The Author Website: Which is the Best Hosting Service?

 

Contributed by Margot Condor

Make no mistake, as an author you are embarking on a business. To be successful you must be willing to step outside the creative space and learn how to market your product. Even if you’re traditionally published, there will be an expectation that you get involved in the process of driving traffic to your bookstore.

Websites are no longer optional investments for businesses in the twenty-first century, if you’re a professional, an online presence is important. Sure, social media landing pages are good, but if you want to put yourself out there as a serious writer, you need a website.

The question becomes how much are you able to invest in that website?

As a new author, I have only just begun to research the various options for creating one, and I can tell you I hit a wall immediately when it comes to cost.

What I find absolutely maddening is the fact that many of these sites do not have an easy-to-find cost options page. When I tried to Google this simple question and I get directed to a page that says “Get Started.” Basically, it means unless you commit, you don’t find out what you will be paying! They obscure the cost and want you to join before that information can be seen. I really don't like the lack of transparency!

This article will explore the various options I researched. In order to get the information, I share with you here, in some cases, I just had to ask other authors what web hosting service they use, how easy their site was to create and use, and what they paid. I’ll explain later what I finally decided for myself and why.
 
Let me begin by suggesting that you buy your own domain, (this is the URL of your site) this can be added to any of these plans to make it easier for your readers and fans to find you. I use Dynadot: https://www.dynadot.com/). On the average it is around $12 a year.

I should say that there are several sites offering variations on the same basic package, they have templates, and they are easy to set up, even if you know nothing about coding, which I don’t. When you find a template you like, you can customize it to fit your needs. Drop in your own images, add your text, add pages, there are a lot of ways to make them unique to you. The template is just a place to start.

I was so impressed with the variety of options out there now. Many years ago I designed my first artist’s website with the help of my husband who does know all those magical things that turn a series of digits into images on your screen.

The design part was a laborious endeavor and took me forever. Of course, at that time, the only way to get a website designed, other than going through that grueling process, was to hire a pro to do it. But that wasn’t affordable for me or many creative people I knew. It still isn’t.

A DETAILED LIST OF HOSTING SERVICES FOR AN AUTHOR WEBSITE

1. WIX was the first to show up on the market that let you drag and drop your art into easy-to-use templates. The problem there was the lack of a personal URL. Last time I built a WIX website for an art collaboration they offered a way to get around having a link that featured WIX in your e-mail address rather than your name, by opting for a paid WIX site rather than the free one. Now… they no longer offer the free variant.

It is difficult to find the payment options on their site, so I’ll just give you that direct link: https://www.wix.com/upgrade/website

It starts with 3 GB of storage space for $16 a month, to 100 GB of storage space for $45 a month. Each of their tier options offers a variety of services. On the upside, they have a huge choice of templates, more than most: 900+ and 250+ apps. It’s easy to use and not a bad price, depending on how much you plan to load on your pages.

2. WEB.COM is another do-it-yourself website builder. They offer a free domain with your website package. With drag-and-drop template designs. They give you one-hour free tech support with their experts. It will work with WordPress, eCommerce, and shared hosting platforms. You can also move your existing WordPress website to Web.com hosting. They have a 99.9 percent uptime guarantee. Evidently, some sites crash a lot. They promise theirs will not.

Web.com offers 24-7 customer support by phone or through their online help center. They do not have a free plan. Their low introductory rates draw users in, but renewals are much more expensive. For example, starting at $4.95 to $19.95 per month, that only lasts for one billing cycle. Afterward, they jump up to $9.99 to $39.99, which is a significant increase. So, once you’ve committed and built your beautiful website, you end up paying a lot more than you expected. Seems dishonest to trick people who are not paying attention to the small print.

But if you stick with them, one upside is the social media integration for platforms including Instagram, Disqus, and Pinterest. You can showcase your Instagram Feeds, add a Pinterest “Pin It” button or link all your social media profiles. With the eCommerce Essentials or eCommerce Premium plan, you can sell on Facebook or Instagram to get your followers on your sales funnel. https://www.web.com/

3. GO DADDY has a free option; just pick a template to start. There are 15 categories with twenty options in each one to choose from. Add your content and business info to make it yours. Use built-in marketing to let people know you’re open for business. Manage everything from one dashboard on any device. Upgrade to an online store when you're ready to start selling. Their paid options are from $12 to $23 a month.

4. WEEBLY is impressive, although, similar to these others. I like their clean and simple interface, where everything is easy to find. Including their price structure which is quite affordable. They have the drag-and-drop builder, like the others, but also some extras that are not common elsewhere: Advanced animation effects, custom fonts, video background elements for dynamic designs, and you can add your own videos too. There is a built-in photo editor. This web builder appeals to the artist in me.

5. PUBSITE: I was very interested in this site. A couple of writers’ webinars I attended gave presentations about this site and it looks like an amazing place designed specifically to support authors. It is also a do-it-yourself website platform. It lets you easily display all your books, excerpts, videos, social media links and feeds, author tours, and online bookseller links, and you can sell your books directly from your website. Seems there are two options for blogging, design in-site or import your WordPress blogs that you created elsewhere.

It sounds very user-friendly and they have thought about everything you need as a writer. Pub Site has a monthly fee of $19.99 which includes hosting. Which comes to around $240 a year. Not bad considering all they offer. Everyone I have talked to who uses it has had great things to say about it. 

6. SQUARE SPACE:  I have several writer friends who swear that Square Space is the way to go. Honestly, after researching it, this is my least favorite choice, and I would not recommend Square Space to any writer who is not very tech savvy. This site does not offer a free plan either.
 
