Archive for the ‘Uncategorized’ Category
Memoir vs. Autobiography
February 18th, 2010 by Nick CiskeDo you know the difference between a memoir and an autobiography? Do you know which sells?
Chip MacGregor weighs in on the issue in his latest blog post entitled Let’s Talk Memoir:
There’s a difference between “memoir” and “autobiography.”
An autobiography is a straight retelling of one’s life — what happened, what were the events/decisions, what did those result in.
A memoir is a more personal narrative of the significant change points in one’s life. It doesn’t have to be linear, whereas an autobiography is almost always linear. And the focus can be more on the effects in your personal life — what you were feeling, what you learned, how you changed. The emphasis is almost always on a catharsis of some kind. So while the goal of autobiography is to get the facts straight, the goal of memoir is something more akin to “reveal myself and my story, in order to reveal principles that will help others live more effectively.” (This isn’t a dictionary definition; it’s a MacGregor Definition.)
Read the rest of the post for more tips on writing a great memoir.
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Do Authors Really Need to Promote Their Own Books?
February 16th, 2010 by Nick CiskeMary DeMuth (one of the many expert providers at BelieversPress) has a great guest post over at Michael Hyatt’s blog (CEO of Thomas Nelson).
Read Do Authors Really Need to Promote Their Own Books? and let us know what you’re doing to promote your book in the comments below.
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The past is prolog – and flashback
February 1st, 2010 by Paul HawleyPresent-tense narration is widely popular today, for many good reasons. Let’s not get into the pros and cons; my purpose is to deal with a thorny practical matter that always comes up when you choose to narrate a story in present tense. To my mind, the most difficult aspect of present-tense narration is sequence of verb tenses in relating previous action, correctly harking back to before the present moment in the mind of the POV character.
The “rules” are deceptively simple: In the midst of narration in present tense, simple past tense works flawlessly for actions, thoughts, dialogue, etc., that precede the present moment. The corollary is also simple to a fault: Not past-perfect but present-perfect corresponds to preceding actions that relate to the present.
As a writer, it’s nearly impossible to resist the temptation to fall back into the past-perfect form for past action. Others have dealt with why this temptation is so strong and have diverse, interesting theories. Many editors will also trip you up, “fixing” your flashback in simple past by transforming it into past perfect.
Let’s look at a sample passage:
Once on the bus, she lets her mind meander back over what she had done today. Of course there was the scene at the hotel. But what had that accomplished? She had to admit her action was merely symbolic. … What would these people remember? That some rude person tried to ruin their evening? That they’d seen an “environmental extremist” face to face? Would they merely have an exciting anecdote to tell their friends? How could she make these people feel what she feels? [The verb “had to admit” is the red flag: with it the writer slips completely out of present-tense narration.]
And now the way it should read:
Once on the bus, she lets her mind meander back over what she’s gotten done today. Of course there was the scene at the hotel. But what did that accomplish? She has to admit her action was merely symbolic. … What will these people remember? That some rude person tried to ruin their evening? That they saw an “environmental extremist” face to face? Will they merely have an exciting anecdote to tell their friends? How can she make these people feel what she feels?
The only way I know, as a writer or an editor, is to put myself in that bus, after being escorted out of the hotel, and relate my character’s thoughts to the person in the next seat. The verbs, naturally in first person, will come out right: “What have I gotten done today? … What did that accomplish? I wonder whether the action was a success even symbolically. What will those people remember?” etc. If you then need to shift it back into third person, that’s easy; leaving the verb tenses alone is the key. You might think about drafting a note to editors about this and including it with submissions, as both a preventive measure and a teaching tool.
For a brief but helpful technical treatment of this issue, I recommend Gary Lutz & Diane Stevenson, The Writer’s Digest Grammar Desk Reference (Writer’s Digest Books, 2005), pages 109-111.
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Kindles and iPads and Books
January 29th, 2010 by Terry Dugan
With the now serious arrival of e-books for a growing list of devices (I read mine on my iPod Touch) culminating in Apple’s much-vaunted iPad, clearly e-reading has the attention of the mainstream publishing industry. All the publications are abuzz with it, but what I wonder is how does the book-loving public feel about it? Particularly here on this forum, writers, authors and aspiring authors—serious book-lovers all—how do you feel about it?
