3 Ways Writers can Cripple Self-Doubt

 

Self-doubt is both positive and negative, depending on your response. It could be motivating or deleterious to one’s ability. But most times, the tendency to it being negative is high. Therefore, anyone aspiring to success or relevance in a discipline or profession must be deliberate in the effort to cripple the coated demon. Similarly, the first thing you need to master, as a writer, is self-doubt.

Jason Rose gives a reasonable analysis of what writing is. He says, “Writing is 10% skill, 40% hard work, and 50% crippling self-doubt.” In other words, if you could cripple self-doubt, you have attained an average in writing.

However, writers are feeble and self-conscious. While quality fuel the thirst to know more, to feel more, to have more, to be more, it could become a boisterous storm that can drown one’s ability. Hence, managing the emotions and feelings attached to the feebleness is primary to improving one’s writing skills.

At one point or another, the feeling gets under our skin. Like a witness to the soul, its voice scribbles on the tablets of our hearts: “You are not good enough.” “Your writing is bad.” “That sucks.” “You’re such a jerk.” The words are like seeds thrown into the field, longing for the rain and the rough and tumble of the farmer. And when it is not revved up from the farmer’s activity, it dies.

Similarly, when you doubt your power because of the lies that are crawling in your head, you give power to your doubt. The lies came, in the first place, so you could question your abilities and drop your pen.

Nevertheless, it’s a choice one must make with anything in life: to either believe in yourself or allow yourself to be sucked into self-pity and feelings of self-doubt. Here are some things that can help you trust yourself again when feeling defeated:

Ground yourself

It is the nature of winds to blow, but it is at the helm of each object not to get blown away. A tree that is not firmly rooted will bow to the storm. When you are grounded in the belief of your ability and skill, you are shielded against the gremlin of self-doubt.

You should note that doubt, in itself, is not bad, it’s your response to it that matters. Self-doubt is there to test your agility and perseverance. Most times, self-doubt springs from feedback and criticisms. These are the rewards of every writer’s piece. However, our charge is not to fight but to check our egos, absorb everything, learn from everyone, expand our way of thinking, and improve.

Take a break

If you are feeling overwhelmed by what you perceive as not going so well, take some time away from that project and focus on something totally different. Sometimes, shifting our focus away from what we are stuck on helps us take a new perspective when we come back to it.

Paul Tremblay, an American author and editor of contemporary horror, dark fantasy, and science fiction, says, “For the times when I’m still filled with anxiety that isn’t going away, I get up and walk away from the computer and go do something else; exercise or chores; something physical. It’s important to give yourself permission to bail on writing and not beat yourself up too much about it. More times than not, when I’m not actively thinking about the book, an idea or a solution to a problem in the story bubbles up.”

Damien Angelica Walters, the author of Paper Tigers and Sing Me Your Scars, also adds, “Read a lot, watch a movie, go out, do anything but write. When I do that, the negative feelings start to melt away and I remember why I write: because I love it. It isn’t about accolades or anthology invitations or even sales; it’s about telling the stories that I have inside me to tell.”

Never compare yourself with another

Self-doubt puts you in a hole where you begin to compare yourself with others as you question your identity. Success is not in comparison, but in the assurance of your identity. Never give in to comparison.

Instead, it is important to get the support you need from others. Whether this is from friends, family, or a professional therapist or coach, getting reassurance or help from others can make a big difference.

Sometimes, just the reassurance that you are not the only one who gets stuck or has moments of self-doubt can help you shift away from a “why me” attitude.

7 Bold Marketing Lessons You Can Learn From Apple

 

Not too long ago, for those of us who were born in the last century, Apple was an afterthought.

Post-2000 the company rebranded itself in a revolutionary way. Despite the fact that they’re roughly on par with other computers and devices, they enjoy a reputation for being the best and command a premium price because of it. It’s not all due to the aesthetic design, either.

Even if you’re not a fan of their products, we all know someone who is almost slavishly loyal to the brand. They proclaim them the best at every turn, and word of mouth is a powerful force.

This leaves us asking ourselves: what exactly did they do to revamp their entire image in only a few short years?

The answer is simple: downright brilliant marketing.

I wholly endorse learning from the best, and when it comes to branding and advertisements they’re definitely up there. Learning this way means one thing: we have to ask ourselves questions about the success of the company involved.

After all, if you don’t know what’s been done it’s pretty hard to replicate.

So, without further ado, let’s take a look at the seven best lessons I think you can take from Apple’s marketing and talk about how to adapt them to your own business.

1. Think Carefully About the Need for Advertising

Apple actually runs pretty minimal advertising despite their increasing market share.

Think about it, apart from an ad once in a while most of the stuff you hear about their products comes from those who are fans of their products. Whether it’s reviews or the friend who can’t stop raving about his new iMac, they allow their products to speak for themselves.

There is also a lot of product placement done by the company, particularly in high-budget films and TV shows.

You can take the same approach with your business, provided that you’re supplying a high-quality product.

Now, it’s unlikely that you have the budget to have Tony Stark wielding your product in the next Avengers movie. Instead, you’ll want to scale this down to the basics.

What you can do is supply a high-quality product or service that speaks for itself. Try to get major influencers within your niche to utilize it.

If you’re providing a service, then a free trial is a great way to do it if your business model can allow it. Otherwise, you might want to collect and publish testimonials from those who are using your business to succeed. Publish them high and low. See if you can convince a few to do it of their own accord.

Case studies are also a bold move in the right direction. If you increased traffic by 200% with your SEO services, or your copywriting increased conversions by 75% or whatever else you may do, you can easily format a study to show why you should be picked over your competitors.

It’s easier said than done, but the less you have to spend on traditional advertising campaigns, the higher ROI you’re going to experience.

2. Don’t Engage in Price Wars

Apple avoids price wars. They cost more than any comparable product and still manage to sell tons of products.

Price wars are always a losing proposition. Ask a freelancer some time. Anyone who’s actually succeeding will have a bottom price and won’t take anything under it, no matter how you try to haggle with them.

When you engage in price wars, you always lose.

