Jade Varden's Blog, page 38

I Can't Believe I Forgot About Craigslist

Regular readers of the blog know that I've written posts about countless ways to market your indie titles. I've written about social media and finding book bloggers, trading reviews and using forums. And today, while doing my regular online chores, I saw something that managed to catch even me by surprise: an ad on Craigslist.

No, Not Literally

No, I haven't been living under a rock and yes, I've been well aware of Craigslist for many years now. I used it once during a brief stint where I played editor and had to hire a couple of freelance writers. I tried using it to find a cover designer for Justice, which didn't work out too well. But I never even considered using it to get reviews...until I saw someone else doing it first.



 Reviews: Obviously this one isn't mine, it's that guy I found looking for reviews. But I say why not? Remember, however, that usually people who post job offers on Craigslist provide compensation. Make it very clear what you're providing people who review your work. The ad I found was offering a free review copy, which is pretty standard. Paying for reviews gets pretty dicey anyway, and I usually caution authors to avoid it.Ad Space: Make your own banner, moving gif, or whatever, and offer to pay people for ad space on their website or blog. Better yet, trade them space on your own website or blog. Before you give anyone any money or any of your time, however, find out how many visitors they're getting to their site a day (to make sure it's worth your effort).Giveaways and Guest Posts: Well, why not? Use Craigslist to offer free giveaways and guests posts to bloggers who get a certain number of visitors a day. If no one responds, it's no loss. If even one person responds, awesome. 
Craigslist can be used to sell old stuff, meet new people, find great deals...and apparently, promote indie books. Posting ads to Craigslist is totally free, so it can't hurt to try. And who knows? Maybe you'll remember something about marketing that can help you sell more books as a result!

Writing 101: Misunderstood

If you're a self-published author, it's because you failed in traditional markets. If you're an indie, it means you're struggling just to get your words read (because who really wants to read an indie?). If you're not a well-known author being published by one of the Big Six, you're just not worth reading. These are just some of the misconceptions that people have about indie authors...and I'm here to debunk all of them.

Never Less Than
It has come to my attention that some people think self-publishing is some sort of last resort for authors. After years of desperate struggle and rejection, they finally turn to self-publishing because this is the only way for them to be heard. And naturally, because they are amateurs, they flood the market with substandard material. 
To play Devil's advocate, this story probably rings true for some authors and some books that are currently available at Amazon.com. But for a great many of the authors who go the indie route, it doesn't. I've found that many self-published authors are being plain misunderstood by readers, even by book bloggers. 
Self-published authors are not failed authors. They're not less than traditional authors. They're different, and there are several factors that make them different:
Independence: Let us never forget that "indie" stands for independent. Many authors are choosing to self-publish not because they have no other choice, but because independence is the best choice for them. As an indie author, you get control over issues like cover design, marketing and pricing -- all issues that traditional publishers like to decide for their authors.Uniqueness: The huge success of books like Fifty Shades of Grey shows that self-published books aren't lower in quality or poorer in storytelling than traditionally-published books. In some cases, like Amanda Hocking, indies are writing subject matter that completely scares traditional publishers. They're so used to putting people in boxes they don't know what to do with an author who won't fit inside one. Such authors get rejected. Self-publishing gives these authors the opportunity to let that freak flag fly, and the numbers prove that plenty of readers just love it. Impatience: Traditional publishing takes a long, long time to come to fruition. After you write the book you have to pitch the book. After you finally sell the book you have to wait. It takes up to one year from date of acceptance for a publishing house to get a book on the shelves, both brick-and-mortar and virtual. If you don't feel like waiting for an entire freaking year to see your words in print, self-publishing is an excellent option. Authors who can publish quickly and get their work out there can start selling more quickly, can't they? Rights: Authors who self-publish maintain all of their rights to that work. When you publish traditionally, certain rights will be taken away from you. You may have little to no control over merchandise or adaptations of your work, for example, and when someone wants to adapt that work they will contact the publishers before they contact you. If you'd rather keep all your rights firmly in your grasp, self-publish.Scheduling: Sign up with a traditional publisher, and you're also agreeing to certain promotional events that company books for you. Some authors dream of finding themselves on a nationwide book tour, but this lifestyle is not suited to everyone. There are many authors who would rather maintain control over their own time and their own schedule, and for them this makes self-publishing attractive. 
Honestly, I could keep going. Self-publishing isn't some sort of last hope or last resort, and it should not be viewed as such. Many authors take this road as a choice, not because they believe it is the only path left open to them. Indie authors are being misunderstood, but I hope I've set the record straight here today.

