R. Frederick Riddle's Blog, page 31

Ron’s Tip of the Day Taking Charge

Welcome to Ron’s Tip of the Day. Today I am looking at Taking Charge.

Let’s say the nation’s business opens tomorrow. For a writer it would be exciting to see bookstores reopen, libraries reopen, and a host of book venues reopen. What would you do?

The reopening of bookstores would ignite my plan to get my wife’s first novel into a local bookstore. During this forced ‘stay home’ I’ve been working with that goal in mind. And once I get hers in, I would try to get my latest novel into the same store.

Another thing I would do would be to start visiting the local library. I may not go as much, especially since my wife is doing rehab and my presence is sometimes required. It would cause some balancing on my part, but I’m up to it.

For the most part I would return to what I was doing prior to the virus invasion. But there will be differences. They call it the new normal, but I call it normal with a twist. The new normal sounds too much like letting fear regulate your life, which I oppose. But using commonsense and making only slight alterations can be very helpful.

Tip of the Day : Let’s resume life as normal with a twist approach.

For information on TR Writing Services (“we edit, proof, and publish the book within you”)  contact us at marketing@tr-indbkstore.com. Our Free booklet tells you about our services. And we are upfront on our prices (all are low).

VISIT MY AUTHOR’S PAGE TODAY: amazon.com/author/rfrederickriddle.

ARE YOU A BOOK REVIEWER? I am always looking for book reviews for R. Frederick Riddle and Tess Riddle books. I value your reviews.

If you would like to review our books contact me at marketing@tr-indbkstore.com with the subject line indicating that desire. An example of an appropriate subject line would be: ‘Seek to review [book Title].’ In the email make sure to indicate your email address, your name, and the choice of copy (PDF or Epub).

 – – – – – – –

R Frederick Riddle is the Editor of TR Writing Services providing help to struggling and/or new authors to write and publish their books. In addition, he is best known for Christian Historical and Speculative Fiction. He is also co-founder and Vice President of T&R Independent Books where his books are featured. 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 Reopening

Welcome to Ron’s Tip of the Day. Today I am looking at Reopening.

Florida is moving toward reopening for business. So far they’ve reopened beaches, parks, and restaurants. It looks like it will be a step by step approach. Take a step, evaluate the risks and the actual results, then if okay take another step.

Some people oppose any reopening of businesses until we’ve reached a certain level of testing that may not be achieved for months. I think that would be a disaster. I understand the fear, but we can’t let fear determine our future.

But the health experts say we should wait.

That is true and it is why you don’t put health experts in control of a nation, or a state, or a community. They have value, but they tend to be myopic, in my opinion. They only see the risk to physical and mental health. And that is what should be their concern.

Economic advisors, on the other hand, only see the economic risks. They would also be dangerous if put in command.

A better idea is to have a non-healthcare person, say a Donald Trump or Ron DeSantis, who is advised by health experts and economic experts, make the call. He balances the two out while understanding there is risk whichever way he goes. That is one reason he holds the office.

Tip of the Day : A guided, balanced approach to reopening is the best way to go.

For information on TR Writing Services (“we edit, proof, and publish the book within you”)  contact us at marketing@tr-indbkstore.com. Our Free booklet tells you about our services. And we are upfront on our prices (all are low).

VISIT MY AUTHOR’S PAGE TODAY: amazon.com/author/rfrederickriddle.

ARE YOU A BOOK REVIEWER? I am always looking for book reviews for R. Frederick Riddle and Tess Riddle books. I value your reviews.

If you would like to review our books contact me at marketing@tr-indbkstore.com with the subject line indicating that desire. An example of an appropriate subject line would be: ‘Seek to review [book Title].’ In the email make sure to indicate your email address, your name, and the choice of copy (PDF or Epub).

 – – – – – – –

R Frederick Riddle is the Editor of TR Writing Services providing help to struggling and/or new authors to write and publish their books. In addition, he is best known for Christian Historical and Speculative Fiction. He is also co-founder and Vice President of T&R Independent Books where his books are featured. 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 Trouble with Narration

Welcome to Ron’s Tip of the Day. Today I am looking at The Trouble with Narration.

