Erica Vetsch's Blog, page 41

One Thing That Works for Me with guest Kristi Ann Hunter: Rewrite the Book

 

 

Good Monday morning, Seekerville, and Happy Valentine's Day! I (Carrie) am here to introduce today's guest for this month's 'One Thing That Works For Me' series. Please join me in welcoming author, podcaster, and all-around super-cool person Kristi Ann Hunter to share about an editing trick that works for her. By the way, if you haven't yet checked out her books, I can't think of a better day than one dedicated to romance! 

Edit. Technically speaking, it’s a four-letter word, but for some writers it’s an agonizing chamber of never-ending torture as you comb through the sentences looking for the right place to add a word here or change a phrase there or enhance this sensory detail or remove that unnecessary description.

Allow me to make it worse. At least it’s going to sound that way at first. For some of you, though, it will be the best editing advice you’ve ever heard. How do I know? Because it’s the best editing advice I’ve ever heard and the person I learned it from claimed the same thing.

We’re talking about a very particular stage of edits today. Some people call them substantive edits, others call them high-level, and still others refer to them as rewrites. For this article we’re going to use the term rewrites. One, because it’s shorter, and two, because, well, you’ll see in a minute.

Rewrites come after you’ve written and worked through the first draft. The story is completely written and you’ve passed it through a critique group or a couple of beta readers, maybe an editor. You’ve read through it yourself and now you have a stack full of notes and now it’s time to take your book to the next level.

What works for me at this stage of editing is to rewrite the book.

Literally.

I open the existing manuscript on one side of the screen and a blank document on the other. Then I start typing.

I retype every single word of that book. Does it take a while? Yes. Do I occasionally copy and paste a couple of sentences or even a paragraph? Yes. Do I think it’s worth it? Thirteen books later, I’m gonna have to say yes.

What is the benefit of rewriting you may ask? Well, when you are already retyping every word of the book, you lose any hesitation to change something. It can be easy to let something okay stay in the book instead of replacing it with something great, just because it’s already there and it works. When you are going to retype it anyway, there’s no reason not to tweak a sentence’s phrasing or switch out one word for a slightly better one.

I find when I rewrite, I make small changes, add tiny details, and find a better rhythm for the story in general because all I’m having to think about is the phrasing on the page. The plot, characters, twists, and turns have already been set. I can bring all my creative energy into the words themselves.

Interested in trying the rewrite everything method for yourself? Here’s a few things to keep in mind: 

Large or double screens make this easier. I have a double wide screen on my desk but you can also hook a monitor to a laptop and get the same effect. You will add words. Lots of them. Make sure you leave room in your word count to add the little details and enhancements. I typically add 20,000 words to a full size novel during this pass, so I try to size my first draft accordingly. While you will type this faster than you wrote the first time since most of the creative direction decisions have already been made, it will take time. Build that into your schedule. This is a lot of typing. A lot. I used to have to break out the wrist braces until I got an ergonomic keyboard. Take care of yourself.

If you try this and find it to be the best editing advice you’ve ever heard, I’d love to hear about it. Unfortunately I can’t pass it along to the original advice giver because it was a screen cap of a tumblr post that I came across on Pinterest.

Inspiration is everywhere, people. Don’t be afraid to use it.

~*~*~*~*~

A lover of stories from before she could read, Kristi Ann Hunter is the award winning author of sweet regencies written from a Christian worldview including A Noble Masquerade and her upcoming novel, Enchanting the Heiress. She functions on a steady diet of chocolate, Chick-fil-a diet lemonade, and swoony visits with her book boyfriends. When she isn't writing or hosting her podcast, A Rough Draft Life , she spends time with her family in Georgia playing board games, being a dance mom, and living her own happily ever after.

Connect with Kristi at her website, Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram.

~*~*~*~*~

What questions do you have for Kristi Ann Hunter about her rewriting everything method?

Sunday Scripture & Prayer Request

Sermon on the Mount, Carl Bloch, 1877,
The Museum of National History. [PD-US]

Jesus came down with the Twelve
and stood on a stretch of level ground
with a great crowd of his disciples
and a large number of the people
from all Judea and Jerusalem
and the coastal region of Tyre and Sidon.
And raising his eyes toward his disciples he said:
  “Blessed are you who are poor,
                        for the kingdom of God is yours.
            Blessed are you who are now hungry,
                        for you will be satisfied.
              Blessed are you who are now weeping,
                        for you will laugh.
              Blessed are you when people hate you,
                        and when they exclude and insult you,
                        and denounce your name as evil
                        on account of the Son of Man.
Rejoice and leap for joy on that day!
Behold, your reward will be great in heaven.
For their ancestors treated the prophets in the same way.
         But woe to you who are rich,
                        for you have received your consolation.
            Woe to you who are filled now,
                        for you will be hungry.
            Woe to you who laugh now,
                        for you will grieve and weep.
            Woe to you when all speak well of you,
                        for their ancestors treated the false prophets in this way.”
 Luke 6:17, 20-26

The Seekerville bloggers are praying for YOU and for our entire blog community. If you have any special intentions that need additional prayer coverage, leave a request for prayer in the comment section below. 

