Monthly Archives: November 2011

Formatting Is Your Friend

I’m a read-a-holic and always looking for new authors to feed my addiction. I’ll read just about anything, but have come to the point where I refuse to purchase another horribly formatted eBook. Don’t get me wrong. I understand that when manuscripts are converted to eBooks, the formatting can have issues here and there, but what I’ve been seeing is way past the limitations of conversion programs. I’d also give a free pass to authors if instructions weren’t readily available online for free, but they are. So as a reader I feel that the if an author doesn’t care about his/her work enough to take a few minutes to format it correctly, then chances are this author didn’t take the time or expense to invest in proper editing. Instead of complaining—well, just complaining—I want to be part of the solution. Below please find instructions for formatting a manuscript so you’ll have fewer issues when you convert it to an eBook. Following the eBook formatting are instructions for print book formatting.

Formatting
The steps below are for Microsoft Word 2007, but the same principles apply no matter what word processing program or version you use. The Help feature in your program is your friend. Please note: There is more than one “right” way to format a book. This is one of them. With minor tweaks, you can update your eBook-formatted manuscript for other purposes. Always check with the publishing houses and/or agents you send your manuscripts to. Each may have their own guidelines. It’s simple to change margins and spacing (most want 1-inch margins and double spacing).

eBook Formatting

Set your margins 1 inch around.
Font: Georgia is currently my font of choice. I find it easier to read, but my version of easier may not be your version. Other widely used fonts are Times New Roman and Veranda (some find this clunky). Not all conversion programs (programs that convert your word processing file into an eBook) are created equal. Some will automatically convert fonts it doesn’t recognize to a font it does recognize. To minimize worries about font type, I believe Times New Roman is accepted by just about all of the eBook converting programs (ECP) out there.
Different ECPs accept different font sizes. To be safe, stick with 10pts, 12pts, 14pts, 16pts, and 18pts. I skipped the odd sizes on purpose because there are ECPs that only accept these sizes. If your font size doesn’t work for the ECP, most will either increase or decrease the font size to one the ECP accepts.
Feel free to use bold, underline and italics with most ECPs
With ellipses (…), the Chicago Manual of Style recommends using a space between each period (. . .). In my opinion, it’s best to not take them up on this recommendation and should be ignored when formatting your manuscript to keep from ending up with a manuscript where two periods can be on one line and the third period on another line. And for those of you who say you MUST follow the Chicago Manual of Style or publishing houses will not accept your manuscript. This is one recommendation many publishing houses also ignore. And if you are still worried about using the word processors ellipses, the good old folks who maintain the Chicago Manual of Style even say it’s okay to use the word processors ellipses: Chicago Manual Of Style reference. Just be consistent.
Justify the text (Ctlr+j), which gives it that clean even look on the right side of the margins.
You may Center chapter headings.
Use Page Break to start a new page for your chapters. Place the curser on the new line, then from the main menu go to Insert, then Page Break.
Most ECPs will create a new page if you have more than three consecutive blank lines. I know many of you like to start your chapters a few lines down the page, just don’t start that line more than three lines down or you may insert a bunch of blank pages into your manuscript.
Use something physical instead of a blank line for scene breaks, and Center your scene breaks.
You can use an image (be sure to center it), but some ECPs have issues with images. For my eBooks, I just use keyboard characters to avoid this.
Do a search on the Internet for free decorative scroll. Ensure they release permissions for commercial use. Select a few you like, then resize them and use them for your books.
You can also use characters available on your keyboard. I’ve seen some publishing houses use something as simple as … Yep. An ellipsis. But if you have to use characters, I say go for it. The greater than and less than sign may not be the most beautiful, but I think they are better than an ellipses, or use a tilde. For example: <><><><><><>, <<<<<<>>>>>>, >>>>><<<<><<>><<>>, ~~~~~~~ or * * * * * *. Stay away from special characters in eBooks because some of the ECPs won’t recognize them and you may end up with a bunch of squares or whatever to replace them in the conversion. Trust me when I say I learned this the hard way.
With eBooks, the best practice is to indent the first line of a paragraph (without using tab). I say this because some ECPs will automatically place a blank line between paragraphs and others won’t. By indenting the first line, you won’t need two different files to submit. Don’t worry. It is acceptable to have that blank line and indentions in eBooks. Just ensure your manuscript is consistent.
Do not use the “Tab” key. Instead, set your Paragraph setting.
o Right click your mouse
o Select “Paragraph” from the menu
o In the Indention section, for Special select “First Line,” then for “By” make it .3. Now .3 is my preference for eBooks and print, but I don’t suggest using more than a .5 or less than .3.
o While you are in the Paragraph settings, decide if you want a blank line between paragraphs, and for Line Spacing select “Single.” On Line Spacing, some people prefer more space between lines. I like single-spacing because sometimes the ECPs adjust the spacing for some paragraphs and not others when I use more than “Single” spacing, which makes the manuscript look sloppy. It’s not consistent and seems to have no rhyme or reason, which annoys me, so I avoid that issue. I don’t suggest you use more than “Double.” From what I’ve seen, if the ECP doesn’t accept the Line Spacing you have selected, it will select what it determines is the closest to something it uses. Now when you send your manuscript out for editing and as a submission, be sure to change this to double- spacing.
Do not include page numbers, headers or footers in your eBook versions. If you are sending it out for submission or for editing, be sure to include the heading information (book title, author name and page number).
This post is about fiction, but if you venture into nonfiction, most ECPs can’t handle bulleted lists very well. Okay, let’s be honest, eBooks have quite a few limitations formatting wise. You won’t hit many of the issues when you release fiction.

