Ruth Ann Nordin's Blog, page 107

Writing No No's

I've been doing some reading (and some of it has been my own work--LOL) and noticed some things that should probably be on the "Do not do" list when you're writing. Again, I mention that I have either done this in the past or fall into the trap of doing this now, so I know how easy this stuff is to do.

1. Give tons of backstory. This is especially true in the beginning of your book. For some reason, we might feel the need to info dump on the reader. Or we're afraid that the reader will so...

Interesting Blog Post on How Traditionally Published Authors Sell Books

This post is from Michael A. Stackpole. He has traditionally published, so he knows the business. He has also self-published. Since he has done both, this is why I recommend going to his blog and at least checking him out.

Today, I thought I'd pass along his post on "Entitlement? Really?"

To break down a few points, here is what he discusses:

1. Book covers sell more than your prose does. So, have a good cover.

2. Placement in bookstores plays a big factor in whether or not the book sell...

Perseverance is the Name of the Game

One thing I have become convicted of over the past year is the power of perseverance. Usually, I hear this in relation to finding an agent and getting a traditional publishing contract. However, that is just one step toward the goal of getting your name out there. Being traditionally published doesn't automatically mean you'll sell books either. I entered the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award and browsed through the forums over there to see what's going on. I noticed that the authors of se...

Why I Buy Books

The reason why I buy books is why I think most people buy books. So instead of writing this post as a writer, I'm writing it as a reader.

1. Author Appeal - Primary Reason I Buy a Book

90% of the books I buy are because I liked the author. This doesn't mean I know the author, but it does mean that I have (at some point) heard or read something the writer said that made me admire the person. Since I was impressed with the author, I wanted to check out his/her book.

Sell yourself, not your...

My Take on How the Traditional Publishing Industry Works

This is based off of my research and what I learned from the workshop I attended back in November.

Keep in mind, these are my opinions.

Okay, so last night I was lying in bed trying to sleep when I recalled a comment one of the agents made. "Even if your book is great, if I can't find a spot for it, I won't take it. I need to find a book that fits what a publisher is currently looking for."

There was a person in the audience who asked, "Does that include a book that isn't good?"

And the agent...

Here's the iTunes screen for Getting the MP3 Conversion Set up

Click on the image for the full size.

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Getting a Clear Podcast When Audiobooking

Well, my initial podcasts turned out to have mediocre to horrid sound quality. I've been using Audacity, which is a free program. I'm in no way making a ton of money, so I do have to watch my expenses, esp. since I just hired a proofreader for my upcoming books. (Guess where the money I am making is going? LOL Right back into my books.)

Anyway, I did chapters 1-7 of my book Loving Eliza, and as I was listening to the chapters (and cringing), I figured something had to give here. Either I...

This Format for Smashwords Works if You Want Distribution From Them

I said I would let you know if my way of getting my document ready for Smashwords worked or not, and it did. I have been approved for distribution to Barnes & Noble, Sony, and Kobo (formerly Shortcovers). It looks like Fictionwise has a play in this too, but I don't know if that is something already happening or in the works. If anyone wants to give me information on that one, please do and I'll edit this post.


Here's the link to the post I made about how to format your Word 2003 document f...

Pricing + Ebooks = Money in Author's Pocket

Today I come with hope for self-published authors. Thanks to the January Ezine from The Creative Penn, I found the author I've heard about who made more with his self-published books than with his traditionally published books. I remember hearing about him on a podcast but couldn't remember the name. He's Joe Konrath, and here's his blog: http://jakonrath.blogspot.com/. I recommend following both him and The Creative Penn. If it weren't for resources like this, I'd be stuck where I was t...

Smashwords

Today I decided to give Smashwords another try. I tried back in July and got frustrated since I kept messing things up and couldn't figure my way around. I never made a sale over there anyway. I don't even know if I'll make any now. But since I keep seeing people "talking" about Smashwords, I figured, "What the hey?" The worst that can happen is the ebooks will sit there unnoticed and unbought. This is just one more experiment I'm trying.

While I'm talking about Smashwords, I'm going to ...