Shelly Goodman Wright's Blog, page 2

The Lost Scrolls--2014

Hello!

If you follow me on Facebook, you already know book two in the Twisted Roots saga is in production.  But for those who may not have seen it, here is a sneak peek at the mock cover.

Currently, we are in the second stage of editing--the conceptual.  The editor assigned is the executive editor at the publishing house.  My goal is to provide my readers with an even better, richer story than in the first book.  So I'm expecting nothing less than the best editing/proofing team.

Thanks again to everyone following me through this journey.  

  Blessings!

Shelly

Here little piggy...

Hi Everyone!

    This is Scout.  He is deaf, partically blind and loves to run in circles.  He also likes to knaw on just about everything.  When my day is stressful, I just hold this little guy and I can't help but smile.  Despite his handicaps, he keeps on going.

     Life is busy.  The girls started their second year of home schooling in August and in-between teaching and grading lessons, I've been working on yard projects.  As you might have heard, Colorado got some recorded breaking rain over the summer and we had some errosion on our property.  Nothing major, but it prompted me to act on projects I've wanted to do for a long time. 

     I know it's been a long while since I posted a new blog or even updated this website.  Now that Fall is here, it's time to get back to writing and editing the sequel book, The Lost Scrolls. 

     For my writing friends, National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) is November.  

Y and Z --Last Day A to Z Challenge

Y and Z--Yahoo, Thanks for Zride!Guinea Pigs love FB too!  If Panda Bear can do it, so can you. 

I've really enjoyed participating in this years A to Z Blog Challenge.  Thank you to all the new followers and those who have been with me through this journey.  I was really good until this last weekend with my husband coming back from Poland early and taking off a few days in Denver to unwind. 

Now, it's about finishing up the school year and science project displays. 
I've learned a few things on this journey:
1.  I can blog, who knew!
2.  Finding topics to write about wasn't as bad as I thought.
3.  I've grown my following.  Thanks so much!
4.  Interestingly enough, book sales and my Amazon ranking went up.
5.  I like blogging after all. 
If you did the challenge, what did you learn?  Or if you didn't, have you thought about participating next year? 
I'll be taking off May (so we can finish school), but plan to pick up blogging regularly starting in June.  What topic would you like me to cover?  How often should I blog (please, not every day). 

X is for XTREME

 X is for XTREME

I'm shocked how many listings for XTREME pulled up on Bing.  Yes, I know it's not a real word, but it's used a lot.  There is even a listing in the Olypics called the the X games (the X meaning XTREME). 

So how do use this for my blog? 

I need your help!

Give me some XTREME ideas for marketing...I mean real doable ones.  So far most who read it, enjoyed the book, but how do I get it into more readers hands?  I'm open to most anything...mind you I'm the girl above hugging my new stuffed bear.  :P

One thought I had and I'd like to know what you think...giving copies to Goodwill or other thrift stores.  I know there are readers who get most their books that way.  I'm all about getting the book into readers hands.  However, because I'm with a publisher, I am limited on downloading the PDF to Smashwords and giving it away for free that way.  The books I give away, I do have to pay for (costs me $11 per book). In that regards, the books I giveaway have to hit the hands of those who will talk it up, give the book reviews, or even blog about it.

 

So as I catch up with my blog challenge, I hope you'll be kind and lend me your suggestions. 

W is for Writers

W is for Writers

Colorado Springs Science Fiction Convention--Panel on Critique Groups

As an author, I've had the privilege to speak at numerous venues to include book signings.  In the photo above, I participated on the panel, 'The Benefits and Hazards of Writing Critique Groups', at the Colorado Springs Science Fiction Convention. 

For the most part, my group agreed writing critique groups are mostly beneficial. 

Anyway, the folks who attended this pane were mostly writers and interested in ways to grow their craft.  What I found very interesting, our answers were very similar to each other and we had never met until the panel stepped up on to the platform. 

Benefits:

I've talked about this previously in moredepth on another blog, but the basic are: 

*Everyone has the same goals--to obtain publication.

*No hand holding, but honest feedback to strengthen the writing.

*Catch mistakes we can't see.

*Collaboration and support.

