IWSG: December

It's that time of month again for the IWSG monthly blog hop. Our fearless and tireless leader, Alex J. Cavanaugh started this supportive group more than three years ago. The group is a safe place where writers can share concerns, offer advice and expertise while growing a group of online friends and support. Find the entire list on the IWSG website or join the IWSG Facebook page.

This month is special for IWSG group as it marks the release of the book on writing containing advice and expertise from more than 100 members of our awesome group. The IWSG Guide to Publishing and Beyond is now available for free at most online book retailers. There really is something for everyone.

Hopefully, those of you doing NaNo have recovered. A few bloggers I follow rocked and made their 50,000 words goal with time to spare. Congrats to you all on your accomplishment and thank you for inspiring me.

I didn't participate in NaNo and probably never will but I did do tons of writing during the month of November. My romance publisher gave me a nudge to finish the next book in my Warriors of Gaviron Series so they could get it officially on the schedule. Frantic writing ensued but I learned that when I shut out all distractions like family, TV and even music, I could write thousands of words per day. After the terrific success of The Warrior and the Biologist, my romance publisher now has The Warrior and the Governor up for pre-order on their site and on Amazon. And they did a great job on the cover.

What has inspired you lately? Have you checked out the IWSG Guide to Publishing and Beyond? Have you learned something from its pages? Did you win NaNo?

The Insecure Writer's Support Group Guide to Publishing and Beyond

Today! Yes, today you can purchase the best book to guide and support you in your writing career for the perfect price of FREE.

Tapping into the expertise of over a hundred talented authors from around the globe, The IWSG Guide to Publishing and Beyond contains something for every writer. Whether you are starting out and need tips on the craft of writing, looking for encouragement as an already established author, taking the plunge into self-publishing, or seeking innovative ways to market and promote your work, this guide is a useful tool. Compiled into three key areas of writing, publishing, and marketing, this valuable resource offers inspirational articles, helpful anecdotes, and excellent advice on dos and don'ts that we all wish we knew when we first started out on this writing journey.

I promise you, there is something for everyone in this book. Whether you're a complete novice in the writing business or a someone well along in your career, you will learn something you didn't know before. Promise.

If you're already a member of IWSG monthly blog hop, you've probably read some of the articles and essays included in the guide though perhaps not in the detail you'll find in the book. You can also be part of the Facebook IWSG group. And you will find links to all the bloggers who've contributed. If you have blogging friends who aren't members of IWSG, tell them about this FREE book that will help them as writers. Pick your format.

Barnes and Noble

Smashwords

Kobo

Amazon

And we'd love if you'd leave a review and add the book on Goodreads where you can rate it.

Special thanks to Alex J. Cavanaugh who started IWSG and who came up with the concept for this book. And a shout out to my other friends who've been part of this endeavor,

L. Diane Wolfe

J.L. Campbell

Joylene Nowell Butler

Michelle Wallace

Lynda R. Young

I'm so proud to be part of this and want to thank all the IWSG members who contributed. You will be so impressed with the inspiration and advice within the pages. Share it, tweet about, post on Facebook and mostly, enjoy your copy.

Are you going to add this to your professional library? Did you add it on Goodreads? What part of the book interests you the most

Not In Kansas Anymore

By the time this post goes live, I hope I'm almost done driving through Kansas. After flying to Colorado on Tuesday, I helped my son pack up his apartment and stuff it all into his little car. His golf job is still seasonal this year so he's moving home to PA for a few months until the snow melts. Hopefully, he'll get a promotion and be year round next year.

Many people complain about the sameness of driving through Kansas, but I love the wide open road. I hope it's not raining like it was when we drove west last spring. My point in sharing this is that I'll be late visiting blogs. Hopefully, our hotel on the east side of St. Louis will have good Wifi.

My current WIP is the second book in my Warriors of Gaviron series. I've had to spend some time away from it because of other commitments but I'm really excited about my characters as I enter the midway point in the novel. The first book in the series, The Warrior and the Biologist, has been sitting in the top 100 in a couple of science fiction categories on Amazon for a few weeks now. Wish I could write a little faster.

