Trusting Your Own Instincts: Rules Vs. Passion


Trusting Your Own Instincts: Reaching for Your Star

By Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the
multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers


Advice divvied out to authors by fellow authors often makes me uncomfortable It is, after all advice. Really. Advice almost never applies to all authors, all genres. Even what we think of as “zero-tolerance” disciplines like punctuation and grammar “rules” offer style choices and exceptions. I don’t blame the authors. Many are operating on what they learned decades ago. The things is, the publishing industry is always morphing and that’s especially so in the age of the internet.  And language itself?  It’s a living entity. Shakespeare himself probably knew that the rules for sonnets he followed (or made) would one day be different. He also may not have realized that one day they would be considered sacrosanct.

For instance, nonfiction authors—well respected nonfiction authors—suggest that authors research the need for a topic among their presumed audience, that they check out competitive titles, agents who are looking for a specific topic, and on and on.  Some of it is pretty good advice. What it overlooks is passion. And the joy that passion brings to what we do.

I feel lucky that I hadn’t read this advice when I started my HowToDoItFrugally Series of books for writers. So here’s my story. I hope it gives a few authors the confidence to follow their dreams. I start this story backwards because the original going-against-advice started back in early 2004 and you, dear reader-author, may not put much stock in anything based on ancient history.  

So, this is 2021.  My series for writers has been prospering since 2004. I started thinking my books had outgrown their own britches—or I had outgrown mine. So, there was a nice person I had worked with way back then partnering with a writer-oriented organization. I had been vaguely aware he was publishing and because Dr. Bob Rich and Diana Raab, two of my online friends, had published with him. One morning when I felt overworked and underappreciated, I picked up the phone and called Victor Volkman, publisher of Modern History Press. No research. No book proposal. Yes, I knew doing it went against all publishing tradition, all common sense. I really expected a no after I gasped, “Do you remember me? We worked together on a podcast some time ago.”

“Yes, he said. And he kept saying “yes.”

The upshot was that he published a full book under his Modern History Press imprint and a slender booklet (a kind of nonfiction chapbook) in less than six months. So, he deserves credit for following…well, his instincts if not his passion. He went by the seat of his pants, here, too.  Two books, both with a September first release date? Really? And both books had been published before. Well, that was gutsy. No matter what you’ve heard about the possibilities of getting a traditional publisher for a self-published book, it is rare. That path is loaded with all kinds of dangers and I am the first one to warn a client of what she might be up against if that is her hope (all the while urging her to follow her star if the book is already published or there are other well-meaning no-nos pointing in the direction of her book, style, or whatever.).

Returning to the early days of The Frugal Book Promoter, I came to realize I had just mirrored an earlier foolish move I made when I first started writing again. It was early-internet days. E-books were just beginning. And the craziest stuff –some of it outrageously unethical—was going around the net in what we called Yahoo writers’ groups and other places. I felt I should be letting people know, maybe teaching, but knew that I didn’t have the graduate degrees necessary. But a friend at a party told me that the world-renowned UCLA Extension Writers’ Program valued practical experience above graduate degrees so…well, I just pitched them a new course based on avoiding the potholes I had just experienced publishing my first fiction effort. Again, no hesitation. “Yes.” And I had a class to teach that fall with no book or e-books written specifically for authors available to use as a text!

That series of books now includes six of them and hundreds of how-to articles. The joy flows. One of the most joyful aspected is helping new writers avoid the same potholes I fell into and maybe rope in successes they would never have had if they hadn’t ignored the rule-makers, the nay-sayers. We have instincts and passions that can work for us. We can be cautious about using them, but we should never ignore them.

Publishing is in big part about trusting our instincts. Publishing is intense. That means writers must learn to take care of themselves. That includes learning more so we become more confident in our own choices, can take better care of our own needs.

Because of my desire to help other authors avoid the pitfalls I had experienced with my novel, I dropped my fiction to write that text. I used a new concept—a chatty text. And I am still chatting through my nonfiction books (gasp!)—and finding some time for fiction and poetry, too. I don’t know anyone who doesn’t love more than just one thing in their lives. That’s why we have hobbies—and some of us have one or more children.

And it happened because I didn’t let advice—and fear—deter me. It happened because I did what people should always do when they start something new, I asked for a whole lot of help from my friends. The publishing industry is very traditional but there are a lot of plucky souls in it. Most the authors I know are risk-takers. The authors who aren’t in that category still have manuscripts stowed at the bottom of drawers or the bowels of their computers.

