I was in a mood and someone asked me if I had been writing. I found this interesting on many levels but the top of the heap is their awareness that I, like most writers, write when we have to express ourselves, when we are in a “mood,” when we have been through something or have a story to tell.
I think one of the things I like most about writing is the intrinsic ability to get lost in a story, in the characters, in making up scenarios – whatever our imagination can think of. It’s a special talent to write and not only that but to have the desire to write. I know people who are good with words and think would make great writers and have stories to tell but for whatever reason, they don’t.
In my family, I come from a long line of writers. My grandfather was an amazing writer and wrote about his experience immigrating to the United States. My father wrote many books, he was a storied person who loved to write and write he did. I have family members – actually, my siblings and both of my parents are published authors. I guess you could say writing is in our mood.
I’m working on a book and I’m going to do something I typically don’t do, outline. When I’m writing a novel, I usually know the beginning and end and don’t outline till I’m about 2/3 through the book, then outline to make sure my timeline works. I know this may sound unorthodox, but it’s always worked for me.
What do you guys do? Do you outline? Share your tips below in the comments section.
It’s just plain simpler to write what you know. Before I started writing, I didn’t really get that, but once you start to get into detailed descriptions, it’s much more authentic to have experienced places and even types of people that one writes about. I’ve often thought, of course the other answer would be to write something like sci-fi and you can just make everything up!
I once went to a book-signing for a very well-known NY Times Bestselling romance author (Nora Roberts) and was disappointed as a reader to hear her say that she looked stuff up on the Internet for research, while that may be true, it’s more romantic and fantasy-like to imagine an author actually experiencing those things they write about! That’s why, I say, if you don’t know about something, that’s ok, just get out that and learn about it!
Catherine Burr is the author of 17 books and publisher of 120. Read her blog posts for tips on writing and the publishing life. Follow her on Twitter at @catherineburr.
I bet people probably frequently ask you if you’re writing a new book (I say this because if you’re reading this, you’re probably a writer), what you’re writing, when your next book will come out. Right?
My question is this, “Once a writer, always a writer?”
In 1996, my first book was published. That was 18 years ago! My most recent book came out 2 years ago. Total, I’ve had something like 14 books published, written a year’s worth of columns for The Celebrity Cafe.com, and published 120 books through NLP. That’s a lot of words.
But what I want to know is this, at what point does a writer stop writing?
Once a writer, always a writer?
People ask me all the time if I’m writing a new book, when it’s coming out, what I’m writing. They want details! And, I just shrug and say, “I’m working on it.” I don’t have details to give them. I have two unfinished novels, that I made about half-way and a quarter way written, then stumbled for words, stumbled for plot lines. Pretty soon, my stumble turned into a big giant red stop sign. It’s at that point where I feel like I’m not even a writer anymore.
If you follow me at all, you know that I have my real estate license. Has that changed my view of who I am? Maybe. I’ve been struggling with trying to get back into writing again. I made changes in my life and career to do just that. But have I written anything substantial? That remains to be seen.
I think there is SO much about publishing that has turned this writer off in the last few years. Publishing before “self-publishing” came along, used to mean something. It meant something to be published. But, it seems to my POV, with self-publishing came unprofessional behavior, half-baked books, authors who threaten (in person even) reviewers, and so much mud-slinging on mud-slinging “book” sites, that I use that as a self-excuse of what causes my desire to distance myself from publishing and the written word.
But, those are all excuses and the bad part is, I know that!
I truly hope you all are working on books, writing your behinds off, if you are “indie” (what used to be self-publishing), use quality people (yes, hire them), to help you with covers, editing, promotion, whatever it takes to be professional.
When I have another book written, will I feel like a writer again? If I never have another book published, am I still a writer? Maybe the thought of not being a writer, will get my fingers to push the keyboard, but…
Technology is changing so quickly, that the tools are available like never before within online bookstores, like Amazon and Barnes and Noble, to help you create covers, design the interior, even check for spelling errors!
But, in your fantastic enthusiasm, one tiny piece of advice I’d give is to remember that publishing is a business, it’s not an after school assignment or a hobby. Publishing should be treated as a professional business, work with professionals, don’t skimp on your editing or covers. Don’t trust a “critique group” for your editing. Even though sites like Amazon allow you to make your own covers, which is fine, however, if you want your book cover to not look “cookie cutter,” I’d suggest a professional graphic designer, they know what they’re doing, hire them and allow them to create a one-of-a-kind book cover that will stand out. Use professional editors, don’t try to edit your book yourself, and don’t just have a friend or cousin do it, unless they are a professional, experienced editor.
