Business Archives - Page 8 of 12 - Writing As A Second Career

Will Eating The Frogs First Help You Write More?

You’ve probably had it happen at least a few times in the last few months. It’s Sunday night. You look at the week ahead and think, OK, it’s not too crazy. I see an hour (or maybe two) when I can write.

Is your writing a frog or an ice cream sundae?

But then on Monday your boss hands you a new project, or your child gets the flu, or the roof starts leaking. That hour or so that looked open becomes a time for crisis management. On Tuesday you really need to get caught up on what you missed on Monday.

On Wednesday, time somehow gets away from you, and by Thursday you’re exhausted. You may as well just try again next week.

And so it goes when you’re juggling a full time regular job or profession and trying to write on the side.

Next Sunday we’ll talk more about where and how that time from Wednesday on disappeared.

But for today, let’s talk about frogs.

If you’ve read much on time management, you’ve probably heard the “eat the frogs first” approach. But in case not, here it is in a nutshell.

The idea is that most of us don’t want to eat frogs–the popularity of Hugh’s Frog Bar in Chicago notwithstanding. The frog represents the task you dread and keep putting off. But as you push it toward the end of your day, it weighs on you, sapping your energy and making you less productive. So if you eat the frog first thing in the morning, you feel better, work faster, get more done, and, in a way, create more time for what you love.

So can the frogs first theory help you write more or at least more often? To answer that, let’s first look at how you see your writing.

Is Your Writing A Frog?

First off, to you, is writing a frog? In other words, is it a task you want or need to do but dread? Or is it fun, a reward, what you long for, like an ice cream sundae? (If ice cream sundaes aren’t your thing, fill in your favorite food.)

To find out if writing is a frog for you, ask yourself:

Do you fear doing it “wrong?”
Are you worried you’ll freeze up and stare at the blank page for half an hour getting nowhere?
Does the idea of finishing a story or novel and getting a rejection or bad reviews keep you up at night?
Are you excited to sit down at the keyboard?
Does time fly when you start to write, so that you’re surprised to discover 30 minutes or an hour has passed?
Do you feel more relaxed and energized after you write?

If you answered yes to one or all of the first three questions, writing might be a frog. If you answered yes to one or more of the second three, you might be in ice cream sundae territory.

It’s not right or wrong to feel either way, and it might change depending what else is happening in your life or what project you’re working on. I feel a little froggy about non-fiction and outlining fiction. First drafting and editing (at least once I’ve decided where I’m going) is an ice cream sundae with super dark chocolate fudge sauce for me.

Making Good Use Of Your Frogs

For your froggy writing tasks, try eating the frog first. Yes, some days you’ll need to deal with the leaking roof. But the next day, rather than diving into your catch-up tasks, unless there’s a true emergency, start out with 30 minutes of eating the frog.

Choose one specific writing task or project, set your timer for 30 minutes, and do only that. See how much you get done and if the rest of your day goes more smoothly. If so, frogs first is your best approach.

If you still have trouble sitting down to write, try the bigger frog approach. Presumably you want to write or you wouldn’t be reading this article or struggling to fit in writing.

So think of that responsibility or task you’d really love to get rid of so you can write, but you’re struck with it. Maybe it’s filling out a report for your boss or ferrying your kids to a track meet or cleaning the bathroom. That’s the bigger frog.

First thing in the morning, think about that task looming over you and how you can put it off for 30 minutes if you write instead. That should get you sitting at the keyboard (assuming it won’t make your kids late for the track meet.)

If that works for you, keep using the bigger frog approach.

Ice Cream With A Cherry On Top

If you love writing, if it’s your catnip or ice cream sundae and you still put it off, your issue may be too many frogs. Or a too highly-developed streak of responsibility.

In other words, you feel like you need to eat all the frogs before you allow yourself to do what you really love.

There are good things about that. It’s probably why you’re a great parent or you excel at your job or profession or everyone turns to you when there’s a challenging task that must be done.

But it’s okay to spend some time on what you love even if everything else isn’t finished. Because the reality is–everything else will never be finished.

How to deal with that and not feel too uneasy about your other responsibilities? Pick one day a week when it’s okay to eat dessert first. Or, if that’s too disturbing, to at least eat dessert mid-day.

