tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-53212983378985080982024-02-07T02:34:11.703-08:00Real Writing For A Digital WorldBarbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16950289036813327685noreply@blogger.comBlogger758125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5321298337898508098.post-89103118347692319092014-02-12T05:52:00.001-08:002014-02-12T05:56:49.794-08:00Traditional PublishingWhen I started this blog traditional publishing was a real thing.<br />
Now it's not so much and like any other system that is threatened by change<br />
they'd send out their minions to attack indie publishers.<br />
Good luck with that strategy. <br />
<br />
Here's what could be my last post here.<br />
You don't have to be an artist. Just tell a cracking good story.<br />
Write a good blurb.<br />
Get a good professional cover.<br />
Rinse and repeat.<br />
You don't have to sell a million books to be satisfied with all you've achieved.<br />
Just give the readers the best you you can.Barbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16950289036813327685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5321298337898508098.post-13238407116488637632013-02-06T12:01:00.001-08:002013-02-06T12:01:13.082-08:00I'm from Tennessee or SomethingAshley Judd now thinks she wants a career in politics. Okey-Dokey.<br />
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It helps to know what state you're going to run in, babe.Barbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16950289036813327685noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5321298337898508098.post-20885867753163185282013-02-05T02:44:00.001-08:002013-02-05T18:25:47.037-08:00One Immortal DayI'm honored to call her my friend. Michal Towber just released her
new album. Emmy award winner, a musical prodigy she
could be a female Truly Lambert. When asked what music I write to,
Michal is always on the list.<br />
<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="259" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/UXXOr4MystU" width="460"></iframe>Barbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16950289036813327685noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5321298337898508098.post-66586572524002098742013-02-02T12:19:00.001-08:002013-02-02T12:21:25.126-08:00Absolute Power Corrupts AbsolutelyJohn Dalberg 1st Baron Acton said that. No, I don't know his historic significance besides that phrase that is used way too often. Unfortunately, it expresses that idea so well it's almost impossible not to use.<br />
<br />
Some people are good with power. Maybe they had the right parents, the right upbringing, the right training, and when they attain a position where they can lead, they lead. Other people go nuts and become tyrants. They become drunk on power without the attendant decency and morality of character to go with it.<br />
<br />
You can look around the world and see any number of tyrants behaving badly on their ego trips. Louis XIV said it well "L'etat, c'est moi"--"The state, it's me." He called himself The Sun King. Yeah, he didn't have an issue of being shy and retiring.<br />
<br />
I just occurred to me how full of themselves some people get in publishing. They really do wield a kind of power, the livelihood of a writer is in their hands, and they seem to enjoy taking advantage of their position. Sad, really.<br />
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I've gotten on an apple kick so I'm going to be tinkering with this image in Photoshop for a while, seeing what I can do with it. It was the original cover image for Bad Apple. <br />
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<br />Barbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16950289036813327685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5321298337898508098.post-84569807338699848912013-01-28T12:12:00.003-08:002013-01-28T12:12:52.813-08:00They Don't Know You ExistI can't explain how lightning strikes, and I don't mean the weather. I've heard tales of a writer doing basically nothing besides publishing their book and then 6 weeks later it's a bestseller. It's still the same thing--word of mouth WOM--but really fast. The audience was exposed to a book and read it, liked it and told their friends. <br />
<br />
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This is exactly how it works. (Yes, that's Heather Locklear before she was arrested on the DUI)<br />
<br />
I contacted a number of book bloggers this week and some were very excited to read my books. Of course I was glad about that but it made me realize that with all the books out there, the possibility you will be struck by this Fame Lightning is about as possible as being struck by actual lightning.<br />
<br />
The problem as I see it on the horizon is that this too, like freebies, will lose its effectiveness. There will be so many writers asking for reviews and so many horrid books turning reviewers off that it will become increasingly difficult to get reviews or placement.<br />
At that point probably the only way will be by paying a person to book tour you. They will have a circle of bloggers who relies on them for a certain level of quality and the publicist will be able to rely on them to review the book, conduct the interview or do the promo.<br />
<br />
Since everything happens now with increasing speed I'm guessing that in a year it will be almost impossible to get to bloggers with a track record as a newbie.<br />
