writing Archives

Finding Violet

June 10, 2018 by Tari Jewett in category Charmed Writer by Tari Lynn Jewett tagged as Beth Yarnall, books, edits, Nikki Prince, Priest, reading, Sierra Simone, writing

The start of the library I dreamed of as a little girl, doll and all.

As a little girl I dreamed of having my own library, a room filled from floor to ceiling with books just for me. And to go along with it, of course…unlimited time to read. I suppose that right now I have most of that. As my boys moved out I made one bedroom into a sewing room, and the other into a library filled with books.

Of course, as kids do, my youngest son moved back home last summer to go back to college. He’s sleeping in my library. Rather than pack up all of my books, he moved in another full bookshelf. Now, I worry that my son will be covered in an avalanche of books if we have an earthquake!

So, I have the books, and that doesn’t include what’s on my Kindle, and because my boys are all adults, and I’m no longer working, I have time. I can read all day long if I want. Or I can write.

I’m writing full time, well between loads of laundry, loads of dishes, and feeding my guys. Most of the reading I do is for friends, and while I enjoy working with friends, and it’s important for us to help each other out…I have good friends they reciprocate. There’s nothing like reading a book just to read, just to get lost in a really good story.

But I’m editing a historical novel and writing some novellas, romantic comedies right now, and I’m trying to focus, so there’s been little reading for the pure pleasure of it. I’ve learned so much in the last few years, and editing my historical novel has been exciting, educational and sometimes overwhelming. At one point my editor made notes that I needed to dig deeper to show Violet, my heroine’s growth, I needed to share more with my reader. I thought I knew what she meant, but I wasn’t sure. I poured through my manuscript. I could see places that could use more emotion, partially because Jenny had made notations by many them out, and partially because now that she’d pointed some out, I could see more. I sat at my desk digging into Violet’s soul. I could feel her hurt, her frustration and her fear, but I was having a hard time getting into the page. So, I walked away.

I loaded the washer, unloaded the dishwasher, found other chores that needed done. Eventually, I had to come back to my desk. I played a game of solitaire, then checked in on my friends on facebook. My friend, Author Nikki Prince (who is moving out of state, and I wish her the best, but will miss her terribly) had asked for suggestions for new books to read. Author Beth Yarnall and several others had recommended Sierra Simone’s book, Priest. Now this book may not be for everyone, it’s pretty steamy, and I’d consider it controversial. (Aunt Gloria if you’re reading this, this is not a book suggestion for you!)

So, I downloaded the book to my Kindle…I wasn’t getting much work done anyway.

From the very first words I was hooked. I devoured three hundred and forty-eight pages in one sitting. It had been a long time since I’d done that. I could feel Father Tyler’s compassion, his desire, his struggle with self-restraint, his suffering.

And when I finished the book, I felt renewed, and ready to write. I wanted my readers to feel as though they’d lived Violet’s life when they closed the book and I knew what I needed to do to get more from Violet. I went back to my manuscript, back to page one.

Now, I haven’t finished my edits, and I don’t know if Editor Jenny will be satisfied with what I’ve done, but I feel Violet’s frustration, her desire, her guilt and her fear. I feel Violet, and I hope that my readers will too.

The point of this is, that I’ve realized I need to read. I need to pick up a book just to hear a new voice, to live someone else’s life, to remember why I want to write.

So, make your suggestions now! What books have changed your writing? What books have left you wrung out, energized or in awe. What should be next on my reading list?

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WRITERS STILL WRITE by Linda O. Johnston

June 6, 2018 by Linda O. Johnston in category Pets, Romance & Lots of Suspense by Linda O. Johnston tagged as #amwriting, adversity, career, writing

Writers Still Write | Linda O. Johnston | A Slice of Orange

Exactly a year ago my blog post here at A Slice of Orange was called “Writers Write. Oh, Yeah!” It was about my efforts to get my mind back on track for writing after I broke my knee–and I was becoming at least somewhat successful.

So why is this post titled “Writers Still Write”? Because I’m at a different stage of my career, yet I’m once more concerned about my writing and what’s next.

You see, I just finished a manuscript that is currently in the hands of my beta reader. I believe it’s the first manuscript for which I ever had to ask for a deadline extension—mostly because of several edits coming in quickly from another publisher as well as travel and family plans. I intend to jump right in and get it ready to send off as soon as I receive comments.

The other strange thing? Recently, I’ve had a lot of deadlines to meet . . . but this is the last story I’m currently under contract for. That’s become unusual—particularly since I have four books being published this year!

And so I’m wondering what’s next.

I haven’t had a lot of time to work on new proposals lately, though I do have some ideas I’m submitting. Plus, just for the fun if it, I’m working on an idea for a story, possibly a series, that’s outside my current realm of cozy mysteries and romantic suspense.

Will it work out? Who knows? But . . . yes, this writer is still writing and giving it a try. And though I’m pretty much only traditionally published, I’ll also consider self-publishing.

I’d love to know how many of you who are reading this also have stepped outside their usual, established genre(s) and tried something else—and what’s happened.

