The Working Writer: Sources for Paying Markets

Photo: Jennifer Leo

by Jennifer Lamont Leo


Few writers get into the writing game to get rich--few realistic writers, anyway. That said, the worker is worth his wages, and there's nothing icky or impure about wanting your hard work to be rewarded in the coin of the realm.

For those interested in the monetary aspects of the writing life, here are three market resources that are currently earning good reputations in the writing community:

Scratch Magazine

I've been enjoying an online magazine called Scratch produced by Jane Friedman and Manjula Martin, described as "smart, useful stories about the intersection of writing and money, for writers of all genres and trades. Each quarterly issue features in-depth interviews, reportage, resources, and personal stories about the work of being a writer."

It's pretty new, just 3 or 4 issues so far, I think. Recent issues have featured interviews with Cheryl Strayed, Susan Orlean, and Jonathan Franzen, talking nuts and bolts of the writing life. Interesting.

Scratch is available only through paid subscription ($20), but I believe that their "Who Pays Writers" feature is free.

I've got no "scratch" in the game. Just thought I'd pass along the info in case someone's interested.

Funds for Writers 

Funds for Writers, compiled by author C. Hope Clark, offers two e-newsletter options: a weekly free newsletter that lists "semi-pro or higher paying markets and contests as well as grants, crowdfunding, contests, publishers, agents and employers," and a paid biweekly subscription ($15/year) that lists "grants, competitions, markets, jobs, publishers and agents seeking your work and all paying $200 or 10 cents/ word and up."

I recently began subscribing to the paid newsletter, and a recent issue listed 16 contests with cash prizes, 10 grant/crowdfunding opportunities, 21 editor/agent listings, 19 paying markets, and 3 writing jobs. Most of these are opportunities I probably would not have ferreted out on my own. To have them pre-researched and gathered in one spot is, to my mind, a useful service for a busy writer.

Hope also blogs at chopeclark.com

Rat Race Rebellion

While I've not yet used Rat Race Rebellion myself, it came highly recommended to me from a trusted colleague as a source of genuine, scam-free job leads, so I checked it out. The site, run by training and developing company Staffcentrix, is a clearinghouse for all sorts of pre-screened work-at-home jobs and job-referral services, not just writing. On a recent visit to the writing-and-editing section, I found 49 referral listings. A handful of these were already familiar to me; the rest were unfamiliar and seemed worth checking out. Of course, as for all referral sites, caveat emptor and YMMV apply. Still, this site looks to be intelligent, well-organized, and a potentially helpful tool in navigating the paying markets.

Have you had experiences with any of these resources that you'd care to share? Or are there other resources you'd recommend for fiscally-minded scribes? Let us know in the comments. 

 

Writing Holiday Articles for Magazines

Ever wanted to see your words on the 

glossy pages of a magazine?  Go for it!

It’s Valentine’s Day … another holiday offering writers a plethora of opportunities.  Granted, it’s too late to get your name in print this year, but it is the perfect time to think about getting to work on a magazine article for an upcoming holiday or for Valentine's Day next year.

Magazines are produced on a constant series of deadlines.  A yearly outline of topics is set and then writers, photographers and advertising personnel get to work.  They assign articles to writers and give them a deadline and a word count.  Typically, articles are due three months prior to publish date so the page layout can be completed.

You must first pick a genre – what type of information do you want to share about Valentine’s Day?  Will it be fiction or non-fiction?  Do you want to write about food or relationships?  Do you want to write about romance, or about your favorite valentine – your dog? 

Next pick a magazine specializing in the type of article you want to write.  Study their rules for submission and the format of their magazine.  Do they accept submissions?  Do they seem to like lists? The 12 Worst Valentine’s Day Stories Ever! – Woman’s Health Magazine; Five Romantic Trips for Valentine’s Day – Madison Magazine.  Figure out their focus and their target audience. 

Not to worry, you will find a magazine geared toward your interests.  There are thousands of magazines out there, including many with a business interest focus that you have never even heard about, both online and traditional. What are you passionate about?  What do you want to write about?  Be daring and check it out.  

How about some Valentine's Day inspiration?  The following articles appeared in recent online and traditional magazines:

A Personal Story

A mother’s love and the Valentine’s Day dress – The Boston Globe Magazine

Relationships

What Men Think of Valentine’s Day – Women’s Health Magazine

Survey: Men Would Prefer to Have Sex on Valentine’s Day – Time

The Single Person’s Guide to Surviving Valentine’s Day – Caliber Magazine

Romance

Heat Things Up This Valentine’s Day! – Curve Magazine

Be my valentine – Harper’s Magazine

Men

Last Minute Valentine’s Gifts – Houstonia Magazine

The Procrastinator’s Guide to Valentine’s Day – RV Magazine

A Valentine to My Future Wife – Set Apart Girl Magazine

Family

Valentine’s Day is for Everyone – Meridian Magazine

Teens

Seventeen’s Ultimate Valentine’s Day Guide – Seventeen Magazine

Animals

Celebrate Valentine’s Day Like an Animal – Modern Dog Magazine

Food

Gift Guide: Love is in the Kitchen – Gourmet.com

10 Sweet Treats for your Valentine – SideDish Magazine

7 New York Patisseries for Valentine’s Day Sweets – Gotham Magazine

How To Cook For A Carnivore on Valentine’s Day – Happen Magazine (My personal favorite.)

Finances

How to Nail Valentine’s Day Without Dropping a Ton of Money – Primer Magazine (My husband's personal favorite.)

Research & Information

Valentine’s Day – Christian Custom or Pagan Pageantry? – GetMagazine

What’s the Point of Valentine’s Day? – Relevant Magazine

Valentine’s Day: Why Do We Celebrate it?  (Hint: Naked Romans) – National Geographic

Poetry

Valentines Poems by the Editors – Poetry Foundation Magazine

Gift Ideas

His and Hers Valentine’s Day Pampering – Michigan Avenue Magazine

7 Amazing Anti-Valentine’s Day Gifts Your Single Friends Will Love

Valentine’s Day Guide 2014 – New York Magazine

Travel

Places You Should Be On Valentine’s Day – RV Magazine

Have a Long-Distance Valentine’s Day – Happen Magazine

Valentine’s Day getaways around the state – Phoenix Magazine

Media

14 Romantic Films for Valentine’s Day (that Guys Will Like) – Paste Magazine

The Best of Valentine’s Day: Movies, Books, Songs, Gifts – Time Magazine

Celebrities

Valentines For the Stars – People Magazine

Inspired yet? 

