A Writer's Life April Tour

Spring is in the air and in line with the newness of this time of rejuvenation, I'm thrilled to announce the April "A Writer's Life tour."

What you'll find especially interesting about this tour is that it doesn't just promote books, it provides useful writing and marketing information to help you in your writing careers.

And, we, at VBT Writers on the Move, look forward to seeing your comments along the way! We'd love to know if our posts help you in some way, so don't be shy, take a moment and leave a comment.

Now for the APRIL 2010 SCHEDULE:

1st Dianne Sagan is featuring Liana Metal
2nd Karen Cioffi is featuring Brigitte Thompson
3rd Kathy Stemke is featuring Katie Hines
4th Lea Schizas is featuring Janet Ann Collins
5th Vivian Zabel is featuring Debra Eckerling
6th Nancy Famolari is featuring Dana Donovan
7th Margaret Fieland is featuring Heidi Thomas
8th Elysabeth Eldering is hosting Margaret Fieland
9th Helena Harper is featuring Heather Paye
10th Liana Metal is featuring Helena Harper
11th Carolyn Howard-Johnson is featuring Dallas Woodburn
12th Gayle Trent is featuring Vivian Zabel
13th Kari Wolfe is featuring Marietta Taylor
14th Marvin Wilson is featuring Karen Cioffi
15th Stephen Tremp is featuring Darcia Helle
16th Darcia Helle is featuring Dianne Sagan
17th Martha Swirzinski is featuring Elysabeth Eldering
18th Heidi Thomas is featuring Gayle Trent
19th Dana Donovan is featuring Mayra Calvani
20th Dallas Woodburn is featuring Kathy Stemke
21st Maggie Ball is featuring Martha Swirzinski
22nd Heather Paye is featuring Kevin McNamee
23rd Debra Eckerling is featuring Carolyn Howard-Johnson
24th Kevin McNamee is featuring Lea Schizas
25th Janet Ann Collins is featuring Marvin Wilson
26th Katie Hines is featuring Nancy Famolari
27th Brigitte Thompson is featuring Stephen Tremp
28th Marietta Taylor is featuring Kari Wolfe
29th Mayra Calvani is featuring Maggie Ball

So, you can see we have new, experienced, and even famous authors in our mix, Please be sure to stop by each day for a visit.

Until next time,

Karen Cioffi

Author, Writer-for-Hire, Freelance Writer

http://karencioffi.com
http://dkvwriting4u.com
http://nothingventurednothinggained.org

Ten Secrets of a Super Blogger

Today, I have a great article from The Book Marketing Expert Newsletter!

10 Secrets of a Super Blogger

No matter how many new web 2.0 properties that pop-up like Twitter and the like, blogging still remains very popular. When I'm teaching a session and ask students in the class how many of them read blogs, often only a few hands go up. Want to know why? Because blogs are so pervasive that we often read them and don't know we're reading them. Most people don't know enough about blogging to know what a blog is so when you see huge numbers of people who read blogs, these are based on site statistics, not reader polls. Check out some of these stats:

• There are now 70 million blogs
• Approximately 120,000 are started each day or 1.4 new blogs every second
• Bloggers post an average of 17 posts per second (or 1.5 million posts per day)

So how do these super bloggers get such great traffic to their blog and moreover, how do they keep their blog interesting? Here are some tips to not only get you up to speed on blogging, but keep you on track:

1) Blog frequently: you should blog at a minimum of once a week and ideally two to three times a week. Don't forget to spell check your blogs, you don't want to be posting stuff that has typos in it. This will turn off your reader. Your posts don't have to be long. If you only post in 50 word increments that's fine. Don't force yourself to post longer.

2) Don't obsess over stats: Seriously. While it's easy enough to get caught up in the "my blog is more popular than your blog" mantra it's not a good thing to spend your time on, also stats and subscribers will come and go. Try to limit yourself to checking stats once a week or once a month if you can hold off that long.

3) Don't obsess over comments (or lack thereof): Some bloggers will get comments right away and some will take a bit longer. Just because people aren't commenting doesn't mean they're not reading. This is one of the biggest complaints I hear from bloggers: No one is commenting. Don't let a blank comment section dissuade you from blogging but when someone has commented by sure to comment back or just thank them for visiting if their entry doesn't warrant a response. Also if the reader has a blog, visit theirs as well and place a comment. They'll appreciate you for it and it's a great way to network!

