In the last decade, things have changed dramatically in the writing and publishing business, and will never be the same again. Anybody, perhaps almost everybody nowadays with any kind of computer seems to be having a go at it! Nowadays then, to some agents and acquisition editors, it must seem that there are far more writers around today than there are readers. Why do they do it? The irresistible lure of possibly doing another Harry Potter?

Perhaps things have become an amateur's dream of a preferable alternative to a normal occupation? Maybe they’re making it an exercise in self-fulfilment too, a way to express and analyze their feelings about the world. Where they fear it's going, and the urge to communicate about it to anyone who’ll listen.

Well, there are easier ways to relieve one's feelings of frustration when it comes to requiring therapy. You could try beating up your partner… but that can be very expensive, especially in America. In some countries I believe you can buy little clay idols, horribly hideous to behold. With just a little imagination a suitable one of them can be identified with the galling irritation of the moment. Rage and indignation does the rest. Trials and tribulations presumably scatter in the breeze with the dust of the thing as it crumbles in your fist, or shatters under your heel.

I've no doubt it works for some people, but if you lead a very frustrating life, it might soon get to be expensive. However, there are more economic ways to relieve one's feelings when the need for therapy arises. Years ago, to become your own psychiatrist, the minimum you needed was pencil and paper.

Nowadays, a personal laptop, or tablet... or even a smart phone is more convenient, and most of us have one nowadays…or something similar. Everywhere can become a couch and it's more socially acceptable than talking to yourself… or taking it out on your partner, which, as I already mentioned, can be very expensive.

So, put it all down then...scribble or tap away, unbutton your creative belt and let everything hang out. Develop your expressive urges and have your characters tell your conscience how you feel. Above all be honest with yourself, even if it hurts. It often does, and I should know…this is the voice of experience.

The nearer I got to the top of the heap, in my business profession the more I longed to release my over-pressurized feelings, throw away my collection of emotion-screening masks, insult all the customers, turn my order book in for an axe and hack away at the plastic feet of all the false idols I seemed to be worshiping. I felt disillusion and contempt for the commercial rat-race, and the way it submerged my appreciation of the simpler things in life. I resented the never-ending battle, that constantly seemed necessary, to just stay level, let alone to expand further, and I was filled with remorse at the neglect of my home-life and family. All the time you see my conscience was wearing me down. It refused to believe my contrived excuses and justification for what I was doing. I eventually knew I needed some kind of therapy, so I started writing again.

I should mention that back in the fifties I wrote and sold a few SciFi tales, as an avid Science Fiction fan and participated in several conventions. My rapidly expanding business life however, soon put a stop to those fascinating activities. Eventually in the late seventies I decided it was time to retire from my professional executive life, and went to work for myself as a software consultant. The problem with that was the way it soon took up all of my time again, so in my early eighties I gave it all up and finally retired.

Since then I have only indulged in writing, editing and promoting my speculative fiction output. Now of course, I am ruefully finding the latter, the essential marketing requirement, seems to take up more and more of my time than the writing does. But to continue…

The smaller magazines and genre websites began to take my work, and still do, and I've also won a few competitions, and received a couple of awards. Altogether I’ve published over ten collections of speculative stories from macabre tales to science fiction and even some humor. I've also had stories published in about nine anthologies in America. My first novel, Points of View, was published in 2012 by Eternal Press in California. In 2015 they were taken over by Caliburn Press in Madison. Wisconsin. The first sequel was planned to be published by them around December 2016. Unfortunately, things went wrong with them as described later.

In 2014, with my own self-publishing imprint, Etcetera Press, I self-published my largest book, 358 pages of THE BEST OF THE TENERIFE TALL TALES, selected from my earlier award winning trilogy, which has that most generous introduction by the late legendary, American SciFi author Harry Harrison. We met up in 2007 at a convention in Copenhagen, and he later visited me for a most illuminating week in Tenerife, Spain where my wife and I were on vacation. He liked my stories, and gave me a glowing introduction to use with one collection, but said I really had to write a novel if I seriously wanted to get anywhere.

So that I did, as described earlier, and now things are progressing well. My very latest effort has been to self-publish an analysis of the coming Artificial Intelligence revolution, in a book entitled, THE SINGULARITY IS COMING. It has become my best selling title. Most people I talk to have never heard of the phenomenon, and yet many scientists and other experts believe it will arrive in less than a decade and change all out lives completely. If you don't yet know about it you should... and you know how to find out about it, don't you? i.e. See my website: www.tonythornembe.com.

Last October it was acquired by the IT Books Division of the Chinese Information Ministry Publisher, PTPress in Bejing. for publication in simplified Chinese eBook, hardback, and paperback versions, scheduled for release in June 2016... and it was! So how did that wonderful breakthrough come about? Their Publishing Manager simply found me while searching through the Internet and took it from there. In his own words, “I wanted a follow up to Ray Kurzweil’s book on the subject and your book is concise and easy to understand.”
Now for the Eternal Press sad story..

Cotinued in my eBook BEST SELLER PLAN see https://www.amazon.com/Best-Selling-Author-Plan-Tony-Thorne-ebook/dp/B00E255YT6/

A Twisted Shade Of Green series, book one "Portrayal Of Lust and Revenge", is now at amazon.com, authorhouse.com, barnesandnoble.com. Paperback: $13.99  e-book/kindle: $3.99. Visit website for more details: http://www.emackinn01.com/  

BOOK TEASER AND TRAILER 

Two opposites illustrate how love can conquer hearts of lust, revenge, and deception. Kali Mathias possesses an appetite of lust, and Glen Monroe has a raging spirit for vengeance. And together, Glen and Kali both have deceit souls within. But, love turns one date among two total conflicting hearts into one which requires each other to be alive in the midst of any storm. Through a new-found love, God taught Kali to know that not everything has a price tag; at least, not real love! God taught Glen to realize even love can conquer the grips of a sought-after heart’s revenge!

I wanted to come in and talk about a specific topic. I get so many people, mostly aspiring writers, reaching out to me for advice and the one question I see the most is…

“What should I do next?”

In other words, the writers believe they have exhausted their options. Or maybe they simply haven’t read up on that particular subject. But, there is a moment, I think, in every writer’s career in which you don’t know what to do next, what steps to take. This is usually the moment I become a sponge; I try to absorb every article around and glean every tidbit I can from other writers who have been through the process.

Nothing…I repeat, nothing prepares you for the writing or publishing journey like making mistakes and learning from them. Is it a hard road? Definitely. Will I offer up some advice anyway? Of course. That’s what writing blogs are all about.

So, what am I really discussing today? Well, it’s that moment when you throw up your hands and ask yourself if the process is worth it. I’ll never encourage anyone to give up, but we all have to decide if we’re willing to put forth the effort. If you have the determination to keep going, then you can survive in this crazy business. And that’s not to say that all writers have to be published. Some are totally content with using writing as a hobby, and there’s nothing at all wrong with that. You should do what makes you happy, no matter what dream you have.

Let’s talk about writing for a minute, though. You’ve poured your heart out onto a manuscript, fallen in love with your characters (or maybe not in the case of non-fiction, but you at least believe in your subject) and made that story or novel the best you can. Do you do this for the joy of writing? Or because you want a quick path to money? Maybe you want more than anything to see your name in print or to see the proof of your work in the best form possible. A bookstore? An ebook?

So, what are your motivations? Figure that out first because this road isn’t easy and having that goal in mind will help you through so much. For myself, I do it because I love to write, because I can’t imagine doing anything else. Seeing my name in print? Well, that’s just a bonus. I don’t do it for money. If that was my real motivation, I think it would be an empty journey. But, I digress.

Writing should be a fun process. Is it full of work? Sure. Research is work. Though it’s fascinating, it can occasionally be hard to find the right information. And when you’re designing your story, it can be challenging if you encounter a character that is particularly difficult or a plot element that requires some finesse. Despite the random obstacles, you should love this process if you love writing at all.

I get questions related to writing such as “I have an idea for a story or book, but I don’t know what to do next. What do I do?” 

My advice? Write.   

“Yeah, that’s pretty obvious, Marie.”  

Look, I know you think it’s a challenge because of all those articles out there telling you how to write a perfect scene or what words NOT to use. But, believe me, that is something you can worry about later. You think you have an idea for the next Great American novel? That’s wonderful! Stop talking about it and write. Even if you only write a paragraph or a chapter, you’ve made progress. You don’t have any time?  Believe me, I understand. We're all busy people. But, it is feasible. Read Matty Millard’s article on the Writing in the Modern Age blog here. He explains how you can fit writing into your crazy life. I’ve said it time and time again. The only person disappointed in the fact that you’re not writing is YOU. Well, unless you already have books out and then you’re just making your readers antsy too. LOL. 

But, if you’re an aspiring writer, all you have to do is try.  

There is no perfect way to start writing. If you have trouble getting there, maybe you need to break through that clutter in your brain.  

We carry so much responsibility, so much worry, so much junk in our heads that it’s sometimes necessary to bypass it. How do you break through that clutter? Try brainstorming or journaling. Or, just freewrite for ten minutes about whatever comes into your mind. Break through that block and get to the heart of what matters. Your story.  

Think all of that brainstorming/journaling/freewriting is useless? It’s not. Not really. I have written poems from entire passages when I went back and read them months later. I have started great stories based on one random line of text. Never think that any effort is stupid. It’s not. You just have to be open-minded enough to use what's there in front of you.  

