What's Your Summer Fun Goal? A Book, Novel, or Screenplay Passion Project

Summertime! And the living is ... easier than it's been in a while. Still, there are plenty of challenges in the latest normal.

Want to know one of the best things you can do for yourself right now? Choose a summer goal and work toward getting a win!

• What's that project you love but can never quite get to?
• Where is the book draft that has only one - very well-edited - ch
  apter?
• What is one publication you've always wanted to write for but never even pitch?

Btw, summer goals are not limited to writing passion projects. You can also:

• Plant a garden
• Cook a feast ... or several 
• Start a new workout routine
• Find a new job
• Launch a side hustle

Ready for a win this summer? I'll make it simple. After all, I am all about goal-setting simplified.

Take my Summer Goal Challenge!

Here's what you need to do:

1. Go in your calendar and look at your availability

2. Make an appointment with yourself at least once a week to work toward your goals

3. Choose a goal that you can easily achieve

4. Steadily work toward it each week

5. Report on your progress - here or via my Thursday LinkedIn check-in posts

Bam! Before you know it, you will have a win!

Because sometimes all it takes to get a win is to claim a win. Then work towards it a little at a time.

Remember, you can do it!

* * *

What is your #summergoalchallenge goal? Please share in the comments.

* * *

Need some extra help setting and achieving your goals? At the time of this posting, the ebook version of Your Goal Guide is on sale at Amazon. Be sure to join the Your Goal Guide Facebook group too!  

* * *

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 writer, editor, and project catalyst, Deb works with entrepreneurs, executives, and creatives to set goals and manage their projects through one-on-one coaching, workshops, and online support. She is also the author of Write On Blogging and Purple Pencil Adventures; founder of Write On Online; Vice President of the Los Angeles Chapter of the Women's National Book Association; host of the #GoalChat Twitter Chat, #GoalChatLive on Facebook and LinkedIn, and The DEB Show podcast. She speaks on the subjects of writing, networking, goal-setting, and social media.

Everything You Need to Know About Why Getting Great Reviews Is Your Job

 

By Carolyn Howard-Johnson
Excerpted from Carolyn’s How to Get Great Book Reviews Frugally and Ethically: The ins and outs of using free reviews to build and sustain a writing career

You need this article! Here’s why: 

In spite of a contract or even an advance, your publisher may not be a true publisher. True publishing includesthe marketing of a book. Think big names like HarperCollins, Knopf, and Writers’ Digest, the publisher of Nina Amir’s books like Creative Visualization for Writers. They assign a marketing budget to your book and an actual marketing department complete with actual human-type marketers who are trained in the specialized field of not just marketing, but marketing books. Except for those who write only for pleasure, there is no reason to publish a book that doesn’t get read.

Even sadder: Those big publishers need their authors’ help, too. No matter how they are published,  authors can’t count on a free lunch when it comes to the marketing their book. That’s especially true when it comes to the getting of reviews—the kind of reviews that keep a book alive.

Some publishers—even traditional publishers—may not respect tradition, be uncooperative or goof. One of my writing critique partners was published with a fine press. When she learned they had not sent advance review copies of her literary novel to the most prestigious review journals before their strict sixteen-week deadline, she was naturally upset. They explained it was a snafu that could not be fixed. That was no comfort at all. It did help her to know that because thousands of galleys sent to the important review publications lie fallow in slush piles, the chances of having a book reviewed by a major journal—even one published traditionally let alone getting a glowing review—is remote. Because she had me to nag her, she moved on to alternative marketing and review-getting strategies found in the flagship book of my multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally Series of book for writer, The Frugal Book Promoter, third edition from Modern History Press, using my backdoor review-getting method. 

Soon after my writing-friend’s experience, I realized that what authors need to know about reviews deserved a full book. I knew early on that reviews are the meat and potatoes of marketing for books. What I didn’t know is that reviews are a magic ingredient from beyond the launch to reviving a book that should by now be a classic but sadly isn’t! That resulted in my How to Get Great Book Reviews Frugally and Ethically: The ins and outs of using free reviews to build and sustain a writing career, a real tome of more than 300 pages of easy reading. It covers everything an author needs to know about reviews—their easy-to-do and do-it-by-yourself powerhouse for successful writing careers. 