When I began writing I loved narrating a story. And if I’m allowed to say so I was pretty good at it. My prose could wax eloquent as I described trees, flowers, buildings, or even people.

But then I learned the trouble with narration. It could detract from a story. I learned to allow the story to be told by the character. When I did this my stories came alive!

But narration still has a place. For me I try to balance out who is telling the story. If there is a formula it would be I, the narrator, tell the surrounding story while the character(s) flesh out the real story.

For example:

A week later, Methuselah watched as a caravan came to a stop in front of his house. A mob of homosexuals following the caravan quickly dispersed when they saw him. Although 869 years old, he stood strong, muscular, and tall, thus creating an imposing picture.

He recognized his grandson Iram and Bocheru, but not the young lad with them.

“So, this must be young Jareb,” he boomed, as he wrapped his arms around the boy.

Methuselah stepped back and eyed Jareb. “Aptly named young Jareb. For thou shall indeed be a great avenger.”

I mixed narration with character speech and achieved a scene that brought the reader instant curiosity.

Tip of the Day : Mix narration and character speech to achieve the end result.

For information on TR Writing Services (“we edit, proof, and publish the book within you”)  contact us at marketing@tr-indbkstore.com. Our Free booklet tells you about our services. And we are upfront on our prices (all are low).

VISIT MY AUTHOR’S PAGE TODAY: amazon.com/author/rfrederickriddle.

ARE YOU A BOOK REVIEWER? I am always looking for book reviews for R. Frederick Riddle and Tess Riddle books. I value your reviews.

If you would like to review our books contact me at marketing@tr-indbkstore.com with the subject line indicating that desire. An example of an appropriate subject line would be: ‘Seek to review [book Title].’ In the email make sure to indicate your email address, your name, and the choice of copy (PDF or Epub).

 – – – – – – –

R Frederick Riddle is the Editor of TR Writing Services providing help to struggling and/or new authors to write and publish their books. In addition, he is best known for Christian Historical and Speculative Fiction. He is also co-founder and Vice President of T&R Independent Books where his books are featured. 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 Character’s Thoughts

Welcome to Ron’s Tip of the Day. Today I am looking at Character’s Thoughts.

In today’s blog I am discussing how to make use of your character’s thoughts in your book. There is more than one way to do this, but I prefer using italics to indicate thoughts. Let’s take a look.

Here is a sample.

Henry thought to himself that to cross the river would be too difficult.

While some would accept that method, it is really the narrator telling you what Henry thought. But when I use thoughts, I want the readers to feel like they are actually listening into Henry’s thoughts. Something like this:

Henry stared at the river. This is going to be more difficult than I imagined!

By doing it this way I conveyed several bits of information. For example, you could gather that Henry had been thinking about this crossing for a while, plus he already had determined it would be a difficult crossing. But seeing it up close made him realize he’d underestimated the difficulty. All of these are possible depending on context.

When you access a person’s thoughts and listen to that person, you gain more information than a narrator could provide in the same amount of text. It only took one sentence for you to hear the character. But it took three sentences for me to describe what you might have discerned.

You can use this technique for one or for more characters. However, be very careful about using multiple characters at the same time. It’s okay to use different characters over time, but it can be problematic in the same scene.

Tip of the Day : Use italics to indicate thoughts

For information on TR Writing Services (“we edit, proof, and publish the book within you”)  contact us at marketing@tr-indbkstore.com. Our Free booklet tells you about our services. And we are upfront on our prices (all are low).

VISIT MY AUTHOR’S PAGE TODAY: amazon.com/author/rfrederickriddle.

ARE YOU A BOOK REVIEWER? I am always looking for book reviews for R. Frederick Riddle and Tess Riddle books. I value your reviews.

If you would like to review our books contact me at marketing@tr-indbkstore.com with the subject line indicating that desire. An example of an appropriate subject line would be: ‘Seek to review [book Title].’ In the email make sure to indicate your email address, your name, and the choice of copy (PDF or Epub).

 – – – – – – –

R Frederick Riddle is the Editor of TR Writing Services providing help to struggling and/or new authors to write and publish their books. In addition, he is best known for Christian Historical and Speculative Fiction. He is also co-founder and Vice President of T&R Independent Books where his books are featured. 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 Collateral Material

Welcome to Ron’s Tip of the Day. Today I am looking at Collateral Material.