So start writing. Get down a paragraph or a chapter. Too daunting? Even just a scene would be an excellent start. Maybe you know more about your characters than what’s going to happen in the story. Great! Do a character worksheet. Here are some good questions to answer. I did a guest blog post on it once. Any effort, even the smallest ones, will get you closer to the goal.

“What goal is that?” you ask. Well, in this case, it’s finishing that short story or book. Just write. You can worry about the technical stuff later.

“What should I do next?”

Yes, what do you do after your book is written? Do you look for a publisher? Nope. The real work begins now.

Become an editor. 

What? Isn’t that what editors are for?

Hmm…yes, in a way, but don’t be arrogant enough to think that someone else will do all the work for you. This is your story, which means the final call is yours now and you have to make the changes. When I say “become an editor”, you don’t have to go to school for it, by any means. By now, if you are a writer, maybe you’ve taken a Creative Writing class. And even if you haven’t, we’ve certainly had English classes in school, telling us the correct ways to use grammar.

Apply what you’ve learned. I imagine some of you get annoyed when you see a typo in the newspaper or even in a published book. Have you ever read something that didn’t sound quite right, but you weren't sure why? That was most likely awkward wording and it could have been improved. So, if any of this sounds familiar, you are quickly on your way to becoming a writer-editor. 

That’s not a word, Marie. 

Yes, I know. Thanks. Now I’m talking to myself, but I digress.

You need to be both writer and editor in this business. You MUST edit your own work. I recommend that you take a break from your manuscript for awhile, at least a couple of weeks or longer, before you try. If you do it sooner than that, you probably will overlook most errors because you’re way too close to the text. One method to brush up on your editing skills is to offer to become a beta reader or critique partner for another writer. You’ll see more glaring errors in someone else's work first. We are just naturally wired that way. In Creative Writing classes, workshops are done with this very idea in mind. It is also bad to start reading and bookmarking articles about how to edit your own work. I find C.S. Lakin (or Susanne Lakin) to be an invaluable resource in this regard. Subscribe to her blog/newsletter and you’ll get an email several times a week, or at least once a week. Subscribe to other blogs that provide this kind of help too. Ryan Lanz has some good tips, as does Now Novel, Crimson League, Write to Done and The Write Life.

Also, take some time to read books by other authors. Maybe that is just the key to stepping away from your own work for a bit. Pay attention to the story and the way it reads. It is always good to get an idea of voice and particular techniques other writers use. You may even find your internal editor waking up, ready to chomp at the bit. Enjoy the book, but also ask questions. “Why did this author decide to use first person point of view?” Or, “should the writer be switching point of view so much?” All good questions. (By the way, head-hopping is actually a bad thing.)

There are, of course, lots of story elements to wonder about. Examine techniques used, but don’t necessarily mimic them.  

You want to be true to yourself, but be open to fixing mistakes in your work. And prepare yourself. In the beginning, there will probably be a LOT of mistakes in your work. That’s normal. You’ll receive feedback from people and you’ll quickly see the merits of this system. After you’ve gained some much needed space from your manuscript, you can go back to it with an editor’s approach. If you have to, picture the editor on your shoulder as that stern teacher you had in grade school, the one that was willing to smack your knuckles with a ruler if you stepped out of line. Okay, maybe she wasn’t that bad, but we all had a pretty stern one.In any case, this perspective keeps you from straying too far away from editor mode. You may have moments in which you think, “Oh, that line is good! Did I really write that?” It might not happen often, but it could. Okay, bask in it for a moment, then move on. Don’t let yourself fall in love with the story as it is. Now is not the time. You need to look at the manuscript with an eagle eye.

I usually do three rounds of self-editing with some time between before I let anyone else look at my work. I don’t like to send out a total rough draft; that’s just me. But, it is courteous to get the major errors that you can find corrected before foisting your work on anyone else. And it will make you feel better about sending your work into the ether too.

Where do you find critique partners or beta readers? There are some groups on Yahoo!  There are also plenty of writer discussion groups on Facebook and LinkedIn where you can put out requests. Give a brief description of your work (blurb), the length and anything else you think they might need to know. Offer to proof or beta read someone else's work. People usually want something in exchange for their time. However, I have had just as many betas happy enough to read a new story. Writing classes are also great resources if you have the money. Most of the time, you won’t be able to offer an entire manuscript in those, but you can get part of it looked at. There are also some places out that help you find local writing groups.

After you have edited your work as much as you can and made the suggested corrections, I would recommend sending that final draft to a proofreader or professional editor. There will always be something you missed. Oh, one final thing. You are not going to agree with every suggestion from betas or critique partners. You will be asked to make drastic changes, and some might make you want to scream. If you come upon this dilemma, weigh the change carefully to see if it will really alter your story’s vision or not. Perhaps it will improve the manuscript. Who knows? Just keep an open mind.

So…

“What should I do next?”

What, you thought the real work was over? Nah. It gets more interesting. Now, you have to decide whether you’ll make a go of traditional publishing or opt for self-publishing. They are completely different animals. Maybe you want to try traditional and use self-publishing as back-up plan.  If you’re going to try traditional publishing, two invaluable resource are Authors Publish (they often email about noteworthy publishers) and QueryTracker (helps to track your query progress).  And if you’re going to self-publish, finding a great cover is key. I have seen some very affordable options on GoOnWrite. They offer pre-designed covers or premades. Of course, there are tons of other options on the internet, depending on the genre of your book. I have browsed for potential covers on SelfPub Book Covers and The Book Cover Designer. There are lots of others, complete with different price ranges. You can also go for a custom cover. I have used the remarkable talents of Sherry Soule at SwoonWorthy Book Covers several times. 

It’s likely I have confused you now. “What are you talking about, Marie? What are all these sites?” For more details about traditional and self-publishing, you can look at this article I did on Linda Lee Williams’ blog about the “big choice” and what to do in both cases. I would go into more detail here, but I am running out of time and space.  

I hope I have helped you cut through some of those “What should I do next?” questions. As always, happy writing and I’m so glad you got to visit the blog today!  :)

If you’ve ever self-published or considered it at least, it probably crossed your mind that a good book cover would probably help to “sell” the book. It’s true that presentation is everything; how the sales page appears with the book description and the cover are extremely important. Often, if the book cover isn’t up to par, some readers won’t take an author seriously. The cover is half the battle in marketing. The rest, well the rest is how you reach your audience. But, that’s a topic of discussion for another day.

There are so many options out there these days. It seems that everyone is trying to sell you something, book covers included. I’m not saying there aren’t talented cover artists. I am amazed at the quality of work in the industry. There are just as many unprofessional ones as well, who try to capitalize on the idea of creating a book cover. I won’t name any names, but I’m sure you’ve come across them before. They charge a lot of money, but the product just isn’t to your taste. And then there are the ones who don’t charge much at all, and you have to wonder what kind of quality you’re getting for so little. Are the covers they are touting actually theirs or are they using someone else’s work to sell their services? That’s why I won’t go to sites like https://www.fiverr.com/ to get a book cover. I'm not saying the vendors aren't legitimate, just that I won't take the chance if that is the case.

Getting a professional book cover can be an expensive endeavor. Cover artists can charge anywhere from $30-79 for a pre-made cover or charge you hundreds of dollars for something custom made. Granted, if you go the custom route, I have no doubt that you’ll get what you request. The problem is that I have read the disclaimers on some of these sites. A few artists will expect you to pay the basic design fee, but then you have to go out and purchase your own stock images. In the end, your cost has gone up considerably. I’ve spent a lot of time ruminating about using a professional cover artist for certain books. I got lucky with my publisher because they front that cost. But, when you self-publish, the stakes are a bit higher. Let me give you some options that I found. They look good, right?

http://bookcover-designs.blogspot.com/ 
 
http://www.goonwrite.com/order.htm

http://coveryourdreams.net/pre-made-customizable-covers-from-79/

http://cheekycovers.com/

http://www.selfpubbookcovers.com/index.php

And then there are the options on the higher end of the scale. 

https://www.hiretheworld.com/pricing/

http://ebookindiecovers.com/custom-orders/

http://aeternumdesigns.com/cover-art-design

Do the prices get worse? Oh, yes. Big name publishers will pay their professional cover artists anywhere from $500-1200 per project. 

“Uh…yikes, Marie. That’s really out of my budget.”

No kidding. But, let's say one of the options could work for you. A lot of questions go into a purchasing decision.

1. Is this the right service for me?
2. By the time I am done using this cover artist, will I recognize anything from my original vision for the cover?
3. Assuming a pre-made cover is chosen, does the cover correctly represent my characters and story?

It’s all good food for thought, and a decision like this isn’t to be taken lightly. With so many cover art services out there, it can seem incredibly daunting. If you decide to go this route, exercise caution but use your instincts. If a premade cover just calls to you, shouldn’t you at least consider it? Maybe the muse is trying to tell you something. And if it’s out of your budget, go for something similar. 

But seriously evaluate these different cover art services. Read the fine print. Do they have certain disclaimers you didn’t notice before? Are there hidden costs? Is the final decision yours? Some of the artists will go through three rounds with you when doing a custom design. I've worked with them before. They offer some possible covers or images for your approval and you pick the one or ones you like. Then they try to honor your wishes by incorporating other elements. They come back with a design, and you can approve it or say what needs to be adjusted. That is, hopefully, how most of them work, but you might want to stick with the ones that clearly outline their process just to be sure.

There is another option, however, that you may not have considered. You can design your own cover.

“What? I could never do that, Marie. I’m not an artist.”