These days most small publishers have no marketing department—or marketing plan. In fact, many admit that when it comes to marketing, you are on your own. No offense, publishers. I know many of you do a terrific job considering the profit margin in publishing these days. Let’s face it, you can use help, and you don’t need to deal with disappointed (irate?) authors. And, authors! We are ultimately responsible for our own careers. Sometimes when we wait to take responsibility, it is too late in the publishing game.

Some publishers charge the author an additional or separate fee for marketing. Many who offer marketing packages do not offer a review-getting package. If they do, the review their authors get is a paid-for review, which is definitely not the route you want to go. More on that later in a complete chapter on getting ethical reviews in , How to Get Great Book Reviews Frugally and Ethically. You know, the kind of reviews that influencers like librarians and bookstore buyers respect.

Many publishers do not even have lists of people to contact who might help your marketing with endorsements or reviews. Further, many big publishers are relying on bloggers for their review process more and more as print journals and newspaper book sections shrink or disappear and as they begin to understand that grassroots publicity—reviews or otherwise—can produce a very green crop. And bloggers? Well, that’s a resource pool you can easily plumb yourself. 

My first publisher supplied review copies only upon written request from individual reviewers. They did not honor requests generated by their authors’ initiatives. This meant that I could not count on them to supply books to reviewers I had successfully queried for a review. Unless the reviewer accepted e-copies (and many reviewers don’t!), I had to order copies directly from the publisher and then reship them to my reviewers. This method is slow, cumbersome, unnecessarily expensive, unprofessional, and discourages authors from trying to get reviews on their own. 

Publishers should offer review copies to a list of reviewers—even unestablished grassroots bloggers—who have been responsive to their authors in the past. And they certainly should not charge an author for review copies. Publishers have a profit margin and publicity obtained by their authors (including reviews) affects their bottom line, too. They should send their author a thank you (or a red rose!) along with encouragement to keep up the good work

And about the idea that the very definition that “publishing” includes marketing: That means that even if they are too small or underfunded to have a marketing department, they should have a list of reviewers to query for reviews, a list of influential people to provide blurbs for your cover, access to book cover designers (not just great graphic designers) who know what sells books, and a whole lot more. Ask potential publishers about their marketing process before you sign, but—even if you feel assured after having that conversation—it’s best to assume you may be on your own. 

So, the marketing part of your book that includes finding the right reviewers to read and comment on your book will—in most cases—be up to you and well within your skill set after reading this book. And even when you have the luxury of a marketing department behind you, those authors who know how to get reviews on their own can keep a book alive for an infinite amount of time after their publishers relegate their books to a backlist or their contract expires.

Note: If it is too late to apply this information to the process you use in choosing a publisher, tactfully take hold and guide the publisher you have through the review process. There are lots of ways to do that in this book. I love Nike’s advice to “Just do it!” only I add “yourself” to the motto. Many publishers are in your employ. You may be paying them for services. At the very least, when your book sells, it makes money for the publisher. You don’t have to ask for permission (though it never hurts to listen to their reasoning before you make a decision).

------

 

Carolyn Howard-Johnson brings her experience as a publicist, journalist, marketer, and retailer to the advice she gives in her HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers and the many classes she taught for nearly a decade as instructor for UCLA Extension’s world-renown Writers’ Program. The books in her HowToDoItFrugally Series of books for writers have won multiple awards. That series includes both the first and second editions of The Frugal Book Promoter and The Frugal Editor won awards from USA Book News, Readers’ Views Literary Award, the marketing award from Next Generation Indie Books and others including the coveted Irwin award.