You’ve jumped into the world of publishing, take it serious and be taken seriously by being professional. Let’s keep publishing with high standards and not put out sloppy work. Yes, it takes time. Don’t be too quick to put your book out there before it’s completely, and I mean, completely ready. You may be anxious to see your name on Amazon, but in the long run, taking the time to make sure all the i’s are dotted and t’s crossed, is to your benefit.
With all that said, it really makes me smile warmly to see so many people publishing themselves and jumping in with both feet and using the courage they’ve mustered up to do so; and believe me, it takes courage to put your work out there.
So, once you’ve hit the “publish” button, sit back and congratulate yourself for doing something so many dream of, but haven’t (yet) found the courage.
Catherine Burr is the author of 14 books and has published over 120 books via New Line Press.
By now, you know that I am a huge believer in writing a book in layers. To me, it’s simply the easiest way to plow through writing an entire book. As writers, we tend to write the words as they dance around our head, and we get them out fast and furious, or slow and painful, as the case may be. But, the point is, to get that first draft written. Then DO NOT, and I repeat, do not think that is your finished book. Do not publish your book in this condition. You can however, congratulate yourself of completing a first unedited draft. Then it’s time to layer your book, in what I call, “Layers of Fiction 101.”
▶ Initial draft
▶ Turn your initial draft from narration into dialogue
▶ Go through your draft and layer it with details
▶ Add something from the 5 senses on each page
▶ Go through your revised draft and check for WW (wrong words, i.e. road vs rode)
▶ Check for MW (missing words). Read your draft out loud is the best way to check for missing words. You may think you have a “the” or some other word, but it may be missing. Readers typically read over these missing words but you don’t want them missing. READ YOUR BOOK OUT LOUD to find these MW.
▶ Oft Words. Go through your entire manuscript and check to see if you’ve started each paragraph with the same words or phrases. You’ll be surprised at how often you’ve done this.
▶ Go through your ms and add a layers of similis. These make the story come to life and gives visualization to readers.
▶ Edit each draft with these layers. Have a fresh pair of eyes check for typos, MW’s, WW’s, formatting errors.
As I have always said, it can be easiest to start writing your book by narrating it. Write your story as if you are telling it to a friend. But don’t leave it at that. Go through and turn as much of your narration into dialogue. Long narrations put people to sleep. Especially if you are writing fiction. Some narration here and there is great, but don’t overdue to. After you swap your narration into dialogue, layer each edit with revisions including checking for MW, WW, similis, descriptives, and senses. Your editor will undoubtedly have even more layers (like, have you ended a sentence with a preposition?)
To get started on writing the book of your dreams, use these layers as a guideline:
▶When writing your novel, try using layers for each chapter. Write the first layer as a draft, then with each draft, add senses, descriptives, and details. The first layers, you may be writing in a hurry because the words are coming to you fast and furious, let the creativity flow and get the words down without worrying about details.
▶After you complete the first draft, you can go back and add details, for example, the first draft perhaps you just said someone’s eye colors were “blue,” in the second draft you can be more detailed, “her eyes were as blue as the Caribbean sea.”
▶Don’t let details hold you up in your writing. Keep the flow going.
Currently Reading: Mama’s Bible
About the Blogger: Catherine Burr is a bestselling author of over a dozen books and as CEO at New Line Press has published over 115 books. Her short story, “An Inconvenient Attorney” spent 52 weeks on the Amazon.com Bestseller List.
By Catherine Burr
No one has checked out more potential website builders than I. And, I must therefore confess, that I am a website junkie. I pretty much always know about the newest and most boastful of whichever website builder is promoting themselves and believe me, I’ve tested all of them! I’m also big on trends. I always want to know what the next great trend is. Quite honestly, I have usually have been ahead of the curve and I have been known to be a trendsetter myself in both the books that I publish and with graphic design. Look-A-Like Trend: One trend I notice is that all websites look alike. And, I for one, have been tweaking and thinking and meditating and testing how I can create my site to look a different. This isn’t always easy because there are certain things that people expect from your site as they are perusing it.But those same things can bog down a site and what once was trendy, now seems stale.For example. Every site I visit, mine included, has the mandatory “icon” buttons leading site visitors away from my site to others, of course those buttons include Facebook, Twitter, Google Plus, Linkedin, Instagram, and many others, take your pic. As I sat there staring at the litany of buttons, first of all, I removed several of them, enough with the buttons! And I thought why not make up one of my own, leading to my own blog! What a concept. So, here it is, my Catherine Burr (C) icon alongside of a sample of Facebook’s and Google Plus button.