The cost to build a website with them depends on the number of pages, custom features, and functionality you choose. You pay extra for search engine optimization. You pay more if you have a project deadline, like a book launch. You pay differently depending on the expertise of the person designing for you. The cost of expert help is around $100 an hour. You’ll end up paying at least $2000 on the low end for their help with the design.

They want you to buy your domain name through them at the cost of $20 to $70 yearly. (I pay $12.00 a year at Dynadot.com) Then on top of all that, their yearly hosting fee is between $200 to $600 with an average cost of $300.

7. CANVA PRO is what I will be using, I saved it for my last entry as I am sharing more links on this one. I am already paying for the pro app to make leader magnets and social media ads. Canva Free, Canva Pro, Canva for Teams, and Canva for Education users can publish websites for free. But you get a lot of extras with the paid options.

There are a ton of templates for anything you want to do, all for $120 a year. Included in all plans are: Docs, whiteboards, presentations, social media templates, video, print options, and of course Website hosting is included in that price. All designing is drag and drop and easy to use. My feeling is that their design options are as good as any of the other sites I researched, but in addition you can create a lot of other things to help with promotion.

On the Pro option, they have amazing goodies: starting with 100 million stock photos, videos, and graphics, (if you need them. I have my own images that I created; I don’t use stock). But that alone is huge! For authors who want to self-publish, you can use their royalty-free stock and design your covers in Canva.

Logo and brand kits are available. There are some impressive video editing tools. For example, you can remove images or backgrounds in videos with one click, you can auto-match soundtracks with video footage. You get Magic Eraser, Magic Write, and Beat Sync.

Another cool feature: you can schedule social media content on 8 platforms! There is 1TB of cloud storage, which is way more than the other sites offer. That beats all other sites on options and price.  I’m not sure I will use all of that, but it is included.

Be sure you build on a website template. They have other templates that look similar which are for portfolios. I made the mistake of building a whole website design with multiple pages and then realized I could not make it live because it was not made for website. The tabs look different: a website template has a little square icon on the tab, all other design templates have a circle with a C in it.

Here are some additional links for “how to” if you also want to try Canva Pro:

How to use your own domain with Canva
(You can buy your domain URL through them or with an outside hosting company).
https://www.canva.com/help/publishing-websites-own-domains/

How to create a blog on Canva:
https://www.canva.com/learn/how-to-start-a-blog/

Your blog can be linked to your Canva website:
Choose the "embed" option in the Canva design editor then paste a link to the blog post into the embed field. The blog post will then appear in the design where you can resize it to fit into the design as you like.

Here it shows you how to do it:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5eSkF6NR9Ys

You will first need to host your Blog elsewhere. Hostinger.com is an affordable option. It manages over 29 million users across 39 countries worldwide.

Hostinger's Key Plans:
Single Shared: $1.99 per month (discounted price)
Premium Shared: $2.99 per month (discounted price)
Business Shared: $3.99 per month (discounted price)

Creating a newsletter on Canva:

https://www.canva.com/newsletters/
https://www.websitebuilderinsider.com/how-do-i-create-a-newsletter-on-canva/

Newsletter e-mail from Canva:
https://www.websitebuilderinsider.com/how-do-i-make-a-newsletter-email-on-canva/

I haven’t finished building my website yet. But I hope you will look for Margot Conor and check out what I put together with Canva! I’ll be posting updates there. 

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. She's preparing to debut her first novel, which means learning how to promote it. The last year has been spent 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.

 You can learn more about Margot and her writing at her Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/margotconor/

Pivoting Goals

Sometimes in work - and in life - you need to alter your course aka pivot. This can apply to a writing project, a marketing initiative, or something entirely different. How you embrace change, whether by choice or by circumstance, can make all the difference. 

I had a wonderful conversation on pivoting - aka left turns - last month on GoalChatLive. My guests were Matt Bailey, founder of SiteLogic; Cheri Ruskus, whose company is Business Victories' and Jennifer Watson, co-founder of Twister Twins LLC. 

Matt, Cheri, and Jennifer discussed how they’ve made left turns … and in some cases have come full-circle. They also talked about how to avoid the advice abyss, pitfalls when pivoting, strategies for success, and more. 

What is a pivot? Matt says whether it's actually a pivot depends on how far you are turning. Cheri believes pivoting involves getting out of your comfort zone. This is a good thing, just be sure you are making a change for the right reasons. Adds Jennifer, pivoting can be as simple as following your heart. 

Things to Keep in Mind  

• Cheri: When you are exploring new things, people may try to throw a safety net over you and dissuade you; stay away from the safety net people. Use your instincts 
• Jennifer: Trust your gut. And, trust the process.
• Matt: You can take a left turn and still stay in your area of expertise. 

Pivoting Goals 

• Matt: Read a story to your children. Kids don’t remember the grand gestures. They remember the quality time. Don't have kids? Spend quality time with yourself 
• Cheri: Get out in nature. Cheri has a morning momentum practice 
• Jennifer: Start reading a book that can inspire you. Reach out to someone you’ve always wanted to meet; get out of your comfort zone

Watch our conversation.

Final Thoughts 

• Jennifer: Just do it! 
• Cheri: Trust yourself, trust the journey you are on. Be the happiest person in the room! 
• Matt: Sometimes left turns happen to you; be aware of the opportunity!