Suggestion for Friends and Writers

Gifts for Writers
Everyone is a writer these days. The ones who aren’t may find my advice to write about what is bothering them helpful for their stress level. Maybe my multi award-winning The Frugal Editor  will help give them the confidence to actually send what they write to the power brokers of the world! Especially when they find that a whole lot of the rules that stifle our creativity aren’t rules at all, that we get to make style choices. Emphasis on the word choices.

The Great First Impression Book Proposal is one of the books my published by my new publisher, this one its second edition.  And now it’s an audiobook, too. I’m including it because it makes the point that sometimes doing something the easy way is the best way. (The subtitle suggests you can learn all you need to know on the topic in thirty minutes or less using this booklet.) A new book on how to make Twitter work for authors is in the planning stages. Watch for it on The Frugal Book Promoter page at Modern History Press or follow me on my Amazon author page at https://bit.ly/CarolynsAmznProfile page for automatic notifications of new books in the series.

 




Gift for Readers
I’m including my newest nonfiction book of poetry because I am making a point that we needn’t give up one passion to pursue another. Imperfect Echoes won a Writer’s Digest honorable mention award. Jim Cox, Editor-in-Chief of Wisconsin Bookwatch says, “[Carolyn Howard-Johnson is] an exceptionally skilled wordsmith, her poetry will linger in the mind and memory long after the book itself has been finished and set back upon the shelf. Very highly recommended for community and academic library Contemporary American Poetry collections . . .” Find Imperfect Echoes . And, yes, some of the poems in it are a bit risky.



Cover art by Richard Conway Jackson who is serving twenty-five years to life in a California State prison for receiving stolen property.



 

 


Your Author Platform - Is It Ever Too Soon to Start?


 

 By Karen Cioffi

Newbies to the writing arena have many questions about creating an author platform. And, the most puzzling one is whether they need a website before they have a book published or in contract.

In fact, I’ve recently been questioned twice about whether a newbie with NO book on the publishing horizon should bother to start working on a platform and more specifically on an author website.

Both individuals felt it would be like putting the cart before the horse.

It’s important to know that this, though, is far from the case.

Creating a website at the get-go is putting the horse before the cart. It’s one of the forces that will pull you forward and help you establish your online platform, your presence and visibility.

So, the answer to the title question is NO.

It’s never too soon to begin your author platform or your author website if:

- you want to be a writer or an author
- you intend to submit manuscripts to agents and/or publishers
- you intend to self-publish a book

The time to get your online platform started is RIGHT NOW. And the foundation of your platform is a website.

Keeping up with Marketing Trends

When one author mentioned she was writing a children’s middle grade book and didn’t have a website, I responded that it was a mistake. I told her websites are an essential part of an author’s online platform.

Her reply caught me by surprise. She was advised by a well-known and respected institute for children’s writing that she should wait until she received a book contract before creating a website.

If this were 10 or 15 years ago that advice would make sense. But, today, agents and publishers want to know what the potential new author’s platform is beforehand.

The size or lack-of-size of an online platform can make or break a contract.

The powers-that-be expect you to have a website in place and be involved in social networks before you even submit a manuscript. They expect you to be a big part of the marketing involved in selling the book.

Jane Friedman, Media Studies instructor at the University of Virginia and former publisher of Writer’s Digest, advises that authors must cultivate a relationship with readers every day of your life. And she advises that you start TODAY.

Why do you need to start your online platform TODAY?

In a single word, the answer to that question is TIME. Establishing an online platform takes time.

It takes time to establish yourself as an authority in your niche. It takes time to develop a relationship with your readers. It takes time to develop trust. And it takes time to broaden your reach and acquire followers/connections.

Real life example:

One of my former clients created a website. She also created pages on two of the major social networks. She did all this way before she started to get her book written.

The results? She has thousands and thousands of followers on both social networks. I’m talking about over 30,000 followers at the time of writing this article.

You can be sure I added this information when writing the query letter for her.

Do you think this will make a difference in a publisher or agent’s view of this new author?

You bet it will.  

They’ll know she’s able and willing to help sell her books.

Since your website is the foundation of your author platform, it’s absolutely, positively necessary to get a website setup and optimized as soon as possible.

It’s from this focal point, your hub of information, that you will draw the attention of the search engines and readers. You may even catch the attention of a visiting editor, publisher, or literary agent.

