Elizabeth Spann Craig's Blog, page 78

March 18, 2018

Helping International Readers Find Your Book

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

Recently, I went through and updated all of my individual book pages on my website… a very tedious process, but it was a rainy day and a worthwhile endeavor.

I’ve known for some time about Draft2Digital‘s Universal Links, but for some reason hadn’t put it to use on my website.

Sometimes I’ll get emails or messages on Facebook asking how to order one of my books on Apple iBookstore or Amazon…in another country. This means that I spend some time trying to locate it myself (even though I’m automatically redirected to the US site in many instances).

I especially want to get my individual book pages on my website right, because I link to the pages in each book’s back matter and on Facebook when I have a release. Plus, if you look up any of my book titles, my website usually comes in first for results (occasionally Amazon does).

One thing about Draft2Digital’s approach is that it’s one universal link and the reader is automatically directed to their home country’s retail site. Another is that you could simply use this one link instead of linking to all the stores (domestic and international) where your book is for sale. I know that my book is listed in at least twenty stores, counting all the retailers that my aggregators are distributing to. Some of these online stores go out of business, but if you click the ‘rescan’ button at D2D, it automatically repopulates and removes expired links. In fact, I recommend clicking ‘rescan’ a couple of times, anyway, to make sure all of the links are populated.

Even if you are a Kindle Unlimited (KU) author who exclusively distributes through Amazon, this is useful. As D2D explains: “But lest you think UBLs aren’t for you—as a KU author the advantage you get from using UBLs is globalization—which is a fancy way of saying that we’ll find your book in every Amazon marketplace, worldwide! So you can paste the URL from, say, your product page at Amazon.com, and Books2Read will find all instances of the book on Amazon.de, Amazon.co.uk, and Amazon.everywhere-else-you-can-think-of! This allows readers to go to the Amazon store that matches their region, without the need to create a separate link.”

You don’t even have to be a Draft2Digital author to use the service. As they put it: “In fact, you don’t even have to be a Draft2Digital author to use it (though we’d really love to have you). All you have to do is visit Books2Read.com and paste your link to get started. If you want to edit your link, you can create a B2R account, or log in with an existing Draft2Digital account.”

For the UBL button on my website, I chose the text to read “international” since I had the US links and retailers listed on my page already.

Do you use UBLs? How do you help international readers find your books?

How to Help International Readers Find Your Book:
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Published on March 18, 2018 21:02

March 17, 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.

News and New Stuff

I have an interview (podcast with transcript) on Simon Villeneuve’s BookWorthy site about making time for writing.

Business / Miscellaneous

Launching Your Second Book and Beyond: 4 Questions to Ask: @Andrea_Dunlop @JaneFriedman

The ‘Profits From Publishing’ Controversy: Do Authors Get Paid Enough? @Porter_Anderson @lizzykremer

Keep the information on your business proprietary: @KristineRusch

Conferences and Events / Miscellaneous

Writers’ Conference Secrets for Success: @FrugalBookPromo @TheIWSG

How To Be A Success At A Book Event: @wandalu64

National Book Awards Open 2018 Submissions and Name Judging Panels: @Porter_Anderson @nationalbook

Lithuania’s ‘Day of the Book Smugglers’ Comes to the UK Ahead of London Book Fair: @Porter_Anderson @pubperspectives

Creativity and Inspiration / Inspiration

How to Break Free from Your Writing Rut: @BeingTheWriter @womenonwriting

Creativity and Inspiration / Inspiration / Reading as Writers

Five YA Series with Geeky Heroes: by Brooke Johnson @tordotcom

15 Novels That Subvert Traditional Gender Roles: @knownemily @lithub

17 Literary Podcasts to Ease Your Commute: by Jo Lou @ElectricLit

Reading to Write: @SueBEdwards

Creativity and Inspiration / Miscellaneous

3 Ways “Hustle” May be Hurting Your Creativity: @emi1y_morgan

Creativity and Inspiration / Productivity / Fitting in Writing

Tips for making time for writing your book: @savilleneuve

Write Four Books A Year As A Juggling Author: @lornafaith @JugglingAuthor

Creativity and Inspiration / Productivity / Writer’s Block

3 Reasons You Have Writer’s Block—and How to Cure it: @RDCwrites

Creativity and Inspiration / Writing Life

How to Be a Confident Writer: @the_writing_pal

Avoiding Burnout With Strategic Breaks: @jamesscottbell

Confessions of a Typewriter Addict: by Anthony Casillo @lithub

Want To Be An Organized Writer? Start With An Effective Life: @10MinNovelists

Bullet Journal Update: Can They Help Your Writing Career? @Jenn_Mattern

How to Tell if Your Writing is Good: @HeatherJacksonW

Three Things You Have In Common With All Writers: by Art Holcomb @storyfix

What if a Standing Desk is Too Big for Your Writing Space? @colleen_m_story

5 Ways Curiosity Can Ruin Your Writing: @annkroeker

6 Types of Writer Pain and How To Resolve Them: @Beth_Barany

Simplifying Your Writer’s Life: @KelsieEngen

Making Friends with Your Inner Editor: by Christine Hennebury @10MinNovelists

Conquer Writer’s Angst: @sallyjenkinsuk

15 Ways to Strengthen Writer Courage: @diannmills

Getting pitched, getting hitched: A literary marriage proposal: @MelissaMHart @TheWriterMag

