Joylene Nowell Butler's Blog, page 7
February 10, 2021
Phyllis Zimbler Miller – In Defense of Zoom (or Similar Online Technology)
I recently spoke to a fellow screenwriter to remind her about an upcoming Zoom networking opportunity. I did this because I had originally met her when, before Covid, this particular group’s networking meetings were held in person.
She said that she felt Zoomed out and thought she’d wait until the in-person meetings resumed.
Afterwards I pondered what she had said and how I disagreed with her.
To begin with, putting aside the question of Zoom versus in-person, there is the important consideration of staying in touch with people, especially when we aren’t able to freely mix with others.
As writers or other professionals, are we keeping up with those relationships we have established and nurtured, perhaps over years? Or are we so “locked down” that we can’t even think beyond our own walls?
When the lockdown first began in Los Angeles in mid-March, I admit that I didn’t undertake to move online the Beverly Hills Great Books discussion group (of which I am the unofficial chair). And this was truly foolish as I had already been on Zoom webinars for many months and knew how easy and effective they could be.
Luckily one of the other members galvanized us into moving online, and it has been very fulfilling. In fact, we now have three new members Zooming in from different parts of the U.S. No one has to fight the Los Angeles traffic and, surprisingly, people are now on time to the meetings. (We also are not prevented from holding meetings when our Beverly Hills meeting room is closed for various mandated public holidays.)
Bottom line? We’re going to stay online even after it is safe to return to in-person meetings. And I admit I would have been very remiss to have passed up this expanded opportunity for our engaging book discussions.
If you are not into attending Zoom (or the like) webinars or conversations, are you still staying in touch with your connections? For example, if you see an online article that could be of interest to Person X, are you sending that article link to Person X with a “thinking of you” note?
Or when given the opportunity to invite guests to a free online program, are you considering who might enjoy being invited? Even if the person ultimately doesn’t attend online, the person may be very pleased that you invited him/her.
Perhaps this seems somewhat of a trivial topic for a guest blog post. Yet I think that, as many of us stay hunkered down in our own pods, it is important for us to reach out to others we know, particularly people living alone. Just saying hello via email, phone or text can make someone’s “safe at home” day!
Phyllis Zimbler Miller is an author and screenwriter in Los Angeles. She can be reached through her website at www.PhyllisZimblerMiller.com
www.linkedin.com/in/phylliszimblermiller
http://twitter.com/ZimblerMiller
Skype: PhyllisZimblerMiller12
Member of Women in FilmMember of the Dramatists GuildMember of Military Writers Society of AmericaSubscribe to updates for the free nonfiction theater project THIN EDGE OF THE WEDGE to combat anti-Semitism and hate.The post Phyllis Zimbler Miller – In Defense of Zoom (or Similar Online Technology) appeared first on Joylene Nowell Butler.
February 2, 2021
IWSG – February 2021 – The Window, a novel
Happy Insecure Writer’s Support Day, everyone.
Let’s agree that the plus side of the Pandemic is it gives us more time to read. So guess what?
I have a book for you.
Today I’m helping Dave Cole celebrate the release of his novel THE WINDOW, a creepy Y/A novel for young and old.
The Window
By Dave Cole
A dark window to the future…
Everything changed the day Brian Bingham looked out the attic window and saw something that wouldn’t happen for another week. Through a mysterious window no one else can see, Brian gains a portal into the future. But the future is not always something he wants to see.
Brian has enough troubles in the present without worrying about the future. His parents are constantly fighting, his grades are plummeting, and his new relationship with Charlotte, a girl way out of his league, is in jeopardy.
When the window reveals his best friend’s brutal death, Brian’s world is turned upside down. He must find a way to change the future…or die trying.
Release date – February 2, 2021
$13.95, 6×9 trade paperback, 170 pages
Print ISBN 9781939844767 / EBook ISBN 9781939844774
Young Adult – Paranormal (YAF045000) / Contemporary Fantasy (YAF019010) / Horror (YAF026000)
Dave is from St. Louis and has a degree in Computer Science. He is the author of The Math Kids series for middle grade readers. When he is not designing data center management software, he is usually reading, writing, or coaching elementary school math teams. He loves writing and his wife loves that he has found a hobby that doesn’t cost money!
www.theMathKids.com
Links:
Amazon – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08B5FX755
Barnes & Noble – https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-window-dave-cole/1137179862?ean=9781939844767
Kobo – https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/the-window-30
Goodreads – https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/54455124-the-window
IWSG was created by Ninja Captain Alex J Cavanaugh — because Alex understands we need a safe place to congregate, insecurity is part of our creative nature, and together we’re stronger.
