R. Frederick Riddle's Blog, page 26

Ron’s Tip of the Day eBook vs Print

Welcome to Ron’s Tip of the Day. Throughout the week I will share a tip with you. Today I am looking at eBook vs Print.

Both eBooks and Print books have value. With that in mind I do both. The fact is that eBooks while selling for less have the potential of bringing in top dollar. Print books bring in more per book and still carry a large percentage of books sold. But we live in the digital age now and the future would seem to lie with eBooks.

It is for that reason I do both.

Isn’t that difficult?

Not really. Typically, I write my story as a Print book. This means there will be headings, footers, page numbers, and more. Once I have done all the work on the book and published it as a Print book, I am free to create an eBook.

How do you do that?

The old way I did it was to remove all headers/footers. This also involves doing away with page numbers. With KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing) the process is easy. Now I have a program called Kindle Create that does a lot of that work automatically. I can usually create an eBook of my Print book within a day.

How much does Kindle Create cost?

You can get Kindle Create for free. Simply download it and start working.

What does it cost to publish Print or eBooks with KDP?

The short answer is that the cost is free.

However, if you don’t want the free ISBN that is self-generated, you will have to buy it outside KDP and then provide the number to KDP. In the case of book covers, you can get a book cover elsewhere (which presumably will cost something) and use it. It must meet KDP standards.

Tip of the Day: Use Kindle Create to enable publishing both Print and eBooks on KDP.

Get our free Guide to Writing by contacting us at marketing@tr-indbkstore.com. We will send you our Free Brochure which tells you about our services.

For information on TR Writing Services (“we edit, proof, and publish the book within you”)  contact us at marketing@tr-indbkstore.com.

AUTHOR’S PAGE: amazon.com/author/rfrederickriddle.

ARE YOU A BOOK REVIEWER? Want to review our books? Contact me at marketing@tr-indbkstore.com with the subject line indicating that desire. Such as, ‘Seek to review [book Title].’ Be sure to indicate your email address and your name.

 – – – – – – –

R Frederick Riddle is the Editor of TR Writing Services providing help to struggling and/or new authors to write and publish their books. He is also an author of Historical, Speculative, and Mystery fiction, plus co-founder and Vice President of T&R Independent Books. To reply to any blog you have the option of commenting on a blog and/or sending an email to marketing@tr-indbkstore.com. You may also be interested in his Facebook page at RFrederickRiddlesWorld.

Ron’s Tip of the Day Promotion

Welcome to Ron’s Tip of the Day. Throughout the week I will share a tip with you. Today I am looking at Promotion.

What is Promotion?

The term promotion means different things to different people, but the simple understanding is doing whatever it takes to get your book the attention it deserves!

What Works Best?

While that is a good question there is no absolute answer. I believe in absolutes. For example, it is an absolute truth to say people are saved from their sins by trusting in the shed blood of Jesus Christ and asking Him to save you. That is absolute.

But success in life, especially marketing, has no absolutes although some marketeers will absolutely declare they have the perfect solution. Promotion has many tools, and some are better for some people, while others are good for someone else.

Tools

Promotion tools can be any or all of below or others not listed:

Author Book SigningsAuthor InterviewsBloggingBookstoresBook ToursPress ReleaseRadioReviewsSocial MediaTelevisionTrailersVideosWebsite

In Conclusion

The truth is that promotion must absolutely be done, but the most effective way for you may be entirely different than someone else.  Become acquainted with different tools, but a word of caution. Don’t become tool crazy. It can overburden you. Find what works for you.

Once you find something that works, slowly build upon it. And remember, this is a long-term effort. Don’t go down rabbit trails, stick with what works and cautiously experiment.

Tip of the Day: Experiment with different promotion tools and find what works for you.

Get our free Guide to Writing by contacting us at marketing@tr-indbkstore.com. We will send you our Free Brochure which tells you about our services.

For information on TR Writing Services (“we edit, proof, and publish the book within you”)  contact us at marketing@tr-indbkstore.com.

