Elizabeth Spann Craig's Blog, page 72

August 25, 2018

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 45,000 free articles on writing related topics. It’s the search engine for writers.

Have you visited the WKB lately? Check out the new redesign where you can browse by category, and sign up for free writing articles, on topics you choose, delivered to your email inbox! Sign up for the Hiveword newsletter here.

Cleaning is Murder cover I had a book release last week. :) Cleaning is Murder launched Tuesday.

Business / Miscellaneous

How to Treat Writing Like a Business: @TuesWithLaurie

Conferences and Events / Miscellaneous

International Literature Festival Berlin Rolls Out 2018 Programming: @Porter_Anderson @ilb_

5 Etiquette Tips for Your Next Book Event: @wandalu64

Update From the Beijing International Book Fair’s Professional Programs: @Porter_Anderson @pubperspectives

Beijing Book Fair Director Liying Lin on China’s Book Market: @Porter_Anderson @pubperspectives

Creativity and Inspiration / Inspiration

Where do you get your ideas from? @melanippee

Creativity and Inspiration / Inspiration / Reading as Writers

20 Reasons to Read a Book: @JodyHedlund

7 Authors Who Only Ever Published One (Fantastic) Novel: @Keith_Rice1 @SignatureReads

25 Alice Munro Stories You Can Read Online Right Now: @knownemily

Creativity and Inspiration / Motivation

Tips for Getting the Passion Back in Your Writing: @christinadelay

How to Break a Bad Habit or Start a Good One: Reward Yourself: @BrynDonovan

Creativity and Inspiration / Productivity / Fitting in Writing

How to Use a “Time Block” to Get More Writing Done: @losapala

How to Make Time to Write With a Busy Schedule: @the_writing_pal

How to Write Your Book in Five Minutes a Day: @WriteNowCoach

Creativity and Inspiration / Productivity / When to write

Why 1 Writer Goes to Bed Early: @asthebirdflies

Creativity and Inspiration / Productivity / Writing Quickly

6 Steps to Achieving Zen-Like Writer Efficiency: @annerallen @DaveChesson

How a Secondary Project Can Help with Productivity: from Just a Writing Aid

6 Ways to Double Your Writing Speed: @LMacNaughton

Creativity and Inspiration / Success

5 Things Successful Writers Do that Others Miss: @DanBlank

7 Things Lucky Writers Do to Succeed: @colleen_m_story

Creativity and Inspiration / Writing Life

Silence Your Inner Editor: @victoria_grif7

3 wondrous paradoxes of a slow writing process: @Roz_Morris

Own Your Success and Your Failure: @KristineRusch

Why It’s Time to Finally Call Yourself a Writer: @BeingTheWriter @womenonwriting

10 Ways to Survive Your Debut Author Year: @WF_writerEM @WomenWriters

On (Re)Writing Real-Life Tragedy: @KimberlySBelle @WomenWriters

When family and friends aren’t interested in your writing: from Just a Writing Aid

Don’t Let Anybody Tell You How to Write (or 8 Tips for Learning Responsibly): @KMWeiland

On Falling in Love with the Language I’ve Spoken My Entire Life: @citizenofspace @lithub

Genres / Fantasy

How to Create a Magic System in Six Simple Steps: @kristen_kieffer

Creating a Magic System for Superpowers: by Chris Winkle

Creating a Fictional Economy: by Oren Ashkenazi @mythcreants

Genres / Memoir

Writing Memoir: Owning Your Story (Podcast): @DIYMFA with Grace Kennan Warnecke

Genres / Mystery

5 things about writing a psychological thriller: @HeidiPerksBooks @CurtisBrown

3 reasons to use free indirect speech in your crime fiction: @LouiseHarnby

Crime Writing: Cops: How To Tell Who’s Who: Behind The Pins And Medals: @LeeLofland

Genres / Non-Fiction

“I Talked to 39 Women Who Write Nonfiction, and Here’s What I’ve Learned”: @eb_bartels @ElectricLit

Get Back To Writing Creative Nonfiction When You’ve Lost Your Way: @kayladeanwrites

Genres / Picture Books

How to Write a Children’s Book: an Author’s Guide: @ReedsyHQ

Genres / Science Fiction

4 Authors Share Their Best Tips for Writing Fantasy & Science-Fiction: @WritersDigest

Genres / Screenwriting

Great Scene: “Citizen Kane”: @GoIntoTheStory

Genres / Young Adult

9 Tips for Writing Good, Healthy Relationships in Your YA Novel: @_HannahHeath

Promo / Blogging

4 Ways You Can Start Writing Better Blog Posts Immediately: @karonthackston

Promo / Book Descriptions and Copywriting

Your Author Bio is a Powerful Tool to Build Your Brand: @DaveChesson @BookWorksNYC

Promo / Connecting with Readers

Look for deeper ways of connecting with readers: @austinkleon

Promo / Influencers

How to Get Blurbs: A Case Study on Connecting with Influencers: @timgrahl

Promo / Platforms

12 Author Platform Building Blocks to Choose From: @sandrabeckwith

Promo / Social Media Tips

How to Build a Community on Twitter: @CaballoFrances @JFbookman

Publishing / Miscellaneous

How to Use the Amazon Algorithm to Sell More Books: @AlinkaRutkowska @jfbookman

Author Richard Russo Warns of Tech Giants’ Move Into Content for Writers: @Porter_Anderson @AuthorsGuild

Kobo Ebooks and Audiobooks Arrive in America at Walmart: @Porter_Anderson @pubperspectives

New Report: American Teens Spend Less Time Reading: @Porter_Anderson @jean_twenge

New Partnership Between @AuthorsGuild and The Hot Sheet: @Porter_Anderson @JaneFriedman

