Angela Booth's Writing Blog

Rescue your unfinished book

Can you edit your book, even if you haven’t finished it?

Of course you can. Start by assessing what you have, and what your book needs, so that you can finish it and publish it.

The steps below will work for both fiction and nonfiction; I recommend them to my book coaching clients.

Edit your book: can you publish immediately?

Your book may be ready to publish now:

• If you’re writing fiction, could you create a novella or a short story from some of the content?
• Could you create one or more short ebooks from your unfinished nonfiction book?

Read the article.

Publishing nonfiction? Use this checklist to write a nonfiction book

Vital: please test all nonfiction ideas. Testing can save you months—even years.

Self-publishing: find problems and offer solutions—and TEST

We all have problems we’re not sure how to tackle. Or, perhaps we do know how to tackle a problem, but we want a simpler, better solution.

Self-publishing nonfiction books offers opportunities for any writer who can identify problems which many people have. The “many people” is key.

Testing an initial idea is key too. Rather than spending six months or a year writing a book you don’t know will sell, test.

Here’s how to test. Once you’ve found a problem, create an ebook, with one problem and one solution. Keep your ebook short. Think of it as creating a Minimum Viable Product (MVP.) If your ebook sells, you can expand your initial ebook into a longer book, which you can offer in many formats.

Read the article.

Write To Sell: 3 Tips For Ghostwriting Fiction

If you love writing fiction, you can build a great career writing for others as a ghostwriter. Ghostwriting brings an inflow of cash so that you have time to write your own novels.

An experienced ghostwriter will expect upwards of $20,000 per book. Even relatively new authors can earn upwards of $10,000 per book.

Although ghostwriting is common in nonfiction publishing, it’s only in the past few years that it’s also become common in fiction publishing.

Novelists are discovering that their words are worth money.

Ghostwriting: your words are worth money

Today, with top selling novels on Amazon earning five figures a day, new publishers hire ghostwriters who are paid by the project. Some of these new publishers manage a large stable of authors, specializing in various genres. They publish novels and series under many pen names.

Their authors sign nondisclosure agreements, and once the authors are paid, they no longer have any rights in their novels.

These new publishers resemble old-style book packagers. They produce hundreds of novels, hiring writers, editors, designers and marketers as needed.

I asked my students who’ve taken ghostwriting gigs for some practical tips to help you to get into this lucrative business.

1. Specialize in a genre: romance and mysteries are the most popular

A student said: “you need to know what’s selling and be comfortable writing in hot-selling genres.”

Another student said that in one sub-genre of romance six out of the ten top selling novels have been developed by a publisher hiring ghostwriters.

She was approached to ghostwrite a series in this sub-genre, but turned down the offer for now because she’s busy with her own books.

2. Be professional: advertise your services

If you’re looking for ghostwriting gigs, you need to promote your services. Ads on LinkedIn worked for a couple of authors, and Facebook groups worked for others.

3. Vital: study your contracts carefully

When you’re writing as a ghostwriter, you’ll be asked to sign nondisclosure agreements. You’ll also agree to relinquish all rights in your work once you’ve been paid.

One author told me that she found that this helped her as a writer. “My name will never be attached to that novel, so I found that I was much more relaxed and confident when I was writing. The experience enhanced my creativity which made me a better writer; I didn’t expect that.”

Build a ghostwriting business: start today

Our new program, Story Spinner: Build A Lucrative Fiction Ghostwriting Business In 7 Days, is available now.

In this new program you'll discover how to build a new business as a fiction ghostwriter in just seven days. The program includes everything you need. Get started today.

This week's offering: Fast and Easy Kindle Publisher

This week, in conjunction with our "fast and easy Kindle publishing" theme on our freelance writing blog, there's a special offering for you.

I developed the methods in "Fast and Easy Kindle Publisher: Turn Free Stuff Into Kindle Cash" to help my students to create their own multiple income streams, in the easiest ways possible.

These methods are perfect for newbies: you don't even need a website.

Fiction Frenzy: Write and Publish Kindle Fiction

Two years ago, if you'd told me that writers were making money selling FICTION, I would have laughed. It took years of frustration to become a successful novelist… if you were lucky.

Amazon changed everything.