Howard-Johnson is the recipient of the California Legislature’s Woman of the Year in Arts and Entertainment Award, and her community’s Character and Ethics award for her work promoting tolerance with her writing. She was also named to Pasadena Weekly’s list of “Fourteen San Gabriel Valley women who make life happen” and was given her community’s Diamond Award for Achievement in the Arts.       

The author loves to travel. She has visited more than ninety countries and has studied writing at Cambridge University in the United Kingdom; Herzen University in St. Petersburg, Russia; and Charles University, Prague. She admits to carrying a pen and journal wherever she goes. Her website, https://howtodoitfrugally.com, includes a media room. Yours should, too!

Cover Photo by Joy V. Smith

 

 

Story or Illustrations, Which Comes First?

Contributed by Karen Cioffi

While most authors know the answer to the title question, whether story or illustrations come first in picture books, some newbies don’t.

The story should be written first then the illustrations should be created to enhance each scene (page or spread).

My reason for writing this article is because of a rewrite client I had. She created her own illustrations, which were good, but she wrote the story around her illustrations.

The sole purpose of the story was to describe the illustrations through a very weak storyline.

For this article, I’ll say she visited the pyramids in Egypt and the protagonist's goal was to find the largest pyramid.

He trekked through Egypt and talked about the things he saw on his quest, which related to the illustrations.

Being an artist, she wanted her readers to SEE everything she saw. She tried to incorporate as many tidbits of information about her journey into the story, and she wanted to do it visually.

The storyline and the characters were there just for the illustrations.

This doesn't work.

The story and the illustrations should complement each other. The illustrations enhance the story; they show what's not written.

The story itself must be properly written with story and character arcs.

While her primary focus was the illustrations, she did want an engaging and marketable fiction story to go with the illustrations, and after a couple of critiques realized what she created didn't work.

That's when she came to me.

I've worked from illustrations before. It was another rewrite project, but those illustrations were created for the story. I was able to rewrite the story around them.

With the pyramid client, the illustrations were the focal point. It's not a good idea to force a story around illustrations.

You may feel you have leeway if you're self-publishing, but if you want a quality book that you’ll be proud to be the author of and one that will engage readers, you need to follow the rules of writing for children.

As for my client, I recommended she create nonfiction books. This way she could spotlight the illustrations without bogging them down with a forced fiction story.

So again, a fiction story should be written before the illustrations are created.

But... there are no ironclad rules.

There are certain circumstances where text can be written around the illustrations. This could happen if you're working on a picture book with an illustrator. Or if the book is created primarily to tell the story through illustrations for young children.  You get the idea.

The general rule: Story first then illustrations.

This article was first published at:
https://karencioffiwritingforchildren.com/2017/05/21/picture-books-story-or-illustrations/

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Karen Cioffi is an award-winning children’s author. She runs a successful children’s ghostwriting, rewriting, and coaching business and welcomes working with new clients.

For tips on writing for children OR if you need help with your project, contact her at Writing for Children with Karen Cioffi.

And, check out Karen's The Adventures of Planetman picture book series, along with her other books.

MORE ON WRITING

Tips to Make Characters Real: Write Strong

Published Writers Must Be Pitching

Writing Reviews Can Be A Great Marketing Tool

Sharpen your Skills: Write Articles and Short Stories

"If you want to write, write. Talent is simply not enough."
                                                                                 Jane Yolen

During my elementary teaching career, I recommended to parents of budding student authors as young as second grade, to encourage their children to write, even become editor, of their student newspaper. The idea came to me after reading up on Stephen King. King, as editor of his high school newspaper,  learned the basics about writing, which jump-started his career.

Some parents who knew of their young children’s propensity for the written word told me that they thought more in terms of fostering learning how to write much later, such as when it's time to prepare for college. Why wait? The Pathways to Reading and Writing program in the Loudoun County school district where I taught in Northern Virginia prepares students in the process of writing beginning in Kindergarten. In addition to the intensive reading segment of the program, students learn how to write independently.

