Jessica Russell's Blog, page 2
August 14, 2021
What You Can Learn From Your Favorite Authors
I've said it many times. Yes, you do need, at the very least, creative writing courses if you're going to write a novel. There's just certain things that you simply have to know to ensure that your story reaches it's full potential. However, there's one lesson in the grand scheme of things that you can learn merely by reading a book by your favorite author.
We've all been there… We have a favorite author, we can't wait for the next book, and when it finally comes out we grab it and drop what we're doing to at least squeeze in the first chapter before the next obligatory task in our lives. And then, to our dismay, we sit there wondering who wrote it.
It's happened to us all. We're in love with a particular author and then that author comes out with something we would refer to as a "miss," or a downright clunker.
Nevertheless, this can be a great learning experience for YOU and here's how:
Read it carefully for the second time. Take note of exactly where the writer lost you. Mark that first page where you began to roll your eyes, or yawn, or even say "where in the world is she/he going with this?"
This will help you avoid doing the same thing when the day comes that YOU are running out of gas and rushing an ending, or losing control of your plot, or doing any number of things that could ruin an otherwise good novel.
I won't name the author, but she is one of my all-time favorites. Sadly, she has passed away now, but I loved virtually all of her books except one. And the sad part is, I was absolutely ENTHRALLED with it for the first half. It was the second half where, in my opinion, it just fell apart.
A woman married a man in the 1800s who she thought was as conventional and "normal" as she was, only to find out he was experimenting with opium and witchcraft! He was planning to make his marriage to her a turning point, give up the old ways, and go on to have traditional life. Obviously, as you may have guessed, that's not where the book went. It ended up to be a tragic marriage, commencing with the death of her child.
Her former husband eventually died of his addiction. There was a very poignant scene where she went to his bedside to tell him she forgave him, and after the funeral, she vowed to seek out the man she thought was responsible for getting him involved in all this debauchery. As you might suspect, the man she thought was responsible really wasn't the culprit and she ends up falling in love with him in the second part of the book. So far so good with regard to the plot.
Unfortunately, it was missing one thing: a climax.
She thought a man was responsible for her husband spiraling into addiction and witchcraft, as well as the death of her child, but when she finally tracked him down, that emotional, angry, dramatic confrontation never happened. Instead, when she met him, she got a bit mesmerized and decided to watch him from a distance for awhile. They eventually fell blandly in love and she ended up sleeping with him BEFORE she was 100% sure whether or not he was the culprit. HUH?
The object lesson I got out of that was that you cannot be too careful when it comes to making sure you're giving your readers what was promised. I was waiting with baited breath as the book slogged on and on. I was waiting for this major emotional confrontation and THEN the romance, which I suspected was coming.
But it was as if, when she finally found this man, she thought to herself "eh, well, whatever, he's pretty cool so maybe I won't yell at him yet."
It just stopped making any sense. This grief and anger that drove her to the other side of the world to track down this man simply trickled away and they fell boringly in love, and the conclusion about what happened with her first husband and child was wrapped up in a few sentences and the book abruptly stopped.
It was the worst anticlimax I think I ever had the privilege to read in my life. And I LOVE this author. I used to wish when she was alive that there was a way to ask her to rewrite the second half of the book with her usual genius because I think it would've been one of my favorite books of all times.
So the moral of this post is that you can learn a lot from writers that you love, by reading your LEAST favorite book by that author and figuring out where it lost you. (And then don't repeat their mistake.) Write on!
We've all been there… We have a favorite author, we can't wait for the next book, and when it finally comes out we grab it and drop what we're doing to at least squeeze in the first chapter before the next obligatory task in our lives. And then, to our dismay, we sit there wondering who wrote it.
It's happened to us all. We're in love with a particular author and then that author comes out with something we would refer to as a "miss," or a downright clunker.
Nevertheless, this can be a great learning experience for YOU and here's how:
Read it carefully for the second time. Take note of exactly where the writer lost you. Mark that first page where you began to roll your eyes, or yawn, or even say "where in the world is she/he going with this?"
This will help you avoid doing the same thing when the day comes that YOU are running out of gas and rushing an ending, or losing control of your plot, or doing any number of things that could ruin an otherwise good novel.