AUTHOR’S PAGE: amazon.com/author/rfrederickriddle.

ARE YOU A BOOK REVIEWER? Want to review our books? Contact me at marketing@tr-indbkstore.com with the subject line indicating that desire. Such as, ‘Seek to review [book Title].’ Be sure to indicate your email address and your name.

 – – – – – – –

R Frederick Riddle is the Editor of TR Writing Services providing help to struggling and/or new authors to write and publish their books. He is also an author of Historical, Speculative, and Mystery fiction, plus co-founder and Vice President of T&R Independent Books. To reply to any blog you have the option of commenting on a blog and/or sending an email to marketing@tr-indbkstore.com. You may also be interested in his Facebook page at RFrederickRiddlesWorld.

Ron’s Tip of the Day Don’t Quit

Welcome to Ron’s Tip of the Day. Throughout the week I will share a tip with you. Today I am looking at Don’t Quit.

Don’t Quit!

On Friday I had 4 teeth extracted. They didn’t put me to sleep, because at my age and with my heart issues, they probably wouldn’t be able to bring me back. But the dentist did give me enough shots for my mouth that I was still feeling some numbness three days later (Sunday).

Several things happened since then. I was taking 3 Ibuprofen 3 times a day plus 1 Amoxicillin 3 times a time. On top of that and because of the medicine I slept a lot. Plus, my face looked like I got in a fight with my wife and lost. I hardly went out of the house and even had to stay home during church.

As for work, I hardly worked on my books at all and only worked on a few blogs (spread out over a few days) and put my vlog on YouTube.

But there was one thing I didn’t do; I didn’t quit. I didn’t give up on God. He’s the one Who made it possible for me to have the extractions and saw me through the ordeal.

Nor did I give up on my wife. She’s been there for me and made me proud when she went to church on her own instead of babying me. More important, I know she prays for me.

In addition, I didn’t give up on my writing career. Yes. Because my body was extremely tired, I wasn’t able to spend much time on my books. In fact, none over the weekend. But I didn’t quit.

Sometimes we just got to determine to press on. At first not as much as before but I kept on keeping on.

Tip of the Day: Don’t let health, sales, discouragement, or anything make you quit.

Get our free Guide to Writing by contacting us at marketing@tr-indbkstore.com. We will send you our Free Brochure which tells you about our services.

For information on TR Writing Services (“we edit, proof, and publish the book within you”)  contact us at marketing@tr-indbkstore.com.

AUTHOR’S PAGE: amazon.com/author/rfrederickriddle.

ARE YOU A BOOK REVIEWER? Want to review our books? Contact me at marketing@tr-indbkstore.com with the subject line indicating that desire. Such as, ‘Seek to review [book Title].’ Be sure to indicate your email address and your name.

 – – – – – – –

R Frederick Riddle is the Editor of TR Writing Services providing help to struggling and/or new authors to write and publish their books. He is also an author of Historical, Speculative, and Mystery fiction, plus co-founder and Vice President of T&R Independent Books. To reply to any blog you have the option of commenting on a blog and/or sending an email to marketing@tr-indbkstore.com. You may also be interested in his Facebook page at RFrederickRiddlesWorld.

Ron’s Tip of the Day Coronavirus

Welcome to Ron’s Tip of the Day. Throughout the week I will share a tip with you. Today I am looking at Coronavirus.

In the interest of transparency, I am not a doctor, nurse, or in anyway associated with medical degrees or work. But I am concerned about the reporting done on this virus. While it may contain a great deal of facts, it is misleading.

When you turn on TV news or read the newspaper you are hit with the rise in cases and deaths which, in my opinion, creates a false narrative. Yes, the cases and deaths are rising, but is that where the focus should be?

The fact is that it has been weeks since the cases started its new surge, and the death rate, the most important stat, has plummeted. From a high of 5.8% it is now 3.8%. Another fact. Do you remember the body bags in New York? We don’t see them anymore.