Hazards:

*Stagnant groups--no longer giving us the hard critique.

*I believe a diverse group is best, but others find genre specific groups--which can be both a benefit and hazard.  Find what works for you.

*Not having a solid core of members.  Open groups are great, but make sure the group has at least two or more committed members.

How to find writing groups?

There are so many out there.  I found my group by googling 'Writing Critique Groups'.  Another way is to join Meetup.com and search writing groups in your area.  I bet you'll find one.  If not, start one (again, I blogged previously about starting a writing critique group--very simple).  Don't be discouraged when only one person shows up.  It will take time for people to catch on.  It took me at least a month to get the nerve to show up at my first critique group and I never regretted it. 

If you're local, I've started one in the Cheyenne Meadows subdivision at Mandatory Fun.  Although the title is Military Writers, you don't have to be military--I'm not.  :-)

Do you belong to a writing group?  What is your primary goal for your writing?

V is for Value (Lack Thereof for Writers)

V is for Value (lack thereof for writers)

Author Stephen Coonts talks about writing.

Publishing is changing drastically and those of us caught in the middle are struggling.

 

Why?

There is a big boom in self-publishing, we all know that.  Hundreds of thousands are uploading their manuscripts to Smashwords or Amazon and offering it for free.  On some stories, FREE means nothing (they're junk and poorly edited if edited at all), but there are diamonds in the rough.   For writers like me with a professional backing, our books are priced so high readers pass (and honestly, they aren't perfectly edited), and we still make barely a $1 per book sold. 

What does this tell me?

 

Writers are not valued and the world believes we should work for free.   If we're someone who says I won't pay more than $5-$10 for a book, then we are just as guilty.  The number of hours a writer spends on one manuscript including multiple edits and rewrites can be years.   I wrote TWISTED ROOTS in the Spring of 2008 and by the time I landed a contract in 2010 I had ten drafts, four conceptual edits, and two technical edits.

 

I've heard people say "Well, if you make a $1 per book and sell a million copies..."

First of all, an unknown first time author will not typically sell a million copies.  They'll be lucky to sell a few thousand on a first book and that's depends on the marketing plan (most publishing houses spend no more than $2000 on emerging authors--which isn't much). 

  

How many copies do authors sell?

I found this listing on The Steve Laube Agency

Author 1: novelist – 3 books – avg. sale = 8,300

Author 2: novelist – 12 books – avg. sale = 19,756

Author 3: novelist – 3 books – avg. sale = 7,000

Author 4: novelist – 7 books – avg. sale = 5,300 (Two different publishers)

Author 5: non-fiction devotional – 5 books – avg. sale10,900

Author 6: non-fiction – 2 books – avg. sale = 5,300

Author 7: novelist – 4 books – avg. sale = 29,400

Author 8: non-fiction – 3 books – avg. sale = 18,900

Author 9: fiction – 7 books – avg. sale = 12,900

Author 10: non-fiction – 5 books – avg. sale = 6,800(three different publishers)

The amounts are all over the place, but the one thing I'm noticing is the number of books published per author.  We also don't know who these authors are, however, none of these numbers are in the millions, not even close.  Looking at the highest number, if I broke out how many hours it would take me to get four books out there, I'd be making less than a dollar an hour!

It's a good thing I write for the love of it.  :-)

So here is my point:

*If we value authors, support them!  Pay the extra $5!

*Seek out emerging authors, first time authors and give them a shot.

*If we leave reviews, remember first editions aren't perfect and judge based on the story.

*If we write blogs, consider seeking out a new author we can support and help them get exposure (and don't hesitate to ask for a free PDF copy if this is your purpose).

*Suggest a new author's book for the local library or book club.

*Invite a local author to speak at your writing group, kid's school, or other event (I spoke at a ladies tea last year, elementary school, and are treat).  Most will do this for FREE if not, look for someone else.  :-)

*Sign up for author blogs, facebook pages, etc. 

*If we're an aspiring writer, we should be supporting those we want to be like. 

There is some value in self-publishing in regards to marketing.  My suggestion is to keep it to giving away free short stories or sneak peeks at sequel novels--just make sure to seek out professional editing. 

