Diary of all blog posts – Page 6 – Read First Chapter.com

Category: Diary of all blog posts

Book Marketing for New Authors

WHERE DOES BOOK MARKETING START?

Book Marketing is a huge undertaking, but it starts with baby steps.  When I was brand new, the mere subject of book marketing was enough to make me feel completely overwhelmed.  However, now looking back, I see that it started with baby steps and book marketing isn't something you do, it's something you build.

Every book marketing video I watched would exhaust me just thinking of how much more I was expected to do to market my books.  I'm writing this blog post to offer the most important tips I would give to myself as a new author and an other new authors and book marketers.

PP-calendar-imageThis first installment is to set the framework of your marketing plan.  The calendar list below is meant to be sort of a file box.  Think of each holiday as a marketing opportunity.  You will build your marketing plan by starting with this calendar.

When you make Christmas or Halloween ads for your books, they will go in your file and next year, you will have two ads instead of one.  Make all of your marketing ads generic so they can be used over and over again.  This is one way to build your arsenal of marketing.

ORGANIZE EVEN THE FIRST MARKETING EFFORTS!

I'm not an expert on marketing, but have learned quite a bit in the last three to four years.  One problem I had in the beginning is I would be caught short -- not prepared for all the different marketing opportunities.  I was focused on marketing platforms, but I never far enough ahead and prepared for the various marketing seasons.

Below is a Generic Holiday Marketing Calendar that I now use to 'think ahead'.  It's January 9th as I write this, and I'm thinking about Valentine's Day and how I will take advantage of that holiday to market my books.



January

  • New Year’s Eve – December 31st
  • New Years Day
  • January 7th – Little Christmas (Magi reached Jesus)
  • Martin Luther King Day – 3rd Monday in January

February

  • Valentine’s Day – February 14th
  • Washington’s Birthday – 3rd Monday in February

March

  • International Woman’s Day – March 8th
  • Patrick’s Day – March 17th
  • 1st Day of Spring March 19th or 20th
  • Easter – Date varies in March or April with moon

April

  • April Fool’s Day – April 1
  • Earth Day – April 22nd

May

  • Mother’s Day – 2nd Sunday in May
  • Memorial Day – Last Monday in May

June

  • Father’s Day – 3rd Sunday in June
  • First Day of Summer – June 20th or 21st

July

  • Independence Day – July 4th
  • Prime Day – 2 Days – mid July – dates vary

August

  • The Dog Days of August – the entire month is applicable

September

  • Grandparent’s Day – 1st Sunday in September
  • Labor day – 1st Monday in September
  • National Hispanic Month – Starts September 15th
  • 1st Day of Autumn – September 22 or 23

October

  • Prime Early Access Sale: October 10-11 – dates vary
  • Columbus Day – 1st Monday
  • Halloween – October 31st

November

  • Thanksgiving Day – 4th Thursday in November
  • Black Friday – Day after Thanksgiving
  • Cyber Monday – Monday after Thanksgiving
  • Amazon Prime Day – 2 Day holiday – date varies

December

  • First Day of Winter – December 21st
  • Christmas Eve – December 24th
  • Christmas Day – December 25th



MARKETING ADS AND BOOK COVERS:

Gimp-logo-from-siteEarlier this year I  started uploading YouTube videos targeting beginner writers and marketers who want to learn how to make their own book covers.  Gimp is a free photo manipulation program -- completely free.  Volunteer coders from around the world, unsung heroes, have worked on this computer program for the masses.

Many authors are on a tight budget, especially when there are many businesses that have set up around self-publishing authors who are only too happy to take money.  That's why it's so important to plan where you will spend your money in publishing and marketing books.

The Gimp program is a Photoshop knock-off, so to speak, but an author only needs to learn how to operate about 8 of the tools in the program in order to create marketing ads and book covers.  This is a way to save money.  So be sure to check out my YouTube Playlist here.

If you would like to download this generic Book Marketing List, sign up below.



WHAT COMES NEXT?

Now that we have gone over the list of marketing events that will be the framework of our marketing plan, it's time to focus on the marketing toolkit next.

What will you need to keep handy and in one place in order to master a growable marketing plan?  What will be in that toolbox?

In the meantime, you may want to watch a short video or two where I explain how I go about making two or three holiday ads for my books.

Novel Scene Improvement Checklist

The Need to Establish Where You Are:

MYSTERY NOVEL SCENE IMPROVEMENT CHECKLIST

checkline and outlineThis is a checklist I wish I had when I first started out as an author.  With the internet and research being at our fingertips, anyone can figure out how to write a first draft.  In the world I live in, a first draft is nothing more than blurting out the story onto paper so you have something to begin working on.

When writing the first draft, you don't even have on your author's hat yet.  You are only a mapmaker really.  You are putting down the basic storyline that can be massaged into a real story and ultimately into a real novel.

In my opinion, we are all limited by our capabilities as they exist in time.  That means that you can only write the story to the best of your ability, based on what you presently know.

