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Advanced Reader Campaign – The Recipe

THE RECIPE FOR AN ARC CAMPAIGN?

Yes, the recipe.  I just finished planning a Private Advanced Reader Campaign and although it's not hard, it does require several steps and knowing what order you need to do each step is important.  If you do them in the proper order, it will be an easy process.

I've made this list for myself and decided to share it on this blog because knowing the order can remove a lot of the stress and having to go back and forth between the book, the forms, the website, etc.

INGREDIENTS - AN OVERVIEW:

You will need an eBook and a book cover.

For any Advanced Reader Campaign, I would suggest you add a disclaimer that it is an advanced copy, a watermark, and a link to fill out a questionnaire about what the reader thought about the book.

You will need to produce the eBook in a pdf and ePub format, which will require you to convert it from a Word file to an ePub.  The ePub may need to be cleaned up a bit in a free program called Sigil.  Then you will need to test the ePub with the KDP viewer.  This step may or may not be necessary.

You will need to create the questionnaire for the readers to fill out.  Now, if you don't have a website where you can create a form, you can use a google forms or you can ask the readers to send an email with feedback  about the book to your email.   I have found the forms get more interaction.

Also if you don't have a website, you will have to upload the ePub and PDF onto Google Drive and record the share link in order to include them in an email to send to your ARC readers.

I also need a form for readers to sign up to become an ARC reader, with an auto-responder that will send them the book.

And lastly, you will need graphics to post on your website or social media.

Now that I have given you an overview of everything that is needed in the whole campaign, I'll post below the order you need to create them in.



THE ARC CAMPAIGN RECIPE INSTRUCTIONS

  1.  Finish your eBook and have it edited.  When the editor has your manuscript, you at least two weeks to prepare the ARC campaign, which is enough time.
  2. Create the eBook cover.  If you don't have your final cover, you can create a temporary cover for the ARC campaign, if necessary.
  3. Create a questionnaire form for your readers to fill out when they are done.  I find asking about 10 or 15 short questions, most with yes or no answers that it makes it easy for the readers to give me the specific feedback I'm looking for.  This should be done right after the cover because you will need to put the link to this questionnaire into the back of the book so the readers can click on it.
  4. Create a sign-up form to become an ARC Reader.  I use a form from my WordPress website using a plugin called Contact Form 7.  This allows me to get the names and emails of the ARC readers.  I keep a running list on my work diary so that I can then send them an email when the book is published asking for a review.
  5. Create a page on your website, or whatever social media platform you use,  that has a graphic of the final book cover, with a short summary of what the book is about.  Add the form to sign up to this page.  I also put a notice that I am looking for ARC readers on the homepage of my website.
  6. Make social media graphics (1000 px x 1000 px for most platforms and a 1000 px x 1500 px for Pinterest) so you have them when you launch the book.  If you have the time, skills or budget, create several graphics:  ARC Campaign Sign Up, Coming Soon, New Release by AUTHOR NAME, Release Date, and a seasonal graphic based on what season you are releasing in.
  7. The above steps can be done with the manuscript in the editor's hands.
  8. Once the editor returns the book, make the corrections and add a request to fill out the questionnaire and add the link to your form.
  9. Add a watermark that this is an early release.  This allows you to change the book or tweak the book based on feedback.
  10. Once the manuscript is finalized, save is as a docx and PDF.
  11. Then convert the book from a docx file to an ePub using a conversion tool.  I use Convertio.co which is $9.00 a month.  Check their website and see if you can cancel at any time and you can create your ePub once or twice (after your feedback if you change anything) and then cancel the membershipAnother strategy for conversion is to go to Fiverr.com and search convert docx to epub and make sure you select a budget because they default to showing you people who charge $25.00 to start.  I found someone that would have done it for $10.00.
  12. Once you have the epub file, upload it to KDP -- as a draft -- and check it using their previewer.  Check every single page!  If there are no errors and everything looks good, you will then be good to go.
  13. If you have some formatting issues, you may want to watch my video on using the style gallery for best ePub results (which I'm planning to do at this time).
  14. Once you have a PDF and ePub, you are ready to launch the ARC campaign.  You can use whatever service you use for your newsletter to create an auto-reponder form or you can answer each sign up by sending them an email with both documents attached, the epub and the PDF.
  15. The campaign is now set to go.  Post it to your newsletter, social media and on your website!


Why Have a Private ARC Campaign

WHY HAVE A PRIVATE ARC CAMPAIGN?

private-gatheringThe one main reason I have right now is that I want to avoid offering this to the general public because I am not sure if the book, even though it is edited, is in its final form.

I normally will offer the ARC copy knowing that people want free copies, but this book I’m unsure about.  I want to at least start with my newsletter readers who I can ask to help me with feedback and fill out a questionnaire about the book.

