Archive for November, 2010

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Clichés: Shortcuts to Understanding

Sunday, November 7th, 2010

I discovered recently, while having a conversation with some young people, that what we consider clichés are actually new to some of them.

I was surprised to learn that my generation’s tried and true, overused phrases might actually be fresh to today’s young readers. Unless their parents or grandparents used terms such as, “don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater,” “what’s good for the goose is good for the gander,” “got hitched,” “born with a silver spoon in his mouth,” “Dutch treat,” “penny wise, pound foolish,” etc., subsequent generations won’t hear them growing up. And when they read them in books, they’ll consider these phrases and terms new and unique.

And think about this—after a few more generations of not using these old clichés, they will go by the wayside and, perhaps, disappear, only to be replaced by new phrases that will eventually become clichés. In the meantime, we’d be losing some very clever and poignant ways of relaying our thoughts and moving our stories forward.

I think you’ve heard/read me say that I love clichés. I use them more than I probably should in my speaking. I try not to use them in my writing. However, some of them are so meaningful and powerful, I would be among those fighting against eliminating them altogether.

Clichés are considered old, tired phrases that have no place in our writing projects. But some would disagree. The arguments for clichés include the fact that sometimes a cliché is the best way to convey a message or mood in writing. And most of us certainly use them as shortcuts to understanding in our speaking.

A cliché used for the sake of ease is frowned on. But the clever use of a cliché is often applauded.

Where do the clichés come from? Some of them are “as old as dirt.” They come from literature such as Shakespeare and the Bible. Some clichés we use have come into being in more recent years through political messages, presidential presentations, the military, sports, etc.

Right along with clichés as passé for writers are puns. I love puns, too. A pun is a play on words. And they can be freshly created by an author of merit and still be considered trite. You see (and hear) puns everywhere. But writers and speakers try to keep them to a minimum. I guess that is wise—too many of them certainly could spoil an article or a chapter in your book.

Here’s your assignment today—for fun, use a cliché or two. Or at least recognize and acknowledge when you automatically use a cliché in your speaking throughout the day. It may do your heart good and you know it is easy as pie to come up with no brainer clichés. And remember time flies when you’re having fun.

Learn more about me and my work, books and courses here:
http://www.patriciafry.com
http://www.matilijapress.com

Posted in Writing | 1 Comment »

Holiday Blues for Writers

Saturday, November 6th, 2010

If you have been working as a freelance article writer for a while, the holidays are not your favorite time of year. Everything slows down. Magazine editors are impossible to contact. You’re hard-pressed even to receive rejection letters this time of year. You wonder, “Where did everyone go?” “Don’t they have magazines to get out?”

It has always been a puzzle to me—why it is so difficult to communicate with someone about your pending story, your idea or even your paycheck during the summer months and the major holidays. I imagine huge offices going vacant this time of year except for a lonely janitor tidying up while the phones are ringing off the hooks. Where are the employees? Home preparing Thanksgiving dinner, decorating their trees, shopping for gifts, I suppose. Maybe they’re traveling to warmer locations or to visit family in other states.

You know how the janitor feels as he or she rattles around in the expansive New York office building alone. You feel alone in your attempt to place your articles this time of year.

When I was writing articles full-time, I tried to keep up with the game all summer and during the fall/winter holidays. I continued my routine of coming up with article ideas, conducting research and interviews, sending out query letters and writing requested articles. But I felt as though I was in it all alone—that New York had disappeared from the face of the earth or at least had closed down for the winter. I also felt frustrated and a tad angry. Here I was working as usual and nobody cared.

If you have experienced this phenomenon or if you begin to experience it this year, I have a few suggestions. Rather than trying to conduct business as usual all by yourself, you might adjust your mindset, way of pursuing your work and your expectations. Here are some ideas:

• Catch up on your bookwork and organize your workspace or office while sipping on a hot toddy and listening to holiday music.

• Research new outlets for your articles. You’ll be prepared when everyone gets back to work.

• Contact several smaller publications with your article ideas. They seem to keep to the grindstone like you do. They may pay less, so think volume.

• Go into idea mode. This is a good time to read magazines and newspapers with a pen and pad nearby. Study the news and current trends with an editorial eye. Listen as people converse. Watch talk shows on TV. Locate new ideas or find ways to put a new twist or spin on older news/concepts.

