K.C. Sprayberry's Blog, page 172
September 8, 2014
Edit, Revise—Is This Book Ready Yet?
This is it. The moment you’ve awaited since the day you opened a fresh document on your computer and pounded out the title on your keyboard. Finally, you have finished your book. Next step: find a publisher and let them whip it into shape.
Wrong.
Your next step is to ignore your book for a week, a month, six months even. Move onto something else. Start that sequel you swore that you’d write, but don’t submit your masterpiece just yet.
“Say what?” you ask.
“Ignore the book for a while,” I say.
“Why?” is your response, of course.
“Get comfortable, grasshopper, and I shall explain.”
There are several next steps you can take. You can call on all of your beta readers to look over your book. They’ll be searching for plot holes, misspelled words, and over-acting. Oh yes, there can be over-acting in books.
Or you can join a critique group and spend the next year of two trading chapters with other members, and fuming over some of their criticisms. Another thing to remember, some critique groups trade off chapters weekly, or every other week, or once a month. Like a review, you aren’t guaranteed the other person will even like your writing style. In the fifteen years I’ve been part of critique groups, I’ve seen everything from gushing “It’s perfect as it is” to “you should quit writing today and find a real job. You can’t plot, your characters are one dimensional, and the dialogue is flat.” There have even been people who comment on narrative with “boring,” “nap time,” or “yawn.”
The purpose of a critique group is to give a professional assessment of another person’s work. Even the worst book has some redeeming qualities, which it is up to you to find. Even if you have to say “the formatting is perfect.” don’t trash another person’s work. It always comes back to haunt you—in the form of someone doing the same to you.
Your book has finally finished with the beta readers or critique group. You rub your hands together and prepare to shoot your masterpiece off to a publisher. They’ll be amazed by your work.
STOP!
Don’t send that book out just yet. The hard work has just begun. Sure, you diligently put all those suggestions from the beta readers or critique group to good use. You shouldn’t have to look things over again. Others have already done that for you.
Nope. It’s time to roll up your sleeves and begin the process that I call “Hair pulling out time.” Even working 10-15 hours a day, this should take at least a month, but six months is better.
“What?” you bellow. “My book is finished. You’re trying to sabotage my chances of becoming an International Best Seller and topping the Amazon rankings!”
“Whoa, there. Listen for a minute.”
You’ve only made a few changes, rewritten several sections. Now it’s time to go over your book word by word, paragraph by paragraph. Look for missing punctuation. Search out misspelled words. Ensure there aren’t any plot holes. Are your characters believable, three-dimensional? Have you finished the book in such a way that the reader will be happy? More importantly, is your book something you’ll be proud to show someone else?Now you’re ready to send your book to a publisher, unless you fall prey to that writer’s disease—One more edit. I think I missed something.
That’s a topic for another day.
Wrong.
Your next step is to ignore your book for a week, a month, six months even. Move onto something else. Start that sequel you swore that you’d write, but don’t submit your masterpiece just yet.
“Say what?” you ask.
“Ignore the book for a while,” I say.
“Why?” is your response, of course.
“Get comfortable, grasshopper, and I shall explain.”
There are several next steps you can take. You can call on all of your beta readers to look over your book. They’ll be searching for plot holes, misspelled words, and over-acting. Oh yes, there can be over-acting in books.
Or you can join a critique group and spend the next year of two trading chapters with other members, and fuming over some of their criticisms. Another thing to remember, some critique groups trade off chapters weekly, or every other week, or once a month. Like a review, you aren’t guaranteed the other person will even like your writing style. In the fifteen years I’ve been part of critique groups, I’ve seen everything from gushing “It’s perfect as it is” to “you should quit writing today and find a real job. You can’t plot, your characters are one dimensional, and the dialogue is flat.” There have even been people who comment on narrative with “boring,” “nap time,” or “yawn.”
The purpose of a critique group is to give a professional assessment of another person’s work. Even the worst book has some redeeming qualities, which it is up to you to find. Even if you have to say “the formatting is perfect.” don’t trash another person’s work. It always comes back to haunt you—in the form of someone doing the same to you.
Your book has finally finished with the beta readers or critique group. You rub your hands together and prepare to shoot your masterpiece off to a publisher. They’ll be amazed by your work.
STOP!
Don’t send that book out just yet. The hard work has just begun. Sure, you diligently put all those suggestions from the beta readers or critique group to good use. You shouldn’t have to look things over again. Others have already done that for you.
Nope. It’s time to roll up your sleeves and begin the process that I call “Hair pulling out time.” Even working 10-15 hours a day, this should take at least a month, but six months is better.
“What?” you bellow. “My book is finished. You’re trying to sabotage my chances of becoming an International Best Seller and topping the Amazon rankings!”
“Whoa, there. Listen for a minute.”
You’ve only made a few changes, rewritten several sections. Now it’s time to go over your book word by word, paragraph by paragraph. Look for missing punctuation. Search out misspelled words. Ensure there aren’t any plot holes. Are your characters believable, three-dimensional? Have you finished the book in such a way that the reader will be happy? More importantly, is your book something you’ll be proud to show someone else?Now you’re ready to send your book to a publisher, unless you fall prey to that writer’s disease—One more edit. I think I missed something.
That’s a topic for another day.
September 1, 2014
Capitalization: When To Use It
Ah, those pesky capital letters. Just when do you use them? The answer seems so simple, until you’re deep in the throes of an argument with yourself about this very thing. e.e. cummings solved his problem when deciding to use capital letters. He simply ignored them. His reasons weren’t because he found it bothersome to figure out if he was using a capital correctly, but rather a political protest. Mr. Cummings believed in equality and the rights of all people. He wanted to show we were all equal not just as people, bu also in our names. Sorry, Mr. Cummings, I prefer capital letters, and as an author now, so should you.
The most important time to use a capital letter is the use of the letter I to refer to yourself in the first person. Abbreviations and acronyms are also capitalized, with or without periods between each letter. The use of periods in acronyms seems to be a personal preference rather than a hard and fast rule.
Of course we all know that you use a capital letter for days of the week, months of the year, and holidays. Countries, languages & nationalities, and religions are also capitalized. A person’s name and title must always start with a capital letter. Those are no brainers along with trademarked items, the names of companies, and other organizations. Equally so, we will capitalize for places and monuments, the names of vehicles (ships, trains, and spacecraft).
The title of a book, poem, a song, a play, or a movie are also capitalized. As an author, you wouldn’t leave off capital letters in your title… unless you wanted to show a certain emotion about your main character.
There are other instances where you would use capital letters, but these are the most important. Any other word is left without a capital letter, unless it starts a sentence. It’s that simple. You aren’t showing the reader how important a verb is by capitalizing it. No one will be impressed if you capitalize an article or preposition. They’ll just wonder if you should go back to basic grammar in grade school and ignore any new books you right, hoping one day you’ll learn these important rules.
The most important time to use a capital letter is the use of the letter I to refer to yourself in the first person. Abbreviations and acronyms are also capitalized, with or without periods between each letter. The use of periods in acronyms seems to be a personal preference rather than a hard and fast rule.
Of course we all know that you use a capital letter for days of the week, months of the year, and holidays. Countries, languages & nationalities, and religions are also capitalized. A person’s name and title must always start with a capital letter. Those are no brainers along with trademarked items, the names of companies, and other organizations. Equally so, we will capitalize for places and monuments, the names of vehicles (ships, trains, and spacecraft).
