Ride the Tide of Group Promos!

by Jodie Renner, editor & author

Savvy indie authors are quickly discovering the power of increasing book sales and visibility by collaborating with other authors in various ways. Here are four different avenues to explore that all work surprisingly well.

1. Create or join a Facebook group "event."

Not long ago, a complete stranger contacted me to ask if I’d like to add my writing guide Fire up Your Fiction (which, until recently, was titled Style That Sizzles & Pacing for Power) to a group promo he had planned to put 15 books, all related to writing, publishing, and promoting books, on sale for 99 cents each for one day.

I was flattered, and after checking out the organizer and the other books on the list, was eager to jump in, especially since I'd just changed the title of the book and it has won several honors recently.

Bryan Cohen turned out to be not only a nice person, but a creative, skilled and enthusiastic organizer, with lots of great promo ideas that really worked well. He created a Facebook page for the event as well as a page on his website, and enlisted us all to help promote it on our blogs and on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, etc. He asked us for possible giveaways and offered attendees/participants a chance to win prizes for sharing the event on Facebook and Twitter.

As a result of this great promo on February 28, which Bryan named "March to a Bestseller," all 15 participants had a significant increase in book sales, ratings on Amazon, and visibility. For a few hours of responding to readers on the event page on Facebook (my “shift”) and promoting the event on my blog and in social media, my sales for Fire up Your Fiction increased that day by about 20 times the normal daily average.

As well, the Amazon rating for the book rose to #1 in “writing skills” and #4 in two other categories and stayed there for a few days. And because the title was now at the top of the first page on Amazon, it was immediately visible to new readers doing a search for writing guides. which boosted sales to people who didn't know about the promo.

All in all, by participating in this group promo, besides increased sales, I gained a lot of new readers who hadn’t heard of my books before, with very little effort and no expense. And as a side benefit, my sales were also up on my other book, Writing a Killer Thriller, and more people signed up for my newsletter and blog. I received the benefit of exposure to new readers that I wouldn’t have been able to achieve on my own. And conversely, through my updates to 4,000 Facebook friends, my tweets to 1,300 Twitter followers, and my blog post on the event, I helped others in the group reach new readers and increase their book sales and exposure.

2. Join with other similar authors to create a boxed e-book set.

For a brilliant, highly successful example of the power of group promos, recently 12 mystery/thriller writers (Michele Scott, JF Penn, J Carson Black, Joshua Graham, Allan Leverone, Vincent Zandri, Carol Davis Luce, Diane Capri, Cheryl Bradshaw, M A Comley, Aaron Patterson & Ellie Ann, and Linda Prather) got together to combine 10 full-length novels and 2 long novellas into a “boxed” e-book set they’ve called Deadly Dozen, and priced it on Amazon-Kindle at only 99 cents -- for all 12 e-books combined!

The authors obviously aren’t doing this for immediate big bucks in royalty income – at .99 per sale, with 35% to the authors, that makes about 35 cents divided by 12 = less than 4 cents per author per sale! And I can only imagine the income tax nightmare! (Or maybe they’ve got that all figured out.) But each author is gaining significant visibility and recognition for their name and their title, and I’m sure they’re also all seeing increased sales in their other books.

This group did some clever, very effective advance publicity to arouse curiosity and anticipation, and their e-book set was then published on Feb. 12. By March 12, just one month later, it had reached the New York Times and USA Today bestselling lists! As of March 15, it’s ranked #24 of all Kindle books on Amazon.com, #2 in Kindle mysteries, and #5 in Kindle thrillers.

3. Explore other ways to gain recognition.

Some other great ways to get your name and book(s) out there are by writing interesting guest blog posts -- be sure to offer some kind of value to the readers -- Q&A interviews on blogs or in magazines, and presenting to writers' groups. In each case, other people will also promote your post or topic for you.

For example, someone else I didn’t know and hadn’t heard of (till then) recently contacted me about presenting a webinar at a virtual conference. This entailed quite a learning curve for me, as I’d never presented a webinar, and in fact have only viewed a few. In addition, they were suggesting using PowerPoint (with me talking in the corner), which I’ve never used before. We quickly agreed on a topic I’m very familiar with from my editing and writing, “Spark up Your Stories – Adding Tension, Suspense, & Intrigue.” That part was a breeze, as I drew material from my book,  Writing a Killer Thriller and my editing of thrillers, but the technological side of it all has been a real learning curve, starting with figuring out what equipment to purchase (a webcam – my PC doesn’t have one – and a headset with a microphone).

But now that I’ve got the techie stuff (almost) down and the Cyber Symposium for Editors & Writers is advertised, I will again get to benefit from the promotion efforts of everyone else involved with the virtual conference. So my own webinar could easily attract many participants from well outside my normal social media circles.

The take-away for me from both of my recent group events is to be open to people who contact me, even if I’ve never heard of them before, and don’t shy away from stepping outside your comfort zone!

4. Use the spin-off from book contests.

Finally, last week I found out that my book Fire up Your Fiction (Style That Sizzles) is a finalist in the ForeWord Reviews Book of the Year Awards, with the final winners to be announced June 27 at the annual American Library Association Conference. So ForeWord Reviews is now doing publicity for this book, and in addition, I’ve signed up to have this book displayed in their booth at the ALA conference in Las Vegas. This means more promotion of my book by others – and in this case by a well-respected, prestigious organization!

