Category: Sites Helping Writers

Posted in Sites Helping Writers, Writing How Tos, Writing Tips

Been Rejected and It Hurts so Bad?

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JUN TWITTER MEME Susan Palmquist

The dreaded rejection letter. The writer’s equivalent of a dear john letter.

They’re a necessary evil that goes hand in hand with being an author who’s continually writing and submitting their work.

I’ve had my share of them and once I even received two in one day. Ouch! Another time I received someone else’s rejection.

Then you get published and you think they’ll stop, but they don’t. Even when you’ve got a couple of published books under your belt, you get rejected again.

The thing I hatedmost about opening up an envelope and seeing dear author, this story isn’t right for us, blah, blah, blah, was not knowing what was wrong with it. Was it the plot, the characters, and was I repeating the same mistakes with each story I wrote?

When I was asked to come up with some new workshop ideas I thought back to these times. I remembered my frustration and how I wanted to know what I could do to make my story better so that rejection letters didn’t come sailing through the letterbox again.

I came up with an idea for a boot camp style workshop with a limited number of students so I can give each of them more of my time and we’ll work one on one rather than in a group setting. The My Story’s Been Rejected Now What? was born. It launches next month and the kind people at Outreach Chapter made this flyer for me to share with everyone.

If you’ve had a story recently rejected and what some help to rework it and figure out what’s wrong, this is the workshop for you.

Hope to see you in class.

Feel free to pass this along to other writers and groups!

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Posted in Sites Helping Writers

Freelance Writer Studio

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If you’re a freelance writer or thinking about launching a career as one, I have a new site. It’s called Freelance Writer Studio and as you can guess it features tips, advice and news for anyone wanting to pursue a freelance career.

I’ll be adding more content soon but if anyone wants to be a guest blogger (or knows someone who does), let me know because I’d like to make this site a writing community for everyone to share their tips and maybe even share a job lead or two.

Here’s the link

http://www.freelancewriterstudio.com

Posted in Sites Helping Writers, Writing Tips

A Great Blog for Authors

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I like to think that This Writer’s Life is all about helping my fellow authors and freelance writers with their journey to getting published and/or getting established. I’ve previously listed some sites that I think are helpful to achieving that goal, but this year I want to find more resources I can share with you. The first one is the Book Baby blog. I published my first self-pubbed title through them so I’ve been getting their blog newsletter via e-mail. I’ve seen it evolve from handy tips to ones that I feel every writer should read, so I highly recommend it to you. Here’s the link-

 

http://blog.bookbaby.com/

 

While you’re on the site, and for all of you self-publishers out there, I found this great post about business plans. It’s not something I’ve ever thought about but now it’s given me food for thought-

http://blog.bookbaby.com/2015/12/developing-a-business-plan-as-a-self-published-author

Posted in Sites Helping Writers

My First Journey in Self-Publishing Fiction

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Most of you know for the last year or so I’ve been self-publishing my non-fiction books, but recently ventured into fiction too. I got my feet wet by re-releasing a title when the rights were returned to me. In the next few months more of my book contracts expire which means I’ll be doing more of the same.

Last month I thought I’d take another leap and self-pub a brand new story. It’s not released yet but I thought I’d share the journey with in you in hopes to encourage you to give it a try.

Play to Your Strengths

For us authors; writing is first and foremost a creative endeavor, however, I’ve learned quickly that it’s also a business too. When it’s your money on the line you have to make sure you won’t take a lose. So with that in mind, I decided to go with a genre that’s sold well for me and that’s erotica set during the Regency period. Most of my bestsellers have been in that genre. An added bonus is I love writing it too.

I also knew series sell well for me so I’ve opted to make this first venture book one of Regency Rakes and Rogues. I added a first chapter to my re-released The Pleasure Room to not only offer a bonus to readers, but hopefully get them invested in the story so they buy Pleasured by a Lord.

It’s a short novella which I was able to write while working on my Kalispell Shifter story. The reason I went with a shorter work, less time and less investment should it be a flop.

Editing and Proofreading

My next step was the editing and proofreading and I didn’t have to look far because Kerry, who’s edited lots of my books at Evernight Publishing, has her own editing service. She’s a great editor, I like her editing style, and we also work well together. I trust her to make my books shine.

So if you’re in the market for some editing work, here’s the link to Kerry’s Web site-

http://www.writersresourceinc.com/

Cover

I’ve heard of self-publishers paying lots of money for their covers but for me that’s risky so I’ve been using designers at Fiverr for my books. This time I went with a new designer and I hope you’ll agree she did a fantastic job. https://www.fiverr.com/melgraphics/design-stunning-romance-novels-book-covers

I purchased my own stock cover from https://www.dollarphotoclub.com/. If like me you know you’ll be publishing lots of books, it’s a better deal to opt for the yearly membership.

