Don’t neglect that research!

by Helena Harper

Last year, I participated in an online Children’s Author Academy course, run by New York Times bestselling author, Laura Duksta, who originally self-published her bestselling children’s picture book I Love You More and was then taken up by a traditional publisher.

Laura talked about the pros and cons of both self-publishing and traditional publishing and said that whichever way you go – and that has to be your own personal decision based on what you want to do with your book – make sure you do your research regarding editors, printing houses and publishers. At the time I was interested in two publishers in the UK who offered combined publishing/marketing packages for authors who financed the publication of their own book. I had asked both to send me information regarding their publishing packages. One sent me a very informative booklet which gave me a good idea of the kind of books they had helped authors to publish, their approach to marketing, and the successes they had had. I still had a few questions and when I sent them an email, they were more than happy to answer them.

The other publisher sent me a glossy catalogue of their current books and lots of newspaper cuttings with articles about mainly non-fiction books they had published. Having participated in Laura’s course, I proceeded to contact this publisher to ask them what percentage of their books were children’s books, particularly picture books? What kind of results had they achieved with children’s books written by new authors, particularly picture books? And what was the average number of books sold? Laura had said that every author is entitled to know these things, particularly if the author is paying out a large sum of money (and this publisher wanted a very large sum of money!). After several enquiries, I finally got a response. They told me that they did not think these questions relevant when authors were financing the publication of their book themselves and some books did well and some didn’t. What they advised was that the author should think of the whole thing as an exciting adventure, like a special holiday, and they should not be concerned about the return on their investment – they should just enjoy the process!!!!  Needless to say, I crossed that publisher off my list. Thank you, Laura!

So, don’t forget that research – it most definitely is the key!

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Helena Harper is a native of England, but she grew up in a household that did things somewhat differently to other English households, because her mother was German (her mother had met her father in Hamburg at the end of WWII, when as a British soldier he had been stationed there). This mixed background has had a profound influence on Helena and her understanding of so-called national divisions and whom we call an ‘enemy’ and whom we call a ‘friend’.

From an early age she loved to read and write, particularly fantasy stories, and later she enjoyed studying foreign languages. At Surrey University she studied German, Russian and International Relations and spent considerable periods of time in Germany, Austria and Russia as part of the course. After university she went into banking, but soon realised that was a big mistake. “I felt like I was being suffocated,” she says of the experience. 

She then spent a year teaching languages at a private school in London, and enjoyed it so much she decided she would get properly trained. She did a Postgraduate Certificate in Education at Exeter University and then started her career as a modern languages teacher, a career which has lasted twenty years. During that time she has continued to write, concentrating primarily on fantasy stories for young children. However, in the past few years she has also discovered the joys of writing poetry for adults, and her first two books are poetry collections: It’s a Teacher’s Life…! and Family and More – Enemies or Friends?, which have been inspired by her professional and personal life.

Helena is now a private tutor and translator. She is continuing to write children’s stories, and illustrations for her first children’s picture book are now being done. Her aim is to see the book in print before the year is out. Many people ask Helena why she likes to write. She feels she can best express it like this:

The blank page calls,

the heart responds,

imagination spreads wide its wings

and launches into infinity…

Fingers dance,

words flow,

the page fills,

the soul takes flight

and the spirit sings.

Copyright © Helena Harper

WRITING UP A STORM

December 2009
================================================================
Welcome!

In case you’re wondering what to get me (or another writer) for
Christmas, this month’s question of the month addresses that issue.
Since there are a lot of cool items I’m sure I’ve overlooked, won’t
you please and add your favorite wishlist items?

Take care & have a wonderful month!

Gayle

================================================================
IN THIS ISSUE

QUESTION OF THE MONTH: WHAT CAN I GET MY FAVORITE WRITER FOR
CHRISTMAS?
CONTEST ANNOUNCEMENT
LINK OF THE MONTH
MARKET SPOTLIGHT
S H A M E L E S S SELF-PROMOTION

================================================================
QUESTION OF THE MONTH: WHAT CAN I GET MY FAVORITE WRITER FOR
CHRISTMAS?

Finding a Gift for the Writer on Your Gift List
 
Have you got a writer on your gift list? If you have (even if that
writer is YOU), and you don’t have a clue as to what gift to buy,
I’m here to help.

