The Kindle Touch
January 25th, 2012

It was such a happy day for me yesterday!

I got the Kindle 3G Touch. Tax return time is a beautiful time.

That being said, I want to go over why I bought it and some of the pros and cons of an eReading device, since this was more for my profession than for personal use (although you bet I’ll be reading all sorts of awesome stuff on here, hehehe).

Because I’m in the writing and publishing business, it’s important for me to be able to check out the formatting of things I publish – especially on eReading devices – so that I can double and triple check my formatting work. I’ve found eReaders to be tricky at best for formatting, so I figured, what better way to make sure than to have one of my own?

I decided that it would be well worth it. Of course, I had to test it out… charge it, see what the reading is like, and hope to love it so I continue to enjoy my job. It’s also important to remember that, if you want to write anything decent, you have to read, too. That’s one of the ways to get better at writing is to read. That being said…

Reading on the Kindle is easy and not hard on the eyes at all! That was a little surprising to me, because I hate reading from the computer screen. After a while it makes your head hurt. So the fact that this was so easy and worked so well was awesome – no straining, easy handling, and convenient to travel with, too.

This will work much more effectively than the Kindle previewer, I think.

Now, don’t get me wrong… I love printed books. I like to dog-ear the pages to keep my place and highlight and sometimes even write reactions or comments in the margins. (For all of those “books are sacred” people out there – books are meant to be read, over and over, and a beaten up, worn book has a lot more character than one that never gets touched…. I like getting “intimate” with my books, so to speak.) Obviously you can’t do that with the Kindle, but you also spare yourself from paper cuts and wrist problems because it’s such a lightweight device.

Now I want to chat about free and cheap eBooks. There are a lot of eBooks out for $0.99 these days… and a lot of them for free. There are also a lot of eBooks for $2.99. Anything beyond that is asking not to be read, I’ve found.

So that leads me to a new marketing tactic, which also leads me to believe that a lot of independent authors can become more and more popular depending on their writing and the cost of their eBooks. Obviously, if an unknown charges $2.99 for their eBook, they’re less likely to find more readers than an unknown who charges $0.99.

So, with coffee in hand and a new tool for production, it’s time for me to get in there and make a splash. The Kindle is an awesome gadget… I’m hoping to be able to learn, read more, and broaden horizons with this awesome toy.

(I know, I’m a tad behind the times… but come on! The income of a freelancer doesn’t exactly make for a lavish lifestyle….)

The only con I’ve come across so far is that sometimes it freezes when you’re trying to do something on the touch screen. Pushing the Home button usually fixes that though =).

At first, I was very iffy about touch-screen technology. But now? I love it. If you like to read and enjoy being able to carry a book with you but don’t necessarily want to have to lug an ACTUAL book around, then the Kindle is the perfect device for you. In my opinion, anyway.

Happy reading!

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Posted in eBooks, Publishing |
Self-Publishing vs. Traditional Publishing
January 18th, 2012

There seems to be a lot of discussion these days about self-publishing versus traditional publishing. That’s really no surprise because of some of the success stories self-published authors have experienced in recent times, but there are some things that people need to know about traditional publishing versus self-publishing.

Traditional publishing is very difficult to get into. More often than not, writers will be rejected. More often than not, agents will also reject writers. If you’ve never been published before, then there’s a good chance that no one will be interested – so then what?

I literally wrote a book in 3 months when I was 19. It had been accepted right away, which was unheard of, and I was just naive enough to sign a contract. Maybe it’s just me, but I really hoped for the best to happen and that I would sell some books and it would be a good thing.

My biggest royalty check was $7.25… I never even bothered cashing any of the checks.

For years after that, I worked mostly on poetry and a manuscript intended for therapy due to an abusive marriage. That manuscript was the one that got me an agency, but after being charged for a professional critique that really didn’t tell me much, I was jaded about that, too.

Then I learned about self-publishing. All roads led there. Independence, I could decide what my cover looked like, I could make sure I did my own editing and it was actually GOOD, and I could have complete creative control over what the book would look like and contain.

Total win for me!

Problem: self-publishing is amazingly hard work.

Marketing is amazingly hard work.

There’s a ton that goes into it, so anyone entering into self-publishing to get published easily is completely wrong and will be disappointed.

Now, for traditional publishing.

If you manage to find an agent and have a manuscript actually be accepted, you’re very lucky and shouldn’t throw that away. Unless it’s with PublishAmerica, who are complete fakes if you ask me. They published my first book and I’m just WAITING for the contract to expire because it was such a bad experience… which I’ve heard from a lot of other writers, too.

BUT if you manage to get your work accepted by a reputable publisher (which I would still recommend doing research on… extensively), then you’re good to go.