4) Be patient: let's face it, blogging takes time. Regardless of how many statistics you see on blogs that get mountains of traffic, none of this happened in a week (or even in a month). The quickest way to talk yourself out of blogging is to be impatient for something to happen. Keep blogging, eventually something will. If you do all the right things eventually traffic and readers will beat a path to your door!

5) Listen: know what your reader needs and blog on those topics. Knowing what's important to your reader is a big step in creating a powerful blog that will get traffic. Know what's going on in your industry, what should you be talking about? What does your reader need help with? How can your blog become a resource? Who else does your reader need to know in order to be successful? Maybe it's time that you interview other experts on your blog or at the very least, link to them.

6) Write good headlines: people judge a blog by its headline and when you're subscribed to a lot of blog feeds (as I am) you know that readers will pick and chose the blogs they read based on the headlines. Don't make readers guess what your blog is about, be specific and be benefit driven.

7) Be timeless: while many of your posts will relate to topics or news items that are going on *now*, it's also good to write posts that will be evergreen, meaning posts that don't have a short lifespan. For example I have posts dating back to 2006 that still get commented on and passed around because their topic is as relevant today as it was three years ago.

8) Posting tips: I generally try to post by 7am EST (8am at the latest). Studies have shown that people have more time to read blogs and emails before 9am EST so make sure all your posting is done by then.

9) No time for the long-winded: Write readable posts. Keep your sentences to no more than 25 words and paragraphs to no more than 7 lines of text. Use lots of bullet points too whenever you can.

10) Get your own domain name early: there's nothing worse than getting a blog that's someone else's property (i.e. Blogger or Wordpress). If you wait too long to move your blog to your own domain you'll risk losing search engine ranking and traffic. Any blog can be linked to any URL, just ask your web person to help you out with this.

So now that you have your tips, what on earth will you blog on? Here are a few ideas to consider:

Blog on: trends, write reviews, interview experts, comment on news pieces related to your topic, blog on good reviews your book got, blog on your new book, blog on the elephant in the room (talk about the thing everyone seems to be avoiding).

Reprinted from "The Book Marketing Expert newsletter," a free ezine offering book promotion and publicity tips and techniques. http://www.amarketingexpert.com 

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 Related Article:

7 Steps to Writing for Article Directories

Until next time,
Karen Cioffi

http://karencioffi.com
http://dkvwriting4u.com
http://nothingventurednothinggained.org

Don't forget to sign up for my FREE monthly newsletter!

Ingredients for the Perfect Picture Book

Writing for young children can be tricky. It’s not as straight forward as writing for adults. You can’t use your own vocabulary and need to be careful of age appropriate storylines. You also need to introduce your main character immediately.

It’s also important to keep in mind that children don’t have the same comprehension level as an adult, so all aspects of the story need to be clear and geared toward the age group you’re writing for.

So, what exactly does a children’s writer need to include in a picture book?

Let’s go over the basic ingredients of picture books:

1.    The story should include: a surface level, an underlying meaning level, and a take-away level. This means young children should be engaged by it; older children should get a little deeper meaning or realization from it; and parents or the reader should be able to see the take-away value.

2.    The story should be written with a 50/50 formula. Be sure to allow for 16 illustrations (a picture book usually has 32 pages). And, allow the illustrator to tell part of the story. Picture books are a partnership between the author and illustrator. For example: Instead of telling the reader that John grabbed his favorite blue shirt with red and yellow footballs on it, just write that John grabbed his favorite shirt. Your illustrator will know how to depict the scene.

3.    Children love action and need to be engaged so be sure to include action. Being use to TV and movies, writers need to account for the waning attention spans of children.

4.    Show rather than tell. The powers that be in the children’s publishing world frown upon telling a story.

5.    The story should have a flow or rhythm and structure to it.

6.    The story should have predictability. This pulls children in; they think they know what’s going to happen next based on what’s happened before in the story.




For example: In the story Caps For Sale by Esphyr Slobodkina, a group of monkeys took a peddler’s caps and put them on their heads. The peddler tried to coax the monkeys to give back the caps, but every action the peddler took, the monkeys mimicked. They stomped their feet, shook their hands, but they wouldn’t give the peddler back his caps. Finally, in anger, the peddler threw his own hat from his head to the ground.

Can you see a child's mind working and thinking each time the peddler does something else? He/she is going to guess that the monkeys will mimic each action.

7.    Finally, the story should have an unexpected ending relating to something that happened in the story.We'll go back to Caps for Sale. The peddler tried everything and finally, in anger and not realizing, he threw his hat to the ground. What do you think the monkeys did? Down came all the caps.