<br />
Start now if you haven't already.<br />
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<br />Barbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16950289036813327685noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5321298337898508098.post-82035808385881293852013-01-23T12:48:00.000-08:002013-01-28T12:53:57.601-08:00Book PromotionWhen I was published in the physical world they did everything for me. It was great. Did you know they have a publicity team in every publishing house at the ready to get the word out on your book? Did you know they work extra hard to get your book into stores? Did you know they set up tours for you?<br />
<br />
Did you know they do this if you are Stephen King but if you are me they do NOTHING?<br />
You had to do everything just like now as an indie author. They couldn't care less about midlist authors and that is the sad truth. Still is the sad truth.<br />
<br />
There were a few years where there were more readers than ebooks and everything was peachy and now we're out of that dreamyworld and into virtual reality. Writers have to find ways to promo their work. Let's not talk about outliers. You can't duplicate whatever makes an outlier an outlier.<br />
<br />
What does this take? Work. Specifically, you will either have to do it yourself or pay someone to do it for you. You need to do interviews, guest posts, giveaways and on the rare occasion find someone who will review your book. Your life will become one long book tour. This is true. I'm sorry.<br />
<br />
I try to do one promo thing a day whether it's find a blog who wants to host an interview or a post or what I did over the last few days and that was finding bling I could afford for giveaways.<br />
<br />
Why isn't it enough to give away a free copy? Because the people who gave away $200 Amazon gift cards spoiled it for the rest of us.<br />
<br />
The difference between you asking bloggers for a review and the person you pay to ask them for a review is time. If you ask it'll take two months or more for them to get through the To Be Read stack they already have. If it's a tour arranger asking, it seems to happen more rapidly. Either way you should be working on your own trying to make those connections and get your book on blogs.<br />
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Does it help? It doesn't hurt and there's not a lot of other things to do right now. I know a writer who is very committed to promotion and the hard work has paid off. She's the kind of person who doesn't have the discouragement gene.<br />
<br />
Get out there and push that book.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Paris Forever--Trey Ratcliff</td></tr>
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Barbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16950289036813327685noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5321298337898508098.post-39556919534978431602013-01-13T13:57:00.001-08:002013-01-13T15:14:13.247-08:00Nikon GirlI was going to major in art at college. The drawback to that was that I really can't draw.<br />
I'm plenty artistic but the drawing thing, no. So after a couple weeks I decided to go into photography which would meld with the writing and I could be a photojournalist. There was a great tradition of that. Unfortunately more in movies than real life. But it was possible so I said yes.<br />
<br />
My father had a Leica but the professor insisted on a medium format camera for the first year or something, so I got whatever it was, a Mamiya? But it only took 1 semester and I got a Nikon F. That was a really good camera and I think you can pick them up now for about 1/10th of what we paid for the body and telephoto. I think it was a 300 mm lens.<br />
<br />
Some years later I was at a combined training event--it was entirely a nightmare, so bad I don't even want to go into it--and somehow the camera dropped. I'm sure Nikon could have fixed it but within a couple hours it was stolen. I was devastated. I lost my camera, I was stuck with the world's worst boyfriend who had two of the brattiest kids on the planet and then the truck broke down in Yonkers on a Sunday evening. Wow. How can things get worse?<br />
<br />
Yes, I later found out that things can get very much worse, but that night will live on in the records as one of the worst.<br />
<br />
I got a less expensive model as a replacement. For some reason every time I picked it up the battery was dead. It had one of those little disk things. The light meter always seemed wrong. I was too busy in television to bother, when I wasn't in the studio, I was in the car commuting. I stopped being a photographer and was just a writer.<br />
<br />
Then digital came in and I ignored it. I was very busy. I got a cheap Epson to use to sell stuff on ebay. You don't talk about quality except can you see the objet you're trying to sell.<br />
<br />
Everything went like that until I got a contract to do The Complete Idiot's Guide to Knitting Projects. I thought the job was to...well I thought it was what they TOLD me it was. Come up with 20 projects and some variations. And you've got 10 weeks. Okay, pressing it but I'll do it. Then I read the contract and someone is supposed to provide photos for all these projects and oh by the way it's not 20 it's 100.<br />
<br />