Mine is the purple/pink button with the “C” on it.
If I didn’t know better, I think we were all just learning the alphabet!
Along with the buttons though, we also tend to add the feed stream from Facebook and Google Plus and Twitter to our sites, and this also clogs up valuable space away from promoting our own items to keep people on our site, not lead them away. And, it tends to look plain messy. It tends to make a site look like every other site out there. Have you noticed these streams of status updates are always on the right side of websites. Course, where else are we to put them? Maybe, leaving them where they belong, on Facebook and Twitter.
Trend: I see another trend now is to make everything BIG. BIG photos. BIG pictures. Big GRAPHICS. Ok, we get it. You are trying to be different and trendy. But people still expect those little Facebook icons and Twitter updates on your site. But without making those changes ourselves as web designers, well, sites become stagnant. We have to keep things fresh.
I really don’t know what the answer is, but I am always tweaking and fiddling. I like to try different things. Part of being a writer means you are a creative person and where better to express our creativity than on our websites? Yes, I can hear someone saying, “Don’t spend time on your website, spend it writing!” I won’t disagree with that. But, I think it’s also important to spend time away from your writing to be creative. As writers we are creative, and our websites are our showcase to the world, so let your creativity soar!
Trend: I hear that ani’s are coming back. I think that’s just hype because Google announced that they can now be searched alongside of images and the rest of the billion things you can search. Ani’s are a shortened name for animated gifs. They were popular years back, but after the “Myspace” effect (or is it affect?), people ran screaming from using them, but ani gifs have always held a soft spot in my heart. Where else can you get a dancing squirrel? The purpose? None, other than it makes a person smile for a second, and maybe that’s enough.
But, as a publisher who has published 115 books, creativity is in my blood and at the forefront of my mind. I’m always thinking ahead, always thinking what will capture someone’s attention, so you will find me using my creative skills tweaking my sites and always learning new code and wanting to devour information, cause I’m really a sponge at heart!
Blog Hop Interview with children’s and YA author Winona Rasheed
Winona Rasheed Blog Hop
Describe your writing process?
My writing process always begins in my little kitchen, with a writing tablet and a cup of coffee, regardless if I’m preparing content for my blog, newsletter or children’s books. My kitchen for some reason is where my thought process begins when forming ideas to write about. My yellow tablet is my draft sheet that I work on before heading to my keyboard. It is on this tablet that I handwrite everything, it’s where the story content is laid out, where characters are born, titles appear and dialogue comes into play. However, the process doesn’t always happen in this order. Sometimes, research has to be done when you write on a certain topic that is new to you, as with the case of “Wohali and the Little People” to get into the heart of the storyline. With this book, I had to do research on the background of the Cherokee Indian and their beliefs. In doing so, the research added more drama, depth and insight for the fiction story while still in its draft form. The draft is full of edits, red marks and cross-outs. When I am satisfied with the draft, that’s when I take it to my keyboard, where I am ready to type and create a manuscript that also gets tweaked, because you might find that you have to lengthen or shorten a story, or you may find that you have to elaborate more on character description and plot development, as was the case with “Itchy Scratchy Spots.”
Where did you get your ideas from for your children’s books?
When it comes to creating as story, they say ideas are all around you, this is true. Images, conversations, situations, people, events, life experiences can bring about story ideas. For instance, “A New Home for Her Cubs” was inspired because of a TV program I was watching, Animal Planet. “Broken Voices” was inspired because of my sister-in-law’s physical impairment and “Itchy Scratchy Spots” came into being as I thought about my own children coming down with the chicken pox all at once, one right after the other.“Spring, Where are You?” was inspired from the simple fact that adult’s word expressions can be misunderstood and confusing to the mind of a six-year-old. Children and adults can relate to this kind of situation.
Who is your favorite character in any of your books?
My favorite characters, it is hard to choose a favorite because I love them all; after all, they are an expression of my own imagination. They seem real to me; from Wohali, Rudy, Ella Rose, Gracie to Kumani the lioness, they all are a part of me, my babies that I bought to life. When you watch a character develop from scratch, or from a planted seed in the head, they grow on you and you become one with each individual character. However, I think Kumani of “A New Home for her Cubs” would say she’s the favorite because after all, she is a lioness with humanistic traits, which is out of the ordinary and this makes her unique, plus her friend Bantu is one of a kind too.
Tell us about your latest book release?
