P.H. Solomon's Blog, page 306

Just How Much Magic Belongs in #Fantasy? CAROL MARRS PHIPPS of #RaveReviewsBookClub gives her views

PHS:

Rebloggiing on Archer’s Aim: great thoughts about one of the main elements of fantasy fiction and how much of it is actually necessary.

Originally posted on Tea Talks: Home of Helen Treharne, Writer and Reviewer:

We’ve been hearing about this. It seems to pop up as though magic content in a piece of writing is something wholly arbitrary, as thoughit were just a matter of setting a thermostat. This shouldn’t be too surprising in this digital age of stimulus starvation, this diminished world of the future, where very few of us go into the woods with an axe in order to survive, where conversation is being replaced in cinema with swooping dives off skyscrapers and tumbling infernos of colliding cars. If our fantasy writing needs punch, we just scroll to the far end and click, right? We just add magic.

We disagree. After a certain point, plunges off tall buildings get boring. Magicdoesadd interest, depth and excitement. It can even turn loose an inventive writer’s imagination, but too much ruins everything.

We use magic with a great deal of respect and…

View original 301 more words

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Starting an Author Platform Pt. 7: Why an Author Book Club Can Help

It’s been several weeks since I wrote about this series. However, I’ve had this topic on my mind for a while so I thought I’d address it today.

A book club for authors (as well as readers) can be a valuable piece of a writing platform that is often over-looked. The club can provide many resources for a writer. First I’ll share from the experiences I’ve had with my own club membership with Rave Reviews Book Club and then I’ll address things which you should consider before joining any such club/organization.

Here are a number of benefits I’ve found important as a member of a book club:

1. It’s largely a community of supportive authors interested in promoting each other from the strength of a group. This is very important since Rave Reviews Book Club now has over six hundred member. What I share over social media is vastly amplified. One of the upcoming changes with RRBC is an internet radio network which is important for learning to interview (you can learn from listening as well as being a guest). But also, your writing brand can be amplified in another venue that can generate sales for authors.

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2. Reviews can be tough to find, especially for new authors who are self-published. With my group membership, I’ve received a number of helpful, honest reviews that I likely wouldn’t have gotten otherwise.

3. Information is readily shared about a number of topics. I can ask for thoughts on anything from marketing/promotions to writing technique and get willing answers that are helpful and timely.

4. Perhaps this goes with number one, but the encouragement is invaluable. I now have relationships with other authors who offer cheerful words, inspiration and gracious assistance. Also, accomplishments are celebrated which is keeps are lonely writer’s spirits afloat when writing gets tough.

5. I get to help other writers which is far more important than it seems. In this digital age, tooting someone else’s horn is important to networking and spreading your writing brand further.

Those are just a few of the useful benefits I’ve received from my book club membership as an author. But what are some of the caveats? Know what the club expectations are. I have to do 4 reviews from the club catalog per year (and I still have a few left to do). There are other club rules about the usage of the club’s monikers on the internet. You should be prepared to spend some time participating in some sort of support for fellow authors so your efforts will be reciprocated. Be aware of expected behavior with other club members – it’s good to hone your professionalism for when you are dealing with the public. You need to learn to give thoughtful, honest reviews. Lastly, be aware that there’s a monetary cost for membership and what you put into your membership with your actions is what you get out of it.

I’ve put as much as I can into my own membership and received a great deal back from my very helpful fellow members. So take some time and consider being a member of an author’s book club. Be careful with your choice and gauge whether any club is valid as well as what time you can commit to the requirements. Take time to understand what benefits you can expect from the club. There are any number of clubs and organizations that legitimately helpful to authors so investigate them and choose based on your needs.

Have you considered joining some sort of an author’s organization? What benefits would you look for in a club? Please share your thoughts and ideas in the comments section. I’d also love to connect with you over social media so check my Contact page for that information. See the News page for announcements and remember to sign-up to receive news and posts by email. I’ve added a new sign-up tab on my FaceBook page to simplify the process. New followers can download The Black Bag via free coupon today! Also, the cover of my book, The Bow of Destiny, was revealed recently so take a look.