Instead you should do what Apple does: focus on telling your customers why you cost more than the competition… then prove it. Justify the cost and it’ll get paid.

While you still need to be wary of the competition, if they start dropping their prices make your own product or service better and don’t give in to the temptation to stoop to their level.

You can also offer different levels of service or different types of products in order to make sure that those buying from you have a wide variety of options. Keep your high ticket sales, but also offer some lower priced options.

But never, ever drop your prices en masse simply because your competitors are doing so.

3. KISS: Keep it Simple Stupid

If there’s one place that Apple really shines it’s in how easy their products are to use. There’s a reason that tech nerds prefer PC and Android products: they’re more customizable and versatile for the most part.

They’re also more prone to failure due to user error.

Even their advertising is relatively straightforward and simple. When was the last time you saw any of their copy directly advertising the technical specifications behind their product?

This reduces the potential customer’s apprehension about the product. The fact of the matter is that most tech users don’t actually care about the specifications behind a device as long as it does what they want to and has a user-friendly interface.

From the aesthetic on down, Apple really is a simple company.

Try taking the same approach with your own business and you’re sure to see some pretty impressive results. Overwhelming consumers with information is exactly what you don’t want to do.

Instead, wow them with the ability to make even the hardest-to-understand principles easy. Then show them what they need and gently guide them to making the right decision: your products.

If you take any of these lessons to heart, make it this one. It’s easy to apply no matter what industry you’re working in.

4. Emotional Marketing

Building on the last lesson, the way to really reach a consumer is through their heart.

When you see an Apple ad you don’t see a bunch of technical specs, you see people sitting around and enjoying their device. After all, who cares what the resolution is? Look at all those happy people enjoying their new iPad.

Forging an emotional connection with your customers is one of the best ways to get through to them. Most people aren’t exactly rational when it comes to choosing the things they buy. Instead they buy them based largely off of their emotions.

Forging ahead and making your potential customers laugh, smile, and perhaps feel just a touch of awe when they see your marketing is one of the most important ways you can connect with them.

And if you connect properly, they’re going to be a lot more likely to buy from you instead of a competitor.

5. Take Aim at Your Audience

Apple targets a specific part of the market and they do it extremely well.

What’s more, they know how to talk to them.

As I’ve pointed out, the average Apple user isn’t likely to be the type who’s wowed with the hardware. Instead they already want an Apple product and just need to figure out which one.

Their pages are covered in large pictures of the products and simple, easy-to-understand copy about the benefits. The specifications are there, of course, but to get to them you’ll first see what amounts to beautiful ads in an old glossy magazine.

They speak directly to their customers, in language they understand.

Being able to do this is one of the keystones of any type of marketing. This isn’t unique to Apple, but they do it better than almost anyone else.

It boils down to this: know your target audience and speak in their language.

6. Nurture a Sense of Community

Apple users tend to flock together. They talk about their products, they rave about them to those who aren’t part of the “cult”, and, above all, they’re loyal to the brand.

This also means that a large part of their content marketing is done by the end consumer instead of having to be produced by the company. There are countless “unboxing” videos online, arguments emerge on social media with users of other devices, and all of this serves to keep them constantly at the top of many people’s minds.

In short, they’re a community.

While it’s not possible with all products and services, if you see the potential to develop this kind of thing with your business you absolutely should. The more people are talking about what you’re selling, the higher your profile will be.

A higher profile means more things being sold.

Engage with your customers. Subtly encourage them to share your products with their friends, and also to share their experiences. If you can tap into it properly, you can form a loyal base of customers which will drive sales beyond your wildest expectations.

7. Become “the Brand”

Apple is the brand when it comes to computers. You’ll rarely hear of people rapidly loyal to Dell or HP or ASUS for their laptops after all. The latter three are pretty much interchangeable and bought on their technical specifications alone.

But Apple users… buy Apple products. Because they’re made by Apple.

Now, not every business is going to be able to take advantage of this powerful level of branding. If you’re running a start-up, however, and you have a truly novel idea you have the potential to do exactly that.

Seven Questions To Ask When Building Your Author Brand

 

An author brand is more than just a fancy website. It goes beyond color schemes, fonts and a logo. Sure, these things are all part of the bigger picture, but they don’t reflect your brand as a whole.

But, what exactly is a brand? And how can you develop one as a writer? In simple terms, your brand is what distinguishes you from everyone else out there. It’s your values, your personality and, ultimately, the unique stories only you can bring to the literary community. All of these things should be reflected in your personal author brand, whether that be through your website, or through your social media feeds.

While it can be easy (and tempting!) to get caught up in the process of picking out color schemes, fonts, and a logo that is sure to blow everyone away, it’s important to dig deep and focus on the core questions that truly set you apart from everyone else. That’s what branding is all about.

So, as you start (or continue) to develop your own brand as an author, keep these questions in mind.

1) Why do I write?

This question lies at the heart of every brand, not just author brands. Why do you do what you do? What motivates you to sit down at your computer (or notepad) to write? These are your values as an author, the things that keep you writing day after day, even when the going gets rough. You can use your values to guide your brand forward in a way that is authentic and meaningful.

2) Who are my readers?

Understanding who you are and what you believe in is important, but so is understanding your audience, or readers. Without a firm grasp of who your readers are, you won’t know what they need and want. And if you don’t know what they need or want, how can you effectively build a brand that attracts your ideal reader?

3) What do I have to offer my readers?

I know what you’re thinking: “I offer awesome stories, isn’t that enough?” And, to an extent, it is enough! However, it’s best to get as specific as possible with what exactly you have to offer your readers. For example, if you’re a romance writer, what sets your book apart from the thousands of other romance novels out there? Why should a reader pick up your book, specifically? Again, really dig deep, and if it helps, reach out to your beta readers. What drew them into your book? For them, what sets your book apart from the rest?

4) Does this truly reflect who I am as an author and a person?

It can be really tempting to try and imitate another person’s style and brand. Especially when we view that person as being more successful than us, whether that be through more book sales, or a bigger social media following. No matter how tempting it may be, don’t be a copycat! It will only hurt you in the long run and, ultimately, it’s just not sustainable. Pretending to be someone you’re not is exhausting, so it’s best to be as authentic as possible when building your own (unique!) author brand.

