Elizabeth Spann Craig's Blog, page 109
January 16, 2016
Twitterific Writing Links
by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig
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.
A writer changes her mind on free books and using IngramSpark: http://ow.ly/X60U6 @Roz_Morris
How to Find a Literary Agent for Your Book: http://ow.ly/Wxnoj @JaneFriedman
4 Tips for Succeeding at a Conference: http://ow.ly/WxnqK @ChristianBerkey
#FutureChat: Authors on the march in 2016: http://ow.ly/X6lvc @Porter_Anderson
4 Resources to Check Out for Building a Better Novel: http://ow.ly/Wxnvp @reallucyflint
How to murder a character? Methods from Inspector Morse: http://ow.ly/XaoNY @Jag248RPA
Here’s Why You Need a Writing Graveyard: http://ow.ly/Wxnz4 @reallucyflint
AmazonCrossing, BookTrack, SELF-e Updates: http://ow.ly/X6m1q
You’ve Finished a Rough Draft. What Now? http://ow.ly/WyMm1 @EmilyWenstrom
Defining women’s fiction: http://ow.ly/WyMow @AmySueNathan
How Horror Saved 1 Writer’s Life (And Why Writing it is Good for the Soul): http://ow.ly/WyMuW by Alexander Gordon Smith @tordotcom
5 Writing Tips For Teens Seeking To Become Authors: http://ow.ly/WyMjY @writeonepub
What to do About Twitter Non-Followers: http://ow.ly/WyMmM @EmilyWenstrom @DIYMFA
Scrivener: Creating a New Doc and Working with Scenes: http://ow.ly/WyMqE @KelsieEngen
Accidental Outdated Slang in YA: http://ow.ly/WyMtz @HeatherJacksonW
How To Import Word Comments into Scrivener in 5 Easy Steps (PC Version): http://ow.ly/WxkGC @Lexirad
Co-authoring and Writing for Anthologies? Read this first: http://ow.ly/WzpTL @ELWicker
The Redemptive Arc: http://ow.ly/WzpI7 @DavidCorbett_CA
Checklist: How to Write a Query Letter That Doesn’t Suck: http://ow.ly/Wzpmx @mridukhullar
How mindfulness helped writer @Rubywax through depression: http://ow.ly/WzoRH
13 Ways to Stay Creative: http://ow.ly/WzpVF @kylieday0
Writing Tips for Getting and Staying Organized: http://ow.ly/WzpJx @writingforward
The importance of paying attention as a writer: http://ow.ly/WzpMF by Annette Lyon
What Should I Study In College If I Want To Be A Writer?” http://ow.ly/WzpbB @stephmorrill”
The 4 Rs Of Speech Writing: http://ow.ly/WzpOl @AnthonyEhlers
5 Uses of Real Science in The Expanse: http://ow.ly/Wzpoz by Oren Ashkenazi
Rewriting Your Script: Set It Aside: http://ow.ly/WzpRr @gointothestory
5 Productivity Hacks Anyone Can Use to Write Books Faster: http://ow.ly/WxkIS @Lexirad
How the Internet changed the way we read: http://ow.ly/Wzp25 @dailydot @jacksonbliss
How To Resuscitate A Lifeless Scene: http://ow.ly/WAGEI @writers_write
A Story Game to Train Our Imagination: http://ow.ly/WAH4d @hodgeswriter
Beginners’ 4 faults: http://ow.ly/WAGTR @caroclarke
How to Write What You Know And Then Change the Story: http://ow.ly/WAGQ1 @Sejal_Badani
The Minimalist Guide to Writing Brilliant Settings: http://ow.ly/WxkEr @Lexirad
10 Writer’ Resolutions We Can Keep: http://ow.ly/WxmhF @CatMousePress
Do writers need ‘public solitude?’ Writing, offline and on: http://ow.ly/X3ciD @Porter_Anderson
The Making of an Indie Audiobook: A How-To Guide: http://ow.ly/WxjIb @Lexirad
Be Realistic About Your Writing Resolutions: 5 Tips: http://ow.ly/WxmGN @writers_write
6 Self-Editing Tips: http://ow.ly/Wxm2n @ProWritingAid
How to launch your book with at least 25+ Amazon reviews: http://ow.ly/WxmSU @timgrahl
50 Plot Twist Ideas for Your Work-In-Progress: http://ow.ly/Wxn2y @reallucyflint
Making the Most Out of Your Marketing Buck: http://ow.ly/Wxm96 @jaimiengle
The Self-Publishing Checklist: Editorial, Production, Distribution: http://ow.ly/WxmYA @JaneFriedman
What’s your wheelhouse? A quiz for creatives: http://ow.ly/Wxmnh @ramonadef
How To Filter Description Through Your Characters: http://ow.ly/WxmKf @margmcalister
Trust Your Nouns and Verbs: http://ow.ly/WxmdQ @kcraftwriter
Developing Sleuth, Villain, and Victim Characters: 40 Character Questions: http://ow.ly/WxmBI by John Morgan Wilson
Write Your Character’s Eulogy: http://ow.ly/WxkiO @KerryGans
Why 1 author will stop writing her bestselling series: http://ow.ly/X0Y9n @JulieHyzy
What’s the Best Way to Label Your Chapters? http://ow.ly/Wxkkj @Janice_Hardy
Before You Launch a Patreon for Your Writing, Read This: http://ow.ly/Wxk7y @hellothefuture
How to Know Your Book’s Cover Needs a Redesign: http://ow.ly/Wxk8L @dianaurban
Launch Etiquette: MUST You Buy the Book? http://ow.ly/WxkgA @KerryGans
Writing Conflict: How to Ruin (Fictional) Lives: http://ow.ly/Wxkat @jodimeadows
How to Increase Sales at Apple iBooks: http://ow.ly/Wxk50 @goblinwriter
How To Write A Non-Fiction Book: http://ow.ly/WxjRN @thecreativepenn
Working with Public Libraries: A Guide for Authors: http://ow.ly/WxjGR @kathys_quill
How to Build a Book-Based Email List: http://ow.ly/WxkcH from Authority Self-Publishing Podcast
The Ebook Retail Universe: http://ow.ly/Wxkm8 @dkudler
Writing and Publishing with a Book Packager: http://ow.ly/Wxjux @TalkativeTara @Paperlanternlit
The Night-Sea Journey and How to Use it in Your Story: http://ow.ly/Ww26F @evadeverell
. @Wattpad: why it’s important and how writers can best implement it: http://ow.ly/WWuLr @Star2dotcom @liztai
How to Use Scrivener to Start and Finish a Rough Draft: http://ow.ly/Ww280 @mgherron
“Birdman” Triumphant: A Genre Assessment of an Unconventional Narrative: http://ow.ly/Ww25Z @SeanPCarlin
Sifting Through Story Ideas: http://ow.ly/Ww2dG @jodimeadows
Inciting Incidents: A Breakdown: http://ow.ly/Ww23y @sjaejones
How to Write a Book Series: http://ow.ly/Ww2gt @shesnovel
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey: 7 Point Story Structure: http://ow.ly/Ww2hP @kylieday0
How Many Obstacles are on the Hero’s Journey? http://ow.ly/Ww2f3 @BetterNovelProj
Character Lists: Coax Your Characters out of Hiding: http://ow.ly/Ww2c8 @writeabook
Paid Ads for Books (How to Test Them in 2016): http://ow.ly/Ww29H from Authority Self Publishing
A Dissection of Han and Leia: http://ow.ly/Ww28W @writingeekery
5 Hard-Hitting Plot Tools To Unstick Your Story: http://ow.ly/Ww24L @MandyCorine
Creating Compelling Characters: http://ow.ly/Wp4sZ @hywood
Egocentric characters in crime fiction: http://ow.ly/WTmF1 @mkinberg
3 Twists to Move Past Stereotypes and Freshen Your Characters: http://ow.ly/Wsaqu @Julie_Glover
Submitting to Anthologies: What You Should Know and Why You Should Give It a Try: http://ow.ly/WTlDA @LGKeltner
Using IngramSpark to print and distribute our books: http://ow.ly/WT0l6
Writing the Small Town Romance: http://ow.ly/Wp4m5 @ktlane3
Book Sales Tips from a Book Fair Director: http://ow.ly/Ws9mf @FrugalBookPromo
Turning a Cover Change Into a Positive Marketing Experience: http://ow.ly/Ws9uy @FrugalBookPromo
How The Literary Class System Is Impoverishing Literature: http://ow.ly/WsakJ @thelithub @BerryFLW
How They Write A Script: Terry Southern: http://ow.ly/Ws9Sv @gointothestory
11 Things Learned by not Working in Pajamas: http://ow.ly/Ws9P5 @ErinMFeldman
6 ways for writers to stay safe online: http://ow.ly/Ws9zi by Alex J Coyne
50 Things a Writer Shouldn’t Do: http://ow.ly/Wsa5w @@ThreeGuys1Book
5 Ways to Improve Our Twitter Profile: http://ow.ly/Ws9Zj @denisewakeman
Subtext: A Key Element of Dialogue: http://ow.ly/Ws9M1 @writeabook
6 Quick Tips for Author Marketing: http://ow.ly/Wp4jY @kayelleallen
25 things to keep in mind when writing a book: http://ow.ly/Wq55J @AuthorAthenaM
Don’t want to kill a character? At least throw rocks: http://ow.ly/WS9VF @DRRanshaw
The 3 Essential Elements to Creating a Believable Romance: http://ow.ly/Wp4hO @CSLakin
Writer Worksheet Wednesday: Stories I Need to Tell”: http://ow.ly/Wq5WD @evadeverell”
Writer Worksheet Wednesday: Writer’s Statement: http://ow.ly/Wq63H @evadeverell
Why Liking or Commenting on a Blog is so Important: http://ow.ly/Wq5MI @KelsieEngen
3 Myths of Fiction Research: http://ow.ly/Wq69L from Plotline Hotline
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January 14, 2016
AmazonCrossing, BookTrack, SELF-e Updates
By Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig
I’ve been experimenting with or pursuing different avenues for distribution and visibility. Here are updates on what I’ve been working on with links in case you want to check these things out, yourself.
