Writers On The Move

Amazon Offers Preorder to Help Launch E-Books

Most questions I get asked revolve around launching a book appropriately (and how getting reviews plays into that!). New authors seldom understand the benefits Amazon offers for getting exposure or how to utilize them. I often cover topics like these in my SharingwithWriters newsletter--often as brief tips like this one from the August letter:

E-Book Publishing Tip: Amazon just announced that they have instituted a pre-order program to help you promote the launch of your e-book on Amazon just as the big publishers do for their hardcovers and their paperbacks. Learn more about the program on Amazon's page and more about setting your launch date ahead in The Frugal Book Promoter. You'll learn how this tactic helps you take advantage of both pre-order time and also allows you to apply for reviews with big review journals like Publishers Weekly that require up to 16 weeks of pre-pub notice for your book to qualify for a review. There is still more on that process at this page in the Writers Resources section of my HowToDoItFrugally Web site: http://howtodoitfrugally.com/reviews_and_review_journals.htm. And there is a whole chapter on how to make the power of Amazon work for you in The Frugal Book Promoter, too.

To subscribe to SharingwithWriters, send an e-mail with SUBSCRIBE in the subject window to HoJoNews @aol.com. Your welcome letter will include a few additional free benefits you can use to promote your book.

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Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of This Is the Place; Harkening: A Collection of Stories Remembered; Tracings, a chapbook of poetry; and how to books for writers including the award-winning second edition of, The Frugal Book Promoter: How to get nearly free publicity on your own or by partnering with your publisher; The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success; and Great Little Last Minute Editing Tips for Writers . The Great First Impression Book Proposal is her newest booklet for writers. She has three FRUGAL books for retailers including A Retailer’s Guide to Frugal In-Store Promotions: How To Increase Profits and Spit in the Eyes of Economic Downturns with Thrifty Events and Sales Techniques. Some of her other blogs are TheNewBookReview.blogspot.com, a blog where authors can recycle their favorite reviews. She also blogs at all things editing, grammar, formatting and more at The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor .

Avoiding Common Punctuation Errors Part 4: Question Marks

The Mysterious Case of the Missing (or Gratuitous) Question Mark

Missing Question Marks

Everyone knows that you should put a question mark after a question. Sometimes, however, it simply gets forgotten. This happens more frequently in the following situations, so keep an eye out for them, and be sure to end them with a question mark, as shown below.

-Long and convoluted questions

What is the best time of year—and I’m talking about a normal year, not like that crazy one we had in 2012, with hurricanes in winter and snow in July—for mushroom hunting in France?

-Questions with downward intonation, making them feel more like statements.

Do you prefer red or blue?

We aren’t in Kansas anymore, are we?

-Questions that were statements in your first draft, and which you since reworded. It’s easy to forget to switch the corresponding punctuation.

One way to help catch these missing marks is to read aloud. This is especially useful in discovering overly long or complicated questions (and sentences). Train yourself so that when you see the beginning of a question, you automatically look ahead to see if you have the required punctuation.

Gratuitous Question Marks

Perhaps even more disturbing than missing question marks are question marks where they don't belong. Just as you've trained yourself to look for questions and make sure you have the accompanying punctuation, train yourself to stop when you see a question mark, go back, and decide whether or not you need it. As you revise, look for the following common places to find gratuitous question marks, and make sure that you cut them out, as shown below.

-“Wonder” statements

I wonder if bears get hot in summer.

I often ask myself where my life is going.

I was wondering what time I could come by for a consultation.

-Statements of uncertainty.

I don’t know where the president is.

I’m not sure if you’re supposed to add butter or flour first.

-Commands that feel like questions.

Tell me where you stashed the money.

Guess who I saw today in the supermarket.*

Let me know if you need anything.

-Reported and indirect questions.

The cop asked us what we were doing out so late at night.

The question is whether or not we should open a new branch office in Detroit.

I need to know who that man is.

None of these are questions, grammatically, even if they have a sort of question feel. They should thus not take question marks.

If you really want a question mark, sometimes you can rephrase.

