Ever Changing Publishing World by Deatri King-Bey

The publishing world is ever changing, and you need to change with it or be left behind. With so many moving pieces, it can be difficult to focus. The key is to pick one area at a time to follow.

This is a two-part article. Let’s Get Down To Publishing Business delves into the parts of the business that move, but not so much they are hard to keep track of as much such as taxes, earnings and proper planning. I find this stuff boring, but you have to learn about it, so don’t skip it.

Now back to the not so boring part. Let’s look at some of those moving parts of the publishing industry.

BARNES & NOBLE
In the past year, Barnes & Noble has changed quite a bit. To upload your ebook, instead of going to pubit.com you should now use http://www.NookPress.com. I have always liked the sales reports better on Barnes & Noble. You have a breakdown of what you sell each day and the royalty. So if I run a promo campaign on the 4th, 5th and 6th, I can see how many and what titles I sold on the 4th, 5th, and 6th.

The Nook Press platform for uploading the book isn’t much better than it was before. You can actually edit your manuscript in Nook Press, but I haven’t used that feature. I don’t like the idea of keeping my manuscript there. I’ll do it the old fashioned way. Write it on my computer and upload it.

It used to take around three days for my titles to show for sale after uploading. Lately, I’ve been averaging about a day. The Nook Press system is more touchy with the files. Follow their guidelines or the system will not accept your manuscript. When formatting, please note that using a “Page Break” no longer starts chapters on a new page. You must now use “Section Break.” They have also changed the cover dimensions and file size. Read their guidelines. They are ever changing.

Unfortunately, they don’t have any new promo opportunities, their customer service is still poor and the newsletters they send out to customers with recommended reads aren’t the best at introducing readers to books similar to those they’ve purchased in the past. Hopefully, things will improve.

Many authors have given up on Barnes & Noble, but I’m not one of them. I’ll take my little $200-$600 a month from them for now and be happy.

AMAZON

Amazon has so many changes. Where to begin? Where to begin?

Subgenres: There are additional subgenres that you need to pay attention to. For example Interracial Romance and Science Fiction Romance. If your book actually fits into one of the new subgenres, use the Contact option from the KDP site and ask them to add your title to that subgenre. Remember, Amazon only allows you to link your title to two genres, so you’ll only get to choose one genre when you are updating your product page information.

One of my mentees had her title added to the appropriate subgenre and her sells took off. Since she changed in November, she’s gotten around 65 sells. Previous to that she’d only had 20 and her book had been out over a year. She also has not been promoting her book, so this is all from the change in genre.

Kindle Book Formatting: Amazon now wants you to have a Table Of Contents in your ebooks. They’ll let you upload the file without the table of contents, but eventually, you’ll get a nasty gram saying you need to update your book with a table of contents. They also have a “spell check” of sorts now that calls out errors in your book after it’s been uploaded. Don’t rely on it. Hire good editors and proof readers.

Review Removal: In an attempt to decrease phony reviews, Amazon added a new policy for not allowing reviews or “Sentiments by or on behalf of a person or company with a financial interest in the product or a directly competing product (including reviews by publishers, manufacturers, or third-party merchants selling the product)” –Amazon Policy

Technically, authors could not write reviews for other authors. You also couldn’t have your family and friends writing glowing reviews for you. At first numerous reviews were removed, but Amazon has pretty much backed off this.

Kindle MatchBook: If your eBook is also available in print, through your KDP dashboard, you can link the two, so that when someone purchases the print edition, they can also purchase the eBook version as a discounted price. I’ve done this with my eBooks that are available in print and haven’t seen a measurable increase in print sales. Here’s more information on Kindle MatchBook.

Be careful if the print version of your book was ever released by a different publisher. Ensure Amazon knows which book to link the MatchBook promotion to. Many authors have gotten their rights back, but their old publishers are still selling print copies of their titles.

KDP Reports: The reporting is greatly improved. You no longer have to wait until the 15th of the month to see the previous month’s sells. I like the at a glance look at how many of each title I sold for the month. Granted, you will not have the royalty report for the previous month until the 15th, but if you really wanted to know, you can always look at your previous six weeks report. You can also toggle between locations. For example how well are your titles selling in the UK or Germany? Take your time and go through the reports section. You’ll find lots of goodies.

KDP Payday: There is no longer a minimum royalty payout. So if you sell one copy of your .99 title in February, you’ll receive your royalty check for that .99 sell at the end of April.

Release Date: Numerous authors found out that the release date on their product page had been updated to a current date without their knowledge. What happened? A few months ago, Amazon changed the programming in the background. Before this change, if you didn’t select a publishing date when you uploaded your title, it used the date that the file was uploaded and that was the end. You could go in and change your product information and have no issues. After the change, if you have not selected a publication date, the system can automatically update your publication date.

Yep. You can end up having a publishing date YEARS after review dates if this happens. Have no fear. Just go into the KDP dashboard then to the titled product page information and update the release date to the proper date. On the KDP dashboard, it will list the original release date.

GOODREADS
Amazon purchased Goodreads. Many were worried that would be the end of Goodreads, but the site is still thriving. One of the biggest changes on Goodreads is now authors can “own” their profile. It’s a way of keeping information up to date on your titles. Read more about the Goodreads Author Program

One thing I really like about Goodreads is the quotes. Readers can post quotes from books they’ve read. I’ve found this is a great conversation starter. Soooo, be sure to encourage your readers to showcase their favorite quotes from your titles. Here are a few from one of my titles.

Goodreads quotes: https://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/25520642-the-only-option

FACEBOOK
I know you don’t want to hear this, but your opt-in mailing list is your most powerful weapon in your marketing arsenal (outside of releasing outstanding books). Building a high quality opt-in list is time consuming, but worth it. What does this have to do with Facebook? Well, those of you who follow my teachings have heard me say several times that your social media friends and likes are not YOURS. They belong to the social media site.

I think Facebook, Twitter and such are great for promotion, but don’t only rely on them. Keep growing your opt-in mailing list. So let’s look at what has happened over at Facebook since this time last year.

Actually, we need to go back a little over a year when Facebook began warning users not to promote on their personal pages. They encouraged users to create fan pages, which were for business and had just as far of a reach of a personal page AND the added bonus of your being allowed more than 5,000 followers.

So people started following the rules and creating Fan pages. In came a Facebook business model change. They decided to start charging you for you to post to more than 10% of your list of your fan pages. In came another change on your personal pages. Your statuses are no longer posted to all of your “friends” newsfeeds. They are only posted to “friends” who you have interacted with recently.