Genres / Fantasy

Why Read Fantasy Literature? @AGHackney

Reality checks for fantasy: from Just a Writing Aid

Genres / Horror

Women in Horror: 10 Authors to Read: by Wordy Nerd Bird

Why the Horror Trope of the Hard-Boiled Detective Protagonist Needs to End: @ShotgunZen @BDisgusting

Genres / Memoir

Writing Memoir: The Perils of Research: @writingthrulife

Genres / Mystery

Writing a Cozy Mystery: The Murder: @LauraDiSilverio

Search Warrants: What the Officer Should be Able to Tell a Judge: @LeeLofland

Crime Writing: Developing Latent Prints on Difficult Surfaces: @LeeLofland

Genres / Non-Fiction

5 Tips for Writing a Self-Help Book That’s Better Than Tom Brady’s: @UselessEty @WritersDigest

Genres / Romance

7 Interesting Romance Fiction Trends from the Past 10 Years: @EmmanuelNataf

Genres / Science Fiction

Time Loops in SFF: by Stubby the Rocket @tordotcom

Space Opera vs Science Fiction (podcast): @mythcreants

Promo / Ads

How to Boost Your Chances of Getting a BookBub Featured Deal: @DianaUrban @BookBub

Promo / Blogging

Blogging isn’t Dead 8 Reasons to Start an Author Blog: @annerallen

Promo / Metadata

British Industry Slams Wrongful Use of Metadata Fields for Book Promotion: @Porter_Anderson @KarinaLuke

Promo / Miscellaneous

The Art of Publicity: How Indie Publicists Work With Writers: by Tess Taylor @poetswritersinc

Complete Guide to Interview Strategies: @TCKPublishing

5 Terrible Ways to Launch Your Book: @Draft2Digital

Your One-Sentence Book Marketing Plan: @GlennJMiller

Promo / Newsletters

How to use Mailchimp – A Basic Mailchimp Tutorial: @pjrvs

Promo / Websites

How to Build a Website (For Authors): @RuthanneReid

Publishing / Miscellaneous

London Book Fair Lifetime Achievement Nod Will Go to Sara Miller McCune at Intl. Excellence Awards: @Porter_Anderson @SAGE_News

Publishing / News / International Publishing

‘Radical Publishing House’ Verso Wins IPG’s Frankfurter Buchmesse Trade Publisher of the Year: @Porter_Anderson

Future!Publish Program at Leipzig; Greystone Sending 15 to London: @Porter_Anderson @pubperspectives

The Golden Phone Call: Eight Writers Handed US$165,000 Each by Windham-Campbell: @Porter_Anderson @pblossomhwy

A new Pop Up Project announced today in London (March 12) celebrates art and internationalism: @Porter_Anderson

Open Road Acquires US Graham Greene Ebook Rights; Unicorn Announces Ali Cavanaugh Book: @chgreig @Porter_Anderson

BookNet Canada’s 2017 Sales Performance Report Shows Online Buying, Younger Readers, and Big Poetry: @Porter_Anderson @BookNet_Canada

Three Ways PEN’s New Report Says China Is Compromising Free Expression: @Porter_Anderson

Publishing / Options / Self-Publishing

Tips for successful self-publishing: @IndieAuthorALLI

Comparing Print-On-Demand vs Offset Printing (Pros & Cons): @ReedsyHQ

Publishing / Options / Traditional Publishing

7 Questions for Writers to Ask While Researching a Small Press (via @JaneFriedman ):

Publishing / Process / Book Design

7 Best Book Cover Trends to Stay Current in 2018: by Calvin Emerson @JFbookman

Publishing / Process / Translation

Man Booker International Prize 2018 Longlist Spotlights Books Translated From 10 Languages: @Porter_Anderson

France’s 2018 Literature in Translation: The 10 Shortlisted Titles From the French-American Foundation: @Porter_Anderson @HowardCurtis49 @EmKateRam

A Translator’s Diary: @EmKateRam @vee_ess_eee

Writing Craft / Beginnings

A Lesson in Deep POV — First Page Critique: @SueColetta1 @killzoneauthors

Tips for character intros: from Just a Writing Aid

Avoid Nagging False Suspense Questions in Your Story Opening: @peterselgin @JaneFriedman

Tips for beginning your novel: @Margo_L_Dill

Writing Craft / Characters / Antagonists

How to Write Memorable Villains: @evans_writer @RMFWriters

Writing Craft / Characters / Development

Write Fictional Characters as Complex & Realistic as You Are: MBTI for Writers (blog series): @MandyCorine

Characters As Mirrors: @beccapuglisi

Character Development Questions: Building Character Arcs: @nownovel

Writing Craft / Characters / Protagonists

Have You Chosen the Right Main Character to Tell Your Story? @kristen_kieffer

How To Write A Character Who Can Carry A Series: by Rebecca Langley @standoutbooks