Could it change for the worse? Perhaps, but consider this:

This pandemic didn’t go away and then return, it shifted from older folks to younger, more resilient people, such as young adults, teens, and children. The news media either ignores this fact or dismisses it as not relevant.

Any disease is important, so I am not dismissing Covid-19, but the overblown coverage of it is disturbing. While any death is terrible, the death rate due to Covid-19 has been going down since the end of May. Actually, it plunged. Yet the media is still in panic mode and misleading people about the masks (see blog Masks or No Masks). Local media does a better job, but national media is atrocious.

 I think it is time for less urgency and more calmness. Yes, encourage social distancing and wearing of masks, but get off the mandate train. Let’s take a a calmer, saner approach.

Tip of the Day: Be calm. This too shall go away .

Get our free Guide to Writing by contacting us at marketing@tr-indbkstore.com. We will send you our Free Brochure which tells you about our services.

For information on TR Writing Services (“we edit, proof, and publish the book within you”)  contact us at marketing@tr-indbkstore.com.

AUTHOR’S PAGE: amazon.com/author/rfrederickriddle.

ARE YOU A BOOK REVIEWER? Want to review our books? Contact me at marketing@tr-indbkstore.com with the subject line indicating that desire. Such as, ‘Seek to review [book Title].’ Be sure to indicate your email address and your name.

 – – – – – – –

R Frederick Riddle is the Editor of TR Writing Services providing help to struggling and/or new authors to write and publish their books. He is also an author of Historical, Speculative, and Mystery fiction, plus co-founder and Vice President of T&R Independent Books. To reply to any blog you have the option of commenting on a blog and/or sending an email to marketing@tr-indbkstore.com. You may also be interested in his Facebook page at RFrederickRiddlesWorld.

Ron’s Tip of the Day Mask or No Mask

Welcome to Ron’s Tip of the Day. Throughout the week I will share a tip with you. Today I am looking at Mask or No Mask.

Watch the video then read on.

When I first published this video, I received a comment that I had it on upside down. Considering that they probably were referring to the piece of flexible metal to conform to the nose, then I did. But my experience has shown that this feature is basically a joke; it didn’t work for me.

Now for additional comments.

The mask debate continues and most writers on the subject emphasize two things: It is like the seat belt controversy and that it saves lives.

Seatbelt controversy: No, it isn’t the same. There are a few arguments being made that are similar, such as our rights. That is a legitimate argument and should be made, especially since we have seen our rights slowly taken away over the last several decades. But seatbelts are a proven safety measure, masks are not.

Saving lives: As referred to above seatbelts save lives. A lot of people were saved by wearing them, yet there have also been cases where the belt was part of the problem. But far more lives have been saved than lost.

But with masks there is no proof. Instead we have studies. But, as shown in the video, we also have evidence of their limitations. If you are not practicing social distancing (maintaining a 6’ separation from others), then masks are ineffective. Moreover, masks don’t protect you, but are meant to protect others.

What Should I Do?

If mandated by government, there’s no choice. But, if not mandated, you do. There’s some protection when done with social distancing and it’s recommended using them. The choice then is yours.

Tip of the Day: Masks may protect others .

Get our free Guide to Writing by contacting us at marketing@tr-indbkstore.com. We will send you our Free Brochure which tells you about our services.

For information on TR Writing Services (“we edit, proof, and publish the book within you”)  contact us at marketing@tr-indbkstore.com.

AUTHOR’S PAGE: amazon.com/author/rfrederickriddle.

ARE YOU A BOOK REVIEWER? Want to review our books? Contact me at marketing@tr-indbkstore.com with the subject line indicating that desire. Such as, ‘Seek to review [book Title].’ Be sure to indicate your email address and your name.

 – – – – – – –

R Frederick Riddle is the Editor of TR Writing Services providing help to struggling and/or new authors to write and publish their books. He is also an author of Historical, Speculative, and Mystery fiction, plus co-founder and Vice President of T&R Independent Books. To reply to any blog you have the option of commenting on a blog and/or sending an email to marketing@tr-indbkstore.com. You may also be interested in his Facebook page at RFrederickRiddlesWorld.