I won't name the author, but she is one of my all-time favorites. Sadly, she has passed away now, but I loved virtually all of her books except one. And the sad part is, I was absolutely ENTHRALLED with it for the first half. It was the second half where, in my opinion, it just fell apart.
A woman married a man in the 1800s who she thought was as conventional and "normal" as she was, only to find out he was experimenting with opium and witchcraft! He was planning to make his marriage to her a turning point, give up the old ways, and go on to have traditional life. Obviously, as you may have guessed, that's not where the book went. It ended up to be a tragic marriage, commencing with the death of her child.
Her former husband eventually died of his addiction. There was a very poignant scene where she went to his bedside to tell him she forgave him, and after the funeral, she vowed to seek out the man she thought was responsible for getting him involved in all this debauchery. As you might suspect, the man she thought was responsible really wasn't the culprit and she ends up falling in love with him in the second part of the book. So far so good with regard to the plot.
Unfortunately, it was missing one thing: a climax.
She thought a man was responsible for her husband spiraling into addiction and witchcraft, as well as the death of her child, but when she finally tracked him down, that emotional, angry, dramatic confrontation never happened. Instead, when she met him, she got a bit mesmerized and decided to watch him from a distance for awhile. They eventually fell blandly in love and she ended up sleeping with him BEFORE she was 100% sure whether or not he was the culprit. HUH?
The object lesson I got out of that was that you cannot be too careful when it comes to making sure you're giving your readers what was promised. I was waiting with baited breath as the book slogged on and on. I was waiting for this major emotional confrontation and THEN the romance, which I suspected was coming.
But it was as if, when she finally found this man, she thought to herself "eh, well, whatever, he's pretty cool so maybe I won't yell at him yet."
It just stopped making any sense. This grief and anger that drove her to the other side of the world to track down this man simply trickled away and they fell boringly in love, and the conclusion about what happened with her first husband and child was wrapped up in a few sentences and the book abruptly stopped.
It was the worst anticlimax I think I ever had the privilege to read in my life. And I LOVE this author. I used to wish when she was alive that there was a way to ask her to rewrite the second half of the book with her usual genius because I think it would've been one of my favorite books of all times.
So the moral of this post is that you can learn a lot from writers that you love, by reading your LEAST favorite book by that author and figuring out where it lost you. (And then don't repeat their mistake.) Write on!
August 9, 2021
The Balance Beam
Just a quick tidbit of information on whodunit novels. The worst mistake I see novice writers make when creating a murder mystery is trying to make it so bizarre that nobody in the world could possibly ever figure it out. The problem with that approach is that it's essentially impossible.
Unless, that is, you're going to wait until the final chapter and say that a space Martian came down from the sky and killed the person.
Intelligent readers narrow it down to two or three individuals, and one of them is almost always the murderer. And the thing is…that's okay! Readers like that. If you leave them too much in the dark they get disgusted, but if they figured it out in the first chapter they get (drumroll ) disgusted.
So don't obscure it to the point where the end doesn't make any sense, but don't make it so easy that they have no reason to keep reading.
I read a novel recently and I stayed interested throughout most of the chapters, but in the end, the murderer was someone who essentially had no motive and I kept waiting for it to be explained but it never was. It ruined the book for me. The writer may have reached his goal of making sure nobody could guess, but the ending was so ridiculous I don't think anyone will care.
I've also read numerous books where the culprit was was so obvious that I didn't need to finish reading. This is also the kiss of death.
The best thing to do is leave the breadcrumbs, but make them go to several different people.
In a good novel, especially a good whodunit, there are only so many people it could be. The fact that readers might be able to zero in on that cluster of people doesn't mean you're failing to write a good mystery. That's what readers like to do. They like to say "I think maybe it could be her, but that other person over there also has a motive, and then again it could be him."
Sure, some readers will hit on the right person and figure it out, but if they don't do that until the very end, it doesn't ruin the book for them. In fact, it's very satisfying, because they slowly caught on to what was happening.
So don't make it too easy, but don't try to create something unbelievably absurd simply so you can say "no one ever guesses who the murderer is!"
It should be a surprise for most readers, but a surprise that they're slowly getting close to as the book wraps up. That's the most satisfying experience for readers according to many surveys, so go for it. Write on!
Unless, that is, you're going to wait until the final chapter and say that a space Martian came down from the sky and killed the person.
