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The life adventures of the author of the Luke and Jenny series of historical novels for young readers.
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It wasn't that long ago that eBooks were the rage, and if you didn't offer an eBook edition of your book, your sales would suffer. Now the popularity with eBooks seems to be waning, but I wouldn't call them dead. People are still buying them, they're just not buying them as often as before.
Like any fad, eBook popularity was bound to change, and I think it's due to a number of factors.
1) Kindles are a fun toy, but as with any new toy, people eventually get tired of it and move on to the next new toy.
2) eBooks gave many first-time authors an opporunity to write and easily publish their books. Problem was, too many of these books were poorly written and badly edited, and readers got tired of crappy books.
3) Kindles, just like any other battery operated device, run out of power, usually at the most inconvenient times. It's annoying to have the low battery warning pop up just as you're getting to the most interesting part of the book, or, worse yet, have the screen suddenly go black. I'm getting more and more annoyed myself because it seems every time I open my Kindle, the battery is dead. This never happens with a print book.
4) It's difficult to go back and reread a Kindle book, and when I really enjoy a book I like to go back and do a second read later on. Loaning a book to a friend or relative can't be done if they don't have a Kindle, but it's a non issue with a print book. I can also easily go back and reread a print book.
5) And, finally, some people, including yours truly, simply prefer the feeling of holding a printed book in their hands. Electronic tablets can feel heavy after awhile, but most paperback books weigh less than a tablet.
This is why it's important to publish both print and eBook editions of your book. Amazon even offers a product called Kindle Matchbook, which gives buyers a discount for the eBook edition if they purchase a printed book. Yes, eBooks will always be with us, but I, for one, am happy to see print books becoming popular again.
GM
P.S. The content on the Kindle photo is a page from
The Deception, one of my
Marina Martindale novels.
Someone recently posted this question on a writing group I belong to, and it certainly got some interesting responses. While my answer is based on fiction writing, those of you who write nonfiction may find it helpful as well.
When I write my novels, I think of each chapter as an episode, or a little story within the bigger story, and a specific event occurs in each chapter. Let's say your protagonist plans to meet up with another character, but then something unexpected happens. Maybe she has an accident on her way to the meeting and she's rushed to the hospital. That would certainly be a little story within the bigger story. And since I like to have a strong ending to my chapters, I might end with the man she was supposed to meet thinking he's been stood up. The next chapter would be a new episode about what he does next.
So, how long should a chapter be? Simple. It's as long as it needs to be to tell the story. I've written chapters as short as a page and a half, and as long as ten pages. There really is no hard and fast rule for chapter length, at least not one that I'm aware of. So don't worry about the page count; just concentrate on telling your story.
Happy writing.
GM
It's happened to me twice now. That oh so sickening feeling I get when I go to open up a file, and either half of it's gone, or I get an error message telling me it's missing off my hard drive altogether. Computers are mysterious creatures. I jokingly tell people they're all black magic and voodoo, and sometimes I wonder if there could actually be some truth to this. Both times this happened was after I had saved the files and shut down my computer properly, which proves that files can still be lost or hopelessly corrupted, even when you've done nothing wrong. This is why I have off site storage, and why I so highly recommend having it to others, whether or not you're a writer.
Off site storage, sometimes called, the cloud, is just that. Your files are backed up to a third party server, and, heaven forbid, your computer gets lost or stolen, or an important file gets lost or damaged, you can easily download a backup. Some people may worry about privacy, and that's a legitimate concern. However, any reliable off site storage company will encrypt your files. You're far more likely to lose an important document then you are to have a hacker steal your work.
I use
Carbonite, but there are other off site back up services available, such as iCloud. It costs me a little over $50 per year, and it's money well spent. It automatically backs up my files, and whenever I've had to use it I found it was very easy to locate and download the needed files. The first time I used it was to recover a Word file, and I got all but the last two paragraphs back. More recently, I had to recover an Adobe InDesign file that mysteriously disappeared off my hard drive, and Carbonite downloaded it completely intact. The only problem I have with Carbonite is that it's unable to back up my external hard drive as I'm on a Mac. This means I cannot store archived files on my external disk, but I'm otherwise a very satisfied customer.
Some people tell me they don't need off site storage as they back up their files to a flash drive. That works as long as you remember to do it on a daily basis. And, Murphy's Laws being what they are, rest assured the day a file corrupts or disappears completely will be the same day you didn't do a back up.
Stuff happens, and it can happen to you. Carbonite has saved my rear-end not once, but twice, and I'm now a customer for life.
GM
Every story ever written has two things in common--a beginning and an ending, and it's at the end of the story where we, as storytellers, deliver the punch lines that impact our readers.
Regardless of your genre, most readers want, and expect, a happy ending. One that ties up all of the loose ends and leaves them satisfied. And, most often, that's what they get. In my genre, romance, it's pretty simple. Boy meets girl. They fall in love, but there are conflicts and obstacles to be overcome, and once they're resolved everyone lives happily ever after. THE END. But then again, some of the most well-loved and compelling romance stories ever written didn't end with the couple living happily ever after. Who could forget Gone with the Wind? After thinking she was in love with Ashley Wilkes for all those years, Scarlett suddenly realizes she's been in love with Rhett the whole time, but when she finally tells him his response is, "Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn." He walks away and slams the door behind him, leaving her to ponder her next move. This ending left us wanting more, and I believe this is way, after more than seventy years, the book and the movie still have a following.
By the way, I don't know if this is actual fact or urban legend, but I recall hearing somewhere that Margaret Mitchell wrote the ending first, and then went back to write the rest of the story. Some authors do write their endings first, and it's perfectly okay to do so.
