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Things That Shouldn’t Surprise You Much About Self-Publishing

March 3, 2020

Starting off in self-publishing can seem like a perilous journey. I know it did for me.

Getting into a new venture is always both exciting and scary, at the same time. Exciting to be doing something new, but scary because you don’t necessarily know what to do first…or even how to sound like you know what you’re doing.

Sometimes it’s good to just kick back, push off any deadlines (real or imagined), turn off the phone, and daydream a little.

After all, if you’re self-employed author, doesn’t that mean you get to goof off once in a while? That you’re the boss, not that pesky little nagging voice in your head?

Like I said…scary. But you pick it up soon enough.

As you move forward you have to keep your bearings. That means you remember what your destination was when you set out from shore, and you keep aiming for that destination until you get there.

Self-Publishing is Not a Get-Rich-Quick Scheme
Believe me, I know. I’ve had several Readers’ Favorite medal winners, so I think I’ve been doing reasonably well. But I’m sure you’ve heard me say I only make enough to take my beautiful bride out to dinner once in a while. I keep writing because I feel I have things to say.

So, it’s a good thing I retired from a good nine-to-five that put bread on the table.

Yet, new self-publishers have that gleam in the eye. They’ve read the success stories. It obviously happened to others. Why not them?

But I’m willing to bet you didn’t start writing to make a killing on the internet. You had something else in mind. Maybe just to have a memento to share, or a family keepsake. Perhaps it was as simple as my plan. Something to do.

Remembering that, it has actually guided me well.

I’ve always been impressed by the collegiality of publishing. Maybe it’s because few books compete directly with each other, but people in publishing…particularly authors in indie publishing…are extraordinarily helpful to newcomers. And a bonus: they’re pretty literate, too!

I mean, just wander around Amazon for a while and take in the richness of interests displayed there. Whatever you’re interested in writing, there are undoubtedly people interested in reading it. You just have to find them.

That’s where things like this blog, a Twitter presence, a Book of Face page, or other social media sites are so important. You will discover the need for a platform. Fortunately, one of the great things about social media is that it’s so social.

The single most important thing is to “Be the Market”

Take the time for book-signings, and promote them yourself, if no one else will. If you are part of the market that’s interested in the subject you’ve written about, particularly in fiction, you’re at an advantage. You know what those people like. The fact you’ve surmounted that reader hurdle, and are able to talk about it or, better yet, write about it, all adds up to a book with value.

None of these things may surprise you, but they bear repeating, and remembering, too. The availability and diversity of self-publishing makes it one of the greatest opportunities of the new media age.

Well, there you have it. Now get busy and write.

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The reading and book-signing scheduled for 7:00pm on March 16, at the Detroit Working Writers Springing to Mind Fantasy Event at the Royal Oak Library has been cancelled due to coronavirus fears.

The book-signing from 11:00am-5:00pm at the Leon & Lulu Books and Authors Event in Clawson on March 22, 2020 is still up in the air, for the same reason. Please check their website for updates.

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Gentle Readers, my books have all garnered some terrific reviews. You can see all of them by using the Amazon link below. Check them out. Better yet, buy one and read it. You just might like it.

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You’re invited to visit my author’s website, BROKEN GLASS to hear the remarkable radio interview about my novel “Blood Lake” on The Authors Show, or see my three local television interviews. You can also like my Book of Face page, find me on Goodreads, or follow my shorter ramblings on The Twitter.

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Comments posted below will be read, greatly appreciated and perhaps even answered.

Tags:award-winning writing, book marketing, indie writers, using social media
Posted in Award-Winning Fiction, Book Promotion, Storytelling | 7 Comments »

Do You Write With Feeling?

January 29, 2020

It almost goes without saying that every person uses themselves as a yardstick to figure out what another person is feeling.

This includes readers for your characters in a novel. No matter the situation or genre of your novel or short-story fiction, your reader will try to fill in the blanks about fictional characters based upon their own life experiences.

As a writer, you can aid this process by adding sensory detail. No amount of fancy plot tactics can compete with your reader’s brain to create empathy for your characters.

When your readers empathize, they put themselves in the character’s shoes. Once they’ve done that, readers will follow your character through any obstacle, hardship, or conflict because, if you’ve done it right, they are in the story, they are your character.

