Chris Eboch's Blog, page 24

Write Better Next Year

The holiday season can be a crazy time, when it’s hard to get any writing done. But it’s not too early to think about your writing goals next year. Maybe you have a NaNoWriMo manuscript to edit and polish.Or perhaps you have other projects that could use a boost before you send them out. Consider giving yourself the gift of improved writing knowledge, so you can reach your goals for the new year!
If you need help shaping your novel, or identifying problems, consider getting a professional critique. You can find my rates and recommendations here (short version: developmental/content editing at $2 per page for a novel, $40 for a picture book).
Stacy Whitman, Editorial Director of Tu Books, provided this list of professional editors who work directly with authors. Karen Sanderson, The Word Shark, is an editor and proofreader who also has an Editor Spotlight series on her blog.
Writing books on writing is its own industry, providing many books that can give you advice on every aspect of writing.
Advanced Plotting is designed for the intermediate and advanced writer: you’ve finished a few manuscripts, read books and articles on writing, taken some classes, attended conferences. But you still struggle with plot, or suspect that your plotting needs work.
This book can help.
The Plot Outline Exercise is designed to help a writer work with a completed manuscript to identify and fix plot weaknesses. It can also be used to help flesh out an outline. Additional articles address specific plot challenges, such as getting off to a fast start, propping up a sagging middle, building to a climax, and improving your pacing. A dozen guest authors share advice from their own years of experience.
Read the book straight through, study the index to find help with your current problem, or dip in and out randomly — however you use this book, you’ll find fascinating insights and detailed tips to help you build a stronger plot and become a better writer.
"This really is helping me a lot. It’s written beautifully and to-the-point. The essays really help you zero in on your own problems in your manuscript. The Plot Outline Exercise is a great tool!"
Here are some other writing craft books I like. The links are to the authors’ websites or blogs. If you want to buy, it might be faster to go to your favorite online retailer and paste in the name, or ask your local bookstore to order the book.
My brother, scriptwriter Douglas Eboch, is co-author of The Hollywood Pitching Bible . While it’s targeted at scriptwriters wanting to sell screenplays, a lot of the material is helpful and interesting to novelists as well, especially if you are trying to find your book’s “hook” or write a query/synopsis.
Self-Editing for Fiction Writers , by Renni Browne and Dave King is one of my favorite writing craft books. Each chapter covers a specific tip for improving your style, and exercises at the end (with answers in the back) help you see if you are really “getting it.”
There’s a good book by Nancy Sanders called Yes! You Can Learn How to Write Children’s Books, Get Them Published, and Build a Successful Writing Career , which points out that we typically write for three reasons – the emotional satisfaction of getting published, to make money, and for the love of writing. She suggests separating those three goals, so you don’t put pressure on yourself to sell what you are writing for love, and you find more practical ways of approaching the other two goals. She then addresses how to target each goal.
Nancy also has Yes! You Can Learn How to Write Beginning Readers and Chapter Books.
The Idiot’s Guide to Children’s Book Publishing , by Harold Underdown, is an excellent overview of the business. It explains the different genres, the difference between a magazine story and a picture book manuscript, how to find a publisher, etc.
Scene and Structure, by Jack Bickham, has a lot of good advice on pacing. Plot & Structure, by James Scott Bell, may also be of interest. Both of these are published by Writers Digest.
I found some interesting tidbits in Manuscript Makeover, by Elizabeth Lyon.
The Emotion Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide To Character Expression, by Angela Ackerman, is getting good reviews.
I’ve heard several authors talk about Hooked: Write Fiction That Grabs Readers at Page One, by Les Edgerton and The First Five Pages: A Writer’s Guide To Staying Out of the Rejection Pile, by Noah Lukeman.
I’m a big fan of using close/deep point of view. Jill Elizabeth Nelson has a book called Rivet Your Readers with Deep POV.
And if you need help with grammar (or know someone who does), these have been recommended by writing teachers I know:
Things That Make Us (Sic), by Martha BrockenbroughEats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation by Lynne TrussPainless Grammar, by Rebecca ElliottGrammatically Correctby Anne Stilman

Please share your other favorite books in the comments. I hope you’ll be able to give yourself some writing gifts this year – and perhaps share the knowledge with other aspiring writers you know!

Does Being a Good Writer Make You More Successful?