That’s it. If you’ve already written your manuscript, reformatting margins and such is easy. The most complicated part is if you’ve used Tabs in the manuscript. To clear the Tabs out and set indentions:

Highlight the entire manuscript (Ctrl+a)
Delete all Tabs
Find and Replace all
o Ctlr+f : On the replace tab, Find what:^t
o Shift+6 = ^
o On the Replace with:
There is nothing in the replace, thus you are replacing the tabs (^t) with nothing. This removes the tabs.
Highlight the entire manuscript (Ctrl+a)
Follow the instructions in the eBook formatting for setting the indention.
Anything centered will be indented, so you need to scroll through the manuscript and correct that.

My eBook conversion programs of choice are MobiPocket (to create the Kindle file) and Calibre (to convert the Kindle file to ePub)

Don’t worry; it’s much easier than it sounds. Once you get in the groove, you’ll be amazed how fast you’ll have a good-looking manuscript. Now when you convert your manuscript, be sure to scroll all the way through and check for paragraphs that may not be indented or indented too much or items not centered and such.

If you don’t have an eReader, be sure to view your converted eBook in Calibre or download Amazon’s and Barnes & Noble’s eReaders for your PC to view the eBook file you create, then make adjustments as needed before you upload into the online stores.

ePublish with Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iStore

Print Book Formatting
You’ll like this part. Take the file you formatted for eBooks and update it for a print book. First, you need to decide what size you want your book to be. If you read the print version of Become A Successful Author, it’s 6 x 9. Go to the library and/or bookstore and take note of what the popular sizes of books in your genre are. While you are there, pay attention to the price also. I’ll come back to price later.

Now that you know what size you want your book to be, you need to know how to set your margins. Just about every print company I looked into had templates you could download for the basic size books they offer or they’d email one to you. If you want a custom size, you may have to contact the company and ask for a template or specifications for that size and ensure they’ll print the size you want.

A template will show what your margins should be, the header, the gutter, all that good stuff. Many times the template will be a blank Word document that you can just copy all of your manuscript (Ctlr+a) and paste into the template (Ctlr+v), then you change the header accordingly. If you use a template, don’t be afraid to make adjustments.

Here are a few additional items to consider when converting to print format.

The more pages, the greater the expense. The larger the size, the greater the expense.
You get to have more fun with the font. Don’t get too wild and crazy with the body of your text, but why not make the chapter headings and scene breaks something snazzy.
You don’t have to start chapters at the top of the page. I wouldn’t suggest going more than a third of the way down to start. Be consistent.
I know the smaller the font size the fewer pages, therefore, the lower the cost, but say no to eyestrain. Don’t go smaller than 8 pts. I like 11 pts and feel that’s plenty small enough. But that’s me. If you are creating a large print book (16 pts or greater), be sure to indicate Large Print on the cover and in your product description.
Front matter (the pages before the novel starts, such as title page, copyright page, acknowledgments) has a specific order. You can refer to the Chicago Manual of Style (most libraries carry this) or look at the front matter of a book from any traditional publishing house. Yours should be similar.
Be sure that the manuscript portion of your print book starts on an odd page.
If you are using a template from a company, it may use the same header for each page. I like my headers to have the the book title on the even pages and my name on the odd pages. If you don’t know how to create headers, in the Help area of your word processor, look up header, footer, section breaks, section headers.
Have your front matter be the first section of your book and the manuscript start the second section. Do not have page numbers in the first section of the book. Some people use Roman Numerals, but that’s more common in nonfiction titles.
Using Microsoft Office 2007 or later, save the file as a PDF to send it to the printer.

Just say no to poorly formatted manuscripts.

Deatri King-Bey

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Don’t have a copy of Become A Successful Author? What are you waiting for? Become A Successful Author will be used in the “How To Write That Novel” course at Chicago State because it covers everything from branding to writing to editing to formatting and uploading electronic and print books to marketing and so much more. Your time is money. Look at all the time, thus money, you’ll save by ending your search for answers: Purchase Become A Successful Author (eBook) for only $4.99 from: Amazon (US), Amazon (UK), Barnes & Noble or print copies for only $7.99 by using the Contact page of this website and tell Dee know how many copies you’d like and shipping address. She’ll email the ordering information.

The Best Social Media

It’s time for a serious discussion about online presence. What’s the best social media to get the word out about your books? Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, MySpace, Ning, Google Plus+… Come on, don’t be shy. Which do you choose and why?

The best social media for your titles is any one you use to its fullest. So when you hear you must have a Facebook and/or Twitter account, nope, that’s not so. Now let’s get to building that strong online presence.