Intelligent readers narrow it down to two or three individuals, and one of them is almost always the murderer. And the thing is…that's okay! Readers like that. If you leave them too much in the dark they get disgusted, but if they figured it out in the first chapter they get (drumroll ) disgusted.
So don't obscure it to the point where the end doesn't make any sense, but don't make it so easy that they have no reason to keep reading.
I read a novel recently and I stayed interested throughout most of the chapters, but in the end, the murderer was someone who essentially had no motive and I kept waiting for it to be explained but it never was. It ruined the book for me. The writer may have reached his goal of making sure nobody could guess, but the ending was so ridiculous I don't think anyone will care.
I've also read numerous books where the culprit was was so obvious that I didn't need to finish reading. This is also the kiss of death.
The best thing to do is leave the breadcrumbs, but make them go to several different people.
In a good novel, especially a good whodunit, there are only so many people it could be. The fact that readers might be able to zero in on that cluster of people doesn't mean you're failing to write a good mystery. That's what readers like to do. They like to say "I think maybe it could be her, but that other person over there also has a motive, and then again it could be him."
Sure, some readers will hit on the right person and figure it out, but if they don't do that until the very end, it doesn't ruin the book for them. In fact, it's very satisfying, because they slowly caught on to what was happening.
So don't make it too easy, but don't try to create something unbelievably absurd simply so you can say "no one ever guesses who the murderer is!"
It should be a surprise for most readers, but a surprise that they're slowly getting close to as the book wraps up. That's the most satisfying experience for readers according to many surveys, so go for it. Write on!
August 4, 2021
No, Self-Publishing is NOT a Scam
I usually don’t leap into this fray because it’s highly controversial and authors seem to enjoy jumping down each other’s throats over it. However, something I saw today made me think that perhaps I can bring a bit of reason into this heated argument, or at the very least, be the adult in the room.
There’s an ongoing verbal fistfight, naturally, about which is better, traditional publishing or self-publishing. Ultimately, that depends on the writer. There are many reasons to gamble that you’ll get traditionally published one day, and there are many reasons to self-publish.
Today I saw a post in a writers group, which I usually stay out of because these groups are typically nothing more than writers fighting with each other about a lot of nonsense. But this post said the following: “If they charge you money, it’s a scam. PERIOD.”
Uh, not true. Not even close.
I know several people who work for self-publishing companies, and the majority of them are most certainly not a scam. They may be offering a service that YOU don’t think people should be interested in, but that does not make them a scam.
As previously mentioned, there are many reasons a writer may choose to have a company handle things if he or she wants to self publish. Perhaps the author does not want to do all the formatting, the editing, the work designing the cover, getting the book a Library of Congress number, adding it to multiple platforms once it’s ready, etc. etc. For those individuals, paying for these services is a good option.
Understandably, people can go the KDP route, but for reasons I’ll save for another blog, that option is quite limited.
Self-publishing companies offer packages that, for the right person, are very helpful and very affordable. The ONLY time such a venture becomes a scam is if the company tells you that they’re offering traditional publishing, but then asks you for money. THAT is a scam, simply because self-publishing and traditional publishing are two completely different processes. You never have to pay for traditional publishing.
However, if you elect to go the self-publishing route and the company does everything they say they will do, such as the things listed above, and they were upfront about the cost, then you simply paid for a service you wanted. That does not constitute a scam. So be careful when you run around saying that ANY company that charges money for publishing services is a scam, because you just might be spreading fake news.
There’s an ongoing verbal fistfight, naturally, about which is better, traditional publishing or self-publishing. Ultimately, that depends on the writer. There are many reasons to gamble that you’ll get traditionally published one day, and there are many reasons to self-publish.
Today I saw a post in a writers group, which I usually stay out of because these groups are typically nothing more than writers fighting with each other about a lot of nonsense. But this post said the following: “If they charge you money, it’s a scam. PERIOD.”
Uh, not true. Not even close.
I know several people who work for self-publishing companies, and the majority of them are most certainly not a scam. They may be offering a service that YOU don’t think people should be interested in, but that does not make them a scam.
As previously mentioned, there are many reasons a writer may choose to have a company handle things if he or she wants to self publish. Perhaps the author does not want to do all the formatting, the editing, the work designing the cover, getting the book a Library of Congress number, adding it to multiple platforms once it’s ready, etc. etc. For those individuals, paying for these services is a good option.