Meanwhile, I’m giving my subconscious some new orders–or at least the kind of order I haven’t focused on much lately . . . like do something different and do it well!

Linda

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Now Open…The Author Store [Part One]

June 5, 2018 by Tracy Reed in category Pink Pad by Tracy Reed tagged as Marketing. Advertising, subscription boxes, writing

Facebook Ads| Tracy Read | A Slice of Orange Happy June.

I have been researching a new project. No, it’s not about writing an insane amount of books in some crazy time span. I want to talk about Author Stores.

I don’t know if you’ve paid attention to something that seems to have popped up over night…Author Stores. I’m not sure who’s store was the first to grab my attention, but I know I’ve visited quite a few in the past few months. How did I miss this? I come from a retail background and I missed the launch of this marketing concept. As an Indie Writer, I understand I wear several hats: producer, manufacturer and wholesale distributor. Retail Proprietor, apart from selling signed book, never occurred to me.

In my retail business, occasionally, I produce or private label items. However, it never occurred to me to do the same for my books. At one time, I did briefly post my poetry book on my lingerie site, but took it down. It didn’t feel right. However, that’s about to change.

My awakening to this phenomenon came after reading a Brenda Novak post on BookBub [9 Book Advertising Tactics I’ve Tried… And Which Ones Worked!]. In the nine advertising things she tried several caught my eye, but the one about subscription book boxes really stuck out.

Now I was familiar with subscription boxes and to be honest, who hasn’t? Let’s talk, author friend to author friend. There are subscription boxes for everything. And I mean that literally. In my quest to research this, I found boxes for mixology, your pet, coffee/tea/hot chocolate, beauty/spa, fitness wear, clothing and my favorite feminine hygiene. Let’s take a pause, that last one really caught my eye. It include the obvious item, plus jewelry, chocolate and tea. Man, why couldn’t I have created that one.

Back to what I was saying. After reading Brenda’s blog post, I began researching. In my search, I discovered, apart from the companies that sponsor book subscription boxes, which seem to be more difficult to get into than my skinny jeans from ten years ago, but authors doing their own boxes. Bingo! That was it. If all these premium and newbie authors could do it, why couldn’t I. Pause for reflection. The last time I tried something someone else did, I wrote and published twelve plus titles in a year. I’m sure this will be a lot easier to copy.

This is where the Author Store discovery happened. In stalking, I found out not only were authors selling subscription boxes, but a host of other things as well. I saw stores with mugs, blankets, stadium cups, t-shirts, hats, journals, jewelry, candles, the list goes on. Oh yeah, and signed books. Here I thought I was doing well to offer links for my ebooks plus signed copies on my website.

Retail selling is my world. I know about online shopping, that’s what I do. I know wholesale shopping, private label products, gift packaging. Heck, I started out selling gift baskets and know how to get stuff. So how is it I missed this? It’s bad enough I have no swag to mention. Now let me explain that. I forgot as a writer that I have to think like a reader/consumer. I personally don’t collect a lot of branded items. Let me clarify. I collect designer clothes, shoes, bags and accessories. I do like to collect those cards Kate Spade puts out every month. But, I’m not the chip clip, pen, button, bag, mug, stickie notes girl. It has to be really amazing for me to get it. But after several conversations with the swag lady, she opened my eyes. It’s not about what I like, but about what will attract the reader. These little things I find insignificant, help to keep my name in the reader’s face. And if they like the item and your book, they’ll tell their friends, “Hey you have got to read this author. Oh yeah, and she gave me this amazing….”.

In my quest to sell more books, I forgot a key marketing principle “Seven Touches”. There have been studies about this. Apparently it takes seven touches before someone makes a decision to buy your product. Now I get it. The little things I thought were a waste of money are my seven touches.

This is bigger than just a few pieces of swag and the occasional reader contest, this is a side hustle and only limited by your imagination. And if it’s done correctly, it could become very lucrative. Plus you could sell a lot of books.

I’m putting on my retailer hat and building a new store, “The Sophisticated Reader Store”. Step one: A Coming Soon Sign…done.

Have an amazing month.

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Dear Extra Squeeze Team, I Finished My Book, Now What?

May 31, 2018 by The Extra Squeeze in category The Extra Squeeze by The Extra Squeeze Team tagged as publishing. marketing, writing

Now What |The Extra Squeeze Team | A Slice of Orange

Rebecca Forster

USA Today Bestselling author of 35 books, including the Witness series and the new Finn O’Brien series.

After thirty-five published novels (and a few that are still under the bed) the best advice I can give an author is to step away from the book. Leave the house and do something physical for a few days. Play tennis, jog, or get a massage. When your body is energized, so is your mind. You have also now made a break with your creative responsibilities and are ready to tackle your administrative one. Here are the next steps that I think are critical. These steps will make it easy for readers to sign up for your mailing list and help you get reviews – the two most critical things for successful marketing.

Construct your front and back matter. This will include:
- Carefully worded reviews request linked to relevant bookstore (front and back)
- Links to your website, BookBub and Amazon page follows. (back)
- Information on your lead magnet with a link to your sign up page (front and back)
- Backlist with title, one line blurb and a few books covers (can be front and back) If you have a zillion, limit to ten and then offer a link ‘for other works by this author’
- Short author bio (back)

Check every link to make sure they are live and go to the right place.

