Archive for January, 2010

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Succeed as a Published Author in 2010

Sunday, January 10th, 2010

I’m almost finished proofing my latest book—an ebook which I’ve decided to name, The Successful Author’s Handbook. It’s a compilation of 50 of my best articles for authors—some older ones and some brand new ones—but all evergreen articles. I’ll tell you more about the ebook when it is available.

For now, I’m doing what I keep harping at you to do—edit, edit, edit and proof, proof, proof. I’ve edited this book from many angles numerous times and still I have tabs attached to 44 pages so far indicating mistakes or things I want to change. Most of the tabs point out spacing problems that occurred during the transition from Word to PDF. And I did find two actual spelling mistakes in a new chapter. I wrote “though” instead of “through” and I neglected to ad an “s” on a word that should be plural. Otherwise, I’m making changes and adding things—so it’s a combination of editing and proofing that I’m doing.

Do you have Google Alert set on your name or the title of your book? This morning I found my name associated with a workbook put out by SPAN (Small Publishers Association of North America). They have created a nifty workbook for marketing and they list my book, The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book along with 8 other recommended books. Yeah! Check out this FREE pdf workbook. You might find it quite useful. http://www.spanpro.info/workbook-web.pdf

We’ve had a lively discussion over the weekend through SPAWNDiscuss with regard to the term used for those companies that charge you to produce your book. You know, they used to be called “POD Companies” and then they became known as “self-publishing” services. I recently came up with a more realistic title, “pay-to-publish” services. A group of professionals liked this title and ran with it. We ended up putting together a document designed to help new authors understand the differences and pros and cons of each publishing option. I’ve given you the link before—but here it is again. Let me know if you visit this page and whether you find this helpful or not. http://www.simonteakettle.com/options.htm

I started the conversation at SPAWNDiscuss yesterday by asking members how we could get word out in order to try to get the “self-publishing” term changed to “pay-to-publish.” The general consensus was that it isn’t publishing professionals who created the “self-publishing” term at all. It was the companies, themselves. They want to lure hopeful authors in by making them believe that the author has some control over what happens to his project. They want the author to think he is actually self-publishing his own book. So not true!

I’d like to hear from authors who have gone with a pay-to-publish company or who are contemplating that choice. PLFry620@yahoo.com.

Well, it’s always fun spending time with you every morning, but I have a manuscript to proof. If we can get the cover designed within the next few days, this ebook could go live (at my website) next week.

In the meantime, visit my website and see my array of books, check out the articles I’ve posted, study my giant list of resources for authors and writers. Read about me and my journey as a writer/author. And make yourself a decision that’s going to move your career or your project forward in 2010. For example, subscribe to SPAWNews. It’s FREE. http://www.spawn.org. Join SPAWN! It’s $65/year. If you do nothing else this year, and if you are either planning to write a book, you are writing a book or you are a published author who is promoting a book, do yourself a HUGE favor and purchase my book, The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book.
http://www.matilijapress.com/rightway.html.

Don’t stop there—actually READ the book from cover to cover. You’ll be awfully glad you did.

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Before You Go Down the Pay-to-Publish Path…

Saturday, January 9th, 2010

Are you headed down the pay-to-publish path—or in your language, the self-publishing path? In other words, do you plan to pay one of the 100 or so POD publishing companies to produce your book? It seems like a simple way to become a published author, doesn’t it? You just plunk down some money, hand over your precious manuscript and they do the rest. Their contract indicates that they will edit, design, get the bar code, issue an ISBN and print the book. For additional fees, they’ll also promote it.

You’ve probably done quite a bit of research by now. You’ve read a lot of pros and cons about these companies. You may have read Mark Levine’s book, The Fine Print of Self-Publishing and understand that not all of these outfits are rated the same. You feel that you’ve chosen the right company.

But are you aware of your responsibility in all of this? Has anyone told you that you had better put yourself in charge of quality control and make sure that you hand over a manuscript that is professionally/flawlessly edited (most people say their editing services amount to a quick proofing), that you had better present the company with a pristine layout package (they often will print it exactly like you give it to them) and that you are responsible for promoting your book?

