Kristen Martin's Blog, page 3

7 Ways to Find Your Writing Voice

Today, I want to talk about something that ties into last week’s post about staying original while writing. And that is: finding your writing voice. Voice is really important in the writing process, yet so many newbie writers struggle to find it. If you'd rather watch this in video format, feel free to click play below. Otherwise, read on!


Some of you may be wondering, “What is voice in writing? Is it style? Is it tone?” The answer is not exactly. Voice is an overarching concept that both writing style and tone fall under. But your writing voice is your unique way of looking at the world. A writer who sees the world the same as everyone else has either lost their voice or never found it in the first place. Voice is style, plus theme, plus personal observations, plus passion, plus belief, plus desire. Voice is bleeding onto the page which is a frightening and vulnerable experience. But finding your voice is something that is necessary to stand out amongst the many writers out there. You don’t talk exactly like anyone else, right? So why should you write like everyone else?
What would this post be without some examples of authors who have truly found their voice? Not a very good one ;) Think of J.K. Rowling. Readers lined up for the next Harry Potter book because J.K. Rowling has a unique way of looking at the world. She revealed a magical, hidden world filled with extraordinary people, secret wars, and enchanted creatures. And readers continue to buy her new books even though they aren’t Harry Potter-related. Why? Because of her VOICE .
Same with George R.R. Martin, author of the infamous Game of Thrones series. In his world, heroes are killed, the bad guys win a lot of the time (which can be infuriating) and what is right isn’t always what is smart. He has a unique way of looking at the world, and readers crave it, they want more of it, they can’t get enough of it.
So how do we, as writers, find our voices? Well, it all starts by developing sight. And by this I mean that you yourself have to understand how you see the world and that the way you see it is unique. So, without further ado, here are 7 ways to discover your writing voice:
1.       Ask yourself, “What do you value most?”a.       Morality is essential to every story, regardless of whether you’re writing nonfiction or fiction. Even business books have a moral viewpoint (i.e. making money = good, waste = bad). You need to understand your moral worldview. What is most important in life? Family, love, courage, sacrifice? b.      Do the good guys always win? If you only enjoy books where the hero wins, then this is an important part of how you see the world. c.       What is not okay to you? What makes you angry, sick to your stomach, or sad? Is it poverty, selfishness, abuse, infidelity, betrayal? Write about these things and stick to your views on them.
2.       People Watcha.       Next time you find yourself in a public place, look at the people around you. This is a great exercise to do while waiting for a flight at an airport. Really try to see the people around you. What are they hiding? What are their secrets? Everyone has something that if found out, fear they would be rejected or excluded. b.      Is the person you’re watching a good guy? A bad guy? Remember, even the villains thinkthey’re the good guy.c.       What does the person you’re watching want? What’s stopping them from getting it? A great story requires conflict, tension, compromise, and desire. d.      Who does that person rely on? Many protagonists have a sidekick, and antagonists do too. e.      What is their ideal place? What would be the most terrifying/uncomfortable/lonely/boring place for them? And why?
3.       Observe Your Surroundingsa.       Setting is important in every story. So take a look around. What are your eyes drawn to? Describe it! When you squint, what do you automatically look at? How does what you’re seeing make you feel?
4.       Read everythinga.       It’s hard to be a successful writer if you don’t read. The more you read, the more you will acquire a visceral instinct about what works for you and what you like, and an equally compelling instinct for what doesn’t and what you don’t like. You’ll discover how stories are put together, how subplots connect, how to pace and plot, and how bad stories fall apart. Reading can help you discover your voice and it can also help you fine tune it. So don’t neglect it!
5.       Play gamesa.       Make endless lists – one word lists of the things that excite you, scare you, the things you dream and fantasize about, the things you dread and fight to avoid. Some great topics for lists are childhood memories, dreams and nightmares, what you want most in the world, what you’d do anything to avoid. Once you have your list, play a game with it. One of my favorite writing exercises is to write by theme. So, what I’ll do is randomly choose one word from my list and write for ten minutes on just that word, exploring everything about it that matters to me, why the subject compels me, what memories it stirs in me, what hopes or fears it shakes loose in me, the places, sounds, tastes, and scents that appear as I write. I don’t censor myself, I don’t stop writing for any reason, and I don’t correct anything. The idea here is to dig beneath your surface and free up things you’ve kept hidden, even from yourself.
6.       Challenge your preconceptionsa.       Let me break down a harsh reality for you. We don’t know everything about ourselves. We only think we do. The more you trust yourself to write without trying to correct or fix anything, the more you’ll discover that you’re a lot deeper, more interesting, and more complex than you imagined. In order to challenge your preconceptions, I’m going to suggest an exercise. Now, this exercise won’t be easy. In fact, I would recommend to NOT DO THIS if you’re tired, cranky or have a headache. This exercise is to write about something that pushes your own buttons. If you’re a liberal Democrat, write an essay from inside the head of a staunch Republican who is in favor of the thing you most despise. If you’re religious, try writing from inside the head of a person who loathes all religion and has a good reason for doing so. The purpose of this is for you to become, although only temporarily, the thing that most frightens, angers, or bewilders you. To do it right, you have to allow your enemy to convince you of his rightness. This will be some of the toughest writing you will ever do, but take a leap and try it. It is the absolute best way to start developing characters that aren’t transparent versions of yourself.
7.       Don’t push fear away, let it ina.       If you’re writing something and your heart is beating fast, your mouth is dry, and your palms are sweaty, KEEP GOING because this means you’re writing from the part of yourself that has something to say and will be worth hearing. At the heart of everything you’ve ever read that’s moved you, brought you to tears, changed your life, touched you in some way . . . was a writer’s fear. And a writer’s determination to say what they had to say despite that fear. So be afraid. In fact, be terrified. And then thank you fear for telling you that what you’re doing, you’re doing right.
So there you have it, 7 ways to help you discover your writing voice. If there’s one thing I want you to take away from this post, it’s this: Finding your voice is a journey. It’s a process. And it will take time. You already have a voice and it is beautiful, unique, and unlike any other. All you have to do is have the guts to go searching for it and when you do find it, let it breathe. No matter how fearful or how scared you are, let it prevail. Do that, and you’ll have a bestseller under your belt in no time.
Now for some announcements. As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, I will be doing an author event at Katy Budget Books in the greater Houston Area and the date has been set for that. It will be held on Saturday, June 25, 2016 from 2:00-4:00 PM, so mark your calendars! I will also be attending Leviosa Con in Las Vegas from July 8th-9th so if you are in the area, I’d love to meet you.
The winner for subscribing to my channel in the month of May is: Lilly Camble. Congratulations! Please email me at authorkristenmartin@gmail.comwith your mailing address so I can ship you some bookish goodies!
I hope you enjoyed the content today. I'll see you guys in the next post!




Until next time,


Adapted from source 1/ source 2

5 Tips to Stay Original While Writing Your Story

In some of my previous posts, I’ve mentioned the concept of “original” story ideas and how it seems like ALL ideas have been done before. I then went on to say that, “You’re right!” They all have been done before. Common themes like individual vs. society, good vs. evil, and love vs. hate have all been done to death in multiple genres by multiple authors. So how did those authors stay original? How did they not fall prey to repeating ideas and storylines that have already been told? That’s what we’re going to talk about today. Here are 5 ways for you to stay original while writing your story. If you'd rather watch the video on this topic, feel free to click play below. Otherwise, read on!

