Elizabeth Spann Craig's Blog, page 102
July 10, 2016
Helpful Tools and Sites for Writers
by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig
As I’m looking for helpful content for writers, I come across lots of different kinds of tools. Some of them I immediately put into use myself, or I’ll add the article on the tool to an Evernote notebook to study for later.
Sometimes I come across things that aren’t useful for me, but because writers all have different approaches, they’ll be useful for someone. And I think many of these things are worth a try if we get stuck or if we haven’t come up with our own tools yet. Here are a few.
Worksheets:
If you’re interested in trying a worksheet to help get through plotting or brainstorming, there are many different resources available online. Here are a few to get your started:
Beat sheet from Larry Brooks of Storyfix.
Eva Deverell has 52 worksheets from 2015 alone and more each Wednesday.
Annie Neugebauer has some novel plotting worksheets.
Jami Gold has a nice variety of worksheets for writers.
Martina A. Boone offers some character development worksheets.
Or, if you’re in the goal-setting mindset, DIY MFA has goal-setting worksheets.
Writing Courses:
Once every couple of months I get emails from writers asking where they might find online writing courses. I frequently will direct them to the RWA, Romance Writers of America–whether they write romance or not. Their courses range from the business of writing to social media and website creation, to the writing craft. Class fees are generally inexpensive and only slightly higher for non-members. Here are a few sites to get you started, but you can Google ‘online workshops’ and ‘RWA,’ you’ll get plenty of results: RWA (scroll down), Colorado Romance Writers, Outreach International RWA, Lowcountry Romance Writers of America.
The IWSG has a great listing of courses (some free, others not) on their site (scroll to the bottom of the page).
Prompts as Warm-ups:
50 creative writing prompts on a variety of different areas from Bridget McNulty at Now Novel.
Prompts for Writers from Anjie Kokan
Michael Gonchar from the New York Times with 500 prompts for narrative and personal writing
Social Media:
Have trouble connecting with readers (or figuring out what to say when you do?) Angelina M. Lopez on Writers of the Storm explains how to maintain a social media calendar.
For Writers Who Need an Alternative to Excel:
If you’re not great with spreadsheets but you’re finding uses for them, try the free version of Airtable. They have spreadsheets for people who don’t like spreadsheets.
Industry News for Writers:
The Hot Sheet: industry newsletter for authors (30 day free trial): from @Porter_Anderson & @JaneFriedman: http://ow.ly/DIld301hoVW
Need Help On a Specific Subject?
The free search engine for writers from me and Mike Fleming: Writerskb.com
That’s all I’ve got right now…how about you? Come across any great tools or info for writers?
Need writing prompts, or free writing courses or worksheets? Links to resources:
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The post Helpful Tools and Sites for Writers appeared first on Elizabeth Spann Craig.
July 9, 2016
Twitterific Writing Links
by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig
A weekly roundup of the best writing links from around the web.
Twitterific writing links are fed into the Writer’s Knowledge Base search engine (developed by writer and software engineer Mike Fleming) which has over 30,000 free articles on writing related topics. It’s the search engine for writers.
It’s good to be back! Hope everyone had a good couple of weeks. Here’s an extended Twitterific. :)
12 Things Noticed While Reading Every Short Story Published in 2014-–15: http://ow.ly/l5PH301wphW @lucekel @ElectricLit
The curse of 1st person narration: http://ow.ly/EDia301wrbB @NovelEditor
Is KDP Select Right for You? http://ow.ly/jGcs301AYBk @MarcyKennedy
Man Booker Prize Trends: Male and Middle-Aged in 3rd Person: http://ow.ly/VDuy3022Yrx @DennisAbrams2 @pubperspectives
5 Overlooked Pixar Storytelling Tips: http://ow.ly/ZVK9301AYFZ @RobinRWrites
The PLAN method of plotting and the movie Jaws: http://ow.ly/rdPS301AYKh @AlexSokoloff
10 Writing Pitfalls: http://ow.ly/zCLf301AZ3j @MartinaABoone
When Less Is More on Social Media: http://ow.ly/mLcJ301AZ8f @cksyme @JaneFriedman
What’s the Best POD Service for Self-published Paperbacks? http://ow.ly/agVQ301AZjU @jayartale @IndieAuthorALLI
Artists: how to graciously say no to anyone and free up creative time: http://ow.ly/yAyg301B0hb @austinkleon
The Female Bachelor in Literature: http://ow.ly/hXH6301Badb @thepointmag @IvanKreilkamp
How to Manipulate Scrivener Labels: http://ow.ly/rISz301CQhN @Ava_Jae
I Want to Be a Novelist. Where Do I Start? http://ow.ly/A9Vz301CQlj @DanielleLHanna @IndiePlotTwist
Promote Your Book With One Easy Photoshop Technique: http://ow.ly/O4uK301CQso @aliciarades
The Top 10 Books for Hamilnerds: http://ow.ly/vYFT301CQuF @donalybooks @thereadingzone
Grab Readers With a Multi-Faceted Characteristic Moment: http://ow.ly/fFKe301CRh2 @KMWeiland
An agent on interacting with agents on Twitter: http://ow.ly/Io31301CQLa @Janet_Reid
Book Distribution on Demand: Ingram’s Kelly Gallagher: http://ow.ly/IR9t3022YIe @Porter_Anderson @pubperspectives
Character Thoughts: Direct and Indirect Interior Monologues: http://ow.ly/OLFi301CRob @FictionNotes
Writing Phone Conversations to Forward Your Plot: http://ow.ly/YeII301CRrD by Deena Nataf @BookBaby
Why Is “Unlikable” Often a Deal-Breaker for Readers? http://ow.ly/V7R2301CRnG @JamiGold
3 ways weather can help your story: http://ow.ly/KZ4j301CRHs by Ellen Mulholland
Tying (and Trimming) Loose Ends for a Tidy Finish: http://ow.ly/9Sj1301CRym @AlyConnerBrown
How to Start Writing a Novel if Stuck: 8 Steps: http://ow.ly/V14z301tzIy @nownovel
Blogging Got You Down? Follow These 6 Steps: http://ow.ly/qDbk3022XQr @CaballoFrances
Psychic Ability Featured in Crime Fiction: http://ow.ly/fZur301SyDA @mkinberg
‘Rising sophistication’ among indies results in ‘power authors’ with different needs: http://ow.ly/PRNu3022Y9T @Porter_Anderson @OrnaRoss
8 Ebook Discovery Services Compared: http://ow.ly/7IP73022XNI @JohnDoppler @IndieAuthorALLI
5 Important Works of Eco-Fiction: http://ow.ly/yQmk301wjxJ @MidgeRaymond @lithub
Where Science Fiction Meets Punk Rock: http://ow.ly/5uYY301wqo2 @MikeBrooks668 @tordotcom
4 Things The Office Teaches Us About Writing: http://ow.ly/2zj4301woeW @crisfreese @WritersDigest
The Pomodoro Technique: Timers to Improve Productivity and Write More: http://ow.ly/W8DK301wqy2 @WilsonTheWriter
Fiction and Non-Fiction Blend Picture Books: http://ow.ly/Xkss301wrid @Kid_Lit
On the Invisibility of Middle-Aged Women: http://ow.ly/7C5I301wjiw @DortheNors @lithub
Words to describe someone’s voice: http://ow.ly/9Yb9301wqZm from Nimble’s Notebook
10 Cheats to Tell Well: http://ow.ly/ivUW301tzLk @SeptCFawkes
What to Expect When Hiring a Ghostwriter: http://ow.ly/k6DF301tAag @StacyEnnis @JaneFriedman
Evernote For Authors (Video): http://ow.ly/7Gf7301QDd0 @spajonas
3 Tips to Avoid Mistakes with Writing Contests: http://ow.ly/Zv0S301tzRt @janetlaneauthor @RMFWriters
Looking Ahead to the UAE’s Free Trade Zone for Publishing: Bodour: http://ow.ly/o0Rl301YEUy @Porter_Anderson @pubperspectives
7 Helpful Resources for New Freelance Writers: http://ow.ly/WYHV301tzNU @decorcione
3 Cases of Superfluous Hyphenation: http://ow.ly/77zw301tzGO @writing_tips
3 Tips for Collecting a Wealth of Humorous Material: http://ow.ly/kZYp301tAVX @JeanWilund
Developing Themes In Your Stories: The Inciting Incident: http://ow.ly/LGzb301tAnr @SaraL_Writer @DIYMFA
5 Reasons You Should Still Pursue a Traditional Book Contract: http://ow.ly/iuzt301tA0Y @tinaannforkner @WomenWriters
A Pre-Writing Checklist: http://ow.ly/pwR0301tzEI @HeatherJacksonW
Celebrate your Success: http://ow.ly/rUbZ301tzW7 @kcraftwriter
5 Reasons We Need More New Age Fiction: http://ow.ly/INNq301tAg7 @abbeycamp @WritersDigest
10 Things That Improved 2 Authors’ Writing: http://ow.ly/QbXN301tAxE @SGarberGirl @staceyleeauthor