Someone said just the other day that when you become an author, you’d better consider that you’ve gone into business. Even if you go with a pay-to-publish company or you land a traditional royalty publisher, you are responsible for promoting your book. And book promotion should be approached with a strong business sense. The author must develop his/her own marketing campaign.

I still meet authors every day who either didn’t know or didn’t believe that they needed a business head in order to enter into the competitive publishing field. Those who refuse to adopt that business sense, will fail to meet most of their publishing/marketing goals.

I’m not saying that you need to get a degree in business in order to publish your book of poetry. But you’d better take the time to learn something about the publishing industry, your options and your responsibility as a published author BEFORE diving in.

Step one: read The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book.
http://www.matilijapress.com/rightway.html

Step two: Join SPAWN (Small Publishers, Artists and Writers Network)
http://www.spawn.org

Step Three: Get your manuscript professionally edited. Consider my services:
http://www.matilijapress.com/consulting.html

Anytime—you can contact me with your questions: PLFry620@yahoo.com

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Authors, Make Sure Your Quoted Material is Useful

Friday, January 8th, 2010

Do you sometimes interview people for articles or for a book you’re working on? How is it going? Are you getting the quotes you want? When you put your piece together does the quote make a point, validate your material and/or fit into the flow of your article or chapter?

I see articles and book manuscripts where the author has attempted to use quotes, but some of them just don’t work. They don’t give depth to the concept, they don’t provide credibility to the statement, nor do they add anything profound or even interesting to the chapter or article.

I often suggest that authors go back to the interviewee and ask more questions—form questions that will prompt the exact response you need. Here’s an example:

Betty wrote, “Len lived in Bakersfield, in 1966, when the robbery took place. He recalls the day it happened, ‘Oh yes, I lived there with my wife and 6-year-old daughter. We had gone to the park that day.’ The robbery took place across the street from the park.”

In this case, the author was really stretching to get a quote, any quote. I would advise her not to use a quote at all unless it can add interest or credibility or move the story forward in some way. If this is all she has, Betty really should go back to Len and ask a few more question, such as:

• What else do you remember about that day?
• Did you hear the sirens?
• Did you see the robber run past the park?
• Were you questioned?
• Was anyone you know involved in the robbery?

Betty may actually learn, in her second round of more pointed questions, that Len saw the police pursuit on foot, that the robber ran past him as he pushed his daughter on the swing and Len saw him drop a few bills on the path or that the robber got away and the police questioned Len.

Of course, then, Betty will want to crank up the nature of her questions:

• How close did he come to you?
• Were you frightened?
• Did you see a gun?
• Did the police have their guns pulled?

Len might, then, talk about how unnerved he became after hours of being questioned by police. He might talk about how his daughter began to scream when she saw the police running full force with their guns drawn.

Can you see how much more interesting a story becomes when you get more graphic, emotional and meaningful responses from an interviewee?

Likewise, when you need to make a point in an article, lead your interviewee in a direction so that he or she is likely to help you make that point through an interesting or provocative statement.
Your piece might be on parenting mistakes. Perhaps you are interviewing a few parents and a child behavior expert. You want to report on some of the more common parenting mistakes, why they are considered mistakes—what are the possible dangers/repercussions and how to correct the mistakes—how to change your parenting techniques.

You’ll probably do some research so you know something about parenting mistakes and then you’ll interview your expert. Ask him what he believes are the most common mistakes and why. Find out what kind of behavior is involved in these mistakes. Ask him for anecdotes and examples. And then ask him what he would advise to parents who may be making these mistakes. Then go to parents. Bring up some of the expert’s statements and ask the parents to comment. Find out if they feel they’ve made some of these mistakes and how they feel about having done so (always get an emotional point of view).

Now go home and create an article or chapter around the best quotes that you got, making sure that everything fits tightly and logically together. Use the quotes to make your points, add interest to the information and to give the concepts credibility.

If you feel that something is missing—the piece is heavy with pros and you’d like to balance it with more cons, for example, or you lack good quotes on one aspect of your story, go back to one of your interviewees with questions pointed in the direction you want him or her to go.

Another thing I see authors do is to state what the interviewee said as a way to introduce the quote. Don’t say, “Len says that the day of the robbery was a day he will never forget, ‘I’ll never forget that day.’” Oh no, this will never do. Do not use quotes just for the sake of using them. If Betty questioned Len further, she might be able to say this, “According to Len, the day of the robbery was unforgettable, ‘It’s strange how something like this can shake a town into action. I’ll never forget how the community came together to comfort the poor tellers and customers who were in the bank at the time it was robbed.’”

