Put A Face On The Title

There is a wealth of information out there for anyone interested enough to look it up when it comes to query letters. While doing my own research I found several examples of letters but even more samples of email queries. There are of course numerous similarities between the two but there are a few differences. One of the biggest differences is how you address the letters. Being professional and using specific names is important in either letter.

It is also important to be professional when submitting in another way. While reading a blog post recently on author.pub I saw that the blogger mentioned he had a significantly better acceptance percentage when he submitted in person as opposed to through the mail or online. He noticed that when you get the chance to put a face on the project as well as pitch verbally people have a greater chance to stop and talk about your book with you.

This is the same reason I prefer selling / promoting in person. Digital may be the way of the world with a few holdouts going through snail mail but there is still nothing that compares to shaking hands, exchanging a smile while presenting not only your book but also your brand, in other words, getting the chance to sell you. Of course the next big question I can imagine is on your mind now is "If I am going to try to submission person, where do I go?"

There are different choices for that endeavor. You could choose to locate any agents or publishers that may be somewhat near you and go to their offices. Make appointments or just show up and hope they have a few moments to talk, there is always a chance that could work. I however would recommend attending conferences and conventions anytime it is possible. Agents, editors and publishers regularly attend such gatherings and are far easier to track down for a little one on one time at a location specifically set up for those types of meetings.

If you are going to attend then it is imperative that you bring copies of your manuscript with you. Make sure there are several copies and that they are edited, polished and presentable. Most will only want a partial copy of the manuscript along with your contact information so if you have business cards it would be a good idea to bring those along as well. Practice how you would present your book, your elevator pitch, but make sure you are prepared to actively discuss the story and not just sound rehearsed. For introverts this can be a scary concept but I promise you that it can lead to wonderful things if you just take the chance to present your book face to face.

End of Week 1

This time last week I was doing my best to focus through the excitement that Nanowrimo had once again started for the year. This week I am staring at the screen at the end of week one having the usual panic attack I always seem to encounter at this time. I always seem to struggle when getting started each year.

I start with an idea I am thrilled to be writing but somehow the realization that I need to write fifty thousand words is always daunting and puts me in a fearful mood. I get so overwhelmed in spite of the fact that every year I have accepted the challenge I have managed to complete it and cross the finish line, in a few cases with time to spare. The book this year is quite different from the ones I have written in the past. That in and of itself could be contributing to the anxiety I feel about this project.

I have mentioned in the past that all of the stories I have done for nano were already quite established before I made the commitment. Never Give Up was started nearly a decade before I finally completed it, Breathe was originally a short story that I extended into a full length novel and Welcome To Syn was a story I had started developing almost a year in advance but came to fruition when the main character basically took over my mind insisting on telling me her story. The outline was without question the most detailed I have ever created.

The moment that I was, for lack of a better word, possessed by Peryphone Syntel the mother from Welcome To Syn, was also the moment that I came up with a plot bunny for a new book. I was inspired to take a closer look at the relationship between writers and the voices in our heads. Our characters take over telling us their stories. Because I love thrillers and suspense novels I wanted to write one myself and this book idea gave me the perfect excuse. Oddly I can honestly say that working on this book concerns me slightly.

Writers open ourselves up to our characters. Whether you believe that they are from other dimensions, figments developed over time and brought to life in our books or beings that truly do possess us the fact that we become a medium can be intoxicating but also scary. We feel what they feel, know what they think and our emotions become entangled with theirs. Channeling the characters from this book will be a challenge to say the least.

Review Me, Please

You wrote a book, that is awesome! You celebrated with champagne and caviar, or if you are like me a chocolate sundae and some kool-aid. You took a well deserved break from the writing cave to soak in the serenity of completion. After your break you took your baby and destroyed it slowly editing it through the tears and red pen marks left from proof reading and beta readers. After the reconstruction of your story you decide to submit query letters.

If your letters went anything like mine then once again you broke out the handkerchief after receiving the collection of rejections. I knew I wasn't ready to keep pushing for traditional publishing and felt that I might value from some lessons learned by going the self publishing route. Lets say for the sake of this post that you made the same determination I did and went with self publishing. Just a few short months after you decide to go for it you finally hit publish on your beautiful book.

You attend any event you can and tell people about your book. You launch on social media and obsessively track your sales. Once you have popped the bubbly on your first few books sold you wonder now what? You can spam social media day in and day out but you realize quickly that you are simply showing the same material to the same people repeatedly. You can keep talking to people at events but those events are few and far between. So what is another way that your book can get out there? Reviews.

Have those that have purchased your story take a few moments and jump online to give you a rating and review. The more reviews you have the better because it raises your profile during searches. Also good reviews can help you stand out against other books with similar titles. It is also helpful for future readers to get a perspective on your work that does not come solely from the author. By making sure your book is listed on Amazon, Goodreads and any other reading and review site you can ensure that your story reaches more people through the amazing network of referrals created by these sites. So just remember anytime someone mentions that have a copy of your book, make sure to ask them to drop by a site and leave a review. You would be amazed at how much a simple rating candy.

Too Ambitious?

I have always struggled to follow through on all of my plans but anyone that knows me well would probably say it because I am far too ambitious. I tend to notably bite off more than I can chew but also choke about halfway through. At some point I am forced to admit defeat or I get so overwhelmed by what it is I have taken on that I simply go blank. I realize I have no idea what I am doing or how to proceed and I retreat to the warmth and comfort of my office hiding from the world.