• Recycle some of your articles. This might be a good time to send out reprints.

• Tackle that major piece you’ve been wanting to write. Start with the research and interviews you need to conduct in order to write a powerful query letter.

• Next year, leading into the summer and holiday seasons, shift into high and crank up your query and article submissions considerably to help cover the weeks (or months) that little is happening in your profession.

• Work hard all year and take a few weeks off during the holidays. You won’t even notice that no one is home in New York.

Are you aware of the phenomenon I’ve touched on here today—the absence of editors during the holidays? How do you handle your freelance business during these times? We’d love to hear from you.

Learn more about me and my work here:
http://www.patriciafry.com
http://www.matilijapress.com

Posted in Article-Writing | 1 Comment »

The Author’s Web Presence

Friday, November 5th, 2010

I read it again yesterday: Authors must have a strong web presence. In fact this came from a publisher who wrote in his submission guidelines, “Our best selling books are by authors with a strong web presence.”

What does this mean? In this case, it means that the authors whose books are selling are those who have created the most opportunity for exposure online. These authors are, most likely, showcasing their books at their own websites, they’re blogging regularly and frequently, they’re posting at Twitter and maybe a few other social networks. But they’re probably also commenting on other blogs related to the theme/genre of their books, getting their books reviewed online, being interviewed at appropriate sites, being guest blogger at active blog sites, and inviting big name authors, publishers and others in their field to be guest bloggers.

But there’s more that you can do to enhance the web presence you are so actively attempting to establish. Your potential readers who use Google Alerts to keep abreast of books and authors within their favorite topics/genres will easily find you. Those who are excellent researchers will stumble across your site and become aware of your book. But what about the many others out there who would read your book if they knew about it, but don’t know about it? Here are a few additional things you can do in order to boost your excellent web presence:

• Submit articles or stories related to your subject/genre to appropriate magazines and ezines regularly. And be sure to link it to your website.

• Send press releases every so often announcing an activity or event you’re involved in, a contest you’re running or a charity project you have started.

• Go out and speak publicly to your audience.

• Hand out and send out brochures, biz cards, etc. with your web address on it.

• Launch a newsletter and strive to keep building your subscription list.

• Create a spectacular book trailer that everyone will be talking about and post it at your website, show it from your booths at book festivals, etc.

Yes, a web presence is necessary for authors today. But if you stop at simply building a nice site, you will not even be noticed.

For much more about how to promote your book in this competitive publishing climate and so much more, read The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book http://www.matilijapress.com/rightway.html

Visit my new website and sign up for a free ebook. http://www.patriciafry.com

Posted in Book Promotion | No Comments »

The Whole Truth in Writing and Speaking

Thursday, November 4th, 2010

There are a few things that are like fingernails on a blackboard to me. One of them is when speakers or writers profess the truth in their statements.

Honestly, (pun intended) when someone prefaces a statement by saying, “I have to be honest here,” “To tell you the truth,” “Truthfully,” “In all honesty,” “To be completely honest,” and so forth, I have to wonder if everything they said before that was a lie.

Why do people point out that they’re being truthful only now and then during a talk or in their written work? What are they thinking? What message are they trying to leave with their audience? “Hey, I’m a blatant liar except that now I’m going to be honest.”

I guess people who do this are trying to make a point of honesty with regard to something that one could easily lie about. Maybe it is a sticky topic and they preface a comment about it by letting their audience know they are being painfully honest at some cost. But I would advise those folks to be careful with those “honesty,” prefaces because I’m sure there are others besides myself who hear those statements and wonder, “Okay, what has this guy/gal been lying about?”

Does this bug you? It probably will now that I have pointed it out.

I listen to radio when I run errands or make the drive to visit my mother, etc. And I’m sometimes surprised to hear a radio personality who continually intersperses such filler words as, “You know,” throughout their commentary and conversations with guests. Sometimes I lose track of what the discussion is about because I am so busy counting instances of “you know.”

What common phrases, speaking patterns/habits and innuendoes irritate you? What are you working to correct in your own speech? What about clichés? I happen to love using clichés. They are sort of like a comfort food to me. I can find them easily and, unlike a fresh phrase that I might have to think about for a while, they roll off my tongue. I use clichés in writing, too. Only, when the writing is done, I go back and remove or exchange most of them. And I always edit them out of my clients’ manuscripts, except those included for some real purpose or when it is the way one of the characters speaks.