Writing Craft / Common Mistakes

Avoid Common Writing Mistakes: by Natalie Hanemann @RachelleGardner

Writing Craft / Dialogue

Do Your Characters Talk too Much? When to Use Indirect Dialogue: @annerallen

Writing Craft / Diversity

Description: Making Representation Obvious: from Tropes are Tools

Writing Craft / Endings

Epilogues and How To Write an Effective One: @ReedsyHQ

Writing Craft / Flashback and Back Story

Avoiding Info Dumps: from Just a Writing Aid

Writing Craft / Lessons from Books and Film

5 Writing Lessons from Groundhog Day: @JennyHansenCA

4 Lessons Writers Can Learn from ‘The Good Place’: by Karen Krumpak @WritersDigest

6 Ways Mark Twain Can Help You Improve Your Writing: @FredBobJohn

Writing Craft / Miscellaneous

9 Tips to Improve Your Writing: @katy239

4 Tips for Writing to the Right Audience: @KMWeiland

7 Ways to Bring More Artistry to Your Writing: @soniasimone

The Question Your Novel Answers: @NancyJAuthor @WriterUnboxed

How To Write About the Body in Creative Nonfiction: @kayladeanwrites @DIYMFA

Should You Write What You Know? 31 Authors Weigh In: @knownemily @lithub

What is sticky writing? @pubcoach

Writing Craft / Plot Holes

The Magic Fix-it Scene: @ml_keller

Writing Craft / Pre-Writing / Plotting

Elevate Your Story – Push Your Hero Off a Cliff: @jeannevb @WritersDigest

The Art of The Plot Twist (Video): @12BPSeries

A Simple Tip to Help Get Rid of Saggy Middles: @FaeRowen

Writing Craft / Punctuation and Grammar

A Review of Clauses and Conjunctions: @LiveWriteThrive

Writing Craft / Revision

The Author’s Survival Guide to Track Changes: @LisaPoisso

Ten Reasons Why You Need an Editor: @carolcram @WomenWriters

Hedge Words and Inflation Words: Prune Them From Your Writing: @JRHwords @JaneFriedman

Breaking Writing Rules Right: Don’t Use Filter Words: @SeptCFawkes

Writing Craft / Revisions / Critiques

How to Create a Critique Group that Works: @WriteNowCoach

An editor takes on a submitted second chapter: @kcraftwriter

Writing Craft / Special Needs

Building The Disabled World: @WriterOdell @sfwa

Writing Craft / Synopses

How to Write A Synopsis: @editoreditorial @IndieAuthorALLI

Writing Craft / Voice

Masterful Voice in Novels: @LiveWriteThrive

Reading Your Way to Great Writing Voice: @Kid_Lit

Writing Craft / World-Building

7 Tips for Creating Believable Fantasy or Science Fiction Worlds: @Janice_Hardy

Creating a Fantasy Race : by Aaron Miles @FantasyFaction

Stop World Building and Start Writing: @12BPSeries

Writing Tools / Apps

5 Powerful Upgrades to Your Writing Software: @DaveChesson

Uncategorized

Family businesses as an element in crime fiction: @mkinberg

The top writing links from last week are on Twitterific:
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Published on March 17, 2018 21:01

March 15, 2018

Small Presses: 7 Questions to Ask While Researching Them

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig (with content from @JaneFriedman)

I receive one or two emails a month from new writers asking for information and help in either publishing or promoting their book.

It’s happened enough that I have a detailed ‘canned response’ email that I’ve written to give details and resources to these writers. The main resource that I reference is Jane Friedman’s blog, in particular her collection of articles titled “Start Here.” One is Start Here: How to Self-Publish Your Book and another is Start Here: How to Get Your Book Published.

So when I was offered a complimentary ARC of Jane’s new book (publishing today, March 16), The Business of Being a Writer, I eagerly accepted it. As expected, it’s jam-packed with savvy information for writers. One common issue I notice in writers is a certain amount of business insecurity, a fear of making a mistake. This is a reference to help keep writers of all levels of experience from making a mistake.

One important note is that this book, unlike many others that I’m familiar with on the market, encompasses the writing business in its entirety. It doesn’t stop with writing books. This is also an excellent resource for anyone interested in supplementing their novel-writing or nonfiction income with freelancing in its different forms. There’s also an entire section on ways for writers to make money, including grants, contests, affiliate income, and teaching and online education.

I was fascinated reading Jane’s section overview on understanding the publishing industry: trade book publishing, magazine publishing, online and digital media, and 21st century literary publishing.

The book offers help with finding a traditional publisher (small and large), pursuing self-publishing, and promoting published books.

Here is an excerpted piece from Jane’s book on researching small presses. She recommends seven questions for writers to ask (with more detail offered in the book):

Where are the books distributed?

Does the publisher invest in a print run or use print-on-demand only?

For digital-only publishers, what value do they provide that you need?

What’s the publisher’s editing process like? Will you be assigned an editor?

What marketing and promotion do their titles receive?

How can you terminate the deal?

Can you speak to recent authors?

Obviously, Jane Friedman is a go-to resource for me and her blog is the place I send new writers to the most. What resources do you depend on? Read any helpful books for writers recently?

The Business of Being a Writer:
Available at:

Amazon
Barnes and Noble
IndieBound

7 questions for writers to ask while researching a small press (via @JaneFriedman ):
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Published on March 15, 2018 21:01

March 11, 2018

5 Powerful Upgrades to Your Writing Software

by Dave Chesson, @DaveChesson

For every challenge a writer faces, there is a helping hand available in the form of a tool or app.

While no tool is a replacement for talent or creativity, there are plenty of options available to make your writing process smoother and more productive.

From comprehensive writing suites packed with powerful pro features, to smaller scale solutions to a single specific problem, there is software available for every need.

We’ll now take a look at five of the best writing tools available, and explore exactly how they can benefit your personal writing process.

Scrivener

Have you ever been frustrated by the limitations of standard writing software like Microsoft Word or Google Docs?

While these tools can be suitable for simple writing projects, they are often far from ideal for longer works, such as full-length books.

