Craic-er

Time Travel or Can I Have This Day Again?

2012-02-09T14:41:00.000+13:00

Over the last couple of weeks I have spent my time being distracted by the internet, the start of the school year and the intricacies of preparing a book for print.

Selecting the right internal font knowing how to arrange it on the page and front matter.... This is all completely different from e-publishing which strips out all this detail.

If you want to use a particular font be prepared to swear at the computer as you try to get it formatted onto a print page.

Of course when I want uninterrupted time I don’t get it and then when I have got that time and spent 6 hours swearing and wiping a fevered brow...my husband comes along and says something like... did you know if you saved the document as a PDF you wouldn’t need to change all that formatting stuff you are doing....

About that time you think about throwing the whole project at the wall, eating serious chocolate...and time travel... so you could get back the wasted day!

Then the family hit the wall of reality that school is back, a few projects that you put off from last year rear their heads and life gets complicated....

So diving into the blog round up I go for solace. (I just have to lose myself in social media for a while and forget about all that other work screaming for my attention.)

Things that caught my eye this week.

If you are learning about the secret world of book design you must visit Joel Friedlander’s book design blog. Here I learned about x height and why it is so important but also here is where my vague idea of using print copies as promo review...prizes etc etc was crystallised when I read this interview... Are print books the new vanity publishing? Joel also has a run down on front matter for books.

Mike Shatzkin has taken a look at the war heating up between the Book Sellers and Amazon and summed it all up in a beautiful piece entitled Clever Moves In The Chess Game. This is one of those must read pieces to make sense of what is happening at the moment in publishing and what it means for you the writer.

In the last couple of weeks everywhere I look there seems to be a reference to book covers and how important they are. Jody Hedlund has been asking her fans to choose a design for her latest book and the winning design is up along with an in depth look at how elements for the cover were selected.

Social Times takes a look at 3 creative ways to promote the book...take a look at the comments...also the amazing how to create a book cover video!

Joanna Penn has written a post about being in love with Scrivener...This is a novel processing programme designed for writers that has legions of fans all over. Check out the post for why she thinks writing your novel on this programme takes the hard work out of writing....

If you want to know more about the dynamo behind The Creative Penn website check out an interview with Joanna on Ollin Morales Courage 2 Create blog.

Catherine Ryan Howard has been asking opinions on grammar especially which and when we should use American English and British English and Irish English and...This is an interesting post with diagrams and comments from her survey. It is especially interesting if you have characters and setting from different countries...what trips you up in the reading? If your biggest audience is in America should you write the whole book using American English?

The Great Jane Friedman has a cautionary post on blogging your book. Should you do it...well yes...and no... it all depends....

Janice Hardy has a neat post on leaving breadcrumbs behind you.... This is the Craft Tip Of The Week. Asking the right story questions...Read It!

Writers Fun Zone has an interesting post on pitching. How do you define the log lines and memorable answers to the question... What’s the book about? Ezra also has a great post up today about creating a metadata file...That’s the file that has all your different bio’s headshots links etc etc....

Today is the first gorgeous day here for a while in the not-summer-as-it used-to-be southern hemisphere.... Bring back those long hot days where you biked to the river and threw yourself in to cool off ...Hot Dead Grass and ice creams you had to lick fast because they’d melt in under a minute. Ahh Time Travel....

maureen

Book Trailers - It's All Marketing

2012-02-02T20:22:00.000+13:00

Part 3 of The Craic project: Book Trailers.

The part where Maureen becomes a movie producer....

Book trailers are the visual commercial for your book.

They have their detractors...why bother to film a commercial for the book, people will just want the movie.

They can cost mega mega dollars... if you want a good one you have to hire a proper movie producer and actors etc etc.

They have to be art forms eg Maggie Stiefvaters book trailers (all created by Maggie) and how many of us can do that?

In my talks with school librarians they tell me that if a book has a book trailer it instantly makes it marketable to kids. Librarians use the book trailer on the library website... and kids being visual beings...well you know the rest.

Start by having a look at other book trailers to see what others have done and to get some ideas. Some book trailers are all static images, some have short snippets of video...some are animated...Some are the pictures from the book itself with audio sound bites.

A book trailer does not and should not condense the whole book to 2 minutes of visuals.

It does not need to be acted out...or filmed in a big budget way.

Entice people... Entice...Think of how you get an editor interested in your project.

Look at your back cover blurb and loglines...this is a handy start to storyboarding your book trailer. Define the images you need to convey the message you want, atmosphere, main characters, compelling plot point. But don’t tell the whole story you want to entice the reader....Repeat after me... entice... entice.

For my storyboard, I turned three pages on their side drew up a grid pattern and worked through the images and the text I wanted. I started with a little bit about character motivation...and the opening conflict point...then I added images which represented different factors...the rock stars... the security and I finished on an image that was a running gag through the story. So hopefully the book trailer would still be relevant after the reader had finished the story.

Then I imagined the finished project as if I had lots of money and I was in a darkened theatre.

I realised that I liked the image of words appearing on a screen as that fit with the whole fake online identity of one of my characters. My teen then pointed out that our computer could record text as it is written in power point. So all I had to do was type reasonably fast with no mistakes. (yeah right!)

Now you have your list of must haves and your story board sheets, it’s time to check out photo stock libraries.

This is where it costs. Can you find a cheaper image that conveys the same message? Is it a must have image?

After you have selected your images. Download them to your movie making software and play around to get the whole thing looking just right. Check the length of time you want each frame to stay on screen and how you transition from frame to frame. My movie making software took my text recordings as short videos. Don’t forget to have images of your book in the trailer, as well as where you can find out how to buy it. After all that’s why you are doing this...

Music is an important part of the book trailer. It conveys atmosphere and tension and brings a whole professional edge to the project. Finding the right music is important.

Warning! Listening to royalty free music sites is a tremendous time suck! (but oh so enjoyable... I thought about writing books to soundtracks...dubfunkreggaesoul book anyone?)

I was looking for some hard driving rock (because of the rock band motif...) but with a soft beginning...

I checked out the wonderful Kevin MacLeods Incompetech site but found the music that fit the project the best at 300 Monks. They aren’t a donation site but $27 for the perfect track isn’t too much to pay I thought.

I arranged the images and text videos and dropped the music track on to it. Then I checked the highpoints in the music track were matching the right images. (This is fairly easy to do with Apple iMovie, however I had a teen sitting next to me fixing up any mistakes I made. Tip: Have a handy teen around if you aren't familiar with the software.)

I sorted out a credits end shot, tweaked a little, uploaded it on to YouTube and voila! It was done.

If you click on the Craic book site at the top of the sidebar you can go straight to the Craic website and view the trailer ... or skip on down to the bottom of the link roundup and have a look there...

Ah the Link Round Up...the reason I spend so much time on social media...hehehe.

This week has been the jump on Franzen week for making us all feel bad about having an ebook. Monkeysee puts the gripes into perspective.

Compelling Characters...Do you have one? Or are you kidding yourself? Check out this post from the writepractice to see if you need to up the ante.

And what kind of hero are they? There are three to choose from now.

Character names...how do you choose the right one. Here is a great post on naming characters or yourself if you need to.

Now that you have the name and the character arc... Are you falling into a stereotype? Fantasyfiction has a great article on Alpha’s, Beta’s and Losers and wonders if the upsurge in Beta’s is because of the upsurge in woman editors...(Do women want Alpha males anymore?)

Last week I gave you a link to Bryan Thomas Schmidt’s Sell Sheet. Brian has part two up. What to do with one after you have made it...This is good solid information. (Thanks Brian)

Kristen talks about R.E.S.P.E.C.T. and the word Free as part of your marketing bag of tricks.

The writerlens has 5 ways to market indie books.

This is expanded on in a huge way by Author Media with 89 ways to market your book.

Yup it’s all about the marketing!

So check out this book trailer for this great book! You can even go to the website and read the first chapter...(2.99 on Amazon and Smashwords.)

Covering The Book

2012-01-26T16:41:00.000+13:00

The Craic Project -Episode Two

A book is judged by its cover.

Book covers - The most important starting point for a reader, getting their attention! I set about reading up on them. What does a Book Cover need?

1. A strong choice of colours to have the book stand out.

2. An arresting image.

3. A clear font choice.

4. The ability to retain all these elements when reduced to thumbnail size.

This is important because all the marketing of the book is on screen and book covers are reduced to thumbnail size...Check out Amazon and scroll through the average list of books in your genre. Focus on the books that grab your eye.

What colour palettes are being used in your genre?

Opinion is divided on midgrade covers, from bubblegum cartoon to photo realism. I took myself to the book shops and stood back in front of the midgrade section to see what stood out. Very little. This is because the mid grade book cover is being influenced by the Young Adult cover. The Young Adult book cover is leaning towards paranormal and steampunk colour palettes...that’s browns, blacks and sepias and contrast white. This is what is being published now...bear in mind that books accepted now will take one -two years to come out so styles will change. I checked out what others were saying. Bookseller opinions were that they were over the muted colour tones.

After I finished rereading Craic for the umpteenth time I had several strong images and colours in my mind that represented the main themes of the book.

You know how it is when you have a vague idea of what you want but not a specific. I decided to look at a stock photo site just doodling around to see what was there.

Stock photo sites are a serious time suck...so many cool images. Along with the photos, many artists have uploaded designs as well.

I found two images that represented almost exactly what was in my head and more importantly the colours were strong. The purple image I thought may have been designed just for Craic (I fell in love. If you have read Craic you will know what I mean...If not, what are you waiting for...heheheh. )

Were they too strong? Go to target audience...What do they think...which one...or combination of them... Combination won out.

The cost of the image depends on how popular the image is, the size that you want and the type of license you need. You want a large image for clarity, especially if you are going to be using that image in a variety of media, print, screen, video...(altho not always, see below on book covers)

So I quickly had to work out a budget. (I had a limited budget however the Book Cover is hugely important so invest money here.)

I had to figure out what licenses I needed and how to buy them. I made one mistake, getting a more extensive license for the purple image, which means I can print it on teeshirts and sell it if I want...you never know I may just want to do that...hehehe.

Once I selected the images, bought and downloaded them then I had to figure out a way of combining them and find a title font.

Fonts...a serious timesuck, so many wonderful fonts.... I went with a Celtic theme because Craic is an Irish Gaelic word...and just happened to find a font called Dumbldor. How could I resist?

For the price of a couple of dinners, a friend played around in Photoshop and combined the images for me. Then back to the target audience for reaction and tweaking.

While I was checking out images... I was checking out books from the library on making YouTube videos. They all agreed that a good YouTube video was storyboarded and had a matching musical soundtrack...More research required.

Next week... What I learned about Book Trailers.

For those of you who have skipped down to the Main Event...The Link roundup.

What has been talked about in the blogosphere this week?

Apple’s announcement of iBooks and iAuthor iPad App software and the way they have used the EULA (End User Licence Agreement) After you have downloaded the free software then you find out that Apple will take a 30% cut of your work if you sell it. And you can only sell it on iTunes. There are lots of fors and againsts about this move. Check out Writer Beware and read the comments to get a good handle on this one. (my 2c is they don’t own your content and you are free to take that content and drop it into any other software to make an Enhanced Book App with. Latest numbers out... last year 32 million iPads sold.)

The Book designer has a great article on Book Covers (timely, I thought. heheh)

Joe Konrath has an interesting blog post on indie authors being wooed by print publishers after they hit some big numbers on their own.

Staying with this theme The Digital Book World Conference is on at the moment.

Bob Mayer recaps his thoughts on what’s been talked about so far and his participation on the self publishers panel...Yes even Mr Mayer can be outclassed!

Angela Ackerman AKA The BookshelfMuse has written a timely post about pulling back on social media. This resonated with a large amount of people who commented with links and advice to help focus on the task at hand.

Jeff Vandermeer has a blog post on Literary Estates and what it means for an anthologist to try to deal with them. TIP Even if you have only one piece published, have a literary executor...Jeff tells you why!

The great Jane Friedman has a must read article on Permissions...How much is fair use etc etc...and Kristen Lamb mixes it up with an article on the cost of FREE.

Brian Schmidt breaks down a Book Sell sheet, why you need it and tells you How To Make One...Check it out!

Jody Hedlund looks at making those book scenes play out like movies...

Finally the wonderful Shelli Johannes has compiled the list of things you must be aware and/or master if you want to go the self published route.

School starts next week and I’m about to start the mammoth job of covering books!

maureen

Craic (8-12 yrs) is available on Kindle and Smashwords (2.99US)

Check out www.craicthebook.com for more information.

The Craic-the-book Project

2012-01-19T22:43:00.002+13:00

Who’s your 3am friend?

www.craicthebook.com

‘Why don’t you turn one of your manuscripts into an eBook?’ The question was posed as a challenge but it also pointed to a way to use all that research on my blog for the last three years, (as several friends pointed out.) ‘And you can tell us all how to do it.’

So begins the Craic-the-book Project.

First I made a list of everything I needed to do. Each item was going to be a project in itself. I took a deep breath.

ISBN numbers. (if I was going to do an eBook I should look at Print and Audio as well.)

Book cover. Book Trailer. Book website.

Formatting for different devices and media.

Distribution and Storefront.

In effect the whole project was to turn myself into a publisher.

As eBooks began to change the publishing landscape my weekly blog roundup reflected the hot topics under discussion. Publishing eBooks whether you do it on your own or with an eBook publisher or with an agent or a traditional publisher, the big concerns can be broadly grouped into three categories.

Quality of the Content.

Marketing.

Career Impact.

Quality of the Content.

eBooks range in quality from badly written, badly formatted, 500,000 word epics to 5000 word pristine short stories. It can be vanity publishing at its worst and niche publishing at its best.

My manuscript Craic had been doing the rounds here in New Zealand staying between 6-12 months at each publisher.

“It’s a great story. We’re sure someone will pick it up.”

