I RANTED AND RAVED by Linda S. Glaz

So, on my own blog this weekend I ranted and raved about not going postal, but going COCKADOODIE a la Kathy Bates in Misery over all the mistakes found in novels. I whined and moaned, basically because I’d spent good money on a good author for a good read, but was sorely disappointed. Okay, so I pitched a junior high style fit!

Now, however, I’d like to play the Devil’s Advocate (it’s just an expression, folks) and take the other side.

A writer writes, reads, rewrites, rereads, and submits. Not all that quickly, however. And somewhere around the tenth read, it becomes impossible to remember if the guy died in the bedroom, hung in the closet or in the kitchen, sprawled over the counter. Maybe he fell over dead as he stepped from the shower. Was it the right side of the shower that was switched to the left, or nearest the commode to suddenly nearest the bathroom scales? Yup! That would be where they found me. Stood on the scales, read the numbers, and keeled over dead as the bathroom door knob!

How about those wonderful critique partners? Thank you, Lord, for wonderful crit partners without whom writing would be impossible. They catch so much! However, I can’t tell you how many times we find mistakes in novels just before submission; we scratch our collective heads and say “How did we miss that after four, five, six, or ten dozen reads?” No one can find all the problems.

Then the publisher has the opportunity to miss things—oops, I meant, to find things. A first reader, an editor or two, a final reader, and lastly the final edits by way of the editor and author. More mistakes? Really? Let’s face it, Jane Smith’s book is not the only one that editor is working on. Are publishers today overwhelmed with the submissions, particularly with all the cutbacks in staff? You bet they are. And I have no doubt overworked as well at this point.

And lastly, the reader. By now, it’s all too late to worry about. If it’s in there, it’s in there. As the author, you can only hope the story itself is strong enough that the mistakes here and there don’t affect the reader’s opinion all that much. Besides, most readers aren’t quite as picky as the rest of us writers, BUT! And this is a biggie, if you have something that was missed that makes the outcome of your story impossible to have happened, you’re going to hear from some of us. I recently read a complaint by a secular reader that Christian reviews aren’t solid. “They give 5 stars to everything” from here to kingdom come. And I have read some of those reviews. When an outcome was blatantly physically impossible to have happened. And yet, all 5-star reviews.

As Christians it IS important to be kind, supportive, and caring, but you also have to be honest to potential buyers. If you can’t honestly give a book a 5 and you don’t want to hurt the author, don’t give any review at all. But don’t automatically stamp a book a 5 when there are enough mistakes in it that they jump off the page in bold face. DO, however, remember the sweat and tears that went into the writing. The story might be so good, you can kindly point out that in spite of this or that error, the storyline was truly good and worth the read. But be honest.

Okay, between the two blogs, I’ve tried to see mistakes in novels from two different points of view. In the end, it’s you, the reader who decides which books will be long remembered in your hearts, and which will simply leave you scratching your head going, “HUH?”
Happy reading…

Be "Selective" with Your Publicity Opportunities

It's true that every little bit of publicity counts. Like pennies, the small things add up over time, but time is its own consideration. If you're limited on time because you're committed to working another full-time or part-time job, homeschooling your children, keeping up with your church activities, or struggling with health issues on top of writing and researching your books, you need to be "selective" in what you choose to do. Very few of us have unlimited time to spend on marketing and publicity.

Not every publicity opportunity is worth your time. 

It's "okay" to say "no" once in a while. 

When our books are first released, we spend so much time chasing publicity opportunities, many of which never lead anywhere, that when something falls into our laps that we didn't have to pursue, the temptation to jump at it is staggering.  We want to shoot off an email immediately shouting "YES, I'll do it!" Or if we were contacted on the phone instead of saying, "Let me check my schedule and get back to you," we want to give a confirmation right then and there.

Stop. Pray. Check your schedule. Pray again. 

Are YOU piloting your career, or are you allowing GOD to pilot your career?

If you're on deadline to finish a book or turn in edits, if you stop to squeeze in more guest posts or interviews on blogs, how will this affect the quality of your work? Which family member will have to sacrifice YOU in order for you to get this done?

