indie publishing

Twitter Chat for Authors and Aspiring Authors

Ever thought about writing a book? Ever wonder what it’s like being an author? Have you wondered what’s involved with writing and publishing a book?
Do you know the best ways to promote a book? Do want the lowdown on book signings and how to make them work for you?

Whether you’re an author or an author wannabee, come join historical fiction author Lori Crane, myself, and four other authors as we discuss our careers, our thoughts, our processes, our books, and the secrets (and pitfalls) that all aspiring authors need to know about!

Saturday, November 16, 2013 – 4p-5p Eastern, 3p-4p Central

Go to TweetChat (www.tweetchat.com) a few minutes before the chat, to sign up. Then, simply enter the following hashtag to follow and participate in the chat: #ellyhays

The Author Exploitation Business

Every serious author needs to read this, as well as my comment.

David Gaughran

penguin (1)Writing is a glamorous occupation – at least from the outside. Popular depictions of our profession tend to leave out all the other stuff that comes with the territory: carpal tunnel syndrome, liver failure, penury, and madness.

Okay, okay, I jest. I love being a writer. Sharing stories with the world and getting paid for it is bloody brilliant. It’s a dream job, and like any profession with a horde of neophytes seeking to break in, there are plenty of sharks waiting to chew them to bits.

Publishing is a screwed up business. The often labyrinthine path to success makes it much easier for those with nefarious intentions to scam the unsuspecting. But it doesn’t help that so many organizations who claim to help writers, to respect them, to assist them along the path to publication are actually screwing them over.

Before the digital revolution made self-publishing viable on a…

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Self-Publishing Grabs Huge Market Share From Traditional Publishers

This is nothing I didn’t already know. Each month, each quarter, each year, independently-published books make a bigger and bigger splash!

David Gaughran

godzillBarnes & Noble re-launched PubIt! this week as Nook Press, a largely superficial makeover which failed to address some fundamental problems, like restricting access to US self-publishers only, and introduced new howler: updating existing titles causes the loss of all ranking, reviews, and momentum.

There were only two noteworthy things, to me, about this launch. First, the PubIt! brand had been closely associated with Barnes & Noble. This re-launch seems like an attempt to tie the Nook Press brand to their subsidiary Nook Media, probably in advance of a sale (Barnes & Noble already sold a stake to Microsoft, and a smaller slice to Pearson – Penguin’s parent company but maintain a controlling interest in Nook Media).

This re-launch is full of things that sound great in a corporate press release (innovative editing tools!) that most professional self-publishers won’t really care about, which makes me further suspect this is more…

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#Authors #Indie #Twitter Twitter Hashtags for Authors

Many writers ask about marketing their books on Twitter. I’m not a Twitter expert, but I’ve enjoyed mild success by marketing by books on Twitter. How? It’s simple. It’s about good manners and hashtags.

I try to tweet once every day or so; I don’t overdo it. That’s my biggest challenge, as I don’t like moderation. “If something’s worth doing, it’s worth doing right, and worth doing BIG–to the max, to the limit, over the limit!” is one of my many “patisms.” If you can’t, or won’t, give something 250%, 500% of the time, then don’t do it! Okay, enough. But I digress….

One day, I’ll tweet about the weather; the next day, a fellow author’s book; and the next, my writing progress. Then, about once every week or so, I will tweet to people that one of my books is currently on sale (which it is). I’ve tweet-promoted my books more frequently, but with no results. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to realize that while people love to hear about good books, they don’t like having books shoved down their throats. “Buy my book!” “Buy my book!” tweeted 30 times daily, by the same author, not only makes an ass of the author, but also irritates his or her soon-to-be unfollowers. Be humble. Be nice. Remember that Twitter is a social interaction tool, and should be used to SOCIALIZE with people. There’s nothing wrong with advertising your books, but a little moderation and more socialization–personal socialization–go a long way. And, so do hashtags.