Easy listening: the rise of the audiobook: @AlexClark3 @GuardianBooks

New York Public Library Initiates Its New ‘Insta Novels’ on Instagram: @Porter_Anderson @nypl

Wattpad’s 2018 ‘Diversity & Inclusion’ Survey: Progress, and Tech Realities: @Porter_Anderson @allenlau @wattpad

Industry Notes: ‘Great American Read’ Has Its Own Read; Unicorn Driven to ‘Urban Cars’: @Porter_Anderson @UnicornPubGroup

Publishing / News / International Publishing

Australia’s online retailer Booktopia expands its distribution service: @thenewpubstd

Canada’s Fraser Valley Regional Library Has VR Partnership for Inanimate Alice: @Porter_Anderson @ReadLearnPlay

Programming for the 2018 Singapore Asian Festival of Children’s Content: @Porter_Anderson @AFCC_sg

Political Publishing: The UK’s Byline Media Festival Showcases Its New Press: @MarkPiesing @pubperspectives

Publishing / Options / Self-Publishing

The Rewards and Challenges of Self-Publishing Children’s Books: Q&A with Four Authors: @sangeeta_editor @JaneFriedman

Publishing / Options / Traditional Publishing

Five myths and two truths about getting published: @DanaShavin @TheWriterMag

Publishing / Options / Traditional Publishing / Querying

What the ‘Send 50 pages’ Agent Request Really Means: @Janet_Reid

Publishing / Process / Book Design

Top Five DIY Book Layout Mistakes: @JFbookman

Writing Craft / Beginnings

How to Write a Great First Sentence, with 22 Examples: @RuthHarrisBooks

Real Life Diagnostics: Does This Crime Fiction Opening Hook You? By Maria D’Marco

Trick the Mind, Get Creative and Opening Lines: @10MinNovelists

Writing Craft / Characters / Development

Characters development and personality traits points to consider: @Joannewriter

Different Types of Characters to Include in Your Story: @KathyEdens1 @ProWritingAid

Creating Characters That Wow: @TheMerryWriter

Writing Craft / Characters / Emotion

Writing Emotions Effectively: @repokempt

Writing Craft / Conflict

Conflict Choices for Characters: @FaeRowen

Person Vs Society: 6 Types of Story Conflict: @nownovel

Writing Craft / Dialogue

Getting Regional Dialogue Right: @JoEberhardt

Writing Craft / Literary Devices

How Do You Lead Readers to Your Theme? @sacha_black

Writing Craft / Miscellaneous

Finish Writing Your Book Using This 4-Step Process: @JennHarris_ICM

Tips for writing religious devotionals: @MissyTippens

6 Ways to Manipulate Time in Fiction: @ChairmanDog @ReedsyHQ @LiveWriteThrive

Beginning or Finishing? Which is Harder? @plotwhisperer

Novels are Way More than Just Writing a Story: @CindyDevoted @EdieMelson

How to Write Stuff People Want to Read: @AnneJanzer

Writing Craft / Pacing

Good Pacing and Why It Matters: @HannahFergesen

Writing Craft / POV

Cleaning Up Those POV Breaks: @anngborn2write

Writing Craft / Pre-Writing / Research

What Your Character Experiences While Leaving the Military: from It’s a Writer Thing

5 Things a Writer Needs to Know About a Character with a Mental Illness: @SloanTamar

Writing Craft / Pre-Writing / Story Beats

Writing Down the Story Beats: @Lindasclare

Writing Craft / Punctuation and Grammar

On Semicolons and the Rules of Writing: @AdamOPrice @The_Millions

Writing Craft / Revision

8 Self-editing Techniques to Cut Your Editing Time in Half: by Hayley Millman @ProWritingAid

2 Simple Tips To Spot Structural Problems In Your Writing: @Bang2write

Writing Craft / Revisions / Critiques

Critique Groups – 8 Good Reasons to Love Them: @eroyalauthor

Writing Craft / Scenes

The Making of a Scene: @EddieJonesTweet

Writing Craft / Tropes

The Mentor: Trope Reboot by Brian DeLeonard @mythicscribes

Writing Tools / Miscellaneous

Writer’s Tools and the Forgotten Keyboard: @JFbookman

Uncategorized

7 Habits of Highly Effective Writing Critique Groups: By Ryan Van Cleave

The top writing links from last week are on Twitterific:
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Published on August 25, 2018 21:02

August 23, 2018

Editing Tool ProWritingAid

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

When the ProWritingAid team recently got in touch with me and offered me the chance to check out their editing tool, I was happy to take them up on it. I have never used editing software and was curious to see how well it would work. (I’m not an affiliate, but I did get a free account to try out.)

After setting up my account I decided to upload a couple of documents. The first I uploaded was the current WiP. ProWritingAid indicated that the document might be too large for the tool to effectively handle. I also uploaded a much shorter document, a condensed version of one of my mysteries that’s going to be translated into Spanish.

As the program predicted, it had some trouble with the big (about 50,000 word) file. It still worked, but the response was slow. The shorter document had no problems at all. It might be best to portion out a completed or near-completed manuscript into smaller chunks to run through the software.

I was impressed by what the program picked up in my unedited document. It quickly pointed out words that I overuse (I’m a ‘just’ fan), instances of passive voice, and times when I needed to either add a comma or remove one. It will prompt you to switch out ‘very small’ for ‘tiny’ or to drop the ‘very’. You can also check your story for specific issues. A click on ‘echoes’ resulted in the software pulling up words or phrases that were repeated closely together. In the example below, it picked up a somewhat larger problem–a split infinitive.

Writers can get a feel for whether they’re being consistent in their style.