Now you can start writing, but not your article quite yet.  You first must write a “pitch” or Query Letter.  In this letter you must sell yourself to the editor of the magazine.  Tell what your idea is and why it is important to their readers.  List reasons you are the best person to write it.  There are many examples of excellent Query Letters on the Internet.  Spend some time learning the proper format before sending the pitch for your article and your chances for success will improve. 

Once you receive a go-ahead from an editor, you will be given your deadline, word count and a request for photos, if any.  NOW you can start writing your article. If you’ve chosen wisely, this will be the easiest part of the entire process.  Get started early.  Edit, edit, edit.  When you think you are done, let your article sit for a few day, then take a second look.  You might be surprised at the changes you want to make.  Once you are happy with your article, send it in.  

If you met your deadline and produced a well-edited and polished article, chances are  it will be published and you'll finally see your name in glossy print.  Oh, and you might just earn a little income from your writing too. 

Happy Valentine's Day ... now, go for it!

An Introvert's Guide to Building an Author Platform

Facebook and Twitter and LinkedIn, oh my!

Recently I finished writing my first novel, and I've begun the harrowing process of sharing it with potential agents ("sharing it" sounds a little more on top of the process than "sending it out on a wing and a prayer," a more accurate description.) While early feedback on my story has been positive, one criticism I receive is that I lack an author "platform," meaning that nobody in the reading public knows who the heck I am.

I rather like it that way. In real life I'm an introvert (an INFP, for those who give credence to Myers-Briggs). INFPs are supposed to make good writers, and one of the reasons, I would guess, is that we love to work alone. As an introverted person, platform-building is hard to do. Putting myself out there feels uncomfortable and unnatural.The term "platform" is supposed to bring to mind the stage from which a speaker addresses an audience. But hey, aren't gallows built on platforms, too?

Legend has it that once upon a time, an author could toil away in her writing room, spinning literary straw into gold. Every so often she would send a completed manuscript to her fairy godagent, who would shop it around to publishers. When a book was published, there'd be a brief flurry of activity where the author would leave her desk, put on her dancing shoes, and attend the ball of book signings and author tours. But soon enough she'd be back in her cozy garret, hard at work on another manuscript, grateful to kick off her dancing shoes because they pinched.

Those days are no more, I'm told. Now an author must sew her own ballgown and hire her own coach and footman before anyone will even think of inviting her to the ball. In other words, she must emerge, blinking, from her garret and let the world know she exists.

The nice thing is, much platform-building can be accomplished from inside my garret via social media. The Internet is an introvert's best friend. Just as writing an e-mail feels more comfortable than making a phone call, interacting via social media feels more comfortable than making small talk in a room full of strangers--which is essentially what it is!


Think of each social media application as a "plank" in the platform. With the plethora of social media available, choosing which one(s) to use is like trying to drink from a firehose. To avoid feeling overwhelmed, novelist Susan May Warren recommends choosing three forms of social media and doing them well, rather than trying to do them all. I've chosen four: a website, Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest. Another author might choose LinkedIn or other applications--it depends largely on which audience you want to reach.

When it comes to constructing a platform, I certainly haven't found all the answers. What I can do is share what I've learned so far, and report back now and then about what tactics, if any, have proven most effective. Here are my examples:

AUTHOR WEBSITE: What to write about before there's a book to promote? The target audience for my historical fiction consists largely of women who enjoy reading and learning about "the olden days." While I do post some info about my fiction, I also post about all things vintage: fashion, food, music, books, trends, historical tidbits, etc. My goal is to build an audience of potential readers who are interested in the era I write about (early 20th century), so that when my novel is published, those who also enjoy fiction will be primed to read it.

AUTHOR FACEBOOK PAGE: I've built a Facebook page, separate from my personal profile, exclusively for building my author platform. Its purpose, again, is to connect with potential readers and point people to my author website.

TWITTER: I opened a Twitter account to build my author website and also participate in the larger community of readers, writers, publishers, agents, and lovers of all things vintage.

PINTEREST: I use my Pinterest account as a visual representation of my fiction writing, with boards dedicated to the Roaring Twenties, the Edwardian era, Chicago, history, etc., and pointing back to my author website.

I've barely scratched the surface of how to use social media to build an audience for fiction. I'll be returning to this topic from time to time, letting you know what's working and what's not. In the meantime, feel free to ask questions about platform building via social media and I'll try to ferret out some answers.

Introverts need author platforms too! (Tweet this.)

Selling Your Books at a Booth

While doing one my favorite things, research, I came across two informative articles on selling your books at booths by Belea T. Keeney. I found them so informative that I asked permission to encapsulate them for you with notes on where to read the complete articles.

“Selling books directly tor readers via an event is a very personal, hands-on approach to marketing your titles,” begins Keeney's two part article on twenty great tips on how to effectively market your books.

1-2. Evaluate your genre and market, then decide which events will be right for you and your book. Keeney says to begin with local and regional events to get a feel for your market and if you are pitching your book to the right audience. She gives several good examples of potential local venues emphasizing the area places: street fairs, Saturday markets, and local groups that may have an interest in your theme. She suggests trying genre specific places such as garden clubs if you mystery is set in a garden or state fairs or horse shows if your novel is about horses.

3-4. Start small and local to test the market and get a sense of cost vs. return. Local events will have a lower booth cost rental fee and you will not incur large travel expenses. You may be able to obtain a write-up in the local or neighborhood newspaper, newsletters of groups to which you belong or special interest newsletters that relate to your subject. You may be able to rent a booth for one to three days. Large festivals often will not let you break down your booth early. There are always your local bookstores that will advertise your book signing free on their web sites. Think about pairing with another local author to draw more people and share expenses.

5. Register [to rent space] online or by mail. Keeney recommends you read the information forms carefully and do exactly as the form says. Keep hard copies of all correspondence and receipts and bring them with you the day(s) of the event.