Conduct a Google search on “Top Social Networking Sites” and you’ll receive a nice list of sites you can explore. Review several sites, then select the site(s) that you are most comfortable with and make your presence there. No matter which you choose, you’ll need to nurture your account to build a strong online presence. The time and commitment needed to nurture your account will help you determine how many different types of social media you will venture into.

Everything you do for your book, think return on investment. Your time is money. It is better to invest quality time in one location that you can nurture your relationship with your target audience than spread yourself over several networks and not make a true connection with your target audience.

Find your target audience, get to know them and hopefully they will join your network. I know many of you are saying that is a given, but you’d be shocked how many authors waste time trying to add everyone to their networks without rhyme or reason. In the end, they may have 1000’s of members in their network(s), but not many of those 1000s are in their target audience and/or few will purchase the author’s books.

Most social media sites have groups of some sort. Join and participate in groups that contain your target audience. When you attend signings, conferences, do guest posts… be sure to include links to your information. Make it easy for your target audience to join your network.
After you’ve joined groups and have participated, gotten the feel of the group, allowed people to get to know you, you will need to let others know you have what they want—A downright excellent book they won’t want to put down. Promotion is a good thing, but don’t become an infomercial. Readers like to feel as if they know you. Continue engaging the group about your book and other topics, increasing their interest in you and not just your book. Don’t forget to promote your opt-in mailing list. Your opt-in mailing list is an excellent way to market directly to your target audience. Here’s an article on the importance of opt-in mailing lists: Everybody Loves Me.

Okay, you’ve found your target audience and are engaging them in the social media of your choice, and they are joining your network and mailing list. GREAT! Keep up the great work. If you have several accounts, you may find it difficult to keep up with them. So for your promotion posts, you may want to try a tool such as Hootsuite. This tool allows you to schedule posts. So you could write a message about your latest title and schedule it to post on several of your sites at once. This tool also has great tracking functionality.
Tracking is very important. You want to know if your social media campaigns have increased your sales, mailing list, loyal base. Let’s say you’ve been mingling with a particular group, then announce in the group that your new book is available on Amazon and you give links to Amazon and your website. Did your sales increase? Look at your website’s statistics (Google Analytics works for most platforms if yours doesn’t have stats). Are readers visiting your website? Are they clicking the purchase links? Are they joining your mailing list? If not, why? Change your strategy until you receive the desired results.

I don’t want to put you on information overload, so next month I’ll go more into tracking your statistics and your website.

One last thing. Here’s a neat little Social Media Comparison Chart you may find handy.

Now go out there and build a strong web presence.

Deatri King-Bey

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Writer’s Block, Inspiration and the Creative Process

Ever have a case of “writer’s block”? Nearly every writer claims to have experienced it. But perhaps it wasn’t writer’s block so much as it was a misunderstanding of the nature of inspiration and its place in the creative process. Many writers think the process consists of 1) getting a great inspiration, 2) then writing, 3) then publishing, sharing and/or performing their work. But those who do sometimes find their muse missing in action.

If you’ve been waiting for the perfect inspiration to appear before writing a word, then stop waiting and just write! Composer, pianist, and conductor Leonard S. Bernstein said, “Inspiration only knocks. Some writers expect it to break down the door and pull them out of bed.” That “knock” can come at any point during the creative process.

In reality, the creative process involves seven phases:

1) Identifying something you want to share: You don’t have to start with a big inspiration. You might start with only an emotion, an image, an analogy, an observation or a sensation you want to convey.

2) Preparing to write by gathering your tools: Pen, paper, computer, notes, writing exercises, coffee, you name it—whatever you need to start. Just gather them quickly and get going.

3) Implementing or “doing” the art: Letting your creativity flow, working your writing muscle—preferably without stopping to critique your work. Don’t allow your writing muscle to get flabby while you wait for your muse to show up! Frequently, inspiration arrives during this phase.

4) Evaluating: Examining what you’ve produced so far. Getting someone’s feedback. Using the suggestions that feel right and disregarding the rest.

5) Incubating: Stepping away, putting your project on the back burner and letting your subconscious work on it a while.

6) Modifying: Revising your work as needed. Editing, tightening and fine-tuning. This is where the real work usually occurs.

7) Completing and celebrating: Cutting the apron strings and getting your baby out there. Sure, send it out dressed appropriately, but don’t let perfection get in your way.

Inspiration can occur during any phase of the creative process. And the process isn’t always this orderly. Don’t wait until your muse shows up, just write!

Lana Castle,
I’ll polish your prose and make your writing shine!
www.castlecommunications.com

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Starting A Publishing Company—Really? Okay!

So you want to start your own publishing company. Believed it or not it really isn’t that difficult to do. Keeping it going and profitable is the challenge. Starting your own publishing company is not for the faint at heart. Go into it knowing that every decision made is on you. Your company will succeed or fail based on the decisions you make. Also know, you may not see a profit right away. In fact, it will probably be three to five years before you see green. However, the joy and pride you experience every time you put a book on the market is unbelievable. Each book is like your baby, from inception to birth. Here are the steps I took to establish SIRI Enterprises, my publishing company.

