Author’s Diary – Sneak Peek behind the Novel – Scene Template

WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF A SCENE TEMPLATE?

.picture-border — An Example of a starting template in Darius - A Vampire Story

I learned most of what I know about writing and self-publishing from several authors who graciously shared their knowledge on YouTube and on their blogs. I'm not an expert in writing novels by any means. I'm beginning my 11th novel, so I can say I managed to write 10 novels and get their published on KDP!

I consider myself a plotter, but I have a system that allows for a lot of creative stretching even within a pretty rigid system. I consider my writing template to be only guardrails. The main purpose of these guardrails is to stay on point, stay on the story, and prevent me from wandering off into some dead end or corner that I can't write my way out of. This system does help me stay focused.

THE TEMPLATE IS SIMPLE:

POV:
TIME/LOCATION:
PURPOSE/CLUES:

Each scene starts with these three lines. I have a sample of a starting scene template from one of my vampire books, Darius, A Vampire Story. It's permafree on Amazon and Kobo.

In the example above, I default to using numbers, but in all honesty, I wind up adding things and swapping positions on thing, so you may want to use bullet points instead.

Below I have a made-up version of a scene using bullet points.

- The main characters, John and Mary, meet & begin a conversation about work or a shared interest.
- They hear a loud gunshot. Mary is startled and John reaches out to comfort her.
- I continue on listing in a bit of detail everything that needs to happen in the scene. I don't get into any conversation, or any detail. Just a plot point, so to speak. This list is more of a to do list that I can keep in my mind when I'm writing, and it then becomes a checklist to make sure I put everything in the scene that I need to.
- All things must have a purpose in the scene. (More on this below)
- In the beginning, you may also choose to highlight the dropping of any and all clues.

POINT OF VIEW:

When I begin to write the scene, I don't know whose point of view the scene will be in. I don't pick a point of view. I allow myself to write within the framework of the guardrails listed above until the scene comes to life. During this time, one character claims the scene. This allows me great creative freedom even within the framework of these guardrails.

Once I determine whose seen it is, then I can make sure that the scene is all in that person's point of view. This is easy enough to do in the second level of writing.

DAY | TIME | TIMING:

In writing mystery romances and police procedurals, it's important to keep track of time for a few reasons. One reason is that it's too easy to get lost in the writing and forget the time line. It may be morning in one scene and in the next scene you're referring to something happening at 4PM. Problems like these are very tedious to clean up after you're done writing. It's easier easier to track the timing while you create the scene, while you write.

Another reason to track time is to make sure that a reasonable amount of action takes place in a day. Very often, the subplot action takes place at night or afterhours, so knowing when a workday begins and ends and when personal time or evening begins is important.

Another reason is in police procedurals, they need judges to sign warrants and that's an issue of timing. The witnesses work jobs and police tend to do things during the day. They also tend to work long shifts and have case loads, etc. I use the timing to keep things real, I guess you could say.

LOCATION:

I add the location of each scene to make sure that this is also taken into account. If they are one hour away from home or two hours away from the police department, then I have to remember that -- because if I don't, some sharp reader will!

I also log the location so that when I come back to my second and third layers -- I write in layers -- I can add details about the location into the scene.

PURPOSE:

I talked about this above, how important it is to only write into the scene things that move the drama, character arcs or the story itself forward. This is the most important guardrail. I take this instruction or advice literally and I make sure that everything in the scene has a purpose and/or reason to be there.

Very often the purpose is to drop clues, throw in a red herring, or move the subplots along. But every scene has at least one specific purpose.

Clues:

In writing mysteries, these are your breadcrumbs that will be dropped one by one during the story. By keeping track of the clues and where they are dropped, you can also look later on and make sure that you are disbursing them along the way at a nice pace. You don't want to dump four clues in one scene and then follow it with two boring chapters with nothing going on.

LAYERS:

I mentioned writing in layers above. This is a secondary technique that I will blog about as I move along in my present book. I'll also give you a sneak peek behind the novel to see what levels I write in.