- Does the e-book represent a fad with a limited category of readers, or a revolution in publishing?
- Do you buy/read e-books?
- Do you see the e-book benefiting the overall book-publishing enterprise (does a rising tide lift all ships, including traditional books)?
- Have you authors out there explored offering your new titles in both formats?
I’d love to hear what you all think.
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Read more, write better
January 19th, 2010 by Nick CiskeOne thing most authors can do to improve their craft is… read more.
Conferences, seminars, mentoring, etc. are all wonderful, but reading great writing helps you walk in the footsteps of literary giants.
Chip MacGregor recently unveiled his recommended reading list for writers (clear your calendars!).
The MacGregor Recommended Reading List for Writers
What books have inspired you on your writing journey?
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10 Common Writing Mistakes: Do you pass the test?
December 21st, 2009 by Mary DeMuthIn my adventures in publishing and helping new authors get published, I’ve found ten common mistakes authors should avoid. Look through this list. How many do you do? How many have you nixed? Keep this by your manuscript (fiction or nonfiction) as a handy way to self-edit your work.
1. Negatives: The mind takes 48% longer to process a negation. Eliminating no, not, don’t, and can’t will clean up your writing.
Example: He didn’t know.
He was clueless.
Example: The sun didn’t shine.
The clouds covered the sun.
2. Repeated words: Often new writers will repeat words within paragraphs or subsequent pages. Be particularly aware of pet words (your own personal overused words). Every author will have different words, but a careful reading of your draft will turn them up. Some oft-overused words include: since, just, still, might, manage, began, started, really.
3. Adverb Adoration: Adverbs strengthen weak verbs. Why not write with strong verbs instead?
Example: She walked lazily down the path.
She ambled down the path.
Heidi wrote her sentences quickly. (Wrote is not a weak verb, but now that it’s modified, quickly weakens it.) Instead: When her hand touched the pen, it sped ink across the page in a blur. (See how you can transform a sentence from something mundane to something visual? How tweaking your verbs, making them stronger, helps you to show instead of tell?)
The dog gnawed the bone maliciously. (This sentence would be better off without the adverb.) Or instead: The dog attacked the bone like prey.
He hardly noticed the scar criss-crossing her cheek. (This isn’t too bad, but by eliminating the “hardly noticed,” you can make a more visual sentence.) Instead: He held her eyes, never once glancing at the scar criss-crossing her face. In that moment, she fell in love with him.
You will find a revolution in your writing when you kill your adverbs, I promise.
And yet, when you use adverbs, keep them near the verb: Instead of Take the garbage out. Take out the garbage.
4. Split Infinitives: No more “to boldly go where no man has gone before.” To go boldly is the correct usage.
5. Wimpy Voice: Be assertive when you write. Instead of “I’d like to thank you,” just thank the reader.
6. Misused Colons: Use after an independent clause to introduce a list.
Example: He toted several items to the curb: a rug, four kittens, his spouse, and an old racecar track.
7. Voicing Problems: Each character must have his/her own distinctive voice. They must not sound alike.
8. Lack of Details: Your writing will be richer if you stick to details rather than vagaries. Instead of: He ate lunch. He ate Copper River salmon with a dill reduction sauce.
9. Flabby Prose. We writers are in love with words, so much so that we tend to flaunt our use of them early in our careers. (I was guilty of this.) Strong nouns and strong verbs make a great impact. Adding extraneous adverbs and adjectives willy-nilly weakens the structure. Don’t try to fluff up your writing to impress people. Tell it like it is. Don’t believe me? Read The Kite Runner. Hosseini’s sentences are stark, full of detail, and have amazing emotive impact.
10. Same sentence structure over and over again. He had. He did. He saw. N-V. N-V. N-V. Spice it up a bit. Add a gerund or two. Start with a prepositional phrase. And vary sentence length. You don’t want staccato prose, nor do you want insanely long sentences that lose the reader.
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Covers that Caught a Cover Designer’s Eye
December 21st, 2009 by Nikki WallaceAs a designer, one thing I enjoy doing is perusing my local bookstore, taking note of new trends and simply enjoying the wide range of creativity displayed in cover design. There is much to be appreciated!