1.       Take the time to truly understand your genre/topic·         Ever heard of the saying, “Before you can break the rules, you must understand the rules”? Writing an original story is kind of like that. It’s difficult to embark on a story you find new and exciting and original without first understanding what’s already out there in your genre. If you’re writing fantasy, it’s probably a good idea to read at least five to ten fantasy books. Get some recommendations, look at the bestseller list, and dive in. Most likely, your understanding on the genre will change completely. You’ll see what elements have already been overdone, but more importantly, you’ll see the blanks in between that are still waiting to be filled in. This will help you create new creatures and ideas that probably wouldn’t have crossed your mind otherwise. Subsequently, if you’re writing about Pearl Harbor or your main character is a pilot or your main setting takes place in a jazz club, you must understand that world inside and out. Understand your genre. Understand your topic, and the originality will just flow.
2.       Determine the elements your story actually needs·         Originality is not sticking every cool new idea you can think of just for the sake of being trendy and cool. Take a minute to sit down and ask yourself: What does my story truly need? If you have vampires, werewolves, celebrities, sorcerers, witches, kings, and pirates in your book, you may want to take a step back and reflect on why you want these things in your story. If they all connect in some way that makes your story truly meaningful, then it might be okay. But if you have all of these elements in your story just because they’re cool or trending, you might want to rethink your strategy. ·         If you’re still having trouble with this, try writing down the following things: your protagonist’s strengths and weaknesses, your antagonist’s strengths and weaknesses, and the origin on those strengths and weaknesses i.e. where did they come from? Then ask yourself the following: how can you take advantage of each of these things in a unique way? What original aspects are hidden in these strengths and weaknesses that haven’t been used to death in other stories? Not all the ideas you’re going to come up with will be great, but some of them will be. It forces you to think outside of the box.
3.       Layers are your friend·         Most of the time, our ideas start out pretty one-dimensional. And by this I mean that if you were to take that idea and just run with it, you’d either be plagiarizing the story you got the idea from in the first place, or you’d be writing fanfiction. In order to come up with an original story, that one-dimensional idea must collide with several other layers of inspiration and ideas. This is difficult for many writers to grasp because we’re impatient and IT TAKES TIME. You cannot rush this. As great as brainstorming is, sometimes it just takes time for other ideas to come to you. Once you have three or four other ideas, you can combine them with your one-dimensional idea to make not only a story, but an ORIGINAL PREMISE for a story. Don’t settle for the flat, one-dimensional idea that first comes to mind. Give yourself a little time to come at it from interesting angles and add unexpected complementary pieces to create something exciting, innovative, and original.
4.       When in doubt, put your characters through hell·         Many times, story ideas can fall flat because they are too predictable. Characters can seem unrealistic or too “perfect”. Do you have a typical cheerleader/jock type character in your story? Give them a strange quirk or a dark secret to make them more well-rounded and realistic. Think about certain situations and how you would react if you were put in them . . . and then make your characters react the opposite way. If some of your scenes seem to be boring where not much is happening, think about the worst possible thing that could happen to that character in that scene and throw it at them. This will not only make your story and characters more interesting, it will also breathe originality into scenes and characters that have been written hundreds of times before.
5.       Dare To Challenge Your Own Expectations·         There’s a reason why so many stories contain car chases and romantic subplots. Because they’re easy. They’re comfortable. We know how to write them. Don’t throw these basic scenes into your story just because that’s what ever other story is doing. The protagonist only does good things and he/she is a good person. The bad guy does only bad things, and he’s not such a good person. These things are expected. We, as readers and writers, expect them. So go for the unexpected. Think about battle scenes. Characters that win battle scenes by sheer physical force is dull . . . and expected. Your characters need to be clever and they need to use that trait, that cleverness, to overcome the bad guys and win. Or maybe they don’t win. Maybe they lose and learn something really valuable that in turn, gives your story a deeper meaning. The “how” here is critical - make sure how things happen is different than what we’ve read before. Do that and the question of originality won’t even be on your mind.
So there you have it, 5 surefire ways to stay original when writing your story. If you guys have other methods you use to help you stay original when writing and coming up with ideas, I’d love to see them in the comments field below.
In case you missed some of my announcements, I will be attending some events this summer. I will have an author event at Katy Budget Books on June 25th from 2-4PM where I will be signing copies of The Alpha Drive and talking with readers, so if you are in the greater Houston area, I’d love to meet you. I will also be attending Leviosa Con near Las Vegas from July 8th to 9th and will be selling and signing copies of The Alpha Drive. Again, if you’re in the area, it would be so great to meet you.
Thanks for reading, and I'll see you guys in the next post!


Until next time,

Dealing with Haters and Self-Doubt

Today I want to talk about a sensitive topic that I know many of us have dealt with, either as writers or just in our own personal lives: Haters and Self Doubt. We’ve all been in situations where someone wants to tear us down, point out every single one of our flaws, and ridicule us publicly. We’ve all also been in situations where we don’t feel good enough, we doubt our own brilliance, and we let all those negative vibes take over our lives. I’m not intending for this video to be a pep talk, but it might turn into one, so hopefully you guys are okay with that. So let’s talk about how we can dismiss the haters and crush our own self-doubt. Because we’re better than that!
If you'd like to watch the video on this topic, feel free to click play below. Otherwise, read on!

First, as amazing as social media is for connecting with others and networking, it’s important to understand that it has also given rude and opinionated people a playground to critique others. They’ll critique your spelling, your grammar, your personal style, your message, your appearance, your work, your family, and they will do it ALL in the public eye. They’ll judge you with absolutely no remorse. So how do we deal with these types of people? Let us count the 7 ways:
1.       Do not allow them to get under your skina.       Easier said than done, right? Eleanor Roosevelt once said, “No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.” And it’s true. First of all, you need to realize that anyone who would berate another person is a miserable human being. They are unhappy, insecure, and most likely hurting in some way. This does not give them the right to torment you, but you need to realize that hurt people HURT people. Did you do anything to them? Probably not. Sometimes we can piss other people off just by being ourselves. And that sucks, but once you realize you can’t do anything about it, you can pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and move on to bigger and better things.2.       Remain graceful at all timesa.       Before responding to haters, I urge you to always think first. Think about how you want to react, think about how you want to feel afterward, and know that you are in total control of your response. When someone says something negative about us, our work, our family, whatever it may be, our first response is usually based on emotion. We get fired up, we get defensive, we argue, we yell. You have to understand that you don’t always have to go on emotion. It’s okay to ignore the comments. It’s OKAY to choose to let it go. Take the high road, let it roll off your shoulder, and go on being your badass self.3.       Remind yourself of your amazing accomplishments and self-wortha.       There will be times where you feel like the world is out to get you, especially as writers. When you’re experiencing the wrath of those soul-sucking haters and all that negativity, it can be hard to stay focused and continue creating your stories. Remind yourself that YOU wrote a BOOK. Did the person hating on you write a book? Probably not, otherwise they wouldn’t be behaving this way because they’d understand the complex process of developing characters, mapping out multiple storylines, and combining it all to make some sort of logical sense! They have no experience in the matter, but you do! So who are they to hate on you? They’re nobody. You know nothing, Jon Snow.4.       Seek out your supporters and positive messagesa.       Are the haters knocking on your door? The answer here is simple. Don’t let them in. Instead, seek out your supporters and reinforce yourself with positive messages you’ve received in the past. Surround yourself with family, friends, and other people who support what you’re doing and lift you up. Keep a stash of positive book reviews and supportive messages handy. Whenever you’re starting to feel down, take a look at those messages and remember all of the people you’ve impacted in a positive way and all of the people who admire and support you and your work. If you don’t have that yet, then write a love letter to yourself! Sounds cheesy I know, but in order to crush your own self-doubt, you YOURSELF need to believe that you are awesome and worthy and that unicorns and rainbows fly out of your bum. Know your worth, know your value, and know that you are the only person who can do it like you.5.       When all else fails, take a hiatus (which is a fancy word for a break)a.       If your haters are really starting to get to you, take a break! Turn off your phone, shut down your laptop, and free yourself from those social media chains. Yes, social media is important for building your brand and connecting with readers, but it can also be a prison plagued with negativity and criticism. And the only person keeping yourself chained to it is you. Know when it’s time to walk away for a little and do something that makes you feel happy. Read a book, go for a walk, chase your dogs around the backyard, take a bubble bath, go shopping. Just do something to break away from all the negativity and find your happy little self again. Once you’ve had a much needed “me” session, get back to the drawing board and start writing. You’ll be amazed at how beneficial time away from social media is not only for your well-being, but also for your writing.6.       Focus on the ‘why’ rather than the ‘how’a.       Normally when writers have doubts, they’re centered on whether we think we can “make it” as established authors. When you have one of these days, take some time to reflect on WHY you’re doing what you’re doing, where you want to be, and the core reason for waking up every morning. What is your purpose in life? Why are you here? And remind yourself of it daily. If you focus too much on the ‘how’, then thoughts like, “How will I ever get this done when I have a full-time job, a family, and school to get through?” and “How long until my writing actually pays off?” will plague your mind. When you remember the ‘why’, you focus on your purpose and the ‘how’s fade away.7.       Keep moving forward, no matter whata.       When self-doubt begins to creep in, there’s no better way to squash it than taking action and doing the very thing you’re doubting yourself on. So sit down at the kitchen table with a large piece of construction paper and make a vision board for your book series. Plop down at your computer and finish that outline. Throw on an inspiring playlist and write the day away! Keep on creating! And smile while doing it. As long as you continue to create and move forward, there’s no way your self-doubt can stop you. You’ll actually end up stopping that self-doubt right in its tracks.
So there you have it, 7 ways to deal with those haters and crush your self-doubt! If you haven't already, don't forget to sign up for my monthly newsletter!



Until next time,

Self Publishing 101 : Part 2

Today I want to continue our talk on self-publishing and venture on into Part 2. To give a quick summary, in Part 1 we talked about all of the things you should have completed before even uploading your manuscript to a POD company: ensuring your MS is in tip-top shape, choosing your title carefully, finding a high-quality professional cover designer, writing the back cover synopsis, creating a publishing company, and getting your ISBN numbers. You can watch that video here. I’d recommend having all of these things completed 5-6 months before your projected publication date. So that was Part 1. Let’s move on to Part 2. If you’d rather watch the video on this topic, feel free to click play below. Otherwise, read on!


