Posts filed under ‘Uncategorized’
The (Not-So-Risky) Business of Business Cards
One of the most powerful, yet highly underestimated marketing tools in today’s technology-based world of publishing is the business card. Call it old-fashioned if you want, but business cards are a worthwhile investment. Look at it this way: you spend hundreds, maybe thousands of dollars on your book—not to mention all the blood, sweat and tears—you owe it to yourself to invest in a set of business cards to market yourself as an author.
Here’s how business cards can help you as an author:
1. Relay the basics. In a society obsessed with instant gratification and convenience, the business card is the simplest and most efficient way to give someone your general/contact information. As an author, it is important that a publisher not only remember your name, but your book as well! You should include the title, a short description, where the book is available and even a picture. Bottom line, business cards relay the important stuff and minimize miscommunication.
2. Be professional. This is self-explanatory. It reflects much better on you if you already have your information prepped and on hand, rather than asking someone to find the resources and the time to write it down.
3. Express Your Uniqueness. Business cards are marketing cards, and you are the product. This is a direct and easy way to convey what you and your book are all about. Maybe you designed your card so that it communicates the genre of your book, (a romance or spy novel, for example), or maybe you pulled a great quote and printed it beneath the title. Remember, it’s your chance to be creative and stand out!
4. Pass it On. Business cards quicken the networking process. Think about it! If a third party is inquiring about your book or manuscript, it is much easier for someone to hand out your business card than sift through old papers or e-mails to find your contact information. Ultimately, it’s less work for everyone involved—it’s so minor, yet so important. A person is more likely to pass along your information and/or recommend your work if playing the middle-man isn’t quite on par with getting a root canal.
5. Stand Out and Be Remembered. Neither a Twitter account nor a Facebook page give you the advantage of that first impression handshake accompanied with a timeless, “Here’s my card.” Face-to-face time is important, but being memorable is key. A tangible business card is something that they have to hold onto, and chances are, they’ll remember you and your book.
Publishing Your Autobiography
Contrary to popular opinion, celebrities, athletes and politicians are not the only people who can write and publish an autobiography. It may seem that way because traditional publishers tend to exclusively publish “sure-thing” titles penned by well-known people, but with self-publishing the door is wide open for you, yes you, to write your life story.
Perhaps you’ve been thinking about writing your autobiography for a while, or maybe you are just starting to think about it now. No matter where you are in the process there are a few things to think about before starting to write your autobiography.
1. Why do you want to write your autobiography? This is an important question to consider before writing. Maybe you want to give a gift to your family so they can understand who you are and where you came from. Or, if you have goals of commercial success and making a lot of money, remember that you must have a catchy story or people who don’t know you probably won’t pick it up to read. Spend some time thinking about the goals for your book before you begin.
2. Create a “plotline.” Even though you are retelling the story of your life you should consider a theme that ties the events of your life together. Maybe you had an exciting career that took you all over the world. One way to tell that story is to group your book by countries you’ve visited. Or maybe you are a mom and you want to tell the story of raising your children. Think of the important moments that shaped you as a mom, not just the mundane day to day things. No matter what your plotline is, it needs to flow together and be compelling, not fragmented. Think about how you want to organize your autobiography and what parts of your life you do and don’t want to talk about before you begin writing.
3. Remember. Perhaps one of the hardest parts about writing your autobiography is remembering everything that has happened to you that you want to talk about. A good way to remember details of your life is to look at photographs, letters, e-mails and journal entries. Even using things like newspaper clippings and songs from a certain time period may help you remember certain things you were doing that you may want to write about. Ask friends and family to share things from you that they may have kept over the years.
Beyond just how you will write and publish your autobiography, there are other things you will need to think about along the way. Even considering your emotional and mental state is helpful because some things you may have to write about could be painful for you. Don’t push yourself – take your time and publish your book when you are ready.
The autobiography is a genre that is particularly well-suited for self-publishing. Since an autobiography is extremely personal by definition, it’s understandable for the writer to want control over their book — and that is what self-publishing is all about. Now self-published authors can make the creative and marketing choices for their book while their self-publishing company provides the necessary design tools and support services.
