Writers Diary – Read First Chapter.com

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

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.
Create the eBook cover. If you don't have your final cover, you can create a temporary cover for the ARC campaign, if necessary.
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.
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.
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.
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.
The above steps can be done with the manuscript in the editor's hands.
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.
Add a watermark that this is an early release. This allows you to change the book or tweak the book based on feedback.
Once the manuscript is finalized, save is as a docx and PDF.
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.
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.
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).
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.
The campaign is now set to go. Post it to your newsletter, social media and on your website!

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-containment The 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-template There 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.

Writing a Novel in 8 Layers – Work Flow Demonstration

HOW TO VS. WORK FLOW DEMONSTRATION:

There 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:

I 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.

Book Marketing – Where Do I Start?

BOOK MARKETING STARTS BY SETTING MARKETING GOALS:

Each writer or author will have slightly different goals. My blog post will speak directly to website bloggers and/or to fiction authors. However, if you publish low-content books or children’s books — or even coloring books, all of these techniques will be relevant to you because they are about basic marketing. Just change up whatever technique is mentioned and make it more fitting to whatever type of marketing you need to do.

ESTABLISH REALISTIC MARKETING GOALS:

Marketing is not something that you do. It’s something that you build. Everyone has a first day and sits behind a computer not knowing what to do first. So let’s start there.

BUILD A READERSHIP:

If you are self-publishing any kind of books or launching a blog from scratch, you will need to build a readership. Building a readership is also something you build over time. Everyone starts with no readers but their parents or spouses. However, once you establish a building process, the readers will accumulate slowly but surely.

One of the only things left that professional publishers can offer authors is an automatic reader list. They have gathered millions of names, addresses and emails over fifty years or more. So that is a valuable commodity and the one and only reason you should think about being with a professional publishing company.

However, some younger people who are social media savvy have been able to build millions of followers as an “influencer” so don’t count yourself out as someone who may have good luck with self-marketing.

If you are authoring fiction and selling books, your first order of business is to start collecting emails into a reader list. A reader list is referred to as a “newsletter list” in the industry, but when you are building a readership, I prefer “reader list”. Going forward, just know they are the same thing.

START COLLECTING EMAILS: Collecting emails to send to people about your book or books. I would recommend MailerLite as they are the least expensive but professional platform for a beginner. Everyone starts with a free account. They allow you to collect a couple of hundred emails before they want to get paid. And then they charge you per hundred or so. So your expenses keep steady with your marketing results.

JOIN GOODREADS: Establish a presence on GoodReads.com where the most avid and voracious readers hang out. Sign up for an account with them and you will get a chance to upload your book cover. It can be a little confusing at

Goodreads so I’ll post a video about joining and navigating around there.

The biggest tip I can give you is that Goodreads is a website about readers. When you log in, it recognizes you only as a reader until you go to your author dashboard. It took me a long, long time to figure this out. I was always looking for my book and I was disoriented within five minutes.

ESTABLISH LOCAL COMMUNITY CONTACT: Every library would be interested in who their local authors are. You can set up a talk and sell some books when you do a book launch.

I personally am too shy (and too old) to go this route, but if you happen to be a bit younger or extroverted, this can create a HUGE BUZZ. Local people become fans, they tell people they know you, they buy paperbacks and hardcovers — and many want you to sign them! So don’t underestimate the life of the buzz you can create by talking about your book in front of a few people at the local library.

KINDLE SELECT: Seriously consider entering your book into Kindle Select on Amazon so you can give away many books each quarter. This is the quickest way to get attention and reviews. The more readers you have, the better the odds of getting a review.

Many new authors get too hung up on how long it took them to write the book and they don’t like the idea of not getting paid for it. However, Amazon is the biggest search engine for books. That means that your competition is Steven King, Nora Roberts, Lee Childs, Agatha Christie, etc.

It’s important to understand that allowing people to read your book may create a fan, a repeat reader. That’s your realistic goal. Unless you have hundreds or thousands you can put into marketing each month, you will be building a readership one reader at a time.

LOW-BID AMAZON AD STRATEGY: And the last step for absolute beginners is to learn strategies for low-bid strategies (going for the low-hanging fruit) using Amazon Ads. This is where you bit .12 cents a click. You won’t rocket to the top of the best seller list, but this is a great strategy to begin to crawl your way out of oblivion. I’ll have a dedicated blog post about how to set up a low-bit strategy.