7. Set up your account with the POD company you’ve chosen (normally self-published authors go with CreateSpace or IngramSpark)·         When setting up your account with CreateSpace, you can do it as an individual OR as the publishing company you’ve created. CreateSpace also offers the option of using their FREE CreateSpace-assigned ISBNs, instead of ones you purchase from Bowker. So if you’re tight on money or you’re not sure you want to set up a publishing company, or both, CreateSpace is probably the POD company for you.·         With IngramSpark, they assume you are a publisher, not an author. Which means they will assume you already have your ISBNs ready to go and will ask for a sample ISBN when you register. So you need to make sure you’ve already purchased your ISBNs before signing up for IngramSpark. IngramSpark does not offer their own free ISBNs and you also must sign up as a publisher, both of which cost money, so take that into consideration before proceeding with the set-up of the account. 
8. Set up your title·         Now that your account has been set up, you can set up your first title. You can do this as far out as you’d like, even if you’re a year or two away from publication because you can always change the details. I normally set up my titles 8-9 months before my projected publication date. You’ll set up the title of your book, its associated ISBN number, and set a date in the future as its publication date.·         Once the title has been set up on the POD website, you can then set up your Author Central page on Amazon and make your title available for Pre-Order, add the book to Goodreads and create your author page there, and start promoting your book!
9. Set your retail price, or how much you’re going to sell it for in stores or online, aka the sticker price.·         For now, we’re going to focus on PRINT books and not ebooks. The length of your book, whether its fiction or nonfiction, the genre, and target audience do play a factor in pricing your book appropriately for the market. The best way to discover how much you should charge for your book is to compare it to the prices of those in the same genre. In my case, many young adult science fiction books between 300-350 pages fall in the $13.99-$16.99 range. I originally wanted to go with a price of $15.99, but seeing as it’s my debut novel, I decided to knock off a dollar and price it at $14.99.·         Note that you will need to set pricing for different countries, NOT just the US. To do this, just use an online currency converter. You can even type into Google: 14.99 USD in CAD or EURO or AUS or whatever currency you’re converting. Once you get that number, just make sure to round it off. For instance, if the conversion is 15 even, maybe you want to make it 14.99 or 14.95.
10. Set your wholesale discount, or the “percent-off” you’ll give to wholesalers who will buy your book and then distribute to booksellers like Barnes and Noble (normally this number is between 45%-55%)·         A wholesaler will buy the book at a discounted price, then sell the book to retail shops for a small mark-up (because they have to make money too!) and then the retailers will sell the book at the retail price you’ve set.·         I would recommend setting your wholesale discount to either 45% or 50%. Never set one below 45%. Why? You need to try to understand the entire distribution chain and offer your wholesalers and retailers a mark-up that is attractive both to them and to their customers. You need to give them an incentive to buy your book and stock it on their shelves.·         This means that if your book retails at $16.99 and you set a 45% discount, the wholesaler will buy it for $9.34. You will receive this amount MINUS the cost of printing as your royalty. So how much would you make on that one book?·         $16.99 retail sold at 45% discount – cost of printing (normally between $3-$5) =Between $4.43-$6.34 per unit in royalties
11. Set your categories·         You’ll need to decide in which 3 categories your book should be place. IngramSpark uses BIC categories, or “Book Industry Communication”. These are standard throughout the industry and these BICs are vital. For THE ALPHA DRIVE, I chose the following categories: Young Adult, Science Fiction, and Dystopian, in that order.
12. Work through your edits from your professional editor·         Do not make the mistake of thinking that just because you finished your first draft and hired a professional editor that they’re going to come in and “fix” your manuscript and make it perfect and ready to publish. This is a huge misconception of the role the editor plays in the publishing process. Yes, they should catch grammatical errors, but their main focus is to make suggestions on how you can tighten your story and make it more cohesive. They might recommend rewriting certain sections, changing the order of ideas, or even slashing whole chapters. But in the end, YOU are the one who will have to go back through your work and make these changes. Value that experience. Learn from it and grow from it. It will make you a better writer, I promise. Block out a month of your time to go through your editor’s suggestions and incorporate the ones that make sense. And then what? Send it back to your editor. This is a continuous process until YOU, the author, feels that your story is in tip-top shape and ready for publication.
13. Start thinking about getting early reviews for your books·         The time to actively seek early reviews is AFTER you’ve completed reworking the edits your editor gave you, but BEFORE the manuscript goes for final proofreading. This might seem scary because you might think, “It’s not ready yet!” But at this point, it’s probably getting reeeeally close to its final stages. You probably aren’t going to change a huge plotline or delete something major, so the guts of your story are still going to be the same. Find book bloggers, booktubers, and other reviewers that like to read books in the genre you’ve written. This can be done so easily through Google search. You can also get professional reviews from places like KIRKUS Indie and BlueInk for self-published books. This is a great way to gain credibility because you can quote these professional reviews and add them to your Amazon and Goodreads pages, as well as put it on the back cover of your book! Reviews are your friend and if you’re nervous to send it out before it’s completely 100% “ready”, stop freaking yourself out. Reviewers understand that it’s not the final version and keep this in mind while they are reading your book, so you have nothing to worry about. Put yourself out there!
So that’s Part 2 of Self-Publishing 101. I will continue this mini-series into the month of June. If you have a comment or question, feel free to leave it below!






Until next time,

11 Ways to Choose the Perfect Title for your Book

Today, I want to talk about choosing the perfect title for your book because I think it’s something a lot of writers struggle with, whether you’re a newbie writer or more seasoned. We start writing our stories and halfway through think to ourselves, What in the world am I going to call this? Or maybe you had a title originally picked out, but once you finish writing your book, realize that it may not fit as well as you thought. Coming up with book titles can be a struggle, so here are 11 ways to get over your slump and pick the perfect title for your book! If you'd rather watch the video on this topic, feel free to click play below. Otherwise, read on!


 
Before we start, I want you to keep this in the back of your mind. GOOGLE any new title you come up with. This is the easiest way to ensure that you’ve come up with an original title. Titles are not copyrighted, so in theory, you could name your novel Gone with the Wind or The Great Gatsby, but doing so probably isn’t going to help your career.

1.       BASE IT ON THEME·         I’ve talked about themes in some of my previous videos. Some common themes are good vs. evil, coming of age, love and sacrifice, faith versus doubt, individual versus society – you get the picture. Identify the over-arching theme of your book, as well as the sub-themes, and go from there. Some theme-based titles include Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility, Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code, as well as my own novel, The Alpha Drive. If you’re having trouble coming up with a title based on the themes in your book, then try #2 which is…
2.       USE THE PROTAGONIST’S NAME·         There are some best-selling novels out there that use this tactic: Emma by Jane Austen, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Harry Potter and The Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling. You catch my drift.
3.       USE THE PROTAGONIST’S OCCUPATION OR OTHER QUALITIES·         This tactic is used a lot in romance titles, and since I write young adult fantasy and science fiction, this is not one I’m too keen on using or know much about.  Nora Roberts has a book called The Witness, while Danielle Steel titled her novel The Perfect Stranger. If you’re not writing romance though, I would skip this one.
4.       USE SONGS AND POEMS FOR INSPIRATION·         Many authors have used classic poems or song lyrics for their book titles. J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye came straight out of the poem “Comin’ Thro the Rye” by Robert Burns. In the mystery and suspense genre, Mary Higgins Clark is famous for titles inspired by songs, such as I’ve Got You Under My Skin (Frank Sinatra) and Let Me Call You Sweetheart(Bing Crosby).
5.       LIFT A PHRASE OR UNIQUE ASPECT FROM YOUR BOOK·         The best way to explain this one is through an example. In The Silence of the Lambsby Thomas Harris, FBI Agent Clarice Starling was traumatized as a child by the slaughter of “screaming” lambs. The lambs symbolize the victims she wants to save from a serial killer. The title comes from a dialogue between Clarice and Hannibal Lecter; it refers to her ability to solve the case. So if there is a unique aspect to your book, explore that because it just might lead you to the perfect title.
6.       GIVE YOURSELF OPTIONS·         Who doesn’t love options? Think of choosing your title in the same way as shopping for a car. You probably have a few cars in mind, maybe one is at the top of your list, but you wouldn’t just test drive that one car, purchase it, and be done with it. You’d probably test drive some other vehicles to make sure it’s the right one- the one you truly want. Same goes for book titles. Make a list of at least 5 titles before deciding on one. If you’re struggling to pick a title because you like two equally, ask friends and family, or do a poll on social media aimed at your target audience and ask them which title they prefer. Their insight is invaluable, so take advantage of it!
7.       CONSIDER VOICE AND POINT OF VIEW·         This might seem obvious, but if you’re narrating a story in the third person, don’t title your book, “My Summer Vacation”. Strong prose requires a distinctive voice and a consistent point of view – your title should do the same!
8.       USE PRECISE NOUNS AND ACTIVE VERBS·         For years, people have tried to come up with the perfect algorithm for naming a book, claiming that three-word titles sell best or that the most marketable ones contain verbs. But who really knows? Just make sure your title uses precise nouns and active verbs. For example, Eugene O’Neill’s Desire Under the Elmsis a far more compelling title than Love Under the Trees would have been.
9.       CREATE A TITLE WITH DUAL MEANINGS·         Most readers consider your title twice—once before they start reading your work, and again after they have finished. Many successful titles gain hidden layers of meaning as they’re read, so they pack an extra punch when reflected upon for the second time. Noteworthy examples include Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery” and John Cheever’s “The Swimmer.”
10.   DON’T REVEAL YOUR PLOT!·         If you’re writing a mystery novel or a suspense thriller, make sure you don’t give away the ending of the book through the title. Also, refrain from using either the first or last lines of your story as your title, as such “double duty” takes away the surprise of the opening hook or the dramatic conclusion. 
11.   MAKE SURE YOUR TITLE ALIGNS WITH YOUR STORY AND ITS THEMES·         This is the most important rule of titling, the only one no writer can afford to break. Often we start off with a promising title in mind for our work—and we assume, once we’ve finished writing, that this title still fits. Unfortunately, the human imagination does not always conform to our expectations, so it’s essential to ask yourself, once your manuscript is complete, whether the original title still matches the story you’ve told. If it doesn’t, then it’s time for you to dig deep to find the right one.
So there you have it, 11 tips for coming up with the perfect title for your book.
In case you missed the announcement, THE ALPHA DRIVE will be part of the first ever international BookTube Tour hosted by Grace over at LovingDemBooks. During the weeks of May 21-June 4, 12 booktubers from around the world will be posting their reviews of THE ALPHA DRIVE on their YouTube channels. As the time draws closer, I’ll link all of their channels on a blog post for you to check out if you’re interested.