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Filed under: Author Platform, Blogging, Cover Reveal, Creativity, Indie Publishing, Marketing, Pinterest, Planning, Rave Review Book Club, Reviews, Self-publishing, Social Media, The Black Bag, The Bow of Destiny, Tips, Twitter, Writing Tagged: Author Platform, blogging, Coverart, Facebook, Indie Publishing, Marketing, P. H. Solomon, Rave Reviews Book Club, Reviews, RRBC, Self-publishing, Social Media, The Black Bag, The Bow of Destiny, Tips, Twitter, writing

Lost Your Scratchpad? Here It Is In Scrivener!

Scrivener is a powerful writing tool. I write about it weekly with tips and usage ideas. To read more of my posts click the Scrivener tag or category at the end of the page.

If you read this blog very much then you know I like finding and figuring out how to use the various tools and settings in Scrivener so I can write more efficiently. I also like to share these usage tips so other authors also benefit from Scrivener . With that in mind, I’m sharing another tool in Scrivener that you may not know about: the Scratchpad.

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First let’s find out how to open this tool. Click on Tools and then on Scratchpad (from the keyboard that’s CTR + Shift + 0 (that the numerical zero not the letter O).

Opening Scratchpad gives you this basic window.

But what’s the purpose of this tool? If you use the Inspector you may already use the Document Notes to add various details to a document in progress. But Scratchpad is just what is sounds like – that scratchpad you keep by your computer and take ad hoc notes. Guess what? Scratchpad in Scrivener acts the same way but you can do more like send it directly to a project that you currently have open.

So here’s how it goes – say you are like me and have several projects open. I might be journaling or revising or whatever and a stray thought hits me about something else I’ve got open. This happens to me especially while I’m journaling. I might write the thought down in my journal and there it stays until I want to put it in the appropriate project. Then I have to go searching through my journal trying to remember what day I wrote the note. The same thing happens with that scratchpad by your computer.

With the Scrivener Scratchpad you can just open it and put the note there. If you have the project open that relates to the note you can send it to that project. Here’s how – at the bottom-center of the Scratchpad is the “Send file to Scrivener” button. Click on this and you are shown all the projects you have open. From there you get a series of fly-out menus that allows you to drill as far down as necessary in your project and send the note to the chosen location. There are 2 choices – sending the note to the location you choose or appending the text to the location you choose. In other words it will either copy the note directly to the chosen location or place the content directly in that location.

How does that work? I just wrote an example note and sent the copy to this post in my Blogs 2015 project. It creates a sub-document to the document in which the text is located. No more lost notes, now it’s in a specific location.

When I choose to append, it puts the text at the very end of the document. This is handy for something like what I was doing last night and should have used the Scratchpad for instead of bouncing around between projects to do. I had placed some notes in my journal about my novella, What Is Needed, regarding a change to the ending. I could have easily used Scratchpad to write that ending and, as long as the project was open, append that content to What Is Needed.

You can write in a document while the Scratchpad is open so if you work on a large screen or multiple montiors you can drag it around and leave it open. Also, there’s a feature to print contents of your screen and save it or even choose part of a document to print to screen like this:

So Scrivener’s Scretchpad is a simple tool for making notes and inserting them into documents or making screenshots that you can save or insert as a note somewhere else. It’s a handy tool I plan to use more often. Since you can use the keyword to turn it on quickly, you can use the same keyboard command to close it so you can toggle in and out of Scratchpad as needed. Give it a try and see what you can do to better track your odd notes, ideas and such and then insert them as necessary into other projects.

Do you often lose track of your notes either on paper or in Scrivener? If you use Scratchpad, how do you make use of it? Please share your thoughts and ideas in the comments section. I’d also love to connect with you over social media so check my Contact page for that information. See the News page for announcements and remember to sign-up to receive news and posts by email. I’ve added a new sign-up tab on my FaceBook page to simplify the process. New followers can download The Black Bag via free coupon today! Also, the cover of my book, The Bow of Destiny, was revealed recently so take a look.

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Just as a note: I am not affiliated with Scrivener in any official capacity. For support questions, pricing and other concerns please contact the vendor.