Writing 101: Don't Try to Do Everything

As an indie author, you will spend most of your time doing things other than writing. It sounds strange, but it's true. You will spend more time editing the book than writing it, and more time promoting it than you even want to think about. But don't try to do everything. Don't try to be on every site or promote every book on the same day. If you do, you'll find you don't have time to do anything else.

Burning Both Ends
How many times have you logged into Twitter or Facebook to check out one thing, and suddenly an hour has passed? Social media is time-consuming, just like book marketing. That's why you have to focus your marketing, because you just don't have time to do it all. 
I don't do a lot of stuff on Facebook, because I do tweet a lot on Twitter. Instead, I link my blog post to Facebook and Google+ once a day. The bulk of my social media marketing is focused on Twitter, because that's where the bulk of my audience is. I'm a YA author, so Twitter puts me in touch with my readers. If you know your audience, you can focus on finding the best places to reach them. 
If you're an indie author, chances are that you've already got a job. So you already have to squeeze your self-publishing life in around the fringes. That means you haven't got time for a ton of social media and blogging and forums. I check my forums just once a week because it's too time-consuming otherwise. I blog four to six times a week, but not every single day. 
Don't try to do everything, because it's more likely you'll wind up getting nothing done if you push yourself too hard. Focus your efforts so you can apply your promotions to the markets that matter most. 

Writing 101: 'S

Language is an ever-changing entity. It lives and breathes. You can easily find the proof of it. Open up a novel written 100 years ago, something by Mark Twain for example, and now go open one that was published this year. You'll find extreme differences in the language used. But there are some grammar and punctuation rules that won't ever change, and never have changed...and yet somehow, people still manage to get it wrong. 

There's No Apostrophe in Yours
The rules of using 's are extremely clear. They're hard and fast. And they have not changed since the very first rules of language were invented. So why, why, do we keep getting it wrong?
It's a riddle for the ages. But I am dedicated to repeating this rule, and pointing to it, until no one is making the mistake anymore.
I'm going to make it very clear again: 's is not used to pluralize. It never makes anything plural, not ever. That's why all of the following examples are wrong: 
Did you see all these envelope's?
How many Twitter follower's do you have?
Have you watched all those episode's?
Yes, all of the above examples are wrong because all of the above examples are pluralized words. Eliminate all the apostrophes,  and now everything is correct. You see, 's is only used for two reasons, and neither of them have anything to do with making something plural. 
Let's look at the first example of 's: substitution. 
In the sentence above, I'm actually saying let us look at the first example. The same thing is true for the word it's. Such as it's a beautiful day. What I'm really saying is it is a beautiful day. The apostrophe in the sentence is used as a substitution for the missing letters. This is how all contractions work. 
But 's is also used in another way: to show possession.
That is Becky's envelope.
It was my follower's tweet.
That episode's final scene was crazy.
The above examples use the same subject matter as the first wrong examples we looked at, but all of these examples are correct. In the first, we are talking about something that belongs to Becky. This is why it becomes Becky's, with the 's. The tweet belongs to a follower on Twitter, so it is the follower's. The final scene in one episode is crazy, so it is the episode's. 
Use 's in any other way, and you're using it wrong.

Writing 101: How Do You Know You're Done Editing?

So when you mention self-publishing, at some point someone is going to bring up editing. They'll talk about the lack thereof, or they'll express amazement that an indie book is edited so well. It always comes up, and you always have to pay careful attention to it. So when you're working on a new novel, how do you know when you're done editing it? 

Words, Words, Words! 
For many, editing is the worst part about writing. It can be humbling to read through the pages of a first draft and catch all those ugly mistakes - the kind of errors that only a rookie would make. It can be daunting to find plot holes and gaps in your story, and it can be time-consuming to fix all of this mess and turn it into a smooth, polished book. 
Because first drafts usually are such a mess, you can't edit your book just once. You have to go back again and again, read it over and over, in order to catch all those mistakes. I read each one of my books at least 5 times. I read over everything I write once I'm done writing for the night. I read over it again if I get stuck anywhere. I edit the first draft from beginning to end. Then I read it at least three times, in three different ways, to catch all the tiny mistakes that are still left. But I may not stop at 5, because the book I'm checking may be too riddled with errors. 
How do I know when I'm done? How do you know when you're done? How does any author know when they're finally finished editing that book? 
The answer is simple. When you can read your entire manuscript, from title page to the last page, without finding a single error then you are done. As a matter of fact, you should still read it at least once more after this. Because no matter how many times you read it or how carefully you check it, that book will still have at least one mistake in it. That's the nature of the beast. But if you can get it down to just one mistake then you're doing amazing. 
You're done editing when you stop finding errors, and even then everything may not be completely perfect. Being an author means getting as close to perfect as you can with every book you write. Editing is the only way to do it.