If you own a copy of The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book, read more about interview techniques for authors on pages 169-173. If you don’t have this book yet, order yours at http://www.matilijapress.com/rightway.html

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How to Attract Readers For Your Writing

Thursday, January 7th, 2010

Are you alienating your readers? Does your message or your way of presenting it turn off the very people you hope to attract? How do you know and what can you do about it?

What are some of the clues that you are turning readers off?
• You can’t find a publisher.
• Your book sales are down.
• Readers avoid remarking about your book.
• You’re not getting book reviews.
• Your articles are continuously rejected.

Maybe it’s time to review your writing techniques, skill, topic and presentation.
• Are you writing with clarity?
• Is your topic popular with any group of people?
• Are you promoting to the right audience?
• Are you coming on too strong with your opinions?
• Does your material come across as weak/unconvincing?

If you are not getting the response you desire or expect, maybe it is time to reevaluate your writing, your style, even your mindset. A good tool for helping with this process is my ebook The Author’s Repair Kit, Heal Your Publishing Mistakes and Breathe New Life Into Your Book. http://www.matilijapress.com/author_repairkit.html

Among other things, this book will help you to determine your true audience, where to locate them and how to approach them. If you don’t think this is an important aspect to the success of your book, you need a reality check.

I think that many of us produce books primarily to help others—to teach, to share, to make a difference. And for some, it becomes a crusade to change minds. I mean, how else are we going to help the uninspired, overeater, alcoholic, grieving, hate-filled, abused, abusing or ill reader? How else can we change people and change the world?

What we sometimes forget or don’t comprehend is that many of these people do not want to change, won’t go in search of help, don’t trust unknown authors, aren’t ready to accept assistance, don’t want to do what it takes to change or can’t or won’t read. Sometimes it isn’t the message itself, but the way it is presented that turns off readers. Everyone has his comfort zone and most people are content to stay within it rather than venture out into unknown territory on an off chance that their life will actually change.

Sure books that promise wealth, health and a great figure/physique, are popular. Can you guess which ones are read? Not the book by an unknown author designed to transform the hardcore junk food junkie into a lean vegetarian. Probably not the one that teaches good eating habits for the anorexic. Probably not the one about money-saving techniques by the author who collects state aid/welfare.

If you are writing on behalf of a cause—you’ve launched a personal crusade through your writing—stop to think about your audience.

• Who are they?
• Where are they?
• What do they want—not what do they need—what do they want?
• How do they want to see it presented?

How can you best accommodate this audience? This is the attitude that will sell your articles and your books.

But you might say, “I have a meaningful message—something of value to teach and to share. If I give them what they want, they won’t learn anything new—they won’t improve and or grow.”

My entire career has been devoted to nonfiction writing. This includes informational articles and books, self-help, how-tos, reference books, etc. I, too, have what I believe are important messages to share and valid perspectives to teach. How do I make these points with an audience who may not be ready to hear them? I embed them in the stuff they can accept and that they want to know about. Sneaky, huh? And you might be surprised at the number of readers who come back to me months or years after reading one of my books and say, “I just re-read your book, The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book, and notice that you recommend writing a book proposal as a first step to writing a book. I never thought of doing that. What a good idea. I wish I’d done that with my first book. I would have saved a lot of time and steps in getting it published.”

Sometimes a long-time client will come to me with a question, “How can I get my book reviewed?” I will refer them to the section in my book on getting book reviews—something they paid no attention to the first time they read it.

These people may have purchased the book primarily for the information about book promotion or to use the section on how to self-publish your book (establish your own publishing company) and they completely disregarded or overlooked the parts of the book that rested outside their self-imposed, current comfort zone.

So my message to you today is, if you are writing articles or you are working on a book, make sure that you are writing the right piece/book for the right audience. If you have a published book that isn’t doing well, maybe it’s time to rethink your marketing campaign. I recommend my book, The Author’s Repair Kit in your process of refocusing. It features a handy, step-by-step program for breathing new life into a faltering book.

