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Every Writer Must Have … A Website

July 7, 2020 by Karin Beery Leave a Comment

I published my first book two months ago, but it’s not selling. I’m thinking about building a website. What do I need to know?

Last month, this Facebook group question inspired me to explain how publishing a book is like owning a business. You can’t just create a product, you also have to package, market, and sell it. For authors, there are three components necessary to that process:

  1. A website
  2. A newsletter
  3. A social media presence

Today we’re going to look at what you need on your author website.

Content

Hard truth: just because you passed your college English class doesn’t mean you can (or should) write your own website content.

Harder truth: just because you can write a novel that sells doesn’t mean you can (or should) write your own website content.

Too many people think they can slap any info they want onto a website and it will work. That is not true! Your website is an advertising and marketing tool. As an author, it’s your primary tool, so you need to get it right. If you’re not an experienced marketer (or haven’t taken copywriting courses), then you need to hire someone who has. There’s too much to explain in one blog post, but here are some tips:

  • Less is more (especially on the home page).
  • People like white space.
  • It’s not about you; it’s about your reader.
  • No one cares about your credentials; they want to know how you can help or entertain them.

Design

I would love to believe that stellar content is enough to attract people’s attention, but that’s not the case. Your website has to be visually appealing too.

There are a lot of inexpensive options available to help you create your own website. If you have a background in the visual arts, go for it! Building your author website isn’t for everyone, though. It’s tempting to go for the less expensive options, but it might not be a good idea if:

  1. You have no experience or talent with visual arts.
  2. You’re a perfectionist who will spend more time tweaking your site than writing.

Remember: your website will be one of the first impressions you make on your readers. Don’t scare them away with 1990s clip art and bubble letters.

Your Investment

As is the case with learning to write, as you build your website you’ll need to invest something—either the money to hire professionals or the time to learn how to do it yourself. The only wrong answer is to do it yourself with no experience and no training—that’s like buying a building for a new store and trying to repair it yourself without any construction or remodeling experience: it might be functional, but it won’t be pretty and it will likely turn away more people than it attracts.

Come back next month to learn more about author newsletters and how they can help you grow your audience (and sell books!).

For more tips about writing, publishing, and promoting your fiction, follow me on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn. Sign up for my newsletter to receive your free copy of Simple Tips for Finding the Best Editor for Your Book!

Filed Under: best practices Tagged With: author marketing, author websites, publishing, website content, website design

Why Your Manuscript is Being Rejected: It’s Your Genre

December 3, 2019 by Karin Beery Leave a Comment

Several times a year, authors pitch their stories to agents and publishers in 240 characters or less on Twitter. #PitMad and #FaithPitch have helped authors make those connections without having to shell out hundreds of dollars for a writing conference. As a publisher, there’s something exciting about sifting through tweets in search of one that really grabs your attention (though I imagine it’s stressful for the authors who have to compose them).

To make it easier for publishers and agents, the organizers of these events created specialized hashtags to help sort through the pitches: #CON for contemporary, #DS for dystopian, #ML for military, etc. Because I work for the women’s fiction imprint of Lighthouse Publishing of the Carolinas (LPC), I naturally searched for #WF.

It didn’t take long to realize a lot of authors don’t understand the women’s fiction genre. It took even less time to realize a lot of authors don’t understand genres at all.

If you’re not writing literary fiction, you’re writing genre fiction, so you must understand what that means. Merriam Webster define genre as: a category of artistic, musical, or literary composition characterized by a particular style, form, or content.

Read that last part again: characterized by a particular style, form, or content.

I like to say that genre is a promise—when you tell people your book is a specific genre, you’re promising them that your book will meet certain expectations and requirements. If it doesn’t, you’ll lose their trust because they won’t know what to expect from your books.

The most obvious genre requirement happens in romance novels. Romance novels are the best-selling genre, so it’s tempting to slap that label on your book to draw the most attention. However, the hero and heroine must end up together at the end of the novel. If they don’t, it isn’t a romance. It doesn’t matter how you want to define romance; the genre already has certain expectations that need to be met.

In my time as a managing editor at LPC, I’ve noticed two big issues with genre that are tanking authors’ submissions. I saw the same issue on Twitter with the mini-pitches. When you can identify these issues and correct them in your own manuscripts, you’ll increase your odds at snagging an agent or publisher’s eye.

  1. Learn about genres. Study genres. Read them. Figure out what sets them apart from other genres and incorporate those aspects into your story. Publishing professionals can tell when you haven’t done your homework, and that can ruin your chance of getting a contract before anyone ever reads your manuscript. If you submit a story with a male lead to a women’s fiction imprint, you’re sending all the wrong signals; it tells publishers you’re either too lazy to do the necessary research or you’re expecting them to do work that you should have done. There are other possible reasons, and none of them look good for the author. Don’t send that message.
  2. Narrow down your genre. Another common mistake is thinking that adding elements of lots of genres will broaden your audience. The opposite is true. A romantic suspense, post-apocalyptic, time slip story won’t appeal to readers of romance, suspense, historicals, and speculative fiction novels, thereby tapping into four audiences; it will only appeal to people who read all of them, thereby reducing your audience significantly.