My latest book release is “Spring, Where are You?” I am very proud of this children’s book
because it is self-published and I did it my way. I love doing things on my own and by myself, even though it was difficult. But the entire process put me, the author in charge of the publishing process. Spring, Where are you? Is a short story that depicts the dilemma a young girl goes through when she misunderstands the expressions of adults as they relate to the coming of spring. In this story, Gracie sets out to find spring; she wants to come face to face with it since it is suppose to be right around the corner. Gracie is full of questions and she expects for spring to give her the answers she is looking for.
Have you ever wanted to write a novel?
I have never wanted to write a novel. I am a short story writer, the process of writing a short story is long enough for me to tackle. If I were to write a novel, it would take way too long and I think I would lose interest because of how much time you would have to take to get a novel finish. You have to have patience to work on a novel. I like it when I can write something that takes no longer than month to complete as far as the draft is concerned. That’s my deadline for getting a short story worked out. I say deadline because of my work schedule which includes; housewife, housework, homemaker, freelance writer, blogger, cook and babysitter. Creative writing is my passion and it is incorporated throughout my daily activities of being productive. When it comes to writing short stories, I sometimes do it with my jammies on and staying up until the wee hours of the morning, working on my craft, especially when inspiration strikes.
How did you become a children’s author?
I have always written short stories, but they were intended for young adults and older and for school projects. In school, my teachers loved my short stories, which I wrote for extra credit in certain classes. But, that’s as far as my writing went. It didn’t get off the ground until I took a writing course from The Institute of Children’s Literature, writing for children and young adults. That’s where I found my passion and where I learned how to write, create and submit my work. This was about 15 years ago or longer. As I found out through the writing course, when I wrote all those years before, I was guessing at what I was doing. But my instructors let me know that I did have a future in this field, I just needed to learn how to proceed with it. That was the best thing that I could have ever done when it comes to pursing my passion in writing. It opened a lot more doors than what I ever expected.
What advice do you have for aspiring writers?
My advice to aspiring writers is to follow your dreams, your heart and your passion. Write something every day, even if it’s just one sentence. Find something else to write about when and if you find yourself suffering from writer’s block when you are working on a particular project. Don’t waste time, give up or doubt yourself when writing is a sincere passion. Think positive and surround yourself in inspiration that will inspire and motivate when you find yourself in a writing slump. If I can do it, I know you can too.
Blog Hop Interview with children’s and YA author Winona Rasheed
Winona Rasheed Blog Hop[/caption]
Describe your writing process?
My writing process always begins in my little kitchen, with a writing tablet and a cup of coffee, regardless if I’m preparing content for my blog, newsletter or children’s books. My kitchen for some reason is where my thought process begins when forming ideas to write about. My yellow tablet is my draft sheet that I work on before heading to my keyboard. It is on this tablet that I handwrite everything, it’s where the story content is laid out, where characters are born, titles appear and dialogue comes into play. However, the process doesn’t always happen in this order. Sometimes, research has to be done when you write on a certain topic that is new to you, as with the case of “Wohali and the Little People” to get into the heart of the storyline. With this book, I had to do research on the background of the Cherokee Indian and their beliefs. In doing so, the research added more drama, depth and insight for the fiction story while still in its draft form. The draft is full of edits, red marks and cross-outs. When I am satisfied with the draft, that’s when I take it to my keyboard, where I am ready to type and create a manuscript that also gets tweaked, because you might find that you have to lengthen or shorten a story, or you may find that you have to elaborate more on character description and plot development, as was the case with “Itchy Scratchy Spots.”
Where did you get your ideas from for your children’s books?
When it comes to creating as story, they say ideas are all around you, this is true. Images, conversations, situations, people, events, life experiences can bring about story ideas. For instance, “A New Home for Her Cubs” was inspired because of a TV program I was watching, Animal Planet. “Broken Voices” was inspired because of my sister-in-law’s physical impairment and “Itchy Scratchy Spots” came into being as I thought about my own children coming down with the chicken pox all at once, one right after the other.“Spring, Where are You?” was inspired from the simple fact that adult’s word expressions can be misunderstood and confusing to the mind of a six-year-old. Children and adults can relate to this kind of situation.
Who is your favorite character in any of your books?
My favorite characters, it is hard to choose a favorite because I love them all; after all, they are an expression of my own imagination. They seem real to me; from Wohali, Rudy, Ella Rose, Gracie to Kumani the lioness, they all are a part of me, my babies that I bought to life. When you watch a character develop from scratch, or from a planted seed in the head, they grow on you and you become one with each individual character. However, I think Kumani of “A New Home for her Cubs” would say she’s the favorite because after all, she is a lioness with humanistic traits, which is out of the ordinary and this makes her unique, plus her friend Bantu is one of a kind too.
Tell us about your latest book release?