Tech Tips for Writers: How to Embed Google Docs: http://ow.ly/Fkie301tzYw @WordDreams
The Art of the Short Story: http://ow.ly/vVI6301YFL9 @helencphillips @matthewvollmer @lithub
Be a disciplined artist in 7 steps: http://ow.ly/9EQc301pSeu @gigirosenberg
9 Greek Sayings For The Writer: http://ow.ly/dA4k301pS9D @LZMarieAuthor
How To Improve Your Creativity: http://ow.ly/xuVc301pRSR @GarryRodgers1
3 Movies Ruined By Their Endings: http://ow.ly/ojWG301pRM2 @DBlakeAuthor
8 Book Marketing Shots in the Dark: http://ow.ly/okXm301YyFO @DebbieYoungBN @IndieAuthorALLI
Reading habits and the Classics with Bestselling Author @KMWeiland : http://ow.ly/13bP301ZyHh @thewritingtrain
Tune in to the @ReedsyHQ live chat on FB each Wednesday at 3p ET (now). Today’s topic: worldbuidling: http://ow.ly/yNbH301wguu
Why Your Ebook Should Not Look Like a Print Book: http://ow.ly/I8IV301pQKu @JWManus
Why Is Dystopian Fiction Evergreen? http://ow.ly/4zqg301YF2h @MarkPiesing @pubperspectives
Character Archetypes: M for Minions, Medleys and Minor Characters: http://ow.ly/V0SN301pQfD @HunterEmkay
Finding Your Audience: Pre-Launch Steps: http://ow.ly/qtZ5301pQ9d @AngelaQuarles
How To Keep Writing: 5 Tricks To Sneak Past Perfectionism: http://ow.ly/voif301pQ1t by Michelle Russell
5 Ways to Twist the Chosen One Cliche: http://ow.ly/XFKi301pPTs @Write4theKing
Character Archetypes: L for Lover: http://ow.ly/TpEW301pPP8 @HunterEmkay
How to Write a Multi-Dimensional Lead Character: http://ow.ly/R8mU301pRxK @IndiePlotTwist @CarrieLynnLewis
Butt in Chair without an Aching Back: http://ow.ly/oViC301pRmP @KnowlesMarianne @WritersRumpus
5 Books With Families We’’d Like to Live Alongside as Neighbors: http://ow.ly/UZIe301phB0 @stephenhsegal @Valya
Using Backstory Effectively: http://ow.ly/Ni6X301WVDa @p2p_editor
The Business of Screenwriting: Who does what in a writer-representative relationship? http://ow.ly/j4HD301phrl @GoIntoTheStory
10 Tips for Throwing a Successful Book Launch Party: http://ow.ly/OZSM301phu8 @EricaVerrillo
How To Get Your Writing Done: 2 Methods: http://ow.ly/TXc1301phyj @Wordstrumpet
George RR Martin: Game of Thrones characters die because ‘it has to be done’: http://ow.ly/zKAX301phFQ @alisonflood @GeorgeRRMartin
The 10 opposing traits of highly creative people: http://ow.ly/dekJ301phNi @word_smiths
10 Reliable Ways To Get More Out Of Facebook: http://ow.ly/uHYn301phYM @standoutbooks
Why Authors Need An Account on Every Social Media Channel: http://ow.ly/5uY2301phKi @cksyme
3 Reasons All Writers Should Write Flash Fiction: http://ow.ly/xcD3301phZL @Magic_Violinist
Book Marketing: Tactics and Trials: http://ow.ly/PmQG301phto @EmilyWenstrom
Writers: win the morning, win the day: http://ow.ly/DvxX301phMj @Eva_Bec
Plot Twists: http://ow.ly/EfMo301phss @donnalhsmith
Tips for Writing A Character With Depression: http://ow.ly/Bq6n301yIur @misfitalexa
How to Connect Your WordPress Blog to Medium: http://ow.ly/IDTs301yIb4 @teefeena @SMExaminer
8 Common Creative Writing Mistakes: http://ow.ly/7ybt301yBbm @WritingForward
A Better Way to Think About Show, Don’t Tell: http://ow.ly/hwcY301yB3p @RuthanneReid
30 Practical Ways To Beat Writer’s Block: http://ow.ly/IYcH301yAXa @Writers_Write
Why Depression Is Bad For Writers and Tips for Avoiding it: http://ow.ly/OYgj301yAzv @colleen_m_story
Write a Sequel That Doesn’t Disappoint: http://ow.ly/1kkl301yAhv @ink_and_quills
Crowdfunding a novel: Unbound: http://ow.ly/3wOr301U6S0 @Roz_Morris @salenagodden @bobbyllew @whengoddcries
Why Your Hero Should Eavesdrop and Make a Bad Assumption (in 4 steps) : http://ow.ly/K6Di301yA7w @BetterNovelProj
5 Times Katniss Nailed Deep PoV: http://ow.ly/hzOL301yA1p @MarcyKennedy @BetterNovelProj
Modern China is So Crazy It Needs a New Literary Genre: http://ow.ly/7aY7301yzEE by Ning Ken @lithub
A Writing Tool to Help Collect Jumbles of Ideas: http://ow.ly/URnr301TZaO @oliebol
The Rise of the Video Game Memoir: http://ow.ly/NIz5301yyCg @TobiasCarroll @SignatureReads
Why Does Anyone Write? http://ow.ly/mUNH301PNLQ @Alice_Adams @lithub
Lone Wolves and Authors on a Budget: http://ow.ly/9IKk301nRF4 @PiperBayard
15 Ways To Defeat Writer’s Block, As Told By Published Authors: http://ow.ly/u0O9301nRB3 @FarrahPenn
Writing the First Chapter: Tips and Fixes: http://ow.ly/ldq7301Sz6R @RuthHarrisBooks
Be Brave & Write Inclusively: A Resource List: http://ow.ly/p5VE301POmr @QuillShift
How to Finish Your Book in 3 Drafts: http://ow.ly/33cP301nRpu @Book_Arch
Helpful editing tools: http://ow.ly/6Waq301nRk7 @nancylin90
Middle Eastern Writers Find Refuge in the Dystopian Novel: http://ow.ly/acot301nRfU @xanalter @nytimesbooks
How Writers Can Develop Emotional Connections between Reader and Hero: http://ow.ly/RELe301nRae @CSLakin
Writing Cinematically: http://ow.ly/CKKQ301nR0g @AuthorDebRaney
Two Different Approaches to Successful Pre-Orders: http://ow.ly/HN02301SxHN @SteveCampbellFL
8 steps to finding a writing routine that works for you: http://ow.ly/Hx1E301dhek @word_smiths @Write_Track
Mingling at the Twitter Cocktail: 5 Tips: http://ow.ly/HIEp301POB0 @joshfunkbooks
The 7 Stages of Love, According to French Poetry: http://ow.ly/jHxq301PNBx @lithub
Writing Tips: Eliminate Redundancies: http://ow.ly/9Uky301nRsr @WritingForward
7 Seeds You Need To Plant For Future Writing Success: http://ow.ly/EOoN301PNmd @colleen_m_story
Copyright and the Industry’s Authors: Canada’s Book Summit: http://ow.ly/ij0N301PN8I @Porter_Anderson @pubperspectives
Self-publishing to-do list: http://ow.ly/TRSE301PNdG @kseniaanske
3 Tips For Steady Platform Growth: http://ow.ly/WAiY301jOjc @susanrstilwell
Key Statistics on the 2015 German Book Market: http://ow.ly/mWtP301PN2N by Ingrid Süßmann @pubperspectives
Know What Keeps You Sane: http://ow.ly/beb3301jOBn @wendypmiller
Famous Novels Retitled Like Episodes of “Friends”: http://ow.ly/quNg301mPcz by Jason Adam Katzenstein @NewYorker
7 Point Story Structure: Case Study of A Game of Thrones: http://ow.ly/a744301mPYF @kylieday0
What to Do When Your Book Launch Fails: http://ow.ly/Lvfp301mPNW @GoinsWriter @timgrahl
This Is Why You Hated the Ending to That Book: http://ow.ly/z613301mQhl @MegDowell
How To Write A Pet The Puppy Scene For Dark Characters: http://ow.ly/mfdr301mPU1 @DBlakeAuthor
American Noir and the Outlaw Lit of James Sallis: http://ow.ly/FQPz301mPCe @RealLiveCritic @lithub
Finding a building an audience for your blog: 5 tips: http://ow.ly/N21a301mQ6T @debluskin
Dickinson’s poetic innovations depended on her gardening skills: http://ow.ly/LotR301mQnT @ferrisjabr @Slate
5 Books Written by Authors in the Grip of Mental Illness: http://ow.ly/8mKs301hnkI @jeffreysomers
Story Twinkies: Do You Need One? http://ow.ly/PlRh301hirP @RobinRWrites
An Agent on 4 Emotional Obstacles That Trip Writers Up (and How to Work Through Them): http://ow.ly/rw91301QMLv @maria_ribas @ChadRAllen
Your Writing Voice and Putting You on the Page: http://ow.ly/Nhw6301hiE9 @rachaeldthomas
3 Kinds Of Isolation For Your Story: http://ow.ly/VYpd301hi6p @DBlakeAuthor
Creativity, Art And Business With @lisacongdon http://ow.ly/qr5y301hiUP @thecreativepenn
Paris Bookstore Offers Print-on-Demand: http://ow.ly/e4EJ301Fxfq @pressfuturist @pubperspectives
How To Master Structure: http://ow.ly/g54z301hneY by Daniel Murphy @WritersEdit
Imposter syndrome in crime fiction: http://ow.ly/DZso301Fwjg @mkinberg
Grit: perseverance makes you a better writer (and how to develop it): http://ow.ly/MDz9301dh3w @Eva_Bec @Write_Track
Self-Publishing and the ‘Curatorial Mark’ of Trad Pub: http://ow.ly/EcXu301PMdD @Porter_Anderson @pubperspectives
How to Start Your Book In the Right Place: http://ow.ly/BAEC301hhKN @jennienash
The Horror of the Subtle Psychopath (with Examples from ‘Creep’: http://ow.ly/vYov301jNws @brendanmorrow @BDisgusting
The Rule of 3 (And How it Helps Our Writing): http://ow.ly/8rZ1301jNPp @Janice_Hardy
Writing a Memoir: 6 Tough-Love Lessons: http://ow.ly/Dx9y301jNJx @MerylWilliams
5 Unique Ways to Market Your 1st Book: http://ow.ly/rrE4301ffur @MissOhEmGee @WomenWriters