Granted, there are times we MUST make sacrifices, but look at the opportunity. Is it a brand new blog with less than 50 followers with 1 or 2 comments per post or a well-established blog with 500+ followers with 10-15 comments per post? There are tons of blogs out there. Many of them are very good and have lots of great content, but most have very little traffic.

Before you agree to give away another free book after giving away 30 already, what is the purpose and the ROI of your effort? Is it a blog with the same followers who have already been exposed to your book on the first 30 blogs where you appeared and gave away free books? Will there be any requirements for people to enter the contest or can anyone who Googles "free books" and "book contests" can enter who are only out surfing the Web for "free" stuff?

Publicity is great, but it is NEVER free no matter what anyone tells you. There is always the time required to provide a photo, book cover, answer interview questions, or write something fresh because you simply can't recycle anymore articles. Yes, it might only take a few minutes of your time, but so will everything else, even answering your email. All that time adds up to a lot of time NOT writing or researching. Consider the cost and then evaluate the publicity exposure.

Only YOU can decide if it is worth it or not.

Have you had to turn down any publicity offers? What were some of your deciding factors? You don't have to list the agency, blog or media outlet in order to share your experience and/or advice.

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT by Joyce Hart

Suzanne Woods Fisher’s new book The Keeper is #9 on the CBA bestseller book.

Revell is offering the book free today until Mid-night for Kindle or Nook readers.  

This is the link   http://bit.ly/zHTnP2

OUR CONGRATULATIONS TO SUZANNE

The form letter by Terry Burns

"That was a very nice letter you sent, very encouraging, even if it was a form letter."

Well, yeah, but he said it like a form letter was an evil thing that showed how little I cared. Quite the opposite. Instead of ripping off a fast "Sorry, not a fit for me," a form letter is something I have worked on for months if not years. I've taken the time to get words right, to say exactly what I want to say.

I have dozens of them, but that doesn't mean they aren't personal. I select the one that says the closest to what I want to convey, then I make whatever adjustments that I need to make to it to be exactly what I want. You see, the trick is to convey something a writer really needs to hear in order to continue to grow in their craft, or to have a better chance at success, but to do it without being discouraged. I'm not in the business of stepping on people's dreams any more than I have to.

It saves a lot of time, sure, but that isn't really the purpose. Just jotting off some note probably means some things are left unsaid, or maybe something is said that I wouldn't say if I thought on it enough. A really good letter takes time, more time than I have to spend if I am working hundreds of submissions a month.

There's a downside to it. When you take time to try and give someone some input like that a substantial number of them want to argue about it or explain to me the error of my way. Putting aside the fact that arguing with an editor or agent is not exactly the best way to interest them in working with you, if a person thinks I don't know my business and they have to explain it to me, why would they want me for an agent? If you have the answer to that on let me know, because I'm still working on how such arguing is a good strategy.

Taking the time to be helpful practically guarantees further communication. I've accepted that even if it does further fill my inbox. You see, I don't look on this as a job, I do this out of a genuine desire to help Christian writers get their words out there where they will serve the Lord. I gave up most of my own attempts at writing because I thought I could do more good that way.

So don't be insulted if you think some editor or agent sends you something you think is a form letter. Think of all the time and effort they have put into getting that message just exactly right.

Particulars and Universals by Andy Scheer

Two nights ago I took part in one of the last nearly universal experiences of our fragmented culture. Chances are, you also watched the Super Bowl. Probably with a group.

There were six of us watching in our house: my wife and I, our daughter and son-in-law, and our son-in-law's parents. Admittedly, we skewed the demographics, with four of us over age fifty, two in their twenties, and all of us married and Christians. But we also got word that our son, who seldom watches television and never watches sports, planned to take his wife to a Super Bowl party hosted by someone from his office.

What can attract then keep the attention of such diverse groups? A lot has to be hype and momentum. Like eating turkey on the fourth Thursday of November or putting up Christmas decorations, it's a cultural expectation. No matter if you buy into the premise behind the event, you're expected to participate.