Understandably, people can go the KDP route, but for reasons I’ll save for another blog, that option is quite limited.
Self-publishing companies offer packages that, for the right person, are very helpful and very affordable. The ONLY time such a venture becomes a scam is if the company tells you that they’re offering traditional publishing, but then asks you for money. THAT is a scam, simply because self-publishing and traditional publishing are two completely different processes. You never have to pay for traditional publishing.
However, if you elect to go the self-publishing route and the company does everything they say they will do, such as the things listed above, and they were upfront about the cost, then you simply paid for a service you wanted. That does not constitute a scam. So be careful when you run around saying that ANY company that charges money for publishing services is a scam, because you just might be spreading fake news.
July 30, 2021
Figure Out Who You’re Talking To
All new authors want to run to the entire world with their recently published novel and have everyone read it and rush back to them to say how much they loved it. One critical step they overlook is not anticipating in advance the type of people they are running too.
I recently had someone tell me that my historical fiction book would be better without “all that history in it.” That was just precious. However, that person didn’t mean it as an insult. That particular reader simply doesn’t have the aptitude for deeper plots and obviously has no interest in history. In other words, she didn’t “get it.”
I ventured to ask her who her favorite author was. It was Danielle Steel. If I had known that in advance, I could’ve saved her the trouble reading mine. It also kind of explained why she struggled to get through a few pages of historical dialogue here and there in my novel. She just wasn't used to it. No offense whatsoever to Ms. Steel, but if she’s your favorite author, you probably WOULD feel bogged down reading deeper plots and historical facts within a novel. We have a tendency to like what we get used to and struggle through what we are unfamiliar with.
For that reason, it’s an excellent idea to ask someone ahead of time what type of book they prefer. Beach reads are popular for a reason. They’re light, they don’t bog you down with a lot of intricate details, they’re easy to follow, etc. etc. There’s nothing wrong with that. However, if you wrote something with a lot of meat on the bones like I did, you can't expect someone who’s favorite genre is fluffy romance to understand it or fully appreciate it.
Save yourself the frustration trying to figure out why your book didn’t gel for someone by asking ahead of time where their interests lie. You’ll be glad you did. Write on!
I recently had someone tell me that my historical fiction book would be better without “all that history in it.” That was just precious. However, that person didn’t mean it as an insult. That particular reader simply doesn’t have the aptitude for deeper plots and obviously has no interest in history. In other words, she didn’t “get it.”
I ventured to ask her who her favorite author was. It was Danielle Steel. If I had known that in advance, I could’ve saved her the trouble reading mine. It also kind of explained why she struggled to get through a few pages of historical dialogue here and there in my novel. She just wasn't used to it. No offense whatsoever to Ms. Steel, but if she’s your favorite author, you probably WOULD feel bogged down reading deeper plots and historical facts within a novel. We have a tendency to like what we get used to and struggle through what we are unfamiliar with.
For that reason, it’s an excellent idea to ask someone ahead of time what type of book they prefer. Beach reads are popular for a reason. They’re light, they don’t bog you down with a lot of intricate details, they’re easy to follow, etc. etc. There’s nothing wrong with that. However, if you wrote something with a lot of meat on the bones like I did, you can't expect someone who’s favorite genre is fluffy romance to understand it or fully appreciate it.
Save yourself the frustration trying to figure out why your book didn’t gel for someone by asking ahead of time where their interests lie. You’ll be glad you did. Write on!
July 29, 2021
Sometimes You Have to Pause
There is a lot of controversy about whether or not "thinking" counts as time devoted to writing your novel. Most would say it doesn't. I disagree. I think authors who force themselves to sit down and write before the scenes are fully cooked in their head end up straining and pressuring themselves. I also think it shows in the writing.
I read books where it seemed like that was exactly what happened: the author sat down to force himself or herself to write so many words in order to prove that he or she is dedicated to finishing the book. But who are you proving it too, after all? You know in your heart whether it's just a hobby or you're actually going to do it. You know how dedicated you are. You don't have to prove anything by writing a certain number of words each day.