Another famous ending comes from the movie, Casa Blanca, which was actually wasn't based on a novel, but on a play called, Everyone Comes to Rick's. It too is a love story with a twist. Boy meets girl. Girl ditches boy. Boy meets girl a second time, only now she's brought her husband along. So, along with some unforgettable dialog, ("Of all the gin joints in all the places in the world, she had to walk into mine."), we all root for Rick to get Ilsa back. Instead the story ends with him putting her on the plane, along with her husband, and sending them away for good. Then the final scene ends with Rick walking away with Louis Renualt and saying, "You know, Louie, this could be the start of a beautiful friendship."
Once again, I've heard rumor that there were two endings shot for Casa Blanca. In the alternate ending Ilsa stays behind with Rick, but it was decided that the other ending would have a stronger impact on the audience. They were right. Seventy years later, Casa Blanca remains one of the best loved films of all time.
Sometimes stories aren't about happy endings. Sometimes they're about doing the right thing, even when doing the right thing isn't so easy to do. The same can be said of real life.
GM
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| Photo © 2014 by Gayle Martin. All Rights Reserved. |
When one of my authors sent me the photos he wanted to include in his memoir, I noticed several of them were family portraits, taken by professional portrait studios. Many of you may not be aware that when you have a portrait done, the photographer, or the studio, owns the rights, even though the images may be of you, or members of your family. This means the photos cannot be used in a book without written permission of the copyright holders. My author was unaware of this, but, fortunately, was able to obtain release forms for the photos in question.
I'm not a copyright attorney, so the following isn't meant to be taken as legal advice. It is, however, common knowledge and accepted business practices by publishers.
Prior to 1978, a copyright was good for twenty-eight years from the date of registration. Once it expired, it could be renewed for another twenty-eight years. After that the work was considered public domain. Then, in 1978, the law changed. Now a copyright lasts for the lifetime of the copyright holder, plus another seventy years after his or her death. This includes works of visual art, such as drawings, paintings, and photographs. So if you're including photos, graphics, drawings or other works of art, either for your book cover, or inside your book, and they weren't created by you, then you will need to get permission from the person who created the work before you can publish it.
So what about work you've commissioned for your book, such as a photo or illustration for your cover? Typically, there will be verbiage in the contract between you and the artist transferring certain rights over to you. Most often these rights are for the use of their work for the intended purpose, such as your book cover. Now let's say you wanted to use their image for something else. For example, let's say you published a cookbook, and you hired a photographer to take a photo of one of your dishes for your book cover. Then, later on, you decide to open a restaurant, and you want to include that same photograph on your menu. Never assume that just because you paid him for the photo, you're free to use it any way that you wish. Putting his photo on your menu, without his knowledge or consent, might land you in some legal hot water. You need to go back to the photographer and get his permission to use his photo for your menu. Chances are, he'll allow you to use it in exchange for a royalty. But he says no, then you cannot use it. Period.
For more information about copyrights, or to discuss a specific case, please consult a copyright attorney.
GM
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| Photo by CanStockPhoto.com |
In my earlier post about how to avoid overworking your story I talked about
redundancy. This time around I'll discuss another way to overwork a story -- and that is by creating over the top scenarios or plot lines which don't connect well with the earlier story. This can be especially problematic when you're writing a series. There comes a point when your story, even if it's a series, has to end. Otherwise it may become absurd or even bizarre.
I'll give you a good example: Star Trek.
I grew up watching the original Star Trek. The characters, human and alien, were so believable, but by the third season the series just wasn't that good, and the ridiculous story lines for some of the episodes hurt the integrity of the series as a whole. The network, NBC, then cancelled the show. It went into syndication where its following grew. The movies came along about ten years later. The original characters were back, but they were older and they'd changed over time, which kept them interesting. After that came Star Trek the Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, and Voyager. This created a plethora of interesting new characters and a lot of potential for exciting new stories. Next came a series of movies with the Next Generation cast.
Sadly, it was all lost, at least for me, when they started making movies with younger versions of the original characters. Prequels can also be problematic, but when I saw the first prequel I was very disappointed. It took place in a "parallel universe," so much of the back story, established in the original series, was gone. It was too confusing, and it certainly wasn't the Star Trek I'd known and loved for decades. Other Star Trek movies have since followed, again set in this, "past parallel universe," but I've decided to save my money and skip them. I won't even bother watching them on Netflix.
This is what happens when you run out of ideas. You lose the integrity of your story, and you may even lose your following as well. As storytellers, the two hardest words for us to write are, "THE END," but write them we must. Otherwise, in the words of my college painting professor, you'll turn your work into mud.
GM
Filmmakers have certain advantages over writers, particularly fiction writers. They get to use musical scores to help build the tension. We've seen it dozens of times. The unsuspecting protagonist goes into the seemingly deserted mansion, unaware that the villain is lurking inside, waiting to pounce. As the protagonist gets closer, the music builds to a crescendo. "Dum dum-ta-dum--BOOM." The boom of course, being when the bad guy leaps out of nowhere, landing right in front of the protagonist, who now either has to fight or run for dear life.
We writers unfortunately don't have the luxury of having background music, so we have to come up with alternative ways to build the tension, thus creating the temptation to use exclamation points. After all, the sentence,"he leaped out of the closet at Joe." with just a plain old period at the end looks kind of boring on the printed page. Therefore, "he leaped out of the closet at Joe!!" would look a whole lot better. Right?
Well, not necessarily.