5) What are other authors doing?

I know, I know, I just told you not to be a copycat. Now, I’m telling you to look at what other authors are doing. Why? For starters, it’s always a good idea to follow other authors, especially those who write in the same genre as you, because it can be an excellent source of knowledge. Maybe a fellow author blogged about a conference that you couldn’t attend. Maybe another author has valuable insight on writing and selling e-books. Ultimately, you should never ignore other authors just because they’re “competition.” More often than not, it’s the friendships that you form with other authors that push you to grow, evolve, and improve, so don’t miss out!

6) Am I willing to be consistent?

Brand consistency is key to making sure you don’t confuse your readers, or yourself. But what does it mean? On the surface, it means consistently using the same design elements, such as colors, logos, taglines, and more, across every platform you’re a part of. At a deeper level, it means that your message (i.e. who you are as an author, who your readers are, and what you have to offer) are crystal clear.  

7) Am I willing to evolve?

Authors evolve over time, and so do their brands. Maybe you’ve decided to go in a completely different direction with your writing. Maybe your values and core message have changed. Whatever the case may be, there is no shame in adjusting your brand to account for your growth as a writer. On the other hand, while it’s important to remain flexible, you don’t want to shake things up too often, as this can create confusion. It’s a good idea to reevaluate your brand once a year, and ask yourself: does this still represent who I am as an author?

Would you like to be widely-read? Let SOI Publishing bring your book to life with high-quality production services. Contact us here.

 

 

Culled from DIY MFA

How to Write for Teens Without Sounding Like an Adult Writing for Teens

 

Ask any agent and they’ll tell you the trick to nailing young adult writing is in the voice. And even though I spend my workdays with teens, I heard it countless times when I was looking for representation for my failed first YA novel. So when I finally buried that novel for good and moved on to what became DON’T GET CAUGHT, I was determined to make sure the voice was right. It took more than eight drafts and constant revisions, but ultimately I signed with an agent who sold the book in a little over a month. The trick, I’ve found, is first to get yourself back to thinking like a teenager again, and once there, writing your novel as a teenager would. Here are 10 practical tips on how to do just that.

1. Time travel.

To sound like a teenager, you need to become a teenager again. Here’s what I want you to do: Spend a week or longer solely writing out your teenage memories. Start it as a list at first—naming friends, enemies, teachers, adventures you had, successes and screw-ups, choices you had to make, etc. Next, choose the memories that stand out the most to you, and write about them. The important part here is to focus on how you felt during these experiences. This is definitely a dam-opening type of exercise of memories and feelings.

2. Relive the terror of your yearbook.

Yearbooks are essentially monsters collecting dust in your closet. Open one up and you can’t escape seeing people who didn’t want to see ever again, reliving moments it took a team of therapists for you to forget, and being filled with all of the confusing emotions high school fills you with. But it’s also a great way to get in touch with those emotions, which is essential to writing authentic voice.

3. Listen to the music.

I got this trick from fellow YA author Josh Berk who once told me when he needs to return to thinking like a teenager, all he has to listen to is Green Day’s “Dookie.” For me, I use my youthful obsession with R.E.M. To this day I can’t hear any of their songs without being transported back to my high school bedroom or cruising around in my beater of a car. Other bands also transport me to other times in my life. It’s an odd trick, but it works. If you listened to anything obsessively in high school, or if there’s a movie you watched endlessly, revisit them and see what place they take you to. Write down the feelings you get from them.

4. Contact your old high school friends.

This is a simple one: Get in touch with old friends and you’ll be amazed at how quickly you’ll revert back to sounding like you’re a teenager again. Failing that, eavesdrop shamelessly on teenagers. It’s not hard—they’re not usually the quietest bunch! Plant yourself at the places they hangout—the mall, coffee shops, school sporting events, etc.

5. YouTube it.

Teenagers broadcast their lives these days to the nth degree. Take advantage of that. YouTube is full of videos of teens talking, giving advice, and just being plain. Tuning in is a great way to pick up the flow of their language. Search: “Teen YouTube Stars” to get started.

6. Find a picture and make it talk.

Once I have a clear image of my character, I have a good idea of how that character sounds. Do this: Image search high school photography studios. Search the results until you find your character—you’ll know him when you see him. Now, what does he sound like? Copy and paste the picture onto your document and have this person introduce himself to you. This likely won’t be the finished voice of your novel, but it’ll let you get started.

7. Write for plot first.

More so with YA writing than with other genres, I suggest writing the complete story out first, then worrying about revising the voice later. This is so you can focus on one thing at a time, instead of plotting and getting the voice right at the same time. Try to write it in a voice close to what you want, but focus on getting the story down first with no pressure of getting the voice right.

8. Loosen up.

Something about being an adult just tightens you up. To write YA with authentic voice, you need to loosen up. With Don’t Get Caught, when I knew I had the story I wanted, I revised (and revised and revised) with a relaxed, devil-may-care attitude—one that eventually helped me find my MC’s real voice. Do this: Take a paragraph you’ve written and are unhappy with voice-wise. Now, stand up, walk around the room maybe while chewing a piece of gum (always good for loosening up!), and type the idea of that paragraph again, but faster and looser, telling yourself no one will ever see it but you. When you’re finished, do it again, maybe after some jumping jacks this time, or blasting a pop radio station. (Really. Try it.)

9. Overwrite.

When you’re doing your voice revision(s), it’s the asides, apparently meaningless observations, and throwaway conversations that will help you hear your characters. Teenagers have opinions on everything, so put them into your draft. Don’t worry about word count at this point; that’s for later. You can trim back an overwritten passage much more easily than you can add voice to a sparse one.

10. Shorten It Up.

OK, so your novel-in-progress is now full of lots of teen thoughts in just the voice you’ve been looking for. It’s time to cut it way back. Because here’s the thing—teenagers don’t speak in long, drawn-out monologues (hint: Don’t use “Dawson’s Creek” as an example). They generally don’t describe things that way either. Their vocabulary is common and accessible. Before you send out the book to your critique partners, cut way back on the paragraphs, descriptions, dialogue, and change any adult verbiage to more common language.