On the first Wednesday of each month, you can write on any subject related to your writing journey or adopt the option of answering the month’s question. Either way, you’re in safe territory.
If this sounds like a good place to be, sign up here.
IWSG’s Twitter handle is @TheIWSG and the hashtag is #IWSG.
Every month, a question is announced that members can answer in their IWSG post. These questions may prompt you to share advice, insight, a personal experience or a story. Include your answer to the question in your IWSG post or let it inspire your post if you are struggling with something to say.
Remember, the question is optional!
February 3 question – Blogging is often more than just sharing stories. It’s often the start of special friendships and relationships. Have you made any friends through the blogosphere?
ABSOLUTELY!
The co-hosts for the February 3 posting of the IWSG are Louise – Fundy Blue, Jennifer Lane, Mary Aalgaard, Patsy Collins at Womagwriter, and Nancy Gideon!
The post IWSG – February 2021 – The Window, a novel appeared first on Joylene Nowell Butler.
January 20, 2021
2020 is over! Yeah!
by Hank Quense
So, 2020 is in the past and good riddance. I decided to summarize that year. Perhaps the analysis will lead to uncovering some truths.
Once again, the Pulitzer Prize Awards Selection Committee ignored me and my writing. That’s more than 20 years in a row. One has to wonder if the Committee is biased against writers born in New Jersey.None of my books made it to the best seller lists. Is self-publishing to blame?During the year, I never won a big lottery prize. I plan to investigate if not buying lottery tickets all year is somehow related to the lack of winning.Self-isolating means not going to the barber shop. The other day, I hacked off a few inches of hair. I’m sure the wound in my right ear will heal just fine. There wasn’t that much blood.I am not scheduled to receive the Presidential Freedom Medal. That’s good. If I’m offered one in the few remaining days, I’ll refuse it like Bill Belichick for pretty much the same reasons.The New York Mets and Giants continue to be painful to watch. Some of the commercials are more interesting than the action on the field. Wait ’til next year!Zoom meetings, compared to meeting in person, are pretty boring.I’ve noticed self-isolation can grow on you. After a while, it seems natural to stay in and going out seems strange. An end to self-isolating will require strength of character to adjust.The pandemic continues to rage around here and people continue to go in the wrong direction in supermarket aisles. Perhaps those shoppers could be charged higher prices. Or maybe their coupons could be rejected.In times of crisis, an incompetent, uncaring government makes the situation worse, not better. Unfortunately, this crisis is much more serious (and deadly) than the ineptness of my favorite sports teams.Swimming laps while wearing a face mask is akin to waterboarding. I strongly advise against it.
2021 Resolutions:
None
For vacations, Hank and Pat usually visit distant parts of the galaxy. Occasionally, they also time-travel.
Besides writing novels, Hank lectures on fiction writing, publishing and book marketing. He is most proud of his talk showing grammar school kids how to create a short story. He used these lectures to create an advanced ebook with embedded videos to coach the students on how to create characters, plots and settings. The target audience is 4th to 7th graders. The book’s title is Fiction Writing Workshop for Kids.
Hank’s Amazon Page Creating a Story
How to Self-publish and Market a Book
Writers & Authors Resource Center
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January 16, 2021
Chrys Fey’s New Release: A FIGHTING CHANCE
Please join me in congratulation Chrys Fey on her newest novel A FIGHTING CHANCE. Chrys Fey is an advocate for ending domestic abuse and has used her voice to bring attention to this unacceptable horror. But Chrys’s books do even more than that. They give hope to survivors.
I asked her recently, “Chrys, what scene in A Fighting Chance was the hardest to write?”
Chrys: The scene when Thorn and Amanda make love was the hardest scene to write because of all the layers it contains. We have a man who adores this woman with every fiber of his being and wants to give her what she deserves and everything she’s never had. He’s also cautious. He doesn’t want to hurt her or cause her to regress. On the other side, we have a woman who is a sexual assault/domestic abuse survivor with a past that she’s trying to heal from. She wants to be with Thorn, more than anything, but she’s cautious, too.