The title of a book, poem, a song, a play, or a movie are also capitalized. As an author, you wouldn’t leave off capital letters in your title… unless you wanted to show a certain emotion about your main character.
There are other instances where you would use capital letters, but these are the most important. Any other word is left without a capital letter, unless it starts a sentence. It’s that simple. You aren’t showing the reader how important a verb is by capitalizing it. No one will be impressed if you capitalize an article or preposition. They’ll just wonder if you should go back to basic grammar in grade school and ignore any new books you right, hoping one day you’ll learn these important rules.
August 25, 2014
It Doesn’t Hurt—Much
You’re looking over your book. There’s a minor error in the middle, a missing comma or period, a word that shouldn’t be there. No wonder your sales are awful. People see this and think you’re a moron. So, you open an email and zip off a scathing commentary to your editor in chief, demanding that they immediately pull you book from all sales venues and FIX this problem. NOW. And if they don’t comply with your demand, you will stop promoting your book until they do what you want.
Your statement arrives and the royalties are nowhere close to what you expect. Your book is doing amazingly well—Look at the rankings on Amazon. You’re in the 50,000 range, or even better. What’s going on? Why, that publisher must be lying about what you should be getting. Time to get on Twitter, Facebook, or any one of the thousands discussion boards populating the internet, so you can vent about what a lousy publisher you have.
Whoa there, pardner. Hold on just a minute. Take a breath and step back before your fingers go to work. There is another solution.
First, demanding emails to an editor in chief already struggling with juggling sometimes hundreds of authors will only be put off until they can compose a polite, reasonable response. Most times, you will be told they won’t pull your book from all sales venues nor will they fix errors until the next edition comes out, if one comes out. Keep up with the demands, stop promoting, and you’ll probably find yourself shut out of a new contract, or even released from your current contract to swim through the waters of self-publishing without the comfort of someone else to deal with cover artists, editors, and proofreaders.
Next, ranting about not getting the royalties you think you should be on discussion boards will not solve the problem. In fact, resorting to that will probably end your relationship with your publisher very fast. No publisher wants to find themselves the center of a “my publisher is cheating me” discussion. That’s when the trolls emerge from their caves and start throwing their clubs around, bringing up every single thing nasty ever rumored about this publisher. And if your rant on those boards turns out to be a misunderstanding of the difference between net and gross sales, you will definitely feel very bad later, but it will be too late to stop the flaming.
So, it will hurt if you let loose on social media about something that’s easily solvable, if you let go of the temper and hang onto reason. Not only will your publisher back away from you, so will just about every other publisher who perchance views this, and they will if you submit to them. Most responsible publishers these days check for your internet activity, and those little flame wars always seem to top the list.
Your statement arrives and the royalties are nowhere close to what you expect. Your book is doing amazingly well—Look at the rankings on Amazon. You’re in the 50,000 range, or even better. What’s going on? Why, that publisher must be lying about what you should be getting. Time to get on Twitter, Facebook, or any one of the thousands discussion boards populating the internet, so you can vent about what a lousy publisher you have.
Whoa there, pardner. Hold on just a minute. Take a breath and step back before your fingers go to work. There is another solution.
First, demanding emails to an editor in chief already struggling with juggling sometimes hundreds of authors will only be put off until they can compose a polite, reasonable response. Most times, you will be told they won’t pull your book from all sales venues nor will they fix errors until the next edition comes out, if one comes out. Keep up with the demands, stop promoting, and you’ll probably find yourself shut out of a new contract, or even released from your current contract to swim through the waters of self-publishing without the comfort of someone else to deal with cover artists, editors, and proofreaders.
Next, ranting about not getting the royalties you think you should be on discussion boards will not solve the problem. In fact, resorting to that will probably end your relationship with your publisher very fast. No publisher wants to find themselves the center of a “my publisher is cheating me” discussion. That’s when the trolls emerge from their caves and start throwing their clubs around, bringing up every single thing nasty ever rumored about this publisher. And if your rant on those boards turns out to be a misunderstanding of the difference between net and gross sales, you will definitely feel very bad later, but it will be too late to stop the flaming.
So, it will hurt if you let loose on social media about something that’s easily solvable, if you let go of the temper and hang onto reason. Not only will your publisher back away from you, so will just about every other publisher who perchance views this, and they will if you submit to them. Most responsible publishers these days check for your internet activity, and those little flame wars always seem to top the list.
August 18, 2014
Homophone Challenged
Homophones trip up the unsuspecting and make them appear to be less than educated. Over a year ago, I did a blog post on this subject, and I’m resurrecting it for another airing—because the problem is worse now than it was then.You post a status on Facebook. Or drop a tweet into Twitter, and you're immediate reaction is "Did I really do that?" Just what do you think is right in the sentence you just wrote, or perhaps wrong?
Maybe you blew it with one of the many homophones in our language. You know homophones—those words that sound exactly alike, but have meanings nowhere near each other. And now you're at risk of the Grammar Police nagging you until you do an edit, but what word do you use? How fast can you get this corrected? After all, no one wants a grammar cop on their case. Oh, you've seen people make fun of them, but those folks don't have one stalking them right this very minute.
How do you avoid these mistakes? There are some very simple rules to follow, and we'll go over some of the most mixed up words known to man today.
You're/Your:
You're is the contraction of you are, as in:You're a great friend.Your is the possessive of an adjective or an indication of a group or person, as in: Let's go to your house.
Than/Then:
Than is a conjunction, a word that joins other words, like and, as in: I'd rather go here than there.Then has many meanings, but it's popularly used as next or afterward, as in: Then we'll pick up Jack.
Accept/Except:
Accept means to receive, admit, or regard as true, as in: Accept was Susie's first thought when she ripped open the thick envelope from Stanford.Except means to exclude, as in: The whole class exceptBill, Jane, Joe, and Teresa will go on the field trip next Tuesday.
To/Too/Two:
To is used as a preposition before a noun or as an infinitive before a verb, as in: He went to work, even though his friends took off for the beach.Too is a synonym for also, as in: I'd like one, too.Two is a number, as in: Jane picked up twooranges.
Their/There/They're:
Their—third person plural, possessive adjective for things belonging to them, as in: Their horses cantered across the field.There—a verb meaning opposite of here or a pronoun to introduce the noun or clause, or an adjective that emphasizes which person, as in: There is a problem with your car.They’re—the contraction of they are, as in: They'releaving now.
Passed/Past:
Passed—the past tense of pass, as in: He passedthe accident, after gazing at the destroyed vehicles.Past is related to time, as in: Long ago and far away, in a time long past, humans had no idea machines would rule their world.
Bare/Bear:
Bear—to carry, endure or tolerate, or maintain direction, or several other things, including a rather mean animal, as in: She lost the dignity she bears once the grizzly bear made its presence known.Bare—naked, or exposed, as in: Your low pants barefar more of your anatomy than I want to know about.
Its/It's:
Its—possessive of it, as in: The door bang shut. Itsslam echoed through the house.It’s—a contraction of it is, as in: It's a dog, but there is a cat running fast in the other direction.