Allow yourself Monday and Tuesday to focus only on your other responsibilities. Or pick two big frogs a day to eat first. But after those two frogs each day, or when Wednesday comes, take 30 minutes to do what you love.

Shut the door, turn off the phone, sign off the Internet, and write. Immerse yourself in your fictional world. Tell yourself that when you come back, you’ll be that much more effective and capable because you’ll be refreshed and energized. And you know what? It’s true.

Whether you eat frogs or dessert first, I hope this helps you fit in your writing.

Until Friday–

L.M. Lilly

Planning A Launch Party For Your Self-Published Book

So your paperback version of your book is almost ready. How do you let the world know?

One way is to host an in-person book launch party. (You can also have an on-line party, but that’s typically directed toward ebook sales.)

In the days of traditional publishing, your publisher probably would arrange a party at several books stores in different parts of the country. Now both traditionally and independently published authors usually need to take the reins on planning.

So let’s talk about the why, when, who, what, and how much of your party.

Here’s one of the book release banners I created using Canva.com:

Reasons To Host An In-Person Book Launch Party

The best reason to have any party is to celebrate, and that’s the best reason for a book launch party as well.

You’ve worked hard, you’ve finished and published your book, and you want to celebrate with other people. Don’t lose sight of that as you plan. Have fun!

A party also helps raise awareness of your book, especially among people who don’t read on ereaders.

People tend to assume if you publish your own work, you only publish in ebook editions, even if they see an ad or a Facebook message that says otherwise. But when you invite them to a paperback book release party, it sinks in. You’ll be surprised how many people will attend and tell you they didn’t know your books were available in paperback.

A party also gives you a reason to contact people. Very few people want a “buy my book” message in their email In Box or on social media, but a party invitation is different. It’s fun.

It also gives others a reason to talk about your book. They may mention that they’re going, invite others along, or talk about the event afterward.

Where To Host Your Book Release Party

If there’s a bookstore that’s carrying your books, you can approach the manager or owner about having a party there if there’s space. A store that doesn’t carry your books might also be willing to host if it will help bring new people to the store or increase sales. My view is, it can’t hurt to ask.

But don’t feel limited to bookstores.

It can be easier to get people to come to a bar or restaurant, and those venues make it feel more like a celebration than a book reading.

Also, a bar or restaurant makes it easier to serve food and drink. While I’ve been to book release parties at bookstores where they allowed the author to open a few bottles of wine, usually the snacks and drinks are pretty limited.

The easiest and least expensive places to host often are ones where the cafe, bar, or restaurant is one with counter service. Most managers or owners are happy to reserve a portion of the space for you. You handle your own book sales, and the establishment makes money off people buying coffee, drinks, or appetizers.

If you want to treat your guests, you as the author can buy appetizer or pastry trays and/or pick up the tab.

I’ve recently been to an evening book release party at a private room in Chicago’s House of Blues and a Saturday afternoon one in a small Italian restaurant where the authors reserved the whole space. I’ve hosted parties in a Cosi cafe and in a coffeehouse, and I’m having one in Soppraffina Market Cafe in downtown Chicago later this month.

If you’re inviting a small number of people, you can also host at your home or at a party room if you live in a multi-unit building. (The lawyer in me insists that I remind you to check to be sure your liability insurance will cover this type of event.)

Whom Should You Invite?

In person parties are about connecting with current fans and reminding acquaintances, friends, and family that you have a book (or books) out rather than bringing in new readers. That’s because unless you’re already famous or you’ve written non-fiction on a hot topic, it’s unlikely people who don’t already know you (at least through a mutual acquaintance) will attend your party.

One exception is that sometimes someone you invite will bring a friend, and that person will become a fan. That’s always a good thing, so let people know that they are free to invite others.

Invite friends, family, acquaintances, and–unless you’re keeping your writing and work life separate–coworkers and other business associates.

Also invite anyone else you’re in touch with who you think might be interested, even if you’ve never talked about books with that person before. You never know when you’ll discover that a person you’ve met once or twice really enjoys the type of book you write and will be thrilled to discover you’re an author. Sometimes these people become your best advocates.

Remember, this is the perfect time to let everyone know you have a book out.

Don’t worry, if people aren’t interested, they’ll RSVP No or simply delete the email or invite. As long as you don’t hound them about why they’re not attending, you won’t offend them.

How Much Will This Cost And How Much Will You Make?