Let’s start with the simple things. I love these greeting
cards/bookmarks. They’re great and designed to go with any book,
genre, etc. The cards are $3.95 each and you can buy them from
retailers or from the company’s online store.
(http://www.inmybook.net/inmybook.htm)

Literary Calligraphy: This “All American Note Card Assortment”
blends watercolor images with text from American writers. See these
beautiful note cards at
http://www.literarycalligraphy.com/stationery/allamericards.html.

Women Writers Journal — cloth-covered with lined pages. The
Library of Congress has a women writers tote for $24.00. The women
writers featured are Gertrude Stein, Louisa May Alcott, Elizabeth
Barrett Browning, Virginia Woolf, Emily Dickinson, Edna St. Vincent
Millay, Jane Austen, Phyllis Wheatley, Charlotte Bronte, Mary
Shelley and Sylvia Plath.

Submission Trackers: There are several versions of submission
trackers. Most also offer a free demonstration. I’m sure any of
them would be beneficial. See these to determine which might best
suit your writer’s needs.

1) Power Tracker
(http://www.write-brain.com/power_tracker_main.htm) – Features
include automatic follow-up reminders and searchable notes.

2) Quick Query Tracker
(http://www.worldwidefreelance.com/qqt/) – Includes backup feature
and ability to save favorite market details.

3) Write That Down
(http://www.writerssupercenter.com/writethatdown/) – Features
automatic letter of inquiry generator and resume of published work.
 
4) Luminary Writer’s Database
(http://www.luminarypub.com/services/writersdb/) – This is an
online database and it’s f*ree. The service allows you to keep
track of submissions, acceptances, rejections, amount of money
earned, etc.

5) SwiftTrack for Manuscripts
(http://www.swifttechsoftware.com/tracking.htm) – Features 14
different types of reports.

Writing Books:

1) Writer’s Market 2010 (Writer’s Market) is always a popular
choice. You can now get a deluxe version that includes access to
the Writer’s Market online database. If your writer has a
specialty, you can get Writer’s Market 2010 (Writer’s Market);
Novel & Short Story Writer’s Market 2010 (Novel and Short Story
Writer’s Market); Songwriter’s Market 2010 (Songwriter’s Market);
2010 Photographers Market (Photographer’s Market); Poet’s Market
2010 (Poet’s Market); and 2010 Artist’s & Graphic Designer’s
Market.

2) If the writer you’re buying for is considering self-publishing,
Dan Poynter’s book, Dan Poynter’s Self-Publishing Manual, 16th
Edition: How to Write, Print and Sell Your Own Book (Self
Publishing Manual)will get him/her on the right track.

3) If your favorite writer already has a book in print, consider
John Kremer’s 1001 Ways to Market Your Books, Sixth Edition (1001
Ways to Market Your Books: For Authors and Publishers). (
http://www.bookmarketing.com) Other good books on the subject
include Publicize Your Book: An Insider’s Guide to Getting Your
Book the Attention It Deserves by Jacqueline Deval; Confessions of
Shameless Self Promoters by Debbie Allen; and Guerrilla Marketing
for Writers : 100 Weapons to Help You Sell Your Work by Jay Conrad
Levinson, Rick Frishman and Michael Lar.

4) A freelance writer? Some good options include The Renegade
Writer: A Totally Unconventional Guide to Freelance Writing Success
(The Renegade Writer’s Freelance Writing series) by Linda
Formichelli and Diana Burrell; How to Write Irresistible Query
Lettersby Lisa Collier Cool; Feminine Wiles: Creative Techniques
for Writing Women’s Features Stories That Sell by Donna Elizabeth
Boetig; and Facts in a Flash: A Research Guide for Writers by Ellen
Metter.

5) If your favorite writer is a budding Hollywood screen writer,
you might want to get him/her The Complete Book of Scriptwriting by
J. Michael Straczynski; The Screenwriter’s Bible: A Complete Guide
to Writing, Formatting, and Selling Your Script, by David Trottier;
The 101 Habits of Highly Successful Screenwriters: Insider’s
Secrets from Hollywood’s Top Writers by Karl Iglesias; or Power
Screenwriting: The 12 Stages of Story Development by Michael Chase
Walker.