The purpose of this blogpost and checklist is to go over techniques that will  allow you to expand your horizons.  Let it guide your creative mind in certain areas with the intent purpose of "taking the story up a notch".  These questions helped me along the way, but like I said earlier, I wish I began to ask them earlier in my author journey.

I offer them now to new authors in the hopes that this will help you take new ground as an author and improve your scenes beyond what you may be capable of at any given time.



ESTABLISH WHERE YOU ARE

This questionnaire is meant to be applied after you have written a first draft and have gone over the draft once in order to make sure the story flows from scene to scene and from chapter to chapter.

A Special Note to Beginners:  Any attempt to "write perfectly" with these questions in mind will only slow down your draft process.  I have other beginner advice in my Peek Behind the Novel series you may be interested in.

This checklist is meant to be applied to each scene individually during the massaging stage.  What is the massaging stage?  Each new novel begins with a draft stage, goes into an overall check for the flow of the story and then to a single focus of making sure all clues and twists are all in their proper place.  Then you enter the massaging-the-story stage.  This is where this checklist will be very helpful.

QUESTIONS TO ASK ABOUT EACH SCENE:

  1. Whose point of view is the scene being written in?
  2. Where is the location of the scene? Is there an outer location and an inner location?  For example:  Is there a cabin that is located a long drive away?  This may require two location descriptions.
  3. What is the purpose of the scene?
  4. Is the main character “arcing” in the scene? Is there something that is changing about him or her?  How is this being shown (not told)?
  5. What is the high point of the scene? Where would there need to be a “close-up”?
  6. Is there at least a ribbon of suspense still running through the scene?
  7. What clues have been dropped in the scene?



QUESTIONS FOR EACH INDIVIDUAL SCENE

By focusing on each element individually with these questions in mind, it will allow a new author to focus on only one element at a time.  It prevents new authors from becoming overwhelmed by a general suggestion to take the whole novel up a notch.

In my opinion, by focusing on each scene individually, you will  erase any rushing that may have occurred in the draft process.  It will give you a second chance to see if you can better describe something or foreshadow something early on in the plot.

Below are the questions that are designed to refocus a new author to how and where each scene can be improved.

HOW CAN YOU TAKE THE SCENE UP A NOTCH?

  1. Make sure all viewpoints, feelings and thoughts are attached to the person who owns the point of view of the scene.
  2. Using vivid memories or pictures, how can you describe the location or two locations of the scene in a way to add information that brings depth to the storyline? Is there a way to use this subtlety to foreshadow something?  How can you add atmosphere and/or impending doom and/or rising stakes into your location descriptions?
  3. Check to make sure the purpose of the scene is clear for the reader who is reading the story for the first time. Remove anything that’s boring or unnecessary.  If something doesn’t serve the story, it should be removed.
  4. Can you add a bit of drama to the high point of the scene without being melodramatic?
  5. Identify the way in which your ribbon of suspense is lacing through the scene. Do you have a statement, an event, a feeling, something that holds up the suspense in the scene?
  6. Are the clues dropped in such a way that they are actual data points that the reader will recognize and use to try to figure out what is going on?



ADVANCED TECHNIQUES

ADVANCED TECHNIQUES:  TAKE THE SCENE TO THE TOP

Metallic bird cage with open door and two bird silhouettes.

The following writing techniques may be hard for new authors.  They are still hard for me after 12 novels.  But they are good suggestions to keep in mind as you get more experience as an author.

These questions can be used over and over and you will see your writing take new ground with each scene as you push yourself to one tiny improvement at a time.

  1. Can you add a hook into the beginning of the scene?  Will something happen that will make the reader want to keep reading?  Is there something that will invite readers to feel they are going deeper? 
  2. Can you add a surprise, a shock, or a twist at the end of each chapter? Having a tiny cliffhanger or surprise or shock at the end of the scenes is a way to add to the overall suspense of the book – and keep the readers reading. 
  3. Can you add a motif of some kind?  For example:  In the Harry Potter books, Good vs. Evil was a classic motif that ran throughout the story.  The red rose in The Great Gatsby signifies Gatsby's love and longing for Daisy.  
  4. In my opinion, these two are advanced techniques that will come with experience. This is another reason to not spend too much time fussing about anything in the first draft.  The first draft is only a starting point, words on paper.  It’s where the art of writing begins. 

Book Review – Frankenstein

Book Title: Frankenstein
Author:  Mary Shelly
Description from Amazon.com:

Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus, generally known as Frankenstein, is a novel written by the British author Mary Shelley. The title of the novel refers to a scientist, Victor Frankenstein, who learns how to create life and creates a being in the likeness of man, but larger than average and more powerful. In popular culture, people have tended to refer to the Creature as "Frankenstein", despite this being the name of the scientist. Frankenstein is a novel infused with some elements of the Gothic novel and the Romantic movement. It was also a warning against the "over-reaching" of modern man and the Industrial Revolution, alluded to in the novel's subtitle, The Modern Prometheus. The story has had an influence across literature and popular culture and spawned a complete genre of horror stories and films. It is arguably considered the first fully realized science fiction novel.