Until next time,



[source 1]
[source 2]

The Basics of Self-Publishing Part One + COVER REVEAL: THE ORDER OF OMEGA

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mso-list-type:hybrid; mso-list-template-ids:1535019520 67698703 67698713 67698715 67698703 67698713 67698715 67698703 67698713 67698715;} @list l0:level1 {mso-level-tab-stop:none; mso-level-number-position:left; text-indent:-.25in;} @list l0:level2 {mso-level-number-format:alpha-lower; mso-level-tab-stop:none; mso-level-number-position:left; text-indent:-.25in;} @list l0:level3 {mso-level-number-format:roman-lower; mso-level-tab-stop:none; mso-level-number-position:right; text-indent:-9.0pt;} @list l0:level4 {mso-level-tab-stop:none; mso-level-number-position:left; text-indent:-.25in;} @list l0:level5 {mso-level-number-format:alpha-lower; mso-level-tab-stop:none; mso-level-number-position:left; text-indent:-.25in;} @list l0:level6 {mso-level-number-format:roman-lower; mso-level-tab-stop:none; mso-level-number-position:right; text-indent:-9.0pt;} @list l0:level7 {mso-level-tab-stop:none; mso-level-number-position:left; text-indent:-.25in;} @list l0:level8 {mso-level-number-format:alpha-lower; mso-level-tab-stop:none; mso-level-number-position:left; text-indent:-.25in;} @list l0:level9 {mso-level-number-format:roman-lower; mso-level-tab-stop:none; mso-level-number-position:right; text-indent:-9.0pt;} ol {margin-bottom:0in;} ul {margin-bottom:0in;} </style> <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Welcome back! In the past few posts, we’ve talked about the differences between traditional publishing and self-publishing and how to choose what route is best for you. I’ve also laid out the differences between Print-On-Demand companies, CreateSpace and IngramSpark. Hopefully you’re leaning more towards one route, and if that route is self-publishing, then this post is for you! If you'd rather watch this video, feel free to click play below. Otherwise, read on!</span></span><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Cx0sd7m..." width="560"></iframe></span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Today we'll talk about the basics of self-publishing. And stay tuned at the end of this post for the cover reveal for the second book in <i>The Alpha Drive</i> series, <i>The Order of Omega</i>.</span></span></div><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />Okay all you self-publishers out there, listen up! Since self-publishing requires a lot of work (and $$) upfront from you, the author, we’ll have to break this mini-series up a little. So today, we’ll start with <b>Part One</b>, which I’m going to call the <b>Pre-Setup </b>for works of fiction. These are all the things you should have done <i>before </i>you even think of uploading your manuscript.</span></span></div><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><br /><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">1.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-synthesis: weight style; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">     </span>Make sure your MS is in tip-top shape</span></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-synthesis: weight style; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"></span>      At this point in the game, your manuscript should have been read and reread, edited, and revised so many times by yourself, beta readers, critique partners, <u>and</u> a professional editor that just the thought of reading it yet again makes you want to stab yourself in the eye with a fork. (Real graphic, Kristen.) If you’re not at this point yet, then your manuscript probably isn’t ready to be published. I was so tired of <i>The Alpha Drive</i> by the end of the editing process that I didn’t read it all the way through again until just last month! That’s <b>five </b>months after it was published, guys. </span></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><br /><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-synthesis: weight style; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"></span>      I digress, hiring a professional editor is extremely important. It’s actually because of this reason that self-published works have a bad reputation. Yes, professional editors can be expensive, and maybe you think you can’t afford it, but the truth is… you can’t afford <b>not</b> to have one. Don’t leave researching professional editors to the last minute either because many of them have a roster full of clients. Book your time with them well in advance. </span></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">      Many authors grossly underestimate the time it takes to edit a book. They think, "I wrote it and read through it once and now it’s done! Time to publish." <u><b>SO WRONG</b></u>. To give you a more accurate timeframe, you should allow one month for an editor to send you their initial feedback. Then, depending on the complexity of the suggestions and the amount of time you can spend each day incorporating that feedback, add another one or two months. Then, you’ll send this edited MS back to your editor (or a separate proofreader) for a final edit or proofread, which can take another month. So the entire editing process with <b>just </b>a professional editor can take 3 months or more. </span></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">      My advice? Find your editor while you are still writing your first draft, a good 2 months before you need them to do your first edit. Then, send them your MS for the first edit at least 5-6 months before your projected publication date.</span></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><br /><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">2.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-synthesis: weight style; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">     </span>Choose your title carefully</span></span></div><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><br /><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-synthesis: weight style; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"></span>      I cannot stress enough how important it is for you to choose a great title for your book. And to do your research to make sure another book out there doesn’t already exist with that same title! This is especially true for fantasy authors – many fantasy titles use a lot of the same words (throne, queen, shadow, crown, sword, midnight, glass) to name a few, as well as similar formatting. Just make sure your title is original and isn’t already out there. At the very least, have your title finalized a good 5 months before your projected publication date, so you can begin pre-publication marketing. Normally, once your MS is finished and finalized, coming up with a title for your book is easier since you already know what your book is truly about and what themes are present in the story. If you’re still having trouble, there are people out there you can hire to help you craft a title for your book.</span></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><br /><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">3.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-synthesis: weight style; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">     </span>Find a high-quality, professional cover designer</span></span></div><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><br /><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-synthesis: weight style; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"></span>      Just like you may think you can’t afford a professional editor, you probably think you can skimp out on the cover design and try your hand at doing it yourself. <u><b>DO NOT DO THIS.</b></u> Unless you majored in graphic arts or computer design, please do not open powerpoint or paint and try to create a cover for your book. Your cover is the first thing potential readers see and as much as we say we don’t judge books by their covers, the hard truth is that <i>we do</i>. So don’t throw your years of hard work writing the book of your heart down the drain by giving it a crappy cover. Do your work justice. Give your story the cover it deserves.</span></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"></span></span><br /><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-synthesis: weight style; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"></span>      Researching reputable cover designers is going to take time, just like researching a professional editor does. But it’s worth it. Try to get your cover made 5-6 months before your projected publication date. The sooner you have the cover finalized, the sooner you can start promoting and creating early buzz for your book. If you’re having trouble finding a reputable company, a cover designer I highly recommend is <a href="https://damonza.com/">Damonza.... Damonza is my cover designer and I am always beyond satisfied with the work they do and the turn-around time. I also think their pricing is reasonable for the outstanding quality of work and service you receive.</span></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><br /><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">4.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-synthesis: weight style; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">     </span>Write your back cover synopsis</span></span></div><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><br /><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-synthesis: weight style; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"></span>      Equally as important as the cover of your book and the content inside is the synopsis on the back cover! Once a reader sees your cover and decides they might be interested, what do they do? They turn it over to read the synopsis. </span></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">      Hook 1 complete, now for Hook 2. </span></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">      Make sure your back cover synopsis is enticing, well-written, and uses active voice. If you’re more of a long-winded writer and not so great at writing brief summaries, don’t fret. There are people out there who can help you with this, although I will say no one knows your book like you do. The hard thing here is that you know <b>so much</b> about your book that you may not know what to include and what to leave out in your synopsis. Try reading some back covers of books you’ve read in the genre you’ve written. It will take practice and quite a few revisions, but eventually it'll get there. You’ll also want to have your back cover synopsis completed and finalized 5-6 months before your projected publication date because your cover designer will need it when creating the front, back, and spine for your book.</span></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><br /><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">5.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-synthesis: weight style; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">     </span>Create a publishing company</span></span></div><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><br /><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-synthesis: weight style; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"></span>      If you’re planning on publishing more than one book, either now or in the future, it’s a smart idea to set up a publishing company. Why? For professional reasons. On every book, you'll find a publisher name on the copyright page and their corresponding logo on the spine of the book.  </span></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">     In choosing a name for your publishing company, choose one that goes beyond the message of your <i>current</i> book, and expresses the message of potential <i>future</i> books. What is the theme of your over-arching message? Where do you see yourself going as an author? </span></span></div><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><br /><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-synthesis: weight style; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"></span>      </span></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">      Research large publishers and small publishers alike to see the trends in publishing house names. Just like the title of your book, you’ll want to research and make sure that a publishing company doesn’t already exist under the name you’ve come up with. You can set up at a minimum an LLC (limited liability company) through sites like <a href="https://www.legalzoom.com/">L... for relatively cheap. If this seems out of your wheelhouse, you can always use your social security number and name for tax purposes and skip the publishing company entirely. But if you’re serious about self-publishing and being an author with multiple works, I would <i>highly recommend</i> creating a publishing company.</span></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><br /><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">6.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-synthesis: weight style; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">     </span>Get your ISBN numbers</span></span></div><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><br /><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-synthesis: weight style; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"></span>      Once you have established your publishing company, it’s time to get a batch of ISBN numbers.  ISBN stands for <i>International Standard Book Number</i>. An ISBN is a thirteen-digit number assigned to every book before publication.</span></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">      Furthermore, you are <u>required</u> to use a different ISBN for every format of the book you publish. In other words, if you intend to print a paperback, a hardback and ebook of the same book, you’ll need 3 different ISBNs. Many authors don’t realize that you will require a different ISBN for each format in which you publish your eBook (i.e., Smashwords, Kobe, PDF, Kindle, etc). While Smashwords and Kindle can assign you an ISBN, remember that technically they’re the ‘publisher’ if they do so. </span></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">ISBNs are always associated with the <i>publishing company</i>. Something you might not realize is that if you go with a subsidiary press and have them assign your ISBN, <b>they </b>are technically the publisher, not you. This does not infringe on your copyright as an author, but it does limit your ability as a publisher.</span></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><br /><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-synthesis: weight style; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"></span>      The organizations that assign ISBNs are different for each country. In the UK, <a href="http://www.isbn.nielsenbook.co.uk/con... is the ISBN provider. In the US, <a href="https://www.myidentifiers.com/get-you... is the official ISBN agency.</span></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 1in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><br /><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin-left: 1in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-synthesis: weight style; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"></span>      Some ISBN providers require that you purchase a minimum of 10 ISBNs at a time. I recommend doing this because you’ll go through them more quickly than you might think, especially if you are a prolific writer and you are publishing in multiple formats. Make sure you have your ISBNs 5-6 months before your projected publication date. If you are a first-time author who is just setting up your publishing company, you might have some paperwork to fill in, so allow a few hours for this. After you request your first batch of ISBNs, it can take up to 10 working days for you to receive them, although I received mine within 24 hours, so the turnaround time is pretty fast.</span></span></div><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Well my friends, that concludes Part 1 of the Basics of Self-Publishing. I hope this post was helpful in some way or another. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">And now I’m going to reveal the cover for The Order of Omega. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Drumroll please…</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wLZVbBU65l..." imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wLZVbBU65l..." width="399" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">There it is! I am so happy with this cover and am so grateful for my cover designer. She is incredibly talented. I’d love to hear what you guys think of it, so feel free to leave comments down below. The Order of Omega will be released on Tuesday, November 8, 2016, so don’t forget to mark your calendars and <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2... it to Goodreads</a>.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Thanks for reading! I'll catch you guys in the next post.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Alpha-Drive... alt="http://www.amazon.com/The-Alpha-Drive..." border="0" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5W-cmtuX38..." width="319" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Until next time,</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4SrTlC0SpQ..." imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4SrTlC0SpQ..." /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div>