1. First I knew I wanted to self-publish. You need to determine if you want to publish just your books or publish other authors work.
2. Once that decision is made, write a business plan. I used, The Ernest & Young Business Plan Guide by Eric S. Siegel, Brian R. Ford and Jay M. Borstein, as my resource.
3. Apply for your business license with your local city or county. Contact the IRS to obtain your EIN (Employer Identification Number @ http://www.irs.gov/businesses/small/article/0,,id=98350,00.html). Also, set up with your state tax department.
4. Go to the US Copyright Office @ https://eco.copyright.gov/ to establish an account
5. Do the same with The Library of Congress @ http://pcn.loc.gov/ to establish an account
6. Purchase a set of ISBN @ http://isbn.org/standards/home/index.asp (you can purchase from 1-1000 at a time)
7. Determine if you want a Vanity Press or Print On Demand to handle your packaging (ie: LULU, Smashwords, Create Space, etc…) Or if you want total control you can hire a consultant to handle page design and covers design. I use http://judithwansley.com/default.aspx
8. Research printer and/or distributor for your books. You can use just a book printer or one that does both. I use http://www1.lightningsource.com/
9. Establish a relationship with editors to use when needed.
10. You don’t have to do this, but I did set up an account with Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble to handle eBooks sales.

There are pitfalls in everything you do. It is no different in the publishing world. There are Vanity or Independent presses out there that will promise you the world, but will not tell you the cost until the end. Do your research before you sign up for anything. Take your time to establish your company Do it right the first time. I spent thousands of dollars that was wasted because I did not do my research first. Are you anxious to get your book into print, of course, so was I. And I paid the price. I hope my knowledge will save you time and money. Some things a company will offer you for a price, you can do yourself, such as obtaining Bar Codes, ISBN numbers, or Copyrights for your books. All of these things you can do yourself, for just the cost of the product.

Now, if you still want to start your own publishing company, I have to tell you, it has been a very exciting endeavor. While I still would like to be published the traditional route, doing for myself has been most rewarding. It has prepared me with the knowledge and skills it takes to get a book to print. When I do decided to submit to a traditional publisher, I go in with a little more knowledge about the process than some. By the way, I’ve only submitted to one publisher. I like being in control.

Well, that’s all I have. Good Luck and remember, Believe in yourself and you can accomplish anything.

Iris Bolling

http://www.irisbolling.net/ or http://www.sirient.com/

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Successful Writing, Editors, Publishers, And The Fine Art Of Compromise

Successful writing is not easy. As authors, we already know this much. And, of course, there are a number of factors in being a successful writer. Included among these is a willingness to edit and cut your work as needed. This last means you have to be willing to be an editor in your own right these days, but also to listen to professional editors of various publications to which you might send your work.

This last is hard to do. I don’t mean the sending part. I mean putting up with others editing our work once it’s been accepted. Whereas we might not mind editing our own work, we tend to hate it when others try to do it for us. This tends to be a truism of all writers. We just don’t like people touching our work, not after we’ve put so much personal effort into making it “just right” already.

However, in order to be a successful writer, you must put up with editors. That is, you must if you actually want to get your story published. Yes, the burden of editing falls ever more heavily upon us as writers these days, but even so, publishers have the last say, and most still have editors read your work. This is especially true of “pro” publishers.

And here we come to the crux of our discussion. In order to be a successful writer in the traditional sense of the term, we must first be published somehow, someway, somewhere, and not just in a vanity press. So that usually means going through some sort of editing process to “get there.”

Even if we strictly self publish, we still need the benefit of an “outside” editor. But if we do send our manuscripts to some publisher, is there anything we can do to sway them, to make them want to publish our work, in particular, over the thousands of other manuscripts they receive on a monthly basis?

Yes, there is. There are a number of things we can do to improve our chances. Some of these things may seem incredibly obvious to many writers, but you would be surprised, perhaps even amazed, at how many authors do not use all of them, or simply don’t use any of them at all! Why this is so, I can’t say. But it’s true.

Perhaps, it has something to do with the number of publishers out there. There are so many and all of them seem to want a different type of format for submissions. Although many say they want standard manuscript format, in reality, this doesn’t really seem to be the case at all. Each one usually adds certain requirements to this basic demand. One of the things you can do is to give them exactly what they want.

The same holds true for cover letters and synopses. While all of them seem to want short cover letters, it is amazing how many seem to want you somehow to fit almost the entire contents of the book, your biography, synopsis, and any marketing plans into that one-page, cover letter. I know this to be true, because I have come up against this many times. What can one do? You have to give the publisher what they want.

Or do you? Often, we send in a manuscript that is close in style to their demands, but not quite on target as far as formatting requests go. We simply use the same version we’ve already sent to someone else.

Is this okay? No, generally, it isn’t. As a submissions editor myself, I can assure you we are very interested in getting through our slush piles as quickly as we can, because there are always new piles growing. This means we don’t like wasting our time. Therefore, rightly or wrongly, we try everything we can to weed out manuscripts and shorten that pile to a more readable level.

