Tim Flanagan's Blog, page 24

Author Interview – Monique Rockliffe : Part 2

Within the Indie Author Hub, you can learn about other authors, their thoughts and opinions, what makes them tick and how their writing process works for them.

All this week I will be releasing segments of an interview I conducted with fellow sci-fi / fantasy author, Monique Rockliffe. Have a look at her profile and books here.

Part 2 : Writing and promoting

Do you plan your books down to the last detail? Not really. I know the beginning and the ending and the general outline. The details get filled in as I write. Scenes flourish and flesh out as the story progresses.

How do you decide on your characters and what they will be like? For me the story creates the right characters and they grow as I write. I have sometimes gone back and changed the way a character speaks or says something or reacts to another character or situation because they’re not real enough or too similar to another or they need more depth. If any changes are needed they occur as the story develops.

How do you get over the fear of a blank page? I don’t fear the “blank page” at all. I’ve never been stumped for an idea or left wondering where to go next in the plot. My imagination is always churning out ideas and many different scenarios that I can choose from in any given scene. Once I have my story and the characters are developed and I know how they will act and react, then there’s no stopping me.

Do you belong to reading / writing groups? I belong to a few Facebook groups and pages, some of which have great posts and writing tips. I like the ones where I can learn something everyday. I don’t like spreading myself too thin so I keep my involvement with groups to a minimum. I believe that once you commit to something you must give it your full attention so I choose carefully and I can therefore contribute more effectively.

How do you promote yourself? I’m just learning to be more engaging with current and future fans so I comment and share about my life as much as I can and in between I do self-promotion. I have a Facebook fan page where I let my friends know what’s happening in my life and about the progress I’m making, and, as I said, I belong to a few author/book/reader pages where I promote my books. I always share on Twitter and in my blog.

How do you target your audience? It’s important to belong to sites/pages/groups that share your interests and passions and already like what you write about. It’s also vital to build relationships. Friendship is a powerful thing; once people know you then they will be interested in what you have to offer. I try to spend time every day with my target audience. I tweet and post about my books and my progress as often as possible, and, in the case of authors, I also share and retweet their work and hopefully they do the same for me by sharing what I’ve done with their followers. I mainly target sci-fi and fantasy authors and therefore their readers, and also authors who write in other genres because many of them have readers that like more than one genre. I’ve met quite a few people via my relationships with author friends who show an interest in what I share and write about.

How do you keep yourself motivated? I LOVE what I do. I can’t imagine doing anything else. I have to get these stories out of me, and they bring my life so much joy and excitement they’re all I need to keep going. My stories and the characters within become a powerful part of my life as I tell their story, and I can’t imagine ever stopping, for to stop means they’ll die. Does that sound overly dramatic and a bit looney? Not to me I’m a writer, after all. We’re all a bit looney!!

What’s your top tip for aspiring authors? Balance passion with knowledge, then keep writing.

Author Interview – Monique Rockliffe : Part 1

Within the Indie Author Hub, you can learn about other authors, their thoughts and opinions, what makes them tick and how their writing process works for them.

All this week I will be releasing segments of an interview I conducted with fellow sci-fi / fantasy author, Monique Rockliffe. Have a look at her profile and books here.

Part 1 : Monique’s inspiration and aspirations

What did you read as a child? Since a child I’ve always been a brilliant storyteller. I could keep my friends enthralled for hours and make up a story about anything – usually a fantasy or sci-fi story ‘cause what’s better than that? I read a lot of comics and adventure books like The Famous Five, The Secret Seven, Nancy Drew, and The Hardy Boys, and when I was old enough I started reading Stephen King. But comics were definitely my favourite – the heroes, where they came from, how they became heroes and got their powers, this intrigued me and I longed to be like them. Now I write about those places and create powerful characters that fascinate and inspire me.

If you couldn’t be an author, what would you be? Well, for most of my life I was a dancer. I went to Art School, majoring in ballet, Spanish, and classical Greek dance, and then joined three professional dance companies over twenty years performing classical ballet, contemporary, jazz, tap, and many other dance forms, including singing and dancing in a few musicals. Only writing equals the joy and passion of dance for me.

What’s your goal for your writing? I so wish I could write full time; it is my eventual goal. The plan is to keep writing and marketing and self-promoting as much as possible. It’s impossible to predict when writing full time will become a reality. My responsibility is to look out for the opportunities that present themselves and be willing and ready to take them the moment they appear. For the moment, to pay the bills, I teach ballet at a dance studio called Dancers where I train girls from the age of around twelve-years to adults. That happens in the afternoons about two to three times a week. In the mornings and my days off I write.