Using exclamation points in the narrative means you're shouting at your readers, which they may find annoying. A better way to build the tension would be to use more effective verbs and modifiers. So, instead of saying, "He heard the footsteps and waited until the time was right. Then he leaped out of the closet at of Joe." Try something like, "He heard Joe's footsteps coming closer. He held his breath, not wanting to give himself away. The footsteps grew louder. He could make out the dark shadow of a human form as it entered the room. He stood by, unable to move. The footsteps thumped louder and louder as they came closer and closer. Beads of sweat popped out across his forehead. It was time. He leaped out of the closet at Joe."
By using effective verbs and modifiers in your narrative to build the tension an exclamation point becomes unnecessary.
So what about dialog? People shout when they are excited, surprised, under stress, or angry. I will, on rare occasions, use an exclamation point in dialog, but if I do, it's only when a character is having an "aha" moment. I think of exclamation points in dialog as hot chili peppers. A little bit goes a long, long way. Most of the time I use tags, such as, "It's over here," yelled Jody, or "Look out," exclaimed Bob.
Good storytelling is all about conflict and drama. Just don't shout at your readers!
GM
As writers we've all been told that social media is an essential marketing tool, and it truly is. I've made fans and sold books on social media. It can also be a double-edged sword, so it must be treated with respect at all times. Let me give you an example.
Awhile back I was posting on a friend's Facebook thread, and I started engaging with another of her friends on the same thread. As I recall, we were talking about jazz music, something we both enjoyed. During our online conversation she mentioned that she was an editor. I told her I was a book publisher and to please send me a friend request so I could include her on my referral list.
As it turned out, she posted frequently Facebook. Her content included extreme left wing political posts, (I'll be talking more about political posts in a future article), along with rants about her hatred of children, her dislike of men, her belief that interpersonal relationships were a complete waste of time, her hatred of churches and of people of faith, and so forth. She also had no tolerance whatsoever for anyone with an opposing point of view, and she wasn't beyond telling anyone to "go f--- themselves," for simply disagreeing with her.
After reading a just handful of her posts I realized there was no way I could EVER refer this woman to any of my authors, and I have since blocked her on Facebook. My issue wasn't that I disagreed with her opinion. Let's face it, the world would be a pretty boring place if we all thought alike. My issue was her open contempt and hatred of others. If she could tell people she disagreed with to go "f--- themselves" on a public forum, I could only imagine how badly she would have treated one of my authors.
Be careful with what you post on social media. It really can come back and bite you.
GM
From time to time my email box fills up with calls for entries for all kinds of book awards, and I'll admit to having mixed feelings about entering them. So, here is my list of pros and cons regarding book competitions.
First, I'll start with the pros. I've entered competitions in the past and I've won awards. And I'm not going to lie. There's nothing quite like the euphoria you feel when your book has beat out dozens, if not hundreds, of competitors and has either won, or placed, in a competition. It's also a great marketing tool, as there's nothing quite like having that award sticker on your book cover. In fact, I've included one of mine, so you can see it. Not because I'm bragging, but because there is a downside to just about everything in life, and that includes winning a book award. If you look at the cover closely, you may be able to see what the "con" is.
I won the award in 2007. However, by 2010, it was starting to make my book look dated.
The other potential con is the expense of entering a competition. Back in the mid 2000s, when I entered Billy the Kid in that competition, the entry fees were reasonable. Ahh, those were the days...
Times have indeed changed, and, depending on the competition, even early-bird call to entry fees can be quite steep. Along with the entry fee, you may have to provide printed copies of your book, oftentimes more than one copy, which adds to the cost. For example, I once considered entering one of my
Marina Martindale novels in a competition for book cover design. The entry fee was $90, and they wanted four printed copies of my book. By the time I added in the cost of the books, and the postage, it would have come to about $125, just to enter one title, in one category. After thinking over I decided not to enter as I honestly thought the $125 would be better spent on advertising my book.
So, is entering your book in a literary competition a good idea? That's really up to you to decide. If your budget will allow it then by all means you should consider it. Your book might be a winner, and that award certainly won't hurt. But if you choose not to enter then don't worry about it. Experience has taught me that you'll sell a lot more books by getting good reviews. As a book consumer, I pay a lot more attention to the book reviews than to whatever awards a book may have won.
My thought for the day.
GM
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| Photo by CanStockPhoto.com |
Back in my college days, when I was majoring in art, one of my painting professors made a profound statement that I'll always remember. He said, "Every painter needs to have someone standing behind him to shoot him when he's done, otherwise he'll overwork the painting and turn it into mud."
It's extremely difficult artists to look at their work objectively enough to know when it's finished. And once we finally realize we've overworked something it may be too late to salvage it.
Fortunately, when it comes to writing, there are warning signs that we can look for. One of the biggest, and most obvious, would be
redundancy. I'll use my
Marina Martindale novel,
The Deception, to illustrate my point.
As I was nearing the end of the story I'd resolved the main conflict, but as I was tying up the loose ends one of the antagonists threatened to go after my protagonist for a second time. This left me with two options. One was to write a sequel. Tempting thought, as I loved my cast of characters. Unfortunately, in this instance, the conflict would have been too similar to the conflict in the first book. This would have made the sequel redundant, as all I would have been doing was rehashing the same story. How boring. So, rather than waste my time, and my reader's time, with a bad sequel, I decided to write a definitive ending and leave my novel as a stand alone book. I did it by killing off the antagonist and ending the feud once and for all.
Does your story feels like it's getting stale? If so, then go back and look at your conflict. If it keeps repeating itself, or if the results of your character's choices are always the same, it probably means your story has become too redundant.
