Why I Give Away Books

By Terry Whalin (@terrywhalin)

If you have a published book, you have a powerful tool in your arsenal. I hate to admit it but when I entered publishing years ago, I was tight with my books. Each time I gave away a book, I was thinking about what that book would cost for me to purchase it. As the years have passed, I’ve become less cautious about the actual cost and more aware of the way books can help others. In this article, I want to give you some reasons to give away your books.

Several years ago at a Morgan James author event in Nashville, I asked one of the authors for her business card. She didn’t have one. Immediately she said, “Why don’t I give you a book and I will write my website into my book?” Your book can be the perfect business card in that situation. This author has been around publishing many years. I’m certain she had no idea that I’ve written hundreds of Amazon reviews. I gratefully received her book and carried the book home. A week or so later, I read the book cover to cover. It was excellent and I wrote a short book review on Amazon and Goodreads. While this author had recently launched her book, she only had eight book reviews. My short review helped her add to this number and I told others about my review through a short tweet with the book on X or Twitter. 

To be realistic, I understand that my response to the gift of a book is not your normal response—but you can suggest readers post a review on Amazon and Goodreads as you hand them your book. Simply from the power of your suggestion, some people will do it. 

At the same event, another Morgan James author asked for a copy of my Billy Graham book. I pulled it out, autographed it and handed it to her. She promised to read it and write a review. Each time I discover a new review, it gives me an opportunity to tell others about this review on social media (X/ Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc.). Marketing people understand a reader has to hear about your book seven or eight times (at least) before they decide to purchase your book. With each new review, you should seize the opportunity on social media to tell others. That exposure is building and adding to the time when that reader will purchase your book.

Here’s several reasons to give away your books:

1. Books change the lives of readers. I know books change lives because years ago, I read a book changed my life. You can read my story in this article: https://terrylinks.com/twowords. 

2. Books in the right hands can help you promote your book. Be watching for other readers and others who write reviews of books and give them a book. Also be generous with people who are in the media to give them copies of your book. Be prepared to give away your books. Carry the books in your car or briefcase and use them as you have the opportunity. 

Finally, follow up with the individuals after you have given away your book. In your follow-up note, tell them what you would like them to do and make it easy for them to do it. If you aren’t telling them (asking), they may not think of the idea on their own. Your follow-up note can be simple saying something like:

“I’d appreciate it if you could leave your honest review of my Billy Graham book in three places:

Amazon: http://amzn.to/1gYtzbx

Barnes & Noble.com: http://bit.ly/1zLviz6

Goodreads: http://bit.ly/1rTDzYB Your review will be a huge help.” 

Notice several details about my follow-up note. It was short, specific and I gave them the actual links to go to the right location online to leave their review. You can use my follow-up note as a template for your own actions with others.

If you are generous with your books (give them away) and tell people what you need from them, many of them will be glad to help you. Do you give away your books? Let me know in the comments.

Tweetable:

In this article, prolific author and editor Terry Whalin explains why he gives away books—and you should too.  (ClickToTweet)

W. Terry Whalin, a writer and acquisitions editor lives in California. A former magazine editor and former literary agent, Terry is an acquisitions editor at Morgan James Publishing. He has written more than 60 nonfiction books including Jumpstart Your Publishing Dreams and Billy Graham. Get Terry’s recent book, 10 Publishing Myths for only $10, free shipping and bonuses worth over $200. To help writers catch the attention of editors and agents, Terry wrote his bestselling Book Proposals That $ell, 21 Secrets To Speed Your Success. Check out his free Ebook, Platform Building Ideas for Every Author. His website is located at: www.terrywhalin.com. Connect with Terry on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

The Power of Psychological Tension

 Contributed by Margot Conor

  Psychological tension is the heartbeat of a compelling story. From the very first line, you want your readers to be hooked. Through mental strain, uncertainty, or distress your characters grapple with their choices, and your reader feels invested in their journey. Due to conflicting emotions, thoughts, or circumstances tension builds and holds your audience in suspense.