 

How can you help an emerging author?  Are you an aspiring author with ideas on how readers can help you?     

 

Mountian of Authors

"Mountain of Authors is a free annual event sponsored by Pike Peak Library District of Colorado Springs, which provides an opportunity for the public and local authors to meet and listen to notable Colorado authors. This event is also for aspiring writers to learn more about the craft of writing. No registration is required."
http://more.ppld.org:8080/MountainofA...

I've been chosen to be one of the twenty authors showcased in this years Mountain of Authors event! I couldn't be more excited! I don't care if I sell zero books, I love being out there and meeting people. Maybe I'll recruit some aspiring writers for the new critique group I'm starting. I'm also excited to meet Stephen Coonts and the other keynote speakers. What an honor!

Writing Critique Groups

I had the opportunity to be on a panel at the annual Colorado Springs Science Fiction Convention (COSine)and what a blast that was.

My topic--The Benefits and Hazards of a writing critique group.

I'll state up front, if it wasn't for the fantastic folks in my critique group, I 'd still be sending out query letters for TWISTED ROOTS and not on the edge of a second novel publication!

So what are the benefits?

1. Accountable--They're writing, you'll write.

2. Honest Feedback--it's not helpful to hear, "it's good" or "I didn't like it". Get reasons why it's good and a critique on what didn't work.

3. By critiquing others, your writing will strengthen. You'll begin to see you make the same mistakes.

4. Depending on the group, there could be outside opportunities. My group hosts a writing competition at a local high school and recently we put out our own anthology.

5. And the best reason--the support you receive. Writers are not in competition with each other, so they want you to succeed.

Although I love critique groups, there are some hazards:

1. Don't go in with 'thin-skin'. If you're not ready to 'put your big girl panties on', you're not ready.

2. Although genre specific groups can be helpful, you'll get better feedback with a multi genre group.

3. Too big. A rule of thumb is 8-10 writers. The idea of a critique group isn't to just critique, you want to have writing time as well.

4. More than once a month meetings may or may not work. Find what works best for you. I find once a month gives everyone enough time to critique and write their submission.

5. Submitting the same chapter over and over. PLEASE don't do that. Take that critique and implement the issues pointed out on your next submission.

Overall, for a writer, a critique group is so important in fine tuning the craft. I believe it gives you the leg up on those who do not have one.

Do you belong to a group? Add to my list. What do like? What don't you like?

NaNoWriMo--Write Your Novel!!

Hello All,

Are you an 'inspiring writer'? Have you always wanted to write a novel? Do you want a valid excuse to allow the clutter to build up for one month? Then join me in this years National Write a Novel Month!

http://www.nanowrimo.org/

As some of you know, not only am I an author, but I added home schooling my three daughters to my 'to do list'. Not to mention my husband, whom I lovingly call "MONK".

So if I can do it, so can you! :-)

I'll be posting on my website some tips to help you in the next few weeks--tips I used to complete my novel in a month.

www.shellygoodmanwright.com

For those who leave comments and complete the challenge by the end of November, not only will you experiences the thrill of having a completed novel, but I will give away some prizes!

So I'm super excited. I've given my husband notice and stocked up on frozen dinners. I'm doing some deep cleaning and organizing, today, in preparation and put my Facebook friends on notice. :-) However, by request, I will go on FB only to post my daily word count.

Join me and let's have some fun. Let's encourage each other to meet our goals and write that novel!

Blessings,
Shelly
Author of TWISTED ROOTS, a Christian Fiction romance/suspense.

Added Title--Home School mom!

My new title of Author is being switched out to teacher--at least for the next few weeks. Then I'll be half writer, half teacher--I hope.

I'm working on fine-tuning the Prologue for TWISTED ROOTS--The Lost Scrolls (Book Two) and then I will be posting it on my website. www.shellygoodmanwright.com I'd encourage only those who have read the first book to read it so the ending isn't 'spoiled' for you.

This will also kick off my blog (which I have sadly neglected).

Wishing you all many blessings. Feel free to email with questions or just say hi. I do my best to answer everyone--even in my crazy life.

Shelly