Scrivener is a powerful writing application absolutely packed with features. Some of the key benefits offered by Scrivener include –

The ability to store and access your research within the same environment you write in
An easy to use outlining mode to have a ‘big picture’ overview of your book
Free community created resources, such as Scrivener templates
Powerful editing and revision options for longer works

Scrivener is one of the most comprehensive and fully featured book writing software applications on the market. You can also enjoy a fully featured 30 day free trial and a range of Scrivener discounts if you decide the software is right for you.

Hemingway

While there is no substitution for a talented human editor to polish and perfect your writing into the best form possible, Hemingway is probably the closest thing.

Using Hemingway allows you to –

Objectively assess the readability of your text
Identifies your use of the passive voice and whether it’s excessive
Highlights hard to read sentences
Shows which of your phrases have simpler alternatives

Hemingway is an excellent middleground between self-editing and using the services of a professional. No matter whether you’re writing a lengthy book, or a simple blog post, Hemingway will make your work closer to the concise prose of its namesake.

Self Control

One of the biggest problems for many modern writers is distraction.

We live in an age of constant information overload. It’s never been easier to procrastinate and lose focus on our writing.

This problem is compounded by the fact that we often write on internet connected devices. This is often necessary for cloud collaboration or research during writing.

If you sometimes struggle to stay focused, help is at hand. Self Control is a simple tool which allows you to –

Specify a list of websites or other online destinations you wish to block your access to
Set a period of time where you won’t be able to physically access these distractions
Take your willpower out of the equation. Even if you delete Self Control, you still won’t be able to access the specified distractions for the specified duration.

If you struggle with staying on task during your writing sessions, a tool like Self Control may be the enforced focus you need.

Write Or Die

If you struggle to hit your word count targets, or find a lack of motivation holds you back from achieving your writing goals, Write Or Die is one of the most unique solutions available.

The software offers a simple writing environment which allows you to set targets such as a period of time to write for or a desired word count.

Where Write Or Die makes things interesting is the way it motivates you to achieve your aims. For example, you can set Write Or Die to –

Reward you with a pleasing image, such as a cute kitten, when you hit your target
Punish you with a negative image, such as a spider, if you fall behind your target
Kamikaze mode. This actually begins to delete your work if you fail to keep pace

Not every writer will enjoy or benefit from the extreme approach to motivation taken by Write Or Die. However, if you ever struggle with productivity, it’s an out of the box approach worth exploring.

Quora

Quora offers a wide range of benefits for writers of every type. It’s an excellent tool for both research and promotional purposes.

By using Quora, you can –

Receive expert answers to any question you have. This can provide valuable factual info for your writing, or allow you to get a real human perspective on any experience imaginable, to add richness and depth to your characters.
Answer questions you have knowledge on. As a writer, you are certain to have valuable insight into a wide range of topics. By answering questions on Quora, you not only help others, but also promote yourself and your work at the same time. A genuine win/win.

If you spend some time browsing through Quora, you’ll soon see the wealth of information available. It’s a great place to find inspiration for your writing while benefiting in a positive and helpful community.

Writing Software Summary

The world of writing software is packed with options for every need and taste.

You can use –

Scrivener for powerful writing organization, research and formatting
Hemingway for concise and impactful text
Self Control to eliminate distraction and stay focused
Write Or Die to provide an extreme injection of motivation
Quora for information, inspiration and value-giving promotion

I’m always on the lookout for new writing tools, so if you have a favorite you think other writers would love, please feel free to share in the comments.

Dave Chesson teaches authors advanced book marketing tactics at Kindlepreneur.com. He likes sharing in-depth, actionable guides, such as his recent guide to effective book cover design. His free time is spent in Tennessee with his wife and children.

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Published on March 11, 2018 21:01

March 10, 2018

Twitterific Writing Links

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

New Stuff:

The 8th annual online Nonfiction Writers Conference, May 2-4. The opening session features a conversation with Gretchen Rubin, New York Times bestselling author of The Four Tendencies, Better Than Before, and The Happiness Project. Additional sessions cover how to write, publish, promote and profit with nonfiction books. There is a fee for attending the conference, but here is a discount code for 33% off for my blog readers: ElizabethSpannCraig35

Picture book resources: This was something cool that I stumbled across this week: free picture book templates and other resources from the talented Debbie Ridpath Ohi (@inkyelbows).

I have a post up today on the Alliance of Independent Authors blog for their Sunday Self-Publishing Success stories.

Business / Miscellaneous

Your Author Career Strategy (Podcast): @DIYMFA @katmartinauthor

The Writer’s Guide to Avoiding Side-Hustle Burnout: @CordeliaCallsIt @thewritelife

The Risks and Rewards of Bringing Your Spouse or Partner Into Your Business: @dorcas_ct @JaneFriedman

What Actually Matters to Your Audience? @cathyyardley

Conferences and Events / Miscellaneous

New UK MFest: A Focus in April on ‘Bringing Muslims and Non-Muslims Together’: @tufyal @MFestUK @Porter_Anderson

Hay Festival to Identify 100 noteworthy books by women in last 100 years: @Porter_Anderson @hayfestival

Helen Bernstein Book Award Finalists for Excellence in Journalism Books: @Porter_Anderson @pubperspectives

The top writing links from last week are on Twitterific:
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Published on March 10, 2018 21:01

March 8, 2018

Taking Note

by James Mullen

Turner Field in Atlanta, June 1995, I scribbled a note on my knee just before the first pitch:

Mike Deveraux, former legendary Braves player, is sitting behind us. The man next to him asks him to extend his hand as far away from his body as possible so he can take a close-up photo of the finger that has his World Series ring. Deveraux is gracious, smiles, but asks the man if he wants a photo standing with him as well. The fan says no, he just wants a photo of the ring. Mike Deveraux was a big reason the Braves won the Series. I only hope the guy with the camera doesn’t see any adult movie stars during the game.

