Review: On Becoming a Writer

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I am very excited to tell you about Denise Hughes’s e-book, On Becoming a Writer.

Denise is a writing professor and she includes all the wisdom she gives her students in this book targeted to bloggers. This isn’t like English class, when what you remember most is your teacher’s red pen. As Denise reminds us, “The writing life involves more than simply following a list of grammar rules.”

Denise wants to inspire you to be a writer–from deciding what you want to write about and who your audience is, to finding your voice, to revising. She’s like your personal cheerleader, encouraging you to realize your potential.

Her simple definition of a writer is “someone who has something to say and wants to say it well.”

Is that you? Do you have something to say and want to say it well? Then click over for a copy of Denise’s book. Best news? Until Tuesday (3/26) a midnight, it’s free on Amazon!

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5 Steps to Take before You Ask Someone to Help Launch Your Book

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5 steps to take before you ask someone to help launch your book - from Next Step Editing

If you are releasing a book and want to put together a launch team, here are five steps you can take before you start sending out emails:

  1. Give before you receive. Do you have an idea of who you want to invite to help launch your book? Start giving to that person before you ask for something in return. Comment on her blog, share links to her posts, write a review of her book on Amazon and Goodreads. When she gets an email from you asking her to review, tweet, pin, and post for your book, she’ll remember all you’ve done for her and will be more likely to say yes.
  2. Focus on people in your tribe . . .  If you want a launch team for your book about gardening, target reviewers who garden and write about gardening. You wouldn’t ask a friend who lives in an apartment in New York City. To build your tribe, offer guest posts months before your book launches. Go ahead and set up your book’s Facebook fan page early to build anticipation. Find ways to involve the people you already know who are passionate about your subject.
  3. . . . who have different tribes of their own. Also try to find people who are reaching different audiences. Sometimes, the blogging world can feel small and intimate, like everyone you know knows everyone else. A great way to widen your audience is by following new people on Twitter and paying attention to the people they interact with, then follow those people. Start interacting with them on Twitter and their blogs, and you’ll make new friends in no time.
  4. Be generous. Offer a free copy of the book, either the e-version or print version (or both). Offer affiliate options so they get paid for the copies of your book people buy because of their recommendations. Offer copies of your book to give away on their sites. Give, give, give.
  5. Do some of the work for them. Provide tweets they can copy and paste. Create images they can pin. Give them links to your book on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and the PDF copy. Make it as easy as possible for them to spread the word.

Remember to take these five steps before you build your launch team, so you have a better chance of hearing yes when you ask for help!

(If it all feels like too much, you could  hire someone to help you organize your book launch team and coordinate the book tour. I recently participated in the tour for Kathy Howard’s book, God Is My Refuge, and it was the easiest one I’ve ever done. She had Teri Lynne Underwood organize and run it for her. You can check out the services Teri Lynne offers for marketing, branding, social media coaching, and book releases.)

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Five Goals for Writers to Start 2013 off Right

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Last January I set goals in different areas of my life. The goals I set for myself professionally were met and exceeded beyond what I could have dreamed. As we turn another page on our calendars, it’s time for more dreams and goals. Here are five goals you can set for yourself right now to get ready for what 2013 will bring!

5 goals for writers in 2013

  1. Clean your desk (or office/work space). This is what my desk looks like after the chaos of Christmas and lots of family and friends visiting. (Don’t ask why there are Easter eggs out. I have no idea.) My first goal is to get my space back and evaluate if it’s working for me. One thing I know that isn’t working is the very uncomfortable desk chair. Getting a new one is at the top of my to-do list.
  2. Order business cards. If you don’t already have some, start 2013 off feeling like a professional. Business cards are the quickest and easiest way to tell someone about yourself and what you do.
  3. Update your about page and social media profiles. Make sure the information is accurate and reflects who you are and what you do. If you need a new head shot, make it happen.
  4. Decide what conferences you want to attend and set goals to get there. You may need to save money, prepare a book proposal, or recruit extra help at home while you are away. If you can only attend one this year, you need to evaluate your options, think about your goals, and decide which one is best for you.
  5. Set writing and publishing goals. Want to increase website views? Connect with more Facebook fans? Self-publish an e-book (or two)? Network with new writers in your niche? It doesn’t happen by accident. Being a writer takes work. And even though it’s easier than ever to see your dream of a book come true, it’s also up to you to do more of the work if you go the self-publishing route. (If you are interested in self-publishing, Erin and Teri Lynne lay out everything you need to do to get from idea to product in their book, Self-Publish. I highly recommend it.)

