Browsing Archive: June, 2010

Delving into Self-publishing

Posted by John R. on Wednesday, June 30, 2010, In : self-publishing 

Today's post is introducing a blog and website that gives insight from authors who have actually self-published...There are nuggets to be mined from this resource for those who are thinking about self-publishing or want to learn more about self-publishing and marketing books online.

This press release from prlog.org:


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

PRLog (Press Release) – Jun 29, 2010 – Dearborn, MI – June 29, 2010 – Today, jexbo.com, the site that helps self-published authors sell books on...


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Book Marketing Lies

Posted by John R. on Sunday, June 27, 2010, In : book & author promotion 

Are all the book marketing gurus REALLY giving you straight talk? Or are they bull-shitting you to make a buck? 

In my opinion, most are bull-shitting simply because they don't understand the new dynamics of the fast-changing publishing world and the new publishing devices and technology that have created new business models and ways of doing publishing business...Including where and how to market.  


Christopher Kokoski
 wrote this for Wordpreneur:

If you’re like me, you have a book and the pas...


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Self-publish Books? Why Not Magazines?

Posted by John R. on Thursday, June 24, 2010, In : self-publishing 

Nice little tid-bit of interesting publishing-simplified news. This from Christopher Nulla technology writer for Yahoo! News:

Not everyone has it in them to write the
great American novel. Some of you may have more skimmable ambitions — to create your own magazine.

I love magazines, but I know firsthand how difficult they can be for amateurs to create. The printing and distribution process is the real killer: Commercial printers cost a small fortune to use, and getting magazines into the ...


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How To Handle Reviews (Toss Um!)

Posted by John R. on Wednesday, June 23, 2010, In : writing 
Reviews are a mixed bag! Do you need them? Maybe, maybe not. BUT, one bad review can throw your whole mental state into a tizzy and cancel out any good ones if you let it!...That's assuming you got some good reviews...Either way, in the long run they really don't mean much...Sales do...and good sales mean the buying public liked your book well enough! 

Carrie Vaughn, author of the Kitty werewolf series, offers this about reviews in a post on the GENREALTY blog:


I’ve got two books coming ou...


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Writing Better Dialogue

Posted by John R. on Tuesday, June 22, 2010, In : writing 
You absolutely MUST have dialogue in your stories, both fiction AND nonfiction...It blasts your story from one dimensional to three dimensional instantly! And talk about character development! Dialogue builds character faster and deeper than any other writing element...such as narrative, action or setting.

Here is an informative post by
Brad Vertrees on five things he's learned to write better dialogue:

5 Lessons I've Learned About Writing Dialog In Fiction


This post, from Brad Vertrees, ...


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What Do You Mean My Manuscript Was Rejected!?

Posted by John R. on Sunday, June 20, 2010, In : writing 

Since rejections are all vanilla, generic and boilerplate yakety yak, it is nice when professionals write about rejection details. I am proud to present the following post with it's informative links:

This post, from
Laurie Pawlik-Kienlen, originally appeared on her Quips and Tips For Successful Writersblog on 10/24/08. Even if you intend to self-publish, this list of traps to avoid will still have some applicable wisdom for your work-in-progress.

These 17 reasons book manuscripts are rejecte...


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You Want Tense? Try Writing It!

Posted by John R. on Friday, June 18, 2010, In : writing 
Should I write my story in present or past tense ? A question often asked. (We won't talk about future tense in this discussion.)

Why not write your story in both tenses, if that's what it takes! As long as it's done without confusing the reader. I like to think that authors can zip between tenses freely if they want to establish different times and eras to connect actions, make a point, show growth or connect resulting outcomes.

Example: A writer of his memoir narrating as an adult about actio...

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When Should You Write for Free?...And When Not!

Posted by John R. on Thursday, June 17, 2010, In : writing 
Give my writing away? Hell no!...I used to think. Then I learned, especially as a newbie wanting to establish a presence, that it was better to advertise some of your work for free to get known and accumulate a following...build a platform, so to speak, from which to launch your bigger works for sale...Look at it as writing your advertising.
Yuwanda Black (pictured) is an author and speaker who wrote a great article for Wordpreneur giving some excellent pointers on when your writing should b...

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How to Become a Better Writer

Posted by John R. on Tuesday, June 15, 2010, In : writing 

More advice for writers, especially aspiring writers.

Want to kick-start your initial writing career or jump-start an old one in a slump? There are certain things you can do to help you go to the next level and Rob Parnell, founder of the Easy Way to Write, has listed a few good ones in an article he wrote for Wordpreneur.

I just discovered Rob and his work and I'm impressed! I am proud to present his article here:

Becoming a Writer

The urge to write fiction seems God given for some, a lea...