 



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REVIEW AS A READER:

It was hard to separate the reader and the author in this read because I chose this book to do a gothic study.  I saw a video by Tristan and the Classics from YouTube where he suggested reading the top 5 to 10 books in the gothic genre to get a sense of not only what the genre contains, but also how one book led to the other historically.  I did just that and Frankenstein was one of the suggested books.

Like many people, I assumed the book was about a monster named Frankenstein.  Not so.  The scientist's name is Frankenstein and the monster is his creation.

Knowing that Mary Shelly was only 18 or 20 years old when she wrote this story was shocking to me because the book deals with a deep subject for the times in which she lived.  Science had been delving into the issue of where does medicine stop and meddling in God's handiwork begin.  There is always a certain amount of fear associated with new scientific discovery.  In our day there are those who fear that AI will take over the world.  This book was written in the face of some scientific fear that was prevalent in her day.

The book opens with a series of letters that anchor the reader into the time and place this story will  unfold.  Dr. Frankenstein is fascinated by all things scientific.  His family sees that he has talent in this area and they insist he get extended education and experience, which he does.

At first Dr. Frankenstein is motivated by the ability to help people, to affect a positive change in the world.  But slowly, this motivate gets twisted into a hunger for the fame and acclaim he will get for being able to rid humanity of illness.  In this state of mind, he meats another scientist of his day, who shows him the ropes, so to speak, about doing scientific exploration.  It sounded from the book that this type of cutting edge scientific exploration was done in the proverbial "garage labs" -- sort of like where Bill Gates and Steve Jobs started out.

I won't give away any of the details of what happens from this point forward because this is the story.  Everyone knows, of course, that he creates this monster that is known world wide by the name of Frankenstein.  But there is much more to the story than that.

As a reader, I had the usual struggle of reading "British" idioms and colloquialisms.  I get the feeling that I'm missing something at times when I'm reading English writers.  There was also the tiny struggle associated with reading a book that was written so long ago.  The language changes and it's easy to miss things.  I kept with it.  With my Kindle highlighter, I kept track of all the characters and the plot points.

I would say this was a moral gothic tale about mankind overstepping our bounds scientifically.  It was also a moral story about how the absence of virtue and living a life based on revenge can destroy people.

I enjoyed the book and did learn a lot about the gothic genre from it.   Frankenstein by Mary Shelley was one of the first gothic books, one of the books that launched the gothic genre.



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REVIEW BY AUTHOR:

Structurally, the book opened with a series of letters back and forth between I believe Dr. Frankenstein and his sister.  I say "I believe" because I find myself not always "sure" of things when it's a British writer.  I don't know if I'm alone in this, but in any event, the series of letters was a vehicle of dropping information about the backdrop of the story.

I have seen this method used many, many times in books today and always notice what the purpose of the letter-structure is.  It added a bit of interest and intrigue into layout out the backdrop of the drama that was about to unfold.

The next part of the book reveals Dr. Frankenstein as quite a young man.  He is filled with excitement and an unquenchable thirst for scientific knowledge.  As stated earlier, he had all the best intentions in the beginning, but somewhere during his "forming" as a scientist, his ego took over and he stepped over the line.  He develops the ability to give life to the lifeless and decides to create a man -- I mean, why not?   Well, it doesn't go exactly as expected.

The main story is about how this experiment affected the creature as well as Dr. Frankenstein.  The doctor's knowledge stopped at how to create a creature, but he didn't know how to care for and love a creature.

From a Christian perspective, his ego led him down the path of arrogance.  He is overconfident and this blinds him to the fact that he has now crossed the line into "God's domain", the creation of life.  As just stated, although he was able to give life to this creature, he wasn't able to care for him or provide a world where anyone could care for him.  It shows the limitations of mankind and the disaster that occurs when arrogant men play God.

The story is about what happens to Dr. Frankenstein, his family and the creature.  It is also a statement, although very subtle, of how the absence of virtue mixed with an obsession for vengeance can destroy a person's life, even their family's lives.

Again, as an author, I couldn't help but be so impressed with what young Mary Shelly was capable of not only understanding but her ability to craft a story around some very difficult issues.

It is a must read for anyone interested in the gothic genre.  I would highly recommend it.

SOME MEMORABLE QUOTES:

  • ". . . but it is the custom of the Irish to hate villains"
  • "I pursued him, and for many months this has been my task. Guided by a slight clue, I followed the windings of the Rhone, but vainly . . ."
  • "She was a hired nurse, the wife of one of the turnkeys, and her countenance expressed all those bad qualities which often characterize that class."