Ron’s Tip of the Day The Right Mixture #5

Welcome to Ron’s Tip of the Day. Throughout the week I will share a tip with you. Today I am looking at The Right Mixture #5.

In my last 4 blogs I talked about readers’ imagination, including Immerse Yourself in the character, Backstory, Making it Real, and Research. Today we move to Thinking.

Thinking?

Yes. To be more precise, I am talking about your primary character(s) thinking. I love prose and try to use it. But the fact is that seeing the world through the eyes of a character is a very powerful tool.

Allowing the reader inside the character’s head gives the reader a view of the world that the reader may not have seen otherwise. In simple prose, the reader sees the world as perceived by the author. But the thoughts of a character can convey the same information better than prose.

Use Balance.

That said, there is a time for prose and a time for thinking. I use both. Balance is necessary because it adds substance and color to the scene. Both are useful tools.

How do you show people thinking?

Example: Janet thought, This painting sure looks like the real thing.

There is no law about this, but I support the concept of using italics to show thinking. Whatever you use must be consistent. I use italics and I tend to think it is the preferred method as it looks good and more and more authors are using that method.  

Tip of the Day: Show thinking; and try using italics to do so.

Get our free Guide to Writing by contacting us at marketing@tr-indbkstore.com. We will send you our Free Brochure which tells you about our services.

For information on TR Writing Services (“we edit, proof, and publish the book within you”)  contact us at marketing@tr-indbkstore.com.

AUTHOR’S PAGE: amazon.com/author/rfrederickriddle.

ARE YOU A BOOK REVIEWER? Want to review our books? Contact me at marketing@tr-indbkstore.com with the subject line indicating that desire. Such as, ‘Seek to review [book Title].’ Be sure to indicate your email address and your name.

 – – – – – – –

R Frederick Riddle is the Editor of TR Writing Services providing help to struggling and/or new authors to write and publish their books. He is also an author of Historical, Speculative, and Mystery fiction, plus co-founder and Vice President of T&R Independent Books. To reply to any blog you have the option of commenting on a blog and/or sending an email to marketing@tr-indbkstore.com. You may also be interested in his Facebook page at RFrederickRiddlesWorld.

Ron’s Tip of the Day The Right Mixture #4

Welcome to Ron’s Tip of the Day. Throughout the week I will share a tip with you. Today I am looking at The Right Mixture #4.

In my last 3 blogs I talked about readers’ imagination, including Immerse Yourself in the character, Backstory, and Making it Real. Today we move to Research.

Research? Again?

I probably talk about research more than any other topic related to writing. And here is another as it relates to my last blog of Making it Real.

How does Research Make it Real?

Part of making your story realistic is to have the right information about a place or event. I am currently writing a story which partially takes place in a major American city. And I am doing the necessary research. If I haven’t been there it means digging deep so that people who have been there will recognize it. They’ll be able to picture the scene.

Why is that Necessary?

Remember those people I mentioned above. If I mention something and don’t describe it right, they will notice it. And it might ruin their reading experience.

I’ve used this example before, but I once read a story based on Noah and the Ark. At that time, I was working on a novel of my own about the Ark. I read this man’s novel and enjoyed it to an extent. But because he described unlikely items, such as a drinking glass, I didn’t enjoy it as much. I found myself looking for other mistakes instead of simply enjoying the book. You don’t want that to happen with your books.

Research Adds to the Story.

Proper research and usage add to the story sometimes subtly and sometimes noticeably. It’s an excellent tool.

More on the Right Mixture next blog.

Tip of the Day: Use research as a writing tool.

Get our free Guide to Writing by contacting us at marketing@tr-indbkstore.com. We will send you our Free Brochure which tells you about our services.

For information on TR Writing Services (“we edit, proof, and publish the book within you”)  contact us at marketing@tr-indbkstore.com.

AUTHOR’S PAGE: amazon.com/author/rfrederickriddle.

