Elizabeth Spann Craig's Blog, page 151

Chapter Length

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig



Hope everyone has had a good last couple
of weeks…I did.  I even managed to have
an adventure…more on that on Friday.

From time to time I get emails or
comments asking about manuscript basics. 
The emails are frequently apologetic in nature as if the writer were
asking something that everyone knew but her. 
That’s just not the case because I see shifts in areas even relating to
manuscript formatting—it’s always worth asking.

This particular question was from another
mystery writer and the question was on chapter length. 



I used to write longer chapters than I do
now.  There are several reasons why I
think I did…although I didn’t put much thought into it at the time.  One reason is that I built in a good number
of section breaks into each chapter.  My
chapters frequently encompassed several scenes (so, there’d be a big change of
some kind at several points in the chapter: a change of setting, a change of
characters my sleuth was talking to, etc.) 
Another reason is that I put my chapter breaks in as I wrote—and I don’t
think I paid very much attention when the last chapter had occurred or how many
pages I was into the new chapter.  There
would simply seem to be a great spot for a chapter break and I’d stick it in
and go merrily on my way. My editors didn’t mind this…I was never asked to
change the location of a break or to make my chapters a different length.

What made me switch to short chapters
were the readers.  Obviously, we’re
talking about genre fiction/commercial fiction here—if you’re writing literary
fiction,  this probably won’t apply.  But the readers actually complained about my
chapter length—both directly to me in email and in customer reviews on online
retailers like Amazon.

That made me immediately change
course.  Readers said that their busy
lives meant that they needed more frequent chapter breaks so that they could
find their place easier (these are obviously readers who are reading the mass
market paperbacks and not the ebooks.) 
They also felt that longer chapters set a slower pace…they felt they
weren’t making progress. 

At this point, I’ve usually got one scene
per chapter.  My chapters are ordinarily
10 pages (double-spaced Word docs…each page at 250 words…although sometimes my
pages have fewer than 250 words since I use a lot of dialogue.)  I haven’t heard a bit of criticism on my
chapter length since then.  And no
comment from Penguin on my change….they don’t seem to mind one way or the
other.  

My other change in the way I approached
chapters was that I inserted chapter breaks at the end of the first draft.  This helps me to keep the breaks fairly
regular and helps me adhere to my 10 page-break goal.  Sometimes, obviously, I’m not exactly 10
pages between breaks.  There will be some
areas in a book where a chapter break is perfect…cliffhanger moments.  So, if I’ve got a body discovered, I’m not
sticking that right in the middle of chapter ten.  I’ll either make chapter ten super-short or change the length of bordering chapters.

Again, as I like to reiterate on these
kinds of posts—there is no wrong or right method.  I’ve never had an editor talk with me about
chapter length.

How long are your chapters, as a
writer?  As a reader, do you have a
preference? 

Twitterific

By Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig



by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

 

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I'm
back from my blog break! :)  Good to be
back.




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Blog Break

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig



Hope everyone is having a good summer so far. 



 I’m going to take a couple of weeks off, but
will  return to the blog on Sunday, July 21 with Twitterific.





 Happy writing!

Twitterific

By Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig



Twitterific links are fed into the Writer’s Knowledge Base search engine
(developed by writer and software engineer Mike Fleming) which has over 20,000
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Sign up for our free newsletter for monthly
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Mike Fleming and James Scott Bell are
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at Knockout Novel.com.

I have a new book
out. :) Rubbed Out
debuted on Tuesday.




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@onetruejeantt

8 Symbols That We Turned Into Words: http://bit.ly/123MRHL @mental_floss

Getting Over Writer's Block: Listen To
Your Characters: http://bit.ly/1c1Cg1A
@woodwardkaren

Music inspires a short story writer's
plots, mood, and characters: http://bit.ly/123NvoC
@jonpinnock @byRozMorris

Seven research tips for informed writing:
http://bit.ly/1c1D6eW @Claredodd

Business Basics for Today's Writer—Cover
Letters and Proposals: http://bit.ly/185CPKF
@EdieMelson

