Writing a Book – Formulating a Strategy to Write a Market Ready Best Seller

How do you know that the book you want to write has a market? Do you plan to just write and see what happens? Some books were made to be written to satisfy our souls, others are written to be marketed in such a way that they support other work we are doing. So how do you create a strategy for your book?

• Define your goals
• Identify your target audience
• Explore and thoroughly research your topic/background
• Write with clarity of purpose
• Carefully and brutally edit

While your book is with an editor begin formulating your softsell marketing efforts:

• Create a blog or forum on your book’s topic and begin creating a ready made audience
• Write articles about your book’s topics and post them in article directories
• Pre-write press releases for your book’s launch
• Begin direct marketing efforts for your pre-sales
• Generate a mailing list to support an E-Newsletter for your potential audience

Effective marketing tactics begin with the crafting of the content. Create a winning strategy and you will have a best seller on your hands.

Plagiarism…The Complicated Path to Writing

Many people plagiarize the work of others out of ignorance of the process of appropriate citation and attribution.  This is totally unintentional with no attempt at cheating or deception. 

•  They forget to write down the source, forget the quotation marks, or paraphrase the work.
•  They assume (wrongly) that this is “what you do when you write a paper.”

A good general practice is to recognize that if one writes three words in a row from a source it must be quoted and cited. Many writers feel that the use of quotation marks is indicative of academic attribution.  Quotes should only serve to support or illustrate the writers point and not make the point for the reader.

Another source of consternation is the internet itself. Touted as the information highway cruising through the public domain, this ubiquitous resource is the bane of educators everywhere.  How does a writer determine what is public domain, what is copyrighted, and what is common knowledge? Web addresses are like a moving target. Urls change, style guides are inconsistent in citation documentation, and the web is advertised as “the public domain.”  

With patience, writers can learn how to avoid the pitfalls of plagiarism.

Creating Time to Write

Making time to write is really difficult in our intrusive modern world. The siren song of email beckons us to respond to its ‘in your face’ immediacy. Blackberries chirp and ding in public places like a chorus of obnoxious magpies in discordant harmony. Telephone, email, and people clamor for my attention all day long. If only I could find some peaceful downtime I might be able to make time to write.

The easiest way to create more time for writing is merely a function of the earliest technological breakthrough of the Industrial Revolution: The ON-OFF switch.So simple but so hard to use… but you owe it to yourself to develop the discipline to disconnect and start writing. Turn off the phone, turn off the email, turn off the instant messenger, and make the time to write.

• Your time is incredibly valuable
• Commit in writing to write
• Put your writing schedule in your calendar…in ink!
• Get organized before sitting down to write – time spent researching is not writing time

You have to schedule down-time for writing much like you schedule time at the gym and doctor appointments. Let people who matter know that you are not available at that time daily. Block out at least 90-120 minutes per day to dedicate to your writing craft.

Make a contract with yourself to write X hours per week or X number of pages per week. Create a viable plan that produces a measurable output. Start small and build more goals for time and output as you become more disciplined in your writing schedule.

Get a wall calendar and a day planner and schedule time for your writing. You and your writing are important. Make the time to write articles, blog entries, or your next chapter.

Writing with discipline and purpose can be hard at first but over time it becomes an ingrained personal routine. But beware! Writing regularly can become as addictive as email, IM, and texting. 

Writing the Introduction – How to Hook Your Audience and Keep them Reading

Can you write and opening that hooks the reader and keep them coming back for more? Sure you can!

Make your opening an introduction that hooks the reader with the content and makes then want to stay.

• Begin with a question or a challenge to your reader.
• Follow this with a good thesis statement that identifies the objective of the work, makes a point with making, provides structure for the complete work and is easy to identify.
• The remainder of the work should be filled with stories and solutions that the reader can connect to as they continue to read.
• Make sure that all of the remaining sections of the work are compelling, well organized and easily read.

In order to draw your reader in you have to cast out your hook with bait that makes them bite…then you reel them in with the rest of your “story.”

Writing for Your Audience

Have you ever read an introduction or summary of a book or article and wondered, what the heck did the author just say? There is plenty of bad writing out there. There is even a Best of Bad Writing contest held every year. You don’t want to enter that contest and add to the collection!  

In a nutshell, l bad writing happens when the writer forgets or ignores the audience. Bad writing comes across to the reader similar to an ill-mannered guest. The rude guest is the one who stays too long, tells big lies, talks only about themselves and sucks the air out of the room.  