Sometimes when you stop straining and let your mind wander, the best ideas present themselves. I've gotten some of my most poignant scenes when I'm wandering around on the acres surrounding our house daydreaming. My mind find itself going over details of my book– in this case the sequel to Hot Winter– and suddenly scenes are pouring into my head and there was no straining involved. No stress, no pressuring myself, and no forcing of words that don't want to come.
I'm not saying you can default to "thinking" every day all day long and kid yourself into believing you're going to write a book that way, but sometimes there is cause for pause. It may take you little while to figure out when those times are, but when you find your stride, your books will come out a lot better. Write on!
I read books where it seemed like that was exactly what happened: the author sat down to force himself or herself to write so many words in order to prove that he or she is dedicated to finishing the book. But who are you proving it too, after all? You know in your heart whether it's just a hobby or you're actually going to do it. You know how dedicated you are. You don't have to prove anything by writing a certain number of words each day.
Sometimes when you stop straining and let your mind wander, the best ideas present themselves. I've gotten some of my most poignant scenes when I'm wandering around on the acres surrounding our house daydreaming. My mind find itself going over details of my book– in this case the sequel to Hot Winter– and suddenly scenes are pouring into my head and there was no straining involved. No stress, no pressuring myself, and no forcing of words that don't want to come.
I'm not saying you can default to "thinking" every day all day long and kid yourself into believing you're going to write a book that way, but sometimes there is cause for pause. It may take you little while to figure out when those times are, but when you find your stride, your books will come out a lot better. Write on!
July 28, 2021
Wanting to VS. Knowing How
Writing and education are topics I rarely address because they can erupt so quickly into heated arguments. I've met many people who want to write for a living. They may have a novel in mind or their goal may be to work for a newspaper, magazine, or other publication. Naturally, I agree it's a wonderful ambition. However, wanting to do it and knowing how to do it are two different things.
I met a young lady one time who showed me a poem she wrote and the raw creative talent literally jumped off the pages. Unfortunately, she had "there," "they're" and "their" mixed up. Enough said. Sadly, instead of taking my advice, which I rarely give, she reacted with a bit of a chip-on the-shoulder attitude and informed me that you can't "teach someone to have talent," and therefore further schooling was unnecessary.
Actually, she's right and she's wrong. You absolutely can't teach someone to be gifted. You can't teach a person to have talent if no natural talent is there, and you can't teach creativity. Nevertheless, you CAN teach someone how to take their skills, gifts, and talents and use them to their best advantage. With writing, this can't be done without an education. You can have all the raw talent in the world, but the minute the editor sees the "there," "they're" and "their" issue, he or she won't bother to read another word. I'm sure I don't have to explain why.
THAT'S the difference between wanting to do something and knowing HOW. Some people have an outstanding aptitude for math, but unless someone shows them the steps and the formulas, the numbers don't mean anything and the raw talent will go forever unrealized. Some people would make exceptional athletes, but without someone showing them how to do the jumps and the twirls and the spins, they're probably only going to end up with a broken ankle when they hit the uneven bars.
No one likes to take the long road these days, but for some careers you absolutely MUST have a certain level of education, and writing is one of them. A friend of mine described a book once that was so horrible she didn't know what to say. Unfortunately it was written by a friend of HERS. I finally asked to look at it and after three tries I couldn't get past the midway point. It had fragmented sentences, punctuation problems, misspellings, and so many issues with the dialogue that some parts I had to read three times to figure out who was speaking. Now, ALL books have typos. Even the "greats." Primarily because editors now use software to catch all the mistakes, and software doesn't catch all mistakes. Enough said there. However, this wasn't a software problem, this was just simply someone who didn't know how to write.
Sadly, this writer has three books on Amazon and the last time I looked (just out of morbid curiosity) a customer had said in a review "I really wanted to love this book, but it was so full of sentence structure problems, juvenile dialogue, and punctuation issues that I couldn't get past the second chapter. Readers like me pay good money for books and we expect that at least the author would polish their craft before putting it out there for people to spend money on."
YIKES!
Yet the book was still there several months later. Honestly, after a review like that, the writer should have removed it and had someone edit it or waited until she could afford to hire someone to do so. I can only think maybe she had the same attitude as my poet friend I met all those years ago. In other words, thinking it's okay the way it is and it's just everyone else picking on her.
