Elizabeth Spann Craig's Blog, page 86

August 26, 2017

Twitterific Writing Links

Bluebird with beak open and 'Twitterific Writing Links' by ElizabethSCraig superimposed on the image

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 40,000 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.

Business / Miscellaneous

How to find and hire an editor: @pubcoach
Why Artists need to Pay Their Collaborators: @DrewChial
Pros and Cons of Fighting Book Piracy: @111publishing
How An Internship Really Works for Writers: @crazyauthorgirl
How to Ask To Pick Someone’s Brain: @KateMoretti1

Creativity and Inspiration / Inspiration

Step out of your comfort zone for creative inspiration: @GarryGarrettRya

Creativity and Inspiration / Inspiration / Reading as Writers

10 Essential Road Trip Books That Aren’t ‘On the Road’: @knownemily
5 Horror Reads to Keep the Sunshine Away: @tdelucci

Creativity and Inspiration / Motivation

Writing Through the Dog Days: @Lindasclare
Dumb Little Writing Tricks That Work: Snacks: @GoIntoTheStory
5 challenges facing writers: @amabaie
3 Ways Writers Can Find Creative Flow: @lornafaith
Plotting for Pantsters: @beccapuglisi
“Whatever you are doing, be fully engaged in it”: @DanBlank @mrjakeparker

Creativity and Inspiration / Productivity / Fitting in Writing

When Life Throws Your Writing Routine Off Balance, Remember 3 Things: @gmyrthilbooks
34 Ways to Deliberately Grow Your Writing Practice: @reallucyflint

Creativity and Inspiration / Productivity / Writing Quickly

Why tracking makes you a more productive writer: @beprolifiko

Creativity and Inspiration / Writing Life

Get that Creative Euphoria Without Alcohol or Drugs: @colleen_m_story
The Writer’s Discomfort Zone: How to Survive and Thrive: @RuthHarrisBooks @annerallen
6 Exciting Career Paths if Freelance Writing Isn’t For You: @aliventures
10 Ways To Be A Happy Writer: @10MinNovelists
How to Deal with People Who Don’t Support Your Writing: @SeptCFawkes
How to Get What You Really Want Out of Your Writing Career: @colleen_m_story
Shifting Priorities and the Writing Gig: @OrlyKonig

Genres / Dystopian

We Need Stories of Dystopia Without Apocalypse: @EmmalieDropkin

Genres / Fantasy

5 Ways To Incorporate Multiple Languages Into Your Fantasy Novel: @kj_bags
Stop Erasing Women’s Presence in SFF: @hawkwing_lb
Must Fictional Parents Always Be Absent? @NicolaAlter

Genres / Horror

8 Overlooked Moments in Classic Horror Movies: by Nathaniel Brehmer @WickedHorrorTV

Genres / Memoir

Memoir or Fiction? Which is better for telling your own life story? @annerallen
What to Share When Writing a Memoir: @brooke_warner

Genres / Mystery

Wildlife Forensics: @FionaQuinnBooks @SueColetta1
Crime Writing: Peanut Butter Can Kill You: @DPLyle
Examples of both classic and modern film noir: @mkinberg

Genres / Non-Fiction

On writing a book where you can’t make things up: @Roz_Morris

Genres / Romance

How to Write Romance Beats with Gwen Hayes: @gwenhayes

Genres / Science Fiction

5 Books That Resemble Science Fiction: @KarenHeuler

Promo / Ads

The Basics of Advertising for Indie Authors: @MarcyKennedy

Promo / Blogging

10 Reasons to Start an Author Blog: @annerallen
7 Steps to a User-Friendly Blog: @Dwallacepeach

Promo / Book Reviews

3 Ways Indie Authors Deal with “Non Verified Reviews”: @Naked_Determina
The Top Two Reasons a Reader Will Leave a Bad Review: @SloanTamar

Promo / Miscellaneous

10 marketing tips for self-published authors: @alisonbav @publishingtalk

Promo / Newsletters

New Feature from @instafreebie :Double Opt-ins for Readers:

Promo / Platforms

Author Platform: Done It vs Gonna Do It: @behlerpublish
Wattpad’s New Video App, Raccoon, Launches in the US Today: @ivanyuen @porter_anderson

Promo / Social Media Tips

So You’re an Author Without a Social Media Presence: Now What? @JaneFriedman
How to Create a Facebook Live Show: @JuliaBramble

Publishing / Miscellaneous

McGraw-Hill and iFlipd Pilot a Textbook Rental Program: @Porter_Anderson @iFlipd

Publishing / News / Amazon

Why 1 Writer is Leaving KDP: @KristaLakes

Publishing / News / International Publishing

‘Bigger, Broader’: The German Book Prize Releases Its 2017 Longlist: @Porter_Anderson
Cambridge Uni Press Censorship Turnaround; Unicorn UK-China Deal @Porter_Anderson @pubperspectives
Tel Aviv’s Stephanie Barrouillet Offers Work from Turkey and France: @Porter_Anderson
Canadians’ Reading Habits: BookNet Sees Smartphone Reading Rising: @Porter_Anderson @BookNet_Canada

Publishing / Options / Self-Publishing

For New Indie Authors: What 1 Author Would Do if Starting Today: @GoblinWriter
6 Tips for Successful Self-Publishing Outside Your Home Country: @maifosz @thecreativepenn

Publishing / Options / Traditional Publishing

5 Things Learned About Being a Pre-Published Debut: @jules_writes
How to Survive a Long Production Cycle: @MichaelHaspil
Patience in Publishing: @HannahFergesen

Publishing / Options / Traditional Publishing / Pitches

5 Steps To The Perfect Elevator Pitch: @Bang2write

Publishing / Options / Traditional Publishing / Querying

Writing Queries That Get Read: @ZoeMMcCarthy

Publishing / Process / Book Design

9 Ways To Get The Very Best Out Of Your Book Cover Designer: @damonza123 @thecreativepenn

Publishing / Process / Formatting

Tips for Formatting An eBook: @RachelAmphlett

Publishing / Process / Legalities

The Truth Behind Popular Copyright Myths: @susanspann
Getting rights back from our publishers:

Writing Craft / Beginnings

How to Hook a Reader and Leave Them Hungry for More: @Kid_Lit

Writing Craft / Characters / Arc

3 Reasons You Don’t Need a Character Arc: @Janice_Hardy

Writing Craft / Characters / Emotion

Write Emotionally Engaging Characters: @authornordin @lornafaith

Writing Craft / Common Mistakes

“3 Tips From My Failure As An Author”: @KelsieEngen

Writing Craft / Conflict

Conflict: Why It Isn’t Just about Fighting: @Janice_Hardy

Writing Craft / Dialogue

Avoiding Stilted Dialogue: @ml_keller

Writing Craft / Drafts

The Semi-No-Fail Way to Fast Drafting for People Who Hate Drafting: @candylandgang

Writing Craft / Flashback and Back Story

Raise a Question, Earn the Backstory: @kcraftwriter

Writing Craft / Lessons from Books and Film

Nolan’s “Dunkirk”: 5 Writing Tips About Stories Based on Historical Events: by Jonathan Vars
Watch Movies Like a Writer: @Lindasclare

Writing Craft / Literary Devices

How to Manage Expectations (aka Tone): @CockeyedCaravan

Writing Craft / POV

Should I use 3rd Omniscient within 3rd Limited? @p2p_editor

Writing Craft / Pre-Writing / Outlining

Defusing Outlining Confusion: @MirandaNading @RomanceUniv
An Easy Guide to Outlining Your Novel: @TashaSeegmiller

Writing Craft / Pre-Writing / Plotting

5 Tips for Writing Better Subplots: @nownovel
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes Beat Sheet: @CDavidMilles

Writing Craft / Pre-Writing / Story Concept

3 Clever Ways to Write What You Know: @Jffelkins

Writing Craft / Punctuation and Grammar

8 Infographics That Will Help You Improve Your Writing: @Bang2write
3 Types of Erroneously Located Modifiers: @writing_tips

Writing Craft / Series

The Ingredients of a Great Series Character: @jamesscottbell

Writing Craft / Settings and Description

Why 1 Writer Favors Real Settings: @pamelameyers

Writing Craft / Synopses

Getting Characters into Your Synopsis: by Suzanne Purvis

Writing Craft / Tension

How to Create Drama in Fiction: @AJHumpage

Writing Craft / Transitions

Creating Effective Transitions: @woodwardkaren

Writing Craft / Word Crafting

5 Poetic Tools to Enhance Your Prose: by Elise Holland @DIYMFA

Writing Tools / Apps

3 Tips for Using the Corkboard Function in Scrivener: @aprildavila

Writing Tools / Resources

The Ending: Writing Worksheet: @EvaDeverell
Book Marketing & Book PR Toolkit: @ThePRExpert

Uncategorized

How to Be a Writer on Social Media: @pronounced_ing @rgay @AdamMGrant @alexanderchee
Beginner Writing 101: Types, How-To & Expert Tips: @Hobbiesphere16

The top writing links from last week are on Twitterific:
Click To Tweet

The post Twitterific Writing Links appeared first on Elizabeth Spann Craig.

View more on Elizabeth Spann Craig's website »

Like • 0 comments • flag

Published on August 26, 2017 21:02

August 24, 2017

Comfort Zones and Writing

If you venture out of your comfort zone and can’t find your way back, maybe it’s all good.

by Garry Ryan, @GarryGarrettRya

This story probably began in Singapore. I spent the last two years of high school in a sweaty multicultural concoction of diverse languages, foods and monsoons. It was jarring and I had to adapt. An unexpected dividend was the ability to become a student of the inner workings of societies.

Back in Canada, the kindness of Casey and Pablo exposed me to First Nations’ perspectives. Sometimes the intense heat of a Blackfoot sweat lodge left burns on my shoulders. It also allowed me to see – with more clarity – the connections between humans.

Hummingbird

Sitting still for hours in the southern California heat is extremely uncomfortable. Photographing hummingbirds revealed how their beauty, competition and aggression are actually reflections of human behaviour.

Havana, Cuba was old and new shoved up against one another in a way I hadn’t experienced. The outcome was a novel (Matanzas) about Cuban and Canadian cultures dancing with one another.

Seeing the remnants of Mayan civilization at Chichenitza was another of those mind-altering experiences. It required pushing a wheelchair in plus thirty temperatures while learning secrets about the way Mayan architects played with sound.

Travelling one thousand kilometres in one day is gruelling. Yorkton, Saskatchewan unexpectedly provided the backstory for a new character I’ve been working with. She came to life while I was searching for a cup of coffee.

Calgary’s 2013 floods have influenced a novel about the way a city can come together after a disaster.

Author Garry Ryan's photo of San Jose

Even an idyllic San Jose setting can help you to imagine a scene where beauty and ugliness are shoved up against one another.

You may see potential scenes in out of the way locations. If you carry a smartphone with you, it will always be possible to catalogue evocative images for later use.

In 2004, NeWest Press published Garry Ryan’s first Detective Lane novel, Queen’s Park. The second, The Lucky Elephant Restaurant, won a 2007 Lambda Literary Award. NeWest has since published seven more titles in the series: A Hummingbird Dance, Smoked, Malabarista, Foxed, Glycerine, Indiana Pulcinella and soon to be released Matanzas. In 2009, Ryan was awarded Calgary’s Freedom of Expression Award. In 2012 a second series, the historical fiction novel Blackbirds, was published by NeWest Press.

Step out of your comfort zone for creative inspiration (by @GarryGarrettRya )
Click To Tweet

The post Comfort Zones and Writing appeared first on Elizabeth Spann Craig.

