Jody Cantrell Dyer's Blog: What's your story? Maybe I can help you write it., page 6

Let's climb that mountain together. The view from the top will wow you.

 You may have figured out by now that this writer loves words and woods. Actually, weather permitting, I will head to the woods after work today to hike the Trillium Gap Trail to Grotto Falls in the Great Smoky Mountains. There, you can stand behind a waterfall and maybe spot the llama team that totes supplies to and from LeConte Lodge atop Mt. LeConte.

July 19, five friends and I climbed 5.5 miles up the Alum Cave Trail. We strolled through the temperate rainforest along Alum Cave Creek, progressed up countless steps through Arch Rock, rested for lunch in Alum Cave, passed the Keyhole, stopped many times to look in awe at creation, and gradually (sometimes narrowly and often holding on to metal cables bolted into the mountain) hiked to LeConte Lodge. There, we dropped our heavy packs and relaxed on the wooden porch attached to our cabin.

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Kelly stands at the entrance to Arch Rock.Alum Cave. Imagine this in a thunderstorm!My mother did not like this picture. I was thankful for those metal cables.We arrived to a sunny welcome from Lodge staff, who had coffee and hot chocolate ready for hikers.

After a lamplit dinner (there's no electricity at the lodge), we scrambled up .2 more miles to Cliff Tops to watch the sunset. We sat with strangers and reverently watched the sun ease its way down into the dark, dense Smokies.

Cliff Tops is 6,555 feet in elevation.

Headlamps and hiking poles helped us descend the slippery limestone trail. Soon, rain pelted tin roofs as the famous blue mist, which the Cherokee called shaconage, clouded the camp and gave it an ethereal ambience.

Our water source is in the foreground.

Author Kevin Nunn was kind enough to speak to my recent University of Tennessee class. He explained how he diagrammed his book's story arc and that, amazingly, the climax of the story actually occurs when the main character is at the peak of a mountain in Colorado. When I stand on a summit like Cliff Tops, Clingman's Dome, or even the hill behind my mother's farmhouse, I gain perspective. I think about how insanely, incompressible, and infinite the world is and how small I am. Then I think about what I've just accomplished: I have climbed a mountain!

In my East Tennessean opinion, writing a book is just like hiking a mountain. The idea can be unnerving. You have to plan for excitement, disaster, disappointment, frustration, joy, and work. Your experience is different from everyone else's. As my hiking buddy Sally says, "This is YOUR hike." But you should never hike alone. You may need serious help from others, but sharing the trek is a blast.

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Sample Story Arc (Creative Commons License)

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LeConte Diagram, source: https://www.semanticscholar.org/​

Of our group, only Sally and I had summited LeConte before. The other four were absolutely flabbergasted by the trip and the majesty of what they experienced. Marty, an inexperienced hiker, stopped and thanked God aloud when the trail opened up to low-growing rhododendrons and a multi-mile vista. I love telling everyone about how she was singing hymns in mile 2 but flinging the f-bomb in mile 5! I served as the sweep, the last hiker, for a few reasons. First, Marty needed to adjust to the funky exercise of hiking through multiple types of landscapes and the altitude change. Second, we had all day, so why rush a wonderful experience? Third, I wanted to take lots of pictures. Fourth, I wanted to make sure she did not miss any jewels as we worked our way to the crown of LeConte. At one point, she thanked me, saying, "Jody, I owe you a solid for sticking with me. Someday, I will pay you back big time." I said, "You can pay me back tonight by sleeping in the top bunk." She did:)

Just like Marty climbed that mountain, YOU CAN WRITE A BOOK. Decide, then take the first step. My clients, UT students (thank you for the awesome feedback and ideas!), and hiking experiences have inspired me to create something new. On OCTOBER 1, I will start REGAL BEAGLES Writing Club so that you can take one small step at a time and carefully work your way to a finished book with the help of a leader and a group of other writers.

Why REGAL Beagles? Remember: Content is king. Marketing is queen.

To stick with the play on words and better serve authors, on October 1, I'm also launching ROYALTY Club—a monthly membership to help authors consistently build and execute their book marketing efforts.

Friend, these clubs are the most affordable way to enjoy the benefits of instruction and support. Basically, I'm taking what I teach to my one-on-one clients and UT students and s-t-r-e-t-c-h-i-n-g that content out to e-a-s-e you through the many steps of the book-writing and marketing processes.