After five years of getting positive rejections and nearly getting a contract twice you feel somewhat crushed. So using the positive rejections positively I felt I had quality content.

Marketing

Marketing starts at the book cover. With different formats it was going to be important to have a strong cover that could be scaled down to thumbnail size on a computer which is how the rest of the world would be finding the book. With the rise of the eBook has been the rise of the book trailer. There are different opinions about whether book trailers work. In several discussions with school librarians, both here and overseas, they were adamant that a book trailer sold a book to kids. Librarians used them on websites and kids queued for the book after seeing the trailer. My book is a midgrade and book trailers aren’t as common as in Y A so I had to decide whether to do one or not.

A dedicated book website this could be the store front. As my blog is my author home page I needed a site that could be all things Craic. I had already created a book website for my book Bones (published by Penguin) so I knew roughly what I needed to do.

Career Impact

As my career seemed stalled, movement on that front was always going to be a positive. I haven’t abandoned traditional publishing. With the recession in publishing and the impact of e-publishing on traditional print publishers everybody is looking for the magic solution. The writer now has many options, epublish only or a mix of traditional and epublishing either on their own or with an agent or print publisher.

Midlist, midcareer writers who have been abandoned by their print publishers are now discovering huge opportunities in their out of print back list, making them available as eBooks. This now has print publishers scrambling to get back this potential gold mine by sending updated contracts to authors with very very fine print. If you are in this position, check out any new contract with a magnifying glass.

Here endeth Part One of The Craic the Book Project.

Next week... Book Covers and Book Trailers

Now for those of you who need your weekly fix of great links....

In the blogosphere this week there was the big discussion over negative reviews and the huge stoush on Goodreads between writers and reviewers...OUCH. The Guardian tried to sum it all up.

Alan Rinzler looked at The Pitch...Specifically the new author pitch - Show Don’t Sell. He breaks down when and how to use different pitches and to whom.

Will Terry looks at his epublishing year and breaks down the numbers. This is an interesting post on reality checks and cheques.

Jane Friedman has been quoted all over the place this week with an article that have got everybody talking on eBook statistics.

Jane also appeared on U S Television tonight talking about the SOPA and PIPA Bills which are being discussed in the US Senate. If you want to know how it these bills may affect you check out Wikipedia, they blacked out their page in protest yesterday.

Apple is set to make a big announcement later today...Rumours suggest it is an ebook publishing app specifically targeting Textbooks. (Like Garageband for ebooks.) Groundbreaking? Probably!

I’ll finish with Chuck. He has a brilliant post on the 25 things a writer should do.

(warning its Chuck.)

Update: Apple's new announcement...yup take a moment to think about how easy it will be to create an enhanced book....

I’ll leave you with a little book trailer....

maureen

Rain... Rain...(sing it with me...)

2012-01-13T14:56:00.001+13:00

Yes, I am a day late. Summer holidays arrive and we begin the traveling around New Zealand catching up with family. Inevitably the traveling has happened on Blog day Thursday. I didn’t plan it. I know that I can write my blog in advance and post it when I want but I don’t. This is partly because I enjoy researching and I want to bring the latest comments and opinion to you and partly because I get lazy and then suddenly remember I should be putting the list together and so I had better research and so on.

Yesterday we started back down the country in search of reliable internet with no lightening strikes...and no rain. I can count on the fingers of one hand the rain free days I have had since we came north to the sub tropics for Summer. The whole country is wondering whether that week of fine weather in November was Summer only we didn’t realize it at the time.

Around the blogosphere Writers and Readers are looking at the impact of the Amazon behemoth as it becomes by default a big publisher and trying to set New Years Resolutions for themselves to support Independent Bookstores and small publishers. What to do when you want to buy that eBook... isn’t Amazon or B &N the only game in town? Well no ! Check out this article on the rise of eBooks being sold in Indie bookstores from Salon.

Chuck Wendig has a provocative post (aren’t they all...) urging self published writers to lift their game so it benefits readers and offering some points on how they might do this. (Warning it’s Chuck!)

Writer Beware has a warning post about a book marketing company working under a variety of names to rip off writers.... Marketing is the hard part of publishing and writers and small publishers are getting burnt by some of these tactics.

Jane Friedman has an interesting blog post in answer to a question on eBook rights for out of print books. This had me thinking about some of our wonderful New Zealand children’s writers with a long publishing history here staring at the end of their career because of the publishing industry contraction. Great books go out of print here quite quickly because the print runs are so small. If the writers own their eBook rights they may have a wonderful second chance. It is worth checking out!

The passive voice guy has an interesting post on publishers and book distributors and why they are rearranging the deck chairs.... The comments give great insight into current practice and pitfalls of eBook distribution.

Commenting is the name of the game, at the moment, with a new challenge up. Challenge yourself to leave five comments a day. Greg Pincus has the low down on how and why you should do this.

Over in the craft section,

Anne R Allen has a great post on hooks, loglines and pitches. Loglines are becoming more popular so get thee over there and learn to craft them properly.

Janice Hardy has a great blog where she puts the spotlight on submitted writing and shows how to fix it up. Today she looks at multiple first person main characters...(something I am writing which is probably why it is taking so long... all that head hopping...on Mars.)

To finish,

If you were wondering how the children’s publishing world was holding up, the 100 best sellers of 2011 has been announced Children’s books make up a quarter.

The Dynamic Duo of Roald Dahl and Quentin Blake have been celebrated...as stamps! Check out the new issue from the Royal Mail.

Getting this blog in ahead of the rain...

maureen

Taking A Bite of 2012

2012-01-05T22:19:00.000+13:00

I’m here in the winterless North of New Zealand wondering where the sun went.

This is supposed to be the middle of summer... but no we have rain, rain and more rain. Today the sun taunted us and came out...We soaked it up wearing bathing suits and light clothing...and then went back to sweatshirts and raincoats. Nothing else to do but stay inside and eat...

Over on the blogosphere the rumours are flying... Apple may be about to launch a publishing company...in competition with another company starting with A. Check out the gossip on Passive Guy about how things could impact for the author.

Also on the ‘if you can’t beat them, join them front’ check out this link about indie bookstore becoming publishers...if you know a bookstore owner tell them to check it out, it might tickle their tastebuds.

There is a new blog on the block that is making a stir. Passive income author aka Skellie examines what works about author and eBook marketing and is writing some great posts to help others. Check out these two - The uncommon truth about marketing and 5 tactics to get more eBook sales per reader.

Jody Hedlund takes a thoughtful look at what skills she thinks writers will need in 2012.

Yesterday, because I was on holiday, I was able to join in the weekly kidlit twitter chat. The topic was predictions for 2012 for kidlit writers. One of the most discussed predictions was an increase in book trailers for mid grade. I am interested in this as I have a mid grade book coming soon and I have created a book trailer for it. Some good ideas were tossed around in the chat. You can go

to Kidlitchat host Greg Pincus’s blog to check out the transcript...it might not be up just yet but it will be soon in the meantime check out the other topics Kidlitchat has chewed over in 2011.

Chewing over meaty topics is what Mike Shatzkin and Jane Friedman do best.

This week Mike has taken a hard look at children’s publishers and what 2012 may hold for them. He particularly examines Picture Book publishers as they are the only ones doing well in print. He asks the hard question, Can digital really deliver an immersive reading experience?

Jane Friedman responds to a readers question this week - How do you know if your agent is any good? Jane lists questions to ask the agent and advice to follow. Do they stack up?

In the craft section,

The brilliant Adventures in Children’s Publishing blog have posted a ‘print out and stick on the wall’ checklist of 40 questions to ask your manuscript.

Over at wordservewatercooler they have a post looking at the emotional development of your characters. You can’t afford to ignore their emotional growth....

New challenges get underway this week around the writing blogosphere.

You might like to get involved in Row80 (a Round Of Words in 80 days) the wonderful Jenny Hansen is sponsoring this first quarter.

If you are picture book inclined there is a 12x12 in 2012 running over at Julie Hedlunds blog...Tara Lazar kicks it off looking at PB endings.

Today I was asked if I thought small far flung communities of writers could get together and promote their work through eBooks and a website. I most emphatically said YES. Groups of writers are doing it all over the place from Killzone to Readergirlz. What better way for an isolated group of writers to get readers and support by joining together with a common goal.

Go on... Take A Bite!

maureen

Major inspiration video follows....

http://www.youtube.com/v/-GCm-u_vlaQ&hl=en&fs=1&autoplay=1

Preparing for 2012

2011-12-29T22:52:00.000+13:00

The year is nearly over and the blogosphere has filled with predictions for 2012.

What should happen... will happen... aint gonna happen in 2012?

Bob Mayer always has an interesting line up and he is often right on the money, speaking of which he is getting lots of comments on number eight and how publishers account for the money...hmmm.

Jane Friedman has looked at her year and listed what she thinks is the best advice she has given. Jane is a media professor so if you want a university course in writing and publishing check this list out!

Joe Konrath has put up his list of resolutions for writers...what is interesting is he starts with what he said in 2006 then 2007 then 2008 then 2009 then 2010 and adds a short piece for 2011. Go through the list and see the really solid advice that he gives. Worth printing out and sticking on the wall!

The news today over on the Passive Guys blog (writer lawyer) is HarperCollins attempt to enforce a contract infringement for a contract written in 1971 asserting it owns the eBook rights for Julie Of The Wolves by Jean Craighead George. Check out what he has to say and also his follow up post on the ground breaking ruling called the Peggy Lee Decision. Given what HaperCollins is trying you might just need to know this piece of advice!

Jenny Hansen is giving an early New Years gift to writers with a cheat sheet of the best keyboard shortcuts for writers.

Faith Hunter has a wonderful post on PR skills for newbies.

Emily Casey has a great post on why traditional publishing isn’t for everyone...

David Robinson has written a useful guest post on creating book covers. Check out the comments where writers have put links in to free software to give you a hand.

To finish,

Book riot has a funny roundup entitled you know you have read too much Young Adult fiction when...(great for Y A writers to hold a mental measuring stick on their own work.)

I am now in the sunny North except it is raining... Time for me to get out the old novel and finish it!

maureen

Pic is from this cool time and date website

Last Minute Shopping

2011-12-23T12:14:00.001+13:00

Yesterday I was traveling up the North Island so of course my blog did not get written. I left a gorgeous day in Wellington...yes we do have amazing days in the windy city, when there is no wind, the sea is flat calm and the sun sparkles off the hills surrounding the harbour like a rare gem.

Today Auckland is misty and overcast. I’m waiting for the full on sunshine and last minute shopping trips to begin.

If you are shopping for any authors...check out these presents.

Offbeat gifts for writers.... and for inspiration...what has been described as voodoo dolls of authors.

The predictions for 2012 are beginning and Mike Shatzkin’s name is being tweeted all around the blogoshere for his ‘not predictions list but questions’ that need to be addressed in 2012. Check it out, there is something for everyone in the publishing industry to ponder.

Of course Mike also had a hand in making the Digital Book World 10 Predictions for 2012...this is also getting a twitter beating as Number 7 gets talked about by authors.

In the fun category - if you know an author who has begun using skype for author visits you may want to point them to this post from a 'don’t do what I did’ tongue in cheek expose of a skype visit to a book club. (Children’s writers can get themselves in sooo much trouble just with one of these gaffs.)

If you are looking for personal inspiration you must check out the editors blog for a beautiful call to writers to push themselves a little more.

If Chuck is more your style he says the same thing but in his own gritty voice...(warning It’s Chuck!)

I had hoped to bring you a sneak preview of the project I have been working on for the last couple of months but time pressures and end of year hype has delayed it...so I may just start the New Year with it.

It will be an interesting journey for me to share with you. Bring on 2012.

Merry Christmas from the sunny Southern Hemisphere. (still waiting for that sun Auckland...)

Oh and here’s the annual Christmas video treat for you.

Off for last minute Christmas shopping...oh look sun!
maureen

Decorative Links

2011-12-15T13:57:00.002+13:00

Holidays, the chance to go away from your usual busy life, explore new country, meet new people and try out new things.

Coming back through the front door always triggers the best moments of the holiday for me.... It is my last ditch effort to hold holiday mode around me as I stare at the mess left and the long list of catch up jobs, mail and end of the school year craziness. This morning, five minutes before leaving for school, one child announced they needed cardboard tube inners, wrapping paper and lollies...for making crackers.

Last week on Blog day I was traveling down the middle of the South Island staring at the back country and alpine scenery and pointing out likely film spots from the Lord Of The Rings. It helped that we knew The Hobbit was being filmed on location in some of the places we were going through. New Zealand=Middle Earth.

Holiday memories are getting squished to the back of my mind as this is the week before Christmas...a time that heralds that frantically busy period when you realise you have not sorted out the Christmas day menu or the in law presents or even found the Christmas tree decorations...

However I have a box of Blog Christmas tree decorations...

50 blinking lights....or 50 simple ways to build your platform in 5 minutes a day.

12 Great Big Golden Baubles....or 7 Lessons about Self publishing I learnt in 7th Grade and (from the wonderful Catherine Ryan Howard) 5 things I am always telling self publishers.

Every tree needs special ornaments that trigger great memories. Here is a nice idea from the Teaching Authors Blog.

In the pretty ornament category we have three really sweet posts.

A new Y A Publisher in Australia from Publishing Perspectives.

How to get your writing ready to win a Pulitzer....

A great craft check list on characterisation that will save you a few years of hard slog to learn.

There are always a couple of ornaments that you know you have to put on the tree but are always challenging as to where they go....

Amazon has brought out a Children's Publishing Imprint, what impact will this have...

An Australian Agent talks about why they are so different from U.S. Agents and why....

In the new ornament category check out this pretty nifty advice from Lisa Schroeder...Let Good Reads Ads be your friend. (This one should be in the middle at eye level!)

Find the Christmas Star or Angel of your fulfilled writing resolutions....(ok still making mine...) and stick it on the top.