I’ll spare you from my long, ad-nauseous definition of a hashtag, and say, simply, go check out http://www.hashtags.org . You’ll learn what a hashtag is, why it’s important, which hashtags are “trending,” which hashtags have the most activity, and a thousand other points to consider when hashtagging your tweets. Once you’ve learned what hashtags are (assuming you don’t already know), see my list, below, which can be helpful to authors.

PLEASE consult hashtags.org and RESEARCH any hashtag you plan to use. Understand what it is, what it isn’t, and when, and when not, to use it. If you misuse a hashtag, you’re subject to embarrassment and ridicule from the Twitter gods.

Basic Book Stuff –
#novel #new #paperbacks #short #story #greatread #whattoread #books #nonfiction #storytelling #book #mustread #writers #pubwrite #writetip #fridayreads

Indie and eBook Stuff –

#ebooks #epublishing #epublishers #epub #digitalpublishing #selfpub #readanindiefriday #indieauthor & #indieauthors #indiepublishing #indiepub

Authors to Authors (shop talk) –

#AmWriting
#AmEditing
#WordCount
#WriterWednesday
#WritersLife
#YALitChat
#LitChat
#MemoirChat
#BookMarket
#WritingParty
#IndieAuthors
#WriteChat
#epubchat:
#kindlechat:
#vss
#webfic
#weblit
#wip
#wordcount
#writegoal
#writequote

Quote from your book-
#Novelines

Genre Stuff –
#RomanceWriter
#SciFiChat
#KidLitChat
#RWA (Romance Writers of America)
#ACFW (American Christian Fiction Writers)
#SCBWI (Society of Children’s Books Writers and Illustrators)
#MemoirChat
#LitFic
#HistFic
#HistNovel
#ShortStories
#WomensFiction
#Science
#Futuristic
#Crime
#SciFi

The Book Industry –
#WritingTip
#WriteTip
#GetPublished
#PromoTip
#SelfPublishing
#Publishing
#AskAgent
#AskAuthor
#AskEditor
#EBooks
#IndiePub
#BookMarketing

Creativity-
#WritingPrompt
#StoryStarter
#WordAThon
#Creativity
#WIP

Reach out to Readers (IMPORTANT!!!!!!)-
#FridayReads
#BookGiveaway
#MustRead
#LitChat
#StoryFriday
#MustRead

Online Booksellers-
#smashwords
#bookbuzzr
#fReadO
#amazon
#kobo
#nook

Marketing-
#bookmarketing
#bookbuzz
#special
#free
#freebie
#FictionFriday
#FlashFriday

eBook Formats-
#kindle
#sony
#nook
#ebooks
#kobo
#ipad
#ereaders
#ebook
#kpd

Ok, I’ve let the cat out of the bag and given you my secret. Again, PLEASE consult hashtags.org and RESEARCH any hashtag you plan to use. Understand what it is, what it isn’t, and when, and when not, to use it.

The Bell Witch – Major Rewrite, eBook in 2013

To celebrate the book’s thirteenth anniversary, The Bell Witch: The Full Account will be offered as an eBook for the Kindle, Nook, and iReader, beginning October 13th. But that’s not all.

In addition to being offered as an eBook, the thirteenth anniversary edition will feature a major update–developments over the past 13 years–and a full rewrite of the original text. When asked about his reason for rewriting the book, author Pat Fitzhugh stated, “I am loyal to my readers, and I want to give them my best–my very best. My writing has developed and improved over the past thirteen years, and I want my readers to enjoy those improvements. Also, a rewrite allows me to flow the book into a newer, more prolific genre.”

The Bell Witch: The Full Account, which reveals many previously unknown facts surrounding the infamous case, raised the bar for Bell Witch research and caused two previously published Bell Witch books to be rewritten after its publication. And, nearly every Bell Witch book, video, and article produced since “The Full Account” has drawn extensively from its research notes and appendices, sans attribution. Over its life, “The Full Account” has attracted two motion picture options and has twice appeared on the State of Tennessee’s Suggested Teen Summer Reading List.