How To Come Up With Story Ideas

Today I’m going to answer a viewer’s question in more detail: “How do you come up with ideas for a story?” If you'd rather watch the video on this topic, feel free to click play below. Otherwise, keep reading!


For some writers, ideas randomly come to them – they write them down and start creating subplots and weave everything together to create a well-connected story. But for other writers, coming up with story ideas can be tough. Many of us can’t just pull ideas out of thin air, especially ones that haven’t already been done before. Does the world really need another vampire/werewolf/love triangle? Maybe, but only if you can put a truly unique and different spin on it.
If there’s one thing I want you to take away from this post, it’s that your story ideas must be original. Don’t try to copy-cat other writers and their plotlines because guess what? You’ll get to writing and realize that you’re basically rewriting what’s already been written. And if it’s already been written, it’s already been read, so it’s probably worth brainstorming some new ideas. You may be thinking, “But Kristen, all ideas have already been done before–boy meeting girl, an alien species invading Earth, a dystopian setting where a hero tries to overthrow the bad guys, good vs. evil, etc." And you know what I’d tell you? That you’re right! It’s all been done before.
But what makes your story unique and different is the spin you put on it. All of those little subplots that make the relationships and connections between your characters stand out really do matter. For example, I wrote a YA dystopian novel called THE ALPHA DRIVE. How many dystopian novels are out there?  A LOT. In the past couple of years, there was an influx in the market of these types of stories. But was mine about a sickness that plagued the land, causing some crazy dictator to take over and make everyone’s life a living hell? No, because it’s been done before. Was it about competition between kids to fight to the death to keep the peace and entertain the higher classes? No, because it’s been done before. Instead, I took elements of a dystopian world and added my own Matrix-like twist to it with an alternate reality where the focus was more on the action and the plot instead of the teenage love-triangle.   Here are 7 tips for coming up with story ideas for your book. Why 7? Because that’s how many I could think of.
1.       Determine the genre.·         What do you like to read? Crime, fantasy, science fiction, contemporary? Take a look at your bookshelf and do a quick inventory of the different genres you’re housing. Chances are, the majority of your books will be in either 1 or 2 genres, and if you like reading those types of stories, you’ll probably enjoy writing them too. If not, that’s fine. Just try to figure out what genre you want to write.
2.       Determine the audience.·         How old will your readers be? Children? Young Adult? New Adult? Adult? Just as an FYI, if your main characters are 12 and younger, you are writing a children’s book. If your characters are ages 13-18 (think high school aged), you’re writing a Young Adult book. If your characters are 19-30 (think college aged), you’re writing a New Adult Book. For characters older than 30, you’re writing an Adult Book. Don’t forget that by determining your audience, you’re also setting yourself up for the tone and themes of your book. For example, if you want to have alcohol, sex, or drugs in your novel, you may want to stick with a New Adult or Adult audience. Although these aspects have been included in some YA novels, I would recommend staying away from them. Think of it from a parent’s point of view – would parents really want their 13 year olds reading about heavy drinking at a party or intense romantical (yes I just made that word up) scenes? Probably not. That doesn’t mean that YA can’t have romance – it’s just a softer version and doesn’t go into as much detail.
3.       Determine your theme·         A theme is a universal idea or message that stretches throughout an entire story. A book’s theme is very important, especially when you’re writing a series because that theme is going to be present in each one of your books. You have your typical good vs. evil (think Harry Potter here), individual vs. society (think Hunger Games and Divergent), love sustaining or fading with a challenge (think Twilight). I will link down below a website with a list of 101 themes for you to peruse. Your book can have more than one theme, just like it can have more than one plot. You can have sub-themes. Just make sure you have one major theme (like you have one major plot), then you can add in sub-themes and sub-plots to keep your story from falling flat.
4.       Brainstorm·         So now that you have your genre, target audience, and theme, it’s time to start brainstorming! Most likely, you’ve already had a few ideas floating around in your head that maybe you’ve jotted down in a notebook somewhere. If not, that’s okay. You can start from scratch.  Grab a large piece of paper and write your main theme in the center and draw a circle around it. Underneath the theme, write the main struggle or hardship your character will face and has to overcome. If you don’t know it yet, that’s okay. Sometimes it’s easier to brainstorm how you want the book to end and then work backwards from there. Draw branches out from that main circle, like a tree, with any ideas that come to mind for your story. Even if they don’t make sense, write them down! You’d be surprised how later on when you’re actually writing your story, some of those nonsense ideas can actually be reworked into subplots that add more depth to your story. There is no such thing as a bad idea – each one is valuable, so write it down!
5.       Use resources·         If your idea well is running dry, there are a number of different resources at your disposal to help you generate ideas. The first one (and my personal favorite) is The Writer’s Idea Thesaurus by Fred White. When I’m braindead or struggling to think of ideas or what should happen next in my story, I’ll pull out The Writer's Idea Thesaurus, open it to a random page, and read some of the plot suggestions. I normally don’t use exactly what is written on the page, but it does usually give me a spark of inspiration where I’ll use a different variation of it. Or if I’m lucky, I’ll get hit by Cupid’s Creative arrow and come up with something entirely new. You can also think of books you’ve read or movies you’ve watched where maybe you didn’t like how they ended or didn’t like a certain scene. Write down what you would have done to make it better. Doing this will help flex that creative muscle and will get your mind unconsciously brainstorming different subplots for your own story.
6.       Use your ideas to make a rough outline·         The best way to do this is to write every single idea from your large sheet of paper on a notecard. Then, try to organize the notecards in such a way that it makes a semi-cohesive story. Notecards are a great tool because if you want to move a scene from the end of the book to the beginning, all you have to do is slide the notecard up to wherever you want it. Also keep a stack of blank notecards next to you while you’re doing this so that as more ideas come to you while you’re organizing your story, you can write them down and add them in as needed.
7.       Just write.·         Once you have a basic outline, thanks to your handy-dandy notecards, just start writing. Even if it’s terrible, even if it doesn’t fully make sense to you yet, just write. The writing process is all about discovering your story. You, as the writer, take yourself on a journey to discover your story’s potential and all the things it can be. It’s crazy how you’ll start writing and as you’re writing Chapter 1, an idea for what should happen in Chapter 2 pops into your head, and then the next chapter, and the next. You discover your story as you write, so if you don’t just start writing, you’ll never know the potential your story has. Trust me, it might sound scary, but it works. The first draft is for your eyes only anyway so if you write total crap one day, you can always take it out! Just write.
 So there you have it, 7 tips to help you come up with story ideas for your next (or first!) book. If you haven't signed up for my newsletter yet, you can do that on the homepage. Tomorrow, an early sneak peak of the cover for The Order of Omega will be sent to all newsletter subscribers. I will also be doing the cover reveal in next Tuesday's post.
Thanks for reading!


