An Honest Conversation About Online Book Marketing by Dee Stewart

Every day I spend a significant amount of my work day online. If not creating a client’s mar-comm materials, networking with my contacts, or researching & obtaining more pr opportunities, I’m analyzing my deliverables.

What tangible milestones can I bring back to my clients that shows that we are moving steps forward on our book marketing campaign?

There are a few deliverables that make the grade for authors:

• print media placements
• broadcast interview placements
• retweets with links attached
• click thrus on buy back buttons
• book festival placements
• public library requests
• bookclub president rtps
• many others

However, before I bore you with tips on obtaining such desirables, I want to have an honest conversation with you about book marketing. If you let me…

The purpose of book marketing [social network/online marketing included] is to obtain and maintain your ideal customer: book buyers. Period.

So ask yourself this.  Is what I’m doing online helping me obtain and maintain my ideal customer?

Let me throw you a life-line. These things below will not:

1. Adding your graffiti [Facebook Notes] to a friend’s Facebook wall that looks like this: “please buy my ____ book…you fill in the blank)

That’s advertising.  It’s improper to advertise on someone’s wall without their permission.

2. Adding uninvited strangers, whom you’ve stalked on another author’s guestbook to your email list, then spamming them with #9.

3. Begging.

Newsflash: Book buyers purchase books and donate to charities. Decide which one you are, then act accordingly

4. Complaining about bookstores online.

5. Complaining about book reviewers online.

6. Tagging someone who is not in your picture or video.

Tagging inappropriately is backdoored spam and can get you kicked off Facebook.

7. Bad-mouthing other authors  and cat-fighting with other authors online.

Really?!

8. Not having buy buttons on your site and Facebook fan page.

I’ve lost count of the evites and blog tours that don’t have a Buy Now button on them. Come on You’ve convinced us now close the sell.

9. Sending boring email newsletters.

That includes Facebook Notes. Learn how to craft better copy or hire someone. Pam Perry, Ty Moody, LaShaunda Hoffman, and Marina Woods are great at this.

10. Forgetting that authors, bookstore manager, librarians, publicists, editors, and book reviewers buy books, too, so be careful, who you alienate online

Now, if you honestly don’t know whether your book marketing efforts are working, hit me up in the comments. I’ll tell you, honestly. And come back later this fall; I’ll tell you what things work. Also, check out my E-lunch show Media Candy Radio which airs every Wednesday at noon at http://blogtalkradio.com/mediacandy. It’s devoted to marketing techniques and answering your questions live. Also subscribe to our station for news about our other shows. Dee and Marina return this fall, as well as a new fun show with Dee and Martin Pratt of Rolling Out Magazine.

-Dee Stewart

I’m a mom, pr boutique owner, editor, book critic, and published author (Miranda Parker.)  Google me or Find me

How to Survive and Thrive as a Literary Entrepreneur in a Down Economy by Dr. Maxine Thompson

We continue our e-book reading challenge with the writing/business guide, How to Survive and Thrive as a Literary Entrepreneur in a Down Economy by Dr. Maxine Thompson.  We are also pleased to announce that starting later this month, she will be joining us as a regular columnist, so definitely stay tuned as she shares more articles of interest to writers and other literary professionals.

In How to Survive and Thrive as a Literary Entrepreneur in a Down Economy, Maxine covers how an author can:

• Find ways to make money as a writer
• Develop multiple streams of income
• Use the Internet and sell books

An excerpt of Chapter 1 is included below and she’ll be stopping in throughout the day to answer questions and share more tips from the book.

CHAPTER 1

Are you angry about the economy? I don’t know about you, but I get angry in this down economy. Why? Because it has a trickle-down effect on all small businesses.  In my case, particularly as a literary service provider, some clients don’t
pay when they should because someone hasn’t paid them.

In the spring of 2008, gas hit over $4.00 a gallon here in Los Angeles so you had to make your next move your best move, and that includes going to much needed conferences (which included the Book Expo of America, The Leimert Park Book Fair and the Los Angeles Black Book Expo within the next month here in L. A.). Not to mention the high prices of food—well, that’s the subject of another column.

Just as the actors in Hollywood and the technicians have had to adjust since returning to work after their 2007 to early 2008 strike, we, as literary entrepreneurs, must adjust our marketing strategies.  But, instead of getting angry, how about if we get busy? How about if our anger could move us to another level? A level of action.