GM
Book trailers are great marketing tools, especially for those of you who write fiction. A book trailer is a preview of coming attractions, and the most effective ones look like movie trailers. This means a video of you, sitting on a park bench, reading a chapter from your book, simply won't cut it. Neither will a slide show. Your book trailer needs to be entertaining, and the more you can entertain the viewer, the more likely he or she will watch and share it, and that's the whole idea. You want to have a lot of people watching and sharing your book trailer.
An effective book trailer tells a story, just like your novel. First you'll need a strong opening. You only have a few seconds to grab the viewer's attention. After that you need to present a conflict, a climax, and a conclusion. The conclusion would be your book cover, with information about where the book can be purchased, so viewers know where to go to find out more. Ideally, your trailer should be no more than one to two minutes in length. Remember, you're not summarizing the plot. In fact, the scenes you recreate don't even have to be in sequence with your book. The whole point is to simply give viewers a small sample.
Just like editing your manuscript, you really need to hire a professional to produce your book trailer, and the best way to find them is to talk to other authors who live in your area. I happen to live in Tucson, Arizona, and I enlisted the services of
Rob Resetar Video. Rob was able to produce a top quality video for a very reasonable cost, and I've posted his brand new trailer for my Marina Martindale novel,
The Reunion.
Not sure where to start? Go to YouTube, put "book trailers" in the search bar, and watch what pops up. You'll soon see what works and what doesn't. You may even see some of my old, outdated book trailers while you're there. That will most certainly tell you what doesn't work.
GM
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| Photo © by Gayle Martin. All Rights Reserved. |
As you fiction writers no doubt know, your plot lines revolve around tension and conflict, regardless of the genre. The conflict is what keeps the drama flowing and keeps your readers involved with your story.
I can still recall my old high school drama teacher talking to us about soap operas. She said soap operas were really nothing more than stories about real life--exaggerated. Those soap opera writers must be doing something right, since all of the soaps on the air today have been around for a good thirty to forty years, if not longer. The following are but a few examples of real-life exaggerations to keep the drama flowing. They must work, as they've been using them on soap operas for decades.
In real life people catch colds or the flu. In a soap opera a character catches a rare, if not unknown disease, resulting in blindness, deafness, coma, paralysis, or memory loss until some doctor, typically a young intern, discovers the miracle cure.
In real life family members have arguments. Someone may end up storming off afterwards, but before long everyone makes up. In a soap opera the person who storms off ends up seriously injured in a car crash and remains in a coma for weeks.
In real life boy meets girl. They're attracted to one another so they start dating. In a soap opera boy meets girl, they're attracted to one another, but then another lady, typically his ex, her best friend, or even her sister, is also attracted to the same guy, and she does everything humanly possible to thwart the relationship.
In real life a boy may ask a girl out, but she's not interested so she says no. He may ask her a few more times before he gets the hint and moves on. In a soap opera he turns into a stalker and kidnaps her. She ends up being held captive for weeks in some remote cabin out in the middle of the woods that no one can ever find.
As these examples demonstrate, fiction writing is all about considering the possibilities outside the normal routine of everyday life, while maintaining enough of that normalcy to make your story believable.
GM
This is an update from a previous post, and I think it's worth a second look.
Writing memoirs has been a popular trend for sometime now, and, as a publisher, I often get inquires from authors wanting to publish their memoirs. Unfortunately, not every memoir is worth writing, much less publishing, so please consider the following before you commit to writing a memoir.
Is Your Story Interesting?
Our life's journey is certainly interesting to us, but it interesting enough to capture another person's attention? If you're a celebrity it's a no brainer. However, most of us are average Joes and Janes. People will only read your memoir if there's something in it for them.
Are You Airing Your Dirty Laundry?
None of us lead perfect lives and at one time or another we've all been wronged by the people we may have loved or trusted the most. Sometimes this can make an interesting memoir, but the bigger question to ask yourself is why are you writing about it? Is it to help others? Or are you doing it to get even with the person or persons who you believe wronged you? Revenge writing may turn some readers off. It can also open you up to the possibility of being sued for libel if the person or persons you're writing about are recognizable, even if you're not using real names. If getting back at someone is your motive for writing your memoir you may want to think twice.
Will Your Story Be Inspirational to Others?
Have you overcome an obstacle that's beyond the ordinary? For instance, have you survived a violent crime or overcome a horrible disease that would be fatal to most people? Perhaps you've traveled to some faraway, exotic destination, such as Antarctica, that few people will ever see. Have you had some other extraordinary life experience? Most importantly, would your story be an inspiration to others? If your answer to any of these questions is yes, then perhaps you should consider writing your memoir.
The Bottom Line
Most people read books because they want to be entertained or inspired, or because they want to learn something new. There has to be something in your book for the reader, otherwise they won't read it. It's as simple as that. A successful memoir is one that benefits its readers, and perhaps changes someone's life for the better.
GM
Sometimes even the best ideas don't always work out the way we thought.
Two years ago I decided to start a new blog specifically for my publishing company,
Good Oak Press, LLC., as
From the Writer's Desk was originally set up to promote my Luke and Jenny series of children's books. However, the Luke and Jenny books have been out of print for some time, and they predate Good Oak Press. That said, you all seem to prefer this blog to the newer one. Stuff happens, as they say, and as writers we know, all too well, that not every idea works. So, over the next few weeks I'll be migrating the posts from Good Oak Press blog over here, as well as doing a some tweaks and updates.
Stay tuned, because this blog is back in business.
GM
It's official. The print editions of the
Luke and Jenny series of books are now out of print. My publisher,
Five Star Publications, decided that the time had come to take them out of print, as the books have become somewhat outdated. And, like any publisher, they want to make room for their new titles.