Please join us in praying for our country!God Bless the USA!
We are so grateful for all of you—for your friendship and your support! 

May the Lord bless you and keep you safe.    

Weekend Edition

  






If you are not familiar with our giveaway rules, take a minute to read them here. It keeps us all happy! All winners should send their name, address, and phone number to claim prizes.  Please send to Seekerville2@gmail.com. If the winner does not contact us within two weeks, another winner may be selected.


Monday: Mary led us through step one of her Five Steps to Creating Characters. Monday was Step One. 
Wednesday: Ruthy rolled in with a post about settings, and how a great setting, seen through a character's emotions and reality really sets the tone for the action.... and the winner of her $15 "Bless an Author and Buy a Book or Two" Amazon card is Winnie! Congratulations, Winnie!!!!
Friday: Love was in the air as Seekers and Villagers shared some of their favorite romantic moments. The winner of a $22 Amazon gift card is... Jackie Smith!


Monday:  Carrie hosts Kristi Ann Hunter who will share one thing that works for her when doing edits.

Wednesday:  Debby Giusti will be blogging about a delightful anthology releasing March 1st. Stop by to learn more about AMISH SPRING ROMANCE!   Friday: Naomi Craig will be our special guest.







Book Three of this wonderful series is available for preorder now! "The Foster Mother's Promise" is stirring hearts throughout the Reader's Service of Harlequin and will be on shelves in four short weeks! PREORDER THROUGH AMAZON 


She’ll do anything to keep them together…in this novel by USA TODAY bestselling author Ruth Logan Herne.

To make them a family…

She’ll need his help.

Raising three children alone is tough, but single mom Carly Bradley makes it work—until she takes in one more. As she struggles to handle the new arrival, grumpy new neighbor Mike Morris seems to bond with little Hannah. But a past tragedy keeps Mike at arm’s length from Carly. Will they both learn to trust again before discovering happiness next door?
In Book Stores onFeb 22, 2022

Pre-Order from AMAZON now!
Releasing March 1st!

Preorder the ebook NOW: 

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09HL1Q39M

Why You Should Write What You Don't Know by Beatrice Manuel at Live Write Thrive
The Story of Your Dreams by Jim Dempsey at Writer Unboxed
Writing Like I Read by Mary Gillgannon at Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers blog
Goal Setting for Writers: A 3-Step Process to Achieve Success by Dave Chesson at Kindleprenuer
No Guts, No Glory by PJ Parrish at The Kill Zone blog
The Seven Elements of Plot by Cindy K. Sproles at The Write Conversation
5 Line Editing Tips for Polishing Your Prose by Stacy Juba at The Novel Smithy
Zig Zag Plot Arc by Marissa Graff at Writers Helping Writers
Writing Tips for the Busy Person by Alena Wendall at Learn How To Write A Novel
Making Story Structure Your Own by KM Weiland at Helping Writers Become Authors

Love is In the Air - Seekerville Style

Yes, Valentine's Day is almost here, so we Seekers thought we'd take a day to talk about love and romance. I mean, we're all either romance readers and/or writers, so it only makes sense, right?

Love and romance have been around since the beginning of time. Adam and Eve were the first hero and heroine on the scene. Song of Solomon could give one the vapors. And while the perception of love has been distorted over time, we want to celebrate it in its purest form, the way God created it. The sweetness, the silliness, the kind of love that endures through the tough times.

Here are some of the Seekers favorite romantic moments:

Erica Vetsch - My husband took me out to celebrate me signing my first book contract, and he said, "I knew it was a matter of when, not if, you would succeed." That blew me away that he would have that much confidence in me, especially when self-confidence isn't one of my strengths! I love that man!

Mindy Obenhaus - On our childrens' birthdays, my husband always brings me a dozen roses. He says it's because I did all the work and without me, they wouldn't be here. Makes me fall in love with him all over again.