Each lesson will help you build or strengthen your writing muscles. The lessons will progress in a logical order, but the lessons will also be self-contained, meaning that no matter where you are in your writing process (idea/finished first draft/fourth book/outline/whatever), you will benefit. I'm working out the details, but here's a brief rundown of what I plan to offer club members:

Group coaching: Monthly lessons delivered by email or an easy-to-use platform with video and slides (You don't have to be high-tech:)Office hours with live phone and email support, with idea and manuscript feedbackCommunity events (live/Zoom) if/when practical and useful for the membersProgress pathwaysResources and tools (templates, tutorials, cheat sheets, quick guides, Google Sheets, and more)50% off private consultations with JodyCBP e-NewsletterVIP discounts on CBP services and packages (writing, editing, proofreading, and marketing)

Regal Beagles Writing Club: The cost is only $87/month. This is lower than my current hourly rate and less than my yoga plan! This is the lowest the price may ever be, and anyone who joins in this first group is grandfathered in at this price.

Royalty Book Marketing Club: The cost is only $37/month. BARGAIN. This is the lowest the price may ever be, and anyone who joins in this first group is grandfathered in at this price.

Enrollment is OPEN NOW. The enrollment doors for both clubs close September 15, and I will not start a new group until October 2023 or later. Because of the live components and because I want to make sure I am personally available to all members, I will limit the number of participants in each club, so if you want to be in one or both clubs, get on the list ASAP.

If you are ready to get on the list or still have questions, email me at dyer.cbpublishing@gmail.com.

Let's navigate the trail from idea to finished book together. I will guide you every step of the way.

XOXOXO
Jody

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What (or who) motivates you to write?

At least once a week, a prospective client asks me, "How much do you charge to publish a book?" Friend, I've worked really hard to find a good answer to that question, but the standby answer, "It depends," is the best I can do in the moment. I reviewed my catalog recently, and I found joy in the variety of my clients' work and their motivations to write. Projects range from articles on Curly Bill of the Wild West and high-end real estate on Florida's Gulf Coast to heart wrenching memoirs to poetry anthologies to journals for athletes to love stories to adventure novels to devotionals and Christian literature to .... Thankfully, the list continues, which means the Crippled Beagle Publishing team never gets bored. We learn with every experience and take time to improve practices and refine our skillsets. Some of our favorite projects are children's books that grandparents write. Well, guess who motivates them. Right! The grandchildren. My grandmother Freddy (surprise twin to Betty, thus the name---never rush a name in Hogansville, Georgia, folks---ha!) sewed each of her seven granddaughters handmade, stuffed dolls. She made dresses, bonnets, bloomers, and blankets for all of our play babies. She also sewed beautiful, quilted Christmas tree skirts for all ten grandchildren. My other grandmother, Wimmie, somehow created two children's books in which the main character was JODY! I treasure those books now 45 years later, and I can see them from where I sit right now. TREASURE. When Grandmama Freddy passed away, I said to my cousin Toby, "I know she was elderly and this is natural, but it doesn't feel right." She said, "No. Not when you want them to live forever."

What a legacy the written word is, no matter the motivation or content. We may not live forever, but our books just might.

​Recently, client and grandmother Beth Adams Staff published her first book. CONGRATULATIONS TO BETH! Here is Beth's book page on Amazon.com.​

Little Auggie enjoys a barnyard adventure just right for his age and meets several farm animals. Young readers will delight in the simple prose and gentle artistry of this heartwarming story about a little boy and his love of horses.

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Below are a few children's books by our parent and grandparent authors. If you'd like to learn more about any of these titles, go to crippledbeaglepublishing.com and visit the catalog page HERE. There, you can click links to the books' Amazon.com pages.

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What's your legacy? What motivates you to write? WHO motivates you? If you are considering a legacy project of any kind or would like to try a different genre, reach out to me to discuss specifics. I am developing a tool to help you plan projects and will gladly share it with you. Reply to this email or contact me at dyer.cbpublishing@gmail.com. To download the free Step-by-Step Trail Guide from Idea to Published, Profitable Book, click HERE:)))

Happy writing!

xoxoxo

Jody

Play your cards right, writer, and improve your Amazon search results.

