Writing and Publishing News

Do you blog? Why? Many authors do so as a means to help bring attention to their books and services. But are you using your blog to the fullest capacity? You want to promote your books and services, sure! But you won’t get many followers unless you also provide information, resources, ideas, techniques and tips that they can use.

Mix it Up
By this, I mean try to use variety when choosing your topic and style of presenting it. Your readers would tire of seeing the same material presented in the same format every time they click over to your blog site.

Keep it Up
Likewise, if the terrain doesn’t change very often, visitors won’t be hiking those trails. So post often at your blog site to keep people coming back for something new.

Here are some ideas for blog posts:

• Essay-style posts are always popular. They’re easy to write and read. Just make sure you are presenting information and material that is pertinent to the theme of your blog.

• Bulleted blogs keep things neat and tidy. I like to provide bits and pieces of information or instructions using bullets. It makes for a quick and organized read.

• Give a generous dose of resources. Everyone who is interested in your topic will welcome more information in different forms. If you learn about a site that would be useful to your readers, share it. List some of the best books on the subject. Talk about conferences and other programs for folks interested in this topic. My readers particularly like it when I list directories of book review sites, directories of freelance writing jobs, etc.

• Interview other experts for your blog. Or invite a guest blogger in.

• Provide a Q and A format occasionally. Simply feature the questions you get most often—these are the same questions your readers have.

• Review a product or book related to your topic.

• Play devil’s advocate using a controversial subject within your industry or the topic of your book.

• Provide lessons for your followers. It’s easy to do. Just give a one-through ten list of steps on how to bathe a dog, make a latte at home, start a recycling hobby, make a low-fat brownie, write a resume, etc.

• Revise an article to use as a blog post.

• Relay your thoughts/activities. Probably way too many people do this as a way of maintaining their blog sites. But it isn’t something you would want to do every day. It is okay, however, and it can be interesting to your readers, if you let a little of who you are and how you actually operate trickle into your blog posts. I enjoy reading how other writers manage their work days, what they do for fun, how they refresh their creativity and so forth. If your book features how to create curb appeal when selling your house, you may want to include some personal stories, your thoughts/opinions about some of the sellers you’ve met and some of their attempts at creating curb appeal, etc.

If you’ve been following my blog for any length of time, you know that I’m a fan of mixing it up and keeping it up. I hope that this post will give you some ideas about how to spruce up your blog.

Remember, I’m offering a discount on my online courses on memoir writing, self-editing, book promotion, self-publishing, writing a book proposal and article-writing during the month of June. Check my May 24, 2010 entry. Learn more about the courses I offer here: http://www.matilijapress.com/courses.htm

Fiction and nonfiction writers often fret about their beginnings and their endings. Most writers know what they want to present in their articles. They have a storyline in mind. But some are weak when it comes to creating their openings and others may struggle to end their stories or articles appropriately.

I like the full-circle approach.

First, you MUST ease or jump into your piece using some sort of hook that will attract the attention of your audience—something that will make him/her keep reading. It might be a shocking statement or statistic, a fascinating concept or an intriguing scenario. We’ve all read great beginnings. We know what they consist of. Writing one can be challenging. But your amazing story or tantalizing article is certainly worth the effort.

One author I know, starts her memoir with the raunchiest escapade she remembers occurring when she was a child. It’s a rather unbelievable episode. But you know it could be true and you want to know more about the people who would behave in this manner. It’s a great hook.

Some article-writers open with a worst case scenario to make a point and to keep people reading. This works for many article topics, including childcare, eldercare, relationship issues, animal rescue, pet care and so many others.

But how do you end stories and articles like these? As I said, I like the full-circle approach. What does this mean? I like to end with something that relates to the beginning—something that serves to tie the piece up nicely with a pretty bow. It’s neat, crisp and usually effective.

In the case of the memoir, the author may introduce the fact that she never had a birthday—she was the only girl she knew without a birthday. She might relate that her birthday was never celebrated as a child—there were no presents, no cake, no acknowledgement at all. She could tell how this made her feel—to see other children celebrate their special days—maybe even her brothers and sisters. She might end this memoir by describing the birthday parties she throws for herself now that she is an adult and how valued she feels when surrounded by her friends, husband and children.

If the animal rescue article begins with a story about a cat living on the streets, end it by sharing the story of that cat now living more successfully in a cat colony or having been rescued and domesticated.

If there’s anything that readers like better than happy endings, it’s any ending. We want to know what happened. There was a time when it was the fad to leave a story or a movie unfinished. Writers thought that readers and viewers enjoyed imagining their own endings. But I believe that era is over. We like to know what happened, what happened next and what the end result was. One way to provide this is to bring your story full circle.

Read more about writing a good story, self-editing, your publishing options, your responsibility as a published author and lots more in my book, The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book. http://www.matilijapress.com/rightway.html

Be sure to sign up for one of my 6 online courses this month at a discount. See my May 24 blog entry for details.