Ideas for this Article come from Penny Sansevieri, Author Marketing Experts

In today’s blog I am discussing collateral material that you might want to include in your Media Kit.

Newspaper clippings

There’s a possibility you will have interviews with local newspapers. Once you’ve had an interview watch for its publication. Then cut it out and make copies of it for your Media Kit.

Relevant Articles

It is possible someone reviewed your book and published the review in the newspaper. Again, you want to cut these out and make copies. Or it is possible that an article was written on a related subject to your book.

Newsletter

If you write a newsletter that relates to your book, copy it and put it in your Media Kit.

Business Card

A business card is a must! Although not as powerful as in the past business cards are still effective. You can easily get one printed through Vistaprint.com or some other venue. If you have plans to create one, use a picture that represents you, your business, or your book (if only one book). It should use a firm stock, have a front and a back. On the back I recommend a white background, instructions on contacting you (like your email address) and perhaps your motto.

And be sure to include your business card in the kit.

Tip of the Day : Add relevant information to your kit, such as newspaper clippings, newsletter, and business card.

For information on TR Writing Services (“we edit, proof, and publish the book within you”)  contact us at marketing@tr-indbkstore.com. Our Free booklet tells you about our services. And we are upfront on our prices (all are low).

VISIT MY AUTHOR’S PAGE TODAY: amazon.com/author/rfrederickriddle.

ARE YOU A BOOK REVIEWER? I am always looking for book reviews for R. Frederick Riddle and Tess Riddle books. I value your reviews.

If you would like to review our books contact me at marketing@tr-indbkstore.com with the subject line indicating that desire. An example of an appropriate subject line would be: ‘Seek to review [book Title].’ In the email make sure to indicate your email address, your name, and the choice of copy (PDF or Epub).

 – – – – – – –

R Frederick Riddle is the Editor of TR Writing Services providing help to struggling and/or new authors to write and publish their books. In addition, he is best known for Christian Historical and Speculative Fiction. He is also co-founder and Vice President of T&R Independent Books where his books are featured. 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 Book Cover and more

Welcome to Ron’s Tip of the Day. Today I am looking at Book Cover and more.

Ideas for this Article come from Penny Sansevieri, Author Marketing Experts

Book Cover

Different publishers have different criteria for your book covers. We use the criteria that KDP requires. When we are working with an author, we point out that when using the Kindle Direct Publishing platform, you have access to templates that come with pictures or you can provide your own. If you are using the proper dimensions, the picture will fit within their templates forming a great cover.

Some people prefer to hire outside help and use their own pictures. Please remember to get someone who is certified to create KDP approved covers. Failure to do that will delay your book’s progress.

About the Book or Information Sheet

In your Media Kit you can have information that would also be included on your website. Here you include a sheet that tells a reviewer the Title, Subtitle (if any), Author, Publisher, Release Date, Category, ISBN, Format/editions, and Price. Follow with: Please mail a copy of the review (‘interview’ or ‘Tear sheet’) to your name or your publicist.

Book Plate Labels

These are attached in separate documents. The labels should be on Avery 8164 or equivalent.

Tip of the Day : Know the publishers criteria for covers; don’t forget About the Book and Labels.

For information on TR Writing Services (“we edit, proof, and publish the book within you”)  contact us at marketing@tr-indbkstore.com. Our Free booklet tells you about our services. And we are upfront on our prices (all are low).

VISIT MY AUTHOR’S PAGE TODAY: amazon.com/author/rfrederickriddle.

ARE YOU A BOOK REVIEWER? I am always looking for book reviews for R. Frederick Riddle and Tess Riddle books. I value your reviews.

If you would like to review our books contact me at marketing@tr-indbkstore.com with the subject line indicating that desire. An example of an appropriate subject line would be: ‘Seek to review [book Title].’ In the email make sure to indicate your email address, your name, and the choice of copy (PDF or Epub).

 – – – – – – –

R Frederick Riddle is the Editor of TR Writing Services providing help to struggling and/or new authors to write and publish their books. In addition, he is best known for Christian Historical and Speculative Fiction. He is also co-founder and Vice President of T&R Independent Books where his books are featured. 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 Author Bio

Welcome to Ron’s Tip of the Day. Today I am looking at Author Bio.