My latest book release is “Spring, Where are You?” I am very proud of this children’s book
because it is self-published and I did it my way. I love doing things on my own and by myself, even though it was difficult. But the entire process put me, the author in charge of the publishing process. Spring, Where are you? Is a short story that depicts the dilemma a young girl goes through when she misunderstands the expressions of adults as they relate to the coming of spring. In this story, Gracie sets out to find spring; she wants to come face to face with it since it is suppose to be right around the corner. Gracie is full of questions and she expects for spring to give her the answers she is looking for.
Have you ever wanted to write a novel?
I have never wanted to write a novel. I am a short story writer, the process of writing a short story is long enough for me to tackle. If I were to write a novel, it would take way too long and I think I would lose interest because of how much time you would have to take to get a novel finish. You have to have patience to work on a novel. I like it when I can write something that takes no longer than month to complete as far as the draft is concerned. That’s my deadline for getting a short story worked out. I say deadline because of my work schedule which includes; housewife, housework, homemaker, freelance writer, blogger, cook and babysitter. Creative writing is my passion and it is incorporated throughout my daily activities of being productive. When it comes to writing short stories, I sometimes do it with my jammies on and staying up until the wee hours of the morning, working on my craft, especially when inspiration strikes.
How did you become a children’s author?
I have always written short stories, but they were intended for young adults and older and for school projects. In school, my teachers loved my short stories, which I wrote for extra credit in certain classes. But, that’s as far as my writing went. It didn’t get off the ground until I took a writing course from The Institute of Children’s Literature, writing for children and young adults. That’s where I found my passion and where I learned how to write, create and submit my work. This was about 15 years ago or longer. As I found out through the writing course, when I wrote all those years before, I was guessing at what I was doing. But my instructors let me know that I did have a future in this field, I just needed to learn how to proceed with it. That was the best thing that I could have ever done when it comes to pursing my passion in writing. It opened a lot more doors than what I ever expected.
What advice do you have for aspiring writers?
My advice to aspiring writers is to follow your dreams, your heart and your passion. Write something every day, even if it’s just one sentence. Find something else to write about when and if you find yourself suffering from writer’s block when you are working on a particular project. Don’t waste time, give up or doubt yourself when writing is a sincere passion. Think positive and surround yourself in inspiration that will inspire and motivate when you find yourself in a writing slump. If I can do it, I know you can too.
Video: Learn how to write a novel from bestselling author Catherine Burr, in this 5 minute video.
Catherine Burr is a bestselling author and publisher of more books than she can count. Her first commercial book was published in 1996. In 2004, she started her own publishing house and is now mentoring and guiding authors through the self-publishing maze. Google Plus her+Catherine Burr
Layers of fiction that Catherine discussed in 5 minute video on how to write a novel.
Video: Learn how to write a novel from bestselling author Catherine Burr, in this 5 minute video
UPDATE: Removed, sorry!
Catherine Burr is a bestselling author and publisher of more books than she can count. Her first commercial book was published in 1996. In 2004, she started her own publishing house and is now mentoring and guiding authors through the self-publishing maze. Google Plus her+Catherine Burr
Layers of fiction that Catherine discussed in 5 minute video on how to write a novel.
I originally wrote and posted this blog when I was accepting submissions for my publishing company, and still believe authors should have a web presence (of some kind).
Think you don’t need a website or social networking to be a author? Think again!
I am simply amazed how people write to me and announce that they do not have a website, do not have any social networking, do not have any web presence, and yet they want me to publish them, oh, and they will get those things, “if” I publish them.
No! No! No!
Dear writers, if you want to be considered for publication, start a web, a blog, Facebook, Twitter, you know what all the social networking sites are. Set them up, post, write, don’t be lazy. Don’t tell me you’ll get serious, “Once you have a contract.”
Oh boy.
Promotion 101 from a publisher’s POV. How am I going to promote you if you don’t have anything for me to promote? When you query me, here’s a heads-up, round about the FIRST thing I’m going to do is Google you. No website, two strikes against you, No Facebook, No Twitter, ditto, ditto, ditto. You submitted to me, where is your seriousness of becoming an author? And yes, your ms will go to the sludge pile if you do not have a serious web presence. Without one, I don’t see you as a serious writer and promoting you is next to impossible. Don’t tell me you have a friend who can slap up a website if only you get a contract.
My friends. Writing as a career is a serious business, don’t treat it as an after school assignment.
Update: I realize I sounded a little frustrated when I wrote this blog, but as a publisher, it amazed me how people claim they want to be authors yet aren’t willing to do the promotional aspect of it. Believe me, I do understand, but there is much a writer can do to promote themselves, unless they have a PR firm who can do it all for them.