Ruth Logan Herne - Jimmy had developed Alzheimer's in his late sixties. By his late seventies he no longer remembered his wife or his kids or where he was. Every day was a surprise of introductions.  "Good morning, Jimmy." Gina was always in the kitchen first. Lights on. Coffee made. "You ready for toast and coffee?"

"Don't mind if I do," he'd say and sit himself down at the table. "Who are you again?"

"Gina." 

"Gina." He nodded as if that was the first time he'd heard the name. "Well thanks for coming by to help an old fella. You got a boyfriend, Gina?"

She'd smile, even though she'd answered this question many times before. "A husband. I married that boyfriend of mine a long time back."

He'd drink some coffee. Have some toast. And then he'd look her way. "If I were twenty years younger and you weren't married, I'd be askin' you out myself. I used to be married, too, you know."

She'd take a breath and swallow hard. 

"Folks say she was nice. And pretty. And she loved me a lot."

"I'm sure she did. Do you remember her at all?"

He'd shake his head. "I don't, no. But if she was anything like you, I must have been a very happy man."

Gina used to tell him who she was, try to jar his memory, but she'd stopped doing that a long time ago. Now she'd just smile and pat his shoulder. "I expect you were, Jimmy. I expect you were."

Jimmy died less than two years later, and he never stopped appreciating that kind woman who made his coffee and toast every morning and his supper at night. 

The woman he'd married fifty-one years before.

Jan Drexler - The most romantic date I've ever heard of was one of the first dates of a young couple I know. They live in the Black Hills, and both enjoy hiking. For this date they decided to hike one of the most scenic trails that ended at an overlook. When they reached the overlook, the young suitor looked around and said, "This looks like a great place for a picnic." The young lady said, "Yeah, we should plan to do that sometime."

Then he opened his backpack and spread-out lunch for them both - all planned as a surprise for her.

That's when she knew that he was the one. They were married less than a year later. :-) 
Cate Nolan - I have two contrasting ones. One sweet and one funny.

Many years ago, when I had two babies under two, my husband came home with a huge bouquet of roses to celebrate me finishing my book and submitting it to the Golden Heart contest. He also drove me to the huge post office in midtown Manhattan that was open until midnight (with babies in their carseats) so that I could get all the copies mailed in by the deadline. That book was a GH  finalist. :)

Funny - For Mother's Day he bought me purple statice (you know? the weeds!)  He knew I liked lilacs, but he couldn't remember what flower - just that they were purple. So, he came home with the statice. We never let him live that down and I always got lilacs after that. My daughter bought them for me after he passed away.

Now we'd like to hear some of your favorite romantic moments, real or fictional, for a chance to win a $22 Amazon gift card. And be sure to keep it clean. 

How to Create a Strong Setting to Balance Unforgettable Characters

 

Mary's post on Monday was wonderful. She started with an amazing opening about women running for escape, women running for their lives, for freedom, for a chance to get out from under the cruelty of an evil stepfather.

She drew me in instantly.

So I'm going to talk about setting today, a setting strong enough to embrace and support those unforgettable characters we work so hard to create.

I'm choosing contemporary settings... it's different for a historical because the setting is unique to the time. Current day settings are beset with modernisms and that changes things, something I've discovered as I'm prepping my early Love Inspireds for the indie market.

From "Rebuilding Her Life", book one of my final Love Inspired series "Kendrick Creek": 

Hello, childhood.

Jess Bristol sucked in a breath as she steered her rental car along mountain roads she hadn’t seen in years. Curve upon curve, the lush Appalachian forest floated by on her right while a winter valley stretched wide on her left. Beautiful. Bucolic. Pastoral.

But when she hugged a bend that took her further down the mountain, the Manhattan trauma doctor's breathing went tight for a different reason. The aftermath of the recent forest fire surrounded her. While some things had been completely consumed by the raging inferno, others had been randomly skipped over, leaving a tree here, bushes there. But not much had escaped the fire’s wrath along this stretch, and the sleepy mountain town below—her hometown—had taken a nasty hit.

The late December fire had started high in the hills and swept down, fed by a strong east wind. Around her, the remnants of that two-day blaze lay haphazard and dark against the fresh falling snow.

Burned trees and ash peppered what had been a pristine landscape. She’d seen the news reports and her mother had sent several pictures of the recent disaster that had besieged the area. But the photos hadn’t done it justice.

Devastation sprawled to her east, west and south. The fire’s path had traveled straight for Kendrick Creek, the Tennessee mountain town she’d called home for over two decades. From here she could see the swath of wreckage along this edge of the fire. It hadn’t burned the whole town, but it had ruined enough. In a little place like Kendrick Creek, it didn’t take much to have a huge effect.