“Does this appeal..? I can have 1429 pages on your desk by noon”: The Elevator Pitch: http://ow.ly/Kl3i301O5sM @nplusonemag by Cora Frazier
How to Start Using Hashtags Effectively: http://ow.ly/3HGr301feWs @BadRedheadMedia
7 Ways to Make Your Historical Novel Come Alive: http://ow.ly/9vHL301feOo by Alison Love @WritersDigest
How Objects Tell Your Story: http://ow.ly/hfS1301feC8 @MindyHalleck
Is ‘Confessional Poetry’ still a relevant term? http://ow.ly/EHaM301fe78 @desi_writers @MominaMela
Writer, Mother, Both, Neither: http://ow.ly/9mTt301fdeu @thelithub @BelleBoggs
How to cheat your creative distractions: http://ow.ly/qMRh301dgXm @Write_Track
On Max Perkins, One of America’s Greatest Editors: http://ow.ly/e4Sz301ceqF @A_ScottBerg
Meditation for Writers: http://ow.ly/zirw301ff7G @MarySharratt @WriterUnboxed
The life and death (ok, just death) of poets: http://ow.ly/Bsbj301Mrms @My_poetic_side
Kindness that adds a bit of relief in crime fiction: http://ow.ly/xtAL301FvKV @mkinberg
3 Ways to Be More Productive When You Sit Down to Write: http://ow.ly/IfpV301ccAK @AGEditorial
Emotional Wounds Thesaurus Entry: Being Stalked: http://ow.ly/9BHF301cc1R @beccapuglisi
Crime Writing: When Your Research Starts to Terrify You: http://ow.ly/Z9X2301cdoq @flynnberry_ @thelithub
From ‘Older’ Publishing to New: Industry Veterans Go Indie http://ow.ly/Zr4V301FwOm @Porter_Anderson @thischairrocks @synch101
People with disabilities are not plot devices: http://ow.ly/3rp6301cbSM @stevenspohn @ChuckWendig
3 Tips to Help Increase Writing Output: http://ow.ly/YP04301ccx1 @JodyHedlund
6 Ways to Make Time to Write: A Guide for Busy Parents: http://ow.ly/Csb8301cc56 @aliventures
Writing with RSI: Tips to treat and avoid RSI: http://ow.ly/kJoa301ccsS @TheOnlyJohnnyA @IndieAuthorALLI
How to Write Dialogue Without Using Adverbs: http://ow.ly/p11U301ccLX @Jffelkins
Word count spreadsheets: http://ow.ly/FcR8301cc7s @jhdierking
5 Essential Questions for Every Writer: http://ow.ly/kfO8301cbZj @joebunting
Lessons in Viral Marketing from One of the Nation’s Top Supermarkets http://ow.ly/ucpl301cbvX @JuliaReffner
How to Customize Your Email Newsletter Sign-Up Forms to Increase Reader Engagement: http://ow.ly/ytSf301cbPv @kikimojo
The Best Categories For Your Book Sales on Amazon: http://ow.ly/P3u7301aRsQ @BookBaby @shelleyhitz
What Information Theory Teaches Writers: http://ow.ly/9WsK301JjdO @p2p_editor
When You Write a Memoir, Readers Think They Know You Better Than They Do: http://ow.ly/c86j301ILLZ @danijshapiro @nytimesbooks
3 Examples of How Semicolons Strengthen a Sentence: http://ow.ly/uMvd301aRyj @writing_tips
Grabbing writing time where you can: http://ow.ly/zBbt301aS9l @EdieMelson
What Kind of Writer Are You: Cook or Baker? http://ow.ly/bHbe301IIgB @annanorthtweets @lithub
Developing a Supernatural Edge: Foreshadowing: http://ow.ly/p4y7301aRKw @RMNSediting
George Orwell’s Personal Guide on the Motivation to Write: http://ow.ly/2o8x301aRYr @katekrake
How to Write Horror: Innovative Ideas: http://ow.ly/u0s0301aRVc @katekrake
Book Promotion: Do This, Not That: http://ow.ly/sVEW301aSbO @NewShelvesBooks
How to Become a Novelist: 10 Top Authors’ Tips: http://ow.ly/Uh8F301aRZX @nownovel
How to Choose a Domain Name for Your Author Website: http://ow.ly/nHDV301aRrw @JFbookman
Adding Layers to Our Books: http://ow.ly/LGKb301b2Eu @RMNSediting
How To Find “The End”: http://ow.ly/Iqgd301aSdR @HazelGaynor @WomenWriters
How to Write Through Distractions: http://ow.ly/NKqx301aRwp @_SmartEDits
How to Overcome Imposter Syndrome as a Writer: http://ow.ly/Klps301aTgh @mdilloway @WriterUnboxed
Do Hedging Words Sabotage Your Writing? http://ow.ly/5jnX301aTc1 @CSLakin
How to Create a Successful Protagonist: http://ow.ly/3bij301aTkR @josephrbates
High maintenance characters in crime fiction: http://ow.ly/Xvdz301FveQ @mkinberg
Avoiding contrivances in our stories: http://ow.ly/1hjv301aT5j by Chris Winkle @mythcreants
Tips for Writers on Using Instagram: http://ow.ly/j4Wc301aSNR @JennBardsley
Tackling Speech Tags: http://ow.ly/23dB301aSD9 @RMNSediting
How to write foot-tapping copy: http://ow.ly/zoAQ301a4jN @wearearticulate by Sarah Cready
4 tips for success with our writing: http://ow.ly/VUre301FuNY @author_sullivan @TheIWSG
Great Dialogue Makes the Best Stories: http://ow.ly/8sMi3019XkA @AmySueNathan
Free Writing: How to get out of your head and into your character: http://ow.ly/fSH03019XgS @louisehawes
Why Superheroes Are Bigger Than Their Stories: http://ow.ly/OeEX301FsNb @bobproehl @lithub
Did an illicit affair give birth to Moby Dick? http://ow.ly/9uCC301Ftgb by William Giraldi @NewRepublic
International Publishing and the UK’s Vote for ‘Brexit’: http://ow.ly/TtUS301Fwze @Porter_Anderson @pubperspectives
Tending Garden: Writing and Editing Advice for Debut Novelists: http://ow.ly/q4D030103Mv @SignatureReads @ElizJChurch
How To Write About Your Life Without Boring Your Readers: http://ow.ly/rauV301a4sw @LifeDoneWrite
How to Develop Your Best Novel Writing Ideas: http://ow.ly/Cudr3019XcL @WritingForward
ISBNS – the Complete Lowdown for Indie Authors: http://ow.ly/zPE8301DrvN @murdertakestime @IndieAuthorALLI
Social Media Scams: 8 More Scams Writers Should Know About: http://ow.ly/sFpg301CRWx @annerallen
Keeping Your Story Real Even When You’re Lying: http://ow.ly/jYrg3019WTx by PJ Parrish
5 (Dirty Little) Truths about Proofreading: http://ow.ly/MFgv3018OEn @manzanitafire @LitReactor
How to Start Your Book or Movie with a Bang: http://ow.ly/mb3D3018NYo @patverducci
Poetry as Substitute for Medication: http://ow.ly/xTgK30104oJ @rosmance @SignatureReads
Corralling Your Writing Ideas: http://ow.ly/Vwyr3019WN7 @Wordstrumpet
10 Tips For Creating Fantastic Book Cover Designs: http://ow.ly/Ah923019WJv @joshuajdesign
Are Libraries the New Bookstores? http://ow.ly/i8zp3019WRP @marthamconway @WriterUnboxed
How do you know if you’re a good writer? An agent responds: http://ow.ly/5oVn3019WOa @Janet_Reid
8 Keys to Constructing a Great Plot for Your Novel: http://ow.ly/ekAp3019WDM @lornafaith
12 tips for good description: http://ow.ly/nkpq3019WW4 by Abby Geni @glimmertrain
8 Ways to Use Goodreads to Promote Your Book: http://ow.ly/306l3019WBD @EricaVerrillo
4 Tips for Avoiding Sentence-Level Clichés: http://ow.ly/ZXNa3019WCG @ceciliaedits
How To Express Your Characters’ Thoughts: With Exercises: http://ow.ly/LtqY3018NGO @standoutbooks
“The Most Valuable Thing I Learned at Pixar: How to Fail”: http://ow.ly/gr123018NUW @GoIntoTheStory”
Creative people have psychopathic personality traits: http://ow.ly/aqxN3015mj8 @chelsebaum @ElectricLit
The Pen Name Pickle: @JayneAnnKrentz on the Pseudonymous Life: http://ow.ly/ZgrT30103xw @SignatureReads
More Than Mere Dialogue: http://ow.ly/NmGP3018O9Y from Advanced Fiction Writing
70 Idioms with Heart: http://ow.ly/avD13018NAW @writing_tips
A Guide to Characterization http://ow.ly/sjC13018NsD @stupidpenney
Why Are So Many Poets Also Artists? http://ow.ly/FrpB3018Ovx by Maggie Millner @thelithub
The Portrait Of The Antagonist As A Human Being: http://ow.ly/99N13018NDv @MiaJouBotha
What Are The Rules On Mixing Viewpoints When Writing Fiction? http://ow.ly/ssLD3018O5S From Advanced Fiction Writing
The curse of 1st person narration: http://ow.ly/r7uE3018OKO @NovelEditor
Ernest Hemingway: Middlebrow Revolutionary: http://ow.ly/ChTn3018OhC by Michael Bourne @The_Millions
5 Places To Find Inspiration For More Interesting Characters: http://ow.ly/gRyU3015lrj @misfitalexa
The top writing links of last week are on Twitterific:
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June 25, 2016
Twitterific Writing Links
by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig
A weekly roundup of the best writing links from around the web.
Twitterific writing links are fed into the Writer’s Knowledge Base search engine (developed by writer and software engineer Mike Fleming) which has over 30,000 free articles on writing related topics. It’s the search engine for writers.
I’m going to take a short summer blog break and will go dark until July 10th, when I’ll return with an extended Twitterific. :) Early wishes for a Happy Independence Day for my blog readers in the States.