This tension is a fundamental driver of storytelling, as it captivates readers by immersing them in a character’s struggles and by raising the stakes. Whether through internal dilemmas, interpersonal conflicts, or external pressures, psychological tension is the force that keeps readers engaged and invested in the outcome of a story.

A story without tension feels flat and directionless. Tension propels the plot forward, urging readers to turn pages as they yearn to see how conflicts unfold and whether characters will overcome their struggles. When a protagonist is placed in a difficult situation, forced to make tough decisions, or floundering with deep-seated fears, their journey becomes compelling. Readers emotionally invest in characters who face genuine challenges, particularly when those challenges feel insurmountable or deeply personal.

Internal conflict arises when a character struggles with their own emotions, desires, or beliefs. Examples include a hero torn between duty and love, or a detective battling their own past while trying to solve a case. The deeper the internal conflict, the more emotionally engaging the story becomes.

Interpersonal conflict is all about the relationships between characters which often drives tension, whether through misunderstandings, betrayal, or unspoken desires.

Romantic tension, rivalry, or power struggles add layers to the narrative, making interactions feel charged and unpredictable.

Situational conflict is created by external circumstances, such as being trapped in a high-stakes environment, racing against time, or facing overwhelming odds. The pressure from external forces can push characters to their limits, forcing growth and transformation.

While tension should build throughout a story, its resolution is equally crucial. Readers want that payoff. Some stories resolve tension with a satisfying conclusion, providing closure for both characters and readers. Others escalate it, leading to unexpected twists or unresolved endings that leave lasting impressions. The key is ensuring that whatever resolution occurs, it feels earned and meaningful within the story’s context.

To effectively incorporate psychological tension, you need to understand how to construct scenarios that amplify uncertainty and emotional stakes. Here are some techniques you might try:

Unresolved Questions: Leaving crucial details ambiguous creates suspense and compels readers to keep reading in search of answers.

Moral Dilemmas: Presenting characters with choices that have no easy solutions enhances tension and deepens engagement.

Foreshadowing and Dramatic Irony: Giving readers insight into potential dangers before characters become aware heightens tension.

Slow Reveals: Withholding key information and revealing it gradually sustains suspense.

Contrasting Emotions: Moments of joy juxtaposed with looming dread create an emotional rollercoaster for readers.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Margot Conor has been writing for as long as she can remember, but it wasn't until the COVID lock-down that she had enough time to dedicate to the craft and bring something to completion. Having finished her first novel, she went through the grueling two-year process of editing. Now she has jumped into the author's world with both feet. Margot's debut multiverse adventure novel, Inverse, is available on Amazon.

She's spent the last year attending many writing retreats, seminars, and writers' events. She also listened to presentations specifically on the topic of publishing and book marketing. She will be sharing what she learns with the reader. Learn more about Margot at https://margotconor.com/

5 Ways Writing a Book Will Help You to Unlock Your Hidden Creative Genius

 

How often have you thought to yourself, “I’m not creative?” Have you marveled at the creativity of young children playing, wondering where on earth they come up with these crazy ideas? Creativity doesn’t disappear completely as we get older; we simply don’t exercise it quite as much as we did as youngsters. Traditional classroom schooling also doesn’t place a priority on creativity because teachers are so focused on teaching the curriculum and scoring tests. If you want to spur your creative juices once again, write a book.

Here are just a few ways you can unlock your hidden creative genius by writing a book:

1. Use the brain dump method to empty your mind of too many ideas. Experts have proven that multitasking actually diminishes productivity, so instead of trying to write your book while all these other ideas are swimming around, take a journal and just start writing everything down. And I mean EVERYTHING, including calling the dog groomer for an appointment to calling the pharmacy for a refill. Whatever is taking up space in your brain should be on that paper. Now that you’ve released these thoughts onto paper, focus solely on writing your book. You’ll discover the writing process is easier when you’re able to focus on just one task instead of one hundred.