AmazonCrossing—Amazon is now publishing translated fiction for international readers. You send them a pitch and they consider your work for translation by their publishing arm. As I suspected, it’s tough to get in—I got a rejection email last week. But the email also invited authors to keep sending them other work to pitch, so I may give another book a go. Who knows? Maybe they’d be happier with my zombie book. If you’re interested in checking it out, the link is here: https://translation.amazon.com/submissions
BookTrack—Speaking of the zombie book, I received an email from BookTrack…this is the company that matches soundtracks with books (the soundtracks adjust to the reader’s pace). I’d been interested in the opportunity when I first read about it on Hugh Howey’s blog. But I knew I had absolutely no time to take on a project like that (although I’m interested in reaching out to a variety of different readers on a variety of different formats). Also, I wasn’t sure that my genre would be a match for the format.
Apparently the zombie book is, though. They offered to produce the booktrack and put my book up on the platform. That sounded like a good plan to me since I still have no time at all.
It sounds like they’re actively seeking out content. Does this mean this format is really catching on with younger readers?
Wattpad—I’m still fascinated at the international reach on this platform. My demographics on Wattpad for my A Body in the Backyard (a very gentle mystery taking place in a small town in the Southern US) show readers in Pakistan, the Philippines (20%!), India (13%), Kenya, Tanzania, Nigeria, Brazil, Russia, Norway, and Australia. It’s nice to feel I’m doing something to develop an international audience. And it’s free for me to do so.
Virtual Assistant: I ran into a frustrating issue while trying to upload a spreadsheet of new subscribers to MailChimp. As I delved deeper and deeper into researching the issue I finally stopped and thought: “I’m already spending way too much time on this.” So, yep. I asked my author assistant to help me out with it. And, while he was at it, to try and make my template for my newsletter look better than it currently does. I’ve never been happy with the newsletter template I created, which looks uneven to me. I’m great with design when I can use Canva. When I can’t use Canva, my design skills are non-existent. Even with text design. If you’re interested in doing this kind of outsourcing of frustrating tasks yourself, there are free listings of author assistants here and here.
Library SELF-e. Last year I started submitting digital mysteries to the SELF-e platform: a partnership between Library Journal and the US public library system. More about Self-e in this article that journalist and SELF-e consultant Porter Anderson wrote for my blog: “SELF-e Gets Indie Books Into Library Catalogs.” For me, almost everything that I do is for exposure/discoverability. That includes free ebooks, Wattpad (full-length novel uploads, leaving the books up for free), and Library SELF-e. Although authors don’t receive payment, I do feel it’s a good way to gain visibility for my series. And, if we have a perma-free book anyway, why not use that book to reach new readers. One of my books was one of the top-three most-read mysteries in the SELF-e program for 2015, so I know I’m getting reads. To submit your own book for consideration, go here. For an overview of different kinds of ebook library services (pros and cons of each one), read this article from the ALLi blog by Andrew Lowe: “Ebook Library Services For Authors: An Alliance of Independent Authors Report.”
That’s all I’ve got in the way of updates right now. What kinds of things are you working on? How are they going?
Updates on experiments with AmazonCrossing, BookTrack, SELF-e, and more:
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January 10, 2016
IngramSpark
By Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig
I’d been hearing a lot about IngramSpark, but I hadn’t ever figured out why I might need them as a print book manufacturer/distributor. My books were on CreateSpace and selling well through Amazon. It seemed as if my relationship with Amazon was filling the print book need.
At the NINC conference in October, it finally fell into place: bookstore distribution.
I tend to pooh-pooh bookstore distribution. My pooh-poohing is premature. I do, according to my Penguin-Random House royalty statements, still sell a lot of print books. The statements are, however, less than transparent, but I’m still going to assume that those print sales are at non-Amazon retailers. I tend to have a dim outlook on the future of large, Barnes&Noble-esque booksellers, but the truth is that print isn’t going anywhere anytime soon and B&N isn’t the only game in (many) towns.
The point is that some retailers might rather not stock books that they have and order through a competitor. Amazon. Additionally, Ingram makes international order fulfilment possible. They not only ship internationally, they print internationally. This ensures that shipping costs are kept to a minimum and that readers receive our titles quickly.
Also interesting is that IngramSpark purchased Aer.io. This acquisition may mean some cool opportunities to sell on our won sites and allow Ingram to do order fulfillment. You can embed a store on your site. Journalist Porter Anderson wrote an article, “Ron Martinez on Aer.io’s acquisition by Ingram: ‘We’re very lucky’” for The Bookseller that gives an overview of what this acquisition might mean for authors.
My first question was—can I be on both IngramSpark and CreateSpace? Yes, we can. This means that we’ll likely want to discontinue expanded distribution with CreateSpace (which we have to pay for) and that we’ll want to make sure that we use the same ISBN for both the CreateSpace print version and the IngramSpark print version (or else Amazon will “see” the title as a separate book).
This also means that we need to have an ISBN, obviously, of our own for the print format. Not the free CreateSpace one. IngramSpark does require authors to have ISBNs. I know this may be a sticking point for many writers. I’ve always just bought my own ISBNs, in bulk, directly from Bowker. I want my name as the publisher on record, not CreateSpace or Smashwords, etc. Bowker does run sales…I like to buy the ISBNs on sale. I wish they’d make the things much, much cheaper, but there it is. I write the expense off on my taxes.
Besides ISBN costs (if you don’t already have them), there are separate costs to working with IngramSpark. For instance, there’s a set-up fee. It’s $49. Here’s a link to the costs of working with them.
The process of uploading my files and creating an account was simple. It was very similar to the CreateSpace process, if you’re familiar with it.
I did find that one of my covers for CreateSpace did not pass through the IngramSpark review process. The bleed was off. I will need to get with my cover designer to make an adjustment. This cost is expected to be minimal.
If you’re going into the process with a brand-new interior/exterior file, you should be in good shape because you’ll use their specs. If you’re wanting to publish to both CreateSpace and IngramSpark, the general advice seems to be to choose a trim size that’s compatible on both platforms, right from the start. There are other considerations for production, too. Jen Lang has a very helpful post, “Book Production: More Tips on Using CreateSpace and IngramSpark Together” on ALLi’s blog.
You can also find more information on using CreateSpace and IngramSpark together in “How to Use CreateSpace and IngramSpark Together” by Karen Myers, also on the ALLi blog.
Hope this helps to make the two services and what they offer a bit less confusing. I know that I put off making a decision on IngramSpark because I didn’t understand what they could offer me. Have you taken a look at IngramSpark? If you’re using it, are you pleased?
Using IngramSpark to print and distribute our books:
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January 9, 2016
Twitterific Writing Links
by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig
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.