Now, the process sounds pretty simple, right? And the process itself actually is… but the way to get there entails a lot more, mainly research and thick skin so you have to be able to handle a lot of rejection, especially now.

Once you do find a publisher, it’s always best to hire a lawyer to go over your contract with you to make sure that your work is being treated the way you want it to be. That costs a lot of money.

But in the long run, all you’ll be doing is writing… writing, writing, writing. That’s what a writer does best is write, so this should be the ultimate goal. If you’re self-publishing all of your work, then there’s a good chance that you’ll be in up to your neck in business practices and technicalities, which isn’t always the best way for a writer to function.

The publishing industry is like the music industry…. sometimes, things just take off and become popular very quickly. Other times, it’s a very slow and steady pace. Still other times, writers rarely see a profit.

From a business perspective, writing is a terrible career choice. There are never any guarantees. So why do writers write? Because they have something to share, love telling stories, or simply write because they love the act of writing itself. No matter which way you put it, the writer writes to entertain themselves as well as other people… and sometimes just to entertain themselves.

No matter what the case, everyone has their own way of doing things. For some, the traditional route falls into place, while for others, the independent route falls into place. Either way, the most important thing is to be open to the opportunities when they knock, and know when to take them if they feel right.

Research is one of the most important steps on either side of the scale. You would do research if you were looking for the best online colleges, right? For the best nursing home for a parent, the best daycare for your child? So it’s important to do research for traditional as well as self-publishing.

I don’t think that traditional publishers or self-published authors can really talk bad about each other. They all have their pros and cons, they all seem right to some and wrong to others. Just remember that each way takes a lot of research, work, and perseverance. For me, traditional publishing and having an agent was a bust. That doesn’t mean I’d never consider it again or that I’m biased against all traditional publishers…. it also doesn’t mean that I’ll ever stop publishing my authors or stop self-publishing.

It might be a completely different story for you… that’s the beauty of it. We all have our own stories and our own experiences that make us all great – be happy when you find yours and live it!

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Self-publishing and why hiring an editor is important….
January 11th, 2012

It was recently brought to my attention in great abundance that a great deal of self-published books seem to be sub-par due to a lack of professional editing. Though I do understand that writing is a solitary craft in most aspects, getting feedback and having an editor is vital to maintaining professionalism, self-published or not.

Though most traditional publishing houses have an editor on staff, a lot of indie publishers either have to outsource or hire someone temporarily to help with editing a manuscript. Even then, there’s a good chance that the edited version may not be consistent all the way through, and therein lies the problem for indie authors who self-publish.

Unless you’re a spelling and grammar Nazi like some of us are, you’re going to need a second – sometimes even a third – pair of eyes to go through your manuscript and make sure it is error-free and makes sense. These things, of course, also depend on whether your manuscript is fiction, non-fiction, poetry, prose, or something completely different.

The trick is to maintain the writer’s voice, style, and inflections, while also giving feedback, correcting sentence structure when necessary, and including (or removing) punctuation marks, depending on the meaning of what the author is attempting to convey.

Says J. Harmon: “Keep in mind there are times for writers to break the rules. For example, sometimes you might want to spell a word incorrectly for one reason or another, maybe because the story is told in first person and that’s how the character would spell it.”

“A clean manuscript says a lot to editors and publishers to whom you are submitting your work. It tells them you are serious. It tells them you are professional. And it tells them you are someone they can probably work with.”

This is a truth that all writers must face, especially if you want to self-publish. When you self-publish, you either have to do everything yourself, or hire a freelancer or a company to do editing and/or book cover design for you. The main thing to remember is that a neat, clean manuscript is important if you want to rank highly and gain the respect of readers and other writers.

Of course, there will always be literary snobs and writing snobs and poetry snobs who believe that a writer HAS to adhere to ALL the rules at ALL times, or else. That’s their problem, not yours. If you’re writing a book that deals in everyday conversation, then write like you would speak – or like the character would speak. Unless they’re British or highly formal, chances are that they’d rather use “It’s” than “It is.” That’s just common sense. (Please note that I am not being sarcastic, regardless of the link – to me, that logic makes sense for when you’re writing!)

An awesome way to check your writing for good flow and mistakes is to read it aloud. This has always worked for me because incorrect punctuation and spelling trips me up, and if I come across a sentence that doesn’t make sense, not only will it sound funny in my head but it’ll also sound funny to my ears. If I have to read a sentence more than once, then there might be a problem. I’ve been doing this for so long that I no longer need to read it aloud to know it sounds funny. Maybe that’s partially because of my musical history, but it makes perfect sense for my ears and my mind to be connected in that way.

Getting a second opinion on your work – even if it isn’t a major editing project – is also a good idea. Usually, a professional can point out your bad habits after a chapter or two and direct you to watch out for them without the need to go through the entire manuscript. Then again, you can also simply have a friend or family member take a gander at your manuscript and give you their opinion. If you know someone who is grammatically inclined, that would be the perfect person to ask for a favor.

