Beyond the Mind Maze

Category: Platform building

  • Time-saving Tips for using stockphoto sites (plus casting for Fate Accompli)

    www.depositphotos.com - Picture by stockfoto-graf
    http://www.depositphotos.com – Picture by stockfoto-graf

    I’ll start with a fact: I’m a cover junkie. Whenever I’m browsing Amazon, and my eyes fall on a great-looking cover, I find my forefinger’s pad tingling to tap the “Buy with 1-click” button. And then I have to force myself to consider my monthly book budget; if it’s the beginning of the month, I’m toast!

    When I decided to go down the self-publishing route, I knew that one of the perks was that I got to decide what my cover would look like. No generic stockphoto images that screamed “hot romance” would do for me—an established practice for the majority of romance imprints. I needed the characters I created, nourished and came to love to find the perfect casting, and the Casting Director job would be mine and mine alone. Plus, having no big publisher promoting me, I needed the resulting cover to stand out even in thumbnail size. The fact that ebook covers are seen by the majority of readers in a very small size, obscuring details should be seriously factored in when designing your cover.

    Branding

    Now, what makes a cover truly stand out? In my opinion, it’s a mix of originality and branding, or rather originality in branding.

    Keywords

    When branding a product, marketers say, the first thing you do is write down its keywords. Now, when we’re dealing with a genre-specific book, these keywords have to resonate the genre not the plot—think “small size”. For example, a major key concept of my novel is its location: Fate Accompli’s story has a Greek island backdrop so my keywords were “seascape”, “sunset”, “beach” and the general quality I went for was “stunning”—bold, striking colors.

    Next step was to start browsing stockphoto sites, and, boy, there are a lot out there! You could try finding free images, and this is the best list of free image sources I’ve found, but I wanted a professional-looking cover, so I headed over to the pros. Here’s a list of the 18 top stock photo libraries which, however, does not include Depositphotos which, in the end, became my go-to site. (It offers a free photo or sometimes a free video to its subscribers every week!)

    Tip Time: To save time, you can use Everystockphoto. It’s a search engine that will turn out both free and licensed images.

    Stockphoto sites offer you different pricing plans: from daily or monthly subscriptions with varying downloading limits to pay-as-you-go credits or images on demand. Prices differ too. What’s common to all is the two types of licenses: standard and extended (or enhanced).

    Tip Time: Any image used for a book cover requires a Standard License (the cheaper kind). Trust me, I got the info straight from the horse’s mouth.

    So, coming back to my cover, my heroine’s red hair pointed me to a dawn or sunset color palette. It didn’t take me really long to locate this image, and it took my breath away.

    Sunset Large

    That image became Fate Accompli’s branding basis. I’ve created my Facebook and Twitter banners with that as a background as well as the header in my brand new YouTube channel.

    Searching for characters

    Introducing Monica

    Monica is 24, holds an MBA, but she suffers from a type of emotional growth stunting. How else would you call the fact that the motive behind her determination to get an early degree with Honors stemmed from this crippling need to gain validation from a guy she barely knows? Her stepbrother’s (former) best friend? She hasn’t laid eyes on Alex in nine years, but he made such an impact on her in her teens, he became an omnipresent force in her life. And he doesn’t have a clue!

    Monica is a redhead. Pleasant to look at but not a stunner. Young, fresh, likable, a young girl trying to find her identity while fighting traumas in a childhood that deprived her of her father and turned her mother into a trophy wife of a despot. The victim of incessant denigration, she’s naturally insecure but inherently optimistic. And strong.

    ??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????
    depositphotos.com Photo by khorzhevska

    It took me hours upon hours of browsing to locate the right Monica. What I got when entering the basic keywords (young woman, redhead, portrait) were heavily made up women with a sultry look. I did locate her, however, on Shutterstock. And bought her in Large (sorry about the object reference, but I am referring to the image right now). Wrong move. The exact same image was available on Depositphotos for a cheaper price (or rather a cheaper plan). But, although I had searched there for hours, the same keywords hadn’t turned up that image.

    Super Tip Time: If you find an image on a stockphoto site, and you want to check if the same image is available on other sites, possibly cheaper, you can right-click on the image, choose ‘Search Google for this image’ and bingo! You get all available locations of the same image.