So now authors who only relied on Facebook are having difficulty reaching their followers unless they are willing to pay. How much does it cost? Here’s an article that breaks it down nicely: Facebook I Want My Friends Back

Expensive, huh? Soooo, get to working on your opt-in mailing list. Again, social media is great. Use it, but don’t put all your eggs into a basket you don’t even own. You do not control what business model those social media sites will follow. You do control your mailing list though.

Before I change the subject form Facebook, I came across an interesting article about why you should Like Your Own Facebook Post.

TWITTER

Twitter now allows you to post images! I love that feature, but still don’t get Twitter. Every year I try some new marketing technique. Last year was the year of Twitter for me. I actively participated. I set up my Hootsuite tool to repost blog post and promos. I retweeted and was retweeted. I gained followers and followed…. All that good stuff. I usually send people from social media over to my website so I can see where my promo traffic is coming from and guess what? I barely saw anything from Twitter. For me, it wasn’t worth my time. I still go on Twitter from time to time, but it’s just not my thing. If it works for you, GO FOR IT!

YOUR TURN
Okay, there are more changes. What have you noticed has changed over the last year? Enlighten us.

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 is 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 for only $4.99 (eBook) or $9.99 (print) from: Amazon (US), Amazon (UK), Barnes & Noble

Let’s Get Down To Publishing Business by Deatri King-Bey

Writing is a business whether you self-publish or go the traditional route. As an author, I HATE the business side of things. To me it is BORING! I just want to write my books. No matter how much I hate and want to ignore the business side, I’ve had to become an expert at my business.

First get a good high-level view of the business and where you fit in it. Here is an excellent article to get you started.
http://www.digitalbookworld.com/2013/self-publishing-debate-part1/

Now look at your publishing business. What is your plan for the next year to grow your audience and increase earnings? What is your target growth for the year? What are your five and ten year plans?

Don’t worry. I won’t make you write it all out (at least not today). These are questions you should know the answer to and you should have to. Are you feeling overwhelmed? It’s okay. Take it one step at a time. Look at one aspect of your business. There is a LOT of information to absorb in this post. Take your time. Reread and needed and I’m always around for questions and to help guide you in the right direction.

Let’s look at taxes. Don’t wait until April to think about taxes. There are things you can do throughout the year to optimize your publishing businesses deductions. Here’s an article from 2013. Use it as a base for knowledge, then do your research: Tax and the More Tax by Michele Tooles.

What were your sales last year? Do you know your numbers? Looking at Amazon ratings is not a good gauge of how well your titles are actually selling. You need real numbers. How many units did you sell? How much did you spend on production and marketing? Here’s an article on gathering your numbers. Know Your Numbers by Deatri King-Bey

Where do you see your publishing business in the next year? Five years? Ten years? Let’s start small. If you don’t have your plan for the year, make one. Your year doesn’t have to start on Jan. 1. Make your plan for the next twelve months (year), then get busy. Your one year plan should be concrete. What are your goals and the steps you will take to make them. Be sure to incorporate cost and time needed for each step.

Once you’ve gotten comfortable with the one year plan concept, write your mid-term goals. Where do you expect your business to be in five years or if five seems to far away, in three years? Your mid-term goals do not have to be as concrete and your year to year plans should be action items to help you reach those goals.

Next are your long-term plans. Ten years down the line or if that sounds too far away, seven years. These plans are not concrete. It’s like your dream. It’s always good to know where you want to be headed, so you can take the steps to go in that direction. Sounds simple, but you’d be shocked at how many people say they want this that or the other, then never get there because they don’t route the path to get there.

Your plans are not written in stone. You WILL update them. As the publishing climate changes along with your wants, you’ll need to make updates.

Here’s an article to help with your planning: Proper Planning Testimony: A Key To Publishing Success by Deatri King-Bey

I don’t want to give you information overload, so will stop for now. Take your time and start mastering the business side.

To save you, I broke this article into two pieces. Click here for The Ever Changing Publishing World

Deatri King-Bey

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10 Rules for Social Networking by Barbara Joe Williams

I believe in guerilla marketing techniques, but some authors go too far when it comes to social media. There’s a thin line between promoting and spamming that authors need to be aware of as well as a few guidelines to follow. You will have to decide for yourself how far you’re willing to go for a book sale. Your reputation is the most valuable thing you can have as an author and a publisher, you don’t want to do anything to tarnish it.

The top ten rules for social networking for authors are:

(1) Authenticity. You don’t have to share all of your personal business on social media, but let readers know that you’re human, too. Be yourself and enjoy yourself. Letting them know who and what you’re reading can be beneficial. If they see you as a reader, too, they’re more likely to support you as an author.

(2) Connection. You want to connect as well as interact with people. Constantly asking followers to “buy, buy, buy” is a “lose, lose, lose” situation. Writing and sharing useful information is a win. It only takes a minute to update your Facebook/Twitter feed while you’re on the move.

(3) Consistency. If you’re trying to promote a business on one page and you have inappropriate photos (i.e. topless poses or booty shots) on your personal page, it could give an interested client or reader the wrong impression about you. Remember, once they search for your name, both sites can be viewed.

(4) Permission. A lot of authors/readers are starting their own groups (and conversations) on Facebook. However, make sure you ask for permission before adding anyone to yours. I like being involved in various activities, but it’s irritating when I start receiving messages from groups I’ve been added to without my knowledge.

(5) Positive. Keeping it positive will keep you in the spotlight and keep your friends coming back for more. People are looking for positive affirmations on a daily basis not negativity. Readers will be drawn to your page once you are identified as a peaceful positive person (PPP).

(6) Profanity. Using profanity is very unprofessional on all social media outlets and could be considered offensive to some of your followers. If you want to be taken seriously as an author and publisher, you should refrain from using any form of profanity, even on your personal page.

(7) Spamming. Posting an advertisement for your published product on someone’s page without prior consent is considered spamming. This could be a fast way to “turn-off’” future readers. Regardless of how good you think your book is, no one likes to be spammed.

(8) Tagging. Be careful about tagging people in pictures in which they don’t even appear just to promote your product. If you have them mentioned in an article or somewhere in your book, they shouldn’t mind. But just tagging for publicity is unacceptable in most cases.

(9) Targeting. Using social media is an excellent way to target your likely readers. For example, if you’re a romance author, you should join romance book clubs (and groups) and start interacting with other lovers of this genre. Once they realize you’re a published author, they will be even more interested.

