Writers Read

Good writers read good books. There is no getting around it. Of course being a good reader doesn't necessarily equate to being a good writer, otherwise most publishers would be publishing their own bestselling books, however, as a writer it's critical to be able to understand what words are capable of, the limits, and how to stretch those limits.

The giants of English literature--Ulysses, The Sound and The Fury, Great Expectations, The Waves, all take words and torture them, stretch them, use them in new ways, expanding their possibilities to produce new meaning, greater understanding, deeper feeling, epiphany. They turn the cliché on its head, put paid to the caricatures of life we see on television, force their reader to reflect, think, grow, and live differently. Without these books, great modern works like History of the World in 10 ½ Chapters, Oscar and Lucinda, The Moor's Last Sigh or Captain Corelli's Mandolin could not have been written. Each writer owes his craft to those who preceded them and changes the world for their readers and those writers who follow them. So reading well is part of the ongoing and permanent apprenticeship for those who wish to write in a way which is more than simply craft.

Writing which makes people cry, think, desire, anger, laugh and carry your characters around with them as part of their permanent memory bank; writing which is Art. If you are a Dr. Frankenstein, wanting to bring your characters and meaning to life, to join the really big authors in making meaning, then you simply have to read. It might be a long apprenticeship. Good books are not always easy. Nor do they generally give you that feeling that 'you can do this' which poor books might, in fact you might end up feeling a little awed.

However, the short term pain is more than offset by the deep pleasure of transportation into an original world, by the long term gains of vocabulary expansion, greater clarity of vision, and a heightened sense of what is possible with words.

So how do you find out about really good books? How do you choose wisely so that your investment of time is worthwhile? After all if you are reading, writing, doing something else to bring in money - since writing well is often not lucrative in the first instance unless you are very lucky - and possibly raising a family and dealing with the daily imperatives of keeping body fed and home clean, juggling time is always an issue. Well, I'm a compulsive. I read anything and everything from cereal boxes to historical tomes, but I also try to discriminate based on the genre I'm reading. If it is going to be a serious read, I'll pick writers who I know are good, based either on recommendations of like-minded readers or past experience, although some of my best finds have been serendipitous so I have to admit that I have on occasion judged a book by the blurb on its cover. I'm lucky though in that I've been reading so long that it is as natural to me as breathing (nearly) and I can start and stop and read in the most extenuating circumstances (in fact reading helps me deal with extenuating circumstances better). If this isn't the case for you, perhaps you need a guide.

Find a good reviewer whose work you trust and let them guide you. There are plenty to choose from on the internet and in print. Some of the more well known review sites are:

http://www.nybooks.com
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books

http://bostonreview.net/
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
http://www.lrb.co.uk/
To name just a few. And of course there's my own site: www.compulsivereader.com.

You could also go by the prize winners, for example The Booker Prize (including the nominees) is almost always a good guide to great fiction, although you would, of course, miss out on all the non-prize winning books that way. Of course there is always bookshop recommendations, from Amazon to the little guy with the great personalized service down the road who probably knows your reading tastes if you visit often enough. However you find great books, enjoy your apprenticeship.

If you love reading enough to do it under any circumstances, in whatever snatches of time you can afford, and write when you aren't reading, you are going to eventually produce something wonderful. A shining gem which will change your readers' perception of the world.

About the author: Magdalena Ball runs The Compulsive Reader. She is the author of the poetry books Repulsion Thrust, and Quark Soup, the novel Sleep Before Evening, a nonfiction book, The Art of Assessment, and, in collaboration with Carolyn Howard-Johnson, Cherished Pulse , She Wore Emerald Then, Imagining the Future, and Deeper Into the Pond. She runs a monthly radio program podcast The Compulsive Reader Talks.  Find out more at http://www.magdalenaball.com

Writing the Second Book: Is it Easier?

Ten years ago, if someone had told me I would have two books published by now, I would’ve laughed—longingly of course. My first novel, Cowgirl Dreams, was released in December 2008, almost ten years after I started writing it. The sequel, Follow the Dream, came out two years later.

People say to me, “The second book must be a lot easier than the first one, right?”
Well, yes and no. I guess I could say that I cheated, in a way. I wrote the two books as one long book to begin with. But when I began researching publishers, I found that the word count for the “western” genre was generally shorter. It just happened that I found a place in about the middle where I thought it could be easily divided. But then I had to make sure the second book could stand alone and fill in some of the back story without resorting to the old “telling” versus “showing.”
Writing a book is never easy. There is always a lot of research to do, whether it is fiction or non-fiction. The self-discipline of writing regularly is easier for some than for others. I wear several hats—writer, teacher, editor and critique group leader, so sometimes my own writing gets put aside.