If you think you need to make a change, you are probably right. Whether it’s a big change or little, personal or professional, embrace who you are and what drives you, so you can start heading in the right direction.

* * * 

For more inspiration and motivation, follow @TheDEBMethod on Facebook, Instagram, and Linkedin! 

* * *

How do you embrace or seek change? What tips do you have for pivoting? Please share in the comments. 

* * *

Debra Eckerling is the award-winning author of Your Goal Guide: A Roadmap for Setting, Planning and Achieving Your Goals and founder of the D*E*B METHOD, which is her system for goal-setting simplified. A goal-strategist, corporate consultant, and project catalyst, Debra offers personal and professional planning, event strategy, and team building for individuals, businesses, and teams. She is also the author of Write On Blogging and Purple Pencil Adventures; founder of Write On Online; host of  #GoalChatLive aka The DEB Show podcast and Taste Buds with Deb. She speaks on the subjects of writing, networking, goal-setting, and social media.

Marketing Your New Book on a Budget

 Contributed by Karen Cioffi

Within one week, a couple of years ago, I self-published a nonfiction book on writing for children, How to Write a Children’s Fiction Book, and had a traditionally published picture book released, The Case of the Plastic Rings – The Adventures of Planetman.

Dealing with one book being published is tough enough; two is a bit overwhelming, especially if you’re ghostwriting another story, or two, or three at the same time.

The first purpose of this article is to emphasize how important it is to market your book. If you don’t, you won’t get any sales, and just as bad, no one will read the story you worked so hard on.

The other purpose is to explain the strategies I used, am using, and will use to promote my books.

MY BOOK PROMOTION STEPS

1.    Your Website’s Book Page
As soon as my books were available for sale, I added them to my Books page on my website.

I also included links to the sales pages.

I linked to the Amazon sales page for How to Write a Children's Fiction Book . And I linked to the publisher’s sales page for the traditionally published book.

To find out why I rarely link my books to their Amazon sales pages, you might read this:
Amazon, Your Book, And Third-Party Sellers

It’s important to note that you can and should do pre-publication promotion.

Let people know you have a book coming out. Give tidbits about the book to whet the reader’s appetite. If you have an email list (which you should), send a promotional email about your upcoming new book.

I didn’t do this at the time, as everything happened too fast, and I had too much on my plate.

2.    Video / Book Trailer
I created a video for my nonfiction book and for Walking Through Walls.

I have a paid subscription with Powtoons – that’s how I make my videos. You can add music or a voice-over.

They also have a free plan that gives you up to 60 seconds for your video.

I also intend to create a video (book trailer) for each of my children’s picture books.

3.    Author Interview
My publisher for the picture book did an author interview with me.

You can check it out here:
Interview with Karen Cioffi – The Case of the Plastic Rings

I promoted the interview through my social networks.

You can also ask peers or others with a ‘relevant to your book genre’ website if they’d be willing to do an interview with you.

4.    Book Reviews
Reviews help sell books.

I asked around for peers and others who would review my books and post their reviews to Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Goodreads (or at least one of them).

For this, you’ll need to send a PDF of the book or a print copy if the reviewer requests it.

You can also find people who review books online. It’s important to make sure they’re reputable.

It’s also a good idea to ask the reviewer if you can post the review on your website.

Again, reviews help sell books.

5.    A Press Release
I didn’t have the time to do this step, but writing a press release for each of your new books is important, and asking fellow authors if they’ll put it up on their sites.

You should also post it to a press release distribution service.

There are free press release sites where you can upload the release to.

6. A Book Website
I had thought about creating a separate website for The Case of the Plastic Rings and the other three books in the series once they’re revised and re-published. But I decided against it.

While I have separate sites for my other two children’s fiction books, Walking Through Walls and Day’s End Lullaby, adding individual and detailed pages for each of my books to my ‘writing for children’ website will work better.

Keeping everything in one spot (on one website) has its advantages. You can see what I mean with my Books Page.

7.    Social Media
As soon as the books were available for sale, I posted about them to my social media accounts.

Currently, I’m using Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

And I regularly promote them through my social media networks.

8.    Encourage Affiliate Marketing
A writer friend has an affiliate account with Amazon and was happy to promote my books.

If a friend or peer has an affiliate account with Amazon, they have more incentive to help you by promoting your book on their site.

They get a small payment for every book sold from their Amazon affiliate link. It’s not much, but it can add up if you do volume.

9.    Using PayPal’s Buy Buttons
If you’re self-publishing your book on Amazon, in addition to selling through them, you can use PayPal Buy Buttons on your website.

That’s what I did.

You can see how it works here:
https://karencioffiwritingforchildren.com/diy/

Why did I do this?

In case you didn’t read the article above about Amazon and 3rd-party sellers, the gist of it is that Amazon allows 3rd-party sellers to sell your book.

My nonfiction book had just come out and 3rd-party sellers were already selling it through Amazon. I set the paperback price at $14.95, but it was being sold for $14.95 to $25. It’s crazy.

These 3rd-party sellers do the same thing with traditionally published books which is why I usually link to the publisher’s selling page rather than Amazon’s.

There’s no way to know where those 3rd-party sellers are getting the books from – they may be bootlegged. This means the author and publisher don’t get the money they should from the sale.

Another reason to sell from your own website is that you’ll make more money. If you’ve distributed your book through IngramSpark, there are a lot of fees taken from your book sales for paperback and hardcover books.

I hope this gives you some ideas for your own book marketing journey.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Karen Cioffi is an award-winning children’s author, ghostwriter, editor, and coach with clients worldwide.