6. If you are lucky enough to have multiple [book] titles, decide which one(s) you will take with you and how many copies. Place an order with your publisher. If your publisher offers other authors’ books on somewhat the same subject, take a few of those along to draw in more people.

7-8-9. The week before the event, confirm your vendor status by contacting the festival organizers, write up your packing list, and recruit a helper. Keeney has a number of suggestions of items to draw people into your booth like posters, bookmarks, banners, a pen for autographs, as well as items for your personal comfort. The day before pack up your items using your packing list. Most events provide an unloading area. Even if you hire help or ask a friend to help for an hour, your task will be easier and safer.

10. How many books can you sell? She says that zero-thirty has been her experience with an attendance of less than 10,000. She lists many other ideas to try if you have only one title.

Part ii: Working the Booth

1-2, 4. Make contact and break the ice. The first goal is to get people to stop. Stand up and put on a smile. Ask open-ended questions such as, “What do you like to read?” Shyness is a problem for some people. If this a trouble area for you, Kenney suggests starting out by greeting every tenth person, then every fifth, and then every person who walks by. Many will not stop so do not take it personally. Practice not being “in their faces.” Stand slightly away from the front and do not crowd them when they are browsing.

3, 5, 7. Steer them towards your books! Once you know their interests, put a book in their hands. After you give them a one sentence synopsis of the book, "watch their eyes.” Promote your co-booth vendor's books a little too. It good business to make friends with the vendors next to you. You never know where a kind word, compliment or helping hand will lead. If you do not make a sale, do not worry. You have made contact and given them your information on a bookmark, flyer or mini poster of your book cover, and your web site information. It is a beginning.

8. Eat away from the booth or at least out of sight. Hide your food and take small bites that you can swallow quickly if a passer-by shows interest. Eat at the back of the booth if you cannot leave the site unattended.

9. Make notes about who buys the book. Write down what you know about the person who bought your book: age, gender, children, and their interests. If you have autographed books, try to remember their names and thank them in your blog (make sure you tuck a book mark with blog address and all titles of your books printed on it into the signed book.) Keeney says this is good way to get a feel for your market and if you are marketing to the right audience in the right way.

10. Try to enjoy yourself! One excellent use of time Belea Keeny recommends is to make observations and time spent at the booth work for you. Use a notebook to quickly jot down ideas, conversation topics, snatches of dialogue, and descriptions of people who walk by or buy your book to use in future stories.

This has been synopsis of a wonderful two-part article by Belea T. Keeney, Author. Editor. Wordsmith. She has written seven books. Her URL is www.beleatkeeney.com. These articles can be seen in their complete form at http://www.writing-world.com/promotion/booth1.shtml and http://www.writing-world.com/promotion/booth2.shtml. Permission was given by the author to give this synopsis. Many thanks for Belea Keeney's generosity in sharing her wisdom with other writers!

Pseudonyms: A Guest Post by a "Frugal" Author

Today I am pleased to share a guest post from Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi-award-winning "How to Do It Frugally" series of books and booklets for writers and retailers. USA Book News awarded Howard-Johnson the Best Book Award for The Frugal Book Promoter (2004) and The Frugal Editor (2008) and the Second Edition of The Frugal Book Promoter (2011). Her blog, Sharing With Writers, was also included in the Writers Digest 101 Best Websites for Writers.

________________________

To Pseudonym or Not to Pseudonym

by Carolyn Howard-Johnson

Nora Roberts, the author of more than 150 romance novels, was asked why she writes romantic suspense novels under a pen name. Here is her answer:

"It's marketing."

She says because she writes quickly that makes it difficult for her publisher to publish all of her work with an appropriate amount of time between each of them. So she writes works which are “edgier” than her romance novels under the pseudonym J. D. Robb. She says, "Putting it under a pseudonym helps brand it for the reader." Children’s writers often separate their real names or their “other” writing names from their children’s work to keep work intended for children untainted.

Writers will find information on the concept of branding in the second edition of The Frugal Book Promoter (www.budurl.com/FrugalBkPromo) including some of the reasons why you shouldn’t use a pen name. You will, of course, have to weigh the pros and cons, but keep in mind that Ms. Roberts has a powerhouse publisher and its marketing department to help her navigate the difficulties inherent in using a pseudonym. If you are considering using a pen name here's what you should know:

1. It is very hard to keep a pen name secret. Everyone knows who Kristie Leigh Maguire is, as an example, but most know that it is a pen name. If people didn't know that Robb was Nora Roberts' pen name, most of them will now that Time magazine let the cat out of the bag in a featured interview. The magazine also revealed (big time) that Nora Roberts is also a pen name!

2. It is very hard to promote a book in person when you use a pen name—especially if you choose an opposite-sex pen name. In fact, promotion of all kinds can become touchy if you use a pen name because you are intent upon keeping your real identity a secret.

3. Using a pen name isn't necessarily an effective barrier against law suits.

Read more about Roberts in Time magazine's "10 Questions" feature, page 6 of the Dec. 10, 2007, issue.

________________________

Carolyn Howard-Johnson, an instructor for nearly a decade at the renowned UCLA Extension Writers' Program, is a multi award-winning novelist and poet and author of the "How To Do It Frugally" series of books.

Learn more about Carolyn and her books at her websites and blogs:

Website: www.howtodoitfrugally.com
Blogs: www.sharingwithwriters.blogspot.com  & www.TheNewBookReview.blogspot.com
The Frugal Book Promoter: http://budurl.com/FrugalBkPromo
E-mail: HoJoNews@aol.com
Facebook: http://Facebook.com/carolynhowardjohnson

Carolyn's books are available in both paperback and digital formats at Amazon.

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Special Effects in Book Publishing

On December 5, 2011, the “New York Times” published an article on how book publishers are trying to jazz up their books in order to improve sales of hard cover books. Publishers are feeling the pinch of e-books, self-publishers, electronic readers and the increasing use of public libraries (the latter due to harder economic times.) “Convenience" aka electronic reading is moving at warp speed. It is anticipated that there will be many more e-readers and gift certificate for e-books under the Christmas tree including the iPad Santa is bringing me than paper books .