BUILD A SOCIAL MEDIA PRESENCE:

I personally don’t like social media — the whole thing. However, I also don’t really like marketing either! But in today’s world, if you want to self publish, you need to market your books or blog and there are lots of ways to market even if you are shy or introverted, like I am.

First establish Social Media Accounts in your professional Name. This could be your author name, pen name, website name, blogging handle, or some other name that is dedicated to your business. Don’t blend any personal social media with your professional social media presence.

So the first thing to do is to establish accounts at all of the following social media platforms:

FACEBOOK – Facebook is the biggest arena for Boomers, who are retired and have the most money and the most time to read. So you need to establish a presence on Facebook even if you are younger and don’t use it yourself. As stated above, create a Business Page in your author name, blog name, website name or pen name. This will be dedicated to subjects around your writing. If you don’t know how to do this, just search on YouTube for “How to start a Facebook Page”.

TWITTER-NOW-KNOWN-AS X: This website is growing quickly. It has the largest political group and finance group, both left and right, on the internet. This group too also tends to be economically comfortable and will buy what they want. If you don’t write about politics, it’s okay. You will be “posting to google analytics”. More on that below.

Posting to Google Analytics means that Google spider bots crawl the internet without stop. They are constantly cataloguing and making decisions about who is an authority on what subject all the time. So even if you don’t get a lot of views or reposts, the google bots are still absorbing what you are doing.

I don’t get that many reposts, but the most traffic that comes to my website is from Google. So it’s still working. It’s important to know this so you don’t feel like you’re being ignored or wasting your time.

LINKEDIN – If you write on business or off any type of service, anything business people would need or like, then you want to establish a presence on LinkedIn as well. Most people don’t look for their next book or interesting blogs on LinkedIn, but again, you are posting to the algorithms. In the next installment, I’ll be going over how to find complementary products and/or interests to post about, especially if you only have one book.

GAB – This website is a bit controversial because they had a big fight years ago with the ADL, but it is still a place that has a huge Christian presence. I’ve never seen anything anti-Jewish or antisemitic posted so I’m not sure what the big todo was about, but in any event, I thought I would mention this. It could have been just a big ego fight between two guys. But if you write Christian fiction, like I do, or write things that fellow Christians, patriots, or other spiritual people may be interested in, you will want to establish a presence on Gab. Just don’t let this be your own social media because it really specializes in Christian and Patriotic users and they are not the only readers out there.

INSTAGRAM: You also need to post to Instagram. This social media website has a much younger demographic that uses it, but they are also glued to their screens all the time. Instagram is very popular and has lots of graphic posts as well as videos.

PINTEREST – Establish a business page with Pinterest. Pinterest has millions of users and is probably the biggest search engine next to Google and Amazon. So this is a must. Again, don’t mix business with personal. Establish a page as an author, blogger, or writer.

There are ways to create many different pictorial posts representing one book, so be sure to join Pinterest right away.

TIKTOK: If you’re thirty-five and older, I would recommend holding off on TikTok, mainly because it is a platform for videos. Candid videos. There was a trend called “Booktok” that was pretty popular for awhile, but it got so competitive, I think it has blown over — unless you can post videos everyday.

Tiktok is also battling for survival with the US Courts. No one knows their fate at the time of this writing. However, like I said earlier, their platform is for video only. People under 35 have grown up videoing themselves all day long, so posting on Tiktok is easy for them. But for those of us over 35, making a video could be a half day or full day affair. So with that warning, I’ll leave it up to you to decide whether Tiktok is for you.

ESTABLISH A PLAN OF ACTION:

First: It’s only a plan of action if you do something about it all. So be sure to open your social media accounts in the next days if you haven’t established them already.

Second: Establish a mailing list on one of the many platforms out there. I would recommend MailerLite as the first email collection platform. There are others out there but the last time I did research — which was about six months previous to this blog post — they were the best deal for the monthly money. I was paying almost $135 a month to Mailchimp (I had about 3500 emails) and I got the same program for $35 a month at MailerLite.

Most programs start free, but don’t underestimate how soon you will build up a following.