In a crisis--which that was--you revert to what you know best so I knew I had to get a Nikon, whatever the budget would allow because I had to pay for EVERYTHING out of my advance (here's some advice, don't do one of these books unless you must or love being under horrible pressure). So I got a D70 and never understood it. I couldn't understand the manual. I couldn't find anyone who could explain it to me. But apparently I was doing okay because I shot all the photos for the book and that's what was published.<br />
<br />
I don't remember why I got the D7000 other than I hated the D70 because I didn't know it. The manual was better and there was a lot more help available on the internet and I got Photoshop. Everything fell together. I worked hard with it and with Photoshop.<br />
<br />
And then I got the D600 which is a fantastic camera. But the D7000 is great, too. And when I stumble upon what's left over from the D70, they aren't bad. A little tweak, some sharpening and they're very acceptable. <br />
<br />
Digital cameras aren't like film cameras which you expected to have for a lifetime. Digital is semi-disposable. You expect to turn it in for the new model in 2 years. Luckily all Nikon lenses work on all their cameras because if you had to get new glass every 2 years, you'd better be rich.<br />
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<br />Barbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16950289036813327685noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5321298337898508098.post-68167719729999179672013-01-12T02:07:00.000-08:002013-01-12T02:09:02.937-08:00Images in Digital BooksStill not perfected. Two years ago it was much more difficult, Amazon needed the file in html, separate images and zipped. Now it's possible to upload a doc file (just like BN always took) and it's fine.<br />
<br />
I just received an email from a reader saying she couldn't see the images contained in Flash of Light in her reader.<br />
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<br />
I went to my Kindle Fire and it's fine for me. (Small but fine) She didn't say what reader she has. <br />
<br />
I did a magazine trial--impossible to read full page because it was designed for a large physical magazine. To read it in a Fire meant lots of scrolling and moving the page around. Big hassle. Maybe it works on an iPad.<br />
<br />
So is it worthwhile to include images? Only if you accept that not all your readers will be able to see them.Barbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16950289036813327685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5321298337898508098.post-3446956492053143122013-01-11T02:37:00.001-08:002013-01-11T02:37:33.971-08:00Book Bling BoingI just saw a raffle for a giveaway. Sterling silver necklace that looks to be about 4 engraved pages of the book being given away. Value--supposedly $200.<br />
<br />
First writers were forced to chase publishers. Then the business changed and there were too many writers for publishers to deal with so agents were basically invented. Writers chased agents. Now the business has changed. Two years ago it was great. Readers needed writers. Today there are so many books and so many writers, readers are at a premium and writers are chasing them waving gift cards and bracelets.<br />
<br />
Wow. This is wrong on so many levels, I can hardly sort through it. But we don't deal with life how it should be we deal with it how it is. <br />
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<br />Barbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16950289036813327685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5321298337898508098.post-45756192597895496402013-01-08T10:01:00.001-08:002013-01-08T10:02:04.847-08:00To Bling or Not To BlingThat is the question.<br />
Whether it is nobler, and wiser, to give away stuff<br />
in order for potential readers to show up<br />
Or is it simply buying eyes who will clean up and move on,<br />
Alas, Horatio, I don't have a clue on it.<br />
<br />
I didn't know writers were giving away trinkets and what-all in order to...what, increase customer enthusiasm? Traffic? But I have been informed this has been going on for a long time, besides the bookmarks which are obsolete now, right? It's not enough to give away free copies of your book, now you have to give away gift cards, bracelets, and even Kindles.<br />
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I used to make the cutest little vests for a tack shop in Wilton, CT. I crocheted an applique of their logo, a horse, of course--I think I still have one in my trunk--so I'm no stranger to making stuff.<br />
<br />
It was far too late to do anything for the current Bad Apple Tour but other events are coming up so I used the remainder of yarn from a vest I made myself a couple years ago and some leftover yarn from that Complete Idiots book I did.<br />
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I can't get past the feeling--is this serious? What next? <br />
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<br />Barbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16950289036813327685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5321298337898508098.post-52273942180903795072013-01-05T15:33:00.000-08:002013-01-06T04:32:18.168-08:00My Writing Prime DirectiveThis doesn't apply to all writers, perhaps, but I think it applies to all members of The Writers Guild.<br />
<br />
I don't make changes unless I get paid to do so. And I mean more than 35 cents. About 1000X that would be in the parking lot of the ballpark.<br />
<br />
