Writers should be Lifelong Learners

Why should writers be lifelong learners?

First, writing is an ever-changing business. Yes, writing is a business just like any other business that requires flexibility in the businessperson to adapt to changes.

Many changes have occurred in publishing, and publishing changes almost daily. This requires you to keep up with these changes, even if you plan to self publish your book.

Publishing has changed so much that even household named authors are opting for self-publishing. Do think they do their homework with regard to the publishing business? More than likely, the answer is yes.

After working hard on your story, the last thing you need is, not having an author platform plus a marketing and promo plan. Guess what; even traditional publishing houses require a marketing and promo plan plus what you’re willing to do in marketing your book.

As part of your writing business, the time to begin marketing your book is before it’s completed. Companies offer preorders for upcoming products as part of their marketing. Your book is a coming attraction that needs marketing and promotion just like all upcoming items to build interest. If potential purchasers aren’t aware of your book, will they know you’re writing it, or when to begin looking for it online or bookstore shelves?

Second, without building a following, how will readers know about you? The Internet is today’s Yellow Pages. More people search online to find what they’re looking for.

Without a platform, how are readers to know you exist? You have to learn how to build and maintain your platform. For people to find your platform it must be dynamic, not static to achieve search engine ranking.

Writers, it’s up to you to learn what’s necessary to engage your readers, and build a following.

 Followers are your readers, and readers properly engaged are book buyers.

Continue to learn about your craft, publishing, and your business. 

About the author:

Robert Medak is a retired Communications Technician turned freelance writer, blogger, editor, proofreader, and reviewer learning marketing.

He was born in southern California, and lived in Kansas until moving to southern West Virginia with his wife and their cats and dogs. While in California, he and his wife Connie ran an animal rescue where Robert wrote job descriptions, flyers, and was treasurer.

Meet Author Adrienne Thompson

Bio:

Married at sixteen, a mother twice by seventeen, and thrice a mother and divorced by twenty-four, Adrienne Thompson is no stranger to adversity. Not your typical teenage mother, she went on to complete her college degree and to earn her nursing license. She attributes God’s faithfulness as the catalyst for her success in life. Now, having raised two children as a divorced mother, with a third fast approaching adulthood, she is chasing her dream of becoming a published author. Using the lessons that life has so expertly taught her as a guideline (betrayal, abusive relationships, self-esteem issues, witnessing the deteriorating effects of drug abuse), she has created stories that will both entertain and inspire the reader.  Learn more about Adrienne at: http://adriennethompsonwrites.webs.com/bio.htm

 

How long have you been writing?

I’ve written poetry for most of my life. I did not begin writing novels until 2009. 

How did you get started writing?

I always had a desire to write novels, but for years I convinced myself that I couldn’t do it. One day I found myself dissatisfied with where I was in life and believing that there was something more for me. After much thought and prayer, I found my true calling in writing. Five novels and 10,000 eBooks sold later, I’m much more satisfied with the direction of my life.

What's the best writing advice you've ever received?

I was once told not to be so concerned about word counts and to write as the story dictated—to write until the story is finished.  A good, complete story is more important than meeting a certain word-count quota.

What inspired you to write this book?

See Me is the story of Olivia Moy, the widow of a beloved and very celebrated author. When we first meet her, she is slowly losing the battle as she struggles to cope her husband’s untimely death. Concerned about her condition, her son insists on taking her to his home where she soon befriends his neighbor. It is not long before Olivia begins to divulge the secrets of her marriage, secrets that can destroy her husband’s legacy and her world. I was inspired to write See Me because of my experience with a brilliant, yet mentally ill relative.

Are you working on a new book?

I’m always working on the next book, lol. I’m currently working on two books: Little Sister (a companion novel to Been So Long—my second book) and Been So Long 2 (Body and Soul). 

 What does writing mean in your life?

Writing means everything to me. Even on those dark days when I feel like giving up or that I’m spinning my wheels and I’ll never reach my goals, I am still compelled to write. It has become second nature to me—a compulsion. I know I was put on Earth to do this.