2. Banish writer’s block. Before you start writing your best-selling book create an outline. One might think that this kind of detail will cause writer’s block. But in fact, the exact opposite happens. Because you have a roadmap to follow – and you can decide how detailed to make your outline - your brain will feel safe and allow you to write.

3. Writing itself is a creative problem-solving process. When was the last time you made a pros/cons list to help you make a decision? Or a to-do list to track your daily tasks? Or mind mapping to illustrate solving a problem? Writing out the details of our problem allows us to clarify exactly what has to happen when and it’s then easier to see connections and solutions to these problems our brain relaxes and our creativity flows.

4. Practice makes perfect. Even if you’re not aiming for perfection, this old saying holds true. The more you write, the easier the process becomes. If you’re an expert in a particular field, it makes sense to write about your expertise.  Writing content for your audience will become easier because you have the practice and you’ve done the research to know what your audience is seeking.

 5. Embrace the idea of doing something new or different every day. Our daily lives can become routine and boring but they feel safe and less effort is required on our part. But what if you tried new things, mixed up your daily routines just to be different. Take some time to explore new surroundings, take the long way home from the gym, or skip the gym and go for a walk in nature, turn off social media for a day and let your brain come back to awareness. Your brain will thank you for making it work differently, simply because you mixed things up.

Creativity is hidden inside each of us. Embrace your inner child, and use it to write a book you’ll love. In the end it will be worth it and bring great rewards. 

About Rebecca 

Rebecca Camarena is a Book Coach and author who helps women write, publish and market their impactful books about their heartfelt story of the challenges they’ve overcome so they can be an inspiration to others by sharing their words, their voice, their journey.

As a best-selling author with her co-authored book Out of My Comfort Zone: Stories of Courage, Perseverance and Victory she helped women share their stories of how they got out of their fear zone to excel in their business.

Are you’re ready to turn your heartfelt story into your dream book and become the author you were meant to be? Connect with me here, www.rebeccacamarena.com/contact

Fiction Isn’t Fiction After All, Memories Are the Stuff of Writing

 

Is this where memories sometimes reside? Could be. They’re Sneaky.

 

  

 

A Little Story On the Joys of Writing

 

Memories, Personal Growth, and How Fiction Isn't Fiction After All

By Carolyn Howard-Johnson

 

 

This is a story that goes way back, the story of a critique group, how it developed into much more, and how it lives as a study in the way life changes. I spent several hours breaking bread with my very longtime critique group. The bread was a focaccia strewn with bits of rosemary, onions, garlic and oregano and, probably, drenched with olive oil—to which I add more olive oil and balsamic vinegar as a dip just to be sure it is really as fattening as possible. I eat the crust; Leora Krygier (www.leorakrygier.com) eats the insides. Just like Jack Sprat and his wife. It has become a tradition.

 

It is not a large critique group. It started with four of us. We were among about 20 enrolled in a four-day writers' conference (they now call it a Studio) at UCLA Extension Writers' Program (https://www.uclaextension.edu ). Our teacher, Phyllis Gebauer, suggested we would be perfect critique partners. We worked together for a year and then one of our number, Iris, dwindled away to Washington D.C. I kept in touch with her, but not as avidly as I should, though last year I sent her an assortment of my huge, chartreuse gladiola bulbs via USPS.

 

It was an unusual group not only because of its longevity. After watching us grow and publish, Phyllis—our instructor—asked if she might join us. We—her former students— were floating on air. This was a kind of personal affirmation, as exquisite in its way as getting an agent or a publisher. Our former teacher thinking we had something to offer her in terms of critique.

 

We were four, then five, then—eventually—back to three. Three little piggies who relished our favorite restaurants—the ones with the best focaccias, almost as much as we did writing. Only three left of the five of us. I took notes of the day we discussed     websites, a new program I found on the Science channel moderated by the tech columnist at the New York Times that still reruns occasionally on Prime, I think. I read a poem (did you know that flowers are all about sex?), Leora (author of When She Sleeps) read the beginning of a proposal for a book of nonfiction (something quite new for her) and Phyllis read from her work-in-progress, Hot Widow and told us that it had been accepted for publication. JayCe Crawford, our Cup of Comfort contributor, was attending to a sick friend and we missed her. She is the fastidious one who keeps our t's crossed. You can see, we've all published. 