While the historical material in the books has obviously not changed, the stories are about two modern-day kids, and the world is changing faster than any of us can keep up with it. What was new and innovative in the mid 2000s, when the books were written, is out of date today. Luke plays with his Game Boy. A popular device in 2006, but seven years later and kids have never heard of it. Likewise they're on vacation while their father is stationed in Iraq. Happily, our troops are no longer deployed there.
So, I'd like to take an opportunity to thank Linda Radke and everyone at Five Star for making the Luke and Jenny books a success. You took a chance on me by giving me an opportunity to become a published author. You also taught me to believe in myself as you proved to me that I'm a much better writer than I ever gave myself credit for. I learned a lot from you. It's been a great run, and we had a lot of fun along the way.
But hey, Luke and Jenny fans, don't give up just yet. The books are still available on Amazon Kindle, and the Kindle editions have been updated. That's the beauty of ebooks. Unlike paper books, they never go out of print.
GM
So this morning I'm looking at a sample chapter from a novel, (not one that I wrote), and there, in the second sentence of the opening narrative, is the dreaded, "F-bomb." That was it. I was done. The book may have had an intriguing title, but as soon as I saw that expletive, that was it. I was immediately turned off, and there was no need for me to read any further.
Now I'm not saying that I'm a total prude, but I don't use profanity in my narratives. There simply is no reason for it, especially when writing in the third person, as this novel was written. It's a sign of a lazy, sloppy writer--one who is a rank amateur. A good storyteller doesn't need to use profanity. Plain and simple.
But some of you may be asking, "What about the dialog?" Okay, there will times when an, "Oh my goodness gracious," simply doesn't cut it. I'm fully aware that it's the 21st century; not the 1950s. Therefore, I'll use an occasional, "damn," or "hell," in my dialog, but never the "F-bomb." And by the way, the keyword here is occasional. My characters are not potty mouths. Even my villains have more class than that.
Yes, it may be the 21st century, but there are still people out there who find profanity, particularly the "F-bomb," offensive. So why risk alienating readers who would have otherwise loved your book?
My tip for the day.
GM
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| Photo by CanStockPhoto |
Back in the 1990s, a political slogan went, "It takes a village to raise a child." Well, there is a version for authors, and it goes, "It takes a team to write a book." So, who's on the team?
First and foremost would be the author him or herself. After all, the author is the star of the show, and the captain of the team. Some of you may have an image in your mind of an author, in some isolated house on the seashore, working away at his or her typewriter, pounding out perfect prose with the very first draft. If only it were really like that, but it's not. In my case it's me, in my office, working with my team.
The first person on my team is my beta reader, Geneva. She's an avid reader, but not a writer herself, and she's honest. Sometimes brutally so. That's what qualifies her for the job. Every couple chapters or so I call Geneva and read it back to her. If something isn't working, she'll tell me--and in no uncertain terms. "Cut this," she'll say, or, "No, that's not accurate." Granted, not all of you will have someone in your circle who is willing to give you such candid feedback. If that's the case, check with some of your local writer's associations, and try to find a critique group. Critique groups will typically meet once a week, someplace quiet, like a coffee bar, and they'll read, and critique, each other's work. They can be a real asset, and it can save you the time, and the hassle, of having to do a major rewrite later on.
So, if the author is the captain, the editor would be his or her first officer. I've posted, many times, on this blog why every author needs an editor. Simply put, your editor will go over your work and correct those gaffes, punctuation errors, inconsistencies, grammatical errors and other problems that you, the author, cannot see. He or she is the person who separates the pros from the amateurs. My advice is to find someone you feel comfortable working with. I've been working with Cynthia, my editor, for sometime now. We have a great relationship. She fixes the problems, without changing my voice. She also likes to make snarky comments in the sidebar. Over time I've learned not to drink coffee while I review her changes, lest the coffee go up my nose.
The next team member is the proofreader. He or she goes over the final edited version of the manuscript to catch the errors that you, or your editor, my have missed. Typically these are the tiny errors, such as a missing quotation mark, that can be easy to miss.
Depending on your genre, your team may also include photographers or illustrators. Some of you may be tempted to use your own visual art, but I would advise a word of caution. Unless you're a professional, or you've had some professional training, leave it to the pros. Drawing, painting and photography are disciplines that take many years of training and practice to master, and an amateurish photo or illustration can make you look like an amateur as well. Also be cautious using stock images, especially for your cover. Another author may come along and decide to use the same image for his or her cover.
Finally, the last member of your team is your publisher. You have many options here, and I have a page on this blog that discusses those options in detail. Each has its pros and cons, and it's up to you to decide which would be the best for you.
Some of you simply may not have the means to hire all these professionals. If that's the case, and you can only hire one person to work with you, make it your editor. He or she is the most important member of your team, and would be the one you simply can't work without.
GM
Not too long ago I read an interesting discussion on Facebook about professionalism and the arts. It was started by a musician who believes the only time a musician can call him or herself a professional is when he or she can make a living full-time as a musician. In a perfect world he might be right, but the sad reality is that most artists, be they writers, painters, sculptors, actors or even musicians, can't make enough money off their art to support themselves, much less a family. That's why many, if not most, also have a "day job."
According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, a professional is, among other things, someone who receives, "a financial compensation." However, it does not state that in order to be a professional, one must be engaged in such activity full-time, or that anyone wouldn't be considered a professional if he or she were to have a "day job."
Most artists, if they are lucky, will have a, "day job" related to their art. I know a few other musicians who teach music. One teaches at a local college, another is a university professor. Others offer private music lessons. I know other authors who are also technical writers or editors. Would you call any of them, "unprofessional?"