If all else fails, pens, pretty stationery and/or gift certificates
to booksellers, office supply stores and computer stores are always
welcome!

================================================================

CONTEST ANNOUNCEMENT

Murder, Mayhem & $25 Amazon Gift Card from Gayle Trent!
Check it out at FreshFiction:
http://freshfiction.com/contest.php?id=2182

================================================================

LINK OF THE MONTH: WOW! Women on Writing
http://www.wow-womenonwriting.com/

I know this isn’t the first time I’ve spotlighted WOW! Women on
Writing, but the December issue of the ezine is all about literary
agents; and I know that subject is of interest to many of you. Be
sure to check out my 20-Question Interview with Kim Lionetti of
BookEnds, LLC. She has a lot of wonderful advice and information to
share.

================================================================

MARKET SPOTLIGHT: WOW! Women on Writing Freelance Job Board
http://jobs.wow-womenonwriting.com/a/jbb/find-jobs

Terrific resources for finding freelance writing gigs!

================================================================

S H A M E L E S S SELF-PROMOTION

Gayle Trent – Look for my latest article, an interview with
literary agent Kim Lionetti in the December issue of WOW! WOMEN ON
WRITING. Also, the reviews for DEAD PAN are starting to filter in,
and so far, they’re all great!

Don’t forget to send in your own success stories!

Welcome!

First of all, let me apologize for not putting the October issue in
the blog. During the second full week of October, my website was
hacked for three different days from an ISP in Rugby, England. At
some points, the entire website was taken down; and at other times,
only the blog was missing. That’s why this month we’re talking
about Internet security.

IN THIS MONTH’S ISSUE:

Question of the Month: How can I protect myself from computer
hackers?
Link of the Month
Market Spotlight
SHAMELESS Self-Promotion

Thanks again for joining me. I hope you have a wonderful month.

===================================================================

Question of the Month: How can I protect myself from computer hackers?

The week of October referenced above turned out to be a very stressful and costly one for me. Infected files had to be deleted and recoded by my web host’s computer programmer. I had the additional fear of what other information the hacker had gleaned.

So, what’s the solution? Writers and other professionals have careers that demand they spend numerous hours online. If we aren’t online promoting our books in this Internet world, then readers are buying other authors’ books. And yet, if we’re surfing the Internet unprotected, we risk losing more than book sales.

1) Invest in good virus protection.

I had virus protection that I thought was sufficient. Apparently, it wasn’t. I checked with a computer programmer I trust, and he recommended Norton’s 360. This package includes anti-virus protection, backup, identity protection, pc protection and pc tuneup. If you’re unsure about the virus protection you’re running on your computer, check with a computer professional you trust; or consult with Best Buy’s Geek Squad, either in person, by phone or via the Web.

2) Run multiple scans.

Even if you feel your PC is adequately protected, run free virus scans from trusted sites. Again, a good source of trusted information is the Geek Squad. Also, run a scan to ensure you have the most up to date versions of Adobe Reader and other free programs. My friend, the computer programmer, warned that old versions of these programs are often susceptible to hackers.

3) Beware of following e-mail links.

We all know better than to follow the link to the Nigerian aristocrat or the “update your bank information now” links, but some e-mails aren’t so suspicious. Years ago, I worked for the Virginia Worker’s Compensation Commission where an upper-level co-worker fell victim to the “I Love You” virus. The newlywed received the e-mail, thought it was from her husband, opened it and infected her computer. Always check the return address; and when in doubt, delete. Also warn your children against downloading
screensavers.

===================================================================

Links of the Month:

Here are some virus scans you might find helpful:

http://malwarebytes.org
http://combofix.org/
http://housecall.trendmicro.com/
http://www.bitdefender.com/scan8/ie.html
http://www.kaspersky.com/virusscanner
http://support.f-secure.com/enu/home/ols.shtml

===================================================================

Market Spotlight: Barefoot Books

http://www.barefootbooks.com

Barefoot Books publishes quality children’s picture books celebrating independence of spirit and openness to others. Publisher prefers submission of completed manuscript. See website for additional information.