Those of us who have struggled for years to sell our manuscripts might, on occasion, wonder why we do this at all. And we could be forgiven for wondering if the world simply doesn’t care about good writing.
Grammarly, a company that makes a grammar checking program, suggests otherwise. The company “conducted a study with over 400 freelancers to determine what impact writing skills have on your career opportunities.” Here’s what they found:
This is a small study, looking at a few hundred freelancers working through one online company. Still, it provides some food for thought (and maybe a little hope for those of us who care about good writing). Here’s some more detail on the study:
“We proofread 400+ freelancer profiles from all eight categories of the Elance platform for grammar, spelling, and punctuation errors. To adjust for quality of work, we only selected freelancers with an average rating of four stars or above. We then looked at correlation between earnings and number of mistakes. We hope the direction the data is pointing in spurs some thought and conversation about the importance of good writing. Our goal is to raise awareness for the importance of good writing. Good writing is not only foundational to good communication, but it can also unlock knowledge, job opportunities, and access to education.” 
Writing is competitive, especially when it comes to fiction or trade nonfiction. No matter how good your spelling and grammar, you’ll have a hard time making a sale if you don’t also have great content. But this is a reminder that being a skilled writer in the technical sense, and carefully proofreading, is important, too!

Full disclosure: Grammarly provided a donation to Reading Is Fundamental, a charity that promotes literacy, in exchange for publicizing this graphic. Grammarly offers a proofreading program designed to catch more spelling and grammar mistakes than a word processing program does.

How to Write Vivid Scenes

In honor of National Novel Writing Month, I’m sharing tips adapted from my book Advanced Plotting on "How to Write Vivid Scenes." Read it at the South Branch Scribbler:

http://allanhudson.blogspot.ca/2014/1...
#NaNoWriMo

Romantic Suspense on Sale

Right now, two of my romantic suspense novels are on sale for $.99 at various e-book retailers: 

Rattled , a romantic adventure by Kris Bock, is on sale for $.99:

The lost Victorio Peak treasure is the stuff of legends—a heretic Spanish priest’s gold mine, made richer by the spoils of bandits and an Apache raider.

When Erin, a quiet history professor, uncovers a clue that may pinpoint the lost treasure cave, she prepares for adventure. But when a hit and run driver nearly kills her, she realizes she’s not the only one after the treasure. And is Drew, the handsome helicopter pilot who found her bleeding in a ditch, really a hero, or one of the enemy?

How far will Erin go to find the treasure and discover what she’s really made of?

Rattled is a treasure hunting adventure in New Mexico that will appeal to fans of Terry Odell, Mary Stewart, Lillian Stewart Carl, and Barbara Michaels.

Amazon
B&NSmashwordsiTunes
Counterfeits by Kris Bock is on sale for $.99:
Painter Jenny Kinley has spent the last decade struggling in the New York art world. Her grandmother’s sudden death brings her home to New Mexico, but inheriting the children’s art camp her grandmother ran is more of a burden than a gift. How can she give up her lifelong dreams of showing her work in galleries and museums?
Rob Caruso, the camp cook and all-around handyman, would be happy to run the camp with Jenny. Dare he even dream of that, when his past holds dark secrets that he can never share? When Jenny’s father reappears after a decade-long absence, only Rob knows where he’s been and what danger he’s brought with him.
Jenny and Rob face midnight break-ins and make desperate escapes, but the biggest danger may come from the secrets that don’t want to stay buried. In the end, they must decide whether their dreams will bring them together or force them apart.
Counterfeits is romantic suspense in the Southwest perfect for fans of Terry Odell, Mary Stewart, Lillian Stewart Carl, and Barbara Michaels.
‘Counterfeits’ is the kind of romantic suspense novel I have enjoyed since I first read Mary Stewart’s ‘Moonspinners’, and Kris Bock used all the things I love about this genre.  Appealing lead characters, careful development of the mysterious danger facing one or both of those characters, a great location that is virtually a character on its own, interesting secondary characters who might or might not be involved or threatened, and many surprises building up to the climax. 5 Stars – Roberta at Sensuous Reviews blog 
AmazonBarnes & Noble SmashwordsItunes/Apple Kobo