View more on Elizabeth Spann Craig's website »

Like • 0 comments • flag

Published on August 24, 2017 21:01

August 20, 2017

Thoughts on Getting Rights Back

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

Many times in the past five years, I’ve heard from traditionally-published writers who want to get the rights back to their characters and story worlds for their backlist books.

I’ve also heard from writers who’ve had a hard time getting a rights reversion granted by their publishers.

Some writers weren’t exactly sure what they wanted to do with their rights. They only knew that they’d been told that they should try to have them reverted.

Yes. If you’ve been traditionally published and your series has been dropped by your publisher, you should try to get your rights back.

Things you can do with your book when you have rights back:

Publish prequels or sequels to books. Publish spin-offs where supporting characters now have their own stories.

Put your books up for audition on ACX for audio.

Have your books translated into other languages on Bablecube or similar sites.

Expand into hardcover for the library or collectors’ market. Expand into digital if your books are older. Have your books available in paperback again.

Make your books available overseas in English by using aggregator sites like Draft2Digital, Smashwords, PublishDrive, or StreetLib.

The process is fairly simple, at least at first:

Review your contract. What rights did you sign over to your publisher?

If you need help understanding your contract, there’s a nifty PDF that’s available from Authors Alliance (and Berkeley Law). You can download it for free, although they do ask for a donation of $20 (which is not required, however, only suggested).

Some pertinent chapters:

Are You Eligible to Revert Rights Under the Terms of Your Contract? 40

Does Your Contract Have a Reversion Clause? 42

What Conditions Must Be Met Before You Can Exercise Your Reversion Clause? 45

Have the Conditions of Your Reversion Clause Been Met? 49

Write to your publisher:

My email, asking for my audiobook rights for my Southern Quilting mysteries, looked like this:

Dear Subrights Department,

I’m writing to request a reversion of unexploited audiobook rights for the Southern Quilting Mysteries (cozy mysteries formerly with Obsidian). These include Quilt or Innocence (2012), Knot What it Seams (2013), Quilt Trip(2013), Shear Trouble (2014), and Tying the Knot (2015).

The original contract was signed Feb. 10, 2011.

Please send written confirmation of reversion of the audiobook rights to me at this email address or at my home address of ________. I can be contacted by phone at _______ to answer any questions.

In my email, I was specific as to the rights I wanted reverted, and I named each publication. I was polite. I gave them a date in case they needed extra help locating the contract. It would have been better if I’d had a name to work with, but unfortunately the switchboard at Penguin Random House appeared to be overwhelmed when I called in, so an email address was the best I could get.

What happens if you run into issues? If your contract doesn’t address reversion rights or if your publisher balks at reverting them? Writer and publishing attorney Susan Spann (no relation to me) in her Jan. 2016 post for Writer Unboxed (Obtaining Reversions of Publishing Rights: the Good, the Bad, & the Ugly) suggests that we contact a publishing attorney. Additionally, she states (all emphasis hers):

” Consult a Publishing Attorney. If the contract doesn’t grant you obvious termination rights and the publisher refuses a polite request for termination and reversion, there may still be creative ways to obtain termination of the contract and reversion of publishing rights.

However, in most cases the author’s right to terminate a contract and obtain a reversion of publishing rights is limited by the language in the agreement. If the contract doesn’t grant you termination rights, and publisher isn’t in breach, your options may well boil down to persuading the publisher to agree to termination—or waiting until the contract allows you to terminate without the publisher’s consent.”

I’ve also been asked if it’s been hard to not have the digital rights for my first book in my Myrtle Clover series (Midnight Ink holds the ebook rights). In some ways, yes. But because my books are written as stand-alones with no real story arc between books, it’s been easier. I don’t have the first book included in my first box set, but readers have never complained about that.

Other writers might get around this issue by creating a prequel trilogy and have a box set of those. Or have a novella prequel that could work as a permafree introduction to the series.

At any rate–why not see what you can get? With any luck, it will only be a matter of pulling out your contract and writing an email.

Have you asked for a rights reversion? Have you got a series that’s partially trad-pubbed and partially self-pubbed? How has that worked for you?

Thoughts on getting our rights back from publishers:
Click To Tweet

The post Thoughts on Getting Rights Back appeared first on Elizabeth Spann Craig.

View more on Elizabeth Spann Craig's website »

Like • 0 comments • flag

Published on August 20, 2017 21:01

August 19, 2017

Twitterific Writing Links

Bluebird with beak open and 'Twitterific Writing Links' by ElizabethSCraig superimposed on the image

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

Business / Miscellaneous

A Step-by-Step Guide to Setting Up Your Freelance Writer Website: @TalValante

Conferences and Events / Miscellaneous

How Not to Hold an Author Event: @drewchial

Creativity and Inspiration / Inspiration

On publishing another book when there are already so many: @Roz_Morris
Want to be an artist? Watch Groundhog Day: @austinkleon

Creativity and Inspiration / Inspiration / Reading as Writers

8 Famous Writers Writing About Not Writing: @knownemily
5 Ways to Use the Library to Nurture Your Reading Life: @librarylore @DIYMFA
Reading Outside Your Comfort Zone: @WilsonTheWriter @LitReactor
8 Books That Blend Science and Magic, Minus the Fantasy Tropes: @marthawells1
5 Nonfiction Books for Writers in an Emergency: @estepnagy @The_Millions

Creativity and Inspiration / Motivation

The Midstream Temptation: @jamesscottbell
4 Tips for Writing Accountability: @EngageReadersBk

Creativity and Inspiration / Productivity / Fitting in Writing

How Can You Keep Writing if You Work Long Hours? Tips: @aliventures
Is writing each day important? @WritersCoach

Creativity and Inspiration / Productivity / Writer’s Block

How You’ll Recover From Writer’s Block: @RuthanneReid

Creativity and Inspiration / Productivity / Writing Quickly

3 Ways Practicing Detachment Can Promote Writing Productivity: @copybyerika
5 Rules to Increase Your Productivity Fast: @lornafaith