Let’s look back in history. During the depression, women found ways to make it for their families by cooking, sewing, quilting, washing and ironing clothes for other families, etc.  I grew up during a recession in the fifties, and I look back. How did my parents survive with six children? To supplement my construction worker father’s income, my mother did what we called “day work”—cleaning for white women. We often had filling meals of beans, soup, chili. We were seldom
sick—later I found out we didn’t even have health care, which is happening a lot today because of layoffs. So I know, with God’s help, we can make it through this economy. It is something our ancestors always did. Make a way out of no way.

In times like this we need to examine ourselves:

• 1) Find your strengths.
• 2) Find your core competencies.
• 3) Get around others who are strong where you are weak.
• 4) Build your teams.
• 5) Get people to fill in your gaps.
• 6) Find multiple streams of income from your book, such as speeches, workshops, seminars, teleseminars, webcasts, podcasts, blogs.

Ask yourself, what can I do to give people hope?  Believe it or not, it starts with giving away what you have that has value. How can we be of value and how can we provide service to others?  What do you have of value which you can give away? Can you build business relationships which are mutually beneficial to yourself as well as others? Can you teach what you learn as a literary entrepreneur?   Can you provide sales, marketing on line, coaching, or seminars first
locally, then around the world? How can we get financial freedom?  We must take consistent action every day in our business.

On one day a week, work on your business rather than in it. Have meetings to brainstorm with your team as to what your next steps will be.  The words we communicate to ourselves and to others will pay dividends to you. It will help you and others solve a problem.

Right now, people are hungry for freedom. People want to get into sales and people want to write at least one book.
What are sales ingredients? First of all, you have to believe that the book you are offering has value.  Ask your readers what do they like to read? Sell them on the benefits of your book. Find out what pains them.  Often you’ll find readers who want to write a book themselves. This is how I started my literary services, then later my literary agency. I also have done Internet radio since March 5, 2002 (currently on Artistfirst.com) to provide writers with an international platform to market their book.

What was the painful motivation? People were tired of not seeing their words in print, then tired of not being able to get their books out to the market. So find what pains people enough to move them to action and you will be able to make the sale.

————-

Dr. Maxine Thompson is a novelist, poet, columnist, short story writer, book reviewer, an editor, ghostwriter, Internet Radio Show Host, and a Literary Agent. She is the author of The Ebony Tree, No Pockets in a Shroud, A Place Called Home (A Short Story Collection), The Hush Hush Secrets of Writing Fiction That Sell, a contributor to bestselling anthologies Secret Lovers, All in The Family, and Never Knew Love Like This Before.  Hostage of Lies is her latest fiction novel.  Visit her online at http://www.maxinethompsonbooks.com.

Swagga Jackers Beware by Dana Pittman

Whoever said imitation is the greatest form of flattery lied. Or they haven’t been on the receiving end of someone listening to your plans and ideas, in confidence, and using them for their own, personal gain.

A recent experience had me livid. I wanted to jump through the computer and practice my best old school Taebo moves or pull off my earrings and apply some Vaseline to my face.

I know…I’m being a bit extreme but I was having a moment.

My emotions fluctuated from anger to rage and they settle quite comfortably at disappointment. You see, in this literary game there are a lot of players, but I believe there are very few innovators, especially in the area of Black books.

It’s my goal as a book marketer and writer to be ranked as one of the innovators because I am known for creating signature events and unusual promotional campaigns. And after sleepless nights, hours of research, crazy budgets on technology, and custom styling, I have found myself…swagga jacked!

I had my hissy fit, and I felt like calling my girls (which I did) and have a whining session (Thanks Tee!) but when the smoke cleared, I wondered when is duplication flattery and when is it fraud?

Instead, of going down the slippery slope of the legal ramifications associated with intellectual property, or catching a criminal case for assault, I thought I’d consider the true issue I had when I felt like one of my campaigns was “imitated.”

Professional Integrity

Professional integrity calls on fundamental goals and standards practiced within a profession. It’s about how professionals will conduct themselves and if we handle matters with grace and professionalism we will benefit our industry, businesses’, brands, and clientele. Professional integrity also requires that we hold each other accountable for behavior that reeks of poor judgment and poor values.

Well, Dana, what is swagga jacking? I’m so glad you asked. Have you ever considered “borrowing” an event title because it’s cute? Or have you listened in on a conference call just to use the content, in the same manner, for your personal gain (i.e., using it in your business)?

I believe swagga jacking is when you utilize someone else’s ideas in the same manner or carry about it in a way that it appears closely similar or identical to the work of another person and pass it off as your idea or work. Somewhat like plagiarism.

Now, I want to be clear, very few ideas are original — I get that. However, what I won’t concede to is blatant disregard for the time and work that another person puts into their business and end product.