A click on ‘pacing’ will pull up instances of slow pacing paragraphs (usually heavy in narrative).

A click on ‘clichés’ will return the clichéd phrases for you to consider changing.

You can pull up various reports for your story, too. I was interested in the readability report, for instance. Because the project was supposed to be written in an easy reader style for an English speaking person learning Spanish, I was glad to see that it was relatively readable.

The software focuses on grammatical errors, style issues, and readability. Did it mess up? Yes. Not as much as the grammar-checker on Microsoft Word, but still fairly frequently. Like Word, writers can ignore its feedback.

This software does not replace human editors but can be an effective tool to help clean up a manuscript before it goes to an editor. It can also help educate writers on mistakes to avoid.

Pricing can be found here and is by the year. Although it’s definitely an investment, I think it’s the kind of program that can help writers save money in the long run by cutting down on the amount of time editors have to spend on their manuscripts. Time is money when it comes to editing.

For further reading, Dave Chesson has a nice post comparing proofreading software.

Have you tried ProWritingAid or other proofreading software? How did you like it?

A Closer Look at Editing Software ProWritingAid:
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Published on August 23, 2018 21:02

August 19, 2018

Keeping Your Reviews After Rights Revert to You

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

I’ve written on rights reversion a couple of times and each time I’ve received emails from traditionally published authors concerned about one aspect or another relating to the process.

The biggest concern appears to be keeping those hard-earned reviews after a rights reversion.

ISBNs do need to be changed in some circumstances, most notably when the content of the book is changed. These changes are due to significant alteration of the book’s content, not fixing typos, etc.

But ISBNs do not need to be changed when changing a book’s cover, for example. Or when changing publishers. With no change, those reviews are not in any danger.

This is fresh on my mind because I’ve just recently received the long-awaited ebook rights to the first Myrtle Clover book from Midnight Ink (as of July 1).

Here is US ISBN agency Bowker on changing ISBNs:

If an author gets the publishing rights back, does the original publisher’s ISBN remain?

No, they do not have to be assigned, but they can be.

But, of course, the most important feedback comes from Amazon. I wrote Amazon for clarification for all of us on retaining reviews after a publisher change. Here is the reply from Amlan Jyoti P. with Amazon seller support:

1. I would like to inform you that since the publishing rights will be transferred to you for the ASIN : B002WJH2I0, hence in this case you do not need to update a new ISBN for the product , the old ISBN will do.

Here, we can just change the publisher name to your name since you will have the publishing rights.

2. Please know that since in this case, the ISBN does not needs to be changed and only the publisher name needs to be changed hence the reviews will not get removed. The ASIN will contain all the reviews that is currently present on it.

I appreciate your efforts for reporting these corrections and in helping Amazon maintain data integrity to create a positive shopping experience.

Other retailers operate much the same way. If the ISBN remains the same, the author name is written exactly as before, and the rest of the metadata is the same, they’ll merge the two editions of the book. I haven’t run into any issues at Apple, Nook, etc.

I simply uploaded my own version of the book with a new cover (the cover art, at least in my experience, is never reverted to the author), myself as publisher, and the same metadata as before (lowering the price substantially from the publisher’s price) and then the retailer transferred the reviews to the new edition. It usually took 24-48 hours for the previous version to disappear from the retailer and the reviews to transfer.

I’m hoping this puts the fears of traditionally published authors to rest and that more of them will explore asking for their rights to be reverted to them. More information on obtaining those rights in my post here.

More information on ISBNs in general in this post by Giacomo Giammatteo for the Alliance of Independent Authors.

Have you requested rights back? Did you run into any issues?

Keeping Your Reviews After Rights Revert to You:
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Published on August 19, 2018 21:05

August 18, 2018

Twitterific Writing Links

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

Business / Miscellaneous

A plea to authors to speak out about piracy: @Roz_Morris

Staying Relevant As An Author: @JL_Campbell

The Ever-Thriving TV Industry is Sending Many Literary Writers into the Writers’ Room: by Joy Press @VanityFair

Are you a Short Story Writer or Novel Writer? @AJHumpage

Conferences and Events / Miscellaneous

Beijing Book Fair Emphasizes Digital Zone: Conference and Exhibition Area: @Porter_Anderson @pubperspectives

Creativity and Inspiration / Goal setting

Goal-Setting With Prolifiko: @beprolifiko

Creativity and Inspiration / Inspiration / Reading as Writers

The 17 Best Horror Podcasts Of 2018: @lifewire

10 Classic Fantasy Books You Need to Read: @Keith_Rice1 @unboundworlds

8 Books About the Eerie, Awesome Connection Between Identical Twins: @AnitaFelicelli @ElectricLit

The Rise of the Aspirational Divorcée: @terraloire @ElectricLit

Holden Caulfield: Egotistical Whiner or Melancholy Boy Genius? @knownemily @lithub

Creativity and Inspiration / Productivity / Fitting in Writing

How to Create and Stick to a Writing Schedule: @KathyEdens1 @ProWritingAid

Redesign Your Life To Prioritize Writing: @kadavy @thecreativepenn

Baby Steps All the Way: Making the Time to Write a Book: @housleydave @The_Millions

Creativity and Inspiration / Productivity / Writing Quickly

1 Simple Tip To Help You Get More Writing Done: @Bang2write

Creativity and Inspiration / Success

5 Steps to Ensure Your Novel is a Bestseller in its Genre: @LiveWriteThrive @WritetoDone

What Makes Stories Go Viral? by Chris Winkle @mythcreants

Tips for Indie Writing Success from Cozy Writer @CosyCrazy: @IndieAuthorALLI

Creativity and Inspiration / Writing Life

“Why I Struggle To Relate To Relatability”: @joluloff @lithub

Writing as the Art of Thinking Clearly: 6 Steps: @KMWeiland

When You’re Grateful to Write, You Can Overcome Any Challenge: @IrisYang86351 @colleen_m_story