9 Practices for Cultivating Creative
Life: http://bit.ly/13ZWgQT
@CreatvEmergence

10 Points About Possessives:  http://bit.ly/185D4oM
@writing_tips

Getting organized as a writer: http://bit.ly/13ZWvLu @jennaavery

8 Steps to Create Visually Appealing Blog
Posts: http://bit.ly/185Degb @rbelliston

Branding Yourself as a Scriptwriter: http://bit.ly/13ZWEyE @jacobkrueger

3 Ways Your Book Can Sell Itself: http://bit.ly/185DoE2 @selfpubtoolkit

A quick tip to improve your writing: http://bit.ly/13ZWNCm @changeitupedit

Self-Editing Tips and Tricks: http://bit.ly/185DFqD @KristenJett

3 Tips for Naming Characters: http://bit.ly/13ZXfAw @write_practice

As an Author, Is It Worth Being in the
Amazon Associates Program? http://bit.ly/185E3Wb
@goblinwriter

World Building Tips Learned at the
Louvre: http://bit.ly/13ZXlrE @Janice_Hardy

The importance of word of mouth: http://bit.ly/185Edg7 @Kristinerusch

Attracting Screenwriting Representation
with a Strong Body of Work: http://bit.ly/13ZXw6h
@scriptmag

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make financial goals: http://bit.ly/185EsI0
@woodwardkaren

A 3-week map for boosting your
start-of-day productivity: http://bit.ly/13ZXITg

The climate of criticism: http://bit.ly/185EFuY @jodyhedlund

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@tordotcom @davidmbarnett

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Synopsis: http://bit.ly/1402mRg @fcmalby

How Reading Makes Us More Human: http://bit.ly/185JQLu @theatlantic
@LoveLifeLitGod

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http://bit.ly/1402wrM

Develop Your Writing Through
Inspirational Self-Critics: http://bit.ly/185K7xK
@lizstrauss

De-Clutter Your Mind to Become a More
Productive Writer: http://bit.ly/1402Jet
@ticewrites

How to Build a Stockpile of Good Writing
Ideas: http://bit.ly/185KhW9 @chrisrobley

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Setting as a Character: http://bit.ly/185KqZy

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Back: http://bit.ly/1402VKJ @BeccaPuglisi

Write a Query Letter that Compels Agents
and Editor to Read More: http://bit.ly/185KBnA
@ninaamir

A brief history of Jennifer Weiner's
literary fights: http://bit.ly/140368Z
@salon @DPD_

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@BellaPagan

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15 – Final Image: http://bit.ly/1403unJ

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@ajackwriting

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@plotwhisperer

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10 Things to Remember About Sequels: http://bit.ly/185LxIK @Janice_Hardy

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@annerallen

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Nonfiction--How to Produce a Competitive
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@ninaamir

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The Foolscap Method of Outlining: http://bit.ly/1aDzcfQ
@SPressfield
 

The Appeal of Spy Fiction--Guest Post by Jordan McCollum

Title: Why Spy? The appeal of spies in fiction



by Jordan McCollum



Maybe it's just a guilty pleasure. Maybe it's an obsession. Maybe it's simple wish-fulfillment fantasy. But with the popularity of everything from James Bond to Burn Notice, it's tough to deny the appeal of spies in fiction.



The glamour and the gadgets (and the girls!) are only the beginning of the coolness, however. Sure, spies get the coolest tools on television, but unsurprisingly the reality is a lot less glamorous and entertaining.




But it's not just the veneer of fiction that keeps us reading and watching spy stories, and I highly doubt much of the audience is interested in the politics and intrigue of made-up people. (We're scarcely interested in real politics & intrigue these days!)



So why is spy fiction so perennially popular? I think it traces back to the simple facts of the job itself. In real life, most spies don't directly save lives, catch bad guys, and engage in gunplay. Their real lives are much more quiet and covert, and largely involve trying to get other people who already have access to share or steal secrets.



Secrets. Even in real life, spies trade in secrets every day. And that's a big part, I think, of the subconscious appeal of the spy. Most people have a negative connotation with keeping secrets. We might keep confidences, but keeping secrets, it seems, is when other people don't tell us something we almost have a right to know, something important.









Me having fun, freshman year of college





When it comes to spies, though, keeping secrets is the honorable thing. They pledge their lives to keeping secrets—and with these secrets, lives can hang in the balance.



