we may never have an opportunity to see in real life. Some of these worlds are too far away. Others come alive solely in the imagination of the writer.

Have you ever read a story that doesn’t offer you anything in terms of locale and settings? If you have, chances are that you don’t want to go back. Experts have found out that fiction readers want a couple of things –an escape from reality, laughs, an intellectual challenge and a surprise among few hours.

An exotic locale can address several of these needs. The concept may sound a bit ambiguous at first but it’s easy to define.

What is an Exotic Locale?

The thrills of travel – this is what an exotic locale is all about. People are explorers deep in their hearts. This is probably one of the most important reasons why we devour quality books. They give us an opportunity to indulge in the experience. To discover a distant world that’s so exotic and different from everything we get to go through on a daily basis.

Exotic settings or an exotic locale refers to a distant country or a non-existent exotic place where the action is taking place. Hogwarts in Harry Potter is an exotic locale. Dan Brown’s Inferno and The Martian are other books featuring an exotic locale.

Exotic locale writing is far from easy. It involves more than describing the place. Cultural references, language and climate specifics will have to be taken into consideration to paint a comprehensive picture. Any hole you leave will immediately ruin the consistency and kill the magic.

Getting Started with Exotic Locale Writing

What’s the key to a great exotic locale? You’ll have to do the one essential that will be determining for every other aspect of writing – research. If you’re writing about a real location, you should either have intimate knowledge about it (a country that you visited, for example) or you should do sufficient reading to make the settings authentic. Readers need details in order to be transported to a location. If you can’t provide those, you should probably stick to something less exotic and a bit more familiar.

Exotic locale writing has a number of key specifics. The most important things to do and rules to follow include:

Consult a wide array of sources: sure, online searches, even online prof writers are easy and they give you access to tons of information. Travel books and even documentaries, however, will enable you to “see” the place. Take some time to watch a couple of travel films, even movies that are set in the specific place. Getting inspired by fiction is a wonderful idea. One thing to be careful about however, is not getting influenced by the original style.
Forget about your assumptions and cultural biases: these will immediately be evident in your writing. Start with a blank screen, both literally and metaphorically. Open your mind. You may even want to interact with people from the respective place. Online communities, discussions groups and forums give you such an opportunity.
Use a map: whether your book is set in a fantasy or a real exotic location, a map will benefit you and it will also give readers valuable information. This is a great starting point. It can help you make plot decisions, as well.
Know the history of the place: or come up with a history for an imaginary exotic locale. The history has a major impact on the appearance, the architecture, the nature and the cities/settlements. History and background will give the settings a few layers, making the exotic locale deeper and more meaningful. By having a good idea about the history of the place, you’ll also get to effortlessly tie the locale with the plot.
How will your characters interact with the locale: the place will affect your characters and their actions. This is something to think about in advance if you want consistency in the story.
Think about your audience: this is the final and probably the most important thing to do. A place that’s incredibly exotic to you may not necessarily be exotic to your readers. Every person will respond to a locale in a unique way. If you’re writing for an international audience, you’ll find it very difficult to present the place as exotic to just about everyone going through the pages.

 Exotic Locale with a Purpose

As writers, we’re tempted to make things unusual, unexpected and fresh. Exotic locale writing provides such opportunities. Before you start thinking about the most exotic place on earth (or in outer space), however, you should have a clear idea about how the settings are going to impact your story.

Exotic locale for the sake of exotic locale isn’t going to accomplish a lot. It has to be meaningful. It has to add to the story. An exotic locale, for example, could provide a nice contrast to the protagonist’s familiar home (hence, a conflict could arise). Have a clear plan right from the start and understand the impact of the settings. That’s the only way to craft a compelling story that people will enjoy rather than question.

