book, writing

Most Important: Authenticity

Posted on by Brenda Poulos

I just finished reading a book of short stories—the first book by a new author. With no formal training in writing, this man broke most of the writing rules us more “seasoned” authors take so seriously.

It was almost 90% “telling”, which we all view as the biggest “no-no” on the planet. It contained “head hopping” (going back and forth from different points of view on the same scene), changes in tense, and so on.

The only rules he did not “break” were spelling, punctuation, and (mostly) grammar. No matter what the genre, breaking these make books intolerable to read. Readers deserve to read effortlessly without tripping over these blunders.

So, I asked myself, “why did I like this pleasant little book? I really don’t have an answer for you, except to say that this author wrote with “heart”, conviction, and confidence. He showed unique “voice.”

In my opinion, he has learned the most important “rule” of all—being authentic. Composing with a voice that is uniquely one’s own, growing organically from the writer’s sense of purpose and intellectual honesty.

Different Strokes for Different Folks

Posted on by Brenda Poulos

What one person likes, another may not.

That’s why it’s important to offer your book in a variety of formats.

For a long time, hardback and paperback were the only options for readers.

Later, e-books and audiobooks were added.

You can widen the market further still by offering your book in other languages.

My newest book was just published on Audible. Within a couple of weeks I will announce an interview on Facebook with the producer, Brian Callahan. You’ll want to be sure to watch it. He’s an accomplished guy that can make his voice sound both feminine and masculine; likable, angry, menacing. 

He’s likable, easy to work with, and very amenable to changes/suggestions. 

Justice for Jessie in audio format is now available on Amazon.

Book Gifting for Christmas

Posted on by Brenda Poulos

My weekly post usually focuses on some aspect of writing. I share ideas, opinions, and information for authors.

However, readers are the reason we write, so this blog’s for you!

I just perused the books on The Kindle Book Review and on Book Bub. 

For the most part, the books I saw have Christmas and/or Holiday themes. Writers purposely focus on these, hoping to publish at least by October and thus, being ready to capture the “gifting” crowd.

While this may make sense to authors, is this really what readers want to read? Or would readers in colder regions of the country rather read stories with beach/tropical settings? 

Or, does it even matter? 

Perhaps you choose your books for gifting differently than those for reading. Maybe you select gifts based on ones you’ve read (and liked yourself) or ones that have been recommended to you by friends or those having lots of five-star reviews.

There are many reasons readers choose the books they do. If you are a reader (or a writer who is also a voracious reader), please write back and share your reasons for gifting books for Christmas.

Finding a Capable and Affordable Illustrator

Posted on by Brenda Poulos

Find an illustrator who can bring great visuals to your children’s book may end up costing you between $2,000 and $10,000 depending on how many illustrations you need and how well-known your illustrator may be.

This is a big investment in time and money, so you’ll want to find someone who is a perfect “fit” for your project. REEDSY, Upwork, and Fiverr are good places to look for your illustrator. Or, browse through children’s books on Amazon “LOOK INSIDE” feature, or visit your local bookstore, looking for ones which fulfill your vision. Their work will be credited somewhere inside each book.

Contact a few illustrators, making time to discuss your vision for your book and get their ideas, too. Send them examples of illustrations you have seen that are similar to what you’d like. Ask to see examples of their work.

Ask how soon they will be free to work on your project and how long it will take to finish the work. (It can often take up to three months). Share your timeline. 

Draw up a contract between the two of you, stating beginning and ending dates, how you will communicate, and how the fee will be paid. Some will want payment in intervals, some at the end. Be sure to discuss this upfront. 

You are doing the hiring, so choose someone you feel you will be able to work with easily. 

You are in control. You set the pace. You assess the quality of the work. And it is you who will pay the bill.

However, don’t base your decision on money alone or you will be unhappy with your final product. Remember, you get what you pay for.

Writing From A Child’s Perspective

Posted on by Brenda Poulos

I’ve never written a children’s book. However, I recently got an idea for one. The information I gathered about writing one may interest you:

  1. Begin your book with a simple, fun idea.
  2. Write from a child’s perspective.
  3. Some stories may address a child’s fears or doubts. 
  4. The most popular children’s books for MANY YEARS are those about bedtime, ABC’s, and the farm. Christmas, Easter, and Halloween books are perfect for gift-giving.
  5. Start with a relatable main character—one with flaws, strengths, and perhaps even sometimes special powers.
  6. Take the character on an exciting journey that leads through conflicts to a satisfying conclusion.
  7. Keep your book to no more than 30 pages.
  8. Remember that rhyme and repetition are the hallmarks of children’s books.
  9. Make sure the story is easy to follow—with age-appropriate vocabulary that elicits an emotional response.
  10. Be mindful of what you want readers to know and how you want them to feel at the end of the story.
  11. You’re going to need lots of illustrations. Probably on every page. It’s expensive, folks!
  12. By the way, there are quite a number of companies who offer book writing templates, making it easier than ever to write a children’s book.

**Note: Most of these ideas came from the REEDSY DISCOVERY Blog and www.thewritepractice.com **Next week, I will focus on finding a capable and affordable illustrator for a children’s book.