Sometimes spies must even keep secrets from those they love—even big secrets. Like many aspects of the spy life, this is a lot more popular in fiction than in reality. It does, however, happen. From what I hear, the official rule in the CIA's Clandestine Service is you can tell your significant other about your job once you're engaged. A story at a CIA training facility goes like this:

After months of training in DC, and several months of more in-depth instruction far away from family and friends, CIA trainees are allowed to bring their closest family members for a family weekend. As part of the weekend, family members are loaded onto a bus for a tour of the Farm facility.



One year, the instructor-turned-tour guide clapped his hands and welcomed the family members to the CIA.



One woman leapt to her feet. (In some stories, she's even holding a young child.) "The CIA?" she exclaimed. "My husband works for the CIA?!"

While that story is probably fictitious, it carries at least an ounce of truth: Spies are expected to keep secrets, even from the people closest to them—and that's a good thing! For me, that's one of the most interesting aspects of the job, even more than the fictional glamour and mystique, and even more than the lives they save: it's the personal costs that can run so high.



What do you think? Do you read or watch spy fiction? Why?



About the Author




An award-winning author, Jordan McCollum can't resist a story where good defeats evil and true love conquers all. In her day job, she coerces people to do things they don’t want to, elicits information and generally manipulates the people she loves most—she's a mom. Jordan holds a degree in American Studies and Linguistics from Brigham Young University. When she catches a spare minute, her hobbies include reading, knitting and music. She lives with her husband and four children in Utah.



Visit Jordan:  BLOG & WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | TWITTER | GOODREADS



Jordan's first novel, I, Spy, is out now: Canada's the last place you’d expect an American spy. But even idyllic Ottawa has deadly secrets—and so does CIA operative Talia Reynolds. There's only one thing she can't do: tell her boyfriend Danny about her Top Secret occupation. When her latest target turns around and targets Danny, her schedule isn't the only thing suffering. To save her secrets and her country, Talia must sacrifice the man she loves. More about I, Spy | Amazon  Kobo | direct from JordanMcCollum.com.

Cause-Related Marketing

by Kay Kendall, @Kaylee_Kendall

Everyone knows the publishing world is in
upheaval and it’s a dog-eat-dog world as far as promoting books is concerned.
At first the various ways to connect through social media seemed to be
heaven-sent, yet now, after only a year or two, folks on authors’ chat groups
across the Web lament that book sales are flagging. They say that the kinds of
promotions that used to work are not as effective anymore.

What’s an author to do?

 My
own debut mystery DESOLATION ROW was published by Stairway Press of Seattle
just this spring, and of course I have been going full-tilt with online
marketing. Lately I’m turning the bulk of my attention back to mystery number
two, but when I write for days on end and let the promotion slide, my sales
figures fall. So, like a yoyo, I pop right back to do more online marketing.

You know the drill. Facebook, Twitter,
Goodreads, blogging and/or guest blogging. And now, as if all us authors didn’t
have our hands full already, Everyone
says that an author has to add Google+

What is a poor besieged author to do?

In an earlier incarnation in life I was a
vice president of public affairs with American Express. This was in the late
eighties when the company was pioneering the concept called cause-related
marketing. Now I have begun my own version of that, and I suggest that you at
least consider it. It isn’t something you will have to do daily. The concept is
no longer brand new in the world of marketing, but it is not yet old hat in the
book world.

Simply put, you as an author know what
charitable causes have resonance with you. Find one that also relates to
something in your book. Then promote the fact that you will donate a part of
your royalties to that worthy cause. Both sides of the equation win. Even if
this does not sell more of your books today, you show your true colors as a
caring person about something that is not frivolous, something that is near and
dear to your heart. The homeless, arts in your community, a hospital funding
drive. The list is truly endless.

For example, DESOLATION ROW is set
against the backdrop of the Vietnam War. In 1968 a young bride from Texas uses
her CIA-honed skills to catch the real killer when her husband lands in a
Canadian jail for murdering the draft-resisting son of a United States senator.
Read the whole book and you will find that the overall thrust is pro-soldier
and anti-war.

Because of that ethos, and because I have
supported the organization for more than 30 years, I am choosing to donate a
portion of my royalties to the Paralyzed Veterans of America.  When I talk about that, I not only share with
readers where my heart lies but also profile a worthy organization that does
essential work.  Remember: the connection
between your writing and your cause is key.