Next week you may even get a present to stick under the tree....

maureen

pic from here

Serving Up Link Dinner

2011-12-01T20:24:00.000+13:00

The first day of December and officially Summer in the Southern Hemisphere and suddenly the weather remembers that it is supposed to be hot and sunny.

Of course being the first day of December the shops go mad with Christmas decorations, Christmas music and the Christmas count down.

Every Christmas I get frustrated by the lack of Summer Christmas celebration music and decorations in the town. My kids are singing Frosty The Snowman and the mall is decorated in ice sculptures for Santa...say what?

The temperature is climbing and any snowman here wouldn't last long....

I think it is time we shed the Northern Hemisphere winter solstice type celebrations and start making an effort with the uniqueness of Christmas in the Pacific...that's Christmas day BBQ's and beach cricket...or lying outside trying to get a tan while digesting Christmas dinner.

What interesting tidbits and yummy treats can I serve you up as appetizers for a Christmas dinner of links this week?

NaNoWriMo has finished and now the big edit begins. If you are scratching your head looking at your opus and wondering how you can make it better check out these writing craft links.

From The Editors Blog- no perfect characters needed.

From Bob Mayer's store of great advice- conflict the fuel of your story.

From the team at Adventures in Children's Publishing-stimulus and response.

If you are sitting down and need to dine on more substantial fare....

Publishers Weekly looks at the Amazon library mess and asks where do traditional public libraries fit in all this?

YA Highway has a thought provoking post on why Authors disappear...

The Passive Guy has a meaty post looking at the horrible clause, no compete, that is making its way into book contracts. You need to read this and digest it!

Have a serving of 30 quick tips for speakers.

Seth Godin looks back at the year of the domino project and says what next...

Dessert, if you can fit it in....

Channelship ponders the future of book marketing

The wonderful people behind Writers Knowledge Base launched new novel writing software yesterday called Hiveword.

Jane Friedman warns writers that they are overlooking a vital skill.

For the after dinner mints...Kate Arms-Smith explores what you might need in a creative space and SCBWI has a fancy graphic on the lifecycle of the book.

Loosen your belt, stretch back and muse about all the goodies you have received....

Next week I will be away from my blog as I travel down to the South Island... this will give you time to digest your meal so you will be ready for the last serving of links for 2011.

Changing The World...

2011-11-24T22:37:00.000+13:00

As we head towards the end of November, the calendar starts telling you that every day is now filled up with something important. You begin to wonder how you will stretch your energy levels and/or brain cells to organise, prepare, plan, execute, remember, 1001 tasks before (insert next important date/time) tomorrow.

So here I am trying to organise my scattered thoughts coherently enough to give you a run down on what the most talked about topics in the writing blogosphere were this week.

The Amazon library lending saga goes on and on with Penguin withdrawing its books from the service and then earlier today doing an about face and then a 180.

Yup it is all over the place. Read Porter Anderson on this issue and also the other big issue of the week….

Penguin again…this time with the launch of Book Country, their new publishing arm, for people who want help to publish. Is it vanity publishing? Opinions are divided.

Writer Beware takes a look at what Book Country is offering writers.

Penguin should take note that Harlequin got into deep water when they tried something similar as I commented on my blog two years ago at the very same time.

Is there something in the turkey stuffing over in America?

Thanksgiving is kicking off about now and the wonderful Jami Gold has a fun post on what to get writers for Christmas…actually some uninterrupted writing time would be great at any time…. Check out her list and start dropping hints.

Writer unboxed has a thoughtful post on one writer and why she is thankful for her writing career.

Over Thanksgiving while you are trying to digest the huge feast your fingers will probably be getting a workout on Social Media sites. Shrinking Violet Promotions has a handy guide to how to survive Social Media if you are a writer.

The Passive Guy (writing lawyer) gathered together a list of all the posts he has done on the ethics of Agents and conflicts of interest and surprised himself with how many times the issue keeps coming up.

If you are a follower of Roz Morris, she has a wonderful post on her secret life as a ghost writer and how she ghost writes for someone who is her complete opposite. (outdoors, military…Clue sleuths are hitting the comments on this one.)

Futurebook has wrapped up a series looking at the digitisation of the book industry in comparison to the music industry…It is an interesting read and has a big picture snapshot of what is happening and where it might go.

Over in the craft section...

Victoria Mixon has a great post on 3 characteristics of your protagonist.

Yesterday was a day of joy and sadness.

I had the great pleasure of telling a young writer they had won a wonderful writing award…who knows what the future holds for them…and it was with great sadness I heard of the death of one of my favorite writers, Anne McCaffrey. The Pern series was the first time I encountered female characters who could and did kick butt as strong protagonists. This was a wonderful thing to discover as a teen growing up in a rural area where girls actually finishing 7^th form were a rarity.

We need our heroines to be as strong as our heroes for the hope they bring that we can change our world.

R.I.P Anne McCaffrey

Learning to Play With New Toys

2011-11-17T15:01:00.000+13:00

This week has been one of huge technological change in our house. My camera failed during my column assignment and I had to get a new one, learn how to use it and reshoot the subjects in a very short space of time.

In this disposable age the shelf life of some technology is over before you take it out of the box so it pays to do as much research as you can and buy the best you can for the long haul. Our old camera had done a great job and was pretty nifty when we bought it six years ago…and we borrowed money to buy it. The camera’s available today almost make you a coffee as well…and all manuals are online…this is tricky if you are also learning to use a new computer. Talk about a steep learning curve with a three hour deadline.

The new computer was essential as the old one had the screen constantly failing and the keyboard wearing out. (Oh joy…) Researching for big buys are essential and also giving yourself time to learn to navigate the new toys...it really saves on stress.

This week there has been stress bouncing around the blogosphere as authors get a good look at the Amazon lending programme and don’t like what they see.

We all like to support libraries but Amazon may have taken this a bit far with their one buy, lend 1000 times, no due back date, model…the authors miss out on revenue and it is their livelihood.

Independent authors have been called names and traditional path authors have been pointing fingers, sometimes in rude ways.

This diatribe, which I won’t link to, caused a lot of anger in the indie author community. It follows on from a conversation I linked to last week about when to successfully go it alone as a self pubbed author. Bob Mayer has an excellent response to the diatribe and I urge you to read the comments to get the fuller picture.

The Society of Children’s Writers and Illustrators have taken issue with the publishing industry in an open letter addressing the response length of time. This issue is dear to my heart as I have been caught by publishers hanging on to my manuscript for up to a year and then sending it back with a positive rejection. Unfortunately with one particular manuscript it has happened five times…It’s a great story, we nearly published it…Ah well I’ll publish it myself and move on!

The Book Designer recently addressed a conference about how to take the self publishing route and has posted some of his slides up in a helpful bite sized way.

Jane Friedman has a new feature on her popular blog…Ask Jane. First up a brilliant article on how to spend money wisely on book promotion. Frankly following Jane is the best move you could make!

Jody Hedlund takes it a step further with her great article on how to prolong your books exposure and if you are really getting into book promo mode check out Hubspots 3 characteristics of successful press releases.

The wonderful Elisabeth Spann Craig has a great article on talking to readers. She has a huge list of questions readers ask which you can build talks around. This is really helpful when you are put on the spot to do a presentation.

It is half way through NaNoWriMo and there are heaps of tips out there on writing for those who are hitting the keyboards. Media Bistro has a link to a cliché calculator.
Victoria Mixon is guest blogging on Jami Golds blog with a killer post on story climax. This is a wonderful two for one deal with two great guru’s in the one place.

For a change of pace check out Christopher Hitchens advice to an 8 year old…(hmmm) and for a creative jolt in the arm Lateral Action’s video’s and website.

To finish,

I was roaming around the library the other day and saw a pile of books in the YA section that had adult authors by lines on them…yes writing YA is the new trend for those established authors looking to jump on the YA sales bandwagon. The Boston Globe has just confirmed my suspicion.

maureen
On steep learning curve with new computer....

Taking A Different Route

2011-11-10T17:09:00.001+13:00

Just as we all got used to the thought of Summer....we get a blast of Winter to make us shiver and huddle together for warmth.

Sometimes I think the publishing industry is like this as well.

Just as you get used to travelling along the publishing road...along comes a new roadmap that offers a more thrilling/scary route to take you to your destination.

We are now used to the concept of eBooks. We know some important facts about them.

1. They are outselling print.

2. They are changing the landscape of publishing.

Joe Konrath has a guest post on his blog from popular ghost writer Lee Goldberg, that explains why he is not signing any multi book deals anymore...and Joe adds a breakdown of his own print versus eBook sales from the first half of the year...this makes sobering reading on the current state of the marketplace.

So we now have some hard numbers.

Ebook covers just got interesting. Take a look at this just released eBook cover for a debut Young Adult book...A twitter comment described it thus...I spent so much time playing with the cover I forgot to look at the book!

My, that landscape up ahead looks interesting!

Mike Shatzkin and Bob Mayer have been trading views on an interview Mike did with Bob on the success an author can have going it alone. Mike says it is going tobecome rarer...and Bob says It can still happen if the writer does all the right things and has a back list. Go and take a look at the arguments!

Gosh are those mountains or hills up ahead....?

The author platform arguments have been getting another airing this week. Most pundits believe it’s critical for non fiction and optional for fiction. The drunkwritertalk group (yeah, interesting blog too...) have a useful article on what you should or should not do...great read.

Hazel Edwards (the author of the wonderful cake eating hippo) is profiled in a piece about how her savvy use of the internet has made her money...this is maximum use of your platform!

Wow that’s pretty....Oh look over there!

Sibel from Writers Guide to eBook Publishing has A MUST READ post up on why she turned down a Hollywood/New York Agent....She posts up the main points of the contract and what The Passive Guy (Lawyer writer) told her about what each clause meant.....Read it!!!!!!!

Oh boy, that was scary! Pass the wipes...

I think I need a change On the journey you might like to check out virtual book tours. Check out this article, 5 Dumb Things Writers Do On Virtual Book Tours.

Are We There Yet?

I’m busy with the WCBA Christmas Quiz tonight...so you are lucky this is a short post....See you next week!

maureen

Links to Giveaway...

2011-11-03T21:48:00.001+13:00

Last week there was a lot to read through...so I forgive you for not making it to the end and discovering the cool giveaway! (Maureen watches last week’s post stats jump....heheheh)

This week I have some interesting links for your delectation.

The awesome Cris Dukehart explains why she loves her job as an audiobook narrator and the little tricks you need to know if you want to do this yourself.... A brilliant interview with tips for authors to help make their work more audio friendly.

One of the Blue Rose Girls, editor Alvina Ling gives a detailed breakdown of what happens when she gets a manuscript to edit. This is a fascinating look at the editing process and there are lots of tips to think about for writers when you get to the editing process.

Joanna Pennhas an interesting post on series continuation hassles...when you discover that you have a series on your hands how do you go about retro planning for the future life of your characters. Lots of comments on this one with some great advice.

Lydia Sharp has taken a look at the difference between inciting incident and catalyst and breaks it down with examples. This is a great reference for writers out there looking to nail how their plot can move forward.

Nicola Morgan has taken a long look at the synopsis and defined what really should be in it. Don’t get hung up on your timeline...say what...? Go and read this valuable post.

Bob Mayer has been attending the Storyworld Conference and he has some interesting things to say about transmedia and the three screen revolution...Is this where we are all headed?

On a similar theme Publishing Perspectives takes a look at the hoops publishers have to go through to produce a halfway decent picture book on an eBook platform.

Two marketing links that may be of interest...

Tony Eldridge looks at 10 Ideas for Non Traditional Book Marketing

Hubspot has taken a close look at Facebook business pages and has highlighted the best ways to get them moving and sparkling...This has great relevance for websites so check out the article.

Over on Craicerplus (My Amplify page) I have links to articles on

Keeping Your Superpowers Current

7 Gadgets That Won’t Be Around In 2020

To finish,

Roni Loren has an hilarious article on the life cycle of a blogger and...
Amanda Hooper has created the ultimate dream (and referenced her friends) for a writer who has a book coming out...watch the video!

I’ll keep the ebook giveaway up for another week...just remember to comment with your Zombie name...
enjoy,
maureen

And Now For Something Completely Different.

2011-10-27T14:09:00.001+13:00

The week has been full of change.

I went away for three days writing...that was a change.

I am tweaking my website...warning change can be addictive.

I am reading about writers who are making big changes in the way they publish, market and portray themselves online.

6 prescriptions to cure the heartbreak ofbeing published....Yes, you read that right. Ruth Harris looks at the downside of the newly published...one of which is when you hate the cover the publishers gave you.

Shelftalker, an indie children’s booksellerhas a rant on book covers that are coming out. I must have missed the tween goth revolution...but all the covers for this age group look like YA covers and they all only use vampire palettes...

Mary Kole from Kidlit.com interviews Daniel Nayeri, kids lit author, on the off the wall marketing he does to promote his books...and the fact that his latest book is a collection of novellas. Even the book trailers...commercials break all the rules (were there any?)

The wonderful Catherine Ryan Howard has become my latest must read blog. Catherine has built a steady following self publishing while waiting for the big publishing deal and her blog details her journey. This week she examines why she might not ever print publish again.

And then...

Sarah Billington said ‘I want to give away a copy of my new midgrade eBook....’

A midgrade eBook?!That’s new...So I asked Sarah some questions and we cooked up a little competition for you.

Everybody is talking about eBooks. Writers are being encouraged to look at self publishing their work as the eBook phenomenon turns the print publishing industry upside down. When did you decide to dip your toe in the water and why?

I had been hearing about eBooks for a little while, since the start of the year really (2011), hearing the astounding success stories such as Amanda Hocking and J.A Konrath, how big name authors were turning their backs on 500k publishing deals in order to self-publish their work. The royalty rates offered by ebook distributors like Amazon and Smashwords are SO MUCH higher than traditional publishers are capable of offering due to the overhead costs involved in running such large businesses. Plus there are only so many slots available in any given publisher’s schedule. This means that there are SO MANY great books languishing in drawers and on hard drives, not because they aren’t brilliant and readers would love them, but because there just isn’t room for them in the print schedule.