My friend’s grandmother would say “If you’ll lie, you’ll cheat. And if you’ll cheat, you’ll steal. And if you’ll steal, you’ll kill.” One little mishap will lead to others and then you’ll find yourself staring at a cease and desist letter. But for many professionals it really isn’t necessary since one of the ways for building a brand and audience it through collaboration.  Other professionals do it, and we can too.

Skimming Karma

In that moment, I believe a little birdie sits on his/her shoulder and whispers, “if it worked for her, it could work for you.” I’ve heard it call skimming karma, when you believe that you will have the same results as another person because you do the same things they did.

Life, my friends, just doesn’t work like that. And if that little birdie has you convinced here’s what you do: Call her up. Yes, call up him/her and see if they are willing to collaborate or bring an event to your town. They could surprise you.

For example, I host an event in Houston called “Books, Beauty & Banter.” I’ve collaborated with two groups taking it to other cities. We had a great time. The group had a wonderful turn out, and I’m sure we will work together again in the future. They held the event and I had an opportunity to expose a new audience to one of my signature events.

If You Can’t Beat Them

In the past we heard “if you can’t beat them, join them.” Well, I think the new saying is “if you can’t beat them swagga jack them”. But don’t do it, it’s not worth it, and consider how you could negatively impact your name and business brand by simply appreciating a good idea, that’s not your own.  Instead expand your professional reach and consider collaborating, or reach deep down inside can create your own stamp on the industry and you too may find yourself…swagga jacked.

* * *

Dana Pittman is the marketing strategist for Nia Promotions. She has worked with authors such as Anita Bunkley, TL James, Jean Holloway, Evelyn Palfrey, and she recently established S.I.R. Authors, a book marketing promotion group. Books are her passion and marketing is her lifeline.

For more information visit www.danapittman.com and www.sirauthors.com.

Great Expectations by Katrina Spencer

In a society of, “I want it now,” it can be hard to develop patience. Patience for writers is like ink to a pen—you can’t survive in this business without it.

As a new author, it can be hard to be patient as you’re building your audience.  You go to a bookstore and pick up a book by a veteran author (insert name here) and think, “They have it so easy! They have readers clamoring to get a copy of their new book.”

While it is true that some veteran authors do not face the problems of gaining readers like us newbie authors, they do have the problem of expectations.

Readers can be very vocal about what they like or don’t like about your books.

“Your new book lacked the spice of your other novels.”

“This book was different than your other books. I like the older books better, why did you have to change things?”

When readers follow you, they grow with you. As such, they begin to expect certain things from you. If you write romance—they want you sticking with that genre. Write thrillers? Expect a lot of feedback if you choose to switch to romance. Readers want whatever made them pick up your book in the first place. The more experience you gain in writing, the more you have to remember your readers. Without losing you, you have to write for them.

Case in point. Beyonce’s latest album had two disks—her spicy, Sasha Fierce side, and the more personal, Beyonce side. Why did she do that? While wanting to reach out to do more ballads—a song that she could relate to—she had to remember her fans—the people who made her famous in the first place.

The expectations put on writers by their readers, editors, agents, critics, can be crippling. Many big-time authors have mentioned the stress of delivering a book that can meet everyone’s high—and sometimes unreachable—expectations.

So what does this teach us newbies? Well, we share a struggle to be heard, but with that struggle, we have something to be treasured.

Freedom.

We have the freedom to write without voices in our head, chanting about what our readers want. If we have never been published we have no readers. (Save for a few family or friends.) If we’re newly published, we are fighting to gain readers. With each book signing, tweet, or blog post, we are screaming to be heard.

“Pick me!” we scream as readers roam already crowded bookshelves. And several times we are heard when someone picks our book up. What though do these new readers expect of us?

“I hope this book is good,” they think as they walk to the register, our book clutched in our hands.

Hope. That is their only expectation—they hope that our book will be good. They hope that they haven’t wasted hard-earned money on our book. They take a risk on us, a gamble as it were. They do not pluck down their hard earned money with confidence. We have not earned that confidence, and that would require an expectation of us that we have not delivered yet.

So, fellow newbies, lets revel in this freedom. Don’t be jealous of the veterans—the ones whose work has been tested again and again and continue to live up to their readers expectations. Remember, they too were once in our position. And they remember fondly, when they were able to write with freedom.

The Author Press Kit by Yolanda M. Johnson-Bryant

The Author Press Kit by Yolanda M. Johnson-Bryant

Marketing is very importing to an author, so it goes without saying that every author should have a professional press kit in their possession. Obtaining and building a press kit is not that difficult, but can range anywhere from low priced to high priced. If you are on a budget, it’s okay to compile your own press kit, just make sure it is simple and professional.