I urge you to look at your writing and
your own causes. See what will work to make both sides of that equation gain
prominence and profile. A position that is win-win for all concerned is always
best. And as we used to say back in the day—slightly amended to what I am doing
now…WRITE ON!

=============



Kay Kendall is an international award-winning public relations executive
who lives in Texas with her husband, five house rabbits, and spaniel Wills. A
fan of historical mysteries, she set her debut mystery during the Vietnam War,
a key conflict of last century not already overrun with novels. Kay says her
mysteries feature women caught in their own battles during that unusual war
era. "In Desolation
Row I explore what life was like for a
typical young woman--not a headline maker, not a Hanoi Jane or Angela Davis,
but a moderate who nonetheless got swept up by history's tides during the
turbulent sixties. All that turmoil lends itself to drama, intrigue, and
murder." Kendall's now working on her second Austin Starr mystery, Rainy Day Women.

Editorial Letters and Other Edit Requests:

By Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig



Not every editor sends editorial letters
along with requests for edits, but my editor for the quilting mysteries
does—and I love them.  

 The reason she’s
one of my favorites to work with in this business is because of the way she
approaches criticism.  She opens her
letters full of praise for the story, and then brings up issues to be
addressed.  It’s a pleasure to work with
her.  I just received one from my editor
last week, and I’ll share some of the points she brought up in mine.

Things she mentioned that she liked in
the story (in case you’re editing your own mystery): plot twists, character
growth for minor characters (I tried hard in this particular story to show
different sides of characters…especially the more unlikeable ones), and the
setting.  Y’all know I really don’t enjoy
setting (at all!) but this time I tried
to make the setting more fun to write so that I’d do a better job with it…I
released my inner Nancy Drew and wrote in secret passageways, trap doors, and a
spooky attic.  I also brought in some
Southern Gothic elements…just because I’m a fan.  The Gothic elements also made the setting
more fun to write in.



Wondering what types of issues come up in
editorial letters?  I’m happy to share my
mistakes in case any of you have got the same sorts of issues.  Mine seem to come up in the same categories:

Making
sure bits of story set-up are present at story wrap-up:

This book is an old-fashioned country
house mystery—remote location, ice storm, murderer in the house.  You know. 
So my set-up involved trees that had broken during the ice storm and
blocked the driveway, making escape down the mountainous driveway
impossible.  Somehow, I’d forgotten to
mention those trees at the end of the story and during the rescue, there was no
mention of them.  I quickly wrote in the
trees and the necessity of a chainsaw.

Make sure
that other mentions in the story are explained in the wrap-up:

Was there really a ghost?

How did a gun get into a character’s
room?

Why wasn’t the house heated?

Character
consistency:

I’ve got a character who was a wealthy
and ruthless businesswoman.  Why would
her house be in such poor repair/so shabby? 
Well, she was a miser and didn’t want to pay for the upkeep.  In my head,
I knew this…forgot to share it with the reader.

And the
bits that were mentioned in Track Changes on the actual manuscript:

More
detail wanted (what did the van look like, sound like? What type of gun
was the gun?)

Transitions
needed: Needed a bit of text to show a car going into a driveway instead
of suddenly ending up at the house.  Needed to add transition to a very abrupt change after a section break.

Correcting
what characters knew:  How did the
characters know which bedroom was theirs?

Who is
speaking?  A bit of dialogue
confusion.

Continuity:
Peanut butter sandwiches miraculously turned into pasta

Tension:  Drawing out tension in one scene—I was asked
to add a few sentences between the appearance of a pale-faced, frightened
character and her explanation of what she’d seen to make her that way.

Echoes:
A couple of accidentally repeated words that meant I needed to rewrite one or
two of the words.

Convoluted
logic: A character made an assumption while creating a plan…a leap of
logic that didn’t really make sense.  It
was simply a leap I needed the character to make.  I wrote in other options and explained why
the character ended up making the plan she did.

A sentence
that was a little too rough for the genre: I toned it down for my cozy
readers, at the editor’s request.  I must
have been in a grim mood that day! Read a bit more like noir than cozy.