It was important to me to write a romantic scene authentic to the situation. Thorn asks Amanda questions that all men should know to ask women, regardless if they’ve ever experienced abuse or not (which you may not even know if they have). Thorn is gentle, careful. And Amanda is curious because she’d never experienced the type of love and passion that Thorn is showing her. At the same time, she is fragile and experiences flashbacks.
As I said, layers upon layers in this scene. It was beautiful to write, but it took a lot of thought, a lot of care. That’s why it was the hardest scene.
EXCERPT: (Warning: This excerpt may contain triggers of abuse.)
She cracked open her fortune cookie. “‘Your happily-ever-after is coming.’”
Thorn pulled out the curl of paper from his broken fortune cookie. “‘Stay on your path.’”
She picked at her nails. “Last year, Beth and I had a hibachi lunch and my fortune read, ‘Give love a chance.’” She looked him in the eye, although her chest tightened and her heart thudded with excitement and fear. Fear because she had considered telling Thorn this many times before but had never had the guts. “I thought of you right away. I wanted to give love a chance, but I was scared. It sounds silly to admit that a fortune cookie helped me to be brave, but it did. Shortly after that was the Goldwyn Christmas party, when I had gathered enough courage to kiss you under that mistletoe.” She smiled. “I’ve kept that fortune in my wallet as a reminder of how I can give love a chance. With you. And, apparently, my happily-ever-after is closer than I realize.”
Thorn lifted his hand. His fingers stroked her jawline. “You make me happier than I have ever been.”
She covered his hand with hers and closed her eyes. Never before had someone told her she made them happy. For Damon, she only ever inspired negative feelings in him—wrath, jealousy, possessiveness, and dangerous lust. Actually, the one time he appeared happy was after he’d abused her in bed for his own sexual appetite. He didn’t know the meaning of intimacy. Or, rather, his meaning of intimacy was deranged and downright vile. She didn’t know anything else. She took Thorn’s hand. In her lap, she laced and unlaced her fingers with his. These weren’t hands that had ever hurt her. These weren’t hands that would ever hurt her. Before Thorn, she only knew hands that punched, dragged, slapped, choked, and stabbed.
“In a book I read a long time ago, the male character told the heroine he wasn’t going to make love to her but rather that he was going to make love with her.” She paused as her heart rate increased; she couldn’t believe she was saying this, but she wanted to more than anything. “Up until that moment, I had no idea there was a difference between someone making love to you and someone making love with you. What Damon did, and every time he did it, he did it to me, not with me, and there wasn’t any love in it at all. Not a drop. I don’t know what that’s like.” She stared at Thorn now. “Can you show me?”
He blinked. “Show you…?”
She answered in a whisper. “What it’s like to make love with someone.”
His lips parted. He inhaled, filling his lungs. “Are you sure?”
She lowered her gaze as her stomach jittered, and she nodded.
He lifted her chin with his fingers. “My eyes…”
His voice was little more than a breath.
Her gaze rose to meet his.
“I need to hear you say it.”
She swallowed. “I’m sure. I want this. I want you.”
Pages: 154
Genre: Romantic-Suspense
Heat Rating: Hot
BLURB:
*A FIGHTING CHANCE is Book 6 in the Disaster Crimes series, but it’s a spin-off featuring a new couple, so it can be read as a standalone.*
Thorn has loved Amanda from afar, giving her whatever she needs as a survivor of abuse—space, protection, and stability. He yearns to give her more, though, to share his feelings, kiss her, love her, but he’s worried the truth will frighten her away.
And Amanda is afraid. She’s scared of her attraction for Thorn. Most of all, she’s terrified of her ex-boyfriend, who is lurking nearby where no one can find him. When she grows closer to Thorn, Damon retaliates, jeopardizing their happy ending.
Up against an abusive ex and Mother Nature, do Thorn and Amanda have a fighting chance?
Book Links: Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Kobo / iTunes
***FREE FOR A LIMITED TIME***
THE DISASTER CURSE
Book Links: Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Kobo / iTunes
Author’s Note: I wrote The Disaster Curse to answer a few lingering questions readers may have after reading A Fighting Chance, and to tie the whole series together with a neat, shiny, perfect little bow. Plus, there was one disaster that I hadn’t written about yet. *wink*
The Disaster Crimes Series:
*The Crime Before the Storm (prequel)
Hurricane Crimes (novella, #1)
Seismic Crimes (#2)
Lightning Crimes (free short, #2.5)
Tsunami Crimes (#3)
Flaming Crimes (#4)
Frozen Crimes (#5)
A Fighting Chance (spin-off, #6)
The Disaster Curse (short story, #7)
*Free exclusive story to newsletter subscribers.