Independent Writing:

Students engage in the writing process and produce pieces of writing in many genres, including narrative, informational, and opinion. They apply what they have learned during mini-lessons and strategy lessons. The teacher confers with each student on a regular basis to check in on his/her progress, offer feedback, and set new writing goals. https://www.lcps.org/Page/218222                                                

Speaking from the experience of not knowing how to write when I first started some thirty years ago prior to teaching in Virginia, I didn’t let that stop me. My children were going to Catholic school at the time. I mentioned to a nun that I wanted to write but didn’t know how. She said you went to college, didn’t you? I said yes. She said, then you know how to write. But even if college isn’t in an author’s background, the desire to write can be. The desire to write that I felt in my heart and soul was stronger than my lack of knowledge. I decided to teach myself how to write, and I started with nonfiction—writing articles.

If you have a burning desire to write and want to find a place to begin, here is a road map you can follow:

• First and foremost, know that nonfiction is easier to sell and publish than fiction. Editors receive fewer articles than stories and welcome nonfiction writers.
• Get your hands on “how-to” books.
• Make a list of subjects you know something about.
• Think of publications you can write for. Start by reading several issues. Some examples:

        Church newsletter

        Free local publications found about town in grocery stores, book stores, gas stations, etc.

        Magazines: Research local and national magazines for submission guidelines on Google and at the library.

                Brochures: The sky’s the limit on companies that use brochures.

                Newsletters: Many local and national organizations publish newsletters. That’s one way I continue to keep my skills as sharp as possible. I’ve been writing a monthly post for Writers on the Move since 2013, and also became editor of two newsletters of organizations I belong to. For the first newsletter a few years ago, one of the members trained me and helped me learn Microsoft Publisher. The other newsletter is more current and has benefited from my experience.

                Online: Blogs are another way to break in. 

Lessons Learned

The two most important lessons I've learned seem simple, but realizing that this is what it takes took many years of experience. 

Desire: The writing bug bit me during a pause I took in my teaching career. That’s when I collected “how-to” books, made a list of subjects I thought I could write about, and published my first article in our local newspaper. Back in those days in the early ‘90s, newspapers paid correspondents for articles. My husband chipped in and took the photograph that went with the article. We've laughed about it ever since. He got paid more for his photo that took, say, a minute to take, and less than five minutes to upload, than I was paid for the article. You can guess how long it took me to interview the subject, transcribe my notes, and write the article. After getting my fill of writing articles, I went back to teaching. As soon as I left to retire, the bug bit me again, only harder this time. Now I see that the desire and need to write dwells deep inside and it won’t let go.

Persevere, Don’t Quit: Many editors lament about talented authors who give up too easily. Don’t let that be you. And when you land a good job, stick with it. One of the best jobs I had was being a stable writer for the library journal Biography Today. Assignments were of such personalities as Stephen King, Troy Aikman, and William Shatner, written with the help of a research assistant; unfortunately, not with interviews. My two children were still in Catholic school then. I was so thrilled with the writing job that I made the mistake of thinking I could take on more than one assignment while being a girl scout leader, volunteering at the children's school, etc. Trying to balance it all quickly became overwhelming. I missed a deadline and was asked to leave the journal. I have since realized that if I had taken on only one assignment at a time I’d probably still be writing for them.

Cutting my teeth on the many nonfiction articles I wrote laid the groundwork for the fiction I write today, first by publishing short stories, and now by writing and publishing books. However, the learning curve for writing fiction was steep. It’s taken many years to learn how to write fiction, and like all writers discover, there is always more to learn. 

  I suppose some authors can jump right in and become a success without going through a similar process as me. But for most, as Brian Cranston wrote in his memoir, A Life in Parts, we must “do the work.”

Introductory image: freepngclipart.com 

Linda's picture
book, illustrated by
Nancy Batra, is
 available on
Amazon

Linda Wilson, a former elementary teacher, has published over 150 articles for children and adults, several short stories for children, and her first book, Secret in the Stars: An Abi Wunder Mystery, which is available on Amazon. Publishing credits include biosketches for the library journal, Biography Today, which include Troy Aikman, Stephen King, and William Shatner; Pockets; Hopscotch; and an article for Highlights for Children. Secret in the Mist, the second in the Abi Wunder series, is coming soon. Tall Boots, Linda’s second picture book, will be published soon. Follow Linda on https://www.lindawilsonauthor.com.