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MY FAVORITE TURN OF PHRASES:

  • She perished on the scaffold as a murderess.
  • . . . sudden turn of a promontory, flourishing vineyards with green sloping banks and a meandering river and populous towns occupy the scene.
  • The soil was barren scarcely affording pasture for a few miserable cows and oatmeal for its inhabitants, which consisted of five persons, whose gaunt and scaggy limbs gave tokens of their miserable fare.
  • . . . hardly conscious of its extreme profundity until my ear was arrested by the paddling of oars near the shore . . .
  • A few fishing vessels alone specked the water
  • the gentle breeze wafted the sound of voices as the fisherman called to one another.
  • . . . astonishment was exhibited in my countenance,
  • . . . languishing in death, the dark orbs nearly covered by the lids and the long black lashes that fringed them;
  • He wished me to seek amusement in society. I abhorred the face of man.
  • The murderous mark of the fiend's grasp was on her neck . . .
  • wandering ministers of vengeance
  • I now related my history briefly but with firmness and precision, marking the dates with accuracy and never deviating into invective or exclamation.
  • Everything was silent except the leaves of the trees, which were gently agitated by the wind; the night was nearly dark, and the scene would have been solemn and affecting even to an uninterested observer.
  • He had heard my story with that half kind of belief that is given to a tale of spirits and supernatural events.



Book Review – The Patient

Book Title: The Patient
Author:  Jasper DeWitt
Description from Amazon.com:

The Silent Patient by way of Stephen King: Parker, a young, overconfident psychiatrist new to his job at a mental asylum miscalculates catastrophically when he undertakes curing a mysterious and profoundly dangerous patient. 

In a series of online posts, Parker H., a young psychiatrist, chronicles the harrowing account of his time working at a dreary mental hospital in New England. Through this internet message board, Parker hopes to communicate with the world his effort to cure one bewildering patient.We learn, as Parker did on his first day at the hospital, of the facility’s most difficult, profoundly dangerous case—a forty-year-old man who was originally admitted to the hospital at age six. This patient has no known diagnosis. His symptoms seem to evolve over time. Every person who has attempted to treat him has been driven to madness or suicide.

Desperate and fearful, the hospital’s directors keep him strictly confined and allow minimal contact with staff for their own safety, convinced that releasing him would unleash catastrophe upon the outside world. Parker, brilliant and overconfident, takes it upon himself to discover what ails this patient and finally cure him. But from his first encounter with the mysterious patient, things spiral out of control and, facing a possibility beyond his wildest imaginings, Parker is forced to question everything he thought he knew.

Fans of Sarah Pinborough’s Behind Her Eyes and Paul Tremblay’s The Cabin at the End of the World will be riveted by Jasper DeWitt’s astonishing debut.

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REVIEW AS A READER:

I researched "best psychological thrillers" on Bard.google.com and this book, The Patient, came up as number one.  I read through the Amazon description, but I chose it based on Bard's recommendation.

The psychological mystery and drama started from the first page.  The mystery was subtle at first, but it was definitely there.  I was hooked and wanted to know more from the first page.  The story unfolded slowly but it was never boring.

Reading the book was like driving on long winding roads, not knowing the ultimate destination, and also not being sure what lay right around the bend.  The drama moved along without stop.  The story never sagged or drove off onto some boring side road.  The mystery and suspense were constant.

There was an intimacy in the story as some of it was written in first person.  Other parts were written in third person where the story took on more of a bird's eye view and a bit of narration.  It all worked and added to the mystique of the book.

I did feel that at the end of the book, the ending veered off into a bit of unexpected sci-fi or fantasy I was not expecting, but it was still an enjoyable book from start to finish.



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REVIEW BY AUTHOR:

The book was written well, and I highlighted several phrases that were memorable.  I have them listed below.  I learned a lot about presenting a psychological drama for the reader and how to subtly suggest that there was something "off" about people, places and/or things.

I learned about weaving the psychological plotline into the mystery itself as I did notice that there needed to be a timeline that coincided with someone's hospitalization.  I always thought of psychological suspense stories as one kind of book, but I learned from reading The Patient that a crime/mystery timeline supported the story and the psychological elements weaved all throughout this spinal timeline.  I found this very helpful as an author myself.

I also learned about how "withholding information from the reader" worked in a psychological mystery.  I always feel obligated to reveal everything to the reader, but this is not necessary.  Withholding some parts of the truth add to the ultimate surprise and satisfaction of the reader.  It's not dishonesty, but rather more of a slight of hand for the benefit of the story.

This story was very original.  It didn't read like a remake of some other popular novel  -- at least I didn't see anything like that.  The originality of the storyline, as well as the unwrapping of the greater mystery, held my interest the entire way, to the last page.

I would recommend this book to any reader of psychological mysteries.  I would even recommend this to medical mystery readers.