Ideas for this Article come from Penny Sansevieri, Author Marketing Experts

The Author Bio needs to be brief and relevant to the book.

Here are some ideas:

At the top print out your author name (larger font than text; might italicize). This tells them right off who you are. To the right of the name list your degrees. This is not necessarily BS or MS, but pertinent.

Penny used the following degrees: Instructor ● Author ● Media Relations Specialist. Noticed she used a ● symbol

Mine would also be Novelist ● Author ● Entrepreneur.

Hers tells you that she is an instructor plus an author and finally she is a professional. Mine would tell you that I’m a novelist (I write fiction) plus an author and finally that I have a business, possibly a professional business.

Her headshot is to the right of all the above. And below the above she has a thick line that separates that information from the text below.

The Body of her Bio consists of 7 paragraphs that contain information about herself that is relevant to her career. It tells of her life, training, and related actions. The last paragraph tells where you can learn more about her and what she offers.

Tip of the Day : Follow this blog and learn about your Media Kit.

For information on TR Writing Services (“we edit, proof, and publish the book within you”)  contact us at marketing@tr-indbkstore.com. Our Free booklet tells you about our services. And we are upfront on our prices (all are low).

VISIT MY AUTHOR’S PAGE TODAY: amazon.com/author/rfrederickriddle.

ARE YOU A BOOK REVIEWER? I am always looking for book reviews for R. Frederick Riddle and Tess Riddle books. I value your reviews.

If you would like to review our books contact me at marketing@tr-indbkstore.com with the subject line indicating that desire. An example of an appropriate subject line would be: ‘Seek to review [book Title].’ In the email make sure to indicate your email address, your name, and the choice of copy (PDF or Epub).

 – – – – – – –

R Frederick Riddle is the Editor of TR Writing Services providing help to struggling and/or new authors to write and publish their books. In addition, he is best known for Christian Historical and Speculative Fiction. He is also co-founder and Vice President of T&R Independent Books where his books are featured. 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 Press Release

Welcome to Ron’s Tip of the Day. Today I am looking at Press Release.

Ideas for this Article come from Penny Sansevieri, Author Marketing Experts

The Press Release is an important item and, fortunately, there is a standard format for these. Before looking at them let me remind you that there are on the internet press release sites. These are structured to allow you to focus on the information rather than the structure itself. And some are free.

HEADER: Contains ‘FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT:’ followed below by Contact Person, Company name (optional), Telephone #, Fax #, Email address, and website (url). [These are all separate lines.]

COVER PHOTO:

A good picture of your book cover goes to top right across from Headline.

HEADLINE:

This should attract the reader’s attention.

SUBTITLE:

The subtitle reinforces the headline but should not repeat the headline.

BODY:

The body begins with the opening paragraph that includes city, state, and date. This paragraph includes the who, what, when, and why of your book. Be brief.

CLOSING PARAGRAPH:

Here are the details for your book [Title, publisher, author, ISBN, Publication date, Pages, Format (Hard cover, Soft Cover, or Ebook)

END:

### or –30–  (centered)

Tip of the Day : Craft a well-structured press relief. Consider using professional press release websites.

For information on TR Writing Services (“we edit, proof, and publish the book within you”)  contact us at marketing@tr-indbkstore.com. Our Free booklet tells you about our services. And we are upfront on our prices (all are low).

VISIT MY AUTHOR’S PAGE TODAY: amazon.com/author/rfrederickriddle.

ARE YOU A BOOK REVIEWER? I am always looking for book reviews for R. Frederick Riddle and Tess Riddle books. I value your reviews.

If you would like to review our books contact me at marketing@tr-indbkstore.com with the subject line indicating that desire. An example of an appropriate subject line would be: ‘Seek to review [book Title].’ In the email make sure to indicate your email address, your name, and the choice of copy (PDF or Epub).

 – – – – – – –

R Frederick Riddle is the Editor of TR Writing Services providing help to struggling and/or new authors to write and publish their books. In addition, he is best known for Christian Historical and Speculative Fiction. He is also co-founder and Vice President of T&R Independent Books where his books are featured. 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 Media Kit

Welcome to Ron’s Tip of the Day. Throughout the week I will share a tip with you. This is an experiment in microblogging. Let me know how I’m doing. Today I am looking at Media Kit.