 

Filed under: Blogging, Cover Reveal, Creativity, Editing, Indie Publishing, Planning, Scrivener, Self-publishing, Short Fiction, Short Stories, Social Media, Tech Tips, The Black Bag, The Bow of Destiny, Tips, Twitter, What is Needed, Writing Tagged: blogging, Coverart, creativity, Editing, Facebook, Indie Publishing, P. H. Solomon, Planning, Scratchpad, Scrivener, Self-publishing, Short Stories, Social Media, The Black Bag, The Bow of Destiny, Twitter, What is Needed, writing

Deep POV Tips Part 2

A few weeks ago I attended a webinar the subject of which was deep third person POV and wrote Part 1 of this series shortly after that time. As promised, here are more tips gleaned from the presentation that you may find helpful you as I know they will for me.

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Editing for Deep POV

The effects of deep POV

The reader is inside the POV character’s mind which keeps the reader part of the action as opposed to being an outside observer.
Show vs. tell problems are eliminated by deep POV so the reader is closer to the action as a result.
Most writers have trouble with passive voice seeping into their writing. With deep POV this passivity is also eliminated in favor of the POV character’s ongoing action.
With deep POV the author’s voice intrudes far less and as a consequence brings the reader closer to the character so that they are fascinated with the motivations of even a repugnant antagonist.
Deep POV keeps the story moving ahead by being in the present, reducing the need for flashbacks (unless the character experiences such an event from trauma) and also reveals only the details the POV character is experiencing. For instance, the POV character cannot know what events and circumstances are affecting another character unless the POVC are informed in some way.
This make the writing tighter so the reader’s attention is more strongly fixed  and energized so the reader’s focus wants to find out what happens next and turns pages.

That’s all I have for today. I’ll write more about what I’m learning concerning this writing technique in upcoming posts. Looking for more resources on the subject? Here are some related links you may find interesting:

The Emotion Thesaurus by Angela Akerman.

Rivet Your Readers with Deep Point of View by Jill Elizabeth Nelson

Writer’s Guide to Emotion: Fiction Writing Tools by Sherry Soule

Looking for more articles on POV? Check out Janice Hardy’s Fiction University.

Please share your thoughts and ideas in the comments section. I’d also love to connect with you over social media so check my Contact page for that information. See the News page for announcements and remember to sign-up to receive news and posts by email. I’ve added a new sign-up tab on my FaceBook page to simplify the process. New followers can download The Black Bag via free coupon today! Also, the cover of my book, The Bow of Destiny, was revealed recently so take a look.

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Filed under: Creativity, Deep POV, Editing, Fiction, Tips, What is Needed, Writing Tagged: creativity, Crowdfunding, Crowdsourcing, Deep POV, Indie Publishing, P. H. Solomon, The Bow of Destiny, What is Needed, writing

Scrivener Templates and Project Management Pt. 5: Book Reviews

Clip Art Image Copyright by Microsoft. Clip Art Used by Permission of Microsoft

Scrivener has been a key component to improving my productivity this year. I’ve recently written about various uses for Scrivener such as blog posts, newsletters and even template email messages. Additionally, I’ve shared about using Scrivener templates including some resources for these. In my last post I shared about managing templates. In Part 4 I released my Author Platform Management template. A few posts pastin this series I indicated how I’ll use Scrivener more in the coming year. In my most recent edition I revealed how I’ll approach my increased usage. Today, I’ll reveal a new template and I’m planning another how-to post next week as well as another addition to the Author Platform Management template.

I recently had a Twitter conversation with V. Walker who read how I’m using Scrivener more this year. She expressed her interest in the software with a retweet. I noticed that she was, among several things, a reviewer.

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What ensued was a short conversation about how she might use Scrivener – as a reviewer. I hadn’t thought of it previously but what another great way to make use of this software. Some people do short reviews on Amazon, Goodreads, etc. But some people review more seriously than others. The Binder is a great way to manage numerous reviews.

Screenshot: Book Review Template

Imagine reviewing lots of books but being confused as to what you’ve done already. With Scrivener you could easily track them and schedule your reviews. What an improvement over individual files if you used a single project for each year.

Well that gave me another idea for a template – reviews. It works much like those for newsletters or blogs but I’ve added some specifics that I imagine serious reviewers might need. I’ve include a rudimentary binder organization and a calendar of schedules as well as tracking. Again, it’s free to download. Feel free to make your own suggestions and I’ll be happy to update and share a newer version.

