Leah Lindeman's Blog, page 2

How to write a novella

SUMMARY

Read lots of novellas before you write one. Make note of how many characters and subplots there are. Notice the direct language the scene is written in and how the plot moves along.Don’t crowd your story with too many characters or subplots. Laser focus on the main character, their development, and how they grow over the plot structure.The plot structure shouldn’t contain more than 25 plot points. You have to keep within 20-40K words.

How To get your books into bookstores

Wondering how to get your book into any bookstore, be it indie or a brick and mortar chain? In this video, I share with you the email structure I send to owners/managers that gets my book into their stores 99% of the time.

SUMMARY

Before making contact with the owner or manager of an indie bookstore, research whether the bookstore hosts other indie authors on their shelves and whether they have similar titles to yours. See if you can find the name of the person you want to contact. For a bookstore part of a brick and mortar chain, call up each individual store you want to be in and ask to speak to the person in charge of consignment and book signings or get their email.Include in your email the following: an introduction, title of book and genre, synopsis, what you’re asking for and what you’re giving, your availability.If you don’t ask, you won’t receive. Be clear with what you are asking, a book signing and consignment.Be creative in your give. Offer little gifts to those who buy your book or go even bigger by hosting a scavenger hunt!

How to Be a good beta reader

Want to read books for free and be good at it? Learn all about being a helpful beta reader and becoming a key part of the editing process for your favourite authors.

SUMMARY

What is a beta reader? A beta reader is someone who reads an author’s work during the editing process to describe in detail how characters, plot, and dialogue are working or not. Usually, a beta reader isn’t paid for their service; however, they don’t need to pay a dime to read the work.There are 6 ways in which you can be a most helpful beta reader to the author of your choosing.Make sure you clearly understand the author’s expectations—the time frame in which they want you to finish, what kind of criticism they’re looking for, and where they want you to comment (in a Google doc, email, text, etc.).When editing, authors are encouraged to read their work out loud to catch any sentence flow that doesn’t work. You can do the same to ensure the work sounds natural.When giving criticism, be sure you’re very specific about what isn’t working for you. Generalities are unhelpful to the author. If you have any suggestions about improving it, graciously provide that insight.Read a genre you love. You’ll be more invested in your service, and you’ll help the author understand if they’ve reached their target audience with the material.When giving feedback, make sure it is detailed on whatever medium you’ve chosen to comment on. Note what page you’ve caught the error. If there are chapter inconsistencies, write down what chapters.Just because the author’s style is one you’re having a hard time getting into it doesn’t mean it’s a flaw. Perhaps, you’re not the right reader for the job.

Writing Goals 2023

What are your writing goals for this year? I share mine. Please share yours in the comments below:)

SUMMARY

“If you didn’t meet your writer’s goals last year, this is the time, the YEAR, to form good writing habits and accomplish your goals.”You need to know the path ahead in order to achieve your goals in the time you want them done. Come up with actionable steps you can easily follow to reach your goals.Watch the full video to be inspired to make your own writing goals.

INSPIRATIONAL QUOTES

The Key to Finishing a First Draft

Wondering how to get that first draft done? Learn why consistency is key to finishing a first draft—the triple D’s: Dependability, Discipline, Deference.

SUMMARY

“Have deference for your craft—pay homage by writing to prove the humble respect you have for it.”Download the 7 key principles to finishing your first draft here.Watch the full video to get the training.

Inspirational Quotes

How to Make Time to Write

Wondering how to juggle all the responsibilities of life while making time to write? Learn the physical disciplines and mental mindset that will enable you to achieve your writing goals every day. I apologize for the change in audio halfway through the video.

SUMMARY

“Work hard at the gift you’ve been given.”Be consistent in blocking out time to write. If it means so much to you, there will be no excuse (other than an emergency) that you can come up with that is good enough to justify shirking your passion.Set proper boundaries with people and things to make sure you get the most out of your writing time.Give yourself grace when you don’t meet your writing goals, yet still strive for excellence.Don’t feel guilty that other things didn’t get done when you get to your writing time.Watch the video to get the full training!

INSPIRATIONAL QUOTES

How to Title Your Book

How do you come up with a winning title for your book that will get readers to pick your book off the shelf instead of passing it by? Reference the C-TEST to help you brainstorm the right title for your book.

SUMMARY

“The reader peers through the window, your title, to see glimpses of your home, the story.”You don’t need to have the perfect title before you write your project. If you’re a writer who needs a title, be happy with a working title for a bit. You can always change it later.Go to a bookstore/library and study the titles in your genre. You can borrow from the title structures you see and tailor it to your own story.Come up with several different titles and run them by your writing community, friends, and family.C-TEST: C for Contradictory. T for Transformative. E for Established. S for Straightforward. T for Thematic.Watch the video to get the full training!Once you’ve come up with your title using the C-TEST, take a pic of it an use #PentoPaper so we can celebrate this win with you!

Inspirational Quotes

Your Comprehensive Self-Publishing Checklist

Thinking you might just need a step by step guide for publishing your book? Look no further. You’ve come to the right place.

SUMMARY

“Know your genre well so that your book can compete in the marketplace.”Have a game plan before publishing your book. I’m giving you the checklist I have used to publish all my books. Get your copy here.You decide how much time it will take to produce your book. Giving yourself a longer or shorter deadline doesn’t make you a better writer either way. Give the details their due attention does.Watch the video to get the full training.Once you download your checklist, take a pic of it and use #PentoPaper so we can cheer you on through the process.

Inspirational Quotes

How Much Does It Cost to Self-Publish

Ever wondered how much it costs to self-publish your book? Guess what…it’s all up to you how low or high the cost is going to be. I share the path I chose and additional information to help you form your own budget for self-publishing your book.

UMMARY

“Don’t let your budget inhibit your work. Find a colleague whom you can serve and trader your service for theirs.”You decide how much you want to spend to self-publish your book. It can be as low or as high as you decide your budget to be.Always enlist another pair of eyes on your work whether that’s an editor or a slew of beta readers.Be sure to use IngramSpark’s expanded distribution. It is more comprehensive than Amazon’s.Watch the video to get the full training.Putting together a budget for your book? Take a pic of the words either “Low” or “High” and use #PentoPaper so we can give a shoutout to the hard work you’re putting into your book:)

Inspirational Quotes

First-Time Author Regrets

Wanting to learn from the lessons of other authors and sidestep important obstacles? I dish on my 3 greatest regrets of of being a first-time self-pub author.

SUMMARY

” It’s important to walk the path with others for community and support. It’s crucial to listen to the directions of those who have walked the path before . “ Be sure to buzz about your book as soon as you begin writing the book. Start an email list and share your experiences with all those ready to support you on your journey.Find and belong to a writer’s group with both writers who starting out like you are for camaraderie and with writers who have already paved the way before you. Seek out other authors within your genre (and some outside your genre) and become their enthusiastic supporter. Promote their work. As a natural consequence of your budding friendship, they’ll promote you.Watch the video to get the full training.Already started writing a book? Let’s celebrate you! Take a photo of your title and use #PentoPaper so I can find you on social media.

Inspirational Quotes