(10) Videos. Most people are very visual and enjoy seeing pictures and videos of their favorite authors. You should consider posting video clips from appearances on your personal or fan page, but remember to keep them timed at a minimum for maximum appeal.

Keep all of these in mind, and you’re on your way to becoming a social media ninja. You will be amazed at how your book sales will soar.

Barbara Joe Williams

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Don’t have a copy of Become A Successful Author? What are you waiting for?Become A Successful Author is 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 for only $4.99 (eBook) or $9.99(print) from: Amazon (US), Amazon (UK), Barnes & Noble

10 Tips for Formatting Your eBook by Barbara Joe Williams

In the last three years, there has definitely been a surge in eBook sales thanks to the rise of the Amazon Kindle, NOOK, Sony Reader, Kobo, and iPads. Amazon sold at least one million Kindles a week during one Christmas season. Most readers have reported that they are reading more on their electronic devices than they have ever read before.

The average price to download a self-published eBook ranges from $0.99 to $9.99. However, you’re only paying for basic costs such as editing and book cover design. You don’t have to worry about the expensive cost of printing books. As a publisher, you’re definitely making more profit with eBooks than paperback ones. The royalty rate for Kindle and NOOK books ranges from 35% to 70% of the eBook price.

According to Amazon, the majority of the bestselling eBooks are priced at $3.99 or less. As a debut author, you don’t want to overprice your book. If I’ve never heard of you, I’m not likely to purchase your eBook for $9.99. Yes, it’s less than your $15 paperback, but it’s still overpriced.

You don’t want to give probable readers any reason not to buy your book, and price is definitely a determining factor when considering the works of a new author. If you already have your eBook on the market and sales are slow, you should consider lowering the price of your book. That’s a bitter pill for some authors to swallow, but a little bit of something is better than a whole lot of nothing.

Be advised, there is more to formatting an eBook than simply converting a Word file to a PDF (or vice versa). Each bookseller has different requirements. You will have to check with the website of each one to make sure that you’re meeting all of their specifics.

Here are ten general things you need to be aware of when formatting your eBook:
(1) Use a simple font such as Times New Roman
(2) Use normal 1” margin settings
(3) Do not use any headers or footers
(4) Try to avoid large tables
(5) Do not justify your text
(6) Use pre-set tabs verses the tab key
(7) Insert page breaks and section breaks (Nook) from the Page Layout menu
(8) Check the front cover dimensions for each site
(9) Photographs should be JPEG files
(10) Preview your book file after it’s uploaded

Note:
If you’re still not comfortable after reading the specific formatting guidelines, you should consider hiring someone to format your eBook. Remember, you don’t have to do everything yourself to be an independent publisher. This is just another expense to be included in your publishing budget. Check out this website for more information on converting to eBooks:
www.ebook.online-convert.com

Here are the three major websites for selling your eBooks:
(1) Kindle Direct Publishing Program
www.kdp.amazon.com,
(2) Barnes & Noble’s NOOK Press
www.nookpress.com,
(3) Smashwords
www.smashwords.com,
Smashwords can format for Kindle, NOOK, Sony reader, Kobo, and iBooks (Apple). Be careful using this site because books are easily pirated. They don’t offer the DRM (digital rights management) protection.

One thing I love about eBooks is that I can check my sales report in real time. In other words, as soon as a book is downloaded, it will be reflected within an hour on Amazon. With BN, you can keep track of the monthly totals as well as the current and previous day’s sales. It tells what titles were purchased on what day. However, Smashwords sales are not posted for at least a month.

Publishers used to print paper books first, and then print eBooks about two or three months later. Now, they’re publishing eBooks first and using that money to cover the cost of printing paper books later, if there’s a demand. With POD, you only have to print what you need or just enough to supply your demand. So, it makes sense to publish the eBooks first.

Barbara Joe Williams

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Don’t have a copy of Become A Successful Author? What are you waiting for?Become A Successful Author is 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 for only $4.99 (eBook) or $9.99(print) from: Amazon (US), Amazon (UK), Barnes & Noble

Take Action To Grow in Your Writing Life by W. Terry Whalin

I love the energy and fresh start that comes with a new year. It’s strange in some ways but turning the page to January 1 gives us a chance to start into new areas and set new plans into motion.

What plans do you have for your writing life? Are you writing down those goals then returning to them and looking at them on a regular basis? As you look at those goals, you can readjust the goals to make them more realistic and make sure you are moving forward to accomplish them. Successful people take these types of actions to move ahead and complete various tasks. Planning keeps you focused and not wandering around “trying to write” or “hoping to complete ____ this year.” See the vague nature of those plans? Make your plans specific and focused and realistic.

One area that I’m devoting some time and energy to in the coming months is libraries. I love the library and use it often to get books and other resources. It is a key part of my regular interaction with books. I do not know much about how libraries purchase books. Yes, I’ve read some material on this topic and heard some lectures. I’ve been learning a great deal from this course from Elaine Wilkes. At $27, this course is a bargain for every author or would-be author. The course is packed with audio interviews and written information to equip you to be successful as you approach libraries. I’ve been working through it and amazed at the valuable information. If you have any interest in reaching libraries, I highly recommend Elaine’s course.

If you purchase this course, you have to take action to apply the information to your books and writing life. Buying the course is the first step, then listening to audio interviews and following the seasoned advice will be critical.

I recently wrote about How to Get Reviews by the Truckload on Amazon by Penny C. Sansevieri. This Ebook is loaded with terrific advice. One part of the Ebook is the specifics about Good Reads. In 2011, I registered for a Good Reads profile. I know Amazon.com purchased Good Reads but until I studied this info graphic, I did not realize they have 25 million members. Now that is a huge number and basically I’ve been silent and ignoring Good Reads.

Now I have plenty of excuses why I’ve not been on Good Reads. Instead of wallowing in those excuses and guilt, I decided to change and take action. I began to use my Good Reads account a few days ago. I’ve written hundreds of book reviews on Amazon. I pasted over 80 reviews into Good Reads. Yes, I went from zero reviews to 80 in two days.

Also I was not registered as an author on Good Reads. It allows you to promote events, interact with readers and many other benefits—but you have to take action and connect your books to your author profile. Yes, it takes a bit of action and consistent effort. In the long run, I believe it will be well worth it.

Do I have everything figured out in these two areas of libraries and Good Reads? No but I’m on my way to learning and applying this information to my writing life.

What active steps are you taking to grow your writing life?