For the Love of Libraries: @SarahMMcCoy @WriterUnboxed

Chelsea Hodson on Why Being a Writer Is Such a Slog: @mjseidlinger @ElectricLit

5 Tai Chi and Yoga Techniques to Help With Writer Focus: @AmbreDLeffler @DIYMFA

Writing Through Pain: @yuvizalkow @WriterUnboxed

Judge Yourself Less, Trust Yourself More, and Write Better Stories: @KMWeiland

How to Start a Local Writing Group: @shaylaleeraquel

There’s So Much More to Writing Than Just Writing: @Wordstrumpet

The Pros and Cons of the Independent Writing Life: @colleen_m_story

Genres / Dystopian

How to Live in a Dystopian Fiction: @AdamOPrice @parisreview

Genres / Fantasy

Creating a Magic System: by Aaron Miles @FantasyFaction

History for Fantasy Writers: Merchant Guilds: by E.L. Skip Knox @mythicscribes

Genres / Horror

Prestige Horror Has Arrived: @JE_TRUSSELL

Genres / Memoir

5 Simple Steps to Get Started Writing Your Memoir: @lornafaith

Genres / Miscellaneous

3 Differences Between Genre And Literary Fiction: @TheMerryWriter

Secrets of the Morality Genre: by Rachelle Ramirez @StoryGrid

Genres / Mystery

How To Write A Thriller: by Joslyn Chase @write_practice

Comic Book Noir: 10 Essential Mystery Graphic Novels: @fredvanlente @CrimeReads

5 Reasons the World of High Finance Is Ripe Territory for Thrillers: @cristinaalger @SignatureReads

6 Unusual Forensic Techniques: @SueColetta1

How World War One Gave Rise to the Traditional Mystery: @misericordius @CrimeReads

Genres / Poetry

On Apocalyptic Poetry: @oil_spell @brownbrandonj

What Is Anaphora? Walt Whitman Demonstrates This Literary Device: @abauerwrites @WritersDigest

Which Poets Were Contemporary to Each Other? @My_poetic_side

“Five Lies I Believed About Poetry Writing”: @10MinNovelists

Genres / Romance

Brainstorming Romance: How to Keep Your Ideas Fresh And Original: @LovettRomance @DIYMFA

Promo / Ads

Promo Stacking: Effective Strategies For Every Author: @ricwol @WrittenWordM

Promo / Blogging

12 Worst Blogging Mistakes: @AHuelsenbeck

The Importance of Hashtags, Titles and Images for Blog Posts: @EdieMelson

Promo / Book Reviews

Is It Ever Okay to Buy Reviews? @JohnDoppler @IndieAuthorALLI

Promo / Miscellaneous

Book marketing: Where should you start? @sandrabeckwith

Promo / Newsletters

A Survey of Your Newsletter Readers Provides Info, a Sense of Community: @RJCrayton @IndiesUnlimited

Promo / Social Media Tips

Book Launch Checklist: A Marketing Timeline: @debbiemacomber @BookBub

Promo / Speaking

Advice for shy authors: @Roz_Morris

How to Perform (Not Just Read) Your Work in Front of Audiences: @NataliaSylv

20 Tips to Wow an Audience and Own the Stage: @JeffGoins

Publishing / Miscellaneous

Writing for Audiobook: @LNightingale @RomanceUniv

Submitting Your Work: How to Write Your Best Cover Letter: @2elizabeths @DIYMFA

Trump Campaign Tries to Stop Omarosa Book: Simon & Schuster Says No Way: @Porter_Anderson @pubperspectives

Publishing / News / International Publishing

‘Reading Is Being Replaced’: New Warnings from Lithuania of Competition to Books: @Porter_Anderson

Authors Guild Closes Ranks With Press on First Amendment Freedoms: @AuthorsGuild @Porter_Anderson @JamesGleick

Amid Turkey’s Spiraling Currency Crisis: An Appeal for Rights Acquisitions: @Porter_Anderson @wischenbart @pubperspectives

Publishers Association: How Rights Sales Factor Into the UK’s Industry Revenues: @Porter_Anderson @PublishersAssoc

Rights Roundup: Summertime Offerings in Fiction, Nonfiction, Adult and Children’s Titles: @Porter_Anderson @pubperspectives

Germany’s Börsenverein Announces German Book Prize 2018 Longlist: @Porter_Anderson

China’s Book Market in the First Half of 2018: Slower Growth, Rising Prices: @Porter_Anderson @trajectory

Frankfurter Buchmesse Expands Its Citywide BookFest in October: @Porter_Anderson

Trump Books Travel: Foreign Rights Sales of Political Books: @Porter_Anderson @HappyMigrant

Stories from Indonesia To Be Made Into Films by Iflix, Wattpad: @Porter_Anderson @wattpad

Germany’s Buchtrailer Awards and the UK’s Republic of Consciousness Small Press: Honor @Porter_Anderson @PrizeRofc

Publishing / Options / Self-Publishing

How to Write and Publish a Book for Free: @Jffelkins

Publishing / Options / Traditional Publishing / Pitches

What Goes On A One Sheet? @LornaSeilstad

Publishing / Options / Traditional Publishing / Querying

Pitching a planned series to an agent: @Janet_Reid

Online Dating vs Submitting to Agents: @JoFranklin2

Common Mistakes When Submitting to Agents: @RachelleGardner

Pen Names and Why Authors Use Them: @Writers_Write

Writing Craft / Arc

The Hero’s Journey Feels A Lot Like The Loser’s Journey: @CallieOettinger @SPressfield