Creativity and Inspiration / Success

How to Go Beyond Your Voice to Make Your Novel Shine: @JadieJones1 @colleen_m_story

Creativity and Inspiration / Target audience

9 Keys to Clarifying Target Market: @LisaTener

Creativity and Inspiration / Writing Life

A School Librarian Who Thinks Outside the Box to Encourage Kids to Read: @angieinlibrary @aasl
Why Some People Don’t Support Your Writing Goals: @SeptCFawkes
9 Steps to be happy with your novel: @DNathanWriter
A School Librarian on How to Reach the Dormant Readers: by Sara Stevenson @aasl
It’s Just Books: 5 Reasons It’s Okay to Quit Writing: @brbjdo @LitReactor
The “Terrifying Crisis” of Finding the Second Act to a Writing Career: @tgwood505 @DanBlank
The Intimacy of Writing in the Second Person, in a Bar: @maireadsmst

Genres / Fantasy

The Persistence of American Folklore in Fantastic Literature: @NB_Chris @tordotcom
A Guide to Sci-Fi and Fantasy Subgenres: by Haley Larson @UnboundWorlds

Genres / Memoir

An agent on non-commercial memoir: @janet_reid

Genres / Mystery

‘Friends’ Who Can’t Be Trusted as Elements in Crime Fiction: @mkinberg
Crime Writing: Complacency Kills Cops: @LeeLofland

Genres / Non-Fiction

A Reading List for Stronger Creative Non-Fiction: @kayladeanwrites

Genres / Poetry

How to Read Poetry: @WritingForward

Genres / Science Fiction

5 Kinds of Stories You Can Tell With a Lost Spaceship: by Stubby the Rocket @tordotcom

Genres / Screenwriting

How to Write a Comedy Script: by Paul Keegan @writingtipsoasi

Genres / Short Stories

11 Very Short Stories You Must Read Immediately: @knownemily

Promo / Blogging

Writing Blog Posts People Want to Read: @BellaRosePope

Promo / Book Descriptions and Copywriting

7 Copywriting Mistakes: @KathyEdens1

Promo / Miscellaneous

15 Book Publicity Commandments: @mybookshepherd
7 Real-World Ways to Think Like an Artist for Better Content Marketing: @soniasimone
How to Get High Resolution Cover Image of Any Amazon Kindle eBooks: by eReader Palace
Should You Make a Book Available for Preorder? 14 Authors Weigh In: @CarlynRobrtson
7 Mistakes You’re Making With Your Book Promotion: @WrittenWordM

Promo / Newsletters

What Writers Need to Know About eNewsletters: @TJMoss11 @WritersDigest

Promo / Pricing

How to Price Your Book for Maximum Results During a Promo: @WrittenWordM

Promo / Social Media Tips

Have You Seen These Social Media Changes? @caballofrances
How to Manage Your Time and Automate Your Marketing: @thecreativepenn @Nick_Stephenson
Online Author Etiquette: the Laws of the (Amazon) Jungle: @annerallen

Publishing / Miscellaneous

7 Things 1 Writer Has Learned So Far: @nancykress @writersdigest
On Publishing: Women and Men Need to Champion Women: @ResearchMediaVW @Porter_Anderson
Majority of Hugo Awards Won by Women This Year: @Porter_Anderson @nkjemisin

Publishing / News / International Publishing

PW Star Watch and Frankfurt Book Fair Announce 2017’s Top Honorees: @Porter_Anderson
‘A Banner Year for Japanese Women Authors’: @DennisAbrams2 @pubperspectives
‘A Champion of Translated Books’ Wins First Frankfurter Buchmesse US Booksellers Award: @Porter_Anderson

Publishing / Options / Traditional Publishing / Pitches

Pitching your novel: @BookOmnivore

Publishing / Options / Traditional Publishing / Querying

21 query letter tools: @Chris_Kokoski

Publishing / Process / Book Design

Book Design: Chapter Openers and Part Openers: @jfbookman

Writing Craft / Characters / Antagonists

How To Create A Memorable Antagonist: @OliviRayRay @Bang2write

Writing Craft / Characters / Development

The Development Stage: Creating the Characters: @Janice_Hardy
10 Tips for Writing Socially Awkward Characters: @_HannahHeath
Character Development Follows a Set Formula: by Aaron Miles @FantasyFaction

Writing Craft / Characters / Protagonists

Why Your Protagonist Should Have a Past “Wound”: @CSLakin

Writing Craft / Conflict

Writer @Janice_Hardy Explains the 2 Sides of Conflict:
How to write a sweeping fight or action scene: @RidethePen
9 Tips for Handling Violence in Your Stories: @_HannahHeath

Writing Craft / Dialogue

Dazzling Dialogue: The 9 No’s You Must Avoid: @DIYMFA
Most Common Writing Mistakes: Clunky Dialogue: @KMWeiland

Writing Craft / Miscellaneous

Let’s Get Real—Authenticity in Fiction: @KristenLambTX
How to Write Your Characters’ Actions with Clarity: @KMWeiland
Why Your Story Desperately Needs… A Revelation: by Hannah Collins @standoutbooks
Narrative techniques for writers who like ‘pushing the envelope’ in their work: @patverducci
Writing Romantic Scenes and Fight Scenes: Shared Elements: @nownovel

Writing Craft / Mood

How to Create Mood Like Edgar Allan Poe: @KathyEdens1

Writing Craft / Pacing

What’s The Real Engine In Your Book? Pace: @fiedawn

Writing Craft / Pre-Writing / Outlining

Outline Your Novel Using 4 Part Story Structure: @lornafaith @NickThacker

Writing Craft / Pre-Writing / Plotting

Archetypes: The Chosen One: from Pub Crawl
Spin a Plot from One Story Element: @ZoeMMcCarthy
7 Ways to Bring Characters Together: by Chris Winkle @mythcreants
How to Structure a Story Around a Big Problem: The Archive: @CockeyedCaravan