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Don’t have a copy of Become A Successful Author? What are you waiting for?Become A Successful Author is 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 for only $4.99 (eBook) or$9.99(print) from: Amazon (US), Amazon (UK), Barnes & Noble

Making Up History by Lynn Emery

I love history, real and made up. By made up I mean the author creates a rich back-story that reaches back years, even generations, to support the plot and character development. The events, settings or characters may or may not be real, but mostly you know that the author just made it up. There was no such war, town or event. But who cares when you’re deep into a page-turner? I don’t for sure.

The thing about history that hooked me at a young age is how it relates to the present. Suddenly the questions “How?” and “Why?” are answered, just from stumbling on a dusty old book or a pack of ancient letters. When you learn secrets like your Great Aunt Lucy had a scandalous affair or your grandfather had a brush with death at the hands of a lynch mob, you begin to understand things about your family.

As an author I have way too much fun creating history. I have to control myself or I’ll end up not writing the book. Although doing research is a chore for me, I’ll happily gather enough background to create a whole history of my own, sprinkling in just enough of the real to make the made up history even better.

For example, in Tell Me Something Good Lyrissa Rideau is looking for a valuable nineteenth century painting by her artist ancestor. Now this man never existed, but I did research on African-American artists in New Orleans during the time period. In that way I created what he would use as subjects for his art, what kind of paint he’d use and where he’d have shown his work. I mentioned a few real artists and art techniques prevalent at the time. But the history about Lyrissa’s family, and the artist himself? Totally made up. Imagine my delight when readers asked where they could find those paintings. Mission accomplished. I created a world that was believable. I’ve done this in just about all of my books, but another good example is my novel A Time To Love. I took oral family history heard during my childhood and went to town creating the secrets Neva uncovers about her fictional family.

In my new novel Only By Moonlight I went even further. I created a family tree that spans 200 years for psychic LaShaun Rousselle, the main character of my paranormal mystery series. I also invented a newspaper article from 1836 that relates to the plot. What fun I had! To see these “historical” documents go to http://lynnemery.com/lashaun-rousselle-series/

Naturally all of this hit me because once again we’re in Black History Month. I’ve made it my mission to spread the word that our history is way too big to be contained in only 28 days! I celebrate real history and the larger than life people who made history year round. I’ll keep making up history for my characters, but it will always be inspired by real history. After all, the true, whole story of us in America and the world is too page-turner good to do anything else.

Lynn Emery

Read more about my three LaShaun Rousselle paranormal mysteries and other novels at www.lynnemery.com
Only By Moonlight, eBook and print, is on sale now!

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Don’t have a copy of Become A Successful Author? What are you waiting for?Become A Successful Author is 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 for only $4.99 (eBook) or$9.99(print) from: Amazon (US), Amazon (UK), Barnes & Noble

Mind Your Grammar by J’son M. Lee

I remember the first time I realized I could write. I was in Mrs. Vick’s high school typing class. We were given an assignment to create and type a fictitious resume. As you can imagine, this was a challenge because none of us had any previous work experience. The person with the most impressive resume would be hired by our teacher. I dug into my imaginative bank and created a resume that would impress even the most discerning employer. I was certain my resume would put me ahead of the competition for that dream position. Although the job was make-believe, I won!

Now two books and three short stories later, I find myself on the opposite end of the writing spectrum—I sling red ink for a living. As an editor, one of my goals is to ensure that a writer has put his or her best foot forward. Readers have become much more sophisticated, and for better or worse, they have an itch to judge. While grammar isn’t necessarily a reflection of your storytelling abilities, it does translate poorly if your finished product is wracked with errors.

It behooves every writer to have a firm grasp of basic grammar rules. Below are five common grammar mistakes I see routinely, not only in editing submissions, but in print. Don’t feel bad if you find the rules confusing. Although I am an editor, I continue to make these mistakes as well. I often have to refer to my trusted resource manuals for clarification. When I’m too frustrated, I let my editor figure it out. Yes, editors have editors.

Who and Whom

“Who” is a subjective pronoun, along with “he,” “she,” “it,” “we,” and “they.” It’s used when the pronoun acts as the subject of a clause. “Whom” is an objective pronoun, along with “him,” “her,” “it”, “us,” and “them.” It’s used when the pronoun acts as the object of a clause. Using “who” or “whom” depends on whether you’re referring to the subject or object of a sentence.

Still too hard to remember? Try this easy rule: Like “whom,” the pronoun “him” ends with “m.” When you’re trying to decide whether to use “who” or “whom,” ask yourself if the answer to the question would be “he” or “him.” If you can answer the question being asked with “him,” then use “whom.” EX: If you’re trying to ask, “Who (or whom) do you want to see?” The answer would be “I want to see him.” “Him” ends with an “m,” so you know to use “whom.” But if you are trying to ask, “Who (or whom) loves me more?” the answer would be “He loves me more.” There’s no “m,” so you know to use “who.”

Who’s and Whose

“Who’s” is a contraction of who is or, less commonly, who has.

EX: Who’s the author of that book?

“Whose” is the possessive of who.

EX: Whose book is this?

Still too hard to remember? Try this easy rule: If you can replace the word with who is, use “who’s.” If not, use “whose.”

Lay and Lie

This mistake is by far the most egregious. In the essence of time, let’s focus on present tense only. “Lay” requires a direct object, and “lie” does not. That said, you lie down on the sofa (no direct object), but you lay the remote down on the sofa (the remote is the direct object). Admittedly, this one is very tricky. Refer to the chart below.

Infinitive Definition Present

to lay to put or place lay(s)

to lie to rest or recline lie(s)

Getting it right, takes considerable thought. In my own writing, I usually figure out a way to avoid the word. When I can’t—and it’s use is necessary—I let my editor figure it out.

Affect and Effect

“Affect” is almost always a verb, and “effect” is almost always a noun. “Affect” means to influence or produce an impression. “Effect” is the thing produced by the affecting agent; it describes the result or outcome. There are a few exceptions. “Effect” may be used as a transitive verb, which means to bring about or make happen. EX: The eBook revolution effected a much-needed shift in the literary industry. There are similarly rare examples where “affect” can be a noun. A client, Deidra DS Green, introduced me to this use. EX: His affect made him seem bored at the book signing.

The last common mistake isn’t a grammar mistake, but a punctuation mistake I see time and time again—the use of quotation marks. I recently questioned one of my mentors, Deatri King-Bey, on the use of quotation marks. After giving me a tutorial she said, “Don’t overthink it.” So here goes:

Periods and commas always go inside the closing quotation marks. EX: “I am looking forward to the Romance Slam Jam,” Edwina said. “I can’t wait to meet Deatri.”