Client Relationships - How to Develop Them

All too often, freelance writers, authors, and coaches create a website, do a few things to promote their site, and then expect people to visit their site and buy their products and services.

But this isn’t the way online sales are typically made.

In general, most potential clients and customers must get to know, like, and trust you before they will purchase anything from you at your website or blog.

For that reason, you need to create ways to develop a relationship (a professional relationship, of sorts, you don’t have to become best friends, although you might) with these people over time.

Ways for Developing Client Relationships

There are many ways to create a good relationship with potential clients and customers.

The most obvious way is by -

• Creating a Regular Newsletter that provides information your target market values and looks forward to receiving.

For example, I send out The Morning Nudge to my subscribers every weekday morning, and it has been an excellent way for me to develop relationships with readers and many of them become my coaching clients.

Another way is with…

• Regular E-mail Campaigns you create that are generally more focused on one topic than a newsletter and sent out in several e-mail messages over a short period of time (several days to several weeks).

For example, create a free e-course or free content (that your clients can use) that you can deliver in just a few e-mails.

Another way is to…

• Make Your Blog as Interactive as Possible, so your readers get a chance to communicate back and forth with you there.

For example, start a week or month long challenge for your readers and each day (for that week or month) post something for readers to do to take part in the challenge and encourage them to leave a comment each day with an update about how well they are doing with the challenge.

• Being active on social media sites, such as Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, and Instagram will also help potential clients and customers get to know you better, so they’ll be more likely to buy from you.

Each time you post to your blog, announce it (with a link to the post) on your social media sites.

Today, take a look at the ways you currently have in place for your potential clients and customers to get to know, like, and trust you.

You may already have several ways you are doing this.

But keep adding to the mix.

The more ways you provide for your site visitors to get to know, like, and trust you, the more sales, writing assignments, and other opportunities you can expect to get.

Try it!

For more writing tips, be sure to visit writebythesea.com and get your free subscription to The Morning Nudge. Once you're a subscriber, you'll also have access to a Private Resource Library for Writers.

Suzanne Lieurance is the author of over 35 published books, a freelance writer, and a writing coach.

Learn Before You Leap into Ads

By Terry Whalin @terrywhalin

Many bestselling authors use advertising on Facebook, BookBub, Amazon, Goodreads and other places to sell books. Any author can sign up and create these ads and with a few online clicks. Each of these companies will gladly take your money. As writers we must learn before we make this leap which is the focus of this article. The little discussed truth is thousands of new books enter the market every day and while publishing may seem simple on the surface, it is a complex business with many twists and turns.

 

With all of these books entering the market, authors need to understand several key factors:

*they need to be actively promoting their books in various places.

 

*Readers need to hear about your book at least 8 to 12 times before they purchase your book.

 

*Bestselling authors advertise to sell books and also to build their readers on their email list.

 

As an editor at Morgan James Publishing, I've had authors spend $30,000 to $50,000 on marketing and publicity for their books—and not received the earnings or results from such investments. I hate to hear these stories from my authors because these choices are costly on many levels.

 

While it is helpful to learn bestselling authors advertise on websites, I encourage you to use some common sense about how to apply this information to your own book marketing. From my experience, authors need to learn how to navigate the advertising from authors who are succeeding with it.  One of the bestselling authors who is effective (generating sales) using advertising is Mark Dawson, who lives in the United Kingdom. He is one of the most successful indie authors in the world. In 2020, Mark grossed over $1.5 million in revenue from his novels and he's living the dream of every author. For the past several years, Mark has spent more than a million dollars on Facebook ads, conducted numerous research studies and determined what works best. He's also a great teacher and wants to help others succeed as well. He has created training courses with detailed insights about how to successfully use various book advertising programs. His courses are only open a few times a year and in general you have to get on a waiting list to get information about them.

