NOT SELLING? PULL YOUR BOOK OFF THE SHELF

One of the great advantages of indie publishing is being in control of your book. Recently a reader contacted me, asking my opinion about publishers. He was republishing a book done in 2011 that had not done well, blaming it on the vanity press. As someone ever interested in deterring folks away from those entities, I took a look at the book in an effort to assist.    

The cover was the best part. Beautiful. But it declined from there. 

The writing was chock full of grammar issues. The writing wasn't fluid. It was a memoir of sorts and wrought with the word "I". The blurb was minimal and likewise full of errors. The author had no website, but worse, had not taken advantage of the Author Central page on Amazon, a freebie that every author ought to have fleshed out. As much as I abhor vanity presses and their predatory nature, I saw where they had done just what was asked of them. This was all on the author.

My suggestion? Pull the book. Take it down. It hadn't sold well, so there was about used book sales keeping it active in the B&N and Amazon databases. 

I told him:

1) Pull the book
2) Cancel dealings with that press
3) Rewrite the book
4) Get feedback from a critique group
5) Get feedback from an editor
6) Redesign the cover
7) Acquire new blurbs
8) Acquire testimonials from those who did like it
9) Study indie publishing
10) Hire someone to format the print and digital book (although I adore Joel Friedlander's book templates)
11) Get his own ISBNs, especially if he intends to write more books
12) Use CreateSpace for print on Amazon
13) Use IngramSpark for print on non-Amazon sites
14) Use Amazon KDP for ebook on Amazon
15) Use Draft2Digital for ebook on non-Amazon sites

Don't worry, this author won't recognize himself here. I get a few of these every week, asking how to proceed after a vanity press deal has flopped. I'm adamant about protecting people's privacy, but I received enough questions on this topic to warrant this week's editorial. If you think this is you, don't let it bug you. Trust me, you have ample companionship in this dilemma. Your job now is to learn from your failures and spin it into success. That's why we fail in the first place: to take us a step closer to doing it well.

Joel has created coupon code FFW35 for FFW readers. When you use FFW35 at BookDesignTemplates.com shopping cart, it will give you a 35% discount on anything on the site.

NOTE FROM HOPE: I've used these templates for ARCS, review copies for Edisto Jinx and fell in love with them!

Read Your Writings – for a Fee!

By Kate Williams

As writers, we get a buzz from knowing people are reading our work. But have you ever thought of reading it out loud, to an audience? Neither did I until recently. Now it’s a regular sideline gig.

If you write on a specialist subject, why not talk about it, too? Or talk about being a writer! It’s a pretty offbeat career that would interest many. If you write comedy, give those sketches a whirl. In my case, I had a drawer full of rhymes about the flip-side of gardening and modern life, so I shaped them into 60-minute presentations for gardening and over-50s clubs.

The social aspect of the work provides an antidote to the laptop, and you can control bookings to suit your time – and bank account. It’s potentially lucrative, depending on factors such as advertising levels, travel and topic flexibility, and caliber of events you’re comfortable speaking at. I choose to keep bookings occasional and low-key, with earnings correspondingly reasonable rather than great. But if you’re confident you can keep a large, high society audience gripped for 45 minutes or more! Some hosts will pay handsomely for a polished, spellbinding talk. Whatever the venue, it’ll offer a platform for your books.

Rich market

Online searches will reveal innumerable societies, many engaging speakers for meetings. Here are some examples, but bear in mind that opportunities vary:

- Sports, especially mainstream
- Personal interests (e.g. gardening, bee-keeping, wine-making, family/local history, books)
- Age-related groups (e.g. 50s/60s; grandparents, war veterans)
- Social groups (e.g. singles, single parents, women’s)
- Charities (for fundraising events) 
- Businesses/professional groups – for training or social events.

Finding markets 

Society websites: some societies have their own websites, with handy information such as usual topics, timings, audience numbers and contact details. 