 When any client asks me a tough question, I want all clients and email readers to benefit. This week, a client asked me why her book isn't quickly and easily popping up on Amazon's first page when friends enter her name or the book's title. You may wonder the same thing. I am sure you'd like for your book to get more visibility on any/all search engines, right? MOST books are sold through Amazon (like it or not), and the ugly truth is that we have little control over how Amazon operates. BUT the good news is that there are steps you can take to improve your odds. Here's the quick answer I offered the client.

The more people who buy/look for your book, the easier it will be to find. Key words (in the book description) and metadata (info entered at the time of publishing) are important. I am quite deliberate when I enter that information. The best work you can do now is provide the link anytime you post about the book and keep asking for Amazon reader reviews. ​
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Here's a quick list of tips:

Enter as much information as you possibly can into the Bowker (myidentifiers.com) pages when you assign your ISBN. If you don't know what that is, let me know. If you published with Crippled Beagle Publishing, you are good to go, but you are welcome to remind me to triple check your Bowker pages! You may have more information now, and my team is happy to add it.Fill in every box, blank, etc., when you upload your manuscript to Kindle Direct Publishing or IngramSpark (or both). Again, if you published with CBP, you are good to go.Complete your Amazon Author Central Page. This is a valuable and FREE landing page, so take full advantage of it!Make sure your book description (the blurb that shows up on your book's Amazon page) includes keywords. Think about genre, audience, topic, questions your target readers are asking, story arc, hook, setting, and plot. We can update that information any time via KDP and/or IngramSpark.Check the categories for your books. Make sure they are correct. This can be tricky. When selecting categories, I often look at bestsellers in the same genre, content area, and audience as the book I'm publishing. I never try to trick readers. I do try to find niches.Consistently ask for reviews for your books, and consistently post reviews for books you read! I'm working on some tools to help you, so keep checking these Friday emails.If you'd like to dig deeper, here's a good article I shared with the client who brought up this helpful question: https://justpublishingadvice.com/amazon-search-results-for-books/​MOST IMPORTANTLY: TAKE MARKETING SERIOUSLY. Many authors finish their books, publish, and sit upon their author thrones and expect royalty checks to magically appear. Mistake. Play your odds wisely. King Author (hahaha), you need a queen!

“Content is king, but marketing is queen, and the queen runs the household.” —Gary Vaynerchuk

With that in mind, in the next few months Crippled Beagle Publishing will launch two affordable monthly membership programs to help authors succeed on their schedules and budgets.

Regal Beagles Creative Writing Club: Through this monthly membership, I will teach you how to write a book and/or improve your writing. Many thanks go to my University of Tennessee students for helping me develop this program. Founding members will enjoy the price of $87.00/month (grandfathered). This price is limited to the first 10 registrants. If you'd like to be on the waitlist, reply to this email.

Royalty Club: Through this monthly membership, my team and I will help you develop a strong, consistent, marketing plan and offer valuable tools you can quickly implement to grow readership and increase your book sales. Founding members will enjoy the price of $37.00/month (grandfathered). This price is limited to the first 10 registrants. If you'd like to be on the waitlist, reply to this email.

If you need help or have questions about any of the above, you may always set a one-on-one appointment with me. Here's the link to set an on-demand coaching appointment: https://calendly.com/jodydyer/coaching-one-on-one-1-hour​

HAPPY WRITING AND MARKETING!

xoxoxo

Jody

To make sure you stay in the Crippled Beagle Publishing loop, subscribe to my Friday emails by clicking HERE.

Create a few humans. Why not? You are a writer, right?

 Dear Creative Friend,

You may have noticed that I'm trying to mix up the format here on my weekly correspondence (remember when ladies practiced the art of correspondence?). Nowadays (also an old word), we have so many methods by which to teach, share, and learn. Plus, we are busy, and I've heard that a little Jody talk can go a long way, or be long-winded, so, again, I'm mixing up the content for your reading/viewing/listening pleasure.

Many weeks ago, I shared the five senses brainstorming methods my clients and students enjoy. Today, I've attached a SHORT slide deck (saved as a pdf here for easier printing) that introduces you to the brainstorming method I like best: LISTING. Remember, Excel spreadsheets are my planning pages for all projects. Normally, I present these slides live, using them as a basic outline, through class discussion or individual coaching sessions, so if you want more information or to set an appointment when we can brainstorm in-depth together, reply to this email. I think you'll get the idea quickly.