The internet has resources galore, so self-publishing authors who want to make a splash and care enough to be professionals in their field are encouraged to make sure their manuscripts are excellent before sending them out into the open marketplace. A couple of oversights can happen from time to time, sure… we’re all only human. However, if readers are finding 20+ errors in the first chapter, then there’s definitely a problem!

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Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , | Posted in eBooks, Editing, Publishing, Writing |
What drives the writer to write?
January 5th, 2012

Whether you’re a reader, a beginning writer, or a seasoned professional, you’ve probably wondered what compels writers to write. I mean, if you write, you probably know why YOU write… but what about other writers? Why do they write? Do all writers have a different motivation? What’s the most common motivator to write?

I decided that this was a topic worth exploring to see where different people get their inspiration and what drives them to want to share their stories. With that in mind, I went on a hunt through the internet to see what reasons writers have to write. I know my reasons, which are several… but what about others?

Some write for the money and/or the fame.

First, these writers are completely delusional. Unless they’ve put in years of work and practice to perfect the way they write their novels, chances are that they won’t make it big with one book… which means they’ll have to keep writing. The only problem with this is that writing is tedious, requires a lot of time and thought, and requires revision and editing. Money an fame aren’t big enough motivators to keep people writing… it isn’t about the money. It’s about the stories, the message, and the practice of writing.

Some write for themselves.

This is kind of where I fall into. I enjoy writing and always have – when I write, I get to see a different world take shape, which is always awesome. I write for therapy, for introspection, and for guidance and perspective – this is the kind of writing that I do in my journals and poetry. Sometimes I just sit down and write a rant about something. That’s okay… I’m still writing, and I like to write every day. If I go back days, weeks, or months (sometimes even years) later and find something nifty or worthy of sharing with the world, then I do.

Some write to imagine.

Coming up with wild, exciting stories, wrapping a message into it, or just simply entertaining people is another reason some writers write. I do this with my short stories and novels. The worlds you can weave with words! It’s simply amazing, and lots of fun to do. Creative expression and imaginative play, even if it is just in your mind, is a very healthy exercise and often helps to keep the mind sharp. I know that when I don’t do anything like reading or writing I begin to feel like I get slower. So I like to keep doing these things, if only to entertain myself!

Some write to solve problems.

This is also a very valid reason to write as writing is useful in figuring out what you need to do in a certain situation, how to solve a problem, or simply to come to terms with your feelings or something that happened. A journal can also be a very good place for ranting… it’s a lot better than publishing your rage on your blog, that’s for sure!

Some write simply to write.

Some of us enjoy writing so much that we do it all the time, without any real purpose or direction, just to see what comes out. Some of us use journals to stick pictures in, little life keepsakes, and various tokens of our adventures. When you throw in stickers, ribbons, photos, construction paper cutouts, and all sorts of other stuff, you’re left with something pretty unique. I used to use nail polish and crayons to doodle pictures and abstracts in my journals; it was always fun! Sometimes, if I’m not inspired, I listen to some radio and write down snippets of lyrics that I love and doodle all around them. This often draws out some inspiration and ideas.

Some write for validation.

Sometimes, people feel that they have to have some sort of artistic outlet in order to feel validated, whether that approval comes from within or from other people. Though I don’t recommend writing to get approval from others, the mere practice of writing can help you get to know yourself better and is often an introspective and spiritual journey.

Writing is one of the most versatile creative outlets, simply because you can say so much with words. Though photos or paintings may be worth 1000 words, you can create anything in the imagination of your reader when you write. You can bring to life all of the senses, not simply just the visual. Writing is also a very practical skill… pretty much everything in life requires writing. If you want to go to college, you have to write an application essay. If you want to earn a scholarship, you have to (usually) write a scholarship essay. Even if you want to be a police officer, you have to write police reports detailing the day’s events.

Some people don’t enjoy writing at all, like my little brother. He never has and never will, but I’ve had a passion for the written word since I was just a child. To me, writing is a huge part of my life! I write every day. I write all sorts of different things, too. I write blogs, in my journal, and short stories. I write poetry, essays, articles, and horror… Gathering all of your thoughts in one place can be a really fun journey, which is why I keep going. I hope that writing will always be a big part of my life! If you like to write, then don’t stop – you’ll always have bad first drafts to travel through before you uncover the diamonds behind them.

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The writing life: a solitary craft.
December 31st, 2011

There are many people who want to be writers. Unfortunately, not too many of them follow-through long-term with this craft. It’s lonely! You’re off in your head somewhere, imagining and creating and communicating your ideas on paper. This is definitely not something to be entered into lightly or with preconceived notions of grandeur.