SOME MEMORABLE QUOTES FROM THE PATIENT:

  • ". . . her voice carrying a faint lilt that I recognized as Irish,"
  • "So forcing my frustration down to a simmer, I gave him the most deferential nod I could manage.  It seemed to appease him."
  • "This was the sort of place where pain of any kind was either flushed out with medication and trips to boutique psychiatrists or kept at a respectable distance with copious expenditures.  It was, in short, a place where anything unpleasant, let alone a supernatural horror, had been ruthlessly gentrified out of sight and out of mind."
  • "He spun around with military precision . . ."
  • "She had a kindness to her, but it was girded with such naturally aristocratic steel that I imagined she's been born ringing a bell to summon servants."

 



Book Review – Sparkling Cyanide

Name:  Sparkling Cyanide
Author:  Agatha Christie
Description from Amazon:



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REVIEW AS AN AUTHOR:

Instead of calling this section a review by an author, it should be more properly renamed "what I learned by reading Agatha Christie" because I learned a lot in this book.

The first lesson was the different story structure that was chosen for this novel.  The book started with a hint of a crime that took place and a dinner that was to take place one year later.  Then the book divided into chapters named after the characters.  These chapters fleshed out the character and what relationship they had with Rosemary.  I had never seen this type of format before but noticed that it worked in setting up the dinner scene.

I would never have dreamed of laying out a novel with this structure but it worked.  I would say it went beyond working well.  It allowed each of the characters to be flushed out, but there were fully-fleshed out subplots that occurred in this part of the book.

Often times,  as a reader, if there are more than three or four characters, I can't remember who everyone is as they are mentioned once or twice every so often.  However, this structure made remembering everyone much easier as each section was devoted to one or two characters and how they were connected to Rosemary and what the subplot with them was.   This format also allowed the history of the relationships to be referenced and it enhanced the depth of the story.

About 3/4 of the way through the book, the mystery dinner takes place and there is a surprising plot twist.  A deeper mystery ensues and suddenly, all the little subtle foreshadowings dropped early on in the book come into play.

I won't spoil anything for anyone who hasn't read the book, but I would highly recommend this book to mystery  and whodunit lovers.  I would also recommend this book to new authors who are looking to learn as they read.  This novel has a lot to learn about novel developmental formatting, subtle foreshadowing and plot twists.  There's also lots to learn from Agatha Christie in terms of writing prose as well as characterizations.    This novel is a treasure trove for new authors who like to learn as they read.

All in all, I really liked this book and will pick up another Agatha Christie soon!

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GREAT PHRASES FROM SPARKLING CYANIDE:

  • "Glimpses of the past came back -- brief flashes -- short scenes."
  • "Something in the easy feline grace with which he danced lent substance to the nickname 'Leopard'."
  • " . . . well masked behind an agreeable devilry."
  • "He looked at her, laughing.  She ought, she felt, to have been revolted.  But the strength of V. Drake was the strength of the devil.  He could make evil seem amusing.  He was looking at her now with that uncanny penetration."
  • "He liked putting ideas into people's heads.  Or, as in this case, showing them the ideas that were already there . . ."
  • "He looked at her with eyes from which the last traces of scales had fallen."
  • "He was her life her existence.  Love burned in her with a medieval force."
  • "Housekeeping for her father, she had stiffened into a pronounced spinsterhood."
  • "He was the cat's-paw of wicked men who exploited his innocence."
  • "Neighbors are so important in the country.  One has either to be rude or friendly; one can't, as in London, just keep people as amiable acquaintances."

Above is only about 1/3 of the phrases I had highlighted in this book!  Like I said earlier, it's a must read!

Book Review – The Last Sceance

Name:  The Last Séance
Author:  Agatha Christie
Short Story:  33 pages

Description from Amazon:  Raoul Daubreuil insists his fiancée give up her activities as a talented and successful medium when they marry. However, he agrees to attend what is to be her last séance—with Madame Exe. But even Raoul can't foresee the tragedy ahead.

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Review as a Reader:

This was a short story and a quick read.  I'm not usually a reader of short stories but I chose to read one by Agatha Christie before taking on another novel.  The last Christie novel I started to read was a Hercule Poirot novel.  He's not my favorite character and part of the problem is he's too British.  I find myself not understanding a lot of what Hercule says and it was a struggle because of the differences in idioms, etc.  I gave up reading the Hercule novel because I felt like I was losing the plot too often.

But The Last Séance was a quick and easy read.  It allowed me to clean my reading palate after the Poirot experience.   Although this short story was enjoyable, it didn't have any profound message and none of the characters lingered after finishing the novel.

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Review as an Author:

Going into the book, I was looking for tips on writing short stories in general.  What I learned after finishing the book was that this short story circled one event and only one event.  The characters in this book were one dimensional.  I'm assuming creating more complex characters may be hard due to the short story format, but I believe a two-dimensional character would be possible.  I'm wondering if short stories in general are more "plot-driven" and this one-event format is how it works.

I have read a few gothic short stories previous to this one and I sense that genre allows for a bit more characterization, especially if there is a psychological plotline.