    Introducing Alex

    On the outside, Alex Argiros is king. He runs a successful natural stone giant, he’s good looking, fit, healthy, a player … and miserable. Alex wanted to become a doctor. He never cared for corner offices with a view. But his father’s dying wish was to turn the company around after his business partner’s betrayal. And Greeks don’t take their father’s dying wish lightly. Alex dropped out of a promising residency in a New York hospital and became a success in an area that left him cold. Needless to say that the driving force behind his success was to see Stavros Chrissos, his father’s nemesis, ruined. If he knew that the girl he hired as his PA was that man’s stepdaughter, he would have thrown her out on the curb, no questions asked. He ends up loving her. Until he finds out…

    depositphotos.com Photo by darkfreya
    depositphotos.com Photo by darkfreya

    Alex gave me an even harder time to locate. My keywords were “handsome”, “male model”, “dark hair”, but “handsome” is, well, a very subjective notion. I found a lot of passable guys, so I made good use of the Lightbox solution offered by most stock photo sites.

    Tip Time: If you’re registered on a stockphoto site, hovering over an image will give you the option of storing it in a ‘Lightbox’. Lightboxes are essentially folders you create to store your potential downloads. Very useful!

    This guy was my favorite. I find him objectively handsome plus his thick brows and hair are just as I had described Alex—the blue eyes could easily darken to suit my stereotypically Greek male—so I went for him … so to speak. My initial idea was to have only his portrait in the Spicy version, with Monica on the Clean, but when I tried this model on that backdrop, the result screamed “gay romance”. So I opted for Monica on both covers (stronger branding) and Alex accompanying Monica on the Spicy.

    Tip Time: Tin Eye is a ‘reverse’ images search engine. You upload an image or add its URL, and it tells you where it came from plus if other resolutions exist! Plus it has a browser plug-in. How awesome is that?

    My Casting Director job was now done! I sent the three photos to, George Saliaris a graphic artist I had connected with on Facebook and whose portfolio I had liked, gave him my concept and asked how much he would charge to put the whole thing together. His price was 25 Euros ($31.5) for each cover when a professional cover designer would charge even ten times as much. Of course, the images’ rights had already been purchased by me, so the overall cost for one cover would amount to $40.00. The two covers I did cost cheaper as I used the same images on both.

    girlcover_152x228_final

    The Clean and Spicy stamps used to further separate the two versions (Clean & Spicy) was an awesome suggestion by Nicholas Rossis, author of the epic fantasy series, Pearseus. They are barely discernible in the thumbnail size, but I have used the terms on the Amazon book title as well, so I think the distinction is clearly displayed on each book’s Amazon page.

    And … voilà!

    girlcover_152x228_finalI think my goal to create a simple but visually attracting romance book cover that references summer (a subtle notion of a Greek island setting) was achieved.

    And today those covers are out for the world to see, and have on their tablet, phone or Kindle! Along with the book, of course!

    If this article enhanced your knowledge on cover creation or working with stockphoto sites, I’d appreciate something in return:

    Thanks for reading, and any ideas, questions or pointers you have feel free to share in the comments’ section.

    _____________

    Fate Accompli is now out on Amazon in two heat versions. The links below will take you directly to your Amazon store.

    Fait Accompli - Spicy version

    Fate Accompli Spicy: getBook.at/FateSpicy

    Fate Accompli Clean: getBook.at/FateClean

    If you’d like to read the first chapters of Fate Accompli, they’re available on Wattpad.

  • Tour book companies: Host them before you hire them!

    Source: depositphotos.com
    Source: depositphotos.com

    Okay, your manuscript is complete, edited and proofread, and a launching date is dancing in your head. Bravo! In the meantime (hopefully) you’ve spent serious time building your platform. You’ve connected with like-minded authors, hosted them in your blog, made use of “pay it forward” in the most generous way since you still have no wares to hawk, and you know that these kind people will be more than happy to help you when your time in the spotlight comes. But will that spotlight shed enough light on you?

    Unless you’ve been extremely lucky to have a big name, same-genre author with a massive following at your beck and call, most likely, you’ve connected with talented but recently published or aspiring authors, who, like you, have been seeking information on how to build an author platform on solid foundation.

    I have made wonderful friends these past ten months, and they are more than willing to host the upcoming cover reveal for Fate Accompli, my debut novel, but only two of these nice and generous friends are established romance writers with a specific genre following. How much can I rely on my fantasy/paranormal/thriller/horror friends’ readers taking more than a cursory look at a book that’s been meticulously branded as a contemporary romance?

    On the other hand, being active on Goodreads, I know there are dozens of hyper-active bloggers who promote and review books in my genre. But they’re not writers. I can’t say, “Hi! Your book sounds interesting. Hop on my blog for a nice WIP interview,” and connect. I tried connecting through Twitter or Facebook, but this was time consuming, and I didn’t feel it got me anywhere.