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How to do a Double-Opt-In Email and Giveaway at MailerLite

Double-Opt-In-at-MailerLight

Above is a diagram of most of the moving parts involved in setting up a give away using a double opt-in email and automation at Mailerlite. Seeing it visually will help you understand all the bits and pieces I talk about in the video that goes along with this post.

The video below is a comprehensive tutorial about setting up a giveaway using a double-opt-in email, and sending an email containing a link to a download for an infographic.

For self-publishers, building a reader list, sometimes referred to as a newsletter list, it is important to find ways to build your readership. By offering occasional giveaways, you can build your list a little faster.

People love infographics that organize and simplify information, so that is what I decided to offer as a giveaway in the offer in the video.

WHAT IS A DOUBLE OPT IN EMAIL?

A double-opt in email is one where the person signs up but then they must go and retrieve the email in order to confirm it is a live email. It presents you from gathering made up emails. It keeps your reader list clean of fake emails.

WHAT WILL BE COVERED IN THE VIDEO?

Like the picture above, I will cover the entire process from uploading the giveaway to Google drive and getting the proper link for the ultimate email form.

Then we go to Mailerlight and I walk you through the system as I set up a give away using the double opt-in email.

At the end, I then show you how it works. I also give a secret tip at the end about what to do with all the links you have gathered in order to put something like this together.

VIDEO TIMELINE:

00:01 – What we will cover in the video
Outlining all the components and links we will need
07:57 – Uploading the document at Google Drive
11:17 – MailerLite – First Form, the Sign up form and Success Message
15:20 – Email Settings (I leave them all unchecked)
16:00 – Creating the automation, the workflow
17:50 – Create the Email that is launched when the form is filled out
18:40 – Selecting a Mailerlite Template
20:00 – Creating an Email Template
20:50 – Adding the Google Drive link to the Email Form
22:00 – How to save the finished Email as a reuseable Template
23:00 – Set up the double Opt in
24:00 – How to find the direct link to the Mailerlink Form
27:00 – How the form works

Here is the video for your review:

If anyone is interested in getting a copy of the Infographic about How to Create a Character Arc in a 4-Part Story Structure, you can sign up below!

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How to Plan and Execute a Character Arc

Character-arc-graphic

I write novels in series and like there to be a personal subplot that takes place over each book, but another longer arc that takes place over the entire book series. In order to pull this off, I need to be very organized and deliberate in how I let the character arc play out not only over time but over the book series as well.

This blog post is about my process in doing that. Now, I don’t claim this to be the only way to go about it, but it is the way I do it and it works for me. This process is not how I started out working on character arcs! I learned the hard way that it’s important to know in the very beginning how you will allow the book arc and the series arc plays out.

I know there are long multi-book series where the main character is more of an action hero and he/she doesn’t change much. Legal thrillers and the Jack Reacher book series comes to mind. This does work as Lee Childs and other successful authors can attest to. They have sold millions of copies with these stock hard-boiled characters who remain generally the same over the entire series.

I prefer there to be more character growth in each book, plus, I like there to be a series arc as well. My series are shorter than Mr. Child’s but each writer has to find their own place. I like shorter series with the main characters participating in more of a family drama and/or a romantic subplot.

THE FIRST STEP IN SETTING UP A CHARACTER ARC IS TO ESTABLISH THE FOLLOWING:

Character-Arc-Top-Section

Sketch out on a mind map or even a piece of paper the answer to each of the above character development questions. MC stands for Main Character and ANT stands for Antagonist. By sketching them out at the same time in the beginning stages, it will give you a strong direction for your writing right from the get go. Of course, if you have more than one main character, you will want to repeat this process for every main character.

This also allows you to see and create a conflict between the main character and the antagonist. This is particularly helpful to new writers who lean towards making all characters “too nice”. Without some level of conflict, there won’t be enough conflict or drama to move forward in the story. It will simply be an “and-then-this-happened, and-then-this-happened” kind of story.

BREAK THE ENTIRE CHARACTER ARC INTO THREE OR FOUR PARTS:

I use a four-part plot structure, so I break my character arc into four sections. This allows me to keep up with the character development and also don’t resolve the inner conflict too early.

I find this technique also gives me solid writing boundaries and/or writing guideposts. When I’m in Part 2, I know my goal for this section is to make sure the planned character arc for Part 2 is completed before I move to part 3.

