Helping Writers Go from Unpublished to Published
Comma, semicolon or colon, which one should I use?
Have I mixed past and present tense verbs in my story?
Do my subjects and verbs agree?
Do I have misplaced modifiers?
Aaahhh. English grammar can be infuriating and confusing. But a manuscript riddled with incorrect grammar is a sure-fire trip to File 13. What do you do to fix it? [Read more…] about 7 Ways to Overcome Trouble with Grammar
Do you have a book releasing soon, or one already on the market?
Doing local radio station interviews is a good way to get the word out about your book. These local interviews also help you break into the public speaking arena on a more comfortable level. You’ll gain experience and practice that will help you tackle national interviews later on.
That’s all well and good, but how do you locate possible stations, and what do you do once you’ve found them?
To find radio stations, you can use: http://www.radio-locator.com/
In their words, this website “is the most comprehensive radio station search engine on the Internet. We have links to over 14,100 radio stations’ web pages and over 9600 stations’ audio streams from radio stations in the U.S. and around the world.”
Just as you target your manuscript submissions, you’ll want to target radio stations that are a good fit for you and your book. Study the station’s website before contacting them.
Once you’ve developed your list, the next step is to send a pitch letter.
Sarah Bolme, director of the Christian Small Publishers Association and author of Your Guide to Marketing Books in the Christian Marketplace, advises that your pitch letter include
how your topic addresses current events, and
why it is right for the show’s audience.”
Most interviewers won’t have time to read your book, so develop a list of 10-15 questions with answers that you can provide with your pitch letter.
Bolme also says, “Don’t just rely on your press releases and pitch letters . . . You will need to phone station producers after sending your queries to verbally request a guest interview.”
Have you included radio interviews in your marketing plan? Why or why not?
As writers we know we have to hook our reader at the onset — no matter what it is we’re writing.
But as novelists, the opening act of our story needs to accomplish six tasks to keep our readers interested and wanting to know what’s just around the bend. For the next several Tuesday Writing Tip posts, that’s what I’ll be discussing. Included with this series is the opportunity to win James Scott Bell’s book Plot & Structure. You’ll find the giveaway details at the end of this post.
You may know what those 6 things are already without even realizing it. You’ve gleaned them from your own reading most likely, but, like me, may not be consciously aware of them. What’s #1? [Read more…] about 6 Tasks to Accomplish with Act 1 of Your Novel – Part 1
I met today’s Friday feature author Nshan Erganian through the local writers’ guild I belong to here in St. Joseph, Missouri. He’s a very interesting guy with quite a sense of humor. But I think you’ll discover that for yourselves as you read his interview.
Q: What did you know going into this whole publishing process that helped you the most, Nshan?
A: I think there is too much emphasis placed on this notion that the major publishers will not take the time to consider your story. I hear it every time I sit in a writing class or seminar. Maybe it’s true, but I think it causes new authors to shy away from sending query letters to publishers. It may be true that you’ll get back a lot of rejections, [Read more…] about Keeper of the Mountain and Dr. Nshan Erganian
Last week I had to complete the back cover copy for my upcoming book, Carried by Grace. The very next day I had two friends ask me about back cover copy. So I thought I would address that topic today. [Read more…] about How to Write Back Cover Copy that Sells
We all know it’s important to take a break now and then no matter what line of work we do. But it’s even more important to refresh and re-energize ourselves when we’ve completed a big project.
I recently completed the final draft of a manuscript and sent it off to writers and readers for feedback. In the meantime, I needed some rest, both physically and mentally. Two weeks vacationing with my kids is my ideal, but that’s just not in the budget right now. So I started looking for alternatives — a day trip or some place to visit for the weekend.
When I saw that author Elaine Marie Cooper was speaking in northern Missouri, I quickly mapped the event to find out how close it was to me. I read her newest book Fields of the Fatherless and was excited at a chance to meet her. [Read more…] about 5 Benefits to Taking a Break from Writing
All the gurus say it: “Include a quality image with your blog post.”
And with the rapidly growing popularity of Pinterest, many authors have created a Pinterest business account. They pin attention grabbing, irresistible graphics that drive traffic to their blogs, market their books, and build their platform.
I agree, but I am neither artistic nor versed in Photoshop. What’s a person to do?
Keep reading because I’ve found an answer. [Read more…] about 3 Tools for Creating Attention Grabbing Graphics
Our Friday Feature author interview today is with Cynthia T. Toney. Her book, Bird Face, released February 2014 and is garnering nothing but 4- and 5-star reviews on Amazon.
Let’s dive in.
Debra: How did you choose the publishers you queried for your book?
Cynthia: I looked for publishers that didn’t always follow trends in their offerings. And those that published middle-grade and young adult fiction that was more serious than silly.
Debra: Publishers who don’t follow trends—that’s interesting. What gave you that idea, and why did you use that strategy? [Read more…] about Cynthia T. Toney and Bird Face