 

Later I then I became one of Phyllis's fellow UCLA instructors. It was quite a ride that eventually afforded me UCLA Extension’s Instructors Development Program. They offered all the classes in it to their instructors as one of the benefits. I took every single one and framed the tiny little “sheepskin” for a wall in office. It was the kind of benefit that keeps giving.

 

And then our instructor cum fellow critique announced she would not be finishing her latest book but bowing to cancer instead. She left behind her several UCLA teaching awards and her library of books to UCLA’s library—most of them first editions of great prize-winners over the extent of her life including many hand-signed by the authors who had once been students and other associates.

 

So, aside from this ramble from a writer who loves to write, what's this all about? 

 

Memories and how they affect our writing, nonfiction or fiction.

 

Memories are what writing and life (or life and writing) are made of. In fact, I don't think there is such a thing as true fiction. Everything, however made up by playing the "What if?" game, is rooted in experience. An author describes a room or garden? She's been there before, or she's reassembling parts of several gardens she's seen. She builds a character? No character is wholly original. No matter how carefully a fictional character has been drawn, the author has seen those traits in some individual, some novel, or some movie before. Or maybe a dream. If that weren't true, that character wouldn't come off as real.

 

Readers, too, bring their real memories to a story, visualize it similarly to what they've experienced. So, what we do every day—as writers or readers—is important to writing, to what we bring to a book when we read it. 

 

Oh! That reminds me. It's also about 

 

Personal Growth and how our friends help us move ahead.

 

About one year later. Phyllis's book, the one we critiqued a year go, is a reality. Before she died she read an excerpt from Hot Widow (which I happen to know was based on many of her personal memories! Wowser!) at Pasadena's famous independent bookstore, Vroman's still going after well over 100 years. Leora and Joey and I were—of course!—here. We had dinner first and then be in the audience, proud little piggies that we are. Cheering.

 

And one day that feeling we had for a fellow writer or those book-laden shelves, or that Indian dinner? One of them is sure to show up in something we write. I guess all three already have.

 

 

Tips and Tidbits and Another Memory This is an example of a piece I once included in each of well more than 200 “Back to Literature” columns I wrote for the now closed MyShelf.com where I met many reviewers, mostly authors of books generous enough to share and promote other authors as well. You’ll sometimes see them crop up in articles I write in other places, too. Here it is: (Each month in this box, Carolyn lists a Tidbit that will help authors write or promote better. She will also include a Tip to help readers find a treasure among long-neglected books or a sapphire among the newly-published.) Writers' Tidbit: :Writers will find lots of inspiration, promotion tips and guidance on craft at my blog, www.SharingwithWriters.blogspot.com They can even subscribe to have posts delivered to their mailboxes. They'll also find a long list of other writing-related blogs in one of what bloggers call "segments." Scroll to the end of the page for that list and segments that include other valuable resources for writers.   Readers' Tip: Book Expo America is a tradeshow for publishing professionals. When I was there  Cushing-Malloy, Inc, a manufacturer of books, was celebrating their 60 year anniversary. They gave out a nifty little reading light that works as a bookmark, too. I love it and highly recommend it for readers. It's not something I would have purchased for myself, but now I've seen how handy it is, I would! I'm sure you can buy one at most good bookstores.

 

 

MORE ABOUT THE WRITERS ON THE MOVE CONTRIBUTOR

 

This column may one day appear in a memoir my publisher tells me I must write, but no apologies if that never happens. Memories and sharing are indeed the joys that keep most of us writing. Whether it makes it to a memoir or not. But if you’re curious if that ever happens, follow me on the Authors’ Profile that Amazon provides to its writers and follow me to receive a notice of each new book. They don’t come out super often; somehow the writing of the moment seems to fill the time necessary required to be a prolific writer of books. And learn more the books I have managed to publish in these years of intense writing on my website. 