There’s more to compiling, writing and editing a book. After the research is completed and the writing is done, there’s something else to consider—the organization of the project.

Writers go about the process of organizing their books in a variety of ways. I’ve had books fall into place almost automatically as I wrote them. Some of my books, I organized long before the writing started using bunches of file folders and hanging files in large boxes. The book I’m working on now is being organized as we speak.

The writing is pretty much completed, except for a few additions and enhancements I plan to include. But the organization isn’t quite right, yet. And I’m working to make the book more reader/researcher-friendly and so that it is presented in the most logical, easy-to-use form possible.

How does one organize an informational, self-help, how-to or educational book? What’s the secret to organizing a memoir? I suggest to my students and clients to always keep their audience/readers in mind.

We have talked many times about defining the purpose of your book and identifying your target audience. Now, as you organize and write the book, focus on the purpose—make sure your book is living up to that promise—and direct the book toward your target audience. Continue asking yourself, “Will the material I’m including be of value or interest to my audience?” “Is it presented in a way that is logical and easy-to-follow.” “Could someone from Mars understand the concept and the process I am introducing?”

Often, we clump similar topics together in sections or chapters. You’ll want to go over each section or chapter several times with your audience in mind to determine if you’re on target or need to make adjustments. Check your chapters—are they all about the same size or are some ten pages long while others fill only three? Try to organize your chapters so they are approximately the same size.

Chapter heads are another consideration. Do your chapter titles conform or do some of them seem out of place in your book? You might adopt chapter heads that read, “Plant the Right Seeds,” “Watch Your Garden Grow,” “Learn More About Transplants,” “Water When Needed,” etc. Keep to the active way of labeling your chapters. Avoid throwing in a heading like the following: “Running Over a Hose With a Tractor,” “How About Growing Chard?” or “Beans and Other Veggie Crops.” You can use the chapter titles in a book, if you wish. But make sure all of the titles in that particular book are in the same style.

Organizing a book is personal with each author. But that author needs to use logic in the process. Study other books similar to yours and see how they are organized. What do you like/dislike about the way these books are put together? What is your main message, secondary message and the points that you want to make? Which aspects of your book serve to support your message and reinforce the purpose?

You might want to define your main chapters—featuring your main message. Follow with strong supporting information/resources and then fill in with the various incidental points.

A memoir or a historical account, for example, should flow from one point to others using segues you’ve created to maintain that flow. Organize these stories so that the reader feels as though he is a part of it and not an outsider peering in at a confusing array of scenes.

Read more about organizing your book by reading my book, The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book.
http://www.matilijapress.com/rightway.html

Sign up for one of my online courses at a discount this month. See the May 24, 2010 blog post for details.

Is the first of the month significant to you? I often see the first as a time of new beginnings—an opportunity to change direction with my book promotion or step it up, start or finish a project, do some spring cleaning (physically or mentally), etc. When the first comes at the first of the week or, as it does this month, following a holiday weekend, it seems even more significant and meaningful to me. The signaling of a beginning phase, period, cycle, etc. can become a powerful incentive to accomplish or complete something.

For me, the first of the year isn’t the only significant point of motivation or even reflection. I accept and utilize them all throughout the year. How do I make them work for me?

The first of the month or the end of the month might become deadline dates. I sometimes look at Mondays as a good starting point for new client work or one of my own projects. Birthdays or other events often become jump off points, as well. Maybe I’ve been involved in planning for or celebrating a special milestone or preparing for and taking a trip, for example. Once it’s over, the party is put away or I’ve downloaded my vacation photos and unpacked, rather than continue a project, I usually start something new.

I try never to leave anything unfinished before an event or a trip. And I pace myself. I know how unhappy I can become when there just isn’t enough time to accomplish everything I want to. So when I see something coming up on my calendar that is going to distract me—take me away from my work—if possible, I will shift gears. I might set the book I’m writing or revising aside and scurry to complete some client work (which always takes priority with me, anyway). I may spend a busy week promoting one of my books rather than attempting to write amidst distractions. I might submit articles in between tasks outside of the office.

This month, the first is on a Tuesday—but it is the beginning of the work week. What a great opportunity to start something. For me, however, the next two days are filled with distractions, so a new project would get little attention. I am looking at Thursday as my starting off point this week. This is also my birthday month (and it is a big birthday), which will undoubtedly come with added distractions. I am already planning my month to include client work, my book revision work (it’s easy to start and stop) and time spent promoting Catscapades, True Cat Tales. I’ll be teaching a couple of my online courses (join in with us) and, of course, there is the ongoing monthly work—writing the Market Update for the SPAWN site, shipping books, writing my daily blog in hopes of enlightening, informing, educating and entertaining you while, of course, handling those daily inquiries and other challenges that come up in a busy office.

What about you? Is June 1 significant to you this year? Will you chart a new course for yourself or reorganize your workload? Will you start a new project or, perhaps, hire an editor or a publicist? Or is this just another Tuesday to you?