Until next time,

 

CreateSpace vs. IngramSpark: Which POD Printer Should You Use?

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text-indent:-9.0pt;} @list l2 {mso-list-id:1960136942; mso-list-template-ids:665852206;} @list l2:level1 {mso-level-number-format:bullet; mso-level-text:; mso-level-tab-stop:.5in; mso-level-number-position:left; text-indent:-.25in; mso-ansi-font-size:10.0pt; font-family:Symbol;} @list l2:level2 {mso-level-number-format:bullet; mso-level-text:o; mso-level-tab-stop:1.0in; mso-level-number-position:left; text-indent:-.25in; mso-ansi-font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Courier New"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";} @list l2:level3 {mso-level-number-format:bullet; mso-level-text:; mso-level-tab-stop:1.5in; mso-level-number-position:left; text-indent:-.25in; mso-ansi-font-size:10.0pt; font-family:Wingdings;} @list l2:level4 {mso-level-number-format:bullet; mso-level-text:; mso-level-tab-stop:2.0in; mso-level-number-position:left; text-indent:-.25in; mso-ansi-font-size:10.0pt; font-family:Wingdings;} @list l2:level5 {mso-level-number-format:bullet; mso-level-text:; mso-level-tab-stop:2.5in; mso-level-number-position:left; text-indent:-.25in; mso-ansi-font-size:10.0pt; font-family:Wingdings;} @list l2:level6 {mso-level-number-format:bullet; mso-level-text:; mso-level-tab-stop:3.0in; mso-level-number-position:left; text-indent:-.25in; mso-ansi-font-size:10.0pt; font-family:Wingdings;} @list l2:level7 {mso-level-number-format:bullet; mso-level-text:; mso-level-tab-stop:3.5in; mso-level-number-position:left; text-indent:-.25in; mso-ansi-font-size:10.0pt; font-family:Wingdings;} @list l2:level8 {mso-level-number-format:bullet; mso-level-text:; mso-level-tab-stop:4.0in; mso-level-number-position:left; text-indent:-.25in; mso-ansi-font-size:10.0pt; font-family:Wingdings;} @list l2:level9 {mso-level-number-format:bullet; mso-level-text:; mso-level-tab-stop:4.5in; mso-level-number-position:left; text-indent:-.25in; mso-ansi-font-size:10.0pt; font-family:Wingdings;} ol {margin-bottom:0in;} ul {margin-bottom:0in;} </style><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11.0pt;">Last week, we dove into the different routes you can take when it comes to publishing: either traditional publishing or self-publishing. If you want to go the traditional publishing route, the next step after your manuscript has been edited and revised multiple times is to start querying literary agents. Once you get to the querying process, things are pretty much out of your hands. Agents will read your query and decide whether or not they want to pursue reading sample chapters of your book. From there on out, it’s mostly a waiting game – a loooong waiting game. </span><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><br /><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11.0pt;">But if you’re choosing to self-publish, there are a lot more things in your control (like everything). And you’ll have to make moves and decisions to get your book out there. If you do decide to self-publish, that means you won’t have a publisher printing, binding, and distributing your book for you. So who will be doing that, you ask? Well, you will, buttercup. Lucky you! It may sound intimidating and overwhelming, but it’s really not that hard. And I’m here to help you.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11.0pt;">Today we’ll be talking about two of the major Print-On-Demand (or POD) companies out there: Amazon’s CreateSpace and Lightning Source’s IngramSpark. These are POD printers that self-published authors can use to create print versions of their books. We’ll talk about the pros and cons of each as well as the approach I took. If you'd rather watch this video, feel free to click play below. Otherwise, keep reading!</span><br /><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11.0pt;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/R3oARWA..." width="560"></iframe><br /></span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11.0pt;">So what is a POD or print-on-demand company? POD is a printing technology in which copies of a book are not printed until an order has been received, allowing books to be printed on a “one-off” basis, or in small quantities. Why is this important you ask? POD printing dramatically changed the game for self-publishers. You don’t need a minimum order quantity in the hundreds or thousands and you don’t have to pay for all of those copies up front in the hopes that they’ll sell. Now, if one person places an order for one copy of your book, the book is printed by a POD company and shipped to that customer. Why wasn’t it always like this? Most likely due to costs, but hallelujah, they finally figured out how to do this in a cost-effective manner. Self-published authors rejoice!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11.0pt;">First, let’s look at IngramSpark. IngramSpark is a POD printer that also offers distribution services to self-publishing authors. That means that in addition to being able to print your book, you can also distribute your book to a book wholesaler, such as Ingram, who will then make your book available to Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble, as well as other book retailers, both online and off. Lightning Source and IngramSpark are both owned by Ingram, which is one of the largest book wholesalers. Lightning Source is used by large-scale publishers like Penguin Randomhouse, Putnam, Little Brown, etc, whereas IngramSpark is used by indie publishers. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11.0pt;">Now let’s look at CreateSpace. CreateSpace is owned by Amazon. CreateSpace offers two choices for distribution, <i><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Standard</span></i>and <i><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Expanded</span></i>. The <i><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Standard</span></i> option will get your book listed on Amazon only. The <i><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Expanded</span></i>option will get your book distributed to Ingram, although concerns have been raised that CreateSpace does not offer a large enough discount to wholesalers, therefore making it harder to get your book into brick and mortar stores. Whether this is true or not, I have no idea, but it does kind of make sense. Amazon is the #1 competitor of brick and mortar stores like Barnes and Noble, so would Ingram buy from its direct competitor (CreateSpace) and turn around and sell it to Barnes and Noble? Seems unlikely to me, but everyone has differing opinions. I digress.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11.0pt;">So let’s talk about the pros and cons of each POD printer to find the one that is right for you. In order to compare the two, we’ll need to use a real life example. Let’s say your book is a 300-page B&W (meaning the text is black and white and there are no pictures or illustrations), paperback, 6x9, perfect bound, gloss finish, and cream paper. If you have no idea what I just said, that’s okay – as a self-publisher, you have to decide the dimension of your book, the binding type, whether you want a gloss or matte finish for the cover, and what color paper (normally, white or cream) you want your book to have </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11.0pt;">Okay, so pros and cons:</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><u><b><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11.0pt;">COST PER COPY TO YOU, THE AUTHOR</span></b></u></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11.0pt;">CreateSpace will charge you $4.45 while Ingram Spark will charge you $4.86. This is straightforward. CreateSpace is less expensive – it costs 0.41 cents less than IngramSpark for your book to be produced.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><u><b><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11.0pt;">COST OF SETUP</span></b></u></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11.0pt;">CreateSpace doesn’t charge anything for you to set up your book on their website. IngramSpark charges $49.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11.0pt;"><u><b>DISCOUNT</b></u><br /></span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11.0pt;">This is one of the big factors in making a decision, and it is the one that confuses most indie authors. I’ll try to break it down to simple terms.</span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11.0pt;"></span></div><ul type="disc"><li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l2 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11.0pt;">CreateSpace takes 40% when you sell on Amazon.</span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l2 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11.0pt;">CreateSpace takes 60% for expanded distribution (other online stores, libraries and bookstores).