How do we do this? The answer is simple. We do it by getting rid of those manuscripts that do not conform to our formatting specifications. That’s the first thing we look for. Yes, it’s an easy way to shorten the pile quickly, but we also do it because the wrong formatting tells us the author will probably not be a good one for us. If writers won’t do the basic things we ask up front in order to get their work published by our company, we don’t want them! Again, it’s that simple.

In other words, if authors don’t format exactly as we want, often it’s a sign to us they aren’t bothering to listen, or worse, are ignoring our requirements. This means, usually, it will be a battle to get them to do what we ask. Likely, they may be troublesome to us down the road. You see, the guidelines are not just to make it easier for us. They are often a test. If you fail that test, we simply move on. There are plenty of other good writers out there besides you!

So to be a successful author you must not only be a good writer with all that this entails, but you also must be willing to compromise as to how you send out your submissions. You must be willing to change them for each publisher demanding this. And yes, it can be tedious to do. But to do it right is necessary. I, personally, have had to write any number of versions of a particular synopsis, for example, because some publishers want very short ones, others, one-page ones, and still others, comprehensive ones. Again, it is tedious!

As a side note, something else to consider—you must send the right work to the right publisher. Always read the publishers’ submission guidelines carefully. For instance, under the horror genre, publishers can still be very fussy. Some don’t want anything to do with vampires. Others don’t want anything to do with fantasy. Still others don’t want anything to do with science fiction. So you had better read those guidelines closely. Don’t try to force your manuscript into a publisher’s hands who does not want your sort of story. You will get rejection letters. Do you remember in school when your teacher would mark you down for poor penmanship? Publishers do much the same thing, only they do it with regard to the submission formatting of the manuscript.

Now, let’s say the publisher/editor has read your story. What’s the next step? Well, they will contact you and say they are interested in your work, that they’d like to publish it, and are you willing to sign a contract? Of course, you’re going to jump at that, and answer, “Yes!”

I imagine that many of us do this without really reading the fine print of the contract before doing so. And that’s a mistake. Always read the contract through several times! That’s a given. You must consider various aspects of the contract as you read it, of course, but here we’re concerned principally with the terms and conditions regarding editing.

The next step is the publisher will want to edit your work to his or her own specifications for their publication requirements. These specifications may include the size of the work (it may need to be shortened), and/or content altered, etc. Under content, it may be the type of language you’re using (adult language?), the grade level you are writing to (this may need to be lowered, but is usually never raised), and edited for various other factors the publisher may feel is their God-given right, to demand of you.

And this is where the problems usually start. Do you remember how we mentioned earlier that writers do not like their work edited—at all? They will resist every way they can. How much dare you resist, as an author? How far can you go? Well, the answers to these questions may lie in your contract. Again, the contract usually states the publisher’s rights with regard to editing your work.

Often, if the author refuses to agree to make the changes the publishers require (even if the author has the final say according to the contract), then the publisher usually has the right to refuse the work and not print it. If you have received a cash advance on your novel, they will most certainly demand it back under the terms and conditions of the contract you signed. So beware! Even if you have final say on editing written into the contract, for practical purposes, you may not really have that final say. You will have to compromise, maybe big time, and give in on certain points.

Something else to remember: the publisher/editor selected your work because they thought it might sell and make money for them. This is their single strongest criterion. They also have a very strong idea of what works to make money, based on past publishing experience. They usually go with that. So, like it or not, whether you have your own experience in this way, or not, you should listen to them on this one point. Remember the old adage, “he who pays the piper, gets to call the tune.”

Yes, to a certain extent, you can argue with them. But a warning here, if you argue too much, they may decide not to publish your work. They simply may not want to bother with yet another unwieldy, recalcitrant author. What’s more, they may not even warn you about this. The publisher may just send you a notice saying they do not want to work with you any further and so they are cancelling the contract. You will then just be out of luck.

So to be a successful writer is not only to be a good writer, a persistent one, one who produces work on a regular basis, but also one that is willing to compromise on many issues. Of course, if you are J. K. Rowling, you can say and do pretty much what you want. They’ll let you. If you’re not Ms. Rowling, then you had best listen to this advice: compromise with your editor(s). Listen to his/her advice and requests. Try to do what they ask of you with regard to editing your work to the best of your ability, and hopefully without damaging the quality of your work. It might even improve it, you know…

In conclusion, I can only say as a submissions editor, as well as a writer, one of the key ingredients in being a successful author is to listen to your editors and publishers. Perhaps, unbelievably, when it comes to marketing and selling your book, they actually may know what is best.

Your only other option is to seek a different publisher or self publish your work, if you haven’t already signed a contract. If you try to renege, the publisher may just sue you. Or at the very least, they will never consider your submissions again. And publishers have power. Editors have power. Like it or not, they talk to each other. Sometimes, they may be talking about you and not in a good way! So tact, diplomacy, and a willingness to listen and above all, compromise, are a must for all authors who want to be successful.

And finally, these are just my personal words of advice. You can take them or leave them. But if you leave them, you may find your publisher may just choose to leave your work as unread or unpublished. The choice is yours. To be independent, to stand your ground, is fine—to a point. Push this right too far, and you may become the world’s greatest unpublished author. Get it?