Question marks and exclamation points go inside the closing quotation marks if they are part of the text you are quoting. EX 1: Tanya picked up the phone and asked, “Are you coming over today?” The question mark goes inside the quotation because Tanya is being quoted as asking the question. EX 2: Have you heard the saying, “smart as a whip”? In this example, the question mark goes outside the quote because the quote is not a question.

Bottom line, an author’s job is to tell great stories. So what you can’t remember all the rules of grammar! Make a concerted effort to master as many as you can, but when you fall short, let your editor sort it out. That’s their job. Remember, every great writer has a great team of editors.

J’son M. Lee (Editor)

See you at www.sweetgeorgiapress.com

If you found this post helpful, please use the SHARE buttons to help your fellow authors.

Don’t have a copy of Become A Successful Author? What are you waiting for?Become A Successful Author is 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 for only $4.99 (eBook) or$9.99(print) from: Amazon (US), Amazon (UK), Barnes & Noble

Why You Should Make Every Sale a Celebration by Bryan Cohen

It’s easy to get disappointed as an author. We all want our books to be devoured by the population at large so we can sell thousands of copies a month and live completely off our writing. Most writers never reach those heights, and it’s understandable for the writers that fall short to get down in the dumps. But there is an alternative to beating yourself up whenever you don’t reach your lofty goals.

Instead, you can celebrate even the smallest of achievements.

When your book makes its first sale of the month on Amazon, there’s no reason why you can’t put your arms up in the air with a triumphant yell. When you get a 4-star or a 5-star review, why not read it out loud and make sure the praise fully washes over you? And if you get a fan letter, what’s stopping you from sharing it with a friend and doing a little jig of joy?

Maybe you think I’m being too silly or optimistic, but I’ve always gotten a lot more out of celebrating tiny scores than I have out of lamenting my shortcomings. This is a blog about becoming a successful author. For most, the concept of success lives at the top of a mountain that we’re continuously climbing toward. For a select few, success is broken down into thousands of little successes along the way. The latter aren’t necessarily more successful than the former, but they certainly enjoy the business of writing a lot more.

This holiday season, try to remember how amazing it is to be a writer. Love the work you do. Give yourself constant rewards: physically, emotionally and socially. Maybe you won’t sell more books, but you’ll get a lot more out of your writing journey.

About the Author

In honor of his new book, Cohen is hosting the “1,000 Prompts, 1,000 Dollars” Writing Contest on his website. Click the link to find out how to enter!

Bryan Cohen is an author, a creativity coach and an actor. His new book, 1,000 Creative Writing Prompts, Volume 2: More Ideas for Blogs, Scripts, Stories and More is now available on Amazon in digital and paperback format. His other books include 1,000 Creative Writing Prompts, The Post-College Guide to Happiness, and Ted Saves the World. He has published over 30 books, which have sold more than 20,000 copies in total. Connect with him on his website, Build Creative Writing Ideas, on Facebook or on Twitter.

Holiday Hiatus

It’s the HOLIDAY SEASON! Each year at this time we go on Holiday Hiatus. Yep, we need a break, and this seems like the perfect time of year. We’ll be back February 2014.

I know. I know, that seems like forever, but time flies! In the mean time, be sure to look at previous articles.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!

Cross Promotion Is Your Friend by Deatri King-Bey

It’s not complicated. Cross promotion is one of the best ways for word of your book to spread to new readers in your target audience. So why do so many authors have such a hard time doing it?

Many authors are stuck in the promote my book, promote my brand, promote everything me cycle. Stop the insanity.

Am I saying not to promote your own work? Heck no. You’d better promote it. Find a few groups that focus on your genre(s) and actually participate in them. If there isn’t a group, create your own but don’t make it all about YOU. Self-promotion is not the only way to go.

Why Cross Promote?

Word of mouth from a friend the reader knows and trusts is the best form of promotion there is to expand your reader base. So let’s say your loyal readers have a buzz going on about your book. GREAT! So what now? Do you plan to promote the title to those readers again, and again, and again… After they’ve seen your promo once or twice, they’ve already decided if they will be purchasing it. Sending additional promos can turn the reader off.

In steps cross promotion.

I have a following. They know about me, my books and my reading habits. These folks love to read, and not just my books. As a matter of fact, I don’t know of any reader who only reads one author’s work, but that’s a post for another day. Back to cross promotion. Just about every day, I promote some other author. I point people to a blog, book into, share good news, reviews… Every once in a while I hear from a reader thanking me for introducing them to [fill in the blank with an author whose work they hadn’t previously read].

Other authors have promoted my work, and I’ve benefited from it directly. I’ve also received emails from readers saying they learned of my books from author So and So. Does it work as well as a recommendation from a friend the reader knows and trusts? No, but it’s a great addition.

Here are a few ways to cross promote. It is best to cross promote with authors/readers in your genre. You want to get the most bang for your buck.

On your blog, invite authors to be guests. This will bring readers to your site, where the readers will also notice your fantastic covers displayed, and your content will always be fresh. For example: http://deatrikingbey.com Or create a genre specific blog. For example: http://readinginblack.com
Set up a blog with several other authors in your genre. Invite bloggers, conduct reviews… anything to keep the content fresh. For example: http://romancenovelsincolor.com and
If you do a guest post, do not expect to receive a lot of comments. People rarely comment. I don’t know why, but that’s how it is. Think about it. Major blog sites receive MILLIONS of hits yet only a few thousand comments. Yes. My ego would love a thousand comments to show the world that people are engaged with whatever I’m posting, but I’d rather have the silent sales that come later from people who have read and shared the post. I just wish there were a way to track it.
When an author whose work you know and like has a new release, do a short Happy Release Day post that also includes a buy link. You’ll find authors will do the same for you.
Create an in person event with authors from your genre.
Set up a sale (online or in person) with authors from your genre. Be sure to promote the titles of the sale, not just yours. Remember, the people you are promoting to probably already have your book.
Create an online group with several authors that is genre specific. Again, don’t make it all about you.
Create a scavenger hunt using other authors’ web pages. Here’s an example: Scavenger Hunt: The Blind Date by Delaney Diamond
Set up a Twitter party where you and other authors Tweet a post
You get the picture. Here are a few helpful hints when cross promoting
When you are a guest on a blog, be sure to promote that blog. For example, I did a virtual tour with my last book. The people I promote to already know about my book, so for each stop of the tour, I told them to go and see what the author whose blog I was on had to offer.
Just as readers don’t want to see you continually blast promos about your book in the groups, they don’t want you to do this with another author’s book.
Target all of your promotions to large groups of people who read the genre of book you are promoting.
When participating in multi-author events, be sure to mention the other authors. You’re readers hear from you every day. Just as you are guiding readers to the event for other authors, those other authors should be doing the same towards you.