***LAUNCHING A WEBSITE***
TheFightingChance.org is a website dedicated to domestic violence and sexual assault awareness. Inspired by the Disaster Crimes series.
***GIVEAWAY***
Prizes: Hurricane Crimes (Disaster Crimes 1) and Seismic Crimes (Disaster Crimes 2) eBooks (mobi or epub), Hurricane Crimes Playing Cards, Girl Boss Sign, and a Volcanic Blast Scented Candle
Giveaway HTML: http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/23d974a92670/” rel=”nofollow” data-raflid=”23d974a92670″ data-theme=”classic” data-template=”” id=”rcwidget_jyorbvcc”>a Rafflecopter giveawayhttps://widget-prime.rafflecopter.com...Link: https://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/23d974a92670/
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Chrys Fey is author of the Disaster Crimes Series, a unique concept that blends disasters, crimes, and romance. She runs the Insecure Writer’s Support Group Book Club on Goodreads and edits for Dancing Lemur Press. https://www.chrysfey.com
Author Links:
Newsletter / Website / Facebook Group /Blog / BookBub
Instagram / Facebook / Twitter / Goodreads / Amazon
Thank you, Chrys, for being my guest today. Thank you for giving voice to this domestic abuse.
–namaste
joylene
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January 9, 2021
Phyllis Zimbler Miller – Finding Our Balance in Life
Talking about finding our balance in life in 2021 can be quite a daunting topic. So, no, I’m not going to talk about balancing the myriad important tasks such as protecting ourselves and others from COVID or working from home with multiple distractions or any of the other huge topics.
I’m going to be talking about a very narrow topic for writers, although the same discussion could be had for many other occupations.
Balancing our writing with improving our craft, marketing our work, and research:
Whether a fiction or nonfiction writer or a screenwriter for film or TV, the “pulls” can be so numerous for 1) improving our craft, 2) marketing our work, and 3) researching our writing topics and our target markets besides actually writing.
Let’s start with improving our craft:
Unless we are talking about the very best writers in the world, we all need to continually work on improving our craft.
And even the best writers could improve as the following example illustrates:
I love the novels of P.D. James for her elegant writing style, her plots, and her characters. Yet in one book (DEVICES & DESIRES) she ended the main plot too soon and started the subplot too late in the novel. And how do I know my opinion is sound? In the subsequent TV mini-series of the novel, the main plot ended much later and the subplot started much sooner.
Now I suspect that when a writer has become as famous as P.D. James had, an editor at a publishing house is loath to recommend changes to such an established author. Yet it would have made for a stronger novel if someone had suggested this change to P.D. James.
Thus on the topic of continuing education for writers – we can find numerous resources online. In fact, one lemonade serving of the lemons of the pandemic is that many more writing courses and webinars are now available online.
And here is where balance comes in: If we try to gobble up as many of these courses and webinars as possible, we may have no time remaining to actually write. Yet to only write without trying to improve our writing risks a result of stale writing.
Marketing our work:
Writing is always only part of the business of being a writer – and I do mean business. Because writing by itself doesn’t get that writing in front of readers or viewers. And isn’t that why we writers write? To share stories or thoughts with others.
Perhaps a first step is knowing about the actual business side of book publishing or screenplay writing. And this step can be covered relatively easy by reading books and articles or by attending webinars.
Assuming you’ve got the business side covered, what can you do to help move your career along (marketing) without taking too much time away from writing?
Networking is good – even remotely. It can be a first-time “meeting” or a relationship that builds over time. Online places to network during the pandemic can range from Zoom meetings of meetup.com groups to those of national and local organizations. (Just be sure to try to help others as you want others to help you.)
Then there are writing competitions and other opportunities for getting your writing in front of the appropriate people. I participate in both free and paid programs of www.RoadmapWriters.com for screenwriters. And this company has recently started www.RoadmapAuthors.com for book authors. (Note that these are NOT affiliate links.)
For 2021 consider reviewing the effectiveness of your LinkedIn profile. If you want ideas on how to improve your LinkedIn profile, check out this free LinkedIn webinar I did for Roadmap: www.roadmapwriters.com/collections/webinars/products/webinar-marketing-series-social-branding-using-social-media-for-your-professional-writing-career
Finally, research:
As a writer, there are two main elements of research. The first one – doing research for an historical project or, for example, on a contemporary location that you can’t visit – is straightforward (although you do need to know when enough is enough and you should start writing).