"Ah," the reader will say, "he should have done that in the first place."



Along with these basic ingredients, there are a couple of toppings needed:

1.    Use age appropriate words.
2.    Use age appropriate storylines.
3.    Be sure to have your main character (point of view) speak first so the child/reader will quickly know who the the protagonist is.
4.    Use proper grammar and punctuation.

Now you can cook up a picture book!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This is another article that was conceived from the information Suzanne Lieurance presented in her teleclass. Check out the Children's Writers' Coaching Club. See the article below, How do You Learn to Write for Children, to learn more about this group.


If you'd rather not join a club, Suzanne also offers The Morning Nudge. Each week day you get an email with writing guidance and motivation (coaching in small bits). It also include free tools, offers, and even marketing information through weekly audio clips. You can even ask your own perplexing marketing questions.

In addition to all this, The Morning Nudge site has resources for writers. All this . . . for . . . $12 per year (for the time being, not sure when it will change).

I belong to both!

More Articles:

How do You Learn to Write for Children?

Be Specific and Professional When Submitting Queries

Until next time,

Karen Cioffi
http://karencioffi.com
http://dkvwriting4u.com (need help with your manuscript or need a ghostwriter?)

Be sure to sign up for my FREE monthly newsletter and get a FREE e-book as a Thank You gift!

The 3 Levels of Picture Books

Picture books have 3 levels or purposes in regard to the reader and purchaser. Think of it as the structure of a house: there’s a basement, a first floor, and often an upper floor.

Level 1: The basement, or Surface Level, is geared toward the youngest reader (or listener if too young to read). This child is able to understand what’s going on. He is engaged by the story. Using a wonderful children’s picture book, Caps For Sale by Esphyr Slobodkina, the child will think it’s funny that monkeys take the peddler’s caps, put them on their heads and won’t take them off.

Level 2: The first floor, or the Underlying Meaning Level, is for the older children who can understand on a deeper level. At this age, they can realize danger, anger, and a cause and effect scenario. Again, using Caps for Sale, the children should be able to understand that the monkeys are mimicking everything the peddler does, but the peddler doesn’t realize what they’re doing. With this age child, he/she may yell out, “They’re doing what you do!” in an effort to help the peddler.

Level 3: The upper floor, or the Take Away Level, is the value the book holds for the purchaser, usually the parent, grandparent, or teacher. The adult reading the book to the child understands the meaning of the story, what value can be taken away by children. In the case of Caps for Sale, the young child is engaged and understands the monkeys took the peddler’s caps and wouldn’t give them back. The older child is engaged and understands that the peddler is causing the monkeys to act as they are. The value that might be taken away is that our actions create reactions.

I just want to point out that Caps for Sale was first copyrighted in 1940 and renewed in 1967, so there is a great deal of telling in the story. Back then, writing for children used a different structure. The stories were not geared toward today’s short attention span and need for action. But, some stories, such as this one, hold up even through change.

Keep in mind though, in today’s children’s market a writer must take into account that a child is bombarded with media and entertainment. Children’s publishers want showing rather than telling. They also want action right from the beginning of the story. In today’s market it’s the writer’s job to grab the reader quickly.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This article came about directly from a GREAT teleclass I attended Thursday night presented by Suzanne Lieurance. I have to say, Suzanne knows her writing and marketing business.

This class covered the difference between picture books and children’s magazine articles; explained what a picture book consists of; the elements of a picture book; and how to revise a picture book.

I’ll go over a couple of the topics discussed, but if you’d like to learn to write for children I honestly can’t think of a better coach/instructor than Suzanne. And, she offers the Children’s Writers’ Coaching Club at an extremely affordable cost. For only $27 per month, you get weekly critiques of your work, weekly teleclasses teaching you the rules and tricks of writing for children as well as marketing you and your work.

And, if that’s not enough, you are in the midst of the other members who with Suzanne’s guidance and nurturing have all gone on to publication. I’ve been a member for over a year-and-a-half. It is because of belonging to Suzanne’s club that I am in contract for my children’s fantasy chapter book.

So, even if you have to forgo that once a week Starbucks coffee and/or desert, if you want to write for children, join the
Children’s Writers’ Coaching Club today!

Okay, enough of the promo . . . but, guys, one of the main reasons I whole heartedly promote Suzanne’s club is because it has helped me so much. It is a surefire means to getting published in the children’s writing arena (as long as you work toward that goal).