Do/Due/Dew/Doo:
DO—a verb meaning to carry out, as in: I have so much to do.Due—payment or a date something must be turned in, as in: The term report is due tomorrow.Dew—moisture or condensation, as in: There was heavy dewthis morning.Doo—slang for a hairstyle, as in: My new doois so great.
Till/'til:
Opinion is mixed on this word, however if you write about historical fiction or even historical non-fiction, you might want to remember this difference.Till—a cash drawer, as in: He opened the till.‘til—the contraction of until, as in: Wait 'tilwe get there.
Pique/Peak/Peek:
Pique—a verb meaning to arouse or stimulate, as in: The invitation piqued his interest.Peak—a verb meaning to reach a high point, or a noun meaning high point, as in: They climbed for hours before reaching the mountains peak.Peek—a noun meaning a quick look or a verb meaning to take a quick look, as in: Her quick peek caused the soufflé to fall.
These aren't all of the mixed up words, or homophones as they're properly called, but they are the most abused. SO, the next time think before you put down there for they’re or their. Don’t use peak when you mean peek or pique. Definitely stay away from passed when you mean past.
Maybe you blew it with one of the many homophones in our language. You know homophones—those words that sound exactly alike, but have meanings nowhere near each other. And now you're at risk of the Grammar Police nagging you until you do an edit, but what word do you use? How fast can you get this corrected? After all, no one wants a grammar cop on their case. Oh, you've seen people make fun of them, but those folks don't have one stalking them right this very minute.
How do you avoid these mistakes? There are some very simple rules to follow, and we'll go over some of the most mixed up words known to man today.
You're/Your:
You're is the contraction of you are, as in:You're a great friend.Your is the possessive of an adjective or an indication of a group or person, as in: Let's go to your house.
Than/Then:
Than is a conjunction, a word that joins other words, like and, as in: I'd rather go here than there.Then has many meanings, but it's popularly used as next or afterward, as in: Then we'll pick up Jack.
Accept/Except:
Accept means to receive, admit, or regard as true, as in: Accept was Susie's first thought when she ripped open the thick envelope from Stanford.Except means to exclude, as in: The whole class exceptBill, Jane, Joe, and Teresa will go on the field trip next Tuesday.
To/Too/Two:
To is used as a preposition before a noun or as an infinitive before a verb, as in: He went to work, even though his friends took off for the beach.Too is a synonym for also, as in: I'd like one, too.Two is a number, as in: Jane picked up twooranges.
Their/There/They're:
Their—third person plural, possessive adjective for things belonging to them, as in: Their horses cantered across the field.There—a verb meaning opposite of here or a pronoun to introduce the noun or clause, or an adjective that emphasizes which person, as in: There is a problem with your car.They’re—the contraction of they are, as in: They'releaving now.
Passed/Past:
Passed—the past tense of pass, as in: He passedthe accident, after gazing at the destroyed vehicles.Past is related to time, as in: Long ago and far away, in a time long past, humans had no idea machines would rule their world.
Bare/Bear:
Bear—to carry, endure or tolerate, or maintain direction, or several other things, including a rather mean animal, as in: She lost the dignity she bears once the grizzly bear made its presence known.Bare—naked, or exposed, as in: Your low pants barefar more of your anatomy than I want to know about.
Its/It's:
Its—possessive of it, as in: The door bang shut. Itsslam echoed through the house.It’s—a contraction of it is, as in: It's a dog, but there is a cat running fast in the other direction.
Do/Due/Dew/Doo:
DO—a verb meaning to carry out, as in: I have so much to do.Due—payment or a date something must be turned in, as in: The term report is due tomorrow.Dew—moisture or condensation, as in: There was heavy dewthis morning.Doo—slang for a hairstyle, as in: My new doois so great.
Till/'til:
Opinion is mixed on this word, however if you write about historical fiction or even historical non-fiction, you might want to remember this difference.Till—a cash drawer, as in: He opened the till.‘til—the contraction of until, as in: Wait 'tilwe get there.
Pique/Peak/Peek:
Pique—a verb meaning to arouse or stimulate, as in: The invitation piqued his interest.Peak—a verb meaning to reach a high point, or a noun meaning high point, as in: They climbed for hours before reaching the mountains peak.Peek—a noun meaning a quick look or a verb meaning to take a quick look, as in: Her quick peek caused the soufflé to fall.
These aren't all of the mixed up words, or homophones as they're properly called, but they are the most abused. SO, the next time think before you put down there for they’re or their. Don’t use peak when you mean peek or pique. Definitely stay away from passed when you mean past.
August 15, 2014
Book Release: Canoples Investigations Tackles Space Pirates
Excerpt: Five flitters arrow around the massive tetra-flex porthole giving everyone a view of Jupiter and her moons. These are ships capable of seating two to four people for station-to-planet hops. The largest thing in sight, Io, is in synchronous orbit between the station and Jupiter.
Blurb: The biggest worry on BD Bradford's mind is scoring enough creds to snatch a copy of the latest vid-game. He's set on getting his girl to stop glaring at him, until Space Pirates make their presence known. Thrown into a day without end, BD and his team can't do anything right, until faced with an impossible situation.
Book Trailer:
Embed Code:
Link: http://youtu.be/i-bO1nraJ30
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Bio:
Born and raised in Southern California’s Los Angeles basin, K.C. Sprayberry spent years traveling the United States and Europe while in the Air Force before settling in Northwest Georgia. A new empty nester with her husband of more than twenty years, she spends her days figuring out new ways to torment her characters and coming up with new tales from the South and beyond. She’s a multi-genre author who comes up with ideas from the strangest sources. Some of her short stories have appeared in anthologies, others in magazines. Three of her books (Softly Say Goodbye, Who Am I?, and Mama’s Advice) are Amazon best sellers. Her other books are: Take Chances, Where U @, The Wrong One, Pony Dreams, Evil Eyes, Inits, and Starlight. Additionally, she has shorts available on Amazon: Grace, Secret From the Flames, Family Curse … Times Two, and The Ghost Catcher. Author Links:
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/KC-Sprayberry/331150236901202Twitter: https://twitter.com/kcsowriter Blog: http://outofcontrolcharacters.blogspot.com/Website: www.kcsprayberry.com Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5011219.K_C_SprayberryAmazon: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005DI1YOUGoogle +: https://plus.google.com/u/0/+KcSprayberry/postsPinterest: http://pinterest.com/kcsprayberry/boards/Authorgraph: http://www.authorgraph.com/authors/kcsowriter Book Links: Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Canoples-Investigation-Tackles-Space-Pirates-ebook/dp/B00MOIOJM6/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1407941425&sr=1-1&keywords=canoples+investigations+tackles+space+piratesBarnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/canoples-investigation-tackles-space-pirates-kc-sprayberry/1120132536?ean=2940150335349Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/458915
CreateSpace: https://www.createspace.com/4910024
August 11, 2014
The Technophobe in a Modern World
Authors all around the world, and perhaps one day the universe, now face an unsurmountable problem. We must learn new social media, and its implications on promoting our work.