She also offers: DIY HOW TO WRITE A CHILDREN'S FICTION BOOK 

FICTION WRITING FOR CHILDREN Self-Guided Course and Mentoring Program

WRITERS ON THE MOVE PRESS (self-publishing help for children’s authors).

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

 

Tips on Developing Book Presentations

Bird nest craft for Cradle in the Wild presentation

By Linda Wilson  @LinWilsonauthor

Think of venues in your town where you can present hands-on programs showcasing your self-published books. Possibilities include: Lunch & Learn programs at local churches, libraries, bookstores, coffee houses, pre-school get-togethers, local art organizations, and public schools. Gear your program(s) to children in your market age group. The key is to include parents, grandparents, and caregivers so that you can display your books for purchase. Interest a teacher, librarian, or principal to purchase a supply of books for a classroom or for children in the school before an author visit. 

Develop your Program

Two programs that I’ve developed for my picture books, A Packrat’s Holiday: Thistletoe’s Gift and Cradle in the Wild, have been well received. Now that I’ve dipped a toe in the water, I plan to develop programs for my other books in coming months.

A Packrat’s Holiday: Thistletoe’s Gift

A Packrat’s Holiday: Thistletoe’s Gift is about a packrat whose cupboards are bare during the holidays. Thistletoe wants to find food and decorations for his Mama to have a “right good [holiday] supper.” Here is the program I developed for this book.

• Collect materials: Before the presentation, I collected natural materials that packrats use to build their nests, such as dried leaves and grasses, fluff from various plants, pop tops and pieces of shiny tin foil, and small twigs and sticks. I wrapped a ribbon, string, or elastic band around some of these materials; others I collected in plastic bags. I numbered each item, enough for a 30-student class, and placed them in a basket.
• Introduce a treasure hunt: I hid the natural materials around the room. When the children enter, they are directed to sit down. I get them excited about going on a treasure hunt. Before the hunt starts, I show them a picture of a packrat and ask them to identify it. They inevitably think it is a picture of a mouse. Though packrats do look a lot like mice, we can then discuss how packrats differ.
• Familiarize children with packrats: We discuss that packrats are in the animal family of rodents. We name other rodents, including beavers, a fact I learned while working on this project. We discuss where packrats live, what they eat, and the fun fact about packrats’ traits—how a packrat will pick up a shiny object while searching for food, then if he comes across a more interesting shiny object, he’ll drop the first one, pick up the more interesting one, and take it back to his den.
• If the attention span of the group is a challenge, I then hand out coloring pages to color while listening to the story.
• Tell the story: I have found that telling the story while showing the illustrations works better than reading it with groups of more than five children. This takes some practice beforehand, but it’s worth it.
• After the story: The children can color or take the coloring page(s) home with them.
• Book display: The main display is of the story book and a coloring book that an artist made to accompany my packrat book. My other books are displayed off to the side.

Cradle in the Wild 

Cradle in the Wild is about two sisters who discover parts of a bird’s nest on their porch, and their desire to help the birds make a new nest with these materials, and some additional materials that they have added from their mother’s sewing basket.

• Introduce the book: Shared with students and parents/grandparents/caregivers is a collection of ten bird’s nests that I’ve kept over the years. Participants are encouraged to hold the nests, pass them around, learn the materials birds use to build their nests; and especially they are encouraged to feel the soft, downy material the parent birds use for the inside of the nests to protect their eggs and hatchlings.
• Show pictures: Pictures from a book I discovered, Bird Watch Book for Kids: Introduction to Bird Watching, Colorful Guide to 25 Popular Backyard Birds, and Journal Pages, Dylanna Press, 2022 (Amazon) are large and colorful. The book explains what to take while bird watching, such as water and sunscreen, and the book itself. The book has pictures and explanations of popular birds, and a journal in the back for the children to keep track of the birds they observe. 
• Suggest an adult bird guidebook: The Audobon Society Field Guide to North American Birds is an excellent choice for parents to keep on hand for the family to identify birds their children see in their daily lives.
• Pass around examples of birdseed: Birdseed in plastic bags can be passed around, followed by a discussion on how bird seed can be placed in an outdoor bird feeder.
• Suggest apps for phones: Apps such as Bird Sounds and Merlin Bird ID, The Cornell Lab, can be loaded onto the family's phones to hear bird calls.
• Tell the story: I tell the story from the Cradle book while showing the illustrations from the book.
• After the story: Children can color a page from a book like Birds Coloring Book, Las Vegas, NV, Purply Publication, 2023 (Amazon), or take the page home. Beforehand, I assembled plastic bags containing materials and directions for the children to make their own bird’s nest. I hand the plastic bags out for the children to make their own bird's nest at home (see photo above).
• Book display.

Why Develop Local Programs?

One of the things I learned while developing these programs is that simply reading my stories at preschools, schools, or elsewhere, does not include the adults who buy books. Sure, I can hand out book markers and cards with my website and Amazon web page information on them, but have gotten very few responses and have made very few sales by doing this. First, see if you can get librarians, coffeehouse owners, etc. excited about you and your books and program. Presenting a program needs to be a joint effort.

       Selling and advertising online? As a self-published author, I have not built a strong online presence to make sales that way. So, by developing these programs and reaching out to my local community, I hope not only to continue to make book sales, but also to enjoy meeting my readers in person. This approach has brought the reward I’ve been seeking. I hope you will find your reward in this approach, too.