For most authors, an in-person event isn’t a money maker. In fact, it might cost more than you take in. Think of it as advertising and, again, as the celebration it is.

How much you spend depends on your budget. The event I attended at the Italian restaurant had a lovely appetizer table and an open bar. I didn’t ask, but it had to be quite pricy, I’m guessing at least $40/attendee if not more. The second event I attended had appetizers that were passed by servers and a cash bar, including for water or soda.

If you are on a tight budget, though, you can opt for the bookstore or coffeehouse approach and have limited refreshments or let people buy their own.

The event I had at Cosi cost me about $100 for sandwiches and pastry trays. (The manager gave my guests a 10% discount on their drinks, which was nice.) I also spent about $40 on drawing prizes. I sold 40-50 books, netting $4 per book. So I broke even on the event, but I also added quite a few people to my email list.

For my September 21 event, I’m threading the needle price-wise. I’m having an appetizer bar and passed hors d’oeuvres as well as non-alcoholic drinks, but it’s a cash bar for alcohol. (As you might guess, including an open bar would have nearly doubled the cost.) This will cost about $27 a person.

Will I sell enough books to cover that? Probably not, but it’ll be a great time.

What Do You Do All Evening?

Most book release parties last a couple hours. To make it more fun for your guests, it’s nice to do more than have your books available.

I usually have a trivia quiz about the events in the first 1-2 books in the series and a separate drawing for anyone who signs up (or already is on) my email list.

Prizes usually include an autographed book, a $25 Amazon gift card, an Audible download code, and having a character named after the person in a future book. (To my surprise, that last one is the prize almost everyone wants.)

It’s a good idea to enlist a good friend to handle book sales so you can chat with people and sign without sitting behind a table all night.

You can also read some pages from your book. I personally don’t usually do that, as it changes the party atmosphere. One author I know played a portion of his narrator’s reading of the book. I’m considering asking the narrator for The Illumination how she feels about that, as she has a wonderful voice, and I’m so excited about her take on the characters.

Some authors, rather than sell their paperbacks, give them away and ask people to write reviews.

I haven’t tried this myself and am a little skeptical. Some people will attend and buy (or accept) a copy of your book to support you, but they may not be big readers or may not read in your genre. So while they may mean to write a review, they may never finish the book and do it, and you’ll be left with an acquaintance or friend who feels guilty every time they see you. (Sort of like when you loan someone money.)

And if it’s not their usual genre, you run the risk of them disliking the book and either avoiding writing the review or writing a poor or lukewarm one. See guilt issue above.

Despite that, if you want to try this approach, my advice is to give out the books and say something like, “If you like the book, please write a review. It’ll really help me out.”

Good Luck!

If you have questions or have already hosted your own party and want to share your experience, please post in the comments.

Thanks,

L.M. Lilly

P.S. If you’re in the Chicago area September 21, 2017, and would like to attend the book release party for The Illumination to get ideas and help me celebrate, here’s the info.

Writing A Book Description For Your Sales Page

One of the toughest things for self-published writers, especially novelists, is to write sales copy for your book. I say “especially for novelists” because we’re used to writing long. If you’re like me, even your short stories tend to top 20,000 words.

Also, most of us never had training in copywriting, and writing a book blurb that will sell seems as foreign as being asked to come up with a magazine ad or television commercial.

That’s why I recommend Bryan Cohen’s How To Write A Sizzling Synopsis: A Step-by-Step System for Enticing New Readers, Selling More Fiction, and Making Your Books Sound Good.

As the subtitle suggests, the book provides clear, simple steps you can use to write a gripping description of your novel. I found the exercises extremely helpful. Best of all, the way Bryan Cohen broke the process down alleviated my anxiety about writing a good description.

Until Sunday–

L.M. Lilly

Competition v. Comparisonitis

Today four friends and I spent a few hours on Lake Michigan. We don’t own a boat–we chipped in together at a charity event to share the cost of a cruise. The man who donated it owns a 50-foot yacht, and he took us around the lake.

The experience got me thinking about how often we compare ourselves to others who have more money or success than we do. In the book world, this means looking at authors who’ve sold a little more (or a lot more) and feeling unhappy with our own progress.

The day started when we parked near Belmont Harbor and walked along the docks. I marveled at all the people who have the money to buy and maintain boats.