Rob Shelsky

http://robshelsky.blogspot.com/

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Don’t Forget About Blogging

With social networks being real popular, more and more people are on the internet. I would suggest that even if you’re active on any of the social networking sits, that you also have an online outlet such as a blog.

What is a blog?
A blog is the equivalent to an online diary. You can use it to post personal information or useful information (such as this article). It can also be used to interact with other bloggers and if you’re an author, your readers.

Why would I want to blog?
Blogging is what you make of it. It’s a way to introduce your readers to a side of you that they cannot see from reading a bio on your website or on the back of your book cover. It also gives your reading audience a chance to leave you real-time comments and interact with not only you, but also other readers of your books.

How often should I blog?
Don’t look at blogging as a dreaded task placed on your “to do” list. Blogging should be fun. If you become an active blogger, you’ll look forward to posting as well as interacting with others. How often you post is up to you. You can post daily, every other day, weekly or whenever the whim hits. You’ll find the more responses you get on your blog posts, the more you’ll be inclined to post on somewhat of a schedule.

Is there Blog etiquette?
If you’ll be away for an extended period of time, just write a quick post, so your regular visitors won’t think you forgot about them. There are times that you may get some unwanted posts (yes, spammers have infiltrated the blog world), so don’t hesitate to either delete those posts or set up your blog so posters have to put in a password.

Should my blog have a theme?
Not necessarily, but it makes it fun. I have several blogs. Each blog has its own theme. For example:
1.My literary blog (www.sheliagoss.com/blog) is a place to discuss relationships, books, or whatever else is on your mind.
2.My entertainment site was a place where I showcased my interview excerpts, reviews and/or information on the world of entertainment: books, music, TV and film.

How do I come up with topics?
Keep your eyes and ears open. Life is filled with ideas. Some of my topics stem from what’s going on in the news or from conversations I’ve had or observed. Since my central theme on the Shelia Goss blog is about relationships and books, it’s hard to run out of something to discuss. Take a chance and see what works for you. Blogging shouldn’t be difficult. If it’s draining, maybe you need to step away from it for a while or come up with another topic. There may be some days you only feel like rambling and that’s okay, too.

Examples of blogs hosted by authors:

· http://www.conniecox.com/

· http://www.literarywonders.com/

· http://chew-the-fat-with-bettye.blogspot.com/

· http://www.kandiedelley.com/category/news

Now that I’ve decided to blog, how do I get started?
There are many blog services available to you. Below is a short list of blog websites:
•http://www.bloggers.com
•http://www.wordpress.com
•http://www.blogspot.com

Remember keep blogging fun and your readers will enjoy visiting and who knows, you might just get a book sale or two from it, too. Visit one of my blogs and leave me a message with your weblink. If you don’t have a blog, create one.

I’m also accepting guest bloggers on my site, so if you’re interested, feel free to contact me via email sheliagoss@aol.com and put “guest blogger” in the subject header.

Shelia M Goss

http://www.sheliagoss.com/ or http://www.thelipglosschronicles.com/

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The Flipside of Social Networking for Writers

Due to the Internet and the various forms of social media, readers have easier access to their favorite authors. This can be a good thing, however beware of the flipside.

Blogging, Tweeting or being on Facebook can be a good way to express your thoughts on newsworthy items, let others know about your books, talk about controversial topics, etc. When you’re voicing your views online, everyone is not going to agree with your point of view. You might gain some readers using some of the social networks but you may also alienate a few people as well.

I’m not saying don’t say what you want to say, but beware that whatever you say on your own page or in the comment fields is subject to criticism. Should writers care about what they post online? How should an author respond to comments, especially those that are directed at them? I say use your best judgment. Some things can’t go left unsaid, while other comments need to be simply ignored.

Several of my favorite bloggers no longer blog on a regular basis because of fall out due to some of their blog posts. Some people took what they said on their blogs personal and there was a big “backlash” in the blogsphere from it. Personally, I feel like they should have kept blogging, but professionally, I can see why they stopped.

Some folks find it hard to separate the author from their books so if they don’t like their online persona, they won’t purchase their books. It’s unfortunate but that’s just how it is. The online social networks can be another promotional tool but beware of the thin line. On the flip-side don’t let the thin line stop you from having your say—just beware that what mama said about “never say something you don’t want repeated” is not just true for your offline world, but it’s true for when you’re on any of the social networks too.

What’s your opinion about using online social media? Have you ever crossed the line and if so, what was the backlash? Do you ever use the anonymous key when posting? If so, why?

Shelia M Goss

Are You Emotionally Prepared to Become A Career Novelist?

You can walk from here to the ends of the earth and you’ll find tons of articles and advice telling you how to improve your writing or how to develop skill to become a novelist. But how many resources focus on the mental and emotional aspect of this increasingly difficult career? Not many.

I’ve been a novelist for a long time and I’ve learned that it cuts to the core of your soul. Why isn’t this addressed more often? Why don’t more writers share the impact, good and bad that writing can have on you emotionally?

Why? Well it’s not glamorous to discuss the not-so-perfect side of things. I’m writing this to nurture the novelist’s soul. You must be emotionally prepared to dedicate your life (and it could be your entire life) to turning writing one book into a career.