Well, neither am I. I mean, I never had official training. But, after a few times around the block, I’ve managed to do well enough on my own because I’m working within my budget for now. If you’ve been following me for awhile, then you know I’m all about doing these different parts of publishing and marketing on my own. For example, I even design my own book trailers. 

I started attempting this DIY madness with book covers when I began self-publishing under other pen names in 2010. At that point, I used the distributor’s cover art wizard and manipulated certain elements within the image I’d purchased for the cover. Around 2014, I starting getting more creative, using the tools I had found online to accomplish the job, at least for my indie books. You can see a full list of my titles here. If you browse from the bottom of the list to the top, you can see the chronological order of my book releases, and what covers I used. 

I’m not perfect, but I think I have it down to a few great resources to use in order to come up with something to present to readers. So, I will offer a little advice.

If you’re going to try to design your own book cover, really think about what you want your cover to look like. Can you picture it in your mind or do you just want to look for inspiration in order to come up with something specific?

1. Theme. Think about the theme of your book. What is it about? What is the genre? If it’s romance, do you want to exhibit ‘romance’ or a specific element within the plot? If it’s mystery, what do you want to show on the cover? A dead body, a gun, a criminal, a detective? Any of those, or a combination of different things? I start by defining what this theme for the book is. Every story has a theme, or a specific idea you want to convey within the text. 
2. Study. “What, Marie?” That’s right. You need to study book covers within your genre, and decide if you want to conform to the standards or try something a little different. Obviously, if it’s any subgenre of romance, you’ll want to include some element of romance while honoring your vision for the story. If it’s erotica or erotic romance, you need to be careful about how much skin is shown because Amazon has rules about it. The rules are: “sexy, but not sexual”. Explore the covers in the genre. Even if Amazon is allowing it, that doesn’t you’ll be able to widely promote it because there are a lot of limits, on, say, groups or pages on Facebook and other social media sites. Some types of erotica have a bad rep. So, just be careful if that’s the genre for your book. 

If you’re focusing on another genre, the same rule still applies. Just see what's available, and know what you’re allowed to do. Always think about what symbols mean, and what negative connotations could be derived from them. Certain pagan symbols are often mistakenly associated with devil worship, for example. In any case, keep an eye on what’s out there. But, don’t be afraid to get creative either.

3. Images.  Maybe you know exactly what you want on your book cover. That’s great! Perhaps you only want to explore images for inspiration. Either way, it’s never too early to start looking for an image that might capture the theme or idea of your cover. Sometimes I just look for images for character muses or to inspire me in even writing a book. I also use stock images in my book trailers. 
   
   But, let’s say you’re at the stage where you’re planning your cover. You’ll want to find a great site, a place that offers high quality images and is fairly affordable. There are so many stock image or photo websites. You’ll want to pay attention to the ones that give credit to the photographers or artists. Why? Because you’ll be paying for a special license to use them on the web or in print. Otherwise, you’re violating copyright laws and you do NOT want someone to sue you over this issue. And having said that, make sure that when you do decide on images and pay for them, give credit to the photographer on your copyright page for the book (i.e. image source – photographer, company or site you found it on).

As with cover artists, there are different ranges of fees for photos. I stick with the more affordable ones. Some sites want you to purchase a subscription, while others will allow you to do a custom price or a pay-as-you-go plan. I prefer to pay for each individual photo at a time. I can acquire them, and then add to projects. With certain sites, you can pay a specific amount for credits, then use the credits toward images. Those are good too, as long as they are within your budget. Here are some great sites that give you the ability to pay affordably for images. I know there are many more.

http://www.123rf.com/

http://www.bigstockphoto.com/

https://us.fotolia.com/

http://www.shutterstock.com/

http://www.mediabakery.com/

http://www.istockphoto.com/plans-and-pricing

http://www.dreamstime.com/credits.php?fcr=1

Here are a few expensive options, if that’s a route you’re willing to take. I found more in the past, but I usually avoid them. LOL.

http://www.stocksy.com/service/support

http://www.offset.com/pricing

http://www.maxximages.com/subscription/photo-subscription.php

“What about the opposite side of the spectrum, Marie? I’ve heard you can get free images.”

Tricky stuff...that is, of course, always an option. There are royalty-free no cost sites available as well. Here is the rub: can you really assure yourself of how legitimate they are? How do you know that someone didn’t steal an image and try to resell it? I leave the decision in your capable hands, but I can’t stress enough how you’ll still have to give credit to the photographer or contributor. I will list a few that are pretty safe, but I only use them for blog posts or a book trailer, when I'm looking for a specific image.

http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/

http://www.stockfreeimages.com/

https://pixabay.com/

http://www.photobucket.com/

http://www.freeimages.com/

http://morguefile.com/

http://unsplash.com/ 

https://www.freepik.com/

For myself, it’s always better to purchase a license to use something for a book cover rather than take it, shove it on a product and pretend I have the rights to it. Make sense?

All right. So, let’s assume you’ll purchase a stock image legally. Use the search boxes on these sites carefully. By that I meant that you may need to get creative in your search terms or keywords. It can quickly become frustrating when you can’t find what you want. Be prepared to spend time on this project, and take breaks when necessary for sanity. LOL. Take your time and breathe.

You also have to decide what size of image you need. Anything which is the size of your book cover or just a bit larger is always good because you can resize down to whatever you need. And cover software handles most of this for you. For cover images, I usually pick anywhere from 1300 to 2400 pixels. For other types of projects (graphic teasers, banners and bookmarks, I can go much smaller. 

Eventually, I always find the perfect image and experience that “gotcha!” moment. It’s good to use your instincts in this case as well. If you feel so-so about an image or don’t like it all that much, don’t feel obligated to use it. Do you want to hate your book cover? No, you want to be satisfied with the finished product.
 

4. Layout. Let’s assume that you now have the image or images that you want to use. Now it’s time to get creative. Or…is it? Remember when I asked you if you knew what you wanted the cover to look like in the first place? Now is the time to really think about your images and how they’ll fit into that vision. And if you still don’t have a clue what the final cover will look like, that’s okay too. Maybe you’re a visual person and you need to see it on the page first. That’s when a few fun tools come in handy.

5. Designing the book cover. Most professional cover artists use special software, something that most of us can’t afford. Here are some links if you’re willing to go that route.

http://www.bookcoverpro.com/

http://graphicdesign.stackexchange.com/questions/29837/what-is-the-best-program-to-use-for-making-book-covers-digital-and-print

If you’re not willing to do that, some people use Photoshop.

There are also some free options. I know a few sites that let you edit images or transpose them onto backgrounds. Here are a couple I have used.

http://www.lunapic.com

http://www.picmonkey.com/

http://pixlr.com/

These tools are awesome because you can do so much with them! I often use them to cut out shapes or trim, even frame something. You can also change the lighting on a picture or include textures. Anyway, nothing is final and you can always save different draft files for each version. You can then start from scratch with your original image, knowing it’s still as perfect as it was. For a couple of those you can even change eye color so it truly looks legitimate (that one made my day!) Again, take your time with these tools. It’s so easy to get frustrated. Just breathe and learn how everything works. It’s okay to even use Microsoft Paint, but you will want to use it sparingly because it may not always look professional. (Update: PicMonkey is now asking for a subscription to save your work, but they do have great themes and photo effects.)

Now, how do you actually create a cover? Paint lets you resize items after the completed product, but if you want something truly authentic, there is a very cool tool you can use. Canva is my savior, and I have loved it since I found it several months ago. https://www.canva.com/

With Canva, you can select a type of product or project to work with (the dimensions are already set for you or you can do a custom size). For this one, I usually choose ‘Kindle Cover’ under the ‘Create a design’ option. Yes, it’s time to be impressed. This will be the size you need to upload to Amazon KDP or any other bookseller.

If you’ve chosen ‘Kindle Cover’, you’ll see the page load into a white space where your book cover will go. Remember that ‘layout’ I was talking about before? Do you have an idea where you want your title to go? Do you have a series name or subtitle to add? And, of course, you’ll want to include your name as the author. There are ‘layout’ buttons on the left side of the page where you can select how each line of text lays on the cover. Be very careful about which elements you choose to use in Canva. Most are free, but some have paid options (like $1.00 or so). For the most part, I choose the free ones. In the ‘layout’ section, you’ll see sample book covers showing how the text looks on a cover. Be careful of the ones that look entirely centered with several lines of text in a column. Unless you’re willing to go with that option, you may not be able to change how the text lays because those elements are saved as templates.

Choose a layout that works for you and your vision for the book cover. It will automatically load onto the cover. Now you should change the font colors for the titles and subtitles, even the author name. Probably something bright like blue. Why? Because you’ll want to be able to see them when you load your images in. It might take a while to navigate around the page to select the different text elements. If you’ve ever designed your own greeting card using card software, it’s the same idea.

After that is done, select the full book cover using your mouse. You’ll see the dotted line outlining the size of the book cover. Then delete it. If it works correctly, you should still be able to see your text. If you mess up the preloaded text, you can add your own using the ‘text’ option on the left side of the page. Some are paid elements, while others are free. Be careful and use the free options if you don’t want to pay. 

Now go to each section of text and when you click on it, you should see some options like color, size of font, type of font and a little arrow. Click on the arrow, and then go down the list until you find an option that says ‘move forward’. That will ensure that your font stays above everything.  