I'll just say that writing the initial scenes is the first level of writing. I write the outlines and then begin to write the scene. I NEVER LOOK BACK! That means I don't correct verb tense. I don't worry about typos. I don't worry about polishing anything. It's all raw and it's supposed to be raw. Just get the story out on paper.

I don't exert one ounce of energy proofreading or polishing until I know I have an actual manuscript. At the end of this first layer, I won't have a manuscript. I'll have a good, strong skeleton of a story, but it won't be a manuscript -- or anything close to one. But having a good strong skeleton is important.

I hope this helps someone new!

Author’s Tips – Plotting with Freemind

ALL AUTHORS NEED A PLOTLINE:

Each new book requires a new plotline. I used to come up with a plotline and go with it. But I noticed I had a lot of insecurities as to whether it was good enough or whether I was choosing a plotline too soon.

By the third book, I started to write four potential plotlines from the beginning. Each one was good enough. They all had a crime or a mystery, they had suspense and even a satisfying or surprise ending. By writing four plotlines, at some point, the one plotline that I "should be writing" clings to me and I to it. I know instinctively that 'this is the one'.

HOW TO QUIET WRITING INSECURITIES:

When I had only the one plotline, I still had an insecurity as I began to write. What I found with starting with four is that I know I worked on all four and I know I'm writing the best one I came up with. I feel like the plotline I chose wants to be written. The characters are already coming alive before I even finish the plotline.

It's more work to start with four plotlines, but the satisfaction of knowing I'm writing the right book, and being able to let go of any self-doubt and insecurity, it's well worth it.

THE TECHNIQUE OF OUR PLOTS WORKED, BUT I GOT SCATTERED!

So I could tell the four plotlines was a working strategy going forward. The first time I did this, I opened a new Notepad document, plotted a crime and a potential storyline. When I finished, I named it the first potential plotline and filed it. Rinse and repeat. Sounds pretty straight forward, right?

Well, after I chose the one potential storyline, I went on to write the book. The technique worked but, as usual, I got scattered pretty soon thereafter. What do I mean? I mean I couldn't remember where I filed each plotline. Did I put it into my blogging folder? Was it in the last book folder? Was it filed as a general document in my website folder? I couldn't find them no matter what.

I don't know if everyone is like this, but as soon as I have more than three pages of anything, I start going upside down if I don't have a "system" to keep myself organized.

ALL IN ONE DOCUMENT?

Then in response to getting scattered, I just wrote all four plotlines in one document, but then I was overwhelmed by how long the document was and it wasn't easy to see which plotline I was in. The Notepad has a tendency to return to the top when you flip out of it to check a spelling or anything. Ugh, I again went upside down.

FREEMIND - The solution:

Then I found Freemind. Of course I saw it on YouTube, where I learn all of my author tricks and tips. Freemind allows me to keep all four plotlines on the same 'board'. BUT I can close each one and it is very easy to determine which plotline I'm on. This is also a way where I can scan over all past plotlines to get ideas when it's time for the next book.

This was a game changer for me, which is why I pass this on to other new authors -- or just authors who go upside down like I do!

I made a very short video on YouTube showing how this works. Most of the FreeMind is intuitive and self-explanation when you begin to use it, but it's always helpful to just see it in action.

Writer’s Diary – Creative Energy vs. Mundane Chore Energy

What's the Difference between these different types of Energy?

Since I began writing full time, I've noticed a difference between the type of energy writing fiction takes. Because I'm using creative energy, there's risk involved. It requires me to make decisions and choose to go down one avenue of story and not another. There's always a possibility that I may wind up in a dead-end or wish I had chosen another route. No one likes disappointment, especially the type where you look back and see hours and hours of wasted writing time!

When I write, I need fresh energy, a feeling of having a full well of creative spark, almost an excitement. I even feel more self-trusting when I'm in this state. I'm committed to allowing myself to create. This happens for me right after sleep. That means the mornings -- or after a nap in the late afternoon.