I like having a book in my hands; I’ve been reading that way for decades. That is not to say I am not willing to change when there is a choice between publisher-manipulated print books versus less expensive, easy and fun to use, ever evolving e-books.

Julie Bosman in a “New York Times” article, 12/5/2011, titled “Selling Books by Their Gilded Covers” writes “New releases have design elements” that “…push the boundaries of bookmaking.” These are ordinary books with an attitude. Some books on the market now have embossed covers, higher quality paper, deckle edges, colored end papers and silk page markers.

Books by Stephen King, 11/25/63 (about the assassination of JFK), Haruki Murakame’s anticipated 1Q84 and Jay-Z’s memoir Decoded are examples of gilded books. Robert S. Miller, publisher of Workman Publishing states, “It (a special effect book) is like sending a thank-you note written on nice paper when we’re in an era of e-mail correspondence.” A senior VP of Spiegel and Grau was quoted as saying, “We’re rethinking the value in certain cases of special effects and higher production standards. Now in some cases, creating a more beautiful hardcover or paperback object is warranted.” (NYT 12/5/11)

All this means to me is publishing houses are still in the stone tablet-chisel mode of thinking. They do not understanding that e-publishing is the selling mode of the now and increasingly, the future. They continue to protect their monopolized fiefdom. Their answer besides embellished books is to use wide margins, bigger font, shorter chapters, fewer words and more books per season by popular authors. For a run-of-the-mill paperback book the prices have gone from $3.99 to $8.99 or $11.99. We spend more money for less content, plot, ink, and changing covers for the same books so you think you haven't read it.

Evan Schnittman of Bloomsbury publishers states that they hope readers will say, “…well there’s convenience reading and then there’s book owning and reading.” Special effects books like a gilded copy of The Iliad have always been around. Embellished effects books by a rapper or a movie star are not in the same category as a classic or “coffee table” book. Books we want to keep regardless of quality or looks, we keep. We give away, donate or sell at garage sales a greater percentage than we keep.

Publishing houses remain working at their physical desks seemingly sans computers, blinders in place while refusing to acknowledge technology has changed not only the industry but also the reading public. Libraries of the future will be computer inventoried with librarians specializing in information retrieval for the patrons. E-books will evolve into something we cannot imagine. Will traditional publishing houses continue to think “Customers want a print book in their hands” while most of us will be saying, “Did you see the new XYZ book reader that is out?”

Writing North Idaho will be in hiatus for two weeks. We wish you and yours a Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, a joyful Kwanzaa, or plenty of time to enjoy the end of the year. We will be back on-line January 2, 2012.

Tips for Writers: Taking Advantage of the Ebook Market

The image above, stating "Books Aren't Dead. (They're Just Going Digital)"  is the November 2007 cover of Newsweek before the release of the first Amazon Kindle reader. Amazon’s Jeff Bezos told Newsweek Senior Editor Steven Levy, "This is the most important thing we've ever done. It's so ambitious to take something as highly evolved as the book and improve on it. And maybe even change the way people read."

He was right: E-readers are definitely changing the way people read.

According to a recent report by the organization BookStats---who recently completed an 18-month study surveying nearly 2000 publishers---ebook sales soared 1,274.1% in the 2008-2010 period (203% in 2010), representing 6.4% of trade revenue. This is a huge growth spurt for ebooks and an opportunity for writers.

To highlight this fact, I am including this article from Jerry Simmons’ July 2011 Tips for Writers Newsletter, which discusses the importance of the current ebook market as a marketing and bookselling strategy for authors.

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Old is New Again
 
Over the past year I have written many times about the fact that authors need to move quickly in order to take advantage of the window of opportunity left by major publisher's slow acceptance of eBooks and the digital marketplace. That window is beginning to close as more major publishers combat rapidly declining print sales by aggressively moving into eBooks.

The world's largest trade publisher recently announced their once popular mass market romance series, Love Swept, will be re-launched in eBook beginning early next year. This highly successful series once demanded a large market share and shelf space in both bookstores and retail mass merchants and was a darling to booksellers. Over time as the mass market paperback fell from grace and sales declined, Random House stopped publishing.

With the rise in eBook sales and the fact that romance is the number two selling category behind non-fiction, the publisher made the obvious decision it was time to resurrect this series. Those authors still under contract will get new life and new authors hoping to land a contract will see opportunities open for your agent. Prices for the new re-launch in eBook will be between $2.99 and $4.99 which is the perfect range for eBook romance even though some of the titles are very old backlist. 

If the Love Swept announcement wasn't enough, Random House also made news with another announcement indicating they were teaming up with the highly popular web site Politico to produce instant eBooks. In years past at the height of the mass market paperback, instant books were very successful. Publishers with ties to media such as Time Inc. had the contacts to produce books of a topical nature in a timely manner.

The fall of the Berlin Wall was one such example, the book division worked in concert with magazine writers to produce a quick mass market paperback which provided more depth and insight than the magazine. Priced right and packaged with the help of photo journalists, these books sold hundreds of thousands of copies. Instant books then became successful as crime stories, political reports or any number of topics. With the drop in mass market sales the instant book was all but abandoned. Now with eBooks, that publishing model appears to be back in play.

So why is this important? History is beginning to repeat itself in book publishing as the majors begin testing more product in the digital marketplace. This of course takes attention away from other writers and their content because these newly launched eBooks will be supported by lots of marketing and a nice marketing budget.

On the flip side, this marketing push does nothing but bring attention to eBooks and the large cache of available product. With only 1 in 600 manuscript submissions getting published, this will open opportunities for writers. Research Firm Emarketer predicts that by the end of this year there will be around 21 million eReaders in use and another 24 million computer tablets available. That is a dramatic increase over 2010 and again bodes well for the future of eBooks. If in fact old is new again then perhaps these will create more opportunities for new and emerging writers to gain recognition.
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This article was provided with permission by author, Jerry D. Simmons of www.WritersReaders.com. Copyright 2011 Jerry D. Simmons.