Most authors can usually combine a couple of genres (historical suspense; romantic fantasy), but it takes a master writer to create a truly compelling romantic suspense with supernatural elements that won’t tick off readers. Don’t risk it.

When you understand these elements of genre, you’ll improve your chances of publication not only demonstrating your understanding of that genre, but also by submitting your manuscript to the right agents and publishers.

Filed Under: writing Tagged With: fiction, fiction writing, genre, publishing

Self-Publisher Beware! by Susan K. Stewart

July 22, 2019 by Karin Beery Leave a Comment

Publishing scams have been around as long as publishing. Before the advent of print-on-demand (POD) publishing and electronic publishing, vanity publishers abounded. The term comes from the idea that these companies play on the vanity of the writer who is willing to do anything to “publish” a book. Most vanity presses don’t consider quality and rarely do more than print a large number of books to sell to the author.

Unlike hybrid publishers, which offer services such as design and editing, vanity publishers require a large investment up front but no quality control. In the end, the author has boxes of books in the garage and no place to sell them.

Vanity presses aren’t the only scam self-publishers need to be on the watch for.

The Editor Scam

Editors, and I use this term loosely here, advertise a new method to get your book on Amazon or bookstores quickly. No upfront fee is charged. A couple days after you send you manuscript, your book is published on Amazon under the scammers name. It’s up to you to prove it’s your manuscript.

Agents

Fake agents prey on the desire to have our books on the front shelves of a bookstore. If you’ve self-published and an agent contacts you, proceed with caution—if you proceed at all. Beware of upfront fees: reading fees, editing fees, paper clip fees. These agents are getting paid without providing representation for you. Reputable agents will rarely contact you. They work on commission and get paid when you get paid.

Fees for Services

In addition to editor and agent scams, novice self-publishers fall victim to a provider who claims to handle some of the pesky details for hefty fees. Sometimes these fees can be in the thousands of dollars. ISBN, copyright registration, Library of Congress catalog number, upload to specific platforms can all be easily handled by the author. One ISBN is $125, copyright registration is $35, Library of Congress catalog number is free, upload to most platforms is free. If you are asked to pay a large fee, shove your wallet in your pocket, and move on.

The Everyone Wins Writing Contest

All writers want to be recognized for our effort. Writing awards not only give us a boost we need to continue, but also lets the public know our book is worth buying. With this in mind, some organizations offer awards for a price.

The unscrupulous contests are often monthly awards in which all entries get a trophy, in some cases a literal trophy. These contests require large entry fees and, when the winners are announced, the chosen are asked to pay for the certificate, plaque, or trophy, in addition to the initial contest fee. In other words, the unsuspecting author is buying a writing award.

Many reputable award programs require a small fee, often less than $50 to cover expenses. Most recognized awards are given annually, not monthly. Many are connected with an award ceremony at a conference or other event. For more information about dubious contest http://bit.ly/2wrejnL

How to Avoid A Scam

Can it be said too often, “If it’s too good to be true, it probably is”? A little research and thought will help you avoid losing money and possibly your book.

  • Internet Search. This may be the first line of defense. Look for the company or individual’s website. Is it well-maintained and up-to-date? Are the details of services and cost listed clearly?
  • Bookstore Search. Look for books published by the company in question. A vanity press will rarely have anything on the market, even Amazon.
  • Unsolicited Offer. You’re scanning your email and in bold letters it opens with “We love your writing and want to publish your book.” Delete, delete as fast as you can. If you haven’t queried a publishing company, agent, or editor, this is probably a scheme to sell you thousands of your own book.
  • Track Record. What is the track record of the company? If you’re working with a hybrid company, buy a couple of the books they have published. Look at the details as mentioned in in part two of this series.
  • Ask the Authors. Contact authors who have worked with the service provider you are considering. If none are listed on the company’s website, ask for referrals.
  • Check with Fellow Writers. Through Facebook and other forums ask about the company you are considering. Writers Beware, sponsored by Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SWFA), is one of the oldest websites with information about publishing scams. https://www.sfwa.org/other-resources/for-authors/writer-beware/.

Buyer Beware

It’s a trite but true saying. We all love to hear from someone in the publishing business tell us our manuscript is wonderful, what great writers we are. It’s all too easy, even for a more experienced writer to succumb to the praise. Most scams can be avoided by taking time to consider the offer (remember, “If it’s too good to be true …) and do even a little research. Don’t let someone take your dream or your money.