Culled from Writers Digest

Why Writing Skills Are Crucial for All Entrepreneurs

 

I've been a writer my entire career. I love it. I also enjoy writing about what makes for good writing as well as coaching and editing others.

What's cool about being a writer is that you can always improve, and you should want to, too. You can always find a better, more succinct way to make your point, be persuasive -- and in the case of us entrepreneurs use writing to win more business. You might not be a writer, but you still have to write business proposals and emails or come up with a tagline, a mission statement or copy for your website. You still have to be able to communicate what you do and what sets you apart.

 

Recently I enjoyed catching up with fellow word and grammar nerd (a term of admiration, I assure you) Mignon Fogarty, a.k.a. Grammar Girl, who produces the podcast "Grammar Girl's Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing." By the way, if you doubt people's hunger to understand writing and grammar, consider the Grammar Girl podcast is surpassing 300 million downloads this month. Here's some of what Fogarty and I talked about.

Good writing is simple.

Think subject, verb, object, period and in that order too. No need to bog down your writing -- and the reader -- with fancy clauses, adverbs or adjectives.

"Attention spans are so short, you have to use as few words as possible," Forgarty said.

A few words on subjects and verbs. To connect with the reader or create urgency, use second person, or "you." First person and second person are the most engaging.

As for verbs, think active over passive. You'll paint a clearer picture and won't have to rely on adverbs. Also, think of the simplest, most common verbs. For example, we talk more than we converse. And utilize is an overused corporate word for use.

"A lot of times when people use those big words they sound like they might be insecure," Fogarty said.

Note that not everything you write is urgent, exciting or otherwise screaming for an exclamation point. Don't succumb to the peer pressure. The period works great 99.9 percent of the time. 

Good writing isn't formal or jargon heavy.  

"So many people feel they have to be overly formal in business writing to be taken seriously," Fogarty said. "They have to use all the jargon and buzz words." Yes, oh my goodness yes. Every day of my life in corporate communications. 

 

I have one corporate business partner who defies the mold. She lets me delete most of her adverbs and simplify her sentences. She once asked me why my writing sounded different than what she sees elsewhere in the company. What high praise. I wanted to reach through the phone and hug her. Simple sentences. Active verbs. First and second person. Limited adjectives and adverbs. No jargon. I don't have any other tricks.

Writers are on their own a lot more.

From newspapers to corporations, the ranks of copy editors have thinned. That means writers are on their own and have to be their own editors, too. What's a writer to do? To check for grammar, syntax and typos, Fogarty's number one recommendation is to read your writing aloud. I agree. It works.

I also have my go-to resources that I consult: Merriam-Webster online and The Associated Press Stylebook online. And thank goodness for Google, because I always need to look up "affect versus effect." 

Let's all calm down about texting and social media.

I asked Fogarty a question on writing and social media that I'm sure she gets a lot. Are texting and social media making us worse writers? Fogarty has an optimistic view. Social media can make us better writers, because it forces brevity, she said. I agree. It's like headline writers. Those people are poets. This is why I miss the good old days of Twitter when tweets couldn't be longer than 140 characters. I enjoyed the challenge of being ultra brief. By comparison, 280 characters feels like a book.  

As for texting, Fogarty likened it to private notes that people have passed through the ages. Always hastily written, because that's what the audience has always expected. Our parents wrote IOUs. Kids still sign yearbooks with BFF and HAGS (look it up). Heck, OK is an abbreviation for a misspelling from the mid-19th century, Forgarty noted.

Need help with your writing tasks? Let TRW Consult take the pressure off you. Contact us now!

 

 

Culled from INC

13 Lessons From an Epic Book Tour

 

Months before my book, Tides: The Science and Spirit of the Ocean, came out, I teamed with several publicists to build a twelve-month, 100-event tour. Yes – 100!

We targeted the coastal regions of North America, including Canada and Alaska. We booked events at universities, book stores, grammar schools, breweries, museums, aquariums, libraries, Audubon Societies, surf shops, outdoor stores (L.L.Bean, REI), land trusts, literary conferences and festivals, science centers, and specialty clubs (yacht clubs, book clubs, and the Explorers Club). The tour was shaped, of course, by the fact that my book is non-fiction and about the ocean.

None of the publishing professionals I worked with had seen a tour this large, or even close. They thought I was crazy.

It’s now August. The book has been out six months and I’ve given 75 talks in about 60 cities and towns. Here are 13 things I’ve learned:

1. Events drive media; media drives sales

The speaking event itself is important, but what happens around it is even more important. My publicist often described events as “anchoring,” because they’re the foundation on which media attention is built. Even if your event itself draws a small audience, hundreds of people — maybe thousands or tens of thousands — will learn about your book through event-driven media – radio, newspaper, or TV. The event is the pebble thrown into the pond.

2. Plan ahead

Many of the best speakers series are planned six or eight months in advance. If you get in early, you’ll have more flexibility in scheduling. Be open and persistent. Sometimes good things take a long time to happen, and sometimes they don’t. Don’t force it: your event will be more successful if the organizers are excited about having you and claim full ownership for it.

3. Find good partners

If you schedule events with groups that have well-established and well-attended speaker programs, they’ll have nice venues, good tech support, and an ability and willingness to spread the word. (Don’t be your own producer or schedule with a group that hasn’t done this before!) Some groups are nationwide, like The Audubon Society, so once you get in with one, the door opens to others.

Some of my best events involved multiple partners. In Port Angeles, Washington, for example, we encouraged the local bookstore to partner with the library, college, local science center, and the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). We got lots of publicity and a hundred people turned out for the talk. One organization takes the lead; the rest help spread the word (they get their name on it, which should make them happy). Another good partner was the Nature Conservancy of Canada, who sponsored four great events in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick (around the Bay of Fundy). The events were scheduled, catered, and well publicized by the NCC.