This was this opening to the story.... You know Jess is a Manhattan trauma doctor, you know she was raised in a little Appalachian town and that she's coming home...

But it's the setting that takes the day and sets the stage. Destruction. Ruination. Remnants of a wind-fed fire that left homes, businesses, churches and Christmas decorations in rubble...

That opening setting has set a backdrop for the angst of the story. Whatever else happens, the reader knows that it occurs in the backdrop of disaster... leaving the story and the series ripe for redemption and renovation. 

BOOK TWO: The Path Not Taken:

I've seen folks say "never start a story with weather..." I expect they mean rote weather, you know, this kind of thing.... "It was a cold, wet, rainy day. Gayla searched for her umbrella. She needed it. Otherwise she'd show up at work looking like a wet poodle because her hair always crinkled more in high humidity. 

The car.

She'd left it in the car which meant that she needed to run a block down the road to get to the umbrella. And the car."

So let's re-do this opening to make the setting pop:

Rain.

Not just any rain.

Stinking, pouring, drenching, pooling rain and when one lived in a busy city where folks selfishly parked their over-priced cars over the lines so normal people had to park a block away, a storm wasn't just an inconvenience. It was an entity.

Sprawling leafless trees bent in the wind. They weren't dancing. There was nothing Joyce Kilmer-poetic about these trees. They were angry. Pure and simple. Thrashing their arms to protest their lack of protection.

Her, too.

Her umbrella was right where she'd left it last week, on the back seat of the car. The car she'd parked over a block away. The umbrella was laying quite comfortably on the back seat. Safe. Warm. Dry.

The opposite of what she was about to be.

She had no choice but to make a run for it.

The wind tunneled, total Chicago, lashing her, soaking her. Strong enough it probably would have turned that cheapo umbrella inside out and then it would have joined the hundreds of other useless umbrellas dotting Chi-town's metro garbage pails every April.

She missed the green light at the corner and had to wait, chin tucked, eyes down as the north-south traffic hurried toward its destinations. 

The light turned.

She knew better. She really did. She'd been working in the city for over three years, determined to make a name for herself, so she knew to look left then right before stepping down.

Her bad. And his, the guy who hurried through an almost red light, late for whatever.

The wall of water didn't just splash her.

It bathed her. Top to bottom. Stem to stern. Even inside the  ugly boots. And she had absolutely no choice but to keep on going.

And after biting back some really bad words, that's exactly what she did.

So this is how I see setting. I see it as an integrated part of the scene, not something separate or generally poetic and descriptive. More like another character, action-packed, boring or soothing, the setting creates an imminent feeling in the reader.

Debby Giusti uses settings in her suspense novels and she does it beautifully. Whether it's the alleys of a city or the thickly forested hills, when Debby sets a scene, you feel the threat approaching, even if the scene is light... you know the shadows loom.

Setting is huge for reader satisfaction. Think of it as another character, a changing one, and don't over-sell it... make it work with and for the scene either as a villain...

Or a friend!

BOOK THREE: "A Foster Mother's Promise"

Multi-published, bestselling author Ruth Logan Herne is busily writing mysteries in her very snowy, cold Western New York home. She is enjoying the peace of winter because warmth brings work and Ruthy runs/owns a pumpkin farm with her husband... and that makes the quiet of winter a lovely thing! She loves to chat with readers and writers. Email her at loganherne@gmail.com, swing by her Facebook page (although she is generally annoyed at social media, but she does love to share cookies, cakes and Ruthyisms!!!) or her website at ruthloganherne.com 

Leave a comment below and Ruthy will tuck your name into a really cute Southern style hat for a Support Your Favorite Author $15.00 Amazon card.... so you can grab one or two books you've been longing for and just couldn't quite let yourself do it!  

5 Steps to Creating Characters--Step One

 

 

Excerpt -- Opening scene in

The Elements of Love, quick character sketches

They were running away from the threat of misery, pain, degradation. 

And running straight toward danger, deadly danger.

Margaret Stiles chose danger.

What’s more, she chose it for her daughters and prayed without ceasing that she’d chosen right.

            Even worse, the girls had to face that danger alone. Going back by herself was the only way to be sure the girls made their escape.

In silence, she and her three daughters slipped into the night.

She waited until they were far enough from the house no wandering servant, absently looking out the window in the night, could see.

            Then she lagged behind her rushing daughters, her beloved, precious girls. Clouds scuttled across the sky. The dew-damp grass around the house ended in a dense forest. As soon as the forest swallowed them up, she stumbled and fell. Well, truth was, she stopped running, sat down and cried out in pain. Softly. She most certainly didn’t want Edgar to hear, though he drank enough, he usually slept heavily.