Why Writers (Sometimes) Make the Worst Critics: http://ow.ly/Wm8zF by Josh Rutherford
The Lazy Author’s Way to Identify and Overcome Writing Weaknesses: http://ow.ly/Wm8Qk @KMWeiland
How Scooby Doo Defined The Modern Slasher Flix Part 1: http://ow.ly/Wm9ik and 2: http://ow.ly/Wm9nn
Critique Groups Dos and Don’ts: http://ow.ly/Wm8Hb by Linda Wilson
5 Terrible Defenses of the Star Wars Prequels: http://ow.ly/Wm8KM by Oren Ashkenazi
Copyright Myths Authors Should Know About: http://ow.ly/Wm8OS @nlitherl
Elements of Screenwriting and Human Behavior: http://ow.ly/Wo5EI @WriterAtTheSea
Why is Lovecraft still relevant? http://ow.ly/Wo6kQ by Dejan Ognjanovic
Should You Start a Blog to Promote Your Writing? http://ow.ly/Wo5U2 @egabbert
How many queries should we send? http://ow.ly/Wo6aK by S. L. Saboviec
Genre Studies: The Literary Short Story: http://ow.ly/Wo5Ne @artofstoriesAB
The Ultimate Story Checklist: The Babadook: http://ow.ly/Wo5uE @cockeyedcaravan
The Psychology of Horror: Dissecting Fear: http://ow.ly/Wo6tz @edefuentes
Resolutions: Read to Fuel Your Writing: http://ow.ly/Wo6GL by Sue Bradford Edwards
Deconstruction for Writers: http://ow.ly/Wo6D7 @evadeverell
Micro Conflicts: Moving Scenes Forward: http://ow.ly/Wo6zz @artofstoriesAB
To Become a Writer, Just Do These 2 Things: http://ow.ly/Wo5zy @joebunting
Surviving Deadline: http://ow.ly/Wp2TO @_JennyMoyer
Introverts: 5 Things to Suggest at Your Next Conference: http://ow.ly/Wp31v by John Spencer
5 Rules For Creating Disabled Characters: http://ow.ly/Wp2OR @twuc
How to Find Your Best Standing Desk: http://ow.ly/Wp33b @colleen_m_story
Getting Clear on your Deepest Creative Truths: http://ow.ly/Wp2Qy @CreativeKatrina
Nonfic: 10 Ways to Move Through Fear of Starting to Write Your Book: http://ow.ly/Wp2L0 @NinaAmir
Self-Pubbing Print Books: Setting a Publishing Timeline: http://ow.ly/Wp2SV @ceciliaedits
#RealYA How Does It Affect Fiction? http://ow.ly/Wp2Jz @AuthorSAT
Some Practical Writing Advice From @DougCoupland: http://ow.ly/Wp34T
Pros And Cons Of Writing In 3rd Person: http://ow.ly/Wp2GX @MiaJouBotha
5 Tips for Writing a Sequel: http://ow.ly/Wp2NO @ShonnaSlayton
The Pragmatist: What Works: http://ow.ly/Wp2Vv @HannahRBarnaby
The 3 Essential Elements to Creating a Believable Romance: http://ow.ly/Wp4hO @CSLakin
5 Surprisingly Simple Ways To Subvert Stereotypes In Stories: http://ow.ly/Wq66C @AnthonyEhlers
Resources for writing and finishing a novel: http://ow.ly/Wq59N @TimHallinan
When an Agent Asks for a Revision, Take Your Time: http://ow.ly/Wq504 @agentsaba
How to Conduct Credible Research: http://ow.ly/Wq4RI @writingforward
Organize your writing with spreadsheets + free template: http://ow.ly/Wq4V1 @VeronicaSicoe
5 Things ’77 Star Wars Teaches About Storytelling: http://ow.ly/WlR42 @RogerDColby
How to Make Character Boards on Pinterest: http://ow.ly/Wm8D3 @YAtopia_blog
Story Climax: Forcing Characters to Move Forward: http://ow.ly/Wm8SC @jamigold
How Details Intrude in Writing: http://ow.ly/Wm8FG @KelsieEngen
What Type of Creative Thinker Are You? http://ow.ly/Wm9f3 @FinishedPages
2016: Crunch time for publishing, its writers and their readers: http://ow.ly/WI6lU @Porter_Anderson @mariraz
Strengthening Our Observation Skills: http://ow.ly/WlQIz @LaurelGarver
4 Lessons Learned From Writing a Serial: http://ow.ly/WlQQ9 @mariellahunt
Screenwriting: Flashbacks and Monologues: http://ow.ly/WlQXK @JamesNapoli
World Building Tip: Holidays and Rituals: http://ow.ly/WlQML @ava_jae
5 Ways to Start Working on a Sequel: http://ow.ly/WlR0w @RogerDColby
A Novel Performance: 30 Days In Seattle’s Central Library: http://ow.ly/WlR5j by Gabriela Denise Frank
How to Narrate a Riveting Fight Scene: http://ow.ly/WlR92 by Chris Winkle for @Mythcreants
Fantasy Worldbuilding: How-To: http://ow.ly/WlQHR @EmilyFRussell
Characters and Their Sensory Limitations: POV and Description: http://ow.ly/WlQLL @CSLakin
Facts and Narrative in History: http://ow.ly/WlQSY @artofstoriesAB
Writing for Love or Money: http://ow.ly/WlQP5 @BrunoniaBarry
Wrangling a Complicated Timeline: http://ow.ly/WlQU0 @KelsieEngen
7 Ways To Create Memorable Minor Characters: http://ow.ly/WGjnp @NatePhilbrick
The Complete Guide to Query Letters: Nonfiction Books: http://ow.ly/WGiB0 @JaneFriedman
Writer Beware: Author Solutions Sold to Private Equity Firm: http://ow.ly/WGioW @victoriastrauss
What Today’s Writers Are Thankful They’ve Missed Out On: http://ow.ly/Wir8s @MaryVeeWriter
7 Lessons from 1 Writer’s 1st Year as a Published Author: http://ow.ly/WirkF @MelindaFriesen
21 Tips to Help You Turn Your Non-Fiction Book Into a Business: http://ow.ly/Wirda @NinaAmir
Foreshadowing: Tips to Create Mood & Tone: http://ow.ly/Wirbn @robinrwrites
5 Books with Fictitious Works of Art: http://ow.ly/Wir1d @annecharnock
The Pros And Cons Of Writing In 2nd Person: http://ow.ly/WiqUu @MiaJouBotha
Do you wake up smiling? Feeling no pain? http://ow.ly/WirfK @MarleneAHibbard
Beginnings Are Hard, Even For Bestselling Authors: http://ow.ly/Wir4Y @GillespieKarin
6 Ways Standup Can Make You a Better Writer: http://ow.ly/WiqQ3 @WTurmel
Say No to Say Yes: http://ow.ly/Wir7x @barbaraoneal
18 Signs You Were Destined to be a Writer: http://ow.ly/Wirj4 @MarianSchembari
How Long Should Your Novel Be? http://ow.ly/WiqYj by Victor Salina
Liven Up Your Novel’s Opening: http://ow.ly/Wg8hs @lindasclare
Reducing Stress as a Writer: http://ow.ly/WAsED
How to Level Up Your Writing Habit: http://ow.ly/Wg8e7 @EmilyWenstrom
A Word about Quitting: http://ow.ly/Wg8ry @wendypmiller
Top 7 reasons why SPECTRE is average while SKYFALL soared: http://ow.ly/Wg8jH @speechwriterguy
How to Believe You Can Fly: http://ow.ly/Wg8p8 @colleen_m_story
6 Ways to Stay Creative as a Writer (When You’re a Parent): http://ow.ly/Wg8Rc by Lisa Lepki @writersdigest
5 Ways to Deal With Self-Doubt as a Writer: http://ow.ly/Wg8MW @BenSchmitt5
Creative Confusion and Finding your New Center: http://ow.ly/Wg8nl @CreativeKatrina
Line Editing: What to Look For: http://ow.ly/Wg8Un @ava_jae
Finding the Right Medium for Your Story: http://ow.ly/Wg8yF @AndrewDChapman @DIYMFA
Picture Books: Not So Easy: http://ow.ly/Wg8tX @AmyBearce @DIYMFA
How to Know Your Characters More Intimately: http://ow.ly/Wg8HG @BenSchmitt5
10 practices publishers can use to tamp down Amazon’s impact: http://ow.ly/We2gK by Stephen Blake Mettee
On the Frustration of the Friend of a Friend: http://ow.ly/We1eI @HeatherAlexand
How To Spot, Fix and Eliminate Passive Voice: http://ow.ly/We0R0 @menwithpens
6 months as FT Author: Burn Out: http://ow.ly/We1v6 @adamdreece
7 ways to get True Grit for Writers: http://ow.ly/We28P @kristenlambtx
9 Productivity Hacks to Help You Meet Your Deadline: http://ow.ly/We21S @emily_tjaden
Gamblers and Artists: http://ow.ly/We0Z1 @kristinerusch
The top writing links from last week on Twitterific:
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January 7, 2016
Timing a Release
by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig
When I was strictly traditionally published, timing a release had nothing to do with me. It was, actually, in my contract. Usually I had a two or three book contract and my deadlines and the books’ release dates were spelled out.
The release dates even trickled into my writing…I frequently set the story during the season the book would be launching in.
I remember that other trad-published mystery writers weren’t happy about December releases, for example. I did have a trad-pub December release in 2013. It was a slow start for that book, but it has ended up being one of my long-term strongest-selling titles. Although slow starts do tend to make publishers nervous since they’re not so into publishing’s “long tail” as self-publishers are. They encounter returns from bookstores.
Toward the end of November, I had a completed Myrtle Clover (self-pub) book. I remembered the bias against holiday-timed releases. But there was no way I was going to sit on the launch, either. I’d listed the book as releasing in 2015. So I put it out on Thanksgiving weekend. I sent out a reader newsletter to announce the release, carefully set up the book’s pages on Amazon, etc., to reflect reader reviews for the rest of the series, and then just carried on with hosting house guests and doing family activities and stuff like that.
It was definitely a stronger start than the previous holiday timed release, but I credit my newsletter for that. I noticed that readers were buying the book, but they weren’t reading it or reviewing it like they had for the other books. That’s because it was smack dab in the middle of a holiday and no one had time to read. But they did want it.
I’ve also had a couple of August releases. Actually, I’ve probably had four or five August releases, both trad-pub and self-pub. August tends to be a slow month for me but the newsletter helped move books for the most recent August launches.
