Full disclosure, I have no affiliate with them, just think this is cool and love the site and wanted to share with you all. It’s on sale too!
Quick Link: 5 Sentences Requiring Hyphenated Phrasal Adjectives
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Another great post from Daily Writing Tips explaining when to use hyphens. I know I learned something.
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5 Sentences Requiring Hyphenated Phrasal Adjectives
When two or more words team up to describe something, they’re usually hyphenated to make their symbiotic relationship clear. Each of the following sentences contains a phrasal adjective that should be linked with one or more hyphens; each example is followed by a brief discussion and a revision.
1. Their affair wasn’t exactly the best kept secret.
This sentence refers to a secret that is the best kept, not a kept secret that is better than any other, so link the phrasal adjective together: “Their affair wasn’t exactly the best-kept secret.”
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Just for fun: Harry Potter on your wall
Just for fun – because everyone deserves a break
I love Harry Potter and this is such a great idea but you could do this with any book. If my kids were not all grown I would do a classic Winnie the Pooh along with one of the illustrations. Probably the one where Pooh tries to be a cloud and get honey. Which book would you do? Head on over to Culture N Lifestyle to learn more.
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Quick Links: The Author’s Guide to Book Marketing: Part 2
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When should you start a marketing plan? Before you have even finished or started your book. A plan is just a map of what you want to accomplish and how to get there. shares some good tips on how to create a basic marketing plan over at Digital Book World.
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The Author’s Guide to Book Marketing: Part 2
In part 1 last week, we discussed the two basic questions that should drive any author’s marketing strategy. Below, we show how to turn that strategy into a workable plan.
Step 1: Set your tactics
Using all you’ve learned above, list every way in which you’ll reach your reader around publication. A classic marketing framework may look like this:
• Paid (marketing you pay for): Digital ads, flyers, tchotchkes, etc.
• Earned (marketing you have to earn): Book reviews, features, interviews, social media influencer outreach, events, bookstore adoption, etc.
• Owned (marketing you own or can build): Website, email list, social media presence, promotions, etc.
These are all the tactics that will support your strategy. Be as exhaustive and creative as you can.
Step 2: Build your schedule
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In The News – 50 Best Covers
In The News – Articles Of Interest For Authors
Don’t you always like to peek and see what other people are doing? At the Design Observer Group they have their 2015 cover winners. I have to admit that my favorite is “Between You & Me Confessions of a Comma Queen” because it is clever, has great design, but also really conveys what the story is about. Which is your favorite?
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Quick Link: 5 Faulty “Not Only . . . But Also” Sentences
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Grammar time! from Daily Writing Tips helping us again, this time with sentence structure and the pesky “not only – but also” sentences.
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5 Faulty “Not Only . . . But Also” Sentences
Often, when a sentence expresses a point and a counterpoint with the phrases “not only” and “but also,” writers have difficulty constructing the sentence in the correct syntactical order. Each of the following sentences demonstrates various erroneous ways the “not only . . . but also” construction can be misused; discussions, followed by revisions, explain how to repair the damage.
1. Moving to the cloud had not only improved security but had also reduced the risks they faced prior to implementation.
Had can be shared by both the “not only” phrase and the “but also” phrase: “Moving to the cloud had not only improved security but also reduced the risks they faced prior to implementation.” (If had is to be used twice, it should follow “not only” and, when repeated, should follow “but also”: “Moving to the cloud not only had improved security but also had reduced the risks they faced prior to implementation.”)
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Quick Links: Indie Publishing Paths: What’s Your Reader Retention Plan? Part Four
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In on going reader retention series, Jami Gold at Fiction University, focuses on what is needed for a great excerpt. Your cover and your excerpt are the two main things potential readers will look at to pick your book out of the myriad of choices out there, so it is really important to get them right.
One hint that I can add, that comes from one of my paid jobs producing a daily newsletter, make sure you have a one or two sentence synopsis that captures the essence of your story then build on that. Very similar to the “elevator speech” this gives people an easy way to promote your book the way you want it. Especially if space is limited.