It’s easier than ever to establish a web presence. Twitter, Facebook, Rebel Mouse, Good Reads, Amazon Author Page, Linkedin, Pinterest, Instagram, there are so many places to have a free website, Word Press, Blogger, Weebly, the list goes on and on. If you are an author who has a book or books for sale on Amazon.com, and you have not set up your free Amazon Author Central Account, you really should (IMO). Amazon gives you a free web page, where better place to connect with readers than where people go to buy books? By the way, there is a different one for each country, so get a cup of coffee and get to it! I know, I need to. 🙂
A few places to get started:
Amazon Author Central
Facebook
Twitter
Google Plus
Rebel Mouse
Good Reads
Website
Linkedin
Pinterest
Instagram
Catherine Burr is a bestselling author and publisher of more books than she can count. Her first commercial book was published in 1996. In 2004, she started her own publishing house and is now mentoring and guiding authors through the self-publishing maze. Google Plus her+Catherine Burr
What social sites would you recommend that aspiring authors use to promote their books?
With the closing of many physical bookstores, publishing has entered a new era and it’s time for authors and indie publishers to take a hard look at other options that are available for us for book events.
We need to start by brainstorming. I’ve posted some ideas to get us kickstarted, please add your ideas in the “comments” section at the end of this blog and we’ll see what new ideas are born so we can move forward into the new age of publishing.
Book Groups: Just about everyone knows someone in a book group. Offer to attend a meeting if the group chooses your book, or offer to attend to pitch your book so they will choose it!
Coffee Houses: There must be a Starbucks on every corner in America. Where else better to have a, “Meet and Greet” with an author. A local event brings customers into buy coffee and Starbucks has those comfy chairs. Ask the manager or area manager about arranging an event.
Work: Perhaps your office would consider an author holding an event during lunch or after hours? I know an author who works at a hospital and they ok’d an event in the hospital gift shop.
Video Chat: Authors can hold events, including book groups via online video chat. Have relatives and friends a thousand miles away? No worries, set up a book or reading group chat and away you go.
Utilize Who You Know: People are intrigued by authors. People want to know more about them and the writing process. Think about everyone you know and figure out a way to get the people you know involved in having an event that features a discussion with you, the author and your books.
Social Media: This is a given. Blog chats, Twitter, Good Reads, Facebook, all the usual places for promotion of your book and online events are plentiful. Use hashtags for an online promotional opportunity so people can follow the discussion and add to it on Twitter. Set up a time and date and get your author friends to support your event in exchange for supporting their events.
Libraries/Indie Bookstores: There are still libraries and indie bookstores around. Most libraries and indie bookstores are enchanted by local authors, set it up. Read my blog about how to get your book into libraries.
Talk up eBooks and tablets: Some people may not want to admit it but they might not know how the process of reading a book on a tablet or cell phone works. Offer to explain it to them at a book group or event. I once arranged for an author to give a demonstration of the Kindle reader at a library. The room was packed and the author got to sell books afterward.
Just because bookstores are closing, it does not mean there will no longer be author events. People love to read, always have, always will. It’s not the end of publishing, just the beginning of a new era.
Catherine Burr is a bestselling author and publisher of more books than she can count. Her first commercial book was published in 1996. In 2004, she started her own publishing house and is now mentoring and guiding authors through the self-publishing maze. Google Plus her+Catherine Burr
In my previous blog post, I discussed the closing of Barnes and Noble brick and mortar stores. As authors, most of us would agree that it is a sad time to see bookstores shut down, especially authors who have not yet had the experience of book events in physical bookstores. Where does this leave authors who want to have an in-person event to showcase their books?
Publishing has entered a new era and it’s time for authors and indie publishers to take a hard look at other options that are available for us for book events. We need to start by brainstorming. I’ve posted some ideas to get us kickstarted, please add your ideas in the “comments” section at the end of this blog and we’ll see what new ideas are born so we can move forward into the new age of publishing.
In my previous blog post, I discussed the closing of Barnes and Noble brick and mortar stores. As authors, most of us would agree that it is a sad time to see bookstores shut down, especially authors who have not yet had the experience of book events in physical bookstores. Where does this leave authors who want to have an in-person event to showcase their books?
Publishing has entered a new era and it’s time for authors and indie publishers to take a hard look at other options that are available for us for book events. We need to start by brainstorming. I’ve posted some ideas to get us kickstarted.
Book Groups: Just about everyone knows someone in a book group. Offer to attend a meeting if the group chooses your book, or offer to attend to pitch your book so they will choose it!