And there are so many genres that don’t sell in big enough numbers to make it worth a publishing house’s investment, but certainly have an audience who want to read it. Now authors of niche topics can get their books straight to their readers. Like short story writers!

I am currently studying a Bachelor of Writing & Publishing and as part of my course this year, we had to do a major project on a form of digital publishing. I decided what the heck. It gave me the perfect opportunity to teach myself how to create an ebook. I planned to make one short story ebook for the assessment. Instead, I made 5.

How did you decide which of your stories would be best as an eBook? Did length play a part?

As initially it was just an experiment, length definitely played a part in my decision. Even as an indie author now, I dream of being traditionally published because I do still believe there is a future in it and they can reach a much broader readership than I can on my own, so I decided to first off only publish short stories. And they sell. I am amazed that I am earning income from 1,500 word short stories. I now too have an upper middle grade novel for sale, Life was cool until you got popular which you can win here today! (Details below).

What I choose to write for e-publication is definitely being influenced by the trends I am finding with my sales figures. For instance, my thriller The Runaway (which can be found under my pen name, Edwina Ray) outsells all of my other stories by 10-1 so I am keen to write more thrillers. I do love writing comedy, though. And though it sells well in print books, the IT genres in the ebook world are definitely thriller and paranormal romance. If you write those, then ebook publishing is a good fit for you!

What has been the most satisfying aspect to producing an eBook?

Seeing positive reviews of my work from book bloggers, friends and colleagues I admire and random happy readers! I always ask for an honest review, regardless of whether I know the reader or not and am thrilled that people are enjoying my work.

What has been the most difficult thing about preparing an eBook?

Finding the time to do everything – write, design a cover, format, come up with a blurb, promote, change tactics if something isn’t working. I haven’t received any income from my works as yet, partly because the international banking requirements sound like an absolute nightmare and I keep putting it off. J Yet something else I need to do!

There is definitely less writing time available, as an indie author.

You worked on your covers yourself, What was the most important thing that you learned about cover design for an eBook?

Cover design for ebooks require very different things to print books. At a bookshop, your book needs to stand out from the crowded shelves, and have an eye catching cover. For ebooks, yes these things are important, but the most important thing is that you use a large font for your title and author name. Why? Because readers see ebooks as thumbnails on their computer screens. If the title and author name are not legible when the cover image is so small, then you’re unlikely to have potential readers click through to view its blurb, reviews and buy it.

In the print world the print publisher may (if you are lucky) have a publishing campaign around the release of the book. What do you do when you have an eBook?

You do it all yourself! Getting book reviews are key to the success of an ebook. They don’t have to be glowing 5-star reviews, actually a couple of 2-3 star reviews add a bit of credibility to all reviews! Cold-emailing book bloggers, organizing book tours, blogging about the topic of your book (my blog post about the different types of zombie is my most popular blog post EVER – buy I, Zombie today! J) and getting people involved are key. Constantly tweeting or Facebooking how awesome your book is and that everyone should buy it is a complete turn-off to readers though. I am a reader, and I get annoyed by these overzealous authors so I simply don’t do it.

Also, run giveaways, as we’re doing here today! The point is not to make any income from the experience, but to reach new readers who might tell their friends, or pass it on to others. Like traditionally published books, exposure, letting readers know that you and your book even exist is essential.

You have a range of different genres that you play in...Zombies, Young Adult, MidGrade, Do you have eBooks in all of these genres?

I do. J I can’t help it, I love them all. I like variety and write every other project in a different genre lately, to keep me on my toes. However, so as not to end up with a twelve year old fan of Life was cool until you got popular reading I, Zombie (a rather gruesome black comedy told from the zombie’s perspective), and assuming it would be appropriate for them, I publish my darker works under my pen name, Edwina Ray.

Ebooks are rapidly gaining ground but mostly in the adult fiction market, Do you see a trickle down effect to the younger ages? How do you market a book to the younger reader?

I do believe there will be a trickle down effect to younger readers, as more and more receive ereading devices for Christmas and birthdays. Childrens and middle grade ebooks at the moment mind you, are definitely not the big sellers. I like to think that I’m getting in on the ground floor. Marketing ebooks to younger readers is a difficult one. Young adult fiction readers are different, as young adults and adults who read YA scour book blogs and book communities, but children – not so much. To be honest: I haven’t figured that part out yet. At present, I think it is much easier to get a traditionally published middle grade or children’s book in front of kids, through bookshops, libraries and book fairs.

Will you release print versions of your eBooks?

I do have plans to, yes. Definitely Life was cool until you got popular is in the works. I have hired a graphic designer to make a sparkly new cover for a print version. I won’t be publishing the short stories individually as print books, but once I have enough in the same genre (eg. thrillers, or comedy etc) I will think about creating themed anthologies.

Tell us a little bit about your midgrade eBook...

Sure! I have been told that my middle grade and young adult fiction writing style is very reminiscent of Louise Rennison, who writes the super-hilarious Georgia Nicolson series (though you won’t need a glossary in the back to understand my terminology). I am thrilled beyond belief to be compared to Louise.

This is what Life was cool until you got popular is about:

Thirteen year old Kaley’s best friend Jules is an alien clone. That has to be it. Because Jules wouldn’t dress like that or act like that…and she definitely wouldn’t be friends with Meg-a-bitch.

Kaley can't wait to start at her new school with her best friend Jules. Jules was away in Europe all summer (worst summer of Kaley's life!) But it's cool, now school is starting and everything is going to be awesome. However as the school bus pulls up on that first day, Kaley barely recognizes the silky hair and glossy lips as Jules gets off with the cool kids and with their arch-nemesis Meg, the popular girl (God only knows why) who made Kaley and Jules's lives miserable in elementary school. In Europe, Meg had somehow won over Kaley's best friend and Kaley finds herself frozen out.

Life was cool until you got popular is a first person novel told through Kaley’s eyes, chronicling the initial pain and incomprehension of what happened to destroy their friendship. But that doesn't last long. Kaley decides that underneath the bleached blond clone with the personality transplant, Jules is still in there. Somewhere. And she is going to get her best friend back!

Life was cool is available through:

Amazon

Smashwords

ITunes

And wherever else you might find it!

You can find Sarah at

Facebook: www.facebook.com/SarahBillington

Twitter: twitter.com/SarahBillington

The Sarah Billington Blog: sarahbillington.blogspot.com

How To Win

Halloween is happening in a few days so...Here is how you can win a copy of Sarah’s eBook Life was cool until you got popular

Add a great Zombie Name in the comments...and the best ones will win...simple.

Maureen

aka Brains R Fried.

Cautionary Tales

2011-10-19T11:26:00.000+13:00

The theme today is Cautionary Tales...

It didn’t start out that way but as I researched inthe blogosphere some ugly stories began to be talked about.

Was there asecret pact to get promo as a lead up towards Halloween?

Were theyall fiction?

Sadly no. These were genuine stories that had train wreck consequences on authors andtheir careers.

In businessthere is the motto Caveat Emptor, Buyer Beware. Writers are not immune and theyare in business. Make yourself aware of the pitfalls so you can recognise thesigns if it starts happening to you.

First up,Libba Bray, after carefully keeping quiet because of the ringside seat she had,vented her spleen on the debacle surrounding Lauren Myracle’s book being pulledfrom the National Book Award shortlist. One thing from her rant that I keptthinking about as I read was her comment.

*at the center of all this wasa real live human being, an excellent writer, whose work and reputation werebeing dragged through the mud as if it were no big thang while the ruffledfeathers of injured egos were patted down in a backroom somewhere.

And how often have wewitnessed this.

Read Libba’s rant. Punch theair...and be extra supportive of any writer placed in this position. There bythe grace of God goeth I

Second up, the sad tale of arespected small press who has publically had a melt down due to mismanagement. Thiscase has been brewing for most of this year as disquiet grew over the affairsof the press and today The Passive Guy (lawyer, writer and popular blogger)linked to an explain-how -it-all-happened blog post by one of the editorsinvolved.

This post is a Must Read and Learn From so you are not caught inanything similar.

My thoughts go out to the manypeople hurt, (careers and health) by this bad mismanagement and bad businesspractice.

If you are working with a small press keep an eye on their businesspractice and draw their attention to this so they can assure you that nothinglike this would happen to you.

By the time I got to this postI thought surely the week couldn’t get worse...

Plagiarism reared its uglyhead.

Ok, we know that there areplagiarists out there...some of them respected authors(well not any more)but this one takes the cake for the hurt caused to others.

When an entire reputation is built on repeated plagiarism of others and then to begin a career purporting to help and advise others, AS AN EDITOR, based on a plagiarised reputation... youare moving into SLIME MOULD TERRITORY.

Thankfully The Rejectionist posted a sly bit of humour that had us laughing and nodding and thinking aboutpretentious writers who look down on others...and what we’ll do come the revolution(which many think is upon us now)

Dana Lynn Smith offers us some excellent advice on thinking like an Authorpreneur

Thewonderful Victoria Mixon keeps us grounded on 3 Things You Need To Know About The New Publishing Industry.

I have longbeen interested on how authors can collectively work together to raise theirprofile or to make an impact in their genre. A new author collective just gettingoff the ground is Reader Rules Check out the reasons behind it.

When thinkingabout your author platform be careful not to make these blunders says KristenLamb who is guest posting today over on Jane Friedman’s popular blog

Over in thecraft section...

Bubblecow has a nice post on the snowflake method of Novel Writing...always worth a serious read!

This is a wonderful survey done by a Mid Grade Writer with Kids on what genre’s they read and whether they read eBooks...Check it out and be surprised!

Drop intoCraicerplus (My Amplify Page) and check out the article links there

To finish,

Facebook ischanging again. I still haven’t come to terms with the status changes from lastmonth...and now they want to roll out Timeline. Check out Nathan Bransford article on it and think seriously about whether you want your online lifecollected up in an album...It puts a whole new meaning on privacy.

I’m off on awriting retreat which is why this post comes to you a day early....

Sorry thatthis post has mostly been full of depressing links. To make up for it I have alink to a happy video guaranteed to have you singing away...

maureen

Doing What We Do

2011-10-13T21:02:00.000+13:00

The newsaround the blogosphere this week has been one of disbelief.

No it wasn’tdelayed reaction to Steve’s death.

Several prominent bloggers and agents havecome out to say the blogosphere is getting crowded and unless you are gettingaround 15k visitors a month it is not worth it.

So why doit?

The reactionhas been swift and many bloggers are sitting down and examining whether theywant to go on a blogging holiday like Joe Konrath, who has one of the mostheavy trafficked blogs around, or to keep going in the hope they get to themagic number....

And thenthere are prominent bloggers who say the argument is seriously flawed, becauseyour blog is where you as a writer can interact with your readers, or yourcommunity, by either writing a great blog that shows off your writing voice orwriting a blog that adds value to the sum of knowledge out there.

Roni Loren has written a great breakdown about blogging addressing the issues raised thisweek and putting all the rants into perspective.

Bob Mayerhas taken a hard look at indie publishing with his post, The Sustainability Of The Indie Author. He doesn’t sugar coat and some of the points he makes couldchoke you....As always, read the comments to get a sense of the discussion thispost has started...and breathe deeply.

MikeShatzkin has been looking at the other side of this with his interesting poston whether traditional publishers can maintain their primacy as eBookpublishers.... Magazines and other media are beginning to publish their own eBooks...butwill they stop there?

This weekJane Friedman posted two excellent interviews on her blog. The first was with Scott Sigler and looked at how Scott is using new technology and a new service to gethis self published books into as many hands as his bestseller trad books do. Readand be inspired...I’ve told you before there’s merch and audio and limitededition and.....

The second interviewis with Sean Platt who started out as an entrepreneur and then moved intowriting. Sean talks about the mistakes he made but also what he has found worksin marketing your book.... Both these interviews can give you some concretegoals if you are feeling a little bit battered by the first links.

Angela Ackermanof the wonderful BookselfMuse also has a guest post with Donna Gephart. Donnais a great mid grade writer and she talks about how children’s writers arepromoting their books and that you don’t have to go crazy over marketing.

Socialmediaexplorer has written a warning post on social media contests...There have been lawchanges and bloggers could find themselves in legal hot water if their contestsbreak the new rules...and if you think it doesn’t apply to you because you arein different country think about where your website is hosted...Yes, it mayapply.

The popularblog YA Highway has taken a good hard look at writing mid grade. In particularthey have looked at nailing the mid grade voice.

Over in theCraft Section

Storyfix has a popular series of posts looking at ten important tips to nail your NaNoWriMo.This weeks post is on the first 12-15 scenes...the set up (NaNoWriMo is next month).

I09 has agreat list of ten types of writers block and how to overcome them...

Over on Craicerplus(My Amplify Page) I have links to articles on

Future ProofYour Digital Publishing...This is an important article about the changing formatsof epublishing.

SuffragetteSteampunk...a match made in heaven?

DigitalRights...Do you really know how many you have?

To finish,

TheFrankfurt Book Fair is happening right now and if you want to get a feel for the topics under discussion drop into this German blog which has roundups on every topic...It is in English!

There areposts on gamers needing storytellers, eLearning futures where Taiwan is leadingthe way, Books meeting games...

It is wherewe are heading...Are you going to be still there?

maureen

pic is from here

Accolades

2011-10-06T20:49:00.000+13:00

This week Ihave been contemplating the future of the modern book launch.

A book launch isa celebration and a promotional opportunity for the author, bookseller and publisherto highlight a creative achievement and to get the printed story into the handsof readers. Pre the book launch the reviewers would have been given advancecopies to review, hopefully favourably, to generate interest. People would beawaiting the party...book launches are great affairs where the writingcommunity gets out in support. A good book launch can propel a book onto thebest seller list which then gets it noticed more....