I founded Good Oak Press to help support my writing habit. Before I became a writer, I was an award-winning graphic designer. Why would I want to waste such talent when I can put it to good use designing books for other authors. Incidentally, T.S. Eliot and Virginia Woolfe also started publishing houses, while Bram Stoker and Lewis Carroll had other "day jobs."
Professionalism isn't about how much money you make with your art. Professionalism is about how you conduct yourself, and how you treat your colleagues and peers. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary also defines professionalism as, "being courteous, conscientious and having a businesslike manner." Unfortunately, not every artist gets this concept. Let me give you one example. Last fall I attended a writer's conference, and the keynote speaker was a very successful local author who has a strong following. While I was there, I happened to witness said author go into an absolute screaming rage, in public, with one of the conference staff. I'm sorry, I don't care how much money you make with your art, or how many fans you may have, if you're going to act like a spoiled two-year-old, in public, in front of your fans or your peers, you're a rank amateur. I stayed for the dinner that night only because I had already paid for it, but I excused myself and left the minute dessert ended. After witnessing her screaming tantrum I had no desire whatsoever to even see her walk up to the platform, much less listen to whatever she may have had to say. She no longer has any credibility with me.
Other so-called "professionals" have a nasty habit of publicly bashing their peers. By that I don't mean writing a review and saying something like, "This book just didn't capture my interest," or "I just don't think she has the right voice to sing this song." I'm talking about those who deliberately engage in attacking other artists personally, with the intention of damaging the other artist's career. No doubt they believe that by making their so-called competition look bad they will make themselves look good, and they will either sell more of their own books or, in the case of a performing artist, get more gigs for themselves. This tactic, however, rarely works. People will perceive them for exactly what they are--bullies and fools. So, are these artists "professional?" Absolutely not! Not even if he or she happens to be one of the few lucky ones who can make a living full-time off their art. No one really cares about how much money an artist may or may not make with their art. Public perception, and respect from your peers, is what ultimately defines who is a "professional" and who is not.
GM
As authors we've all been told, dozens upon dozens of times, to use social media to market our books. And yes, there is some truth to this, but I've also come to the conclusion that social media is highly overrated.
One thing I've seen far too many fellow authors do is get on social media and post nothing but, "buy my book, buy my book, buy my book." Enough already! We all want people to buy our books, but social media is NOT a place to go for free advertising. Think about it. When was the last time you went on Facebook or Twitter thinking, "I want to buy a book. I think I'll look for one on Facebook or Twitter." Yeah, that's what I thought.
So, how does an author use social media? Well this author uses it to drive traffic to her blogs.
Why I Think the Blog is Still King
There's been a lot of talk lately about the growing problem with trolls who apparently have nothing better to do than to destroy an author's career. They've pretty much destroyed Goodreads, and they're a growing problem on Amazon and other social media sites. With a blog, however, one can eliminate trolls completely. Just set up your comments so they cannot be posted without your prior approval, and bye-bye trolls. You've just created a place where people can feel safe engaging with you, and with each other.
The other great thing about a blog is that you can really engage on a more personal level with your readers. You can share ideas, have contests and promotions, and build a following. And yes, a blog IS a form of social media, because as long as you allow comments, your readers can engage with you, and with each other. I can also do a lot more with a blog. For instance, both Blogger and Wordpress allow multiple pages. On one of my other blogs,
Marina Martindale's Musings, I use the other pages for sample chapters. I also have an "about me" page and a place to post reviews. That's a whole lot more than I'm able to do with my Facebook fan page.
Another great blog feature is the sidebar. There I can put links to buy my book, and that's where they remain--on the side, out of reader's faces. I can also use sidebars to put links to other blogs, and to sign people up for my newsletter. Again, things I cannot do on Facebook and Twitter.
So how do I use social media? Well, aside from the fact that I'm probably spending way too much time on Facebook, (a topic for another blog post on another day), I can post links to my blog. Blogger gives me these really cool link buttons at the bottom of each post, (which you all can use too,) and I paste links to my blogs on my Facebook fan page as well. (Which is about the only thing I use my fan page for.) I also use the tool to post it to Twitter. Incidentally, I find Twitter to be much for effective than Facebook for driving readers to my blogs. I use a platform called Hootsuite to post my tweets for me while I do other things. Hootsuite also shrinks link URLs down too.
So there you have it. Facebook and Twitter can certainly help, but, in my opinion, there simply is no substitute for a blog.
My tip for the day.
GM
We've all heard this one. Sign up for KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing) Select and do a five-day giveaway. You'll get a bump in Kindle sales ranking and sell more books once your giveaway has ended.
This is a perfect example of how technology is changing faster than we can keep up with it. There was a time, in the not too distant past, when the above was true, and we all did it. So much so that Amazon caught on, and Amazon being Amazon, decided to change the rules. And now, so am I. I will no longer be offering free Kindle giveaways. Here are my reasons why.
Authors No Longer Have a Bump in Sales Ranking After Doing a Giveaway
The last time I did a KDP giveaway was about a year ago, when I released my latest Marina Martindale novel,
The Deception. Like any author with a pulse, I experienced a drug-like five-day euphoria as I watched the stats. Over 2000 downloads, and my book went all the way up to #37. But then reality set in once I noticed a little quirk in those stats. They were for the, "Free" Kindle Store. In other words, Amazon was no longer combining sales stats for free downloads with those in the "Paid" Kindle Store. So you guessed it. Once my five-day giveaway ended my book instantly disappeared off the sales chart. No bump in ranking, and no bump in sales once my giveaway had ended.