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Indie Publishing Paths: What’s Your Reader Retention Plan? Part Four
June 2, 2016
By Jami Gold, @JamiGold
Part of the Indie Authors Series
In this Indie Publishing Paths series, we first focused on how to decide which path will work best for us. Once we know our goals and priorities and are ready to put our book up for sale, we need to decide on:
- the where (such as whether we use a distributor or we sell direct through a retailer or go exclusive with Amazon’s KDP Select),
- the when (whether we delay, use a preorder, or go for immediate sales), and
- the how much (whether we price high, in the middle, or low, whether our pricing strategy is a good match for what we want to accomplish, and whether a freebie is a good idea for our situation).
The second phase of our indie publishing journey is to figure out how best to increase our chances for success along our chosen path. Whatever our goal, we’ll have a better chance of success if we can hold onto our readers from book to book.
So far, in the second part of this series, we’ve covered our options for…:
- keeping our readers (such as leading them to our next book or to our newsletter)
- using buy links to lead readers to our next book (with the pros and cons for each type of link)
- creating non-expiring buy links (so readers will never encounter a dead buy link)
One of the options we discussed in Part One of this Reader Retention Plan phase was including an excerpt of our next book at the back of this book. Let’s take a closer look at when including an excerpt might be a good choice for us—and when it might not.
What’s the Purpose of an Excerpt?
We’ve probably all heard that we sell this book with the packaging (cover, back-cover blurb, etc.), and this book sells the next book. A teaser excerpt, typically the first chapter of book two placed at the end of book one (and so forth), takes that sales idea to a literal level.
Just as a reader is most interested in our work (as they finish this story), we include a teaser of the next story. An excerpt—if done well—can hook our readers enough to click on our buy link and purchase our next book right away.
Sounds great, right? So why wouldn’t we always want to include an excerpt of the next book?
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In The News – Amazon Lowers the Boom on Discount eBook Sites
In The News – Articles Of Interest For Authors
In a disturbing bit of news, it seems that Amazon has shut down the accounts of a few eBook sites and individual authors without warning or explanation. Some speculate that is because those sites are in competition with the new Goodreads features, others that this was part of a crackdown on link mining. at the Digital Reader tells us what he knows about the situation.
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Amazon Lowers the Boom on Discount eBook Sites
When Amazon-owned Goodreads launched its discount ebook service last month, I wondered whether Amazon would find reasons to prune back its competition.
The first to lose its affiliate status with Amazon was Fussy Librarian, which went under the axe the week before Goodreads announced. At the time it looked like that was an isolated incident, but now it has been followed by two more sites, Pixel of Ink and eReaderIQ.
Fussy Librarian continues to operate, but the fate of the other sites is less certain.
Pixel of Ink announced today that they have shut down. They didn’t give a specific reason, but did say that “due to changes in the eBook world and in our life, it is time for us to move on, and Pixel of Ink must now end”.
I’m still following up with PoI, so I can’t tell you the specific reason for its closure, but I do know that it wasn’t the only casualty. eReaderIQ has made a similar, albeit more detailed announcement today. They’ve posted a notice on their homepage to the effect that:
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Quick Links: 5 Words Often Mistakenly Used in Place of Others
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At Daily Writing Tips, they are covering some of the words that often get confused with each other. Check it out to make sure you are not making the same mistake.
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5 Words Often Mistakenly Used in Place of Others
When writers, amateurs and professionals alike, employ words or phrases they have heard spoken but not seen written, they often mistakenly use a homophone or near homophone of the intended word. Each of the sentences below includes a word that is often used erroneously. A discussion and revision accompanies each example.
1. Given punk rock’s innate tendency to flaunt convention, the style fits the subject matter in its own roughshod sort of way.
Flaunt, a verb meaning “show off,” is frequently confused for flout, a verb meaning “show disregard for”: “Given punk rock’s innate tendency to flout convention, the style fits the subject matter in its own roughshod sort of way.”
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Quick Links: Botched Beginnings—Common First-Page Killers
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You already know that the beginning of your book needs to be strong. This is your opportunity to grab the reader and pull them into your story. The ever entertaining Kristen Lamb covers some of the pitfalls that will block your reader from engaging.
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Botched Beginnings—Common First-Page Killers
by Kristen Lamb
We can Twitter ’til we flitter and Facebook ’til we face plant and that won’t matter much in the greater scheme of things if we fail at our single most important job—writing a great book. Our single greatest challenge is to hook the reader hard enough to buy (and then read) our novel.