So how do you fit writing into your daily routine? I grab every spare moment I have when I’m not teaching to write. I can sit for an entire day and bash out a chapter or two; Book 4 is being written as I write this along with a shorter novel I began for NaNoWriMo. This was my first NaNo and I loved the challenge. I managed to reach the word count goal a whole week before the deadline and it produced the current novel I’m working on, a novel in a different genre (or genres) than I’m used to, which was scary yet fun to do. I have actually just finished writing the first draft. I’ve mixed a few genres in this story – sci-fi, urban fantasy, western, romance, action adventure, horror – and I’ve loved trying something new, out of my comfort zone, so to speak. It’s a great way to practice my writing skills, and it’s based on a vivid dream I had. My sci-fi short story, The Door, is also based on a dream.

Where do you write? In summer I have a nook in our dining room where it’s cool and relaxing. In winter our bedroom is flooded with sun so that’s where I hole-up. I’ve already moved in. Autumn has arrived in South Africa, and, boy, do my cats love me on the bed with them! I need quiet and peace. My home is the only place I can write with no distractions. My hubby knows to stay away from me until I switch off the computer.

How did you become published? My epic fantasy novels are published through Xlibris Publishing. I only learned about self-publishing on Amazon and Smashwords after writing and publishing my first novel. I will complete my tetralogy with Xlibris as I need the four books to look exactly the same, and then I think I’ll keep to doing ebooks. My sci-fi short story, The Door, was published straight to Smashwords as an ebook, and is also available on Amazon and Barnes and Noble, Kobo, and a few others.I have many stories that I want to share with the world; I don’t have the patience to wait for someone to notice me first. If they notice me after the books are out then maybe we’ll take it from there (if I like what I hear, of course!)

Do you use editors or cover artists? Editing costs a fortune, unfortunately, especially when you’ve written a 700 page novel!! This means I have to do the editing myself for now. I have plans to republish one day when I can afford a professional editor. As for cover art, I find the images I want to use online after obtaining permission from the artists, and Xlibris then designs the covers for me. Xlibris is a huge publishing company and therefore have fantastic marketing packages on offer. Again, though, it all costs money and it requires me to save up for them. Living in a foreign country means the costs can get pretty steep! It takes me a few months to save up to pay for the publishing alone.

In Part 2, Monique talks about how she writes as well as targeting her audience.

3 Essential (but basic) Facebook Page Changes Every Author Should Make

Don’t just have a Facebook Profile – get a Facebook Page as well!

A Facebook Author page is essential if you want to increase awareness of your writing, keep your fans informed and engaged, connect with other authors and acquire new readers.

However, it’s surprising how many Facebook pages are very plain and very normal! Come on people – this is the window to your shop. Try doing a bit of window dressing. Your Facebook page is a totally free advert that has the potential to reach millions of people! Why not make the most of it?

Here’s a little break down of the layout of my Facebook Page:

1. Profile Picture

Lets start with the very basics! Surely it is a good idea to have a profile picture of yourself. Engage your readers and let them see what you look like – it’s the personal touch. People always respond better to someone they can see

What works well?

- Anything that is uniquely you. Don’t use a picture of your book here – the image is too small. Use the Page Cover for that.

- Pictures of yourself, not looking too silly (unless you are a comedy writer). Ones that are not too personal. Keep it professional. A profile picture is only big enough for heads and shoulders, anything more than that and it will be too small. Only have one of yourself, not several people.

- Your logo or a symbol that is a theme throughout your work.

- Don’t waste the profile space with your name in frilly text. It’s right next to it on the page anyway – why duplicate?

How to change yours

Go to your page and hover over the profile image and click ‘Edit Profile Picture’ then ‘Upload photo’ to take a file from your PC. The image will need to be 180 x 180 pixels. Don’t worry if your image is bigger than this. Once it is uploaded, click the ‘Edit Profile Picture’ again then ‘Edit thumbnail’ option. In this separate window you can drag the image to re-position it, or simply click the ‘scale to fit’ box and let Facebook do the hard work.

2. Page Cover Image

This is the place you can really be creative. You want to give the right impression to viewers as soon as they click on your page. It’s a good idea to change your Cover image from time to time, just like you would if you had a window display in a shop. Keep it fresh and interactive to keep viewers coming back for more.

What works well?

- Images of all your books, repeated in a tiled fashion.

- A single striking image with a few words, like an advert in a magazine.

- Promotion of your latest book with a call to action (Buy now!) or arrow directing viewers to an app that clicks through to amazon.

- Promotion of any competitions (see apps later) with a call to action or arrow telling them where to click.

How to change yours

Go to your page and hover over the cover image and click ‘Change Cover’ then ‘Upload photo’ to take a file from your PC. Click ‘Save Changes’ if you are happy with the image. The image will need to be 851 x 315 pixels. Don’t forget that the bottom left hand quarter of your cover image will have your profile image overlaying it so some of your image won’t be visible. Don’t worry if your image is bigger than this. If you want to reposition the image, hover over the cover image, click ‘Change Cover’ then ‘Reposition’ then drag your image to where you want it.

3. Page Apps

Page Apps are useful little tools, but so many people don’t make the most of them. On your Facebook Page there are several smaller boxes that sit below the cover image. These are apps and you can change them to make them more interesting and personal to your page. Apps provide more information for your viewers and keep them on your page for longer. Only the ‘Photos’ app box is static, the rest can be removed, reordered and changed.