If I've had a sleepless night, or have been running from pillar to post for three days in a row, I'm creatively useless. If I try to force myself to write in this state, I never produce my best work. I also can't write if I'm exhausted, or feeling ill, if I feel despondent about the state of the world right now, or if I'm scattered because of too many things going on at once. Can anyone else relate?

How Does This Affect Writing a Novel?

Over time, I have come to accept this in myself. I allow the type of energy I have dictate whether I do creative work or mundane chores. I can do mundane house chores while half sleeping. I can clean when feeling ill. I can do laundry and even cooking if I'm not feeling that great. And I do.

Once I know I'm kind of creatively useless, I shift into mundane-chore mode. This is the time I do all my mundane chores. But I've also found that there are even mundane chores in the production of a book, especially if you are a self-publisher. For example: I won't even try to design a book cover, but I can collect inspirational photos into a folder so I have them ready the next morning when I'm refreshed and have more of a creative flow.

Other mundane chores involved in the Self-Publishing world are:

Research in writing, publishing, social media marketing, KDP ads, etc.
Education - Watching videos on subjects that you need to know as a self-publisher. This is a great way to harness mundane energy and make it work for you.
Checking through drafts to make sure you have start-and-end quote marks. This is definitely a mundane chore, but has to be done!
Listening to your work: Microsoft Word has a "read aloud" feature so when you're too tired to write, you can listen to your chapters being read back to you. This is a great way to find those errors in your writing that you can too easily gloss over when you're the author.

Wrestling with the Force of Energy Never Works For Me:

female hands writing on laptot, close up

I see YouTube videos and blog articles by authors who set out very strict writing time schedules for themselves. They don't seem to have trouble following these tight and rigid schedules. I can't operate within that system. I gave up wrestling with my energy a while ago. But I believe I have found a way to make this work for me, not against me. I see my new techniques as respecting my limitations and also harnessing my different energies to work for the same goal.

Learn to Harness The Different Types of Energy:

It all begins in analyzing your own energy levels, and how they play out in your own life. Maybe you have a baby that takes all of your energy during the day. Your time to be creative may be at night. But maybe you can take advantage of his/her nap time to do some of the DIY Publishing mundane chores or research or education.

Once you get a read on how your own energy ebbs and flows, you can more effectively plan on how to shift between these states and harness them both to work for the same goals.

I hope this article helps, especially those just beginning their writing journey.

Scrivener Tip – Long and Short Lists of Keyboard Shortcuts

Long List of Scrivener Keyboard Shortcuts:

I made the four-page list of Scrivener shortcuts into a gif to give you an idea of how many keyboard shortcuts there are. Why make lists of them? These came in handy for me because until I made my own theme in Scrivener, I had to strain to see a lot. The default coloring of Scrivener is so white and bright that it made seeing the gray fonts very hard -- at least on my aging eyes!

We each have our own methods of doing things, and only a few of these shortcuts may become your favorites. But it will come in handy as you get more and more productive as a writer. Which will happen. The one thing Scrivener does is streamline writing and allow you to power focus on your project.

Below is a moving gif to give you an idea of what the list looks like. I got this information from a website called How to Scrivener. I don't have to tell you this is only one of the many resources he has for Scrivener users.

HOW TO USE THE SCRIVENER LIST:

I simply copied and pasted them into a Word document and printed it out. I keep it on my right hand side and one by one, I just chose a new shortcut to focus on that session. Little by little, they became natural. I no longer need to refer to the list anymore.

PASSING IT ON:

I'm passing this on to new authors as so many other authors passed on their tips and tricks to me. I hope this helps someone.

In case you don't want to copy and past your own document, you can click below to print out my copy. Be sure to visit How to Scrivener to see all of the various resources he/she has for Scrivener users.