If you’re an author, you may want to consider turning your work into an ebook, if you haven’t already done so. According to a February Bloomberg report, 58 percent of ebook sales are generated by Amazon, and the Amazon Kindle holds 67 percent of the ebook reader market share. Here’s the link to Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing site: http://kdp.amazon.com

How Users Read Web Sites

Readers decipher web sites differently than they read hard copy. Only fourteen per cent read word-for-word. The other seventy-nine per cent scan web sites, taking in chunks of information that catch their eyes. A Nielsen study showed that on-screen reading is twenty-four per cent slower than reading hard copy. If you are writing for a blog, you may want to consider the following tips.

> Web readers do not move into "lucid reading" or reading for pleasure mode. When in lucid reading, readers slip into an almost hypnotic state; they become entranced and addicted to reading. Web sites do not generate the ambiance for lucid reading.

> Tests show that readers tend to ignore large bodies of text.

> Realistically, readers read about twenty per cent of a web page.

> Most do not read "below the fold", i.e., scroll down.

Eye Tracking Patterns for Web Site Readers

* Readers brains and eyes use an F pattern. They read the first two lines of a post from left to right (in most languages) forming the top, long bar of the F.

* Readers move down to the second paragraph then their eyes travel horizontally forming the second, shorter bar of the F.

* Following that, they scan the left side in a vertical pattern stopping only when a word or a different format is noticed, e.g., change in font, bullets, diagram, etc. completing the long, vertical leg of the letter F.

Engaging Readers

< Use bullets, bold type font, highlights, italics, or underline the most import part of the sentences.

< Write short sentences.

< Start subtitles, paragraphs and bullet points with information carrying words.

< The third word of a sentence is read less when compared to the first two words.

< One idea per paragraph is ideal..

< Use half the words of conventional writing.

< San serif font is more easily read on-line. The lines are crisper and more delineated.

www.allhouse.blogspot.com

www. slate.com/id/219315521

htp://www.useit.com/alertbox/

Typeface, Fonts and Your Book

Que sera, sera. Sans serif, serif. Which is easier to read: an article or book with a font that has serifs or one that does not? To have feet or not to have feet that is the question.

Technically, serifs are small projections finishing off the end strokes of individual printing or computer generated press letters. Easier to understand is to say serifs are small lines on the tops and bottoms of each letter of the alphabet on some, not all, fonts.

ABCD abcd-sans serif ABCD abcd-serif

Some theorists say a font with serifs leads the eye along smoothly. Others say serifs make the individual letters more difficult to discertain versus the clean, simple lines of a sans (from French meaning ”without”) serif fonts. Potaytoe, potahtoe.

There is a difference between “typeface” and “font.” Typeface is a particular design of type. Font is a particular instance of type. You can have different fonts within one typeface (Arial bold, arial italic, arial black, arial rounded, etc.) Even each size is a different font.

Most studies show that typefaces with serif fonts are easier to read for a lengthy time. In 1932, Times New Roman was designated as THE typeface for newspapers. Our brains have been trained to expect serif letters. Web sites can simply respect the browser settings of the use or use sans serif type because sans serif typefaces have better resolutions on a computer screen.

If you are self-publishing here are some thoughts about choosing typeface and fonts Many authors do not think about it and use the default settings for their Word processors default setting.

1. The general rule is that newspapers and books often use two different fonts but no more than two. The fonts should be similar in look, e.g., Helvetica (headings) and Garamond (body of text); Verdana (headings) and Palatino Nova 189@ (body of text.) Work to find two that are compatible and not in juxtaposition.

2. Non-serif fonts can be used for titles, chapter headings, table of contents, and bibliographies for distinction and variety but not for the main body of your work. Sans serif fonts are thought to be not easily readable in large block of texts. Transposing from your computer to the printed book page changes the crispness and clarity of sans fonts. Suggested sans serif fonts are Gulliver, Helvetica, Verdana and Lucinda Grande.

3. Serif fonts may be used for all portions of your book: title, introduction, chapter titles, table of contents, body, and appendices. One article I read said to avoid using Times New Roman in self-publishing as it looks amateurish because it is too common. It is associated with newspapers that we read in short bursts and toss away. We want readers to linger, enjoy our words, and recommend our books to others. Some suggested fonts are: Baskerville, Cambria, Courier, Garamond and Lucida Fax, all 12 point.

4. Decorative fonts are as described: embellishments. They may be used, if at all, only as the beginning letter of a new chapter or chapter titles. They must be of good quality, easily readable, and close to the typeface and fonts used for main body of the chapters. Some fonts are so different from the body type that the eye fails to comprehend the letter and thus the reader gets confused.

5. Be leery of free font programs. Often they do not come with true bold and italics or all the characters you may need (no percentage sign or ampersand for example.) In choosing your typeface and fonts, check to see if you can click on the actual setting, e.g., Arial bold or Arial Italic. If you use “control” plus “bold”, you will be using a fake setting.

Some publishing houses will reject your work if they feel you have used a fake or free font program because they have to correct it. Microsoft invented Arial just for their programs. It contains different names on its control panel which allows you to chose, and receive, exactly what you want matching the quality of your other font letters.

Typeface and font selection is subjective. Choose yours wisely, remembering to go for the generally accepted and shine with the most important part, the writing.

Recources:

http://www.designzzz.com/typography-basics-serif-vs-sans-serif/

http://alexpoole.info/which-are-more-legible-serif-or-sans-serif-typeface/s

http://www.self-pub.net/guides/choosingtherightfont.html

The P-Word: A Marketing Essential for Authors

I recently watched a movie (Starting Out in the Evening) about a once-successful, aging, literary fiction author whose remaining goal in life is to make a comeback by finishing what he knows will be his final novel. At a literary event he encounters the editor from the publisher of his earlier books. The editor asks the author if he is still writing.

"Well yes, yes, of course. As a matter of fact I'm just putting the finishing touches on my new novel. And I'd really be happy to send it over to you as soon as it's finished."

The editor looks down then at the author and says, "Look, Leonard, I respect you too much to blow smoke. This business has turned into the film industry. It's all about the name. And to tell you the truth, most of the business we do now is celebrity confessions and self-help books.”

The dejected author replies, “I understand.”

What the editor told Leonard rings true today in a market that has been referred to as the "Hollywoodization" of publishing. With many agents and publishers, it is now often less about the writing and more about the name…or to be more precise…about the worrisome p-word: PLATFORM, or AUTHOR PLATFORM.