Free Kindle Giveaways Have Created eBook "Hoarders"
At first I was excited at the prospect of a couple thousand people having my book. It would still mean lots of reviews, right? Even if only 1% of them actually took the time to write a review, that would equal about 20 reviews. Sadly it didn't happen. I did get one well-written and precise review from a reader outside the United States who gave me five stars. I was pleased, but still expected a bigger response. Sadly, most people who download free books never actually read them. They simply download them because they are free.
The Troll Underneath the Bridge
While Amazon may have reader's forums and may be attempting to create their own social network, they have earned a bad reputation attracting for trolls--those losers in life who have nothing better to do than to harass and bully others behind the veil of their computer screens. Now these trolls have found a new target--authors trying to sell their books. They delight in downloading free books and then writing scathing reviews, even through the book may have been well-written, for the sole purpose of hurting the author's sales. And once again, Amazon being Amazon, will not remove those malicious reviews. My advice: don't feed the trolls. It's yet another reason why I no longer offer free giveaways.
Think Like a Shopkeeper
I once rented a booth at an antique mall, and it was a wonderful opportunity for me to learn the ins and outs of retailing. I kept an inventory, I tracked my sales, I maintained a spreadsheet, and at the end of the year I always made a profit. I also learned how to do a sale and still make a profit.
As authors, our books are our products, and while an ebook may be an intangible product, I've still invested many hours into writing it, and I have out-of-pocket expenses for editing and illustration services. I want to get as good of a return on my investment as I possibly can, and the bottom line is this: Free Kindle giveaways simply aren't helping me sell more books. Period. Therefore I have discontinued the practice.
GM
Not too long ago I was out in public and struck up a conversation about what I do with someone I didn't know. When I told her I was a writer, and that I wrote novels, she honest to goodness looked at me and said, "Oh, so that means you must have ADD." (Attention Deficient Disorder--a mental illness.)
Needless to say I was flabbergasted that someone would actually make such a hurtful, not to mention stupid, remark. I looked her in the eye and said, "Well, in my line of work, that would actually be considered a job requirement." It immediately shut her up and she walked away, which is exactly the reaction I wanted.
Few things make me bristle like people who insist on putting stigmatizing labels on other people and branding them with scarlet letters. Why must they do that? Is it because there is some narrow definition of "normal," out there, that creative, imaginative people simply don't fit that so-called norm? Is that why creative people must be stigmatized for being creative? Or is it because making other people look bad is how they make themselves look good? I suspect the answer is both. What I do know for certain is there are people out there who simply do not like creative people. Period. A few years back I read an article instructing parents on how to "reprogram" their children if they showed signs of being, "right-brained creative" so they could be made into, "left-brained analytical." Apparently being "creative" is now something that parents have to fear.
Here's some news for all you left-brained, self-obsessed hack psychiatrists and psychologists out there, (and yes, that means you with the MD or the PhD after your name.) I am a right-brained creative and I'm damn proud of it. It's what God made me to be. And guess what? Even though I'm a, "wacko," by your standards, I still manage to get myself out of bed every morning. I shower and practice proper hygiene. I wear the same clothes that "normal" people wear. My house may not be June Cleaver clean, but you won't find uncatagorized life forms growing in it either. I'm not only able to perform my job, I even run a publishing business, and somehow I manage to get the job done for my clients. Then, in the evenings, and on the weekends, I work on my own novels.
So, Miss Smart Ass, who the hell are you, who doesn't know jack-shit about who I am, or what I do, to pin your scarlet letters on me by labeling me with "ADD" because my job involves using creative skills? Here's a thought. Why don't you worry more about your own pathetic life, and stay the hell out of mine.
GM
This week marks the end of an era. I've finally sold the last remaining copies of my first self-published book,
Anna's Kitchen. I learned a lot from the experience, and since that time I've done my best to share what I've learn with the rest of you.
I produced and published
Anna's Kitchen back in 2005. I was such a little smart-alec at the time that I thought I knew everything. Okay, maybe being a free-lance graphic designer helped, since I was able to produce something that looked really cool, but I didn't know squat about editing, distribution, or marketing. So, here are some of the lessons I learned.
- A spell checker is not a substitute for an editor, or a proofreader.
- If you want your book to be distributed, you really need Ingram.
- 500 books really does take up a lot of room in your shed.
Ah, I was so naive at the time, but looking back, it was still a good experience. I learned a heck of a lot, and I have no regrets.
Will I republish
Anna's Kitchen? Not at this time, although I did consider it. A couple years ago I started up a food blog called
My Timeless Cuisine, as a tool for promoting the book. What I discovered from that blog is that food, like fashion, seems to follow trends, and right now old-fashioned home cooking doesn't appear to be in vogue. But then again, I may change my mind someday.
In the meantime, many of the recipes from
Anna's Kitchen, are available on
My Timeless Cuisine.
Bon appitite,
GM
Just when I think I've heard it all someone comes along and surprises me.
This morning I came across a thread on an on-line forum that I simply could not believe. Someone had honest to goodness posted a question to the effect of:
Where I can go to make my book a bestseller, for very little money, and without having to work?I swear, on everything that is holy, that I am not making this up! Wow. It kind of gives new and deeper meaning to my page about
The Author Myth. Some of the commenters thought he was joking. Hopefully he was, but I have a funny feeling he was serious. So, I suggested that if he wants his book to be a best seller, then perhaps he might consider getting off his lazy butt and working at it.
As I have said many, many times before on this blog, it is the
author's responsibility to market the book. Even if your book is being traditionally published, marketing is still
your responsibility. That said, there are people out there who are professional book publicists, and some of them do a very good job. But even if you decide to outsource, you, as the author, need to seek out these people and yes, they will expect to be paid for their services. This means that you will probably have to spend more than just a "little" money.