Red Smith, the legendary NY Times sports writer, reportedly said that writing involves sitting down with a typewriter and opening a vein. But before the bleeding starts, I think certain aspects of writing can be fun, and those aspects will be different for each of us. I hate outlining and knotting up the plot threads. You may love doing that. I enjoy diving deep into the settings and characters, and you may find that tedious or difficult.

Although it took two books for me to learn that story is paramount and everything else must service the story, I still like to spend some time outside the actual “bleeding” to observe day-to-day life, then writing down its quirks as things happen. I’m not Studs Terkel. I don’t write non-fiction. I’m not collecting people’s stories or observations as an end, but I’ve often thought that when I’ve read a beautiful piece of business like Dennis Lehane’s The Drop: “…it felt like heartbreak to him. Like a calendar page no one bothered to turn anymore.” Or James Lee Burke’s Burning Angel: “He pinched his temples with his fingers, as though a piece of rusty wire were twisting inside his head.” Or James Crumley’s The Right Madness: “…he walked like a man who had just discovered his feet.” Lee Child in Never Go Back spends two pages explaining how to know if the grill man in a diner is the establishment’s owner. I am a poor relation to those writers, but I can’t help but wonder. Did Lehane write that after looking at a calendar, and Burke from looking out the window at a wire fence from his Montana ranch? How often did Crumley observe people’s ambulation, and how much time did Lee Child spend in a diner?

It is interesting that writing is so interior, but much of its birth is formed from the outside. For example, I saw a man saunter into a North Carolina diner, sit on a stool, and ask for a “medium” glass of water. Not large, not small, not a glass of water, but one that was medium. A man of precision in thought and language? That may add a nice bit of texture to a story character. Several weeks ago I listened to a priest encourage us to “understand the mystery,” and this morning, a news correspondent reported that “everyone in the White House knew the secret.” Hmm, the opposites of my diner friend. A character using imprecise or confusing language may foster a misunderstanding that could lead to a confusing but interesting scenario?

I’ve found over the years a pen or pencil and a sheet of paper is best for writing down things on the fly. If worthy, I then log it into a notebook. I’m not a Luddite, but I have found using computer files for the notes is time-consuming. With computers, I have mistitled, put ideas in the wrong files, and yes, lost files, so I have surrendered to the familiar piece of paper. Right now I have five spiral notebooks, listed by similes, dialogue, settings, names (yes, there really is someone with the first name of “Zipper”), and long and short descriptions. We’re all different. You may prefer the ease and portability of a Smartphone or IPad, but works better for me – I don’t have to back-up a spiral notebook.

People have amazing stories, and if approached with care, will sometimes tell them. Non-judgement, openness, and conversational trust has to be present. You wouldn’t walk up to strangers and ask first thing, “Do you like church?” or “Were you shot or blown up?” I have – respectively, at a church event and the waiting room at a Veterans hospital (it always pays to smile.) If you question too aggressively or appear to be overly inquisitive, they may look at you like you’re a pickpocket seeking work. But most times, once you start talking, people are flattered you’ve shown an interest and will freely discuss their jobs, families, hobbies, and where they live. Many married couples, especially if older, will give wonderful, funny, and sometimes heart-wrenching stories on how they met. They find joy in the re-telling. Eventually, I will explain that I am a humble writer and ask permission to use those elements in a story – even if in a different form.

But you never know – sometimes a fun and interesting occasion will turn out differently. One afternoon I was on a flight from Boston to Chicago. I introduced myself to the man sitting next to me and engaged in small talk. After discussing sports and weather, I explained where I was going and why. He told me the purpose of his trip. He was on his way back to California, having failed to secure last-ditch financing for his energy consulting firm. He told me he would need to declare bankruptcy and dissolve the company, lay off his staff of twenty, and in all likelihood, loose his wife. He spoke with a calm voice, but he very methodically told me about his employees and their families, and the hardship the unemployment would cause. He talked almost non-stop, as if the words would burn through his depression and sense of failure. I just listened and didn’t ask questions. I didn’t take notes.

We exited the plane in O’Hare and went to our respective connecting gates. I didn’t know what to say, but I whispered luck as I grasped his arm on the jetbridge. I realized that sometimes there are more important things than writing and taking notes. While on the journey to find words and ideas, that experience may change other things as well.

Thanks, James, for the post! I’m always surprised how many ideas I get from the outside world (and I generally like staying at home!) How about everyone else? Have you ever engaged in conversations to find out others’ stories? Have you come across characters or settings that made it into your books?

James Mullen is living the life of leisure just outside Raleigh, North Carolina. He is an author of two Boston based crime novels: Ketchum and Cobb and Boston Harbors Murder. With fits and starts, he is on a third one. His blog, Grumpy Gets Better, has been in existence since 2009.

Writer James Mullen on finding inspiration (and taking notes) on the go:
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Published on March 08, 2018 21:02

March 4, 2018

Making the Most of Book Reviews

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

I read a lot about the importance of book reviews to a book’s success. There are tons of articles out there about how to get more book reviews or how to find and contact book reviewers.

But sometimes I think writers don’t do enough with book reviews, when we have them. We allow them to sit statically on our Amazon book page.