Sales ultimately are impacted by reviews and if no one reads and no one finishes?
Exactly.
Yes, covers are important and social media is vital, but those sample pages can mean the difference in No Sale and Big Hit.
One writing book every writer should have is Hooked by Les Edgerton. I think this was the first craft book that truly woke me up and showed me all I really didn’t know about writing.
As a new author, there were far too many elements I believed were important when in reality? Not so much. Additionally, because I was focusing on the wrong “stuff” I was failing to develop the “right” stuff.
What I love about Hooked is how Les demonstrates how all the factors that go into making great beginnings don’t just evaporate. These are tactics we must keep employing throughout the work to keep the reader engaged and turning pages. Our job is to obliterate sleep, to send our readers tired and grouchy and over caffeinated to work…but ultimately satisfied.
Let’s talk about some common ways beginnings fall flat.
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In The News – Indie Authors Are Responsible for the US eBook Decline
In The News – Articles Of Interest For Authors
According to , indie eBook authors are responsible for the decline of readership. There are a good share of spammy books and just plain bad books and the bar to become an eBook author is very low, however I happen to disagree. To me there are so many distractions out there, that it is difficult to find time. Which is why my to view list and my to read pile are both huge. Read the article at GoodEReader and let me know what you think in the comments below.
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Indie Authors Are Responsible for the US eBook Decline
Over the course of the last two years the modern bookstore has been undergoing a resurgence in sales. The publishing industry have all reported that e-book revenue is down between 2-6% year on year and 12% across the board. The funny thing is, publishers for the most part are making more money, primarily due to higher e-book prices, but most are seeing a modest increase in print sales.
Why are bookstore chains like Barnes and Noble enjoying a robust increase in book sales? I think the main reason is because they only stock physical books by new authors that the publisher is really hyping and perennial bestsellers by recognizable authors. Simply put, it is far easier to discover a great book in a bookstore, than try and find one online. So why are digital sales truly down? The answer is too many e-books being self-published by indie authors.
Independent and self-published authors release more books on a monthly basis than the trade houses do. This creates an influx of new titles that fall by the wayside and pollute the search engine results, so it is almost impossible to casually browse and find something good. E-Books are immortal, so they never go out of print. Like cobwebs constructed of stainless steel, they will forever occupy the virtual shelves of e-book retailers. Every month there are more and more books for readers to choose from and there are now fewer eyeballs split across more books, this is the real reason why e-book sales are down across the board.
Not only do self-published authors write legitimate books that nobody reads, but some are doing some very shady things. One enterprising software engineer posted 800,000 Kindle titles that were written by an algorithm and there is a growing trend of authors taking advantage of Kindle Unlimited to redirect people from the first page of the e-book to the end, so they instantly make the full amount of the monthly pool of funds.
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Quick Link: Maybe it’s time to take the plunge and become self-published like me
Quick links, bringing you great articles on writing from all over the web.
After having some success with traditional publishing, author Denise Deegan decided to try out self-publishing. She writes up her experience on the Independent.ie site.
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Maybe it’s time to take the plunge and become self-published like me
5/30/2016
I found excitement on a whole new level when I self-published writes Denise Deegan.
Authors, like artists, live with rejection. We meet it when trying to get published. We meet it trying to stay published. We write, and then others decide if our work is good enough to be let out into the world. Or at least, that’s how it used to be.
In 2001, I gave up my PR business to write a novel. I had no agent, no publisher, no experience. I didn’t even have an idea. In retrospect, it was crazy. But then, maybe sometimes craziness is exactly what’s required to change your life. I wrote the novel in six months, sent it out to publishers and agents and prepared for rejection.
It came!
Thankfully, I also received feedback on my writing. I edited the manuscript and sent it out again. I got to work on a second novel so that the next batch of – inevitable – rejections wouldn’t stop me writing. I told myself that it didn’t matter if I never got published. Of course it mattered.
The edits worked. That first novel was published. Three more followed. After that, I wrote a Young Adult series called The Butterfly Novels. And can I just say, the reaction from teenagers to these books would make up for any rejection ever.
