Those of you living in California know that we’ve been dealing with a lot of rain this week. Even if you don’t live in the West, you are aware of the nonstop rain, flood and mudslide warnings, thunder storms and even a few tornadoes (one hit a mile away from where my mother lives in the next town).
So what do you do in Southern California when it rains and you can’t get out in the garden or take a long walk? If you’re a writer, you write! And that’s exactly what I’ve been doing this week. I’ve also gone into production with THREE books.
I have completed The Successful Author’s Handbook, an ebook. I’m waiting for my webmaster to return from vacation and get it set up at my website so I can start telling you all how to obtain a copy.
I have completed the writing, editing, proofing, editing, proofing, editing, proofing… for the newly revised Catscapades, True Cat Tales. Currently, my photographer and my design person are working their magic. This will be a perfectbound book. I can’t tell you how much fun I’ve been having with this project.
And I’ve decided to rewrite and update one of my most popular books, Over 75 Good Ideas for Promoting Your Book. Gosh, that has been a good selling book. Amazon buys it by the dozens. I’ve had publishers order it from me to hand out to their authors! And many, many authors purchase this little 72-page book in order to get a sense and some direction about book promotion. It’s time to reprint it, so I have decided to update it, as well. Much has changed since I produced this little evergreen book.
What are you working on this month? Have you kicked your writing work up a notch in the new year? Have you set new writing/publishing goals? How are you doing with that? Do you need help? Here are my suggestions for getting help to stay on track with your writing work.
• Set a schedule and put it in writing.
• Challenge yourself to write a page a day or a chapter a week.
• Join a writers’ group and/or engage a writing buddy so you are accountable to someone outside of yourself.
• Enroll in a class or online course in order to get the structure, direction and feedback you need.
• Read the type of writing you’re doing for inspiration.
• If you plan to publish your writing, study appropriate books and articles in order to prepare yourself for the tasks ahead.
I can’t stress enough how important it is to arm yourself with knowledge long before you are ready to publish and this is valid advice whether you plan to land a traditional publisher, find an agent to represent you, self-publish (establish your own publishing company) or go with a pay-to-publish service. Knowledge is definitely your most valuable asset going in and the earlier in the process that you begin to understand the publishing industry and how to navigate it, the better your chances for success.
I know that some of you are writing the books of your dreams and you’ve also been following my advice about educating yourself about the publishing industry. You will be so glad you did. Those of you who have not yet bought into this concept, please reconsider. Talk to any industry professional and any published (first time or many time) author. They will all tell you that your best chance for publishing success lies with your level of knowledge about publishing. Too many authors learn this AFTER making numerous mistakes.
I wrote my book, The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book for every new and struggling author. Please take advantage of the wisdom (gathered over 35 years) and the benefits of in-depth research in this 340-page book. The book, by the way, has had dozens of 5-star reviews—many by industry professionals.
Order your copy today—you could have it in your hands by Monday or Tuesday. http://www.matilijapress.com/rightway.html