Other book awards Fire up Your Fiction has received (Silver medal in the FAPA President's Book Awards, Honorable Mention from Writer's Digest) have also increased its exposure and sales. And it looks like I'm a finalist in another book contest: IndieReader.com just posted a great review of Fire up Your Fiction on the first page of their website!

So indie authors, once you’ve written the best book you can and it's edited, revised and polished, with a professional-looking cover, be sure to develop a good social network and a positive, friendly  presence on social media – you never know what opportunities might come your way out of the blue! And be open to them! Chance favors the prepared mind!

 And if you think it's ready, it wouldn't hurt to enter it in a book contest or two.

Do you have any other great group promo ideas to tell us about? Anything that's worked for you or others? Share it in the comments below!

Jodie Renner has published two books to date in her series, An Editor’s Guide to Writing Compelling Fiction: Writing a Killer Thriller and Fire up Your Fiction (Style That Sizzles & Pacing for Power), which has been awarded two book honors and is a finalist for two more. Look for the third book in the series, Captivate Your Readers, out in mid to late 2014. For more info, please visit Jodie’s author website or editor website, her other blogs, The Kill Zone and Resources for Writers, or find her on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+. And sign up for her newsletter.

Concrete Tips for Decluttering Your Prose

by Jodie Renner, editor, author, speaker

Lately, I’ve been spending a lot of time decluttering my desk, files, closets, cupboards and drawers in preparation for my upcoming move across the country. It’s been tedious and painful, but now that a lot of it is done, the place looks so much better. And it’s such a relief to be rid of a lot of stuff I wasn’t using anyway, and had forgotten I even had! I feel lighter, less encumbered.

Once you’ve written the first draft of your novel or short story, it’s time to go back and look for places where you may have cluttered up your sentences with little unnecessary words, or your paragraphs with redundant sentences. Excess words in your sentences are like rocks on the road, preventing smooth, unfettered travel. But don’t worry about style or fine-tuning while you’re writing your first draft – just get your ideas down as quickly as you can. Once the whole story is roughed in, you can go back and start ferreting out words that don’t add to the meaning or imagery and are just hampering the fluid flow of ideas.

Also, look for anywhere you may be overwriting or beating a point to death. Say it once – effectively – and then move on. Twice, max. Otherwise you risk annoying your readers, who will say, “Yeah, I got it the first three times!”

In my editor's guide to writing compelling stories, Fire up Your Fiction, I offer lots of concrete tips with examples for streamlining your writing for a smoother flow and pacing.

Here are some examples from my editing of taking out unnecessary words that just clutter things up. As always, I’ve changed the names and details to provide anonymity for the writers.

 ~ Avoid little-word pile-ups and eliminate redundancies.

Take out the clutter to reveal the essence. Instead of “in spite of the fact that,” just say “although.” Instead of “in the vicinity of,” say “near.” Instead of “in the direction of,” say “to” or “toward.” Instead of “came in contact with” say “met.” Instead of “during the time that,” say “while.” No need to say “located at” – just say “at.”  

Before:
On their cross-country trip, they slept each night in the cheap motels located less than a mile’s drive from the interstate.  

After:
 On their cross-country trip, they slept each night in cheap motels just off the interstate.  

Before:
The car drove slowly through the large complex heading in the direction of a secluded building at the back of the facility. It was located on the shore of the Mississippi River. The vehicle came to a stop next to the entrance to the building.  

After:
 The car drove slowly through the large complex toward a secluded building on the shore of the Mississippi River. It stopped next to the entrance.  

Before:
He was shooting off his mouth in the bar last night telling everybody that he was going to find the bastard that ratted on him.  

After:
 He was shooting off his mouth in the bar last night about finding the bastard that ratted on him.

Before:
 He moved his mouse pointer over to the other email that he had received.  

After:
 He clicked on the second email.  

~ Don’t drown your readers in details.

Leave out those picky little details that just serve to distract the reader, who wonders for an instant why they’re there and if they’re significant:  

Before:
He had arrived at the vending machine and was punching the buttons on its front with an outstretched index finger when a voice from behind him broke him away from his thoughts.

After:
He was punching the buttons on the vending machine when a voice behind him broke into his thoughts.

In the first example, we have way too much minute detail. What else would he be punching the buttons with besides his finger? And we don’t need to know which finger or that it’s outstretched. Everybody does it pretty much the same. Avoid having minute details like this that just clutter up your prose.  

Before:
An angular snarl stuck to his face, the officer indicated with a hand gesture a door that was behind and off to the right of Jason. He swung his head around to look in the direction the officer was pointing.  

After:
Snarling, the officer gestured to a door behind Jason. He turned to look behind him.

~ Take out empty, filler words like “It was,” “there was,” and “there were.”

Before:
I headed down a rickety set of wooden steps to the basement. There was a dim light ahead in the hallway. To the right there were cardboard boxes stacked high. To the left, there was a closed door with a padlock. Suddenly, I heard muffled sounds. There was someone upstairs. 

After:
I headed down a rickety set of wooden steps to the dimly lit basement. To the right cardboard boxes were stacked high. To the left, I saw a closed door with a padlock. Suddenly, I heard muffled sounds. Someone was upstairs. 

I could play around with this some more, but you get the picture. 

~ Take out the word “that” wherever it’s not needed.

Read the sentence out loud, and if it still makes sense without the “that,” remove it. Smooths out the sentence, so it’s less clunky and flows better. 

Before:
She said that you thought that it was too expensive and that you wanted to shop around. 

After:
She said you thought it was too expensive and you wanted to shop around.