Where can people purchase your book?

See Me is available on Kindle, Nook, and Kobo. Paperback coming soon.

Kindle: http://ow.ly/ePcsF

Nook:  http://ow.ly/ePcxS 

Kobo: http://ow.ly/eQd0T 

To Self Publish or Not

Whether to self publish or vie for traditional publishing is a question brought to the forefront because of the direction publishing is moving.

With fewer traditional publishers, more books written, and fewer readers, many traditional houses aren’t willing to work with unknown authors.

Authors need a platform with followers, a book marketing plan, and more laid upon the shoulders of authors, many authors feel that self-publishing is the way to get their book into the hands of readers.

If you self publish your book, how traditional will look upon your book if you decide to vie for a traditional publishing house in the future is a question only the publishing house can answer. Experience from some writers is that self-published books are akin to what we used to call vanity press books, pay money and they will publish anything as Amazon found out with blatant plagiarism of many titles that Amazon published, and then had had to remove when they finally knew it. Amazon’s reputation was hurt, and rightly so.

Why have reviewers been complaining about the quality of self-published books?

The complaints range from editing to grammar. Publishing houses once employed editors to clean up these problems for authors; this is no longer the case. Self-published book editing is now the purview of the author, and authors need professional editing. Don’t rely on software like spellcheckers and grammar checkers to find the errors.

A literary agent may cost writers thousands to have their book shopped to publishers. Many authors can’t afford these costs, and opt for self-publishing.

Ultimately, it is up to the individual author how to publish their baby. First, is to hire an editor that has no interest in the book other than making sure that they edit for typos, grammar, punctuation, sentence structure, redundancies,  over use of words like “and”, “or”, and “but”. Editors will notice these because they have no stake in the book other than making it the best book for the reader.

If an author such as James Paterson, David Baldacci, or Orson Scott Card wants a book published, most traditional publishers will take a chance, but are probably not willing to take on self-published authors or unpublished writers. Authors need to find creative ways to convince publishing houses to take a chance. One creative way is to create a well-written, well-edited book. Don’t forget a well-crafted proposal.

Robert Medak

Freelance Writer, Blogger, Editor, Proofreader, Reviewer, Marketer

http://rjmedak.wordpress.com

http://xeeme.com/RobertMedak

Why you need to backup data

Aside from having to rehab my right shoulder after rotator cuff surgery, my newest computer crashed and I no longer have access to my passwords on the numerous site I frequent.

Rebuilding my password list is a royal pain, not to mention time consuming.

My WIP is on the newest computer also, which means I have to start over from scratch on my book until I can afford to repair my computer.

I have been working with computers since the 1990s without a problem, along comes 2012 and I am in deep trouble.

Please be forewarned.

Back up your work online somewhere with a strong password that only you know and remember.

Robert Medak
Freelance Writer, Blogger, Editor, Reviewer, Marketer
http://rjmedak.wordpress.com
http://twitter.com/freelancewrtr
http://www.facebook.com/robertmedakfreelancewriter

How Many Hats Does a Writer Wear?

Let me say it is many more than just writer in today’s publishing culture.

Traditional publishers are no longer in the business of correcting multiple errors in manuscripts.

Acquisitions editors are looking for a minimum of errors and as close to print ready manuscripts for publication.

What does this mean for writers?

Writers will have to do much of what traditional publishers use to do. Writers will have to build a follow using social media, network marketing, blogging, creating video book trailers, and create a marketing plan at the minimum. Publishers will be requiring this and possibly even literary agents.

There are two ways for writers to accomplish this, DIY or outsourcing. Outsourcing is ideal if writers have the money. If a writer doesn’t have deep pockets, the only alternative is DIY.

Writers need a blog to garner interest in their book and build a following of interested potential purchasers. Writers will need a well-written proposal letter to get past the gatekeepers at traditional publishers, hence the growth of self-publishing and the bemoaning of the quality of self-published books..

There are many authors self-publishing that reading web sites and blogs lead to a backlash because of the quality of many books.