You might also find the following articles of interest:

Writing for Young Children - Ten Basic Rules

Creating Websites and Blogs - Plan First


Until next time,

Karen Cioffi
http://karencioffi.com
http://dkvwriting4u.com

Be sure to sign up for my FREE newsletter! (top right sidebar)

Need an e-book to help you through the writing process? Check out:

Writing, Publishing, and Marketing - You Can Do It!

Adding More Dimension to Your Characters

Connecting with a reader entails a couple of things, one of which is to have a fully developed protagonist. A crucial aspect of creating a real character is his/her interactions with the other characters in the story, and his/her reactions to other external influences. These reactions to external surroundings add layers to your protagonist.

To be able to write with this type of clarity and dimension for your protagonist, you need to know every detail of your protagonist's character. An excellent way to do this is to create a character sheet.

Make note on your character sheet of every reaction and interaction your character has with another character. As with actual life, we interact differently with different people in our lives. A boy will not react to a friend the same way he does a brother. He will not react the same to a sister as he does a brother. The same holds true for all other relationships. All these different interactions help create a fully dimensional protagonist.

As you're creating your story's characters' dynamics, keep in mind that all characters play a part in creating a realistic story, even in fantasy and sci-fi. What this means is that your protagonist needs a responsive partner or team member (character) when interacting, otherwise the interaction will feel one-sided and flat.

In order to create continuity of character traits for all characters, each character needs a character sheet. While for some this may seem tedious, it is well worth the effort. You may be three quarters through the book and can't remember how character A interacted with character D. You won't want to have to search through the story to find this little tidbit of information.

Also, keep in mind that each character will have his/her own motivation for actions and reactions. This is part of their character traits and should be listed on their character sheet.


It's important to keep in mind that every action, reaction and interaction created in your story will not only develop the protagonist, but also the other characters in the story.

Related Articles:

How do You Learn to Write for Children? 

Getting to Know Your Characters

Until next time,

Karen Cioffi
http://karencioffi.com
http://dkvwriting4u.com

Writing, Publishing, and Marketing - You Can Do It!

When Teachers Talk

Title: When Teachers Talk
Author: Rosalyn S. Schnall
Reviewed by: Karen Cioffi for BookPleasures.com

Anyone who works in, or has worked in the Public School System will love When Teachers Talk. While I am not a teacher myself, I have a number of family members and friends who are. This book tells it like it is. It reflects the whispers and thoughts of thousands of teachers across the country.


Check out the rest of my review at The New Book Review, today, March 16th!

Until next time,
Karen Cioffi
http://karencioffi.com
http://dkvwriting4u.com

The Education Enigma - A Review

Title: The Education Enigma
Author: Bruce Deitrick Price
Publisher: Word-Wise Publishing
ISBN: 1-4392-3035-8
ISBN-13: 978-1439230350
Reviewed by: Karen Cioffi for BookPleasures.com

The Education Enigma is a book of essays pertaining to America’s education system. The question Price poses is: What Happened to American Education? Price proclaims, “The simultaneous decline of American education and the language used by America’s educators is a historical fact.” Over the years I have done some research on this topic, in particular through editing and proofreading of college papers. I found this book very interesting and agree with much of what Price states.

The main crux of Price’s essays deal with the failure of our teaching methods to actually teach children to read. He explains the difference between teaching children to read using whole word strategy and phonics, favoring phonics. According to Price, “When we examine education throughout the 20th century, we see a puzzling array of unproductive ideas. But no failure is as primal and destructive as the inability of American public schools to teach reading—the one essential skill.”

Through his essays Price also touches on the subjects of math, history, science and art. In addition, he provides a history of the American education system along with its downward turn referring to it as the “dumbing down” of America. From John Dewey to Maria Montessori to Rudolf Flesch to Gilbert Highet, Price explains their philosophies and the affects on this country’s education system. He concludes, specifically in regard to Dewey and his followers, “Make no mistake, this was a secret conspiracy.”

Along with this Price argues an excellent point that I always disagreed with: children need to memorize facts and figures even if they can look the answers up, whether in a book or online. I always believed that as long as children were taught where and how to look up answers there is no need for state tests that cause stress for many of our children from fourth grade up. His comment toward this kind of theorizing is: “But will they? No, people usually muddle through with what they actually know in their heads.” I do tend to agree with this point even though I still feel there is too much emphasis placed on state tests.