Susan K. Stewart is a teacher, writer, and speaker known for practical solutions to real-world situations. Her books include Harried Homeschooler’s Handbook: Finding Hope in the Havoc, Preschool: At What Cost?, Science in the Kitchen: Fearless Science at Home for All Ages, the award-winning Formatting e-Books for Writers. She brings her inspiring and encouraging messages to online and in-person conferences about families, writing, and editing. The Stewarts live in Central Texas with their three dogs, three cats, nine chickens, and a couple of donkeys. They have three children and six grandchildren. You can read more of Susan’s practical solutions at www.practicalinspirations.com.

Filed Under: publishing Tagged With: book publishing, publishing, publishing tips, self-publishing, Susan K. Stewart, Susan Stewart

Telltale Signs of a Novice Self-Publisher by Susan K. Stewart

July 15, 2019 by Karin Beery Leave a Comment

One reason some writers won’t consider self-publication is the number of poor-quality books produced. It can be seen in everything from no editing to unprofessional formatting. Knowing what makes a book look amateurish will help avoid this obstacle.

Formatting
It is possible to format a book or e-book without the help of a professional. Simple e-books without a lot of images can be formatted in Word. Print books can also be formatted with Word, but it’s trickier with page numbers, headers and footers, blank pages, and so on. A professional designer will have tools to make your book look great. Like professional editing, a professional designer goes a long way to ensuring a quality book readers will want and recommend.

The use of unusual fonts goes on the formatting list. Generally, one serif style for content (Georgia, Century Book, Times New Roman) and one sans serif for headings (Arial, Calibri, Helvetica). Some designers think Times New Roman and Arial are over-used.

It’s the Details
The little details mean the difference between a professional-looking book and a D-I-Y-look.

Print books

  • Take a look at books in your genre to get an idea of the correct interior design. Here are some of the elements missed by self-publishers.
  • Numbers on blank pages. Blank pages should be just that—blank.
  • Headers on blank pages. Ditto above.
  • All chapters start on the left-hand page. Some self-publishers try to cut cost by removing all blank pages. This screams amateur.
  • Not enough white space. A page with a lot of print is hard to read even with the best of eyesight. A little larger space between lines and wider margins help the reader enjoy your book.

E-books

  • Large sections of blank space. Incorrectly formatted files for an e-book can cause large empty spaces in the middle of a chapter. I’ve even seen it happen in the middle of paragraph.
  • No clickable links. E-book readers have come to expect clickable links to move around the book and access websites. Many programs that convert documents to e-book files automatically convert URLs to links to the internet. Word and other programs automatically create clickable table of contents, when formatted correctly. Links within the manuscript may need to be inserted manually.
  • Attempting to make the e-book like the print book. This certainly can be done. For most general audiences, though, a standard e-book format is desirable. One of the drawbacks of a duplicate of the print design is the lack of ability to change the font size.

And What Else

  • Front Matter Errors

Far too many self-published books have no copyright page and table of contents. Some of these also have warning labels about duplication in the footer of every page. Speaking of warning labels, often new writer/publisher insert a page with huge warnings about not violating copyright.

In the print editions, a half title page is often missing. A half title page isn’t used in an e-book, so a novice self-publisher may not know to add one to the print edition.

Other little details in the front matter are the use of “by” before the author’s name, “forward” instead of “foreword,” no publisher information, no ISBN. (I know Amazon doesn’t require it, but it screams “self-published by a newbie.”)

  • Poor Images

It’s important for images to be the correct size and resolution. Small images can’t always be seen. If an attempt is made to enlarge it, the image will be blurry or pixelated (look like it’s straight out of Minecraft or Legoland). Poor resolution sometimes has the same effect. What works on a website may not work in a print or e-book. (For a discussion of image resolution, read this article https://snapshop.cam/dpi/.)

While we’re speaking of images, an author photo that is not a professional headshot also screams amateur. I’ve seen author photos cropped out of a family reunion picture or with a kid sticking out a tongue in the background.

  • No or Poor Editing

Many of us have cringed at editing errors, even in traditionally published books. Like design, editing should be left to the professionals. It may not be necessary for a new writer to pay cash for editing (I know; I can hear the gasping). I have traded editing services for other professional services. It is possible. Mark Wayne Adams has a good editing list. https://mwa.company/2016/08/17/30-telltale-signs-of-a-self-published-book/

  • Bad Cover

This is usually the number one item on a list of self-publishers’ mistakes. Whether an e-book or print book, if the cover doesn’t immediately attract the browsers attention the book will not sell. Cover design is another area best left to professionals.

Here are some cover design mistakes https://www.rockingbookcovers.com/book-cover-design/book-cover-design-mistakes/

The Book Designer has a list of articles about good cover design. https://www.thebookdesigner.com/book-design/

  • Review. Review. Review.