What is an author’s platform? It is what the author “brings to the table” to sell books; the author's built-in book-selling potential; the built-in audience. It’s about the author's influence, passion, and the author's goal as a writer. It's about how well the author is situated to sell books.

Celebrities and other famous people have thousands and millions of fans who will buy their books. TV anchors and similar talking heads have a huge television audience who will buy their books. Others who possess a ready-made market include high-profile speakers who can draw large listening audiences, people who have been part of a significant newsworthy event, and owners of successful businesses who have a large client base. These high-profile people represent less financial risk to publishers because publishers know their platform alone will sell many books.

But if you are not a famous person or someone with a ready-made reading audience, you can create your own platform if you’re willing to do the work. You may never reach the audience potential of a celebrity, but you might be able to build a platform large enough to interest an agent or publisher, or create a nice audience for your already-published books.

Today, the easiest and quickest way to build your platform is by using the internet to establish a strong online presence. Here are some steps you can take to begin creating your author platform:

Website
Create a great-looking website to showcase your work and personality. Include a detailed bio, cover images and details about your book, a schedule of your planned book events, and reviews/endorsements of your book. Occasionally update the site so that it doesn’t become stagnant. Include links to your social media accounts on your Home page.

Blog
Blogging is a quick, dynamic way to grow your online presence by sharing your ideas and knowledge with others. Create your own blog and post on a regular basis, or become a blogger on a multi-author blog (such as this one). Comment on other blogs using the name of your book alongside your signature. You can also contact other blog authors and offer to be a guest on their blog.

Social Media
Join and participate in popular social media groups such as Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc.. Always include links to your website and blog. Try to connect and participate regularly.

Email List
Grow your email list from your website or blog by offering a newsletter, giveaway, or inviting people to contact you via a contact form. You can use this list on occasion to announce new books, editions, or special sales. But use the list sparingly so your recipients don't feel spammed.

Audio and Video
Learn to make your own book trailer to post on You-Tube, your website, and/or blog. You can also make an audio of yourself reading an intriguing passage from your book. With a little research and basic software, you can create these products yourself.

Articles
Use your writing skills to write helpful online articles, such as tips on writing, book reviews, etc., on places like Associated Content and other online article venues.

Target
All books are not for all people. Whether you are connecting with individuals, groups, or organizations, guide your marketing efforts toward the audiences and niche markets who are the most likely readership for your book.

Because some of these marketing methods can be time-consuming, pick and choose the ones that most appeal to you and do those first. Don't let the amount of work involved in building your platform intimidate you. Make a plan to do one small thing each day, or two or three things each week. As you grow your online presence, your author name and book title will appear more and more frequently in web topic searches, and those interested will eventually have information about you and your book at their fingertips.

In addition to your online presence, here are some ways to enhance your platform offline:

Public Speaking
Promote yourself and your writing expertise by speaking at conferences, schools, libraries, and other relevant venues in your area.

Teach
Check in your community to see if there are extension programs, community centers, or other places where you can use your writing experience to teach other writers.

Professional Organizations
Join professional groups where you can get known and can interact with others in your field.

Media Interviews
Try to setup interviews with radio, television and newspapers. If you are traveling on a book tour, try to schedule interviews with the local media well ahead of time. In smaller communities, the media are often happy to interview authors for local events.

Articles
Consider submitting articles in your topic area to newspapers and magazines in your area.

Building a platform is about marketing yourself and building a readership. Some say an author should begin building their platform up to three years prior to publication of their book. But even if your book is already published, continuing to build your platform will help get it into the hands of new readers.

According to Jane Friedman of Writer's Digest: "Audience development doesn't happen overnight (or even in six months or a year); it's a process that continues for as long as you want to have a readership. It shouldn't be delayed, postponed, or discounted for one minute."

In the end, however, getting maximum benefit out of the platform you build goes hand-in-hand with writing the very best book you can write.

With the exception of teaching, I've used all of the above marketing techniques, in varying degrees, to build a platform. Over the past year or so, however, I've focused exclusively on the online activities. Not only has online marketing helped boost book sales and my visibility as a writer, but I love that I can work on my platform while wearing my fuzzy slippers.

Red Letter Day

Thoughts go flying through our minds all day long. We hear bits of news; Facebook gives us information on friends far and wide. Yet, sometimes one will stick with us. It will circle back into our thoughts over and over until we are forced to stop and think. Why is this still with me? What am I supposed to learn from this?

This week my nephew in Toronto went on a journey, parting the mists of time. Reading a book about Toronto, he found a whole page devoted to the contribution made by my great grandfather, the poet and Theosophist, Albert Ernest Stafford Smythe. Described as a gentle man, the tale of his first marriage is characterized as mismatched. My great grand parents met on the ship coming over sometime in the 1890's. They had two children, but at the age of twelve, their little daughter died. He wrote a poem asking, “If I were to follow through the spheres, would I be worthy of thy love and tears?”

His wife is said to have died five years later at the age of thirty eight. We knew she died from drinking.

My nephew read that the two women were buried in a church yard not far from his house. He decided to see if he could find their graves, not expecting to have much in the way of results as it is now one of the larger cemeteries in the city. A new church and parking lot are what you see from the street, but after further examination, he saw an old, very simple church back from the road. Thinking his best bet would have been there, he set off. The first grave he found bore the name Smythe, with another beside it. He said it was as if he walked right to it. As my nephew works nights, the sun came up over the roof of the old church. A bright ray from a new dawn came right to him. Hard pressed to describe what he felt, he narrowed the powerful emotion down to one of gratitude.

Earlier in the week, a cousin had written to ask for insight regarding family history, troubles and pain. Her life is now on the cusp of great change and she is casting about for answers. How many immigrant tales from how many countries have those who sailed with high hopes, but failed to close the gap upon landing? From personal experience, I can say it takes great strength to be the one that sets out on adventures and blithely leave it all behind: friends, family, community and a base of support. What failed my great grandmother? Was it a sorrow she sought to escape when she left England, or was she undone by grief? My grandfather, the remaining child of their union, went on to fame and fortune. Last summer, when the Queen visited Canada, the Prime Minister presented her with a famous picture of a visit to Toronto in 1956 where she is the guest of my grandfather. He is pictured sitting beside her as her host. If only the two poor souls in that churchyard had lived to see a better day. Perhaps they were the guiding light behind the success of a man who always considered himself lucky.