4. The Goldilocks Scenario

Medium-sized cities are often easier to book an event, get media attention, and attract a good-sized audience. In the big cities you’re competing with many other worthy events. We scheduled talks at most of the major coastal cities – LA, Seattle, Boston, New York, D.C, etc. — but had some of our most successful events in mid-sized towns like Port Townsend, WA, Astoria, OR, and Santa Barbara, CA, on the west coast, and Camden, ME, Boothbay, ME, Woods Hole, MA, and Martha’s Vineyard, MA on the east coast. This doesn’t mean you should focus only on mid-size and smaller towns. It’s not either/or; it’s both/and.

5. Midweek evenings are the sweet spot

Weekend or day events tend to draw smaller crowds.

6. Universities, no. Bookstores, maybe

If your goal is to sell books and get the word out, I recommend staying away from universities. The audiences are usually small, less attentive, and made up mostly of students who don’t have the money to buy books (nor the time to read outside their assigned texts). Bookstores are a natural, but your event will almost certainly be scheduled during business hours, which can be distracting to both you and your audience. Additionally, bookstores tend to schedule a lot of author events, which means yours will not get special attention from either the bookstore staff or the media. The good thing about a bookstore event, however, is it allows you to meet the staff. If they like you, they’ll recommend your book.

7. Intangibles matter, too

I agreed to give a talk at the Library of Congress because, well, an author just doesn’t say no to that. I flew to LA to be on a panel exploring “Memoir and Travel” with Mark Kurlansky at the LA Times Book Festival. I think I sold three books, but I wouldn’t trade the experience for anything. And, for a favor and because I like kids, I agreed to meet with 80 grammar school kids in Santa Cruz.

8. You’ll pay – literally

Don’t expect anyone to care as much about your book as you do. And don’t expect anyone to work as hard as you will. For free. You won’t get paid for giving talks (occasionally you’ll receive a token $100 or $200), and most publishers have limited funds to support a tour.

9. Treat your presentation seriously

Develop it with the same care you gave your book. Keep it to 35-40 minutes and allow time for questions afterward. Memorize it. Read from the book, but no more than five minutes. Don’t give everything away; leave them wanting more. Send a suggested script for your introduction, as well as a press kit with links and photos for the venue to use for advertising. If you have technical needs (I have images and a short video), bring a kit of connectors that will allow you to plug into any system, and show up an hour early for testing. I even brought my own speaker (small but powerful) that saved me many times.

10. Sometimes you’re lucky and sometimes you’re not

Luck has many dimensions, and it always plays a role. A blizzard blew up on the eve of my talk at the Harvard Bookstore. Only fifteen people showed up. At Providence Library, Rhode Island, my event landed on the first sunny day of spring. It was my smallest audience – nine. On the other hand, The Oregonian printed a review two days before my talk at the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry, and I was interviewed on NPR the day of. We sold out the 320-seat theater and turned away 70

Every author has a story of reading to an audience of one or two. It happens. Don’t fret or judge. See the big picture. Do your job. In setting up my tour, we aimed for audiences of 50 or more. In the end, we ranged from 9-320, with an average of 70. One advantage of having lots of events is that you’re less inclined to get attached to the success or failure of any one of them.

11. Booksellers and books sold

Don’t handle books yourself, if possible. Have a local bookstore do it (you have enough to do!). So far, actual book sales have varied wildly from event to event, with no apparent reason. Sometimes 10% of the audience bought them, and sometimes 100%, with an average of about 25%. Remember that there will be couples in the audience who will buy just one, if they buy at all. Book sales tend to begin a couple weeks prior to an event (assuming there’s publicity) and continue for a couple weeks after, so total books sold for each appearance could be double or triple what you sell at the event itself.

12. Drink water. Swim at the YMCA

Touring is tough on the mind and body. It’s a workshop. A marathon. If you care about what you eat and drink and if you thrive on exercise, as I do, the road is especially challenging. I drink lots of water, especially when I’m on a plane. I also try to drink less alcohol, generally, and take walks and swim at the YMCA. They saved me!

13. Why tour at all?

When a new book is released, authors traditionally embark on a 10-15 event tour, covering 4-6 major cities. With the growth of social media, where you can reach thousands of people at a key-tap, some say tours are a thing of the past. My experience is otherwise. The key-tap approach is important, but there’s nothing more valuable than engaging with people face to face, especially about a subject you – and they – care about. The results of even the briefest encounter can be surprising and far-reaching.

Almost every author I know complains about how little their publisher did to promote their book. My experience with my first book, Talking on the Water, was so disappointing that I decided to hire an independent publicist for this one. My rationale was this: If I was going to spend seven years researching and writing this book, I wanted a publicity effort to match. From the start, I vowed that I would leave no crumbs of regret on the table – either in the writing or in the promotion. By year’s end, I’ll have spent a lot of money and been away from home about 120 days. But I’ve left no crumbs.

Culled from Writers Digest

Top 3 Questions You Should Ask in Writing Creative Design Proposal

 

Make yourself stand out from other designers by drafting a creative design proposal that will impress potential clients.

Leave no room for them to think twice.

By showing off your talent, experience, and professionalism early on, clients will have you at the top of their minds during the hiring stage. Make sure that they will remember your creative design proposal among all others by giving them something unique.

Before doing down to the details and technical information, it is important to ask yourself the following question before creating the creative design proposal. These questions include:

 

Who is the audience?

Early on, you should know who will read your creative design proposal. Are you targeting a Fortune 500 company, a small business, or a marketing agency? The needs of each can vary significantly, and so does their budget. In addition, you have to find out whether your proposal will be read by the business owner, marketing manager, or an assistant. In some cases, the reader may not be familiar with your services. It is important to clarify certain aspects of the work to keep them reading.

 

What impression do I want to leave?

The main goal of the creative design proposal is to get the reader’s approval. Even if the client is not yet ready to hire right now, they should take away something from going through the document. This is critical in landing projects. Be sure to state your assessment and recommendations upfront. This will let you leave a good impression. By projecting a professional image, prospective clients may even shortlist you for future work.

 

What can I do to get the job?