My personal suggestion is to always start with an author bio. Keep it simple. What is simple you say? I’m glad you asked. You will be fine by simply addressing: Who? What? Where? When? Why?

You will then want to add a nice glossy 8×10 author photo. This photo can be color or black and white and should be limited to a head shot or from the waist up. I understand that everyone cannot simply afford a pricey photo, however there are other ways to obtain a high quality photo at a low cost. Have someone take a photo of you with a digital camera in a nice park setting, or an office setting. A nice touch would be in a library with a shelf of books as your background, maybe a nice piece of art. You can also take a photo on a solid color wall with a nice picture in the background or perhaps a nice large plant. One just has to be creative and know how to use basic photo editing software.

And if you absolutely MUST take a photo with a cell phone, please consider the picture quality and background. I currently own a Blackberry Storm and it takes awesome photos. Keep in mind that it is not professional when a door, clutter or other people are in the background of yout photo. If you have taken a picture with a cell phone and your arm looks like you are reaching to take the photo or it looks like you are in a bathroom stall or in a club, you may want to leave that photo on your cell phone.

Next include a nice cover photo of your book or books. Make sure that the photo includes the books ISBN number and other publishing info on the bottom right hand corner or bottom left hand corner of the photo.  If you have more than one book, be sure to include information on all your books and not just the current one. Remember your press kit is your resume and your marketing tool. A suggestion would be to have a color photo of your book(s) and on the back of that photo have a printed synopsis of your book.  Make sure to include past and present press releases.

Next, include any newspaper articles, interviews or reviews you may have received. Also include any awards or nominations you may have received for your work.  It doesn’t hurt to include a resume that is limited to your writing history, literary associations and literary accomplishments, but this is not required.

Make sure your press kit includes books marks, flyers and post cards. You may find that those interested in your press kit sometimes like to have something smaller to glance at. As an author, there is no reason you should not be without bookmarks and/or business cards.

To tie everything together, house your press kit in a nice pocket folder. Make sure there are pockets on both side so that when your press kit is opened the right hand side will display your photo and your business card and the right side displays your bio.

It’s that simple! Remember that you are a walking billboard. Present yourself in a professional manner and make sure that your press kit does the same.

Selling Out or Making a Sell (Part 2) by Dyanne Davis

This week, we continue with Part 2 of Dyanne Davis’ article, Selling Out or Making a Sell. Be sure to check out Part 1 of Selling Out or Making a Sell if you haven’t already and definitely share your thoughts!

Part 2 – Selling Out or Making a Sell by Dyanne Davis

Let’s move it a bit past the super explosive to the not as explosive. The manner of publication also garners much attention and sadly I might add with each group thinking they’re a bit better for whatever reason: For not making concessions, for doing it themselves. For not giving up knocking on doors until a mainstream publisher wants the work. The truth of the matter is there is no right or wrong way. Each writer has to make that decision for him/herself.  Let’s face it no matter the method some readers will like it and some will hate it.

In the past months heated debates have been sparked across the internet about the legitimacy of e-publishing, self-publishing and vanity publishing. (I won’t go into the differences about self-publishing and vanity publishing.  That would take at least another page.) One of the largest romance organizations Romance Writers of America, (RWA) is in the middle of the fray. Self-publishing and vanity rendered a writer as unprofessional by their guidelines.  And until recently so did e-publishing. None of this is important unless you’re a member of the more than 10,000 member organization.  I’m mentioning this here because in order to make a sale many RWA members turned to these forms of publishing. Were they selling out?  And if so whose business was it?

In November 2009 one of the largest major romance publishers, Harlequin made a decision to go into a joint venture with a vanity publisher. They would refer the aspiring writers who submitted to Harlequin and was rejected to this company. The company would then, for a very substantial amount of money, eventually publish the work. Harlequin would receive 10% referral fee from this company for any aspiring writer they referred, who then purchase the service of this company. The writers were told Harlequin would be watching the sales very carefully and that maybe some of the writers would be brought over into the legitimate Harlequin.  That’s the carrot that is dangled in front of the aspiring author who has work in the slush pile and will be or has been rejected by the romance giant.