Reread the entire book including all the additions to catch last minute mistakes.

Publish the book.

Wait a few days before aggressively marketing so that the book establishes itself within the Amazon algorithms.

H.O. Charles

Cover designer and author of the fantasy series, The Fireblade Array

That depends! Do you want to self-publish or try the traditional route?

Whichever you choose, it is worth getting someone you trust (and who is supportive) to read it through for basic errors at this stage, if you haven’t already. If you plan to self-publish, find an editor or proofreader to clean up the final draft. Next, you’ll need to choose your distributor, a formatter and a cover designer. It is possible to format e-books and paperbacks yourself (and really not that difficult) but learning anything new takes time. Choose your cover designer carefully (!) and make sure you communicate exactly what you want to them as clearly as possible. Again, it’s possible to do a cover yourself (I did – do!), but I would recommend first looking at your online competition and honestly questioning whether you can create something that meets those standards (this sounds soooo harsh, but unfortunately so is the bookselling world).

Both your formatter and cover artist will need to know which distributor you are publishing through. There are quite a few choices out there, but beware that the more you use, the more complicated updating each version of your book will become, because you will have to upload it to each distributor each time! I currently use KDP, Smashwords, Createspace and sometimes Google, but I wouldn’t want any more distributors than that.

If you decide to go the traditional route, then my advice has to be based on the experiences of two friends who write non-fiction. Both of them had to try several agents before they found a good one to represent them, and both already had significant success in the journalistic and broadcasting world (a background you don’t need in self publishing!), which helped them achieve good publishing deals.

Finding the right agent was what really landed them the deal to provide the income they needed. Their previous agents were happy to take them on, but in both cases the agents did very little work in promoting their books to the publishers.

Alternatively, you can go directly to publishers (depending on who they are). Remember that publishers are looking for something and someone they can sell and make lots of money from, so you need to present them with a good investment opportunity. Therefore, consider everything about yourself that might reassure a publisher you are a ‘safe bet’, and also consider how large a market your book might have. Choose your publishers and/or agents carefully. Research them. Make sure they will put in the same effort to promote your work that you would if you were self-published.

Good luck!

Jenny Jensen

Developmental editor who has worked for twenty plus years with new and established authors of both fiction and non-fiction, traditional and indie.

Fine. El Fin. La Fin. Fund.

You’ve typed The End. An amazing accomplishment. An awesome accomplishment. Awesome by both hipster-speak and actual definition!

But you’re not finished.

You’ve invested untold hours, sweated buckets of emotion and given a piece of yourself to the story. Next step is to protect your investment: have the manuscript edited. What type of edit is up to you. It’s time for some harsh and honest self-analysis.

If you are not completely confident that the book will read as well to the public as it does to your ears, arrange a content edit. At the very least get an Editorial Assessment. Then act on that advice from a neutral party. Finessing and polishing a completed manuscript is – and always has been – a part of the process.

If you are certain every detail is consistent and every word is worthwhile and imminently readable, and you’re sure your premise, characters, action, story arc are all as strong as they should be, then hire a professional editor for a line edit. Last line of defense is to have the manuscript proofread. If the product you present the world is rife with misspellings, typos, ungainly sentence structure etc. it will not sell. Unless you offer a clean manuscript it won’t matter what marketing effort you invest; you won’t get the positive response needed to make an indie book stand taller than the millions of competing books in the Indie forest.

When you are 100% confident that your book is as perfect as you can make it then it’s time to get your production ducks in a row.

Cover designer

Formatter

ISBN number

Front and back matter

Marketing (a nifty one word concept that sums up volumes of effort)

Fortunately, The Extra Squeeze features two brilliant published authors and one outstanding PR/Marketing guru. Their experience and guidance will speak to marketing strategies much better than I can. There is a trove of support available on line – a lot of it for free. From Shewrites.com to Mark Dawson’s selfpublishingformula.com, the resources are there if you seek them out and take the effort to implement.

Remember, the product you offer to the reading public, the product that represents everything about you as a writer, the product that will make you new friends by the hundreds (aka fans) – and not a disappointment that will manifest itself as bad reviews and no sales and a stinky digital reputation that never really disappears – must be polished, professional and perfect.

From the time you type the first The End to when you’ve got your marketing efforts in place, your investment will be gigantic. Don’t squander your investment. Have your manuscript edited before it ever sees the light of day. A pitch perfect product is your best first step.

Robin Blakely

PR/Business Development coach for writers and artists; CEO, Creative Center of America; member, Forbes Coaches Council.

There is a rumor that Robin has gone fishing. Where ever she is, we’re pretty sure she’s wearing her tin star.

Send us your questions!

Ever wonder what industry professionals think about the issues that can really impact our careers? Each month The Extra Squeeze features a fresh topic related to books and publishing.

Amazon mover and shaker Rebecca Forster and her handpicked team of book professionals offer frank responses from the POV of each of their specialties — Writing, Editing, PR/Biz Development, and Cover Design.

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