What works well?

- Apps that link other social media sites to your page.

Try Woobox for Twitter, Pinterest, YouTube and Instagram. These are free to use and allow live feeds to be included in your Facebook page. It is good to try and integrate all of your other social media accounts together so followers can find you wherever you are. Using this app for YouTube allows you to include book trailers as well.

- A contact form so people can get in touch with you.

Try Contact Form on Facebook. Click the ‘Go to App’ button and install it on your page. It is free to use. Social Media is just that – social. You need to make it easy for your followers to contact you, ask questions, send compliments or whatever. They need to have a place where they can interact directly with you.

- Set up an email collection App.

Go to Mailchimp to set up your account, then install the app on your Facebook page. This is another free app, however there is a fee when you have over 2,000 email subscribers and there is a limit to the number of email newsletters you can send per month in the free subscription.

- A promotion or competition.

Try Easypromos. Install the app on your page and create your competition. The first one is free, but if you do any others after that you will need to pay around $15 in the basic package per competition. If you request that only your page followers can enter, it is also a great way to increase your page likes.

- List your books. You’re an author – people want to know about your books!

Go to Freebooksy and install the app to your page. Then simply enter your book ISBN number and the app will search amazon and install it into the app. You can enter more than one book.

How to personalize your apps

To the right of the apps you will see a small box with a number and an arrow. Click it and all of the installed apps will appear. To start with change the names of the apps to something suitable for your page – hover over the app you want to change and a pencil will appear in the top right corner. Click it and you will get extra options. Click ‘Edit Settings’. In the ‘Custom tab name’ box you can write in what you want to call the app. It’s a good idea to personalize your app images so they are in the same colour or style to your cover image. Click the change link next to ‘Custom Tab Image’ you will got to a new window which will show the current app image. Hover over it and click ‘Edit’ then click ‘Choose file’ and upload the image you want to use. The image will need to be pretty small – 111 x 74 pixels. Save all these changes and it will update the apps on your page. You can also change the position of each app. When you hover over an app and click the pencil button you can see a list of all the apps on your page. Swap positions with the apps so the most important ones are on the front of your page. You cannot move or edit the ‘photos’ app. If I was you I would move the ‘Likes’ app – people don’t need to see it – it’s already listed under your page name, right next to the number of people who are talking about you!

There are loads of apps available to use on Facebook, most of them are free. If you use another app to those listed above and it works well on your Page, why not share it below?

Author Interview – Melanie Rose : Part 2

Within the Indie Author Hub, you can learn about other authors, their thoughts and opinions, what makes them tick and how their writing process works for them.

All this week I will be releasing segments of an interview I conducted with fellow author, Melanie Rose. Have a look at her profile and books here.

Last summer she shaved her head to celebrate ten years as a cancer survivor…thus the bald author photo.

Part 2 : How Melanie Promotes herself

What ways do you promote yourself online? I have a website, a Facebook fan page, and a blog, though I don’t write on my blog as often as I should.  I started out blogging about twice a week, then it declined.  Now I blog about once a month…maybe.  I’d like to get back to maybe once a week.  I do interviews (like this one, yay!) and some giveaways.  Promotion is always a bit of a struggle for me.  I would love to be the classic reclusive writer, but that’s really not an option any more as it’s become imperative for writer’s to market their own work, so I do the best I can.  There are so many opportunities to promote yourself online, some more effective than others, and it would be very easy to spend all your time on promotion, in which case the books would never get written.  It’s a delicate balance.  Unless I have some important piece of promotion coming up with a specific deadline, I always start the day with writing.  If the writing goes well, I don’t stop.  If it goes poorly, I make myself try anyway for a few hours…then I work on promotion.  It really takes a back seat to the writing.  I know it’s different for every writer, but that’s how it works for me.

What offline promotion do you take part in? I take part in some signing events, as well as hosting book launches at a local coffee shop when I have new releases.  Last year I had a very successful holiday signing party in early December…perfect timing for people doing their holiday shopping.  I’ve also visited some local schools.  It doesn’t always result in many sales, but it’s very rewarding to speak with the students and answer questions.

How did you publish yourself? I publish my paperbacks through Createspace, and go through KDP, NOOK Press, and Kobo directly for ebooks.  I tried Smashwords for a while, but we didn’t get along too well.  It’s nice to see so many platforms opening up which allow authors to publish directly, without the need for a middle-man.

What made you decide to publish independently? It was at a writer’s conference in Seattle, and I had met with an agent.  Five minutes, one-on-one.  She asked who my influences were, and I mentioned several authors, one of them being George Eliot.  Her response was, “Well, that’s not the thing to say to me, because I hate George Eliot.”