This is what I learned and here's a good, short, example of it. Before digital publishing was what it is now, and paper was the only game in town, I was trying to sell Nothing Serious (titled Disconnected then). I sent it to an agent. She said it started too fast. I sent it to a former editor at Berkley and she said it started too slow.<br />
<br />
I can't make that change. I don't know what that is. And I'm not going to bother trying until I'm under contract and you're paying me. They didn't pay me so it never got changed. No one's complained since.<br />
<br />
On the internet everyone gets to have and opinion and broadcast it.<br />
<br />
As with the agents and editors and their conflicting opinions, it's not worth paying much attention to that kind of random input.<br />
<br />
The only time I change anything without a paycheck is when I believe in it. Otherwise you become a windsock.Barbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16950289036813327685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5321298337898508098.post-18511882773074293722013-01-03T11:45:00.001-08:002013-01-03T11:45:17.720-08:00Find A Niche and Fill ItIf you are not remarkable in style and content, downloaders will graze upon you momentarily then move on. I think.<br />
<br />
Sometimes someone comes up with the perfect thing for the time. EL James did that with 50 Shades of Grey. Rowling did it with Harry Potter. Who started the vampire craze was it Twilight or Anne Rice? They tap into something no one knew they wanted and are wildly successful.<br />
<br />
You can't plan for that. You can try but I'm not aware of anyone who did this mechanically. These people wrote what they wanted and then the audience showed up.<br />
<br />
Another way you can set yourself apart from the rest is by being talented. <br />
We can't all be remarkably talented.<br />
<br />
We can be skilled but that's work. It takes time. It also takes having the kind of mind that can conceive of improving and growing. Some people don't have that ability or thought process. They can be told how to improve but their minds can't work that out.<br />
<br />
So now that we have millions of books available, how do we set ourselves apart from the masses? <br />
<br />
What do we have to offer that readers might want. Some people want to read the same book over and over again but with slightly different characters and situations. Other people might call this predictable. The flip side would be to call it comforting. <br />
<br />
Find out what you can do then do that to the best of your ability. Try to determine what your weaknesses are and strengthen them.<br />
<br />
This could be called branding yourself. If a reader wants to read a comforting book that isn't challenging, do that. Be the person who becomes known for that. Promo that. <br />
<br />
If you're going to write about quirky characters in unpredictable situations, be that. Be the go-to-guy for that. <br />
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Figure out where you heart is and be that.<br />
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<br />Barbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16950289036813327685noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5321298337898508098.post-3203444243120296462013-01-02T08:55:00.000-08:002013-01-02T08:55:27.957-08:00New Year New Photoshop HintsSome things can drive you nuts. I don't want the hard way to do things, most of the time, I just want to get close.<br />
<br />
Matte finish in Photoshop. I don't see free actions for this but I see super super expensive actions--and I'm talking about $35!<br />
<br />
What are we going to do about this? I'm going to give you the shortcut. <br />
<br />
This was tweaked but that's not what this is about. We just want matte. <br />
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Doesn't that satisfy you? It works for me on this. Yes, you can go take the original and throw a slight Gaussian blur on it.<br />
<br />
What I did was make a image of a yellow that I liked, saved it. Then placed it on top of the original and clicked the blending mode SOFT LIGHT. That's it. You can lighten the effect or not. Or don't use the blending mode and just reduce the NORMAL mode's opacity.<br />
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Happy New Year's Gift. Here's the texture I used. Sure I could have put some actual texture on it but I didn't. Feel free to do so.<br />
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Barbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16950289036813327685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5321298337898508098.post-45143886272976232402012-12-31T12:35:00.000-08:002012-12-31T12:35:31.078-08:00Hypocrisy thy name is Hollywood CelebritiesDon't watch if language and Hollywood violence upsets you. Although this should upset you but it's your choice. <br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="259" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/hxRlpRcorEU" width="460"></iframe><br />Barbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16950289036813327685noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5321298337898508098.post-79418637581416757302012-12-27T11:36:00.000-08:002012-12-27T11:36:43.052-08:00Passive Guy Throws Down the GauntletOver at Passive Voice, PG posted a photo of Ernest Hemingway skiing. "Famous Authors Playing In The Snow" and I said what about obscure authors? So he said submit photos of obscure authors for consideration.<br />