Alternate Endings to Great Expectations: http://ow.ly/mZCE301B7nv @TheToast @mallelis
Plot vs Character: What Drives a Great Novel? http://ow.ly/HyU23015k9u @nownovel
Is a Quick Release Schedule Right for Your Books? http://ow.ly/QR1Z3015k6u @ksumnersmith
Take Your Reader to Another World: http://ow.ly/JpLZ3015keB @KeithCronin @WriterUnboxed
5 Places To Find Inspiration For More Interesting Characters: http://ow.ly/gRyU3015lrj @misfitalexa
The Pen Name Pickle: @JayneAnnKrentz on the Pseudonymous Life: http://ow.ly/ZgrT30103xw @SignatureReads
Creative people have psychopathic personality traits: http://ow.ly/aqxN3015mj8 @chelsebaum @ElectricLit
Ernest Hemingway: Middlebrow Revolutionary: http://ow.ly/ChTn3018OhC by Michael Bourne @The_Millions
“The Most Valuable Thing I Learned at Pixar: How to Fail””: http://ow.ly/gr123018NUW @GoIntoTheStory”
The curse of 1st person narration: http://ow.ly/r7uE3018OKO @NovelEditor
What Are The Rules On Mixing Viewpoints When Writing Fiction? http://ow.ly/ssLD3018O5S From Advanced Fiction Writing
How To Express Your Characters’ Thoughts: With Exercises: http://ow.ly/LtqY3018NGO @standoutbooks
The Portrait Of The Antagonist As A Human Being: http://ow.ly/99N13018NDv @MiaJouBotha
Why Are So Many Poets Also Artists? http://ow.ly/FrpB3018Ovx by Maggie Millner @thelithub
A Guide to Characterization http://ow.ly/sjC13018NsD @stupidpenney
70 Idioms with Heart: http://ow.ly/avD13018NAW @writing_tips
More Than Mere Dialogue: http://ow.ly/NmGP3018O9Y from Advanced Fiction Writing
Poetry as Substitute for Medication: http://ow.ly/xTgK30104oJ @rosmance @SignatureReads
How to Start Your Book or Movie with a Bang: http://ow.ly/mb3D3018NYo @patverducci
5 (Dirty Little) Truths about Proofreading: http://ow.ly/MFgv3018OEn @manzanitafire @LitReactor
4 Tips for Avoiding Sentence-Level Clichés: http://ow.ly/ZXNa3019WCG @ceciliaedits
Keeping Your Story Real Even When You’re Lying: http://ow.ly/jYrg3019WTx by PJ Parrish
Do Writers Need To Be Alone to Thrive? http://ow.ly/b39K301B1lc @lithub @angelaflournoy @KatherineTowler
Checklist for redesigning your book cover: http://ow.ly/lcya301AYv0 @Roz_Morris
Images in Posts and an Amazon Anomaly: http://ow.ly/lllA301BflD
How A Book Foreword Can Help An Author’s Career: http://ow.ly/fz9l301z5yf @jckunzjr
Ciphers and coding in crime fiction: http://ow.ly/B7aG301AXbP @mkinberg
How to Get Reviews: Without Cheating: http://ow.ly/7LUD300XoIl @hopeclark
10 Tips For Memoir: http://ow.ly/1rJ23015lBj @MargotStarbuck
What 1 Writer’s Parents Really Think About Her Memoir of Alcoholism: http://ow.ly/qyOJ3015l0h @sarahhepola @thelithub
7 Seeds You Need To Plant For Future Writing Success: http://ow.ly/T2UL3015kAD @colleen_m_story
The Myth About Print Coming Back and Bookstores on the Rise: http://ow.ly/IFps3015lfS @JaneFriedman
Studying Screenwriting: Classic 30s Movie: “It Happened One Night”: http://ow.ly/6zYc3015klS @GoIntoTheStory
How to Get the Most From Your Professional Book Edit: http://ow.ly/hSZS3015lTn @BubbleCow
Happily Ever After: Anatomy of a Romance Novel in 9 Parts: http://ow.ly/S5UQ30103iM @SignatureReads by Catherine M. Roach
5 Reasons Why Moby-Dick Just Won’t Die: http://ow.ly/Ktu6301yyvV @MZBeauregard @lithub
3 Tips To Writing A Great Acknowledgements Page: http://ow.ly/fENp301z54w @jckunzjr
Why Indie Presses Are Opening Bookstores: http://ow.ly/DyUj301tRhm @JonSealy @lithub
Writers’ Wedding Tips: 6 Adaptations to Guide You: http://ow.ly/gXrC301039A @Keith_Rice1 @SignatureReads
Is crowdfunding right for you? A roundup with everything you need to know: http://ow.ly/aipW301ypEW @PAShortt
Can My Indie Book Be Discovered? http://ow.ly/UMQX300XoF9 @hopeclark
A Familiar Newcomer to Czech Books: Empresa Media: http://ow.ly/6dfj301wuF8 @jaroslawadamows @pubperspectives
Troubled Waters: Causeways of Shingle, Sand and Ice in Horror Fiction: http://ow.ly/cny33012CEi @ThisIsHorror by V.H. Leslie
The Building Blocks of Great YA Fiction: http://ow.ly/SFc33012BZs @SophieMasson 1 @WriterUnboxed
How to Start a Story in First Person: 8 Tips: http://ow.ly/MQJN3012Cfn @nownovel
4 Ways to Spark Your Writing Ambition If You’ve Been Feeling a Bit Meh: http://ow.ly/7tXg3012Cps @reallucyflint
How to Survive the Edit Letter: http://ow.ly/Gxmg3012Cna @Ava_Jae
The Inciting Event: http://ow.ly/xi3Y3012CuA @HunterFaith @magicalwords
Character Type: Addict: http://ow.ly/lbhS3012C84 @GoIntoTheStory
Giving it Away: How the Gift Economy is a Great Model for Professional Writers: http://ow.ly/KlRq3012DKJ by Jasper Bark @ThisIsHorror
‘Wayward Pines’: Developing Elements of Suspense in Fiction http://ow.ly/ZftP3012Cc3 @crisfreese @WritersDigest
Dangling Modifiers: http://ow.ly/pjaM3012CjR @HopeTDougherty
How to Become a Ghostwriter: http://ow.ly/aIvD30102MX @Roz_Morris @JaneFriedman
Show, Don’t Tell: Micro vs Macro: http://ow.ly/8xIt30102JC @AnnetteLyon
How Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein’s Monster Became Human: http://ow.ly/mSUy301tQZZ by Francine Prose @NewRepublic
Tune in to the @ReedsyHQ live chat on Facebook each Wednesday at 3p ET (now). http://bit.ly/28TpYzb . Today’s topic: Covers
How to Figure Out Who Raised Your Hero (and Why You Need to Know): http://ow.ly/Fxoh30101Xl @RuthanneReid
Railing against the grammar police on exclamation points: http://ow.ly/QExj30101NC @annerooney
The Visual Writer’s Guide to Pacing & Tension: http://ow.ly/aXNS30101Ui @sacha_black
Publishing & Politics: ‘ ‘Trumpian Dystopia’: http://ow.ly/O5tz301wuXQ @Porter_Anderson @pubperspectives
Nordic Noir is a Reflection of Modern Europe: http://ow.ly/Uh4o301wk3H @emelieschepp @JoakimZander @ElectricLit
The Dystopian Future in Which Everyone is the Boss: http://ow.ly/miDk301wjHd by J.C. Pan @lithub
Market to Your Preferred Readership: http://ow.ly/ts2u300XoCx @hopeclark
Australia’s Debate on Book Imports, Copyright and Fair Use: http://ow.ly/A5CO301qV3v @Porter_Anderson @pubperspectives
Garth Williams, Illustrator of American Childhood: http://ow.ly/5LeQ30101gw @asarahlarson @NewYorker
Lose the Guilt: You Don’t Have to Write Every Day: http://ow.ly/hkec30102aa @RuthanneReid
3 Best Practices in Life and Writing: http://ow.ly/aMpO30101C5 @lisajlickel
Beats, Revisited: The Shifting Legacy of a Literary Generation http://ow.ly/XYrN301018J TobiasCarroll @SignatureReads
6 Self-published Novels That Made the Big Screen: http://ow.ly/lnvF30101m2 @rosmance @SignatureReads
A profile of the world’s least effusive travel writer (Geoff Dyer): http://ow.ly/izeB30100zo @ArrowsmithUSA
Our Adored Cadavers: Dead Women in Lit: http://ow.ly/OTUZ301tP0u @CadaverFormosus @Hazlitt
Swiss Academic Publisher @KellyShergill Steps Onto World Stage: http://ow.ly/DX6O301qUzN @Porter_Anderson
Dead Dogs Are More Than Metaphors: http://ow.ly/GGDj301tOt4 @lithub @thelampton
Why women are writing the best crime novels: http://ow.ly/W7ty301tQEQ by Terrence Rafferty @TheAtlantic
Pulp Friction: if Barnes and Noble goes out of business: http://ow.ly/9Db8301tPVR @PassiveVoiceBlg @NewRepublic
Stepping off the Hamster Wheel: http://ow.ly/mBoZ300WqTR @Jeannie_Moon
Bates Motel: Building Suspense When You Already Know The Ending: http://ow.ly/Ob2T300WqWb @DBlakeAuthor
4 Tips for Depicting Characters With Disabilities: http://ow.ly/ejuu300WrdO @mythcreants by Chris Winkle
Where To Start: Beginnings: http://ow.ly/UGYq300Wr3y @JillWilliamson
A Pre-Writing Checklist: http://ow.ly/oGsH300Wras @HeatherJacksonW
Using Minor Characters to Explore Theme: http://ow.ly/GbKY300WqRe @dougeboch
Genuine fears for your characters: http://ow.ly/fMZt300Wrfz @ShanDitty
Plumb the Emotional Depth of Your Setting: http://ow.ly/2wZ1300Wr8J @kcraftwriter
7 Tips for Paranormal Writers: http://ow.ly/X3YV300WrcG @worddreams
Pursuit plots: http://ow.ly/YYRs300Wrby @HeatherJacksonW
How to Break Up Your Novel into Definable Sections: http://ow.ly/11wU300WqUz @CSLakin
Horror Hiding In Other Genres: Why You Shouldn’t Write ‘Horror’: http://ow.ly/pohX300WqYi @DBlakeAuthor
Show Don’t Tell: http://ow.ly/det0300UImA @sjaejones
News coverage: consumers say reading text is quicker than video: http://ow.ly/W5xS301qTft @Porter_Anderson @risj_oxford @pubperspectives
Insular settings in crime fiction novels: http://ow.ly/eUaD301qMax @mkinberg
Why Free is Still a Smart Marketing Strategy: http://ow.ly/lZda301rx8e @storyrally
Research Your Way to a More Believable Book: http://ow.ly/o8cb301qLzQ @Robin_Gianna @jemifraser
World-Building Tips and Tools: http://ow.ly/QV4M301qLa6 @TheIWSG @AlexJCavanaugh
Book Formatting Tips: Cleaning up the Word Document: http://ow.ly/Ozpy301qMVZ @SpunkOnAStick @DancingLemurPre
Canada’s @MargaretAtwood to receive 2016 Pinter Prize: http://ow.ly/kKT1301qT1b @Porter_Anderson @pubperspectives
Character Development Is a 2-Edged Sword: http://ow.ly/gJ1p300UIdw @JamiGold
5 Ways to Use Dialogue to Spice Up The Middle of Your Novel: http://ow.ly/jndC300UItu @MartinaABoone
Resisting the Shiny New Idea: http://ow.ly/4kBs300UIeb @Janice_Hardy
Develop Regional Appeal for Greater Readership: http://ow.ly/QvYf300UIiu @WhereWritersWin by Lynda Bouchard
Combining 2 Ways to Plot: http://ow.ly/Nr4z300UIg6 @Ava_Jae
Why you need both CreateSpace and IngramSpark: http://ow.ly/P9lg300UIvx @NewShelvesBooks
The Grant of Rights Clause (Contracts/Dealbreakers): http://ow.ly/eThc300UIsx @KristineRusch
Time Management for Writers: http://ow.ly/i4ry300UIrA @katemoretti1
What Pinch Points Are All About: http://ow.ly/yNxc300UIuB @CSLakin
7 Quick Journaling Exercises To Improve Your Fiction Writing: http://ow.ly/uOlw300UIfs @DanielleLHanna
How to Build and Grow Your Email List: http://ow.ly/2VvU300UIlz @WhereWritersWin
‘The Last Book My Father Read’: After Decades of Hard Work, a Retirement in Books: http://ow.ly/BKO8301piKM by Patrick Ryan
Write to Satisfy the Reader’s Ear: http://ow.ly/92gG300UIUn @Lindasclare
Turn a Cliché Into a Reader’s Surprise: http://ow.ly/bY1N300UIFL @ZoeMMcCarthy
Gretchen Marquette on the unexpected poetry of her father’s life as a cop: http://ow.ly/zKXd301piHL
Fatherhood: Ruining the Writing Career, Saving the Writing: http://ow.ly/Ae3y301pipV @lithub @The_Big_Quiet
How to Make Your Novel Universal: http://ow.ly/bNLS300TNZv @SPressfield
The top writing links of last week are on Twitterific:
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The post Twitterific Writing Links appeared first on Elizabeth Spann Craig.