So all in all, it's my opinion that The Last Séance was written very well, like all of the Christie books.  I learned a bit about the shorter plotline used in short stories and the book was enjoyable.  I would recommend this book to someone who is going on a trip and needs something quick and easy to read where there may be a lot of distractions.   It wasn't hard to follow.  The plotline is simple but enjoyable.  I would also recommend this to any caretakers who are waiting in a doctor's office, etc. as this can be read in one sitting.



Word-Find-last-seance

Time for a relaxing break?

Who doesn't love Word Find Puzzles.
These words are words surrounding the subject matter in the short story
entitled "The Last Seance" by Agatha Christie.
Click to the left to download the Word Find puzzle pdf.

Book Launch – Links for Marketing Stacking – 2023

When I self-published my first novel, I finished it and uploaded it and waited.  That's when I learned how important marketing the book is.  I also learned through the next several books how important it is to take advantage of each tiny phase of a book launch for marketing.  That's what this blog post is about.

I have made a checklist for beginners so you can print it out and have it with you when it's time to launch your first book, or a subsequent book.  I believe it will be very helpful to you.



THE VIDEO ABOUT THE BOOK LAUNCH CHECKLIST:

Aside from the checklist, I have made a strategy video where I go over the checklist and give you an overview of how the launch happens, what is involved and how to set yourself up for the best outcome.  I consider a good outcome to be a smooth and timely launch, and within a week to 10 days, you have at least four to ten nice reviews.  It sounds easy, but for new authors, it's not -- But it is possible.

NEWSLETTER PROMOTIONS:

The following websites are ones where you build a email list and your books will be featured on these websites.  Bookfunnel and Siteorigin both offer "author swaps" where you can swap your featured book with another author who has a sizable list.

I'm not a seasoned marketer and don't even consider myself that good at it, and even I was able to build an email list of 5,076 emails within a two year period.  To me, this is amazing!

Bookfunnel.com
Siteoriginapp.com
Instafreebies.com

AMAZON MARKETING STRATEGIES:

Amazon ads is a very complicated program to learn.  I only touched on the ad strategy in this checklist video.  There will be more Amazon ad videos coming in the future.

Below I have left a list of book marketing websites that as a beginner I used.  Now that I have built a newsletter, have a website, and post regularly to social media. I rely mostly on purchased ads with FreeBooksy, BargainBooksy, FussyLibrarian and purchased Amazon Ads.  But you may find the following links helpful so I'll leave them for you to try out.



ADDITIONAL MARKETING WEBSITES

DOWNLOAD 8-Page Checksheet

SIGN UP FOR WEEKLY NEWSLETTER

Peek Behind the Novel – Layer 8

QUICK REFRESHER OF WHAT I DID IN LAYER 7:

Just as a refresher, in Layer 7, this was a long and tedious proofread.  Using my list of troublesome words, I searched out all of them all throughout the manuscript and made corrections, deletions or additions.

This technique breaks up the proofread into different formats.  By doing this, it prevents me from just "reading over" all of my mistakes, which is too easy to do as the author.

WHAT HAPPENS IN LAYER 8:

Writing-layer-8-reading-with-microsoft-wordIn Layer 8, I do a read-back.  In Microsoft Word, I use the Read-Aloud feature that is contained on the Review Tab.  By listening to the book read aloud by someone else, it doesn't skip over mistakes like I do as the author.  By the time I'm finished with Layer 7, I've read and reread this book too many times to trust my eyes to spot every error.

The Readback:

I listen to every word during the readback.  In this layer, I not only catch whatever misuse of words escaped my view in the last layers, but I also choose to change a sentence or two based on how it sounds.  Many readers repeat every word in their heads, so if a sentence is back-to-back with one that makes it hard to say or understand, I rewrite it to correct that problem.

After Layer 7, I always feel that the book is picture perfect -- but I find at least several words or areas that I choose to change.  I read-aloud the entire book.

 



word table of contents
word table of contents

SCREEN SHOTS ARE FROM MICROSOFT WORD

SCREEN SHOTS ARE FROM MICROSOFT WORD

CREATING THE TABLE OF CONTENTS

The last thing I do is create the Table of Contents which I will explain here, but you can see done live in the video below.

While the manuscript is open in Microsoft Word, click on the References Tab.  Select Table of Contents.  Choose Custom Table of Contents.  (Picture on left above)

Once the next dialogue box opens (Picture on right above), uncheck both boxes under show page numbers.  I reduce the headings number from the default of 3 to 1.  This is because I only use Heading 1 for my Chapter Headings.

This is all you need to do before clicking OK, which will produce the Table of Contents for an eBook.

IF YOU NEED TO CHANGE OR MODIFY THE FONTS OR SPACING, ETC:

The picture above is where you change any or all of the settings.  The dialogue box in the middle comes up when you click on modify in the first dialogue box.  This is where you can change the font family and/or the font size.