This decision led to Romance Writers of America to place Harlequin on their not approved publisher’s list. I’m sure that before it’s done it will become known as the sound that rocked the publishing world.  Traditionally published and non-published alike wondered what this move would mean for them. Agents were fielding frantic calls from their clients. Writers were weighing in with their opinion. The question of self publishing and vanity publishing was discussed at great length. Internet fights broke out, complete with name calling. (Seriously)

And with every day that passed as I worked on this article trying for the most part to keep out my personal opinions on the decision, to not be contrary. To not be me. The fights did lead me to post a couple of times that their beliefs in the quality of self-publishing had led me to a decision to do it myself. I was emailed off loop by several well-meaning readers trying to dissuade me. My question was this: If I wrote a book and it was edited by the same editor how would said book be of any lesser quality?

I swear writing is a crazy business where the public at large obviously feels justified in making decisions they don’t have the right to make. How dare anyone down a writer for making their own choices for their careers. If they do not choose to write a certain genre or to tell of the plight of people of color shouldn’t that be their choice? If they decided to sell to publishers their peers may not like, shouldn’t that also be their choice? If they decide to publish their own work shouldn’t that also be their choice? Why should the question ever be asked, Am I selling out or making a sale?

Okay, as you can see I got a little sidetracked there. For a moment I was rereading some of the nasty posts in my mind concerning different forms of publishing. As we all know the publishing world is ever changing. Sometimes it takes someone with a big enough name to make a difference and to turn the tide. This came in the form of Donna Hill, a respected author and pioneer in African-American romance.  It was announced in Publisher’s Weekly that Donna has launched her own ebook publishing company. In recent weeks I’ve talked to several multi-published authors with mainstream publishers who have future plans for striking out on their own and doing what Donna has done.

That still leaves writers who write for Harlequin and those who want to worried about how all the publishing changes will affect them.  With all of the changes in the publishing industry, I and many more writers will be asking ourselves, ‘Do we want to make the sale?  How badly to we want to do so and if so are we selling out?  If we sell to a certain publisher say for instance Harlequin, are we selling out? What if it’s a publisher we’ve had problems with in the past? Are we selling out? What if we decide to see if it makes a difference if we change our names and write characters who do not share our ethnicity whatever that might be? What if we go with an e-publisher? What if we self- publish? Do we take in to account that writing is an expensive endeavor? A lot of money is spent on writing, computers, the latest software, conferences, printers, ink, toner, paper. How do we pay for just the supplies if we don’t make a sale?

Why do we write, to sell, or for our enjoyment? I’ll leave you with this thought: Each writer will have to make the determination for themselves.

My personal opinion:

It doesn’t matter which medium a writer chooses to bring their work to the public. It only matters the quality of the work that’s produced. If you were a respected Harlequin author before Harlequin partnered with a vanity press, you’re still a respected author.

By the way if you’d like to catch Donna Hill live or whatever you call it when you watch a show via the internet (smile) you can catch a portion of an interview I did with her on my cable television show when she came to Chicago.  It’s posted on the home page of my website: http://www.dyannedavis.com. I posted the section where she’s giving tips for writers and telling what work she’s looking for.

Take care everyone.

Dyanne

Selling Out or Making a Sell (Part 1) by Dyanne Davis

Happy New Year, everyone!  I hope you had a really wonderful holiday. Here’s to the best possible year for all of us!

This article is about the little concessions that most writers make to have that contract that we all crave—to see their work in print.  How do we as writers view the choices we make?  How do the readers view them?

This is an opinion piece. But it’s also a topic I’ve wanted to broach for several months. Seriously, it has taken me longer to write this article than it has to write a book. I’ve rewritten it so many times because I’m fully aware of the implications of some of the things I wrote. Just this morning when I was reading the printed copy of this to edit for mistakes it just wasn’t doing it for me.  I then went to “My Documents” to see if I had anything already written that I liked. I looked at a blog that I did for Parker’s blog last Feb, Why do Writer’s Write? I still liked and agreed with what I had to say. I then reread an article I’d saved (probably from RAW) Are You Token Negro Romance Queen Material?

This was perfect. It was just what got me fired up again. It detailed all the reasons I shouldn’t be submitting this article.  First off, I really like the ‘Token’ article, or I wouldn’t have kept it. But like my Parker blog post said, “I write because I’m contrary. So… remember that going in and treat this article like a buffet. If you like it fine, if not, ignore and see if what I write next is more appealing. I like a bit of dissension from time to time, something that makes you think.

Because I know that the members of RAW (and RAW4ALL) are members of every conceivable racial group I’ve tried to write this article being politically correct.  My aim is never to offend. But in working so hard to achieve that goal the article was hard to write and I’ll admit it, it was downright boring. But I think I’ve figured out how to finally finish this.  I’m sure you’ll let me know later.