See all of Patricia Fry’s books here: http://www.matilijapress.com

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What Can an Editor Do For Your Book Project?

Wednesday, January 6th, 2010

Happily, the editing work is picking up. Authors are finishing up their manuscripts—or at least a few chapters—and sending them along to me to work my magic. Believe me, with some manuscript I work with, it is as if they were magically transformed.

When I look at some of the manuscripts I receive, it occurs to me that either authors don’t read their work once they finish the writing or they are naturally blind to their own literary shortcomings. Maybe readers today are so accustomed to wading through the muddy, incoherent, error-riddled books they find at bookstores that they don’t know, anymore, what constitutes good writing.

It’s frustrating, after correcting the errors and problems in a manuscript and providing lessons for the author, to discover the exact same mistakes in the next round of chapters I receive. It’s a shame when authors pay for your expertise and then don’t take full advantage of your teachings.

Do you have a good eye for your editorial mistakes and problems? Do you actually read your manuscripts through with a critical eye after they’re completed? Do you see the errors or does your brain just rush past them—assuming that everything is perfect? Does it sound pretty good to you—you see no reason to revise even a rather confusing sentence? It’s possible that you are not quite sure about some of your punctuation or you feel only a little uneasy about a couple of areas in your book. Maybe your manuscript looks perfect to you. I’d like to see it, anyway!

Please send me a few chapters to evaluate. I’ll let you know if I think you need an editor and why. Most authors do, you know. I do editing work for journalism and English majors, Ph. D.s and experienced authors as well as authors who have never penned a book.

If you contact me this month and we decide to work together on your manuscript or book proposal starting this month (January 2010), I will give you a break on my fee. Instead of my regular $50/hour fee, I’ll charge you my 2004 rate of $40/hour. So if your job takes me 12 hours, it will cost you $480 instead of $600. If you need me to edit your entire manuscript and my estimate is for 30 hours, it will cost you $1,200 instead of the usual $1,500.

Yes, it can be expensive to work with an editor. But, if you choose the right editor, this could be one of the best decisions you make toward the success of your book project.

Do you know, for example, that there is no apostrophe in 1900s? Are you aware that you use single quotation marks only inside double quotation marks? And did you know that you don’t use quotation marks at all when you’re using Italics to indicate a quote or a thought? If you’ve been reading my blogs and books for long, you know that it is now one space between sentences, right? Do you have an eye for those unwanted words that get missed when you change something using your word processor? Are you observant enough to catch it when you misspell an uncommon name or word that you devised for your story? (I see a lot of oversight in this area.) I also see manuscripts where the author changed a character’s name or one of the scenes halfway through and neglected to make the change throughout.

I can tell you that most authors—probably even you—have some bad habits that spill over into their manuscripts to a degree that pretty much spoils the integrity of their story or nonfiction book. Do you write with absolute clarity? Does your story flow naturally? Are your instructions logical? The problem is, you might not be the person to determine these things. Your mother or best friend may not catch them, either—or they will notice just some of the actual problems in your project.

I can’t stress enough the importance of hiring an editor and this is true whether you plan to self-publish, go with a pay-to-publish company or land a traditional royalty publisher.

I have to admit that there are a few (very few) manuscripts that I have refused to edit. A couple of them were already in pristine condition—no need for me to interfere. And I’ve seen some that were in such poor shape—had so many serious problems—that I would be doing a complete rewrite. Do you know how much that would cost the author?

For this author, I would (and do) suggest joining a writers’ critique group and participating regularly.

If you have a manuscript either ready to go or almost ready, contact me today PLFry620@yahoo.com. As you can see, this is not a hot link—you must copy and paste the email address, or type it in when you send me an email. To learn more about me and my work, visit: http://www.matilijapress.com/consulting.html

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Public Speaking Opportunities for Authors

Tuesday, January 5th, 2010

This is a good time of year for authors to establish a speaking calendar. How do you get speaking opportunities? And why would you want to go out and do speaking engagements, anyway?

Contrary to what many people believe, program chairpersons don’t generally go in search of speakers for their groups; that is, unless they’ve heard about the speaker or they read about him or her in the local newspapers, for example. Typically, if you have a book to promote and if you’d like to give presentations around the theme of your book, you’ll need to make it happen.