I haveattended many fabulous Book Launches at The Children’s Bookshop in Kilbirniewhere John and Ruth McIntyre have been proud Godparents (and sometimes midwives)of some very special books... They were wonderful Godparents at my own booklaunch 3 years ago and have been encouraging and commiserating with me as mymidgrade novel Craic repeatedly gets so close to the acceptance bar. Today it was announced that they have been awarded the Betty Gilderdale award for Services To New Zealand Children’s Literature and they are worthy recipients! As thecurrent Convenor of the Wellington Children’s Book Association I am proud toannounce our co hosting of the Award ceremony for them at Turnbull House on the21st of November. (it’s nice that I can now blab this secret as well.)

With Amazoncommenting last week that they were selling 2 eBooks for every 1 Print Book...thefuture of the book launch, the count down to the day you hold the book in yourhands, has changed.

An eBooklaunch is a different beast altogether. You can still have the party but thesigning table will be empty...the cash register won’t be ringing in thebackground.

Melinda Szymanik was telling me that the launch of her eBook, The Half Life Of Ryan Davis, was an email from her publisher with an Amazon gift certificate for thebook attached and a celebratory glass of wine with the publisher. There will bea party when the print book comes out later in the year tho!

Three yearsago the printed book would have been launched with a splash then later in theyear, unheralded, the audio book and the eBook. Now the eBook comes first withthe book trailer then the audio book and, if you want, you can have a printbook...either P.O.D. or traditionally.

Reviewers slot in all along this process so the three months or so ofnew book publicity can be dragged out to a year if you are a canny marketer....Aquick look at a new publisher on the New Zealand block, Pear Jam Books, shows that they understand this very well. (Great acronym use of the word PEAR! )

So here aresome more great writers who are launching eBooks this week and how they aredoing it.

Jane Friedman has a great guest blog from Roz Morris on her experiment of the serialisation of her novel on Kindle. Roz talks about what works and what didn’t. This modelof publicity made Dickens famous...

VictoriaMixons second book on The Art and Craft Of Story is getting great reviews aroundthe blogosphere. You can check out free samples of the practitioner’s manual here on a bookbuzzr widget or over on Storyfix where she has a chapter up on science and story in a great guest post.

Victoria also has a fantastic interview with Joanna Penn about her very successful ePublishingcareer and why she chose to publish this way.

The HuffingtonPost has spotlighted Self Publishing this week with an interesting guest post from Felicia Ricci entitled How to self publish (and seem like you’re not.) Ifyou are looking for a step by step guide check this out!

Greg Pincus has highlighted an interesting post by a successful picture book writer who is trying to get an intriguing historical non fiction story picked up by a publisher. Think about trying this idea out!

In marketingthe eBook you need to be just as careful in your planning as you were informatting it. Tony Eldridge has a revisited a link to an article about how not to use Print On Demand (worth rereading for the tips on how to do it better.)

Tony alsohas a popular resource of the week series. Check out YouTube creators for helpwith that book trailer and Paypal tips for getting the money flowing into youraccount from your website.

Of courseyou will have a website to promote your book, eBook or trad...Bookmarketingmaven has a punchy post that reminds writers of what should be on their website...(hint; it beginswith B)

Publisher’sWeekly has put the spotlight on Children’s publishing this week with an indepth article on YA publishing and where it is at. There are great quotes fromagents and editors in here.

I receivedmy copy of the 2012 Children’s Writers and Illustrators Market book this week andthis article backed up all the agent interviews in the book.

ChuckSambuchino, who edited this years CWIM, has a great interview on his blog wherean agent pulls apart a successful query letter and shows why the novel got picked up which subsequently launched a successful career.

Another greatinterview to catch my eye was Johanna Knox’s interview with Mandy Hager on Tim Jones’ blog. Mandy is an accomplished writer and here she talks about how her Bloodof the Lamb trilogy has unsettled Americans and how her scriptwriting skillscame in useful...

Over in the Craftsection,

Janice Hardy talks about script writing a scene that is not working to find out how to fixit.

Agent Mary Kole has some timely advice on how not to use Social Media when looking foragents and editors.

Over onCraicerplus (My Amplify Page) I have links to

Konraths Epredictions in 2009...This was Joe talking about what he thought would happen in thefuture...check out the comments about where we might be heading to now!

Writer Beware– Bad Publishing Clause series...ouch!!!

Make BooksEasily for the iPad

To finish,

This week Mike Shatzkin examined the Amazon/ Apple, clash of the behemoths, with the launch of the Kindle Fire. Is it about the device or the content....

As I havebeen writing this blogpost, news has come in of the passing of Steve Jobs, one month after he stepped down as Apple’s CEO. He was a visionary and an extraordinary man.He could polarize a room and inspire it the same time. His commencement speech for Stanford University, just after he was diagnosed with the cancer that killedhim today, is one of the most viewed speeches on YouTube and a superb testamentto the power of one man who changed the world.

maureen

P.S. From time to time I put up a video as a Thank You forsomeone who has sent quite a few Readers over to Craicer. Melinda the followingvideo is for you...

E Reader Revolutions

2011-09-29T17:37:00.000+13:00

I ADMIT IT...I pop into Facebook every day. There is alwaysan interesting conversation going on.

Today the hot news is the launch of Kindle Fire from Amazon. They enter into the tablet market, with an ‘ereader onsteroids,’ and it is one quarter the price...at $199 US. Along with this fancynew piece of tech, Amazon launched three new versions of Kindle starting withthe basic Kindle going out the door at $79. As I commented this morning on Facebook,I looked at a Kindle yesterday thinking I could afford it as my Dad wants onefor Christmas then discovered I was looking at the fancy cover you can buy forit. Kindle are $289 NZ. (Maybe next year Dad!)

However the launch of the colour whizzy Kindle Fire in timefor the Christmas market shows how ereaders will be the tech gift of choicethis Christmas as the mainstream buyers start to pick up on this technology.Now is the time to upload content for them to buy.

Joanna Penn wrote a great little piece on what the Kindle Firemeans to Authors...It is time to get off the fence!

Melinda Szymanik must have known something was up as her first ebook The Half Life Of Ryan Davis will be available this weekend on Amazon.I think this maybe a NZ first. First Young Adult Title to go straight to ebookbefore print. Melinda has a competition on her website for a copy and she alsohas the opening chapter up to give you a taste of her teen thriller.

This week Jane Friedman was also looking at ebooks on Writer Unboxed. Jane has written a great article with a handy checklist on marketing ebooks looking from the viewpoint of the marketing 4 P’s.

Bob Mayer has an interestingarticle on The Perfect Storm In Publishing that is looming. As more and moreagencies look at adding epublishing imprints to their business...Are theylooking at the author as a brand? and How is Pottermore and Amazon Publishingchanging the game?

Roni Loren takes a hard look at Author Branding and SocialMedia. She has listed five ways to guard your brand...Something we all mustkeep in mind as we log on to the internet.

James Scott Bell has written an open letter to Traditional Publishers wishing them well in their recovery.

Dean Wesley Smith has a timely warning about Agents and Money...Do they know what they are doing? and Do you know what they are doing,with your money?

If you want a sneak preview on what will be talked about atthe Children’s Publishing Goes Digital conference being held at the Frankfurt BookFair next month Publishing Perspectives has an excerpt from the program guideon Building Online Communities For Teen Readers

Over on the Craft Side

Mary Kole has an in depth article on beginning your storieswith a balance of information and action and how to achieve this.

Mary Anne Scheuer of Great Kids Books has begun reviewing Children’s Book Apps...have a look at her criteria and check out what she has to say.

Over on Craicerplus (My Amplify Page) I have links to articleson

Ebook Covers -Getting It Right!

Porter Anderson’s Interview on Journalism Today...The rise ofdramatic storytelling in news stories...

To finish,

I read this true story this week with amusement then alarm. It reads just like a MG/ YA plot. Last weeka boy dressed in a banana costume and ran onto a high school football field athalf time to rally the crowd...the school principal took exception and recommendedsuspension for the rest of the school year...(school has just started.) Readwhat happens next...

This kind of plot will soon be in a popular ebook coming to aKindle near you...

enjoy,

maureen

That Dirty Word...

2011-09-22T20:51:00.000+12:00

Sometimes, as I research sites on the blogosphere for thisweekly roundup, a topic just keeps getting highlighted.

This week it ismarketing.

Everyone seems to be talking about marketing books or ideas in someway or another.

Marketing is one of those dirty words that authors need to knowand understand but would prefer that other people say and do on their behalf.

Now that the author is stuck with having to learn marketingtips, as the publishing industry either ditches their authors or ditches theirpublicity budget, marketing is becoming a hot topic.

What works?

This week some online gurus had some interesting things toshare about this bright, new, shiny, wholesome word.

Michael Hyatt is CEO of Thomas Nelson Publishers and has apopular blog. This week he is looking at How to use FREE as your marketing strategy.

The BookDesigner has started a new series on Book Marketingfor the beginner self publisher. Even if you are not self publishing take alook. You never know where you might find a golden tip to generate more sales.

Ducttapemarketing hasposted a podcast interview on their site with David Merman Scott on his new edition of New Rules of Marketing and PR. David’s book changed the landscape ofsmall business marketing when it came out in 2007. His ideas and tools quicklybecame a bible for small business. So if you are seriously in business, drop byto listen to David.

Tony Eldridge recently reposted his Bookbuzzr link. This is a nifty piece of code that allows youto put a sample of your book in a book icon with your cover on it on yourwebsites with links to bookseller sites....and it is free.

While you are focussing on the word FREE... a group ofdedicated contest lovers have started a Facebook page where they list every free book giveaway contest going. This is an interesting bit of marketing...forauthors... bloggers...publishers.... Wordof mouth is an incredible force and so is Facebook. They have only been going acouple of days and already they have over 200 people joining in.

The Children’s Writer’s and Illustrators Market Guide 2012 isout this month and Kidlit.com has a free copy to give away...because theycontributed a couple of articles. With our exchange rate looking so good it isworth investing in a copy of the Guide. It is the white pages of publishers,agents, and art editors across the US (and their international section isgrowing every year) for people working in Children’s Publishing. It has greatarticles and how to tips as well. It is tax deductable and, if you get a freeshipping bookseller, so worth the money. ($28 NZ for over 400 pages)

In the hot topics being discussed this week...David Gaughran’sidea of getting translators to translate your ebook/book for a share of theroyalties became a hot topic amongst the translating community as well as theIndie publishing community. Writers and Translators were weighing into thediscussion to say how it might work or should work. Lots of interestingcomments and examples of how to get your book translated into other languagesas publishers get ready for the roll out of Kindle into non English speaking marketslater this year.

Publishing Perspectives has focussed their critical eye onthe Gamification of books. If you are scratching your head...Children’spublishing has taken a head start on this with 39 Clues and Pottermore...thosepoor adult writers...how do you make a game out of your cookbook? Ah ha, readthe article to find out...

Mark Coker, the guy behind Smashwords, has uploaded hisslideshow keynote from The Central Coast Writers Conference last weekend aboutFive Big Trends That Will Rock The Future Of Publishing.

Over in the Craft Section,

The Five Elements Of The Riveting First Line. K M Weilandtakes a scalpel to the first line and shows you how to craft the layers in. (takesome time to trawl around her site too. You Will Be In Awe.)

Over on Craicerplus (My Amplify Page) I have links toarticles on...

Links to Free Clip Art

The Agents Side Of The Gay YA Saga

What StartUps Can Teach Publishers....This is a great articlelooking at crowd sourcing, dynamic pricing...

To Finish,

A couple of months agoWriter Beware highlighted the questionable behaviour of Publish America...a ‘publishing’firm who (for a fee) would take your MS to Edinburgh and present it to JKRowling for comment. Yesterday, Writer Beware has become aware of a new scheme(scam) by this ‘reputable’ company...They can get your Christian Book in frontof Christian Booksellers (for a fee.) Read the whole story and BE AWARE thatsometimes Marketing (by unscrupulous people) is still a dirty word.

enjoy,

maureen

pic from ablebrains

Being The Doorman

2011-09-15T17:11:00.000+12:00

My last post for June was on Gatekeepers and their shiny new keys and as I look down the list of interesting links I have for you today Ican’t help thinking that the theme today will also be Gatekeeper but from a differentperspective.

First up Bob’s great article on Authors as Gatekeepers....Iurge you to read it and think about what he is saying...I found myself noddinga lot...10 great points. Sweat Equity...I know so many writers who fit intothis one...

Media Bistro reports on an Author Guild court case that is ringing alarm bells. The increasing laziness/underhanded actions of somepublishers who source content online and then try to register it asorphan...all attempts were made to find the owner of this work....when a Googlesearch and phone call located the author in three minutes....sadly this is nota one off.

Greg Pincus has taken a close look at Facebook and thechanges that are happening. Do you want subscribers to your Facebook status?

Elizabeth Craig has a great post on being your own Social Media Gatekeeper....she has a list of useful tips to help you manage your onlinelife to make time for your writing life.

Agent Scott Eagan looks at Blooms Taxonomy And The Author andexplains where he thinks authors should be before they submit...A very goodlook at the stages of writing leading up to creating....Go check it out!

Audiobook Creation Exchange has a great little article about an author who used Kickstarter to get the funds to create a professional audiobook. Neil Gaiman has been tweeting about this as a great way to thinkoutside the box to get leverage...OK it was his idea.....

Tony Eldridge has got some great links to promotion and marketing ideas for your books...Did you know you can print your book cover onM&M’s...and it is not that expensive....

The best resource ofthe week, Tony has ever pointed me to, is this one (this week)...A Royalty Free Music Site intended for use as soundtracks to short films, book trailers,commercials, Youtube projects. It is absolutely stunning...and I am saying thiswith my musician hat on. I have already shared this around to editors andteachers who are making films with children. Combine this with Audacity and youhave a recording studio and full orchestra at your disposal for free. KevinMacLeod is a genius! Bookmark It!