    Enter virtual book tour companies. These companies thrive on bloggers, and bloggers feast on them. The tour operators need their clients’ book to get as many stops on the tour as possible (or as many as the plan the client has purchased allows) and the bloggers are reading addicts who need tons of books that they couldn’t possibly afford to pay to curb their “need for read”. (I say that in the best possible way as I’m just like that.)

    What I suggest, if you’re a blogger/soon-to-be-published writer/reader like me, is to search for book tour companies in your genre and sign up as a blog host before hiring them. Check out the advantages:

    • You instantly become part of their entire bloggers’ network
    • You get easier access to other bloggers’ sites through commenting on posts regarding a book you also hosted
    • Other bloggers, doing the book tour rounds, will stop at your blog and connect.
    • You get more traffic on your own blog.
    • You get to check out soon-to-be-released books of your genre and also gauge the competition.
    • You can get tons of free books that you choose to review or promote on your blog.
    • Through reviewing you connect with same-genre authors (all authors love to connect with readers who spent time reading and reviewing their books).

    and last but not least…

    • You evaluate the book tour company’s services (how many bloggers sign up, how responsive they are, the quality of the material sent to you) BEFORE you hand them your good money to promote your book.

    I’ve been hosting for some months now, more actively during the summer, and my experience can only be described as positive. First off, I got to read Truly, Ruthie Knox’s new contemporary romance for FREE! (Sorry, that had to top my list as I’m a huge Ruthie Knox fan.) I’ve connected with bloggers, and I feel that when they see me coming out as an author, they’ll be inclined to pick up my book and blog about it. I’ve connected with the book tour operators on a personal level, and I feel more confident approaching them as a client. I read six free books in August alone! Need I say more?

    Actually, I do. How do you go about finding virtual book tour companies? Here are some suggestions:

    • Google them. E.g. “science fiction virtual book tours”. You will get results.
    • Ask same-genre authors for suggestions.
    • Join Facebook or Goodreads groups on your genre and ask the members directly.
    • Ask a company that focuses on a different genre to suggest a promoter that accepts yours. They are well connected.

    Important notice: Always check a site’s Alexa ranking before doing business with them. For more on that, read Effosyni Moschoudi’s post: Do you check with Alexa before parting with your money? Solid advice there!

    If you’re a romance writer, I recommend the following companies for which I’ve hosted (random order).

    a7367-button

     

    Since you’ve come this far, see if these blog posts are helpful:

    When beta readers come with an agenda

    5 ways new writers can chase away potential readers

  • The 4 elements of a click-worthy title

    golden 100

    Hurrah! This is my 100th blog post, so I thought I’d apply myself a little more with a shareable post!

    Back to the title of the post: I tried what I preach with it. (Okay, aiming for a pun, I almost wrote “Headlines: your head is in the line”, which would be a tad over-reaching.) Nevertheless, the point is that if the title of your post, article or even your tweet is blah no one will turn their head your way (there I go again). I might lack experience, but I always count on my instinct and empathy skills. So, in order to turn the headline “skimmer” into an actual reader of my content, I try to think beyond of a summary of what my post contains. I try to create a title that resonates and attracts.

    But if we were to put that in a title how would it read?

    As the excellent article on copyblogger, entitled Writing Headlines That Get Results suggests, one of The Four U’s of writing headlines is Be Useful To The Reader. Before choosing a title, think: What will the reader gain from reading it? I tried this with my “5 Ways New Writers Chase Away Potential Readers” blog post which has proved to be my most successful so far with over 1,000 views in two days and 70+ comments (okay, there’s also spam I have yet to delete–but a spam-attracting post is a successful post!). I’m not a big name. I don’t have impressive credentials. So, if so many people made it to my actual blog, they must have clicked on the title after seeing it on some of the social media platforms I use, or (most likely) through retweets by friends with a bigger following.

    I hope I’ve managed to convince you that the title was definitely catchy and click-worthy. What made it so?