That was the moment when It was really brought home to me how subjective the entire publishing industry is, how much it is based on the personal tastes and opinions of a few people.  Before indie publishing started to catch on, as a reader you were only getting a small sampling of all the stories written, filtered through a sieve of personal opinion.  With indie books, there is no filter between author and reader, and there is no publisher trying to sell a specified number of books.  It used to cost a lot of money to self-publish, but it doesn’t any more, which means you can afford to take risks, and the readers will find you.  Whatever story you have to tell, it is written to speak to someone.  Now, that someone can find your book.  You might not sell thousands of copies, but, hey, it’s out there, and you’re not responsible for filling anyone else’s quota.

Do you think that Indie Authors are still looked down on by their traditionally published counterparts? A little.  There is definitely still a stigma, though it’s not as powerful as it used to be.  Self-publishing is still seen by some as “vanity publishing,” or the easy way out, as poorly edited and badly written in general.  I think it’s up to us to change that stereotype by turning out the best work we can.  It’s a challenge.  Though I don’t hire an editor to go over my work, it always passes through the hands of at least five people before I consider it ready to go.  I know there are some writers who claim you should never publish without a professional editor, but some of us just can’t afford one, and then the key is to know your friends’ strengths and be willing to accept their criticism.  For instance, some friends are very good at seeing the narrative as a whole, at telling you when something doesn’t connect, or maybe you thought you explained something but you really didn’t and it was all in your head.  They make great beta-readers.  Another friend is a genius when it comes to finding little things like typos or missing punctuation.  She’s the friend who, when you go out to lunch, entertains herself by finding errors in the menu, and she makes a fantastic copy-editor.  Add to that a retired English teacher, my songwriting husband, and a woman who writes literature curriculum, and you have my editing team.  They’re wonderful.

Is there a place for the traditional publishers anymore? I think there still can be, but things will have to be completely restructured.  I’m somewhat old-fashioned, and it took a long time for me to be won over to indie publishing at first.  I think there’s a lot to be said for the old system, especially in terms of marketing capabilities and connections, but I think there are some fundamental changes that would need to be made.

What’s your top tips for aspiring authors? Flee formula.  Embrace insanity.  Write honestly.

Author Interview – Melanie Rose : Part 1

Within the Indie Author Hub, you can learn about other authors, their thoughts and opinions, what makes them tick and how their writing process works for them.

All this week I will be releasing segments of an interview I conducted with fellow author, Melanie Rose. Have a look at her profile and books here.

Last summer she shaved her head to celebrate ten years as a cancer survivor…thus the bald author photo.

Part 1 : Melanie’s life as a writer

What made you want to become an author? I really can’t remember a time when I didn’t want to be an author, but I was a practical little girl. I thought I would get into journalism and write novels on the side, maybe publish something when I was middle-aged or later. Then, when I was sixteen, I went through chemotherapy for Hodgkins Disease. It sounds cliche, but going through something like cancer changes your priorities, forces you to recognize how short life really is. It made me realize that I didn’t want to wait for my dreams, that I wanted to pursue them from the beginning, even if it meant I had to wait tables for years to fund my habit. As it happened, I spent six years as a baker and barista at a local coffee shop, a summer as a bartender at a country club, and I even delivered pizzas for a while, and now I have two historical novels and a children’s book published. I’m not rich, but I’m doing what I love.

If you couldn’t be an author, what would you be? A circus performer. I’m thinking trapeze artist.

What inspires you? Life. I know that’s broad, but I think for the writer no aspect of life is really off-limits, and the ways a moment, sight, sound, or experience can be used are pretty much limitless. I remember one summer when I was growing up, going on a camping trip with my parents along the Snake River. I woke up early in the morning and went down to the river just as the sun was coming up. The sky was pink and orange behind the cliff across the river, and I made up a story about it on the spot. I don’t remember the details now, and that particular story never was written down, but I remember it was somewhere totally different, not the Snake River at all, but far more exciting, and the water lapping on the riverbank was lapping against the side of a boat, with three people inside trying to be as quiet as possible to make their escape from…something.

Do you have a special writing place? Several. It depends on the weather. I love writing outside in the summer. I have a desk, but I don’t really use it much for writing. I unplug my laptop and carry it around. I also like to write in coffee shops: hot coffee, good people-watching, a change of scene. It helps if they’re not people I know well. The conversation creates a sort of hum in the background. I like to write with music, and the conversational hum has the same sort of effect, except that the conversation can take unexpected turns…which helps jolt my mind sometimes when I’m experiencing writer’s block. It doesn’t always work, but often, and the coffee is always good, and sometimes I get some great character ideas out of it.

Do you have daily word targets? It depends on the day. Generally, I’d rather write one page that really satisfies me than ten that disappoint me. I will set myself goals occasionally if there’s a particular scene I want to get through.

Do you think writing is a lonely job? Absolutely…most of the time. To get any good creative work done you certainly have to isolate yourself to some degree. You have to be comfortable being alone with your own thoughts, which I don’t think many people are. On the other hand, so much inspiration comes from social interaction, from living, so I think there has to be a balance.

Do you plan your books to the last detail? Nope.  I’m a pantser. I usually have some sense of where the story’s going, but it’s always flexible.