The Education Enigma is full of information and history pertaining to the American education system. Through some of the titles of his essays it’s easy to see that Price has a sense of humor: Jay Leno: Educator of the Year; Phooey on John Dewey; and Educators are Best Understood as “Ignorance Engineers.”

It’s important to mention that Price is not hurling these jabs pertaining to the ineffectiveness of the school system at the teachers in the trenches. It is aimed at those in control of creating and enforcing inadequate teaching strategies. In Price’s words, “When I speak of “educators,” I never mean teachers. I mean that small group of managers at the top, with Ph.D.’s, who effectively control the public schools.”
A final quote from this book that I especially liked: “…Another famous government report, A Nation at Risk (1983) concluded that our public schools seem to have been created by an enemy power. Exactly. An enemy that would want Americans to read feebly and count inaccurately.”

About the author: Bruce Deitrick Price is a novelist, painter, poet and education activist. He graduated from Norfolk Academy and Princeton (with Honors in English Literature). Throughout his career, Price was writing about education. Aside from the arts, his main passion is Improve-Education.org. Price is a member of PEN and Mensa.

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Check out Writing, Publishing, and Marketing - You Can Do It!

Until next time,

Karen Cioffi
http://karencioffi.com
http://dkvwriting4u.com
http://nothingventurednothinggained.org
 

Writing for Children - A Beginner's Workshop

I've been meaning to create an free e-course or workshop for a while now; events have come together and it will be a one-day workshop sometime this spring in the Muse Online Writers' Conference site.

I do reviews and basic editing as well as critiques and see a number of stories that are missing the basics. Some of these stories are self-published and it's apparent the authors did not bother to have their work critiqued or edited. I want to offer help in this area--just to get the writer headed in the right direction.

While I've put together an outline and the basics, I just want to see if there are areas that you writers new to the writing for children arena would like to see added. Or, you veterans out there, what do you think should be added to a basics workshop?

So, this post is to ask your help: Please let me know what you think should be included in a writing for children workshop for beginners.

Any and all input will be appreciated.

Thanks,
Karen Cioffi
http://karencioffi.com
http://dkvwriting4u.com

Writing, Publishing, and Marketing - You Can Do It!

Outlining Your Story

Authors use different methods to write. Some prefer to fly by the seat-of-their-pants, while others like the structure and assurance of writing with an outline.

In the May 2009 the Writer, top crime writer, Jeff Ayers gave his reasoning for using an outline, and it was so nicely put I want to share it with my readers.

From the article Doing what he Loves, Jeff Ayers states:

Outlining allows me time to think. Does this ever happen to you--you're in line at the market, some pushy person cuts in front of you, you mumble something ineffectual or stupid, then when you're 10 blocks away the light bulb goes off, and you think "That's what I shouda said!" Well, outlining gives me the 10 blocks to think of something better.

According to Ayers, he spends a lot of time outlining; it helps him to get to know his characters and helps him bring them to life.

I like to think of an outline as a GPS leading you from a beginning to an end. If you want to take a detour you can, but you always know where you can get back on to reach your destination. And, if it's a detailed outline, like an updated GPS, you'll know where the rest stops are, where the scenic sites are . . . in other words there won't be much left to chance. You'll know every step of the way. There is comfort in this method.

So, if you haven't tried it yet, why not give it a shot.

Related Articles

Be Specific When Submitting Queries
http://www.karencioffi.com/2010/02/be-specific-when-submitting-queries/

Balance in Writing: The Major Elements
http://www.dkvwriting4u.com/2009/12/balance-in-writing-the-major-elements/

Until next time,

Karen Cioffi
http://karencioffi.com
http://dkvwriting4u.com

Writing to Get Published

All writers have one primary focus—to get published. What makes each of us different is our slant or perspective on the story we’re telling, and how we tell it.

It’s true that anyone can write, but writing to get published is another story. To accomplish this, there are four steps you need to include in your writing.

1. Write an out-of-the-ballpark beginning

This is the crucial step that will determine whether the agent or editor keeps reading. Your beginning needs to grab the reader; it needs to lead the reader on without him having to think about it. 

Here are different slants on a possible beginning:

A. Jan saw blood dripping down the wall. She screamed.

This idea is a beginning that might entice a reader to read on, but the problem is it’s telling not showing. To add showing:

B. Blood slowly dripped down the stark white wall, adding to the puddle already formed on the floor. Jane felt a quiver run down her spine. Reacting before thinking of the consequences, a blood curdling scream issued from the depths of her being.