Writing 101: Self-Published Authors and Paying Taxes

Most countries tax their citizens. Lots of people complain about that, but the world would stop functioning if goverments could not charge taxes. They're used to create roads and repair bridges, among many other important tasks, so we all pay them more or less willingly. And if you've been earning money as a self-published author, you may be required to pay them as well. 

Taxing Your Income

By law, you are required to give the government a certain percentage of your earnings. When you work and receive a paycheck, these taxes are automatically deducted from that paycheck. At the end of the year you may even receive a tax return from paying too many taxes throughout the year.
But when you earn income through self-publishing, taxes are not taken out because you do not receive a paycheck. You are not someone's employee; you are receiving royalties. Because this money is not taxed, legally it is labeled as self-employment income. And when you receive a self-employment income, your tax burden increases because now you have to claim that income and pay the necessary taxes.

Luckily, you only have to do this under certain circumstances. Self-employment income is only taxable if you earn more than $400 from a single source in a single calendar year. When this is the case, you must record all the income you've earned and fill out special tax forms. For example, if you earn $405 from one book you published on Amazon then you must claim this income and pay the necessary taxes. You will owe taxes on this income, roughly 15% (depending on your tax bracket and other factors like deductibles). Save those Amazon checks, and all the others, in order to maintain a record of your income. You must claim this income under law. 
There are ways to lessen the tax burden you must bear, however. Money that you spend on self-publishing is deductible. Whatever you shell out for the cover and the copyright, for example, can be deducted so you pay a little less at the end of the year. My recommendation? Get professional help. Unless you understand taxes and math very well you could run into all sorts of troubles and hassles when it comes to self-employment income.

Writing 101: Making the Switch from Indie to Traditional

For some authors, self-publishing is just a starting point. But making the switch from indie to traditional isn't as easy as writing a hit book, waiting to get noticed and hoping the phone calls start coming. If you do a little bit more work, you could even make this change happen yourself. 

Changing Your Spots

Indie authors enjoy a lot of freedom, but it's not something that suits all writers. It is possible to switch from self-publishing to more traditional publishing, but don't wait for it to happen on its own. See if you can make it happen for yourself by following a few essential steps.
Practice, Practice, Practice: Keep writing and self-publishing, and hone your craft. You'll know you're getting good at editing when your reviewers can no longer find mistakes in your work. Know how to craft a story and how to polish it, and use the feedback from your reviews to find your own strengths and weaknesses. Any writing you submit to a potential agent or publisher has to be positively letter-perfect.Social Media: Build  up your social media following, and don't stop building on it. A big social media following will speak for you. Agents and publishers alike will appreciate it, and it will make you look like a more marketable author. Pitch: Write and polish an amazing cover letter. Make one version for agents and one for publishers. Highlight your marketability, point toward your existing catalog of books and your fan base on social media. Your letter should have an immediate hook and contain just enough details to keep you interesting. The letter is one page, no more than four paragraphs. You're writing to people who read letters all day, so keep it brief.Batter up: Use The Writer's Market or a similar reference volume to find agents and publishers that could be interested in your work. You want to have a single book project to market. Make it sound like the greatest book ever written. Identify your genre and put together an appropriate mailing list. Once that's in place, start sending out your letters. Good luck!
Making the transition from indie to traditional author is much more likely if you put in the hard work yourself. It's a goal you have to work toward every day, and it may take some time before you're ready to write that first letter. But if you've got a firm foundation in place, it is more likely you'll make that switch.

Writing 101: Saving Time

Most writers don't make a lot of money. This is a fact you must embrace if you expect to keep being able to plug away at the keyboard. The truth is, in order for most to make any sort of decent career with writing at all you have to write  a lot. That means you have to master the art of saving time. Otherwise, you'll spend most of that time just working.