You'll need to decide if you want a basic color background, a provided free pattern or if you want to use your purchased stock images as the background for your cover. To put a color background in the page on Canva, just go to ‘background’ on the left side and select a color. To use custom colors, use the plus (+) symbol. There are also background templates, but some of them require you to pay, as aforementioned. Once you have your background color, you should see an option that says ‘uploads’ on the left side of the website page. There is a green button which says ‘upload your own images’. Click that to find your images. As the file uploads, you’ll see a small thumbnail of your image down below. Click there and drag the photo to your page. On the cover space, you’ll be able to resize the image as large or as small as you want. This is where it gets tricky. As you manipulate things on the page, you’ll probably have to use the ‘move forward’ option on your text once more to ensure that you can move it over your new image.

If you need to manipulate how an image looks, such as wanting a shape like a circle, you’ll have to use those tools that I mentioned above and then upload that image in. Using PicMonkey, you can go to ‘edit an image’, upload the file then choose the frame symbol on the left hand side. Pick ‘shape cutouts’, then it will give you shapes to choose from. You can alter the size of the circle or whatever shape you choose using the bar on the left hand side. If you want an angle for the image, you can alter that as well. Once you’re done, save and then upload the image to Canva. Make sure you keep it as a PNG image or the outside of the circle won’t remain transparent.You can bring the image into your project on Canva by uploading the file when your ready, and then dragging it to the cover page.

Next, go back to Canva in your browser and move your text around to where you want it on the cover. Make it larger if necessary, or even change the font type or color.

Now you need to think about layout. Where does the book title sit as opposed to your series title or your author name? Do you want everything centered? How does the text relate to the image you want to convey? Is it crowding your picture? Adjust as necessary.  

Again, be prepared to spend a little time learning how to use these tools. If you have to, do a temporary project and play with the different options. 

Once you have your cover designed to perfection, save it using the download' button in the upper right corner. It will save using Canva’s own file name so you’ll have to rename it when you find it in your ‘downloads’ folder on your PC or wherever your downloaded files save. 

Another cool thing that Canva does is they save your projects so that you can go back in and edit them later. You just need to register for a free account. You’ll also see options to make your designs public, but don’t press that unless you’re willing to give up your rights to your cover.

(Note:  You can also use Canva for other photo projects like your Facebook author page or Twitter page.)

And there you have your cover! Before you do anything, check the final product to be sure you didn’t miss anything. You can use Windows Photo Viewer for that. Now is the time that you may notice white space that you didn’t see before, or issues with the layout (title isn’t centered and such). Print it out if you need to. Make sure you are absolutely satisfied with the final product. Send it to a friend or someone you trust for a second opinion. It is okay to have five or six versions of a cover before you’re happy with it.

Another technique I use is doing mockup covers. I take an image I found online so that I can decide on the layout. That helps me figure out what I want for a cover before I make any purchases.

I launched my own graphic design business back in June of 2016. Though the website is now closed, you can still find the premade covers I designed on my author website here on this page.

This is another helpful article on cover design: http://www.thebookdesigner.com/2010/06/top-8-cover-design-tips-for-self-publishers/

By now, I hope you have a book cover that you love and can’t do without. It is my wish that I’ve helped you navigate the sea of decision in choosing whether to go with a cover designer or doing it on your own. Or, at least given you the steps to try it for yourself.

If you decide to have someone else design it for you, that’s great too! Personally, I think Sherry Soule at SwoonWorthy Book Covers is fantastic! The point is that you find a cover you are perfectly content with.

Have a great rest of your week, and, as always, happy reading! :)

If you are an avid follower of writing blogs, then you know there is a plethora of information, advice to offer. Guest authors have offered tips on writing from the time these blogs first began to grow into what it they have become today. Most aspiring writers know that to look for writing tips on a specific topic (point of view, research, any story elements), it is as simple as doing an internet search. The world is at our fingertips.  

Unfortunately, for some writers, all of that information can look overwhelming. What advice did I give in my last article, “What Should I Do Next (in Writing or Publishing”? I said something along the lines of “Just write!” Just do it and worry about the finer points later (grammar or anything else that needs improvement). Just write.

It’s just not that easy for some writers. I have a friend, an aspiring writer, with these great ideas in his head. He keeps saying, “I really need to write my story.” I agree. I encourage him as much as I can. I try to be supportive and offer advice that might propel him to move forward. It isn’t fear, though, that blocks him. It is what I call the “What if?” syndrome.

What if?

Most of the time, we think of those two words as the epitome of being a worrywart.  What if my story is stupid? What if everyone hates it? What if I crash and burn?  No, my friend doesn’t lack confidence. If that were that case, I would say, “Write for yourself.  Write for the love of writing because you’re getting way ahead of yourself. Readers come later. You have to love what you write first. You have to create a story and characters that make you so excited, you have trouble tearing yourself away.” That’s not bad advice, right?

But, it’s not that issue for this writer. He has “What if?” syndrome. Sounds a bit ominous, I know. Let me explain. He knows the characters, the plot and story. They are all in his head. So, what’s stopping this writer if he seems to have it all together? The problem is that he can see different avenues, so many directions the story could take and he can’t decide on one to save his life.

Say you have the basic premise of a man walking down the street. Or at least the sidewalk. He’s carrying a briefcase, and his gait is a little stiff from an old injury. He is a polished gentleman in his attire, but let’s add in a habit of readjusting his tie when he’s nervous. He also tends to sweat a lot. He is sweating more today as he ambles along. He has a lot on his mind. Why? He just had a disturbing phone call. We’re creating quite a picture, right? Any fiction writer could expand on this premise and keep going. But, to make things more exciting, we’ll add in some possibilities:

What if he entered a nearby apartment building? Who would he visit?

What if he used the elevator and it got stuck?

What if he was still walking down that street and a bike messenger clipped him? What would he do?

What if a car drove by and splashed through puddles made by that morning’s rain and he got drenched?

What if the moment he steps into the street to cross the road, he gets hit? Then he wakes up two days later, not knowing who he is or anything about that disturbing phone call.

The list can go on and on. So many possibilities, right? This is the writer’s dilemma, my friend’s problem. The premise I just mentioned has nothing to do with his story at all. It’s just an example.  

One day, the writer in question told me all the different routes his story could take and I was unimpressed. Why? It wasn’t that any of the ideas were bad. They were great. It wasn’t that they weren’t feasible. Sure, each one covered a different genre, but you can go in any direction with fiction. It wasn’t even that I was frustrated by my friend’s inability to pick a scenario and run with it.  

You see, I remembered the way he spoke about the story originally. I recalled the “spark” in it, the excitement in the way he described it.   

And even though it was kind of the same with the other ideas, it wasn’t the same at all. He already had this golden nugget, this genius seed of an idea forming, and he didn’t even know it. He knew, for the most part, what would happen in the story; he didn’t have some of the finer details, but I digress. What bothered me about these proposed changes was just a simple matter, but something we authors have to rely on at every turn.

Trust.

“Huh? Marie, have you lost it again?”

LOL. No, but I will explain. To write a good story, you not only have to trust your own instincts, you have to trust your characters and your vision for the story. Deep down, you know what’s right, what direction to go. Sometimes it’s the story telling you. Sometimes the characters are running the show. It should naturally progress. It doesn’t matter what project you’re working on; you will encounter this dilemma at some point.  

Am I ever plagued by “What if?” scenarios during a story’s composition? Sure. I’ll run into roadblocks where I think, “So what happens next?”   

A bunch of ideas go through my head, most of them at odds with each other. I step away and give myself a pep talk. When I come back to it later, I have a better perspective. Sometimes one of those scenarios is really good and it works; most of the time they don’t work.  

See, we like to think we’re in control as writers. We’re not. Sometimes I am just the conduit. No, I’m not crazy. The story, the characters take control. You can exercise some control over certain details, but the story usually tells itself. That’s what I have to tell myself in the “What if?” situations.

“How do you know all of this, Marie?”

Because I’ve been there many times. For example, when I was writing the manuscript for Upon Your Honor, I had half-convinced myself to make drastic changes (I won’t go into details) because I thought it would satisfy readers who were used to the genre. In the end, the characters decided for me and none of it would have seemed right if I hadn’t listened to them and to what the story was telling me.

Always trust your original vision for a story. Try to be true to it as much as you can. Your characters will tell you what comes next. The story will feel like it’s writing itself when you’re really into it. During revisions and editing, then you can look at the whole picture and see if those other “scenarios” would even fit at that point.   

The “What if?” questions are a way to second guess your instincts.  

Trust yourself as a writer. Trust your instincts. They will never lead you astray. Never. As for the “What if” syndrome? File those scenarios away for future use. They might come in handy for another story. Or, just be amused and move on. Your story will tell you what to do next.

For Immediate Release…

Contact: Marla Sherman

query@emsapublishing.com

EMSA Publishing is an independent online publisher whose goal it is to facilitate new and established authors in having their novels published. We strive to publish page-turning works of fiction for up-and-coming authors to give them a stepping stone toward meeting their goal of becoming published and best-selling authors. Authors should either have an established online platform or be willing to create one and use it to promote their books.

EMSA Publishing offers eBook distribution and print-on-demand services. Authors who sign with us will receive editing services, a professionally designed cover, and marketing support for building and maintaining an on online presence including blog tours and reviews, web page creation, press releases and social media. The author pays nothing up front and receives a competitive royalty percentage payment.

Interested authors should send a cover letter with a brief synopsis and the first 20 pages of their manuscript in the body of an email to query @ emsapublishing.com Most genres are welcome. Please refer to our submission guidelines at http://emsapublishing.com/submissions/ for further details. 