~ Delete words or phrases that unnecessarily reinforce what’s already been said.

Before:
We passed an abandoned house that nobody lived in on a deserted street with no one around. The house was gray in color.

After:
We passed an abandoned gray house on a deserted street.

~ Don’t tell after you’ve shown.

She moped around the house, unable to concentrate on anything. She felt sad.

He paced nervously around the room, muttering to himself. He was agitated.

In both instances, the second sentence can and should be deleted. 

~ Condense any long-winded dialogue.

In everyday situations in real life, people don’t speak in lengthy, complete sentences and in uninterrupted monologues. Read your dialogue out loud to make sure it sounds natural, not like a rehearsed speech.

Break up any blocks of one person speaking at length by rewriting it in questions and answers or a lively debate, with plenty of tension and attitude.

Use lots of incomplete sentences and one- or two-word answers, or even silences.

How would those characters actually speak in real life? In general, men, especially blue-collar men, tend to be terser and more to-the-point than women.

 

Jodie Renner is a freelance fiction editor and the award-winning author of three craft-of-writing guides in her series An Editor’s Guide to Writing Compelling Fiction: Captivate Your Readers, Fire up Your Fiction, and Writing a Killer Thriller, as well as two clickable time-saving e-resources, Quick Clicks: Spelling List and Quick Clicks: Word Usage. She has also organized two anthologies for charity, incl. Childhood Regained – Stories of Hope for Asian Child Workers. You can find Jodie at www.JodieRenner.com, www.JodieRennerEditing.com, her blog, http://jodierennerediting.blogspot.com/, and on Facebook and Twitter.

New Year, New Ventures!

by Jodie Renner, editor & author   
 

Happy New Year, everyone! And if you're thinking of attending a few writers' conferences or book festivals this year, here's a link to my updated list of writers' conferences and book festivals in 2014.

2014 turns out to be the year for some major changes for me.

The big move
Some of you know I’m moving across Canada in three or four months – a huge undertaking! On top of that, I’m downsizing from a cluttered 3-bedroom home with a full basement to a 2-bedroom apartment, which is turning out to be a daunting task for a hoarder like me! (No, I’m not nearly as bad as those people on TV!)

So the sorting, decluttering, giving away or selling furniture and other stuff, putting the house up for sale, apartment hunting, and packing and unpacking will be really time-consuming in the next months.

I'm excited about the move though, as I'm moving back to beautiful British Columbia, where I lived for the first 32 years of my life, and will be close to my two brothers and two sisters, as well as lots of other relatives and old friends. And I'm moving to a small city in the beautiful Okanagan Valley, nestled in low mountains, with a string of large lakes, plus fruit orchards and vineyards everywhere.

A new book out soon.
I’ve also got my third book in the series, An Editor’s Guide to Writing Compelling Fiction, about three-quarters written so would really like to get that published in the next 2-3 months as well. I’m excited about

the upcoming book, titled Immerse the Readers in Your Story World. Check back on my Amazon Author Page in a few months to see if it’s up yet.

Presenting at various conferences.
And I’ll be presenting at five writers’ conferences so far in 2014, starting with giving two workshops at the SDSU Writers’ Conference in San Diego in January, then the Tallahassee Writers' Conference in May, so a lot of preparation and flying around for those. For more on my workshop topics and dates, click HERE.

Editing & blogging.
All of those commitments and my ongoing editing, writing, and regular and guest blogging have forced me to evaluate my time and prioritize.

A fond farewell to CFC
So it’s with regret that I’ve decided that it’s time to pass on my every-second-Monday slot to another eager blogger. I feel privileged to have been one of the six founding members of this great blog, along with my good friends, LJ Sellers, Peg Brantley, Andrew Kaufman, Marlyn Beebe, and Judith Yates Borger.

Left Coast Crime, Santa Fe, NM, March 2011

We cooked up this idea at Left Coast Crime's conference in Santa Fe, NM, in March 2011, over meals and drinks, and our first blog post appeared here on Crime Fiction Collective on April 9, 2011, almost three years ago.

Since then, we've expanded to add some great new members and have gotten together in person a few times, like in March 2013 at Left Coast Crime in Colorado Springs, where we had our own CFC panel, and a whole lot of fun over lunches and dinners together!

I've really enjoyed being a part of CFC and have made some great friends here, but now it’s time to reluctantly move on to other ventures.

But I'll still be around!
That doesn't mean I’m dropping out of sight, though. You’ll still see me on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, and my own blog, Resources for Writers, as well as on The Kill Zone and guest-blogging on various blogs, including back here on good old CFC!

Wishing you all the very best in 2014! See you around! Keep on reading and writing!

~ Jodie 

Jodie has published two books to date in her series, An Editor’s Guide to Writing Compelling Fiction: Writing a Killer Thriller and Fire up Your Fiction (Style That Sizzles & Pacing for Power), which has won two book awards so far. Look for the next book in the series, out soon. For more info, please visit Jodie’s author website or editor website, her other blogs, Resources for Writers and The Kill Zone, or find her on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+. And sign up for her newsletter.

10 Tips for Attracting a Top-Notch Freelance Editor for Your Novel

a section of Jodie's reference library

by Jodie Renner, independent fiction editor and craft-of-writing author

With so many authors self-publishing these days, the best independent editors are in high demand, so if you’re looking for a knowledgeable, experienced professional editor to help you make your fiction manuscript the best it can be – and improve your overall writing skills in the process – be sure to take some care with how you seek out and approach them.