Formatting

I’ve slowly got the hang of formatting my books but if you get stuck, head over to YouTube because there are lots of easy to follow tutorials there.

So here’s the cover and I’m hoping to release this book on Wednesday September 9th.

pleasuredbyalord

Posted in Sites Helping Writers

A New Imprint, an Anthology and Site Needing Reviewers

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writer-605764_1280Here are three things I thought I’d share with you.

Chicken Soup for the Soul is looking for cat stories for an upcoming anthology.

Amazon has a new publishing imprint-
https://kindlescout.amazon.com/

And finally, Coffee Time Romance…and they’re not joking when they say they’re a great bunch of people, are looking for volunteer reviewers and interviewers-

We have….laughter, readers, authors, and lots of books! If you are looking for the best bunch of people on the planet (no, we are not bias), then you need to join our Coffee Crew.
We are looking for reviewers and interviewers. Don’t worry, we have a wonderful and supportive staff that will hold your hand and walk you through all of it!
Want to walk on the dark side….cough….want to join our little family? Contact us today at webmistress@coffeetimeromance.com

Posted in Sites Helping Writers

Some Helpful Sites for Writers, Authors and Screenwriters

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Here some links to sites and information that might be helpful to some of you-

If you’re indie author Publisher’s Weekly has a site called Booklife where you can submit your book for review-

http://booklife.com/

Not sure if you’ve used the correct grammar or have a question about things like commas or adjectives? Check out Grammarly where you can check your text for potential errors-
https://www.grammarly.com/1

Are you a screenwriter? Entries are now open to the Big Break Contest-
http://store.finaldraft.com/big-break-contest.html?

Posted in Sites Helping Writers

Ventures in Self Publishing

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If you’ve been a regular follower of my Friday Ramblings you know that this year I wrote a cookbook and have just self-published it. I won’t say it was easy work but it’s satisfying knowing that you have total control over your book, and yes you take both the accolades and blame if something’s not right with it. I know lots of you are interested in taking the self-pub route, but like me, have a limited budget, so thought I share the breakdown of who did what and costs for this venture-

They say a cover sells a book and because I have near zero design skills, knew I needed help. Lots of folks recommended I check out Fiverr.
I found a fantastic designer named Alex who I noted had designed cookbook covers.
Total cost was $31.50 and that included Alex purchasing a stock photo for me to keep for future use and him creating everything I’ll need when I publish the book in print form through Createspace.

I highly recommend him to you and here’s a link to his listing-
https://www.fiverr.com/alerrandre/design-professional-book-cover?context=advanced_search&context_type=rating&funnel=201411120004533498172340

Next step, something else that I have limited skills in, and that’s converting the book to both mobi and e-pub. Knowing I’d found the perfect designer on Fiverr, I went there searching for someone to help me out with the conversion. I found Jean who is great to work with and did a wonderful job for me. Total cost $47.50 which included a clickable table of contents and making sure everything worked properly.

I can also highly recommend Jean and will using both of these Fiverr folks again and again, here’s Jean’s listing if you’re interested-
https://www.fiverr.com/jmbauhaus/convert-your-ebook-file-to-epub?context=advanced_search&context_type=rating&funnel=2014111715475433311850540

Finally there’s getting the book to the sites. I have done a little of this myself but it’s time consuming, sometimes things go wrong and have to be relisted and all that takes away from time I could be writing so I used eBookPartnership. Cost was $50 and that included the ISBN. Best thing is they don’t charge a commission so what profit you make on each sale is 100% the author’s. http://www.ebookpartnership.com

Next up is the print version and I hope to get that set up in the New Year and I’m anticipating about another $20 for that but for now the total outside cost of the this venture was $128.75.
And for a little shameless self-promoting here’s the link to the book on Amazon-

http://www.amazon.com/Adventures-Budget-Smart-Eating-Recipes-ebook/dp/B00QMNPZ4A/ref=sr_1_4?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1418152270&sr=1-4&keywords=susan+palmquist

Posted in Sites Helping Writers

Getting Ready for NaWriNoMo

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Anyone taking part in this year’s NaWriNoMo? I’m gearing up ready for Saturday. My goal is to reach 50,000 words by December 1st but not all with one project. I’m working on a story right now that I plan to finish during the first week and then I’ll switch to a couple of other projects I’ve been thinking about.

Staying motivated is the key and besides the support group I’ve organized for my students and writing buddies, I’ll be posting frequent updates here on the blog, along with tips and things I feel can help you stay on track.