Having an edited, ready-for-publication manuscript is paramount when searching for a publisher or an agent. Some vanity publishers—like EMSA Publishing—will provide editing in exchange for a percentage of the royalties. Others will provide you with a list of approved editors and ask you to pay from your own pocket for their services. Similarly, when self-publishing, the onus is on you to self-edit and/or hire an editor to get your manuscript up to standards.

In today’s economy, hiring an editor isn’t financially feasible for most of us. Authors are forced to become jacks-of-all-trades as a result, writing, publishing, advertising and editing on their own. Out of that array, editing is perhaps the most difficult to master, especially when it’s on your own manuscript.

Two reasons why self-editing is hard

Reason One – lack of education

Whether your highest level of education is a high school diploma or graduate degree, chances are you were never formally taught grammar in school. This is especially true if only a decade or so has passed since your graduation. I remember, in middle school,  having to parse sentences to pick out the subject, object, predicate, etc. I was never very good at it because I was never formally taught any of the rules. My knowledge of grammar is more intuitive than practical—if it sounds good, it’s probably grammatically correct. When in doubt, I can always look it up online, a luxury I didn’t have in middle school.

Reason Two – it’s not how our brains work

As a writer, you’re too close to your work. Nick Stockton’s article, What’s Up With That: Why It’s So Hard to Catch Your Own Typos, says writing is a critical thinking task. When you challenge you brain with higher-level thinking, it tends to generalize. You remember where you wanted to take the story and  your brain fills in the blanks, glossing over the errors. It’s hard to edit your own work, not because you can’t or don’t know how to fix the issues, but rather, because you know what should be on the page so well that your brain doesn’t realize it’s not there.

Even with the cards seemingly stacked against you, there are still techniques you can use to help with this aspect of the publication process.

Read about the 5 ways you can make editing easier at EMSA Publishing.

I really slept in late this morning. By late, I mean well past 12:00–noon. But then, I was up well past 2:00am finishing two more chapters in my book. Many 2s and wells there. Synchronicity?

Once I am writing “in the zone” it’s difficult to break my concentration and stop typing.

“Leave the rest for tomorrow,” is not in my vocabulary. By mid-chapter, I am driven. Forget food and water.

I’m quite content in my self-inflicted jail cell.

This driven feeling is more than work ethic or time restraint. It is emotionally based. Painful memories must be dragged out of hibernation, (often kicking and screaming,) from behind locked mental doors, convert them into word and sew them to page before they can snap back into the dark bowels of my mind like a bungee cord. It is much like reluctantly remembering a nightmare months after having had it–a struggle on many levels.

So why would I inflict such masochism on myself?

How does that saying go? “Those who forget the past are destined to repeat it.”
Your journal can become the skeleton for your book. My notes from my first battle with breast cancer helped me live through stage 4 the second time. Those journals and memories became my emotionally packed book.

My story is unconventional, but not unique. It must be told. I won't give up.

Doctors are human. Scientific tests are only as accurate as the people who perform and read them. Life is not infallible. But Inner-guidance from dreams validated in the waking world just might be.

My second book is more than halfway complete because I have my own style of cutting out my literary pattern and sewing it together with a running stitch that can be removed to make adjustments.

I write the beginning and ending of my book–then fill in the middle. This also works for blogs and articles.

By using this technique, I always know where I am and where I’m going with a story that is filled with impassioned twists and turns. It gives me a mental edge–no floundering around in the dark while retrieving dark memories. I never feel like I have wandered off the books path. Rather than holding one tread of the story’s line in my mind, I have two. This extra balance anchors my writing so I can interject humor yet not wander away from the serious nature of the main theme.

Writing a book is much like sewing a garment. 

Somewhere between the beginning and the end product, areas no longer fit. Some seams must be let out, others taken in, and extra material trimmed.

But, I always save my scraps because they could be the collar of another adventure.

Kathleen (Kat) O’Keefe-Kanavos is a TV/Radio Producer/Host of Wicked Housewives On Cape Cod™ and Author/Lecturer of the International award winning bestseller, Surviving Cancerland: Intuitive Aspects of Healing which promotes patient advocacy and connecting with inner guidance for success in health, wealth, and love, contributing author to Chicken Soup for the Soul: Dreams & Premonitions, PATHEOS Blogger and Columnist to Women Voices Magazine: SOUL and HOME, Kat taught Special Education and Psychology. She has been featured in newspapers, on CBS News, in American Express Open, and published in medical journals. Learn more @ www.AccessYourInnerGuide.com
PATHEOS http://www.patheos.com/blogs/aboveandbeyondthe5senses/
https://twitter.com/KathleenKanavos https://www.facebook.com/SurvivingCancerlandtheintuitiveaspectsofhealing

In writing your screenplay or novel or play, you must have a star. This is the person who fascinates you enough to write all those countless words.  When we have a tightly written manuscript, it means we have become fascinated with a certain person in such a way that we actually live through that character.

What do we mean by “live?”

To live in a fictitious or real word our daily bread is “conflict” or in the writing jargon, what we call plot. This simply means that two people are at odds over a certain situation. It can be little or big—but a battle is there nonetheless. The two people can argue over which movie to go see or which restaurant to visit or maybe your landlord wants his rent and you don’t have the money to pay him.

You can climb higher on the conflict ladder and that’s where two people are in a life and death struggle or clash. You certainly don’t want to go to see a film or read a book where everyone is in complete harmony and peace with one another. How boring that would be.  Even Walt Disney films have tons of conflict in them. The wolf versus the three little pigs, for example. He wants to eat them and to do that he has to blow their houses down.

Conflict, as I have mentioned, is just another name for plot. Thus in a sense, we could go further by saying that the word plot is called “entertainment.” It is why we spend our money. We love nothing more than dissention. The higher the dissention, the more interested we become.  We have names for each of the two opposing people involved: Protagonist or our hero, who generally represents the one of the two we’re rooting for; Antagonist who is the rival or the one we call the villain or heavy.

The battle these two wage against one another is based on a series of choices. In dealing with the bad guy, the good guy has to always come up with a series of choices: diplomacy, logic or as a last resort war  The bad guy also has a choice of dealing with the good guy: shooting him, throwing him off a cliff, tying him up. Choices on both sides and carrying them out make up your storyline. The more difficult the choices, the more you get involved in the story. You proceed like this for most of your tale until you tease us by making it look like the bad guy is about to win. Then all of a sudden due to some ingenious choice, the good guy wins and vanquishes the bad guy. The end.

So, there you have the writing profession in a nutshell.  This brings us to the specific category known as a “good writer.” This is a person who can hold you on the edge of your seat via interesting choices. You can’t put the book down or you are completely enthralled by the film. This means you’ve done your job well. Your characters have had to deal with a ton of conflict in their personal lives and have had to make many interesting choices for good or bad.

Writers who have lived lives full of choices are able to pass those moments along to us in a realistic way. In other words, they have the “life experience” to pass them along in a meaningful way. These are writers who are thought of as gifted. More than likely though, life has been a big hors d’oeuvre tray to them.  They have actually tasted life. Bad writers dream of life and philosophize about it. Boring. They are trying to impress you by using big, rarely-used words and long, complicated sentences. They are snobs and intellectuals who are peddling more sizzle than steak.  These people hang out more in writer’s workshops than in life’s alleyways. Conflict to them is something to avoid at all cost.  Unfortunately tons of them are out there clogging the works for real writers.

Most good writers don’t have “writer’s block.”  They realize that if their project becomes sluggish , they should just add some more conflict. Agatha Christie said that in her writing if things slowed down, she always introduced another murder.

Bad writers in the first place are not friends with conflict and, therefore, always seem to be experiencing writer’s block. Now, you see why. They haven’t had enough conflict in their lives to be able realistically to relate it to others.

I heartedly recommend you “live” a lot if you intend to write. It will not only fill up your years with fun but could even fill up your pocketbook. Cheers!

What a pleasure it has been to interview and get to know Lisa Marie Redfern, author of the Haylee e-trilogy and Haylee and the Traveler’s Stone (print book soon to be released). Not only is she a wonderful writer, but her talent doesn’t stop there. As an accomplished artist, photographer, and business woman, Lisa stretches the boundaries of her art and her way with words/imagery, enticing followers to dip their toes into the rippling waters of imagination.

Q: Books, movies and even television shows these days are delivering a steady stream of plots that involve the undead, the unreal, and the wickedly supernatural. In your opinion, what accounts for society’s longstanding fascination with characters that are not completely human?

A: A cultural theme occurs when lots of people have similar ideas and begin exploring it in depth. We take our collective temperature with questions such as; What are we afraid of? What defines us as human? How far can we stretch our imagination? What does it mean to be ‘different? and How would it feel to be powerful and untouchable? I think the dark nefarious vampires, zombies, and wickedly supernatural characters that are popular today are reflections of our attitudes and worries about the cultural and economic conditions that we live in.

Q: Tell us how you came up with your title.

A: Hyale is a daughter of the Greek gods Oceanus and Tethys. The character Haylee, and the book title, is roughly based on this name…with a modern twist.

Q: Alfred Hitchcock was a master at making cameo appearances in all of his movies. Does Lisa Redfern employ any signature tricks or insider jokes that we should know about?

A: Absolutely! Although I won’t reveal them all—I will say that many of the animal names were family pets. The Rattler/Lovey storyline was based on a rescue dog named Bandit. He lived up to his name. Once it was changed to Happy, he was much easier to live with. Lovey was one of our pet cats.

Q: Tell us about your female protagonist, and the passions that drive her thoughts and actions.