Posted in Public Speaking, Writing | 2 Comments »

Who is Your Target Audience?

Wednesday, November 3rd, 2010

Are you still confused about who comprises your target audience?

If you have tackled your book proposal or if you have attempted to write an over-the-top effective query letter, you’ve had to address the question—who is the audience for your book?

Most first-time authors want to say, “Everyone!” They can reason that everyone is a potential reader for their book. There are:

• Those who are interested in the genre/topic.

• Your friends, family, colleagues, coworkers, neighbors, fellow worshipers, grocer, hairdresser and so forth.

• Curiosity seekers.

• Students assigned to read something on this topic.

• People who might find the book on a seat in an airport and read it because they have nothing else to do.

• Researchers.

• Those who received it in a gift basket they bought at a silent auction.

• Patients in waiting rooms.

Okay, if your book is in print long enough and if you continue to promote it wide enough, someone from each of these categories may, indeed, read (or purchase) this book. But this is not your target audience.

Let’s examine the word “target.” It indicates something you aim for, direct toward, pursue. When you refer to your target audience, this is the most reasonable group of readers for your book—those who would most likely want to read your particular book. And this is the audience you should be thinking about while you write the book, it is the audience you will market the book to and it is the audience your potential publisher wants to hear about.

Who is most likely to read your fantasy romance novel, your horror novel or your young adult adventure novel? The answer is obvious—those who typically read books in these genres. Your job, when determining your target audience for the publisher, for your own information and/or while devising your marketing plan, is to find out how many readers this group comprises and how to locate and approach them.

For your book on photographing pets, your primary audience is made up of adoring pet owners who enjoy photography.

Sure, most books have target audiences and fringe audiences. Your fringe audience for the pet photography book might be people purchasing the book as a gift, animal activists who want to improve the quality of their pet adoption photos, a journalist who writes about animals and wants to include photos in their story packages, and so forth.

Now maybe you can finally see the value in knowing your true target audience. The thing is, you have to promote this book. You’re not going to spend your time marketing it to journalists—that group is not large enough. You won’t promote it to people as a gift item—that means doing random marketing to everyone in hopes of locating a potential customer or two. NO! You are going to be promoting to your most logical audience—those who need/want your book.

Think about this: If you go with the premise that your book is for everyone and begin a wide sweep of marketing, you’re actually going to miss your best opportunities for sales. While you’re out there trying to capture the attention of everyone, your true readers may never find out about your book.

Are you writing a book? Have you determined your target audience? Have you ever targeted the wrong audience and had to change your total marketing strategies and direction? I’d like to hear your story.

http://www.matilijapress.com
http://www.patriciafry.com

Posted in Book Promotion, Book Proposals | No Comments »

An Authorly Observation on Right/Left-Brain Function

Tuesday, November 2nd, 2010

I work with a variety of authors and find that most of them approach their writing projects from a right-brain perspective—creative, artistic, intuitive, visual, emotional and somewhat subjective.

Sometimes I chance to meet an author who has left-brain leanings. He tends to be more organized, analytical, logical, objective and desires everything communicated in concrete terms.

These two authors even choose to write in different genres using different styles. The right-brain author is more inclined to write poetry, creative nonfiction, spiritual pieces, descriptive novels, self-help books and children’s books. Our left-brain friends typically write historicals, business books, technical books and works related to how things work and societal issues.

I work with numbers of authors one-on-one as well as in workshop/classroom situations with regard to publishing and book marketing. And this is a tough topic for the more creative types. If they want to publish, they know they have to learn this stuff, but they moan and groan with every hard business truth that emerges.

The left-brain authors, however, tend to grasp the business aspects of publishing rather easily and eagerly. After writing their book for months or years, when they hear me talk about the business of publishing, they finally experience a level of comfort. They may have suffered through the writing stages. But they understand and embrace the more logical, concrete world of publishing. Only sometimes left-brain people are too rigid in their thinking and they expect (or demand) definitive answers to all of their publishing questions—“How many books can I sell in a year?” “Which marketing avenue is the most lucrative for an author?” “Which publisher is going to cut me the best deal?” “How much time will I need to set aside for promotion?”

