The Motivational Editor

Helping Writers Go from Unpublished to Published

Business

PENCON Editors Conference

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As writers, we know it is important to attend conferences. It’s where we make connection with other writers, literary agents, and acquisitions editors.

Several years back (2016, I think), I decided to attend an editors conference. I wanted and needed to connect with other editors. I don’t remember how I even heard about PENCON Editors Conference, but they were meeting in Colorado Springs that year. An ideal place for me because my son and granddaughter live there. I used to, so it would be like going home.

I met a lot of people there, and two have become key people in my work as a writer and editor.

If you are thinking about becoming a freelance editor to supplement your work as a writer, or you already are an editor, consider attending this conference. It’s virtual this year! So you’ll save on travel expenses.

“PENCON is the only annual conference for Christian editors. This year’s interactive virtual conference will be held July 8–10. Our seasoned faculty will help you brush up on your editing skills and learn new skills. Our broad range of workshops will cover coaching clients, contract essentials, developing an editorial voice, growing your business, and more. In other sessions, you’ll get specific tips on editing Christian nonfiction, fiction, and children’s books. Check out all the workshops at penconeditors.com. Conference fee of $169. Use code NONMEM when you register. For more information, please contact admin@penconedtiors.com.”

Discover and Learn, Rinse and Repeat, Grow Profitability and Productivity

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discover and learn word cloud shaped like a brainI made a discovery this weekend. Those kind you’d call “light bulb” or “aha” moments.

I noticed I was experiencing that old “my life is nothing but work” attitude. I asked my why and discovered it was because I had allowed other commitments keep me from working on my own story. So on Saturday, I did a bit of work on revisions and also did something fun. And my bad attitude evaporated.

This drove home to me the importance of working on my own projects everyday, even if for only 30 minutes. It keeps my passion alive and the blues away.

All of us can discover and learn new things on a regular basis. If I don’t know how to do something, but want to know, then I teach myself through books, YouTube videos, online classes, or even a college class.

As writers, I believe it’s essential we learn and discover regularly.

Discover and Learn About Yourself

I put this one first because I feel it’s the most important one.

This is where you discover negative beliefs that impact your…

  • Relationships,
  • Confidence in yourself,
  • Productivity in your writing (or in your 9 to 5)
  • Prosperity
  • Contentment, happiness, joy and more.

You discover

  • What works for you and what doesn’t
  • What you like and don’t like
  • What you’re willing to pay someone else to do
  • What you truly want out of life.

Don’t make this harder than it is. It can be as simple as listening to various kinds of music as you write and learning which kinds help you be the most creative.

After listening to nature sounds, I learned I’m much more creative while listening to forest birds chirping and brooks babbling, than to the roar of ocean waves. That simple discovery also made me realize I’d prefer to live in forested areas than next to the beach. I’ve lived in both, and I always end up somewhere land-locked. Now I know why.

About Better Publishing Skills

If you think you’ve learned all there is about the craft of writing, then you’re probably not producing great books, or you’re growing stagnate in your ideas. As writers, we can always improve our craft.

With social media platforms making changes (daily, it seems) and new ones emerging, there’s new stuff to learn about the platforms we use.

Entrepreneurs consistently launch new online courses. They often include a free challenge of some kind in their launch. Try participating in those that interest you.

I recently participated in Bryan Cohen’s Amazon Ads Challenge (ends tomorrow actually). Five days of video teaching and FB live Q&A times. So many puzzle pieces to Amazon ads fell into place for me! All it cost me was my time.

Yes, these free challenges include plugs for signing up for a paid course. If you can’t resist signing up, then maybe you need to avoid them. Overall, they are a good way to discover and learn.

About Technology

Technology is growing faster now than in any other time in history. New software tools that can help us write, market, research, and indie publish pop up faster than moles in the “whack-a-mole” game.

Keep your antenna up and investigate new stuff to see if it will work for you.

All this learning takes time. Maybe you feel you won’t have time for writing. My point isn’t that you should be doing all this learning all at the same time.

My point is that you should be in a discover and learn mental state all the time. Because that’s when those “aha” moments happen. These things can affect our productivity and impact our prosperity as well, for the negative or the positive. Wouldn’t you like to be on the positive side?

What have you learned that’s impacted your life or your writing? Leave your comments below.

Evaluating your yearly goals ahead of setting new ones

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The holidays are upon us. Before we know it, 2020 will make its entrance.

Every time I say 2020, it makes me think of the song “In the year 2525.” Yeah, I know, you’re probably clueless. Those older than 50 might remember it. It was a #1 hit in 1969. I was the ripe old age of 13. What’s this have to do with today’s blog? Absolutely nothing. Just adding a tidbit of fun and history of my life.

Since partnering this year with my friend Tamara Clymer in her publishing business, CrossRiver Media Group, my time has been [Read more…] about Evaluating your yearly goals ahead of setting new ones

Formatting an eBook

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Unshakable eBook displayed on cell phone.Formatting an eBook isn’t hard. What you have to remember is the conversion process involved.

An eBook is read on a device such as a Kindle Fire, a Nook, an iPad, and more. Many of the devices have proprietary coding—Kindle is one, and it comes with a .mobi extension to the file.

Here is an excellent article that explains the varied eBook formats.

An eBook is a reflowable file. The text is fluid—not constrained to a specific page size like a print book is. This reflowable aspect to eBooks means you don’t create page headers or page numbers for your book. But it also comes with some definite requirements. [Read more…] about Formatting an eBook

How to Format a Book – Part 2

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How to format a book, 8-page signatures awaiting assemblyLast week in part 1 of “How to Format a Book” I covered trim size, margins, and fonts and their sizes. This week, we’ll look at page headings, chapter beginning elements, and page count.

Whether you’re doing the layout or you’ve hired a designer, the elements discussed last week are essentials you must determine before you begin. If you don’t, then you’ll be spending time making adjustments.

Now let’s look at the importance of page headings, chapter headings, and page count. [Read more…] about How to Format a Book – Part 2

How to Format a Book – Part 1

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How to format a book, 8-page signatures awaiting assembly
Pallets of 8-page signatures awaiting assembly into a final coloring book.

How to format a book seems to give indie writers more difficulty than writing the book itself.

In my world as an editor and book designer, the word format means several things. When a writer contacts me asking for book formatting, I always have to clarify exactly what they want.

I covered formatting the text of your book in the following posts:

How to Format Numbers, Dates, and Times in Your Manuscript

Should I Use Italics or Quotation Marks? A Style Guide to Formatting Titles

Before formatting your book for publication, there are several things you must consider and decide first. [Read more…] about How to Format a Book – Part 1

Marketing, Keywords, and Publisher Rocket, Oh My!

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digital marketing, using keywordsMarketing is a task many writers struggle with, including me. However, without it, our books don’t get much notice.

There are plenty of platforms where we can use either paid or free advertising. So far, I’ve only used one paid platform and that’s Amazon Marketing Services (AMS).

One thing I’ve learned about marketing is the importance of keywords and keyword phrases.

What Is a Keyword?

A Google search provided this definition: [Read more…] about Marketing, Keywords, and Publisher Rocket, Oh My!

Being Taught How to Profit

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a pile of $50 bills, how to profit“Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: ‘I am the LORD your God, who teaches you to profit, Who leads you in the way you should go.’” Isaiah 48:17 NKJV

Last year I printed that verse on a poster and hung it on the wall right next to my desk. I looked at it often and even prayed it on a regular basis. Then I [Read more…] about Being Taught How to Profit