A: Haylee has spent most of her childhood living with a wounded parent—she takes on responsibilities beyond most children her age. She attempts to stay out-of-sight and out-of-mind as much as possible, has an affinity for animals, and possesses a quick mind; she aspires to become a veterinarian. But things don’t go according to plan. When it becomes clear that her strange condition poses a threat to her loved ones, she drops everything to figure out how to stop it. Along her adventurous journey, we see a maturing inner resolve, self-direction, and a belief that something good can be born from facing a problem head-on.

Q: In Haylee and the Traveler’s Stone, Haylee is transported to the turbulent backdrop of the San Francisco Gold Rush in 1849. During this time in California history, the population was dominated by young male adventurers who came from all over the world. Why did this specific era personally resonate with you?

A: I feel connected to this time period because it is woven into the historical fabric of where I live—in the heart of Gold Country. I wanted to develop a deeper understanding about what life was really like by bringing alive the sights, sounds, smells, and textures of that time. In my research, I discovered fun and quirky facts that may not have made their way into commonly read history books.

Q: What do you hope this book will accomplish?

A: My goal is to suck the reader into a vortex of altered time where his/her own life fades out for a while as Haylee’s story takes center stage. Isn’t that the ultimate definition of a good book—to entertain? Along with entertainment, I included those quirky facts (mentioned in the question above), because I want the readers to have something memorable to keep. If Haylee readers (who visit San Francisco) are able to see the city in a new way, I will be thrilled!

Q: Have your characters ever done anything that surprised you?

A: I usually arrive at my keyboard with an outline and longish, handwritten essays that fill in sections of the outline. Days of thought and nights of dreams have gone by as I’ve worked out the complexities of what I plan to write. It is a surprise when I’m typing away and a character goes in another direction…or says something unexpected. They are usually right, but we have to argue about it for a little while before I relent. When I describe it that way, it sounds psychotic doesn’t it?

Q: The publishing industry continues to reinvent itself. The combined effects of downsizing at traditional publishers and the desire by authors to have more control over their intellectual property and pricing structure has led to an escalation in self-publishing endeavors. What are your thoughts on this issue, particularly the debate as to whether a self-published title is as “real” as one produced through traditional channels?

A: Every work published is real. It is meaningful to the person who wrote it, so it can’t be anything else. Prior to 2010, when iPads and e-readers hit the market en mass, publishing houses set the quality standards for reading material before it was released to the public. The flood of independent authors who are self-publishing has changed those standards.

As a consumer, I appreciate knowing that the book I am about to read has a reasonable chance of being good—in subject matter, clean page design, and very little grammatical or spelling errors. When you buy something that has been self-published, quality levels can be hit or miss.

As an artist and independent author, I love having the ability to self-publish. For the very first time in my work life I’m unencumbered and free to create my vision from start to finish. The creation process itself is highly satisfying. I place a great value on producing work that is ‘as good as’ anything that a publishing house would turn out. Fortunately, I have developed the skills to do most of it myself, but I also invest in areas where I need help—editing and some design assistance. There is something ironic about putting so much effort into a product that sells for .99¢, $3.00, or even $5.00. Like those adventuring pioneers who braved the treacherous seas and overland treks with the hope of finding gold, we authors are gambling that more than a few readers will push that shiny, rounded-rectangle button marked ‘buy.’

Q: In addition to being an author, you are also an artist and photographer with a busy home life. How do you find time to write?

A: Good organization is a must. I use a Google calendar synced with my smart phone. Sometimes other jobs have to go to the top of the ‘to do’ list. I get as much done as I can when my son is in school. I enter into my most efficient writing zone after everyone has gone to sleep and the phone isn’t ringing. I try very hard to remind myself to go to bed before it gets too late…

Q: Lisa, you are incredibly multi-talented, and your website, book trailer are amazing. What advice would you give to new writers/artists regarding building a social media or networking platform?

A: 1. Realize that platform building and gaining followers is something that takes time. It starts small and slowly increases over time.

2. Once you start participating in social media, know that you’ve created a ‘living’ thing that needs to be fed on a regular basis.

3. Start slow. Choose one or two sites that you think that you might enjoy. Stick with them until you are comfortable before moving on to more.

My social media ‘ah ha’ moment came with Pinterest. Because I am visual by nature and I enjoy organizing data, this was a perfect social site to start with.

Q: As an artist and writer, you are clearly an inspiration to others, but who inspires you? Have you benefited from the wisdom and/or counsel of a mentor? If so, who and why?

A: Inspiration comes from everywhere. To quote Christina Hamlet’s book Screenwriting for Teens, “Log into life. No password required.” Also, my artist friends inspire me when we spend time together setting up art shows, getting our hands dirty, or just sharing and talking about our work.

For authors, I follow the big guys—Stephen King, Dean Koontz, Douglas Preston, Lincoln Child, Barbara Kingsolver, and Jean Auel for starters. I also follow some of the rising independent author stars—Hugh Howey, Guy Kawasaki, Rysa Walker, and Chuck Wendig. I like studying how they present themselves online, how they interact with their fans, what kinds of stories they are writing next, and what rights they are selling.

My son has a big imagination; he and I have many humorous, “What if …” conversations. Being out in nature, photographing interesting animals, random conversations, seeing something online that grabs my attention, or even just being alone and quiet, are all areas of inspiration.

Q: You’re obviously drawn to the metaphysical and otherworldly in many aspects of your creativity and writing, sometimes blurring the lines between the real and fantastical. What is it that draws you in, or inspires you?

A: Underlying everything is the hope and faith that we are much more than just our physical existence. I think all life is connected, and should be respected and honoured as the incredible gift it is. The real magic in this world is love and our relationships with the people, animals and living things around us. That is what I always attempt to express in both my art and in my words.

Q: A lot of new writers think all they have to do is write a good story and their job is done, but today’s writers are expected to do so much more, whether self or traditionally published. What advice would you give to new writers just starting out on this very long journey?

A: I think that is an urban myth. How did that one ever get started? When I worked as a book publicist, I dreaded the inevitable moment when the author bubble would burst. Once it popped, fairy dust and glitter never spewed out and sprinkled to the ground.

My advice to authors just starting out is similar to the advice you gave in your interview for In the Spirit of Love. Always conduct yourself professionally online. Stick to it - give writing a permanent place at your table - live your life - do what you need to do…and then go back and write some more. Once you have a few books out there for sale, add to your regular routine time to feed the marketing machine.

Q: Many writers and artists struggle with following their creative path vs making a (normal) living, and being accepted in a world that often can’t understand what drives the creative mind. Have you struggled with this, and if so, how do you attempt to overcome it?

A: Oh yes! More than a few times, I’ve wondered if I was adopted. Most everyone in my family is an engineer, accountant, scientist, lawyer, or a business person. Conventional social norms hold the greatest respect for professions with the highest pay scales. If pay scales were based on job satisfaction, artists and writers would be where the venture capitalists and technology moguls are now. I don’t worry about people accepting me. I am who I am, I do what I do, and I am very happy about that.

Q: Where can readers discover more about you and your books online?

Author reads sample chapter
Audible.com
Lisa’s art portfolio & online store
Art and Words Blog
Google+
Goodreads
Twitter
reddit
Redfern Writing Facebook Page
Join Lisa’s author e-mail list

Lisa: Thank you for the opportunity to participate in a You Read It Here First interview. I enjoyed responding to your thoughtful questions. Additionally, it was a pleasure to become acquainted with you and Christina and your work

I’ve gotten asked by a lot of other authors about any sort of hints or tips of tricks that I could tell them to help them along.  If you’ve read my earlier posts, you know that I think that writing is a very personal experience, and therefore the process changes dramatically from person to person.  But, at this point, I have gotten asked enough that I finally decided to culminate all of the tips that I have found most helpful.

The following is a list of the top 10 things I believe a fiction writer should do. Most of these probably apply to all you nonfiction writers out there as well, but I’ll leave the official version of that list for one of you to develop. So, without further ado, here are the most crucial things every writer should do from my perspective:

Know the basics

Every writer must know the basics of grammar, spelling and punctuation. This is not to impress readers with how well we learned in school. If readers are paying more attention to mistakes than to plot, they will not be your readers for long.

Be original

Imitating another author’s style or rehashing an overused plot line is an easy way to lose readers. We have been blessed with only one Socrates, one Mary Shelley, one Stephen King. Many have tried to imitate them. Can you name one? While imitation may be the sincerest form of flattery, it is also a certain path to obscurity.

Want to write

Writers write. It’s what they have to do. Writing requires long hours, tedious edits and rewrites and rarely pays enough to give up the day job. Many have tried writing because it seems a quick and easy path to success. After a few attempts, most find the day job is not so bad by comparison.

Accept obscurity

Writing is a lonely job. Writers spend many long hours hidden away, pecking a keyboard. For a short time, most writers will experience some notice, even admiration, from their social circle. However, as time passes and none of their work shows up on the New York Times bestseller list, friends and family smile knowingly when you claim the title of writer.

Find your audience

Not everyone will like what you write. It’s a fact. Few people south of the Mason-Dixon Line liked the Gettysburg Address. It is extremely difficult to persuade someone to like your work who does not like the genre you write. There are countless groups with interests in everything imaginable. A quick Google search is a good start. From there, try to develop connections that will grow your social circle.

Find a support structure

Writing requires far more self-motivation than the average day job. Writers have only themselves and whatever cheering squad they can put together. Most other professionals are surrounded by coworkers who know and understand the perks and stresses of their jobs. Writers have to seek others who share their compulsion and cultivate a support structure where they can find it.