What other ways can you think of using Scrivener? Please share your thoughts and ideas in the comments section. I’d also love to connect with you over social media so check my Contact page for that information. See the News page for announcements and remember to sign-up to receive news and posts by email. I’ve added a new sign-up tab on my FaceBook page to simplify the process. New followers can download The Black Bag via free coupon today! Also, the cover of my book, The Bow of Destiny, was revealed recently so take a look.

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Clip art licensed from Microsoft Office.

Also, in no way do I represent Scrivener or sell the product. All questions about the product, its sales, support and licensing for your own computing needs should be referred to the company.

Filed under: Blogging, Cover Reveal, Creativity, Fantasy, Fiction, Indie Publishing, Planning, Reviews, Scrivener, Self-publishing, Social Media, Tech Tips, Templates, The Black Bag, The Bow of Destiny, Tips, Twitter, Writing Tagged: Announcement, blogging, creativity, Facebook, Indie Publishing, P. H. Solomon, Planning, Reviews, Scrivener, Self-publishing, Social Media, Templates, The Black Bag, The Bow of Destiny, Twitter, writing

3 Tips for Editing to Deep POV PT 1

Last week I attended a webinar about using deep third person POV. Here are some tips gleaned from the presentation that you may find helpful you as I know they will  for me.

Editing for Deep POV

1. Eliminate all words about thinking, seeing, etc. from the POV character. Instead let the internal dialog carry out that function.

2. Eliminate all prepositional telling – those prepositional phrases that tell  about emotion, thoughts, moods, etc. of the POV character. Instead convey these by showing.

3. Forego using words for emotion and state of being (angry, happy, sad, etc.) and use physical effects from the POV character’s actions, dialog, etc. Familiarize yourself with emotions and how to express them. A great book for this is The Emotion Thesaurus by Angela Akerman.

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Still need more pointers? Try these books for deeper POV explanations:

Rivet Your Readers with Deep Point of View by Jill Elizabeth Nelson

Writer’s Guide to Emotion: Fiction Writing Tools by Sherry Soule

Looking for more articles on POV? Check out Janice Hardy’s Fiction University.

I’ll share more tips from these books and the webinar over my next several posts and even expand on the concepts as well.

Please share your thoughts and ideas in the comments section. I’d also love to connect with you over social media so check my Contact page for that information. See the News page for announcements and remember to sign-up to receive news and posts by email. I’ve added a new sign-up tab on my FaceBook page to simplify the process. New followers can download The Black Bag via free coupon today! Also, the cover of my book, The Bow of Destiny, was revealed recently so take a look.

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Filed under: Creativity, Deep POV, Editing, Self-publishing, Writing Tagged: Deep POV, Editing, Indie Publishing, P. H. Solomon, Smashwords, The Black Bag, The Bow of Destiny, writing

Scrivener Tips Pt. 1: Tracking Progress

I’ve recently written about Scrivener templates and different types of content that could be developed using this software. In fact, I’m using it as I write this blog. But for new users, finding information and tracking projects can be confusing. Here’s a short post with a tip to help other new users track their content.

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Where Is Everything?

Learning robust software like Scrivener can appear daunting when you first start using it. You jump right in and start creating folders and text containers. The binder isn’t too hard to master and writing is writing.

But how much did you write? How do you set goals and track them? Fortunately, there are tools available in Scrivener that meet these needs.

Words written appear in the bottom bar of Scrivener. This count and amount cover just the container in which you are writing. That’s simple enough. But what if you need more specifics?

The Projects Menu – Project Targets

The answer is the built into Scrivener. Click the Projects menu and then choose Project Targets.

Want to set and track goals? Use these Project settings.

You’ll note that I’ve set this goal to 500 hundreds and my session target to 500 hundred words. If I were writing more later in this same container (for example, if this were a long scene in a book/chapter), I would have another session goal later. By checking my current session I know if I’ve reached my daily goal if that’s important. So that’s an easy way to know how much I’ve done already and what my goal is.

The Projects Menu – Project Stats

But what about seeing more about my project statistics? On the Projects menu select Project Statistics and this is what’s displayed:

You’ll see what the whole project statistics in words and pages. In my example what is showing is my whole Blog 2015 project which is quite new. But if this were a book that total would be more meaningful. For my current purposes I would be concerned with the second displayed section – Selection. This indicates how many words I have in my current blog. At this point, it’s actually several hundred more words than this screenshot but you get the point.