Sometimes those critiques need to be taken seriously. The bottom line is, I would never try to talk someone out of trying to become a writer, but no matter WHO you are, you DO need some type of formal training to make sure you know how to do it before you put yourself out there as an author. It's kind of like those crazy American Idol auditions. The people who couldn't sing will live on in infamy on YouTube forever and who wants to be known for making a fool out of themselves? I know that sounds harsh, but it's not nearly as harsh as the criticism you'll get if you try to do something that you clearly don't how to do. You also won't get anywhere in your career, which is the whole point of you wanting to write. There is no shortcut on this one. Sorry. Write on!
I met a young lady one time who showed me a poem she wrote and the raw creative talent literally jumped off the pages. Unfortunately, she had "there," "they're" and "their" mixed up. Enough said. Sadly, instead of taking my advice, which I rarely give, she reacted with a bit of a chip-on the-shoulder attitude and informed me that you can't "teach someone to have talent," and therefore further schooling was unnecessary.
Actually, she's right and she's wrong. You absolutely can't teach someone to be gifted. You can't teach a person to have talent if no natural talent is there, and you can't teach creativity. Nevertheless, you CAN teach someone how to take their skills, gifts, and talents and use them to their best advantage. With writing, this can't be done without an education. You can have all the raw talent in the world, but the minute the editor sees the "there," "they're" and "their" issue, he or she won't bother to read another word. I'm sure I don't have to explain why.
THAT'S the difference between wanting to do something and knowing HOW. Some people have an outstanding aptitude for math, but unless someone shows them the steps and the formulas, the numbers don't mean anything and the raw talent will go forever unrealized. Some people would make exceptional athletes, but without someone showing them how to do the jumps and the twirls and the spins, they're probably only going to end up with a broken ankle when they hit the uneven bars.
No one likes to take the long road these days, but for some careers you absolutely MUST have a certain level of education, and writing is one of them. A friend of mine described a book once that was so horrible she didn't know what to say. Unfortunately it was written by a friend of HERS. I finally asked to look at it and after three tries I couldn't get past the midway point. It had fragmented sentences, punctuation problems, misspellings, and so many issues with the dialogue that some parts I had to read three times to figure out who was speaking. Now, ALL books have typos. Even the "greats." Primarily because editors now use software to catch all the mistakes, and software doesn't catch all mistakes. Enough said there. However, this wasn't a software problem, this was just simply someone who didn't know how to write.
Sadly, this writer has three books on Amazon and the last time I looked (just out of morbid curiosity) a customer had said in a review "I really wanted to love this book, but it was so full of sentence structure problems, juvenile dialogue, and punctuation issues that I couldn't get past the second chapter. Readers like me pay good money for books and we expect that at least the author would polish their craft before putting it out there for people to spend money on."
YIKES!
Yet the book was still there several months later. Honestly, after a review like that, the writer should have removed it and had someone edit it or waited until she could afford to hire someone to do so. I can only think maybe she had the same attitude as my poet friend I met all those years ago. In other words, thinking it's okay the way it is and it's just everyone else picking on her.
Sometimes those critiques need to be taken seriously. The bottom line is, I would never try to talk someone out of trying to become a writer, but no matter WHO you are, you DO need some type of formal training to make sure you know how to do it before you put yourself out there as an author. It's kind of like those crazy American Idol auditions. The people who couldn't sing will live on in infamy on YouTube forever and who wants to be known for making a fool out of themselves? I know that sounds harsh, but it's not nearly as harsh as the criticism you'll get if you try to do something that you clearly don't how to do. You also won't get anywhere in your career, which is the whole point of you wanting to write. There is no shortcut on this one. Sorry. Write on!
July 26, 2021
Tell Them to Put it Where it Belongs
Virtually all libraries will accept a new author’s novel if the person is willing to donate the book and it does not look like a communist manifesto or a manual on how to fly to outer space. However, when you hand your baby over to those polite strangers behind the desk, make sure they know where it needs to live.
Although they mean well, library employees often place such books in a “local authors” section. It seems like a good idea, but unfortunately, it’s a great way to have your book overlooked. There are several reasons for this. For example, many indie authors have self-published memoirs, and it can make the “local writers” section look like it only features memoirs. While I have nothing against that genre, it is not typically the one most readers seek out first when searching for new books. All genres have a market, but memoirs written by people who are not famous are typically a tough sell.