In a nutshell, we must learn the many platforms as fast as possible while still promoting our work on the established platforms, and pounding out our latest book. Where once we could sit complacently behind a typewriter pounding out our next great American novel, we must now remain in the public eye. The days of the publisher having a department of minions scuttling around setting up book signings, appearances, three martini lunches, and acquiring us invites to “The Party of the Year,” we must now make those arrangements ourselves.We now live in a world where we must appear to be outgoing, available, and completely in control all day long, every single day. Therefore, those of us who brag we don’t have the latest smart phone, or even a cell phone are only creating the impression we have no respect for our fans. For those who say they don’t even understand email, we are saying to those who purchase our work that we don’t care to communicate with them.
One of the greatest sins in this twenty-first century publishing world is none other than being a technophobe. The dictionary defines technophobe as one who fears, dislikes, or avoids new technology. These people put on an outer persona of being above such things. They have yet to program a GPS and are angry there are no longer maps at service stations. Most don’t even realize that full service gas stations have almost gone the way of the dinosaur—they are nearing extinction far faster than those creatures departed this earthly plane.
The lack of a smart phone, even a cell phone, is a bragging of for most of the technophobes that I’ve run into. They announce this lack of knowledge with a certain pride and expect all to whom they are conveying their opinion to praise them for being so in control of their lives. Yet, they never realize how much of a tool a smart phone is to the successful author for staying in touch with those they must connect with to market their books. Imagine attempting to find a pay phone in today’s world. According to Cha-Cha, the instant answering system popular with high school students, there are currently 700,000 pay phones in the United States, down from 2,000,000 in 2000. None of those current pay phones are serviced or owned by the giants of phone companies, Verizon and AT&T, but are now taken care of by independents, and the cost is far from the nickel a lot of older people used to drop into the slot to make a call. The ones I’ve seen in the last 10 years usually have a slot to insert your credit or debit card!
Ignoring Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, or any of the other myriad of social media sites dedicated to assisting authors with marketing their books is a foolish maneuver on anyone’s part. You can literally reach millions of people with just a few keystrokes. Learning these social media sites usually takes only a few hours of trial and error, and asking questions of those who have successfully swum through those waters. There is an expression in the twenty-first publishing world—Publish or Die! However, that doesn’t take into account the real job facing those who are achieving their dreams of publication—Promote on Social Media or Die!
In other words, stop being afraid of technology and start using it. That technology you’ve eschewed, or spent money to have someone else take care of for you, isn’t all that unfriendly at all, and you might like using it, once you get to know it.
In a nutshell, we must learn the many platforms as fast as possible while still promoting our work on the established platforms, and pounding out our latest book. Where once we could sit complacently behind a typewriter pounding out our next great American novel, we must now remain in the public eye. The days of the publisher having a department of minions scuttling around setting up book signings, appearances, three martini lunches, and acquiring us invites to “The Party of the Year,” we must now make those arrangements ourselves.We now live in a world where we must appear to be outgoing, available, and completely in control all day long, every single day. Therefore, those of us who brag we don’t have the latest smart phone, or even a cell phone are only creating the impression we have no respect for our fans. For those who say they don’t even understand email, we are saying to those who purchase our work that we don’t care to communicate with them.
One of the greatest sins in this twenty-first century publishing world is none other than being a technophobe. The dictionary defines technophobe as one who fears, dislikes, or avoids new technology. These people put on an outer persona of being above such things. They have yet to program a GPS and are angry there are no longer maps at service stations. Most don’t even realize that full service gas stations have almost gone the way of the dinosaur—they are nearing extinction far faster than those creatures departed this earthly plane.
The lack of a smart phone, even a cell phone, is a bragging of for most of the technophobes that I’ve run into. They announce this lack of knowledge with a certain pride and expect all to whom they are conveying their opinion to praise them for being so in control of their lives. Yet, they never realize how much of a tool a smart phone is to the successful author for staying in touch with those they must connect with to market their books. Imagine attempting to find a pay phone in today’s world. According to Cha-Cha, the instant answering system popular with high school students, there are currently 700,000 pay phones in the United States, down from 2,000,000 in 2000. None of those current pay phones are serviced or owned by the giants of phone companies, Verizon and AT&T, but are now taken care of by independents, and the cost is far from the nickel a lot of older people used to drop into the slot to make a call. The ones I’ve seen in the last 10 years usually have a slot to insert your credit or debit card!
Ignoring Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, or any of the other myriad of social media sites dedicated to assisting authors with marketing their books is a foolish maneuver on anyone’s part. You can literally reach millions of people with just a few keystrokes. Learning these social media sites usually takes only a few hours of trial and error, and asking questions of those who have successfully swum through those waters. There is an expression in the twenty-first publishing world—Publish or Die! However, that doesn’t take into account the real job facing those who are achieving their dreams of publication—Promote on Social Media or Die!
In other words, stop being afraid of technology and start using it. That technology you’ve eschewed, or spent money to have someone else take care of for you, isn’t all that unfriendly at all, and you might like using it, once you get to know it.
August 6, 2014
Interview with Summer Solstice author Elle Marlow!
Hey, everyone, welcome to today’s interview with Amazon bestselling author Elle Marlow. Her book, Josey’s Mountain, has sold over 2500 copies since its release in early July. We just have to know how she accomplished this amazing feat.Elle, darling, talk to us. Tell us what your secret is, or give our readers a hint into how you manage to do so well.
Summer Solstice: Your Amazon bio is beautifully simple, yet it also speaks to the reader as your best friend. Tell us how you came up with the formula for this.
Elle: My answer may not make some people happy, but if I am going to be perfectly honest as so that I can somehow help another author, that’s what I’m going to do, come what may. I believe my bio was inspired by the way that Sarah Palin also speaks and writes. It doesn’t matter if you agree with her politically, most will admit she has a way of coming across as a friendly neighbor. Most of us, when we sit around the kitchen table discussing matters at hand, do not use flowery descriptions or big words when speaking with family. So I made an effort to be sure that I could come across as real as possible while getting the information across. I am not high paying author, I am a housewife in Arizona with a family, pets, and lucky enough to be married to a great man. I have all I need and feel blessed. I want the readers to know me, to know my books. Will you find typo’s and grammar mistakes. Yep. Will you also get a great story? I hope so. Hmmm? I’m going to have to rethink how I write my bio. It’s definitely a way to bring the author closer to their reader.
Summer Solstice: Next, You’ve had a lot of success with your books during July. A lot of people are aching to know how you did that. You’ve indicated you use specific categories, but is there anything else special you did? Blog? Website? Did a happy dance in the middle of the street?Elle: My first love in romance writing is Native Romance. I wrote One Hundred Horses and published that book in January. It went straight to the top. For a variety of reasons; first, I believe the cover caught the eye. I made sure the blurb and the first chapter was as filled with action and drama from the get go. Think of it as an audition. You have a reader’s attention for maybe two or three minutes. Do you really want to fill that once chance with back story or do you want to grab them by the shirt and get in their face and yell; “Pay Attention!” LOL I try and write all my books where immediately the reader is put straight into the action. I think the formula works. And One Hundred Horses, The Shaman’s Song and Josey’s Mountain all sort of advertised for each other by the way that Amazon has designed their website and search authors works etc. Cover, blurb, and first chapter have to rock, and action. Exactly what all authors should do.
Summer Solstice: You must have a devoted fan base. Can you tell everyone how you developed that?