 

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Writer

I guess when your a writer, you feel everything ten to power of hundred in order to compose it in words, you feel each and every emotion either its pain, agony, happiness, hollowness, loneliness, peace and above all the master of all emotions; that emotion which is capable of taking over all emotions; that's even maybe sometimes the cause of all these emotions; that cunning yet oh so innocent and pure emotion love, so that any soul who read it even after decades, centuries can relate to it. That is when you are a great creator of words.

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Writing For Children

Herman was a very friendly frog ...

Writing for children can be fun once you've been a parent and realize how much they treasure early memories and favorite stories. Remembering your favorite toys, books, stuffed animals, places, surroundings and neighbors would be the first place to recall life's most inspiring events from our childhood years. Add to that, all that you've witnessed first hand in your beginning family, and you can see your window of opportunity for inspiring a child amounts to a few precious years that form an entire future.

First think of the age you want to write for. For baby, mostly simple pictures next to one word on indestructible formats using big or fat lettering. For the two-year-old, several words and more detailed pictures. For three to four years old, you'll want to use a very brief, clear sentence structure that brings out the content of a visual with vivid descriptive language. When the child is five or six years old, they're ready for Kindergarten or First Grade, and may be happy with fewer pictures or photographs of nature and art that fascinate our imagination in greater detail.

Let the child know that their artwork is highly valuable and memorable to the grown-up world of books. Trying to outshine a child's skill may get them to Disney World in their heart, but there was only one Walt Disney, and life doesn't need to be all about competition. Fun happens with sentimental things we can all accomplish. Fun is participating.

Let's think of an example in the area of content for a toddler's book:

Page 1  Clouds are cool.

Page 2  Look at the shapes.

Page 3  What do you see?

Page 4  I see a sheep.

Page 5  What do you see?

Page 6  I see a boat.

etc.

Now let's think about the child nearing Kindergarten.

The Paper Turkey

Page 1  (artwork) Children's Thanksgiving Turkey from construction paper

Page 2  "Every Thanksgiving, we eat turkey, but the most fun is making one."

Page 3  (artwork) Boy or girl (or both) with their scissors and construction paper cutting shapes at a small table

Page 4  "Be careful with the scissors!"

Page 5  (artwork) A picture of supplies -- glue, string, warm, fall colors for paper, plastic eyes or buttons .. etc.

Page 6  "You have to have the right colors to make a good turkey."

etc.

Suddenly, you feel ready to take this on like a sock puppet, and write your first or fifth children's book, but who will love it? Who will make the art? Go to the school and ask whether they want to contribute in any way. You MAY even be a local artist with grassroots supplies. Good luck!

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NO BETTER TIME THAN NOW

NO BETTER TIME THAN NOW

*In-Him-Justified* Devotional!

MONDAY 14TH AUGUST, 2017

FOCUS: NO BETTER TIME THAN NOW

TEXT: EPH 5:16 REDEEMING THE TIME, BECAUSE THE DAYS ARE EVIL

One of the biggest weapons of the devil is the phrase “all things being equal”. Let me ask, can your five fingers ever be equal? If the best time to take that step you have always dreamt of is tomorrow then that time may never come because there will always be a tomorrow. If your reason for waiting is because of the global economic recession then you may have to wait longer because, all things can never be equal in this life.

A man and his friend were on a voyage, then came turbulent storms and mighty waves. He asked his friend “what should we do, should we keep going or stop and pray” the friend answered and said “let’s row and pray” and that was how they eventually safe-landed. Must people have become victims of stop-and-pray? The Bible speaking in James 2: 14 says “What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? (NKJV) No, because faith alone without work makes one irresponsibly lazy.

It is evident that the devil is out to ensure that no positive dream and vision conceived sees the light of day by raising unprecedented adversaries (1Cor16:9) Yet waiting for a better day to do anything equals surrendering to the devil which is highly unscriptural. Redeeming the time because the days are evil (EPH 5 :16) I.e. the evil of this day that could not stop you waking up this morning cannot also stop you from achieving whatever you’ve set your faith to launch onto.