These days, novelists are finally making money.

The gatekeepers have gone. You can write and publish your book as easily as you use a word processor.

via www.writingchallenge.net

It's Fiction Week on Fab Freelance Writing Blog.

In honor of that, we have a very special offering on Fiction Frenzy. Enjoy. :-)

The Minimalist's Guide to Writing an Ebook and Selling It

Writing and selling ebooks is profitable. It's an on-going bonanza for many writers.

If you find it a challenge, here's a minimalist's guide to writing and selling your first ebook.

1. Find something you know how to do (or someone you know knows how to do)

Here's a secret: the "something" doesn't need to be earth-shattering, nor does it need to be something everyone wants to do.

Maybe you or someone else has a magic touch with dogs, or babies, or throwing a party.

Maybe you've figured out how to do something on your smartphone, or how to turn others' junk into eBay cash.

Everyone knows how to do something so well that's it's an unconscious process: you do whatever it is automatically.

Make a list of stuff you know how to do.

Choose one thing.

2. Teach others how to do it -- fast

Make a list of steps involved in doing your one thing.

If possible, take photographs. Use your phone to take them.

Describe each step, and the end result.

Write an introduction to your ebook. Think about your audience. Who would like to learn what you're teaching? Why? What benefits are there to knowing how to do whatever it is?

Close your ebook with tips -- things readers need to be aware of, and things they should avoid.

3. You've just written an ebook: now turn it into a product

There you go: you've just written a short ebook.

Next, turn your MS Word or other word processor file into a PDF. The latest versions of Word do this for you. Alternatively, you can use a free PDF creator like PrimoPDF.

Ta da -- you now have a product ready to sell.

The simplest way to pass your material on to the people who want it is by using PayPal and email. If you don't have a PayPal account, get one. People send money to your PayPal address, and you send them your ebook as an email attachment.

4. Sell your new ebook

You don't even need a website to sell.

Sell your ebook on Twitter, or on forums.

Here's the biggest benefit of getting your ebook written: it gives you confidence that you can do it.

Have fun. :-)

Sell More of Your Books: Explore the Author Tools at Goodreads

I enjoy Goodreads. It's a wonderful site to check out books I'm considering reading. Reading others' reviews of a book is immensely helpful.

If you're an author, especially if you're writing for the Kindle, you may not know that Goodreads has a collection of wonderful tools you can use to get the word out about yourself and your books.

Check out the Goodreads Author Program.

If you scroll down to the bottom of that page, you'll see a slide program which gives you lots of ideas for promotion.

Here are some additional tips to help you to promote your books

* Start promoting as soon as you start writing your book/ ebook -- as soon as you get the glimmer of an idea.

(If you're having trouble getting started on your book, check out my Lazy Writer's method.)

* Do a little promotion every day. It's essential. Remember, you're building your platform -- your readership -- with every book you write, and with every promotion you do.

* Plan your promotions.

You have endless ways in which you can promote your books. This can becoming confusing, if you're undecided on what  you should do -- you end up doing nothing, because you're paralysed with indecision.

Just do ONE thing a day to promote your book(s). Each week, create a short one-sentence plan of what you'll do in the next week. Or, you can do as I do, and plan one promotional strategy per month.

* Promote within your books.

Digital publication makes it easy to use each ebook you write to promote the others.

When you publish book #2, edit your first ebook to include a sample of book #2. In book #2, include a sample from book #1.

As you create more ebooks, sites like Amazon help you to cross-promote your ebooks, but always remember to do some cross-promotion yourself.

 

 

 

Get Started: Write Your Novel

Want to write a novel? Basically it's very simple. Get started, then stop when you've written anywhere from 60,000 to 100,000 words -- and don't be boring while you write those words.

Writers seem to have more trouble with starting a novel than with anything else. This article, 4 Goals for a Novel's Opening Chapter — Fiction Notes, offers some great advice:

"Start with a scene. Unless you are definitely writing a character novel, you should start with a scene. There’s a beginning: A character goes into a situation with a goal. "

Look at it this way: you start with someone in a heap of trouble, then with each scene, you make that trouble worse. In between making life challenging for this character, you bring in other characters, who are also in big trouble... then you make their trouble worse.