This week I thought I’d take a few minutes to mention 5 covers I recently noticed and quickly explain just why they caught my eye.
I should add that I have no idea who designed these covers (kudos to you if it’s you)!
Without further ado…and in random order…here goes:
The Wild Things
Another wonderfully creative cover. What could support a title like “The Wild Things” better than scrawled lettering and a background full of, well, “wild things”? The black silhouette hints at the character whose story will be told. Fun!
A Million Miles in a Thousand Years
I love the clever use of imagery on this one. The close-up of a bicycle wheel hub not only supports the title well; the sharp lines and angles provide great visual interest. The vibrant gold background is the contrasts perfectly.
The Amish Gathering
I love the marriage of elegance and simplicity on this cover. The ornate title set against the background of an Amish farm makes for a beautifully striking contrast. The colors are soft, warm and lovely. Beautiful cover.
Collections of Nothing
Sometimes simplicity itself is striking. This cover is an example of that — it quickly caught my eye. I love the way the “nothingness” of the rectangles has a “somethingness” to it. I have no idea what this book is about, but my curiosity is piqued.
Forgotten God
This cover is blazing with creativity, and I love it. It’s a book about the Holy Spirit, aimed at the next generation, and the cover hits the nail right on the head. I love the dove that appears to be made out of pages from the book of Acts. I love the orange and yellow circle behind the dove that hints at fire. I love the way the relative starkness of the rest of the cover sets off the imagery even more. Great cover.
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What it takes from YOU in order to publicize your book – Part II
November 9th, 2009 by Tina JacobsonLast week, we offered a few thoughts to consider as you are publicizing your new book. It’s not easy work, and sometimes requires sacrifices to get the word out. This week, we will focus specifically on radio interviews, which are still one of the best ways you can get your message out about your book.
If you haven’t read part one, please go back and take a look at the introduction.
A fact: Most authors are not morning people. (And truth be told, some publicists aren’t either and are sympathetic.) However, morning drive time is the best time to reach a large number of listeners. That’s when most people are driving to work and listening to the radio. Morning shows are where you want to be.
And yes, if the program is on the east coast, that’s really early for the rest of the country. It is a sacrifice that you need to be willing to make if you want your book to sell. You didn’t spend all that time working on your book for your book not to sell, did you?
We promise that you will not have to get up every morning to do early morning interviews. Even if it may not seem like it if you live in California, anything after 5 AM is reasonable from time to time. We’ll try to get you the latest time that we can, but it’s just a sacrifice you have to make for having the beaches, palm trees and nice weather year round.
We’ve had authors tell us, “If I have to do an interview at 5:30, it really messes up my schedule and my whole day.” We just ask you to consider, will it really mess up your entire day, and if so, does it really outweigh the opportunity to share your message?
Now that many people have iPhones and BlackBerrys, there is a trend to not having a land line at home. If you work from home and do not have an office to go into, you really need to get a land line, even if it is just for three months.
Radio stations need the clearest connection possible. Think of how many times you’ve gotten disconnected or had to tell the person on the other end “I don’t have a very good connection.” Think of trying to work through that for 30 minutes. Would you want to listen to the radio and try to decipher someone talking on a bad connection for 30 minutes? You would probably change the station.
Here is a true story witnessed first hand. One time an author was in Dallas for media, and a member of our staff was escorting the author to her interviews. The author was also a music artist and had a representative of her publishing company with her. The author insisted on a little shopping trip around the time of a phone interview. Our staff member was not in a position to demand the author be in her hotel room for a radio interview that had been scheduled by phone. Instead, we were at the mall shopping for shoes. If you’ve ever been in the downstairs of a Macy’s at the mall, you know you aren’t going to have any reception. So, we ran out of Macy’s and headed towards the parking lot as the station called the author’s cell phone.
All was ok for a little while until we got on the highway and lost connection right in the middle of the interview. The station and author had a really hard time reconnecting while the host is on the air floundering to fill time while they reconnected.
Normally, when that happens, the show goes on and you don’t get to end with the program with your best lasting impression.