Keep writing,
Kate
Sometimes We Simply Write for Ourselves
Silence. Thoughts. Silence.
Thoughts. Yet no words. Nothing to say.
That happens sometimes — in writing and in life. And sometimes it’s easier to remain quiet and simply write. Write for ourselves. Write because we are connected to it and for us (writers), writing is therapeutic. It eases our mind…our soul.
Forgive my selfishness. I, too, right now, have not much to say. And what I am saying is for me — to absorb my day and filter through the emotions of a sad ending.
Her name is Scarlett Begonia — a black lab and front seat traveler. I brought her with me from Montana to Indiana, and was the last remains of a previous life. She was pre-adulthood, pre-children and yet meshed perfectly into the role of family dog.
There are too many stories… swimming down the Yellowstone, a fish hook in Coldstrip, trailing me on the lawn mower, fox dancing, trampoline jumping, and the Best Frisbee dog ever.
A warm, almost summer day. Two little girls are running in the grass with their favorite outdoor friend. Something catches her eye and Begonia heads in another direction. I hear it. Like wind. A flash of yellow. An unfamiliar sound. And then silence.
I am spinning. Searching. Looking for what just happened. (Usually not much on this country road.) A yellow car from nowhere. A yelp.
Two hours at the emergency vet and I am sent home. Changed. Less secure.
And now I sit here. Late night. Quiet house. Alone. Drowning in loss for Begonia and wonder for my girls. And a four year old says, “But there are Frisbees in Heaven.”
Keep writing…
–Melissa
Three New Ways to Market Your Book
Finding new ways to tell the world about your book is not easy. Taking full responsibility of marketing your book can be exhausting, especially when you feel like you’ve exhausted all the conventional ways of marketing your book.
But keeping your self-published book in front of people is of utmost importance in our world of short attention spans and barrages of new information. Perhaps it’s time for you to try some new techniques to remind people that your book exists and why they should read it. The following are four Web sites where you can post information about your area of expertise and start networking with more people. Consider trying one today and see what happens.
Google Alerts. Google Alerts allow you to enter terms (i.e. your book title) and any time that word or phrase is mentioned anywhere on the Internet you receive an alert. Your alerts are customizable and you can have as many as you want. Google Alerts allow you to stay current on what is being said about you, your book and your area of expertise. Let’s look at an example of how Google Alerts can be maximized for your book promotion efforts.
Let’s say you wrote a book about airborne diseases. You set a Google Alert for airborne diseases and start receiving news alerts about instances of airborne diseases across the country. Once you have information about the news source that published the story, you can call them up and use your expertise to be an expert for their reporting, thereby giving yourself a platform to share about your book. Visit Google Alerts to learn more.
HARO (Help A Reporter Out). Have you ever wondered how news reporters find sources for articles or television segments? One way they find people is through organizations like this one. HARO is a service where you can go, sign up, state your area of expertise (gardening, cooking, nuclear weapons, etc.) and then check back daily to see topics you may be interested in submitting a pitch for. Once your pitch is submitted, sit back and see who contacts you. Using a source like HARO is just one more way to get your name and your book out to people who may not otherwise have found you. Visit HARO to learn more.
Newswire Plus Media Blast. Writing and releasing a new book is a big deal and you should be proud of yourself. Once the excitement wears off, reality sets in and you realize you want to tell more people about your book. How about telling 17,000 media outlets? You can with Wordclay’s Newswire Plus Media Blast service. This service utilizes an experienced writer to write a press release about your book and then distribute it through PR Newswire to thousands of media outlets across the country including Google News and Yahoo! News. After your press release is sent out you will receive at least ten confirmed sites that are posting your press release. What are you waiting for? Start telling the world about your new book.
These are just a few new things to try when it comes to telling people about your book and setting yourself up as an expert in your field. Do you have other ways you tell people about your book? We’d love to hear your thoughts and suggestions for book marketing.