Display at a book fair
in my hometown,
Albuquerque, New Mexico

Linda Wilson writes stories for young children. Visit   Linda at https://bit.ly/3AOM98L. Click the links for free coloring pages and a puppet show starring Thistletoe Q. Packrat. While you’re there, get all the latest news by signing up for Linda’s newsletter. 

 Find Linda’s books at  Amazon Author Page.

 Connect with   Linda: Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram

All About Work-for-Hire Opportunities for Writers

by Suzanne Lieurance 

What is work-for-hire, you might ask?

 

Well, Webster’s Dictionary defines work made for hire as “work (art, music, writing, or a computer program, for example) that is the property of an employer when made by one acting as an employee or is the property of the party for whom it is specially ordered or commissioned when that is expressly stipulated in writing —used in copyright law.”

 

With that definition in mind, let’s take a look at the different kinds of work made for hire (known as WFH or simply write for hire or work for hire) in the writing world.

 

When a publisher or other client offers a flat fee for a writing project, with no royalties, and they buy all rights to a project, this is a work-for-hire. 

 

An employer could also have an employee write something as part of their regular job but the employer (not the employee) would retain the copyright to the work.

 

Books, short stories, articles, scripts, testing materials can all be work-for-hire projects. 

 

The company hiring the writer is usually the one to come up with the concept or idea for the item to be written. 

 

For example, often publishers will hire writers to adapt old fairy tales or other old stories for today’s children’s book market. 

 

The publisher gives the writer very definite guidelines to follow, then the writer writes the story according to those guidelines. 

 

The writer is paid a flat fee to write the story. 

 

The writer does usually get a byline for the story, even though he/she is giving up all rights to the story once it is published by this publisher. 

 

Many children’s publishers also hire writers on a WFH basis to write nonfiction books on a variety of topics.

 

These books are usually part of a series.

 

Other children’s publishers have fiction projects, such as easy readers, early chapter books, etc. as WFH projects.

 

Finding WFH projects can be a bit tricky however, since most publishers don’t mention WFH on their websites.

 

Instead, they rely on a stable of freelance writers who have written for them in the past.

 

These publishers also post WFH at online job boards such as indeed.com, linkedin.com, and Upwork.com.

 

Some of these job boards require you to sign up for membership to search their job listings and they also charge a fee for each project you acquire through them.

 

Instead of going through these job boards, another way to get WFH jobs without paying a fee (although it might take a bit longer to get a project this way) is to research publishers who offer WFH and then send them a submissions packet.

 

Generally, this packet should include a cover letter, your resume, and one or two writing samples that show you can write the type of materials they publish (so be sure to tailor make your samples for each publisher you send a packet to).

 

You probably won’t hear from these publishers right away, but if they need a writer and see from your resume and samples that you can do the work they need done, they will contact you.

 

FYI – years ago I sent a packet to a publisher and didn’t hear from them for over a year. But once they contacted me, I got regular assignments from them for years. It was a great way to earn money, gain publication credits, and get experience working with editors. It also helped me grow as a writer since I had really strict guidelines to follow for each project. Throughout the years, I have had many work-for-hire assignments from other publishers and individuals, as well.

 

Here are a few companies that offer WFH opportunities:

 

ABF Creative – They create and publish multicultural content (mostly podcast material, but look around at their website to learn more about their content).

https://www.abfc.co/work-with-us/

 

Study.com – They create study and testing materials, so this would be good if you’re a teacher or former teacher. You’ll probably find opportunities with this company at sites like upworks.com, but get familiar with study.com first.

https://study.com

 

Benchmark Education Company

Study the different book series for children to get a feel for what they produce

https://www.benchmarkeducation.com/

 

Capstone Publishing – Scroll down the page to see how to apply for WFH assignments

https://www.capstonepub.com/contact/submission-guidelines

 

Red Line Editorial – The website says they are always looking for freelancers. If you want to write nonfiction books for kids, this might be a good publisher to try.

https://reditorial.com/jobs/

 

Brightpoint Press – Hi-Lo Nonfiction for Teens

http://www.brightpointpress.com/about.html

 

Check indeed.com and Linkedin.com regularly for WFH job postings, then study each publisher before you apply. 

For more about work-for-hire, check out this article by Terry Whalin.

And, more writing tips and other resources delivered to your mailbox every weekday morning, get your free subscription to The Morning Nudge.

Suzanne Lieurance is an award winning author with over 40 published books and a writing coach.

Visit her site for writers at writebythesea.com.

Why Writers Need to Build An Audience

  

By W. Terry Whalin @terrywhalin

At every writer’s conference or group of writers, there is buzz around the word “platform.” Editors and literary agents are searching for authors with a platform or a personal connection to their readers. What’s that about? Many authors believe their task is to write an excellent book and get it to the right publisher. Don’t publishers sell books to bookstores? The questions are good ones and in this article, I want to give you some answers from my decades of writing books for publishers, yet also sitting on the inside of several publishing houses as an acquisitions editor. Admittedly publishing is a complex business and I’ve been studying the various nuisances of it for years (and still learning more every day).

              Writing a Good Book Is Foundational

While I’ve looked at thousands of submissions in my years in publishing, I also have interviewed other acquisitions editors. During one interview, I asked, “How do you know when you find a good submission?”

He said, “Terry, I read the first sentence and if it is a good sentence, I read the next one. If it is a good paragraph, I read the next one. If it is a good page, I read the next one.” You want to start your manuscript with a bang and draw the editor immediately into your writing. Don’t bury your best material over in a later chapter because the editor may not read that far. Good writing in your submission is essential.