Writing Craft / Characters / Development

Writing Unforgettable Characters: @Lindasclare

Building Characters Layer by Layer: @jamesscottbell

Writing Craft / Conflict

The essential types of conflict in a story: @Peter_Rey_

6 Conflict Types in Fiction: Man vs Self: @nownovel

Writing Craft / Dialogue

Dos And Don’ts Of Dialogue: by Ellie Writes Stories

Writing Craft / Lessons from Books and Film

Pixar Storytelling: 20 Points Writers Can Learn From Animated Stories: @JordanDane @killzoneauthors

5 Things George R. R. Martin Can Teach You About Writing: @FredBobJohn

Writing Craft / Miscellaneous

How to Convey an Established Relationship Quickly: @SeptCFawkes

The Priority Parallax: Everything is Not as Important as It Appears: @KristenLambTX

How to Write Big Character Life Changes: @Kid_Lit

The ‘Maverick Friend’ As a Plot Device: By Bonnie Randall

How To Write A Story That Connects With Readers: @alysiaseymour @thecreativepenn

How to Spot an “Info-dump”: by Bucket Siler

A Brief Guide to Narrative Navigation: @debluskin

Writing Craft / Pacing

How Structure Affects Pacing: @SeptCFawkes

Writing Craft / Revision

The Difference Between Editing and Revising a Novel: @Janice_Hardy

Writing Craft / Revisions / Critiques

What to Do When Your Critique Feedback Gets Ignored: @Janice_Hardy

Why Every Writer Needs a Critique Partner: @Jenslattery

Writing Craft / Scenes / Conflict

6 Intriguing Conflict Types in Fiction: Man Vs Nature: @nownovel

Writing Craft / Settings and Description

Tips for describing settings: from Hey, Writers

Writing Craft / Word Crafting

Is Just Justified in Writing? @ZoeMMcCarthy

Cliches and Fixing Them: from Just a Writing Aid

Perk Up Your Story with Onomatopoeia: @LauraDiSilverio @CareerAuthors

The top writing links from last week are on Twitterific:
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Published on August 18, 2018 21:05

August 16, 2018

Goal-Setting With Prolifiko

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

Today I wanted to pass along a helpful goal-setting and tracking tool for writers.

I’ve gotten very into tracking lately. I especially like it when it’s easy to do (which is why I use the free app Daylio to track exercise, healthy eating, etc.) There’s something very satisfying in plugging in info and getting charts and data in return. Plus, I think it helps me to stay motivated.

That’s why I was happy to get early access to Prolifiko (now released to the public…I’m not affiliated with the product).

As they state on their website, Prolifiko helps you get writing in four ways:

Get focused: Our small steps system provides a laser-like focus on what you need to achieve next.
Reflect and learn: Super-simple tracking makes your writing process plain to see.
Stay motivated: Nudges, streaks and rewards keep you to deadline and moving forwards with your goals.
Improve and progress: Coaching tips and personalised writing data help you improve, optimize and keep writing.

The concept of goal-setting in small steps is especially appealing to me. I have always found that I’m a lot more successful setting incremental goals and writing in short sessions. As the saying goes, the way to eat an elephant is one bite at a time.

The app walks you through the process of getting started on your goal. Here it recommends you list your first step (the emphasis is on ‘small’ steps again):

And it makes sure that you set a deadline for taking that first step. They email you your goal, step, and deadline, which does make it feel more of an official contract.

It’s easy to quickly record how your first step/writing session went. Prolifiko takes it an additional step and recommends that you write a quick line to analyze your writing session (and why you should):

They also have a page that they call the ‘coaching center’ which offers info and help on topics such as writing systems, rewards systems, and accountability.

Prolifiko looks like a good tool for any writer who either gets a little overwhelmed at a writing project, or needs some help making more actionable goals or sticking with them. There is a 30 day free trial with no credit card required if you wanted to take it for a spin. It looks as though they’re currently running a half-off sale until September, too, if you wanted to sign up.

Have you tried Prolifiko? Do you track goals and writing sessions?

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Published on August 16, 2018 21:02

August 12, 2018

Update on Translations

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

Thought I’d provide a somewhat belated update as to the translation platforms I’ve been working with alongside my Spanish translator, Freddy Moyano.

As you may remember (and here’s a link if you don’t remember), I wasn’t exactly pleased by my experience working on the most well-known royalty sharing translation platform, Babelcube. I found the customer service slow and didn’t like the fact that the contract was a bit constricting. Freddy and I wanted to have a translated book in audio format but the terms of the Babelcube contract precluded that. Also, I thought the distribution was a little too limited. I’m still at Babelcube though, because my other translators did not feel they could leave the platform.

Freddy and I started a new project…easy-reader versions of my Myrtle books for English speakers interested in learning Spanish. This time we decided to try something else. Here are my thoughts on BundleRabbit and TekTime (known in Italy as Traduzione Libri):

BundleRabbit Pros:

It’s very easy to get an account set up there.

The terms are good. You’re free to distribute your book elsewhere besides BundleRabbit.

You can set up the royalty split as you like it. (Translators usually make more than the author, having absorbed all of the risk on the project.)

You can have more than one collaborator. (For example, if you have an anthology.)

Excellent response times. The owner of BundleRabbit, Chuck Heintzelman, has written me back within 5 minutes before.

No upfront cost, just revenue sharing. (10%)

BundleRabbit Cons:

I wish there were more distribution channels. From what I’ve seen of this business, I’m sure more are on the way. Again, though, you’re free to distribute outside of BundleRabbit.

TekTime Pros:

Set-up is easy.

Response time is quick. The owner of TekTime, Danilo Clementoni, responds incredibly quickly, despite dealing with a significant time zone difference.