</span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l2 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11.0pt;">With Spark you can choose whether to allow 40% or 55% for distribution.</span></li></ul><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11.0pt;"><u><b>DISTRIBUTION</b></u><br />CreateSpace distributes your book through Amazon. You can also choose Extended, which can allow it to get into libraries and brick and mortar bookstores. IngramSpark’s distribution is worldwide.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11.0pt;"><u><b>ISBN</b></u><br />You need an ISBN for both CreateSpace and IngramSpark, however with CreateSpace you do have the option to use a “CreateSpace-assigned” ISBN and not have to pay for an ISBN through Bowker’s service, myidentifiers.com. To give you an idea, 1 ISBN costs $125, so using CreateSpace’s free ISBN is well worth it if you’re concerned about costs.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11.0pt;"><u><b>QUALITY</b></u><br />This is somewhat subjective. Seeing as I’ve ordered from both POD printers, the quality from both is very good. I would say that IngramSpark’s quality is a tad bit higher – to me, the pages feel thicker and the images and text on the cover seem a bit more crisp. But all in all, the quality of the book itself from both companies is very good.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11.0pt;"><u><b>PROFIT</b></u><br />Of course, this is the area most self-published authors really care about: which one will make me the most money? Let’s say you charge $15 retail for your paperback book. If you use CreateSpace and sell on Amazon, your profit would be $4.55. If you use CreateSpace and sell anywhere else (like a bookstore), your profit would be $1.55. If you use IngramSpark and sell on Amazon, your profit will be $4.14. If you use IngramSpark and sell anywhere else, your profit will be $4.14. It would be the same. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11.0pt;">You’re probably thinking, those are a lot of numbers Kristen, so what does it all mean? It means that it depends on your goals for your book. If you really just want to sell online and don’t really care about getting into brick-and-mortar bookstores, then CreateSpace is probably the right POD printer for you. You’ll pay less for set-up, printed copies, and shipping, plus you’ll earn a greater profit for every book you sell. But, if you are thinking that one day you would like your books to be sold in a place like Barnes & Noble, you may want to consider IngramSpark. Sure, it costs a little more for set-up and I will admit that their website is less user-friendly than CreateSpace’s, but they do have worldwide distribution and they do offer wholesalers a larger discount, making it more likely that your book could end up in a bookstore someday.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11.0pt;">What did I choose to do? Seeing as I tend to land “in the middle” on many things, like being a plotser (my definition of an in-between plotter and pantser), I chose to use <b>both </b>POD printers. They both have advantages that I wanted to, get this, take full advantage of. Is it more work for me? Absolutely. Is it a more of a headache to deal with both? You betcha. But I’ve already noticed that the pay-off of using both and not just one is well worth it.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11.0pt;">I use CreateSpace for these advantages:</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><br /></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">     </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11.0pt;">AMAZON: Amazon has taken the bookselling industry by storm. And by using CreateSpace, I have fast and great distribution through the largest online book retailer.</span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">     </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11.0pt;">DOMESTIC SHIPPING: Createspace offers fast and affordable shipping to U.S. customers. This is important because when people buy my book online, I don’t want them to pay a ridiculous amount for shipping. Have you ever added something to your cart and when you go to check out, realize that the shipping costs equal the amount of the product you’re buying? Makes you think twice about buying that product, doesn’t it? I don’t want my customers to second-guess buying my book because of crazy high shipping costs.</span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">     </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11.0pt;">ARCs: CreateSpace makes it so simple to send review copies to bloggers, as well as copies to winners of Goodreads giveaways. I don’t even have to have a physical copy here where I have to package it and take it to the post office to ship it. I can do it all online on CreateSpace’s website and type in the shipping address I need the book to go to. CreateSpace will print it, and ship it to that address. Which means that I don’t have to take my daily dose of Excedrin’s tension headache.</span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-add-space: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11.0pt;">I use Ingram Spark for these advantages:</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><br /></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo3; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">     </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11.0pt;">DISTRIBUTION: With IngramSpark, my book can be distributed worldwide. So I chose this option: to distribute via IngramSpark to all other stores EXCEPT for Amazon. That way, I have all of my bases covered.</span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo3; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">     </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11.0pt;">INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING: Ingram Spark offers fast and affordable shipping to international customers. I have a lot of readers in the UK and Europe. Again, I don’t want my readers to pay a lot for shipping, so while CreateSpace helps US customers on shipping, IngramSpark helps out my international customers. Win-win.</span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo3; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-indent: -.25in;"><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11.0pt;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">     </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11.0pt;">OPTIONS: With Ingram Spark, I can ship high quality copies as samples to bookstores as well as use it for autographed copies. IngramSpark also offers hardcover printing, which CreateSpace does not, and I want to see all my bookbabies in hardcover versions! IngramSpark offers a lot of options, and I like having options!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11.0pt;">So which POD printer is right for you? Each person has to look at their own situation and determine what strategy suits them best. For some, it might be CreateSpace only. For others IngramSpark only. For most, though, I think you’ll find the combination of using both CreateSpace and IngramSpark offers the best solutions for all of your needs.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11.0pt;">There you have it, an in-depth look at the pros and cons of two of the biggest POD printers, Amazon’s CreateSpace and Lightning Source’s IngramSpark. Don't forget to check out my debut novel, THE ALPHA DRIVE, which is available for purchase in both paperback and ebook on Amazon.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Alpha-Drive... alt="http://www.amazon.com/The-Alpha-Drive..." border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-cbHyRA5A_7..." /></a></div><br /><br /><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11.0pt;">Until next time,</span><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Q8c-fapNGi..." imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Q8c-fapNGi..." /></a></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11.0pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11.0pt;"></span> </div>

How to Market your Book

Hello, lovelies. Happy Tuesday!

Last week, we discussed the different avenues you can take to publish your book: either traditional publishing or self-publishing. But no matter which route you choose, one thing stands true – you, as the author, will be responsible for the marketing and promotion of your book. Even with a traditional publisher, authors are expected to build their author platform and grow their readership, just like a self-published author would. Today, we’re going to talk about 15 marketing techniques both traditional and self-published authors can use to grow their author platform. And make sure to stay tuned because at the end of this post is an exciting announcement regarding book #2 of THE ALPHA DRIVE series.

If you'd rather watch this video via my YouTube channel, click play below. If not, read on!