Of course, once the first draft is put down on paper (and I subscribe to Anne Lamott’s advice to give yourself permission to write a “crappy” first draft), there is revision, revision, revision. This can be done in bits and pieces or going through the entire manuscript several times with a fine-tooth comb. Revision is helped greatly by having an astute critique group to give valuable, constructive feedback.

So, despite the fact that I had the second book “written” when my first book came out, I had to go through several revisions before it was ready to submit to the publisher. The preliminary reader had some further suggestions, as did the editor, and so there were more revisions. Finally, after two years, my second novel was released.

Now the work begins: marketing. Is that easier with the second book? Again, yes and no. I learned as I went with the first book, and I know more now than I did two years ago. But it’s still a matter of hitting the bricks, handselling, and roaring through cyberspace, trying to get your name out there, trying to build up fans.
No, I would say the second book is not easier than the first. And, in working on the third in the series, that fact is reinforced. This saying sums it up quite well: “The more you learn, the less you know.” But that is also what I love about writing—I never stop learning.

Both Cowgirl Dreams and Follow the Dream are based on my grandmother who rode bucking stock in Montana rodeos during the 1920s and ‘30s. The books are written for adults, but also suitable for young adult readers.

Cowgirl Dreams, (an EPIC Award Winner), takes place during the 1920s and features the heroine, Nettie Brady, who dreams of becoming a rodeo star. Social convention, family resistance, floods, broken bones and killer influenza team up to keep Nettie from her dreams.

In Follow the Dream (WILLA Literary Award Winner),Nettie has it all: a rodeo cowboy husband, plans for a busy rodeo season and a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to rodeo in London with the Tex Austin Wild West Troupe. But life during the Great Depression brings unrelenting hardships and unexpected family responsibilities. Nettie must overcome challenges to her lifelong rodeo dreams, cope with personal tragedy, survive drought, and help Jake keep their horse herd from disaster. Will these challenges break this strong woman?

Heidi M. Thomas’ novels are available on her website, from the publisher Treble Heart Books at and Follow the Dream is also available as an e-book for Kindle.

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A native Montanan, Heidi M. Thomas now lives in Northwest Washington. Her first novel, Cowgirl Dreams, is based on her grandmother, and the sequel, Follow the Dream, has recently won the national WILLA Award. Heidi has a degree in journalism, a certificate in fiction writing, and is a member of Northwest Independent Editors Guild. She teaches writing and edits, blogs, and is working on the next books in her “Dare to Dream” series.

Marketing Strategies - Old or New?

 Old or New?

 

I want you to know that I am getting older, but over the years I have learned some things.  Take for instance; you have to pay your dues.  What do I mean by that?  I know many young professionals that frankly, haven’t paid their dues.  They depend solely on social networking to market their products.  They haven’t taken the time or put in the hours to volunteer, sit on panels, go door to door and meet face-to-face people in the community, Directors of non-profit agencies, members of the media, etc.  I can’t tell you how many events over the years I have attended; how many talks I have given; how many hours I have volunteered. Yet, it is the people behind these activities that have given me my biggest breaks.  Even today, I have a company looking at my books because I spent some time with a volunteer at a local hospital.  That volunteer has a PhD from Harvard and has contacts I would never know except through her.  Don’t get me wrong; I tweet, I have a Facebook account, I have an iPad, a laptop and an iPhone…..I am socially connected.  But, I haven’t forgotten the old fashioned warmth that comes from looking into someone’s eyes (not on Skype) and sharing a cup of tea.  If I can join the new generation’s e-world, I challenge you to reach out to mine.  A balance between the old and the new promises the best of both worlds.  Until later…..

Anita Tieman

www.WholeChildPublishing.com

Another Way to Improve Your Writing – Book Reviews

Writer's read a lot, or at least we should, and we should read critically. But how many of us do this? Part of reading is escapism. When we want to relax we sit down with a book and lose ourselves in the other world. This is great, but does it improve our writing?

During the past year, I have been doing book reviews for several publishers, and it has changed the way I read. Now I'm looking for how the writer opens the novel. Does it grab me, or do I have to fight my way through the first fifty pages? Is there too much, or too little dialog? Does the author use description to enhance the story, or does she get lost in the beauty of her own words? When you really think about these things and critically evaluate them in someone else's work, it makes you more aware of what you're doing in your own writing.

Another advantage of doing book reviews is that you have to write down what you've observed. For me this is a critical step. If I write it down, I have to think about it. I have to make sure my views make sense and that they're fair to the other author. It adds another step to thinking critically about writing, and when I've written it down, I remember it.