Creating-character-arc-bottom

A LITTLE ADVICE ABOUT WRITING IN SERIES:

Now that I’ve written my third book series, I think in terms of multiple-book character acts. As I start out with new characters in a new series, I make sure that I have many options of where these characters can go over the entire series.

A special note to pantsers: This technique gives guideposts and boundaries, but every story or novel takes on a creative life of it’s own. I find by having the character arc written down and sectioned, it makes it easier to change the story as this creative process takes over. I simply look over the character arc and alter it with the new “better idea” that has come up.

I find it gives me the best of both worlds. I have a strong direction when I am writing, but flexibility and ease are built into the process itself. It’s super easy to change mid-stream by just tweaking the character arc a bit.

I hope this helps new writers!

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Book Launch – Links for Marketing Stacking – 2024

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

Freebooky
BargainBooksy
BuyASeriesPost
BuyADealOfTheDay
ReadersList
Bookbub
BookSweeps
Derek Murphy’s Page with Promotion Recommendations
GoodReads-List a Giveaway
Draft2Digital – Sales tools/New Releases
The Fussy Librarian – Free and Paid Promotions
Kindlepreneur – 127 Free and Paid Promotions List
BK Nights on Fiverr.com – Offers a different promotion for books that are marked down and free. For the free ebook, you don’t get to choose a date. They choose for you. (Permafree only?)
BookAngel – This is for the Uk and your book must be listed on Amazon UK
BargainBookAngel – This is for books that are listed for .99p on Amazon UK

Microsoft Fonts for Books and Book Covers

Which font should you use when self-publishing? The more choices we have, the harder it gets to choose.

I always chose Times New Roman as that was the font default in journalism, for books and newspapers for my entire life. However, since Microsoft added hundreds of fonts, I now see any number of fonts show up.

Below are the most common fonts in my opinion:

As you can see from the picture above, even fonts of the same size are heavier and lighter than each other and even the numbers are larger and smaller. My favorites are Times New Roman and Trebuchet MS.

BOOK COVER FONTS – Pretty Fonts:

When it comes to Book Cover fonts, that’s another story. You want something that is attention capturing. I have gone through all of the fonts in Microsoft Word and below I have created a large list of the ones that would be appropriate for book covers.

Often you may want to also have fonts that are heavy and bold. I again went through all the fonts and made a table with those fonts too. I also added some old fashioned and vampire-like fonts.

I remember being new and overwhelmed while planning my first book cover. There were too many choices and I was trying to find the best fonts to “fit in” with other authors. In the beginning, this was very important to me.

I hope this helps.

You can print out this page or you can screen shot and save on your computer. But if you want to download copies of these lists in one download, click below:

Organizing Writing Projects Workflow – Part 2

WHERE WE LEFT OFF IN PART 1:

In the last installment, I described how to start your duties and obligations list with realistic times associated with each one. The list will prove itself over a week or so. Then you will be ready to expand on that list and make a series of workflows, templates, and procedure lists or diagrams. I have posted my own above to jog your memory as to where we left off.

HOW TO RECLAIM TIME:

First let's talk about strategies for finding, making and clawing back time from your days that may be wasted right now.

Looking at your list, are there any obligations that you can take care of while waiting for other things in your life? For example: Can you make some calls as you wait in line to pick up kids at school?
Can you save yourself a trip out of the house by hooking two or three errands together on the same day?
If you are spending your lunch breaks listening to coworkers blathering on and on about inane things, can you write during your lunch hour? Or can you run an errand to clear a Saturday for a greater goal?
Can you listen to an instructional video while driving home from work or some other obligation to make better use of time in traffic?
Go through the list and see how you can mop up wasted time out of your days and reclaim that time for more or better things.
If you have 10 minutes here and 20 minutes there, don't waste it. Clean out your purse with the 10 minute time slot. Do online research for that 20 minutes.

Every minute that you make better use of will free your schedule for the higher goals you want to pursue. Will your life suffer if you miss out on office gossip at lunchtime? I doubt it.

A SPECIAL NOTE ABOUT GETTING LOST IN SOCIAL MEDIA:

Social media can be wonderful or it can be a time-wasting trap like none other. Be particularly careful with short videos or reels. This can be mindless and mind-numbing. One short video can lead to the next almost without willing it. We've all been there. Think of the times the internet, in whatever form, has stolen an entire morning or afternoon. In order to reach higher levels of accomplishment, this has to stop.