Be sure to thoroughly review a proof of your book, whether print or electronic. Give it to someone else to look for the little details that mark it as self-published.

Self-publishing shouldn’t mean poor-publishing. Well crafted, both in design and content, self-published books can win major awards, such as the Christy Award. With the attention to detail, the reader may never know the difference between self-published and traditionally published.


Susan K. Stewart is a teacher, writer, and speaker known for practical solutions to real-world situations. Her books include Harried Homeschooler’s Handbook: Finding Hope in the Havoc, Preschool: At What Cost?, Science in the Kitchen: Fearless Science at Home for All Ages, the award-winning Formatting e-Books for Writers. She brings her inspiring and encouraging messages to online and in-person conferences about families, writing, and editing. The Stewarts live in Central Texas with their three dogs, three cats, nine chickens, and a couple of donkeys. They have three children and six grandchildren. You can read more of Susan’s practical solutions at www.practicalinspirations.com.

Filed Under: publishing Tagged With: book formatting, book publishing, publishing, self-publishing, Susan K. Stewart, Susan Stewart

Coping with Deadlines by Annette Irby

March 18, 2019 by Karin Beery Leave a Comment

I’m on a few deadlines. In addition to editing work, the first book in my series will release this September 1st, and the second book is due this summer as well. I’ve had to prioritize and strictly enforce my schedule lately and I’ve spent hours and hours at my computer, writing and rewriting for my summer deadline. I have other projects in the works, so the sooner I hand this project off, the sooner I can work on the others that have been on the back burner.

Prioritizing

So, how do I decide what to set aside during crunch seasons? How do you decide? For me, I set aside social media, even marketing, until I can focus on it. I ask myself: what’s due soonest? Timing helps me in many ways—it both motivates and dictates my schedule. I set aside reflexively checking my e-mail, and I close all unnecessary tabs and apps/programs on my computer in order to stay focused on the necessary ones. My family needs my attention, so they are a priority. Sometimes you have to say no to extra tasks. That’s a hard one for some of us. I sometimes struggle with that. Even when I say no, I sometimes feel guilty later, which doesn’t help me focus on work. But our jobs as writers is important. If we honor our writing time, others will begin to respect it too.

Permission to Take a Break

Summertime is an especially challenging time to have to work 8-12 hours a day, so I do take breaks, which are so necessary. I recommend finding a peaceful setting to decompress. When the sun moves around the house to my flower garden, I love to go out and tend my plants. (Here’s a photo from one of my hanging baskets on a rainy day last spring.) The warm sun, so different from my cool home office in the basement corner, feels good. And tending my flowers makes me happy. I catch myself walking around, smiling from the joy of a simple hobby. Breaks are also helpful for working out plot points and overcoming writer’s block. And they’re probably good for our health. We must take care of ourselves, even on deadline.

Back to Work

The thing about breaks is, you have to set a time limit and discipline yourself to get back to work. Your book won’t write itself. So, I’ll take time away for family get-togethers, and meals, and even a trip to the pool so my youngest gets a chance to swim, but then it’s back to work. 

Best Advice for Deadline Crunch Time

My writing sessions involve a lot of prayer. Prayers for grace, help, words, wisdom, insights, for the story to come together, for my readers, and for God’s glory and message to come through. He honors our prayers as we write for Him. Sometimes when I know I only have, say, a half hour left before I’ll be away from my computer for a while, panic will set in, thinking about all I have to do. Then I ask the Lord to help, and He does. Pretty soon, my fingers are flying over the keyboard and enjoying the thrill of a scene coming together in a profound way with word counts piling up.

How about you? What are your tricks for meeting deadlines and surviving the deadline crunch? I’d love to hear.

Write on, friends!

(Original post found on Seriously Write)

Annette M. Irby has been writing since her teen years. She has several books and short stories published. She has served as an acquisitions editor, and she currently works as a freelance editor. In her off hours, she enjoys gardening, photography, and music. Her family lives in the Pacific Northwest. Learn more at www.AnnetteIrby.com

Links:

Website: www.AnnetteIrby.com
Facebook reader friend group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/252272708574760/
Twitter: @AnnetteMIrby
Amazon author page: www.amazon.com/author/annette_m_irby.com
Writing blog: www.seriouslywrite.blogspot.com

Filed Under: best practices, entrepreneur, freelance, guest blogger Tagged With: Annette Irby, book publishing, deadlines, freelance, freelance work, productivitiy, publishing, schedules

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ABOUT ME

Editor. Teacher. Novelist.
A passionate lover of fiction, Karin doesn't just write novels, she helps others write their best stories! A certified substantive editor with the Christian Editor Connection, her goal is to help authors to put her out of business by equipping them with the tools they need to become better writers.

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