Want to change some of what is displayed? Click the Options tab:

The Projects Menu – Text Statistics

Need more information about what you’re writing? Just click the Projects menu again and choose Text Statistics. Click the arrow beside Word Frequency. This displays information about the your word usage which is very handy to see how often you are repeating words.

So there are a few tips on viewing and managing your goals and content. Want to read more of my Scrivener-related posts. Check some of my recent posts or click the Scrivener category near the end of this page. And yes, I did meet – and surpassed – my set goal for this post!

Got any Scrivener tips of your own to share? Please share your thoughts and ideas in the comments section. I’d also love to connect with you over social media so check my Contact page for that information. See the News page for announcements and remember to sign-up to receive news and posts by email. I’ve added a new sign-up tab on my FaceBook page to simplify the process. New followers can download The Black Bag via free coupon today! Also, the cover of my book, The Bow of Destiny, was revealed recently so take a look.

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Scrivener screenshots from my 2015 blog project.

Cover art for The Black Bag licensed from iStockPhoto.

Filed under: Blogging, Creativity, Fantasy, Fiction, Indie Publishing, Planning, Scrivener, Self-publishing, Social Media, Tips, Twitter, Writing Tagged: blogging, Coverart, creativity, Facebook, Indie Publishing, Launch, P. H. Solomon, Scrivener, Self-publishing, Social Media, The Black Bag, The Bow of Destiny, Twitter, writing

Splitsville: Using Scrivener to Split Content

Scrivener is a powerful writing tool. I write about it weekly with tips and usage ideas. To read more of my posts click the Scrivener tag or category at the end of the page.

For some reason Thursdays are becoming Scrivener question days that translate into a Friday blog post. However, that’s fine with me, I can re-arrange my schedule and go with the pitch. I received a question via Twitter asking how to split one chapter into two within Scrivener. It’s a good question so I thought I’d share it today.

First of all, as with all major changes to your manuscript, I advise making a snapshot so you can rollback easily. It’s a small detail but it can really save you some stress if you make a mistake.

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Scrivener basically recognizes individual folders as a chapter and the sub-documents as scenes. So there can be several ways to organize a chapter. You may have one chapter’s content in a single document. You may also have several documents within your chapter-folder representing several scenes.

In the first scenario you can use this procedure to split the chapter. Click to the location in the content where you want to split the chapter so that the cursor is blinking – presumably at the beginning of a paragraph. Next, click Documents slide down the menu to Split and choose “at Selection” off the fly-out menu. This will give you a new document with the content split.

At this point, if you want the new document to be a folder that’s easily done. Just click Documents again, slide to Convert and choose Convert to Folder from the fly-out menu. The folder will be at the same level as the original document so make sure to move it to the left in the Binder (right-click on the folder, got to Move on the context-menu and choose Left).

In the second scenario where you have several scenes, you basically want to re-arrange your manuscript some. Create a new folder at the same level in the Binder as your other chapter folders and name it accordingly. Then just drag individual scene-documents into the new folder. If you need to split a scene-document use the same procedure as the first scenario to do so. However, don’t convert this split scene into a new folder, just drag it into the new chapter-folder you’ve created.

If you make a mistake – and assuming you’ve made your snapshot – just rollback to the original and start over. Remember, the Binder is your basic organizational tool in Scrivener and it’s what makes this software so incredible – you can make structural changes like these very easily.

Could the Split command be the answer to a major change in your manuscript? What tips do you have to re-structure in Scrivener? Please share your thoughts and ideas in the comments section. I’d also love to connect with you over social media so check my Contact page for that information. See the News page for announcements and remember to sign-up to receive news and posts by email. I’ve added a new sign-up tab on my FaceBook page to simplify the process. New followers can download The Black Bag via free coupon today! Also, the cover of my book, The Bow of Destiny, was revealed recently so take a look.

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Just as a note: I am not affiliated with Scrivener in any official capacity. For support questions, pricing and other concerns please contact the vendor.