Elle: I don’t think I can as of yet, honestly claim that. I’m new. I’ve only been published since January. I think I am being discovered and I hope that a fan base is growing. That would be amazing. However, I do not think it’s in place yet. However, I am grateful and I try to make sure the reader knows my gratitude. With so many areas of entertainment out to grab a dollar, it is truly an honor that someone spent their hard earned money on one of my stories. They had many choices. Make sure as a writer, you know how much their trust in your work means to you.What a great idea. We need to be as loyal to our fans as they are to us.
Summer Solstice: Elle, we know you have a promotion coming up soon, after you sell just a few more copies of Josey’s Mountain. Can you tell us about that please?Elle: Yep, a FB event is being planned. I cordially invite all of Solstice authors to take part, hold their own give a ways within this event. It isn’t so much, “Hey let’s celebrate Josey’s success,” as much as let’s just celebrate our field. I have teamed up with Midnight Gypsy to make a Josey’s Fragrance as part of the event. I can’t wait to give these out. I’m still waiting on the supply, so I don’t have dates yet.So, devoted readers, if you’re looking for more about Elle and her books, pay attention to Facebook. That event promises to be one that you’ll love. Elle, it was fabulous having you here. Here are the places where you can find out more about Elle:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/elle.marlow.5Twitter: https://twitter.com/ElleMarlowWriteAmazon: http://www.amazon.com/Elle-Marlow/e/B00IDC61A0Blog: http://ellemarlow.blogspot.com/ Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7790712.Elle_Marlow
Summer Solstice: Your Amazon bio is beautifully simple, yet it also speaks to the reader as your best friend. Tell us how you came up with the formula for this.
Elle: My answer may not make some people happy, but if I am going to be perfectly honest as so that I can somehow help another author, that’s what I’m going to do, come what may. I believe my bio was inspired by the way that Sarah Palin also speaks and writes. It doesn’t matter if you agree with her politically, most will admit she has a way of coming across as a friendly neighbor. Most of us, when we sit around the kitchen table discussing matters at hand, do not use flowery descriptions or big words when speaking with family. So I made an effort to be sure that I could come across as real as possible while getting the information across. I am not high paying author, I am a housewife in Arizona with a family, pets, and lucky enough to be married to a great man. I have all I need and feel blessed. I want the readers to know me, to know my books. Will you find typo’s and grammar mistakes. Yep. Will you also get a great story? I hope so. Hmmm? I’m going to have to rethink how I write my bio. It’s definitely a way to bring the author closer to their reader.
Summer Solstice: Next, You’ve had a lot of success with your books during July. A lot of people are aching to know how you did that. You’ve indicated you use specific categories, but is there anything else special you did? Blog? Website? Did a happy dance in the middle of the street?Elle: My first love in romance writing is Native Romance. I wrote One Hundred Horses and published that book in January. It went straight to the top. For a variety of reasons; first, I believe the cover caught the eye. I made sure the blurb and the first chapter was as filled with action and drama from the get go. Think of it as an audition. You have a reader’s attention for maybe two or three minutes. Do you really want to fill that once chance with back story or do you want to grab them by the shirt and get in their face and yell; “Pay Attention!” LOL I try and write all my books where immediately the reader is put straight into the action. I think the formula works. And One Hundred Horses, The Shaman’s Song and Josey’s Mountain all sort of advertised for each other by the way that Amazon has designed their website and search authors works etc. Cover, blurb, and first chapter have to rock, and action. Exactly what all authors should do.
Summer Solstice: You must have a devoted fan base. Can you tell everyone how you developed that?
Elle: I don’t think I can as of yet, honestly claim that. I’m new. I’ve only been published since January. I think I am being discovered and I hope that a fan base is growing. That would be amazing. However, I do not think it’s in place yet. However, I am grateful and I try to make sure the reader knows my gratitude. With so many areas of entertainment out to grab a dollar, it is truly an honor that someone spent their hard earned money on one of my stories. They had many choices. Make sure as a writer, you know how much their trust in your work means to you.What a great idea. We need to be as loyal to our fans as they are to us.
Summer Solstice: Elle, we know you have a promotion coming up soon, after you sell just a few more copies of Josey’s Mountain. Can you tell us about that please?Elle: Yep, a FB event is being planned. I cordially invite all of Solstice authors to take part, hold their own give a ways within this event. It isn’t so much, “Hey let’s celebrate Josey’s success,” as much as let’s just celebrate our field. I have teamed up with Midnight Gypsy to make a Josey’s Fragrance as part of the event. I can’t wait to give these out. I’m still waiting on the supply, so I don’t have dates yet.So, devoted readers, if you’re looking for more about Elle and her books, pay attention to Facebook. That event promises to be one that you’ll love. Elle, it was fabulous having you here. Here are the places where you can find out more about Elle:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/elle.marlow.5Twitter: https://twitter.com/ElleMarlowWriteAmazon: http://www.amazon.com/Elle-Marlow/e/B00IDC61A0Blog: http://ellemarlow.blogspot.com/ Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7790712.Elle_Marlow
August 4, 2014
Monday Musings: Bad Mojo Part II
Did you digest everything in part one of this discussion? Here are my thoughts on what you can do to jinx your book from the beginning. Remember, this is from my experiences. Transitioning from writer to author is a stony path. We all have to work together to make our dreams happen!
You finally get through all of these irritating impediments to having your great book published and then – What is this? The Editor-in-Chief wants you to look over your book, to see if there is anything wrong with it. Are they kidding? Who do they think they are? It's their job to make sure all that is done.
No, this is your job. This is your book. Most reputable publishers won't do more edits on your book once it's published. This is your last chance to be sure everything is just perfect. Take your time. Don't let that missing period or misspelled word go. Fix them. Don't gripe about the editor or proofreader being lazy and not doing their job. Imagine these people doing their job.
Editors often have two projects they're working on at the same time. Once they finish with one, they're assigned another. Proofreaders are expected to get through what they're working on and grab another as quickly and error free as possible. They are human and might occasionally make a mistake. Give them a break.
Your book is finally published (taking far too long in your opinion) and there are no or slow sales. What is this publisher not doing right? Why aren't they spending every penny possible, or working day and night to promote your book?
Reality in the twenty-first century. Publishers might promote your book on its release. They might tweet or post on Facebook about your book a couple of times a week, but the big promotion push comes from you, the author. This is your book. It's your responsibility to stump for its popularity. Don't send innumerable emails to your Editor-in-Chief demanding the publisher work harder. Forget about insisting that they send you on a world tour, to appear on talk shows, in bookstores, and at major events where you are wined and dined by the rich and famous. That's not happening, unless you arrange those appearances yourself.
Reviews are hateful. Nobody likes your book at all. Some of those reviewers even have the nerve to say it's not their kind of book, they decided to check it out because people were raving about how great it is, but now your sales are flat. Your editor has to find some decent reviewers. Now!
Uh. How did you find those reviewers? Did you do a search for reviewers who review your genre? Are you constantly on the lookout for blog tours that will improve your chances of a better review? What are you doing? Oh yes, that's the key to promotion in the twenty-first century. Not only are you having to write another book, you have to spend a few hours every day promoting the book(s) you already have published. It's a fine line you'll have to learn, although you might ask authors already doing this how they accomplished the feat. Don't be surprised when they say "I use this, that, and the other thing, but that might not work for you. You have to keep trying new things until you find the right combination. Even that won't always work forever.