            Laura whirled around and rushed back, Jillian a step behind. Michelle brought up the rear.

Click to Buy on Amazon
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            Laura, her sweet, compassionate child. The blue-eyed blonde who was a fine-boned, feminine version of her father, Liam Stiles. Laura, who knew how to blow things up.

Jillian, the one with the oddly mathematical mind who made theories work. She’d been educated to build trestles across vast gorges, and build railroad tracks into the heart of a mountain. A fiery green-eyed red-head, a throw-back to her papa’s Irish grandmother.

Michelle the leader, the calm one who took charge of the sweet Laura and the fiery Jillian, and they mostly let her. Michelle the mechanical engineer who saw all the details and made everything and everyone work together. And in her spare time, she worked with machines, mechanisms to help the girl’s future project excel. She already had two patents with plans for a dozen more, if she could just get the ideas in her head to become reality. Michelle was the oldest, the brunette with the shining blue eyes who looked most like her mama.

            “Mama what happened?” Laura dropped to her knees on Margaret’s right.

I spent a while trying to figure out how to talk about characters. Putting into words something that’s just inherently hard to put into words.

Characters need to be three dimensional. And it’s hard for me to really explain what brings them to life.

These are my five steps. The first is the simplest.

1.       Make a character likeable by making someone like them

2.      Character arcs

3.      Give them quirks

4.      My main character types

5.      Avoid backstory dumps

This month I’m talking about step one

Click to Buy-Amazon
Click to Buy-Baker Book House
Make a character likeable by making someone like them. This is possibly the single best piece of advice I ever got as a beginning writer. It’s a simple sentence but when you‘re doing it, it really affects your writing. Often, we want a character at the beginning of the book who has problems, who is resistant to love, who is immature or angry or in some way needs to change her life. Something she has to change about herself. This is at the heart of the character arc. But to make a character difficult we can risk making her (or him) unlikeable and that’s going to be a book no one continues reading. Who wants a main character they don’t like?

So the act of making someone like them, changes the way your write your character. Jerks don’t have good friends, or at least their friends are also jerks. They don’t hug their old, worn-out teddy bear. They don’t have a faithful dog. If you give them a loyal friend, you have to write a character who is responding to that friend in a likeable way. Make a character likeable by making someone like them is a simple statement that really makes you change your character.

The Element of Love

Coming March 2

She mixed danger, desperation, and deception together. Love was not the expected outcome.

With their sharp engineering minds, Laura Stiles and her two sisters have been able to deal with their mother's unfortunate choice in husband until they discovered his plans to marry each of them off to his lecherous friends. Now they must run away--far and fast--to find better matches to legally claim their portion of their father's lumber dynasty and seize control from their stepfather.

During their escape, Laura befriends a mission group heading to serve the poor in California. She quickly volunteers herself and her sisters to join their efforts. Despite the settlement being in miserable condition, the sisters are excited by the opportunity to put their skills to good use. Laura also sees potential in Caleb, the mission's parson, to help with gaining her inheritance. But when secrets buried in Caleb's past and in the land around them come to light, it'll take all the smarts the sisters have to keep trouble at bay.

http://www.maryconnealy.com

 

Sunday Scripture & Prayer Requests

Miraculous Draught of Fish, Raphael, 1515,
Victoria & Albert Museum. [PD-US]

While the crowd was pressing in on Jesus and listening to the word of God,
he was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret.
He saw two boats there alongside the lake;
the fishermen had disembarked and were washing their nets.
Getting into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon,
he asked him to put out a short distance from the shore.
Then he sat down and taught the crowds from the boat.
After he had finished speaking, he said to Simon,
“Put out into deep water and lower your nets for a catch.”
Simon said in reply,
“Master, we have worked hard all night and have caught nothing,
but at your command I will lower the nets.”
When they had done this, they caught a great number of fish
and their nets were tearing.
They signaled to their partners in the other boat
to come to help them. 
They came and filled both boats
so that the boats were in danger of sinking.
When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at the knees of Jesus and said,
“Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man.”
For astonishment at the catch of fish they had made seized him
and all those with him,
and likewise James and John, the sons of Zebedee,
who were partners of Simon.
Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid;
from now on you will be catching men.”
When they brought their boats to the shore,
they left everything and followed him.

Luke 5:1-11 

The Seekerville bloggers are praying for YOU and for our entire blog community. If you have any special intentions that need additional prayer coverage, leave a request for prayer in the comment section below. 