Here's the slide deck:)

CBP Brainstorm Method_Listing_Quick Slide Deck.pdf

To use listing to not only brainstorm but also CREATE/get to know characters/people in your writing, click here to learn about the Character Development Made Easy Workbook. The workbook is 24 pages and accommodates plans for four characters, but you can easily duplicate pages. Enjoy!

Happy writing,

Jody

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What do you want to learn, and HOW do you want to learn?

 Hello from Crippled Beagle Publishing!

Not long ago, I stumbled across a podcast episode that featured Silicon Valley start-up founders. Representatives from VRBO, social media companies, Edible Arrangements, and others described their business philosophies. The good news is that I learned priceless lessons I could act on immediately. The bad news is that I didn't pay attention to the podcast name. Since that frustrating moment of forgetfulness, I have been searching for thought leaders who can help my business and, in turn, help me better serve my clients.

The most successful entrepreneurs have certain characteristics in common. Among those are: consistent curiosity and desire to learn, acceptance of and appreciation for failures, life balance (they are NOT workaholics), and eagerness to collaborate. That last trait got me thinking. Even though I work solo most of the time, I love to collaborate with fellow creatives, whether those are subcontractors or, believe it or not, the competition. My buddy Debbie Patrick (Vision Run Publishing) is my most prized colleague (and most local competition). We live and work only a few miles from each other. Folks are shocked when I explain how Debbie and I do business planning, brainstorming, and product creation TOGETHER. I learn from her many years of advertising and copywriting experience. She is superb at book layout and, to be honest, more professional expressions of thoughts and ideas. From what she says, I energize her with my many ideas and fearless approach to business growth. Plus, I am an Excel spreadsheet phenom, if I do say so myself. Anyhoo, how does my relationship with Debbie benefit you?

Debbie and I are teaming up soon to host a series of writing workshops. I have been teaching for the University of Tennessee Center for Professional Education & Lifelong Learning for several years. Soon, Debbie will join me as a co-teacher. We will be planning our workshops in July and submitting the course titles and lesson plans in August (to UT). The first workshop will likely occur in late January. We want your help as we plan the series. Let's take turns. I'll answer questions you may be asking. Then, when you have time, you can answer my questions.

You may be asking:

Q: What is the workshop series?

A: Debbie and I will teach 6 individual workshops. Each workshop will build off the previous workshops, but they do not have to be taken in any order. There are no prerequisites. Students may take one, all, or any combination of the classes. Workshops will be about two hours each and will cover one topic each.

Q: Who is the series designed for?

A: The IN-PERSON course (Knoxville, Tennessee) will be designed for adults 18+ who want to improve their creative writing skills. Some may want to publish. Some may already be published. Writer-students may be at any stage of the writing process.

Q: Why are Debbie and Jody creating this series?

A: After many years in the writing, editing, publishing, and book marketing world, we find that we have answered the same questions multiple times per week. We want to share the answers with a wider audience. Our clients are typically busy people on budgets, so we also want to provide a slower-paced approach by which students can learn how to produce a well-written, impactful, marketable book. We will spread six or so workshops over six to twelve months. This gives students plenty of time to absorb what we teach and put lessons into real practice.

Q: How will the series help me?

A: Debbie and I can help you GROW as a writer. We will teach you fundamentals and finesse and outline the steps from wherever you are all the way to your goals, whatever those may be.

MY TURN! HERE ARE MY QUESTIONS FOR YOU!

What topics would you like for us to address? (Examples: how to start my book, how to plan my book, how to find the right editor, how to finance the entire project, how to improve characterization, how to use a story arc to write a great book, etc.)Would you prefer an on-line option?What specific activities would you like for us to include in the workshops? (Examples: discussion, manuscript feedback, exercises, lectures, other ideas?)What time of day is best for you? How long would you like each workshop to last? What have you loved about other workshops/series that you've attended?What have you NOT enjoyed?Crazy idea --- throw a wild card at me! What X-factor would make the class rewarding and fun for you?

Answer any/all of these questions by emailing me at dyer.cbpublishing@gmail.com. If you have a specific question about writing, editing, publishing, or marketing, send it, too!

To stay informed about the courses, join my email list HERE. I'll be sure to update you when we map out the workshops and when registration opens.

XOXOXO and thank you in advance!

Jody

P.S. If you'd like to glance through the current UT Center for Professional Education & Lifelong Learning catalog, here's the link. I'm a student, too! I recently learned to make sushi with two of my UT teaching buddies (Alexia and Tammie).

