An Author's Blog

Your Story

Want to get started on getting published? I'm putting some updated content in a re-release of my first book Fields of the Fatherless. I'm collecting story submissions to include in the updated version. To find out more, read this post on my other blog, Notes from the Field.

Becoming a Writer

One of the hardest transitions for 'aspiring authors' is the transition to actually become a writer. In other words, it's one thing to talk about it, another to do it! Over the years, there are several things that have been key for me to succeed:

1. Live life as a writer - carry a journal and immediately write down ideas as they come to you. I can't count the number of great ideas I've had that flew out the window because I would remember them later. Also, writers live differently than non-writers. Write continuously! I finally came to the place where I had to designate certain days during the week as writing days and made those a priority.

2. Be persistent at getting published - don't take no for an answer. Whether a book, article, poem, or short story, do whatever it takes to get it in print. A great resource is Writer's Market 2008. You'll find thousands of places to submit your writing. You will be in print if your desire is strong enough!

3. Get a writing coach - sometimes, we think our writing is better than it really is. We need an objective professional who will shape our writing into something great. Writers conferences and writing courses such as, The Christian Writer's Guild can be incredibly helpful.

Print On Demand

Want to get your book in print form? This page features a list of services which provide on-demand production (POD) of books. Many of these companies can print, bind, and ship one book at a time, although most are more efficient and cost-effective at doing 10 to 100 copies. Click here to get a complete list.

10 Steps to Marketing Your Book

1.         Research the market. Visit your local bookstores. Observe the section where your book would be shelved. Look for names of publishers who publish books similar to yours and might be a possible publisher for your book. Survey your competition. Note how these books are similar to or different from yours. Make sure that you understand WHY your book needs to be published.      

2.         Make a list of potential publishers. Read 2001 Writers Market; 2001 The Writers Handbook; The Literary Marketplace; Writers Guide to Book Editors, Publishers, and Literary Agents -2001; or 2001Christian Writers Market Guide. Look up addresses of the publishers you've identified that have a line or imprint suitable for your book. Obtain the name of the appropriate editor to submit to. If you submit to nobody, it will go to nobody and land in the slush pile graveyard.      

3.         Get latest catalogs and submission guidelines. Request a current catalog and writer's guidelines for whatever type of book you want to submit (i.e. children's, academic, fiction, nonfiction, etc. Some publishers have separate writer's guidelines for each category, others have just one Guideline sheet. Send SASE. Never phone! Some guidelines are now available via the Internet.      

4.         Write a sizzling query letter. Initiate contact by sending a query letter (two pages maximum) describing your work and encouraging the editor to request it. This is your sales pitch, your door-opener. According to one agent, "In addition to the letter, its okay to include a resume/bio that highlights any writing credits or relevant professional credentials; a brief summary (2-3 pages) if the book is nonfiction, or a brief synopsis if it’s fiction; and promotional materials. Be careful: At this stage your aim is merely to whet the editor's appetite; you don't want to cause    information overload. "Less is more." If you have secured BIG NAME endorsements, Television or Radio Talk Show invitations, this is the time to mention them. (Writers Guide to Books Editors... 1998-1999, Herman, Prima)

Click here to read the next 6 steps.

How to Self Publish

You can do it! It's true, you can come out of self publishing your book as a success—but you have to go about it the right way. Here is some valuable advice:

• Do research and write about things that are in demand
• Study the competition in your niche
• Start marketing from the get-go (it's never too early)
• Hire a professional editor—they're worth it
• Have a snazzy, beautifully-designed cover
• Make your text clean and easy to read
• Use a book manufacturer instead of a local print

Find out more about self-publishing here.

Writer's Blog: Chris Anderson: Blogs Fantastic Aid for Authors

Chris Anderson, the author of The Long Tail and the editor in chief of Wired, told I Want Media in an interview that blogs are a "fantastic aid" for authors.

Anderson: I think it's a fantastic aid, especially under circumstances like mine. It had three advantages for me, as I was writing a non-fiction, research-heavy book that was based on an article already published.

By feeding the conversation, it allowed me to keep the momentum of the article going during the 22-month dead time between the publication of the article and the book. I gave away some of my research results and ideas, but got back many times that in comments, other people's blog posts and emails.

Hundreds of people applied The Long Tail to their own industries and experience and revealed resonances I never would have thought of, from The Long Tail of beer to travel to warfare. I tossed out half-baked ideas and phrasing, and my smart readers helped me bake them. Those thousands of readers have great word-of-mouth influence, which I imagine will help market the book when it comes out.

Chris Anderson's blog can be found here. A lot of authors are using blogs these days to help promote their books.  You can read more about author blogs in this article from The Internet Writing Journal. 
Find more writing scoop at the Writer's Blog.

Common Writing Pitfalls

When asked, a group of editors from top publishing houses, responded that the following are the most often seen mechanical errors in works submitted by authors. By removing these errors from our works, we greatly enhance our potential for publication—and strengthen our writing skills.
       
Author Intrusion, Filtering, Passive Voice.
Use the active voice in writing. Avoid weak verbs: "to be" and its variants: was, are, is. This puts the reader on-scene, makes what’s happening, happen now. Author intrusion reminds the reader she’s reading, hence you lose immediacy, empathy between reader/character.
       
Show, don’t tell applies.
Watchwords: thought, wondered, considered, realized, and the like.
Example: Filtered: She realized she’d breached the point of no return.
She had to kill him.
       
Unfiltered, no intrusion: The point of no return. She had to kill him.
Click here to read the rest of the aritlce from Fiction Factor. 
       

Keep the Commission - Do you really need an agent?

Joe, an out-of-work writer, has just arrived home from a frustrating day interviewing for writing gigs in New York. As he emerges from his beat-up old Ford Pinto, he sees his roommate running toward him down the driveway, frantically waving his arms in the air and breathlessly yelling at him. "Joe, your agent just called to say that your girlfriend has broken up with you and to warn you that if you don't pay back the loan on those gambling bets, thugs are gonna burn down your house!" Click here to read the rest of the article.

What's Your Platform

One of the keys to becoming a published author is having a good platform. Sometimes there is confusion about what a platform is and is not, take this in for a minute:

For years now, publishing industry insiders have been buzzing among themselves about platform-platform-platform, whereas half the folks attending writer’s conferences are just getting wind of the concept for the first time. This explains why publishing insiders are so weary of hearing about platform that the mere mention of the word makes them cringe, whereas so many writers are scratching our heads and saying, “Platform? What the heck is that?” But just because industry insiders don’t want to talk to you about what a platform is doesn’t mean they don’t want to hear about the platform you already have.

To find out what a platform is vs. what a platform isn't, grabt the rest of the article here. It's written by the "Writer Mama," Christina Katz, and you can check out her blog at http://www.thewritermama.wordpress.com/.