Of course, it doesn’t matter now nearly as much as it use to whether our book gets off to a fast start. It used to mean that bookstores would send our books back as returns to the publisher, where the books would be shredded or incinerated. It also meant that we might not get a contract extension. Digital bookshelves at retailers take up no space.
To catch up with where we’d like to be, sales-wise, we can consider running sales and doing giveaways on Goodreads. Or we could get traction before the release by pulling together a street team or getting editorial reviews prior to the release. Or we could simply count up all the 4 and 5 star reviews for the other books in the series and put a “readers love _____ (our character)! 400 4 and 5 star reviews for the series” on our book’s product page on the retail sites.
Are there months or seasons you avoid releasing a book in? How do you combat a slow sales month?
Thoughts on timing a book's release:
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The post Timing a Release appeared first on Elizabeth Spann Craig.
January 3, 2016
Reducing Stress as a Writer
By Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig
Journalist Porter Anderson had an interesting article in Thought Catalog: “Author-Editor Relationships: An Endangered Species?” In it, he says:
“One of the things that makes the 2015-2016 transition interesting in the creative corps is a subdued, reflective, sometimes exhausted, and often pensive mood.
A lot of it revolves around marketplace fatigue.”
Smashwords founder Mark Coker states in his post “2016 Book Publishing Predictions”:
“Many full time indies will quit or scale back production in 2016.”
He explains this is due to authors who may have prematurely quit their day jobs and are now facing a much more challenging publishing landscape.
Whether it’s the need to write quickly or the sometimes overwhelming job of keeping our books and ourselves visible, writers are facing a lot of stress these days.
I’ve felt it too. I’m much less stressed out about the writing than I am about the “everything else.” I was reflecting on the past year with a friend and I admitted that a lot of my problem is that I can do (nearly) everything myself. I can do rudimentary (not cover) design. I can format books. I can update my website. I can create newsletters and schedule updates on social media. I know how to upload to retail platforms, share my calendar, create a slideshow for a lecture.
And, because I know how to do it, because I have the skills, and I’ve a tendency toward frugality, I do it all myself.
There were a few exceptions. I hit the wall with my own accounting ability and stopped doing my own taxes a couple of years ago. I’ve always had freelancers to help me out with covers, narrating audio books, formatting print and digital books, and editing. Sometimes I need help with my website issues (or just don’t have the time to figure out how to fix the issue myself).
I’ve mentioned in other posts that I’m something of a control freak. I don’t think I was always this way, but over the past 5-10 years, it’s definitely become more obvious. I like things done a particular way. To ensure it’s done this way, I do it myself.
I’m frequently advised by both writer friends and non-writer friends to outsource some of what I do. I have been very hesitant to do this.
But, in 2016, I’m going to give it a go.
I made a list of as many different things that I could think of that I do on a regular basis (daily, weekly, monthly, annually). I kept saying I felt overwhelmed, but I also couldn’t completely account for my time or what I was spending it on. Some of the tasks on my list I almost enjoy. Some I dread doing—and the dread frequently isn’t equivalent to the size of the task….I dread updating Facebook, for instance. Where are my readers? They’re on Facebook.
Some of these tasks overlap. Some take only a minute or two (after I remember to do them). Some can take many hours to complete. See if this list sounds familiar to you.
Update Amazon Author Central (US and worldwide)
Update my website with new books, new copy, new author photos, new bios.
Update Goodreads books and author info.
Run Goodreads giveaways
Update Facebook
Update Google Plus
Curate and schedule content for Twitter. Collect it and share on the blog.
Blog (3x weekly). Respond to comments. Visit other blogs
Promote my author newsletter
Send newsletters out to readers
Advertise on Facebook.
Respond to reader emails
Create author notes for Amazon and for the backs of my books
Update end matter in my digital books. Keep a copy
Mentor
Respond to guest post requests
Learn new software
Watch webinars for business-related information (promo, learning software like Scrivener, etc.)
Respond to emailed requests for me to beta test software
Connect with and coordinate with editors, formatters, cover designers
Track sales and run promotions
Distribute new books to each platform: ACX, Amazon, Draft2Digital, Smashwords, IngramSpark, CreateSpace, etc.
Update stories weekly on Wattpad
Secure narrator for audiobooks. Listen to finished audiobook for errors. Upload to ACX.
Send promo copies and signed copies to readers.
Participate in Skype/podcast/written interviews. YouTube interviews
Update social media banners
Coordinate speaking engagements
Write guest posts and respond to comments when the post runs
Set up annual headshot and update social media with the new picture
Create PowerPoints for speaking engagements
Count 4 and 5 star reviews on both active series to use in the Editorial Reviews section of my book pages
Write blurbs for other authors
Write cover copy and ad copy
Update series bibles with each book
Pull tax-related items together. Pull year-end things together for accountant.
Organize items on the computer: Covers in one folder. Manuscripts in format-specific folders.
Back up. Back up my backups.
Maintain and use Amazon Affiliate links for all my books
Research for books and for promo
Glancing over the list, I realized there are some tasks I would be happy to relinquish doing. And there are some things that I wouldn’t always want to relinquish, but I might if I were overwhelmed with work.
There are author assistants who will work for us on an hourly basis or a per-the-job basis. Author Assistant Mel Jolly (I met her at the NINC conference where we were both speakers) has a directory of assistants on her Author’s Atlas site. I’ve heard excellent things about Kate Tilton and Authors Write.
I’m planning on starting out slowly with this outsourcing. An hour here and there. We’ll see where it goes from there. Some weeks I’m so snowed with promo-maintenance-writing-family-life that I’m in dire need of assistance. Some weeks I can handle it all and look for more. But the number of times I’m feeling snowed is definitely increasing with the number of books I write and (perhaps) with any increase in my visibility online.
There are other ways to reduce our workload and stress, if you haven’t reached this point. Schedule your social media updates using https://hootsuite.com/ or a similar program. Set up your blog posts to automatically feed to Facebook or Google Plus. Create an editorial calendar for your blog posts so that you don’t waste any time trying to brainstorm. Outline your book, if you’re open to it. Create templates for your reader newsletters.
How do you reduce your stress level as a writer? Have you thought about using a virtual assistant?
Tips on reducing stress as a writer:
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The post Reducing Stress as a Writer appeared first on Elizabeth Spann Craig.
January 2, 2016
Twitterific Writing Links
by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig
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.
Thanks to all who entered mystery writer Sue Coletta’s giveaway! And congratulations to winners Carol Sue, Mark, and Rosemary.
Happy New Year! Hope everyone has a great 2016. Here are the links I shared in the last couple of weeks.