Due to the high volume of requests, sought-after freelance editors turn down many more writer clients than they can accept, so it’s important to make a good first impression. 

First, make sure your manuscript isn't still in rough draft. Try to find time to hone your craft (see my to-the-point editor's guides to writing compelling fiction), then go over the manuscript a few times to spark up the characters, raise the stakes, add conflict, tension, and intrigue, pick up the pace, and tighten the writing.

Next, do your research and look for editors with good credentials and reviews, who edit mainly fiction and read and edit your specific genre. Google “freelance editors, mysteries” or whatever, or go through an editors' association like EFA or EAC.

Then read through the editors' websites to find out about their services, process and requirements. What kinds of problems/issues do they look for? If it’s only grammar and spelling, you can get an English teacher friend to do the same, for a lot less money or even free. To make the most of working with a professional, choose someone who first looks for other, more important possible issues, such as a shaky premise, a boring plot, cardboard characters, confusing viewpoints, stilted dialogue, insufficient tension, inconsistencies, slow pacing, plot holes, info dumps, showing instead of telling, and convoluted or too-formal phrasing.

You need an editor who can ferret out big-picture issues and help you with all the various techniques that, when ignored or botched, can sink a novel, and when flagged and addressed, can turn a mediocre or good novel into a real page-turner that sells and garners great reviews. 

Once you’ve determined that the editor is up on current fiction techniques and industry expectations, be sure to read and follow their submission instructions. On my website, for example, I specifically request the following from potential clients: the genre, total word count, first 15-20 pages, 10 pages from somewhere in the middle, a brief synopsis (a few paragraphs to half a page), and a brief description of each of the main characters. 

Without this information, I have no idea whether we’d be a good fit and I’d be the best editor for you. I can’t assess the level of work required to bring your manuscript up to industry standards or whether your story would fire my passions so I can give it the zeal and commitment it deserves. Nor can I provide you with an estimate of my fees without doing a sample edit or reading several pages to see what's involved. The quality of writing and the storytelling skills vary hugely from one manuscript to another, so of course the amount of work (time and effort) – therefore, cost of editing – will also vary hugely. 

Here are 10 tips for attracting a top-notch, in-demand editor for your fiction and getting the best possible edit or critique for your manuscript: 

1. Search for experienced, proficient editors who mainly edit fiction and who also read and edit your genre. Most nonfiction editors are unaware of critical techniques such as point of view and showing instead of telling. And an editor who reads only romances and cozy mysteries isn’t in the best position and mindset to help you add tension, conflict, suspense and intrigue to your thriller, for example.

2. Check their testimonials/reviews and contact some of the authors mentioned to discuss the process with that editor.

3. Peruse the editor’s website to find out about their editing process and the services they offer before contacting them. Do your homework, rather than just contacting the editor and expecting them to explain all about their process and services to you, a potential client whose work they haven’t seen and may not want or be able to take on.

4. Follow their submission requirements and provide as much information as possible about your book. If you just contact them and say “How much do you charge to edit a book?” there’s a good chance you may receive no response or a quick rejection.

5. Indicate why you’ve contacted them in particular – perhaps you noticed they edit your genre, you’ve heard good things about them, an author you know recommended them, or you’re impressed by their credentials and testimonials. Show that you’ve done your research and have concluded that they are your best choice/fit. 

6. Be open-minded about the possible state of your manuscript. Even if you're an accomplished nonfiction writer, if you're relatively new at writing fiction, you may be unaware of issues in your writing style or fiction techniques that appear amateurish or get in the way of reader enjoyment. Your story may still need some or a lot of big-picture advice, even developmental editing, as well as content and stylistic editing, then rewriting/revising before it’s ready for the final copyediting stage.

An experienced editor will be able to tell quite quickly what level your story is at in terms of the editing process and where they should begin. So if you want a final product that can compete in today’s marketplace, it’s important not to be adamant that it “only needs a light final copyedit or proofread.” 

7. Tight deadlines do not produce the best results. Proficient editors are often booked weeks or months in advance, and some juggle more than one manuscript at a time, so start contacting editors well before your manuscript is ready, and leave ample time for the process once it’s begun. If you tell the editor you’re under a tight deadline and need the whole 90K edited and ready to publish within a month, don’t be surprised if they turn it down, especially if it needs a lot of work, including checking over all your subsequent revisions!

8. Don’t forget your social skills. A “Hi, hope you had a good weekend” or “You come highly recommended” can go a long way. And if you do start working with an editor, for a positive, mutually beneficial working relationship, be sure to continue to add those little friendly or appreciative notes. [Editors should also follow this advice, of course!]

9. The writer-editor relationship requires commitment on both sides. Be sure to express your willingness to apply yourself and do any recommended revisions and even consider deleting or rewriting weak scenes. If you tell the editor you don’t have time to revise those scenes to make them stronger and more compelling, it speaks volumes about your work ethic and motivation and the ultimate success of your project, and can be discouraging to the editor, who may feel that she cares more about your story than you do.

10. Get a sample edit or hire the editor to work with you on a chapter or two first. Maybe go on a 20- or 50-page "date" with a prospective editor. That way you can see how that editor handles your work, and he/she can see how you respond to their suggestions and edits.

Good luck with this very important step in your self-publishing process!

Writers – do you have any questions or suggestions?

Editors – do you have any tips to add for writers who are seeking out an editor?  



