For all the places you’ll be on the internet
Whether you’re a published author or a writer just dipping your toes in the online writing world, you’re going to have profiles. These can be social medias, author websites, Amazon profiles, blog profiles, etc. No matter how many or how few, you will have to make a name for yourself on the internet. How else will people find out about your awesome writing?
This article will walk you through the things you should include in your profiles to attract the right followers.
Profile pictures
Most places where you will be sharing your name and your work will want a profile picture. Just starting out, it can be a little daunting to put your face out there but that’s what your readers want. They want to see that the writer they’re thinking about following is a real person. …
Alpha readers
Alpha readers, beta readers, critique partners, ARC readers…
What are all of these and do you need them?
Short and simple answer: yes.
These four types of early readers can help make your manuscript better and your published book sell more!
But the question now is when do you use them?
This article is going to focus on alpha readers. I have separate articles on beta readers and ARC readers.
First off, what are alpha readers?
Alpha readers are readers you find and ask to read your first (or close to first) draft of your manuscript. They do this for free and are meant to offer mostly developmental critique. Your manuscript is probably going to change a lot from this point but seeing the plot holes and character inconsistencies now will help you through your self edits later on. …
From cover reveal to promoting
Having released three books so far, I’ve learned quite a few things about writing, editing, publishing, and marketing books.
Instead of overloading you with information, I’ll give you just three tips, or strategies, that I’ve found helpful.
Preorders and cover reveals
If you’re planning on releasing a book, two things you should consider are a cover reveal and a preorder. The first tip that I have for you is to set the same dates for these! When people see your book cover for the first time during your cover reveal, if they love it, give them something to do about it! …
How this crafty site can bring more traffic to your blog
Who doesn’t love Pinterest? It seems like no matter what you enjoy there’s something on Pinterest for everyone. I do the normal pins such as recipes, space saving ideas, and outfits, and I also have inspiration boards for my novels. Here’s the article about Pinterest for writers.
But did you know Pinterest can also help with your blogging?
Chances are, if you’re on my page, you know that I post writing tip articles. I promote these on Pinterest. However, whatever you blog about can find a home on the site as well. Pinterest is insanely vast. It’s more of a search engine than a social media. …
How to draw in new readers and keep them
What is a reader magnet?
A reader magnet is something you have written that you offer for free to your readers in exchange for them signing up to your mailing list. This can be anywhere from a short story to a novel in length.
Why would you want a reader magnet?
Why wouldn’t you? Building your mailing list is vital to your author success, especially if the people on your list are actually interested in your writing and not just your friends doing you a favor. For me personally, when I release a new book, over half my mailing list buys a copy, or reviews an ARC for me.
Yes, you can share your newly published books on your social medias but you’re competing with everyone else doing the same. A mailing list is more personal, and the readers signed up to it are there because they want to be. …
An exclusive sneak peek at the first chapter
Chapter One
Sydney
The familiar, steady beeping of the surgical monitor lulls Sydney in and out of daydreaming. Dr. Will stands in front of her, on the other side of the surgical table, sowing up the spay incision of the unconscious Jack Russell lying on its back. The small room has light blue walls and a pale green floor. Bright spotlights hang from the ceiling and illuminate the belly of the dog. The surgical table, monitor, anesthesia cart, laser, and IV pump take up most of the space, making the room comfortable for only the tech and doctor.
“Any plans this weekend?” Will asks as he dabs a piece of gauze over the now closed incision. The older male doctor is in his late forties and confident in his abilities as a surgeon. His receding black hair and genuine interest in his techs’ lives makes him feel father-like to Sydney. More of a father than her own anyway. …
This story started out with just a simple question.
What would life be like for a character who was part angel, part demon?
And the first scene, Cassiel ended up at a bar.
Cassiel’s character transformed into a young woman who wanted to do right, but had trouble figuring out what right was. Heaven gives her orders of who she is allowed to save and who she isn’t, but why do some die while some get to live? Why do bad people get to go unpunished? …
Learn from my mistakes
I recently published my first book, Sacrificial Lamb, in May of 2020. I did a huge amount of research about self publishing and how to launch a book successfully, but there are still some mistakes I made.
This article is for anyone wanting to self publish for the first time, or self publish better this time. Hopefully, you can learn from what I did wrong so you can do it right. Writing is a constant learning process, and each book you release will be better than the last if you keep expanding your knowledge.
Mistake #1
Probably the biggest mistake I made was not hiring multiple editors. I did hire a developmental editor and she was absolutely wonderful with helping me structure my story better and create a stronger character arc. She also pointed out a few wonky sentences and grammatical errors but my book could have benefited from a copy editor. …
Tips for adding subplots into your books
A subplot is a secondary plot in your story. If you’re writing a fantasy novel where the hero is going after a dragon but falls in love on the way, the romance is a subplot. You can have several subplots in one book.
Your subplots should have an effect on the plot. Falling in love with the girl could impact the main character’s choice in slaying the dragon and avenging his parents’ deaths.
Having a subplot, or two, or five, will help give more depth to your story. Life doesn’t always happen in a straight linear path. …
Filler words to remove from your stories
We’re all guilty of it.
When writing an article, blog post, short story, novel, etc we all have words we want to use as often as commas. When writing the story, it’s best to just get the words out so you don’t feel bogged down with editing and don’t hit writers block, but when it is time to polish your manuscript, there are some words to keep an eye out for.
An easy way to find and cut these words is to use the find tool in Microsoft Word. That way you can read each sentence and decide if the word is even needed. In dialogue, using these words can help convey voice and give authenticity to the speaker because that’s how normal people talk, but in narration, filler words slow the plot and increase the word count unnecessarily. …
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