Lucinda Moebius's Blog, page 2

Echoes of Savanna

Just a little glimpse into the future.  Think about all the defining events of your generation as you watch.

 

A Journey

I am so excited to share with you my favorite things.  Take a look at this picture:

There are secrets and magical places within this shelf.  I am looking forward to sharing the magic with all of you.  I want to welcome you to “The Bookshelf”

What should I blog about?

What should I blog about?  What are some high interest topics an educator and science fiction/fantasy author can tell the world?

These are the ideas I have so far:

Why write
Why read
Inspiration
Mythology
Monster stories
POV
Consistency
literature lessons
Pictures
short stories
literature

Blog tour advice

There’s been a lot of talk on my social media boards.  I gave the following advice on Kindle boards.  What advice would you give?

Make sure your bloggers are interested in your genre.

Follow the rules of submitting (some bloggers only read print others digital)

Make sure to write a real request letter (beginning, middle and end. Introduce yourself, give a very brief description of you work, request a place on their blog)

Be respectful when you make your requests

Be respectful when reminding your bloggers about the posts

Don’t tell your bloggers what to write

Preview the blog before making the request

Set the scheduled dates far enough ahead to allow the reveiwers to read your book

Set the review dates close together to create a buzz

Thank the blogger for their review, positive or not

Keep the contacts of the best bloggers for future blog tours

Before sending your book make sure it has been edited and proofread

Request bloggers to include their review on Amazon and other sites where you sell your books

Sit back and enjoy the ride

Moon

She calls to me with Her iridescent glow, with Her ever changing crescent and fullness of life. I can feel the pull of Her strength as I draw myself into Her energy. I am in love with the Moon. Her gravitational pull affects the tides. The destinies of oceans are determined by the force of Her pull. Even small streams push their waters onto the banks when the Moon is at Her fullness. My frail, human body, consisting mostly of water, offers Her no resistance. The Greeks called her Artemis, the Romans Diana. The sickle bow, the pregnant globe, the half-hidden, the brazen, in whatever form she represents the ebb and flow of life. She is woman, the bearer of life.

How do you get noticed?

We are all in the same boat in the Ebook publishing world. As indie authors we have cast our books out like so many lures and hope the readers will bite. Although I am an experienced writer I am new to the publishing and marketing game. So far my marketing strategy has centered around social media and blogging. I have met with some success but am always craving more. Since joining the discussions on the KDP discussion board my sales have nearly doubled, but I don’t know if it is because of the postings or if it’s just a happy coincidence. So, my question to the readers of this blog, what do you use to hook your readers? How can I reel in more sales? (Sorry for the tired fishing metaphors).

Why fear the one star review?

Or the two star, or any review. As an artist I believe reviews serve three purposes.

1. They give readers a place to reflect on the writing and open a dialogue with other readers.

2. They give the reader the opportunity to give feedback to the author.

3. They are used as a way for others authors to spam and otherwise disrespect other writers.

I have had my share of all three types of reviews. The only one that really interests me as an artist is the feedback the reader gives me as a way to improve my craft. I always critically read every review to understand what motivated the reviewer. This individual has a purpose for writing. They have taken time to read the book and give their honest opinion. Not everyone in the world is going to love you or your books and they will have no problem letting you know how they feel about it. The reviews that open dialogues between readers are just fun. It means people are talking about your book therefore they are talking about you. As for the third type of review, well we all know those types of people. We know they won’t make it very far in this world.

So, review away. Don’t be afraid. Words are just words. Encourage readers to read your book and form their own opinion.

Chapter One Write Well Publish Right

In the Beginning…The Journey

AS LONG AS I CAN remember I’ve been a story-teller.  When I was a child I would sit with notebook and pen and write the stories filling my head with new worlds, characters and realms of existence.  Sometimes I would tell my sisters bedtime stories about mystical creatures and magical heroes on fantastic quests.  I would sit on the stairs at school writing stories and living in my own little world.  My friends would sneak up behind me, take my notebooks and sit next to me, reading the story coming to life under my pen.  There is something magical about creating other worlds and other lives and watching them come to life on paper.

I decided early in my career that I was going to become a Science Fiction and Fantasy author.  Although I am a veracious reader and read anything I can get my hands on, Science Fiction and Fantasy has been and always will be my favorite.  When I choose these genres I didn’t realize how difficult it would be to be accepted as a mainstream artist.  There seemed to be a built-in prejudice towards the concept of supernatural creatures, magic and seemingly unrealistic scientific feats.