The distribution is wide. They have many more channels than Babelcube or TekTime.

They have audiobook distribution to Audible, as well as other channels.

No upfront cost, just revenue sharing (10%).

TekTime Cons:

The contract you’re signing is in Italian (you can find an English version online, though: narration agreement, translation agreement) and pretty long. A representative said that the fact that it was in Italian was because of Italian laws. The contract process is a bit tedious. You must also submit your photo ID. That being said, it’s a pretty standard contract.

To publish an audiobook through TekTime, you must also publish/distribute your book through them.

With all this trouble, you may wonder why we didn’t simply set this up so that one of us acted as a publisher and then split the royalties with the other through PayPal. The problem with that is that whomever the publisher is must also send out 1099s and handle all the administrative work of opening dashboards, getting the earnings reports, and paying out. Maybe you actually have that kind of time. But what happens when you pass away…leaving your family to manage this for you? It wasn’t something that I felt I could take on.

Are you exploring translation? Which platform are you using?

Translation Alternatives to Babelcube:
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Published on August 12, 2018 21:02

August 11, 2018

Twitterific Writing Links

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

Business / Miscellaneous

Strategy And Business Plans For Authors: @johannarothman @thecreativepenn

There is a growing negative sentiment towards e-readers: @Goodereader

Does Your Author Rank Really Matter? (video) by Chris Fox

Conferences and Events / Miscellaneous

Content From a UK Award for Younger Writers, and a Prize for Authors Over 60: @Porter_Anderson @pubperspectives

Sisters in Crime Names Mia Manansala Winner of the Eleanor Taylor Bland Award: @Porter_Anderson @MPMtheWriter

Creativity and Inspiration / First Novels

Getting Started With a Novel: 1 Writer’s Takeaways: @Writeitsideways

Creativity and Inspiration / Inspiration / Reading as Writers

7 Books About the Interplay of Technology and Humanity: by Katie Williams @ElectricLit

10 Classics From High School English to Read or Read Again @Keith_Rice1

Poems for Any Occasion: @AnnieNeugebauer @LitReactor

Five SFF Books in Which Art Matters: @clpolk @tordotcom

6 Fantasy Novels That Give Orcs and Goblins Their Say: @mattstaggs @unboundworlds

Skipping Ahead: A Necessary Bookish Habit: @ceciliaclyra @BookRiot

Creativity and Inspiration / Motivation

How to Motivate the Writer Inside of You: @ARKYADEY @LiveWriteThrive

Creativity and Inspiration / Productivity / Fitting in Writing

How to Write More, Sell More, and Make More Money Writing: @WritersCoach

Creativity and Inspiration / Productivity / Writer’s Block

Beating Writer’s Block (Video): @AGBillig @IndieAuthorALLI

Creativity and Inspiration / Productivity / Writing Quickly

Balancing Productivity and Art: @davidfarland

Creativity and Inspiration / Success

Successful Writing and Self-Publishing Tips (Podcast): @phillipstrang

Creativity and Inspiration / Writing Life

12 Easy Ways to Support Your Favorite Writers: @_HannahHeath

Writing Together With WEP and ISWG: @TheIWSG @cleemckenzie

“Asking Myself Why I Write… Again”: @VaughnRoycroft @WriterUnboxed

How To Mine Your Life For Art (Without Being Disowned): by Paige Duke @standoutbooks

Novelist as Poet or Philosopher: @SallyWGrotta @sfwa

Hip Surgery + Writing + Character Insight: @Wordstrumpet

Character, Writers, and Portrait Photography: @Jeff_Shear @JaneFriedman

Exercise the Muse: The Merit of the Writer’s Notebook: by Jennifer Baruta @mythicscribes

Is It Time To Hit The Reset Button On Your Writing Life? @SarahRPainter

Genres / Memoir

5 Self Care Tools to Help When Writing Memoir: by Sera Fiana @DIYMFA

Genres / Mystery

Crime Writing:: Meeting Reader Expectations: @DebbieYoungBN

Crime Fiction Writing: Poisons: @LeeLofland

Interrogation scenes as elements in crime fiction: @mkinberg

Crime Writing: A Shot to the Back: Legal, or Not? @LeeLofland

Genres / Non-Fiction

Nonfiction Book Proposals: How to Quadruple Your Chances of Getting Published: @ChadRAllen

Genres / Romance

Romance 101: @stacitroilo @RomanceUniv

How Do You Queer the Romantic Comedy? @CamillePerri @lithub

Promo / Ads

BookBub for Non-fiction Authors: @CelebratingGran @BookBub

Promo / Blogging

Why Tags and Labels are Important to Blogging and How to Use Them Correctly: @EdieMelson

Promo / Connecting with Readers

How Do Readers Find Books They Want to Read? @ZoeMMcCarthy

Promo / Miscellaneous

5 Ways To Spice Up Your Amazon Book Pages: @ChrysFey @thecreativepenn

The Psychology of Author Marketing: @DaveChesson @JaneFriedman

Promo / Social Media Tips

Internet Marketing Simplified for Writers: by Valerie Allen

How to Set Up Your Amazon Author Central Page: @ReedsyHQ

Promo / Video

5 Tips for Using YouTube Marketing to Sell Books: @Bookgal @IndieReader

Promo / Websites

Best Practices for Building Author Squeeze Pages: @TCKPublishing

5 Ways To Improve Your Author Website: @Writers_Write

SEO for Authors: @DaveChesson

Publishing / Miscellaneous

Using Contests as Door Openers: @hopeclark

Morality clauses: are publishers right to police writers? @carmitstead

In a ‘Steady’ First Half, BookNet Canada Sees Audiobook Purchases 4 Percent Up: @Porter_Anderson @pubperspectives