Assign yourself some mind-numbing social media time at night. You will have already met your daily accomplishment goals. By checking social media in the evenings, the news of the day has had time to ferment. You'll be reading news instead of 'breaking gossip' or hours of speculation. You can see what your favorite social media people have said all day instead of in the last hour.

If you must go on social media during the day, set an alarm to sound in fifteen minutes. Then get back into accomplishment mode.

START THE WORK FLOW FROM THE TOP:

As a self-publisher, all of the hats I wear in writing and publishing books are noted in the chart above. Analyze and translate your business and make a similar chart. As we move along, we'll drill down into each section and make work-flow diagrams, procedural lists, or informational sheets for just about everything that has to be done.

EVERY BUSINESS OR WORKFLOW NEEDS A FILING SYSTEM:

As you begin, it's important to know how you will organize and file the work product you are about to produce. For example: How will you file your book manuscripts so you can put your fingers on them in two seconds? How will you file all the marketing graphics you produce once you create a social media presence? How will you file and store video files that may be too big to store on a laptop or a desktop?

It's a good idea to think about this in your analyzing phase. Below, I'll go into details about how I set up my book files to keep everything orderly and consistent.

STARTING AT THE TOP OF THE HIERARCHY:

Below is a snapshot of the top layer of my Self-Publishing Business. Each area represents another hat I wear in publishing my novels -- or any other books I may decide to publish. I created this mindmap on a free tool called Freemind. What I like about this mindmapping software is that I can close each of the sections and only focus on what I need depending upon which segment of the self-publishing process I am in.

ORGANIZING MY BOOK FILES | MANUSCRIPTS & COVERS:

Above is the Book Files Hierarchy opened. It contains a list of all of the folders, sub-folders and files I need for each of my books. By having this visual, I can be consistent in the names of the folders, It's even possible to set up the folders before you even finish a first draft.

When I wrote my first novel, I can't tell you how many "drafts" I had and how mixed up I got with it all. This system makes everything clear and self-explanatory.

SELF-PUBLISHING ROADMAP:

Above is the Self-Publishing Roadmap section opened. This is more of a chronological list of everything that has to be done. I have Procedural Lists and/or Informational Sheets with more detailed instructions for each of these steps. It seems a bit excessive, right? Not really. By using organizational tools, diagrams, and lists, it prevents me from having to reinvent the wheel each time I have to do something. I also don't have to use valuable mental energy 'figuring things out'.

There are many things I do on autopilot and I don't use a list for those things. Anything I do everyday or once a week, I don't need a list for. The lists come in handy when I'm doing something I only do occasionally. I believe by having these lists, I cut through any confusion or a bad memory. I have more energy to write!

LET'S LOOK AT THE PROOFREADING LIST:

Above is a snapshot of the Proofreading tab opened. It has a chronological list of how I proofread. I proofread in layers because it makes it easier and less taxing.

LET'S OPEN THE FORMATTING TAB:

Above is the Formatting Tab opened up. It too has a chronological list of how I take my books from formatting the eBook, making the ePub for best upload on Amazon, to the paperback and Hardcover.

If ever I'm at a loss as to what comes next, no matter where I am in the self-publishing process, I just have to go to my list, and the next step will become as clear as day.

Below I have a short snippet where I open all of the sub categories and you can see the chronological lists that serve as guides and reminders of what every facet of the process requires.

INFORMATIONAL SHEETS | PROCEDURE LISTS | DIAGRAMS:

In creating workflow information for the entire self-publishing process, I use a series of Informational Sheets, Procedure Lists, and Diagrams. They all serve the same purpose: To make sure I know what is needed, it functions as a memory jogger, and gives me a sense of knowing I'm not forgetting anything.

Below is a Video Snippet showing one my Informational Sheet on Formatting. I have been adding information and specific notes about experiences I've had with formatting for the last several years. I check this list before beginning any formatting so I refresh my memory about any little snags that happened in the past. This is a great time saver.

Below is a video snippet scrolling through the Formatting Info Sheet.

In the next installment, I will cover my Blog and Video Procedural List. This allows me to easily write a blog, convert it to a video script, and make blog graphics and video overlay panels at the same time. Multitasking supercharged! See you in the next installment!