So those were my edits for the book
coming out in December.  Not too bad…able
to work methodically through them and make the changes in a day.

What kinds of things do you focus on
during your edits? Do you usually need to make similar changes to mine?

Twitterific

By Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig



by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

 

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@dearauthor

After readers have figured out the
whodunit in crime fic, is there still incentive to keep reading? http://bit.ly/1466v4u @mkinberg

Writing Time: A Guilty Pleasure or a
Necessity? http://bit.ly/180cptv
@jodyhedlund

The Many Bromances of Neil Gaiman: http://bit.ly/1467d1I @tordotcom @RyancBritt

Your book's cover is its own best
salesperson: http://bit.ly/1467kdA
@GLeeBurgett

Cutting subplots: http://bit.ly/180cHAE @plotwhisperer

Writing and Illustrating a Picture Book: http://bit.ly/1467th3

Tips for growing your blog readership: http://bit.ly/1467FNo @juliegray

PR and Marketing for Self-Publishing: Dos
and Don'ts: http://bit.ly/180cU6R
@BookSparksPR

Querying In the Digital Age: With
Information Comes Power: http://bit.ly/1467QZb
@carlywatters

10 Benefits of Reading: http://bit.ly/180dVMp @lifehackorg

6 tips for your own stay-at-home writing
retreat: http://bit.ly/1469R7r @beth_barany

What are the odds of success in the
writing business? http://bit.ly/180e3eR
@kristenlambtx

7 Steps to Proofreading Like a Pro: http://bit.ly/146a76x @problogger

Where to find cover artists: http://bit.ly/ZH23d6 @woodwardkaren

Publishers Should Empower Authors to Sell
Their Own E-books: http://bit.ly/11TnSme
@nathanbransford

12 Compelling Reasons Writers Should
Blog: http://bit.ly/180elT3 @12most

Crime Scenes: The Dos And Don'ts: http://bit.ly/146aUo5 @LeeLofland

Deconstructing Horror: Shaky Hands (the
Homemade Hand-Held Camera Look): http://bit.ly/180ePII
@amazingstories0

Game Writing--The Decline of
Survival-Horror and Why it Needs Saving: http://bit.ly/13CLrDY
@ausgamers

Being Creative While Avoiding Outsider
Status: http://bit.ly/180kONA
@PatrickRwrites

1 writer's greatest fear: http://bit.ly/146o2JG @karenzach @billycoffey

The snowflake method as a brainstorming
technique: http://bit.ly/180l3Zd
@glencstrathy

4 Tips For Dealing With Difficult People
on Social Media: http://bit.ly/146ooA9
@BadRedheadMedia @loriculwell

Trust Your Process: http://bit.ly/180lliD @SmackDabBlog

7 reasons you might need an agent: http://bit.ly/146oUht @ninaamir

9 facts about life that 1 writer has
learned from writing about death: http://bit.ly/146pdcc
@danasitar

Pitching To Understaffed Media: http://bit.ly/180lNxw

Those "Toxic" Ebook Royalties: http://bit.ly/16zdEvW @Harkaway @DeFiore
@Porter_Anderson

Author Photos

By Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig





Author photos aren’t just for the backs
of books.  They’re also used to brand our
series and connect different bits of our platform.  They can also connect a pseudonym to our real
name. My photo is one of the few things connecting my Riley Adams books to my
Elizabeth Craig books on both my Goodreads pages and Author Central on
Amazon.  They’re useful for guest posting
on blog tours.

And it’s much better to use our photo
than our book cover for branding.  Our
covers and series change…our faces stay the same.  Sort of. 
:)

I was amazed how many sites I had to
update yesterday with the new photo.  I
updated for two Facebooks, two Goodreads, Twitter, Amazon Author Central (twice
for the two profiles), my website, Google Plus, LinkedIn, my avatar for
Wordpress, and my blog.  And I have the
sneaking suspicion that I’m forgetting something.

I try to update my photo every year,
although last year got away from me.  I
have a particular favorite author and read her once-yearly books when they
release. When she finally updated her author photo after ten years, I
gasped.  What had happened to her?  Then I realized…oh.  It had been ten books since that picture had
changed.  If we can, it’s probably better
to update our photos more frequently than that.