Since a good portion of the RAW family (specifically RAW4ALL) are writers I’m thinking that at least a few of you have had this issue. The idea for writing this article started at least a year ago when several friends said to me that they believe they’d sold out their muse for money. I just about had this article where I wanted it to be when I received an email from a friend yesterday saying the exact same words.  So I threw out a lot of what I’d written and started over.

The message from the friend took me back to my original point for the article. I know dozens of writers who would give anything to be in this particular friend’s shoes, me included.  But that doesn’t make her feelings on the subject any less valid. Yes, she’s having four books a year published by major publishers, but she’s not happy. She’s had to make concessions in her work that warred with her inner spirit. In essence she feels she’d sold out her muse.

Several writer friends and I have discussed at great length writing under a pseudonym and writing about characters that did not resemble us or share our experiences. We’ve wondered how the work would be received and how it would affect sales. Would we in fact be selling out, or trying to make a sale? In other words we talked of writing strictly fiction.  Would writing fiction move us into the sell out phase?

As writers are we under an unspoken obligation to tell the stories of people of color? Are we allowed the freedom of writing simply to entertain? What if we’re writing to put food on the table?  (Okay, for most writers that’s a big laugh) Still, the worry over what our peers and readers would think colored our conversation thus the talk of writing under pseudonym. That in itself produced another problem. If we started over we’d have to start with building a new fan base. If we were in fact selling out would doing so in that instant to make a sale be worth it? Would we be stalling the progress other writers had made in staying true to their muse. Would we be selling out if we wrote something that the mainstream publishing housing would find acceptable?  Is it our responsibility as writers to try and uplift people of color by the kind of stories we write? If we write to make a sale how much damage will we do to our own cause and to the cause of future generations? In 2010 and beyond is this the writer’s burden to bear?

There was a time when many major publishers rejected out of hand stories from writers of color simply because the characters were people of color. It wasn’t uncommon.  Still, some writers were given a choice—change the ethnicity or forget it.  Some did. Some didn’t.  I’m sure those writers wondered the same thing, is making concessions, even major life altering concessions selling out or making a sale? Now here we are in America with significant changes all around us. There is an African American family living in ‘The White House.’  Our president is a man of color.  Yet and still, I find the need to ask the question: If the stories we write would become an instant NYT Bestseller if we changed ‘Something’ (I’m leaving that to your imagination) would we be selling out or making a sale?

We all know this isn’t the first time this question has been talked about by a group of writers. Who knows maybe that’s one of the reason many writers have chosen in the past to self-publish their work. Perhaps it was in order not to make concessions. But what of the ones who have not chosen this path? If they make a different choice will they not only have to deal with their own conscience but the voices of their peers reminding them of the struggle? Will they hear words much to the effect that what harms one of us harms us all?

To be continued…

-Dyanne Davis

Just Write! by Yolanda M. Johnson-Bryant

I’ve been writing for several years now, and I constantly hear people make the same statement over and over again; “I have a story to tell, but I don’t know where to start.” My advice is usually not to make it a bigger deal than it has to be. If you have a story, just start writing it. Several people have also made the following comment to me: “But I wasn’t great in English.” My response: “That’s what editors are for.”

Look, the most important thing to do is to just write. Whether you use pen and paper, use a computer or tape yourself telling the story, just get the basics down. It has been my past experience that the longer you wait to put your ideas down , the better the  chance that you will lose the information.

I, myself, am an electronic and sticky kind of gal. I like to see the writing flow onto the screen as I type, which makes it easy for me to go back and make changes. Have you seen my handwriting? I also keep a tablet and a pad of sticky notes in my night stand, next to my bed. That way if I awake in the middle of the night, I can immediately jot down my idea, because chances are, I won’t remember it in the morning. It’s not a bad idea to keep a small tablet with you in your purse and/or pocket for those times when you are on the road and need to write down your idea. A tape recorder is also an excellent idea.

For now, don’t worry about putting your writing in any particular order. Just get it down. You can always go back later and re-arrange parts so that they flow together. Then your editor will work with you to make sure that the grammar and flow is going the way it should.

Speaking of editors; if your intent is to bypass and editor on your project, bad idea! One has to understand that although we think we can edit our own work, which we do several times, we will almost always come up short. Allowing an editor to have the final say in a manuscript is key. When an author edits his/her own work, it will flow as the writer remembers the story in their mind, which makes it very easy for a writer to miss errors. It is always good to have a fresh set of eyes to go over your work. And when I say fresh pair of eyes, I mean an editor and not your cousin Louie. I speak this from experience. There are several short cuts one can take in publishing their book, but editing is not one of them.