Happy writing,
Kate
Writing A Book Synopsis
You’ve spent a lot of time on your book, developing your characters, figuring out the conflicts, building up to the climax, editing and making your book the best it can be. If you’re considering getting an agent and submitting your book to a traditional publishing house, one of the most important things you will need to do is write a book synopsis. Even if you’re not considering getting an agent, the book synopsis can still be an excellent exercise in brevity to write your entire book in a short summary.
The tricky thing about writing a book synopsis is that it must sum up your entire book in one page or less. Think of it like looking at your book from an airplane – a sky high view of the main plot line, conflicts and characters. This is not the time to extrapolate on small details and minor characters; only the main things matter in a book synopsis.
Let’s break the synopsis down using the example of Cinderella:
1. Start with a summary sentence of approximately 25 words that answers the basic question – what is the story about?
- Cinderella is the story of a girl forced to serve her evil stepmother, is rescued by her fairy godmother, attends the royal ball and marries the prince.
In this summary of 27 words we see the conflict (Cinderella vs. evil stepmother), the storyline (evil stepmother forces Cinderella to work, she is rescued by fairy godmother and sent to the ball), climax (she attends the ball) and solution (marries the prince). Now, those of us who know the story know that there is more to the whole thing, but this summary sentence is designed to be just that, a summary.
2. Now we need to build on our summary sentence and work on writing the rest of the one page summary. As I mentioned before, the key is to keep this as one page or less. You must be brief. The four key things to focus on are:
- What is the main character’s goal?
- What motivates your character?
- What is the conflict that keeps the story moving along?
- What is the climax of your story?
Take some time to answer these questions for your story as a writing exercise. Or, if you’re not ready to do this for your own story take my example of Cinderella and answer the questions based on her story as an exercise.
Condensing your story into one page may seem like an insurmountable task. It’s not so hard when you follow these guidelines, keeping close tabs on what the main character is doing, not getting bogged down in minor characters and side plots, and have fun along the way. After all, you are writing about something very near and dear to your heart – your story.
Happy writing,
Kate
Beware of the Exclamation Point
I thought while Melissa was doing this great series on starting a book this week I’d jump in with a quick tip to keep in mind while you’re writing.
I have a pet peeve that I’m often guilty of myself which is strange because I usually try to avoid doing my own pet peeves. But this one is there, hanging around and getting in my writing. I’m speaking of exclamation points. Of all punctuation, the exclamation point is the one that requires the most sensitive handling. Too much and your readers are annoyed and the effectiveness of the exclamation point is wasted. Too little and your writing seems dull and flat with no expression.
In her excellent book on proper punctuation use, Eats, Shoots and Leaves, author Lynne Truss has this to say about exclamation points.
“Ever since it came along, grammarians have warned us to be wary of the exclamation mark, mainly because, even when we try to muffle it with brackets (!), it still shouts, flashes like neon, and jumps up and down. In the family of punctuation, where the full stop is daddy and the comma is mommy, and the semicolon quietly practices the piano with crossed hands, the exclamation point is the big attention-deficit brother who gets over-excited and breaks things and laughs too loudly.” (Truss, page 138).
Whenever you type or write an exclamation point stop and consider if it serves the sentence or paragraph you just wrote, or is it being the “big attention-deficit brother.” An exclamation point is used to show strong emotion or emphasis. If the sentence you just wrote doesn’t require strong emotion it should not end in an exclamation point. Here are some correct and incorrect ways to use exclamation points:
Correct:
- Get attention: Look out! There’s a car speeding toward you!
- Surprise/Excitement: Oh my goodness, what a generous gift!
- Shock: The president has been shot!
- Urgency: Watch out for the icy roads!
- Anger: The new smoking ban is completely absurd!
- Astonishment: I cannot believe she is pregnant!
Incorrect:
- This orange is the best I’ve ever had!! It is so sweet and juicy!!!
- You’ll have the most fun you ever had in your life!!
- See you tomorrow!!
As you can see from these examples, the exclamation point has its place in writing. Without it, “Look out, there’s a car speeding toward you” falls completely flat. Be thankful for the exclamation point, but be wary of it too. Keep it in your back pocket and use it only when it’s really necessary.