As you prepare to write think about what the audience wants to hear and then say it in language they can understand. The ever-famous example of verbosity from “The Dilbert Principle” from Scott Adams says it all: 

“I utilized a multi-tined tool to process a starch resource.” 

TRANSLATION: “I used my fork to eat a potato.”  

Make sure your writing has a strong purpose. Bad writing is either directionless or has too many paths to follow. The best rule of thumb is to pretend that you are at the local coffee shop with your friends and telling them your message.  If you were to discuss one’s uniqueness and said this as all were enjoying a latte and a muffin: 

“The geometric point in the center of the sphere is nature’s symbol of the immeasurable uniqueness within its measurable effect. A center is always unique; otherwise it would not be a center.”   

Would your friends still listen to you afterwards or would they move their chairs as far from you as possible? Would they still include you in their circle of friends or would they tell you that you were “full of yourself”?   

Write to be read. Good writing shows the reader you know what you are talking about and lets them concentrate on what you actually have to say. 

Book Cover Design For Non-Fiction Books

Front Cover – Go out and explore your local book store. Look at book covers that draw you to them. Why are they so effective? Where is the title on the book? Is it centered or off-set? Are the letters raised or outline in a contrasting color? How does the lettering of the title impact the image on the cover? Does the title stand out or does it get lost? Will it photograph well in marketing materials?
* Make sure the image you select for your book best represents your content.
* Select a font for the title and author name that have slight variations.
* Use at least four colors for the cover, six if you can. Play with the effects of outlining, shadowing, and other design elements.
* Raised lettering adds a touch of class and style to the book cover design.
Spine – Center your title on the spine. You don’t want it falling off on the back of front cover. Check the spelling carefully. This is the first thing the person in the store or a library usually notices about a book.
Back Cover – Proof read, proof read, and proof read! Use Arial for the headings and Times Roman for the content. This makes the content easier to read. If you wish to include your photo, this is the ONLY place to include. Unless you are famous, never put your mug on the cover. 
* Include your URL on the back cover.
* Include 1-2 features of your book followed by 3-5 benefits for each feature in bullet statements.
* Short testimonials or endorsements are a must to have on the back cover.
Following these simple guidelines will help you design a cover that you can not only be proud of but that will help sell your books.

Writing to be Read

KISS (Keep It Simple Silly) is the perfect acronym for authors to embrace.  Short simple sentences are not only easier to read but get the point across faster.  When people really “get” something in your book they are more likely to talk about it and spread the word. Spread the word and sell more books.

Readers today do not want to reflect on or respond to lengthy parcels of writing. They want the meat and potatoes of the work laid out for them in language that is easy to follow. Honestly, while James Joyce and Herman Melville produced outstanding literature that has stood the test of time, who reads their work casually? Academics may read it but most students will look for the movie version or the Cliff notes. Why?

Think back to kindergarten…writing was fun! Exciting! When we were first introduced to learning how to write it was a socially active engaging experience.  We used simple language to learn phonics skills and built word walls.  Writing was interactive! Reading was Dick and Jane and Spot and Puff and all their silly adventures. Then we graduated to Dr. Seuss and the art of rhyming word families. Oh, the places we did go with our reading!

As authors, we need to get back to that simple carefree use of language. We need to write to be read in a way that engages the reader and makes them excited about the content. Throw out those long passages of describing the scenery. Economize on the length of word and the details.  This is not 11th grade where you have to show your knowledge of the language, the rules of grammar, and the depth of your vocabulary. 

Readers prefer:

• Dialogue and lots of it
• Showing and not telling by the author
• Less detail

 Everytime an author interjects more than a “said” in dialogue they are butting in the scene.  The author should remain as invisible as possible in the work. Show readers through dialogue the conflict and action of your story.  If you are describing a snow storm does the reader really need to know what each flake looks like as it falls to the ground? Remove words that are not found in everyday language. Honestly, who really uses words like “ubiquitious” and “mendacious”?

Writing to be read means tightly scripted work. Cut, pare down, and chop away at pretentious writing no one really wants to read.  Sometimes the simplest writing can put forth the most complex ideas. Make every word count.

Critique Groups – Feedback Sessions for Authors

Do you belong to a support group for writers or speakers? Belonging to a collaborative critique group can be both and boon and a bane for authors and speakers. They are a boon because of the incredible insight you get into your work from various perspectives of others. They are a bane because you may not like what they have to say or how they deliver it. Author critique groups provide the system of checks and balances that are necessary for producing useful content related feedback.