Romantic Suspense on Sale for Kindle

Whispers in the Dark is on sale for $.99 for the Kindle through today (October 27). Archaeology student Kylie Hafford craves adventure when she heads to the remote Puebloan ruins of Lost Valley, Colorado, to excavate. Romance isn’t in her plans, but she soon meets two sexy men: Danesh looks like a warrior from the Pueblo’s ancient past, and Sean is a charming, playful tourist. The summer heats up as Kylie uncovers mysteries, secrets, and terrors in the dark. She’ll need all her strength and wits to survive—and to save the man she’s come to love.

http://bookShow.me/B006M6P6FA

Whispers in the Dark, romantic suspense set in the Four Corners region of the Southwest, will appeal to fans of Mary Stewart, Barbara Michaels, and Terry Odell. 4.3 out of 5 stars with 31 reviews

A Treasure Hunting Adventure on Sale

Rattled by Kris Bock is on sale for $.99 at multiple e-book retailers for the rest of the month:

The lost Victorio Peak treasure is the stuff of legends—a heretic Spanish priest’s gold mine, made richer by the spoils of bandits and an Apache raider.

When Erin, a quiet history professor, uncovers a clue that may pinpoint the lost treasure cave, she prepares for adventure. But when a hit and run driver nearly kills her, she realizes she’s not the only one after the treasure. And is Drew, the handsome helicopter pilot who found her bleeding in a ditch, really a hero, or one of the enemy?

Just how far will Erin go to find the treasure and discover what she’s really made of?

“The story has it all—action, romance, danger, intrigue, lost treasure, not to mention a sizzling relationship....”

Amazon http://bookShow.me/0615462472 (Amazon with international links, or here's the Amazon US link: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004SQSONC/ )
B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/rattl...
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view...
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/ratt...

Romantic Suspense in New Mexico – on sale

Counterfeits by Kris Bock is on sale for $.99 until the end of the month

Painter Jenny Kinley has spent the last decade struggling in the New York art world. Her grandmother’s sudden death brings her home to New Mexico, but inheriting the children’s art camp her grandmother ran is more of a burden than a gift. How can she give up her lifelong dreams of showing her work in galleries and museums?

Rob Caruso, the camp cook and all-around handyman, would be happy to run the camp with Jenny. Dare he even dream of that, when his past holds dark secrets that he can never share? When Jenny’s father reappears after a decade-long absence, only Rob knows where he’s been and what danger he’s brought with him.

Jenny and Rob face midnight break-ins and make desperate escapes, but the biggest danger may come from the secrets that don’t want to stay buried. In the end, they must decide whether their dreams will bring them together or force them apart.

Counterfeits is romantic suspense in the Southwest perfect for fans of Terry Odell, Mary Stewart, Lillian Stewart Carl, and Barbara Michaels.

‘Counterfeits’ is the kind of romantic suspense novel I have enjoyed since I first read Mary Stewart’s ‘Moonspinners’, and Kris Bock used all the things I love about this genre. Appealing lead characters, careful development of the mysterious danger facing one or both of those characters, a great location that is virtually a character on its own, interesting secondary characters who might or might not be involved or threatened, and many surprises building up to the climax. 5 Stars – Roberta at Sensuous Reviews blog (http://www.sensuousreviews.com/2014/0...)

http://bookShow.me/B00GQOEE9M or http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00GQOEE9M
Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/count...
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view...
Itunes/Apple: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/coun...
Kobo: http://prod-www.kobobooks.com/ebook/C...