Secondly, the phrase “local authors” immediately engenders mild contempt. Don’t believe me? Have someone at your library do an experiment by creating a local author section and a “writers from NYC/San Francisco/Chicago” section and see which one people gravitate to. It’s just that old saying proved out once again “familiarity breeds contempt.”
Fortunately, there’s a very simple solution. Ask the librarian to catalog your book where it belongs. If it’s historical fiction, that’s the section in which it should be showcased. If it’s sci-fi, it should be right there on the shelf with all those other spaceships. Memoirs should go in the autobiography section, and nonfiction… well, you get the idea. So don’t be shy. Tell them to put it where it belongs. Write on!
Although they mean well, library employees often place such books in a “local authors” section. It seems like a good idea, but unfortunately, it’s a great way to have your book overlooked. There are several reasons for this. For example, many indie authors have self-published memoirs, and it can make the “local writers” section look like it only features memoirs. While I have nothing against that genre, it is not typically the one most readers seek out first when searching for new books. All genres have a market, but memoirs written by people who are not famous are typically a tough sell.
Secondly, the phrase “local authors” immediately engenders mild contempt. Don’t believe me? Have someone at your library do an experiment by creating a local author section and a “writers from NYC/San Francisco/Chicago” section and see which one people gravitate to. It’s just that old saying proved out once again “familiarity breeds contempt.”
Fortunately, there’s a very simple solution. Ask the librarian to catalog your book where it belongs. If it’s historical fiction, that’s the section in which it should be showcased. If it’s sci-fi, it should be right there on the shelf with all those other spaceships. Memoirs should go in the autobiography section, and nonfiction… well, you get the idea. So don’t be shy. Tell them to put it where it belongs. Write on!
July 25, 2021
The Author Didn't Do It–Honest
Just a quick word about reviews: some people are under the impression that it is AUTHORS who delete reviews from Amazon. Let me be very clear about something. Authors cannot access reviews with regard to deleting them or approving them. Amazon’s software does that. All we, as the authors can do, is read them. Even if a review is nothing more than a spiteful person saying something nasty because they don’t like us, we still can’t do anything about it.
So, rest assured if you left a nice review for an author who is not well known yet and it disappeared, it was NOT the author deleting it. Similar to what many other companies have done, Amazon has fallen into the trap of allowing software and apps to decide what a “real” review is and what a “fake” review is. Naturally they get it wrong most of the time. That’s because a robot can’t do a human’s job, but because companies make more money using software than paying people, that kind of stupidity is here to stay.
The funny thing is, I have almost 50 reviews and all except five of them are from perfect strangers. I lost 19 to Amazon’s ridiculous software and review purges, but the five that were from people I knew are still there. I kind of wish the software HAD worked because it would have left me 14 to the good. Who knows what the big deal is anyway? Do they think it’s impossible for someone you know to read your book and like it? I guess so because it’s automatically assumed that those reviews are “fake.” Anyway, I digress. Bottom line is, if you have ever left a nice review for an author you like, rest assured that author did not delete it… faulty software did.
So, rest assured if you left a nice review for an author who is not well known yet and it disappeared, it was NOT the author deleting it. Similar to what many other companies have done, Amazon has fallen into the trap of allowing software and apps to decide what a “real” review is and what a “fake” review is. Naturally they get it wrong most of the time. That’s because a robot can’t do a human’s job, but because companies make more money using software than paying people, that kind of stupidity is here to stay.
The funny thing is, I have almost 50 reviews and all except five of them are from perfect strangers. I lost 19 to Amazon’s ridiculous software and review purges, but the five that were from people I knew are still there. I kind of wish the software HAD worked because it would have left me 14 to the good. Who knows what the big deal is anyway? Do they think it’s impossible for someone you know to read your book and like it? I guess so because it’s automatically assumed that those reviews are “fake.” Anyway, I digress. Bottom line is, if you have ever left a nice review for an author you like, rest assured that author did not delete it… faulty software did.
July 19, 2021
Maybe You Don’t Need ‘Em After All
One of the first things people tell newly published authors is to get their book on every social media site on the planet. Well, I’m not saying this is bad advice, but something that, in my humble opinion, gets overlooked significantly, is pinpointing your demographic and focusing on the social media sites where that demographic is likely to be on a regular basis.