How do you decide on your characters and what they will be like? The characters are generally the easiest part of the process for me. Sometimes I use traits or characteristics of people I’ve met, or seen somewhere. I love people-watching, and I pick up a lot of quirks and mannerisms that way. Other times I don’t know where they come from, they just appear in my head, fully formed, with their own personalities and motivations.

How do you get over the fear of a ‘blank page’? I stare. Then I write something, even if it’s terrible. The something fills the void, and makes it less intimidating.

How do you deal with rejection or a less favourable review? I fume for a bit, march up and down a little, then I read it again. If there is criticism in it that I can use, something specific, then I try to file it away to use later, to learn from my mistake. If it’s just vaguely unfavourable, I try to tell myself that I don’t care for Danielle Steele novels, Anonymous Agent doesn’t like George Eliot, and there are plenty of people who do like my books. Once you get past obvious things like spelling and grammar, it’s all about personal preference.

How do you keep yourself motivated? I try to always learn new things, read new things, and observe the world around me. Oh, and coffee helps.

In Part 2, Melanie talks about book promotion and the publishing industry.

Steal My E-book

Piracy – should we be worried about it? I know there are a lot of authors out there with strong views on this subject, but bear with me on this….

I’m currently reading a book called ‘Let’s Get Digital‘ by David Gaughran. It’s a prequel to his recent ‘Let’s Get Visible‘ book which contains some really useful information for Indie Authors on increasing visibility. However, in the ‘Let’s Get Digital’ David talks about piracy and how Neil Gaiman’s sales were increasing in countries where his work was being pirated. Neil argues that authors are not losing sales but that piracy is “people lending books” and amounts to free advertising. Another author, Joe Konrath, decided to run an experiment called ‘Steal My E-book’ on his blog to see what actually happened to his book sales and I thought it might be interesting to see what happened for myself.

I released the third book in my Moon Stealer series, THE MOON STEALERS AND THE EVERLASTING NIGHT, in April this year. It is currently for sale at Amazon for $3.19 / £2.05

So, what’s the book about?

The Moon Stealers is a science fiction adventure series. In this third book the alien bacteria has evolved and strikes a devastating blow to mankind. MI6 operative Steven Knight, together with Georgia and Tracker, attempt to make their way to London to join other survivors. In the face of despair survivors are quick to betray their fellow humans and react to their fate in a variety of different ways. The dominance of the human race in the new world becomes threatened. Steven finds himself at the mercy of the alien creatures and must rely on his investigative powers to discover a way for the human race to survive. But, it’s a race against time as the creatures continue to change….

So let the experiment begin. Here is how you can obtain a copy of this ebook:

Click HERE to download a free zip file of The Moon Stealers and The Everlasting Night that contains versions in pdf, epub and mobi.

Or, if you own a Kindle, you can click HERE to go to the Kindle store and buy it for $3.19 / £2.05.

If you download the free version, and feel the overwhelming need to donate £2.05 to me, you can click HERE and go to Paypal to donate. Paypal is free to join, safe, and easy to use.

I’ll keep track of my free downloads, Kindle numbers, Paypal donations, and my rankings on Amazon for the next 30 days, then post the results.

Also, I encourage pirates to post this everywhere. Go ahead and proliferate the internet with The Moon Stealers. You can explain that I’m encouraging it, or you can just take it and not say a word. I’d appreciate it if you post in the comments section where you’re uploaded it, which you can do anonymously.

If anyone sees this ebook on file sharing sites, I also ask that you please post a link to it in the comments. The more places I can see this being shared, the better I can compare ebooks sold to ebooks shared.

Will giving the ebook away for free hurt sales or will it help sales? Will I gain readers? Will people donate money? Will people who take the free ebook buy my other ebooks?

Let’s see what happens…. must admit I am a little nervous!

Paranormal Romance Kindle Promotional Event

I am organizing a Group Promotional two day event for authors to cross promote their books to fans and readers of other Paranormal Romance authors. This is a great way for readers to find new and exciting authors like you, in the genre they already enjoy.

When :

Saturday 20 and Sunday 21 July 2013

Genre :

Paranormal Romance Kindle books that are available on Amazon. If the books you submit for inclusion don’t fit this genre, they will be rejected. But, don’t worry, other themed events will be coming shortly.

Where :

On this blog. There will be a dedicated page for the event.

What you gain :

Access to other authors fans and readers. Increased sales and a higher Amazon ranking. Achieving higher Amazon rankings in your chosen categories will increase visibility of your book to others people searching on Amazon, even after the event has ended.

What does it cost :
Absolutely nothing!

The only thing you need to do is set your Amazon Kindle book price to 99c in the US and 75p in the UK. If your book is not set at this price for the duration of the two day event, they will be removed.

How does it work :

I will collect authors who are interested in participating and build the Event page. Because this genre is very popular, each author is restricted to 3 books only. I will also create the text and images that each participating author can then use to inform their readers on Facebook, Twitter, their blog, and their mailing list, inviting readers to grab a bargain! The more exposure each author generates helps to benefit everyone. After the event, each author will receive a brief report on the number of viewers of the event, as well as the number of clicks through from their books to Amazon, as well as how many sales were actually generated from those clicks. Of course, when the event has finished you can change  your book back to its original price.