Your website is also the place you will get readers to sign-up for your mailing list – further building your marketing reach. It’s the place you will begin a long-term writer-reader relationship.

Think of your author website as the launching pad of your book marketing platform.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Karen Cioffi is an award-winning children’s author, a successful children’s ghostwriter with 300+ satisfied clients worldwide, and an author online platform instructor with WOW! Women on Writing. For children’s writing tips, or if you need help with your children’s story, click the link above.

You can check out Karen’s books at: https://karencioffiwritingforchildren.com/books/

 


 The Lazy Way to Be a Great Writer

Positive Thinking and the Writer

How to Write Vivid Scenes 




HAVE A GOOD ONE!

 WISHING YOU A HEALTHY, HAPPY, 

AND PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR 

FROM ALL YOUR FRIENDS AT 

WRITERS ON THE MOVE!


Guided Imagery for the Writer and Everyone Else

 

The world is a hot-mess. I don’t know of anyone who’s not stressed and anxious.

Being creative, whether writing fiction or nonfiction, takes focus. And as a writer, it’s natural that at times you'll find it difficult to concentrate on writing.

With the added distraction of the world’s craziness, well…

I’ve been a subscriber to Bob Rich’s newsletter for a long time and a very recent email was titled Unfolding Guided Imagery.

After reading it and following it, I was impressed so thought I’d share his other guided imagery articles at: https://bobrich18.wordpress.com/category/guided-imagery/ 

Also, if you'd like to learn more on how to use tools of positive psychology to ease your stress, Bob runs a free 5-session online course –  you can email him about this at: bob@bobswriting.com

You might also like reading  “Two women aged 55.” You'll find it at: https://wp.me/p3Xihq-2tF

In addition to being a blogger and author, Bob is a retired psychotherapist.

-----

Bob Rich would jump off this planet because of its crazy inhabitants if it wasn’t for the tools of positive psychology. They allow us to stay calm, sane and even contented in the worst situations (though of course we need to remember to use them).

All these tools are covered in one way or another in two of Bob’s books. You’ll need to go for a hunt on his blog to find them.

-----

Hope this helps you in your writing and in your life !

Karen


Writers: Tips on Selling Books at Bazaars & Fairs

Strive Not to Be a Success,
But to Be of Value.

                                           Albert Einstein
By Linda Wilson

This holiday season I joined with two other children’s authors to share a table at two holiday bazaars held at local high schools. It was my first time. I learned a lot, had loads of fun, and am thrilled that I’ve found a good way to sell my books in person. Up until now, I’ve been working on a marketing plan to interest readers online on social media sites and elsewhere, and to be honest, I haven’t even scratched the surface. While I continue to market my books online, I have decided it’s worth it to pursue marketing locally as well.

Here is a list of the items to consider:

City permit and/or state license: Check to see what permits and/or licenses are required in your area.
Books: Order copies in advance.
Square: Google “Square Reader” to see if your phone works with a free reader. All three of us used Squares at the fair. We did run into a problem, though, of having on-and-off service because we were situated in the middle of the building. Sales were made by stepping close to the door or outside. To advertise that you accept Square, fit a square sticker that comes with Square into a frame to display on the table.
Change: Make sure you have enough change for cash sales. Note: Keep track of purchases and which books were sold.
Take your favorite pen: Purchasers seemed delighted to receive signed copies, so you might have a favorite pen you want to take specifically for this.
Table: Check to see if you need to take your own table. About two tables, 40x40, which we brought, gave us the room we needed for our display.
Tablecloth and small decorations for the season.
Stool: Having a higher perch than a chair enabled me to sell while seated. The others using regular chairs had to stand and sit frequently throughout the day.
Sign-up sheet and pen: Each purchaser can sign their email address so you can send them your newsletters.
Posters: Foam-backed posters are available at Staples of your book covers at a low cost.
Poster stands and an upright stand: These stands help advertise your books and the upright stand on the table allows customers to see the books easily. Also, we made stacks of books set in neat rows across our areas.
Price sign: A colorful way to advertise the price of your books is to make cut outs with bright, neon paper. I made my cut out a star design with a bright pink background and a bright yellow star inside the pink star, with the price written in bright purple marker.
Misc. marketing materials: Bookmarks, pens, stickers, etc. I created my own To-do pad by splitting 3x3 post-its pads into about three sections, adhering my business card to a business-card-size magnetic card that I bought at Amazon Prime. The business card adheres to the magnetic card, then I taped the back of the magnetic card to the section of post-its with strong double-sided tape. On the top post-it I stamped an illustration and a quote from my first book in bright red. I bought the stamps and ink from RubberStamps.net. I gave the To-do pads to purchasers.
Candy: Put candy out in a colorful dish.
Item to donate: You might be asked to donate an item for a silent auction.
Cart or suitcase: You will accumulate more than you can imagine, especially if you need to take your own table and chair/stool. Both my author friends used heavy duty collapsible folding wagons (available on Amazon Prime) to carry their items in and out. I used a suitcase and they shared their space for my larger items. In the future, I plan to invest in this type of wagon. We still made more than one trip, but the wagon made it easy.
Lunch and snacks: Think of what you’d like to have to eat and drink. It’s a long day with few breaks.