In our house, three of us watched mostly for the commercials. Maybe in your house too. Now that two days have passed, which of those thirty-second, $3.5 million mini-dramas do you remember? (And do you remember what product they advertised?)

A few I enjoyed, but many left me offended or puzzled. I could dismiss the second two responses by the fact I'm not in the target demographic. I watch few movies and I've already purchased a web domain through a different company, so why should the advertisers care if I'm alienated by violent film trailers or the portrayal of women as sex objects? I'm unlikely to wait in line to buy an electronic gadget, so why not build an ad around the shared experience of people who would?

Still, a lot of the advertisements hyped products many of us buy, especially food and drink and lower-priced automobiles. (Do the makers of Audi really think the people who can afford their cars are into vampires?)

Reflect on the best of those ads—the ones you still remember. Most included three elements: humor, surprise, and story. (Yes, those are closely related. Humor often includes surprise. And stories depend on people being unsure what will happen next.) I probably should add a fourth element: characters. Many of those ads had you cheering for the underdog—some of them literally.

In case you paid attention to the football game, most of those same elements also came into play. (Except perhaps for humor.) The commentators made a point to focus on the characters: the opposing coaches and quarterbacks, the star players, and those who arose from obscurity to make a key play. There were abundant surprises, setbacks, and reversals of fortune, with the outcome not decided until the final seconds.

Somewhere in that Sunday night experience, there might be a lesson for writers.

Hamster on a Wheel by Linda S. Glaz

When do you reach the point where you feel like you are merely a hamster running on a wheel? Is all this work in the book industry, or any other career for that matter, worth the grief? When do you decide whether or not you are doing what God intended for your life? If He is the one leading your direction, you should be doing well, right? And therefore, God is the one who wants your book to be a bestseller!

I know plenty of agents and editors have received that very message in a hopeful query. "God told me to write this book. And He led me to your agency/publishing house." And therefore, the author should be accepted immediately and all should move forward at the speed of light.

Wrong! At the least, not necessarily.

Gads, we all want to believe that is what God wants for us, but just because he has given us talent in a field, we still have to develop it, cry, sweat, moan, and work until we feel we have nothing left but running on the wheel. Not that some folks don't automatically see success, but it is important to understand that often there are incredibly talented people who may never see publication. Never find the gold pot of coins.

You simply have to ask yourself, are you doing what is God's will for your life. If not, you might just be a hamster tiring out on a wheel, or, you might be missing the most important part--drawing closer to God to see what He intends for your life. What we want and what He has planned can often be polar opposites. And if you are miles from God's ear, how will you know if He whispers His will? Draw closer and listen; it might be an important break to take.

Be blessed all and happy writing...

Streaming Digital Books by Jennifer Hudson Taylor

First, we streamed music. Then we streamed movies. And soon, we'll stream digital books. It's the next logical step in the new process of transforming and redefining the publishing/book industry.

Publishers have clung to tradition in how to produce books for as long as possible. Likewise, book distributors and bookstores have hung onto tradition in how to sell books since their business and livelihood depended upon it. Our library systems did the same. 

Since the beginning of the printing industry, as far back as Gutenberg's printing press in the late medieval period, books were sold on a per book basis--per unit/item. In our traditional thought process, we think of books as items--things. In the new digital world, books are content, whether it is through streaming words in a visual context or words through an audio context.

Now we have Audiobooks.com where you pay for unlimited streaming of books through the cloud--a flat membership fee of $25 a month. It's the same concept as Netflix's business of streaming movies and Spotify for streaming music. The price is constant regardless of which books you download, regardless of whether you read 5 books or 20 per month, or how many minutes or hours you spend reading.

As one writer pointed out in The Atlantic article, The Future of the Book is the Stream, that streaming books reframes book-buying so that it is less about purchasing a book and more about purchasing an experience.

What are YOUR thoughts about streaming books? How do you think it will affect publishers, authors, and bookstores?