<br />
So I put my D7K on the tripod outside. Got out my wireless remote and ran in front of the camera while tripping the shutter.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Obscured Writer in Snow</td></tr>
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That was 1 shot. It's cold out there, the snow is deep and all the feral cats wanted to know what I was doing. So yeah, it would have been good to have my boots in the shot but we'll leave that for next time.Barbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16950289036813327685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5321298337898508098.post-42893379086092754802012-12-24T13:43:00.000-08:002012-12-24T13:43:01.467-08:00Christmas Eve and The Tipping PointMerry Christmas.<br />
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I wish us all great sales this holiday season.<br />
<br />
That out of the way, Joe Konrath posted his yearly resolutions and I'd like to respond with my own take on the state of epublishing. It's true that I derived a push from reading Konrath in last 2008. I tested the waters with Impossible Charlie/now Dream Horse, which I had already self-pubbed with Lightning Source earlier that year. At that point digital was pretty much nothing.<br />
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And it grew fast. So fast most of us can't keep up.<br />
<br />
Where are we now? There are millions of books for people to choose from and millions more will flood in next year as backlist books are added.<br />
<br />
Just write a great book, publish it and write the next. Rinse and repeat and repeat and repeat. <br />
<br />
That's what we hear and I don't believe it right now. If you're Konrath and have a fanbase fine. Sure there are outliers like EL James who comes along and makes a huge impact. But the thing with her is that she had a fanfic fanbase already. <br />
<br />
So I sat down and said "How can I better understand this market and how to get attention over the din and the sheer tsunami of books crashing in upon all of us?" I went back and read Malcolm Gladwell's <i>The Tipping Point</i>. He explained it pretty clearly. It boils down to word of mouth.<br />
<br />
Here's the reality. You can write all the great books you like but if you don't light the fire under readers who then start telling each other "This is great! You have to read this NOW!" you will be as unnoticed and unappreciated as someone who wrote dreck. So yes, go write that great book. What's step 2? Go write another book? Or get that first book to some readers?<br />
<br />
It's your choice. It's your career. These are your books. If you think having a shelf-full of ebooks is the way to go, do that. It could work.<br />
<br />
Here's another plan. Flog that book. I know a romance writer who flogs her work like crazy and it works. She's a good writer and she should be read. She makes sure people are aware of her. She advertises, does book tours, gets reviews and does freebies. She makes her books visible. She puts them in front of the audience with a vengeance. She twitters constantly. She told me she doesn't care if it bothers some people, she'll redouble her efforts.<br />
<br />
I've been reading about the life of Ruth Harriet Louise a portrait photographer in the silent era of Hollywood. They flogged every movie, they flogged every actor. They sent out tons of publicity photos. Someone wrote in and asked for a photo of Norma Shearer, they got one. There were fan magazines whose only reason for existence was to put actors in front of the public. The interest was created. People bought the magazines to see the stars, to get fashion tips from the stars, to read concocted rumors of the stars' lives and to go to the movies to see the stars. The studios didn't let up for one minute.<br />
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You have to get people to know you're there. Get them talking about your books. Sure make it easy to find you with the best keywords and all your search engine techniques. Have great covers. Have great blurbs. Don't stop there. It's not enough. <br />
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And I'm not at all convinced (which is putting it nicely) that spamming on Facebook will help. You are probably reaching more writers, not readers. I have seen no proof that readers depend on Facebook to tell them what to read. Maybe there are a couple pages with websites or blogs elsewhere that are influential but I can't tell you which those are.<br />
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I do know it's going to get harder to do as this year goes along so start gearing up. You have even more work to do than before. <br />
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<br />Barbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16950289036813327685noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5321298337898508098.post-19112901013229802742012-12-20T12:44:00.002-08:002012-12-20T12:44:58.969-08:00Formatting Anthologies or Boxed SetsThis seems like a lot of work and it is but it's not horrible.<br />
If you're using Word, you're going to make 4 separate sections.<br />
You'll have front matter and a contents page. More on that in a moment.<br />
You'll have a section for each book.<br />
This is not page break.<br />
Look under page layout and you'll see section break. Use that.<br />
This way you keep the TOC for each book separated.<br />
<br />