So put that anxiety on the back burner and ‘get to writing’. Don’t sweat the small stuff. Trust me, you’ll have plenty of time to worry about in the later stages of completing your project.

Yolanda M. Johnson-Bryant
Author, Writer and Publisher
2009 Presenter for the Women’s Entrepreneurial Learning and Leadership Conference
www.literarywonders.com
www.yolandamjohnson.com
www.bryantconsultingonline.com

Writing for the Short Market by Dyanne Davis

Hello RAW family,

In the past months I’ve been researching where to send shorter pieces of fiction.  I’ve decided it’s time to find out more about markets that would pay for our work.  I began with purchasing the newest edition of  Novels and Short Stories Writers Market.  It wasn’t until I reflected on my own work that I’d already began my journey into short stories.

Several years ago while at the RWA National Conference in Atlanta an Amazon representative  gave a talk and told all about Amazon Connect where you wrote a prequel or sequel to your novel that was available on Amazon. It was an opportunity to get your work before people who’d never read you for a reasonable price. of .49 (cents).   I can’t remember now what I wrote, but was surprised when I got the rejection.  Before you go there, let me tell you it wasn’t ego that made me surprised, but I’d thought I could just write what I wanted as long as it pertained to the book that was coming out.  I was trying to tell a little without giving away too much from the book. After a few emails with my contact person he told me what was needed was a complete short story. It had to have a beginning, middle and an end.

The work had to be accepted.  The challenge still remained of introducing the characters and giving a flavor of the book that would hopefully have readers wanting to buy the latest book.  Word count was generous, 2-10,000 words. I redid the rejected story following the guidelines and had three accepted.  I didn’t think too much of it at the time that I was writing a short story.

(At this time the Amazon program is no longer doing the shorts.)

I didn’t even think of it a couple of years later when once again my novel was turned in with 11,000 words over.  Sidney was given the job of cutting out 10,000 words.  After we were done with the first edits I was now 15,000 words over and my editor said she had no idea how to cut anymore. The reason:  Well, I’d cut the things she suggested but new scenes cropped up as I did the cutting.  Since the book was the beginning of my vampire series, the scenes were part of the foundation I’d need for the rest of the series and therefore needed.

Shortly after that I received an email from the publisher of New Love Stories magazine asking me to contribute. Being in the middle of edits for another book I didn’t have the time nor  the inclination.  The publisher and I exchanged a few emails. I told him that I didn’t do short stories, but as soon as my scheduled permitted I would attempt one. I mentioned this to Sidney.  We’d worked on fourteen novels by this time.  She and I were having a back and forth email conversation and I told her I was thinking of writing a short story. She said she didn’t think I had a short story in me.

Challenge. Someone telling me what I can’t do.  Hmm. Not going to happen.  I was still way too busy to write anything at that time, but a light bulb went on. Sidney was wrong, wrong, wrong.  I’d already written a short story for another purpose. A large group of writers were each doing a short story for inclusion in a book.  The publisher was set, the contracts were signed and as oftentimes happen in the publishing world, things changed and the book was not going to be done.  Around the same time one of the groups I belonged to asked me to participate in a holiday round robin.   I started thinking about the fact that I had written two short stories without thinking too much about it. Then it hit me, submit the two stories to the magazine. Both stories were bought and the one for the round robin appeared in the premier issue of New Love Stories. For me personally I enjoyed the physical act of submitting something myself. Having an agent limits the works I can submit on my own. The short story market gave me a chance to be on both sides of the fence at once.

During the twelve months of waiting for the first issue of the magazine to come out I begin researching the short story market. I discovered that in this market, it was possible for a writer to actually make a living.

Make a living, a consistent living.  That had a nice ring to it.  It was now time for me to kick the research up a notch.  I scoured the bookstores for books on where these markets were,  took online classes, bought ebooks that claimed to be filed with this information. I will admit that if you look hard enough you might find one or two things that might interest you. Don’t write it off, it’s a start and you get to take the cost of the material off your taxes.  There are two items that are more than worth the purchase, The 2009 Writers Guide to the Short Market and Writers Magazine.

Matter of fact there was in article in The Writer that touched on what I was planning on writing.  (See what I mean?  Research is never wasted.) There are lots of how to markets and markets wanting articles and blogs and some of them pay extremely well.  The side benefit is that most of the magazines hold first rights, meaning you can sell the story again and again. There are also a few markets (mainly children markets) that will pay each time they reuse an  article. When the writer of the article mentioned making $10,000 from his one article, my interest soared.