Happy writing! (correct or incorrect use? You tell me J)
- Kate
The Rambling Story Part 2: Six Word Memoirs
Yesterday I talked about not being a rambling writer and instead focusing on being concise. Today I want to extend that thought and present you with a challenge – write your life story in six words. Sound impossible? It’s probably easier than you think.
I first heard about six word memoirs from a story on NPR about a year ago. Apparently, it all started when Ernest Hemingway was once asked to write a short story in six words. His famous six words were: For sale: baby shoes, never worn. Intriguing? Yes, I think so. A glimpse into his life? Definitely.
Telling a powerful story or giving a glimpse like Hemingway did is the whole point of six-word memoirs. Larry Smith, founder of the online SMITH magazine, took the idea of short storytelling to the masses in 2006 when he started asking famous and not famous people to post their memoirs on his Web site, smithmag.net (a precursor to Twitter perhaps?). He eventually took the best posts and put them in a book – Not Quite What I Was Planning – which ended up on the New York Times bestseller list. Two “sequels” Six-Word Memoirs on Love and Heartbreak and I Can’t Keep My Own Secrets: Six-Word Memoirs by Teens Famous and Obscure have since been released.
Now that you have some background on what six-word memoirs are, my question to you is, could you write your life story in six words? Could you sum up the plotline of your book in six words? I challenge you to try. Take a few moments, think about your life, think about your book, play with some words and see what you get.
In an interview with School Library Journal, Rachel Fershleiser, editor/curator of SMITH magazine offered some tips for writing great six-word memoirs.
- Be specific
- Be honest
- Forget the thesaurus – choose interesting words that come naturally to you
- Use your speaking voice
- Experiment with structure – one statement vs. six separate ones, two three-word sentences, etc.
- Stop trying too hard – just start scribbling and see what happens!
(Read the full interview at http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/article/CA6678973.html)
And, in case you’re still stuck, here are some six-word memoirs to get you started:
- Be patient with me. I grow
- Build my coffin out of books.
- Doing everything in my life backwards.
- Muddled through. Broke even. Future hopeful!
- Tell me, who should I be?
*Taken from www.smithmag.net – the original home of six word memoirs.
We’d love to read what you come up with to describe your life or your book or both. Post them in the comment section below.
Happy writing all day every day,
Kate
Make Your Priority List and Check It Twice (a month)
As a blanket of ribbons and wrapping paper cover our thoughts, it is also the perfect time to evaluate, prioritize and create an action plan for the New Year — not to mention what else you can accomplish just in time for the holidays. The countdown has begun. Never mind ideas of resolutions — Put it on Paper.
There’s not enough time in the day — a commonly spoken phrase. But, the holidays — life — won’t grant more time, so where do we all begin? Begin with the idea of a list — a carefully designed plan detailing a direction, opportunity and the prioritized efficiency that increases your performance and productivity.
Consider the following when creating your list of priorities and maintaining your plan:
Vision — Your overall image, or visualization, of what it is you are working towards and who it is you want to become. Keep your vision on the grand scheme of things but also realistic. Recognize each avenue of opportunity as it branches out from your visual map.
Accomplishments — Assess where you are now. Review your previous goals and compare those to your current standing. Did you accomplish anything outside of your initial target? In what time frame did you reach each accomplishment? Note any goals being carried over and understand why they have not yet been met.
New Direction for Goals — Recognize any new opportunities. This may be due to personal progress or a change in the industry and its trends.
List Your Priorities — What are you currently working on? Working towards? List all projects in motion as well as the anticipation of future projects. Note the level of importance for each task and rank them from high to low priority.
Create Due Dates — Assign a date of completion for each task. If your goals have sub-tasks, create a due date for those as well. Build a type of schedule to help navigate your progress as well as prioritize each task and goal.
Consider Consequences — Not all tasks are created equal. Some tasks have minimal results or consequences while others significant. Should your schedule ever call for it, or if a new opportunity presents itself, tackle the significant tasks first. It may seem obvious, but we tend to think we can get the easy ones out of the way quickly so we may concentrate more thoroughly on the higher stake. Prioritize means the most important or impacting comes first.