As for why you should pursue speaking opportunities? That’s a darn good way to sell books. I sold three dozen copies of my book, The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book after speaking to a fairly small group of writers in Nashville a few years ago. That same year, I sold ten books at a writers’ conference in Baltimore, fifteen at the LA Times Book Festival, fifteen at the Wisconsin Women’s Writers’ Conference and ten in Atlanta. That’s 76 more books than I would have sold if I hadn’t appeared personally on behalf of my book. And that’s 76 more people who might buy any subsequent books I’ll write on the topic of writing and publishing.

How can you land speaking engagements? The first step is to get a list of local groups and organizations that meet regularly. You may find them listed in the front pages of your phone book. Or check with the local Chamber of Commerce. If you plan to travel, check the Chamber in the cities where you’ll be visiting.

Seek out organizations related to your topic. When I plan a trip, for example, I check to see if any writers’ groups are meeting nearby during my stay.

Plan ahead—most groups schedule speakers in advance. I would shoot for summer/fall engagements. Locally, you might find opportunities in the spring.

Do a Google search in order to locate appropriate opportunities in specific areas. Use keywords, “health conference Nashville,” “spring pet events New York,” for example.

Here are a few sites for you to study. To locate conferences on topics such as cooking, arts/crafts, writing and photography, go to: http://www.shawguides.com

http://www.tsnn.com They list events world-wide on over 100 topics.

http://www.eventseye.com They list over 15,000 trade shows, events, conferences, fairs throughout the world between Oct. 2009 and Sept 2011.

http://www.eventsinamerica.com. Here, you’ll find events related to photography, catering, advertising, education, architecture, business, health/foods, travel and others.

For more about how to prepare for a presentation about your book, read the blog posts under “Public Speaking” and “promotion.”

Today is the first day of my online Book Proposal Course. It’s not too late to sign up. Contact me at PLFry620@yahoo.com. Learn more about the course here: http://www.matilijapress.com/courses.htm

Posted in Public Speaking | 1 Comment »

How to Share the Essence of Your Book With an Agent

Monday, January 4th, 2010

I interviewed a publisher and an agent for the February issue of the SPAWN Market Update. Don’t you love to know what publishers and agents are thinking—what they want—what sort of author they want to work with—how they want you to approach them, etc.?

Well, if you hope to publish your book, you’d better be interested in how agents and publishers think, how they make their decisions, what sort of projects they are seeking and why.

Several of the agents I researched, before making contact with a few, indicated in their listings which writers’ conferences they attend. I questioned a few agents about this practice of attending writers’ conferences.

Of course, those of you who frequent this blog site know that I recommend conferences to authors in search of an agent or publisher. And agents are telling me how important these conferences are to them. They actually do sometimes find that gem of a project at writers’ conferences. It really is worth going with your excellent project, but only if you are fully prepared.

One thing an agent told me was how important it is for attendees who have scheduled a meeting with an agent to know how to talk briefly about their project in some sort of meaningful way. She said that she doesn’t want a blow-by-blow description of the story, just the essence of it.

Last week I read Goldilocks and The Three Bears to a 3-year-old. It occurs to me that one should take into account this story before approaching an agent. You don’t want to inundate her with too much information and material. You don’t want to give too little. You must offer just the right amount. Go on and on with your story or the premise of your nonfiction book and you will miss the opportunity to listen. If you oversell your book, you very well may lose your opportunity. If you state simply, “It’s a nonfiction book about dogs,” or “It’s a mystery,” well, that’s not nearly enough information, is it? Is the dog book a how-to, self-help, informational, reference, book of true stories or what? Is the mystery true, paranormal, graphic, chic lit, young adult or ?

While preparing your spiel for the agent, practice capturing the very essence of your book.

I often give you homework assignments. If you are working on a book, here’s what I want you to do this week: Come up with a succinct sentence (or two) that describes your book. Share the sentence with me and let’s discuss it. This isn’t exactly what you would be presenting to an agent, but it is a starting place. This exercise is for you—to help you to put your book in a nutshell. You can work from there to capture the essence of it to share with an agent.

For more about how to meet, approach and work with an agent or publisher, how to determine which publishing option is best for you and your project, how to establish a platform that will help you to sell more books and so much more, read The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book. http://www.matilijapress.com/rightway.html

My online Book Proposal course starts tomorrow. Contact me: PLFry620@yahoo.com for more information.