One of the commitments I've been distracted by is IWSG Guide to Publishing and Beyond. I can only say, Wow! The book is going to be super. By being an 'assistant' editor ( I made that position up) I cheated and jotted down all kinds of interesting ideas during the most recent read-through. Of course, if you visited around to the different blogs on the first Wednesday of October you already garnered all that information. And visit the IWSG blog today for a special guest.

I hope to read some of the books I have on my Kindle on my road trip. More than three hours of flight and a two hour layover should give me some time to read and even do some reviews.

I'm getting very excited about the movie, Interstellar. Once I move James back home, I'll have someone to go see it with. My husband doesn't care for science fiction movies and my lovely sons like going to the movies with me. (Probably because I always pay though I'd like to think it's more than that.)

A forwarded letter to my daughter from Boston arrived on Monday, addressed to her last semester's residence. It was a demand that she appear for jury duty in December. Apparently, Massachusetts is so desperate for jurors that they make college students miss class to serve even though the kids are from out of state. Now you know my daughter is currently in Morocco and won't be back in the states until after the date she's supposed to serve. It was a crazy 'out of the blue' kind of thing and accompanied by two pages of threats if she didn't comply to their demands to serve. How can a city the size of Boston not be able to fill a jury pool and need to take advantage of the kids attending college there?

Did you find some writing goodies during the last IWSG Wednesday? Looking forward to Interstellar? Do you take your eReader when you travel or physical books? Ever been called to serve jury duty out of state?

Monthly Special

Busy as a bee doesn't quite describe it here in the northeast. After all, those buzzing wonders don't work all winter long. As I've started into the second year of my career as a full time writer, I find there is no 'normal' month of work. There's always something going on in the writing side of writing or on the business side of writing. Or the real life issues side of writing.

Blog hops are every where. I enjoy them and find myself involved in at least one but usually more every month. Next Monday is the Survive and Thrive Bloghop. And of course the first Wednesday of every month is IWSG blog.

A big special over the course of the last six weeks has been the IWSG Guide to Publishing and Beyond project. I'm so proud to be part of that still ongoing construction. Can't wait for December!

Besides posting on my personal blog here, I take turns posting on the IWSG blog and today I'm at the A to Z Blogging Challenge. I also belong to a lesser know blog group at The Susquehanna Writers Blog. And I'm already preparing for the A to Z Challenge for next April.

Keeping up my author page on Facebook and trying to grow that has taken some time. I've become more active on Twitter and find I'm enjoying that more. Still haven't figured out LinkedIn but I'm there. I've also been asked to take on the job of secretary for Pennwriters, a state-wide writing organization. Don't even know how much that work will be yet.

On the writing side of writing, my most recent release was at the beginning of September. My romance publisher is doing a re-release of three of my titles with new covers, one at the end of each of the next three months. Musa Publishing has taken on my Futhark Chronicles and will be releasing them during four separate months next year starting in February. Some editing to do on those. And I just signed a contract for the follow up book to First Dragon. 

On the life side of writing, I'm still stressing about my daughter studying in Morocco. My hair falls out when I stress. LOL. It's getting very thin. And I'll be helping my son move back east from Colorado next week. A long day in the airport flying out there and two long days of driving back. Still, it will be nice to have one of the chicks safely back in the nest.

This isn't a whine post though I'm having some while I write it. What I've learned in my short time of being a full time writer is that you can be as busy as you want to be. There are so many things out there to get involved in. While I worked the day job, I would never have had time to do all these things. By getting involved in them, I'm making lots of friends, learning so much about the industry and giving back a little to the people who have helped me along in my career.

Do you volunteer your time somewhere in the writing community? What part of the writing business beside the actual writing keeps you the busiest? What events are you looking forward to in the next few months?

First Friday

My mother always used to say the weather for a new month would follow whatever Mother Nature graced us with on the first Friday of the month. Sunny and mild here today with a few clouds later. I can live with that for October. I love the days when I don't need AC or heat on in the house. Windows open and fresh air throughout the abode.

Wisdom from The Old Farmer's Almanac related to the above. October breezy, November wheezy, December freezy. And another. To sleep well, kept the bedroom temperature no higher than 68 degrees.