The creative design proposal you submit can either be accepted or rejected. Rejection doesn’t mean that your proposal isn’t good, it may just mean that the client doesn’t have the budget for it right now. In some cases, the timing may not be right but they intend to implement your ideas in the future. In writing the creative design proposal, you can only do your best. Follow solid guidelines in writing proposals and insert your own personality into it. The rest is up to the client.

Wring a creative design proposal is all about understanding what the client requires and building your recommendations around it. Don’t assume that you know better than prospective clients. After all, it is ultimately their decision whether to implement your ideas or not. In addition, always write the proposal from the reader’s point of view. Think about what the client’s reaction might be when going over your suggestions.

The little details matter as well. There are a lot of contractors and agencies which might be submitting similar creative design proposals to the same client. It is important to make the reader feel like they’re getting a good deal if they choose you. This may entail providing initial consultation, giving a small discount, and being communicative. Give them your full attention whenever you’re talking over the phone or chatting online over project details.

Culled from Bidsketch

Ways to Inject Some Fun in Your Social Media Marketing

 

Social media marketing is easy!

But it is also very easy to get it wrong when we fail to adjust to the platform. People are online to have fun and once we are in tune with that fact, our social media marketing will be more successful.

Here are ways to inject some fun into your social media marketing.

1. It’s social before media

The mistake many businesses make is that they forget that the platform is meant to enable people to get social. So they bring their traditional marketing techniques to social media and then wonder why they are not getting any attention.

You should know that people are not on social media for your product. The world does not revolve around your business. So when you acknowledge that people are online for social purposes - to connect with friends, meet new people and have fun, then you will get your social mask on before you market. Loosen up a bit!

Share jokes, spark a conversation. Help customers with valuable information and they will pay attention when you have something to market.

2. Run competitions

It does not have to be complicated. It can be just something that can spark a conversation. For instance, if you are a food vendor, you can post a picture of a spicy-looking plate of food and ask your friends or followers to mention those they can share that with. You can also run promos online and whoever wins, gets a discount.

3. Think of visuals

Those on social media are more inclined to watch a video than read a text. This is why most vendors employ the services of social media comedians who post short skits that make people laugh. When someone sees a funny video, he or she is more inclined to share it, so you will be wise to take advantage of this. Also, video advertising on platforms like YouTube can be very successful.

4. Give people something to remember

It does not need to have anything to do with your product, it only has to remain on people’s minds. Think of creating a funny character or slogan that people will use. Slangs work very well, especially in Nigeria, and musicians have taken advantage of this. Why can’t businesses do the same?

5. Be weird (a little) on social media

Do not go full-blown psycho but some of the online adverts that have done well in the past have been the weirdest. Many people are online to have fun, so you have to make them laugh. Think back at some of the weird campaigns you have seen and the amount of traction they have gotten. However, be cautious because this is a dangerous line to thread seeing as there is a thin line between being weird and offensive.

Social media allows us to reach out to more people than we would normally do, but for us to be successful, we have to speak the language of social media.

 

Publishers’ Insights You Should Know Before Writing Your Manuscript

 

There are publishers’ insights you should know before writing your manuscript, especially if you intend publishing your book for commercial purposes. Certainly, it is expected that your creativity should reflect in your writing, but you will need more than just your creativity to get ahead of the pack.

Below are the publishers’ insights you should know before writing your manuscript

Figure out what readers want:

If you are not writing for yourself, then you must figure out what readers want before writing, especially if you are writing for commercial purposes. You should find out the genre that gets talked about the most. More so, look out for what fascinates readers in the selected genre. Find out how to write a bestseller

Be your judge:

Ask yourself questions when writing. If you had visited a bookstore, would you have selected the same book you are writing over the books authored by other people? Once you can answer this question honestly, then you’ll be sure you are on the right path.

Research on the book genres that sell fast:

Take a market research dive into book stores. Visit print book stores as well as popular digital book stores such as Amazon, GoodReads, and others. Find out the genre that sells fast on each platform. That way, you would know the particular genre that sells fast, and consider writing spinning a good tale in that genre.

Find out books that earn a profitable income:

Some books are generally expensive compared to others. Academic books  tend to be more expensive due to the substantial amount of research put into place.  More so, depending on location and level of relevance, some books are likely to cost more than others. For instance, while a health book or journal on how to treat and prevent a certain endemic disease might sell at a higher price in the regions where the disease is most prevalent due to demand, it might not be as expensive in areas the disease is less prevalent.

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Having all these publishers’ insights in mind will help you with the self-awareness on how well your book would perform in the market.

Six Steps to Make Your Children's Story Sparkle

 

You never thought it possible, but you’ve finished your children’s story manuscript. You worked hard to create layered, believable characters, and the plot has an actual beginning, middle and end. Tonight, you plan to celebrate, then give your manuscript a quick run-through for spelling and punctuation errors. Tomorrow, you’ll send it off to a carefully chosen editor.

Not quite. Celebrate, certainly. But then print out your manuscript, stick it in a drawer, and walk away.

Too many authors make the mistake of submitting a manuscript before it’s ready. Getting the words down on paper is only the beginning. Editing those words turns that manuscript into a potential book. But you can’t adequately edit a story you poured your soul into without first removing some of your ego. So get a bit of distance. Put the manuscript aside for at least a week; two weeks is better. Then, as you read through the story from start to finish, pretend that someone else wrote it.

With this first, fresh reading, examine the story as a whole. Does the main character have qualities with which your target audience can identify? Does the plot take off early in the story with an incident that raises a problem for your character? Does that character resolve this problem in a dramatic, satisfying way near the end of the book? Did you throw enough obstacles in your character’s way, creating tension and forcing the reader to become emotionally invested in the story? If you answered “No” to any of these questions, you still don’t have a solid working draft of your story. Go back and continue to refine your plot and main character. But if you can honestly answer “Yes,” then now the real work begins. Here are six steps to help you flawlessly edit your manuscript.