No one is fully prepared for the rocky road to publication. But there are ways you can stay sane, grow a thick skin and not let even the harder times affect your mentality. It takes becoming smart in mind and realizing that nothing in life is promised no matter how hard you work.

Not sure if you are emotionally up for this forever-changing jungle I call the writer’s life? Check out the points below. These mental exercises will not only give you a thicker skin but can effectively prepare your confidence for a realistic journey of seeking publication.

Define Your Personal Idea of Success and Goals for Inner Peace
Success means different things to different writers. Some think of success as gaining a publishing contract. Others want fame and riches. Others want to be revered in the industry as a literary pioneer and win a slew of awards for their hard work. Some just want to say they followed their dream. Do you even know what you consider success? If you don’t then you need to sit down and figure it out.

Train Yourself to Be Realistic
You might not wanna hear this but no one is guaranteed a publishing contract. You could write for decades and decades and not get a contract. You could be the best writer in your genre. You could go to every writing workshop, read every article and talk to every expert in the business and you might not get a contract. You could become friends with agents and NY editors, have them over to your house for the holidays and you still may not get a contract. Why? That’s just how life is. Becoming published is not something you can control. All you can control is your writing and your determination. So unless you are willing to look down a tunnel of uncertainty and can truly claim you are happy enough with writing to pursue it as a career anyway, you are not emotionally ready. Point blank.

Throw Away the Image in Your Head of a Career Novelist
One of the most damaging things for a new writer is fantasizing too much about what being a published novelist is like. You see writers on movies and the life seems so glamorous. They all have big NY publishers and agents. All of their books get on the best seller lists. Their agents fly down to meet them. Their publishers send them on elaborate book tours with the paparazzi in tow. They became a sensation overnight.
Now real life…

If this is how you think being a real-life novelist is than throw that idea out right now. Even the most famous of today’s novelists don’t live this way. The average novelist is a person just like everyone else. Most have their full-time jobs for the rest of their lives while writing books on the side. True? True. Some are unemployed and struggling and can’t pay their bills. Do you realize just how tiny a royalty check can be sometimes? Sometimes you’re lucky to be able to buy dinner with the size of a royalty check. Full-time novelists have all types of jobs and they live all types of lives but most do not live the glamorized life that’s portrayed on movies. So throw this idea out and if you are still attracted to becoming a career novelist, have at it. I wish you much luck.

This article might seem discouraging but it should to a point. You must be strong and thick-skinned beyond belief to wanna be a writer and take it on as a career. If you are lacking in that area you won’t have a chance at making it. So take the salt of my words along with the sugar. It’s all about wanting to be a novelist bad enough. If you do, then nothing I say can dissuade you.

If you are having second-thoughts about the importance of writing compared to the hard work put into it, maybe this career choice is not for you.
How much do you want it? That’s the question.

Stacy-Deanne
http://www.stacy-deanne.net/

What’s Your Book About?

I could feel the intensity increasing among the other editors involved in acquisitions. I felt it as well because we were facing a deadline to turn in our material for the next publication board meeting. We typically set deadlines several weeks in advance of the actual meeting, then the various participants could read our background materials before the meeting and come prepared with their questions and comments. Besides the author’s proposal, we had internal documents to get ready for the meeting. An editorial assistant prepared an agenda which gave the order for the editors to present their books for that particular month.

Tensions in our editorial group always tended to run high the day of the publication board meeting as no one could predict what would happen in these sessions. There is an old saying about editors that it depends on what they had for breakfast. Reality isn’t that subjective but the mood of the room can swing to different extremes. For some meetings, the questions were minimal and the reaction was positive about the authors that I championed for the publishing house.

On other occasions it was different. I walked into the room filled with publishing staff, armed with my stack of folders and paperwork. As an editor, I prepared a series of short presentations on the key details of each book. Another editor on our editorial team had worked at multiple publishing houses and appeared before different groups of these publication boards. This colleague told me, “Our publication board is different and a bit crankier than some of the others.”

Waiting for your turn in the room can be a nerve-racking feeling for an editor. Finally my turn came and I walked into the large board room. Key leaders from the publishing house—including sales, marketing and editorial personnel—sat around a conference table. It was almost certain that several of these leaders had only skimmed your paperwork or not read it at all or they read it during your presentation. Some days it was like sitting on the hot seat trying to defend your titles to a room full of skeptics. Other times they were supportive of your selections. As a book is accepted for publication in this meeting, the various groups such as sales and marketing are held responsible for their support of a particular title. Key business decisions for the life and future of the publisher are made in these meetings. You, as the author, aren’t present but your view is represented from your work on the book proposal and the voiced words of support from your acquisitions editor.

Your words on your proposal become elevated in importance. How will your book be represented through your words? What is the hook? This should come in the first sentence or two of your overview—the first section for any book proposal. This section defines the topic of your book in a few words. I’ve already explained the difficulty involved in getting an editor to read your material. Now you have a few seconds to grab the editor’s attention. What hook will you use to entice him to keep turning your pages? Your first responsibility is to reach the editor who is thinking about his readers and book buyers when he reads your initial words. He can then use your overview material to hook his publication board.