Every Writer Needs a Proposal

Whether you write fiction or nonfiction, you need to put the writing energy into creating a proposal. I understand they take lots of work to create. Two of my proposals got six-figure advances from publishers (and I have lengthy stories about what happened with those books—for another time). Your proposal shows you understand the market and your target reader. It includes your game plan about how you are going to reach your audience and sell books. The proposal is an important document for you to write even if you self-publish. I have a free book proposal checklist. 

The Editor’s Search

I often tell authors that making books is easy but selling books is hard. Over 4,500 new books are published every day (including the self-published books). Yes that is a lot of books and why every author needs to have a plan and ability to reach readers. As editors, we are searching for these types of writers. 

Publishers produce beautiful books and sell them into bookstores (online and brick and mortar). Authors drive readers to those bookstores and sell the books out into the hands of readers. Publishers certainly have an investment in the books they publish but authors need to be even more invested in reaching readers. It’s what many people call building a platform (audience).

Action Is Key

It’s easy to get overwhelmed with this process and confused about what action to take. Here’s the key (no matter what you are writing): do something and do it consistently day after day. Here are some basic facts about this process:

• Everyone starts small and builds

• Your personal email list is more important than your social media audience

• You should focus on what you can control (email list) instead of rented media in places like Twitter or Facebook (which you don’t own or control)

• It takes hard work for every writer but you need to do this work

• There are many different ways to build your audience. Pick one or two and see what works best for your writing.

• If the process were simple everyone would succeed (sell many books),

• Persistence and consistency are important for every writer.

Every editor and agent is actively looking for the right author who is building their connections to readers and has learned how to sell books. I’ve been in some of the top literary agencies and publishers in the nation. From their questions, I know they are actively looking for these authors—no matter what how they respond to your pitches. Be encouraged and keep growing in your craft (ability to write) and your knowledge about your readers and the market. It doesn’t happen overnight but can happen if you continue to work at it. 

Tweetable:

Why Do Writers Need to Build An Audience? Isn’t that what publishers do? Get the details from prolific writer and editor Terry Whalin. (Click-To-Tweet)

W. Terry Whalin, a writer and acquisitions editor lives in Colorado. 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.

Writing: A New Path

 

 Contributed by Margot Conor

It is perhaps not uncommon for people to choose a new path late in life. Sometimes due to unforeseen circumstances or hardship and often inspired by dissatisfaction or wanderlust. In my case, I didn’t know how desperately I needed a change, it was the pandemic lockdown that took me in a direction I hadn’t expected. Unlike many others, for me, isolation was a blessing. I’m an introvert, so, spending time alone or with my husband in our condo wasn’t a problem.

I had spent more than thirty years in the fashion photography industry, focused on getting my designers published. I also built portfolios for models, actors, and stylists. Many went on to work in the Vancouver film industry. I put together Fashion Shows and kept myself so busy, I hardly had time between events to do anything but sit at my computer and edit images.

For me, photography was about pleasing others. Getting each member of my team what they expected or needed. I didn’t take the time to think about what I needed. Maybe this is a common problem for women, but it came naturally to me, building others up, getting them seen, and helping them succeed.

When the pandemic swept through our lives, suddenly all of that went away. Everything stopped. The projects and fashion shows I had planned were canceled. Only the Fine Art magazine I publish was still produced remotely. But this left me a lot of time to write.
I have written all my life. Storytelling has always been a big part of my creative process and transferred into the visual work I created. What I never expected, was to become so over-committed that I would not have time to finish any of the many stories and manuscripts I have started over the years. They lay waiting for me to get to them one day.

The first year of isolation allowed me the focused time to complete my first novel. It took me two years more to edit the manuscript. First using AutoCrit, and then with the help of two talented professional editors.
 
My first editor has Asperger’s, she is brutally honest. I would receive my pages back full of red lines and it was crushing. She kept telling me the words need to flow like music. I swallowed my pride and stuck with her. She saw things differently and had unique insights. She questioned everything. It was exhausting and frustrating at times, but she presented something essential about the craft of writing I needed to understand. I want to say I did finally grasp what she had to teach me.

But that is not for me to judge. My second editor was much kinder but she cut a good portion of the story, and this was also necessary. I learned the value of having such insightful women behind me. They were tough, but they made me improve.

What happened when I finished writing my first novel, was a shift in direction which can only be described as owning myself. I want to do this… for me. I want my stories to have a life. I want it badly enough to do all the things I probably should have done as a photographer. Self-promotion can seem daunting, but you must do it.

So, I started to attend workshops, retreats, and events for writers. I attended marketing seminars for authors and filled notebooks with all their advice. I have no idea where it will lead me, but I do know one thing for certain. It is necessary to market your book. No matter how you publish it. You have to be willing to put in the work, and no one is going to do that for you.

I have to say there is no better time to be a writer than now. I am so impressed with how many supportive services and apps are available and I want to share some of them with you.

AutoCrit: 

I joined it before their 2.0 version. It is an excellent program that makes you see problem areas in your text. There are categories along the header, which break into sub-categories. For example, the header shows: Pacing and Momentum, Dialogue, Word Choice, Repetition, Readability, and Strong Writing. Under Strong Writing is: Showing vs. Telling, Cliches, Redundancies, Unnecessary Filler Words, Tense Consistency, Passive Indicators, and Adverbs. AutoCrit will also correct grammar and spelling. 

If you take your chapters through all of the categories, you will have a much-improved manuscript and it will save you money when you send it to a professional editor.