This is the victory that overcomes the world even our faith…1John5:4. Already you have victory now get up, work and walk as one who has got victory and don’t just seat there and profess your faith. The devil only submits to those who work faith and not those who only talk faith. You don’t wait for your ship to come to you, rather you swim to meet your ship. Start shaping your own day now.

If two people were given a plot of land to cultivate, one is an unbeliever while the other a believer. The unbeliever goes ahead to do his planting appropriately while the believer only ended up going to the land to make faith declarations every morning without planting. Who will eventually experience a

Bumper harvest? Christianity should not make anybody lazy. The world is expecting our testimonies and not our stories. May God grant us a deeper understanding of His word in Jesus name.

Take this last word: ANY FAITH THAT MAKES GOD ABSOLUTELY RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR EVERYTHING IS AN IRRESPONSIBLE FAITH!

Have a most rewarding day, In Jesus matchless name!

#In-Him-Justified*devotional!

Felix Uzoma Okereafor

#RaisingacompletemaninHim

 

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Characters

I am only a woman. I learned to write from Henry David Thoreau, William Shakespeare, Ralph Waldo Emerson, William Wordsworth, Keats, Shelby, Byron, Browning, General George Washington and other Founding Fathers; but, Jane Austen inspired men to make Motion Picture masterpieces based upon her wonderful characters, and I watched them along with many other movies, classic and otherwise, allowing all of the visuals and interpretations of creative thought to inundate my mind and heart over the years, all inspired by writing indeed, yet filtered through countless acts of appreciation as well.

I remember feeling a bit strange after I matured that I was mimicking the behavior of men in writing poetry; nevertheless, we were expected to gain an education and to use it, whereas women hadn't before the Industrial Revolution, the invention of the automobile in particular. Without ease in transportation, women don't stand up to the deeds of men. They dress well to have a good address, they exhibit good manners to live in a nice manor, they submit to gentlemen to be considered gentile.

Consider the modern man and woman within the confines of machinery, and you have only about a century of evolutionary growth toward likeness in character. I've found men easily put off by us and without hope that we may have something special to offer should it not appear immediately in physical appearance and finances. Writing only romantic fantasies is a tempting concept, but to study the human condition, and to write individual characters with regard to all we see and appreciate in life, as students of expression and communicative endeavor, to form contrast and opinion is to create social understanding.

To me, humor is to say 'Jim Carrey Gold's Gym.'

OR

to see Jim Carrey impersonating Latka ..

Precious gemstones in entertainment history are derived from great thinkers, whether they became play wrights, novelists, poets or philosophers. The thinkers themselves are characters. We love mentioning Albert Einstein. Who is the most famous actress in Motion Picture film history? Who did God create first, and why do you think of a comedian now? The human sense of humor is actually necessary to overcome great evil.

The Holy Bible, the book of JOSHUA before JUDGES. (KJV) Chapter 1 [1] Now after the death of Moses the servant of the LORD it came to pass, that the LORD spake unto Joshua the son of Nun, Moses' minister, saying, [2] Moses my servant is dead; now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, thou, and all this people, unto the land which I do give to them, even to the children of Israel.

Jesus, Mary and Joking son of none. Laughter is a response to surprise.

From The Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri  -- “The day that man allows true love to appear, those things which are well made will fall into confusion and will overturn everything we believe to be right and true.” 

Falling in love doesn't happen because someone makes you proud in the public eye. Pride before the fall happens. Everything in life that you've pursued has been in order to better yourself and to make you feel accomplished, pleasing the expectations of others, and of those who guided you, until someone truly special appears who cannot be forgotten, but who effects you in a permanent way due to their irreplaceable substance, their character.

Whether serious or comic or in contrast toward one another, every unique person in our world has the effect of making us feel better about ourselves somehow, in that we sense a kind of a mirror in our thoughts that appears so subtly, we seldom consider it. Appreciate differences and you enjoy who you are.

 

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