Who can participate in this event :

Anyone who has a book available on Kindle in the genre of this event and can easily change the price of their books.

Indie authors will be able to adjust the price of their book in the KDP dashboard, selecting 35% royalty option and changing the prices. However, traditionally published authors may not find it so easy to change their prices themselves and may have to go through their publishing houses who may refuse your request. If you cannot set your price to 99c / 75p you cannot participate. Your books must not be available free of charge for the event. Everyone must be able to compete at the same level. Books that are free during the event will be removed.

What if you don’t write in this genre :

Don’t worry. Other themed promotional events will follow shortly.

How do I take part?

Just complete the form below

[contact-form]

Author Interview – Darlene Craviotto : Part 2

Within the Indie Author Hub, you can learn about other authors, their thoughts and opinions, what makes them tick and how their writing process works for them.

All this week I will be releasing segments of an interview I conducted with Hollywood Scriptwriter and author, Darlene Craviotto. Have a look at her profile and books here.

Part 2 : Darlene’s thoughts on promotion and publishing

How do you promote yourself online? I’m selective about self-promotion because it takes time away from my writing, and that’s what I feel I owe my readers: the best stories told in the best way possible. I will do the occasional interview, if it’s on a site that I like, or if I feel the interviewer is someone I’d love to talk with. I have a blog but I use that to try out stories that I’m working on, or to engage in a conversation with readers. I don’t think you become a good writer by becoming a good marketer. Or PR person. Or self-promoter. And yet, the internet is filled with people who will tell you the opposite, who will try to convince you that you have to do both, and oh-by-the-way they have a class, a book, a technique that you can purchase for a price. The number of people who are making money off of the dreams of writers who want to become professional really angers me. They are reminiscent of the old man behind the screen in Wizard of Oz who called himself the Wizard. Avoid them at all costs. The only way to eventually become a professional writer is to spend your time writing. Don’t be sidetracked by self-promotion. Write a bunch of something - stories,stories, and more stories. Some may be longer and those can end up as books, plays, or screenplays. But don’t worry about the end result…not YET. Get those stories out of you. And then you can decide what you want to do with them. The last thing a writer wants to do when they’re first getting started is to worry what their book cover design will be. Or whether they should go traditional or self-publish, or what blog tours they can do. That’s not the way to become a professional. Focus on the writing first!

How much time do you spend promoting yourself in social media? I have my own blog (darlenecraviotto.com), I do Twitter, Facebook, the occasional blog interview, and sometimes I peek into a couple of writers’ groups online. I do it sparingly, however, and I don’t do it at all if I’m in the passionate throes of writing a story.

How did you get yourself published? The book was represented by an agent within a few months after it was written. Because Michael Jackson has a big role in the story the manuscript went out to the big publishing houses right away, and there are only a handful of the really big houses. The responses were uniformly positive and laudatory. This one sums up the reactions:

“I have to admit first thing that I couldn’t put this down! Darlene’s voice is so winning on
the page, and the world she becomes privy to is fascinating. But as I tried to think how this
could be re-imagined to better suit the (Big Publishing House) list, I just couldn’t come up
with a structure or concept that made sense. The juxtaposition of Darlene’s agoraphobia
and M.J.’s eccentric behavior is irresistible, …Every which way I thought about
augmenting or repositioning it just ended up feeling somehow unnecessary. So I’m afraid
I’m going to pass, which is probably a mark of a failure of imagination on my part more
than anything…..”

When I read that response, I was thrilled. I hadn’t set out to write a book that wasn’t fresh and original. I knew the story was quirky, and not easily compared to any already published memoirs. But here was someone in traditional publishing saying, ”Hey, I couldn’t stop reading this! I was hooked – it’s fascinating!” And this man was in traditional publishing; he’d read a lot of manuscripts, so he knew good writing and good stories. His one problem was how to market it so he passed. But his comments said to me that my story was entertaining enough and told in such a way that the book worked. And I was thrilled to know that. When the agent asked if I wanted the manuscript to be submitted to smaller publishers, I said no. I didn’t want to take the time to keep looking, and I also didn’t want a traditional publisher to tell me to throw out what I’d already written and start all over again, TELLING THE STORY THE WAY THE PUBLISHING HOUSE WANTED ME TO TELL IT. That’s what happens with a non fiction manuscript. You don’t submit your manuscript to the publishing houses, you submit a book proposal pitching your book, saying what you’d LIKE to write. The first several big publishing houses never even got a chance to read my manuscript - they only read my book proposal. Every company that passed said they wanted more information about Michael Jackson, and I kept telling the agent, “This book isn’t a tell-all about Michael. It’s about an agoraphobic screenwriter working with Michael!” But that didn’t matter to the publishers or the agent. Basically, the premise of the book was being pitched, and the decision to buy or not buy was based on a ten page proposal. Finally, I told the agent that the next publishing house that showed an interest should read the manuscript and not the proposal. I dug my heels in and said if they didn’t read the manuscript, I wasn’t interested in pursuing them. And bingo, the manuscript was read over a weekend and that response above is what was sent to the agent. Not wanting to take the time to pursue smaller houses, I decided to independently publish the book.