ARE YOU A BOOK REVIEWER? Want to review our books? Contact me at marketing@tr-indbkstore.com with the subject line indicating that desire. Such as, ‘Seek to review [book Title].’ Be sure to indicate your email address and your name.

 – – – – – – –

R Frederick Riddle is the Editor of TR Writing Services providing help to struggling and/or new authors to write and publish their books. He is also an author of Historical, Speculative, and Mystery fiction, plus co-founder and Vice President of T&R Independent Books. To reply to any blog you have the option of commenting on a blog and/or sending an email to marketing@tr-indbkstore.com. You may also be interested in his Facebook page at RFrederickRiddlesWorld.

Ron’s Tip of the Day The Right Mixture #3

Welcome to Ron’s Tip of the Day. Throughout the week I will share a tip with you. Today I am looking at The Right Mixture #3.

In my last 2 blogs I talked about reader’s imagination, including Immerse Yourself in the character, and Backstory. Today we move to Making it Real.

What is Making it Real?

To answer that we start with what it isn’t.

Some people think that Making it Real means lots of blood & guts, graphic sex, and filthy language. While elements of such things do exist in life, that is not Making it Real. Remember, we are talking about using the reader’s imagination.

Enabling the Imagination.

Making it Real means enabling your reader’s imagination. Granted there are lazy readers who simply want to be stimulated. Using their imagination is too much work for them.

But most readers want to take an imaginary journey. And their imagination is a necessary tool for them.

So, how do you enable that imagination? Basically, you tease it like you would tease hair. You stroke their imagination. But since you don’t know all your readers and their individual imaginations, you need to provide for their imagination to work.

Each writer needs to solve the equation of how much grit and how much imagination is needed. Some authors use a lot more grit because their readers are looking for it. But for the rest of us it is necessary to plant the seed, water it, and then let the reader imagine the rest. It is a fine line, but if done successfully it is stronger than the most explicit or descriptive words!

Readers bring more than their eyes to reading. They bring their experiences, hopes, dreams, and imagination with them. As an author you are touching all of these; use them.

More on the Right Mixture next blog.

Tip of the Day: Use the reader’s imagination as a writing tool.

Get our free Guide to Writing by contacting us at marketing@tr-indbkstore.com. We will send you our Free Brochure which tells you about our services.

For information on TR Writing Services (“we edit, proof, and publish the book within you”)  contact us at marketing@tr-indbkstore.com.

AUTHOR’S PAGE: amazon.com/author/rfrederickriddle.

ARE YOU A BOOK REVIEWER? Want to review our books? Contact me at marketing@tr-indbkstore.com with the subject line indicating that desire. Such as, ‘Seek to review [book Title].’ Be sure to indicate your email address and your name.

 – – – – – – –

R Frederick Riddle is the Editor of TR Writing Services providing help to struggling and/or new authors to write and publish their books. He is also an author of Historical, Speculative, and Mystery fiction, plus co-founder and Vice President of T&R Independent Books. To reply to any blog you have the option of commenting on a blog and/or sending an email to marketing@tr-indbkstore.com. You may also be interested in his Facebook page at RFrederickRiddlesWorld.

Ron’s Tip of the Day The Right Mixture #2

Welcome to Ron’s Tip of the Day. Throughout the week I will share a tip with you. Today I am looking at The Right Mixture #2.

In my last blog I talked about using your readers’ imagination and started out with the tip to Immerse Yourself in the character, particularly the primary. I also mentioned using Backstory.

What is Backstory?

It is a tool writers use to acquaint readers with a character, place, or event. Instead of recreating the entire situation or character’s history, you can tell or have your characters fill in the details. This can take place in a few paragraphs or scenes.

Here is a possible example.

Seeing Gene with a happy smile on his face made Emily feel good. When he had that car accident, I thought he was going to die. Now look at him!

Or how about the same thing from the author’s point of view.

Seeing Gene with a happy smile on his face reminded Emily how devastated she had been when he was involved in a car accident. She had expected him to die. But now seeing him she was overjoyed!