As a reviewer, I’ve seen this in many books for review. Writers need to find a professional editor for their work, and should never try to edit their own work. A professional editor looks at a piece of writing from a different perspective than he writer does from an objective point of view and distance from the work, while the writer is so close that they may miss simple errors.

Writers should make sure that their project is as print ready as possible before submitting it for publication. Writes also need to have marketing, PR, and promotion plans in place when submitting a manuscript to a traditional publisher.

Writers need to wear the hats of publicist, blogger, marketer, social media manager, book promoter, network marketer, web designer, retailer, bookkeeper, and shipper unless they have the capital to outsource these actions. To outsource this could run into thousands of dollars.

With work, writers can DIY. All it takes is some willingness to learn some simple techniques, writers don’t need to master these only have a good working knowledge of the techniques required.

Welcome to the fact that publishing has changed.

Freelance Writer/Blogger/Editor/Proofreader/Reviewer/Marketer

http://www.authorsden.com/robertmedak

http://rjmedak.wordpress.com

http://twitter.com/freelancewrtr

Why Authors Need a Platform

Like it or not, let’s start with the fact that writing is a business for better or worse. Authors are entrepreneurs with a product. Whether self-published or traditionally published a book is a product or commodity in search of customers. That is what business is about, finding customers.

Authors need readers and they need a platform for readers to find them and their books.

Does building a platform take time away from writing?

Anything that authors do other than writing is time away from creating the story. Unfortunately, platform building comes with the territory of the author. Either the author builds the platform or they must outsource the platform building to someone else.

When building an author’s platform it would be nice if one platform were enough, but never rely on just one to work for you. Authors just like businesses need more than one platform to inform potential customers what you have to offer by online platforms.

What are the platforms?

Platforms come in many varieties. One is a Web site; others are social media (Facebook, Blog, Twitter…), newsletters, video trailers (YouTube or posted on a blog...), any way for readers to find out about an author’s book.

Platforms are a way for authors to promote and advertise their books as well as a way to sell books. A blog is a good way for others to build interest in their book as they blog about the creation of the book by writing about the book on their blog and keeping potential readers up to date on how the book is advancing.

Platforms are free advertising for authors; and create interest in potential readers making them customers.  

Platforms like blogs and Web sites are a great place to post chapter excerpts and receive feedback from the people who visit our blog or wherever you post an excerpt from your book building interest and creating a list of potential purchasers and readers waiting for publishing of author’s book.

Finally, there is no question that authors need more than one platform; the question is whom is the one building it. Either the author must take on the job or outsource it.

Robert Medak

Freelance writer, blogger, editor, proofreader, reviewer, marketer

http://www.authorsden.com/robertmedak

http://rjmedak.wordpress.com/

http://twitter.com/RJ_Medak

An Obituary for Writers

I read an article titled Facts, 360 B.C.-A.D. 2012 in the website of the ChicagoTribune.


Facts are important when writing, so are places, and timelines.

Readers of articles and books may know something about the time, place, and more written about. A reader may live in a place mentioned, this happened to a book I read for review. The author was writing about my hometown, I have seen the same thing on television shows.

When writing, always check your facts with more than one source. Be careful when checking facts on the internet, they may not always be correct. This is where a trip to your local library and talking with your librarian come into play.

When in college and taking a course in political science, if we used statistics or quotes, we had to name the source and the instructor would check them to make sure we were correct. Always spend the time to fact check as part of the editing process.

Readers deserve the best writing the author is capable of, this means quality, and part of quality is to insure that anything mentioned in the article or story is as correct as possible through multiple sources.

Quality writing includes grammar, spelling, punctuation, and correctness. As writers we should strive for the best original writing as possible, not a copy and paste approach to writing as seen on the internet.

Having read over 100 books for review, there books that make me wonder whom and how books are published needing editing. As a reviewer, I will not give five stars to any book in need of editing.

Just to let you know something about me, I edited Jihad Genocide for the author; I have also edited other manuscripts, proofread books, copy edited, and act as an acquisitions editor for a publisher. 

Robert Medak
Freelance Writer/Blogger/Editor/Reviewer