Writing Craft / Pre-Writing / Story Concept

How to Evaluate a Story Idea: The Archive: @CockeyedCaravan
Elevate Your Novel By Infusing Your Premise With Something Conceptual: @storyfix

Writing Craft / Revision

How To Edit a Novel: Pump It Up: @BrynDonovan
So You’ve Decided to Write: When to Drown Your Darlings: @RTMcDonell @lithub

Writing Craft / Settings and Description

4 Reasons to Outline Your Settings: @KMWeiland
How To Write Better Food (And Why You Should): @FredBobJohn @standoutbooks
Tools for Establishing Setting in Your Story: @AdenPolydoros
Description of Body Language: @SKathAnthony
Tips for Writing About Distant Lands in Fiction: @robwhart

Writing Craft / Tension

3 Ways to Raise the Tension in Your Scenes: @Janice_Hardy

Writing Craft / Word Crafting

85 Alternatives for Clenched Fists: A Word List for Writers: @kathysteinemann
An author reveals her list of crutch words: @BE_Sanderson
40 Fish Idioms: @writing_tips

Writing Tools / Resources

9 Helpful Business Tools: @pubcoach

The top writing links from last week are on Twitterific:
Click To Tweet

The post Twitterific Writing Links appeared first on Elizabeth Spann Craig.

View more on Elizabeth Spann Craig's website »

Like • 0 comments • flag

Published on August 19, 2017 21:02

August 17, 2017

The Relaxed Release

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

I remember how stressed I was whenever I had a book launch for Penguin Random House.

For one thing, the launches were happening pretty regularly, since I was writing two series for them.

But mostly, I was stressed because their expectations were high. Any marketing related emails or calls were more centered on what were my plans for the release and less on what they were doing to promote it. (Let this be a heads-up for anyone thinking of pursuing traditional publishing for marketing support.)

Oh, the publisher’s publicity person did usually do one thing: set me up on a book blogger tour. But who was doing all the work? I was–I was writing the posts, sending them over to the bloggers, and answering comments.

Sometimes they’d send me ARCs (Advanced Reader Copies) to distribute. Again, the pressure was on me…to figure out whom to send the copies to, mail them (at some cost…these were printed ARCs), and follow up later.

Once I went on a book tour in NC with a group of other cozy authors. We had someone help us set up events: signings, panels, etc. I think that was a pretty successful effort, but I did find it very stressful.

But this was traditional publishing. The publisher’s focus was on the first month of the book’s release. They wanted to see strong pre-orders and sales. That’s because, if the book hung out on the bookseller’s shelves for too long, the bookseller sent the books back as returns…a costly process for them. And a problematic one for me.

The stress is likely the reason why I’ve skipped any fanfare over my releases as a self-published author. Well that, plus the fact that I have releases often enough to feel announcements over them would be obnoxious.

Instead, I’m looking at each book as part of a whole. As part of a series, instead of a single book that I’ve got to invest my time in. Instead, I invest my time into starting on the next book.

No blog tour. No signings or launch parties. Very little stress.

That being said, there are a lot of things that I’m doing behind-the-scenes. Some of those are updated social media (Facebook, Goodreads, LinkedIn, my website), running a sale on one of the previous books in the series, and releasing a newsletter announcing the release to my subscribers. You can find my full book release checklist here.

What’s your process for a book launch? Do you have any release stress?

Photo via Visual hunt

The post The Relaxed Release appeared first on Elizabeth Spann Craig.

View more on Elizabeth Spann Craig's website »

Like • 0 comments • flag

Published on August 17, 2017 21:02

August 13, 2017

What Conflict Really Means

Janice Hardy's cover for Click To Tweet

The post What Conflict Really Means appeared first on Elizabeth Spann Craig.

View more on Elizabeth Spann Craig's website »

Like • 0 comments • flag

Published on August 13, 2017 21:02

August 12, 2017

Twitterific Writing Links

Bluebird with beak open and 'Twitterific Writing Links' by ElizabethSCraig superimposed on the image

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

Conferences and Events / Miscellaneous

4 questions to ask yourself before scheduling an author event: @DeannaCabinian
Sisters in Crime Awards the Eleanor Taylor Bland Prize: @jessica_e_laine @Porter_Anderson

Creativity and Inspiration / Inspiration

Learn to Love the Work, or Do Something Else: @jeffgoins
The Picasso-Pollock Brain: @katmagendie

Creativity and Inspiration / Inspiration / Reading as Writers

101 books recommended by TED speakers: by Rebekah Barnett and Chelsea Catlett
In Praise of Daphne du Maurier: @parul_sehgal @NYTimes

Creativity and Inspiration / Motivation

A writer’s attention span creates writing issues: @jasonbougger
What’s Really Keeping You From Writing? by Anita Evensen
5 Things to Write During a Power Outage: @WriteOnOnline

Creativity and Inspiration / Perfectionism

Ways Writers Can Combat Perfectionism: @cslakin

Creativity and Inspiration / Productivity / Fitting in Writing

5 Ways to Find (or Make) Big Chunks of Time to Write: @aprildavila

Creativity and Inspiration / Success

How ‘Harry Potter’ Saved Young Adult Fiction: @ClaireEFallon

Creativity and Inspiration / Writing Life

How to Stop Feeling Guilty about All of Your Unfinished Projects: @enhughesiasm
How to Be a Contemporary Writer: @rgay
Exploring the sonnets, and authorship, of William Shakespeare: @AlanTarica
Why is English so weirdly different from other languages? @aeonmag @JohnHMcWhorter
Writers, Get Those Summer Vibes: @AnnieNeugebauer
Mindfulness and Writing: @wandalu64

Genres / Fantasy

10 Writing Resources: Fantasy: @alyssa__holly
12 ways to make better creatures for fantasy and sf: @Brianna_daSilva
Naming Fantasy Characters—and Making Sure They’re More Than Just Names: @writer_anthony