Feedback – Feedback can be a powerful source of inspiration that provides new direction for work you are currently slugging with on a daily basis. Critique groups can be virtual, coffee shop, or home-based with a wide variety of structure and organization.  On Bainbridge Island, WA there is a wonderful group called Field’s End that promotes authors by providing workshops, presentations, and other events. Like minded people tend to gravitate toward each other in the framework of the organization and many of them go on to form critique groups.

Some people prefer small intimate affairs, others prefer large group settings where they can remain more anonymous. A new version of the critique setting is emerging on line inspired by authors like John Kremer. He has founded an author/agent/publisher social network that is now over 1000 members strong that harbor among other things critique groups.

Making the Most of Your Time – Whether you pursue traditional publishing or self-publishing, a critique group can be invaluable to your work’s overall success. Think of it as an inexpensive way to “road test” your work before it goes to an agent or editor to be eviscerated.  How do you make the most of your critique group’s time with your work?

• Be specific in what you need.
  • Don’t say, “Help, I don’t know where to go next!”
  • Say instead, “I am struggling with getting the protagonist’s inner conflict to be evident to the reader in a seamless method.” 
  • Or, “Does the humor in this scene fit with the character’s later development?”
• Have clean copies for the group.
  • Run spelling and grammar check prior to distributing to your group

A good critique will help you remove the clutter in your writing, indicate your weaknesses, and valuable insight to your work. If you only get feedback that is glowing, filled with nothing but praise, and make you feel like the next Stephen King…then run! Feedback is only effective if it is balanced and has value that benefits your work and not just your ego. 

Find a critique group that fits your style on line, in a round table forum or in a small intimate setting. Good critique groups are instructive, inspirational, constructive and promote positive community building between authors. Like a good pair of boots, find the right style and fit for you…

Why Should Authors Blog?

Blogging is a quick way to generate excitement, stir up controversy, and get people talking about a variety of topics in a short space of time. Why should you as an author blog?

Simple answer: To create a ready made audience for your book.

Complex answer: To create a ready made audience for your next book.

 Wait a minute! That is the same answer! Yes, but if we peel it apart there are many layers that could be examined.

Blogging creates excitement and gets people interested in what you have to say. As you the author begin to generate the excitement and stir the waters you begin to be recognized as a possible authority in the field you write about both in your blog and in your book. A made to order audience begins to develop for your book.

The more complex answer is that as an author we truly never know what the fickle audience wants at any given time. We can make educated guesses based on studies, surveys, etc. The world of information has become so fluid with the accessibility of the web that we as authors would be foolish not to use it as a medium for testing the waters. 

What if you as an author began to blog about the different chapters of your next book? Could you get immediate feedback for content development? You bet you can! Fiction or non-fiction, you get to create and collaborate with the very people who will be in your book audience.

Put blogging on your author “to do” list. Schedule it. Perhaps it can be your warm-up activity for your daily writing sessions. Begin with a short personal paragraph or two and build out from there. You will find your voice just like you will find an audience.

Now get out there and start blogging!

How to Prepare Your Final Non-Fiction Draft for Your Editor- Part 2

Prior to sending your manuscript out for editing, preview it for ”tightness” with a critical eye to detail. Do you have a general outline for your book? Go back to that and review it then look at your work chapter by chapter to see how well your work sticks to the original outline and premise for the work.

Go to the first chapter of your book and find your thesis statement. It should be relatively obvious and in the very first paragraph of your work. After you find it, underline it. Then go back in the rest of the chapter and highlight ONLY the parts that are directly related to your thesis in that chapter. How much of the work is thesis centered? How well do you communicate the supporting details to prove or expound on your thesis? How much fluff is there?

The fluff has to go! Tight writing requires an economy of language and a straightforward approach to the topic discussed. Sentences that are more than 17 words should be re-evaluated for unnecessary verbosity. Remove any fluff or unrelated material (save it for another section of this book or for another book – even for a handout or workbook when you start speaking in public on your book). 

Then take what is left and organize it according to the outline you used earlier to craft your work. Turn some of what you wrote into bullet statements, some into supporting paragraphs, etc. Your work should fall more naturally into place if you do this. The writing will be more cohesive and the entire work will be logical and easy to follow.