I learned a lot from my fellow authors who have sold their books together for a while. The best part of it is that it was fun being with them. It turned out that our books covered pre-school to adult. So, when someone showed an interest, we would ask if they were looking for a book for a certain age child and what they liked to read, then we could direct them to the books we thought were most suitable. Quite a few adults were interested in the books for adults, and some made purchases.

The best part was meeting my readers face to face. To see their eyes light up when they heard about my books and enjoyed looking at the illustrations made my efforts in writing for children rewarding beyond measure. I came home bubbling over with enthusiasm to dig into my next project . . . and my next fair.
Happy Holidays!

Linda Wilson, a former elementary teacher, has published over 150 articles for children and adults, several short stories for children, and her books, Secret in the Stars: An Abi Wunder Mystery, and A Packrat's Holiday: Thistletoe's Gift, which are available on Amazon, https://www.amazon.com/author/lindawilsonchildrensauthorSecret in the Mist, the second book in the Abi Wunder Myatery series, and the picture book, Tall Boots, will be out soon. Visit Linda at https://www.lindawilsonauthor.com

Subconscious Programming Can Help You Reach Your Writing Goals

by Suzanne Lieurance

When you have big writing goals you wish to reach, your conscious mind is usually onboard with these goals, no matter what they might be.

Your subconscious mind, however, might need some convincing.

And it's actually your subconscious mind that steers the ship, so to speak.

In her book Thinking Write: The Secret to Freeing Your Creative Mind, Kelly L. Stone says we all have the power to program our subconscious mind to get what we want.

She even says there's a formula for this.

The formula is:

genuine intention + repetition + burning desire = subconscious programming

Let's take a closer look at the first element in this formula—genuine intention.

We all have thousands, if not millions, of thoughts each day.

If we acted on each and every one of these thoughts, we could end up in a real mess.

Fortunately (for us), in order to make something happen we first have to convince ourselves at a subconscious level that we really want it to happen.

So how do we convince ourselves at this level that we really want something to happen—that we have a genuine intention?

Well, by taking baby steps.

By breaking down our larger writing goals into a series of smaller, more easily attainable writing goals.

Here's an example.

If you tell yourself—I want to write a book—that will seem too overwhelming to your subconscious mind, and it will react with a thought like—Yeah, sure you do. You've said that before, and you've NEVER written a book. You can't write a book. It's too difficult.

But, if you tell yourself—I'm going to write just one page every day and see if I can make it into a book—then your subconscious mind says—Okay. Go ahead. You can do that.

Once you start writing a page a day and you continue doing that for a while, you begin to convince your subconscious mind that you can do something even more difficult, so you raise the bar.

You start writing three pages a day, for example.

So, here's how to start programming your subconscious mind, so you eventually reach your writing goals.

Today, just follow these three steps:

Step One

Be sure you've set a genuine intention for the day.

That is, you really do want to accomplish what you say you want to accomplish today.

For example, it really matters to you that you get that next chapter of your novel written or that short story started.

Step Two

Make sure today's writing goal is just a baby step to a larger, more lofty writing goal.

That is, it is something you know you can accomplish.

Don’t tell yourself you’re writing a novel, for example.

Tell yourself you’re writing the first scene of chapter one.

Step Three

Now, get to work on whatever it is you have a genuine intention to accomplish today.

That's it.

Try it!


For more writing tips and resources for writers, visit writebythesea.com, and don't forget to get your free subscription to The Morning Nudge!

Suzanne Lieurance is the author of over 40 published books and a writing coach and certified life coach.

Season Wishes

 

We want to thank you for being loyal followers of our blog.

WISHING YOU AND YOUR FAMILY 

A HEALTHY AND HAPPY

HOLIDAY SEASON!

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