While I often see a conflict of the minds, I’d rather see a meeting of the minds—so to speak. If only authors could rely more on their right brain while engaged in the writing of their projects and then shift over into left-brain thinking for the publishing part of it—oh what a more well-rounded and, probably, successful author we would have.

There are actually exercises you can do in order to nudge your weaker side to become stronger. The strictly analytical mind can be trained to become more intuitive and vice versa.

It would be fun to hear from you as to your right/left-brain leanings. Are you strictly right? Left? Or are you like me, rather middle brain?

Learn more about me, my books and my work here:
http://www.patriciafry.com
http://www.matilijapress.com

Posted in Publishing, Writing | No Comments »

Experiencing the Very Real Results of Author Exposure

Monday, November 1st, 2010

I spent my weekend at the Redwood Writers Writers’ Conference and what a nice event this was. It was held in Santa Rosa, California. There were somewhere around 100 writers in attendance. And the conference organizer, Marlene Cullen, did a spectacular job planning and running the event. I want to thank Marlene and her enthusiastic committee for all they did to make this a success. A special thanks goes to Tom Marianis who volunteered to shuttle me from and to the airport.

I flew into Santa Rosa from Southern, California around mid-morning—arriving in time to check in, freshen up and attend a luncheon with novelist, Sheldon Siegel as the keynote speaker. Inspiring and interesting.

I gave my presentation at 3:15 that afternoon. I had a lovely, attentive audience of around twenty-five people.

At conferences such as this, there are usually two to four sessions occurring at the same time. So there is something for everyone. After a conference, organizers generally ask the participants to fill out an evaluation form.

One author came up to me at the networking gathering after the sessions and said, “I wrote on my evaluation sheet that you made the conference for me. You said exactly what I needed to hear and I believe you.” Nice!

I have had a couple of instances recently illustrating how important exposure is or how exposure can work in your favor. One occurred at the conference. A woman who attended my session came up to me and asked if I was the same Patricia Fry who spoke at the San Diego State University Conference a few years ago. I said that I was. She said, “I wasn’t able to attend that conference, but I purchased your tape afterward and I listen to it a lot.” When I told her I did five sessions that year, she excitedly told me that she was going back and ordering all of my tapes. Don’t you love it when you experience the results of the exposure?

Also at the conference, an author came up to me and said, “Your name is so familiar, but I can’t place where I’ve heard it.” He may someday figure out that it is because I write regularly for a newsletter he reads, that he has one of my books, that he has seen me mentioned in another book he has on his shelf, that he attended another conference where I spoke, that I was recommended as an editor or that he simply came across my websites or blog while doing some research.

The day before I left for the conference, I did a telephone consultation with a ghostwriter. He said he may want to hire me to edit the book he’s working on. He said that he chose me to contact because he met me at a book festival during the summer and was impressed by what I had to offer. He said that, upon further investigation—exploring my website and so forth—he was convinced and he contacted me. Fortunately, the questions he needed answered are exactly within my area of expertise and he was very happy with our consultation.

It is not unusual for someone to come to me for assistance long after meeting me at a conference or a book festival. One of my clients looked me up three years after we met at a conference in Wisconsin. We worked together on her project for about a year after that.

I am eager to see how my exposure at this conference pays off. The gifts that come from giving are sweet, indeed. I love hearing how one of my presentations pointed an author in the right direction with his or her book project. I enjoy welcoming a new SPAWN member who first heard of us when I spoke at a conference. I especially like receiving news of the success of an author who attended my session or read one of my books. I’ll keep you posted as to the serendipity that comes from this enjoyable weekend.

You may have noticed that I kept up my blog obligation despite the fact that I was gone over the weekend. How did I manage that? I wrote Saturday’s and Sunday’s blogs last week. Saturday, when I got up to get ready to drive to the airport (at 2:45 a.m.), I posted the Saturday blog. When I returned yesterday afternoon, I posted the Sunday blog. I hope you noticed.

What did I talk about at the conference? The two keys to publishing success. If you want to know more about this, let me know. I can refer you to past posts and articles on this topic.

Visit my websites: http://www.patriciafry.com
http://www.matilijapress.com

Posted in Authorship, Writers' Conferences | No Comments »

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