I checked and Google told me the average price of a 41-45 foot boat is $250,000-$550,000.

As I’m not that much of a lake or outdoor person, I don’t know if there’s any amount I could earn that would make spending that much worth it to me. But I admit to feeling a twinge of envy that there are people who can afford to pay more than my condominium cost for recreation.

The middle part of our cruise involved a stop in a harbor near McCormick Center where a famous 198-foot yacht is docked. You can see it here through the window of the boat we were on. It has 6 cabins for guests and 7 cabins for crew. Its estimated value is $750 million.

The owner of “our” boat laughed at how small his yacht seemed in comparison.

Which is when it hit me–no matter where you are or how well you’re doing, there’s always someone doing better.

Going back to writing and selling books–if you have no books published, you might look at someone with one or two and feel like you’re so far behind.

But when you do publish a first book or a second, rather than congratulate yourself and feel good, it’s easy to immediately compare yourself to people who’ve published a seven-book series or whose books top Amazon best seller lists all the time. If you reach that mark, you might look at people who are New York Times Best Sellers or publish a book every other month.

Or maybe from the start you look at J.K. Rowling or Stephen King and think, “Why am I not there?” Or worse, think “I’ll never get there.”

It can be good to look at someone who’s ahead of us, who’s achieved what we hope to achieve. It motivates us when we’re tired or frustrated, just as runners who race with those faster than them tend to increase their own times. That’s why it’s good to aim a bit beyond wherever you are.

But if you look too far ahead or do it too often, it can be discouraging.

From me to J.K. Rowling is a gap that appears unbridgeable, and the reality is, few writers will ever achieve that level of fame and monetary success, though they may earn a very good living.

So when choosing who to compare yourself to, let your feelings be your guide.

If thinking that someday you could own a castle like J.K. Rowling’s causes you to sit down and write when you don’t feel like it or to research those advertising opportunities, then by all means do it.

But don’t compare yourself to J.K. Rowling if it makes you feel hopeless or that you’re falling short no matter what you do.

Instead, try looking to someone whose writing you like and who has one more book out than you do (even if that person has one and you have none). See what you can learn from that person’s writing or marketing. Set a goal that’s a little higher than you think you can reach and start working.

And don’t forget to write down where you are now and set a time six months or a year down the road to check in on your progress. That way, when you get the book finished and published, or you reach the sales goal you set, you’ll remember where you’ve been and you’ll give yourself credit, rather than looking again to someone else and feeling you’ve fallen short.

And if you don’t quite reach your goal?

That’s valuable feedback, too. Use it figure out what you need to do differently, set a new check in date, and get back to work.

Good luck!

Until Friday–

L.M. Lilly

If You Read One Book On Marketing This Year…

If you only have time to read one book this year on marketing, the latest edition of How To Market A Book should be it.

Here’s why:

Information Without Overload

Reading the book feels like sitting down and chatting with the author, Joanna Penn.

Penn covers in depth multiple ways to market your book, which could easily be overwhelming. But in her intro, closing, and throughout she makes clear that you can’t do all of it, and that not every approach works or feels right to every author.

I really appreciated that because it seems every day I’m reading or hearing about something I “should” be doing to sell or market. This book includes them all, expertly breaking them down while acknowledging that it’s okay to not do some of it.

How To Market A Book: Sell More Books, Reach More Readers

Overall Marketing Principles

How To Market A Book (3rd edition) challenges marketing myths and shares marketing guidelines in the first part, which includes an overview of discoverability and other big-picture issues.

Even if you’re familiar with many of these already, it’s worth reading for a quick, clear overview.

Fundamentals For Success

The second part of the book gets into specifics like choosing categories and keywords for your book, pluses and minuses of publishing your ebook edition exclusively with Amazon, and pricing.

Each point includes detailed, specific information you can put into practice right away.

Short-Term Marketing

Part 3 covers short-term marketing issues like getting reviews and using paid advertising. This part is especially valuable because you can implement these strategies whether or not you have an author website or platform. I only finished the book last week but already I’ve referred back to some of the topics.

Building A Platform

The next section focuses on long-term marketing by building your author brand.

It includes specific, practical advice on building a website, email marketing, blogging, podcasting, book trailers, PR, and more. I plan to use the podcasting section as a step-by-step How To guide if my plans for a starting movie podcast next year come to fruition.