1. Cut as many words as possible. Children’s book writers must adhere to strict industry standards for word counts. Picture books for children up to age eight average 1000 words (though many are shorter); easy readers for ages five to nine are 50-2500 words (depending on the publisher and level of reader); chapter books (short novels for ages seven to ten) typically are 10,000-12,000 words; middle grade novels (ages eight to twelve) hover around 20,000-25,000 words, and young adult novels (ages twelve and up) weigh in at 35,000 to 45,000 words. You’ll always find exceptions, but if you’re a new author, don’t stray too far from the norm. When writing for the younger ages especially, every word must count. Picture book writers are often tempted to add scenes and secondary characters that make the story unnecessarily complex. A good first step when editing any length of book is to go page by page and diligently cut every word, phrase, scene or character that doesn’t directly contribute to the plot.

Once you’ve trimmed the clutter, the remaining words will be more powerful. Now you’re ready for the fine-tuning. The next five steps will not only help you polish what’s left, but also allow you to “show” rather than “tell” the story to your readers.

2. Begin with a bang. Your readers will stick around for the first few sentences, but if they’re not hooked they’ll close the book. So make those sentences count. Start your story with action, dialogue, or set the mood in a way that’s so intriguing kids can’t walk away. You want to begin as close as possible to the story’s catalyst, that moment in which your character’s life changes from ordinary to extraordinary, and the plot takes off. Let’s look at some examples.

The first page Imogene’s Antlers, a picture book by David Small, reads: On Thursday, when Imogene woke up, she found she had grown antlers. Imogene’s untroubled reaction, reinforced by the illustrations, is just as intriguing as the antlers sprouting from her head.

Barbara Seuling’s chapter book, Oh No, It’s Robert, dives right into the type of conflict the main character will face: Robert Dorfman hated math. He hated it more than going to the dentist, or eating liver, or cleaning his room.

And the first chapter of Richard Peck’s novel A Long Way from Chicago (ages 9-12) sets the time and place in a manner that’s undeniably gripping: You wouldn’t think we’d have to leave Chicago to see a dead body. We were growing up there back in the bad old days of Al Capone and Bugs Moran. Just the winter before, they’d had the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre over on North Clark Street. The city had such an evil reputation that the Thompson submachine gun was better know as a “Chicago typewriter.”

3. Go on a low-modifier diet. A few adjectives and adverbs are fine, but if you feel you must pack your sentences with modifiers, you’re not getting the most out of your nouns and verbs. Strong verbs not only show action, they can also convey physical and emotional qualities. She went across the street only tells the reader that a character moved; adverbs are necessary to provide more information (went slowly, went quickly, went reluctantly). However, if you replace went with a more specific verb, that one word contains all the subtext you need (She trudged across the street. She scampered across the street. She stumbled across the street.)

Similarly, strong, exact nouns paint a particular picture in the reader’s mind. Adjectives such as big, little, beautiful, nice, old and great are too general to be of much use. All Sam’s friends thought he lived in a big, beautiful house doesn’t show the reader how big, or how beautiful, Sam’s house really is. Sam lived in a castle, or at least that’s what his friends thought gives the reader a specific point of reference, and also shows the contrast between Sam and his friends.

4. Reveal character with descriptions. Descriptions should reveal how your protagonist operates within the setting of the story, or feels about the other characters. If the action stops cold so you can wax poetic about a sunset, then the description is more about you than your main character. You have to remain invisible — interpret all details through the eyes of your protagonist. If your character is familiar with the book’s locale, she won’t remark upon the setting as if seeing it for the first time. In Sarah, Plain and Tall, Patricia MacLachlan’s novel for ages 8-10, Anna muses about her prairie home in the late 19th century:I wiped my hands on my apron and went to the window. Outside, the prairie reached out and touched the places where the sky came down. Though winter was nearly over, there were patches of snow and ice everywhere. I looked at the long dirt road that crawled across the plains, remembering the morning that Mama had died, cruel and sunny.

MacLachlan’s verbs — reached out, touched, crawled — are gentle, reflecting Anna’s love of her home. But the setting is also infused with loss. Because Anna sees more than just prairie when she looks out the window, the words embody her backstory as well as her surroundings.

Since picture books have illustrations on every page, their text contains very little description. Don’t waste precious words explaining that a character has “red, curly hair” unless the nature of her hair is a crucial plot element. But precise, sensory details can enhance the visual nature of the book while adding layers to the protagonist. Grandpa was an old, wrinkled, cranky man is a description that could come from any character that happened to spend a few minutes with Grandpa. Hannah thought Grandpa looked like the lemon she had left in the sun for her science experiment: brown, shriveled, and probably just as sour is a viewpoint that can only belong to Hannah.

5. Use triple-duty dialogue. Dialogue does three things: it supplies the reader with information about the plot, it gives insight into the speaker, and it shows the relationship between all the characters in the conversation. If your dialogue sounds too lifelike, full of pointless small talk or boring lists of the day’s activities, then you’ve cluttered the pages with conversational filler. First, whittle the dialogue down to the essence of the exchange. Then, add layers of subtext to what’s left. The use of body language, tone of voice, and bits of action that break up the dialogue (slurping a soda, staring out the window) clue the reader into how the characters feel about the what’s being said.

Each speaker has a distinct way of talking with unique speech patterns and phrasing. If you’re forced to identify the speaker for every line of dialogue in a running conversation, then you haven’t allowed your characters’ personalities to seep into their banter. This is just as true for talking animals as it is for people. In Let Sleeping Dogs Lie from the “Hank the Cowdog” series by John R. Erickson (ages 8-12), Hank, the ranch’s security dog, finds a dead chicken. In the following passage, speech patterns easily delineate the speakers. This dialogue jump-starts the plot, and clearly shows that Hank has a different attitude toward his job than does his sidekick Drover: “Drover,” I said after sifting the clues and analyzing the facts, “this was no ordinary murder. It’s the work of some kind of fiend. And he may still be on the ranch.”
“Oh my gosh! Maybe we better hide.” I caught him just as he was about to run for cover. “Hold on, son, I’ve got some bad news. We’re this ranch’s first line of defense. If there’s a murdering fiend on the loose, we have to catch him.”
Drover shivered and rolled his eyes. “You’re right about one thing.”
“And what would that be, Drover?”
“It’s bad news. I’m scared of murdering fiends.”