The honest truth is that writing, the act of writing, tends to be a lonely profession. Editing, too – you have to literally go through your own work (if you do your own revisions and editing of course) with a fine-toothed comb several times before you feel like it’s perfect. It’s most definitely a long and drawn out process, especially if you’re writing a novel or something that requires a long-term commitment.

So how can you make this process a little easier? Really, the best thing you can do for yourself if you want to be a writer is to write every day. Write something, every day. It doesn’t matter if you’re writing down your dreams, your daily activities and observations, ideas for a novel, an outline, blogs, or any other form of written work. All that matters is that you do something every day in order to keep those writing muscles toned.

When you choose to write every day, your mind will remember that this is what’s happening and will focus on writing whenever that time of day comes around. If you do it at the same time every day, of course. If not, then it might be a little more challenging to get your focus going, but that’s okay, too. As long as you’re writing every day, you’ll be fine.

One of the best ways that I know of to write every day is to use writing exercises to figure out what to write about. Sometimes, that’s the hardest part! Another fun way to write every day is to become a member of a writing community online or in person. There are writer’s workshops and writing community web sites all over the internet, so finding one isn’t the challenge. It’s finding the right one.

If you don’t have steady access to the internet or simply prefer holding a book in your hands, there are some great books about writing out there, including one by Stephen King and books by other authors.

This is great news! The man himself has a book published about writing, and I hear it’s an excellent one. When I read it, I’ll definitely be writing about it.

If you’re a reader – which all writers should be – then I would suggest reading a book and then writing a review on it. You can do this on your web site, blog, or anywhere, and it’s a great way to exercise your writing skills. Reading is a great way to learn new words, expose yourself to different styles and descriptions, and learn about your own writing style as well.

Once you begin writing every day, the work doesn’t feel like work anymore. It becomes easier and easier with each day, and your mind can begin to produce ideas extremely well. I believe it’s definitely an important aspect of writing to simply sit down and do it every day. Many other writers will agree.

Another important aspect of producing professional work is to revise. Don’t be afraid to revise your work! I find it best to write it, leave it alone for a day or two, then go back to the piece and start adding and changing things that don’t seem quite right when I read through. It’s just a matter of doing it.

So, no matter what kind of writing you enjoy doing, try doing it online. It’s a great way to develop a following, gain readership, and get some practice in. I personally use blogging and freelance writing and editing as a way to strengthen my skills, which is great because this means I also get paid to do what I love.

How serious are you about writing? Are you disciplined enough to go for it? I can’t answer these questions for you – but you can, and I know that I can’t live without writing something on a daily basis. I’ve been writing for years and years, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

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Agents and Book Publishers, Oh My!
December 22nd, 2011

One of the most common questions in a writer’s life is, “How do I get published?” There are so many options out there that are now available, from POD (Print On Demand) publishers to vanity publishers (who are massively failing due to self-publishing), independent publishers, traditional publishers, and then – the elusive large publishing houses of NY, who have recently adopted the practice of letting authors succeed through self-publishing first before offering a contract of any kind.

Though many writers self-publish, many others don’t want the burden of having to do it all, so contacting literary agents and publishers is an important aspect of being a writer. Though the details of contacting each company or publishing house often vary, there are some basic guidelines to sending a query, sending your work, and speaking with a publisher.

Figure out what kind of publisher you want.

Before you start writing people blindly, do a little research. Research is immensely important, no matter what kind of project you’re working on. First, if you’re considering trying to be published by a major publishing house, then you should definitely find a literary agent. Some of the most important aspects of finding a literary agent are to – again – do research. One of the most thorough and trusted sources for information about agents and publishers is The Writer’s Market.

Consistently updated, this book is published every year to aid writers and give them an idea about who publishes what genres, which literary agencies charge fees, and how to choose the right one for you.

One of the most important aspects of finding a literary agent is to make sure they only charge if they earn money on your work. If they charge reading fees, faxing fees, and other fees, it would be best to avoid them if at all possible.

As far as contacting major publishers goes, make sure they accept unsolicited manuscripts before you even send your work. If they don’t, then they likely work with a set of literary agencies to find their next talented writers.

Send a query letter.

It’s polite to ask first! So sending a query letter is a good way to make initial contact with an agent or a publisher. You want to make sure you contact a publisher who doesn’t just publish everyone – there are a handful of those out there, and they aren’t the most reputable. Again, do your research online to see what people with prior experience have to say about the publisher(s) and agent(s) you’re considering.

In a book written by Donald Maas, a highly experienced literary agent, he states that partnering with an agent is similar to getting married. The relationship has to be somewhat personal, the agent should know what he or she is doing, and their track record should be good. There is no required certification or degree to call yourself a literary agent, so finding an agent with their own published works is a good way to make sure they have a little experience in the field at the very least.