Please join us in praying for our country!God Bless the USA!
Also please pray for anyone impacted by this week's storms!
We are so grateful for all of you—for your friendship and your support! 

May the Lord bless you and keep you safe.   

Weekend Edition

  






If you are not familiar with our giveaway rules, take a minute to read them here. It keeps us all happy! All winners should send their name, address, and phone number to claim prizes.  Please send to Seekerville2@gmail.com. If the winner does not contact us within two weeks, another winner may be selected.


Monday: Blue Moon Monday
Wednesday: Mindy gave us a glimpse at all the hats authors wear. The winner of a $20 Amazon gift card is... Connie Porter Saunders! Congratulations, Connie!
Friday: Ruthy stormed the castle with a post about renovating old books and giving them new life! Winner of a choice of any of the Wishing Bridge books or the North Country books or... Reunited Hearts, book one of the Southern Tier Romance series is Karen Jennings! 


Monday:  Five Steps to Creating Characters--Step One. Mary Connealy is our hostess, trying to explain one of many tricky things about how to write.
Wednesday:  Ruthy breezes in again with something witty and wonderful... or woefully overdone, one never really knows, do they? And then she breezes out again to keep working on mysteries and fun stories, but in the meantime we get to talk books and writing and whatever. Usually in February she dusts off her love of Princess Bride, but she really needs some new material. :) See you on Wednesday!!!!! 
Friday: Is a mystery right now.... 





A March Release byDEBBY GIUSTI
Pre-Order from AMAZON now!
Also releasing in March!

Preorder the ebook NOW: 

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09HL1Q39M

Enter to win a chance at ten free copies ofThe Element of Love https://bit.ly/3IYxJUl

Click Here to Pre-OrderComing in March









Conflict In Fiction: What it Really is and Why It's Important to Plot by KM Weiland at Helping Writers Become Authors

Building A Better Villain by Eldred Bird at Writers In The Storm
5 Line Editing Tips to Polish Your Prose by Stacy Juba at The Novel Smithy
How to Brand Your Author Website for Maxium Impact by Michael Continues at Book Brush Blog
Is It Time To Refresh Your Books? by LA Sartor at An Indie Adventure
How to Fix Passive Voice by Gloria Russell at Write To Done
Once Upon a Time... by Patricia Bradley at Learn How To Write A Novel
Plot with the Three Act Story Template by Peggy Sue Wells at The Write Conversation
Head Hopping: Good? Bad? Something Else? by Don Paul Benjamin at Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers Blog
How to Write the Perfect Author Bio by CS Lakin at Live Write Thrive
Creating a Series Bible by James Scott Bell at Kill Zone Blog

Put a Fresh Face on Those Older Books

 

Good morning!  I LOVE that fish image... because sometimes you have to be brave enough and savvy enough to just go the other way. I think having survived a really rough childhood, I learned to swim upstream as needed.

Ruthy here. Ruthy who has gotten the rights back on four books this year.... and has the wonderful task of being able to go through them...

Word for word, step by step...

And re-publish them.

#BONUS

#AMAZON

#NEWOPPORTUNITIES

In the old days... like fifteen years ago... your old books sat on a publisher's back stock and most likely were never seen again. Now that's not true of Nora Roberts and Jodi Thomas and Debbie Macomber and Linda Howard.... those category authors hit the big time with bigger imprints and then their early works were published and repackaged and republished, and packaged again and republished.... and the author got whatever the original deal was.

Amazon/Kindle and Kindle Direct Publishing changed all of that.

And the law... the law helped, too, by saying that if an author's work was not being marketed, then the publishers needed to set reasonable guidelines to return the rights to the author if those guidelines were met. And that's the time we live in. As the author of 30 category books, I am very happy about that because that means my backlist doesn't die. It gets republished, only now I'm the publisher. So what does that mean? 

I'll tell you.

First, THIS IS NOT A DIFFICULT PROCESS. It takes time and work and effort but you are going to make money, so to me, that's a no-brainer.

1. Find the cleanest copy you can, complete with edits. (my original Love Inspired books in 2009 to 20013 were done with hard copy edits. I mailed them into the office in NYC, so those aren't available except in the story itself and back then, they sent LOCKED files so that you couldn't open them for editing. You simply printed the page with the edits. And mailed it.) 

SO MUCH  HAS CHANGED!!!!! Harlequin was gracious enough to send me unlocked files, which is wonderful. But they shift as I'm working.... so there's a lot of restructuring.... and they shift again during formatting, so leave time for two complete read-throughs. Am I particular about these read-throughs?