I’m not sure I will go with this exact ending.  So this is not set for pre-order and although it has been edited, I may change the book based on feedback and then it will need to be re-edited.  So I don’t want a lot of copies of this book floating around.

By limiting the number, I can make sure I send a free copy to the ones who read it for me and I can tell them where and why I changed the text.

THE STEPS I WILL BE PASSING THROUGH:

checkline and outlineIn order to offer a limited ARC copy, I will use my newsletter list, which is really my reader list, and my website.  I will limit the invitations to these two places.

Here is a list of the steps I will need to go through.  I will be making short videos and/or blog posts to share what I did in each of these phases.  Nothing is hard, but it all takes time.

  1.  Finalize the ARC copy of the manuscript in Word docx file.  Add a watermark indicating this is an ARC copy.  Make sure this copy has a link to the ARC Questionnaire where readers can share their feedback with you.
  2. Convert the docx file into an ePub.  I use convertio.co, which is a paid site.  It costs $9.00 a month.  I used it more than the old plan used to give you as a free trial.  However, I believe it is all paid now.  So you can go to Fiverr and search convert docx to epub and choose the budget of $5 or $10 — because it now defaults to people who charge $25.Once the document is converted, download it onto your hard drive.
  3. I usually bring these epubs into Sigil, a program to create and/or edit ePubs in order to make some global changes and/or clean up the extra codes it may bring inside.  I will have a video on this one.Create a PDF from your docx file.  Once you have the epub and PDF, you are ready to upload to KDP and test it.  I will cover this in one of the videos.Upload the PDF and the ePub up to google drive and copy the links; you will need them later.
  4. Author-Website-with-signup-formThe next steps are done with my website.  They have to do with pages and forms.  So if you don’t have a website, then you can use google forms or whatever system you presently use to get signups.  I use Mailerlite and could have set this up through them, but I want to receive the emails and names myself so I can keep a list of who the ARC readers are so I can ask them for a review when the book is ultimately published.

I need a page with graphics introducing the book.
I need a graphic and link for the front page of my website.
I need a Contact Form 7 with an auto-reponder where I put the two links from Google Drive to download either the PDF or the ePub.  I need to check the form to make sure it works.
I need to create a form for my feedback questions and post it on a separate page on the website.
Then I need to create a list to keep track of who my ARC readers are and their emails.

So that is the process I am now going through.  In the next blog posts and videos, I will be addressing these very creations and/or changes.

 

 

 

 

Writing Short Stories with Downloadable Worksheet

SHARING MY ANALYSIS:

In my quest to improve my marketing in 2005, I decided I needed a couple of short stories to offer as giveaways.  Although I’ve written 14 novels, I’ve never written a short story.

I went on a quest and read several classic short stories and below are my findings.  I’m not an authority on this, of course, but I’m just offering my observations and what I learned to far.

STORY CONTAINMENT:

Woman-writer-containmentThe first thing I noticed is that the story needs to be contained or confined to a shorter version than a novel.  This means that you won’t have the same space to build the characters.

The other thing I noticed is that the storyline is about one event or one meeting of some kind.  For example:  A weekend visit, or a train ride, or a meeting on the street that leads to something happening.

Keeping this need for containment in mind I believe will prevent us, as writers, from setting out to write a short story and somehow writing a novelette or even a novel.

SENTENCES PACKED WITH INFORMATION:

The next thing I noticed was that the sentences in many of the short stories were longer than in novels, as they contained so much added information.  In other words, you need to pack the background and characterization inside the action of the story.  Every word counts and the writers wrote succinctly and every word served the story.

Knowing the need for this, I believe it will help with story containment.

DOWNLOAD THE WORKSHEET:

short-mystery-story-templateThere are templates all over the internet for story crafting, but they all seem to follow the hero’s journey, which I find doesn’t work for mystery books.  At least I was never able to make them work for me.

So I have created a template for a Short Story Mystery Template that asks all the who, what, where, when questions that you will need to set up the bones of the short story.

If you’re interested in downloading the form, click below to access the form.

Coloring Page – Merry Christmas Nativity

Check out my Book Series!

All my books have a thread of Catholicism running through them.

Ryan Mallardi Private Investigations
Jack Nolan Detective Series
Newport Vampire Stories Series

Book Branding – Inside & Out

LEARN HOW TO COBBLE TOGETHER YOUR OWN STYLE TO BRAND YOUR BOOKS.

Below are two videos about branding the inside of your books, as well as creating an ebook template that contains this styling -- which is part 1.

The second video talks about how to research and cobble together your own custom branding for your book covers.  Whether your write stand-alone books or book series, your books will look more professional with consistent branding.

Even if you self-publish, you will be working towards your own recognition as a professional and serious author.  I hope you enjoy the videos.  If you have any questions or other tips, be sure to post them under the videos.  I do read the comments.