Then the great wheel of history turned again. The newly married Prince William traveled to Canada with his bride on their first official tour. The fashion world waited with baited breath to see what H.R.H. the Duchess of Cambridge would wear. The first choice for the tour, dawned as they boarded the plane to Canada, a smart navy jacket bearing the label Smythe, put us all into a state of unbridled joy. My niece Christie Smythe by name, the great great granddaughter is now in the happy position of receiving the best of all possible endorsements.

Thinking of how many books I have read in my life that chronicle family sagas, it simply boggles my mind to try to come up with a number. Great change brings casualties, triumphs and tragedies. Sometimes our most cherished stories and inspirations come from an early morning walk behind a sweet old church. Or they come when we see decades of adversity wiped away in one shining moment of stellar success.

"We are herd animals," my teacher said. "We look for stories of that breakthrough, of that fleeting moment where one distinguishes themselves above all others. Those are the stories worth writing. "

Red Hats Provide Valuable Marketing Tool

Local author Joyce Caudel is presenting her novel, The Hat Pin Murders, the first in her Red Hat Mystery Series, to the public at Auntie's Bookstore in Spokane tonight (January 21) at 7:00 p.m.

When I read the blurb about her book, I thought, "She's a marketing genius!" With over 70,000 members of the Red Hat Society, the largest women's social club in the world, she has a built-in international market - and is a publisher's dream.

Fascinated, I looked a little further into Caudel's first foray into the publishing field through her publisher, Gray Dog Press of Spokane. I discovered this remarkable woman has authored her first book at age 69, "fullfilling her lifelong dream to be a writer."

According to her publisher, Joyce is a nine-year member of the Red Hats and currently serves as Queen of her chapter. She also shares her talents as an inspirational speaker, giving a message of encouragement to women to dream the dream that God has placed in their hearts.

What a great inspiration to women in general, and writers in particular. Joyce Caudel is living proof that it's never too late to go after your dream.

If you get the chance, stop by Auntie's tonight and pick up one of Joyce's books and get her autograph. According to Gray Dog, she'll be easy to find. "Just follow the red hats."

And don't forget the smarts behind writing a series (what a publisher wants) with a ready market (what a publisher loves). Whether you're a retired teacher, a railroad buff, a veteran, or a proud Kiwanis member; tie that concept to a series of stories and you've created a valuable marketing tool.

Don't forget to check out other writing-related events on our Events page!

Beyond this Blog: Do You Tweet?

Do you feel like you’re lagging behind in the world of technology as a writer? If so, you’re not alone. Although many writers now use an array of social networking sites to get the word out about their books, websites, articles, events, etc., many of us are still spinning our wheels to catch up and make the best use of such sites.

One of these tools is, of course, Twitter. I have a Twitter account, but my occasional tweets fall far short of using it efficiently. So for folks like me, the Editors at Bookhitch.com published the following advice for writers who want to use the site as a platform for their work.
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9 Twitterific Tips

How to use Twitter to gain exposure:

Let's face it. Twitter has taken over the world. From Michael Jackson's death to earthquakes in Haiti and Chile, many people find their news out from Twitter first. What's to stop them from finding their next book through Twitter? Only your ability to tweet successfully. Malle Vallik, director of digital content and social media at Harlequin Enterprises Ltd, says that "if you are a good Twitterer, people will trust you - even if you are a brand- and will trust your recommendations. And word-of-mouth is the best marketing tool". Twitter is fast and friendly and can help you reach hundred of new readers as long as you're using it correctly. Here are some simple tips for keeping a successful Twitter.

1) Retweet. "RT" or "retweeting" is taking a Twitter post from someone else and rebroadcasting it to your followers. This pushes your @username into different social graphs, which results in clicks back to your profile.

2) Use Hashtags. These are a word or phrase prefaced by a hash symbol (#), for example #ebooks. This will group your tweet with other people who have used the same hashtag and therefore create more traffic for your Twitter.

3) Update frequently... If followers are continually checking your page and nothing has been updated in a week, you're going to lose those followers.

4) ... and make timely and appropriate tweets. But tweeting what you eat for every meal is not likely to be appropriate or interesting either. If something big happens, don't wait to tweet about it. Twitter is one of the most useful tools for instant news and you should use it to your advantage.

5) Be strategically self-promoting. No one wants to read a Twitter that constantly toots its own horn. Enter conversations tied to your book's topic and be engaged enough so that when you bring up your work, it doesn't sound like a shameless sales pitch. Otherwise your followers will feel like you're just using them.

6) Have a personality associated with the brand. If you're an author, be yourself and let your humanity shine through. The personal interaction allows customers to feel loyalty to a brand.

7) Jazz up your Twitter. Links are a great way to do this. You can link to your website, to articles that you're interested in, even to pictures of friends and family.

8) Be careful what you Tweet. Because Twitter is so instant, it's easy to fire off a complaint. But unlike a verbal complaint, a Tweet doesn't go away as easily. Before you Tweet make sure your statement reflects you as a professional and not you being irritated and wanting to vent.

9) Have fun. Invent new and exciting ways to engage your Twitter community. Have contests, polls, jokes, raffles, giveaways, whatever you can think of to entertain and inform your followers.

These tips and tricks can help you navigate your way to a successful Twitter following.

(This excerpt reprinted with permission, Bookhitch.com, June 2010 Newsletter.)

BEYOND THIS BLOG: Public Speaking 101

Here's a helpful article I ran across offering practical advice for those planning to speak at a public venue such as workshop, conference, or a book signing and presentation.

How to Sell Yourself and Your Product without Stressing Out

The number one thing that adults fear is a not shark. Nor is it drowning. Nor is it even death. The number one fear is public speaking. But are people really afraid of speaking in public, or are they just afraid of being embarrassed in public? Public speaking may have the potential to humiliate but it also has the potential to draw new interest in your product. Public speaking is necessary for promoting a book and here are some tips to keep your presentation interesting for your audience and stress free for you.