===================================================================

S h a m e l e s s Self-Promotion

Gayle Trent: Dead Pan will be available on Amazon by November 9.
Look for Bell Bridge Book’s full-color ad which includes Dead Pan
in the November issue of RT Book Reviews. I’m a guest on Cozy
Chicks Blog on November 12 and on Free Book Friday on November 13.

If you Twitter, you can enter a contest to win a signed copy of
Dead Pan, a signed copy of Murder Takes the Cake and a red Murder
Takes the Cake apron. The contest runs through “black Friday,”
November 27. To enter the contest, Twitterers should follow Gayle
at
http://twitter.com/gayletrent and re-Tweet (or RT) the contest
announcement. There is no limit to how many times a person can
enter the contest.

Check out my page on Fresh Fiction at
http://freshfiction.com/author.php?id=22856.

Also, check out my audio interview on Fascinating Authors at
http://fascinatingauthors.com/authors/podcasts/gayle-trent-dead-pan/

Be sure and send in your own shameless self-promotions!

Take care,

Gayle

 
Copyright 2009 by Gayle Trent.

Welcome!

In this month’s issue, we’ll discuss teleseminars and how they might be useful to you in your writing career. I’m thinking it might be an excellent way to connect with readers. Maybe you could do an informal chat with subscribers to your newsletter or people who have read your book and would like to discuss it with you. Would that be considered a tele-book club? To give us more information on the process is Matthew Bredel of TheWebReviewer.com.

IN THIS MONTH’S ISSUE:

Question of the Month: How can teleseminars help my writing career?
Link of the Month
Market Spotlight
SHAMELESS Self-Promotion

Thanks again for joining me. I hope you have a wonderful month.

Question of the Month: How can teleseminars help my writing career? – Teleseminar Services – A Cheap, Money-Making Internet Business Tool by Guest Columnist Matthew Bredel

When it comes to Internet marketing, one of the most effective strategies will always be to offer the best services to customers and potential customers. Teleseminars provide an inexpensive way to provide a quality service, reach customers, pull in new ones and give your business image the boost it needs to stay competitive in a tight Internet market.

One of the primary objectives of a good business will always be to build loyalty with customers, and that’s why offering quality services and products is so necessary. With a teleseminar you are going above and beyond the “here’s the product and buy it” mentality. Rather, a teleseminar gives you an opportunity to connect with customers and associates through training, education, product information and customer service messages. What’s even better is that you don’t have to worry about getting in front of a video camera or traveling to some event location. You can do it all from the comfort of your office, home, or really anywhere that has a telephone connect.

You may be wondering, exactly what is a teleseminar? Also known as a teleconference, these seminars take place over a phone line called bridgeline, which carries multiple callers at one time. A teleseminar may have 5 participants or 1000, depending on the purposes and audience for the call. Using a teleseminar service makes the set-up and event production much easier than an actual seminar. Furthermore, the cost of travel and expensive material costs are eliminated.

The host of a teleseminar schedules a date and time for the conference and then allows people to sign up for the conference. A teleseminar can be free of charge or cost a participation fee. Prior to the scheduled call, the host will make sure the participants have the phone number and pass code they need to join the teleseminar from their home, office, or anywhere else they have a phone connection.

If you conduct trainings, advertise products or have need to communicate the same message to a large group of people, teleseminars can get the job done cheaply and with little effort. While it may seem overwhelming get started setting up these calls for your business, teleseminar services like InstantTeleseminar.com can take off the pressure and help you every step of the way.

Plus a teleseminar service can help you to ensure your phone conferences are organized, professional and come off without a hitch. Making sure you do it well can payoff big time down the road, as you can begin to sell the recorded teleseminars to customers seeking information.

While it may be tempting to jump on the latest Internet marketing bandwagon, in this case simple is better. A teleseminar allows you to improve your service to customers in a real way that is comfortable and familiar to both them and you, yet it is still a way to make your business more profitable and professional.

To learn more about how to use teleseminars and InstantTeleseminar.com check out TheWebReviewer.com.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Matthew_Bredel

Link of the Month: Great Teleseminars

http://www.greatteleseminars.com/

This site offers both premium and free teleseminar services. The site also features articles and other teleseminar resources.