You don't have to go into book reviewing as a career. I have to admit that sometimes it becomes a bit hectic keeping up with all the books, but you can review books in your personal library, review books for friends, or review books you buy. I think you'll be surprised at how much you gain from it.  

Remember Ads in Yearbooks? Authors Can Do the Same!

By Carolyn Howard-Johnson

Author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers including the expanded and updated editon of The Frugal Book Promoter

Many of our books—especially free  promotional booklets and e-books—are perfect for paid ads and ads in barter if they are focused on the book’s target audience. Now the LA Times reports Amazon will put ads in some Kindle readers and that they will then sell those Kindle units at 18% less than the ad-free device ($114.00). To make it even a better deal, some of those ads offer coupons and discounts to reads. That means ads will help Amazon’s profit margin and help subsidize the cost of the Kindle, too!

So, you’re not convinced this marketing/publishing scheme would work for you? Consider this. Very fine literary journals have been putting ads in the backmatter of their paperback journals for years. Some of them advertise back issues of their own journal but some advertise products that will interest their reads. Think about your high school yearbook. Remember that ads in those and how appreciative you were of those businesses who supported your school? What about the ads in theater programs or programs for charity events.

So, you’ve decided to put ads into your books, right? How would you do it? What are the guidelines.

~Though there is no rule that says you couldn’t drop ads into the body of your book, it seems more decorous to put them in the backmatter of your book.
~Accept only professionally produced ads.
~Accept only ads that would interest your target audience. Be prepared to refuse some with the “not quite right” phrase that literary journals use to pass on submissions.
~Limit the number of adds to just a few.
~Encourage ads that give discounts or freebies so that the ads are seen as an added value by your readers. When I offered ads for the second edition of the Frugal Book Promoter: How to get nearly free publicity on your own or partnering with your publisher, I offered only five and encouraged those who were interested by offering a discount on the ad if they offered a freebie or a discount to my readers.

When you use ads this way, your reader will benefit. They learn about new resources and special discounts may even help pay for the book  your reader just bought. That would be your book!

Carolyn Howard-Johnson is the author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. She shares knowledge and experience she has accrued in other industries (like journalism, retailing, and public relations) in her books and with her clients. Because she is also an award-winning novelist and poet she knows that—contrary to accepted wisdom—authors of literary work can promote their books very nearly as easily as those of nonfiction books can. Learn more about her at www.howtodoitfrugally.com and check out her the new updated and expanded second edition of her Frugal Book Promoter (www.budurl.com/FrugalBkPromo).

Write for Money - You Can Do It

Write for Money - You Can Do It

It’s amazing how the road to ‘making money’ for writers has opened. Maybe you’ve been thinking about it, or maybe you’ve even tried your hand at writing to earn an income or simply to supplement your income, but just haven’t seen the light at the end of the tunnel.

Well, take a step back, look around, and take a new stab at it, because now’s the time to write for money.

You might be wondering what it means to ‘write for money.’ The answer to that is simple: any form of writing that provides payment is writing for money. You may ghostwrite articles or books, maybe you write your own articles and books and submit them to publishers, or maybe you write white papers, e-books, newsletters, landing pages, greeting cards, or other content, if you get paid for writing it, it’s writing for money.

Write for Money – Create Content

But, it does go a bit beyond that simple answer. Along with actually being paid for the content you produce, you can also write a 300 - 400 word post for your monetized blogsite or website. While you’re not actually paid for the post content itself, the content will bring you traffic from which you have the potential to earn money. The relevancy of the content to the product you’re offering is an important factor for conversion, as is the quality of the content, so keep that in mind. Another important factor is to post your content on a regular basis.

Conversion is when a visitor to your site actually buys what you’re offering, so you will need to create a webpage that motivates visitors to click on the BUY button.

But, back to how you can write for money.

Write for Money – Create an eBook

One content format that is taking off is writing and self-publishing e-books. Due to the ease of creation and easy access to self-publishing services such as Amazon’s Kindle, and other sites such as Smashwords.com and Lulu.com, writers now have a platform to publish e-books with absolutely NO out-of-pocket costs.

No more endless submissions and rejections, now you can just write and self-publish in e-book format. And, most of the selling price goes to you - the self-publishing services do take a small percentage of your sales.

While being able to self-publish with ease and no cost is great for writers, it doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll make money. If your intent is to write to make money you will want to produce informational e-books. Information is the most effective type of content for earning money.

Informational content can be in the form of a simple three - five page report or a 100+ page e-book. Whatever the word or page count is you will need to make sure the information you provide is something online searchers are looking for, and it needs to be valuable and polished.