DOWNLOAD KEYBOARD SHORTCUT LIST

Self-Publishing Tip – Cover sizes

I chose to write this blog post for new authors who struggle, like I did, when it comes to getting things together right before self-publishing your own books. I managed to flip upside down when it came time to uploading and publishing.

One reason I went upside down was because I was nervous about doing something I wasn't familiar with. The second reason was that I had done so much research that I was overwhelmed with information and I had the information in different places. Sheer confusion.

WHAT DO YOU ABSOLUTELY NEED TO UPLOAD AN EBOOK COVER AND A PAPERBACK COVER ON KDP.AMAZON.COM?

The ebook cover needs to be 2560px (height) x 1600 px (width). The instructions say the ebook only has to be 76 dpi, but I always make sure mine are 300dpi. It's just more high quality. Amazon has a way of compressing them and they always look good online, so I would suggest you do the same.

It's all about the size.

76dpi, 150dpi and 300dpi - What's the difference?

The difference is size in dots per inch. Without getting too technical, which isn't necessary, 76dpi is the most common size to use online, on websites, anywhere that you want your pictures to load fast.

150dpi is a bigger size, and that is seen sometimes online. But that would usually be used for someone publishing actual artwork or photography.

300dpi is what a printer would need to print a color copy of anything.

72 dpi is referred to as "low resolution" and 300dpi is considered high resolution.

IMPORTANT LINKS TO KEEP HANDY:

Amazon offers a Cover Creator, but the covers are template based and it's best to learn how to use Gimp or some other free graphics program in order to make a cover. They aren't hard to do. Stay tuned for videos on how to easily make a cover.

The information about formatting in general begins at this link.

The paperback calculator is at this link.

WRITERS DIARY – Did I Send Draft Manuscript to the Editor Too Early?

FOLLOWING MY SYSTEM OF FIVE TO SIX REVIEWS BEFORE SENDING:

I am a diligent plotter and planner when I write. Starting in Scrivener, I construct the story and go over it from six or seven different angles before I even compile it to be worked on, massaged and proofread in Microsoft Word.

So after this process, the book never feels rushed to me. The last ten to twenty tweaks give me the feeling that I have finished.

IT FELT DONE - BUT WAS IT?

During the writing of my last book, Murder at the Car Wash, I had the same feeling -- that the book was done and ready to go to the editor.

I had checked it constantly to make sure there was enough background information for the book to be read alone, even though it was written as part of the Jack Nolan Detective Series. I went over the plotline, the sub-plotlines, the balance of the story -- everything, like I always do.

BUT MY MIND IS STILL PERCOLATING

However, once the book was gone to the editor, within a few days, I seemed to have a second wind of creative energy and had more ideas of deepening the intrigue or mystery 'popping' into my head.

I know when the book comes back that I will be adding to it with these ideas that have come to me over the month the book is being edited.

Looking back, I remember the same thing happened with my first few novels. I didn't notice it like I did this time. Luckily, with self-publishing, you can fix something or even add something and then re-upload it! These are the gifts of self-publishing.

WAITING 2 TO 3 WEEKS TO GIVE IT TO THE EDITOR NEXT TIME!

Thinking about this in terms of the future, I will add this 2 to 3 weeks period of allowing the book to rest unattended to see what else pops up when my mind turns to other things. I write fast enough where this will not create a problem.

I have a list of things I check in the novels to make sure I cover everything. I will add this "process" of waiting a few weeks to let my mind get busy with other things and then see what else my creative mind throws up as it is still percolating with the storyline.

Although this is my 1th book, I still consider myself a new author and am still learning my way through all this.

Has this ever happened to you?

Writers Tip – Writers Tools – New Book Folder Hierarchy

I'm in the process of writing my 10th novel! I can't believe it myself. It took me over a year to come up with one plotline to begin my first book!

This blog post about File Naming suggestions is aimed at those new authors writing their first book or maybe their second book. When I started out, between the first draft, the arc copies, the Bookfunnel copies, and more, I very soon lost track of where my last manuscript was filed or even what I named it!