Genres / Horror

8 Must-Read Reference Books on Horror Movies: @NatBrehmer

Genres / Literary Fiction

Self-Publishing a Debut Literary Novel: The Actions, The Costs, The Results: @hellothefuture @janefriedman

Genres / Memoir

How to Write a Memoir: The Ultimate Step-by-Step Guide: @JerryBJenkins
10 tips for micro-memoirs: by Beth Ann Fennelly @TheWriterMag

Genres / Mystery

Crime Writing: Edged Weapon Attacks: Stabbings Are Not Fun: @LeeLofland
Stage parents as an element in crime fiction: @mkinberg
A look at 1929’s 10 Commandments for Detective Fiction–With Updates (by @GretchenMdm9524 ):

Genres / Poetry

21 Top Poetry Writing Apps: @writingtipsoasi
A Social Media-Fueled Bestseller List…For Poetry: @DanielleMohlman @My_poetic_side

Genres / Romance

5 Ways to Write a Soul-Stirring Love Story: @cheryljmuir

Genres / Young Adult

Why YA Shouldn’t Require Romance: @p2p_editor

Promo / Blogging

8 Strategies for Writing Successful Blog Posts: @ninaamir

Promo / Book Descriptions and Copywriting

Craft a Book Bio That Will Boost Sales: @bookgal @BookWorksNYC
How to Write a Book Foreword: A Checklist For Authors: @jckunzjr
How to Write a Book Description that Sells Books: @SukhiJutla

Promo / Metadata

7 Keyword Tools to Help Authors Create Good Book Metadata: @MissAdventuring

Promo / Miscellaneous

Free Promotional Sites for Self-Published Books: @EricaVerrillo
17 Ways to Sell Preorder Books: @dianaurban
Promo by @OpenRoadMedia Means Sales for 1982 Book on Dunkirk: @porter_anderson
An unusual bookmark makes for good promo: @terrywhalin

Promo / Newsletters

Why Your Email List Matters More Than Pageviews: @kikimojo
Never Look to See Who “Unsubscribed”: @gigirosenberg

Promo / Platforms

New app by @instafreebie delivers books instantly to ereaders:

Promo / Social Media Tips

10 Social Media Mistakes We’ve Made (And How to Avoid Them): @alfred_lua

Promo / Websites

140 Tools and Resources for Building Your Author Website and/or Blog: @sabsky

Publishing / Miscellaneous

Netflix buys comics publisher behind Kick-Ass and Kingsman: @dwbronner @CNNMoney
Netflix Buys Millarworld; Barnes & Noble Ed Buys Student Brands: @Porter_Anderson

Publishing / News / Data

Reader Analytics: Crunching the Numbers to Improve Book Marketing and Sales: @janefriedman @arhomberg

Publishing / News / International Publishing

Malaysia’s Book Industry Challenges: @porter_anderson @pubperspectives
Draft2Digital adds international library distribution options: @porter_anderson @draft2digital
Bokova and Al Qasimi Certify Sharjah as UNESCO World Book City 2019: @Porter_Anderson @Bodour
Why Censors Are Targeting Winnie-the-Pooh in China: @BRIGITKATZ @SmithsonianMag

Publishing / Options / Self-Publishing

10 Tips for Self-Published Authors: @DuncanMHamilton @fantasyfaction
8-Stage Ebook Project Workflow Checklist For Self Published Authors: @EbooksAndKids

Publishing / Options / Traditional Publishing / Querying

Writing A Successful Query Letter: @JeremySzal

Publishing / Process / Legalities

Copyright test: ‘children’s books based on great lit are ruled to be infringing’: @porter_anderson
Using Public Domain Works in Literary Mashups: @HelenSedwick

Writing Craft / Beginnings

Strong Openings to Overcome Reader Impatience: @Jenslattery

Writing Craft / Characters / Antagonists

5 Tips for Writing Superbad Villains: @sacha_black @thecreativepenn

Writing Craft / Characters / Development

Using Character Biographies: @scriptgods @scriptmag
A tool to help with character creation: @NicoleLockeNews @jemifraser

Writing Craft / Characters / Protagonists

The Power of the Unlikeable Protagonist: @joeberhardt

Writing Craft / Common Mistakes

How To Avoid Writing A Mary Sue Protagonist: by Robert Wood @standoutbooks

Writing Craft / Dialogue

Correctly Using Beats in Dialogue: @ml_keller

Writing Craft / Drafts

It’s OK to Follow Your Emotional Dominoes and Write Out of Order: @stdennard

Writing Craft / Lessons from Books and Film

20 Years of L.G.B.T.Q. Lit: A Timeline: by Concepción de León @nytimes
10 great books set in hotels: @HelenaFairfax
Tolkien’s Map and The Messed Up Mountains of Middle-earth: @katsudonburi
7 Ways William Faulkner Can Help You Improve Your Writing: by Fred Johnson @standoutbooks

Writing Craft / Literary Devices

A Guide to Dramatic, Situational and Verbal Irony: @reedsyhq
How Much Do You Know About Irony? @ReedsyHQ @TheIWSG

Writing Craft / Miscellaneous

Writing fight scenes: just how fit are cheerleaders? by How to Fight Write
How Your Emotional State Can Affect Your Editing: @AndreaWriterlea

Writing Craft / POV

6 Questions to Help You Choose the Right POV: @kmweiland

Writing Craft / Pre-Writing / Plotting

12 Step Novel Breakdown: Pride And Prejudice: @patverducci

Writing Craft / Punctuation and Grammar

Temporary and Permanent Phrasal Adjectives: @writing_tips
7 grammar myths you learned in school: @OxfordWords
How to Flatten Adjective Stacks: @writing_tips

Writing Craft / Revision

Editing the “Final” Draft: @AuthorSAT

Writing Craft / Revisions / Critiques

Evaluating Writing Feedback Advice: @ml_keller
Beware Of Positive Feedback: @HettiRoss
A New Approach to Critique: by Gary Zenker @diymfa