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So You Wanna Publish a Book

Posted by John R. on Sunday, June 13, 2010, In : publishing 

I found this cute, but informative, refresher article on the steps to publishing your book with a traditional publisher. The author, name not given, was referring to nonfiction, however, when discussing writing a book proposal for approval and securing an agent before actually writing the book (step 1 in the article). Fiction works require you to submit an entire finished manuscript in most cases.

Those of you who have never seen the actual steps quantified will learn much from this post and t...


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How To Write a Press Release That Makes News

Posted by John R. on Saturday, June 12, 2010, In : writing 
Tips for writing press releases today. Whether you are traditional publishing or self-publishing, knowing how to write a good press release for your book is essential for getting more news outlets interested in covering you and your book.
Here are ten tips offered by Susan Valeri, a book and small business publicist, in an article she wrote for Wordpreneur:

Keep these few crucial details in mind when writing and submitting your press release to increase your chances of news coverage:

1. If...


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A Peek Inside Book Publishers Numbers

Posted by John R. on Friday, June 11, 2010, In : publishing 

This industry intelligence report by First Research on the book publishing industry is a 2009 report, but gives us a good peek into some of this industry's numbers, competitve landscape, products, operations and technology. This kind of data tracking is for serious researchers of this industry and full reports have to be purchased ($129/report) or subscribed to (First Research has reports on numerous industries other than publishing).

First Research, a D&B company, is the leading provid...


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iPhone 4 Takes Center Stage

Posted by John R. on Wednesday, June 9, 2010, In : writing digital gadgets 
The much anticipated iPhone 4 danced into reality as Steve Jobs introduced and demonstrated the device at the WWDC yesterday. The crown jewel of the digital delight appeared to be the face-to-face video phone app known as FaceTime.

Nicholas Kolakowski, reporting for eWeek dot com today:

Apple CEO Steve Jobs debuted the iPhone 4, the company's next-generation smartphone, during the opening day of the 2010 Worldwide Developers Conference. Analysts' reviews have generally been strong, praising fea...

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Can iPad Resuscitate Magazines?

Posted by John R. on Sunday, June 6, 2010, In : digital publishing 

Maybe...The iPad offers a more personal experience than computers and more graphics and peripherals than eReaders...but, will readers pay for the mag content...much less invest in the expense of the iPad to begin with?

I feel they will...IF the content is relevent, interactive, well written and not available elsewhere. Afterall, content that people want is king!   

Benny Evangelista, who writes technology for the SFGate (the San Francisco Chronicle), has this view:

For the magazine industry, App...


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Making Time To Write

Posted by John R. on Saturday, June 5, 2010, In : writing 

You want to make time to write on a consistent basis? To finally finish that masterpiece...Then, my friend, you need a PLAN! And I found someone who has an excellent approach to finding and scheduling time...Patty Apostolides...And she writes about it in this article for Wordpreneur: 

Finding the time to write a novel is one of the major issues confronting writers, particularly those who haven’t been published yet. How does one justify to themselves, or to their loved ones, that they need ti...


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How Would Your Site or Blog Look on iPad?

Posted by John R. on Thursday, June 3, 2010, In : digital publishing 

Since I'm a poor slob, I don't own an iPad yet...And I'm sure many more don't either. But, never mind, look what I just found that allows you to view how your site would download (or upload?) to iPad:

From Wordpreneur:

Unless you’ve been really out of the loop recently, you’ve heard of the Apple iPad. Watch it and its kin closely — it’s a major tech movement.

Just like it’s wise to test our sites/blogs on various browsers, it behooves us to check and see what we look like on an iPad....


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How To Be a Successful Author

Posted by John R. on Tuesday, June 1, 2010, In : writing 

How can I be a successful writer? A question asked by ALL newbies...Well, one way is to follow lessons learned from more experienced writers who are willing to share...Such is Bob Baker (pictured) who is a full-time author and independent publisher who wrote this excellent advice for Wordpreneur:

Are you a curious person? I am. Especially when it comes to people who have taken action to achieve worthy and creative goals. Whenever I meet a successful author, musician, artist, actor or whatever,...


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About Me


John R. Austin Writer, Old-Warrior-Adventurer, Blogger... I was born in Key West, Florida. A rather famous hangout for some past famous writers: Hemingway and Tennessee Williams to name two. I just hope that I possess a glimmer of their talent. I have a bachelors degree in architecture/construction and a master's degree in industrial engineering. I have been writing for fifty plus years. Most of my writing has been in the technical, instructional and business areas. I am working on my first book: "Havana Harvest---When Cuba Was Naughty" which details my coming of age experiences in 1958 Havana, Cuba, at the age of 15. Please visit my other blog "Writers Welcome Blog" at http://alturl.com/4z88.

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