I’ve gone to professional studios twice
before for headshots and I just haven’t been as happy with the results. The
fault lies squarely on my shoulders.  I
completely understand that professionals are better for a variety of different
reasons…but I tend to stiffen up and produce extremely unnatural-looking
expressions.  The last time I went to a
studio, the photographer told me in frustration that she’d rather work with the
screaming toddler down the hall than me—that I needed to learn to relax.

This is why I’m now using my daughter to
take my headshots. :) My publishers haven't seemed to notice a difference in the quality of the photo.  Newly-recovered
from her tonsillectomy, and bored because she’s not doing normal activities
yet, my daughter took photos of me yesterday to update my images on my sites. I will smile for my daughter.  She’s even signed legal releases for Penguin
so that her picture of me can go in the backs of my books.  The point is that I look more relaxed. I definitely looked stressed in some of my studio pictures.

If you do go to a studio, you need to
make sure that they will release the rights to the photo to you.  Most of them do…there are only a couple of
commercial chains that I’ve heard aren’t good about it.  They’ll usually recommend wearing a solid
color (I frequently ignore this advice), and not to wear very light colors if
you’re fair.

The studio drove me a little batty
because they wanted me to strike a variety of poses—and I knew my publisher
didn’t want that.  The publishers I’ve
worked with have asked for headshots—not full-length photos—and they don’t want
you looking off to the side or cradling your head in your hand or doing
anything that looks particularly artsy. 
You only have to pay for the poses you want, but I felt as though I were
wasting my time with everything but headshots at the studio.

If you do
go to a studio, though, be sure to take more than one outfit with you.  They let you change during the shoot.  In fact, they’re delighted to let you change
because it means you may buy several different portraits (since you’re in
several different outfits, it appears that you’ve had more than one shoot.)

Midnight Ink, as I recall, had a whole
page of author photo instructions.  From
what I remember of Penguin’s instructions, it was mainly just that they needed
a headshot and the specific resolution they needed to have a clear black and
white picture on the inside back cover of the mass market paperbacks. But
you’ll want to make sure that you know your publisher’s requirements before you
get your photo taken.

Have you updated your photo lately?  Any tips that I’ve forgotten?

7 Secrets to Loving Book Promotion (Even If You're an Introvert)

by  Toni Tesori,
@Duolit









Do you consider
yourself an introvert?




If so, you’re
definitely not alone. Over
eighty percent of writers (myself included!) belong to that group. In the
world at large, however, we’re outnumbered three-to-one by our extroverted
brethren. 




When it comes to
writing, this works out perfectly. Crafting your story is, after all, a
solitary task. Lots of time alone to think, plan, get creative – all things we
introverts excel at!




But what the task
that comes after you type that final sentence? What happens when the time comes
(shudder) to promote your work?






I can see your recoil through the screen!

I completely
understand your hesitation. The vast majority of marketing advice seems to be
written for the more extroverted among us, those who don't mind sharing their
work and expounding on its virtues.




I don’t know about
you, but that concept makes me feel a little bit queasy. I’ll never feel
comfortable with the “here’s my awesome book, check it out!” mindset.




I’m willing to bet
that you feel the same way.







And that’s a big problem.

Because, when you
start out with a negative perception of book promotion, you’ll have a hard time
forcing yourself to work at it. And if you don’t promote your work at all, the
odds of your having the writing career of your dreams are (sadly) slim to none.




Luckily for us
introverts, there is a way we can promote our work with confidence AND actually
have a little bit of (*gasp*) fun at the same time!




Sounds pretty good,
huh? 




Icky Feeling, Begone!

Using the
self-promotion secrets I outline below, you’ll build a book marketing habit you
can stick with, all while working with (instead of against) your introverted
nature.




Ready to get
started?




Secret #1: Change Your Marketing Definition

Before we can get
into real promotional tactics, we must first be on the same page about what
book marketing really is. If you’re anything like me, the word “marketing”
brings to mind either (1) sleazy used car salesman or (2) manipulative Mad
Men-esque advertising execs. Neither one a positive image, right?




Just for a moment,
erase those sketchy tactics and flashy hype out from your mind. Let’s redefine
what self-promotion really means. 




When you promote
your book, all you’re doing is sharing your work with folks who will
(hopefully!) love it. That’s it! No coercion, hype or pressure required. 