    • It starts with a number. 5 ways. A number always presents something concrete. That’s always appealing. But it’s also a low number. I’ve often come across headlines boasting of showing you “50 ways” to overcome an obstacle. Way too many ways for the impatient reader! Can I tell you a secret? My 5 ways article refers to a lot more than five erroneous tactics new writers tend to follow. But I rounded these up into 5 broad categories, which allowed me to use the number “5” instead of a bigger number which might have discouraged people from taking the time to read. In other words: Be succinct.
    • It brands the target audience. 5 ways new writers. New writers were indeed the majority of the readers of this post, but also experienced writers were interested, as they wanted to see if they had followed these tactics themselves when they started out. In other words: Be focused.
    • It hits the target audience were it hurts–excuse the poignancy, but “chasing away potential readers” is the one thing a new writer would want to avoid at all costs. The whole idea of self-publishing and promoting your book is to “attract” as many readers as possible. And here I am, telling you that you might be doing the exact opposite! Wouldn’t that intrigue you to see if I’m right? (Of course, the idea that I might be seen as overstepping my boundaries since I’m not published worried me, so I started the article by clarifying that I was writing from a seasoned reader’s perspective.) In other words: (Don’t be afraid to…) Be evocative.
    • It ends with a lollipop! – “potential readers”, to writers, are the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. We want them! We want them all! So anything that refers to them, we usually read. In other words: Be appealing. Use sensory words and newfangled terms. If you can’t come up with any, read more edgy romance. Those ladies are surely creative!(Where do you think “click-worthy” came from?) 🙂

    So, that was the anatomy of my top title in terms of “clickability” based on WordPress statistics. Combine the above with the Four U’s of the copyblogger article, and see what you can come up with yourselves!

    Also, I hope I gave you an idea of “repurposing content”! Until I come up with anything remotely as popular, I thought I’d bring my older post to the surface again! What!? Not everybody has read it! 😉

    Read the other three U’s of writing headlines on Brian Clark’s site:

    Writing Headlines That Get Results

    by  
    Further reading:

    Any further insight on how to create magnetic headlines? Use the comment form!

     

  • When beta readers come with an agenda

    WHENI just read an article by Victoria Strauss for the Writer Beware blog which verified my own suspicions based on the following incident:

    I recently published a favorable review of an author’s novel, and I was browsing other reviews it had received on Amazon when I saw one that really stood out: it was a mean-spirited, venom-spitting piece in total contrast with what other readers thought of the book in question. You’ll probably thing that the reviewer was a troll. No. This was an eponymous review that offered a valid link to the lady’s site. Of course, I gave her site a hit just to see what she was about. The lady, apart from reviewing also worked as a freelance editor.

    Hmm.

    I got in touch with the author and asked her if she had any idea why her book had been targeted by that person. She confirmed my suspicions. The lady reviewer had contacted her expressing her delight at the prospect of beta reading. The author gladly provided her with an advance copy. However, the feedback she received was dishearteningly negative: the beta reader had spotted all sorts of errors, the book was in dire need of serious editing, but, hey, the beta reader could help out for a fee! The author told her off, and next she heard of that person was through her book’s reviews page.

    Apparently, that’s becoming a pattern. There’s a growing number of documented pitfalls a self-published author can fall into, but that “friendly” approach is squeezing through to stand in the front row. I find myself truly riled up at the thought that someone in the know will play up on every writer’s weak spot–the need for reviews–to get access to her work, aiming all along at either making a profit or trashing it. I had half the mind to out that person on Amazon, but I’m not confrontational by nature and wouldn’t be able to stomach the possible backlash.

    How would you deal with a beta reader who suggested “improving” your book for a fee, knowing that a rejection might lead to a negative review?

    To read the article on Writer Beware click here.

  • 13 Strategy-Altering Blogging Stats

    I’ve decided to reblog this amazing blogging infographic posted on Red Website Design Blog, as my blogging experience attests to its validity. When I posted my top post “5 Ways New Writers Chase Away Potential Readers” which garnered over 70 comments and almost 1,000 views in just a couple of days, I thought the blog would sort of be on auto-pilot in terms of getting a steady flow of new followers, as long as I didn’t neglect it altogether. But no, that didn’t happen. Apparently, blogging once a fortnight, or even once a week leads to semi-stagnation.

    My weekly WIP: Where, How and Then What interview column, featuring authors presenting their workspace and work process, generates traffic especially on Mondays through #MondayBlogs, but, still, I’ve noticed that more regular posting is needed to add to those followers and media sharing numbers. My recent involvement in the Friday Fictioneers weekly event which asks of the blogger to create 100-word short stories based on a picture prompt seems to have done the trick of adding engagement on top of new followers. That’s all very recent, however, so I’ll come back with more info on that.

    What’s your experience? Study the infographic and, please let me know if you have anything to add. (Clicking on the picture will take you to the actual article.)

  • Calling All Critiques: Introducing Your Hosts

    As I posted on Monday, MM Jaye writes is part of the upcoming Calling All Critiques cross-blog event. Today’s post is to introduce the bloggers who will be participating, critiquing, and calling everyone they know to help support those brave souls who have shared their work. You can read more about the event here: Calling All Critiques: A Cross-Blog Event.