The overview should be a maximum of one to three pages in length and should clearly explain what the book is about, why it is necessary and what makes this book different than others on the same topic. Normally this material is written in the third person.

If you are looking for a way to concisely tell the idea of your book, I’d suggest that you first write it on paper, but also work with it in an oral format. It’s one of the reasons to read your writing aloud after you’ve finished it—because the ear is less forgiving than the eye. Using this process, you will pick up on all sorts of ways to improve your manuscript.

W. Terry Whalin
W. Terry Whalin, a writer and publisher lives in Scottsdale, Arizona. A former acquisitions editor, former magazine editor and former literary agent, Terry has written more than 60 nonfiction books including Jumpstart Your Publishing Dreams. To help writers, he has created 12-lesson online course called Write A Book Proposal. His website is located at: http://www.terrywhalin.com/

Evolution of eBooks

Unless you’ve been living under a rock lately, I’m sure you’ve heard about the dramatic changes happening in the publishing industry. Independent and chain bookstores are closing at an alarming rate. Borders, the second largest U.S. bookstore chain, recently filed for bankruptcy and went out of business. Sales of hardcover books are down 40%. Editors at the Big 6 houses are reserving contracts for their big moneymaking authors, as the mid-list shrinks. The current situation has become so dire that Huffington Post, the Internet newspaper, now includes “bookstore obituaries” as a regular feature.

At the same time, the sale of e-books is up 400%.

Nine years ago, when I started writing, my only goal was to get an agent and sign with a New York publisher. During the first few years of my writing career, I had conversations with writers that had or were considering self-publishing their books. The idea of handling the details of publishing my own book turned me off to say the least. I knew self-published books couldn’t get shelf space in the major book chains. Many reviewers wouldn’t review them, and I’d heard stories about authors ending up stuck with boxes of unsold books stacked in their garage. No way did I want any part of that.

Fast forward to 2007. The first rumblings had begun about Amazon.com’s newest electronic gadget – the Kindle e-reader. At that time no one, except perhaps for Jeff Bezos himself, imagined this little gadget would be the game changer in an industry already plagued by antiquated policies and procedures, ridiculously long wait times between contract and release, decreasing sales, and increasing competition from tablets, smartphones, video games, DVDs and all things electronic.

As an author trying to break into the business, I kept my ear to the ground, fascinated by what I was hearing about the possibility of getting my books directly into the hands of readers. I submitted to editors and agents for several years and even signed with two well-known agents but received no offers. The whole process had begun to wear me down.

By 2009, with Kindle dominating the e-book market, authors were beginning to take notice, and many had taken the plunge into the electronic world. The financial perks of direct e-pubbing were a definite lure, along with the fact that e-books are eternal. They have no limited on shelf life like paper books, which eventually go out of print.

Traditional publishers generally pay authors 6-17% of the cover price of their books. E-publishers like Kindle offered 35% at the outset and subsequently raised that royalty rate to 70% for all books selling for $2.99 or more. The increase in electronic books has sparked a very loud and fierce debate among readers, writers. Many in the publishing industry stand by the necessity for gatekeepers (editors and agents) to protect readers from an in influx of bad books. Those on the other side of the debate insist that gatekeepers aren’t necessary, because readers are smart enough to determine for themselves what is good and bad. They believe, as I do, that what’s good will sell and what’s bad won’t. Simple.

The other debate increasing in intensity is what I call “the cold, dead handers” versus the “e-people.” These are the folks who staunchly declare that their paper books will have to be pried from their cold, dead hands before they switch to electronic reading. They melodramatically pontificate about the feel and smell of paper books and fight anything hinting of electronic progress.

Personally, I don’t think books will disappear completely, but as I look back at my vinyl albums, 8-track tapes and cassettes packed away in the garage, I’m not so sure. What is important is the ability of authors to be able to sell their stories to readers. It’s the words that make the story, not the paper they’re printed on. All of the current flap about the smell and feel of books will eventually fizzle out. Honestly, when was the last time you saw anybody sniffing and hugging a vinyl LP with tears in their eyes? Change is hard for some, but change will eventually come whether we like it or not. We might as well embrace it and enjoy it.

In July 2010, I took the plunge and joined the ranks of electronic authors and published my debut novel directly to Kindle and Nook. I have since released three of my previously written novels with another due out in late December.

This is an exciting time for authors, but e-pubbing isn’t for the faint of heart. This isn’t a deal where you simply take your Word manuscript from your hard drive and toss it into cyberspace. The preparation is very much the same as getting a paper book ready for release. Professional editing is a necessity. The quality of the cover is a determining factor in the success of the book. Formatting of the manuscript for each of the different e-book sites can test the patience of a saint. Promotion and marketing is a never-ending chore.

But for those writers with the fortitude to learn the language and requirements of this new market, the doors are wide open.

Guest Blogger: Chicki Brown
http://www.chicki663.webs.com/
http://sisterscribbler.blogspot.com/
http://www.facebook.com/chicki.brown
and @Chicki 663 on Twitter

Dee here: I’d like to thank Chicki for being a guest blogger this month. She is a self-publishing queen and has always been very helpful to others. THANKS.