C. Blood slowly dripped down the stark white wall. A quiver ran throughout Jane’s body. An urgent eruption welled up from the depths of her being and brought forth a blood curdling scream. 

D. Blood slowly dripped down the stark white wall, adding to the dark red puddle already formed on the floor. A quiver ran throughout Jane’s body creating an urgent eruption that welled up from the depths of her being—a blood curdling scream issued forth. 

Examples B, C and D do a much better job of showing rather than telling. While they can easily be taken apart and reworded for tightness, more description or less description, whatever the author deems necessary, for this article they serve their purpose.

And remember, using descriptive words and adverbs adds to the word count. So, analysis each word you use; be sure they enhance the story and move it along, not weigh it down. In today’s writing world publishers and agents want tight writing.

2. The body of your story

This area needs to fulfill the beginning’s promise. It needs to keep the reader interested in the characters and plot—this will ensure the reader keeps turning the pages. You also need to keep track of everything going on in the story and follow through. Readers don’t want to feel cheated or disappointed.

Some authors use character and event cards or sheets to keep track of each character’s qualities and the details to each event. This will guarantee continuity and help prevent loose ends.

3. Your ending

The ending must tie everything together and tie-up all loose ends. If you wrote a paragraph or chapter about John and Jane contemplating marriage then segue into something else, let the reader know how it ends up.

It’s also a plus if you can come up with a twist at the end, something the reader won’t expect.
But, keep in mind it’s essential that you leave the reader satisfied.

4. Submitting your work

You’ll never know if you’ve written the next best seller if you don’t submit your work. Research publishers and/or agents who work in the genre you write. Choose the ones that you think are the best fit and study their guidelines. Then, follow the guidelines and submit your work. Don’t let fear or uncertainty keep you from moving forward—nothing ventured, nothing gained.

Related Articles:

Writing Motivation and Guidance

Five Tips to Getting Published

Writing, Publishing, and Marketing - You Can Do It!

Until next time,

Karen Cioffi
http://karencioffi.com
http://dkvwriting4u.com

10 Marketing Myths That Can Kill Your Book and Career

Today's guest article is from multiple award winning author and editor Carolyn Howard-Johnson. Carolyn not only explains these ten myths, she provides the needed remedies.

And, away we go...

10 Marketing Myths That Can Kill Your Book and Career
(And Their Remedies!)
 
By Carolyn Howard-Johnson

Here are excuses many authors use not to promote, killers all. Each includes advice that will help a writer salvage his book and career from wrong thinking.

"My book is doing well enough. My career is on an upturn. I can easily take a year off from promoting to write." Advice: Cut back if you must but slot in some time to keep the efforts you've already made at least at a simmer.

"I hear everyone is cutting back on promotion so why shouldn't I?" Advice: Didn't your mother ever ask you, "If Johnny jumped off a cliff, would you do it, too?" Look at those authors. If they're selling lots of books, it's because somebody (their publisher, bookstores, their publicists) is promoting them. I'll bet, though, that most of the authors saying this aren't selling very many. Look at your situation. If you don't do it, who will do it for you?

"I like Carolyn's Frugal Book Promoter idea so I'm going to only do things that cost no money at all." Advice: Hey! Frugal is one thing. Cheap is another. Some of the best things you can do cost some money. An example is American Booksellers Association Advance Access program. Find it at www.bookweb.org.
Careful though. Always weigh the "rightness" of any program for your particular book.

"I'm gong to examine everything I'm doing and only continue what I can prove is working." Advice: You may not be able to prove much, if anything. That's not the way marketing works. Judge how well your entire campaign is going only after you have given it plenty of time to work. If one thing is working well, maybe it is because your title or name is being seen elsewhere. Balance your campaign, yes. Try new things, yes. Cut back on a few only if you must. Keep in mind that book sales are not necessarily the most valid way to evaluate your promotion.

"Nothing I've tried works. I'm giving up." Advice. You may be on the brink. Or maybe you've been giving up on each aspect of your campaign too early. Any marketing plan must be many-pronged, frequent and long-term.