The elements you need should be fundamental and unalterable to your character. They have to feel authentic. Tacked-on frailties just don’t work. Choose very carefully and build-in the crucial elements from the start.

Remember those compare-and-contrast school assignments?
Give your character a seemingly inescapable social, political, or economic disadvantage. Readers want to see the character overcome those obstacles.

Context is how you use comparison in your story. Compare your hero’s strengths to those of other characters. Hopefully, your reader will have been admiring your hero’s skills and strengths.

When those are put to the test by someone bigger, smarter, or more adept, your reader feels the difference.

The structure of almost every story includes an element of vulnerability. Sometimes everything is tilted to make your hero’s strength a vulnerability. You shed new light on your character, and your reader reacts.

The reason is reader empathy.

This technique is so powerful, you only need to do it once. You don’t need to overdo vulnerability, one instance in your story is all it takes. Every reader is human. The key is to make the reader make the connection to your hero’s emotional frailty. When they see vulnerability in your hero, it strengthens the connection.

This works in any genre. The way a reader comes to know your character is similar to the way we come to know people in real life. Create a vulnerability in your character, then use it at the appropriate plot point to keep your reader engaged.

Weave your hero’s vulnerabilities into the story. Use your plot to find the high points where frailties will have the most impact. Those vulnerabilities in the middle of the story keep readers engaged with your protagonist as you move the story toward the ultimate conclusion.

Give it a try, and you’ll keep your readers to the end of the story.

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Gentle Readers, my books have all garnered some terrific reviews. You can see all of them by using the Amazon link below. Check them out. Better yet, buy one and read it. You just might like it.

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Comments posted below will be read, greatly appreciated and perhaps even answered.

Tags:award-winning writing, storytelling
Posted in Award-Winning Fiction, Storytelling | 8 Comments »

Do You Know the Most Important Thing About Storytelling?

November 25, 2019

reader Photo Courtesy of Pexels

As I get ready to go full tilt into the holiday season with my family, I thought I’d mention one more time, to every wanna be writer out there, the most important thing I’ve learned about being an author.

It’s important to understand there is a difference between a good writer and a good storyteller.

A good writer is focused on the literal qualities of writing, but a good storyteller is someone who tries to see and appreciate the story in everything. As you can imagine, when you have a more open mind towards what is a story, your skills associated with storytelling improve, because you’re challenging yourself.

Write Often
The truth is, you cannot become a good storyteller unless you practice writing and telling stories often. How often you should write is up to you, but it should almost always be more often than you think you’ll be comfortable with.

For instance, I write a little almost every day. If writing every day feels like a challenge to you, please keep in mind one of the key benefits in writing often … whatever that might mean for you … is making a conscious effort to think about your stories. One of the biggest benefits I saw in my writing life came from writing daily.

Fairly quickly, I realized I didn’t write daily because I had inspiration, or always knew what was happening next … but because I was forcing myself to think about my stories. This, in turn, led to me thinking about my work and finding solutions in my subconscious. So, first and foremost, I suggest you ask yourself if you’re writing often enough.

Read a Lot
No matter what type of writing you do, you absolutely need to be reading. I’ve said this before, too, and it’s not an option. In studying the prose of others, you can learn how to craft a beautiful sentence, to pace a story, and create abstract meanings with personification, paradoxes, and other literary devices.

Finally, good prose teaches storytellers how to break all conventional rules and structures, and still tell a believable story, which is why you should always be reading regularly.

Look for the Story in Everything
As a writer, you should look for the story in everything. In doing so, you’ll often find solutions for your characters that didn’t seem to be available at all. You will discover they really are out there, waiting for you to find them.

Take some time to people-watch. Listen to the way they talk. Not only will it help you craft believable dialogue, I’m convinced you’ll find, within a few minutes, you can create an entire scene just from two people together.

Once you learn to pay attention and discover these everywhere stories, you’ll never be short of ideas, and your readers will find it hard to put your stories down.

Keep writing, and have a safe and happy holiday season.

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I will be joining other local authors signing books from 10:00am-4:00pm at the Rochester Hills Public Library Author Fair on Saturday, November 30, 2019.

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Gentle Readers, my books have all garnered some terrific reviews. You can see all of them by using the Amazon link below. Check them out. Better yet, buy one and read it. You just might like it.

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Comments posted below will be read, greatly appreciated and perhaps even answered.