Ideas for this Article come from Penny Sansevieri, Author Marketing Experts

During the next few days, I will be writing about:

Press ReleaseAuthor BioHead shotBook CoverFact SheetNews ReleaseReleaseAbout the BookLabelsCollateral material

Penny Sansevieri’s Author Marketing Experts is an organization dedicated to helping authors (new or old) to achieve their marketing goals. She’s written a number of self-help books that are easily read and helpful.

These tips come from her Media Kit in a Box which is loaded with useful information. I recommend you seek her out at authormarketingexperts.com.

So, watch this blog for some useful hints about creating your own Media Kit. And don’t dismiss the topic. If you plan on having tv/radio interviews or plan on placing your book in a bookstore, then a Media Kit is a must.

Tip of the Day : Follow this blog and learn about your Media Kit.

For information on TR Writing Services (“we edit, proof, and publish the book within you”)  contact us at marketing@tr-indbkstore.com. Our Free booklet tells you about our services. And we are upfront on our prices (all are low).

VISIT MY AUTHOR’S PAGE TODAY: amazon.com/author/rfrederickriddle.

ARE YOU A BOOK REVIEWER? I am always looking for book reviews for R. Frederick Riddle and Tess Riddle books. I value your reviews.

If you would like to review our books contact me at marketing@tr-indbkstore.com with the subject line indicating that desire. An example of an appropriate subject line would be: ‘Seek to review [book Title].’ In the email make sure to indicate your email address, your name, and the choice of copy (PDF or Epub).

 – – – – – – –

R Frederick Riddle is the Editor of TR Writing Services providing help to struggling and/or new authors to write and publish their books. In addition, he is best known for Christian Historical and Speculative Fiction. He is also co-founder and Vice President of T&R Independent Books where his books are featured. 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 Planning Ahead

Welcome to Ron’s Tip of the Day. Throughout the week I will share a tip with you. This is an experiment in microblogging. Let me know how I’m doing. Today I am looking at Planning Ahead.

Are You Planning for When the Country Reopens?

Soon libraries, bookstores, and other outlets for books will start reopening. If we are wise, we are getting ready for that reopening now.

Here is what we are doing:

Continuing to writeCreating and/or reviewing our media kitLooking for ways to better market our books locally

Continuing to Write

Both Tess and I have used this time to continue working on our books. Unable to do much marketing we’ve focused on what we can do, write. After all writing is our passion, our choice of work. It deserves our attention!

Creating and/or reviewing our media kit

The government is moving toward reopening the country. We can’t do much about that, but we can prepare. One important tool for local marketing is a media kit. Is it up to date? Should I add more information? Is it ready for prime time?

These are questions demanding answers and this is the time to provide them.

Looking for ways to better market locally

Local marketing has many venues to consider. For example, libraries. I am currently reworking some old novels and will need to get them into libraries as soon as possible. But what about the most recent ones? They need to be put in place as well.

Don’t forget bookstores and other book outlets. Plan ahead for these.

Tip of the Day : Plan for the reopening now and be ready to act.

For information on TR Writing Services (“we edit, proof, and publish the book within you”)  contact us at marketing@tr-indbkstore.com. Our Free booklet tells you about our services. And we are upfront on our prices (all are low).

VISIT MY AUTHOR’S PAGE TODAY: amazon.com/author/rfrederickriddle.

ARE YOU A BOOK REVIEWER? I am always looking for book reviews for R. Frederick Riddle and Tess Riddle books. I value your reviews.

If you would like to review our books contact me at marketing@tr-indbkstore.com with the subject line indicating that desire. An example of an appropriate subject line would be: ‘Seek to review [book Title].’ In the email make sure to indicate your email address, your name, and the choice of copy (PDF or Epub).

 – – – – – – –

R Frederick Riddle is the Editor of TR Writing Services providing help to struggling and/or new authors to write and publish their books. In addition, he is best known for Christian Historical and Speculative Fiction. He is also co-founder and Vice President of T&R Independent Books where his books are featured. 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.