Market Spotlight: You&Me America’s Medical Magazine

According to the magazine’s guidelines, “You&Me America’s Medical Magazine seeks non-fiction articles, preferably from a first-person perspective, about the human aspects of dealing with all medical issues, from the life threatening to the chronic to the so-called “trivial.” We do not want all happy endings or all sad endings- and we invite articles dealing with end-of-life issues from a first person or close family perspective. We can use some health-care provider prospective, poetry and expressionistic pieces, and cartoons. We do not want or use informational articles.” Also pays on acceptance. For more information, please visit their site at http://www.youandmemagazine.com/pages/submissions

S H A M E L E S S Self-Promotion

Carolynn Carey’s third sweet romance set in Barbourville, Tennessee, is now available. You’ll find Dealing with Denver on Amazon.com. For more information, visit Carolynn’s web site at www.CarolynnCarey.com.

Congratulations, Carolynn!

Everyone else, send in your shameless self-promotions.

Take care,

Gayle

Welcome!

Thank you for subscribing . . . or re-subscribing . . . to Writing Up A Storm. In this month’s issue, we’ll discuss the importance of your website and its relation to your writing. If you prefer to read this newsletter in plain text, please stay tuned to my blog where I’ll post the newsletter in plain text format on August 15.

IN THIS MONTH’S ISSUE:

Question of the Month: How can my website help/hinder my writing?
Link of the Month
Market Spotlight
SHAMELESS Self-Promotion

Thanks again for joining me. I hope you have a wonderful month.

How can my website help/hinder my writing?

Before you go thinking you’ve heard all you need to know about websites, you might want to take a look at this article. I thought I knew everything I needed to know about websites, but I found I was horribly wrong when I had my website overhauled by a professional.

Blogs

We’re told every writer needs a blog. So I had blogs. I had a WordPress blog, a Tripod blog and three Blogger blogs. This scattered me and my brand all over the place. While it’s good to be found in a number of places, I learned that search engines don’t recognize free sites as well as they do hosted sites. Therefore, it’s better for your main blog to be a part of your website.

More Than One Site

I had sites for different books, different names and different ventures. As a result, the web designer told me I was too fragmented. Your one website should act as a funnel, directing attention to you, building your brand as a writer and bringing everything together. Your site should define who you are and what you do. First and foremost–careerwise–I write cozy mysteries. I also do coaching and speaking. Those two features now have tabs on my main website. That way, someone who goes to a site and learns about Gayle Trent, the writing coach, will also be aware that Gayle Trent writes cozy mysteries and enjoys speaking.

What Will It Take To Get YOU To the Next Level?

Basically, you need to ask yourself where you want to be and what it will take to get you there. Do you need a more professional online image? Do you need clips to entice editors and/or agents? Are you effectively promoting your books, your writing or your coaching talents? Is your site clear and easy to navigate? If you’re not sure, ask someone to go to your site and tell you how quickly and easily they found your book; learned what your book is about; learned where to buy your book; learned how to become part of your community; learned what else you do; learned about your upcoming appearances, if any. Then, take a look at a number of sites of writers you admire to see what they’re bringing to their site that your site may be lacking. Discover how you can add something similar to your own site.

Link of the Month: Joomla Jump

Susan Gilbert of Joomla Jump was the brains behind my website overhaul. If you’re interested in checking out Joomla Jump, go over to http://www.joomlajump.com for more information.

Market Spotlight: Good Housekeeping

If you’re a short story writer, you have the opportunity to be published in the May 2010 issue of Good Housekeeping. Go to http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/family/real/short-story-contest?click=main_sr for more information.

S H A M E L E S S Self-Promotion

Gayle Trent – Bell Bridge Books has accepted the second book in the Daphne Martin mysery series, Dead Pan. Thorndike, the large-print publisher who has contracted for Murder Takes the Cake, is also interested in Dead Pan. English publisher, BBC Audiobooks, will also be publishing Murder Takes the Cake in large-print hardcover.

Don’t forget to send in your own writing news!

Yesterday, my family and I went to Gatlinburg, TN. We had a lot of fun,  especially in the Hollywood Wax Museum. That’s Nicholas, Duane “the Rock” Johnson as the Scorpion King, me and Lianna. As you can see, my children are hammy. I think they get it from their dad. Yeah. . . their dad . . . that’s it.