5 Ways To Think Differently About Motivation When Setting 2016 Goals: http://ow.ly/Ww0kZ @mazlocoach
“Did my agent fire me and I just don’t know it?” http://ow.ly/VYdwg @Janet_Reid #TopTweets2015
On the Rise and Fall of the New Creative Class: http://ow.ly/VYdwh @IreneKeliher #TopTweets2015
Boost Your Writing: 3 Things To Do Now To Start 2016 Off Right: http://ow.ly/Ww0Sw @angelaackerman
5 Things To Do Before Hiring a Freelance Editor: http://ow.ly/VYdwi @RachelleGardner #TopTweets2015
10 Habits of Highly Effective Writers: http://ow.ly/Ww0ny @RBWhitehill
NaNoWriMo, Or How 1 Writer Cheated Her Way to Finishing Her Novel: http://ow.ly/VYdwl @j_s_brown @DebutanteBall #TopTweets2015
5 Apps for Writers: http://ow.ly/Ww0r2 @FinishedPages
What Every Writer Should Know About Their Novel’s Pre-Middle: http://ow.ly/Ww0Cz @BetterNovelProj
How to Build the Writing Habit (in 2016): http://ow.ly/Ww0zR from Authority Self-Pub
Comic: New Year’s Resolutions (or not): http://ow.ly/Ww0sY @inkyelbows
Tips for Writing Your Author Acknowledgements: http://ow.ly/W9whX @juliemusil
Author-Editor Collaboration: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: http://ow.ly/W9wjq @byondpapr
Should You Let Others Read Your Work Before It’s Finished? http://ow.ly/W9w4l @WritingBusy
An agent on using italics: http://ow.ly/W9w92 @Janet_Reid
Is Backstory Killing Your Book’s Plot? Here’s How to Fix It: http://ow.ly/W9w2B @CSLakin
5 Things Authors On Facebook Should Know: http://ow.ly/W9vYv @AnthonyEhlers
Working Collaboratively: Checking Our Ego at the Door: http://ow.ly/W9wlk @MartinaABoone
8 Tips for Punctuating Dialogue Tags: http://ow.ly/W9w5T from My Book Cave
Resources for Television Writers: http://ow.ly/W9vZa @beccapuglisi
4 ways to write faster: http://ow.ly/W9weN @Brianna_daSilva
7 YA clichés: http://ow.ly/W9wb5 @Brianna_daSilva
Commas, Em Dashes, and Ellipses: http://ow.ly/W9w7x @JamesJMurray1
When writer’s block is real: http://ow.ly/We1IO @MelSzymanik
What You Really Want to Know About Self Pub: http://ow.ly/We2wk @Janice_Hardy
10 practices publishers can use to tamp down Amazon’s impact: http://ow.ly/We2gK by Stephen Blake Mettee
Jobs That Leave Us Time to Write: http://ow.ly/WdXj8 @stevegillman
Why We Should Do Bad Things to Our Characters: http://ow.ly/We2tL @Janice_Hardy
11 Top Articles on Writing Characters: http://ow.ly/We2oB by Hiten Vyas
On keeping a logbook: http://ow.ly/WdXso @austinkleon
Questions to Help You Create Conflict in Your Story: http://ow.ly/Ww2sn @kylieday0
New Year’s resolutions and embracing mediocrity: http://ow.ly/Ww0hG @tobywneal
A 4-draft writing process: http://ow.ly/VYdwc @kseniaanske #TopTweets2015
7 Steps to Creating a Flexible Outline for Any Story: http://ow.ly/VYdwa @KMWeiland #TopTweets2015
How to Write Vivid Descriptions: http://ow.ly/VYdw9 @dice_carver #TopTweets2015
20 Characters You Need to Start A Novel: http://ow.ly/WvAFb @BetterNovelProj
Deconstructing Back Cover Copy: http://ow.ly/VYbZq @betternovelproj #TopTweets2015
6 More Character Archetypes to Ditch: http://ow.ly/VYbZn by Oren Ashkenazi #TopTweets2015
The growing “business demands on an author’s time”: http://ow.ly/Wvl0l @Porter_Anderson @kristinerusch
10 Things Best Sellers Don’t Do: http://ow.ly/VYbZa @AmyMilesBooks #TopTweets2015
How to Develop an Outline for Our Novel: http://ow.ly/VYbZ7 @farrtom #TopTweets2015
It’s Fat Season For Diet Books: http://ow.ly/Wux7b @Porter_Anderson
Why query letters should focus on plot not theme #querytip http://ow.ly/VYbZ1 @carlywatters #TopTweets2015
With booksellers’ pressure: DRM is now soft in Germany: http://ow.ly/VYbZk @Porter_Anderson @doctorow #TopTweets2015
How to Write a Fantasy Series: http://ow.ly/VYbZh @nownovel #TopTweets2015
The Real Price of Traditional Publishing: http://ow.ly/VYbZe @deanwesleysmith #TopTweets2015
Why you should put your book on Wattpad ASAP: http://ow.ly/VYbhP @kseniaanske #TopTweets2015
The Plotting Grid: a Tool for Plotters and Pantsers: http://ow.ly/VYbZ5 @ChrisMandeville @KoboWritingLife #TopTweets2015
17 Things Learned About Writing From Structuring a Novel In 7 Days: http://ow.ly/VYbYX @BenSchmitt5 #TopTweets2015
Why Authors Should Never Buy Amazon Reader Reviews: http://ow.ly/VYbJ6 @annerallen #TopTweets2015
What Literary Agents Want to See Before Signing With a Writer: http://ow.ly/VYbYN @Writers_Circle #TopTweets2015
Rowling’s Revisions for ‘Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix’ : http://ow.ly/VYbi8 @RiteLikeRowling #TopTweets2015
Is my agent an idiot? Yes, yes he is. http://ow.ly/VYbi4 @Janet_Reid #TopTweets2015
10 tips from a self-publishing survivor: http://ow.ly/VYbhL @digiogi #TopTweets2015
What Do Your Readers Know and When Do They Know It? http://ow.ly/VYbhJ by Dave King #TopTweets2015
The Hot Sheet: industry newsletter for authors (30 day free trial): from @Porter_Anderson & @JaneFriedman: http://ow.ly/Ws8K0
How 1 writer improved her writing productivity by 100%: http://ow.ly/VYbhH @novelexperienc3 #TopTweets2015
Be a More Productive & Balanced Writer: http://ow.ly/VYbi0 @JordanRosenfeld #TopTweets2015
A Writer’s Cheatsheet to Plot and Structure: http://ow.ly/VYbhX @mgherron #TopTweets2015
You’re Not Alone: —10 Perfectly Normal Struggles when #Writing a Novel: http://ow.ly/VYbhS @WarrenAdler #TopTweets2015
7 Ways End Your Novel: http://ow.ly/VYbhB @enderawiggin #TopTweets2015
10 Links That Demonstrate Your Self-Published Book Looks Cheap & Amateurish: http://ow.ly/VYbhy @10MinuteNovelists #TopTweets2015
Cliches to avoid when writing love triangles: http://ow.ly/VYbhu @EimhWrite #TopTweets2015
What’s the Biggest Lie You Tell Yourself as a Writer? http://ow.ly/VYaHo @jamigold #TopTweets2015
Who cares whodunit? Part One: http://ow.ly/Wq5xo and Two: http://ow.ly/Wq5Bf @TimHallinan
Don’t get Scammed on Self-publishing: What are Reasonable Costs? http://ow.ly/VYaHp @silas_payton #TopTweets2015
The Character Most Writers Get Wrong (And How to Fix It) http://ow.ly/VYaHm @MandyCorine #TopTweets2015
7 Reasons Why Most Authors Fail: http://ow.ly/VYamp @johnnybtruant #TopTweets2015
4 Ways to Make Readers Instantly Loathe Your Character Descriptions: http://ow.ly/VYaGP @KMWeiland #TopTweets2015
Most authors break through in middle-age: http://ow.ly/VYaGM @alice_emily @Telegraph #TopTweets2015
How 1 Writer Became a Morning Person: http://ow.ly/VYaGr @ava_jae #TopTweets2015
An agent on introducing characters in a query: http://ow.ly/VYaGn @Janet_Reid #TopTweets2015
How 1 writer outlines using a 6-stage plot structure: http://ow.ly/VYaGj from Nova Zero Writing #TopTweets2015
15 Tips for Aspiring Writers from 5 Successful Authors: http://ow.ly/VYaGe @SimoneHCollins #TopTweets2015
Most Common Writing Mistakes: Describing Character Movements: http://ow.ly/VYaGb @KMWeiland #TopTweets2015
If Strangers Talked to Everybody like They Talk to Writers: http://ow.ly/VYaG9 @ElectricLit @TheLincoln #TopTweets2015
2016 Book Ind. Predictions: Opportunities amid Slow Growth: http://ow.ly/Wo77m @markcoker
28 Tips for Writing Stories from Poe, Faulkner, Hemingway and Fitzgerald: http://ow.ly/W5Bc8 by Josh Jones @openculture
Can we discover narrative through auditory practices? http://ow.ly/Wo7fB @swtomp @thewritermag
Writing Tense Scenes: http://ow.ly/W5BCI @NatePhilbrick
When Writing Becomes Misery: http://ow.ly/W5Bxn @AuthorAthenaM
4 Special Features For Your Blog or Website: http://ow.ly/W5B9w @IndiePlotTwist
Poe, Short Story Structure and Narrative Technique: http://ow.ly/W5Br3 @FlynnGrayWriter
How 1 writer perfected his cover copy: http://ow.ly/W5AWY @JMNeyGrimm
Daily Discipline for Writers: Keep After It: http://ow.ly/W5B4Q @IndiePlotTwist
Power Your Fiction: Using Weather To Create Mood, Not Clichés: http://ow.ly/W5Cmj @angelaackerman
Caring For Your Writer 101: http://ow.ly/W5BEX @NatePhilbrick
Things to Know When Working With a Printer: http://ow.ly/W5AA9 @beccapuglisi
Top 8 Screenwriting Books: http://ow.ly/W5C8u @ScriptReaderPro
15 Things to Consider When Writing Description: http://ow.ly/W5BOp @kathytemean
End of Year Tips: Update Your Online Presence: http://ow.ly/VTFYO @AskATechTeacher
4 Ways to Reignite the “Wonder” in Your Writing: http://ow.ly/W4FU3 @KMWeiland
Crafting a Strong Opening: http://ow.ly/W4Fuq @jodyhedlund
Cover Design on a Budget: http://ow.ly/W4FmN @MarcyKennedy
The 5 Incredible Benefits of Unplugging: http://ow.ly/W4Fem @emily_tjaden