Book Launches

The last section details book launches, addressing differences between indie and traditionally-published authors, soft launches, relaunches, and numerous other things you need to know.

You’ll also find a launch checklist, which is another example of how practical and clear the advice in How To Market A Book is.

The book also includes an appendix with questions to answer if your book isn’t selling. It functions as a perfect recap of everything covered, and I plan to review it every few months as a refresher.

Until Sunday–

L.M. Lilly

P.S. I’m gradually building a list of helpful books on writing. If there are any you think should be added, please note them in the comments or email me: [email protected]

Finding The Right Writing Conference Or Retreat For You

The title of this Friday’s post/recommendation is long, partly because the topic–choosing a writing retreat or conference–is more involved than it first appears.

I decided to post about choosing a retreat or conference because I’m on a creative retreat now. My first idea was to find and link to a comprehensive list describing multiple events and listing the location and cost for each.

It turns out a list of writing conferences, though, is (1) not that hard to find and (2) not that helpful.

Each conference or retreat has pluses and minuses, but those vary depending upon your goals. Likewise, which ones will be most helpful will depend as much on where you are in your writing career as on the quality of the retreat.

Playing Mysterium at the Rabbit Hole Retreat.

So before you do an Internet search or find a listing in a magazine of conferences, I suggest reading this article from The Write Life.

It discusses (a) the difference between a conference and a retreat, (b) general events versus genre-specific ones, (c) fitting your trip into your budget, and (d) figuring out your personal goals for the event.

Until Sunday, when I’ll share more on how to make the most of a creative retreat—

L.M. Lilly

Canva (Tools of the Writing Trade No. 2)

Canva is a DIY graphic design site that can help your writing career.

Whether you’ve had books published by a traditional publisher, publish your own work, or hope to do either, part of being an author is sharing your work and letting people know about you.

Many of us are introverts, though, and/or dislike or fear being “salesy.”

Social media is one way to connect with potential readers in genuine ways, and Canva offers a good tool for making your posts more engaging and fun. Canva can also help you create book covers.

What You Can Do On Canva

Canva offers a Do-It-Yourself platform for graphic design.

If you’ve ever seen someone post an inspiring saying across a beautiful photo of a sunrise on Instagram or Facebook and wished you could do that, Canva is one place where you can. If you want to create a Facebook ad and aren’t sure how to put it together or make it the right size, the tools on Canva can help.

Also, on Canva I created this cover for my story structure book. While for my novels I hire a professional designer, I did this one to try out Canva and also to see if there was reader interest in the topic of the book before spending a lot to publish it. There has been, so later this year, I will likely have a new cover done. In the meantime, judging by sales, this one conveys the content of the book well enough.

How To Use Canva

The site provides free templates for specific social media platforms. Among others, there are Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram post templates, blog and Tumblr graphics, and ebook cover templates.

Canva also offers backgrounds, photos, and illustrations to use in those templates. Another option is to drag and drop your own images.

I created the banner on my author Facebook page using my Awakening book covers, and the banner atop this blog using Canva stock photos.

Most of the graphics for this blog were created on Canva. I plan to use the one on the right in an upcoming post. It combines three images I found when I searched for “lists” and “categories.”

What Does Canva Cost?

You can create an account for free using your email address. As soon as you sign on, you’ll see many free templates.

Canva also offers multiple photos and illustrations free. Sometimes a particular image you want will be a stock photo that requires payment. The banner for this blog includes two photos I needed to pay to use, but it was worth it to me because I really liked them.

The cost varies depending upon use. If you are using a photo in one social media post, it may cost $1. If you want to use it continuously, the same photo may cost $10.

The single-use cost of the photo appears on the left when you are choosing to incorporate it in your design, but you don’t need to pay unless or until you download it for your own use. When you do, the license options will appear.

Occasionally it’s disappointing to discover that a photo you loved is out of your budget for long-term use. But that’s only happened to me a couple times, and given all the experimenting and free work I’ve done on the site, I don’t mind.

Also, you can usually download a free sample of your design to try it out. It will have the word Canva written across it, but it’s helpful to make sure you like what you’ve designed before you pay.

In the seven months I’ve used Canva, I’ve created two e-book covers, numerous blog graphics, Facebook and Twitter banners, and occasional social media posts.