    Meet Our Hosts

    We have seven fabulous bloggers who will be participating in Calling All Critiques.

    Brian Basham

    Brian grew up and still lives in Va Beach, VA where he spends his time playing with his black lab, Sadie, a.k.a. Inspector Puppy. In his spare time he plays softball, poker, and the occasional video game. Oh, and he writes too. You can read some of his stories for free at his Wattpad page. The first novel in his Virtual Wars series is going through edits and rewrites with no current release date announced. He blogs about writing, publishing, movies, and whatever else he feels like talking about at http://www.brian-basham.com/.

    MM Jaye (me)

    MM Jaye is the pen name of Maria Messini, a bilingual Greek native who lives in Athens with her husband and daughter. She is a certified translator and also teaches the art of translation to young adults. Writing was Maria’s idea of therapy when, back in 2009, her spirits had temporarily nosedived, but she didn’t take it seriously until her first manuscript was completed last year. Since November, she’s been building her author platform aiming at publishing Fate Accomplis, her first contemporary romance, in the fall, along with Fate Captured, a prequel novelette. She blogs at mmjayewrites.com and myfriendsexcerpts.wordpress.com. You can also find her on Twitter @MMJaye or Facebook.com/MMJayeauthor.

    Quanie Miller

    Quanie Miller grew up in New Iberia, Louisiana. She fell in love with reading at an early age and spent most of her time at the Iberia Parish Library discovering authors like R.L. Stine and Christopher Pike (she was often found walking back home from the library with a stack of books that went up to her chin). She holds degrees from Louisiana State University and San Jose State University. She has been the recipient of the James Phelan Literary Award, the Louis King Thore Scholarship, the BEA Student Scriptwriting Award, and the Vicki Hudson Emerging Writing Prize. Her debut novel, It Ain’t Easy Being Jazzy, is a romantic comedy loosely based on her experiences living and working in Silicon Valley. Her first paranormal novel is called The New Mrs. Collins and is slated for a September 2014 release. She lives in Charleston, South Carolina with her husband and is currently, as always, working on another novel. To find out more about Quanie and her works in progress follow her on Twitter @quaniemiller or visit quaniemiller.com and quanietalkswriting.com.

    S. L. Saboviec

    Samantha grew up in a small town in Iowa but now lives in the suburbs of Toronto with her Canadian husband and expatriate cat. In her spare time, she reads, writes, and thinks about reading and writing—along with playing the occasional video game or eight. She’s expecting her first child in September, but pregnancy has only slowed her down a little; her debut release, Guarding Angel, will be available May 19th. She blogs speculative fiction book reviews at the Magic & Mayhem Book Review Blog and tweets about life and writing from @Saboviec.

    M. G. Silverstein

    M.G. Silverstein is a YA fantasy novelist and fantasy genre blogger. She is currently completing her second Bachelor’s degree in English (her first is in Hospitality Management/Culinary Arts). Her debut YA fantasy novel Elemental will be available in 2015.

    Although she considers the Washington, D.C. metro area her favorite place on Earth—she isn’t ‘from’ anywhere. Having lived in 7 states, 14 cities, and 2 different countries, the only place she feels at home is when reading or writing fantasy. You can visit her at www.mgsilverstein.com to hear her musings on both the fantasy genre and writing a fantasy novel.

    Christie Stratos

    Christie Stratos is an editor and award-winning author who lives in the New York area and holds a degree in English Literature. An avid reader of all genres and world literature, Christie reads everything from bestsellers to classics and is always on top of current publishing trends and technology. In her spare time, you can find her playing French Horn for musicals, small ensembles, orchestras, and a 10-year-old community band for which she was a founding member. Christie can be reached through her editing business, Proof Positive, her author website and blog, Twitter, Google+, Facebook, and Goodreads.

    Mike Verbickas

    Mike says: Growing up in a small town, you spend a lot of your time thinking, dreaming and waiting. It’s this experience I credit to why I became a writer.

    A trained journalist and fiction writer, I think I bring a unique mix of skills to the blogosphere. In journalism, you feel most alive when meeting diverse people and experiencing new things. After all, who can’t pass up a good story?

    Only one week left until we begin accepting critiques!

    While you wait, check out all the participating blogs and bloggers:

    We look forward to seeing you back here in a couple weeks.

    Any questions? Leave them in the comments!