Get feedback

Few writers can see all the inaccuracies or implications of their work with no feedback. As writers, we see our stories from within. Part of us or someone we have known goes into each character. Places we have seen or imagined have gone into each scene description. However, do they work for our target audience? We will never know unless we make ourselves accessible.

Accept criticism

Not all criticism is negative or valid, but all has the potential for being beneficial. Writers are mostly human. As such, we tend to learn from our mistakes. However, this only happens if we know what our mistakes are. None of us sits down to intentionally throw in a dangling plotline or a contradiction in place or time. Once in, the writer often fails to notice them, but few readers are as oblivious of our mistakes.

Have a thick skin

Because they have to remain accessible, writers are easy targets. They are criticized by those who do not agree with the believability of their characters, the probability of their plots or the choice of genre for their tale. They are subjected to abuse for not eagerly accepting every first draft offered for their opinion. They are vilified as greedy for not accepting a fifty-fifty split for every idea as long as they do all the writing, editing and promotion.

And of course, HAVE FUN!

As long as writing is inner driven, it is only attitude that keeps even its most onerous aspects from being fun. We all know the mental high of the first rush of creativity. Most of us dread the hours of rewrites and editing. Yet, if we are honest with ourselves, we do not do it for the readers. We write because it’s what we like to do. All jobs have aspects that are less fun than others, but that does not mean that all aspects are not fun.

The Prosecution of George W. Bush for Murder

Famed Charles Manson prosecutor and three time #1 New York Times bestselling author Vincent Bugliosi has written the most powerful, explosive, and thought-provoking book of his storied career. In The Prosecution of George W. Bush for Murder, Bugliosi presents a tight, meticulously researched legal case that puts George W. Bush on trial in an American courtroom for the murder of nearly 4,000 American soldiers fighting the war in Iraq. Bugliosi sets forth the legal architecture and incontrovertible evidence that President Bush took this nation to war in Iraq under false pretenses—a war that has not only caused the deaths of American soldiers but also over 100,000 innocent Iraqi men, women, and children; cost the United States over one trillion dollars thus far with no end in sight; and alienated many American allies in the Western world.

Britbear’s Book Reviews is thrilled to feature fellow Black Rose Writing author, Mary Ellen Bramwell in today’s author interview.

When Brea Cass, a young mother, is awakened in the night by the news that her loving husband, Paul, has been shot during a robbery, she is stunned.  Arriving at the hospital to discover he has died shakes her whole world.  When she finally emerges from the fog of her life, it dawns on her that something is amiss in the way her husband died.  What was really going on?

As Brea searches for answers, she discovers things she never knew, things she’s not sure she wants to know.  Delving into the mysteries that surround her brings several questions to the forefront of Brea’s thoughts.  Can I move forward despite heartache?  Am I loved?  Is someone who has made mistakes redeemable?

To read the interview, please go to http://eliseabram.com/britbear/?p=270.

Are you an author or blogger who would you like to be featured in an author spotlight with a guest post, author interview, excerpt and/or cover reveal, contact me at britbear@eliseabram.com

While planning a blog tour for my YA novel, The Revenant, I was humbled, not only by the number of gracious people willing to help, but at the variety of blogs that are out there. A few in particular stood out for me, about three of them, maintained by a mother and child. I thought this was an amazing way for me to share my love for reading and writing with my own children, and Britbear’s Book Reviews was born.

When sales for The Revenant dipped, I decided to seek out blogs with high patronage on which I might post regularly. Instead, I learned if I wanted the publicity, I had to create the opportunity for myself. To that end, I opened my blog up to blog posts from other authors; I was overwhelmed by the number of responses. Though it’s time consuming, I put together personalized questions to interview all requesting it.

That’s when it came to me: why not shoot for the stars and contact best-selling authors for interviews as well? I sent query emails to the authors of a handful of my favourite books. To my surprise, Karen Joy Fowler, author of We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves, graciously responded.  I’ve been saving the interview for a special occasion, and I think the first post of 2015 qualifies. Here’s the email “transcript” of my interview with author Karen Joy Fowler, followed by my review of her novel, We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves.

To read the interview and book review, please go to http://eliseabram.com/britbear/?p=287.

To participate in my Pay-It-Forward project with your own author interview, guest post, cover reveal, book excerpt, etc., please contact me at britbear@eliseabram.com.

Let us embark on a journey together. I am pursuing my dream of becoming a famous author. Follow with what I post here on the internet and support my efforts in whatever way suits you, such as buy and read my books, or if you are in Portland Oregon, attend some of my events. In return, I will provide you with novels to entertain, move, stir you up, and inspire you. At the events we will have conversations that may do the same. On this journey, you will discover new ways to see the world and new openings for action you may not have thought possible. I am about people having their dreams come true, like the characters in my novels. Wouldn't you love to see someone fulfill his or her dearest dream for a change, and without selling out?

We can still dream about what is possible for us as we did when we were children. Kids dream of things to do with their lives without the aid of experience (say, the past) to teach them they could not do it. As a child, did you dream of being a great actress, a firefighter, a ballet dancer, a jet fighter pilot, a doctor, an astronaut? Are you like me and have a dream you would love to pursue, but it occurs to you at this moment as inaccessible due to the demands life puts upon you?

For me story is paramount. I say story is what gives us humans our reality. We think and speak in terms of stories—it's all stories, and we make it up. We all have where we stand, our viewpoints, or frame of reference and none of us has a privileged frame of reference. The story I have created for my life and the world is that as a famous author I will assist my beloved human race becoming interstellar explorers; beings who other races welcome, because we take care of ourselves and where we live. We will become inquirers and explorers, rather than agents for rich people bent on getting richer.

How you really embark on this journey is not by just following what I'm up to, but by assisting me in this dream, there are a number of ways: one of the first is to visit my website, if you're not already there; buy a book (reading one would help too), subscribe to my newsletter, or even buy some novel merchandise and if you're in the Portland area (Oregon that is) keep an eye out for upcoming author events that include yours truly. Two novels are available through Lulu.com, Mermaid Song, and Chrysalis as eBooks, paperbacks, and first edition hardcovers. Two more novels are in the works, Verdigris and Sweet Dreams of Flying Machines. An interesting part of this is, once you assist with the dream, you are the dream itself. Think about that a bit.

A little about what I write. In my science fiction novels, you will discover that my stories are about people who transform their lives in one way or another. These are not nice stories, they are not a quick read, they may be a bit demanding of your emotional involvement, stir you up, have you be uncomfortable sometimes. I have little doubt that with their adventure, romance, mystery, and violence, my stories will entertain you. They are not safe stories to read, but ritual journeys to take where you may not be the same person as when you started.

Much more to come.

Amelia Picklewiggle is a husband and wife writing team who also write as young adult/middle grade author PA Cadaver. She is the Ambassador for the state of Nevada for Board on Books for Young Readers, a guest Judge for PBS where she was the first author in the history of the KIDS GO contest to present awards. Amelia is a member of many organizations for children’s literacy programs, including RIF, Reading Rockets, AIA, Autism Society, American Library Association, SCBWI and many more....

To read more of this interview, go to http://eliseabram.com/britbear/?p=254

To participate in my Pay-It-Forward project with your own author interview, guest post, cover reveal, book excerpt, etc., please contact me at britbear@eliseabram.com.

When it comes to promoting your book, you have to spend money to make money.

How many of you have been told that?

The first time I heard it, my heart filled with desolation. I live in the real world where disposable income is as rare as the unicorn–in other words, it doesn’t exist. What chance do I have of being successful with my marketing endeavours without the coin to back it?

The answer is: I don’t know. My book is relatively new (just over a month old at the time of my writing this) and it’s really too soon to tell. Nevertheless, I thought I’d share some of the places I’ve found online that allow me to advertise my book for free. Here are the 5 sites that top my list so far.

Indies Unlimited

The vetting process on this site is incredibly helpful. I submitted my novel for their free promotion. About 6 weeks later, the site contacted me with an excellent critique of my book description as well as suggestions on how to improve it. I made the corrections and received a second critique and even more suggestions–all for free! As far as I’m concerned, this site is indie author gold, for that reason alone.

Online PR News

This site provides a free place to post and distribute a press release. You have to write the press release yourself, but this is an excellent opportunity to reach people to which you might not otherwise have access.

New Book Journal

Free author announcements for anything author related. Announce your book release or a book signing…the possibilities are endless.

Adventures in Sci Fi Publishing

This website posts a list of new Sci Fi releases each week. I sent an email to the site administrator asking if my book could be included in the next list and he was happy to oblige. This taught me never to be afraid to send a query to anything online I’d like to be a part of. The worst that could happen is my request will either be ignored or rejected. To my surprise, that rarely happens.

My Book Addiction’s zOctober Event

I read about zOctober on a news feed site I frequent and sent an email and was accepted right away. I am posting a “Mad Lib” style puzzle and a short story on My Book Addiction’s site in October. Great publicity for my book and my brand, all of it absolutely free!

That’s my list so far, opaline pearls in a sea of seemingly barren oysters.  Do you have any other hidden gems you are willing to share? Post them here and I’ll feature them on my next post with a link to your online pages–another great, free place to publicize!