Leverage technology! Use it to your advantage.

There are a great deal of resources online that are free to use and contain priceless information on the publishing and writing industries. Web sites like Every Writer’s Resource, Agent Query, and Find Your Publisher have all been designed to help writers get their work out there, providing resources for writers, indie publishers, major publishers, and agencies. The internet opens up a world of possibilities, and all that’s really required in this field is meeting, networking, and working with other people in the same industry.

You can literally learn about virtually anything on the internet. You can learn how to be a journalist, how to be an FBI agent, or how to join the CIA. You can find information about celebrities, companies, individuals, and more. Virtually anything you need to know, you can learn online.

This is an amazing advantage for authors, especially if they’re independent authors or want to find an indie publisher. When you use te internet to its fullest extent, you can literally find anything you need to in order to build your success story.

That being said – what are you waiting for? Check out some of the resources I mentioned above or see what else is out there. Here are a few more to get you started:

http://www.writeandpublishyourbook.com

This site is dedicated to helping writers throughout the creative process of writing and the technicalities of publishing. With a page full of writing resources as well as a great number of helpful articles, this site is a great way to learn more about writing, publishing, and getting exposure for your work.

http://www.thewriterssite.com

This site is set up like a directory of sites to help writers. There are a massive number of writing sites out there, and this is a great place to find more writing sites and information. Find a writer who knows and you can connect with, then use it!

http://www.midwestbookreview.com

This site is devoted to helping published authors gain exposure by doing book reviews, helping unpublished authors find a publisher, and working in the spirit of helping writers by educating them and giving suggestions to writers and publishers alike. This book reviewer web site gave me a very positive review on my 2010 publication, Napkin Poetry.

If you need any more information, try using Google to search for your specific needs. The internet literally has everything – finding an agent or publisher is a process preceded by research, but once you do find some companies that you’re interested in, read their submission guidelines, send a query, and see if you’re the kind of author they would like to represent. Usually the manuscript needs to be finished, but some will accept an outline and summary.

With such a vast amount of information out there, it’s only a matter of time before you find an indie publisher, agent, learn how to self-publish, or even get your manuscript accepted by one of the major publishers out there.

Happy writing – and good luck!

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Some Recommended Books On Writing
December 16th, 2011

So, if you’ve ever written for a long period of time at once – or, on the flip side – if you’ve ever had a long-term lapse between writing, then some books by other authors or writers on the topic might help you. I know that I get inspired when I either do something completely different or when I read something inspirational. Many of the books about writing are inspirational – it’s just a matter of asking yourself: am I serious enough about being a writer to read about how to do it?

One of the first things they tell you is that, in order to be a writer, you have to be a reader first. They also say, “leaders are readers,” which is a little off-topic but still something to consider when debating about whether you really want to sit down and read or not. As always, one thing stays consistent: they talk a lot.

On Writing by Stephen King

So what are some of the best books on writing? Obviously the best teachers on a craft are those who have had some success in said craft, so let’s take a look at the book On Writing by Stephen King. I personally have not read this yet, but it’s on my to-read list and has been for a while now. I kind of wish they would use that as a textbook so I wouldn’t have a choice in whether or not I read it… but so far I’ve had entirely different text books for college, so no such luck. I’ll just have to order it from Amazon myself, right?

From what I’ve seen and heard, this is an excellent book. King has a way of bringing his readers into his worlds, and in this book, you are invited to join him in his writing world. Where he writes, what he does to keep going, and some honest tips, suggestions, and ideas for writers who are serious about the craft. I plan to either order this or purchase it at the store so I can have my own copy to read and take notes in. I’m willing to bet that there are a lot of valuable nuggets of wisdom in this book, and I look forward to reading it. Someone posted a quote from this text on Facebook earlier today:

“The road to hell is paved with adverbs.”

If that isn’t clever, show me what is! =)

Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott

Next up, we have Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott. This was my class textbook for the very first creative writing class I ever took in June of 2011. I know, crazy huh? Been writing like crazy for over 13 years and never found myself in a creative writing class until college… that’s a little scary!

Anyway, Bird by Bird is an awesome book full of laughs and understanding about writing and what it means to the writers and the readers. I literally laughed – or at least chuckled – throughout reading this book. It’s a really good one! In it, Anne Lamott describes some of the situations that inspired her to write, what she does to overcome writer’s block, and some of the things to pay attention to in order to grow into being a better writer.

I remember sitting at my daughter’s dentist’s office in the waiting room while she had some cavities filled. It was just me and her there, so I got to actually read in peace and quiet, which was awesome for me.

I must’ve chuckled at least 3 or 4 times during this session. I know people usually already think I’m a little weird, but after that they must’ve thought I was a complete nut job! It was a great book. Even people who don’t necessarily want to write can take a lot from it. I highly recommend this one!