Yes. Because I want the best possible product for my customers, my readers. They deserve nothing less.

2. Arrange for formatting or if you have a Mac and Vellum and know how to do it, go for it. 

I don't. I don't have a Mac, nor Vellum, and I hire Jen at Killion to format all of my books (and I've put out a lot of them) and here is why: I have gotten no complaints from readers. None. Zip. Zilch. Nada.

When I see an indie book that's got publishing issues, I wince because it doesn't have to be that way. It costs me $60 for a Kindle format and $80 for a print. And as I get my rights back to multiple novels, I put every one out in print and Kindle format because I still have readers who love, love, love books. The print books are a minimal part of my monthly sales, but I love my readers and they have supported me for twelve years, so I'll do what I need to make accessibility to Ruthy books EASY.  I will do audio soon, too, God willing. Covid hit four weeks after I bought the equipment for my own little audio center, and my house has been noisy ever since...  Anyway, I want my indie books to look just as professional as my traditionally published books. Inside... and out.

3. Design a cover that reflects the book and/or series.

I don't find covers as important as some would have you believe.... BUT... having said that... I like good covers. When I went on cover hunts, though, I realized that the AUTHOR sells way more books than the cover, so as I release more and more books to the indie market, that readership (and page reads on Kindle, a wonderful marketing tool) increases. This is not overnight success. This is regularly feeding the tiger (Amazon) by getting books out there on a regular basis.  So the covers are important, but the readers' love for the author is still the #1 reason they buy or read your work.  And if you have the time/talent/wherewithal to design your own covers, go for it! Practice makes perfect. Personally, I gain traction by writing more and having Beth do covers and graphics. And I am not good at that stuff!!!! Not good!!!!! I can own it!!!!!

We've talked behind the scenes about series specific covers... I believe in that, it makes it easier for the reader to recognize the book/series/style. In my wonderful and long term with Love Inspired, the series didn't have a cover "feeling".... they were well done but looked like anybody's cover and one series could easily be stacked with another and no one would know the difference. Now I had the power to change that.

Here are the WISHING BRIDGE COVERS. The first two were designed by Waterfall Press/Amazon/Brilliance Audio the original publisher of books one and two. I wanted the ensuing covers to reflect the first two. To fit as if designed by the same person. Beth Jamison of Jamison editing created the covers for "Finding Peace in Wishing Bridge" and "Embracing Light in Wishing Bridge".

But when I had Beth do the North Country Series, my first three books whose rights reverted to me, I had her do a distinctively different look:

And now that I have rights back to several of my Men of Allegany County series with Love Inspired, they will have their own distinctive look. I wanted small-town/rural looks that reflect the feelings within each book but done in a style that shows the books are related. 

Reunited Hearts has been re-released, Small Town Hearts is coming in March, and then The Lawman's Second Chance is coming in June and A Family to Cherish is scheduled for July/August.... 
Now, once you have the book updated (TECHNOLOGY HAS CHANGED SO MUCH IN TEN YEARS!!!! My references to cable TV, to flip phones, to what's available to businesses needed some updating.... the story was solid, but every mention of that stuff dated the story as 2011... :) Oh my stars, who knew?????) you're going to plan your launch. 
kdp.com walks you through it. And if you're going through the process and have questions, email me and ask. It is mostly a simple "enter your answer" process. And ten years ago, it changed like three times a year. That's not true now, the tech behind the scenes is much more solid.
Planning your launch.... This is where I differ from a lot of authors because when you're brand new at this, a big launch isn't always the best way to go.  It's like a splash of water in a pan of hot grease... quickly burned off. Think of how a mill wheel works along a historic creek bed.... the movement of the water pushes the wheel. Slowly at first... and then, as the wheel gains momentum, the water moves the wheel more easily. And the wheel speed is controlled by how much water is channeled to the wheel, right? Our "water" is the number of books... 
I plan ahead. I've had the Southern Tier books since last summer, but wanted them to fill in 2022 between Wishing Bridge launches. That way I'm feeding the fire every couple of months. I'm asking for several more books this year.
I am working on a mystery series for 2023 and 2024.... because I'm still doing traditional contracts. And I want four of these mysteries done before I publish the first one. So I write them when I have down time and I keep them tucked away like money in the bank.
I look ahead to make sure I'll have product to keep the wheel turning. Patience is your friend when launching indie books. And steady work helps keep you in the mix.
Are these hard, fast rules? No. But it's what's worked for me over the years, and the key component, the basic element is to keep producing work. Keep publishing. Keep writing.  
ALL RIGHT, THAT'S IT FOR TODAY!  To thank you for getting to this point, I've got a copy of any Wishing Bridge or North Country book... or Reunited Hearts... to send to some lucky winner! E-book or print, your choice. But in order to be considered, you've got to leave a comment below... what scares/worries/concerns you about indie publishing or getting rights reverted? Are you afraid to hurt editor's and publisher's feelings?
Leave a comment below and let's talk. Hey... it's Friday, I have a new bathroom that I've been waiting 32 years for... yes.... 32 years!!!!! So I'm in a real good mood! :)