As you know I get the Bookbaby newsletter and they have two great resources I thought I’d share with you-

http://blog.bookbaby.com/2014/10/preparing-for-nanowrimo-how-to-write-a-novel-in-one-month/

http://blog.bookbaby.com/2014/10/nanowrimo-word-count-calendar/

The countdown begins….

Posted in Sites Helping Writers

Coffeetime Romance Ad Specials

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If you’re looking for some low cost ways to advertise your books, my friends at Coffeetime Romance, http://www.coffeetimeromance.com, asked if I’d share this-

Authors!

We have something brand new for you and free events for you to brag about your books!

Advertising Sale for October

Cafe’ o’Launch

Have a release coming up? Want some help getting the promotional push you need to get the word out? This package will be available for purchase only in October. You can save your benefits to use when you are ready! So reserve your spots now!

New this month – 50.00

Show readers your new release book cover on the front page of Coffee Time Romance & More.

On the 1st of each month, we put up new book covers linked to your website for readers to find.

Coffee House Author – 35.00

This yearly membership will help any author no matter where they are in their writing career.
•Author Name linked to your web site on the front page of Coffee Time Romance & More
•Author Name linked to your web site in our Monthly newsletter
•Author Name linked to your web site on our Blog
•Coffee, Books & a Blog – Need a place to go to relax and talk about books and what you are doing? This is the day to meet with your fans one-on-one; find new readers; and just enjoy the day while we do all of the heavy lifting. You don’t even have to take off your pajamas!
•Featured Contest slot for one month. We will write a contest to bring readers to your site. We will host the contest, take the entries, and let you know the winner. All you have to do is provide the prize! (Scheduling based on availability)
•Creation of your own author group for you to meet with your readers and talk about your books and upcoming events. These boards work like a Yahoo board with mail service, posting preferences, moderation, and more. You will be your own moderator with all of the privileges necessary to run your group the way you need. This is a permanent feature. This is a great way to keep in touch with your readers and share your news. We have over 500 moderators to keep out spammers and pshishers.
•Coffee Time Romance & More will provide you a banner for you to use on your site for the year.

Book Cover Ad – 10.00
•Runs on 2 pages at Coffee Time Romance
•Linked to your site, your publishing house, or book store.
•You can add 12 words for free under your cover.
•Runs for 4 weeks (put up on the 15th of every month)

Cafe Chronicles Cover Ad – 25.00

We have an affordable way for you to promote your book in our Cafe Chronicles, our large monthly newsletter.

Spot in Weekly Mailer – 5.00

One book cover ad linked which is mailed out to readers each week.

Save 40%

Get your Cafe’ o’Launch today!

Open Promo Events – Sign up Now

Coffee Time Romance Author Excerpt Day

Coffee Time Romance is dedicating the 20th of every month to author excerpts. Whether a new release, an upcoming release, or an oldie but goodie, this is an opportunity to excite your fans. The rules are easy. Excerpt Day is for published works only. This is not a day for contests. Each author is limited to one excerpt. You can include a blurb, bio, and cover, but the entire post can be no more than 750 words. If you’re already registered with the CTR blog, you’re good to go. If not, drop Bonnie a line and she’ll get you going. Happy Excerpt Day!

Coffee Time Romance loves our authors!

We have a new event that invites readers to visit with their favorite authors during our Chat With Your Favorite Author, which takes place the second Friday of every month on the Coffee Time Romance blog. For the month of October, that is Friday, Oct 10. If you would like the opportunity to get intimate with your readers, this event is for you. This event is limited to six authors, and is first come, first serve. Please contact Bonnie.

Contemporary romance authors!

Do you have a new release for October? If so, would you like to showcase your new release at Coffee Time Romance? Every second Saturday of the month, we showcase new releases on our blog.

October is contemporary romance month. If you’re interested, contact Bonnie for more information. This month, the event takes place Saturday, Oct 11.

October Spooky Love

October is the month for things that go bump in the night. If you have a romance that includes anything paranormal, then Coffee Time Romance’s April Author Spotlight might be the place for you to showcase your book. The event takes place on the Coffee Time Romance blog October 30. If you’re interested in participating, email Bonnie It’s first come first serve and space is limited.

Posted in Sites Helping Writers

Writing For The Greeting Card Market

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Most of us authors and writers (artists and photographers too) are always looking for new markets (or ways we can use our creative talents to earn more cash). Have you ever thought of the greeting card market, or even making your own to sell on places like Etsy?

I came across this informative blog by Kate Harper and thought I’d share the link with you. It has lots of great information, a list of potential markets for your work and even details of a class Kate teaches on the subject-

http://kateharperblog.blogspot.com/search?