Continue reading »]]> How many writers does it take to change a light bulb? Only joking, there’s no way I’m going to start a Blog Post with a lame ass joke like that. No, instead I will ask the question: is everyone a writer these days? The answer seems to be yes, and I know I know, I’m one of them. What the hell am I doing being a writer? I’m a marketer who hasn’t done a writing class since I was 16, so shouldn’t I leave it to the professionals? I probably should, but I do enjoy it and daydream about picking up a big award for my best selling book from time to time. I’m guessing this is a reason for many people. The grand idea of sitting in front of students and explaining reasons why character A is the way he is, and why character B loves him, despite him obviously being a complete and utter tool.

Fame and fortune may be a reason, but it’s not the main one. No, I think the main reason everyone wants to be a writer is this: people see it as an easy ride! It’s easy to think this, right? All writers do, after all, is sit at a desk and type some things down on a laptop. How long can it take? A few hours a day? That’s loads of time to go and play Golf or watch re-runs of Friends, or everyone’s favourite recreation: drinking at times in the day that’s morally wrong. Self-Publishing has increased this. You don’t even need to send stuff out anymore. Just finish your work, slam it on Amazon and watch the cheques rush in, right?
Wrong!

I suppose I felt this once, most people do. We see other people and assume there life is easier, much easier than ours. It look luxurious, but is anything work related actually luxurious? Luxury is sitting on a beach and drinking sparkling cocktails. Now you may be able to do this as a writer, although let’s face it, that’s reserved for a very select few, but you still have deadlines (which suck), and fans to interact with (which can be tedious at times), and aspects, which are quite frankly time consuming and boring (yes, I mean you Twitter).
Don’t get me wrong, I feel writing is a pretty good deal and would love to become one. But gone are the days I think it’s easy. I enjoy writing, be it my novel or a Blog Post, or commenting on a forum. But there are times when I can’t be bothered, and because I don’t have to, I simply walk away. If I do hit dizzying heights can I do this?
I’m guessing the answer is NO.
Everyone thinks writing is easy, but I’ve discovered it isn’t. I spend a lot of time on my author platform, but nowhere near as much as some. This has to get tiring and you have to begin questioning yourself along the road somewhere. I would say as jobs go writing has to be one of the more exciting. In terms of hard work however, it has to be one of the hardest too. In the past it may have been easy, but not now. Not in a time when publishers, if you even get one, expect you to do the brunt of the work. Not in a time when the bigger you get the more Blog Posts people expect from you. So I guess what I’m saying is… if you think being a writer is easy then I suggest sitting down and actually think about what it consists of. Consider the things writers do and I’m pretty confident you’ll change your mind. I’m a writer because I write, but I’m not a full time writer and I don’t rely on it to put bread on the table. Do I hope one day this is the case? I guess so, kind of…maybe. I mean everyone is a writer or wants to be, right?
Turndog Millionaire – @turndog_million

Matthew Turner(aka Turndog Millionaire) is a Marketing Strategist with an MA in Advertising & Marketing from Leeds University Business School. As an Aspiring Author himself he Blogs about Book Marketing, Strategic Planning for Aspiring Authors, and how New Marketing Techniques can be used in the World of Publishing.

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Continue reading »]]> In the world of Hollywood sequels are often viewed with trepidation, at best. One of the finest examples that immediately leaps to my mind is Starship Troopers. Great book by Robert Heinlein and an entertaining movie – though without nearly the same thought-provoking impact of the book. But then they went and made a sequel. And after that they made ANOTHER sequel, both straight to DVD release. They sucked.

Other movie franchises have similar stories, but occasionally a few will shine. With books it is a different story (pun intended). People want more out of most novels. They want to know more about the characters and see how they might act / react in different situations. An author never has to worry about compensating an actor, the character belongs to him or her already. The world and character are already familiar for the author, it’s just a matter of coming up with a new situation or expanding on an old one. Easy enough, right? …… Continue Reading

Continue reading »]]> It occurred to me that I’ve been blogging for a while now and the value of my blogs to my fellow writers might not have been as helpful as it has been in the past. Oh sure, I’m trying to share what I learn as I fight my way into the industry, but I’m contacted fairly regularly by people who are at the beginning phases and are desperate for help in trying to achieve their dreams.