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Opportunity to Learn From Your Editor

Sunday, January 3rd, 2010

Just what do you do with people who write this to you?

“Hi, im a writter. i jest finnished writing a novle this w eek and im now in need of a publisher how can I find a agent or publisher for my b ook. plese send instuctions to my emale adress as soon as yu can.”

I’m not kidding. While this doesn’t happen very often, it does happen. I receive emails very much like this. I see messages at writers’ blogs and forums online like this. What are these people thinking? Does one realize when they lack literary/grammatical knowledge and skill? Can they see the difference between their writing and what most people write? Do they know how they come across or are they just lazy?

Does a writer know when he or she stinks—when their writing does not make sense or when it is difficult to follow? It’s heartening to me when clients readily recognize the improvement in their manuscripts after I work with them. I have some clients who don’t seem to have that awareness. They may like what I’ve done, but then they continue to write run-on, complicated, go nowhere sentences, for example. That’s frustrating.

I am a teaching editor. I don’t just change the structure of your sentences, move things around, rewrite sections of your manuscript and correct your spelling, grammar or use of words. I leave your original writing in parenthesis and rewrite it in red lettering to show you how I would change/correct it. I will explain why I’ve made certain suggestions. You have the opportunity to learn new skills and techniques. You can also go back to your original words if you don’t agree with me—which doesn’t happen very often.

I also give you the opportunity to rewrite parts of your story or nonfiction manuscript rather than charging you to do the rewrites. I make the suggestions such as, “Can you flesh out this episode—I think we need more clarity on why this happened and who was present.” Or “I don’t understand why Margery came back. Could you explain this better?” Or “I don’t think your instructions are in the right order. Can you work on this?”

Hire me to edit your manuscript this year and, not only will you end up with a much improved story or nonfiction book, but you’ll also learn volumes. Working with me is like getting an education along with a professionally edited manuscript to present to publishers or agents.

Contact me for a free evaluation and estimate to work with you on your manuscript. PLFry620@yahoo.com. Learn more about me and my qualifications—read my client testimonials:
http://www.matilijapress.com/consulting.html

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Step Out and Embrace Your Writing Project

Saturday, January 2nd, 2010

Do those who reside under the sign of Gemini all do things in pairs? Gemini is the twins, you know. I was born a Gemini and, while I’m not a twin and I’m not even all that conflicted as far as my moods and personality, I tend to do everything in multiples.

I have more than one cat. I went to New York for the first time this year—not once, but twice! I have several “twin” friends. By this, I mean that I can see similarities between many of my friends—pairs of friends who don’t know one another, but who have very similar traits and personalities. Sometimes I even call one friend by her “twin” friend’s name.

When I shop, I often buy two of the same item. I even have pairs of clothing items. If I really like a shirt, pair of slacks, or whatever, I’ll buy a second one. This is true of plants, too. I cannot go to the nursery and pick out just one rose bush or just one lavender plant. If I’m going to make a batch of cookies, I bake two different kinds. I have multiple calendars, bird houses and photos of our kitten.

I almost always have more than one project going on in my office. Currently, I am finishing up a book for authors AND I am revising Catscapades, Tales of Ordinary and Extraordinary Cats and plan to bring it out in print—as a perfect-bound book.

Along with this, I have client work scheduled and I am involved every day with SPAWN work. SPAWN is Small Publishers, Artists and Writers Network.

Are there advantages to working on more than one project at once? Maybe for some of us. Maybe not for others. I guess it depends on how a person is wired. If you need variety in your life, you may do your best work when you are not stuck working on just one story—when you have a couple of interesting things going. If you are easily confused or distracted, you may do better when sticking to one project—one topic.

How do you know what are your best working conditions? I guess this has to be figured out by trial and error. But I can tell you that if you are easily rattled by the infinite details of your nonfiction book or novel project, you probably had better stick to one project (even one chapter) at a time. Not all authors can manage the research for the chapter on green travel and the interviews for the section on building green homes while also writing a piece on shopping green for an ecology magazine. You know who you are.

If you need lots of quiet space in which to write your essay for a regional magazine, if you freak out when you have two articles scheduled to write, if you are overwhelmed by the very thought of pulling together all of the facts and ideas necessary to complete a book, you probably aren’t a natural multitasker.