Over in the Craft Section,

Jenny Hansen has written a great post on Story DNA on Writersin The Storm.

Victoria Mixon has interviewed Larry Brooks on this topic aswell.

HarryPotterForWriters is continuing their focus on clues andraising questions for the reader to answer...which also strengthens your book.

On Craicerplus, (My Amplify Page) I have a link to

Authors Say Agents Want Straight YA. This has been much talkedabout on the blogosphere and Twitter.

To finish,

To Celebrate 50 years of Roald Dahls work...You have a chance to connect with Quentin Blake in a live streaming event...

As the political gatekeepers threaten the UK Library system,in Scotland random beautiful paper sculptures made from and celebrating books havebeen appearing in libraries and stores with little messages highlighting thework of the libraries...Check out the article and marvel at the beautiful work of a secret paper engineer.

enjoy,

maureen

pic is from an article about a Doorman strike....

Taking A Punt

2011-09-08T18:16:00.000+12:00

This morningin my inbox was a little heads up email from Publishers Weekly with the roundup of children’s publishing news.

A quick glance down and this takes my eye. Scholastic, Ruckus in joint venture. On the surface it’s another businessmerger with the biggest children’s publisher. Ho hum. But look a little deeperand think about what this is telling us now about children’s publishing.

Ruckus Mediawas started a year ago this week by the former head of Simon and Schuster’sChildren’s Publishing division. He got together with a web developer to take awell known children’s audio book company Rabbit Ears into the digital age andcreate apps for the new iPad. Theypromised a 12 week turn around time and to release an App a week. They weregoing to acquire new content and had signed up some impressive authors. Ruckusalso promised that eventually they would go into partnership with a publishing house.

So a year tothe day they are going with Scholastic.

While thebig publishing houses have had a wait and see approach or are nervously dippinga toe in the water of digital publishing. Their top brass have been jumping toget into the market knowing that eventually the publishing houses would have tocome to them for their expertise. These guys aren’t going to lose their shirtson this, they are businessmen. Print publishers are now seeing the huge marketfor new content in Games and Apps and want a piece of the pie.

Ruckuspublished new digital content first and now they are partnering with Scholasticto bring it into Print.

Writers, Youdon’t have to sell print rights first...(Do I hear the sound of penniesdropping?)

Children’swriters need to look at their manuscripts and see it as suitable for submissionto Digital Media publishers as well as print...especially junior and mid gradewriters. Illustrators too could begin submitting portfolios into these smartpublishers.

After all ifScholastic can take a punt why can’t you?

Also in thenews this week...

These threelinks have generated much comment around the blogosphere.

Bob Mayerexplains his statement That Fear Is The Downfall Of the Publishing Industry

A publisher explains why they won’t carve off ebook rights from a contract.

On thepopular Publishing Perspectives blog a literary agent puts up his argument against agent publishers.

If you arewondering about marketing your new book, Cory Doctorow tells it straight with his to the point article for Locus. Why should anybody care? This is a greatarticle which has generated heaps of comments all over the blogosphere.

Also in thesame issue of Locus there is a spotlight on Ultra Cool Children’s Writer Bruce Colville. He has an audio publishing company that puts full cast audio productions together....(wish I was living near him, I would love to be a voiceactor for a book...)

M J Rose is interviewed by Jungle Red (amystery writers group blog) about starting the company Author Buzz and how successful it has been. There are some great marketing tips for authors in this article.

Jenny Hansen from Writers in the Storm, examines social media and how that impacts on your Author Brand. This is a useful post because she breaks down the use of hashtags on twitter...and the best people to follow. (you can follow me if you like..:)

40K has a great roundup of trends currently happening in publishing. They use up and downarrows with great effect.

Over onCraicerplus (My Amplify Page) I have links to Articles on

Internal andExternal Inspiration

25 tips forQueries, Synopsis and Treatments. (This is a great article but comes with acontent warning hehehe Cover your ears....Chuck lets rip.)

In the CraftCorner,

Thewonderful Casey McCormick has a guest blog from Martha Ramirez on how to deal with critique editing.

Superheronation tells you how to critique something that is just plain awful...

To finish,

Cheryl Reif has a great little blog post about deadline tricks and how they can boost your productivity...

Explore allavenues....take a punt!

enjoy,

maureen

pic is a punter on the Avon River in Christchurch

Spring Cleaning

2011-09-01T19:48:00.000+12:00

Spring is in the air...and that usually heralds change. You eye up the overflowing study area and vow to get better organised. (Your family snigger coz they’ve heard it all before.)

While you are contemplating your overflowing desk you may take time to contemplate the publishing industry. It too has been struggling with change. The printed word is rapidly changing into the e-inked word.
Curiosity Quill interviewed Jane Friedman about what she predicts will happen to publishing in the next few years and how authors can keep up.

Joe Konrath takes issue with Ewen Morrison’s article in The Guardian- Are Books Dead and Can Authors Survive. Joe picks apart the article and points out where Ewen got it wrong. (so far 120 comments on this...)

If you pick up your manuscript and a cloud of dust rises into the air you might need to revisit your characters and do a little housekeeping...or a lot.

Jenny Hansen has a terrific list of tips about fighting dirty and ramping up the conflict tension in your story.

Julie Musil has ten things you shouldn’t do when you build your characters...

Both of these posts remind you that the story is key...and a strong story is what Editors want to read. A quick revision of WriteOnCon quotes reinforce this...but you can always get inspiration to keep going from revisiting the website and reading the sessions you missed.

Ruth Harris reminds you that all reading is research and offers some very good advice in how to pull gems out of the trashy magazines you just picked up. Don’t feel guilty...it’s research! (there’s an app for that.)

Underneath the stacked books and laundry, next to the mouldy coffee cup, you unearth that really great story...the one that has been nicely rejected a few times and sigh. What would it take to just get it out there into the world?

Author Culture peeks into the world of Book Cover Design in an excellent interview with a top book cover designer. Lots of tips here...and some very useful ideas for branding.

The bookdesigner has a link to five nifty fonts that you can use for your Ebook cover and they are FREE.

Roz Morris has done the hard work for you and step by step outlines how to deal with the American IRS when you are an author living in another country who wants to epublish on an American site.Bookmark this! It will save you months!

Anne Allen has a great post on the death of the Book Tour and why we shouldn’t feel too sad about it...The desk has disappeared....the dust has taken over...you think seriously about giving up and reclaiming the space for a home gym....

Teresa M Owen has a handy list about why you shouldn’t become a writer to make you feel better.

This week NZ National Radio interviewed a New Zealand company that has made a splash with their new product, Booktrack, Soundtracks for Books. James Frey is already making use of the technology with the The Power Of Six (his follow up to I Am Number 4.) Take a look at the videos and think about where we go from here....

enjoy,
maureen

pic from meeja darling....a wickedly funny journo blog

Imagination Overdrive

2011-08-25T20:33:00.001+12:00

Another Crazy Busy Week.

Storylines was the usual mad crazy happy experience...with hundreds of kids watching, listening, imagining, making, eating, playing and loving children’s books with author’s, illustrators, storytellers and performers of one kind or another. It’s lovely to turn around from welcoming a visiting author and introducing them to an audience to find a young fan who wants to talk to you about your book and have you sign it.

Chris Morphew was the international author this year. He arrived in Wellington to visit schools and be our guest at the evening seminar. You could feel jealous about this 26 year old who learned to write on the job producing 12 of the Zac Power series for 6-8 year olds before beginning to write his young adult series, however he’s such a nice bloke so we’ll say Good On Yer Mate....

In amongst the busyness I took a look on the blogosphere this morning to see what the hotly retweeted articles were....and discovered these gems.

Kristen Lamb has two great posts up on her blog this week. The first deals with how to break your addiction to the little darlings in your manuscript and Kristen offers an hilarious 12 step programme to help you Kill Them.

The second is a great article looking at marketing fiction...and how to get new readers for your work...You need to look at this if only for the truly weird picture she has chosen to portray inbreeding...hmmm stuff of nightmares....

Bob Mayer has been visiting down under. He presented at the Australian RWA and last week end was one of the keynote speakers at New Zealand’s RWA. He has some wonderful things to say about both conferences and he is handing out accolades to us down under. Check out his article posted today on his experiences...and then have a read of another article posted this week where Bob has talked about The Myth Of The Backlist And The Dramatic Change In Publishing...lots of comments on this one about the spaghetti stick model of publishing.

Mediabistro has a great article linking to a nifty set of instructions about converting PDF’s to Kindle files or epub files. This is particularly timely with Kindle about to be released here...in time for Christmas.

Tony Eldridge has reposted an article looking at how you can put HTML code into your jpeg book Cover pic and have it go straight to a shopping cart....

For something fun to do with your imagination and a pen...check out 3 Ways To Reinvent Vampires

Over in the Craft Corner...

The Kidlit team have a great article on overwriting...and how to spot it....and how to fix it!

Daily Writing Tips has a great article on Brainstorming for writers and 5 strategies you can use.

Over on Craicerplus (My Amplify Page) I have a link to an article

Using Video Effectively...this is a great article looking at tips and tricks to enhance your website with video.

Today Steve Jobs resigned as CEO of Apple. Immediately the share price dropped. However he will still be involved in other ways while he still can. This is one of those watershed moments in technology. Because love him or hate him he has changed the face of technology and the way we use it...from our iPods out running to our iPad on the bus...not to mention the mobile phones, iTunes, the Pixar movies, animation technology we take for granted now... The Wall Street Journal gathered an impressive list of quotes over the years from Steve. Look back and see what he thought the technology world would do and be as he began to unleash his imagination and drive on our digital world.

next week back to normal, I hope...

maureen

Brain Gymnastics...

2011-08-18T21:40:00.001+12:00

This week the weather in New Zealand has been extreme.

A polar blast hit the country bringing with it major dumps of snow to places that don’t see snow in fifty to one hundred years. At the same time it is the last planning week for Wellington Storylines. The 3 day weather chaos resulted in cancelled meetings due to extreme weather conditions and ongoing worry about how family members were going to make it home with cancelled trains and buses, disrupted school and power cuts. My week has been a busy, fractured, distracted, topsy turvey, COLD exercise in adaption to unforeseen circumstance.

So...This week’s blog post will be a short look at what caught my eye amongst all the drama of other events.

Jane Friedman talked with Amy Stolls on how book marketing had changed since 2005 when Amy brought out her first book and now. Amy has some interesting things to say on how her publisher guided her on marketing then and now. Now it is essential to generate word of mouth. Check out Amy’s journey and then compare it to what her publishers told her in 2005.

Justine Musk has written a marvellous blog post on compelling branding. In it she details what the author should be doing...It all boils down to your secret word...

Forbes explores who the world’s highest paid authors are and why and looks at the rise of ebook sales which have tipped the scales in this years income.

Mike Shatzkin has written two very compelling posts this week. The first looks at the irony of being a publisher today. He explores the agency pricing model and examines the implications of Apples move into publishing and how it will impact on the big 6 publishers and Amazon the 7th and biggest player.

The second post this week from Mike is the analysis of Tim Ferriss and his Hardcover deal with Amazon which was announced yesterday. The game changes...along with Amazon giving a seven figure advance to Tim for a non fiction book. Mike has done the math and Tim Ferriss stands to make 105% royalties....This has serious implications for the rest of the publishing industry...Can they compete?

Writeoncon 2011 has been sucking my eyes these last two days (when it has been freezing.) This is a free online writing conference for children’s writers. It is global... it is brilliant... and there are many great things to take away. If you are registered you can take part in the live chat events with agents editors etc. Or you can lurk and suck up heaps of knowledge. Sometimes the time difference works for us...and sometimes not...but as the transcripts from all sessions stay up in the forums set aside some uninterrupted time and be prepared to stretch your brain to take in all the learning you will be doing.

To finish,

A nice roundup of the ten commandments for the happy writer....and a plug for a huge event that a dedicated team of Children’s Literature enthusiasts have spent months preparing.

Storylines National Festival kicks off this Sunday in Wellington at the Town Hall. This is a free family event celebrating literacy with some of New Zealand’s finest writers and illustrators. There will be live performances of loved books, crafts to make, talks by celebrated authors, book demonstrations (we have chefs and gardeners getting hands on...) and how to draw comics with some of NZ’s finest graphic novelists. It’s a mad crazy day and we love it.

Every year the festival seems touch more places in New Zealand so check out the website to see where your nearest full day event is happening. Chris Morphew, of Zac Power and Phoenix Files fame, is our international guest and he will be speaking at an evening event on Tuesday in Wellington. All details on the Storylines website.

See you there.

maureen

Committed To Publishing

2011-08-11T20:42:00.001+12:00

Last night as I was racing to a friends book launch I was thinking about the commitment my friend had made to following a dream and the hard work and sacrifices it entailed.

My friend has been around the publishing industry in one way or another all her working life. She is married to a book designer. As a reviewer and writer she knows how hard it is to get a book in print and that is the easy job compared to getting marketing, reviews and ultimately sales for that book.

Last night John McIntyre of The Children’s Bookshop correctly stated that all those present at the book launch must become the publicists for the wonderful book Johanna and Walter have created. The Fly Trap Snaps. (book one)

The book is beautifully produced as befits a couple of very hands on creative types and is very funny. It rockets along with the hero, Spencer Fogle, outwitting wrestlers and wrestling with genetically engineered carnivorous plants, feckless parents and a Mr Nice Guy former child star who is not very nice at all. The illustrations Sabrina Malcolm has provided sprinkled throughout the book add the finishing touch to a mystery thriller just right for confident readers 8 thru to 12.

I take my hat off to The Hinterland Press Team, Johanna and Walter, for their courage and tenacity in following their dream to bring us a new midgrade hero...(heroes...Dion the talking Venus Fly Trap has my vote as well.) I wish them well and may they have many sales!

Roni Loren has written a great list of ten things she would do differently (and why) if she was starting out to build an author platform now.