But “ham” is not the food for thought I intended to talk about in this post. After leaving the wax museum, we went to Fort Fun, a place where they have laser tag, 3-D movies, motion rides, gem mining (we each got a bag of rocks–whoo-hoo!), boogie bodies and mini-golf.

Here’s the thing: As we were walking out of the 3-D movie theater under the black lights, I noticed a fingerprint on my shirt! It was as clear as could be. I was completely amazed. In the regular light (daylight and white lights), the fingerprint was invisible. But under the black lights, there it was. Only one. And it was in a weird position. Pointing down from the top of my shirt. It must’ve got there when I was putting the shirt on. My husband said maybe I had a little makeup on my hands when I put on the shirt. And yet, there was only the one fingerprint.

Naturally, I went in search of the use of black lights as fingerprint detection devices and found this: http://www.buzzle.com/articles/fingerprints-in-forensics-searching-for-invisible-fingerprints.html. And, of course, this will probably show up in a novel eventually. It’s just too good to waste.

Last week I embarked upon my first blog tour. I thought I was one of the last people to become introduced to this relatively new form of publicity. But when I invited a group of writers to join me on my blog tour and was asked by more than one “What exactly IS a blog tour?”, I thought I should address the question here.

A blog tour is simply an event wherein a number of blogs agree to have an author “appear” via articles or interviews. It’s the equivalent of a cyber book tour.

My blog tour began on Monday, October 20, with WOW! Women On Writing’s blog The Muffin. My blog tour started there because I’m doing my blog tour through WOW! Women On Writing. I chose WOW! because they were the least expensive I’d found. However, Angela Mackintosh has been truly wonderful. She’s guided me through this entire process with diligence
and patience, acting as a virtual tour guide in getting me to various destinations with whatever I’m supposed to bring along.

So far, I’ve done four interviews, six articles and shared one review of Murder Takes the Cake. I’ve still got more interviews and articles to do next week. So, as you can see, it’s a lot of work; but I believe it’s paying off.

I have to admit, I like the interviews the best. Often the questions I’m asked make me stop and think. As I analyze my work or myself, I end up learning as well as providing information.

I’ve been able to follow comments on some of the blogs, and that’s a cool experience as well. For instance, at Whole Latte Life, I talked about integrating cake decorating into my cozy mystery. One of the readers was surprised to learn that I’m not a professional cake decorator. I told her I was actually far from it, and she was encouraged by that.

I’ve watched my website traffic increase throughout this blog tour. Plus, my publisher has me on Google Alerts and is notified when I appear on these blogs. Most recently, I’ve joined a group of like-minded authors who do monthly virtual blog tours at member sites.

If you decide to do a blog tour, do your homework. If you choose to do all the legwork yourself, be sure and read Alyice Edrich’s article, “Host Your Own Event: Take a Blog Tour” at http://thedabblingmum.com/writing/hostevent/blogtour.htm. If you prefer to get some professional help, investigate your options before making a commitment. Consider your budget and what you expect to get out of the tour. Ask plenty of questions before deciding which Blog Tour Guide is right for you.

Hope this helps!

For more writing information, please visit my Squidoo Lens at http://www.squidoo.com/writingfreelanceandnovels. Also, visit my Coaching  page.

How do you like the new website? Personally, I love it. I wanted to take a moment and let you know what I’ll be doing with this blog.

Of course, I’ll be updating you on current releases, contests, giveaways and other fun things. I’ll also be letting you know about workshops and appearances.

Since my characters dabble in cake decorating and embroidery, they will be guest posting. Daphne Martin from Murder Takes the Cake will post about baking, cake decorating, candy making and other things sweet and fattening. She might occasionally talk about what’s happening in Southwest Virginia. Marcy Singer from the embroidery mystery series will blog about embroidery techniques, sewing, home decor and life on the Oregon Coast.

I’ll also be posting articles pertaining to writing and publishing. See my Coaching page for more information about The Writer’s Planner, and contact me if you’d like to know about one-on-one coaching, e-classes or teleseminars. Twice a month, I’ll be hosting an author from the Virtual Book Tour; and I’ll provide you with a link so you can check out my guest post on another member’s blog.

Thank you for joining me!

Gayle is going to start writing posts here in the next few days.