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Listen and write. Pay attention to #6. Enjoy!!!

Crippled Beagle Publishing client Kevin Nunn recently announced his debut novel Camp Fire. CONGRATULATIONS KEVIN!

I'm thrilled to welcome him into the funky world of published authors and to encourage him as he finishes writing his second book and executes a marketing plan.

My clients and I share wonderful relationships of collaboration, criticism, and comedy—three of my favorite concepts, (after alliteration, of course). This week, Kevin kindly sent me a fantastic Ted Talk by Anne Lamott titled "12 truths I learned from life and writing." He directed me to pay attention to #6. Amen, Anne!

Friend, this was too good not to share with a fellow writer. ENJOY.

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Writers support writers! Find Kevin's book on Amazon today.

Have you ever asked yourself, "Why am I here?" or, "Who am I supposed to be with?"
In the wilderness of transition from college to the real world, those fundamental questions demand answers. After college graduation, Kevin Nunn served as an emergency medical technician for a church camp. In an isolated valley in the Colorado mountains, he met amazing people who helped build his foundations of faith and forge his career in the fire service. That summer, he found peace and his place in the world. Then he met Sarah.
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In these pages, perhaps you will find your answers within my story. The book weaves a love story of balance between the lively spirit of church camp and the complex chaos within the fire service.

​xoxoxo

Jody and team

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Want to be an energetic writer? Sweep your porch or go jump in a river.

 Who doesn't love a three-day weekend? For entrepreneurs and writers, fully resting (not working, not writing) can be a challenge. I find that when I eventually do rest, I actually get ideas. Of course, I want to immediately act on those ideas. Maybe that's because I'm an action taker, but maybe that's because I'm afraid I'll forget the ideas. Thus, I always have a composition book and pen for quick notes. I record the big ideas to address later. Then I relax.

Last Friday, my mother once again came to my rescue. She instructed me to stop working, close my office, and come help her cook and clean in preparation to welcome family members to our mountain cabin Riverdance.

Helping my mother at Riverdance is not work ... unless a black bear has gotten into the garbage. Because the house is OLD, not insulated, and often infiltrated by critters (I once found acorns under my pillow and met a copperhead at the back door), there's no pressure to make it shine. Actually, shiny surfaces are impossible. I liken our "housekeeping" there to a wonderful childhood gift from my paternal grandmother Wimmie. She bought me a playhouse, which was actually a small lawnmower shed. My parents pasted flowered paper to the thin walls and gifted me old dishes so I could bake mud pies in my toy metal oven. TOP SECRET: I swiped real eggs from the real kitchen and happily cracked them into my chocolate dirt before I sprinkled my mother's marigold blooms on top. I was the hero of my cousins for using what they called "real ingredients." How I loved to sweep the tiny porch and plan my next home-improvement project. With imagination and furniture placement, my playhouse converted to a daycare, classroom, restaurant, and genie bottle. Remember I Dream of Jeannie?

What stories I created and lived in that lawnmower shed!

Writer, don't underestimate the benefits you gain from mindless chores and playtime. If you can combine the two, there's magic to be found, especially in buildings with no insulation.

On long (or any) weekend or day off work, ease through (or throw away) to-do lists, delay (or cancel) self-imposed deadlines, enjoy basic tasks, watch children if you need examples, and rest your mind. You may be energized. My bet is that you will miss writing but return to your desk with new ideas and fervor.

FOR EXAMPLE: When we stood at the rope swing on Little River near Sunshine, Tennessee, my dear friend Tammy and I coached my son and her granddaughter on proper rope swing etiquette. During that playtime, which was as relaxing as it was amusing, we thought of a great idea. We are now writing a humorous book on etiquette in random places, beginning with rope swings in rural waterways.

In this video Scotty demonstrates his, um, technique. Some may think him a city slicker! Oh, and if you are wondering, proper etiquette dictates that after you swing into the river, you bring the rope out of the water and up the bank to the next swinger. The best swingers know to snap the rope downward just as they drop into the water to send the rope flying back to the riverbank.

 HAPPY SUMMER WRITING!

Jody

P.S. If you aren't following Crippled Beagle Publishing on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, or Pinterest, you may be missing out. My team and I post helpful tips and graphics every week. Go to the bottom of this post to click and follow. Here's one example of a recent graphic Genesis created for you:

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Follow Crippled Beagle Publishing. We'd love to have you in the discussion threads! Tag us when you promote your book, too. Tag Crippled Beagle Publishing or me, Jody Cantrell Dyer (friend me), and I'll help you spread the word about your words!