I wonder: do bears get hot in summer?

I’m not sure: are you supposed to add butter or flour first?

The question is: should we open a new branch office in Detroit?

*Gray Areas:

1) “Guess what?” This is debatable. Some experts say that it’s a command, and should always be punctuated as such. Others say that it depends on the intention. If your character is just excited, and doesn’t really expect someone to guess, stick with the more correct period (or judiciously placed exclamation point). If your character pauses for someone to actually guess, demanding a response like a regular question, consider breaking the rule and using a question mark.

2) Polite requests. “Would you shut the door?” vs “Would you shut the door.” Again, many experts claim that this is actually a command, not a question, and thus should be punctuated with a period. Others say that, grammatically, it’s a question, and should thus take a question mark. Very long, complicated requests like this do well with periods. With shorter requests, however, you’re less likely to jar your reader if you simply use a question mark. Now if you want to jar your reader, that’s a whole other story, and a great use of a period. See below.

Punctuation can help your subtlety

Example 1:

You have a scene where one character says, “Would you come in and shut the door.”

Now look at the same scene punctuated differently: “Would you come in and shut the door?”

See the difference? Without actually saying so, you’ve indicated in the first scene that your character is serious, or the situation’s serious, or he’s the type of person who never actually asks, but only demands.

Example 2:

“John isn’t leaving, is he?”

“John isn’t leaving, is he.”

In the first scene, your character is worried because she hasn’t had the chance to say goodbye yet. In the second, the shady punctuation hints that your character has just discovered that John isn’t leaving after all, and he’s disappointed. You could also write this:

“John isn’t leaving, is he?” Lionel asked dejectedly.

But which one is more subtle?

5 Reasons Why You Should Use Content Curation as Part of Your Blogging Strategy

By Karen Cioffi

Content curation has been around for a while, but many bloggers don’t realize the advantages or benefits it offers. This strategy allows you to post more often with less work and less time.

This form of marketing comes in various forms throughout the internet. Of those variations there is one common thread: content curation is related to article marketing. You can think of it as one of the strategies under the content marketing umbrella, the same as content aggregation.

If you’re wondering whether content aggregation and content curation are the same, they’re not. A Forbes article by Susan Gunelius explains that the primary difference between the two is that content curation offers “the human element.”

What does this mean?

Well, content aggregation is simply finding and linking to hot topics, trends, and other news or information worthy content from your site. Some sites use all sorts of topics and others use content that is focused on their platform.

Content curation on the other hand offers more. While linking to the information source, those using this strategy add their own spin on the information, or enhance it with personal experience or additional information on the topic.

The information used for content curation is targeted and so is the audience it’s prepared for. As an example, if you have a health site on alternative medicine and alternative health options you would search for and use information/content on that topic or niche. You obviously wouldn’t use sports content on your site. It’s treated as any other niche marketing strategy – it must be focused to your platform or brand.

Content curation offers a broader view and understanding of a particular topic by providing your own input, along with that of the source content.

Now on to the five reasons you should use this blogging strategy.

5 Benefits to Content Curation that will Boost Your Blogging Efforts

1. Simply put and most importantly, it brings your readers more ‘bang’ for their stop at your site. Rather than offering a single view of a topic, or one site’s experience, you offer your reader the world and a broader information experience.

The reader will appreciate having more information to work with and this will motivate him to appreciate and trust you. That’s the beginning of a great relationship.

2. It’s a source of ideas for your blogging. Find current trends, hot topics, and new information in your niche. The content is already there, you simply add your spin on it in a paragraph or two and voila, you have new a new post.

3. It’s a time saver. Using tools like Google Alerts, you can quickly find relevant information to blog about. And, like ‘number two’ above, it’s ready made content you simply add to.

4. It can support or enhance your own blog posts, adding more value. Even if you write effective and engaging articles, the reader will find it helpful if you supplement it with additional information.

5. Linking to quality sites is an effective search engine strategy. When you link to a site that ranks high with Google, you’re noticed. It can help bring more traffic to your site and help convert visitors into subscribers. And, that’s what online marketing is all about, the ‘golden’ list.