What made you decide to publish independently? It was a chance to learn something new, and I like to be challenged if it means doing something I’ve never done before. My adventure into the world of traditional publishing was brief, but it was enough time to show me that it functions similarly to Hollywood. The kinds of books thought to be the most marketable (much like the kinds of films thought to be the most marketable) are crafted by those publishing houses and their emissaries the same way that big films are crafted by the studio system. I have spent too many years shaping stories for other people, making changes in my storytelling for their tastes and their marketing needs. But this was my story, my memoir and I wanted to decide how my story would be told; I didn’t want to be directed to tell it some other way only to make it appeal to a specific demographic group.

What do you think the future of publishing will be? I think it will be harder for smaller books to get publishing deals. You’ll have to be a celebrity in some way in order to “sell” a manuscript. People that have name recognition will be able to get deals and advances, but the average writer will have a more difficult time. In many ways, I can see independent publishing as the minor leagues, and traditional publishing as the Majors. A writer will be able to get lots of writing experience in the minors with the possibility of being brought up to the Majors. Obviously, that’s where the big money will be – in the Majors. But just as every minor league ball player might never play for a professional team, the same might apply to the independently published writer. It doesn’t mean they’re not good, not at all. I think there’s room in the writing world for both. But it just means that life will be more difficult for the writer who can’t find his/her way into the “Big Leagues.”

Is it necessary for Authors to have an agent these days? If a writer wants to be a professional, you have to have an agent. Just don’t try to get one until you’re got more than one story to show them. That’s the problem: People are in a hurry to become famous, and they don’t want to do the work to become really good. Do the work, and worry about the rest later.

How do you deal with rejection? This is the most difficult part of writing, but it’s a part of the process and you can’t avoid it. Sooner or later you have to share your stories, and when they’re out of your hands they are fair game to being criticized. The best advice I can give a writer is to wait awhile before you share your story with another human being. After you finish writing it, give it as much love as you like: kiss it, hold it, celebrate it with a glass of champagne. And then, put it in a drawer, walk away, and forget about it. Separate from it. Let it live in that drawer until you feel slightly removed from it. Maybe start another story, or go on vacation, have a love affair, take up archery, or get involved in rock climbing. Once you’ve connected to something else, found something you can put your time and attention into, then…and only then, do you take that story out of its drawer and give it to someone to read. Just make sure that person isn’t cruel, isn’t snarky, and is a kind, gentle being. And even if you follow all these tips and someone says they don’t like something in your story it will still feel like someone pulled your heart out through your teeth. Without anesthetic. But you know what? Get used to it because that’s part of being a writer. Find yourself some coping mechanisms, gird your loins, and just keep writing.

What’s your top tip for aspiring authors? Just write – worry about the rest later.

Author Interview – Darlene Craviotto : Part 1

Within the Indie Author Hub, you can learn about other authors, their thoughts and opinions, what makes them tick and how their writing process works for them.

All this week I will be releasing segments of an interview I conducted with Hollywood Scriptwriter and author, Darlene Craviotto. Have a look at her profile and books here.

Part 1 : How Darlene prepares to write

What inspired you to become an author? My overactive imagination. I was a big daydreamer as a child and I loved nothing better than to act out in my room little stories, complete with dialogue and dance routines. Music was a big part of my stories – Who knows, maybe I should be writing musicals.

If you couldn’t be an author, what would you be? A dancer. Or a choreographer. With all those hours in my room making up stories and dances, I think I was on my way to a dance career. That was a short-lived dream, however, when at age seven I was performing in a “Fiesta” dance number at school and the waistband of my petticoat broke. The entire undergarment fell to the ground; there was an embarrassed gasp from the audience, but I simply stepped out of the petticoat and kept dancing. The event was written about in the local newspaper and my little slip slip-up had its own little paragraph. I guess I knew then I was destined to go into show business. Becoming an author didn’t happen until later.

How do you structure your day? If I don’t plan ahead and structure my day around writing, it won’t happen at all. Life is a sweet seduction for most writers. There are so many distractions that afford writers with too many excuses for not writing. For me, it’s an everyday battle. I write a little bit about that in An Agoraphobic’s Guide to Hollywood: ”Writers will find any excuse not to write. A phone ringing. Spots on a carpet. Furniture that needs to be re-arranged. I have never done more laundry in my life than times when I’ve been avoiding sitting down and writing.”