The largest example of this could easily be the book launch event I held last month. This one was different in one respect though, I finished what I started. I asked my mom if she thought my dad would be surprised. She said yes which I had expected but it wasn't that I had pulled it off or that it was successful but just the fact that I took on an event so large. That part did catch me off guard. I have always had tremendous sized dreams I just rarely was able to pull them off, if ever.

Now as Nanowrimo is underway I find myself working again on something that seems beyond my reach. I am planning to complete my newest nano novel Voices In My Head but also finish my romance novel Chocolate Covered Cherries as well as my PTSD drama Sharing Strength. All of the books are distinctly different but because of that I have to finish one before putting myself in the mindset of the others. It will be time consuming especially since I cannot seem to make the words flow recently.

Last year I felt that I was taking on too much trying to complete Nano while working two different jobs mostly as double shifts but I was able to finish Welcome to Syn anyway. In that case though I entered the month with a full story already prepared and it was just a matter of typing the words and filling in the details. This year I am working off a slight outline with a somewhat helpful main character but she hasn't been talking. Her silence is beginning to make writing this book like the proverbial pulling of teeth.

I am determined to continue the trend of finishing my projects and blowing my goals out of the water I just have to dedicate myself and push beyond my comfortable limits. Sometimes we need to take a vacation from our comfort zones.

Your New Best Friend - The Media

Press releases are not the easiest to write but practice makes perfect and once you hit publish you should get a lot of practice. Contact the media as often as possible without harassing them. Comment on stories. Become a part of the local literary scene. Attend events that the media are going to be at as well. Make sure you are visible and if possible study up an subjects surrounding your book so that you can discuss them at these events.

Start with the press releases. Your first one should be the announcement of your book however it shouldn't stop there. Any time you hold a signing or will be at a fair or festival make sure the media is aware. If you partner up with someone or something in the community that is newsworthy be the first to let them know. It can be overwhelming when you are not familiar with these types of announcements so if needed you can hire a publicist to assist you.

My suggestion on press releases and the publicist is that if you do hire one have them sit down with you to show you what they are doing. Learn with them so if in the future you decide to take control of the publicity yourself you will be better able to create such items. Hiring professionals can be expensive but it is important to make sure things like that are done correctly so at least having someone advise you in the beginning may be a good idea.

Next is commenting on stories. Follow the news and watch for stories that fall into categories that would include your book. Submit comments to newspapers, online articles for television and radio stations. It is also a good idea to follow their social media pages to make commenting easier. The more often people see your name the more recognizable you will become for future events.

Going along with that is making sure you become a sort of expert on topics relating to your story. If you can comment often and offer insight others may not have thought of already you could become a go to for the reporters which only raises your visibility. Take every opportunity to promote yourself and your work so that you continue to grow your audience. Promotion is time consuming but one of the most important parts of being a writer.

Book Promotion - Rock & Roll Saved My Soul

A good friend of mine, Kate Marie Robbins, put together an anthology that would share stories of music and how it influenced the contributing writers. Once the stories had been gathered, formatted and laid out with a great cover the book was ready to be published. Now if the description stopped here it wouldn't be that remarkable. Even the fact that the book is an anthology only raises the uniqueness slightly.

What makes this book and the series that was created along with it stand out from all the other anthologies out there is the fact that all of the proceeds are donated to charity. This series is actually what inspired my own charity series Rescue Me - Animal Anthology. I wanted to say thank you to all of those that participated in either series, in fact many have stories in both. Below is the synopsis for the first book.

Changing the World, One Story at a Time

Has music had a positive impact on you? Changed your life? Or even saved you? For us, it has.

In this book, you will find a collection of stories, letters, and poetry about how music has personally changed our lives. Each story is unique, each story is true. Filled with emotion, passion, and love for the bands and songs that have touched our lives. 

All proceeds from this book will be donated to Rock the Cause. Rock the Cause is a Minnesota based charity that use the power of music, community, and social media to create a new generation of stewardship for other non-profit causes.

Staring Into The Blank

Today is the first day of Nanowrimo or for those unaware of this month long insanity, National Novel Writing Month. Writers and aspiring writers around the world will be tackling the nearly overwhelming task of creating a fifty thousand word novel over the course of the next thirty days. As is usually the case I have spent the last few weeks chomping at the bit to get started. I have taken my notes, made a basic outline and even posted a character profile for the main character. I began making a playlist for the book, something I do for every book that I write.

The playlist is where I hit the first of my snags. I don't have very many songs that follow the mood for the type of story I an hoping to tell. Last year I wrote a book set back during the Salem Witch Trials. For that I played several classical pieces along with a great song from Lindsay Stirling and Lzzy Hale called Shatter Me. As a matter of fact I would start out every writing session by listening to that song. However because I generally write books with drama and romance leading to a happy ending I am not well equipped to create a song list for a darker book.

Then I realized that while I love the pressure that Nano creates I have always ended up with a stronger sense of it because I start late and / or have a second job and will be sleep deprived for the majority of the month. Several years ago I made the decision to participate on November 9th and had no idea what I was going to write about. I found a short story I had created and thought it would be fun to extend it out into a full length novel. Last year with my period piece hanging in the balance I knew the story ver well but I was working more than full time with two jobs pushing me between sixty and seventy hours per week doing multiple double shifts often back to back. This year I have tons of time because I already know the story I want to write and I am down to just working one job. It almost feels like I have too much availability to the book and so my mind is wandering.

Last but not least I am working to write my first suspense thriller and that is terrifying to me. I have never produced a suspense novel and to add the thriller on top of it with the faster pace and additional backgrounds and storylines it is very overwhelming. All of that runs through my head as I sit here staring at a blank page. Wish me luck, here goes nothing.