Jodie has published two books to date in her series, An Editor’s Guide to Writing Compelling Fiction: Writing a Killer Thriller and Fire up Your Fiction (Style That Sizzles & Pacing for Power), which has won two book awards so far. Look for he third book in the series, out soon. For more info, please visit Jodie’s author website or editor website, her other blogs, Resources for Writers and The Kill Zone, or find her on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+. And sign up for her newsletter.

 
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Thanks, Amazon, for Promoting My Books for Free!

Jodie's backyard today.

by Jodie Renner, editor & author

Follow Jodie on Twitter.

I can’t afford a publicist, and I'm too busy to do a lot of marketing and promoting of my two books, so I’m really glad I self-published on Amazon, as they’re doing a great job of promoting my books for free.

Amazon, today's leader in book publishing and sales, has a few policies that can be annoying for authors. For example, their policy of highlighting negative reviews drives me up the wall. But overall, my book sales have benefitted far more from some of the other features Amazon provides for their authors & publishers. When it comes to marketing and promoting - and selling - books, they definitely know what they’re doing (far more than I do), so I feel like I have a savvy publicist looking out for me and helping me sell my books.

First, for you newbie authors considering self-publishing your first book, here’s a quick run-down:

- It’s free and easy to publish your e-book on Amazon – and fast (12 hours). But get it edited or at least proofread first, and if you don’t know much about formatting, get it formatted, too. And hire a professional to design your cover.

- If you price your e-book between $2.99 and $9.99, you get 70% royalties on every sale. If you price it above $9.99 or below $2.99, you get 35%. You can change the price any time you like, to offer discounts to boost sales.

For more detailed info on publishing your book on Amazon, see my article, “Pros, Cons, & Steps for Publishing Your Book on Amazon.”

Why I stay with Kindle Direct Publishing:

Earlier on, as an experiment, I made one of my books available on Smashwords and elsewhere, which meant I couldn’t enroll that book in KDP Select, so I lost the benefits of that. Unfortunately, I made very few sales through Smashwords, so it wasn't worth it. If your books are selling well through these other channels, then go for it. Since mine wasn’t, I went back to exclusivity with Amazon and Kindle (KDP Select), and am glad I did.

Here are some of the benefits of KDP Select:

- Lending program. Readers can “borrow” my books from the Kindle Owners Lending Library (KOLL), and I get around $2 for each borrow (fluctuates).

- Free Promos: I can offer the book for free, for up to 5 days for every 90 days.

- Kindle Countdown Deals. I can take advantage of the excellent Kindle Countdown Deals, where the e-book goes on sale for varying prices (chosen by me) for a specific period of time, decided by me, and Kindle shows readers the normal price and how many hours are left at each sale price. I decided to start my Style That Sizzles & Pacing for Power, with a regular price of $3.99, at .99 for 2 days, then $1.99 for 2 days, then $2.99 for 2 days, then back to the normal price. My sales rose significantly as a result of this countdown deal, as did my ranking on Amazon, for that period and a few days after it. And we get to maintain the 70% royalty during this promotion, even when the price goes below $2.99, which is great! And we can monitor sales in real time, to see how the book is selling at each price point.

And readers can check out the Kindle Countdown Deals website regularly, to see a categorized list of books that are discounted.

- Amazon’s Kindle Matchbook Program. If you purchase the print version, or have bought it at any time in the past, you can buy the e-book for a reduced price or even free.

- Amazon’s free promotions. Amazon promotes my book with various features, appearing under other similar books, such as “Customers who bought this item also bought,” “More items to consider,” and “Customers with Similar Searches Purchased” features, and also by their email promos of books, tailored to the kinds of books each customer has ordered in the past. Your book may also appear in Shopping Cart Recommendations, “Frequently Bought Together,” and many other places on the Amazon website.

- Audiobooks through ACX. Amazon has introduced some discounts for readers who purchase both the book and the audiobook. For more on this, see some recent posts here on CFC: "A Movie in My Head: The Fast-Growing World of Audiobooks" by Basil Sands, "Audiobooks Are Here to Stay (At Least for A While)," By Teresa Burrell, and "Listening vs. Reading" by Jenny Hilborne.

Kindle’s “WhisperSync for Voice and Immersion Reading” feature:

You can use ACX to produce a digital audiobook version of your book, and to enable your book for the new Whispersync for Voice functionality, which allows customers to switch seamlessly between reading the Kindle book and listening to the professionally-narrated audiobook across devices without losing their place. And customers with Kindle Fire HD devices can listen to the professional narration as the words of the e-book are highlighted on the screen. Both excellent features!

Also, when customers buy your Kindle book, they can purchase your audiobook at a discounted price.

And you can earn royalties of up to 90% on your audiobook when it’s created and distributed using ACX.

Overall, I'm so glad Amazon-Kindle is doing most of the heavy lifting for me, when it comes to marketing and promoting my books!

Writers and readers: Have I missed some features or programs provided by Amazon or Kindle?

Authors: Have you found it more advantageous to publish across several platforms, not just Amazon-Kindle? Or, how has Amazon helped your book sales? How about other initiatives that have boosted your sales? Share your success stories with us!

