June and July were designated Book Cover Months in the Chatroom. It feels like we just finished coveriing book cover month. So, I am switching it up.
Moderator’s Privelege.
I commit a lot of Facebook-ary brousing different Writers’ Groups and there are scams, pitfalls and all manner of potential trouble an otherwise talented writer
can fall into.
The 13 Most Common Self-Publishing Mistakes to Avoid
Part Two Number Two
2. Not optimizing your book description
Jane Friedman says..
” The best way to train yourself to write a good book description is to read as many of them in your book’s genre as you can; you’ll soon notice a common structure
to the writing and what kind of plot points are highlighted.”
What Your Amazon Book Description Needs to Accomplish
It needs to quickly summarize or hint at what your story or topic is about in a way that tantalizes.
It needs to define the genre and subgenre (even though it’s assumed the shopper has already picked the genre as part of her search, that’s not always the case).
It needs to sound and look similar to the bestselling books in your genre.
It needs to integrate the main keyword phrases you’ve chosen that you believe potential readers will type into the Kindle search bar.
It needs to be riveting and hook your customers, just as your book’s opening page should hook them.
Keep checking back with our Newsletter or Blog Posts to discover more from our Summer Self Publishing Series.
The 13 Most Common Self-Publishing Mistakes to Avoid
June and July were designated Book Cover Months in the Chatroom. It feels like we just finished coveriing book cover month. So, I am switching it up. Moderator's Privelege.
I commit a lot of Facebook-ary brousing different Writers' Groups and there are scams, pitfalls and all manner of potential trouble an otherwise talented writer can fall into.
I did some Google searching and Jane Friedman showed up like an old friend. I found an article that may well suit our Self-Publishing needs for the Months of June and July, so let's give it a go.
"For every new venture, there is a learning curve. When it comes to self-publishing your book, however, that curve can be steep. After spending all that time and effort writing (and maybe even illustrating) your book, you want to make sure you do everything right—or at least as
right as you can.
The shiny side of this coin is that a lot of authors have already made their mistakes, and many of them have been generous in sharing both their trials and successes."
Skimping on cover design
This just happens to be the first item on Janet's list of things a self-publishing author should know.
There are three links associated with the first topic and here they are..
Creative nonfiction employs the creative writing techniques of literature, such as poetry and fiction, to retell a true story.
In short, creative nonfiction (CNF) is a form of storytelling that employs the creative writing techniques of literature, such as poetry and fiction, to retell a true story.
Sometimes the best way to understand a form of writing is to experience it, kick your creative into gear and NIKE.
I have poked around Google on my cellphone and discovered a website packed with Creative Nonfiction Writing Prompts. After discovering these
prompts I completely forgot to write up the Newsletter Reminder.
Here are a few Creative Nonfiction Prompts to get you started.
There are no right or wrong answers and this is a judgement free zone.
11. Choose an event in your life that someone else remembers differently. Describe both memories and debate the differences. Who do you think is right? Why do you think you remember it differently?
31. Take a small, boring moment that happened today and write as much as you can about it. Go overboard describing it, and make this boring moment exciting by describing it in intense detail with ecstatic prose. Eventually connect this small, boring detail with the grand narrative of
your life, your bigger purpose and intentions.
45. Recall a scene in which you chose to remain silent. Whether it was your boss’s racist rant, or just an argument not worth having, explore the scene and why you chose not to speak.
You can find 50 Creative Writing Prompts at BOOKFOX.
Welcome to another Topic Chat at The Writer’s Chatroom.
May is Memoir Month and we have added Personal Essays to broaden our target audience. On a writerly whim, I am adding Journaling
to group. Journaling is something almost every girl with a diary has experienced and can relate to. You know, the Manifesto is another topic familiar to every unhappy, defiant and hormonally charged male teenager or young adult.
Of these four forms of writing, I suspect a Journal is least likely to be published and the Manifesto begs for recognition and
depending on who is looking, it can beg for attention or serve as a cautionary tale.
Let’s talk about Journaling. Do you like a nice book with an equally nice cover on your journal? Maybe, you use a 70 page
college ruled spiral notebook with a green cover.
Journaling can also be done on a sketchpad or through our phone cameras.
Come to chat at 7PM EDT on Sunday.
Earlier, I was wondering if publishers are accepting submissions for Memoirs. I put a few words into Google and found that there
are, indeed, publishers interested in Memoirs.
A slow read and click through the article will lead you to information you probably didn’t realize you needed. Even if you
aren’t planning to publish in these genres this is a good resource.
Happy Mother's Day - Let's Talk Personal Essays
It snowed, today. I am feeling a little under the weather. It isn't Covid, it is TMI to tell you my symptoms. Anyway, I won't be posting to the blog, this evening with links to information on Essays.
Instead, come to chat, and tell us what makes a good personal essay. Not the essay on your SAT exams.
Do you like writing them? I really enjoy reading them. Some are written so well, I think of them as Creative Nonfiction. Creative Nonfiction is a Topic Worthy of its own Sunday Topic.
Drop into chat at 7PM EDT at The Writers Chatroom and share your thoughts, ask your questions and just hang out with some of the coolest people on the internet.
Wednesday Open Chat
Wednesday is Relaxed Topic Chat Night
We are going to do another Relaxed Topic Chat.
Come on over at 8PM EST and chat with us about any writerly topic.
If you can't make it this Wednesday we will be here on Sunday with a Sunday Topic Chat.
Writing for Children & Young Adults
Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing Team Webinar
What is in the Basement? Sub-genres of Horror
In literature, horror (pronounced hawr-er) is a genre of fiction whose purpose is to create feelings of
fear, dread, repulsion, and terror in the audience—in other words, it develops an atmosphere of horror.
We have spent the Month of October talking about Horror and I think we have had some interesting conversations. On Sunday
October 25th we will talk about sub-genres of horror. It will be a relaxed topic chat. 7PM EDT
Did you know the two genres have less in common than you think?
The article I have chosen for Sunday’s Topic will take at least 12 minutes to read. More than twelve if you are like me. I stop
and absorb things before moving on to the next and then may or may not go back to figure out where I disagree. So, sit back with your favorite drink and read through this post before chat at 8PM EDT on October 11th.
Horror fiction ultimately has different goals than
thrillers.
Horror fiction has the specific intent to frighten, scare, disgust, and/or startle the reader by inducing feelings of terror.
These elements can be delivered in a variety of ways, but in the end a horror novel wants to keep the reader in a constant state of dread.
The thriller genre is also different from horror in many
ways.
While a work of horror will often merely fill the reader with dread, a thriller relies on suspense through each development of
the story. Thrillers give readers feelings of excitement, anticipation, surprise, with devices such as red herrings, plot twists, and cliffhangers natural additions to the story.
I am urging you to take a little bit of time before chat, this article is quite well done and even if you don’t write in these genres it never hurts to be able to hold up your end of the conversation should you stumble into an award ceremony at the THE HORROR WRITERS ASSOCIATION.