Bestselling, award-winning inspirational author Ruth Logan Herne is living her dream of writing the kinds of books she likes to read. Email Ruthy at loganherne@gmail.com, visit her website at ruthloganherne.com or friend her on Facebook where she shares probably WAY TOO MUCH information, but she does love, love, love her readers! Ruthy and Farmer Dave own a very busy pumpkin farm in Western New York, and for six months of the year her life is cray cray with planting, weeding, fertilizing, etc... but she loves it! And she knows So Much About Pumpkins and Squash that she's quite a bore to talk to as she shares copious amounts of pumpkin/squash and mum production. :) And yet, people keep coming! 

The Many Hats of an Author

by Mindy Obenhaus

When you think of your favorite author, what do you envision them doing? Probably sitting at a computer, writing, right? That’s exactly what I thought before I received my first contract. Then I got my first dose of reality in the form of edits. There was so much red on the page I wondered why they’d even bought the book. Now here I am, nine years later, fully aware that there are many more aspects to being an author than just writing. So, I thought I’d pull back the curtain so you can see some of the many hats authors wear. Some you may be very familiar with, while others may seem intimidating. But each has a purpose. 

Please note that I'm only talking about traditionally published authors. Indie published authors don many more hats. 

The Writer Hat – If you’ve been writing for any length of time, you’re familiar with this hat. It’s the one we often have a love/hate relationship with. We love the writing process when the words flow. But when those words get stuck, we’re ready to toss that hat across the room. Or avoid it all together. This is our working hat. The one an author wears most often, though it can be quickly replaced by…

The Editor Hat – The story is finally out of your head and on the page. Now it’s time to fix it. Some writers edit as they go, while others finish the manuscript then go back and make changes. This is a matter of personal preference, whatever works best for you. I tend to edit as I go, but I still have to go back and change some things. Are my verbs strong enough? Did I describe a setting in a way readers will be able to visualize? And why did I use this one word so many times? Yes, published authors have editors that help make their stories shine, but you still want to present them with the best product possible.

The Marketing Hat – This hat covers a broad range of things. Everything from social media and blogs to newsletters to giveaways and publicity campaigns. You’ve got a book coming out. Now you have to let the whole world know. Some publishers have publicists that will help you with this, but many don’t. Whatever avenues you decide to explore, your goal is the same—to connect with readers. When they feel a connection with you, they’re more apt to buy your book. If you’re not an outgoing person or aren’t adept on social media, this can be a challenge. That’s where companies like JustRead Publicity Tours come in handy. Carrie, Beth and the rest of their crew are great at helping us get our books into the hands of others who might not have picked them up otherwise.

The Mail Clerk Hat – While some publishers will mail out books for you, this isn’t the case with all of them. This means you need to have mailing supplies—padded mailing envelopes, tape, labels—on hand. Some people have scales to weigh the packages and print their postage at home, while others (raising my hand) schlep to the post office with their packages.

The Mentor Hat – Very few, if any, published authors got there by themselves. There were people every step of the way that helped them via critiques, workshops, contest judges, etc. Now it’s time to give back by helping others the way you were helped.

The Teacher Hat – This is different from the mentor hat and one not everyone is comfortable wearing. But if God has called you to share your knowledge, your forte, with others, then you might consider speaking or blogging about the craft. Local and national writer groups are always looking for speakers.

As you can see, being an author entails much more than just writing. Sometimes another hat is a necessity, other times it’s a procrastination tool. But they’re all part and parcel of the job.

Which hat is/would be your least favorite? Is there another hat you’d add to the list? Leave a comment for a chance to win a $20 Amazon gift card.

Award-winning author Mindy Obenhaus is passionate about touching readers with Biblical truths in an entertaining, and sometimes adventurous, manner. She lives on a ranch in Texas with her husband, two sassy pups, countless cattle, deer and the occasional coyote, mountain lion or snake. When she's not writing, she enjoys spending time with her grandchildren, cooking and watching copious amounts of the Hallmark Channel. Learn more at www.MindyObenhaus.com