Writing Down the Bones by Natalie Goldberg

This is my current textbook (one of 3) for my current creative writing course. Though this book isn’t necessarily what I would consider funny, it is extremely insightful and can help any aspiring writer to become better at his or her craft.

Natalie Goldberg is also very much into meditation, which – to her – is a path to enlightenment, just like writing is. This leads her to see things in a quite different way. She pays special attention to noticing the ordinary and describing it – which automatically makes it seem more extraordinary.

She says in her book to act as though you’re a visitor in New York, a tourist coming to visit, but do so in the town you live and notice all of the details that so easily slip away once we’ve lived in the same place for so long. She even goes on to talk about how, when she needed to know about flowers for a book she wanted to write, she began reading about the different kinds of flowers, learning what they smell like, what seasons and geographical areas they thrive in, and so forth.

I’m not saying go out and become a software engineer because one of your characters is one, but it is important to at least have a grasp and an understanding of what’s going on to keep the reader engaged (especially if they just so happen to work in that field… hahaha).

I recommend this book as well. There are extremely valuable insights in it, as well as some awesome writing exercises and ways to inspire yourself.

The Common Thread

What do all of these books have in common?

They are all written by writers who have made writing a part of their everyday life. They don’t just write when they feel like it; they write every single day, no matter what.

There are two lessons that I found absolutely important in these books. The first was to consciously notice things that you normally wouldn’t. For example, the way the carpet feels on your bare feet… what a leaf looks like after it’s begun turning colors but before it falls to the ground… the bubbly texture of your cell phone buttons, the way freshly sliced cucumbers smell and make that satisfying crunch in your mouth. My son has an entire head of blonde curls and somehow wound up with a single, straight, dark hair on his head.

Things like this always seem “less” important to writers when a story is epic, but that’s when the reader needs the real aspects of the story the most to keep things on a personal level, connected.

The second most important thing is to be okay with writing a bunch of bad first drafts to get to the best draft ever. You have to be able to revise when you write… otherwise, everyone will be reading your first drafts and – let’s face it – even the best writers in the world have crappy first drafts. Put it away for a few days, weeks, even months – then come back fresh and make revisions.

Once you start writing, make sure you write until you feel like you’re finished. There are so many stories to be told! Everyone has a story, and it’s the writer’s job to put it down on paper (or, these days, screen).

If you want to write and are inspired to write, then write. Do it! Don’t let your “inner critic” get the best of you.

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Posted in book reviews, Writing |
The Structure of a Book
December 9th, 2011

This is a tricky topic because different books are set up in different ways. For example, a poetry book is set up differently from a text book, which is very different from a fictional novel.

I specialize in poetry and fiction, so I want to go over some of the basics such as the Table of Contents pages, how to re-size your Word Document so it will print properly, and how to make sure your headers and footers look right after converting your doc into a PDF.

The whole idea is to make it look professional, especially if you’re self-publishing. If you’re published by a traditional publisher who does all this stuff for you and want to learn about the technicalities yourself, then keep reading – I’ll teach you a little bit about setting up your document and preparing it for print.

First, you have to have actual content to publish – so if you haven’t written a book, then read up on actually getting there first! You need a collection of poetry or prose, a novel, a collection of short stories…. some kind of story to tell. If you don’t have that yet, and aren’t publishing someone else’s book, then go back to writing first!

In order to get the best possible results when you self-publish or work as an indie publisher, you have to keep the first page or two of your book empty. To do a Table of Contents first is kind of a weird idea, too, especially since the copyright page is normally the first one. The title page has to be there, too, as does the acknowledgments page and whatever other additions you have that don’t belong in the back of the book.

The world of self-publishing is constantly growing, which is a little scary for the big publishing houses especially once authors learn how to market their books and can keep 100% profit for themselves.

Self-publishing is also easy and affordable. It takes $39 to publish through CreateSpace and get your book listed on Amazon. Not bad!

So, once you have your book written and you’re ready to publish – make sure it’s edited, otherwise your credibility flies away with each error – then you can start going through the steps of formatting your manuscript for publication.

1. Resize your document. To do this, all you need is to go into your Word program to the “Page Layout” tab. Under that, you’ll see an option that says, “Size,” which you can click to find the most common sizes. Once you decide what size you want your book to be, you can resize the entire manuscript with the click of a button.

2. Leave the first 2 pages blank. This isn’t mandatory; it just looks better when it’s done. Then you can put your bastard title page and your copyright page on the next respective pages. Always remember, the odd pages are on the right and even on the left; keeping this in mind will help you when setting up your chapter beginnings and other important things.

3. Create a Table of Contents. Be it poem titles or chapter titles and/or subtitles, a book usually has a Table of Contents to help the reader find where things are, especially if they’re skipping around to look at specific things once they’ve already read it before.