Meanwhile, the world of self-publishing was being born. For the first time, authors could reach readers directly and globally. The fact that royalty rates were higher meant lower prices to the reader. This transformation in publishing was exciting to watch. Such was the success of self-published novels like Fifty Shades of Grey and Still Alice that traditional publishers began to offer contracts to their authors.
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Quick Links: What to Do When No One Shows Up To Your Reading
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A lot of prospective authors are held back by fears like “what if no one likes my work”. So what if you hold an author event, and no one show up? Embarrassing, right? How do you deal, besides with lots of wine and Hagan Daz? Literary Hub‘s Matthew Norman survived such an event and gives us his tips for keeping our chins up and our spoons down.
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What to Do When No One Shows Up To Your Reading
Matthew Norman on the embarrassment of confronting an empty room
May 31, 2016
By Matthew Norman
A few days after my first novel Domestic Violets was published, I was scheduled to do a reading at the Barnes & Noble at Johns Hopkins University near my house in Baltimore. It’s difficult to describe how happy I was. I was officially a published novelist, which, at the time, represented the accomplishment of a lifelong dream, and I was about to do my first reading at an esteemed university. Things were good.
I charted my route to the bookstore on my phone, which was just plain silly. It was four miles from my house and had driven by it no less than 15 times in my life. To prepare, I selected a passage and read it aloud over and over, to no one. I spent an embarrassing amount of time picking out my outfit. I wanted to look like a writer, because, of course, I was a writer, but I didn’t want to look like I was trying to look like a writer. Slightly disheveled literary indifference was the goal, so I ultimately chose jeans, one of about 20 nearly identical blue-ish button-up shirts that I own, and a brown corduroy blazer. Sneakers would have been too carefree—too boyish. Instead, I opted for some brown, reasonably casual boots. I didn’t shave.
I got there absurdly early. My phone told me the trip would take about 12 minutes, but I allotted 45 just in case some sort of catastrophe struck along the way. I sat in my car for a while watching people come and go. Whenever someone entered the store, I wondered if he or she was there to see me read.
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Quick Links: How to Prepare for Self-Publishing – Covers Design
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A great cover is like a great outfit for your book. And like a great outfit, the cover should look good close up as well as far away. It is also the first thing a potential reader will judge you on. In a sea of titles, a quality cover will stand out and speak to your reader about the wonderful story within. At Digital Book World, shares her tips for self-publishing authors on how to have a great cover.
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How to Prepare for Self-Publishing: Cover Design
Good cover design is the single most obvious way of making sure your book stands out on the shelf and looks professional.
Do Your Research
Look at your competition, both in hard copy and online. What looks professional and what looks bad? Why? Make your own list of some pitfalls to avoid and features that you like.
Think About the Ebook Version
It’s important to remember that something that works well in hard copy might not look so good as a thumbnail. A great design, though, should work in both formats.
A detailed background and delicate colors can get swallowed up at thumbnail size. That doesn’t mean you can’t use them at all, but you need to make sure that the overall design still works on a small scale.
What Type of Book Is It?
One piece of advice that I’ve heard over and over again is to make sure your cover design correctly conveys the genre of your book. You might not want your work to be pigeonholed, and you probably want it to look different from the competition, but you need to put those feelings to one side. Readers use some basic visual cues to decide whether they think they’ll enjoy your book or not. Embrace a healthy dash of cliché. If you’ve written a romance, the cover needs to say “Romance” loud and clear so that your intended readership will pick it up and have a look at the blurb.
This aspect of cover design has a big impact on completion rates. If people think they’re getting a cozy mystery and it turns out to be gory dystopian sci-fi, they’ll put the book down without reaching the end. They might only read the first chapter. If you’re publishing an ebook, this kind of thing can be tracked, and makes your book look poor when it might be a fantastic dystopian sci-fi novel! You might even get bad reviews if the content doesn’t match readers’ expectations.
Read the full post on Digital Book World
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Quick Link: What Happens After You Sign the Contract?
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Weina Dai Randel at Writers In The Storm gives us another peek behind the curtain with what happens after you sign the contract. Hint – it involves lots of edits…
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What Happens After You Sign the Contract?
By Weina Dai Randel
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