The photo above is a List of the Folders I use inside any new book file. I'll describe below what are kept in each of the folders. This is something I wish I had found seen several years ago when I was new!

BOOK FOLDER NAMES:

I write book series, usually 4 books per series, so my folder for a new book will be called Series 1 - Book 1 - Name of Book. By putting "series 1" first in the name, followed by the book number, the folders will line up alphabetically and they will be kept in order. Each series will be in order as well as all the books as well. This helps when scanning to find a particular book manuscript or book cover, etc.

BOOK COVERS:

I keep my book covers in a separate folder. Inside the Book Cover folder are sub-folders named Ebook-Covers and Paperback-Covers folders. This seems like a lot more work, but believe me, you may have four copies of one cover before you finish making all tweaks or corrections.

You also want to have a high resolution picture (300 dpi) as well as a web versions (72dpi) as you will be uploading to many different places and you want your web picture to be easily downloaded.

Keeping them separate and clearly marked also makes it easy to find the right cover when you are uploading to online book sellers like Amazon or Draft2Digital, etc. For example, I will name one cover "Darius-eBook-Cover-72dpi" and the other one "Darius-ebook-Cover-300dpi" so I know which is high res and which is low res.

BOOK IMAGES:

I like to find pictures of actors or other people who represent the characters when I begin a new series. I also like to find pictures of sets for the scenes to take place in. I may also buy several royalty free photos that I may use on the book covers. I keep these photos and any other general photos or graphics about the book in this folder.

I found this helpful to not clutter up the actual book cover folders.

PLOTLINES:

Using a Notebook document, I begin each new book with about four potential plotlines. Then I pick one and begin to outline. So I keep this document in it's own file.

FIRST DRAFTS:

This is where I keep the scrivener folder and where I do the majority of my creative writing. If the storyline has a calendar that I'm following, I also keep that in this folder. Any research that's done and any reminders to myself also go into this file.

For my first two or three books, I did work with Mindmaps in my plotting. I no longer use them as they are too cumbersome and too hard to change. I now just use a Notebook document and that serves me well. But if you are using a mindmap, it's best to keep it in your First Drafts folder.

MANUSCRIPT PRE-PUBLICATION:

In the PrePublications folder, I have sub-folders. One is "Copy to Editor" because often I choose to rewrite the beginning and end of the book a few times while the editor is working. So I want to have an exact copy of the document passed off to the editor when it comes back with corrections, etc.

Whatever rewrites I do, I clearly mark: "Rewrite of Chapter 1" and keep it separate.

While the editor is working, I find a few beta readers or advance feedback readers. I keep the copies sent to them separate. Lately, I have offered a coffee mug with the cover of the book as a small token of appreciation for the readers to answer a questionnaire. The copy is only offered for feedback, not for a review. One ARC/BETA copy I have been adding a link to the questionnaire for the reader to fill out. This is a short-lived offer as once I make the corrections when the book returns from the editor, I remove this offer.

The other ARC/Beta copy is without the link to the gift and questionnaire as I participate on the BookSquirrel and other ARC copy websites. So I don't want that offer in those copies.

At some point after editing, the book will be uploaded for giveaway to my newsletter list and uploaded to Bookfunnel and SiteOrigin for a month or so as I arrange to have a PreOrder campaign with Amazon. So I keep those copies separate also.

MANUSCRIPT-PUBLISHED:

At some point, the book actually gets published! The Final Manuscript copies are kept in this folder and they are the only documents in this folder. I cannot tell you how many times between the editor and corrections and ARC changes, etc., that I lost sight of what my actual final copy was named and where it was! Keeping the final manuscript in a clearly-marked separate folder eliminates this problem.

TOBEDeleted:

As you go from first draft to second draft, to editors copy, to arc copies, to any rewrites, you will wind up with copy after copy after copy. I'm a bit paranoid about just deleting the copies I don't need anymore until the end of the project and the book is safely uploaded. So as I save corrected copies, I put the old ones in the TOBEDeleted folder. Then when the book is safely published on Amazon and wherever else I'm uploading, that's when I open this folder and delete everything.