Coffee Houses: There must be a Starbucks on every corner in America. Where else better to have a, “Meet and Greet” with an author. A local event brings customers into buy coffee and Starbucks has those comfy chairs. Ask the manager or area manager about arranging an event.
Work: Perhaps your office would consider an author holding an event during lunch or after hours? I know an author who works at a hospital and they ok’d an event in the hospital gift shop. Video Chat: Authors can hold events, including book groups via online video chat. Have relatives and friends a thousand miles away? No worries, set up a book or reading group chat and away you go.
Utilize Who You Know: People are intrigued by authors. People want to know more about them and the writing process. Think about everyone you know and figure out a way to get the people you know involved in having an event that features a discussion with you, the author and your books.
Talk up eBooks and tablets: Some people may not want to admit it but they might not know how the process of reading a book on a tablet or cell phone works. Offer to explain it to them at a book group or event. I once arranged for an author to give a demonstration of the Kindle reader at a library. The room was packed and the author got to sell books afterward.
As authors and publishers, we have to start thinking outside the box. Just because bookstores are closing, does not mean there will no longer be author events. People love to read, always have, always will. It’s not the end of publishing, just the beginning of a new era. It’s up to us format the chapters of the new book.
How to Be Successful in Self-Publishing by Catherine Burr OR Everybody in Self-Publishing Needs to Just STOP and Take a Deep Breath
“Take a deep breath.”
That’s exactly what I want to tell newbies in self-publishing. There seems to be such a sense of desperation out there with a plethora of people that just don’t know what they are doing. And it needs to stop. Lol. I know, good luck. I received a nasty email from someone because I dared asked to be removed from their mailing list (something I never signed up for in the first place). I looked them up, they were vanity published. Nuff said. I won’t even discuss vanity press here, I’ll save that for some other time.
Please note, just because you have someone’s email address (including publisher’s whose attention you are hoping to catch), does not give you the right to spam them. And, if you are going to be sending emails to a self-created list, there are requirements you must include in the email, like an “unsubscribe” button.
People who consider themselves published because they are self-published or vanity published, need to be careful that they are not throwing themselves to the wolves without any professionalism or a clue as to what they are doing, and when things backfire, become angry and disgruntled. It’s not a pretty sight for publishing and gives self-publishing a bad wrap.
Everyone in self-publishing needs to take a deep breath and relax. It’s going to be ok.
There seems to be this sense of urgency, this “we have to get in on the gold rush before it’s too late” mentality. There seems to be this “upload my unfinished, unedited book and no one will notice that it’s crap” methodology happening, and it ain’t working.
Self-published people, you must:
• Be professional (always) • Do not rely on “critique groups” to edit your book (trust me on this). • Find a GOOD editor • Take your time with your manuscript • Hire a professional cover artist (who uses professional images) • Don’t try and design the cover yourself (just don’t) • Do not ask your friends, neighbors, and countrymen to read your book (period.) • Listen to your editor • Hire a good proofreader (not your friend’s cousin twice-removed) • When you think you are ready to upload your book, post a large red STOP sign above your computer. You are not ready. Repeat the above steps over and over and over before you hit the upload button. • Do not vanity publish. • Do not send mass emails and show everyone’s addresses. Always include an “unsubscribe” button.
Once you’ve gone public:
• Do not respond to negative reviews. DON’T. Just don’t. Turn, run, look the other away. Yell and scream at yourself but not at the reviewer, even if the reviewer is your friend, neighbor, and countrymen. • Continue to work social media (as you have been all along) but DO NOT bombard everyone with 24/7 “Buy my Book” updates. It’s tiring and boring. And it’s not going to get us to buy your book. • Do not send spam emails to publishers who turned you down in an attempt to “throw it in their face.” They probably will not remember you, so it’s lost yards on the football field and will only make the publisher now remember your name as an author who is foolish and unprofessional. • Give us a glimpse of your new life as an author; feed us your hints. What have you learned? Extend a helping hand to the up and coming authors who are following you and haven’t yet made the leap themselves yet into self-publishing. • Be positive. • Stay professional. • You are now self-published, you are now a small business owner. Treat it as such. • You’re in the publishing business now, it is not an after school assignment. • Publishing is a small community, especially the romance world. Don’t burn bridges. Don’t gossip. Don’t smack talk. Be kind. • Get busy and write your next book. • Don’t beat yourself up over what you did wrong, but learn from your mistakes and move forward.