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Who is the boss of your book?

The University of Tennessee baseball "DJ" (announcer? color analyst? sound guy?) cracks me up with his playlist of songs and soundbites. My son Scotty's favorite is, "Nope!" For example, when an Auburn batter hits to the right and our first baseman snags the ball for an out, the crowd hears a quick, loud, "NOPE!"

Who is the boss of your book? You?

"NOPE!"

Your target reader is the boss of every single decision you make as you write, edit, publish, and market your book.

Why do you need to identify a target audience? Doing so helps you refine language, plot, story arc, complexity, themes, dialogue, conflict, setting, formatting, tone, mood, voice, trim size, cover design, pricing, social media posts, . . . . Need I go on? Writers often try to please everyone, but that's a mistake. Writing to a diverse group of target readers confuses you and readers. What's interesting is that when you focus your efforts and choices with a niche audience (or even one ideal reader) in mind, your book will be so much BETTER that it will likely appeal to even MORE readers (that diverse group I mentioned). No matter where you are the in process, you can start thinking about and pleasing your boss, your target reader, right now. Enjoy this exercise.

On a large sheet of paper that you can easily see from your writing desk, draw a diagram of your reader. On that paper, jot down the answers to the following questions (make them easy to read---like a cheat sheet):

Age?

Station/stage of life?

Family situation?

Professional background/career?

Life experience?

Losses?

Victories?

Income?

Hobbies?

Worries?

Goals?

Sex?

Religion?

Interests?

Where does he/she spend time online?

What questions is he/she asking?

What problem is he/she trying to solve?

What does he/she want to learn/gain from your book?

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NOW when you get stuck, you can ask your boss what to do.

When a UT player hits a homerun, teammates crowd him as he leaves home plate. They wrap a fur coat across his shoulders and place The Daddy Hat on his head. Knowing your reader is the first step in writing a high-quality book. If you study your reader in earnest and make him or her the boss, maybe you can hit a home run. Know your reader. Be The Daddy.

​Happy writing, and GO BIG ORANGE!

xoxoxo

Jody

P.S. We have a new tool out—The Ultimate Plan to Market Your Book and Make Money. To learn more, click HERE.​

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Have you ever looked at a book while you read it?

 Strange questions are the best kind to ask. Ideally, they are open-ended so that the receiver must THINK and respond with creativity as opposed to one-word answer. Let's try this.

How many adults live in Jody's household? Answer: Two

Better question: What are the domestic chores that Jody handles on a day-to-day basis (some simple, some miserably complex or stressful) while Mr. Jody (eleven years her senior) eats popcorn and watches zombie movies, and why does Jody do significantly more "home and family stuff" than Mr. Jody?

Hmmmmmmm, think of the themes and conflict right there in one question: Gender equality, age gap issues, generational differences, men vs. women, domestic bliss/ignorance, parenting, marriage, movie genres, control freak or anxious entrepreneur, husband or therapy dog, popcorn lung or healthy snack, .... That list could go on for days. You know how I LOVE brainstorming. Okay, out of my house and back to business we go.

Have you ever looked at a book while you read it?

Better: When you read, what elements, besides the story itself, of a book do you examine in detail, and why do you look at those particular elements?

Remember, I teach from my mistakes. For a LONG time, I called epigraphs epitaphs. How embarrassing! I certainly don't want anyone writing R.I.P. in the front matter of his or her book, right? From thoughtco.com:

Definitions

An epigram is a brief, witty statement in prose or verse--similar to an aphorism.An epigraph is a brief quotation set at the beginning of a text (a book, a chapter of a book, an essay, a poem) to suggest its theme.An epitaph is a brief inscription in prose or verse on a tombstone or monument.

I've noticed a trend with first-time authors, starting with yours truly many years ago. (Please forgive my East Tennessee-style wording). They don't understand book parts, so they put ALL of the parts in their books. I worked with a teacher years ago who taught students, well, book parts. The fancy terms are front matter and back matter. I thought you all might enjoy a cheat sheet.