A member of our staff was recently encouraged when she received the following email from an author who had been doing a lot of traveling and had not had much time open for interviews:
“Here is a little story from this past Monday. You had lined up the radio interview for 6:08 AM EDT and at about 10 PM [the night before] I figured out that with us being in a new city it was going to happen at 5:08 AM, and I thought ‘Oh Happy Day!’ So I set my alarm for 5 AM – and went to bed at about midnight.
“When I woke up I complained as I stumbled out of bed, and then God whispered, ‘just thank me for this opportunity to share my heart through your story.’ I did, and God really energized me! It was a VERY good interview. Then later on (when I couldn’t go back to sleep) I got a song idea and spent about 1 1/2 hours working on it (which is always very energizing for me no matter what happens with the idea).”
Your publicist will do all that they can to help you in spreading the word about your book, but we can’t do it alone. Do you remember the movie Jerry Maguire? In the movie, Jerry is an agent and tells one of his clients, “help me, help you.” If you are able to help your publicist help you, you won’t regret it!
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Color and Cover Design
November 6th, 2009 by Terry Dugan
I’ve always believed a couple of fairly obvious book design axioms:
1. Book cover design is essentially package design.
As with soup, or cereal or any product sold via shelf or photo, the outside must dramatize the inside and resonate with the customer in some way.
2. The task and the joy of a designer packaging your ideas in your book is to find a balance between fashion and originality.
You must look up-to-date, familiar, popular—Fashion, and yet stand out, not look like everybody else—Originality.
Color is clearly a key element in this process. But how to select a palette for each book cover project?
Beyond the obvious markers of feminine vs. masculine, adult vs. juvenile, whimsical vs. serious, one has to choose from a dizzying array of color scheme possibilities.
To know what the reading/buying public thinks of as up-to-date and familiar, authors, publishers and designers are wise to keep an eye on color trends in all design categories: Fashion and home decor lead the way here. What we all tend to “like” is determined far more than we realize by what the NY and Paris folks decided a couple of years ago!
Current color palettes are before us every day in the latest J. Crew catalog, the local Pottery Barn and even your favorite eatery, think Starbucks and Panera among others.
Future color trends are rather mysteriously assembled, then sort of dictated by the clothing and home fashion folks, but worth monitoring.
This is just one website exploring the near future of color: Pantone Fashion Color Report- Summer 2010
It includes an interesting PDF download of Pantone’s (the design industry color monolith) Spring 2010 color forecast.
Some color scheme creation tools:
- Color Scheme Designer
- Kuler by Adobe (generates a color scheme based on a photo — like your cover image)
- COPASO by ColourLovers
- ColoRotate (a 3D color chooser)
- Daily Color Scheme (a new color scheme every day — coming soon)
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Elements of a Successful Publishing Project
November 4th, 2009 by J A Heinlein1. You need to know Why You Want to be Published
You must ask yourself and answer the question, “…why do you want to be published?”
Some feel called to educate and inspire, while some want to “entertain” and tell a story, either fiction or non-fiction. And, the different callings and writer desires can combine to accomplish both.
What is the objective of your writing? Who will benefit?
I work with a lot of very successful professional speakers/authors, and over the years, the most common mistake has been for them to want to “rush too quickly to write and get published”… and, without having asked and answered those most fundamental of questions:
What is the reason and purpose for me to be a published author?
- it is my ministry and calling?
- to help expand my brand?
- to provide lasting value and impression?
- to create an additional income?
- to increase my speaker’s fee value?
What will the reader take away as the value from my book?
How will that help my ministry and/or business? How does this book reflect my personal mission and objectives?
And, once answered, how do I get this done?
See Also: How do you write a book or novel
2. You need to be informed
- Do your homework – “flatten” the learning curve as quickly as possible.
- Do the advance work to understand the “basics”– outline your plan for writing, marketing
Basic publishing elements
- Editing/Formatting
- Packaging: Creative Design: Cover, Layout, Illustration
- Production: print options – POD/Digital, offset, ebooks, ebook platforms
- Registrations
- Considerations of Setting-up Small Business
- Pricing, Distribution, Fulfillment
- Promotion, Sales, Market Placement
- Social Media Marketing – Online Network Management
- Online Presence, Search Engine Visibility Development
- Experience: Do’s & Don’ts
Related Links:
- Sell- Marketing yourself and your work, promotion and contests
- Writer’s Digest – 101 Best Websites for Writers
- 100 Free Tools to Write, Publish and Promote Your Own Book
- 5 Advanced Social Media Marketing Strategies for Small Businesses
3. You need a platform
“Platform is a big word in publishing. Seriously, it’s a critical component of getting a book sold. It’s so important, in fact, that many experts recommend that you start to build your platform long before you’re ready to submit your book for publication. What is an author’s platform? It’s what helps sell your book. An author’s platform is the way you reach readers. It’s a network, and it’s notoriety. It’s exposure.”