I’m guilty of this, myself. But I’ve made more of an effort lately to highlight my reviews, recognizing the importance of social proof.

Amazon Product Page

As I mentioned above, this is usually the repository of many of our reviews… at least, our customer reviews. Although the focus when I first got published was more on reviews in publications like Library Journal and Kirkus, the importance of customer reviews to potential readers has become increasingly important.

But that shouldn’t be the only place on the product page where our reviews are listed. A strategy that works for series is to add up all the 5-star or 4 and 5 star reviews and mention them under the ‘editorial review’ section on the page (we access that through our author central account). That way you end up with something like “readers love Winston Pepperjack! 500 5-star reviews.

You can also create and format a list of your favorite reviews from other books in the series and list them on the editorial review page (Praise for the Winston Pepperjack series: ___ ).

Back Matter

This is something that I’m trying soon. I have all of my books listed in the back matter of each book (every book is linked to its own page on my website with ordering information for each retailer), but I don’t have any review snippets in the back matter at all.

If I include short reviews, I’m thinking it will help readers crossover from one series of mine to another. I do have some readers who are very loyal to a particular series and reluctant to try another. Reviews could help convince these readers to try something new.

Images

This is something new for me, although I’ve seen others do this really well. Using a free design program like Canva, take part of a review and create an image with it. This creates a little visual interest for your website. I always feel like incorporating reviews on my site is a bit awkward, and the images help, I think.

I’m absolutely horrible at design, but even I was able to make a couple of serviceable images with the help of Canva.

Newsletters

We can also take the images we’ve created and include them in our newsletter with a link to the book in question. That could be a good, again, for reader discovery.

Finding your best reviews

Some writers avoid their review sections at all costs. But there are ways of finding your most flattering customer reviews without having to trudge through the one-star, discouraging stuff. Just click on ‘5-star’ and Amazon will return the 5-star results.

What do you do with your book reviews?

Making the most of your reviews:
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Published on March 04, 2018 21:02

March 3, 2018

Twitterific Writing Links

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

Business / Miscellaneous

Sometimes It’s Just Business: @bryngreenwood @WriterUnboxed

How to Hire an Editor: 5 Things to Consider: @brooke_warner @IngramSpark

How to Grow Your Writing Portfolio This Year: @RDCwrites

Book Coach Q&A: @DanBlank @jennienash

Sell Your Books From Your Own Website: @angee

Conferences and Events / Miscellaneous

7 Tips for Your Next Writers’ Conference: @bobhoss

PubTechConnect Conference: Innovation in Publishing: @Porter_Anderson @pubperspectives

Creativity and Inspiration / Inspiration

Strategies for bringing yourself back to writing: @MichalskiLiz @WriterUnboxed

Think Outside the Blank Page: by Linda Wilson

Creativity and Inspiration / Inspiration / Reading as Writers

Why is pop culture obsessed with battles between good and evil? @clnichols6 @aeonmag

18 Essential Classics to Read Before You Die: @Keith_Rice1 @SignatureReads

5 Types of Books Writers Should Read: by Lila Diller @DIYMFA

Creativity and Inspiration / Motivation

How handwriting improves creative productivity: @Peter_Rey_

Keeping Track of A ‘Done List’:

Creativity and Inspiration / Productivity / Fitting in Writing

Top 5 Tips to Be Productive: @BlairBabylon @JAHuss

Finding the Time to Write: @DanaNuens @WritersRumpus

Creativity and Inspiration / Productivity / Writing Quickly

Tips for keeping your mind on writing: @AuthorFalguni @WomenWriters

Creativity and Inspiration / Success

Illustrator Luke Pearson’s Graphic Series ‘Hilda’ Beats a Path to Netflix: @Porter_Anderson @thatlukeperson

Creativity and Inspiration / Writing Life

Healthy Writer Tips: Improve Your Writing Workspace: @thecreativepenn

6 Simple Ways to Improve Your Writing Environment (and Get More Done): @aliventures

Healthy Things to Have with Your Writer’s Coffee: @colleen_m_story

How 1 Writer Found a Creative Cure for Loneliness: @bodywitmind @colleen_m_story

5 Tips to Overcome Butt-in-Chair Syndrome: @killzoneauthors by Debbie Burke

4 (Possible) Reasons Why We Write: @KMWeiland

How Writers Can Beat Imposter Syndrome: @kcrosswriting @lornafaith

Real Writers Power thru the Flu, Right? Wrong: @RosanneBane

11 Pop Songs for Literary People: @knownemily @lithub

Writing Multiple Projects: Pros and Cons: @Melfka @10MinNovelists

How to Beat Shiny-New-Idea Syndrome and Actually Finish Your Projects: @weems503 @write_practice

The Eleven Best Metal Songs About Literature: by Ben Apatoff @ElectricLit

Genres / Horror

Horror’s major subtypes: from Tropes are Tools

Genres / Memoir

The Memoir: Why YOUR Story is Better than Snookie’s: @KristenLambTX

Protecting Yourself and Others When Writing a Memoir: @LiveWriteThrive

Genres / Miscellaneous

5 Tips for Writing Powerful Inspirational Fiction: @JerryBJenkins @thecreativepenn

Genres / Mystery

Mysteries inspired by personal experiences: @mkinberg

Writing the Crime Scene: Winter Forensics: @repokempt

Sleuths who started out as juvenile delinquents in crime fiction: @mkinberg

Is Belfast Still the Most Noir Place on Earth? by Paul French @lithub

List of forensic websites for the crime writer (and other writing resources): @GarryRodgers1