Time Machine

In most cases, indie authors don't make their sole income from self-publishing books. The majority of indies must also have a day job. And if that day job is writing, it's more like a day and night job. If you write articles and books to make money, you have to write a lot of them. This takes up a whole lot of time.
Time management helps. Staying organized, staying focused -- sure, that's all well and good. But if you want to successfully juggle all your responsibilities, you should also learn how to save time. 
Nothing Like a Shortcut
Sometimes, you're going to have to hurry. You're going to have to cut corners. As long as you can find ways to do it responsibly, without sacrificing the quality of your work, shortcuts can work. Think of it as more creative time management. 
My girl likes to work all the time: Use your devices for more than playing Candy Crush. Start using a cloud and get apps to access your documents using your tablet or phone, or both. This will allow you to work more often, and from anywhere, so you lose less time while you're in transit, waiting for the coffee to brew or waiting at the doctor's office.Multitasker: Learn how to do two things at once. Fold laundry with one hand while researching for your manuscript with the other. I never eat a meal without also working on something while I'm doing it. Don't just watch TV or talk on the phone. Get something else done at the same time. Stop over-thinking it: Writers tend to be analytical and perfectionists, and these are not qualities that lead to speed. Stop over-thinking every line you write and just write. In order to get things done, you have to keep moving and keep going. Remember, the first draft is supposed to be a bit of a mess. So if you stumble don't sit and think about it for twenty minutes. Pick yourself up and keep going. 
Saving time is going to become essential if you make your living off the written word. Learn how to do it, and you'll have more time to do all the stuff you really want to do.

Writing 101: Gonna, C'mon and Other Bastards

When two words are shoved together to make a brand-new word, it's known as making a bastardized (or corrupted) word. If the word catches on, it becomes a part of common language. But when is it okay to use these corrupted words in your books?

Why, I Oughtta
Gonna is one of the most common corrupted words. It's real meaning is used like "going to," as in "I'm gonna finish this blog post soon." This is an example of a true corrupted word, with letters just shoved together to form a whole. The new word is spelled the way it sounds, as is often the case with corrupted language.  Emcee is another example. It's a bastardization of MC, which stands for master of ceremonies.
We use corrupted words so much, in fact, that it can be hard to keep track of which words are bastardized and which are not. When you face one of these corrupted words in the pages of your manuscript, what should you do? 
Proper English


Words like gonna appear in everyday conversation all the time, along with other corrupted words like c'mon and oughtta. And when they appear within the dialogue of your books, it's okay to use them because that's how people talk. But your character should not be thinking gonna or oughtta; they should be thinking going to and ought to. 
Bastardized words can, and in some cases, should, be in your dialogue. But in the rest of your prose? Proper English is always called for.

Writing 101: Action vs. Dialogue

When you really think about it, all decisions really boil down to one of two choices, don't they? Every battle is decided based on those two choices. And as an author, you have to decide which you'll use to introduce your plot points: action or dialogue? 

One for the Ages
It is truly an epic battle that is waged on every page of every manuscript ever written. Should you use the spoken word to convey that piece of information, or a scene involving actions instead? Should you blend the two together into one multi-layered scene? And if so, how? Action vs. dialogue is a never-ending struggle...and I've noticed one common thread among the authors who find themselves losing that war. 
You can't ever let dialogue win. If you want to win this war, then you must embrace the fact that action must be your champion. He's your Achilles, your David, your Russell Crowe. Dialogue is a scrappy little fighter, and it's fine to let him win a few battles. But action is going to carry your book, and it's going to eventually win out. Otherwise...well, you're going to have a pretty boring book. 
If you use dialogue to convey every important plot point, I guarantee you I'll get sick of it before I even get to the fourth chapter. The bad news is that I'm a more patient reader than most. The vast majority will give you three pages to grab their attention at best. 
Dialogue is good sometimes, especially if it's funny or dramatic. Seeing two characters exchange quips (or even better, insults) is amusing for us all. Seeing two characters share deep, dark secrets is captivating. But I don't want to sit through a dozen different conversations that are all essentially the same only to learn some new tiny tidbit of information each time. 
Information can be, and should be, revealed in other ways, too. Characters can discover diary entries, or photographs, newspaper clippings or clothing that reveal something about another character. How about seeing something in their purse, watching something fall from a pocket, or tripping and falling and accidentally discovering something they're hiding under the bed? All of these are action scenes, and good writers can make them sound interesting rather than mundane. Better yet, it's relatable. I've fallen before, and while I haven't necessarily discovered a dark secret for doing so I definitely felt the thump. So I'm going to emphathize with a character who falls, and what's that under the bed? Let's examine this evidence right now! 
I'm excited, I'm engaged, and I'm reading you story because there's action in it. Remember that an action scene doesn't necessarily mean the swords have come out and now we're fencing. An action scene is any scene that involves moving. Walking up the stairs can be an action scene, if something happens on that staircase. A trip and fall can be exciting and a little dangerous, and no one has to bring a sword to the party to make it that way. 
So don't let dialogue win your book...or you'll wind up being the big loser in the war.