  • 17 Simple Ways to Make an Impact (reblogged)

    There’s a wealth of “how to succeed” advice, targeting aspiring or new self-published authors, crammed in blog posts that later might turn into ebooks with a short life span — apparently the self-publishing trends are as fickle as fashion. Being an aspiring author myself, I’ve been studying success stories, popular or conflicting views, counter arguments (never skipping the comments section where readers often either verify or distance themselves through personal experience), but nowhere had I seen the “it” factor being discussed; the simple fact that some people might diligently follow well-trodden paths which, in their case lead to a dead end, while others seem to develop Pied Piper-like powers along the way, drawing the masses in.

    Before writing this off as simply a case of unbeatable charisma which either you have or you don’t, read this unique and comprehensive article by Kimberley Grabas of Your Writer Platform. Kimberley says that even this can be taught, and I believe her.

    Your Path to Influence: 17 Simple Ways to Make an Impact

    Image from Your Writer Platform

    Languishing in obscurity?

    Things pretty quiet on the visibility front?

    You’ve tried to follow advice from the “guru de jour” to get your writing career on the map, but despite your best efforts, your ideal audience remains surprisingly resistant to your appeal.What’s worse, is that you know it’s possible to build a loyal, invested community, because the evidence is all around you.

    Somehow, both new and experienced writers are finding ways to stand out and get their work noticed.But here you are, playing patty-cake with the crickets, debating if it would hurt to just let one of those spam comments through (it’s about time your blog got a little love, right?):

    “am to a great extent impressed with the article I have just read. There is not much to say except the following universal truth: You never know where to look when eating a banana. I will be back.”

    Okay, maybe not.

    (Desperate chic is not the look that bestselling authors are wearing this season.)

    So what does it really take to get noticed?

    ______________________

    (Read the rest of this amazing article on Your Writer Platform.)

  • From Molly Green’s blog: Save $$ With A Manuscript Proof Checklist

    This has got to be one of the most useful articles I’ve read lately, and it’s no surprise it appeared on Molly Greene’s blog. All writers want to submit a clean(ish) manuscript to their editor or proofreader, especially if they charge by the hour, but there are pesky errors that wiggle their way into every single page, of the kind that we tend to develop a blindness to. So, if you think that you’ve done an ace job cleaning up your manuscript, use Molly’s checklist and see what else you’ll weed out. Because some weeding you’ll do. Has anyone scrolled down with the pilcrow enabled? Anyone?

    MM Jaye

    ______________________________________________

    Save $$ With A Manuscript Proof Checklist

    Does your proofreader charge by the hour? If the answer is yes, you may be able to reduce your bill by taking steps to find and repair basic typo-type errors that slip by during the editing phase. Let’s face it, when we’ve read a (fiction or non-fiction!) manuscript a thousand times, we miss a lot. This is my basic run-through before I send my baby to beta readers, then again before I submit for the final proof.

    Um, bad news, it’s a manual process. It can be time-consuming. You’re going to hate it. It offers the best payback when you scroll through your document several times, focusing on one type of problem with each pass. But good news, it works! Use this as a template to create your own proofreading checklist. Note: Before you begin, you might want to make a copy of your mss and rename it to retain the previous version.

    Read the rest of the article on Molly’s Blog and do NOT neglect to read the comments’ section! Great tips there too!

  • How horror gave romance a boost

    I’m an all-weather reader, and although my escapist genre of choice is romance, I can read, evaluate and review almost anything. The only genre I’ll stay clear of is horror, and I’ll promptly explain why. About ten years ago, I collaborated with a Greek publishing house as a translator for an imprint called “Kolasi” (“Hell”). Yes, it was a horror imprint. The first book I was assigned to translate was “The Sleepless” by Graham Masterton. After dwelling in the author’s head for months, trying to twist my Greek words to serve his twisted vision of explicit torture and unimaginable physical pain, I decided I was done with that for life.

    Now, when I started my author platform building, I thought that romance would be the most overpopulated genre in indie publishing. I was wrong. Soon, I found myself happily connecting with wonderful authors from all walks of writing life, and now the only criterion I apply when I move on from connection to actual interaction and “paying it forward” is quality online conduct and professionalism. So when Joseph Pinto, a horror writer, sent me a personalized DM, politely asking me to check out his horror short Apep, I did, although I was more interested in checking out Joseph’s writing skill than letting myself be exposed to the story’s basic elements. Truth be told, Apep is expertly written—poignant, evocative, graphic but not raw and very cleverly plotted. I ended up enjoying it and left a relevant comment with a disclaimer, which resulted in a brief and enjoyable banter between me and the writer, as you can see below.Joseph

    Now, wanting to test Joseph’s claim that we shouldn’t be “pigeonholed” into one train of thought, I told him about “Web of Love”, the tiny Valentine story that I had recently published on Writersky. Joseph reciprocated, read it, talked it up in a tweet and the result? “Web of Love” became the most viewed story on the platform, exceeding 600 views! Well, it had been second most viewed, but it did need the extra boost. The irony? Up until then, the most read story was a horror piece!