“Several theories have been put forth in recent years, and they need addressing,” says author Pat Fitzhugh. “I’ve also learned more about the real people involved with the legend, especially one individual,” Fitzhugh notes. “Their keen observations were hastily dismissed nearly 200 years ago, but when those observations are added to what we’ve learned over the past couple decades, we unmistakably identify a culprit with a genuine, provable motive; closure is likely on the horizon.”

The Bell Witch rewrite and eBook conversion will be Fitzhugh’s main focus over the coming months. The sequel to Ghostly Cries From Dixie is still planned, but its release could fall in early 2014. From Turkey Creek – A Memoir, Fitzhugh’s childhood memoir, is now in final edit and should released in time for the holidays.

To keep up with the Bell Witch eBook project’s progress and other news pertaining to The Bell Witch: The Full Account, please join the book’s official fan page on Facebook.

#AmWriting #IndieAuthors How to Destroy Your Credibility as an Author – Part One: Handling Reviews

This is Part One of my pseudo-sarcastic series about destroying one’s credibility as an author. I’m not being mean, and I’m definitely not pointing my finger at anyone; I’m just tired of seeing the same old unsavory practices all day, every day. Writing a book is hard, I know. But who said writing is an author’s only job? Granted, writing is the most important part of an author’s job, but non-writing responsibilities, such as promotion, time management, financial management, and public relations, also play a role in achieving success as an author, especially if you’re an independent, or “indie” author.

The manner in which independent authors perform the non-writing aspects of their jobs speaks not only for the individual authors, but for all independent authors. When many authors make the same mistakes again and again, the book-buying public lumps all independent authors together. And that’s when you read such comments as, “Oh yeah, invincible self-published authors and their massive, vapor-filled ego bubbles,” or, “Our publication no longer reviews self-published books because the authors lash out at us if we give their books less-than-stellar reviews.” Sound familiar? And speaking of reviews… Part One of my series deals with handling bad reviews.

~ How to Mishandle Bad Reviews and Destroy Your Credibility and Reputation ~

1) When you receive a bad review, immediately “lash out” at the reviewer. Call them a jerk, and insist that they don’t understand the book or, alternatively, that they had read the book through their eyes instead of your eyes. If the review noted spelling or gramattical errors, simply tell the reviewer, “Nobody’s perfect! A few errors aren’t a big deal.”

The reality: Reviews are for readers, not authors. The author’s job is to create a reading experience for the reader, and then back away. Commenting back on reviews is authorial intrusion at its worst, and in addition to eroding your credibility and reputation as an author, it will likely earn you more bad reviews and/or a spot on one of the many “misbehaving authors to avoid” lists. To put it bluntly, when you receive a bad review, suck it up and move on. Unless the review contains profanity, racism, or a very explicit personal attack, nobody is going to remove it for you.

But, what if a competing author, their publisher, or someone who hates you submits a trash review? Sadly, it happens all the time. It has happened to me twice, plus a third review came from someone who exploded when I didn’t support their relative a local election. There’s nothing you can do about it, although karma usually wins out over the long run. I’ll tell you that story some other time. Now for the good news… Readers are smart! Most readers can spot a “rigged” review faster than you can spot one, and they often vote down bogus reviews as being “not helpful.”

Now, let’s put the shoe on the other foot. Let’s suppose a valid customer submits a bad review and goes into detail. Send them a check! Really. They’ve done what most people won’t do without a fee. They’ve pointed out things you need to work on. Such bad reviews are invaluable in developing and furthering your writing career.

2) When you receive a bad review, vote it down and ask your friends, relatives, and forum buddies to vote it down or leave nasty comments. You can easily bury the bad review, and potential customers will see only good reviews unless they spend oodles of time digging–and most won’t.

The reality: Again, reviews are for readers, not authors. Also, a review’s helpfulness rating influences book-buying decisions. Voting down (or up) a review is manipulating, or “gaming” the system to make one’s book appear better or more popular than it really is. It is a deliberate and willful misrepresentation of a material fact, for the purpose of achieving financial gain. And yes, the F-word applies here: Fraud. Gaming the system not only damages your credibility and reputation as an author, it also calls into question your integrity as a human being–by making you appear as someone who will “do anything for a dollar, even if you have to mislead people.”