INFO-BOOK NAME - BLURBS

This is a notebook sheet that I begin with the start of any new book. First I keep any working title, or I call it Book 10, etc. I keep a list of all of the character names, even if they are mentioned only once. This is helpful in writing a series because you may need one police office to pass off something in Book 2 and I don't know about you, but I would never remember his name. So by having a list of all characters named in the book, I have easy reference to every character name at all times. I have this information sheet on every book.

I also keep any technical research I know I will be entering into the story. This also makes it easy when writing your first draft. It eliminates having to stop and try to remember where you put the research.

As you move through the process, you will gather links for your free uploads, and ASIN numbers and ISBN numbers, etc. I add them to this document and keep them neatly arranged on this Info sheet. I also add all links to the books. So when I'm uploading or doing any other kind of marketing, I have everything I need on this one sheet. This saves all of that scrambling around for these little bits of info. (I'm talking from experience!)

As you can see from the Info sheet on my last book Distrust, I have every bit of info I need, including the links, word counts, page counts, etc.

This is only the top 20% of the document. Below are all the character names, as well as the book descriptions and blurbs.

When you begin to upload either as a giveaway or a book sale, you will also need various blurbs. Some will requires a limitation of about 250 words. Another website may want a short 35 work blurb, and Amazon ads require about a 12 word blurb. So as I write and rewrite different length blurbs, I keep them on this Info sheet. This way, I have a blurb in various lengths for any uploading or marketing that I come upon. You won't have to reinvent the wheel every time you want to upload your book somewhere. It also help you keep your descriptions and blurbs consistent.

I would love to know how other authors organize their books. If you would like to have a blog post done of your filing system and tips, I would love to write it for you!

Self-Publishing Tip – How to Add Chapter Header Graphics

START WITH A SIMPLE WORD FORMAT

I've been struggling with trying to do this for about three years! I finally figured it out, thanks to some other YouTubers, one of which was Derek Murphy -- who knows all things when it comes to self-publishing!

I write in Scrivener and when it's time to proofread, I compile into Word and do the proofreading and editing there. So I start with simple formatting. This simple formatting will make adding the chapter graphics easier. You need to trust me on this. You will want to embed your fonts in Word also.

We will be going from DOCX to an ePub file. So as a reminder, make sure you do your Table of Contents using the Heading 1 links. I only have 3 pictures that I use in my books. One is a small publishing icon, one is a small scroll I use on the Note to Readers page, and the last one is the Chapter Graphic itself.

IMPORTANT: One more reminder to do your Table of Contents in Word using the links and Heading 1. If you forget this, you will have to redo the entire process I'm showing you! (Speaking from experience)

IMPORTANT: See above. Leave one blank before your Heading 1/ Chapter Titles. You will thank me for this later!

IMPORTANT: Only add one chapter header picture right before Chapter 1. Make sure it is wrapped “top and bottom” and also aligned to center. See above picture.

Save the document as a .DOCX file.

CONVERT TO A ePUB

I use a service called convertio.ca. (https://convertio.co/) I believe you can use this once for free, but I pay for it as I use it all the time. If you search for 'free ebook converter', you may find another free ebook converter. I used to use a Chrome extension that was similarly named, convertio or something, but it stopped working for me. You can see if they have another one in the app store if you don’t want to pay to convert.

Go to https://convertio.co/ and upload the manuscript.docx file and choose to convert into an ebook and then choose ePub. Then click on the convert button. It may take a few minutes to throw up a download button.

NOTE: During this process, your ePub will pull in all of your pictures and separate your chapters into separate files. That’s why you only want to add the one chapter picture. You can use the same one over and over in your document and keep the transfer cost down.

Once this is done, click on the download button. It will most likely save to your download folder. If you want to download it into your manuscript folder, you will need to choose that folder. In any event, it will be downloaded onto your hard drive.