Writing Fiction or Memoirs With a Purpose

IT'S IMPORTANT TO KNOW WHY YOU WANT TO WRITE.

Everyone writes for a reason. Knowing why you write is important, especially as a beginner writer. Writing a book is not hard, but it can be a long process. If your purpose for writing is clear, this will give you the energy and inspiration to spur you on if and/or when the going gets a little tough.

Are you writing for pleasure? Are you an avid reader and you want to write the books you never found? Do you want to write around some social commentary you have a desire to share? Writing is a form of sharing. What is it that you want to share? Your wit? Maybe Satire? Have you always been told that you're funny? Do you have a unique take on society that you think people would like?

I love stories and movies that have a backdrop of Catholicism in them, like The Godfather saga, or The Supranos, or even Ray Donovan. The Catholicism in these stories felt familiar to me and I believe it gave the story a layer of depth as it tapped into religion and culture which tends to anchor a group or family. So I write novels that have either a backdrop of Catholicism or a ribbon of Catholic sensibility passing through it. Of course, I leave out the blasphemy that Hollywood loves to toss in there on occasion!

I also write as part of my legacy. I began to write in 2018 when I moved to Central Florida, which I considered my pre-retirement. Now I have retired and I write full time. I feel that my books will be part of my legacy. I'm clear on my purpose for writing.

ARE STORIES JUST BURSTING TO COME OUT OF YOUR HEAD?

Some people are what I call natural-born writers. They do have stories bursting out of their hearts and heads. Often, these people fell in love with reading as children. Reading was an adventure. It took them up, up and away. Some people have always had a desire to author their own stories. If this sounds like you, you are a natural-born author.

This is usually a sign that you have been given the gift of authoring. These gifts are Heaven-sent, and predate schooling and other influences in your life. If this is the case, embracing your fate is probably the next best step to take.

DO YOU WANT TO WRITE AS PART OF YOUR LEGACY?

There are trades and arts that seem to fall by the wayside in each generation. But often, how to do certain things is lost to history. Do you know how to do something that you feel you need to leave behind? Do you want to write about how you did something that is now fading from the world?

There are young people who don't know how to write a check anymore. They don't know how to address an envelope for the mail. Some don't even read cursive writing anymore.

Listening to a lecture by the learned intellectual and researcher Thomas Sowell, he stated that when Rome fell, the western world lost the art of making bricks. Then when the western world got back on its feet, they had to import brings from England because the art of making bricks died with the civilization. Cement was invented in Rome. They made all of those brick arches -- but the art was lost. What is it that you know how to do that you feel compelled to record for prosperity's sake?

I'm old enough to remember 'phone guys' that worked for Bell South or whatever the phone company was called back then. These men -- they didn't have phone women back then -- would show up with big toolbelts and gaffs or lineworker boots on. These boots had cleats or little metal spikes in them that was a safety feature. These men know everything about the phone system. They would climb the wooden telephone poles and they could fix phones outside on the pole or inside in the houses. They were familiar with the entire system. That is one group of technical workers that have fallen away.

Is there something about an art form or a job that you knew that you want to pass on for prosperity sake? You can write a novel around it and it will serve two purposes: It will be a way for you to tell the story of your industry or job and you will be documenting how life was at a certain time in history.

DO YOU HAVE A BURNING DESIRE TO SHARE A UNIQUE EXPERIENCE?

Very often life dishes out some hard times to some of us. Did you experience, survive and prosper through some difficult times that you feel compelled to write a memoir about? You don't have to have been a famous celebrity or someone with a Moses-like mission. You may have fell on hard times and you want to share your experience, strength or faith that kept you going. People love inspirational stories.

Writing a memoir can also be part of your legacy. Someone three generations down the road may be curious about how the family was back in your times. By having a published memoir, you can share your perspective on things during the times you lived.

Today people no longer write letters. Most photos live on phones that may be lost or stolen. Even photos in the cloud could easily be lost to history without the right username and password. By writing a memoir, you may be someone who is documenting the present in a way that historians in the future may be very grateful for.

SO WHY DO YOU WANT TO WRITE A BOOK?

What do you think? Do any of these reasons resonate with you? Make your first writing assignment to list the reason or reasons why you choose to write.

Here is a video where I had a few more words to say about finding your reason to write!