Cross promotion benefits all parties involved. A year or so ago, I created a Cross Promotion group on Facebook. This is a non-promo group where you can leave your information and find other authors who write in your genre to cross promote with: https://www.facebook.com/groups/CrossPromotion/

Now get out there and cross promote!

Deatri King-Bey

If you found this post helpful, please use the SHARE buttons to help your fellow authors.

Don’t have a copy of Become A Successful Author? What are you waiting for?Become A Successful Author is 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 for only $4.99 (eBook) or$9.99(print) from: Amazon (US), Amazon (UK), Barnes & Noble

The Twitterverse Made Easy by Chicki Brown

Deatri asked me to share about maximizing Twitter. I’ve heard a lot of authors admit that they don’t use Twitter or, even if they have ventured into the Twitterverse, they don’t tweet on a regular basis. Big mistake, in my opinion.

I know. You’re already overwhelmed with social networking and you don’t even want to think about adding another chore to your to-do list. But if you need to eliminate or avoid something, it shouldn’t be Twitter. Why do I say this? Because the literary community on Twitter is different from every other social network. The authors and readers are supportive and committed. In the year or so that I’ve been active on Twitter, I’ve discovered several things that make the difference when marketing your books.

The secret of Twitter is reciprocation. If you follow other authors, bloggers, reviewers and readers and RT (retweet) for them, they will do the same for you. This means that your tweets will go to all of their followers.

The next most important thing about Twitter is the use of hashtags, those words preceded by a # sign. When you send a tweet without hashtags, it only goes to your followers. When you add tags, they serve to attach your tweet to a specific following – people with an interest in a certain category like #romance, #mystery, #newrelease, etc., and these tags are followed by multiple thousands of people. Here’s my personal list of popular tags for authors and books. I’ve separated them by category. It’s best to mix and match the tags that apply to your book and not use more than three. Remember, the tags will take up some of your 140 characters unless you’re using a Twitter management tool like Tweetdeck or Hootsuite, which I’ll explain in a minute.

TWEETS OF INTEREST TO AUTHORS/WRITERS (interviews/craft/) –

#authorRT #Tweets4Authors @Writerlytweets @WritersRT @WritersRetweets

TO PROMOTE A BOOK –

#BYNR @promoteyourboo1 @free_book_promo @BookTweetTeam @digitalbookend

TO PROMOTE AN INDIE BOOK –

@indtwt @IHB6 @IndBk @VoiceOfIndie @IndieBookTweet @IndieAuthorNews @indiebookpromos @IndieWriterSupp

FOR BOOK PROMOTION (GENERAL) –

@BooksandAuthor @A_Book_Shelf @Writers_Cafe @Readers_Realm @AvidReadersCafe @GoodBooksBlog1 #lovetoread #bookworm #bookspotlight #WritersKaboodle

TO PROMOTE A ROMANCE –

@romanticpicks @ROMANCEONLY @ReadingRomance @RomanceinColor @storiesoromance @allromance @JUSTConRom @RmTwts

TO PROMOTE A NOOK BOOK –

@bnbuzz @nookbn @nookboards

TO PROMOTE A KINDLE BOOK –

@Kindle_India @kindle_ch @GoodKindles @kindle_promo @KindlePromotion @IndieKindle @MadKindlePromos @AmazonBookPromo

TO TWEET ABOUT SOMETHING OF INTEREST TO INDIE AUTHORS (not book promo) –

@IndieAuthorLand @IndAuthorSucess @IndieExchange @IndieAuthorAnon @IndieWriteNet @indiepubnews @IndiesUnite

TO PROMOTE A CHRISTIAN/INSPIRATIONAL BOOK –

@CEBTAuthors @Christian_Reads

The other secrets of Twitter are the way you format your tweets and the frequency at which you post a tweet and the time of day. Formatting is simple. You want to get your point across using the least amount of characters possible. Always put your book title in all CAPS so it doesn’t get lost among the other characters. Abbreviate whenever possible, but never abbreviate words in the book’s title. You want people to be able to look up the book online without a problem. It’s not necessary to shorten the buy link to your book, because Tweetdeck or Hootsuite will automatically do it for you. Here’s an example of three tweets I might post in a day for my new release:

Love is the greatest healer. A WOMAN’S WORTH http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EUH6M3S @JUSTConRom @RmTwts @digitalbookend #BYNR @indtwt @IHB6

Marc is helping Gianne to heal her body. Why won’t she let him heal her soul? A WOMAN’S WORTH http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EUH6M3S @IndBk @MadKindlePromos

Why would Gianne Marvray move to Vegas 2 B with a man she barely knows? A WOMAN’S WORTH http://bit.ly/1dTlshd @bnbuzz @nookbn @nookboards

As far as frequency and time, it’s most effective to tweet three times a day. The optimum times are: mornings between 8 and 9 AM (after people get to work and get settled in front of their computers. LOL!) Midday between 12 Noon and 2 PM and evening between 5 and 8 PM).

That might sound like a lot, but there are ways you can type all of your tweets at once and schedule them to run hours, days, weeks or even months in advance. This is done by using one of the Twitter management tools like Tweetdeck or Hootsuite. They are both free to download, and they will make tweeting a whole lot easier. I never use Twitter.com anymore. It doesn’t do everything you need it to do.

My last suggestion to maximize your Twitter reach, if you have a blog, is to join Triberr.com and sign up to be part of one or more tribes. Triberr was created solely as a way to increase your reach on social networks. The main tribe I belong to has a reach of 151,000 (the combined Twitter following of all the tribemates.) Every time you post a new entry, the link goes directly to Triberr and all of your tribemates will retweet it for you. Retweeting on Triberr requires no typing. You merely click. It takes twenty minutes tops.

I hope this wasn’t too confusing. I encourage you to take use of Twitter to promote your books. It’s fantastic!

Chicki Brown

Dee here: I hope you SHARE THIS ARTICLE with all of your author friends. I know I’m not the only one with Twitter issues and Chicki has made it so easy for us. Don’t be stingy, SHARE SHARE SHARE.