For some reason I am inspired to share my innermost thought to you listeners on a subject concerning books and publishing, especially when it comes to ebook, self-publications, and trade publishing. You've all heard this phrase before, "you can't judge a book by its cover," but in this new age of self-publishing, we as readers would to have to be open minded to skepticism when we see a low-budgeted/self-designed book, because this output presentation immediately tells us the nature of the author's seriousness, why he or she couldn't develop an eye-pleasing graphic in this new-age, technology savvy, world. This is not to devalue the literary quote (you can't judge a book by its cover), but this quote as many of us would agree, has aged, and perhaps expired. This is not to disregard the work of any writer of value, because there are many great writers out there who had fallen victim to the traditional-publishers'-controlled-environment of book publishing, at least until the introduction of ebooks and Amazon-like outlets in the 20th century. I have attempted to become to serious at times myself, and I gave it everything that I owned, including my budgets and full-times. If you are great, only YOU can convince the world, and that mean that you'd have to be persistent. In the end, however, the persistent becomes an hard pill to swallow for many writers. But thanks to Amazon and the introduction of eBooks, many writers dream can now come true, and together we can break the bondage forced on our literary talents by the refusals from the big publishing houses.

I can honestly say that many of my best-read books were written by indie (independent) writers, and I am not only talking about novice writers, but seasoned writers as well. Traditional publishers could not handle the workload of publishing every writers out there, and that is perfectly understandable. This is why the big publishers only choose to publish the 'one-per-centers', the ones with the greatest chance of achieving a mass appeal, even if the writing is mediocre at best. Yes, this practice is unfair to many rejected writers, especially those who spent their entire adolescent studying the art and styles of writing, with little hopes of being that new voice of the generation.

If you can find that literary VOICE, then nothing can stop you.

What is this 'voice' I'm talking about?

Well, if you are still listening/reading this article right now you may not realize that you have just read a whole page of writing without pausing. The voice is that fluent deliverance that naturally comes with every seasoned writers who have perfected the art of writing and can delivering exactly what is in their mind, usually in one take, with the utmost clarity. Many writers like myself practiced on creating scenes, surroundings, dismantling and composing the scenes  like a broken pottery, to see if it can be perfected once again. Many writers would never find this voice, and would become stuck with imitations of what they'd read, hoping to make it unique with some tweaking. In order to achieve the 'voice', you would have to practice writing a lot, and with different styles. Big-publishers can immediately sense your nervousness (immaturity) through your query letters and sample chapters if you submit your work to them unprepared. A good editor can almost immediately sense what type of style you are writing with, and YOU DO NOT WANT AN EDITOR TO QUICKLY  IDENTIFY YOUR WRITING STYLE, CONSIDER YOURSELF DENIED.  Your presentation have to be unique, something never achieved, like Michael Jackson with the Pop-music, Picasso with his absurd arts, and that book 'Crime and Punishment' with its flawless deliverance.

A writing style is not something you build by chance, it has to be developed, honed, and mastered, and an editor reading your sample work can feel the story if it is good. If you want to become a world famous writer, unfortunately, you'll still have to go through a big publisher to gain that reputation. So good luck, and don't forget to practice tirelessly before approaching them.

I personally do not believe that traditional publishers are putting out the best books out there, and that their books are mediocre at best, except for a chosen few. I think that the book publishing business is going the wrong direction, and this is why the businesses altogether were loosing money before the introduction of eBooks, and the unfortunate downgrades of bookstores; Borders, Powell's etc

I think what ought to happen is individual franchising among big-money-traditional-publishers and independent writers if we are looking to expand literature through a diverse list of great talents. Big publishers franchising with indie-writers is not something unheard of. In the year 2005, Simon&Schuster acquired a small-press publishing business called Strebor, from Kristina Laferne Roberts, an author who is now famously known as Zane. Zane was a successful self-published author of many erotica books before Simon&Schuster approached her books and bought her publishing house. Now, Strebor is the largest producer of African American trade-mark books in the world. Another example is that of rapper 50 Cents, who is the owner of G-Unit Books, another imprint of the Simon&Schuster company. Oh yes, how about the shocking $119 million payout made from Penguin to to Author Solutions, the self-publishing company behind iUniverse and AuthorHouse, in the year 2012. Not bad. Another is that of Author Vickie Stringer, the CEO of Triple Crown Publishing, one of the largest urban novel publishers in the world despite its refusal to become an imprint of any big publisher. The story goes on and on.., and this leave a lot of hope for us indie (independent) writers / publishers.

Signing to a big publisher is not the only way you can achieve greatness. You can do it yourself if you are willing to put in the effort and time. Author Amanda Hocking is an example of the many independent greats who had sold million of ebooks. Time is money, and the big-publishers have a lot of them to budget out to make their chosen writers successful.

In my next article, I will show you some effective ways you can use to make your ebook widely noticed and climb to that bestsellers rank whether through Amazon or BN. For us indie writers, the struggle is real, but if you study the market, you will see that the opportunity is endless.

Tell us what you think of this article, sign-in and leave your comment for everyone to read and reply. Thank you.

P.S. If you find an error in this article, that's because it was written out in one take. I will recommend that you writers practice the same and just write. You may submit your composed article to me at, http://indiewritersupport.com/blog and I will approve it as a blog for all to see and read if it is properly written. 

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The relationship between an author and a literary agent is multi-layered and rich. Part muse, part accountant, the agent guides the author through the unknown waters of a writing career, from the sublime to the mundane.

The cornerstone of the relationship is strength in negotiation. Basically, the agent’s commission is 15% and that is 15% of proceeds --- whatever the author gets. The agent should be able to get at least 15% more for the author than the author could get for him or herself. That means that everything else, every other benefit of the relationship is, in a sense, free.

The first benefit, aside from strength in negotiation, lies in being part of a nexus, a web of publishing relationships, the editors that the agent deals with, the other authors and even, independent publishing professionals. This web of relationships brings me into contact with online directories and, as I have time, I fill them out. Once such directory is “Who Represents…”, part of Publishers Marketplace. As I filled out an entry for A Time to Heal, a more than twenty-year old, backlist recovery book by Timmen Cermak, M.D., little did I know that a Polish recovery publisher was looking on the internet for the agent for the book, to arrange a translation.

Directories and entries that list clients, even my web site, are all little showcases of books that I represent and can lead to new opportunities in the global publishing marketplace.

Another, more obvious benefit grows out of being a creative sounding board and helping shape the author’s new work. For this, I often use the Socratic method, sitting with an author and asking questions about their experience with the topic (since I only handle nonfiction) until a mutual “light bulb” goes off and what seems obvious finally reveals itself.

I remember sitting with psychologist and dream expert, Alan Siegel, for six hours, drinking coffee, helping to shape the idea for his first book, Dreams That Can Change Your Life.
Once the idea for a new project is shaped and focused, it becomes necessary to express that idea in a blueprint known as the book proposal. rint known as the book proposal.

The Book Proposal is a convention. It is formulaic. A way of establishing common ground among diverse book concepts so they can be judged. A secondary benefit derives from the fact that if an author goes through the exercise of creating a proposal, he or she will have a thorough understanding of the book they are proposing to write. For structuring the proposal, I prefer the model established by Mike Larsen in How To Write A Book Proposal . An agent, who has written dozens of proposals, assists the author in putting their unique proposal together. Because I have experience as a publisher, I can look at a proposal from that point of view and help make it bullet-proof.

Deciding what publishers should receive each proposal is part science and part art. It is based on past relationships as well as knowledge as to who is publishing what. Today, most submissions take place electronically via email.

Assuming you have done your homework well and that there is interest in your project, you will often have to wade through a minefield of questions and qualifications like “How much is written?” “Can the author beef up their platform?”

Today, an author is expected to take the lead in online efforts and social media used to promote their book. The agent will step forward to tutor the author in social media or to suggest classes or coaches who can help them learn how to promote their book online (blogging, email marketing, LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, etc.). Sometimes the first question an ac acquiring editor will ask is “What is his or her platform”. The conventional wisdom is that creating your platform is at least as important as writing your book.

Negotiating the major terms of a book contract is glamorous and sexy: Advance, royalty rate and subsidiary rights splits. Negotiating the rest of the contract is tedious but necessary. Option clauses, noncompetition clauses, right to audit and so on. Agents will know which publishers can give way on which clauses.

Once the contract is signed, the editorial process takes over. Generally, agents will step back and let the creative energy flow between editor and author. However, every once in a while, there arises a profound difference of opinion between author and editor. At this point, the agent steps forward to mediate the process, essentially becoming the author’s advocate to the editor and the editor’s advocate to the author, until the situation is rectified.

The same conflict resolution function takes place during the marketing phase of the book, something that often resembles “shuttle diplomacy.”

Agents are invaluable in helping authors decide what their next book should be and how this might fit in with a longer term career plan. Nowhere else can an author go for objective advice in either of these categories.

Looked at from this point of view, the agent-author relationship is one of the great bargains in publishing. The agent works on commission. On speculation. You don’t get paid. We don’t get paid. Chances are that the commission rate will be absorbed by the negotiating strength of the agent. That is, they will obtain an offer at least 15% better than you could have gotten yourself.

The agent functions as an editor and helps shape the book idea, offers advice on how to develop and build a promotional platform, helps create the book proposal, researches potential publishers, negotiates the major terms of the contract, negotiates the minor terms, smoothes over the editorial and marketing processes and helps maintain the publishing relationship.

Agents are not just dealmakers, they are midwives to the publishing process.

Peter Beren, Literary Agent and Publishing Consultant, is the author of The Writers Legal Companion, California the Beautiful and The Golden Gate. Formerly the Publisher of Sierra Club Books, VIA Books and VP of the Palace Press Group, he lives in the San Francisco Bay Area. www.Peterberen.com