A novel isn't real life. In a novel, characters have goals, and they struggle to achieve those goals.

Don't start your novel with your character waking up one bright morning -- or any morning. If you start out with that, you'll be tempted to tell us all about him, or her. We don't care about the brand of toothpaste your character uses, or that he normally just has toast for breakfast, unless that toothpaste or toast is poisoned. We want to see your main character (and unless you have good reason, you should start with your main character) in big trouble as soon as possible.

In a nutshell: make sure your character is in heaps of trouble, and then make sure that he uses everything he has to get out of that trouble.

What does your character most want in the world? Make him work to get it. Someone once said that when you write a novel, you start with your character up a tree, and then you throw rocks at him. Be unkind -- make life a struggle for your character. Your readers will love it.

The Write A Book Collection -- the ultimate toolbox for writing and selling your books

These days it's crazy to spend years writing a book, without having any idea as to whether or not you can make money from it. If you want to write, you can – you have a global market, which is hungry for information and entertainment. And YOU can provide it… even if you're a brand new author.

As you may know, I write and sell many writing guides. I also sell information products in many other areas than writing.

I want to show you how you can do the same, if you wish. Your dreams of writing a book can be the spark which changes your life.

I've collected everything I know about writing and selling your books into my brand new Write A Book Collection: it's the ultimate toolbox for anyone who wants to write and sell books in 2010 and beyond.

Image credit

 

Giggle of the Day: "I'd Like to Buy Your Novel"

Love this...

McSweeney’s Internet Tendency: I’d Like to Buy Your Novel, Good Sir!:

"Now I must ask, what is your piece about? I’ve only been able to gather so much from peeking over your shoulder. You say it’s a story about “a boy who likes a girl but she already has a douchebag boyfriend,” and that it’s “based loosely” on your time in high school? You know, all of the world’s best work is born out of a tormented self truth. "

Read it all. It's a gem. :-)

 

Write a Book: Why Kindle Publishing May Be In Your Future

Amazon's Kindle platform has made writing and publishing a book a breeze. Everything is in your hands. It's never been as easy to become an author. Let's look at why Kindle publishing may be in your future.

Here are the primary reasons.

1. Traditional (Also Known As "Legacy") Publishers Are Hurting

Margins are dropping throughout the industry. Ebooks may, or may not, save traditional publishers. This means that at this time, you need to be wary of signing contracts with companies which may not be in business a year from now.

When a company winds up, it's a long process. After you've signed a contract, you've made a deal. It may be years before you can legitimately publish your book elsewhere if you're caught up in a company collapse.

Additionally, book publishers are mere shadows of what they used to be. It's hard to get a contract, and trying to get a contract can take years.

2. A Huge Market for Your Book: Millions of Keen Readers Own E-Reader Devices

The big benefit of ebooks is that you can read them on any digital device. You don't need a Kindle. I own a Kindle, but I prefer to read my purchases on my iPad, iPhone and computer, using Amazon's apps.

Most readers believe that they need a dedicated e-reader, but this just isn't so. As buyers become more comfortable with reading anywhere they choose, the already huge market will expand.

Interestingly, Amazon reports that sales of print books, both softcover and hardcover, have risen too. The ebook market isn't cannibalizing print, it's expanding the book market.

For me, and for many other writers, the huge market for ebooks is the primary reason we self-publish.

3. Publishing Your Books Is Simple on the Kindle and Other Platforms

New writers worry about formatting for e-readers, but it's simple. Basically, write your book in Microsoft Word, or any other word processor which can create DOC files. You need a couple of additional steps; these are described in Amazon's Help files.

For most books, formatting will take around half an hour, depending on the speed of your computer.

If you don't want to format your manuscript yourself, you can hire someone to do it very cheaply. Just email your manuscript, and you'll receive a beautifully formatted ebook in return.

4. Self-Publishing Is Profitable

The market's huge, which means that there's room for you, too. Top-selling authors are making millions of dollars. You may never reach these heights, but you can make a decent income, and most importantly, your book will be published.

If you want to write a book, the world has changed. Is Kindle publishing in your future? It's in mine.

Turn Your Words Into Gold: Write and Sell An Ebook In Just Eight Hours

Here's what I love about writing ebooks: you write them once, and they keep on selling forever.