The posts presented on Wednesday for the IWSG Guide to Publishing and Beyond were incredible. The members of our group have so much wisdom to share and they did. The book is going to be awesome.

After a stressful eight days when my daughter was out of touch as she toured Morocco we made contact on Monday. She had a fun adventure and shared some of it on her blog, The Open Roof.

Other excitement for me this week was the strange surge in sales of my Recon Marine Series. All three books climbed back up the Amazon rankings for some reason, even spending some time in the top 100 of multiple science fiction categories. Once again convincing me I know little about promotion but I'm grateful that more readers have found the series.

I'm excited about the meeting of my local writers' group, CPRW. It's election time for new officers and we have some wonderful people willing to take on the responsibilities. Then I have some writing to catch up on for my WIP. I've neglected it for most of the week.

Has your October been breezy? Do you keep your bedroom cool? Did you submit an article for the IWSG book? Ever ride a camel in the desert?

IWSG: Guide to Publishing and Beyond

It's finally October and in celebration of the third anniversary of IWSG we're putting together a free ebook titled, IWSG: A Guide to Publishing and Beyond. Today on our usual first Wednesday posting of the month, the group is sharing the post we've submitted to the book. You should know by now that the entire IWSG universe is the brainchild of Alex J. Cavanaugh. You can find the entire list of participants here and if you haven't joined by now, what are you waiting for? 

Are You Ready to Submit?

The time has come for you to send your creation out into the world of publishing. Before you submit a query or pitch to an editor or agent at a conference you need to be prepared with your sales pitch. In the world of publishing, there are four general pitches you should prepare ahead of time.

The Logline.

This one sentence pitch should include five key factors. The who, the what, the when/where, the how and the why. Use this example sentence and fill it in with your unique information and then work with it to make it more sensible and interesting.

In a (setting/when/where) a (protagonist/who) has a (difficulty caused by an antagonist/the what) and (faces the conflict/how) as the tries to (achieve the goal/why.)

In a face to face meeting, this simple line could lead to a lengthier interview or request for a longer description.

The Elevator Pitch

This is the nickname for a five to six line pitch such as you might use at a conference if you luck out and run into an editor in the elevator or at the bar. The easiest way to do this is expand on your logline. A sentence with the setting, one about the protagonist, another about the difficulty or challenge, the fourth about facing the conflict and the last should be why facing it is important or the protagonist’s goal.

The elevator pitch also comes in handy as a guide to the short paragraph usually requested in a query letter to briefly describe your story. Make each sentence count.

Short Synopsis

Often times an agent or publisher will ask for a one page summary of your novel. Include the five elements mentioned above for the shorter pitches and give each a bit more attention. This is a chance to add all those unique elements of your setting, your characters and the difficulties facing them. Even though a page might seem very long compared to the elevator pitch, make each sentence count. You’ll also be judged on your writing. Are you using active verbs and avoiding those adverbs? Include anything that makes your characters different and compelling. Don’t forget to include the ending or conclusion of the story. Editors expect to find out how the conflict is resolved when reading a synopsis.

Longer Synopsis or Outline

Sometimes an editor will put a page count on this request. It might be five to six pages or even as long as twelve. Or they might not specify on the length. The easiest way to do it is make each chapter a short paragraph. If the paragraph for a certain chapter seems frivolous or uninteresting that may give you a clue that you should cut some scenes from your book. Even in a long synopsis you don’t have to include everything or mention every secondary character. Again remember your writing style and voice are being judged at the same time as the content of your story is. Don’t make your outline a dry dissertation of facts. Remember when you were in school and had to give those dreaded book reports. Report with all the enthusiasm of sharing the most favorite book you’ve ever read.

Be prepared with all four types of pitches before trying to sell your book. Chances are you’re going to need them sooner or later. The logline and the elevator pitch will come in handy at book signings when readers stop by and ask what your book is about. Once you’re prepared your pitches, impose on your critique partners to evaluate them and make it as perfect as you can.

Are you experienced writing pitches? Do you find them difficult? Have you submitted your article to the book?

Sprints or Marathons?