Tension: Setting the Clock: http://ow.ly/W4FqA @JamesTuckwriter
Writing is Hard: http://ow.ly/W4FIp by Dave King @writerunboxed
25 things to keep in mind if you want to write a book: http://ow.ly/W4FAs @AuthorAthenaM
When Writing is Like An Arranged Marriage: http://ow.ly/W4FMM @jamesscottbell
How to Know Your Book’s Cover Needs a Redesign http://ow.ly/W4FgZ @dianaurban
Why writers need to keep a notebook: http://ow.ly/W4G0t @NatePhilbrick
Things To Do On Your Holiday Writing Break: http://ow.ly/W4FQP @storyfix
Stash, Trash or Refresh: Dealing with Boring In-Between Story Parts: http://ow.ly/W1j53 @RidethePen
The Simplest Story Structure: http://ow.ly/W1jHh @larathelark
5 Books That Give Women Their Apocalyptic Due: http://ow.ly/W1iY9 @tordotcom @jackiehattton
A Collection of Creative Writing Worksheets: http://ow.ly/W1jpz @evadeverell
Where to Find Ideas for Writing a Story: http://ow.ly/W1jlZ @writingforward
10 Ways To Kick Start Your Writing : http://ow.ly/W1iFO @Joannechocolat @womenwriters
Genre Mindmaps: http://ow.ly/W1jvd @evadeverell
#AmNotWriting : What holds one writer back: http://ow.ly/W1gJb @MsTamarCohen @womenwriters
Tips and resources for plotting: http://ow.ly/W1jyJ @larathelark
Why one writer is enjoying Wattpad: http://ow.ly/W1iIg @amzoltai
7 Steps to Overcome Writing Procrastination: http://ow.ly/W1jaV @CoachRenate
3 Ways To Build Your Own Genre: http://ow.ly/W1jhn @AnthonyEhlers
The Skinny On Blurbs: http://ow.ly/W9wxj @sharonbially
2 Tricks for Portraying Relatable Heroes: http://ow.ly/W9x46 @Brianna_daSilva
13 Things Learned About Writing Faster: http://ow.ly/VTzX4 @VeronicaSicoe
10 Top Questions to Ask Before Hiring a Book Publicist: http://ow.ly/VTASc @dianaurban
The Power of Narrative Writing: http://ow.ly/VTANP @writingforward
Pros And Cons Of Writing In 1st Person: http://ow.ly/VTzP6 @MiaJouBotha
Why We Should Read Our Novel Out Loud: http://ow.ly/VTAPH @blotsandplots
Exploring different writing styles: including writing by hand: http://ow.ly/VTAmC @NadineBrandes
How To Format Your Short Story For Publications: A Step By Step Guide: http://ow.ly/VTAHY @DeanElphick
15 Tips for Promoting Nonfiction Books Successfully: http://ow.ly/VTzSq @NinaAmir @CaballoFrances
Why writers MUST emerge: http://ow.ly/VTAe3 @kimberlydbrock
5 Reasons Why Writers Need Friends Who Write: http://ow.ly/VTAyX @EM_Denning
The Complete Guide To Creating Backstory In Spec Fiction: http://ow.ly/VTAEC @paperbackbird
1-dimensional vs. 2-dimensional characters: http://ow.ly/VTAuA from Writers’ Helpers
How to Decide How Many POV Characters Our Book Needs: http://ow.ly/VTA3J @marcykennedy
Storytelling flaws in the Insurgent movie: http://ow.ly/W9wY1 @Brianna_daSilva
How Are You? Good vs. Well: http://ow.ly/VTAsB @epbure
37 Ways To Write About Anger: http://ow.ly/VTAL3 @writers_write
The Truth About Querying Your NaNoWriMo Novel: http://ow.ly/WiqS4 @breecrowder
A History of the Christmas Story: Not Altogether Christmas but Christmas All Together: http://ow.ly/Wg7ER @@katewebb_uk
Should authors use other authors as their critics? @Porter_Anderson @WriterUnboxed http://ow.ly/Wivx7
Writing Mechanics: Avoiding the “I” Trap and Other Irritants: http://ow.ly/VQIH3 @lindasclare
This year’s publishing trend: the remarkably lengthy novel: http://ow.ly/VQIyA @juliafly
Catherine Ryan Hyde on Rejection: Does Your Rejected Work Need a Rewrite? http://ow.ly/VQGPj @cryanhyde @annerallen
2015 Smashwords Survey Reveals Insights to Help Authors Reach More Readers: http://ow.ly/VQEE6 @markcoker
A social media mid-life crisis: http://ow.ly/VQHcg @DanBlank
Is social media effective for selling books? http://ow.ly/VQHOw by Chip MacGregor
Pinterest is Changing The Social Media Game: http://ow.ly/VQHuf @CaballoFrances
Attaining Success as an Indie Author with BookBub: http://ow.ly/VQHnc @CaballoFrances
Cultivating your creativity during the holi-daze : http://ow.ly/VQHg9 @laurelgarver
Getting Your Book Translated and Published in Other Countries: http://ow.ly/VQEIf @lauracallisen
5 Scams that Target New Writers and How to Spot Them: http://ow.ly/VQGFj @annerallen
Engaging Audiences through Twitter in 15 Minutes a Day: http://ow.ly/VQHCc @kikimojo
Flash Fiction as Holiday Therapy: http://ow.ly/Wg7sf @_AliciaAudrey
World-building with Holidays: http://ow.ly/VTHoQ @GailZMartin
Need escape from holiday stress? A giveaway for crime fiction fans: http://ow.ly/Wg4zQ @SueColetta1
Vow of silence: how much do you talk about your novel in progress? http://ow.ly/VQF5J @Roz_Morris
Social pressure to marry in crime fiction: http://ow.ly/Wg4hw @mkinberg
Why writing your query like a dust jacket isn’t always sound advice: http://ow.ly/VQF3u @Janet_Reid
16 Ways to De-stress This Holiday Season: http://ow.ly/VTE3y @emily_tjaden
6 Scams That Target New Writers: http://ow.ly/VQFde @annerallen
How to Protect Your Blog from Hackers: http://ow.ly/VQFPX @NinaAmir
Pages requested at a conference: how long do I have to send? http://ow.ly/VQF1L @Janet_Reid
Going Global: Self Publishing Tips From Dan Wood From Draft2Digital : http://ow.ly/VQEWq @danwoodok @thecreativepenn
The Future of Publishing: http://ow.ly/VQEZF @jamesscottbell
5 things that established authors would tell new writers: http://ow.ly/VQFb0 @Roz_Morris
Editor’s Tips on How to Write a YA Novel: http://ow.ly/VQFpd @kateangelella @ReedsyHQ
Why Mysteries Matter: http://ow.ly/VQFIP @ClareLangleyH
Blogging with Facebook “Notes” to Improve Visibility: http://ow.ly/VQERO @LynneCantwell
Finding a Narrator on ACX: http://ow.ly/VQEMa @RamiUngarWriter
Why Writers Need to Motivate All of Their Characters: http://ow.ly/VQyZy @drewchial
International sales: Both in translated works and ESL: http://ow.ly/WfwTG @Porter_Anderson @ThadMcIlroy
Top 6 Ways Writers Spend the Holidays: http://ow.ly/VTEeX @HeatherJacksonW
Words or Numbers? What’s the Best Way to Label Your Chapters? http://ow.ly/VQz2m @Janice_Hardy
10 Reasons Why Being a Writer Is Like Being Santa Claus: http://ow.ly/We371 @TaraSparling
The Problem with Backstory and the Star Wars Franchise: Lessons for Writers: http://ow.ly/VPjys @cathinnorway
When You Need to Rewrite Your Rewrite: http://ow.ly/VPjFd @kristinaaurelia
Working With a Freelance Editor: The Process: http://ow.ly/VQzsn @MarloWordyBird
Creating lean but descriptive prose : http://ow.ly/VQzfF @cjjasp
Being Trendy: Should You Write What’s Hot? http://ow.ly/VQz4y @Janice_Hardy
All You Need (as a writer): http://ow.ly/VQzko by Ken Hughes
How Writers can Create Their Own Galaxies Far Far Away: http://ow.ly/VQyWA @drewchial
Creative Exhaustion: http://ow.ly/VQz7r @shay_goodman
Why Books Are the Best Gifts: http://ow.ly/VQzFI @mybookshepherd
11 Plot Pitfalls: http://ow.ly/VPkiB by Laura Whitcomb @writersdigest
5 Ways to Answer the Worst Question Ever For Writers During the Holidays: http://ow.ly/VTFcI @besscozby
Indie Publishing Paths: What’s Your Pricing Plan? http://ow.ly/VQwcq @jamigold
Successful Blogging Tips, Authenticity And Longevity: http://ow.ly/VQwww @yarostarak @thecreativepenn
Tips for Facebook Cover Photos: http://ow.ly/VQwCg @sosandrine
3 Tips to Launch a New Instagram Account (video): http://ow.ly/VQxPs @SavvySexySocial
A Must-Read for Storytellers: Save the Cat: http://ow.ly/VQwOn @writingforward
Actions vs Choices: Crafting Better Plots: http://ow.ly/VQwgo @Janice_Hardy
On Keeping Track of (Fictional) Time: http://ow.ly/VQwMa @ava_jae
Turn a #NaNoWriMo Story Into a Real Novel: http://ow.ly/VQwkn @taniastrauss @thecreativepenn
Writing Fiction? 10 Overwriting Traps to Avoid: http://ow.ly/VQxL9 @danielamcvick
Why More Practice Can Make You A Worse Writer: http://ow.ly/VQwQV @bnonn @writetodone
Rough Draft to Final Draft: Tips: http://ow.ly/VQwJQ @fictionnotes
Self-Publishing Your NaNoWriMo Book? Don’t Miss These Steps: http://ow.ly/VQw8N @dianaurban
Do Book Reviewers Charge Too Much? What Do You Get for Your Review? http://ow.ly/VPk5e by Mike Norton
Flattery is More Common Than Truth When Writers Offer Feedback: http://ow.ly/W9wAp @Porter_Anderson
When Sidekicks Get the Fan Mail: http://ow.ly/VPkfx @julieczerneda @tordotcom
10 Horror Podcasts: http://ow.ly/VPjRS @G9Burkart @blumhouse
3 Tricks to Motivated Writing Sessions: http://ow.ly/VPjX8 @rachellerea
The top writing links from the last 2 weeks on Twitterific:
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The post Twitterific Writing Links appeared first on Elizabeth Spann Craig.