You want to get in with this fabulous, super exclusive bookstore. There is a place on their website explaining the process, but it's so complicated. Ah! Brainstorm! Your Editor-in-Chief or Publisher need to start earning all that money they're holding back from you every month. It is their job after all, to be certain you are a best seller.
Again, wrong. Fabulous, super exclusive bookstores are a gem if you can convince them to carry your work. Here's the problem, getting through the wall they seem to put up, and that doesn't include your Editor-in-Chief or the Publisher. This is another thing you have to do, and you have to be determined but polite about it. When what seems like the impossible happens, and your book is on their shelves, don't just sit back and crow. Get into the store and set up a signing. Make an appearance. Make nice with the fans—never insult a fan, they will get even.
This radio/television station interviews all kinds of people about their jobs all the time. Publisher, or Editor-in-Chief, get me on there. That's part of your job.
Again, here's were reading the fine print would have saved you a lot of grief, especially that by now the warm, friendly tone of the emails you got in the beginning are beginning to get a bit frosty. It's your responsibility to set up those interviews. How do you do that? Check out the web for your local television or radio stations. Find their contact information (email and phone). Then work on a proposal that will pop their eyes open and say, "Yes, we want this person on our show!" Don't stop there. If this is a Q&A type of program, you'll be expected to do a pre-interview, so the commentator will have the necessary information to conduct a successful interview. If this is a program where you're introduced and asked what you do, be ready with a 1-3 minute spiel. Most in the publishing industry call this the "elevator pitch." You have that short period of time to mention your name, your book's title, your publisher (never forget the publisher or they might not look so favorably on that second book you're laboring on between promotion work), and maybe a quickie about the great reviews. Don't mention the bad reviews, or complain about them either. Nobody likes a whiner.
You're exhausted, can't sleep because you're writing another book and your day job has to be done to pay the bills, and you're just fed up with the world in general. It's time to let out your frustrations on Facebook or Twitter. Time for a rant.
Worst thing you can do. Don't complain about poor sales, step up your promotion work by focusing on the positive. Hey, we all go through this. It's still a down economy. Books are considered a luxury. Instead of ranting, begin a discussion on things everyone can agree on, but steer away from politics. That can lose you readers, if they disagree with your views. Remember, you are now a public persona. People just love tearing apart someone in the public eye if they slip up. So, share a meme you see on Facebook that's funny. There are plenty out there. You can even do a search for them and be the first in your collection of friend s to post it. Write a funny comment on top, no more than a short sentence. Share those "What are you?" posts, after doing it yourself. See what kind of response you get.
I'll leave this discussion with a quote from "The Tears of A Clown" which fits pretty much every public persona: "Now if there's a smile on my face…It's only there trying to fool the public."
Keep that smile on your face. Cry in private. Read and follow guidelines. Mostly, don't ever give up your dream, but always follow the rules.
You finally get through all of these irritating impediments to having your great book published and then – What is this? The Editor-in-Chief wants you to look over your book, to see if there is anything wrong with it. Are they kidding? Who do they think they are? It's their job to make sure all that is done.
No, this is your job. This is your book. Most reputable publishers won't do more edits on your book once it's published. This is your last chance to be sure everything is just perfect. Take your time. Don't let that missing period or misspelled word go. Fix them. Don't gripe about the editor or proofreader being lazy and not doing their job. Imagine these people doing their job.
Editors often have two projects they're working on at the same time. Once they finish with one, they're assigned another. Proofreaders are expected to get through what they're working on and grab another as quickly and error free as possible. They are human and might occasionally make a mistake. Give them a break.
Your book is finally published (taking far too long in your opinion) and there are no or slow sales. What is this publisher not doing right? Why aren't they spending every penny possible, or working day and night to promote your book?
Reality in the twenty-first century. Publishers might promote your book on its release. They might tweet or post on Facebook about your book a couple of times a week, but the big promotion push comes from you, the author. This is your book. It's your responsibility to stump for its popularity. Don't send innumerable emails to your Editor-in-Chief demanding the publisher work harder. Forget about insisting that they send you on a world tour, to appear on talk shows, in bookstores, and at major events where you are wined and dined by the rich and famous. That's not happening, unless you arrange those appearances yourself.
Reviews are hateful. Nobody likes your book at all. Some of those reviewers even have the nerve to say it's not their kind of book, they decided to check it out because people were raving about how great it is, but now your sales are flat. Your editor has to find some decent reviewers. Now!
Uh. How did you find those reviewers? Did you do a search for reviewers who review your genre? Are you constantly on the lookout for blog tours that will improve your chances of a better review? What are you doing? Oh yes, that's the key to promotion in the twenty-first century. Not only are you having to write another book, you have to spend a few hours every day promoting the book(s) you already have published. It's a fine line you'll have to learn, although you might ask authors already doing this how they accomplished the feat. Don't be surprised when they say "I use this, that, and the other thing, but that might not work for you. You have to keep trying new things until you find the right combination. Even that won't always work forever.
You want to get in with this fabulous, super exclusive bookstore. There is a place on their website explaining the process, but it's so complicated. Ah! Brainstorm! Your Editor-in-Chief or Publisher need to start earning all that money they're holding back from you every month. It is their job after all, to be certain you are a best seller.
Again, wrong. Fabulous, super exclusive bookstores are a gem if you can convince them to carry your work. Here's the problem, getting through the wall they seem to put up, and that doesn't include your Editor-in-Chief or the Publisher. This is another thing you have to do, and you have to be determined but polite about it. When what seems like the impossible happens, and your book is on their shelves, don't just sit back and crow. Get into the store and set up a signing. Make an appearance. Make nice with the fans—never insult a fan, they will get even.
This radio/television station interviews all kinds of people about their jobs all the time. Publisher, or Editor-in-Chief, get me on there. That's part of your job.
Again, here's were reading the fine print would have saved you a lot of grief, especially that by now the warm, friendly tone of the emails you got in the beginning are beginning to get a bit frosty. It's your responsibility to set up those interviews. How do you do that? Check out the web for your local television or radio stations. Find their contact information (email and phone). Then work on a proposal that will pop their eyes open and say, "Yes, we want this person on our show!" Don't stop there. If this is a Q&A type of program, you'll be expected to do a pre-interview, so the commentator will have the necessary information to conduct a successful interview. If this is a program where you're introduced and asked what you do, be ready with a 1-3 minute spiel. Most in the publishing industry call this the "elevator pitch." You have that short period of time to mention your name, your book's title, your publisher (never forget the publisher or they might not look so favorably on that second book you're laboring on between promotion work), and maybe a quickie about the great reviews. Don't mention the bad reviews, or complain about them either. Nobody likes a whiner.
You're exhausted, can't sleep because you're writing another book and your day job has to be done to pay the bills, and you're just fed up with the world in general. It's time to let out your frustrations on Facebook or Twitter. Time for a rant.
Worst thing you can do. Don't complain about poor sales, step up your promotion work by focusing on the positive. Hey, we all go through this. It's still a down economy. Books are considered a luxury. Instead of ranting, begin a discussion on things everyone can agree on, but steer away from politics. That can lose you readers, if they disagree with your views. Remember, you are now a public persona. People just love tearing apart someone in the public eye if they slip up. So, share a meme you see on Facebook that's funny. There are plenty out there. You can even do a search for them and be the first in your collection of friend s to post it. Write a funny comment on top, no more than a short sentence. Share those "What are you?" posts, after doing it yourself. See what kind of response you get.