DOWNLOAD SIGIL PROGRAM - THEN OPEN IT:

ONCE IT IS DOWNLOADED, open your Sigil program. If you don't have it yet, it's a free download. Go to https://sigil-ebook.com/sigil/download/ and download your version.

Once it's downloaded, open the program up. When it opens up, it will be sort of blank, like above. This is what a blank ePub document looks like. We won't be using the blank document.

Click on File => Open => Choose your recently-downloaded manuscript.ePub file. It will open it up in the Sigil program.

Once you open your manuscript epub file, it will pull in all of your chapters as individual html files.

Then there is a Styles folder. We will be making changes to the individual html files, the Title pages, and the stylesheet.css. Be sure to use the style sheet I have highlighted to the right.

Your images from your eBook will be pulled into the Images folder by the convertio process. You will be using the one chapter header graphic over and over. You have everything you need to begin to format the chapter titles.

LET'S ADD THE CUSTOM STYLES:

You will have to type out these codes. Each digit and space is important. If you forget one semi-colon or bracket, the codes won't work. So double check your work before you copy and paste into the Styles document.

DIRECTIONS: Go to the File Listings on the left side. Find the Styles folder and double-click on the stylesheet.css file. When it opens, scroll all the way to the bottom of the file.

Copy and paste the above coding into the page and save. There is a save icon on the top menu of the Sigil program. Or you can use Control S to save.

** See below for further coding explanation

FIX THE TITLE PAGES:

Nowt that we have saved the new css codes, it's time to change the files to pull in the new coding.

Looking at the diagram above, double click on the first file, marked index_split_000.html. This is the first page, which is my Book Title page. Now, even though I have coded this in Word to align to the center of the page, the ePub converter ignores this and throws my title onto the top of the page.

So I will change the class name from whatever it is (this will be auto-generated by your ePub converter) to "book_title". (Note: Be sure to use an underscore, not a dash) This will then move the title down 20% from the top of the page. I use 20% because when someone reads on a tablet in landscape, I don't want the title to disappear from the page. By moving it only 20% down, it is still 'above the fold'. If you don't understand this, don't sweat it.

I do the same thing on the second Title Page in my manuscript. Make the same change to "book_title". Changing the class name to "book_title" is the only change you need to make.

NOW WE WANT TO ADD THE CHAPTER GRAPHICS:

Double click on the first chapter page in the document above. There will be auto-generated html coding referencing the picture. If you look below, I have changed the coding to reference the class of "image_centered". That's the only part of your coding that needs to change.

Once you have made this change, copy this to your clipboard. (Control C).

One by one, you want to double-click each chapter to open it, and copy and paste this coding right above the CHAPTER 2, CHAPTER 3, CHAPTER 4, etc, in each file. It will be a little time consuming, but believe me, it is MUCH EASIER than hoping and praying that you can get a converter to get the spacing and alignment right.

Once you have finished each one, you can then save your work, and email it to your Kindle account and check it on your ereader and on your cellphone. I have had a perfect conversion using this method.

I hope I have helped you save all the frustration and hair-pulling I did in searching for a way to do this!

** FURTHER EXPLANATION:

The css codes added some alignment codes, to make sure they are centered. The max-widths of 25% are to make sure my publisher icon is not too big, and the max width of 60% is to make sure the chapter header graphic does not come up too big. The rest you don't really need to know, but if you are curious, you can go to W3School CSS to learn more.

These codes are used to style my chapter graphics, the book titles and the small publisher icon and another small graphic I use. So if you are only adding the chapter headers, you will only need to add those codes.

Kickstarting Your Writing Career by Jessica Brody

How to Kick-start Your Writing Career After Graduation

Freelance writing is a viable career, and there are no hard-and-fast rules when getting started. You get to experiment to find out what works for you and what doesn’t. Read this helpful guide if you want to write for a living after graduation.