Content curation will boost your blogging efforts. You don’t have to use it for every post, but you can switch it up a bit and offer your reader something extra.

So, why not give it a try and add it to your existing content marketing strategies.

To see this strategy in action, check out:

Email Marketing – New Canadian Anti-Spam Law May Affect You

Reference:
http://www.forbes.com/sites/work-in-progress/2012/07/05/5-ways-to-use-content-curation-for-marketing-and-tools-to-do-it/

P.S. If you like this post, please share it!

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MORE ON CONTENT MARKETING

The Evolved SEO Marketing – Content Discoverability and Socialization (the top 3 strategies)
What is Your Tagline (Part 1)
Book Marketing – Increasing Visibility on Amazon

How Body Types can Help Shape your Characters

When I first read about constitutional psychology, breaking down the human physique and behavior by body type, a theory proposed by American psychologist Dr. William H. Sheldon in the 1940's, I thought I hit pay dirt. Better known as fitting people into three body types: endomorphs, mesomorphs and ectomorphs, Sheldon explained his views in two books, Varieties of Physique and Varieties of Temperament.

Sheldon's body type theory is discussed in a book I mentioned in my June 28th post, Child Behavior: The Classic Child Care Manual from the Gesell Institute of Human Development, by Frances L. Ilg, M.D., Louise Bates Ames, Ph.D., and Sidney M. Baker, M.D., http://www.writersonthemove.com/search?updated-max=2014-07-10T01:30:00-04:00&max-results=7&start=21&by-date=false, which among other things, offers an interesting description of children's behavior at each age, from four weeks to ten years. The descriptions are general and offer guidelines to better understand children and for our purposes, offer incite into the characters in our stories. After the age of ten, Child Behavior launches into a discussion of individuality. That's where the body types fit in, neat and reassuring.

At least that's what I thought until I did some exploring. Though I barely scratched the surface, I found that constitutional psychology is a controversial theory. The Wikipedia article about it, which also categorizes it as, Somatotypes, another name for the body types, states that this school of thought was widely popular in the 1940's and '50s but is today discredited, partly due to the idea's tendency to promote cultural stereotypes. "One study found that endomorphs are likely to be perceived as slow, sloppy and lazy; mesomorphs . . . as popular and hardworking; . . . and ectomorphs are often viewed as intelligent but fearful and usually take part in long distance sports, such as marathon running . . . The principle criticism . . . was that it is not a theory at all but one general assumption . . ."

You would never know this by exploring the topic online. It appears that physical fitness organizations, such as www.muscleandstrength.com, www.bodybuilding.com, and www.superskinny.com, have jumped on the band wagon, though there is a common disclaimer such as the first sentence in one of the sites, "Most people have a combination of the three body types." You can find all sorts of help in determining your body type, from examining your eating and training habits to taking a test to find out your body type, or even by using a "body type calculator."

Like the fitness websites, the authors of Child Behavior are careful to point out that each individual is made up of a combination of the characteristic body types; no one is strictly made up of only one.

What does this have to do with creating characters?
For a writer's purpose, taking a look at body type characteristics can simply offer another tool to help understand the characters in our stories, why they act the way they do and how other characters might relate to them; much as the two references books, The Positive Trait Thesaurus and The Negative Trait Thesaurus, by Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi, can do.

The following chart summarizes what the authors of Child Behavior noted as key points of the body types and what is considered their accompanying normal behavior:

                        Endomorphs                             Mesomorphs                                  Ectomorphs

Characteristic Soft and spherical shape           Hard, firm, strong              Thin, fragile with long
                       Unkindly known as fat            Heavy muscles                    Slender arms and legs
                      Big bones
                       Well-developed heart
                      and circulatory system

Behavior        Relaxed, loves comfort            Vigorous and active            Restrained, shy, inhibited
                      Sociable, loves food                  Loves exercise, active         Oversensitive
                     Loves people, affectionate       Can be domineering            Desire concealment
                                                                                                                     Shrink from ordinary social
                                                                                                                    situations