 

Filed under: Blogging, Cover Reveal, Editing, Indie Publishing, Planning, Scrivener, Self-publishing, Tech Tips, The Black Bag, The Bow of Destiny, Tips, Twitter, Writing Tagged: blogging, Coverart, creativity, Editing, Facebook, Indie Publishing, P. H. Solomon, Planning, Scrivener, Self-publishing, The Black Bag, The Bow of Destiny, Twitter, writing

Blog Tour: Harmony Kent & Finding Katie

Today, I’m hosting Harmony Kent on her blog tour for her latest book, Finding Katie. Please join me in welcoming Harmony on Archer’s Aim. Take it away, Harmony!

Hello and thanks for stopping by! I would like to thank my host for today for letting me invade their space. And a big thanks also to 4Wills Publishing for setting up this blog tour for me. For my previous tour stops, please check out the 4Wills current events page.

I am so excited to be able to share my book trailer video with you today for my latest book, Finding Katie.

https://youtu.be/gMgSD_R1Ggo

Kate takes the first opportunity she can to hurt herself, so she doesn’t have to feel the other pain. The real pain. But the nurses have different ideas, and won’t leave her be. They steal what little bit of calm she had managed to scrape out. Were things always this bad? She coped before, didn’t she? What will happen to her?

Excerpt from Chapter Four:          

Bliss.

Beautiful pain.

The only way I know to stop the nutcase who lives in my head from ranting at me every single minute of every single freakin’ day.

Calm.

Peace.

Until …

Melanie runs into the room. A look of horror on her face. Sandra is close behind. After her is Suzy, who is white as chalk. I get in one last slice before Melanie presses her fingers on either side of my wrist and I drop the scissors. What’d she just do? I had, like, no control. That is one cool move. I so have to learn how to do that.

For the briefest of moments the room is a frozen tableau of shock and horror. Then everyone starts running everywhere and calling for more staff. Sandra pulls the emergency call button. Melanie clamps her hand down over my arm. She’s covered in my blood.

‘Chillax, dude. It’s not so bad,’ I mumble, and lay back into my pillows. I close my eyes in an effort to get back some of that calm.

‘Oh no you don’t, missy.’ Sandra’s harsh tones pull me back out of it. Bitch. ‘Open those eyes, now. Right now.’ Her stubby fingers pull open one lid then the other, and she isn’t too gentle about it either.

The room fills with people. Way too many bodies.

Book Blurb:

I killed someone, you see. I killed the girl, who used to be me.

I’m Kate … Kate Charlesworth. I’m seventeen, and self-harming. This time I cut too deep, and I’m in hospital. I hadn’t meant for it to be so bad—it just sort of happened. I needed a lot of distraction that day.

You’ve had bad days, right? Days it hurts too much to think. Days you just wanna stay in bed. Days when the world needs to go away for a while. Right?

What do you do when you’ve hit rock bottom? When there’s nowhere left to turn?

This one little mistake lands me back on a psych unit—the last place I wanna be. Only this time, the nurse I end up with isn’t content to stick on a band-aid and send me home. She wants me to face my demons. But to do that, I’ll have to face who I am … who I used to be … I’ll have to find Katie.

PREORDER HERE

Author Bio:

Harmony Kent is famous for her laughter, and has made quite the name for herself … she’s also, um, a writer … and fairly well known for that too. She lives in rural Cornwall with her ever-present sense of humour and quirky neighbours. She is single and not admitting to her age.

Here are ten things she thinks you ought to know about her …

Born in 2013 (at least the author was …)
Really boring
Has absolutely no sense of humour
Biographer is a compulsive liar
Reads … a lot
Writes … even more
Completely sane(in)
Neighbours are nuts
If you’re feeling extra brave she’s around
Online …

Website: www.harmonykent.co.uk

Twitter: @harmony_kent　

Facebook: www.facebook.com/HarmonyKentOnline

Goodreads:　https://www.goodreads.com/HarmonyK

Amazon US Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/Harmony-Kent/e/B00CO0AR7U/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_pop_1

Amazon UK Author Page: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Harmony-Kent/e/B00CO0AR7U/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_pop_1

4Wills Publishing Author Page: http://4willspublishing.wordpress.com/our-authors/author-harmony-kent/

Other books by Harmony:

Fiction:

The Battle for Brisingamen

The Glade

Elemental Earth

　

Anthologies:

Concordant Vibrancy

Rave Soup for the Writer’s Soul

　

Non-Fiction:

Polish Your Prose

This tour sponsored by 4WillsPublishing.wordpress.com.