De-Clutter — On the flipside, most lists will contain a variety of smaller tasks that require little time but also anchor your progress. Schedule a day to de-clutter your list. Work your way through the little things and free your time for more beneficial tasks.
Reassess — Change is constant with priorities and opportunities. Depending upon the intensity of your schedule, reevaluate your list weekly to monthly. Stay on track of your progress and keep up with the shifts in your priorities.
Give yourself the gift of course. Planning and preparation will set personal guidelines and keep your progression headed towards your goals. Prioritizing helps to manage your work and adds professionalism to your name.
- Melissa
Getting an Idea: Blank Pages and Sail Boats
Publishing a book is a long and complicated process, and it seems everyone has advice along the way. There are articles and instructions on writing, editing, publishing, marketing – a complete confusion of advice and how-to’s to get you through. But before any of that, before the first word appears on the page, there is a very critical step that stymies many writers:
Getting an idea.
This very elementary necessity has put some of the best authors into a complete panic. The great American journalist and author Gene Fowler decided “Writing is easy: All you do is sit staring at a blank sheet of paper until drops of blood form on your forehead”. But personally, I think there might be some other (maybe less painful) ways to get ideas.
- Write down an idea as soon as you get it. I have a good friend who composes music, and he is constantly being teased for the random scraps of napkins, envelopes or illegible bits of paper that fall out of his pockets whenever he reaches for his keys. When an idea strikes him, he just grabs whatever’s handy and jots it down. But he is a very successful composer and taught me a valuable lesson. A “mental note” just doesn’t sustain a good idea (or even a bad one!). Write it down in the moment and you at least have something to work with later.
- Don’t throw old ideas away. Some ideas are garbage, there’s no avoiding that. But some bad ideas are really great ones, just at the wrong time or approached from the wrong direction. Scott Adams, who writes the Dilbert cartoons, understood this principle well: “Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes. Art is knowing which ones to keep”. If it doesn’t sound good now, or you’re busy with other things, hang onto it. Some other time when you hit a dry spell you will have a well to pull from, and things can look completely different after a little time.
- Make time to try. Gene Fowler’s approach may sound painful, but it does work for a lot of writers (maybe without the bleeding). I have used this technique myself, and although I hate to admit it, it did work. Set aside a certain amount of time with no distractions (for me, that included unplugging my internet cable), open up your word processor, and force yourself to stay there until the time is up. You may not believe it until you try it, but the human mind will come up with all kinds of interesting ideas simply to escape boredom and desperation.
- Surround yourself with interesting people and situations. The poet Raymond Carter believed “There are significant moments in everyone’s day that can make literature. That’s what you ought to write about”. Although this is very true, if all you did that day was wash the dishes and walk the dog you might find it difficult to find your inspiration. Go to places that fascinate or stimulate you – museums, coffee shops, forests, homeless shelters – the world is an incredibly interesting place, but we have to get out into it.
- For lack of a good idea, try a bad one. This piece of wisdom was an accidental discovery in my life, a little miracle like penicillin or sticky notes (well, maybe littler). I was given an assignment with a topic that was just horrible. It was the last possible thing I, or any of my readers, would have found interesting. I tried every way I could think of to get out of it, but nothing worked. I started working with that topic, and it led me to something else, which led me to a very interesting person, which led me to a fantastic idea that turned into a fascinating article. It could have gone differently, of course; I’ve had other bad ideas that no amount of reworking could make into decent ones. But if nothing else presents itself, at least you’re working, and you might just get lucky!
A great idea is the wind in the sails of a writer, that force that propels us through the fear of failure or embarrassment and the tedious hours of reworking, proofing and editing (and this sentence was the idea that started this whole blog). Although none of the techniques I’ve mentioned are miracle workers or magic spells, maybe at the very least they inspired you to close your browser and go back to your blank page. Even Nobel Prize winner Andre Gile admitted “I have never produced anything good except by a long succession of slight efforts”.
- Beth Ludema