The new version is so much improved, I signed up as a lifetime member. I really admire what they managed to create. It has become more than a tool for editing. They have built a community with groups, and special interest clubs and they offer courses too.

I share these next links untested, I have not used them yet, but I intend to. I can follow up later with a review of how useful they actually are. But I was a bit dazzled by their presentations and feel they will be helpful tools…

Publisher Rocket: 

If your books end up on Amazon, this tool lets you drive your discoverability. They are all about tweaking the algorithm that chooses your categories and keywords. The top twenty books in your category gain the Best Seller Tags. At the time of this article, there are 11,200 Amazon categories, but as a default they only let you choose two, which are general categories based on BISAC. (Those are the indicators used by publishers who send books to stores, so they know where to shelve them). Publisher Rocket shows you options: less commonly used or more specific categories to choose from which will get top ranking. They show you how to post those better categories to your books.

For example, if your book has a general category like Science Fiction, there will be thousands of books in that grouping. If instead, you use Science Fiction / Military, you will have a much smaller group. You only need to sell more books in a week than the others to get top Best Seller ranking.

Patreon:

This is a site where creative people get paid to do their craft. I spent a few days researching the top-performing pages and was surprised to see Patreon has writers who in fact make a living just by posting there. Some release a chapter at a time. While others share short stories or graphic novels. Consistency is the key to success here. Posting on a regular basis to maintain audience engagement; if you foster a dedicated community of patrons and build a fan base you will have a decent monthly income.

For example, Nixia has 203 patrons and earns $993 monthly. Chris Vines has 298 patrons and earns $1,178 monthly. MonsterBait ~ Author C.M. Nascosta has 1,211 patrons but does not show her earnings. By looking at their profiles you will see all authors and artists vary in what they offer.

There are writers who offer services and produce videos or podcasts, these tend to bring in even greater revenue. Some have as many as 10,000 patrons!

IngramSpark:

This company is an aggregator with worldwide vendors. I was interested to learn there are a lot of companies offering services to authors who in turn use IngramSpark. Like Book Baby, for example, are middlemen. You can go directly to IngramSpark and pay less. You have options: hardback, paperback, and e-books, all in one place. They have low title set-up fees and provide you with an ISBN. You retain all rights to your intellectual property, and they impose no order minimum. You control the pricing and discounts and returnability. They also have something called Book Brag where they feature authors monthly.

I’m new to this, but I’ve hit the road running. I hope to have more to share with you soon.

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. She's preparing to debut her first novel, which means learning how to promote it. The last year has been spent 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.

You can learn more about Margot and her writing at her Facebook page. 

Woo Goals

 

What is woo? And how can you use it to elevate your writing ... and your business? 

Last month, I talked about the business of woo with Christy Maxfield of Purpose First Advisors, Mindset Answer Man Cliff Ravenscraft, and Annie P. Ruggles founder of Quirk Works Consulting and the Non-Sleazy Sales Academy. 

Christy says, "The things you care about are woo!” According to Cliff, "Peace, love, and joy are found within you and by tapping into that higher power." "Woo," Annie believes, "is your personal energy and the energetic world of your business." 

To Tap into Your Woo  

• Cliff: Try meditation. Dedicate 5-10 minutes a day for starters. 
• Christy: Practice gratitude and extend blessings to others. Tell the universe that you are open to blessings – be clear, but leave it open. Trust! 
• Annie: Practice radical self-forgiveness

Woo Goals 

• Annie: Take the one thing off of your todo list that is nipping at you
• Christy: Take action on the thing that will make a difference. Invoke the woo and take the energy to act 
• Cliff: Read a book that will introduce you to new ways of thinking

Watch our conversation.

Final Thoughts 

• Christy: Trust yourself and trust the universe 
• Cliff: Whatever you focus on consistently, you will tend to manifest into your life 
• Annie: Be kind to yourself

When you love what you do, it shows. When you don't love what you do, it really really shows. 

If you are not feeling it, perhaps it's time to take a step back to remind yourself what it is you love about your writing projects and your business. Get back in touch with your purpose and you will discover your woo ... and find ways to share your woo with your audience, prospects, and clients!

* * * 

For more inspiration and motivation, follow @TheDEBMethod on Facebook, Instagram, and Linkedin! 

* * *

How do you woo? Please share in the comments. 

* * *

Debra Eckerling is the award-winning author of Your Goal Guide: A Roadmap for Setting, Planning and Achieving Your Goals and founder of the D*E*B METHOD, which is her system for goal-setting simplified. A goal-strategist, corporate consultant, and project catalyst, Debra offers personal and professional planning, event strategy, and team building for individuals, businesses, and teams. She is also the author of Write On Blogging and Purple Pencil Adventures; founder of Write On Online; host of  #GoalChatLive aka The DEB Show podcast and Taste Buds with Deb. She speaks on the subjects of writing, networking, goal-setting, and social media.

Here's What You May Not Know About Adverbs

Pesky Adverbs or the Means to Making Pure Gold?

 

Here’s What You Seldom Hear About Adverbs

By Carolyn Howard-Johnson, 
writer of fiction, poetry, and the multi-award winning HowToDoItFrugally Series of books for writers

 

We are often warned that adverbs can be overdone. Then writers take the warning too literally; they think they shouldn’t use any at all! 

 

Of course, we wouldn't have adverbs if they didn't serve a purpose. But when we examine them—carefully (very carefully!) we often find that they duplicate a quality that the verb itself (or another adverb) has already achieved for us. That makes them redundant. 