I'll leave this discussion with a quote from "The Tears of A Clown" which fits pretty much every public persona: "Now if there's a smile on my face…It's only there trying to fool the public."
Keep that smile on your face. Cry in private. Read and follow guidelines. Mostly, don't ever give up your dream, but always follow the rules.
July 28, 2014
Monday Musings: Bad Mojo Part I
Just what is "Bad Mojo?" The dictionary defines mojo as "finding the magic in what we do." Therefore, bad mojo would be the direct opposite of that, losing the magic in what we do.
What does this have to do with a blog on writing?
Everything!
I became the Editor-in-Chief of Summer Solstice, an imprint of Solstice Publishing, in January. Since that time, I've run into many, many instances of bad mojo. So many, I have begun to wonder what happened to all the advice more experienced authors have made available on the World Wide Web for those looking to break into the world of publishing.
Here are a few steps many authors should take note of, and follow in order to have their book seriously considered.
You have that book finished. It's glorious, the next Great American novel. Oh yes, we all feel that way. We all believe that our book will soon grace the number 1 position on the New York Times Best Seller List, and then will garner millions in sales. Someone, a fellow writer, your neighbor who has read the manuscript for you, an author friend with a whole lot more experience than you have, has suggested that you do some editing and revising, or join a critique group to work out the kinks, or even find some beta readers to let you know when things don't work. Not you. Yours is the best book this publishing company has ever seen. They'll sign you up and have you on a tour in no time. Right?
Nope. Your book is an unproven quantity to any publisher, be they part of the Big 5 or an indie publisher. The only way this myth holds water is if you self-publish. Be aware, self-publishing involves a monetary output for a good cover. Most of those who successfully self-publish also employ a plot editor, a line editor, a final editor, a cover artist, and they also have beta readers. Those editors and that cover artist all cost money. Sometimes a great deal of money, depending on just how much work has to be done.
You're going with one of the Big 5 or an indie publisher. Hey, let them handle all the hard work. I can just sit back and pop open the champagne. Hey, I can have all those things I’ve ever wanted. I can tour the world, pick up that cool car I’ve always wanted, even quit my day job.
Great. You've decided to use the route that doesn't require an output of money. After all, we're all in this business to make money.
Sit back and drink champagne? Just how will you do this? Or that huge advance you're expecting? The reality is that most of the Big 5 no longer offer those 5 and 6 figure advances, unless you're a proven best seller. If you do get an advance from them, it will more than likely be in the low 4 figures.
Most indie publishers don't offer advances at all. As for quitting your day job, might want to rethink that. It’ll take a little time to start earning enough to replace that money.
You're finally ready to submit your work to the publisher you've decided on. You looked over their website, like the other books they've published. So what if your book doesn't fit the line they have. Yours is so good that you don't have to worry. They'll sign you right away. Or you look at the submission guidelines. Those are so bogus. They'll take what you send them. After all, they're lucky to get anything from you.
Looking at a publisher's website is important. It's even more important to read every step outlined in the guidelines prior to submitting. You'll find things like book length, manuscript formatting, if you should submit a query (with synopsis and 1-3 chapters), or a full manuscript. Paying attention to those details and complying with them is very important. It's the first clue the publisher has as to whether or not you'll give them grief during the pre-publication process.
Okay, hey, someone actually likes your book. That's a contract attached to the email they've sent you. Wow! Gee! Someone loves my book. You might even do a happy dance, celebrate a little. You hurriedly sign the contract, without reading all those boring details and send it back. Then comes the rest of the process. You're suddenly inundated with multiple requests to provide information, to talk about what you think your cover should be. Bogus, right?
Wrong. What this Editor-in-Chief is asking for is all part of the accepted process of preparing your book for publication. Preparing a back cover blurb for your book prior to submitting it will save you hours of work. Having a tagline (5-10 words to grab the reader's interest) ready shows you're really willing to help sell your book. The bio is required of even well known, bestselling authors. We actually rework those bios quite often, to keep them up to date and fresh. Who do you think writes the dedication and acknowledgements in those books you've read for years? Certainly not anyone not associated with the process of writing the book. This is your job, along with writing your next book.
An editor? Why do I need an editor? My book is fabulous.
Uh, okay, I won't argue that point, but editors are necessary to making sure a book is the best that it can be. You certainly don't want the embarrassment of a reviewer pointing out the bad grammar, misspellings, and missing punctuation. So, don't argue with the editor. Don't tell them that they don't know their job and have to listen to you. More importantly, don't insult the editor and attempt to bully them. All that will do is give you a reputation as a troublemaker and possibly get your contract cancelled. Remember that fine print you didn't read. Bet you are now.
Then you're griping about a proofreader, once the editor is done. What a waste of your time. You want this book published now. Whoa! Hold on there. Proofreaders are vitally important, to catch the things your editor missed. They are very good at what they do. So, give your proofreader the time to painstakingly read your book, word by word and then line by line. You'd be amazed at all the little things they catch.
Finally, your cover art comes in. You open the file only to find that it's not at all what you envisioned. This is garbage. This is not what people want to see when they click in the link for your book. That damned cover artist will get it right or you'll keep on returning this cover until they do. It doesn't matter how much it costs you want your cover hand drawn to your exact specifications.
Your book cover is probably the most important thing a buyer considers once they click on the link to your book. If they hate the cover, some readers have been known to keep on looking. That being said, here's the reality check. Most cover artists now work with stock photos that have to be purchased and have a watermark removed. They then do what tweaks are possible and add your title and name. A hand drawn cover costs thousands and takes a long time to do right. With every publisher working hard to get the finished product out for the public to purchase, the time and cost involved with a hand drawn cover is not a viable option. Of course, if you'd read the fine print in the contract, you might have seen where you have the option to contract your own cover artist, at your cost. Remember, the publisher won't pay you back for this expense. It's from your own pocket, and you might not like that cover any better than the one from a stock photo.
Come back next week for part 2 of Bad Mojo.
What does this have to do with a blog on writing?
Everything!
I became the Editor-in-Chief of Summer Solstice, an imprint of Solstice Publishing, in January. Since that time, I've run into many, many instances of bad mojo. So many, I have begun to wonder what happened to all the advice more experienced authors have made available on the World Wide Web for those looking to break into the world of publishing.
Here are a few steps many authors should take note of, and follow in order to have their book seriously considered.
You have that book finished. It's glorious, the next Great American novel. Oh yes, we all feel that way. We all believe that our book will soon grace the number 1 position on the New York Times Best Seller List, and then will garner millions in sales. Someone, a fellow writer, your neighbor who has read the manuscript for you, an author friend with a whole lot more experience than you have, has suggested that you do some editing and revising, or join a critique group to work out the kinks, or even find some beta readers to let you know when things don't work. Not you. Yours is the best book this publishing company has ever seen. They'll sign you up and have you on a tour in no time. Right?
Nope. Your book is an unproven quantity to any publisher, be they part of the Big 5 or an indie publisher. The only way this myth holds water is if you self-publish. Be aware, self-publishing involves a monetary output for a good cover. Most of those who successfully self-publish also employ a plot editor, a line editor, a final editor, a cover artist, and they also have beta readers. Those editors and that cover artist all cost money. Sometimes a great deal of money, depending on just how much work has to be done.