In the front matter content, use hyperlinks and direct it to the bookmarked title.<br />
Don't make another TOC.<br />
Don't give Word reason to get confused.<br />
<br />
And that's really it. You copy and paste to 1 long document, separating each with a section break each time. Clean up where you need to.<br />
<br />
So yes, it's work but it's not horrible.<br />
<br />
How you do the cover is up to you. I know someone who did it in Paint and that's about as basic a program as you can find. I tried a couple different ways and then paid for a photoshop action that automates the process beautifully. It is possible to do it manually and it will help if you're good at geometry which I'm not.<br />
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<br />Barbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16950289036813327685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5321298337898508098.post-41995340775927057592012-12-16T12:30:00.001-08:002012-12-16T12:33:45.997-08:00Advertising/Publicity/Book ToursThe answer is now yes.<br />
It's no for some outliers but for the rest of us, yeah, taking up shelf space isn't enough or isn't quick enough. If you want to achieve audience awareness, I don't think passive works anymore and you'll have to have some kind of marketing campaign.<br />
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I have a pal who is on this aspect all the time. She does freebies on Select and then promos them everywhere. She does quite well sales-wise. Not up at the top of the charts but steady sales.<br />
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I don't know if FB and Twitter work. I'm sure they do for some but perhaps you need a fanbase first. Personally I'm sick of seeing someone flogging their books everywhere on FB and having every instance of it wind up on my wall. I've unfriended some individuals for such egregious behavior which is the opposite of what they want.<br />
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So you need to keep the annoyance factor down.<br />
<br />
Anthologies. I'm not sure why these took off but apparently readers see it as a good deal.<br />
Right now (the price will go up by the first of the year) the Flash anthology is basically $1 a book. So that is a good deal. You could price a 3-book boxed set for 99 cents and that would be a fantastic bargain.<br />
<br />
But people still need to know it exists. You can't rely on them finding it among the millions of books now on Amazon. You need to find a way to point to it.<br />
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I've approached book bloggers in the past months and they were unaware of my books and very enthusiastic to read them. That made me realize there are just too many books out there to expect to be easily found anymore.<br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Kip-Chanin-Flashes-Anthology-ebook/dp/B00AOUMUPE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1355687268&sr=8-1&keywords=Kip+Chanin" target="_blank">The Flashes</a><br />
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<br />Barbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16950289036813327685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5321298337898508098.post-91948726865774434802012-12-05T06:20:00.002-08:002012-12-05T06:21:44.603-08:00Old TechnologyI use a CRT for a monitor. Yes, it's old technology but it's actually very good for photo editing. Unfortunately it seems to be time to switch to digital. My concern is that a new monitor will require a new computer. It's all quicksand. You install a better video card and then there's a cascade of requirements as everything wants to be upgraded.<br />
<br />
So until I get that sorted out, I'll probably be away for a bit.<br />
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Let me just say something about ebooks, sales and Amazon. Ebooks are the future. Amazon is leading the way. Sales slowed? Hey people, the economy is crashing. Some are either oblivious or in denial but that's the truth. Whether people consciously know, as I do, or feel it, these are not the same days as 2009 or 2010. People are not going to be spending freely. Sure there are writers not feeling it. Certain genres aren't feeling it (erotica or as I call it--porn). There is also the issue of freebies which have glutted the marketplace so people don't need to buy in order to read. Maybe they can't read what they want to but they can still read.<br />
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That's where we are. I'm betting it's going to get worse for a long stretch although in a couple years things will improve financially. (Yes, years, this isn't a joke, this is a big recession, this is a fundamental change to the country.)<br />
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So what can you do. Actively seek out your niche audience. How? That's for you to figure out.<br />
Write the best books you can for your audience.<br />
Put more effort in than your competition.<br />
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Happy Holidays.<br />
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<br />Barbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16950289036813327685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5321298337898508098.post-27519105887301027172012-11-30T06:51:00.003-08:002012-11-30T07:02:11.315-08:00Ten Thousand HoursI watch American Idol and the X-Factor. Some mock people who do. Well, mock on.<br />