Society affiliation websites: in some cases, you have to visit the society’s regional or national affiliation website and comb its listings for your local group. Follow these links to sample affiliations, and spot their speaker/talk references: 

1.  The Royal Horticultural Society (speakers’ register page): https://www.rhs.org.uk/communities/pdf/aff-socs/speakers-and-judges-registers/total-speakers-register

2.  Scubaboard.com, USA: http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/new-england/491173-club-speakers-ct-club.html  Scroll down to second item: "Club speakers"

3. Federation of Family History Societies, USA:
http://www.ffhs.org.uk/members2/overseas/usa.php The first society on their list mentions a meeting with a speaker on their website: http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~bifhsusa/

The first one links to the speakers’ register of the UK’s leading gardeners’ organisation, to which I added my name (free) with positive results.  

If you have trouble finding a group, try a related website such as that of your local community, tourist information centre or charitable organisation, for group or event listings. Here’s an example produced by a search for "interest organizations, Boston": http://www.december.com/places/bos/activities.html

A brief deeper delve using the search term "talks" took me to upcoming events: http://www.bostonhistory.org/?s=osh&p=calendar  

Some clubs may only supply a telephone number: no matter! A human voice may kindle interest in your speech offer. 

Also look up speaker agencies. See what opportunities they offer, and browse their client profiles for inspiration.  I picked US examples .randomly: 

1.  APB Speakers International: http://www.apbspeakers.com/;

2.  The Speaker Agency, California: http://www.thespeakeragency.com/;

3.  Washington Speakers Bureau (for businesses): http://www.washingtonspeakers.com/  

4.  Great Garden Speakers: http://greatgardenspeakers.com/ 

How much to charge? 

Before setting my fee, I checked other speakers’ rates via agency websites and enquiries to local groups. The range is huge, but to me, audience response is as important as check size; besides, a happy group will refer you to others.

My audiences are courteous, attentive, and prompt to pay. 

So, what’s stopping you?

Biog: Kate Williams is a published children’s poet with about 150 poems in a range of books, pamphlets and magazines for youngsters. She also writes for teaching magazines and writing websites. Website: poems4pockets.blogspot.co.uk

 

SCHOLARSHIP TO HIPPOCAMP
http://hippocamp2016.hippocampusmagazine.com/2016/01/21/hippocamp-scholarship-available-deadline-march-15/
Deadline March 15, 2016. An anonymous donor has funded a HippoCamp 2016 conference registration, valued at $389, for someone with financial need who otherwise could not attend the conference, which is scheduled for August 12-14, 2016 in Lancaster, PA. Also, Hippocampus Magazine will donate a pre-conference workshop and one of our TBA local restaurant friends will provide a gift certificate for dinner Saturday evening, for a total prize package valued at $478. Essay theme: Lessons Learned – up to 500 words. The prize is for conference registration only, and it does not include hotel accommodations or travel.



SCHOLARSHIP TO WEST CHESTER UNIVERSITY POETRY CONFERENCE
https://www.wcupa.edu/_academics/sch_cas/poetry/poetryConference.aspx
We are proud to announce the Wil Mills Scholarship for the West Chester University Poetry Conference (June 8-11). To be eligible for this scholarship to the conference, applicants must have published at least one chapbook of 48 pages or less (no full-length collections). Metrical poetry is favored. The scholarship will include all fees, food and lodging, and a $200 travel allowance. Deadline March 15, 2016. Please submit chapbooks and label envelope Wil Mills Scholarship. 



US-JAPAN CREATIVE ARTISTS PROGRAM
http://www.jusfc.gov/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/Creative-Artist-2016-Application-Guidelines.pdf
Two deadlines: February 1 and February 15, 2016. Please read the differences. The Japan U.S. Friendship Commission offers up to five leading contemporary and traditional artists from the United States an opportunity to spend three to five months in Japan in 2017 through the U.S. - Japan Creative Artists Program.  Cultural understanding is at the heart of this program.  Artists participate as seekers, as cultural visionaries, and as living liaisons to the traditional and contemporary cultural life of Japan. A grant award in the amount of up to $24,000 depending upon duration of the residency will be provided to each artist to cover housing, living, and professional expenses.