Related articles:

Basic Formatting of Your Manuscript

Pros, Cons, & Steps for Publishing Your Book on Amazon 




Jodie has published two books to date in her series, An Editor’s Guide to Writing Compelling Fiction: Writing a Killer Thriller and Fire up Your Fiction (Style That Sizzles & Pacing for Power), which has won two book awards so far. Look for the third book in the series, out soon. For more info, please visit Jodie’s author website or editor website, her other blogs, Resources for Writers and The Kill Zone, or find her on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+. And sign up for her newsletter.  
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12 Tips for Writing Blog Posts That Get Noticed

by Jodie Renner, editor, author, blogger   

I don’t know about you, but I can’t possibly get to all the blogs I’d like to in any given day. We’re all busy people, so we want to know within seconds whether a blog post will offer anything of value to our busy lives. And we might even get annoyed at time-wasters that meander or don’t deliver on their promises.

Blogging is a great way to build a community feeling, connect with readers and writers, and get your books noticed. But a rambling, unclear, too formal, or overly long blog post can be irritating or boring – a turnoff. And can jeopardize your reputation or blog.

Here are some tips for engaging readers with your blog posts so they’ll share them with friends and on social media.

1. Offer value.

When you’re deciding what to write on, focus on what will benefit your readers, and make them come back the next time. Maybe it’s useful info that will help them in some way, or just some entertaining or humorous or uplifting writing for them to enjoy, for a break in their busy or stressful day. If it's a personal anecdote, show readers why your story or content could be relevant to their lives, how they can benefit from your experience.

2. Be clear about your topic right from the start. 

The subject of your post should be evident by the title and the first few sentences. Readers are so busy these days, with long to-do lists and many other blogs competing for their scarce reading/browsing time, that if they have no idea what your post is about, they’ll probably just move on to the next one.

If you can’t describe your topic in one or two sentences, then it won’t be clear to readers, either. Work on that brief description of the post, then take out any digressions that don’t fit under the topic and would be best under another topic or as their own blog post.

3. Hook them in with a great headline.

Give readers a really good reason to stop and read your blog post. What’s in it for them? How will your article enrich their lives in some way? Your headline should clearly tell readers what your post is about, in an inviting way that makes them sit up and take notice.

4. Then follow it up with an enticing intro.

Again, how can readers gain from your article? Make sure it’s obvious right away what exactly you’re going to talk about and why/how it will benefit them.

5. Stick to one main topic per post.

Make sure your post is focused on the initial promise you made in your title and first sentences. Don’t meander and talk about whatever else pops into your mind. That can be irritating to readers, who stopped to read your post because your topic interested them. If you’ve written a long, rambling blog post that covers several topics, even if they’re related, divide it up into several different posts. Then next time you need to submit a post, most of your work is already done!

6. Use a casual, chatty tone. 

Blog posts are not the place for formal writing or lectures. Imagine you’re in a coffeehouse discussing a topic with friends. Keep your “voice” casual, open, and friendly.

7. Keep it brief – don’t go on and on.

Readers and writers are busy these days, so be respectful of their time. For most subjects, it’s best not to go over 1000 words – 1,200 max. An optimal guideline for word count is about 200 to 900 words. If your post is long, like this one, I recommend subheadings to help the readers glean the info quickly.

8. Make your post reader-friendly.

As I said, readers are busy, with hundreds of great blogs competing for their time, so make the info readily apparent and easily accessible. Edit out all the extra wordiness, and if you’re offering several subtopics under your main topic, use bolded subheadings so they can quickly scan your article to see if it would be useful to them. Bullet points are good, too.

9.  Include your readers and invite their opinions.

Use “you” or “we” wherever you can throughout your post to include your readers and make it relevant to them. End your article with a question or two that invites comments and participation by readers. I find I’ve learned a great deal from comments left by readers, which enrich my knowledge of the subject and future articles on that topic. Maybe even start your blog post with a question that will draw your readers in and invite their active participation. Keep your readers involved!

10. Start your blog post a day or two ahead, so you have time to tweak. 

That gives you time to go back and reread and edit and smooth out your writing, use more interesting word choices and examples, etc. Maybe you’ll come up with some great ideas while you’re in the shower, driving somewhere, out for a walk, or just falling asleep or waking up.

11. Edit before posting.

Go through your article several times, at different sittings, looking for repetitions, rambling, off-topic sentences, typos, etc. Read it out loud to catch those little missing words and awkward phrasing. If you pause, put in a comma there, or maybe a period, dash, or semicolon. Then, if it’s on your own blog, after you’ve uploaded it, “view” it and make any final changes. I always find some areas for improvement after I see it as it will appear on the blog. If it’s a guest post, use Windows Live Writer to see how it will look on the blog.

12. Finally, pay attention to formatting. 

If you have trouble with the formatting of your posts, with too much or too little space between paragraphs, you can fix that in two ways:

(1) While you’re still in Microsoft Word, do a Control All (Ctrl+A) to highlight the whole article, then click on the “Clear formatting” in the tool bar (Home tab, little whiteboard & eraser that looks like chalk).

(2) If you’ve already uploaded your post to the blog, fix the formatting by clearing it in the blog. In Blogger, Do the Ctrl+A thing or just highlight the whole post manually, then click on the Tx at the top right (“Remove formatting”). Then correct the spacing between paragraphs, and redo your bolding, italics, etc. Maybe make your subheads a larger font or a different color so they stand out.

And adding an image or two adds to the overall positive experience for readers.

Of course, for guest posting, read and follow all their guidelines!

Bloggers – do you have any tips to add? Other comments?

Blog readers – any pet peeves or suggestions?
 

Jodie has published two books to date in her series, An Editor’s Guide to Writing Compelling Fiction: Writing a Killer Thriller and Fire up Your Fiction (Style That Sizzles & Pacing for Power), which has won two book awards so far. Look for the third book in the series,out soon. For more info, please visit Jodie’s author website or editor website, her other blogs, Resources for Writers and The Kill Zone, or find her on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+. And sign up for her newsletter.