    Lesson learned: “Pay it forward” yields gold, even when you push yourself outside your comfort zone. The only currency you need is a well-honed instinct (not all people mean well), goodwill, and positive energy will start bouncing off walls!

    If I piqued your interest, and you’re willing to read Apep, the link is here.

    For a softer-toned, beautiful post written by Joseph Pinto, read Wings.

    If you have your own “pay it forward” success stories, I’d love to hear them.

    Thank you for reading.

  • 5 ways new writers can chase away potential readers

    5 ways Canva (2)This post is from a reader’s point of view. With just one complete (unpublished) manuscript and so much to learn, it would be presumptuous of me to give advice to anyone as a writer. Although I may be very new to writing, blogging and platform building, my fifteen-year experience as a translation instructor (tons of proofreading) plus a seasoned reader’s mentality qualify me to form a solid opinion on both the quality of any text and its potential appeal to readers. I also consider myself a good “success gauge meter”: I voted for J. R. Ward’s Lover at Last and Margaret Atwood’s MaddAddam in the Goodreads Choice Awards, and both titles won in their respective categories. I missed in the Paranormal Fantasy category, but I hadn’t read the winning title (Cold Days by Jim Butcher) so there you have it.

    When I got myself a Twitter account and a blog, my first impulse was to connect with new writers like me. It was fairly easy to locate budding authors, newbies, and aspiring writers through their profiles and also through comments on relevant blog posts I read. Naturally, whenever I saw they had just taken the plunge and published their first book, I jumped at the opportunity to connect, thinking that maybe I could review their work and exchange knowledge and advice to our mutual benefit. More often than not, my enthusiasm didn’t last. Almost 50% of the new writers I located were—presence-wise—below par. By that I mean their blog writing (if any), their book blurb, book cover—you name it—was lacking. Even worse, the online behavior of some was totally off-putting, downright inappropriate even, making me move my cursor away from any suggested links or “Follow” buttons; one potential reader turned away, and I know I won’t be the only one. Now, I’m positive that’s the last thing any new writer wants. So why do they do it?

    There’s a ton of free advice out there (free e-books, blogs, comments with useful links) and it’s easy to sift through it, determining what’s good and what’s not: the number of followers plus the commentators verifying a tip from their own experience is always a good indicator, so, again, why do people ignore all this and do their own thing at their own expense? The answer probably lies in an urge I also have and have to stomp my foot on: the need to rush and put your work out there for everybody to see. And it doesn’t necessarily stem from a get-rich-now attitude but rather from this sweet feeling of awe and pride at what you’ve accomplished and the wish to have others recognize and acknowledge your hard work. To quote successful author R. S. Guthrie from a guest post of his for Molly Greene’s amazing blog:

    “Patience is tough. We are a society that needs instant gratification. Don’t. Need it, that is.”

    Rushing it means: no proper editing (“my BFF has a degree in English, and she’ll do it for free!”); no proper beta reading (“my sister plus my BFF who has a degree cheered and raved!”); no proper social media training (“I’ll just auto DM [Direct Message] anyone who follows me with all my book links!”); and, yup, just a handful of readers (the sister and the BFF with the degree).

    But this post focuses on how potential readers can turn away from new writers even before they sample their work. Based on my reaction, I’ve compiled a list of off-putting elements that can seriously reduce a new writer’s chances of building a solid platform—the keys for increased sales:

    A blah blurb

    Your book blurb has to capture attention from sentence one. Use keywords, sound bites, shape and mold it, keeping your target audience in mind—not your literary aspirations. “Brand” your book in a couple of sentences. If the blurb is neither here nor there, ending with “a blend of mythology, suspense and romance with horror elements” no one will even bother with the free excerpt. A debut novel should clearly fall under a specific genre, sub-genre or if it’s a hybrid, it should be well defined. Readers will stay away from books that are all over the place.

    A botched bio

    When you talk about yourself in a slapdash, disorganized way, even letting glaring grammar or spelling mistakes slip in, why would a reader think your book looks any different? Here’s an excerpt (info is edited out) from a first-time self-pub author’s profile:

    “I was born in (a city). After school, I realized that sleepwalking through it wasn’t a great idea. Soon realizing that I needed an education. From the 1990s I worked for (a company): where I ended up as an analyst. But here’s the thing: I always wanted to write so I wrote two books in my spare time. Both were rejected by the agents I sent them to.”