All that has cost me less than $50, and I could have done all of it free had I wanted to search longer for free illustrations or photos.

I’ve likely only scratched the surface of how you could use Canva. If you check it out and find more amazing uses, please share in the comments.

Until Friday–

L.M. Lilly

P.S. See Your Book Will Be Judged By Its Cover for more on when to create your own covers and when to hire a designer.

Querying Agents

Earlier this month I attended ThrillerFest in New York. Part of the conference covered the quest to find a literary agent.

All the agents stressed keeping the query short, clear, and to the point. One agent described the perfect query letter (now usually sent as an email) as having three parts and only three parts:

The Hook
The Book
The Cook

The Hook

The hook is the aspect of your story that grabs the reader. It’s often a single sentence.

Some writers use a what if statement/question. For Stephen King’s Carrie, it might go like this:

What if a bullied girl develops superpowers and seeks revenge?

The hook also can refer to familiar books or movies. For the blockbuster movie Alien, the hook was Jaws in space. For my Awakening series, I often say Rosemary’s Baby meets The Da Vinci Code.

The Book

The description of the book should be 1-2 paragraphs, so think about what would be on the inside flap or back cover of your book in the bookstore.

Three points main points are your protagonist, the protagonist’s actions, and the force(s), person, or people who oppose your protagonist.

Including the opposition is important because story is about conflict. The protagonist should be active because a passive main character makes for a dull book.

Including more about the main character matters because that’s what draws readers in. Even in genre and commercial novels, which typically are more plot-oriented than literary novels, readers become engaged only if they care about the character.

For an example, see the description of the first Ruth Galloway mystery by Elly Griffiths. The description covers the plot, which revolves around the finding of a child’s bones and a kidnapping, but it also tells us a lot about Ruth Galloway, a forensic archaeologist who lives “happily alone” in a remote area.

Ruth is what drew me in and keeps me reading the books.

Look at online descriptions of books in your genre and use them as examples if they make you want to read on and especially if they prompt you to buy the book.

For more on how to describe your novel, you can check out Bryan Cohen’s How To Write A Sizzling Synopsis.

The Cook

Your query should include a sentence or two about you. List previous publications, if any, and other relevant experience. Obvious examples are if you’re writing a police procedural and you are a police officer or forensic pathologist or you’re a lawyer writing a legal thriller.

If you don’t have a long list of publications or specific experience, it’s worth mentioning any degree or technical experience that shows you can follow through on projects and have a background that will provide material for future books. Agents are not looking simply to represent a single book but for writers with a long career ahead of them.

Regarding previous publications, I heard conflicting advice at ThrillerFest on self published titles.

One agent said not to mention it and just to let it “come out” if the agent shows interest. (He claimed he wasn’t negative about self publishing. Uh, maybe you are?)

Another viewed it as fine to include though largely irrelevant.

A third found it encouraging that I’d published a four-book series because it showed an ability to produce work consistently.

I think the best advice is that if you have a series, it’s worth mentioning for that reason. If you’ve published books with at least forty or fifty reviews, you might list them as well, as it shows people are reading your work. On the other hand, if you’ve self published a book and it only has a couple reviews, that probably won’t add anything to your resume in the agent’s eyes.

In Closing

Your closing paragraph should state what you’re enclosing, if anything. For example, if that agent’s submission guidelines call for it, include sample pages. Also thank the agent for her or his time. (It always helps to be polite.)

Two final tips:

Make sure you check the agent’s guidelines, which are usually available online. Some agents want sample pages to be copied into the email, others want an attachment in Word. While following the guidelines precisely won’t guarantee a positive response, violating them will probably get you screened out.
Take a break after finishing your query. Come back in an hour–or better yet a day–and proofread your query before sending it.

In summary, write a short query that includes the hook, the book, and the cook. Be polite, proofread, and follow the agent’s guidelines.

Until Friday, good luck–

Best,

L.M. Lilly

P.S. For more on finding the right writer’s conference for you, check out last Sunday’s post Choosing A Writing Conference.

Beyond The Bookstore

Most of us grew up when the only way to get books into the hands of readers was through bookstores or libraries.

While ebooks existed in the early 2000s in the form of PDFs and other files, the first Kindle wasn’t sold until 2007.