Planning the Presentation

Know your audience. When preparing your presentation, keep the age, gender and background of your audience in mind. If your topic is very specialized but you're presenting to a general audience, don't forget to explain unknown vocabulary. No matter who your audience is, you want to engage them, not bore them.

Know your venue. Bringing a PowerPoint presentation to a place without a projector is probably not going to work out very well. Does this place have a microphone? Does it have a podium? How big is the venue?

Know your time limit. No one likes to be told a presenter is going to talk for an hour and two hours later, he's still talking. Yes, your work is important, but people do have other obligations. Going over a time limit could cause you to lose an otherwise interested audience to constant watch checking and frustration.

Practice! This is the best way to work out the kinks. This will also allow you to experiment with the pitch of your voice and when you're going to pause as well as giving you more confidence in your ability to deliver the material well.

Dress comfortably and professionally. What you wear depends on what type of presentation you are giving, but you should be comfortable in your outfit. Testing out whether or not a new blouse will show sweat stains is best left for another time.

Giving the Presentation

Be confident. Apologizing for being unprepared or having poor speaking skills can sabotage the presentation before it even begins. Stand up straight and if you appear self-assured, your audience will be more likely to take your presentation seriously.

Make eye contact. This is very important. If you have note or cue cards, make sure you know your presentation well enough to not lose your place when making eye contact. Making eye contact with as many people in the room as you can makes you more approachable.

Eliminate filler words and poor speaking habits. "Ah", "uh", "um", "like", "really" and "know what I mean" detract from your presentation and make you look less professional. Audience members will focus more on the distraction of your fillers and not on the content of your presentation.

Slow down. Inexperienced public speakers tend to make the mistake of rushing their presentations due to nerves. Pause after a thought to give the audience time to digest what you've said.

Bond with your audience. Body language says a lot. Warm and inclusive body language goes a long way towards allowing your audience to relate to you and to what you have to say.

After the Presentation

Don't forget about questions... If you've been engaging, there's a strong likelihood that people will want to know more. You have two options for this. If you don't mind being interrupted from time to time, you can ask for questions throughout the presentation. This will likely generate more questions, as the topic is fresh in the asker's mind. However, this can also make it easier for your audience to challenge your points. The other option is leaving time at the end of your presentation for questions. How long you want to leave depends on how long your presentation was to begin with.

…but questions aren't the only option. If you would rather facilitate a discussion with your audience at the end of your presentation, leave more time. Audience members will feel robbed if they don't get to share their opinion. A discussion is also a great way to engage with audience members that might not be able to come up with a topic on their own.

Make sure that everyone can hear. If you decide to engage with audience members, be sure to repeat comments so that everyone in the room is on the same page. Often times, presenters make the mistake of getting into what ends up being a one-on-one conversation with an audience member because the people in the back can't hear.

Stick around. Some people might not be confident enough to ask questions in front of a group. Give these people the opportunity to talk to you. Engaging positively one-on-one is what can get you lifelong fans.

While these tips may vary slightly depending on your topic, venue and audience, one thing is certain: if you believe in your ability to give a great presentation, your audience will too. Public speaking is a necessary part of promotion and being good at it can only help you in the long run.

____________________

This article written by the editors of bookhitch.com, reprinted with permission.

Beyond This Blog: The Adventures of a Book Tour

Here’s an article excerpt that may be useful to anyone planning a book event. I experienced a similar situation to “The Cupboards are Bare” (see below) when a bookstore chain in Arkansas told me they didn’t allow authors to bring their own books into the store and that they would, instead, order copies through their distributor for my scheduled book signing. When I called the bookstore the day before the event to reconfirm, the manager told me they had “forgotten” to order the books.

What mishaps have you experienced with writing-related events?

The Adventures of A Book Tour
(Excerpt from an article on The Huffington Post by Arielle Ford; Publicist and Writer)

Are you ready for a laugh? Are you new to the published author world and you want to learn from others' mistakes and not always just your own? Read on.

Little Orphaned Andy. "Andy" received a 6-figure advance for his first book with one of the top six publishers in the business. Soon after the contract was signed, the editor who "bought" the book on behalf of the publisher left the firm. In publishing terms, Andy was therefore orphaned. He was assigned to another editor that did not have any skin in the game (she was not responsible for its success). Andy did not push for strong support. He assumed everything was on schedule and he waited to be told what to do.

Andy was virtually ignored until the book was released. His very first interview was on the Today Show and no one took the time to media train him. He had never been on television before... can you guess what happened? He never mentioned the title of his book or had any usable sound bites. The host of the interview never mentioned the title either. The book never sold and Andy never got another book deal. Andy vanished into obscurity. The publishing world does not forget. When an author gets a 6-figure advance, people in the know will be watching for great results.

The Soloist. I have personally walked into a book signing and was the only one there. I ended up buying a dozen donuts for the staff and became friends with everyone there. That way when customers did come in they would hand sell my books through recommendations to customers.

The Cupboards are Bare. Because of issues with the distributor, shipping or customs I have known many authors to show up to book signings and there were no books to sell. The only thing you can do is sign book plates that get pasted into the book once they do arrive.

Double Vision. I had a client who arrived at a national television show for an interview wearing the exact same outfit as the host. You can imagine that the host was not going to change. My client did not bring extra clothes with her so she had to borrow clothes that were not attractive or well-fitting.

Early Departure. I have known many authors whose segments on television shows were canceled while they were in the Green Room as a result of breaking news or running over their time allotment. Many years ago I had a client who was canceled while at the studio multiple times during the OJ Simpson trial. He was very polite about it each time followed by "I was busy writing my next book anyway". He was asked back several times and is still a regular guest. The lesson here is to surprise the producers by not blowing up and instead by being understanding and gracious.

If you are an author and you are on the road there are a couple of things you should always have. Extra copies of your book and extra clothes.
__________________________

Arielle Ford has launched the careers of many New York Times bestselling authors including Deepak Chopra, Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, Neale Donald Walsch & Debbie Ford. She is a former book publicist, literary agent and the author of seven books.

This excerpt provided with permission of Jerry D. Simmons, from the July 2010 issue of his “TIPS for WRITERS from the PUBLISHING INSIDER” newsletter. Subscriptions available through his website, http://www.writersreaders.com/.