    You’re probably finding yourself inadvertently sympathizing with agents—who would’ve thought?—even though you haven’t laid eyes on the poor writer’s actual work! On what grounds should a reader give his published book a shot when all he’s highlighted here is his incompetence?

    So, even if you’ve never been outside your home town and lead a seemingly uninteresting life, if you define yourself as an aspiring writer, surely you can find a clever way to talk yourself up. Hobbies, volunteer work, cute pets, guilty pleasures and wild aspirations all offer author insights that will make readers like you—a good step before deciding whether to try out your work. “I don’t do drama; I only write it” is the way Janice G. Ross defines herself on her Twitter profile (@JGRWriter). My next click was on her site link.

    If you still can’t come up with anything, check your favorite authors’ bios for ideas.

    An unsightly cover

    Clashing colored patterns, stock photos slapped together, weird fonts; don’t go by the “don’t judge a book by its cover” adage. Stick to the “make a good first impression” one instead. I rarely bother with a book if the cover is uninspiring, and I can admit to having bought lots of “ugly” books just because of the pretty cover (okay, the catchy blurb too). So try asking your beta readers’ and editor’s opinion before sticking with your personal choice.

    Irritating or needy tweets

    The first tweet the “botched bio” guy sent me was an ad about a male escort service. Seriously. He hadn’t even bothered to check that I live on a different continent. He wasn’t even promoting his own stuff (or was he? *shivers*), but tweets of the pushy/needy type abound—especially auto DM services with links to authors’ blogs, pages etc. I’m the last person to wag a finger here, as I actually did that for about a week to whomever followed me until I was told by a valid source it is considered annoying. To be absolutely honest, I don’t personally find auto DMs annoying as I still have a manageable flow of new followers, but what if the super-popular writer or blogger you DM gets dozens of similar messages daily? Most likely they’ll ignore you when what you really want is to get on the good side of those “big fishes”.

    The best thanks-for-the-follow tweet I’ve received was from Joseph Amiel (yes, the best-selling author!) who wrote: “@mmjaye Thx for the follow by the writer of (upcoming) FATE ACCOMPLIS.” I thought it was brilliant; you thank but also offer basic info on your new follower that might entice your own followers. This way, you show that you care and share, and that you are a giver. I’ve found that’s the operative word in the game of platform building. (Update: To get a clearer picture on how DMs can really irritate a successful tweep, scroll down to the comments’ section and read Nat Russo’s comment.)

    Your BFF’s Amazon reviews

    I saw a tweet the other day proclaiming an indie author’s debut novel “the most amazing thriller ever!” based on its reviews, and I clicked on its Amazon link where, indeed, four raving reviews were posted. Now, my seasoned reader’s mentality has made me suspicious so what I did next was to check what other books the reviewers had rated. Guess what? The “most amazing thriller ever” was the only book they’d ever reviewed! Now isn’t it obvious that these four persons went through the review process trying to support a friend? As commendable as this may be, the end result was that I didn’t think they were being objective so I passed.

    What I plan on doing when that blessed time comes to ask for reviews is to go to friends I’ve made through my platform building with a strong presence in either Amazon or Goodreads—people whose reviews carry some weight with readers. But even if I turn to personal friends for a review, I will kindly ask them to write a couple of brief reviews on other books they’ve recently read prior to posting their review of mine. If they’re good friends, they won’t say no. This way their inevitable—and much desired—raving will be more believable 😉

    The bottom line is that no matter how good a writer you think you are, before taking the plunge, you have to invest months in studying things like market trends, codes of conduct, what works and what doesn’t, and the good news for the most part is that it won’t cost you a cent. Successful indie authors are more than willing to offer advice and support, and their blogs are an invaluable source of knowledge. Still, if you don’t trust a newbie’s word (and you shouldn’t), check out the following blogs of writers/bloggers (random order) who have been around for quite some time and know what they’re talking about. You only stand to gain.

    Rachel Thompson – Rachel in the OC / BadReadhead Media

    Joanna Penn – The Creative Penn

    Joel Friedlander – The Book Designer

    Molly Greene – Molly Greene’s Blog

    Belinda Pollard – Small Blue Dog Publishing

    Nat Russo – A Writer’s Journey

    The list is by no means exhaustive, but it’s a good start.

    Thanks for taking the time to read this post. What would make you turn away from a new writer? I’d love to have your opinion on the matter as well as any additions to the above list you may wish to suggest.