Either one works. It seems like such a minor thing, but that little intro could be the catalyst for future events, actions, or conversation.

That example was only a brief paragraph, but you could have expanded it to a longer, more developed scene spanning several paragraphs. I would caution you that if you do that then definitely play off it later.

Why?

If you spend a lot of time letting the reader experience something, there should be a reason or a payoff for the reader. The example I used above could lead to a mystery about the car accident, or perhaps to a closer relationship between Emily and Gene, or something else altogether.

More on the Right Mixture next blog.

Tip of the Day: Use Backstory to strengthen story

Get our free Guide to Writing by contacting us at marketing@tr-indbkstore.com. We will send you our Free Brochure which tells you about our services.

For information on TR Writing Services (“we edit, proof, and publish the book within you”)  contact us at marketing@tr-indbkstore.com.

AUTHOR’S PAGE: amazon.com/author/rfrederickriddle.

ARE YOU A BOOK REVIEWER? Want to review our books? Contact me at marketing@tr-indbkstore.com with the subject line indicating that desire. Such as, ‘Seek to review [book Title].’ Be sure to indicate your email address and your name.

 – – – – – – –

R Frederick Riddle is the Editor of TR Writing Services providing help to struggling and/or new authors to write and publish their books. He is also an author of Historical, Speculative, and Mystery fiction, plus co-founder and Vice President of T&R Independent Books. To reply to any blog you have the option of commenting on a blog and/or sending an email to marketing@tr-indbkstore.com. You may also be interested in his Facebook page at RFrederickRiddlesWorld.

Ron’s Tip of the Day The Right Mixture #1

Welcome to Ron’s Tip of the Day. Throughout the week I will share a tip with you. Today I am looking at The Right Mixture #1.

In past blogs I’ve talked about using your readers’ imagination. But that raises a question.

How Do I Use the Readers’ Imagination?

While it isn’t rocket science, it isn’t all that easy either. I wish I could tell you that there is one simple formula that fits all genres and all books. There are principles that fit, but applying them differs from book to book, genre to genre.

So, here are some ideas.

Immerse Yourself.

That means that as you create your primary character or protagonist, you dive deep. It may not be all at once but start with some basic facts such as the character’s personality. Get to know your character inside out.

Grow Your Character

As your story develops, he or she will be meeting different circumstances. The principle here is to let the character grow and respond to each circumstance. That response then becomes part of that character.

Each succeeding circumstance or challenge should build upon that response. For instance, the character may have been tempted to lie but chose not to because of childhood training or religious beliefs. As time goes on this training or belief may be further tested.

Pretest Your Character

I would recommend that when you first introduce the character you indicate a character flaw or strength. Perhaps through another character’s observation or memory. You can also use backstory to show the test or teaching that influenced the character.

Consider Some Development of Other Characters

Adding depth to your supporting group of characters would be helpful. It wouldn’t have to be as deep as the primary, but deep enough that the reader can identify with them.

Next blog: we continue this discussion.

Tip of the Day: Test and develop your Primary Character

Get our free Guide to Writing by contacting us at marketing@tr-indbkstore.com. We will send you our Free Brochure which tells you about our services.

For information on TR Writing Services (“we edit, proof, and publish the book within you”)  contact us at marketing@tr-indbkstore.com.

AUTHOR’S PAGE: amazon.com/author/rfrederickriddle.

ARE YOU A BOOK REVIEWER? Want to review our books? Contact me at marketing@tr-indbkstore.com with the subject line indicating that desire. Such as, ‘Seek to review [book Title].’ Be sure to indicate your email address and your name.

 – – – – – – –

R Frederick Riddle is the Editor of TR Writing Services providing help to struggling and/or new authors to write and publish their books. He is also an author of Historical, Speculative, and Mystery fiction, plus co-founder and Vice President of T&R Independent Books. To reply to any blog you have the option of commenting on a blog and/or sending an email to marketing@tr-indbkstore.com. You may also be interested in his Facebook page at RFrederickRiddlesWorld.