In all fairness, I'm on a tight budget myself, but I have found websites, such as
Indie Author News, that will do some nice advertising packages for a very reasonable cost. If money is tight Blogger is free, Twitter is free, and Facebook is free. There are book bloggers who will do author interviews or write review your books for free. (Or for a free copy of your book.) Of course, this means that you will have to
work at it, which is something this gentleman didn't think he should have to do.
Hate to say it folks, but it's the truth...
The world will not beat a path to your door just because you wrote a book. If you honestly believe that you can publish a book, and then sit back and have it become a best seller, without spending any money, and without doing any work, then you are in the wrong business. If that's your belief then get out, now, and, if you'll pardon the cliche, don't let the door hit you on the ass on your way out.
Success will not happen without hard work.
GM
Few things can be more maddening for an author than a bad review, particularly one that appears to have been posted out of spite. And if you haven't had someone post a malicious review for one of your books just wait, it will happen.
Gone are the days when you got your reviews from professionals who would post them in the newspaper or other mainstream publication. Nowadays websites, such as Amazon, encourage their customers, you know, average folks like you and me, to write reviews of the books we read. Most of the time this works well. However there are drawbacks.
One controversy that seems to be getting a lot of attention lately is the "sock puppet" review. This is when friends, relatives, perhaps even the author him or herself, using a different ID, will go and write glowing five-star reviews on Amazon. And while this may be tempting, Amazon readers are more sophisticated than not, and a book with too many five-star reviews, or only five-star reviews, will actually be a red flag.
Then there is the other drawback--the malicious review. Sometimes this can be a friend with whom you've had a falling out, or perhaps a jilted lover or even and ex spouse. They'll "get even" by going on Amazon and panning your book, often in a very mean spirited way. Again, let's give Amazon readers some credit. If they can spot sock puppets they can can also figure out that it's your vindictive ex friend. Amazon, as you know, also allows readers to review the reviews by asking if the review was helpful. Now, is it just me, or has anyone else noticed that negative reviews will get mostly "no" responses?
Not too long ago I had the privilege of sitting on a panel at a writer's conference, and the subject of reviews came up. One of the other authors said something profound--bad reviews are a good thing. He went on to describe the aforementioned sock puppets, and then he said that by having an occasional bad review, your book will appear more believable to the public. He even went so far as to suggest that if your book has had only five star reviews to ask someone to please write you a three-star review. He said that ideally, your book should have a ratio of 20-80, meaning that one out of five reviews should be negative. That, he said will make your book's reviews real, with readers more inclined to buy.
None of us want to get a bad review. After all, our books are our babies. However, as my first publisher once told me, not everyone is going to like your book, and that occasional one or two star review can actually be a gift, not a curse.
My thought for the day.
GM
I am pleased to announce that
From the Writer's Desk, along with one of my other blogs,
The Accidental Ghost Hunter, have both been nominated for the One Lovely Blog Award by my good friend, David Lee Summers. David is a steampunk and science fiction author. More can be learned about his work on his blog,
http://davidleesummers.wordpress.com.
The rules for this award are:
- Give credit to the awesome person who nominated you and post the award at your site.
- Describe 7 things about yourself.
- Recommend 15 other bloggers
Seven Random Things About Gayle Martin- My maiden name was Gayle Homes, which meant I was stuck with two names that most people couldn't spell. I got the name "Martin" through marriage, and kept it after the marriage ended. I finally have a surname people can spell and I won't give it up.
- I began my career as a graphic designer, but it just wasn't fulfilling me. Writing novels, and publishing books, for other authors as well as myself, is my true life's passion.
- I don't know who said, "Lucky at cards, unlucky at love." All I can say is I usually do well at the blackjack table.
- I've always been highly intuitive, and my hunches are usually right. I don't consider myself psychic, but I know others who are. I know psychics are real, having a "gift" for it myself.
- The reason why I now write under the pen name, Marina Martindale, is because I wrote a series of children's books as Gayle Martin. I now write sensual romance and these books are definitely not suitable for younger readers.
- Few things in life are better than chocolate.
- I'm a novelist. I have to go out and experience life to the fullest so I can write about it. I want to do more traveling. For me, it's a job requirement.
Fifteen Blogs I Like (They reflect my love for books and for cooking.)
- Annie Oakley's Kitchen
- Cake Dutchess
- Character Chat
- Cook with Susan
- Cooking with K
- Drugs Called Books
- Fall Into Fiction
- Have a Cookie!
- Living Brilliant
- Living for the Books
- Passion for Pages
- Shop Girl Diaries
- Southern Charm Treats
- The Absent Librarian
- The Lunch Box Project
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Hey Gayle,
What a great posting. You are so right. I have been blogging about this very subject lately, trying to convince authors to think about themselves as companies who need to do what companies do: Get Inspired by an Idea; Research that Idea; Produce the Product (the writing); and then Market the Product.
It's amazing how much of the marketing process is now left in the hands of the author, and so many of them have no idea how to do it. Well, of course they don't; they have no marketing background (unless they're marketers writing books/articles about marketing!).
Anyway, keep up the great blog postings. And if you get a chance, I'd love to hear your thoughts on how I've been approaching the subject.
Yes, this is an attempt at developing some dialogue, a conversation, and reaching out to another who is working on a similar project as mine. Maybe we could even learn from each other?
Anyway, I'll be following your blog from now on. So keep on plugging!
Best,
Darren Jorgensen
http://mollymediastudios.wordpress.com