June 23, 2016
Images in Posts and an Amazon Anomaly
by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig
A note today on what I’ve been working on images in our social media posts and a question for trad-pub to self-pub authors regarding Amazon.
First, the relatively new importance of images on our posts. Any posts.
I’ve heard for a while that images are vital for visibility. That can mean getting a really solid book cover design to make your book more salable, but it also means that blog posts and other social media posts get more visibility with a good image attached.
Although I was aware of this for years, I had one big thing standing in my way…my horrid design skills. Fortunately, that is no longer a problem. My design ‘skills’ are just as horrid as ever, but I’ve got free design help through Canva and DesignFeed . Now I can fake it better.
One of Twitter’s updates appeared to focus on images in its feed–automatic grabs of images on some posts (I’m assuming posts that have the appropriate image size for this type of automatic sharing). I share a lot on Twitter, but I never deliberately attach photos through TwitPic or whatever the app is…images just upload themselves, which saves me a lot of bother.
I’ve noticed over the last few months that it’s true that posts with images are shared more and get more impressions than Twitter posts with text only. Even articles I’ve shared that related to poetry, which never used to get shares now get lots of retweets and clicks. The only thing that’s changed is the fact that Twitter is lifting images to accompany the article.
Second, an oddity with Amazon.
Visibility on this retailer is vital to our sales. I realized when writing a post that my most-recently published book’s Kindle edition (which is my first self-published follow-up to the rest of Penguin’s 5 book series) was not included in the series list with the rest of the books. To a reader browsing for Kindle books, it would appear that the series had only 5 books in it. You can see that on this page.
The print copy of the book was listed with the rest of the Penguin-published books in the series, as you can see here.
Clearly, I wanted to fix this. I asked Amazon, through my Author Central account, to give me a phone call. I was on the phone with a helpful representative for nearly an hour while she tried to figure out why the digital edition wasn’t linking to the series list. She ultimately believed that KDP might be behind in linking new releases to existing series so she transferred me to that department and they opened a ticket.
Several days later, I was told via email from an Amazon KDP rep:
The thing is that in order to display the correct information of a series page on the Amazon website, you need to publish the book under the same account, otherwise the information wouldn't be displayed on a correct way on the website.
Also we are unable to set a series page for the same reason, so in order to be able to correct this situation you need to publish all the books under the same account and in this way we will be able to set the series page for your books.
Keep in mind that in case that you will need to unpublish the titles we will be able to link the information of the previous books to the new ones, so you won;t loose the information related to the titles as the reviews that they already have available on the website.
I hope that this will clarify your inquiry and also that this will help you to create the correct information to your series.
Obviously, this did not clarify my inquiry. I wrote back saying that this was a traditionally-published series through Penguin that I had taken to self-pub. Surely I could have my self-pubbed books linked to the rest of the series, regardless of whose account it was through.
I received this back:
I understand your concern regarding adding the book to Series
I've checked with our Technical team
I am sorry to inform that currently we're unable to add the books in the Series, if the books are published through different account because of account security reasons
You need to publish all the books under the same account and in this way we will be able to set the series page for your books.
You can ask the Penguin-Random House to unpublish the book and publish the book through your KDP account, if you would like to set the Series page
Thanks for your comments about creating a Series page for the books published through different accounts. I've passed on the information to our Business team.
We'll consider your input as we plan further improvements.
Feedback like yours helps us continue to improve our author and publisher experience.
Thanks for your understanding and co-operation
Thanks again for your interest in Amazon KDP.
Again, I wrote back and explained that I didn’t think Penguin would take kindly to my asking to have their titles unpublished and republished to my own name and my own KDP account. The whole idea made my head spin…the response I’d get from Penguin…wow! And I asked them why my print self-published book was linked to the rest of the series and the digital version couldn’t be.
I received this back:
Hello Elizabeth,
I apologize for the inconvenience this issue may have caused.
Kindly note, Create Space and Kindle Direct Publishing has different policies, as per our policy it is not allowed to add a book in a series which is published through different account. Our technical team add a book in a series only when all the books are published under the same account.
However, what I can do for you right now is, I'll take your concern as feature request and communicate the same to our business team for consideration as we plan future improvements.
I'm unable to promise a timeframe at this time, however, we are still evolving and feedback like yours motivate us to dive deep and unearth ways and means which helps us in making publishing on KDP a happy experience.
Please be sure to check our forums periodically for updates:
https://kdp.amazon.com/community
Thanks for your understanding and support. We look forward to providing continued support to you.
Admittedly, this is only one way to find my books through Amazon. My other books in the series are also linked through my name and show up in the ‘also-boughts’ (“customers who bought this, also bought…”).
But on a retail site where visibility is everything, I sure would like to get that Kindle book listed with the rest of the books in the series.
Has anyone else encountered this issue with Amazon? Or, going back to my other topic today, are you ‘image-conscious’ on your blog?
Images for online visibility and an anomaly at Amazon:
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June 19, 2016
Why Free is Still a Smart Marketing Strategy for Fiction Writers
by Jason Kong, @storyrally
If you’re wondering whether not charging for selected stories is benefiting your promotional campaign, you’re not alone.
With all the free writing flooding the internet, it’s harder to stand out. Even if someone downloads your free eBook, your fiction is competing with all the other stories on that person’s digital reader.
Given the ubiquity of free, it’s reasonable to question whether the market is saturated, thus reducing the effectiveness. I, on the other hand, believe free still works.
Let’s take a closer look on why that is.
How fiction authors hook new readers
Many marketing options revolves around elevating interest. Some simple examples: a compelling description of your story or an attractive book cover.
Positive word-of-mouth is particularly effective in this respect. That’s why online book reviews are so useful. Or how a recommendation from a friend gets you to check out a novel you’ve never heard of before.
But one of the most powerful forms of marketing is allowing people to try the product themselves, and letting them draw their own conclusions. If they’re happy with the sample, they’ll be more inclined towards other offerings under the same brand.
And that’s the true value of sharing some of your fiction writing for free. It allows you to accelerate the process of connecting your stories with the readers that want them.
Because people believe their own experiences above all.
If free is such a smart idea, then why doesn’t it work better?
The reason could be your implementation of the tactic. For example:
Instead of asking for a review or plugging your other stories in your free eBook, why not incentivize readers to sign up for your email newsletter? Keeping in touch and building trust over time is a great way to grow a loyal readership.
Instead of just waiting for people to find your free story, why not target the kind of readers that would enjoy it? Using Facebook Ads, for instance, gives you the ability to specify characteristics of the recipients that see your advertising.
Over to you
Have you found free to be an effective marketing strategy in promoting your fiction writing? Why or why not?
Jason Kong is the founder of Storyrally, a free email-based subscription that helps fiction writers with their online marketing. Sign up now and receive the guide “How to Use Testimonials to Hook New Readers.”
Why Free is Still a Smart Marketing Strategy for Fiction Writers ( from @storyrally ):
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The post Why Free is Still a Smart Marketing Strategy for Fiction Writers appeared first on Elizabeth Spann Craig.
June 18, 2016
Twitterific Writing Links
by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig
A weekly roundup of the best writing links from around the web.
Twitterific writing links are fed into the Writer’s Knowledge Base search engine (developed by writer and software engineer Mike Fleming) which has over 30,000 free articles on writing related topics. It’s the search engine for writers.