Thinking of it that
way takes much of the “scary” out of book marketing, doesn’t it?




Secret #2: See Your Readers as People

Trying to figure out
how to reach a nameless, faceless blob of 18-34 year-old women (or whoever
makes up your target market) can be, at the very least, a bit
overwhelming. 




How do you what
appeals to them? How do you even find them? The task feels so insurmountable
that  turning to those “me me me!” self-promotion tactics seems your only
option.




Luckily, your
results can be just as effective when, instead of trying to figure out a huge
segment of readers, you narrow your focus to individual members of your target
market. A great way to do this is by creating
profiles of individual readers, almost like characters in your book.




Then, when you try
to figure out how to reach your readers, you can have a mental conversation
with a single reader, which is way easier than trying to figure out thousands
at once!




Secret #3: Slow Down

While I know you’re
eager to see your sales start climbing as soon as possible, don’t let that
panic make you rush into uncomfortable book marketing territory. 




Instead, slow
down. 




Build up your
comfort level with marketing one day at a time.




Focus on a single
task (such as building a mailing list or creating an author blog) for a bit
and, only when you feel comfortable, move onto the next.




Book promotion isn’t
a race. There are (and will be) many winners. By slowing down, you build your
fanbase naturally and prevent burnout. Which is important because…




Secret #4: Be Consistent

When it comes to
building your readership, consistency is far more important than
intensity. 




Far too often,
authors feel the need to take on the gamut of book promotion possibilities at
once; that if they can’t build a website, Facebook fan page, GoodReads page,
mailing list and Twitter following all at the same time, they are doomed to
certain failure.




As a result, they
feel obligated to spend hours every single day working on book marketing
(because how else would you ever be able to fit all of that stuff in?)




It’s no wonder so
many of us end up suffering from book promotion burnout!




I hereby give you
permission to stop that madness. Just slowing down and focusing your efforts
will get you to the same end result, so will being consistent.




I’d much rather you
find a promotion schedule you can stick with for the long term (even if it’s
only 15 or 30 minutes at a time, a few days a week) than throw yourself into
something unsustainable.




If you’re wondering
how you can get anything done in such short bursts, check out my Bowflex Method (silly name, but a popular
post)!




Secret #5: Find Your Motivation

Love her or hate
her, fitness celebrity Jillian
Michaels certainly is popular here in America, and she has this piece of
advice that I absolutely love: “Find your Why. Because when you have a
significant Why, you can tolerate any How.”




I know she’s not the
first person to come up with this concept, but I think it’s a really important
point for authors as well. 




Ask yourself: Why
are you publishing your work? Why are you building your fanbase? What ideal
outcome do you want to achieve?




With the right
motivation, book promotion becomes just another step in the writing process,
moving you toward the success you desire.




Secret #6: Step Back and Observe

Book promotion feels
very action-oriented, but for us introverts, it’s important to have time to
chill out. To reflect. To recharge.




Even when you need
to step back from marketing, you can still make that time away useful. 




Use the time to
reflect on the promotional tactics you’ve been working on and make some
observations: what’s working? What isn’t? How much
progress have you made?




As an added bonus,
seeing how far you’ve come is another great motivator!




The Final Secret: Don't Take it Too Seriously

While everything
I’ve said above is solid advice, this might just be the best of all: don’t take
this whole book marketing thing too
seriously.




I won’t argue that
promotion is extremely important (I love me some book marketing, y’all), but
it’s also important to see it for what it really is: fun!




Book marketing is a
celebration of the finished product you spent months, years, decades of your
life creating. You’re connecting with people who will fall in love with the
story you created, the characters you dreamed up, the worlds you’ve described.
What could be more fun than that?




Talk Back

Do you consider
yourself an introvert? Does the idea of book promotion give you the
heebie-jeebies? Did any of the advice above make you excited to build your
fanbase? Let’s chat in the comments!




Toni Tesori is one half of Duolit, two gals who help passionate fiction authors sell
more books by building their crazy-dedicated fanbase. If you're ready to stop
dreading and start loving the process of book promotion, check out their FREE Weekend Book Marketing
Makeover, a guided workbook that jumpstarts
your fanbase-building efforts in just two days!