Writer's Tips Newsletter — Spring 2006

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Jorlan Self-Publishing Service: Do you already have your book design done, or plan to do it yourself? Let us take care of the ISBN, LCCN, and bar code for you! The Jorlan Self-Publishing Service is a convenient and economical way to incorporate these essential elements into the production of your book. For just $175 you get: assignment of ISBN and LCCN numbers to your title; listing in Bowker's Books in Print database; ISBN (Bookland EAN) Bar Code with your retail price; and placement of the ISBN, LCCN, and bar code in your prepared design files by a professional book designer. Click here for more information.

NEW Online Class!

Effective Submissions: Finding an Agent and Submitting Your Writing

Taught by Heather Horrocks, author of Women Who Knew the Mortal Messiah and experienced writing mentor.

You will receive instructional emails every Tuesday and Thursday, June 6 – 29, 2006.

Week One: Writing a blurb that will hook an editor/agent.

Week Two: How to make yourself sound wonderful to an editor/agent.

Week Three: Query letters that sell.

Week Four: Putting it all together for your book and your submissions.

By the end of the class, you will have a second-draft query letter that you can continue to refine as you complete your manuscript.

Cost: $20 for instructional emails only OR $40 for instruction plus feedback/critiques. Registration deadline: May 15th.

Click here to register. After you've registered, you will be invited to a Yahoo Group for participation in the class.

Book Expo America 2006 will be held in the new Washington D.C. Convention Center from May 19-21. There will also be several writing, publishing, and marketing-related conferences and workshops in the days preceding the Expo:

On Tuesday, May 16 in Washington, D.C., Joan Stewart (The Publicity Hound) is presenting a half-day workshop called "Savvy Media Relations: How to Get FREE Print, Online, and Broadcast Publicity." Click here for more information (look for the "What's New" heading on the home page). If you can't make it to the workshop, check out Joan's CDs, Special Reports, Ebooks, etc. for expert advice on generating free publicity for your books and yourself as an author.

The BEA/Writer's Digest Writer's Conference is scheduled for Wednesday, May 17. Click here for more information.

Also on May 17, John Kremer will be presenting his "Book Marketing for Novelists Seminar" from 1:00 – 5:00 p.m. at the Hamilton Crowne Plaza Hotel. Click here for more information or call 641-472-6130.

Publicize Your Novel

by Fern Reiss

“It’s so much harder to publicize a novel,” is the lament of many authors.  Harder maybe, but not impossible.  Try these methods of novel publicity:

Put nonfiction hooks in your novel. The reason most authors find nonfiction easier to publicize than fiction is that nonfiction, almost by definition, contains ‘hooks’ around which you can leverage publicity: How-to books on golfing, for example, can lend themselves to doing talk radio shows where you share your golfing techniques; nonfiction guides to golden retrievers can become print articles on caring for your golden retriever.  But novels can enjoy the same sorts of hooks if you consciously insert them.  So think carefully about your passions—hobbies, pastimes, collections, pets—and then integrate your favorites into your novel.  If you’re an avid golfer, make one of your characters an avid golfer.  If you love your golden retriever, put one in your novel.  That way, you can get the same broadcast and print coverage for your novel that you would for a nonfiction book with that hook.

Market to your hooks. Once you’ve got a few good nonfiction hooks in your novel, plan your marketing efforts around them.  If your character is an avid golfer, you can sell your novel at golf conventions and golf shows and golf pro shops and golf courses.  If your novel focuses around golden retrievers, you can find and market to the (vast) dog-loving audience.  Golfers like to read books about golfers, and dog-lovers like to read books about dogs, so be sure you’re working your hooks and going after your natural audience.

Include reality in your novel. The more real items you can include in your novel, the more you broaden your marketing options.  So include real locations, real corporations, real associations. (Of course, be sure you use these real venues and groups just as colorful background detail; don’t say anything libelous and don’t violate trademarks, obviously.) Once your book includes real locations and groups, you can try to sell your books in those locations, make quantity sales to those corporations and associations.  (And if anyone can figure out a subtle way for me to include Canyon Ranch or Bermuda in my next book, please let me know.)

Figure out a reading alternative. Sadly, not that many people attend book readings unless the author is already famous.  So what can you do if you’re a good, but not-yet-famous novelist?  Design an alternative to the traditional reading.  Again, follow your niche: If your book features a knitter, design a knitting event; if your book showcases a chef, put together a cooking demonstration.  Your target audience will be interested in a nonfiction presentation or event just as much (or maybe more) than a reading—and you’ll likely sell more books as a result.

Try some novel ideas. Finally, capitalize on all the clever creative tricks you can maneuver only as the writer of a novel.  For example, invite visitors to your website to compete for the rights to have a cameo role in your next novel—a sure-fire way to increase your ability to harvest readers’ email addresses. Or print up t-shirts with cartoons or caricature based on your novel.  (One writer I consulted with ended up creating a whole set of body tattoos based on her novel.) Or walk around a busy resort town dressed as a character from your novel, handing out promotional postcards.  Think out of that proverbial box—and work some novel ideas that nonfiction writers really can’t touch.

Fern Reiss of PublishingGame.com/Expertizing.com, is the author of The Publishing Game book series. She consults with authors on how to find a literary agent, how to self-publish, and how to successfully promote a book. Sign up here to make sure you get her complimentary monthly tips on publishing, book promotion, and Expertizing.

As I Said, Avoid Repetition

As a writer, you know you should avoid repetition. Repeated words can slip by us as writers, but they jump out at readers.

What's the most overused word I find in manuscripts I edit? Don't bother, you probably will guess wrong. The most overused word is "as."

"As" has many definitions and uses, and I won't bore you with the list, but trust me, it goes on forever. Of all places, though, I see the word "as" used most often following dialogue: "Go start the car," John said as he carried the box to the door.

Don't be afraid to use words like "while," "when," "like," "because," "though," and all the other alternate words available to writers. Sometimes you can even delete the word "as" entirely: John carried the box to the door. "Go start the car," he said.

Writer's Tips Editor,

Lana Jordan is the founder of Jorlan Publishing, for which she does consulting and editing. She is the author of two books, Journey to Motherhood (pregnancy and childbirth from a mother's perspective) and The Sleepytime Ponies Trick a Trickster (bedtime read-aloud for ages 4 and up featuring magical flying ponies; humorous Mouse Deer folk tales; and dreamy illustrations). Available from the Jorlan Bookstore and Amazon.com. Lana was also a contributor for Book Marketing from A to Z, by Francine Silverman and Megan's Party, by the Megan's Party Mom Squad (free eBook from the Jorlan Bookstore).