Movie Review – The Brotherhood of the Bell

 

This movie was free on YouTube, but unfortunately, it's not available on JustWatch.com.  It could be because this was and is a made-for-TV movie.

This is a 90 minute thriller movie about secret societies.  I normally shy away from thrillers, but this movie was cited on someone else's YouTube video when they were talking about secret societies.  That's why I decided to watch it.

WHAT CAN AUTHORS LEARN FROM THIS MOVIE?

I realized that this is a great movie for writers to watch as the plotline is simple enough and the writing is tight enough to easily take apart to analyze or reverse engineer.  So if you are interested in writing a conspiracy theory plotline or a secret society plotline, this is a good movie to watch.

In my humble opinion, this movie was also made to be shown on national TV probably starting around 8:30 or 9:00 PM, so the plotline is written for both men and women.  I liked the movie very much.

Moral tale that laces through the movie is about what can happen when someone tries to stand up and do the right thing in a system of corruption.  It's also a story about the difference between revenge and the quest for justice.

Here is the review I did on YouTube, if you are interested in viewing it.

 

 



Movie Review – The Satanic Rites of Dracula

 

If this movie is no longer free on YouTube, you can find where it is streaming at JustWatch.com:  https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/the-satanic-rites-of-dracula

CHRISTIAN DISCLAIMER:

Although this is a movie about satanic rites and a satanic cult, it is Christian and Catholic friendly.  The cult is seen as evil and the traditional Dracula rules of crosses and crucifixes are powerful enough to ward off satan, vampires and evil.

WHAT CAN AUTHORS LEARN FROM THIS MOVIE?

This is a modern Dracula story (it was modern in 1973 😊) and this is a good example of how to mix a modern contemporary vampire story with the old-world rules and images of the old gothic vampire genre.

A writer can also learn about adding obstacles to build tension and conflict.  The obstacles used in the movie are easy enough to envision them in whatever you may be working on.

This is also an easy enough "saving the world from evil" storyline that is not complicated or convoluted.  This movie would be easy enough to reverse engineer and learn how to create a story spine for a force that could destroy the world.

There is a moral tale and it's the basic good vs. evil.

Here is the review I did on YouTube, if you are interested in viewing it.

 

 



Coloring Page – Happy Holidays Santa

Check out my Book Series!

All my books have a thread of Catholicism running through them.

Ryan Mallardi Private Investigations
Jack Nolan Detective Series
Newport Vampire Stories Series

Writing a Novel in 8 Layers – Work Flow Demonstration

HOW TO VS. WORK FLOW DEMONSTRATION:

writing a novel work flowThere are many blog posts and videos on the internet about how to write a novel.  Much of the advice is general in nature and only broad-stroke tips.  This video seeks to go one step further and open my last book, which is still being proofread in Layer 8, and show a work-flow demonstration.

WRITING TIPS AS AN APPLIED SCIENCE:

Many of the tips that I came upon when I first started writing were great but I didn't know how to apply them.  Many techniques require a second phase of 'how to apply this advice'.  This is most times missing from the how-to blogs and videos.

THIS IS THE VIDEO I WISH I HAD WHEN I STARTED WRITING:

I am not holding myself out as an authority on writing or even writing techniques.  The purpose of this video is to show one work flow that other newbie writers can see that will hopefully help them see the theories in these how-to videos and blog posts in action.  That's my purpose here.

WRITING IN 8 LAYERS:

writing-in-layers-short-listI am in the process of finishing my 14th novel.  I started out like many of you as a self-taught author who took in unorganized, uncurricularized information and had to make sense of it all.  I devised this 8 Layer system to try to write a novel as efficiently as was possible.  I offer it to you for whatever weight you wish to give it.

 

VIDEO 1 - Layers 1 to 6

In Video 1, I go into the process of coming up with a broad-stroke storyline that you know you can use as a story spine.  Presently I use FreeMind.com software; it's free and it's easy to use.  I go into a little detail about this, but I have other blog posts and videos on my YouTube Channel where I go into more depth about how I do this.

Then I go into Scrivener for Layer 2 through Layer 6.  I demonstration what happens in each layer and I try to give beginner tips in each layer to further help the newbie.

VIDEO 2 - Layers 7 & 8 - in Microsoft Word

In the second video, I go into Microsoft Word and complete Layers 7 and 8.   I believe by seeing this behind-the-scenes look at a real novel, it will encourage newbies who may be struggling with the actual work flow of writing a novel.   I hope you enjoy it.

Be sure to join my newsletter for book promotions, free books, movie reviews from a writer's perspective and some other goodies I will share along the way.



Coloring Page – Advent Wreath

Check out my Book Series!

All my books have a thread of Catholicism running through them.

Ryan Mallardi Private Investigations
Jack Nolan Detective Series
Newport Vampire Stories Series