 

Dawson's course, Ads for Authors is open now and only for a few weeks. (If you are reading this article later and the course is closed, get on the waiting list for the next opportunity.) I encourage you to watch these short videos to hear what his students say about the course.  Maybe you don't write fiction, this teaching is still for you and follow this link to watch short videos from different types of writers. I've also added an image below and notice the scroll bar on the right-hand side, you can scroll down and see different videos from some of Mark's students.

 

 

I'm taking this Ads for Authors course and understand it takes consistent action to watch the instruction, then apply it to your writing life. The key is to add this training into your writing life, learn from someone who is using it successfully then apply the information to your own plans for book marketing and selling.

 

Have you taken one of Mark Dawson's courses? Tell us about your experiences in the comments. Or maybe you want to tell us about your results using advertising for your books in the comments. I look forward to your comments.

 

Tweetable: 

Prolific editor and author recommends writers learn before they leap into using ads for their books. Get the details here. (ClickToTweet)

W. Terry Whalin is an acquisitions editor at Morgan James Publishing. His work contact information is on the bottom of the second page (follow this link).  He has written for over 50 magazines and more than 60 books with traditional publishers.  His latest book for writers is 10 Publishing Myths, Insights Every Author Needs to Succeed. Get this book for only $10 + free shipping and over $200 in bonuses. He lives in Colorado and has over 190,000 twitter followers. 

Growing Your Authorship ID

 

by Deborah Lyn Stanley

In the world of writing and authorship, success depends upon visibility. Website Platform contains all the ways our work is found using metadata and SEO search tools. We often hear about brand. Brand is who you are, built-up by your words, and the graphics you choose. We aim to communicate with clarity and deliver inspiring content that motivates action.

Every piece you write advances expert status in your field. That’s what leveling up is about. A consistent writing practice, free writing and exploring various forms will expand your experience and stretch your skills. What if you find a style or form that captures your attention and inspires a change of direction—maybe Essays, Literary Journalism, Poetry, Journals or Storytelling. How about book reviews or writing true stories?

The key thing is to understand your creative process, go with it and know for whom you are writing. Do you use mind maps, post-it notes on a whiteboard for brainstorming, an inspiration collage board, music, writing at a coffee shop, or solo in your office? Follow your style. Then be ready to pitch your ideas to readers for feedback. What topics would be of most interest? If you belong to a group on Facebook, setting up a survey is easy. Otherwise send out a survey to your online subscribers, and post it on your website or blog.

Writing for your niche audience is a worthwhile endeavor. The focus becomes a message for their benefit and inspiration. The reader finds value, tells others and returns to see your next article.

A theme that best serves the reader’s needs also applies to writing in a series. Series writing guides the author’s focus, consistently meeting the reader’s expectations.

A great tool for creativity and research is your commonplace book or journal.
Use it for writing your next article, essay or blog post.

Helpful Links:

Carolyn Howard-Johnson: How to Get Great Book Reviews Frugally and Ethically:
How to Get Great Book Reviews Frugally and Ethically: on Amazon   

Telling True Stories: Nonfiction Writer’s Guide–Multiple Contributors
https://www.amazon.com/Telling-True-Stories-Nonfiction-Foundation

Commonplace Books: History & Tips https://www.writersonthemove.com/2021/06/commonplace-books-history-follow-up-tips.html

Deborah Lyn Stanley is an author of Creative Non-Fiction. She writes articles, essays and stories. She is passionate about caring for the mentally impaired through creative arts.
Visit her My Writer’s Life website at: https://deborahlynwriter.com/   
Visit her caregiver’s website: https://deborahlyncaregiver.com/
 

Mom & Me: A Story of Dementia and the Power of God’s Love
https://www.amazon.com/Deborah-Lyn-Stanley/
& https://books2read.com/b/valuestories

 

 

 

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