A Middle Grade Boxed Set

Boxed e-books sets are everywhere these days  – at least in adult genre fiction. Middle grade boxed sets have been less common, perhaps even nonexistent. That's changing with  The Adventure Collection  of MG novels, including one of mine. 
Why We Did It
The idea began with DD Roy, a writer and the founder of a small publishing house, who has previous experience with romance collections. Her middle grade novel  Jinnie Wishmaker  is about a girl who can grant wishes but can't control the results. It launches a series about kids with magical powers that don't always work the way they're supposed to. She recruited the other authors and is handling production on the collection.
Initially, the collection will be priced at $.99. Later, the price may go up – or we may decide to take down the collection. Six authors sharing income on a $.99 book may not sound very lucrative. However, the promotional price and the shared marketing mean that the volume of sales can be much greater than any one author makes on a single title. Even with that money divided six ways, everyone earns something. The collection will be available for a limited time, and then we'll discuss whether or not we want to keep it up.
The visibility is more important than sales for many participating authors. The hope is that readers who enjoy one novel will look for others by the same author. Perhaps they'll post reviews or tell friends about their favorite books in the collection.
This marketing angle is especially useful for authors sharing the first book in a series. Readers who like the first book may want more of that series. In our collection, Priscilla the Great , by Sybil Nelson, is the first book in a series about a girl who can shoot fire from her fingers and must save her family from genetically enhanced assassins. 
Other books in the collection have sequels coming soon.  Operation Golden Llama , by Sam Bond, is about five cousins searching for ancient gold and a mysterious grandma in the Peruvian jungle. The second in the Cousins In Action series, Operation Tiger Paw, is due for release in November. Sam plans seven books in total taking the cousins to six continents and doubling up on Asia. 
Angels Club , by Courtney Vail and Sandra J. Howell, is about a girl who bonds with a scrawny rescue horse. Angels Club 2: The Trouble with Boys features different point of view characters and will be out this winter. Courtney also writes young adult and adult suspense, while Sandra's focus is horse stories for kids and grown-ups.
Unfortunately, my only series, Haunted, is published by Aladdin (Simon & Schuster). Even if they had been willing to allow The Ghost on the Stairs to be used in the bundle, it would have taken far too long to get the proper permissions. Therefore, I included The Genie’s Gift , a fantasy adventure drawing on the Arabian Nights stories, since I have all the rights to that book. Maybe readers who like The Genie’s Gift will check out my historical mystery, The Eyes of Pharaoh , or my Mayan adventure, The Well of Sacrifice .
Even books without sequels can help increase author name recognition and provide a boost to the author's other titles. Jennifer Bohnhoff’s historical drama, Code: Elephants on the Moon , is about an outcast girl in Normandy during World War II. Perhaps interested readers – or teachers – will follow up with her second historical novel, the Civil War drama The Bent Reed . We felt it was worth a chance.
How It Worked
Since the collection is new, it's hard to say what the results are yet. However, before this writing, we had already hit 100 sales on Apple. Some sales won't show up until the collection officially goes on sale. And of course, it will be hard to judge if/how sales of the collection increase sales of other books by each authors. Readers might take months to actually get around to reading each individual book in the collection. In addition, there are many variables affecting sales numbers – normal fluctuations in sales patterns, holidays, other promotions.
Hopefully we'll be able to draw some conclusions. Maybe we'll even make some money off of our shares of the collection. Regardless, it's a fun experiment and we are sure to learn something. Plus, I've gotten to meet some new middle grade authors, and I'm already enjoying my own copy of the collection.

The Adventure Collection is only 99 cents for a limited time. 
Kindle: http://bit.ly/Adventure-Zon
B&N: http://bit.ly/Adventure-BN
Kobo: http://bit.ly/Adventure-KoboiBooks: http://bit.ly/Adventure-iTunes

Conference for Women Writers this month!

There's still time to sign up for the International Women's Writing Guild conference Aug 17-22, in Litchfield, Connecticut: 4 days of writing, crafting, critiques, and connecting. I'll be teaching a four-day workshop on plotting. Other topics include building characters, poetry, memoir, collaboration, indie publishing, and revision. Plus there are critique groups, open readings, and time for published authors to sell books. Registration closes THIS WEEK for housing! Commuters welcome but must pre-register for meals! Click on "Click to Register" for complete workshop descriptions and schedule.
http://www.iwwg.org/2014-summer-confe...

Romantic Suspense on Sale

Need some summer reading? Counterfeits: An Art Theft Romantic Suspense, is on sale for $.99 for the Kindle, June 22-28:

Painter Jenny Kinley has spent the last decade struggling in the New York art world. Her grandmother’s sudden death brings her home to New Mexico, but inheriting the children’s art camp her grandmother ran is more of a burden than a gift. How can she give up her lifelong dreams of showing her work in galleries and museums?

Rob Caruso, the camp cook and all-around handyman, would be happy to run the camp with Jenny. Dare he even dream of that, when his past holds dark secrets that he can never share? When Jenny’s father reappears after a decade-long absence, only Rob knows where he’s been and what danger he’s brought with him.

Jenny and Rob face midnight break-ins and make desperate escapes, but the biggest danger may come from the secrets that don’t want to stay buried. In the end, they must decide whether their dreams will bring them together or force them apart.

One reviewer said, "Counterfeits is the kind of romantic suspense novel I have enjoyed since I first read Mary Stewart."

http://bookshow.me/B00GQOEE9M