Using CafePress for Book Merchandise:

Changes in Your Novel’s 2nd Edition: @iamfunkhauser

Germany’s De Gruyter Partners With Medieval Institute; Cambridge Cites Growth (‘digital close to 40 percent of total sales’: @Porter_Anderson @pubperspectives

Beyond the Book: MIT Media Lab and MIT Press on the ‘Frankenbook’ Project: @Porter_Anderson @pubperspectives

Publishing / News / International Publishing

After the Bookshop ‘Ambush’ in London, Supporters Rally, Worry: @Porter_Anderson @pubperspectives

China Bestsellers for June: Self-Help and Hopeful Reading for Young Adults: @Porter_Anderson @trajectory

Ingram Publisher Services Announces New International Illustrated Presses: @Porter_Anderson

Frankfurter Buchmesse and Germany’s Börsenverein Lead Human Rights Campaign: @Porter_Anderson @pubperspectives

Visa Challenges for Authors and Artists Roil the UK Festival Community: @edintfest @TinyOwl_Books @Porter_Anderson

Publishing / Process / Formatting

10 Ebook Conversion Tools for Docs to EPUB & MOBI: @carlaking @BookWorksNYC

Publishing / Process / Translation

‘Words Without Borders’ August: Focus on Macau with Translator Jeremy Tiang: @Porter_Anderson @JeremyTiang

Writing Craft / Beginnings

Flog a Pro: would you pay to turn the first page of this bestseller? @RayRhamey @WriterUnboxed

Pro Analysis: A 1st Page Rewritten in Close POV: @PBRWriter

When a Crime Novel Starts With the Inciting Incident: @mkinberg

Writing Craft / Characters / Antagonists

How to build a powerful Nemesis? @GoIntoTheStory

Writing Craft / Characters / Development

Study Personality Disorders to Create Believable “Troubled” Characters: @annerallen

Occupation Thesaurus: Wedding Planner: @AngelaAckerman

When Your Character Does Something They Regret: @SloanTamar

Writing Craft / Characters / Emotion

Writing Character Emotions: by Josh Langston

Tips for Writing Character Emotions: by Josh Langston

Writing Craft / Conflict

The Secret to Good Fight Scenes: @p2p_editor

Writing Craft / Diversity

The Exclusivity of Inclusion: On Disability and Diversity: by Kenny Fries

Telling LGBTQ Love Stories with Happy Endings Is a Form of Resistance: @CamillePerri @ElectricLit

Writing Craft / Hooks

Questions That Keep a Reader Hooked: @FoxPrintEd

Writing Craft / Lessons from Books and Film

Lessons from The Incredibles 2: How to Write Super Characters: @Kerrie_Flanagan @WritersDigest

“5 Ways Classic PC Adventure Games Trained Me to Be a Writer”: @VictoriaGHowell

Writing Craft / Miscellaneous

Reaching Beyond the Common Narrative: by A. E. Lowan @mythicscribes

31 Ways To Remove Phones From Your Fiction: @helpfulsnowman

After the First Chapter: Motivation: @amandarhill32

Want to Stand Apart from Countless Other Books? Write a Better Story: @KristenLambTX

The Indiana Jones Rule for Writers: @eileendreyer @TheIWSG

Create Drama with Your Character’s Desire: @jimdempsey

Bending the Timeline: Tips: @ml_keller

Write What You Want To Know: @jamesscottbell

Sensitivity Readers and How to Become One: @PWilliamsMarks @WriterUnboxed

Writing Craft / Pre-Writing / Outlining

Author George Saunders Discusses Outlining (Video): @JessZafarris @WritersDigest

Writing Craft / Pre-Writing / Plotting

How to Write a Novel Using The Three-Act Structure: @ReedsyHQ

An Author’s Guide to Storytelling: @ReedsyHQ

Writing Craft / Pre-Writing / Research

Scientists Are Not Evil: Research Ethics for Writers: @DanKoboldt

How to Set Research Trip Costs Against Tax: @annacastl @IndieAuthorALLI

Writing Craft / Revision

Perfecting Your Proofreading: by Jill Svihovec @CareerAuthors

Why You Should Edit Your Novel Backwards: @DeannaCabinian

How Your Emotional State Can Affect Your Editing: @AndreaWriterlea

Writing Craft / Revisions / Critiques

The Importance of Feedback Before Publication: @reynagentin

Writing Craft / Scenes

How to Intertwine Plot, Character, and Theme in Every Scene: @KMWeiland

Nine tips for writing scenes: @simon_wroe @CurtisBrown

Writing Craft / Settings and Description

3 Tips to Improve Description (Video): by Chris Fox

The Importance of Setting in Fiction: @sherrinda

Writing Craft / Synopses

How to Write a Synopsis for your Novel: by Anna Davis @CurtisBrown

Writing Craft / Word Crafting

How to Make Your Sentences More Descriptive: @Writing_Class @LiveWriteThrive

The top writing links from last week are on Twitterific:
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Published on August 11, 2018 21:02

August 9, 2018

A Community of Writers

by Reyna Marder Gentin, @reynagentin

When I tell people I’m writing a novel, their first questions are often about logistics — when do you write, where do you write, do you write a certain number of words a day. Maybe because my own habits are haphazard, I initially found this fascination with process a little off point. But when I thought more about it, I realized that these questions hint at something very different, something I’ve found critically relevant to writing success.

When someone wants to know about the “hows” of writing, it stems, I think, from an inability to imagine sitting, alone, with just one’s thoughts and a pen or a keyboard, hoping to create something readers will find meaningful or entertaining. The preoccupation with this somewhat unnatural process is understandable. The solitary nature of writing is both its greatest draw, if that’s your bent, or its biggest drawback, if it isn’t. While working alone is definitely part of the deal, it’s the communal aspect of writing that I find intriguing.