4. Leave enough space in the margins for where the middle of the book will be – if you don’t, it could wind up printing too close to the edge and cut words off.

5. For goodness sake, do NOT underline (even dotted) your TOC titles. Once you convert your doc to PDF it’ll show up as a solid line, which will make the whole thing look amateur-ish. I had to have another professional tell me this before I realized it, but you bet I’ll remember it!

6. Don’t forget your acknowledgments and/or dedication page! This isn’t mandatory, either, just makes you look like a better person to express gratitude. Hahaha! Although I’m sure every single writer has people to thank for their work and their knowledge. Some writers like to mention a lot of people; others only mention a handful; still others mention no one by name and write a simple, short acknowledgment. Any of these is a fine way to do it.

If you happen to be writing nonfiction, you would add things to the back of your book like an appendix, index, glossary, or notes. In some cases, fictional books use foreign language phrases or terms (I’ve seen this done in stories based in New Orleans where the culture speaks Creole French), where the author or publisher feels the need to have a glossary of terms used for the sake of the readers’ understanding.

The book cover is a whole other animal! If you’re designing a cover from scratch, then there are a few key elements you need to know and be aware of, such as image quality and size, but I’ll cover that in another blog post in more detail. You won’t have to read it if you’re studying graphic design in one of the top online colleges – but even then, who knows? You might learn something. I know I always do!

For now – happy publishing, and check back next week for more tips!

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The easy way to publish eBooks
December 1st, 2011

The internet, print on demand, and the growing popularity of eReading devices and eBooks are all playing their part in changing and advancing the writing and publishing industries. Publishing a book is now possible without the big publishing houses, and eBooks are flying off the virtual shelves at staggering speed because many of them are free or considerably less expensive than printed books.

Along with having such advancements, writers can now easily and cost-effectively publish their own work, individuals or groups can incorporate their own independent publishing companies, and writers can keep complete creative and financial control over their works.

That’s amazing!

There are several ways to publish an eBook, most of them very easy. The most difficult part is figuring out how to format your book so that it shows up well in an eReading device.

I have two favorites for publishing my eBooks:

Kindle Direct Publishing through Amazon and Smashwords, although I’m leaning toward KDP more these days.

Each of these sites has a wizard that walks you through the process of publishing your eBook, making it really easy for you to get your work out into the internet. Each of these sites also has a set of rules and guidelines for publishing your eBook and how to format it, although you usually don’t have to convert the files yourself. Although, if you do choose to go the hard way and try to do the conversion yourself, I recommend downloading Calibre eBook Converter and Kindle Previewer (for those that don’t yet have a Kindle or have a different eReading device). Both are inexpensive or free, so virtually any writer can start selling their work online without a problem.

The biggest issue with this is that any writer can publish anything themselves and start selling it online.

That’s more of an opinion, though, so I’ll go into that another time… or just let it lie =).

For many writers and indie publishers, this opens up a world of possibilities. Works that may have never seen the public eye are now able to grace the pages of Amazon’s book stores and gain popularity. There are writers making an actual living on their work. It’s a beautiful thing!

For me personally, it also meant publishing others’ work that I love that maybe other publishers haven’t been able to accept for one reason or another.

So I want to cover a couple of the most important aspects of formatting your eBook document so it’s ready for publication without showing up all crazy in the device once it gets there. If it isn’t properly formatted, you’re likely to have a table of contents that spans 20 pages, one word per page, or some other such nonsense. You also have to keep in mind that whatever images you used for print have to be scaled back to 72dpi resolution so they don’t take up massive space and numerous pages while you’re flipping through the eBook on your device. Screens need a 72dpi resolution while print needs at least 300, which renders the images gargantuan on screen. Yikes!

So, let’s go through the basics. This is a pretty tedious process, so make sure you save your file as a .doc often.

eReaders don’t have pages.

I mean, they do… but not in the sense that you can re-size your document to the size of an eReader screen and expect it to turn out. It still won’t show up on the eReader screen like you want it to because eReader fonts can be adjusted, which also means the page count will fluctuate. Essentially what this means for you or me is that too much space between lines by hitting Enter or Return a bunch of times will show up as pages and pages of nothing on the device. Titles, text emphases such as bold and italics, and tables of contents will be skewed if you don’t reformat your document specifically for an eReader.

The solution? In Word, insert a page break before each new chapter begins. This will translate much more smoothly into eReading format and will show up on screen making more sense. To make titles appear, use the actual “heading 1″ or “heading 2″ setting in styles when you right-click the title text. All other text will simply show up in whatever font and size the reader has set on his or her device.

Most eReaders are black & white.