How a writer wrote 29 stories in 29 days: http://ow.ly/s4YX301dgNM @sophiegood @Write_Track
Crime Writers: Can a DNA Sample Reveal Age? http://ow.ly/xvGl300Q9M3 @DPLyleMD
Hook Your Reader: 3 Tips for Novelists: http://ow.ly/hXpF300SzUg @womenonwriting @WriteToSell
Offline strategies for building your email list: http://ow.ly/rH9T300SArL @cksyme
3 Email List Building Essentials: http://ow.ly/bpvt300SAnY @cksyme
How to Be Inspired to Write Every Day: 10 Ideas: http://ow.ly/GapR300SA2K @nownovel
8 women-focused road trip books (and the need for more): http://ow.ly/9TGz301ifd4 @BernadetMurphy @thelithub
8 Ideas For Getting More BookBub Followers: http://ow.ly/J1mQ300SA0w @DianaUrban
Delusions of a Published Author: http://ow.ly/1P1Y300SABv @MartinaABoone
The Next Novel You Read May Have Been Chosen by a Computer: http://ow.ly/WbwZ300SAgL @chelsebaum @ElectricLit
How to Launch a Book: http://ow.ly/nZw2300SAjx @JAHuss
7 Point Story Structure: Game of Thrones Case Study: http://ow.ly/kR3g300SA5l @kylieday0
3 Simple Ways to Boost Creativity: http://ow.ly/M3W4300SAFQ @cathysbaker
Self-Myths in Character Building: http://ow.ly/3Xvy300SAx2 @ramonadef
5 Amazing Literary Worlds Created by Women Writers: http://ow.ly/8QI7300SAXx @RealCharlaine @tordotcom
“I’m A Writer And A Father, Not One In Spite Of The Other”: http://ow.ly/u05l300F3T4 @Rumaan
Radically Different Fictions of Fatherhood: http://ow.ly/yGYR3015mzy @elusivecorporal @NewRepublic
Why Hardcover is the New Vinyl: http://ow.ly/Ur7Y300T7cH @yahdonisrael @thelithub
The Hero Embodies the Theme: http://ow.ly/AMhS300TNo9 @SPressfield
You need a business model to make it as an artist: http://ow.ly/xC51300TNz5 @jccabel
How to Work Alone: http://ow.ly/cWpP300TNHJ @PaulJun_
Anthologies: Benefits to Writers and Tips for Inclusion: http://ow.ly/ypkR301b2gx @AlexJCavanaugh for @annerallen
Backstory, Info Dumps, Preaching, and Repetition: http://ow.ly/nwm5301nR4f @AlyciaMorales
How to develop better ‘to do’ lists: http://ow.ly/O9EI301mcBo @pubcoach
3 Reasons Why Novels Fail: http://ow.ly/2Gqt301dgAL @p2p_editor
15 Scheduling Apps to Save You Time: http://ow.ly/W9RL301cg1r @CaballoFrances
9+ Ways to Earn an Income as a Writer: http://ow.ly/rzdm301md8j @tessaemilyhall
Publishing Industry Myths and Legends: http://ow.ly/Qe7T300QafI @MissConstance21 @DIYMFA
What Works & What Doesn’t: ‘Showgirls’: http://ow.ly/GIOV300Qaup @chris_shultz81
How to Create Social Media Videos on a Budget: http://ow.ly/Jesi300Q9HA by Matt Perl @SMExaminer
Why you should just say thanks: http://ow.ly/3oxv300Q9zv @pubcoach
10 Dialogue Errors to Avoid: http://ow.ly/fbmQ300Q9VZ @Writers_Write
3 Cases of Semicolon Overkill: http://ow.ly/3Bdc300Q9q9 @writing_tips
10 Plugins Writers Need For Their WordPress Website: http://ow.ly/1Te7300QaqW @WilsonTheWriter @LitReactor
5 Marketing Tips for Introverts: http://ow.ly/Moi9300QajU by Amy Bearce @DIYMFA
How Writing Helps 1 Writer With The Empty Nest: http://ow.ly/MQuU300Q9tn @KairaRouda @WomenWriters
Making the Most of a Story Critique: http://ow.ly/TSsY300Qa0c @TalValante
The Power and Pain of Procrastination: http://ow.ly/3hzD300Qa5p by Sarah Tipton @YAtopia_blog
The Horrors and Pleasures of Translating Ulysses: http://ow.ly/jZ5p301lftf @ladymodernist @thelithub
5 Writing Sheds You’ll Want To Build For Yourself: http://ow.ly/yVcn300Q8aW @adearinthewoods @LitReactor
A Cozy Mystery Author on Influences and What Makes a Solid Mystery: http://ow.ly/tmTr301lpJq @thewritingtrain
How Non-Euclidean Geometry Turned 1 Writer Into a Rebel: http://ow.ly/kEme300Q8sJ @DIYMFA
The Dark Side of Longform Journalism: On Waiting for the Bad to Happen: http://ow.ly/LXar301lppZ by Luke Mogelson @thelithub
The Man in the Macintosh: One of Literature’s Great Mysteries: http://ow.ly/hXv7301lfmQ @ThePhthailer @thelithub
Feedback: Why You Need It, Especially When Writing for Diverse Audiences: http://ow.ly/WAVH300PSVg @QuillShift
The push for short story writers to pen a novel: http://ow.ly/STxC300Nw4p @ambernoelle @ElectricLit
The 90-10 Rule for Marketing and Writing, and How To Love It: http://ow.ly/xNmd300NvXk @AuthorSAT
Font Styles in MS Word: http://ow.ly/Y70X300NvLc @NovelEditor
The uneasy relationship between money, media, and creative freedom: http://ow.ly/F6Qq300NvCk @nevalalee
Cross-Media Storytelling Projects from Poland: http://ow.ly/MvAh301hpzA @BeyondTheBook @biedalak @pubperspectives
Margins and Font for Print Books: http://ow.ly/uqH3300NitY @NovelEditor
A Writer Comes to Terms With Her Mental Health: http://ow.ly/9gjo301jOTQ @ShadowChaosFox
10 Essential Spanish-Language Books: http://ow.ly/JJb7301ceg6 @ds_paris @PublishersWkly
Writing the Anti-Hero: Interview with @lshiltonauthor: http://ow.ly/38Kl300Q8nE @diymfa
Why You Should Take Your Book Publishing Contract to a Lawyer: http://ow.ly/hrqG300Q8UE @monicamclark
6 Game Development Lessons For Writers: http://ow.ly/pOle300Q8f0 @helpfulsnowman @LitReactor
5 Reactions to Expect after Telling People You Write Books: http://ow.ly/3BZN300Q8Q6 @Je55ieMullin5
On Writing and the Permission to Succeed: http://ow.ly/xdB9301iPTY @ElissaAltman
Publishing: Sneaky Money Grabs (Contracts/Dealbreakers): http://ow.ly/RQKa301ifvD @KristineRusch
The Truth Behind An Author’s Instagram: http://ow.ly/j6aX300NiAW @AuthorSAT
5 In-Demand Writing Careers for People Who Don’t Want to Be Authors: http://ow.ly/uwBu300Niae @jesslaw
The Best in Surf Lit: http://ow.ly/Pext301if29 @DwyerMurphy @thelithub
The Worst Thing A Reader Ever Said To One Writer: http://ow.ly/uR5Y300Ni5d @AuthorSAT
The Hot Sheet: industry newsletter for authors (30 day free trial): from @Porter_Anderson & @JaneFriedman: http://ow.ly/DIld301hoVW
At The NY Society Library: …books Burr and Hamilton borrowed (and TWITTER Elizabeth S Craig
Mary Poppins and the Art of Sweetening with Scene: http://ow.ly/jKzE300KuMJ @HitlessWonder @brevitymag
What sets a writer apart from the crowd? http://ow.ly/5p9Z300KxZK @CalebPirtle
Criticism of Popular Reading in Malaysia: http://ow.ly/ou3t301hp79 @DennisAbrams2 @pubperspectives
Leaving town to escape the heat: a plot device in crime fiction: http://ow.ly/UyCD301hoFr @mkinberg
Writing and the Permission to Succeed: The Intersection of Art and Shame: http://ow.ly/59xA300M9Zd @poormansfeast
Create an Effective Writing Routine: http://ow.ly/c1dJ300Nixs @jonathanballcom
Mentoring Women Writers: http://ow.ly/gWvt300Nimi @mandajjennings @WomenWriters
A Conference’s Focus on Publishing Rights: http://ow.ly/zoYu301hpij @Porter_Anderson @WeAreIngenta @pubperspectives
Giving your writing style more impact: http://ow.ly/N2Al300Nicf @RayneHall
How can you sell books if you don’t know your market? http://ow.ly/K4hm300NiqQ @CalebPirtle
Staying Focused Enough to Write: http://ow.ly/8gmq300Ni2M @Janice_Hardy
How to Create a Monthly Social Media Calendar: http://ow.ly/WUcz300NifL @AngelinaMLo
How Helvetica Conquered The World With Its Cool, Comforting Logic: http://ow.ly/9Krt301cfH5 @PassiveVoiceBlg @FastCoDesign
Nothing Works Until It Works: On Writerly Discomfort: http://ow.ly/7n6h300KuTG @csferguson @The_Millions
Writing as a Small Sturdy Boat: http://ow.ly/970F300KuA6 @OneReidReading
Stop. Using. Periods. Period. http://ow.ly/hGqq301fdCf @_jeffguo @washingtonpost
Is Your Author Website Mobile Friendly? http://ow.ly/N79P300Kus5 @SukhiJutla
10 Things to Learn before You Self-Publish Your Book: http://ow.ly/66eu300Kuml @K_Pashley
How To Create a Daily Writing Habit and Stick To It: http://ow.ly/8Hqw300Kuvi @SukhiJutla
Reading vs watching and The Night Manager: http://ow.ly/oL9S301b9GB @Roz_Morris
The Abuses of Public Domain Fiction: http://ow.ly/AnoO300KtLb by William Patrick Maynard @BlackGateDotCom
To Do: Prioritize My Writing: http://ow.ly/hqsA300KuCW by Amy A. Whitcomb @brevitymag
How Copywriting Can Help Our Fiction: http://ow.ly/B7Yl300Ky1N @KateMColby
What Writers May Not Know about the “Required” 3-Act Structure: http://ow.ly/1D68300KtFj @CSLakin
No Genre Ever Dies: On Loren D. Estleman and the Pulp Tradition: http://ow.ly/k5Xt300KuXA @The_Millions by Bill Morris
Why Keywords Are So Important: http://ow.ly/NkBV300IzC2 @kadaxis
Pre-requisites of a professional-level story: http://ow.ly/KFGA300Izvw @storyfix
10 (Practically) Cringe-less Self-Promotion Ideas for Authors: http://ow.ly/B89x300Izeb @daisygal
Crime writing: pushing victims off of cliffs: http://ow.ly/TEuW301cgaD @mkinberg
Writers: Get The Right Kind Of Feedback: http://ow.ly/PThI300Izb3 @mollygreene
Editing for People Who Hate Editing: http://ow.ly/wIbu300Iz6P @Rachel_Aaron
Crowdfunding Usually Doesn’t Work for Writers: But It Can: http://ow.ly/2sT2300IyXq @bethanyjcarlson
How To Turn Your Rules for Failure Into Success: http://ow.ly/HXiE300IyRH @BadRedheadMedia
Tips for Writing Realistic Crime Scenes from Captain (Ret.) @JBroadmeadow http://ow.ly/9UUv301dyv1 @SueColetta1
Why I (usually) will not lower my speaking fees”: http://ow.ly/3vdg300IyLn @nicolamorgan”
Power Your Scenes With the 5 Senses: http://ow.ly/YUIm301cqEe @AngelaAckerman
7 Tools to Make an Author a Periscope Rock Star: http://ow.ly/UHxB300Hyxs @Sharon_Jenkins @bkmkting
Filter out those Filter Words: http://ow.ly/zs8V301ceQv @Alicia_Dean_ @TheIWSG
Live coverage of Rights & Content in the Digital Age: 9aET / 1pGMT Monday (now): #pprights16 http://ow.ly/wEj9301aKLu @Porter_Anderson
The art of handselling books: http://ow.ly/R9RI300Hyjn @sandrabeckwith
Almost Six Figures. @thecreativepenn ‘s Breakdown Of One Year Of Book Sales By Format, Vendor, Genre, And Country: http://ow.ly/zy3A301cbpw
Podcasts for writers: http://ow.ly/SQ6v300IzlV @K8Tilton
The Non-Compete Clause (Contracts/Dealbreakers): http://ow.ly/PV8k300Iywn @KristineRusch
3 Quick Tips to Avoid Dumb Mistakes with Writing Contests: http://ow.ly/DSQj300Iyqp @janetlaneauthor @RMFWriters
Tips For Evaluating a Traditional Publishing House: http://ow.ly/9U8V300Iyjh @SusanSpann @RMFWriters
Social Media Scams: 7 Scams Writers Should Know About: http://ow.ly/ViCB301aSW9 @annerallen
One Major Pitfall of Writing Strong Characters: http://ow.ly/KimC300HbtN @KMWeiland
Top 10 Book Cover Design Tips For Self-Publishers: http://ow.ly/VLRg300Hbur @jckunzjr
Are your email marketing tactics putting readers off? A plea for ethical email etiquette: http://ow.ly/kJPC301aSSQ @Roz_Morris
Expressing characters’ thoughts: http://ow.ly/EqIX301aSFM @RMNSediting
When (and How) to Tell Your Editor No: http://ow.ly/N9dt300Hbpz by Jessica West @K8Tilton
The top writing links of last week are on Twitterific:
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June 16, 2016
Mysteries as a Reader and a Writer
by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig
What makes a solid mystery? What is it about murder mysteries that draws readers to the genre? How good are mystery writers at picking out the killer as readers?