The Going Rates

Posted on by Brenda Poulos

I recently had a request to ghostwrite a memoir. While I was considering the offer, I checked to see the going rate for such an endeavor.

You might find it interesting that ghost-writing rates vary. For 2023, they were between $12K to $42K for biographies and memoirs; $1,500 to $5K for children’s picture books; $6,500 to $26K for action and adventure—all of which depend on genre and expertise of the writer.

If you need a writer, you must decide if you want to self-publish your book or go through a traditional publisher.

If you self-publish your book, you must pay the cost of a ghostwriter whereas a traditional publisher might cover that fee for you.

Remember, there are other costs involved in publishing, such as transcription, editing, interview-related activities such as travel and legal agreements. Cover design, formatting, and a host of other fees will typically apply.

If you have knowledge that will help others or an interesting story to tell—and if you lack the writing skills necessary to do your own work, hiring a ghost-writer just may be the way to go.

If your budget allows, that is.

Throw in a Little Swag

Posted on by Brenda Poulos

There were 690 words added to the dictionary in September! Why is this important for authors? 

If you are writing contemporary fiction, it is good to use contemporary words. And, if you’re not, then you should refrain from using them. This would be especially true if you write “historical.”

So, I have decided to read through the list of words (you can google them) and their definitions and select ten of them to use in my next book. I intend to use them in much the same way that writers use words in different languages and still get the meaning across to their readers.

A writer-friend read one of my critique group submissions. She suggested that instead of saying that my character received “freebies,” that I use the term “swag.”

Chances are my readers might not have heard that term. So, I will get the meaning across by using context clues. Here’s my example: When people pay two-hundred dollars for an hour long hot-air balloon ride, they expect to get a little swag thrown in. That little enamel pin and glass of champagne only costs us sixty cents, but goes a long way toward good PR.”

So, I have used the new slang word, “swag” in places of “freebies” and then continued the paragraph with another example so readers can deduce the meaning.

I hope you google this list of words because chances are you’ll choose to use some of them in your own reading and writing.

Discoverability

Posted on by Brenda Poulos

For the last few weeks, we have been talking about keywords and categories—and why you might want to change them.

I was contacted by someone this week who also republished his books with new covers and titles in order to garner more sales. He said it was well worth it.

However, if you want to save that time and expense, let’s review what you need to do in order to begin where you are and go forward.

Many readers want to “follow” an author. Others like to read “books in a series.” 

So, make sure there is a similarity in your book titles. I wrote a series a few years ago in which I used all titles of children’s games: Simon Says, Truth or Dare, Tug of War, and Cat’s Cradle. Sadly, these titles may not have been related enough. 

If I were creating titles, now, I would make sure that one or two of the words are the same in each title. For instance,  Playing Cards; Playing Sports; Playing Instruments. These aren’t intriguing. That’s not my point here. I am simply showing that just by using one or two identical words, the titles show readers these books are in a series.

Covers are much more obvious because we have all seen many examples of these. Even if you are not writing a series, your covers will help your discoverability if they are of a similar color and font. Or, you might have a similar landscape, romantic hero, or murder weapon on the cover. It will be easy to tell they’ve all been written by the same author.

Finally, let’s talk about branding. It you want to sell more books, it will help if you find one genre you like to write and stick to it. For example, A. Author, Writer of Extreme Gore. Though each book has a different story, as long as they contain “extreme gore,” your readers will be able to “find” you. 

Are Re-covering, Re-branding, and Re-titling good options for boosting book sales? I believe they can be. But if you’re not looking to do all that work and spend all that money, simply starting fresh where you are right now, may prove to be the perfect answer for you.

Three Changes in KDP

Posted on by Brenda Poulos

There are at least three recent changes within Kindle Direct Publishing that may prove helpful.

First, there is a new version of KDP reports that allow you to gauge real-time book sales, compare performance of your titles, and estimate royalties.

Second, there is new feature “Marketing” section that has quick links to Amazon Advertising, Author Central, KDP Select, and Price Promos. They’ve also added a new tool called “Kindle Deal Nomination.” Once you sign up, and your nomination is accepted, your kindle book can be featured on the KDP website for an indefinite amount of time at a discount. (You can nominate 2 books at a time and re-nominate your book every 90 days).

Finally, they’ve made it easier to arrange your books in a series within KDP. You no longer need to reach out to customer service to do this for you, saving you a lot of time. 

I hope you’ve found the past three weeks of information about the Amazon changes helpful!

Two Changes to Author Central

Posted on by Brenda Poulos

Let’s focus on two of Amazon’s changes to Author Central this week. 

In the previous system, it was difficult for authors to locate every format of their books to update the product descriptions. But, with Amazon’s new changes, each book format visually stands out when a title is selected in the author’s account. This is true for Kindle and paperback versions as well.

A second change enables authors to create “Author Pages” in the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, Brazil, France, and Japan. Authors can also use multiple foreign languages to create/add bios.

Next week, I’ll delve into Amazon’s recent changes to Kindle Direct Publishing.