"If I cut back on promotion and find my sales slipping, I can always gear up again." Advice: Yikes! Good publicity and promotion build. It's like skipping rocks on a pond. With each stone, ripples wave out, out, out. Eventually, after you've skipped lots and lots of stones, the results start coming back to you in waves. If you stop whipping those stones into the water, the results dissipate. It will take a long time to get enough stones dancing across the water again to match what you've done and, once you lose momentum, you may never get it back.
------
Carolyn Howard-Johnson is the author of The Frugal Book Promoter: How to Do What Your Publisher Won't, The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success and an Amazon Short, "The Great First Impression Book Proposal: Everything You Need To Know To Sell Your Book in 20 Minutes or Less." Learn more at http://www.howtodoitfrugally

Related Articles:

Article Reprint Strategy

Inbound Marketing and Twitter

Writing, Publishing and Marketing - You Can Do It!

Until next time,

Karen Cioffi
http://karencioffi.com
http://dkvwriting4u.com

Subscribing to Websites and Blogs

If you sign up or subscribe to a site's newsletter, whether for a free ebook or for the free monthly newsletter, watch out for the confirmation email!

A Little Insight into Subscribing to Sites:

I review my autoresponder service periodically and most recently I noticed there were eight subscribers to my blog who either never responded to the confirmation email or their email service bounced the confirmation.This has happened on my website subscriber box also.

I would think if you go to the trouble of subscribing to a site, there's a reason. Unless, you subscribe to so many that you cannot keep track. But, then we go back to the aspect of taking the time to sign up - you must have wanted something.

When I find a site that I find valuable and especially if they are offering an free useful ebook, I will subscribe to the newsletter. I do pay attention for the confirmation email to make sure I receive what I signed up for.

So, if you've signed up for a site's newsletter, be sure to look out for the confirmation email because the autoresponder service cannot send any emails to you without it. If you're not sure why you aren't receiving the newsletter or the free gift, contact the site owner. Most sites should have an email address or contact page to make this convenient. Or, if you can't find any contact information (which all sites should have this available) you can leave a comment on the most recent blog post mentioning you've signed up and seem to be haven't a problem. All savvy bloggers (site owners) check their readers/visitors' comments.

Another way to subscribe to sites is through their RSS or Atom feed. I do this with my yahoo account and I love it. I get the updated blogs of the sites I subscribe right on My Yahoo page. This is just a convenient method for me because I'm in and out of my Yahoo mail throughout each day. I scroll down my LONG list and, time allowing, visit the sites and comment. What's great is if I don't have the time for a visit, I am still able to read the new post right from my Yahoo subscriber list.

While this is an easy way to get updates of blog postings, you do miss out on the information and special offers that may only be available through the site's newsletter or by signing up for it. I know I try to add links, tips and more  in my newsletter that I don't post about.

The next issue I've noticed is that readers who subscribe to a newsletter often don't even open to give it a quick glance to see if there is any valuable information. Now, I know time is an issue with all of us and some marketers have 90-95% of promotion and offers involving money rather than useful content, but you get to know fairly quickly which newsletters or promotional emails this pertains to. All you have to do is unsubscribe to those sites.

Related Articles:

Marketers - Are They Wasting Our Time?
http://www.dkvwriting4u.com/2009/12/marketers-are-they-wasting-our-time/

Blogging Commenting Etiquette
http://karenandrobyn.blogspot.com/2010/02/what-is-blogging-commenting-etiquette.html

Until next time,
Karen Cioffi
http://karencioffi.com
http://dkvwriting4u.com


Learn to Write for Children in Just Six Weeks With Tricks of The Trade!
http://tinyurl.com/yfaz9oy

Gary Eby, Author of The Eby Way

Oh boy! March, the month Spring comes rolling in, and I have the pleasure of hosting author Gary Eby. In reviewing content for this post, I came across Gary’s story behind his book, The Eby Way. I’m a firm believer in the power of our minds and projection and this is right in line with that. So, here’s the interesting story of putting it out there and Gary’s road to publication.

The Story behind The Eby Way Publication
By Gary Eby

So I am sitting outside today on our porch in Grants Pass, Oregon. The sky is partly cloudy with enough holes in the white puffy stuff to allow the sun to warm my face. Yeah, I am getting my so called "vitamin D shot".

I understand vitamin D is supposed to be good for you; it fights cancer and other scary diseases. On the other hand, I shouldn't stay too long in the sun, because we are told to fear the beast of skin melanoma.

The good news is my wife and I will be heading to the Oregon coast soon for hopefully five glorious days in a rented beach home located in the town of Yachats. Also, I am appreciating the slight breeze which touches my face as I look out into the distance, past our huge 100 feet Ponderosa Pines, quaking Aspens, and the purple looming mountains on the horizon.

