Ruth Ann Nordin's Blog, page 111

Blogging: Part 2 -- What I Learned at the Writer's Conference

This is the only blog post I'm making today. I just got back from a writer's all day critique group. (Some of the time is socializing with friends but it only happens once a month so I make sure to enjoy it.) The reason I mention this is because my posts here automatically show up on Facebook, and I owe some Facebook friends emails. I promise those of you on Facebook that I'm not ignoring you. I plan to get to emails tomorrow. :-)
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Blogging Part I -- More of what I learned at the Writer's Conference

I wrote this ahead of time for the ebook I'm putting together (and will offer for free when it's finished), so you will notice I refer to this blog as the "Writing, Publishing, and Book Promotion" blog instead of "this blog".


Every writer needs a blog. Over the course of the three days I attended the conference, this was stated several times. Since it was stated as often as it was, I figure it has to be important. Although I did not attend the workshop, I did buy the CD so I could hear it....

Amazon and Your Book--What I Learned From the Writer's Conference

Working With Amazon

Love it or hate it, I know some people who will not put their stuff on Amazon. There are some publishers who won't do business with them either. I understand their concern, but since I publish through CreateSpace (due to my limited funds), I work with Amazon. I guess you have to decide if Amazon is right for you.


So how are some ways to promote yourself on Amazon:

Get Positive Book Reviews

I've heard some people say to write a review for your own book, but the speaker a...

CreateSpace will be Giving Authors Increased Distribution

I just heard about this from a friend but have found an article describing this in greater detail so you can check it out for yourself. Basically, CreateSpace is widening its distribution so if you publish through CreateSpace, you can get your book on more places than just Amazon.

http://www.publishersweekly.com/artic...

Now let's hope this doesn't mean they will start charging authors a publishing fee.

Self-Editing for Better Writing--What I Learned At the Writer's Conference

There is criticism when you tell people you edit your own book. I edit my books. The reason I do this is because I can't afford to pay someone to edit them for me. I have gotten a couple of readers who proofread and do light editing on my books in exchange for a free paperback copy of my book. But I do the majority of work myself. Personally, I don't think there's anything wrong with editing your own work as long as you have a good understanding of your language. (I say "language" becau...

Should You Ever Pay to Self-Publish?

I want to thank Alexa Adams for sending me a post that inspired this one today. Tomorrow I plan to make a post on self-editing that I learned from the writer's conference.

Okay. Now for today's post.

I don't know why self-published authors have to get into any kind of debate. I mean, we are all in the same boat, aren't we? Does it really matter how we self-publish?

Now, I understand why people who hate self-publishing would say negative things about it. I used to care about their opinion ...

Traditional Publishers Creating Self-Publishing Divisions: Part 2

Okay. Now that I expressed my concerns over this, let me look at the bright side. So what is good about this?

1. It lessens the stigma of self-publishing. There will always be someone who thinks self-publishing is a dirty word, but the overall stigma attached to it is slowly breaking down. I see this as a very positive move in that direction. Readers are smart enough to decide whether they like a book based on the contents of the book. There will always be readers who want to read becau...

When Traditional Publishers Make Self-Publishing Divisions: Part 1

I will get back to my writer's conference "What I Learned" posts next week. Right now I felt inspired to talk about this particular topic and want to get my thoughts down before I lose that creative spark.
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It seems that there is a trend that is starting where traditional publishing houses are now branching into the self-publishing industry. For example, Thomas Nelson has set up a division called WestBow...

Building an Author Platform (Part 3) -- What I Learned from the Writer's Conference

Here's the last post on this topic. After Thanksgiving, I will post on self-editing.

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(continue the list I had started at the end of part 2)

4. get involved in social networking sites

a. I know Facebook is scary to a lot of people, but my readers are leaving places like Myspace and Live Journal and other places to go to Facebook. I don't want to lose their interest, and one has requested that I keep her updated on ...

Building Your Author Platform: Part 2

Just a quick note. I am about 10,000 words away from reaching my NaNo (national novel writing month) goal of 50,000 words, so I am not ignoring anyone. I promise to check our your blogs when things settle down in December.
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So How Do you Build Your Platform?

I think the best way to start is to do the things you are comfortable with. Some people hate Facebook, so I advise staying away from it until you feel re...