Mindset First

Fear is one thing that stops aspiring freelance writers from growing their businesses. First, you’ll have to build confidence and just start taking action. Don’t be afraid to make a mistake or become upset if you get rejected by a client as that’s part of the growth process.

The next step is to identify your writing niche. After all, clients don’t usually look for generic solutions for specific problems. If clients want content for real estate or finance, they most likely will hire a real estate writer or a finance writer. Focus on at least three niches to help you find good clients.

Lastly, commit to your writing goals. Do you want to be a six-figure writer this year? Reach out to clients and create an online presence. Most importantly, find ways to improve your writing skills by enrolling in online courses and reading books on writing.

Choose a Business Structure

An LLC, or limited liability company, offers personal liability protection for your writing business, more flexibility, less paperwork, and tax advantages. Each state has different regulations on forming an LLC, so check the rules first before moving forward. When establishing your LLC, avoid huge lawyer fees by using a formation service or handling the process yourself.

Set Up a Process for Invoicing

Next, set up invoicing for clients, so you receive payment promptly. An invoice helps your clients understand the breakdown of the services they’re paying for, how much is due, and when they’re expected to pay. Use an invoice generator to quickly create and download customized invoices for your clients. You can also include your business logo, text, and photos in your invoice.

Launch a Writer Website

A good website lets you show off your writing portfolio, generate leads, grow your network, and stand out from the competition. Show off your personality and leverage your experience to help you land clients. If you want your website to rank better, optimize with the right keywords. Most importantly, start a blog and promote it on social media.

How to Land Writing Gigs

Before sending out applications, ensure you have a well-written writing sample. Consider applying to content writing agencies or pitching to magazines and businesses. Some writers do cold calling and cold emailing to get clients. LinkedIn is also a good place to find prospects, but ensure your profile is highly optimized and you have good writing samples to show clients.

The secret to a successful writing business is consistency. You can attract and retain more clients if you deliver high-quality work every time. If you can afford it, consider getting an editor to help you better polish your writing before submission. Additionally, ensure you meet client deadlines so that you’re more likely to get repeat work.

Freelance Writing Is Real

You can start your freelance writing business and earn a decent income when you follow the guide above. Choose a business structure, set up your invoicing process, design your own website, and start landing jobs. Stay consistent, confident, and committed to your goals to ensure freelance success. For writing tips and helpful resources, visit Read First Chapter.

Book Launch – Early Market Research – Part 3

* EARLY MARKET RESEARCH *

While your book is still being edited, you can do early market research. Begin by going to Amazon.com and searching out your main category. Record the names of the authors, the name of the books, and any series names. These will come into play later on when I tell you about two YouTubers you should watch and subscribe to.

Below are two videos from these two YouTubers who really helped me the most when it came to marketing eBooks on KDP and also researching eBooks with marketing in mind. You should watch these videos and comb their video library for other helpful advice. The only additional thing I will mention is that I also scroll down the book pages on Amazon and notice what other categories my competition is listed in. Write the category names down. You will get many more categories this way as Amazon is adding new ones all the time!

PICKING THE BEST CATEGORIES FOR YOUR BOOK LAUNCH:

Below is the video from Self Publishing Titans. He offers a free tool that I have used and it is great for picking the best categories for your eBooks. The tool is free and it's a cinch to install. He goes over the tool and what it can do in the video below. I would also recommend that you subscribe to his YouTube channel as he has amazing insights and his videos are straight to the point.

I learned from Self Publishing Titans about doing my pre-launch research. I found many more categories that I never knew existed. By doing this early research, I was ready with my 7 keywords and 10 book categories that I would need when it came time to upload my eBook. So have a look see at his video.

THE BEST LAUNCH STRATEGY VIDEO:

Below is a Best Book Launch Strategy video that I found amazingly helpful as a beginner. He also has wonderful insights into how the algorithms work, etc. Be sure to watch the video and subscribe to Dane's channel as he has a lot of great information.

This could take several days, but your eBook is with the editor anyway, so you should have the time!