Writing Craft / Settings and Description

How to Make Your Character Descriptions Perform Double-Duty: @A_K_Perry
Choosing Description Words: 10 Questions: @nownovel

Writing Craft / Tropes

Story Tropes: Lazy or Helpful? @jamigold

Writing Craft / World-Building

Why Worldbuilding is Not Just for Science Fiction: @willvanstonejr

Writing Tools / Resources

Checklists and Tip Sheets for Writers: @AngelaAckerman @beccapuglisi

Uncategorized

@savitanarayan @NatBrehmer I’d start with this Goodreads page: https://t.co/JBHR7rGbog . Some open/accessible reso…

The top writing links from last week are on Twitterific:
Click To Tweet

The post Twitterific Writing Links appeared first on Elizabeth Spann Craig.

View more on Elizabeth Spann Craig's website »

Like • 0 comments • flag

Published on August 12, 2017 21:02

August 10, 2017

The Ten Commandments for Detective Fiction (1929): A Brief History and Update

by Gretchen Mullen, @GretchenMdm9524

“Thou shalt not cheat thy reader”

Ronald Knox (1888-1957) was an English priest who moonlighted as a well-regarded author of detective novels and short stories. His reputation was such that in 1928, during the Golden Era of Detective Fiction, when a group of British mystery authors gathered to exchange ideas and collaborate, Knox was included in this elite group. Officially known as The Detection Club, the group formally organized in 1930. Membership was and still is by invitation only. Original members included such greats as Agatha Christie, Dorothy Sayers, and first elected president G.K. Chesterson.

Knox co-edited and penned the “Introduction” to The Best English Detective Stories of 1928. Knox’s essay (originally dated February 28, 1929), was later reprinted as “The Detective Story Decalogue” in 1946.

According to the Ronald Knox Society of North America, the Decalogue became known as “the Ten Commandments for Detective Novelists as a set of by-laws for the [Detection] club.” Often reprinted in short form, the commandments (also referred to as Rules of Fair Play) are meant to remind authors that the reader deserves a fighting chance to solve the mystery without the author’s use of cheap tricks.

While these commandments do not all hold up to today’s standards of political correctness or modern terminology, the essence of these nearly century-old rules remain remarkably salient. With that said, here are Knox’s Ten Commandments, as written in their original long form. Bold print indicates the short form of the Decalogue commonly reprinted, too often without attribution.

I. The criminal must be someone mentioned in the early part of the story, but must not be anyone whose thoughts the reader has been allowed to follow. The mysterious stranger who turns up from nowhere in particular, from a ship as often as not, whose existence the reader had no means of suspecting from the outset, spoils the play altogether. The second half of the rule is more difficult to state precisely, especially in view of some remarkable performances by Mrs. Christie. It would be more exact to say that the author must not imply an attitude of mystification in the character who turns out to be the criminal.

II. All supernatural or preternatural agencies are ruled out as a matter of course. To solve a detective problem by such means would be like winning a race on the river by the use of a concealed motor – engine. And here I venture to think there is a limitation about Mr. Chesterton’s Father Brown stories. He nearly always tries to put us off the scent by suggesting that the crime must have been done by magic; and we know that he is too good a sportsman to fall back upon such a solution. Consequently, although we seldom guess the answer to his riddles, we usually miss the thrill of having suspected the wrong person.

III. Not more than one secret room or passage is allowable. I would add that a secret passage should not be brought in at all unless the action takes place in the kind of house where such devices might be expected. When I introduced one into a book myself, I was careful to point out beforehand that the house had belonged to Catholics in penal times. Mr. Milne’s secret passage in the Red House Mystery is hardly fair; if a modern house were so equipped – and it would be villainously expensive – all the countryside would be quite certain to know about it.

IV. No hitherto undiscovered poisons may be used, nor any appliance which will need a long scientific explanation at the end. There may be undiscovered poisons with quite unexpected reactions on the human system, but they have not been discovered yet, and until they are they must not be utilized in fiction; it is not cricket. Nearly all the cases of Dr. Thorndyke, as recorded by Mr. Austin Freeman, have the minor medical blemish; you have to go through a long science lecture at the end of the story in order to understand how clever the mystery was.

V. No Chinaman must figure in the story. Why this should be so I do not know, unless we can find a reason for it in our western habit of assuming that the Celestial is over-equipped in the matter of brains, and under-equipped in the matter of morals. I only offer it as a fact of observation that, if you are turning over the pages of a book and come across some mention of ‘the slit-like eyes of Chin Loo’, you had best put it down at once; it is bad. The only exception which occurs to my mind – there are probably others – is Lord Ernest Hamilton’s Four Tragedies of Memworth.

VI. No accident must ever help the detective, nor must he ever have an unaccountable intuition which proves to be right. That is perhaps too strongly stated; it is legitimate for the detective to have inspirations which he afterwards verifies, before he acts on them, by genuine investigation. And again, he will naturally have moments of clear vision, in which the bearings of the observations hitherto made will become suddenly evident to him. But he must not be allowed, for example, to look for the lost will in the works of the grandfather clock because an unaccountable instinct tells him that that is the right place to search. He must look there because he realizes that that is where he would have hidden it himself if he had been in the criminal’s place. And in general it should be observed that every detail of his thought – process, not merely the main outline of it, should be conscientiously audited when the explanation comes along at the end.

VII. The detective must not himself commit the crime. This applies only where the author personally vouches for the statement that the detective is a detective; a criminal may legitimately dress up as a detective, as in the Secret of Chimneys, and delude the other actors in the story with forged references.