Joel Friedlander has written an interesting post about authors getting into video blogging. He has some compelling arguments about why we should and lays out step by step how to do it. It opens up a whole new world for the children’s writer....I was recently talking with a school librarian who told me that Book Trailers were one of the biggest selling points for a books popularity in her school library...just let your mind dwell on that for a moment and then go read what Joel has to say.

Jami Gold has written another thought provoking post on whether children’s books should have a rating system. I sit on the fence mostly on this one. However there are some books that eight year olds, no matter how advanced their reading is, should not be delving into because they lack the life experience to make sense of what they read....and usually they find this out pretty quickly. I wish parents would think about this before they encourage their very bright reader to tackle a young adult book because they can read it!

The Great Jane has another good post looking at ebooks. 5 things beginners need to know about epublishing. Jane has written a quick overview of terms and how to’s.

The SCBWI LA conference has wrapped up and again the conference bloggers did a marvelous job of blogging the whole conference. For a wonderful conference experience drop over to their conference blog go down to the bottom and work your way up. If you are an illustrator make sure you look at all the illustration links....there are some superb illo’s and interviews with the best in the business. If you are a writer, check out the in depth interviews.

A key note speech I wish I had been there for was the great Bruce Colville...Check out this wonderful report where Bruce talks about the Ha Waah Yikes method of story crafting and what makes a good story.

Over on Craicerplus (My Amplify Page) I have links to articles on

Agents As Publishers- Mike Shatzkin has taken a close look at this issue....he says they have no choice....

5 Simple Steps To Create An Audio Book...this is a great resource.

Building Conflict One Cruelty at A Time- Chuck Wendig....this is a great list of how to’s (Warning...Content but you knew that when I said Chuck...)

4 Steps To Unlocking Your Creativity...Step one unplug yourself....

In the Craft Corner,

Bob Mayer asks the question, I will do whatever it takes to be a writer, except don’t ask me to do...?

Time to examine your fears people....

To Finish,

Helen Lowe is having a Thornspell contest on her website. You get to suggest one of her characters and why they should have a stand alone story written about them...three judges get to pick the best one...and she has to write it. Winners get a copy of Thornspell...It’s a great book too...think sleeping beauty then tell it from the princes point of view but add some twists!

Helen is living through the constant earthquakes in Christchurch and although times are tough down there she is hanging in there writing and publishing from the very shaky city....That’s commitment!

Eyes Wide Open

2011-08-04T22:41:00.001+12:00

Today I was discussing the concept of ‘The Hybrid Writer’ with Melinda.

For those of you wondering about what a hybrid writer is...the term has been used lately to describe a writer who has some Traditionally Published work, some Indie published work, some Digital only published work, a mixture, in other words, of publishing outlets for their creativity. Hybrid can also describe a mix of print publishing outlets, Big Press, Small Press and Indie Press.

A writer is a small business of One selling creative works to interested publishers. Some publishers are huge corporations with a commercial focus, some publishers are passionate small businesses with a niche focus and sometimes the publisher is the author who just wants to find a home for a good story. (Yes, it is a business.)

A writer has to be very aware of how each publisher works and what the advantages and disadvantages of each one are to the writer. If you are a regular reader of Craicer you will know that I have linked to many writers discussing the current upheaval in traditional print publishing and why writers must keep informed of the current changes and the impact this will have on their careers.

Roz Morris has two agents and decided to self publish a book with their support....she discusses this move and why she loves the term Hybrid Writer.

In the blogosphere writers are still discussing the implications of agents moving into publishing. Passive Guy who is a lawyer as well as a writing blogger has some interesting comments to make on the Bookends Literary stoush (I linked to last week) and the legal implications for writers and agents. As always please read the comments as they add a fuller picture to the current discussion.

Bob Mayer takes it a step forward by weighing up whether an agent should step into the publisher’s shoes. His arguments are well reasoned and the comments are very meaty. There are lots of issues for the writer to think about. Step Into This World With Your Eyes Wide Open!

Laura Paulin discusses with her readers the impact of vanishing shelf space in her local chain bookstore. As the bookstore becomes increasingly filled with novelties and not books, what impact will this have on the writer?

Kris Rusch explains how carrying less books in a bookstore leaves writers with less time than ever to promote their book before it is pulped. Even the big name authors are hurting...when you can’t find any earlier books by them in the bookstore, something is up.

Victoria Strauss of Writer Beware detailed this week the cruel hoax perpetrated on a new writer who was led to believe they had a reputable agent and a book auction in three days...except the agency had never heard of her.

Anne R Allen is sharing the load over at her popular blog and in the post introducing her new blogging buddy she shares 6 things that writers won’t miss about the big 6 ‘when they’re gone’

Jane Friedman has taken issue with Adrian Zacheim’s blog post on The Myth Of Self Publishing. If you are thinking about this take a look at the arguments put forward.

Over in the craft corner,

For all you closet comic readers out there, superheronation has defined 17 stock plots for getting Bruce Wayne into and out of trouble.

Harry Potter For Writers takes a look at how the final battles of Deathly Hallows were crafted and what writers can learn from the twists and turns of the story arc.

Jane Friedman has posted her worksheets for writers to help them become pitch ready.

Over on Craicerplus (My Amplify Page) I have links to articles on

New Book Anaylytics App

Finding Qualified Book Reviewers

Q R Code Mistakes

To finish,

If you are thinking about dipping your toe in the water with ebooks, Sarah Billington has set up an ebook project management business. Sarah has expertise in cover design editing and formatting. Check out her site and her unbelievable rates.....

SCBWI LA summer conference is about to start. You can attend it virtually by hanging out at the SCBWI blog...I have done this for the last two years and although I get a case of writer envy there are lots of little bon mots to share. It all helps to keep me informed about what is happening in children’s publishing.

How are you staying informed?

maureen

Gotta Fly...

2011-07-28T14:51:00.001+12:00

This week’s blog post is going to be an ‘on the fly’ posting.

It could have been a rant on the NZ government screwing up the school terms for the benefit of the rugby world cup...meaning that all primary sport tournaments have changed...leaving us with conflicting schedules all over the place...

It could have been a thoughtful look at the impact of the reorganisation of chain bookstores and the rise of indie bookstores and authors selling direct in Australia and New Zealand.

It could have been a rant about the first released pics of the male lead characters in the Hunger Games film and how my teen has just found time to start reading the book after I warned her not to do so because her Nationals are this weekend and she needs her sleep. It is unputdownable and why do teen male leads have to look like beef cakes...this is not reality that I have seen...are we setting boys up to fail in the beauty stakes?

It could be about the wonderful Wellington Children’s Book Association AGM tonight where we celebrate the year with a panel discussion on Is Storytelling Dead?

We hope not...

But on the Twitter feeds at the moment there is discussion about the LA Times dropping all their book reviewers...and how Forbes Magazine is highlighting their ‘content creators.’ (Sort of a formalising of the brave new world...)

Jane Friedman has gone out on her own, because she has the clout to do so after maximising her visibility through Writers Digest...(Something Forbes maybe trying to tie up, by giving their journo’s permission to do likewise.) Jane has a great take on how to transition yourself...

Over on Craft

Jami Gold looks at Character Driven vs Plot and how we fall one way or the other...and Procrastinating Writer has one on Establishing Writing Rituals.

Over on Craicerplus ( My Amplify Page) I have links to articles on

Indie, Big 6 and Small Press Publishing (and how a writer can do all three)

The Hybrid Writer........(you have permission to be one)

To finish,

I would have talked about the huge stoush/debate/argument/angsting going on over at Bookends Literary blog over their decision to set up an epublishing arm. This has become the place where the whole agents becoming publishers debate is being held! At least they are trying to engage the writing community....tho some want to hang them out to dry...

And I was going to look at why book trailers could be the next big thing in your marketing arsenal following on from last week...

And this year’s Bulwer Lytton winners are out...(for the worst opening sentence)

But I have to fly...AGM’s... Tournaments...and National Dance events...are all steaming towards me....

maureen

pic is from Gizmodo...a new plane design

Banging The Drum...

2011-07-21T18:01:00.001+12:00

This week there has been a lot of interest and discussion around the internet on author self promotion.

Writers always struggle with self promotion. If your typical writer is an introvert type then your typical marketer is an extrovert type. As writers we are encouraged to have an online presence and be Google searchable. We must be actively promoting our books as publishing companies are not going to do this unless you are a 6 figure income author.

Increasingly the word around the web is that the big names get promoted, the midlist has to do their own promotion and debut authors have only the one book to make an impact. Bob Mayer had an excellent post which I linked to last week on what to do about this.

Children’s writers have a harder struggle with self promotion. Who do they promote to? Their readers are not the buyers of the books. If you have an online presence who is it being aimed at? Most children’s writers stick to a static web page with biographical information for children’s book reports and information about their books. Some writers develop teacher pages with teaching notes to support their books. This is a sort of ‘build-it-and-they-will-come’ mentality. However many writers are finding this is not enough and they have to engage with the community...and we’re back to who is the community the children’s writer has to engage with?

Janice Hardy has an excellent article addressing this for mid grade writers. If you are a children’s writer this is a must read. Janice has identified the ‘Influencers’ that a children’s writer must be aware of and cater to.

Nathan Bransford has been struggling with the self promotion part of being a children’s writer now that he has crossed over to the other side of the desk. Nathan has a very popular blog and his community (his readers) is made up of writers from all over the writing spectrum.

Nathan tried to promote his book on his blog and found that it was not the success he had hoped for. This led Laura Pauling to write a wonderful article on Nathan’s problem and what he could do better. The comments are especially good as the top children’s writer bloggers have all weighed in to discuss the tricky art of self promotion.

Jody Hedlund has a great article on author marketing and who it is for...not the author.

CopyBlogger takes a hard hitting approach to online marketing...some tips in there for writers and Tony Eldridge has gathered a list of his top ten marketing posts for authors.

The wonderful Writer Unboxed has a list of the 5 Must Do Book Publicity tips...starting from 6 months out...

In the craft section,

Julie Musil takes a look at why Jodi Piccoult is a best seller (news today from Publishers Weekly Jodi is writing a YA with her daughter.)

Taleist takes a look at mind mapping and how Authors can use this tool and Passwordincorrect has a nifty new way to make ebook covers.

Over on Craicerplus (My Amplify Page) I have links to articles on

Supporting Indie Bookstores WinWin...( this is a great article, go here if the button is broken)

26 Tips for Using Images To Engage...tips for websites and fan pages

12 Easy Tips for Making A Viral Video Trailer (takes the hard work out of researching)

Google ebooks Lands Pottermore

To finish,

Self publishing coach has a top ten list of blogs to follow for authors...these are all related to marketing in some way...whether it is Joe Konrath talking about why to do it to Bookbuzzr telling you how to do it...

If you are wondering whether all the above relates to the principles of marketing... David Meerman Scott has taken a close look at the 4 P’s of marketing and discovered that in this new digital age...they are broken.

The FaBo team are still going strong and letting the current genre (Horror) have a few weeks more because of the holidays...In the sidebar there is a nifty little note to the kids about new books from the team that they might be interested in...a subtle kind of marketing...

I’d love to be able to scream buy my new book (long story)...but I’ll have to settle for Buy The FaBo Teams New Books - they will be very good and Christmas is coming up...

maureen

Headpottering On Kids Lit...

2011-07-14T22:37:00.002+12:00

Yesterday at 1pm NZ time Kidlitchat had their two year anniversary.

Kidlitchat is a real time Twitter conversation with children’s writers that happens each week. The moderators Greg Pincus and Bonnie Adamson set the topic in advance. You log on to Twitter and type #kidlitchat into search and join in the conversation.

Yesterday the topic was, Why do you write kidlit? As ever there were heaps of wonderful comments but these four beautifully encapsulated why I love writing and reading Children’s Literature.

I write because my brain is perpetually 12 -Raina Telgemeier

I write for the kid I was - Laurel Snyder

There’s nothing on earth more difficult to write or more strenuous- It’s magnificent -Kelly Barnhill

Why Kidlit?-because I’ve always loved reading it (then and now) because I want to make kids laugh/cry/wonder – Debbie Ohi

In 1998 I read a comment on an international authors thread about how a new book just out was getting a wonderful word of mouth reception...(there was no marketing being done.) I asked John at The Children’s Bookshop if he had heard of ‘the philosophers stone’ book and he sold me his last copy...he had bought just a few. This book, and the six that came after it, transformed the publishing world but most of all it transported children to a magical reading place.

I read the book in a sitting...then started it with my class. Within a week mothers were coming to me to ask where they could buy the book...especially mothers with boys. By the time I was half way through the book (and we read every day) half the class had their own copies and were reading along with me. The book caused a phenomenon in the playground with other teachers queuing up to grab my copy.

There have been many comments about how the series needed better editing or better language or was too formulaic...but nothing can take away the fact that millions of kids were turned onto reading and a 700 page book set in this magical world was too short in their opinion. I watched kids reading ability sky rocket and I am forever grateful to Joanne Rowling for the priceless gift she gave children...literacy.

So it is with a heavy heart that I prepare to go and see the last Harry Potter film. (The end of an era.) It has been a much discussed and analysed series in this house with my teen growing up with the books and my middle child (not a reader) finally discovering the book series last year and going from the bottom reading group to the top one in six months. I know that I will cry probably before the film starts...because I can see the faces of all the kids I read those books too...looking up at me, their eyes wide, hanging on every word.

And to give that gift to children, with my own words, would be the best gift I could ever imagine...so that’s why I write kidslit.

In the link list today Joe Wikert (publisher) talks about J K Rowlings ground breaking decision to make her ebooks DRM free. It is a thoughtful article on where he thinks publishing should go.

Rachelle Gardner, agent extraordinaire, has put together a one stop shop on publishing information. She is always an insightful read and she doesn’t sugar coat, so it is top information.

Laura Pauling has done the same for agents who are becoming publishers. This topic is still being discussed and debated so if you are trying to get up to speed on this very important issue have a look at Laura’s list.