3) If a competing book is more successful than your book, or if you’re afraid it will become more successful, visit every review site on the internet and give it trash reviews.

The reality: Much has been said about this practice, but nothing good. I can’t think of anything more unprofessional or unethical than an author’s trashing of a competing author’s book. Sure, authors have the right to an opinion, but sometimes opinions are best left unsaid, especially when an obvious conflict of interest exists. As I said earlier, readers are smart. If you trash the work of your competitors, readers will catch on and your plan will backfire.

Now, a few parting words. You shouldn’t over-analyze reviews; weigh them and move on. If a reviewer gives useful tips, take them to heart. If you receive tons of great reviews, pat yourself on the back, but don’t think you’re J.K. Rowling or Stephen King. If you get lots of bad reviews, take a close look at your writing; you might need to develop and hone your skills. And remember that reviews aren’t about you; reviews are about your books, by readers and for readers. Step back. Don’t intrude. Allow readers to give their opinions and to judge for themselves the merits of other reviews.

The bottom line: If you get a bad review, don’t make an ass of yourself.

Up Next Week:  Part Two – Getting Sucked Into the Virtual Whirlwind of the Internet, aka, the ClickFest

#ebooks #authors E-Readers Track How We Read, But Is The Data Useful To Authors?

This has been all the talk recently.  I have mixed feelings.  While it could be useful to authors in some ways, I don’t feel an author should change his or her writing to conform.  Click the link, below, for the article from NPR.

http://www.npr.org/blogs/alltechconsidered/2013/01/28/170296373/e-readers-track-how-we-read-but-is-the-data-useful-to-authors

#amwriting Three Simple Writing Tips

Writing tip #1:  Avoid verb forms of “to be,” if possible.  Am, is, are, was, and were –the most useless words in a writer’s toolbox. Why? Because 1) they usually aren’t necessary for conveying your message, and 2) removing them usually renders their accompanying qualifiers and modifiers unnecessary.  When you find these potential problem-words, try removing them and rewording the sentence.  You’ll often end up with a shorter, punchier sentence.  Say twice as much, but with fewer words.

Writing Tip #2:  To emphasize a word, place it at the beginning or end of a sentence.  That’s where words stand out the most. Words or phrases of little importance should be placed mid-sentence, if possible.  Also, place a paragraph’s most important sentence at the beginning or the end of the paragraph.  When writing, don’t forget about emphasis.

Writing Tip #3:  Go on a “which hunt.”  Read this sentence: “The car, which had big wheels and a loud, roaring  muffler, rolled past me.”  Horrible.  Now, let’s try this:  “The big-wheeled car roared past me.”  See there?  By removing that nasty “which,” and thinking creatively, I cut more than half the sentence–eight words–without distorting its meaning.  If you can remove “which” without distorting a sentence’s meaning, then remove it!  If outright removal won’t work, consider using “that” instead of “which.”  That uses fewer letters, and it rarely requires a preceding comma, unlike that nasty old which.

Are Paperbacks Still Needed?

eBooks have really taken off over the past few years, with more becoming available each day.  Many traditional bookstores have closed their doors, and more closures are on the horizon.  This leads me to ask two questions:

  1. For readers:  Do you still purchase paperbacks?  Do you see yourself purchasing paperbacks in two years?  If so, why?
  2.  For authors:  If you write eBooks, do you also publish paperback editions of your eBooks?  If you write paperbacks, do you see yourself still writing paperbacks in two years?  If so, why?

I’ll go first.  I love the convenience, feel and smell of a paperback.  I read digital and paper, but I prefer paper–and I’ll still read paperbacks in two years, even if I have to buy them at antique stores.  As an author, I shoot for paperbacks first, followed by eBook editions of my paperbacks.  I feel it’s important to cover all bases, and there is still a market for paperbacks.  Plus, I like to do signings; you can’t sign and personalize an eBook (yet).

What are YOUR thoughts?
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