December 19, 2015
Twitterific Writing Links
by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig
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.
Hope everyone enjoys their holidays! I’m going to return two weeks from today with an exceptionally long Twitterific, my first for 2016. :)
4 Ways for Writers to Make Money in Marketing: http://ow.ly/VOdkQ @LindaUKmasters
3 Tips to Unleash Your Creativity: http://ow.ly/VOdMr @ADDerWORLD
How to Storyboard in Scrivener: http://ow.ly/VOdnn @mgherron
What Grabs Readers: The Inside Story: http://ow.ly/VOdx2 @lisacron
19 Ways to Write Better Dialogue: http://ow.ly/VOdgJ @shesnovel
4 Ways to Improve Your Visual Content For Social Media: http://ow.ly/VOdvK @piktochart
Writing Psychological Suspense with Elizabeth George: http://ow.ly/VOdU6 @DIYMFA
When Writing Every Day Isn’t Producing the Results You Want: http://ow.ly/VOdiW @colleen_m_story
A Writer’s Holiday Survival Guide: Part One: http://ow.ly/VTDTf and Part Two: http://ow.ly/VTDVs @besscozby @DIYMFA
Character Voice Consistency: http://ow.ly/VOdP8 @AmberSkyeF
Royalties in Anthology Contracts: http://ow.ly/VOdhL @susanspann
Commenting On Blogs And Social Media: 6 Tips: http://ow.ly/VPkbW @writers_write
Night Shyamalan on Screenwriting: http://ow.ly/VOdTy by Daniel Argent
10 Online Writing Tools: http://ow.ly/VOdDn @anttooley
7 Deadly Sins of Writers: http://ow.ly/VPjH6 by Carol Goodman
Structuring a Novel: 7 Vital Elements: http://ow.ly/VPk2R @nownovel
The Dreaded Synopsis and How to Learn to Love It: http://ow.ly/VPkvj @kiersi
Game Writing: The Evolution Of Modern First-Person Horror: http://ow.ly/VPjTK @ParkerLemke
2 Tricks for Powerful Description: http://ow.ly/VOdz2 @artofstoriesAB
Creating an Emotionally Engaging Character: http://ow.ly/VOdql @authornordin
What’s the Best Holiday Gift You Can Give? Fanfiction! http://ow.ly/VTDvO @nataliezutter
Tips for thriller writers: http://ow.ly/VKPQb @shadowteams
Inexpensive Marketing Venues for Our Books: http://ow.ly/W5DCt @BE_Sanderson
5 Ways an Author is a Bookstore’s Best Friend: http://ow.ly/VKQ47 @JulieSchoerke @sfbookreview
Retro-#FutureChat: The biggest publishing story of 2015? 11aET /4pGMT (now) http://ow.ly/W4zQa @Porter_Anderson
Amateur theatrics in crime fiction: http://ow.ly/W4ywC @mkinberg
How to Handsell Self-published Books: http://ow.ly/VKPnC @CelebratingGran
How to decide what to include in your synopsis: http://ow.ly/VKPIY @standoutbooks
Book Description Mistakes Indie Authors Make: http://ow.ly/VKPF2 @Bookbaby
What to do when your readership hits a plateau: http://ow.ly/VKQqa @standoutbooks
Slow down during editing: http://ow.ly/VKSFC @JensPenDen
How To Add a Time Jump To Your Story: http://ow.ly/VKPAm @MegDowell
Study screenwriting for better fiction: http://ow.ly/VKPTY by Douglas Schofield
8 Secrets To Writing Strong Character Relationships: http://ow.ly/VKSyZ @bookrangerkath @writersedit
Why Every Author Should Self-Publish (At Least Once): http://ow.ly/VKPx8 @OrnaRoss
Raising the Novel’s Stakes: http://ow.ly/VIMVm @lindasclare
Composing a Logline: http://ow.ly/VIKmq @WritingForward
7 Top #Instagram Tips for Indie Authors: http://ow.ly/W2kwJ @Lorna Sixsmith
“Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” Is a Superhero: http://ow.ly/VTDiI @megangarber
What We’ve Been Taught About Backstory is Wrong: http://ow.ly/VIKAe @LisaCron
The Business of Blurbing: http://ow.ly/VIJpJ @penguinrandom
7 Steps to Becoming a Daily Writer: http://ow.ly/VILj7 @KeithGShafer
Free Your Mind To Fulfill Your Writing Goals: http://ow.ly/VILRG @MCSimonWrites
A writer’s clutter: http://ow.ly/VILwH @MCSimonWrites
How To Resuscitate A Lifeless Scene: http://ow.ly/VIKaW @writers_write
An agent gives a glimpse into her day: http://ow.ly/VIJZF @ShannonHassan
10 Unique Gifts for Writers & Book Worms: http://ow.ly/VIM6H @ashleelcowles
Criticism and the Impostor Syndrome: http://ow.ly/VIKXy @HYoungwriter
Discovering Our Writing Processes: http://ow.ly/VIL5U @jamigold
Aer.io’s acquisition by Ingram: ‘We’re very lucky’ says @ronmartinez : http://ow.ly/VXR2M @Porter_Anderson
6 Writing Lessons From Star Wars: Return of the Jedi: http://ow.ly/VXQis @PAShortt
Minimalism and the Writing Life: http://ow.ly/VXPZW @megwolfewrites
Make Holiday Gifts of Your Creative Writing: http://ow.ly/VTCSX @amowriting
What authors want from publishing: values, communication, feedback, trust: http://ow.ly/VY9eK @Porter_Anderson
Evoking Memories : A Writer’s Must: http://ow.ly/VEUvC @sacha_black
Need Writing Inspiration? 5 Unexpected Places to Find It: http://ow.ly/VEUKX @HughesAuthor
Are you sure you don’t have any plot holes? http://ow.ly/VEUCB by Alicia Butcher Ehrhardt
The Consequences of Being too Careful With Our Writing: http://ow.ly/VEUgY @emily_tjaden
5 Places Ideas Come From: http://ow.ly/VEU47 @AngelaRStrong
Self-Care During the Holiday Season: http://ow.ly/VEUsN @ChristaDesir
How 5 minutes a day can revitalize your writing: http://ow.ly/VEUNV @pubcoach
Process and Productivity: http://ow.ly/VEUns @J_ToddScott
Selling Books Sells Books: http://ow.ly/VEUd8 @Rachel_Aaron
Signing Away Your Rights: Arbitration Clauses in Book Contracts: http://ow.ly/VEURm @victoriastrauss
When Writing Takes Over Your Life: http://ow.ly/VEUjo @LindaKSienkwicz
Deus ex Machina is Not a Dating Site for Ex-Robots: http://ow.ly/VEV1P @Savage_Woman
Sci-Fi/Fantasy Christmas Books That Are Naughty and Nice: http://ow.ly/VTD4J by Chris Lough and @nataliezutter @tordotcom
What To Give The Non-Writer In Your Life For Christmas: http://ow.ly/VTCCy @jameslrubart
Holiday Hacks for Writers: http://ow.ly/VTEyz @leslielehr1
Teaching Writing: Using a Writer’s Notebook To Grow Ideas: http://ow.ly/VCkL0 @tara_smith5
Can successful art be joyful? http://ow.ly/VCkoz @ArtistThink
The Ultimate Pilot Story Checklist: Weeds: http://ow.ly/VCjMZ @cockeyedcaravan
Agents & Editors on Titles and Rejections: http://ow.ly/VCk8d @wherewriterswin
Building Romantic Tension: http://ow.ly/VCkkr by PromptsBlog
Tips for creating a sales strategy: http://ow.ly/VCkdr @lansi26
Prepping the Alleged Perp: Info for Writers: http://ow.ly/VCjBT @FionaQuinnBooks @TinaGlasneck
11 things to avoid on our blogs: http://ow.ly/VCky0 @writers_write
10 Scenes for the Mentor Character in your Novel: http://ow.ly/VCkI3 @betternovelproj
How to Use Lovecraftian Horrors in Your Stories: http://ow.ly/VCjWL @mythcreants by David Mesick
Drawing from a Side Holster: Info for Writers http://ow.ly/VCjuO @FionaQuinnBooks
4 Functions of Amazing Opening Lines: http://ow.ly/VCjRZ by Chris Winkle
25 Gift Ideas For The Writer In Your Life: http://ow.ly/VQH6P @RuthHarrisBooks
The Ultimate Gift Guide for Writers: http://ow.ly/VQA56 @jamigold
Book Giveaway Options: What’s Best for Indie Authors? http://ow.ly/VyURw @BookWorksNYC @stapilus
Print Book Formatting Programs: Different Options: http://ow.ly/VQonX @SpunkOnAStick
Checklist for Creating a Publishing Team: http://ow.ly/VyUOI @miralsattar
Reader Influence in Our Stories: http://ow.ly/VQmxs
Environmental issues brought up in crime fiction: http://ow.ly/VQoTU @mkinberg
12 Tips That Help Writers Enhance Memory: http://ow.ly/VyVjH @anttooley
39 Thriller Authors: Best Writing Tips and Tools: http://ow.ly/VyVOG @chriswellwriter
Engaging Audiences through Twitter in 15 Minutes a Day: http://ow.ly/VyVF6 @kikimojo
Enter the Inbox: Newsletter Marketing: http://ow.ly/VyUBT @West1Jess
Across the Board: Running a collective giveaway: http://ow.ly/VyUGG by Kimberly G. Giarratano
10 Lessons Learned From Writing a First Book: http://ow.ly/VyVLc @MariaLauraIancu
An author experiments with Booktrack: http://ow.ly/VyV8P @worderella
Use the Hemingway App as a First-Pass Copy Editor: http://ow.ly/VyUYy @worderella
Writing: methodology and camaraderie: http://ow.ly/VyVvz @MelBishopWriter @JaneFriedman
Words to eliminate in our writing: http://ow.ly/VyVTp by M.L. Gardner
Author Earnings: reporting on UK indie ebooks: http://ow.ly/VPI0L @Porter_Anderson
Writing Characters Readers Trust But Shouldn’t: http://ow.ly/VwYgt @angelaackerman
Writing for Love or Money: http://ow.ly/VwSMq @BrunoniaBarry
Ideas for Getting Reviews: http://ow.ly/VwYsf @JackieWeger
How To Write A Screenplay Using Amazon Storywriter: http://ow.ly/VwYeE @McgannKellie
On creating book titles: http://ow.ly/VwYyo @RobinStorey1
How to Write a Query Letter: http://ow.ly/VwSYP @rachellegardner
The top writing links from last week on Twitterific:
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December 17, 2015
Writers and Social Media
by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig
I recently read an interesting post, “My Social Media Mid-Life Crisis” from writer and publishing consultant Dan Blank. In it, Dan talks about how he went from being an early-adopter of social media, to becoming somewhat disenchanted with it, to finding a good solution to help him enjoy using it again.