Dan Elish has written a guest post on the GLA Blog that is a must bookmark. 5 tips to making a cool YouTube video to promote your book. This is a great how to do it and make it go viral.

Sort of linked but way out there...there is a new video blog in town. Ernesto Verdugo has started a videocast about links to make your website go zing...Just take a look at the topics covered in episode one! (on his overview transcript.)

In the craft section

Jenny Hanson talks about Margie Lawson and her ten best ever writing tips...this is another post to book mark. Margie Lawson is a much sought after master class teacher.

Over on Craicerplus I have links to articles on...

The New Midlist –Self Publishing...take some time to read this article.

To finish, two thought provoking articles...

Bob Mayer, as ever, is pushing writers to keep their options open and challenging publishers to start moving with the times. In this great article he looks at the recent Thriller Conference he attended and how attitudes might be changing towards self publishing.

Faith Hunter overheard the three most stupid things to come out of a wannabe authors mouth in a pitch session. She examines why these utterances will ensure that the work will never be looked at...Thank God my readers are not this dumb!

I’m off to wallow in nostalgia...

Enjoy,
maureen

Pic is the wizard herself...
N.B. Headpottering is a term my university friends came up to describe a deep thinking session....25 years ago. (gulp)

Doing The Right Thing...

2011-07-07T17:45:00.002+12:00

Over the last few days one of my friends has been having an interesting time with a National television programme.

My friend is a Wild Foods blogger. She writes about and is interviewed for her expertise in harvesting and preparing wild food. The television programme in question was using her recipe in a cooking demonstration on the show and attributing them to their guest celebrities on the programmes website. Unfortunately they weren’t acknowledging her in any way or the other chefs whose recipes were taken and appropriated by the show.

If you post things on the internet you take the risk of having someone like it so much they use it and claim it as their own. This is plagiarism. For some scummy people it is fair game and the amount of website content that is stolen and repackaged as eBooks is frightening. Be careful about the eBooks you buy. The best thing you can do on your websites is to say copyright on your content somewhere on the front page or to use a creative commons licence. A Creative Commons license means people can use your work (but not make money off it) so long as they attribute it to you. There are various licenses that you can use. Check out this cool video that tells you all about it.

My friend received a sort of an apology this morning from the TV show. What her friends were wondering on Face Book was How come the TV Network can have teams of lawyers looking out for any breach of copyright on their own behalf but can allow their programmes to not offer the same courtesy back.

Acknowledgement takes only a moment and shows that you are a fair person and a responsible internet user.

Cory Doctorow has a great post on donations to creative people as a direct interface between reader and writer. He is documenting his self pubbed ebook, ‘With A Little Help,’ experiment through his blog and Publishers Weekly column. ‘Pay The Creator You Love’ is the catch phrase and Cory is all for it.

Bubblecow have a great post on Seven Publishing Companies who have embraced ebook and ebook marketing in creative ways. They are respecting their authors and the creative content.

Google have been rolling out their Google plus site. This is direct competition to Facebook. Greg Pincus checks out what Google has to offer for authors with Google plus. Lets be careful out there.

In the Craft Corner

I read a lot. It is called research. (hehehe) At tax time I get to count up all the books I have bought for research purposes and wince a little. I try to be careful in what I buy, after all I might be called upon to explain to the taxman why I claimed it on my tax return. Yesterday a package of books arrived for me from the wonderful Book Depository (they have free delivery and to NZ that is a Godsend.) In the pack was a book (which I can’t get here easily) by my favourite midgrade author Gordon Korman. Last night I devoured it and started it all over again today. Why am I telling you this? Gordon has a great handle on voice and first lines and I just happen to have links to great posts on these.

I was thirteen the first time I saw a police officer up close. He was arresting me for driving without a license. At the time, I didn't even know what a license was. I wasn't too clear on what being arrested meant either. Schooled by Gordon Korman

Check out First lines by The Writers Alley and Tips on Discovering Your Characters Voice from the wonderful Bookshelf Muse Team.

Cheryl Reif has a good post on Ten Ways To Craft A Sense Of Place

Over on Craicerplus (My Amplify Page) I have links to articles on

The Art Of Being Different- Justine Musk is an inspiration.

6 Ways To Improve Face Book Fan Pages

The 7 Ways To Improve Viral Videos

To Finish,

Tony Eldridge has posted a few gems on his blog this week. First he talks about the impact Dean Wesley Smiths Brilliant idea (which I have blogged about and if you haven’t read it Do So Now) has been on the marketing of his book and second he has a link to great freebies for authors to check out...

enjoy,

maureen

pic from here

Gate Keepers And Their Shiny New Keys...

2011-06-30T19:52:00.001+12:00

The Gate Keepers jobs are changing.

The big news in the writing blogosphere this week is Agents Becoming Publishers. From a few testing out the brave new world of ebook publishing (see a previous blog post of mine) a couple of months ago, this week more agents are jumping into the publishing water.

What does this mean for writers?

Unscrupulous agents can take their 15% as agent and pass you on to their publishing arm which may take 50% as the publisher. A few agents are renting their services out for flat fees. A writer must weigh up very carefully the pros and cons of traditional agent services and ‘new’ agent services....

Anne R Allen has written an excellent blog post looking at the new moves from the agents and weighing up the advantages for the writer. Writer Beware has a blog post examining the ethical issues surrounding the ‘new agency’ model. Elisabeth S Craig has a good post on why she is still keeping her agent under the traditional model.

If you are in the market for an agent or thinking it may be a good idea in the future, read these and be aware of how agencies are changing in this brave new world.

Another big move this week was the launch of Pottermore, JK Rowling’s new website, ebook publisher, storefront and fan club all rolled into one site. Phyllis Miller comments upon the changes that the launch of Pottermore might have on the ebook marketplace...especially the ditching of DRM (Digital Rights Management) on the Potter ebooks. Publishers Weekly is taking a ho hum approach while commenting on how rare it is that a writer still has ebook rights...

If you have a successful brand, and J K Rowling does, why not look at what merchandising opportunities you can get out of it. You are a business after all. You have created the characters and the world etc etc...a range of clothing, mugs and stationary can be sold exclusively from your website. One of my favourite authors Jasper Fforde (NYT describes him as Harry Potter for grown ups) is doing it and if it is Ok for an Adult Writer to do it...surely a Children’s Writer can do it.

Joe Konrath has a great post on how to make your ebooks another storefront for your work. Put the blurb on the front cover...such simple advice.... Anne Allen has a post on the new trend of using ebooks as queries, and the reverse, Agents looking to rep successful ebook writers...sticky sticky.

In the craft corner,

The League Of Extraordinary Writers has a great post on Dystopian Rites of Passage.

Bob Mayer has taken a good look at great plot. You must get Primal!

Over on Craicerplus (My Amplify Page) I have links to articles on

5 Things More Important Than Talent- this is a great post...lots of comment on this.

Ten Terrifying Questions For Authors...how do the great and the good do it?

The Art Of Being Different-Justine Musk. Justine writes a wonderful blog and this article is a great self affirming read...because all of us writers are quirky and interesting, aren’t we?

To finish,

I was having an email chat with Dylan Owen of The National Library of New Zealand (Children’s Collection) about being on a panel addressing the topic of whether storytelling was dead.(upcoming AGM of WCBA)

In the conversation I referred to a problem I have been mulling over lately, the fact that traditional gate keepers seem to be reluctant to get involved in children’s ebook reviewing. Dylan was able to give me some hot off the press news. School Library Journal has started a new review blog looking at apps for children and Dylan was about to extend the School Library Service, Create Readers blog that reviews books to include ebooks...

So the Gate Keepers have some new hats to try on and some new shiny keys to play with...

maureen

pic The gates of Graceland.

Promote Inspiration....

2011-06-23T17:41:00.001+12:00

This week the FaBo team were thrilled when we received an email from an ecstatic teacher telling us how the first week’s challenge had inspired the whole school.

All the senior classes and most of the middle school are doing it for writing now and hopefully they will all enter. My breaktime FaBo group has stopped because they are all doing it in class. Teachers have been using what they wrote in the in staff meeting as models for their children... A couple of classes have been planning menus for your hamburger competition. When I was on lunch duty today I could hear kids talking about Sher Lock while they were eating and a group of kids were in the library redrafting their stories at lunchtime. I have put together a group of gifted and talented senior children to work with and have been given 90minutes release time a fortnight to do it. I have never seen the staff so excited about writing!

It is great to receive such positive feedback and to know that in our small way we have made an impact.

Actually all the FaBo team did a happy dance and we have silly grin’s on our faces. Any author will tell you that an enthusiastic response from a reader (especially kids coz they are tough critics) is worth the sleepless nights and the hair pulling when we were crafting the story.

FaBo is an interesting experiment for us all. It is a chance to directly engage with the kids who read our books and stretch ourselves at the same time. We are learning about group blogging and marketing and the ‘keep at it, the rewards will come’ style of putting something new out there. (it’s a bit like writing really. It gets better.) It is inspiring and challenging and fabbo. (sorry team couldn’t resist.)

Elizabeth Spann Craig has a guest post on Spunk On A Stick about promotion traditional and 21st century style. There are some good tips here so take a look.

How many books should you have written before you think of indie publishing? What kind of benchmarks do you need? Bob Mayer has written another thought provoking post which has generated much comment in the writing blogosphere.

Seth Godin’s Domino project has had a lot of attention in the past few months but this link is in the Holy Wow category. Seth links to Jenny Blake’s Spreadsheet for Book Promotion. It is a jaw dropping one stop shop from planning the cover to the book tour and everything in between. Click on the links and be amazed.

Jody Hedlund has taken the 'steady as she goes,' way to work out how much time you should spend marketing your book.

Justine Musk has a brilliant post on the necessity to market yourself and how to keep your brand consistent. Are there lines and logos that you regularly use? (Hmm spot mine which I didn’t realise until I read Justine’s Post.)

In the craft corner,

What can Star Trek teach us about great writing. This is a comprehensive look at storytelling in the J J Abrams style.

Following on from last week... here is a link to creating QR Codes.

Over on Craicerplus (My Amplify Page) I have links to articles about

When Women Write Male Charaters

Would You Apply For This Job?.....( great job, pity about the pay.)

Thinking About Publishing On A Kindle....

On a new job note...The wonderful Storytime bookshop is for sale! (if you always wanted a specialist children’s bookshop...) We all hope the new owner will be just as great as Malcolm.

Chris Guillebeau writes one of the most inspiring blogs out there. I am a regular reader. This week he has written a great post about making money online. Many of his thousands of followers think it will rank in the all time top ten...what do you think?

To finish,

When you get bunches of Children’s Writers and Illustrators together something wonderful always happens...From FaBo and the wacky writing challenge to our Inspiring Colleagues promoting this great message in the following video.

It Get’s Better!

enjoy,

maureen

Passionate About....

2011-06-16T22:02:00.001+12:00

FaBo Story is back!

Nine wacky writers get together to deliver another challenging writing experience to New Zealand kids. Come over to Planet FaBo and let your imagination go. (coz we need it.) This is a writing blog with a difference.

This week in the writing blogosphere there has been a discussion over writing blogs and whether they are worth the time it takes and does it really have anything to do with your brand. This has morphed into sub discussions over branding and the worth, in general, of Social Media.

Kristen Lamb kicked it off with the first half of her Common Blogging Misconceptions post about writing what you are passionate about rather than just another writing blog. This week she looks at managing the blog effectively.

So what am I doing here?

I write a blog about what’s topical in the publishing world with a smattering of craft tips and odd things I have enjoyed while looking for other things.

What am I passionate about?

You could say Space, Teaching, Writing for kids....actually I’m passionate about Learning. I love Learning. I can’t help it. I like finding out stuff. I started this blog three years ago to learn about the internet and then social media just sort of fell into it and along the way I discovered great craft tips and new tech and there you have it.

FaBo Story began the same way. A group of kiwi writers started talking on Facebook about how we could have some fun writing an online book and interact with kids, getting them to write alongside us and so Fabo Story was born. Because the kids are such good writers we had to have a bit of a rest before we did it again...and make it harder so they didn’t out write us every time. (we do have our pride.) And we are developing the brand...by accident.

The Book Designer has a great post on Author Brand. It clarifies what you, the author, should be thinking about.

Alan Rinzler has taken a careful look at what it means to be a writer today in this new publishing world and as he is one of the most experienced editors around, he is worth reading.

Raymond Benson has a guest post on Joe Konraths Blog about his experience with epublishing. Do you realise that you are in it for the long haul? What else should you be doing with the new publishing experience?

Someone I noticed this week with a new publishing experience was PJ Hoover. She has brought out trading cards to go with her ebook Solstice. The Trading Cards have Q R Codes. What’s this I thought and dived into the world of two dimensional barcodes which show enhanced content via smart phones. And this is available for kids. Brave New World, step this way....One company has even Q R coded the classics so you can read while waiting in line.

In the Craft Corner, there are two absolute standouts for you to devour.

Elana Johnson has a guest post on the wonderful Bookshelf Muse about creating the Dystopian World.

The phenomenal Kidlit team have the Complications worksheet. This is a brilliant aid to plotting that you will want to bookmark.

Over on Craicerplus (My Amplify page) I have links to articles on

Call For Submissions- A new publisher to have a look at.

What Went Wrong With The Star Wars Prequels...(Read it and see what not do with great storytelling.)

To finish,

The YASaves debate is still going on. (see last weeks post) Today Jay Asher of 13 Reasons Why, was asked his opinion. As you can imagine it was to the point. It is all about the readers and their experience, The Young Adults understand it, their parents might not.

This week I passed the following link on to people who were looking at wonderful backlists with no idea what gold it contained for them now.

Bob Mayer has taken a good hard look at Indie vs Trad debate and has basically said stop taking sides and start taking advantage. He has some very pointed advice for publishers and authors and agents.

Read it. Think about it. See how it can work for You. Be Passionate.

enjoy,

maureen