M LITERARY RESIDENCIES
http://www.m-restaurantgroup.com/mbund/Ms_residency.html
The M Literary Residencies have been established to disseminate a broader knowledge of contemporary life and writing in India and China today and to foster deeper intellectual, cultural and artistic links across individuals and communities. Deadline May 31, 2016. The resident receives transportation, housing, food, and a $1,000 stipend, and is required to participate in two events in the community. 
 

MANUSCRIPT READER
http://thesunmagazine.org/about/announcements/2016/78
We need a Manuscript Reader at The Sun, a nonprofit, ad-free magazine in its forty-third year of publication. This part-time, freelance position is open to someone who lives in or near Chapel Hill, North Carolina, and who is able to work 15 to 20 hours per week at home or in the office. (At this time, we are considering local candidates only.)



ASSOCIATE EDITOR
http://thesunmagazine.org/about/announcements/2016/78
We need an Associate Editor at The Sun, a nonprofit, ad-free magazine in its forty-third year of publication. This full-time position is based in our editorial office in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. The Associate Editor actively solicits new writing for the magazine and works closely with authors on revising and editing their work for publication. The Associate Editor also reads and evaluates submissions and helps shape the long-term editorial direction of the magazine. 

 

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IT'S THAT TIME OF YEAR - TAX TIME!

Several of you have asked how I do my taxes for FundsforWriters and my author income. It's TurboTax . . . seriously. I use the Home & Business edition, but depending on your situation, you might use any of several versions of TurboTax. They walk you right through all the scenarios you could have, and I'm proud to recommend it.   ~Hope Clark 



















44 Key Questions about Your Story

Hi, I’m copywriter Alex Limberg and I blog on www.ridethepen.com to  boost your fiction writing skills; we dissect famous authors (works,  not bodies). I put together a short, free manual so you can check your  story yourself.

This ebook is the quickest, easiest and cheapest way to self-assess  your story:

-    No need to pay for consultation or bug people for feedback; just  answer these questions honestly
-    Do it right away with a neatly arranged checklist of 44 questions
-    Make your life as a writer a lot easier: Use the list on all your  future stories, till you grow daisies
-    Feel confident that you have a good story at hand – or that you need  a revision
-    Know exactly what you need to change to make your story intriguing  (if anything)

If you want a free copy, just click the ad.











How are you feeling about yourself and your writing as we round the corner on the first month of 2016?

In control?
All over the place?
Maybe wishing you had a clear view of what you wanted for the year and how to get there?

Join Leigh Shulman for Creative Revolution's first free webinar of the year on January 28.

She'll be talking tools to create your writing goals for the year and ways to make meeting those goals manageable. 

Space is limited! Sign up today! 











Note: 15 percent discount if you found me at FundsforWriters!
 
Looking for a freelance book editor?

Katherine Don, “The Book Don,” welcomes all genres.

Services include:
 
- Developmental editing and copyediting
- Manuscript critiques and writing coaching
- Queries and proposals
 
Visit YourBookDon.com to learn more.











Write Naked is a writing life cut open, run by full-time writer Tara Lynne Groth. The blog features PAID guest contributors in publishing, freelancing, and more.

Write Naked's subscriber base doubled in 2014, and now enjoys approximately 900 followers. More than 32,500 unique visitors explored the site in 2015. Write Naked welcomes sponsors. Get exposure for your writing event, book, publishing service, and more through sponsored content, social media mentions, and a newsletter for writers.

http://writenaked.net/advertising-for-writers/



















Houston Writers House Novels Contest by Genre 

$500 for the CRÈME DE LA CRÈME
PLUS: $100 first place in each genre

Submit no more than 15 opening pages of a manuscript 
$20 per entry - Deadline March 30, 2016

The Categories
1) Mystery/Thriller/Adventure
2) Sci-fi/Fantasy/Horror 
3) Historical or Contemporary Women's Fiction / Romance
4) Middle School and Young Adult Novels 

Request rules and/or send entries via email: rpaulding@sbcglobal.net  
or at www.houstonwritershouse.com where you also see the 2015 winners












A new software program automates scheduling and tracking tasks for book projects, particularly great for indie authors. It's called Book Planner, another Joel Friedlander product, so that alone sells me on it. ~Hope







 


 

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