In other words, instead of spreading yourself so thin over every social media site in existence– and wearing yourself out keeping up with it all– it might be better to research where the demographic for your book actually hangs out. If you’re writing fantasy and sci-fi, you have a broad audience, but those genres are extremely popular with younger people right now. Therefore, if you want to target readers in their late teens and early 20s, Instagram, Pinterest, MeWe, Tumblr, Tiktok, etc, are great options.
If you write historical fiction, suspense, crime dramas, self-help manuals, business related works, you may find more of your demographic on Facebook, Twitter or even LinkedIn.
Naturally, before anyone feels the need to make the point, readers do not always fit neatly into profiles and there is no way to know exactly where you might find a new fan. However, there is a lot to be said for patterns, and statistically, the patterns show that certain age groups gravitate more to some social media platforms than others.
If you have the time and energy to advertise in ALL of them, then go for it! However, if you have limited time or you plan to spend money on ads, it is a good idea to research and hone in on a handful of your best choices, rather than spread yourself too thin! Write on!
In other words, instead of spreading yourself so thin over every social media site in existence– and wearing yourself out keeping up with it all– it might be better to research where the demographic for your book actually hangs out. If you’re writing fantasy and sci-fi, you have a broad audience, but those genres are extremely popular with younger people right now. Therefore, if you want to target readers in their late teens and early 20s, Instagram, Pinterest, MeWe, Tumblr, Tiktok, etc, are great options.
If you write historical fiction, suspense, crime dramas, self-help manuals, business related works, you may find more of your demographic on Facebook, Twitter or even LinkedIn.
Naturally, before anyone feels the need to make the point, readers do not always fit neatly into profiles and there is no way to know exactly where you might find a new fan. However, there is a lot to be said for patterns, and statistically, the patterns show that certain age groups gravitate more to some social media platforms than others.
If you have the time and energy to advertise in ALL of them, then go for it! However, if you have limited time or you plan to spend money on ads, it is a good idea to research and hone in on a handful of your best choices, rather than spread yourself too thin! Write on!
July 18, 2021
No–It’s Actually NOT Just a Numbers Game
Beware when you first publish a book, because promotional offers will come out of the woodwork from far and wide. One of the most popular– probably because it’s the easiest for merchants to push– is the classic “I will tweet your book to 500,000 people,” or “I will advertise your book on my Instagram account to 5000 followers.”
It sounds great, right? Getting your book in front of all those eyes? Unfortunately, those ventures rarely work out. Here’s why:
It’s NOT just a numbers game. The issue is, who and what makes up the database? Many times, the followers to whom your book will be advertised are primarily other authors who want to advertise THEIR books. Well, you don’t need me to tell you that that particular demographic is NOT the one you’re looking for.
Unknown authors are the worst offenders when it comes to turning up their noses at OTHER unknown authors’ works, so you definitely don’t want to waste your time and money advertising to that demographic.
Before you get involved in any venture like that, ALWAYS ask the person soliciting WHO your book will be advertised to. The merchant should be able to show that they can target your demographic, whether you write fiction, nonfiction, mysteries, sci-fi, romance or any other type of book. It’s not just getting it in front of a lot of people, it’s getting it in front of the RIGHT people.
Don’t be afraid to ask questions and demand that they pinpoint the type of market to which the book will be advertised, and if they can’t answer that question, you should consider it a red flag. Write on!
It sounds great, right? Getting your book in front of all those eyes? Unfortunately, those ventures rarely work out. Here’s why:
It’s NOT just a numbers game. The issue is, who and what makes up the database? Many times, the followers to whom your book will be advertised are primarily other authors who want to advertise THEIR books. Well, you don’t need me to tell you that that particular demographic is NOT the one you’re looking for.
Unknown authors are the worst offenders when it comes to turning up their noses at OTHER unknown authors’ works, so you definitely don’t want to waste your time and money advertising to that demographic.
Before you get involved in any venture like that, ALWAYS ask the person soliciting WHO your book will be advertised to. The merchant should be able to show that they can target your demographic, whether you write fiction, nonfiction, mysteries, sci-fi, romance or any other type of book. It’s not just getting it in front of a lot of people, it’s getting it in front of the RIGHT people.
Don’t be afraid to ask questions and demand that they pinpoint the type of market to which the book will be advertised, and if they can’t answer that question, you should consider it a red flag. Write on!