This would be useful if you have a short TOC and want to fill the page; you can increase the font.  Likewise, if you have only one or two lines of the TOC that spill over to the next page and you want to fit it onto one page, you can reduce the font size or change the spacing on the third dialogue box (that opens if you click on modify in the second dialogue box).  You can alter the spaces before and after the paragraphs and this will help you add or subtract space.

IMPORTANT:  Be aware, that once you click on the first modify choice in the first dialogue box (on the left), when you click out of this, Microsoft word will -- on its own -- recheck the boxes asking for page numbers.  So if you modify anything, you will need to uncheck the page number boxes again!  This can reek havoc with beginners!   I'm talking from experience.

Once you "Okay" to close all of the dialogue boxes, the last okay will set off Word to create your Table of Contents.

THE EBOOK IS OFF TO THE EDITOR:

At this point, the eBook is now ready to go off to the line-editor.  Because I have taken the time and made the effort to give my book a thorough proofreading, the editor won't be spending time on correcting silly mistakes I should have found on my own.  She will be focused on my prose and how things look and sound.  That's what I want her focused on.

If you take the attitude that "why bother with all the proofreading, it's going off to the editor?" -- you may wind up with a book that comes back merely proofread with very little line editing.  At the end of the day, you are paying for an editor's time as well as their expertise.  So my advice to beginners is to do all of the proofreading so you get more line-editing, which is what you want.

HERE'S A VIDEO ON THIS SAME MATERIAL:

 

Peek Behind the Novel – Layer 7

WHERE WE LEFT OFF IN LAYER 6:

We compiled the novel into a Word document and named it "Manuscript from Scrivener".   That's where we now pick up with Layer 7.

This layer is another proofreading layer, but there is a little formatting we will do in this layer that I will go over below.  There is also a video at the end if you want to see me talk about it in a little more detail.

LAYER 7 - STEP ONE

  • Copy and paste the chapters into my eBook template. The purpose of this is so that I don't have to redo all of my styles. It's easier to just do a copy and paste.

LAYER 7 - STEP TWO:

  • Using the find feature, I go over all of the troublesome words in my list. I do this before I begin to proofread the story.
  • I read only the sentence with each of the words and change them if needed.

LAYER 7 -  STEP THREE:

  • Change the Heading 1 formatting,  if needed
  • I fix the normal and no-indent normal formatting throughout the entire book.
  • I add in simple page breaks between chapters


LAYER 7 - STEP FOUR:

  • I stylize any chapter headings or chapter timings.
  • Using the find and replace feature (Control H), I replace *** with ❖❖❖❖.

LAYER 7 - STEP SIX (OPTIONAL)

  • Filled in my Main Character and Minor Character Lists

LAYER 7 - STEP SEVEN:

Proofread the novel fully.  This time I focus on style and prose.  I do polishing in this layer of proofreading.

LAYER 7 - A QUICK VIDEO:

Book Marketing – How to Recruit ARC Readers

WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF RECRUITING ARC READERS?

Most authors know that ARC stands for Advanced Reader Copies or Advanced Review Copies.  I don't think the debate on this is settled yet.

There are multiple reasons to recruit ARC readers:

  • ARC readers can offer you valuable feedback about the book.feedback-graphic
  • They can also be a group of readers who may give you your first five or ten reviews, depending upon how many ARC readers you are able to recruit.
  • Announcing you are looking for ARC readers is a first step in your book marketing campaign.  This is a good way to post on a website or social media about the upcoming eBook.
  • By announcing there will be a new release soon enough, you will create the buzz about your book.

WHEN SHOULD I OFFER MY BOOK TO ARC READERS?

editing-a-novel-to-deathIt all begins when you get the book back from the editor.   Make all the changes in the eBook within two to three days after receiving it from the editor.

I'll explain below why it's not recommended to give an "early pre-edited copy" to the readers -- which is how I learned to do it.  But I paid the price.  More on this below.

amazon-pre-order-boxAfter the edits are done, its now time to list it as a pre-order on Amazon and/or as an ARC copy.

I've heard horror stories from some authors about setting it up for pre-order and then not making the deadline!  BUT, since you are not setting the book as a pre-order until it is actually in Final Manuscript form, you don't have to sweat it at all.

Setting your eBook up for preorder on Amazon is the first buzz you will create about your new eBook.  It's an event to be announced on a website and social media.  This will let your present readership know there's a book coming soon.



CAUTION FOR NEWBIES AND BEGINNER SELF-PUBLISHERS:

Caution-GraphicDon’t get impatient and offer the eBook before the last edit.  I was told to do this and make "use" of the time the editor had the book.  However, I paid the price for this, and it's a tall price, one that follows me forever.

When you offer your ARC book it will be for free.  Many readers will take advantage of the free eBook and download it -- with or without any intention of being an actual ARC reader.  They may not read it right away.  But this version of your book lives on their Kindle or other eReader.