I know several writers who've taken to the Kindle platform like the proverbial ducks to water. One writer friend turns out a new Kindle ebook every month, like clockwork. The last time we spoke, she had 11 ebooks selling -- and her income is rising month by month.

Another writer friend mixes writing her own ebooks, with writing ebooks for others. Currently she's been commissioned to write a biography, and a family history, for the same client. She's finding it huge fun, and she's making more money than she's ever made.

The benefit of writing and selling ebooks is that once written, they can keep on selling forever. Would you trade eight hours for an income stream?

After The First Draft

I was chatting with a writer who's written the first draft of a novel. That's a huge accomplishment. Many writers begin novels, few finish. Although he completed the first draft last year, he hasn't looked at it since. He's too embarrassed. "It's bad, really bad", he said.

Yes, it possibly is, although I doubt that it's as "bad" as he thinks.

I told him it's meant to be bad. It's mud.

In this blog post, I talked about making mud.

Making mud/ laying track

Your first draft of any piece of work is "mud" -- raw material. Julia Cameron refers to your first draft as "laying track", another term I like. 

If  the first draft's awful, great! It's meant to be. It's only raw material. However, if you don't create the first draft, or you wait until you have a really great idea that's worth a first draft, you won't write anything. Write. Make mud.

Writing is a process. It's not typing.

Your first draft is a beginning. It's not the end. Every book you see on bookstore shelves has gone through many drafts. 

The FUN of writing BEGINS after your first draft is complete. 

Once you've written the draft, it will always be far removed from your original conception of the book. That's fine. You've got a chance to make the book better than your inspiration with your next draft, and the one after that.

Write about your book

When I'm coaching writers, their biggest challenge is knowing how to revise. There are many books which will show you how to revise your novel.

However, if you'll trust yourself, you'll be your own best guide through the revision process.

Talk to yourself on paper -- write about your book.

Try this. After you've completed your first draft, leave it for a week or two. When you return:

* Read the book straight through, without making any notes at all. You need to get a sense of what you have.

* Read the book and make notes.

* Go back to your blurb (short paragraph describing your book). Decide whether you want to stay with your original conception of the novel, or whether you want to write a new blurb.

* Outline the book, as it is.

* Focus on your characters. Do they change in the course of the book? Your primary character must change. We read to take part in your character's journey. Therefore, trace your character's arc. Every scene must contain conflict, and change.

You may find that in your first draft, your character doesn't change at all. So that's your first step in your second draft. Take your character on a journey of change.

Outline that change. Write the second draft.

Your second draft will be totally new. You'll be able to salvage some material from the first draft, but it will be a different, and better book.

Is that the end? Of course not. Start your third draft. In this draft, focus on other characters.

Your first draft is only a beginning. The first draft of your first book will show you that you have the courage to write a novel. Revising it will teach you how to write.

If you decide in the course of your second and third drafts that you're fed up, and want to write something else, go ahead and do that.

Your second book will be better, even in its first rough draft, than your first. No writing you do is ever wasted. Keep writing. You'll keep getting better, and you'll get published.

The Write A Book Collection -- the ultimate toolbox for writing and selling your books

These days it's crazy to spend years writing a book, without having any idea as to whether or not you can make money from it. If you want to write, you can – you have a global market, which is hungry for information and entertainment. And YOU can provide it… even if you're a brand new author.

As you may know, I write and sell many writing guides. I also sell information products in many other areas than writing.

I want to show you how you can do the same, if you wish. Your dreams of writing a book can be the spark which changes your life.

I've collected everything I know about writing and selling your books into my brand new Write A Book Collection: it's the ultimate toolbox for anyone who wants to write and sell books in 2010 and beyond.

Think You Can't Write a Book?

A few days ago I launched my new program, "Words into Cash: Write and Sell Your Ebook in Just 8 Hours".

Then the feedback poured in.

Without any doubt, this program has touched a nerve. Writers want to write books, but fear that they can't do it. This program has shown them that they can -- it excites them, and I'm so pleased about that. That's what I set out to do, and there's nothing more satisfying.

Writing a book can seem intimidating, if you think about it as a "book." These days however, a book can be many things. The most important thing to be aware of is that it can be SHORT. You don't need an outline or anything complex to get started writing.