Thanks to Harmony for sharing about her latest book. Please take time to look at Finding Katie via the links provided.

Please share your thoughts and ideas in the comments section. I’d also love to connect with you over social media so check my Contact page for that information. See the News page for announcements and remember to sign-up to receive news and posts by email. I’ve added a new sign-up tab on my FaceBook page to simplify the process. New followers can download The Black Bag via free coupon today! Also, the cover of my book, The Bow of Destiny, was revealed recently so take a look.

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Filed under: 4WillsPublishing, Amazon, Author Platform, Blog Tour, Blogging, Cover Reveal, Elemental Earth, Fantasy, Fiction, Finding Katie, Goodreads, Harmony Kent, Indie Publishing, Marketing, Rave Review Book Club, Rave Soup For The Soul, Self-publishing, The Battle for Brisingamen, Twitter, Writing Tagged: 4WillsPublishing, Blog Tour, Elemental Earth, Facebook, Fantasy Fiction, Finding Katie, Goodreads, Harmony Kent, Indie Publishing, Launch, Marketing, Polish Your Prose, Rave Reviews Book Club, Rave Soup For The Writer's Soul, Self-publishing, Social Media, The Battle for Brisingamen, The Glade, Twitter, writing

Using A Promotional Strategy For Pinterest

Yesterday I read a post by Angela Ackerman entitled, 3 Ways to Use Pinterest to Promote Your Book. In it she discussed strategies to better use Pinterest that got me thinking. I thought I’d share some of my response today.

I already use Pinterest some with a few pins of my work. I’ve planned to add more and especially encourage fan art to share there later. But I really didn’t think that I had enough material to really share enough pins at the moment. However, what I’ve read from Angela opened my eyes.

Angela’s post suggests adding visual content with quotes from your work. I envisioned this material being taken from clipped parts of a cover or related pictures from the my self-made trailer from last year. It should be rather easy to add quotes to pin. So here’s my plan of action:

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1. Using Angela Ackerman’s post as a template, immediately create visual content with quotes from my book, The Black Bag. By pinning these, I have more content on Pinterest.

2. Next, I’ll link these back to other social media channels like Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads and Google+. From there I’ll monitor to see what the impact is.

3. As I monitor the impact of the initial effort, I’ll also prepare similar pins to share on Pinterest for What Is Needed which is a short prequel to The Bow of Destiny which I announced I’ll release during the early summer. Again, I’ll monitor the response but hopefully it will draw attention to my next release, The Bow of Destiny, in the fall.

4. During the summer, I’ll increase my Pinterest activity with The Black Bag and What Is Needed but also prepare pins for The Bow of Destiny to make available increasingly as the launch date approaches and afterward.

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5. I know several of my potential beta readers are on Pinterest so I can also ask them to re-pin my content on their boards as well as getting placed on that of the Rave Rreviews Book Club Pinterest board where I’m a VIP member. I think visual pre-advertising is important to the launch itself and this is one way of increasing my visual reach.

By the way, I’ve touted several of Angela’s books previously so definitely click the link to her author page on Amazon to see all she has to offer. She’s written some very helpful books for writers.

What are your thoughts about using Pinterest to increase the visibility of your content? How much do you use Pinterest already? Please share your thoughts and ideas in the comments section. I’d also love to connect with you over social media so check my Contact page for that information. See the News page for announcements and remember to sign-up to receive news and posts by email. I’ve added a new sign-up tab on my FaceBook page to simplify the process. New followers can download The Black Bag via free coupon today! Also, the cover of my book, The Bow of Destiny, was revealed recently so take a look.

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Filed under: Amazon, Author Platform, Cover Reveal, Goodreads, Indie Publishing, Marketing, Pinterest, Planning, Rave Review Book Club, Self-publishing, Short Fiction, Short Stories, Social Media, Tech Tips, The Black Bag, The Bow of Destiny, The Bow of Hart Saga, Twitter, What is Needed, Writing Tagged: Amazon, Facebook, Fantasy Fiction, Goodreads, Indie Publishing, Launch, Marketing, P. H. Solomon, Pinterest, Planning, Rave Reviews Book Club, RRBC, Self-publishing, Short Stories, Social Media, The Black Bag, The Bow of Destiny, Twitter, What is Needed, writing