It’s the other kind of research that can really play havoc with our balance in life: How many film or TV shows must a screenwriter watch to stay “current” or how many bestsellers – whether fiction or nonfiction – must an author read?
That’s the $64,000 question as we used to say (I’m dating myself) – and one we all have to contemplate for 2021 in order to try to find our balance in life.
Wishing everyone a safe and productive 2021!
Phyllis Zimbler Miller is an author and screenwriter in Los Angeles. She can be reached through her website at www.PhyllisZimblerMiller.com
www.linkedin.com/in/phylliszimblermiller
http://twitter.com/ZimblerMiller
Skype: PhyllisZimblerMiller12
Member of Women in Film
Member of the Dramatists Guild
Member of Military Writers Society of America
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January 6, 2021
IWSG – 2021 – Trip Across Canada
Happy New Year, everyone. Feliz año nuevo.
One might think that starting off 2021 sick is a bad omen. I don’t. Yes, I have a nasty cold, but every morning when I open my eyes, I’m reminded of the blessings in my life. A cold is simply part of that.
Because I’m sick, I’m not answering this month’s question; it would take too much brainpower. Instead, I’m sharing some pics of my road trips across Canada in 2018 and 2019, there and back, from the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic. Sadly, I did not make it to Newfoundland. Next time.
City of Vancouver, B.C. (courtesy of Images)
My first sight of Vancouver on my trip back from Indonesia
Alberta courtesy of Images
Saskatchewan courtesy of Images
High Bluff, Manitoba
Kenora, Ontario
Lake Superior, Ontario
Niagara Falls City
Niagara Falls
Parliament Buildings, Ottawa, Ontario
Notre Dame Cathedral, Old Quebec City, Quebec
Rocks Provincial Park & Fundy National Park, New Brunswick
Lunenburg, Nova Scotia
Peggy’s Cove, Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia
red shores of PEI
Lucy Montgomery, author of Anne of Green Gables
Charlottetown, PEI
Confederation Bridge from Nova Scotia to PEI
Prince Edward Island, Canada
IWSG was created by Ninja Captain Alex J Cavanaugh — because Alex understands we need a safe place to congregate, insecurity is part of our creative nature, and together we’re stronger.
On the first Wednesday of each month, you can write on any subject related to your writing journey or adopt the option of answering the month’s question. Either way, you’re in safe territory.
If this sounds like a good place to be, sign up here.
IWSG’s Twitter handle is @TheIWSG and the hashtag is #IWSG.
Every month, a question is announced that members can answer in their IWSG post. These questions may prompt you to share advice, insight, a personal experience or a story. Include your answer to the question in your IWSG post or let it inspire your post if you are struggling with something to say.
Remember, the question is optional!
January 6 question – Being a writer, when you’re reading someone else’s work, what stops you from finishing a book/throws you out of the story/frustrates you the most about other people’s books?
The co-hosts for the January 6 posting of the IWSG are Ronel Janse van Vuuren , J Lenni Dorner, Gwen Gardner Sandra Cox, and Louise – Fundy Blue!
When you have a moment, please stop by and thank the hosts for their time. They’re the reason nobody gets left without visitors.
–namaste
joylene
The post IWSG – 2021 – Trip Across Canada appeared first on Joylene Nowell Butler.
December 24, 2020
ARRANGING A DREAM: A MEMOIR BOOK TOUR
Feliz Navidad Everyone!
Would you like to read something that leaves you with a feel-good feeling? I’m happy to announce that my friend author J.Q. Rose has written her memoir, due for release January 1, 2021. Please join me in congratulating Janet on a wonderful story of courage, love, family strengths and values. In these difficult times, reading something that leaves a smile on your face can be a very good thing.
BACK OF THE BOOK:
In 1975, budding entrepreneurs Ted and Janet purchase a floral shop and greenhouses where they plan to grow their dream. Leaving friends and family behind in Illinois and losing the security of two paychecks, they transplant themselves, their one-year-old daughter, and all their belongings to Fremont, Michigan, where they know no one.
Will the retiring business owners nurture Ted and Janet as they struggle to develop a blooming business, or will they desert the inexperienced young couple to wither and die in their new environment?
Most of all, can Ted and Janet grow together as they cultivate a loving marriage, juggle parenting with work, and root a thriving business?