- Lolaness, Build an Author’s Platform: It’s How to Sell Your Book“10 simple steps that will take your visibility from zero to standout in a short time, while also giving you ample opportunities to flex your expertise, carve out your niche topic and connect with your audience.”
Christina Katz, Writer’s Digest – How to Build a Marketing Platform
4. You need a plan
The strategic plan is tailored and built upon the idea of developing a niche strategy focus, from the author’s identified platform and intended audience. Its goal is to direct focused efforts toward the right audience for initial sales and ongoing sell-through.
“…the publishing business is all about marketing, and it’s certainly true that books don’t sell themselves. However, there’s a caveat to the idea that anybody who can market books can start their own publishing house, and it’s that you need a business plan in place that will allow you to make a profit on the books you sell.”
-Morris Rosenthal, Self Publishing: Starting Your Own Publishing House
5. You need help
Fortunately, there is now a “one-stop resource” that you can enlist help from! – The BelieversPress Community.
“BelieversPress is a gathering of Christian authors and an elite team of Christian publishing professionals collaborating to bring the message God has placed in authors’ hearts to touch the lives of millions.”
- If you’re serious about your book, hire a book mentor to coach you and to help in coordination of the publishing process.
- Educate yourself, by engaging and asking a lot of questions, and sharing your own experiences with the group.
- Engage with and enlist help by hiring from the variety of related services of the community.
6. You need to execute your plan
The plan should identify:
- industry professionals and interest “affinity” groups
- spheres of influence, building “word of mouth” viral campaigns
- special sales markets – beyond traditional bookselling/bookseller strategies
- emerging markets to develop new market channel opportunities
- select bookstore markets and current bookseller relationships
The developed plan will detail:
- Focused Research of Audience Demographics & Psychographics,
- Indentified Branding Objectives,
- Writing Schedule,
- Production Deadlines
- Package Planning ,
- Tactics for Promotion & Marketing,
- Sales, Market Placement, and Distribution.
Summary
For independently published authors, there is a lot of advance work that must be done by the author and, their “team” can be of immeasurable value, if they are fortunate to have one as in “the BelieversPress Community.
It is the “same” work and objectives that both traditionally published authors or independently published authors must accomplish.
The traditionally published authors would seem to have an edge as a result of having a “bigger machine” backing them.
-but, based on current sales results, the real effort and scaled back resources of brand name companies are being used to mainly push the “A list” level authors.
Bottom line, whether traditionally published or independently published, authors must take a very active role in promotions of themselves and their work. Those who expect to “just write” and let others “carry the load” will likely not be successful going forward.
Yes, advance planning, and taking part in marketing and promotions can be quite an investment of personal resources…difficult, time consuming… exhausting even… but, the rewards are being able to share your unique message with others, building and enjoying enduring reader relationships, seeing your dreams and passionate objectives become a reality…
…and of course, it is nice to be able to buy groceries…
“… authors who survive will be the ones who find ways to authentically grow their platform and meaningfully reach their readership.” “Communities will decide what books are worthwhile, and communities won’t have ego-filled judgments. Publishers will always be giving their authors one thing that is hard to come by: a measure of instant credibility. (That is: Someone thought this was good enough to take a financial risk on.) In good scenarios, there is also collaboration: to make a good book a great book. But soon, communities will have as much power as publishers to decide what books deserve attention.“
- Jane Freidman, My Big Rant on Self-Publishing, Writer’s Digest
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The artist must be obedient to the work. . . Each work of art, whether it is a work of great genius or something very small, comes to the artist and says, ‘Here I am. Enflesh me. Give birth to me.’ And the artist either says, ‘My soul doth magnify the Lord,’ and willingly becomes the bearer of the work, or refuses.
— , Walking on Water
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