My eyes drift upward to take a scan of the grand, blue heavens, poking through those partially white and gray clouds. And my breath is almost taken away from the sight of the biggest hawk I have ever seen in my life.

You know what? Maybe it's not a hawk. The wing span is so large, I am reminded of those one-man glider kites. I think that awesome, floating bird could be a turkey vulture or maybe even a golden eagle. Wow. Whatever avian creature circles above me, the message that startles my consciousness today is the importance of rising above all that we fear.

Fear is one of those dark secrets that holds us writers, both young and old, captive from all we deserve to become. As a matter of fact, fear can be a force of self-destruction and negativity no matter what hopes and dreams we want to pursue. Let me present a more personal example of my struggle with this darkness.

Almost a year ago, on July of 2007, I was reading The Secret, by Rhonda Burns. She makes the wonderful point about the "Law of Attraction" that what we project out from our minds into the universe, we will surely receive: send out the positive and receive the positive; embrace negativity and remain imprisoned by the negative.

The thought came to me (as I pondered her formula of asking, believing, and receiving), that I had a manuscript collecting 20 years of dust on our closet shelf. What was holding me back from sending that baby out to the universe?

I experienced an unpleasant twinge in my stomach: I was afraid that what I wrote wasn't good enough; that inexplicably hurt. In a sudden splash of insight, honesty, and openness, I said to myself: "Gary why don't you use the skills and principles that help your clients overcome despair, mental illness, addictions, homelessness, poverty, and incarceration? Just finish what you started so long ago." Yet the inner dark side replied, " Because you are a social worker not a writer."

However, I took a deep breath for three seconds, and I slowly let the air out of my lower lungs for six or more. I went through my yoga, tai-chi, and meditation routine. I used the "ask, believe, and receive" process. And I added my own prayer of going into the Light within: "Thank you God for all that I have and for all that I receive."

I completed my book about hope and healing in August of 2007. In December of 2007, I pursued the self-publishing process on Lulu.com. I sold some copies but knew what I really longed for was a legitimate publisher. Again the hydra-head of fear uttered: "The likelihood of a publisher picking up your book is about as good as winning the jack-pot in one of your Oregon Native American Casinos."

For a while longer, I danced with the fear monger, and I did nothing about it, until three months ago. After completing my same relaxation and meditation routine, this time I visualized sending my book out to a publisher who would appreciate its value and potential.

I also prayed to my sense of Higher Power called the Love-Light. I actually felt warmth, comfort, and the unconditional love of being in the Light. The thought came to me that I needed to send out query letters to established agents and publishers.

I found a service on the internet that would blast out my query letters to 500 agents and publishers. Over the last three months, unfortunately I received 498 rejection notices, but two positive responses. One was from a publisher in New Mexico, and the other was from Sterlinghouse Publishing Inc.

On June 18, 2008, I signed a contract with Sterlinghouse. (Thank you Sterlinghouse!) But, I have no idea where this new journey will take me. I don't even know what the title will be or how many changes the editor will make. I surely don't have a clue how to do book signings or how to begin the enigma of the marketing process.

I do know the sky is azure today; the sun is still warm on my face; the mountains always lift my spirit; and the eagle rises above the forces of fear and all dark secrets. Wherever your are, whatever you do, refuse to dance with the negative side that holds you back. Learn the skills to face your stressful feelings honestly and openly.

Find a way to enter the Light within. Then your writing will no longer require tedious work or even esoteric craftsmanship. You will find your inspirational voice, and you will rise above like eagles.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

According to Gary, The Eby Way is a self-help guide to overcoming past dark secrets in order to achieve goals today. As a social worker for 40 years, Gary wanted to share a self-help process to overcoming all that’s negative.

You can also check out a transcript of an informative Twitter interview between Magdalena Ball and Gary Eby at:
http://magdalenaball.blogspot.com/2010/02/twitter-mutual-interview-with-gary-eby.html 

To learn more about Gary and his work, watch The Eby Way Video:
http://www.ipodiums.com/qlcoach

You can also check out Gary’s blog and Squidoo Page at:
http://challengedarksecret.blogspot.com
http://www.squidoo.com/ebywaybook

Gary, thank you so much for being my guest today—it certainly has been delightful and interesting!

You readers can check out the rest of the March Author Tour schedule at: http://tinyurl.com/ykjvonn

Tomorrow, March 3rd, Kathy Stemke is hosting Debra Eckerling.
 
Until next time,
Karen Cioffi
http://karencioffi.com
http://dkvwriting4u.com