Though they are coming out with color eReading devices and iPads now, a lot of eReaders are still in black and white, which means that, if your book has pictures in it, they will likely be displayed in black and white. This doesn’t mean that you can’t put them into your document in color – just remember to adjust the image quality for screen and not print. If someone does have a color eReading device display, keeping your images in color will allow them to see them in color.

As a rule, images should be small to medium in size so they display on only one page. The point of a picture is to see it all at once, right?

Tab won’t translate.

Essentially what this means is that you have to use the Word paragraph formatting tool as opposed to indenting with Tab, so that should work well with your document and translate to eReaders fairly well.

By default, the paragraph style is justified, so if you want to do any other style of paragraph, you have to set it in Word and hope it translates – for some formats it will and for others, it won’t.

eBooks and html.

You can use basic html coding to style your text and control your paragraphs. For those who know the basic tags such as <p></p> and <b></b> or <i></i> can utilize them for working on the layout of the text and images in eBooks. If you save it as an html or text document, you can use a program such as Calibre to convert it into an eBook format.

For Smashwords, you can read the publishing guide for greater detail on how to format for publication on their site, and the same goes for Kindle Direct Publishing.

The beauty of this industry is that everyone has a story to tell, everyone has value to share, and everyone has knowledge or a field of expertise that can be published in eBook form for others to gain access and learn from the information shared. This means that, even if you’re an expert on scholarships and grants, you can write a book about how to obtain one and sell that online.

For those who don’t write regularly or have a firm grasp of spelling and grammar, it’s easy to go on to a freelance web site such as oDesk and outsource your work to an editor or proofreader. This helps to ensure that your book turns out professional and readable for those who are inclined in those areas.

Overall, publishing your own eBook isn’t difficult. It can be a little tedious and frustrating if this is the first time you’re trying it, but for the most part, once you understand the basics, you’ll get the hang of the rest.

Now, it’s just a matter of finishing that manuscript that’s been collecting dust in your closet….

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What’s more difficult: writing or publishing?
November 26th, 2011

There are so many aspects to writing that it’s ridiculous.

Some people like to write drafts before they do an outline. A little backwards if you ask me, but I get it. Some people scrap the outline all together. Some write one chapter at a time until it’s perfect, while others go through the entire novel at the same time.

Still others are more apt to putting together short fiction, while others still prefer poetry or essays.

I know I asked what was easier, writing or publishing… neither one is. Although I do have to say that the writing process is much more involved and emotional and draining. The publishing process is mostly technical… although a lot of different things go into that as well.

Depending upon what it is that you write, it is often less excruciating to write from memory or about something that interests you as opposed to something you don’t necessarily want to write. Both versions of writing are important, though.

The writing process, though, can be a tedious one.

If you choose to write only when inspired, you will likely only write once in a great while. The trick is to write even when you don’t want to. Writing is a practice, a discipline. In order to get really good at it, you have to do it every day… just like practicing an instrument or scripting for web development.
The idea is to get past all of the mess to the heart of what you want to say and then say it. Don’t be afraid to write badly… it’s the warm-up to writing well.

Though publishing is more technical and can be broken down into steps (for those acting as a publisher or those self-publishing), the writing process is a little bit different for everyone. Writing is an art that needs time, patience, and attention. Unlike painting, you don’t have to begin all over if you mess something up – you can simply cross out or delete the parts you don’t like and work with the parts you do like.

This is good news!

If you ask any writer who writes things that are worthy of attention, they will tell you the same thing: it is a tedious process. Pick up any book on writing, and it will tell you the same thing.

But think about this: there are books about everything! From how to books to sci-fi fantasy to poetry, any subject you want to know about is usually available in book form, and the stories told are amazing. Some of them not so much these days due to so many self-published writers flooding the market, but the books that are out there and respectable, professional, and well-presented are an absolutely amazing sight to behold.

For a writer, getting published as an unknown author is a challenge at best. Those who self-publish are doing business with other companies that may print on demand but may also do less-than-stellar work. Those who happen to find a traditional publisher who actually accepts them are giving up the majority of their royalties and virtually all creative control.

I guess that means that the real question isn’t what’s more difficult. The real question is which path is right for you?

To figure that out, test the waters – if you enjoy writing, then do it! If you enjoy being in control of your own royalties and sales, then self-publish. If you’d rather be backed by a larger publishing house, then go with that! Be prepared to be rejected, though… lots of rejection. If you can make it past that and persevere, then you’re in the right field.

Personally, I like the idea of having a publisher without sacrificing my royalties… so I created my own publishing company. Everything was self-taught as far as publishing goes… lots of research online and lots of patience to get it right, but well worth it. No, I’m not a famous writer or poet… but I know a decent amount, am attending college online to learn more, and plan to continue to hone my skills as a writer as well as a publisher.

For now, though… I need to find a tattoo artist so I can give myself a Christmas present =).

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