Throughout my life my number one goal, the path I always wanted to pursue, was to become a published author.  I didn’t realize the difficult path I had ahead of me or the challenges and sacrifices I would need to make in order to pursue my dream.  Although I defined myself as an author for most of my life my first book wasn’t published until my fortieth birthday.  In my journey to join the world of the published I made mistakes, poor choices and rushed a little too fast.  I experienced a strong learning curve in the process and so I decided I needed to compile this book as a way to guide others in the pursuit of their dreams to be published.

There are many steps to becoming a published author.  A person doesn’t wake up one morning and say, “I think I’m going to write a book today.”  Writing and publishing a book is a process; a long, difficult, painful process.  However, the process is worth it.  When you have your finished book in your hands and can turn the pages and smell the fresh, crisp, clean smell of paper and ink a thrill goes up your spine and you feel invincible.

In this book we will explore all aspects of writing, from developing the story, to formatting your book for print and finally the process of bringing your book from an idea into a full-fledged novel.  This is not meant to be a textbook or the end all, be all of writing and publishing.  Although I have years of experience as a teacher in the classroom I don’t want this book to feel like you are sitting in a classroom listening to a lecture.  I want to take you on a journey into the literary world and into the world of publishing.  The journey is my story and I hope by sharing this journey you will be motivated to take your own journey into the world of authorship.  The goal of this book is to teach you how to be a better writer and in return have a quality piece of work with the end result of becoming a published author.

This book is not cerebral.  I will not use big words or obscure pedagogy to teach you.  Okay, I know cerebral and pedagogy are big words, look them up in the dictionary.  My students hate it when I tell them that, but when you go through the effort to learn something on your own because the idea made an impression on you the lesson will stick with you forever.  I will teach you the way I teach students in the classroom.  This book breaks down the elements of good writing and explains how you can self-publish your work without going into significant debt.  This is not a how-to manual.  I’m going to take you on a journey.  The same journey I have been on for the past twenty years.  There are no short-cuts to becoming a great writer.  All you can do is work to improve and take every opportunity to learn.

The best way to learn from this text is to read it from beginning to end then go back and review the areas where you need to improve.  Treat each chapter as you would a writing workshop.  Read the chapter, complete the exercises and if you need more information perform research.  Each concept I discuss here is a piece of the puzzle.  Without each one you don’t get the complete picture.  I’m not promising you will become an expert in the field of writing and publishing.  The goal of this text is to give blossoming authors and publishers the benefit of my experience as I traversed the journey from concept to published novel.  Once you have read the book go back and reread sections you know you need help understanding and keep this book close by as a reference when you are struggling.  This book is a resource.  It’s a tool to put in your writer’s toolbox along with all the other resources available to you.  Despite the struggles I endured as I learned how to become a published author, I enjoyed the journey.  I hope you enjoy your journey into the world of writing as much as I enjoyed mine.

Write Well Publish Right

http://www.amazon.com/Write-Well-Publ...

 

Announcing the release of my new work: WriteWell Publish Right

Everybody has a story. It builds up inside us, fighting at the edges of our soul, pushing at us until it forces us to open an outlet and let it escape. So, what do we do? How do we tell the story?

Write Well Publish Write is designed to bring story-tellers from the first glimmer of an idea into completion of a full-fledged print book. This is not a “how-to” book, this is an “I did it and you can do it too” book. For all the writers who have ever attended writer’s workshops, community education classes and library meet-the-author days and wondered how to write a book and get published, this book leads the way. This book takes you on a journey into the world of writing and publishing from the perspective of an author who has been there. Lucinda Moebius has experienced the world of publishing through professional and self-publishing forums. Through her journey she has learned many lessons and has experienced both good and bad sides of the publishing world and she has decided to share the knowledge she has gained with you.

There are books out there about writing and there are books out there about publishing. Write Well Publish Right is a book about both. This book breaks down the foundations of good writing, teaches lessons and explaining, in the simplest terms, how you can publish your story. There are no shortcuts to becoming a published writer, but if there was Write Well Publish Right would be the signpost pointing the way.

 

ALL CALL FOR ARTISTS

I’m adding a new page to my website.  The goal of this page is to provide resources for authors who are looking to become published.  This is the chance for you to promote your services in a supportive environment. 

To join this is what you need to do:

Send me a copy of your resume

Send me a list of services you provide with a COMPLETE PRICE list

Include references and/or samples of your work

Write a letter giving me permission to include your work and contact information on the site

 The type of services I am looking for are:

Publishers

Editors

Proofreaders

Cover artists

Formatters

Bloggers

Reviewers

Agents

Publicists 

The best part of this offer is it is COMPLETELY FREE!!!