Of course you’re aware that not everything connected with writing is all about the money. If it were, so many writers wouldn’t continually say they don’t write for the money but the love of writing. So on the other end of the spectrum I’ve discovered what writing for the love of it truly means. Through my research I’ve discovered tons of literary magazines that will enable writers to get their name before the public. I purchased Most of these magazines are basically salve for the soul as they pay in one to two copies of the magazine.

Suffice it to say that while I’ve been researching the market, studying the types of stories that they buy  (EXTREMELY IMPORTANT) and graphing my progress, I have gained untold respect for the writers who have mastered this.  My rejection pile is getting high, but you can’t sell if you don’t write.

Two pieces of good news. And yes, even in rejections there can be good news.  I’ve received two handwritten notes from an editor of one of the markets I’m trying to break into. The first one she told me how much she loved my story and my voice. But sadly they didn’t accept stories where there was marital strife of any kind, even if there was a HEA. Last week I received another handwritten note that said, she really loved another of my stories, but they didn’t publish political stories. Keep trying, she said, keep studying the weekly issues for the types of stories we publish. You’re getting close.

So I leave you with this: Short stories can be used as a kind of pallet cleanser. They’re fun to write and a challenge if you’re used to overwriting as I am. They are also a very lucrative market.  Just don’t go into it thinking it’s just fluff and you need not do anything but write.  That’s a huge mistake.   (THIS PART IS INTENTIONALLY REPETITIVE) You should always research your market and definitely research the publisher you’re submitting to. Read what they publish and learn their needs.  Until then do your homework and don’t write off the short story market. There are many things you can do while waiting to make the sale. Do your homework:  Work at finding the Right Markets, finding story Ideas, developing and writing your stories. Follow the rules of each individual magazine publisher, query them first if that’s what they want. Learn what happens after you submit your story or article. What’s the wait time?  How about your rights? What does the contract state?  Will you get paid, if so, when and how much?

While the writing might be a lot shorter for the short story market if you’re a professional writer it’s still a business and you should treat it as such. Have fun with it and never ever give up.  When I finally figure out what it is they want and make my first sale, I will come back and share.

Dyanne Davis —- http://www.dyannedavis.com

To Curse or Not to Curse by Katrina Spencer

To Curse or Not to Curse? That is the Question

• “Get your %&* off the couch and do the dishes!”
• “Get your butt off the couch and do the dishes!”

Which sentence is better? In truth, that’s like comparing apples to oranges. It really depends on the opinion of the writer. Writing is difficult, with or without the curse words. But if you choose not to use profanity in your writing, you’re in a whole different ball game. There are good things and bad things about the decision not to curse, and I will point out a few.

1. It puts limitations on your characters and the settings you use in your writing. I personally do not use profanity in my writing. So there are certain things I cannot write about. Writing a book about one of my characters being in prison, for example, would be something I couldn’t do. To write that book profanity would be mandatory. Not using profanity would be extremely difficult to maneuver. (I don’t like to say impossible, because in fiction, anything is possible.) I don’t mind having this limitation on me. Every writer has lines that they will not cross in their fiction and for me profanity is one of them. For you it may be death, or child abuse, those topics you may not want to touch. But for many writers, they want the freedom to write about whatever they want, without restriction. If you’re one of them, then omitting profanity could be a problem.

2. Your book has to be filled with enough tension, emotion, and drama that your readers don’t notice that they haven’t read one curse word. If you choose not to use profanity, you have to inject your novel with other punches of color. You don’t want your readers to close your book and think, “Wow, that didn’t have any curse words.” No, the trick is to have your book so exciting they don’t even notice. Let’s look at these too sentences:

• “What the @$%* you lookin’ at?”
• “What you lookin’ at?” he asked. He belched, then scratched the stubble under his chin, grating his fingers back and forth against the coarse hairs until it emitted a sound similar to sandpaper on wood.

Both sentences are up to the writer’s discretion and what they choose to do. But notice in the second sentence the extra punch I added. Both sentences show a side to this character that the writer may want to express, but if you decide against using profanity, remember that you have to add a little bit more oomph to express your characters fully.

3. You will offend less readers. I know, I know, a lot of you may say, “Who cares if they get offended! I want to write the book I want to write, and portray my characters the way I want to them to be portrayed.” And that’s fine. But I’m sure many authors receive reader e-mail or Amazon reviews that said they liked the book but they could do without all the F-bombs. If that sort of thing doesn’t bother you–great. But if it does, then think again before writing that expletive.

The fun thing about writing is that you get to create worlds that you control with the flick of your wrist. The language the author chooses is their prerogative. So I ask, which do you choose when writing, to curse or not to curse?

Next Page »