First things first. This Wednesday is IWSG posting for October. And it's the day to post your offering for IWSG Guide to Publishing and Beyond. In my duties as human spell checker and minor editing details, I've read some terrific posts that are going to make this book very special. It's a great way to get your name out there in the nonfiction market too. Thanks to Alex J. Cavanaugh for being the creative genius behind the idea and the leader in bringing it all together.

I was very busy last week editing a book for my romance publisher, New Concepts Publishing. It was that final read through to search out any misspelled words or misplaced commas. I always take my time with that because it's so easy for one's eyes to skip over those when you're reading a book for the fifteenth or so time. Every time I go through the editing process I appreciate my small publishers more. When it comes time to submit your book to a publisher you have to decide whether to go the small press route or submit to one of the big traditional publishers. Many, probably most, of the published authors I know are published by small publishers. Working with a small publisher puts your career on the marathon path more than the quick sprint to glory path.

Many small publishers offer either no or very small advances. If you're looking for dollars in the bank as a measure of success, you might not get that immediately with a small publisher. The income may be spread out over years and slowly build up to equal the advance you might have received from a traditional publisher. Earnings come strictly from royalties. If you receive an advance from a publisher, they will keep a reserve of earnings toward paying back that upfront money. Unless your book sells well, the advance may be the only money you ever see from the book.

Small publishers are likely to pay your a greater percentage on sales than a big publisher. Most will pay 25-40% on digital books. A small publisher usually lets an author have more say on cover design. A big criticism of traditional publishers is the length of time between contract and the actual publication date of the book. Small publishers having a much shorter turnaround time. I usually expect six months or less from my romance publisher.

Often small publishers are started by a writer who loves books and authors. When working for such a company the author can develop a very personal relationship with the owner, the editors and the other people working in the small company.

One of the dangers of a small publisher is that they can go belly up. I went through that a number or years ago. That bankruptcy clause in your contract will not prevent your books from getting tangled in the legal process. It can take years to get your rights back. It's important to investigate a small publisher before trusting them with your hard work. Also with a small publisher you're less likely to see your book on the shelves at the local B&N but most bookstores will arrange booksignings if you want to do them. When it comes to promotion, both small and big publishers expect most of the work to be done by the author.

So I'm involved in a marathon of a writing career. No big advance checks but I'm slowly developing a small steady income from the three small publishers I work with. Looking for a small publisher? Here's a list of 700 book publishers. Here's another list of the top 101 Independent book publishers. You might find something you like.

Are the other advantages you can think of for authors pubbed by smaller companies? What do you think is a reasonable percentage for authors to earn on their published books? Have you prepared your post for Wednesday's IWSG?

First Friday of the Fall

The week flew by wit lots of work to be done. I had a book to be edited and I'm still working on it. I polished up my article for IWSG: Guide to Publishing and Beyond. Don't forget to get your post ready. Next Wednesday is our regular posting day and I know all members of the group have received instructions. We all know something, big or small that could be helpful to others.

Here's some weekly wisdom from my Old Farmer's Almanac. If you sing before breakfast, you will have bad luck. No problem for me. I like a day where I don't have to say anything until afternoon.

The sword wounds the body, but words wound the soul. -- Arabian proverb

It is not enough to be industrious; so are ants. What are you industrious about? -- Henry David Thoreau

A little Tolkien to get us through the weekend though maybe I should have saved it for the next Hobbit movie.

I'm enjoying some new fall TV shows. I liked the first episode of Scorpion. We'll see how it goes. Glad to have Sleepy Hollow and Person of Interest back on with new shows. Syfy's Haven is also back on for a short season. Supernatural will be back on soon and Once Upon a Time starts this Sunday. That's enough TV for me. Not quite an hour per day on average. Upped my jogging time to 90 minutes four or five times per week. For some people that might be half a marathon but I'm really, really slow. It does cause me some consternation when those turkey buzzards circle over my head. I'm not that slow.

Do you have your IWSG post ready? Any of the Old Farmer's wisdom hitting home this week? What TV shows are you enjoying this fall or do you skip it altogether?

In a Land Faraway

Technology had made the world smaller but virtual travel will never replace actually being in a location. I mentioned my daughter is studying in Morocco. Though an open society compared to many countries in that part of the world, it's a way different world from the one most of us live in. To share her experience, my daughter has started a blog. Her topics are quite varied and wildly interesting. Especially to me. The Open Roof is Kelley's blog. I hope you'll take the time to hop over there and leave her a comment as she perfects her Arabic and studies the culture of Morocco.