6. Pace yourself properly. Picture books are written in a series of scenes, each of which can be illustrated. The average picture book is 32 pages long, but the front matter (title page, copyright page, etc.) eats up about four pages. So assume you have 28 pages for your text. Mark up your manuscript where you think the page breaks might go, or place the text on 28 separate pages, staple them together like a book, and read the story as you turn the pages. Does each page of text inspire a different illustration? Is there something that occurs every other page (a tantalizing turn of phrase, a rise in the action) that makes the child want to turn the page and see what happens next? Is the plot’s resolution withheld until the end, or are the last few pages a letdown? Does the story as a whole have a satisfying rhythm that makes it easy to read aloud?

Easy readers, also heavily illustrated, are designed to be read by the child, and so the stories are conveyed through action and dialogue. Keep the pace moving. Chapter books have slightly longer paragraphs and short chapters (about four pages each), but are still heavy on the action.

Middle grade and young adult novels can contain sub-plots and more description, but in any book that has chapters, it’s wise to end the chapter on an emotional note. Breaking in the middle of a tension-filled scene is a good strategy: The scratching grew louder as Jake crept down the hall. He stopped in front of the coat closet. His hand shook as he reached for the knob to open the closet door. Run! screamed a voice inside his head, but Jake’s feet felt glued to the floor. Just before he touched the knob, the door slowly swung open on its own. End the chapter here, and your readers will have a hard time putting down your book and turning on the television.

Remember, you are your book’s first, and most important, editor. By using these six steps, you’ll whip your manuscript into shape and impress your next editor, the one who offers you a publishing contract.

Culled from Writing-World

The 3 Hiring Mistakes Most Small Businesses Make

 

Each and every employee is an investment made by the company they work for, and for a business to succeed it has to make the most of its investments.

This is especially true of smaller companies and startups, which typically have fewer employees and limited investment income with which to try and net a profit. In these cases, every single dollar a company spends on finding and hiring an employee can affect its longer term success, making it crucial that they avoid making any major mistakes while hiring.

The problem is that running a small business is hard work – very hard work. This means that those involved are often short of time, and when time is short mistakes happen.

The good news is that this means that your competitors are probably making these mistakes whilst hiring too, and an opportunity is present for you to close your own loose ends and employee a better hire whilst wasting less time and money.

The Most Common Hiring Mistakes:

Having Zero Interview Plan

The single greatest mistake that small and new businesses make when hiring is failing to have any type of interview plan. Many businesses go into the interview with little idea of what they are going to do, other than perhaps a few interview questions scribbled on a piece of paper.

Interviews should be treated like a science. You’ve selected the individuals with the best resumes, and you’re bringing them in for a job interview. How do you choose who to select unless you have a carefully measured way of determining who is going to bring value, and who is not.

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You do this by coming up with an interview plan. You find the most important questions to ask and make sure that you ask them to each candidate. You figure out what answers you’re looking for, and consider finding a way to score them objectively in order to ensure that you’re hiring the right people. You consider the amount you’re willing to pay, the factors that go into a great employee, and more.

It doesn’t necessarily have to be official, but there does need to be a plan in mind before you conduct your interview. If you wing each one of them, you risk asking some people more important questions than others, or not properly comparing those at the interview and letting your own natural biases kick in.

When it comes to recruitment, everything should be planned in some way, and although there is room for you to go off on some tangents (for example, if an applicant shares with you an interesting story), there should also be a methodology in place to make sure you’re hiring the right people.

Failing to Correctly Value Experience

This mistake goes two ways, and the best place to start is with an American baseball analogy. There are only 30 teams in all of major league baseball, each one employing a General Manager to run the entire team. When one general manager does a bad job (usually due to multiple seasons of hefty losses) that general manager is usually fired.

Some teams find up-and-coming stars to lead their organisation, and although sometimes those teams fail, other times they are wildly successful. Many of the most successful baseball organisations hired General Managers without any previous GM experience and reaped the rewards.

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But other teams are a lot more “old school” and risk adverse. They refuse to hire any general manager unless they have previous GM experience.

Experience can be a good thing. But remember that there are only 30 teams in baseball, and at any given time, 25 to 28 general managers are employed for multiple years. That means you’re limited to hiring the 2 or so general managers that are out of work, both of whom were likely already let go because they failed to bring turn their teams into winning organisations. With this “Experience Only” mindset, you’re potentially limited to hiring someone with a history of losing.

This is the fatal flaw in overvaluing experience. Your next great employee may be someone that has limited experience but significant aptitude. If you focus too heavily on experience (either by requiring a considerable list of “qualifications” in your job description or hiring the person most experienced without considering other factors), you may be overlooking or turning off someone that could have been a better contributor.

On the other side of this, however, is the recent trend of business owners to hire those without experience at all, hoping to find people that are “cheaper” and just as productive. Many individuals with excellent experience are being ignored in favour of saving a few thousand dollars a year on an unproven individual. While there is significant value to be found in those that may not have traditional experience, there is also nothing quite like good experience that relates directly to your company.

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Assuming Hiring Stops After the Job Offer

Finally, a very common mistake with small business owners is assuming that recruitment stops with the job offer. It doesn’t.

An employee’s productivity is 50% ability and 50% factors that occur after they have been hired. Employees need to be properly on-boarded, with excellent training (including not only their tasks, but also where to go to ask for office supplies, how to find files in folders on the network, etc.), programs in place to improve job satisfaction, and even smaller issues like opportunities for growth, objective job performance evaluation methods, and more.

You can hire the best employee available, but with poor training, no access to resources, and little in your office to ensure job satisfaction, that employee is going to struggle. Recruitment doesn’t stop after the job offer has been made, and no matter the size of your business you should be committed to making sure that employee adapts properly.

Avoid Costly Hiring Mistakes

Small businesses can’t afford to waste money on a bad hire. Always keep in mind the above hiring mistakes, and the tips that you’ll need to consider in order to avoid them in the future.

Culled from Recruit Shop