FRONT MATTER concerns the section of pages at, well, the front of the book. These can be the following and should appear in the following order:

advance reviews pagehalf title page title page copyright pagededication epigraph table of contents acknowledgements foreword preface introduction (optional - depends on genre, book design, and other factors) prologue (optional - depends on genre, book design, and other factors) list of abbreviations, chronology, family tree, map, or other asset that is helpful to readers

BACK MATTER --- you guessed it! --- lands in the back in the following order:

epilogueacknowledgmentsabout the authordiscussion questionsappendicesglossarybibliographyindexcolophon

Certain front matter and back matter pieces depend on genre, book design, content, audience, use, and other factors. The only non-negotiable items are the title page and copyright page. I hope this quick list is helpful to you. We didn't even talk about the cover. Whew, so much to see here:) Do not get stressed. Instead, do some research or ask me for help.

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The next time you read a book, I challenge you to look at it!

xoxoxo

Jody

P.S. Thank you for inspiring me every day to create tools for authors:) These three are available now. Click the titles to learn more about each tool.

365 WAYS TO MARKET YOUR BOOK FOR FREE IN UNDER TEN MINUTES

THE ULTIMATE HASHTAG CHEAT SHEET

PROOFREAD LIKE A PRO CHECKLIST

How many literary devices do you see in this email? How many do you USE?

 The first summer after I launched my business, my older son Houston was rising high school sophomore. He exited his freshman year with a packet of summer work the teachers titled "Summer Reading Assignments." Houston was not a happy summer camper. I'm sure that when his English teacher said, "This summer, you need to read This Dark Endeavor so you better understand Shelley's Frankenstein," Houston was tempted to reply, "Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn."

His plans were to play AAU basketball with his cross-county teammates, hit golf balls with little brother Scotty, and fish Little River with me—play, hit, fish. My plan was to focus on growing my company while he did all the above and enjoy jumbo shrimp cocktails by the pool. Annotating novels did NOT make Houston's and my list. I mean, that dog won't hunt. That English teacher had overcooked our grits! The assignment screamed, "Stressful interactions are headed your way, mother and son!"

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Misery loves company, right? My former student Ty' Dajah told me, "Mrs. Dyer, you are a hustler!" Well, I do have to bring home the bacon. I am the quintessential entrepreneur who battles shiny object syndrome. I thought, Aha! This terrible situation could be profitable. I quickly created a flyer and matching social media posts that offered Summer Reading Clubs based on school, grade, and specific novel.

The plan was to gather a gaggle of miserable girls and boys and help them knock out summer reading assignments in two to four meetings. The flyer sang my praises and surfed through cyberspace to garner a gamut of teenagers. Success! I mean, why not? I am the absolute greatest reading tutor in the history of mankind!

You now understand why I hire out all graphic design work or rely on Canva templates. Ha!!! I know where my talents end and someone else's begin.

Students completed their worksheet packets, and most of them actually read the novels. Some even learned how to use actual, physical, 3-D dictionaries! They're favorite tasks were diagramming characters on gigantic sheets of paper taped down my hallway and learning literary devices. The students taught me what my writers might enjoy as well. I now employ many of the same teaching methods that I used in Summer Reading Clubs with my adult students.

Here's a little trick you can try. Apply what I call "fiction finesse" to all of your writing, even non-fiction self-help books. Review the list below, then see if you can spot some of them in this email.

xoxoxo, Jody

Each device is followed by its definition and example(s). Enjoy!

Alliteration – repetition of same letter at beginning of words

The green grass grows.

Allusion – reference to something well-known to make a situation more understandable but without directly stating what that “something” is.

What I really need here is a yellow brick road.

She was as ignorant as Goldilocks on day one.

Cadence – rhythm in the writing

“I came, I saw, I conquered.” Latin – “Veni, vidi, vici.” – Julius Caesar

Colloquialism – words and phrases that aren’t used in formal English but accepted – like slang

Are you nuts? He is going to blow our cover.

Hyperbole- Highly exaggerated claim

My ex-boyfriend called me one million times last night.

Oxymoron – Figure of speech in which two opposing words come together in order to create a more interesting meaning (usually adj. and noun)

Living death, genuine fake

Personification – Giving human traits to a nonhuman object/thing

The whirling wind howled louder than Remus lupin on the moon. (allusion)

Cliché – Heavily repeated phrase – overused – limited impact these days.

As red as a rose – The grass is always greener – Can’t judge a book by its cover.

Please share this email with writers, young or old, in your life! If you'd like a lesson on "fiction finesse," let's talk.

You can book appointments here any time!