Here is a short bit from Jean Cogdell about overnight success – the key word she uses is patience. I also like the quote she has from Kate Morton.
Take a look:
Do you believe in the “overnight success” theory? | jean’s writing
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It’s easy to equate revision with failure. “If I knew what I were doing, I’d get it right the first time,” many writers think. Revision is the best friend a writer c
an have…
So writes Vicki Krueger on the Poynter website, which is a journalism blog, but I think her 9 points work well for novel writers as well. Point #3 is put it away (for a few minutes). Of course for novel writers, this should be much longer. I am always surprised how a couple week away from a manuscript can clarify ones writing.
I also heartily believe in reading out loud and from print vs off the computer or tablet. I always pick up more from reading print.
Melody Moezzi has some very good points about getting published. There is no one way and no one secret. As you have probably heard many times, writing a good story is number one. And I like that she has reading as number two. I would concern on the order of both of those points. I also like her point about doing your research. There is a lot to learn when you’re trying to get published (self or otherwise) and the best way to spend your money wisely is to know what you’re spending your money on, so ask around and read and keep your ears open. And then there is the infinite amount of patience that she doesn’t mention but is inherent in this process.
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If you’ve contemplated entering your book for a Readers Favorite Award, you have until the end of May to apply. I would highly recommend them. They do a nice job for authors of any stripe (indie or traditionally published) and give you one free review with your entry plus ways to gift your book to other Readers’ Favorite reviewers for other reviews. Join the likes of Jim Carrey, James Patterson, Nicolas Sparks and Henry Winkler! Awards are a great marketing tool!
Don’t procrastinate!
So as you may know, I have a new book out. (Intrigue in Istanbul: An Agnes Kelly Mystery Adventure) What I call and Mystery Adventure. It was written for middle grade (MG) but I tried to write it so adults enjoy it to – many adults tell me they do so I’m hopeful that will continue.
So, of course, I am looking at marketing options for a MG mystery. I have written adult novels up to his point and mostly historical fiction (my published book list is at christinekelenybooks.com, if your curious).
I came across this when checking out blueink for a possible review. The $395 price tag stopped my idea of getting them to review it, but I came across this article on their site and thought other mystery writers out there might like to read it as well. There are a few good links that might be helpful.
Cheery-O!
Source: Promoting Your Mystery Book on Social Media: A Newbie’s Guide | BlueInk Review
The best-selling novelist shares his secrets to writing. I’ve read Kings book: On Writing. It’s a good book to read but not as much about how to write better but how King writes and thinks about writing. You’ll probably find a gem or too as Glenn Liebowitz did in this post on inc. I’m not in love with Kings book as much as Glenn, but it’s worth a read. You can’t deny Stephen knows how to write.
Source: 8 Simple Writing Strategies That Helped Stephen King Sell 350 Million Books | Inc.com
So sad, but so true. What all writer’s need are the three P’s: Persistence, patience and perseverance. If you don’t expect an overnight success, then it will be easier to keep going, one review, one contact, one tweet at a time.
And of course fairies, everyone believes in fairies.
How many emails hit your inbox each day promising to make you an overnight success. Five, ten or more? And you only thing needed is for you to buy their latest book or subscribe to their latest writing course.
Now don’t get me wrong, some are wonderful and legit. But none are gonna make me an overnight success. At best the good ones can only act as stepping-stones to success.
Now I don’t mean to rain on anybody’s parade because I guess it could happen. I mean people get struck by lightning every day somewhere in the world, I’m sure.
What we can do is take advantage of every opportunity that comes our way. Look around and free…
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Dave Chesson of kindlepreneur has made a very handy list of pro and cons for IngramSpark and createspace, really the only two printers/publishers I would suggest anyone use. I have used both for my clients and myself.
I would have to agree that IngramSpark is not as user friendly for those unfamiliar with the publishing process, but would also agree that their quality is more consistent. The other thing that might throw a self-publisher is figuring out what percent discount to give the various distribution options that IngramSpark has. They say the standard is 55%, which is similar to selling a print book on Amazon. (I’m not sure the % createspace takes for its various distribution outlets, but I can’t imagine it’s different. If anyone out there knows, I’d love to hear!)
I have one book with IngramS at the moment (Will the Real Carolyn Keene Please Stand Up) and went with 50% vs 55% for US sales (less for international because of the cost) and I still get sales. I went with IS for this book because I wanted a hardcover and createspace doesn’t do hardcover (though I know some have managed it through them somehow). I also have a soft cover of the same book through them. Plus I wanted to see how my sales were on IS vs the couple books I have printed through createspace.
So far, I sell more print books through IS than createspace, but I’m not comparing apples to apples since they are different books and may interest different people (though they are both historical fiction books). And just so you know, IS distributes for Amazon, so any Amazon orders I get for a print book will be fulfilled by IS. And IS only has certain sizes for hardcover. My Carolyn Keene book is 5.5″ X 8.5″ which they do. My most recent MG book (Intrigue in Istanbul: An Agnes Kelly Mystery Adventure) is 7.75″ x 5.25″ which they don’t do, so I went with a local printer (Publisher Graphics) for that and they did a wonderful job. Now I have to decide if I want to do a soft cover with IS so I can get a wider distribution network or see if I can convince them do something custom for me. They have many size options for soft cover. And their shipping costs to me are less than createspace, but maybe that depends on where you live (I live in Wisconsin).
One more FYI. You can not use both companies. If you want to try IS and you currently have your book printed through createspace, you will have to take it off createspace before IS will print/distribute it for you.
If you have any other questions about either publisher, don’t hesitate to contact me. I’d be happy to help out.
Source: IngramSpark vs. Createspace: Print on Demand Battle Royal
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Didn’t know if you were aware but there is a petition to convince our government to end the book embargo with Cuba. This would be good for us as writers and readers.
Mark Coker has given you all the details in the link below and the petition link is here as well. Please share!
Source: Smashwords
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