VIII. The detective must not light on any clues which are not instantly produced for the inspection of the reader. Any writer can make a mystery by telling us that at this point the great Picklock Holes suddenly bent down and picked up from the ground an object which he refused to let his friend see. He whispers ‘Ha!’ and his face grows grave – all that is illegitimate mystery – making. The skill of the detective author consists in being able to produce his clues and flourish them defiantly in our faces: ‘There!’ he says, ‘what do you make of that?’ and we make nothing.

IX. The stupid friend of the detective, the Watson, must not conceal any thoughts which pass through his mind; his intelligence must be slightly, but very slightly, below that of the average reader. This is a rule of perfection; it is not of the esse of the detective story to have a Watson at all. But if he does exist, he exists for the purpose of letting the reader have a sparring partner, as it were, against whom he can pit his brains. ‘I may have been a fool,’ he says to himself as he puts the book down, ‘but at least I wasn’t such a doddering fool as poor old Watson.’

X. Twin brothers, and doubles generally, must not appear unless we have been duly prepared for them. The dodge is too easy, and the supposition too improbable. I would add as a rider, that no criminal should be credited with exceptional powers of disguise unless we have had fair warning that he or she was accustomed to making up for the stage. How admirably is this indicated, for example, in Trent’s Last Case!

Detective Fiction in the 21st Century: Have the rules changed?

It would appear that one of the reasons Father Knox’s Ten Commandments are still so well-known today is the fact that modern readers continue to devour the classics—after all, Agatha Christie does maintain her place as the bestselling novelist of all time. However, consider the following suggested rules for today’s detective fiction author.

Thou shall not employ cartoonish or one-dimensional characters.

In 2009, author P.D. James, with a half-century of mystery writing under her belt, released Talking About Detective Fiction. James observed the biggest shift in detective fiction to be readers demanding more depth of character. James boldly criticized Christie for characters lacking psychological depth, preferring instead to emphasize the puzzle. Of Christie, James says, “Above all she is a literary conjuror who places her pasteboard characters face downwards and shuffles them with practiced cunning.” While plot and puzzle-solving remain paramount, these flat, hum-drum characters are no longer enough for today’s modern reader.

Thou shalt strive to create a detective who has flaws.

Contemporary award-winning author Mark Billingham asserts that today’s modern detective should be a bit less heroic and a bit more flawed, citing the enduring character of Sherlock Holmes, who exhibits both virtues and weaknesses. Billingham believes readers care more about a detective who is imperfect, and also appreciate the element of unpredictability this may provoke.

Thou shalt respect science and scientific realism.

Readers are more rational today and although they still love a nice escape from reality, they also demand reason. They want believable murders that make sense scientifically, that don’t occur in a fairytale-like artificial world. Logical deduction and intelligence must prevail.

And above all (a reinforcement of Father Knox’s rules):

Thou shalt not cheat thy reader.

No matter how much time passes, the detective fiction fan continues to expect the mystery writer to play fair—that is, in order to solve the puzzle presented, the same clues the detective has must be shared with the reader. The reader must not be left feeling cheated or tricked. If this commandment is broken, expect the reader to throw the book across the room. If the book is being read digitally, there may be a less violent response, but only because the reader desires to protect the electronic device.

Do you have any other mystery writing commandments to share?

Gretchen Mullen is a published author whose most recent release was coauthored with her mother. The Rushing Noise of Death: A Detective Flagg Mystery, is currently available in ebook format.

A look at 1929's 10 Commandments for Detective Fiction--With Updates (by @GretchenMdm9524 ):
Click To Tweet

Photo via Visualhunt.com

The post The Ten Commandments for Detective Fiction (1929): A Brief History and Update appeared first on Elizabeth Spann Craig.

View more on Elizabeth Spann Craig's website »

Like • 0 comments • flag

Published on August 10, 2017 21:02

August 7, 2017

Instafreebie’s New App

by Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig

In the early days of digital reading, we had to carry a device around to read on. I still have two very early model kindles at home.

But now it makes so much more sense to be able to read on our phones. We’re already carrying the devices and we’ll always have something to read if we have an app…no need to try and remember to bring an extra device along. I’ve found that I get so much more reading now that I’ve got my book with me wherever I go (and reading is vital to writing).

The problem my mother had with devices and phones was how to get her book onto the device. I wrote her a detailed set of instructions, but it was still difficult for her. She had librarians show her how to put library books on her kindle account, but it never really sunk in.

During giveaways, I’ve found that there are plenty of my readers who faced similar confusion about transferring the books to their phones or devices. I tried to walk them through it, but it was always tricky. I’ve found that Instafreebie has helped a lot. I’m able to provide readers (giveaway readers, ARC readers, the occasional disgruntled reader) with links to the free books and Instafreebie’s instructions (and support) are usually enough to guide them through the process.

But Instafreebie is now taking it a step further to ensure ease of use. They contacted me to let me know about their new reading app, making it easier to read wherever you want, available today for Androids and soon available for iPhones. Readers tell the app which device they want the book delivered to, and Instafreebie does the rest. According to their press release: “It is also compatible with any ereader app, including Kindle, Kobo, NOOK Reading, iBooks, and Google Play Books.” They’re basically streamlining the process for the reader.

They’re also making it easier for readers to find the books that they’ve claimed by listing them all in one spot instead of making the reader comb through their emails to find books.

With 750,000 readers so far, Instafreebie has become an important platform for writers to use…not just for giveaways and newsletter signups, but for exposure as well, and the ability to connect with new readers (who can browse by genre). I’m planning on using the app as a discoverability tool (which is also why my books are on Wattpad). Instafreebie offers unlimited downloads if we choose that option (and, for discoverability purposes, unlimited can be a good thing).

More about the app here:

Thoughts on using Instafreebie as a discoverability tool? How are you reaching new readers lately?

New app by @instafreebie delivers books to ereaders instantly:
Click To Tweet

Photo via Visualhunt.com

The post Instafreebie’s New App appeared first on Elizabeth Spann Craig.

View more on Elizabeth Spann Craig's website »

Like • 0 comments • flag

Published on August 07, 2017 06:01