Genres / Non-Fiction

Think Big: Tackling a Big Idea Nonfiction Story: by Shelley Sperry @StoryGrid

Genres / Romance

Sexual Tension on the Sentence Level: @AngelaQuarles

Writing Romance, Even on a Bad Day: @LovettRomance @DIYMFA

Genres / Science Fiction

Sci-Fi Doesn’t Have to Be Depressing: Welcome to Solarpunk: @TCassauwers @ozy

Nuclear Radiation for Writers: @DanKoboldt @RebeccaEnzor

Genres / Screenwriting

Script To Screen: “Dead Poets Society”: @GoIntoTheStory

Genres / Short Stories

Reboot Your Novel with the Short-Story Remedy: @LiteraryEllyMay

Genres / Young Adult

NA or YA? College-Aged Protagonists: @AuthorSAT

Promo / Ads

How to Rock a Free Day Promotion for Your eBook: @MyWordPub @JaneFriedman

Promo / Miscellaneous

How To Sell More Books Internationally at a Low Cost: @jkentauthor @BookBub

4 Affordable Ways to Master Book Marketing: @DaveChesson @JaneFriedman

Catalogs: A Marketing Tool for Indie Publishers: @FictionNotes

Promo / Newsletters

Author Platform: Newsletter Providers: @jillkemerer

Promo / Pricing

Don’t overprice your ebook: @NewShelvesBooks

Promo / Social Media Tips

10-pinterest-tips-for-writers: @CaballoFrances

What Kinds of Social Media Go Viral? @JennyHansenCA

5 Unique Book Marketing Strategies for Goodreads: @Bookgal

Promo / Speaking

Surviving an Author Reading: @tlecountmyers

Publishing / Miscellaneous

McGraw-Hill Opens Ebook and Textbook Rental Program: @Porter_Anderson @pubperspectives

Working for a Small Press – An Insider’s Scoop: @CDugmoreWrites @TheIWSG

On Ghostwriting: @GhostwriterBook @ReedsyHQ

Publishing / News / Amazon

“Activist-filmmaker Jill Soloway will have her own imprint at Amazon Publishing, Topple Books”: @pubperspectives

Publishing / News / International Publishing

Canada’s Education Sector Sues Access Copyright: @Porter_Anderson @pubperspectives

Rights Roundup: Eight Titles To Watch in the International Rights Trade This Spring: @Porter_Anderson

Offering Film Rights on New Novels in Germany: Twelve Books at Berlinale: @Porter_Anderson @pubperspectives

Agent Nermin Mollaoğlu: The French Market Is Beginning To Open Its Doors to Turkish Books: @Porter_Anderson @pubperspectives

Canadian Publishers Blast School Boards’ Lawsuit of Copyright Licensing Agency: @Porter_Anderson @pubperspectives

Ten of China’s January Top 30 Bestsellers Were Classics, Two Were Comics: @Porter_Anderson

Publishing / Options / Hybrid Publishing

Benefits of being a hybrid author: @AuthorFalguni

Nine Criteria for Reputable Hybrid Publishing From the IBPA: @Porter_Anderson @angelabole

Publishing / Options / Self-Publishing

Why indie authors should embrace the 5 traditional steps of book production – by @Roz_Morris :

Publishing / Options / Traditional Publishing

An Agent Or Editor Is Interested: What Next? @jules_writes

Publishing / Options / Traditional Publishing / Querying

The sales of your previously published books may cause agents to reject you: @Janet_Reid

Checklist for a Great Query: @DancingLemurPre

Publishing / Process / Book Design

Ten Steps to Perfect Cover Design: @RuthanneReid

Publishing / Process / Formatting

A Publisher’s Ten Tips for Getting Your Book Ready for Formatting: @DancingLemurPre @FrugalBookPromo

Publishing / Process / Translation

The new TA First Translation Prize is awarded to Soviet-American translator Bela Shayevich: @Porter_Anderson @pubperspectives

Writing Craft / Beginnings

Opening Action: how to make it work: @ml_keller

Writing Craft / Characters / Antagonists

Ask Yourself, “What Does the Villain Want?”: @SPressfield

Writing Craft / Characters / Development

Your Character Will Fall Flat Without the Right Motivation: @lansi26

Fear, the Ultimate Motivation: @laurabenedict @killzoneauthors

Shame: The Driving Force for Your Character’s Actions? @SloanTamar

Writing Craft / Common Mistakes

Five Good Stories That Turned Creepy: by Oren Ashkenazi @mythcreants

Writing Craft / Dialogue

Dialogue Tags: @WestofMars

Writing Craft / Flashback and Back Story

How to Start and End Flashbacks Like a Published Author: @the_writing_pal

Tips for all forms of backstory reveals: @DN_Bryn

Writing Craft / Lessons from Books and Film

An Unconventional Way to Improve Your Writing: Watch More TV: @lgtarpley

Writing Craft / Miscellaneous

Nine secrets that will supercharge your novel or short story: @RuthHarrisBooks

Writing Styles: Transitioning from Nonfiction to Fiction: @EJ_Randolph @JamiGold

Woke Writing: @ElizabethHuergo @WriterUnboxed

The Problem with Perfect Characters: Mary Sues, Gary Stus, and Other Abominations: @TCKPublishing