 
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Write fearlessly, then be humble

 by A.M. Khalifa, thriller author

[Note from Jodie Renner: I'm away on holiday so my client and friend A.M. Khalifa is entertaining you today with a great blog post and is also giving away two print copies and two e-copies of his new thriller, Terminal Rage. To enter for the giveaway, leave a comment at the end. Good luck!]

The story idea for my debut novel, Terminal Rage, came to me in the shower four years ago. I was living in Manhattan at the time working on a film project and still unsure of my writing ambitions. But the idea came to me fully-formed, with all the major plot lines, twists and turns, and main characters clearly defined, so I knew immediately this was the story I needed to tell. And I felt I was the most suitable person to chaperone it from a humble idea to a novel. 

Terminal Rage is an international political thriller about two seemingly different men, a former FBI agent and a hostage-taker, on course for a head-on collision. But as the intricate story unfolds, the differences between them become blurred, challenging many of the readers’ perceptions. Nothing is what it seems.

My friend, the talented science-fiction writer, J.L Forrest says, “Be fearless with your writing, then be humble.” Even before I wrote the first outline, my biggest concern was my lack of technical knowledge of the FBI, which features heavily in my story. It’s the lead investigating agency in the narrative, and most of my characters are connected to the Bureau. 

How does one write a convincing thriller about the FBI with only superficial knowledge of that entire universe? Like most people, what I know of the FBI is gleaned from what I read and what I see on screen. And since much of that is highly fictionalized to start, I didn’t want to write a book based on watered-down pop culture. 

My first instinct was to read as much as I could. I devoured whatever I laid my hands on. I started with all the publicly-available information the FBI puts out. They have a decent website with ample information. Then I moved to reference books, biographies, and some of the bigger case files. Gary Noesner’s Stalling for Time: My Life as an FBI Hostage Negotiator, helped me a great deal to formulate my main FBI character. I highly recommend it for anyone writing about critical incidents and the men and women who try to defuse them.  

Armed with what I thought was enough knowledge to weave with convincing authority a story featuring the FBI, I wrote “fearlessly.” It wasn’t until I completed the first draft that I realized once again I needed to go back to being “humble.” A million questions were still swimming in my mind about FBI procedures, career paths, jargon, subcultures, power struggles, and gender roles. To name but a few. I was hungry for the sort of nuanced details I appreciate as a reader. I felt I owed it whoever would read the book to construct an authentic world populated with believable characters. In my mind, I always imagined an FBI agent picking up a copy of Terminal Rage at an airport ahead of a long flight. And how disappointing it would be if they were turned off by any inaccuracies or flagrant stereotypes in my writing.

Fortunately, I happen to work in the film industry. One of my contacts was Ernest J. Porter, who for many years had served as the former Chief of the Investigative Publicity and Public Affairs Unit of the FBI. I approached Ernie asking for his help, and he graciously accepted. Looking back, I know now that along with hiring an outstanding editor, Jodie Renner, working with Ernie as an FBI technical expert was one of the best publishing decisions I made.  

Like any other organization, let alone one that depends on secrecy to conduct its work, it’s almost impossible to gain critical insight of the FBI without getting into the mind of a person like Ernie who had dedicated his life working there. 

To start, Ernie did a first pass and we discovered that quite a few of the technical details I thought I had nailed were in fact still not exactly accurate. When that was fixed, Ernie provided a number of other suggestions I hadn’t even thought were required. For instance, we did a comprehensive name check with the FBI to ascertain that none of my characters’ names matched existing or former agents. Or indeed real criminals. 

And that was just the start. Through Ernie, I was able to dig deeper into the psyche of FBI agents and hostage rescue operators to better understand the characters I was creating and sending in harm’s way. What amazed me was how the tiniest or seemingly trivial facts or anecdotes can give your character more depth, more humanity, and even broaden your plot options as a writer. The more you know about your characters, the more compelling action and honest emotions you will be able to extract from them. Now that my book is published, I see how this is paying off. Many of my readers write to tell me how much they appreciate the little nuggets of insider information about the FBI and the people who work there.

I was fortunate to have direct contact with an FBI veteran. But does that mean I think all writers must go the extra mile and work with a technical expert on subject matters they know little about? The practical answer is, “it depends.”

There’s never been a better time to be a writer. The research tools and free information sources available to us would have been unfathomable only a few decades ago. With Google and Wikipedia, anyone can write somewhat intelligently about pretty much anything. I don’t believe the extra effort I exerted to better research the FBI will ultimately help me sell more books as far most readers are concerned.

But what it came down to for me was a question of pride of craft. As a reader, nothing ticks me off more than when I am able to see through an author’s infallibility by way of bad writing or ill-researched subjects that I happen to know a thing or two about. More importantly, I’m one of those old-fashioned authors who still believe that even the most exciting, the most thrilling, and the most adrenaline-laced stories should also serve to teach you something. To expose readers to new concepts, ways of life, or types of people they wouldn’t otherwise come across. It’s what makes reading such a magical experience.

Authors: Tell us about your experiences researching and writing about settings and subjects you were unfamiliar with. 

Readers: How do you feel when authors don’t get the details right?

BOOK GIVEAWAY: A.M. Khalifa is giving away two paperback and two eBook copies of his debut novel, Terminal Rage to readers of Crime Fiction Collective who leave comments here, to be chosen at random.