Common Children's Writing Mistakes

 I attended a webinar through Children's Book Insider (CBI) with traditionally published children’s authors Jean Daigneau and Gloria Adams. They had some very helpful tips.

One section I found interesting was about the BIG common mistakes that authors make with children’s books.

1. The number ONE most common big mistake is a weak plot.

So, what does a weak plot mean?

No conflict, or very little.

Basically…

The main character needs to have a problem. It can be internal or external, but it needs to be something that has consequences attached to it.

The conflict doesn’t need to be life or death; it may be that he figures out a way to stop a bully. Or, she figures out a way to get the bike she wants. It could even be that he was lonely and finds a friend.

It does need to be something that will get the young reader engaged.

It’s the conflict that will make the reader become invested in the main character’s journey. It’s the conflict that will motivate the reader to read to the end.

2. The number two most common mistake is the lack of a story arc.

A story needs a full story arc. A beginning, a middle, and an end, and within that structure, there needs to be rising conflict.

There also needs to be a satisfying resolution to that conflict.

This is commonly known as Freytag’s Pyramid.

The story starts on the left side of the pyramid. The action and conflict climb up to the peak (the climax). Then, it’s down the right side with falling action and the resolution.

3. Another big mistake is the lack of a character arc.

The character needs to grow in some way.  

He needs to change in some way as a result of his journey to overcome the obstacle blocking him from reaching his goal.

The character may become kinder, happier, more confident, smarter, physically stronger, emotionally stronger, more creative, or less fearsome. You get the gist.

He shouldn’t be the same person he was at the beginning of the journey.

When you look at the character at the beginning of the story and then at the end, he needs to be different. There needs to be some kind of growth.

Some of the SMALLER mistakes or problems authors make are:

1. Double tags.

Here’s an example:

Pete threw his fist in the air. “If he does that again, I don’t know what I’ll do,” he said.

This is a double tag.

It’s already established that Pete is talking because he’s noted throwing his fist in the air. The “he said” shouldn’t be included.

If you know the reader will understand who’s talking, you don’t add a dialogue tag.

2. Picture books and illustrations.

If you’re writing a picture book, take the illustrations into account.

Write with them in mind. Leave enough room for the illustrator to be creative and bring the story to another level.

3. Illustrator notes.

It may be tempting to try to direct the illustrator with a lot of illustrator notes but don’t do it.

Unless it’s something the illustrator wouldn’t know but needs to know, don’t mention it.

An example of this:

Your protagonist has a dog, and you want it to be a specific color and breed. This is something you can note, as the illustrator certainly wouldn’t know about it.

4. Candy-coating the story.

A number of my clients don’t want anything bad to happen to the characters in the story. This is especially true of picture books.

But it’s tough to have conflict if nothing bad can happen to the characters.

The best stories, even if fantasy, have realism in them.

5. Unsatisfying ending.

The ending of your story is important to get right.

All loose ends must be tied up. And, especially in picture books and writing for young children, the ending must be satisfying.

The reader should go away feeling good about the story.

Another important aspect of the ending is to NOT tell the reader what the message of the story is.

The takeaway value of the story should be subtly conveyed through the story itself. Don’t hit the reader over the head with it.

Winding this up...

A good story needs it all. It needs conflict with rising action and resolution. It needs character growth with a subtle message.

The best way to incorporate all this into your story is to read a lot of traditionally published books in the genre you’re writing. Pay attention to what makes those books work.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR 

 

 

Karen Cioffi is an award-winning children’s author, working ghostwriter, rewriter, and coach (picture, chapter, and middle-grade books). If you need help with your story, visit Writing for Children with Karen Cioffi.

You can check out Karen's books at:
https://karencioffiwritingforchildren.com/karens-books/

You can connect with Karen at:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karencioffiventrice
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kcioffiventrice/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/karencioffikidlitghostwriter/
 

Dialogue Tags: He Said, She Replied

 

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 Contributed by Karen Cioffi, Children's Writer

 

I'm rewriting a young adult book for a client. It's over 100,000 words.