First a disclaimer: I’m still reaching for my dreams, I’m not there yet. What are my dreams? Making writing my day job. I know some people who have reached that point though, and without exception they are stand up people that I’d be happy to spend time with. I’m working on it though and to that point I’ve made my way up to over 150 books sold a month, including some wonderful people in Europe. So take my advice as my opinions only. These tricks and tips work for me, but maybe the won’t for you. Even if they don’t I encourage you to read them with an open mind and see if maybe they might spawn some out of the box idea that will help you when you’re in a bind. With that said, on to the questions: …… Continue Reading

Continue reading »]]> An article caught my attention recently. Fittingly published it would seem on fool.com, it gives some startling statistics regarding book publication and documents the entry of Amazon as a major new player in the publishing industry. However, the following paragraph is what really brings home the chilling reality for authors.

Armies of failed books

Amazon has some strong industry headwinds to push through, however. Out of at least 1.2 million titles published by the entire industry over the course of a year, almost 80% sell fewer than 100 copies. Only a few books at the very top of the sales lists make any real impact. One analysis estimates that only the top 3,000 or so books on Amazon’s sales list will sell 100 or more books a week, depressingly low figures when stretched out over a full year. Top e-books don’t fare much better — the top 1,000 best-sellers sell perhaps 500 copies a week. ….. Continue Reading

Continue reading »]]> Self publishing has been a wonderful new adventure for many authors and has given the opportunity to circumvent the query and literary agent quagmire and connect directly with readers. Done well, it works superbly and is the future of publishing. However, there are those who are always ready to ruin a good thing.

Everyday I receive a bundle of emails and messages from either naive, ignorant or just plain dumb authors. …… Continue Reading

Continue reading »]]> This might be the most succinct version of Dos and Don’ts of query letter writing. There are tons of great blogs that explains the process really well. What I’m trying to do is to capture the most important parts and put it together in layman’s terms for easy understanding. Hope you find them helpful. ……. Continue Reading

Continue reading »]]> How can I get reviews for my book?

This must be one of the most common questions I get asked by new authors who are venturing into self publishing for the first time. There are a number of ways to attract reviews to a book’s Amazon page, but as usual there are ways that cost money, and there are ways that are free.

I must start with my own personal view though. I’m not one who chases reviews as I am of the belief that potential readers are smart enough to see a common and usually glowingly positive thread in reviews that are cultivated, manipulated or paid for by an author. My preference is for reviews to come organically with an ‘Amazon Verified Purchaser’ being the best you can get. Positive or negative, it’s genuine. …….. continue reading

Continue reading »]]> By Jason Halstead

In my day to day Twittering and blog reading I see people having troubles writing. Lightning struck and I realized that I should share some tips I use to get the words out. Your mileage may vary, but this is what works for me.

1. Write. Yeah, how, I know. Sometimes it doesn’t matter – write something else. A blog, a diary entry, a short paper on why you want to be a writer, a big of flash fiction of how you’d expect your day to go if you were a chihuahua.

2. Starting a book. I’ve read it plenty of times and I subscribe to it. Start with an earthquake and end with an explosion. Not literally (unless it fits the story), but suck the reader in immediately and hook them. A scene with a lot of emotion or some sort of intense moment can leave a reader powerless to look away. Then again so can a train wreck, and there are plenty of those kinds of books out there too…….. continue reading

Continue reading »]]> By JJ Toner

I love Calibre. When it comes to converting my text from crude html to a fully-functioning, card-carrying member of the eBook community, it does the business. And I have nothing but admiration for my Kindle, and her close cousin, Kindle-for-PC (KPC). But, they make miserable dancing partners.

A whole afternoon and half the evening I’ve spent rebuilding my latest eBook in Calibre for the Kindle. First, I changed the cover. Not a huge change, but I needed to replace the book cover file with a new version. I tried changing just the cover and re-saving the whole shebang onto the disk. No luck. I started from scratch, removing the book from Calibre’s database (“library”) and rebuilding from my html file. That didn’t work either – KPC was still picking up the original cover. I deleted the four Calibre-generated files from my disk and started from scratch in Calibre again. That worked. KPC picked up the new cover design. …. continue reading

Continue reading »]]> By Doreen Pendgracs

Having attended three writers conferences over the past two months is a clear indicator that I believe in the importance of networking for writers and attending writers’ events. Yes, they take your time and your money, but the rewards you reap will far surpass your investment if you know how to make them work for you.

I’ve posted some tips to help you make the most of any conference you attend on the excellent blog of my friend and PWAC colleague, Heidi Turner, who has asked me to guest post on her “Happy Freelancer” blog this week.

Please drop in and visit Heidi and tell us: when is the last time you attended a writers conference and what was the most important thing you learned at it? 

And then please join me here again during the week of July 25th for our next post, when we’ll look into the challenges and attributes of the writing lifestyle for this happy freelancer. ...continue reading