Creating a Map for a New Storyworld: @JillWilliamson @GoTeenWriters

Ten Things Learned from Ursula K. Le Guin: by Karen Joy Fowler @parisreview

Writing Craft / Pre-Writing / Plotting

What Does Your Protagonist Want BEFORE the Story Starts? @LisaCron

How to Start Writing a Book: Developing Rough Ideas: @nownovel

Writing a Novel With Too Many Options: @SnowflakeGuy

Writing Craft / Pre-Writing / Story Beats

IT Beat Sheet: @DonRoff @savethecat

Writing Craft / Punctuation and Grammar

When To Use A Semicolon: @debluskin

3 Examples of Confusion Caused by Missing Words: @writing_tips

3 Cases of Misuse of Dashes: @writing_tips

Redundancy in Our Writing: @ZoeMMcCarthy

It’s Okay to Use Adverbs: @Janice_Hardy

Writing Craft / Revision

Risking the Removal of Adjectives: @mcnelliswrites

Tightening chapters and avoiding empty scenes: @Ivan_Izo

Writing Craft / Tension

5 Tips for Creating Suspense in Your Story: @ariaemaher @_HannahHeath

Writing Craft / Tropes

Successful tropes: from Tropes are Tools

The top writing links from last week are on Twitterific:
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Published on March 03, 2018 21:02

March 1, 2018

Keeping Track of A ‘Done List’

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

Sometimes I go through patches where I feel as though I can barely catch my breath. I’ll be wrapping up one book, trying to promote another, answering emails, and still trying to keep up with everything at home.

I’m a huge fan of lists and I make at least two lists a day, prioritizing what I need to work on next. I think I’m a good list-maker: I do take large tasks and break them down into smaller, more manageable bits. I make sure that I don’t put too much on my list for one day.

But somehow, it can seem so overwhelming that I can complete a full day’s work and still feel as though I haven’t really made any inroads.

That’s when I review all the items that I’ve checked off my to-do list. Since I use a digital list (on Notepad, which comes built-into Windows), instead of deleting tasks off my list, I put an asterisk by them to indicate that I’ve completed them. Then I can easily see how much I was able to knock out.

I’d first read about keeping a ‘done list’ four years ago in a post by Janet Choi for 99U: “The Art of the Done List: Harnessing the Power of Progress.” At the time, I’d been deleting completed tasks off the list. I was only looking at work that faced me, not work that I’d finished.

In the article, Choi recommends going even farther and maintaining a completely separate list full of ‘wins’, no matter how small, that took place during the day.

Choi states:

“What did you get done today? Simply look back at your day through the lens of accomplishment. Answering this question becomes a quiet act of affirmation and celebration.

What did I make progress on today? Even on frustrating, seemingly unproductive days, you can almost always find one thing that you moved forward.

Your done list acts as a signpost, a manifestation of all that day’s hard work.”

You can even take it a bit farther, again, and be more analytical about it, suggests Choi, asking yourself what factors played into your progress and considering how any setbacks can translate into progress the next day.

I don’t go that in-depth, I’ll admit. It’s enough for me to look at what I’ve accomplished and feel less overwhelmed. More about my list making in this post from December.

Do you ever get overwhelmed with upcoming tasks? How do you handle it?

Keeping Track of Accomplishments with a 'Done List':
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Published on March 01, 2018 21:02

February 25, 2018

The Right Way to Make Excuses

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

I think it’s really helpful to know your most productive time of the day. That way, you can arrange your calendar (if you have that luxury) to knock out the most important things while you have the energy and the willpower.

For me, it’s very early in the morning. A normal day for me is to get up, peek at emails on my phone while getting ready (I won’t allow myself to respond, though…no one’s really up at 5:00 anyway), go downstairs, let the dog out, and start writing. After I meet my goal, I usually schedule social media. Then my daughter is up for the day.

When my daughter leaves for high school at around 6:45, that’s when I also hop in the car, heading for the gym. This works out really well for me.

But my daughter was sick one day recently and I started making excuses not to go to the gym at my usual time. She was parked behind me. It was especially cold…perhaps it would be better to go to the gym when the sun had actually come up and it was warmer.

Then I started making excuses not to stay home. The gym would be busy later on and I had a conflict that would keep me from going in the afternoon. I didn’t want to have to wait for a treadmill or struggle to find a parking place. It was then or never.

I’d basically talked myself into going. I never enjoy going to the gym, but I feel good after being there.

Every once in a while something will happen that will disrupt my morning writing routine, too. Writing is practically muscle memory at 5 a.m, but if I’m knocked off-track, it’s harder to drag myself back.

What helps the most is to make excuses not to check social media (or whatever else is to distract my attention away from writing). That’s actually pretty easy to do: I never feel better about life after checking Facebook. Or I know that I’m going to regret losing that 30 minutes on Twitter later instead of tackling all the tasks that are looming over me.

This is a very simple approach, but it works because I’m a pretty simple person.

For other posts on fitting writing into your day, check out:

How to Write When You Don’t Have Time by September C. Fawkes (a medley of ideas, including working smarter instead of harder)

Three Steps to Begin Tiny Habits to Help You Reach Your Goals by Lorna Faith (if it’s your fears that are holding you back)

Five Morning Habits to Add to Your Writing Routine by Emily Morgan (if you want to start writing in the mornings or if you want your morning writing habit to be more consistent)

Six Simple Tips to Create Daily Writing Habits by Pamela Hodges (an article that focuses especially on the fact that small goals can help us be more productive…a philosophy that I ascribe to)

How do you make sure that you knock out your writing? Do you ever have to talk yourself into writing?

Making Excuses to Write:
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Published on February 25, 2018 21:02

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