Catherine Burr is a bestselling author and publisher of more books than she can count. Her first commercial book was published in 1996. In 2004, she started her own publishing house and is now mentoring and guiding authors through the self-publishing maze. Google Plus her +Catherine Burr
“Writers are passionate people,” says bestselling author Catherine Burr. Image via Dreamstime[/caption]
I have been blogging of late about the writing business (and it is a business) with the self-publisher in mind.
Today, I want to touch on something that I read the other day. Someone was amazed at how bloggers keep posting even though people don’t necessarily comment or leave “Likes” on their post; they were in fact “inspired” by the determination of writers.
Here’s the truth. Facebook has turned us into a needy, insecure generation of wanting reassurance that we are “Liked.”
As far as getting reassurance from blog posts that people are in fact reading us and why do we still write if we don’t have the hundreds of “Likes” that other more popular bloggers have, is this, we don’t care. A “Like” is not why we write.
Book authors are not writing blogs because we are bloggers, we are authors who write blogs. We love (and I mean love) it when people like our posts, but we are writers. We write blogs and books because we like to to write.
Writing is in author’s blood. We have to write. We can’t stop writing if we tried. Yes, it would be fabulous to have the following of, or to make the money of JK Rowling or (fill in the hot author of the moment here), but that’s not what propels us everyday. At least, not me. 🙂
How to Be Successful in Self-Publishing OR Everybody in Self-Publishing Needs to Just STOP and Take a Deep Breath
Take a deep breath
That’s exactly what I want to tell newbies in self-publishing. There seems to be such a sense of desperation out there with a plethora of people that just don’t know what they are doing. And it needs to stop. Lol. I know, good luck. I received a nasty email from someone because I dared asked to be removed from their mailing list (something I never signed up for in the first place). I looked them up, they were vanity published. Nuff said. I won’t even discuss vanity press here, I’ll save that for some other time.
Please note, just because you have someone’s email address (including publisher’s whose attention you are hoping to catch), does not give you the right to spam them. And, if you are going to be sending emails to a self-created list, there are requirements you must include in the email, like an “unsubscribe” button.
People who consider themselves published because they are self-published or vanity published, need to be careful that they are not throwing themselves to the wolves without any professionalism or a clue as to what they are doing, and when things backfire, become angry and disgruntled. It’s not a pretty sight for publishing and gives self-publishing a bad wrap.
Everyone in self-publishing needs to take a deep breath and relax. It’s going to be ok.
There seems to be this sense of urgency, this “we have to get in on the gold rush before it’s too late” mentality. There seems to be this “upload my unfinished, unedited book and no one will notice that it’s crap” methodology happening, and it ain’t working.
Self-publishing doesn’t have to equate crap
Self-published people, you must:
• Be professional (always) • Do not rely on “critique groups” to edit your book (trust me on this). • Find a GOOD editor • Take your time with your manuscript • Hire a professional cover artist (who uses professional images) • Don’t try and design the cover yourself (just don’t) • Do not ask your friends, neighbors, and countrymen to read your book (period.) • Listen to your editor • Hire a good proofreader (not your friend’s cousin twice-removed) • When you think you are ready to upload your book, post a large red STOP sign above your computer.You are not ready. Repeat the above steps over and over and over before you hit the upload button. • Do not vanity publish. • Do not send mass emails and show everyone’s addresses. Always include an “unsubscribe” button.
Once you’ve gone public:
• Do not respond to negative reviews. DON’T. Just don’t. Turn, run, look the other away. Yell and scream at yourself but not at the reviewer, even if the reviewer is your friend, neighbor, and countrymen. • Continue to work social media (as you have been all along) but DO NOT bombard everyone with 24/7 “Buy my Book” updates. It’s tiring and boring. And it’s not going to get us to buy your book. • Do not send spam emails to publishers who turned you down in an attempt to “throw it in their face.” They probably will not remember you, so it’s lost yards on the football field and will only make the publisher now remember your name as an author who is foolish and unprofessional. • Give us a glimpse of your new life as an author; feed us your hints. What have you learned? Extend a helping hand to the up and coming authors who are following you and haven’t yet made the leap themselves yet into self-publishing. • Be positive. • Stay professional. • You are now self-published, you are now a small business owner. Treat it as such. • You’re in the publishing business now, it is not an after school assignment. • Publishing is a small community, especially the romance world. Don’t burn bridges. Don’t gossip. Don’t smack talk. Be kind. • Get busy and write your next book. • Don’t beat yourself up over what you did wrong, but learn from your mistakes and move forward.
Catherine Burr is a bestselling author and publisher of more books than she can count. Her first commercial book was published in 1996.
Do you outline?
Catherine Burr 