Think about what goals you have and make a plan to reach those goals. 2013 could be your most fruitful year as a writer!

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Review of Kindle Paperwhite

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I ordered the new Kindle Paperwhite a few weeks ago and because it was back ordered, it came in this week. It has over a thousand reviews and not all of them are positive, so I’ll share my thoughts to help you decide if it may be right for you.

I own one of the early Kindles with the keyboard. While I love it, my younger son pulled it out of the case one day and broke the attachments to the case, making me unable to use the light. I even tried it in my mom’s case and it didn’t work in it either. So I could only read when I had light. That was the  main reason I wanted a new Kindle.

The Kindle Paperwhite is lit from inside. You can make the screen lighter or darker, depending on how bright you need it to be. I find it easy to read, even in the dark and outside (a requirement since we spend lots of time outside). There are darker areas at the very bottom of the screen, but they aren’t distracting. They are below the text of the book.

Since my older Kindle wasn’t a touch screen, I’m also enjoying  how easy it is to highlight quotes and make notes.

Overall, I’m really happy with my new Kindle. 

A few more details:

  • The current estimated shipping date is December 21st, so if you want it by Christmas, now is the time!
  • I also bought a case for $19.99.
  • I went to Best Buy and play with the display model before I made the purchase to make sure it would work for me.

(this post includes affiliate links)

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Write an E-Book in 15 Minutes a Day

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Last weekend at Allume, Darren from ProBlogger talked about e-books. Two of his comments stood out to me. First, e-books have become a major source of income for him. Second, he wrote his e-book in fifteen minutes a day.

Fifteen minutes a day! That’s half of a sitcom. That’s waiting for your coffee to brew and cool. That’s fifteen minutes you’re now spending on Pinterest.

Can you write an e-book in fifteen minutes a day? You can if you follow these tips to get the most out of your writing time:

  • Eliminate distractions. When writing my e-book last year, I got up an hour earlier than usual. My house was quiet and calm, just the way I needed it. Find fifteen minutes in your day when you’re distraction free. Before you start to type, ask God to help you to focus and to give you the words you need.
  • Have a writing spot. Make it comfortable and keep everything you need close. Near my desk I have a few books I like to reference and my writer’s notebook for ideas when I’m stuck. It’s clutter free, perfect for a power-writing session.
  • Don’t be afraid to change it up. Some days your usual spot may be too “usual.” Change your view, your persepctive, or even your drink. Doing something new could help the words flow.
  • Turn off your inner-editor. There will be plenty of time for corrections and revisions after your book is written. Take this focused time to just write.
  • Work on your project at other times too. You will be using your fifteen minutes for focused writing, but throughout the day you could still be working on your book, jotting ideas down in a notebook, reading for research purposes, making a playlist to use for background music as you write. Do the extra stuff at other times so your fifteen minutes a day can be really focused on adding to your word count.
Don’t wait for the muse . . . your job is to make sure the muse knows where you’re going to be every day from nine ’til noon or seven ’til three. If he does know, I assure you that sooner or later he’ll start showing up, chomping his cigar and making his magic. -Stephen King

Your “muse” may not chomp a cigar like Stephen King’s, but his point is true.  Show up and inspiration will come. Give it fifteen minutes a day and you could have an e-book by the end of 2012.

Darren/ProBlogger said his biggest regret was not starting his e-book sooner. Put writing an e-book on your to-do list and commit to fifteen minutes a day until you’re finished.

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