Today, I hope you’ll join me at Benjamin Thomas’s excellent blog, The Writing Train, where I discuss these questions and others…including why Scooby Doo could be counted as one of my major influences. :)
Hope you have a great weekend.
The post Mysteries as a Reader and a Writer appeared first on Elizabeth Spann Craig.
June 12, 2016
Let’s Get Sensory: Powering Scenes Using The 5 Senses
by Angela Ackerman, @AngelaAckerman
There isn’t a writer alive who doesn’t believe description is important. We know that the key to pulling readers into our fictional world lies in how well we can describe each scene, giving it color and texture, and infusing it with emotion and substance. And one of the very best ways to achieve this is to use sensory detail: the sights, smells, tastes, textures, and sounds that our POV character or narrator experiences.
Emotion factors heavily in sensory description because the mindset of the POV character influences what they notice (which also determines what details the reader is privy to). A character sitting by a river to enjoy a happy, reflective moment after graduating university may be drawn to clusters of green shoots along the muddy bank that slant in the direction of the sun. She might note the sharp, clean scent of pine needles and how each breath makes her feel renewed. The give of moss, the gentle breeze, and the sound of the water chuckling across stones…all of these details may lull her (and the reader) into a sleepy state of satisfied bliss.
However, a character dropping behind an uprooted tree along the riverbank to hide from her enemies would focus on different details: the poke and scrape of wood against her back and arms as she presses tight against the fan of roots. The cold river water seeping into her shoes as they sink in the mud which reeks of decay. The snap of branches, the shouts of her pursuers, the squeezing rush of her own shuddering breaths.
As writers, we can do so much with sensory detail, adding tension and painting each scene with emotion and mood. Choosing the right sensory description not only helps readers feel like they are drawing breath alongside the protagonist, it also triggers their emotional memories. A well-placed sensory detail will cause a past moment to surface, a time when the reader felt the same sensations and emotions as the character. This powerful “shared experience” is what we want to strive for as we describe, because it lays the groundwork for empathy.
A big struggle for writers is thinking beyond what is seen, and working in other sensory details: sounds, smells, tastes, and textures. Usually these take a bit more thought, but they make the experience so much more memorable and vivid for readers. Here’s a checklist you might find helpful, listing how each sense can elevate the scene. Feel free to pin it on pinterest, share it on social media, or print it out to have on hand as you write.
Multisensory details are important, but don’t feel that you have to use all five in every scene. We want to achieve a layering effect that creates an experience, but it needs to always fit with the action and mood of the scene. For example, in the throes of deep emotion or high action, the POV character’s attention will not always be on the world around them to the same degree, so we should only include details that can be worked in naturally.
For more tips on filtering in multisensory description that adds to (rather than pulls away from) a scene, check out The Urban Setting Thesaurus: A Writer’s Guide to City Spaces.
Rock The Vault
If you’d like to take a crack at busting open the Writers Helping Writers prize vault, stop in! Becca and I are celebrating all week and giving away some phenomenal prizes as we welcome two new books into our Thesaurus family.
Angela Ackerman is a writing coach, international speaker, and co-author of the bestselling book, The Emotion Thesaurus: a Writer’s Guide to Character Expression, as well as four others including the newly minted Urban Setting and Rural Setting Thesaurus duo. Her books are available in five languages, are sourced by US universities, and are used by novelists, screenwriters, editors and psychologists around the world. Angela is also the co-founder of the popular site, Writers Helping Writers, as well as One Stop For Writers, an innovative online library built to help writers elevate their storytelling.
Power Your Scenes With the 5 Senses by @AngelaAckerman
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June 11, 2016
Twitterific Writing Links
by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig
A weekly roundup of the best writing links from around the web.
Twitterific writing links are fed into the Writer’s Knowledge Base search engine (developed by writer and software engineer Mike Fleming) which has over 30,000 free articles on writing related topics. It’s the search engine for writers.
3 tips for newsletters: http://ow.ly/pG4w300Bv6P @austinkleon
What makes bad writing bad? http://ow.ly/T2Se300F2g4 @GuardianBooks @tobylitt
6 Cases: How to Write Infrequent Phrases: http://ow.ly/Nk5F300F2CJ @ZoeMMcCarthy
Top 10 fictional houses with personality: http://ow.ly/UcIW300EZlu @TomEaston @GuardianBooks
Knife or Gun: Which is Better in Close Quarters? http://ow.ly/qoEd3016GCD @benjaminsobieck @JChaseNovelist
Infusing Emotion into Every Scene and Chapter: http://ow.ly/En5L300F2A6 @JordanDane
11 Exercises That’ll Make Book Lovers Excited To Work Out: http://ow.ly/OPHc300EYIQ @FarrahPenn @PBlackk
10 Popular Baby Names Invented by Authors: http://ow.ly/V46j300EYBJ @CharlotteAhlin @bustle
Can text in different colors help you tackle the most difficult books? http://ow.ly/dga6300F21s @timchester @mashable
The Hard Truth About Being a Professional Writer: http://ow.ly/n8OP300F2cn @KristenLambTX
5 Things a Writer Learned Writing Her 1st Book: http://ow.ly/rE6N300F2Gy @KatWithSword
Tips for Increasing Conflict: http://ow.ly/9Mw6300F2ul @Eileenwriter
11 Writing And Drawing Tips From Brilliant Graphic Novelists | Bustle http://ow.ly/yc3N300F3l4
On Superheroes and the Myths of American Power: http://ow.ly/LuSr300F3DY @sallyrooney @thelithub
A Publisher on 2 Maddening Things Reviewers Say: http://ow.ly/8qKE300Hbo9 by Agatho
Using The Audiobook Service ACX: http://ow.ly/88m7300Hc1E @RamiUngarWriter
Types of Christian fiction: http://ow.ly/qQAV300Hbw1 @IolaGoulton
Music rights and streaming give insight into publishing’s subscription model: ahttp://ow.ly/2dYd3019aDj @AudiamMusic @erinlcox
When (and How) to Tell Your Editor No: http://ow.ly/N9dt300Hbpz by Jessica West @K8Tilton
How to Write a Winning Book Proposal: http://ow.ly/xeG7300p6eG @sarahsuch @publishingtalk
Uganda’s Newest Publishing House: http://ow.ly/vkKx3019apr @DennisAbrams2 @pubperspectives @nyanaKakoma
Crime Writers: Shoot to Kill or to Wound? Here’s the Answer: http://ow.ly/NBve300Bvhy @LeeLofland
Observations and tips on taking a trad-published series to self-pub: http://ow.ly/7A4F3018QGj
A Crowd-Driven Publisher: http://ow.ly/bZI33019a0e @erinlcox @adamgomolin @pubperspectives
Master plots: vengeance: http://ow.ly/VHD6300BvDP @HeatherJacksonW
Crime Writing: Can a Government Database Match a Gun to a Person? http://ow.ly/wJCN3016GgN @benjaminsobieck
Car trouble as a catalyst in crime fiction: http://ow.ly/OKra3017zQe @mkinberg
10 Ways to Win with WordPress: http://ow.ly/i5es300p69o @jonreed @publishingtalk
Awesome Story Stakes with Bill and Ted: http://ow.ly/7sZ8300Bvon @dougeboch
3 Cases of Missing Commas: http://ow.ly/ngei300BvxM @writing_tips
Indie Author Marketing: 5 Essentials For Profits: http://ow.ly/xJhE300BvrG @angee
11 email mistakes: http://ow.ly/1MUN300BvQe @pubcoach
Writing Scary Scenes: 6 Tips: http://ow.ly/JkmB300BvKV @RayneHall
Master plots: out of the bottle: http://ow.ly/8G6F300BvH5 @RobinRWrites
How To Share Your Protagonist’s Deepest Feelings With Readers: http://ow.ly/9jwC300BvAR @AngelaAckerman
On Screenwriting: 8 Things to Know Before Signing a Writing Contract: http://ow.ly/GeYt300Bvkb @dougeboch
Indie Publishing is the New B-Movies. Here’s Why That’s A Good Thing: http://ow.ly/SpHy300yZmL @Adam_Cesare
10 Books to Read for Pride Month: http://ow.ly/LSSY3015mP7 by Cassidy Foust @thelithub
Actually, All Writers Steal: http://ow.ly/i7AB300yZHR @RufiThorpe @thelithub
Crime writers: shotguns aren’t idiot-proof: http://ow.ly/Wfsm3016G7F @benjaminsobieck
6 Questions Writers Must Answer When Writing Urban Fantasy/Paranormal: http://ow.ly/6vuz300z09B @mishellbaker
Script Analysis: “The Silence of the Lambs”: Scene By Scene Breakdown: http://ow.ly/BZ27300z10E @GoIntoTheStory
How to write about food: http://ow.ly/61eL300p62u by Andrew Webb @publishingtalk
10 tips to learn from a creative writing lecturer: http://ow.ly/tRq3300p5w1 @JuliaBell @publishingtalk
Ebooks in Mexico: slowed sales growth: http://ow.ly/WyLC3014jCX @adamcritchley @pubperspectives
18 Speaking Tips to Rivet Your Audience: http://ow.ly/6GLu300p1Nl @ZoeMMcCarthy
Developing Themes In Your Stories: The Inciting Incident: http://ow.ly/Mp2j300z02e @SaraL_Writer
4 Lessons learned from super niche marketing: http://ow.ly/ji3t300yZjf @MarsDorian
How to Discover and Protect Your Most Creative Time for Writing: http://ow.ly/6HmF300yZwl @jkwak
Bloodline: A Study in Creating Conflict & Tension in Fiction: http://ow.ly/h8pw300z19g @crisfreese
How to Use Distraction to Your Advantage: http://ow.ly/Alvl300yZUM @Psych_Writer
Big Publishing is Not as Big Anymore: http://ow.ly/ofrt300yZa8 @asap_jonathon @flavorwire
The Latest from @authorearnings : More Data, More Profitable Authors: http://ow.ly/lEik3014jzU @Porter_Anderson
Why You Should Ask Your Doctor If He Reads Fiction: http://ow.ly/SZb2300BwsI @colleen_m_story
Why do mysteries trump romances in the UK? http://ow.ly/RoQQ3014jtI @pressfuturist @pubperspectives
Creating Your Author Brand: http://ow.ly/d5a2300wkuE @carlaking @BookBaby