I'd also like to thank Lori L. MacLaughlin. She gifted me with The Versatile Blogger Award. I'm supposed to share 7 things about myself and then pass it on to 15 bloggers.

1. Despite having knew replacement surgery 10 years ago, I still jog 3-5 miles most days.
2. I grew up on a dairy farm but never drink milk, then or now.
3. I have an inherited blonde streak that runs down the back of my head. It will never turn gray. Looks a little like a skunk.
4. I grew up in a two hundred year old farmhouse with a b&w TV that got one channel.
5. I didn't learn to swim until I went to college.
6. My fraternal grandfather was a bit infamous during prohibition. Can't say anymore than that.
7. I donate blood six or seven times per year.

I'm not going to pass this on to anyone in particular but I challenge anyone to share seven interesting tidbits about yourself.

I hope you've prepared your contribution to The IWSG Guide to Publishing and Beyond. If you're still undecided, the book has received lots of writing articles. If you have an idea about publishing or promotion, that would balance the numbers out a bit.

Have you sent in your IWSG post yet? What do you think of Kelley's blog? Have any infamous ancestors like I do? Are you a blood donor?

Tweet That

Social media and promotion are not my favorite thing but I've accepted it as part of the business of writing. If you want people to know about your books you must get the word out. One of those ways is on Twitter. You'll find lots of advice out there, some good and some not so good. As with most promotion, you need to find your comfort zone in how you use the tweet verse. And remember what works for someone else might not work for you. Take all advice including mine with a grain of salt.

At one of my local writing groups we had a speaker who shared some expert advice on using twitter. She strongly suggested that you don't connect your twitter account to your Facebook account. People on Facebook don't like the short, sometimes confusing 140 character tweets. It also makes you look lazy.

This same speaker also said you should do at least four tweets per day to promote a product. But not all tweets should be about your product (book). Share funny things or interesting links. Be careful to not get involved in political debates.

Plan your tweets ahead of time. I spent a little time each weekend writing down some tweets about my books. Then it only takes me a few minutes each day to tweet about my books. Every time you write a new blog post, tweet about it. Read an interesting blog or news article, tweet about it with a link. One of your friends tweet about their blog or a book? Retweet for them. Someday they may retweet for you.

Follow people who have the same interests as you. Hopefully, they follow you back. Perhaps your publisher makes it easy to tweet an announcement about your book. Use the easy link they provide. Be careful not to get sucked into spending hours on twitter. There are so many interesting links posted there you can end up exploring all day long.

Don't forget to get your post ready for the IWSG book. And visit the IWSG blog for another great post. Maybe even tweet about it.

Follow me on Twitter if you're not already. Do you tweet? Do you plan ahead of time? Any advice for using the twitter verse for promotion?

There's No Place Like Home on a Friday

I'm back from my trip to visit Colorado. Enjoyed that beautiful country and spending time with my son. I've learned that I don't mind actually flying in an airplane but airports are the pits. I don't care for crowds of any kind but the thing that bothers me the most is the inefficiency I encountered in many areas of the whole business. I have endless patience with someone trying to do their job but absolutely none with people standing around when they should be working. Enough complaints.

I found this interesting article about writers who struggled with mental illness. Lots of us joke about writers being a little bit on the crazy side but there is a side of that we should find so funny. Go here to read about 10 Great Novelists Who Were Mentally Disturbed.

Some words of wisdom from The Old Farmer's Almanac.
Brides: For a happy marriage, wear a coin in your shoe on your wedding day.

Expect good news if your right knee itches.

To reduce anxiety, sniff lavender oil.

A busy weekend ahead getting some blog posts ready ahead of time and working on my contribution to the IWSG Guide to Publishing and Beyond. I'm also going to order some ink this weekend. Despite all the things I do digitally and writing on my computer, I still seem to print out a lot of things. Ink is so expensive I hate doing it.

Did you know about any of those famous authors' mental health issues? Any itches in your right knee? Like the smell of lavender? Do you use a lot of ink?