Sleeping       Enjoys sleep-goes to sleep and  Loves to wake up, active     Hates to sleep and wake up;
                     gets up easily                                                                          wants to keep dreaming

Eating          Seems to "live to eat"                Hearty eaters                        Eat very little and seem
                                                                                                                    never to gain weight, yet
                                                                                                                    are among healthiest of types
                                                                                                                    Might not notice missing a
                                                                                                                    meal

Emotions    Open, warm, loving, friendly,   Naturally noisy, vigorous,   Normal: holds emotions
                    Responsive                                assertive and dominating    inside
                    Seems to express emotions       Laughs the loudest              Can be characterized by:
                    easily                                                                                     Stony silences
                                                                                                                  Secretive
                                                                                                                  Shows little affection
                                                                                                                  Seems to lack warmth and
                                                                                                                  affection

Along with posting photos of children on my bulletin board who look like the characters in my stories, and modeling my characters after children I have known; viewing my characters by body type, even with fuzzy boundaries knowing each type doesn't fit into any one neat category, has helped me get a clearer picture of who they are. I hope the suggestions in this post help bring your characters into sharper focus, too.

Image: "Autumn Abstract" courtesy of Simon Howden at FreeDigitalPhotos.com

Linda Wilson, a former elementary teacher and ICL graduate, recently completed two of Joyce Sweeney's online courses, on fiction and writing picture books. She has published over 40 articles for children and adults, six short stories for children, and is currently developing several works for children. Follow Linda on Facebook.

The Benefits of Reading Blogs

I used to think I didn't have the time to read blogs.

I thought:

I would get distracted spending too much time reading instead of writing.
It would be shallow to subscribe or like/comment on blogs for the purpose of getting my name out there to build my own platform.
I would inadvertently copy someone else's thoughts or get stuck with "why didn't I think of that?

Then I realized the value.

Variety breaks up monotony. Subscribe to blogs that spark your interest, even if it's not in your genre. I have chosen no more than 5 since I need to limit my reading time. As I've taken the time to read, it's helped me grow as a writer. A cooking blog showing a picture of a tasty, winter soup makes you remember Sunday dinner at grandma's, adding the next chapter to your book.

Perspective can get stale. It's easy to get locked into one way of thinking about things. Let the perspective of others help you grow but don't lose your voice in the process. I am thankful for the black-and-white thinkers out there who keep me focused on my goals. But I'm also thankful for the writers who think there is more than one way to reach a goal.

Community is good for us. We're wired for it. Some of us need interaction more than others, but even if you prefer less, you still need it! The exchange of ideas and support keeps us going. But don't forget to give it, too. This is how relationships are built. Be thoughtful about your comments on blogs. Don't just comment or "like" just to get noticed.

Do you read blogs? What kind? Please share how it has helped your writing in the comment section below.

Photo credit: TheGiantVermin / Foter / CC BY-NC-ND

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After raising and homeschooling her 8 children and teaching art classes for 10 years, Kathy has found time to pursue freelance writing. She enjoys writing magazine articles and more recently had her story, "One of a Kind", published in The Kids' Ark. You can find her passion to bring encouragement and hope to people of all ages at When It Hurts - http://kathleenmoulton.com

Blogging with Purpose

from collections at Gaderinge.com

Does your blog have a purpose?
And do you always remember it when you post?

If you're trying to raise your author/marketing profile you may think publicizing yourself as a writer is enough. After all, you mention your website or blog URL in your bio box whenever you post or guest post. People can find you, right?

We all know that great content will attract and keep readers but wonderful writing is not enough. Remember the disappointment when the article you labored over and polished to perfection had no readers, shares, or comments at all? Visitors only return to a blog regularly when it appears regularly and provides helpful information they need.

The best marketers sell by providing valuable information and reports free for some time before they start promoting their own products. The secret of success seems to lie in the communication between author and readers. The most successful guest posts on my blog--and they're read again and again, year after year--are those written by authors teaching or discussing some aspect of writing for publication. If I don't pay attention to that, I'm losing readers and all ability to increase traffic.