I’ve experienced similar transitions in my relationship with social media. I started out much more gung-ho and on quite a few channels. I expanded into more channels, more group blogs, more exposure. Then, after several years I started trimming down my activity on sites and blogs. At one point I had social media platforms under my name and a pen name, was forcing myself to be active on sites I didn’t enjoy, and was part of four or five group blogs. I was overextended to the point where the overwhelm spilled over into everything I was doing.
If you’re new to building an author platform, a few tips:
Find a social media network that resonates with you. Something that won’t be a chore to keep up with. Each platform has its own personality. “Social Media Demographics to Inform a Better Segmentation Strategy” (don’t let the title scare you off–it’s very readable) by Michael Patterson on SproutSocial offers a nice overview of the different demographics on each site. Take a little time to see what might work well for you and help you connect to your audience.
Consider using one name (not your real name and a pen name) for each platform you use. At the very least, tie the names together on your sites–I mention on both my website and my Facebook page that I write both as Elizabeth Craig and Riley Adams. I mention this primarily because it’s exhausting to keep up with social media for pen names (I’ve tried).
Think long-term. Don’t use your book as the name of your social media account or as your avatar. If you have a lengthy writing career, you need to be the brand, not a single book.
If you’re trying to put yourself on a social media diet (you can’t keep up with all the different platforms):
Evaluate. I think it’s best to consider your platform as Dan did—what will I lose if I delete my profile on this site?
Schedule. Try using a scheduling program to help free up time. Be sure to check in with the platform to respond to any comments. I like using Hootsuite. I’ve also used SocialOomph.
Time yourself. Once again, I’ll stress my addiction to a timer to keep track of my time. Social media is an infamous time-suck.
Streamline. If one of the platforms isn’t working for you but you do want to maintain a presence there, is there a way for you to tweak your approach on the site? For instance, you can frequently create lists or groups on social media sites so that you see updates from people you care about or people with helpful posts.
Where are you with social media? Overwhelmed? Haven’t yet started platform building? Or is your involvement in social media just right for you?
Writers and Social Media:
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And, in other news, crime fiction readers here may be interested in entering this cool giveaway that mystery writer Sue Coletta put together. Some of my favorite mystery writers are part of the giveaway and I have a book included, too. Information below. :)
Click here for a link to the giveaway.
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December 13, 2015
Reader Influence in Our Stories
By Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig
I’ve always been interested in what readers thought and allowed it to influence my writing. That’s because my goal was to be as commercially successful as I could be within my genre constraints. Before I even started writing a couple of my series, I read the reader reviews on Amazon for similar series to get a feel what readers liked and didn’t like in the hopes that I could deliver it.
My Myrtle Clover series was slow to adapt to this method because I started it first and then kept on the track it had already started down. I wrote it as I wanted and luckily readers responded well to it.
Reading reader reviews and tweaking storylines. At some point, however, I was aware that my readers had a much greater role in the production of my Myrtle series. I started carefully considering their criticism (probably five books ago…series will have its 10th release next year). They’ve mentioned concerns regarding characters, things they disliked specific to the series, omissions that I made regarding recurring characters, etc. I’ve noted them and incorporated changes based on their feedback.
For another thing, as I mentioned in a recent post, I started paying attention to series-specific tropes (or ‘rituals’, as Camille LaGuire called them). Readers were upset when I left out elements of stories that they’d come to enjoy (people, situations, even objects). I made a list to remind myself what they saw as important things to include.
I’m also trying to think what they would specifically enjoy on upcoming books. Since this series is now approaching ten books, I’m recalling what I like as a reader in series I’ve followed for a while. I definitely enjoy trickled-in extra information on recurring characters to be able to see them in a new light or to be able to understand them better. I’ve made a list of things that I haven’t explained about my main characters or extra detail about recurring settings and plan on dribbling this information into future stories.
Considering readers in the outlining phase: I’ve also been a bit nervous about the next project in the series, where I take my characters on the road (or, technically, on the sea. It’s a cruise ship mystery). I’m remembering that my editor at Penguin had many reservations about this type of story…although I ended up writing one for her (Quilt Trip), and it did really well. My editor advised me to load as many of my recurring characters as possible into the story because they’d be missed by readers otherwise. Since this is set on a cruise, it would create a ridiculous suspension of disbelief for readers if I took all my characters along. Quilt Trip was different from this story in another way—it was another subgenre…a manor house mystery or English country house mystery (except mine was set in the American South). I’ve always wanted to write one. The cruise book won’t be following the tenets of the manor house mystery as a guideline.
I’m currently creating the outline for this cruise book, although I won’t write it until May. I’ve gotten in the habit of outlining the next book in a series immediately after writing a book in the same series and before leaping over to a different series. It’s best if my head is still in the series world when I outline.
I started trying to think like a reader. What can this change of setting add to my story? Instead of just a change of scenery, what will help make it a great story? For the readers?
I looked up the Road Trip trope on TV Tropes (this site should come with a warning label that it can become an addictive time suck). It stated that the main purpose of this trope was to teach the characters something about themselves. But this is decidedly what I don’t like about those types of stories.
I decided that, for me as a viewer/reader, when I saw a special episode of my favorite show or read a book where my favorite characters went on a road trip, what made it especially interesting is when the characters maintained their own particular quirks and traits even in the new location. Or, even better, when the new location created conflict because of their own particular/peculiar traits. And I don’t like it when the setting overpowers the plot and characters.
Writing this, it seems as if it should have been a no-brainer for me, but deliberately planning a novel based on what I think my readers will find most interesting is somewhat new for me. I feel like usually I wrote things that I enjoyed and hoped everyone would come along for the ride. Sometimes this worked well for me and sometimes it didn’t.
Using reader ideas. I know that sometimes writers have said this is an area that can get tricky, but I’m also willing in doing a certain amount of crowdsourcing for story ideas. I don’t solicit them, but I’m lucky to be at the point where some readers are invested enough in the series and characters to ping me on social media and via email with suggestions. Most recently, a reader suggested that Myrtle help recurring character (and destitute psychic) Wanda find a job. It worked well with a story I was writing and so I worked it into the storyline.
This is completely different from the way books used to be written. Writers in the garret, removed from the world, crafting their stories. And I’m not saying I’m 100% a proponent of this semi-collaborative approach, but as I’m reporting what I’m doing, it certainly seems as if I’m coming a lot closer to a crowdsourcing method. It makes me wonder…what if I did a project…a just-for-fun project…on Wattpad? I’d write it serially (which I just told someone in an interview I’d never do because I don’t like to edit as I go and this would force me to edit as the story progressed) and write to purposefully solicit and incorporate reader feedback as I went…would it be a crazy story? Like a weird, senseless round-robin thing? Or would I be able to corral it into something that made sense? Part of me thinks that would be a cool creative challenge and part of me thinks that perhaps I’ve suffered a mild stroke. At any rate, I don’t have time for it right now, but it’s an intriguing future possibility.
How closely do you work with your readers? Where do you see reading and writing heading in the future? Concerns about collaborative writing?
Reader influence in our stories:
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Image: MorgueFile: xololounge
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