In this blog post, Q & A with Seth Godin about writing best-selling Poke the Box, consummate marketer and writer Seth Godin says:

"SG: Believe, Debbie. Believe.  Do you have an outline when you argue with a friend or teach a new employee? The point of this manifesto is to pester, cajole, remind, argue, inspire and push people to think differently about instigation. I can’t see what the reader is doing while reading, so I bob and weave and wheedle, hoping to get under her skin."

You don't need an outline to write a book, although it certainly helps.

In "Words into Cash", I give you a simple way to create an outline. It's how I do it -- I just use index cards. The outline creates itself. The book writes itself (almost, anyway.) All I need to do is sit down at my computer.

So if you'd love to write a book, and fear you can't, be aware that in 2011, the Kindle platform has changed everything about writing books. It's the dawn of a wonderful new epublishing age, in which you can write, and sell... You're a creative genius, and don't you forget it! :-)

Write An Ebook By Talking

Many writers procrastinate. You know you're supposed to be writing, but instead you stare at the computer screen.

Then, you get sidetracked.

You remember that it's your best friend's birthday in a month, so maybe you should scout eBay for a gift. What did she say last week? She said she wanted... Not to worry, you'll browse eBay until you remember.

An hour later, you've made three bids on eBay, but you haven't done any writing.

Maybe you'll be inspired tomorrow...

That's the way the writing life goes, sometimes.

If you're a born procrastinator, consider getting to know and love a voice recognition program. I "talk" all my ebooks.

Here's an excerpt about writing by talking, from my latest ebook, Words into Cash: Write and Sell Your Ebook in Just 8 Hours.

Many people find writing a real challenge. 

Oddly enough, this includes many writers. Their mind goes blank when they sit in front of the computer screen. 

If you’re in this group, here’s my advice to you. Investigate voice recognition programs.

The big benefit of these programs is that they save you a lot of time. You can create text at least three times faster than you can by typing, depending of course on how fast a typist you are.

Eliminate your fear of the blank page

There’s another big benefit of voice-recognition programs: they eliminate the fear of the blank page.

Talking is much more fun than typing, and especially in your first draft, the more relaxed and loose you are the better. Invariably, you're more relaxed when you're speaking, then you are when you're writing.

Voice recognition programs are easy to use. You’ve already come into contact with them many times. For example, whenever you call a large company, you work your way through their phone menu system using their voice-recognition program.

I don't use my VR program for all my writing, but I do use it to complete ebooks and other long projects. It stops me procrastinating.

 

Writing a Book: A Must-Read If You're New to Digital Publishing

If you're writing a book, the world of publishing has changed. Less than a year ago, I thought that anyone writing a novel needed to go the traditional publishing route. Write the book, get an agent, pray the agent manages to flog it to a publisher...

That's changed. These days, if you study the numbers, it may make much more sense to publish your novel yourself.

Here's a must-read, "Ebooks and Self-Publishing - A Dialog Between Authors Barry Eisler and Joe Konrath". It will give you lots to think about:

But I realized from that one innocent comment from my daughter that the new generation was looking at self-publishing differently. And that the question--“Should I self-publish?”--was going to be asked by more and more authors going forward. And that, over time, more and more of them were going to be answering the question, “Yes.”

 

Write an ebook fast... in a week

Want to write an ebook? Maybe you've heard of the money writers are making with information products like ebooks.

From the questions I receive, I know that the time it takes to write an ebook is a big stumbling block for many writers. Who wants to invest months in a project which may or may not be successful?

Next week in Fab Freelance Writing Ezine I show you how easy it is to write an ebook in a week.

We're in the last quarter of 2009, so I'll be devoting lots of time over the next three months to ensuring that I give you plenty of ideas on how to make 2010 your best writing year ever.

The issue will be out on Tuesday. Enjoy. :-)

Want to make great money writing? Discover the secrets of high-selling, highly paid writers, for free. Each week, Angela Booth's Fab Freelance Writing Ezine is delivered in easy-to-print PDF format. Join the thousands of other writers who are using the information to change their lives. You'll learn how to write, and how to sell. Angela's been writing for 30 years, and shares her knowledge with you.