Don’t have a copy of Become A Successful Author? What are you waiting for?Become A Successful Author is 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 for only $4.99 (eBook) or$9.99(print) from: Amazon (US), Amazon (UK), Barnes & Noble

Connect Your WordPress Blog To Your Facebook Fan Page by Stephanie Norris

Trying to figure out how to have your blog connected to your Facebook fan page can be frustrating and time consuming. When I tried, it was almost an epic failure. I took to the Google search engine and typed; How to connect your wordpress blog to your Facebook Fan page. Post after post after post told me how to connect my blog to my Facebook profile, but not the fan page. Other links I found gave me instructions but they were old, from 2010 to 2012. Now we all know Facebook does updates it seems like every month! So of course those instructions were not so helpful anymore. It took me a full day playing around with it to figure it out so I pass this knowledge on to you.

Dee here: The images that accompany this post did not show up well in blog format, so I created a PDF of the entire post: WordPress to Facebook.

Stephanie Nicole Norris is an author, website designer, and blogger of all things romance, drama, and suspense. She loves to support other authors and every week she highlights a different author on her WordPress blog. Stephanie currently has two books in print and ebook. For more information or to inquire about a spotlight feature on her blog email her at stephanie@stephanienorris.net.

If you found this post helpful, please use the Share buttons to spread the word about it.

Don’t have a copy of Become A Successful Author? What are you waiting for?Become A Successful Author is 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 for only $4.99 (eBook) or$9.99(print) from: Amazon (US), Amazon (UK), Barnes & Noble

Reasons Why it Might Not be Your Fault Your Blog Tour Sucked by Stacy-Deanne

I’m sure you all remember the post I did before I embarked on my blog tour called, “Why it Might be Your Fault Your Blog Tour Sucked”. That was in July and I mentioned that my first blog tour was about to begin and I was so excited. Well, here it is October and I have a few stops this month and then I’m through. And you know what…I’m glad!

I gave a lot of helpful advice last time and I utilized that advice for my own tour. I figured that revisiting this topic after my tour would help others even more. It’s not important to just give advice when talking about promotional things unless you follow-up and report findings, results, etc.

So let’s get started with what I learned and my thoughts about blog tours now.

Blog Tours are Exhausting:

You would not believe how much energy a blog tour takes out of you. You think since it consists of you sitting at your computer and typing posts, that it would be smooth as silk right? I am so tired. I cannot tell you how tired this blog tour has made me. Putting it together, gathering the material for the blogs, and popping in and out during the visits, becomes extremely tiring. I know you’re probably saying, “Oh poor baby.” But I’m not whining just to whine. Believe me, handling a large blog tour by yourself (along with other things you have to do outside of the tour) is not an easy task. Don’t forget, my blog tour began in August and ends in October and I visited about two or more blogs each week and I realized quickly how draining a blog tour can be. I was well prepared and turned in my posts weeks ahead of time and still felt bogged down during the tour. So for those who think a blog tour is easy…not so much.

They are Boring:

I know this might sound weird, but after a while I got bored with the tour. I can’t explain it but the more visits I did, the less interested I was in the tour. This has nothing to do with the blogs I visited, they were great. I appreciate every host I had and they pulled out the welcome mat for me when I arrived. But after the first four or five stops, I’d grown tired. It went from something I looked forward to, to something I dreaded doing. It’s good that I had my posts done ahead of time. It would’ve been awkward to get bored in the middle of a tour and still have to submit material. Good luck being creative when bored!

People Don’t Participate:

Sigh. I’m glad to say that I’m not the only author seeing this. Authors are mentioning how less and less people comment on blogs or even peek into the content. I knew that with blogs it can be a hit and miss sometimes, but I was not prepared for the complete silence I got from some of my stops. I did all I could to provide interesting topics and giveaway questions that would get visitors involved and still on most of the stops, nothing. I might as well have thrown up the same exact post for every stop. I can’t tell you how many of my hosts apologized to me for the lack of participation. In my other post I mentioned the importance of offering a giveaway to participants. Well from what I see that doesn’t matter. I offered free copies of my book and still only a few takers. I also participated at every stop and promoted the tour. Still some places garnered crickets. On the flipside there were a few blogs I visited that had excellent traffic and I picked up some new fans from those. I believe the lack of participation is what got me bored with the tour. When you show up somewhere and feel like you’re talking only to yourself, how can you be excited? But hey I guess it’s better than doing a book signing in a store and no one shows up. Oh…been there and done that too. Sigh.

My Opinion of Blog Tours Now:

I still think they are a good promotional option if you find them worth the effort. That’s the question. Is the effort worth it to you? I have no idea if I will see any real investment from this down the line, but I did garner some new readers and newsletter subscribers. More people know of me than before so that’s always a good thing. I got some exposure from it even if it didn’t go like I’d hoped. Honestly I can’t say if I’ll ever do a blog tour again. I was very unimpressed. It was a lot of work for a small reward. Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate any new reader I’ve picked up, but the time and effort I put into this tour was too exhausting for me to do it again without a better turnout. It would be a waste of my time to do another tour for it to turn out like this one. I’ll still continue to do guest spots on blogs, but I don’t even wanna hear the term “blog tour” any time soon! I can see now why some authors pay tour organizers. It’s a lot of work to organize your own tour. But, I don’t know if either way is worth it for me. I welcome others to try it though.

I hate to be the bearer of bad news on this. My last post got so many authors excited about trying blog tours, so I hate to stomp on that excitement. I don’t mean to do that. Once again, I’m just sharing my own thoughts and experiences. I suggest authors try blog tours for themselves if they are really interested. They might have a better experience than I did. But honestly, from what I see, blogs are just not the ticket anymore. People barely participate on most of them and the most popular blogs are very difficult to get on. If you can score a popular blog, go for it. But blog tour or not, I don’t think blogs have the power with readers (unless you’re writing YA or NA) they once did. Seems like it’s getting harder and harder to find effective promo options these days so I recommend just writing books as your main source of promotion. That’s what I do. I advise writers to buckle down and get new work released regularly. You’ll get way more from that than a blog tour. Also group promo with other authors is always a good thing. Cross promotion can do wonders. I now run two blogs where I feature books and interview authors, and I gain promotional opportunities as well as new contacts.

Check out my new blogs. One highlights romantic serials and series and the other highlights romantic suspense.

http://romanticserials.wordpress.com/

http://romspense.wordpress.com/

I’ll give my blog tour a 5/10 score. If it wasn’t so exhausting then I might rate the experience higher but it was just too much work put into it for the outcome I received.

Well that’s my update!