A little over three years ago I finished a first draft of the manuscript that will be my debut novel — part legal thriller, part love story — come November. I had written quickly, almost obsessively, the story pouring out of me. Later, after I’d received my first slew of rejections, I understood that sending out a draft that no one else had laid eyes on was incredibly foolish and naive. At a loss, I reached out to a friend who had published two novels. When I floated the idea of joining a writing workshop, he cautioned against it. A writer shouldn’t subject herself to the judgmental eye of other writers who might not have much more experience than she has. The blind leading the blind.

Heeding his advice, I hired a seasoned and perceptive developmental editor. Her help was invaluable, and the manuscript went from a good first effort to something much more solid. But after reading the novel twice, she told me I needed fresh eyes to see the small pitfalls that were holding me back. She suggested I join a writing group.

Workshops can be more or less productive, depending on the day. But there is one constant. The participants are invariably supportive. Joining a writing group allows the writer, novice or professional, to tap into the energy of others who understand both the loneliness of the task and the ultimate goal — to have readers get what you are trying to say. That support cuts both ways. There have been times when I’ve wanted to quit when someone commented simply, “I liked that,” after reading my submission. There have been other times when that moment of positive reinforcement was all it took to get me back to my computer.

For me, the most important role that a writing group plays is assessing tone — how the words I have written are actually being heard. Recently when I finished reading my pages, someone asked, “How do you want us to think about this character?” It was a seemingly basic question. But it revealed to me that, although I had been aiming for “wrapped up in himself but basically a good guy,” I had produced “arrogant and a little smarmy.” Back to the drawing board! Perhaps nowhere is writing group more important than when you are trying for humor — to see if and when the laughs come in a safe environment.

The most fundamental part about being a member of a writing group is that the others expect something from me each and every week. We’re each working alone, sitting wherever we sit at whatever time of day cranking out what we can, but we know that come Tuesday morning, there will be others waiting to understand and appreciate our efforts. It’s what keeps us going.

REYNA MARDER GENTIN grew up in Great Neck, New York. She attended college and law school at Yale. For many years, she practiced as an appellate attorney representing criminal defendants who could not afford private counsel. Reyna studies at the Writing Institute at Sarah Lawrence College, and her fiction and personal essays have been published in The Westchester Review and online. She lives with her family in Scarsdale, New York. To learn more, please visit reynamardergentin.com.

The Importance of Feedback Before Publication (by @reynagentin ):
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Published on August 09, 2018 21:01

August 5, 2018

Using CafePress for Book Merchandise

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

Writers are frequently advised to ‘go wide’ with their books. It’s advice that I’ve followed: my books are in about every known format (paperback, hardcover, translations, digital, audio) and with as many distributors reaching every market that I possibly can.

Another way to make more income with your books is to offer something for your biggest fans (or for the family members of these readers who want to buy gifts for them). CafePress is an easy way to set up a store for book or series merchandise.

First set up your profile on the site, including your bio, picture, your payment details, notification preferences, etc.

The design process is pretty easy. You can either select a product (tee shirt, keychains, bags, etc) and then create a design specifically for that product, or you can upload a design and CafePress will show you the merchandise that your design will work on. I’m no designer (far from it, obviously), but I knew that what I was going for was a simple design that would work well on a tote bag or a coffee mug…that was really all I needed it for. You’ll want to make sure that your cover licenses allow you to use the designs for commercial use.

I used the cover (by designer Karri Klawiter) for an upcoming release and added some text by using the free program Canva. My image ended up looking like this:

Then I uploaded the design to CafePress (by clicking the arrow next to my name and selecting My Designs and then Add Designs).

When you add the design, you name it, give it tags (sort of like keywords), and write a line or two about it. Then the products that work for the size of your design pop up. It will be tee shirts, pillows, dog clothing, lunch bags, and everything in between. You can edit the selections and remove some…some weren’t good matches for my audience. On the design page for each particular design, you click the X in the top right corner of any product you want to remove. I probably removed 10. I did like the tote bag, however.

You’ll also want to design your shop on the site. If you click the arrow next to your name again, you’ll see the option for shops. Click ‘open a new shop,’ then name it and choose an ID that will become your web address. You’ll also want to add keywords and meta-tag descriptions.

You can also customize your shop’s background colors, fonts, etc.

My shop ended up looking like this: https://www.cafepress.com/cozymystery

You can see there isn’t a ton of variety in terms of design in my shop. :) When I have some time, I’ll try to mix it up a little more.

Be sure to list your shop on your website and in your newsletter. I’ve stuck it in my book’s back matter with no problems to date, but I know that it could be flagged at some point as a competitor link and need to be removed.

It’s the kind of thing that I just set up and then promptly forgot about. Sales have been surprisingly steady and it’s the kind of thing that I haven’t had to be involved in at all…it’s between the reader and CafePress. But a couple of times I have been asked if I could sign a tote bag. Now I keep some handy at home (and CafePress does seem to run sales).

For more detailed help and information, see these CafePress pages:

Beginners Image Workshop

Product Templates (use this if there is a very specific product you want and your image doesn’t seem to be the right dimensions. This page lists a standard image size that will work for most of their products.

Do you have any book or series merchandise?

Creating Book Merchandise with CafePress:
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Published on August 05, 2018 21:02

August 4, 2018

Twitterific Writing Links

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

New Stuff:

A discount for book loving writers at https://literarybookgifts.com . ELIZABETHSPANNCRAIG20 is good for 20% off anything in the store (no minimum and can be used unlimited times).