How do you determine what people are looking for?

To find what online searchers are looking for you will need to do keyword searches.

For example: I wrote an e-book on marketing books. I came up with a few titles and then did a keyword search using http://googlekeywordtool.com. I found that adding “How to” at the beginning of one of my titles was within my target number of searches, so I titled it How to Attract Customers With Informational Marketing.

You should be cautioned though that marketing information is an ever-changing topic. What’s relevant and savvy today maybe useless six months from now – marketing technology is constantly evolving and therefore marketing strategies are often changing. While some basic marketing information is steadfast, it may be wiser to go with an evergreen topic, like writing, health and fitness, gardening, etc.

Whichever write for money strategy you use be sure your content is polished. This means self-editing and proofing your work before you publish it. Just because self-publishing is easy to do and no one is monitoring your writing, your content is still a reflection of your writing ability and your professionalism.

PLEASE SHARE THIS ARTICLE.

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Related Articles:

How to Create an Ebook: 5 Simple Steps
Outsourcing Articles: Is it Right for You?
Selling eBooks – Reach Your Market Through Free Services

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Until next time,


Karen Cioffi
Author, Ghostwriter, Freelance Writer

http://KarenCioffi.com
http://DKVWriting4U.com
Karen Cioffi Writing and Marketing
Linkedin: http://www.linkedin.com/in/karencioffiventrice
Twitter: http://twitter.com/KarenCV
Facebook: http://facebook.com/kcioffiventrice

Creating, Promoting, and Selling in the Writing World

I recently attended a teleconference presented by David Riklan, a well-known marketing expert and the founder of SelfGrowth.com. The focus of the topic was creating a successful online business from scratch.

According to Riklan, the first two ‘core’ ways to establish a successful online business, one that generates income is to:

1.Create your own product to sell.
2.Create a service to sell.

Please understand that when you create a product or service, it should be a quality product or service. It needs to address the potential customer’s problem, need, or want.

What are some of the products and services you can create and sell online?

1. Books
2. eBooks
3. Podcasts
4. Workshops
5. Teleclasses
6. Webinars
7. White papers
8. Your writing skills as a ghostwriter, freelance writer, or copywriter
9. Speaking engagements
10. Coaching

You can see there are a number of things you can create and sell. And, when you create one product, you can always turn it into a number of others.

For example, if you present a live chat workshop be sure to have it copied. You can later create a report from the transcript and/or create a podcast. You can also create an e-book from the content you prepared for the workshop.

The same can be done for any of the products or services mentioned above. Rework the original content into as many other products you want.

But, take note that just having a business or a product to sell won’t necessarily generate an income. You need to attract potential clients and/or customers to your website and opt-in box, kind of like a magnet.

Why is it so important to attract visitors/potential clients to your site?

The answer is simple: Attracting visitors to your site gives you the opportunity to turn that visitor into a subscriber on your mailing list. This in turn helps you develop a relationship with the individual.

Statistics show that a first time visitor will not buy what you’re offering. But, if you have that person on your mailing list, you will be able to try again, and to promote other products or services you have for sale.

Along with your products and services, you can become an affiliate marketer to other products and/or services you feel are of value. This creates a win-win-win situation. The product creator gets a sale, you get an affiliate fee, and the customer gets what he wants or needs.

So, the key is to offer something the visitor will feel is worth his valuable email address.

What is the most effective strategy to use to motivate someone to give their email address, thereby increasing your subscriber list?

The number one way to do this is by offering a FREEBIE. The visitor subscribes to your mailing list and then gets the freebie. This is known as an ethical bribe.

Obviously, the freebie must be something people want or need. If you have a health site focused on allergies, visitors will want information on allergies, maybe a report on the latest allergy statistics or alternative strategies for alleviating allergy symptoms will prompt visitors to click on your opt-in.

You need to provide a freebie that is geared toward your target market, something that offers a solution to their problem or need, or provides something they want, and one that will help establish you as an expert in that niche and trustworthy.

PLEASE SHARE THIS ARTICLE.

Image courtesy of Free Digital Photos - Photographer: Salvatore Vuono

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Related Articles:

How to Create an Ebook: 5 Simple Steps
How to Drive Traffic With Informational Content
Book Promotion: The Foundation

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Until next time,

Karen Cioffi
Author, Ghostwriter, Freelance Writer

http://KarenCioffi.com
http://DKVWriting4U.com
Karen Cioffi Writing and Marketing

Linkedin: http://www.linkedin.com/in/karencioffiventrice
Twitter: http://twitter.com/KarenCV
Facebook: http://facebook.com/kcioffiventrice