After you get your final manuscript back from the editor, there will ALWAYS be things that you missed, even if you proofread it twenty times!

So when the reader gets around to reading your eBook, they won't remember they downloaded an early ARC copy.  They will think this book was released with these very typos and/or other foibles that you missed!  Very often, readers see read when they see typos.  And they very often mention it in the feedback!  This is what I mean by it will follow you forever.  So don't do it!

options-two

RECRUITING ARC READERS IS A MARKETING STRATEGY IN AND OF ITSELF:

book-marketing-graphicRecruiting ARC readers can also be a marketing strategy because who doesn’t like freebies & giveaways?   Giveaways and Freebies have a way of capturing everyone’s attention.   With a great eye-catching graphic, this can create interest and general buzz about your upcoming book.

It's also an opportunity to recruit more readers.

If you make a few different graphics to go along with your invitation to sign up as an ARC reader, this is something you can post several times over the six to eight weeks before your book is actually released.  By having several different graphics, it prevents your posts from appearing too repetitive.

HOW DO I DO IT?

PP-calendar-imageIt all sounds good.  How do I do it?

It starts with a calendar and a final manuscript.

Using your calendar, set your true release date for 8 weeks out for a beginner or 6 weeks out if you’ve done this before.



EIGHT WEEKS?  REALLY?

Why so long?  You need to give yourself time to recruit readers and you need to give the readers at least two weeks to finish the book.   You want to recruit as many readers as you can.  This is the best way to get at least a few reviews when your book is initially released.

ARC-what-to-do-in-8-weeks

Newbies will be anxious to upload and release, but there will be enough for you to do in the 6 to 8 weeks while you recruit and give your ARC readers time to read the book.

THINGS TO DO DURING THE RECRUITMENT TIME:

  1. While the book is awaiting release, you can upload to Amazon as a pre-order. This acts as an announcement that your book is coming.  Its an opportunity to post about it on social media, on your website, and in your newsletter.
  2. Add this new book and a link to it to your Other Books by Author page. Don’t forget to add it to earlier books.  You want every ‘read-through’ advantage you can set up.
  3. Create a review link. What’s a review link?  It’s a link that takes the reader from your Note to Reader page directly to Amazon to leave you a review.
  4. Work on your eBook cover. Then work on the back cover graphics for the Paperback and Hardcover.
  5. Create at least four different graphics about the new book to post to social media. Remember, you’ll need graphics for the following events:
  • Recruiting ARC Readers
  • Announcement of Pre-Orders at Amazon or wherever you sell your books
  • Announcement of your eBook cover art
  • Announcement of Only 7 Days before Release.
  • Announcement of Release of your eBook
  • Newsletter, social media and website graphics
  • Graphics with quotes from your book and eye-catching graphics.


WHAT IS THE WORK FLOW REGARDING RECRUITING ARC READERS?

Step One in Recruiting ARC Readers is you need a Graphic and a Form.

ARC-ad-reading-cat

Here is a small graphic ad I added to my monthly newsletter for a recent eBook asking for Advanced Copy Readers.

I tell them that if they find any errors in the book and email me, I will add them to my acknowledgement page.  I actually got several signups with this approach.

Now, about this little button that says “Click here to get download!”

Behind this button is the magic of computer coding and integrations between Bookfunnel and Mailchimp.  In the video below, I take a few minutes to go into how things work regarding this download button.

But if you don't have a website or mailing service yet, don't despair, there are other types of forms that are available.  I give one easy example in the video below.

YOU CAN SEND THE FORM FROM A WORDPRESS WEBSITE WITH EASE:

Contact-Form-7My website and millions of other websites are built on WordPress.  WordPress is a platform and many coders release what are called plug-ins.  They give different functionalities to the website.

One of these plugins is called Contract Form 7.  You can easily use this form to offer and keep track of ARC readers.  I do a demonstration of this in the video below.

PREPARE THE PROPER COPIES:

In order to send the eBooks to your ARC readers, you will need to have your final manuscript in an ePub format and a PDF format.  Once you get an email from the form you set up, send these two copies to the readers.

ePubs are able to be read on most eBook readers and PDFs can be ready by anyone with a computer.

BE AND STAY ORGANIZED:

If I can offer just one final tip to newbies from the things I did that went wrong when I was a newbie -- it would be to be and stay organized with this.

Because these signups and emails and names will trickle in one at a time, it's too easy to start filing them all over the place.  I had some in a special folder that I forgot about, I put them on a list I thought I would remember but I didn't.  So now I keep a list of my ARC readers on my "Info - BOOK NAME" file (a notepad document) for each book.  I keep them way at the bottom so I can find them when it's time to send a thank you and an invitation to leave me a review.



REQUESTING REVIEWS:

Once the book is formally released, I wait two days and send an email to all of my ARC readers thanking them again and asking them if they would be kind enough to leave me an honest review.  Some do and some don't.  This is the way it is for most authors.  So if you're new, it's best to know that ahead of time.