Do you have daily word targets? I don’t write based on word count. For me, that’s problematic. I look at writing as storytelling, and good storytelling is about memorable characters – what they do, what they say, and what action happens to them or happens because of them. I build my stories like someone creating a quilt out of beautiful pieces of fabric that are unique on their own, but once woven together become a part of something new and bigger. Each time I sit down to write I work on one patch of fabric from that quilt. Those “pieces of fabric” are scenes within the story, and I may spend all day writing just one of them. If it’s a simple scene, and I’ve been fortunate to see it in my imagination, I can write it quickly, polish it, and move on to another scene that day. So when I structure out my writing time I ask myself, “What scene do you want to write today, Darlene? What piece of fabric do you want to create for your quilt?”

Before writing, do you plan your books down to the last detail? If I don’t know where I’m going in a story, I won’t know how to tell it. I always use the analogy of planning a trip: Without a map, or some general understanding of the direction you’re going, it’s just too easy to end up confused and lost. Every time I write a film script I begin by sitting in a darkened room, and mentally “turning on a film projector” to see the film I’m going to write. Each day I get a little bit further into the film before my work day is over, and then, I shut down that projector for the day. Little by little, day by day, I see a little more of the film than I’ve seen the day before. That’s how the story reveals itself to me, and over a period of a few weeks, I see the entire film. I did that while writing An Agoraphobic’s Guide to Hollywood, and I imagine I will do that while I’m writing Californio. It’s just comfortable for me to work this way.

How do you get over the fear of a ‘blank page’? I don’t think I’ve ever been afraid of a blank page. Here’s why: The decision to write means you’ve chosen to isolate yourself from the rest of the world. While everyone else is out there living their lives – making memories; having fun times; having bad times; loving, laughing, crying – the writer is all alone, separated from life. That’s pretty boring, if you think about it. And the only thing in the middle of that boredom is the blank page and your imagination. The human spirit isn’t designed to just sit there and not be engaged. If we can’t be out in the world being physically and emotionally occupied, then our imagination comes into the picture and does that for us. It’s impossible for a writer (with an overactive imagination in the first place) to not want to interact with that blank page, to create another reality where that writer can interact. If not physically, then, at least emotionally. I write because I get bored – my mind has no outside stimulation if I’m sitting in a room all by myself. Pretty soon my imagination kicks in and then I’m not bored anymore, and I’m not lonely. If you’re afraid of the blank page, maybe what’s frightening you is the loneliness of writing that put you there in front of the blank page. The blank page is your friend – it provides you comfort, and companionship. If you think of the blank page that way, you’ll never be afraid of it. You’ll welcome it.

How do you decide on your characters? I’ve watched enough people in my lifetime to know which ones have been fascinating and held my attention, and which ones haven’t caught my eye at all. Here’s a tip: Take the ordinary and give it something distinct, quirky, unique, and out of the ordinary.

How do you keep yourself motivated? Writing for me is like breathing – I just do it. No motivation is necessary. If you have to motivate yourself to write, perhaps you’re not really a writer. And that’s fine too because there are a helluva lot of us anyway. Why make yourself miserable doing something that maybe you really DON’T want to be doing?

In Part 2, Darlene talks about book promotion and the publishing industry.

Sci-Fi / Fantasy Kindle Promotional Event

I am organizing a Group Promotional two day event for authors to cross promote their books to fans and readers of other sci-fi and fantasy authors. This is a great way for readers to find new and exciting authors like you, in the genre they already enjoy.

When :

Saturday 13 and Sunday 14 July 2013

Genre :

Science Fiction and Fantasy Kindle books that are available on Amazon. If the books you submit for inclusion don’t fit this genre, they will be rejected. But, don’t worry, other themed events will be coming shortly.

Where :

On this blog.

Visit the dedicated page advertising the event.

What you gain :

Access to other authors fans and readers. Increased sales and a higher Amazon ranking. Achieving higher Amazon rankings in your chosen categories will increase visibility of your book to others people searching on Amazon, even after the event has ended.

What does it cost :
Absolutely nothing!

The only thing you need to do is set your Amazon Kindle book price to 99c in the US and 75p in the UK. If your book is not set at this price for the duration of the two day event, they will be removed.

How does it work :

I will collect authors who are interested in participating and build the Event page. I will also create the text and images that each participating author can then use to inform their readers on Facebook, Twitter, their blog, and their mailing list, inviting readers to grab a bargain! The more exposure each author generates helps to benefit everyone. After the event, each author will receive a brief report on the number of viewers of the event, as well as the number of clicks through from their books to Amazon, as well as how many sales were actually generated from those clicks. Of course, when the event has finished you can change  your book back to its original price.

Who can participate in this event :

Anyone who has a book available on Kindle in the genre of this event and can easily change the price of their books.

Indie authors will be able to adjust the price of their book in the KDP dashboard, selecting 35% royalty option and changing the prices. However, traditionally published authors may not find it so easy to change their prices themselves and may have to go through their publishing houses who may refuse your request. If you cannot set your price to 99c / 75p you cannot participate.

What if you don’t write in this genre :

Don’t worry. Other themed promotional events will follow shortly.

How do I take part?

Just complete the form below

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