4 Times an African Writer Rewrote a Western Classic and Nailed It: http://ow.ly/XwCO3012Dzy @brittlepaper
Finding the Courage to Write About Abuse: http://ow.ly/NQcb300wkiY @KarenLeeAuthor @WomenWriters
Neil Gaiman on His Favorite Horror Movie: http://ow.ly/4DuI3012B7U @neilhimself @thelithub
Top 3 self-publishing mistakes and how to avoid them: http://ow.ly/9yRK300p50Y @iamselfpub @publishingtalk
High Stakes: 6 Examples of Drug War Fiction Done Right: http://ow.ly/zloG30104ua @adammaid @SignatureReads
5 of the Best Apps for Writers: http://ow.ly/mDAQ300p2gh @katekrake @writeturninfo
3 Components That Help You Create a Strong Story: http://ow.ly/ASPi300p1Jh @ZoeMMcCarthy
How Hemingway’s Bad Behavior Inspired a Generation: http://ow.ly/qoM93012Bcu @lesleymmblume @thelithub
14 Things All Writers Have Said (And What They Actually Meant): http://ow.ly/schl300EXsz @CharlotteAhlin @bustle
Camp NaNoWriMo: Write a giveaway to build your mailing list: http://ow.ly/cajM3011Kpv @NaNoWriMo @jayartale
How to Find a Niche Audience: http://ow.ly/4Dt7300wk7n @Philip_Overby @mythicscribes
What Is Your Potential? http://ow.ly/hxJc300wkyM @DanBlank @WriterUnboxed
Flip Your Characters To Twist A Plot: http://ow.ly/HHqg300wknI @Writers_Write
Tips to Crafting a Successful Novel Series: http://ow.ly/MNku300wkrp @CSLakin
Know Your Novel’s Premise: http://ow.ly/kDJY300vzex @Lindasclare
Kinship plots: http://ow.ly/idQw300wi3E @robinrwrites
Fixing coincidences in our novel: http://ow.ly/rXPv3011KeI @p2p_editor
In Search of Obscure Words for Even Rarer Feelings: http://ow.ly/433330100nx by Tiffany Watt Smith @thelithub
How to create an on-trend book cover in 5 steps: http://ow.ly/a18k300p4W7 by Sarah Juckes @publishingtalk
Teaching Shakespeare in a Maximum Security Prison: http://ow.ly/Ulji30100Xt @MikitaBrottman @thelithub
The Most Poetic Cities in the World: http://ow.ly/YeJy3010uaM @My_poetic_side
Character Development: Psychological Personality Types: http://ow.ly/8i4o300p2c9 @katekrake @writeturninfo
5 Techniques to Add Suspense to Your Story in Any Genre: http://ow.ly/PUZr300p1Fa @ZoeMMcCarthy
How to Quit Bad Scenes: http://ow.ly/qvDb30104jA @RufiThorpe @SignatureReads
How To Stay Motivated For A Project When It’s Not New Anymore: http://ow.ly/qb7r300p1kt @misfitalexa
When My Authentic is Your Exotic: http://ow.ly/11BX300wivE @SoniahKamal @thelithub
Designing Your Author Brand: http://ow.ly/IPEa300whXS @Rachel_Aaron
Metamorphosis plots: http://ow.ly/1oDD300wi97 @RobinRWrites
Become an Intuitive Writer: http://ow.ly/VjPP300whUz @JanalynVoigt
To the Unpublished Writer: You’re Doing Okay. http://ow.ly/ZJq0300wi0I @SeptCFawkes
Cluttered Writing Life: Causes & Cures: http://ow.ly/oO7K300whS9 @JanalynVoigt
Why Authors Should Use Instagram: http://ow.ly/2Fq3300wisy @LizandLisa
Make a Living as a Writer: A Simple Strategy That Works: http://ow.ly/d85x300XowC @hopeclark
How to Survive Co-writing: http://ow.ly/QYlw300tOYB by dnuenighoff
6 Ways to Create Conflict and Get Your Protagonist in Trouble: http://ow.ly/1K9V300tPni @RuthanneReid
3 Strategies to Creating a Better (Fictional) World: http://ow.ly/yS23300tPjW @Rachel_Aaron
How To Turn Your Setting Into An Obstacle Course: http://ow.ly/VzaD300tPgw @AngelaAckerman
Are You Planning Your Writing Career €¦ or Winging It? http://ow.ly/GoJg300tP8K @aliventures
Passive Voice and How to Make It Active: http://ow.ly/Nhxa300tOPZ @ProWritingAid
13 Things Writers Are Tired of Hearing: http://ow.ly/X9Lo300EXgk @CharlotteAhlin @bustle
Tennis featured in crime fiction: http://ow.ly/cQ45300Xo9P @mkinberg
The Danger of Responding to Reviews: http://ow.ly/y1vF300XV8Z
Twitter Fiction: What Is It? How to Write It. And Why You’d Ever Want To Try. http://ow.ly/3pn1300p25a @katekrake @writeturninfo
10 Fixes to Edit Unclear and Wordy Sentences: http://ow.ly/WEcy300p1B2 @ZoeMMcCarthy
Insecure Writer’s Support Group: What it Offers Writers: http://ow.ly/3rCL300XmpB @TheIWSG
German Ebook Sales Up, Revenue Down: Have sales plateaued in Germany? http://ow.ly/byJL300XnWl by Ingrid Süßmann @pubperspectives
5 Free Online Resources All Writers Need To Be Using: http://ow.ly/S3zQ300p1h7 @misfitalexa
5 Ways to Steal 30 Minutes of Reading Time: http://ow.ly/M2jE300tOsx @DanaLeipold @DIYMFA
How to write sex scenes without cliché or embarrassment: http://ow.ly/CZSc300p4RH @mitziszereto @publishingtalk
#MusicForWriters: Composer Lewis Pesacov: A 5,000-Year Love Story’s Moment In Eternity: http://ow.ly/6dLd300W6j4 @Porter_Anderson
Fallow Fields: An Argument for Letting Your Creativity Rest: http://ow.ly/efFz300tBEp@kristanhoffman
Against Clichés Against Clichés: A Manifesto: http://ow.ly/ci24300tBt4 by Helen Betya Rubinstein @The_Millions
How To Make A Book Trailer: http://ow.ly/gN5P300rvWE @AngelikaAuthor @womenwriters
Auditioning an editor: http://ow.ly/XSZe300VSpC @ColeHeartedGirl @RWANYC
Could We Just Lose the Adverb? http://ow.ly/wmrx300rvPq @xlorentzen @nymag @vulture
The Importance of Your Author Photo: http://ow.ly/1q1Q300W5GV @Porter_Anderson @IngramSpark
The top writing links of last week are on Twitterific:
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June 9, 2016
From Trad-Pub to Self-Pub–Tips and Observations
by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig
This is the second time I’ve gotten the rights to my characters back from a publisher and taken a trad-published series to self-pub. The last time I did this was five years ago.
There were some big differences between this time and last time. The first time I’d had only one book released in the series before taking it to self-pub. This time the series had five books in it.
This latest series had a nice following but I found that many of my readers for the Penguin series seemed unaware of my self-published series. They would email me asking when the next Southern Quilting Mystery was coming out and I would tell them…and then ask if they knew about my Myrtle Clover series. Many times they didn’t.
One reason they didn’t is because Penguin didn’t want any non-Penguin books included in my author bio. I can understand this. So not only were my self-published books not included in my bio, the original trad-published book in the series (from Midnight Ink) wasn’t, either.
So that’s officially my favorite thing about taking this series to self-pub. I loved, loved, loved being able to advertise my self-pubbed series in the back of the book. I’m hoping for some real crossover from my audience.
And now for the curiosities from this release. Print sales have been very strong…I’ve ranked as high as in the top 15,000–18,000 for printed books on Amazon. It’s also selling well through IngramSpark, which tells me that bookstores are ordering it for customers.
The oddest thing about that to me is that the book clearly isn’t competitively priced in print–it’s running at $10.99, which I think is pretty high. But when you’re doing POD (print on demand) with CreateSpace and Ingram, that’s the kind of price you have to set to make a profit.
So…why are the readers buying it? I suspect that’s because these readers always did buy this series in print. They went to the bookstore and purchased them there. They want the print edition.
But the book was in mass market paperback size as trad-pub…you just can’t get that in POD. Are they going to ultimately be upset that this book isn’t exactly the same size as the other books in the series? I think it would bother me when I looked at the bookshelf.
The ebook sales have been even stronger than the print. I suspect this is because I set the ebook price at $4.99. Other releases in the series are at $7.99. I’m undercutting my other books and the releases of trad-published cozy writers. I had one reader email me in confusion … why was the new release less expensive than the older ones? Regardless, it’s worked well as a sales strategy.
Takeaways from this and general tips for moving a series to self-pub:
First off…don’t be afraid to ask for your character rights back for your trad-published series. This is a lucrative decision.
Secondly, price wisely when you’re releasing the book to gain visibility in a crowded field. The POD version isn’t going to be priced reasonably, but some readers won’t mind.
Use this opportunity to promote your other series, particularly any self-published series or books from other publishers that you weren’t allowed to promote previously.
Try to make sure the quality of the writing and production (design, editing, etc.) are as good as you can make them. Readers will hold the book to the same standard of the trad-published books.
Ensure Amazon adds your newest book to their list of the books in the series. They haven’t for me (I just realized it) and that’s something I’ve got to immediately try to fix by contacting Amazon.
Now that you have your rights back, you can fully exploit them. Consider an audiobook format of the book in the hopes of gaining new readers for the older books…especially if each book in the series reads like a standalone without a continuing arc. You can even explore translation rights.
Look into putting your book up on IngramSpark so that bookstores are more likely to stock them or order them for customers (bookstores aren’t keen about buying from Amazon, for obvious reasons). Many of our trad-published readers may be accustomed to buying from a bookstore and we want to get those sales.
Although I had a good experience with this series at Penguin, I feel so much more relaxed now that I’m in control of every aspect of its promo and production.
Now over to you. Any other trad-pub to self-pub converts out there? Any self-pubbed writers experimenting with IngramSpark? What do your print sales look like as a percentage of your digital?
Observations and tips on taking a trad-published series to self-pub:
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The post From Trad-Pub to Self-Pub–Tips and Observations appeared first on Elizabeth Spann Craig.