But if you want to develop your writing abilities and, perhaps, establish yourself within the writing profession in some way, you cannot stay completely within your comfort zone forever.

Maybe this is the year that you will venture out a little, take on a new writing project, decide to submit articles to magazines or start the book of your dreams.

If you need help with this, contact me at PLFry620@yahoo.com.

If you plan to enter into the vast and competitive field of publishing, be sure to arm yourself with knowledge. The best and most reader-friendly book I can recommend is The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book by me (Patricia Fry).
http://www.matilijapress.com/rightway.html.

This book is in the library system. I’d like to hear from those of you who have borrowed it from your public or university library.

My Book Promotion Workshop begins January 5.
http://www.matilijapress.com/courses.htm

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Happy New Year! Now Start Writing!

Friday, January 1st, 2010

The celebrating is over. Now what are you going to do? Do you have your 2010 goals set? Will you finally start that novel, write that business book or pen your memoir?

Are you ready to move forward or is your dream still in a cloud without any real form or substance? Do you feel as removed from your ultimate goal as you have for the last one, two, ten or twenty years? Maybe it is time to finally act on it. Here are some ideas that may help:

• Determine your first step. Is it to outline a story for your novel, write a book proposal for your business book or dig out the notes and mementos representing your life story? Once you know what your first step should be, you have something concrete to do and you may actually follow through.

• Set a date. When will you take this first step? Get out your calendar and circle the date. How’s January 15, 2010?

• Determine your next step. It might be to write the first paragraph of your novel or the first chapter of your business book or to outline your memoir. What date will you start or complete this phase of your project? February 1?

• Step three might be completing a chapter or writing the introduction to your memoir. Make this a Valentine’s Day gift to yourself.

Wow! Look at you! You have a great start on your project. Just imagine what you could accomplish by this time next year if you stay on this schedule. Can you see your goal more clearly now? If not, maybe you need to make some changes in your life. I like to call them “changes,” you might consider them “sacrifices.” I don’t think there is a successful man or woman anywhere who did not sacrifice something in order to meet his or her most important goals.

You probably know some of the most common obstacles to success. What are they? For most people it is time, energy and establishing the right environment—one that is conducive to writing. I know how to overcome these obstacles. I’ve made my share of sacrifices (and still do) in order to continue my writing career and to complete the projects that are dear to me. I’m even learning how to work with a 3-year-old in the house one day a week. Most of my friends are retired now, so I’m often tempted to go play when I should be working. So how does one overcome these obstacles? Let’s consider the major, major problem for most—time. How can you make more time to write? By using it differently.

• Go to bed an hour later or get up an hour earlier and use that time to write.
• Turn down some of your invitations to go clubbing, etc. Write instead.
• Watch less TV.
• Stop working so much overtime at your job.
• Let your gardening, hobbies, etc. go for now. Use that time to write.
• Back away from club and association involvement for now.
• Curb your volunteering practices.
• Organize your time more effectively.

Some of us have time to write, we just don’t recognize it. We’ve developed habits that we don’t know how to break. That’s why I suggest making lists. Start by writing down what you do with your time day in and day out. Do this for a few days or even a week. Exactly how do you spend your time? What time do you get up in the morning? What is your routine? What are you doing at 9:a.m., during your lunch hour, at 5, 7, 8 in the evening? Once you see your time-use pattern, you may discover time slots when you could be writing instead of chatting with neighbors, for example, sending jokes to your email list, scouring the Internet for car parts, sitting at Starbucks with strangers, shopping, watching TV and so forth.

Now start taking charge of your time. Each evening, make a schedule and include time to write.

That’s enough nagging for today. Let me know if you are having any trouble with this plan and we’ll work together toward your success.

In the meantime, if you are serious about entering into the publishing industry, you MUST read my book, The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book. http://www.matilijapress.com/rightway.html

Please, don’t make the mistakes that so many others make when they decide to become published. As I told someone yesterday, publishing is a serious and highly competitive business. In order to succeed, you must arm yourself with knowledge. That is the goal of my book.

I’m running two online courses this month. Read my most recent blog posts to learn more about them. These courses fill fast, so act now.

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