Follow this couple’s inspiring story, filled with the joy and triumphs and the obstacles and failures experienced as they travel along the turbulent path of turning dreams into reality.
Pre-order Kobo https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/arranging-a-dream
Pre-order Nook BN.com https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/arranging-a-dream-jq-rose/1138258568?ean=2940164728984
Pre-order SW https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1054054
Pre-order amazon page https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08NDZNYQJ
Paperback at amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Arranging-Dream-J-Q-Rose/dp/0228615542/
About J.Q. Rose
Whether the story is fiction or non-fiction, J.Q. Rose is “focused on story.” She offers readers chills, giggles and quirky characters woven within the pages of her mystery novels. Her published mysteries are Deadly Undertaking, Terror on Sunshine Boulevard and Dangerous Sanctuary released by Books We Love Publishing. Using her storytelling skills, she provides entertainment and information with articles featured in books, magazines, newspapers, and online magazines.
J.Q. taught elementary school for several years and never lost the love for teaching passed down from her teacher grandmother and mother. She satisfies that aspect of her character by presenting workshops on Writing Your Life Story.
Based on the lessons taught in her workshops, JQ created a book, Your Words, Your Life Story: a Journal for Sharing Memories to help life storytellers write, publish and market their stories. She decided to take her advice and pen her memoir, Arranging a Dream: A Memoir.
If you would like to write or record your life story/memoir, check out the Facebook Group, Telling Your Life Story and Memoirs Circle for encouragement and ways to spark memories. Click here to join. https://www.facebook.com/groups/telllifestories
Blogging, photography, Pegs and Jokers board games and travel are the things that keep JQ out of trouble. She and her husband spend winters in Florida and summers up north with their two daughters, two sons-in-law, four grandsons, one granddaughter, two grand dogs, four grand cats, and one great-grand bearded dragon.
Connect online with J.Q:
J.Q. Rose blog http://www.jqrose.com/
Facebook http://facebook.com/jqroseauthor
Q. Rose Amazon Author Page http://tinyurl.com/aeuv4m4
Goodreads- http://www.goodreads.com/jqrose
Pinterest http://pinterest.com/janetglaser/
BWL http://bookswelove.com/authors/rose-j...
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December 20, 2020
How To Self-publish and Market Your Book On the Cheap
by Hank Quense (mi amigo satirico)
So you wrote a book and you want to publish it.
If you’ve done any research, you’ve probably read that it can be expensive and time-consuming. Fortunately, I have a list of creative ideas that can shave big bucks off your publishing project and save you a ton of time.
Publishing Ideas:
Cover art: art work costs a lot of money. Do one yourself. It’s easy. Take a sheet of printer paper and give it to your small grandchild or a neighbor’s kid with a handful of markers After the child scribbles all over the paper, scan it to make a picture file. Open a word processor page and set the scribbled page picture as the background image. Then type the book’s title and your name on the page.
Everyone will think you sprang for expensive modern art work and they will be suitable impressed with your cover. Potential buyers will marvel at the cover and try to interpret what deep philosophical insights it represents.
Editing:
Getting a book edited by a professional editor is expensive. Why go with the professional when a high school kid probably knows just as much as the professional. Hire a kid to do it and pay them a couple of bucks. (Hint: pay them a flat rate. Don’t pay them by the typo.)
Formatting and book design:
These are more areas where ‘experts’ charge excessive money to get your book shaped up. Does it matter? The teen who did the editing can handle the formatting. Just tell her to make it look like an important term paper and give her ten bucks (after she finishes the job).
Marketing Ideas:
If it’s your first book, you have now discovered that you are expected to MARKET the book. And good luck with that stuff. Really, where do people come up with these silly concepts?
Pricing:
This book is your masterpiece. Don’t underprice it! Never mind what similar books are selling for. They have nothing to do with your book. Price your book at least thirty-three percent more than similar books. Potential readers will notice the premium pricing and assume that your pricier book must be superior to the cheaper books.
Trailers:
These are another very expensive marketing item if you chose to have a professional company make one for you. Fortunately, smartphones now have the capability to record video. So have someone make a video of you holding your book (right side up) and grinning and acting like you’re having a wonderful time because you’re holding the book. Make a voice over on your computer and upload the video to YouTube. Voila! A book trailer at no cost!
Bookstores:
Going around to bookstores takes a lot of time, effort and gas. Really, isn’t it their job to know that your book is available? Ignore them and maybe they’ll shape up.