Because of that, a lot of writers, whether self-published, not yet published, or published by traditional print publishers, tend to think of bookstores and book signings as the main way to publicize books and meet readers.

That’s why I’m recommending this article from Amazon Author Insights. It includes seven tips for in-person book events that you might not have considered:

Promote Your Book Outside The Bookstore by Ethan Gilsdorf

Until Sunday–

Best,

L.M. Lilly

P.S. If you’ve tried any of them, or you do so in the future, please post your experience in the comments or send me an email: [email protected]

Choosing A Writing Conference

If you’re working full time (or more than full time) at another profession while writing, it can be a tough call to devote your a week off to a writing conference. It is worth it, though, if you can enjoy the time away from your usual work, learn about writing craft or business, and meet writers and other people who may help your writing journey.

If you write suspense, mysteries, or thrillers, one that should be at the top of your list is the annual ThrillerFest in New York.

It meets three important criteria for a writing conference:

Good Location (as in one you’d want to visit if you were taking a “real” vacation)
Quality Content
Helpful and Friendly People

Location – New York

First–New York.

I love visiting the city. There is energy in the air. There are wonderful wine and cheese bars. There are books everywhere. Once I passed a psychology institute on the way to a restaurant, and there was a cardboard box of free books left there for any passers-by to take.

I also always love returning home, as it makes Chicago’s downsides–traffic, air quality, crowds–seem so very livable by comparison. (Sorry, NY.)

The museums are fantastic. This time I visited The Brooklyn museum, which had a Georgia O’Keefe exhibit and an exhibit that was focused on the color blue. In that one, I learned that Nemesis was a goddess who punished people whose good luck made them overconfident. Who knew.

Content In Three Parts

ThrillerFest has three parts plus. There is CraftFest, where you can learn in smaller sessions about specific writing issues. For instance, I attended mystery author Hallie Ephron’s talk on the Web of Character. (More on that in a future article.)

Next is Pitchfest, where you can pitch your novel to agents and editors. This part starts with a talk the night before on preparing your pitch, which is mainly getting it down to about 25 words. The next day in a large conference room you have a chance to practice your pitch on established authors and agents and get feedback.

After that, you find the agents and editors you want to pitch in three or four smaller rooms by alphabetical order. You wait in line (usually 1-3 people ahead of you) to sit at a small table and tell them about your book.

To a person, I found them helpful to talk with, and the questions they asked about the work aided me not only in getting across why I thought they might be interested but in further refining my plot. (I was pitching my mystery novel in progress.)

Pitchfest also included the No Pitch Zone.

For two hours, several agents who were not accepting pitches were available to look over query letters and first pages. The agent I talked with struck two lines out of my page one that confused her.

That in itself was invaluable. The lines made perfect sense to me. But if she was lost, other readers will be too, and the last thing I want is for a reader to say Huh? on the second paragraph and walk away. (I hope my beta readers would have noticed the same line, but since they’ll be looking at the novel as a whole, they might not focus so specifically one page.)

Finally, the actual ThrillerFest portion includes multiple panels of well-known authors and speakers. Topics are as diverse as hostage negotiation (with an FBI negotiator), women’s roles in thrillers, writing gruesome horror, and marketing. (See this year’s schedule here.)

The fest ends with a dinner where the 2017 award winners are announced.

People

Volunteers, presenters, agents, coordinators–all were helpful and fun to talk with. The agents must get weary by the end of the second hour, yet each one smiled and took time to talk with me as if I were the first person rather than the fiftieth.

Attendees also were friendly.

It was easy to introduce myself to others and start chatting. This seems like it ought to be a given. After all, we’re all there because we love to write. But I’ve been to conferences where I said hello to someone in line and received a blank stare in response, or where I went to the evening dinner and all my attempts at conversation fell flat. At ThrillerFest, everyone acted happy to meet someone new.

The presenters, too, were accessible and willing to answer questions after sessions. I got good advice on where to seek an agent regarding trying to turn The Awakening series into a video series (such as on Netflix or through the other companies entering that space).

If you decide to attend next year, I recommend volunteering. While you don’t get a discount on the price, it’s a great way to meet people, all of whom I found to be friendly and fun. It also gives you the chance to hear inside stories from people who sold their books through contacts made at the conference.

In the coming weeks, look for posts on what I learned about pitching and in the craft sessions.

Until Friday–

Best,