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15 BOOK MARKETING TECHNIQUES
Utilize social media consistently This may sound easy, but a lot of time and energy actually goes into this. If you’re not on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, or Tumblr, it might be time to seriously considering hopping on the bandwagon. Why? Because your readers want to connect with you. By posting photos on Instagram, responding to tweets, and using certain hashtags, your readers feel like they know you on a more personal level. Think of your readers as you would any other friendship – you need to nurture, communicate, and care for them. Utilizing social media can be very time-consuming, but it is well worth it in the end. Plus, it’s completely free and a way to promote yourself and your work and ultimately grow your author platform!
Design a professional-looking, user-friendly website Having a website where you can showcase your books is extremely important. Your website is a one-stop-shop for your readers to find everything they need. Make sure your website is professional-looking and that the interface is user-friendly. Having a navigation bar will help guide your readers to the information they are looking for. You can include things on your website like your books and their synopses, an about you section, upcoming appearances, a contact me section, an FAQ section, and even your blog. I would advise against hosting your author website and your blog on separate domains. Make things simple for your readers by having everything in one place.
Sign up for the Author Program on Goodreads and host giveaways for your bookI'm a big fan of Goodreads giveaways. The most effective giveaways offer only one, autographed copy of your book and include all countries. Additional copies don't really add to the allure, but they do add to your postage. Instead, if you have multiple copies to give away, run multiple giveaways for one copy at a time. This will increase your exposure and will give readers more opportunities to add your book to their "To-Read" pile. Promote your ebook for free or at discounted prices If you published your ebook through Kindle, you can run a price promotion through a Kindle Countdown Deal or a Free Price Promotion.  You can also run an Ad Campaign to advertise your book on Amazon.com. For Smashwords and Kobo, you can offer your readers or subscribers a special discount code.
 Reach out to bookbloggers/tubers and other strategic partners By reaching out to targeted readers in your genre, you can significantly grow your author platform. Sending ARCs to book-bloggers and book-tubers for early reviews or offering yourself up for an author interview or google hang-out session that can be uploaded to YouTube are other great ways to gain exposure.
Guest post frequently and strategicallyGuest blogging is one of the best ways to increase visibility, gain influence in your genre or topic, and draw targeted readers to your author site.Get early/pre-release reviews via ARCs At least three months prior to publication, make a list of book bloggers and reviewers in your book’s genre, read their guidelines on what and how to submit, and start sending your ARCs out for early reviews.
Attend networking events, conferences, and expos Attend, or write a proposal to present at an event, to gain connections, increase your credibility and develop a supportive network of influencers.
Reach out to smaller local bookstores and ask about consignment programs Consider trying a consignment style approach in gift shops, specialty stores, boutiques and galleries. The store owners may not want to purchase your books outright, but may display and sell them in their store for a cut of the profits. This is actually something I’ve recently started doing in the Greater Houston area and I’m looking forward to potentially having THE ALPHA DRIVE in a brick-and-mortar store!
Do book readings or author visits live or via Skype Try schools, your local bookstore, library or community college. Get people interested before you get there: create a packet that gives a summary of what to expect during your visit, printed materials like a flyer and book order form (that can be photocopied) or other promotional materials (like bookmarks)
Donate Build goodwill (and good Karma) by getting your book into the hands of people that might not normally have access to your work. Considering donating your book to hospitals, shelters, churches, libraries, doctor/dental offices, hair salons, organizations or clubs.
Partner up and promote other authors One of the best things about being a writer is that your only true competition is yourself. Use your connections or develop new ones to help cross promote with other authors, illustrators, musicians, designers, experts, events, charities, interest groups and so on. As you help promote other authors in your genre, by sharing their blog posts, reviewing their books and the like, you will build good will and a strong network of peer support for your current and future projects.
Purchase advertising Setup a Google Adwords account, or try Facebook or Twitter blog ads. You can also try advertising on sites like BookBub or EReader News Today.
Time and coordinate your promotions Try to time your guest posts, author interviews, giveaways, advertising and other promotions to run at the same time, so that each promotion gains momentum from the other. The perception of ‘being everywhere’ will strengthen your chances of creating the word of mouth marketing momentum we’re looking for.
Don't stop promoting one book to write another The buzz and excitement of a launch can be exhilarating, but the marketing and promotional effort for a book must continue far beyond the initial days and weeks of ‘getting it out there’. Include in your marketing plan a schedule that allows for ongoing promotional activities of your previous work, while providing time to write your next bestseller as well.There you have it, 15 marketing techniques for you to implement in order to grow your author platform.

Now for my exciting announcement! If you are a newsletter subscriber, then you heard this announcement last week, but for those that aren’t, I finally have a release date for The Order of Omega. Drumroll please...



I’ve had an overwhelming response of people who want to receive an ARC (Advance Reader’s Copy), so thank you to everyone who has emailed me requesting one. If anyone else is interested in receiving an ARC, please shoot me an email at authorkristenmartin@gmail.com. I really don't have a limit as to how many I want to send out! All I ask is that you post your review on Goodreads and Amazon.

Next month, I will be revealing the cover for The Order of Omega, so keep an eye out for that. And if you want an early sneak peak of the cover, make sure to sign up for my monthly newsletter on my website at www.kristenmartinbooks.com

You can now add The Order of Omega to your Goodreads list by clicking here.

Also, Goodreads is hosting a giveaway for one autographed copy of THE ALPHA DRIVE. The giveaway opens today, Tuesday, March 29th and will run until Tuesday, April 5th. Enter below to win!





 
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    Goodreads Book Giveaway
 

   

       
   

   

     

          The Alpha Drive
     
     

          by Kristen Martin
     

     

         
            Giveaway ends April 05, 2016.
         

         
            See the giveaway details
            at Goodreads.
         

     
   
   



    Enter Giveaway 





Until next time,




 

How to Publish your Book

In previous posts, we've discussed how to find the inspiration to write, outlining and plotting your story, the importance of the first chapter, creating dynamic characters, crafting a satisfying climax, introducing crisis and calling, editing and reworking your novel, and preparing your MS for readers. Once you’ve done all of this, you’ll probably have a pretty-good looking story that is finally ready to be shown to the world? But wait… not yet. First, you have to decide whether you want to go the traditional publishing route or the self-publishing route. And that's what we'll be talking about today.

If you'd rather watch this video, feel free to click play below. If not, read on!



So what does it mean to be traditionally published? To be self-published? Let's define the two. Traditional publishing is when an aspiring author seeks out a literary agent, who then works with publishers on the author’s behalf. If all goes well, a publisher will offer the author a contract and in turn, print, publish, and sell your book through booksellers and other retailers. The publisher essentially buys the right to publish your book and pays you royalties from the sales. In self-publishing, the majority of the work falls on the author's shoulders where you pay for all expenses upfront. The main advantages of self-publishing are that you control when the book is published, you retain all rights to your book, and you receive 100 percent of the profits.

So how do you know which one is right for you? You need to do your research.

Here are some steps you would take if you wanted to traditionally publish your book:


If you want to publish a book traditionally, most writers need to find an agent. In order to find one, you must identify the right category for your writing. If you are or want to be a nonfiction writer, you will need to submit a book proposal with three sample chapters, and a synopsis of each chapter. If you are writing fiction, you must have your manuscript complete.

Once these steps are accomplished, you're ready to write a query letter. This letter is what you will send to potential agents. It's important to mention the different parts that make up a query letter. You should be sure to mention the synopsis of your book, the chapter summary, the market or audience your book is meant for, and a description of yourself.

That's traditional publishing in a nutshell.

Let's move on to self-publishing. There are a variety of different publishing models to take into consideration, including print-on-demand, vanity, subsidy, and self-publishing.


Print-on-demand (POD) publishers accept all submissions and anyone who is willing to pay is published. POD publishing uses printing technology to produce books one at a time through a company at a cost-effective price. The books are printed individually as orders come in. Therefore, you can adjust the book's supply to meet the reader's demand. POD cuts back on costs and eliminates the need for space to store unsold copies. Typically editing, proofreading, or marketing is offered at an additional cost and you make money off of royalties from sales. In terms of rights, some can go to the POD publisher for a set amount of time but this varies depending on the publisher.

A vanity publisher, also known as a book manufacturer, publishes any anyone's work provided they have the money to pay for their services. The manufacturer prints and binds a book on the author's dime and does not offer editing, marketing, or promotional assistance. However, the author owns the printed books and retains all profit from sales.

A subsidy publisher is similar to a vanity publisher in that the author has to pay for the printing and binding process of the book. However, this type of publisher contributes a portion of the cost to editing, distribution, warehousing, and marketing. In this case, the publisher owns the books until they are sold and the author makes money from royalties.

Self-publishing requires the author to invest their own money to produce, market, distribute, and warehouse the book. While this can be a huge time commitment, the process can be more cost-effective than vanity or subsidy publishing.

Still having a hard time deciding? It’s okay. It’s a big decision. Let me lay out the pros and cons of each route:

Pros of Traditional Publishing
• Wide distribution and more exposure
• Most offer an advance, sometimes a large one
• They do the editing, formatting, cover art
• Marketing power

Cons of Traditional Publishing
• Take six to eighteen months before publication
• Ebooks are priced high
• They have power over cover art and title
• Don’t use the marketing power they wield effectively
• Pay royalties twice a year
• Don’t involve you in many of the decisions regarding your book
• Difficult to implement changes
• Lousy royalty rates, between 6% and 25%
• Very hard to break into

Pros of Self-Publishing
• Paid once a month
• You control price and cover
• Publication is almost instant
• Easy to implement changes
• Every decision is yours
• Great royalty rates
• Anyone can do it

Cons of Self-Publishing
• No free professional editing, formatting, or cover art
• Fewer sales
• Greater potential to publish crappy books

There you have it, your guide to traditionally publish or self-publish your bookbaby. I hope this post was helpful. As long as you do your research, you should be just fine. If you have any questions, feel free to comment down below, or go to my Ask Me Anything page on Tumblr.

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Until next time,