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Don’t have a copy of Become A Successful Author? What are you waiting for?Become A Successful Author is 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 for only $4.99 (eBook) or$9.99(print) from: Amazon (US), Amazon (UK), Barnes & Noble

How Are You Asking? by W. Terry Whalin

A great deal of publishing involves the process of asking. For example, if you want to write a magazine article, then you learn how to write a one-page pitch letter called a query and send it to an editor. Essentially you are asking that editor to publish your article.

It’s the same with books. You have a book proposal or a book manuscript and you ask the editor or agent to consider publishing your material. It’s critical for each process that you ask in the right way to receive a positive response. I’ve invested a great deal in this teaching process creating courses and free teleseminars and articles.As I consider this concept of asking, it is a biblical idea. James 4:2 says in the NIV, “You do not have because you do not ask God.” One of the keys is asking with the right strategy and in the right way.

Many times I speak with writers who are struggling financially. There has always been a “starving artist” type of mentality with writers. In recent years, some new tools are available (without cost) to help you raise the funds that you need to accomplish your dreams. Some people call it “crowd funding” and other times it is called “joyful giving.” It’s a way your connections (friends and family) can financially support your publishing vision.

One of the most successful programs online is calledKickstarter. I read a new book from Aimee Cebulski calledKICKSTARTER FOR DUMMIES. Whenever I want to learn a new skill, I’ve found it is important to learn from people who have detailed experience in this area. Aimee Cebulski is one of these people. She not only writes about Kickstarter but has used it successfully to fund her book, THE FINDING 40 PROJECT.

In the introduction for KICKSTARTER FOR DUMMIES, Cebulski writes “Kickstarter has quickly become a mainstream way to get a creative project made.” Most people have no idea how to raise funds for their creative project, Kickstarter gives anyone the ability to raise funds—but it does take strategic planning and thinking to pull off successfully. This book will help you understand the details and creative possibilities.

The Kickstarter model is working. Page 6 says, “As of March 2013, individuals using Kickstarter have:

• Launched 89,400 projects
• Funded 37,300 projects – a success rate of 43%
• Raised $434 million”

“Kickstarter uses an all-or-nothing approach to fundraising. This means, if you don’t hit your fundraising goal within a certain timeframe (about 30 to 60 days), you get nothing. As a result, you need to be very strategic in your planning, your goal-setting, and backer solicitation, all of which I cover in depth in this book.” (Page 7)

The illustrations, step-by-step instructions and depth of this book make it a “must-have” for anyone who is going to use Kickstarter effectively. I recommend you get this book, study it carefully then launch your own creative endeavor. Aimee Cebulski has shown readers the path for their own success and opportunity with KICKSTARTER FOR DUMMIES.

Open your mind to new ideas and approaches. For some of you, Kickstarter will be a path you should explore to get the funds you need to publish your book or to market your book. The opportunity is certainly there for you. Will you seize it and ask others?

If you found this post helpful, please use the Share buttons to spread the word about it.

Don’t have a copy of Become A Successful Author? What are you waiting for?Become A Successful Author is 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 for only $4.99 (eBook) or$9.99(print) from: Amazon (US), Amazon (UK), Barnes & Noble

Just Say NO to Sucky Covers by Deatri King-Bey

One day when I was surfing Facebook, I saw an image of what had to be the worst cover ever. The caption beneath it said: Just because you own Photoshop doesn’t make you a cover designer. Harsh, but I find myself thinking the same thing from time to time.

Your cover is a visual representation of the content of your title that draws readers and makes them want to learn more about your book. Think of it as a visual book blurb. Now let’s get back to that harsh statement about Photoshop, or any other image editing software. Not everyone is artistic. And that’s okay. Not everyone has the technical acumen to utilize image editing software properly. And that’s okay. If you don’t have the vision and the ability, then put money away and hire a cover designer.

Whether you create your own cover or hire someone, you should understand the whys behind cover design.

What main genre is your title? Does the concept you want fit the genre? I hired a designer for a suspense cover. The concepts she showed me looked like horror, so I passed.

What is the tone of your title? Your cover sets reader expectations of what’s inside. For example, if you write a novel that has a serious tone, you wouldn’t want to use a humorous or playful cover. If you wrote a book that is a sweet romance (no sex scenes shown), you wouldn’t want to place a highly erotic cover.

Has some version of your cover been done a thousand times before? Go to Amazon and do a search on your genre that traditional publishers released. Learn the look and feel for your genre, but do your twist on it.

Do you know what the most important element of your cover is? The name you write under. It’s the one item that will remain the same. Initially, your name on the cover doesn’t have to be as large, because people are going to be drawn to the artwork more than you (after all, they don’t know how fabulous you are yet). You’ll draw them in with your fabulous cover, then they’ll read and love your work so much that they’ll spread the word. As your popularity grows, ensure the size of your name grows. Eventually, people will be purchasing your title just because it has your name on it because they know what is inside will be just as good as the last book they purchased by you.

Artwork on the cover can be tricky. Many authors/publishing houses use stock photos. There is absolutely nothing wrong with stock images. I use them myself. But down side with them is unless you purchase exclusivity of the photo, others can also purchase and use it.

There are other options.

You can use non-populated covers (covers without people on them). This makes the pool of stock images used larger.
Contact a photographer and pay for a photo shoot. Don’t forget to check out your local colleges and continuing education classes for photographers and possible models. Don’t forget to get releases and if you want exclusive rights, be sure to have that in your contract with the photographer.
Pay for exclusivity from stock photo companies.

Below are a few of the covers I’ve designed. Please note. I am not a cover designer and am not looking to design covers for anyone. I’m showing these as examples of covers of various genres and tones. Some are populated. Others not. Some have multiple elements that had to be manipulated. Others a singe photo with fancy font.

What information do you give a cover designer?

Genre and back cover blurb
A description of the characters (if using populated cover)
Cover concept (if you have one)
Key themes of the book
Colors you do not want
Colors you’d like if they look right

It’s important to remember that a cover artist is an artist. It’s best to give them general concepts then allow them to be creative. Hopefully, they’ll make something better than you imagined.

Before you hire a cover artist, be sure to document:

Timeline of the project
How many different cover samples they will allow you to choose from and that a font change does not constitute a different sample
How many updates they will allow on the design you choose
Cost and payment options
Exclusivity
The size(s) of the final cover image(s) they’ll be giving you
If they will be giving you the editable file and the cost (if they charge).

If you want to design your own covers, be sure to learn how to use the software and study covers. When I design a cover, I usually have three concepts that I show readers of the genre. I let them give feedback, then I go back to the drawing board.

Now do me a favor and say NO to sucky covers.

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