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Some years back Carrie Underwood was on American Idol and I loved her. I kept saying "How do you learn how to do this?" She was a girl from a small town in Oklahoma. Is it that you sing better than the other 56 kids in your school so you think "Gee, I'll go on American Idol. I could win."<br />
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A lot of people do go from their living room to the stage and make fools of themselves. But I'm talking about the people who "go from their living room" and stagger the audience with their talent and brilliance.<br />
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Here's the audition of Carly Rose Sonenclar, 13, from Westchester. You look at it and say "How do you learn how to do this?"<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="253" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/nU_dBDccruI" width="450"></iframe><br />
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You learn it the same way you learn anything. You put in ten thousand hours of practice. <br />
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<br />Barbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16950289036813327685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5321298337898508098.post-29429872101334797862012-11-29T11:51:00.002-08:002012-11-29T11:51:59.347-08:00Vanity Publishing v. Indie PublishingDon't. Do. It.<br />
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What's the difference between vanity and self? Well self publishing is indie publishing. You do it yourself. If you need a book cover you HIRE someone to do the cover for a FLAT FEE. If you need editing help, you HIRE someone to edit for a FLAT FEE. Then you publish your book and you get ALL THE MONEY the book makes, if it makes anything. These strangers don't make money off you in perpetuity.<br />
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What's vanity? It's when some scamster takes advantage of your desperation and ignorance to be published to charge you up the wazoo. Like $2000 for a cover when you can easily find someone to create a respectable cover for 1/10th or even 1/20th that. Ditto the editing. On top of charging you for everything, they will also take a cut of the money your book earns. Forever.<br />
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In other words, you're being taken for a ride, scammed, stuck, ripped off, played for a sucker. Those are the polite terms for it.<br />
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This happened to a friend of mine. I couldn't talk her out of it and $5000 later she had several thousand books in her garage that she would have had to hand-sell and that was frankly not a topic many people would care about. <br />
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And this is what Simon & Schuster has just come up with as a way to make money. It seems like Simon & Schuster is a reputable company and we'd all love to be published by them, right? They're trading on that good name and reputation to rip people off now. They probably would spin it differently, saying they provide legitimate services and guide newbie authors through the process. Yeah, maybe they do but they're so overcharging ($25,000???) for the privilege of being taken in by them, that I just have to ask one question of anyone thinking of doing this. No, it's not one question. Is it worth it? When, seriously, do you figure you'll earn the money back you've invested and get in the black?<br />
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I was contracted to write a book for Penguin. They gave me an advance of about $16,000. Out of that I bought a camera, all the supplies, paid for the illustrators, paid the agent and what all. I still "owe' Penguin $16,000. I made NOTHING on that book because I haven't made a penny back on the advance.<br />
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In Big Publishing, most books don't earn back their advance. It's writers like Stephen King and Nora Roberts paying for everything. <br />
<br />
If you've invested $500 in your indie published book, you do have a chance that you will make your investment back and then start turning a profit. How are you going to make back the $25,000 you pay to Simon & Schuster/Author Solutions/"Archway"?<br />
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I know I couldn't reason my friend out of it. She could do the math and imagined how great her book would sell. She was a positive thinker. I am a realistic thinker. I've seen things go right and I've seen how things can go really wrong.<br />
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Don't. Go. There.<br />
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<br />Barbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16950289036813327685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5321298337898508098.post-34022874565419783262012-11-24T16:02:00.001-08:002012-11-24T16:03:02.890-08:00Christmas In Connecticut<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/ePa6nx7T76w" width="420"></iframe><br />Barbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16950289036813327685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5321298337898508098.post-54538065989560506702012-11-23T08:22:00.002-08:002012-11-23T08:24:16.222-08:00A Photoshop FridayStill learning, still experimenting, still watching tutorials. I saw a photograph, actually the product of a malfunction, and spent hours trying to recreate it. Didn't.<br />