Libraries:
Same as bookstores. Why do you have to do the librarian’s job?
Websites:
These can be a major source of frustration and wasting time. You’ll spend many hours figuring out how to use the software. Just picking a template on WordPress can drive you crazy. Who has the time and money to put up with this nonsense? Find a cheap web site that has a hosting service and a few templates. Use the template to make two or three pages. Don’t worry that thousands of others share the same website name. Don’t listen to the self-proclaimed experts who claim this is tacky and counter-productive. That may be true, but you’re saving lots of time and money and that trumps tacky every day of the week.
If you aren’t interested in doing this yourself, you can hire a professional web designer for a thousand dollars or more or, you can ask your grandkid to do it sometime when the kid has ten minutes to spare.
Social Media:
Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram: They are all opportunities to waste gobs of time and send messages to total strangers who will ignore you because you are a total stranger. The only good thing about the social media stuff is that it’s free. Spend a few minutes every other month pimping your book to these total strangers. Challenge them to find out where your book is sold and offer a discount coupon to use if they find it.
The Next Step:
Once you have all these ideas implemented, you can sit back and write another book. You can also write articles about how the publishing industry is rigged against new authors, otherwise your book would be selling better. You can write another article about how video games and reality TV have destroyed the minds of potential readers who would otherwise have bought your book. Another article could point out how the lame-stream media ignores important new voices in the book publishing industry, such as yourself. Maybe you can put all this stuff into your new book. It could be an exposé of the publishing industry.
If you do indeed sell any books by following my advice, please send me a consultant’s fee of at least 25% of the royalties.
For vacations, Hank and Pat usually visit distant parts of the galaxy. Occasionally, they also time-travel.
Besides writing novels, Hank lectures on fiction writing, publishing and book marketing. He is most proud of his talk showing grammar school kids how to create a short story. He used these lectures to create an advanced ebook with embedded videos to coach the students on how to create characters, plots and settings. The target audience is 4th to 7th graders. The book’s title is Fiction Writing Workshop for Kids.
Hank’s Amazon Page Creating a Story
How to Self-publish and Market a Book
Writers & Authors Resource Center
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December 10, 2020
Phyllis Zimbler Miller – Branding Yourself as a Writer
As writers we want people to think of us when they have a project for which they want to hire a particular kind of writer or when they want to read a particular kind of book. And we want people to think of us in specific formats – fiction books, nonfiction books, screenplays, playwriting.
Yet branding ourselves as a specific kind of writer is not so simple. We may want to legitimately present ourselves as one type of writer in certain circumstances and another type of writer in different circumstances.
Recently I was advised to “stay in my lane” of military and espionage writing so that I could be considered for that niche. This is especially so because my background supports this lane.
Yet when I mentioned staying in my lane to an entertainment industry exec, she had an interesting POV about branding oneself as a writer.
She didn’t agree with staying in one’s lane in terms of specific genres. Instead, her advice to me was to remain the same lens and perspective across genres.
And I have now been pondering this advice.
What does it mean to remain the same lens across different formats and different genres? It may mean to have the same worldview whatever you write.
Perhaps it is as simple as being pessimistic or optimistic in your writing. Imagine a comedy that is pessimistic or a serious piece that is optimistic. Both can surely be done.
Or a worldview that only important people have value or a worldview that every single person has value.
In my own case, I am a writer who has an underlying (although not necessarily the same) agenda in everything I write. Often my agenda is to portray women in roles in which traditionally only men are portrayed, such as Lt. Commander Mollie Sanders in my co-written screenplay and novel adaptation MOLLIE SANDERS.
I am also conscious of portraying social responsibility in my writing, such as safer sex, safety belt usage, NOT sliding down banisters. Plus I know the topics on which I personally wouldn’t want to write, such as incest or sex trafficking.
Yet I don’t see how this POV of mine would make for a brand in terms of the writing world.
If as a writer you were to be asked your brand, what would be your reply? For purposes of this discussion, the answer can’t just be: “I write romance novels.” It would need to be more, such as: “I write romance novels in which the heroine discovers something life-changing in herself from her encounters with the love interest.”
If you don’t know where to start in thinking about your own brand as a writer, perhaps thinking about some of your favorite writers in terms of brand would be a good starting point.