The Mobile Revolution
I'm a new convert to checking out emails swiftly on my mobile phone. But if a site takes ages to load, I delete the email and I'm not the only one. In this week's Boost Blog Traffic , Greg Hickman pointed out that for the first time this year, more mobile devices than desktop PCs were accessing the Internet. My teenage students don't have e-readers, they read on their phones. My older friends read on their tablets.

It's worth checking out how well and how fast your site loads on a mobile device and also how easy it is to read. Anyone who finds you must be able to find your email opt-in box and fill it in easily.

Autoresponders
For those of us running sites on a budget, ListWire is a free autoresponder with a good reputation so I shall be trying it out this month and reviewing it in October. So far, I have worked out how to make some jolly little boxes but not how to insert it into my Blogger blog where I have a dynamic views template. I'm trying out one of these flying hover-boxes which once appeared momentarily in a dazzling shade of blue (my mistake) but was never seen again (probably my mistake again. Still pondering that.)

Breaking News
An email in my inbox this week announced the disappointing news that the Muse Online Writing Conference is not taking place this year but that all registrations will be carried forward to the 2015 Conference.

I have not managed to verify this as yet but am flagging it up as I see people still wondering about how to register. If anyone has any news please post it in the comments.

You can of course follow my Write a Novella for Publication course in October instead--if I ever manage to get the course ready in time--of course I shall--and if I ever manage to fly in opt-in boxes that work. Not so sure about that--all still in the air.

And all tips for increasing visitors to my blogs will be gratefully received in the comments below.

Anne Duguid is a freelance content editor with MuseItUp Publishing and she passes on helpful writing,editing and publishing tips from time to time at Slow and Steady Writers

Writing Retreat Part Two

A few months ago, I wrote a blog post about planning a writing retreat. Last Saturday, the writing retreat was held. Several members of the writers group I belong to attended.

It was very simple. Time was spent writing and researching. We met for breakfast and lunch at a restaurant in the designated retreat area and then dispersed. Some worked in groups, some worked alone. The weather was nice, except for a mid-afternoon thunderstorm. As the hostess, I waited it out, in case anyone else arrived. Everyone else in the group had gone home before the storm hit.

The location was convenient. We were able to move about on foot, enjoying the weather and people watching. Work areas were abundant, but most used the public library and a restaurant as places to write and or research. I spent some time on a bench outside, watching a family play in a water fountain. I also went for a walk.

The retreat lasted for several hours. Perhaps next time it will be longer. Dinner might be an option. Maybe dinner and a movie, as there is a theater nearby. It could be shorter, but mid-afternoon might be a nice ending time.

What goals did we accomplish? Everyone was able to get something done and all felt it was a great way to get away from the responsibilities of home and work and concentrate on writing. We agreed to do this again.

I did not keep track of how much time I wrote. Everyone spent time outside and inside writing, talking and eating. There were no rules, other than to try to avoid social media, email and phone calls.

As far as social activities, we spent time talking in small groups. This occurred at breakfast and lunch. It was a great way to discuss whatever topic we wanted to talk about.

Some people brought laptops, others had paper and pens. I placed three notebooks and a book on the craft of writing in a tote bag. I wanted to be computer free for the day. I did not miss my laptop or my e-reader!

Everyone dressed casually and for comfort. Some wore jogging suits, although I don’t think anyone did any jogging! I wore one of my writing-themed t shirts. I often get compliments and funny comments from others when I wear them.

The day went well, except for the thunderstorm, but the sunshine, blue skies and comfortable temperature made up for it. The time our writers group spent together and individually was productive and planning the event was worth the effort. We look forward to our next writing retreat.

Have you attended a writing retreat? What did you find to be the most helpful? If you have yet to attend one, I hope you are able to do so in the near future.

Happy writing!

Debbie A. Byrne has a B.S. in Mass Communication with a minor in History. She is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) and is working on her first children’s book.