With that many words, the author felt compelled to mix up the dialogue tags.

That, though, is never a good idea.

Some of the tags he used were spat, laughed, teased, smirked, joked, yawned, and sneered.

But my client isn't the only one who doesn't realize that there are specific words for dialogue tags. That might be because new authors aren't familiar with the tag's purpose.

So, what exactly is a dialogue tag and how should you use it?

According to The Write Practice, "they 'tag' the dialogue to a particular character. Also often referred to as an attribution, a dialogue tag is a small phrase either before, after, or in between the actual dialogue itself."
https://thewritepractice.com/dialogue-tags/

That puts it pretty simple.

Dialogue tags are phrases that identify who is speaking. They are a must for clarity and in order to keep the reader in the know and involved in the story.

A few examples:

"What was that?" asked John.

"I couldn't finish my homework," John said.

"If I go to the store," John said, "I'll pick up milk."

So, you can see that dialogue tags are straight forward. They allow the reader to know who's talking.

The basic tags are said, replied, asked, and answered. These tags kind of become invisible to the reader. The reader can acknowledge who is talking while not thinking twice about the tag.

But when the basics just aren't enough, you can also use whispered, shouted, mumbled. They should be used sparingly, though.

So, going back to dialogue tags that shouldn't be used, I did a search and was surprised at the results.

One site had a list of dialogue tags that included, emitted, bubbled, chuckled, grinned, sang, smiled, and rejoiced.

Another site had grieved, mewled, bawled, blubbered, fretted, agonized, comforted, admired, hissed, soothed, glowered, placated, assented, tittered, and sobbed, stating they could be used as dialogue tags.

This may be one of the reasons why some writers feel it's okay to use these words.

A good way to think about whether a word can be used as a tag is to think of the word and what it means.

You can't blubber dialogue.
You can't admire dialogue.
You can't comfort dialogue.
You can't sneer dialogue.
You can't tease dialogue.
You can't emit dialogue.
You can't spit dialogue. Although you may spit as you talk.

Dialogue tags and adverbs.

This is another common problem that can arise with dialogue and tags - the use of adverbs.

My client did a lot of this as well.

Using an adverb after a tag looks like this:

"Don't bother getting up," John said angrily.

"You're beautiful," John said admiringly.

"Get out of my chair," John said, disgruntled.

Instead of using adverbs, the sentence or paragraph should show how the character is feeling.

Ellen couldn't open her eyes. Crying all night left them swollen and achy. "How could this happen?"

Showing what's going on allows the reader to know how she's feeling. You wouldn't need to add "sadly" at the end of the tag.

Do you always have to use dialogue tags?

Another question that can come up about dialogue tags is whether they have to be used all the time.

The answer is no, as long as it's clear who's speaking.

John shook his head. "No way. I'm not going."

"You've got to," said Pete.

"No, I don't."

In this simple example, you can see that only one of the dialogues has a tag.

The first one notes who's talking by using: John shook his head.

The dialogue that comes after that is from John.

The third dialogue line is John responding to Pete. As there are only two characters in the scene, the reader will know John is speaking.

Writing dialogue is easy once you get the hang of it.

A good way to learn how to write dialogue with proper tags is to read a lot of traditionally published books. Pay attention to the dialogue.

It's not that I'm putting down self-published books, I've self-published two books. The problem is not all self-published books are done professionally.

Traditionally published books have professionals editing them; they have gatekeepers to ensure the story is quality. They know the ropes and it's important to learn from books that are done right.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

 

 

Karen Cioffi is an award-winning children’s author, working ghostwriter, rewriter, and coach. If you need help with your story, visit Writing for Children with Karen Cioffi.

Karen also offers authors:

HOW TO WRITE A CHILDREN'S FICTION BOOK
A DIY book to help you write your own children’s book.

FICTION WRITING FOR CHILDREN eCOURSE
4-Week / 8 Sections Guided Self-Study Mentoring Program