For example, I really like John le Carré spy novels. Yet I might go further and say that I like John le Carré spy novels because he digs deep under the surface spy story to peel away successive layers of his main characters. I believe that this “peeling away” in every novel of his is a specific brand that greatly appeals to his legions of fans.
I’m still working on defining my own brand. If you would like to share your brand, please do so in the comments below.
Phyllis Zimbler Miller is an author and screenwriter in Los Angeles. She can be reached through her website at www.PhyllisZimblerMiller.com
www.linkedin.com/in/phylliszimblermiller
http://twitter.com/ZimblerMiller
Skype: PhyllisZimblerMiller12
Member of Women in Film
Member of the Dramatists Guild
Member of Military Writers Society of America
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December 2, 2020
IWSG – Dec 2020 – Productivity and Mental Health
Once upon a time, I wrote every day: two hours before dawn, then after the kids and the job, late into the night. I used an old IBM typewriter. It was the 80s. I was obsessed.
One day, several years later, Dead Witness was published and life as I’d known it changed. Besides taking care of hubby and five sons, and working full-time, I poured every bit of energy I had left into marketing. I won’t bore you with the details, but if you can list ten top marketing strategies, rested assured, I applied them.
A publisher picked up my second novel, and I thought “Yay, I don’t have to work so hard this time.”
Wrong.
Janet Crum said something in her post this week that resonated. Which reminds me you should check out her blog, it’s awesome. Janet said the pandemic is exhausting.
YES.
This month’s question: Are there months or times of the year that you are more productive with your writing than other months, and why? … I’m too tired to remember. But I should probably admit that I was exhausted long before the pandemic stuck.
How the heck do authors spin out 2 to 3 manuscripts a year, then market them???
For most of my life, I was a regular person like the rest of you. Now I’m trying to adapt to being a senior. This oldness dropped out of the blue two years ago and blind-sighted me. While I do write regularly, (I didn’t last year) I equate productivity to marketing and I’m falling short. I need to apologize to my readers and especially my publishers for that. I wish I could promise I’ll be my ole self once I’m vaccinated.
The point I’m trying to make is I’m tired, yes, but I’m okay about it. My spirit and psyche are healthy. I make a mental gratitude list every single morning before my eyes open. I smile — a lot.
It hasn’t always been that way. I once told a close friend that I thought I’d been born sad. I couldn’t justify my sadness so I blamed it on generics.
In 2017 I had an accident, broke my femur, had my hip replaced, and then hosted a pity-party for 18 months. It’s a long story I’ve mentioned before. Suffice to say I saw the dark side and I like the bright side better. Truth be known, I was visiting the dark side most of my life.
If I don’t sell a million copies of my books anytime soon, it’s okay. I have a beautiful life. I can nap whenever I please. And I do. If I occasionally feel glum, unmotivated, and unenergized, that’s okay, too. I love being alive. I love writing. And I love good books.
I see so many people struggling to have it all: the relationship, the family, the friends, the career. You should have it all. You deserve it. Dream big. Know in your heart you’re worthy. But if you should decide one day that life in this very instance is good, perfect, in fact — smile. Keep smiling, even if it’s just to yourself. Choose to smile as often as you can. And when you can’t, don’t worry; whatever is wrong will pass.
This month I’ll finish my WIP. I know I said that last January. I mean it this time because I figured out what went wrong. I didn’t want to finish it. Now I do.
–namaste
joylene
ps. In the near future, I’ll be working with author Hank Quense to rejuvenate my marketing strategies. Thank you, Hank!
IWSG was created by Ninja Captain Alex J Cavanaugh — because Alex understands we need a safe place to congregate, insecurity is part of our creative nature, and together we’re stronger.
On the first Wednesday of each month, you can write on any subject related to your writing journey or adopt the option of answering the month’s question. Either way, you’re in safe territory.
If this sounds like a good place to be, sign up here.
IWSG’s Twitter handle is @TheIWSG and hashtag is #IWSG.
Every month, a question is announced that members can answer in their IWSG post. These questions may prompt you to share advice, insight, a personal experience or story. Include your answer to the question in your IWSG post or let it inspire your post if you are struggling with something to say.
Remember, the question is optional!
December 2 question – Are there months or times of the year that you are more productive with your writing than other months, and why?
The awesome co-hosts for the December 2 posting of the IWSG are Pat Garcia, Sylvia Ney, Liesbet @ Roaming About Cathrina Constantine, and Natalie Aguirre!
Please take time to stop by and thank them for their time.
–namaste
joylene
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