The Biggest Mistake New Authors Make

Mar16

Great post by Anne R. Allen about common mistakes, misconceptions with writing that first book.

I like how she specifically address the problematic examples she gives and offers some solutions to the quandary of that first book.

I disagree, however, that you shouldn’t try and pitch that first book. Why not pitch it? You learn a lot by doing this. But… at the same time, work on that second book for sure, and the third. Build that viewership via a blog or some other social media presence. Join writer’s groups, critique groups. Go to writing conferences… Go ahead and self-publish, if you want. If the agent you eventually find doesn’t want your first book, then maybe they’ll want the second or third one.

Publishing is a business so you need to learn the business. And connecting with other writers can help in so many ways.

Novelists and memoirists have a lot in common, including the mistakes they tend to make. Don’t make this one when you’re starting out.

Source: The Biggest Mistake New Novelists and Memoirists Make

55 Social Media Hashtags For Book Authors (And How To Use Them) 

Feb28

Are you confused by hashtages like I am?

The staff at Web Design Relief put this handy list together so you don’t have to be confused about what hashtag to use to connect with more readers or other authors.

Plus they give us guidelines for using hashtags: (thank you!!)

  • Use hashtags specific to your message (examples in the post)
  • Try to take advantage of the important keywords in your post’s text (examples in the post)
  • Or, add hashtags at the end of the post
  • Don’t use too many hashtags (1-2), except on Instagram, where it doesn’t seem to matter

Below is the link to the post.

Thanks Web Design Relief staff!

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Writers: Boost engagement on social media by harnessing the power of writing and publishing hashtags.

Source: 55 Social Media Hashtags For Book Authors (And How To Use Them) | Web Design Relief

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How to Copyright a Book 

Feb26

I’m sure I’ve shared posts on copyright before, but it’s always good to have a refresher. It’s quite easy to get an official copyright for anything you publish and even though it doesn’t help someone from taking your work electronically, it’s an inexpensive safeguard ($55 for electronic submission) if you every need to enter the court system. And Dave gives some examples of text used on a copyright page for those indie publisher out there!

Thanks Dave and Lawyer Steve!

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Learn from a lawyer how you can legally copyright a book, with examples and a easy step-by-step process to help protect your book’s rights.

Source: How to Copyright a Book (Written by a Lawyer) [2019] – Written by a Laywer

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An Interview with Author/Illustrator Jessixa Bagley

Feb11

Great piece on writing and illustrating but it’s not just for someone who is doing both. Authors of children’s books need to think about (and leave room for, as Jessica mentions) for the illustrator to do their thing. I love working with illustrators. They always, always surprise me!

Jane Kelley's avatarSCBWI Wisconsin | Blog

The SCBWI-WI Fall Retreat, Let’s Get Crafty, is just a few weeks away. Although it’s sold-out, we’re so grateful that each member of the amazing faculty has answered a few questions for our blog. 

Jessixa Bagley is a children’s book author/illustrator. Her love of books and storytelling are inspired by classic storybooks and her childhood experiences in the Pacific Northwest. Jessixa has traveled both domestically and internationally for school visits, keynotes, and workshops to speak about her books. Her first picture book, Boats for Papa, has won numerous awards including the 2016 Washington State Scandiuzzi Children’s Book Award. Her picture book, Laundry Day, is the winner of a 2018 Ezra Jack Keats Honor Award for Writing. She lives in Seattle with her husband and son. Follow her on twitter: @jessixabagley

Jessixa-Bagley_bio-216x300-1.pngYour presentation is Both Sides of the Picture Book. Can you give us a sneak preview?…

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The Top Ten Publishing Industry Trends Every Author Needs to Know in 2020  

Jan29
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from besesakashop.com

No one can see the future, but here is the opinion of some “experts” about trends for 2020. It’s worth a read.

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We’ve talked to experts, self-published authors and done our own research to bring you the top ten publishing trends that will change the industry in 2020.

Source: The Top Ten Publishing Industry Trends Every Author Needs to Know in 2020 – Written Word Media

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How to Find Profitable Amazon Book Advertisement Keywords [2020]

Jan17

Many of you may know Dave Chesson. He is a wealth of knowledge for anyone looking for information about publishing. He also has some products to sell related to that as well (which I am not endorsing here but I do trust him – he’s been around the book world for quite a while). Part of the reason I trust Dave is because he gives a lot of good information away for free. This post is an example.

I have done Amazon ads and I’ve hired others to do it for me as well. Both times I’d say I came out about even in the money I spent and the money I gained. It gave me more readers (not a lot, and not sure that translated to purchases of any of my other books) but I’m still on the fence whether it was worth all the time I spent on doing it myself, since I just broke even.

If you’ve even tried ads yourself, he’s right, key words are KEY! (pardon my pun). His post helps you a bit in that direction. (link below)

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“Learn how you can create a list of profitable Amazon ads keywords for your book advertisements and start earning now on your ads!…”

Source: How to Find Profitable Amazon Book Advertisement Keywords [2020]

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How to Write Dialogue That Dazzles Your Readers

Dec30

The fastest way to improve your story is to write dialogue that dazzles. How? Give each character an opposing goal, and stick to “said.”

These are 2 of the 6 strategies Joslyn Chase writes about in her post about dialogue.

Chase makes good points in her post and I would add, formatting dialogue in a variety of ways also makes reading a more interesting experience. For example, add the dialogue/attribution tag before the sentence or in the middle of a couple of sentences, as well as at the end.

And don’t forget, you only need an attribution (or dialogue) tag, if the reader won’t know who’s talking.

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Source: How to Write Dialogue That Dazzles Your Readers

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Pets vs. Christmas Trees

Dec18

Do you have one of these cridders?

Source: Pets vs. Christmas Trees

Smashwords Two New Marketing Tools

Dec4

Smashwords today unveiled Smashwords Presales, a new book launch tool that will thrill your readers.

Smashwords Presales leverages patent-pending technology to enable the creation, management and merchandising of ebook presales.  An ebook presale allows readers to purchase and read a new book before the public release date.

Presales are different than preorders.

Click on the link below to find out the details. Mark also talks about a new Smashwords feature: Global Coupons. Basically, it allows you to create a coupon on multiple titles at once, if I’m understanding it correctly. Not exactly sure how that is a significant help, but I’ll have to think on it a bit more.

Source: Smashwords

5 Things Screenwriters (and other writers) Should Know About Copyright Law 

Nov18

This is a great post by Marissa Crespo, an entertainment attorney and principal at Crespo Law Office. It’s geared toward screenwriters but it’s covers book writers as well.

The cost of copyright is definitely reasonable and there are a few steps to it but it’s not hard to do. The copyright office link is here, if you want to go ahead and copyright your work.

Source: 5 Things Screenwriters Should Know About Copyright Law – ScreenCraft