You're going with one of the Big 5 or an indie publisher. Hey, let them handle all the hard work. I can just sit back and pop open the champagne. Hey, I can have all those things I’ve ever wanted. I can tour the world, pick up that cool car I’ve always wanted, even quit my day job.
Great. You've decided to use the route that doesn't require an output of money. After all, we're all in this business to make money.
Sit back and drink champagne? Just how will you do this? Or that huge advance you're expecting? The reality is that most of the Big 5 no longer offer those 5 and 6 figure advances, unless you're a proven best seller. If you do get an advance from them, it will more than likely be in the low 4 figures.
Most indie publishers don't offer advances at all. As for quitting your day job, might want to rethink that. It’ll take a little time to start earning enough to replace that money.
You're finally ready to submit your work to the publisher you've decided on. You looked over their website, like the other books they've published. So what if your book doesn't fit the line they have. Yours is so good that you don't have to worry. They'll sign you right away. Or you look at the submission guidelines. Those are so bogus. They'll take what you send them. After all, they're lucky to get anything from you.
Looking at a publisher's website is important. It's even more important to read every step outlined in the guidelines prior to submitting. You'll find things like book length, manuscript formatting, if you should submit a query (with synopsis and 1-3 chapters), or a full manuscript. Paying attention to those details and complying with them is very important. It's the first clue the publisher has as to whether or not you'll give them grief during the pre-publication process.
Okay, hey, someone actually likes your book. That's a contract attached to the email they've sent you. Wow! Gee! Someone loves my book. You might even do a happy dance, celebrate a little. You hurriedly sign the contract, without reading all those boring details and send it back. Then comes the rest of the process. You're suddenly inundated with multiple requests to provide information, to talk about what you think your cover should be. Bogus, right?
Wrong. What this Editor-in-Chief is asking for is all part of the accepted process of preparing your book for publication. Preparing a back cover blurb for your book prior to submitting it will save you hours of work. Having a tagline (5-10 words to grab the reader's interest) ready shows you're really willing to help sell your book. The bio is required of even well known, bestselling authors. We actually rework those bios quite often, to keep them up to date and fresh. Who do you think writes the dedication and acknowledgements in those books you've read for years? Certainly not anyone not associated with the process of writing the book. This is your job, along with writing your next book.
An editor? Why do I need an editor? My book is fabulous.
Uh, okay, I won't argue that point, but editors are necessary to making sure a book is the best that it can be. You certainly don't want the embarrassment of a reviewer pointing out the bad grammar, misspellings, and missing punctuation. So, don't argue with the editor. Don't tell them that they don't know their job and have to listen to you. More importantly, don't insult the editor and attempt to bully them. All that will do is give you a reputation as a troublemaker and possibly get your contract cancelled. Remember that fine print you didn't read. Bet you are now.
Then you're griping about a proofreader, once the editor is done. What a waste of your time. You want this book published now. Whoa! Hold on there. Proofreaders are vitally important, to catch the things your editor missed. They are very good at what they do. So, give your proofreader the time to painstakingly read your book, word by word and then line by line. You'd be amazed at all the little things they catch.
Finally, your cover art comes in. You open the file only to find that it's not at all what you envisioned. This is garbage. This is not what people want to see when they click in the link for your book. That damned cover artist will get it right or you'll keep on returning this cover until they do. It doesn't matter how much it costs you want your cover hand drawn to your exact specifications.
Your book cover is probably the most important thing a buyer considers once they click on the link to your book. If they hate the cover, some readers have been known to keep on looking. That being said, here's the reality check. Most cover artists now work with stock photos that have to be purchased and have a watermark removed. They then do what tweaks are possible and add your title and name. A hand drawn cover costs thousands and takes a long time to do right. With every publisher working hard to get the finished product out for the public to purchase, the time and cost involved with a hand drawn cover is not a viable option. Of course, if you'd read the fine print in the contract, you might have seen where you have the option to contract your own cover artist, at your cost. Remember, the publisher won't pay you back for this expense. It's from your own pocket, and you might not like that cover any better than the one from a stock photo.
Come back next week for part 2 of Bad Mojo.
July 11, 2014
Book Blitz - Spartanica!
Synopsis:Heart-pounding action. Fantastical creatures. Epic battles for survival. Staggering betrayal. Spartanica, the first book in The Survivors of Sapertys Series, is an engaging young-adult/teen science fiction adventure novel that traces the fates of middle-school brothers Ty and Marcus Mitchell after they find themselves abandoned among the apocalyptic ruins of a decimated metropolis on a parallel world. Wanting nothing more than to survive long enough to get home, the boys soon learn they only have seven days to escape as they find themselves suddenly embroiled in a contentious battle for planet-wide domination against ruthless, animalistic desert warriors called the Desrata. The brothers soon find they aren't completely alone in their quest as they befriend young survivors of Spartanica's "last day" and come together to forge a unified front against their common foe. But are these kids truly fugitives from the Desrata death camps, or are they hiding something deadly? Never quite sure exactly who to trust, Ty and Marcus stumble upon ominous realities about Spartanica that they never could have suspected. How could it all be true? How could this have happened? Will they ever get home? Hold on tight. The truths hidden in and around Spartanica are sinister and shocking. Enjoy the ride! Excerpt:THIRTY-ONEI’M GONNA HURL!(MARCUS) “Don’t shoot! Don’t shoot!” Nekitys yelled, reaching over to push Yra’s and Kinnard’s rifles down. “It can’t get to us in here. Your blasts will ricochet off the security field and kill us all!” The ’rat stood motionless, inches away on the other side of the field, staring down at all of us. “Huuummmaaaaaans,” it said, “I come alone. Nooooo weapon. I escape settlement to help you.” Needless to say, that wasn’t what we expected to hear. “Everybody get ready,” Kinnard said. “Nekitys, prepare to drop the field. We’re going to put as many holes as we can through this thing.” The Atlantean kids all put our uninvited visitor squarely in the cross-hairs. “Waaaaaaiiiiiiiiiiit,” it said, stepping back with its paw in front of it. “Desrata Kingdom has your female. They kiiiiillllllllll if she not escape soon. I help you get her back. If I die, you fail, she die.” “No!” Naetth yelled. “You’re a stinkin’ ’rat! You’re a liar! You’re a killer! You would never help us!” The ’rat backed up several more steps and eased itself down to the ground. Even sitting, it was almost at eye level with me. “Desrata Kingdom has lost way, become evil,” it said. “Not always so. Our leaders listen to evil humans now. Evil humans promise eternal Elisii if we help take your city. They make us work. They make us slaves. They make us take slaves. These not Desrata ways. These not my ways.”
Purchase LinksAmazon | Kindle | B&N | Nook | iTunes | Kobo | Smashwords
About the Author
Powers Molinar writes most excellent young adult science fiction stories because he desperately wants kids to read more. He’s seen, first-hand, how a healthy appetite for reading has helped his kids succeed in school and hopes to help spread the same to kids worldwide through his literary works. Powers and his family live under the cupola near Chicago where Powers works as an IT Project Manager until he can write full-time. Website | Blog | Facebook | Twitter