Website: amkhalifa.com

Blog: aktwo.com

Facebook: facebook.com/amkwriter

Twitter: twitter.com/amkwriter

A.M. Khalifa, author of international political thrillers, writes exhilarating stories pulsating with life and unforgettable characters. Khalifa speaks three languages, and has lived, worked or studied in fifteen countries across five continents. Many of the larger-than-life characters and plots he writes about are inspired by people he's actually met or events he's been privy to.  He currently divides his time among the cities of Los Angeles, Rome, and Sydney. Terminal Rage is Khalifa's debut novel.

Don't Insult Your Readers by Overexplaining

by Jodie Renner, editor, author, speaker
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If you want to write compelling fiction that sells (and who doesn’t?), when you’re revising, keep an eye (and ear) out for any repetitive sentences and passages and delete them. Resist the urge to explain a point to your readers or say the same thing several different ways, just to be sure they got it.

And if you “show” a character’s feelings (as is most powerful and immediate), no need to follow that up by “telling” readers how they felt, too. That’s overkill and comes across as patronizing. Today’s readers are sophisticated and savvy, so make your point, then move on.

Sure, go ahead and write more leisurely the first time through, exploring different ways to express various ideas or to show character reactions or motivations. But then later, save the doc in a new file and get out your red pen or hover your finger over your “Delete” key and start taking out all those “supporting phrases” that pile up and actually dilute the power of a single phrase or image that stands alone.

Repetition is redundant.

Whether you’re trying to set a mood with imagery, deepen characterization, or advance the plot with action or dialogue, it’s best to just say/show/describe it once—twice maximum—not three or four times.

You may think you’re emphasizing something by repeating it, but even if you say it in different words, the overall impact is diminished. A lot of my editing consists of flagging repetitions of ideas, words, or imagery. And I’m guilty of it myself in my own writing – even editors need editors!

Here’s an example, well-disguised from my editing, of saying basically the same thing three or four or five times within a paragraph.

Before:

Enraged by the CEO’s false accusations, Cheryl struggled to regain control of her emotions. She didn’t often lose her temper but when it happened, she found it difficult to calm down. She had never been so angry at any time in her professional career. Mr. Johnson had pushed her too far when he suggested that she could possibly be involved in stealing those confidential documents. Just thinking about what he said made her blood boil.

After:

Enraged by the CEO’s false accusations, Cheryl struggled to regain control of her emotions. How dare he suggest that she could be involved in stealing those confidential documents? Just thinking about it made her blood boil.

Paring the ideas in the “Before” paragraph down to the essentials increases the power of the message. Repeating it several times actually detracts from the message and dilutes it.

Often less is more, in the sense of having more impact.

RUE: Resist the Urge to Explain

“Resist the Urge to Explain” was coined by Renni Browne and Dave King in their book, Self-Editing for Fiction Writers. Basically, it’s about honing your fiction-writing skills so your dialogue, actions, and evocation of characters’ inner feelings and reactions come to life on the page. Resist the urge to add some clarifications afterward to explain what you meant.

Show, don’t tell:

Show us how the character is feeling or reacting. Then resist the urge to explain (tell) it afterward, just to be sure the reader got it:

Example:

“We will find out who you are. We have eyes and ears everywhere. You are not safe from us.” The click of the line disconnecting underlined the obvious menace of the cold tone and intimidating words of the caller.

What follows the quoted words is overexplaining. Don’t explain to the readers something they already know from reading it themselves. They’ll feel that you’re talking down to them.

This tendency to overexplain can show up in minor ways, like the examples below, where the last sentence in each is superfluous and should be taken out.
 

“You idiot!” she yelled, throwing the picture across the room. She was furious.
 

“You crack me up,” she said, laughing hysterically. Joel could be so funny.
 

She threw herself down on the bed and sobbed into the pillow. She felt miserable.
 

In each instance, the second sentence is not only unnecessary, it detracts from the message of the first. Also, the first sentence shows and the second sentence tells. When you explain emotions and reactions to the reader, it’s as if you’re covering your tracks, in case your initial description or dialogue didn’t show it well enough.
 

So resist the urge to describe (tell) how your character feels. Instead, dramatize (show) it for the reader with precise words and strong imagery.

Same thing with phrases like, “He banged loudly on the door,” or “She whispered softly,” or almost any other “he/she (verb) (-ly adverb). What they say plus their actions or inner reactions should make it clear how they’re feeling, so no need to add the -ly adverb.
 

Subtle is more sophisticated

Rather than stating the obvious, it’s more powerful to hint at it. Often best not to spell it out, especially if it has to do with a character’s inner thoughts or suppressed feelings. Subtext leaves the readers with more satisfaction that they’re successfully reading between the lines.

Don’t patronize your reader.

Readers and writers, do you have any ideas or examples to add?

To share this craft-of-writing article, please click on the buttons in the gray box below. 

See my award-winning book Fire up Your Fiction (formerly Style That Sizzles & Pacing for Power) for lots of concrete ideas on paring down your fiction to reveal the powerful core.

Jodie has published two books to date in her series, An Editor’s Guide to Writing Compelling Fiction: Writing a Killer Thriller and Fire up Your Fiction (Style That Sizzles & Pacing for Power), which has won two book awards so far. Look for the third book in the series, out soon. For more info, please visit Jodie’s author website or editor website, her other blogs, Resources for Writers and The Kill Zone, or find her on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+. And sign up for her newsletter.