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If there's any takeaway it's to keep growing, expanding, trying new things and hope that it all eventually comes together.<br />
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Maybe life is like that photo. You do everything to the best of your ability, it all malfunctions and what you wind up with is something beautiful.<br />
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<br />Barbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16950289036813327685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5321298337898508098.post-88603662073198621622012-11-19T13:30:00.000-08:002012-11-19T18:39:02.541-08:00Script Fonts--Yes or NoI am completely against using a script font on a cover since it's difficult to see in a thumbnail.<br />
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So how do I explain this? It's quite large. That's all I've got. It's a beautiful font and I keep trying to use it. I don't recommend it or any atypical font. The good thing is that nothing is permanent. It's all a test, you can try everything out and if it doesn't work, you can always change it.<br />
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I suppose some people can't live with this state of flux. They don't enjoy self-publishing and want someone to do everything for them. I don't care how many times I change things around, there are always new people coming on board who have never seen it before.<br />
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What did I do to this image? It's something I got at a stock photo site--the girl in the hat, for a bargain price. You don't have to pay an arm and a leg for a pretty good image but unfortunately you'll probably invest hours looking for it. Some sites have more commercial type images and others, usually more expensive, have more artistic shots. At some point someone will realize there is a market for images created with ebooks in mind. Hasn't happened yet.<br />
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I blew the image way up not caring if the photo became unsharp or not. There is post processing involved with the image and she's nowhere near that saturated originally. Then I layered a photo I took of a little orange flower with a cobweb on it which diffuses the background/woman. The dew is real since it was first thing in the morning. There are other layers involved but that's mainly what's going on.<br />
<br />
It's funny how the edge of the leaf follows the brim of her hat so perfectly.<br />
<br />Barbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16950289036813327685noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5321298337898508098.post-77042705921432076152012-11-18T11:44:00.000-08:002012-11-18T11:44:37.196-08:00Tooting Your Own HornLet me start by saying I've never been good at hawking myself. "Let the work speak for itself" has been my motto.<br />
<br />
Well times change. Two years ago was an eon in digital publishing and the clammor for attention is fierce now. I do feel somewhat sorry for readers. If they're scrolling through a list of a couple thousand books, how can they tell the quality from the dreck. And there's plenty of dreck.<br />
<br />
Obviously a less than professional cover is a quick way to tell. Then the potential customer should read the blurb and then the sample. It's very time consuming.<br />
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I feel sorry for writers because even drecky writers can pay to have a pretty good cover done for them. It doesn't improve their writing any but there you are competing with them. Everyone shouting for attention.<br />
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It's rather demoralizing when you think about it, isn't it?<br />
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I just read what happened to Cora Carmack. She wrote a book, self-published it and within 2 months was on the NYT bestsellers list and had a high 6 figure book deal. There's always going to be an outlier but she proves you can be heard over the crowd. What makes her such an outlier is that it came so easily. (Putting the book aside.)<br />
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Amazon search engine looks at all the words in your "Look Inside"/it's all metadata, so let's put that aside for the moment.<br />
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If all writers who haven't made it to the top of the charts are equally unknown, and equally doofusistic, if you have a legitimate horn--toot it. Have you achieved anything? Let the customer know. Have you won an award? And I don't mean a badge in Girl Scouts. Let's tout real achievements and I mean real, not fantasized or invented ones because someone may decide to check just to prove you're fabricating your background. If you're writing a novel with a boating background and you sailed in an America's Cup race, say that in your bio and the blurb. If you have special skills or talents, mention that. Make yourself look as bright and shiny as possible. Rinse and Repeat as necessary. Don't annoy people but remember that new customers are always entering the market and you are an unknown to them.<br />
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<br />Barbhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16950289036813327685noreply@blogger.com0