 

Adverbs are often awkward. Or they slow down the forward movement of a sentence. Or both.

 

Authors often worry when an editor removes their adverbs. They think those edits will change their voices. Though an author can (and should) reject edits that he/she thinks aren't appropriate, these edits of adverbs rarely change a voice. Certainly voice isn't achieved by using adverbs or most other edits. It is achieved by much subtler elements of writing. Point of view. Use of colloquialism or slang. Choice of detail. 

 

For the most part, I think most writers worry way too much on having their voice changed and not enough about improving their writing skills.

 

Having said that, I worry more about editors who don’t really have the training to be editors. Would an editor really remove all of a writer’s adverbs? And how would a new author know if an editor is overstepping if he/she doesn’t have lots of information on editing under his or her own little writer’s belt?

 

I hope those of you who have been relying on an outside editor—someone you hired or a friend—will read The Frugal Editor in its 3^rd edition and now published by Modern History Press. It includes lots of do-it-yourself stuff. I know most authors—you?—don’t hire an editor for all the daily stuff they do like writing query letters, media releases, etc.) but this book also includes how to partner with an editor, how to save money hiring an editor, and how to hire one that is compatible with your personality and the kind of writing you do. Many good editors like Barbara McNichol (www.barbaramcnichol.com) specialize in specific genres, nonfiction vs. fiction, etc. Larry Brooks (www.storyfix.com) helps writers of fiction with structure. Good editors know that it is hard to be an expert at everything.

 

Editing is a two-way street. There's gotta be some trust and also some confidence. The more an author knows about editing, the better equipped she or he is to discard or keep edits. That’s comforting. But it’s essential to know things like agents’ pet peeves. They rarely have anything to do with the grammar we learned in the fourth grade.

 

Essential? Yes, because those are the documents you send to the people who have something to say about the future of your book including newspaper and magazine feature editors, movie producers, and the millions of folks who read what you put out there on the web. So, yep. Examine every adverby "ly" word. And then use each one to your advantage. Know the adverbs we usually don’t think of when we hear the term adverbs (like “even” and “just”). There is a list in The Frugal Editor (see Amazon’s new series page for it at https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BTXQL27T .) Make a list of the ones you tend to overuse. Either discard each one or use one of the methods in The Frugal Editor to turn them into more visual writing. Their best quality? Adverbs can turn you into a magician—that is help you turn them into image-producing gold—similes, or better, metaphors.

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Carolyn Howard-Johnson edits, consults, and speaks on issues of publishing. Learn more about her other authors' aids at https://www.howtodoitfrugally.com. She blogs on editing at https://www.thefrugaleditor.blogspot.com and all things publishing (not just editing!) at https://www.sharingwithwriters.blogspot.com. She tweets writers' resources at www.twitter.com/frugalbookpromo .

 

 

                                                                         LINKEDIN

The Writing Juggling Act

 

By Karen Cioffi

Writing a story is time consuming… at least to write a good story.

I’m sure there are writers who sit down and write a story in a day, but I’m talking about doing it right.

This is especially true of writing for children.

It’s so important to know the rules. Know what the standard industry guidelines are and adhere to them.

There’s a lot that goes into writing. And if you want it to be publishing and marketing worthy, again, you want to do it right.

But what happens when you finish your manuscript. You revised it, edited, and proofed it, and possibly even had a professional writer look at it.

Your manuscript, your baby, is ready to fly.

You enter the traditional submitting phase. You’ve done your research and have found literary agents and book publishers in your genre. The submitting process is in full gear.

This process can easily take longer than the writing process, but you need to persevere.

In the meantime…

Should you just sit around and wait for a bite from an agent or publisher?

Should you sit around and gather dust on your keyboard?

Absolutely not!

You need to move onto another story as soon as you start the submitting process on your first book. Once book two is being submitted, it’s onto book three, and so on.

This goes even more so for articles.

According to writing coach Suzanne Lieurance you should have around 12 articles out circulating to magazine editors.

This is how you get work.

It’s the writing juggling act.

Keep the stories or articles moving.

Once you finish one story, get started on the next.

Another aspect of the writing juggling act: Book Marketing.

While you do need to keep writing those stories and getting them published, you also need to work on marketing you and your writing.

Marketing is a part of every author’s writing life, if you expect to sell your books.

-The first step of marketing is to create a quality book.
-The next step is to submit your work – this is pitching your work.
-If you’re self-publishing, you will need to publish it and distribute it so it’s available for sale.

Once the book finds a home, it’s about creating visibility. If people don’t know it exists, you won’t sell it.

The marketing and visibility process is ongoing.

If you’re wondering if having to promote your books is a must, even major publishers expect their authors to have an online author platform. They also expect the author to be able to help sell their books through that platform.

And, small publishers expect you to do all the marketing.

Marketing is that important.

So, what are the basics of an author online platform?

-The first step is to have a website and keep it current.

-Next is to post to social media to bring awareness about you, your books, articles, or services.

This will take up any spare writing time you may have.

So, if you’re a writer, there is no such thing as downtime. It’s all about the writing juggling act.

This article was first published at:
https://karencioffiwritingforchildren.com/2021/08/15/the-writing-juggling-act/

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Karen Cioffi is an award-winning children’s author and children’s ghostwriter, editor, and coach with clients worldwide.

Karen also offers DIY How to Write a Children’s Fiction Book and
Writers on the Move Press (Self-publishing help for children's authors.)